Ethical Behavior and Social Responsibility of Organizations Essay Example for Free

Ethical Behavior and Social Responsibility of Organizations Essay Introduction Proper ethical behavior is a significant part of conducting business. Organizations must therefore find ways to incorporate ethical considerations into their strategic plan. Firms need to practice self governance and obey existing laws if they are to ensure their survival and the well-being of the society in which they exist. The decisions made by an organization affect society as a whole. This paper will examine the social responsibilities of organizations to each of their stakeholders. These include: customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, the local government and the environment. Each section of this report is supplemented with a case study illustrating the consequences of unethical behavior in business. Defining Ethics Ethics is a ubiquitous term that is subject to personal interpretation. Individuals and groups are guided by moral principles or values. Their beliefs help them to set standards for deciphering right from wrong (Little, 2011). Ethical values are dynamic and are therefore subject to renegotiation and change. These changes are often influenced by periodic and contextual circumstances. As ethical beliefs differ from person to person, it may not be entirely possible to instill a universal set of values. Also, many individuals have different points of reference when determining what is right and what is wrong (Little, 2011). Domestically, ethical values tend to be closely aligned. Individuals who have been socialized in a particular region are more likely to have similar values, laws, religion, knowledge and culture. With the emergence of free-trade agreements, many firms have the opportunity to conduct international business. Although these organizations are usually successful in aligning their economic interests, many have failed to recognize or understand the cultural norms, laws and ethical practices of the country they are conducting business with. Defining Social Responsibility An organization’s approach to social responsibility can impact its image and reputation. Depending on how an organization addresses this aspect of business, ethics can either be a strength or a weakness. Social responsibility can be divided into three categories: obligatory, reactive or responsive behavior (Duening Ivancevisch, 2008). An organization that acts out of social obligation tends to direct its behavior to the legal pursuit of profit (Duening et al., 2008). Socially reactive organizations often adhere to social norms, values and performance expectations (Duening et al., 2008). These organizations must be accountable for the ecological, environmental and social costs incurred by their actions (Duening et al., 2008). Lastly, socially responsive organizations often engage in behavior that exceeds the actions taken by socially obligated and socially reactive organizations. For example, these firms take stands on public issues, account for their actions, anticipate future needs of society, move toward satisfying them, and communicate with the government regarding existing and anticipated socially desirable legislation (Duening et al., 2008). As illustrated above, social responsibility can mean different things to different people. In a broad sense, social responsibility is a compliance to the legal obligations, social norms and ethical standards of society. For the purpose of this paper, I will use the broad sense of the term, unless otherwise specified. Social Responsibility of Organizations to Internal Beneficiaries Social Responsibility to Employees Legally, organizations are responsible for providing their employees with a minimum wage, safe working conditions and the freedom to form a union (Duening et al., 2008). These laws discourage management from creating workplaces that violate employee civil rights (Duening et al., 2008). However, many part-time employers, fast food restaurants and retailers provide only the minimum. Historically, employee benefits emerged out of pressure from employees, unions and the community. Today, most organizations are expected to go beyond the minimum legal requirements by providing their employees with â€Å"fringe benefits†, such as retirement funds, health and accident insurance (Duening et al., 2008). Many socially reactive and socially responsive organizations have extended their benefits to include training, career development, counseling, employee assistance programs, day-care and flex-time policies. As employee family life becomes more complex, organizations must find ways to offer support. Many modern organizations are concerned about employee satisfaction and the benefits associated with it. Employees who are content demonstrate a higher commitment to the organization, which often translates into less absenteeism, higher morale and higher productivity. Overall, the modern worker wants his job to be both meaningful and fulfilling (Duening et al., 2008). Social Irresponsibility to Employees: Wal-Mart Wal-mart is one of the most profitable and efficiently run organizations in the world. In 2005, the corporation grossed two-hundred and forty billion dollars in sales, yet still failed to provide its employees with health care benefits and a livable wage (Greenwald Gilliam, 2005). On numerous occasions, the organization neglected to provide its employees with the basic legal requirements. As a result, Wal-mart is now facing a number of class action law suits. Reports suggest that the organization is also notorious for keeping its stores understaffed. Although overtime is rarely an option, employees are still expected to work off the clock to get the job done (Greenwald et al., 2005). Workers are ordered to complete their tasks and are often told that they can be replaced. Given their unfortunate personal circumstances, many employees put up with this abuse. In terms of employee well-being, a large majority of Walmart’s workers cannot afford the company’s basic medical insurance at just seventy-five dollars per month. (Greenwald et al., 2005). However, Wal-mart encourages its employees to seek out section-8 housing, food stamps and government-provided health insurance. (Greenwald et al., 2005). Evidently, Wal-mart’s everyday low prices are a result of taxpayer subsidies. Nationwide, Wal-mart is costing taxpayers over one and a half billion dollars a year in subsidies for its employees (Greenwald et al., 2005). As a result of these policies, Walmart’s average sales employee is living below the Federal Poverty Line. (Greenwald et al., 2005). In 2001, Barbara Ehrenreich conducted a sociological study to determine whether or not she could survive on a low wage. She found a job at Wal-mart in Minnesota. Her study reaffirmed the poor working conditions that Wal-mart employees often endure. In the following quote Ehrenreich talks about a shirt that she wanted to purchase for work: â€Å"One of the rules is that our shirts have to have collars, so they have to be polos, not tees. Somehow Id missed this during orientation At $7 an hour, a $7 shirt is just not going to make it to my shopping list† (Ehrenreich, 2002, p.88). Given the low wage that she earns, she has difficulty justifying the purchase of a seven dollar work shirt. In the next quote, her co-worker Alyssa finds herself in a more difficult situation: â€Å"Alyssa is another target for my crusade. When she returns to check yet again on that $7 polo, she finds a stain on it. What could she get off for that? I think 10 percent, and if you add in the 10 percent employee discount, wed be down to $5.60. Im trying to negotiate a 20 percent price reduction with the fitting room lady when rotten luck Howard shows up and announces that there are no reductions and no employee discounts on clearanced items. Those are the rules. Alyssa looks crushed, and I tell her, when Howards out of sight, that theres something wrong when youre not paid enough to buy a Wal-Mart shirt, a clearanced Wal-Mart shirt with a stain on it. I hear you, she says, and admits Wal-Mart isnt working for her either, if the goal is to make a living† (Ehrenreich, 2002, p.100). Wal-mart is also notorious for squashing unions. If a branch plans to hold a union vote, the organization will hire new employees to dilute the number of people who are pro union. Moreover, the organization allots each store a seven-thousand dollar anti-union package; a thirty-thousand dollar undercover spy van, access to the organization’s one hundred thousand dollar anti-union hot-line; and the use of its seven-million dollar corporate jet for rapid response (Greenwald et al., 2005). If a branch is successful in a union vote, Wal-mart will not hesitate to close down that particular retail outlet. In summary, with the absence of unions and the current mind-set of management, it is highly unlikely that employee working conditions will improve any time soon. Social Responsibility to Shareholders Organizations have a social responsibility to their shareholders and must provide accurate information for investment decisions. (Duening et al., 2008). As stated by Duening and Ivancevich, â€Å"the ultimate action a stockholder can take is to sell the stock† (2008). It is important that organizational information be transparent and accessible. Also, organizations must be as efficient and effective as possible with the use of their resources. Any process or product feature that does not add value is wasteful and has an adverse effect on the bottom line. Investors of the twenty-first century want instant gratification and are therefore often fixated on short-term earnings. As corporations and their managers face pressure from shareholders to produce appeasing quarterly results, they often fail to think about the long-term well being of the organization, its employees and the environment. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in performance-based bonuses. In many multinational organizations, executives earn exponentially more than their lowest paid employees. As an incentive, executives often receive options for shares in the company. The value of those options is contingent upon the company’s short, medium or long-term performance. In 2010, chief executives at the United States’ five hundred largest firms collectively took home four billion dollars (DeCarlo, 2010). The value realized from exercised stock options accounted for the main component of their pay (DeCarlo, 2010). When managers act in their own self interest, bonus-based compensation schemes can have dire consequences for all parties involved. Social Irresponsibility to Shareholders: Enron In 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy (Bryce, 2003). At the time, it was the largest bankruptcy in the history of the United States. The management cooked the books and misrepresented their position to shareholders (Little, 2011). Enron used mark-to-market accounting practices to manipulate earnings and to create a mirage of success. On several occasions, company executives lied to investors, overstated earnings and omitted critical information (Bryce, 2003). As a result, stakeholders lost billions of dollars. Also, the employee pension plan contained over two billion dollars in assets with sixty-two percent of the funds invested in Enron stock (Bryce, 2003). Thousands of Enron employees lost a bulk of their life savings. In addition, the California Public Employees Retirement system lost three billion dollars (Bryce, 2003). Many individuals, investment firms and hedge funds lost billions of dollars as well. While thousands of individuals lost large sums of money, Enron executives netted significant returns from their unethical stock manipulation and insider trading. Social Responsibility to the Supply Chain The supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from the supplier to the consumer (Shafer et al., 2010). Within the chain, an organization can be both a supplier and a customer. Today, many organizations realize the importance of strengthening relationships and working with fewer suppliers. In effect, suppliers and their customers have become interdependent on one another. Traditionally, customers pitted suppliers against each other in hopes of getting the best price. Today, however, many suppliers play a vital role in the operations process. Through vendor-managed inventory systems, organizations have been able to avoid stockouts, thus reducing inventory costs (Shafer et al., 2010). Corporations that rely on sole sourcing have a partner-like relationship with their suppliers. The just-in-time delivery system is based on customers pulling their orders through the supply chain while suppliers ensure the inputs arrive according to schedule. Companies are also responsible for ensuring that their suppliers are treated respectfully and paid on time. In this relationship, both organizations have to turn a profit to ensure their survival. Social Irresponsibility to the Supply Chain: Monsanto Monsanto is an organization that has little regard for the farmers who use its products or the end users that consume them. In 1994, Monsanto introduced Posilac to the American market. Posilac is a bovine growth hormone that was developed to increase milk production. Today, â€Å"the United States is the only developed nation that permits humans to drink milk from cows that have been given artificial growth hormone† (Laskawy, 2010, para 3). This product was banned in twenty-seven countries including Canada and the European Union (Achbar et al.,2004). Moreover, Posilac was tested for only ninety days to assess for human toxicity (Achbar et al., 2004). There is widespread concern regarding the long-term effects of this product on the well-being of humans and animals. Despite these concerns, this product was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Either Monsanto misreported its findings or the Food and Drug Administration did not look at them. Health Canada research showed that bovine growth hormone could be absorbed by the human body with the possibility of a link to cancer (Achbar et al.,2004). In addition to being harmful, Posilac is of little value to farmers and end users. Prior to Posilac’s release, there was an abundance of milk in the marketplace and farmers were told to produce less of it (Achbar et al.,2004) Monsanto is an organization that supplies harmful products and expects farmers to distribute them to the general population. This organization is responsible for the premature release of bio-engineered foods in the marketplace. The long-term effects of genetically-modified food are still unknown. However, Monsanto requires a high level of coordination to get its products to market. The firm often requires help from politicians, professors, scientists, experts, the general public, reporters, and the Food and Drug Administration (Achbar et al.,2004). Monsanto also engineers terminator seeds. These are seeds that terminate themselves through a suicide gene (Achbar et al.,2004). Since terminator seeds are only good for one season, Monsanto has lowered the intrinsic value of them. In nature, seeds are meant to be replanted annually. However, this product goes against evolution and human well-being. There are billions of people around the world who are starving to death and farmers have been denied the opportunity to replant their seeds on an annual basis.This product is immoral to its customers, the end users, and humanity as a whole. Nonetheless, Monsanto still expects its customers to distribute these products to the end users. Social Responsibility to Customers Value is defined as any action or process that a customer is willing to pay for (Shafer Meredith, 2010). To eliminate unnecessary waste, organizations should always be mindful of customer needs. Processes that drive up costs but do not increase the overall value of a product are wasteful. Firms should strive to reduce overproduction, inventory costs, unnecessary processing, wait times, transportation costs, and unnecessary human motions while minimizing the number of defects (Shafer et al., 2010). Competitive organizations continue to improve the quality and durability of their products (Shafer et al., 2010). However, if an organization fails to use its resources efficiently and effectively, it will likely be punished in the marketplace. A consumer has the ultimate decision on whether or not they will purchase a particular product. Therefore, companies should be adequately prepared to address consumer concerns and after-service needs, should they arise. Also, consumer goods should not do any biological or psychological harm to their customers. Products that have the potential to do harm to others should be put through rigorous testing to ensure they are safe for human use and consumption. Social Irresponsibility to Customers: Aguas del Tunari For twenty years, the World Bank has been working alongside successive governments toward independent development in Bolivia. The World Bank believes that a high proportion of leaders in developing nations are susceptible to corruption, including those in Bolivia. As a result, the organization has played a significant role in assisting the Bolivian government with privatization of its state-owned enterprises. In 2000, Aguas del Tunari corporation signed a forty-year contract with the Bolivian government to provide water to impoverished citizens in Cochabamba City, Bolivia. Aguas del Tunari was guaranteed a minimum annual return of fifteen percent on their two-and-a-half billion dollar investment (Salina Starr, 2008). As part of the deal, Aguas del Tunari Corporation agreed to repay thirty million dollars of debt accumulated by the state utility company (Salina et al., 2008). In an effort to pay off the debt, Aguas del Tunari corporation increased water rates to twenty dollars per month a thirty-five percent increase (Achbar, Abbott, Bakan Simpson, ,2004). However, the company failed to consider the fact that many of its new clients were surviving on only two dollars a day (Achbar et al., 2004). This meant that the cost of water would account for roughly twenty-five percent of their daily income (Achbar et al., 2004). To make matters worse, the government had privatized rain water, making it illegal to collect the rainfall (Achbar et al.,2004). When the newly-owned utility company shut off the water supply to non-paying customers, violent protests erupted across all classes of society. Ninety-six percent of citizens demanded that the contract with Aguas del Tunari be terminated (Salina Starr, 2008) . The government of Bolivia refused and told its citizens that there was nothing to negotiate. Protests spread to other major cities in Bolivia, eventually causing a ripple effect that would put the country into a state of emergency. To remedy this problem, the Bolivian government kicked Aguas del Tunari out of the country and resumed its role as the nation’s utility operator. In this unique case, it is difficult to conceptualize water as a commodity. Water is essential for survival and is seen as a birth right. Many would argue that the local government is responsible for regulating the cost of water and ensuring that it is affordable for all citizens. Since water surrounds us and falls naturally from the sky, it is difficult for a corporation to add value to it. Privatization of rain water is an extreme concept and certainly crosses some ethical boundaries. Social Responsibility of Corporations to External Beneficiaries Social Responsibility to Local Governments Elected officials have a social responsibility to the people whom they represent. Although corporations cannot directly cast a vote, they can leverage their power by donating large sums of money to political campaigns. In return, they often expect regulatory favors, exceptions, and preferential treatment. Corporations must however respect the local government and prohibit themselves from lobbying, bribing or manipulating local officials for the financial benefit of the organization. Although firms should not tempt government officials, politicians should also avoid situations where they may become vulnerable. As governments and organizations continue to work closely to achieve their objectives, they must ensure they maintain their ethical boundaries. When corporations gain power, the relative authority of local government diminishes and their authoritative power is often confined to their given jurisdiction. As organizations continue to grow, it is becoming increasingly difficult for them to be audited by local governments and regulatory bodies. For this reason, governments should consider implementing more rules and tougher sanctions to prevent legal and ethical misconduct. As history has shown, corporations are not always capable of self- governance. Social Irresponsibility to Local Governments: Long-Term Capital Management Deregulation of public enterprises and new business practices may not always be in the best interest of the general public. In 2000, the Clinton administration passed a bill that would deregulate the derivatives market and establish legal certainty for bankers (Lowenstein, 2002). The three major classes of derivatives are: futures, options and swaps. In detail, the derivatives market is not well understood by policy makers. There have been numerous cases of corporate fraud, financial mismanagement and unnecessary risk. Moreover, taxpayers have fronted billions of dollars to bail out financial institutions. In 2008, the value of the overall derivatives market was an astonishing six-hundred and sixty-eight trillion dollars (Sheridan, 2008). In 1994, Long-term Capital Management took the financial world by storm. This hedge fund was established by two proven Wall Street traders and two Nobel Laureates (Lowenstein, 2002). The fund started with four billion dollars in capital from its investors. The firm enjoyed four straight years of prosperity without a single monthly loss to be reported on their balance sheet. LTCM was thought to be the perfect hedge fund. It simply could not lose. LTCM leveraged its balance sheet trading by 30 to 1, while leveraging its off balance sheet trading by 250 to 1 (Lowenstein, 2002). At one point, the company had in excess of one trillion dollars in derivatives exposure (Lowenstein, 2002). In a short period of time, LTCM had lost nearly everything and turned to banks and the federal reserve for a bailout. At the time, this was the largest bailout ever. In Wall Street’s eyes, LTCM was simply too big to fail. It was thought that its demise would have had dire consequences for the entire economy. Since then, bigger investment firms have failed, bigger bailouts have been distributed and derivatives are still being heavily traded. It appears Wall Street still has a lesson to learn. It was the government’s deregulation of derivatives that allowed LTCM and other investment firms to behave unethically and do as they pleased. As a regulatory body, the Federal Reserve sent out the wrong message by bailing out LTCM. Condoning the behavior of this hedge fund created an environment that would encourage other financial institutions to take the same risks. Social Responsibility to the Environment and Future Generations Today, consumers and citizens increasingly expect more from organizations. Traditionally, firms externalized their costs while internalizing their profits. Today, however, many corporations are becoming ethically conscious and are working toward minimizing their carbon footprint. They have started to use mechanisms known as stakeholder management devices to respond to stakeholder claims (Duening et al., 2008). Progressive organizations have started working toward sustainable development to help create a world that is suitable for future generations. Many firms are also taking an interest in social issues. Some have started practicing corporate philanthropy. These positive efforts enhance a corporation’s good will and improves its overall image. This often translates into more sales and higher profit margins. Organizations that fail to take responsibility for their actions are often looked down upon. For example, an organization that shows complete disregard for the environment will likely tarnish their image and build up ill will. In effect, companies that act out of social obligation are viewed less positively than those that are socially responsive. Social Responsibility to the Environment and Future Generations: Tokyo Electric Power Company In March of 2011, the Japanese coast was rattled by a forceful 9.0 earthquake and a gigantic tsunami. The Fukushima Dai-chi and Fukushima Dai-ni power plants sustained critical damage (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). Both of these power plants are privately owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). The nuclear disaster revealed the company’s misplaced confidence and a failure to adequately forecast its worst case scenario. Furthermore, the company chose to disregard Japan’s tsunami history and relevant GPS data. TEPCO engineers did not factor in earthquakes that occurred prior to 1896 (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). Tsunami modelers at TEPCO factored in an earthquake of 8.6 magnitude in its worst case scenario model (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). The earthquake that occured on March 11, 2011 was four times more powerful than the maximum presumed (TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense, 2011). Given Japan’s geographical position and the volatility of nuclear energy, TEPCO should have put more thought into their calculations. After much delay, the Japanese government has ordered TEPCO to pay partial retribution to the citizens affected by this nuclear catastrophe. Beginning on April 28, 2011, TEPCO has started to compensate families in the nominal sum of twelve-thousand dollars for losses attributed to evacuation, having to stay indoors and nuclear contamination (TEPCO to Compensate Nuclear Plant Victims, 2011). These partial retributions are miniscule. Often times it is cheaper for a corporation to hire a good public relations specialist than to rectify the actual problem. This nuclear disaster has crippled local businesses, fishing operations, tourism and the livelihood of citizens. TEPCO’s greed and irresponsibility has cost the citizens of Japan and the nation at large by causing tremendous losses. Moreover, citizens in neighboring countries and the Western part of the United States have grown concerned over their personal well-being. In TEPCO’s case, the local government should have taken extra measures to ensure the facilities were built to withstand an earthquake of great proportion. Local governments are elected and represent the interest of the people. Therefore, it is their responsibility to ensure private organizations behave ethically. Companies should be forced to take full accountability for their actions. In regard to privatization of nuclear energy, governments should pressure organizations to strive for seven-sigma quality. As we have witnessed, a defect in nuclear energy can have significant implications for the general population. Conclusion As illustrated in this paper, organizations have a social responsibility to both their internal and external beneficiaries. Firms should always conduct business with integrity and concern for others. Although many organizations may feel pressure to increase their short-term earnings, they must retain their focus and uphold their social responsibilities to their stakeholders. Through long-term objectives, organizations can set standards that will ensure their survival. It’s important to emphasize that the decisions an organization makes will often affect society as a whole. As illustrated in the case studies above, companies that go astray or act in their own self interest can adversely affect the well-being of many stakeholders. However, tougher sanctions and an organizational credo may help give an organization ethical focus. In conclusion, by practicing self-governance and obeying existing laws, corporations will be well on their way to becoming socially responsible and dependable organizations. Works Cited Achbar, M. (Director/Producer), Abbott, J. (Director), Bakan, J. (Writer), Simpson, B. (Producer) (2004). The Corporation (DVD). Canada: Big Picture Media Corporation. Bryce, R (2003). Pipe Dreams Greed, Ego and the Death of Enron. New York, NY: Public Affairs. DeCarlo, S. (2010). What the Boss Makes.Forbes.com.Retrieved on April 18th, 2011 from http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/27/compensation-chief-executive-salary-leadership-boss-10-ceo-compensation-intro.html Duening, T. N., Ivancevisch, J. M. (2006). Managing Organizations Principles Guidelines. Cincinnati, OH: Atomic Dog. Ehrenreich, B. (2002). Nickel and Dimed On Not Getting By in America. New York, NY: Owl Book. Greenwald, R. (Director), Gilliam, J. (Producer) (2005). Walmart: The High Cost of Low Price (DVD). United States: Brave New Films Disinformation Company. Laskawy, T. (2010). Court Rules rBGH-Free Milk Milk is Better Than the Kind Produced With Articifical Hormones. Now What? Retrieved on April 19, 2011 from http://www.grist.org/article/food-2010-10-06-court-rules-on-rbgh-free-milk. Little, C. (2011). Ethics [class lectures]. Texas AM University-Commerce. Spring 2011. Lowenstein, R. (2002). When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-term Capital Management. Great Britain: Clays Ltd and St. Ives plc. Salina, I. (Director), Starr, S. (Producer) (2008). Flow: For The Love of Water (DVD). United States: Oscilloscope Laboratories. Shafer, S. Meredith, J. (2010). Operations Management for MBAs, 4th Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Sheridan, B. (2008). 600,000,000,000,000? Newsweek. Retrieved on April 20, 2011 from http://www.newsweek.com/2008/10/17/600-000-000-000-000.html. TEPCO to Compensate Japan’s Nuclear Plant Victims. (2011). BBC News Asia_Pacific. Retrieved on April 17, 2011 from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13090304 TEPCO Dimissed Important Scientific Evidence in Planning Nuclear Plant’s Defense. (2011). Japan Today. Retrieved on April 24, 2011 from http://www.japantoday.com/category/commentary/view/tepco-dismissed-important-scientific-evidence-in-planning-nuclear-plants-defense.

Does Democracy Address Insecurity?

Does Democracy Address Insecurity? Democracy effectively addresses insecurity. Do you agree, why or why not? Democracy does, and does not effectively address insecurity, in some aspects it curbs it, in others it accelerates it. Consequently, this minor essay will examine avenues in which democracy addresses and fails to effectively address insecurity. It will conclude that despite the short-term pitfalls of transitioning to democracy, and the dangers of democratic governance without a strong institutional foundation with strong checks and balances, that it has the long-term potential to effectively address insecurity both within and outside a States borders. Regardless of whether established democracies provide stability, transitional democracies often create a large amount of instability, especially when converting from a more authoritarian political system, and generally experience their worst period of instability during this juncture.[1] A lack of unity and cohesion can cause greater domestic instability for a population within the short-term, aside from an increased likelihood of war with other States, during this period large scale ethnic cleansings may occur.[2] As democracies are traditionally linked with a primary ethnicity, a purge has a likelihood of occurring before a strong institutional democratic base can form, often against ethnic groups who refuse to assimilate with society, as well as individuals linked to previous political administrations. Ironically however, whilst democracy can create much greater instability for a state in the short-term, in the long-term this political system can potentially create very strong and politically stable governance for the State.[3] This can be demonstrated in the prominent military, economic and cultural role the United States plays in contemporary society today, despite engaging in the mass extermination of Native Americans only a century prior.[4] Democracies which do manage to establish themselves and overcome their shortcoming during the transition period can effectively address instability, both domestically and internationally, however there are severe limitations which can inadvertently result in greater instability also being formed if not implemented effectively. Theoretically capitalist States are very effective at addressing insecurity, domestically they can help alleviate income inequality among their poorer citizens, and internationally they help formulate economic interdependence between States.[5] Whilst bilateral trade is not always from an equal economic standing, with one side often more dependent on the other, such as in the case between China and Taiwan, when two States are of similar economic standing it can prove a great stabilising factor in preventing conflict.[6] This is evident in the lack of open conflict between the USA and China in decades.[7] As economies of this magnitude continue to intertwine, avoiding conflict and instability between them becomes increasingly in their interests. Other theoretic models, such as the Liberal Democratic Peace Theory argue further points where even greater stability can be gained under democratic governance, considering that there is a historic precedent of democratic states not going to war with one another.[8] However, there are also aspects of this theory which highlight how democracies can result in greater instability occurring internationally, as democratic states can ironically themselves create new wars in the process of spreading democracy throughout the world, trying to force it through non-peaceful means on States who are either unwilling or unprepared for such massive political change.[9] This results in a world of democratic states seeking perpetual peace through perpetual war, leaving the world itself in a constant state of instability.[10] Domestically democracies can provide other major avenues of stability for the State, one of the most prominent being the division of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislative branches of government into separate branches independent from one another.[11] The establishment such a comprehensive system of checks and balances can ensure the moderation of power of appointed officials and their political parties, and ensure that they operate within the law.[12] The effectiveness of such a process can be seen in U.S President Donald Trump, with his controversial executive orders on implementing travel bans for foreign individuals being blocked by the judicial branch of government because they were found to be unconstitutional.[13] However, the greatest strength and weaknesses of democracies in addressing insecurity lies within having an inclusive political process, with a sense of inclusion encouraging non-violent solutions to political issues.[14] An example of this can be seen in the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the main nationalist group involved in the troubles in Northern Ireland in the 20th century, who ceased their armed campaign in large part because of the political concessions provided to them in the 1995 Good Friday Agreement, which allowed them a platform to continue their struggle for independence through non-violent channels.[15] Consequently, the ability of democracy to promote change in the government and political system without having to resort to any form of political violence is one of the greatest stabilising factors which democracy can provide a State, so long as an inclusive attitude is maintained. However, whilst democracies are meant to promote inclusion, in certain States a tyranny of the majority culture exists, wherein no attempt is made by the ruling party to govern all their citizens equally and achieve national unity for its supports and detractors, who may be ideologically polarised based around ethnicity, religion, language or self-identity.[16] Such exclusion from the political process can enflame tensions between various groups within a State and result in these excluded groups emigrating, resulting in a depleted workforce, or in more extreme cases, developing a complete disenfranchisement with the political system, taking up arms against the State and plunging it into further instability.[17] Henceforth democracy possesses the potential to create stability within a States borders so long as strong institutional foundations are in place with comprehensive checks and balances and a healthy electoral system which promotes inclusion over alienation.   However, it is often not effective at addressing insecurity within other States borders when trying to spread its political model to states either unwilling or unprepared for political change through violent means. In States, which are transitioning to democracy, even if done so via peaceful means, short-term instability will likely occur within the State, however if they endure the process the potential long-term stability which the State can gain can prove timeless.

Comparison Anthem Vs. By The W Essay -- essays research papers

In the stories, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and By the Waters of Babylon, by Stephen Vincent Benet, each of the main characters posses a desire deep within themselves to discover things that they do not already know about. Equality and John both live in societies where almost all knowledge of the past has been forgotten. These communities are enveloped in superstition, which causes them to fear the unknown. The desire within Equality and John, however, brings them past these fears and leads them to learn many new things about the â€Å"old times†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anthem starts off with Equality feeling as though he sinned for thinking of learning and discovering new things. He stumbled upon a tunnel one night, something that he immediately knew was from the unmentionable times. This tunnel provided a place where Equality could experiment and think as an individual. It was here that he discovered electricity. Although he was aware that the scholars would be upset at him for disobeying the laws and performing experiments on his own, Equality was so excited about his invention that he wanted nothing more than to share it with his people. He felt that it would help their society tremendously. The scholars were angry because he challenged their ways of thinking and tried to alter the system that they had created. They talked of destroying his invention and Equality listened no more. He ran away from the city to the uncharted forest, where it was said that no man ever survived.... Comparison Anthem Vs. By The W Essay -- essays research papers In the stories, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and By the Waters of Babylon, by Stephen Vincent Benet, each of the main characters posses a desire deep within themselves to discover things that they do not already know about. Equality and John both live in societies where almost all knowledge of the past has been forgotten. These communities are enveloped in superstition, which causes them to fear the unknown. The desire within Equality and John, however, brings them past these fears and leads them to learn many new things about the â€Å"old times†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Anthem starts off with Equality feeling as though he sinned for thinking of learning and discovering new things. He stumbled upon a tunnel one night, something that he immediately knew was from the unmentionable times. This tunnel provided a place where Equality could experiment and think as an individual. It was here that he discovered electricity. Although he was aware that the scholars would be upset at him for disobeying the laws and performing experiments on his own, Equality was so excited about his invention that he wanted nothing more than to share it with his people. He felt that it would help their society tremendously. The scholars were angry because he challenged their ways of thinking and tried to alter the system that they had created. They talked of destroying his invention and Equality listened no more. He ran away from the city to the uncharted forest, where it was said that no man ever survived....

Where the Red Fern Grows :: Essays Papers

Where the Red Fern Grows Billy is coming home from work one day when suddenly he hears some dogs up the street fighting. He goes to check it out and finds them picking on a redbone hound. He saves the dog and cares for it through the night. It reminds him of his childhood. When Billy was ten years old he lived on a farm in the Ozark Mountains of northeastern Oklahoma. He wanted two good coonhounds very badly, he called it â€Å"puppy love†, but his papa could not afford to buy him the dogs. For many months, Billy tries to content himself with some rodent traps his papa gives him, but he still wants a dog. Then one day he finds a sportsman’s catalog in an abandoned campsite. In it he sees an ad for good hounds, at $25 each. He decides he wants to save $50 and order himself two hounds. Billy works hard, selling fruit and bait to fishermen, and gathering fruit that he sells to his grandfather at his store. Finally, he saves enough money and gives it to his grandfather to order the dogs for him and asks him to keep it s secret. When a notice comes that they have arrived at the mail depot in the nearby town of Tahlequah, they decide to go into town the next week. That night Billy decides he can not wait any longer. He packs himself a little food, and heads of for town following the river through the woods. He walks all night, and finally reaches town in the morning. The people in town laugh and stare at the young hillbilly, but it does not bother Billy he is there on a mission to get his dogs. He finally collects his dogs and walks back out of town with their small heads sticking out of his bag. Some schoolchildren mob around him and knock him down, but the town sheriff rescues him. The sheriff is impressed with Billy’s determination, and says he has grit. That, night Billy camped in a cave with his two puppies. They wake up in the middle of the night to hear the call of a mountain lion. Billy builds a fire to keep them safe, while the bigger of the two dogs, the male, barks into the night air. The next morning he stops at the campsite where he found the catalog.

Ambiguity in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay example -- Young Go

Ambiguity in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚         There is no end to the ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†; this essay hopes to explore this problem.    Peter Conn in â€Å"Finding a Voice in an New Nation† makes a statement regarding Hawthorne’s ambiguity:      Almost all of Hawthorne’s finest stories are remote in time or place. The glare of contemporary reality immobillized his imagination. He required shadows and half-light, and he sought a nervous equilibrium in ambiguity. . . . Where traditional allegory was secured in certitude, however, Hawthorne’s allegorical proceedings yield only restlessness and doubt. The stable system of correspondences that tied allegory’s images and ideas together was lodged squarely upon the religious orthodoxy that Hawthorne rejected. In his belated version of the sacramental world, the links binding visible to spirit have become vexed and problematic. . . . The flickering, uncertain revelations offered by the physical world in Hawthorne’s fiction allow simultaneously for confession and concealment, for discovery and disguise. This doubleness generates tensions that can be felt throughout Hawthorne’s work. . . .   (82-84).    R. W. B. Lewis in â€Å"The Return into Rime: Hawthorne† mentions the ambiguity associated with the key imagery in â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†:   â€Å"For Hawthorne, the forest was neither the proper home of the admirable Adam, as with Cooper; nor was it the hideout of the malevolent adversary. . . . It was the ambiguous setting of moral choice. . . .† (74-75). Henry James in Hawthorne, when discussing â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† mentions how allegorical Hawthorne is, and how it is not clearly expressed with this author:    The only cases in which ... ... Lang, H.J.. â€Å"How Ambiguous Is Hawthorne.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Lewis, R. W. B. â€Å"The Return into Time: Hawthorne.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965.    Melville, Hermann. â€Å"Hawthorne and His Mosses.† In The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al.   New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.      Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al.   New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.            

A Research Proposal Essay

1. Introduction Along with economy and technology are all developing rapidly in recent years, it is significant that globalization has become an overwhelming trend in all  walks of life. Benefit from this process above, the global markets can be bounded together in multi-cultural environments and become more complicated than ever before (Park and Reisinger, 2009). Thus, it is important for companies to conduct accurate market segmentation before access to a new market nowadays (Schmitt, 1997). The research aims to find out the differences in customers’ attitudes to luxury brands in China and UK, under various cultural backgrounds. To be exact, as cultural diversity will lead to differences in consumers’ needs, consuming behaviour and values, I decide to write the research proposal in view of culture segmentation. In terms of religion and country, objective factors such as various geographical environments, the heritage of history and culture, the outside culture and so on, all of these will bring about cultural difference (Schmitt, 1997). In addition, from a social perspective, cultural differences will be caused by people’s occupation, education and economic status, etc. As the largest developing country, China has become a huge potential market. Besides, since China is a vast country, itself has the character of cultural diversity. In addition, the effect of foreign culture to China has been for a long time, Chinese cultural constitution is much more complicated. Generally speaking, have a right reorganization of the customers’ perception differences between China and UK will be beneficial to British luxury brands enter Chinese market. Since there is a wealth gap between inland and eastern region in china, and the latter has a stronger economic strength, it will be the major luxury goods market (Schmitt, 1997). Therefore, this research will be conducted at several main cities in eastern China and costal areas, they are Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, separately. In UK, we will launch the survey at five cities in England, they are London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield. The informants who are selected should match several conditions, for instance, on the one hand, the respondents’ minimum annual income should above 40,000GBP/400,000CNY. They should be 35 years old to 40 years old, on the other hand. In this proposal, I will apply the method of combining qualitative research and quantitative research. Before quantitative research, I have to know luxury market situation in these two countries and relevant theories and fundamental conception about  cultural diversity in segmentation, demographic segmentation and so on. First of all, I should collect and analyse existing relevant document and data, it mainly consist of micro-economic environment, industrial policy and social environment. To be specific, first, micro-economic environment includes several sections such as the operation of national economy (GDP), households’ incomes and Engel coefficient. Secondly, the policy of luxury industry has a direct effect on the ease or complexity of luxury market entry. Therefore, I should analyse industrial policies, the situation of market regulation and the last part, the systems of customs and tax. Thirdly, social environment is influenced by regional culture, thus, cultural context analysis is critical. Moreover, the analyses of demographic environment, education environment and consuming concept are integral parts, too. Then, as qualitative research method has clarified the research question, quantitative research will be carried out by 1000 copies of questionnaires, both China and UK have 500 copies of questionnaires each, and every city share 100 copies of questionnaires. The questionnaire will be launched in the form of network, which is efficient, convenient and low-cost. By comparing these two countries’ customers’ perception degree of luxury goods and other aspects such as their education level, the purpose of purchase and customers’ preferable buying channel, we may find that the Chinese consumers’ consuming behavior of luxury have some more significant characteristics than British customers’. To be precise, a lot of Chinese customers buy luxury goods may have three reasons basically. The first reason is flaunting their rich. They want to show their sense of identity and social status by wearing luxury clothes, bags and shoes. The second reason is following the crowd. Due to various factors, for example, literacy level, most Chinese consumers have low cognitive degree of luxury goods and low sensitive to fashion trend. They always buy luxury blindly and without thinking independently about how to mach clothes, colours and choose accessories appropriately. The third reason is characteristic consumption. Luxury clothing brand usually have unique brand concept and distinctive brand image. Beside, luxury clothing brand has excellent design and high quality, so it can show amazing tastes of wearers. Furthermore, as its high price positioning, luxury clothing brand has less awkward situation of  outfits clash. All in all, after the research, we will have a clear understanding of the different attitudes to luxury clothing brands of consumers in China and UK. Due to this, British luxury clothing brands can know target market well and regard this as reference when they formulate marketing strategies. 2. Literature review In recent 20 years, global luxury markets are getting more considerable, because of this, luxury brands have drawn a lot of researchers’ attention (Atsmon et al., 2011). In this section, there are several parts as below. The first part is general backgrounds. The second part is a review of theories on segmentation and motivation. The third part reviews those documents which from different perspectives to compare consumers’ different attitudes to luxury brands in China and UK and conclusion at last. 2.1 General backgrounds Along with the gradual development of luxury markets these years, a mass of luxury brands are growing rapidly and have a share in markets. They have established corporate image and brand conception in the public. This can be clearly illustrated in a research which was conducted by Verdict Research (2007), as the largest and most mature luxury market, Europe would experience a growth of $ 62bn from 2007($ 101bn) to 2012($163bn). Followed by America–the second largest luxury market would be replaced by Asia Pacific region (exclude Japanese luxury market) in 2012. What is more, Asia Pacific area would be the luxury market which developing the fastest, and the Middle East would come the next. Before study the luxury market, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of luxury concept. In accordance with Phau and Prendergast (2000), luxury should be unique, outstanding, magical, and sensual. A more simple description of luxury was put forward by Mandhachitara and Lockshin (2004) that luxury stood for high price. While Danziger (2005) argued that luxury was ‘from class to mass’, which meant that the luxury goods would finally be popular and of civilian, though it  used to be high-class. In a nut shell, it is important for companies to understand luxury concept and luxury market properly, and then they can find out the critical factors which will affect customers consuming behaviour of luxury goods. 2.2 Theories on segmentation and motives First of all, the theoretical backgrounds of market segmentation. In contemporary market, Wedel and Kamakura (2000) argued that due to the diversity of consumer needs and the complication of marketing techniques, the mass marketing method can’t be applied in many market situations. According to Dibb and Simkin (1996), market segmentation could help marketers to cope with kinds of customer needs in a resource-efficient way. In accordance with Lindridge and Dibb (2002), the ultimate principle of market segmentation theory was that the discrimination of product needs and consuming behaviour could benefit from the possibility of ‘customers can be grouped using variables’. Second, the concept of market segmentation. Second, the original definition of market segmentation was put forward by Smith (1956), he argued that ‘a condition of growth when core markets have already been developed on a generalised basis to the point where additional promotional expenditures a re yielding diminishing returns’. In line with Kotler and Armstrong (1980, p291-306), market segmentation variables could be divided into four crucial fields—geographic segmentation, demographic segmentation, psychographic segmentation and behavioural segmentation. According to Beane and Ennis (1987), geographic segmentation referred to factors such as area, population density and climate. Besides, customer demands and requirements solutions would be different as a market was divided up geographically. Demographic segmentation included basic variables like ‘age, sex, size and type of family, income educational level, race and nationality’ (Beane and Ennis, 1987). In addition, Demographic segmentation could be applied excellently as the segments were obvious. Third, the motive of consumer purchasing. In accordance with Leibenstein (1950), there were basically three kinds of motivations—mass psychology, uniqueness and exclusiveness. To be more exact, first of all, mass psychology means people who want to realize social value by trying to get the recognition of other  people in the group they belong. Next, uniqueness means that individuals in groups want to be particular and outstanding, and can be easily discriminated from the crowds. In other words, everyone wants to be a Triton of the minnows. Finally, exclusiveness can be explained as people who like to flaunt their wealth, highlight the status and identity through wearing luxury clothing, bag and so on. What is more, based on previous studies conducted by other researchers, Vigneron and Johnson (1999) considered that consumer purchase motivations could be distributed to five parts—mass psychology, uniqueness, exclusiveness, hedonism and perfectionism. Hedonic consumption is about the whole experiences in purchasing goods. Perfectionism is considered to have kinds of dimensions fundamentally. Additionally, Danziger (2005) carried out a luxury survey in American wealthy classes and labeled the consumers into four groups—‘the iconoclastic butterflies, the indulgent X-fluent (extreme affluent), the luxury cocooners and the luxury aspirers’. 2.3 Current researches about the similar topic of the proposal As cultural difference has an impact on the way of purchased merchandise and how much money a consumer spend (Thomson and Cutler, 1997), the consumers’ purchasing behavior appears to vary from country to country. According to Schmitt (1997), he carried out a consumer behaviour survey in China which was based on demographic segmentation. The author considered age and sex as variables, divided the samples into four segments, namely, two female groups consist of women aged 19 to 25 and aged 30 to 45; two male groups consist of the same two ages as women’s. He found that in older groups, women tend to products’ ‘value and convenience’, while men bought goods they need or the requirements of family members. On the contrary, young females among young people had a poor concept with money, they advocate brands and over-spent. Besides, they are easily effected buy some fashion movies. Another similar survey was launched by subsidiaries of Louis Harris in 2005 (Schmitt, 1997), three variables of demographic segmentation—income, educational level and occupation were considered. What is more, Hauck and Stanforth (2007) considered that the most potential consumers of luxury market in China would be those who were born in 1980s, and there might have 300 million rich men  among them. Thus, the main force of luxury goods consumption should be at the age of 20 to 40 years old in China. However, the mainly consumers of luxury goods in UK were older than those in China, they were aged from 40 to 70years old. Beside, as young consumers, especially those who are rich and well-educated, tend to accept new goods more easily than older customers (Schmitt, 1997), Chinese consumers of luxury goods are more willing to try new products than British consumers relatively. 2.4 Conclusion The cultural diversity will affect consumer’s different consuming behaviour, perception of luxury and so on (Park, Reisinger, 2009). As a large luxury market, China has attracted more foreign investiments as well as some British luxury brands. Theories of segmentation, motivation and consuming behavior are relevant to culture. It is important for British luxury brand to have a clear understanding of Chinese market and form feasible marketing strategies. However, there are several shortcomings in some existing studies. First, a majority of current researches lack of data support. Second, though some studies have collected relevant data, the data is not reliable and scientific. Because luxury market survey needs a huge amount of data collection and its scale is large, most studies do not have enough data proving. This research aims to collect primary data by questionnaires and then analyse the differences of customer’s consuming behaviour between China and UK. Finally, a further theoretical study can be constituted. 3. Methodology and Feasibility This section is divided into three parts. The first part is the introduction to the methodologies which is applied in this proposal. The second part relates to research procedure, description of sample and data collection. The last part is about proposal feasibility analysis. 3.1 Methodology In this study, I combine qualitative research method with quantitative  research method to collect second-hand sources and first-hand data. First of all, qualitative research. It derives from the social science, tend to study problems, recognize kinds of social phenomenon, analyse people’s behaviour and then give answers to those questions (Sandelowski, 1986). It is a way to definite an issue and address it. According to Shank (2002, P5), qualitative research is ‘a form of systematic empirical inquiry into meaning’. Moreover, quantitative research can identify intangible factors clearly, for example, social norms, gender roles and so on Sandelowski (1986). In line with Mays and Pope (1995), the methods of qualitative research include focus group, in-depth interviews, Delphi technique, direct observation, case study, etc. In addition, there are three ways to generate data—individual interviews, group interviews and contextual data. Contextual data mainly consist of observations, reports and other written data and oral data. I apply the literature research method, namely, literature review, to set up framework of theories. As a result, I can have a clear structure of the research and better understanding of relevant theories. Secondly, quantitative research. It can be described as a procedure about collecting valid data and analyzing valid numerical data scientifically. Then, we can get generalisable conclusions (Pekrun, et al., 2002). According to Luborsky, etc. (1971), quantitative research is suitable for survey about comparing two groups, thus, we can use it in the research. as the samples are large in the research, questionnaires should be a good method to collect original data which belongs to quantitative research method. Since I do the questionnaire survey on the internet, there is no time-and-space restriction. 3.2 Research design and data collection methods There are mainly two data collection methods used in this research—statistical data (secondary data) and questionnaire. Reviewing previous findings by others are a low-cost way to information and get an entire understanding of the research field we work in. Questionnaire is a convenient and efficient way to get raw data from markets, as I undertake it via internet, the costs are low. Next, I will explain how these two methods  are applied in the research. As the research needs to compare the consumers’ attitudes to luxury in China and UK, the size of samples and the scope of survey are large. Before structure a questionnaire to collect first-hand data from potential target customers, we have to know what the problem is, what intangible influencing factors are and so on. Therefore, we need to look up and quote amounts of secondary materials from websites, books, journals and authoritative organizations. These academic data should relevant to existing correlation theories, luxury market environment both in China and UK which involves policies like tax and customs, income level, current purchasing channels, etc. It would be a strong support for further survey after the data are classified into categories. The questionnaires can be constructed on the base of previous qualitative research I mentioned above. All the questions in questionnaire are based on two themes—the motivation of consumers’ luxury consuming, the pattern of consumers’ luxury consuming. In order to carry out the questionnaires, we follow the method of quota sampling to select samples by several variables as below: age: 35—40 years old income: above 40,000GBP/400,000CNY region: china—Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen; UK—London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffield After the sample selection, we can conduct a hundred pieces of questionnaires in those cities separatelyï ¼Å'one thousand pieces in total. After getting the questionnaire feedbacks, the data need to be summarized and then, analysed by the software SPSS. 3.3 Feasibility Study First, in terms of schedule, this research process consist of 12 sections which clearly be illustrated in table 1. In order to complete the whole research, I will take 4months long to run it. In terms of time arrangement,  in particular, I set aside one week in case some of the twelve sections may not be finished on time. Besides, I will use the payback method in online questionnaire survey. Thus, respondents’ feedback can be collect in a short time. Second, financial feasibility analysis. As I mentioned above, I will carry on a paid survey. To be specific, in UK, I will pay 1pound per questionnaire on the website ‘surveycompare’. In China, I will conduct the survey on the website ‘opinionworld’ and pay 0.6 pound each. All in all, the general expenditure is 800 pound. Third, in terms of universal scope, as the 1000 respondents are selected from 10 cities in China and UK, the field of investigation is wide and the samples are dispersive. However, we do questionnaire survey online which is not limited by region. General speaking, as China is the largest luxury market in Asia and going to be the core market in the whole world (Verdict Research, 2007), it is high time that British luxury brands developed Chinese luxury market. As analysed feasibility in schedule, expenditure and universal scope above, the research is worth being taken into practice. 4. Timetable This research project will last four months long to carry out a serious of activities. I build up a table as below to explain the research time schedule. Table 1: time schedule for the research As the table shows, there is a week time left before report submission, it is in order to avoid any previous sections running out of time. List of References Journal articals: Beane, T. P. & Ennis, D. M. (1987) Market Segmentation: A Review European Journal of Marketing 21 (5), 20 – 42. Hauck, W. & Stanforth, N. (2007) Cohort Perception of Luxury Goods and Services Journal of Fashion Marketing & Management 11 (2), 175-188. Leibenstein, H. (1950) Bandwagon, Snob, and Veblen Effects in the Theory of Consumers Demand The Quarterly Journal of Economics 2 (64), 183-207. Luborsky, L. et al (1971) Factors influencing the outcome of psychotherapy: A review of quantitative research Psychological Bulletin 75 (3), 145-185. Lindridge, A. & Dibb, S. (2003) Is ‘culture’ a justifiable variable for market segmentation? A cross-cultural example Journal of Consumer Behaviour 2 (3), 269–286. Mays, N. & Pope, C. (1995) Rigour and qualitative research British Medical Journal 311 (6997), 109-12. Mandhachitara, R. & Lockshin, L. (2004) Fast moving luxury goods: Positioning strategies for Scotch whisky in Thai department stores International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management 32 (6), 312-319. Park, S. & Reisinger, Y. (2009) Cultural differences in shopping for luxury goods: Western, Asian, and Hispanic tourists Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing 26 (8), 762–777. Phau, I. & Prendergast, G. (2000) Consuming luxury brands: The relevance of the ‘‘Rarity Principle’’ Journal of Brand Management 8 (2), 122-138. Smith, W. R. (1956) ‘Product differentiation and market segmentation as alternative marketing strategies’ Journal of Marketing July, 21 (1), 3–8. Sandelowski, M. (1986) The problem of rigor in qualitative research Advances in Nursing Science 8 (3), 27-37. Schmitt, B. (1997) who is the Chinese Consumer? Segmentations in People’s Republic of China European Management Journal 15 (2), 191-194. Thomson, C., & Cutler, E. (1997). The effect of nationality on tourist arts: The case of the Gambia, West Africa International Journal of Hospitality Management 16 (2), 225-229. E-journal: Pekrun, R. et al (2002) Academic Emotions in Students’ Self-Regulated Learning and Achievement: A Program of Qualitative and Quantitative Research Educational Psychologist [online] 37 (2): 91-105. Available from: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/citedby/10.1207/S15326985EP3702_4#tabModule [Accessed 3rd January 2013] Sandelowski, M. 2000 Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Sampling, Data Collection, and Analysis Techniques in Mixed-Method Studies Research in Nursing & Health [online] 23 (3), 246–255. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1098-240X(200006)23:3%3C246::AID-NUR9%3E3.0.CO;2-H/abstract [Accessed 2nd January 2013] Vigneron, F. & Johnson, L. W. (1999). A review and a conceptual framework of prestige†seeking consumer behavior Academy of Marketing Science Review [online] 1999 (1). Available from: http://www.amsreview.org/articles/vigneron01-1999.pdf [Accessed 2nd January 2013] Book: Danziger, P. N. (2005) Let them Eat the Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses as Well as the Classes Chicago: Dearborn Trade Publishing 1åˆ °8é ¡ µ Kotler, P. & Armstrong, G. (1980) Principles of Marketing 13th ed. London: Pearson Dibb, S. and Simkin, L. (1996) The Market Segmentation Workbook, International Thomson Press, London, UK Wedel, M. & Kamakura, A. W. (2000) Market Segmentation: Conceptual and Methodological Foundations 2nd ed. Boston: Kluwer Academic Website: Atsmon, Y. et al (2011). McKinsey & Company [online] Understanding China’s growing love for luxury. Retrieved 14 June Website: Available from: http://csi.mckinsey.com/Knowledge_by_region/Asia/China/chinaluxury2011.aspx [Accessed 1st January 2013] Bain study (2011) INSIGHT [online] Bain & Company. Available from: http://www.bain.com/publications/articles/2011-china-luxury-market-study.aspx [Accessed 1st January 2013] Verdict Research (2007) Business Insight [online] United Kindom. Available from: http://www.verdict.co.uk/Marketing/dmvt0388m.pdf[Accessed 1st January 2013]

Modernization Theory Essay

Modernization theory is a theory that explains the process of improvement from an older culture to the newest one as well as explains the changing ways of communication and media use in traditional and postmodern societies. The theory takes into consideration factors from a certain place with the assumption that traditional places can be developed to the most recent manners. Modernization theory does not only stress there to be a change but also response to that change. It also looks at internal dynamic while referring to social and cultural structures and the adaptation of new technologies. So essentially, what is modernization and what does this theory consist of? To put it simply, modernization is the economic growth within societies. And the modernization theory believes that there are steps to success for every country. Modernization theory evolved in three different time periods. The first wave appeared between the 1950s and 1960s. Western cultures and styles of living were the main goals to reach along with culture, motivations and achievements. Three variants that this first wave brought with them were one; economic developments in which mass media promote the global diffusion of many technical and social innovations that are essential to modernization, two; literacy and cultural developments allow for mas media to teach literacy and other essential skills and techniques and three; national identity development permits mass media to support national identities in new nations and attention to democratic policies. The second wave of modernization theory is a part of the critical theory that was popular in the 1970s and 1980s. This did not support but instead it criticized the influence of Western modernization. Within this criticism exists another theory called media dependency theory where developing countries are assumed to be dependent on mass media in the core of the Western world. The third wave of modernization theory began to rise in the 1990s. It is here that the modernization begins to be more neutral, neither in favor nor against Western modernization. Instead, it tries to expose the contradictions in the modernization process and simply help explain the consequences of modern living in contemporary society. The theory of modernization has its roots in the ideas of some scholars they produced different theories about the origins, characters, and future path of modern industrial society. Modernization theory is only optimistic and  full of contradictions. It is important to understa nd the history of a situation so a more realist approach can be taken to solve it. Now that the history is understood, it is possible to work with it and correct its faults so that the world will not be stuck anymore. The contemporary debate over modernization theory has in many respects circled back to researchers agendas. Alongside endless empirical studies of the correlation between wealth and democracy, scholars have tried to untangle precisely how and why economic and political developments are related. During the Cold War era, there were three successful theories of global evolution at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The Marxist school that compared modernization improvements with promotion of imperialism and social class exploitation has transformed into a larger liberal program, appealing to conflict against the United States and its limited allies as an instrument for more just economic distribution and more checks in global political expansion. The target of globalization more clearly identifies the problem of an enforced overseas model reducing cultural diversity and self-government; raising the profile of nationalism over the old subject of class struggle. It is not hard to understand why the hegemonic globalization school may be less outspoken, considering the fact that the meaning of its warnings of threats that can only be addressed in a world prepared under clear leadership and newly accommodated to containing political development that allows security dangers to progress and grow. Its neoconservative message calls for imposing a single model, more than comparing alternative approaches of nations and regions while accepting the benefits of diversity. Qualified studies done by multilateral globalization school show that modernization theory accepts that the merge is a long-term progression that must remain incomplete as civilizations find consolation in what distinguishes them. The fast pace of technological changes help accelerate integration, and there will be risk of increased interdependence and exposure that will only require more security collaboration. Yet the driving forces of the global system will remain states competing to gain an advantage in boosting their economies and national power. In the context of growing world integration, states will still be in competition to capitalize on modernization and shape the global system. Modernization theory predicts that strong economic growth raises homicide rate as it disrupts traditional modes of social organization and control. The same applies to higher levels of income, at least up to a certain point. It is only after a country has successfully developed and has reached a new more of socio-economic organization and non-traditional social reforms of control that crime rates can be expected to decline again – if not with the respect to property crime, then at least as concerns violent crime. This is compatible with modernization theory based on Durkheim n that moral individualism need not lead to higher rates of violence crimes as so-called organic solidarity will eventually substitute for traditional social control and constraints on individual behavior. Modernization theory is good for the greater of all but because it is a general theory its actions can be biased. Even with its contemporary works, it continues being a work in progress to make it better than what it is. Living in the twenty-first century only means more and faster technology, programs, data and many other things that are out there that certain places, countries and nations have possibly yet to discover or be aware of. Possibly, by giving that extra hand and helping one another as a civilization, this good for the greater of all can simply be greatness for all.