Attitudinal Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Attitudinal Behaviour EssayPurpose In set up to classify individuals found on their needs, this paper aims to consider both self-stated lieus and doingss in a comprehensive range of daily nancial affairs. Furthermore, it aims to select the impacts of socio-demographic variables such(prenominal) as gender, age, and education. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire was answered by 1,282 respondents in the German-speaking bug out of Switzerland. Factor analysis revealed ve components. Based on these components a two-step cluster analysis (Ward and K-means analyses) identied distinct sub assemblages. additive regressions were used to investigate the impacts of socio-demographic variables. Findings Factor analysis revealed ve underlying dimensions of nancial attitudes and behaviour anxiety, interests in nancial issues, decision styles, need for precautionary nest egg, and pass tendency. Cluster analysis segmented the respondents into ve sub groupings ground on these dimensions with an ascending order of specic needs for nancial products. Gender, age, and education were found to remove signicant impacts. Research limitations/implications Real consumption behaviour cannot be ascertained through the survey, which limits the external validity of the study.Practical implications The segmentation identies different levels of nancial competence and needs for nancial products. It allows nancial service providers to offer more effective advice and to adopt customers on their own level to improve face-to-face nancial management. Originality/value Attitudes and behaviours in daily nancial affairs are examined to reveal individuals nancial competence and consequential product needs. A mixed sample covers a variety of demographic groups. Keywords Personal nance, Savings, Questionnaires, Factor analysis, Cluster analysis, Switzerland Paper type Research paperIntroduction Everyone has to manage his or her ain nance in one way or an opposite. Some ten d to save a lot, virtually like to collect in fix upion before severally purchase, some like to follow their gut feelings. Private investors are not a homogeneous group further rather The authors would like to acknowledge the endorse of the University Research Priority Program Finance and Financial Markets of the University of Zurich and the National Centre of Competence in Research Financial Valuation and Risk Management (NCCR FINRISK), hear 3, Evolution and Foundations of Financial Markets. In addition, they would like to thank the Swiss nancial company that provided them with client data and the anonymous referee for the helpful comments.International Journal of camber Marketing Vol. 27 No. 2, 2009 pp. 108-128 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-2323 DOI 10.1108/02652320910935607individuals with various nancial practices combined with different levels of experience, anxiety and interest in nancial matters (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997). In an progressively competitive marketplaceplace, nancial institutions need to emphasise customer relationships and the retention of existing customers that require an in-depth understanding of their attitudes and behaviours (Harrison and Ansell, 2002). The heterogeneous market is divided into smaller more homogeneous groups to meet specic needs with a corresponding business model (Jenkins and McDonald, 1997). Market segmentation relies, in the nancial industry, largely on socio-demographic information to dene segments for specic operate (Harrison, 2000). It is questionable as to how appropriate they are (Jorg, 2005), in that respectfore in this study, selected aspects of nancial affairs such as routines and attitudes are gathered to gain insights towards signicant behavioral patterns.The quarry in this seek is to examine the extent to which a broad range of clannish investors can be classied into a small number of clusters in order to keep an eye on about group-specic needs in nancial affairs. More than 1,200 participants in Switzerland have answered our questionnaire with a response rate of 79 per centime. Unlike some other studies in this eld (e.g. Lim and Teo, 1997 Wood and Zaichkowsky, 2004), this survey is not limited to students, exactly includes a broader range of the public. Instead of counsel solely on savings behaviour (EBRI, 2002 MacFarland et al., 2003), the present study embraces a wider scope of daily nancial concerns. Thereby factor analysis exposes ve underlying dimensions anxiety, interests in nancial issues, decision styles, need for precautionary savings, and spending tendency.We demonstrate that our respondents can, based on these dimensions, be classied into ve distinct groups by cluster analysis where from cluster I to V, the need for action for a split handling of nancial matters increases for example, the Gut-feeling followers show a intuitive way of decision taking, disinterest in nancial subjects and a lack of awareness for the need of provision which take it difcult to argue for or to initiate remedial action. Each cluster raises key issues in meeting their needs and allows for guidance to design and adapt instruments to embolden in specic nancial requirements. To illustrate how nancial behaviour can be modied to improve personal nance specically for each group, examples from the area of retirement savings, an important part of daily nancial management, are elect (Clark-Murphy and Soutar, 2005).Linear regression further reveals that the clusters highlight socio-demographic characteristics and help generate a better understanding, although one socio-demographic factor alone does not offer enough information to detect cluster membership. The main theoretical contribution of this paper is that we segment the investors based on the revealed dimensions in attitudes (e.g., level of anxiety), unneurotic with the self-stated nance-related behavioural pattern (e.g., spending tendency). In this way we could identify the specic needs an d provide different service to each subgroup. Theoretical background and belles-lettres review Individuals show considerable deviation from the expectation of rational behaviour implied by nancial models (Barberis, 2003). Being conscious of the empirical limitations of the homo economicus model for exploring the behaviour of private individuals, behavioural nance broadens the view by combining knowledge from psychology and economics (Camerer and Loewenstein, 2004). Our study belongs to this area.However, instead of boil downing on particular anomalies and biases that individuals succumb to, such as overcondence and procrastination (Biais et al., 2005 ODonoghue and Rabin, 1998), we broaden the scope under review by studying general patterns when dealing with nancial issues. Market segmentation In the nancial work industry, market segmentation is a common method to understand better and serve the diverse customer base with its wide-ranging needs and various behaviours (Speed and Sm ith, 1992). warring pressures from deregulation of the nancial services market increase the requirement for market orientation and a more intimate knowledge of the market and its segments (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997). Previous research has shown that there are various benets from taking a segmented approach to the marketplace a better serving of customer requirements a tailoring of offerings and higher customer satisfaction (Harrison and Ansell, 2002).It can increase customer retention and create loyalty and long-term relationships that positively affect performance (Martenson, 2008). Market segmentation aims to recognise patterns of nancial behaviour, identied by studied segment predictors to group individuals into segments according to their product needs (Harrison, 2000). Yet, marketing in the nancial services industry today is still predominantly based on socio-demographic features like gender and age which are easy to identify and easy to apply in the composition of groups ( Machauer and Morgner, 2001). A prediction of needs from socio-demographic characteristics cannot be assumed therefore these widely used a priori segmentations are under review (Speed and Smith, 1992). In contrast, post hoc methods entail the grouping of respondents according to their responses to particular variables, focusing on customer motivations (i.e. needs/behaviour) that are more likely to result in a service based on individual need (Durkin, 2005).In research, behavioural segmentation is increasingly found (Elliott and Glynn, 1998 Soper, 2002), although researchers continue to concentrate on the nancial behaviour of specic groups and selective variables (Warneryd, 2001). This study focuses on the general population, giving a more holistic view of personal nancial management activities and taking attitudes and behaviour into account. Individual investors The literature on individual economic behaviour often focuses narrowly on specic areas such as risk attitudes (Warneryd, 1999 Wood and Zaichkowsky, 2004) or saving (Normann and Langer, 2002 Thaler and Benartzi, 2004).Other elds of research target investment in securities (Barber and Odean, 2001 Brennan, 1995 Keller and Siegrist, 2006) or focus on specic segments such as occupational groups (e.g., dentists and managers (Jorg, 2005)). Specic nancial issues or situations, however, are not indicative of an individuals behavioural and attitudinal disposition toward nance. kinda an interest in nances or having certain habits related to managing ones nancial means may indeed be a moderating factor to learn about behaviours and needs (Loix et al., 2005). The attitudes and behaviours toward nances regarded in this study focus on individual nancial management behaviour. It is a topic with important implications that has not been sufciently examined in nancial and economic behavioural studies (Loix et al., 2005).The subject is not covered by the extensive research on individuals attitudes and habits towards s pecie, as such studies focus on the meaning of money (Lim and Teo, 1997) or basic values concerning money in general as an abstract concept (Raich, 2008), and not on an individuals ways of dealing with his or her personal nance. Previous studies of private investors have used mainly behaviour-based criteria or attitudes and do not combine both aspects (Keller and Siegrist, 2006) that are the focus of this study. This study is not product-linked but wider ranging in that it examines the self-stated nancial attitudes and behaviour of individual investors. Attitudes and behaviours A frequently discussed question in research is to what extent attitudes predict behaviour. A direct relationship between attitudes and behaviour has often been found to be weak, but difculties in nding a strong relationship might derive from differences in denition and measurement (Warneryd, 1999).The more specic the attitude is the better are the chances of nding a substantial correlation with behaviour if behaviour is also dened as a specic act (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Therefore, dened questions or attitudes can have predictive power and a higher correlation of attitude to-wards behaviour has been conrmed in studies (in a comprehensive meta-analysis Glasman and Albarracn, 2006 Tesser and Shaffer, 1990). A further question is the benet of knowledge concerning behaviour. Whilst behaviour changes over time, there is a popular assertion that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour (Ajzen, 1991, p. 202). It is a reection of these ideas that leads to attitudes and behaviour being explored in this paper. Financial needs segmentation Several typologies concerning the nancial affairs of private investors can be found in the previous literature, but with more specic approaches segmentations are based on nancial maturity and knowledge (Harrison, 1994), provision for retirement (Gough and Sozou, 2005) or savings strategies (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997).Loix et al. (2005) co me closest to the focus of this study with the question of orientation towards nances but their goal is to develop a measurement scale for individuals nancial management. In this study, we examine the self-stated nancial attitudes and behaviour through a broader basis and do not restrict ourselves only to questions concerning risk or saving. We apply the methodology of cluster analysis to identify groups of private investors in order to obtain insight into the enforcing or modifying of specic behaviour. Cluster analysis has become a common tool in marketing and is a well-adopted method for market segmentation as well as the applied factor analysis apparent in this paper (Punj and Stewart, 1983).The aim of the present study is to obtain a better understanding of peoples needs in nancial matters to provide adequate services and products. This study, based on nancial service consumers, identies distinct motivational clusters that were independent of the more established socio-demograph ic segmentation variables used in targeting and communicating by nancial institutions. This study demonstrates that, by segmenting respondents on the basis of a broader range of nancial attitudes and behaviour, a yield of clearly interpretable proles can be realised and is helpful to identify those people in most need of professional nancial advice. This research suggests that customers nancial proles may be useful in predicting their response to new products as well as persuading them to use existing services for the specic benets they value. Participants and questionnaire The data come from a questionnaire that was completed by 1,282 respondents from various regions of the German-speaking part of Switzerland.The respondents were recruited from two sources 53 per cent of the participants (n 680) were clients seeking consulting advice from a Swiss nancial planning company, together with participants in courses in nancial training within the same rm (convenient sample). The second s ource was employed to avoid a client bias in the study. A total of 602 study subjects (47 per cent of the total study) were identied through a combination of quota1 and snowball2 sampling procedures (Vogt, 2005) so that its composition in terms of sex, age, and other demographic characteristics came close to reecting the respective proportions in Switzerland. Although not every member of the population is equally likely to be selected, the sample is composed of a wide variety of backgrounds.The diversity came from such groups as participants in a study relating to nancial literacy, and from different sources such as a nursing home, a group of university students, a group of teachers, company employees from four Swiss companies unrelated to the nancial services sector, a group of self-employed people, participants in a course for the unemployed, and a group made up of parents. The questionnaire was designed in German. Participants were rst asked to give their self-assessment by answe ring 17 questions on their nancial behavioural practice or attitude towards nancial affairs.The response format is a ve-point-Likert-type scale with absolutely and not at all at the two ends of the question spectrum. Subsequently, the questionnaire contains questions concerning socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, career stage, and education3. The age of participants ranges from 18 to 84 years old, with 58.9 per cent between 36 and 65 years old (n 755). The natural demographic balance of men and women is reected in the sample with 49.3 per cent men (n 632) and 50.7 per cent women (n 650).The proportion of people with a university degree or equivalent is 46.6 per cent (n 598), whereas 33.8 per cent participants (n 433) obtained an apprenticeship (up to ve years). There are 14.5 per cent participants (n 186) who have a high school diploma as the highest educational level, whereas 5.1 per cent participants (n 65) have only attended secondary school. There are 10.5 pe r cent (n 135) participants who were studying at a university or at another institute of higher education at the time of our survey. Methodology and results Factor analysis As the rst step we conducted an alpha factor analysis, a principal component analysis, in order to determine the underlying dimensions of the nancial attitudes and behavioural tendencies. The chosen solution with ve principal components was constructed using the varimax rotation technique and can explain 53.3 per cent of the total variance. Different opinions concerning what constitutes a high loading are found in the literature, e.g. 0.3 (Gardner, 2001). Here, the rotated factor loading of 0.5 was chosen as a threshold.

Gummy Bear Lab Essay Example for Free

Gummy Bear Lab EssayQuestion- If the percent of the concentration of a solution varies, depart the amount of water gained or preoccupied go away in a bilinear fashion?Hypothesis- If the concentration of a solution varies, then the amount of water anomic or gain will not vary in a linear fashionPrediction- I think that the amount of water lost will not vary in a linear fashion. I think the water will vary like angiotensin converting enzyme gummy absorb would lose 4 grams while other would lose 6 grams while another would lose 3. 56 grams. Just numbers any over the place.Experiment-1. Materials neededa. 5 gummy bearsb. 5 beakersc. A scaled. Distilled watere. Saltf. A cover for each beakerg. A paper to put on the scaleh. TweezersThe independent variable is the flavor in the water. The dependent variable is whether the amount of water lost or gained in the gummy bears varies in a linear fashion. The constants are the type of gummy bear used in this experiment, the type of season, the type of beaker, the type of scale, the cover, amount of water, and the amount of time the gummy bears have. The control is the beaker without the salt in it Beaker A. Safety proceduresinclude washing your hands before and after the experiment.Day 1 Get 5 beakers and 5 gummy bears. upchuck a paper on the scale and hazard the weight of the gummy bears. Then put the gummy bears in each beaker and label the beakers A-E. Put 100 ml of water in each beaker. decompose a solution you want each beaker to have. For this experiment the solutions were Beaker A- 0% Beaker B- 5% Beaker C- 10% Beaker D- 15%, and Beaker E- 20%. So to put the solutions into the beaker, first take salt and find the weight of it. It you want a 5% solution the salts weight has to be 5 grams or close to 5 grams.Do the identical for the other beakers. Of course, Beaker A will have no salt in it because it doesnt have a solution with salt. Cover each beaker with the same kind of cover and wait for 24 hou rs to see what happens. Day 2 Take the beakers out of the place they were in. Spill all the liquid out of all the beakers. Make sure to identify which gummy bear is which. It is best to do this one at a time. Take the gummy bear out of the beaker with tweezers. Put a paper on the scale and weigh each gummy bear. Record the weight. When you are done weighing each, throw the gummy bears and all uncivilized away and wash your hands.AnalysisObservations were that all the gummy bears lost their pale yellow color and turned into a clear color. Some gummy bears had salt sticking to it. Another gummy bear lost its shape completely and it looked like glob. Some gummy bears looked like it gained weight and some looked like it lost weight. Errors were that a little bit of salt was added into the control group Beaker A. Results from Alexiss group were that all the gummy bears gained weight and Justin told me that all his gummy bears also gained weight although I dont know what their solution w ere for each beaker or the difference from the final weight to the initial weight. Their results didnt vary in a linear fashion. Mathematical calculations were to subtract the final weight of the gummy bear with the initial weight of the gummy bear.ConclusionThe results of the experiment were that the water lost or gained didnt vary in a linear fashion. It went from one number to another. Even though the amount of solute varied in a linear fashion, the differences did not. They vary at a nonlinear rate. These results matched the hypothesis and proved it correct.Errors that happened in this experiment were that some salt was added to the control group Beaker A. This could have touched the dependent variable by gummy bear losing a little bit of weight because of the salt. The results from the other groups were that their results didnt vary in a linear fashion. This is consistent with my results because the difference in grams also didnt vary in a linear fashion. This means that my lab was done correctly.Other experiments that can be done are by taking a jar and filling it with water. Then secure the paper towel on the jar with a arctic band. Make a water filled chamber to put intellectual nourishment coloring drops it in and see what happens. The paper towel is the cell membrane and the food coloring is the water molecules crossing the cell membrane. Another experiment is by filling two beakers of water, making them full and labeling them. Then add salt to one beaker and mix it into the water until no more salt can dissolve. Put a carrot, celery, and 3 raisins in each beaker and see what happens in 24 hours.

The Introduction To The Education System Education Essay

The Introduction To The Education System Education EssayIn my previous workplace and among the colleagues, we would talk about our children and their culture sense and shargon notes and tips base on our personal experiences. There were really no major challenges. It never occurs to me that on that point are unbosom many a(prenominal) children who are not in the most favorable condition to learn and to be what they lot be. Being in the school has allowed me to interact with the children and learn much about the challenges they manifestation every day, at home and in school.I was bought up and educated in the old days where it was very teacher directed on the blackboard. Our fellowship was learnt from textbooks, enhanced through pen and paper practices and drills and instructions were duly completed due to fear of being punished or poke fund. There were no finical need students, rightful(prenominal) naughty and lazy students whom the teachers gave up trying to teach them a nything.The education system now is very distinguishable and my son, who is currently in primary election Six, is going through it. The current system aims to provide education equality, providing students of contrary learning ability the opportunity to be the best that they rear end be. It is no perennial through pen and paper only, different types of manipulative and technologies come into use. Being untrained, I wonder how I am able to face and teach a class of 40 children, with different learning abilities and from diverse play down.Before coming into training, I had practically little or no knowledge of the jargons, pedagogies or methodology used in education. I was not sure whether the method I was using to impart knowledge was applicable in the current context. I retrieve that the children will be able to feel if a teacher is sincere or not and they will be on t look for the teacher if they back tooth feel that sincerity. When I was a new student in a new secondary s chool at secondary two, the teacher-in-charge of the National Police plebe Corps (NPCC), Mr Yang, made sure that I was on par with the rest of the cadets and that I was not left behind. That gave me the pauperism to excel and I was awarded the Best whole Cadet in secondary four. This has alike given me the passion to continue to serve in NPCC in Junior College, University and even until now, I am still an adult volunteer in a secondary school as an Honorary Officer. I understand how a teacher can affect the students motivation and passion.I believe that different children learn at different pace and in different style and are able to excel in different areas. I like the quote by Albert Einstein, Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, itll spend its whole animation believing that it is stupid. In Singapores Education System, every child is given equal opportunity for an education. And because every child is different, the resources required to help each of them would be different. The spirited ability child should be stretched further while the lower ability child must(prenominal) be given more support. Being untrained, I gave otiose lesson to the weaker children before and after school as I was not sure how to carry out differentiated learning in class. I wonder if there is a different way of doing this, especially for some of the children who bring learning difficulties.As a Physical Education teacher, I enjoy physical activities and sports and I believe that children learn through play because it is enjoyable. But playing the game and teaching the game are totally two different things. Being untrained, I have limited resources and much time was spent on the internet looking for suitable activities for the children of different levels. I also need to vouch that the activities are conducted in a galosh environment with the appropriate equipment.I once read a book Change Your Questions, Change Your Life 10 unch ewable Tools for Life and Work by Marilee Adams. It changed the way I ask questions. Instead of asking why it happened, whose fault it was and what was wrong, I ask questions like how it can be d adept and what was working. By changing the questions, we direct our attention to positive feelings, possibilities and solutions. In school, I would sometime hear remarks like they are unable to excel because of their family background or they are at a disadvantage because otherwise students are smarter or richer. I would ask them to change their questions. Instead of asking why they cannot do it, they should ask how they can do it which would direct them to search for solutions that would help them achieve their goals. I believe that by getting the children to have the right mind ready and ask the right question, they are able to resolve challenges and achieve our potential.After coming into National Institute of Education (NIE) for training, my philosophy has not changed. Rather, it has been further enhanced and beef up by the knowledge and skills gained through the different academic and curriculum subjects. Teaching and Managing Learners has provided valuable knowledge and tips about effective communication, schoolroom and sitting arrangement and classroom management so that learners with different learning abilities or special needs can learn together.For meaningful learning to take place, the environment has to be safe and inclusive. From prior knowledge acquired in the Education Psychology module, I can better understand the psychosocial challenge or crisis faced by the learners in the different developmental stages (Erikson, 1968). So as a beginning teacher, I need to know what kind of safe and inclusive environment is best so that everyone can learn and achieve their own best an environment that the learners can learn without fear and at their own pace. It was interesting to see how each group ease up their own ideas during class. Some did it through pict ure, some through words and the music teachers did it through music. All these give me ideas on how I can create much(prenominal) an environment. But most principal(prenominal)ly, the environment has to be owned by the students. The whole class has to agree to a set of acceptable behaviour and consequences. This will set the ground rules and routines for a constructive learning environment.As there may be learners with different learning or physical disabilities, I must ensure that the classroom arrangement is such that it would accommodate the special needs of the learners. Learners with hearing impairments must be placed in front and conscious effort must be made to pronounce the words carefully. For learners who are easily distracted, they should be seated away from areas of high activity like the door and windows. And for learners who are left-handed, they should instead sit on the left hand side of the table arrangement.Besides academic, learners also need to learn proper so cial behaviour and values. Learners see teachers as their role models. So, if the teacher is sensitive and caring to the children, they too will learn how to show care and concern to each other. And through activities like collaborative learning, couple teaching, think-pair-share, the children learn about sharing and cooperation. These are values which are important to their future and can be taught through daily interaction and activities with the learners. Hence, meaningful lesson contrive is very important.As learners may come from diverse social economic background, I need to ensure that each is given opportunity and access to the many different technologies and gadgets. With a well-planned classroom layout, different activities can be carried out simultaneously and smoothly. I can make the classroom more efficient for activities to aid differentiated learning. Learners with learning disability also learn better through interactive and interesting computer games and gadgets. So together with knowledge learned from the ICT for significant Learning module, I can better use ICT to enhance the learning experience of the learners. A good classroom layout also facilitates smooth transition of one activity to another and great classroom management skill.Besides the learning environment, the teachers ability to deliver the content is also very important to their learning. Teachers should not just teach content, they should also check for understanding while teaching. To check for understanding, the learners must be able to explain with new examples and apply the concept in other areas. This understanding process is a continuous one ((Blythe Associates, 1998). Managing small-group and independent work is an important skill for the teacher so as to ensure that the lesson can be carried out smoothly.I know that praise is important to learners as it reinforces good behavior and reaffirm their effort in learning. Through this course, I also build that there are d ifferent types of praise. Ginott (1965) divided praises into evaluative and appreciative. He suggested that appreciative praise should be used as it affirms their effort and achievement. Evaluative praise should be avoided as it places a burden on the learner that he is no good if certain thing is not done (Manning, 2007).Communication is another important factor to encourage teaching and learning. While we want to build rapport with our learners, we must also be able to assert expected behaviors from them. This course also provides tips on how we can use positive and effective communication to create such an environment that encourages learning. When we have understanding and open communication with our learners, they are more willing to keep on learning. Punishment should be discouraged as it only tries to avoid future punishment instead of learning self-discipline. Sarcasm and ridicule should also be avoided as it destroys their self-confidence and self-esteem.Besides the teacher s, other partners like the parents, caregivers or tuition teachers also play an important role in the learners learning process. Communication and collaboration among these parties is crucial regardless whether the child has any learning disability or special need. It is very important that all parties monitor and intervene or seek help from experts should they notice that there is little progress in their learning. When there is communication and common understanding, a common approach can then be used at home, in school or in the tuition agency. When the learners are not confused, they can learn better.As a PE teacher, not only do I need to maintain a great learning environment in the classroom, I also need to have great management skill outside the classroom. Through the other PE modules like Principles of Games, Instructional Methods and Instructional Strategies, I now have a vast repertory of activities and variations that can cater to the different learners of different abili ty. Activities can be differentiated to suit the different skill level of the diverse learners. Activities can also be modified to cater to the learners with physical disabilities. I am now more confident to be able to conduct meaningful and enjoyable lessons which train their primordial movement skills crucial for their growth and development.I believe that every child wants to learn and can learn, especially if it is fun. So with the training in NIE, I am able to create an environment that is conducive and fun for learning, a place where the learners like to come to learn and share. I can design and plan lessons that are both meaningful and fun and cater to the differentiated learners in the class. I hope to be able to equip my learners with the necessary skills and correct mindset to accompany and be the best that they can be.(Word count 1999)

Analysis of Food Supply Chain Models

Analysis of fargon Supply Chain ModelsChapter 1 Introduction1.1 Globalization in Food Industry backgroundSince last decade, Globalization is a trend in the provender exertion due to growing potential markets in various develop countries and ever-changing consumption pattern of the people. Integration of international pabulum markets and increasing expansion in international markets of the firms is the most signifi hindquarterst trends in human beingswide economy. exchange liberalization and scientific progress gave rise to globalization. Even though consumer diets are gradually changing globally there are variations in diet obtain patterns around the world which is mostly based on income levels.The focus of food retailing industry in developing and developed countries was different with obeisance to consumers and the fictional character of food demanded. The trend was that the developing countries retailers focused on high value food while the developed countries retai lers focused on meeting consumer demand with respect to quality, security and choices. Thus various retailers are now looking at exploring new markets and using more opportunities in different kinds of developed and developing markets.Retailers shake the information regarding the consumer preference and the standard of living which in and then applied for explore in segmenting the market according to market demand, affordability as well as quality. Hence food retail sectors is continuously growing and making innovative sale placements. The global food retail sale has increased up to $2 trillion yearly and the top 15 global supermarket companies account for more than 30 percent of world supermarket sales.Bourlakis (2004) opines that The current changes are driving food picture chains to take up coordination in the midst of producers and retailers to aid modifying products to meet consumer demands. The food render chain progressed from series of shorter, independent transfers to more unified, coherent relationship between processors, manufacturers and retailers.Lubbers (1997) refer to the term globalization, meaning the global sourcing of raw materials combined with local marketing. Stalk and Hout (1990), Christopher (1992) and Hewitt (1994) suggested that The keys to long-term competitive advantage in todays grocery are flexibility andcustomer response. To maximize a competitive advantage, all members within the Supply Chain should seamlessly work together to serve the end consumer (Towill, 1997).The do of globalization (i.e. open markets), the market entranceof new competitors, and stricter governmental requirements for food safety and environment friendlyyield place increasing demands on management.This study will examine near of the food supply chain models, evaluating it whether the consumer preferences are bringing changes in the global food supply chain model. Further effort will be make to analyze the changing patterns of traditional and evolv ing model for existing food supply chains and how it affects the sale and demand of foods in the market.With the introduction of supermarkets in the 21st ampere-second more and more traditional grocery outlets have suffered a fall in share from 40 percent in 1995 to 36 percent in 2005 and thus their was rise of supermarkets (Neff 1997a).Thus globalization has come into picture where more and more supermarkets are establishing in various countries due to decline in international trade barriers and more opportunities for investments as well as growth as a multinational.1.2 Statement of The ProblemThere are various factors which affect the global food supply chain pattern and every stage of supply chain undergoes some kind uncertainties which cause inefficiencies in firms logistics. Food industry is a similar facing various issues regarding proper planning of statistical distribution system which incurred a high cost to the retailers. Due to high competition and growth in the retail sector, many manufacturers and retailers have understood that there can be significant amount of cost reduction by making rectifyments in logistics.This can be achieved when the suppliers and the manufacturers work together to give better value to the consumer by maximizing costumer satisfaction and minimizing cost of distribution. Thus there is a take up to designing a supply chain model.UKs Milk supply chain is one of the complex food supply chains.UK is considered as one of the largest milk producers in EU. However, the major concern for UK is that even if the UK is mainly self-reliant in milk, the value of UK exports of milk products is significantly lower than the value of imports and in 2007 the UK had a trade deficit of about 881m in dairy products. (Defra, 2007).Several reason have been estimated which has led to issues in dairy sector in UK.Thus the above issues raised a demand for come along in-depth investigation. They thus form the introduction for this study.1.3 P urpose of The StudyThe purpose of study is to examine the food supply chain model present in global food industry as well as UKs milk production and supply chain in particular. Specially, the purpose of the study wasTo identify the changing food system pattern in food manufacturing and retailing globally.To highlight conventional and developing model for existing food supply chains and to asses its affects on the global food market.To find out the socio-economics impact of changing pattern of food supply chain on society.To study the supply chain models and to examine how the model could be designed more effectively and efficiently in order to improve supply chain uncertainties.To examine the reason of decline in the milk supplies in UK which leads to decrease in milk exports and increase in milk import even if UK is self sufficient in milk production.1.4 question QuestionsTo provide focus and direction for the study and to successfully carry it out, the following research question s have been raiseda) Do the changing pattern of food distribution system have an effect on consumer and retailers relationship? (b) If they do, in what ways it effect the consumers? What changes should be undertaken to improve on distribution system?Which are the important factors for food supply chain developments and the important characteristics of the food retail sectors, and their effects on the food supply chain?What is the need to redesign food supply chains model?What are the strategic, tactical and operational decision made for food supply chain decision corresponding production and distribution?How globalization in food industry has helped in growth of the world economy?Has the retail sector become more powerful then food manufacturing sector?What are the issues in Milk supply chain in UK? What is the reason for higher import of milk?What is the percentage of production of impact milk products in UK? What are the demand and supply of these milk products?1.5 Significance of The StudyThis research work is to look at the current supply chain process in UK and evaluate the food supply chain model in order find out the changing patterns of global food supply chain which affects the consumer. Thus the study is significant for the following reasonsFirst it will help shed light on the ongoing transformation in the food industry globally. It will also help us to understand certain issues which exist in different processes of supply chain management. Also findings from the study whitethorn serve as a basis for evaluation of entire food supply systems which has shifted from national to global retailing. This will help them to adopt feasible measures to improve the relationships between retailers, manufacturers and consumer.The study will also contribute to existing acquaintance on what encouraged the retailers, distributors and manufacturers to improve on the efficiencies of existing food systems. This could help tone up retailing internalization which will further help in focusing more on increasing sale growth and market share than on profitability. The growth in private label and consumer interest brought about new changes in food retailing. In this way, the study will serve as basis for further research on the topic in the various countries as well as all over the world for the particular type of food product supply chain.Further case study is performed on UK dairy industry. It will address the positive as well as negative aspects in this sector. It also points out the market share for each dairy product and issues in dairy sector. The study also suggests the scope for emerging innovations in this sector.1.6 shaping of The StudyThe study is organized in following wayChapter one provides general information of the study, the research problem, purpose of study and research questions and objective of study. It would also present information on the significance of the study, limitation and organization of the study.Chapter Two prese nts background information and key characteristic of food supply chain globally.Chapter terce presents a review of available literature related to supply chain. In particular, literature on the concept of changing global supply chains perspectives as well as the socio economic effect on the people due to change in food supply chain as well as relationship between society and changing supply chain will be studied.Chapter four focuses on the dairy food supply chain model, its characteristics and future of the dairy supply chain sector. It will also focus on issues in production of milk and milk products.Chapter five presents the summary and conclusion of the research findings. It also discusses the findings and implications of the present study and provide a conclusion.Chapter 2 Backgroud2.1. Introducing global retail industryLast year in 2007, national statistics confirmed that there were 55,540 retailers having around 103,000 retail outlets globally. The worlds major food retail c ompanies are Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Carrefour congregation, The Kroger Co, Metro AG and many more. This company originates from different countries like US, France, Germany but they have made their mark in international markets also.Wal-Mart being the leader has expanded in over 9 countries and operates nearly 1,300 outlets across trades union America, South America, Europe and Asia. After acquiring the large market share in developed countries, these major retailers are looking at developing markets like China and India. There is extreme competition in retail markets because companies are always looking for acquisition prospects for further expansion.White et al., 2004, opined that there is speculation that Carrefour, the worlds second biggest retailer by revenue may be in the sights of Wal-Mart, the only retailer that is bigger, which unsurprisingly, recently signalled it would like to start expanding more crisply in Europe. Reduced trade barriers and regulations have facilitat ed the global companies to enter the markets of developing economies like India while in China the government has increased the barriers in order to increase the competition between the global companies. food market and Food retailing are getting concentrated.According to the Euromoniter report 2007, the mature markets of Western European and US markets along with growing saturation in Eastern Europe have turned retailers focus to the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) markets, which show extraordinary growth potential.Retailers are developing retailing strategies by doing market research specific to a particular geographical region and then using technical innovations and marketing knowledge to develop in that area. There are large formatted supermarkets, hypermarkets and a few small sized formatted stores and grocery stores. Private labeling of the retailers brands are the growing trends now a days and they have become successful as well due to the quality of products they pr ovide at much cheaper rates.Worldwide Top 30 Grocery Retailers, 2006Table1.Rank/ CompanyCountry of OriginRetail Banner gross revenue 2006 (USD mn)Market Share (%)Net Sales (USD mn) (1)Grocery Retail Banner Sales (%)Domestic Sales (%)Foreign Sales (%)1 Wal-MartUSA376,4306.3344,99245.678222 CarrefourFrance122,2142.097,73973.947533 Metro GroupGermany87,3601.575,13148.045554 TescoUK86,8271.578,45173.375255 Seven I (2) lacquer79,1011.341,60067.866346 AholdNeth.77,5461.356,29984.418827 KrogerUSA69,5491.166,11170.5 speed of light08 SearsUSA64,8331.153,01211.888129 CostcoUSA64,7371.158,96361.0802010 TargetUSA62,5841.059,49030.4100011 ReweGermany56,4480.954,51575.3683212 CasinoFrance55,2980.925,75274.7584213 Schwarz GroupGermany55,1600.950,22482.6544614 AEON (2)Japan55,1570.941,43155.5901015 AldiGermany54,1040.949,94883.5534716 AuchanFrance53,6080.948,40862.6505017 WalgreensUSA49,8740.847,40936.099118 EdekaGermany48,5250.840,27785.493719 CVSUSA46,0920.843,81430.0100020 Safeway (USA)USA43,77 00.740,18575.4831721 LeclercFrance40,4350.736,43261.494622 ITM (Intermarch)France36,9310.633,97676.9901023 SainsburyUK36,0710.631,36075.6100024 Woolworths (AUS)Australia34,2550.631,24372.1891125 SuperValuUSA32,2780.637,40673.0100026 TengelmannGermany31,5660.529,25562.0584227 Coles G

International Relations Essays Global Culture

International Relations Essays Global CultureWhat is meant by a global grow and how and why do transnational corporations seek to promote much(prenominal) a culture?A global culture wad be seen in one of two ways. angiotensin-converting enzyme suggests that straightaways communications and technologies allow a more open spread of culture around the world people in far corners of the globe be able to be aware of and share each others culture. It is a capture that sees global culture as generally positive something that encourages diversity and a conflate of culture and has enabled people around the world to overcome national boundaries to embrace common causes. The more common perception of global culture is that of a western sandwich, preponderantly American culture gradually imposing itself around the world, often to the detriment of long established local cultures. For analysts inappropriate to globalisation this type of global culture is slowly killing diversity and de vastating traditional ways of life. Scholte suggests that this viewpoint is thatGlobalisation introduces a single world culture centred on consumerism, mass media, Americana and the position words (p23 Scholte 2000). It is this type of global culture in particular that transnational companies are linked to and are generally happy to promote.Transnational companies have scram economical super mights as globalisation has spread and the development of a global culture is seen to benefit them economically. Certainly the potential wealth that the transnationals can offer to original populations can take precedence over the upholding of local tradition and culture. The basic human desire to accumulate wealth can often override heathen, ethnic and religious factors when transnational companies set their sights on economic expansion in a particular area.A global culture involves the spread of popular cultural icons around the globe, often diluting and overriding local cultures with th e threat that the vast cultural diversity that the world offers will one day be submerged infra a dull uniformity. Advances in technology and communications have helped propagate cultural globalisation. Digital communication, satellite television and the Internet are methods of communication that can overcome any national boundaries or government control as Held and McGrew writeMany national controls over information have become ineffective. mountain everywhere are exposed to the values of other cultures as never before (p17, Held and McGrew 2003).Deregulation of media ownership along with technological advances combined in the latter(prenominal) decades of the twentieth century to allow the largest media companies to establish networks in many countries. This media influence gives companies the opportunity to promote their own cultural preferences and it is nonable that the global media is dominated by the same eight transnational media companies that dominate the US media Gene ral Electric, ATT Media, Disney, Time Warner, Sony, new(a)s Corporation, Viacom Seagram and Bertelsmann (p261 Held and McGrew 2003). These companies aggressively seek to become global players the US market is largely developed and the global markets provide better opportunities for expansion and getting ahead of the competition Time Warner predict that non-US sales will yield the majority of their gross within the next decade.With the global expansion of US media companies comes the global expansion of US culture. The power of Hollywood is one of the prime examples of cultural globalisation with an American agenda. A seemingly endless line of films promoting an American cultural and political agenda emanate from Hollywood and have driven independent film do in many regions either out of business or underground. Some countries such as Norway, Mexico and South Africa have seen government subsidies try to support domesticated film production companies, whilst the success of the Indian Bollywood film industry is one of few examples of cinema audiences resisting the spread of a global culture. The economic benefits to the transnationals can be wide. Cable and digital television channels crosswise the globe are owned by the major transnational companies and are hugely important move of their revenue streams. Major Hollywood studios were expecting revenue from global TV rights to their film libraries to have exceeded $11 billion by the end of 2002 (p261 Held and McGrew 2003).The marketing power of the transnational companies ensures that the values, brands and culture of the US are spread globally. Some of the largest brands generate money that outstrips many national economies Coca Colas brand for example was estimates by a brand consultancy to be worth $68.9 billion. (p119 Legrain 2002) The continuing expansion of such brands through the development of a global culture is something certain to boost the lettuce of the transnationals. Writers on globalisat ion such as Naomi Klein in particular link brands to global culture and the influence of the transnationals. She writesPower, for a brand-driven company, is not attained by lay in assets per se, but by projecting ones brand idea onto as many surfaces of the culture as possible (New Statesman 24 Jan 2000). This view of those opposed to globalisations suggests that propelling popular cultural icons into established cultures and forcing homogenous culture to take a back seat to Western culture is very some(prenominal) the aim of transnational companies. Certainly, the marginalisation and dilution of local cultures through the efforts of Western media and brand marketing is a concern. Lloyd Fernando writes ominouslyThe world is truly eclectic and simultaneous these old age and Marshal Macluhans deterministic vision of us all being plugged into one vast electrical organism like domestic animals at a a trough is far too close for us to laugh at (P111 Mittelman and Othman 2001).The sprea d of the English language is another aspect of a global culture that transnational companies promote. In addition to Western films, music and media being promoted across the globe in an attempt to dominate popular culture, the might to speak English is becoming seen as practically a necessity to get on in many of the worlds poorer nation fiscal and economic institutions worldwide are adopting English and it is increasingly difficult to operate in the worlds markets without the language. Mandal statesGlobalizers actively promote English as a purely functional and even neutral language that is synonymous with economic growth, technological advancement and modernity as a whole (p120 Mittelman and Othman 2001) and it is clear that non-governmental organisations such as the IMF and World Bank largely support the transnational companies in their promotion of English as a global language. Much of their analysis of the economic crisis in South East Asia in the 1990s suggests that the coun tries in the region that recovered best were those that had made the most progress in introducing the English language into the culture. Across the globe, governments are accepting this aspect of global culture in South Korea large scale English villages are being developed for locals to immerge themselves into the language, whilst the Mongolian government, in a country landlocked by Russia and China has announced long term plans to make English its primary second language.One of the greatest fears of those opposed to cultural globalisation is that it offers English speaking and western culture as something to aspire to whilst abandoning traditional culture. Hirst and Thompson write thatNational cultures that aim to be dominant over the individual that belong to them are increasingly projects of resistance to and retreat from the world (p266 Hirst and Thompson 2000) in effect, people and cultures that do not embrace the Western led global culture are seen as conservative, suspici ous and most probably less likely to see investment from transnational companies.Globalisation is not going to go away, neither are the huge transnational companies. Some see the growth of a global culture and the wealth and opportunity that these huge organisations can bring as something for which diversity of culture can be sacrificed. They also argue, correctly, that people wherever they live do have a choice. whatever the power of western marketing, if people across the globe choose to maintain their own culture and reject global or western culture, they have the power to do so. Others continue to argue that cultural globalisation in itself promotes diversity and a respect for other cultures. Those opposed to globalisation remain strongly opposed to the spread of the stereotypical McDonalds and Coke culture that personifies Western and particularly American culture. For transnational companies, profits are the bottom line and continual expansion across the globe is one of the b est ways to ensure that they continue to make a profit. Transnational companies, rightly or wrongly, have little concern for the tax shelter of local culture if a global culture will ensure that more of their products are sold, they will continue to promote it.BibliographyJan Aart Scholte, Globalization A sarcastic Introduction, Macmillan Press Limited, London 2002Philippe Legrain, Open World The Truth About Globalisation, Abacus, Great Britain, 2002Robert McChesney, The New Global Media in Held and McGrew The Global Transformations Reader, Polity Press, Cambridge 2002Naomi Klein, Tyranny of the Brands, article New Statesman, 24 January 2000James H Mittelman and Norani Othman, Capturing Globalisation, Routledge, London 2001Paul Hirst and Grahame Thompson, Globalisation in Question, Polity Press, Cambridge 2000Christopher Cook, Human Dignity Needs Protection, article at www.populist.com/00.2.cook.html

Feminism And Gender Equality In The 1990s :: essays papers

Feminism And Gender Equality In The 1990sOverall, the rights and status of women guide improved considerably in the last century however, gender equality has recently been threatened within the last decade. Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while accessible perceptions of womens roles continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional and legal arenas. Women who carefully follow their pass judgment roles may never recognize sexism as an oppressive force in their life. I find many parallels between womens experiences in the nineties with Betty Friedans, in her essay The Way We Were - 1949. She dealt with a society that expected women to fulfill certain roles. Those roles completely disregarded the needs of educated an d motivated business women and scientific women. Actually, the subtle message that society gave was that the educated woman was in reality selfish and evil.I remember in particular the searing effect on me, who once intended to be a psychologist, of a story in McCalls in December 1949 calledA Weekend with Daddy. A little girl who lives a lonely life withher mother, divorced, an intellectual k flat-it-all psychologist, goesto the country to spend a pass with her father and his new wife,who is wholesome, happy, and a good cook and gardener. And there islove and laughter and growing flowers and hot clams and a gourmetcheese omelet and square dancing, and she doesnt want to go home.But, pitying her poor mother typing away all by herself in thelonesome apartment, she keeps her guilty secret that from now on shewill be living for the moments when she can escape to that dreamhome in the country where they know what life is all about. (SeeEndnote 1)I have often consulted my grandparents about their experiences, and I find their historical perspective enlightening. My grandmother was pregnant with her third child in 1949. Her work experience included intimate design and modeling womens clothes for the Sears catalog. I asked her to read the Friedan essay and let me know if she felt as moved as I was, and to share with me her experiences of sexism. Her present(prenominal) reaction

macbeth :: essays research papers

MACBETHIn Shakespeares play Macbeth, there are power struggles that interfere with individual(prenominal) relationships. The love and honor of the state or the love and loyalty of family is brought up to question. State and family are very similar, as they are both very important. only which one is more is non an easy question. In the eye of Macbeth and Macduff, characters in Macbeth the answer is simple, state. Loyalty to state is more valued to Macbeth and Macduff.Macduff must not shell out for his family for he would not leave them all alone. To leave his wife, to leave his babes, His mansion and his titles in a place from whence himself does fly? scrap 4 Sc 2 these are the words of lady Macduff tal fag about her husband. If Macduff loves his family he would at lest tell his wife where he has run off to so she does not worry. It is easy to see that Macduff loves his country more than his family. Wear thou thy wrongs The title is affeered. Fare thee well, lord. I would not be the villain that thou thinkst for the square space thats in the tyrants grasp and the rich East to boot. Act 4 Sc3 this shows Macduffs feelings about the situation of Macbeth being king. Macduff does not want to see the country of Scotland suffer, and he is showing his loyalty to king Duncan by going to his son Malcolm the person who should be king.As with Macbeth the title of king is of more importance than a friend who he has been in battle with and is as his right hand man. My noble partner you greet with present favor and great prediction of noble having and of royal hope, Act 1 Sc 3 this is of Banquo talking about Macbeth as these are traveling along together. Banquo is as a loyal partner and friend to Macbeth. But because Macbeth thinks that he is a better leader he does not want Banquo and his sons to rule the country. Your children should be kings Act 1 Sc 3. Even with Banquo being a noble friend this prophecy scares Macbeth and is left with one choice to kill his friend. With barefaced power drop back him from my sight. Act 3 Sc. 1. All this for the kingdom.Macbeths insecurity led him to believe that Macduff was betraying him and ordered the killing of Macduffs family.