Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Business law - Essay Example gal act and quiet unethical as it manipulates the inventory so as to attract potential investors by adding the credit worthiness as well as increasing chances of being advanced a facility by a financial institution. It could also imply that increased inventory statements will equally reduce the cost of goods thus reduce the expense and subsequent reflection in high gross profit. Furthermore, overstatement of inventory statements leads to business overpaying tax since it increases the pre-tax net income. Basing on this, ABC Investments can therefore seek legal action for damages which can make them recover whatever they have lost which in this case amounts to $500,000 and any other damages. However, Zulu Computer Corporation can argue it as an innocent misrepresentation that leads to a rescission remedy which means that they assume the original status as though they had not signed the contract and will depend on the court whether the damages will be awarded depending on the nature of innocent misrepresentation and losses suffered. ABC Investments can use copies of the financial statements to file a petition of which individual responsibility or company responsibility will

Developmental Stage Theories Essay Example for Free

Developmental Stage Theories Essay Developmental psychology is the scientific study of changes that occur in human beings over the course of their life span. Originally concerned with infantsand children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire life span. This field examines change across a broad range of topics including motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes; cognitive development involving areas such as problem solving, moral understanding, and conceptual understanding; language acquisition; social, personality, and emotional development; and self-concept and identity formation. Developmental psychology includes issues such as the extent to which development occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge versus stage-like development, or the extent to which children are born with innate mental structures, versus learning through experience. Many researchers are interested in the interaction between personal characteristics, the individuals behavior, and environmental factors including social context, and their impact on development; others take a more narrowly-focused approach. Developmental psychology informs several applied fields, including: educational psychology, child psychopathology, and forensic developmental psychology. Developmental psychology complements several other basic research fields in psychology including social psychology, cognitive psychology, ecological psychology, and comparative psychology. Theories Attachment theory Attachment theory, theoretical frame work originally developed by John Bowlby, focuses on open, intimate, emotionally meaningful relationships. Attachment is described as a biological system or powerful survival impulse that evolved to ensure the survival of the infant. A child who is threatened or stressed will move toward caregivers who create a sense of physical, emotional and psychological safety for the individual. Attachment feeds on body contact and familiarity. Later Mary Ainsworth developed the Strange Situation protocol and the concept of the secure base. There are three types of attachment styles: secure, anxious-avoidant, and anxious-resistant. Secure attachment is a healthy attachment between the infant and the caregiver. It is characterized by trust. Anxious-avoidant is an insecure attachment between an infant and a caregiver. This is characterized by the infants indifference toward the caregiver. Anxious-resistant is an insecure attachment between the infant and the caregiver characterized by distress from the infant when separated and anger when reunited. [1] A child can be hindered in its natural tendency to form attachments. Some babies are raised without the stimulation and attention of a regular caregiver, or locked away under conditions of abuse or extreme neglect. The possible short-term effects of this deprivation are anger, despair, detachment, and temporary delay in intellectual development. Long-term effects include increased aggression, clinging behavior, detachment, psychosomatic disorders, and an increased risk of depression as an adult. [2][3] Constructivism Constructivism is a paradigm in psychology that characterizes learning as a process of actively constructing knowledge. Individuals create meaning for themselves or make sense of new information by selecting, organizing, and integrating information with other knowledge, often in the content of social interactions. There are two ways in which constructivism can occur: individual and social. Individual constructivism is when a person constructs knowledge through cognitive processes of their own experiences rather than by memorizing facts provided by others. Social constructivism is when individuals construct knowledge through an interaction between the knowledge they bring to a situation and social or cultural exchanges within that content. [4] Ecological systems theory The Ecological systems theory, originally formulated by Urie Bronfenbrenner specifies four types of nested environmental systems, with bi-directional influences within and between the systems. The four systems are microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. Each system contains roles, norms and rules that can powerfully shape development. The microsystem is the immediate environment surrounding and influencing the individual (example: school or the home setting). The mesosystem is the combination of two microsystems and how they influence each other (example: sibling relationships at home vs. peer relationships at school). The exosystem is the interaction among two or more settings that are indirectly linked (example: a fathers job requiring more overtime ends up influencing his aughters performance in school because he can no longer help with her homework). The macrosystem is broader taking into account social economic status, culture, beliefs, customs and morals (example: a child from a wealthier family sees a peer from a less wealthy family as inferior for that reason). Lastly, the chronosystem refers to the chronological nature of life events and how they interact and change the individual and their circumstances through transition (example: a mother losing her own mother to illness and no longer having that support in her life). Since its publication in 1979, Bronfenbrenners major statement of this theory, The Ecology of Human Development[5] has had widespread influence on the way psychologists and others approach the study of human beings and their environments. As a result of this conceptualization of development, these environments—from the family to economic and political structures—have come to be viewed as part of the life course from childhood through adulthood. [6] Psychosexual development Sigmund Freud believed that we all had a conscious, preconscious, and unconscious level. In the conscious we are aware of our mental process. The preconscious involves information that though we are not currently thinking about can be brought into consciousness. Lastly, the unconscious includes those mental processes which we are unaware of. He believed that the conscious and unconscious had tension because the conscious would try and hold back what the unconscious was trying to express. To explain this he developed three structures of personality; the id, ego, and superego. The id, being the most primitive of the three functioned according to the pleasure principle. The pleasure principle states that the id’s motivation is to seek pleasure and avoid pain. Based on this he proposed five universal stages of development. The first is the oral stage which occurs from birth to 12 months of age, second is the anal stage which occurs from one to three years of age, third is the phallic stage which occurs from three to five years of age (most of a person’s personality is formed by this age), the fourth is called latency which occurs from age five until puberty, and lastly stage five is the genital stage which takes place from puberty until adulthood. 7] Stages of moral development Theories of morality that stem from Jean Piaget’s cognitive-developmental viewpoint emphasize shifts in the type of reasoning that individuals use in making moral decisions. Changes in the content of the decision they reach or the actions they take as a result does not occur. [dubious – discuss] Lawrence Kohlberg expanded on this issue specifically during adolescence. He suggested three levels of moral reasoning; preconventional moral reasoning, conventional moral reasoning, and postconventional moral reasoning. Preconventional moral reasoning is typical of children and is characterized by reasoning that is based on rewards and punishments associated with different courses of action. Conventional moral reason occurs during late childhood and early adolescence and is characterized by reasoning that is based on the rules and conventions of society. Lastly, postconventional moral reasoning is the stage during which society’s rules and conventions are seen as relative and subjective rather than as authoritative. [1] Stages of psychosocial development Erik Erikson became a child psychoanalyst like his mentor Anna Freud, Sigmond Freud’s daughter. He went on to reinterpret Freud’s psychosexual stages by incorporating the social aspects of it. He came up with eight stages, each of which has two crisis (a positive and a negative). Stage one is trust versus mistrust, which occurs during infancy. Stage two is autonomy versus shame and doubt which occurs during early childhood. Stage three is initiative versus guilt which occurs during play age. Stage four is industry versus inferiority which occurs during school age. Stage five is identity versus identity diffusion which occurs during adolescence. Stage six is intimacy versus isolation which occurs during young adulthood. Stage seven is generativity versus self-absorption which occurs during adulthood. Lastly, stage eight is integrity versus despair which occurs during old age. In each of these stages either one or the other crisis is developed. The ideal thing would be to have the positive crisis more developed than the negative crisis. [7] Theories of cognitive development Jean Piaget was a Swiss theorist who posited that children learn by actively constructing knowledge through hands-on experience. [8] He suggested that the adults role in helping the child learn was to provide appropriate materials or the child to interact and construct. He would use Socratic questioning to get the children to reflect on what they were doing. He would try to get them to see contradictions in their explanations. He also developed stages of development. His approach can be seen in how the curriculum is sequenced in schools, and in the pedagogy of preschool centers across the United States. Piaget believed that intellectual development took place through a series of stages which caused him to come up with his Theory on Cognitive Development. Each stage consisted of steps which the child had to master before moving on to the next step. He believe that these stages where not separate from one another but rather each stage built on the previous one, hence learning was continuous. His theory consisted of four stages; sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Though he did not believe these stages occurred at any given age, many studies have determine when these cognitive abilities should take place. [4] Zone of proximal development Lev Vygotsky was a Russian theorist from the Soviet era, who posited that children learn through hands-on experience and social interactions with members of his/her culture. 9] Unlike Piaget, he claimed that timely and sensitive intervention by adults when a child is on the edge of learning a new task (called the zone of proximal development) could help children learn new tasks. Martin Hill stated that The world of reality does not apply to the mind of a child. This technique is called scaffolding, because it builds upon knowledge children already have with new knowledge that adults can help the child learn. [10] Vygotsky was strongly focused on the role of culture in determining the childs pattern of development, arguing that development moves from the social level to the individual level. 10] In other words, Vygotsky claimed that psychology should focus on the progress of human consciousness through the relationship of an individual and their environment. [11]He felt that if scholars continued to disregard this connection, then this disregard would inhibit the full comprehension of the human consciousness Nature/nurture A significant issue in developmental psychology is the relationship between innateness and environmental influence in regard to any particular aspect of development. This is often referred to as nature versus nurture or nativism versus empiricism. A nativist account of development would argue that the processes in question are innate, that is, they are specified by the organisms genes. An empiricist perspective would argue that those processes are acquired in interaction with the environment. Today developmental psychologists rarely take such polarised positions with regard to most aspects of development; rather they investigate, among many other things, the relationship between innate and environmental influences. One of the ways in which this relationship has been explored in recent years is through the emerging field of evolutionary developmental psychology. One area where this innateness debate has been prominently portrayed is in research on language acquisition. A major question in this area is whether or not certain properties of human language are specified genetically or can be acquired through learning. The empiricist position on the issue of language acquisition suggests that the language input provides the necessary information required for learning the structure of language and that infants acquire language through a process of statistical learning. From this perspective, language can be acquired via general learning methods that also apply to other aspects of development, such as perceptual learning. The nativist position argues that the input from language is too impoverished for infants and children to acquire the structure of language. Linguist Noam Chomsky asserts that, evidenced by the lack of sufficient information in the language input, there is a universal grammar that applies to all human languages and is pre-specified. This has led to the idea that there is a special cognitivemodule suited for learning language, often called the language acquisition device. Chomskys critique of the behaviorist model of language acquisition is regarded by many as a key turning point in the decline in the prominence of the theory of behaviorism generally. [12] But Skinners conception of Verbal Behavior has not died, perhaps in part because it has generated successful practical applications. [12] Mechanisms of development Developmental psychology is concerned not only with describing the characteristics of psychological change over time, but also seeks to explain the principles and internal workings underlying these changes. Psychologists have attempted to better understand these factors by using models. Developmental models are sometimes computational, but they do not need to be. A model must simply account for the means by which a process takes place. This is sometimes done in reference to changes in the brain that may correspond to changes in behavior over the course of the development. Computational accounts of development often use either symbolic, connectionist (neural network), or dynamical systems models to explain the mechanisms of development. Research areas Cognitive development Cognitive development is primarily concerned with the ways in which infants and children acquire, develop, and use internal mental capabilities such as problem solving, memory, and language. Major topics in cognitive development are the study of language acquisition and the development of perceptual and motor skills. Piaget was one of the influential early psychologists to study the development of cognitive abilities. His theory suggests that development proceeds through a set of stages from infancy to adulthood and that there is an end point or goal. Other accounts, such as that of Lev Vygotsky, have suggested that development does not progress through stages, but rather that the developmental process that begins at birth and continues until death is too complex for such structure and finality. Rather, from this viewpoint, developmental processes proceed more continuously, thus development should be analyzed, instead of treated as a product to be obtained. K. Warner Schaie has expanded the study of cognitive development into adulthood. Rather than being stable from adolescence, Schaie sees adults as progressing in the application of their cognitive abilities. 13] Modern cognitive development has integrated the considerations of cognitive psychology and the psychology of individual differences into the interpretation and modeling of development. [14]Specifically, the neo-Piagetian theories of cognitive development showed that the successive levels or stages of cognitive development are associated with increasing processing efficiency andworking memory capacity. In addition, children in higher-levels of cognitive development have been observed to have greater mathematical fluency in basic addition and subtraction problems. 15] These increases explain differences between stages, progression to higher stages, and individual differences of children who are the same-age and of the same grade-level. However, other theories have moved away from Piagetian stage theories, and are influenced by accounts of domain-specific information processing, which posit that development is guided by innate evolutionarily-specified and content-specific information processing mechanisms. Social and emotional development Developmental psychologists who are interested in social development examine how individuals develop social and emotional competencies. For example, they study how children form friendships, how they understand and deal with emotions, and how identity develops. Research in this area may involve study of the relationship between cognition or cognitive development and social behavior. Erik Erikson believed we undergo several stages to achieve social and emotional development. These stages were called the Erik Eriksons Stages of Psychosocial Development. The stages were trust vs. mistrust, attachment, parenting style, ego identity, role diffusion, generativity versus stagnation, midlife crisis, and ego integrity versus despair. Emotional regulation or ER refers to an individuals ability to modulate emotional responses across a variety of contexts. In young children, this modulation is in part controlled externally, by parents and other authority figures. As children develop, they take on more and more responsibility for their internal state. Studies have shown that the development of ER is affected by the emotional regulation children observe in parents and caretakers, the emotional climate in the home, and the reaction of parents and caretakers to the childs emotions. [16] Physical development Physical development concerns the physical maturation of an individuals body until it reaches the adult stature. Although physical growth is a highly regular process, all children differ tremendously in the timing of their growth spurts. [17] Studies are being done to analyze how the differences in these timings affect and are related to other variables of developmental psychology such as information processing speed. Traditional measures of physical maturity using x-rays are less in practice nowadays, compared to simple measurements of body parts such as height, weight, head circumference, and arm span. 17] A few other studies and practices with physical developmental psychology are the phonological abilities of mature 5- to 11-year-olds, and the controversial hypotheses of left-handers being maturationally delayed compared to right-handers. A study by Eaton, Chipperfield, Ritchot, and Kostiuk in 1996 found in three different samples that there was no difference between right- and left-handers. [17] Memory development Researchers interested in memory development look at the way our memory develops from childhood and onward. According to Fuzzy-trace theory, we have two separate memory processes: verbatim and gist. These two traces begin to develop at different times as well as at a different pace. Children as young as 4 years-old have verbatim memory, memory for surface information, which increases up to early adulthood, at which point it begins to decline. On the other hand, our capacity for gist memory, memory for semantic information, increases up to early adulthood, at which point it consistent through old age. Furthermore, our reliance on gist memory traces in reasoning increases as we age.

Happiness in Fences, by August Wilson, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury :: Fences, A Raisin in the Sun

Imagine for a moment it is your big sister's 17th birthday. She is out with her friends celebrating, and your parents are at the mall with your little brother doing some last minute birthday shopping, leaving you home alone. You then hear a knock on the front door. When you getthere, nobody is there, just an anonymous note taped to the door that says Happy Birthday, along with a hundred dollar bill. You've been dying to get that new video game, and your sister will never know. You are faced with a tough decision, but not a very uncommon one. In both Fences, by August Wilson, and A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, tough decisions have to be made about getting money from someone else's misfortune. But money's that important right? The role of money in people's day-to-day lives is quite amazing when it's put into perspective. The primary reason most Americans get up in the morning is so they can go out and make money. Money buys things; money influences people; money keeps us ali ve; money makes us happy. Or does it? In Fences, by August Wilson, the Maxtons get their money when Gabe's head is shot in the war. In A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansbury, the Younger family gets their money when Walter's father dies. But do the se things make them happy? Of course not. They are coming upon money from someone else's misfortune, someone they love. The money may have made life easier for a brief moment in time, but the novelty soon wears off and reality soon returns. The interesting thing about these two novels is that the money received by both the Maxtons and the Youngers did exactly the opposite of what everyone expected it to do. It eventually made problems for both of the families. In Fences, the Maxtons used Gabe's money to buy a house and even though it seemed like a good idea, when Gabe moved out, it caused a great deal of guilt in the family, but especially in Troy. He just couldn't get over how he 'used' someone he loved so much, and they didn't even kn ow it. In A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers also buy a house with the money the life insurance gave them.

Is Social Networking Good for Society?

Is Social Networking Good For Society? Irma Barrios Brandman University Is Social Networking Good for Society? With various ongoing debates about why social networking may be bad for society, I have found it to be a positive resource. Social networking comes in many forms. It comes in the form of facebook, twitter, and even professional forums such as Linkedin. In such a fast-paced world, I find social networking to be an invaluable way of sharing ideas and interests that allow me to remain engaged.Although some may debate that social networking takes away from face to face and/or quality interactions, I have found it to be an invaluable tool in building community and networks. In fact, I believe it has given us a more effective way of communicating and engaging with one another especially in our fast-paced society. If I am on a work assignment that requires me to keep abreast of current events, one of my favorite tools to use is twitter. I find it to be a quick news feed and I usual ly learn about news first from there before learning it from the mainstream media such as television or radio.On a professional level, I have found Linkedin to be highly valuable. It has given me the ability to connect with prospective clients or sponsors that otherwise may have never been possible. And of course facebook has been the staple for me as for many in helping us remain engaged and to keep abreast of graduations, weddings, births or other special events regarding our family and friends. Social media continues to make strides to make communication more accessible and easier for all of us.Just this week Mark Zuckerberg, founder of facebook, has announced that it is now offering a Graph Search function in order for the user to have the ability to run queries from one’s network of friends. It allows users to run queries in order to find commonalities or other areas of interest within friend networks. Twitter has allowed many in suppressed countries to organize and make their voices heard to the point of overthrowing oppressive government leaders. Here at home many have opted to use facebook or twitter to raise awareness for their special causes and obtain signatures for legislation they are hoping to pass.On a more critical note, there have been cases where people have found an organ donor match or long lost loved one using social network sites. The deaf and mute have found a voice via their use of twitter and facebook and it has giving them a platform to be on par with the rest of the world. For the elderly, it has given them the ability to remain connected with loved ones. It has given them a way of remaining engaged and a way of overcoming obstacles of face to face interactions especially if they are experiencing physical limitations (Lu, 2011).For those who have been concerned about their online image, they can take control by taking advantage of the resource Linkedin. There you can list professional achievements, build a professional rolodex , and ask for recommendations for visibility on your online profile. Various career sites have mentioned that prospective employers place as much value on Linkedin recommendations as they do on traditional references. It is also thrilling to see that social networking has provided a platform for online learning.It is because of this invaluable resource that many, including myself, now have the opportunity of completing a formal education that otherwise may have been an impossible dream. Yet with all of these positive aspects of social networking, there are many who oppose the idea of it and for their own personal reasons. Michael Bugeja, director of the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University, has written a book entitled Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age. According to his book, one of Bugeja’s main objections to online social networking is the business models.He argues that the main goal of online social net working is to generate revenue through their ads, not to build a community experience. Another one of his concerns is that online social networking, in particular facebook, can lend itself to creating addiction (Jayson, 2009). But according to Nancy Bayam, an associate professor of communication studies at the University of Kansas, â€Å"There is not compelling evidence that spending time on social networking sites and expanding our social circles damages the close relationships we have.People think that if you’re hanging out on Facebook, you’re not having quality face-to-face time. That is not supported† (Jayson, 2009). Also, in a study conducted by Robert Kraut, a professor of human computer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, in the journal Information, Communication & Society showed that for those who communicated online with someone they knew, experienced a reduction in depression (as cited in Jayson, 2009).Furthermore, Barry Wellman wh o is a sociologist at the University of Toronto stated, â€Å"The mythology we have is that people used to spend whole days hanging around community – like the bar at Cheers. They didn’t. They stayed home. If we switch from television to social networking sites, it’s a switch toward sociability-not away from it† (Jayson, 2009). Some oppose facebook because they believe it is a superficial means of communication. Others oppose it due to the cyber bullying and cyber stalking stories they hear in the news. Others fear it due to a feeling that it leads to an invasion of privacy or identity theft.Some may oppose twitter because they don’t understand how there could be any value of sending messages at 140 characters per tweet. Other critics have the preconceived notion that the time people spend in front of a computer on social sites is time taken away from other positive aspects in life such as exercising or attending events in person. As you can see th ere are many reasons why critics of social networking believe it is bad for our society, yet the powerful effects of online social interaction seem to outweigh what can be misconceptions or fears.Sharon Jayson, the author of the article published in USA Today entitled â€Å"Flocking behavior lands on social networking sites† (Jayson, 2009) finds that social networking influences human behavior regardless of it occurring face to face or online. In her article she quotes Claude Fischer, a sociology professor at University of California-Berkeley, â€Å"Those of us who study social networks believe they matter – that things do spread along social networks. † She adds that Nicholas Christakis, a physician and Harvard University sociologist states, â€Å"In many ways, human beings behave like flocks of birds or schools of fish. She shares the observations by James Fowler, a social scientist at the University of California-San Diego, and Christakis, â€Å"Whether the y’re face-to-face or virtual social networks influence human behavior and shape everything from finance to the way people vote. † Since it is human nature to belong to a group, one can see how â€Å"joining† twitter, facebook or Linkedin groups is a natural part of our human behavior. Some experts state that studying the long-term effects of social networking is still in its early stages since this form of interaction is relatively ew. However, there are experts who are already disclosing positive findings from various studies. Scientific American Mind (as cited in Jayson, 2009) discloses that â€Å"social support and social networking offer benefits, from additional resilience to greater life satisfaction to reducing the risk of health problems. † Apparently, other studies in recent years have found that in a large group the feeling of belonging to a larger group was beneficial for stroke victims in their recovery, and another benefit was that of improvin g memory.A major benefit is that of helping to boost a feeling of well-being. Christakis and Fowler conducted a study based off of the Framingham Heart Study with a group consisting of 5,124 adults within a network of 12,067 people from Framingham, Massachusetts. Their findings indicated that participants had an average of 10. 4 ties to others and totaled 53,228 ties (as cited in Jayson, 2009). The results of this study are telling in that they demonstrate the community building that has taken place via these social sites.With a all of the hustle and bustle and stresses of the world, achieving a feeling of well-being is priceless. Note The Australian Psychological Society in 2010 conducted a survey that disclosed some interesting findings. Participants stated some of the reasons they used social network sites were to check up on their kids, receive event invitations, and for business, promotional and professional networking purposes. Surprisingly, more than 50% of the participants s tated they felt they would lose touch with friends if they were not actively using a social network site.Some participants valued the use of social network sites especially if they had issues with being shy or for matters related to the heart. Nearly 80% had a date with someone they had met online and 82% had formed an intimate relationship with someone they had met online. The use of social network sites have also proved to be effective in the political arena. There was a telling study conducted by Matthew James Kushin, Department of Communication-Utah Valley University and Masahiro Yamamoto, from The Edward R.Murrow College of Communications-Washington State University. It analyzed the online media use by college students for political purposes during the 2008 election. Facebook users could express themselves politically in various ways such as by making online donations, encouraging their friends to vote, and posting graphics or status updates expressing political attitudes and o pinions. Twitter and blogs were used by candidates and voters alike to comment on social and political issues, share information, and encourage participation. – Kushin and Yamamoto, 2010Twitter has proved to be such an effective means of communication for political activists that it is banned in China. Ai Weiwei a Chinese activist explains that in China twitter is used differently compared to other countries. In China 140 characters lends itself to writing a novel. This allows activists to share deeper ideas as they relate to democracy and freedom (Ladhani, 2011). All in all, there appears to be a consensus among experts in the social studies, communications, and other relative fields who have discovered that there are many benefits that come from social networking, even if it is via a computer.As Christakis said, â€Å"So many things we normally think of as individualistic – like what our body size is, or what we think about a political topic, or whether we are happy – are actually collective phenomena† (Jayson, 2009). In conclusion, social networking sites have in fact given us additional tools to nurture our relationships, build community and professional networks. It has provided an avenue for people in the world including those in oppressive countries, to have a voice and create positive change on important political matters.In essence, it has provided an equal platform where regardless if you are someone who has a physical or social impediment, you can remain engaged and be heard, even in this fast-paced world. References APS National psychology week survey 2010, The Australian Psychological Society, Retrieved January 18, 2013 from http://www. psychology. org. au Bugeja, M. (2005). Interpersonal divide: The search for community in a technological age. Retrieved from www. amazon. com Christakis and Fowler (2011). The surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives.Retrieved from www. amazon. com Jayson, S. (2009, September 28). Flocking behavior lands on social networking sites. USA Today. Retrieved January 28, 2013 from http://www. usatoday. com Kraut, R. (n. d. ). Information, Communication & Society. Retrieved from http://www-bcf. usc. edu/~wdutton/ics_journal. html Kushin, M. J. and Yamamoto, M. (2010), Did social media really matter? College students’ use of online media and political decision making in the 2008 election. Mass Communications and Society, 13, p. 608-630. doi: 10. 1080/15205436. 2010. 16863. Ladhani, N. (2011). The organizing impact of social networking. Social Policy. Retrieved January 16, 2013 from http://www. socialpolicy. org Lu, X. A. (2011), Social networking and virtual community. Proteus a Journal of Ideas, 27, p. 51-56. Retrieved February 1, 2013 from http://www. ship. edu Rosenquist, J. N. (2011), Social network determinants of depression. Molecular Psychiatry, 16, p. 273-281. doi: 10. 1038/mp. 2010. 13. Scientific American Mind (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. nature. com/scientificamericanmind/index. html

Implementing Relationship Marketing: the Role of Internal and External Customer Orientation

Developing an internal and external customer orientation will facilitate the implementation of relationship marketing principles by businesses. Relationship marketing highlights the need for an external customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees. Employees will only be customer-oriented if an internal customer orientation is evident in the business. Four constructs pertaining to the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were identified.After checking for internal consistency, effect sizes were determined for these constructs analysing the practical significance of employees’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs. Similarly, four constructs referring to the external customer orientation of the same businesses were identified. The four identified constructs underpinning an external customer orientation were also checked for internal consistency and the practical significance of customers’ as opposed to management’s opinion on the underlying constructs was determined through effect sizes.It was found that the identified businesses lack both an internal and external customer orientation. Recommendations are made to improve internal customer orientation for the sake of an improved external customer orientation. An improved external customer orientation will facilitate implementation of relationship marketing principles in these businesses. INTRODUCTION According to Saren and Tzokas (1998:187) researchers in relationship marketing have come to realise that there is a need for detailed empirical evidence on how this approach could be implemented in order to promote a beneficial customer-business relationship.Morris, Brunegee and Page (1998:360) and Fornier (1998:343) argue that a lack of knowledge and consensus about relationship marketing and the activities involved in the implementation thereof has led to diffi culties in operationalising the construct. This study addresses this concern by arguing that a relationship marketing orientation is facilitated by management being sufficiently orientated to the needs and expectations of employees (internal customer orientation) as well as to those of customers (external customer orientation).The internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province were investigated by means of effect size analyses. The goal and objectives of the study are subsequently explained, followed by a theoretical exposition on the interface between relationship marketing as well as internal and external customer orientation. A description of the research methodology is followed by the empirical results on internal and external customer orientation of the businesses that participated in the study.Conclusions are drawn from these empirical findings. Finally, managerial implications are discussed based on the concl usions. GOAL AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The goal of this study is to explore internal and external customer orientation as elements facilitating relationship marketing implementation by small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province. This goal will be achieved through the following objectives: to explore the interface between relationship marketing, and internal and external customer orientation; †¢ to report on empirical findings related to internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province; and †¢ to consider the managerial implications of the above empirical findings for managing these retailers. FOSTERING INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION TO FACILITATE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETINGSheth and Parvatiyar (1995:261) define relationship marketing as â€Å"an orientation that seeks to develop close interaction with selected customers, suppliers and competitors for va lue creation through co-operative and collaborative efforts†. This definition suggests that businesses should pursue profitable business relationships. Morgan and Hunt (1994:22) define relationship marketing as â€Å"all marketing activities directed towards establishing, developing and maintaining successful relational exchanges†. This definition sets out the ultimate goals of relationship marketing, but does not show what relationship marketing entails.Attempts have been made to address this limitation by emphasising the dimensions and activities of relationship marketing. These dimensions and activities include (Too, Souchon and Thirkell, 2001:290): †¢ customer retention; †¢ product benefits; †¢ quality improvement; †¢ customer service; †¢ customer commitment by the business; and †¢ frequent contact with the customer. The first four issues refer to the business’ customer orientation while the last two relate to customer relationsh ip management practices.Kotler and Armstrong (2001:9, 667-681) indicate that relationship marketing is the process of creating, maintaining and enhancing strong value-laden relationships with customers and other stakeholders. According to this definition, relationship marketing does not end with customers, but includes all stakeholders (i. e. employees, channel members, stockholders and others). Relationship marketing advocates the establishment of long-term and profitable relationships between (both internal and external) partners or stakeholders (Zikmund and d’Amico, 2001:8).These relationships are not naturally sustained and should therefore not be taken for granted (Day, 2000:25). Long-term and profitable relationships are only established when trust, commitment and service are inculcated in relationship partners (Buttle, 1996:8-9). Stakeholder relationships also have to transcend functional boundaries (Beth, Burt, Copacino, Gopal, Lee, Lynch and Morris, 2003:67-68). Rela tionship marketing advocates that an engineer should, for example, take time to see how he could best design the product to satisfy the customer’s needs.The same applies to the accounting department – it should develop credit and payment terms that will best suit the customer while it needs also realising a profit for the business (Ostroff and Smith, 1992:22-23). In this respect Day (2000:24-30) argues that the ability to create and maintain relationships depends, inter alia, on the integration of key internal processes in the business. The implementation of relationship marketing therefore depends on a well-developed internal (employee) and external customer orientation.Taher, Leigh and French (1996:218) argue that in order to be customer-oriented, marketers should provide exceptional performance in quality, delivery and cost competitiveness (i. e. customer orientation). The business should also understand how customers measure value and how these value expectations c an be met. To win orders, a business should exhibit an external customer orientation that manifests the relative strength of the business in relation to its competitors (Koufteros, Vonderembse and Doll, 2000:526).To attain lasting customer orientation careful attention should be given to detail, meeting promises and swift response to the requirements of customers – i. e. competitive capabilities. The same authors define competitive capabilities further as a business’ ability to meet customer expectations compared to its competitor’s ability to do the same. Day (2000:28) argues that a customer orientation should be â€Å"immediately evident† in the mindset of those who deal directly with the customer. Kennedy, Goolsby and Arnould (2003:77-79) found that the development of an external customer orientation will be facilitated by: leadership. Staff members must experience â€Å"an unbroken circuit of passionate, sincere, unified and committed leadership from top levels to local managers†; †¢ centrality of customer requirements and performance feedback. This will also assist in achieving the required inter-functional co-ordination and alignment; and †¢ collection and dissemination of external customer data. This data, however, only becomes conducive for customer orientation development when it is widely circulated in the business to become a shared organisation-wide platform from which decisions are made.Patterson and Smith (2001:438) also support this notion. It is stressed that customer orientation should be explicit, otherwise the business risks over-serving unprofitable accounts and wasting resources that might be allocated to profitable customer groups. In this respect Reinartz and Kumar (2002) distinguished between customer groups and suggested ways of managing each group for increased profitability. Relationship marketing raises the need for customer orientation, which in turn raises the need for customer-oriented employees.Bendapudi and Leone (2002:83) indicate that customers form relationships with employees who serve them, and that these relationships may be stronger than the customer’s relationship with the business represented by the employee. Employees will not be able to develop social relationships with customers if they were not recruited and trained with this in mind (Patterson and Smith, 2001:438). Without customer oriented employees it will be difficult to implement customer orientation because employees are the ones who have to make it happen.If customer-orientation is lacking, the implementation of relationship marketing will suffer. This is because dissatisfied customers will never develop good relationships with the business (Engel, Blackwell and Miniard, 1995:47). Attracting, developing and motivating employees as internal partners foster an internal customer orientation (Conway and Willcocks, 2000:81). Day (2000:28-29) recalls the efforts made by many businesses to m ake employee satisfaction and retention a top priority in recognition of the damage that high employee turnover and disgruntled employees can cause to customer relationships.Employee performance and attitude play an important role in service delivery to external customers. Employee satisfaction impacts on employee attitudes, which in turn influence employee performance and interaction with external customers. Employee interaction with external customers obviously plays a pivotal role in the ultimate success of the business (Lewis, 1989:41). Strauss (1995:62-77) distinguishes between internal customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. He argues that internal customer satisfaction entails employees’ satisfaction with the performance of internal suppliers (workflow satisfaction).Internal customer satisfaction should, however, not be confused with employee satisfaction – i. e. the satisfaction of employees with their working conditions. He argues further that interna l customer satisfaction reflects in external customer satisfaction. For purposes of this study the identified relationship between internal and external customer satisfaction is acknowledged, but the distinction between internal customer orientation and employee satisfaction is rejected. Employees in small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses are not dependent on intricate internal workflow processes.As they derive their workflow inputs directly from management, a distinction between management inputs (relating to Strauss’ employee satisfaction concept) and workflow inputs will be vague. Strauss (1995:63) himself points out that if managers are prepared to take responsibility for quality and act as role models, they can expect commitment from their employees – which will eventually result in improved bottom-line results. Sasser (2003) explains the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction in terms of value the business creates for employees, who in turn will be able to create value for customers.If the value created for employees and customers exceeds costs, value is being created for investors. Internal customer orientation is the result of a conscious management decision about the â€Å"organizational setting† (Strauss, 1995:68). Concerning this organisational setting Malherbe and Pearse (2003:2-12) found significant positive relationships between job enrichment characteristics and job satisfaction, and eventually between job satisfaction and service quality in the South African retail industry.Chaston (1995:332-349) investigated possible actions to establish a stronger internal customer orientation in UK clearing banks, and concluded, inter alia, that management’s improved understanding of internal customer needs will be helpful in this regard. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Small- to medium-sized textile retailers from six selected towns and cities in the North-West Province were investigated to assess their interna l and external customer orientation. Retailers from Brits, Klerksdorp, Lichtenburg, Mafikeng, Potchefstroom and Rustenburg were sampled.These cities and towns were chosen on the basis of their geographical representation in the province. They also represent the largest centres of economic activity in the province. A sampling frame of 61 small- to medium-sized textile retailing businesses were constituted by using information obtained from the Potchefstroom City Council, the Bureau of Marketing Research and Braby’s databases. The sampling frame included independent tailoring businesses, textile, fabrics, and cloth retailing businesses (retailers, merchants or distributors).Forty-eight (N1=48) of the 61 business owners/managers were willing to participate in the study and were subsequently interviewed. One hundred and four (N2=104) employees, as found on the 48 premises, were also interviewed. Finally, two hundred and thirty (N3=230) customer responses were gathered using avail ability sampling for periods of two hours at each of the 48 business premises. Separate questionnaires, incorporating close-ended structured items, were developed for management, employees and customers as three separate groups of respondents. Owners/managers had to respond to 77 items.Thirty one (31) of these items pertaining to internal customer orientation were duplicated in the employees’ questionnaire, requiring respondents to respond to them from an employee’s perspective. Thirty-three (33) of the items on external customer orientation related to owners/managers were also put to customers, requiring them to evaluate it from their perspective. Respondents had to respond to the items according to a four-measure Likert scale where: 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = agree and 4 = strongly agree. The responses were statistically processed with the help of SAS software (SAS Institute Inc. 1999). The reliability of constructs associated with internal and external customer orientation was tested by means of Cronbach’s Alpha values and average inter item correlations (Clark and Watson, 1995) as reported below. The practical significant difference between specifically defined constructs for employees and owners/managers (internal customer orientation) as well as for customers and owners/managers (external customer orientation) is indicated by using effect sizes. Effect sizes are calculated as availability sampling was used instead of random sampling.As explained above, the six cities and towns, the businesses who participated in the study, the interviewed employees and the interviewed customers of these businesses were not randomly selected. Statistical inference is therefore not relevant. This eliminates the use of t-tests and p-values as a technique to analyse statistically significant differences between means of responses from management and employees (or management and customers). Unlike t-tests, effect sizes are independent from s ample size, as a standardised difference based on the maximum standard deviation between compared groups is calculated (Steyn, 2000).The effect sizes (d-values) were calculated by using the following formula (Cohen, 1988:20-27): [pic] where: †¢ d = effect size; †¢ [pic] is the difference between means of two compared groups (e. g. management and employees or management and customers); and †¢ [pic] is the maximum standard deviation of the two compared groups. To calculate effect sizes, the maximum standard deviation is used instead of a mean standard deviation to allow for a more conservative approach to practical significance (Steyn, 2000). Cohen (1988:20-27) gives the following guidelines for interpreting effect sizes: †¢ d ? 0. indicating no practically significant effect; †¢ d ? 0. 5 indicating a moderate effect that could be significant if more data had been collected; and †¢ d ? 0. 8 or larger indicating a practically significant effect. EMPIRICAL RESULTS Empirical results regarding both the internal and external customer orientations of small- to medium-sized textile retailers in the North-West Province are subsequently discussed. Empirical results: internal customer orientation Four constructs associated with internal customer orientation, as well as the items comprising these constructs, are reported in Table 1.The items comprising these constructs are also indicated. The four constructs exhibited Cronbach’s Alpha values all greater than 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315). Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are also reported in Table 1. Clark and Watson (1995:316) indicate that the average inter item correlation should also be used as a measure of internal consistency. They recommend that the average inter item correlation should lie between 0. 15 – 0. 50.It is evident from Table 1 that the average inter item correlations fall within this range, indicating internal consistency of the constructs. TABLE 1 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |Average inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |0. 752 |0. 1 | |Applying management principles strictly | | | |Seeking people who can think of new strategies | | | |Culture of supporting staff | | | |Treating staff the same as external customers | | | |Creating an enabling culture for staff creativity | | | |Exercising staff chievement recognition and reward | | | |Following fair disciplinary action | | | |Development and training of staff | | | |Appreciation of staff contribution to business success | | | |Conducting formal performance appraisals | | | |Making staff a part of solutions | | | |Aggressively competing for talented staff | | | |2. Employee development through communication and participative management |0. 713 |0 . 4 | |Promoting staff learning | | | |Encouraging a learning culture | | | |Practising participative management | | | |Marketing the business’ vision to staff | | | |Creating messages to inspire staff action | | | |Understanding the reality staff experiences | | | |Consulting staff with regard to leadership style | | | |Maintaining a two-way channel of communication in the business | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |0. 659 |0. 5 | |Incorporating knowledgeable staff inputs into business decisions and activities | | | |Acknowledging that staff is the business’ primary asset | | | |Involving current staff in the process of appointing new staff | | | |Giving responsibility and accountability to staff for their respective performance | | | |areas | | | |Collaborating with staff to draw up strategies, plans and objectives | | | |Arranging for staff to visit customers | | | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an integra ted effort by all |0. 623 |0. 5 | |involved in the business | | | |All departments working in collaboration with customer focus in mind | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | To indicate the practically significant differences between employees’ and owners’/managers’ view on internal customer orientation, effect sizes were calculated on the respective constructs. These effect sizes are reported in Table 2. Practically significant effects on constructs 1, 2 and 3 are revealed. Construct 4 only revealed a small effect.TABLE 2 EFFECT SIZES FOR INTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Management’s involvement with employees |3. 103 |0. 447 |2. 787 |0. 445 |0. 707 | |2. Employee development through communication and |3. 137 |0. 504 |2. 767 |0. 504 |0. 734 | |participative management | | | | | | |3. Acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential |3. 086 |0. 557 |2. 674 |0. 554 |0. 40 | |4. Satisfaction of customer needs is realised through an |3. 489 |0. 695 |3. 327 |0. 750 |0. 216 | |integrated effort by all involved in the business | | | | | | Empirical results: external customer orientation Four constructs relating to external customer orientation, as well as the items associated with these constructs, are reported in Table 3. The correspondent Cronbach’s Alpha values for the four constructs are all above 0. 6, indicating â€Å"good or adequate† reliability of the measurement scale (Clark and Watson, 1995:315).Average inter item correlations ([pic]) are once again reported in Table 3. These correlations fall within the range of 0. 15 – 0. 50 indicating internal consistency of the constructs (Clark and Watson, 1995:316). TABLE 3 CRONBACH’S ALPHA AND AVERAGE INTER ITEM CORRELATIONS FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION |Construct |Cronbach’s Alpha |A verage inter item | | | |correlation ([pic]) | |Building customer relationships through the efforts of employees is important |0. 762 |0. 7 | |Attracting, maintaining and enhancing relationships with customers | | | |Establishing and maintaining profitable customer relationships | | | |Maintaining a mutually committed long-term oriented relationship with customers | | | |Moving customers from one level of the relationship to the next | | | |Extending priority treatment to regular customers over irregular ones | | | |Interacting with regular customers | | | |Forging long-term committed relationships with customers | | | |Employees developing business relationships with customers | | | |Fostering an intimate understanding between customers and staff | | | |The business’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs |0. 665 |0. 6 | |Delivering an offer exactly as required | | | |Extending quality and durability as the business’ core offer | | | |Deliverin g superior offers not available from competitors | | | |Continue improving the total offer to customers | | | |Delivering a tailor-made offer to customers | | | |Viewing delivery of the offer from customers’ perspective | | | |Delivering customer satisfaction |0. 642 |0. 6 | |Offering high levels of customer service | | | |Managing and maintaining the delivery of customer satisfaction | | | |Successfully satisfying customers’ needs and wants | | | |Custom fitting service to customers’ particular requirements | | | |Delivering services to the satisfaction of customer desires | | | |Customer orientation of employees |0. 619 |0. 6 | |Instilling customer orientation among staff | | | |Formulating and realising a customer orientated mission statement | | | The effect sizes on the respective constructs for the practically significant difference between customers’ and owners’/managers’ view on external customer orientation are reported in Table 4. Practically significant effects are revealed on constructs 2 and 3, while construct 4 exhibit a moderate effect size. Construct 1 revealed a small effect size.TABLE 4 EFFECT SIZES FOR EXTERNAL CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Construct description |Business owners |Employees |Effect size | | |Mean |Standard deviation|Mean |Standard deviation| | |1. Building customer relationships through the efforts of |3. 303 |0. 557 |3. 100 |0. 442 |0. 364 | |employees is important | | | | | | |2. The business’ offer to customers is geared towards |3. 408 |0. 423 |2. 928 |0. 465 |1. 32 | |satisfying customer needs | | | | | | |3. Delivering customer satisfaction |3. 528 |0. 445 |3. 202 |0. 399 |0. 733 | |4. Customer orientation of employees |3. 360 |0. 591 |2. 991 |0. 635 |0. 581 | CONCLUSIONS From the above empirical results the following conclusions regarding the internal and external customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers included in this study can be drawn. Internal custom er orientationFrom the effect sizes reported in Table 2 it is evident that management and employees differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on the following issues: †¢ management’s involvement with employees (construct 1). Management feels more involved with employees than employees experience it to be the case ([pic] > 0); †¢ employee development through communication and participative management (construct 2). Management is of the opinion that employee development takes place through communication and participative management, while employees do not experience the same ([pic] > 0) ; and †¢ acknowledgement of employees’ expertise and potential (construct 3).Management feels that employees expertise’ and potential is acknowledged, while employees do not feel the same ([pic]> 0). An small effect size was calculated for construct 4. Management and employees therefore agree that satisfying customer needs is realised throu gh an integrated effort by all involved in the business (construct 4, Table 2, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0, indicating agreement on the Likert-type scale). External customer orientation As far as external customer orientation, as reported in Table 4, is concerned, owners/managers and customers differ significantly (practically significant effect sizes) on: †¢ whether the businesses’ offer to customers is geared towards satisfying customer needs (construct 2).Management feels it to be the case, while customers differ significantly ([pic] > 0); and †¢ delivery of customer satisfaction (construct 3). Customers feel significantly less satisfied than management thought them to be ([pic] > 0). As far as customer orientation of employees is concerned, a moderate effect size was determined (Table 4, construct 4). Owners/managers are of the opinion that employees are customer-oriented ([pic] > 3. 0) while customers do not experience it to the same degree ([pic] & lt; 3. 0). Table 4 also indicates an insignificant effect size on construct 1. Management and customers therefore agree that it is important to build customer relationships through the efforts of employees (construct 1, [pic] and [pic] both > 3. 0). MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONSWhen considering the internal customer orientation of small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study, it is evident that employees do not feel appreciated by management. Employees indicated that management is not involved with them and that their expertise and potential is subsequently ignored. They also do not feel empowered through communication or participative management initiatives (or rather the lack thereof) from management’s side. Management and employees agree on a basic principle of the marketing concept (Barnes, 2001:7), namely that customer satisfaction is dependent on an integrated effort of all involved in the business. From the above it is clear that a certain amount o f goodwill is evident among employees.Employees recognise the importance of an integrated effort of all involved in the business to satisfy customer needs. It is recommended that management of these businesses capitalise on this aptitude of employees. Communication with employees on matters relating to management of the business will encourage employee participation, paving the way for the implementation of participative management techniques. This will draw on the latent expertise and potential of employees and will ultimately contribute to employee development and a sense of management involvement. As indicated by the empirical results, small- to medium-sized textile retailers participating in this study lack a pronounced external customer orientation.Customers do not regard the businesses as being geared towards satisfying their needs. They are also of the opinion that employees of small- to medium-sized textile businesses are not sufficiently customer-oriented. By improving thei r internal customer orientation as suggested above, the external customer orientation of businesses may take a turn for the better. This may contribute to greater customer satisfaction as the interaction between customers and (more appreciated, and thus better satisfied and motivated) employees improve. After all: management and customers both agreed that the efforts of employees are important to build customer relationships.This is consistent with Sasser’s (2003) exposition that an improved internal customer orientation will contribute towards a better external customer orientation that will result in more satisfied customers.

Paper Vs Plastic essays

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Antigone - Essay Example Inclined to perform her duties as a sister and a human being, Antigone defied the king’s order and went to bury her brother alone. This made the king furious of her especially when she admitted that she has done the crime of disobeying the king’s orders but has obeyed the laws of gods which she considers worthy of being obeyed above any law. The woman argued that her actions were based from common human kindness which even the king would see fit if only he considers that he is but human who commits mistakes. However the king was not bent to listen to anyone, not less a woman who disobeyed his orders. The play portrays a very moving story of a courageous woman who only wished to do what was right. Antigone disobeyed the king which made her suffer so many things such as being imprisoned and treated as a criminal and married to the grave instead of her lover, the king’s son. On the contrary, she was considered a hero in the eyes of the common people because she reflected the courage to fight injustice which none of them could have bravely shown. The woman’s character, although despised by the king, was indeed one of great value. She has her own principles founded on what is right and just and she exemplified a life worthy of honor. Her courage is rare especially at a time when tyranny rules. She did not even try to hide from people whom she knew will eventually discover her and report her to the king. When she was brought to the king’s presence, she admitted without any fear that she was the one who buried her brother. Such character is truly a noble one. Antigone did not think about herself but acted as any person would have done if there was no fear instilled in them. She believed that burying her brother was the right thing to do even if meant going against the commands of the king. She evidenced not only a kind heart but also an intelligence that made her an honorable woman. Her arguments with the king are filled with truth and wisdom which

Cold War America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Cold War America - Research Paper Example identity, by divergence with the corresponding fabrication of patriotism, which comprises of the social conditioning and personal bearing that underwrite a country’s decision and actions. Nationalism is studied through two perspectives that are psychological and political or social perspective.The former point of view encompasses personal attachment to religion or a person, the need to interact and communicate or a desire to belong. This perspective depicts the elementary human motivation. The latter perspective talks about Primordialist perspective; here nationalism is explained as a shadow of the antique and opinionated evolutionary attitude of mankind to merge into different groups or colonies that share the same propinquity of birth. The second perspective describes nationalism as a novel episodes pre-requisite of existence of modern society. Henceforth, this paper is set about study the role of nationalism in modern Europe on multiple levels, how it is being manifested in the regime and what are some aspects of the character of the issue in Europe. Starting with the evolution of nationalism in Europe, a wave of romantic nationalism swept the major countries of Europe such as Germany, Italy and Romania. Here, the role of Napoleon played a crucial role, since his code and intellectualities became an influential ethics for the European. Furthermore, taglines for liberty, freedom, equality and brotherhood started sweeping into the ideologies of the people. Apart from this, national awakening emerged as a result of theories of national identity, self-expression for nationhood and attachment to the culture. Other than Napoleon, G. W Friedrich Hegel proposed the idea that where religion and dynastic duty were on downswing, there nationality is an essential backbone for structuring of societies (McKay, Hill & Buckler. et al 2013). The eruption of Nationalism was not only on one level, but many. Many researches and studies show that in the 19th century in Europe,

Ethics in the Business of Personal Investing Essay

Ethics in the Business of Personal Investing - Essay Example This paper is a critical analysis of business ethics in personal investment. The portfolio of personal investment is a series safe investment that provides returns progressively to the clients. The collection answers several questions on investment capabilities of an individual. What are the aspirations and needs of the customer? What are the financial targets and objectives required to fulfill the expectations? Finally, what is the investment strategies required in the realization of the objectives? After the creation of the portfolio, the subsequent phase rivets to seeking out the financial opportunities that have the latent for higher proceeds (Wang & Steinberg, 2010). The investment opportunities also involve an evaluation of the amount of risk about the profits. Certain options such as bond issues, stocks in companies that have a proven record of accomplished stability are also exceptional for proceeds. The thirst for returns may cause an investor to accept higher risk; the possibility of fleshing out the venture portfolio with volatile investments is thus great. The collection will include options such as buying of shares in unproven businesses, investing in new technologies that have better prospects or the involvement of fast-paced trading commodities commonly in currency trading (Hoffman, 1996). A necessity for the participation in such volatile options the investor has to have the ability to pay in the event the business does no run as projected. The development of a personal investment strategy involves careful articulation of certain niceties. First, an individual ought to acquire financial advice from a proficient financial expert. This is significant in attaining equilibrium between the necessities of today and investment for the future. An investment in a diversity of industries in a portfolio reduces the impact of specific industry risk (Wang & Steinberg, 2010). However, being overly

Forensic Archaeology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Forensic Archaeology - Assignment Example Popular but somewhat not realistic perception and understanding of forensic science has brought much awareness in public and government and has influenced the court system, that it is now called â€Å"CSI effect† (Toobin, 2007). Forensic archaeology, defined and considered a specific emerging field, consists of tools, techniques and methods, developed for archaeological research purposes, to assist legal investigations. Forensic archaeologists are usually the members of faculty of archaeology deployed to work in close coordination with expert search teams, forensic entomologists, forensic botanists and forensic pathologists to find and investigate buried evidence at crime scenes. Forensic archaeology assists in investigating genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, mass disaster victim recovery, and repatriation of war dead (Hunter & Cox, 2005). Forensic archaeology helps to discover and solve the events pertaining to a specific crime scene or disposal site. Generally, each crime scene brings its own unique set of questions requiring answers to unveil the truth as the circumstances of each investigation differ considerably. The questions may include but not limited to the way grave was dug, identities of buried persons, during for which bodies remained buried and presence of any other material in graves that may assist investigations. Constrained by limitation of time and opportunities to access the evidence site, forensic archaeologists devise specific strategies and employ appropriate techniques or a series of methods to optimize the evidence for search and recovery of truth. Thus forensic archaeologist strive to identify the understand the events prior to and around the death and burial, method of death and tools used for burial, and thus help to identify the party or parties involved in crime (Miller, 2010). Usefulness o f Involving Archaeologists Forensic archaeology has several key roles in international war crime investigations including searching, locating and confirming the site such as mass graves, surface scatters and execution sites; excavation, recording, retrieval, recovery, preservation and analysis of evidence. These roles provide sufficient information to determine the existence or refute of a crime, identification of the human remains, their ethnicity, culture, geographical origin, time frame of death and reconstruction of crime scene, the actions of perpetrator and perpetrator’s identity. Such information helps in successful criminal prosecution and identification of victims (Oxenham, 2008). Repatriation of missing and identification of dead in a genocide or war has been the main focus of such forensic archaeological investigations taken place from a humanitarian view. It is worth mentioning that the evidence, which was initially thought to be of humanitarian interest, is now u sed to assist criminal war investigations. In such investigations, the extent to which evidence is required may not be established at initial stages, thus resulting in maximum evidence recovery, high standards of evidence integrity and ability to preserve evidence are emphasized to mitigate any associated risks. Maximum evidence recovery helps to identify victims, reconstruct crime scene and corroborate the witness statements. There are many benefits of collection and analysis of evidence including recovery of remains for proper burial, identification of remains, repatriation of missing, human rights and deterrence to similar incidences. Different artifacts retrieved from crime scene provide information on past events surrounding

Ethics in the Business of Personal Investing Essay

Ethics in the Business of Personal Investing - Essay Example This paper is a critical analysis of business ethics in personal investment. The portfolio of personal investment is a series safe investment that provides returns progressively to the clients. The collection answers several questions on investment capabilities of an individual. What are the aspirations and needs of the customer? What are the financial targets and objectives required to fulfill the expectations? Finally, what is the investment strategies required in the realization of the objectives? After the creation of the portfolio, the subsequent phase rivets to seeking out the financial opportunities that have the latent for higher proceeds (Wang & Steinberg, 2010). The investment opportunities also involve an evaluation of the amount of risk about the profits. Certain options such as bond issues, stocks in companies that have a proven record of accomplished stability are also exceptional for proceeds. The thirst for returns may cause an investor to accept higher risk; the possibility of fleshing out the venture portfolio with volatile investments is thus great. The collection will include options such as buying of shares in unproven businesses, investing in new technologies that have better prospects or the involvement of fast-paced trading commodities commonly in currency trading (Hoffman, 1996). A necessity for the participation in such volatile options the investor has to have the ability to pay in the event the business does no run as projected. The development of a personal investment strategy involves careful articulation of certain niceties. First, an individual ought to acquire financial advice from a proficient financial expert. This is significant in attaining equilibrium between the necessities of today and investment for the future. An investment in a diversity of industries in a portfolio reduces the impact of specific industry risk (Wang & Steinberg, 2010). However, being overly

Business Legal Structures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Legal Structures - Essay Example The owner of the business is usually the person who runs the day-to-day activities and responsibilities of the business (Kuratko & Hodgetts 190). Accordingly, that one individual also owns all properties and assets of the business, and all the profits realized from the business operations. As such, these individuals are also responsible for all the debts or liabilities, as the law and the public views that individual as the same entity with the business (Miller & Jentz 530). Although it is looked upon as a business easy to run with several advantages, it has a number of disadvantages as well. The merits of sole proprietorship are that it is the least expensive type of business in both formation and organization, and the proprietor has total control over the business, thus allows business decision making according to their appropriation by the business law parameters (Miller & Hollowell 385). In addition, the owners receive all the profits from the business, no additional taxation, no business reporting to government agencies, and easy dissolution if so desired. Further, the owner of the business only has to secure the few legal requirements like tax identification number, necessary licenses, and certificates to start business operations. It is only this form of business operation where decision making is fast. This is because the owner does not need to make consultations as it is the case with other forms of business managements. The most significant demerit of sole proprietorship is that the proprietor has unlimited liability, and thus legally responsibility for all liabilities or debts of the business. Other disadvantages include the difficulty of selling or transferring part or all of the business resulting from the tax consequences associated with converting this from of business to a corporation or company (Miller & Jentz 532). In addition, the proprietor lacks financial support as enjoyed by other forms of legal structures, and the business risks failure on the incapacitation of the proprietor as all management responsibilities lies upon them. Again, the business has difficulties in attracting high-caliber employees, as well as deducting some employee benefits like medical insurance. If it happens that the business in its operation incurs a loss, the proprietor suffers it alone, with no one to share the liability with. Partnership The second form of business is partnership. A partnership is a form of business where ownership lays between two or more people. Similar to sole proprietorship, the laws does not recognize business partnerships as different entities from their owners (Laro & Pratt 88). There are, however, limited liabilities partnerships where the liability of the partner is limited to their share of investment in the business, though there must be at least one partner who remains liable (unlimited) for the debts of the business (Kuratko & Hodgetts 192). Nonetheless, the partners is required to have a legal agreement that stipulates how decisions concerning the business will be made, profit sharing, resolutions of disputes, admission of future

The aim of this investigation Essay Example for Free

The aim of this investigation Essay I am given an investigation which I have to plan myself; it is about an unknown organic compound that is either an alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, ester or phenol. I have to suggest a series of simple chemical tests, which could be done in test tubes, to distinguish the functional group of this organic compound. I am going to be observing any change of colour, formation of precipitate or the evolution of gas when adding certain chemicals to this compound. The aim of this investigation is to find the functional group by carrying out simple chemical tests and, later, identify the organic compound by using the spectra. Chemicals and Apparatus   10   test tubes   measuring cylinder (5 cm3)   pipette Bunsen burner   Splint   Gas syringe   Unknown organic compound   Bradys reagent   Bromine water Sodium metal Tollens reagent   Calcium Carbonate   Limewater Safety Plan Read the method carefully and understand it before attempting on carrying out any experiment. Have some knowledge of the chemicals to be used to minimise hazards in the procedure. Wear gloves, goggles and a lab coat at all times during the experiment to prevent accidents to one and to fellow pupils. Method Test 1. A Set up the apparatus carefully.   Measure 3 cm3 of the unknown compound into a small measuring cylinder.   Pour this into a test tube.   Add 3-6 drops of Bradys reagent (a solution of 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine in dilute acid) to the test tube.   If yellow/ orange crystals start to appear, then the test has shown a positive result and..   The unknown is proved to be either an aldehyde or a ketone. Move on to Test 1. B   If no reaction happened, then the test has shown a negative result. So skip to Test 2. A. Test 1. B. To distinguish the carbonyl compound, measure 3 cm3 of the carbonyl compound in a measuring cylinder.   Pour this into a new test tube   Add 3-6 drops of Tollens reagent (a solution of silver nitrate in aqueous ammonia) to the test tube.   If a silver mirror forms around the inside of the test tube, the compound is proved to be an aldehyde. However if no reaction occurs, it is a ketone. Test 2. A   Measure 3 cm3 of the unknown into a measuring cylinder.   Pour this into new a test tube.   Throw a pinch of Sodium metal to the unknown. If gas is liberated, quickly light a splint and place it over the test tube. If you hear a popping sound, this confirms that the gas is in fact Hydrogen and the unknown compound is either a phenol, alcohol or a carboxylic acid. Move on to Test 2. B.   If no reaction occurs then the unknown is an ester which should also give a sweet smell. Test 2. B Measure 3 cm3 of the unknown into a measuring cylinder.   Pour this into new a test tube.   Add 6-10 drops of Bromine water to the test tube. * If Bromine is decolourised (from orange to clear) and a white precipitate forms then this confirms that the unknown is actually a phenol. If no precipitate forms then the unknown is either an alcohol or a carboxylic acid. So move on to Test 2. C. Test 2. C   Measure 3 cm3 of the unknown into a measuring cylinder. Pour this into new a test tube. Throw a pinch of Calcium Carbonate to the unknown   If a gas is liberated, shut the tube with a cork that has a hole in it and is connected to a tube and a gas syringe.   The gas should collect in the gas syringe. When gas stops evolving, bubble the gas into 5 cm3 of limewater.   If the limewater goes milky in colour, this proves that the gas is Carbon Dioxide and that the unknown is a carboxylic acid. If no reaction occurs, then the unknown is confirmed to be an alcohol. Fair test Doing a fair test is completely essential for achieving accurate and reliable results which would take a large part in the conclusion at the end, and also for avoiding errors and anomalous results. I will make sure that this happens by many ways, by choosing: 1. Relevant and accurate equipment with very small percentage errors. 2. Washing and drying up the equipment thoroughly after each experiment ensuring that they are contamination-free. 3. Taking measurements carefully as specified by the method. 4. keeping a straight line of sight when reading measurements of solution in the measuring cylinder 5. Always read the bottom of the meniscus of any solution when taking measurements. Bibliography For this investigation, I mainly used the yahoo search engine from the internet as my primary source of information e. g. Bradys reagent; with addition to a variety of books, where I looked up various reactions of compounds. The rest of this investigation is done using my knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Gender Issues in Developing Countries

Gender Issues in Developing Countries Empowerment of Rural Woman in Bangladesh through Agriculture Introduction The gender issue in developing countries again highlighted at the World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 (Hicks, 1997). Women’s work in the productive and social sectors is a key aspect of development. Everyone has a unique classification of empowerment based on his or her life experiences, behavior, and ambitions, person has the power to decide about their things, their life, and their actions can be identified as empowerment. Rao and Kelleher stated that â€Å"the capacity of women to be economically self-sufficient and self-reliant with control over decisions affecting their life options and freedom from violence† (Rao and Kelleher, 1995). The disempowerment of women reflects upon their less education level income, control over their own income, bargaining power in selling their own produce and labor. This susceptible condition ended an overall dependency of women on their male relatives through their life cycle particularly in developing countries which lowers their value of life in the society. Bangladesh is a developing country, according to the United Nations Gender-related Development Index (GDI), Bangladesh ranked 105th out of a total of 177 countries worldwide (Grimm, Harttgen et al., 2008). A patriarchal social system dominate the life of women in Bangladesh, controls a women’s mobility, the roles and everyday jobs. In Bangladesh traditionally men dominate women in all spheres of life. The poor women in rural areas having the least power, have few rights, little choice about their lives, and very few chances to modification their condition. Women in Bangladesh in rural area are generally illiterate and often have the least to eat. Though, despite all of the problems, women do play a significant role in agricultural activities in Bangladesh. Agricultural activities includes crop production and processing, post-harvest operations, livestock husbandry, aquaculture and agro-social forestry. Figure – 1 The Ratio of economically active women working in agriculture, 1980-2010    Source: FAO (2003) LIFDCs: low income food deficit countries LDCs: Least Developed Countries The female contribution to the overall economy in developing countries have particularly 43% of the agricultural labor force in developing countries in the agricultural sector like Bangladesh but societal and economic constraints limit their further inclusion in this field. (Food and Organization, 2011). Around 84% of the total population lives in rural areas where agriculture plays vital role in the economy, this sector comprises crops, forests, fisheries and livestock, Women’s involvement to agriculture considered as unpaid family labor, is grossly underestimated. Bangladesh is a traditional Muslim country where women are hardly participate in agricultural activities outside home (Hossain and Bayes, 2009). In Bangladesh the women’s agricultural activities limited to homestead production and post-harvest operations but in recent years they are mostly involved in livestock and poultry rearing activities besides crop production. In Bangladesh women’s contribution to socio-economic development were not noticeable, because of a set of social standards which allowed men to dominate women Women’s contribution in agricultural production is processing and storage of grains and pulses with household based small-scale industry. Men specially worked in public space like the fields, roads and market place on the other hand restrictions prevent women from attending the market. The contribution of women remains socially invisible; control over the proceeds of their labor is transferred to male hands. In the case of rice, which is the main crops in Bangladesh provides a significant example of this process. Main responsible for preparing the fields, sowing the seeds, weeding and harvesting are men also carried the harvest home and help in the threshing. Women then conquest the process the paddy into rice, includes parboiling and drying the paddy, and storing the grain. In Bangladesh women spent an average of 3.1 hours per day on agricultural work while men spent 5.1 hours (Zaman, 1995). In Bangladesh the farm technologies are not adequately developed to handle although participation of women in agriculture increasing (Jaim and Hossain, 2011). Women’s role is changing from unpaid family worker to active worker which is called as â€Å"feminization of agriculture in the absence of male members in the family. Contribution of women in the agricultural sector has increased over time. Women’s work increased from 3.2 million in Survey 1985/86 to 21 million in Survey 1989 (Rahman and Routray, 1998). During 1999–2000 and 2005–06, the number has increased from 3.76 to 7.71 million (Asaduzzaman, 2010). Women more likely to be involved in the agricultural sector who has poor households and risk of being food-insecure, because there’s earnings are important to their families’ survival. Limited use of ownership, and control of productive physical and human capital emphasis on women’s ability to generate income in the agricultural sector. The disadvantage of Bangladeshi women relative to men with respect to assets brought to marriage, and human capital (Quisumbing, 2003). Women in Bangladesh lag behind in terms of education and the lack of education in adult women in Bangladesh live below half a dollar a day make them very poor (Ahmed, Hill et al., 2007) Development in poultry created many employment opportunity in poultry industry and poultry related products. The revolution in poultry industry has achieved more than 200 percent growth last 5 years because of new technology.(Shamsuddoha, 2005) Poultry rearing can be considered as an alternative income generating activity for the development of rural women of Bangladesh. Poultry farming is mostly homestead-based and contributes an important role to the agricultural sector in Bangladesh. Poultry rearing generates extra income for these families which is a part of agro-rearing practices of the village community of Bangladesh. Around 89% of the rural house-holds rear poultry (Fattah, 2000), mainly operated and managed by rural women on a small scale. Furthermore 70% of rural landless women are directly or indirectly involved in poultry rearing activities. Family restrictions, social and traditional barriers keep rural women unable to work outside their home. For these difficult circumstances, homestead poultry rearing is considered the best way to add contribution to the household. It requires least land, small amount of investment and traditional knowledge. Now a day’s one of the main sources of income for the rural women of Bangladesh is home-based poultry. They have the opportunity to spend the earnings for children, special occasions even educating their children. extra income from home-based poultry rearing provides the survival of rural families which empowered by decision making process and gives them freedom to take part in making family decisions. (Hadi, 1997). By increasing the food consumption and nutrient intake poultry projects help rural women (Nielsen, Roos et al., 2003). Now a days the growing awareness in Bangladesh is rural women can play a vital role to the socio-economic growth of the country and provide their families with a higher standard of living (Alam, 1997). In this way poultry rearing can provide significant benefits to rural women in Bangladesh which lead to better empowerment. Bangladesh is the most promising countries for freshwater aquaculture industry which is second only to agriculture in the overall economy for its abundant water resources and sub-tropical climate conditions. Women are involved in various aspects of freshwater aquaculture activities like fish feeding, on-farm feed preparation, pond fertilization, stocking and harvesting. Women’s participation in the fish industry the production has increased by up to 20% (Ahmed and Toufique, 2014). Aquaculture related activities are very important for the empowerment of rural women in Bangladesh. Most rural women have the absence of technical knowledge in aquaculture, heavy household tasks and socio-cultural constraints such as mobility restriction keeps out women’s participation in aquaculture activities. For this contribution in aquaculture by women is under expectation. Economic, nutritional and social benefits are interlinked in order to empower rural women in Bangladesh. Women have generally improved their standard of living, purchasing power and ability as an economic actor which enhance their position in families. Women’s participation in aquaculture improve empowerment which give them greater equity, mobility, more control over resources and political awareness helps to reduce incidents of domestic violence .The expansion of small-scale aquaculture in rural Bangladesh, the women are now breaking through the traditional norms and able to come forward for participate in the development activities outside their homesteads. Several rural women in Bangladesh have successfully adopted and developed with aquaculture production. They feed and harvest fish, also raise fry to yield fingerlings for stocking ponds, they are mainly responsible for the skilled and time consuming tasks that take place on-shore like making and mending nets, processing and marketing fish. Women are previously engaged in coastal area of Bangladesh where shrimp farming is a dominant occupation. Nearly 85% of the women are involved in fry collecting which does not interfere with their day-to-day household work, and helps addition the household income.(Shelly and Costa, 2002). Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Bangladesh works upon addressing poverty as well as rural development, gender equality, environmental preservation, tragedy management, human rights and other social issues. It also support communal and financial empowerment of the poor, microcredit, agriculture and related activities, water supply and sanitation, women entrepreneur development and other areas. Bangladesh is the most active NGO sector in the developing world, over 6000 registered NGOs are active and about 10 percent play a major role. (Rahman, 2006) The NGOs works on many programs to develop women development and sustainable development in the society, raise the capacity of the women to participate in national, social and democratic processes and to participate in national and local business activities. Most of the sectors are agro based due to most of the women are still engaged with the agro-based sectors like paddy production, poultry farming, dairy farming etc. Conclusion In recent year a great percentage women in Bangladesh are both directly and indirectly involved in agricultural activities . In crop production activities women involvement is mostly related to managerial activities. Women friendly pre-harvest as well as post- harvest technologies for crop production and processing. Participation of women in Livestock and poultry production activities as well as in homestead gardening has gradually increased to a substantial extent. A women in Bangladesh feel more comfortable in agricultural activities. If a woman achieve capability in 80% or more of the weighted pointed as empowered When economic activities incise the rural women benefit most in Bangladesh. Socioeconomic conditions rise within the households with increased participation in aquaculture, which give her increased decision-making power on household management and income making activities. Poverty is the main cause of difference in a rural phenomenon, for the impact of fisheries and aquaculture gender equity become very high. Most prominently visible economic benefits were able to originate from various activities has gained them suitable place in the decision making process. References Ahmed, A. U., et al. (2007). The world’s most deprived: Characteristics and causes of extreme poverty and hunger International Food Policy Research Institute. Washington, DC: 145. Ahmed, N. and K. A. Toufique (2014). Greening the blue revolution of smallà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ scale freshwater aquaculture in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Aquaculture Research. Alam, J. (1997). Impact of smallholder livestock development project in some selected areas of rural Bangladesh. Livestock research for rural development 9(3): 1-14. Asaduzzaman, M. (2010). The next agricultural transition in Bangladesh: Which transition, why and how? conference on Understanding the Next Generation in Asia, Bangkok, April. Fattah, K. A. (2000). Poultry as a tool in poverty eradication and promotion of gender equality. Frands Dolberg and Poul Henning Petersen (eds.) 10. Food, U. and A. Organization (2011). The State of Food and Agriculture 2010–2011: Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gender Gap for Development. FAO Home, http://www. fao. org/docrep/013/i2050e/i2050e00. htm (accessed 1 November 2011). Grimm, M., et al. (2008). A human development index by income groups.World development 36(12): 2527-2546. Hadi, A. (1997). The NGO intervention and womens empowerment--the Bangladesh experience. Hicks, D. A. (1997). The inequality-adjusted human development index: a constructive proposal. World development 25(8): 1283-1298. Hossain, M. and A. Bayes (2009). Rural economy and livelihoods: Insights from Bangladesh, AH Development Publishing House. Jaim, W. and M. Hossain (2011). Women’s Participation in Agriculture in Bangladesh 1988-2008: Changes and Determinants. pre-conference event on â€Å"Dynamics of Rural Livelihoods and Poverty in South Asia 7th Asian Society of Agricultural Economists (ASAE) International Conference Hanoi, Vietnam. Nielsen, H., et al. (2003). The impact of semi-scavenging poultry production on the consumption of animal source foods by women and girls in Bangladesh. The Journal of nutrition 133(11): 4027S-4030S. Quisumbing, A. R. (2003). Household decisions, gender, and development: a synthesis of recent research, International Food Policy Research Institute. Rahman, S. (2006). Development, democracy and the NGO sector theory and evidence from Bangladesh. Journal of developing societies 22(4): 451-473. Rahman, S. and J. K. Routray (1998). Technological change and womens participation in crop production in Bangladesh. Gender, Technology and Development 2(2): 243-267. Rao, A. and D. Kelleher (1995). Engendering organizational change: the BRAC case. IDS bulletin 26(3): 69-78. Shamsuddoha, M. (2005). Poultry rearing-an alternative income generating activity for rural women development of Bangladesh.Chittagong University Journal of Commerce 19. Shelly, A. and M. Costa (2002). Women in aquaculture: initiatives of caritas Bangladesh. Penang, Malaysia, ICLARM-The World Fish Center: 77-87. Zaman, H. (1995). Patterns of activity and use of time in rural Bangladesh: class, gender, and seasonal variations. The Journal of Developing Areas: 371-388.