The Civil Rights Acts of 1964 Discrimination Based On Race

In â€Å"Long Walk to Freedom† an autobiography by Nelson Mandela, he writes that, No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite (622). Growing up as a child, I was taught never to judge a person based on his/her appearance or prejudice against someone. I was taught never to discriminate based on race or color but to love and respect everybody. I remember my mom constantly reminded me that I was special, smart and created equal just like any other person on earth. I guess she was preparing me for the future because I never knew the†¦show more content†¦They explained what the Act entails and how it guarantees every citizen as well as Blacks (and other minority race) protection of the laws under the Fourth Amendment. They also explained how the Act was passed at the â€Å"House† and in Congress and they showed the role of the Attorney General to make this Act come to pass. They write, An act to enforce the constitutional right to vote, to confer jurisdiction upon the district courts of the United States of America to provide injunctive relief against discrimination in public accommodations, to authorize the Attorney General to institute suits to protect constitutional rights in public facilities and public education, to extend the Commission on Civil Rights, to prevent discrimination in federally assisted programs, to establish a Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity, and for other purposes (29). Even though the homeless guy lives in the street and has no access to the media, he seems to know what is going on around him. He said, â€Å"they passed the Civil Right Act to make it look like er’thin is fine but e’m still discriminate.† He claims he has been looking for jobs for the last couple of years but no employer wants to hire him. The jobs have â€Å"Vacancy† or â€Å"Now Hiring† or â€Å"Help Needed† signs on the doors of the workplaces but whenever he applies, they call him for an interview. During the interview, when they realize he is black, they never call him back. I understood his logic and reasoningShow MoreRelatedThe Civil Rights Act Of 19641106 Words   |  5 PagesThese measures separated the races in public accommodations. Rather than passing one sweeping law, local and state legislators in the South passed a series of laws between 1881 and 1910 that required separate accommodations for blacks and whites in public space s. These laws were indicative of the hardening of the philosophy of white supremacy throughout the South during this time.†(Cassanello). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the most influential event in the Civil Rights Movement because it pavedRead MoreGelato Cheese Company: Are They in Compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)?641 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction The purpose of this assignment is to consider whether or not Gelato Cheese Company should make any changes in order to be in compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). This paper will discuss the definition of Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and its application in employment decisions. In order to be employed at Gelato Cheese Company for its cleaning crew, it is required that you have a high school diploma/Read MoreEthics of Workplace Discrimination Essay1434 Words   |  6 Pagesthat determines right and wrong moral behavior in the work environment. Discrimination is defined as â€Å"the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex.† (Oxford Dictionary) Workplace discrimination deals with issues such as religion, race, gender, disability, age, and sexual orientation. Covering all of these issues is beyond the sco pe of this paper, therefore, I will focus on age, gender, and race. Positive workplaceRead MoreEqual Employment Opportunity Essay1514 Words   |  7 Pagespolicies (â€Å"Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions and Answers†). Some laws that have been passed are the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Although some discrimination is still a problem, all of these laws have helped the United States citizens become treated more equally in the work force. The Equal Pay Act was established on June 10, 1963(â€Å"The Equal Pay Act of 1963†). It is also referred to as theRead MoreThe Case Of The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ( Eeoc ) Vs. Alliant Techsystems, Inc.1108 Words   |  5 PagesDiscrimination can come in many shapes, forms, and actions in the operation of business in today’s global marketplace. Many laws and regulations have been implemented in an attempt to protect workers from any type of intentional workplace discrimination. However, there are still companies which operate outside of these regulations and must face the repercussions for their actions. Presented is an analysis of one such organization in the case of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)Read MoreWhen People Think Of Discrimination, They Tend To Think1254 Words   |  6 Pagespeople think of discrimination, they tend to think back to older times of slavery, racism, and an underdeveloped country. Sadly, discrimination ac tual plays a large role in the workplace of today. Discrimination is defined as â€Å"treating a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their skin color, sex, sexuality, etc.† according to the Cambridge Dictionary (Cambridge University Press 1). Discrimination comes in manyRead MoreHeart of Atlanta V. United States825 Words   |  4 PagesStates (1964) - Any business that was participating in interstate commerce would be required to follow all rules of the federal civil rights legislation. In this case, a motel that wanted to continue segregation was denied because they did business with people from other states. This important case represented an immediate challenge to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark piece of civil rights legislation which represented the first comprehensive act by Congress on civil rights and race relationsRead MoreU.s. Equal Employment Opportunity Comm ission Essay1248 Words   |  5 Pagesdiscriminate against a job applicant or an employee based on a person’s race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and sexual orientation, national origin, age (40 or older), disability and/or genetic information (U.S. EEOC, 2016a). The EEOC laws cover most employers with at least fifteen employees as well as labor unions and employment agencies (U.S. EEOC, 2016a). The EEOC has the ability to investigate charges of alleged discrimination against employees who are employed by organizationsRead MoreThe Civil Rights Act Of 1964925 Words   |  4 PagesAmericans and even immigrants are afforded their basic civil rights based on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The act, which was signed into law on July 2, 1964, declared all discrimination for any reason based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin will be deemed illegal in the United States (National Park Service, n.d.). When the act was enacted, people ha d to become more open minded; more accepting to the various cultures and backgrounds of individuals. Understanding that concept leadsRead MoreConsequences of the American Civil Rights Act of 19641192 Words   |  5 Pageseconomic review on the consequences of the American Civil Right act of 1964 Introduction The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Pub.L. 88-352, 78 Stat. 241, enacted on July 2nd, 1964) is a milestone in the law history of the United States of America, which prohibited major forms of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin in employment practices and public accommodations. In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the signing the act, President Obama delivered a speech in which

How Does Junk Food Affect Developing Teenagers Free Essays

The teen years are a time of rapid physical and emotional growth. The nutrients in food serve as the fuel for this development, making a nutritious diet vital for good health during the teen years. â€Å"Junk food† includes items like candy, chips and soda that are high in fat and calories but low in nutrients. We will write a custom essay sample on How Does Junk Food Affect Developing Teenagers or any similar topic only for you Order Now Understanding the impact of junk food on developing teens helps highlight the importance of a healthy diet. Weight Gain Overweight and obesity are a threat posed by Junk-food consumption. More than Just a superficial issue, childhood obesity increases the risk for several serious diseases, ncluding heart disease and type 2 diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 70 percent of obese kids observed in one study had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol. Junk food causes weight gain by filling the diet with calories and fat rather than nutrients, while large portion sizes make it easy to overindulge in these foods. Sponsored Links Diabetes Penyakit Diabetes bisa dihindari, Hitung Skor Anda disini. www. meetdoctor. com Nutrient Deficiencies Junk food is a poor source of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients teens need for roper health. Filling up on the empty calories in Junk food makes it difficult to obtain nutrients from healthier foods like fruits and vegetables. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health reports that a person’s nutrient needs are higher during their adolescent years than at any other time. Failure to consume adequate nutrients during this period can result in delayed physical growth and sexual maturation. Poor nutrition during the teenage years may also lead to increased risk for cancer, osteoporosis and other diseases later in adulthood. Depression For some kids, being overweight or obese can have a negative impact on self-esteem and well-being. But there is some evidence that Junk food itself can contribute to poor mental health. Preliminary research suggests that an unhealthy diet may increase the likelihood of depression in some individuals, dietitian Katherine Zeratsky wrote for MayoClinic. com in 2010. While more studies are needed in this area, a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grains and other nutrient-rich foods is a teenager’s best bet for a healthy mood. Prevention/Solution Limiting Junk food rather than avoiding it altogether is usually sufficient to prevent serious health consequences. When eating high-fat or high-sugar foods, limit the amount of calories and fat from other sources that day. Make fresh fruits and vegetables a staple in the diet and keep plenty of healthy snacks in the home to feed hungry teens. Replace soda with skim milk or water and choose whole-grain foods over refined products like cereal, bread and pasta. You and your teen should also discuss proper diet and nutrition with their doctor. How Does Junk Food Affect Developing Teenagers? By alipol How to cite How Does Junk Food Affect Developing Teenagers, Essays

The Influence of Jack Hyles free essay sample

A look at the life and career of pastor Jack Hyles. This paper describes the actions of Jack Hyles, past pastor of the largest Independent Baptist church in the world, that have influenced the Baptist community. It describes how he affected people with his preaching, his prayer, and his leadership. We will write a custom essay sample on The Influence of Jack Hyles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page From the paper: Jack Hyles was the pastor of the largest Independent Baptist church in the world. While he was alive, Hyles was described as the innovative pastor of one of the countrys largest congregations as he led the people of the First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana. Although he has passed away, his teachings still hold valuable lessons for any follower of Christ. Through his sermons as well as the books he has published, Jack Hyles continues his challenge to win the souls of those who have not yet come to Christ. Table of Contents Introduction Thesis: Jack Hyles influenced America through his preaching, his prayer life, and his leadership. Preaching Preparing sermons Manner of preaching Understanding the congregation Prayer Praying for sermons Praying for others Praying for himself Leadership Outreach Initiating programs Setting an example Conclusion

Should college students have complete freedom to choose their own courses and create their own curriculum Essay Example

Should college students have complete freedom to choose their own courses and create their own curriculum? Essay The degree and scope of academic freedom has been a perennial topic of debate. But generally, it is the governing authorities who have their way, with students having to toe the line. In an ideal world, though, students will play a significant role in determining the courses and subjects to be included in their curriculums. While students in primary and secondary stages of education need to have a standard basic curriculum, those reaching college level should be given more autonomy. This relaxation is recommended keeping in mind that college students are entering adulthood and have a right to choose the type of individuals they want to become. (Robertson Smith, 1999, p.69) As the system functions today, college students are forced to conform to an educational model that was not designed in their interests. In other words, the existing educational system serves to indoctrinate young minds into obedient servants of the established social order. At the top of the social pyramid are the business and political elites, whose interests are reflected in the design of curricula. Hence, though it might lead to radical social upheavals, allowing greater freedom of choice within college campuses is the right way to go. Let us look at the rationale offered by those against freedom of choice in curricula and identify flaws in their arguments. A prominent advocate for less academic freedom was the sociologist Mortimer Adler, who stated that, left to their own choices, some students â€Å"will ‘downgrade’ their own education; therefore, adults should control these crucial choices so that such downgrading does not occur.† (Noddings, 2006, p.285) This fear is overstated, for college authorities can devise ways of ensuring that certain basic standards are met. Moreover, by what criteria are courses judged good and bad? In other words, the notion of ‘downgrading’ is very subjective. As John Dewey noted in his lectures, We will write a custom essay sample on Should college students have complete freedom to choose their own courses and create their own curriculum? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Should college students have complete freedom to choose their own courses and create their own curriculum? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Should college students have complete freedom to choose their own courses and create their own curriculum? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer â€Å"a course in cooking, well planned and well executed, can induce critical thinking, increase cultural literacy, and provide valuable skills – it can be a â€Å"good† course. In contrast, a course in algebra may discourage critical thinking, add nothing to cultural literacy, and lead students to despair of acquiring useful skills – it can be a â€Å"bad† course.† (Noddings, 2006, p.285) Considering that John Dewey was the most influential educationist of last century, his views have to be heeded to. The essence of Dewey’s argument is that by there is more merit than what is apparent in courses such as cooking than what the academic establishment will admit. Moreover, if students are allowed to create courses that would satisfy their natural inclinations, they are bound to participate in the learning process more willingly and thoroughly, enhancing the final outcome. To alleviate the concerns of those who fear lack of norms and standards in giving complete freedom, we need to qualify the sort of freedom offered them. While the coercive authoritarian nature of standardized curriculum is one extreme, a permissive, hands-off freedom given to students will be the opposite extreme. By applying moderation, a system that is realistic and yet demanding could be designed. Teacher counseling and guidance that approximates parental interest in students is worth pursuing. One should also remember that students can never be given equal opportunity by force. Such a tendency is against democratic principles. Instead, what we need to do, is to â€Å"live with our children, assess their gifts and interests both realistically and generously, talk with them, listen to them, and help them to make well-informed decisions.† (Robertson Smith, 1999, p.68) College courses need not be looked at as merely facilitators of vocational and economic opportunities. Other key criteria in evaluating the worth of college courses are their ability to stimulate and challenge the intellect, their capacity to evolve students into wholesome persons, etc. In other words, the key question to be asked is whether the course will lead students to grow into socially, morally, and intellectually responsible adults. Moreover, we should never prematurely conclude that â€Å"conventional academic subjects are superior to others. We should investigate. We should ask teachers to justify what they do in light of the criteria we establish, and we should continually ask penetrating questions about the criteria themselves.† (Noddings, 2006, p.285) Falling back on the Deweyite philosophy, education is much more than a means to an end – it is an end in itself. Hence, the marketability of skills in the job market, the pecuniary benefits of a particular ski ll, etc should not be the key criteria determining course content. In this scenario, it is likely to be the case that students, when given complete freedom, will dismantle the prevailing set of narrow criteria. They are likely to follow their interests and passions without considerations of the job market, or monetary rewards, which will lead to decentralization of the national economy. Hence the effects of student freedom touch the realms of economy, society, culture and beyond. The dangers of a rigid top-down approach to curricula are highlighted by events in American legislature. For example, â€Å"bills challenging the premise that faculty and colleges should determine curriculum and select teachers have been introduced in fifteen states and the U.S. Congress, but none has advanced to become law†. (Bradley, 2005, p.9) This is good news, because the proposed bills, which spring from the unofficial document circulated by David Horowitz titled Academic Bill of Rights, is based on a neoconservative social agenda. According to the proposal, the government will play an overarching role in curricula and pedagogy and in faculty recruitment and promotion in both public and private institutions of higher education. In a testimony submitted to the California legislature, an opponent of the bill pointed out that when enacted, the law will â€Å"damage higher education by inviting nonprofessional criteria for evaluation, by encouraging the false idea that the content of teaching and research can be helpfully classified in popular political categories, and by inviting costly litigation.† (Bradley, 2005, p.9) Hence, the flaws inherent in the Academic Bill of Rights (a euphemistic term) suggest that freedom should thrive at the level of colleges if not at the level of students. In other words, if giving students the freedom to frame their curriculum is too utopian an idea, then at least autonomy at the college administration level is a basic requirement. Only then will the academia see diversity of thought and dynamism in scholarship. Such an environment is conducive for positive social action, which is essential for the proper functioning of democracy. If complete freedom for students sounds unrealistic, then educationists will at least have to agree to a more flexible approach to curricula. Periodic review of curricula based on student feedback and broad-based survey of society and economy is a feasible option. Indeed, curriculum revision can be a positive experience that benefits all stakeholders. These include students, teachers, support staff, etc. References Bradley, G. (2005, July/August). Bills Challenge Faculty Control over Curriculum. Academe, 91(4), 9+. LaCursia, N. (2010). Implementing a Four-Phase Curriculum Review Model: With This Model You Can Review and Modify a Curriculum in Any Discipline, at Any Level, from Elementary School to College. JOPERD–The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation Dance, 81(9), 39+. Noddings, N. (2006). Rethinking the Benefits of the College-Bound Curriculum. Phi Delta Kappan, 78(4), 285+. Robertson, A., Smith, B. (Eds.). (1999). Teaching in the 21st Century: Adapting Writing Pedagogies to the College Curriculum. New York: Falmer Press.

Japanese Green Tea

Japanese Green Tea Japanese tea is getting popular these days. This page helps you to learn how to pronounce the names of various Japanese teas. Ocha - Japanese tea in general Although cha means tea, it is usually called o-cha. O is a prefix of respect. Learn more about how to use o in Japanese words. How to Order Japanese Tea Ocha o kudasai. 㠁ŠèÅ' ¶Ã£â€šâ€™Ã£  Ã£   Ã£ â€¢Ã£ â€žÃ£â‚¬â€š) Ocha, onegaishimasu. 㠁ŠèÅ' ¶Ã£â‚¬ Ã£ Å Ã© ¡ËœÃ£ â€žÃ£ â€"㠁 ¾Ã£ â„¢Ã£â‚¬â€š This is how to order Japanese tea at Japanese restaurant. Both kudasai and onegaishimasu are used when making a request for items. Learn more about kudasai and onegaishimasu. The Japanese tea is complementary at most restaurants in Japan. Japanese Tea Pronunciation Here are the names of common Japanese teas. Click the links to hear the pronunciation. You might find it sounds monotone. This is because Japanese has a pitch accent unlike a stress accent in English. Matcha æŠ ¹Ã¨Å' ¶ Gyokuro 玉éÅ" ² Sencha ç…ŽèÅ' ¶ Bancha ç• ªÃ¨Å' ¶ Houjicha 㠁 »Ã£ â€ Ã£ ËœÃ¨Å' ¶ Genmaicha 玄ç ± ³Ã¨Å' ¶) Learn about each type of Japanese tea. Learn the pronunciation of other Japanese beverages. Trivia About Japanese Tea There is a matcha flavored Kit Kat, which is a limited version only available in Kyoto. Starbucks in Japan have a Matcha Latte just like the ones in North America. They also carry Sakura Steamed Milk and Sakura Frappuccino as spring specials. Sakura means cherry blossom.I find it is very Japanese to see Sakura Beverages on the menu. They remind me of Sakura-yu which is a tea-like drink made by steeping a salt-preserved cherry blossom in hot water. It is often served at weddings and other auspicious occasions. Bottled green tea (unsweetened) is a popular drink in Japan. You can easily find it in vending machines or convenience stores. Ochazuke is a simple dish which is basically Japanese tea poured over rice with savory toppings. Cha-soba is buckwheat noodles flavored with green tea powder. Matcha is also commonly used for sweets, such as cookies, cakes, chocolate, ice cream, Japanese sweets and so on. The Shizuoka prefecture has the largest production of green tea and it is considered the best tea in Japan.

Cause Marketing

I chose to research the topic of cause marketing to benefit the nonprofit cancer community, specifically nonprofit cancer survivor camps for children, teens and young adults. These camps have not used this fundraising strategy and I believe they could benefit from it greatly. This research will provide the tools and understanding of how to design a custom program with for-profits which will fit their marketing and business goals, while raising profits for the camp’s operational costs. Introduction to Cause Marketing Cause Marketing is the cooperative efforts of a for-profit business and a non-profit organization for mutual benefit. (Wikapedia) The company puts the power of its brand and marketing behind the nonprofit’s cause to generate profits for both. (Daw, p. 1) The for-profit has the ability to reach consumers the nonprofit would not be able to for donations, while making the for-profit appear more socially responsible to consumers. â€Å"Numerous studies have shown cause-related marketing has helped increase a company’s profits. (Wikapedia) It also raises awareness for the nonprofits cause and reaches more supporters while increasing funding for the cause. â€Å"Today, more and more companies are realizing they can no longer afford to be anonymous benefactors or disengaged citizens. † (Daw, p. 28) In recent years the term has come to describe a wider variety of marketing initiatives based on the cooperative efforts of business and charitable causes. However it is important to differentiate cause marketing from corporate philanthropy or sponsorship, it is in fact an intersection of the two. Sundar, p. 208) The objective of all cause-related marketing programs is sales and a promotional campaign is undertaken to that end. Sponsorship and corporate philanthropy is a fixed amount of money which is negotiated and donated in advance to a nonprofit organization for an event or program. (Sundar, p. 208) In return for sponsorship the nonprofit uses its marketing to promote a companies involvement and support of the cause. For example, the company’s logo will appear on the nonprofits marketing materials for an event. Overview of Findings Studies done by Cone Inc. a marketing communication agency that tracks American attitudes towards corporate support of social issues, have brought cause marketing data into sharp focus. (Sundar, p. 207) In the Cone Corporate Citizenship Study the consumers’ answer to the statement, â€Å"I am likely to switch from one brand to another that is about the same in price and quality, if the other brand is associated with a cause. † has been staggering. In 2001 81% agreed they would switch brands, in 2004 86% would switch and in 2006 89% stated they would switch brands if associated with a cause. Cone Case Studies 2001, 2004, 2006) â€Å"Cone research reports†¦have identified key motivators that are driving changes in the corporate sector: employees, communities, and consumers are all demanding that companies play an active role in building community and demonstrate what they stand for. Cause related shopping is the second and third means of providing charitable gifts for those who planned to give a charitable donation over the holiday season. (Daw, p. 2) In fact the British Business in the Community 21st Century Giving Research showed that 83% of those who participated in a cause initiative said it enabled them to support a charity more that they would have otherwise done. (Daw, p. 32)This is dramatic indicator of consumer attitudes and an important differentiator for product marketing.

Philosophy of mind Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy of mind - Essay Example G. Ryle necessitates to distinguish one from the other based on some prospects of which, a part is to yield relief from the misconception that the mere capacity to attain knowledge of truths ought to be the defining property of the mind. As another prospect, the distinction is intended to illustrate how humans are quite disposed to pay attention to competencies and deficiencies in the process of acquiring truths instead of the truths or propositions themselves and the nature thereof. It is Ryle’s aim as well to present the similarities and dissimilarities between ‘knowing how’ and ‘knowing that’ in order to substantiate further his findings upon the claim that the ‘intellectualist legend’ is false. In general, Ryle points out herein that â€Å"efficient practice precedes the theory† or that ‘knowing how’ comes before ‘knowing that’. According to Ryle, theorists have often acknowledged the so-called ‘ intellectualist legend’ which relies on the basic assumption that an intelligent behaviour is a function of what cognition has intellectually established. In other words, if such legend holds, then one is brought to conceive that any kind of performance is a product of intelligence that works within the inner faculties being its ever prior source. To Ryle’s analysis, however, the course of performing tasks for the sake of comprehension as an individual engages in practice to grasp the rule or operating principle can be relatively intelligent. Rather than looking into the depths of theories under the consideration that they should govern behaviour as higher in level or first in order, those who depend on this convention must equivalently account for a thorough examination of the meaningful significance in knowing how a particular undertaking is desalt with in several aspects toward a more confident resolution. Through this perspective, Ryle proceeds to concretize his po sition on exemplifying that â€Å"A person’s performance is described as careful or skilful, if in his operations he is ready to detect and correct lapses, to repeat and improve upon successes, to profit from the examples of others and so forth.† Apparently, this alludes ‘knowing that’ may validly succeed ‘knowing how’ when empirical over theoretical approach is rendered efficient by a constant attitude of passion to practice until optimum ends are achieved. That manner, the ‘intellectualist legend’ becomes defeated for it would then be absurd to support a claim in which a fixed theory manages to surpass a dynamic practice as the cause of the latter especially when performances are repetitively worked out that they could, to an extent, deservingly be identified as wisdom of origin altogether. Moreover, since the world or at least a common society in it widely believes about the reasonability of judging people on the basis of uniqu e skills and possessed capabilities of learning and coping with the truth, it tends to neglect the opportunity of exploring the quality of truths or propositions. Because people appear to express more concern on how intelligence is exhibited through manual executions, it seems less difficult for them to measure ignorance and assign its degree in proportion to individual potentials. For instance, a person may be fluent in speaking a language while another is assessed with below average proficiency at using the same medium. In reality, the first would naturally be considered as having first-rate

End User Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

End User - Term Paper Example The staff looks to the manager for direction in all aspects of the business. The staff is the end user in any new technology or programs implemented in the business. The staff’s understanding of new technology or programs implemented depends heavily on the direction of the manager. The responsibility of a manager exemplified in the final outcome of end user information systems is through implementing a system of successful learning. End User Satisfaction (EUS) is critical to successful information systems implementation (Au, Ngai, Cheng 2008) In several studies there has been a proven decline in performance and quality of work when new information systems are implemented. This is due to end users having to learn a new system yet produce if not more the same amount of work. The time and training for learning a system can become costly. To responsibly put this new system into effect a manager should first consider before purchasing the system what’s the ratio of user cont rol to the controlling of the user. In other words better user control would be more adaptable in the end user learning the system than the system controlling the user. The systems are usually developed by designers who don’t know the specific needs of the user. So user control is very important.

The impact of the fast food movement Essay Example for Free

The impact of the fast food movement Essay Everything today is fast. People think fast, speak fast, walk fast, write fast and eat fast. Fast food has become such an integral part of the busy American lifestyle that there are more than 300,000 restaurants offering it throughout the United States today (Dorfman, 2001). Since everything is becoming fast in the world, the slow food movement if gradually being taken over by the fast food movement and significant factors of the slow food movement are changing because of this. Major supermarket chains and restaurants are replacing the many local stores people always shopped at, changing the prices of food, quality of service and products, as well as availability of food. The prices of foods show a significant difference between the local market prices and major supermarket chains. As Allison states, At a local market in my town, I bought a half -gallon of grape juice for $5.00 that would normally cost $2.50 at a supermarket (2002). Supermarkets and restaurants have chains so they can afford to lower their prices due to global popularity. Sales often happen at supermarkets and fast food chains as another way to keep their businesses popular and well known. These sales keep customers in their establishments and promotes the buying of other products that may not be on sale. Acquiring products in mass quantities aids in keeping prices down on the products that consumers buy. Also, with more variability in supermarkets compared to local markets, customers can choose from a variety of items, which attracts them to the bigger and well known stores. Sometimes restaurants will have promotions to attract people into their establishments such as the current win ning game at Mcdonalds. Ensuring customers keep coming back to their restaurants, ensures stability and allows food prices to stay low. The quality of service of employees and the products in a grocery store or restaurant are changing due to the increased awareness of the fast food movement. At fast food restaurants for instance, everything is quick paced and so informal that the employees think very little about taking the extra step in being polite. Dorfman states, Their involvement is at a minimum,  especially since their salaries are, but manners should be a part of everyones daily routine, no matter how little they are being paid. These workers seem to be looking for something lost on the floor whenever I place my order (2001). However, the complete opposite occurs at sit-down and very formal restaurants, including the McDonalds in Beijing. Even though McDonalds is a fast food chain, the one in Beijing is a very elegant and formal place where customers go and stay for hours. The hostesses here and at other formal restaurants are very polite and well manned. The quality of service seems to increase as salaries increase (Dorfman 2001). However, local markets tend to always be nice and friendly because they know the customers and are both producing and selling the products they have. Also, local markets tend to have less chemicals in their food compared to those at supermarkets. Everything is made fresh at our farm. No preservatives are added to our pies or breads, and our produce is thoroughly washed before it sets the stand(Allison 2002). Although less chemicals seem to be added to local markets, supermarkets have a variety of items and a lot of availability when it comes to getting certain kinds of foods. At a local market, you can pick from a couple different kinds of the same item, or you can pick from several different kinds of foods, as well as getting fruit or vegetables that may be out of season at a supermarket. Also, many major supermarkets and fast food chains are open over 12 hours a day compared to local markets that usually sell their products for 8 hours.

The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered Essay -- Lowering the Drinking Age

There are numerous problems involving alcohol in the world today, including alcoholism, drunk driving, and alcohol poisoning leading to death. Many of these problems involve minors and are linked to drinking underage. The legal drinking age in many states is twenty-one years old. The purpose of this law is to keep minors out of danger: away from drunk driving, alcohol poisoning, and injuring the brain before it is fully developed. The government supports the belief that people are not ready or responsible enough for alcohol until this age. However, various professors and researchers are discovering ways to disprove this belief. These people think that reducing the drinking age to eighteen would influence our country in a positive way. Not only do minors support this idea, but there are numerous people and organizations that support the idea of lowering the drinking age as well. The current drinking law is counterproductive in our society because it’s not effective in eliminating underage drinking, and leads to unsafe situations such as drunk driving and alcohol poison instigated deaths. This problem could be solved by lowering the minimum drinking age to eighteen, with a drinking license. â€Å"Either we are a nation of lawbreakers, or this is a bad law†, says John McCardell, author for the Greenhaven Press (McCardell, 2012). What McCardell is referring to is the law barring the consumption of alcohol in individuals under the age of twenty-one in the United States. John McCardell is the former president of Middlebury College, and he is also the founder of the Choose Responsibly group (Baldouf, 2007). This group is a nonprofit organization that travels around the country sharing McCardell’s proposal about the drinking age... ...m http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/articles/cqoped.html Fennell, R. (2007, December). Drinking Is Fun. Retrieved May 2014, from Academic OneFile: http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA- McCardell, J. (2012). The Drinking Age Should Be Lowered. (G. Press, Producer) Retrieved May 2014, from Gale Virtual Reference Library: http://go.galegroup.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=RELEVANCE&inPS=true&prodId=GVRL Rotunda, M. (2004). Prohibition. Retrieved May 2014, from CREDORreference: http://www.credoreference.com.bakerezproxy.palnet.info/entry/rutgersnj/prohibition Underage Drinking. (2005). Retrieved 2014, from Alcohol News: http://www.alcoholnews.org/Underage%20drinking.html Why 21? (2011). Retrieved May 2014, from MADD: http://www.madd.org/underage-drinking/why21/

Marketing Anthropology Essay

Anthropology and marketing (together with consumer research) were once described as ‘linchpin disciplines in parallel intellectual domains’ (Sherry 1985a: 10). To judge from the prevalent literature, however, this view is not shared by many anthropologists, who tend to look at markets (for example, Carrier 1997) and exchange rather than at marketing per se (Lien 1997 is the obvious exception here). For their part, marketers, always open to new ideas, have over the decades made – albeit eclectic (de Groot 1980:131) – use of the work of anthropologists such as Claude Levi-Strauss and Mary Douglas whose aims in promulgating their ideas on binary oppositions, totemism and grid and group were at the time far removed from the endeavour of marketing both as a discipline and as practice. Can anthropology really be of use to marketing? Can the discipline in effect market itself as an effective potential contributor to solving the problems faced by marketers? There is no reason why not. After all, it is anthropologists who point out that there is more than one market and that these markets, like the Free Market beloved by economists, are all socio-cultural constructions. In this respect, what they have to say about the social costs of markets, as well as about the non-market social institutions upon which markets depends and the social contexts that shape them (cf. Carruthers and Babb 2000:219-222), is extremely pertinent to marketers anxious to come up with definitive answers as to why certain people buy certain products and how to persuade the rest of the world to do so. At the same time, however, there are reasons why anthropology probably cannot be of direct use to marketing. In particular, as we shall see in the following discussion of marketing practices in a Japanese advertising agency, anthropology suffers from the fact that its conclusions are based on long-term immersion in a socio-cultural ‘field’ and that its methodology is frequently unscientific, subjective and imprecise. As part of their persuasive strategy, on the other hand, proponents of marketing need to present their discipline as objective, scientific, speedy and producing the necessary results. How they actually go about obtaining such results, however, and whether they really are as objective and scientific as they claim to their clients, are moot points. This paper focuses, by means of a case study, on how marketing is actually practised in a large advertising agency in Japan and has four main aims. Firstly, it outlines the organisational structure of the agency to show how marketing acts as a social mechanism to back up inter-firm ties based primarily on tenuous personal relationships. Secondly, it reveals how these same interpersonal relations can affect the construction of apparently ‘objective’ marketing strategies. Thirdly, it focuses on the problem of how all marketing campaigns are obliged to shift from ‘scientific’ to ‘artistic’ criteria as statistical data, information and analysis are converted into 1 linguistic and visual images for public consumption. Finally, it will make a few tentative comments on the relations between anthropology and marketing, with a view to developing a comparative theory of advertising as a marketing system, based on the cultural relativity of a specific marketing practice in a Japanese advertising agency (cf. Arnould 1995:110). The Discipline, Organisation and Practice of Marketing The Marketing Division is the engine room of the Japanese advertising agency in which I conducted my research in 1990. At the time, this agency handled more than 600 accounts a year, their value varying from several million to a few thousand dollars. The Marketing Division was almost invariably involved in some way in the ad campaigns, cultural and sporting events, merchandising opportunities, special promotions, POP constructions, and various other activities that the agency carried out on behalf of its clients. Exceptions were those accounts involving media placement or certain kinds of work expressly requested by a client – like, for example, the organisation of a national sales force meeting for a car manufacturer. Even here, however, there was often information that could be usefully relayed back to the Marketing Division (the number and regional distribution of the manufacturer’s sales representatives, as well as possible advance information on new products and/or services to be offered in the coming year). Marketing Discipline As Marianne Lien (1997:11) points out, marketing is both a discipline and a practice. The main aims as a discipline of the Marketing Division were (and, of course, still are): firstly, to acquire as much information as possible from consumers about their clients’ products and services; secondly, to acquire as much information as possible, too, from clients about their own products and services; and, thirdly, to use strategically both kinds of information acquired to develop new accounts. Marketing thus provided those working in the Marketing Division with the dispassionate data that account executives needed in their personal networking with (potential) clients whom they cajoled, persuaded, impressed and pleaded with to part with (more) money. Marketing Organisation In order to achieve the three overall objectives outlined above, the agency established a certain set of organisational features to enable marketing practice to take place. Firstly, the Marketing Division, which consisted of almost 90 members, was structured into three separate, but interlocking, sub-divisions. These consisted of Computer Systems; Market Development and Merchandising; and Marketing. The last was itself sub-divided into three departments, each of which was broken down into three or four sections. 1 Each section consisted of from six to a dozen members, led by a Section Leader, under whom they worked in teams of two to three on an account. These teams were not fixed. Thus one member, A, might work with another, B, under the Section Leader (SL) on a contact lens advertising campaign, but find herself assigned to worked with C under SL on an airline company’s business class service account, and with D under SL on a computer manufacturer’s consumer survey. In this respect, the daily life of members of the Marketing Note that, unlike the Marketing department in Viking foods discussed by Lien. Department was similar to that of product managers described by Lien (1997:69), being characterised by ‘frequent shifts from one activity to another, a wide network of communications, and a considerable amount of time spent in meetings or talking on the telephone’. Secondly, tasks (or accounts) were allocated formally through the hierarchical divisional structure – by departments first, then by sections – according to their existing responsibilities and perceived suitability for the job in hand. Each SL then distributed these tasks to individual members on the basis of their current overall workloads. At the same time, however, there was an informal allocation of accounts involving individuals. Each SL or DL could take on a job directly from account executives handling particular accounts on behalf of their clients. Here, prior experiences and personal contacts were important influences on AEs’ decisions as to whether to go through formal or informal channels of recruitment. The account executive in charge of the NFC contact lens campaign described in my book (Moeran 1996), for example, went directly to a particular SL in the Marketing Department because of some smart work that the latter had done for the AE on a different account some months previously. Mutual respect had been established and the contact lens campaign provided both parties with an opportunity to assess and, in the event, positively validate their working relationship. There were certain organisational advantages to the ways in which accounts were distributed in the manner described here. Firstly, by freely permitting interpersonal relations between account executives and marketers, the Agency ensured that there was competitiveness at each structural level of department and section. Such competition was felt to be healthy for the Agency as a whole, and to encourage its continued growth. Secondly, by assigning individual members of each section in the Marketing Department to working in different combinations of people on different tasks, the Agency ensured that each member of the Marketing Department received training in a wide variety of marketing problems and was obliged to interact fully with fellow section members, thereby promoting a sense of cooperation, cohesion and mutual understanding. This in itself meant that each section developed the broadest possible shared knowledge of marketing issues, because of the knowledge gained by individual members and the interaction among them. Marketing Practice Accounts were won by the Agency primarily through the liaison work conducted with a (potential) client by an account executive (who might be a very senior manager or junior ‘salesman’ recruited only a few years earlier). Once an agreement was made between Agency and client – and such an agreement might be limited to the Agency’s participation in a competitive presentation, the outcome of which might lead to an account being established – the AE concerned would put together an account team. An account team consists of the AE in charge (possibly with assistants); the Marketing Team (generally of 2 persons under a Marketing Director [MD], but sometimes much larger, depending on the size of the account and the work to be done); the Creative Team (consisting of Creative Director [CD], Copywriter, and Art Director [AD] as a minimum, but usually including two ADs – one for print-, the other for TV-related work); and Media Planner/Buyer(s). The job of the account team is to carry out successfully the task set by the client, and to this end meets initially for an orientation meeting in which the issues and problems relayed by the client to the AE are explained and discussed to all members. 2 Prior to this, however, the AE provides the marketing team with all the information and data that he has been able to extract from the client (a lot of it highly confidential to the company concerned). The marketing team, therefore, tends to come prepared and to have certain quite specific questions regarding the nature of the statistics provided, the target market, retail outlets, and so on. If it has done its homework properly – which is not always the case, given the number of different accounts on which the team’s members are working and the pressure of work that they are under – the marketing team may well have several pertinent suggestions for further research. It is on the basis of these discussions that the AE then asks the MD to carry out such research as is thought necessary for the matter in hand. In the meantime, the creative team is asked to mull over the issues generally and to think of possible ways of coping ‘creatively’ (that is, linguistically and visually) with the client’s marketing problems. Back in the Marketing Department, the MD will tell his subordinates to carry out specific tasks, such as a consumer survey to find out who precisely makes use of a particular product and why. This kind of task is fairly mechanical in its general form, since the Agency does this sort of work for dozens of clients every year, but has to be tailored to the present client’s particular situation, needs and expectations. The MD will therefore discuss his subordinate’s proposal, make some suggestions to ensure that all points are overed (and that may well include some additional questions to elicit further information from the target audience that has taken on importance during their discussion), and then give them permission to have the work carried out. All surveys of this kind are subcontracted by the Agency to marketing firms and research organisations of one sort or another. This means that the marketing team’s members are rarely involved in direct face-to-face contact or interaction with the consumers of the products that they wish to advertise,3 except when small ‘focus group’ interviews take place (usually in one of the Agency’s buildings). The informal nature of such groups, the different kinds of insights that they can yield, and the need to spot and pursue particular comments mean that members of the marketing team should be present to listen to and, as warranted, direct the discussion so that the Agency’s particular objectives are achieved. In general, however, the only evidence of consumers in the Agency is indirect, through reports, statistics, figures, data analyses and other information that, paradoxically, are always seen to be insufficient or ‘incomplete’ (cf. Lien 1997:112). Once the results of the survey are returned, the marketers enter them into their computers (since all such information is stored and can be used to generate comparative data for other accounts as and when required). They can make use of particular programmes to sort and analyse such data, but ultimately they need to be able to present their results in readily comprehensible form to other members of the account team. Here again, the MD tends to ensure that the information presented at the next meeting is to the point and properly hierarchised in terms of importance. This leads to the marketing team’s putting forward things like: a positioning statement, slogan, purchasing decision The Media Planners do not usually participate in these early meetings since their task is primarily to provide information of suitable media, and slots therein, for the finished campaign to be placed in. 3 A similar point is made by Lien (1997. 11) in her study of Viking Foods. Focus Groups usually consist of about half a dozen people who represent by age, gender, socio-economic grouping and so on the type of target audience being addressed, and who have agreed to talk about (their attitudes towards) a particular product or product range – usually in exchange for some gift or money. Interviews are carried out in a small meeting room (that may have a one-way mirror to enable outside observation) and tend to last between one and two hours. 4 2 4 odel (high/low involvement; think/feel product relationship), product message concept, and creative frame. One of the main objectives of this initial – and, if properly done, only – round of research is to discover the balance between what are terms product, user and end benefits, since it is these factors that determine the way in which an ad campaign should be presented and, therefore, how the creative team should visualise the marketing problems analysed and ensuing suggestions from the marketing team. It is here that we come to the crux of marketing as practised in an advertising agency (whether in Japan or elsewhere). Creative people tend to be suspicious of marketing people and vice-versa. This is primarily because marketers believe that they work rationally and that the creative frames that they produce are founded on objective data and analyses. Creative people, on the other hand, believe that their work should be ‘inspired’, and that such inspiration can take the place at the expense of the data and analyses provided for their consideration. As a result, when it comes to producing creative work for an ad campaign, copywriters and creative directors tend not to pay strict attention to what the marketing team has told them. For example, attracted by the idea of a particular celebrity or filming location, they may come up with ideas that in no way meet the pragmatic demands of a particular ad campaign that may require emphasis on product benefits that are irrelevant to the chosen location or celebrity suggested for endorsement. This does not always happen, of course. A good and professional creative team – and such teams are not infrequent – will follow the marketing team’s instructions. In such cases, their success is based on a creative interpretation of the data and analyses provided. Agency-Client Interaction If there is some indecision and argument among different elements of the account team – and it is the presiding account executive’s job to ensure that marketers and creatives do not come to blows over their disagreements – they almost invariably band together when meeting and presenting their plans to the client. Such meetings can take place several, even more than a dozen, times during the course of an account team’s preparations for an ad campaign. At most of them the MD will be present, until such time as it is clear that the client has accepted the Agency’s campaign strategy and the creative team has to fine-tune the objectives outlined therein. Very often, therefore, the marketing team will not stay on a particular account long enough to learn of its finished result, although a good AE will keep his MD abreast of creative developments and show him the (near) finalised campaign prior to the client’s final approval. But marketers do not get involved in the production side of a campaign (studio photography, television commercial filming, and so on) – unless one of those concerned knows what is going on when, happens to be nearby at the time, and drops in to see how things are going. In other words, the marketing team’s job is to see a project through until accepted by the client. It will then dissolve and its members will be assigned to new accounts. Advertising Campaigns: A Case Study To illustrate in more detail particular examples of marketing practice in the Agency, let me cite as a case study the preparation of contact lens campaign in Japan. This example is illuminating because it reveals a number of typical problems faced by an advertising agency in the formulation and execution of campaigns on behalf of its clients. These include the interface between marketing and creative people within an agency and the interpretation of marketing analysis and data; the 5 transposition of marketing analysis into ‘creative’ (i. e. linguistic, visual and design) ideas; the interface between agency and client in the ‘selling’ of a campaign proposal; and the problems of having to appeal to more than one ‘consumer’ target. When the Nihon Fibre Corporation asked the Agency to prepare an advertising campaign for its new Ikon Breath O2 oxygen-passing GCL hard contact lenses in early 1990, it provided a considerable amount of product information with which to help and guide those concerned. This information included the following facts: firstly, with a differential coefficient (DK factor) of 150, Ikon Breath O2 had the highest rate of oxygen permeation of all lenses currently manufactured and marketed in Japan. As a result, secondly, Ikon Breath O2 was the first lens authorized for continuous wear by Japan’s Ministry of Health. Thirdly, the lens was particularly flexible, dirt and water resistant, durable, and of extremely high quality. The client asked the Agency to confirm that the targeted market consisted of young people and to create a campaign that would help NFC capture initially a minimum three per cent share of the market, rising to ten per cent over three years. The Agency immediately formed an account team, consisting of eight members all told. Their first step was to arrange for the marketing team to carry out its own consumer research before proceeding further. A detailed survey – of 500 men and women – was worked out in consultation with the account executive and the client, and was executed by a market research company subcontracted by the Agency. Results confirmed that the targeted audience for the Ikon Breath O2 advertising campaign should be young people, but particularly young women, between the ages of 18 and 27 years, since it was they who were most likely to wear contact lenses. At the same time, however, the survey also revealed that there was little brand loyalty among contact lens wearers so that, with effective advertising, it should be possible to persuade users to shift from their current brand to Ikon Breath O2 lenses. It also showed that young women were not overly concerned with price provided that lenses were safe and comfortable to wear, which meant that Ikon Breath O2’s comparatively high price in itself should not prove a major obstacle to brand switching or sales. On a less positive note, however, the account team also discovered that users were primarily concerned with comfort and were not interested in the technology that went into the manufacture of contact lenses (thereby obviating the apparent advantage of Ikon Breath O2’s high DK factor of which NFC was so proud); and that, because almost all contact lens users consulted medical specialists prior to purchase, the advertising campaign would have to address a second audience consisting mainly of middle-aged men. All in all, therefore, Ikon Breath O2 lenses had an advantage in being of superb quality, approved by medical experts and recognized, together with other GCL lenses, as being the safest for one’s eyes. Its disadvantages were that NFC had no ‘name’ in the contact lens market and that users knew very little about GCL lenses or contact lenses in general. This meant that the advertising campaign had to be backed up by point of purchase sales promotion (in the form of a brochure) to ensure that the product survived. Moreover, it was clear that Ikon Breath O2’s technical advantage (the DK 150 factor) would not last long because rival companies would soon be able to make lenses with a differential coefficient that surpassed that developed by NFC. 5 On this occasion, because the advertising budget was comparatively small, the media buyer was not brought in until later stages in the campaign’s preparations. The AE in charge of the NFC account interacted individually with the media buyer and presented the latter’s suggestions to the account team as a whole. 6 As a result of intense discussions following this survey, the account team moved slowly towards what it thought should be as the campaign’s overall ‘tone and manner’. Ideally, advertisements should be information-oriented: the campaign needed to put across a number of points about the special product benefits that differentiated it from similar lenses on the market (in particular, its flexibility and high rate of oxygen-permeation). Practically, however – as the marketing team had to emphasize time and time again – the campaign needed to stress the functional and emotional benefits that users would obtain from wearing Ikon Breath O2 lenses (for example, continuous wear, safety, release from anxiety and so on). This meant that the advertising itself should be emotional (and information left to the promotional brochure) and stress the end benefits to consumers, rather than the lenses’ product benefits. Because the marketing team had concluded that the product’s end benefits should be stressed, copywriter and art director opted for user imagery rather than product characteristics when thinking of ideas for copy and visuals. However, they were thwarted in their endeavours by a number of problems. Firstly, advertising industry self-policing regulations prohibited the use of certain words and images (for example, the notion of ‘safety’, plus a visual of someone asleep while wearing contact lenses), and insisted on the inclusion in all advertising of a warning that the Ikon Breath O2 lens was a medical product that should be purchased through a medical specialist. This constriction meant that the creative team’s could not use the idea of ‘continuous wear’ because, even though so certified by Japan’s Ministry of Health, opticians and doctors were generally of the opinion that Ikon Breath O2 lenses were bound to affect individual wearers in different ways. NFC was terrified of antagonizing the medical world which would often be recommending its product, so the product manager concerned refused to permit the use of any word or visual connected with ‘continuous wear’. Thus, to the account team’s collective dismay, the product’s end benefit to consumers could not be effectively advertised. Secondly, precisely because Ikon Breath O2 lenses had to be recommended by medical specialists, NFC’s advertising campaign needed to address the latter as well as young women users. In other words, the campaign’s tone and manner had to appeal to two totally different segments of the market, while at the same time satisfying those employed in the client company. This caused the creative team immense difficulties, especially because – thirdly – the product manager of NFC’s contact lens manufacturing division was convinced that the high differential coefficient set Ikon Breath O2 lenses apart from all other contact lenses on the market and would appeal to members of the medical profession. So he insisted on emphasizing what he saw as the unique technological qualities of the product. In other words, not only did he relegate young women who were expected to buy the product to secondary importance; he ignored the marketing team’s recommendation that user benefit be stressed. Instead, for a long time he insisted on the creative team’s focussing on product benefit, even though the DK factor was only a marginal and temporary advantage to NFC. As a result of these two sets of disagreements, the copywriter came up with two different key ideas. The first was based on the product’s characteristics, and thus supported the manufacturer’s (but went against his own marketing team’s) product benefit point of view, with the phrase ‘corneal physiology’ (kakumaku seiri). The second also stressed a feature of the product, but managed to emphasize the user benefits that young women could gain from wearing lenses that were both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ (yawarakai). The former headline was the only way to break brand parity and make Ikon Breath O2 temporarily distinct from all other lenses on the market (the product manager liked the distinction; the marketing team disliked the temporary nature of that distinction). At this stage in the negotiations, the account executive in charge felt obliged to tow an obsequious line, but needed to appease his marketing team and ensure that the creative team came up with something else if at all possible, since 7 corneal physiology gave Ikon Breath O2 lenses only a temporary advantage. As a result, the copywriter introduced the word ‘serious’ (majime) into discussions – on the grounds that NFC was a ‘serious’ (majime) manufacturer (it was, after all, a well-known and respected Japanese corporation) which had developed a product that, by a process of assimilation, could also be regarded as ‘serious’; moreover, by a further rubbing-off process, as the marketing team agreed, such ‘seriousness’ could be attributed to users who decided to buy and wear Ikon Breath O2 lenses. In this way, both the distinction between product benefit and user benefit might be overcome. The copywriter’s last idea was the one that broke the deadlock (and it was at certain moments an extremely tense deadlock) between the account team as a whole and members of NFC’s contact lens manufacturing division. After a series of meetings in which copywriter and designer desperately tried to convince the client that the idea of softness and hardness was not a product characteristic, but an image designed to support the benefits to consumers wearing Ikon Breath O2 lenses, the product manager accepted the account team’s proposals in principle, provided that ‘serious’ was used as a back-up selling point. Soft hard’ (yawaraka hard) was adopted as the key headline phrase for the campaign as a whole. It can be seen that the marketing team’s analysis of how NFC should successfully enter the contact lens market met two stumbling blocks during the early stages of preparation for the advertising campaign. The first was within the account team itself, where the copywriter in particular tended to opt for the manufacturer’s approach by emphasising the product benefit of Ikon Breath O2. The second was when the Agency’s account team had to persuade the client to accept its analysis and campaign proposal. But the next major problem facing the account team was how to convert this linguistic rendering of market analysis into visual terms. What sort of visual image would adequately fulfil the marketing aims of the campaign and make the campaign as a whole – including television commercial and promotional materials – readily recognizable to the targeted audience? It was almost immediately accepted by the account team that the safest way to achieve this important aim was to use a celebrity or personality (talent in Japanese) to endorse the product. Here there was little argument, because it is generally recognized in the advertising industry that celebrity endorsement is an excellent and readily appreciated linkage device in multi-media campaigns of the kind requested by NFC. Moreover, since television commercials in Japan are more often than not only fifteen seconds long and therefore cannot include any detailed product information, personalities have proved to be attention grabbers in an image-dominated medium and to have a useful, short-term effect on sales because of their popularity in other parts of the entertainment industry. At the same time, not all personalities come across equally well in the rather differing media of television and magazines or newspapers, so that the account team felt obliged to look for someone who was more than a mere pop idol and who could act. It was here that those concerned encountered the most difficulty. The presence of a famous personality was crucial since s/he would be able to attract public attention to a new product and hopefully draw people into retail outlets to buy Ikon Breath O2 lenses. It was agreed right from the start that the personality should be a young woman, in the same age group as the targeted audience, and Japanese. (After all, a ‘blue eyed foreigner’ endorsing Ikon Breath O2 contact lenses would hardly be appropriate for brown-eyed Japanese. ) Just who this woman should be, however, proved problematic. Tennis players (who could indulge in both ‘hard’ activities and ‘soft’ romance) were discarded early on because the professional season was already in full swing at the time the campaign was being prepared. Classical musicians, while romantic and thus ‘soft’, were not seen to be ‘hard’ enough, while the idea of using a Japanese ‘talent’, Miyazawa Rie (everyone on the account team’s favourite at the time), was reluctantly rejected because, even though photographs of her in the nude were at the time causing a 8 minor sensation among Japanese men interested in soft-porn, she was rather inappropriate for a medical product like a contact lens which was aimed at young women. Any personality chosen had to show certain distinct qualities. One of these was a ‘presence’ (sonzaikan) that would attract people’s attention on the page or screen. Another was ‘topicality’ (wadaisei) that stemmed from her professional activities. A third was ‘future potential’ (nobisei), meaning that the celebrity had not yet peaked in her career, but would attract further widespread media attention and so, it was hoped, indirectly promote Ikon Breath O2 lenses and NFC. Most importantly, however, she had to suit the product. In the early stages of the campaign’s preparations, the creative team found itself in a slight quandary. They wanted to choose a celebrity whose personality fitted the ‘soft-hard’ and ‘serious’ ideas and who would then anchor a particular image to Ikon Breath O2 lenses, although it proved difficult to find someone who would fit the product and appeal to all those concerned. Eventually, the woman chosen was an actress, Sekine Miho, who epitomized the kind of modern woman that the creative team was seeking, but who was also about to star in a national television (NHK) drama series that autumn – a series in which she played a starring role as a ‘soft’, romantic character. Although popularity in itself can act as a straightjacket when it comes to celebrity endorsement of a product, in this case it was judged – correctly, it transpired – that Sekine had enough ‘depth’ (fukasa) to bring a special image to Ikon Breath O2 lenses. Once the celebrity had been decided on, the creative team was able to fix the tone and manner, expression and style of the advertising campaign as a whole. Sekine was a ‘high class’ (or ‘one rank up’ in Japanese-English parlance) celebrity who matched NFC’s image of itself as a ‘high class’ (ichiryu) company and who was made to reflect that sense of eliteness in deportment and clothing. At the same time, NFC was a ‘serious’ manufacturer and wanted a serious, rather than frivolous, personality who could then be photographed in soft-focus, serious poses to suit the serious medical product being advertised. This seriousness was expressed further by means of ery slightly tinted black and white photographs which, to the art director’s – but, not initially, the product manager’s – eye made Sekine look even ‘softer’ in appearance and so match the campaign’s headline of yawaraka hard. This softness was further reinforced by the heart-shaped lens cut at the bottom of every print ad, and on the front of the brochure, which the art director m ade green rather than blue – partly to differentiate the Ikon Breath O2 campaign from all other contact lens campaigns run at that time, and partly to appeal to the fad for ‘ecological’ colours then-current among young women in particular. This case study shows that there is an extremely complex relationship linking marketing and creative aspects of any advertising campaign. In this case, market research showed that Ikon Breath O2 lenses were special because of the safety that derived from their technical quality, but that consumers themselves were not interested in technical matters since their major concern was with comfort. Hence the need to focus the advertising campaign on user benefit. Yet the client insisted on stressing product benefit – a stance made more difficult for the creative team because it could not legally use the only real consumer benefit available to it (continuous wear), and so had to find something that would appeal to both manufacturer and direct and indirect ‘consumers’ of the lens in question. In the end, the ideas of ‘soft hard’ and ‘serious’ were adopted as compromise positions for both client and agency, as well as for creative and marketing teams. Concluding Comments Let us in conclusion try to follow two separate lines of thought. One of these is, as promised, the relationship between marketing and anthropology; the other that between advertising and marketing. 9 Although convergence between anthropology, marketing and consumer research may be growing, the evidence suggested by the case study in this paper is that huge differences still exist. Marketing people in the advertising agency in which I studied may be interested in anthropology; they may even have dipped into the work of anthropologists here and there. But their view of the discipline tends to be rather old-fashioned, and they certainly do not have time to go in for the kind of intensive, detail ethnographic nquiry of consumers that anthropologists might encourage. If anthropologists are to make a useful contribution to marketing, therefore, they need to present their material and analyses succinctly and in readily digestible form, since marketing people hate things that are overcomplicated. It is, perhaps, for this rather than any other reason that someone like Mary Douglas (Douglas and Isherwood 1979) has been so favourably received. In the end, marketing people aim to be positivist, science-like (rather than scientific, as such), and rationalist in their ad campaigns. They aspire to measure and predict on the basis of observer categories, if only because this is the simplest way to sell a campaign to a client. In this respect, they are closer to the kind of sociology and anthropology advocated in the 1940s and 50s (which would explain their adoption of Talcott Parsons’s theory of action, for example), than to the present-day ‘interpretive’ trends in the discipline, and thus favour in their practices an outmoded – and among most anthropologists themselves, discredited – form of discourse. So, ‘if anthropologists are kings of the castle, it is a castle most other people have never heard of’ (Chapman and Buckley 1997: 234). As Malcolm Chapman and Peter Buckley wryly observe, we need perhaps to spend some time entirely outside social anthropology in order to be convinced of the truth of this fact. Secondly, as part of this positivist, science-like approach, marketers in the Japanese advertising agency tended to make clear-cut categories that would be easily understood by both their colleagues in other divisions in the Agency and by their clients. These categories tended to present the consumer world as a series of binary oppositions (between individual and group, modern and traditional, idealist and materialist, and so on [cf. Lien 1997: 202-8]) that they then presented as matrix or quadripartite structures (the Agency’s Purchase Decision Model, for example, was structured in terms of think/feel and high/low involvement axes). In this respect, their work could be said to exhibit a basic form of structuralism. One of these oppositions was that made between product benefit and user benefit (with its variant end benefit). As this case study has shown, this is a distinction that lies at the heart of all advertising and needs to be teased out if we are successfully to decode particular advertisements in a manner that goes beyond the work of Barthes (1977), Williamson (1978), Goffman (1979) and others. Thirdly, one of the factors anchoring marketing to the kind of structured thinking characteristic of modernist disciplines, perhaps, is that the creation of meaning in commodities is inextricably bound up with the establishment of a sense of difference between one object and all others of its class. After all, the three tasks of advertising are: to stand out from the surrounding competition to attract people’s attention; to communicate (both rationally and emotionally) what it is intended to communicate; and to predispose people to buy or keep on buying what is advertised. The sole preoccupation of those engaged in the Ikon Breath 02 campaign was to create what they referred to as the ‘parity break’: to set NFC’s contact lenses apart from all other contact lenses on sale in Japan, and from all other products on the market. At the same time, the idea of parity break extended to the style in which the campaign was to be presented (tinted monochrome photo, green logo, and so on). In this respect, the structure of meaning in advertising is akin to that found in the syntagmatic and paradigmatic axes of structural linguistics where particular choices of words and phrases are influenced by the overall structure and availability of meanings in the language in which a speaker is communicating. That the work of LeviStrauss should be known to most marketers, therefore, is hardly surprising. Marketing practice is in many respects an application of the principles of structural anthropology to the selling of products. 10 Fourthly, although those working in marketing and consumer research take it as given that there is one-way flow of activity stemming from the manufacturer and targeted at the end consumer, in fact, as this case study shows, advertising – as well as the marketing that an advertising agency conducts on behalf of a client – always addresses at least two audiences. One of these is, of course, the group of targeted consumers (even though they are somewhat removed from the direct experience of marketers in their work). In this particular case, to complicate the issue further, there were two groups of consumers, since the campaign had to address both young women and middle-aged male opticians. Another audience is the client. As we have seen, the assumed or proven dis/likes of both consumers and advertising client affect the final meaning of the products advertised, and the client in particular had to be satisfied with the Agency’s campaign approach before consumer ‘needs’ could be addressed. At the same time, we should recognise that a third audience exists among different members of the account team within the Agency itself, since each of the three separate parties involved in account servicing, marketing and creative work needed to be satisfied by the arguments of the other two. In this respect, perhaps, we should note that marketing people have spent a lot of time over the decades making use of insights developed in learning behaviour, personality theory and psychoanalysis which they then apply to individual consumers. In the process, however, they have tended to overlook the forms of social organisation of which these individuals are a part (cf. de Groot 1980:44). Yet it is precisely the ways in which individual consumers interact that is crucial to an understanding of consumption and thus of how marketing should address its targeted audience: how networks function, for example, reveals a lot about the vital role of word-of-mouth in marketing successes and failures; how status groups operate and on what grounds can tell marketers a lot about the motivations and practices of their targeted audience. Anthropologists should be able to help by providing sociological analyses of these and other mechanisms pertinent to the marketing endeavour. In particular, their extensive work on ritual and symbolism should be of use in foreign, ‘third world’ markets. Fifthly, most products are made to be sold. As a result, different manufacturers have in mind different kinds of sales strategies, target audiences, and marketing methods that have somehow to be translated into persuasive linguistic and visual images – not only in advertising, but also in packaging and product design. For the most part, producers of the commodities in question find themselves obliged to call on the specialized services of copywriters and art designers who are seen to be more in tune with the consumers than are they themselves. This is how advertising agencies market themselves. But within any agency, the creation of advertising involves an ever-present tension between sales and marketing people, on the one hand, and creative staff, on the other; between the not necessarily compatible demands for the dissemination of product and other market information, on the one hand, and for linguistic and visual images that will attract consumers’ attention and push them into retail outlets to make purchases, on the other. This is not always taken into account by those currently writing about advertising. More interestingly, perhaps, the opposition that is perceived to exist between data and statistical analysis, on the one hand, and the creation of images, on the other, parallels that seen to pertain between a social science like economics or marketing and a more humanities-like discipline such as anthropology. Perhaps the role for an anthropology of marketing is to bridge this great divide.

Myths and Narratives: The Origin of the Humanities Essay

One thing I remember from when I was young, is Two little dicky birds sitting on a wall One called Peter, one called Paul, Fly away Peter, fly away Paul, Come back Peter, come back Paul. Two little caterpillars sitting on a leaf, One called Brian, one called Keith, Two little butterflies flying through the air One called Brenda, one called Blair. There actually is a distinction between reading a article and telling a story. Most mature individuals employed with young children will read publications and tales to the juvenile persons in their charge. Somehow, they appear to believe that it’s simpler – that the publication is a security bedding in case they overlook the story. But it is not – it’s a barrier. It inhibits the direct connection and communicate between bank clerk and listener – the most mighty device the storyteller has. Having enduring eye-contact with an assembly conceives a bond and togetherness and a engrossment on the article itself. If you have only ever read tales to young children, then trial telling a article and observe the difference. Storytelling is essential in a child’s development. We survive our survives through narrative and the quicker we can commence, the better. Storytelling opens higher channels of communication and rouses emotional, imaginative and linguistic development. It endorses participation and grows confidence and a sense of self-esteem. Storytelling encircles the juvenile with imaginative words, introduces unacquainted words in a narrative context, introduces narrative plan and sanctions youngsters to give voice to their have models in their have language. When they start to write, youngsters uncovered to storytelling will already, unconsciously, have the administers of plan and a advanced grasp of language. Working orally first will sanction them freedom from spelling and grammar. Children introduced to stories and stories read more basically and to a higher level. They will separate models, creations, plan and someone stories. Storytelling grows concentration and listening skills. Children can experience emotions through the safety of the story and can investigate worlds and instances into the open their have environment. Even the youngest juvenile has a story to tell. They are natural storytellers whether from experience, imagination or memory and commending them to tell their have and retell other stories endorses a sense of self-worth and esteem. Storytelling grows vitality of imagination. Through telling their have stories, youngsters learn to plan orally, to portion and listen to their peers and to exercise their have words with pride.

Free Essays on E-mail

In his article â€Å"We’ve Got Mail-Always,† Andrew Leonard points out both the positive and negative aspects of having e-mail. Leonard states that after sorting through all of the junk mail, he finds only a couple of e-mails worth opening from friends as well as an array of important information from strangers across the globe. E-mail is beneficial in many ways, but it is also unfavorable at the same time (Leonard 230). Eric Allen, the developer of the e-mail program which was created by accident, was trying to create an application that would make life easier in the workplace (Leonard 230). The e-mail application had such an impact on communication and technology that it opened new doors for everyone, from the disabled to the working professional (Leonard 231). It enables people to communicate with each other using little or no effort and it also serves as a buffer zone by making those hard-to-say things easier (Leonard 231). Unfortunately, e-mail is abused by t hose who insist on advertising objectionable material and sending disgusting and offensive messages which clog up your mailbox (Leonard 232). Even though people are spending less time in front of the television and more time on the computer, our grammar and composition skills are being replaced by abbreviations and shortcuts (Leonard 232). Overall, e-mail plays an important part of many lives by allowing people to communicate jointly together without being physically present (Leonard 233). Ultimately, e-mail knows no boundaries which, depending on the situation, could be a blessing or a curse (Leonard 233).... Free Essays on E-mail Free Essays on E-mail In his article â€Å"We’ve Got Mail-Always,† Andrew Leonard points out both the positive and negative aspects of having e-mail. Leonard states that after sorting through all of the junk mail, he finds only a couple of e-mails worth opening from friends as well as an array of important information from strangers across the globe. E-mail is beneficial in many ways, but it is also unfavorable at the same time (Leonard 230). Eric Allen, the developer of the e-mail program which was created by accident, was trying to create an application that would make life easier in the workplace (Leonard 230). The e-mail application had such an impact on communication and technology that it opened new doors for everyone, from the disabled to the working professional (Leonard 231). It enables people to communicate with each other using little or no effort and it also serves as a buffer zone by making those hard-to-say things easier (Leonard 231). Unfortunately, e-mail is abused by t hose who insist on advertising objectionable material and sending disgusting and offensive messages which clog up your mailbox (Leonard 232). Even though people are spending less time in front of the television and more time on the computer, our grammar and composition skills are being replaced by abbreviations and shortcuts (Leonard 232). Overall, e-mail plays an important part of many lives by allowing people to communicate jointly together without being physically present (Leonard 233). Ultimately, e-mail knows no boundaries which, depending on the situation, could be a blessing or a curse (Leonard 233)....

Bullying in Schools Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions Assignment

Bullying in Schools Causes, Effects and Possible Solutions - Assignment Example It is reported that around 14% of the victims of bullying report poor self-esteem, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts as a result of bullying. In addition, there is the stunning revelation that most of the bullying occurs on school grounds (Olweus, 2013). Scholars have identified so many reasons behind bullying and none of these reasons exhibits considerable supremacy. The first cause as identified by people like Rigby (2007) is the family background of the bullies. It is found that the students who belong to families which are dysfunctional have three times more chance to be a bully at school. In addition is the finding that when the children belong to families where there is good parent-child relationship, the chance of becoming a bully is considerably reduced. Moreover, people like Olweus (2013) have observed a link between media and bullying. The children who watch violence in the media for long hours are more likely to exhibit violent behavior and aggression at school. It seems that when children watch violence in media, they fail to learn the socially acceptable ways of behavior and start dealing with day-to-day life in the way they watch in media. In other words, children learn what they observe, and when there is a lot of violence in media, children fail to distinguish between fiction and reality and resort to violence in real life. In the opinion of Olweus (2013), some students are more likely to be bullies because of certain individual characteristics. To illustrate, the ones who are bullies generally have above average physical strength. In addition, they are more aggressive in their behavior and exhibit little compassion towards the sufferings of others. Thus, Olweus (2013) reaches the conclusion that bullying behavior is considerably linked to individual traits. Thus, as the bullies share certain similarities in their physical and psychological makeup, the victims of bullying too exhibit certain common characteristics. For

Ethics The Film The House I Live In Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics The Film The House I Live In - Essay Example This documentary is a powerful evaluation of the American futile and costly war on drugs that ranks the country as the globe’s largest injury. In his work, Jarecki declares that his catalyst for his project was spry in the documentary, the lady of African American origin who raised him as the parents were away at work. The lady is depicted as soulful and charming besides carrying the full weight of the world on her shoulders. In this film, it is easy to realize that simplicity is the pillar supporting the film. A spin from its center conjures a collection of a powerful dissection from frustrated and shamed agendas, compromised blood lines, inhumane decision making from the wealthy, compromised bloodlines, interviewing the jailed and their jailers, and credible persons who offer the opninions on why and how. The audience can decipher a laughable enterprise that from The War on Drugs, the phrase itself is absurd as lives are cost, families are destroyed. The American society is carefully cleansed off its enemies, racially. In this age, the drugs are purer, cheaper and easily availed than before. The documentary praises Richard Nixon in the charade’s beginning who supposedly and initially coined the media phrase with the Reagans driving it home in the 80s for vengeance. The documentary shows the audience that there has been no change, given the highly safer streets and prevalence of drugs. There is still a reckless abandon in spending.

Critical issue in global health ( a grant proposal to support efforts Thesis

Critical issue in global health ( a grant to support efforts to improve maternal and child health, in Kachere, a village in Kasungu. ) - Thesis Proposal Example As such, the CBO has come up with five strategies in the proposal namely; Improvement of maternal health in the community, Promote gender equality and empowerment to women, Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, Ensure that the environment is sustained, Eliminate poverty and hunger. Through these strategies, there will be direct and indirect solutions to this challenge and the community will remain healthy and full of life. Moreover, this project has incorporated stakeholders such as Traditional Authority (TA), Religious Groups, and Malawi International Organization (MIO) who will assist in planning and implementing the project. Apparently, it is evident that Kachere Village in Kasungu District has serious cases of poor health and poverty that has emerged from the poor living conditions of people in the village. Ideally, Eva’s two dead children serves as a perfect example how children have died from diseases such as pneumonia and malaria and those surviving are still suffering from related diseases. Moreover, the agricultural activities revolve around tobacco and maize farming, which are not easy to farm due to their inadequate returns. Furthermore, her husband who is alleged to be absent from home for extensive periods of time in search of employment has also became a challenging issue for Eva since is fear contracting HIV from the existing polygamy set up (Skolnik, 2008).   As a community based organization (CBO) on the ground, we have taken Eva’s living conditions as a sample to work with in the improvement of the living conditions of people in Kachere village (Hovenga & Mantas, 2005). Nevertheless, the CBO is aware that the community has three main stakeholders who are contributing towards development and health issues namely: Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and International Organizations where the International Organizations have assisted in facilitating loans and savings to most groups that have been formed in the community. Of

Main Factors Affecting Product Pricing in the UK Essay

Main Factors Affecting Product Pricing in the UK - Essay Example These factors are sometimes specific to products whereas at times they run across all or many products. (DBIS, 2011) Factors determining product pricing in UK One interesting factor that determines product pricing in the UK is gender. It might not affect all products but it does affect some products. According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI) research on â€Å"use of gender in insurance pricing†, gender plays a significant role in determining the price of insurance products. The researchers also report that there was, however, no patterned discrimination against either gender in this pricing. However, use of gender to determine the price of insurance commodities is conspicuous. For instance, ABI reports that young female drivers parted with less for insurance coverage as compared to their male counterparts. This is attributed to the lower chance of the female drivers having accidents in relation to male drivers. In another example, women gain more in matters of lif e insurance due to lower premiums because they have a longer life expectancy. Men, on the other hand, benefit from lower medical premiums between age thirty-five and fifty-five. This is due to the medical risks involved between the ages .i.e. women have higher medical risks. (ABI, 2010, pp. 4-10). Product differentiation is another determinant of product pricing in the UK. Product differentiation is bettering a commodity by making it different and of unique qualities as well as adding newness to the market. Product differentiation could bring with it advantages that include product variety which would result in lowered prices for consumers. Many differentiated products, therefore, are advantageous to the consumer. (Randall, 2009, pp. 17-19). Similar products by different companies lead to substitution by customers in case of price changes. Highly differentiated products, on the other hand, have lower price competition regardless of the number of companies that are competing. Example s of such products include cigarettes, beauty products and service industries like hotels among others. In such products, there is a monopoly in terms of pricing for the marketers since customers do not seem to look at pricing. British American Tobacco has not had a significant change in their number of customers despite an increase in its products’ prices. Therefore the less differentiated a product is, the higher the chance of its customers shifting to other competing products as a result of changes in pricing. (Wiley, 2005, pp. 2-5) Holcombe’s concept of an advantageous product differentiation has been employed in the UK by several departments, among them, the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The department conducted a research to establish how an introduction to this strategy could make medicine more accessible to patients. (Yadav, 2010, pp. 5-10). Government interventions and strategies, for instance, increase in interest rates, also tend to aff ect product pricing especially on financial assets like shares. The Bank of England is charged with the responsibility to regulate these rates and therefore the bank’s decision on the rates affects the prices of these assets. Increase in interest rates on these assets leads to increase in prices of the related commodities. (Bank of England, 2011).

Strategies for Effective Learning in the TESL Classroom

Strategies for Effective Learning in the TESL Classroom CHAPTER ONE:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   INTRODUCTION In Malaysian classroom, a teacher had a solid control in the classroom, the interaction pattern where the teacher selects a student to answer her questions is observed by Samuel (1982) in his study in a Malaysian school. This pattern occurred particularly when the teacher employed the questioning strategy during the course of teaching. After answering the teachers question, the student gave the turn back to the teacher (Samuel, 1982, p. 129). Hence if the teacher chooses this pattern of interaction, participation of students will be highly controlled by him or her. When having teachers in monologic interaction, the class instructional practices will be on structured, discipline but it kills the desire to learn from the child instinct and at the same time does not arouse the critical and the creativity of a child. And this is totally different from the knowledge of the policy because in Malaysia Education Policy, it is stated that a teachers jobs is to nurture the childs critical and creative thinking. When a lesson that is supposed to practice on communicative language teaching ends with the teacher instructing and being authoritative in the class, it kills the desire to learn. In his findings, Ruzlan (2007) further found that all the questions posed by the teachers were the closed-ended in nature, where the children were anticipated to arrive at certain answers expected by the teachers only. At the same time, it was found that the majority of questions set by EFL and Science as content taught in English classes were low level and factual, and not designed to encourage critical thinking on the part of learners. Again, there was a mismatch between what is stipulated by the national curriculum and how teachers actually teach in terms of posing questions. While national policy stipulates helping learners become critical thinkers, teachers seems concern with others, short term goal. For instance teachers belief about their students academic needs and what they should do is tailoring their questions to align with examination purposes at a low level factual category (Habsah Hussin, 2006). It is proven that the practice of the policy is more on finishing the structured syllabus prepared by the school curriculum division rather than full filling the philosophy of education that is in building the students with the efforts towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large. With this issues, enlighten the researcher to explore the basic of the education teacher training. What has been practiced in schools reflects on the training of the teacher in teacher training institution. Is it the system or the implementation of it that caused the mismatched in the instructional practices? What is supposed to be done? What has been practiced in the teaching institution? The approaches practiced on the trainees. Does the trainees ability to pose questions and interact with the students from the pedagogical aspects and methodological approach being prompt and develop? Do the trainers play their role as the facilitator and the mediator of the knowledge in ensuring the blooming of the beginner teachers? The trainers have to play their important role well in shaping the student teacher in becoming an excellent teacher. They should model the trainees in the instructional practices in college. Being the expertise, the trainers should be well prepared with various approaches in exploring the student teacher ability in learning the English language in order to become a capable and competent English teacher. 1.1 Purpose Of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate the trainers in implementing their instructional practice in order to help the trainees to become effective second language teacher. As an ESL teacher and a second language learner, the researcher believes that interaction is the key to second language learning. Second language learners need comprehensible input, need to be in situations that provide maximum personal involvement in the communication and need opportunities to use the target language in social interactions. The learning of a language centres on the use of the language for communicative purposes. Alexander (2004) suggests that the basic repertoire of classroom talk is unlikely to offer the types of cognitive challenge required to extend students thinking. In contrast, he characterizes an approach he describes as dialogic teaching which is collective, reciprocal, supportive, cumulative and purposeful. However, these types of talk are less frequently encountered in classrooms (M roz et al., 2000). Dialogic pedagogies aim for classroom interactions that involve more than superficial participation. They are exemplified by the teachers uptake of student ideas, authentic questions and the opportunity for students to change or modify the course of instruction (Nystrand et al., 2003). Teachers relinquish some measure of control of the trajectory of the lesson as pupils are offered a degree of collaborative influence over the co-construction of knowledge. 1.2 Importance of the study This study is important in four ways. First, as an eye opening to the concept of dialogic approach in the training institution and it is focusing on the classroom interaction between the trainees and the trainer in the class from the socio-cultural theory approach. Second, it gives a holistic view on what is happening in the class and what could be done to help the trainees to become competent user of the English Language learner. Third, it will trigger the needs for the trainers to have a series of cascade training organized by the Teacher Education Division, Malaysia in order to share, improve their approaches in class and vary their instructional teaching before they start teaching the trainees. Fourth, it will establish the culture of sharing and collaboration among the lecturers in the training institute. It requires the teachers to work collaboratively, to open their classroom for observation, critical reviews and discussion with peers. Lastly, it is focusing on the professional development of the trainers in providing the best approaches in exploring the best approach and varies their pedagogical approach in a second language learning class. 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research Questions. 1. To what extent do lecturers interact with students to develop their participation in classroom discourse? 2. How are the lecturers developing the English Language competency and critical thinking skills of students through the interaction in class? 3. How do lecturers evaluate their instructional teaching practices? 4. What impact has the Communicative Language Teaching had on the teaching practices to promote a dialogic pedagogy? 5. How useful is a dialogic approach to staff professional development? 1.4   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Objectives of the study were as follows; 1. To measure the ways lecturers interact with the students to develop their participation in class.   2. To identify how lecturers develop English Language competency and critical thinking skills through the interaction in class. 3. To explore the lecturers instructional practices in second language learning class. 4. To explore the impact of the communicative language teaching policy on language learning in teacher training institutions. 5. To explore the usefulness of a dialogic approach to staff development in teacher training institutions. 1.5. Methodology Research design The focus of the study is to look at the quality of classroom interaction between the lecturer and the trainees. The literature has offered a wide array of descriptions and definitions of the case study, for example: a case study is an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context in which multiple sources of evidence are used (Yin, 1984:23), the qualitative case study can be defined as an intensive, holistic description and analysis of a single entity, phenomenon, or social unit (Merriam, 1988:16). Different from other research studies which aim for generalizable findings, case studies aim for an understanding of the particular case, in its idiosyncrasy, in its complexity (Stake, 1988:256). The case study aligns with my research objectives. It is focused on the two TESL lecturers, the researcher and their respective classes. The study is the interactive instructional practices of the two teachers, the researcher and their students. In order to provide a detailed and in-depth analytical description of the interactive features of the two cases, the researcher have to be into the research site and collected data from multiple sources in a naturalistic setting, namely, in a setting where teacher-student interaction occurs as it actually is. The main purpose of the study was not to attempt to generalize the conclusions to a larger population but to gain a thorough and in-depth understanding of the topic at issue. At the same time a combination of sociolinguistic and ethnographic perspectives has been taken to approach the above research questions.   Data was collected using a range of techniques: interviewing, classroom observation, audio- and video-taping, oral report and stimulated reflection. The sample for the researcher came from the teacher training institution that is situated in Ipoh, between the Bachelor of Education Twinning program UK-MOEM (Ministry Of Education, Malaysia) and the English Language lecturers. Many teachers, even experienced ones, are not always aware of the nature of their interactions with individual students. Consequently, one of the most important purposes of systematic classroom observation is to improve teachers classroom instruction. Feedback from individual classroom profiles derived from systematic observations has been found to help teachers understand their own strengths and weaknesses, and have consequently enabled them to significantly improve their instruction. Through feedback, teachers can become aware of how their classroom functions and thus bring about changes they desire. This process typically involves having trained observers systematically observe teachers and their students in their classrooms and later providing teachers with information about their instruction in clinical sessions. This approach is based on the assumption that teachers value accurate information that they can use to improve their instruction. CHAPTER TWO  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   LITERATURE REVIEW. This chapter will be reviewed the discussion on the theoretical ground on second language acquisition, the approach in the classroom, the student teacher interaction and the instructional pattern of communication being implemented in the classroom. 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socio-cultural theory Introduction Vygotsky (1896-1934) is one of the Russian psychologists whose ideas have influenced the field of educational psychology and the field of education as whole. He argues for the uniqueness of the social milieu and regards sociocultural settings as the primary and determining factor in the development of higher forms of human mental activity such as voluntary attention, intentional memory, logical thought, planning, and problem solving. According to Vygotsky (1978 cited Lantolf 2000), the socio-cultural environment presents the child with a variety of tasks and demands, and engages the child in his world through the tools. In the early stages, Vygotsky claims that the child is completely dependent on other people, usually the parents, who initiate the childs actions by instructing him/her as to what to do, how to do it, as well as what not to do. Parents, as representatives of the culture and the conduit through which the culture passes into the child, actualise these instructions primarily through language. On the question of how do children then appropriate these cultural and social heritages, Vygotsky (1978 cited Wertsch 1985) states that the child acquires knowledge through contacts and interactions with people as the first step (inter-psychological plane), then later assimilates and internalises this knowledge adding his personal value to it (intra-psychological plane). This transition from social to personal property according to Vygotsky is not a mere copy, but a transformation of what had been learnt through interaction, into personal values. Vygotsky claims that this is what also happens in schools. Students do not merely copy teachers capabilities; rather they transform what teachers offer them during the processes of appropriation. Lantolf et al. (1994) indicate that the latter understanding of consciousness in the field of teaching is embodied in the concept of meta-cognition, which, according to him, incorporates functions such as planning, voluntary attention, logical memory, problem solving and evaluation. Williams and Burden (1997) claim that socio-cultural theory advocates that education should be concerned not just with theories of instruction, but with learning to learn, developing skills and strategies to continue to learn, with making learning experiences meaningful and relevant to the individual, with developing and growing as a whole person. They claim that the theory asserts that education can never be value-free; it must be underpinned by a set of beliefs about the kind of society that is being constructed and the kinds of explicit and implicit messages that will best convey those beliefs. These beliefs should be manifest also in the ways in which teachers interact with students. Socio-cultural theory has a holistic view about the act of learning. Williams Burden (1997) claim that the theory opposes the idea of the discrete teaching of skills and argues that meaning should constitute the central aspects of any unit of study. Any unit of study should be presented in all its complexity rather than skills and knowledge presented in isolation. The theory emphasizes the importance of what the learner brings to any learning situation as an active meaning-maker and problem-solver. It acknowledges the dynamic nature of the interplay between teachers, learners and tasks and provides a view of learning as arising from interactions with others. According to Ellis (2000), socio-cultural theory assumes that learning arises not through interaction but in interaction. Learners first succeed in performing a new task with the help of another person and then internalise this task so that they can perform it on their own. In this way, social interaction is advocated to mediate learning. According to Ellis, the theory goes further to say interactions that successfully mediate learning are those in which the learners scaffold the new tasks. However, one of the most important contributions of the theory is the distinction Vygotsky made between the childs actual and potential levels of development or what he calls Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Lantolf (2002), Wertsch (1985) and Shayer (2002) claim that Vygotskys introduction of the notion of the ZPD was due to his dissatisfaction with two practical issues in educational psychology: the first is the assessment of a childs intellectual abilities and the second is the evaluation of the instructional practices. With respect to the first issue, Vygotsky believes that the established techniques of testing only determine the actual level of development, but do not measure the potential ability of the child. In his view, psychology should address the issue of predicting a childs future growth, what he/she not yet is. Because of the value Vygotsky attached to the importance of predicting a childs future capabilities, he formulated the concept of ZPD which he defines as the distance between a childs actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving, and the higher level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in co llaboration with more capable peers Wertsch (1985, P. 60). According to him, ZPD helps in determining a childs mental functions that have not yet matured but are in the process of maturation, functions that are currently in an embryonic state, but will mature tomorrow. Moreover, he claims that the study of ZPD is also important, because it is the dynamic region of sensitivity in which the transition from inter-psychological to intra-psychological functioning takes place. Shayer (2002) claims that a crucial feature of learning according to Vygotsky is that it creates a ZPD, that is to say, learning awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to operate only when the child is interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his peers. Once these processes are internalised, they become part of the childs independent developmental achievement. Vygotsky advocates that ZPD is not the role of instruction alone, but developmental (biological) factors do have a role to play. It is jointly determined by the childs level of development and the form of instruction involved. According to him, instruction and development do not directly coincide, but represent two processes that exist in a very complex interrelationship. He argues that the child can operate only within certain limits that are strictly fixed by the state of the childs development and intellectual possibilities. Mediation As in Feuerteins theory (Williams and Burden 1997), mediation is central to Vygotskys socio-cultural theory. Mediation according to Vygotsky refers to the part played by other significant people in the learners lives, people who enhance their learning by selecting and shaping the learning experiences presented to them. Vygotsky (1978 cited Wertsch 1985) claims that the secret of effective learning lies in the nature of the social interaction between two or more people with different levels of skills and knowledge. This involves helping the learner to move into and through the next layer of knowledge or understanding. Vygotsky also regard tools as mediators and one of the important tools is language. The use of language to help learners move into and through their ZPD is of great significance to socio-cultural theory. Kozulin et al. (1995) claim that Vygotsky considers the learning process as not a solitary exploration of the environment by the child on his own, but as a process of the childs appropriation of the methods of actions that exist in a given culture. In the process of appropriation, symbolic tools or artefacts play a crucial role. Kozulin (2002) categorises mediators into two categories: human and symbolic. According to him, human mediation usually tries to answer the question concerning what kind of involvement on the part of the adult is effective in enhancing the childs performance; while symbolic mediation deals with what changes in the childs performance can be brought about by the introduction of the child to symbolic tools-mediators. Scaffolding According to Donato (1994) scaffolding is a concept that derives from cognitive psychology and L1 research. It states that in a social interaction, a knowledgeable participant can create by means of speech and supportive conditions in which the student (novice) can participate in and extend current skills and knowledge to a high level of competence. In an educational context, however, scaffolding is an instructional structure whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task then gradually shifts responsibility to the students. According to McKenzie, (1999) scaffolding provides the following advantages: a) It provides clear directions for students b) It clarifies purpose of the task c) It keeps students on task d) It offers assessment to clarify expectations e) It points students to worthy sources f) It reduces uncertainty, surprise and disappointment g) It delivers efficiency h) It creates momentum According to Rogoff (1990 in Donato, 1994), scaffolding implies the experts active stance towards continual revisions of the scaffolding in response to the emerging capabilities of the learner, and a learners error or limited capabilities can be a signal for the adult to upgrade the scaffolding. As the learner begins to take on more responsibility for the task, the adult dismantles the scaffold indicating that the child has benefited from the assisted performance and internalised the problem-solving processes provided by the previous scaffold episode. Wertsch (1979a cited Donato 1994) claims that scaffold performance is a dialogically constituted inter-psychological mechanism that promotes the learners internalisation of knowledge co-constructed in shared activity. Donato (1994) advocates that in an L2 classroom, collaborative work among language learners provides the same opportunity for scaffold help as in expert-novice relationships in the everyday setting. Van Lier (1988 cited Do nato 1994) states that L2 teaching methodology can benefit from a study of L1 scaffolding to understand how classroom activities already tacitly employ such tactics. The study of scaffolding in L2 research according to Donato has focused exclusively on how language teachers provide guided assistance to learners. 2.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Classroom interaction in socio-cultural theory A socio-cultural theory was pioneered by Vgotsky (1978) and the core of the theory is the proposition that cognitive development originates in social interaction. Vgotsky (1981) formulated the trajectory of cognitive development as from the inter-psychological plane to the intra-psychological plane by saying: Any function in the childs cultural development appears twice, or in two planes: first, it appears on the social plane, and then on the psychological plane; first it appears between people as an inter-psychological category, and then within the child as an intra-psychological category. This is equally true with regard to voluntary attention, logical memory and the formation of concepts and the development of volition (p.163). In other words, learning first takes place between a child and an expert (e.g. the childs parent) when they engage in joint under-taking. The expert assists the young child to appropriate his greater knowledge or skills in relation to the task at hand and gradually hands over the task to the young child. The child internalizes what he gained and transformed it into his own resources that can be used for individual thinking and problem solving. It is mainly mediated by means of talk. 2.3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Classroom interactions Constructivism Related to Questioning and Conversation Constructivism plays a key role in effective classroom conversations and differs from classrooms filled with traditional conversations. Schulte (1996) argued that Constructivist teachers must observe the students actions and listen to their views without making judgments or trying to correct answers (p. 27). This differs from the traditional classroom where students are passive learners and wait for the teacher to give correct answers (Schulte, 1996). In contrast, constructivist classroom teachers must listen to students and help make connections between what they are thinking and what others are thinking during the same experience (Duckworth, 2006). Teachers must also make connections for learners between the learners understandings and the teachers understandings (Duckworth, 2006). Instead of giving lectures and expecting students to regurgitate what has been lectured, teachers must show students how to listen to others and question ideas when they are unknown (Duckworth, 2006). Teachers must make their actions known to students by using explicit language, modelling the thinking process, and allowing students to think aloud about new ideas (Bodrova Leong, 1996). Lambert, etal. (2002) supported the idea of sharing thoughts and ideas by stating, In a constructivist conversation, each individual comes to understand the purpose of talk, since the relationship is one of reciprocity (p. 65). Constructivist teaching allows students to actively participate in their learning versus the traditional idea of passively receiving information. It allows teachers and students to synthesize their knowledge in order to create new meanings. Classroom discourse based on a constructivists view of learning involves student participation. This was explained by Hartman (1996) when stated, As seen through Vygotskys views, classroom discourse is socially meaningful activity because it creates a situation in which all students can and are encouraged to participate not only by the teacher, but by the other students as well (p. 99). Students are encouraged to share their ideas with others to help clarify their thoughts and make adjustments to their understandings (Schulte, 1996). Student participation means that teachers hand over control of classroom conversations and allow students to express their thinking aloud. This results in the student having the final word at times and helps the student create his or her own understanding instead of receiving the teachers understanding of ideas (Duckworth, 2006). When students are allowed to explain their thinking they must learn to be explicit and clear so others will understand them; t hat results in deeper understanding (Bodrova Leong, 1996). Student participation during classroom discourse allows students to practice problem-solving and decision-making skills that will help improve their leadership ability as adults. In Dantonio and Beisenherz (2001) book Learning to Question, Questioning to Learn, constructivist classroom discussions are referred to as instructional conversations. In an instructional conversation, a teacher is skilful in facilitating talk that promotes student thinking. Students require guided practice in order to respond in a manner that leads to a deeper understanding of subject matter. With guidance, students learn to enhance the quality of their thinking through the teachers effective use of questions. In line with Vygotskys zone of proximal development, instructional conversations provide students with opportunities to do today with help what can be done independently tomorrow. Teachers and students work together to create new meanings and understandings through effective questioning and higher level learner responses. Classroom discourse holds various meanings but definitions found in the literature hold a common ground: classroom discourse is talk between two or more persons that may or may not lead to a new understanding (Cazden, 2001; Mroz, Smith Hardman, 2000). Two definitions of classroom discourse were given by Cazden (1998). She described discourse as conversations where participants are having the same talk. Discourse was also described as an understanding that occurs when participants take different positions in different talks at the same time. In their research findings, Edwards and Mercer (1987) described classroom discourse as the talk that occurs between two or more people that usually consists of a teacher and one or more students. Additional researchers defined classroom discourse in their studies. Skidmore, Perez-Parent, and Arnfield (2003) proclaimed that classroom discourse contrasts to every day conversation because students must wait for their turn while patiently raising their hand. In everyday conversation people speak to one another at will to express their ideas and understandings. Similarly, Townsend and Pace (2005) noted that classroom discourse that is directed by one person, usually the teacher, results in students repeating predetermined ideas or mere facts. It contrasts to classrooms where students are given opportunities to explore higher level questions and engage in meaning making activities (Townsend Pace, 2005). Skidmore (1999) referred to traditional classroom discourse as, pedagogical dialogue, in which someone who knows the truth instructs someone who is in error, and which is characterised by a tendency towards the use of authoritative discourse on the part of the teacher (p. 17). All of these examples of classroom discourse vary from everyday conversations because students are subjected to waiting for a turn to give factual information. Researchers of classroom discourse refer to teacher dictated conversations as a traditional pattern of talk. 2.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Research Studies on Classroom Interaction Many studies on classroom interactions focused on teacher questions, learner responses, or the effect of questions on student achievement. Studies by Redfield and Rousseau (1981), Chin (2006), Wells and Arauz (2006), Boyd and Rubin (2006), Myhill and Dunkin (2005), and Schleppenbach, Perry, and Miller (2007) were reviewed, compared, and contrasted. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) analyzed 20 studies on the effect of teacher questioning on student achievement. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) wanted to create a meta-analysis of data from the studies to determine the impact of program monitoring, experimental validity, and level of teacher questioning. All of the studies were experimental or quasi-experimental in nature. Quantitative tools were used to measure the effect size in each study. Redfield and Rousseau (1981) completed their research by stating, Hence, it may be concluded that small-scale studies of teacher questioning behaviour have allowed for greater experimental control than large-scale studies (p. 242).It was found that teachers that predominately used higher cognitive questions had a positive effect on student achievement, and teachers that were trained in effective questions and used higher cognitive questions greatly affected their students achievement. Chin (2006) conducted a study focused on teacher questions and feedback to learner responses during science lessons. She wanted to analyze the type of talk that occurs during science lessons, find out how teachers use questioning to engage students, and identify the various types of feedback teachers give to learners during an initiation response-feedback exchange of talk. Chin (2006) gathered data from two science classrooms in Singapore during 14 lessons. To explain the data analysis, Chin (2006) explained, A questioning-based discourse analytical framework was developed for the description and analysis of classroom discourse in science, with a focus on questioning based practices (p. 1334). It was found that when the teacher provided feedback in the form of subsequent questions that built upon a students response, acknowledgement of a students response, or a restatement of a students response, students responded at a level beyond recall. Chin (2006) concluded that Students can be stretched mentally throu