Friday, January 31, 2020

Mabalacat Pampanga Essay Example for Free

Mabalacat Pampanga Essay Is a former municipality, the third city in Pampanga converted because of a referendum on July 21,2012. According to the last 2010 consensus, Mabalacat has a population of 215,610 people. Economy and Livelihood -Mabalacat is a major transportation hub here in Pampanga connecting NLEX, SCTEX , and the McArthur Hi-Way. -Mabalacat is a highly urbanized city. It consists of different business establishments. A lot of this includes iron works, ceramics, car accessories and different hotels and restaurants. -Mabalacat also gets some tax contributed income from the Clark Freeport Zone. -Delicacies include tocino del cielo and pastillas. Cultural Profiles: Festivals: Caragan Festival: This is a Festival in Mabalacat which the Mabalacat people celebrates its roots and ancestry and to honor the town’s first Aeta chieftain. City Fiesta: Every February 2, the city Fiesta is celebrated in honor of the statue of a Virgin Mary with a baby Jesus on her lap that was found by Cabezang Laureanas workers, This statue was presented to Caragan as a gift by Padre Maximilian Manuguid, the priest of early Mabalacat church. Customs -Mabalacat people are religious and diligent. They put the family time and church activities as one of their priorities. -Mabalacat people follow the holy week traditions carefully and still practices Penitensya.* *as cited by residents Traditions -Mabalacat people still follows pastorella, even though all other places in Pampanga have stopped celebrating it. -Mabalacat people majority still follow the â€Å"penitensya† during the Holy Week. -People of Mabalacat always spend quality time with each other especially family. -The People of Mabalacat has a family first kind of principle.* *as cited by Residents. Prominent Local Figures: Mayor MORALES, BOKINGVice-Mayor HALILI, CHRISTIANLydia de Vega a famous runnerMelanie Marquez is a former beauty queen and model who won the 1979 Miss International beauty pageant.Joey Marquez is an actor and politician.

Thursday, January 23, 2020

Paul the apostle :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff was a theologian and early proponent of reform in the Roman Catholic Church during the 14th century. He initiated the first translation of the Bible into the English language and is considered the main precursor of the Protestant Reformation. Wycliff was born at Ipreswell, Yorkshire, England, between 1320 and 1330. He died at Lutterworth December 31, 1384.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Wycliff’s family was of early Saxon origin, long settled in Yorkshire. In his day the family was a large one, covering a considerable territory. 1324 is the year usually given for Wycliff's birth. Wycliff probably received his early education close to home. It is not known when he first went to Oxford, with which he was so closely connected till the end of his life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He was at Oxford in about 1345, when a series of illustrious names was adding glory to the fame of the university, such as those of Roger Bacon, Robert Grosseteste, Thomas Bradwardine, William of Occam, and Richard Fitzralph. Wycliff owed much to Occam. He showed an interest in natural science and mathematics, but applied himself to the study of theology, ecclesiastical law, and philosophy. Even Wycliff’s opponents acknowledged the keenness of his dialectic. Wycliff’s writings prove that he was well grounded in Roman and English law, as well as in native history. A family whose seat was in the neighborhood of Wycliff's home, Bernard Castle, founded Balliol College, Oxford to which Wycliffe belonged, first as scholar, then as master. He attained the headship no later than 1360. When he was presented by the college (1361) with the parish of Fylingham in Lincolnshire, he had to give up the leadership of Balliol, though he could continue to live at Oxfor d. His university career followed the usual course. While as baccalaureate he busied himself with natural science and mathematics, as master he had the right to read in philosophy. More significant was his interest in Bible study, which he pursued after becoming bachelor in theology. His performance led Simon Islip, Archbishop of Canterbury, to place him at the head of Canterbury Hall in 1365. Between 1366 and 1372 he became a doctor of theology. In 1368 he gave up his living at Fylingham and took over the rectory of Ludgershall in Buckinghamshire, not far from Oxford, which enabled him to retain his connection with the university.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was not as a teacher or preacher that Wycliffe gained his position in history; this came from his activities in ecclesiastical politics, in which he engaged about the mid-1370s, when his reformatory work also began.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Barriers, challenges, and strategies Essay

Most clinical health care workers are aware that achieving the paradigm of evidence-based practice (EBP) is the gold star standard that one strives for in his/her clinical practice. EBP is expected of healthcare clinicians and has become a synonym for quality care both by the institution of healthcare and its consumers (Brim & Schoonover, 2009). This essay will define EBP for nurses. The barriers, challenges and strategies to implementing evidence-based nursing practice (EBNP) will be discussed with reference to relevant and authoritative literature. As well, the relevance and the links that EBNP has with the clinical area of Intensive Care will be discussed. EBP is the integration, by clinicians, of clinical expertise which is meticulous, explicit and uses current clinically appraised professional knowledge (Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny, Richard, Ceniceros, & Blaize, 2010). EBP accommodates patient preferences, views and values; while also guiding, supporting, validating and answering health care workers clinical judgements, practices, and questions (Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny et al., 2010; Matula, 2005; Wolf, 2005). EBP is a process of asking a clinical question; searching for clinical evidence; critically appraising this evidence and then expertly integrating this evidence with patient’s values, views and preferences; evaluation of how the changes to practice have had on outcomes; and finally disseminating the results that the EBP or change had on patient outcomes (Melnyk, Fineout-Overholt, Stillwell, & Williamson, 2010). The definition of EBP and EBNP and the implementation of EBNP appear to be straightforward and easily accomplished; however, EBNP implementation is far removed from being easy (Brim & Schoonover, 2009; Cullen, Titler, & Rempel, 2011; Eizenberg, 2011; Kenny et al., 2010; Tolson, Booth, & Lowndes, 2008). Nursing research has uncover ed numerous challenges and barriers which the implementation of EBNP faces. These challenges and barriers can be classified as a research, a clinician, an organisational, a nursing professional barrier, and not least patient barriers (Fernandez, Davidson, & Griffiths, 2008; Gerrish et al., 2011; Hutchinson &Johnston, 2006; Ross, 2010). Eizenberg (2011), Gerrish et al. (2011), and Ross (2010) found that nurses face research and clinician barriers that include not having the time, skills and knowledge to critically critique and/or synthesise research literature, unable to effectively use and search databases electronically, hold negative views toward research and feel research is too complex, as  well research at times is not clear on how to implement the findings and findings can be contradictory. Due to these barriers, nurses tend to rely on synthesised evidence such as evidence-based protocols, policies and procedures (Gerrish et al., 2011). Eizenberg (2011) and Gerrish et al. (2011) also found that nurses prefer to acquire information through third parties such as their colleagues, the workplace, through patient care experience, and the knowledge they received from their nursing education. Eizenberg (2011) found that the organisation is the greatest factor in successful EBNP implementation. The organisation controls access and the budget to and for evidence resources such as computers with internet access, a well-equipped library, and access to educational opportunities in EBNP procedures and theory (Eizenberg, 2011). The barrier of not having the authority to change a nursing practice also lies with the organisation – a nurse may have the necessary research knowledge and experience to effectively change practice but cannot implement practice change due to the organisation not giving him/her the authority to instill change (Eizenberg, 2011). Few nursing staff members are given the opportunity to participate in the development of evidence-based policies and procedures; therefore, most nurses are not engaged to support EBP. Ross (2010) further found organisational barriers such as the organisation giving priority to other goals (for example excess sick leave) over EBNP, the organisation may perceive that the staff are not ready or willing to implement EBNP, and that the organisation believes EBNP is unachievable. These organisational barriers prevent EBNP being accomplished and to the greater extent of not being implemented. A barrier of nursing profession relates to the medical dominance of healthcare; as such, nurses are not afforded the power, authority, autonomy and respect from colleagues for nursing practice that the status of being a profession decrees (Brim & Schoonover, 2009; Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). A further nursing profession barrier is it can be difficult to instill enthusiasm or information about an EBNP if turnover is high; there is a shortage of experienced nurses; and support from colleagues is lacking (Gerrish et al., 2011; Mark, Latimer, & Hardy, 2010). Due to high turnover and staff shortages, nurses are unable to leave the bedside and have limited time to participate in EBNP projects such as journal clubs, or to attend training in EBP, PICO  (Population/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome), and database searches (Brim & Schoonover, 2009; Brown, Johnson, & Appling, 2011). Nurses, as Kenny et al. (2010) found were hesitant to change their practice if the change would perceivably increase an already heavy workload. Brim & Schoonover (2009) found that some nurses believed EBNP to be an optional course of action as they were never shown a clear direction of what EBNP is essential to nursing and his/her practice. One of the main premises of EBNP is that the evidence and the v alues and beliefs of the patient/s are synthesised together to form an EBNP which is foremost favourable for a positive outcome for the patient/s (Fernandez et al., 2008). Such factors as treatment, travel, and prescription costs; denial of diagnosis; inadequate knowledge level of disease and strategies to decrease risk factors; lack of social support; and cultural issues can all potentially become barriers to implementing an EBNP for a patient or patients (Fernandez et al., 2008). The high acuity of an intensive care unit (ICU) patient significantly affects a nurse’s ability to search a database for answers (Brim & Schoonover, 2009; Kenny et al., 2010). An answer to a question is usually needed immediately or momentarily; therefore, ICU nurses rely on experience, colleagues, and knowledge of evidence-based policies, procedures and guidelines (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). I know I rely heavily upon in-services, experience, and speaking with the ICU Clinical Nurse Educators and Nurse Educators who will do a literature search to acquire information or answers to a question I have posed – but once again this evidence/information h as been synthesised by others and is third hand and I have not fully practiced EBN (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). To try and challenge this barrier I do try and read the clinical information the educator obtained at a later date – usually at home or on a break. Strategies to overcome these challenges and barriers abound from EBP and EBNP journal articles and books. Some of the leading strategies are for the organisation to fully support EBNP through infrastructure, strong leadership from nurse managers and/or advanced practice nurses, and by ensuring a context in which EBNP can flourish (Gerrish et al., 2011; Tolson et al., 2008). The infrastructure needs to provide access to a computer which can access online databases. Infrastructure needed to be in place includes a staffed evidence based nursing library with a librarian able to educate nurses on the process of  EBNP (Pochciol & Warren, 2009). The added challenge is to have EBNP info accessible to the nurse at the patient’s bedside (Pochciol & Warren, 2009). Nursing leaders need a Master’s degree or above, as studies show that leaders with these credentials read and implement more research literature; are more confident; and they consider themselves more competent in supporting others through the EBNP process (Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011). Leaders, as suggested by Cullen et al. (2011), hold the responsibility to provide support; to build, to create, and maintain an organisational culture that has the capacity to support EBP at both a clinical and administration level. Leaders must be given the power, authority, and support to introduce change – without this authority change cannot occur (Eizenberg, 2011). Scholars agree that if EBNP is to succeed and be sustainable nurses need to be educated and mentored on the implementation process of EBNP (Brim & Schoonover, 2009; Brown et al., 2011; Eizenberg, 2011; Gerrish et al., 2011; Pochciol & Warren, 2009; Ross, 2010; Tolson et al., 2008). EBNP education of nurses needs to begin at orientation to the hospital and is essential that this education is continually built upon and supported with extra education given to nurse managers, educators and advanced practice nurses (Pochciol & Warren, 2009 & Tolson et al, 2008). Ross (2010) suggests nurses information literacy be improved to ensure nurses are able to practice EBN. Information literacy is the ability to competently recognise, locate, and evaluate the fundamental information required at a given point (Ross, 2010). The ICU, where I am employed, has undergone significant changes to the staff and managerial side of the unit. At one point the Clinical Nurse Specialists ratio decreased to less than 5% of nursing staff and there was not a permanent full time Clinical Nurse Consultant. Without the necessary support acquired from these roles the education of ICU nurses and the implementation of new practices, policies and procedures decreased significantly. These barriers significantly halted EBNP from occurring in the ICU as there were very few highly educated leaders available to support EBNP. As suggested by Eizenberg, (2011), Gerrish et al. (2011), and Cullen et al. (2011), educated leaders and managers are needed to keep and instill EBNP to an institution. To obtain Magnet Status hospitals must ensure that EBNP is in place, is supported, and is sustained by the organisation (Brown et al., 2011). To procure nurse  interest in EBNP, and maintain Magnet Status, some hospitals have linked participation in EBNP to clinical ladder advancement and a monetary reward in the form of a wage increase with advancement up the ladder (Whitmer, Aver, Beerman, & Weishaupt, 2011). To hold their position on the clinical advancement ladder the nurse must show, yearly, that he/she is supporting, or implementing, or participating in EBNP within the setting they are employed (Whitmer et al, 2011). The benefits of practicing EBN includes: patients ability to access effective evidence based treatment information; facilitates consistent improvement, through decision making, to healthcare systems; facilitates decisions based on up-to-date evidence and technologies; and reduces variances in nursing care from one nurse to another – standard and competencies are evidence based and consistent; through evidence based competencies the professional status of nursing is elevated to higher heights (Gerrish et al., 2011; Eizenberg, 2011). In conclusion, the challenges/barriers, barrier strategies, and benefits of EBNP has been discussed. Little discussion on EBNP within an ICU was attempted as the ICU nurses face the same situations, challenges/barriers, strategies and benefits as nurses in other areas of healthcare (Sciarra, 2011). Nurses must be given organisational support, education and knowledge needed to participate proficiently in EBNP. References Brim, C. B., & Schoonover, H. D. (2009). Lessons learned while conducting a clinical trial to facilitate evidence-based practice: the neophyte researcher experience. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 40(8), 380-384. DOI: 10.3928/00220124-20090723-06 Brown, C. R., Johnson, A. S., & Appling, S. E. (2011). A taste of nursing research: an interactive program, introducing evidence-based practice and research to clinical nurses. Journal for Nurses in Staff development, 27(6), E1-E5. DOI: 10.1097/NND.0b013e3182371190 Cullen, L., Titler, M. G., & Rempel, G. (2011). An advanced educational program promoting evidence-based practice. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 33(3), 345-364. DOI: 10.1177/0193945910379218 Eizenberg, M. M. (2011). Implementation of evidence-based nursing practice: nurses’ personal and professional factors? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(1), 33-42. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05488.x Fernandez, R. S., Davidson, P., & Griffiths, R. (2008). Cardiac rehabilitation coordinators’ perceptions of patient-related barriers to implementing cardiac evidence-based guidelines. Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 23(5), 449-457. Gerrish, K., Guillaume, L., Kirshbaum, M., McDonnell, A., Tod, A., & Nolan, M. (2011). Factors influencing the contribution of advanced practice nurses to promoting evidence- based practice among front-line nurses: findings from a cross-sectional survey. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 67(5), 1079-1090. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05560.x Hutchinson, A. M., & Johnston, L. (2006). Beyond the BARRIES Scale: commonly reported barriers to research use. Journal of Nursing Administration, 36(4), 189-199. Kenny, D. J., Richard, M. L., Ceniceros, X., & Blaize, K. (2010). Collaborating across services to advance evidence-based nursing practice. Nursing Research, 59(1S), S11-S21. Mark, D. D., Latimer, R. W., & Hardy, M. D. (2010). â€Å"Stars† aligne d for evidence-based practice. A TriService initiative in the Pacific. Nursing Research, 59(S1), S48-S57. Matula, P. (2005). Evidence-based practice at the bedside: Igniting the spirit of inquiry. The Pennsylvania Nurse, Dec, 22. Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Stillwell, S. B., & Williamson, K. M. (2010). The seven steps of evidence-based practice. Following this progressive, sequential approach will lead to improved health care and patient outcome. The American Journal of Nursing, 110(1), 51-53. Pochciol, J. M., & Warren, J. I. (2009). An information technology infrastructure to enable evidence-based nursing practice. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 33(4), 317-324. Ross, J. (2010). Information literacy for evidence-based practice in perianesthesia nurses: readiness for evidence-based practice. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 25(2), 64-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.jopan.2010.01.007 Sciarra, E. (2011). Impacting practice through evidence-based education. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 30(5), 269-275. DOI: 10.1097/DCC.0b.013e318227738c Tolson, D., Booth, J., & Lowndes, A. (2008). Achieving evidence-based nursing practice: impact of the Caledonian development model. Journal of Nursing Management, 16, 682-691. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00889.x Whitmer, K., Aver, C., Beerman, L., & Weishaupt, L. (2011). Launching evidence-based nursing practice. Journal for Nurses in Staff Development, 27(2), E5-E7. DOI: 10.1097/NND.0b013e31820eefd2 Wolf, Z. R. (2005). Clinical challenges and evidence based nursing practice. The Pennsylvania Nurse, Dec, 20.

Monday, January 6, 2020

Understanding the French Expression Pas Mal

The French expression pas mal (pronounced pah-mahl) is a handy phrase to know because you can use it in a variety of ways in casual conversation. Literally translated, it means not bad in English and can be used to respond to common questions such as  Ãƒ §a va? or  comment allez-vous? But pas mal  can also be used as an exclamation of approval, along the lines of nice job, way to go!   Theres also another, completely different way to use pas mal: in reference to a fair amount/number or quite a bit of something. It can be used with nouns, in which case it must be followed by de, as well as with verbs. Note that there is no  ne to go with the pas and that de follows the rules of other adverbs of quantity, meaning that even in front of plural nouns its usually de not des.   Examples Tu las fait en dix minutes? Pas mal! You did it in 10 minutes? Not bad / Way to go!Il gagne pas mal dargent. He earns quite a bit of money.Jai pas mal de questions. I have quite a few / a fair number of questions.Nous avons discutà © pas mal didà ©es. We discussed quite a few ideas.Elle a pas mal voyagà ©. She has traveled quite a bit.Vous allez voir pas mal là  -bas. Youre going to see quite a bit over there.

Sunday, December 29, 2019

Approaches to the Study of Consumer Behaviour - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2368 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Review Did you like this example? Economic Man, Psychodynamic, Behaviourist, Cognitive and Humanistic Consumers possess considerable discretion to make independent and autonomous choices about what they will and will not buy, from whom they will buy, as well as from whom they will not, and this purchasing power leaves most businesses that are not monopolies little choice but to adopt a consumer orientation, meaning that they must resolutely focus on understanding customers in order to more effectively fulfil their needs (Baker Hart, 2003). Specifically, in marketing, a good understanding of customers lives to the maximum extent possible is crucial to ensuring that the most appropriate products and services are being marketed to the right people in the most effective way possible (Kotler Keller, 2012). Influencing consumers behaviour, and in particular their purchasing decisions, is at the focal point of all the effort and resources that are devoted to marketing (Kotler Armstrong, 2014) and because of this fact, marketers will require an in depth understanding of the principle s and motivations behind consumers behaviour if they expect to be able to effectively anticipate, forecast and perhaps even instigate what consumers will do in the future (Baker Hart, 2003). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Approaches to the Study of Consumer Behaviour" essay for you Create order According to Jobber and Fahy (2006), it is nearly impossible to succeed at marketing without an in-depth understanding of how and why consumers behave in the ways that they do and therefore, it is unsurprising that consumer behaviour and the ways in which consumers make decisions, particularly purchasing decisions, are prominent research topics and have been studied extensively in the various fields of consumer science (Erasmus, Boshoff, Rousseau, 2001). The first attempts at understanding consumer behaviour were based on the assumptions typically made in orthodox economics, that in a world of scarce resources, economic actors or economic men, are primarily motivated to reconcile the inevitable tension between unlimited needs and limited resources (Keizer, 2010) and that all behaviour results from rational decision making in the pursuit of purely self-regarding choices (Camerer Fehr, 2006). For instance, a consumer presented with the same product at different prices, all other t hings being equal, will almost certainly choose the option which has the lower price. This approach assumes that consumers are always consciously aware of all their true preferences, ranked in order of priority and social factors are assumed to be irrelevant in interpersonal relations, which are assumed to be primarily motivated by economics (Keizer, 2010). In essence, the economic men approach considers consumers behaviour to be motivated primarily by the rational pursuit of optimum economic benefit. Over the last three decades however, a large body of evidence has been accumulated showing that a number of the assumptions routinely made in economics about rationality and preference are, in reality, abstractions which are regularly violated in real world situations (Camerer Fehr, 2006). Behavioural psychologists dispute the assumption that consumers are by and large rational actors, the central assumption of the economic man approach (Keizer, 2010). In reality consumers behaviou r is often driven by psychological forces that often occur completely outside the conscious mind and of which consumers are not aware as well as motives that they may not fully understand (Kotler Armstrong, 2014) and, therefore, according to Keizer, (2010) to understand the functioning and the inner workings of the human mind is to gain insight as to what underlies and drives consumer behaviour. Even though the cognitive, psychodynamic and behavioural approaches to the study of consumer behaviour are all based on understanding the functioning of the mind, each takes a different perspective on the consumer in order to interpret their behaviour. The first attempts to ascribe consumer behavior to cognitive processes made use of the information processing patterns of digital computers in the 1960s as the model for the mental process of decision making (Baker Hart, 2003) and typically depict purchasing decisions by consumers as a five step sequential process which occurs mostly subc onsciously (Marsden Littler, 1996) starting with the recognition of a need or problem, followed by a search for information as to how that need may be fulfilled, which is then followed by an evaluation of available choices and options uncovered in the information search, after which the actual decision to purchase is made and then, finally, consumers undertake a post-decision evaluation of the outcome of the choice they have made (Erasmus, Boshoff, Rousseau, 2001). Baker Hart (2003) identify a weakness in this cognitive approach in pointing out that no account is taken of individual situational factors or context as no differentiation is made, for instance, between consumers making one-off buying decisions for durable products and others making repeat purchases of familiar brands or consumer goods. Also, in the case of low-risk, low-cost or low-involvement decisions or variety seeking consumers, information is not always processed in a deliberate rational manner (Kotler Keller, 2012). As the minds of other people are inaccessible, the cognitive approach is necessarily subjective (Keizer, 2010) and since there is no means by which cognitive processes can be directly observed or objectively measured, according to Bennett Bove (2002) they do not have a place in study and research. The psychodynamic approach to the study of consumer behaviour is largely based around the ideas and theories of Sigmund Freud (Backhaus et al., 2007) who believed that behaviour is not based on environmental stimuli or cognitive processes (Hoyer and Macinnis, 2008) but instead is the result of a fundamental internal conflict and interplay between the drive for gratification of needs, wants with desires, will power and the limitations on behaviour brought about due to the survival and social necessities of being accepted as a functioning member of society (Solomon, Russell-Bennett Previte, 2013). Some drives may be innate, like the need to eat, while others will be acquired or l earned, like the need to smoke cigarettes (Bennett, 1996), but both drive behaviour all the same. According to Marsden Littler (1996) childhood experiences have a powerful influence on many of the drives that follow consumers throughout their lives. Sigmund Freud theorised that there are three systems within the human mind: the id, the ego and the superego. According to his theories, we are motivated as humans to behave in ways which minimise any conflict between these three entities (Solomon, Russell-Bennett Previte, 2013). The id is about selfish, illogical and immediate gratification and nothing more, without regard for any consequences and operating according to the pleasure principle, which is the basic desire to maximise pleasure and avoid pain. The superego counteracts the id, acting in essence like a conscience and internalising societys rules especially as was taught by ones parents (Solomon, Russell-Bennett Previte, 2013). The ego is the system that mediates be tween the id and the superego. The ego tries to find the balance between the other two, applying the reality principle which means finding ways to attain the maximum gratification for the id that society at large will accept. As these conflicts occur unconsciously, consumers are not normally aware of the underlying reasons for the behaviour they bring about (Solomon, Russell-Bennett Previte, 2013). In a landmark study into behaviour, Watson Rayner (1920) proved behaviour could be learned due to external events by teaching a small child to fear otherwise harmless objects through the repeated association with loud noises. The behaviourist approach, contends that conditioning of consumers behaviour occurs as a result of external stimuli (Marsden Littler, 1996) which triggers responses while, at the same time feedback received from the environment as a result of past behaviours, whether perceived as positive or negative, will act as reinforcement and will serve to strengthen or we aken future responses accordingly so that consumers will be driven to repeat behaviour which is perceived to have been rewarded, whereas behaviour that elicits negative feedback will likely be avoided (Bennett, 1996). For example, a satisfactory experience when consuming a product or service will make it more likely that the consumer will purchase the product again, whereas a negative experience will probably cause the consumer to avoid that product. Around the time of the turn of this century, Nataraajan Bagozzi (1999: 637) identified in adequacies in the approaches to the study of consumer behaviour stating: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a pressing need in the field to balance the rational, cognitive side of marketing thought and practice with new ideas and research on the emotional facets of marketing behaviour. The humanistic approach emphasizes the self, and places the individual consumer at the centre of the analysis (Keizer, 2010). The cognitive, economic, psychodynamic and behavio urist approaches outlined above all make assumptions based largely on generic rules, without taking into account that consumers are all unique individuals who may respond differently to the same stimuli, and without taking into account that experiences are personal, subjective and unique to each individual by definition, as are the emotions associated with those experiences (Ahola, 2005). Also, they assume that behaviour is always self-interested and do not account for selfless or altruistic behaviour (Nataraajan Bagozzi, 1999). Consumers will often seek to express some sort of self-definition through their belongings leading to an unsurprising consistency between a consumers values and the things they buy (Solomon, et al., 2006). These aspects of individualism and personality are manifested in the concept of the true self (Keizer, 2010) or, as referred to by Sirgy (1982) the self-concept. Demand for certain goods and services is known to be driven by the perceived emotional value to consumers (Vigneron Johnson, 1999), for instance, there are certain product classes, particularly in the entertainment industry for which consumption is largely driven by consumers seeking emotional arousal, not economic benefit or functional utility (Ahola, 2005). In terms of comparison and differentiation, consumer behaviour is portrayed as highly rational in the economic man approach (in responding to economic stimuli) as well as in the cognitive approach (in following the sequence of decision making steps). The cognitive approach is, however, vulnerable to certain biases due to the way that people normally process information. Of these errors, two are of note and these are: fundamental attribution error, which results from incorrect identification of the impact or origin of certain situational factors which will have an impact on behaviour and self-serving bias, which is the tendency of individuals to play up their role in successes while ascribing failures to external si tuational factors (Keizer, 2010). In summary, the psychodynamic and the behaviourist approaches both acknowledge that there are internal cognitive processes taking place in the mind and both regard human behaviour to be the outcome of various interactions between internal factors like drive and response and external factors like stimulus and reinforcement (Skinner, 1953) however, in the behaviourist approach, behaviour is originated externally from the environment whereas the psychodynamic approach ascribes the origin of behaviour to internal biologically drives. The humanistic approach made an appearance in psychology as an alternative to behaviourism and psychoanalysis approach (Dafermos, 2006) and is the only one that accounts for individual perception and interpretation also, acknowledging that these are not completely determined by the environment, by economics or by internal psychology (Keizer, 2010). Proponents of the humanistic approach attribute consumers behaviour to free will and considers them to be responsible for their actions, while criticising the research techniques adopted by in approaches for examining consumers solely as objects and not as subjects (Dafermos, 2006). In conclusion, consumer behaviour has been established to be a highly important aspect of management, in particularly, marketing management. The five approaches to the study of consumers covered compared and contrasted in this paper, are the economic man approach, the cognitive approach, the psychodynamic and behaviourist approaches and finally, the humanistic approach. These studies have come from different perspectives but, given the value to businesses of understanding how consumers behave, as well as the ability to more accurately predict future consumer behaviour, it is not surprising that there have been a number of research studies on the nature and origins of consumer behaviour. References Ahola, E. K. (2005). How is the concept of experience defined in consumer culture theory? Discussing different frames of analysis. Kulutustutkimus. Nyt.[Publication of the Finnish Association of Consumer Research]. Vol. 1. [Online] Available from: https://www.kulutustutkimus.net/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/1-10-ahola.pdf Backhaus, K. Hillig, T. and Wilken, R. (2007) Predicting purchase decision with different conjoint analysis methods. International Journal of Market Research. Vol. 49, No. 3. pp. 341-364 Baker, M., Hart, S. (2003) The Marketing Book. 5th Ed. Oxford, England/Burlington, Massachusetts: Butterworth-Heinemann Bennett, R. (1996) Relationship formation and governance in consumer markets: transactional analysis versus the behaviourist approach. Journal of Marketing Management. Vol. 12, No. 5. pp 417-436. Bennett, R., Bove, L. (2002) Identifying the key issues for measuring loyalty. Australasian Journal of Market Research, Vol. 9, No. 2. pp 27-44. Camerer, C. F., Fehr, E. (2006) When does economic man dominate social behavior? Science. Vol. 311, No. 5757. pp 47-52. Dafermos, M.- (2006). Psychology and Ethics: the double face of Janus. Eleftherna. Vol. 3, pp 97-110. [Online] Available from: https://ilhs.info/en/34%20PsychEthicsMDafFV.pdf Erasmus, A. C., Boshoff, E., Rousseau, G. G. (2001). Consumer decision-making models within the discipline of consumer science: a critical approach. Journal of Family Ecology and Consumer Sciences. Vol. 29. pp 82-90 Hoyer, W.D. Macinnis, D.J. (2008) Consumer Behaviour. 5th ed. Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning Jobber, D. Fahy, J. (2006) Foundations of Marketing. 2nd Ed. Maidenhead, Berkshire: McGraw-Hill Education Keizer, P. K. (2010) Psychology for economists. Tjalling C. Koopmans Institute Discussion Paper Series. Vol 10, No. 17. pp 1-43. Kotler, P. Armstrong, G. (2014) Principles of Marketing. Global Ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd Kotler, P Keller, K. L. (2012) Marke ting Management. 14th Ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Hall Marsden, D., Littler, D. (1996) Evaluating alternative research paradigms: A marketà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?oriented framework. Journal of Marketing Management. Vol. 12, No. 7.pp 645-655. Nataraajan, R., Bagozzi, R. P. (1999) The year 2000: Looking back. Psychology marketing, Vol. 16, No. 8. pp 631-642. Sirgy, M. J. (1982) Self-concept in consumer behavior: A critical review. Journal of consumer research, vol. 9, No. 3. pp 287-300. Skinner, B.F. (1953) Science and Human Behaviour. New York: The Free Press Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S. Hogg, M. K. (2006) Consumer Behaviour: A European Perspective. 3rd Ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Ltd. Solomon, M., Russell-Bennett, R., Previte, J. (2013). Consumer behaviour. 3rd Ed. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Australia Vigneron, F., Johnson, L. W. (1999) A review and a conceptual framework of prestige-seeking consumer behavior. Academy of M arketing Science Review. Vol 1, No. 1. pp 1-15. Watson, J. B., Rayner, R. (1920). Conditioned emotional reactions. Journal of experimental Psychology, Vol. 3, No. 1. pp 1 -14

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Essay about Business Forecasting Group Project - 1318 Words

ECON2209, Business Forecasting, 2014 S1 Course Project (14% + 3% in Total) 1. This project has a value of 14% of the total assessment. In addition, there is a teamwork component worth 3%. The teamwork mark will be based on the online self and peer assessment (see Teamwork Assessment section at the end of this document). 2. This project must be completed in a group of 3 or 4 students. The members of a group come from the same tutorial class. Groups have been alphabetically assigned. Each group is identified by a class number (e.g. Class 2649) and a group number (e.g. Group 2). Please check the spreadsheets in â€Å"courseProjectGroups† to see the group you belong to. Each group must select one person to submit the project. Each group†¦show more content†¦Your task is to analyse the data and provide answers to the above questions. While your client does not use any technical jargons, you realise that the answer to Part (a) requires the construction of a proper econometric model for the historical building approvals, which will in turn produce the answer to Part (b). Your report should have four sections. The â€Å"Executive Summary† section should contain a summary of your answers and conclusions to the client’s questions. In the â€Å"Main Report† section, you should report how you analyse the data, build and check the model, and produce the answers and conclusions. This section justifies the contents of â€Å"Executive Summary†. In the â€Å"Further Issues† section, you should comment on the likely shortcomings of your results. The â€Å"Appendix† section should hold the set of EViews commands used in your analysis. Further you do want to impress your client by delivering a nicely presented report. Hints †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Total length of your completed project, including all discussions, tables, graphs, EViews commands, and the cover page, should not exceed 12 pages. The marks are distributed as: 1 mark for Executive Summary, 11 marks for Main Report, 1 mark for Further Issues, and 1 mark for Appendix and overall presentation. Use the principles/models/techniques up to the end of BF-09 and the end of Chapter 10 of the textbook (inclusive). The projectShow MoreRelatedForecast1127 Words   |  5 PagesManagement Excellence Toolkit-Part 4: Improve Your Estimating and Forecasting Effectiveness March 16, 2011 by Art Petty Leave a Comment 27 Note from Art: Your decisions define you as a leader and a manager, yet we spend very little time in our busy lives finding ways to improve our abilities in this area. 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Market research is necessary, but it is a mistake to rely on focus groups for kids. Nor do even the best technologies for capturing early demand indicators work reliably for toys. Instea d, Johnson recommends advertising, tie-ins (with some cautions)

Friday, December 13, 2019

Corporate Governance and Business Ethics Free Essays

It is quite interesting to note that, academic research in business ethics was a totally distinct discipline from research in corporate governance, and the application of the word ‘ethics’ was uncommon in available research on corporate governance. The chief responsibility of corporate governance was understood to be safeguarding the benefits of the shareholders. Because of the severance between ownership and management, and the incapability of the independent owners to supervise the performances of those managers, a possibility was available for vital strategic decisions to be taken which would advantageous for the managers to a more larger extent compared to the owners. We will write a custom essay sample on Corporate Governance and Business Ethics or any similar topic only for you Order Now For example, takeovers not related to the organization’s core competence outcome in a bigger corporation, however, it does not result in a more profitable company all the time. Certainly, research has proved that extremely increased extent of isolated diversification normally resulted in lower profits. (Corporate Governance and Ethics) Till the greater part of 1990s, nevertheless, remuneration of executives was normally settled to a greater degree by the magnitude of the company compared to by what profits the company is earning. Therefore, unconnected takeovers will openly and instantly be advantageous for the upper-level managers, however may really be unfavorable in case of the stockholders. In the latter part of 1980s and initial stages of 1990s, when numerous mid and lower ranked employees in America were trimmed down, huge remuneration of the CEOs and the application of other methods which exclusively are advantageous to top level managers started to be talked about in greater detail and also in non-business news publications. Even in this present era, Fortune, Business Week, and The Wall Street Journal report about the yearly surveys of remuneration of CEOs and bonuses. The matters which are normally implicated as the active crusade of the shareholder which started during the 1990s, which culminated in increased appreciation on the part of the investors regarding good corporate governance. In case the citizens might lose confidence in the business due to extensive substandard corporate governance, the outcome could be that the common investor will search for scope other than the stock market. Episodes, in the bygone few years have displayed that an existence has been found about a deep bonding between business ethics and corporate governance. The activities of a company’s top executives impact the lives of several people, not merely shareholders. The arena of corporate governance is appreciating that it is stakeholders, not merely shareholders, whose privileges should be safeguarded. (Corporate Governance and Ethics) The position of U. S. corporations was a vital point in time in which a growing amount of scams have impaired their standing as socially accountable entities. (Center for Corporate Governance and Ethics) The Enron debacle has impacted not just the assets of its shareholders, but also even the fate of its staff, and also the Houston community in which it was situated. The domino effects of Enron, Arthur Andersen, Tyco, and other scandals at high places are witnessed presently in the stock market, our country and the employment prospects of our fresh graduates passing out of colleges, and maybe the most enduring in its detriment – in public skepticism, disbelief, and antipathy with the business community. (Corporate Governance and Ethics) The trust among investors was at its nadir, leading in persistent confusion in the financial markets and a smothering of economic turnaround. Center for Corporate Governance and Ethics) Considerable sums of invested monies vanished because of accusations of misappropriation at the corporate level and misuse at the internal level. The accusations of scams and a broad discernment of doubt and indecision were unswervingly hindering the capability of enterprises to fight, create fresh jobs and better our economy. (Corporate Governance: Codes of Ethics to Guide Corporate Conduct) Overseas investors were taking a cautious approach prior to feeling certain that their investments are secure with the U. S. companies. (Center for Corporate Governance and Ethics) The question remains whether an encouraging result is present of these latest episodes. Efficient corporate governance is something which is based on a fundamental set of ethical principles which steer the actions of the company, regarding the decision to launch a new product or collect new capital. It sets up a scaffold for efficiently evaluating risk and finding out and preventing scam and misuse by the internal employees of the corporate. I believe that some of the encouraging results of these latest episodes are which the common American is very aware in the present era regarding corporate governance -although the word is not used by them. I consider that we will be witnessing that in the coming years, communities will expect ethical behavior from companies, be resolute that corporate governance show the commendable values of the company, and that the society reward the people who are idols of excellence and penalize those who flout their wishes. Moreover, I expect that each one of is more aware that ethics is an extremely compelling component of any business proportion. (Corporate Governance and Ethics) There is a universal consensus by the management, regulators, and investor regarding the urgency of a heightened importance on ethics and a better examination of business governance. Endeavors are currently concentrated on developing organizational structures and a legal structure of confirmation and maintaining equilibrium, which are just, ethical, although typified by economic competence. Understanding the enlarged urgency for modifiable management practices and governance systems to bring back confidence in the securities market, the U. S. Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Through the provisions of the Act, it was made compulsory for setting up of separate corporate Board of Directors, establishment of independent audit and nomination committees, and solving of disagreement of interest among the management and other stakeholders in firms, denotes necessity of separate auditors, and accords more rigorous accounting information disclosure norms. Latest and proposed Securities and Exchange Commission rules are there, national stock exchange listing needs, and across the board fresh acts that passed by both sides of Congress, accented by President Bush, building new structures for the governance of the accounting industry as also enticement to manage deception in the shape of strict punishments for corporate delinquency. Even though these needs are mostly aimed at publicly traded businesses and other government controlled industries, these novel regulations must cause management and Boards of Directors, regardless of public or privately held businesses to heed to the demand for corporate reform earnestly by setting up or once again finding out their code of ethics of the company. Corporate Governance: Codes of Ethics to Guide Corporate Conduct) The indecisive efficacy of any fresh regulatory code; its possible expenses of implementation, and the restrictions of automatic remedial market mechanisms, call for building of institutions which ease the realization and execution of the law efficiently and in planned fortitude. These types of institutions must even suggest pioneering governance practices and build increasing apparent and easily supervised codes of ethics together with stringent disclosure needs. Center for Corporate Governance and Ethics) Return on equity is very crucial, but at the same time performing business without restoring to short-cuts is also important. Shareholders activism is important, but at the same time eagerness by the shareholders to allow management to perform its duty is also vital. Cautious notice to firm rules and methods is valuable, but concurrently is the capability to be resilient and keen to change long-standing regulations and processes. Permitting a company to gain from the network of acquaintances of staff is vital, however side by side is averting of circumstances wherein people believe that the company’s decisions are arrived not on the merits, rather depending on the basis of contacts. (Ethics and Corporate Governance: Is There One Best Way? ) Every profitable enterprise wants to flourish and therefore require skilled senior management. But skilled management never implies that that sole decisive factor is awareness regarding the functioning of the business and the capability to augment earnings, growth and profits. Competent management must even instill a custom of truthfulness and ethical conduct. The Board of Directors and management must fix a right ethical pretext in case of every employee, across the hierarchy of the organization. An efficient code of ethics or code of conduct is something which is espoused by the Board of Directors and routinely evaluated and reinstated by the Board. A Code of Ethics must fix the values of the company like the leadership, responsibility, honesty, and dedication and it is not the end of it. (Corporate Governance: Codes of Ethics to Guide Corporate Conduct) In case of beginners, codes of conduct must deal with working conditions, personnel enrichment and training, and disagreements of interest. In order to be genuinely effectual, a code of ethics must be included into employee training across the company and used as an instrument for assisting worker feeling on expected conduct. It must be supervised at every stage to find out if the ideals are really executed across the company. A lot of companies with ethics programs have persisted to sustain hue legal cost for litigation based on unethical conduct of its employees due to gaps in supervising and implementing an ethical code of conduct. The ongoing engagement of every staff as also service by Board members must partly be resolved by every person espousing, enforcing and behaving themselves as per a suitable ethical code of conduct. (Corporate Governance: Codes of Ethics to Guide Corporate Conduct) To conclude, corporate governance guidelines and ethics are developing fast. Investors are calling for increased standards as also other stakeholders. Those companies who do not possess appropriate corporate governance and ethics processes endanger themselves to serious harm to their standing, criminal/ legal action and authoritarian punishments. How to cite Corporate Governance and Business Ethics, Essay examples