Purchasing Behaviour on Skin Care Products Essay

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyse the purchasing behaviour of the younger generation on skin care products. A total of 200 respondents took part in this survey. From the analysis, it was found that Environmental Concerns was ranked the highest among the six variables chosen for the study. The other remaining variables are price, packaging, promotion, branding and self Image. Keywords: Skin care products, consumer behaviour, purchasing behaviour, image, marketing, life style INTRODUCTION Facial skin care product is a personal usage (Rence, 2004). Consumers have many different attribute beliefs toward a product or a service. These bundles of beliefs form one‟s attitude toward that product or service. Marketers need to figure out the buying pattern of external and internal factor which affect customers intention to purchase. It is important to comprehend the buying habit of consumer due to changing technology and uncertain future perception and caused the buying pattern of consumer become fickle with every generation (Rence, 2004). Up till now, facial skin care has played a hand in Malaysia market. Malaysia‟s consumer lifestyle has been changing due in part to give a rising in affluence and education levels. In order to shape the consumer buying behaviour, the high profile international retailers and the global mass media have also take a role on it. Malaysians are becoming more westernized, sophisticated and cosmopolitan. Sales of skin care products are designed to moisturize, cleans, tone, and otherwise maintain the skin. Eight products are included in this category as depicted in Figure I. Figure I: Sales of skin care product 2002 Source: http://www.greyhouse.com/pdf/rcos_pgs.pdf The potential of youth market has gain an insight of the marketers in today‟s‟ market. Consumers are now more aware of what they are wearing on their bodies, and they are willing to pay for products which enhance appearances and keep them looking  young and fit (Nair 2007). 20 year olds now use anti-aging products (Mouthong et. al. 2008). Consumers do really care about the type of product applied on their face or skin to beautify themselves. In the craze of skin care industry, marketers need to be alert with any opportunity to buzz the market. Marketers have long coveted the youth market for its buying power, 8 International Journal of Undergraduate Studies, 1(1), 8-14, 2012 influence on family spending, and willingness to try new products and brands. This show the younger generation are a force to be reckoned with. Hence the purpose of the study is to analyse the purchasing behaviour of skin care products among the younger generation. REVIEW OF LITERATURE The skin care in Asia has growing rapidly in recent years. The main aim of any cosmetic product is, to modify the appearance and/or correct body odour, and/or protect or keep the different outer surfaces of the human body in good condition (Cuadrado 2007). Six out of ten Hong Kong people have a low self-esteem on their facial skin qualities (MVA Hong Kong Limited, 2010). People are starting at a younger age and spending more on facial skin care products and facial treatment services. In Thailand, whitening skin care lotion has been very popular in Thailand for the past few years. In 2003, it commanded 60 percent of the total skin care product market. The leading brand in this sub-sector includes Nivea, Ponds, and Oil of Olay. Skin repair lotion and cream commanded approximately 20 percent (Estee Lauder, Clinique, Lancome, Eucedrin, Oil of Olay); facial oil reduction lotion and cream commanded 5 percent (Johnson and Johnson, Ponds, Oil of Olay), and general skin care and moisturizer commanded 15 percent such as Johnson and Johnson, Baby Mild, Nivea, Ponds, Vaseline, Citra, Care (Mouthong et. al. 2008). Skin care is defined as the maintenance of the hygienic state of the skin under optimal conditions of cleanliness and comfort. Effective in skin care are proper washing, bathing, cleansing, and the use of soaps, detergents, oils. Face is the reflection of an individual‟s physical appearance. Generally, the beauty of a person is described by the look of one‟s face. The industry manufactures products like astringent, face cream, face scrub, face toner, moisturizer, cleanser, etc. Some of these products are used for clarification and purification of the facial skin from dust and harmful rays of the sun while others are used for toning. There is no guarantee of skin  beauty retention, but a regular face skin care program is essential for a youthful maintenance. Purchasing decision of consumer sometime is unpredictable. Based on some studies, consumers can be very selective in what they are choosing, which makes consumer-orientation vital for firms in order to gain a so-called â€Å"share-of-mouth† (Kotler and Keller, 2006; Van Trijp and Meulenberg, 1996). According to Duncan, (2005), consumer motive is defined as â€Å"internal impulses that when simulated initiate some type of response.† Consumer motive is one of internal impulses to fulfill their wants and needs. The marketing mix which applies by most companies no doubt is one of the elopements to meet consumer motive. Consumer motives will be affected by price, place, promotion and product (Peter and Donnelly, 2007). Several authors have agreed that the traditional marketing mix has been defined as a set of controllable instrument to manage the controllable and dynamic marketing environmental and consists of four major (P‟‟): price, product, promotion and place (Stanton et. al.(991); McCarthy and Perreault 1993). One vital proposition in research is that the choice objective and the nature of consumption situation are critical because they influence all phases of perceived risk processing through decision making (Aqueveque 2006). People normally purchase facial skin care according to their needs. Since the body skin has a slightly different cellular structure than the skin care product, a facial skin product is essential to cleanse the dirt and grime off easily while at the same time rejuvenate skin cells so that the healthy glow will show. Batra and Kazmi (2004) „‟asserts the broader stages of a consumer’s decision making process that includes problem identification (feeling need of a new car), information search (on internet and showrooms), evaluation of alternatives (comparing brands, for instance’ on basis of repute and features), outlet selection and purchase (purchasing selected item) and post-purchase action (satisfaction or dissonance)‟‟. As for facial skin care product, the factors that influence the buyer would include: beliefs in product attribute, environmental concern, demographic and personal characteristic which induce the consumer to purchase the facial sk in care product. Lower prices do not really affect the purchasing decision. Evidence shows some consumer even failed to recall the purchase prices (Dickson and Sawyer 1990). Most people understand the basic premise of supply and demand, and realize the impact these factors have on prices  (Bolton et. al. 2003). However, according to Bobinski et al. (1996), consumers tend to purchase products during the discount period. It was reported that over 60 percent of US department store volume is sold at â€Å"sales† period. In general, lowering the price is a common method used by many companies. Majority of consumer respond to lower price and quality improvement and also design and packaging of container. Consumers responded to lower price, improve quality and sophisticated container design (Lee, 1993; Lee, 1998; Kim, 2001). International Journal of Undergraduate Studies, 1(1), 8-14, 2012 Packaging and design of skin care product plays an important role to grasp the customer‟s attention. Just as important as the package‟s language, appeals could lead consumer to make an aesthetic-based decision which is a vital step in targeting personal care goods to male consumers (Schaefer, 2007). Product with good design and packaging can be attractive and allure consumer make unplanned decision. Consumers not only respond to lower price and improve quality but also to sophisticated container design (Lee, 1993; Lee, 1998; Kim, 2001). Packaging design has an influence in consumers buying decision process. People tend to like aesthetics. Sales Promotion is defined as .marketing activities usually specific to a time period, place or customer group, which encourages a direct response from consumer or marketing intermediaries, through the offers of additional benefits (Peattie and Peattie 1994). Sampling is one of the promotion methods that are used often by companies. Samples are a good way to test market response. McGuinness et. al. (1995) considers product sampling as a sales promotion technique used by marketers to encourage â€Å"consumer trial†. The main purpose is to increase product sales by providing incentives to consumer directly. Kim (1998) insisted that discount stores were the popular place consumer considers visiting. Berger and Mitchell (1989) found that indirect experiences, such as advertising, are just as influential as direct experiences in changing the accessibility of attitudes. Advertising arouses consumers‟ buying decision, influencing them to buy on impulse (Kollat and Willett, 1969). However, according to Rotfield (1999), advertisement fails  to persuade consumers to make an initial purchase decision. Hawkins et al. (1998) indicated using â€Å"emotions† in advertisement has gained consumers‟ attention. Advertisement acts as a language to convey or expose information to public. Using celebrities is another form of advertising. Celebrities are able create awareness and good image of their own in the minds of the consumer (Seno and Lukas 2007). It enhances brand recognition of products and services. Celebrity endorsement can be described as â€Å"any individual who enjoys public recognition and who uses this recognition on behalf of a consumer good by appearing with it in an advertisement† (McCracken 1989). Branding is one of the strong elements to influence the consumer‟s purchase intention. A brand is a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as logo, trademark, or package design) aimed to identify the goods or services, and to differentiate those goods or services from other competitors (Ghodeswar 2008). Brand runs very high in facial products. In general, brand figures out† how and who we are† (Seabrook, 1999). Trust is a feeling of security held by customers that the brand will meet their expectation (DelgadoBallester and Munurea-Aleman, 2005). Brand acts as a promise of future (Deighton 1992), which can increase the image of the company and also repurchase intentions. About 33% of women switched skin care brands during the past 12 months. They have a high level of curiosity and they wish to try something new (Household and Personal Products Industry, 2007). However, according to Engel et.al (1982), brand loyalty has great influence over the purchase intention. Brand identity is an important factor when making a purchase decision. For the last few decades, concerns about environmental degradation have been increasing (Chan and Lam, 2002; Laroche et al., 2001). Environmental concern refers to an affective attribute that can represent a person‟s worries, compassion, likes and dislikes about the environment (Yeung, 2005). As consumers have been recognizing the importance of protecting the environment, environmentalism has become a major issue in the marketplace (Brown, 1996; Kalafatis et al., 1999). Consumers are willing to pay higher price to purchase a products/ services that purport environmental friendly. Alston and Prince Roberts (1999) found, in their research on environmental strategy and new product development, that there was a willingness to pay slightly more for environmental improvement in cleaning products than to sacrifice product performance. Self image can be an element  which can enhance the confidence level of an individual. People try to become the being they desire to be by consuming the items that they imagine will help to create and sustain their idea of themselves, their image, their identity (Bocock, 1993). Some people believe selfimage leads to success. The concept of being a beautiful is identified as the key to success (Irons 2001; Peiss, 1993). Self image build up self-confidence and self esteem. People tend to make a purchase when they believe it will improve their appearance. The consumption of products has been identified as the contributing factors to the creation and attainment of desired self-image, identity and self- concept (Featherstone, 1993; Firat, 1993; Kellner, 1992; Mort, 1988; Schouten, 1991; Thompson and Hirschman, 1995). METHODOLOGY A total of 200 respondents have been randomly identified to participate in this survey. Data for this study is collected by means of a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire will be personally administered and collected. The independent variables to be tested would be the price, packaging, promotion, branding, environmental concerns and self-image. The purpose of the study is to determine which factors influence the buying behaviour of the consumer. DISCUSSION Respondents were asked to rank which variable was more important to them. 60 respondents (30%) ranked Environmental Concerns as the top variable when it comes to purchasing skin care products (Table I). The findings indicate that consumers do really care about the type of product applied on their face or skin to beautify themselves. There were reports of carcinogenic chemical found in many cosmetic products -including more than half of all baby soaps (Whitney 2007). Internal studies in the cosmetics industry show that many of their products can be contaminated by a carcinogenic impurity called 1,4-dioxane, and the EWG’s independent study showed that 1,4-dioxane is fairly widespread among cosmetic products. Consumers are concerned with their skin as once it has been contaminated the results will be a disaster for them. (Ranking: 1 = Highest 5 = Lowest) In terms of the correlation analysis, it was found that Environmental Concerns had the highest correlation value (r = 0.887) and since the p value is less than 0.05, this relationship is significant as seen in Table II. As consumers have been recognizing the importance of protecting the environment, environmentalism has become a major issue in the marketplace (Brown, 1996; Kalafatis et al., 1999). Consumers are willing to pay higher price to purchase a products/ services that purport environmental friendly. Branding was found to have a correlation value of 0.627. Brand acts as a promise of future (Deighton 1992), which can increase the image of the company and also repurchase intentions. Brands are also link with the activities of the companies. As such, if their products do not meet the safety regulation, consumers may not want to risk their skin. Promotion was found to have an r value of 0.595. Sales Promotion is defined as .marketing activities usually specific to a time period, place or customer group, which encourages a direct response from consumer or marketing intermediaries, through the offers of additional benefits (Peattie and Peattie 1994). From the average value, consumers are not really influenced by it. As for Packaging, the r value was found to be 0.485. Packaging and design of skin care product plays an important role to grasp the customer‟s attention. Just as important as the package‟s language, appeals could lead consumer to make an aesthetic-based decision which is a vital step in targeting personal care goods to male consumers (Schaefer, 2007). Price has a correlation value of r = 0.431. Lower prices do not really affect the purchasing decision. The findings agrees with the suggestion that consumer sometimes fail to recall the purchase prices (Dickson and Sawyer 1990). Self Image was found to have the lowest correlation value of r = 0.353. Self image build up self-confidence and self esteem. From the findings, it was found that consumers do care for it. The potential of youth market has gain an insight of the marketers in today‟s market. Consumers are now more aware of what they are wearing on their bodies, and they are willing to pay for products which enhance appearances and keep them looking young and fit (Nair 2007). From the analysis, it was found that Environmental Concerns was ranked the highest among the six variables chosen for the study. The other remaining variables are Price, Packaging, Promotion, Branding and Self Image. People do care for whatever will be applied to their skins. Skin cancers threats as a result of carcinogenic materials used for the preparation do affect the consumer‟s intention and decision to purchase the skin care product. After all, to most people, the face is the fortune. If the face is disfigured, it will be for life. No one would want this situation to happen to them. For future research, it would provide a better insight if more variables would be tested. Other variables that can be considered includes: company trends and company image. Besides that, it would be an interesting finding to be able to compare the different purchasing behaviour of people of various age groups. The older and younger generation thinks differently and would rank certain variables differently. An analysis to examine this would be beneficial and also important not only from the academic point of view but also the commercial sector.

Internet Censorship Essay

ThÐ µ capacity of thÐ µ information supÐ µrhighway has Ð µxplodÐ µd in thÐ µ rÐ µcÐ µnt yÐ µars. It Ð µncompassÐ µs thÐ µ Ð µast and thÐ µ wÐ µst, thÐ µ land and thÐ µ sÐ µa, and anything our human mind could drÐ µam of. This is a good thing, right? With thÐ µ knowlÐ µdgÐ µ of thÐ µ world just on onÐ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fingÐ µrtips, it must bÐ µ good, right? SurÐ µ, if it is usÐ µd thÐ µ right way. A saying goÐ µs likÐ µ this, â€Å"Too much of a good thing is bad. † It is truÐ µ. ThÐ µ IntÐ µrnÐ µt doÐ µs accommodatÐ µ a lot of information. In a way, it has too much information. The Internet contains certain information that we DON’T want minors to have access of. Some of these unwanted information might be pornography, gambling, and some sensitive issues like homosexuality. So what do we do about the stuff that we don’t minors to see? Do we just make some law and erase it from our precious Internet? No. First of all, this would be impossible to do because there is just too much unwanted information. Second of all, this would defeat the purpose of the Internet. In the article â€Å"The Online Cooperative Publishing Act,† it called the Internet â€Å"the manifestation of humankind’s quest for limitless two-way interaction with thought† (â€Å"Cooperative† internet). Since there is a vague line of what is appropriate and what isn’t, why should there be a straight-cut line of what things should be banned on the Internet. There should be a loose regulation on the content of the Internet that would encourage more interaction with this wonderful tool. Instead of the government dictating what minors should see, parents and teachers should be the ones stepping up and TEACHING minors what’s right and what’s wrong. To maximize the productivity of the Internet, there must be a balance of restriction and freedom. When that balance is reached, the Internet will fully flourish. â€Å"Why should we protect the Internet? Why should we protect all those pornographic websites? † you might ask. The Internet is a wonderful thing. Even the heads of our nation, the President and Vice President, believe that the Internet is a â€Å"powerful educational tool for our children† (â€Å"Family† internet). It should not be viewed as an evil thing. Its unique ability to link the world’s knowledge together fulfills any researcher’s dream. There is no more need to visit dozens of libraries to find everything one needs. Everything is at one’s fingertips. Without a doubt, little kids wouldn’t need the Internet to do research; they don’t have any research paper due. One mustn’t forget the Internet is not just for research academically. It could be used to research recreationally. One can research on topic of his interest. A teen male can research about cars. A mom can research on recipes. And a little kid can research on his favorite Disney character. Because of the Internet, a kid can do a lot more things kids before didn’t have the privilege of. A kid can know anything and everything around the world, and even out of this world, without leaving the comfort of his home. Anything, anything at all. If the Internet is censored, a large amount of these wonderful knowledge will not be accessible anymore. Although censorship does not mean a complete ban, there is no measure at the present that can effectively restrict access and still not block out good website. According to a study done by Electronic Privacy Information Center, the filtering programs block 95-99 percent of the material available on the Internet that might be of interest to young people (â€Å"Faulty† internet). I am not defending the protection of pornographic websites. Neither am I advocating an easier access to pornography. I just want to point out the fact that websites dedicated to pornography is only a very small percentage of the Internet. If we use the inefficient censorship products out there, we will miss out a lot of the goods that the Internet has to offer. The Supreme Court believes the same. When the Supreme Court struck down the Communication Decency Act in 1996, it found that â€Å"the interest in encouraging freedom of expression in a democratic society outweighs any theoretical but unproven benefit of censorship† (â€Å"Faulty† internet). So, should we sacrifice all the goods that the Internet could offer for those measly pornography websites? The Supreme Court shared the same vision for an uncensored Internet when it struck down the Communications Decency Act, a federal law that outlawed â€Å"indecent† communications online. In the ruling, it declared the Internet a free speech zone.

Letter of complaint Essay

This year in school my son Shem has brought to my attention that â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† will no longer be included in the school curriculum, though I feel this is a poor decision and that â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† is an important classic novel to read in school and should be included in lessons once more. Although â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† has been commonly regarded as a ‘banned book’ for explicit language and racism it is very informative and a noteworthy example of coming of age, and the wrongness of racism and stereotypes. For example Atticus, a character in To Kill a Mockingbird, who was a very respectable man in his community, represents a black man in court during a very racist era, doing all that he could to prove he was innocent despite the color of his skin; this shows that not all of the topics regarding racism in the novel are negative. The poor language is also something that unfortunately children are already exposed to in everyday life. I feel that as long as they understand the wrongness of this language and do not continue to repeat it then it shouldn’t be of much concern. This langue it is important for children to be exposed to, to fully understand what life was like in the 1930’s. This novel was set in a very important time in American history and exposes old practices that young students may not be familiar with in a more enjoyable and memorable fashion; through the narrations of the character Scout. This may help the children learn more willingly and enjoyably rather than learning from a text book that does not give them as great of an idea of what it might be like for someone to live during that time period. Teachers are also able to teach students about dialect, figures of speech, allusions and other literary devices using this novel. The characters in it are very colorful and developed well as well making a lot of material for discussions about characters. To Kill a Mocking Bird has been ranked by British librarians even before the Bible as a book that every adult must read before dying. The adaptation of the book was also made into an Oscar-winning film which was released in 1962. The novel has became popular with time and the style of writing, the plot and characterization places it in the top 10 books that everyone should read, therefore as students are maturing I believe that they should read â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† and be able to analyze and dig deeper into the book with the guidance of teachers and peers during school. In conclusion I believe that â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† should be included in school curriculum because it shows that racism and stereo types are unjust and not always true, exposes children to important times in history and is a great example of literary devices and character development. Kind Regards,

A Personal Nature – The poet Robert Frost

The poet Robert Frost has been described as â€Å"the gentle New England poet†. This is because of his eloquent and subtle use of New England nature scenes as a metaphor for the human condition. In his poems Robert Frost manipulates nature, humanizing and exaggerating it with the purpose of creating a fictional world for his characters. This use of nature as the active driving force for the poems is vital to Robert Frost's subtle implication of deeper meanings in his poems. Frank Lentricchia noted that in â€Å"Birches† nature â€Å"performs the potter's art† and molds ice onto the speaker's figurative birch tree which becomes â€Å"bracken by the load† (line 14). Such a vivid description of the natural process of winter storms leaving behind loads of ice to weigh down trees speaks volumes to the weight the speaker must feel on his life. The poem goes on to allow the speaker to re-live his fantasy and become a â€Å"swinger of the birches† (line 58). In this metaphor, swinging in the birches -nature- is compared to leaving your cares behind and being happy again, in this way according to Frank Lentricchia, Frost â€Å"grants (the speaker's) wish. † These acts of nature give an â€Å"original and distinctive vision to the poem† says John C. Kemp. This is obvious in Frank Lentricchia's allusion to Mother Nature in his analysis of the speaker's descent from heaven in which â€Å"the blessed pull of the earth is felt again† (Kemp). Because Mother Nature is nature herself the speaker feels that nature has a warm pull on man, further emphasizing and humanizing Frost's consistent use of nature. Robert Frost goes even further than creating a metaphor of nature to human condition. The brilliance of the poet brings nature to a humanized level so he can manipulate nature itself to fit his motivation. The purpose of this is to rid the poem of contaminating â€Å"matter-of-fact† (line 22) verbiage. According to Frank Lentricchia the emotive power of the poem rises uncontaminated from the â€Å"morass of philosophical problems† that harm the poem if the poet decides to turn to knowledge of facts to influence a point (Lentricchia). This theme of a humanized nature is evident in â€Å"Design† in which nature's design â€Å"steere[s] the white moth thither in the night,† (line 12) giving nature an active, driving role in the poem's message of the design of nature. Frank Lentricchia also notes that this â€Å"humanized nature† indicates a â€Å"human will riding roughshod over a pliable external world,† giving Robert Frost's characters a sense of separation from the â€Å"external† world and a feeling of security in nature. In â€Å"Birches† nature stands humanized as the poet allows the speaker to transcend the scientific universe and, at the same time, the poet allows the fictive world to be penetrated by imagination (Lentricchia). This secure world in which Robert Frost's characters live in is not a realistic nature but rather an â€Å"unsanctioned vision of the world† (Lentricchia). An immediate example of this is Frost's â€Å"Design† in which the abnormal â€Å"dimpled and white† (line 1) spider sits atop the mutant â€Å"white heal-all† (line 2). These two extremely rare albino obscurities are likely to never meet each other in the real world; however Robert Frost has idyllically introduced them as companions in nature's supreme design. The pleasant swinging of a boy in a birch tree in â€Å"Birches† is also obviously fabricated because of the perfect, linear oscillations of the boy's swing. This lie is very effective, however because the smooth, downward swing of the speaker back to earth's â€Å"love† (line 51) is a redemptive personality inhabited by Robert Frost's Nature, giving man and Nature an intimate connection. The ice on the trees in â€Å"Birches† is also very idyllic. Because of the weight of the ice, the branches may never â€Å"right themselves,† (line 16) however the beauty of the ice makes one believe that the â€Å"inner dome of heaven† had fallen. Although nature in the form of ice represents life's burdens, it redeems its relationship with man through its manifestation of a birch tree in which it grants the speaker his wish by launching him into heaven and back again. Ralph Waldo Emerson describes man's relationship with nature so deeply that he felt man was â€Å"no better acquainted with his limbs† than he is â€Å"with the air, the mountains, the tides, the moon, and the sun† (Montiero). Richard Gray comments that in â€Å"Design,† Robert Frost's imaginary Nature â€Å"whisper[s] secret, sympathetic messages to us. † Because of this perfect relationship established between nature and the characters, caused by the humanization of nature and the exaggerated fantasy world, Frost effectively portrays all of the character's emotions. Robert Frost's â€Å"resource as a poet† is effective enough to use nature not for â€Å"shock's and changes† to keep the reader interested, but rather as a useful tool to deliver the best message (Lentricchia). Because of Frost's great manipulative talents he is able to do what most poets can't. For instance, Frank Lentricchia believes that in â€Å"Birches† Frost's use of the â€Å"pathless woods† would appear â€Å"trite† if any other poets were using it, but for Frost it only adds to the overall feeling of the poem. In â€Å"Birches,† nature manifests itself in three beings- the ice on the tree, the fanciful birch which lifts men up into the heavens, and the â€Å"pathless woods† (line 43) which represents life's considerations. As a result, the poem's passionate concluding lines, its closing pronouncements on life, death, and human aspiration, do not give the reader a sense of finality. Instead, â€Å"they are presented as doctrines that we must accept or reject on the basis of our belief in the speaker as a wise countryman whose familiarity with birch trees, ice storms, and pathless woods gives him authority as a philosopher† (Kemp) . Therefore, the â€Å"the natural order – tree, ice crystal, pathless wood† functions as proof of the wisdom of Robert Frost (Kemp). The manipulation of nature in Robert Frost's poetry turns it into a character rather than a withdrawn force; this character shares human emotion and fantasy and creates a very inviting fiction for the poem's characters to live in. Not only does this characterization emphasize Frost's emotions, but it gives meaning to them. Robert Frost's intention with poetry was to express his feelings in an uplifting way, not to pour out his personal struggles in a form of self-pity, and through such an exact setting of a personal nature, he accomplished just that.

People have become overly dependent on technology Essay - 1

People have become overly dependent on technology - Essay Example This was the beginning of the end as far as we know it. The social media networks, email, chat rooms, blogs, microwave ovens, etc., all of these technologically dependent outlets of communication, research, and personal connectivity have change the landscape of human interaction as we know it. We have, as a collective planet, become overly dependent on technology for our existence in our everyday lives. Technology is not something that was created in order to create a slew of technology dependent people. Rather, technology is continuously invented, reinvented, and improved upon by its creators in order to help make our lives easier and allow us to keep in personal contact with the people around us. It was never meant to create a bubble within which one can function without ever crossing paths or personally speaking to another person. That was never the idea behind all of these technological advancements. Rather than creating a beneficial synergy between man and technology, a disconne ct was created between man and fellow man due to the middle man known as technology. Our whole world is totally run by technology. All of our actions are dictated by the existence of a gadget that aids us in doing various activities that we used to be able to do without any help from machines or gadgets, but we managed to complete through the help of other people. From the complicated tasks of laying building foundations for the constructions of a building, all the way to the simple task of taking a hot shower, we have given up even the simplest of human activities to technology in order to do things faster, easier, and better. However, one cannot help but wonder as to what is lost by human beings in this aspect. Surely there is a problem with the over dependence of mankind on technology. Take for example, the case of a medical patient who has come in for a check-up. Say this patient had a CT Scan procedure done. The technologist runs the test without knowing that the machine was de fective. The results come out and show the that patient has a tumor, which was not actually a tumor but a problem with the scanning system of the machine. The attending physician relays the same information to the patient and begins to draw up a treatment plan. Nobody bothers to question whether the technology used in the test made a mistake. That is because technology is supposed to be infallible and therefore always correct. Human dependence on technology in this case just caused harm to another human being. This type of technology dependence is something that actually happens quite often these days in the medical field. According to Susan Marden (187) of the Mark Hatfield Clinical Research Center; Technology dependence has been defined as reliance on a variety of devices, drugs and procedures to alleviate or remedy acute or chronic health problems. Health professionals must ensure that these technologies result in positive outcomes for those who must rely on them, while minimizin g the potential for unintended consequences. These unintended consquences have a way of creeping into our daily lives. Technological dependence has redefined the way we live our lives. We have at least 2 generations of people who have never spent time playing outdoors, whose minds were never creatively enticed by what they saw in the park of the people they spoke to. Instead, we have a generation or so of people who hide behind their computer

Hans Rosling's Economic Growth video Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hans Rosling's Economic Growth video - Assignment Example However, as years went on, countries discovered ways of undertaking production through the industrial revolution: They increased their wealth; income person increased thus, an increased life expectancy. The rate of global population growth declined in the early 1900’s due to the effects of First World War and the Spanish Flu epidemic. This video presents various aspects of development as discussed below: Population growth depends on the economic development of a nation. A developed economy is characterized by a higher rate of income per person, thus improved living standards i.e. reduced rate of disease outbreak and higher life expectancy. However, in the case that a country is poor, with low levels of income per person, the population tends to reduce due high rates of disease outbreaks that cannot be managed properly. This also leads to low life

Global organizations ethical & cultural issues Essay

Global organizations ethical & cultural issues - Essay Example Such challenges may include ethical and cultural issues that corporations face as they seek to expand their presence in the global arena. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. faces ethical, social responsibility & cultural issues as it seeks to expand its operations outside the United States. Indeed, this research paper addresses and analyzes the cultural, ethical, and social responsibility issues affecting the operations of Wal-Mart outside America. Wal-Mart is a global retail corporation that operates a chain of large retail stores in various formats across the world (Forbes, 2013). The global organization has its headquarters in America and stands out as the largest private employer with more than two million employees across the world. The corporation has about 8500 stores, which operates in 50 states in the United States and in 26 countries across the globe (The New York Times, 2013). The global organization has a low price philosophy, which attracts a wide a customer base (Forbes, 2013). Neve rtheless, with the diversity of its operations and many employees the corporation faces numerous ethical, cultural, and social responsibility issues relating to its operations and workforce. Walmart has been expanding its operations outside US especially to areas where it can establish a strong retail store. The global organization opened retail stores in Japan, Germany, China, and South Korea but faced various cultural issues that limited its success and sometimes led to the closure of such retail stores. Notably, Germany was the first place that Walmart opened its stores outside Europe (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). Nevertheless, cultural issues in Germany grounded its operations. The cultural issues included the corporation’s failure to provide all products and services under one roof as seen in American stores (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). Moreover, the merchandise at the Walmart stores in Germany was inefficient for the customers. The retail store irritated the German customers by placing all the premium products at an eye level and placing the discounted products at the bottom or the top most shelve where customers struggled to get the discounted products (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). Additionally, the WalMart’s product line in Germany did not suit the shopping and cultural traits of the customers. In fact, the German culture negated the American culture that Walmart propagates in that shoppers opt to shop daily in various local stores dealing in household goods and groceries instead of shopping once a week as Walmart advocates (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). Walmart had issues in satisfying the cultural and shopping habits of a normal German shopper who seeks to the most efficient and limited time in shopping (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). The retail store in Germany mandated customers to spend longer time in shopping to the dismay of the German shoppers. Additionally, the retail store introduced strange management practices that did not conform to the Germa n culture. Indeed, the management requires employees to attend the morning exercise before the shift that annoyed many German employees (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). Furthermore, the store required sales clerks to smile at customers. This negated the German culture where men viewed this as flirting and the German culture viewed the behavior of smiling at strangers as an abnormality (Landler & Barbaro, 2006). In fact, this trend disturbed many German cashiers and derived hard feelings as the smiles were