Thursday, November 28, 2019

Volkswagen Polo Product

Introduction The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest car makers. Specifically, the group is ranked third in the entire world in the automotive industry.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Volkswagen Polo Product specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The group has several branches across the world and their marketing communication strategies in these regions are influenced by a unique consumer behaviour culture of each market region. Besides, the group has proactively rolled successful marketing strategies that classify the targeted market segments and creation of relevant advertisement messages that directly and positively improve their sales. Several marketing communication tools and different media have been employed by the group across its branches which operate independently of the mother company. The treatise will attempt to explicitly review different marketing communication policies that the Gro up has adopted in China and the United Kingdom branches through consumer behaviour and marketing communication theoretical perspectives for the Volkswagen Polo product. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to make the current marketing communication strategies for the Volkswagen Polo product more effective. International Marketing Strategies of Volkswagen Polo Product in China Volkswagen China Group Market Segmentation strategy In the product market, life style defines the activities clients are involved in, beliefs, opinion, health aspects, and interests. As defined in the ‘Activities, Interest, and Opinion marketing model’, life style directly dictates purchasing behaviour and preference (Anbu Mavuso 2012).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chinese population consists of many middle income families who have continued to be more conscious of costs an d sustainability of automobiles they purchase (Fields 2010). Specifically, the cosmopolitan Shanghai city has a comfortable percentage of high market clients who have fully embraced Volkswagen Polo brand because of its affordability as compared to other automobile models. Besides, they tend to associate with sophistication and have money to spend. The middle and high social classes of clients are the key target this product. These groups are heavy spenders in automobile, especially those that promise unique aspects and have unique features such as those incorporated in the Chinese Volkswagen models (Ashtiani et al. 2011). As the issue of the need for safety and green living penetrate automobile industry, Chinese clients have increasingly grown shy from environmental unfriendly automobile to friendly automobiles that are efficient. The target group has a peculiar buying motive for the Volkswagen Polo product since the company incorporated the aspects of green living in this automobil e model that rhyme with the conservative culture of the Chinese (Fornell 2002). Besides, a good percentage of sales in China are generated by referrals from satisfied customers who acted as marketing agents for the company on the aspects of affordability, efficiency, and reliability of the Volkswagen models. The introduction of more efficient technologies has enabled construction of lighter, less expensive, and more powerful Volkswagen Polo brands such as the unique Golf brand for the Chinese market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Volkswagen Polo Product specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, there has been a global rise in the hobby of driving the Gold model and the application of a model such as sport utility for the young consumers’ bracket (Farris, Neil, Pfeifer 2010). The target market for the new Golf brand in China is individual users, government agencies, and military units. However, it is worth noting that each of the target users mentioned is unique and has different marketing and pricing strategies that can be adjusted in accordance to prevailing market conditions in China. Selling the Volkswagen brands in China is no longer using the indirect method distribution channel; however, caution has been taken to ensure that middlemen are minimized. Minimizing the middlemen is essential in ensuring profit maximization and that consumers are not overcharged since every middleman charges an extra profit or commission for the goods they sell (Hardester 2010). Advertisement messages Advertisements are very manipulative and use tactics that directly and involuntarily appeal to the mind of the target person. Despite ignorance of the same and disbelief of their effects, advertisements remain complex and significant in the choice of products owned by an individual. Usually, advertisements appeal to memory or emotional response. As a result, it creates an intrinsic motivation r esponse that triggers the mind to activate affiliation, self-acceptance, and feign community feeling. In the end, advertisements succeed in appealing to emotions through capitalization on biases and prejudices of people (Freshwater, Sherwood, Drury 2006). Therefore, the response to an advertisement will emaciate from the bandwagon technique which heaps pressure on the mind to follow the perceive crowd.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reflectively, the successes of Volkswagen promotion messages are deeply entrenched in the principle of keeping reliable and professional reputation in exchanging ideas and convincing customers. Therefore, through timely appeal to emotions and self-prejudice, the Volkswagen China Group has realized that the human mind is often skewed towards embracing the ‘perceived goodness’ and need to identify with ‘the ideal’ in the packaging of the Golf model as the third generation green automobile in their television advertisements (Hill Westbrook 2010). Interestingly, these aspects are clearly painted as perfect in the various advertisements about products and services through the use of bright and powerful communication themes such as the brands outshining a tiger in a real time race. These pop up memories will actively reminisce and provoke an involuntary response when noticed in an advertisement. For instance, the Volkswagen China has largely succeeded in impleme nting this aspect of ‘jumping the queue’ ahead of other competitors through visible and inducing signs all over the Chinese region. Upon noticing the signs, the mind will perceive them to belong to the Volkswagen Company, irrespective of the physical geography at the moment. These advertisements erected signs endeavours to cue the visual mental aspect of a person into a particular brand of the different brands of the automobile company (Hill Ettenson 2005). Interestingly, this strategy has proven relevant in the case of Volkswagen China Company, which has remained dominant due to perception people associate the advertisement signs with. Appropriateness of the advertisement messages in China The advertisement messages are very effective in terms of attention since they are decorated with simple to understand scenes besides the warm red colours common in the Chinese culture. The strategically placed background red colour in Volkswagen China advertisement messages is an e ye catcher associated with pomp, speed, and sophistication (Keller 1998). In addition, the targeted viewer would immediately develop curiosity to understand the symbolic importance of the Golf model outshining the powerful tiger in a real time race. As a result, it creates an intrinsic motivation response that triggers the mind to activate affiliation, self-acceptance, and feign community feeling towards the Volkswagen brands. In the end, these advertisements succeed in appealing to emotions through capitalization on biases and the middle and high income clients in China. The use of glittering generalities on a product or service aims at influencing the involuntary urge in the mind, to identify with attractiveness or glittery of the product as painted in colourful advertisement. Often, an average mind would easily be influenced by the brightness and attractive presentation. In the process of decoding this message, mind is actually tuned towards accepting the product as perfect and v ery attractive (Holt Quelch 2009). Coupled with proven performance, a customer would purchase such as product based on the influence of the glittery on the mind. Through the envisioning creation of simultaneous but independently functioning needs to identify with attractiveness, many Chinese customers have been swayed into buying the Volkswagen China’s appeal when purchasing automobiles. For instance, the Golf and Polo have created authoritative assertion that directly appeals to positive emotions among the target audience of the pitched idea (Bowden 2009). Reflectively, Volkswagen China Group has capitalized on endorsements through testimonials from outstanding figures to promote sales. Factually, in subtle difference makes image stereotyping a perfect situation in the minds of target persons. Therefore, when the image of the user as projected in such an advertisement resembles the perceived satisfaction of a customer, such a party would aspire to access the same benefits f rom use as indicated in the image shown. In the advertisement, the company has internalised the need for uniqueness in display, space and prominence to easily woe the mind into concentrating on the Volkswagen brands in China (Mangram 2012). Through advertisement, the Volkswagen China Group has ensured that its probability of salience is doubled, especially on automobile brands that are perceived as important in daily life, such as the Golf model renowned for its unique design, smaller size but very spacious and ideal for daily activities due to its navigational ease. Promotion has developed to become a significantly influential part of the marketing mix. This has played a significant role in defining the relationship that exists among organizations and their customers. Marketing communications are made up of the specific messages and the media used to communicate them. The increasing levels of competition among the increasing numbers of products in the markets have forced individual s and organizations to adopt strategies to make them more visible in the market through creating awareness. The type of media used has varying effects on the way the communication is perceived by the public. The efficacy of the type of media used depends on a variety of factors which should all be analysed in order to ensure that the most applicable choices are made (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). The company has successfully used social media (television advertisement, online advertisement) and print media such as their monthly magazine and billboards on the various Volkswagen Polo brands. Marketing communication tools and media in Volkswagen China Group Media has emerged as an important tool for organizations and individuals due to its ability to bridge the gap between producers and consumers in the business metrics. This is especially true for the written media, which has widely been used by the Volkswagen China to draw attention of the consumer on new or already existing au tomobile brands that the Group offers in the complex trading arena. The effects of written media on marketing communication has led to suitability of marketing approaches at times, while at others, the approaches have been praised for their authoritativeness towards informing the public (Karamitsios 2013). For instance, the Volkswagen China Group’s quarterly magazine about its brands has remained a very effective tool for marketing communication on current modifications, developments and what is new about Volkswagen brands. Written in Chinese, the magazine has captured the imagination of the conservative Chinese consumers who have actually subscribed to receive every new copy. Besides, the television advertisements have been christened as the real pride of Chinese roads and have actually swayed thousands of customers to purchase the Volkswagen brands. For instance, in 2014, the group realized a sales margin of more than 2 million units following the successful re-branding of the promotional marketing of the brands in online media, television, written media, and social media. Significance of communication activities for the Polo product According to behavioural psychologists such as Kotler, Adam, Denise, and Armstrong (2009), behaviours and attitudes can be changed through conditioning. Repetition of an act, for instance, through constant advertisement leads to behavioural changes that may be beneficial or detrimental to a company (Kotler et al. 2009). This indicates how the media can, and has been used to reinforce consumer behaviours. Communication activities, therefore, are taken to represent the official position of the organization on a product or service by the consumers. Communicative activities in the two companies have led to doubled sales in the last decade since the products are branded and presented in persuasive ways that easily skew the minds of potential buyers (Menon 2006). Specifically, through communication strategies, Volkswagen China has expanded its market share and penetrated the competitive automobile industries in the region and beyond. The different contents of marketing communication, but dealing with similar issues, have an accumulated impact on the individual’s perception about a subject. This means that the more an issue is covered in terms of being published in a marketing medium, the more importance is allocated to the issue (Roth 2008). Since the public has no frame of reference to base and compare these communications with, the promotion message is taken at a face value. This means that the consumers base their opinions on the products on the messages from the producers. If an automotive company, for example, came up with a vehicle that did not use the conventional sources of energy, but drew energy from the atmosphere, the information the automotive company would use to advertise their product would be what would be considered as the guideline to form opinions on the new kind of automotive ( Motavalli 2013). The same aspect has promoted growth in the Volkswagen China for its Polo brand since its communication activities have led to the general acceptance of the model in the market. Challenges of practicing IMC Although marketing communications have been praised for their long life spans and their ability to be stored for future reference, their use can be detrimental to the organization. This is because of the fact that they can be constant reminders to the public of the failures of a company. If an organization uses print or social media to extensively promote a service or product, and that service or product turns out to be substandard or defective, the public would have some restraint in engaging in a business relationship with such a company (Jin, Suh, Donavan 2008). For instance, the recall of more than 6,000 Polo models within China in the year 2013 due to a defect in the accelerator has affected the credibility of the company. In fact, the company recorded a dro p of 13.5% in sales the year 2014 following this incident. With the evidence of the company’s failure lying around in the form of print or social media, consumers would take a long time in coming to trust such an organization again. This means that while written communication acts to add confidence to the buyers about a product or service at times, it can also lead to loss of public confidence with a company or product once inconsistencies are identified by the consumers, especially when the business lacks a well-built structure and policies as in the case of large corporations (Saxena 2012). Recommendations to overcome the IMC challenges Essentially, the success of a marketing plan depends on proper alignment of a functional team who is responsible for the creation of flexible but quantifiable measurement tracking tools for reviewing results periodically. Reflectively, this product team should have the essential knowledge in social media and tools used in marketing. Besides quality in service delivery and customer satisfaction depends on the support team. Therefore, customer retention is achievable through the creation of reliable, informed, and passionate support team. In addition, the plan should include a monitoring matrix that maps out potential competitors and identify online weaknesses and strength of the clients (Rust, Zeithaml, Lemon 2004). The Volkswagen China Group will eventually need to embrace more traditional media marketing in order to keep growing, especially when targeting clients for the Polo brand. In order to effectively reach such audience, the marketing communication plan will suggest the best advertisement strategies to cover its wide market area (Simon 2007). The company will definitely have to branch out beyond its target market due to the brand dynamics and the need to expand market base. The company will have to decentralize its marketing strategies to meet the specific demands or consumer behaviour if it decides to implemen t internalisation strategies that will be proposed (Bowden 2009). These aspects influence the need to carry out a comprehensive marketing communication plan the Volkswagen China Group for the Polo brand. There is need to design an appropriate communication plan consisting of a simple but well thought message and a complete channel. The communication channel is complete when the decoder and encoder can decipher the communication codes in the form of images and letters that appeal to the client. Any integrated marketing plan should have a functional model that will cue the mind of a customer towards a product or service. The functional model comprises of elements such as awareness, interest, desire, and action to ensure that the Polo model’s marketing strategies match the interests and desires of the target market within China. This is referred to as the AIDA Model (Yelkur 2011). The element of awareness is related to brand knowledge or visibility among other alternatives. The element of interest comes after awareness. Interest is developed out of a need for a product or service. This interest may activate the desire to purchase the product to meet the need because of preference. In the end, a customer may take the action of purchasing. Therefore, a stratified marketing communication plan should integrate the above elements to easily convince the customer to purchase the Volkswagen Polo product. This may be achieved through designing a relevant advertisement, critical public relations exercise, and continuous sales promotion. Besides, it is important to integrate personal selling through referrals and direct marketing, especially for the older customers who depend on product performance history in purchasing an automobile. Since the world has become a village, the marketing plan for the Volkswagen Polo may adopt an appropriate medium that appeals to the target audience. In the ideal, there should be a mixture of the traditional marketing channels and the modern marketing channels such as online marketing and social media. It is important to plan for the integrated marketing communication and create success measurement parameters. The parameter is meant to check goal achievement. In addition, the whole plan should be managed within a predetermined budget range, which is derived through the rule-of-thumb and objective-and-task (Bowden 2009). To increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the current bomb internet channels used by the Volkswagen China Group, for reaching the youthful consumers, should be tailored to encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate a healthy and a lifetime relationship between the airline and its clients. These will be achieved through the following ways; Website search engine optimisation (SEO) The Volkswagen China Group should optimise its search engine to improve on its online brand visibility among the youthful clients in China who are interested in the Polo brand. Search engine op timisation can be achieved through installing ‘plug-ins that possesses extra features such as page navigation and thumbnail within the company’s website. Specifically, this proposed system in Google will consist of a multi tab page that will serve different offers and specifications of different brands of the Polo model to online youthful customers. Thus, recruiting independent ‘bloggers’ to ‘blog’ about the Volkswagen China Group’s Polo brand will give the company a competitive advantage in marketing its products to youthful clients across China. This promotional strategy has been successfully applied by the Volkswagen UK Group, which has a strong global SEO for its Polo brands. Besides, optimising the link referral has the potential of making the company’s advertisement website to go viral among the youths within six months because the unique cookie will spread to the phones of primary and secondary users (Bowden 2009). The SEO may also be tailored to include a unique cookie which is transferable to the visitors of the Volkswagen China Group website. The unique cookie for the website will be transferred to all primary and secondary visitors to this site hence broadening the spread information on this website. Optimising the SEO has the potential of creating a long term loyalty among young clients. For instance, Volkswagen UK Group’s SEO strategy has successfully increased the percentage of young customers who buy the Polo model by 20% in the last three years. The potential of the referral link approach is that it will improve the visibility of the company’s products among the targeted clients. For instance, the Volkswagen China Group’s website should carry out a link reference promotion where the website visitor with the highest number of referral links is rewarded with a free Polo car (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). Social media (Facebook and Twitter) Through timely appeal to emo tions and self-prejudice, a marketing manager is in a position to realize that the mind is often skewed towards embracing the ‘perceived goodness’ and need to identify with ‘the ideal’ in the packaging of a product or service. Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook, has gained popularity among the potential young customers of the Polo brand in China, who use these sites as interaction models to share flight culture and exchange ideas. The Tweeter and Facebook fan pages are ideal tools for branding and community following building for the Volkswagen Polo product, especially among the targeted clients. For instance, the Volkswagen UK Group has grown to its current position due to its successful fan page marketing. This will allow the clients to interact and let users to add content to align to different orientations of the company’s brand (Bowden 2009). It will help the company to reach the targeted young customers by skipping or bypassing the t raditional gatekeepers, such as written magazine publishers, and placing them online so that customers can get to know about the Volkswagen Polo brands directly. Properly modified fan pages will reassure the young customers of the aspects of affordability and quality of the Volkswagen Polo product within China. Through massive recruitment of young fans on the Twitter and Facebook pages, the Volkswagen China Group will not only benefit from an increased traffic of online compliments, but also record high rates of customer loyalty as most youthful customers are influenced by reactions from those they perceive as sharing the same youth culture. This strategy is meant to position the company as a market leader in terms of customer satisfaction tracking and response among the targeted clients for the Polo model (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). Conclusion Marketing communication strategies are important in aligning a company towards the target market in order to achieve optimal sales. The main determinants of a successful marketing communication plan lie in the proper brand alignment and research on segmentation. Volkswagen Group in China has successful IMC since their strategies are skewed towards customer Centricity for the dynamic Volkswagen Polo product. Reference List Anbu, J, Mavuso, M 2012, ‘Old Wine in New Wine Skin: Marketing Library Services Through SMS-Based Alert Services’, Library Hi Tech, vol. 30 no. 2, pp. 310-320. Ashtiani, C, Cullen, G, Davis, P, Greenwald, J, Hardigan, P, Eladio, K, Zimmerman, D 2011, Plug in electric vehicles: A practical plan for progress, School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Indiana. Bowden, J 2009, ‘The Process of Customer Engagement: A Conceptual Framework,’ Journal of Marketing Theory Practice, vol. 17 no. 1, pp. 63-74. Farris, P, Neil, P, Pfeifer, D 2010, Marketing metrics: The definitive guide to measuring marketing performance, Pearson Education, Inc., New Jers ey, NJ. Fields, E 2010, ‘A Unique Twitter Use For Reference Services’, Library Hi Tech News, vol. 6 no. 7, pp. 14-15. Fornell, C 2002, ‘A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer: The Swedish Experience’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 5 no. 6, pp. 6-21. Freshwater, D, Sherwood, G, Drury, V 2006, ‘International research collaboration: Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network’, Journal of Research in marketing, vol. 11 no. 4, pp. 295-303. Hardester, E 2010, The profitability of the electric car (Thesis), Brigham Young University, Brigham. Hawkins, D, Mothersbaugh, D, Best, R. J 2010, Consumer behaviour: Building marketing strategy, McGraw-Hill/ Irwin, New York. Hill, S, Ettenson, T 2005, ‘Achieving the ideal brand portfolio’, Sloan Management Review, vol. 2 no.1, pp. 85-90. Hill, T, Westbrook, R 2007, ‘SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall’, Long Range Planning, vol. 30 no. 1, pp. 46–5 2. Holt, A, Quelch, T 2009, ‘How global brands compete’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 68-75. Jin, H, Suh, J, Donavan, D 2008, ‘Salient Effects of Publicity in Advertised Brand Recall and Recognition: The List-Strength Paradigm,’ Journal of Advertising, vol. 37 no. 1, pp. 45-57. Karamitsios, A 2013, Open Innovation in EVs: A Case Study of Tesla Motors, Routledge, New York, NY. Keller, L1998, Strategy Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, NJ. Kotler, P, Adam, S, Denise, S, Armstrong 2009, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, Australia. Mangram, M 2012, ‘The globalisation of Tesla motors. a strategic marketing plan analysis’, Journal Of Communication Management, vol. 20 no. 4, pp. 289-312. Menon, A 2006, ‘Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making,’ Journal of Marketing, vol. 63 no. 2, pp. 18–40. Motavalli, J 2013, ‘As it increases p roduction, Tesla worried about battery supply’, The New York Times, 13 June, pp. 19-20. Roth, H 2008, The challenge of the Global Brand: Handbook on Brand And Experience Management, Columbia Business School, Columbia. Rust, T, Zeithaml, A, Lemon, N 2004, ‘Customer centred brand management’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 82 no. 4, pp. 110-118. Saxena, S 2012, ‘Challenges and Strategies for Global Branding’, Journal of Business and Management, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 38-43. Simon, H 2007, ‘Rational decision making in business organisations’, American Economic Review, vol. 3 no. 4, pp. 123-129. Soh, W 2011, Volkswagen brand in China. Web. Yelkur, R 2011, ‘Customer satisfaction and service marketing mix’, Journal of professional services marketing, vol. 21 no.1, pp. 105-115. This report on Volkswagen Polo Product was written and submitted by user Christina Wagner to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Monday, November 25, 2019

My Thoughts On Love Essays - Why, Free Essays, Term Papers

My Thoughts On Love Essays - Why, Free Essays, Term Papers My Thoughts On Love My thoughts on Love What is love for? Why does it have to be just a word thrown around like a misguided sin? Why do people fall in love? Is it because they want to be hurt? If people realized that love only brings pain and heartache in the end, why bother with it? I cant stand the pain. It has been eating at me for a while now. Love does strange things to people. I feel like im hanging on the edge of a cliff and love has pushed me off the edge. Is it easier in the long run? No! why fall in love when you know you are going to get *censored*ed over in the long run? Love isnt worth it. and girls wonder why guys are such *censored*s to them. did you bitches ever sit back and think about what your doing to provoke the guy to the brink of rippig your neck out with a spoon? why *censored* with our emotions? Is love just some game you play with our hearts? Life is just a game right? Hell yeah it is. It seems like love is winning and people are losing. People have feelings. Love takes all and leaves you with empty promises and broken dreams. why go for it? Bibliography [emailprotected] geocities.com/syylentkiller/index.html

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How tea party could drive GOP to disaster Article

How tea party could drive GOP to disaster - Article Example On the other hand, Romney could get nominated and he could lose the election which would trigger the tea party Republicans to push for a more conservative candidate in the 2016 election. This in turn would trigger a massive party debacle in itself. Another possibility is that a tea party Republican would get nominated but would lose the election. This would mean that the Republican Party would lose an election merely to get the â€Å"tea party† out of its system. In itself this would represent a large loss to the Republicans. The last possibility could be that a tea party Republican is nominated and he wins the election which though remote but could still be possible. The weak state of the economy and support for Rick Perry, Governor of Texas would produce a candidate and motive for voting. If a tea party Republican does come to the front, there is an overwhelming possibility that American will suffer from their conservative and unrealistic agenda. The tea party government may trigger both a political and an economic crisis if elected. The greatest chance is for possibility three while possibility one would be a good choice that no one is really looking for

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Evaluation of a Current Child Health Issue Essay

Evaluation of a Current Child Health Issue - Essay Example Depression, another emotional disorder, is also on the rise with young people with at least 2 per cent of children under 12 and 5 per cent of teenagers suffering from depression (op.cit.). Depression is associated with â€Å"feelings of extreme sadness† (NHS, 2010, para.6) which not only last for long periods of time, but is also recurrent and may further develop into suicidal tendencies (ibid). Brent and Birmaher (2002) noted that depression in both children and adolescents is not always demonstrated by sadness, but can take the form of irritability, boredom and the inability to find pleasure. Younger adolescents may show more anxiety-related symptoms, clinging behaviours, unexplained fears and physical symptoms, while older adolescents may experience a greater loss of interest and pleasure and also have more morbid thinking (Kalb & Raymond, 2003; Mondimore, 2002). Lewinsohn et al. (1998) found that nearly 89% of depressed adolescents reported disturbances in sleep. With youn ger children in the early childhood stage, depression is manifested by â€Å"masked† symptoms such as a complaint of stomach ache or aggression (Carlson & Cantwell, 1980; Hazel, 2002; Luby et al., 2003). These symptoms are fairly common in children, so it is not usually identified as a depressive symptom. However, when young children have these symptoms and are also seen to be irritable, bored or not finding pleasure, especially in play which is inherently fun, then they may present symptoms of early childhood depression (Brent and Birmaher, 2002). The difficulty with reaching a clear diagnosis of depression at this stage is that young children are perceived to be developmentally too immature to experience the effects of such a heavy emotion (Stalets & Luby, 2006). On the other hand, studies have shown that in fact children at this stage are far more emotionally sophisticated than they are given credit for (Denham et al., 2002; Denham et al., 2003; Saarni, 2000; Lewis et al., 1992; Lewis et al., 1989). Depression in very young children results in experiencing complicated emotions such as guilt and shame (Luby et al., 2009) and as younger children â€Å"mask† their depression it can be harder to identify a need early on. Some children who are depressed may actually avidly participate in activities with others such as singing and dancing and even exaggerate their actions. This makes diagnosis even harder and early intervention difficult. Depression can develop from a combination of different factors (risk factors) such as genetics, physiological, environmental and socio-economic factors such as parent’s unemployment , sickness and large families in small houses, bullying of peers or abuse from adults (Northen, 2004). If these risk factors are already present in the child’s life then significant life changes such as a death of a significant other, parental divorce and other tragedies will greatly increase the likelihood of childhood de pression. One particularly important factor that affects a child’s likelihood of developing depression is the quality of their relationship with their family. Brofenbrenner’s Ecological model (1979) explains that family is part of the child’s microsystem and the primary providers of the child’

Monday, November 18, 2019

Role of Attitude in Organizational Behavior Essay

Role of Attitude in Organizational Behavior - Essay Example For example, the attitude of a person towards a friend can be examined in terms of cognitive component (â€Å"I think my friend is funny and pleasant†), affective component (â€Å"I feel nice when I am around this friend†) and behavioral component (â€Å"I try to spend time with this friend whenever I get an opportunity†). Attitudes of a person are influenced by both values and beliefs. Values reflect a general sense of right or wrong and do not require an identifiable object towards which it is directed (Cheek 2006). Values are therefore deeply rooted views that act as guiding principles for an individual. On the other hand beliefs are assumptions that one makes about oneself, about others and about how we expect things to be (Cheek 2006). Attitudes develop from past experiences or observations and have been found to guide future behavior. Behavior is the way one acts and includes the things that we say or do, like facial expressions, hand gestures, eye contact and choice of words (Standen n.d.). Behavior is usually an outward expression of one’s attitude. However, the two are not always related. Attitudes are only one of the determinants of behavior. It is the predisposition to behave in a particular way in a given situation. However, how one would actually behave in a given scenario, depends on many other factors like immediate consequences of the behavior, perception of others viewing the behavior, personal habits and other situational factors (Standen n.d.). A classic example to describe this is the study conducted by LaPiere (1934) where he went on a tour with a Chinese couple (at a time when Chinese were discriminated against) in the southwest. He asked the hotel proprietors if this couple could stay in their hotel and also if they could eat there.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Voltaire In Writing Candide History Essay

Voltaire In Writing Candide History Essay Elaborate upon what advantages there might be for Voltaire in writing Candide as a satire (albeit a philosophical one), as opposed to an out-and-out philosophical essay. Satire: An artistic work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit. Irony or caustic wit used to expose or attack human folly. American Heritage Dictionary. Voltaire was a French writer, philosopher and one of the leaders of the Enlightenment movement. Voltaire wrote with a critical attitude, yet presented the story of Candide in a humorous manner. The story is fictional, but based on real situations happening in the world at the time Voltaire wrote the story. Voltaire wrote Candide using a lot of satire and irony to get his philosophical points across regarding the main theme of book, optimism. The plot of the story is fast paced, and comes across pretty incredulous as the main characters narrowly escape death over and over again, allowing the chance for the tragedies to compound over and over again using the same characters. It is through all of these horrible experiences the characters in Candide endure that he mocks the idea of a perfect world (optimism), and ends up pointing out how indifferent the world is to humanity in general. One of the advantages to Voltaire writing Candide as a satire instead of a philosophical essay was that it kept him from getting thrown into jail, and potentially helped him to avoid persecution and death. At the time he wrote the book there were some significant events happening in history, and writing Candide was a way for Voltaire to convey information and opinion about the events without necessarily getting himself into trouble. Writing in this manner gave Voltaire the opportunity to make fun of the rich and famous, religion, and events prominent at that point in history. Additionally, writing his accounts in a satirical manner allowed him to criticize what was happening in Europe, by putting his fictional characters in realistic settings allowed him to explore current events. I can almost picture him using the excuse: Why, I wasnt talking about you, its just part of the story! A great example of optimism and irony is expressed in chapter five, where he draws attention to the Lis bon earthquake and the devastation it caused. Candide, injured in the earthquake and trapped underneath a pile of rubble, cries out for help from Pangloss, who comes back simply saying -But these earthquakes are nothing new. The city of Lima in America experienced the same tremors last year: same causes, same effects: there must certainly be a seam of sulphur running underground from Lima to Lisbon. Pangloss continues to assure all that This is all for the best. In chapter four, Pangloss is telling the story of how he contracted syphilis passed down through multiple encounters when he indicates that one of the encounters à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦was a Jesuit who passed it to a page boyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ insinuating the Jesuits being homosexual, a sin in the Roman Catholic Church. He later then goes on to state that if it wasnt for Columbus bringing syphilis to the Americas in the spirit of all is for the bestà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we wouldnt have the enjoyment of chocolate (the association of syphilis to chocolate in this story has sort of ruined it for me). Another example, leaning more towards a political genre regarding the Seven Year War, is in chapter 23 when Voltaire satirizes the actual death of British Naval Commander John Byng by execution on the deck of his own ship in Portsmouth harbor. In the story, Candide and Martin sail into the Portsmouth Harbor on a Dutch ship, discussing the conflict in North America between the French and the British over Canadian territory, Candide expressing his disdain for the fight over land that had more consequences than what was worth fighting for. In the story they come into Portsmouth Harbor spying on a British admiral who is being executed for failing to engage the enemy properly to win the battle. Candide speaks out What is all thisà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and what the devil is at work in this world? Why kill this admiral? the answer being à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦He did not get enough people killed when he had the chanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but in this count ry it is considered useful now and again to shoot an admiral, to encourage the others. Candide being stunned and shocked by what he heard, refused to set foot on English soil and fled to Venice. This could have made a strong statement to readers, affecting their opinions of England during wartime, especially since the execution of John Byng was such significant event. Candide reminds me of a 1700 version of Saturday Night Live, with all the political and historical satire, done in a clever way as to not get the author in trouble with the masses, yet gets his points across to those who get it and understand the meaning behind the satire. Reflection: Part Two Identify some aspect of contemporary culture (in art, politics, media, science, religion, etc) that has been profoundly shaped by one (or more) of the philosophers weve studied during this course explain the reasons why you make this claim. The Age of Enlightenment, also referred to as the Age of Reason, is centered around a time in history when philosophy centered on reason being the primary source of authority and legitimacy. Enlightenment philosophers believed that science and reason led to progress, that knowledge was attainable by man, (not just a revelation from God), and that man wanted to free himself from existing religious worldview through scientific understanding. The Enlightenment movement developed simultaneously in Europe and the American colonies, and culminated with the liberation of America from England during the American Revolution. Enlightenment principles, developed by philosophers such as Voltaire, Hume and Locke, greatly influenced how the United States government was formed. Since Voltaire is the philosopher I understood the most, I will focus on his philosophies and beliefs. These Enlightenment philosophers had broadened their scope of criticism during this time in history to include religion and politics. Their opinions and ideals influenced the authors of the Declaration if Independence, and the United States Bill of Rights. Voltaire, famous for his satire and advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion and free trade, are ideals that are alive and well today. He was outspoken on social reform despite the strict censorship and penalties in place that prosecuted the violators of that day and age. It is apparent that his philosophies on religion and politics have influenced our government and that those philosophies are still in play today. At the time Voltaire was writing his philosophical ideals, the idea of the Unites States was just being born, and as changes began taking place, like the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it indicated that individuals in Americas history were going beyond discussion o f enlightened ideas, like Voltaires philosophies, but were taking action on them. As far as religious influence, Voltaires ideals about the separation of church and state have probably been one his biggest influence in the American government. The concept of separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state. This all came about from Voltaires critical views on religion, reflecting his belief in the separation of church and state, formed after he had been exiled to England for a time. To explain, during the eighteenth century there was a big push to use rationalism to demonstrate the existence of God. Devotion, reverence and belief were integral parts in the exploration of natural philosophy and ethics in addition to political theories of the age. Voltaire considered himself a deist, expressing the idea what is faith? Is it to believe that which is evident? No. It is perfectly evident to my mind that there exists a necessary, eternal, supreme, and intelligent being. This is no matter of faith, but of reason. Deism is the philosophical belief in a deity based on reason, rather than religious revelation or dogma. Deism greatly influenced the thought of intellectuals and Founding Fathers, including James Madison, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington. It is noted that The First Amendment to the Constitution states that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, of course lending itself to individual interpretation, the establishment of separation of church and state. Philosophers like Voltaire really got the ball rolling and changed how people were thinking about government. People began to look more intuitively at how the government was run, and started questioning the authority of the rulers. The philosophers believed that written law needed to reflect the general will of the people. The Enlightenment is named so for good reasonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the new ideas that sprang from this movement stated that individuals had rights and that government was a contract between the people and their ruler, and that under this contract both the ruler and citizens had rights and responsibilities. One sided rule was not acceptable anymore. The people wanted change from absolutism and the divine right of kings, and they wanted to have a say in how things were being done. An excellent example of enlightenment thinking is the Declaration of Independence, which marked the beginning of self government in America. In conclusion, Voltaire, along with other Enlightnement philosophers, had great influence in laying the foundation of law and shaping of our country.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Education and Health are Dependent Upon Economic Growth Essay -- Socia

Since accumulation of human capital is an important contributor to economic growth, it is important to recognize factors which facilitate this accumulation, and how does human resource transform to the more viable human capital? Central to this transformation are two elements; education and health care, where the attainment and improvement of these, is seen directly influencing labour productivity. From this cause effect relationship we can make a ‘logical assumption’ that improvement in human resources leads to economic growth (Dreze and Sen 2002; Rivera and Currais 1998). In light of this assumption, the aim of this essay is to determine the policies which could be used to successfully shift to a virtuous mutual cycle between economic growth, improved health, and education by articulating the impact of education and health as independent, and co-dependent variables on economic growth and vice-versa Educated individuals have higher employment rates since the labour skill of an educated person is more significant than that of an illiterate person, so he/she is able to generate a higher income than the latter, and his/her contribution to economic growth is thus consequently, more(Pritchett 1996). Education not only benefits the individual by making him more marketable, it can also be credited with improving the quality of an economy since the availability of educated labour gives entrepreneurs and firms the impetus to explore new markets, set up new industries, and adopt new technologies (Fasih 2008). While the monetary benefit of education is the primary reason for its acquisition, the positive externalities attached to its attainment i.e. the self-confidence and feeling of empowerment that comes with the ability to make info... ...ucational Tourism: Understanding the Concept, Recognising the Value. [online] Available at: http://www.insights.org.uk/articleitem.aspx?title=Educational%20Tourism:%20Understanding%20the%20Concept,%20Recognising%20the%20Value [Accessed: 16 Mar 2012]. Pritchett, L. (2012) Where Has All the Education Gone?. [online] Available at: http://wber.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/3/367.full.pdf [Accessed: 12 Mar 2012]. Ravallion, M. (2004) Pro-Poor growth:A primer. [online] Available at: http://web.usal.es/~bustillo/RavallionPPGPrimer.pdf [Accessed: 13 March 2012]. Taylor and Francis Online (1998) Economic growth and health: direct impact or reverse causation?. [online] Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/135048599352367 [Accessed: 13 March 2012]. Tilak, J. (2006) On Allocating 6 per Cent of GDP to Education. [online] [Accessed: 12 Mar 2012].