Tutankhamun’s Tomb, Egypt

Ancient History Preliminary Assessment Task 2013 TRANSCRIPT: TUTANKHAMUN’S TOMB, EGYPT When archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922, he remarked that it was â€Å"the day of days, the most wonderful that I have ever lived through, and certainly one whose like I can never hope to see again. † On that November day, not only had this man uncovered an unknown ancient Egyptian tomb, but one that had lain nearly undisturbed for over 3000 years whose remains laying within astounded the world.Previous excavations in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt by Theodore Davis had found and cleared the tombs of Tutankhamun’s family and their possessions. By 1913, Davis had not yet found an intact royal tomb and became disillusioned, finally declaring the area exhausted of By 1920, the tomb of nearly every New Kingdom king from between 1550 and 1070 BCE had been found in the Valley of the Kings, but Tutankhamun’s remained missing. Lord Carnarvon , an English aristocrat who was enthusiastic about Egyptology, applied for and purchased the license Davis gave up and chose Howard Carter, a British Egyptologist, to continue the search.Minor finds by Davis bearing Tutankhamun’s name led Carter to believe the king was still somewhere in the valley and felt the finds justified a further exploration. Between 1917 and 1921 the two worked in the eastern valley without success. Carter convinced Carnarvon to persist for another season, determined to find Tutankhamun. Carter’s team cleared bedrock using the grid system of archaeological excavation. This technique was developed in WWI for the purpose of maintaining a system that ensured stratigraphic control of excavations in trench digging and artillery barrages.Using these methods, on November 1st 1922 a staircase was uncovered in the limestone cliffs of the Valley of the Kings. The entrance door, which had a dry limestone blocking plastered with gypsum, was later uncovered to reveal Tutankhamun’s name. The entrance they excavated then led to an eight-metre-long corridor that revealed evidence of past robberies. Four small rooms flowed from the entrance and corridor, including an Antechamber, Annexe, Burial Chamber and Treasury. On November 6, Lord Carnarvon was summoned by telegraph and arrived with his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, to watch the excavation process unfold.Compared to tombs of other pharaohs of the time, Tutankhamun’s tomb was small and lacked some of the more elaborate features – for example, tomb paintings and decoration were only found in the Burial Chamber room rather than all rooms. Due to Tutankhamun’s early death, a lack of time was left to prepare his tomb. One of the most remarkable divisions of Tutankhamun’s tomb was that he was the only pharaoh to have been discovered intact in his tomb with the complete burial furniture and possessions surrounding. These objects included gilded statues of Tutankhamun, gods, and family members,.Objects from the king’s daily life were also present such as clothes, furniture and sceptres. Funerary goods such as canopic jars containing the king’s entrails and hundreds of shabtis (which were small statues of people, intended to serve as slaves in the afterlife) were found, along with more personal items. Two miniature coffins containing mummies of stillborn babies were placed beside Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus. These were likely to have been his children by his half-sister and wife, Ankhsenamun, whom he married around the age of ten. It took Carter the most part of ten years to empty all the chambers.This was due to difficulties from a sudden change in protocol and access privileges from both British and Egyptian governments, affecting the excavation on the site and delaying the whole process. It was also due to the meticulous process Carter took in his excavation – each object was recorded, catalogued, describe d, and photographed in situ, before being preserved and conserved, then finally packed and transported to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. The main archaeological find of the tomb however, was King Tutankhamun himself. Inside the burial chamber were four gilded shrines, one inside the other.The innermost shrine held a quartzite sarcophagus which in turn held three coffins. The innermost coffin made of solid gold contained the mummy of Tutankhamun, wrapped in linen and wearing his famous gold plated mask, inlaid with blue glaze and inscribed with religious spells. Although the body was found to be poorly preserved, Tutankhamun was notable for being the only Egyptian pharaoh found in situ, intact and unsealed since ancient times in his tomb. In 1925 the body was removed from the coffins with difficulty, due to the abundance of resin that had been poured over the mummy at the funeral.Carter and his team were forced to cut the body in order to remove it from the coffin. Four sessions of sc ientific analysis were conducted on Tutankhamun’s body over the years. These proved to ablaze many controversial issues and interpretations over Tutankhamun’s cause of death. The first inquiry was an autopsy which began after Carter’s excavation in 1925, carried out by Douglas E. Derry, a Professor of Anatomy at the Egyptian University in Cairo. Derry found Tutankhamun to have a fracture in his lower left thighbone, a large, ragged embalming wound, and estimated his age of death to be between 18 and 22 years.He also reconfirmed the body’s poor preservation, noting that the inner layers of linen were reduced to the ‘consistency of soot’, that an overload of resin destroyed the corpse, and that the nose was heavily flattened by the bandages. The second scientific analysis of the body was conducted by R. G. Harrison in 1968. With an x-ray the team concluded that two bone fragments in the skull and haemorrhaging may have been caused by a blow to the head, and that the body was missing a sternum and some frontal rib bones. This caused speculations about Tutankhamun’s death, some suggesting murder and others suggesting a fatal chariot accident.Examiners also noted that the spine showed signs of scoliosis. A further x-ray and blood analysis in 1978 was led by James E. Harris. It wrongly concluded that the king was perhaps 23 to 27 years old at death. A blood analysis supported the idea that Tutankhamun was related to the body of Akhenaten found in another tomb in the Valley of the Kings – suggesting it was Tutankhamun’s father. A final CT scan in 2005 was conducted to test the conclusions of previous inquiries and to look for additional details still undiscovered.Led by Dr Zahi Hawass, the scan confirmed the previous findings of the king’s height, health, general features and age of death at around 18-19 years. It also disproved the theory of scoliosis, relating the curvature of his spine instead th e way his body was arranged by the embalmers. 8MINSThe theory of murder by head trauma and death relating to the missing ribs was also ruled out and blamed on embalmers and/or Carter’s team, The leg trauma found in Tutankhamun’s lower left femur may have introduced infection which may have been fatal.This theory however remains unproven. Facial reconstruction of King Tutankhamun was also commenced using the new CT scan data in 2005. A forensic anthropologist calculated sizes of tissue on his face. A cast was then made of the skull from this data which was used to build a latex model. When the CT scan data and skull cast was given to another forensic team for checking, the skin colour proved to be somewhat controversial in interpretation. Controversies occurred as it is impossible to determine skin colour accurately.This is because there is a large variation on skin tones in the area, and not enough accurate information available as Ancient Egyptian art depicted bodies in unrealistic colours. Thus, no consensus on the King’s skin tone was reached, however the overall results between the different reconstructions was similar. At the time of discovery, very little was known about this ancient pharaoh. Thanks to the efforts put into many investigations over the years and, in particular, the 1923 ‘Curse of King Tut’ phenomena that was spread through media following the untimely death of Lord Carnarvon, knowledge and interest of Tutankhamun has skyrocketed.Tutankhamun’s legacy remains to this day and he continues to stand across the globe as one of the most well-known Egyptian pharaohs in history. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Carter, H. , Mace, A. C. , The Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen: Discovered by the Late Earl of Carnarvon and Howard Carter, Volume 1 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1923), 94. [ 2 ]. N. Reeves, The Complete Tu tankhamun, Thames & Hudson, 1990, pp. 116-17

Consumer Perception Towards Brand Choice

Changing Perception of Consumer towards Brand Choice and the role of culture in it: A Pakistan perspective An Argumentative Paper on the Bond between Brand Choice, Consumer’s Perception and Culture influence Ikra Nasir Bachelor of Business Administration, Comsats University of Science and Technology, Islamabad campus, Pakistan Haider Ahmed Qazi Bachelor of Business Administration, Comsats University of Science and Technology, Islamabad campus, Pakistan AbstractThe main purpose of this paper is to investigate and discuss the importance of analyzing the consumer perception towards local and foreign brands. An argumentative approach has been used to reveal the importance of Consumer perception. Local and foreign brand choice is affected by brand image, country of origin, brand awareness, brand quality, Materialism. With the increasing trend of globalization consumer have become much more aware and their perceptions are changing at rapid pace, it has been seen that price, quality are considered to be major determinants of making their brand choice.Consumer’s value local brands because of low price but they prefer foreign brands because of better quality and durability and for status enhancement reasons. In order to understand consumer perception we need to understand culture so that necessities and behavior of consumers are well understood. The paper shows a link among three concepts and how they are interconnected. The discussion section views the concepts based on the findings of the research. A theoretical framework has been described which exhibit the antecedents on which the three concepts are being measured.Lastly the paper conclude that a cross-culture study is essential to understand the changing perception of consumers when making a brand choice between local and foreign products Keywords: Brand Choice, Perception, Globalization, Culture, Local and Foreign Brands Contents 1. Introduction3 1. 1. Problem Statement5 1. 2. Objectives of the study 5 1. 3. Significance of the research5 1. 4. Scope of the research6 1. 5. Limitation of research6 2. Literature Review6 2. 1 Local and Foreign Brands6 2. 2 Consumer Perception8 . 3 Role of Culture9 2. 4 Link between Local and Foreign brands, Consumer Perception, Culture. 10 3. Theoretical Framework and antecedents of variables11 4. Hypothesis12 5. Data Analysis12 5. 1Population13 5. 2Sample size13 5. 3Sampling Method14 5. 4Data Description14 6Discussion16 6. 1Consumer perception and culture18 7. Conclusion19 8. Recommendations19 References20 Appendix25 1. Introduction ‘People are pawns in the hands of giant companies with huge advertising budgets and global reach.Brands bring something that people think is better than what they feel’ . – (The Economist, 2004) The study aims to understand the consumer perception towards local and foreign brands in the Pakistani market not only in fast moving consumer goods segment but also in other industries as retailing, clothing . Through consumer perception of price quality and value are considered pivotal determinants of shopping behavior and product choice (Bishop 1984; Doyle 1984; Jacoby and Olson 1985, Sawyer and Dickson, 1984) ( Valarie A. Zeithaml, 1988).Pakistani market is taken into study because of increased globalness many international companies are now entering into the market on the strength of rising affluence level of the young Pakistani population along with the heightened awareness of foreign brands, international shopping experiences the demand for foreign products are increasing in Pakistan The increased global competition among foreign firms operating in different parts of the world are not only offering products but also offering increased standard for living and improved lifestyle of consumers around the world.So now the markets need to understand the consumer perceptions and evaluations of foreign products more than ever before (Simriti Bajaj, 2007). We are also interested in underst anding and considering the factors that affect the consumer evaluation and perception of foreign products against local products Consumers when come in a market are faced with a choice between local and foreign brands how they make this choice is obviously worth researching Studies already show that the consumer perception towards brand quality and acceptability is perceived directly from where the brand is from.This shows that brand country of origin play an important role in determining the quality of brand which influences their attitude and purchase intentions. In developing country like Pakistan brand origin (that the brand is from which country) affects the perception of consumers for foreign products (Kaynak et al. , 1999) and this foreign product can be more favorable if the brand is from the western or developed country.Consumers evaluate products more positively which are particularly from the USA, Japan, Germany, Italy, the UK and France (Bhuian, 1997) brands are well rec ognized by consumers around the world, and are perceived as to representing a high status and quality we believe that this effect consumer assessment of brand quality rating (Lee,M,Y. , Knight,D. , Kim,Y,K. , 2008) Looking at how consumers perceive local brands. The study revealed that local brands benefit from a better value.As it is mention by Simriti Bajaj (2007) that Value is linked with the fact that prices of local brands are usually lower than those of international brands, providing consumers as sense of better value for money. As tell by (Sankar,S,M. , 2006) Local brands are perceived as more â€Å"down to earth† than an international brand, Research shows that perceived brand globalness for global brands could create consumer perceptions of brand superiority (Shocker et al. , 1994)(Sankar, S. M. , 2006) Consumers prefer global brands because they usually offer more quality and better guarantees than other products.Consumers look to global brands as symbols of cultur al ideas â€Å"Local brands show them what they are while global brands show them what they want to be† Shocker et al. , (1994) cited by Sankar, S. M. , (2006) Consequently when companies are doing marketing of brands across cultures firms make strategies that assert a standardized brand through the use of advertising, symbols and other imagery Marketers seek to develop brand that is rational for all the consumers in the world. ( Foscht,T. , Maloles III,C. , Swoboda,B. Morschett,D. , and Sinha,I. , 2008) Culture play an important role in determining the Brands personality it is perceived differently by consumer either in culturally-homogeneous or heterogeneous markets the culture meaning which could be assigned to the brand is influenced by culture differences in diverse communities. In the paper of â€Å"Brand culture and consumption: Chinese consumers and foreign brands† Chen Li a professor of management science in France university d’Aix tells that Chinese ha ve accepted foreign brands happily.Culture values are thought of determining the attitude and behaviors of consumers (Kamakura and Novak, 1992) With the increase trend of globalization, Consumers in Pakistan are now becoming more informed, demanding and sophisticated consumers attitude is changing at rapid pace. consumers are becoming aware of westernized products and they feel that buying and having a foreign product make them feel proud between their families and friends and it give them prestige and status(Kaynak. E, Kara. A, 2000).This shows that products today have now become more symbolic attribute for people. The study therefore focus on the reason that why consumers in the market particularly Pakistan prefer foreign brands over local brands and how culture play a role in molding the perception of consumers in making brand choice for the deep understanding interviews have been conducted with consumers that helps as a qualitative tool for the research to know the attitude and thinking of consumers towards local brand and foreign brands.This study is restricted to upper and middle class. 1. 1. Problem Statement The research evaluates the impact of local and foreign brands on consumer perception and the moderating effect of culture on consumer perception 1. 2. Objectives of the studyThe main objective of the study is to evaluate consumer perception of local and foreign brands in the Pakistani market other objectives are as follows: 1- To analyze the effect of consumer perception for foreign brands and that why people prefer foreign brands over local brands 2- To determine the increase influence of modernization and westernization (impact of culture) affects the consumer perception of brand choice 3- To identify the effect that culture plays a moderating role when consumers make a brand choice between local and foreign brands. . 3. Significance of the research The research is important for the marketers and the companies who want to enter into Pakistan as i t will help them understand the changing perception of Pakistani consumers towards brand choice. While marketing across culture many firms make marketing strategies that emphasized a standardized brand through advertising, symbols and imagery the study help to understand the role of culture differences and acceptance of Pakistani consumers.It tells us how culture plays an important role to understand the perception of consumers, as nowadays there is a trend of westernization and people are blending west with our eastern culture. They are using global brands as to get ideas of other cultures, and they adapt them to make themselves the global consumers. Therefore, this research will be of great help to the managers and companies, as they will get to know the acceptance level of their brand by consumers. In addition, studies aim to add to the knowledge about consumer behavior and their perception of foreign vs. ocal brand in a developing market like Pakistan A firm serving foreign bran ds must understand how consumers in different cultures evaluate the brand. Hence this understanding of consumer choice behavior will benefit both foreign companies and local companies. 1. 4. Scope of the research The scope of the research was to study the perceptional changes of consumer towards brand choice from the twin cities Rawalpindi and Islamabad (The capital of Pakistan). As being a student and resident of Islamabad the study is being done on small scale to get the overall idea about the topic.The samples which seem appropriate for this particular study are consumers from Pakistan 1. 5. Limitation of research The limitations of the study are that the finding is mostly done between students and faculty of different private sector universities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. Which limit the generalizability of the finding as student represents only a subset of consumers. Future research will be conducted with a sample more representative of the entire consumers. The study selecte d only two foreign brands Levis and Polo. 2.Literature Review 2. 1 Local and Foreign Brands A brand is a â€Å"Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers (Aaker,1996) brand is an image that act as a pathway for image value and differential point (Cretu ; Brodie, 2007; del Rio, Vazquez ; Iglesias, 2001). One of the most cited definition of local brand was formulated by Wolfe (1991; 50) â€Å"A local brand can be defined as a brand that exists in one country or in a limited geographical area† .Where a foreign brand is defined as â€Å"a brand that is marketed under the same name in multiple countries with similar and centrally located coordinated marketing strategies†. Levitt (1983). Competition has now become much complicated for brands as the number of brands originating from the foreign countries are increasing many foreign brands are now competing with domestic brands in all g lobal markets and that foreign brands image is more related from brand country of origin and country image. Kim,C,K. , and Chung,J,Y. (1997) Foreign brands are perceived to be more reliable and safe in terms of quality, technology, status and esteem then local brands . Positive brand image is found in accordance to country of origin perception. Country of origin image influence the brand preference for the consumer so according to (Kinra,N. , 2005) country of origin is considered to be an important factor that differentiate the consumer attitude towards local and foreign brands. In the study of (Marin and Gonzalez, 2008) People preferred foreign brands over local brands because of differentiation and enhanced quality and that’s hy most of the consumers show loyalty towards global brands as far as local brands consumers perceives them in terms of popularity as they are from their own country so people mostly know about them means they are having high awareness level and they v alue to it in terms of fare prices The increase trend of Globalization has forced the companies to take their brands global and invest in them for the companies long term success(Arturo Bris, Willem Smit, and Michael Sorell, 2010) In some cases, preference for local brands may signify defiance against the forces of globalization (Russell and Russell, 2006).Today’s in this inter connected world markets with its consumers all over the world the global brand creates consumer perception of brand superiority (Shocker, et al, 1994; Kapferer, 1997; Keller, 1994; Ozsomer and Altaras, 2008); and it has been seen that foreign brands have more prestige and status enhancement which make people more likely to prefer foreign brands in their purchase decision (Steenkamp, Batra, and Alden, 2003).The main difference for brand are based on the things which differentiate them from others , something unique, something good it was found by Keller (2003) that brands like FedEx and McDonald form an d create their attractive image in mind of consumers by speed reliability, quality food ,and comfort like characteristics (Harun. A et al. ,2010) consumer purchase intention for local and foreign brand is influence by brand specific variables quality emotional value e. g a sense of happiness and pleasure and need for uniqueness (Kumar. A et al. 2008) On the basis of literature of local and foreign brands it has been proposed 2. 2 Consumer Perception Perception is the process through which consumer attach meaning to the world around us our world consist of the people experiences and objects that influence us (Brignall. M, 1999-2012)Consumer perception is based on demographic variables which also may have an impact on brand preferences (Dogerlioglu-Demir. K , Tansuhaj. P,2011) consumer perception for different brands depend upon the amount of information consumer have with them about it (Vithala R.Rao, 1972) consumer perception , values and behavior towards foreign brands when buying the luxury fashion products is to buy a brand which enhance their status (Jap. W,2010) â€Å"In a nation that has long tradition of valuing ‘face, ‘consumers take luxury products as a symbol of their high social status. † Stated by Simons (2006) status consumption and incorruptibility are strong influencers of purchase intention (Phau. I, Teah. M, 2009). Consumer perception towards brand purchase intention is influenced by perceived quality, perceived risk, perceived value, prestige and involvement of consumer in a brand ( Hanzaee.K. H, Taghipourian. M. J, 2012) consumer perceive quality of a brand from its intrinsic e. g. Performance, Durability and extrinsic cues e. g Brand name and service now consumer perception towards any brand is formed that how effectively a brand satisfy its quality and overall superiority with respect to its consumption experience (Kirmani and Baumgartner 2000). Consumer preference towards foreign products are seen due to the good qualit y , prestige and perceived value perception for foreign brands consumers think that possessing a foreign brand influence the other people perception about them (Ergin. E.A, Akbay. H. O, 2010). So it is well supported in the literature that consumer perceptions are based on variables such as quality, explicit information, social status, prestige like variables consumer prefer to buy a brand that give them feeling of the ambience that creates enjoyment for consumers which is taken as a critical aspect of consumers’ consumption experience and in turn consumers perceive a brand in agreeable with them (Babin et al. , 1994). Brands that prove and indicate reliability and integrity ensure consumer trust in a brand and they create perception of loyalty for the brand ( Ok. C et al. 2011) perceived value is also a key strategic variable that helps explain repeat purchase behavior and brand loyalty (Parasuraman and Grewal 2000 ; Wong. A ;Zhou. L, 2005). 2. 3 Role of Culture What is cult ure? When looking in a national context it’s a way of life – a natural inherited way of life – that includes religion, spirituality, language, moral and social norms, family values, eating habits, and so on. (Tandon. S, 2004). Researchers in consumer behavior are very much aware of the necessity to understand culture so that necessities and behavior of consumers can be very well understood (Graham.R. J, 1981) there is an impact of culture in consumer evaluation(Mattila. A. S,1999) with the increased trend of globalization, cultures trade with each other expand opportunities available to all, Critics of globalization say that even if the increased trade has promote the material success and fortune it comes with high spiritual and cultural cost (Cowen. T, 2003)globalization presents a fundamental challenge to companies around the world (Iversen and Hem 2011; Nijssen and Douglas 2011).Culture, it has well been established in the literature that brands carry and com municate cultural meanings (Aaker, 1997; Aaker et al. , 2001; Escalas and Bettman, 2005). Three levels of Culture identity: individual, relational, and collective are suggested by Brewer and Gardner relational and collective self-identities most closely relate to social identities such as global and national identity. While individual self-identity has more personalized associations (Brewer and Gardner, 1996) (Westjohn. S. A et al. , 2011).In different cultures there are set of shared consumption related symbols, product categories, brands which are known as global consumer cultures and those which are not known to be as local consumer cultures associating a brand with global consumer culture flows brand equity (Dana L. Alden et al. , 1999)in order to analyze a global consumer behavior an analysis of life style and cross cultural analysis of consumer lifestyle and traditional areas of consumer decision making should be focus Hassan. S. S, Kaynak. E,(1994).Ethnocentrism is a concept which was introduced by (Sumner, 1906) (Evanschitzky. H, et al. , and 2008) it represents the universal tendency of people to view their own group as a centre of the universe they look at other social units from their group perspective. And they reject the person who is culturally dissimilar and accept the one without thinking that are culturally like themselves (Evanschitzky. H, et al. , 2008) in order to build a brand across market cultural differences across markets and communities should be analyzed (Moore. J,1993) 2. Link between Local and Foreign brands, Consumer Perception, Culture. While global brands may be perceived as status enhancing tools and vehicles for expressing a desire to be part of the global consumer community, local brands may suggest low status (Batra et al. , 2000) and even closed-mindedness (Steenkamp et al. , 2003). In some cases, preference for local brands may imply resistance against the forces of globalization (Russell and Russell, 2006). Marketers are increasingly applying marketing positioning strategies to appeal to either global or local consumer cultures.In order to measure CE related to foreign- vs non-foreign-made products, (Shimp and Sharma, 1987) introduced a 17-item measurement instrument, the consumer ethnocentrism scale (CETSCALE) which we use to identify the culture dimensions and their behavior for acceptance and non acceptance of foreign products. Consumer perception or purchase behavior towards domestic and foreign product can be explained by many demographical variables and cross-culture study between two countries (Evanschitzky. H, et al. 2008) Culture orientation influences the local versus foreign origin and effect the consumer evaluation of products either favorable or unfavorable ( Gurhan-Canli. Z , Maheswaran. D, 2000, cited by Lee. W. J et al. , 2012) Due to traditionalism in consumer perception consumers are more loyal towards local products than foreign products (Rojsek. I, 2001) in order to standardized the foreign product in different diverse societies managers must understand the adaptation and competitive advantage and for local brand strategies strength and weaknesses which they can obtain through culture knowledge which can device competitive response. Gelder. S. V,2002) On the basis of above literature we proposed that: H1: The impact of foreign brands on local has positive effect on consumer perception H2: Culture has positive effect on consumer perception H3: Culture has a moderating effect on brand choice and consumer perception 3. Theoretical Framework and antecedents of variables Independent Variable Dependent Variable Consumer perception * Explicit information * Social status * Brand Prestige * Brand Value * Brand loyalty * Durability * Price Brand choice * Brand image * Country of origin * Brand awareness Brand quality * Purchase intention * Emotional Value(happiness) * Materialism Culture * Globalization * Collectivism/Individualism * Symbolic Value * Traditionalism * Competition * Ethnocentrism Moderating Variable Figure-1, Theoretical Framework and identified antecedents of the variables 4. Hypothesis H1: The impact of foreign brands on local has positive effect on consumer perception In our first hypothesis we hypothesized that the consumer perception towards foreign brands is more positive than local brands and that they give a preference to foreign brands when they are making a brand choice.A semi-structured questionnaire has been developed to test the validity of the hypothesis. H2: Culture has positive effect on consumer perception Our second hypothesis was build on a perception that culture influence the perception of consumers and that factors like traditionalism, individualism, collectivism, Ethnocentrism like variables play a role in changing and making the perceptions of particular consumers in different part of the world because people living in different geographical areas and has different taste and preferences they have their own symbolic cultural values which come in way.H3: Culture has a moderating effect on brand choice and consumer perception Lastly in our third hypothesis we hypothesized that when consumers make a choice between local and foreign brands their perception is influenced by the cultural values and affect their choice and decisions which they take 5. Data Analysis In order to test our hypothesis and the basic assumptions which we have made for this topic we are going to test this study based on some tests through which we are going to analyze the basic relationship between the chosen variables.To test the validity of our research our testing process will include Bivariate Correlation and Linear Regression Analysis. In Bivariate Correlation we are going to determine that if two variables are linearly related to each other. In Linear Regression Analysis we will see the relationship between our independent variable local and foreign brands and dependant variable consumer perception. Through li near regression the researchers have tried to predict the value of consumer perception based on the value of local and foreign brand choice.Before using the test of linear regression we have make some assumptions that the chosen variables are measured at the interval or continuous level, our variables are approximately normal distributed and that there is a linear relationship between the two variables. We have used different techniques to gather the specified data. We have observed the already done research on this issue for this purpose a thorough analysis of the research papers has been done.A semi-structured questionnaire has been developed related to consumer perception towards local and foreign brands and then interview method and questionnaires were distributed among the sample to get the responses for the topic. 5. 1 Population Our study group consist of the random sample of both men and women which is the representatives of entire population of twin city Islamabad and Rawal pindi (Pakistan) and from students and faculty members of different private universities located in the city, friends and family members were also been approached as this research has been done to get the idea of verall research and to understand and analyze the problem of the research. The research was mandatory as the subject requirement so that we can survey and analyze consumer responses and study their perception changing factors. 5. 2 Sample size Pakistan is a developing country and it has an emerging market. A total of 10 respondents were interviewed face-to-face. Using a semi structured questionnaire and a sample size of 200 respondent data has been collected using a questionnaire and has been analyzed in the twin city of Pakistan. And students and faculty members were studied mostly.Over the last six months considerable amount of effort has been devoted to constructing reliable and valid indicators. 200 respondents were asked to fill a questionnaire which was semi-structure d. 5. 3 Sampling Method If a researcher wants to choose an appropriate data collection approach they must prepare in advance a sampling method. There are many types of sampling method which are divided into probability and non-probability sampling. Due to availability and accessibility of the sampling frame for our research we have chosen a non-probability convenient sampling.Non probability sampling is a sampling method in which researchers can sample the group at random. This means that they can choose the sample that is available or easily approachable. Convenient sampling is a part of a non-probability sampling in it researcher have a sample which is most easily available to them and are geographically very convenient to them. Sampling method is done so that the research gets the result which is the representative of entire population. The research is done for high and middle class in Pakistan to get the idea of the perceptions for the brands from the consumers.And to check the perception and symbolic value which is been given to the brands in term of materialism and social-status price, quality in Pakistan among these two classes. 5. 4 Data Description Table: 1 Correlation Descriptive Statistics| | Mean| Std. Deviation| N| Perception| 1. 98| . 530| 200| Brand| 2. 33| . 428| 200| Culture| 2. 27| . 441| 200| Correlations| | | Perception| Brand| Culture| Perception| Pearson Correlation| 1| | . | | Sig. (2-tailed)| | | . | | N| 200| | | Brand| Pearson Correlation| . 430**| 1| **| | Sig. (2-tailed)| . 00| | | | N| 200| 200| | Culture| Pearson Correlation| . 539**| . 402**| 1| | Sig. (2-tailed)| . 000| . 000| | | N| 200| 200| 200| **. Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). | | Table:2 Linear Regression Analysis Model Summary| Model| R| R Square| Adjusted R Square| Std. Error of the Estimate| 1| . 587a| . 345| . 338| . 431| a. Predictors: (Constant), Culture, Brand| | ANOVAb| Model| Sum of Squares| df| Mean Square| F| Sig. | 1| Regression| 19. 258| 2| 9. 629| 51. 790| . 000a| | Residual| 36. 627| 197| . 186| | | Total| 55. 885| 199| | | | a. Predictors: (Constant), Culture, Brand| | | | b. Dependent Variable: Perception| | | | Coefficientsa| Model| Unstandardized Coefficients| Standardized Coefficients| T| Sig. | | B| Std. Error| Beta| | | 1| (Constant)| . 053| . 196| | . 272| . 786| | Brand| . 316| . 078| . 255| 4. 043| . 000| | Culture| . 525| . 076| . 436| 6. 926| . 000| a. Dependent Variable: Perception| | | | In the first table which is representing the correlation analysis which determines the linear relationship between two variables.The value of our variables is Positive Significant, because of probability value is . 000 and correlation value is greater than 0. 1. We analyzed the value of the variables and there significant relation with each other. The results shows the value of variables as r1=. 430, r2=. 539, r3=. 402 which show significant relationship among three variables as the correlation is significant t he value of our beta is . 255 or. 436 it’s what regression co-efficient would be if the model were fitted to standardized data. Correlation is significant at 0. 1 level, two tailed test results give the value of correlation of . 430 between the independent variable local and foreign brands and dependant variable perception. That shows a strongly positive relationship among the two variables. r2=. 539 is the correlation value between the moderating variables culture and dependant variable perception the value show a more positive relationship between these two variables. The dependant variable consumer perception has more strong relation with the moderating variable culture.Which means that consumer perception has more effect of culture implications, r3=. 403 is the correlation value between the independent variable brand choice (local and foreign) and the moderating variable culture this show a slightly less strong relation among the two as compared to r2. In table: 2 linear regression analysis our result give us the value of R2=. 345 which is a low value that means that model fits the data better our value for the data measured is 34. 5 %. It means that 35 percent of the consumer’s perception for local brands is positive and rest 65. % people prefer to buy foreign brands. F-Statistic determines the overall goodness of the test and strength of the test. The data is collected efficiently if its value is greater than equal to 10. If the probability of a F Statistic is . 000 than the data is reliable and significant. The Value of our Data is 51. 790 and significant with . 000 probability level it means that the data is collected efficiently and data is reliable. 5 Discussion The results drawn above show significant relationship among variables related to consumer perception about the local and foreign brands.It has been seen that Consumer has positive perception towards foreign brands in Pakistan. Consumer give preference to the products made from U S, Japan, France based on the specialty of that particular country. Perception toward a foreign brands are considered superior because of its better quality and perceived globalness its been notice that perception of people for quality towards a local brand is low one of the respondents during an interview for the research tells that as there is already so much corruption in Pakistan.People are so much unsure about the products which are been labeled as made in Pakistan because most of the times the product quality is really low and is never guaranteed. Consumers are more satisfied when they purchase a foreign country product because it give them a sense of happiness. Consumers are ready and willing to pay for a brand who gives them an identity, a sense of trust and that is well recognized among their family and friends. Foreign brands are noticed and appreciated among consumers it make their social status and they feel proud to wear a foreign based brand.In the research of Merino. M (2008) based on Latin America tells that foreign brands are considered to be in a distinct position and that consumers prefer foreign brands over local brands because they are perceived to be more value added for the consumers. While on the other side consumer perception towards a local product is that they are of low price then foreign products and one can easily afford them but don’t value and their purchase intention is low for local products. Existing literature support the view that consumers have different views and distinct preferences for local and foreign brands.As Pakistan is a developing country their preference and perception is really positive towards the brands and products which are foreign made. Uncles,M. , Saurazas,J. , 2000 also explain this fact in their research that consumers who are from developed countries prefer to buy local products means their own country products while the perception of consumers from developing countries prefer to buy foreign pro ducts. They are of the view that the quality of developed country products is most reliable. Consumers were ostly of the view that people buy foreign products as a symbol of materialism there were multiple views about this concept but mostly agree with the fact that consumer do buy foreign products so that they can show to others that they are global consumers and that they are much better than those who did not wear or possess foreign brands with them. They judge a success of a person by the quantity of foreign based brands he/she wear. For these materialistic people value of possession of something means to reflect a social status.Sometimes foreign brands are given preference just because of their attractive outlooks and brand image consumers buy them even if they are not satisfied paying a huge amount of money on it but it somehow enhance their social status in the society and they feel proud when people appreciate them and recognize them with their brands name but even because o f the fact that foreign brands are better in performance, reliability, durability aesthetics and quality. It has seen in a result that many people response were that they regret after buying a foreign brand because of the high prices.But just because they are good in quality and sometimes because of the reference group pressure they buy it. Increased globalization has made the consumers more aware of the brands and people purchase foreign based sometimes because of the explicit information that they receive about it. Hence based on the above discussion our H1 is confirmed 6. 5 Consumer perception and culture West has already impacted a lot in our society which can be clearly seen and observed. Even in clothing people prefer to blend a western touch in their eastern.Many brands like â€Å"Crossroads†, â€Å"Stoneage† are the Pakistani clothing brands which give the blend of west and east clothes on the observation and results of the study it has been well analyzed that foreign brands are and will be widely accepted if introduced in Pakistan even the culture of Pakistan is traditionalist people are very much accepted towards the western society because they are so much impressed with the lifestyle and practices of the west that they want to adopt them in their consumption pattern . Local brands signify their traditions and values but foreign brands give them value and make them feel to be part of a global culture.Now people in Pakistan think that if they don’t know about the particular popular foreign brands they will be considered as backward and not socially compatible with other consumers all over the world they think that different cultures have now many same norms and values there are no significant differences among the societies and they considered them the part of their own culture now. There are very few consumers who have firm beliefs and values still inside them and have ethnocentrism which makes them considered their own culture very important and they don’t like and accept the people and brands which are not the part of their culture.Even for the marketers and companies who want to introduced their brands either local or foreign it is also very much important for them to consider the culture an important factor because without the significant knowledge of the consumers background, attitude, traditions, norms, values, and various other variables like either the culture of a country has collectivism or individualism approach, its going to help them to understand the attitude and behavior and purchace intention of consumers of that particular country how people are going to perceive the brand and how the brand image will be considered according to their culture the research done by Usunier.J, (2000) his findings also tell that culture implications influence the consumer behavior which affects consumption and therefore affecting brand image. It simply exhibits that Consumer perception is influenced by t he moderating role of culture when they are making brand choice between local and foreign brands. 7. Conclusion The research was aimed at understanding of the antecedents on which consumer perception is based and the impact of culture in consumer perception our findings indicate that consumer buy foreign brands because it is well recognized in a society and it give them a sense of having a very high quality product, half of consumers response was that it is also for prestige and status enhancement while mostly did not think it has any effect on buying of foreign products.Pakistani Youth was found to be having favorable perception about foreign brands while the adult consumers still found their own traditions and values and local brands better. 8. Recommendations Looking at the conclusions and the results of the research we hereby have suggest some recommendations for the Marketers and Companies who want to enter Pakistan and how they can advertise their brands so that it will fit wi th the perception of consumers and they accept it and make it a part of their culture, and even for the local brands companies who are already establish and working in Pakistan 1. Companies who want to enter Pakistan should do a though analysis of consumer perception towards that particular product which they are trying to launch whether its fast moving consumer good, clothes or any other.It will help them to get the overall idea about what people are thinking about it. 2. In order to build a brand image Marketers must see the culture factors which are most influencing and effecting the consumer behavior towards the purchase intention Batra, R. ,(2000) 3. Consumer level of ethnocentrism should be taken into consideration. 4. Local brand companies should try to improve the quality of the brands along with the low price in order to overcome the competition which is been given from foreign brands. 5. There is a huge scope for the foreign based companies to enter in the market of Pakist an because of the positive acceptability and perception of foreign brands been found in our research 6.Investors should focus on specified industry to whom they are going to target whether upper or middle class as the upper and middle class have different consumption patterns and they never shop from same shop and they have different income structures as its also been recommended in the research of Bajaj,S. ,(2008) 7. Marketers should focus on making such advertisements that match with local traditions and create emotional value for the consumers. So emotional value towards foreign brands should also be increased 8. 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Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 2. Local brands are given preference because of low price? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 3. Foreign brands are much better in quality then local brands? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 4. You buy a foreign brand because of its brand image? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e.Strongly disagree 5. People purchase foreign brands as a symbol of materialism? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 6. People prefer to buy a brand whose outlooks are attractive? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 7. Buying or wearing foreign brands show a social status of a person? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 8. Foreign brands are more durable and l ong lasting then local? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree . West has impacted a lot in clothing of our society? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 10. Sometimes you buy a brand because of the information you receive from others about it? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 11. US brands are well recognized by consumers around the world. a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 12. Do religious norms stop you from buying foreign products? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 13.Do local brands signify your culture and traditions? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 14. In Pakistan people trust perception for local brands in terms of quality is low? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 15. Due to increase globalization different cultures have many same norms and values? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree 16. Do you ever feel regret after buying foreign brands? a. Strongly agree b. Agree c. Neutral d. Disagree e. Strongly disagree

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Carrer alternatives analysis report - Case Study Example Job prospects 11 Salary 12 Actuarial profession 13 Job responsibilities of an Actuary 13 Working Conditions 14 Educational qualification 14 Licenses and other qualifications 15 Job prospects 15 Salary 16 Recommendations and Conclusion 16 References 18 Executive Summary The role and scope of a finance professional in the present economic conditions includes pricing of new products, price classification, forecasting challenges and issues in the operating environment, planning strategic moves, estimating the size and extent of loss distribution, establishing loss reserves, monitoring solvency, calculating premium levels, and assessing the credibility of projects and transactions. The existing business environment has presented the organizations with numerous complexities that act as constraints in implementing new policies and strategies while at the same time presenting increased opportunities to expand and grow. The exposure to risk has increased manifolds that require efficient model s for rating and assessing the feasibility of operations (beanactuary.com, 2009). The report provides an in-depth assessment of two career alternatives – Finance Controller and Actuaries. Introduction A career in finance and accounting is gaining popularity. In any company or an organization the study of the numbers or finance is the most crucial and important decision. This is used to gauge what and where the company is heading to. This guides the management to take further actions pertaining to the interest of the company. The study of the market, investment plans, investment brokers etc are some of the arrear which a person can opt for in the field of finance. The increasing range of products and services offered by financial services today and the growing complexity of the operating... According to the research findings the role and demand of the financial controllers and the actuaries is a continuous process. The job seekers are likely to face competition in the field of accounting. For the financial controller, the knowledge of finance, a complex financial instrument etc is a mandate and for the Actuarial a strong foundation in mathematics is essential. Both the roles are of utmost importance to a company or an organization. The difference is the nature of work. A financial controller is expected to regulate, guide the financial condition of an organization. An Actuarial helps the companies to develop health and long term insurance policies by their calculations and predictions. A Finance Controller will help the company by calculating and evaluating the numbers obtained and by predicting the performance based on these measurements. An Actuarial helps both the company and the consumer as it keeps a check on the number of the occurrence of a disease and helps the companies by calculating the premium based on which the company itself can survive even in any odd situation. The emerging times that are characterized by tough economic conditions and financial challenges will witness an increasing demand for actuaries. Monetary and fiscal policies are highly instrumental in regulating the country’s economy and creating market stability. The impact of these changes on the Actuarial profession is visible in the increasing demand for individual practitioners and consultants who can provide adequate support to organizations and managers in the decision making process.

Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Astronomy - Essay Example Its birth pangs began some 4.6 billion years ago as rock and ice particles swirling around the young sun collided and merged, snowballing to produce ever larger planetary building blocks. In violent pileups, they smashed together to create planets, including the infant Earth. In the turmoil, another body, as big as Mars, struck our planet with the energy of trillions of atomic bombs, enough to melt it all the way through. Most of the impactor was swallowed up in the bottomless magma ocean it created. But the collision also flung a small world's worth of vaporized rock into orbit. Debris quickly gathered itself into a ball, and since then Earth history has unfolded beneath the blank stare of the moon. After the moon's fiery birth, the Earth's surface cooled. Even so, our planet remained an alien world for the next 700 million years; scientists call this time the Hadean, after the Greek underworld. Rafts of solid rock drifted in the magma like dark ice floes. Gases hissed from the cooling rock-carbon dioxide, nitrogen, water vapor, and others-enveloping the planet in a scalding atmosphere devoid of oxygen. As the temperature dropped further, the steam condensed into rain that fell in primordial monsoons and filled the ocean basins. These first oceans may have been short-lived. Space rubble left over from the birth of the planets-chunks of rock tens to hundreds of miles across-bombarded Earth throughout the Hadean. The greatest impacts might have boiled the oceans away, forcing the process of cooling and condensation to begin again. By 3.8 billion years ago the impacts relented. Liquid water could persist. About that time, perhaps in the oceans, lifeless chemical reactions crossed a threshold, producing molecules complex enough to reproduce themselves and evolve toward greater complexity. Life was on a road that led, as early as 3.5 billion years ago, to single-celled, blue-green cyanobacteria that flourished in the sunlit parts of the oceans. By the trillions, these microscopic organisms transformed the planet. They captured the energy of the sun to make food, releasing oxygen as a waste product. Little by little they turned the atmosphere into breathable air, opening the way to the diversity of life that followed. Those days are long gone, but the processes that turned our planet from a hell to a habitable world are still on view today, as the images on these pages show. Primordial heat left over from the planet's formation still bursts out in volcanic eruptions, spilling lava that exudes gases like the young, cooling Earth. In the planet's harshest environments today, cyanobacteria reign as they have for billions of years. And each time a plant gains a toehold on newly cooled lava, the victory of life over lifeless rock-won so long ago on the young Earth-is affirmed again. Subscribe to National Geographic magazine. The Earth began as a bleak surrounding where hot and fiery rocks and poisonous fumes existed. This is what the article from National Geographic Magazine, titled Earth in the Beginning written by Tom Appenzeller, illustrates. The article describes the early Earth

Marketing a New Service Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 13750 words

Marketing a New Service - Case Study Example The service thus conceived has the potential to generate revenue from two channels- the insurer and the medical centers. This is explained in greater detail in the section titled "The Proposed Service". Targeting the ideal customers delineated as those who would need minimum financial outlay for the sale to close. These could be customers who are already buying from the company and would therefore be receptive to new ideas This paper begins with a review of literature which explores the key marketing concepts and principles that can be applied to the marketing of a new product or service. The review focuses on marketing of services, how the marketing of service differs from that of product and how the environment impacts marketing strategy and marketing efforts. The section reviews the 4 Ps of marketing, SWOT analysis, McKinsey's 7S model, stakeholder analysis, PESTLE analysis and BSC model. The next section of this paper explains in detail the service being proposed, and analyses its profitability and feasibility. It discusses in detail about the marketing environment and gives background on the company that will launch this service. The section explores how marketing concepts discussed in the review of literature apply to this innovative service. 2. Review of Literature Traditionally, marketing is explained as anything that creates business or keeps a customer. Blanchard (2003) states that customers are the reason for a company to stay in business and thus customer input and customer preferences must shape almost all aspects of work. It is also said that Marketing consists of the strategies and tactics used to identify, create and maintain satisfying relationships with customers that result in value for both the customer and the marketer. This definition can be explained further. Strategies refer to the direction that marketing effort will assume over a period of time, while tactics are specified steps or decisions made in order to follow the strategies established. Strategic and tactical planning

What Is a Hero Essay Example for Free

What Is a Hero Essay What is a hero? To me a hero is not somebody with the ability to fly, run fast, bench over a 1000, shoot lasers out of their eyes, fart fire balls, pee lava, or control other people’s minds. A hero is just an average man who fights to solve a common problem in today’s society. A hero is a random citizen that rises to the a occasion and performs an action of superhero proportions. A hero is somebody as average as you and me that sees a problem and takes it upon themselves to fix it. There are many examples of heroes in our modern day world. Some heroes are the brave, courageous, and valiant men and women that serve in our military. These are people that are just like you and I. They do not have any extraordinary superpowers besides an unwavering sense of duty towards this country and the people that inhabit it. They travel across oceans and leave their friends and family behind so that they can fight to defend people that they don’t even know and to secure the lifestyle that so many of us take for granted. Some, even make the ultimate sacrifice†¦ their lives. Another common place to find a hero is in a police officer. These heroes are very similar to a soldier except that they fight their battles in the very streets that we call home and instead of fighting against other countries they fight against the very people that call this glorious country home. They sit in a smelly car for entire days staking out criminals to secure our welfare and our security. They put their lives on the line to make sure that the â€Å"scumbags† that seek to destroy this country are off the streets. These men (or women) also lack superhuman abilities. The only thing that they have is a sense of duty towards their country. The most common place to find a hero is also some of the places that you go to every day. One of these places would be at the grocery store. For example if you witness somebody holding the door for another then congratulations you have just watched a hero at action. Another common place to watch a hero in action is on a street. If you watch a strapping young man help a helpless elderly women across the street then you have witnessed another act of heroism. Heroes are just common people that have the courage to solve a problem that they see in today’s community. Heroes are not rare. They can be found almost everywhere you look. They are at places that you go too every day. Heroes can also be found in places that you do not travel very often. They can be found in the Armed Forces as well in the Police Department. But it does not require acts of epic proportion to make you a  hero. Small acts of unnoticed kindness is what I think really makes you a hero.

Sociological theories

Sociological theories Now a days social workers are expected to write their reports in a coherent way, justifying it using theory and research. Sociology offers some important social theories, which provide explanations and critiques of human behavior, social actions and interactions as well as the institutions and the structures of society. The fact that social work is concerned with social change and problem solving is precisely why sociology is important to social work. In this essay I have selected two sociological theories to examine and understand Ms. Bs situation. I will be applying these theories to my understanding of my position as a social worker. The essay will also consider how these theories or perspectives helped my thinking about Ms. Bs situation and how these theories or perspectives were unhelpful in my understanding of Ms. Bs situation. In this essay I will also considers what other theory might have been applied, and as an integral part of the essay, considering anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice. Functionalism views society made up from numerous interconnected parts which together form a system. The basic part of this breakdown is the society, and its variety of parts can be understood in terms of their collective relationship. In the initial stages of this theory Functionalism drew comparisons between society and the human body. Mainly this comparison existed since they viewed the society operating in theory in a similar way of the human body. Therefore, for one to understand the function of an organ in the human atonomy, for example the heart, it is essential to understand its relationship with the other organs in the human body and especially, its contribution towards the maintaining of the organism. Thus, functionalism argues that, an analysis and examination of the functioning of society is therefore important as it illustrates its relationship with the other parts of society, and most importantly, its contribution to the maintenance of society. According to Emile Durkheim (1895), the founder of Functionalism, crime and deviance are normal and necessary. Given that they are found in all societies, functionalists argue that it is a form of social change, as through deviance the society would learn about the accepted behaviour. However, too much crime can bring on a state of anomie, which is a state of normlessness in society. This arises when cultural goals and structural means of achieving those goals is unbalanced. The anomie state would result in conflicting the agreement of the functioning of society. Durkheim described the state of anomie as a feeling of aimlessness or despairtraditional moral controls and standards are largely broken downthis leaves many individuals in society feeling lack of meaning in their daily lives.Giddens(2006, p 14) Durkheim (1895) suggested that the theory of Merton gives an idea of the individuals who have high expectations and are unable to fulfill them through structural means then strain occurs. Robert Mertons (1938) Strain theory modified the Durkheims   Anomie to refer to the strain put on individuals when accepted norms conflict with reality. While the symbolic interactionalist theory are more concerned with agencies of social control; how they label certain behavior as deviant and the effects of these labels. Interactionists dispute the functionalist assumption that there is an agreement throughout society as to what behavior is criminal or deviant. They aimed to find out why certain behavior was labeled as criminal or deviant in some contexts but not in others. Howard Becker was one of the initiators of the labelling theory, he stated that Social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infractions constitute deviance, and by applying these rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders. REF The labelling theory looks at how the social response to crime is made and how certain behaviour comes to be considered deviant or criminal. Labelling theory also suggests that the very imposition of social judgments on certain individuals, helps turn those individuals even more into paths of criminality that have been already identified. The labelling becomes a self-fulfillment prophecy as the stigma, or label, only pushes the offender further in the direction of criminality. In simple terms, give a dog a bad name he will become a bad dog,   Llewellyn et al (2001, p 90). The theoretical formulations of Colley (1992) and Mead (1934) have served as a source when trying to understand the self-fulfilling prophecy. They both argue that social interaction is the basis upon which an individual formulates his or her self-concept. Cooley and Mead models give examples of the individuals conception which arises through interaction with other members of the society that constitute his/her significant social circle. Specifically, the social looking glass theory posits that ones self-conception is determined by the way in which it is reflected or mirrored through the eyes of the other people involved, Allen (2001, p 58). As a SW, I believe it is my responsibility to try to really understand the SUs situation, from their perspective. Thinking about Ms. Bs situation, in terms of the two theories is very useful to me as a SW as sociological theories are helpful in providing insights into the perspectives of the SU. Therefore these two theories are helpful in helping to identify how Ms Bs situation may have come to being constructed and, so can be understood. For example, functionalism could help me understand Ms. Bs situation from the perspective of Ms. Bs culture, race, gender and mental health status: Ms. B could potentially, be multiply discriminated against along any of these. Analyzing and examining the SUs problems in a functionalist view can, therefore, give structure to my understanding of the problem as a social worker. Especially in terms of how SUs might be discriminated or oppressed against, Dominelli (2002). For instance, in Ms B. case, a functionalist analysis to her situation would consider the behavior of Ms B. as deviant, because it is preventing her from participating in society. She is seen as unable to fulfill her role as a mother and her social interactions are affected. Supposing that she has permit to work, it would be not possible for her to find or maintain a job due to her deviant behavior. Functionalists would consider this as a faulty socialization. Furthermore functionalism would view this situation as costing to society, as a result not contributing to the maintenance of the society functioning. This fault in socialization has to be fixed in order for Ms B. to fully participate in society and contribute in its maintenance; as a result the label put on her would be a form of social control. However as a consequence to the label, Ms B. would feel that her culture, race and gender are not taken into account and that she is being discriminated against, she may feel oppressed and at the same time socially stigmatized. The Robert Mertons (1938) Strain theory would be very helpful in better understanding Ms B. behavior. Durkheim (1895) suggested that the theory of Merton gives an idea of the individuals who have high expectations and are unable to fulfill them through structural means then strain occurs. Robert Mertons (1938) Strain theory modified the Durkheims Anomie to refer to the strain put on individuals when accepted norms conflict with reality.REF Linking this to the case of Ms B, her asspiration to enter paid employment does not coincide with her immigration status. Therefore this disparity between desires and fulfillment will be felt in deviant motivation. Evenmore this could be the point where Mrs B feels the strain and as a result deviates from the societies norms. Due to the variety of problems that Ms B. is currently facing, Agnew (1992) in Levinson (2002) would give another functionalist view to better understand her reaction to the label. He argues how the strain theory can lead to other deviant adoptions. Agnew criticizes the earlier strain theory, he argued that strain theory should generalize the concept to include all negative relations with others, rather than just the negative relations that are the result of striving from uneatable, but culturally mandated goals. Levinson (2002, p 79). It is not so much the unique quality no any single event but the accumulation of several stressful events within a relatively short time span that is consequential) Agnew (1992,) as cited in Levinson (2002, p 62-63). Ms B. immigration status may feel very oppressing to her. By not taking the medication prescribed as well as reacting in a deviant way, is the only way in which Ms B. can show her anger, which is accumulated by many issues during a short time. Agnew placed great importance to the feeling of anger as he argued that anger is the key emotion because it increases the individuals level of felt injury, creates a desire for retaliation/revenge, energizes the individual for action, and lowers inhibitions, in part because individuals believe that others will feel their aggression is justified as cited in Levinson (2002, p 60). While functionalism helped me to reflect on the possible ways a person can be discriminated against; even more it placed a great emphasis on my understanding of the importance of being culturally competent, especially in the profession of social work. In the other hand the labelling theory not only lead me to a deeper understanding of Ms B situations but also, helped me to understand the potential start of Ms Bs deviance behavior. For instance, once the label of mental ill was given to Ms B, she may well have chosen to simply organize her life around that label and adopt the new identity that was endorsed on her. In this way the self fulfilling prophecy comes into play. The act of labelling Ms B as someone with scrixophenia would had an adverse effect on her future behaviour. Deviance can be defined as a failure to conform to culturally expected norms of behaviour, which reflect the dominant values and rules of groups or society in a given period, Llewellyn et al (2002, p 90). As the labelling theory argues that the person is categorized and classified as deviant ; the stereotyped person has their identity reinforced, which in turn promotes the deviant behaviour that it is intended to prevent, Llewellyn et al (2002, p 90). When reading and applying the functionalist theory, it is obvious that this theory assumes that the middle class values are accepted throughout society. Therefore whoever deviates from this values it is regarded as having a faulty socialization. Even more as we see on the Anomie theory and the adapted strain theory, one can understand that there is an assumption that everyone aspires the same level of success. The labelling theory has been very helpful in developing policies, such as diversion from the courts and the criminal justice systems. However the labelling theory has its own limitations, it can be argued that it is too deterministic as it assumes that the deviant will accept the label, some people fight against the label and prove it wrong. As well as it does not consider the process that lead to the deviant behavior. There are other sociological theories that could also have helped to explain other aspects of Ms. Bs life, such as her living in poverty, which can lead Ms. B to be discriminated against and oppressed by mainstream society. Marxism conflict theory and anti-racist theory/black perspectives, would have been helpful in achieving a bigger picture of Ms B situation. For example Marxist would argue that Ms B is being oppressed against due to her social class, poverty and her ethnicity. There are past and current studies to show that a high number of people from black ethnicities, are being diagnosed with schizophrenia, with some studies reporting between two to eight times higher rates of diagnosis, compared to the White population mind.org.uk (accessed 16/12/09). Even more the past detention of Ms B under the mental health act would coincide with the fact that people from black ethnicities are more likely to be held under the Mental Health Act, and to receive medication rather than be offered therapies such as psychotherapy mentalhealth.org.uk (accessed 16/12/09). Applying the black feminist theories could have explored more about Ms B current situation, Black feminist would argue that Ms B may be facing oppression from her partner as well as they would argue about the mental label being ascribed to her as a result of her gender but most importantly her ethnicity. Also it is important to note that only the difference between Black Caribbean women and White women can be considered as statistically significant mind.org.uk (accessed: 28/12/09) In summary, it is obvious that actively considering and using sociological theories can allow meaningful analyses of the SUs problems.   As a result the SW practice becomes applied more, and of more use to the SUs. Theories would provide informed solutions to SUs problems in a more anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory manner (Dominelli, 2002).   In conclusion one of the barriers to social work participation would be when service users are viewed in a stereotypical way, by the social worker. Every individual has a unique perspective of the world, and as such should be treated as an individual regardless of illness, colour or belief system. It is important that those in need of help and guidance be given access to it, and that the best possible outcome for the service user, is secured. This should be done with the help and support of all those involved, including health care professionals, social workers and the service users themselves, in order to enable individuals to become more independent and re-integrated back into society. References Jones, P., (2003). Introducing Social Theory. Polity, London. Gidens, A., (2006). Sociology , 5th Edition, Polity Levinson,   D.,   (2002). Encyclopedia of crime and punishment, Volume 1, SAGE Cunningham, J., Cunningham, S., (2008) Sociology and Social Work. Learning Matters. Dominelli, L. (2002). Anti-oppressive social work theory and practice. Palgrave MacMillan. Fernando, S. (2002). Mental Health Race and Culture. Palgrave. Rogers, A. and Pilgrim, D. (2003). Mental Health and Inequality. Palgrave. Macionis, J. J., Plummer, K., (2008). Sociology: A Global Introduction. Pearson. Haralambos, M., Holborn, M., (2008). Sociology: themes and perspectives. Collins. Llewellyn, A., Agu, L., Mercer, D., (2008). Sociology for Social Workers. Polity. Allen, L. R., (2001). The concept of self: a study of black identity and self-esteem.Wayne State University Press, http://www.mind.org.uk/help/people_groups_and_communities/statistics_3_race_culture_and_mental_health  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Accesed:28/12/09) http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/information/mental-health-a-z/black-minority-ethnic-communities/#Afro_Carib   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (Accessed: 16/12/09)

Defamation Laws: Freedom of Expression

Defamation Laws: Freedom of Expression It is often claimed that defamation law has a chilling effect on freedom of expression. What is problematic with this claim? Defamation requires an alleged fact which is false and which harms the reputation of another person (Dent Kenyon, 2004). The statement claims that the right to freedom of expression is restricted when people are less likely to express what they think. Defamation law can limit the ability to reporters to inform on issue of safety or other public interests that is serious and imminent, so it is often claimed that the chilling effect to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation. However, this claim is problematic because defamation law cannot restrict freedom of expression. This essay is going to argue whether defamation as a concept in society is a good thing and its limitations according to freedom of speech. The first part of the essay will provide the negative impact and limitation on freedom of expression through defamation law. Then it will move to the argument that defamation law cannot restrict freedom of expression and get evidence from Joel Feinberg in order to explain that defamation does not include a right to defame. Finally it will provide the example of South Korean defamation law in order to discuss the justification for freedom of expression. Freedom of expression is designed to protect legitimate interests including reputation, so everyone should have a right to hold opinion without interference. The right includes freedom to seek, receive and use information (Dent, C. Kenyon, 2004). Defamation is something that has being invented to protect peoples ability to stand up and face the world. It is the protection of reputation and the prevention of unjust allegations that lower the esteem in which people are held in society. Defamation laws necessarily represent an interference with the right to freedom of expression. The illegitimacy of the use of defamation laws is to maintain public order or to protect public interests (Feinberg, 1990). The limitation on freedom of expression is whether it includes defamation and some kind of right to defame or not. People assume that freedom of expression might include a right to defame, but The chilling effect of defamation law on freedom of expression means that people are less likely to say what they think. It also makes people more restrained. That is a negative impact. The threat of sanction effectively stops free expression, but such sanction cannot be justified, in light of the adequacy of non-criminal sanction in redressing any harm to individuals reputation (Feinberg, 1990, p.234). Defamation law is abused by the powerful to limit criticism and to arrest public debate. This is problematic. However, people should show self-restraint and caution about what they say about other people. According to Feinberg (1990), freedom of expression has never included a right to defame. He claims that Australian legislation is needed to justify defamation law truth and public interest. He talks about the moral concerns of defamation, and why people should care about defamation as an issue at all. He is concerned about whether or not truth is a sufficient argument for defaming another person (Feinberg, 1990). For example, people can harm somebody and still be speaking the truth. The truth and public interest is close to the Australian use of defamation. The court defense of qualified protection may come closer to general public interest coverage. (Dent Kenyon, p.10)People can harm somebodys reputation, even by telling the truth. As Feinberg (1990) states, Having ones interests violated is harm that is distinct from the feeling that comes from knowing your interest have been harm, this means that the action of defamation is different from what the individual may feel themselves about being defamed. There is no reason to assume that, but assume publish the idea about them regardless whether or not that the truth. It is possible to defame someone with truth, truth can harm unjustly. Joel Feinberg considers the uncontroversial harm such as defamation (Feinberg, 1990, p.256) Defamation law is protecting an interest and based on the legal term harm, which is not necessary about the physical harm. It generally about harm to somebodys interest. People have a human right to maintain their interest and free speech. However, it is problematic that there should be a crime of defamation. The conviction seems to be anomalous. People have a right with respect to the criminal law to say false and damaging things to others (Feinberg, 1990, p.253). It is an independent legal right to defame. Feinberg (1990) also claims that there is no legal right to defame in our legal system, but rather a clear legal duty not to defame found only in the tort law branch of the system (p.253) There is legislation to protect people and maintain privacy. Moreover, Feinberg (1990) suggests that we need an offense principle that can act as a guide to public censure. According to Feinberg, the offense principle commits us to the view that when public conduct causes offense to someone. (p.26) Feinberg suggested many rules and factors that needs to be considered and taken into account in order to value whether the offense needs to be restricted ( Feinberg, 1990). He claims that something can be truth, but not legally defame another person. People still can harm others with the truth. Feinberg claims that a person can be harmed though not affected by the harm. Australia defamation law places considerable restraint on the media. There are some undesirable outcomes about the law and the widespread misperception about the impact of media communication. Firstly, harm to reputation is consistently overrated, to the unjust advantage of the plaintiff.(Article 19, 2000) This make unnecessary and unintentional presumes to silence harmless speech. S econdly, defamation law can perpetuate socially regressive and exclusionary attitudes (Baker, 2008). To determine the chilling effect of defamation law Baker has interviewed and surveyed journalists and editors to discuss the extent of the influence of defamation law on media content. His work has examined media products in order to consider the existence of any chilling effect. Baker finds a considerable chilling effect on the Australian media. Media production practices in this relation differ between Australia and US legal system. The American defamation law is broader than Australian law, it only covers truth. In the defamation law of America, truth is a complete defense which will reduce the defendants liability (P.254). The US Supreme Court has said that common law defenses relying on truth are insufficient to protect public debate, because the critic of official conduct to guarantee the truth of its factual assertions inevitably leads to self-censorship. Truth remains a complete defense in the US (Dent Kenyon, p.3). However, it is hard to justify defamation even on the basic truth. There really is no right to defame. Some country has a stronger defamation law on the internet. For example, the defamation law of South Korea does not protect freedom of expression as a transcendent value. Its reputational interests are sensed in relation to the group to which they belong (Youm, 2004, p.1). The Korean courts have balanced the right to free speech and free press against the right to protect everyone reputation differently. Defamation on the web has emerged as a pressing legal issue in Korea. According to the law of Korea, reputation is guaranteed as a constitutional right of individuals to protection from an abuse of freedom of expression (Youm, 2004, p.7). Korean citizens can be arrested and detained for publishing articles on the internet or gossip site. They are arrested for distributing false information and are accused of impeding public interest under the law of Korea. Restriction on freedom of expression have been imposed not only on journalists, it also restricts people expressing their opinion on the internet (Youm, 2004, p.11). But defamation law is problematic in Korea because the punishment of internet libel does not provide any defenses for libel through internet communication similar to what the criminal code recognizes in publication of truthful defamation for the public interest (Youm, 2004, p.4). Defamation laws may fail to attack an appropriate balance between freedom of expression and reputation for a number of reasons. People just want to express their feelings, and bring in a public interest. However it is problematic that defamation laws are justified at all. Similar with the laws in some other countries, Korean law prohibits unjustifiable defamation. If some people just want to express their feelings on Facebook, it is hard to justify. Justification or proof of truth has been recognized as an absolute defense against a claim of defamation. Proof of truth is either always or almost always a full defense. The defense of truth is qualified (Youm, 2004, p.9). In conclusion, the above illustrated the chilling effect of defamation law. The chilling effect of defamation law on freedom of expression is that people are less likely to say what they think. It also makes people show restrained and caution. I think that defamation is something that is immoral, but I do not think it should be illegal. Defamation is supposed to protect reputation from unfair attack. Defamation is a fundamental of protection of peoples ability to stand up and face the world. It is objectionable is to obstruct free speech and protect powerful people from investigation (Dent, C. Kenyon, 2004). It is possible to defame someone with truth. Truth can still harm unjustly. However, we cannot make the distinction between what is representation and action, because there is a distinction between the act and the rest of the world. People can assault somebody by causing others to form an adverse opinion of a person or cause panic with words. People can do a lot of harm with wor ds. The harm principle is a restriction on other peoples actions.