Creating a Credible Culture Essay

Nowadays if organization is willing to be successful and to respond quickly to changing demands, it should paid thorough attention to organizational cultures. Smart leaders and executives realize that greediness isn’t a bet of wealth and success as well as outward appearance of success shouldn’t be the substitute of achievement. Suzanne Bates claims that â€Å"when we allow spin to be used as a synonym of deception and when cutting ethical concern can pass for courage, leading the old-fashioned way somehow seems dreadfully dull†. (Bates 2003) Good name and respect of organization are rather vulnerable and, thus, organizational culture is of great importance. The most important thing for organization is the creating of atmosphere of trust. Place being respected for honesty and integrity is associated with good and skillful people working in it. (Bates 2003) Building credibility stars from the top and must be nurtured and cultivated constantly to achieve the desired outcomes. The first rule is to modify the behavior that will be promoted in future. If a company wants to perform honestly, it has to practice it from the very start. Therefore, employees should be thanked for honest feedbacks, even if feedback is a criticism. Bates recommends starting from building ethical culture, because leader always face ethical dilemmas and should be skillful enough to cope with competitive pressure. Actions should on the first place and only then words. For example, it is possible to set guiding rules for serving as ethical compass. The next moment is to lead by personal example and to improve communication process. (Bates 2003) Success is associated with honesty and sincerity. Organizational leaders spend lots of resources to maintain the outward appearance of success, though they lack the core principles of culture: honesty, openness, credibility and trustful policies. As Bates says, â€Å"a credible culture can be a magnet that draws people and talent to your organization†. (Bates 2003) Therefore, developing and motivating credible culture is a path to success. References Bates, Suzanne. (2003). Creating a Credible Culture. Nurse Leader, January-February, 37-38.

John Berger Essay Essay

While in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I traveled through the different galleries and their various cultures; discovering all sorts of arts from Contemporary art, to American art, Japanese art, and even the Egyptian art where I could appreciate the complexity of mummies. Throughout all these diverse cultures of art, I was questioning myself and started to wonder how I could understand art beyond others’ opinion about them. Moreover, I realized that it was a question John Berger, critic of art and author of the Ways of Seeing, raised in his essay, and it is a question that will always be raised while demanding how to understand a certain art. Walking through a room where various French artists had their paintings exposed, I fell in front of the artwork (see above) painted by Paul Gauguin. I did not choose a French artist to make me remember the French culture that I am missing here in Boston, nor to pretend that the French are advanced in art, but a way to analyze and understand, with the experience of a famous art critic, an artwork from an artist who astonished me in my previous art classes. D’ou venons-nous, Qui sommes-nous, Ou allons-nous? By Paul Gauguin I chose a painting that had a warm expression, and complex story emanating from it. As the title of my essay indicates, the title of the painting translated in English is â€Å"Where are we from? Who are we? Where are we going? So many questions in the title and the painting, but there were as much coming through my mind while studying this image. This artwork is very ambiguous because I do not know how to start looking at it. I can observe people appearing half naked in the foreground, but we cannot really tell why they appear there. The statue in the back makes the questioning more obscure. It seems lik e an Oracle that gives people their destiny, and that is maybe why they all look so sad. Truly, I felt that this image was a representation of my origin country, West Indies, by the color Gauguin used. He used the blue to symbolize the ocean surrounding the island, and the mixed race of the habitants by the warm and beige color or the characters. I felt as if I was in the center of the painting, more precisely in the position of the child being observed in the right corner, and waiting to be reassured. I also felt like the person in the middle of the painting, standing up and waiting for answers while traveling through this painting. Gauguin’s artworks are extremely complicated to decipher, so are they to analyze. Gauguin is an artist I studied back in France in my art classes. Consequently, I had seen many of his works, and even the painting I chose; However, I had never asked myself how knowing about his life could help me study his paintings. I was taught in my art classes how to analyze art in a more technical way than in an analytical way like Berger supported. Indeed, when we were looking at the entire structure of the painting with my art class method, we were focusing on the brush strokes, the color, the tone, lines and forms, and the composition of the painting. If I had to describe the work of art I chose based on technical features, I would examine the painting saying that the brush strokes could express many emotions at the same time, and describe the painter style and art movement. Gauguin was also part of the post-impressionist painters with artists such as Paul Cezanne or Van Gogh. Post impressionist art was more focused on color, lines, outlines and perspective. Concerning Gauguin, the complexity of shapes is very important in his paintings due to their abstract significations. In fact, the lines were not straight; they were round and suggesting bodies that we did not see in art before. Moreover, the color had its importance. Post impressionist artists like Gauguin used color and color combination in order to create ‘vulgar’, ‘calm’ or ‘bold’ impressions (Robert Hughes). The analysis of the painting I just did was very technical and structural, but in no sense relevant for understanding the thought process as Berger explained. I was subject to mystification as John Berger explained in his essay as â€Å"the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident† (103). Indeed, mystification appeared while I was looking at the painting. I could sense a certain limit of my understanding due to the previous art classes I had. In other terms, it meant for me that words were coming before seeing whereas seeing should come before words as Berger deciphered in his essay. My mind was already set for a certain critic about the painting based on the knowledge I had; Consequently, I could not have another point of view vis-a-vis the painting I was staring at. Although I learned a lot from my art classes, especially how to describe an artwork contextually, the observations and point of view of Berger about art gave me enough elements o have a complete analysis of an image, both contextually and historically. Using Berger as a guide for art description helped me to learn more about the painting historically, and much more about the painter himself to have a complete understanding of the artwork. Prior to this assignment, it had never occurred to me to use the biography and the background of the painter in order to facilitate my understanding of the painting. When Berger quoted â€Å"When we see a landscape, we situate ourselves in the it. If we saw the art of the past, we would situate ourselves in history. † (100) in the essay led me to start the analysis of Gauguin’s painting in a very different way. Actually, when I focused more on the painter’s life, and follow Berger’s analysis, I learned that Gauguin wanted to commit suicide after he painted this image. Plus, even though there was a caption under the image saying that it was his last painting, I would not have noticed that it was his last painting, which refers to what Berger described when he talked about Van Gogh’s last painting. Berger cited â€Å"The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe† (97). Clearly, it means that the details you know about a certain painting will prevent you from analyzing it innocently. Based on the art experience I acquired in class, I would have said that the image implies sadness because of the choice of colors, which were darker than his previous works. However, I think that the title gives us more details about his thoughts while he was painting. Through reading of artistic reviews or even my art book, named Shock of the New by Robert Hughes, I discovered that this work of art should be read from right to left, with the three main groups of people illustrating the questions that are asked in the title. The first group with the three women looking at the child represents the beginning of Gauguin’s life, making a reference to his parents, then there is the group in the middle which symbolizes all the experiences he went through while being a young adult. The last group shows an old lady close to death because of the darker color he used, moreover, there is an odd white bird at her feet, which could represent the guide to heaven. In the background of the painting, there is a blue statute, which represents what Gauguin described as the hereafter. This painting seems like a flash back of his life, and these three questions lead us to comprehend him better. Gauguin left a lot of non-answered questions about this painting, considered as a testimony to his life by many critics of art. Indeed, this painting is very complex. I learned by reading my previous art book, that Gauguin wrote a letter to his friend stipulating the reasons of the painting. In this letter, Gauguin said that he had decided to commit suicide in December; therefore, he wanted to paint on a huge canvas all the things he had on his mind for so long. Things he absolutely wanted to paint before his death. In this letter, Gauguin also confessed that the value of this painting is so much ahead of his precedents, and that it was a one of a kind that he could not nor would not try to produce a better painting. This sentence clearly explains that he reached the height of his life, and that now he drew this painting, there was nothing else he could do better or similar except terminate his life. Gauguin was wondering a lot about the existence of the world, and this perpetual questioning led him to the entitlement of this painting. As I said earlier in my essay, each group of people appearing in this painting is applied to a specific question of the title. Those questions made me think about my own life. Indeed, the questions he used are somehow important to everyone to really understand the meaning of their lives. Berger said â€Å"The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe† (97). While looking at this painting, I could recognize some events of my life, for instance, I could recall where I am from and what are my origins, as well as how I did to accomplish such academic success and arrive in the United States. Furthermore, due to my art background, I could understand better the expression and feelings Gauguin was trying to deliver in this painting with his powerful colors and thick traits. Approaching art is not easy at first glance, thus approaching it with different methods makes it more difficult to understand. Throughout my life, I have been able to view art in many different context, either artistically speaking when I was in art classes in France, or analytically this year when I had to analyze art with the support of an art critic opinions. For me, both ways were complementary to each other and drastically improved my understanding of art. Complementary in the sense that I could rely on my technical knowledge of art to understand the structure of a painting, and also analyze the story of the painting as Berger mentioned to fully understand the underlying message of an artwork.

Doritos Superbowl Commercial

Jadah Barber Dr. Patricia  Leaf-Prince Section 08 9/10/12 SLAP â€Å"Keep your hands off my mama, keep your hands off my Doritos!!! † This was the phrase that sent millions into a roaring laugh during the 2010 Superbowl Doritos commercial. This commercial says a lot about Doritos, considering the little boy holds them to the standard of his own mother implies that his love for them is just the same as the love he has for his mother. In many was this commercial was effective.One way was showing the little boy picking a fight with someone who is clearly bigger and stronger than him, another was the love the boy had for his Doritos made me feel like I just had to have some just to see if I feel the same way. Lastly the young boys emotion towards the man conveyed a sense of anger and seriousness implying that, at that very moment there was absolutely nothing more serious that a strange man in his house eating his Doritos. The commercial starts and we see an African American male knocking on a door with flowers, an African American female comes to the door and takes the flowers.Here we see they are obviously about to go out on a date. When the little boy is first introduced to the commercial he is seen with a look of anger. He drops his game controller to show the viewer that he is in fact mad about something. The man picks up a Dorito and starts talking to the boy. Here the man is just trying to be nice but the little boy gets mad, slaps the man and tells him to keep his hands off of his mama and his Doritos. The slap was unexpected, humorous and effective all at the sane time.While all of this was going on, the thought that flew through my head was â€Å"what was so good about these Doritos that it made a little boy want to slap a grown man and tell him to keep his hands off? † We see in commercial that the love he has for his mother is the same love he has for his Doritos. We know this because he phrases his words In such a way that he puts his mo ther and his Doritos on the same level. The commercial is implying that Doritos are so good they would make you slap someone if they tried to take any from you at any time.The young boy was mad at the man the whole commercial. From the moment the boy first entered the commercial he was angry for some reason. He never once took his eye off the older man, he wanted to keep staring just to make it a point that he was in fact mad. In the beginning he was mad that this man was coming in to take his mother out but the slap only came in when the man put his hands in the Doritos bowl sitting in the middle of the table. This commercial was effective.It made the viewer feel like â€Å"If the Doritos were that important to him they must be really good. † Every feeling the this commercial was trying to display was felt through the TV screen. A serous moment for a little boy and his Doritos became a hilarious commercial for Superbowl millions of viewers Work Cited for Commercial on Web â €Å"Doritos Superbowl Commercial: Keep your hands off my mama & Doritos. † Commercial. You Tube. 7 Feb. 2010 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=kJDLws_l3Ok>

The most significant trends and issues in guiding children's behavior Essay

The most significant trends and issues in guiding children's behavior - Essay Example Self discipline needs an understanding of an individual’s self and at the same time, an understanding of the couple of ways in which one can cope with the existing difficulties, disappointments, and frustrations. Self discipline gives an individual the ability to concentrate on an event so long as it is deemed necessary to enable the child learn, perfect or complete it. Guiding young kids involve a number of tasks. Parents are solely responsible for identifying and at the same time, enforcing reasonable and clear limits, while slowly giving freedom to children by trying to encourage them to be solely responsible for their self and all their actions. A positive approach is significant when teaching young children how to cope with skills and also, self-control while trying to discourage inappropriate and destructive behavior (Coloroso, 2000).Even though, children seek their freedom from the set rules and regulations that limits them at an early age, they still require constant g uidance and structure. Children upbringing as individuals depends majorly on making their own choices and facing the consequences of their actions and decisions directly (Nelson, 2002). Parents do not possess many skills for guiding their children. Preventing a child’s misbehavior takes a lot of planning and preparation. Effective and corrective discipline measures focus on the child’s development and maintains the kid's dignity and also self-esteem.In guiding children’s behavior, the kids should have choices.... Effective and corrective discipline measures focus on the child’s development and maintains the kid's dignity and also self-esteem. In guiding children’s behavior, the kids should have choices. This is an effective way in guiding a child to build decision making skills, and mould a kid’s self discipline. Nevertheless, a parent should give choices he or she is willing to allow. Parents should use more dos than don’ts in guiding a child’s behavior. They can consider giving the kid a go ahead light instead of a stop light. Guardians should set only the necessary limits. Only the principal ones and the ones viewed as necessary for a child to be safe. The set limits should also be reasonable. Is the kid capable? At times, the parent’s exceptions are too high and should be moved to fit the kid’s capabilities. The set limits should be comprehensible and clear. The parent should give information that is sufficient as well as understandable to the children and other member of the family (Nelson & Lott, 2004). The set limits should be consistent that is, they should never change at all. They should not change as the kid grows and becomes more self disciplined. Consider how past trends and societal approaches contribute to the current thoughts. In the past traditional era, physical punishment was common as a form of punishing wayward behaviors by the children. Nevertheless as, times changed, dialogue has become introduced among parents and their children preventing further instances of the physical punishment. According to Coloroso (2000), parents nowadays sit down with their kids and even discuss the punishments they deem appropriately. What are the best approaches and strategies in the early

Management Assignment Questions Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management Questions - Assignment Example In addition, volunteer groups and other non-profit organizations also work to support struggling sectors of the community. Such volunteer groups have a crucial role to play in abolishing social class systems and improving living standards of the society. Multinational corporations like Wal-Mart and Toyota allow its employees to take part in volunteer work so as to increase the stature of their business. 2. Simply, a Nichepreneur is an individual who operates big business in a small market. A Nichepreneur has several secrets and strategies, which would place him on the top of the market segment in which he operates. Sometimes, Nichepreneurs do not even try to compete in particular niches as they have already dominated against corporate giants having huge budgets and highly qualified PR teams. An effective tagline is one of the major secrets of success of a Nichepreneur as it is the way a customer identifies the company. In the opinion of marketing experts, the tagline must be too crea tive and should pass some strong messages to customers. Similarly, a Nichepreneur often focuses on the cultural aspects of the niches as he serves the needs of a specific group of people. According to Friedmann (2008), fewer competitors, higher efficiency, attractive profitability, and increased visibility are some of the most significant benefits of a Nichepreneur. 3. Developing a career plan is significant in an individual’s life, for it will assist him to work for attaining the predetermined goals and thereby to achieve a good standard of living. A well organized long term career development plan is greatly beneficial for an individual to obtain job promotion by enhancing his skills and abilities. In addition, this plan would greatly motivate individuals to deal with life difficulties as well. Moreover, a good long term career development plan may aid an individual to achieve financial security and thereby quality life (Professional growth). When a post-graduate MBA studen t enters the employment sector, he gets a range of quick start opportunities. Successful completion of the first assigned task may greatly assist the student to start his career outstandingly as every management team would be enthusiastic to monitor the performance of its new employees. In addition, development of a creative idea for a business venture would also assist a post-graduate MBA student to begin his career. 4. Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a post graduate degree that has been accepted globally. The idea behind this degree was derived from the need of applying a scientific approach to business administration. This degree in business administration greatly assists the holder’s career for long-term as an MBA course involves a wide variety of subjects like accounting, finance, marketing, economics, supply chain management, and project management. The MBA degree course includes training programs and it will definitely aid an individual to enhance his leader ship skills. In addition, various projects, presentations, and group assignments would greatly assist an individual to acquire different skills for addressing difficult business situations in future. Scholars opine that group assignments and project works may be beneficial for the student to evaluate the principles of teamwork and collaborative effort. Furthermore, this degree

The Pro & Cons of Affirmative Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Pro & Cons of Affirmative Action - Essay Example imizing diversity in the society, it is easier for organizations and firms to serve a wide range of customers and consumers to achieve instantaneous success, just like Startbucks etc. Similarly, it also helps the society to redress the disadvantage of discrimination by having a quota of diversified workforces in firms. This will move the society towards anti-discriminatory policies and will make sure that equal opportunities prevail in the society for all communities, races and gender. The disadvantages of affirmative actions are that it leads to quota system which is against the norms of efficiency and performance oriented selection. This will discourage people to work hard as they will know that quota system will take lead over their performance. Another disadvantage of quota system is that people will have to learn how to manage diversified workforce. This will involve managerial training and it will add up additional expenses for the firms who are struggling really hard to fight the ongoing

Health reform legislation in the US Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Health reform legislation in the US - Case Study Example The legislation seeks to reduce the annual appropriation funds the local authorities give the hospital to help in its running. The fund helps in the facilitating of the payment of workers in the hospital. The fund also helps the hospital acquire new machines and pay for the maintenance of the already bought machines. Over the years, the hospital has being able to set up new facilities that make it serve extra people. The legislation put forward aims to slash the annual fund provided for the hospital by a certain percentage. This means that the hospital will receive less than what it used to get. To this effect, the hospital’s normal operations would be interrupted, as it has to go out of its way to get the extra finance needed to supplement its budget. The hospital will also have to change its budget for it to be in line with the new funding provision. This measure would include having to charge extra fee to patients. Some workers in the hospital would have to lose their jobs to enable the hospital cut the extra costs. This are some of the drastic changes that the hospital would undertake in order to enable it operate on the reduced funding. My role of being requested to offer advice to the council is because I am the President of the Hospital. I participate in the drafting of the hospital’s budget and thus I am better placed to know the effects of the legislation. In addition to that, I head the finance department and the committee in charge of the hospital workers. My reason for choosing to be the one writing to the mayor is that my position makes me know and understand fully the running of the hospital. I have held the position for the past decade making my experience unparalleled. The reduction of the funding will affect women mostly those who are pregnant. The reason for this is that the larger share of the money goes to the women requirements facilities in the hospital.

Why do we look after children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Why do we look after children - Essay Example Through their research they have show that humans, like primates, share many similar patterns and evolutionary traits with respect to parenting as a means to increase survival. Are we really that different? See Figures 2 and 3 in the appendix at the rear of the paper. Geary and Flinn (2001) assert that â€Å"at a social and behavioural level these characteristics function to allow individuals to gain access to and control of the associated resources, such as food, mates, and territory† (pp. 6-7). The main impetus that holds us from achieving this is largely dependent upon the behaviours exhibited by others of the same species. This complex nature which we call social behaviour is nothing more than the evolutionary process we, as humans, have undergone as a means to achieve this. The only difference is the complexity of the social competencies that a species possesses. As an example, both gorillas and chimpanzees social competencies have evolved so that a great portion of their sustainability lies in their ability to protect their young from other males within their respective species Regardless of the complexity of social competences, humans, as with primates, share one common goal and strategy. â€Å"The ultimate function of parental behaviour is, however, the same: to provide a social context that enables the acquisition of sociocompetitive competencies† (Geary and Flinn, 2001, p. 7). As we have evolved we have adapted to this by means of developing social groupings and ties that assist us in ensuring survival through a cooperative effort to gain the needed resources to assure our sustainability. Figure 4 in the appendices displays what Geary and Flinn demonstrate as the unique characteristics of man as we have evolved. In the following pages we will examine the question ‘why we look after children?’ through examination of the various factors, both psychologically and biologically, that have enabled us to survive as a species, perpetuate our

Business Planning Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Planning - Assignment Example However, the thoroughness in the preparation of the idea as presented in a final draft of a business plan is determinant of the research and the viability of the idea in the industry selected. While some of the business ideas appear excellent on paper, implementing them could be a problem. Thus, a viable business plan has the qualities of being excellent on paper and practical applicability. Such determine the similarities and differences in the components of a business plan. This paper analyses the strengths and weaknesses of two business plans, Singles Bar Business Plan for Colloquy Grog Shop and Nightclub Business Plan for The Spot club. A Brief Description of the Spot Business Plan The Spot bar, is a club targeting the students of state university, with a student population exceeding 22,000 students and has a projected growth of 15% per year. The location of the business is one block away from the main campus, in an area where three bars have thrived in the past ten years. After staring its operations, The Spot boosts of exceptional management team that automatically translates business into profitability. Since all members of the management team have had previous experience in the club industry, their expertise and skills are essential in transforming the club into a success. In its mission statement, The Spot promises fun to its customers, by creating an environment that satisfies the changing tastes and exceptions of the college-age women. The Spot takes the assumption that once women visit the club, men will have no choice but follow them there. If the plan succeeds, the club hopes to exceed $ 1 million in its third year of operation, and maintaining its average costs at 25%. Ownership of the company is a three partnership by Robert Shaw, Jill Morse, and Sheila Thompson. All the shareholders are experienced business people. The main products offered by the club targets women, attracting them to the bar, and hoping that men tag along. Among the products on sale will be an assortment of wines, different makes of liquor and wines. Three of the most significant elements giving the club a competitive edge over other businesses in the same locality are a larger ladies room area, floor design and music (â€Å"Nightclub Business Plan†, 2013). A Brief Description of the Colloquy Grog Shop Business Plan Colloquy Grog Shop aims at providing an environment conducive enough where singles can meet and have an opportunity to have a good communication. Offering coffee and tapas, the shop will also offer a unique service allowing for structured communication. Singles, especially those between 25-45 years of age have a problem of meeting each other. As such, the shop aims at providing these people with an opportunity to meet and have an effective communication. By the end of the second year in operation, the shop hopes to reach the profitability threshold, and hopes to achieve comfortable profits by the third year. The key success of the sho p is addressing the needs of the customers. The shop’s location, an upcoming industrial area of NW Portland has registered a rapid growth of night stops and due to its targeted demographics. In an effort to reduce the operation costs of the joint, an old warehouse will serve as the main building, thus reducing rental expenses. Products offered to the customers include, eight  microbrew beers on draft and

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Twelfth-Century Renaissance - Essay Example According to Sreedharan, Henry Plantagenet is claimed to promote Arthurian romance, which formed the fundamentals of the English imperialism. It involved having access to written material of the Roman policy such as the Tacitus histories. Celtic romance stories had a significant influence too which depicted the revival of classical learning. A group that had learned and studied the classical literature with time transformed the society from the twelfth century way of life where survival seemed to involve less thoughtful and bloody fights. Latin classics were never wholly lost and were masked during the Iron Age and their emergence in the twelfth century brought in the renaissance. Innovation and inspiration in this time are the revivals that were enhanced by chivalric literature, which was also inspired by Arthurian legends. These developments in conventions of vernacular poetry resulted to key textual sources that notable poets of the time were influential then and still to the hist orians of the modern world. During this time, philosophy and science were not separable with certainty and so science and knowledge happened to fall under philosophy as a branch. Similar methods were used between them as philosophical issues, and arguments were reached and proved by means of scientific reasoning. This led to the encouragement of the educated class not just to memorize and pass the knowledge to others but also to keep widening the range of knowledge.7 The presence of incomplete philosophies allowed for disagreement and contradictions that the integration of these pieces with twelfth century level of understanding tolerated the expansion of original philosophies.8 During this time, Gothic architecture whose thought intention was shortening the distance between heaven and earth, and university were born in Paris.9 These resulted from the need to manage the knowledge in a systematic manner. There were also crusades that promoted trade and new ideas, therefore, making towns attract those seeking opp ortunities from the learned society.10 Beginning from early eleventh century, â€Å"the towns in Europe, so long stagnant or semi-deserted, began a strong revival.†11 The urban complexities demanded the revival of literacy and every form of learning that was possible and so there was the emergence of Cathedral schools and universities to accommodate the learning masses.12 During this time, Rome’s influence was not restricted to only literature and language but also their law survived beyond the Roman population. Their law was revitalized and expanded to the population of Northern Europe and later through colonization to other parts of the world. The law stimulated neglected texts as well as jurisprudence. In the early twelfth century, Roman law revival is linked with Bologna to whom it resulted to Bologna’s law school foundation and legal science renewal. Rome, Ravenna and Pavia were legal study centers before Bologna.13 The need to support Christianity during t he twelfth century resulted from the Ottoman’s Empire threats as well as the desire to create self awareness and reforms. â€Å"In the tenth century, Otto, the Great, secured stability again, and in the eleventh, the leaven of new thinking and distinct emergence of historical consciousness could be detected.†14 Hamilton Louis and Riccioni Stefano argued that,

A utilitarian approach to poverty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A utilitarian approach to poverty - Essay Example Singer further argues that people in rich countries spend their income on things which are effectively useless for them. Singer therefore argues that if people can actually curtail their expenses on unnecessary things and donate them, they can actually contribute towards the improvement in the lives of many. Singer’s thesis is critically more important because it outlines the need to have a broader and compassionate view of the poor of the world and how their lives can be improved with just little bit of effort. Singer therefore suggests that rich should help poor because their help will actually result into greater good for the greatest number of people. He also provides the analogy of Bob Bugati and suggests how people from developed world actually ignore how a small time effort can save lives. Singer than suggests that there may be certain objections as to whether the funds donated or the help provided by the Westerners actually end up being utilized properly. There is a cl ear argument of whether the aid or the donations offered at the personal level can actually be utilized for the purpose for which they are given. This argument however, been discussed from the point of view how a little bit of research can actually help anyone to find out credible organizations which utilize the overall donations in fair manner. Underlying the arguments of Singer is probably the implicit assumption that money can actually buy happiness. Singer argues that financial donations and help from the rich can actually fulfill the basic and smaller needs of the poor. This ultimately translates into better and improved quality of the life for poor and may pave way for them to engage themselves into something meaningful. The argument of Bob Bugati however, also presents an alternative view of how money can actually restrict rich to help poor as people like Bob may value money and their financial belongings more than the lives of poor living thousands miles away. Singer therefo re, appears to be offering both the views that money can actually buy happiness while at the other hand, expensive financial possessions of the individuals can actually deter them to look for helping poor. The overall arguments of Singer are relatively straight forward however, there may be certain point of contention based upon which the overall disagreement can be made. First, the implicit assumption that money can actually buy happiness for the people may not be entirely correct argument. Though, money may be the most essential thing for the survival of the people in poor countries however, there is a need to actually view happiness from multi-dimensional purpose. By associating utility with the consumption of wealth can actually be a flawed argument considering the fact that poor countries have relatively higher level of happiness index value as compared to the countries where wealth is relatively high. Considering this from the perspective of Marxian analysis, one needs to argu e as to how to determine what is actually good for the people. To investigate as to what is essentially good for the people may be relatively difficult task because even providing foreign aid may not result into the creation of greater good for the poor because of corruption and other structural issues. Marxian criticism also suggests that

Pre Marital Counselling Essay Example for Free

Pre Marital Counselling Essay Premarital Counselling is therapy with two people prior to their marriage, to help give them more realistic ideas of what to expect and how to cope with living with another person as a spouse; relating to each other as a committed pair. By taking the time to explore the reasons you came together, your similarities, your differences, your hopes and your dreams, as well as your expectations of one another, it is sometimes possible to avoid the disappointments that many couples face with the passage of time. Pre-marital counseling offers the opportunity to explore your differences in a relatively safe, supportive, constructive environment. And while some couples may choose to postpone their union until key differences can be resolved, most couples find that pre-marital counseling helps to prepare them for the kind of life they would like to build together. Premarital counseling can help ensure that you and your partner have a strong, healthy relationship — giving you a better chance for a stable and satisfying marriage. Premarital counseling can also help you identify weaknesses that could become bigger problems during marriage. Through premarital counseling, couples are encouraged to discuss a wide range of important and intimate topics related to marriage, such as: Finances, Communication Beliefs and values Roles in marriage Affection and sex Children amp; parenting Family relationships Decision making Dealing with anger Time spent together. The initial period of any relationship is called the honeymoon period; and after that fairytale, marriage can be a rude reality check. In most cases, quarrels over money, family and trust break a couple apart. A pre-marital session helps partners accept each other better and avoid future complications or conflict. Contrary to popular belief, pre marital counseling isn’t only for couples who are going in for an arranged marriage. It is also very important for couples who have had long courtships or have been living together. In arranged marriages, the people going to spend their life together are perpetual strangers, with no idea of what lies ahead of them. In India specifically, arranged marriages are sealed with just one word of advice for the bride â€Å"you HAVE to adjust, and you HAVE to compromise. Premarital Counselling ensures that the couple do not just â€Å"fulfill† the responsibilities of marriage for their family, but also participate in it wholly as individuals. In india marriages are seen as a ‘union of two families’ and the individuals who are supposed to spend the rest of their life together, they get lost in the entire plan. Pre Marital Counselling ensures that doesn’t happen. People who have had long courtships and have been living together, need it perhaps more than than people who’re going in on for arranged marriages . Why? Because once you’re living in with someone ,you think you know everything that there is to know about that person and marriage cant spring any surprises. But guess what? You WILL be surprised greatly by what surprises pre marital counseling will bring for you. Marriage changes the set of expectations two individuals have from each other. More issues have to be dealt with, like children, financial planning etc. Most couples spend more time planning their weddings than their marriages!. If you think about the amount of financial and emotional investment that goes into preparing for the wedding itself, doesn’t it make sense to invest a little in strengthening the relationship at the onset? Many couples preparing for marriage honestly believe they are strong going into the union – and they probably are in a lot of ways. Being caught up with all the loving feelings and other feel-good stuff going on ahead of nuptials, couples often don’t consider the potential pitfalls. Those â€Å"pitfalls† are often times what leads them into a therapist’s office some time down the line. Here six great reasons to get pre marriage counseling: 1) Strengthen Communication Skills:  Being able to effectively listen, truly hear and validate the other’s position is a skill that isn’t necessarily a â€Å"given† for many people. Couples that really communicate effectively can discuss and resolve issues when they arise more effectively. You can tune up your talking and listening skills. This is one of the most important aspects of emotional safety between couples. 2) Discuss Role Expectations:  It’s incredibly common for married couples to never really have discussed who will be doing what in the marriage. This can apply to job, finances, chores, sexual intimacy and more. Having an open and honest discussion about what each of you expect from the other in a variety of areas leads to fewer surprises and upsets down the line. 3) Learn Conflict Resolution Skills:  Nobody wants to think that they’ll have conflict in their marriage. The reality is that â€Å"conflict† can range from disagreements about who will take out the trash to emotionally charged arguments about serious issues – and this will probably be part of a couple’s story at one time or another. There are ways to effectively de-escalate conflict that are highly effective and can decrease the time spent engaged in the argument. John Gottman’s (www. gottman. com) research has shown that couples who can do this well are less likely to divorce in the end. 4) Explore Spiritual Beliefs:  For some this is not a big issue – but for others a serious one. Differing spiritual beliefs are not a problem as long as it’s been discussed and there is an understanding of how they will function in the marriage with regards to practice, beliefs, children, etc. ) Identify any Problematic Family of Origin Issues:  We learn so much of how to â€Å"be† from our parents, primary caregivers and other early influences. If one of the partners experienced a high conflict or unloving household, it can be helpful to explore that in regards to how it might play out in the marriage. Couples who have an understanding of the existence of any problematic conditioning around how relationships work are usually better at disrupting repetition of these learned behaviors. ) Develop Personal, Couple and Family Goals:  It amazes me how many married couples have never discussed their relationship goals – let alone personal or family. I honestly think it just doesn’t cross their minds! This is a long term investment together – why not put your heads together and look at how you’d like the future to look? Where do you want to be in five years? Approximately when would you like to have children? How many children? There are many areas that can be explored and it can be a fun exercise to do together. Pre marriage counseling doesn’t need to be a long process, especially if you feel you’re starting out with a very solid foundation and only need some clarifications and goal-setting. For some people who are poised to start out the marriage as a â€Å"higher conflict† couple or have deeper issues to contend with, the process could take a bit longer. Regardless, be sure to take the time to invest in your marriage as you might in the event itself. The return on your marriage investment has the potential to be life long What you can expect Premarital counseling typically includes five to seven meetings with a counselor. Often in premarital counseling, each partner is asked to separately answer a written questionnaire, known as a premarital assessment questionnaire. These questionnaires encourage partners to assess their perspectives of one another and their relationship. They can also help identify a couples strengths, weaknesses and potential problem areas. The aim is to foster awareness and discussion and encourage couples to address concerns proactively. Your counselor can help you interpret your results together, encourage you and your partner to discuss areas of common unhappiness or disagreement, and set goals to help you overcome challenges. Your counselor might also have you and your partner use a tool called a Couples Resource Map — a picture and scale of your perceived support from individual resources, relationship resources, and cultural and community resources. You and your partner will create separate maps at first. Following a discussion with your counselor about differences between the two maps, youll create one map as a couple. The purpose is to help you and your partner remember to use these resources to help manage your problems. In addition, your counselor might ask you and your partner questions to find out your unique visions for your marriage and clarify what you can do to make small, positive changes in your relationship. Keep in mind that you bring your own values, opinions and personal history into a relationship, and they might not always match your partners. In addition, many people go into marriage believing it will fulfill their social, financial, sexual and emotional needs — and thats not always the case. By discussing differences and expectations before marriage, you and your partner can better understand and support each other during marriage. Early intervention is important because the risk of divorce is highest early in marriage. In Pre marital counseling, as couples you become aware of so many issues that you never thought existed earlier between you two. Premarital counseling is a way to pull the darkness out from its hiding places so that you can turn it over in the light and see it for what it actually is. Remember, preparing for marriage involves more than choosing a wedding dress and throwing a party. Take the time to build a solid foundation for your relationship.

Attitude and behavior towards internet shopping

Attitude and behavior towards internet shopping Studies on factors determining consumer attitude and behavior towards Internet shopping: Most of the studies conducted in the recent years in field of online shopping behavior and attitude have been focusing on the factors influencing the online shopping attitudes and behavior. But, different researchers have diverse opinions and focus, while studying the impact of these factors on the online consumer buying behavior and attitudes. For example, there is a segment of researchers who have tried to explain the consumer attitude and intentions for online shopping by taking theories like Theory of Reasoned Action, Technology acceptance model or Theory of Planned Behaviour as a basis and have tried to extend them further by adding more web specific factors to them(Cheung, Zhu, Kwong, Gloria, and Limayem, 2003), whereas there has been another segment who have derived relationships between various factors and customer satisfaction with reference to the Internet shopping experience in the form of dependent and independent variables. Further, there have been researchers who have f urther organized and compiled the previous researches done in this field so as to pave way for future researches. These researchers have also contributed in terms of designing structured frameworks for online consumer attitude, intention and buying behavior. Web experience The literature review done by Constantinides (2004) helps in identifying the web experience components and their role as the first step in shaping the online consumers behavior. He has added web experience as a controllable element in his model depicting factors that influence the online buying behavior. He has further explained web experience factor by classifying it in three sub-categories which are the building blocks of the web experience. These three sub-categories are Functionality factors (usability and Interactivity), Psychological factors (trust) and Content factors (aesthetics and Marketing Mix). The following figure as adopted from his article presents a brief description of the number of references in support of each of these factors: Source: Constantinides, E.(2004). Influencing the online consumers behavior: the web experience. Journal of Internet Research. Vol 14 No.2, pp. 114, figure 2. Literature review Li and Zhang (2002, p.508) have defined online buying behavior or Internet shopping/buying behavior as the process of purchasing products or services via the Internet; which according to Liang and Lai (2000), is similar to the traditional five steps process of consumer buying behavior (as cited by Li and Zhang, 2002). They have also defined online shopping attitude as the psychological state of the consumers in terms of Internet shopping (2002). Li and Zhang (2002) have analysed 35 empirical studies on online shopping attitudes and behavior conducted during the period of January 1998 to February 2002 and have finally identified 10 inter-related factors for which the reviewed studies have significant empirical evidences. These 10 factors have further been classified into five independent factors (viz. external environment, demographics, personal characteristics, vendor/service/product characteristics, and website quality) and five dependent factors (viz. attitude towards online shoppi ng, intention to shop online, decision making, online purchasing, and consumer satisfaction.) Another exhaustive literature review in this field has been by Cheung et al. (2003). They have examined a total of 351 articles in the area of online consumer behavior from 1994 to April 2002. They have attempted to link together the concepts of intention, adoption and continuance and form a base model- a Model of Intention, Adoption and Continuance (MIAC) for the development of an online consumer behavior framework. Further, the various factors as mentioned by various researchers in their study have been categorized under five major domain areas viz. individual/consumer characteristics, product/service characteristics, medium characteristics, and online merchant and intermediary characteristics. According to them, online purchase intention and adoption has been extensively studied and there are lots of empirical evidences available, but research on continuance or consumer online repurchase is in its infancy. The following figure describes the MIAC model as suggested by Cheung et al. Framework of online consumer behavior Source: Cheung, C.M.K., Zhu, L., Kwong, T., Chan, G.W.W. Limayem, M.(2003). Online Consumer Behavior: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Proceedings of the 16th Bled eCommerce Conference, eTransformation. 194-218 A recent study conducted by Kuczmarski and James (April 2008) further contribute to the available body of literature by adding that consumers prefer online stores to actual stores due to potential reasons like convenience, cost and selection. Trust as a factor Studies also indicate that trust remains a crucial factor in e-commerce and in influencing the purchase decision of online shoppers. Consumers prefer to shop from trusted websites. Researches reveal that trust is a factor which also helps in forming long-term customer relationships (Dwyer, Schurr Oh, 1987; Gefen Straub, 2003; Kim, Xu Koh, 2004). Some researchers like Lee (2002), Liebermann and Stashevsky (2002), McKnight et al.(2002), Suh and Han(2002) and Liang and Lai(2002) have even argued that a new step has been added to the online buying process and that is the step of building trust or confidence (as cited by Constantinides, 2004). The available literature explains that trust facilitates e-commerce and online transactions, but at the same time the consumers lack of trust in online vendors continues to remain a hindrance in the growth of e-commerce. (Ba Pavlou, 2002; Gefen and Straub, 2003; Gefen, Karahanna Straub, 2003; Kim, Xu Koh, 2004; Lim, Sia, Lee Benbasat, 2006; P avlou Gefen, 2004). Gefen(2002) and Kim, Xu Koh (2004) have stated that a key challenge to e-commerce is that creating trust typically requires multiple interactions and superior service over a period of time(as cited by Lowry et al., 2008). Brand has also been established as one of the factors influencing the customer trust for a website (Bart, Shankar, Sultan Urban, 2005; Yoon, 2002). Ward and Lee(2000) conducted a research to examine whether consumers use brands as sources of information when shopping on Internet and they concluded that branding can facilitate consumers acceptance of e-commerce. Lowry, Vance, Moody, Beckman Read (2008) have studied the impact of branding alliances and web-site quality on the consumer trust of e-commerce websites. They explored the usage of branding alliances and website quality by the less familiar websites to enhance the consumer trust and suggested that branding and web-site quality can significantly increase the initial consumer trust in the e-commerce websites. Ballantine(2005) has studied the effects of interactivity and the amount of product information provided by an online shopping environment on consumer satisfaction. A web-based experiment was conducted where respondents were exposed to a simulated online retail store. Findings indicate that these two factors had a significant effect on the consumer satisfaction. Tangibility also remains an important factor in influencing the purchase process of Internet shoppers. Melian-Alzola and Padron-Robaina(2006) have analysed the role and importance of the tangible elements of purchase processes in business to consumer(B2C) e-commerce, and the impact on overall perceived quality and the customers attitudes. Their research concluded that that four attributes navigation, signposting, tools and explanation explain the tangible dimension in electronic commerce. They revealed that design was an important factor of overall perceived quality and the willingness to recommend the purchase experience to others. Security of transactions is another factor that remains as a matter of concern for e-commerce consumers. According to a study conducted by American Banker in 2007, one-third of Canadians refused to shop online due to fear of identity theft. Web assurance services help in building up the trust and confidence of such consumers. In an experimental study undertaken by Mauldin and Arunachalam (2002), the impact of web assurance services and retailer disclosures on purchase intent was studied. They have defined web assurance as the measures taken to reduce information risks and increase online purchasing by improving the reliability of certain information on the website. Their findings indicate that web assurance. In this research they considered TRUSTe, WebTrust and VISA web assurance services for the study. Their findings indicate that there were no significant differences in intent to purchase among the three assurance providers. Mauldin and Arunachalam have also studied the impact of product and retailer familiarity on the buying behavior of online consumers in the above mentioned study and they suggest that web assurance is insignificant when product familiarity is higher, or in other words, where product familiarity is lower, intent to purchase is higher with web assurance. Retailer familiarity is not fou nd to be significant in any of the conditions. Further, their study also reveals that retailer disclosures are sufficient to impact buying intention of online consumers; the web assurance services studied in the above study did not provide any additional assurance beyond the retailer disclosures. They have further emphasized that comfort with the Internet, general intent to buy online, and website design played significant role in influencing purchase intention. Although security is a major concern of online buyers, their study indicates that information risk generally did not significantly influence purchase intention, which explains why web assurance is generally not significant in their study. Bruce, Katherine and Murphy (2008) have further explored the prior studies on web assurance models to provide detailed explanation on current reporting requirements, differences among web assurance services and perceptions of consumers regarding these services. The study concludes that consumers give importance to web assurance services, but younger consumers place greater value on these services rather than older consumers. Technology Acceptance Model as a basis for research on Literature review In an attempt to design a structured framework for the effects of different factors on consumer attitude towards Internet shopping and their intentions to shop online, Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter (2004) have reviewed the various researches conducted in the field. They have used Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a base and suggested a framework based on previous research on consumer adoption of new technologies and services. The Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989) has served as a basis for various researches conducted in the Information systems field. In order to support the selection of TAM as a basis for their research work, Monsuwe et.al, 2004 have cited Chen et al.(2002), Moon and Kim(2001) and Lederar et al.(2000) who suggest that although this model is specifically designed to understand the adoption of a new computer based technology in the job/workplace, it has also proven to be suitable as theoretical foundation for adoption of e-commerce as well. The Technology Ac ceptance Model (TAM) suggests the usefulness, ease of use and the later addition of enjoyment (Davis et al., 1992) as the determinants of consumers attitude towards adopting a new technology. This attitude, further, has a strong and positive effect on consumers intentions to actually use the new technology or system (Bobbitt and Dabholkar, 2001; Davis, 1993). While redefining the three constructs in context of online shopping Monsuwe et.al.(2004, p.107) have referred to usefulness as the consumers perceptions that using the Internet as a shopping medium enhances the outcome of their shopping experience. Similarly, they have redefined ease of use as the consumers perception that the process leading to online shopping will require minimum effort and will be easy. Further, according to them, the enjoyment construct refers to the fun and playfulness of the Internet shopping experience. While usefulness has a weak direct link to attitude, it shows a strong direct link towards intention t o shop online (Davis et al., 1989). It is also linked with ease of use to determine consumers attitude towards online shopping. Hence, ease of use has a direct as well as indirect effect on consumers intention to shop online. Using TAM as a basis for the study, the framework proposed by Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter(2004) not only includes the functional/utilitarian and hedonic dimensions like ease of use, usefulness, and enjoyment which affect the consumers attitude and intention towards Internet shopping, but they have also included some of the exogenous factors recommended by various researchers in the framework such as consumer traits(Burke, 2002; Dhabolkar and Bagozzi, 2002; Brown et al., 2001; Eastin and LaRose, 2000), situational factors(Wolfinbarger and Gilly,2001; Avery, 1996), product characteristics(Grewal et al., 2002; Elliot and Fowell, 2000), previous online shopping experiences(Shim et al., 2001; Eastlick and Lotz, 1999) and trust in online shopping(Yoon, 2002; Lee and Turban, 2001) Monsuwe et.al. in their research, have mentioned about the various researches done in order to extend the TAM by suggesting additional factors. For example, Venkatesh (2000), who has proposed integrating factors like control, intrinsic motivation, and emotion into the existing Technology Acceptance Model which are considered to be strong determinants for ease of use construct of TAM. Dabholkar and Bagozzi (2002) have given an attitudinal model of technology based self-service by suggesting two exogenous factors like consumer traits and situational influences. Further, they have cited OCass and Fenech (2002) who have added seven key consumer characteristics namely opinion leadership, buying impulsiveness, satisfaction with websites, web shopping compatibility, shopping orientation, Internet self-efficacy, and web-security to the model. Further, they have substantiated their model by citing the classification given by Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) who have categorised Internet shoppers in two categories; one is of the problem solvers and other category is of those seeking for fun, fantasy, arousal, sensory stimulation, and enjoyment. Monsuwe et al. suggest that this classification also supports the basic three constructs of TAM which affect the consumers attitude towards Internet shopping as ease of use and usefulness reflect the utilitarian aspect and enjoyment is in sync with the hedonic aspect of the model. The above explanation given by Monsuwe et al. is similar to the categorization of the shopping orientations by Bellenger, Robertson and Greenberg(1977) as convenience versus recreational orientation (as cited by Kim, LaRose, 2004) Various researches have been conducted to identify the underlying dimensions for the basic constructs of the TAM model. These latent dimensions can be further used to understand how these constructs get influenced by various exogenous factors. For example, Mathwick et al. (2001) have added two interesting latent dimensions to the usefulness construct Consumer Return on Investment(CROI), and service excellence. Monsuwe, Dellaert and Ruyter (2004) have defined CROI as a perceived return on cognitive, behavioural or financial investment made by the consumer. Whereas, service excellence evaluates the delivered promises against the performance. If both these dimensions are satisfied, then consumers will judge the Internet shopping performance positively (Mathwick et al., 2002) which adds to the perceived usefulness. Zeithamal et al. (2002) have stated that site characteristics such as search functions, download speed and navigation also acts as a determinant in shaping ease of use constru ct of the TAM model. But, Monsuwe et al. (2004, p.109) have a different opinion regarding this dimension. They have stated that these site characteristics merely influence the ease of use of a particular web site or online store, and not the Internet as a shopping medium in generalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Online Shopping orientations Kim and LaRose (2004) have defined shopping orientation as a shoppers attitude toward shopping activity that may vary with the situation rather than an invariant personality trait of the shopper. They have cited the categorization given by Bellenger, Robertson and Greenberg (1977) which classifies shoppers on the basis of their shopping orientation into convenience versus recreation oriented. Kim and LaRose (2004) also posit that shoppers may possess multiple orientations depending upon the expected outcome of a shopping experience and may demonstrate a regulated/utilitarian or an unregulated/recreational shopping orientation depending upon the environmental stimuli. Their study also shows that these two shopping orientations are not mutually exclusive and interactive web features may draw shoppers with convenience orientation into unregulated buying. Li, Kuo and Rusell(2006) have also studied the impact of shopping orientations on online consumer behavior alongwith other factors like demographics, channel knowledge and perceived channel utilities. Primary data was collected by a research company using an online survey of 999 U.S. Internet users. They have classified Internet users as frequent, occasional and non-buyers. Findings indicated that frequent web buyers have a higher degree of perceived channel utility for the purpose of communication, distribution and accessibility. Similarly channel knowledge also has a positive effect on the Internet buying and it also has a reciprocal influence on the perceived channel utilities. Their study also indicates that frequent web buyers value convenience more than experience(touch and feel of the product) whereas those who are non-web buyers have a higher degree of experience orientation. Recreation and economy orientation are found to be similar for the three types of Internet buyers. Th e study of the demographic factors revealed that male are more frequent web buyers than women, better-educated consumers shop more frequently online and consumers with higher income are more likely to be in frequent web buyer category. Age was not significant as far as frequency of web buying was concerned. Note: Most of the researchers feel that the classical consumer behavioral theories used for can only act as a starting point for understanding the online consumer behavior. There is no structured framework for explaining the online consumer behavior; the studies are mostly fragmented. Researchers have suggested different factors and frameworks, but there is a lack of a cohesive theoretical base to the online consumer behavior. Ba, S.L., and Pavlou, P.A. Evidence of the effect of trust building technology in electronic markets: Price premiums and buyer behavior. MIS Quarterly, 26, 3 (2002), 243-268. Gefen, D., and Straub, D.W. Consumer trust in B2C e-commerce and the importance of social presence: experiments in e-products and e-services. Omega: The International Journal of Management Science, 32, 6 (2004), 407-424. Gefen, D.; Karahanna, E.; and Straub, D.W. Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model. MIS Quarterly, 27, 1 (2003), 51-90. Kim, H.-W.; Xu, Y.; and Koh, J. A comparison of online trust building factors between potential customers and repeat customers. Journal of the AIS, 5, 10 (2004), 392-420. Lim, K.H.; Sia, C.L.; Lee, M.K.O.; and Benbasat, I. Do I trust you online, and if so, will I buy? An empirical study of two trust-building strategies. Journal of Management Information Systems, 23, 2 (Fall 2006), 233-266. Pavlou, P.A., and Fygenson, M. Understanding and predicting electronic commerce adoption: An extension of the theory of planned behavior. MIS Quarterly, 30, 1 (2006), 115-143. Dwyer, F.R.; Schurr, P.H.; and Oh, S. Developing buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing, 51, 2 (1987), 11-27. Everard, A.P., and Galletta, D.F. How presentation flaws affect perceived site quality, trust, and intention to purchase from an online store. Journal of Management Information Systems, 22, 3 (Winter 2005-6), 56-95 Kuczmarski, James (2008, Apr). JOURNAL-IST: Freedom of Choice. Fast Company, Issue 124, 43-43, 1/2p Runyan, B., Smith, K.T., Smith, L. M.(2008, Mar). Implications of Web assurance services on e-commerce. Accounting Forum (Elsevier), Vol. 32 Issue 1, 46-61 Gefen, D. Customer loyalty in e-commerce. Journal of the AIS, 3, 1 (2002), 27-51. Bart, Y.; Shankar, V.; Sultan, F.; and Urban, G.L. Are the drivers and role of online trust the same for all Web sites and consumers? A large-scale exploratory empirical study. Journal of Marketing, 69, 4 (2005), 133-152. Yoon, S.-J. The antecedents and consequences of trust in online-purchase decisions. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 16, 2 (2002), 47-63. Lowry, P.B., Vance, A., Moody, G., Beckman, B. Read, A. (2008). Explaining and Predicting the Impact of Branding Alliances and Web Site Quality on Initial Consumer Trust of E-Commerce Web Sites. Journal of Management Information Systems / Spring 2008, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 199-224. American Banker(2007, 17 Dec), Vol. 172 Issue 241, p17-17, 1/9p Monsuwe, T.P., Dellaert, B.G.C. Ruyter, K.D.(2004). What drives consumers to shop online? A literature review. International Journal of Service Industry Management.Vol.15 No.1, pp.102-121 Ward,M.R. Lee, M. J.(2000). Internet shopping, consumer search and product branding. Journal of Product and Brand Management, Vol.9 No.1, pp.6-20 Ballantine, P.W.(2005). Effects of interactivity and product information on consumer satisfaction in an online retail setting. International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol.33 No.1, pp.461-471 Melià ¡n-Alzola, L. Padrà ³n-Robaina, V. (2006). Tangibility as a quality factor in electronic commerce B2C. Managing Service Quality. Vol.16 No.3,pp.320-338 Li,N. Zhang, P.(2002). Consumer Online shopping attitudes and behaviour: An assessment of research. Proceedings of the Eighth Americas Conference on Information Systems. 508-517 Constantinides, E.(2004). Influencing the online consumers behavior: the web experience. Internet Research. Vol 14 No.2, pp. 111-126 Cheung, C.M.K., Zhu, L., Kwong, T., Chan, G.W.W. Limayem, M.(2003). Online Consumer Behavior: A Review and Agenda for Future Research. Proceedings of the 16th Bled eCommerce Conference, eTransformation. 194-218 Li, H., Kuo, C. Rusell, M.G.(2006, Jun). The Impact of Perceived Channel Utilities, Shopping Orientations, and Demographics on the Consumers Online Buying Behaviour. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication. 5(2). Retrieved July, 1, 2009, from http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/120837782/HTMLSTART Mauldin, E. Arunachalam, V. (2002). An Experimental Examination of Alternative Forms of Web Assurance for Business-to-Consumer e-Commerce. Journal of Information Systems. 16. 33-54 Abstract: Customers in an Internet shopping environment actually play dual roles. One is the role as a customer in a shopping place, and the other is the role as a user of information technology. In both cases, the level of satisfaction is of great concern. In this vein, a way of measuring the satisfaction level that takes both roles into account is needed. However, in past research indexes for consumer satisfaction and indexes for user information satisfaction have been developed separately in the fields of marketing and management information systems. Because of this lack of interaction between the two streams of research, an index for electronic commerce consumers that has its base in the dual roles has not been developed and tested. In this research, an instrument for measuring electronic commerce consumer satisfaction was proposed and validated using a sample of over 400 customers. The relationship between the index and consumers purchasing intention was also examined. Title: Development of electronic commerce user-consumer satisfaction index (ECUSI) for Internet shopping Author(s): Namjae Cho, Sanghyuk Park Journal: Industrial Management Data Systems Year: 2001 Volume: 101 Issue: 8 Page: 400 406 ISSN: 0263-5577 DOI: 10.1108/EUM0000000006170 Publisher: MCB UP Ltd Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of consumers shopping orientation on their satisfaction level with the product search and purchase behavior using multi-channels. Design/methodology/approach A total of 181 students in a large US mid-western university provided usable responses to the survey. Exploratory factor analysis and multiple regression analyses were employed to examine the research questions. Findings The results showed that more than three quarters of the respondents shopped via the internet and catalogs, and about 95 percent shopped at non-local retailers. About 60 percent reported that they never shopped from TV shopping channels. Confident/fashion-conscious shopping orientation and catalog/internet shopping orientation were found to be key predictors of customer satisfaction level with information search via multi-channels. Both confident/fashion-conscious consumers and mall shopping-oriented shoppers were more satisfied with store-based retail channels for apparel purchases, whereas non-local store-oriented shoppers and catalog/internet-oriented shoppers were more satisfied with non-store-based retail channels for their apparel purchases. Research limitations/implications The sample of this study was biased by gender and age. For the apparel retail industry, this paper offers practical knowledge about the relationships between shopping orientation and consumer search and purchase behavior in a multi-channel retailing context. Originality/value No study has utilized the shopping orientation framework to explain consumer behavior in a multi-channel environment. This study provides understanding of consumer product information search behavior on four dimensions (price, promotion, style/trends, and merchandise availability) via multi-channels. Title: The effects of shopping orientations on consumers satisfaction with product search and purchases in a multi-channel environment Author(s): Hyun-Hwa Lee, Jihyun Kim Journal: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Year: 2008 Volume: 12 Issue: 2 Page: 193 216 ISSN: 1361-2026 DOI: 10.1108/13612020810874881 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Article Information: Title: Attitude toward internet web sites, online information search, and channel choices for purchasing Author(s): Yoo-Kyoung Seock, Marjorie Norton Journal: Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management Year: 2007 Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Page: 571 586 ISSN: 1361-2026 DOI: 10.1108/13612020710824616 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Document Access: Existing customers: Please login above. You do not have rights to view the article Purchase this document: Price payable: GBP  £13.00 plus handling charge of GBP  £1.50 and VAT where applicable. Purchase Request this document: Print or e-mail a document request to your librarian. Request Reprints permissions: Request Abstract: Purpose This study aims to examine the influence of attitudes toward particular clothing web sites, specifically favorite ones, on information search at those web sites and on the choice to purchase items from those web sites and from non-internet channels after finding the items at the web sites. Design/methodology/approach Using survey data from 414 US college students who had online shopping experience and favorite clothing web sites that they especially like to visit, hypothesized relationships among attitude toward internet web sites, online information search and channel choices for purchasing were tested using path analysis. Findings Results showed that participants attitudes toward their favorite clothing web sites had a direct, positive effect on their intentions to search for information at those web sites as well as intentions to purchase clothing items from those web sites after finding the items there. Additionally, operating through information-search intentions at the web sites, participants attitudes toward those web sites had an indirect, positive effect on their intentions to purchase clothing items from non-internet channels after finding the items at the web sites. Research limitations/implications Results cannot be generalized to the larger population of young consumers and to other consumer groups. Future research should include other population groups. Practical implications This research provides insights into how college students attitudes toward internet web sites affect their information search at the web sites and their channel choices for purchasing. Our results suggest potential benefits of multi-channel retailing for online clothing retailers targeting US college students and the importance of building effective web sites to elicit those consumers positive attitudes toward the web sites. Originality/value This study is the first to investigate young adult online shoppers attitude towards internet web sites and their information search and channel choices for purchasing. Keywords: Consumer behaviour, Information retrieval, Internet shopping, Purchasing, United States of America Article Type: Research paper Article URL: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/10.1108/13612020710824616 Article Information: Title: Do determinants of online shopping differ for personal shoppers and professional shoppers? Author(s): Amit Bhatnagar Journal: EuroMed Journal of Business Year: 2007 Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Page: 87 102 ISSN: 1450-2194 DOI: 10.1108/14502190710749974 Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing Limited Document Access: Existing customers: Please login above. You do not have rights to view the article Purchase this document: Price payable: GBP  £13.00 plus handling charge of GBP  £1.50 and VAT where applicable. Pu

Components of Supply Chain Management

Components of Supply Chain Management A supply chain may be defined as the number of business practices that move goods from that of raw materials through supply, production and the final distribution of the goods to the customer. Most manufacturing organizations have a supply chain of some description. It is considered that all effective management practices must take into consideration the efficiencies of the component within the chain in order to avoid loss of quality and important customers within the business. THE PROCESS Within any supply chain there are five key elements: 1) Production 2) Supply 3) Inventory 4) Location and 5) Transportation and Information. Each of these is examined in turn. Production In order to facilitate strategic decision making relative to production it is important to understand both what the client wants and equally what the market demands. This leads to the development of supply chain agility and indicates how many products will need to be completed; the sequence to be completed, the individual components required and which plants are capable of producing them. Each of these decisions needs to focus on items such as inventory management, quality, capacity and the volume of goods to be produced in order to meet the customer need. In addition what techniques of quality control need to be introduced in order to meet the required standards of production? Supply This relates to the facility being able to produce efficient and economical goods whilst maintaining high levels of quality. This can be very hard for companies to achieve, particularly when the product incorporates external sub components made outside of the firm. Hence there is a need to QA external products as meeting a required standard of quality. This not only applies to imported finished goods but also the quality of raw materials being used. When selecting a supplier it is a careful balance of cost, quality, reliability and flexibility. A good supplier relationship helps to build a strategic business relationship. Inventory Other important decisions relate to stock or inventory and as such it is a very fine balance between holding too much inventory and not enough. This becomes an important aspect of supply chain management and it is important to retain optimum levels of stock at different locations without holding too much inventory which creates under-utilized capital. There is also the risk of obsolescence for those goods that exceed their storage dates. Control policies need to examine the procedure for retention of inventory and this involves close customer relationship management. Location Strategic decisions are focused upon such items as the location of production plants, distribution and stock facilities and the location of these facilities to the market. Once customers are established it is important that they are services by having production facilities within close proximity to them. This was an important part of the success of the Industrial Revolution in Britain the mines producing raw materials i.e. Coal, Coke etc. were close to the factories that needed to burn them for power and fuel, together with the steel plants that needed the coal for the furnaces. Transportation Information Transportation decisions are an important part of satisfying customer demand. (Rockford Consulting, 2012). Creating innovation requires good organization of information. Computers and software provide important valuable assists in the achievement of these objectives but it still remains important to conduct regular business process analysis and eliminate any redundancies or duplication of effort. THE THREE COMPONENTS OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT There are three essential important components of Supply Chain Management: Business Processes Management Components Network Structure Each of these can be examined in turn: Business Processes It is the business processes that define both the activities and flow of information within the organization. For example: order processing, customer services, distribution etc. It is important to gain a firm understanding of the business processes by conducting business process analysis. This enables the processes to be optimized by streamlining, elimination of redundant processes and building enhanced processes. Network structure This identifies those partners who collaborate in the supply chain. They are the important key business players. Relationships can be placed into categories for example: Strategic Partners, Manufacturing, Operational and Reserve list. Management Components The management component contains the company philosophy for doing business and the methods that it will deploy in order to carry this out. This should be a clear Executive framework that supports a reliable decision making process. It is important that the managers embrace the culture of the Company and this is clearly demonstrated to both the customers and those who work within the organization. (Jesperson, B.D. 2005) INTERPRETING LOGISTICS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN Logistics may be defined as the function that manages the movement of the materials in the supply chain. This is the movement of materials from the initial supply to that of the final delivery to the customer. The concept of logistics embraces a number of distinct activities like procurement, warehousing, inventory management, order processing, recycling and distribution etc. (Sadler, I. 2007) Benefits of logistics Management- Managers will be better informed and make smarter decisions if they understand the business processes within their organization. This is critical in the achievement of business goals. Efficient logistics management is also an important vehicle in the development of the business marketing strategy. The roots of logistics management can be traced back to WW2 and the military application of mobilizing resources and materials. These early concepts were further evolved in the 1960s with physical distribution management. In the 1990s the advances in communication with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) enabled electronic transfer of information between organizations. We now have Global Positioning (GP) technology that enables precise tracking of goods on a truly globalized basis. The use of logistics software has the benefit of placing controls within the system and ensures that proper routing choices are made. This includes the selection of the correct carriers and optimal shipping routes. These time savings provide a considerable return on investment. EXPLORATION OF NEW CONCEPTS The external supply chain advances beyond the basic concepts of supply chain management. It brings into play all of the additional business links and the complex levels of interactivity. The integration of all of these steps is extremely complex. One such business that has stepped up to the challenge is that of Ford Motor Company in the USA. They have vertically integrated every aspect of the business from mining to manufacturing. The main driver of these new concepts has clearly been centred on customer satisfaction. One of the goals of integrated supply chain management is to remove barriers in order to allow the free flow of materials. One such barrier is that of shared resources in the supply chain. One new approach is removing this barrier and thereby changing the focus to that of buyer focus. Two existing approaches on the removal of barriers are that of lean thinking and agile manufacturing. Shared resources create a problem by adding to the complexity of planning and control, as such creating a barrier. Buyer focus looks towards splitting the buyer process into more manageable components in order to meet improved performance criteria. In this concept resources are singled out in order to serve one buyer. Hence one buyer serves the whole range of supply products. Supply chain management is a relatively new concept. The origins can be traced back as recent as 26 years to a Booze Allen Consultant named Keith Oliver. It was Oliver who defined the term and provided the early foundation concepts to what we now know today as integrated supply chain management. It was the Japanese who really adopted this approach in manufacturing and adapted the techniques of just-in-time and Ken Ban; these techniques becoming universally accepted and adopted throughout the west. The large software vendors like Oracle and SAP were looking towards computer software solutions for the automation of these complex processes. Despite making advances in this area it is still difficult to point towards a single standard or procedure for adoption in Supply Chain Management. (Thorsten Blecker, 2006) Software Applications JDA is an example of a software Company that claims to have in excess of 6000 world-wide customers and their software covers the entire spectrum of supply chain management. Another leading player in this field is that of the software firm Logility. Other leading software suppliers like ORACLE and SAP have integrated these applications into the more wider ranging Enterprise Planning software solutions. MITIGATING RISKS IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN Financial Control The key towards the management of financial risks in Transportation costs is by having an effective budgetary control system. Planned levels of expenditure (budgets) are made for all levels of operating costs and these are measured against Actual results in the monthly accounts. These will produce variances, either positive (underspend) or negative (overspend). Those negative variances that fall outside of a prescribed tolerance level e.g. +/- 10% of the budget figure, should be made the point of financial investigation and appropriate remedial action taken. This could be the result of increased supplier costs, unplanned overspend, an increase in the quality of materials and hence costs. There may be numerous reasons but the objective should be to get the expenditure back within the budget tolerance limit. ( Sodhi, M.S. 2012) Financial control should also be linked to Project Management. In particular examination of contingency plans for alternate suppliers within the supply chain. Lack of appropriate alternative suppliers can expose the firm to unplanned financial risks and cost escalation. The concept of Analytical Risk Mitigation is an approach that explores the relationship between cost and change and this is linked to economic considerations like supply and demand, marginal cost statements, break even analysis. This approach allows firms to deploy risk mitigation strategies that diversify or spread the nature of the risk thereby minimizing the amount of cost disruption to the business. Economic Measures This ties in with logistics and ensuring that measures are taken to mitigate expenditure within the transportation of goods within the supply chain. Logistics may be defined as the function that manages the movement of the materials in the supply chain. This is the movement of materials from the initial supply to that of the final delivery to the customer. The concept of logistics embraces a number of distinct activities like procurement, warehousing, inventory management, order processing, recycling and distribution etc. Benefits of logistics management means that managers will be better informed and make smarter decisions if they understand the business processes within their organization. This is critical in the achievement of business goals. Efficient logistics management is also an important vehicle in the development of the business marketing strategy. The use of logistics software has the benefit of placing controls within the system and ensures that proper routing choices are made. This includes the selection of the correct carriers and optimal shipping routes. These time savings provide a considerable return on investment and reduces the level of risk involved. One of the goals of the integrated supply chain is to remove barriers in order to allow the free flow of materials. One such barrier is that of shared resources in the supply chain. One new approach is removing this barrier and thereby changing the focus to that of buyer focus. Two existing approaches on the removal of barriers are that of lean thinking and agile manufacturing. Shared resources create a problem by adding to the complexity of planning and control, as such creating a barrier. Buyer focus looks towards splitting the buyer process into more manageable components in order to meet improved performance criteria. In this concept resources are singled out in order to serve one buyer. Hence one buyer serves the whole range of supply products. Risks and responses should be reported to the project sponsor and other management stakeholders on project status and progress reports. Risk management items should be also part of regularly scheduled project Steering Committee meetings. When risk events occur, the impact and actual damage to the project are assessed. Appropriate corrective response plans, workarounds and action items are executed. When a risk event does occur, it becomes an issue that has an impact on the project deliverables and as such it is important that these are resolved at the earliest opportunity The probability and impact matrix is a vehicle whereby the Project Manager and his team determine elements of risks involved in the project and the activities or phases where these may impact the project. CONCLUSIONS The larger more complex business operations are moving towards the installation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems that embrace supply chain management. These integrated systems use a single relational database management (rdbms) system. If these are installed properly they can offer significant competitive advantages to the firm. There are however some drawbacks in that they are extremely expensive to set up and install. In addition they propose both complex and expensive maintenance procedures. Some products like that of SAP have had a limited expert resource base to draw from. This has resulted in large in-house training programs and as such added a further layer of expense to the cost of software acquisition. Those firms that have trodden down this path agree that this is an investment over time. The rewards show at a later date once you gain formal control over inventories and the movement of goods in the organization. (Madu, C.N. 2005)

Never To Feel His Love Again :: Personal Narrative Essay Example

Never To Feel His Love Again "Early this morning tragedy struck West High School" Principal Simmons' somber voice echoed over the intercom just after the first period tardy bell on Tuesday, January 7, 1997. The grave tone of his voice immediately got my attention as I sat in Spanish class, and I listened for an explanation, expecting to hear that my World History teacher, who was struggling with cancer, had died. Mr. Simmons continued, "Mr. David Butler was killed in a house fire early this morning." Mr. Simmons still spoke, but I was oblivious to everything except the name "Mr. Butler." In total shock I sat motionless with my mind racing. Suddenly and uncontrollably the tears came. I could not speak. I could not feel. This man changed my life; he gave me a true love of learning. He was my friend, and I never even got a chance to tell him. I walked into Mr. Butler's class at Piedmont Open Middle School for the first time as a timid eighth grader eager to learn geometry, yet a little wary of the entire class of ninth graders I was joining. From day one, Mr. Butler demonstrated a love of math and an even deeper love of his students. Granted, Mr. Butler was hard on the students giving loads of homework and almost impossible tests, but he was also a friend who joked with us in class and cared about our lives. Respect was a must in his class, and those who crossed Mr. Butler found themselves on the floor listening as he counted out ten push-ups. He wasn't just a math teacher; he was a role model, a father-figure. Due to his passion for teaching and great love of his students, Mr. Butler decided to take a course over the summer so he could teach ten students, including myself, Algebra II Trig in the ninth grade. During this year our friendship blossomed and my true love of math began. All year long we fought over Duke and Carolina, and since I was such a "psycho-fan" he was the first to tease me those few times that UNC lost at football or basketball. I loved Mr. Butler; I loved his class, and from then on math was my favorite subject and my main focus in school. Mr. Butler instilled this love for math as his own love of the subject sparked mine.

Plato :: essays research papers

Plato.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato was the best known of all the great Greek philosophers. Plato’s original name was Aristocles, but in his school days he was nicknamed Platon (meaning â€Å"broad†) because of his broad shoulders. Born in Athens circa B.C. 427, Plato saught out political status. But during the Athenian democracy, he did not activly embrace it. Plato devoted his life to Socrates, and became his disciple in B.C. 409. Plato was outraged when Socarates was executed by the Athenian democrats in B.C. 399. He later left Athens convinced democracy wouldn’t make it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Years after Plato romed the Greek cities in Africa and Italy absorbing philosphical knowledge and then returning to Athens in B.C. 387. There he later created the first University on the ground of famous Greek Academus, which was later called the Academy. He remained at the Academy for the remainder of his life omitting 2 brief periods. He visited Syracuse and Greek Sicily to serve as a tutor for the new king, Dionysis II. Which ended out very badly when the King acted like a king, instead of a philospher. Perhaps Plato’s worse student.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  He later returned to Athens and died in his early 80’s, circa B.C. 347. Plato’s work is argueably the most popular and influential of it’s kind ever published. His most popular work are transcripts, or dialogues between the great Socrates and himself. These dialogues are the basis of our general knowlege between Socrates’ views and Plato’s views.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato was much like Socrates, in that he was mostly interested in moral philosophy and overlooked science [natural philosophy]. He considered the natural science as an inferior knowledge, not worthy of his time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato loved mathematics mainly because, back then, it idealized abstractions and seperated from the material world. Plato thought mathematics was the purest form of thoughts, and had nothing to do with everyday life. That doesn’t nessacarily apply to the matters of today. Plato belived in mathematics so much that he sketched a quote above the doorway of the Academy that stated, â€Å"Let no one ignorant of mathematics enter here.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plato believed that mathematics, in ideal form, could be applied to the heavens. He expresses this in his dialogue of Timaeus, his scheme of the universe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In his dialogue Timaeus Plato creates a fictioinal tale of Atlantis to put a

Xmen Movie Essays -- Film Movies

Xmen movie I am critiquing the movie â€Å"X-men†. This movie is based on a comic book and on an animated series. Both the animated series and the comic book revolve around mutants. These mutants often look human, however many look quite different than any normal human and also their powers are quite extraordinary. This creates one problem when converting to movie form. Make-up gadgets and special effects must be used so that our reality where the film is made may accurately reflect the reality where the film is set. Also, the characters from the animated series and the comic books all have personalities and physical features that the actors in the film must try to match. This is a difficult thing to do. Not only must the actors physically look like the character concept but they must also be able to play the correct personality. The movie also must keep in context with the animated series and the books. The sources both share a timeline and general background knowledge and stories that the movie must conform with. When you add this onto the feat of making a movie that is aesthetically and engaging for audiences you have a very tall order. For the most part however, the movie was successful in many of these areas. The special effects were well done in this movie. Storm’s power over the elements is well displayed. I believe that it is one of the high points in the movie when we get to see storm use her powers. Cyclops’s eye beam was also well done special effect wise. However the head gear that they used, while close enough to the original, was very bulky. This hindered the actors acting capability. Actors do a lot of acting with their faces and facial features. Entire messages are sent with the eyes. This did create some problems for Cyclops in the movie. The headgear, while it was aesthetically pleasing, should have been reduced somewhat in size in order to better see the actor’s features. Rouge’s powers are well displayed as well. At this point in the timeline she has not yet gained her super strength or power of flight. So that is one less problem. She still however has the power of pulling other mutant’s powers from them. This tends to be a case of simply overlaying the special effects onto her from the original. However the only power that she really takes advantage of is wolverine’s healing. The special effects on this part seemed realist... ...e well. The casting was quite difficult also due to the fact that the sources portray the X-men as being larger than life. For instance the average human is six heads tall while the average X-men is eight. However the X-men did tend to dominate over the few humans they encountered, making up for the loss in dynamisms. Most of the movie kept in context with the sources. The back-stories of the characters that were explored were mostly in sync with the sources. The only area where this was truly lacking was an obvious marketing attempt. The younger X-men that were at the academy at this point in time actually should have been long gone at this point. Both Kitty Pryde and Iceman for example were X-men long before Wolverine or Rouge. However as it is portrayed, there is even so much as a teenage romance blossoming between Rouge and Iceman. This was obviously done for marketing purposes in wanting to include as many X-men in the movie as possible. However, if they decide to make a sequel they will have to address this problem or diverge further and further from the time line of the original source material. All in all I liked the movie though and I thought it was rather good.