Media and Society Essay -- Papers Media TV Television Impact Essays

Media and Society Works Cited Not Included Media is all around us. We as a society absorb media from television, radio, magazines, billboards, and newspapers. Media has such a strong effect on our lives that we do not even notice its presence sometimes. Media is the central force in shaping our culture and democracy. Media reflects and sustains the values and traditions of our striving, but necessary democracy. We as a society can use mass media to our advantage if we watch over the impact it has over us (Media and Culture 35) Let me first give some insight on how media bombards our life everyday. In our society, television is the main source of news and information, and the main source of entertainment as well. More than 99 percent of U.S. households have at least one television set, and about two-thirds of them have two, three, or more sets (Nielsen 1993). As the number of TV sets in a household has increased, family viewing has declined, and individual program selection and so...

What Christians can do in a world of cultures in conflict? :: Religion

What Christians can do in a world of cultures in conflict? The main topic of this book is â€Å"worldview†. What’s â€Å"worldview†? It’s not easy to find completed answer. There is a story like that. King of Siam was surprise about story of Dutch ambassador that in winter elephant could walk on river. It’s hard for King of Siam living in the tropics to believe. The King’s worldview could not allow him to accept this. The aim of this book is to help reader will gain a better understanding of his own worldview. This book seems not interesting for me at the first time I read. However, I realized that sometimes I had asked myself such questions. After chapter 2 I gradually understand. In chapter 3 tell about â€Å"the secular world view†. It means the world without God and spirits. The rest tell about modernists’ thought. Some of these are Ludwig Feuerbach (1804 - 1872) he said: humanity created God. Another one is psychologist Richard Gregorg said that body is hardware and â€Å"mind† is software. The other is human is consider a biological mechanism. Sometime I surprise with assumption from it. This non-answer question I asked myself sometimes. The rest of chapter 3 tells about community, value (ethic), Marxism and why the secular worldview influences around the world, and the imperfect. In community, the worth of each member is more important than that of family and social responsibilities. Laws and ethical values are based upon man-made assumption. The Marxism’s view is â€Å"nothing remains exactly the same† or the new generation is better than previous generations. According to this, communism is better than capitalism. Nex t, the reason why secular worldview influences most the world is affecting the economy and technological development. Therefore, this affects the country economic in specially. However, this worldview has some weakness. The secular worldview has result in major scientific develop but it has failed to provide answer to some of the basis question of human life. In chapter 4 tell about the traditional worldview. I read this chapter very quickly because I live in a traditional worldview. This chapter compares secular and traditional worldview. For example, person‘s soul is external which differ to Western worldview. In traditional worldview community or society is more important than individual desires. I always believe that important decisions are made by the community as a whole and age is important and respect. However, some thought is not up to date such as the viewing time of traditional worldview.

Families, Transitions & Attachments Essay

A. Overview Families are interesting and challenging to both teach and research because of their variability and proposing new theories and conclusions derived from the thousands of experiences. By trying to centralize an ideology or understanding of one’s unique family, it becomes challenging to interpret or draw a universal conclusion or pattern of behavior that causes certain things throughout the other family unit. * What are the ways in which the relationship between Angela and her father has changed from childhood to adolescence? * Emotionally distant nor physically close or affectionate * Uses a different tone with her father—â€Å"silent contempt† * Envious of the mutual adoring relationship her father shares with her younger sister * â€Å"When someone compliments your parents it’s like nothing to say.† – Angela * Gives her Dad the cold shoulder and unappreciative * Quick to criticize and judge him B. Family Life Cycles 1) John Hill- described a systems perspective on adolescent development * In order to understand the changes in an adolescent, one must observe the parent changes, too * Parents are going through â€Å"middle age† — dealing with more responsibility at work, making them more stressed and distracted * Parents are facing the end of the child-bearing years * As kids reach adolescence and gains all these cognitive capacities, they become a force within the family (i.e. â€Å"a new roommate or adult moving into the family†) causing a need for adjustment, thus dramatically changing the family system 2) Beyond storm and stress * Not universal * Most adolescents do not go through this intense period of storm and stress; a good relationship with the emerging adolescent between their parent can lessen the intensity * More stressful for parent b/c they’ve invested so much time and energy into their child to then let it lead to conflict and arguments * With age and a teenager’s unlikeliness to just go along with what they’re told illicit more persistent and louder conflict (i.e. temper tantrum of an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old is completely more ‘storm and stress’ at different ages) C. Adolescent Autonomy and Relatedness (Initial Overview) 1) Seesaw Model * There needs to be a healthy balance between autonomy and relatedness (or dependence) relationship with parents and friends 2) Multi-dimensional Mode * There’s connection and individuality coexisting when the two aren’t in opposition with one another D. Goals of Attachment Theory 1) Beyond â€Å"Loving† Parents * Problem with this statement: every parents loves their children no matter the circumstances or their treatment towards them, therefore love isn’t enough 2) Everyone (almost) gets attached – Humans are hardwired to get attached to other people/mammals (due to our long period of gestation out of all the species) * Not everyone who is attached is securely attached [think of three different types of attachment and basis on the childs’ needs vs. the parents’ needs] 3) Assessment, Correlates & Predictions — Can predict popularity, success in romantic relationships, and attachment type when you have your own child

Sun Block

?Ernesto L. Rios Class: Composition 1 Prof: Larsen 3/26/09 How does Sunblock works This essay is about how sunblokck works and the correct methods to use it. It also emphasizes the danger of the sun rays ( UVA/UVB). Many experts have different opinions on the subject but in reality is up to us as individuals to either use this product correctly or risk future injury on our skin. Sunblock works by blocking the sun's UV radiation on the skin, both UVA and UVB. Fifteen to twenty minutes before exposing yourself to the sun, it is ecomendable to apply sunblock directly on the skin. Sunblock loses effectiveness after sweating, contact with water and after two hours of applying. As a rule, you're supposed to time the SPF (Sun Protection Factor), which is provided on the back of your sunblock container. This process will allow you to know when to re-apply sunblok again. Traditionally we use the lotions, oils, sticks, and gels. Now, the two types of sunblock that are available to us are the p hysical and chemical type. Physical sunblock is any product which carries zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Both ingredients protect you form UVA and UVB rays. Physical sunblock reflects the light and UV rays off your face. This type of sunblock is better for sensitive skin. It rarely leaves any irritaion, itching or discoloration of the skin. Chemical sunblock has several active ingredients. There are no ingredients in the chemical sunblock that entirely protects you from UV rays. Most chemical agents work to protect us from UVB rays, all the while, not protecting us at all from UVA rays which are extremely harmful to the skin. In conclusion, taking care of your skin is very important. The results of bad skin care could result in skin blisters, skin irritation and primarily, skin cancer. It is always fun to be out sunbathing. Specially if you're in Puerto Rico, Cancun,Aruba or anywhere in the caribibbean. What isn't fun is not using protection thus getting a nasty sunburn and having people heckling you about looking like a lobster or even slapping you across the sunburned area. Trust me, I've been through it myself and it isn't fun.

Jack London: The Law of LIfe Essay

LALAJack London: The Law of Life Culture is the expression of our nature on how we live, interact, believe, where we gain our knowledge, and it also distinguishes people from another in divergent societies. The culture of Native Americans is so history rich and storied cultured that it cannot be easily misinterpreted by anyone that is foreign of their way of life. In â€Å"The Law of Life,† Jack London describes the culture of the Native Americans and their proclivity towards life as it revolves around Naturalism and The Survival of the Fittest. We can describe â€Å"The Law of Life† as the circle of life. The circle of life begins when a man is born and ends with his or her death. â€Å"Koskoosh thinks of the leaves turning in autumn from green to brown, of young girls that grow more and more attractive until they find a man, raise children and slowly grow ugly by age and labor (London, 389).† The cycle of life and death is always indisputable in life. Death is a natural cycle as is birth; the distinction is how death occurs and affects a living creature. In the â€Å"Law of Life,† by Jack London, the law becomes acceptable to the tribe due to the nature of their survival in the harsh conditions in the artic regions. For example, deep and heavy snow may make it harder for hunters to bring back food for the tribe, or animals may go into hibernation to keep their young safe when they are vulnerable. Whenever necessities are scarce, the tribe migrates from one area to another for food, shelter, medicine, livable weather conditions, move to habitats that are more hospitable, and the elderly and disability people are left alone so that they will not be a hindrance on the migration and the survival of the tribe. The availability of food and water can change throughout the year. When I first read Jack London’s short story â€Å"The Law of Life† for my assigned literature reading for English class, I was deeply impressed by Jack London’s writing style. Jack London’s sense of observation made his stories deeply realistic as if they were happening right before us as if we were in the characters shoes; therefore, the entire story gave us a mouth full of food for thought of what could possibly develop next. Jack London’s short story was based around how Naturalism affects everyone in their lives. Naturalism plays a magnificent part on the tribes that are faced to whatever situations in life that their heredity, social conditions, and environment prepare them to encounter. â€Å"Naturalism in literature is explained as an attempt to be true to nature by not writing unrealistic stories about what life is like (Weegy).† Naturalistic writers try to show that man’s existence, is determined by things over which he has no control over and about which he can exercise little by if he has any choice. Man can only do nothing to prevent nature from taking a certain course; however, man does have the ability, to create protection from inclement weather, by way of: shelter, clothing, and supplies. Man is equal with all life and nature. We all eat, sleep, live, and eventually die. Many of Jack London’s stories talk about the constant struggle of surviving and staying alive. As discussed in class, nature doesn’t care who you are or where you come from; it is something that is continual and non-stopping. Man and the environment are both together in the struggle to compete for life. The aim is survival. Darwin’s Theory of the big fish that eats up the small fish, explains The Survival of the Fittest. Man and environment are both confronted between infinite, irrational Mother Nature and irrational human beings. The arctic region weather is harsh and endless. In the horrid, cold weather, the man act like the wild animal; however, the wild animals live a less troublesome life of what the tribe members have to encounter. For example, the animals survive exceptionally by their natural instincts by avoiding any type of danger. Man usually is fated to death when they cannot support the tribe any longer. After death, man became part of the nature and joined the endless and everlasting process of nature. Unfortunately, an older man named Koskoosh is strongly affected by naturalism. He is slowly growing older and is losing his ability to keep up with the tribe as the days go by. The seasons are changing and therefore, the tribe has to migrate for food and Koskoosh is too impaired to make the trip and he may hold his family back. He understands that those who are weak, old and are not able to take care of themselves must move on with their lives and give up a place to the healthier and younger, livin g human beings. Koskoosh knows what is in store for him since he has disabilities and won’t be able to benefit the tribe. He sits aside observing the tribe pack up making sure he isn’t a burden to them while they prepare for migrating. In the distance he listens to his granddaughter give commands to break camp. He only wishes for her to at least say goodbye to him. â€Å"Life calls her, and the duties of life, not  death†. Koskoosh understands that if she slows down to visit with him it will jeopardize the health of the tribe, because they must follow the caribou. Koskoosh can also hear the cries of little Koo-tee who in his mind is a fretful child, and not over strong.† â€Å"He feels as though the child would die soon, again he is internally enforcing to himself that death will come to everyone (London, 389-390).† Despite the law, he still somewhat anticipates for an exception to himself since his son is the leader of the tribe. â€Å"He hears a soft footstep o f a moccasin in the snow, and then feels a hand rest on his head. His son, the current chief, has come to say good-bye. Not all sons do this for their fathers, and Koskoosh is quietly grateful and proud. The son asks, â€Å"Is it well with you?† The people have left, the son explains, and they are moving quickly because they have not eaten well for some time. Koskoosh assures him that all is well, that he knows he is old and near death, and that he is ready. He compares his life to that of â€Å"last year’s leaf, clinging lightly to the stem. The first breath that blows and I fall. My voice is become like an old woman’s. My eyes no longer show me the way of my feet, and my feet are heavy, and I am tired. It is well (London, 890).† â€Å"The son walks away, and now Koskoosh is truly alone. He reaches out his hand to check his woodpile and thinks about how the fire will slowly die out, and he will slowly freeze to death (Overview).† Koskoosh is expected to freeze to death, most likely, to starve, or to be killed and eaten by animal predators. It was a continuing tradition that he could not prevent. â€Å"It was easy,† Koskoosh thinks, all men must die (Overview).† It is the law of life. To abandon the weak was not only understandable but it was helpful to the existence of the whole tribe. While he did not complain about his fate, he became sympathetic to other living beings that were abandoned when the group agreed that they were no longer needed in the tribe; however, in his childhood he would not have given a second thought on l eaving an old tribe member behind to fend for him or herself. â€Å"He remembered how he had abandoned his own father on an upper reach of the Klondike one winter, the winter before the missionary came with his talk-books and his box of medicines (London 392)†. Left in the frozen weather where the snow and whole land is covered by an endless blanket of snow, he recalls doing the same thing to his father decades ago, throwing him away like a piece of trash. In his final moments, Koskoosh commemorates of a time when he was young with a  friend, Zing-ha, and witnessed a moose fall down and fight his way back to standing ground where the moose succeeded in stomping one of the wolves to death. The moose fought until it was exhausted and overpowered by the pack of wolves. Koskoosh concludes that nature did not embrace whether a man lived or died; the continuing of the species was all that was to be substantive in â€Å"the law of life†. All things have a certain task to maintain in life, and all things after completing this task must die. The moose which fought to the very end is a symbol of foreshadowing of what happens to all living creatures; that all men must die and that this is what life is supposed to be. While recapping those memories of when he was younger, he feels the cold, wet nose of the wolf on his bare, cold skin. His mind flashes back to the wounded, bloody moose from long ago that was taken down by the same creature. This time, more horrific memories are being brought up in his mind. The blood, the big yellow eyes and the barbed fangs of the pack, and the way they enclosed slowly on the moose, slowly easing up on their prey until the opportunity came to attack. His instinct for survival was to maneuver a flaming branch at the wolf to make him back away. The wolf retreats, but calls out to his pack, and suddenly there are many wolves gathered around Koskoosh in a pack. Koskoosh remembers the moose, remembers that death will come whether he fights against it or not. As content with death as he seemed to be, he is now fighting for his life, knowing he’s about to die. Koskoosh finally realizes what he is doing and that he probably really doesn’t stand a chance. â⠂¬Å"What did it matter after all?† â€Å"Was it not the law of life?† â€Å"Why should I cling to life (London, 394)?† He then drops the stick into the snow and rests his tired head on his knees and waits for death to take him. In conclusion, all human beings eventually face eternal rest regardless of our cultures; it is the irrevocable of death. It is impossible to change or turn back life; it is like a river, no one can stop its flow. This is unfortunate, but nature is unforgiving, powerful, and knows no compassion. Koskoosh goes through his memories of his own life’s trials and misfortunes to try and give him an understanding of why he is sacrificing his life as an individual. He believes we are all going to face death and we will always strive to survive, no matter the odds in our favor. Works Cited Main Theme of â€Å"The Law of Life†. Weegy. 19 March 2013. http://www.weegy.com/home.aspx?ConversationId=70DA70B3. â€Å"Overview: ‘The Law of Life’.† Short Stories for Students. Ed. Sara Constantakis. Vol. 35. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2013. London, Jack. â€Å"The Law of Life.† The Bedford Anthology of American Literature Vol 2. ‘Ed’ 2008. Susan Belasco and Linck Johnson. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Pp. 388-394.

Ib Psychology Sociocultural Notes

Explain the formation of stereotypes and their effect on behavior. †¢Definition: Stereotypes assign similar characteristics to all members of a group, despite the fact that the group members may vary widely from one another. †¢Characteristics: †¢social-cognitive theories: †¢our social world is very complex and presents us with too much information †¢since our capacity to process information is limited, there is a need to simplify our social way †¢one of the way to avoid information overload is social categorization †¢these are stereotypes Stereotypes simplify information processing in social perception †¢stereotypes are schemas as they: are energy-saving devices, automatically activated, stable and resistant to change, affect behavior. †¢Not stable across cluture Studies COHEN Cohen presented participants with a videotape showing a woman having dinner with her husband. Half the participants were told that the woman was a waitress and the r est that she was a librarian. At a later memory test, participants showed better recall for stereotype- consistent information. Those who thought she was a waitress remembered her beer drinking.Participants who thought she was a librarian were more likely to remember that she was wearing glasses and was listening to classical music. Like the studies on the effects of schemas, Cohen’s study shows that we are likely to notice and subsequently remember information which is consistent with our stereotypes. FISKE AND DYER Like all schemas, stereotypes are formed over time on the basis of relevant experiences. For Fiske and Dyer (1985), stereotype formation begins with the learning of independent schema elements. For example, the formation of a ender schema for ‘female’ begins with isolated elements such as ‘girls dress in pink’ and ‘girls play with dolls’ whereas, ‘boys dress in blue and play with cars’. With advancing age additi onal elements are added, such as information about gender-appropriate behaviours and work-related preferences. Eventually, strong associations form between all the various elements and a single schema emerges. Once formed, repeated practice in the use of the schema may lead to such levels of integration that it can be activated automatically and unconsciously seen then. Bargh Participants in this experiment were asked to complete a test involving 30 items.This task was presented to the participants as a language proficiency task. Each of the 30 items consisted of five unrelated words. For each item participants had to use four of the five words to form, as fast as possible, a grammatically correct sentence. There were two conditions in this experiment. In one, the task contained words related to and intending to activate the elderly stereotype (e. g. grey, retired, wise). In the other condition, the words used were unrelated to the elderly stereotype (e. g. thirsty, clean, private). After completing the experimental tasks, participants were directed towards the elevator.A confederate, sitting in the corridor, timed how long the participants took to walk from the experimental room to the elevator. †¢Bargh et al. found that participants who had their elderly stereotype activated walked significantly more slowly towards the elevator than the rest of the participants. Priming of this stereotype must have taken place unconsciously. As Bargh et al. note, the task words did not directly relate to time or speed and no conscious awareness of the elderly stereotype was ever in evidence for the duration of the study. Illusory correlationThese researchers asked participants to read descriptions about two made-up groups (Group A and Group B). The descriptions were based on a number of positive and negative behaviours. Group A (the majority group) had twice as many members than Group B (the minority group). In the descriptions, Group A members performed 18 positive and 8 negative behaviours. Group B members performed 9 positive and 4 negative behaviours. So, for both groups, twice as much of the information involved positive, rather than negative, behaviours. Clearly, there was no correlation between group membership and the types of behaviours exhibited by the groups.However, when asked later, participants did seem to have perceived an illusory correlation. More of the undesirable behaviours were attributed to the minority Group B, than the majority Group A. Hamilton and Gifford’s explanation of their findings is based on the idea that distinctive information draws attention. Group B members and negative behaviours are both numerically fewer and therefore more distinct than Group A members and negative behaviours. The combination of Group B members performing negative behaviours, therefore, stands out more than the combination of Group A members performing such behaviours.This causes the illusory correlation. †¢Explain social learnin g theory, making reference to two relevant studies. Social Learning theory: In particular social learning theorists emphasise the role of observation and imitation of role models. In general, social development is seen as a continuous learning process, rather than as happening in stages. -If children were passive witnesses to an aggressive display by an adult they would imitate this aggressive behavior when given the opportunity. -The researchers attempted to reduce this problem by pre-testing the children for how aggressive they were.They did this by observing the children in the nursery and judged their aggressive behaviour on four 5-point rating scales. It was then possible to match the children in each group so that they had similar levels of aggression in their everyday behaviour. The experiment is therefore an example of a matched pairs design. Controlled 24 in a group The findings support Bandura's Social Learning Theory. That is, children learn social behaviour such as aggre ssion through the process of observation learning – through watching the behaviour of another person.The findings from this and similar studies have been used in the argument that media violence might be contributing in some degree to violence in society. The obvious criticism of this argument is that there are many other factors influencing whether or not we are likely to imitate screen violence. One of the major factors is perhaps the level of aggression we already have, which might have been learned, in our family relationships or elsewhere. The major criticism of the Social Learning Approach to child development is its oversimplified description of human behaviour.Although it can explain some quite complex behaviour it cannot adequately account for how we develop a whole range of behaviour including thoughts and feelings. We have a lot of cognitive control over our behaviour and simply because we have had experiences of violence does not mean we have to reproduce such beh aviour. It is also worth noting that the Social Learning Approach has little room for the role of inherited factors or for the role of maturation in development. This theory assumes that humans learn behavior through observational learning – in other words, people can learn by watching models and imitating their behavior.Explain Attention: The person must first pay attention to the model. Retention: The observer must be able to remember that behavior has been observed. Motor reproduction: The observer has to be able to replicate the action. Coding/remember the act. Motivation: Learners must want to demonstrate what they have learned. Whether or not they like the model. Liking. Rewards/punishment. Identification. Consistency. Internalized outcome expectancies. Increases the likelihood of carrying out. If we identify with the model (we want to be like them) Bandura: Reinforcement is not necessary for learningVicarious- Unintentionally picking up something. Indirect learning. Un conscious. This theory assumes that humans learn behavior through observational learning – in other words, people can learn by watching models and imitating their behavior. Attention: The person must first pay attention to the model. Retention: The observer must be able to remember that behavior has been observed. Motor reproduction: The observer has to be able to replicate the action. Coding/remember the act. Motivation: Learners must want to demonstrate what they have learned. Whether or not they like the model. Liking. Rewards/punishment.Identification. Consistency. If we identify with the model (we want to be like them) Internalized outcome expectancies. Increases the likelihood of carrying out. Bandura: Reinforcement is not necessary for learning Vicarious- Unintentionally picking up something. Indirect learning. Unconscious. Conscious Control condition – The children were shown the film with the adult behaving aggressively towards the Bobo doll. Model-rewarded co ndition – Children saw the same film used in the control condition but after the aggression was over, a second adult appeared in the film to reward the aggressor with sweets and a soft drink.Bobo dolls are clown-like dolls with a weight in the bottom. They are designed in such a way as to always bounce back when knocked down. Model-punished condition – As the model-rewarded condition, but the second adult scolded and spanked the model for behaving aggressively. After viewing the film, all the children were taken individually into a playroom with several toys which included a Bobo doll and a mallet. While in the playroom, the children’s behaviour was observed for a period of 10 minutes and any acts of aggression similar to those performed by the model were recorded.The control and the model-rewarded groups showed an equal level of aggressiveness towards the Bobo doll (2. 5 acts). The model-punished condition was associated with significantly fewer aggressive acts (1. 5 acts). However, when at a later stage the children were asked to reproduce the behaviour of the model and were rewarded for each act of aggression they displayed, they all (regardless of which original condition they were in) produced the same number of aggressive acts (3. 5 acts). Bandura’s study exemplified and supported the following features of SLT.Vicarious (observational) learning – The children clearly learned specific aggressive behaviours by observing the adult model. The learning manifested during the second part of the study was based on vicarious reinforcement or punishment as the children were never rewarded or punished themselves. Reinforcement or punishment was necessary for performance not learning: All children behaved in an equally aggressive manner towards the Bobo doll when rewarded to do so. Selective imitation in 14-month-old infants (Gergely et al. , 2002) This experiment used 14-month-old infants as participants and involved two condition s.Hands-free condition – In this condition, the infants observed an adult place her hands on a table. Following this, she used a strange action to illuminate a light box: she bent over and pressed the box with her forehead. One week later, the same infants were given the opportunity to play with the box; 69% of them used their head to illuminate the light. Hands-occupied condition – Infants in this condition observed the adult perform the same strange action to illuminate the box. In this condition, however, the model was using her hands to hold a blanket around her shoulders.This rendered the hands unavailable for other actions. When given the opportunity one week later to play with the box, only 21% of the infants illuminated the light by using their head. The rest used their hands to press the light. Discussing their findings, Gergely et al. note that in the hands-occupied condition infants seem to have assumed that the adult used her head because she had to. But th is constraint did not apply to the infants. In the hands-free condition, the adult could have chosen to use her hands. She did not.The children seem to have assumed there must have been a reason for this choice, so they copied it. †¢Discuss the use of compliance techniques (for example, lowballing, foot? in? the? door, reciprocity). Aronson et al. (2007) define compliance as ‘a form of social influence involving direct requests from one person to another’. A demonstration of the FITD technique (Freeman and Fraser, 1966) These researchers arranged for a researcher, posing as a volunteer worker, to ask a number of householders in California to allow a big ugly public-service sign reading ‘Drive Carefully’ to be placed in their front gardens.Only 17% of the householders complied with this request. A different set of homeowners was asked whether they would display a small ‘Be a Safe Driver’ sign. Nearly all of those asked agreed with this requ est. Two weeks later these same homeowners were asked, by a ‘volunteer worker’, whether they would display the much bigger and ugly ‘Drive Carefully’ sign in their front gardens. 76% of them complied with this second request, a far higher percentage than the 17% who had complied in the first condition.In a second study, Freedman and Frazer (1966) first asked a number of householders to sign a petition in favour of keeping California beautiful, something nearly everybody agreed to do. After two weeks, they send a new ‘volunteer worker’ who asked these homeowners whether they would allow the big and ugly ‘Drive Carefully’ sign of the previous study to be displayed in their front gardens. Note that the two requests relate to completely different topics, but nearly half of the homeowners agreed with the second request.Again, this is significantly higher than the 17% of homeowners who agreed to display the sign in the absence of any pri or contact. But, how could the findings of the second experiment be explained? According to Freeman and Frazer (1966), signing the petition changed the view the homeowners had about themselves. As a result, they saw themselves as unselfish citizens with well-developed civic principles. Agreeing, two weeks later, to display the ‘Drive Carefully’ sign reflected their need to comply with their newly-formed self-image.Not only do commitments change us but also, to use Gialdini’s own expression, they ‘grow their own legs’. Sherman (1980) called residents in Indiana (USA) and asked them if, hypothetically, they would volunteer to spend 3 hours collecting for the American Cancer Society. Three days later, a second experimenter called the same people and actually requested help for this organization. Of those responding to the earlier request, 31% agreed to help. This is much higher than the 4% of a similar group of people who volunteered to help when approa ched directly. Low-ballingIt involves changing an offer to make it less attractive to the target person after this person has agreed to it. A demonstration of lowballing (Burger and Cornelius, 2003) In this study, students were contacted by phone by a female caller and asked whether they would be prepared to donate five dollars to a scholarship fund for underprivileged students. There were three experimental conditions. The lowball condition – Students were told that those who contributed would receive a coupon for a free smoothie at a local juice bar. Students who agreed were then informed that the investigator realized she had run out of coupons.The students were asked if they would still be willing to contribute. 77. 6% agreed to make a donation in this condition. The interrupt condition – The caller made the same initial request as in the lowball condition. However, before the participants had a chance to give their answer, the caller interrupted them to let them know that there were no more coupons left. Only 16% of the participants made a donation in this condition. The control condition – Participants were simply asked to donate the five dollars without any mention of coupons. 42% made a donation in the control condition.The results support the view that the lowball technique is based on the principle of commitment. The technique is effective only when individuals make an initial public commitment. Once they have made this commitment, individuals feel obliged to act in accordance with it even when the conditions that led to them making the commitment have changed, (Cialdini, 2009). †¢Discuss factors influencing conformity (for example, culture, groupthink, risky shift, minority influence). Examine the role of two cultural dimensions on behaviour (for example, individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, Confucian dynamism).We have already defined the terms individualism and collectivism as used by Hofstede. Cultures di ffer with respect to how they socialize their members to develop identities that are either individually or collectively based. In individualistic cultures: -the personal is emphasized more than the social -persons are viewed as unique -individual autonomy and self-expression are valued -competitiveness and self-sufficiency are highly regarded. Societies high on collectivism are characterized by giving priority to the goals of important groups (e. g. xtended family, work group) and define one’s identity on the basis of one’s membership of such groups. So, in collectivist cultures: -the social is emphasized more than the personal -the self is defined by long-standing relationships and obligations -individual autonomy and self-expression are not encouraged -there is more of an emphasis on achieving group harmony rather than on individual achievement. It is not that members of individualistic societies do not have the need to belong or that their identities are exclusivel y personal identities.SIT was after all developed in individualistic counties (e. g. UK, Australia) to explain primarily the behaviour of members of those societies. However, they are less focused on group harmony or doing their duty for the types of mostly traditional group that collectivist societies are based on (Brewer and Chen, 2007). This hypothesis was tested in a field experiment–experimental study by Petrova et al. (2007). Their study involved over 3000 students of a US university. Nearly half were native US students and the rest were Asian students at the same university.All were sent an e-mail asking them to participate in a survey. A month later, the students received a second e-mail asking them whether they would agree to take part in an online survey. Petrova et al. obtained the standard FITD effect. The proportion of students who had agreed to the first survey and then agreed to the second was higher than the proportion who had initially agreed to the first sur vey. More importantly, the researchers also found that compliance was twice as strong with the native US students as it was with the Asian students for the second equest. This finding is even more remarkable if one takes into account that the first request led to a higher level of compliance among the Asian students. Bond and Smith (1996) carried out a meta-analysis of 133 conformity studies all using the Asch paradigm. The studies were carried out in 17 countries. The meta-analysis showed that more conformity was obtained in collectivistic countries like the Fiji Islands, Hong Kong and Brazil than in individualistic countries like the USA, the UK or France (Table 4. 2).Bond and Smith’s findings are consistent with the way that the individualism/collectivism dimension was portrayed earlier (pages 135–136). Members of collectivistic countries value conformity because it promotes supportive group relationships and reduces conflicts. This, agreeing with others in collecti vist societies is more likely to be viewed as a sign of sensitivity than one of submission to somebody else’s will, which is the way it is often perceived in individualistic cultures (Hodges and Geyer, 2006). Many have argued that time is not defined and perceived in the same way everywhere.To a significant extent, the way humans experience time is influenced by their culture (Hall, 1959). In 2001, Hofstede proposed a classification of cultures based on their time orientation. In the mid-80s, Bond asked a number of Chinese social scientists to create a list of what Chinese people viewed as their basic values (Hofstede and Bond, 1988). A questionnaire, based on this list, was then administered to people in 23 countries. The outcome of this project was the emergence of a fifth cultural dimension, not related to the other four originally identified by Hofstede (page 000).The additional dimension was called Confucian dynamism because it reflected Confucius’s ideas about th e importance of perseverance, patience, social hierarchy, thrift and having a sense of shame. The new dimension was later renamed long-term vs short-time orientation. Cultures scoring high on this dimension show a dynamic, future-oriented mentality. These are cultures that value long-standing, as opposed to short-term, traditions and values. Individuals in such cultures strive to fulfil their own long-term social obligations and avoid loss of face. Cultures with a short-term view are not as concerned with past traditions.They are rather impatient, are present-oriented and strive for immediate results. In practical terms, the long-term versus short-term orientation refers to the degree to which cultures encourage delayed gratification of material, social, and emotional needs among their members (Matsumoto and Juang, 2008). †¢Seven of the ten highest ranking countries on Hofstede’s time orientation dimension were in Asia. Western countries tended to be more short-term orie nted. In eastern countries, characterized by a long-time orientation, patience is valued more than in Western countries.Based on this, Chen et al. predicted that part of the Western mentality is to place a higher value on immediate consumption than an eastern mentality. They investigated this idea in an experimental study using 147 Singaporean ‘bicultural participants’. This technique uses participants who have been exposed extensively to two different cultures (in this case, Singaporean and American) and assumes that both can affect behaviour depending on which is more actively represented in the mind at any particular moment. Chen et al. electively activated one or the other of the two cultures by presenting half the participants with a collage of easily recognizable photos which were relevant to Singaporean culture and the other half with a collage of photos relevant to US culture. Impatience was tested by having the participants perform an online shopping scenario i n order to purchase a novel. The book could be delivered either within four working days for a standard fee or next day for an additional charge. The extra money participants were willing to pay for faster delivery of the book was used as a measure of impatience.Chen et al. found that US-primed participants valued immediate consumption more than the Singaporean-primed participants. Strong support of cultural differences in time orientation comes from an impressive study by Wang et al. (2009). They surveyed over 5000 university students in 45 countries and compared them on time orientation. They found, for instance, that students coming from what they call long-term orientation cultures were also more likely to postpone immediate satisfaction and wait for bigger rewards later.Ayoun and Moreo (2009) used a survey method to investigate the influence of time orientation on the strategic behaviour of hotel managers. A questionnaire was posted to top-level hotel managers in the USA and Th ailand. Compared to US managers, Thai managers were found to place a stronger emphasis on longer-term strategic plans and a stronger reliance on long-term evaluation of strategy. Cultural differences in time orientation also seem to relate to everyday behaviours.Levine and Norenzayan (1999) measured how fast people walked a 60-foot distance in downtown areas in major cities, the speed of a visit to a post office, and the accuracy of clocks in 31 countries. They found that life pace, as indicated by the activities they measured, was fastest in countries like Switzerland, Ireland and Germany and slowest in Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, and Syria. The last three studies are natural experiments and, in effect, observational studies. Their findings should, therefore, be interpreted with caution as no confident causal statements can be made in the absence of adequate extraneous variables.

Question and answer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Question and answer - Assignment Example I think the writer should have tried to explain briefly what Incoterm is in order for the readers who are not well versed to this subject to understand it. As it is, the answer is evasive and does not directly answer the question that has been asked.  Ã‚   I would have to agree that depending where one falls on the spectrum of the chart (EXW (higher risk to buyer) – DDP (higher risk to seller)), how the transaction is negotiated via contract, decides on the risk one inherits.   With that said, as we have discussed this week regarding documents used in export financing and the terms and conditions expressed in them, some of the risks associated with Incoterms 2010, may be mitigated through the use of these documents and as well as wording added to the sales contracts containing these commercial terms/definitions.   One needs to keep in mind that Incoterms doesn’t specify or involve questions as to title or ownership or deal with breach of contract†¦these questions/details need to be resolved in specific provisions in the contract. This part of the answer is vague since it does not directly answer the question. The writer is repeatedly saying â€Å"documents† used for exporting. What are these documents? This leaves us with many questions than answers. Using instruments such as a letter of credit or documentary collection, requirements and stipulations may be added by the banks so that their clients and they are covered barring circumstances when it comes to payment.   It makes sense to me that buyers and sellers would opt for something whereas they meet in the middle.   The seller takes care of costs incurred up to loading goods on method of transportation to import country with the buyer picking up responsibility from there or once loaded on transportation in the exporting country.   Using CIF or CFR rules would make sense as costs and risks are closely split.   Granted as a seller, I have something the