Buying Stuff Online and How Your Credit Card is You Essay

Buying Stuff Online and How Your Credit Card is You - Essay Example That said, there are issues with credit, including the fact that credit is often abused and there is also the risk of identity theft. That said, since credit is inextricably bound with the rise of consumerism, credit is very important to society and is not likely to recede anytime soon. This paper will explain how consumerism came about, how globalization and online purchasing has changed how people buy stuff and use credit, and what the dangers are of credit. Evolution of the Economy The economy has been evolving continually, from a period of time before mass production, to mass production, to globalization. The economic realities during the 19th Century, before the advent of mass production, was that a Puritan ethos prevailed. This means that housing was sparse, money was not spent on non-necessities, such as jewelry, eating and drinking well, and fine clothing (Bocock, 2000, p. 8). This all changed with Henry Ford. Henry Ford was the father of consumerism, because, under Ford, wor kers were paid better. Because workers were paid better, they had more purchasing power. Because workers had more purchasing power, there was more demand for products. Consumerism was the result of this cycle (Gabriel & Yang, 1995). Suddenly, it was not just the rich who were able to consume products which were non-necessities, but everybody could (Gabriel & Yang, 1995, p. 10). ... This changed by the middle of the twentieth century, however, in that, by this time, only one third of a British family's income was spent on food (Gabriel & Yang, 1995, p. 12). With mass production came branding, and the individual's desire to purchase products with labels and designers. This was because mass production meant that similar goods were flooding the marketplace. Companies had to stand out amongst the competition. This was the beginning of competitive branding, as different designers and labels emerged, and these designers and labels lent an air of prestige to the products. For example, designers such as Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger made names for themselves, and they were able to charge a premium for their products, because their products carried this extra prestige (Klein, 2000, p. 6). Gender issues emerged during this period. The men were busy making money, and the women were busy spending the money, so the women were the ones that the marketers targeted in the era of consumerism that predated the rise of feminism (Kacen, 2000, p. 347). This all changed in the post-modern society, as consumption became a part of everyone's identity, both male and female. In the post-modern society, according to Kacen (2000), people constructed their identity with brands, figuring out who they are by the brands that they buy. The person's identity became fluid, as the person might go from being a punk, preferring to buy products that would go along with that image, and then the same person might choose a look that is more of a preppy image, and buy products that suit that image. Brands play a part in this identity construction, as well, because certain brands are popular with different segments of society, so choosing certain

Argument Paper on Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Argument Paper on Gay Marriage - Essay Example Gay marriage should not be allowed because it is unnatural, does not provide a child with both a mother and father, and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the government. Also, a counter argument will be given to the view that not allowing gay marriage is discriminatory. Marriage has always been thought of as between one man and one woman. The reason for this is simple—the main objective of marriage is to continue the human race. Gay people cannot make a child together because it is not physically possible. Of course, gay couples can adopt children or use a surrogate, but this is not the same as producing a child themselves. There is a reason why only one man and one woman can make a baby, and that is because they have the necessary means to do so. A man and a woman getting married further cements their relationship and helps confirm to their children that they will remain committed to one another for a very long time. Gay couples cannot have children together, so there i s no reason to allow them to marry. They should be thought of along the same lines as a heterosexual couple who choose to have a fling. They do not want to have a child together, and that is why they do not get married. Gay people should be able to act in the same way, but demanding marriage is going too far. How a child is brought up plays a significant role in how they act when they become adults. Parents have the greatest single influence over a child because they have the most to do with them. While it cannot be denied that having two parents is better than one, it can also be argued that having a parent of each gender helps a child to grow more. Recent research has shown that â€Å"fathers make some unique contributions† in their children’s lives (Eggebeen). Each gender has certain qualities that they can offer a child, and a child should benefit from all of these qualities rather than just one set of them. Two fathers or two mothers cannot fulfill a child’ s emotional needs because there will always be something missing. This is not to say that gay parents don’t try hard, it’s just that two parents of the same gender can only offer so much. Having parents of different genders means that one parent will make up for where the other one lacks and vice-versa. There has always been fierce debate among many religions over their different points of view, but one thing that nearly every major world religion can agree on is that gay marriage should be prohibited. The reason why virtually every religion believes this is because marriage is something that was invented long before any government came around. Thus, it should not be up to the government to decide who can and cannot get married; marriage is a religious institution. Senator Jim DeMint says that â€Å"the government [is] legitimizing and promoting behavior that culturally we have always considered wrong† (Mantyla). Besides being a religious institution, marriage i s also a cultural institution. It is true that culture is something that can evolve over time, but the concept of marriage has been set in stone for many thousands of years, and there is no reason to change that now. For the government to claim ownership of marriage, it would have to prove that it invented the institution of marriage. However, it did not. The only thing that the government does is legally recognize marriages so as to offer tax breaks and provide

Financial Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Financial Planning - Essay Example The role of three companies, like Colonial First State Investments Limited and Professional Investment Services Pty Ltd related to provide financial planning services has been sorted out in the assigned study. The of Financial planning in Australia begun in the years 80s, as during those years there were no Financial Planners as they were not existing then. This occurred due to the fact that as there was no prerequisites for the clients within the Marketplace to enable them get efficient financial advice. It was only network of insurance that existed during that period under review. The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA) is the peak professional body for Australia's financial planners, representing approximately 12,000 individuals and businesses (The Financial Planning Association of Australia (FPA). However, (Cowen, Blair, Taylor, 2006, p 4) reveals that "In the early 1980s, a leading Australian financial planning industry stalwart Gwen Fletcher visited the United States intent on pursuing discussions with the U.S. industry association, the International Association for Financial Planning (IAFP). These discussions related to the creation of either a new industry body for A ustralia or the establishment of an affiliated chapter of the IAFP. At a later meeting of dealers conducted by the Department of Corporate Affairs (the then-regulatory body issuing licenses to dealers of securities), the affiliation model was proposed but rejected. However, a new industry body consisting of an elite group of independent advisors was formed, the Association of Independent Professional Advisors (AIPA). It is important to note that this group excluded all banks and insurance companies from membership". Additionally, following the International Conference of IAFP held in Australia in the years 1982 and 1984 respectively, Australian IAFP was officially launched. (Cowen, Blair, Taylor, 2006, p 4) states that after the launching, "The IAFP in Australia was to be an open forum for individuals, dealers and fund managers alike. Following U.S. IAFP requirements, the newly formed Australian association sought and was granted a license for the CFP designation and subsequently established the Diploma of Financial Planning (DFP) course. This necessitated strong collaboration between the United States and Australian bodies with the College of Financial Planning in the United States providing much of the DFP educational materials and resources. The US IAFP oversaw and closely monitored the development of educational standards to ensure that the Australian DFP met the educational requirements for the CFP designation. This involved an ongoing process of quality assurance by the U.S. body". It is e stimated that there are about 5,500 financial planning practices in

Mind maps Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mind maps - Essay Example Most often the map involves images, words, and lines and elements are arranged intuitively according to the importance of the concepts and they are organized into groupings, branches, or areas. As a twenty first century educator, mind- mapping is an important (if not essential) technique to help oneself in imparting quality education to students. Educators often wish that they could more organized and less occupied with petty problems. Some may feel dejected when forced to think on our feet. No educator can help their student learn better when they are often overwhelmed with tons of information. This results in failure to create meaning in the vast field of knowledge and aid students so they can internalize and understand better. Psychological synchronization of an educator with his student is essential to build up trust and confidence. Incorporating the Hierarchy of Needs helps a teacher to provide moral, emotional and academic help to students who might need them. Similarly the Systems Theory Framework and Myer - Brigg's Theory assist in personality identification, assessment and development respectively. The Holland's Theory of Career Choices aid in student counseling with respect to personality types, aptitudes and personal preferences. The complexities and chaos

Is Globalization Americanization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Is Globalization Americanization - Essay Example Contradictory to the various claims that American culture is being adopted by many countries around the world, it should be emphasized that many of these practices did not originate in the US. Beginning with the spread of the English language, the television and music industry and reality programs many of these have in fact originated from outside the US. However, despite the lack of an inherent culture in the US, one cannot neglect the fact that events taking place in Wall Street, Silicon Valley and Hollywood are having an upper hand in this globalization drive (Nye, 2002). But, most importantly as many people have argued, Americans lack their own culture and have only imbibed various cultures from other countries. However, sociologists believe that such a cultureless state is also a form of culture. The various immigrants who had settled in the US brought and practiced their culture and this multicultural cohabitation has created a new culture which is now being increasingly adopte d by many countries (Ssenyonga, 2006). ... The fast food industry which has been hugely popularized in the US by food chains such as McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Burger King which sell pre-prepared foods such as burgers and French fries has now opened its base in many other countries. Though they are being widely discouraged by dieticians across the world by associating its consumption to the rise of obesity among children and adults, it has not deterred the people from eating such foods. Hence American cuisine is becoming synonymous with junk food and obesity (Ssenyonga, 2006). However, even these fast foods are changed to reflect the tastes and needs of people in other countries; a good example being the McDonald’s menu which is different in China. Thus though the concept of fast foods has been adapted from the US, it is delivered in a manner which is acceptable by the people of other countries (Nye, 2002). Apart from fast foods, other cultural influences from the US which have migrated to other coun tries include music and television. The music industry in the US which is driven to a large extent by rap artists such as Eminem and Snoop Dogg has had a huge impact globally both musically and on the dress culture. People around the world were exposed to hip-hop, jazz and country music which originated in the US (Ssenyonga, 2006). However, it is only the music which is inherently American, as the top three leading music companies in the US are owned by British, German and Japanese and not by Americans (Nye, 2002). The television media has also contributed to the spread of American culture. Hollywood has changed the face of movies across the world with its

Tv Gives Children Unrealistic Expectations Essay Example for Free

Tv Gives Children Unrealistic Expectations Essay A few months after my friend Angela, who lives in Santo Domingo, acquired access to premium channels such as HBO, Cinemax, etc. her eight years old daughter asked her one night: Mom, are there poor people in the United States? This could have been a Joke if it were not so revealing. My friend realized that the luxurious scenes shown on television were not only giving her daughter a false idea about life in the United States, but they could also be creating unrealistic expectations in the girls mind concerning life in general. The same situation is faced by children and eenagers all over the United Sates. To a childs eyes, television represents a parallel reality with its own rules and laws, a reality in which everything is not only possible and easy, but is obviously more appealing to his/her mind than the sometimes bleak or deprived household in which he or she lives. The problem is real and is not going away. On the contrary, it is only strengthened by the leading role played by television in the upbringing of children, as parents are forced to work long hours and depend more and more on the electronic nanny for the childrens entertainment. Unfortunately, the damage done to the children is serious and has unpredictable consequences in the long run. On the one hand, we have a powerful industry that feeds on audiences regardless of their age, sex or personal characteristics; an industry that harness the imagination of the viewers and, as such, has limitless resources and only one goal: production. On the other hand, we have a defenseless child who spends long hours in front of a TV set, sometimes in the privacy of his own room. Children do not have the ability to analyze or screen the information presented to them. All the images and messages rapped up in the movies, programs or commercials go straight through to the subconscious mind of a child and become the storeroom from which he will draw tomorrow in response to the demands of his environment. Studies performed at MIT have demonstrated that the brain is more active during our sleep than during the times we watch TV. It is precisely that passivity which entraps the child and renders him helpless. Watching TV is not a creative activity. The child does not have to do anything only sit there and absorb the images and the sounds, Just like a plant absorbs the sun. This characteristic makes TV and ideal way o escape reality and go into a world of our own making where everything is possible. Additionally, children can find that TV is a less demanding and more peaceful place to be than their homes, with parents quarreling all the time, when they are present It is in this way that superheroes, gangsters or the latest rock star form a solid bond with our children and it is here they learn to mimic them. We have all learned of cases where children have Jumped from high buildings, expecting to fly or have killed their little sibling Just as seen on their favorite movie. But these are only the most

Pepsi And Analysis Product Life Cycle

Pepsi And Analysis Product Life Cycle The PLC model is of some degree of usefulness to marketing managers, in that it is based on factual assumptions. Nevertheless, it is difficult for marketing management to gauge accurately where a product is on its PLC graph. A rise in sales per se is not necessarily evidence of growth. A fall in sales per se does not typify decline. Furthermore, some products do not (or to date, at the least, have not) experienced a decline. Coca Cola and Pepsi are examples of two products that have existed for many decades, but are still popular products all over the world. Both modes of cola have been in maturity for some years. Another factor is that differing products would possess different PLC shapes. A fad product would hold a steep sloped growth stage, a short maturity stage, and a steep sloped decline stage. A product such as Coca Cola and Pepsi would experience growth, but also a constant level of sales over a number of decades. It can probably be said that a given product (or products collectively within an industry) may hold a unique PLC shape, and the typical PLC model can only be used as a rough guide for marketing management. This is why its called the product life cycle. Pepsi-Cola is still second in the carbonated drinks market and remains in the shadow of Coca Cola in terms of market share, perception and image. (Business Week, 2010) However, Pepsis insightful marketing techniques (comic strips, television ads etc.) prevented a fall of its position in the beverage industry. The study shall aim to critically analyse the product life cycle of Pepsi and would further extend to assess the consumers behaviour and satisfaction towards Pepsi in New Delhi Market (India) Limitations: There are some limitations bound with this study, Such as shortage of funds, limited resources and Small sample size (n=100). The random sampling which will be used in this study may not represent the complete population. 1C. WHY IS THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC CHOSEN? By using diversification techniques and brand management, Pepsi was able to increase its volume of sales and get a stronger market position. Nowadays, Pepsis carbonated beverages division clearly remains behind the snack division in terms of profitability and share percentage of operation earnings. Our impression is that the profits of the snack division help create the illusion that the beverage sector is as successful as the management wishes it to be. The present study aims to analyse in detail the product life cycle of Pepsi in Indian market, the study shall also focus on analysing the consumers behaviour towards Pepsi in New Delhi market. 1D. WHAT CONTRIBUTION WOULD THE PROJECT MAKE? Brand loyalty is a buyers preference for the products of Pepsi. Pepsi can create brand loyalty through continuous advertising of brand and company names, patent protection of products, product innovation achieve through its research and development programs and emphasis on high product quality and good after-sales services. It is effective influence in the way in which people perceive the product or the company. By creating feelings of warmth, affection and belonging to a product, a firm is able to relate brand to human personalities. The study would contribute towards identifying the customer needs and expectation towards Pepsi in New Delhi 1 e. objectives and research questions of the study Research objectives To analyse the product life cycle of Pepsi To determine the customers behaviour and satisfaction level towards products of Pepsi in New Delhi market To know from the consumers about the specific reasons behind the preference of products of Pepsi over other Cola drinks Research Questions Why do consumers prefer Pepsi over other Cola drinks What attracts/draws consumers towards Pepsi in India? 2.0 METHODOLOGY AND METHODS OF ENQUIRY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research Methodology defines the purpose of the research, how it proceeds, how to measure progress and what constitute success with respect to the objectives determined for carrying out the research study. (Kothari, 2007) The appropriate research design formulated is detailed below. RESEARCH DESIGN The research design is the basic framework, which provides guidelines for the rest of the research process. (Prasad, 2006) The present research can be said to be exploratory. The research design determines the direction of the study throughout and the procedures to be followed. It determines the data collection method, sampling method, the fieldwork and so on. NATURE OF DATA PRIMARY DATA: Primary data is basically fresh data collected directly from the target respondents; it could be collected through Questionnaire Surveys, Interviews, Focus Group Discussions Etc. SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data that is already available and published .it could be internal and external source of data. Internal source: which originates from the specific field or area where research is carried out e.g. publish broachers, official reports etc. External source: This originates outside the field of study like books, periodicals, journals, newspapers and the Internet. DATA COLLECTION Primary data: Primary data will be selected from the sample by a self-administrated questionnaire in presence of the interviewer in New Delhi (India). SAMPLE SIZE The survey will be conducted among 100 respondents in New Delhi (India) Sample Area: New Delhi (India) Sample unit: It will not be possible for the investigator to survey all the consumers of Pepsi so this study is based on the sampling study that will be done on the sample size of 100 persons residing in Central Delhi (New Delhi-India), this central part of New Delhi is chosen for a simple reason that it is a wonderful mix of people belonging to middle class/upper middle class/higher class SECONDARY DATA: Secondary data will be collected through Articles, Reports, Journals, Magazines, Newspapers and Internet SAMPLING TECHNIQUE Random sampling technique is employed to extract the fruitful results. This includes the overall design, the sampling procedure, the data collection methods, the field methods and the analysis procedures SAMPLING PROCEDURE ACTUALLY EMPLOYED The process that will be employed to select the sample in New Delhi (India) is simple random sampling. Simple random sampling refers to that sampling technique in which each and every unit of the population has an equal and same opportunity of being on the sample. In simple random sampling, which item gets selected is just a matter of chance. ANALYTICAL TOOLS Simple statistical tools will be used in the present study to analyze and interpret the data collected from the field. The study will use percentiles method and the data will be presented in the form of tables and diagrams. INITIAL LITERATURE REVIEW Product life cycle management (or PLCM) is the succession of strategies used by business management as a product goes through its life cycle. The condition in which a product is sold (advertising, saturation) changes over time and must be managed as it moves through its succession of stages. Like human beings, products also have their own life-cycle. From birth to death human beings pass through various stages e.g. birth, growth, maturity, decline and death. A similar life-cycle is seen in the case of products. The product life cycle goes through multiple phases, involves many professional disciplines, and requires many skills, tools and processes. Product life cycle (PLC) has to do with the life of a product in the market with respect to business/commercial costs and sales measures. To say that a product has a life cycle is to assert four things: that products have a limited life, product sales pass through distinct stages, each posing different challenges, opportunities, and problems to the seller, profits rise and fall at different stages of product life cycle, and products require different marketing, financial, manufacturing, purchasing, and human resource strategies in each life cycle stage. There are many stages in a products life cycle, some of them are explained below: Stage Characteristics 1. Market introduction stage costs are high slow sales volumes to start little or no competition demand has to be created customers have to be prompted to try the product makes no money at this stage 2. Growth stage costs reduced due to economies of scale sales volume increases significantly profitability begins to rise public awareness increases competition begins to increase with a few new players in establishing market increased competition leads to price decreases 3. Maturity stage costs are lowered as a result of production volumes increasing and experience curve effects sales volume peaks and market saturation is reached increase in competitors entering the market prices tend to drop due to the proliferation of competing products brand differentiation and feature diversification is emphasized to maintain or increase market share Industrial profits go down 4. Saturation and decline stage costs become counter-optimal sales volume decline or stabilize prices, profitability diminish profit becomes more a challenge of production/distribution efficiency than increased sales It is claimed that every product has a life period, it is launched, it grows, and at some point, may die. A fair comment is that at least in the short term not all products or services die. Jeans may die, but clothes probably will not. Legal services or medical services may die, but depending on the social and political climate, probably will not. Even though its validity is questionable, it can offer a useful model for managers to keep at the back of their mind. Indeed, if their products are in the introductory or growth phases, or in that of decline, it perhaps should be at the front of their mind; for the predominant features of these phases may be those revolving around such life and death. Between these two extremes, it is salutary for them to have that vision of mortality in front of them. However, the most important aspect of product life-cycles is that, even under normal conditions, to all practical intents and purposes they often do not exist (hence, there needs to be more emphasis on model/reality mappings). In most markets the majority of the major brands have held their position for at least two decades. The dominant product life-cycle, that of the brand leaders which almost monopolize many markets, is therefore one of continuity. Studies shave revealed that the customers are attracted more towards the companies which are innovative in nature and enjoy good brand image in the market. Innovation is now a priority in most firms around the world just as quality was two decades ago. The challenge then was how to transform a quality program and results into a quality image. Today the need is to gain image credit for developing an innovative organization and a flow of innovative products. Having a reputation for creativity not only interjects energy and respect, but adds new product credibility to support a firms culture and strategy. Business Week recently ran a story on the 25 most innovative companies (e.g. Apple, Google, 3M, Toyota, Microsoft, G.E., Procter Gamble, Nokia, Starbucks, IBM and Samsung) as determined by a survey of over 1,000 executives. Among the ideas these firms used to foster innovation was freeing time to experiment, patent sharing, having an innovator-in-chief and developing innovation metric s. While interesting, the story made the unfortunate implication that a reputation for innovativeness was due to the current strategies, processes, culture and product flow of the firm and, further, that such a reputation would result in financial success. The reality is far different. Perceived innovativeness is driven by many factors, some reaching far into the past. One factor is undoubtedly the heritage of imagination. For over 50 years, 3M has been known for its philosophy of empowering innovators. Apple, the No. 1 firm in the survey, is still drawing on Steve Jobs legacy of the first Apple nearly 30 years ago. IBM gets credit for establishing the computer industry some five decades ago. G.E.s reputation may be influenced more by the legacy of the founder, Thomas Edison, than the Jeff Immelt revolution. (Aaker, 2006) The effect of brand awareness on buying decisions tends to regard product choice as a very intricate problem-solving process (Foxall, 1992). However, in many low involvement situations, consumers do not have the time, the resources, or the motivation to engage in such EPS processes. They are used to being passive recipients of product information, who need to spend minimal time and effort to determine brand choice (Foxall, 1992). A simple heuristic method, such as buying well-known brands used as a basis for brand choice when consumers undertake commonly repeated product purchases, may explain why firms marketing low involvement products often invest considerable sums of money into advertising, in order to generate and maintain brand awareness. (Hoyer, 1984) Brand awareness is a dominant factor in both initial (trial) and repeat-purchase decisions, even when the quality of the national brand was inferior to that of a non-national brand. Hoyer and Brown (1990) Similar conclusions were obtained in the replicated study of Macdonald and Sharp (2000), further evidencing the effect of brand awareness on purchase decisions. Familiarity with a brand has an influence on consumer confidence towards a brand, which, in turn, affects the intention to buy that brand (Laroche et al.1996). Familiarity is measured by the experience and information possessed by the consumer for a specific brand hence such information will exert some effects on purchase intentions, thus constructing one of the loyalty dimensions (Bloemer et al., 1999). If we look at the Pepsi-Cola Company from the outside, there has been a certain amount of repetitiveness in its development. By following the trends and focusing on how to lower the price as much as possible, they managed to create a successful company. By investing in the development of the bottling and distribution sector, Pepsi found their balance in the market. (Nels, 2008) Then in 1920s Pepsi-Cola Company failed because they didnt concentrate enough energy on branding. Within a few years Pepsi was declared bankrupt twice. By the end of the 1930s the company was reorganized from inside and the marketing policy drastically changed. Major investment was now directed towards making people more familiar with the product. After acquiring Mountain Dew, new sources of financing and revenue opportunities were needed because the acquisition was not an instant success. Therefore, in 1965 Pepsi merged with Frito Lay. In the 1980s the decreasing sales in the beverage market induced the industry to adjust with more aggressive marketing strategy and new products. In fact, Coke marketed a new cola formula, whereas Pepsi persisted with promotional efforts and improved customer responsiveness to increase sales volume. (Thomas and Alexander, 2005) Following these cyclical changes in the marketing policy of the firm (every 20 years there is a huge turn over), one could conclude that this is the time for PepsiCos to readjust. The circumstances underlying the merger with Quaker Oats are significant. Nowadays, the market is rapidly changing and its becoming saturated. The entrance into potential new markets is more complex than ever consequently, the only way for the company to expand is by gaining market share by mergers or strategic alliances. Furthermore, the marketing strategies in foreign markets like China and India are experiencing problems in customer responsiveness. Currently, the beverage sector is following a trend of continuous launch of new products in order to attract new customers. In this sense, the challenge for Pepsi is to be able to sustain such a trend and conversely, to remain a leader in their market.