Business Case Study Small Business Dilemma - 1149 Words

Read, examine, and answer the case questions for the Small Business Dilemma Chapters 15-18. 1.Course Project Chapter 15: Small Business Dilemma about multinational restructuring by the Sports Exports Company. After Reading the above small business dilemma, answer all of the following questions below: 1.Are there any reasons why the business that has been so successful in the United Kingdom might not be successful in other European countries? In the case of this business, when the business was initially made, it was build on a perception that British customers/consumers would become more interested in basketball, and that it would become a well liked hobby in the U.K. Nevertheless, Logan should take into account whether or not the other†¦show more content†¦Moreover, the company is not exposed to other forms of political risk, simply, because it does not have any of its own assets/capital located in the U.K. presently. I also feel that the company is exposed to financial risk influences, like the potential for a weak economy in the U.K., which could result in a weak demand for the company’s products/goods. 2.If the firm does choose to develop a small subsidiary in the U.K., will its exposure to country risk change? If so, how? I believe that the exposure to country risk would now rise, because the subsidiary would now be subject to British tax laws/rules, which could change at any time. Additionally, the subsidiary could be subject to the chance of a government takeover. Nevertheless, such a risk is usually considered to be very low in a country like the U.K. 3.Course Project Chapter 17: Small Business Dilemma in the multinational capital structure decision at the Sports Exports Company. After reading the above small business dilemma, answer all of the following questions below: 1.What is a benefit of using equity to support the subsidiary? What is a disadvantage? From my understanding one advantage is that retained income can be a rather low-cost method of financing. Furthermore, the use of equity to support the subsidiary is exceptionally effective if Logan did not have any otherShow MoreRelatedBusiness Case Study : Small Business Dilemma1444 Words   |  6 PagesRead, analyze, and answer the case questions for the Small Business Dilemma Chapters 11-14. 1.Course Project Chapter 11: Small Business Dilemma in the hedging decisions by the Sports Exports Company. After reading the above small business dilemma, answer all of the following questions below: Mr. Logan can purchase a put option over the counter from a securities company that has what is called an exercise (strike) price of $1.645, a premium of $. 025, and an expiration date of 1 month from nowRead MoreCase Study: Ethical Issues Confronting Jacob966 Words   |  4 Pagesnumber of ethical concerns contained within the case study. Due to the large number of ethical issues confronting Jacob, he may wish to make a decision as to whether he truly desires to work in such an unethical culture. The environment of a business can certainly influence the individual employee, either for good and positive aspects, or in a bad or negative manner. Organizational ethics are definitely in play in this particular case study. A 2010 study found that an organizational culture reflectsRead MoreEthical Dilemm Ethics And Behavior Essay1578 Words   |  7 PagesIn this case study, April is faced with a moral dilemma. She must decide if she will be honest with the owners of the firm she works for and her coworker or be dishonest for financial gain, which she is in dire need of. The following paragraphs will discuss April’s dilemma in more detail, employee’s roles and responsibilities in ethical situations and organization’s role and responsibility in ensuring ethical practices in the workplace. April’s Ethical Dilemma April is an employee at a small ad agencyRead MoreThe Ethical Dilemma Of Business Ethics995 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction Today, business ethics is one of the most important topics in discussion. With recent scandals come to the public of huge corporations, the public has lost its trust of businesses and require ethics be important to companies. Ethics, however, is not based solely on individual employees. In order for companies to comply with ethical standards, teamwork is necessary between the employees and the organization as a whole to create an ethical company culture that guides the actions of allRead MoreEssay on Dilehmas in the accounting Profession1045 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿ Qualify or Not? Acc/260 November 3, 2013 Qualify or Not? Viccio and Martin staff accountant Jane Ashley was assigned to work on an audit team with one senior auditor Frankie Small. The audit they were to perform was on the top paying client of Viccio and Martin, Models Inc.. Jane had spent time working for the firm while finishing her academics, and had been present for many other audits. This left her excited to show her employer all she had learned during this first assignmentRead MoreIntroduction The purpose of this paper is to examine an ethical dilemma faced by a company who1600 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The purpose of this paper is to examine an ethical dilemma faced by a company who manufactures critical components for a pacemaker developer. The consequentialist ethical theory of utilitarianism will be used to evaluate the moral implications this company has in continuing further manufacturing for their pacemaker client. An overview of utilitarian ethics will be discussed, focused primarily around 17th century philosopher Jeremy Bentham’s ideas about ethics. His framework will beRead MoreMultinational Corporations1110 Words   |  5 PagesEthical Dilemmas for Multinational Enterprise: A Philosophical Overview Part One: Review Question #1 Multinational Corporations have always been and are currently now under harsh criticism. They are mainly condemned for exploiting resources and workers of third world countries, taking jobs away from the US industry, and destroying local cultures. Although there are negatives of multinational corporations, there are also positives. Business done overseas provides jobs for the people of theRead MoreA Giant Among Women Case Analysis Essay935 Words   |  4 PagesA Giant Among Women, A Case Study Analysis Through this case study analysis, I will provide you with background information about Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., the key issues brought up by this dilemma, and an analysis of my recommendations on how to handle these issues. â€Å"The environment is intimidating, the service is bad, and they don’t understand my needs. Sometimes, there’s no dressing room, or it’s surrounded by men. It’s just not comfortable.† Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd., one of the largestRead MoreEthical Decision Making : The Ethical Dilemma901 Words   |  4 Pagescustomers, qualified employees and even have an easier time raising capital (Robinson, 2014). Organizations must ensure that everyone within their business operates ethically and understands what to do when faced with ethical dilemmas and decisions. Jacob’s Ethical Dilemma In the case study, Jacob is faced with a significant ethical dilemma. He works for a small ad agency that was compiling a bid to try and receive a large government contract. Jacob and his co-worker Krystal were tasked to prepare aRead Moredistribution agreement1009 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Case Study #3: Distribution Agreement Shed some light Raynonplus is a small, family-owned eyewear business located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Started by Pierre Dupuis in 1952 under the name of Visionplus, the company has been exclusively owned and operated by the Dupuis family for over 50 years. Currently, the business—a sole proprietorship—is owned and managed by Gerald Dupuis, grandson of the original entrepreneur. The Dupuis’ changed the business name in 1957 to capitalize on a trend

The Effectiveness of Using Ict in Teaching English

The Effectiveness of Using ICT in Teaching English ABSTRACT This research is aim to establish the effectiveness of using ICT in improving English knowledge among the Year Six students. Particularly, this research will investigate to what extent the effectiveness of using ICT in language teaching and learning features, for instance the content of the lesson contributes to the process as well as interest and motivation among the students. This research will be carried out to an experimental group in which language will be used in their lesson. All the data required for this research will be gathered via the instruments used which are observations, sets of questionnaire and guided journal writing and will finally be analyzed based on the†¦show more content†¦At the same time, the government is really concerned about improving the ability of the young generation to use English effectively. To realise the government’s aspirations, teacher motivation and attitude as well as the various problems that the English language teachers fac e in using the computer must be looked into seriously. 1.3 Objectives of the Study a) To identify whether student’s performance in English learning will improve via ICT using. b) To see the differences of student’s changes in their attitudes and perceptions toward their learning. c) To determine the effectiveness using ICT to arouse student’s interest and motivation. 1.4 Research questions a) Can teaching English with ICT change the students’ performance? b) Can the method decrease the fear and boredom of students toward English lesson? c) What is the student motivation level before and after experiencing ICT in their English language classroom? 1.5 Definition of terms The definition of an important term used in this study is given below: a) Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ICT is the technology required for information processing, in particular, the use of electronic computers, communication devices and software applications to convert, store, protect, pricess, transmit and retrieve information from anywhere, anytime. ICT began to be used on a large scale throughout in Malaysia School system as a teaching aid inShow MoreRelatedThe Education Context For My Edc3100 Professional Placement961 Words   |  4 Pagesthe same topic for Science, History and English, with differentiation to suit student ability. In Mathematics and Lem Phonics the students are in ability groups. The class routine includes a morning session where the students present news items and are read a chapter of a fictional story. Individual students are regularly removed from the class for specialist teaching and reading and this needs to be considered in planning of lessons. Class and School ICT Environment and Processes The classroomRead MoreUsing Tablets in Teaching English as a Second Language1191 Words   |  5 PagesT oday’s education faces a lot of challenges. The swirling changes and developments in teaching and learning all seem promising and yet are still at their infant stages. The Philippines is one of many developing nations that have turned to information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool to improve teaching and learning. Integrating technology in Philippine education has taken a lot of turns. The unprecedented advances in interactivity and multimedia capabilities together with a myriad ofRead MoreThe Effectiveness of Mobile Computing Devices in Classroom Instruction743 Words   |  3 PagesThe Effectiveness of Mobile Computing Devices in Classroom Instruction Most schools, both local and international, are now venturing into using mobile computing devices for classroom instruction. Thus, La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) pioneered the use of tablets in the classrooms at the later part of 2012 and named this endeavor as the PERsonal Learning device (PEARL) program. During its initial stage, students of the honors classes were selected as its participants. On the following year aroundRead MoreGroup B. Understanding And Using Inclusive Teaching And1633 Words   |  7 PagesGroup B Understanding and Using Inclusive teaching and learning approaches in education and training Shaun Brown 1.1 Describe features of inclusive teaching and learning What is inclusive teaching? Inclusive teaching means teaching in ways that do not isolate students, accidentally or intentionally, from opportunities to learn. Making sure the needs of students with a variety of backgrounds, learning styles and abilities are addressed. These strategies contribute to an overall inclusive learningRead MoreThe Concept Of E Learning Inclusion Into An Education Essay1555 Words   |  7 Pagesproblem for many teachers is transition of teaching in manner than accommodate the use of technology. Mining how they have previously been teaching with the use of technology which gives birth to e-learning. In e-learning, Technology is simply a mean that teachers may use in different ways in the new environment than can affect students and results.A teacher mulls to make use of technology needs to think how it may give a solution a problem of teaching they have within their learning environmentRead MoreInformation Technology And Its Impact On Education Essay2249 Words   |  9 Pagesthe Infor mation Communication Technology (ICT) which is the combination of Information Technology (IT) and Communications Technology (CT). Information Technology is characterized by wireless mobility, multimedia devices, interoperability, peer-produced information and an expectation of abundant access to powerful computing resources (Aksoy DeNardis, 2008). Computer Technology (CT) is then the study of the hardware and software. With the implementation of ICT, South African public schools are delayedRead MoreMy Philosophy Of Teaching And Learning Programs Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesMy philosophy of teaching involves creating an environment that promotes student well being by welcoming open collaboration and participation, setting high expectations and developing positive, safe and respectful relationships with all members of the class.(Vrankovic, M, 2016). My learning philosophy is derived from the constructivist philosophy whereby students are active participants in their learning in order to be able to transfer information into new situations to promote deeper levels ofRead MoreIct And Its Effect On Education1957 Words   |  8 PagesICT are stands for Information Communication Technology where it is widely used in education today. In some counties, there are some small percentage of education institute demand high levels of ICT to change and support many subject areas in the way of teaching and learning process. Traditional teaching practice like face-to-face contact teaching in the classroom has been outdated and some educationalist suggest using of ICT to replace the traditional teaching practice. There are many ways ICTRead MoreCommunication Between Sender And Receivers1539 Words   |  7 Pagesconstruction. (uwm.edu, 2014) Inclusive learning and teaching is about involving all our learners, treating them equally and fairly, without directly or indirectly excluding anyone, creating interesting varied and inspiring learning opportunities for all learners and ensuring that all learners contribute. Also make sure that learners are not disadvantaged by methods, language or resources, embed sufficient minimum core in lesson plan. Use wide range of teaching strategies and learning materials, give sufficientRead MorePtlls L 4 Unit 009 Essay1347 Words   |  6 PagesJames Pitman Level 4 PTLLS Unit 009 Oct/Nov 2012 Analyse learning and teaching strategies used in own specialism Strategy | Strengths | Weaknesses | Group discussion | A good way of exploring a topic in depthUseful to assess a learners knowledge and understanding of the topicAll learners can be encouraged to be involvedDiverse characteristics and backgrounds of learners will ensure a well rounded view | Some learners may not feel confident contributing – good ice-breaker required Other

Generic Strategies Global Value Creation

Question: Discuss about the Generic Strategies for Global Value Creation. Answer: Introduction The AAA framework aims to create global value through tailoring of business strategies as per local requirements. Despite of globalization, the role of domestic market cannot be ignored; it is a major economic growth contributor in each nation. Globalization might cause problems of scared resources, increase in product price, transfer of investment, business complexities due to fluctuation in currency value; exports etc. according to AAA framework managing difference is still a major challenge for organizations. This paper aims to evaluate the application of AAA framework in context of computer and food and beverage industry; two companies from each industry have been selected for evaluation. It includes analysis on strategies that these companies adopted and used this model to pursuit their business goals. Adaptation Adaption is widely adopted strategy that aims to globalize the business through localization of taste and preferences. Different type of strategies organizations are adopting to get well with the local market, first among those is variation strategy that leads to change in products, services, marketing strategies, business strategies, positioning of product according to local market. Second is focused approach that aims to reduce the influence of differences among markets, it also reduce need for adaptation(2012books.lardbucket.org, 2012). Third strategy is externalization, in which it is easy to transfer business responsibility to local market, for example McDonalds gives franchisee to local markets. Fourth adaptation strategy is to become design focused by launching a standard model that is easily acceptable by mass market, for example TATA motors in India. Finally, adaptation can also be implemented through innovation, for instance Apple Inc. improved its packaging in such a manne r that it helped in reducing cost of transport and impact of geographic differences reduced(Mintzberg, 2003). Food and beverage industry Food industry is highly globalized and localized according to customer taste and preference. Food and beverages are customized according to local taste. For example, McDonalds has made huge success in India through adoption of local taste, they even changed recipes and menu according local culture. Initially, Ham burger was sold by the company but Ham is not eaten by Indians, so that started off with burgers made from potatoes which are locally grown. Later salad sandwiches were also launched in the market as in western culture raw vegetables are preferred by customers but it was a flop, later on grilled sandwiches were launched as Indian customers prefer cook food(Teece, 2010). In beverage segment, Coca-Cola also opted for localization by focusing on local positioning and marketing strategies. It uses different advertisements in different markets. It adopted variation strategy by adapting to local culture, language and marketing strategies. For examples, in Indian market it uses Bollywood and film stars for advertisements but in Africa they use football players; even advertisements are made in local languages, with different taglines to get associated with customer personality(Warkentin, 2014). ICT industry Prominent example of adaptation can be noticed in computer hardware and software, though it might be stated that computer hardwares are same in all market but organizations need to make certain adaptations to ensure sustainable presence in particular market. Google has adopted different market local laws, policies and strategies; they have adapted local culture in terms of product design, service offering, and change in business and marketing policy. There is use of different Google page in different country according to local festivals and days. It adopted variation strategy to abide by local censorship in China (Fortune.com, 2014). Similarly, Apple Inc. also opted for localization in terms of design, it does not change its product offering according to market, rather it focus on single product design to be offered in global market. It opts for a segment focused approach by offering high quality and premium price product, which target niche, technology oriented customers, early adopters different from mass population in any geographic region (Cruikshank, 2006). Apple Inc. is also known for its innovative designs and packaging, that reduced weight without putting product at any risk, it helped in exporting large number of products at a time, reducing cost of transportation as well as waste from environment. Aggregation It is not always easy to adapt to changes, it might cost huge to company impacting profitability adversely. In such cases, companies try to achieve economies of scale by finding similarities between geographic regions; it aims to group different processes to achieve economies of scale within groups. Companies opts for regional focus strategy that help in making each market independent of other, it helps in combating environmental issues without impacting global business (Ghemawat, 2003). There are six strategies that can be adopted to achieve regional aggregation. It include regional focus in which companies keep their certain activities centralized; regional hubs, regional portfolio, regional platform, regional mandates and regional networks. Apart from this, aggregation can also occur in nongeographic focus, it include cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic. Food and beverage industry McDonalds adopted aggregation strategy, when the brand entered in Philippine market, it used US taste and US menu, the same strategy was adopted by the brand in China also with the objective of achieving economies of scale, but it failed miserably. However, it aims at establishing regional and global operations, McDonalds operated in regional operations, with local heads and management to understanding national culture. On contrary to above, Coca-Cola shows tremendous impact of aggregation; in the year 1996 the CEO of the company announced his new tagline, Think global. Act global. According to company strategy, it is important to decide on degree of adaptation it will take from local market and the extent to which it will exploit the differences to gain benefit. Coca-Cola aims to achieve worldwide economies of scale; therefore it works beyond regional focus. It focuses on geographic aggregations in different markets such as Burma, India with its regional focus production and distribution strategy (Beattie, 2013). Coca-Cola adopted regional portfolio strategy to expand its business in non-home segment through localization of production and distribution process. ICT industry Aggregation can also be noticed in information communication and technology companies, regional focus in common in this industry. This type of companies generally uses certain features which are kept common in all markets, achieving economies of scale. For example, in communication companies like Vodafone, the GSM system has been kept same throughout all markets except Japan (Grant, 2005). To enter into regional markets companies opt for merger, acquisitions and joint ventures. Further, with expansion companies also aim to decrease dependency of regional markets on home country by forming regional hubs. Aggregation strategy can be noticed in case of Apple Inc. also, as the product is being considered as luxury item in certain countries, its target niche customer segment. The configuration and product offering remain same throughout all markets, it keeps a common global image in the market, the packaging, products features and offers are kept same in global market. Apple Inc. also follows standardization and centralization of its manufacturing, to ensure low cost of production and standard quality for all products, designing is done in USA whereas assembling is done in China. Arbitrage This strategy is different from above do, it neither aims to adapt the differences nor it tries to bridge them, rather it aims to exploit them towards organizational growth, cost reduction and performance enhancement. For example, purchasing material from a country at low price (for example electronic items from china) but selling the product at high price in another market (India or USA). It is the oldest strategy in the market; industries like farming, mining and textile have used this strategy from years (Porter.E. Kramer, 2006). It is being considered as cheap labor and capital strategy that helps in reducing cost of manufacturing and selling at higher profits in the market. Different type of arbitrage includes cultural arbitrage, for example French culture is known for its wines and perfumes. Administrative arbitrage i.e. differences in policies, tax and other trade barriers impact business decisions; for instance making investment in china through third party to get better tax incentives and legal protection. Economic arbitrage is most common in industry due to its impact of cost of production, for example Apple Inc. setting its assembling unit in China due to low cost of materials and labors in the market. Food and beverage industry Though arbitrage industry is less discussed but it is widely and commonly used global business strategy in the market, it aims to gain advantage from differences. In terms of food industry, there is high success of American popular culture which is used in various markets for launching brands. For instance, Burger is not an Indian food, but American culture has been used to market this product in Asian market that helped in its easy acceptance. There is also use of economic arbitrage by the company as it outsourced its production process in developing countries as it helps in producing at low cost (Ghemawat, 2013). After decade Coca-Cola changed its strategy of act global to local in order to take business advantage; it has lowered its cost of manufacturing by lowering its cost of operation, localizing bottling and input. ICT industry Information communication technology industry generally adopts this strategy for gaining performance enhancement and risk reduction benefit, through cost reduction is also in the list but it is secondary for multinational organization. It is easy to outsource work in developing countries like India with availability of skilled labor in low cost. However, China offers high technology, flexibilities and business opportunities that help MNCs in reducing its business risk, better operations and performance enhancement. Google also opt for arbitrage strategy to remain competitive in different market, for instance China is a capitalist economy that prefers growth of local brands and have implemented strict censorship for international brands. To sustain in such market, company opts for administrative arbitrage to operate in distinctive business law environment but company actions failed to poor cultural integrations (Cavusgil, Knight, Riesenberger, Rammal, Rose, 2014). Economic arbitrage aims to exploit economic differences that cannot be derived from any other element; it aims to take advantage of cost of capital and labor. High tech companies take advantage by hiring highly skilled laborers at low cost; Apple Inc. aims to outsource its manufacturing process in China due to immense availability of supplier, engineering changes, and flexibility (Carpenter Dunung, 2012). Company produce standardized products, which does not require quick market response of customized offerings, rather Apple manufacturing process demands quick ramp up and ramp down of manpower according to changes required in supply chain, which is possible in China market due to availability of labors, according to management China offer better flexibility to manage business risk than USA (Forbes Leadership Forum, 2012). Analysis on A to AA to AAA framework It is not easy for organization from any industry to build an AAA framework, be it Coke or McDonalds both have seen slow market growth, falling profitability before understanding the right A that works for the brand. Earlier McDonalds and Coke opted global standardized strategy of their food item, which was not accepted by global consumers, rather customer seeks modification and cultural adaptation in their offerings; due to which later on business strategies changed. Companies like Apple Inc. have adopted both aggregation and arbitrage whereas McDonalds implemented all three strategies one by one to achieve global presence with local taste and preference at optimum cost and quality. Analysis also helped in understanding that different globalization strategies need to be adopted according to business component models and business strategic decisions. Conclusion While analyzing adaptation strategies of companies it was clear that different organizations have adopted different method to go well with local market, few have changed their offering completely according to local market, but few have kept their product same but changed their marketing or business strategy. Aggregation strategy helps in bridging the global gap by adopting regional practices forming hubs and network that leads to cost advantage and business growth. Finally arbitrage aims to understand those differences and use them without making any primary changes or adjustments. Companies can either focus on any one A or all three AAA depending on their market of expansion, objectives and scale of business. It is also impacted by the generic strategy that company follows, whether it want to remain focus, achieve cost leadership or offer differentiation in the market(Goffin Mitchell, 2005). Bibliography 2012books.lardbucket.org. (2012). Generic Strategies for Global Value Creation. Retrieved September 9, 2016, from 2012books.lardbucket.org: https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/global-strategy/s05-generic-strategies-for-global-.html Beattie, A. C. (2013, June). Coca-Cola Introduces Itself to Myanmar. Retrieved Sep 9, 2016, from www.adageindia.in: https://www.adageindia.in/marketing/global-news/coca-cola-introduces-itself-to-myanmar/articleshow/45819506.cms Carpenter, M. A., Dunung, S. P. (2012). International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World, v. 1.0. Retrieved Sep 9, 2016, from Catalog.flatworldknowledge.com: https://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/3158?e=fwk-168388-ch01 Cavusgil, S. T., Knight, G., Riesenberger, J. R., Rammal, H. G., Rose, E. L. (2014). International Business. Sydney: Pearson Australia. Cruikshank. (2006). Apple Way. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Forbes Leadership Forum. (2012, Jan 25). The Real Reason the U.S. Doesn't Make iPhones: We Wouldn't Want To. Retrieved Sep 9, 2016, from www.forbes.com: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesleadershipforum/2012/01/25/the-real-reason-the-u-s-doesnt-make-iphones-we-wouldnt-want-to/#524e5c0a4bde Fortune.com. (2014). Google faces new China censorship problem. Retrieved Sep 9, 2016, from Fortune.com: https://fortune.com/2015/11/04/google-xyz-china/ Ghemawat, P. (2003, November). The Forgotten Strategy. Retrieved September 9, 2016, from hbr.org: https://hbr.org/2003/11/the-forgotten-strategy Ghemawat, P. (2013). Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in A World Where Differences Still Matter. London: Harvard Business Press. Goffin, K., Mitchell, R. (2005). Innovation management; strategy implemementation using the pentathlon framework, . Basingstoke: Palgrave. Grant, R. M. (2005). Contemporary strategy analysis. Canada: Wiley-Blackwell. Mintzberg, H. (2003). The Strategy Process: Concepts, Contexts, Cases. New York: Prentice Hall. Porter.E., M., Kramer, M. (2006). strategy and society . Harvard business review , 1-15. Teece, D. J. (2010). Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation. Long Range Planning, 174-192. Warkentin, S. (2014, December 18). What Can We Learn from Coca-Colas Global Marketing Success? Retrieved September 9, 2016, from www.smartling.com: https://www.smartling.com/blog/what-can-we-learn-from-coca-colas-global-marketing-success/ Wong, J. (2014, December 14). OPS Rules Blog: Insights into Supply Chain and Operations Strategy. Retrieved September 9, 2016, from opsrules.com/: https://www.opsrules.com/supply-chain-optimization-blog/bid/359149/iPhone-6-Apple-Supply-Chain-Revisited.

Lame English free essay sample

During the first week of class we discussed the roll of advertisements and marketing in today’s society. The readings that were covered were Illusions are Forever by Jay Chiat and Champagne Taste, Beer Budget by Delia Cleveland. The first reading appeared to focus more on the truth, or â€Å"art† behind advertising and how it affects people’s everyday lives. One of the main points that Chiat seemed to focus on was the fact that media clouds our natural judgment and presents a perfect world that they make us think that everyone lives in. One example of this â€Å"dream world† that the majority of the class seemed to focus on was that advertisers belief that parents are supposed to please their children with whatever is considered popular regardless of cost or availability of the product. Which I found true in most cases because parents usually do a good job at embarrassing their children. We will write a custom essay sample on Lame English or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Champagne Taste, Beer Budget, Delia Cleveland tells us about how she believed that having the latest and greatest designer brand clothing made her feel more appealing to those around her. Some young adults today are so focused on what others think of them that they are willing to spend whatever amount of money necessary just to look good. Later in the essay Cleveland talks about how having expensive taste is not worth all of the money and time it took to live a life like she used to. During the class discussions, a large part of the class agreed with Cleveland in saying that no clothes or accessories are worth ridiculous amounts of money. In my opinion, both essays that we read did a good job at explaining how advertising and marketing affects today’s society and how people react to different marketing strategies.

Subcultural Theories Essay Example

Subcultural Theories Paper Consistently in the news we hear of the rise of certain subcultures, the rise of the hoodie culture in teens for example. However, what exactly is a subculture, and are they really linked to crime and deviant behaviour as much as society believes? A subculture can be defined as a group of people who have their own culture, with their own norms and values, which differentiates from the larger culture to what they belong. Many sociologists have researched into the links between subcultures and crime and deviance, to try and establish whether those involved are more likely to commit criminal behaviour, as official statistics suggest. In the early 20th Century, a dramatic social change was taking place in Chicago, and in response to this emerged the University of Chicago, the first parent-school of subcultural sociology. These Chicago sociologists were determined to appreciate the wide variety of cultures and lifestyles prevalent in Chicago at the time, due to the wide influx of migrants from all over Europe and Southern USA. Through their experimental use of, what we now call, participant observation, they wished to observe and note down the sheer variety and dynamism of urban life. Thanks to this integral research, two important studies were released, Fredric Thrashers The Gang(1927) and Whytes Street Corner Society(1943). These two research pieces paved the way for future sociologists to investigate into deviant groups, as it was already established that these groups in society had clear norms and values of their own that justified their different behaviour. Late on in the 1930s, Robert Merton (1938), tried to find how deviance fitted in within a functionalist framework, however, Merton himself was not a functionalist. We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural Theories specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural Theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural Theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer He decided that crime and deviance were the proof that the individual did not fit into societys accepted goals and did not agree with the socially approved means of obtaining those goals. He identified this as strain between the individual and society, and discovered that the greater the strain, the greater the chance of the individual being either deviant or criminal in their behaviour. Merton argued that all societies, whether in Britain or in the jungles of Africa, set their members certain goals and provided them with socially approved ways to achieve this goal. Merton considered the fact that not all the individuals in a society share the same goals; he pointed out that in a stratified society the goals were linked to a persons position in the social structure. Therefore, those lower down the social ladder, had restricted goals. He noted that the system worked well as long as the majority of the population had a reasonable chance of achieving their goals. However, if the majority of the population were unable to achieve their goals, they would become disenchanted with society, and sought out alternative, often deviant, ways of behaving. Merton used Durkheims term anomie to describe this situation. One example of Mertons theory in practice in todays society, is the notion of The American Dream. The American Dream, is a notion held by many that through hard work and material prosperity, residents of the United States will be able to achieve their goals in life; for some this is the ability to achieve more material prosperity than would be possible in their country of origin; the chance for their children to get an education; or the freedom of life without class, gender, racial or religious discriminations. However, for many, this dream is just that, an unachievable dream, and when they realise this, many turn to illegitimate means of money making to help them survive in the materialistic society that is America. Merton identified five different forms of behaviour which could be understood as a strain between goals and means. The first is conformity, in which the individual continues to adhere to both the goals and means, despite the limited likelihood of success, such as the many office workers in New York City, who are living on the poverty line. Another form identified by Merton is Innovation, where the individual accepts the goals of society, but uses different ways to achieve these goals, so the outcome may result in the person being involved in deviant activity, such as soft drug dealers, who long for the materialistic possessions, yet instead of working legitimately, they get their money through deviant behaviour. The third form is Ritualism, this is when the means are used by the individual, but sight of the actual goal is lost, for example a traffic warden, who is not bothered about earning lots of money, but blindly enforces the law without looking at the nature of justice. Ritualism, is the fourth form, in which the individual rejects both the goals and means and society, this is most likely to be a person who is dependant upon drugs and alcohol. The final form of strain can be labelled as Rebellion, where both the socially sanctioned goals and means are rejected and different ones substituted; these individuals are often religious extremists, such as Suicide Bombers. Although Mertons idea of strain has concrete examples in society, many sociologists have criticised his approach to subcultural crime and deviance as being too simple. They say that there are some people who border on the lines between categories. Also, some believe it is too ethnocentric. Valier (2001), criticised Merton for his stress on the existence of common goals in society. Valier argues that instead of such great social consensus, there are in fact a variety of goals that people strive to attain at any one time. Having been heavily influenced by Mertons work Cloward and Ohlin (1960) carried out their own research, entitled the Illegitimate Opportunity Structure. They argued that Merton had failed to appreciate that there was a parallel opportunity structure to the legal one; the Illegitimate Opportunity Structure. This, to them, meant that many subcultures prevalent in society, had found that a career was available, in which illegal means were used to obtain societys goals. According to Cloward and Ohlin, the Illegitimate Opportunity Structure had three possible adaptations or subcultures. The first of these was Criminal, which states that if there is a thriving local criminal subculture, there will be successful role models in that area, therefore young offenders can work their way up the ladder in the criminal hierarchy. Conflict was identified as the second subculture, and it was noted that this occurred when there was no local criminal subculture to provide career opportunities. Groups and individuals brought up in this environment often turn to violence, usually against other similar groups, for example gang turf wars, where gangs use violence to determine who owns which patch. The final adaption is known as Retreatist, and this tends to be an individual response which occurs when the individual has no exposure or opportunity to be involved with the other two subcultures of Criminal and Conflict. The result therefore, is a retreat into alcoholism or drug dependency. A good example of Cloward and Ohlins theories into these subcultures is Dick Hobbs book Bad Buisness (1998), in which Hobbs interviewed successful criminals and demonstrated how careers in crime are possible, given the right connection and exposure to this subculture. This explanation of criminal deviance is useful and, alongside Hobbs work, shows that for some people crime can be a career choice. But the approach is not completely correct, it shares similar weaknesses to Mertons Strain Theory. One criticism which is shared with Merton, is the categorisation of individuals; there are many people who may be sat on the border of two categories, and also, it is difficult to except the three categories, as there is no reference to people who break free from this subculture. Furthermore, many argue that both theories fail to recognise female deviance, as this often follows a slightly different pattern and is not as easy to define. Albert Cohen (1955) drew upon both Mertons ideas of strain and also on the ethnographic ideas (form of observational research) of the Chicago School of Sociology. He was particularly interested in why crime was carried out, and he discovered it was more for the thrill of the act, rather than for the money involved. Many modern day sociologists believe this is as true today as it was in the 1950s, for example, joyriding has increased, yet the cars are burnt, not sold on, so there is not an economic reasoning behind the crime, it must just be committed for the thrill. Cohen believed that lower-class boys wanted to excel middle-class values and aspirations, but lacked the means to obtain this success. This lead to a sense of personal failure and inadequacy, which Cohen called status frustration. This resulted in the rejection of the acceptable behaviour in which they could not succeed. He suggests that school therefore, is the key area for the playing out of this drama, as lower-class children are much more likely to fail and feel humiliated in the classroom. To counteract this and gain status, they invert traditional values and behave badly, engaging in a variety of antisocial behaviour. They may often resort to being the class-clown, who fools around and disrupts the lesson, as they feel this is the way to climb up the social ladder. However, many have criticised Cohen, least of all Feminist Sociologists. As with Cloward and Ohlin and Merton, there is no discussion of female deviancy, his study is solely based on males. Also, Cohen failed to prove that school really was the environment in which success and failure are demonstrated mainly. But the major criticism of his work is that he assumes the young delinquents must be brilliant sociologists to work out that they are lower-class, to work out the middle-class values and then invert them to gain status. Many believe Cohen is correct, he has just missed the fundamental point that these individuals are children. Another subcultural sociologist was writing in the 1950s, Walter Miller. He developed an approach to crime, which expanded on Cohens class based theory. Miller suggested the deviancy was linked to the culture of the lower-class males; suggesting that they have six focal concerns which are likely to lead them to delinquency. The first was smartness; that the individual must look good and also be witty with a sharp repartee. Also, the concern of trouble; the culture of I dont go looking for trouble it finds me, its never their fault, they didnt start it. Focal concern number three links to Cohen and his discovery that crime was committed for the thrill, yet Miller says that lower-class males feel it is important to search out these thrills and so calls this concern excitement. Toughness is the fourth concern, the individuals must not only demonstrate this, but they must be physically stronger than the others. The fifth concern is Autonomy, it is important for the individual not to be pushed around by the others in the gang. And the final focal concern outlined by Miller is Fate; individuals have little chance to overcome the fate that awaits them, the fate of a deviant career for example. Therefore, according to Miller, young lower-class males become delinquents due to the implicit values of their subculture. Yet, Miller provides little evidence of these specific middle class values. Box (1981) highlights that the values could equally apply to males right across the class structure. Also, female deviancy is not considered again! One consistent criticism of subcultural theories is that there is little evidence to demonstrate this distinct set of antisocial values. Even if there are subcultures, why would they respond to certain middle or working class values? Matza bonded these criticisms together to attack subcultural theory. He argued that instead of subcultures having different values, we all share a set of subterranean (hidden) values. The key thing is that most people control these deviant desires, they may rarely emerge, say at the office party, yet when they do we use techniques of neutralisation to provide justification for our deviant actions. Some examples include the denial of responsibility- it wasnt me, it was the alcohol; or denial of injury- victim wasnt hurt, often used when justifying stealing from a company rather than individual. Matza is therefore arguing that the difference between a persistent offender and a law-abiding citizen is simply the frequency and environment in which our subterranean values appear to the public. Matzas critique of subculture is deemed by many as devastating. He is saying that all of us share deviant subcultural values and that it is not true that there are distinctive groups with their own values, different from the rest of us. Carl Nightingale took yet another approach towards deviance, and his subcultural theory does not focus on crime, but that black youth are marginalised, often driving them towards deviance; the Paradox of Inclusion. For his book On The Edge(1993), Nightingale studied young Black youth in inner-city Philadelphia. He discovered that subculture derives from the desire to be part of mainstream US culture, that is to say that subcultures occur due to the rejection and marginalising of youth by society. In America, Black children avidly consume US culture by watching television with its emphasis on consumerism and the success of violence, yet at the same time they are excluded economically, racially and politically from participating in the mainstream society they idolise. This is seen in England through the Chav culture. Those individuals dress how they see on television in music videos, so they can fit in, yet by doing so, they ironically become individuals which society fears, and therefore marginalises. These individuals begin to identify themselves through acquiring clothing with high-status labels, such as Nike or Adidas. Once again, drawing upon Mertons ideas, the subculture reflects the belief that it is not so much how these high status goods are obtained rather the fact of possessing them, which is often through crime and violence. This links with Phillip Bourgois study of El Barrio. He looks at the lives of drug dealers and criminals in the deprived areas of New York. He wanted to study the underground econmy, everything ranging from babysitting to hard drug dealing, in this marginalised society. He realised they were marginalised for many reasons, particularly racial and due to their high poverty lifestyles, society excluded them. He discovered that the severe abuse of drugs and alcohol prevalent in El Barrio, was due to the marginalisation and alienation from mainstream American Society, which many residents encountered daily. The change of drugs and scale which Bougois monitored was widespread and dramatic, with everyone in the society involved. However, although they did not share the same means as mainstream America, they shared the same goals, as in to achieve the American Dream. Bourgois noted that the legitimate economy mirrors the illegitimate economy, there is a hierarchal system in place, which all obey, just like legitimately. He decided that the pressure of the American Dream is what caused many to deviate into criminal activity, as this way they could obtain the needed money to pursue their dream. His main finding was that crime makes economic sense, why would these people surviving on the bread line want to work in an office, earning the minimum wage, when they can earn ten times as much on their own doorstep? And this attitude is shared all over the world by many living in poverty. Since 1998, there has been the introduction of ASBOs; Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, but there has been much dispute as to whether these actually prevent deviant behaviour. Many believe that by labelling delinquent youths as Anti-Social, they accept this label and it turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, where the youngster feels they must live up to this reputation. Others believe that ASBOs are seen as labels to be had and are worthy of respect. Many of the approaches outlined above seek to explain deviant behaviour through rational reasoning as to why subcultures have developed. Some recent postmodern approaches reject this explanation for behaviour. Katz (1988), argues young men get drawn into crime, because it is seductive and thrilling, echoing Cohen. This is not dissimilar to Lyng (1990). He said that young males like taking risks and engaging in what he refers to as edgework; going to the extremities of acceptable behaviour and flirting with danger. Using the example of neo-tribes, Maffesoli (1996) introduced a postmodernist innovation in understanding subculture. He was unhappy with the idea that the idea of subculture had been transformed from a concept based on values, more into a concept of consensus. He believed subcultures should be though of in terms of fluidity, occasional gatherings and dispersal. Neo-tribes then referred to states of mind, that were flexible, open and changing. Deviant values are less important than a stress on consumption, suitably fashionable behaviour and individual identity that can change rapidly. As previously noted, subcultural theories are very masculine orientated. However, as Collison (1996) points out, sociologist may well have missed the significance of studying male behaviour in such detail. He said that in order to explain male offending behaviour, it is important to explain the nature of being male in our society and the links masculinity itself has to crime. Collinsons work on masculinity links closely to that of Connell (1995), who sees the existence of a hegemonic masculinity, in which males both conspire with and aspire to, and believes this drives them to deviance. This emphasis on hegemonic masculinity is very similar to Millers earlier works on lower-class values. However, Winlow argues these values are most obvious when the economic social structure is changing. He suggests that the traditional working class values fitted alongside physical work, which is now in decline, so they are restless and desperate to prove their masculinity. These values have dispersed due to the rise of office work. He further suggests that these problems greatly affect young males who are out of employment. So, to conclude, there are many different approaches to explaining subculture and its place in society, all of which are as valid today as they were when the original research was carried out, from studying the British Street Corner Groups in the early 1900s, to the participant observation of crack dealers in New York City, all of these theories are still relevant to the gang culture of today. However, looking at the theories, the one society can relate to most is Metza and Subterranean Values. This is very obviously prevalent in society today, from photocopying body parts at the office party and blaming it on the alcohol, to the men who get cleared of rape, claiming the victim isnt a victim as she was wearing clothes which led the man on. Whether subcultures do or do not share common social values will be disputed for many years, yet Mazas techniques of neutralization will be evident in society always, therefore, I believe I identify most with this theory, as it seeks to explain natural patterns of behaviour, not seek to infiltrate gang culture and lifestyles. Having said this, I am particularly interested in Bourgoiss El Barrio research as I agree with him and the dealers, crime makes economic sense, why work a nine-to-five for minimum wage, when you can earn enough money on your doorstep? Perhaps, if I had access to a criminal subculture, I would become involved as Cloward and Ohlin said, yet unfortunately my future is even bleaker according to them, a retreatist lifestyle involving drugs or alcohol, good job I believe Merton and feel I am a conformist, adhering to both the socially accepted goals and means. Subcultural theories Essay Example Subcultural theories Essay Subcultural theories examine the behaviour and actions of various groups within society groups with either reject or depart from the traditional norms and views of the majority. These groups are referred to as subcultures, and subcultural theories attempt to explain why these groups most are concerned with youth gangs and gang delinquency engage in deviant acts. Subcultural theories originated in America and in particular the Univeristy of Chicago Sociology Department. Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay at the University studied juvenile crime rates in Chicago and they divided the city up into a series of concentric rings. They then calculated the delinquency rates of in each ring finding that areas with the highest crime rates were those in the centre of the city, with the rates diminishing outwards from the centre. They noted that delinquency was lower in areas of high economic status while it was seen to be high in areas of low economic status. Their studies also found that these findings remained constant over time, notwithstanding successive changes in the nativity and nationality composition of the population1. They therefore came to the conclusion that delinquency-producing factors are inherent in the community2 and are culturally transmitted. They said that what is transmitted is social disorganisation This term referred to an inconsistency of values, attitudes and standards of behaviour. In areas of high economic status, ie. the middle class, there is consistency and uniformity of attitudes and morals, whereas in low economic status areas there is an absence of common values with competing attitudes and standards prevalent instead. Shaw and Mckay state that in the latter situation delinquency has developed as a powerful competing way of life3. There are, therefore, rival values, conventional and non-conventional, and gang and juvenile delinquency is a symptom of this conflict. Another theory to emerge from Chicago is Edwin Sutherland and Donald Cressey s differential association theory. Although not strictly a subcultural theory in the strict definition of the term this theory is so closely related so as to be worthy of consideration. Differential association says that criminal and deviant behaviour is learnt behaviour in the same sense as other behaviour is learnt. We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer It tells us that a person is likely to become a criminal if they are exposed to an excess of definitions favourable to violation of the law over definitions unfavourable to violation of the law4. The effect which these associations have may vary in frequency, duration, priority and intensity. In this process of differential association, Sutherland and Cressey stress that the strongest part of the learning occurs within intimate personal groups and we can see that they are stressing the importance of the peer group, family and friends in the learning process. They also make the point that all the associations which one has in life could be quantified and a mathematical formula reached which would enable us to find out how a person will turn out. Sutherland and Cressey acknowledge however that such a weighing up of associations would be extremely difficult5. Albert Cohens main interest lay in explaining juvenile delinquency, and his major work Delinquent Boys, published in 1955, claimed that a delinquent subculture exists which could explain crime amongst juveniles. He said that when we look at the delinquent subculture we see that it is non-utilitarian, malicious and negativistic6. This, he explains, is because the subculture takes its norms from the wider culture and turns them upside down. Therefore, what the delinquent does is right according to the standards of the subculture because it is wrong according to the standards of wider society. But why do juveniles form or join these subcultures in the first place? Cohen argued that certain sections of youth feel rejected by society and the reason for this is to be found in the great tension and strain in handling the paradoxical many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen nature of schooling7. Those who cannot handle the strain suffer status deprivation and some will seek the collective delinquent subculture as the solution. Mertons8 anomie (strain) theory aims to integrate explanations of a variety of behaviours into a coherent pattern, by seeing them as related ways of coping with the problems by living in modern societies. This theory asserts that where there is a gap between what people want and what they can legitimately achieve, they experience strain. They can adapt to this strain in any of five ways. Conformists do not experience such a gap and are thus not under strain. Innovators adapt to the strain by finding alternative, usually illegitimate, methods of obtaining the goods they want. Ritualists turn adherence of social norms into a goal itself and often join movements that place moral rules above more individual goals, e. g. religious groups. Retreatists see neither the goals nor the means as valid and minimise their participation in normal society. Drug users, dropouts, hippies and priests would all be examples. Rebels are those who declare the social structure illegitimate, and seek to destroy it. A theory of much the same model9 as Cohens is put forward by Cloward and Ohlin. They accepted a similar model of delinquency causation as him but believed that he placed too much emphasis on the school. Cloward and Ohlin draw their theory in part from both Mertons anomie theory and from differential association. They say that crime occurs because of blocked and limited legitimate opportunities and that what type of criminal behaviour results depends on the individuals peer group or gang. They concluded that three types of subculture can result: criminal, conflict or retreatist. Again the importance of the group is emphasised as Cloward and Ohlin use differential association to argue that criminal behaviour is learnt from group relationships. When Lemet (1951) and Becker (1963) first promoted labelling theory, they both argued that no acts are intrinsically deviant; deviance is a moral judgement which is used to label particular acts and those who commit them. Thus social groups can create deviance by making rules whose infraction constitutes deviance, and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders10. The principal strength of these various theories appears to be their superior explanation of juvenile delinquency and crime, such as vandalism, joy-riding and pointless theft, which mainly occurs within juvenile gangs or subcultures. Much of the other criminological explanations of crime largely ignore this group reaction and concentrate solely on the individual. Mertons anomie theory is especially guilty of this and indeed Cohen criticised it for being inapplicable to both juvenile and group crime11. Similarly the biological positivists such as Eysenck look at the cause of crime as purely an individual matter without much concern for group crime. Shaw and McKays theory placed a great emphasis on juvenile crime and delinquency being a group activity delinquency is essentially group behaviour12 and they attempt to explain why people become delinquent and join gangs. They say that in areas of low economic status delinquency is a powerful rival way of life which derives its impelling force in the boys life from the fact that it provides a means of securing economic gain, prestige, and other human satisfactions and is embodied in delinquent groups and criminal organizations, many of which have great influence, power and prestige13. Children are exposed to these values as they are transmitted and passed down from generation to generation as are the techniques for committing offences. In discussing this, Shaw and Mckay give examples of the types of offences whose techniques are passed down, such as jack-rolling and shoplifting crimes which lack a purpose. They strongly emphasise the role of the peer group and they say that in the context of this group crime is regarded as normal, as from the viewpoint of the delinquents immediate social world (the subculture) and the norms associated with that world, he is not necessarily disorganised, maladjusted or antisocial but may be highly organized and well-adjusted14. Cohens explanation of juveniles turning to crime centred upon their frustration at being unable to achieve middle class success and, more specifically, success at school. He says that in the resulting delinquent subculture, delinquents respond as a group and that this response has been worked out by their group over many years. This response is to invert the norms of wider society with the result that the subcultures activities are, as mentioned earlier, non-utilitarian, malicious and negativistic. Indeed, these descriptions of the groups activities explain crimes such as shoplifting (which is non-utilitarian) and vandalism (which is malicious) rather well. Cohen himself says that much gang stealing has no motivation and is in fact stealing for the hell of it and is a valued activity to which attaches glory, prowess and profound satisfaction15 rather than as an activity for gain and profit. Crime is committed because delinquent groups are out for fun and short-term hedonism plays an important part in Cohens account of juvenile group crime. Again, like Shaw and McKay, Cohens theory emphasises the point that from the perspective of the gang themselves, their conduct could be regarded as meaningful. Although subcultural theories give a good explanation of juvenile delinquency and juvenile group crime, the fundamental weakness of these theories stems from precisely this: an overemphasis on the importance of a gang response to crimes. It places far too much emphasis on a group response rather than on individual responses. Notwithstanding the fact that most juvenile crime such as joy-riding is conducted by gangs, these theories fail to explain why crimes such as rape and murder, which are very individualistic, occur. Most of the subcultural theorists, including Shaw and McKay, Cloward and Ohlin, and especially Sutherland and Cressey, stress the significance of the peer group and the associations which one has in life. Sutherland and Cressey say that the values which encourage people to commit crime are learnt along with the techniques to commit crime. But how can this theory explain the crime of passion in which the husband murders his wife when finding her in bed with another man? He may have had no criminal associations in the past, but merely snaps. Compulsive crimes such as this are better explained by biological impulses rather by differential association or subcultural theories. It was mentioned earlier that Sutherland and Cressey stated that all the associations which one has in life can be quantified in order to find out whether a person will become deviant or not. However, as with the example above, this does not account for the honest, hard working businessman who, when his business starts doing badly is forced to commit fraud and other crimes to try and save it. It could certainly be said that he has learnt the techniques through differential association, but where and how does he learn the deviant values and motives? Stemming from this overemphasis on gang/group crime is the very closely related flaw that these theories are overly deterministic. Everyone is seen as being very heavily influenced by their peer group and little consideration is given to individual choice or free will. If, taking Shaw and McKays example, you fall within the centre circle of Chicago you are seen by them as having very little choice as to whether or not you end up in a delinquent gang. The theory of David Matza addresses in part this weakness of subcultural theories. He pointed out that these theories predicted far too much crime and delinquency16. His main theme concerned drift as he considered that delinquents drift in and out of delinquency without committing to either. He also emphasised freedom of choice and free will as important, and by doing so he answers many of the criticisms of the overly deterministic theories of Cohen, Shaw and McKay et al. The role of the subculture or gang is still important as they make such activity more likely by actively promoting it but this does not make deviant behaviour mandatory. The individual still has freedom to choose whether to commit a crime or not and to do so for personal reasons rather that as a group requirement17. The major criticisms of anomie theory are that while it outlines different possibilities for adaption, it does not explain why individuals adopt one or other forms of adaption- retreatism, ritualism etc. It also says nothing about the causes of social inequality and conflict, which is strange given the theorys recognition that inequality and conflict exists is precisely the point at which it has an advantage over functionalism. Labelling theory does not provide an account for why some social groups have the power to label and others do not, nor of why certain acts are declared illegal and others are not. In Beckers view, the theory does not, and need not, explain why some groups or individuals have the power to label, he was only concerned to show that labelling occurs and the consequences of it. There is no consensus about how far how-far a group has to go in having specialised values and norms, or stable membership, or regular activities, to qualify as a sub-culture; nor about the precise meaning of descriptions such as deviant subculture. It is also interesting to note that some studies of subcultures refer back to anomie theory and its concept of adaptation; they thus have the same weaknesses as anomie theory. It can be said that from the principal strength of subcultural theories stems its main weakness. The main theories examined provide us with a through examination of crimes largely ignored by anomie and biological theories namely juvenile crime. In their consideration of the consideration of the main causes of juvenile crime, the role and influence of the gang or group response render the application of these theories to explaining individual crimes, such as murder, irrelevant. Related to this is the fact that these theories also suffer from the flaw of being excessively deterministic. Nevertheless, as an account of why subcultures exist and why juveniles within these subcultures engage in deviant acts, the theories examined succeed this objective. Regardless of whichever theory one tends to adopt for a particular given, each has its own strengths and subsequent weaknesses. In this regard, and despite these problems, the concept of sub-culture amongst young men and women remains seductive. Subcultural theories Essay Example Subcultural theories Paper Subcultural theories of youth civilization owe much to the pioneering work of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies ( CCCS ) during the 1970s and early 1980s. The CCCS make usage of the term subculture from US sociologists at Chicago University, and applied it to visually typical post-World War II British working category young person civilizations, such as teddy male childs, mods, and bootboyss. Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical positions: the functionalist position, the Marxist position and the post-modernist position. These positions offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explicating how society influences people, and frailty versa. Each position unambiguously conceptualises society, societal forces, and human behavior. Functionalism Functionalism is the oldest, and still the dominant, theoretical position in sociology and many other societal scientific disciplines. Harmonizing to the functionalist position each facet of society is mutualist and contributes to society s operation as a whole. Functionalists see society as holding a construction, with cardinal establishments executing critical maps, and roles directing people in how to act. They identify the maps of each portion of the construction. For illustration, the province, or the authorities, provides instruction for the kids of the household, which in bend wages revenue enhancements on which the province depends to maintain itself running. This means that the household is dependent upon the school to assist kids turn up to hold good occupations so that they can raise and back up their ain households. In the procedure, the kids become observant, taxpaying citizens, who in bend support the province. If the procedure succeeds the parts of society green goods order, stableness and productiveness. On the other manus, if the procedure does non travel good, the parts of society so must accommodate to recapture a new order, stableness, and productiveness. For illustration, as we are soon sing, during a fiscal recession with its high rates of unemployment and rising prices, net income and salary decrease, societal plans are trimmed or cut. Families tighten their budgets while employers offer fewer concern plans, and a new societal order, stableness and productiveness occur. Functionalists believe that society is held together by societal consensus, or coherence, in which society members agree upon, and work together to accomplish, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that societal consensus takes one of two signifiers: Mechanical Solidarity: This is a signifier of societal coherence that arises when people in a society maintain similar values and beliefs and prosecute in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional, simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cowss or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical solidarity. Organic Solidarity: This is a signifier of societal coherence that arises when people in a society are mutualist, but hold to changing values and beliefs and engage in changing types of work. Organic solidarity most commonly occurs in industrialized, complex societies such as those in big American metropoliss like New York in the 2000s. We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Subcultural theories specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Leading functionalists include Emile Durkheim and Talcott Parsons. Robert Merton ( 1910 ) , who was a functionalist as good, developed his theory of aberrance which is derived from Durkheim s thought of anomy. It is cardinal in explicating how internal alterations can happen in a system. For Merton, anomy means a discontinuity between cultural ends and that accepted methods available for making them. Merton ( 1968 ) has proposed a figure of of import differentiations to avoid possible failings and clear up ambiguities in the basic functionalist position. First, he distinguishes between manifest and latent maps. Manifest maps are recognised, knowing and obvious, while latent maps are unrecognized, unwilled, and therefore non obvious. Merton used the illustration of the Hopi rain dance to demo that sometimes an person s apprehension of their motivation for an action may non to the full explicate why that action continues to be performed. Sometimes actions fulfil a map of which the hist rion is incognizant, and this is the latent map of an action. Second, he distinguishes between effects which are positively functional for a society, those which are dysfunctional for the society, and those which neither. Third, he besides distinguishes between degrees of society, that is, the specific societal units for which regularised forms of behavior are functional or dysfunctional. Finally, he maintains that the peculiar societal constructions which satisfy functional demands of society are non indispensable, but that structural options may be which can besides fulfill the same functional demands. Merton expanded on the thought that anomy is the disaffection of the ego from society due to conflicting norms and involvements by depicting five different types of actions that occur when personal ends and legitimate agencies come into struggle with each other. Conformity is the typical successful hardworking individual who both accepts the ends of the society and has the agencies for obtaining those ends. This is an illustration of non-anomie. Invention refers to the chase of culturally approved ends by disapproved, including illegal agencies, in other words, they must utilize invention in order to accomplish cultural ends. ( Example: Drug trader who sells drugs to back up a household. ) Ritualism refers to overly stiff conformance to approved ends and agencies, even to the disregard of the existent consequences ; inefficient administrative officials who adhere stiffly to the regulations are the authoritative illustration of ritualism. The individual who ignores and rejects the agencies and the ends of the society is said to be withdrawing from society. ( For illustration a drug nut who has stopped caring about the societal ends and chooses a drug induced world in favor of the socially recognized life style. ) Finally, there is a 5th type of version which is that of rebellion which refers to the rejection of sanctioned ends and agencies in favour of new 1s. Functionalism has received unfavorable judgment as it has a conservative prejudice. Critics claim that the position justifies the position quo and complacence on the portion of society s members. Functionalism does non promote people to take an active function in altering their societal environment, even when such alteration may profit them. Alternatively, functionalism sees active societal alteration as unwanted because the assorted parts of society will counterbalance of course for any jobs that may originate. Marxist NEW-SUBCULTURAL THEORY Marx argues that societies result from worlds acquiring together to bring forth nutrient. The forces of production form societal relationships. In Marxist theory, category is the most of import societal group in the capitalist society and the city manager societal constellations are category civilizations. The categories are organised depending on the manner of production that determine a concrete set of dealingss of production: the capitalists ( middle class ) and the workers ( labor ) . These categories are all the clip in struggle and dialogue because one of them is dominant and the other is low-level. This struggle position originated chiefly out of Karl Marx s Hagiographas on category battles and it presents society in a different visible radiation than do the functionalist position. While the latter position focal point on the positive facets of society that contribute to its stableness, the struggle position focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the position quo, avoid societal alteration, and believe people cooperate to consequence societal order, struggle theoreticians challenge the position quo, promote societal alteration ( even when this means societal revolution ) , and believe rich and powerful people force societal order on the hapless and the weak. As we can see, most societies are based upon development of some groups by others. Those who own the agency of production, such as mills, land, natural stuff or capital, exploit those who work for them, who lack the agencies to bring forth things themselves . Therefore, capitalists accumulate net incomes and acquire richer and richer. Eventually workers will come to gain that they are being exoploited and will subvert capitalist economy and make a communist society. In communism the agencies of production will be communally owened, so there will be no governing category, no development and much less inequality than in capitalist economy. Today, struggle theoreticians find societal struggle between any groups in which potency for inequality exists, such as, racial, gender, spiritual, political, economic and so on. These theoreticians note that unequal groups normally have conflicting values and dockets, doing them to vie against one another. This changeless competition between groups forms the footing for the ever-changing nature of society. Critics of the struggle position point to its highly negative position of society. The theory s ultimately cardinal jobs are: it has trouble explicating the more orderly and stable elements of societal life, it neglects or downplays the cultural and symbolic facets of societal life because it emphasises on economic sciences and category, struggle theoreticians tend to presume the power differences lead to conflict but differences do non needfully arouse struggle. POST MODERNISM Post modernist positions have developed since the 1980s. Some versions see of import alterations taking topographic point in society, while other versions question the ability of conventional sociology to bring forth worthwhile theories of society. Some postmodernists argue that societal behavior is no longer shaped by factors such as category, gender, ethnicity and different types of socialization. It is now merely a inquiry of lifestyle pick. Finally, Post-Structuralism and Postmodernism, perspectives developed on the Gallic rational scene, have had considerable influence on American sociologists in recent old ages ( every bit good as on bookmans in many other Fieldss, particularly literary surveies ) . Derived from ( but mostly rejecting ) both the Marxist tradition and the plants of anthropologist Claude L A ; eacute ; vi-Strauss who developed a structuralist theory of civilization these theoretical schools seek to account for the evident decomposition of modern civilization over the past several decennaries. Among the tradition s major figures, such as Jacques Derrida and Jean Baudrillard, possibly the best known is Michel Foucault, a historian and philosopher. Tracing the historical alterations in social attitudes toward penalty, mental unwellness, and gender, among other subjects, he argued that cognition and power have become inextricably entwined. Foucault stressed the disciplinary nature of power, and argued that ( societal ) scientific discourse as one such subject may itself necessitate to be questioned. Sociologists in this tradition seek non merely to analyze the universe otherwise, but to do the production of sociological cognition, and therefore our ain situatedness within constructions of cognition and power, portion of the survey. American sociologists influenced by this tradition sometimes name their work Discourse Analysis or Cultural Studies.

Sleeping disorders essays

Sleeping disorders essays Over the past several weeks I have researched sleeping disorders. I have taken a special interest in learning about the less talked about sleeping disorders. These sleeping disorders are referred to as parasomnias. This category consists of rapid eye movement behavior disorder (RBD), nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder: (NSRED), sleep walking, and nocturnal seizures. I will talk about how to help cure them, what causes them to occur, and give other helpful information I have found on the generalization of sleeping disorders. Rapid eye movement (RBD) has been commonly known as sleep terrors. Basically what happens is when a person with RBD sleeps they have a tendency to act out dramatic and or violent dreams. This disorder can cause a person to yell, punch, kick, and scream in the night. Mark Mahowald a medical physician in Minnesota, explains a little bit about this disorder (2003) They tend to be brief episodes because if they fall out of bed or injury themselves the people are immediately awake (p.3). After they are awoken they are alert and can remember a vague dream that correlates to the actions they preformed. Studies have shown that most victims of RBD are males 50 or older. They have also proven a definite connection between RBD and Parkinsons disease. They are not yet sure of what causes RBD, but they did give a few suggestions on ways to help eliminate the disorder. For example taking anti-anxiety medications like klonopin. About 90% of those who use this medication are helped dras tically. Another sleeping disorder that is rare but evident is nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder (NSRED). This unfortunate disorder causes one to physically get up and eat in undesirable fashions. It can be very dangerous for the person; they could cut themselves, choke, eating foods you may be allergic to, and blood sugar is untamable and people are not sleeping adequately. When eating in the n...

Business Operations and Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Business Operations and Systems - Essay Example However, the designing of a business model requires the effective use of human, tangible and intangible assets of the company. The conceptualization of a business model depends upon the efficiency of the manager and the employees. An effective implementation of a business model paves the path of success for the companies. A business model needs to change as per the changing market trends of the economy. A manager must possess certain qualities which can distinguish him/her form other managers of the companies (Birch, 2008). The managers should be able to perform activities within a particular time frame. The managers should be result oriented and be able to think in terms of results and not duties. The managers should be able to prioritize among various objectives and make effective decisions by examining various alternatives. The managers should be able to create learning atmosphere within the company to improve the knowledge base of the employees and translate visions into strategi es (Prahalad and Hamel, 1996). Leaders and managers are not synonymous because a manager may possess leadership qualities but a leader may or may not possess managerial qualities. A leader is an individual who influences the work and behaviour of his subordinates in group efforts towards the achievement of a certain goals and objectives. A leader motivates his subordinates to attain the goals and objectives in an effective manner. To attain the goals and objectives of a company the managers of a company need to establish a healthy relationship with their subordinates. Managers of the company should apply the â€Å"Social Capital† theory in their companies. The central point of the theory is that relationships constitute a valuable resource for the conduct of social affair. According to theorist Bourdieu, the application of social capital theory in the fields of management can help in harnessing the true potential of the employees (Bourdieu, 1993 cited in Lesser, 2000, p.121). Social capital theory helps in exploring the actual and potential intellectual capital of the employees. The manager of the company needs to utilize the human resource, tangible and intangible assets at the optimum level to determine the effectiveness of the company. Authors Hamel and Prahlad conceptualized the enterprise as a portfolio of knowledge, assets and resources and competencies. According to these authors, certain companies were more productive than the other companies because they utilized the knowledge, capacity and competence of their resources at the optimum level. The tangible assets of the company include fixed assets like plant and machinery, buildings etc and current assets such as inventory. Non tangible assets include patents, copyright etc. The human resource of the company includes the skill and competence level of the employees. The manager needs to establish juxtaposition between these three assets to achieve optimum level of efficiency. According to authors Hamel and Prahalad, resource leverage is defined as doing more (or adding more value) with what you have (Hamel and Prahalad, 1966 cited in Morden, 2007, p.445). One of the main task of the manager is to recruit qualified employees and give them proper training and guidance to utilize the company’s fixed assets and resources. The manager needs to ensure that the company has a right mix of skills and knowledge to meet the goals