Radical Rights Groups

How do current radical right groups such as sovereign citizens threaten the legitimate federal authority in the United States? In the United States, a radical right group is a term used to assign common depiction to each extreme side of the political spectrum (Johnson 46). Radical right groups comprise of a number of fanatic movements that support nationalistic leanings. These groups can be classified into supremacist movements, militia movements, sovereign citizens’ movements, and various single-issue movements (Johnson 46).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Radical Rights Groups specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Among these groups, sovereign citizens are the most active. The groups, together with other right groups in the United States threaten the legitimate federal authority in a number of ways. As such, these groups champion for secession. They want to fight for the removal of their states from the Unite d States. These groups argue that state separation is a constitutional right that the federal government should respect. Based on these motives, it is apparent that these extremist groups are after undermining the legitimate federal authority of the US. Similarly, sovereign citizens have always insisted that the US federal government is illegitimate. Therefore, they have always tried to reinstate an idealized and an inconspicuous government that has never been in existence in the US. To date, these groups wage confrontations against the federal government and similar related authorities by use of paper terrorism, pestering, threat tactics, and infrequently resorting to aggression (Johnson 47). In addition, sovereign citizens assert that the county is the legitimate seat of command in the US. Their ideology is supported by the fact that county administration is nearer to the citizens than the federal government. Why does the FBI classify this group as domestic terrorists? According t o the FBI, domestic terrorism group is a faction that satisfies the below characteristics (Johnson 47). The first attribute is that a group must be planning dangerous acts against fellow humans contrary to the national or state law. Second attribute is that a group must seem to be intentionally threatening civilians, undermining the policy of a government through threats, and have an effect on the behavior of a government by mass obliteration, murdering or abducting. Lastly, for a group to be considered a domestic terrorist it acts must occur inside the territorial jurisdiction of the United States and be carried out by its citizens. Sovereign citizens are categorized as internal terrorists because they exhibit the above characteristics. For instance, ever since the fall of the Posse the group has witnessed a momentous increase in numbers of its acts.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These acts comprise of attempts of aggression frequently against the legislative body of the government. During the year 1993, radical escapees Linda Lyon Block and George Sibley, who were the members of the group, assassinated a police officer in Alabama (Hamm 217). In mid 1990s, a gang of radicals linked with the extremists battered Karen Mathews at her residence. Similarly, in the year 1998 two members belonging to the group fired their guns at two firefighters in Ohio. They attacked the firefighters because the two servicepersons’ vehicle had blocked their way. At irregular intervals, the group members have engaged themselves in high-profile confrontation with the authorities. In spite of aggressive activity, the favored weapon of this group is referred to as paper terrorism. Paper terrorism utilizes the use of fake legal credentials and filings. Similarly, paper terrorism employs the misuse of lawful credentials and filings. These acts are undertaken to threaten, annoy, and pressurize public officials, police officers, and the public (Johnson 46). Works Cited Hamm, Mark S.. Terrorism as crime: from Oklahoma City to Al-Qaeda and beyond. New York: New York University Press, 2007. Print. Johnson, Daryl. Right wing resurgence: how a domestic terrorist threat is being ignored. Lanham: Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 2012. Print. This essay on Radical Rights Groups was written and submitted by user Jane Roth to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How does the self-concept theory relate to a consumers decision to purchase Rogaine Essays

How does the self-concept theory relate to a consumers decision to purchase Rogaine Essays How does the self-concept theory relate to a consumers decision to purchase Rogaine Essay How does the self-concept theory relate to a consumers decision to purchase Rogaine Essay Essay Topic: Marketing Self- concept has become a popular in recent years to investigating possible relationships between how individuals perceive themselves and what behaviour they exhibit as consumer. An advantage of studying consumer behaviour using the theory of self-concept is that consumers provide descriptions of them selves as apposed to having descriptions made by outside observations. (1) People perceived that bald people as somehow different from full-haired people. Once I started losing my hair, I worry it will bring negative effect to my outward appearance. It may caused me lose the confidence and strength. I am worrying people will make fun on me because I am hair loss person. I know that a persons appearance is important, society will pay close attention to my appearance. According to research study, age 21, undergraduate female will shy away from the balding men. It notices me; others do not accept me. No one will like to be balding person. Rogaine can help me regain my confidence. I need a hair-growth drug. Rogaine is in my choice set and satisfy me if it is workable. I will buy Rogaine to test. Consumers self-perceptions can have a strong influence on their behaviour in the marketplace. For example: the way an individual perceives various products could be affected by the image he has of himself. Actual self the perception of oneself as one believes she actually is. Ideal self may be defined as the perception of oneself as one would ideally like to be. Social self the perception of one self as one believes others actually perceive him to be. The ideal social self the perception of ones image as he would like others to have of him. (2) In this case, to the balding person, there are greatly difference between actual-self and idea self. They need hair-growth drug in the idea self. Balding person likes to be full haired person, if they can. Especially women, they cant accept the fact loss hair. In conducting personal interviews with women, Dr.Roper learned that they feel compelled to do something about baldness because bald women simply cannot manage in society as men can. Rogaine has turned to difference consumer segment: women; more concern their outward appearance than men. Rogaine marketers provide ads targeting women included a toll free phone number and the offer of free information kit. In most people opinion, a beautiful woman should not have hair loss problem. I will also shy away from the balding women. Women need Rogaine to perceive as ideal self. Consumers appear to hold images of various products and these images can be viewed as symbols that communicate meaning about those who purchase them. Therefore, an area of considerable practical interest is the degree to which a consumer might actually prefer certain products or brands because she perceives their images as consistent with her view of herself, what she would like to be, or some other aspect of self concept. (3) As the consumer, I will buy the product like Rogaine I may perceive a close match with my ideal self. The theory would still predict that the consumer could have a strong preference for this brand because of the degree of congruity existing between the brand image and what she aspires to become. Also, the degree of congruence to both the actual and ideal self may join to exert a combined influence on consumers attraction toward a brand. The ideal self- concept appears to be a motivating force behind the design of advertisements. (4) Through the advertisement, balding person can know what is the result after using Rogaine. This brand is effectively linked to a full- hair model that many hair loss person might aspire to look like. The research must first identify the most important image attributes to measure and then develop semantic scales for these attributes. Consumers are must asked to reveal the dimension of their self-concept under investigation by marking the scales in order to most appropriately describe them. A second set of scales is used to measure the same consumers perceptions of brand images. If numbers are assigned to each response option on the semantic scales, it is then possible to determine the numerical distance between consumers and their brand images. (5) Discuss the core value that might motivate a consumer to try Rogaine. Rogaine is a product that is a prescription drug intended to restore hair growth. The producer produces this product according to the people who are suffering hair loss and made he/she return to full-haired people. From this article, we can know that some of those men agree a person looks better with full head of hair. This is a fact and we must accept it. The purpose to launch this product is due to today task of difference people wants because today people are facing hair loss problem and also people are concern to health and good looking due to this reason. This means Rogaine produce a prescription to the people who are suffer hair loss. This company want to solve the hair loss problem that is facing by a people. So the hair losss people can go back to his/her full-haired life. So, he/she will become more and more confidence and strength compare to his/her baldness. The producer can motivate the consumer thought Maslows Hierarchy of Motivation, and Freuds Theory of Motivation. From the Maslows Hierarchy of Motivation, it has five hierarchy needs. They are physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs, and self-actualisation needs. The first need is Physiological needs. Physiological needs are the basic needs by individual such as food, drink, shelter, sexual satisfaction, and other physical requirement. (6) But in this case, Physiological needs are the people need for the prescription drug intended to restore hair growth. This means the people who suffer hair loss need for the prescription to treatment his/her hair. The second need is Safety needs. Safety needs are a persons needs for the security and protection from physical and emotional harm, as well as assurance that physical needs will continue to be met. (7) According to this case, safety needs for the prescription to protect his/her image and without any side effect. This means this product is very safe to use because it has not any side effect can affect peoples health. Therefore, the people can reassurance when he/she uses this product. The third need is social needs. Social needs are a persons needs for affection, belongingness, acceptance, and friendship. (8) Reference from this article, we can know that in a study analysing consumers reaction to the balding process. The study result indicated the average undergraduate female who aged 21 will shy away from the balding men. This means the man almost has a full head of hair. So, the Rogaine try to use this way to target the male consumer to attract him to purchase it new product. After they use the Rogaine, their loss hair will become a full head of hair slowly. This will cause he is easy to make friend. The fourth need is esteem needs. Esteem needs is a persons needs for internal factors such as self-respect, autonomy, and achievement, and external factors such as status, recognition, and attention. (9) Based on this article, we can say this Rogaines product can let a hair loss people become more confidence and strength. So, the people who are loss hair can become more smarter though Rogaine. The Rogaine can lead to a people change his/her attitude toward the task. So, the Rogaine is very successful in this sector. The final need is self-actualisation needs. Self-actualisation needs are a persons needs to become what he or she is capable of becoming. (10) After the esteem needs are solve the higher needs is need to solve. This is the term to settle self-actualisation needs. From this article, it tells us if a person is looks better with a full of hair. This means we can treatment our loss hair with Rogaine. Consequently, we have a full head of hair and then can perform our task with the best. This mean the loss hair can cause a person feeling of diminishing confidence and strength. So the treatment of the loss hair is very important. Beside that, the producer of the Rogaine has also use Freuds Theory of Motivational. Freud assumed that people are largely not conscious of the real psychological forces shaping their behaviour. He saw the person as growing up and repressing many urges. These urges are never eliminated or under perfect control; they emerge in dreams, in slips of the tongue, in neurotic and obsessive behaviour; or ultimately in psychoses. Thus, Freud suggests that a person does not fully understand his or her motivation. (11) If a person tries to buys the Rogaine because of he/she is facing the loss hair problem. At a deeper level, he/she buy the Rogaine may be because he/she feel his/her hair is not attractive. After use Rogaine, he/she is become more confidence and strength. At a still deeper level, he/she purchase for the Rogaine because of the Rogaine is very hot and famous. He/she can use it to satisfy his/her problem. On the other hand, Rogaines marketing team used such insights to guide development of advertising that would effectively reach the customer while staying within the FDAs strict regulatory guidelines. Initial marketing efforts targeted at doctors, nurses and pharmacists sought to introduce them to Rogaine. From using this plan can let the people become more awareness to the Rogaine. By the way, Advertising targeted at customers followers, with the objectives of informing consumers that those concerned about hair loss could contact physicians who prescribe the drug. The ads also included a toll-free phone number. This means the producer of the Rogaine want the consumers ask for more information and detail of the Rogaine. Beside that, the Rogaine marketers decided to adopt a more aggressive marketing strategy, recognizing the need for a more direct appeal to consumer. With approval, they included the Rogaine name in commercials and urged men to ask their physicians to prescribe it. From this strategy we can clearly to know that the Rogaine marketers motivate consumer try to purchase their product. They also developed a video that featured doctors giving technical information; the video also showed men who tried Rogaine with varying degrees of success. So the consumer can easy to understanding to use for the Rogaine. Under this condition, this will increase the consumer confidence to purchase the Rogaine. According to the article, Pharmacia and Upjohn also experimented with rebates. A patient could real result from TV choose between a certificate worth $10 towards a first bottle of Rogaine or $20 fro sending in the box tops from the first four emptied bottles. The marketers give the promotion to consumer and motivate consumers to buy more and more. Discuss the manner in which Rogaine marketers moved consumers though the steps in the consumer decision process. Buying Decision Process shows a stage model. The consumer passes through five stages: problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchases decision, and postpurchase behaviour. Clearly the buying process starts long before the actual purchase and has consequences long after the purchase. (12) At the first stage, consumers recognize that the Rogaine may solve a problem of unfulfilled desire. They need some effective drug to satisfy themselves. The consumers sense a difference between his or her actual condition and desired condition. Their needs become a drive to purchase the Rogaine. Rogaine is given a way to consumers to solve their hair loss problem. Rogaine is a hair-growth product approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in US. From in-depth personal interviews, Dr. Roper learned that hair loss gave men a general feeling of diminishing confidence and strength. On the other hand, society seems to pay close attention to a persons appearance. Based on the research, it shows that a tendency among the average undergraduate female, age 21, to shy away from the balding men. I believe that some of those men will agree a person looks better with a full head of hair. Balding men recognize their problem and needs when they realize that repurchase is needed. Rogaine is their choice. Rogaine may improve their outward appearance in a manner not tried before. Under the condition, consumers hesitate to try Rogaine. The second stage, an aroused consumer will be inclined to search for more information and listing the alternatives that will solve the problem of hair loss. There are a lot of brands have the same function compared to Rogaine. Why consumer will aware the existence of Rogaine. Initial marketing efforts targeted at doctors, nurses and pharmacists sought to introduce them to Rogaine. Advertising targeted at consumers followed, with the objective of informing consumers that those concerned about hair loss could contact a physician who could prescribe the drug. The ads also included a toll-free phone number. This soft-sell approach established good consumer awareness, but it produced disappointing results, perhaps because most men needed a stronger inducement to get them to a doctors office. They are successful used such insights to guide development of advertising that would effectively reach the consumer while staying within the FDAs strict regulatory guidelines. It provides sources of information to consumers. When consumers simply becomes more receptive to information about hair grow drug, they pay attention to ads, drug purchased by friends and conversation about hair grow drug. In this condition, with the advertising the consumers will notice the Rogaine. Through gathering information, the consumer learns about competing brands and label. Consumers will make the final choice from the choice set. Therefore Rogaine must strategize to get its brand into the prospects choice set. Otherwise it loses its opportunity to sell to the customer. After second stage, Rogaine marketers decided to adopt a more aggressive marketing strategy, recognizing the need for a more direct appeal to consumers. They began targeting hair stylists and barbers by offering handling fees to shops that displayed Rogaine. With FDA approval, they included the Rogaine name in commercials and urged men to ask their physicians to prescribe it. It give assurances that the drug is effective in hair grow. Consumer will trust the product. They believe that it is safety to use and product in good quality. They also developed a video that featured doctors giving technical information; the video also showed men who tried Rogaine with varying degrees of success. Pharmacia and Upjohn created a Dermatology Division to focus on relationship marketing through coordinated ads and public relations messages. Through the video, they show the result after using the drug. It brings the good news to them. The consumers only consider few factors to buying the product: quality, safety, price and effectiveness. Consumer will chose the best one to meet their needs. Rogaine had showed the effectiveness through the video. Product also approved by FDA. Obviously, Rogaine can satisfy the customer. The company is likely to develop a set of brand beliefs. The brand beliefs make up the brand image. Rogaine try to change buyers beliefs about was competitive brands stand on different attributes. Purchase decision stage, after choosing the best alternative, a consumer is ready for the purchase act. Three considerations remain: place of purchase, terms, and availability. (13) However, two factors can intervene between the purchase intention and the purchase decision. The first factor is attitudes of others. If the intensity of the other persons negative attitude toward the consumers preferred alternative and the consumers motivation to comply with the other persons wishes. The converse is also true: a buyers preference for a brand will increase if complex when several people close to the buyer hold contradictory opinions and the buyer would like to please them all. (14) If Rogaine give the bad image to consumer then lost the opportunity to sell product. With the good public relations, product will accept by consumer easier. The company also involved in event marketing to build its database, followed by direct marketing and telemarketing. Rogaine has received FDA approval to se ll over the counter. This change will bring the new challenge to Rogaine marketers. Last stage is postpurchase behaviour. After purchasing the product, the consumer will experience some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. The consumer will also engage in postpurchase actions and product uses of interest to the marketer. The marketers job does not end when the product is bought but continues into the postpurchase period. (15) Pharmacia and Upjohn experimented with rebates. A patient could choose between a certificate worth $10 toward a first bottle of Rogaine or $20 for sending in the box tops from the first four emptied bottles. If the customer is satisfied with this, it may exhibit a higher probability of purchasing the product again. The satisfied customer will also tend to say good things about the brand to others. The feeling of satisfaction makes a difference in whether the customer buys the product again and talks favourably or unfavourably about the product to others. General speaking, Rogaine is successful in the advertisement. It attracts more customers to try product. Marketer said that the best advertisement is a satisfied customer.

The Immensity Of The Collision Between Cultures Essay

The Immensity Of The Collision Between Cultures - Essay Example The sages say that the past is not really real, that it is just all in the mind, thoughts, that have no reality in and of itself. From experience, I can say that I am more a product of my choices and my own personal history rather than my cultural heritage. I have always been my own person, distinct from another, in the same way, that even my closest friends are different from me, and defined by their own choices, even though we grew up together and share many things in common. Growing up, there was no question that I can be my own person and that I can even make decisions on who to befriend and what I did with my free time, within limits. I was even free to choose what I wanted to study and what career I would pursue. My tastes in clothes and in music have always been my own. Even my choice of friends is something that was, is up to me. All of these are encapsulated in my present, and my present circumstances alone shape all of these choices and decisions, unhampered by any past or cultural tradition or heritage. This seems so contrary to what Kingston’s family in China, and the young unmarried people in their community, were used to. Their restriction and bowing to tradition seemed to be the norm, and going against the dictates of the community meant becoming ostracized and forgotten. Yet in another sense, we human beings need some kind of grounding in the past. If there is no past then a man in a way is also a kind of ungrounded animal with no social dimension at all. The past roots us to social history, and cultural history as well. In this social aspect and cultural aspect of our lives, we relate to others, and others relate to us, in the categories that they also define themselves in. In the context of American society, this is clear.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS - Essay Example However, they were unable to identify where the American Indians came from. Later, many scientists described them as the lost tribes of Israel based on their traditional values, similar cultural ethics and languages. However, the new discovery of remains of Kennewick man opened many new discussions in this regard. Controversy of Kennewick Man Kennewick man case came up with many disputes among the people of different origins and classes. First, controversy is the legal controversy that was played in the courts and congress about the possession of the remains. Second was the dispute of emotional attachment to the theories of evolution versus intelligent design. In 1996, Washington was under the management of U.S Army Corps of Engineers (COE) who found a skeleton near the banks of the Columbian River. They asked an anthropologist, James Chatter to examine the skeleton. James Chatter considered it to be related to Caucasian people who lived in the Caucasian region and had more flat face s. Later, an ultraviolet examination of the bones made it one of the oldest complete set of remains found in the America. It was found to be 9000 years old. In 1996, Umatilla filed a case to return the remains to them and get it buried under The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) that Corps of Engineers (COE) accepted. Later in the year 1996, eight scientists sued the CEO and Department of Interior saying that remains of Kennewick does not fulfill the demands of NAGPRA. It is neither related biologically nor culturally to any of the modern Indian tribe. They asked for the possession of the remains for scientific research purpose. On the basis of Chatter’s claim that Kennewick has Caucasian background, Asatru Folk which was a religious group from Northern California claimed that the Kennewick should be handed over to him as he shares the ancestors with him. The controversy continued for the possession of Kennewick man and in 1997 a United States Re presentative, Richard Hasting introduced a bill in the assembly to make amendments in NAGPRA that would allow the study of remains of Kennewick man and will help to solve the issue. After a long struggle, in 1999 some federal scientists were able to study Kennewick Man and they found that it belongs to Asian people rather than the tribes of America claiming its remains. They also claimed that DNA test should be done to prove this claim that was opposed by the tribes saying that for scientists ‘race’ is a social construct and is unable to be determined biologically. Also, biological affiliation is not necessary as per NAGPRA rule and it concentrates more on the affiliation of cultural affiliation. Origin of the People in the America When it comes to origin of the people in America, the major fight is between two groups of two very different schools of thought. First, who belief the creation of humans is by the God. Second those who strongly belief in the â€Å"theory of Evolution†. Both sides, proponents of evolution and those who reject it on the basis of religious belief, have emotional sentiments over this issue. Theory of evolution says that humans are the descendents of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm washed up on an ocean beach about thirty two billion years ago. Those who reject the theory of evolution are of the view that if it is purely by chance then there is no point of existence of God.

Drug Abuse Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drug Abuse - Research Paper Example However you will notice that the knowledge gained from observation and the propositions collected by doing general research, were used to support the facts drawn from qualitative analysis. The main source of information was the Internet. This is because the Internet is the richest source of information and it is easily accessible. The Internet, as a source of information, is also cheap, reliable and time-saving. The major disadvantage of using the Internet is that information collected over the Internet can be inaccurate. This is because everybody in the world has the permission to upload whatever information they have. This information is mostly not well researched hence it is based on assumptions. This problem of inaccurate information can be corrected by using more than two sources over the Internet and lucky for you, this is what the author did so as to prepare this report for you. Various web pages, which have been cited in the report, were used to collect the information and yo u can have a look at them to build on your curiosity and to expand your knowledge about drug abuse. ALTERNATIVES Alternative methods of information gathering included; observation, carrying out interviews, administering questionnaires, experimental analysis, general survey and sample survey OBSERVATION This is a primary method of data collection that would involve the author going to the field, meeting drug users and drug addicts, then drawing information from what would see. The field here implies schools, cities, home area, campus, offices, homes, wherever the author can find a group of people to study. Observation does not involve asking questions or interacting with the people. It is simply being a quite onlooker of what goes on in the people of interest; in this case they are the drug users and abusers. The author would have to follow those people everywhere they went so that he could see what drugs they took, how often and how the drugs affected them immediately they took them , later in the day and the long-term effects. A substitute method would be to monitor the people under research using CCTV cameras. If the author would have chosen observation, he could also have hired people to follow the drug users and collect the relevant information. This observation project would take months or even years to study many people, to be able to see the log-term effects and to come up with a factual, comprehensive report. Apart from time being the major disadvantage, observation would be extremely costly. The author would have to use money to follow the people under study wherever they went. He would need money to pay the people he hired and also pay for their transport when following the drug users. He would also need money for the CCTV cameras, if he would have chosen to use them. Observation is also extremely tiring because following somebody or people for days and months, and watching them closely for twenty four hours every day is exhausting. One can even lose focus of the client in the process of following them. Another limitation of observation is that people would easily agree to being followed! Even if they agreed, drug-addicts turn violent when they are under influence of drugs. This makes observation a very risky method because the author could be attacked by the person he is studying when the

Critical Analysis Of Research Design And Data Collection Management Essay

Critical Analysis Of Research Design And Data Collection Management Essay The purpose of this assignment is to offer a critical analysis of the underpinning assumptions and research design and data collection strategies and the practice of academic research. Two research papers are chosen for the purpose of this analysis. The first paper is a quantitative study and the second paper is a qualitative study. They are as follows:- Shafer, W. E., Fukukawa, K. and Lee, G. M. (2007) Values and the perceived importance of ethics and social responsibility: The U.S. versus China, Journal of Business Ethics, 70 (3), pp. 265-284. Tsoi, J. (2007) Stakeholders perceptions and future scenarios to improve corporate social responsibility in Hong Kong and Mainland China, Journal of Business Ethics, pp. 1-14. The main reason for selecting these two papers is that they both report upon the area of corporate social responsibility, which is the focus of my PhD. Within the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR), there has been considerable research discussing the relationship between values and perception with the attitude/behaviour of businesses towards CSR. These values are considered quantifiable and thus have been measured quantitatively using scales developed by authors such as Forsyth (1980), Singhapakdi et al. (1996), and Vitell and Patwardhan (2008). Interviews have been used to bring forward the values that are deemed important by stakeholders, and were explored qualitatively by Fukukawa and Teramoto (2009), Siltaoja (2006), and Là ¤hdesmà ¤ki and Siltaoja (2009). The two papers selected both looked at cross-cultural values and perceptions, however, they utilise different methods of investigation. This difference could provide a good basis for comparison, in terms of philosophical assumptions, research design, and the method of data collection. The analyses will begin for each paper with an introduction of the research aims, followed by the epistemological and ontological position, the research design, followed by analysis of its research methodology, the alternative research design and lastly, conclusions from this discussion will be provided. Review of Quantitative Research paper 2.1 Research Objectives This study by Shafer, Fukukawa and Lee (2007) examined the values and the perceived importance of ethics and social responsibility on managers from China and the U.S. The authors used scales instruments to obtain quantitative data in order to make inferences on whether the managers nationality and personal values have effect on their ethical perception. The American and Chinese managers are assumed to differ in their personal values and subsequently this should be reflected from their responses to the Perceived Role of Ethics and Social Responsibility (PRESOR) scale. The authors provided the relevant background information and built up the reasoning for their hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that managers from China would believe less strongly than American managers in the importance of ethically and socially responsible conduct to achieve organisational success. The second hypothesis was that both American and Chinese managers personal values are believed to have significant impact on the responses to the scale. These hypotheses seem to correlate strongly with the research objectives which are to determine that there is variation in response due to cultural differences. 2.2 Epistemological and Ontological Assumptions It is likely that the authors based their research on moral philosophy which refers in particular to the principles of rules that people use to decide what is right or wrong (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2005:19). This paper seems to indicate that the principles of rules of managers of different cultures are likely to differ and thus ethical decision-making would vary. The authors provided examples of other empirical research to support this notion. The assumption that personal values can influence ethical decisions shows that the research is likely to infer an ontological assumption of realist, whereby reality is seen to have an existence independent of the activities of the human observer (Blaikie, 2007:13). As the research strives to compare values and perceptions, these elements are thought to be measurable and quantifiable; seemingly leaning towards the empiricism position in which the key idea is that knowledge comes from observing the world (Blaikie, 2007:19). The authors e mployed deductive research whereby the hypotheses formed are tested to determine if the statements can be supported (Sekaran, 2003:31), which is a typical research approach of empiricists. Taking possibly the stance of positivists, these values are assumed measureable, and are thus thought to form the social reality that these values affect the perception of corporate social responsibility amongst the managers from these two countries. 2.3 Research Design The intention is to establish the differences in personal values, by using large quantities of data, which would be representative of the overall population of American and Chinese managers. This suggests that there are two assumptions, that values are measureable and that it is possible to generalise the population from the sample. In order to generalise, a considerably large amount of data is required, thus a survey research instrument was employed. The PRESOR scale developed by Singhapakdi et al. (1995) was used. The reasons that the PRESOR scale was chosen over the cultural dimensions formed by Hofstede (2001) were argued; examples of the latter in other research were shown to be inconsistent and inconclusive in its directional impact, thus making theoretical predictions difficult. The use of PRESOR scale in other research was exemplified and seemed to have established the reliability of its measurement. The PRESOR scale was explained further in the introduction of the paper. Thirteen out of sixteen original items were selected and the authors justified this by stating that only these thirteen items had significant factor loadings in the Singhapakdi, Scott and Franke (1999:25) study. These items were grouped into two categories; the Stockholder and the Stakeholder views. The Stakeholder View reflects the importance of ethics and social responsibility to organisational survival and success, whilst the Stockholder view indicates that organisational success depends on more than just profitability and obligations to the stockholders (Axinn et al., 2004:104) In the methodology section, the Schwartz value instrument and a demographic questionnaire were mentioned as being used together with the PRESOR scale. There was little mention of the reasons the Schwartz scale was used and how it was applied. It was only later in the appendix that the items considered in the Schwartz scale was provided in details. A clearer explanation could have improved the clarity of the paper. The research design employed the use of two research instruments (PRESOR scale and Schwartz value instrument) as means for data collection. The sample of practising managers from the two different countries was given the same survey to complete, thus the responses could be compared on that basis. The results from the analyses were then compared against the hypotheses formed, affirming or not affirming the hypotheses. This process is typical of the deductive approach (Blaikie, 2007:70). 2.4 Data Collection The sample consisted of 311 practising managers, enrolled part time in selective MBA programmes in the U.S. and China. The participation was voluntary and the scales were completed as an in-class exercise. The authors acknowledged potential problems from this sample selection. The first is that, although the MBA programmes in these two countries appear to be comparable, the sample may have confounded the effects of national differences and MBA programme differences. Secondly, the sample was not randomly selected as the authors had asked their students to complete the scales in-class. The authors did not provide further justification for these two problems and thus this is believed to have weakened the external validity of this investigation (Bryman and Bell, 2007:204). Aside from this comment from the authors, there was very little mention of the validity of the measurement which makes it difficult to make further discussion on this. The basis of their selectivity and the criteria in which these programmes were said to be comparable, were also not provided in details. The details of its comparability may have helped clarify and strengthen the validity of the selection criteria, as well as making the paper more understandable. Considering the objectives of the research, in which the authors seem to be looking at making generalisations on the affect of personal values, there is a need to collect large quantities of data. The survey method seems to be appropriate as surveys are easy to distribute to large number of people and costs can be kept to a minimum (Bryman and Bell, 2007:195). This relates to external validity, which is about generalisability of results beyond the focal study (Easterby-Smith et al., 2008:87). In this paper, external validity was not discussed; however, it is likely that the results are meant to be applicable for the context of China and the U.S. only. The authors stated the limitation of which the participants can not be assumed as representative of the broader populations of managers in these two countries, due to the fact that the MBA programmes were selective in nature. The research took consideration of the possibility that the age and experience differences of their sample might affect the results, and thus these factors were examined for significance. The scale was translated to Mandarin Chinese and later back-translated with resolution of discrepancies, to take account of the language difference. These examples seem to reflect on the effort of the authors in ensuring that the results are not significantly affected by other variables. In order to test the dimensionality of the PRESOR scale, a principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation and Kaiser normalisation was applied. This is typical of a quantitative study where factor analysis is usually applied as part of the research design. In terms of research replication, this research had provided considerable amount of information which would possibly allow other researchers to perform similar research. The items from the two views (Stockholder and Stakeholder) of the PRESOR scale were provided in details. In addition, the authors also mentioned the calculation method used, such as the use of mean values and the Univariate Analysis of Covariance models (ANCOVA). The only exception would probably be the PRESOR scale itself, whereby the questions that were asked and the choice answers were not explicitly given, which might mean that future researchers might find it difficult to replicate the research and might even have to approach the authors or Singhapakdi who developed the scale. 2.5 Alternative Method The authors mentioned that more in-depth examination using qualitative design of investigation such as interviews would perhaps be more revealing. It is agreed that qualitative measure would allow insights into the importance of ethics to managers, and the various ethical issues that managers prioritise. The researchers are more likely to obtain a richer data of the decision-making process of managers, at the same time; they would be able to achieve the research objectives. The researchers can make use of semi-structured type interview which will allow better control of what questions need to be asked, and to ensure that the objectives of the interview are achieved as well (Bryman and Bell, 2007:474), if time and costs are constraints. There are also other alternatives methods to obtain qualitative data that would have fit this research, such as the use of focus groups. Focus group interviews allow researchers to observe the behaviour of the American and Chinese managers as they interact with each other. It would be possible to see the differences in reaction to ethical issues much more clearly, when these managers are given, for example, the same ethical dilemma, and they are required to rationalise the problem and come up with solutions. This method might be more useful than questionnaire surveys, particularly in that the values of the American and Chinese managers could be brought out through the way they respond and react to ethical problems, the problem-rationalisation process, and the degree of attention paid on a particular problem. Similar to the interview method, this would be considerably more costly to conduct, and it might even be more costly than doing interviews, however, the researchers would gain no t only in achieving the research objectives but they would also attain a better understanding of the effects of personal values in ethical decision-making. However, if the goal was only to establish that perception of CSR differs between diverse cultures, the research design would have fit the purpose. This is because the data collection strategy used (questionnaire survey), allowed the authors to obtain considerably response for generalisation. A questionnaire survey would also have been more cost-efficient and less time consuming, especially for cross-cultural studies. Review of Qualitative Research paper 3.1 Research Objectives In this second paper, this qualitative study aims to make apparent the perceptions and views of the future scenarios from stakeholders within the garment industry in Hong Kong and Mainland China. The underlying intention was to seek consensus and common ground, on a local and regional level to help companies develop an appropriate CSR strategy, to improve the state of corporate social responsibility and in the long run, to achieve sustainability in the region. The main objective was stated as by engaging with major stakeholders, to identify the local and regional supply chain stakeholders perceptions and expectations (Tsoi, 2007:1). Typical of a qualitative study, generalisation is often not the objective of the study (Bryman and Bell, 2007:410). This is apparent from this study as the author had mentioned that the sample may not be sufficient for generalisation for the entire garment industry, however, it is relevant to garment businesses involved in export-orientated activities (Tsoi, 2007:1). Tsoi (2007) used an inductive approach to identify the perceptions of stakeholders by conducting interviews. 3.2 Epistemological and Ontological Assumptions Although the author did not indicate the philosophical assumptions behind this study, the author implied that by identifying the stakeholders perception, the findings would help in building consensus, strengthening the implementation, and establishing future CSR framework. This suggests that the author has an ontological position of constructionism, which asserts that social phenomena and their meanings are continually being accomplished by social actors, implying that there exists social interaction and that there is a constant state of revision of the social phenomena (Bryman and Bell, 2007:23). In this case study, the social reality of what is happening in the garment industry, in terms of its corporate social responsibility, is a social reality that was formed by the stakeholders. It suggests that the social phenomena (condition of CSR) can undergo changes, and that it is dependent on the activities of the social actors. The views of the social actors are thought to be indicative of the important issues in corporate social responsibility, within the garment industry. This form of research is consistent with the research paradigm of the interpretivist position, as the basis of the research is that the study of the phenomena requires an understanding of the social world that social actors have constructed and which they reproduced through their continuing activities (Blaikie, 2007:124). In this instance, the stakeholders are the social actors who will continually interpret and reinterpreting their social world which can be the garment industry. The social phenomenon that the author is investigating is the current state and the future of the corporate social responsibility in Hong Kong and Mainland China. The future conception of CSR in these two places is related to phenomenology, whereby, it concerns with the question of how individuals make sense of the world around them (Bryman and Bell, 2007:18). In this case, it can be viewed as the way stakeholders make sense of the state of corporate responsibility in the region. 3.3 Research Design The author relied on a qualitative method, specifically, the face-to-face semi-structured interview, which indicates the leanings of the author in conducting a naturalistic inquiry in real-world rather than experimental or manipulated settings (Ritchie and Lewis, 2003:4). For qualitative studies, semi-structured and unstructured interviews are commonly used as they provide rich, detailed answers and taps into the interviewees point of view (Bryman and Bell, 2007:474). As the focal source of data was the stakeholders themselves in this study, this seems to infer that the research design is based on the interpretivist view that the social phenomena can only be understood and be investigated from the inside (Blaikie, 2007:125). The author identified major stakeholders possibly with stakeholder theory, stating the assumption that multinationals see stakeholder consultation and management as an important communication tool in identifying and interpreting the needs of salient stakeholders and as such would enable the development of a common language for CSR and subsequently the development of proactive CSR strategies. This correlates with the stakeholder approach of Wheeler et al. (2003:19) who stated that value creation at the highest level requires an ability to build value-based networks where all stakeholders see merit in their association with and support for a business. In this instance, it is likely that the stakeholders were deemed to be important in the future direction of CSR in the region, and this was the reason that stakeholders were chosen as source of data. The author mentioned that these interviews conducted in 2004 and 2005 may no longer be relevant, since there were major developments in 2008. This might have made the interviews slightly outdated however; there should not be many changes to the overall aims of the stakeholders and thus the outcomes of this research would remain valid. However, as an alternative, the author could have applied longitudinal design which represents a distinct form of research design than is typically used to map change in business and management research (Bryman and Bell, 2007:60). The longitudinal design would not only serve the purpose of this study, but it would also allow insights into the factors that cause change to the perception. With this sample, it is possible to use cohort study, whereby the cohort is made up of people who share a certain characteristics (Bryman and Bell, 2007:61), since the stakeholders have a stake in the garment industry. However, longitudinal research may require a lot mor e preparation, could be time-consuming and thus it could be more costly. 3.4 Data Collection With regards to the methodology, the interview questions that were used for this research was not provided. As this was a semi-structured interview, it would have been useful if the author had provided general information on how the questions were formed, and the structure of the interview questions as this would provide an indication of the depth of the interviews, and hence the validity of the research design. For the sample, 25 representatives from academia, the business organisations, the non-government organisations, trade association, and government officials were identified. The response rate was 84%, in which 21 out of a total of 25 representatives of these organisations agreed to be interviewed. It was mentioned that the reason for such a high response rate, was that the author had contacted the interviewees on a one-to-one basis. Furthermore, the interviewees were also guaranteed anonymity. The sample, thus, appears to be extensive and is representative of the various stakeholders that are vital in the garment industry. 3.5 Alternative Method The intention was that the findings would help in building consensus, strengthening the implementation and establishing the future CSR framework (Tsoi, 2007:1). The author might have meant that having collected all the different views from these stakeholders, the author would be able to determine the consensus of how CSR should be developed and how CSR should be like in the future. However, it is doubtful that a consensus could have been obtained using this method of analysis. The interviewees, although were representative of the garment industry, each one a vital stakeholder, there was no real interaction between these stakeholders, and thus, the consensus that is meant is only based on the researchers understanding from the interviewees responses. Stakeholders are thought to be able to reach a better compromise through discourse, with different sides arguing for the validity of their point as well as ensuring that the interests of the group or association that they represent are ta ken account of (Bryman and Bell, 2007:511). While it is understandable, that there is a strong possibility that it could be costly to get all the interviewees to sit together through a discourse, nevertheless there are alternatives which might be more useful for the purpose of this investigation, given that the objective is to reach a consensus amongst the stakeholders. With this reasoning, the research design could improve by firstly conveying the findings of the interviews to all of the stakeholders interviewed, and follow up with another interview to see if there were changes to their views. Alternatively, the author could use the method of focus group interviews. With this method, Merton et al. (1956) (in Bryman and Bell, 2007:511) stated that the accent is upon interaction within the group and the joint construction of meaning. Focus group interviews could provide a platform for the interviewees to interact and to establish a joint construction of what it means to strengthen CSR and also determine what future scenarios should and could be like. With regards to selecting a suitable size for the focus group, it is recommended by Bryman and Bell (2007:517) that the typical group size should be six to ten members, whilst Sekaran (2003:220) recommends a size of eight to twelve members. The reason that the focus group interview method was recommended was that the interviewees would be encouraged to express their opinions argumentatively, which would then allow the researcher to gauge the degree of importance of certain issues and how much flexibility the interviewees might h ave to reach a compromise with others. There are of course possible pitfalls using the focus group method, in that some interviewees might be dominant over others, and thus the opinions of those less dominant might not be heard, but these effects can be reduced to a minimum level by having a good moderator (in Bryman and Bell, 2007:511). The one-to-one interview method could still be more advantageous compared with the focus group interview, as the time and monetary costs of conducting a one-to-one interview would probably be considerably less and thus be more manageable especially if there was only one researcher, as was with this case study. In this case study, it seemed that a quantitative design would actually be difficult to apply, and it would also be inappropriate for an investigation on the perception of CSR as a business concern. Taking the example of using a questionnaire survey with closed-ended questions, it is very likely that the respondents would answer that they are very concerned about CSR, as that might be perceived as the correct response, thus creating social desirability bias to the results. Furthermore, with a questionnaire survey, the researcher would not be able to pin-point all the various future scenarios for CSR in Hong Kong and Mainland China, even if it was possible, the list of future scenarios might be too long to be practically manageable. Another issue would be that in making assumptions of the future scenarios that are deemed significant to the stakeholders, it would be problematic as the researcher might risk missing out relevant information. Therefore, it would be difficult, from these r easons, that a quantitative design would not be suitable for such a case study. Conclusions In summary, the two papers reflect significant differences in their research approach. This was seen through the objectives of the research, the underlying assumptions of the research philosophy and the conceptualisation of research design and the data collection. There is certainly much to learn from these two research papers, both had given valuable information on the differences between quantitative and qualitative methods, as well as offer guidance on the selection of research method and how to go about utilising these methods. The research designs, as shown in these papers, are dependent of the research objectives and the designs are also influenced by the epistemological and ontological assumptions made. Even though the philosophical positions of the researchers were not made explicit, however, the likely positions can be assumed. These papers have also shown that the advantages and the disadvantages of the different methods of investigation, and they need to be considered to e nsure that the best method is chosen for the purpose of the research. In these two papers, the method of investigation is distinct, one was a qualitative study and the other was a quantitative study, however, this does not necessarily mean that a mixed method of investigation can not be used. In fact, (Bryman and Bell, 2007:646) suggested that triangulation can be applied, in which the results of an investigation employing a method associated with one research strategy are cross-checked against the results of using a method associated with the other research strategy. Bibliography Axinn, C. N., Blair, M. E., Heorhiadi, A. and Thach, S. V. (2004) Comparing ethical ideologies across cultures, Journal of Business Ethics, 54 (2), pp. 103-119. Blaikie, N. (2007) Approaches to social enquiry: advancing knowledge. Polity Pr. Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007) Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA. Easterby-Smith, M., Thorpe, R., Jackson, P. and Easterby-Smith, M. (2008) Management research. 3rd edn. London: Sage. Ferrell, O., Fraedrich, J. and Ferrell, L. (2005) Business ethics: Ethical decision making and cases, Boston: MA, . Forsyth, D. R. (1980) A taxonomy of ethical ideologies, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39 (1), pp. 175-184. Fukukawa, K. and Teramoto, Y. (2009) Understanding japanese CSR: The reflections of managers in the field of global operations, Journal of Business Ethics, 85 pp. 133-146. Hofstede, G. (2001) Cultures consequences: Comparing values, behaviors, institutions, and organizations across nations. Sage Pubns. Là ¤hdesmà ¤ki, M. and Siltaoja, M. (2009) Towards a variety of Meanings-Multiple representations of reputation in the small business context, British Journal of Management, 9999 (9999), pp. 1-16. Ritchie, J. and Lewis, J. (2003) Qualitative research practice : a guide for social science students and researchers. London: Sage Publications. Sekaran, U. (2003) Research methods for business : a skill-building approach. 4th edn. New York: Wiley. Shafer, W. E., Fukukawa, K. and Lee, G. M. (2007) Values and the perceived importance of ethics and social responsibility: The U.S. versus china, Journal of Business Ethics, 70 (3), pp. 265-284. Siltaoja, M. E. (2006) Value priorities as combining core factors between CSR and reputation-a qualitative study, Journal of Business Ethics, 68 (1), pp. 91-111. Singhapakdi, A., Kraft, K. L., Vitell, S. J. and Rallapalli, K. C. (1995) The perceived importance of ethics and social responsibility on organizational effectiveness: A survey of marketers, Academy of Marketing Science.Journal, 23 (1), pp. 49-56. Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S. J. and Franke, G. R. (1999) Antecedents, consequences, and mediating effects of perceived moral intensity and personal moral philosophies, Academy of Marketing Science.Journal, 27 (1), pp. 19-36. Singhapakdi, A., Vitell, S. J., Rallapalli, K. C. and Kraft, K. L. (1996) The perceived role of ethics and social responsibility: A scale development, Journal of Business Ethics, 15 (11), pp. 1131-1140. Tsoi, J. (2007) Stakeholders perceptions and future scenarios to improve corporate social responsibility in hong kong and mainland china, Journal of Business Ethics, pp. 1-14. Vitell, S. and Patwardhan, A. (2008) The role of moral intensity and moral philosophy in ethical decision making: A cross-cultural comparison of china and the european union, Business Ethics, 17 (2), pp. 196-209. Wheeler, D., Colbert, B. and Freeman, R. E. (2003) Focusing on value: Reconciling corporate social responsibility, sustainability and a stakeholder approach in a network world, Journal of General Management, 28 (3), pp. 1.

Katherine Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia Essay -- Bridge Terabithia

Katherine Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia All children can relate in someway to Katherine Patterson’s Newberry Medal-winning children’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia. The characters are realistic people who could be one’s next door neighbors. From the shy and demure Jess to the vivacious and carefree Leslie, every kid can relate to one of the characters in this novel. The themes in this novel vary as much as the characters. Bridge to Terabithia is a good coming-of-age book that captures our imaginations and our hearts. Bridge to Terabithia is a story about a lonely boy, Jess Aarons, who grows up in a house where he is the only boy surrounded by four sisters and his mother. His father is there but always gone either working or looking for work. His greatest hope is to become the fastest runner in the fifth grade. All summer long he practices running but on the first day of school, he gets beat by the new girl, Leslie Burke. At first, she repels him. However, they soon become inseparable. Leslie and Jess are complete opposites. Jess is scared of a lot but Leslie is fearless. Leslie has imagination and inspiration and Jess envies that. Leslie’s family has money and gets along. Jess’ family is always scraping by and nearly dysfunctional. But nonetheless, they become best friends. In the woods, they create Terabithia, their own secret kingdom where they rule together. Leslie and Terabithia change Jess. He becomes a stronger person, less afraid of the world. But one cruel mor ning, tragedy strikes and Leslie dies. Jess must come to grips with her death and the world. Except now he has to do it alone. Symbolism is a literary element that stands out most in this novel. Patterson uses symbolism so well in this story. The title itself symbolizes Leslie. In chapter seven, Jess’ thoughts bring this symbol to light. â€Å"Jess tried going to Terabithia alone, but it was no good. It needed Leslie to make the magic. He was afraid he would destroy everything by trying to force the magic on his own, when it was plain that the magic was reluctant to come for him.†(65) We see this a second time in chapter eleven. The only way to enter Terabithia was to swing from the hanging rope, which was their bridge. Leslie died because the rope broke, causing her to fall and hit her head before landing in the stream, causing her to drown. The bro... ...r and the schoolyard bullies, and he realizes that he doesn’t need Leslie to protect him anymore and he does not need to take refuge in Terabithia because he can face his obstacles. â€Å"He thought about it all day, how before Leslie came, he had been a nothing-a stupid†¦It was Leslie who had taken him from the cow pasture into Terabithia and turned him into a king. Now it occurred to him that perhaps Terabithia was like a castle where you came to be knighted. After you stayed awhile and grew strong you had to move on.† (126) In the end, Jess builds a bridge to Terabithia and takes May Belle there and he becomes to May Belle who Leslie was for him. Jess does not need Leslie to enter Terabithia because although Leslie is gone, Terabithia will remain and live on with May Belle. There are a lot of children out there like Jess who are alone and scared and they just need to find their own Terabithia to give them courage to face the antagonists of their world. That is why Bridge to Terabithia is an excellent book for young readers. It gives them hope that they can face their world too. Works Cited: Patterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia. New York. Harper Trophy. 1977.