A Literature Review on Consumer Voluntary Disposition Essay

A Literature Review on Consumer Voluntary Disposition - Essay Example uct dominant to consumer dominant has bought such reorientation on â€Å"customer focus† (Kohli and Jaworski, 1990, p.3) requires sophisticated understanding of consumer behaviours (Nwankwo, 1995). Consequently, the field of consumer research (Belk, 1986 cited in Holb rook, 1995) becomes an increasingly important constituent to marketing discipline than ever before. According to consumer culture theory (CCT), consumer research investigates/studies â€Å"the contextual, symbolic, and experiential aspects of consumption as they unfold across a consumption cycle that includes acquisition, consumption and possession, and disposition processes and analysis of these phenomena from macro-, meso-, and micro- theoretical perspectives† (Arnould and Thompson, 2005, p.871). This topic is important because, firstly, many disposition decisions have economic consequences for both the individual and society. Some (eg., when and how to properly dispose outdated prescription drugs) even have important health and safety ramifications. Secondly, since much purchase behaviour is cyclical, a variety of marketing implications can emanate from an understanding of the disposition subprocess. Thirdly, in an age of relative scarcity in which we can no longer afford the luxury of squandering resources, understanding disposition decisions and behaviour is logically prerequisite for effective environmental conservation – environmental implication (Jacoby, 1978). The rest of this paper first examines the definition of disposition, followed by an integrative review on disposition typologies, methodological issues, and factors that determine disposition by consumers. Finally, the status of the literature and implications for future research in the area are discussed. Disposal has been defined differently by different researchers. A product will be disposed under different situations. Some will contend that as soon as an owner relinquishes the possession of an appliance, (Jacoby 1978) there is

Selling own common stocks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selling own common stocks - Research Paper Example These methods are open market, fixed price tender, private negotiation, repurchase and Dutch auction. It was in the late 20th century that there was enormous increase in the share’s volume repurchase in American, which rose from $5 billion in the year 1980 to $349 billion in the year 2005 (Stock Buybacks). It has been noted that the reason behind the corporation’s enormous amount of repurchase and selling of their own common shares is subjected to some conflicting interpretations. However there is no satisfactory explanation to these changes that occurred in the repurchasing activity of these corporations over the last few decades. The dramatic increase in the repurchase of open market shares occurred in 1990’s and several factor led to its development. One of the factors is considered to be the improved regulatory environment which supported the repurchase of common stock which resulted from the adaption of rule 10b-18 introduced by the Security and Exchange Commission, or SEC in the year 1982. Another factor that contributed to the repurchase is considered to be economic conditions. This paper discusses the reasons why corporation sell and purchase their own stock. A study was conducted regarding the open market repurchases which concluded that it is the changes in the compensation policies that often led to the changes in the payout policy. The result also indicates that the firm usually announces repurchases when executives have several different options outstanding and when the employees too have several options present that are exercisable. Once the firm makes the decision of being engaged in a repurchase, the amount of stock repurchase can be positively related to the total number of options that were exercisable by the workers, independent of the option that the executives had. The result of this study remains consistent with the managers repurchasing both for funding

Interpreting Indigenous Culture in Art: A History

Interpreting Indigenous Culture in Art: A History Mahealani Subad Abstract Art has been a historical connection for many cultures, such as Indigenous culture, as they protect the history of communities and allows for the new generation of the community to learn of their past through artwork and documentaries. However, due to misrepresentations from artwork such as paintings, sculptures, films, Indigenous identity can be represented by stereotypes created by non-Indigenous artists who interpreted indigenous culture into their own artworks, which they presented to society. Although with the misrepresentations are still present in todays society, modern indigenous artists have emerged, for which they presented Indigenous art that represents Indigenous identity where the art is themed based on Indigenous cultural values, such as family, and the realities Indigenous people face within society. Within this research paper, it will discuss how modern indigenous artist can diminish the stereotypes that have been produced by non-Indigenous artists through their inter pretation of Indigenous culture. Introduction Throughout history, art has been a historical connection in many cultures as it allows for those in the community to protect their cultural identity within history and to create a connection between the old and new generation to learn about their heritage. However, Indigenous art has been known to show misinterpretations of Indigenous people made by non-Indigenous artists who presented their perspectives of Indigenous culture and shown it to society without any prior knowledge of Indigenous culture. Now, within modern day society, Indigenous art still holds a fascination with Western culture, but presents Indigenous art in a new perspective as Indigenous artists are emerging representing their culture to society. These modern contemporary Indigenous art pieces are based on Indigenous cultural themes and values such as family, connections to their land territory, and to present the realities Indigenous people confront with in todays society. Within this research paper, it will discuss the differences of Indigenous artwork throughout history, for which it will answer the question of how modern contemporary Indigenous artwork, such as paintings and films, has diminished the stereotypes of Indigenous people which had been produced through Indigenous artwork done by non-Indigenous people. Examples, such as Emily Carr who was mostly known for her work in Group of Seven, was one of the artists that had been inspired by Indigenous culture and produced indigenous art to display to society with the belief that indigenous culture was vanishing (Morra, 2005). With perspectives of Indigenous culture such as Emily Carrs many indigenous artworks that were produced in the past may have contributed to the stereotypes that many see in society today. Background Indigenous culture has always been a fascination between Western culture throughout history, for which many artists looked upon Indigenous communities as inspiration for their artwork. Non-Indigenous artists, such as Emily Carr, have been known for their Indigenous artwork within Canada as they created their art pieces within Indigenous communities to recreate authentic representations of Indigenous culture. Famous for her work in the Canadian artist group, Group of Seven, Emily Carr focused on landscape artwork throughout the duration of her career. Although known for her work in the Group of Seven, Emily Carr was also known for her Indigenous artwork that focused on Indigenous material culture (Morra, 2005). Upon working on her indigenous art pieces, Carr often focused her inspirations on native villages, totem poles, and poetry (Halkes, 2006). As Carr took inspiration of Indigenous culture for her art work, she believed that her work served as a purpose to preserve Indigenous cult ure through her work (Morra, 2005). While visiting indigenous communities to capture their culture through her work, Carr had the belief that by showcasing Indigenous material within her art it would bring awareness to Western society that Indigenous communities that were vanishing (Morra, 2005). Although Carr had the notion that by documenting Indigenous culture through her artwork, Hollywood films began to emerge, but with a dominant culture portraying as the heroes (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.9). In case study, it analyzed two Indigenous films that were prominently made by non-Indigenous filmmakers, in which, they found both used white male characters to narrate the film and the main target audience for the films are white and middle-class (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.15-16). Majority of these films cater to these audiences as Hollywood films choose to represent those who are apart of Western society, which they present them as the dominant society within these films (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.17). Nonetheless, with Indigenous films made by non-Indigenous filmmakers are prone to cater to white audiences with a white male character as the main role, this also presents itself to younger generations such as students, where they may be subjected into belie ving that the representation of Indigenous people within the films are realistic, therefore adding on to the stereotyping Indigenous identity through films. Comparison to Emily Carrs work, modern contemporary Indigenous art work creates a more prominent view of Indigenous cultures as it expands to different sources of media such ass paintings, sculptures, and films. At the National Gallery of Canada, they hosted an exhibition called Sakahan, International Indigenous Art which showcased Indigenous artwork done by Indigenous artists from around the world (Davidge, 2013, p.83). With the art exhibition being the first exhibition devoted indigenous contemporary art from around the world, it attempts to broaden the views of Indigenous culture as it seeks to expand the meaning of indigenous, setting indigenous culture into a global perspective, and to demonstrate that the Indigenous artists are among the leading contemporary artists in the world (Davidge, 2013, p.83). Along with the Sakahan exhibit, Kristen Dowell (2006) discusses the intake of modern Indigenous arts as indigenous filmmakers are receiving recognition for their work. In 2005, th e leading art galleries in the U.S hosted several international indigenous filmmakers to present their work to highlight international cinemas (Dowell, 2006, p.376). The productions that indigenous filmmakers present feature documentation of indigenous cultural traditions and opposing of misrepresentation of Indigenous people (Dowell. 2006, p.376). Indigenous films such as Smoke Signals (Eyre et al. 1998), opposed the misrepresentations of Indigenous people as it comically follows the family life within an indigenous reserve focusing the father and son relationship within the film (Dowell, 2006, p.378). Discussion The differences between the time periods of Indigenous art, such as of Emily Carrs time and of modern day society, they are dependent on the artists interpretation and the perspective of Indigenous culture. During Emily Carrs time period, majority of society had not been exposed to Indigenous culture, for which made the culture very appealing to artists such as Emily Carr, who chose to look at Indigenous communities as a rarity due to colonialism. Carr viewed indigenous communities and the artefacts she found as a formal art of intense ritualistic formalism, (Stacton, 1950, p.500). With Carr observing Indigenous culture with only the perspective of the formal art they have created, Carrs art does not portray a credible representation of how Indigenous communities live. By having a non-Indigenous artist present art work that is inspired by Indigenous culture to a society who has no knowledge of Indigenous communities, it promotes a stereotype to society that is maintained today due to these types of art pieces as the majority of society are not educated or aware about Indigenous culture. This notion that without prior knowledge of indigenous culture creates indigenous stereotypes is also inclusive with Indigenous films made by non-Indigenous filmmakers as the majority of their target audiences is toward a white and middle-class audiences (Stoddard, Marcus, Hicks, 2014, p.15-16). With producing a film that misrepresents Indigenous people and their culture, it reflects a persona that society will identify Indigenous culture with as majority of the films present this type of representation frequently. As for modern contemporary indigenous art, it can be seen as a revelation as more indigenous artists are gaining the recognition by various art organizations for their work. Majority of Indigenous artwork has been done by Indigenous people as the film, Smoke Signals (Eyre et al., 1998), was the first film to feature an all Indigenous cast and crew, in which, Indigenous people wrote, directed, and starred in the film (Dowell, 2006). It is also noted that the Sakahan exhibit that was held in the National Gallery of Canada was the first exhibition to be devoted to contemporary art created by indigenous people from around the world (Davidge, 2013). Todays modern contemporary artists allow for indigenous representation to be reliable as the artwork portrays the artists culture, for which many of the indigenous filmmakers include themes within their work that represent indigeneity such as family values, traditional stories, the realities indigenous people face within society, and the conne ction of land and territories for indigenous communities (Dowell, 2006, p.377). Although many misrepresentations of Indigenous people are still active today, modern Indigenous artists, make attempts to diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous people made by those in the past who were attempting to share Indigenous culture with society during that time period. During that period, modern Indigenous artists have made progress on establishing Indigenous identity within society as many have created artwork such as films, painting, and sculptures, to showcase Indigenous culture or to bring awareness to realities indigenous people face within todays society. Conclusion With the initial question of trying to answer if modern indigenous artists diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous people, which was formed by previous indigenous art work done in the past, it can be considered that modern Indigenous artist have made progress with trying to diminish the stereotype, but more needs to be done to gain a true representation of indigenous culture and identity. Although there has been progressed made to diminish the stereotypes of Indigenous identity, many non-indigenous filmmakers are still producing misrepresentations of Indigenous culture. In trying to prevent the misrepresentation of Indigenous culture, prior to filming or starting an art project, the consultation of Indigenous people must be included when creating a project or film inspired or based on Indigenous culture to respectful of indigenous communities they are basing their artworks on. References Davidge, M. (2013). Sakahà  n, international indigenous art. Border Crossings,32 (4), 83-85 Dowell, K. (2006). Indigenous media gone global: Strengthening indigenous identity onà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  and offscreen at the First Nations/first features film showcase. American Anthropologist, 108 (2), 376-384. Eyre, C. (Director), Eyre, C., Alexie, S., Rosenfelt, S., Estes, L., Skinner, D., Bressler, C., . . . Bornia, C. (Producers), Alexie, S., Capener, B., Berdan, B., Smith, B., Otis, R., Brown, R., . . . OSullivan, P. (Writers). (1998). Smoke signals [Video file]. Halkes, P. (2006). Emily Carr. Border Crossings, 25 (4), 91-93 Morra, L. (2005). Canadian art according to Emily Carr: The search for indigenous expression. Canadian Literature, (185), 43 Stacton, D.D. (1950). The art of Emily Carr. Queens Quarterly,57, 499-509. Stoddard, J., Marcus, A., Hicks, D. (2014), The burden of historical representation: The case of/for indigenous film. History Teacher, 48(1), 9-36

Womens Brain Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Women's Brain Women have smaller brains than that of their male counterpart. Since the ability to think is partly determined by the size of the brain it is obvious to an accurate researcher if I were to ignore the differences between the male and female brain. The question to be posed is, with the knowledge of the function of the human brain, can a scientist accurately determine if the differences in the way males and females perform various tasks is a biological phenomena, or rather as a result of social persuasion? All kinds of research have shown that the bigger the brain, generally, the smarter the animal. (1) However, as Emily Dickinson might agree, it is not the size of the brain that counts, but rather what is contained within the brain. Human male brains are, on average, approximately 10% larger than that of the female, but this is because of men's larger body size: more muscle cells imply more neurons to control them. (3) If the size of the brain is not the determinate factor of the diffe rences between the male and female brain what is? Of special interest to researchers of this subject was the amount of gray matter, the part of the brain that allows us to think. The researchers wanted to know if women have as much gray matter as men. (1) It would be logical to conclude that if there is less gray matter, the component of the brain associated with the thinking process, than obviously, biologically men and superior in intellect to women. However, as is the case with many biological researches, more questions arose than were answered. According to one psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania, there is no difference in the amount of gray matter in men and women. To make up for the smaller brain size, women ... ...s. The political brain. http://www.home.aone.net.au/think/brainsx.html 3. 3}Are There Differences between the Brains of Males and Females?,Intellectual differences among the sexes. http://www.epub.org.br/cm/n11/mente/eisntein/cerebro-homens.html 4. 4}Left/Right Brain?,Left or right brained. http://www.helpself.com/brain.htm 5. 5}La Difference,Who is the better sex? http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/07/11/reviews/990711.11holtlt.html&OP=bd2d6ebQ2F@Q25Q7BD@!PqQ7DQ5BPPQ23@DPPIQ7D@Q24Q24@F5@xx@Q5BQ7BNdQ7BQ25Q7D@Q24Q24F5xxfxx_PQ51Q23Q51Q23f_Q23iQ51 6. 6}Traumatic Tests: Gender Bias and the SATs,SAT statistics.conclude that men are superior to women in intellect, right? Now I would not be a proud Bryn Mawr woman if I were to agree with this logic. However, I would not be http://home.earthlink.net/~lfdean/sat.html

Assess Hume’s Reasons for Rejecting Miracles

Assess Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles Hume defined miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature† and consequently rejected their occurrence as both improbable and impractical. This view has been supported by modern scientists and philosophers such as Atkins, Dawkins and Wiles to a certain extent. However Aquinas, Tillich and Holland and Swinburne to a certain extent reject Hume’s reasons, instead arguing that miracles have a divine cause and that Hume’s arguments are weak.This essay will argue that Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are not valid and in doing so consider his two main arguments; lack of probability and Hume’s practical argument. Hume’s first reason for rejecting miracles was a lack of probability. He argued that evidence from people’s experience of observing the world showed the laws of nature to be fixed and unvarying. However to suggest a miracle occurred was to say that the laws of nature had been violated, hence his definition of miracles being a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. Miracles were reported has having occurred by eyewitnesses, as is stated in the Bible in the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. However for Hume it was far more likely that the eyewitnesses were mistaken in what they witnessed, than for Jesus to have actually raised Lazarus from the dead and in doing so violated fixed laws of nature. A violation of the laws of nature was therefore an improbable occurrence. Wiles’ agrees with Hume’s point that it is more likely the eyewitness was wrong than a miracle occurred, in doing so raising the problem of evil.It was illogical to suggest God was omnipotent and good if he showed clear favouritism through creating miracles whilst at the same time many people were suffering. It would be more likely that a witness made a mistake or did not understand what they saw than an ominbenevolant and omnipotent God showed clear signs of bia s and favouritism through miracles therefore Hume’s first argument is valid. Swinburne supports Hume’s view that laws of nature are defined by the experiences of people observing the world, as he believes that people’s observations are the basis for all natural laws.Additionally Hume’s argument that miracles are improbable is supported by Dawkin’s view that it would be highly unlikely that someone could simply learn to walk again after being paralysed as a result of a miracle, as this would constitute a violation of the laws of nature. This also supports the idea that Hume’s argument is valid. However he rejects Hume’s concept of the laws of nature being fixed and unvarying, as he believed them to be â€Å"corrigible† due the possibility new discoveries and observations about the world could result in them being altered in some way.Additionally Swinburne disagrees with Hume’s idea of what an improbable event is. Whilst f or Hume this means an event which it would be foolish to suggest occurs at all, such as the sun staying the sky, Swinburne argues that miracles are more â€Å"probalistic† such as picking out a red grain of sand, highly unlikely but not totally impossible therefore the validity of Hume’s first argument can be questioned.Additionally Swinburne criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature† as he believes that whilst a miracle such as that of Jesus’ resurrection clearly does not fit in with the laws of nature, on it’s own it is not enough to prove the laws of nature have been violated, a view supported by Aquinas who suggests miracles have a divine origin. The contingency argument, supported by Holland and Tillich also criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. It uses evidence from the Bible, such as Jesus feeding the five thousand, to highlight that Godâ €™s aim with miracles is not to fit in with the framework of modern concepts but to for God to reveal Himself to the people. Tillich himself argues that miracles do not have to involve the violation of nature as they can be possible events, such as a train stopping just in front of a child on a crossing, which hold religious significance for some people. Therefore a miracle does not have to be an improbable event, suggesting that Hume’s argument is not significant.Hume’s second reason for rejecting miracles is presented in his practical argument. He considered levels of education to be a significant factor as miracles were only reported to have occurred by those who were not educated enough to understand the scientific explanation of an event. The stories these people reported were usually circulated and exaggerated, altering them significantly as is the case with urban myths, such as that after Hurricane Katrina stating that law and order had broken down.Hume also considered the general level of education of the country as a whole to be important. He highlighted how the early history of countries is full of miracles and visions due to the ignorant and barbarous populations, such as the very long life of Adam. However as the country becomes more developed and the populations better educated such stories disappear. Therefore for Hume, Adam living to 930 was simply a story made up by the uneducated, as living so long would suggest the laws of nature to be false.Additionally Hume believes that miracles used by religions to prove their religion true would be cancelled out, as not every religion could be true. Dawkins presents a key strength of Hume’s second argument, by supporting his belief that miracles are only reported by the uneducated, as he believes there is a scientific explanation for the effects, such as Jeanne Fretel being cured at Lourdes.The miracles of people being cured at Lourdes, as well as those reported in the Bible simp ly show that miracles were used to cover up a lack of understanding of a way the world worked and to increase people’s faith in God, something which is no longer necessary as most people no longer rely on God for guidance therefore Hume presents a relevant argument rejecting miracles. Atkins supports Hume’s argument that the typical educated person would not be inclined to report the occurrence of a miracle as they would know better.According to Atkins it is only the publicity seeker or someone deluded or hallucinating who would claim to have witnessed such an event as they may lack the scientific level of understanding of their peers, therefore Hume’s argument is relevant. However this view has been criticised by Swinburne as it raises questions about how to define terms Hume raises. It is unclear at what stage a person becomes â€Å"educated† sufficiently to reject miracles. It is also unfair to assume that a person believes in miracles simply because t hey do not know any better, as it is possible to both have a strong belief in God and a good understanding of Science.Further to this it is unclear what constitutes being â€Å"ignorant and barbarous† as whilst earlier nations may now seem uneducated compared to modern times, the nation may have been highly educated for the time as the standards change. Therefore the relevance of Hume’s second argument can be questioned. In conclusion Hume believes that miracles are â€Å"violations of the laws of nature† which are fixed and unvarying, and that they are only experienced by uneducated people who do not understand Science.This view rejected by Aquinas, Swinburne Holland and Tillich. Swinburne believes the laws of nature to be â€Å"corrigible† whilst Holland and Tillich argue that miracles are not violations of the laws of nature but sign events revealing God to the people. However Dawkins and Atkins support Hume’s view that miracles are only experie nced by the uneducated. Overall Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are valid to only a minimal extent, as he does not consider the different definitions of a miracle, and does not define what constitutes ignorant and barbarous.

Indian Folk and Tribal Dances Essay

India is a land of diverse cultures and traditions. Each region of the country has a unique culture, which is also prominently visible in its various art forms. Almost all the regions of the country have their specific folk music and dance, which proves to be a wonderful way of expression of their community and its traditions. Though these folk dances are not as complex as the classical dance forms, they are very beautiful, because of the essence of rawness in them. Be it the Bihu of Assam, Dol-Cholom of Manipur, Hikal of Himachal Pradesh or Chhau of Bihar, each of the Indian folk dance forms comes across as a reflection of the deep sited beliefs and traditions of a particular culture. The folk dances of any community are performed on almost every special occasion and festival, to express elation and joy. These dances are also considered to be auspicious by many of the tribal communities in the country. Many folk dances are dedicated to the presiding deity of the specific community. The most interesting part of a folk dance is the attire required for its performance. Every folk dance has its own specific costume and jewelry, which differs from dance to dance. They are, in general, very bright and colorful, with traditional jewelries that give a folk touch to the performance. These dances are not only the exclusive art of a particular community, but also an asset of India’s cultural heritage. In our related section, we have discussed the different folk dances of India.