Ornette Coleman Paper Essay

Ornette Coleman is one of the most influential artists in jazz and considered an American icon and legend. There are not many musicians that emerge who dramatically changed the way we listen to music. Ornette Coleman was of the major innovators of free jazz as well as a great saxophonist and composer. Coleman’s bluesy, playful music revolutionized jazz by ignoring regular harmonies and rhythm. He even created his own theory â€Å"harmolodic† and applied it to rock instrumental in his group Prime Time. The musician’s new style helped to regenerate jazz by allowing for the genre to go into a new direction and be placed for his music to be placed in a group of major 20th century composers. This paper will discuss how Ornette Coleman borrowed from the world of jazz to influence concert hall compositions. Ornette Coleman was a revolutionary saxophone player who expanded contemporary boundaries of music. He gained those remarkable skills by teaching himself how to play saxophone at the age of 14 and by playing with musicians in local rhythm and blues bars while growing up in Fort Worth, Texas in the late 1940s and early ‘50s. Some of his legends include Charlie Parker and two local musicians in Fort Worth Ben Martin and Reed Connors. Coleman loved Charlie Parker and bebop and thought of it as the most advanced collective way of playing a melody and at the same time improvising. Parker taught Coleman many lessons especially about the quality of what he could play and knowing the audience (Ratliff 63). The musician decided to travel to L.A. and played in various establishments. He eventually made his way to New York with his first band having a good sense of melody and ideas of playing without any preconceived chord changes (Ratliff 55). People thought of him as a genius and others denounced him as a charlatan. His music was considered controversial for instance in his quartet th ey had no chordal instruments such as the piano. Listeners said his music was radically rejecting jazz traditions, but a few praised him and said the music was an extension of the historical practice (Martin,Waters). As he was traveling  in R&B jazz bands across the country, he switched back and forth between alto and tenor sax. Resistance was normal for Coleman, and he was use to being fired. In 1950, he wrote an unpublished book that deals with a theory that melody has nothing to do with harmony, chords, or key centers. In 1958, he formed his own band that was established on a mode of playing which no one player had the lead but anyone could come out and play at any time. Beginning in 1959, Coleman and his quartet went to New York and developed the concept of free jazz (George-Warren and Pareles). Free jazz and improvised music did away with any of the strict forms of jazz and classic music such as tonality, chord changes, formal shape and structure, etc. Coleman was put into the category along with Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler, and they abolished the traditional hierarchy of instrumentation in jazz, classical rock, and pop allowing for any instrument to be equal in improvising. Many performers were encouraged by these individuals to go beyond the regular technique to develop â€Å"extended† techniques (Cox, Warner 252). Coleman’s group debut in New York was unlike anything anyone had ever heard. The bassist or drummer did not function in a conventional rhythm sense, and there was no piano to provide chordal harmonies. When Coleman played with his group, they did not have any idea what the end result would be. The group was even able to get the attention and approval from conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and composer Virgil Thompson along with other writers and painters (Europe Jazz Network). Each player in his group contributed what he felt in the music at any moment, and each member is not told what to do but play what they hear in the piece themselves. He also stated that in a sense that there is no start or finish to any of his music, but there is a continued expression, continually evolving strands of thoughts that link all of his compositions together (Coxer, Warner 254). Other things that summarized Coleman’s style of music include: fragmented, pointed melodies, melodic connections based on motive structure and large-scale gestures and abstract relations among pitches, little or no use of conventional harmony and voice leading, but solos often have loose shifting tonal centers, variety of melodic rhythm, nasal insistent tone, loose rhythms, use of middle and upper range o n instrument, passionate expression, and deviation from standard intonation (Martin, Waters 271). Coleman started to explore different music possibilities by mixing and  extending elements of honky-tonk, blues, funk and bebop in areas of harmony, rhythm and the melodic structure. His musical styles alienated him from the jazz world that musicians walked off the stage when he showed up for a show. His new innovations later became known as â€Å"harmolodic†, which helped change jazz by pointing it in a direction away from the musical styles of bebop, but also established a place in a group of major 20th century composers such as Charlie Parker, Harry Partch, Charles Ives, and John Cage (Europe Jazz Network). From 1962 to 1965, Coleman withdrew himself from the spotlight and taught himself to play the trumpet and violin. He began to turn his attention to writing compositions for various musical forms such as woodwind quintets, chamber orchestras, string quartets, symphonic works and vocal works. This is the point in his life where his music began to affect the concert hall. The first public performance of one his pieces was the string quartet piece Dedicated to Poets and Writers. Performances of some of his works are scarce and have not been performed or recorded. The release of his two pieces Saints and Soldiers and Space Flight performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra cleared the way for his most famous piece Skies of America symphonic suite. The piece is scored for jazz ensemble and orchestra and debuted in 1972 at Newport in New York Festival and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra (George-Warren and Pareles). This work stands as Coleman’s harmolodic manifesto. There are some themes that people can recognize. Coleman enters the scene halfway through the piece with his saxophone during â€Å"The Artist in America†. His modulations have a fresh, sometimes abrupt sound as a result of movement of the melody and the chords. There are a number of different c hord changes which are considered correct even though it does not sound correct. Throughout the piece the works of Charles Ives comes to mind with the jumble of melodies and heavy densities. The entire work introduced his â€Å"harmolody† theory in which harmonies, rhythms, and melodies function independently and equally (George-Warren and Pareles). The theory relates to the use of similar melodic material in different clefs and keys, producing a texture of predominately parallel motion (Martin, Waters 271). He wanted to be like famous musicians George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, and Charles Mingus so that he could help break down boundaries between â€Å"modern jazz† and â€Å"serious concert† music. Coleman translates his ability as an improviser into orchestral terms. With his  orchestral works, he was able to create a peculiar timbre and certain licks unlike any other composer writing orchestral works. During the 1970s Coleman’s musical horizons continued to expand. He formed the group Prime Time which incorporated rock and funk rh ythms and melodic fragments similar to R&B music along with its harmonic possibilities. The free jazz/classical composer now created dance music that combined elements of jazz, funk, R&B, and rock with an unusual mix of instruments two guitarists, two drummers, two bassists, Coleman on the sax, violin, and trumpet. This group’s music included multi-layered melodies, polytonal and polyrhythmic textures which were defined as harmolodics. This style shaped more music other than jazz, and Coleman’s music influenced affected many rock musicians during the 70s especially Frank Zappa (Europe Jazz Network). While Coleman influenced rock musicians, he continued to diversify his music and became interested in African cultures. He traveled throughout Africa with Prime Time and created a new album Dancing in Your Head featuring field recordings with the group while they were working with tribal musicians in Morocco. In the 1980s Coleman revised and completed Skies of America after being commissioned by Caravan of Dreams, an arts center that opened in his hometown of F ort Worth, Texas. Coleman continued to write for all instrumentation and group sizes. He continued compositions for the concert hall such as the Meet the Modern series and The Sacred Mind of Johnny Dolphin. His group Prime Time eventually mixed ac (Martin and Waters)oustic and electric instruments. In 1993, his most monumental recordings from Atlantic were released in a box set entitled Beauty Is a Rare Thing. He went on to be inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters and was featured by the New York Lincoln Center which hosted a festival of his works featuring a performance of the Skies of America by the New York Philharmonic and surviving members of his band Prime Time (Europe Jazz Network). One of the greatest jazz artist and composer of all time is Ornette Coleman who influenced music for the concert hall and popular music genres such as jazz and rock and roll. His music for the concert hall was innovative and creative as stayed true to his artistic style and capabilities. One of his most influential pieces for the concert hall was Skies of America which helped blend many different styles of music into an orchestral work. Individuals were influenced by his pioneering work in  creating free jazz and the use of improvisation styles as well as his newly created harmolodic theory. Coleman was not afraid to step out on the limb to perform and create music without boundaries and that did not follow the traditional Western theory practices. He did receive a lot of criticism for his approach but affected and changed many by his abilities. Bibliography Cox, Christoph and Daniel Warner. â€Å"Audio Culture: Readings in Modern Music.† Change of the Century. New York: The Contiuum International Publishing Group, 2004. Europe Jazz Network Musicians . 20 February 2010 . George-Warren, Holly and Jon Pareles. â€Å"Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock And Roll.† Ornette Coleman. Boston: Simon & Schuster , 2001. Martin, Henry and Keith Waters. Jazz: the frst 100 years. Belmont: Thomas Schirmer, 2006. Music, The Jazz Ear: Conversations Over. â€Å"Ratliff, Ben.† I Know Who You Are Ornette Coleman. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, 2008.

The Motivational Reasons behind Consumer Choice in Branded Coffee Shops Abstract Essay

The coffee-shop industry has been undergoing substantial change during the latter part of the twentieth and early part of the twenty-first century, reflected by continuous changes in consumer behaviour. The aim of this study is to improve the understanding of the motivational reasons behind customer choice in branded coffee shops, both international and local. A quantitative data collection of 300 questionnaires was used in the UK to assess consumer behaviour to branded coffee shops. The findings concluded that most respondents visit coffee shops with friends, with locally branded coffee shops the preferred choice. Consumer motivations to branded coffee shops are most influenced by three factors: past experience/ familiarity; convenience of location/travel; and friends and family. With friendly staff, high quality of coffee and food, good atmosphere and good reputation the most important aspects for branded coffee shops. Recent exposure of tax avoidance from companies such as Starbucks have had negative influence on consumer choice of branded coffee shops. Introduction Rapid developments and a monumental boom, the popularity of the contemporary coffee shop continues to grow in the twenty-first century. Starbucks entered the UK market in the 1990s (Bishop, 2012), which awakened a new era for branded coffee shops. Key Note (2012: 29) verifies that three major players exist; Costa, Starbucks and Caffà © Nero, representing over 80% of branded coffee shops in the UK, confirming the power of international coffee brands. This major market penetration has been to the detriment of smaller, locally branded coffee shops, which struggle to compete (Bishop, 2012). However, some news articles suggest that locally branded coffee shops, e.g. Cadwaladers, can survive, using the power and competitive advantage of the local market. Recent exposure of tax avoidance (see ‘Starbucks’ paid just  £8.6m UK tax in 14 years’, BBC News 2012) questions the future influence of international coffee brands. From analysis of the above it may be inferred that local and international branded coffee shops divide opinion. Reviewing literature of brand concepts, it is evident branding has been widely addressed (Butcher, 2005; Caruana, 2002; Schuiling and Kapferer, 2004; Young and Rubicam, 2000), and more especially, branding in the hospitality industry, (Allegra Strategies Report, 2012; Bashaw, Brumm and Davis, 2008; Bell, 2008; Chathoth and Olsen, 2003; George and Stefanos, 1999; Hanson et al., 2009; Hyun and Kim, 2011; Kim et al., 2003; Kim and Kim, 2004, 2005; Kim, Ma and Kim, 2005; Kwun and Oh, 2004; O’Neill and Mattila, 2010; Ruddick, 2012; Ryu et al., 2008; Wanke, Hermann and Schaffner, 2007), though it finds little research specifically concerning branded coffee shops. Against the above background, the aim of this research is to improve understanding by providing an in-depth analysis of the motivational reasons behind customer choice in branded coffee shops, both local and international. This addresses the gap that exists within literature concerning branded coffee shops, especially regarding what factors influence customer behavior, perceptions and motivations to both local and international branded coffee shops in the UK. Literature review This review considers visitor motivation, theories of motivation in general, hospitality-specific and influential factors such as social influence, socio- demographics and branding, with particular focus on brand perceptions. Visitor Motivation Sharpley (2008) refers to motivation as a logical process that results from deep, psychological needs and motives or external forces and pressures; social relationships and lifestyle. Often unrecognised by an individual, it can kick-start the consumer decision-making process, to ‘reflect an individual’s private needs and wants’ (Pearce, 2005: 51). However, Witt and Wright (1992) argue that needs and desires may arouse motivated behaviour, meaning behaviour is not necessarily predicted, whereas Fodness (1994) claims motivation is the driving force in interpreting an individual’s behaviour. A range of research is related to tourism motivation or visitor motivation (Cooper et al., 2005; Dann, 1977, 1981; Eagles, 1992; Fodness, 1994; Iso- Ahola, 1982; Krippendorf, 1986; MacCannell, 1989; Mathieson and Wall, 1982; McIntosh and Goeldner, 1990; Mill and Morrison, 1985; Moutinho, 1987; Pearce and Caltabiana, 1983; Pearce, 2005; Sharpley, 2008; Sims, 2009; Urry, 1990; Witt and Wright, 1992; Wolf, 2002). However, very little research is related to coffee shop visitor motivations. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943), a theory of human motivation, provides a strong concept for consumer decision choice of branded coffee shops. Two constructs of this theory, i.e. ‘love and belonging’ support the desire to create a sense of connection. Witt and Bruce (1972) and Bearden and Etzel (1982), suggest individuals seek social approval, wanting to be ‘liked’ or ‘be like’ other individuals in society. The desire to achieve social security motivates individuals to choose the same brand as others, by external public observation or internal, social group attitudes. The power of the international brand as the ‘place to be seen’ creates a motivated behaviour choice. Lewis (2012) argues that superficial desires and behaviours are less influential factors and basic needs are more common-human. Maslow’s concept of ‘psychological needs,’ the need for life basics, supports this alternative motivator, therefore the drive to satisfy thirst alone is another determinant for visiting a coffee shop. The study of needs provides a ‘partial explanation of motivated behaviour’ (Witt and Wright, 1992: 44), but according to Mill and Morrison (1985: 2) individuals are often unaware of the real reason for doing certain things, suggesting true motivations lie hidden in the subconscious. So other influential factors must be examined as reasons why people visit an international brand over a local branded coffee shop and vice-versa. Influential Factors Wolf (2006: 19) notes that ‘nearly 100% of tourists dine out while travelling, and food and beverage consistently rank first in visitor spending’, supported by Shenoy (2005). These findings suggest one explanation for the major growth of coffee shops in high-footfall leisure areas, with an increase in number of branded coffee shops to 3041 in the UK by 2009-10 (Bishop, 2012: 1). Tourist typologies provide tourist/visitor behaviour differences, e.g. Brand Seekers, Convenience Tourists, Culinary Tourists, etc. Hall and Mitchell’s (2005) Taxonomy of Consumers can be used to classify the importance of food within their decision-making processes. Hall and Mitchell (2006: 147; Wolf, 2002) suggest a tourist may want to ‘taste’ the region they are visiting, with the culinary tourist (Shenoy, 2005), supporting motivated behaviour to a locally branded coffee shop. However, with many local coffee shops disappearing, this typology is questioned. Other influences like the power of a brand may alter ones attitudes and consequently change behaviour, research into brand power highlights this. Perceptions are influenced by motivational push factors, e.g. socio-demographics, familiarity, security, social norms, prestige and peer pressure (Swarbrooke and Horner, 1999). Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behaviour examined how initial intentions and attitudes are affected by perceptions and account ‘for considerable variance in actual behaviour’ (Ajzen, 1991: 179). Social Influence Moutinho (1987) suggests 4 sources of social influence; family, social class, culture and reference groups. He argued these internal and external pressures were detrimental to behaviour when exerted on individuals. Thornton (2001) supports family as a powerful influence in tourist motivation. Merton (1957) and Rossi’s (1949) reference groups, describes the process when people adjust their attitudes and values to that of the reference group, e.g. product preferences (Burnkrant and Cousineau, 1975) and brand choice (Bourne, 1957; Stafford, 1966; Witt, 1969). Bruce (1970,1972) finds reference group influence can spread to other consumers explaining behaviour of visitors to a new area, seeking information when uncertain (Bearden and Etzel, 1982). Another example derives from the need to seek social status and social approval (Witt and Bruce, 1972). The term value- expressive, is the need for psychological association with a person or group, to the liking of the reference group (Bearden and Etzel, 1982) and ‘need’ to be identified as using the same brand ‘publically consumed luxury’ (Bourne, 1957: 219). French and Raven’s (1959) propose 5 bases that explore how a social group derives power to exert influence. Socio-demographics also determine behavior (Bishop, 2012: 55), e.g. major coffee chains were more popular among men (29.4%) than women (20.6%) compared to independents in the UK. Additionally 54.6% of 20- to 24-year-olds were most likely to choose a branded chain compared to 17.7% of those aged 65 years and over (Key Note, 2012). Consumer research by NEMS UK Market Research on behalf of Key Note (2012: 1) claim during the recession 30.7% of people cut back on visiting coffee/sandwich shops, with, consumers more attracted by outlets offering discounts (Allegra Strategies, 2012). Mattila (2001) claims that social variables from the business perspective are critical for generating customer loyalty, e.g. social regard influenced new customers and perceived core service quality influenced existing customers (Butcher, 2005). Caruana (2002) recognises service qualities like customer satisfaction, results in service loyalty, while friendly behaviours in service interactions enhance business success (Bitner et al., 1990; Driver and Johnston, 2001; Hall, 1993; Iacobucci and Ostrom, 1993; Price and Arnould, 1999). Servicescape is also regarded as a critical factor. Wight (1996) argues the avoidance of crowds is important in explaining customer behaviour. Branding For this research a brand differentiates the international service/product from a local service/product. The brand is a powerful tool that attracts positive consumer behaviour, influencing perceptions and choice, i.e. purchase intention. Wanke, Herrmann and Schaffner (2007) found that a brand name evokes specific associations, creating a brand perception e.g. ‘Starbucks’ – where ‘star’ may be interpreted as star quality and excellence, influencing consumers’ link with quality (Ginden, 1993). Berry et al. (1988) suggests a well-chosen name creates a marketing advantage and should include key characteristics i.e. simple, flexible, memorable, distinctive and relevant – e.g. ‘Costa’. Rooney (1995) suggests a brand name is a major asset, enhancing company success, generating consumer confidence (Assael, 1995) and active consumer behaviour (Assael, 1995; Meadows, 1983), as consumers perceive one brand as more desirable than its competitors (Rooney, 1995). Chernatony and Dall’Olmo Riley (1998: 426) identified twelve themes associated with defining a brand, e.g. shorthand, risk reducer, identity system and image, influencing the consumers mind. Memory shortcuts (Jacoby et al., 1977) help speedier decision-making, advantageous for the time pressed consumer. The recognisable brand becomes the favoured choice (Chevan, 1992), as a distinguishable international brand satisfies demand expectations (Chernatony and Dall’Olmo Riley, 2010; Montgomery and Wernerfelt, 1992), so a brand relationship is established that may explain international brand market dominance. Sweeney and Soutar (2001) suggest branded products have four consumption values that drive consumer purchase behaviour i.e. emotional, social, quality/performance and price/value for money. Explaining how one brand can differ from the next; international branded coffee shops may be perceived the best at delivering these values. The Customer-Based Brand Equity Model (Keller, 1993), conceptualises the idea that brand knowledge affects the consumer response, leading to a positive effect on consumer reactions, generating brand attitude (Tuominen, 1999; Yoo and Donthu, 2001). Research has explored how past experience has the ability to influence and change buyer behaviour (Busch, 1980; Gaski, 1984a; MacKenzie and Zaichkowsky, 1981). Research found that power can influence aspects such as satisfaction (Bachman, 1968; Bachman, Smith, and Slesinger, 1966), attraction (French and Raven, 1959), conformity (Warren, 1968, 1969), and social influence (Lippitt, Polansky, and Rosen, 1952). Crosno et al.’s (2009) 5 Base Social Power Theory adapted from French and Raven’s (1959) original framework (appendix 1), found a brand wielding these concepts had a greater overall brand social power. These findings provide significant explanation to brand difference between international and local coffee shops. An investigation by Tsai (2011) strengthened the Strategic Management of Service Brand Relationships Model, finding service brand commitment and love, influence relationship e.g. satisfaction, self-concept connection and finally trust. Research on the importance of building and achieving brand equity, loyalty and awareness exist, yet little investigation into consumer decision of branded coffee shops. Literature suggests quality perception was most important for determining brand purchase (Bao et al., 2011; Grewal et al., 1998; Richardson, 1994, 1996). This provides support for research into customer perceptions of coffee brands and how they influence our behaviours. Local Brands vs. International Brands Schuiling and Kapferer (2004) argue with local brands’ adaptability and better response to local needs, e.g. flexibility of pricing strategy for specific local markets highlighting a significant difference to international brands, which lack intimate relationships with local markets (Schuiling and Kapferer, 2004). Their research on the differences found that local brands have a higher level of awareness (85%) than international brands (73%) linked by the number of years local brands have been in the market (Schuiling and Kapferer, 2004: 105). Their database revealed other variables suggesting local brand advantages, for example, as being trustworthy, reliable, good value, high quality and traditional (Table 3 in Schuiling and Kapferer, 2004: 105). Local brands have the ability to create a brand value system (Chernatony and Dall’olmo Riley, 1998) by endorsing personal and cultural values (Engel, 1993; Reynolds and Gutman, 1988). Chernatony and Dall’olmo Riley (1998) argued that Brand Relationship and Brand Personality (Blackston, 1992) were important for repeat custom and strong bonding, e.g. Cadwaladers, a local Welsh example, provide ‘distinct character’ and ‘culture’ of its destination (Jones and Jenkins, 2002: 116) and help establish a more unique selling proposition (Haven-Tang and Jones, 2006). Evidence exists of community support for local brands to support, stimulate and revitalise local economy (Boyne, Hall and Williams, 2003), creating regional development (Hall, Kirkpatrick and Mitchell, 2005; Steinmetz, 2010) and preventing ‘cloning’ (Kelly, 2012). A case study by Patterson et al. (2010) highlights local brand power in Australia. Closing three quarters of Australian Starbucks, Australians continued to remain loyal the their own coffee brand Gloria Jeans. Schuiling and Kapferer (2004) support local brands as the leading competitor, arguing the qualities and traits of local business have proven superior. They conclude that cost is responsible for local disadvantage, with inability to generate economies of scale. Schuiling and Kapferer (2004) argue that international brand development benefits from global marketing, e.g. portfolio enhancement, compared to local brands who lack global status (see Daily Mail, 2009). Schuiling and Kapferer (2004) suggest a balanced mix of local and international brand development is key to entire industry success. The aim of this article is to improve our understanding by addressing the gap that exists within research and literature concerning branded coffee shops. Little research explores what factors influence customer behavior, perceptions and motivations to local and international branded coffee shops in the UK. Methodology Given the nature of the research, formal quantitative data collection using questionnaires was deployed. Target market analysis highlighted the most prominent influential factors, internal and external motives (Gnoth, 1997) and push and pull factors (Swarbrooke and Horner, 1999). This establishes what factors influence consumer perceptions, behaviour and purchase intention, similar to the survey conducted by Boa et al. (2011). Providing explanation as to why branded coffee shops (local/international) maintain their position within their industry, this research addresses the lack of research in this field, benefiting coffee shop businesses seeking competitive advantage or improvement. Providing insight to customer attitudes and perceptions, it proposes realistic prospects for brands, like the Y&R Brand Asset Valuator (Young and Rubicam, 2010). ‘Surveys are, arguably, the most important source of information for tourism analysis, planning and decision making’ (Smith, 1995: 42). Questionnaires are components of survey work (Finn et al., 2000), its purpose here is to obtain reliable and valid data on the research subject (Finn et al., 2000). A street survey of 300 questionnaires was undertaken, covering a cross- section of the community (Veal, 1992). Allowing generalisation of similar socio-demographic areas, this survey size gives representative data of the population (Seale, 2004), compensating lack of sufficient response data and weakness of randomness (Prentice et al., 1998), e.g. population and ecological validity (Finn et al., 2000). Clearly there is likely to be differences in demographics in the Southern cities/areas covered for this research compared to larger, major cities/areas across the UK such as London. Measures for the questionnaire are conceptualised from the secondary literature research, as discussed consultation of research literature like this facilitates internal validity (Finn et al., 2000). This identified deficiencies concerning consumer choice and behaviour to the branded coffee shop, reflecting research objectives for appropriate instrumentation and statistical treatment of data (Cohen et al., 2007). The questionnaire (appendix 2) included a standardised set of questions, allowing all respondents to interpret them in the same way, establishing standardisation and control (Finn et al., 2000). A pilot study identified improvements to the questionnaire before being confirmed as reliable, removing ambiguity or bias (Finn et al., 2000). Similarly to methodology by Bramwell (1998) and Prentice et al. (1998) this research was a non-probability sample of 300 shoppers, no sampling frame therefore is administered. Critics of this sampling argue that this method is weak, lacking randomness, approaching shoppers on an ad hoc basis (bias selection) inevitably means not everyone has an equal chance of being selected (Finn et al., 2000). To help overcome questionnaire distributer bias, a ‘first to pass’ system was used (Tourism and Recreation Research Unit, 1993). Shopping centres, high streets and small town centres in various locations in the South West (e.g. Plymouth, Taunton) and South Wales (e.g. Cardiff, Penarth and Chepstow) were identified as valid target areas, where street surveys are natural settings (Bogdan and Biklen, 1992; Cohen et al., 2007; Lincoln and Guba, 1985). The aim was to target up to 50% of shoppers within these fields (according to capacity of area). A total of 10 days was allocated for research collection, to reach a total of 300 responses. The procedure was validated and controlled by replicating each data-gathering activity, with the interviewer remaining neutral throughout the study, avoiding interviewer bias or the Halo Effect. Consent ensures content validity and reduces ethical implications (Cohen et al., 2007) while consequential validity was also confirmed; briefing participants their responses will not exceed the ‘capability of the research’ (Cohen et al., 2007: 140). This maximises interest and elicits a positive response rate (Brunt, 2012; Finn et al., 2000). The research method allows for completed questionnaires suitable for coding and analysis by SPSS, enabling the study to be easily replicated. Cross-tabulation examined results and chi-square tests ‘measured how well the data fits the hypothesis’ (Gravetter and Wallnau, 2009: 611) i.e. testing for goodness of fit, measuring what it is supposed to measure confirms validity (Finn et al, 2000: 28), creating a descriptive statistical account to interpret and generalise reality. Findings and discussion This section presents the results of the questionnaire, analysing the descriptive statistics to establish the independent variables and dependent variables: Experience of coffee shops; Coffee-drinking behaviour; Motivation; International vs local coffee shops; Effects of tax avoidance. Discussion reviews their linkages to the existing literature to determine if this new data supports or contradicts existing information. Profile of the respondents A large count for each gender was recorded, finding a higher degree of female respondents (55.7%). Their ages varied, with a large segment of the sample aged between 15 and 24 (42.3%). The population of England is larger than Wales. Results from the 2011 census (Office for National Statistics, 2011) reveal that England has 53.0 million residents, compared to 3.1 million in Wales. Further reporting that ‘there were 27.6 million men and 28.5 million women in the two countries’ (Office for National Statistics, 2011: 4). Looking more specifically at the UK regions used for this research, the South West and Wales, a marginal population difference exits between these two regions (see table 6). However closer examination of the gender populations of these two regions are fairly similar (see tables 7 and 8), both regions see more females than males for people living to an older age. These statistics support findings regarding the higher female count found in this research. Local coffee brands were the preferred type by respondents (53.7%) compared to international coffee brands (46.3%). Correlating with recent actions in Totnes (Kelly, 2012 – BBC News Magazine), this supports Schuiling and Kapferers’ (2004) assessment that local brands are the leading competitor. It also suggests that local brands may endorse stronger consumption values posit by Sweeney and Soutar (2001) to explain consumer purchase behaviour. Dismissing assumptions made within the literature review that international branded coffee shops could be perceived best at delivering these values. Respondents reported they visit coffee shops predominately with friends (50.3%). Only 4.7% of respondents visited with work colleagues, suggesting escapism from daily routine by Iso-Ahola (1987) may explain why coffee shops are less likely to be visited with work colleagues, avoiding an association with work related activities. This sustains popular belief that coffee shops are a social activity, with behaviour socially influenced by friends or family (French and Raven, 1959). Motivations to coffee shop Table 3 presents motivations of the respondents to Coffee shop using a 1-5 Likert Scale Analysis found that past experience/familiarity was the main reason why respondents were motivated to their chosen coffee shop (4.09). Confirming the influence of motivational push factors like familiarity and security (Swarbrooke and Horner, 1999), to satisfy expectations, meet private needs and wants (Pearce, 2005; Witt and Wright, 1992) and influence behaviour (Brand Social Power Theory, 2009; Busch, 1980; Crosno et al., 2009; French and Raven, 1958; Gaski, 1984a; Lippit et al., 1952; MacKenzie and Zaichkowsky, 1981; Warren, 1968, 1969). Confirming Brand Values are endorsed from personal experience with the brand subject (Bradley, 1995; Chernatony and McDonald, 1992; Clark, 1987; Doyle 1998; Jones, 1986; Tuominen, 1999), e.g. ‘Attachment of place’ (Phillips, 2013: 202), a principle Rowles (1978) and Smith (2009) claim is associated with exposure to a place. The second highest motivation was convenience of location/ or travel (3.99), which supports convenience is an important consideration (Kim et al., 2005) and convenient location is more important than the brand (3.61) (Allegra Strategies, 2012). Friends and Family rated third strongest motivator (3.75), confirming friends and family are powerful motivators influencing behavior (Bearden and Etzel, 1982; Bourne, 1957; Burnkrant and Cousineau, 1975; Moutinho, 1987; Stafford, 1966; Thornton, 2001; Witt and Bruce, 1972 and Witt, 1969). This reinforces Merton and Rossi (1949) and Moutinho’s (1987) significance of ‘reference groups.’ That Strong local identity rated the weakest (3.31) may suggest that local identity does not have the same impact as that of the brand itself, e.g. marketing advantage (Berry et al., 1988), enhanced success (Rooney, 1995) or active consumer behaviour (Assael, 1995; Meadows, 1983). This suggests that promoting local identity in coffee shops may not significantly affect customer behavioural intentions. International branded coffee shops vs local branded coffee shops A 1-5 Likert Scale was also used to identify what aspects were most important for both international coffee brands and local coffee brands, summarised in table 4 below. High quality of coffee/food was found the most important aspect (4.36) concerning international brands. Reinforcing perceived core service quality influenced existing customers (Butcher, 2005), similarly confirming Bao et al. (2011); Grewal et al. (1998) and Richardson (1994, 1996) that quality perception was most important for determining purchase. Rated second most important for an international brand was good reputation (4.08), confirming that social regard is a critical influencer (Butcher, 2005; Mattila, 2001). Friendly staff was rated most important for local brands (4.37). These findings are consistent with Bitner et al., (1990); Driver and Johnston (2001); Hall, (1993); Iacobucci and Ostrom, (1993) and Price and Arnould, (1999); who found friendly behaviours between service and customer enhance business success. High quality of coffee/food rated second most important, as mentioned above consistent with Butcher (2005) and Mattila (2001). Good atmosphere was also considered important for local coffee shops (4.13), supporting Kotler (1973) that atmosphere is often the primary product to effect purchase decision, physical surroundings and environment are also influential (Gardner, 1985; Obermiller and Bitner, 1984 and Donovan and Rossiter, 1982). Table 5 shows respondents’ attitude towards recent news claims regarding tax avoidance (centered around Starbucks). The results below confirm that a significant number of respondents were affected by the story (34%), claiming they would avoid using international chains in the future. Though 53.3% of respondents said it would have no effect, an additional 12.7% stated they were unsure of their future intentions. This provides a case which represents how important brand equity (Aaker, 1991) is for building the product’s image (Clearly, 1981), value promotion to attract and keep customers (Rooney, 1995), positive image (Ginden, 1993), consumer generated image (Chernatony and Dall’olmo Riley, 1998), brand value (Park et al., 1994) and likings and perceptions (Moore, 1993). Damage to the brand can be critical; the findings demonstrate how negative brand exposure against Starbucks now evokes a negative association and brand perception (Wanke, Herrmann and Schaffner, 2007). This confirms the power of Keller’s Brand Equity Model (1993); brand knowledge can affect consumer response, suggesting it had hindered brand attitude (Tuominen, 1999; Yoo and Donthu, 2001). Brand reputation (Romeo, Weinberger, and Antes 1994; Siomkos and Malliaris 1992) is a feature affected by consumer response to company crisis (Jorgensen, 1996). Jorgensen (1996) and Weiner’s model (1986) found the higher degree of responsibility and controllability a company was for said event the higher it elicit feelings of anger, effecting judgment, purchase and behaviour intentions (Jorgensen, 1994). The high number of respondents not affected could be explained using attitude strength, brand commitment and brand loyalty (Ahluwalia et al., 2000; Keller, 2003; Tuominen, 1999; Yoo and Donthu, 2001) i.e. brand equity (Aaker, 1991; 1992), confirming the importance of the Service Brand Relationship Model (Tsai, 2011). Cross Tabulation and Chi-Square Tests studied the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables to determine whether a significant association between two variables existed (Brunt, 2012). This research revealed a number of significant associations existed, providing insight of consumer behaviour to coffee shops, discussed below. A chi-square test between gender and 12 motivational items was carried out, which found one positive cross tabulation between women and ‘Popular and Thriving Atmosphere.’ This shows a significant association; women are more positively affected by servicescape (Gardener, 1985; Kotler, 1973; Obermiller and Bitner, 1984) and environment than men (Raajpoot et al., 2008). Popular and thriving maybe associated as busy, men are more negatively affected by waiting time than women (Grewal et al, 2003) which explains this gender association, suggesting Wight’s (1997) avoidance of crowds to explain behaviour is more prevalent in men than in women. A chi-square test between age and 12 motivational items was carried out; 4 positive cross tabulations were found: ‘Age’ and ‘Support Local Brand’ The cross tab indicated that more people aged 65+ rated ‘support local brand’ as the strongest reason to coffee shop. Age groups ’15-24†² and ’25-44†² rated ‘possible’ highly. Most ages rate ‘support local brand’ highly as a motivator to chosen coffee shop, though the older you are the stronger this motivates you. Approving Boyne, Hall and Williams (2003) that community support to stimulate and revitalise the local economy exits. ‘Age’ and ‘Avoids Crowds and Noise’ Age group ’65+’ rated avoiding crowds and noise strongly as a motivating factor. This test reveals the older you are the more avoiding crowds and noise motivates you when choosing a coffee shop. Supporting Day et al. ‘s (2000) Minimizing Sensory Overstimulation Theory, as suggested by Phillips’ (2013) study, older participants were startled by sudden, heavy or loud noises. ‘Age’ and ‘The Brand and Reputation’ This cross tab suggests that for ages ’25-44†², ’65+’ and ’15-24, Brand and Reputation was a strong motivator, confirming this does affect and influence a large majority of consumer motivations. These findings are consistent with those of Wanke, Herrmann and Schaffner (2007) that brands evoke perceptions, which can link with quality (Ginden, 1993) influencing consumer decisions. Findings support brands make memory shortcuts (Jacoby et al., 1977), which create consumer confidence (Assael, 1995) and active consumer behaviour (Assael, 1995; Crosno et al., 2009; Meadows, 1983). ‘Age’ and ‘Somewhere New/Different’ The cross tab indicated that somewhere new/different rated a high motivator among respondent, thus an influential factor in consumer coffee shop decisions. This is consistent to the framework created by Pearce and Caltabiano (1983) and Sharpley (2008) whom signify biological and social motives change over time. Social changes influence behaviour, i.e. consumer taste and style changes (Moutinho, 1987; Rooney, 1995) and social influences are motivators found by Dann (1977); Iso-Ahola (1987) and McIntosh and Goeldner (1990). The findings agree with Bearden and Etzel (1982) and Witt and Bruce (1972) that social security and social approval motivates human behaviour. A further test found a significant association existed between age and preferred coffee shop. The two youngest ages groups 15-24 and 25-44 were found to prefer international branded coffee shops more than local branded coffee shops, supporting Key Note (2012), compared to the two oldest age groups 45-64 and 65+, which found a higher preference for local brands. Conclusion and implications Reviewing this exploratory study, we suggest that consumer motivations to branded coffee shops are influenced by the following three factors: past experience/familiarity, convenience of location, and friends and family. This research reveals that social influence is a strong motivator in consumer choice and purchasing behaviours to branded coffee shops. This research also identified some similarities between factors perceived most important from the consumer perspective for local and international coffee brands. The most important factors for a local coffee brand were, in order, friendly staff, high quality of coffee and food and good atmosphere. Whereas the most important factors for an international coffee brand were, in order, high quality of coffee and food, good reputation and friendly staff. Respondents indicated high quality coffee and food and friendly staff were important for both branded coffee shops. The results of this research exposes that a difference between coffee brand preference and influential factors exists. The following section presents practical implications for businesses or individuals within the branded coffee shop industry. This research identified that a strong liking for coffee shops exists, with local brands the preferred coffee brand choice. The difference between important factors suggests it contributes and influences consumer coffee brand preference, motivations and behaviours. So to understand the motivational reasons behind consumer choices in branded coffee shops the consideration of these factors is necessary. Differentiating the local brand from the international brand, the results suggest local brands endorse a more personal relationship compared to the professional, quality relationship found from international brands. These findings provide additional theory on the power of social influence from the consumer and business perspective as a motivator to branded coffee shops, i.e. perceptions and social brand power. In addition, this research reveals that significant associations did exist between motivation and social demographics such as age and gender; e.g. women were more motivated by the popular and thriving atmosphere of the branded coffee shop than men. Whereas age presented larger differences between motivations e.g. ‘support local brand’, ‘avoid crowds/noise’, ‘somewhere new/different’ and ‘brand and reputation’. This research could be used for coffee shop businesses seeking to target a specific audience. Regarding tax avoidance, results from a specific question (see appendix 2, Question 7 and table 5) illustrated that consumer attitude was affected and that it negatively influenced future decisions, motivations and behaviours towards all internationally branded coffee shops, especially Starbucks itself. Detrimental to the brand reputation, this draws attention to the importance of maintaining a good reputation for successful coffee shop businesses. The findings suggest theories and literature on brands, motivation and influential factors is applicable to branded coffee shops, e.g. theory concerning local brands as leading competitors endorsing qualities and traits superior to those of international brands. Quality perception is important for determining brand purchase and can explain consumer behaviour to branded coffee shops. This research addresses the gap that exists within literature concerning branded coffee shops, especially regarding local brands and their ability to influence consumer perceptions. Little research explores what factors influence customer behaviour, perceptions and motivations to local and international branded coffee shops in the UK, therefore this research creates a foundation for others to explore and develop further. Given the rise in interest and boom of the coffee shop industry in recent times, this provides market research consideration for new start ups in the tourism and beverage industry in the future. A multi methods approach using an in-depth interview could improve understanding and explore customer attitudes further. A comparison of consumer preferences across different countries could also reveal whether cultural differences influence decisions. Limitations to this study exist, e.g. the sample selection was taken from the South West and South Wales and other UK regions were not explored, meaning a holistic mix of social demographic across the UK is not confirmed. Likewise, an equal count for each age group and gender was not achieved. A larger study may discover a difference between gender and preference of branded coffee shop, or whether significant associations exist between age and importance of aspects, which chi-square tests in this study could not validate due an insufficient sample size. Clearly the results demonstrate coffee shops are an integral part of popular British culture and this research presents findings to support this theory. Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and appreciation to my guide, Professor Rong Huang, for her exemplary guidance, monitoring, constant encouragement and kindness. Her support and time has been invaluable and inspiring throughout the development of this article. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Graham Busby for the valuable information provided by him in his respective field. I am grateful for his support. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents, brother and friends for their constant encouragement, support, care and kindness throughout this entire process. Appendices Appendix 1: French and Raven’s (1959) power typology Legitimate power is based on the perception of an individual that another person has the legitimate right to influence him or her, and that he or she is obligated to accept the influence. Reward power is based on the perception of an individual that another person has the ability to reward him or her. Coercive power is based on the perception of an individual that another person has the ability to punish him or her. Expert power is based on the perception of an individual that another person has some specialized knowledge or expertise. Referent power is based on an individual’s identification with, and desire to be similar to, another person. Crosno et al. (2009:93) Appendix 2: Questionnaire Appendix 4: Questionnaire Appendix 3: Table 6: 2011 Census – The populations for English Regions and Wales Table 6: 2011 Census – The populations for English Regions and Wales (Office for National Statistics, 2011:22). Table 7: The Population of Wales 1999-2009 by age and gender Table 7: The Population of Wales 1999-2009 by age and gender (Office for National Statistics – Statistics for Wales, 2010:3) Table 8: The Population of the South West by age and gender Table 8: The Population of the South West by age and gender (Smith, 2010:47) Notes [1] Sophie Burge has recently been awarded a First Class BSc Honours Degree in Business and Tourism at the University of Plymouth. 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Charts And Graph Essay Example For Students

Charts And Graph Essay The number to classes should be between S and IS. Power than 5 classes cause excessive summarization. More than IS classes leave too much detail. Class Width Divide the range by the number Of classes for an approximate class width Round up to a convenient number So if the number of classes Approximate e Class Width is = 6, then Class Width 10 The midpoint of each class interval is called the class midpoint or the class mark. Class Midpoint = class beginning point + =30+D class width The relative frequency is the proportion of the total frequency that is any given class interval in a truculence distribution. Relative Class Interval frequency Frequency 20-under 30 18 40-under SO asunder 70 50 T total 100 The cumulative frequency is a running total of frequencies through the classes of a frequency distribution. Cumulative Class Interdependency 40. Under SO so-under 60 3 49 madder 80 Total Frequency 18 +624 11 + 2435 46 Class IntervalFrequencyMidpointFrequency Frequency 0. Ender 40 40_under 50 ;under 60 under 80 1. 00 The cumulative relative frequency is a running total of the relative truculences through the classes of a truculence distribution, RelativeCumulativeRelative Class Intergovernmentalurgencyurgencyurgency 6. 12 under SO . 22 . 92 3. 06 C=under 80 Histogram vertical bar chart of frequencies Frequency Polygon line graph transiences Give line graph of cumulative frequencies Pie Chart proportional representation tort categories of a whole Class Interval

Exploring Human Nature and Destruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Exploring Human Nature and Destruction - Essay Example For some it is to do in good for one another, for others it is just to make it another day. Human nature consists of moments of love, hate, passion, living and dying. In this case, it is destruction, both in war conflict and from the standpoint of considering suicide to end an internal war. A person is born and a person will die but it is what the person does in between these two milestones that is of importance. The purpose of life is unknown but while these writers look at a reflection of human nature, only each individual can narrate their own story. When looking at the references that William Manchester discusses, he analyzes the concept of war. He includes in his essay about Okinawa the concept that war has existed for several years. Manchester uses World War II as a reference discussing how it came to an end eventually with the United States being crippled in the middle of war by its opponents. Using a landing force, a fleet of 1200 ships as part of the United States invasion i n Okinawa, the people on these ships were subjected to attack from other ships in the sea and from the dropping of deadly bombs from the air. When analyzing the two enemy forces, the goals were similar: to destroy one another. The Japanese planned to attack the United States Marines as they approached the island by sinking the ships. Alternately, the Marines were on a mission to attack the Japanese by creeping onto shore and driving them into the sea (Manchester). While this is just a simple narrative of a historical event that deeply impacted the United States, it is evident that human nature was at work here. Both Americans and Japanese fighters were together in combat but were working against each other. Both sides of the war saw their opponents as enemies and the goal was to kill or destroy. Each side desired to win the victory of the war. Human nature is at work here because by just where a person was born determined which side they fought on. While many outsiders rarely know t he purpose of a war, the goal is always for their country to be victorious. It is like rooting for a team, wanting to see the opponents walk away, holding their heads in shame. Everyone wants to be on the winning team. Though human nature is not necessarily to kill, it is to fight for one's own side. When looking at this issue further, these U.S. Marines did not know each other when they walked into battle but they became teammates, fighting for their country, fighting for their lives and most of all, fighting for each other. Outside of war, they may have had nothing in common but in war, they let down all guards and help each other toward a common goal. Being an American or being Japanese gave each person in this war an identity. This defines battle lines and identifies the enemy. Marines more than likely had a feeling of hatred toward their Japanese enemies and as a result, aimed toward destroying them. When it comes to human nature, what goes on in one's mind that causes destruct ion? In war, it is the motive to devote oneself to their country and pray to come home to their families alive. However, some people self destruct as well, fighting a battle against themselves. This issue is discussed by Hoagland's essay discussing â€Å"Heaven and Nature,† and describes suicide. A person that is contemplating suicide is instead at war with themselves. Human nature is a different force here where a

Strategy in the International Enveronment Essay

Strategy in the International Enveronment - Essay Example The study will also look to prepare a business plan for the proposed business. Population of Lagos In order to properly recognise the demographic factors prevalent in Lagos the population of the area will be evaluated. Lagos is a small state in Nigeria. It is one of the highest populated areas in Nigeria which contributes about 5% of national estimate. The population of Lagos was 17 million in the year 2006. The growth rate of population is approximately 6, 00,000 per annum and the population density is about 4,193 ‘persons per square kilometre’. UN (United Nations) estimates that if this growth rate continues then by the year 2015 Lagos will turn out to be the ‘third largest mega city’ in the whole world after Tokyo, the capital of Japan and Mumbai in India. 85% population of Lagos is in metropolitan area and only 37% population is in ‘land area’ of Lagos. According to World Bank’s demographic analysis the growth rate of Lagos was 8% in the year 1996 and in Nigeria the growth rate was 36.8%. That means population of Lagos is increasing ten times quicker as compared to New York as well as Los Angeles (Lagos State Government, 2011). Statistics of People with High Disposable Income The real GDP growth rate of Nigeria was recorded at 7.4% in the year 2010 and annual gross income of people was approximately 130,095.4 USD. The annual disposable income of people of Nigeria was 115,976.9 USD in the year 2010 thus the purchasing power of people on that period was 356,475.9 USD. The following table shows that people’s purchasing power and disposable income has been increasing since the year 2007 (Euromonitor, 2011). Year GDP Measured at Purchasing Power (Million international $) Annual Disposable Income (Million USD) 2007 292,409.20 97,329.80 2008 310,743.60 113,613.30 2009 328,915.70 101,762.00 2010 356,475.90 115,976.90 2011 387,999.60 117,355.00 Source: (Euromonitor, 2011). According to report of 2006, less than ha lf of the households are employed. The average unemployed persons per household were less than 3. It reveals that there were more unemployed persons in the household than employed. From the perspective of household heads almost 92.6% was employed and 0.8% was unemployed. House heads earn more than their spouses and other members of household. The number of spouses and other household member in the income group between 10,000 ? to 30,000 ? is higher than household heads. In this income group, the proportion of household head was only 34.3% compared to proportion of spouse which was 61.7%, and other household member’s proportion was between 67.9 % - 80.9%. Proportion of household head whose income level was 90,000 ? and above was 8% and spouse’s proportion was only 2% (Lamata, 2005). Average household income of Household Member (in %) Average Monthly Income (in ?) Household Head (%) Spouse of Head (%) 10000 – 30000 34.3 61.5 30001 –

Analysis of Strategic Factors for Microsoft Corporation Research Paper

Analysis of Strategic Factors for Microsoft Corporation - Research Paper Example Political/legal forces: Microsoft Corporation runs the risk that its business may be affected by changes in the political landscape of the U.K. However, the political climate of the UK is quite business friendly and this is really not a problem. Moreover, new legislation on tax may come into force. This may have a direct impact on Microsoft Corporation. Value added tax recently witnessed a decline. This is good news for Microsoft Corporation as it means that more customers can now shop for Software given that they will be paying less tax on consumption. Moreover, there has been a renewed increase in environmental protection. This may lead to new environmental legislation that may have a direct or indirect material adverse impact on the operations of Microsoft Corporation. Economic Forces: The main economic forces that may affect Microsoft Corporation include fluctuations in interest rates, which has been the case in the UK recently. Interest rates have fallen significantly recently inducing consumers to spend more. Higher inflation means that the cost of inputs will be rising. Exchange rate fluctuations indicate that cash flows denominated in foreign currency are unstable. Prices of inputs sourced from abroad will be unstable as well. The Great British Pound has depreciated significantly against major currencies such as the euro and the dollar. On the one hand, this is good news for Microsoft Corporation given that tourists from abroad can spend more on Software in the UK. On the contrary, it is bad news to Microsoft Corporation in that the prices of foreign inputs in terms of Great British Pounds will be higher. Fluctuations in GDP have an impact on consumer spending. Increasing GDP indicates that consumers can spend more while decreasing GDP indicat es that aggregate demand will drop which will reduce consumption of Software. The global recession has also affected a number of industries and Microsoft Corporation may have witnessed a decline in the demand for its products as well as a decline in funding for its projects.

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 105

Discussion - Essay Example Also, before forwarding a message, obtain permission from the sender, who may have intended the message for you only† (p. 370). As such, disclosing any privileged information that was accidentally received would be tantamount to a violation of trust and would be detrimental to one’s image, or it could even put at risk the security of one’s job. Presentation*. You are preparing for a presentation with a short deadline. You find perfect wording and great graphics on the Internet. Should you lift the graphics and wording but change a few words? You figure that if it is on the Internet, it must be in the public domain. Any information taken from other sources, written by other people, should not be copied. If they are to be used, even paraphrased or copied verbatim, these sources should be cited and properly referenced. Lifting the graphics and paraphrasing, without acknowledging the source is tantamount to plagiarism. As emphasized, â€Å"to avoid plagiarism, you must use material from outside sources properly. You can integrate outside material into your paper in three ways: by quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing† (Gurak & Lannon, 2013, p. 429). Thus, in no instance should any material be lifted and copied without acknowledging the source, as

A Critical Evaluation of Central Government Urban Regeneration Term Paper

A Critical Evaluation of Central Government Urban Regeneration Policies since the 1980s in Docklands, London - Term Paper Example Moreover, some parts of Docklands were experiencing severe dereliction, and this only acted to discourage investors into the area, owing to the ensuing high and uncertain development costs (Brownill 1999). Even then, a lot of development sites lacked the proper infrastructure for accessibility, and this further curtailed on development. Owing to the absence of proper linkage strategies between Docklands, the larger part of London, as well as the entire country and the world as a whole, this only served to decrease the investment returns of employers, by leading to added costs (Brownill 1990). The market too failed to provide the necessary amenities, environment, and infrastructure that Docklands so much needed, if at all it was going to attract an investor, while also casting off its hitherto diminished image. Ultimately, some hidden gaps were later to emerge, and these were discovered to have been a hindrance towards a positive market operation. A case in point was the lack of a private house developer in the area for a long time. This then acted to discourage would-be house developers, as they lacked a benchmark to gauge their chances of recouping their investments, should they venture into the housing business. During this period of the 1980s, Docklands charged the...s for commercial rent (less than 5 pounds for every square foot of office space), when compared to other parts of the London city, such as the west end (around 12 pounds per square foot of office space) (Brownill 1990).This was despite the fact that Docklands had limited office space. At around 1981, the railway network in Dockland was both slow and inconveniencing, for travelers and transporters alike, who commuted between the town and the other parts of London.

Case Application Volunteers Work and Employee First Study

Application Volunteers Work and Employee First - Case Study Example It is also beneficial for employers in a way of reduced burden on wages. It also shows volunteers determination for work that he/she is not working merely for money but for enjoyment and developing skills. Volunteering can be used as a stepping stone in getting a really good job, for it enables one to gain experience, develop skills and gives employers a chance in seeing your work. The part time nature of volunteering work makes it flexible and more attractive to students who can use their leisure time in developing unique skills. If I were at his position I would be more concerned with creating a learning positive environment, so as to attract the best work force. In order to motivate them I would be thinking about giving them rewards and recognition for volunteers efforts and making them learn skills which otherwise they cannot. I think this approach can work in service oriented companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo because all these companies have a really productive and learning environment and people actually die for working in these big companies. Similarly, tech savvy people would be attracted to them to earn a name and respect amongst the leaders. HCL technologies is trying a radical experiment in work place. Vineet Nayaar (CEO) believes in creating an atmosphere where the job of company’s leaders should be to take out the potential out of their employees and using it where it is best needed and for that Nayar has introduced the employee first culture. This type of culture was originally introduced in HCL. My impression of employee first culture is to create trust grow through transparency, to make managers as accountable to employees as employees are to their bosses, to transfer the responsibility for change and value creation to front-line employees working in the value zone. It can work in other organizations but this is not for every organization. As it bears certain costs and those are: A company

Personal statement for graduate admission Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal statement for graduate admission - Essay Example This degree program helped me come to terms with the different nuances of Information Technology and allowed me to get acquainted with the web and database quarters. I have been working in different capacities since 2006 which has only made me feel apt with how I have viewed my professional domains and what I expect from life in general. My hard work, I believe, is the key which has given me immense confidence at the end of the day. This is the reason why I have always longed for something interesting and exciting coming my way, asking me to give my best and concentrate wholly and solely towards the task at hand. The new technologies and developments have made me feel aligned towards what I plan to do in my educational quarters. This is the reason why I have chosen the Information Technology field because it excites a person time and again, and gives him the room to shape up his learning tenets as and when required. I have experienced that being at the top of one’s professional domains eventually helps the individual to grow beyond a certain level, and this is exactly what has transformed my life in a number of different ways. My technical skills are aptly driven to achieve results which are not only strategically designed but also aimed at harnessing the skills that I have attained with the passage of time over the years. Since I have gained much insight into how Oracle 10g, Java language, PHP, MS SQL Server and other applications and software are run, I feel that I have turned a leaf within my professional acumen. This is the reason why I find myself head and shoulders above the rest, as this has assisted me in growing and developing my own self over a period of time. In the end, I would request the authorities at the helm of affairs to consider my case for graduate admission because I opine that I am the best fit. My aim is to give the very best and this can only be

Perspectives on Free

Perspectives on Free-Speech Zones on College Campuses Essay Naturally, many negative connotations come along with the term â€Å"free-speech zone. † The wording alone automatically insinuates that free speech should not be allowed everywhere, which is hardly the true intention of the idea. Sometimes the right of free speech is taken advantage of; such as in certain rallies and protests, where disruptive noise, violence, and destruction often occurs. Universities hold a responsibility to their students of providing a reasonably safe and undisruptive environment to learn and excel in. Universities are not creating â€Å"free-speech zones† to limit free speech, but rather to maintain a secure atmosphere that is conducive to concentration and higher learning. Universities should be able to maintain a certain level of safety on campus in whatever way they choose. â€Å"The University reserves the right to relocate or cancel the activity due to disruption from excessive noise levels, traffic entanglement, or if the safety of individuals is in question† (West Virginia University’s Student Handbook 91). They are not undermining the right of free speech that we as Americans legally hold, but are creating an appropriate means for demonstrators to voice their opinions without causing unnecessary disruption and chaos in inappropriate places on campus. An issue I do have with this idea of a â€Å"free-speech zone† is that there isn’t a clear definition of when or where these zones should be used. Who is to say whether or not the voicing of a certain opinion or idea requires the use of a â€Å"free-speech zone†? If what constitutes the use of a â€Å"free-speech zone† was better defined then the use of such â€Å"zones† could be more affective and appropriate. As stated by Robert J. Scott, protest zones have been used at many political conventions and other major events. â€Å"Protest zones can be reasonable restrictions that allow free-speech rights to be expressed while decreasing safety concerns and preventing undue disruption† (Scott 92). With the history of violence and destruction that is associated with protests, it is only natural that certain precautions be taken to prevent such problems. It is too vague to say the free expression of views or opinions may not â€Å"disrupt the normal function of the university,† as stated in the West Virginia University’s student handbook. Who decides what the â€Å"normal function† truly is, or when it is being â€Å"disrupted? † If a university decides to establish the use of â€Å"free-speech zones† then they should be able to provide a clear and concise description of when, and for what purpose, these â€Å"zones† should be used. One of a universities top priorities is to make their campus as safe and secure as possible, and if â€Å"free-speech zones† or â€Å"protest zones† are what they feel are necessary to maintain that security then they should be able to enforce them. The problem really comes down to whether or not these â€Å"zones† are used appropriately. If used extensively, and at levels that are unnecessary for the safety of students, then human rights issues could easily come into play. But if used in a smart way, such as for larger demonstrations of freedom of speech, like protests and rallies, then they could be helpful in preventing destruction and/or distraction on university campuses. â€Å"Requiring those expressing dissent to obey the law while doing so does not constitute repression† (Scott 92).

The Teaching Profession Essay Example for Free

The Teaching Profession Essay When news of K-12 curriculum spread 2 years ago, the common knee jerk reaction of Filipinos was of contemptK-12 curriculum has just been prejudged as an ill-timed unnecessary additional expense. They can’t be blamed. The sound economic fundamentals were not really being cascaded to the grassroots level. Maybe a part of me even had that knee jerk reaction. But findings will tell us that K-12 is not ill timed; neither is it unnecessary. The Philippines is the last country in Asia and one of only three countries in the world (the other two being Djoubuti and Angola of Africa) with a ten-year pre-university program. Our curriculum has to be responsive to the global standards. Upon reading the news item in the official gazette of the Philippine government with link www.gov.ph/k-12, I became cognizant of the salient features of the K-12 curriculum. Universal Kindergarten is a salient feature that will prepare the kids the children from informal to formal education as they advance to the primary level. It is aligned with familiarization with essential concepts. Contextualization and Enhancement makes lessons more interesting as the topics are related to things that are already familiar to the learner. As the page illustrates, the triangle is compared with the vinta, Mount Mayon and bandiritas. It communicates to the learner that the things being learned in school are things which are already around themin their physical, social and cultural environment. Using Bloom’s taxonomy, they are not just involved in recall and comprehension, but they are able to apply and synthesize the learning experience with the immediate environment. The mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) feature of the K-12 is also interesting since ALL subjects from K to 3 will be taught in the mother tongue. It is advantageous for students since the language at home and community is also the language in school. This means the child’s adjustment, as far as language is concerned, won’t be difficult. Moreover, it’s easier for students to grasp the concepts as they learn in their mother tongue. As I read this part of the article, what came to my mind was an English and Filipino class where mother tongue is translated to English and Filipino. Example, kayu in Ilocano is puno in Filipino. Then kayu in Ilocano is tree in English., and so forth and so on. Hence, mastery of the mother tongue will be the tool to learn Filipino and English. And once they learned Filipino and English, these will be the languages of instruction beginning grade 4found to be effective in the global community, and now a beginning field of educational research in the Filipino context. Furthermore, the Spiral Progression in learning Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Math is consistent with the basic to advanced approach in a gradual manner since the topics will be spread across the grades. This lessens the so-called â€Å"trauma† that students associate with the fast paced approach in learning each of these subjects in a yearone year for biology, one year for chemistry, and another year for physics. Eventually, the senior high school may prepare the students for further academic studies, employment or entrepreneurship since there are three tracks: academic, technical-vocational-livelihood, sports and arts. This means that teachers have to prepare themselves well, since teachers will be the foundation of the successful implementation of this programhaving direct contact with the students. Teachers should engage in multi-tasked, multi-disciplined, and multi-skilled activities. Looking at the said scenario, the K-12 will have tremendous benefits for the  studentsas research have shown in various countries. The K-12 curriculum will have a great impact at home, school, community, and country. As a teacher, I have hopesand trustin this endeavor. As the article stated, the K-12 graduate will be equipped with (1)information, media and technology skills, (2)learning and innovation skills, (3)effective communication skills, and above all, (4)life and career skills. These are exciting times. The implementation of the K-12 curriculum in the Philippines is not of ill timing; it is long overdue.