Cost Accounting Essay Example for Free

Cost Accounting Essay Questions arise as to why ABC implementation is successful in certain companies and fails in others. Based on the contingency theory, researchers have argued that the reasons for different degrees of ABC success could be due to the different contextual factors faced by each firm. These have led researchers to recognize assessing factors that influence ABC success implementation as an important research area. The following are among the research that have been carried out to examine factors that influence ABC success: Anderson [18]; Shield [3]; McGowan and Klammer [19]; Krumwiede [20]; and Anderson and Young [21] This article has two main objectives; the first objective is to identify research gaps based on the revision of previous research and the second objective is to propose theoretical research framework for current research. This article is organized as follows: Section II presents a discussion of selected articles related to factors influencing ABC implementation and gaps or limitations of previous studies and suggestions for current research are stated in the section III and IV. The framework for current research is provided in section V, Section VI defines each research variable and the final section presents the conclusion. II. PREVIOUS RESEARCH In this section, selected ABC implementation empirical 144 Abstract—In today’s advanced manufacturing and competitive environment, accurate costing information is crucial for all the kinds of businesses, such as manufacturing firms, merchandizing firms, and service firms. Argued to be superior to the traditional volume-based costing system, Activity-Based Costing system (ABC) has increasingly attracted the attention of practitioners and researchers alike as one of the strategic tools to aid managers for better decision making. The benefits of ABC system and its impacts on companies’ performance have motivated numerous empirical studies on ABC system and it is considered as one of the most-researched management accounting areas in developed countries. Previous research on ABC have examined pertinent issues related to ABC implementation such as the levels of ABC adoption in various countries, the reasons for implementing ABC, the problems related to ABC and the critical success factors influencing ABC. This paper reviews the research on ABC carried out within the last decade, from 1995-2008, and from the review research gaps are identified. Specifically, this paper examines the selection of factors influencing successful ABC implementation, variables used by previous research and the definitions and operationalization of the variables. The review reveals that past research concentrated mainly on behavioral, organizational, and technical variables as the main determinants of ABC success but very little research have been done to examine the roles of organizational culture and structure. Based on the research gaps identified, a research framework for future research is provided. Index Terms—Advanced Manufacturing Activity-Based Costing, ABC Success Environment, I. INTRODUCTION In today’s competitive and continually changing business environment, firms need to be vigilant of the impacts of the changes in the business environment and devise appropriate strategies to survive and prosper. Advancements in manufacturing and communication technologies have drastically changed the ways businesses conduct their activities. Adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies such as robotics and computerized manufacturing have resulted in significant changes in the manufacturing cost structure which have led academics and practitioners to argue that the traditional costing methods are no longer sufficient within this new manufacturing environment [1] (Johnson and Kaplan, 1987). This had resulted in the change from the traditional volume-based cost model to new costing methods such as Activity Based Costing (ABC) [2]. Due to its ability in providing more accurate costing information and enhancing firms’ performance, ABC is International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, Vol. 1, No. 2, August, 2010 2010-023X studies, which spanned 1995-2008 periods, were collected from four prominent refereed accounting research journals, in management accounting field: Journal of Management Accounting Research, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Management Accounting Research and British Accounting Review. Factors used by previous research to investigate the effect on ABC success implementation are summarized, and stage of ABC implementation also is outlined. A. Technical Variables Early studies of ABC adoption and implementation undertaken by previous researchers concentrated on technical factors, such as identification of main activities, selection of cost drivers, problem in accumulating cost data. Example of these research are Cooper [9], Morrow and Connelly [22]. However, technical factors alone may not be adequate to explain the factors influencing ABC success implementation. Cooper et al. [23] argued that the key problem during ABC implementation stage is that companies only focus on technical factors. They suggested that to make ABC implementation more effective, non-technical factors such as involvement of non-accounting in ABC implementation process, top management championship, adequate training program to employees about the objectives and benefits of ABC should be emphasized as well. Similar opinions were expressed by Shield [3] and Shields and McEwen [14]. Shield (1995) found no significant relationship between technical factors and ABC success. Shields and McEwen [14] also highlighted that sole emphasis on the architectural and software design of ABC systems leads to the failure of ABC implementation. Therefore many researchers have suggested that new variables should be considered to investigate factors influencing ABC success. B. Contextual, Behavioral and Organizational Variables Recognizing the research gaps in identifying factors that may affect ABC success, academicians shifted their focuses from technical factors to other variables, such as contextual, behavioral and organizational, culture, as well as organizational structure. Anderson [18] conducted a longitudinal investigation of ABC process in General Motor (GM) from a period of 1986 to 1993. In his research, he examined the effects of organizational variables and contextual variables, and segmented ABC implementation into four major stages, initiation, adoption, adaptation and acceptance. He found that organizational factors, such as top management support and training for the ABC system affected various stages of ABC significantly, while contextual variables, such as competition, relevance to managers’ decisions and compatibility with existing systems produced different degree of impact on different stages of ABC. Shield [3] examined the relationships between diversity of behavioral, organizational and technical factors and the success of ABC implementation. She employed Shield and Young’s [24] framework and summarized behavioral and organizational variables as top management support, adequate resources, training, link ABC system to performance evaluation and compensation, non-accounting ownership, link ABC to competitive strategies as well as clarity of ABC objectives. She found that top management support, linkage to quality initiatives and to personal performance measure (pay/appraisal), implementation of training and resource adequacy were the significant predictors in explaining ABC success. She also found that technical variables were not associated with ABC success. Shield’s findings are supported by other researchers, such as Shield and McEwen [14], who argued that a significant cause for unsuccessful implementations of ABC of several companies could be due to the emphasis of architectural and software design of the ABC system and less attention given to behavioral and organizational issues, which were identified by Shield [3]. Krumwiede and Roth [25] also stated that barriers of ABC implementation can be overcome if firms could give importance to behavioral and rganizational variables identified by Shield [3]. Similarly, Norris [26] agreed with Shield’s [3] findings that the association between ABC success and behavioral and organizational variables is stronger than with technical variables. She further highlighted that the impact of behavioral, organizational and technical should be focused at individual level. McGowan and Klammer [19] conducted a survey of 53 employees from 4 targeted sites in the U. S. o examine whether employees’ satisfaction levels are associated with ABC implementation by They also measured their perceptions of the factors associated with the degree of satisfaction, such as top management support; the degree of involvement in the implementation process; objectives clearly stated; objectives shared; training; linkage to performance evaluation system; adequate resources; information quality and preparer over user. Their results indicated that employees’ satisfaction with ABC implementation was positively related with clarity of objectives and quality of ABC information. Gosselin [15] carried out a survey of 161 Canadian manufacturing companies to examine the effects of strategic posture and organizational structure on adoption and implementation of general forms of Activity-based costing. He segmented the ABC implementation stage into adoption and implementation. The research findings showed that a prospector strategy was associated with manager decision to adopt ABC, while centralization and formalization were significantly associated with ABC success implementation. Krumwiede [20] surveyed U. S manufacturing firms to study how contextual factors, such as the potential for cost distortion or size of firms; organizational factors, such as top management support, training or non-accounting ownership, affect each stage of ABC implementation process. His findings showed that the different factors affected the various stages of implementation of ABC and the degree of importance of each factor varies according to the stage of implementation. Contextual factors, such as usefulness of cost information, IT existence, less task uncertainty and large organizations were related to ABC adoption. Moreover, organizational factors, such as top management support, non-accounting ownership, and implementation training affect ABC success implementation. 145 International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, Vol. 1, No. 2, August, 2010 2010-023X In another study by Anderson and Young [21], the relationship between organizational and contextual variables, such as organizational structures, task characteristics, management support, information technology and ABC success was examined. The result confirmed the importance of organizational factors (top management support and adequacy resources) during the ABC implementation stage. In South Africa, Sartorius et al. [27] carried out a mail survey to investigate the effect of organizational factors such as top management, adequate resources, coherence with organizational goals and strategy on ABC success. They found top management support and resources were the crucial factors in explaining ABC success. In the UK, Innes and Mitchell [4] and [12] surveyed the extent of ABC adoption among largest firms. The study aimed to find out factors influencing ABC success by using behavioral and organizational variables, and it was found that top management influenced ABC success significantly. In another study conducted by Khalid [28] using a questionnaire survey among the largest 100 firms in Saudi Arabia, ABC adoption was found to be positively related to diversity of products. In Malaysia, Ruhanita et al. [29] conducted a mail survey and a case study to examine that factors influencing ABC success, especially at adoption stage. They found the significant factors were cost distortion, decision usefulness, information technology and organizational factors. In addition, the findings showed that decision usefulness, top management support, link ABC to performance measure and compensation influenced the ABC success adoption significantly. A case study of one Chinese manufacturing firm was carried by Lana and Fei [30] in China. Their research aimed to examine some key success factors pertinent to ABC implementation within Chinese organizational and cultural setting. The research findings showed that top management support, hierarchical and communication structure and high proportion of dedicated professionals were the significant factors in determining ABC success implementation. Majid et al. [7] used a case study approach to describe the process of ABC implementation in a Malaysian service company and a Malaysian manufacturing company. In this research, they categorized ABC implementation into initiation and adoption, design, implementation and use of information. The purpose of the research was to find out the problems faced during ABC implementation, He found that the factors determining ABC success were top management support, suitable ABC software, and finally, ensuring that all affected employees understand and participate in the ABC implementation stage. And they also found that at different stages of ABC, the dominant factors influencing ABC success were also different. Colin et al. [31] adopted behavioral and organizational factors summarized by Shield (1995) to examine factors influencing the adoption and degree of success of ABC systems and determinants of that success. In their research, the targeted research population was manufacturing and service firms in the UK. They found that top management support, non-accounting ownership, adequate training provided to ABC determined the ABC success. Besides behavioral, organizational and technical variable, some researchers also indicated that the dimensions of national cultures could affect the level of ABC success [32, 33]. Brewer [32] used Hofstede’s taxonomy of work-related cultural values to examine the relationship between national culture and Activity-Based Costing system. In the study, Hofstede [34]’s work was applied to the case of Harris Semiconductor (HS), which has implemented ABC at plants in Malaysia and the USA. The results showed that the level of ABC success in Malaysia was higher than that of U. S due to high-power-distance and collectivist cultures in Malaysia. In addition, Supitcha and Frederick [33] also included national culture’s dimension into framework in a case study of one Thai state-owned enterprise’s budgeting system. They found that due to cultural differences, modifications were required when the organizations in Thailand tried to implement ABC system in Thai environment. Apart from national culture, corporate culture factors were also tested by prior research. Baird, Harrison and Reeve [17] conducted a study to investigate the relationship between the extent of ABC adoption and the organizational variables of size and decision usefulness of cost information and business unit culture. In their research, data were collected by a mail survey questionnaire and samples were randomly selected from business units in Australia. The research finding showed significant relationships between ABC adoption and decision usefulness, cultural dimensions of outcome orientation and tight verse loose control. Baird, Harrison and Reeve [16] examined the relationship between success of activity management practices and organizational factors (top management support, training, link to performance evaluation and compensation, and link to quality initiatives), and organizational culture (outcome orientation, team orientation, attention to detail, as well as innovation). They adopted a survey questionnaire method on randomly chosen business units in Australia. The findings showed that two organizational factors (top management support, link to quality initiatives) explained the variations in success of activity management practices, such as ABC, and outcome orientation and attention to detail of organizational culture were associated with ABC success. They also stressed that compared with organizational culture, organizational factors had stronger associations with the ABC.

Drug Trafficking Laws And Penalties Criminology Essay

Drug Trafficking Laws And Penalties Criminology Essay Drug trafficking laws and penalties should be stricter worldwide because drug use and overdose is becoming more prevalent throughout the world and is destroying the lives of innocent people, especially teens. The effects of drug use and drug trafficking damage our global economy, affects the youth of the word, and spurs violence amongst people. The world must join together to stop drug traffickers from transporting illegal substances all over the world. Economic costs that are related to substance abuse and drug trafficking are extremely high. Drug trafficking cartels can become powerful enough to corrupt a country. The UN Drug Control Program has noted the difficulty of maintaining an honest and democratic government while fighting a drug war when they said: In systems where a member of the legislature or judiciary, earning only a modest income, can easily gain the equivalent of some 20 months salary from a trafficker by making one favorable decision, the dangers of corruption are obvious [United Nations International Drug Control Program]. When a drug trafficking organization gains enough money, they begin to bribe local officials and destroy countries. As the Un Drug Report said, People are easily bribed when they are able to make an equivalent of a 20 month salary in a few days [United Nations International Drug Control Program]. Once a drug cartel corrupts one official, it becomes a chain reaction of corruption. Eventually a dr ug cartel can grow enough to control a country as a whole. Pablo Escobar and his drug cartel are a great example of this corruption. During the 1980s, Escobar became known internationally as the Medellin Cartel gained notoriety. During Escobars era, he and his Medellin Cartel were said to have controlled about 80 percent of the drug shipments that entered illegally to the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Most of his drug plantations were located throughout Colombia, Peru, and Bolivia because Colombian cocaine was considered to be of the highest quality. Escobars business and products spread across North and South America, and small parts of Asia as well. Escobar bribed and corrupted countless Colombian government officials, judges and other politicians with execution as his main punishment for not agreeing to his bribes. Escobars cruel ways resulted in hundreds of deaths for people that did not comply with his demands. His strategy was referred to as Plata o Plomo; Spanish for silver or lead, which was intended to mean accept a bribe or face assassination. Escobar seized control of all of Colombia and used his power to grow his drug empire [The Medellin Traveler]. Drug Trafficking affects the global economy through health care and welfare costs as well. Drug use can cause HIV and other illnesses amongst people. When drug addicts shoot heroin and other drugs into themselves they do not use sanitary needles and most addicts share needles with others. If one drug user was previously infected with HIV and uses a needle to do drugs. That needle has infected blood on it and when another user uses that same needle, he becomes infected as well. Most drug addicts end up in the hospital and the cost of their treatment is very expensive. Most drug addicts are very poor because they spend most if not all of their money on drugs and alcohol. A large amount of drug addicts are on welfare and are given food stamps and places to live. The costs of providing drug addicts with food and shelters are very expensive as well. Most of these drug addicts do not stop using because they are too addicted. Then there are the recovering drug addicts of the world that create large costs to the economy as well. As I mentioned, most drug addicts are very poor and if they do try to recover, they have to go to treatment centers. The government usually pays these treatment centers for the recovering drug addicts that they treat. Some drug addicts eventually are cured and are then able to word and contribute to the growth of our economy. But, there are millions of drug addicts that leave treatment centers only to come back to them in a few months for the same reasons. Drugs also create productivity losses including deaths, victimization, incarceration, and crime careers. This means that there could have been more people working and stimulating the economy that have been either killed or incarcerated because of their involvement with drugs. A study prepared by The Lewin Group for the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism estimated the total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse to be $245.7 billion for 1992 in the United States. The Lewin Group also estimated that 40% or $97.7 billion of that was due to drug abuse. The costs of treatment and prevention as well as other healthcare costs, job productivity, lost earnings and welfare were also included in this number [National Institute on Drug Abuse]. These costs were paid for by the millions of tax payers of the United States that worked hard and did not get involved with drugs. Drug trafficking and abuse is very prevalent among the youth of world. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, young people who persistently abuse substances often experience an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related problems (including mental health), poor peer relationships, and involvement with the juvenile justice system [Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention]. Additionally, there are consequences for family members, the community, and the entire society. Usually adolescents that use or are involved with drugs often disengage from school and community activities. Drugs deprive students peers and communities of the positive contributions that they might have. These students stop playing sports and do not join extra-curricular activities. There are countless teenagers across the world that have so much talent that is wasted because of drug use. Some kids might have potential to be superstars in sports and c lubs but because of drugs they cannot do so. Substance-abusing youth are at a higher risk for mental and physical problems than nonusers. Youth who abuse drugs are prone to many problems including depression, conduct problems, suicidal thoughts, attempted suicide, and suicide. Most kids who begin using drugs become outcasts in schools and do not have many friends. Because of this, they use drugs even more to ease their pain. This causes thousands of suicides and overdoses throughout the world. Drug use is becoming more and more prevalent in very young children as well as well as youth in high school. The percentage of 8th graders reporting lifetime use of any illicit drug declined from 20.9% to 19% from 2006 to 2007. Although the percentage of use has declined, 19% of 8th graders are still a tremendous amount of 13 and 14 year olds using illicit drugs. While the amount of 8th graders doing drugs went down, the amount of 12th graders using drugs has increased. In 2007, 15.4% of 12th graders reported using a prescription drug without a prescription within the past year. Between 2005 and 2007, past year abuse of Ecstasy increased among 12th graders from 3.0% to 4.5%, which makes a 50% change in just two years. Also between 2004 and 2007 abuse of Ecstasy increased among 10th graders from 2.4% to 3.5% [U.S Drug Enforcement Administration]. Aside from personal adversities, the abuse of drugs by youth can jeopardize many other aspects of life for youth, especially family life. Sometimes drug abuse can result in family dysfunction where families do not communicate and sometimes stop living with each other. Substance abuse can also drain a familys financial and emotional resources. Arrests and interventions by the juvenile justice system are eventual consequences for many of the youth that are involved with drug use. This can place unnecessary stress on families causing them to shift apart from each other. Having to constantly worry about your childs safety and security is hard for anyone, especially parents whose children are involved with drugs. The International Narcotics Control Board has urged an international collaboration to stamp out internet trafficking of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances around the world, wrote Rohit Sharma in her article about drug trafficking [Sharma, Rohit]. Internet Drug trafficking is becoming much more popular throughout illegal drug organizations. It seems to be safer and more profitable than physically selling drugs. Internet Trafficking also allows these organizations to sell drugs all over the world from one single warehouse or destination. Two internet pharmacies in Bangkok and one in Chiang Mai, Thailand, mainly serving the US market, were closed down between November 1999 and January 2000 after raids by Thai authorities with the close collaboration of US Drug Enforcement Administration. These pharmacies were sending parcels of drugs to US citizens, including many drug addicts, who could not get their prescription from US doctors [Sharma, Rohit]. Since then, millions of pharmacies like these have opened and are constantly selling drugs to people all over the world. The UN should create a new taskforce designed solely for tracking down drug sales over the internet. They can stop these pharmacies by ordering drugs with fake names and addresses so that they can shut down these illegal pharmacies. Other than internet trafficking, many countries have increased their efforts to stop physical drug trafficking by strengthening borders, arresting drug cartels and destroying crops. The International Narcotics Control Strategy Report says, Efforts to restrain the activities of global drug trafficking and money laundering operations gained ground, even in the face of war, corruption, insurgency and economic disruption. Here are some examples of what some countries have done: President Obama and his administration have designed a new plan with the Government of Mexico to stop the transportation of drugs across our borders [Homeland Security]. In Colombia, the Colombian police destroyed more than 124,000 hectares of coca crops in 2003, a third record year for eradication, said Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Robert Charles [Porter, Charlene]. Germany hosted a seminar for Drug Trafficking on Jan. 29, 2010. There were 91 participants from 61 countries. The seminar examined how terrorists can use narcotics profits to fund terrorist activities and how they can make countries corrupt. All of the participants conversed with each other on a strategy to help stop international drug trafficking [Tudor, Jason]. Although some countries have done a lot to stop drug trafficking, West Africa is a country in need of major help. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates at least 50 tons of cocaine transits through West Africa annually. The availability of narcotics to the public in the region is increasing as well because traffickers pay transportation cost with drugs instead of money. The UN needs to help West Africa in the global war against drugs because it has been a crucial area for drug traffickers to transport drugs from. West Africa is a notably poor country and barely has enough money to support itself let alone stop drug trafficking. Over the past several years, an estimated $2 billion of cocaine was transported from Latin America to Europe via West Africa. More money and Drug task forces should be sent and activated in West Africa to stop this area from being the massive drug transport area that it is [Kruzel, John]. The United States has done a lot to stop drug trafficking throughout the US as well as the rest of the world. The HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas) Program is the main government run program that works to stop drug trafficking across America. They have about 30 headquarters around the country and use different strategies to stop drug trafficking depending on the region in which they are located. One of the greatest examples of their work has been in Philadelphia, PA and Camden NJ. Being that Philadelphia and Camden are very close to New York City, they have become one of the busiest illegal drug transit routes on the eastern seaboard. There are major interstate rail and highway systems along with a major airport that have become the key shipping terminals for illegal drugs in the region. The Philadelphia/ Camden HIDTA division has setup a total of 11 squads in Philadelphia to reduce the amount of drug trafficking to and from the city. The Regional Investigative Support Center was made successful by assigning full-time Philadelphia Police Department officers and supervisors manning the Watch Center, 8:00 AM-10:00PM, Monday through Friday. The HIDTA also works with Internal Revenue Service which provides the HIDTA with financial information on people being investigated and reports suspicious activity to the HIDTA as well. Lastly, field drug identification training is currently offered to the newly assigned Philadelphia police officers to teach how to distinguish people who are under the influence with people who are sober. Since the establishing of the program in 1995, the Philadelphia / Camden HIDTA have decreased the flow of drug trafficking by 30% until now [Office of National Drug Control Policy]. Drug trafficking cartels spread violence and lawlessness throughout our border region and reach into all of our communities, large and small, said Attorney General Eric H. Holder. Drug dealers create violence because they have their own wars with each for profits. During these wars, innocent people are put at risk because of the constant shootouts and gun fights that happen. Two ongoing gang wars over drug markets in Chicago accounted for more than 100 homicides during 1987-1994. This total represents 11% of all gang-related homicides in Chicago in that time span [Howell, James]. Los Angeles, California is one of the most dangerous cities in the United States. Los Angeles is also known for the two major gangs that are constantly at war throughout the city. The Bloods and the Crips are one of the two most dangerous gangs in America. The profits from each of these gangs come from their drug trafficking and selling. With these profits they buy weapons which then create more violence and catastrophes across the state. Drug trafficking and gang violence go hand in hand with each other around the United States. Where there are gangs, there is drug trade and vice versa. I believe that if we eliminate drugs in this country, we eliminate gang violence once and for all. Drug Trafficking is causing gangs to spread all over the U.S and put more and more towns in danger of gang violence [Howell, James]. Drug trafficking efforts have to drastically increase throughout the world and the United States. Although a lot is being done, there has to be more done if we ever want to stop the horrors of drug trafficking. The affects of drugs destroy our economies and our youth. They do nothing but bring violence and mayhem to the world.

Sources Of Influence On The Consumer Marketing Essay

Sources Of Influence On The Consumer Marketing Essay If you request a garment buyer during shopping at supermarket about their respective reason behind of their purchasing, most likely shopper will have problems to elucidate all his purchasing decisions. Researchers described this shopping decision based on the customer subconsciously decision which is made by almost 85% of the shoppers (Solomon et al, 2009). As a consequence of this consumer behaviour has been defined as the method which individual or groups of customer go throughout to choose, acquire, use and borrow the goods, selective services, purchasing ideas or increase the customer experiences to persuade their respective their needs (Solomon, 2009). Additionally, consumer decision for the low involvement goods, customer consumption choices are somewhat made by a customer uncomplicated purchase decision making process; however the shot involvement can also be made which is influenced by environment, marketing, promotion (Alvarez, B R. V. 2005). Kwok Keung Tam (2007) explained clothing is now become a fashion items rather than just a necessity good which used for keeping bodies warm and hiding the internal things. Todays garments become social status and most of the people go for the different garment purchase to showcase their respective personal image (OCass, 2000). This research paper makes an attempt to study how Garment becomes the personal image reflectors and the motive behind customer decision making behind the different garment brands. This paper will examines the different factors which influence the Irish customer behaviour with respect of Brand, Family influence, Bargain power, Store ambience etc . for the garment brand. In this research, we examine the consumer behaviour towards the clothing brand in Ireland as Tam (2007) highlighted in his research that Shopping for garments is one of the well-liked pastimes by Irish people from the different age and class group. This research intended to understand customer behaviour in fashion clothing als o this depends on the four major factors which push the female and male customer to purchase different set of garment for their respective uses, major factor which will analyse in this study i.e. Personal Identify , Physical factors , fashion lifestyle and the store ambience (Holmberg ÃÆ'-hnfeldt, 2010). Different shopping places in Ireland which has different formats of garment stores such as North face etc were selected for the filed study. Outcome of this result will be showcase how the different branding and marketing factor impact the customer behaviour during their purchase of clothing brand. Some of these factors would be Brand, Price, Quality, social status, promotion strategy and it will be directly correlated with the customer behaviour. Subsequently this study will help international clothing brand to understand the Irish customer much better manner which will be ultimate aim for this study to achieve. The research is taking place due we experienced that garment demand has been declined significantly in the Ireland which may be cause of the Economic condition and the change in customer behaviour. This research will analyse those top attributes which influence the customer decision making process for the garment brand. The main aim of this research is to evaluate the various factors which influence the customer buying behaviour. This would also help in understanding the elements needs for designing an effective marketing strategy for influencing customers buying decision. Such as the right pricing decision, branding decision , trend which further helps in influencing consumer behaviour and creating brand preference but the major question is what makes it a successful garment brand. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will contain all the research work that has already been conducted. This will help to understand how to carry on with the research work and also what studies can be further conducted. 2.1 Garment Industry Since 1995, the Ireland garment industry has been grown by 59% over today it is around 5 billion EURO because of the increasing import contribution and the growing fashion status of society (Dunford, Mick 2009). Irish fashion has influenced by the European and international fashion therefore it has become progressively more complicated to define an Irish garment look, apart from the MNC clothing organisation such as North Face and the Colombia wear, also as per the IFD GFK (2013) the Irish market segment is as follows Site: http://www.retailexcellence.ie/images/uploads/downloads/REI_Retail_Industry_Productivity_Review_Q3_Template_FINAL.pdf However ambiguity is perhaps the major roadblock facing by the Ireland apparel industry in after the economic recession. The monetary situation in Europe is influenced by the rising manufacture costs and flat garment prices, and less product innovation are the causes of the decline in this industry. 2.1 Consumer behaviour Donal Rogan (2007) explains the relationship between consumer behaviour and marketing strategy. He states that strategy is about increasing the probability and frequency of buyer behaviour. Requirements for succeeding in doing this are to know the customer and understand the consumers needs and wants. Chisnall (1995) points out that human needs and motives are inextricably linked and that the relationship between them is so very close that it becomes difficult to identify the precise difference which may characterize them. People may buy new coats because it protects them against the weather, but their real underlying dominant need may be to follow the latest fashion trend. Buyers characteristics are important theories from Kotler and Armstrong (2007) and it explains the way that the consumer interprets and receives stimuli from advertisements. The decisions of consumers are influenced by a number of individual characteristics that are linked to the consumers specific needs (Kotler Armstrong, 2007). 2.2 Consumer characteristics Consumer characteristics are explained by: Cultural characteristics, Social characteristics, Personal characteristics, and Psychological Characteristics. The marketer, in order to identify the consumer and to be able to decide on the strategy to what kind of consumer to target, identifies these characteristics. Hence, these characteristics are used in order to segment the market and target specific consumer groups. 2.3 Cultural Characteristics The Cultural Characteristics are recognized as the main influencer of consumer behavior. Three features underpinning consumer behavior develop these characteristics: Culture, Subculture, and Social Class. The psychological processes are heavily involved in consumers behavior. They affect through recognizing needs, finding ways to understanding these needs, making purchase decisions of buying a product or not, if so, which brand and where, construe information, make strategies and implementing them by engaging in comparison shopping or in fact purchasing a product (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Sources of Influence on the Consumer: The cultural influences are often been taken for granted as they are always important. An American will generally not bargain with a store owner but on the other hand this is a common carry out in much of the world (Graves, 2010). Our behavior also gets persuaded by physical factors. We are much expected to buy a soft drink when we are thirsty, for example, and food manufacturers have found that it is more useful to advertise their product when people are getting hungry i.e at the late afternoon. A persons  self-image  will also be likely to influence what he or she will buy as to project an image of success an upwardly manager may buy a ostentatious car (Albanese, 2003). Social factors often lie behind the consumers buying preferences, and buyers look up to strong psychological signs to relate their choice with. It makes a huge impact if their choice is backed by a strong famous personality. The difference in cultures plays an important role. The habitants of western countries s uch as American prefer to have ham, egg, toast, coffee etc. in their breakfast unlike some Asian countries where they have homemade bread with tea or rice with curry as breakfast. The differences in subculture follow with difference in choices of music, movies etc (Albanese, 2003). The marketing experts work as the preferences of the target area consumers. Consumer Preference The Choice and Decision Making: There are numerous factors involved in consumer decision making Problem identification The realization of the need of something makes us think of looking at the options. If the old cloths has been troubling lately, automatically the thought of replacement comes into mind Information Search we may look for the alternatives to solve the problem. It may be resolved through buying of a new vehicle e.g. car, motorbike or may be a used car. We might also think of public transport as alternative. A skateboard may be rode to the work every day. Evaluation of alternatives Public transport cannot be relied upon in case of strike etc. Skateboard will be of no use on a rainy day. Purchase The purchase ends a consumer cycle with finally making up the mind and completing the transaction. It may be subdivided into two more stages of post-purchase and testing before the final decision is made depending on satisfaction and trial check. (Mazzocchi, 1999). Understanding the vital motivational factors is very important to understand the logic of the buying behavior. The customer gives a certain level of importance to everything he needs in life. A car or home is the type of substantial objects in the category of most expensive and most desired and planned purchases. But similarly an acme medication can have, logically, a very substantial level of importance attached to it as well. Such important purchases play a very significant part in establishing a persons self esteem (Mazzocchi, 1999). The advertisements are designed to satisfy this self esteem of a buyer and give it a boom. The adverts need to show the positive and psychologically desired end result which a product is expected to fulfill. Searching options and Making Decisions: The subconscious plays a very important part in searching the stored information i.e. in the mind of the buyer. He may consult a directory or decide from any of the experienced products from his memory. E.g. while making decision about dining out, the customer might not search the yellow pages but just decide on one from his memory, either recommended by a friend or a previous experience (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Similar case will happen in case he wants to buy a car. He will consult every one, he thinks, has a valued opinion about the options. The reviews will be analyzed, dealerships will be visited, familys choice will be considered and then finally the purchase will happen. Firms may invest keeping in mind the consumers selection process. The objects which are highly likely to be selected through external search will be promoted through related means such as brochures, news coverage, websites etc. (Parsons and Maclaran, 2009). Some of the decisions are made with the help of compensatory and non-compensatorystrategy of buying. This involves trading off of some attributes of the product with the others. (Cohen, 1981). E.g. A car may boast of having a very low mileage and attractive price but slow acceleration. The decision will be made on the basis of use of the car. In a metropolitan city, slow acceleration might be ignored as the speed limits do not slow to accelerate above a specific limit. Similarly a cloth item may be rejected on the basis of its composition of materials no matter how best it fits and falls completely within budget. Some no-compromise situations might change consumer buying behavior abruptly (Parsons and Maclaran, 2009). Reasons behind Consumer Decision Making Process: In order to search a information and make a decision for the consumers to buy a product it depend on no of factors such as the (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006) Market: It involves the competition within an industry. It deals with the competing products from different brand labels, their characteristics such as packaging, price etc. Product uniqueness: How much the consumer is interested in analyzing the attributes of any particular product before making the purchase? Some other interesting factors affecting the buying decisions are hunt for variety and impulse buyers. The variety seekers are customers who are always ready to try a new version of the old product. These form an interesting group and smart marketing tactics can pursue them to buy slightly modified version of the old product even if it is not needed (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). The impulse buyers are very unpredictable group. They might leave home to buy vegetable but only decide to buy which one when they reach the store. A sub category of these will buy any product available, for future use, which they think will not become available for a long time (Parsons and Maclaran, 2009). Some purchases are made only when customers reach inside the store and remember buying any product they had forgotten to put on the list (Parsons and Maclaran, 2009). Consumers choice: Consumes sometimes feel motivated. While buying a gift for a friend or relative might motivate them to have one of the products for themselves. A significant percentage of consumers believe in price comparisons and visit various shops finding for the best priced products. The other type is the convenience lovers who do not mind paying a little extra for getting it closer to their house or where they want it from. The impact of personality shall also be considered as some of the customers prefer variety over repetition and some prefer excitement and simulation in visiting new stores (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Another influential factor is perception. Discussions, reviews and experiences of people around the buyer tend to develop a certain perception about some products. When he goes to buy for himself, the perception factor certainly counts. The products perceived as good will automatically be considered first before the ones thought as not up to the mark (Susan Baker, 2003). The learning and experience plays a vital role in changing perceptions. The values hel by people also count. E.g. some people only buy recyclable products, some prefer vegetarian stuff. Some ask for products from specific countries only etc. (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Familys life cycle: Every individual and family goes through a life-cycle.   Ã‚  http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/Simple_FLC.png [Source: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/] Just to discuss, a couple may be living together as husband and wife or just lovers. (Jobber , 2006 ). In the real life, the situation might evolve into further developments such as divorces etc. resulting in singlehood. In this case more scenarios come forwards. http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/FLC_Changes.png [Source: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/] Single parenthood may be a result of a divorce or a death of one parent. These situations further evolve into big contributors of financial situation of a family. The custodian or guardian might come under extra financial pressure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/cb/FLC_Changes2.png Family decision making: Above discussed factors are just a few of numerous scenarios which the families might face during the course of life. Apart from other affected elements of ones life, from marketing point of view, the decision making of a family is the one which affected as well. While making the buying decisions of the family, the entire family members point of view is taken in consideration. These individuals hold the power of decision which forms the buying behavior of the family. (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Whether to buy; Which product to buy (pick-up or passenger car?); Which brand to buy; Where to buy it; and When to buy. Note, however, that the job of the decision maker is separate from that of the  purchaser. The marketers may find it difficult to impress both at the same time. The promotional tactics for targeting the purchaser at the point-of-purchase (POP) are easier to achieve results then influencing the decision maker (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Family set-up: One important factor in decision making difficulties attached with different kind of family setup. The family unit having enough cash flow might not find it difficult to meet the diverse requirements and choices of different family members but familys with financial pressures and budgeted shopping routines find it very difficult, especially families with children (Parsons and Maclaran, 2009). There is no realistic way to resolve issues related to differences. One family member might consider it worthwhile spending on a family vacation and the other might find it productive to buy computers for children (Mazzocchi, 1999). In this kind of situation, no one is wrong; it is jut conflict of opinion. These kinds of situations become even more complicated by the involvement of either children or relatives. Bargaining and convincing: Family members tend to opt for different tactics when trying to get their way at the time of purchase. Some of them go for the bargaining option. They try to bargain getting something on condition of someone else getting something for him. E.g. a wife may say that she will buy a new pick-up truck if her husband is ready to complete a gourmet cooking course. Similarly a child will make an unrealistic promise of walking it daily if he is provided with a pet hippopotamus. The elements of human psychology are important to know here. All these tactics might be used for no ill will with others. Family members try to persuade others by talking convincingly and reasoning and wear down the oppositions point. There are many faces of manipulative strategies used (Albanese, 2003). Impression management is one of them. A husband might try to argue that bringing in a new TV home will help educate and help children learn but the real motive behind the contention might be watching sports programs. T he second way of getting things done may be use of authority. One member of the family might be the assertive one and his use of authority may be the final decision making point. Another way of convincing someone is use of emotion, involving crying, being angry etc. (Graves, 2010). The Means-End Chain:   The buyers often buy product not because their actual attributes but because what benefits these attributes provide and it eventually leads to the satisfaction or the decisive values. The purchase of plastic roses might be the result of factors as illustrated below: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/images/intro/Means-End_Chain.png [Source: http://www.consumerpsychologist.com/] The most important factor which works in a means end chain is the strongest factor working in favor of the product is its most strong attribute. The decision then gradually goes forward toward the related series of attributes and the consequences attached with it. In the end, the required values are being satisfied and decision is made (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Similarly each means end chain has all these steps accumulated in it. The advertisers focus on the end result i.e. the use of flowers to pursue the customer to make the purchase. For example the act of giving the significant half a present of flowers, as portrayed in the advert, will convince the buyer more than just showing the flowers alone. 2.14 Approach and attitude:   Consumers attitudes have a very important role to play in the game of marketing. They are a combination of different factors playing their part such as beliefs, feelings and the behavioral intentions of a person towards the item. In the marketing context the item may be a product, brand, a store etc. These components are all interlinked, although independent, but their combined influence is the final impression a consumer responds to and makes the decision about making the purchase (Solomon and Bamossy, 2006). Belief in values:   One of the very important components for the means end chain is belief in the values. A buyer may hold some positive beliefs about any product, say tea tastes good, and similarly some negative beliefs as well such as tea stains when spills. Some beliefs have a neutral opinion about them such as teas color etc. Some of the beliefs depend on the circumstances such as tea is considered as good in cold weather and cold and flu (Susan Baker, 2003). Some beliefs that consumers hold might not be true in fact. E.g. people think that pork contain less fat than other form of meat which is not true. Influences and feelings:   Consumers tend hold certain established feelings towards products and brands. These feelings tend to change with the passage of time on the basis of their experiences. E.g. a person can feel revolted by thinking about a very greasy and extra fat hamburger he might have had somewhere. Some feelings, however, are independent of the influences. For example an environmentalist might be against cutting off of trees for saving the world campaign but at the same time he might not object to cutting off of Christmas trees as she might unconsciously attach the feeling with the childhood Christmases he had spent decorating the trees (Susan Baker, 2003). CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Any research involves a number of options which needs to be visualized for achievement of the scope and focus of study. It is also needed for achieving the desired and relevant results. There are various options available to a researcher for selection of the research approach. The author has selected the following research model for availing the options and chooses the most reasonable option for the research approach. The model is known as Research Onion which is shown below in Figure 1.1. Sampling Secondary Data Observation Questionnaires Longitudinal Cross sectional Literature review Grounded theory Survey Inductive Deductive Realism Research philosophy Research Approaches Research strategies Time horizons Data collection methods Positivism Interpretivism Figure 1.1 The Research Process Onion Source: Saunders, et. al., (2003) The research would look into providing a brief on the layers of the research process so as to provide a better understanding for choosing the rational in a particular research. As per Saunders, et. al., (2003), research is a mix of positivism, interpretive and realism research philosophy. According to Remenyi et. al. (1998), if one prefers working with an observable social reality and that the end product of such research can be law-like generalisations similar to those produced by the physical or natural scientists, than positivism research philosophy should be the right one to follow. According to Chisnall, 2003 the above philosophy may not be entirely applicable to all business circle due to the complexity involved and due to the reason that everything cannot be placed under one umbrella. So this advocated towards interpretive research philosophy, who believes that rich insights into the complex world of business and management are lost if its complexity is reduced entirely to a s eries of law-like generalisations. (Saunders, et. al., 2003) According to Saunders, et. al., 2003, realism research philosophy should be also mentioned, due to the fact that it is based on the belief that a reality exists that is independent of human thoughts and believes (Saunders, et. al., 2003). For this research the discussion involves the customer perception so the researcher would select the realism research philosophy during the course of research (Chisnall, P., 2003; Saunders, et. al., 2003). So from the above reflections upon the philosophies of research, the researcher concluded on research to be mainly based on interpretivism research philosophy along with some further respect to be paid to the realism research philosophy. The framed questionnaire helps to identify customer different behaviour towards the purchasing decision of the Garment Brand in the Ireland. The major areas to explore consumer behaviour are following below. Brand: As the clothing not only now the necessities goods and become the fashion statement therefore brand is very important to measure the consumer behaviour for the garment shoppers. Family: As per the research most of the IRISH customer tends to take the advice from the family or close group people before they tend to purchase any cloth therefore it is important to mention these factors. Product uniqueness: Unique attributes which push the customer to choose the different clothing brand. Bargaining and convincing: Customer tries to bargain getting something on condition of someone else getting something Belief in values/ Influences and feelings: How brand try to influence the purchasing behavior of the customer (*through advertisement, promotion, store ambience etc) Research Question Prime objective of this paper to establish relationship amongst the customer behaviour and the attributes which influence the behaviour most for the IRISH customer such as the family, brand, uniqueness etc; therefore it is important to set the hypothesis to judge the outcome of the primary research. Brand influence the customer decision making most Family is the most important factor to influence the consumer purchasing decision Customer tends to bargain with the brand. Customer behaviour can be influenced by the advertisement, store ambience, etc. Null HYPOTHESIS Brand influence will not influence the customer decision for the garment purchase. Family is not the only important factor which influence the customer behaviour. Research approach Survey design has been widely used and adopted by many academicians in the research field of Garment (Gardberg and Fombrun, 2002; Sabate and Puente, 2003; Lee, 2004 cited in Yeo and Youssef, 2010). Through the literature review, a theoretical framework from the works of Berry and Kimpakorn and Tocquer were analyzed. Administering written questionnaires have been widely used mainly due to fact that anonymity is permitted, thus resulting in more honest responses. Additionally, well designed questionnaires are also able to reduce biasness due to the creativity that may arise from phrasing these questions. Surveys are also common as they are adaptable, easily implemented and provide the researcher with an opportunity to gain insight because of the large amount of feedback collected. Notwithstanding, limitations to this form of research arise from low rate of response primarily due to the fact that questions could be misunderstood. Procedures for data collection and analysis Data Collection: As the research study consist both the qualitative and quantitative research hence both the primary as well secondary data will be collected in this study in order to make the research comprehensive and exploratory. The data collection methodology for each type of data is given below: Primary Data: The primary for this study will be collected in the second phase of the study where the Questionnaires will be conducted with the consumers of garment industry in Ireland, of all age group and income group to gain the in-depth view and study about the consumer behaviour towards the garment purchase. The primary data will be collected through research survey instrument. The survey instrument as the questionnaire will be structured as it will consist of both closed as well as open ended questions. The survey will target at least 100 respondents across the city. The data collection would require field work where the research would get the questionnaire filled from customers visiting the two garment store selected for this research which are North face and the Columbia sports in the areas in Dublin, Ireland Secondary Data: The secondary for this study will be collected for the accomplishment of the first phase of the study where the detailed analysis of several factors influences the consumer buying decisions in fast food Industry. The secondary data for this study will be procured from the various news articles, marketing journals, reports, web, and the various literatures available in the context of the research topic. Sample Size: Minimum 50 people from each outlet would be targeted so the sample population for this research would be 100 respondents. As per Bryman.A and Bell.E (2007) research sample is defined as choice of small group from a large population for running the primary research. The small group selected from the large population is known as sample. As per Bryman.A and Bell.E (2007), no research can cover the total population as it would be time consuming and some part of population may not be relevant for research. The sample selected for this research is 100 respondents and the age group of these people would be 12-55 years. Evaluation of approach and analysis Data analysis would be analyzed through the statistical system i.e. SPSS. Using correlation analysis, customers in this Irish garment in industry would be analyzed to determine whether a customer behaviour and factor such as brand, family from the different garment brand correlated to each other. Ethics In this research all the first hand information only used for academic purpose. And I will focus on the authentic research where proper refreshing can been done. Limitation First limitation of study is to cover only Dublin as city for the study also it has only cover the sample size of 100 people out of the entire universe. Assumption Biggest assumption for this study is to have self believe on the response that we collect from the customer which always hold true without any further validation. CONCLUSION So to conclude this research would be based on quantitative method. A mix of primary and secondary data will be used for collecting data. Questionnaire method would be the tool of collecting data along with secondary data like journals, past research, books and internet. Chapter 4: Research Plan TIME FRAME Months Mar Apr May Weeks 2nd Week 4th Week 1st week 3rd week 4th week 1st week 2nd week 3rd week Problems defining Review of Literature Research Designing Method Defining Data Sources Collection of Data Data Analysis Framing the Conclusion of the research Writing Draft Editing Final Printing and Binding BIBLIOGRAPHY Alvarez, B. A Casielles, R. V. (2005). Consumer e valuations of

A Feminist Perspective of A Dolls House Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wo

A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life. At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her... ...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan. 1977 Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Shaw, Bernard. "A Doll's House Again."   Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1979. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40. A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wo A Feminist Perspective of A Doll's House In "A Doll's House", Ibsen portrays the bleak picture of a role held by women of all economic classes that is sacrificial. The female characters in the play back-up Nora's assertion that even though men are unable to sacrifice their integrity, "hundreds of thousands of woman have." Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true but poor love, and marry a richer man in order to support her mother and two brothers. The nanny has to abandon her children to support herself by working for Nora. Though Nora is economically advantaged, in comparison to the other female characters, she leads a hard life because society dictates that Torvald be the marriages dominant member. Torvald condescends Nora and inadvertently forces Nora to hide the loan from him. Nora knows that Torvald could never accept the idea that his wife, or any other woman, could aid in saving his life. At the beginning of "A Doll's House", Nora seems completely happy. She responds to Torvald's teasing, relishes in the excitement of his new job, and takes pleasure in the company of her children and friends. Nora never appears to disagree with her doll-like existence, in which she is cuddled, pampered and patronized. As the play progresses, Nora's true character appears and proves that she is more than just a "silly girl" as Torvald calls her. Her understanding of the business details related to the dept she incurred in taking out a loan to help Torvald's health shows her intelligence and her abilities beyond being merely a wife. The secret labor she undertakes to pay off her dept demonstrates her determination and ambition. In addition, her willingness to break the law in order to aid her... ...dlike mentality and needs to grow before she can raise her own children. Her defiance of Torvald, when he refuses to let her leave, reflects her epiphany that she isn't obligated to let Torvald dictate her actions. The height of Nora's realization comes when she tells Torvald that her duty to herself is as strong as her duty as a wife and mother. She now sees that she is a human being before she is a wife and mother and she owes herself to explore her personality, ambitions, and beliefs. Works Consulted Clurman, Harold. Ibsen. New York: Macmillan. 1977 Ibsen, Henrik. Four Major Plays. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998 Shaw, Bernard. "A Doll's House Again."   Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism.   Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1979. Templeton, Joan. "The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen." PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.

Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Puddnhead Wilson Essays -- African

Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson What is a slave? A slave, according to many of the laws in the individual slave states during the 19th century, was an article of property, a thing, and an object not human. However, according to another, the 3/5 Compromise of 1787, a slave was worth 3/5 of a white man. The population of the Southern states was heavily African, and this compromise enabled them to count those slaves as 3/5 of a citizen in order to get more representation in Congress. What does that mean for interpretations of the law? Can a `thing' be tried for murder, or is a slave a man who has committed only 3/5 of the crime? Unfortunately, laws often have an ambiguity that allows them to be misinterpreted. In the case of American slave laws, the ambiguity was such that the identity of the slave could be misinterpreted or even manipulated to serve unjust social practices. Furthermore, one of the interpretations of the slave's identity is as a child under the guardianship of the slave master. If this translation were correct, however, the slave should have the right of protection under the law. But as said before, state law claims that a slave is a thing and therefore warrants no protection. The laws of slavery in the 19th century were ambiguous to the point that no one legal definition of a slave or a slave's rights could be made according to the law. Both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain experimented with this ambiguity of identity and the laws surrounding it in their novels Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson. The lawyers in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson are Edward Clayton and David (Pudd'nhead) Wilson. Both of these lawyers are given the opportunity to interpret the identity of the slave during trial... ...ecting themselves from the bite. "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. – Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar." (Twain 99) Works Cited Carton, Evan. "Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Fiction of Law and Custom." Ed. Eric J. Sundquist. American Realism: New Essays. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. Crane, Gregg. "Stowe and the Law." Cindy Weinstein. The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. "Slavery and Indentured Servants." Law Library of Congress. 9 Dec. 2004 < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awlaw3/slavery.html>. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Ed. Robert S. Levine. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: Bantum Books, 1981. Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson Essays -- African Law and Slave Identity in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson What is a slave? A slave, according to many of the laws in the individual slave states during the 19th century, was an article of property, a thing, and an object not human. However, according to another, the 3/5 Compromise of 1787, a slave was worth 3/5 of a white man. The population of the Southern states was heavily African, and this compromise enabled them to count those slaves as 3/5 of a citizen in order to get more representation in Congress. What does that mean for interpretations of the law? Can a `thing' be tried for murder, or is a slave a man who has committed only 3/5 of the crime? Unfortunately, laws often have an ambiguity that allows them to be misinterpreted. In the case of American slave laws, the ambiguity was such that the identity of the slave could be misinterpreted or even manipulated to serve unjust social practices. Furthermore, one of the interpretations of the slave's identity is as a child under the guardianship of the slave master. If this translation were correct, however, the slave should have the right of protection under the law. But as said before, state law claims that a slave is a thing and therefore warrants no protection. The laws of slavery in the 19th century were ambiguous to the point that no one legal definition of a slave or a slave's rights could be made according to the law. Both Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain experimented with this ambiguity of identity and the laws surrounding it in their novels Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson. The lawyers in Dred and Pudd'nhead Wilson are Edward Clayton and David (Pudd'nhead) Wilson. Both of these lawyers are given the opportunity to interpret the identity of the slave during trial... ...ecting themselves from the bite. "If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man. – Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar." (Twain 99) Works Cited Carton, Evan. "Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Fiction of Law and Custom." Ed. Eric J. Sundquist. American Realism: New Essays. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982. Crane, Gregg. "Stowe and the Law." Cindy Weinstein. The Cambridge Companion to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. "Slavery and Indentured Servants." Law Library of Congress. 9 Dec. 2004 < http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/awlaw3/slavery.html>. Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Dred: A Tale of the Great Dismal Swamp. Ed. Robert S. Levine. New York: Penguin Books, 2000. Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York: Bantum Books, 1981.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Distance Learning Essay

Technology is advancing at alarming rates. In order to keep up with this ever growing field new means of education must be implemented. Distance Learning may very well be the best way to reach mass amounts of people rapidly. The advantages of Distance Learning are clear. The results are rapid and affect a broad community of people. Particularly with the field of technology, these qualities are necessary when examining way to teach those eager to learn. However, along with the advantages come the disadvantages. The purpose of this website is to outline a few of the advantages and disadvantages of distance learning, paying special attention to the field of technology. Cost: The cost of distance learning may eventually be significantly less than that of education as we know it today. Classrooms require books, binders, pens, transportation, and the actual expense of rent. Distance learning may one day rule out al of these expenses. Books may be available online, notes very easily could be taken using any word processor, and rent is eliminated as both students and professors could logon from the convenience of their own homes. Outreach: The greatest advantage of Distance Learning is its ability to reach many users’ that would otherwise have no way of taking classes. A grandmother may be too embarrassed to go to the local community college and sit amongst 18 year olds fresh out of high school. Distance Learning eliminates the need to feel judged by classmates. This may also help students who have physical or mental disabilities and wish to be home schooled. Another example of the broad outreach Distance Learning accounts for is the person that works 9-5 and has a family to provide for. This person may not have the time to travel to class, or the money to afford a baby-sitter. Distance Learning allows those with difficult schedules to learn on thier own time. Interaction: A major disadvantage of Distance Learning is the lack of interaction between teacher and student. Even when a lesson is taught live on the internet, the instructor misses cues, such as confused faces, that can only be seen live. The instructor cannot yell at a student for passing notes, or talking to their friend. Distance Learning may not be for everyone. Those who do not have a strong desire to really learn the material may easily be distracted. Already on the internet, they may be online talking to friends, or playing online pool. When a student needs extra help it may be hard for the professor to guide them without actually being there to walk them through every step of the way. Cheating: When a class is given online, cheating may be very hard to detect. It is very easy to cheat on exams that are given online, in the privacy of one’s home. Conceivable a student could receive an A in a course that another student took for them. Even at SUNY Albany, there have been cases of student cheating on online quizzes and Web CT submissions. Before Distance Learning is implemented on any large scale, this issue must be further examined. Written by Sara Volkell References Used Deakin, Michelle Bates. 2001. The Failings of Distance Learning. Computer World. Vol. 35. Page 68. Hartley, Sarah. 2001. Twelve Tips for Potential Distance Learners. Medical Teacher. Vol. 23. Pages 13-15. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Online Education Kateri White Online University Century City, California Getting an online education has become a very popular technique these days. Whether you are looking for a high school diploma or a graduate degree or some specialized certification to supplement your existing knowledge, it is very convenient to obtain these without having to take time off from your schedule to attend a regular educational institution. There are many advantages associated with online study. Some are given below: †¢ Unlike traditional learning, distance learning can offer you greater flexibility, as you don’t have to waste time- and money- commuting to the campus and you can choose a program that truly suits your interests or professional needs, because you are not confined to the classes that are offered locally. †¢ Another advantage to distance learning is the fact that you can continue to work, because you don’t have to worry about fitting your classes around your job schedule. †¢ Online programs often cost less than their traditional counterparts, so you can save money on tuition, if you pursue your degree through an online university. †¢ Online study is also a great option for those students with physical handicaps, which may prevent them from traveling to a traditional campus. Likewise, if you are shy, or perhaps even language-challenged, participating in an online course may be the perfect alternative to a live class. There are some major advantages to online education, including the ability to set your own study time. You may be looking for a promotion or career change that requires additional training or you may simply be ready to learn something new. But with today’s busy lifestyle, there’s little time to devote to regularly scheduled class time. That’s where online education can be a great asset for a motivated person. Although there are many advantages of an online education, there are also some disadvantages. The fact that you are working on your own could very well be one of the major disadvantages of taking online educational classes. Another major disadvantage is the lack of interaction. You aren’t in a classroom and don’t have the opportunity to hear questions and discussion from other students. This isn’t always an issue, depending on the subject of the online education course you are taking, but it could be an important factor in deciding whether an online education is the best option when seeking out opportunities for learning new skills or gaining new training. But above all the disadvantages the online education is gaining more esteem than traditional education. This article has been published by Kateri White currently writing on online degree programs topics for our website http://www. onlineuniversitydegreeprogram. info. For more details about the online degree programs, please visit our website. If any mistake found please mail kateriwhite@gmail. com.

POS system

Helene Hernandez (College Instructor) (College College Instructor) Instructor) General Problem: Mister Boron's Fast Food is having difficulty in manually dealing with the customers in terms of ordering, payments, generating reports and maintaining their inventory. Specific Problems: 1 . Is the cashier easily and accurately computes the bills especially when dealing with huge number of customers? 2. And how long did employees check their stocks? 3. Does Mister Boron's Fast Food provides official receipt to customers? 4.Are their sales report accurate? . How do the customers wait for their orders? General Objective To provide a system that will automate the process in dealing with the customers in terms of ordering, payments, generating reports and maintaining their inventory. Specific Objectives 1 . To provide a system that will make the computation of bills faster and more accurate. 2. To provide a system that will allow the customers to have a receipt in every transaction. 3. To pro vide a system that will maintain the inventory easier and faster. . To provide a database that will store records for generating reports. 5. To provide a queuing management that will help customers. Features 1 . The system will notify if the stocks are insufficient. 2. Easy to use interface for the cashier. 3. The system can be easily updated when there are changes in the price of the meals. 4. The system will provide accurate weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly reports of sales. 5. Easily update the menu. 6. It shows the time started and time ended of the cashier. 7.Admit, manager, cashier and owner will have their own accounts and privileges 8. A separate monitor will show the queuing of costumers 9. It will provide a receipt with the name of the cashier, time and date of transaction, queue number and Official Receipt (O. R. ) number. 10. The cashier will have a touch screen monitor to easily input orders. 11. Receipts will be given right after the transaction using a POS printe r 12. A monitor inside the kitchen will show the queue numbers with the orders of the customers to know which order they will prioritize.