‘Entrepreneurs’ as Franchisees Essay Example for Free

‘Entrepreneurs’ as Franchisees Essay Franchisors are increasingly having to be more and more selective in the adoption of franchisees with factors such as economic climate and the potential difficulty with growth playing key factors in the decision making process. It is not simply an ability to grow which creates a successful Franchise and nor is it the desire of any franchisor to adopt every potential franchisee. Franchisors are becoming more and more scrutinising as the global economy declines. There is a general understanding within any franchised business, which is that one of the most desired traits of any franchisee is the ability to follow a set design People who buy franchises are not entrepreneurs, and they better know that going in, (Libava, 2012). Throughout, the difficulty of working with entrepreneurial franchisees will be analysed alongside what a Franchisor looks for in an ideal Franchisee in the context of someone seeking to enterprise a franchise; how these differ, how they are similar and what potential benefits or disadvantages this stance may create. The entrepreneurial process requires a great number of identification and opportunist methods in order to obtain the resources for their business and be deemed â€Å"entrepreneurial† (Shane, 2003). The use of these skills will be evaluated in the context of a franchise in order to understand why franchisors prefer not to take on entrepreneurs. Firstly, it is important to understand why franchisors must have certain barriers of entry to their franchise before we can fully question their likeliness to take on entrepreneurs. Franchisees seek to join a Franchise due to the ease of starting a business; Suppliers are already established, store layout is already set, uniforms already designed customers already familiar with the brand and so on. The sole reason this is set out already is because it has been tried and tested (in most cases) over time, and most likely by a number of other Franchisees. Since all the Franchisees have built this brand image up since the off, it is integral to protect this brand image as any impairment to one franchisee could cause the public to â€Å"tar† the whole franchise â€Å"with the same brush†. However, the extent to their high expectations of potential franchisees has a tendency to vary with each scale of franchise. A well-established franchise has a lot to protect and therefore is likely to resist the urge to take on an enterprising franchisee, seeing them as â€Å"high risk†. Alternatively, the opposite can also be said as it is likely to promote the business more with greater levels of feedback, new prospects and innovative ideas (Diebold 1990). From one perspective, there are many reasons why certain franchisors would avoid accepting entrepreneurial Franchisees into their Franchise. Entrepreneurial businessmen and women are often stereotyped as the innovators; someone who pushes the boundaries of the known worlda change agent who is relentless in making things happen and bringing ideas to execution (Entrepreneur.com). This means that their skills best lie in the development of new ideas, improvement of old ways and generally the identification of modern concepts and techniques. In the eyes of a potential franchisor this has many foreboding difficulties should they decide to accept the franchising agreement. Firstly, a franchise is a tried and tested model which has proven to be a mostly profitable and successful enterprise of its own with a large quantity of time, effort and money used to perfect the foundations of the franchise. Therefore should a franchisee wish to try and change these perfected techniques, not only does it risk the chance of failure and therefore damaging the brand as a whole, but also the arrogant â€Å"I know better† attitude contradicts the very concept of a franchise. Libava defines this concept as using a â€Å"franchise company’s trademarks, systems, signage, software, and other proprietary tools and systems in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the franchise contract† to an â€Å"Identified System† (Libava 2012). Taking on board the enterprising ideas the franchisee puts across would essentially be the franchisor wasting effort and money in the perfecting of their pre-set method. This is especially the case with larger, more established franchises such as Subway and McDonalds, whereby every task is responded to in a set way and is quantified to the smallest factor. An example of this is when changing the uniform at McDonalds in 2012, it cost over  £1.52 million in the UK alone due to the vast number of employees (Weiss 2012). From cleaning the floors to dealing with food complaints, even the smallest change in the franchisors technique requires a great amount of communication and control, but is also a timely and therefore costly exercise. This then reflects the reluctant attitude to established Franchises when considering the great cost and risk involved in the context of someone entrepreneurial. The franchise already has the fine details of the business set into its own convention; entrepreneurial individuals only cause a constant battle with the franchisor due to the desire for change and sometimes, change for change’s sake. However, although in the established franchise context this statement may be true, it is not always the case. Start-up, less established and more innovative franchises are much more likely to be open for suggestion and more interested in taking on entrepreneurs into their franchise. The same can be said for franchises in need of innovation to survive. With everyday names such as HMV and Woolworths going into administration, amplification of a USP and innovation has become a necessary act for survival. Even the slightest differentiation could mean the difference between consumers buying with you or a competitor; Domino’s Pizza is a good example of this. Since the almost-global economic recession of 2008, survival has been integral to any business model, franchise or otherwise. As a result of this, Domino’s has allowed one of its more entrepreneurial franchisee’s to trial and as a result implemented â€Å"Bread Bowl† and â€Å"Pasta† dishes onto their menu with great success (Wilson 2012). The same can be said of WSI, an internet marketing franchise, whereby 90% of the products and services have come from the franchisee’s themselves to â€Å"ensure that [they] are offering the latest and best internet marketing processes to end clients that deliver results† (McArthur 2012). This shows how, it is not only the economic factors that play to a franchisors’ decision making, but also the type of franchise that they are operating. The online marketplace is a raw marketplace where each business is instantly comparable to their competitors and just as easily undercut; therefore, an innovative franchisee is more desirable than the traditional replicable franchisee as they are able to create differentiation potentially more valuable than price. In addition to this, it is also useful to look at the financial success of large and small franchises to gain a better understanding as to why some seek entrepreneurs and others don’t. An â€Å"Innovation vs. Replication† report compared the financial performance of 500 firms varying in size and found that small businesses with business models centred on low levels of replication and high innovation, showed more growth than models with high levels of replication. Additionally, they also found that large businesses with only high levels of innovation and low levels of replication had a lower average financial position (Aspara 2009). This reflects how statistically it would work against the favour of a large franchise to adopt innovative entrepreneurs, whilst also presenting a counter-point portraying enterprising individuals as promoters for growth and financial stability for smaller franchises. This isn’t always the case though, presented in the franchise Krispy Kreme with its â€Å"boom† stage in the early 2000’s. Being a rapidly growing donut franchise it had entrepreneurs from around the world wanting to become part of this international business. However, due to the lack of care when choosing franchisees and with growth as their only concern, issues with proximity caused cannibalising sales as a result of capitalising their own popularity (Morebusiness.com 2010). Pulling these points together, there are many clear reasons why a franchisor would be hesitant to take on an entrepreneur. Taking on a â€Å"If it’s not broke don’t fix it† attitude emphasises the safety in the tried and tested method of replication. Franchises with a set convention are likely to take a â€Å"sure-bet† rather than a â€Å"risk†, due to knowledge that the model works fine the way it is, proven by their own and other franchisees. That is not to say that what works for one franchising model is the same for all (Francis 2010). Both economic and business models play key factors into how enterprising a franchise may or may not choose to be. Some franchises such as WSI rely on entrepreneurial franchisees for the very success of their business and remain an integral part of their franchise model. Within the report of innovation and replication it found that the most financially successful businesses were large scale firms with high levels of innovation and replication (Aspara 2009) showing how there is room for improvement in any business. â€Å"Staying consistent on the core components of your business doesnt mean the products you sell, or even the way you deliver them, have to stay the same† (FranchiseDirect.com) However, replication in a franchise builds the foundations of what has already been industry certified and therefore proven to work. Entrepreneurs are most useful in a franchise when the need for innovation is high, such as start-up franchises and times of economic instability where differentiation is needed to survive. As a franchise grows, the structure becomes more and more rigid and therefore more difficult and less susceptible to change as the cost of doing so outweighs the potential benefits. Perhaps it is the case that most franchisors are less likely to take on an entrepreneur as a franchisee, using their own sources of research and development. However, not every franchise has the capital to operate their own entrepreneurial department and therefore is much more likely to opt for enterprising franchisees to enable their franchise to grow. Reference List Aspara et al, J A, 2009. Innovation vs. Replication. Business model innovation vs. replication: Financial performance implications of strategic emphases. 1, 6,7 Diebold, J. D, 1990. The Innovators: The Discoveries, Inventions, and Breakthroughs of Our Time. 1st ed. New York: Plume. Entrepreneur.com 2013. Innovators | Entrepreneur.com. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/innovators/index.html. [Accessed 24 January 2013]. Francis K.A. Demand Media. 2010. Innovation Vs. Replication in Franchises. [ONLINE] Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/innovation-vs-replication-franchises-198.html. [Accessed 23 January 13]. Libava 2012, The Top Traits of Successful Franchise Owners | Entrepreneur.com. 2013. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224016. [Accessed 23 January 2013]. Also see Definition Of A Franchise. 2013 [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thefranchiseking.com/definition-of-a-franchise. [Accessed 24 January 2013] McArthur, R M, 2012. President of WSI Internet Marketing Franchise. Can Franchising and Innovation Go Hand in Hand? (See Wilson 2012) MoreBusiness.com. 2013 . Learning from the Franchising Mistakes of Failed Krispy Kreme | MoreBusiness.com. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.morebusiness.com/franchise-risks. [Accessed 23 January 2013]. Shane, S.A , 2003. A General Theory Of Entrepreneurship: The

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Spinal Muscular Atrophy Spinal Muscular Atrophy Spinal muscular Atrophy is a disorder when the spine and muscles are affected. The Neurons on the spinal cord that control movement of muscles are infected and causes the Neurons to shrink and become destroyed and prevents messages coming from the body To the brain and muscles depend on that for proper function. Some muscles are not affected when having SMA like the bladder muscles. Hearing and vision are not affected and intelligence is normal or above average. Investigators have noted that children with SMA can have very high intelligence. There are 3 types of SMA all 3 types are known As autonomic recessive genes. To inherit SMA both parents must give the defective gene in order for the offspring to inherit the disorder. Sometimes SMA is inherited as an autonomic dominant gene. Type 1, 2, and 3 are got from a defected same gene on chromosome #5, different affected chromosomes will have different affects and types of SMA.There is another form of the disease called x-linked spinal bulbar atrophy that arises from a defect in a gene called the androgen receptor gene on the X chromosome. Every form of SMA affects the bones muscles of the trunk and limbs. These muscles are closer to the center of the body and are more infected than other parts that are farther than the body like the fingers. SMA type 1 affects the neurons that control your mouth and throat which makes chewing and eating problems. Type 1 is the most severe of all the types of SMA and is noticed during the first 6 months of birth. Cannot sit without support or a cushion, death is usually occurred before the age of 2. SMA type 2 isnt as worse as type 1 and is noticed during the ages of 7 months to 18 months of age. Cannot sit properly without a cushion or support, cannot learn to walk without any help or assistance has numerous swallowing difficulty some lucky children survive until childhood. Type 3 SMA occurs after the age of 18 months old. Weakness of the muscles in the mouth and throat is not likely to happen. Not as severe as type 1 and 2 but still can cause death if not cared for, children might live up to adulthood SMA is inherited by both parents having the recessive gene is their DNA and the offspring inherits 22 of the non sex chromosomes. When genes are defected they do not function and properly produce the proteins that are needed for a cell to function. A big chain can happen when a little protein is absent when there is too little or too much protein or if it doesnt work right for some reason. In the case of SMA protein abnormalities prevent the normal functioning of motor neurons. SMA causes muscle degeneration and will shrink until muscle weakness happens. SMA is not spreadable because disorders cannot spread from person to person only if parents have the 2 recessive SMA genes. There are no cures or treatments for spinal muscular atrophy right now but researchers and scientist are trying to find a way to get rid of SMA or at least reverse some of the affects that causes death for the young. Some symptoms of SMA are muscle weakness, leg weakness, thin muscles, hard time breathing, hard time eating/swallowing, lack of movement and walking, head control, hard time sitting up, hard time crawling when a baby. SMA affects life span a lot, especially when a child or a baby because you have a high risk of dying because of the disorder. Muscles are weak and have a hard time walking. SMA affects all kinds of people. In 1890 G. Werdnig found about SMA and the first type of the form of SMA. Years later a person named Kugelberg and another person named Welander described the less severe types of SMA and its affects to the human body and muscles. SMA is the most common diagnosis in girls with progressive weakness. It is one of the most common genetic causes of death in children! In the United States it is about 5 out of 100,000 child births that are affected with SMA. In ND (North Dakota) it is about 15 out of 100,000 children that are affected with SMA. SMA seems to be affecting more people in North Dakota then anywhere else in other areas. Males are more common to get SMA other than females, the ratio to males to females is 2:1 although the ratio is 2:1 how long you live with SMA is not affected by sex. Spinal muscular atrophy used to be only affecting black African Americans but years have passed and it is indicated that SMA is not affecting African Americans that much as it used to a while back. Spinal muscular atrophy is caused by the region of chromosome #5 that contains SMN (survival motor neuron) gene has a very abnormal huge duplication. The gene copies its self which causes mutation. The smn2 gene has a another mutation that makes less protein that does it in a very slow level. The most common forms of SMA are caused by the mutation of the SMN gene and affects different areas of the body and makes severe or less severe damages depending on how the gene mutates. Boys that get the gene die before the age of 2, but girls that get the gene are carriers unless they die before having an offspring. There are about 1,386 families that have SMA and 759 females and 776 males that do have SMA. Doctors and researches help with the symptoms and features of SMA to help reduce the chance of death. Doctors talk with children and help babies walk and breath. The spine is dislocated and is not straight. The spine wont function correctly and spine neurons will eventually die out and muscles will die out to.

Audrey Hofstadter Summary: The Founding Fathers: The Age of Realism E

Audrey Hofstadter Summary: The Founding Fathers: The Age of Realism Summary of Section: I The reasoning behind the Constitution of the United States is presented as 'based upon the philosophy of Hobbes and the religion of Calvin. It assumes the natural state of mankind in a state of war, and that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.' Throughout, the struggle between democracy and tyranny is discussed as the Founding Fathers who envisioned the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 believed not in total democracy, but instead saw common man as selfish and contemptuous, and therefore in need of a 'a good political constitution to control him.' Being a largely propertied body, with the exception of William Few, who was the only one who could honestly be said to represent the majority yeoman farmer class, the highly privileged classes were fearful of granting man his due rights, as the belief that 'man was an unregenerate rebel who has to be controlled' reverberated. However, the Fathers were indeed ?intellectual heirs? of the seventeenth-century England republicanism with its opposition to arbitrary rule and faith in popular sovereignty. Thus, the paradoxical fears of the advance in democracy, and of a return to the extreme right emerged. The awareness that both military dictatorship and a return to monarchy were being seriously discussed in some quarters propelled the Constitutional framers such as John Jay to bring to attention. II Consistent to eighteenth-century ethos left the Constitution-makers with great faith in universals. They believed in an inexorable view of a self-interested man. Feeling that all me were naturally inclined to be bad they sought a compromising system of checks and balances for government. This was bolstered by the scientific work by Newton, ?in which metaphors sprang as naturally to mens minds as did biological metaphors in the Darwinian atmosphere of the late nineteenth century.? Therefore Madison and others thought to squelch the possibly dangerous majority by setting up a large number and variety of local interests, so that the people will ?be unable to concert and carry into effect their scheme of oppression.? And thus, chief powers went to the propertied. III Constitutional format was a series of ironical statements, as it stands in ?direct antithesis to American democratic f... ...anced. Governeur Morris understood that, ?Wealth tends to corrupt the mind and to nourish its love of power, and to stimulate it to oppression. History proves this to be the spirit of the opulent.? Therefore as seen with the second quote, Hofstadter is emphasizing the compromise in leaving a form of representative government as well as having a strong federal government in that ?its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.? Therefore they saw it as in their form of a small direct democracy the unstable passions of the people would dominate law making; but a representative government, as Madison stated, would ?refine and enlarge the public views by passing them through the medium of a chosen body of citizens.? John Adams finally pointed out in Defence of the Constitution of Government of the United States that the split in assembly would stop the rich from ?plundering the poor, and vice versa,? wit h an impartial executive armed with the veto power. Thus, what radiates from such actions was the achievement of neutralization. Bibliography: Hofstadter, Richard. The American Political Tradition.

Robotics :: essays papers

Robotics Mechanics Introduction What is mechanics? If you've ever been around a physics teacher or engineer, they are always talking about mechanics, and its seems that no one really understands what mechanics really is. Quite simply, mechanics is the knowledge of design and construction of machinery. In robotics, this translates into the physical construction of the robot. Since every game is different (thus requiring different mechanical solutions), this section will be an introduction of the different options for robot construction available to the Robotics Team through the kit of parts from F.I.R.S.T. as well as the basics of mechanical design/planning. Before we begin, it is time for the one rule: There is only one real rule which should be followed regardless of the situation: Whatever I say is okay and whatever you say is okay. Repeat it with me: "Whatever I say is okay and whatever you say is okay." The important thing to remember is that we are all on a team. There is not one person on this team whose ideas are more valid than another's. Every single person has the right to express their ideas and every person should respect that right. I think everyone will agree with that, so I'll stop preaching. Where do we start? Traditionally, robot construction proceeds as follows: †¢ 1. Develop and Decide on Strategy Since every year the game changes, the primary task after the kickoff in January is planning the actual strategy for the team. This generally involves brainstorming in little groups and then presenting each strategy to the collective group. Then, pros and cons will be weighed for each strategy and then a strategy will be selected. From this strategy can be developed necessary task for our robot to execute, which leads to an actual working design of the robot. Before we move on, everyone should understand that no one is always correct. The very nature of any engineering project (including this one) makes it impossible for a single person to design the best project. That is why it is necessary to have a lot of people brainstorming together on the same project. More people also make troubleshooting a lot easier, so it is important to not only question your own ideas, but also those of others. Actually, please, please, please ask questions. In fact always question. There is no design which is perfect and no idea which is flawless. Continually question, dissect, take apart, stare at every single part of the robot.

Non-Voluntary Euthanasia: The Future of Euthanasia Essay -- Euthanasia

Non-Voluntary Euthanasia: The Future of Euthanasia      Ã‚  Ã‚   Non-voluntary euthanasia seems to be the natural direction in which euthanasia practice evolves. In the Netherlands at the present time, there is a fear on the part of the aged, about being taken to the hospital - where the doctor may have the last word about life and death. This essay digs into this evolutionary process of voluntary euthanasia evolving into the non-voluntary type.    Advocates of legalised euthanasia almost always insist that they only want voluntary euthanasia (VE) - a they say they are as opposed to the taking of life without the subject's knowledge or consent, that is, non-voluntary euthanasia (NVE), as anyone else. Some do extend their advocacy to some examples of NVE, such as seriously deformed newborns, [1] where consent would not be possible, but this is not usual. It is widely accepted that sufficient protection against the unwanted extension of VE to NVE would be ensured by the inclusion of appropriate legal safeguards.    As safeguards, clauses are proposed that would require the doctor to be satisfied that the patient's request was freely made and sufficiently informed, that there was no psychological abnormality such as depression, and possibly by requiring psychiatric consultation, that more than one doctor be involved in the decision that it was medically appropriate to take life in the circumstances, and that there be adequate documentation. It is also common to find lawyers who declare that such laws would be feasible to devise, though it is less common to find actual draft laws published for discussion. In one sense, those lawyers are correct when they say such law would be possible - but they stop short of addressing t... ...thout explicit request of patient. Lancet 1993; 341: 1196-1199.    12,Van Delden JJM, Pijnenborg L, van der Maas PJ. The Remmelink Report; Two Years Later. Hastings Center Report 1993; Nov/Dec 24-27.    13.Fenigsen R. The Netherlands; New Regulations Concerning Euthanasia. Issues Law Med 1993; 9: 167-171.    14.Id. p 170.    15.Brownstein EG. Neonatal Euthanasia Case Law in the Netherlands. Aust Law J 1997; 7: 54-58.    16.Washington vs Glucksberg, 117 SCt 2303.    17. Stevens C, Hassan R. Management of death, dying and euthanasia; attitudes and practices of medical practitioners in South Australia. J Med Ethics 1994.   Meier DE, Emmons CA, Wallenstein S, Quill T, Morrison RS, Cassel CK. A National Survey of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States. N Eng J Med 1998; 338: 1193-1201. 20: 41-46.  

Compare and Constrast Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods Essay

Based on Freud’s theory (psychoanalytic) human functioning 1. The structure of the mind and the distinct functions of Personality The Freud’s structural theory (Freud, 1923, 1926) dispenses with the concepts of a fixed id, ego and superego, and point out unconscious and conscious conflict among wishes:dependent, Controlling, Sexual, Aggressive, guilt, shame, emotions (especially anxiety and depressive affect), And defensive operations that shut off from consciousness some aspect of the others. Id, ego, and super-ego are the three parts of the † Psychic apparatus † of Freud ‘s structural model of Moreover, healthy functioning (adaptive) is also determined, to a great extent, by resolutions of conflict. According to Freud’s theory that explain human functioning based on three level, Ego strengths include the capacities to control oral, sexual, and destructive impulses; to tolerate painful affects without falling apart; and to prevent the eruption into consciousness of bizarre symbolic fantasy. Synthetic functions, in contrast to autonomous functions, arise from the developmet of the ego and serve the purpose of managing conflictual processes. Defenses are an example of synthetic functions and serve the purpose of protecting the conscious mind from awareness of forbidden impulses and thoughts. One purpose of ego psychology has been to emphasize that there are mental functions that can be considered to be basic, and not the derivatives of wishes, affects, or defenses 2. Defence mechanism The ego fights acontinual battle to stay on top of the warring id and superego. Occasionally, their conflicts produce anxiety that threatens to overwhelm the ego. The anxiety is a signal that alerts the ego to marshal defence mechanisms. Unconcious protective processes that keep primitive emotions associated with conflicts in check so that the ego can cotinue its coordinating function. We all use defence mechanisms at times,they are sometimes adaptive and other time they are maladaptive. Human use defence mechanisms to function well and this defence mechanism can be used under the unconscious and conscious state of mind. However, it is important to note that autonomous ego functions can be secondarily affected because of unconsious conflict. For example, a patient may have an hysterical amnesia (memory being an autonomous function) because of intrapsychic conflict (wishing not to remember because it is too 3. The stages of Psychosexual development Freud’s assume that each child is born with a source of basic psychological energy called libido. Further, each child’s libido becomes successively focused on various parts of the body (in addition to people and objects) in the course of his emotional development. During the first postnatal year, libido is initially focused on the mouth and its activities, nursing enables the infant to derive gratification through a pleasurable reduction of tension in the oral region. Freud called this the oral stage of development. During the second year, the source of excitation is said to shift to the anal area, and the start of toilet training leads the child to invest libido in the anal functions. Freud called this period of development the anal stage. During the period from three through six years, the child’s attention is attracted to sensations from the genitals, and Freud called this stage the phallic stage. The half dozen years before puberty are called the latency stage. During the final and so-called genital stage of development, mature gratification is sought in a heterosexual love relationship with another. Freud believed that adult emotional problems result from either deprivation or excessive gratification during the oral, anal, or phallic stages. A child with libido fixated at one of these stages would in adulthood show specific neurotic symptoms, such as anxiety. According to him, unconscious mental structure called the id contains a person’s inborn, inherited drives and instinctual forces and is closely identified with his basic psychological energy (libido). During infancy and childhood, the ego, which is the reality-oriented portion of the personality, develops to balance and complement the id. The ego utilizes a variety of conscious and unconscious mental processes to try to satisfy id instincts while also trying to maintain the individual comfortably in relation to the environment. Although id impulses are constantly directed toward obtaining immediate gratification of one’s major instinctual drives (sex, affection, aggression, self-preservation), the ego functions to set limits on this process. In Freud’s language, as the child grows, the reality principle gradually begins to control the pleasure principle; the child learns that the environment does not always permit immediate gratification. Child development, according to Freud, is thus primarily concerned with the mergence of the functions of the ego, which is responsible for channeling the discharge of fundamental drives and for controlling intellectual and perceptual functions in the process of negotiating realistically with the outside world. Although Freud made great contributions to psychological theory—particularly in his concept of unconscious urges and motivations—his elegant concepts cannot be verified through scientific experimentation and empirical observation. But his concentration on emotional development in early childhood influenced even those schools of thought that rejected his theories. The belief that personality is affected by both biological and psychosocial forces operating principally within the family, with the major foundations being laid early in life, continues to prove fruitful in research on infant and child development. Freud’s emphasis on biological and psychosexual motives in personality development was modified by the German-born American psychoanalyst Erik Erikson to include psychosocial and social factors. Erikson viewed emotional development over the life span as a sequence of stages during which RIGIDITY/FLEXIBILITY The quality of being rigid; stiffness; inflexibility; absence of pliancy; specifically, in mech. , resistance to change of form. In all theoretical discussions respecting the application of forces through the intervention of machines, those machines are assumed to be perfectly rigid so far as the forces employed are able to affect their integrity of form and structure. Rigidity is directly opposed to flexibility, and only indirectly to malleability and ductility, which depend chiefly on relations between the tenacity, the rigidity, and the limit of elasticity. Flexibility- means holding our own thoughts and emotions a bit more lightly, and acting on longer term values rather than short term impulses, thoughts and feelings. Why? Because thoughts and emotions tend to be unreliable indicators of long term value. We have no control over them and they tend to ebb and flow – sometimes dramatically. If we trust our thoughts and emotions and act based on them, we can often overlook the more important, sustained patterns of action which bring true meaning, vitality and richness to our lives. Question 2 Behaviourism and education-how behaviourism view human functioning Behaviourism focuses on one particular view of learning: a change in external behaviour achieved through a large amount of repetition of desired actions, the reward of good habits and the discouragement of bad habits. In the classroom this view of learning led to a great deal of repetitive actions, praise for correct outcomes and immediate correction of mistakes. In the field of language learning this type of teaching was called the audio-lingual method, characterised by the whole class using choral chanting of key phrases, dialogues and immediate correction. Within the Problem Based Learning (PBL) environment, students may be encouraged to engage with the learning process and their peers within the group by positive reinforcement from a skilled facilitator to increase positive actions of engagement, contributions and questioning. Negative behaviours e. g. ack of engagement, negative contributions, could be minimized by the facilitator using negative reinforcement. Within the behaviourist view of learning, the â€Å"teacher† is the dominant person in the classroom and takes complete control, evaluation of learning comes from the teacher who decides what is right or wrong. The learner does not have any opportunity for evaluation or reflection within the learning process, they are simply told what is right or wrong. The conceptualization of learning using this approach could be considered â€Å"superficial† as the focus is on external changes in behaviour i. e. ot interested in the internal processes of learning leading to behaviour change and has no place for the emotions involved the process 1. 1 Operant conditioning Operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) is a type of learning in which an individual’s behavior is modified by its consequences; the behaviour may change in form, frequency, or strength. Reinforcement is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with greater frequency while punishment is a consequence that causes a behavior to occur with less frequency and extinction is caused by the lack of any consequence following a behavior. When a behavior is inconsequential (i. e. , producing neither favorable nor unfavorable consequences) it will occur less frequently. When a previously reinforced behavior is no longer reinforced with either positive or negative reinforcement, it leads to a decline in that behavior. 1. Positive reinforcement (Reinforcement): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by a stimulus that is appetitive or rewarding, increasing the frequency of that behavior. In the Skinner box experiment, a stimulus such as food or a sugar solution can be delivered when the rat engages in a target behavior, such as pressing a lever. 2. Negative reinforcement (Escape): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of an aversive stimulus, thereby increasing that behavior’s frequency. In the Skinner box experiment, negative reinforcement can be a loud noise continuously sounding inside the rat’s cage until it engages in the target behavior, such as pressing a lever, upon which the loud noise is removed. 3. Positive punishment (Punishment) (also called â€Å"Punishment by contingent stimulation†): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by a stimulus, such as introducing a shock or loud noise, resulting in a decrease in that behavior. 4. Negative punishment (Penalty) (also called â€Å"Punishment by contingent withdrawal†): occurs when a behavior (response) is followed by the removal of a stimulus, such as taking away a child’s toy following an undesired behavior, resulting in a decrease in that behavior. Classical conditioning by associating one thing with another. Operant conditioning = by the consequences of what we do.

How advertisement effects people’s lives Essay

As Americans we are exposed to advertisements everyday. People are pressured from every direction by advertisements which exploit their deepest fears, attractions, needs, and desires, shaping their behaviors, goals, and thoughts. They are led into believing false information and promises that are mostly never kept, all for the simple reason of selling the product and making profit. We see advertisements everywhere–in magazines and newspapers, on the radio, on TV, online, in the mail, even over the phone. These advertisements use the basic ideas of either providing an elite status with the possession of the product, or giving a sense of belonging to a group or community. Since the recent military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan, another ever present idea has been made prominent and that is using patriotism to evoke people’s desires. Americans are persuaded into buying unnecessary items everyday; however, we need to realize that no matter what advertisements say we should purchase items for their usefulness, not to fill voids in our lives, so we can help eliminate the problem we face today of being a materialistic society. The patriotic theme affecting people’s hearts, minds and senses, is commonly used to manipulate them into buying things. Since everyone has love for their country, using it to sell products is a brilliant idea, but I believe this is a bad practice. It makes people believe they are not ideal Americans, nor are they similar to the people around them if they do not buy that product. The Palmolive advertisement, in Seeing and Writing 2, is a key example, it appeals to the wives of the men at war in World War II (417). On the top of this advertisement there are three medals which contain picture of three different men in their uniforms and the words â€Å"For Him† appear next to each picture. In the lower part of the advertisement there is a woman looking up at these medals and above her head are the words, â€Å"I pledge myself to guard every bit of Beauty that he cherishes in me†, and finally in the background there are several faces of women also looking towards the medals. This advertisement is basically communicating to the wives the idea of guarding their beauty, by using this soap, just like their husbands are guarding their country. The ironic fact is that soap cannot make someone beautiful, nor do people lose their beauty if they do not use the correct brand of soap. This advertisement is connecting a heroic and patriotic act  to one used for mere beauty, in order to sell the soap. The Palmolive advertisement was run in 1943, but a more current advertisement which uses similar attributes is Chevrolet and its slogan for its recent line of cars, â€Å"An American Revolution.† This slogan is always placed on a blue sky background and the writing is in bold white letters, except for the â€Å"E† in â€Å"Revolution†, this letter is written in red ink. So when you come across this slogan, not only does the slogan sound patriotic to you, it also appears to be patriotic because it incorporates the red, the white and the blue. This phrase says to its audience that every American is buying and driving a Chevy car and so should they. Another detail that could be interpreted out of this advertisement is that since the U.S. is currently at war and fighting a revolution against terrorism, a person living in the U.S. can participate in this patriotic revolution by purchasing a Chevrolet. This would be true only if Chevrolet was funding the war, instead of the US government. Along with this, another advertisement that exploits this concept was the Netzero advertisement run during the time before the elections. In this advertisement the spokesman was running for President under the alias of Candidate Zero. His main goal was to provide cheaper and faster internet to every family and household. In order to get people’s attention, this clever idea was used, and it certainly worked on people like me. Viewers could also connect the advertisement with the actual presidential race and that way the product of the advertisement was stuck in their conscious awareness. The whole patriotic theme is strange because the connection between patriotism and the product does not make the product function better, so why do we feel obligated to pay attention to the advertisement and even purchase that product. Along with patriotism another concept used widely is the elitism the product brings to people with its possession. As Jack Solomon wrote in his essay Masters of Desire, â€Å"We Americans dream of rising about the crowd, of attaining a social summit beyond the reach of ordinary citizens† (1). He is basically saying that Americans want to be better then the people around  them and this belief is what marketers feast on, creating status symbols like Rolex, Mercedes, BMW, etc. One advertisement that crosses my mind in terms of using elitism would be the new U2 iPod Special Edition advertisement. This promotes an iPod with a black cover and laser engraved signatures of the U2 band members; everything else is similar to a regular iPod; whereas, the price is $50 more. People are led into believing that the U2 iPod is better than the regular one only because it is endorsed by U2. Another ironic detail is that a normal iPod itself is a product of elitism, because even though it has similar functions to a Sony or any other MP3 player, it costs $100 more only because it comes with the signature white headphones. These headphones, unique only because an iPod come equipped with them, have made themselves and the iPod a status symbol. Most people only buy an iPod because they want the headphones to show the illusion of superiority and uniqueness. Solomon says, â€Å"The explanation is quite simple: when an object (or puppy!) either costs a lot of money or requires influential connections to possess, anyone who possesses it must also possess the necessary means of influence to acquire it† (3). This explains why the white headphones have made the iPod a status symbol, since its shows possession of an expensive item, even though rationally speaking the color of the headphones does not make the iPod function better, they only make it different. Solomon also talks about another part of the American Dream, in which belonging to a group is important. The Chevrolet slogan connects us to the entire American population; the iPod connects us to other owners of an iPod, and so on. We need a sense of connection and belonging, fulfilling our need for attention and affection. Abraham Maslow, a founder of humanistic psychology, created a triangle in which he placed a person’s needs in the order they needed to be fulfilled and the need for love and belonging was the third basic need. Disillusioned by the advertisements, people try to fulfill this need by buying the products. This proves that using this theme advertisers are able to affect the person on much deeper levels then recognizable, yet by no means does the product itself become more useful. It is understandable that advertisers need to appeal to people in order to  sell their product and that is why they use these tactics, but what is not understandable is while knowing the truth people believe the hoaxes and let advertisements dictate what they are going to buy. People need to realize that products should not be used to fulfill our weaknesses; they should be consumed based on our needs, because companies will keep manufacturing status symbols until we accept that products and items are only materialistic and we can never attain all the luxury items around us. We are scammed into buying false promises everyday, after we realize that we have a choice against it, we can choose not to let advertisements or minor details about the product like the endorsements, or the color of headphones, or the catchy slogan persuade us into buying a certain item.