The Effect of Gender on Consumer Behaviour The WritePass Journal

The Effect of Gender on Consumer Behaviour Introduction The Effect of Gender on Consumer Behaviour IntroductionLiterature ReviewMethodologyResults and DiscussionConclusionRelated Introduction Consumer behaviour patterns are influenced by the culture, the psychology, the social and financial status of the person making a shopping excursion.   The success or failure of the venture is affected by when, where, how and why people make the decision to go shopping. This report investigates the differences between the genders when fashion buying decisions are made. It seeks to determine if there are basic influences affecting choice. Are they persuaded by advertising in magazines or on television? Do their friends or celebrities have an influence on their decision? Does their social life play a part? Consumer behaviour is the study of why, when, where, and how people either do or do not buy products. It blends fundamentals of psychology, sociology, cultural experience and economics. This report covers an investigation into understanding the gender related buying decision making process, It seeks to find an answer to the question, why do ladies enjoy shopping and spending money and men do not? The survey also sought to confirm that women make more shopping visits then men and spend more money than men at that shopping. There are a number of additional factors which could also affect consumer behaviour, shopping enjoyment and spending, these could not all be included in the questionnaire, due to size and time constraints. Brand loyalty and advertising psychology, peer pressure relating to fashion and design, competition between brands and shops, and price, are all factors which affect the choice of fashion eventually made.   Does a pair of jeans bought from the local market, against a pair of designer jeans from a designer boutique; really make any difference when all you are doing is studying. The other main factor is the internet and the numerous ways of perusing the latest design fashions and the ease of buying them.   Historically men have had a dislike of buying trips[1], since emancipation women have taken on the purchasing role [2], buying the clothes, toiletries etc. For the man.   The fashion explosion of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with rock and roll, punk and boy bands moved that shopping trend back to the male.   The substantially increased numbers of the female university population over the same time frame held the balance. However the internet, releasing the man from shopping trips and making available a whole and constantly changing choice of fashion products could well now have quite a different result if this survey was repeated in 3 to 5 years.    Literature Review This report examines the effect of gender on consumer behaviour and the consequence those influences has on fashion choices.   It analyses data from questionnaires to determine the influence of free time activities and the role of celebrities in the decision making process. In an article published in 2001 Otnes C.[3] States that she believes â€Å"Shopping is also increasingly recognized as contributing to the creation of self-identity of men and women and that it is possible for a man to simultaneously engage in consumer behaviour and maintain his masculine identity.† Otness theory is that shopping for fashion is no longer seen as a female prerogative, there is no longer a stigma involved in men choosing fashions. She believes that this behaviour improves the self esteem, self expression and confidence of men. The feminist view of consumer behaviour and fashion is explored by De Grazia, Victoria. Furlough, Ellen. (1996) they write that; â€Å"Fashion codes and beauty standards are denounced as akin to purdah, footbinding or the veil public sexual impositions on women, which, beyond domesticating womens drive towards liberation, constrain them physically and violate their authentic selves. The other side argues that mass consumption liberates women by freeing them from the constraints of domesticity.† They hypothesise that pre emancipation, men controlled the finances and determined the shopping list.   Since emancipation, this has changed, along with the greater numbers of women seeking university education and equality in employment and financial control. In a paper on gender related advertising published in Academy of Marketing Science Review, Putrevu S[4]. (2001) argues that wide advertising implications follow from the differences between genders.   He believes, after observation that men, through pictures and music, benefit from nonverbal reinforcement of the verbal product message built into an advertisement. He believes that direct verbally descriptive messages carry more impact for the female. He goes on to suggest that â€Å"The rather strongly held gender identities suggest that appropriately targeted gender advertisements might be quite effective† This author believes that this marketing philosophy is very apparent in the design and targeting of fashion retail marketing and the role celebrities play in those adverts. In a wide ranging study on gender behaviour titled in 2007, Men Buy, Women Shop, researchers at Whartons Jay H. Baker Retail Initiative[5] and the Verde Group[6], a Toronto consulting firm, determined that women responded more positively than men to personal communication with sales associates. Men were more likely to react to more practical aspects of the experience, such as good parking, the length of the checkout line whether the item they came for was in stock. Some quite emotive phrases are used throughout the literature available on consumer behaviour Jennifer Waters[7], in an article in   MarketWatch (2006) believes that â€Å" Men are on a mission, women on an adventure when shopping.† Paula Courtney[8], president of the Verde Group talks about â€Å"hunters vs. gatherers† this phrase was published in a paper titled â€Å"Men buy, Women Shop† (2007) According to Wharton marketing professor Stephen J. Hoch, gender behaviour when shopping, reflects differences throughout many aspects of life. Women think of shopping in an interpersonal, human fashion and men treat it as more instrumental. Its a job to get done, he believes that the data available has implications for retailers marketing policies so they can design and develop a more segmented approach to building and maintaining loyalty among male and female customers. Recognising the large numbers of potential buyers involved based at universities[9], Cosmopolitan Magazine has devoted a whole section to influence students fashion decisions and purchases. Their February 2011 edition offers discounts for students, 20% off specific lingerie items, a student shopping soiree, 10 ways to save money at university and 30 days of Fashion and Beauty to come. The Cosmopolitan magazine is totally female orientated, covering fashion in clothing and toiletries. The Sunday Times however caters for all genders in their weekly fashion section. Their February issue has an article headline â€Å"Combine cut-price student fashion with cool†, this offers tips for obtaining bargain outfits without damaging your credibility. The OK magazine takes the use of celebrity marketing to the extreme; the whole content is built around celebrity fashion and influences, mainly female but with the odd male celebrity article inserted. The shelves of magazine shops are literally full of female biased fashion periodicals with basically no male orientated publications, except for ‘pin up’ magazines.   Confirming the results of the questionnaire and the gender which is most influenced by celebrity marketing. Methodology The purpose of this study was to examine whether there were basic differences in the gender behaviour of students, when choosing items of fashion. It also looked at the influences of celebrities in fashion advertising and whether this had a bearing on the choices made by the students. To obtain the information from which to draw conclusions, a questionnaire was designed and given to the 10 male and 10 female students, all in a relatively small age group, to eliminate any age influences. The procedure involved the right to withdraw and confidentiality related to the data was explained to each participant. It was decided to use questionnaires rather than aural interviews to gather the data, because this author felt that the data would be easier to obtain and collate and then be easier to represent in graphical format. Interviews are normally held at a pre-determined time and place, with the interviewer completing a form based on what the respondent says. Questionnaires usually consist of short closed ended questions, whilst interviews are often broad open ended ones. Questions 1 and 2 were age and gender identification.   The gender split had been pre-determined and the age range was chosen to narrow the attitudes and fashion parameters of the participants. In a small sample of this size the input of an older student, with different fashion perceptions, could have serious effects on the data integrity. Question 3 asks how often the students were inspired in their fashion choices by a celebrity look. This question was the first related to the influence of celebrities in both a passive i.e. Advertising and non-passive role i.e. Television shows. Question 4 examines the free time activities of the two genders.   Did they mirror each other or were there marked differences and could the responses to this question be significant in consumer behaviour. Questions 5, 7 and 8 were all celebrity biased. What influence did the participants think a celebrity had on them? If they had money to spend, would that be affected by the influence of a celebrity and how did they get in touch with the world of the celebrity. Question 6 asked the question, where did they get their fashion tips from? Results and Discussion The results of this survey[10] illustrate some quite interesting deviations between gender Behaviour and their attitudes to fashion purchasing.   The age ranges were almost identical, 18 out of the 20 students questioned being between 18 and 23 years old. It can be assumed therefore that these students are spending time away from home for the first occasion, preparing for their adult life, living without help, making their own budget decisions but having the community and peer pressure of their fellow undergraduates.   The answers to question 3[11] in that 70 % of the men surveyed seldom or never were inspired by a celebrity look, whereas 90 % of the ladies were, sum up the basic differences in consumer behaviour as highlighted by Wharton[12] that â€Å"Men buy, Women Shop† and that women visit shops, not only to purchase goods but equally to enjoy the experience. From question 4, it can be seen that one third of the ladies spent their spare time shopping, against one third of the men being involved in some sporting activity. It is also interesting that none of the ladies listed, used their computer as a free time activity but 40% of them, answered later, that they kept in touch with the celebrity world online and 60% of them got their fashion tips online. Questions 7 and 8 relate to favourite celebrity influences with a substantial majority of ladies saying they were positively influenced, whilst the men were the opposite.   This was mirrored in a question relating to having  £1000 to spend, would they spend the money on a celebritys product? The majority of ladies saying yes, the majority of men, answered no. In hindsight there were a few more questions which would have improved the data information.   A question on their fashion definition would have been useful; was it clothing, footwear or toiletries. How was the shopping done; physical visits, catalogues, television, charity shops, the internet? How often did they go? How much money, as a percentage of their income did they spend? Conclusion The data from the questionnaires confirmed a number of things relating to the original hypothesis, which was to determine whether there was a difference in consumer behaviour relating to fashion, between the genders and if so what were the influences? The differences were quite specific and at different ends of the available answers. Female students were very inspired by a celebrity look whereas men were not. In today’s enlightened society where all sexes took an interest in fashion, cosmetics and appearance, this cannot be attributed just to a basic desire to look and smell nice. This author believes the main influence in this area is the ease of use of internet shopping, where access to the latest designs, bargains, outlets of female fashion is instantly available at any time of the day or night and with, in most cases, next day delivery. From the questionnaire responses 75% of the women replied that they got fashion information from the television or the internet as against 35% for men. This is quite surprising when it is set alongside the results that show 35% of the men get their fashion tips from magazines but only 10% of the women did. However the answer to this apparent anomaly is the availability and design of onli ne magazines which are as colourful and full of adverts, articles and photographs as the paper version. They are mainly free to access with but as in the case of Cosmopolitan magazine some months out of date. A more traditional response was that 70 % of the women would spend  £1000, if they had it, on a celebritys product, against 80% of the men who would not. Considering that this author believes there are few fashion items available, for both genders, which are not celebrity endorsed, then it would be interesting to determine where the male  £1000 would be spent. This report is about consumer behaviour and the influences of celebrities on the fashion perceptions of different genders. In a report issued in 2004 Bakewell, C. Mitchell, VW[13]   stated that they believed that:   Ã‚     Ã¢â‚¬Å"The neglect of men in consumer decision making research is lamentable†.    They point out that men make up a significant shopping group and will make dissimilar shopping decisions to women.   They argue that retailers should appeal to their male customers, by improving the competence of the processes and value perceptions, associated with the shopping experience. In other words ‘overcome traditional male hostility’. Once again the results of the questionnaire confirm this. Men do not like shopping trips ‘per se’ and see them as a chore and an experience to be avoided. Only 10% of the men responded that they went shopping in their free time. In conclusion the evidence obtained from the survey showed quite different consumer behaviour between the genders especially relating to the influence of celebrities. Men had different communication avenues to fashion tips and celebrities, allowing those celebrities to have little or no influence on their consumer decisions.   Women took far more interest in celebrity influences and were prepared to be persuaded by the celebrities’ attitude.   The role of the internet is interesting, the results showing far more interaction between online uses by women than men.   Equally the past relationship with parents was interesting, showing that neither gender was influenced at all, as far as fashion tips, by their parents.   The conclusions are that celebrity involvement, either by magazine, online, advertising, television shows or shop fronts does influence the consumer behaviour of women in relation to fashion but not men.

Young Surname Meaning and Origin

Young Surname Meaning and Origin Derived from the Middle English yunge or yonge (Old English word geong),  meaning young, the Young surname was used as a descriptive name to distinguish father from son or to the younger of two relatives with the same first name (similar to the usage of Junior). In many cases, Young can also be an Anglicization of one of several like-sounding surnames, such as the German Jung, Dutch Jong, and French Lejueune. Young is the 31st most popular surname in the United States and the 19th most common surname in Scotland. Surname Origin:  English, Scottish Alternate Surname Spellings:  YOUNGE, YOUNGE, YONG Famous People with the Surname YOUNG Neil Young - American folk-rock singer/songwriterJohn Young - American astronautBrigham Young - second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsLester Young - American jazz saxophonistWhitney Young Jr. - Civil rights activistPaul Young - English singer Where Do People With the Young Surname Live? Young is the 590th most common surname in the world, according to surname distribution data from  Forebears, and is found in the greatest numbers in the United States. It is most prevalent based on percentage of population. However, in the Pitcairn Islands, where it ranks 3rd, and is borne by 1 of every 10 residents. Young also ranks highly in Belize (4th), New Zealand (11th), Australia (22nd), Scotland (22nd), Canada (23rd), England (49th) and Wales (58th). WorldNames PublicProfiler identifies the Young surname as being most common in Australia and New Zealand, followed by the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. The world region with the largest population of Youngs is Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, followed by Clutha District, New Zealand, and then Scotland. Within the United States, Young is most common in the state of Hawaii. Within Scotland, the name is most prevalent in the Scottish Borders, followed by East Ayrshire and Midlothian. Genealogy Resources for the Surname YOUNG 100 Most Common U.S. Surnames Their Meanings: Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, Brown... Are you one of the millions of Americans sporting one of these top 100 common last names from the 2000 census?Young Family Crest - Its Not What You Think: Contrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Young family crest or coat of arms for the Young surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.  Young Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Young surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Young query.FamilySearch - YOUNG Genealogy: Access over 9 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Young surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.GeneaNet - Young Records: GeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Young surname, with a concentration on records and families from France, Spain, and other European countries. YOUNG Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Young surname.DistantCousin.com - YOUNG Genealogy Family History: Explore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Young.The Young Genealogy and Family Tree Page: Browse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Young from the website of Genealogy Today.

Women Should Be able to fight in Combat Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Women Should Be able to fight in Combat - Essay Example One of the key arguments against the women participating into the direct combats was that their presence might result into disruption of the cohesion of the teams as male soldiers may not be able to fully trust the female soldiers as their back-up during the battles. Various studies have clearly demonstrated the fact that physical strength of the women may not be the impediments in their joining the forces in the direct combats. It has been argued that with right training and focus, the physical strength of the women soldiers and their performance can easily be enhanced with right kind of training imparted on them in military academies. (Szivak, et al., 2013). Though somes studies also pointed out towards the lower aerobic abilities ofwomen along with other factors such as slower road-march speed and lifting capabilitis. (Kirkwood, 2013)However, research also suggests that these weaknesses can be improvedwith right kind of training offered. One of the reasons as to why women are being ignored from the jobs of fighting into direct combat is that of sexism. However, this issue can also be overcome if it is viewed from the same perspective as that of the racisim. Male soldiers need to treat the issue of sexism in same range as that of the racism in order to uphold the highest standards of dignity and pride in working for army. (Brook, 2013). It is critical to note however, that the stereotype thinking in army may needs to be changed in order to allow women a breathing space in terms fighting alongside male soldiers in combats. In order to achieve this, top military officials may need to be proactive and bring in radical changes in the way training is imparted to females at the initial phase of their training. (Sanders, 2005). As discussed above, it is relatively a myth that the physical conditions of the women can actually restrict their participation into the battlefields. The average lung power of women is relatively greater than the

Russian Art Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Russian Art - Research Paper Example This Byzantine artistic practice of painting saints and biblical scenes was largely dictated and influenced by church canons. The late 19th century saw the shift to Russia’s version of the Arts and Crafts movement that mostly relied on traditional Russian applied arts. It was during this era that Style Moderne or Art Nouveau was predominantly embraced by Russian artists like Mikhail Vrubel (Charlton 23). The early 20th century Russia was a time of political upheaval which consequently fueled Russia’s artistic growth. It was during this era that Russian Avante-Garde movement flourished. It is characterized by angular shapes, vibrant colors, and representative of the urban landscape and lifestyle that effectively replaced the rural scenes that were the major subjects of the previous era. Abstract art were represented through genres of Futurism, Rayonism, and Suprematism. Belarusian Marc Chagall, Kasimir Malevich, and Mikhail Larionov were some of the artists that defined this movement. Political upheavals that characterized most of the 1920s up to the 1930s played a role in harnessing the creativity of free-thinking artists as their works were used for propaganda materials, posters, sculptures, and public spaces. It was the ‘propaganda poster’ movement wherein artistic expressions where predominantly aligned with political ideologies. By the late 20th century, when freedom is achieved and a new millennium is dawning, artistic constrictions pave the way for bold, experimental artistic expression (Charlton 23-24). Highlighting Byzantine Art movement of Russia is an interesting topic because it was in this country that this artistic movement is most enduring. Unlike other European countries, Russia’s artistic movement did not undergo a Romanesque or a Gothic phase. It did not even experience any comprehensive renaissance. Byzantine art endured and virtually remained unchanged despite the wars,

Words And Rules Essay Example for Free

Words And Rules Essay In the first chapter of â€Å"How the Mind Works† Pinker introduces the content of the book. He starts by comparing the mind and a robot. Pinker tries to analyze the characteristics of the mind in comparison to those of the robot. (Pinker, S, 2000:6) In his analysis the mind is the product of evolution over time. This is seen in what the mine has created during the evolution among which is the robot. While the robot is programmed to perform specific acts, the mind thinks on its own. (Pinker, S, 2000:12) In the second chapter Pinker looks at the psychology of cognition. In his description these are the rules and the guiding principles that help the mind to recognize things. In â€Å"Words and Rules† Pinker starts by wondering about the mysteries of language. He looks at the arbitrary connection between the words and the meaning they make. Since there is no connection, he says, then, the words we use must be guided by a set of rules deep in the mind. (Pinker, S, 2000:18) He later borrows the idea of Chomsky to imply that the rules that guide the use of words are a social phenomenon. The difference in use of language is based on creative use of the rules underlying the use of these languages. Bibliography Pinker, S, (2000), The Ingredients of Language. New York: Harper Perennial

The Samurais, The Ultimate Stoics :: essays research papers

The Samurais, The Ultimate Stoics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For seven centuries, the Samurai were Japan's warrior class. As a class of warriors and knights, they dominated society in feudal Japan. Their code or â€Å" Way of the warrior†, bushido(History of the Samurai-www),called for a life of duty, discipline and self control, on and as well as off the battlefield (History of the World-Houghton Mifflin Company- Boston288). His loyalty and bravery to his lord was much more important than his loyalty to his friends, family and even their emperor. Their philosophy was one of freedom from fear(World Surfari-www), and for these reasons, The Samurai were the ultimate stoic warriors.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The word samurai was derived from the Japanese word for service, saburau(Grolier Electronic Publishing, 1993), for they served their masters faithfully. They would die if necessary for them. The Daimyo or feudal landowners used the samurai to protect their land and to expand their rights to more land. The Samurai would transcend their fear of death, this made them the stoic warriors that they were.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As experts in fighting on horseback as well as on the ground they wore two swords. This was called Daisho(World Surfari-www). The long sword was called the daito-katena(Ibid.). It was more than twenty four inches long. The shorter sword was called shoto wakizashi. It was between twelve to twenty four inches(Ibid.). Their swords were the â€Å"soul's† of the worship. A good sword was tougher and sharper. The swords were tested before they were used by the samurai. The sword tester used the new blades to cut through corpses and bodies of condemned criminals.(World Surfari-www) The test results were put on the nakago, the small metal piece on the sword blade or handle(Ibid.). Another weapon, the nagita, was used by a foot soldier on a horseman. The foot soldier would cut. the tendons of the horse and disembowel them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The samurai went from military retainers, to military aristocrats, to military rulers(Japan, Richard Storry18) The medieval samurai were often illiterate, rural, landowners who farmed in-between battles. They were assassins of the night and at the same time keepers of peace. The samurai would spend his life perfecting his military skills.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Honor was one of the most important things to a samurai. If a samurai felt dishonored in any way he would commit seppuku. Seppuku means ritual suicide (Japan, Cultures of the World- Rex Shelley104). It is also called hara-kiri which means belly-slitting. This method of self-disembowelment was the only honorable form of death for a disgraced noble or a samurai.

Football Violence

Football hooliganism is increasing in Scotland, but in the 80s that’s when football violence was at its worse. Over the past years it has being increasing in vast numbers of football thugs from different cities and whenever there team play they travel to the game and after hoping for a fight with the opposite firm.The first recorded incident of a large scale crowd fight was in 1909 with Glasgow Celtic and Glasgow Rangers. Scotland’s first organised firm was Aberdeen (Aberdeen Soccer Casuals) which included Punks and skinheads. The ‘casual’ name became a big part in it because they wore casual clothing such as big brands known as Fila, Lacoste, ellesse and Adidas original. In this clothing they were disguised and had no trouble with police and now that there fights were organised it was bound to happen.The other Scottish firms such as St.Mirren (Love Street Division), Clyde (Shawfield Shed End Boys), Dundee and Dundee United (Dundee Utility), Celtic (Celtic Soccer crew), Rangers (ICF Inter City Firm), Hibernian (Capital City Service), Motherwell (Saturday Service), Partick Thistle (North Glasgow Express), Falkirk (fear) And Dunfermline (Carnegie Soccer service), but topping all those firms was the victorious ASC Aberdeen Soccer Casuals.In the 1980s the Aberdeen’s ASC and Hibernians CCS became the most feared casual force in Scotland but as Hibernian edging their way to the top spot after a few years. From the 2000s the casual scene has declined in Scotland but recently firms such as Aberdeen, Dundee Utility, Celtic Soccer Crew, Hibernian, Hearts, Partick Thistle, Airdrie, Love Street Division and Rangers Still have a large number of casuals active. In the Euros of 96 the CCS (hibs) along with Celtic’s CSC, Dundee Utility, Partick Thistle’s NGE, Motherwell’s SS, St Mirren’s LSD, and Aberdeen ASC organised a fight with Chelsea, Millwall, Rangers and Airdrie Section B in the centre of Trafalgar square. T his incident attracted worldwide media with footage of the two large firms during the action.In the 2000s the police had to come up a solution to reduce the numbers of firms and in a result of this any football casual caught in action was handed a stretch of five years in prison, the government hit the casual scene hard by doing this. They also increased the number of CCTV in Britain. In Scotland they also introduced FoCus police which go to games and video a suspicious crowd and they will try and gather  on suspects of the football firm. It has worked out to be a good idea and it has caused some football clubs to ban the some of the casuals from the ground temporary or even permanently, this at least stops violence inside the grounds of the football club.Football violence in Scotland is bad but in England its history goes way back. England has double the firms and probably triples the amount of casual members. In England football hooliganism is far worse than what it is in Scotla nd but the police are on top of it. I think all this violence at football should be stopped because it is a family sport there are children at the game, not only violence but racism and sectarianism should also have a stop put to it and the worst culprits are the English because of the size of the country the members of the firms double.Schemes like ‘Show Racism the Red Card’ have had an impact on the situation because racism is out of order but also really offensive. In the modern day it is the youngsters keeping the scene alive that is why it is increasing but still a lot of older casuals. The younger firms out there such as Hibs baby crew (hibs), Rangers Youth (rangers), Celtic baby crew (celtic), Alliance Under Fives (Dundee, Dundee utd) Paisley Under Fives (st.mirren) Morton youth (Morton) and many more there are a lot more younger firms trying to live up to their club firms reputation.The youngsters see themselves as the next generation but they are young and obvi ously don’t know what they are getting themselves into. Football violence is a horrible thing and very dangerous so it is vital that the police are always on their toes ready for the firms to kick off at any moment and cause catastrophe in Britain’s streets. The police are cracking down on the big names in the game which is good progress and hopefully in feature years the casual scene is totally broke down and football fans don’t need to worry about their safety and enjoy the wonderful game of football.

Creveld’s transformation of war Essay

Martin van Creveld is regarded as one of the most influential contemporary military theorist and historians of modern times. Born in Netherlands, Creveld however has spent a life time in Israel studying and analyzing warfare from the vantage point of the faculty of the Hebrew University where he has been teaching since 1971. During these years he has published a number of works on contemporary military warfare. Supplying War, Command in War, The Transformation of War and The Rise and Decline of the State are some of his most important works amongst others. Highly respected amongst military academia, Creveld has been a regular on the teaching and lecture circuit in many parts of the World including the United States and Europe. His thoughts on warfare and the modern military are absorbed by most militaries including of course the country of his stay, Israel. Many military analysts consider, Creveld’s work, â€Å"The Transformation of War† as his most influential as he has brought out a new paradigm of warfare identified as non Trinitarian war, which is a seminal change in military thinking for the first time after Clausewitz in the 19th Century. (Creveld, 1991). This is now compulsory reading for US army officers. Transformation of War is essentially a critique of the Clausewitzian mode of war as highlighted in the 19th Century master’s seminal work on warfare, On War. (Clausewitz, 1976). Transformation of war breaks away from Clausewitzian model of wars determined by the relationship and resolution of the state or the government, the population and the military, a concept which Creveld has denoted as the Trinitarian model of war. Creveld on the other hand argues that warfare has changed considerably as war is fought today by states as well as non states, thus negating the first premise of Clausewitz. (1991). The population is an indeterminate factor in modern warfare and the modern military is incapable of coping with the changing nature of warfare unless it transforms its war fighting modes. The new war which Creveld talks about is not necessarily an engagement between two states and thus in some ways not winnable by modern armies without transforming themselves. Creveld explains war through a five fold prism of theories. The first is to denote those who fight war. As against the modern state centric militaries, Creveld attempts to indicate that throughout history it is not just states but also leagues, cities and religious orders amongst others who have fought war, thus states do not necessarily have a monopoly on war. In the contemporary spectrum also, states are losing their unique status as the makers of war, Hezbollah, Taliban, Tamil Tigers and the Al Qaeda represent the most significant examples. (Creveld, 1991) The second issue brought out by Von Creveld is the relationship between combatants and non combatants. This is no longer rational as indicated in wars of the old determined by internationally accepted legal instruments as the Geneva Conventions. In many cases today, the lines between war and crime have been blurred with prisoners being treated with utmost brutality. (Creveld, 1991). The third issue is conduct of wars wherein tactics and strategies too have undergone seminal change but which comprise of combat between the will of two protagonists where there is congruence of Creveld’s ideas with Clausewitz. The fourth significant issue addressed by Creveld is that war is not just continuation of politics by other means as indicated by Clausewitz but fought for varied purposes including religious, ethnic survival and so on. Creveld seems to suggest that the policy for making war will be as much determined by culture as by the will of states. (Creveld, 1991) A final issue which has been raised by Creveld is of the role of the individual in war fighting, the motivations, the fighting spirit and the factors that make a soldier fight. This should be clearly understood by the military leader as per Creveld. Seen in this perspective the motivations of the suicide bomber of today forming one of the main weapons of the terrorist organization would attain relevance. (Creveld, 1991) Creveld thus provides a broader perspective of warfare which may have greater relevance in today’s wars, than Clausewitz. This is so as he has covered a much wider period of warfare and thus is able to arrive at much broader conclusions on the changing nature of wars. Clausewitz on the other hand appears to have derived the principles from his more recent experiences which came after establishment of the Westphalian order. Viewed in the perspective of the types of conflicts being waged in the World today, Creveld’s views would seem quite relevant. A number of contemporary military writers as Carver have supported Creveld. (Carver, 1981). Moreover a survey of conflicts in which American forces were engaged even as the Gulf War 1991 was going on would indicate the possible simultaneity of conventional and guerrilla or asymmetric conflicts. (Bolger, 1991). On the other hand to view warfare completely as a state versus non state phenomenon may also be out of context. Some recent wars such as the Iraq War 1991, Operation Enduring Freedom 2003 or the Indo Pakistan conflict in 1999 in Kargil could possibly fall in the context of Trinitarian conflicts. Thus the state has not totally lost monopoly on wars. Another issue is of motivation of soldiers. The overwhelming importance given to motivation of soldiers by Creveld appears unjustified in that this may explain the use of say Kamikaze by the Japanese during the Second World War but such tactics despite high levels of motivation do not win wars. To that extent some of Creveld’s theories are not fully directed towards indicating strategies to win wars. Another argument is that of anarchy, if states lose their monopoly of making wars, the World would resemble chaos and disorder. This is seen in many parts of the globe even today. Thus states will continue to be a prime instrument of violence in the years ahead. Notwithstanding the above issues, Creveld has clearly indicated the changes that have come about in warfare and his theories have received considerable support in the military community. The need is to adopt recommendations made by Creveld rationally to political and military organizations by ensuring that societies adapt instruments of violence which are most appropriate to their environmental culture and needs of the times. Thus states should not only prepare for conventional wars but other types of warfare including guerrilla, information, political and cultural and develop their militaries as full spectrum forces. Government and militaries also need to take into account the possibilities of being confronted not just by uniformed soldiers but also by suicide bombers, grenade and gun toting vagabonds, information warriors and even biological warfare agents. The complexity of conflict has thus interminably increased over the years.

Free Essays on Javanet

JavaNet As a potential investor in LLC incorporated, I reviewed their business plan for their upcoming project called JavaNet. JavaNet is planned to be an Internet Cafà © in downtown Eugene. Internet Cafà ©s are specialized coffee and bakery goods shops that have state of the art computers linked to the high speed Internet as an added bonus. JavaNet’s goal is to provide the ability to access the Internet, drink coffee, and be in a comfortable sociable environment. It appears that LLC has put together a nice business plan for JavaNet. In the business plan they explain many different aspects of the prospected venture. In the business plan, JavaNet has put together a list of suppliers like Allan Bros. and Bellevue Computers for the coffee equipment, inventory, computers, Internet and continued servicing. There are 16 coffee suppliers in Eugene, which lowers, the wholesale price down which is very beneficial. JavaNet has located a very reasonable building with high visibility and is conveniently located. The business plan appears to be well rounded. Overall I think that JavaNet should be a hit in Eugene. They should enjoy a short-lived monopoly in that area that could be very profitable. Their business plan is well thought out and planned. They have put together a service package, did research and found a need. At this point I am very would be very interested in their offering. I would need to know more about the upfront trade value of my investment. The business plan is very conservative with the projections. However, at this point I would defiantly be interested.... Free Essays on Javanet Free Essays on Javanet JavaNet As a potential investor in LLC incorporated, I reviewed their business plan for their upcoming project called JavaNet. JavaNet is planned to be an Internet Cafà © in downtown Eugene. Internet Cafà ©s are specialized coffee and bakery goods shops that have state of the art computers linked to the high speed Internet as an added bonus. JavaNet’s goal is to provide the ability to access the Internet, drink coffee, and be in a comfortable sociable environment. It appears that LLC has put together a nice business plan for JavaNet. In the business plan they explain many different aspects of the prospected venture. In the business plan, JavaNet has put together a list of suppliers like Allan Bros. and Bellevue Computers for the coffee equipment, inventory, computers, Internet and continued servicing. There are 16 coffee suppliers in Eugene, which lowers, the wholesale price down which is very beneficial. JavaNet has located a very reasonable building with high visibility and is conveniently located. The business plan appears to be well rounded. Overall I think that JavaNet should be a hit in Eugene. They should enjoy a short-lived monopoly in that area that could be very profitable. Their business plan is well thought out and planned. They have put together a service package, did research and found a need. At this point I am very would be very interested in their offering. I would need to know more about the upfront trade value of my investment. The business plan is very conservative with the projections. However, at this point I would defiantly be interested....

Understanding Chemical Evolution

Understanding Chemical Evolution The term chemical evolution can be used in many different ways depending on the context of the words. If you are speaking to an astronomer, then it could be a discussion about how new elements are formed during supernovas. Chemists may believe chemical evolution pertains to how oxygen or hydrogen gases evolve out of some types of chemical reactions. In evolutionary biology, on the other hand, the term chemical evolution most often is used to describe the hypothesis that organic building blocks of life were created when inorganic molecules came together. Sometimes called abiogenesis, chemical evolution could be how life started on Earth. The Earths environment when it was first formed was very different than it is now. The Earth was somewhat hostile to life and so the creation of life on Earth did not come for billions of years after the Earth was first formed. Because of its ideal distance from the sun, the Earth is the only planet in our solar system that is capable of having liquid water in the orbits the planets are in now. This was the first step in chemical evolution to create life on Earth. The early Earth also did not have an atmosphere surrounding it to block ultraviolet rays which can be deadly to the cells that make up all life. Eventually, scientists believe a primitive atmosphere full of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and perhaps some methane and ammonia, but no oxygen. This became important later in the evolution of life on Earth as photosynthetic and chemosynthetic organisms used these substances to create energy. So just how did abiogenesis or chemical evolution happen? No one is completely certain, but there are many hypotheses. It is true that the only way new atoms of non-synthetic elements can be made are through the supernovas of extremely large stars. All other atoms of elements are recycled through various biogeochemical cycles. So either the elements were already on Earth when it was formed (presumably from the collection of space dust around an iron core), or they came to Earth via the continuous meteor strikes that were common before the protective atmosphere was formed. Once the inorganic elements were on Earth, most hypotheses agree that the chemical evolution of the organic building blocks of life began in the oceans. The majority of Earth is covered by the oceans. It is not a stretch to think that the inorganic molecules that would undergo chemical evolution would be floating around in the oceans. The question remains just how these chemicals evolved to become organic building blocks of life. This is where the different hypotheses branch off from each other. One of the more popular hypotheses says that the organic molecules were created by chance as the inorganic elements collided and bonded in the oceans. However, this is always met with resistance because statistically the chance of this happening is very small. Others have tried to recreate the conditions of early Earth and make organic molecules. One such experiment, commonly called the Primordial Soup experiment, was successful in creating the organic molecules out of inorganic elements in a lab setting. However, as we learn more about the ancient Earth, we have found out that not all of the molecules they used were actually around during that time. The search continues to learn more about chemical evolution and how it could have begun life on Earth. New discoveries are made on a regular basis that help scientists understand what was available and how things may have happened in this process. Hopefully one day scientists will be able to pinpoint how chemical evolution happened and a clearer picture of how life began on Earth will emerge.

Difference Between the Tax System - the United States vs Italy Case Study

Difference Between the Tax System - the United States vs Italy - Case Study Example The author notes that the assumption by the revenue authority is true as organizations understate their revenues in readiness for bargaining with the tax authority in the actual tax payable. The aim of the approach is to earn more tax from taxpayers, than the amount that the taxpayers would pay based on their returns. The approach has further been integrated in Italy’s corporate culture such that organizations would underestimate their income, while filing tax returns, in order to gain ground for negotiating the final payable amount (Brooks and Dunn, 2009). The revenue authority also expects higher tax payments than organizations’ reported values and final payable values establish benchmarks for future tax payable amounts. This approach, according to the writer, works well with Italian firms or foreign firms that can adjust to the Italian practice. Those that are rigid to follow legal and moral provisions of their native countries, however, find it hard to cope with tax demand in Italy. The author also notes that the revenue authority is willing to intimidate taxpayers to adjust to the system and embrace the negotiation approach. The example of an American general manager explains this as he receives intimidating notices following his failure to embrace the negotiation approach. When he finally visits the revenue authority’s office, they inform him of the need for dialogue (Brooks and Dunn, 2009). I agree with the writer’s proposition that the Italian culture of tax collection is different from approaches in jurisdictions, such as in the United States, and that such differences are likely to create challenges to stakeholders from the other jurisdictions. The existence of differences in other aspects of culture across nations informs my support for the author’s proposition. While some cultures value collectivism, other value individualism. Similarly, while culture in some nations allows for informal appreciations during or after contract formations, other cultures may consider such advances immoral.