Monday, December 30, 2019

Comparative Study On Housing Loans Of Sbm - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 15 Words: 4538 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Statistics Essay Did you like this example? This research article is aimed to compare and critically analyse the housing loan schemes offered by State Bank of Mysore and Union Bank of India, Bangalore Branch, India OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY To recognize and evaluate literature relevant to the theories of home loans. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Comparative Study On Housing Loans Of Sbm" essay for you Create order To evaluate the general awareness of the various schemes currently offered by HFCs / banks and the purpose of which housing loan are given. To perform comparative analysis for housing loan schemes for State Bank of India and Union Bank of India. To study the documentation process in HFCs (Housing Finance Companies) and critically evaluate problem faced by clients during the process of lending housing finance in banks. To assess and suggest appropriate Conclusions and Recommendations with regards to housing loan schemes offered by SBM or UBI Bank to the customers. Introduction This article explains the housing loan schemes offered by banks in order to bolster the current housing finance situation in India and to taper down the margin between the housing demand and the availability of houses, The National Housing Bank was set up in the year 1988. This was done by keeping in mind that a home seeker though does have a desire for a house but lacks the resources for construction or buying it. To give an enhancement to private housing finance institutions the National Housing Bank came into the picture. It is a principal agency to promote housing finance institutions both at local and regional levels and to provide financial and other support to such institutions. While it is important to keep in mind that the National housing Bank itself does not give loans or finance individuals or a party as such. It is only a corporate body to promote, establish, support or aid the housing finance institutions.   India have been serving the people for around three decades and providing various housing loan schemes according to the customers various needs at attractive and reasonable interest rates. In order to facilitate the best housing loan schemes at the least interest rate this research article will help in critically evaluating and comparing the schemes of housing loan for two banks i.e. State Bank Of India and Union Bank of India, Bangalore, India in order to know the best offers provided by the banks as well their performances in order to retain in competition within marketplace. This research article analyses the effectiveness and efficiency of housing loan schemes provided by SBM and UBI bank which will provide its customers a attractive interest rates in on housing loan. Company Overview of SBM and UBI State Bank of Mysore was formed as Bank of Mysore Ltd. in 1913 under the benefaction of the former Government. Of Mysore, on the illustration of the banking commission headed by the great Engineer-Statesman,  Late Dr. Sir M.Visvesvaraya. Subsequently, in March 1960, the Bank became an Associate of State Bank of India. State Bank of India holds 92.33% of shares. The Banks shares are listed in Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai stock exchanges. Branch Network The Bank has a widespread network of six hundred eighty two only (682) branches (as on 30.09.2009) and 20 extension counters spread all over India which includes 5 specialised SSI branches, 4 Industrial Finance branches, 3 Corporate Accounts Branches, 4 specialised Personal Banking Branches, 10 Agricultural Development Branches, 3 Treasury branches, 1 Asset Recovery Branch and 8 Service Branches, offering wide range of services to the customers. Human Resources The Bank has a dedicated workforce of 9720 employees consisting of 3169 supervisory staff, 6551 non-supervisory staff (as on 31.03.2008). The skill and competence of the employees have been kept updated to meet the requirement of our customers keeping in view the changes in the environment. (Source: https://www.statebankofmysore.co.in/profile.htm) Union Bank of India UBI Bank is consistently dedicated to bind and maintain its distinctiveness as a foremost, pioneering cost-effective Bank, by means of a down to business approach to the shifting requirements of the general public. A extensive scale of goods and services has been resulted and also made accessible to its precious customers to cater the least of their requirements. Today, with its well-organized, value-added services, continual intensification, reliable productivity and expansion of innovative technology, UBI bank has ensured comprehensive shopper delight, keeping up its image,  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“GOOD QUALITY POPULACE TO BANK WITHà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?.   The key to the triumph of any organisation lies with its personnel or manpower. No wonder, UBI dedicated tem of dynamic and enthusiastic skilled personnel consists of 26000 thousand employee who contribute to the maximum in order to ensure growth for UBI. The bank went for Initial Public offer (IPO) on 20th august 2002 which was fol lowed by the public offer made on February 2006.Government of India holds fifty five percent (55.43%) share capital of Union Bank the current share capital holding of the bank is forty four point five seven percent 44.57 % which includes Individuals and Others. Reason behind choosing the topic for the study Housing is the one of the main priority sector needs a lot attention now days the interest rate of the housing loan is raising very high customers are worried about the rates due to indefinite fluctuation. This study is about the comparison of the various schemes and the interest rate of the two banks State Bank of Mysore and Union Bank of India. After this study we will be able to know that which bank is more convenient in the lending of loan. Different schemes of the bank are convenient in different manner according to customerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s priority. The study is important also in case of comparison of the many other banksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ schemes to these two banks. Literature Review Meaning of Loan: Loan is a method of lending under which bank gives credit to a borrower for a fixed period and for a specific purpose. Loan are promises for future payment, they have to be repaid in periods beyond a year and are therefore long-term liabilities 3.3Types of Loan: Generally bank grant loans for different period like shorts, medium and long and for different purpose. Broadly, the loans granted by banks are classified follows Bank Loans (1) Short-term Loans: Short-term loans are granted to meet the working capital needs of the borrowers. These loans are granted against the securities of tangible assets mainly the movable assets like goods and commodities, share debenture, etc. (2) Term Loans: Medium and long-term loans are usually called term loans. These loans are granted for more than a year and are meant for purchase of capital assets for the establishment of new units and for expansion or diversification of an existing unit. Loan Procedure: Generally various banks adopt following procedure for loan. Appraisal of Loan Submit the Application Documentation Convene to loan applicant To Issue Draft or Pay order Submit the Application: First of all the loan borrower should submit application to the particular bank. The borrower is required to fill out a common application form, which seeks comprehensive information about proprietorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s and loan borrowerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s back ground and his business network and as well as his cost of project and economic consideration. Appraisal of Loan: The bank follows good appraisal system for effective lending and to make easy repay in future way. The main task of the lending bank is to make sure that the income generated from the loan is sufficient to repay the loan installments according to the terms and conditions of amortization. The risk involved in term lending is much more than the risk in short-term lending because the loans are given to new undertaking, or for the modernization and expansion of existing undertaking and for loan period. Before sanctioning any loan a banker should assure himself that the borrowing concern shall be able to earn sufficient income to pay the loan installments. The methods of analysis and standard to be adopted for an appraisal of loan are more similar to investment decision than to short-term lending. The appraisal of loan included projection of future trends of output, sales estimated of costs, returns and flow of funds. It is extremely difficult to have a clever cut formula for the appraisal of term loan since many factors have to be considered such as the type of borrowing bank and its activities, the markets potential, its management, and financial position. The amount of loan and the period of its repayment. Another important factor is whether to give weight age to profitability or to its broad economic significance in the development of the economy. A term loan may be appraised by considering four different aspects of the proposal. They are: Technical feasibility Economic feasibility Managerial competence Financial feasibility Documentation: After completing the step of submit the application and appraisal system of loan. Then loan applicant should collect the document for borrowing loan, every documents and requirement are needed according to the co-operative bank rate. If the loan applicant wants to borrow loan of huge amount, so at a time strong documents are presented by loan applicant against bank like evident of shareholders, original and photocopy of propertyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s documents, photocopy last three years income tax returns file, etc. if loan applicants has no any recommendation from share holder so firstly the bank becoming share holders of his bank by issuing share to them, so above types of documents are used to borrow loan and advances from the bank. Convene to Loan Application: After collecting the necessary documents, an officer of the recipient bank review it to ascertain whether it is complete for processing, when the application is considered complete. Then the co-operative bank held meeting of his loan applicant and sanctioned the particular loan. Generally this meeting is convened on Monday and Thursdays in every week. Otherwise expected it in other contingent situation and gives date, day and time for delaying particular meeting. To Issue Draft or Pay order: At the last stage is that, after convening of loan applicant and sanctioning loan, borrower should pay its stamp duty, margin and one installment of loan, then in the stamp document or stamp procedure. Then bank gives to them pay order or draft. If the any loan borrowers want to purchase machinery or vehicle from out of city so he need quotation of that particular company, and finally bank made draft of companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name otherwise if the quotation of city area so at a time the co-operative bank made pay order of companyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name. Them it gives to company through loan applicant. Thus above procedure is followed by the loan applicant, who wants to borrow loan from banks and satisfied his goal or objectives. 1.) In December 2006 Fulbag Singh and Reema Sharma had studied about the housing Finance in India. Housing, as one of the three basic needs of life, always remains on the top priority of any person, economy, government and society at large. In India, majority of the population lives in slums and shabby shelters in rural areas. From the last decade, the Government of India has been continuously trying to strengthen the housing sector by introducing various housing loan schemes for rural and urban population. The first attempt in this regard was the National Housing Policy (NHP), which was introduced in 1988. The National Housing Bank (NHB) was set up in 1988 as an apex institution for housing finance and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The main objective of the bank is to promote and establish the housing financial institutions in the country as well as to provide refinance facilities to housing finance corporations and scheduled commercial banks. Moreover, f or the salaried section, the tax rebates on housing loans have been introduced. The paper is based on the case study of LIC Housing Finance Ltd., which analyzes region-wise disbursements of individual house loans, their portfolio amounts and the defaults for the last ten years, i.e., from 1995-96 to 2004-05 by working out relevant ratios in terms of percentages and the compound annual growth rates. A relevant chart has also been prepared to highlight the results. 2) In May 18, 2007 Michael La Cour-Little had studied about the Economic Factors Affecting Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Reporting. The public release of the 20042005 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data raised a number of questions given the increase in the number and percentage of higher-priced home mortgage loans and continued differentials across demographic groups. Here we assess three possible explanations for the observed increase in 2005 over 2004: (1) changes in lender business practices; (2) changes in the risk profile of borrowers; and (3) changes in the yield curve environment. Results suggest that after controlling for the mix of loan types, credit risk factors, and the yield curve, there was no statistically significant increase in reportable volume for loans originated directly by lenders during 2005, though indirect, wholesale originations did significantly increase. Finally, given a model of the factors affecting results for 2004-2005, we predict that 2006 results will c ontinue to show an increase in the percentage of loans that are higher priced when final numbers are released in September 2007 3.) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The housing finance market has been consistently exhibiting rapid growth in the past few years. Growth has been largely concentrated on urban areas and in the middle to high income groups, focusing on the salaried class. This growth was partly fuelled by the entry of commercial banks seeking asset growth in a sluggish business environment coupled with the tax incentives on housing loans. The banks, with their lower cost of funds, extensive branch network, capability to provide a range of personal banking services and aided by the average low default rates in housing finance, could expand the market considerably. They however, continued to focus on middle to higher income groups. Lower income groups, self employed and the rural population are by and large excluded. While the middle and higher income groups may continue to access conventional housing finance, increasing attention will need to be paid to the needs of the underservedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. (Source: Saravanan P. Recent Experiences in the Housing Finance Sector A Study with Reference to India.  Housing Finance International  [serial online]. September 2007; 21(5):45-48. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 17, 2010) 4.) The innovations in housing finance systems in advanced economies over the past two decades have altered the role of housing sector in business cycle and in the monetary transmission mechanism. It concludes that these changes have spilovers from the hosuing sector to the rest of the economy and have amplified their impact by strengthening the role of housing as collateral. This analysis suggests in economies were developed mortgage markets, monetary policymakers may need to respond over aggressively to developments in housing sectors, within a risk-management approach that treats house price dynamics as one of the key factors to be considered in assuming balnce of risks to output and influence. (Source: World Economic Outlook(International Monetary fund), 2008, ISBN 978-1-58906-719-6) 5.) Today, the housing finance market has evolved into an oligolpolistic structure (SSKI, 20606) with three dominant providers-DFC, the largest housing company, ICICI bank the largest private sector bank, State Bank of India the largest bank in country. According to SSKI India research estimation in 200, the three leading housing credit providers accounted for approximately 75 of the market. Only a few foreign banks are involved and they tend to focus on à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"High net worthà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ individuals.Towards the end of 2005, India saw a graduate inching uo of interest rates. Despite this, close to 85 % of housing credit customers still prefer floating rate of interest.(Source: Housing Finance mechanism in India, 2008, ISBN- 978-92-1-131970-5, [emailprotected] United Nations Human Settlement Programme 2008) 6.) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“As per a article report published in wall street the trend in housing sector in India as on February 20,2008 were heading for a slowdown. The withdrawal of an Initial Public offering (IPO) by Emaar MGF Pvt. Ltd is an indication of difficulties companies worldwide are having in tapping market. (Source: Kilbinger, Sara Seddon. India Faces Housing Slowdown.  Wall Street Journal Eastern Edition  20 Feb. 2008: B7.  Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 June 2010) 7.) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The housing market in the Indian metropolitan city of Bangalore. Some problems of housing finance from the viewpoints of families and of public authorities are indicated. It is argued that it is these financial problems that make access difficult for the poorer half of the population of Bangalore to forms of housing other than inner city slums or urban fringe informal housing. Public housing with its unrealistic standards of service provision, but especially its high initial access costs is not well designed to meet the needs of the majority of families. The paper concludes that unless public housing authorities emulate the private housing market they will continue to play a marginal role in housing in a city such as Bangalore. There are signs that this is happening in India with experimentation in both housing finance and lower service standard. (Source: Blore, Ian. Housing and the working class in an Indian metropolis.  Public Administration Developmentà ƒâ€šÃ‚  9.5 (1989): 557-568.Business Source Complete. EBSCO. Web. 17 June 2010.) 8.) The housing sector in India for several decades faced a number of set-backs, such as an unorganized market, development disparities, a compartmentalized development approach and a deterrent rent control system. There was not even a concerted attempt to understand the housing problem let alone promote it. Reforms introduced in the sector during the 1990s, however, have overturned the situation to a great extent. The designing of a shelter policy, the organization of the housing finance market, the introduction of fiscal incentives, increased public investment, legal reforms and others initiatives have brought about a number of changes in the housing sector. Interestingly, these changes have been concerned with both reducing the housing shortage and increasing the number of quality housing stock besides increased access to various other housing amenities like safe drinking water, good sanitation and household electricity. However, the reform initiatives of the housing sector need t o take deep roots and to go a long way to address the growing incidence of sub-standard and dilapidated housing stock for further minimizing the deprivations of housing amenities. This paper considers a few policy options towards addressing the challenges of the housing sector. (Source: Mahadeva M. Reforms in housing sector in India: impact on housing development and housing amenities.  Habitat International[serial online]. September 2006;30(3):412-433. Available from: Business Source Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed June 17, 2010) OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF THE CONCEPT EMI- Equated Monthly Installment is what a loaner pays the Banks every month towards repayment of loan. It is comprises of principle and interest. EMI = L * r (1 + r) n x 1 (1 + r) n à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" 1 12 Interest rate- It is the amount which banks charge along with the principal amount per year on the basis of fixed rate or floating rate. UBI- Union Bank of India SBM- State Bank of Mysore HFC- Housing Finance Company METHODOLOGY The study dwells on both secondary and primary data. The primary data is collected through interviewing staffs of the banks, secondary data is collected through past details of the Housing finance structure, reports, pamphlets, brochures etc Primary research is form of research which includes the gathering of new data using an acknowledged research method. This could be in form of opinion poll, questionaaire, telephonic interviews or personal interview etc For this research article the author has chosen to carry out primary research by collecting data in form of questionnaire or by interviewing SBM and UBI with the support of bank officials or staff members of bank. Secondary Research is referred to data which is not a original creation. This form of data is already available to a researcher in order to carry out the research process in form of websites, journals or newspapers or company annual reports. How Primary data can be collected: 1.) Questionnaire or Opinion Polls: Questionnaire or opinion polls are intended to gather primary data from a sample taken into consideration, with a aim to critically evaluate or analyse the data in form of tabulated results e.g. stastical data or even by simplifying the results in form of a inference of the numeric data. Questionnaire can be performed in several ways such as telephonic interview, Emails, Online surveys or face to face. These methods of opinion polls are elaborated in broader perspective: Telephone interview: This is the most important and widely accepted method of collecting the original and accurate data for resolving the complex issues and providing the accurate solutions. Merit: From the author point of view the main merit of this method is that its more time consuming and a person can explain views more easily which they cannot do sometime face to f ace. Demerit: The demerit of this method could be that the rejection for telephonic interview which doesnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t allow the researcher to receive any data for the research. Online Surveys: Surveys nowadays most commonly and widely accepted method of research as it can be presented in many dimension and can be analysed and interpreted based on the requirement of the person and also can be presented in form of tabulation sheets or some analytical software. Merit: This method is very advantageous as a researcher can have a global access from the respondent and its more faster and accurate and easy to administer. Demerit: For this method to have access a user must be well versed with computers as well as its more global method a user should ahve access to internet so that could be a biggest drawback in order to collect data if the respondent donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have knowledge or access to these resources. Personal interview: This form of method is acceptable by everyone as its being designed and implemented based on the convenience of the respondent. A respondent can choose their timing to answer the questionnaires as well its helps in solving the complex issues as it provides the accurate data as well a discussion about the analysis of data from the respondent Merit: The main advantage of face-to-face or direct interviews is that the researcher can accommodate the questions as necessary, classify doubts and ensure that the responses are properly understood, by repeating or rephrasing the questions. The researcher can identify nonverbal clues from the respondent. Disadvantages: The main disadvantage of face-to-face interviews is that geographical limitations may impose restrictions on the surveys and the vast resources that would be needed if such surveys need to be done nationally or internationally. Respondents may feel uneasy about their privacy of their responses when they interact face-to-face with the interviewer. Postal Interview: The most commonly used method of distribution which is fairly easy to administer. The questionnaire and the covering letter will be posted to the sample, usually with a prepaid envelope for returning the completed questionnaire. For this medium short questionnaire will be used. Advantages: A wide geographical area can be covered with the use of postal interview. The respondents use their convenience to fill the form at their own pace. Anonymity of respondents is high. Disadvantages: Any doubts that respondents have cannot be clarified. The return rates of mail questionarres are typically low. Follow up procedures for non responses are necessary in postal interviews. Sampling: Survey provides representative information about a group from which sample was drawn. This qualitative research will involve nonrandom sampling or non-probability sampling where everyone in the population will not have an equal chance to be chosen as part of a sample. The non-probability samples provide good estimates of a population characteristic. Target Population: The target population of my sample will include all bank employees of IS bank. The recruitment of individuals for participation will require the selection of individuals who are employees of IS bank. The sample for the research survey will be selected mostly by these methods: Convenience Sampling: This will be used to identify bank employees who are willing and available for the research survey. As most of the bank employees will be working and will not be available for questioning convenience sampling would be a better choice. Snowballing: This sampling method will be used to identify the first participant. Then that first participant will be asked to refer to other participants with similar characteristics. I have used this method to select bank employees and their friends. It is easier to get representatives for research through this method that has same characteristics. Secondary data can be obtained by: Comparative Case studies: I will go through case studies of competitors who are offering mortgage products in the Turkey market. This will help in understanding their strategies and policies. It will also help in understanding about how they achieve their goal. It will also help in identifying the challenges they faced during marketing their products. Comparative Case Studies helps in comparing two industries and understanding their shortfalls. Hypothesis Since the interest rate on home loan is frequently changing and it is expected that it will rise again by the end of the year 2010. Customers who want to take loan for a long time i.e. more than 15 years and also the big amount are really worried about the payment of high EMI. The problem is mainly for salaried class people who are unable to pay the EMI fixed by the banks on their monthly salary. As the fixed rate of interest is 12.5% now customers are suggested to take loan on floating rate of interest. So hypothesis will be based on the current and future trend of the interest rates of the banks. Analysis of Data Data for analysis will be present in following ways in order to carry out the research as well to do comparative analysis for the subject by giving information in different perspective. Frequency tables  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Bar charts, histograms and pie charts  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Contingency tables or cross-tabulations   Quantitative and Qualitative data: Qualitative data is form of data which includes the fact and figures such as financial report of a company and Quantitative data is a form of data which can be used analyse the data which is in form of questionnaire and surveys which help in order to analyse the current situation of company and provide the better solutions for company. For this research article author will be using both the data Quantitative as well Qualitative as the research includes both data collection numeric data as well survey or questionnaire data. 3). LIMITATION OF THE STUDY If there are advantages of study then obviously there are limitations of that study also. So, some limitations of this study are: This is basically an academic study suffers from time and money constraints. The other limitation includes the sample size, which is small. Analyses of only two banks are done rather than more banks Study is limited to local area of Bangalore, India Since banks are not willing to disclose their client details so the availed information is limited to report, pamphlet, brochure etc. SCOPE OF STUDY The study mainly deals with Housing Finance Sectors. The two important sectors identified for this purpose are companies and client of public and private Housing finance sector in Bangalore, India. AREA OF THE STUDY The study is limited to only one branch of both banks i.e. UBI and SBM situated in Bangalore due to time, money and information availability constraints. Ethics As the research article is focused on banking industry the confedentiaity of the data will be used for academic purposes within the field of study that is housing schemes of two banks and as per the accordance of business ethics.

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The First World War A Brief History with Documents

The First World War, also known as the Great War, began in about 1914 and went on until 1918. This brutal war was an extremely bloody time for Europe and the soldiers that fought in it. These men spent their days in trenches holding down bases and taking in attacks from all sides. The soldiers only free time was consumed with writing letters to those on the home front. The letters they wrote contain heart breaking stories of how their days were spent and the terrible signs of war. The War consumed them and many of them let out all their true feelings of war in their letters to loved ones. In The First World War: A brief History With Documents we can find some of these letters that help us understand what the First World War might have†¦show more content†¦He touches on their tragic deaths compared to their hopeful letters of going home and seeing their loved ones. He describes his astonishment as he realizes that none of these men actually showed hatred or abuse towards the German, they simply believed and had conviction in the justice behind their cause. This letter illustrates the feelings of a once happy man, now stuck at war. He says, War hardens ones hearts and blunts ones feelings†¦(p.68). This young soldier has lost all signs of the happy life he led back home. The harshness of war got to him just like the rest of the soldiers out there and if they so much as dreamed about accepting the reality around them, they would have gone either insane or surrendered and he could not give himself that luxury so onward he went. In the fifteenth document we come across this British soldier describing the battle of the Somme, The young soldier, Christian Creswell Carver writes to his brother about the intensive warfare he faced. He illustrates the war by describing the sounds and views of what he sees on different occasions. He describes the sounds of gunfire over the trees as a noise exactly like a great wave. He depicts the battle as being swallowed up by the great wave and being spit up and washed even further away. He then speaks on the gas attacks he had to endure, describing it as a great cloud that formed into lines and slowly made its way to their trenches.Show MoreRelatedA Short Note On International Business Research Project Essay1444 Words   |  6 PagesIBS 101 – Introduction to International Business Research Project Part A: Research Country – Company – Product – 50 points (1400-1800 words) ONLY WORD DOCUMENTS are accepted for this project as TURNITIN cannot evaluate other file formats. (Your score cannot exceed 23% on the originality check, if it does, it will not be graded) MLA Essay format, include all bibliography and references. Include this sheet as cover sheet. 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Saturday, December 14, 2019

Does the Environment matter to Sociology Free Essays

Sociology is described as ‘the systematic study of human society’ (Macionis and Plummer 2005:4). Because of this, it is unlikely that ‘the environment’ is one of the key topics that sociologists naturally think of as part of their studies. Indeed environmental issues seem far removed from what is still largely the staple fare of sociology courses. We will write a custom essay sample on Does the Environment matter to Sociology? or any similar topic only for you Order Now ‘What have species loss, acid rain or ozone depletion to do with the mainstream social theory or key disciplinary concepts such as class, power and inequality? (Alan Irwin 2001:8) Until recently a sociologist would answer ‘nothing’ but since the emergence of modernity there has been a shift in sociological thinking towards globalisation. According to David Held, this is ‘the widening, deepening and speeding up of global interconnectedness’. More generally, it is known as a recent cultural and economical era that centres on universalism, homogeneity and progress. Undoubtedly globalisation is having a profound effect on the world but its specific effect on the environment has become a major topic across all of the social sciences. Until now sociology never included the environment but as environmental degradation increases affecting world population, cultures and lifestyles, awareness of the environment has now become necessary. ‘Environmental degradation is no longer a peripheral concern of the social sciences†¦. it is an unavoidable and pressing reality. ‘ (David Goldblatt, 1996:5) Substantial references to the environment are generally limited within classical sociology. Primarily, sociologists have focused on the evolution of social interaction and cultural change. In the first half of the 19th century both Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer considered sociology to be epistemologically and ontologically dependent on, or subordinate to, biology. Comte drew on biological analogies and metaphors of form and function and to explore the interrelationship of individuals and institutions in modern society (David Goldblatt, 1996:2). Spencer’s work was the first of many attempts to marry Darwinian models of evolution, selection and change to social development. The work of the classical political economists, also directly examined the relationship between the natural environment and the human economic prospect. Classically, Thomas Malthus inquired into the social consequences of rapid population growth in the context of limited environmental resources with which to feed that population. By the end of the 19th century however, the pace of western industrialisation exploded and population growth continued unabated. All sociological and economical predictions were proved redundant. From this point of view it is perhaps no surprise that social thinkers bypassed further attempts to engage with the social and economic origins and consequences of environmental change, they didn’t want to be proved wrong. When looking at the classical trinity of Weber, Durkheim and Marx there is no marked difference. According to Goldblatt (1996:3), ‘Weber’s work conducts the most limited engagement with the natural world. There are some reflections on the environmental origins and implications of nomadism in his study of Judaism. Yet his historical investigations†¦ ielded little direct study of the historical impact and social implications of differing natural environments. ‘ Throughout his work Weber’s theoretical reflections on the environment go little further than a few brief paragraphs in ‘Economy and Society’, ‘in all the sciences of human action, account must be taken of processes and phenomena which are devoid of subj ective meaning†¦. favouring or hindering circumstances. ‘ In other words non-human, unintended processes, such as climate or water-levels, are of significance if they affect human action. However, Marx and Durkheim are more appropriate. In taking population density and its relationship with material resources to be the driving force behind the evolution of human societies, Durkheim made the natural world a decisive causal factor in human history. Similarly Marx placed the economic interface of human societies and the natural world at the centre of historical change. By contrast, Weber never gave demographics a central causal role in history, he defined action by reference to the ideal type of purposive rational action. In his opinion, the relationship between means and ends was more significant than the ontological relation between human subject and natural object. (Goldblatt 1996:4) Yet clearly, the works of Marx and Durkheim are of limited use to environmental sociology. The primary ecological issue for classical social theory was not the origins of contemporary environmental degradation, but how premodern societies had been held in check by their natural environments, and how it was that modern societies had come to surpass those limits or had separated themselves in some sense from their ‘natural’ origins. Yet it is possible to defend the classical thinkers, modern societies were unconstrained by natural limits and at the height of capitalism and industrialisation, it did not seem that economic growth would prove to be environmentally problematic in any way. From this point of view it is only since the advent of the modern era and particularly the onset of globalisation, that the environment has begun to be examined in a sociological sense. This is done in two main ways. Most obviously, social life is increasingly generating environmental problems leading to degradation. The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have dramatically risen since the invention of industry. Natural resources such as the fossil fuels are burnt in gigantic quantities releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which in turn contributes to global warming and climatic change. Similarly the use of CFCs in refrigerators and aerosols has resulted in the depletion of the ozone layer which allows harmful UV rays from the sun to enter our atmosphere. Deforestation has also resulted in soil degradation and a loss of rainforest habitat which in turn has caused a global loss of natural animal habitat resulting in the extinction of over 10,000 different animal species. However, these environmental problems are not universally distributed and many sociologists argue that the serious environmental consequences flow from the global disparity of wealth and power, exasperated by globalisation. For example, the richest 20% of the world’s population account for around 90% of the world’s motor vehicles which are the primary cause of carbon emissions. Yet the world as a whole will suffer from global climate change. Similarly ‘the members of all high-income societies represent 20% of humanity but utilise 80% of all energy produced. ‘ (Connet, 1991) The causes of environmental degradation are distinctly uneven but the effects look to be even more so. As shown, the richest, most developed countries have contributed most to environmental degradation but studies have shown that the poor developing countries will be most affected. Global warming and climate change will result in the increase of floods, storms and harvest failures, and these will always most affect those living closest to their means of subsistence. One study predicts a decline in harvests of 30% in India and Pakistan by 2050. Similarly over 90% of global deaths from air pollution occur in the developing world where medical advances are far behind those of the developed world. As the world has become more aware of the effects that technology has had on the environment, rich, developed nations have had the capital to find alternative resources or to find cures to treat the medical conditions caused by environmental degradation but the poorer countries will have to suffer. Agricultural degradation and desertification is currently severest in Asia and Africa who rely most upon this primary industry and will become unable to diversify from lack of capital. Sociologists look to examine this highly uneven social stratification. Population is also an environmental matter that sociologists have begun to look closely at. Since 1960 the world’s population has increased by over 75% to around 6 billion and most of the current increases derive from the less-developed countries. The problem lies with the question of consumption. By 2050 the global population is expected to have reached 8. 5 billion people, all living with ‘western-style’ consumption. This is unsustainable, and this raises the question of social lifestyles. To curb the growth rate people will have to change their lifestyles. However, it is unrealistic to assume that people will conform to legislation that changes the way they live. Until now, social and political thought never included the environment, it was always assumed that it would continue to be able to sustain human lifestyles but this has changed. It looks to sociologists to suggest solutions Traditionally the environment did not matter to sociology, it was barely spoken about by the classical thinkers but the degradation of the environment has become a sociological issue, indirectly because of globalisation. The global homogeneity of western style industrialisation and production resulted in large-scale pollution which is now out of control. It has reached a stage where consumption outweighs production and humans are unable to look to the traditional optimistic views supported by all the classical, modernist thinkers. This believed that human technological innovations would always be able to be relied upon to support population growth. This is now impossible, the answer is no longer down to ‘science’ but down to values that people must choose. Sociologically this now raises questions of inequality. Both the causes and solutions of environmental degradation were initiated by western policies and the particular solutions do not suit everyone. Recently many less developed nations have refused to curb industrial emissions as they feel it is their turn to develop according to the pattern that the western world first started. At the same time, the existing developed countries fear the suggested environmental solutions as they fear the economical repercussions that a reduction of emissions, and therefore industry, will cause. Sociologists now look to examine the possibilities of adhering to the lifestyle change that environmental policy will now cause. How to cite Does the Environment matter to Sociology?, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Marketing Communications Dynamic Business World

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Communications for Dynamic Business World. Answer: Introduction: In the modern dynamic business world, it is highly important for any business organization to communicate its brand effectively, so that the development of brand awareness of the product can help in creating valuable consumer relationship. Herein lays the importance of an Integrated Marketing Communication Plan (Percy 2014). In a highly competitive market, it is quite difficult for any organization to distinguish itself from its rival firms, and hence product differentiation, creation of stronger brand relationship, targeting the right audience, are very important factors that ultimately determine the success of a specific organization, and yet none of these factors can be accomplished without the support of a strong and effective Integrated Marketing Communication Plan. Dreamland bakery is a cake and retail bakery shop that is going to be set up at Melbourne. The organization is being established with the purpose of serving the consumer demand for a variety of cakes, pastry, buns, r olls and coffee products. Although the organization is being started with a minimal amount of capital, Dreamland bakery aims to earn an enormous amount of revenue, and hence the strategy chosen by the organization is to offer its products at highly competitive prices, and to ensure a high quality consumer service (Kotler et al. 2015). Discussion: Target Audience Segment Analysis: Identification of the target audience and subsequent process of market segmentation are highly important for the sustenance of any business unit. While conducting the consumer analysis, it is to be remembered that demographically speaking, the cake products and coffee items can be purchased by any man or woman living in Australia whose age may lie between 10 years to 65 years. However, since Dreamland intends to offer a variety of tasty confectionary products, such as sweet buns, candies, sorbets and ice creams, it is more likely to appeal to the consumers aged between 10 years to 30 years. Here, it has to be noted that Dreamland is not free from competition, and cake shops such as Brunetti, Monarch cake shop, Beatrix are some of the highly recognized shops that has already created a loyal customer base. Hence, Dreamland in order to earn recognition should rely on a strong Integrated Marketing Communication Plan that will communicate its unique selling points, such as heavy discounts and lucrative offers on every purchase, or a wide variety of products in a single shop (Mariotti and Glacin 2014). Communication (Advertising) Objectives: It has been noted that Dreamland is a very new and emerging organization that has not yet earned the recognition or the faith and goodwill of the consumers. Hence, the primary objectives of advertising the products are to promote the product, increase its awareness among the people, and to persuade them of its goodness (Sheehan 2013). Some of the unique features of the cake shop include, reasonable price, attractive vouchers on every purchase, and free gift items for repeat customers, and yet these facilities might fail to attract the attention of the consumers, if the organization does not advertise and promote the products on a public forum (Percy et al. 2016) . Further, it is absolutely undeniable that Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM) is an emerging, and yet very innovative and effective marketing idea that successfully influences the consumers purchasing decision. It is to be noted here that according to a research conducted by Nielson, 92% of the consumers rely on word of mouth publicity, while purchasing a product or availing a service, and hence the importance of social media and digital media is undeniable (Buil et al. 2013). The social media platforms can be effectively used for connecting with the consumers, who will recommend the service of the new cake shop to their friends and consumers. There is no gain stating the fact that though Dreamland as a cake shop has great potentiality in future, at present, the organization is not free from major rival organization, such as Beatrix, who have already earned the goodwill of the consumers, and have a loyal customer base. In such a situation the challenge for Dreamland would be to develop its brand awareness among the public, encouraging trial and usage of their products and services, and hence it must advertise its products by adopting effective strategies, such as offering special incentives to the first-time buyers (Moriarty et al. 2014). Stimulating a want or desire among the consumers to try the delicious products or avail the service offered at Dreamland is also one of the important objectives of communication strategy. However, this is only possible when the organization will be able to project a unique image of its products and the superior quality of its service before the consumers, and hence shaping the consumer attitudes is an important objective as well (O'guinn et al. 2014). Selected Creative Advertisement and the Justification of the Choice There is no point stating the fact that an average Australian is usually exposed to as many as 5000 advertisements a day, and hence unless the advertisement strategy chosen is able to leave an indelible impression in the mind of the student, Dreamland will not be able to catch the attention of a single consumer (Sin and Tse 2013). Hence, going the creative and innovative way is most important here. As it is being previously discussed, the organization already has a few rival cake shops that are well-established and highly recognized among the consumers for the unique taste of its products, the variety of each item served, and the fresh quality of the ingredients used . Hence, advertising about the same qualities will not attract public attention. Consequently, Dreamland needs to add a creative, original and highly innovative element in its advertising campaign. The organization will not only offer good taste, but will exhibit noble purpose of conducting business. The tagline to be us ed will clearly state Have a bite and offer a bite, that will promote the goodwill of the organization, by explaining how a consumer ordering products above $50 from Dreamland, will provide an opportunity for a poor person to avail any product of his choice absolutely at free of cost (Kim and Joo 2015). The banners and the placards promoting the products of Dreamland cake shop, will have picture of a generous consumer feeling proud and content after feeding an impoverished man . The opportunity of performing a philanthropic activity while satiating ones hunger will draw a huge number of consumers to Dreamland cake shop. Further, it is to be noted here that a consumer is not only willing to perform charitable act, but may also be eager to be recognized for the same. Hence, it would be a good idea if the cake shop would also arrange to take a photograph of the consumer offering or feeding the confectionary products to the unprivileged person, and stick the photograph on the wall of t he cake shop (Kitchen and Thorp 2013). Media Plan Developing the media plan is one of the most important, crucial and discreet decisions an organization is required to take. There is a huge variety of media channels available in the market, and hence it is highly important to select the most cost- effective and consumer friendly channel that will help the organization gain exposure to maximum consumers against a minimum amount of investment (Katz 2014). It is to be noted that Dreamland cake shop while developing its media plan, must consider the following points: Knowing the media objectives Identifying and evaluating the most effective media channel Justification of the chosen form of media channel Determining the media budget plan (Fotis et al. 2012) As far as the media objectives are concerned, Dreamland cake shop intends to employ media channels for reaching the maximum number of people within a short span of time. Further, it often happens that an organization intends to reach out to a specific target audience, and yet fails to appeal to them due to the absence of proper media channel. Hence, drawing the attention of the target audience is the next objective of media plan. Last but not the least, Dreamland is a recently emerging organization, and hence it will require a media plan that fits its budget. Celebrity marketing via television, or promotion through the Public Relations (PR) strategy will not be a discreet choice for the organization (Tuten and Solomon 2014). According to the Sensis Social Media Report of 2015, almost every Australian uses social media channels at home, or even outside. Hence, incorporating the use of social media in media plan will be most advantageous. The virtual presence of an organization is highly beneficial, and hence Dreamland will be required to open up a Facebook business page, a Twitter account and an account on Instagram as well. The media plan should necessarily involve activities on the social media platform, that will encourage the consumers interact about the brand, and explore more about the features that Dreamland cake shop has to offer. The organization is selecting the social media marketing strategy as a part of its media plan, as the social media tools such as Facebook and Google Analytics will help the organization select its target audience, so that their promotional activities reach the most relevant audience, who take interest in confectionary products. Further, the organization does not have a h uge amount of investment, and hence the social sites are the best media platforms that can promote the product at a highly affordable price (Thorson and Moore 2013). However, a strong marketing team of at least 3 employees have to be set up, who will be responsible for updating the consumers about the latest offers, discounts or lucrative gift vouchers offered by the organization. One of the main disadvantages of social media tools is that if the negative feedback goes unchecked, the social sites can end up tarnishing the reputation of the organization. Hence, it is highly important to control, supervise and regulate the activities of consumers and clients on the social sites (Scott 2015). However, apart from the Internet Media, it is important to consider Broadcast media channels as well. Advertisement is an important component of the communication mix process, and hence advertisement on both television as well as radio is required. While the social media advertisement will be comparatively cheaper, promoting a product on television shows and radio channels can prove to be relatively expensive. Dreamland has a specific target audience, and hence it must select the popular children and youth channels of Australia, so as to reach the relevant audience. Besides, while promoting the product on a radio channel, the cake shop must choose the radio channel most popular among the youth population of Australia (Uddin 2014). Evaluation Strategy of the IMC Plan It is not only sufficient to introduce an IMC plan meant for promoting the unique products or service of an organization, it is equally important to assess, evaluate and critically analyze the effectiveness of the strategy as well. Understanding the response of the consumers, and analyzing their feedback on the social sites can be beneficial in assessing the effectiveness of the IMC plan adopted. The response metrics will be employed by the authority of dreamland cake shop, to measure the brand attitude, preference and expectation of the consumers. The cognitive as well as the affective impact of the advertisement of a product can be evaluated by employing the advertising response hierarchy models, such as HOE Model or DAGMAR models. A review committee will be set up which will be responsible for evaluating the sales promotion program in terms of their direct impact on sales (Breitsohl et al. 2014). Conclusion: To conclude, it must be remembered that Dreamland is anew, emerging organization that has a huge prospect in future, provided the suitable promotion strategies are being adopted by the authority of the organization. The idea of Integrated Marketing communication plays an important role in bringing organizational success of any company, and hence embracing the IMC program is going to be highly beneficial for Dreamland as well. It is to be noted here that the shift towards the IMC plan has been seen as a significant change in the history of advertisement and promotion, and hence the adoption of the most effective IMC plan, and proper evaluation of the same, can bring about huge success for Dreamland cake shop. Reference List: Breitsohl, J., Khammash, M. and Griffiths, G., 2014. Online complaint communication strategy: An integrated management framework for e-businesses. InHandbook of Strategic e-Business Management(pp. 907-933). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Buil, I., De Chernatony, L. and Martnez, E., 2013. Examining the role of advertising and sales promotions in brand equity creation.Journal of Business Research,66(1), pp.115-122. Floreddu, P.B., Floreddu, P.B., Cabiddu, F. and Cabiddu, F., 2016. Social media communication strategies.Journal of Services Marketing,30(5), pp.490-503. Fotis, J., Buhalis, D. and Rossides, N., 2012.Social media use and impact during the holiday travel planning process(pp. 13-24). Springer-Verlag. Katz, H., 2014.The media handbook: A complete guide to advertising media selection, planning, research, and buying. Routledge. Kim, D. and Joo, J., 2015. Research on Advertisement Effect according to Degree of Expectation on Creative Commercial Photography. Kitchen, G. and Thorp, B., Skyworks Ventures, Inc., 2013.Dynamic reassignment of advertisement placements to maximize impression count. U.S. Patent 8,407,090. Kotler, P., Burton, S., Deans, K., Brown, L. and Armstrong, G., 2015.Marketing. Pearson Higher Education AU. Mariotti, S. and Glackin, C., 2014.Entrepreneurship and small business management. Pearson Higher Ed. Moriarty, S., Mitchell, N.D., Wells, W.D., Crawford, R., Brennan, L. and Spence-Stone, R., 2014.Advertising: Principles and practice. Pearson Australia. O'guinn, T., Allen, C., Semenik, R.J. and Scheinbaum, A.C., 2014.Advertising and integrated brand promotion. Nelson Education. Percy, L. and Rosenbaum-Elliott, R., 2016.Strategic advertising management. Oxford University Press. Percy, L., 2014.Strategic integrated marketing communications. Routledge. Scott, D.M., 2015.The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. John Wiley Sons. Sheehan, K.B., 2013.Controversies in contemporary advertising. Sage Publications. Sinn, R. and Tse, T., Yahoo! Inc., 2013.Combination creative advertisement targeting system. U.S. Patent 8,510,653. Thorson, E. and Moore, J., 2013.Integrated communication: Synergy of persuasive voices. Psychology Press. Tuten, T.L. and Solomon, M.R., 2014.Social media marketing. Sage. Uddin, S., 2014. The Features of an Effective Advertisement: A Critical Review.Management and Administrative Sciences Review,3(6), pp.878-890. Weatherspoon, D., Weatherspoon, C. and Ristau, C., 2015. Speaking Their Language: Integrating Social Media into Childbirth Education Practice.International Journal of Childbirth Education,30(3).

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Canterbury Tales Women Essays - The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales' Women The Canterbury Tales, by Geoffrey Chaucer is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on their way to Thomas a' Becket's tomb in Canterbury. Throughout the stories, women are often portrayed in two opposing ways. The women in these tales are either depicted as pristine and virginal, or as cunning and deceitful. First, women are described as being pristine and virginal. This type of woman is always beautiful and has men vying for her affections. However, she is so pure that it seems she is unattainable. She is not treated like a real person and people never ask her what she wants. This virginal woman is captured in the character of Emily in The Knight's Tale. Emily, who is described by the author as radiant and serene (32) enchants two cousins and cause them to argue over her. Palamon is so love-struck that he states Woman or Goddess, which? I cannot say. (32). He doesn't even know her yet calls her ... my lady, whom I love and serve (34). When Arcite is released, he becomes sick because he can no longer see her. He is described as Thin as a shaft, as dry, with nothing left./His eyes were hollow, grisly to behold,/Fallow his face, like ashes pale and cold (39). When the cousins finally reunite, Palamon claims Emily for his own once again by saying You shall not love my lady Emily./I, no one else, will love her! (45). They are engaged in battle when the king rides by with his wife and Emily. When confronted, Palamon tells the king that Arcite dares love Emily (49), and that he is also in love with Emily the Bright (49). Even though Emily is sitting right there he still doesn't talk directly to her, instead he tells the king. Emily is herself immune to love: she has seen neither of the knights, nor is she aware that they have seen her, much less that they are in love with her (Hallissy 59). Poor virginal Emily knows no more of this affair,/By God, than does a cuckoo or a hare! (51). However, the king tells the cousins to get Ready by battle to decide his claim/ to Emily. (52) without even asking her what she wanted to do. If he had asked her, he would have found out that she wanted to remain a virgin and marry no one. She even prayed that she would be mistress, no, nor wife. (65). However, she was forced to marry Palamon when he won the battle. Secondly, women are described as cunning and deceitful. This type of woman causes her husband nothing but heartache. She is depicted as a liar and a cheater with low morals. She is a woman neither to be trusted nor respected. In many of the stories she makes a fool of her husband by having adulterous affairs. This type of woman is depicted in the Miller's Tale, the Merchant's Tale, and in the character of the Wife of Bath. In the Miller's Tale, Alison who is described as . . a fair young wife, her body as slender/As any weasel's, and as soft and tender; (90) marries an old man named John. John then takes in a lodger by the name of Nicholas. Since there is a big age difference between Alison and her husband, there is an assumption that Alison is sexually unsatisfied and thus easily seducible by a younger and more virile man--a man just like Nicholas (Hallissy 77). John foolishly leaves the two at home alone while he goes to Osney. Nicholas seizes this opportunity to make his move: he held her haunches hard (91) and begs her to satisfy him. Immediately: She gave a spring, just like a skittish colt Boxed in a frame for shoeing, and with a jolt Managed in time to wrench her head away. And said, Give over, Nicholas, I say! (91). However, it rapidly becomes clear that Alison consents to Nicholas's advances. In fact, so swift is the courtship that it is clear that Alison is a woman of exceedingly flexible moral standards-- she is, in modern terms, easy (Hallissy 77). It is not long before another man named Absolon also falls in love with

Monday, November 25, 2019

Know Thyself Essays

Know Thyself Essays Know Thyself Essay Know Thyself Essay When early Grecian philosophers developed theories in the premodern period. they challenged many dominant premises of this period. Socrates and Plato were two of the most influential early philosophers who addressed the issue of the good life. For these two philosophers. the good life was an ethical life. Socrates was celebrated for his statement Know thyself. Psychologists throughout history have echoed this. Plato had some radical thoughts on what it means to be human. He was responsible for conveying dualism into popular idea. This had a profound influence on faith. doctrine. and Western thought as a whole. What implications does the statement Know thyself have. along with other thoughts of Socrates and Plato. for the procedure of human alteration? How is this related to accomplishing the good life? How will this impact the rating of a person’s grade of populating the good life? What was Plato’s apprehension of human nature? How did dualism influence this apprehension? Be certain to back up your decisions with information drawn from the online content. the text edition. and other believable. scholarly beginnings to confirm the points you are doing. Apply APA criterions to for composing and commendations to your work. Submit your response to the M1: Assignment 3 Dropbox by Wednesday. November 13. 2013. The paper should be 3-5 pages. double-spaced 12-point typescript. Times Roman fount. with 1-inch borders all about. and free from grammatical mistakes. This page count includes the rubric page. text. and mentions. In life the Socrates’ celebrated statement Know thyself has great significance to the lives of people today. Deductions surely come with this type of statement and Socrates and Plato provide thoughts of how a human can alter in order to under who they truly are. While many think the good life is approachable so many do non cognize how to acquire to that point in their lives. Plato’s ain apprehension of human nature introduces dualism which shows another option to populating the good life. Life has cardinal ends in it and in order to understand a person’s intent it has to be understood what Socrates meant when he said the statement Know thyself . To Socrates that meant a manner of accomplishing the good life. His two primary points of the good life were being ethical and holding self cognition ; the most of import tools to hold. The statement Know thyself has decisions such as how one should populate and what they should seek. The replies to these inquiries come from seeking God and pleasance and populating a moral and treated life ( Argosy. 2013 ) . Socrates believed that worlds obtain cognition through analysis of constructs and rational procedure will convey nonsubjective truths. Additionally. he believed that with addition in cognition comes increase in virtuousness ( King. 2009 ) . Half truths lead a individual to a route of non cognizing themselves to the full but when they use the societal. mental and physical cognition they have together they can larn who they genuinely are. Human alteration can non come without a individual recognizing a alteration is needed. Plato’s beliefs were more on rational beliefs than on centripetal beliefs and a theory of signifiers. In the theory of signifiers he believed psyches were reincarnated into another organic structure and the new organic structure may still hold remembrances of the past organic structure doing it hard for the psyche to grok ( King. 2009 ) . He had his ain metaphor the oculus of the soul where he felt the universe was perceived through memories. images that keeps the psyche from seeing the true world signifier. Besides. there were three types of psyches ; rational. appetitive and affectional. The rational is in the caput. appetitive in the intestine and affective in the thorax. He besides believed that we are all chained inside a cave unable to see the outside universe because we rely on senses alternatively of signifiers but we can get the better of this by get awaying imprisonment through ground.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Critical analysis of book The Catcher in the Rye Essay

Critical analysis of book The Catcher in the Rye - Essay Example He is resoundingly negative in his view of the world, and his search for an identity is constantly filtered through his dark condemnation of virtually everything and everyone around him. The facts of his life show that he is unable to stick at anything for very wrong: he drops out of several schools, is hospitalized in a mental hospital, and seems unable to connect with anyone in a meaningful manner. This anomie is associated with two traumatic experiences: the death of his brother and the suicide of boy in one of classes. Holden searches for an identity through criticizing everyone around him. His word for them, one that has entered the language as a pejorative instantly associated with the character, is that they are all "phony". Virtually everybody that Holden sees around him is phony, and it is a judgment that eventually makes him turn towards himself. He judges people in a superficial way, and uses humor to cover the fact that he realizes how utterly alone he is in the world. The passage in which he imagines that someone will probably write "fuck you"2 on his grave his hilarious and yet deeply revealing. The fact that he would think about his own grave as a teenager, let alone the abuse that someone would write on his headstone, shows that Holden has a more imaginative and deeper view of the world than his resolute condemnations of everyone suggest. His cursing and his cynicism are perhaps a protection as, like many teenagers, he has no idea of what his real identity is or should be. This tendenc y is seen in the first lines of the book: If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me . . . 3 He adopts the pose of millions of teenagers who came after him: not caring about the world and all its conventionalities of biography, but accidentally reveals that he is surprisingly well-read. He has just been expelled from prep-school, and reveals that he has not only read Charles Dickens, but has understood it well enough to make fun of its conventions. Holden's search for identity throughout the novel is full of such accidental revelations of a deeper self. As with many teenage boys, Holden is obsessed with sex; but unlike many of them he is peculiarly puritanical about the subject. He admits that he is a virgin, and spends most of the novel trying to lose that virginity but also thinks that sex should only occur between people who care deeply about one another. Casual sex is an abomination to him, as when Jane has a date with a boy she hardly knows. At the same time, Holden reveals that he is interested in a much darker side of sexuality, such as the idea of spitting at a lover during the sexual act. Once again this reveals the depth of his imagination: he is a virgin but can imagine a particularly savage form of sexuality that involves humiliating and essentially hating the partner. He regards this behavior as "crumby", but want to indulge anyway. Holden's search for an identity is constantly hindered by his reluctance to move from his supposedly innocent childhood world of genuineness and openness into the hypocritical adult world of phonies. Here his name has important symbolic meaning. Caulfield

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company Case Study - 31

Strategies Embraced by Williams-Sonoma Company - Case Study Example The current policies embraced by Williams-Sonoma are increasingly becoming outdated. Till now, these strategies have been successful in increasing the business growth level within the company. Competition keeps growing day by day, and new companies are launched daily within the retail market industry. According to information from the case study, Williams-Sonoma has many market competitors who specialize in similar products(Rouse, 2010). Different companies are also adopting different strategies to distribute their products due to the adoption of new technological advancements. So, it is obligatory for Williams-Sonoma to adopt new strategies if they want to sustain their position in the retail market. If the company decides to maintain its current strategies, business competitors are likely to triumph over them by adopting the latest technologies, and strategies. Competing companies need an adequate competitive advantage in order to outperform each other. Without such strategies, performance may decline due to the various challenges experienced in an extremely competitive business. A company that updates its database regularly to accommodate after sale services attract potential buyers. For this reason, it is necessary for Williams-Sonoma to develop, and implement innovations if they expect to maintain their current market position and attain higher levels of business growth. The strategies used by Williams-Sonoma are very efficient, and I would adopt them if I were the CEO. By implementing these strategies, I would grow and enhance the success of the business. But, I would focus more attention towards expanding the international market rather than the US market alone. At the moment, Williams-Sonoma underestimates the potential of other markets in enhancing their business success. I believe the idea of expanding the market scope would benefit the company. I would also encourage more use of the modern telecommunication systems, and the Internet to broaden the market scope to other parts of the world.     

Monday, November 18, 2019

Hochschild viewpoint Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hochschild viewpoint - Essay Example Every time an employee was lost, much money was lost in the training and recruitment of new ones. The company tried to deal with this issue by offering a variety of remedial that included the solution to balance in work and family for instance, part time and sharing of jobs. To her surprise many families preferred to work more than to be with their children and family members. Hochschild interviews like six families watching on how they operate during the day and night. She also interviews various levels of professional and is surprised by what she hears. The employees at Amerco concentrate so much at work that they forget the essentials. Hochschild as a female analyzed the enormous entry of women into the labor force. It looked fair and obvious that as women left their various homes every morning along men to their various jobs to build the economy and maintain their families as they returned from work should share the house chores which never happened. Instead, as they came from work women took to all home responsibilities. Hochschild referred to it as a double shift as women worked both at work and at home (Hochschild, Pp 15) Nevertheless, there is a superwoman who can multitask and perfect both at work and home. In the present most women are faced with the challenge of what was considered a full time works in the past generation. To make it worse, as cutting workers size has occurred, the hours of work have been added for everybody. Hochschild in her book tried to show the extent to which time is ever limited that they cannot fulfill their obligations both at home and work. Statistics show that women who have small children spend more time at work than the ones with no children. â€Å"Family values and reversed worlds† according to Hochschild tries to show how various family values have been invaded by work efficiencies and time pressures while places have turned out to be temporary homes for these

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Stereotypes Of Mental Illness Sociology Essay

Stereotypes Of Mental Illness Sociology Essay Stereotypes of mental illness form through personal experiences combined with the influence of external sources, the most influential probably being the mass media. Theoretical conclusions suggest that the media has a powerful influence over society, but they do not consider the types of media and the varying audience associated. This study will attempt to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness. This research will be analysed using secondary data. The research is completed through a reviewed selection of Disney films and examination of how characters are assigned mental illness traits. The characters are then compared to how people in similar situations would be accepted in society, and compare whether the Disney films have influenced this acceptance. Results of the study indicate that more research is needed. OMIS2 Low Risk Research Ethics Approval Where NO human participants are involved and/or when using secondary data Undergraduate or Postgraduate or Member of staff evaluating service level quality Project Title Does Disneys portrayal of mental illness affect how society perceives mental illness. Principal Investigator Certification I believe that this project does not require research ethics approval. X I confirm that I have answered all relevant questions in the checklist honestly. X I confirm that I will carry out the project in the ways described in the checklist. I will immediately suspend research and request a new ethical approval if the project subsequently changes the information I have given in the checklist. X Principal Investigator Name: Stephanie Sandall Date: 13/06/2012 Students Supervisor (if applicable) I have read the checklist and confirm that it covers all the ethical issues raised by this project fully and frankly. I confirm that I have discussed this project with the student and agree that it does not require research ethics approval. I will continue to review ethical issues in the course of supervision. Name: Thomas Thurnell-Read Date: 22/08/2012 Introduction The Walt Disney Corporation is an American mass media company which is most famously known for childrens films (Booker, 2012). This dissertation will explore the influence of the media on the audience, more specifically to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness. I have identified common features in literature regarding the influence of media and public opinion, and relevant sources will be applied to this study. The Oxford English Dictionary defines mental illness as a condition which causes serious disorder in a persons behaviour or thinking (2012), this does not necessarily mean that society shares the same understanding. Mental illnesses are variations of behaviours that are not considered acceptable in society, a process of socially diagnosing people that deviate from societys norms and can easily be affected by social change (Scheff, 1975). Stereotypes of mental illness form through personal experiences combined with the influence of external sources, shared patterns of behaviour and interactions and affective understanding learned through the process of socialization (Damen, 1987), implying that societys norms and values are what carve our individual personas. Negative stereotypes can also lead to the process of stigmatising, isolating members of society, sometimes even institutionalising members in order to force conformity. Terms associated with mental illness are reduced to casual i nsults rather than official medical terms as society constructs those with abnormal behaviours to be mentally ill (Scheff, 1975). Previous research implies that the most influential external source to shape public opinion to be the mass media (Breslow, 2002). The Walt Disney Corporation is the worlds largest media conglomerate, primarily based in film and television sectors of the media industry (Best Communications Degrees, 2013). Approximately 200 million people will view a Disney film in a year (Giroux, 2002). Due to its large scale availability and popularity, this study aims to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness. The Walt Disney Company influences how children are introduced to norms and values of society through its attractive magical image associated with its films. Disney films are considered as a normal form of entertainment for children by society, allowing Disneys perception of society to be taught without challenge, as a result socialising the audience into what Disney finds to be an acceptable ideology (Giroux, 2002). The purpose of this study is to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness. This research has practical relevance which hopefully through its findings and conclusion will add to the scientific knowledge, and make society more aware of any effects the media has on the perception of mental illness, most specifically Disney films. In order to understand how Disney movies present mental illness to society through its characters, I will conduct a literature review to gain a stronger background of knowledge on the subject before writing a methodology that will be used to investigate my research question. To assess the research question, I will primarily analyse secondary data and combine this with a personally reviewed selection of Disney films to investigate how characters are assigned mental illness traits. The secondary data will be formed of quantitative and qualitative approaches. I find this technique will allow me to gain a bette r and deeper understanding of the subject. I will then compare the Disney characters to how people in similar situations would be accepted in society, and whether the Disney films have influenced this acceptance. Literature Review Society is dependent on the media for information and entertainment due to its easy access, as well as its ability to be culturally encoded for all to understand. According to Breslow (2002), the mass media perform three major functions in society, these are: educating, shaping public relations, and advocating a particular point of view across society. The Walt Disney Corporation is an American mass media company which is most famously known for childrens films and is the worlds largest media conglomerate (Best Communications Degrees, 2013). Due to Disneys large scale popularity, this study aims to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness, since the coverage of mental health in the media is a controversial subject and it is deemed as a sensitive topic by some individuals in society. Audience Research It is not only the media source itself, but the audience that needs to be considered. Disney films are generally intended for a younger audience. Evidence demonstrates that children are the main viewers of Disney films (Booker, 2012). Children can be easily influenced by media consumption as they easily accept and internalise media messages, this is shown by Banduras Bobo Doll Study (1963). Bandura divided 48 girls and 48 boys into 3 experimental groups and a control group. The groups were subject to different conditions associated with a Bobo doll. The first group witnessed an adult become aggressive towards a Bobo doll in a live scenario. The second group viewed a film of the adult acting aggressively to a Bobo doll. The third group watched a cartoon animal act aggressively towards a Bobo doll. The children watched the aggressive acts individually, preventing an influence of opinion or distraction off other children in the group and allowing individual differences of opinion to eme rge. After observing the models, each of the children from the four groups were individually put in a room with an experimenter where they were exposed to a mildly frustrating situation to elicit aggression. After this, the children were sent to play in a room of toys which included a Bobo doll. Researchers covertly observed the children, noting any interaction with the Bobo doll. Results showed that the children who had been exposed to the aggressive behaviour, exhibited nearly twice as much aggressive behaviour than the control group. The results demonstrate that media can be influential on the behaviour of children, therefore implying that Disney movies may affect a childs behaviour. This study can be criticised due to having a small ethnocentric sample size, so the results cannot be generalised to the wider society. However, it must also be considered that children may associate adults as disciplinary figures, so the children mimic the behaviour shown as if they are trying to co nform to adult behaviour. Despite this, this study is appropriate to the research as it demonstrates the influence that media and adult role models have on children. Audiences may also interpret results differently, as Thompson (1995) argues that audiences do not automatically passively accept information but actively select and interpret, resist or even challenge the media, affected through individual differences and experiences. In contrast, McQuail (2005) suggests that the media can have planned and unplanned effects on the audience, with short and long term effects. McQuail does not generalise the audience to be a mass being, as he finds these factors to be heightened by individual differences. Therefore, there is a fragmentation of the audience, in this example Disney films are primarily associated with a younger audience (Booker, 2012). As a result, there is no single mass audience, people may choose to watch a programme at a later date and media messages may not spread throughout society. Furthermore not everyone in society will view the media, so people will not share the exact same values. Despite this, the audience is widely dispersed and the media is easily able to control the audience and spread messages (McQuail, 2005). Contrasting to this perspective, Disney may be more focused on capitalism than social control, as found by Fiske (1987), Disneys content could be influenced through the structured media market-led environment through the consumer choice of media and globalisation. The media is a business and the audience is the consumer. Public interests are subordinated to private capitalistic interests. It could be further considered that the media has become a form of ideological apparatus (Milner and Browitt, 2002). The media narrative is constructed to encourage the acceptance of social positions, leaving the individual to emotionally invest in the source through identifying similar personal traits. The perspective associates the audience as a passive being, as the media is dominant and positions the audience through an emotional connection. Ctausses (1968) Schema of Differential Audience Reach finds that not all members of the audience accept the media values transmitted. Ctausse displays how media messages go through a process of being offered, receivable, received, registered, before being potentially internalised by the audience. This is further examined by British Cultural Studies, who investigate the way audiences decode media messages. They find the decoding of media messages varies on primary definers and individual differences, such as social and linguistic differences (Hall, 1973). Three types of decoding were proposed by Hall (1973). Dominant decoding views that the audience acknowledges media values and easily accepts the media discourse. Negotiated decoding, detects that the audience recognises the media has interpreted the events in a certain way, the audience is not completely passive to media messages. Oppositional decoding, finds that the audience challenges media authority. An example of oppositional de coding would be the feminist approach to a male presented dominated programme. This is significant to the research as it implies that the Disney audience have individual differences and not all will decode the content in the same manner. However, this research is opposed by cultivation theory. Cultivation theory suggests that the more time spent by the individual watching television, the more the viewer will come to view reality through ideologies imposed by the media (Gerbner et al, 2002). This is reinforced by social learning theory, which implies that learning is influenced by people and events presented in the media (Bandura, 1994), finding media to be a large scale influence on how people perceive society. False representation of mental illness reinforced through the media can encourage the audience to conform and accept stereotypes. This may result in the possibility of negative attitudes towards individuals with mental illnesses obtained during childhood persevering into adul thood. Stuart Halls Reception Theory finds the media to have a polysemic structure, the producers of the media encode a message for the audience to decode (Kitzinger, 2004), implying that the audience are in control. This is further developed by Halls (1973) Encoding and Decoding model which considers the media as a process whereby messages are sent and received with certain effects that alter how the audience perceives things. As a result, media messages can be interpreted differently by audiences and may not be understood in the way desired by producers (Hall, 1973). It can be argued that this process encourages maximum potential of audience involvement, as the media acts as a socialising force, in the case of Disney it allows the development of marketing off the characters personas to society. In support of this, Fiske examined the notion of semiotic negotiation and resistance; the audience has the ability to shape media meaning to the self. This means that the audience can subvert confo rmity, they are not a slave to the media, and therefore Disney films do not necessarily affect how an individual views mental illness (Fiske, 1987). In contrast, Lazarsfeld and Merton (1948) perceive the media to be a form of entertainment, which allows the audience to escape the hardship of reality and simultaneously integrates society. However, it must be considered that this is only a theoretical perspective, it is formed of hypothesise and not first-hand research. Challenges to this theory include the Marxist perspective, which was further developed by the Neo-Marxist perspective as the media was not far developed in Karl Marxs lifetime. As we have seen earlier, it can be considered that Disney has a capitalistic nature and linguistic intentions may not be to harm the audience, but rather captivate them. The media, according to Baudrillard (1989), has created a new form of reality hyper reality where an image is produced by the media that is more real to the individual than the item is initially supposed to represent. This theory is further supported by Giroux (2002) who classifies Disney films as teaching machines (p. 100), enabled through marketing and globalisation. Overall, the media should be used to teach awareness of mental illness and not reinforce negative stereotypes (Stuart, 2006). Media Coverage of Mental Illness It must be considered that the media is used as a form of entertainment. The Uses and Gratification Model finds that the audience is an active force, who use the media for their own pleasure (Fiske, 1987). The media and its producers do not have power over the audience, it merely provides the audience with entertainment and diversion from reality. This is challenged by the Frankfurt School, who find the audience to be passive to media effects. They produced the hypodermic syringe model, which metaphorically analyses the audience as accepting an injection of information from a media source; the audience accepts the norms and values prescribed by the media. The model believes that there is a direct correlation between violent behaviour in the media and violent behaviour in reality, which could be applied to violent Disney villains (Haney, 2005). The Shift Media Survey of 2005 assessed the media coverage of mental health issues. The Shift Media Survey of 2005 conducted primary research, included the use of focus groups, interviews and using a range of media samples. It found only one example which concentrated on the negative stigma experienced by people with mental health problems, with the rest of the articles more focused on the issue of violence. This research can be applied to Disney movies, as villains are generally classed as being violent and acting deviant of social norms. The results of the focus group found that most individuals took the media at face value, highlighting the mass effect of the media and its ability to reinforce prejudices in society. This suggests that the negative stigma attached to mental illness by society is not based on any real knowledge, but on what society have been informed of via the mass media. However, the data of this research cannot be generalised to everyone due to its small specific sample, and correlational data does not imply causation. However, the problem with focus groups is that some participants may either hold back due to the lack of anonymity and confidentiality due to being in a group with other participants, or participants may attempt to answer the moderators questions with answers they presume the moderator wants to hear. Furthermore, the interpretation of focus group data may also vary between researchers. Though this research does no directly apply to Disney media production, its results can be assessed to understand whether the media has an impact on public opinion. Overall, the research finds that media generally portrays mental illness through a negative stereotype, used mainly to reinforce and sell stories associated with criminal or deviant behaviour. These negative stereotypes can also be used in childrens films to differentiate between good and evil characters, as shown by Robinson et al (2007) who discovers that a large percentage of old er Disney characters are associated with these negative stereotypes surrounding mental illness. This is further researched by Sadler (2005) through the notion of cultural sanctioning, the media reinforces cultural ideals, which at the same time maintains viewership through familiarity. Beveridge (1996) focused on the portrayal of mental illness in four classic Disney films: Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast. Beveridge examined that sane characters that reacted strongly to a situation were negatively labelled as being mad. This is demonstrated in Dumbo through Dumbos mother defending her son against bullying, she is judged to be mad after her outrage and is subsequently locked away from society, implying that mental illness should be kept from society. McKie (2003) further argues that the negative perception of madness in childrens films is providing children with false impressions of mental illness. This article may not be an academic source, but it is an example of mass media implying that childrens films have an effect on the perception of mental illness, nevertheless it is supported by Mind (2011). Research completed by Mind (2011) suggests that the media is failing to give mental health enough consideration, as demonstrated by 4 5% of the people questioned couldnt recall seeing any reports about mental health in any media over the past twelve months. Only 33% of the participants could remember observing a newspaper report associated with mental illness, 25% could recall seeing a documentary broadcast directly based on the subject, and 22% viewed mental illness being addressed in television dramas. This data may not directly apply to Disney films, but it demonstrates how the media has a large scale impact on the publics recall and opinions. It can be criticised that these statistics are based on the memory and recall ability of participants, therefore the results may not be entirely accurate as some individuals may have forgotten about seeing some mental illness related reports, and this can affect the reliability of the data. Madness is the implication of an individual being in an idiosyncratic state, where people do not immediately understand or make sense of an individuals behaviour (Pilgrim, 2009). This can result in the implication of alienation, as demonstrated by Madhouses in Victorian society, which fuelled negative stereotypes of mental illness in society. Negative stereotypes may put people at risk of social exclusion and can lead to people feeling stigmatised by society. As a consequence, the individual may develop what Goffman (1963) calls a spoiled identity and demonstrate further abnormal behaviour in society. Goffman (1961) primarily writes about patients being institutionalised and the implications of psychiatric hospitals, but the writing can be applied to the treatment of Disney characters. For example, it can be related to a scene in Beauty and the Beast, where Maurice is locked away from society by the townsfolk as society doesnt accept his behaviour or opinions, this will be analysed f urther in the discussion section of the dissertation. Lawson and Fouts (2004) found 85% of 34 animated films produced by Disney between 1937 and 2001, contained references to characters with mental illness. There was an average of 4.6 references per film alienating characters, furthermore 21% of principal characters were being judged to have a mental illness. The research concludes that the use of terms such as crazy mad and nut allows a segregation of characters, separating them from what is classed as normal. This can provoke alienation and associate fear with characters deemed as being mentally ill. However, this study does not consider the appearance of characters, which could further affect the audiences perception of a character. This research may be dated due to more Disney films being released, it displays how frequently Disney refers to mental illness. It must also be considered that there is a time limit in the media when divulging a story, therefore the use of stereotypes to portray characters allows easier association with t he viewers daily life (Signorielli, 2001). In contrast to the research discussed, Booker (2010) finds that Disney encourages individualism that people do not need to change who they are to be accepted in society. Characters appear to suffer negative treatment by society until they learn to accept who they are. For example, this is shown through Dumbo learning to embrace his differences and proving himself to society. This could suggest that mental illness is related to moral failures. Medicine has adapted Disney characters to mental disorders, implying that science finds the Disney characters to be associated with mental illness. The psychological and personality disorders named after Disney characters, include: Peter Pan Syndrome, Sleeping Beauty Syndrome, Rapunzel Syndrome, and Cinderella Complex. These conditions imply that Disney characters have had a direct impact on mental illness. Peter Pan Syndrome, according to Kiley (1983), demonstrates the alienation of men failing to confront the emotional realities of society through their narcissistic nature, women are found accountable of accepting immature behaviour. The psychological condition finds that some members of society, like the fictional character, remain in a childish state, failing to accept appropriate adult roles in society. The work primarily focuses on men and shows how women mature faster. This is similar to the Disney film which shows Wendy to grow up and teach the other children how to behave. S leeping Beauty Syndrome is a disorder that involves people uncontrollably sleeping for days at a time. Rapunzel Syndrome often affects those with mental illness, as the Rapunzel character is implied to be suffering severe depression, it involves people eating their hair (Singla et al, 1999). Cinderella Complex finds women conform and lower expectations in order to fit into society, young girls have no aspirations, conforming to a stereotypical housewife lifestyle (Kerr, 1985). The research may be dated, but it supports the thesis of Disney affecting societys perception of mental illness. The medical model defines mental illness through classification schemes. There are several weaknesses of this model including the validity and reliability of diagnostic criteria (Sadler, 2005). The model ignores individual differences and classifies people into categories in which they might not belong. In opposition to this, Szasz (1961) puts forward the Myth of Mental Illness which contemplates whether mental illness actually exists, due to the overuse of the notion associated with problems of living. However, the existence of mental illness has been around for a long time and in a variety of cultures, implying that mental illness is not socially constructed, but that society can manipulate how mental illness is perceived. Szasz (1961) further examines that the label of mental illness allows the power of social control to discipline and manage those who wont conform. This includes state legislation, such as the Mental Health Act 2007 (CPS, 2013). Conclusions Whilst conducting the literature review, it has been understood that Walt Disney himself was associated with mental illness. His mother died when he was young, coincidently he was obsessed with the concept of family. This could have impacted the structure of Disney productions, as most Disney movies begin with the mother dying or already dead. However, this may not account for movies created after his death that contain references to mental illness, unless Disney are intending to stick to storylines that Walt Disney would find acceptable. Not all texts address mental illness in association to Disney films, as shown by Deconstructing Disney (Byrne and McQuillan, 2000) and Mouse Morality: The Rhetoric of Disney Animated Film (Ward, 2002). These books cover themes such as sexuality, race and gender, but fail to consider the implications Disney films have on mental health. The disregard implies that it is acceptable for Disney to stigmatise those who are mentally ill. The research discussed suggests that there has been little social change in regards to how the media portrays mental illness, there is a negative stereotype and this is presented in the selection of Disney films studied. However, I feel that there is only a limited number of studies and this is an area that needs to be examined in more detail. Each source analysed highlights a negative connotation attached to mental illness which has produced a stigma in society, reinforced by the media discourse. Wahl et al (2003) reach a concerning conclusion that future generations will be continually exposed to negative images and views of mental illness unless children are introduced to destigmatising programs. Instead of labelling someone as insane and producing a negative stigma, the media and society should focus on the specific problems and behaviours of the individual, fixing the negative stereotypes attached to mental illness (Jorm, 2000). While none of the above theories offer a solution to the negative association of mental illness, they do demonstrate awareness. There is no perspective that can be absolute when analysing social actions. Methodology This section will reflect how evidence will be collected to support the arguments of my research question. As discussed in the Literature Review, the majority of the previous work in this area has concentrated on stereotypes and the audience. In order to find out whether the publics perception of mental health is affected by Disney films, I need to establish initially how the public perceive mental health in order to reach a context specific definition of mental illness. The NHS is the largest publicly funded health service in existence, therefore I feel that they have a high enough influence to be regarded in this research in order to gain an understanding of mental health. I will use a publically available NHS document, in order to gain an understanding of what the British health system classifies mental illness as: Mental well-being crucially affects healthy functioning of individuals, families, communities and societies. It fundamentally affects behaviour, social cohesion, social inclusion and economic prosperity. Underlying social, economic and environmental dimensions that can affect a persons well-being relate to factors such as employment status, education, health and household/neighbourhood characteristics. (NHS Confederation, 2012). To find out whether the publics perception of mental health is affected by Disney films, I will conduct a content analysis to identify what terms related to mental illness are used in Disney films, I will then consider the contextual intentions of Disney. I will use theory to further analyse my results to gain a well-rounded view of the subject. I will also examine behavioural responses to Disney through the use of secondary research such as The Shift Media Survey of 2005 to examine my data. There is a mixed methods approach to the research, it is not specifically focused on quantitative or qualitative methods, allowing a continuum of the two. Selecting the Sample In order to examine whether Disneys portrayal of mental illness affects how society perceives mental illness, I have decided to base my research sample on the most popular Disney feature length films. I examined the success rate of films from each of them based on their profit, which combined with the availability of films, the following films were included: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), The Jungle Book (1967), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994), Toy Story (1995), Hercules (1997), Tarzan (1999), The Emperors New Groove (2000), The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Alice in Wonderland (2010). In total my sample consisted of sixteen Walt Disney Pictures, with only two films not being of an animated nature. Procedure To begin with, I viewed my selected films and took general notes which allowed me to create a basic coding scheme. I then re-watched the films to ensure reliability, I also re-recorded the occurrence of the selected terms associated with mental illness across a range of Disney films. The coding scheme included references to behaviour and the physical description of characters, such as mad insane and strange. I will also note the contextual circumstances of which the references were made. The coding scheme will initially exclude character names, but these will be noted for later consideration, e.g. The Mad Hatter. The context of code will be considered before recording to make sure the term is being used an appropriate sense. Once the coding was complete I noted the main themes that had emerged in order to aid my future analysis. Visual representations are also important to consider when studying mental illness in the media to examine how characters conform to stereotypes, as I found through my literature review that there was a lack of regard to character appearances. Analysis A content analysis describes what is there, but does not provide underlying reasoning, so I will be combining my research with a theoretical analysis. This will consist of selecting and discussing theoretical material and a detailed comparison of applicable theories. This will aid us in understanding whether certain theories help us to comprehend particular patterns of social behaviour. This approach will allow me to assess contrasting sources, allowing a more critical attitude. However, a content analysis describes what is there, but does not provide underlying reasoning. Data collected from a variety of sources, such as