Consumer behaviour analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Consumer behaviour analysis - Assignment Example One of the advantages of undertaking an analysis of consumer behavior is that it enables the business to produce goods and services that meet the specific needs of consumers. Businesses have to make a consideration of the buyers’ cultural determinants of their purchase patterns and other factors so that they address them in the product design and development (Kumra 32). In assessing the culture of the target market, consumes have to understand that some products can do well in certain places and not others. In this case, they have to ensure that they avoid those places that they do not stand to sell their products for various reasons. Alternatively, they can design products that fulfill the needs of those populations effectively. A marketing strategy refers to approach designed by a business to increase its sales and achieve a sustainable and reliable competitive advantage in the market place. The strategy comprises of all the fundamental short and long-term activities in the marketing field. A reliable marketing strategy in a company addresses the analysis of initial situations towards the process of formulating, evaluating and selecting market –oriented approaches in tandem with the laid down goals and objectives (Morphitou and Savvas 201). In designing this strategy, cultural considerations that will play a role include the beliefs and values of people pertaining the goods and services (Mooij 35). The company has to design a marketing approach that appeals to the market’s beliefs and practices. For instance, when people believe that smartphones are essential in enhancing the value of their personal and social services, the business has to use promotional tools and language the emphasize on this issues. Secondly, consumer behavior characteristics are also essential in designing the marketing strategies. Consumers’ preferences for certain brands

John Clare Essay Example for Free

John Clare Essay John Clare (1793-1864) was born on July 13 at Helpstone, a village in Northamptonshire, close to the Lincolnshire fens. His father, Parker Clare, worked as a farm laborer. In his spare time his father was also a rustic wrestler and ballad singer. Clare attended a dame school in his native village, and then went to Glinton School in the next village. When his father became ill with rheumatism, Clare began work first as a horse-boy, then ploughboy, then as a gardener at Burghley House. In 1812 he enlisted in the militia, returning home eighteen months later. He met Martha Turner in Casterton, who joined the Clare family just before the birth of the first of their eight children. Clare’s first book of poems appeared in 1820, published by Hessey and Taylor. The volume ran to four editions in the first year, and he became celebrated in London literary society as the â€Å"peasant poet†. In 1837 Clare was admitted into Mathew Allen’s private asylum of High Beech in Epping Forest, where he stayed for four years until he discharged himself, walking the eighty miles home to Northborough in three days, eating grass on the way. He wrote two long, suffering poems, Don Juan and Child Harold, which documented his precious mental state. He was certified insane by two doctors in December 18841 and was admitted to St, Andrews County Lunatic Asylum in Northampton, where he was treated well and continued to write, producing many short, semi-mystical poems. John Clare later passed away in the institution in 1864 at the age of 71. First Love I neer was struck before that hour With love so sudden and so sweet, Her face it bloomed like a sweet flower And stole my heart away complete. My face turned pale as deadly pale. My legs refused to walk away, And when she looked, what could I ail? My life and all seemed turned to clay. And then my blood rushed to my face And took my eyesight quite away, The trees and bushes round the place Seemed midnight at noonday. I could not see a single thing, Words from my eyes did start They spoke as chords do from the string, And blood burnt round my heart. Are flowers the winters choice? Is loves bed always snow? She seemed to hear my silent voice, Not loves appeals to know. I never saw so sweet a face As that I stood before. My heart has left its dwelling-place And can return no more First love is a poem, which shows the experience the poet has falling in love for the first time. It is rejoicing the love he attained for a woman named Mary Joyce however there is sadness and a feeling of dissatisfaction hovering in the background. This feeling exists, as the love was unrequited. The poem has an underlying tone of innocence and flurry of emotions as it is the poets very first attempt at love exhibiting his feelings for Mary. The opening of the first stanza only shows how sudden and unexpected the feeling was as he was never â€Å"struck before that hour†, this is followed my sibilance alliteration so sudden and so sweet further emphasizing on the shock and bewilderment of the overwhelming feeling confirming it is a new experience. He uses his heart as a symbol that she has stolen completely away however unknowingly. The paragraph continues to describe how he physically felt ill as his face turned pale a deadly pale. Generally when a person falls in love the instinct is that the blood rushed to the face, which occurs as a latter reaction. This could be because he probably already sensed that the love could not be returned as he didn’t say anything to her instead he hoped that his eyes would convey the message â€Å"words from my eyes did start†. He never came close to even touching or  talking to her however the line â€Å"all seemed to turn to clay† conveys the strong affection he attained for her. He also shows how the woman is in control of their relationship as she could mould and re-mould him as per her wish. In the second stanza he goes on to describe more of his emotions brought forward by this interaction. He makes it quite visual for us of how the love has its affect on him and how he flushes with embarrassment so much that for a moment he feels blind. The physical impact of love relates the experience of love and loss.

Musics Effects On The Brain Music Essay

Musics Effects On The Brain Music Essay Music is a world renowned language that all can understand. From Australia to the deepest jungles of Africa, music is associated in peoples everyday lives. Music can be heard anywhere and everywhere: the grocery store, the gym, in the car, at work, at school, on the television, etc. Not only is music applied for entertainment but it can also be used for story telling, learning, religious rituals and medical therapy. Today, it is not uncommon for music to be used as a medicine for Parkinsons, Alzheimers, depression, anxiety, stroke-victim recovery, stress, memory loss, and mental well-being. Musics effect on the brain is a very profound and mysterious topic. It is said that music influences the process of thinking and analyzing, making work more enjoyable and efficient. Studies have shown that music increases the amount of endorphins (a chemical released in the brain to reduce pain and provide a good feeling state) in the brain, initially, jump-starting the bodies healing process. As it distracts the attention from pain, it concurrently generates chemical behaviors that promote healing. Along with physical healing and mental effects, music impacts human emotions. Often, someone will listen to music when they are distraught, happy, need to focus, exercising, etc. Experiments show that music in a major key will cause a person to be happy, while the music in a minor key will bring sadder, depressed emotions. This paper will discuss how the music of major and minor keys differently effect human emotions. Emotions Throughout an average day, humans will experience one emotion after the other: sadness, happiness, frustration, anger, guilt, remorse, etc. But when one is asked the question what is an emotion? most find themselves dumbfounded. The answer to what is an emotion is not an easy one to answer. For centuries great minds have studied to answer this question but have yet to receive a definite answer. There are many reasons for this state of affairs. One reason is that emotions are difficult to define and measure. (Juslin and Sloboda 73). To be able to define emotions, theorists must know where emotions come from and how they are detectable. From a scientific perspective, emotions can be concluded from three types of evidence: self reports, expressive behavior and physiological development (Juslin and Sloboda 74). Self reports are a variety of surveys people will take to measure their emotions. Although this method is a first hand account of emotions, it still includes many problems such as the imperfect relationship between emotions and words that denote emotions, and the problem of choosing which words to include on checklists or scales (Juslin and Sloboda 74). The second type of evidence is expressive behavior which is the study of peoples emotion by their facial expression, vocalizations or body language (Juslin and Sloboda 74). The difficulty with this procedure is that not all emotions are visible by expressive features. The third type of evidence used to decipher emotions is physiological kinds of measurement; this includes measuring heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension and much more. Many theorists have suggested definitions of emotions based off the previous three types of evidence. Based on a review of these definitions they proposed the following consensual definition (Kleinginna Kleinginna 1981, p. 355): Emotion is a complex set on interactions among subjective and objective factors, mediated by neural/hormonal systems, which can (a) give rise to affective experiences such as feelings of arousal, pleasure/displeasure; (b) generate cognitive processes such as perceptually relevant effects, appraisals, labeling processes; (c) activate widespread physiological adjustments to the arousing conditions; and (d) lead to behavior that is often, but not always, expressive, goal-directed and adaptive (Juslin and Sloboda 75). As seen in the previous definition, it is almost impossible to define emotions simplistically or even in one sentence. Tonality Like emotion, tonality is not an easy concept to grasp. For one, it is used in many different senses and areas of music. Also, tonality has been widely discussed amongst theorist as to what it is and its significance in Western music. One simple definition of tonality is a system for interpreting pitches or chords through their relationship to a reference pitch, dubbed the tonic. Once the tonic is established the relationship of this pitch to other pitches can be designated using scale-degree names or numbers (Huron 143). In other words, tonality is the organization of pitch. Referring to Western theorists, there are two types of tonalities: major and minor. The theory and use of major and minor tonality dominated Western culture between 1650 and 1900 (Forney 20). The tonality of a piece of music is determined by the scale used for the foundation of the music (Forney). A scale is a series of tones in ascending or descending order; may present the notes of a key (Forney A20). Because of the combination of intervals between notes in a scale, each scale has a special and unique sound. Major scales promote a feeling of happiness and cheerfulness while minor tones sound sad and dark A composer would not be likely to choose a minor key for a triumphal march, nor a major key for a lament (Forney 21). As stated earlier, the first note of the scale, the tonic, is used as a starting place Affects of Major Tonality on Human Emotions Musics effect on humans has been a hidden phenomenon for thousands of years. The emotional experience one has with music has always been enticing and misunderstood. Still, it is probably true that most people experience music-somehow, somewhere-everyday of their lives, often with an accompanying affective response of some sort (e.g. nostalgic recognition of a favourite song on the radio while driving a car, frustration directed at the music at the shops, joy while listening to an excellent performance at an evening concert, a sad mood created by the soundtrack of a late night movie) (Juslin and Sloboda 3). The goal of this section is to describe how the music from major tonalities influence human emotions. To sum up the affects of major tonality on human emotions is the results of David Hurons, author of Sweet Anticipation, experiment on the feeling evoked from listening to major scale degrees. Huron conducted his experiment by asking ten experienced Western-cultured musicians to describe the emotions they incorporate with different scale degrees from the major key. All ten musicians were given the following instructions: For each of the following scale degrees describe as best you can the distinctive quality or character of that tone. Describe how the tone makes you feel in as much detail as possible. Imagine the tones for the major key only. Please think of pitches rather than chords (Huron 144). The table below is the result of Hurons responses as displayed in his book Sweet Anticipation. Scale Tone Common Descriptors Sample Responses Tonic Stable, pleasure, home, contentment Stable, extremely satisfying, centered, foundational, solid, resolved, strong Raised tonic Strong, upward, bold Edgy, unstable, uncertain, upwardly, mobile, mildly precarious Lowered supertonic Surprise, abruptness, pause Somewhat dark, a sense of almost inevitable further descent, murky, unexpected richness, mild surprise Supertonic Solid, movement, resolve Hanging, dangling, transitory, moderate expectancy of more to come, part of a flow Raised supertonic Longing, unstable Needling, moderately harsh, jarring, unstable, off balance Mediant Bright, love, warmth, beauty Light, lifted, bright, point of many possible departures, yet also strongly restful, peaceful and calm Subdominant descending Akward, tentative, strong sense of being unfinished, Now what? no clear expectation of future, hanging feeling, would be happy to fall by half step Raised subdominant Intentional, motivated Moderately anxious, interrupted flow to dominant, somewhat curious about possibilities, fluidity, transitory Dominant Strong, muscular, balance, possibility, pleasant Strong, towering, height, sense of looking down from a tall building and being comfortable, but knowing youll eventually take to elevator back to the street level Raised dominant Leading, aspiring Leading to something, sense of implication, unfinished, leaning, mildly uncomfortable Submediant Balance, open, lightness Airy and open, temporary suspendedness, neutral, evokes mild curiosity in regard to direction Subtonic Falling, lightness, drifting downward, shifting Heavy, like walking with a limp, unexpected, open new possibilities, sheds a new light on things Leading tone Unstable, pointing, restless Sense of inevitably, highly unstable, uncomfortable, squirmy, itching, restless Hurons table provides direct and professional examples of emotions accompanied by scale degrees in the major key, now the question is what links these emotions to these particular scale degrees? Huron clusters the results into seven categories of the responses he received, certainty/ uncertainty, tendency, completion, mobility, stability, power and emotion (Huron 163). The certainty/ uncertainty category is the easiest to explain through statistical properties of music. Two scale tones were described as unexpected, surprising or abrupt- the lowered supertonic and the subtonic pitches (Huron 163). Because the supertonic and subtonic pitches appear the least out of all the scale tones the feeling of surprise or abruptness is normal. The category tendency describes the scale tones level of continuation, in other words, the tones ability to carry on with the melody or song at hand. The raised dominant and the leading tone were both described with words associated with tending or leading, -both tones that are statistically limited in their possible continuation tones (Huron 163). The completion category can also be described using statistical properties of music with relevance to the tonic and mediant pitches. Both pitches were described as restful indicating the pitches connection to the end or closure of musical phrases, allowing the listener to feel at rest or home-like. The fourth category, mobility, involves the supertonic and subtonic pitch. The supertonic was depicted as modern expectancy of more to come and the subtonic as like walking with a limp. Both pitches portray the act of moving but do not hold the same leading value as the tonic. The category of power, however, can not be easily described through the statistical properties of music. The raised tonic and dominant pitches were connected with words like jarring and harsh, creating the effect of power to the listener. The last category Huron describes is emotion. Terms like pleasure, beauty, and warmth, love, bright and pleasant are used to describe the tonic, mediant and dominant pitches. Negative hedonic terms like harsh, jarring, uncomfortable, and anxious were applied to tones such as the raised supertonic, the raised subdominant and the raised dominant (Huron 164). As made apparent from the table, positive emotions seem connected to frequently occurring tones with closure (Huron 164). A peculiar fact about tonality is that different tones can suggest different and specific emotions. Even a tone in one given context can have a completely different effect in another context. There are several factors attributed to why scale degrees in the major scale cause the listener to feel a variety of emotions, one of them being the predictability of a tone. When a tone has a high rate of predictability, the experience for the listener is more positive The most predictable tones and tone sequences tend to be experienced as the most pleasant- especially if listeners are not consciously aware of the high predictability (Huron 173). The most predictable structural feature in music is cadences. Cadences are the place of rest in a musical phrase. A cadence can either end in the middle of a melody, called an inconclusive cadence, causing the ending to feel dissonant. Meanwhile, a cadence can also end at the end of a melody, creating a consonant ending call a conclusive cadence. Music theorists have long observed that cadences tend to be organized in a stereotypical fashion. It is not simply the final note of the cadence that is predictable; the final note is often approached in a characteristic of formulaic manner (Huron 154). Cadences, however are not the only feature that increase the feeling of uncertainty Another feature is the increase in uncertainty that commonly follows after the closure point (Huron 156). So not only is there high predictability before the cadence but after as well. Listeners are more apt to forebode predictability with points of disruption or closure. Music in Silent Movies (To be changed) Silent Movies In todays movies there is barely ever a silent moment. For example, while actors are walking down the street multiple sounds can be heard: the actors dialogue, the sound of footsteps, cars screeching down the road, birds chirping, etc. There is constant noise in current movies, never allowing for one second of silence. In 1890s to the late 1920s silent films were prominent among towns and cities in the United States. Although they are called silent movies, they are far from silent. Characteristics of silent films include: little or no dialogue (if there was dialogue it was written in pamphlets and given to the audience), usually black and white, live orchestras and sometimes live narrators or actors. Because there was no recorded dialogue, silent films relied heavily on the acting of actors and the music to set the mood and tone for the film. Most actors were required to over act to be able to convey the emotions across the camera without verbal help. Actors like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Clara Bow, and Blanche Sweet were all prominent in silent films and were used to portray the emotions the audience longed for. Genres of silent films include comedies, westerns, horror, science fiction, documentaries, series, animates, epics and experimental films. Like the actors in silent films, music played an essential role in this movie era, As silent cinema developed, and especially after c.1912, music came to play a crucial role in shaping and conditioning the viewers response to moving pictures (Cooke 5). Musicians were needed to write scores for the films that would effect peoples emotions the same way words would. The music was needed to take the audience through the story emotionally, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦..music, by its very physical presence, created a sense of three-dimensionality singularly lacking in the projected image: while the film was projected from the rear of the hall to the screen at the front, so music played at the front was projected backwards over the audience and through a kind of transference or slippage between sound and image, the depth created by the sound is transferred to the flat surface image (Kalinak 1992, 44). (Cooke 6). Silent films were seen as an art form that had never been tried before. It was new technology that everyone was fascinated in learning and perfecting The silent era was a period of immense creativity, and there seems to be no end to its surprises (Brownlow XI). Silent films have been and will be longed cherished as timeless classics. Unfortunately, ninety percent of the films made during the silent era have disintegrated due to the use of nitrate film (Scorsese IX). Organizations like the National Film Registry and the Library of Congress work to preserve these movies and prevent any further losses. Charlie Chaplin As stated previously, Charlie Chaplin was a famous actor and director of silent films. Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London, England. Charlie was born into fame, both his parents being renowned vocalists and actors. Appearing in small rolls for films like The Eight Lancashire Kids and Sherlock Holmes, Chaplin began his career before the age of fourteen I went home on the bus dazed with happiness, and began to get the full realization of what happened to me. I had suddenly left behind a like of poverty and was entering a long desired dream-a dream my mother had often spoken about, had reveled in. I was to become an actor! (Chaplin 78). Chaplin continued his career through vaudeville, which brought him to the United States where in 1913 he signed with the Keystone Film Company, making thirty-five films. From 1915 on, Chaplin directed his own movies and the popularity of his baggy-trousered tramp character earned him a million-dollar contract with First National in 1917 (Cooke 27). While working under First National, Chaplin made the films Shoulder Arms in 1918, The Kid in 1921 and The Pilgrim in 1923. In his later years, Chaplin focused away from directing and dabbled in music, sports and writing. Charlie Chaplin was a self-taught musician and wrote music for many of his films, for example Sing a Song, Eternally and With You Dear in Bombay. Chaplin also authored four books: My Autobiography, My Trip Abroad, A Comedian Sees the World and My Life in Pictures. Charlie Chaplin died Christmas day in 1977 at the age of seventy-eight. Over Charlie Chaplins career he was able to convey to the audience any character he wished Chaplins range of characters was extraordinary: he could be a waiter, a down-and-outer turned cop, a hapless immigrant, a vagrant violinist, a soldier- all with equal conviction (Kobel 59). Being the chameleon that Chaplin was, he spoke to the audience through his characters; appealing to peoples emotions and desires. (More sources and information to be added) How Major Tonalitys Effect on Human Emotion is used in Chaplins Movie

Therapy, Not Punishment Essay -- Crime Consequences Essays

Therapy, Not Punishment Problems with crime have always been a concern to society. There are many different ideas about what causes it and even more ideas about how to stop it. Dr. Karl Menninger believes that our current prison system is not adequately addressing the motivation behind crime. In his article "Therapy, Not Punishment", Menninger says of the old prison system, "In its place should go a quiet, dignified, therapeutic programÉ" (544). He sets forth the claim of policy that criminals need to be treated with professional therapy. I don't think an introduction could be more clear than this. Menninger's ideas are directed toward a wide audience of generally law-abiding citizens. This article first appeared in Harper's Magazine, a general-interest magazine that provides collections of essays and fiction. The type of person who would read a magazine such as this would probably be an educated person who is interested in the affairs of the world around them. Menninger reveals his impression of the audience in his introduction, where he says, "And from these offenses the average citizen, including the reader, is deterred by quite different restraints" (537). Armed with this vision of his audience, he presents his argument in a logical, authoritative tone that invites the reader to make the inevitable conclusion that Menninger is right. Menninger begins to support his claim of policy by demonstrating the failures of the present penal system. He states, "Today it is no secret that our official, prison-threat theory of crime control is an utter failure" (537). He illustrates this assertion by pointing out that in England when pocket picking was punishable by hanging, pickpockets targeted the crowd that gathered to witness ... ... a solution to crime. This method prepares the reader well for Menninger's proposals. This logical progression through his views of the prison system is a large part of Menninger's clear, understandable tone. By keeping to his topic and remaining organized, Menninger contributes to his own credibility. He also draws credibility from his credentials and often refers to the psychiatric community as "we". Menninger wraps up his argument just as logically as it began by saying that society must make positive moves to rehabilitate criminals. His logical style and expertise provide an effective argument and reveal a well-planned solution to a serious problem.Cedric probably needed to mention that Menninger is often sarcastic and insults his opposition at least once. It is important to comment on what isn't working for a writer as well as what he does that is effective.

High Schools vs Universities Essay

Entering a university is a very important and responsible step for every teenager, and frequently it is connected with definite psychological discomfort and fears. Many high school seniors are afraid of possible difficulties and problems, which can arise in a new environment of university. This work is an attempt to examine and compare the most important differences between studying in a high school and studying in a university. The first and the most significant difference is responsibility. In high schools, teachers or parents usually remind students of their responsibilities, do the entire scheduling job and give permissions to join special activities, as well as supervise and correct students’ behaviors. However, in universities, students are supposed to be grown enough to shoulder all the responsibilities for managing own time, behaving properly and making own decisions. Another difference is organization of classes and educational process. In high schools, classes are organized for students and usually include up to 35 students. In universities, students have personal schedules and classes can include up to 100 people. In high schools, students study 30 hours a week and are provided with the textbooks, however, in universities, students study about 16 hours a week and are not provided with the textbooks. Finally, outside preparation is one more crucial difference. Typically, high school students spend less than 2 hours a week for doing their homework, which usually includes short and quite easy assignments. In universities, it is necessary to study minimum 2 hours for every 1 hour of class work, and homework includes preparing term papers and serious researches, as well as regular revising of the material. Certainly, there are a great number of other differences between universities and high schools, which include the issues of tests, grades, teaching strategies, and so on. It is unquestionable that understanding and learning more about these principal differences can be very helpful for all high school seniors for managing their fears and achieving a smoother transition.

The phrase “be like water…”

â€Å"Be like water†¦ † is a widely used but unfortunately usually misinterpreted expression. Many novices at single combat often use it trying to show that they are clued-up. And they can’t be accused of it as the phrase has an impressive sounding and in any case represents also impressive, though partial, understanding of Eastern way of thinking.Many such beginners think that this way was formed by Bruce Lee. However, a great martial arts actor and instructor just quoted the Eastern philosophy created much earlier (Wishop 2). The wrong usage of the phraseI became interested in this expression having read the case about one man who said that he wanted to learn martial arts because he wanted to â€Å"be like water†. This phrase seems interesting but its sense is very doubtful and I guess that this man understood it very superficially (Loeb 18).The question is if we can call the wish to â€Å"be like water† a feasible purpose. If to consider the strict sense of a phrase, every person who wants to ‘be like water’ should lay on the ground and try to flow like a stream, because we can’t be ‘like water† when we stand (Loeb 18).The real meaning and the cause of misunderstanding So, what does it really mean to â€Å"be like water†? It must be related to the Taoist philosophy and its idea about five equal elements. They are wood, metal, earth, fire and water. Each of them is very important and strongly connected to others (Greene 5). Possibly, the main issue in that water is usually associated with something soft. We say â€Å"want to be like water† when we want to move easily, without any obstacles.However, we forget that water has other qualities, which appear to be not so attractive. Bruce Lee stated: â€Å"water can flow, or it can crash† (Wishop 14). Unfortunately, people usually pay attention only to the first part of his statement, while it is necessary for everybody who wants to â€Å"be like water† to think about the fact that water can also be destructive (Loeb 20).Many people die and suffer because of floods every year and one usually trembles thinking of huge, destructive sea waves. ConclusionMany phrases are frequently misunderstood and misused because people are inclined to pick new words and utterances very quickly and do not ever try to find out more about their origin. That creates the misuse of the world and finally it can loose its primary meaning. It would be better if we were more scrupulous and curious about new words and phrases we use.Works Cited Wishop, James. Bruce Lee: Dynamic Becoming. Dallas: Promethean Press, 2004 Greene, Neil. Taoist philosophy. London: Oxford UP, 1996 Loeb, Martha. The Ways to Avoid Misunderstanding. New York: Nerd Press, 2003