The Legal Definition Of Crime

The Legal Definition Of Crime Explain how crime can be considered as a social construction and contrast this with legal definition of crime. Our nation, from the start, has been divided by class, race, national origin and has endured class conflicts throughout history (Zinn as cited in Welch, 2009). The purpose of this essay is to show that crime is constructed socially rather than individually. In order to do so, I will focus on describing how crime can be viewed as a product of social construction, explaining different factors contributing to the way people perceive particular behaviour as criminal as well as contrasting concept of crime being socially constructed with its legal definition. After discussing theories created by Howard Becker and Karl Marx , it will conclude that criminal behaviour and its consequences are indeed socially constructed. Reaching consensus over an appropriate term defining crime has undoubtedly been challenging for criminologists as there are no purely objective definitions; all definitions are value laden and biased to some degree (Barak, 1998, p.21). Hence, it is not an easy way to give an exact definition to something so diverse. However, the legal definition of crime suggested by Tappan (1947) is agreed by many to be the most precise and clear so far. It states that Crime is an intentional act in violation of the criminal law (statutory and case law), committed without defence or excuse, and penalized by the state as a felony or demeanour. Although, it has also met with criticism from others who believe that it is too narrow definition (Milovanovic, D.). Only harms defined as such by state are considered in Tappans theory which is also limited to those crimes legally guilty (Milovanovic, D.). It is also vital to mark that legal definition of crime not only excludes white collar crime but also fai ls to acknowledge cultural and historical context of law, such as on gambling and prostitution that may be different depending on state or nation (Henry, S. 200). Essentially an act becomes a crime when it breaks the law established by the government of particular society. Of course what accounts as crime varies depending on different cultures, laws and religions, although there are three main elements determining crime which remain consistent: harm, social agreement and their reaction. The way society responses to the particular harmful behaviour may differ depending upon the society. For example, theft conducted in UK may result in getting a warning or minor sentence, whereas in Muslim societies the same person would have his hand cut off for such an offence. Looking also from historical perspective, attitudes towards certain acts considered then as criminal have also changed as many of those are no longer viewed as crimes. Therefore it is clear that the definition of crime has un doubtedly gone through changes and most probably will continue to change. The main aspect which legal definition of crime seems failing to consider is that some behaviours are considered as crimes whilst others not. This brings us to the social construction of crime, an idea created and essentially developed by society in terms of held perceptions, morals, beliefs and values of individuals living within it. These shape the way we are such as personality, character and our roles within the society. As people are measure beings, they often judge themselves and people around them. The concept of social construction sees criminal behaviour as a mutual interpersonal activity involving actors and audiences (Henry,S.2009). Therefore, the way someone is identified and located within a scope of the society has significant consequences for the way we act towards others (Becker, 1963). Societies define crime by their own norms, believes and rules. Whereas rules, which govern everywhere, determine as well correct and incorrect behaviours within the society. „Cri minal law often mirrors a fairly extensive point that particular behaviour violates some social standards and values (murder, rubbery, etc.). However, actions considered as criminal may vary depending on different cultures, laws or religions. In short, crime is what particular society chooses it to be. Furthermore, crime is a fundamental part of deviance, theory suggested by Howard Becker. Deviance is not a quality of the act a person commits, but rather the consequence of the application by others of rules and sanctions to an offender'(Becker, 1963). It is not only a result of humans actions but also depends on the audience judging particular behaviour as negative or positive. Becker argued that deviance can be defined as a kind of behaviour which differs from the normal, rule-breaking behaviour that is unacceptable in society and depends on what people see as unacceptable. In such situation where society labelled particular person as a deviant, it often results in isolation of this person who eventually finds the only way to survive through involving in criminal activity. Most importantly, crime often arises where the obvious segregation of the rich and poor occurs. Karl Marx, on the other hand, suggested that class struggles are underlying problems in societies where the basis o f power is wealth and which as a result leads to injustice and inequality. Sheptycki (2006) says that the roots of crime lie in the social structural inequalities of wealth and power. This viewpoint perceives capitalist societies as ones which choose individual interest over social welfare. Therefore, from the social constructionist point of view, crime is a behaviour defined by powerful and privileged people with authority to make laws that recognise some acts as offensive. Once more, regarding Becker, powerless people, no matter how bad the damage they done could be, they are likely to be arrested and judged. People who hold more power create then some kinds of illusions that people at the lower levels of social hierarchy (measured on the basis of their income, education degree or even race)- are seen as dangerous to the society. It not only creates place where people are dependent on state but also discriminates people one way or another. Government, could also be an example here . It defines what crime is by choosing to outlaw some particular act. For instance, the issue with drugs which government made illegal. Money tracking laws or tax evasion fall into different category, which relates to government who creates crime for their own interests. This suggests that crimes are created by lawmakers who limit citizens freedom on the ground of their own moral standards. Taking into account all of the aforementioned factors, we can conclude that crime has inevitably been a product of social construction. Notwhistanding the fact that crime is a complex and diverse concept without one, accepted definition, what accounts as criminal varies depending on cultures, laws and religions which proves that crime is a product of social sonctruction. Definitions of crime are constructed by both cultural norms and values as well as power relations. In adition to that we socially shape the meanings of behaviours and their consequences.

Importance Of Consumer Attitude Toward Advertising In Smartphones Marketing Essay

Importance Of Consumer Attitude Toward Advertising In Smartphones Marketing Essay The exponential increase of smartphones in the last two years has created unique marketing opportunities for the advertising world. Lack of academic research in the realm of smartphones, and the fragmented and controversial results of studies in the field of conventional mobile advertising, insist on the need for further research in the field. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the consumer attitude toward smartphone advertising, in order to learn how consumers perceive smartphone advertisements. The study was conducted among the US consumers. A thorough review of academic literature on advertising in general, conventional mobile advertising and consumer perceptions to both set the foundation of this thesis. Using this foundation, a research framework of consumer attitudes in the context of smartphone advertising was, then, constructed. The results of the analyses indicate that all the attitudes of conventional mobile marketing affect smartphone advertising as well, and these attitudes differ with different kinds of advertisements. The attitudes are likely to be positive when the mobile advertiser has targeted actual needs of customers. This implies that mobile advertising should be based on service rather than selling. Moreover, the consumer attitudes toward internet advertising strongly correlate with that of smartphone advertising, which suggests the potential replicating of the online Ad-revenue model in the smartphone marketing. Emotional attachment appears to have no influence on the attitude toward smartphone advertising. Additionally, the results of the study show that incentives have a strong positive effect toward consumer behavior. Therefore, incentives must be used by marketers to gain user permission and acceptance for the advertisements. Keywords: smartphone advertising, mobile marketing, consumer behavior, attitudes, incentives, advertising, emotional attachment Introduction The recent rise in smartphones, coupled with advances in wireless information technologies, has placed users in a ubiquitous computing environment, with access to and possibility of exchange of information anywhere and anytime through these smartphones. The ability to see rich content on a smartphone and the larger extent of interactivity possible on it, coupled with GPS capabilities of smartphones, provides the marketers a potentially strong channel for advertising. However, for the advertising efforts to be rightly focused and, in turn, to succeed, knowledge of consumers perceptions towards these advertisements is essential. This research aims to study the consumer perception of advertising in smartphones, using the US consumers as the test case, drawing from academic theory on advertising in general, conventional mobile advertising and consumer perceptions to both. The reason US population is chosen is because smartphone penetration is still very low in other countries, and US has the second highest smartphone penetration in the world  [1]  , which provides a good base for research. This chapter is organized as follows: First, a background of the field of advertising that has recently focused a lot of interest on digital advertising on the internet and the mobile phones, followed by, a review of the recent popularity of smartphones and the growth of the smartphone industry. The importance of investigating the consumer attitude toward smartphone advertising is then emphasized, and the additional opportunity for advertising available on smartphones highlighted. Next, the research problem is defined and the structure of the research study is presented. 1.1. Background Traditional advertising media has undergone rapid change, as the technological developments have given rise to numerous new marketing media. Traditional media has diminished in the last few years due to inroads by online competitors. New media types, like the internet, then the mobile phone, and now recently the smartphone, have emerged, offering greater and greater possibilities of interaction with the consumers. However, in order to effectively benefit from using the mobile marketing channel, the unique characteristics of the mobile and the behavior of consumer interaction with this channel need to be understood. Another major development in the advertising industry has been the increase in empowerment of the consumers in advertisements. The wide-spread availability of the internet means that consumers can compare product offerings and prices before making a buying decision. Additionally, with increasing use of social media, they also share their experiences with others. The contemporary consumer is informed, connected and active (Prahalad 2004). Resultantly, consumers now expect the companies to do more than just delight them, which has resulted in companies advocating greater for their customers (Urban 2004). This means that companies are pushing harder with their marketing efforts, looking for channels that provide more interaction with the consumers: companies are re-inventing marketing services (Mitchell 2006). Communication options have increased in number. The internet has been used as a marketing channel for some time, but the use of mobile phone, and recently the smartphone, as marke ting mediums is still recent. 1.2. Rise of smartphones Mobile phones have increasingly become feature-rich and more sophisticated, since their explosion in popularity. The recent phones come with greater features to supplement, or even replace, other devices such as mp3/video players, digital cameras, and PDAs  [2]  . This technological advancement has given birth to the smartphone, a device that brings together the mobile phone and the PDA. Smartphones are more than mobile phones. They come packed with a diverse range of features and functionalities, which makes them a mobile information center and entertainment device for the user. They commonly include features such as a full-featured QWERTY keyboard, web browser, e-mail, multimedia capabilities, touch screen, built-in cameras, music players, Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation software and even the ability to read and edit Word, Excel and PDF format documents, making them an excellent all-in-one substitute for variety of other devices. Certain models have enough processor power to run complex software applications such as enterprise CRM software and car navigation softwares. Another feature rapidly becoming common is the instant messaging. As such, the definition of a smartphone, or what constitutes a smartphone, is constantly evolving. Mobile phones went from zero in the global population in 1982 to 3.3 billion in 2008, serving about half the worlds population (Alexandros Labrinidis, University of Pittsburgh computer science professor, Feb 2010). A growing majority of the population now expect to be nearly always connected and to be reachable almost instantly via e-mail. The smartphone is the instrument of that connectedness, both as a communications tool and as a status symbol (Lohr 2009). Smartphones have risen in popularity almost instantaneously, due mainly to the fact that they offer the ultimate in connectivity (Figure 1). They provide connectivity not just via phone communication, but are able to connect to the internet at almost any location via network internet services. This means that users never have to face the prospect of going without phone, email, or access to social networks. Smartphones represent a small, yet rapidly growing, segment of the mobile market. Smartphone sales at 17.5 million units in 2004 accounted for 3% of the worldwide sales of 684 million handsets (Kang 2010). This represents a significant jump from the 8.2 million units sold in 2003. The demand for smartphones is growing rapidly in the recent years. In Q3 2010, the number of smartphone units sold globally increased to 77 million, an increase of 78% y-o-y (n.d. 2010). The smartphone sales are forecasted to reach 350 million units in 2012 (Kang 2010), about 40% of total handset sales. By 2012, smartphones will, resultantly, outship the global notebook and global PC market (Meeker 2010). Figure 1. Global Smartphone Sales Source: McKinsey: Exploring Mobiles Digital Future: Smartphone and Access, 2012 This increase in smartphone use, coupled with advances in wireless information technologies, has placed users in a ubiquitous computing environment, with access to and possibility of exchange of information anywhere and anytime through these smartphones. The ability to see rich content on a smartphone and the larger extent of interactivity possible on it, coupled with location tracking due to phones GPS capabilities, provides the marketers an opportunity for greater interaction with the consumers, enabling them to provide better content and making the consumers more probable to view the advertisements. Smartphones offer marketers unique opportunities to influence consumers at the very moment they are considering their purchase decisions and comparing the product prices. Companies and marketers are, therefore, working harder than ever on ways to deliver product marketing and services over smartphones. The smartphones, thus, increasingly serve as both the engine and the vehicle for sha ring product information. Media and advertising executives expect more than a quarter of media time and spending to move away from traditional channels, while mobile and social media advertising are seen gaining steam (Goncalves 2009). The smartphones are becoming less and less about wireless online and highly as personal and customized medium. While the general media environment is typically full of noise and distraction, consumers report being surprisingly focused when using the mobile internet (Hutton and Rodnick 2009). This result provides an opportunity for advertisers, who are constantly competing with external distractions, to engage users in a meaningful way. 1.3. Importance of consumer attitude toward advertising in smartphones The emergence of smartphone advertising opens up a new area of research. For instance, given the increased possibility of presentation and interactivity, is this marketing medium more effective than the conventional mobile advertising media? How do consumers perceive smartphone advertisements? What factors need tobe kept in mind when designing smartphone advertisements? A better understanding of these issues is essential to the effective use of smartphone advertising. Researchers agree that investigating the behaviour of the mobile consumer is critical towards offering effective customer services and accelerating the diffusion of mobile marketing (Mort and Drennan 2002; Nohria and Leestma 2001; Carlsson and Walden 2002). For example, Carlsson and Walden (2002) suggest that the key question for mobile commerce is to find some way to assess the value of mobile applications to prospective users. This provides the motivation for this study in investigating the consumer attitude toward ad vertising in smartphones. 1.4. Research objectives Since the mobile phone is still a relatively new channel for advertising, academic research in this field has been, to a large extent, inconsistent and fragmented (Roach 2009). Leppà ¤niemi (Leppà ¤niemi, Sinisalo and Karjaluoto 2006) has divided the current mobile marketing research into three categories: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Consumer: acceptance, perception, attitude, responsiveness and effectiveness of mobile marketing à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business and Management: value chain, performance measurement, business models, branding and operations à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ General research: antecedents and consequences, legal and political factors, adoption and diffusion of mobile marketing Leppà ¤niemi notes that majority of the research has mainly dealt with the various facets of consumer behavior, with several of them dealing with consumer attitudes toward mobile marketing (e.g. Tsang et al. 2004; James 2004; Jun 2007). However, the results of these studies have been contradictory (discussed in detail in Sec 2.1.4 and Sec 2.2.8), and have been limited to SMS advertisements on conventional mobile phones. The trends in the smartphone unit sales suggest that in the next five years, about three quarters of all phones will be smartphones. With the unique marketing opportunities available in smartphones, other than just the SMS, and the background suggesting further academic research in the domain of consumer attitude towards mobile advertising, the broader purpose of this study is to deepen the understanding of the domain, looking into the specific segment of smartphones only. This study will serve as a first attempt yet to examine the consumer attitudes towards advertisements in smartphones, and is conducted by implementing an empirical research. The subject will be approached through the following primary research question: What are the underlying factors which characterize the attitudes of consumers toward mobile advertising in the domain of smartphones? The following specific questions will be used to serve as basis for addressing the primary research question: How do demographic variables influence attitude towards advertisements in smartphones? Do the factors influencing attitude toward advertising on traditional mobile phones also influence attitude toward advertising on smartphones? Does attitude toward advertising in general and attitude toward internet advertising influence the attitude toward smartphone advertising? Does the type of advertisement have an impact on the factors that influence the attitudes toward smartphone advertising? Does emotional attachment to phone impact the attitude toward advertisements? Would incentives influence consumer intention to receive advertisements? From the managerial perspective, the research will provide insight into marketing viability in smartphones. More specifically, the results of the research will enable to judge the possibilities of incorporating the different facets of the Ad-revenue model in the smartphones, and also shed light on the realities of the bet that companies like Google have put on the success of the model in the Android based smartphones. Additionally, the knowledge regarding the factors contributing to successful smartphone advertisement would help managers to fully exploit the potential of the smartphone marketing medium. 1.5. Structure of the Thesis The research will start with a literature review of the most significant research streams relevant to the research problem. Chapter 2.1 will discuss the nature of attitudes, bringing together knowledge from both social and advertising psychology. Chapter 2.2 will present the consumer viewpoint of the concept of mobile marketing. Chapter 3 will discuss the hypotheses of this thesis, and present a research framework based on it. Chapter 4 will describe the methodology used for data collection and survey construction, as well as assess the data validity and reliability, also addressing the potential biases that might arise. Chapter 5 will present the results of the various analyses, followed by conclusions in Chapter 6. Literature Review This chapter will focus on the theoretical foundation of the study. It is divided into two parts: the first part focusing on attitude toward advertising in general and the second part, specifically, on mobile advertising. The first part of the chapter will begin with an attempt to define attitudes. Next, an overview of internet based advertising will be presented. This will be followed by consumer attitude toward advertising. The second part of the literature review will then discuss the prior research specifically on mobile advertising. It will begin with the definition of the term, followed by discussion of the motivation of consumers behind the use of mobile and the emotional attachment to the device. Next the characteristics of the mobile will be presented, which validate it as a marketing channel, and interactive advertising in mobile phones will be discussed. Furthermore, permission and control in the mobile marketing context will be reviewed, and the need to provide incentives will be discussed. Additionally, academic literature regarding consumer acceptance and consumer attitudes towards the mobile advertising will be highlighted. 2.1. Academic insight on attitudes in advertising domain With different streams of advertising emerging nowadays, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stand out with a particular advertisement. The costs of marketing are getting increasingly higher, making marketers more and more concerned about the attitudes of consumers and the factors contributing to effective advertising  [3]  . In order to be able to design effective advertisements, it is, therefore, imperative to first understand advertising itself. This chapter will, therefore, begin with the literature view of attitudes. Since mobile marketing has evolved, with the rise of smartphones, to provide advertisements similar to internet based advertisements, the chapter will also provide an overview of internet based advertising. This will be followed with literature view on attitudes towards advertising in general. 2.1.1. Defining attitudes Although research on attitudes has been abundant, there is no consensus on the general definition of the concept among researchers. Eagly and Chaiken (1993) defined attitude as a psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor. Kotler (2000) stated that an attitude is a persons enduring favorable or unfavorable evaluations, emotional feelings and action tendencies toward some object or idea. Attitudes are typically derived from judgments, which everyone makes. Aakerman, et al. (2001) describe attitudes as mental states used by individuals to structure the way they perceive their environment and guide the way they respond to it. In general, attitude is a predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea,  object,  person, or situation. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] The four major components of attitude are (1) Affective: emotions or feelings, (2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously, (3) Conative: inclination for action, (4) Evaluative: positive or negative response to stimuli. (BusinessDictionary  [4]  ). Triandis (1971) also defines attitudes as consisting of the three correlated components: affect, cognition and conation. 2.1.2. Internet based advertising The rise of internet has led to the evolution of commerce into the electronic age (Maamar 2003). As surfing the World Wide Web (WWW) has become ever more popular, the internet has clearly become an important information source and an integral part of daily life (Ko et al. 2005). As such, the internet represents a huge opportunity for advertisers in terms of the potential for efficient and effective communication with customers (Faber et al. 2004). Recently, internet advertising or web advertising has become one of the first choice advertising media for anyone wanting to promote their products and services to a global audience. The basic kinds of internet advertising include e-mail advertisements, banner advertisements, pop-ups, social media and endorsements from other websites. Pop-up advertising implies that an advertisement window pops up when the user visits a webpage, forcing him to see the ad before being closed. E-mail advertisement implies sending advertisement e-mails to the users. Banner advertisement is where an advertisement is placed in a section of a webpage. And social media marketing is done by putting advertisements on the homepage of users social media profile pages, e.g. in Facebook. Internet advertising has been perceived by many consumers to be intrusive and disturbing (Li et al. 2002). Banner advertisements on the Internet were found to produce dull results, with the click-through rate as low as 0.3% (Green and Elgin 2002). 2.1.3. Attitude toward advertising in general Attitude toward an advertisement is defined as a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favorable or unfavorable manner towards an advertisement in general (MacKenzie and Lutz 1998). The general attitude toward advertising manifests itself not only through political and regulatory activities but also through the exposure of individuals to advertising, the attention they pay to it, their evaluations to specific advertisements, and their responses to those advertisements (Zhou and Zhang 2002). Brackett and Carr (2001), and James and Kover (1992), showed that the overall attitude towards advertisement had significant effect on the involvement with specific advertisements. Involvement refers to the relationship of the consumers to the advertisements encountered. (Greenwald and Leavitt 1984). James and Kover 1992, through their research, suggest that liking a particular advertisement is not enough. Instead, industry should invest efforts to help people like advertising in general. This could make all advertising more effective. The results of James and Kovers (1992) study also suggest that attitude toward advertising has no significant interaction with demographics of age, education and gender. This signifies that advertising should not be segmented on these three demographics; other variables are probably more efficient, especially the degree of involvement with the advertising. James and Kovers (1992) results indicate that attitude toward advertising in general is channel dependent, i.e. the effect of an advertisement presented to an audience depends on the chosen channel of advertising, so it should be studied channel dependently. The reason for this could be the varying extent to which the viewer can exercise control on the advertisements. So, unlike television advertising in which a commercial runs for a given time, control of time looking at print lies with the reader (James and Kover, 1992). This can be attributed to the result that consumers show more negative attitude toward television advertising compared to print. Calfee and Ringold (1994) analyzed sixty two years of survey data to find the majority view on the perceptions of advertising. The results indicated that on average 70% of consumers think that advertising is often untruthful and that it seeks to persuade people to buy things that they do not necessarily want. However, consumers still tend to find advertising as informative. Shavitt et al. (1998) report that three quarters of the respondents in their study had either positive or neutral perceptions of advertising. Coulter (2001) found similar duality in consumer opinions, with results showing that consumers can, simultaneously, hold positive as well as negative opinions about various aspects of advertising. In his study, Coulter, however, found that information and entertainment are advertisings greatest assets. The discussion above shows that consumer attitudes are, to a large extent, mixed. So, while consumers consider information and enjoyment as important antecedents of advertising, they also consider advertising as not trustworthy. 2.2. Mobile advertising As an extension of the internet environment, the high penetration of mobile phones in recent years has created a good opportunity for mobile advertising (Bauer et al. 2005; Leppà ¤niemi et al. 2006). However, the channel has not been fully embraced by the marketers, despite its cost effectiveness. This chapter will focus on mobile marketing from the consumer viewpoint, in order to study the areas that influence effective mobile advertising. The chapter will begin by defining mobile advertising, followed by discussion of the motivation of consumers behind the use of mobile and the emotional attachment to the device. Next the characteristics of the mobile will be presented, which validate it as a marketing channel, and interactive advertising in mobile phones will be discussed. Furthermore, permission and control in the mobile marketing context will be reviewed to assert the need to provide incentives in mobile marketing. Additionally, academic literature regarding consumer attitude a nd response toward the mobile advertising will be highlighted. 2.2.1. Definition At a very basic level, mobile advertisement is defined as any form of advertisement that is delivered through a mobile as the medium (Mary Mathew 2010). Mobile advertising is one of the most common forms of mobile marketing. Different from traditional advertising, which is non-personal and applicable only via mass media, mobile advertising is more individual and interactive, while informing and persuading the customer (Chowdhury, et al. 2006). Mobile advertising can, thus, be defined as the usage of interactive wireless media (such as mobile phones and pagers, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] GPS-based locators and maps) to transmit advertising messages to consumers in the form of time and location sensitive, personalized information with the overall goal to promote goods and services (Haghirian and Madlberger 2005). The high penetration rate of mobile devices among consumers has provided an opportunity for companies to utilize this means to convey advertising messages to consumers. Recently, there has been an increase in mobile marketing campaigns. Since each mobile device is used by an individual, it provides a suitable platform for delivering individual-based target marketing (Barnes and Scornavacca 2004). Therefore, mobile marketing could be the leading application of mobile commerce (Yuan and Zhang 2003). Among mobile marketing applications, the most popular format is SMS (Okazaki 2005). However, due to rise in smartphones, internet has been reinvented on the mobile devices, which as led to new forms of interactive advertising being discovered, as the internet advertising models get migrated from PCs to mobile devices. This has given rise to a broader range to mobile advertising in the form of in-search advertising to in-application placements (Laszlo 2009). However, to date these methods have not been significant (Idean 2009). 2.2.2. Consumer perception of a mobile The way consumers use their mobile phones influences how mobile advertising is perceived (Salo and Tà ¤htinen 2005). Additionally, results of Jun and Lees (2007) research indicate that consumer perception of mobile influences consumer attitudes toward mobile advertising. Understanding the motivations behind consumers use of mobile phones is, therefore, an important factor for determining the success of mobile advertising. The results of the uses and gratifications model of Leung and Wei (2000) showed that the consumers use mobile for seven distinct purposes: To look fashionable To provide affection, sociability and caring for others To relax and pass time To provide mobility and avoid queuing To provide immediate access regardless of time and location To carry out business transactions To provide security and safety in case of emergency The research stressed that as wireless technology becomes ubiquitous, there will be more freedom for consumers, in the form of mobility and immediate access anywhere, which will greatly facilitate the life of the consumers today. 2.2.3. Emotional attachment of consumers to mobile devices With the emergence of smartphones, mobile phones have now evolved into functionally sophisticated, ubiquitous and socially embedded devices. As a result, consumers now consider them indispensable and, as such, are becomingly increasingly emotionally attached (Wehmeyer 2007). Mobile phones have become mediators of expression, experience and communication of feelings and emotions. Users feel increasingly attached to their phones. This may partially be due to inherent emotional character of human communication, and may also be because mobile phones stay closer to the body. For many consumers, mobiles are an extension of themselves to the extent that removal of the device is likened to the loss of a limb (Hulme 2003). Emotional attachment is enacted in the personalization of the mobile devices. Mobile phones are not only an extension of the users own presence, but they also allow the virtual presence of those connected to the user by phone or wireless communication. As the social networking websites, like Facebook, have become increasingly popular and are now available as applications on the smartphones, the phones have become an important element in the building and maintaining of groups and communities. Users are able to act spontaneously and emotionally, whether it is spur-of-the-moment meetings, emotive text messaging or status updating on Facebook, and these attributes, in tandem with the always on facility, are crucial to the creation of emotional attachment (Kolsaker and Drakatos 2009). As such, Kolsaker and Drakatos identify four components of emotional attachment to mobile devices: the ability to strongly personalize the device, the ability to keep in touch with family and friends when on the move, the ability to manage ones private and emotional life, and the idea of feeling part of the modern world. For this study, only the first two components are used for measuring the emotional attachment, as they are considered to be most influencing, as they are cited in most research studies on emotional attachment to mobile devices. 2.2.4. Mobile phone as a marketing channel Mobile phone marketing is where internet advertising was in 1996, and now its about to really take off [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] There are already more mobile phones in use worldwide than televisions and computers put together (Nylund 2009). The mobile phone offers possibilities for a very unique consumer experience, when compared to the traditional advertising channels. Sultan and Rohm (2005) divide marketing approaches along two dimensions: 1) the degree of interactivity possible on the advertising channel and 2) the degree of location based advertising possible on the channel. According to Sultan and Rohm (2005), the mobile channel provides high interactivity as high possibility of location based advertising (figure 2.). Figure 2. A Comparison of Marketing Communication approaches (Sultan and Rohm 2005) Internet and telecommunication services are constantly evolving in order to fulfill customer satisfaction. Enriching these services with innovative approaches such as context-aware, interactive, adaptable and mobile mechanisms enables users to experience a variety of personalized services seamlessly across different platforms and technologies. Rafaelis research showed that interactivity with advertisements often leads to positive attitudes toward the advertisement (Gao, et al. 2010). Moreover, Macias (2003) results indicate that interactivity leads to better understanding of the advertisement message by the user. This suggests that advertising should become more interactive. The mobile phone offers a bi-directional and individual connection to the consumer, which makes it a highly interactive marketing channel (Park, et al. 2008). 2.2.5. Mobile interactive advertising Mobile interactive advertising is defined as advertising or marketing messages delivered to portable devices, either via a synchronized download or wirelessly over the air (Laszlo 2

A Perfect Education :: Teaching Education

A Perfect Education There are many ideas as to what constitutes an ideal education. A number of factors come together to make an ideal education. Parents have to be concerned with the education of their children. Teachers must be completely devoted to their students' educations. Students must have faith in their teachers and the education which they are receiving. Students, parents and teachers are the key elements in a model education. A good relationship among the three parties is essential to a good education. Parents are an important ingredient to the perfect education. Parents who aren't involved in their children's education only impede the efforts made by teachers and students to create a good education. These parents are oftentimes uninterested with their children's education as a whole. To achieve perfection in the educational system, parents have to take an active role in that education. Parents who don't include themselves in their children's education aren't always informed about the student's progress, aren't aware of the current curriculum, and don't have any idea of the student's strengths and weaknesses in school. An involved parent is informed and sometimes included in the decision-making process. Parents who take an active role are kept informed of the progress made by their children. The parents know the curriculum and assist the children with their nightly studies, and can discuss their children's feelings about education. Devoted teachers are extremely important to a perfect education. The teacher is just about the most important of the three parties necessary to create a model education. Teachers have the responsibility of forming good relationships with both students and parents. Teachers must also be able to effectively communicate with both parents and students in order to ensure that there are no misconceptions or confusions about the children's educations. A good teacher is aware of any special needs that certain children may have and is able to help those children adjust to the curriculum accordingly. Although it may seem obvious, teachers need to be patient and empathetic when dealing with his or her students. The vast majority of teachers already possess these qualities. Many students, however, have complained of teachers that appear to have "no time" for their students. Teachers with an unenthusiastic attitude relay a negative feeling back to their students and that can create problems in the classroom. As mentioned earlier though, people usually won't become teachers if they are uninterested in providing an excellent education to their students.

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Focal Dystonia of the Hand, And What the Brain Has To Do With It The body is complicated, and often the origins of a condition are all but obvious. Focal dystonia of the hand is one disorder whose underlying cause has been found in the more recent past. Although it can be genetic (1), the form of focal dystonia of the hand I look at here is caused by environmental factors (2). Focal dystonia of the hand is a condition characterized by a loss in motor control of one or more fingers. A single muscle or group of muscles is involved: muscles in the hand and forearm tense and tighten, with the result of making the hand (or part of it) curl (2). Musicians who have intensively practiced their instruments over a number of years are a group most affected by this condition. The reason is that focal dystonia can be caused by the repetitive movement of the fingers over a significant period of time. The condition was long known as "occupational hand cramp." (3). It can easily be misdiagnosed as simple overuse or stress of the hand (1). Although it may not be obvious at first sight of the symptoms, the level at which the problem is caused is not the hand, but the brain. Researchers at the University of Konstanz report "overlap or smearing of the homuncular organization of the representation of the digits in the primary somatosensory cortex" (3). Given that functions such as motor control cross over from the right side of the body to be represented in the left hemisphere, they found that the distance between the representations of individual fingers was smaller in the somatosensory cortex side corresponding to the hand that had undergone continued repetitious training (the left hand in case of violin players for example). What does all this mean in terms of the brain? Looking at the central nervous system as an input-output system, in very simple terms we can observe that a specific input is presented over and over again - in this case the stimulation of the fingers that play the violin - and as a result the organization within the box changes. More specifically, there is a one-to-one correspondence between input and internal representations of this input: all fingers are individually represented on the somatosensory cortex. But somehow, as these regions of representation begin to smear or overlap, the one-to-one correspondence is blurred.

Comment on the title ‘A Cup of Tea’ Essay

Plan1.Pre-writinga.Gathering information about Katherine Mansfieldb.Revising the texti.Singling out heroesii.Building a timelineiii.Depicting localesiv.Finding phrase a cup of teac.Revising the analysisi.Stylistic devicesii.SPUsiii.Text structured.Studying meaning (a theme analysis)i.How the message revealsii.What the characters learn during the storyiii.What the author feels about the characters and the conflict (Authors Modality)e.Linking the message with the title2.Writing the compositiona.Introductionb. Characters and developmentsc.Messaged.Conclusion3.Verifyinga.Lengthb.SpellingCompositionThe story is written by Katherine Mansfield a famous New Zealand writer. She is considered one of the great masters of the short-story form. Mansfield’s stories are poetic, delicate, and ironic; they are characterized by a subtle sensitivity to mood and emotion, revealing the inner conflicts her characters face and resolve. Her style much influenced by that of the Russian writer Anton Chekhov, in turn had great influence on later short-story writing. From the first lines we get acquainted with the protagonist of the story Rosemary Fell and her husband. The author describes her family and Rosemarys lifestyle: They were rich, really rich, not just comfortably well off. The family is one which is called from the top drawer. The next key character the reader encounters is a young beggar girl from the Curzon Street. In contrast with Rosemary the girl is without a penny to her name. She is the one to mention the key phrase for the first time. Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea? Rosemary is extremely surprised by the absence of money. How extraordinary! To Rosemary it looks such an adventure like something from an imaginary book. And she asks the girl â€Å"Come home to tea with me.†So here we can trace that a cup of tea is the first thing from which the adventure begins. In fact, they meet each other because of the girls intense desire to have money for the price of a cup of tea. So a cup of tea plays key role in the plot it allows the two women meet each other. And Rosemary invites her using convention of tea drinking as a pretext. Come home with me now in my car and have tea. After the meal with tea Miss Smith transforms into something undeniable attractive. When the tea-table was carried away a new being, a light, frail creature with tangled hair, dark lips, deep, lighted eyes†¦ Then Philip appears, he knows his wife well and clearly sees what this is all about. He plays on his wifes jealousy and makes this mischievous adventure stop. The author tries to underline the gap between the rich and the poor. The authors modality shows that theres nothing kind in this irregular adventure which began upon the pretext of having a cup of tea. To break social standards is thrilling when you read about it in books but it wont do in real life. As a result, the a cup of tea adventure leads to Rosemarys inner conflict she asks herself whether Philip thinks she is pretty or he is so dazzled by the beggar girl. To crown it all, the title a cup of tea corresponds to the main developments of the story. Its is like a universal symbol which helps to unite the key occurrences and make the plot look natural. Bibliography 1.http://www.studyguide.org/mansfield_cup_of_tea.htm2.Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. 3.http://www.ingilish.com/stylisticanalysis.htm4.English by Correspondance Vesnik D.A. Moscow, 1976

Many Epic Heroes Struggle to Return Home

The following essay is a comparison analysis of the circumstances of the exile and return of the main characters from The Odyssey, Genesis 4 and Ramayana. The three men differ in motivation but are all led by a spiritual power. Odysseus is a complex main character. The king is not only a brave, intelligent warrior who is highly respected by the gods and mortals, but he has obvious negative qualities; making it difficult at times for the reader to sympathize with him. Odysseus’ complex character and poor judgment causes him to partake in dangerous adventures; prolonging his return. One example is when he sails to Ismarus and battles the Cicones. Once chased back to sea; Odysseus arrogantly announced his name to Polyphemus as he sailed away. This announcement creates another battle for his life; once Polyphemus identifies Odysseus as the man who took his sight to his father Poseidon and a plan for revenge on Odysseus is made. Odysseus did not however have to establish himself as a hero. He was considered a hero before leaving for Troy. It was not the desire to be a hero that drove him to his many adventures and battles; it was victory which motivated Odysseus. Cain, unlike Odysseus, is not perceived as a hero. He is responsible for his fate of exile when he takes the life of his brother and lies about the murder to God. Cain is not considered noble or heroic for his choices in life. In contrast, in Ramayana, Rama can be perceived as a noble man. Rama does not question his father’s order of banishment. Rama lives according to his Dharma, which is evident through his actions. An example of his noble actions is when his step-brother Bharata finds out about his mothers sinister acts which led to Rama’s banishment and Bharata becoming king. When Bharata approaches Rama in the woods, Rama refuses to go back to the kingdom and claim his rightful thrown, because it would be against his father’s orders. Odysseus while heroic would not be considered noble because of his deceitful and selfish ways. Self-righteousness, thievery and dishonesty caused Odysseus to continuously engage in dangerous adventures. Rama was not flawed in character and did not put himself or his companions in harms way due to selfish behavior; he was an honest and selfless man. The return of both Odysseus and Rama are similar; unlike their exile. Both men return to their kingdom to successfully carry out their rule. Their homecoming differs however; Odysseus returns with vengeance, asserting his authority; killing the suitors who had caused so much grief in his absence. Odysseus’ exile and return are influenced heavily by the gods. Once reunited with his father, the suitors’ families come for revenge. It is only with the influence of Athena that civil war does not break out. Rama’s return is a more joyous and celebrated return. He returns to become the rightful king and has a successful rule, where the people of his kingdom are very pleased. All three stories, Ramayana, The Odyssey and Genesis 4 involve divine intervention and spiritual influence. The lives of the three main characters, Odysseus, Rama and Cain are influenced by a higher power. The gods are heavily involved in the events taken place in The Odyssey; especially Athena. Rama lives his life before, during and after exile according to his Dharma and Cain is in a spiritual exile from God and prosperity. Selfishness and deceitfulness are similar characteristics in both Cain and Odysseus. Cain lies to God when asked of the whereabouts of his brother. Odysseus lies continuously throughout The Odyssey. Both men are responsible for their exile, with the exception of Odysseus’ original reason for leaving his kingdom; the war in Troy. Rama is not responsible for his exile however; it is his step-mother who demands his banishment. All three men struggle to return to their homes. Odysseus’ struggle is primarily physical; he has many battles to be won before returning home. His character does not, for the most part, grow emotionally. Rama, while following his Dharma, struggles emotionally with the disappearance of Sita and does have some physical battles with the rakshasas during his exile. Cain’s struggle is spiritual; after being exiled by God, he is forced to live destitute, with barren land and without God’s grace. In conclusion, Odysseus, Cain and Rama all differ in character; it is only Rama that continues to act righteously during exile while the other two men act in self-righteousness; causing their predicaments. They all however seek to be home; Odysseus and Rama seek their kingdoms and Cain seeks the good graces of God. References Mack, M., Knox, B., McGalliard, J.C., Pasinetti, P.M., Hugo, H.E., Spacks, P.M., Wellek, R., Douglas, K. and Lawall, S. (1992). World Masterpieces. The Norton Anthology. (6th ed., vol. 1). Norton & Co., New York. Ramayana Summary. (n.d.). Retrieved May 19, 2007 Â   Â   Â   Â   Â  

Importance of Reading Essay

On many of the other pages of advice on this site I have emphasized how important reading is as far as learning English is concerned. However, there is a further, very important reason why ESL students should try to develop their reading skills: Educational researchers have found that there is a strong correlation between reading and academic success. * In other words, a student who is a good reader is more likely to do well in school and pass exams than a student who is a weak reader. Good readers can understand the individual sentences and the organizational structure of a piece of writing. They can comprehend ideas, follow arguments, and detect implications. They know most of the words in the text already, but they can also determine the meaning of many of the unfamiliar words from the context – failing this, they can use their dictionary effectively to do so. In summary, good readers can extract from the writing what is important for the particular task they are employed in. And they can do it quickly! Educational researchers have also found a strong correlation between reading and vocabulary knowledge. In other words, students who have a large vocabulary are usually good readers. This is not very surprising, since the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to read extensively, and if you read extensively you are likely to be or become a good reader! So if you want your child to be successful at school encourage him or her to read. Reading non-fiction in English is probably the most important, but English fiction and any reading in the mother tongue – if done extensively – will help your child develop the reading competence that is essential for academic achievement. The graphic below illustrates the interdependence of vocabulary, reading ability and academic success. Source: http://esl. fis. edu/parents/advice/read. htm Reading enables the mind to think over objects of interest, which enable a person in making informed decisions, its food for the soul, for it nourishes the human intellect in probing things deeper, analyzing things, and provide guidance to people, to instances they have not yet been exposed to life. You see and remember new words and are given examples of how they are used, expands vocabulary. Why Is Reading Important? 1. Reading is fundamental to function in today’s society. There are many adults who cannot read well enough to understand the instructions on a medicine bottle. That is a scary thought – especially for their children. Filling out applications becomes impossible without help. Reading road or warning signs is difficult. Even following a map becomes a chore. Day-to-day activities that many people take for granted become a source of frustration, anger and fear. 2. Reading is a vital skill in finding a good job. Many well-paying jobs require reading as a part of job performance. There are reports and memos which must be read and responded to. Poor reading skills increases the amount of time it takes to absorb and react in the workplace. A person is limited in what they can accomplish without good reading and comprehension skills. 3. Reading is important because it develops the mind. The mind is a muscle. It needs exercise. Understanding the written word is one way the mind grows in its ability. Reading helps children [and adults] focus on what someone else is communicating.