What is the main difference between Aristotle's account of virtue and Essay

What is the main difference between Aristotle's account of virtue and Socrates' account of virtue Who has the more plausible view - Essay Example In this way, Aristotle has accepted the Socrate’s account of virtue as related to courage but he is differentiated from Socrates to the following point: courage, which, in the form of knowledge, is for Socrates the basis of virtue (Kahn 1998, p.85), is considered for Aristotle just an element of virtue; the latter, in accordance with Aristotle, is likely to be influenced from other elements and values, such as eudaimonia (Klosko 2006). The differences regarding the views of Socrates and Aristotle on virtue are analytically presented below; explanations are given, as possible by referring to the relevant texts. Also, suggestions are made regarding the potential limitation of the distance between the views of Socrates and Aristotle on virtue and its elements. The key difference between Aristotle’s account of virtue and Socrates’ account of virtue is highlighted in the study of Achtenberg (2002); in accordance with the above researchers, Socrates emphasized on virtue as knowledge, while Aristotle considered virtue as related to the behavioural characteristics of each individual; in the context of Aristotle’s account of virtue, virtue is an element of human behaviour which requires the emotional development of the person involved (Achtenberg 2002, p.24). From this point of view, minors cannot have virtue – at least not in its full form – since their emotional development is still in progress. The importance of knowledge as a criterion for virtue has been the key characteristic of Socrates’ account of virtue. Curren (2000) noted that Plato accepted the view of Socrates that ‘wisdom is a key element of virtue’ (Curren 2000, p.48). It is on this basis that the suggestions of Plato on education have been based. Taking into consideration the fact that virtue can be taught, as Socrates supported, Plato developed the framework

Valencia and Tales of the City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Valencia and Tales of the City - Essay Example Valencia and Tales of the City Lassister and say that I won’t be in on Monday† (Goupil and Josh 122), she tells her mother, indicating the impulsive nature of her decision. In Valencia, Michelle Tea is also impulsive, and self indulgent, especially with her job choices and quits many of her jobs then hops onto other jobs. She moves in confusion from one job to another. She falls in love with a succession of girls, going onto the next one as soon as she left the earlier girlfriend. At one point, she even turns to prostitution just for the fun of it. She attends gay marches and parties with regular abandon, usually at the slightest encouragement. Michelle also cannot keep a job and quits jobs at a moment’s notice. Both Mary-Ann Singleton and Michelle Tea have eccentric friends. Mary Ann has an eccentric collection of friends. Mona who describes herself as a fag hag helps her get a job. Mona’s best pal is a gay man called Mouse, who also becomes her friend and is in constant search for love in gay bars. Another of her acquaintances is her landlady Mrs. Madrigal whose past is as mysterious as her eccentric behavior and marijuana growing obsession. Her boss is Edgar Halcyon, whose miserable daughter is married to an adulterous man, Beauchamp. Beauchamp has an affair with Mrs. Madrigal. Norman, a vitamin hawking nerd, takes care of his pal’s young daughter and Mary befriends him, as he seems more left field than she is. Michelle Tea has similar eccentric friends. Petra is a revelation to Tea’s thrilling side as she is a knife brandishing bossy girl, who is a lesbian. Willa is depressive and refuses to strip her clothes of even when they are caught in the moment’s passion. Iris, on the other hand, is described is a scrumptious girl from Georgia who Michelle falls head over heels for before realizing that she is not what she had first deciphered of her. Michelle Tea and Mary-Ann Singleton both have dramatic relationships with girlfriends and family. Te a was in love with Iris, and all was going well for them. When she meets Willa, she tries to sleep with her despite the fact that she loves Iris and that she knew Willa deeply loved Ashley. When Laurel came in to the picture with claiming that she loved Iris, this made the main character confused with the situation. The main character had to get drunk to muster the necessary courage to tell Iris that they had to break up since Laurel was a friend to the main character; the main character is sacrificing her love for Iris for her friendship with Laurel. However, this does not go according to plan since the main character is moved by the love that Iris has for her, she cried her heart out to the main character telling her that she liked her and wanted to continue going out with her. â€Å"Laurel is in love with you. She’s my friend. What? Iris looked seriously confused. She had just started smoking again and pulled an American spirit from a mangled blue pack. But I don’t want not to go out with you, she said. I like you so much. Maybe she was crying now too, I like you more than anything.† When Laurel heard of this, she gave the main character a big shrug that signified her disgust at her. Laurel had a stable and responsible job working for a software company that was located in Berkeley while the main character was a poet (Goupil and Josh 124). Mary Ann Singleton’s relationships are no less dramatic. However, unlike Michele, she does not engage in errant sexual relationships with her acquaintances. She instead tries to get to know them better and

Business law class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business law class - Essay Example On the other hand, if the patient’s condition was not critical, the doctor could have considered the postponement of the surgery for a while. So before declaring the doctor as a culprit we need to know the exact condition of the patient before the surgery. On the other hand the ECR manufacturer certainly deserves punishment. There is no doubt about the crime committed by the ECR manufacturer. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility that to ensure the quality of their product before introducing it to the market. If the users of a product suffer injuries or damages due to a product, they have every right to sue against the product manufacturer. In my opinion, the nursing staff, and the anaesthesiologist have nothing to do with this problem. Nursing staffs normally work as per the instructions of the doctor. If the doctor asks them to do something they should obey it. For example if the doctor asks the nurses to inject certain medicine to a patient, they should do it. Same way, if the doctor asks them to use an instrument they should use it and the doctor is the responsible person if any problem occurs. Anaesthesiologist is also not responsible for the above problem. The duty of the Anaesthesiologist is related to the anaesthesia given to the patient. If the patient develops any problems due to overdose or under dose of anaesthesia, Anaesthesiologist needs to take responsibility for that. But in this case, no such incidents were reported and the anaesthesiologist cannot be sued by the patient. On the other hand the patient can consider suing against the hospital authorities or management also. Hospital management is responsible for the damages caused to a patient by the defective equipments. It is the duty of the hospital management to purchase better quality products and to keep all of them in proper shape. In

Balancing Work, School, and Family Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Balancing Work, School, and Family Life - Essay Example Human capital is fundamental for high productivity levels, stable personal relationships and successful educational pursuits. Reconciliation of work, education and family obligations is becoming a challenge to numerous persons and hindering substantial progress in each of these sectors (Mettler, 2007). The effective integration of these functions requires strategic planning that will enable allocation of ample time to each segment. Occupation and family constitute a chief part of women’s lives, and a considerable number of them are opting to forego the maternal route and solely focus on their careers. This paper examines the challenges of effectively integrating work, family and educational obligations and analyzes strategies to overcome the imbalance. Challenges of Balancing Work, School, and Family Life Work and educational and family responsibilities are not easily compatible especially if one is demanding significantly more time than the other. The urgency to generate suff icient income through undertaking more courses and the yearning to endow one’s children with utmost concern do not have to be equally exclusive. Numerous organizations and individuals perceive this as an escalating societal challenge that can affect the productivity of their employees. One of the challenges of this balancing act is increased workload; in instances where an employee’s job specification entails numerous responsibilities, it will be difficult to allocate time to indulge in family functions. The employee is bound to direct effort to their professions, and this can harm the child development. The absence of personal attention to the child during his/her development can influence that child to seek that attention elsewhere (Mettler, 2007). The likelihood of this child partaking in devious endeavors is high since the parents are not close to monitor his activities. In addition, in the contemporary societal arrangement women are increasingly becoming career or iented. Their ambition contradicts their former roles that were to manage the domestic duties including nurturing children to a level of self-sufficiency. The alterations of these responsibilities are due to economic conditions and shifting of societal perceptions that women need to match up to their male compatriots. There is a rise in the employment rates of women illustrating that this is a growing trend. Numerous women who are committed to extreme occupations tend to refer their children to daycare centre’s relieving themselves of the liability of monitoring the child’s actions (Mettler, 2007). The delegation of their parental responsibilities can haves serious implications for the family cohesion. Secondly, the current society advocates for high educational and professional threshold that individuals must attain. This increases the pressure to fulfill the necessities of these two obligations. Organizations nowadays engage in numerous transactions that require the employees to dedicate themselves wholly to their occupations to avoid impending discrepancies that can occur. For a learning employee, prolonged hours in a workplace can impede his performance in educational exams (Mettler, 2007). The insufficient attention to academic work and parental obligations initiate constraints, which impede the productivity of the employee. Moreover, these three obligations

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Example for Free

Ethics and Corporate Responsibility in the Workplace and the World Essay Abstract This paper will examine the ethics of a pharmaceutical company by the name of PharmaCARE. Stakeholders will be discussed, and the treatment of rank and file workers versus executives will be analyzed. Also the proposed firing of three of PharmaCare’s workers will be debated. Additionally obligations, protection, and whistleblowing opportunities will be examined on behalf of Allen a manager for the company. PharmaCARE’s environmental initiatives will be assessed and compared to their efforts to stop environmental laws and regulations. The Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ( CERCLA) will be reviewed, and all provisions which apply to the PharmaCARE scenario will be discussed. PharmaCARE is one of the world’s most successful pharmaceutical companies. It has a reputation for producing high quality products that saved millions of lives, and enhance the quality of millions of others. The company sponsors a program that offers free and discounted medication to low income customers. PharmaCARE has many stakeholders. Stakeholders being any one or group owning a significant percentage of a company shares, or a person or group not owning shares in an enterprise but affected by or having interest in its operation.(W.Dictionary) Having established the definition of a stakeholder, one can concur that PharmaCARE has plenty. When identifying the company’s stakeholders the first that come to mind are the investors, shareholders and employees, without these people the company would cease to exist. The secondary stakeholders are the customers, suppliers, communities, clinics, hospitals, and doctors’ offices, all of these groups have an interest or wil l be affected by the operations of PharmaCARE. Established in New Jersey, PharmaCARE owns a substantial manufacturing facility in the African nation of Colberia. The natives of the land are extremely poor and maintain the lowest standard of living. PharmaCARE employs the natives, paying them a measly one dollar a day salary to gather plants and carry up to fifty pounds five miles. The company executives that run the facility on the other hand live in a luxury compound provided by the company. PharmaCARE’s practice of paying people to work for a dollar a day is totally utilitarian. They are getting cheap labor and destroying the land of the natives without even trying to provide a structure to help the people out of poverty, or provide equipment or facilities to help them replenish their land. PharmaCARE is morally corrupt, they have no sense of community when it comes to their bottom line. The executive of PharmaCARE are paid sizable salaries and are treated well. They are provided with facilities that contain all the amen ities. The lower ranking employees are treated as expendables. They are expected to work in unsafe conditions without complaint, or risk the chance of being fired. They are in some cases paid a salary so miniscule that it can be interpreted as modern day slavery. On the surface PharmaCARE looks to be an ethically sound company but when closely evaluated it is utilitarianism at its worst. Allen Jones a manager for the company was appointed to lead a new division created by PharmaCARE called CompCARE. The subsidiary was a way for PharmaCARE to avoid FDA scrutiny concerning the reformulation and selling of their top selling diabetes drug. The company quickly established CompCARE and did a low cost renovation to an office located close to headquarter. The new formulation of the drug was successful for treating Alzheimer and the success of CompCARE grew. As production and working hours increased employees began to fall ill. An employee brought to Allen’s attention that there was mold on the air vents, after contacting his supervisor Allen was told to ignore the fact. An EE by the name of Donna who previously had perfect attendance became so ill that she could no longer report to work because of the mold. So she eventually filed for workers compensation. Tom one of Allen’s best supervisor threaten to file a complaint with OSHA about the air quality at the fac ility because it was so bad. Lastly an EE named Ayesha filed an EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) complaint  inferring that she had been looked over for a promotion because she was Muslim. Allen discussed the EE issues with his boss and was told to fire them all. Firing the EEs would not be the best decision for Allen, he has to consider the legal ramifications of his actions. Legally, Allen cannot fire Donna for filing for workers compensation, an EE is protected by law from retaliation for filing a claim. Donna had excellent work evaluations prior to her illness, Allen would have to provide sufficient evidence that firing her was not due to the filing of a workers comp claim. Firing Donna would surely bring an employment discrimination lawsuit against PharmaCARE, it would be wise for Allen to convince his boss to take care of the mold problem in the facility it would save the company money in the long run. Terminating Tom would also bring litigations against PharmaCARE, Tom could allege that he was wrongfully discharged, because he complained about his unsafe working conditions and threaten to inform OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Commission). Under the Wrongful Discharge from Employment Act one cannot be terminated for reporting a violation of public policy or not for good cause once a probationary period is completed. Tom was Allen’s best supervisor, terminating him would be illegal. Allen needs to persuade his boss to remedy the mold problem at the facility, he needs to explain to him that it is in the best interest of the company. Lastly Allen could legally fire Ayesha, not because of her filing a complaint with EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunities Commission) but for not being able to substantiate the claim. Under the Employment-at- Will Act he can terminate her unless some type of contractual terms are stated or implied in the employer’s handbook. Allen’s managerial status puts him in a unique position, he has direct contact with the executives and daily interactions with the lower level EE. Allen is faced with legal and ethical issues, Allen has been told to allow workers to remain in a hazardous work environment. The air quality of the workplace is dangerous to the health of any one working in the environment. As a manager he has an ethical and legal duty to report the conditions of his jobsite to first his superiors, then to OSHA if no measures are taken to correct the problem. Allen’s boss has made it clear that nothing will be done about the air pollution, so reporting this problem to OSHA would  benefit Allen legally. As a manager Allen was made aware of the problem by an employee, if the employee decides to contact OSHA and inform them that they reported this problem to him he may be fired later for not taking steps to remedy the problem. Once you submit a complaint to OSHA your company cannot retaliate against you, this will protect Allen from getting fired and having legal action taken against him. Allen reporting to OSHA is his best option, his job will be protected and he would have done the right thing for the employees. PharmaCARE had recently announced its â€Å"We Care about Your World† initiative. They started recycling, and made packaging changes, these steps made them seem community friendly. Even as they took on these green initiatives, they lobbied to block environmental efforts that would benefit the greater good of the people. Also they entered poor villages and exploited the people and the land to their benefit with no moral gauge. It seems that PharmaCARE is promoting an image of environmental stewardship when they are actually ethically corrupt. They are misleading the community with their behind the scenes practices. If PharmaCARE is going to portray themselves as an environmentally friendly company than they should assume the responsibility of initiating a green program in all aspects of their productions within reason. Communities will support a company that they believe to care about the interest of the greater good and not just profit. PharmaCARE is jeopardizing their image w ith these unethical practices and if made public the company could possibly suffer an economic loss. Comprehensive Environment Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) also known as Superfund, was enacted by Congress in 1980. This law created a tax on the chemical and petroleum industries and provided broad Federal authority to respond directly to releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances that may endanger public health or the environment. The law authorized the EPA to identify companies or individuals responsible for hazardous waste contamination and require them to clean it up. If no party could be found responsible for the contamination then money from the superfund would be used for the cleanup. On October 17, 1986 CERCLA was amended to include more detailed provisions to better the process of  enforcing maintaining and cleaning contamination sites. They include increasing State involvement in every phase of the Superfund program, requiring Superfund actions to consider the standards and requirements found in other State and Federal environmental laws and regulations, and stressing the importance of permanent remedies and innovative treatment technologies in cleaning up hazardous waste sites. There are eleven provisions in all, they were added to give the states more authority in the matters of environmental protection, and bring awareness to the actual dangers to human health from hazardous waste. Provisions relating to PharmaCARE are the right to have safe and toxic free working conditions and the power of the state to enforce clean up, also the random site inspections. References Stakeholders. (n.d.) Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved August 11, 2013, from Dictionary.com website OSHA: complying with workplace health and safety laws. (2013). Retrieved from www.nolo.com SARA Overview. (2013). Retrieved from www.epa.gov/superfund/policy Halbert, T., Ingulli, E. (2012). The duty of loyalty. In M. Staudt M. Stranz (Eds.), Laws and ethics in the business environment (7th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning

I Had a Job I Liked Once by Guy Vanderhaeghe Essay Example for Free

I Had a Job I Liked Once by Guy Vanderhaeghe Essay Guy Vanderhaegh takes us back a few decades in the retelling of a court case in small town, Saskatchewan in the play, â€Å"I Had a Job I liked. Once. † Using elements of style, staging and developing characters throughout the play Vanderhaegh portrays to the audience the theme of the biases and prejudices that come with living in a small town. The story is set in small town Saskatchewan in a police station office, on the night of August of 1957. Corporal Heasman has brought in Les Grant on the account of accused rape Tracy Tolbertson, and the play follows the questioning of Sergeant Finestad to Les, who retells his involvement with Tracy, the daughter of Mr. Tolbertson, the local crown attorney. The story has many sub conflicts; the tension between Finestad and Tolbertson being a main one. Tolbertson wants his daughter’s accused rapist behind bars, but Finestad wants to get the whole story instead of just listening to Tolbertson. Then there is the conflict of Finestad with himself; for years he has followed the law and stuck to the book, but in this case he is having a hard time sticking to the black and white because he feels that there is more to the story. All these sub conflicts underlie to the main conflict of the prejudices and biases that come from living in a small town, and the difficulties that come with dealing with that. These conflicts all lead up to the climax where Finestand goes against Tolbertson and against the prejudices of the town and lets Les Grant go, without charging him. Vanderhaegh does a very good job of developing the characters in this play. We are first introduced to Sergeant Finestad who has a very strong character-he likes being charged and doesn’t do well with being told what to do. Finestad undergoes a very big character change through the course of this play. At the beginning, Finestad is very strict to the law, strict to the rules. As he says to Heasman before Les is brought in to be questioned, â€Å"Nothing about police work is personal. We follow the law, Tom. We’re the keepers of the rules. If we don’t keep them, what right do we have to enforce them? † This comes after he writes on the chalk board in big bold letters â€Å"NOT PERSONAL†. Through questioning Les Grant and learning his story, we see him change at the end where he lets Les go, not charging him and saying, â€Å"something broke down tonight, Tom. Either the book, or me. † He realized that he couldn’t charge Les just based on what it says in the book. The other character who undergoes change in the story is Les. Les comes from a very rough family, and has had some challenges throughout his life, but he has stayed a good, hardworking kid. He now works at the town swimming pool in the pump room, which is where he is changed. At the pool Les is bullied very badly- every day when he gets to work there is something new written about him or his mother on the bathroom walls, which he has to clean up. He puts up with this for so long until he finally can’t do it anymore and snaps, which is when he allegedly raped Tracy. Les is then judged because of his family background, and almost found guilty just based on the prejudices against him. There are other characters that help to contribute to the conflict as well. Corporal Heasman who works with Finestad is constantly against him, wanting Les to be charged to make Mr. Tolbertson happy. Mr. Tolbertson, as Finestad describes him, â€Å"likes to win, so the rules get ignored or ben. The law’s a game. † He doesn’t bother with protocol, but is just used to getting what he wants, in this case being Les being charged. He is a hard nut who always gets his way and orders everyone around, especially his wife and Tracy. Because of this, Tracy rebels and brings out her anger making other people feel bad, such as Les Grant. All these characters come together into forming the main conflict. Guy Vanderhaeghe broaches a theme that can be very relatable to people growing up in small towns. After Finestad releases Les Grant, he explains to Heasman the reason. He recalls a poem from his grade three teacher that has the lines â€Å"Tyger! Tyger! Burning bright/In the forests of the night. † He always asks himself, â€Å"Who made the tiger? Who made the tiger? † He then goes on to say, â€Å"Who made Les Grant? They did. And who made that girl? More of the same. Poor, sorry, fucked up tigers. And you and me-we’re supposed to play tiger tamer. After they’ve used their teeth. I might have been up to the game-once, but all of a sudden it seems too complicated for rules-for me. † This is where the main theme of small town prejudices is revealed, and how there’s more to people that what meets the eye. Society judges people based on their first impressions of what they see and what they’ve heard about them. The question â€Å"Who made the tiger? † refers to the events and families in people’s past that shape who that young person becomes. Tracy’s dad was very strict and hard on her, which makes her rebel, leading her to writing the cruel things about Les on the wall. Les has had to deal with his rough family life growing up which automatically causes people to judge him. Heasman describes them as a â€Å"Bad bunch, the Grants. † Les has also been bullied for such a long time that it causes him to act out. He is good kid, but all these outside influences came into making him make a bad decision. As he explained to Finestad, â€Å"Taking it from them for as long as I remember, that gave me the right. † He believed that he had the right to do that to Tracy because he has had so many things happen to him in the past. This play deals with the prejudices society has against people and how that shapes them into who they are. Guy Vanderhaegh’s use of styling really emphasizes many things in the play, whether it be through the use of different language, symbolism or repetition. Finestad’s injured back is one symbol of his relationship with Les. When Finestad hurts his back, he asks for Les to help him and says, â€Å"Don’t let them see me like this. Please don’t give me away. † He is humiliated and Les helps him, keeping his promise. At the end of the story, the tables are turned and Les is now the one who needs help. Les is asking Finestad to not lay a charge. He says, â€Å"Don’t’ give me away to them. That’s what you asked when your back went out. That’s what you asked me. † His back symbolizes the debt he owed to Les. The Tiger in Finestad’s poem also symbolizes Les Grant and Tracy Tolbertson, who had many things contributing into making who they are and resulting in the actions they did. Vanderhaegh also uses Tolbertson’s appearances as a way to contribute to the rising action of the play, leading right up to the climax. At first Tolbertson is just mentioned when Heasman and Finestad are talking about them, then he calls and Finestad ignores him, and finally he shows up trying to threaten Finestad. In all three â€Å"appearances†, Finestad put Mr. Tolbertson down leading right up to the climax where he completely opposes Mr. Tolbertson and does not charge Les. The repetition of acknowledging the statute book also emphasizes Finestad’s character change. He went from following it’s  every word to forgetting about it and going against it at the end. The staging also helps in contributing to creating the mood of the play. The whole play takes place in the one office at the police station with no scene change. This set is very basic, which makes you focus on the characters and their actions instead of their surroundings. The lighting used helps to create the atmosphere for the memories Les has, such as it creating a â€Å"lattice-work effect to suggest a grill† at the pool, or the dimming of the lights suggesting a soft summer night on the day Les picks up Tracy. Instead of scene changes, characters enter and exit the scene giving the impression of a new location. Even in memories, Tracy actually enters the office as Les is describing the memory so as to give the audience a better understanding of what happened. The use of different sounds, such as splashing at a swimming pool or music in a car helps create the atmosphere as well. At the end of scenes, the characters do not leave, rather the lights blackout. The scene is different, but they are still in the same place. This gives you a sense of mood change to the scene. Finestad never leaves the office until the very end of the play, where he turns the office light off, walks out and the curtain comes down, giving you the sense of finality. Many things have to come together in a play to get the main message across. With Guy Vanderhaegh’s effective use of styling, staging and character building he efficiently gets across to the audience the idea that with small towns come prejudices and biases, and that before making judgments you need to understand a person’s background and circumstances to get the whole story. â€Å"I Had a Job I Liked. Once. † is an interesting play with a good message to take home.

Consumer Buying Behaviour In Textile Retailing

Consumer Buying Behaviour In Textile Retailing Consumer behaviour is a complicated and diverse area of study. Since marketing is based on identifying, anticipating and providing customer needs it is important to understand them. There are two predominant types of buying: consumer buying, which consists of buying products for personal use, and organisational buying, which involves buying for organisational purposes. Consumer buying behaviour is defined as the buying behaviour of final consumers, individuals and households who purchase goods and services for personal consumption (Kotler et. al., 2001, pg. 858). Purpose of choosing this topic: For a marketer to satisfy customer needs efficiently and lucratively, understanding consumer behaviour is essential. Research into consumer behaviour allows the marketer to create target groups of people with common interests, values, beliefs and patterns of behaviour which will be discussed further in this proposal. Once a market segment has been identified, marketers can research the target market more thoroughly and the marketing mix, product, price, promotion and place can be adjusted to ensure the product position is correct. 2.0 Objective This dissertation will identify the main factors influencing consumer behaviour patterns, particularly in textile retailing. It will examine how buyer characteristics influence buyer behaviour and also how retailers react to such characteristics. In particular this proposal will look at the cultural factors, demographic factors and psychological factors that influence consumer buying. Also, it will investigate on different types of buying behaviour that helps to find how and why consumers make their purchase decisions. It is vital to note that the purchase of a particular product does not always derive the same type of decision making behaviour (East, 1997: 19). For example, an affluent businessman who enjoys collecting cars may not undergo complex buying behaviour as opposed to an average earning salesman who is buying a car for transportation purposes. 3.0 Method In order to achieve the objectives stated above, the research will utilise online survey and will consider the scope to which: Online community members share their views on buying; The sharing of pre-buying experience differs from the sharing of post-buying experience; Comments made by third party and direct contact through an online community affect buying pattern; Comments received on different company websites affect buying pattern. Also, the research will utilise online database: Mintel and Emerald, and published material: books, articles on newspaper, magazines, or journals. Feasibility There is no purpose at this stage to employ any company information for preparing the dissertation. The author wants to ensure if he needs permission from the online community to approach individuals to take part in the survey. Participants will be at liberty to withdraw from the survey at any moment of time. 5.0 To what extend the existing published material meets the proposal The dissertation intends to explore the knowledge of types and elements of buying behaviour that influence consumer buying behaviour such as cultural factors, demographic factors and psychological factors. This will significantly assist the marketers to invade the competitive market and come out with fruitful wings. Complex buying behaviour Dissonance-reducing buying behaviour Habitual buying behaviour Variety-seeking buying behaviourFigure A: High Involvement Low Involvement Significant differences between brands Few differences between brands Figure A shows the relationship between different types of consumer buying behaviour with the level of consumer involvement and the degrees of differences between brands. The level of involvement in a purchasing a product is related to the importance of the purchase, the risks involved and the type of cognitive processing that is generated (East, 1997: 19). It helps the marketer to keep a better hold on the competing market. Culture affects consumer behaviour in a variety of ways. It relates to customs and beliefs that are learned from the society in which an individual grows up. Aspects of our socio-culture, such as sub-culture, social class and reference groups play different roles in influencing consumers. A common pattern of behaviour can be observed within groups. Cultural change occurs at a very slow pace and can be seen to marketers as threats or opportunities. Cultural elements that influence consumer behaviour can also be said to be environmental influences. A reference group is one that the individual tends to use as the anchor point for evaluating his/her own beliefs and attitudes (American Marketing Association, 2004). Sub-culture plays an important part to marketers because of their influence on brands and types of product and services demanded by their members (Chisnall, 1975, p.98). Mintel (2003) reports that an emerging youth sub-culture, in which extreme sports is the focal point. He estimates that consumers spent  £4.5 billion on extreme sports goods in 2003, an increase of 29% on 1998. (See appendix 1, figure 3) Demographic elements (ref Fig.7 appendix.3) can significantly affect consumer behaviour. As an individuals stage of life progresses, so will the needs and wants of a product. To help marketers make a clearer distinction between demographic groups for market segmentation classification bases have been developed. A Classification of Residential Neighbourhoods (ACORN) is a popular geo-demographic technique used as a segmentation base. ACORN maps geographically the concentrations of a particular type of individual and can be useful for helping marketers decide upon store locations and targeting direct mailing (Beaumont, 1989). Lansing, J and Morgan, J (1955) have devised a popular and successful break down of the life cycle of families to successfully target a market. Each stage influences consumer behaviour in a different way (see table1 appendix2). Mintel (2001) reports that the greatest time of expenditure for women in the AB social grade are during the bachelor stage where 56% of women spent more than  £500 on clothes in a year. However, during the newly married couples, full nest 1 and full nest 2 periods the percentage of women that spends  £500 a year on clothes decreases to 35%. This percentage increases at the empty nest stage to 46%. (See appendix 3, figure 6) Psychological factors are related to perceptions, motivations, attitudes and personality of a consumer so it crucial to know how life patterns influence purchasing decisions. Psychographics are usually based on demographic information as well as ratings of consumers activities, interests and opinions (Williams, K, 1981, pg.91). Lifestyles and patterns have strong influences on consumer behaviour. Figure 7 (see appendix. 3) illustrates the main factors that form a lifestyle. Perception and motivation relates to an individuals interpretation of a product and company. Maslow recognises that people with intensive needs can be motivated to purchase the goods if identified properly (Lancaster, G, Massingham, L, and Ashford, R, 2002, pg. 80). With this, marketer can convey good brand awareness. The subject of personality is a very complicated area. There are many variables that reflect a comprehensive view of a personality. This makes it difficult for marketers to understand the link personality has with consumer behaviour (Williams, K, 1981, pg.133) 6.0 Timescale Milestone Task Due date Remarks 1 Stage 1: Area of interest identified 24 March 10 Completed 2 Stage 2: Specific topic selected 24 March 10 Completed 3 Stage 3: Topic refined to develop dissertation proposal 6 April 10 Completed 4 Stage 4: Proposal written and submitted 22 April 10 Completed 5 Stage 5: Collection of data and information 30 June 10 6 Stage 6: Analysis and interpretation of collected data 10 July 10 7 Stage 7: Writing up 31 July 10 8 Stage 8: Final draft prepared submission of dissertation 31 Aug 10 9 Final Deadline of dissertation 17 Sept 10 7.0 Bibliography American Marketing Association (2004). 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Plummer, J (1974) The Concept and Application of Life Style Segmentation The Journal of Marketing. Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 33-37. American Marketing Association Williams, T (2002). Social Class Influences on Purchase Evaluation Criteria. Emerald, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Volume 19, Number 3. Available from: http://titania.emeraldinsight.com/vl=7203230/cl=70/nw=1/fm=html/rpsv/cw/mcb/07363761/v19n3/s5/p249 [Accessed: 3rd April 2010] 8.0 Appendices 8.1 Appendix 1 Figure 3: Consumer spending on extreme sports goods, 1998-2003 (Source: Sports Industry Research Centre/Sports Industries Federation/Mintel)  £m Index  £m at 1998 prices* Index 1998 3,470 100 3,470 100 1999 3,560 103 3,331 96 2000 4,107 118 3,227 93 2001 4,048 117 3,158 91 2002 4,319 124 3,088 89 2003 (est) 4,476 129 3,054 88 Figure 4: PDI, consumer expenditure and savings, 1998-2007 (Source: National Statistics 2002/Mintel) It demonstrates that between 1998 and 2003 while levels of disposable income have increased by 21%, consumer spending has increased by 22%. PDI at 1998 prices Index Consumer expenditure at 1998 prices Index Savings Index  £bn  £bn  £bn 1998 592.74 100 557.35 100 35.39 100 1999 614.50 104 582.90 105 32.80 93 2000 639.80 108 612.25 110 28.09 79 2001 676.08 114 638.52 115 40.02 113 2002 697.58 118 665.05 119 37.20 105 2003 (est) 715.02 121 681.01 122 56.52 160 2004 (fore) 732.18 124 697.36 125 62.86 178 2005 (proj) 749.02 126 715.49 128 68.16 193 2006 (proj) 768.50 130 734.09 132 73.86 209 2007 (proj) 787.71 133 753.91 135 76.75 217 8.1 Appendix 2 Figure 5: Socio-economic classification as defined by the National Readership Survey (Chisnall, P, 1975, pg.114). Social grade Social status Head of households occupation Approximate percentage of families A Upper middle class Higher managerial, administrative or professional 3 B Middle class Intermediate managerial, administrative or professional 10 C1 Lower middle class Supervisory or clerical and junior managerial, administrative or professional 24 C2 Skilled working class Skilled manual workers 30 D Working class Semi and unskilled manual workers 25 E Those at the lowest levels of subsistence State pensioners or widows (no other earner), casual or lowest-grade workers 8 Table 1: Life cycle stage (Lansing, J and Morgan, J, 1955) Stage Category 1 Bachelor stage young single people 2 Newly married couples young, no children 3 The full nest 1 young married couple with dependent children 4 The full nest 2 older married couples with dependent children 5 The empty nest older married couples with no children living with them 6 The solitary survivor older single people.