Coucelling for Divorce in Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Coucelling for Divorce in Marriage - Essay Example e affords scripture, (b) the authority he or she affords religious leaders, and (c) the identification of the counsellor with the religious group of reference. All clients can tolerate only limited differences from their own important values. If value differences are too great, clients may terminate counselling intervention. Probably, the clients evaluation of the counsellor on these three religious value dimensions has more effect on choice of counsellor or continuation after an initial interview than it has on the long-term satisfaction of the client after the client has made a considerable investment of time and money in counselling intervention. The Christian approach to marriage counselling intervention that advocated by the counsellors is not merely hearing confession --nor is it preaching or studying the Bible. It is not spiritual direction, which involves guided reflection about Christian living--nor is it spiritual guidance, which involves advice and direct suggestion. It is marriage counselling intervention, as is secular marriage counselling intervention. As such, like any marriage counselling intervention, it involves the assumption that basic counselling skills will be employed consonant with the personality style of the counsellor and the needs of the client. Approach to marriage counselling assumes that counsellors may employ techniques that originated in the Christian traditions when they are consonant with the personality and beliefs of the counsellor and the needs of the client and when they are deemed to contribute to the goals of marital therapy. Generally, the counsellor will not initiate a challenge to the clients Christian beliefs unless such a challenge is otherwise clinically advisable (e.g., obsessive or intrusive thoughts, compulsive religious behaviour, psychotic thinking of religious content, and the like). In all cases, good clinical judgment is presumed--as in any theory. It is to be believed that people are created in the image of

Management and Organisational Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management and Organisational Learning - Essay Example Organisational leaders are designers, stewards and teachers and are responsible for building organisations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models (Senge 1990). Senge’s concept of learning organisation also described it as, â€Å"organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people continually learn how to learn together,† (cited in Robbins et al 2003). From the above definitions, it can be noted that there is a strong correlation between the ideas of the major proponents of this concept. Both of them talk about learning in an organisation with an aim of transforming that particular organisation in order to have positive growth. For instance, in this particular case, the different levels of Senge’s concept include the following, individual level which is characterised by mental models and personal mastery then group level which is followed by organisational level which is made up of systems thinking and shared vision. Senge argues that learning organisations are innovations based on gradual convergence of all five disciplines. Learning to learn is about creativity and innovation, which is about creating positive change rather than adapting to change. This structure bears testimony that learning in an organisation is seen as something that is carefully designed with the aim of achieving particular goals. According to this definition, learning is no longer restricted to individual experience but has become teamwork which requires new and innovative ways of learning and managing performance improvement. It can thus be seen that exchange of information is central to the process of learning organisation where it should be encouraged and nurtured for positive results in improving performance. In

Identify the main reasons behind the phenomenal success of Facebook Essay

Identify the main reasons behind the phenomenal success of Facebook. Evaluate whether the rapid growth of the last decade can be sustained - Essay Example The site has recorded tremendous growth since its inception, and this is owed to various factors as will be discussed in this paper. The success of Facebook mainly lies on the fact that the company has endeavored to improve the products it offers so that they meet the requirements of users (Walter, 2013). At first, the company did not dwell on making profits, but with the increased dependency of people on Facebook for various purposes it started making profits from advertising and selling data that was exchanged through the site. Facebook has developed to be one of the most popular sites since its inception in 2004 and continues to gather a following to the present day. Being the largest social media site, Facebook was started as a theory in 2003 by Zuckerberg, a Harvard student and was known as Facemash.com., at that time (Phillips, 2007). The site allowed Zuckerberg’s classmates to visit the site and compare how attractive people were, but was criticized and it did not become a success then. However, in 2004 mark launched the Facebook and within a day more than 1200 Harvard students had signed up and created a profile. In no time, word spread around, and the founders of the site saw it necessarily to open the site to other universities in the states. As at august 2005, the site was bought for 200,000$ and was now referred to as faceboo.com (Phillips, 2007). High schools in the United States were now allowed to create profiles and as at September the same year, it began to be known all over the world with the united kingdom universities being the first to know about the site after the united states. As word spread all over the world about the site, the network grew beyond being only used in schools but was now accessible to anybody who wanted to join and had an email address. The fact that the site was free to join made it easy for it to grow as more features were added to it to make user friendly. It made profits through

Management and Organisational Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management and Organisational Learning - Essay Example Organisational leaders are designers, stewards and teachers and are responsible for building organisations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve shared mental models (Senge 1990). Senge’s concept of learning organisation also described it as, â€Å"organisations where people continually expand their capacity to create the results they truly desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people continually learn how to learn together,† (cited in Robbins et al 2003). From the above definitions, it can be noted that there is a strong correlation between the ideas of the major proponents of this concept. Both of them talk about learning in an organisation with an aim of transforming that particular organisation in order to have positive growth. For instance, in this particular case, the different levels of Senge’s concept include the following, individual level which is characterised by mental models and personal mastery then group level which is followed by organisational level which is made up of systems thinking and shared vision. Senge argues that learning organisations are innovations based on gradual convergence of all five disciplines. Learning to learn is about creativity and innovation, which is about creating positive change rather than adapting to change. This structure bears testimony that learning in an organisation is seen as something that is carefully designed with the aim of achieving particular goals. According to this definition, learning is no longer restricted to individual experience but has become teamwork which requires new and innovative ways of learning and managing performance improvement. It can thus be seen that exchange of information is central to the process of learning organisation where it should be encouraged and nurtured for positive results in improving performance. In

Migratory Behavior of Mallard Ducks Essay Example for Free

Migratory Behavior of Mallard Ducks Essay There are four fundamental decisions that most animals make when it comes to mechanisms of adaptation: where to live, how to gather food, how to avoid predators, and what tactics to use to reproduce (Alcock, 1993). Habitat preferences in animals require satisfying their needs (ignoring or actively avoiding others, nutritional needs to perform growth, development and reproduction) at the same time experiencing higher fitness than those unable to settle in the favored habitat. There were also several hypothesis presented which correlates habitat preference and fitness. The seasonal dispersion of some animals like ducks is a costly business in terms of energetic expenses and risk to exposure to predators. On the other hand, considering dispersal cost, animals that do not respond to dispersion pay the price of deterioration due to the inability to adapt to the prevailing ecological conditions. Considering the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis (Ralls et. al, 1979), on ducks in particular, Mallard ducks may have migrated then for the purpose of expanding their genetic pool by interbreeding with Anas rubipes a close relative of the Anas playrynhos. The costly dispersal of Mallards may have been to avoid inbreeding depression primary of which is to circumvent the expression of damaging recessive alleles resulting from the mating of two closely related mates of the same species. This further correlates with the mate competition hypothesis (Moore and Ali, 1984), which states that males tend to fight against one another for mates therefore looser find it more energy efficient to seek closely related species to which they may successfully mate. When mating season is over, male disperses to avoid their daughters when these female become sexually mature. Animals engage into energetically exhaustive activity trying to complete the course of their journey to attain its fundamental goals. As the animal arrives to its destination, the issue of territoriality always comes to mind whenever a new species is introduced into a new environment and every time the visitor interacts with the native. While other animals ignore or tolerate the presence of a new species in its territory, others are extraordinarily aggressive in defending their territory from intruders. Territoriality among animals contributes to reproductive successes or failure to the contrary which further leads to interspecific competition. If suitable breeding sites really are short of supply, then one should be able to find non-territorial, non-breeding, individuals in populations of territorial animals. If this is so, the niche similarity of the visitors to the native may introduce interspecific competition with the available supplies. Territoriality may also influence the reproductive success of these visitors as it was found by Dhondt and Schillemans (1983). Territorial animals may invade the nesting sites of migratory birds which may lead to decreased viability and clutch. The ability of birds to fly and survive various environmental conditions has led to their development over time. Seasonal migration of mallard ducks (Anas platyrynchos) has been one of the intriguing aspects of its behavior. This behavior has been influenced mainly by several factors such as foraging (Heitmeyer, 2006), competition (Mc Auley, et al. , 2004), reproductive behaviors (Hill, 1984) which also includes the preservation of nesting sites, and interbreeding (Brodsky, 1989) and seasonal weather conditions (Ridgill, et al. , 1990 in D. Hill, 1992, Whyte Bolen, 1984, Poiani Johnson, 1991). Statement of the Problem From previous articles, it has been reported that Mallard ducks are reoccupying old territories throughout the United States and Canada (Talent, et. al. , 1983). From this observation, it can be inferred that various ecological changes in both habitat and inhabitants may take place. Since mallard ducks in this regard are annual visitors in these habitats, the temporary habitation of previous and new territories may significantly affect native animal species. With the combined hypothesis that Mallard ducks migrate from previously occupied territories due to overlapping conditions which may occupy new territories due to insufficiency of the previous, the study will assess the behavioral patterns of Mallard ducks towards returning to previous foraging territories and establishing new foraging regions (migratory routes) outside of their original habitats, specifically the study will address four major areas of concern. 1. What behavior of the Anas playrynchos determines the suitability of a habitat to be considered sufficient which helps it decide to inhabit previous foraging territories and new regions outside of their original habitats? 2. What behavioral mechanism will the Anas platyrynchos exhibit upon visiting a previous foraging territory and new regions outside of their original habitats if a highly territorial organisms was encountered upon landing? 3. What general behavioral model applies during the interaction of two closely related species (Anas rubipes and Anas platyrynchos) occupying the same niche in terms of: a. Reproductive tactics b. Foraging preferences c. Territoriality 4. What chances that the introduction of less territorial animal may cause significant adaptive stress (competitive stress) to a more territorial species? Hypotheses It is hypothesized that there is no significant differences in the previously reported behavioral mechanisms in Anas platyrynchos that helps it determine to decide on its habitat preferences. Alternatively, Anas platyrynchos establishes new migratory routes due to impending factors such as avoidance of predators, seasonal weather conditions, reproductive tactics and foraging preferences. Else, Anas platyrynchos establishes new migratory route or return to previous foraging areas due to certain conditions such as habitat destruction, scarcity of supplies needed to reproduce, and extreme territoriality between natives and migrants. Experimental Design In order to test these hypotheses, the study will be divided into two phases: the in vivo phase and in vitro phase. At the in vitro phase, groups of experimental populations of Mallard ducks will be placed in a study area which will allow observation of significant behavioral patterns relevant to foraging, reproductive tactics/quality such as mate preference, clutch size, egg size and viability, and interspecific competition. Two species of closely related species of ducks the Anas rubipes (native, will be allowed to acclimatize until such time that they one or two reproductive cycles have been achieved) and Anas platyrynchos (introduced species, will be introduced only after the native have been acclimatized well) will be situated in the same habitat which will be observed for close interaction. Behavioral patterns on mate preferences and competitive exclusion will be observed by on-site observation using a hidden observation platform. Foraging preferences will be looked upon by collection and analysis of droppings from both species. Geographical invasion of feeding territories will be looked upon by assigning quadrat areas which will be initially determined by the territorial preferences of both species of ducks. Territoriality will be measured by the number of times the more aggressive native will disturb the nesting sites of the migrants and the instance that the migrant will be driven away from a specific foraging site. Specific effects of such behavior will be measured by performing initial and final biometry of the two species of ducks. Decrease in biometric qualities from both adult and eggs would mean the inability to adapt into such competitive behavior. Possible effects of migrant foraging on native non-avian species will also be observed by recording the feeding activity of non-avian species living along the vicinity which might directly contribute to the promotion or disruption of the food chain brought about by the introduction of a new consumer. To observe the habitat preference of ducks with is natural behavior in its intact natural behavior, the in vivo phase will be done. Radio satellite transceivers will be wing banded on representative Anas platyrynchos through catch and tag method (including the alpha male) that are about to engage into seasonal journey to trace their possible destinations and stop-over. The result will be compared to previous annual migration data (20 years in succession or more depending on the available information) to establish a pattern supporting the behavioral mechanism that the ducks employ in selecting a habitat which sooth their preference. On site visitation of previously reported migration destinations will be surveyed to confirm habitation of previously occupied regions. Ecological evaluation and mapping of visited areas (stop-over and final destination) will be done and compared with other visited areas for specific pattern. Thorough monitoring of migration paths via remote sensing will be followed to confirm if ever there is a change in the migratory route. Conclusions will be based on the assessment of significant differences between the previously reported data and the novel information. Summary All in all, birds may move to various locations for survival. If the prevailing conditions decrease fitness, migratory ducks may move to different locations to continue to find food, reproduce and avoid predation. When the conditions increase fitness, these ducks will then return to their natal site where they will breed and raise their young. It may be that physical conditions and forces that govern the earth’s magnetic poles, hormonal changes, changing weather patterns or other various factors contribute to the birds urge to migrate to their seasonal habitats. For the purpose of this paper, the most important factor to be considered are the consequences to native animals belonging in the same niche brought about by abrupt or gradual changes in migratory routes and the resulting occupation of new or old territories. In the evolutionary perspective, animals are able to adapt into their environment mainly by employing specific behavioral mechanisms that would enable them to perfectly cope. At the event that an animal fails to establish equilibrium with its environment, serious complications arise. The study will better establish significant behavioral patterns in Mallard ducks which enable to blend in and adapt in variable habitats. Such adaptive behavior may serve as a key towards preserving animal species that are in danger of extinction simply because the adaptive behavior is not appropriate for survival. References Cited Alcock, John. 1993. Animal Behavior: an evolutionary approach, 5th ed. Sinauer Associates, USA. 279-379. Dhondt A. A. , and J. Schillemans. 1983. Reproductive success of the great tit in relation to its territorial status. Animal Behavior 31:902-912. Heitmeyer, M. E. 2006. The Importance of Winter Floods to Mallards in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Journal of Wildlife Management. Vol. 70, No. 1. pp. 101-110. Hill, David. 1992. Cold Weather Movements of Waterfowls in Western Europe. The Journal of Animal Ecology, Vol. 61, No. 1. Feb. , pp. 238-239. Hill, D. A. 1984. Population Regulation in the Mallard (Anas platyrynchos). Journal of Animal Ecology. 53. pp. 191-202. Mc Auley, D. G. , et. al. 2004. Dynamic use of wetlands by black Mallards: Evidence Against Competitive Exclusion. Wildlife Society Bulletin. Vol. 32. , No. 2. pp. 465-473. Poiani, K. A. , Johnson, W. C. 1991. Global Warming and Prairie Wetlands. BioScience, Vol. 41, No. 9. Oct. pp. 611-618. Talent, L. G. , et. al. 1983. Survival of Mallard Broods in South-Central North Dakota. The Condor, Vol. 85, No. 1. Feb. , 1983, pp. 74-78. Whyte, R. J. , and Bolen, E. G. 1984. Impact of Winter Stress on Mallards Body Composition. The Condor, Vol. 86, No. 4. pp. 477-482. Moore, J. , and R. Ali. 1984. Are dispersal and inbreeding avoidance related? Animal behavior 32:94-112. Ralls, K. , et. al. 1979. Inbreeding and juvenile mortality in small populations of ungulates. Science 206: 1101-1103.

Coca Cola Drinks In A Time Of Economic Difficulty Business Essay

Coca Cola Drinks In A Time Of Economic Difficulty Business Essay Always Coca-Cola! This slogan was used in 2003 by the Coca-Cola Company, but years later it still resounds. Despite, the continuous changing of consumers needs, wants and lifestyles, economic down-turns and increasing competition in the marketplace, Coca-Cola has managed to always take first place as the worlds most valuable brand, since 2001. (Interbrand Best Global Brand Surveys, 2001-2010) This report is intended to explain and analyse why the sales of Trademark Coca-Cola drinks, namely Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola Light/Diet Coke were all immune to the economic recession. The analysis will be within a consumer behaviour scope. Inevitably, the relationship of consumer behaviour to other disciplines will be seen. First, there will be a brief history on Coca-Cola and a review of its performance over the last 4 years. Subsequently, the Consumers Buying Decision Making Process in relation to Coca-Cola drinks will be discussed. Then, there will be an examination of how input factors from the Buying Decision-Making Process Model such as, the companys marketing mix and individual factors such as attitudes might have influenced consumers behaviour in the buying process and enabled Coca-Cola to be successful throughout the years, even during the recession. Additionally, the influence of reference groups would be discussed as it is purported to be another attribute to the brands success during the recession. It is worthy to note that, according to the National Bureau of Economics Research the recession started in December 2007 in the US. However, countries could have experienced a recession at different times (imf.org). Therefore, the study is based on 2007-2010 time period. 2.1 Coca-Colas History and Performance Review When carbonated water is added to a syrup made from Coca leaf extracts, Cola nut, sugar and citric acid, the refreshing Coca-Cola drink is produced. Its name was derived by combining its two main ingredients Coca and Cola. The Coca-Cola formula was concocted by a passionate physician and chemist named Dr. John Stith Pemberton in 1886. Dr. Pembertons goal was to invent the ultimate medicine and tasty drink all into one. (Business Heroes, 1998) Therefore, Coca-Cola was initially marketed as a valuable brain tonic and a cure for all nervous affections such as headaches, neuralgia, hysteria as well as a delicious, refreshing and invigorating beverage(curezone.com). Although, some ingredients have been added or removed to enhance the drink but not to change the taste too much, up to this day it is not certain if the Coca-Cola Company still includes Coca leaf extracts. The Coca-Cola drink was sold for 5 cents a glass and only an average of 9 glasses of Coca-Cola were sold daily in the 1880s. Many years later, the Coca-Cola Company produces gallons of syrup daily and nearly 1.6 billion times a day, people around the world enjoy one of our beverages (Coca-Cola Annual report, 2008). The concentrates and syrups that are manufactured are then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers in more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola has become a multi-million dollar profit-making company and has been able to continue that trend even during challenging economic times. Although according, Brian Morgan, Beverages Industry Analyst, global value sales had declined in the soft-drinks market (Euromonitor blog, 2010). Coca-Cola was affected insignificantly by the global decline and this was reflected in its financial reports. The Coca-Cola Companys consolidated Net Operating Income before Interest and Taxes (NIBIT) had increased from $7,252m in 2007 to $8, 446m in 2008. However, there was a 2.5% decline in (NIBIT) from 2008-2009. The impact of the decline was insignificant because of the companys well balanced portfolio, well-known brand and innovative strategies. Another indicator that the company was doing well during the recession was the steady increase in cash dividends payments. The cash dividend payments to shareholders in 2007, 2008, and 2009 were $1.36, $1.52, $1.64 respectively (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2009). The sales of Trademark Coca-Cola, which includes Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke/ Coca-Cola light, are what fuel our business (Coca-Cola Annual report 2009, p.16). Trademark Coca-Cola has seen volume unit growth in 2009 for many of its markets around the world including Vietnam (27%), India (25%), Pakistan (18%) and Nigeria (11%) to name a few (Coca-Cola Annual report, 2009). Solid performance has been reported for Coca-Cola in its 2010 third quarter and year-to-date company report. As at the ending of October, Operating Net Revenues had increased by 5%. Moreover, the worldwide unit case volume had increased 5%. This volume growth was led by the brand Coca-Cola (Coca-Cola Year-to-Date report, 2010). Please see Appendix 1 2 for more indicators of the Coca-Cola Companys resilience to the 2007-2010 economic down-turn. 3.0 Discussion and Analysis 3.1 Routinised Response Behaviour Researchers have identified three main levels of consumer decision making. They are extensive problem solving, limited problem solving and routinised response behaviour levels (Schiffman et al 2007, p.526).Consumers would have engaged in a routinised response behaviour level with regards to Coca-Cola drinks. This is because the trademark brand has been in the beverage market for years and so consumers would have had experience with it and other brands. Also, consumers would have established a set of criteria well enough to evaluate the Coca-Cola brand against other brands (Schiffman et al, 2007). Additionally, due to the low-involvement of consumers in purchasing Coca-Cola drinks, consumers are able to make quick decisions and they would have then relied heavily on heuristics, its prices, packaging and their familiarity with the brand. This would then have led to people purchasing Coca-Cola out of habit and in some cases automatic purchases. Therefore, it can be argued that because of the difficulty in breaking their habitual purchases and the little thought that goes into buying Coca-Cola drinks, consumers continued to buy Coca-Cola during the recession which made Coca-Cola immune. 3.2 Effective Marketing Mix Another reason why Coca-Cola was resilient to the recession could have been because of the companys effective marketing mix. The Coca-Cola Company has been able to build its brand throughout the years by using the right blend of marketing mix for the Trademark Cola-Cola drinks. Coca-Colas marketing mix efforts will now be discussed. Product Some people argue that the taste of Coca-Cola makes it very popular and gives it a competitive advantage. Moreover, people have demonstrated their love for the taste in different ways. One well-known incident was when consumers rejected the new formula of Coca-Cola, the New Coke. The company was compelled to bring back the original taste of Coca-Cola (Fortune, 1985). Coca-Colas trademark is its product name Coca-Cola in a unique white script against a bright red background. This assists customers to easily identify the brand in groceries, shops and advertisements. The Coca-Cola drink is packaged in aluminium cans, glass and plastic bottles in a range of sizes; 2L, 1.25L, 500ml and 330ml. Although variations have been made to the shape of the glass and plastic bottles, The contour bottle remains the signature shape of Coca-Cola today and was chosen for its attractive appearance and original design (Coca-Cola Heritage Timeline, 1905-1918). Price Coca-Cola is priced slightly higher to the prices of non-popular cola brands such as store brands but the same to main competitor, Pepsi. For instance, in England the price for a 2L bottle of Coca-Cola and Pepsi is  £1.66 while a 2L ASDA store brand cola is  £0.47 (asda.com). During 2007-2010 the price of Coca-Cola was increased for some regions like North-America due to increase commodity costs for the bottlers and to other recessionary pressures. (Coca-Cola Company Annual Report, 2008 p.47) Promotions Advertising Coca-Cola makes large investments in promotions and advertising. Advertising costs for 2006, 2007 and 2008 has been $2.6b, $2.8b and $3.0b respectively (Coca-Cola annual report, 2008). In 2007 there were promotions in Europe for Rugby World-cup and for the Christmas holidays (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2007). There were many point-of-sale promotions world-wide in 2008. Loyalty programs that enable customers to receive free rewards and prizes by collecting points became very popular in 2009. For instance, the North-American market has the my coke rewards and the European market has the coke zone websites particularly set up for these promotional programmes (Coca-Cola Annual Review, 2009). Coca-Colas creative, colourful, animated and high imagery advertisements become many peoples favourite. Indeed, some of Coca-Cola advertisements have won several awards such as the Golden Award of Montreux, 2007 (Gold Medal) and CLIO Awards, 2007 (Gold) Animation (adforum.com). Place/ Distribution Channels Coca-Cola uses an intensive distribution strategy. Customers can easily access Coca-Cola drinks at their convenience through groceries, shops, malls, vendor machines, universities, work offices, bars and restaurants. Coca-Cola works closely with all constituents of the supply chain to ensure that the distribution process is efficient and effective (coca-cola.com). Additionally, Coca-Cola has even been endorsed by many restaurants including Mc Donalds and other businesses, where a formal agreement is made between the two parties to only sell Coca-Cola drinks. With the Consumer Decision Making Model that was produced by Schiffman et al (2007) in mind, consider this example. When consumers who drink Coca-Cola became thirsty or were out of stock of Coca-Cola at home, a need was recognised which is the first stage of the Process component of the model. The consumers would have then entered the information search stage and would have first drawn on past experiences they had with Coca-Cola drinks before using external sources of information from the Input component of the model, such as the companys marketing communications and socio-cultural influences. Because of Coca-Colas effective marketing mix efforts in the past, the customer would have most likely had good memories and experiences with the drinks. Also, Coca-Colas marketing efforts during the time of the consumers decision making would have played a big role in influencing consumers decisions. As a result, when consumers entered the Output stage, their decision was to re-purchase Coca-C ola. Coca-Cola marketing mix was effective because of its strong impact on the consumers decision making process. Another reason why Coca-Colas marketing mix was effective because it catered for the individual factors of consumers and this made the marketing mix more influential on individual decision making processes of consumers. For instance, Coca-Colas loyalty reward promotions would have appealed to those customers who like to be rewarded for their commitment or the sales promotions for those who were always seeking bargains. The changing of shapes of the bottles and the creative and high imagery advertisements, especially the one ones with the polar bears drinking Coca-Cola, would have appealed to those emotional and impulsive consumers. Also, by getting many businesses to only sell Coca-Cola drinks would have trapped those consumers who do not normally purchase Coca-Cola. The fact that most people would have had less disposable income might have made these marketing tactics more influential on their actual Decision Making Process because peoples need for rewards and stimulation to buy Coc a-Cola and not switch to a cheaper brand would have been greater. 3.3 Commitment to Attitudes It is believed that peoples high level of commitment to their favourable Attitudes towards Coca-Cola drinks was another reason that caused people to continue to purchase Coca-Cola drinks during the recession. Attitude is a persons learned predisposition, tendency to respond to an object in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way (Allport 1935, cited in Professor Jiang 2010 Lecture 5 slides). In relation to Coca-Cola drinks this means that, people were not born with the attitudes that they have towards Coca-Cola. Instead they learned about Coca-Cola from their direct experiences with the drinks, from other peoples opinions and from the companys marketing mix. They used these factors to develop an overall evaluation of Coca-Cola and in so doing formed favourable attitudes towards the drinks. Consequently, people were then motivated by their attitudes to purchase Coca-Cola drinks (Schiffman et al 2007, p.238). The psychologist, Daniel Katz, purported that attitudes exist because they serve a function for the person (Solomon et al 2010, p.275). The function could be a Utilitarian, Value-expressive, Ego-defensive or Knowledge function. For instance, people who like the taste of the Coca-Cola drinks and who derives pleasure from it would have an attitude that serves the Utilitarian function. Value-expressive attitudes would be seen in those people who drink Diet Coke because it may convey that they are dieting and watching their figure to others (social identity) or because they personally believe its the healthier choice of drink (personal values). Coca-Colas efforts to provide more factual and meaningful nutritional information on their packaging would form attitudes that serve the knowledge function in those people who need such information in selecting products. Attitudes change when it no longer gives satisfaction to its related need state (Katz, 1960 p.177). Coca-Colas marketing mix efforts has been consistently satisfying the needs of consumers and so consumers became committed to their attitudes towards Coca-Cola. For example, Coca-Colas total quality management systems ensure that every bottle on the production line tastes the same so that peoples Utilitarian function would always be satisfied. There have been misperceptions and rumours of Coca-Cola drinks including soft-drinks cause Kidney stones or Coca-Cola can be used as household cleaners. In order to provide clarity and consistency for individuals with knowledge function needs, Coca-Cola posted responses on its website to these rumours. Moreover, the company had spent $9m to promote active healthy lifestyle programs in 2008 (coca-cola.com). This also illustrates Coca-Cola satisfying the needs of consumers which would then lead to consumers becoming highly committed to their attitudes. According to Katz (1960) attitudes consist of affective or feelings and cognitive or belief components. Attitudes can be related to behaviour which makes it a third component. Another consequence of Coca-Colas efforts consistently satisfying consumers needs was that it strengthened the affective component of consumers attitudes and reinforced the beliefs they had towards Coca-Cola. The result was people holding onto to their favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola which was then the driving force of their purchase behaviour. It is worthy to note that the results of many studies have shown a very low correlation between a persons reported attitude towards something and their actual behaviour towards it (Solomon et al 2010, p.290). Researchers found that events, circumstances or social pressure can interfere with a persons planned or expected behaviour. For instance, people may like Coca-Cola but do not buy it because of persuasive campaigns from health organisations that say soft-drinks are unhealthy (social pressure). Therefore, it can then be debated that although people may have had favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola this may not have caused them to purchase Coca-Cola drinks during the recession or any time. It is believed that this happened because people were not strongly committed to their attitudes. It can then be argued that Coca-Colas marketing strategies have been encouraging people to remain highly committed to their attitudes towards Coca-Cola. Once consumers are very committed to their at titudes, it would become very difficult for external influences to change their beliefs or feelings for the product and by extension change their behaviour. 3.4 Reinforcement of loyalty through Reference Groups Coca-Cola has used the internet to create a virtual community where its fans from all over the world can meet other fans, chat about various topics and reminisce about Coca-Cola memories. Although Coca-Cola has an official website (coca-colaconverstaions.com) to facilitate this community, the website provides links to Twitter and Facebook so that fans can use those forums if they desired. Additionally, there is a Coca-Colas Collectors Club for people who are very nostalgic and who enjoy collecting Coca-Cola merchandise. The club has more than 5000 members from all over the world. Several conventions and meetings are held annually and monthly newsletters are published. There are also swap meets and other social events that enable members to share their interests with others (coca-cola.com). Researchers find that people within brand communities feel more positive about the product (Solomon et al, 2010 p.392) when they interact with other people who share similar interests in the same product and when they participate in social events held for them. Their brand loyalty is enhanced and the chance of them switching to competing brands that are as good or even better is very low. Moreover, these community members do not only become emotionally involved with the product, but genuinely concerned with the welfare of the company as well (Solomon et al, 2010, p.392). Coca-Cola has been the main sponsor of big events for many years such as NASCAR racing, Youth Olympics Games, FIFA World cup and Special Olympics (coca-cola.com). These different events bring together people who share common interests and these people make up sub-cultural groups within society. Attitudes, beliefs and certain behaviours would be adopted faster by these groups because of their cohesiveness and group members desire to share one identity. By Coca-Cola sponsoring the events for these groups often, Coca-Cola would have become accepted and liked by these groups. Coca-Cola would have relied on the social power of these groups to remind and reinforce the brand. As a result, members within these groups would have been motivated to purchase Coca-Cola as long as they were active members of these groups in order to fit in. Therefore, the presence of Coca-Colas brand communities both virtual and those that meet face-to-face had strengthened peoples brand loyalty and this enabled Coca-Cola to maintain a high retention of consumers during the recession. Also, the influence of sub-cultural groups could have contributed to Coca-Colas continued success during the recession. Conclusion/Recommendations Coca-Colas has maintained a strong brand image and financial performance for many years, even during the recession. The reasons for this success could have been because of consumers habitual purchase behaviour, successful execution of marketing strategies by the company, consumers commitment to their favourable attitudes towards Coca-Cola drinks and the presence of reference groups. These factors simultaneously impacted consumers actual decision making process which then caused them to continue to purchase Coca-Cola. It is becoming more difficult to predict consumer behaviour because sociological factors, circumstances and events interfere with consumers intended behaviour (Schiffman et al, 2007). Coca-Cola has built a secret research facility at its headquarters and this shows that the company is aware of the importance of understanding consumer behaviour. Were spending a lot of time trying to understand shopping and shopping psychology, says Joe Tripodi, Coca-Colas chief Marketing Officer (CNBC 2009). It is apparent that Coca-Cola has been able to build an extremely strong brand loyalty for its drinks. Therefore, the company should continue with its innovative strategies and continue its research into why and when people purchase their products. The company should also continue using their websites and peoples blogs to get feedback from consumers about beliefs and feelings towards the companys products and strategies. One caveat for the company is that it should never become arrogant and think that consumers will always have that strong brand loyalty for Coca-Cola. Appendix I SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA Year Ended December 31, (in millions except per share data) 2009 2008 2007 2006 SUMMARY OF OPERATIONS Net operating revenues $30,990 $31,944 $28,857 $24,088 Net income attributable to shareowners of The Coca-Cola Company $6,824 $5,807 $5,981 $5,080 PER SHARE DATA Basic net income $2.95 $2.51 $2.59 $2.16 Diluted net income $2.93 $2.49 $2.57 $2.16 Cash dividends $1.64 $1.52 $1.36 $1.24 BALANCE SHEET DATA Total assets $48,671 $40,519 $43,269 $29,963 Long-term debt $5,059 $2,781 $3,277 $1,314 Appendix II PERFORMANCE AT A GLANCE 2007 2008 2009 22.7 23.7 24.4 UNIT CASE VOLUME (in billions) 2007 2008 2009 $7,252 $8,446 $8,231 OPERATING INCOME BEFORE INTEREST TAXES (in millions) 2007 2008 2009 $7,150 $7,571 $8,186 OPERATING CASH FLOW (in millions)

The Milgram Experiment :: Papers

The Milgram Experiment A lesson in depravity, peer pressure, and the power of authority The aftermath of the Holocaust and the events leading up to World War II, the world was stunned with the happenings in Nazi German and their acquired surrounding territories that came out during the Eichmann Trials. Eichmann, a high ranking official of the Nazi Party, was on trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The questions is, "Could it be that Eichmann, and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?" Stanley Milgram answered the call to this problem by performing a series of studies on the Obedience to Authority. Milgram's work began at Harvard where he was working towards his Ph.D. The experiments on which his initial research was based were done at Yale from 1961-1962. In response to a newspaper ad offering $4.50 for one hour's work, an individual turns up to take part in a Psychology experiment investigating memory and learning. He is introduced to a stern looking experimenter in a white coat and a rather pleasant and friendly co-subject. The experimenter explains that the experiment will look into the role of punishment in learning, and that one will be the "teacher" and one will be the "learner." Lots are drawn to determine roles, and it is decided that the individual who answered the ad will become the "teacher." [IMAGE]Your co-subject is taken to a room where he is strapped in a chair to prevent movement and an electrode is placed on his arm. Next, the "teacher" is taken to an adjoining room which contains a generator. The "teacher" is instructed to read a list of two word pairs and ask the "learner" to read them back. If the "learner" gets the answer correct, then they move on to the next word. If the answer is incorrect, the "teacher" is supposed to shock the "learner" starting at 15 volts. The generator has 30 switches in 15 volt increments, each is labeled