Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Why Schools Are Not to Blame for Cyber Bullying Essay

A young boy was once sitting on his computer when he saw an email from one of his peers. He opened the email, and soon enough realized he was being bullied. However, the young boy let the cyber-bullying get out of control. His parents told the school about it, but there was nothing they could do. The boy had to go to a new school where he wouldn’t be bullied. There are many problems like this that get out of hand, so much that the school can do nothing to help. Many people blame the school for not helping, when there is nothing they can do about it. Therefore, schools do not have the responsibility to respond to and protect students from the challenge of cyber-bullying, even if it’s off campus. Schools do not have the responsibility to†¦show more content†¦They said that students must learn themselves that they should not say something online that they wouldnt say in person. For example, if a student calls someone ugly online, they probably wouldnt say that in person. However, the school cannot do anything to stop this because they did it at home.The school systems cannot be held responsible for things that students do at home, and they should therefore, not be responsible to take action against cyber-bullying. Others would say that schools do have the responsibility to prevent bullying when the schools helping to prevent bullying empowers students to face up to their bullies. However, this is not the case.Students would not be empowered to stand up to their bullies if schools took responsibility for the students. Instead of standing up to the bullies themselves, the students would probably try to make the school take care of it. This goes to show that having the school take care of bullying for the students, would not help the students learn how to take care of things on their own. For example, if the students figured out that the school would take care of something for them, they would not want to do things themselves. Most students would probably get lazy. Therefore, schools should not be bound by law to take care of bullying because students would become lazy. Lastly, schools do not have the responsibility to respond to the cyber-bullying of their students is because sometimes, students do not tellShow MoreRelatedHow is Cyber Bullying Done? Essay621 Words   |  3 Pages Think about it? How is Cyber Bullying Done? To find an answer to this question is hard. Cyber bullying is done in many different ways around the world. Cyber bullying can happen anywhere at any time, even in places where you normally feel safe, such as home. Allot of cyber bullying can be done anonymously, you may not be sure who is targeting you. Since cyber bullies cant see your reaction, they will often go much further in their harassment or ridicule then they would face to face with youRead MoreCyber Bullying Must Be Improved And Consistent1267 Words   |  6 Pages Amanda Bridges Ms. Shultz / Mrs. Seymore English 5th Period 28 January 2015 Cyber Bullying Have you ever been cyber bullied? The effects of cyberbullying are greater than many people have come to realize. Cyber bullies have been around for a long time, but technology now gives them a whole new way to get to their victims easier and faster. Cyberbullying is the use of information technology to repeatedly harm or harass other people in a deliberate manner (abouthealth). Cyberbullying happensRead MoreParents Should Not Be Blamed For Bullying1075 Words   |  5 Pages Have you considered why we blame parents for their children being bullied? Parents should not be blamed for something their child did. I’ve researched this topic for awhile. We all should know that bullying is a major issue in today’s society. What’s even worse is the parents are being blamed for this! Though it was the bullies fault, the parents still get in trouble. This argument will prove that parents shouldn’t be BLAMED for bullying someone when it was their child; parents do n’t have twenty-fourRead MoreThe Social Problem Of Peer Pressure1659 Words   |  7 Pagesin Los Angeles, California who are peer pressured into bullying by their peers and conforming to peer pressure that leads to Cyber-bullying and Cyber-crimes. Bullies are misinterpreted as perpetrators; however, they were at some point victims too and created due to lack of social intervention and significantly affected by the victimization by their peers. Cyberbullying: Through the eyes of children and young people, it acknowledges how bullying has entered a â€Å"digital era† and the need for professionalsRead MoreCyberbullying Is Growing At An Alarming Rate1222 Words   |  5 Pagesdrugs, skip school, recieve poor grades, and have low self esteem. These negative effects of cyberbullying can get much worse; according to a study conducted by Yale University, 7% to 9% of suicides are committed due to some sort of bullying. Since the popularity of social media is increasing, we could expect that percentage to rise. We can no longer ignore cyber bullying because of its negative effects’, like suicide, and we should implement programs to reduce it and protect school age studentsRead MoreCyber Bullying Essay example1112 Words   |  5 Pageshas taken bullying to the extreme. Before advanced technology, children and teenagers were troubled by school bullies. Today, they are targeted by bullies via internet. Most people under go some form of bullying in life. Growing up, I experienced the typical name calling and spiteful comments. I also dealt with minor cases of virtual bullies. These bullies are known as cyber bullies. I find this topic compelling because it’s a matter that has spiraled out of control. â€Å"Cyber bullying is definedRead MorePublic Schools Should Be Able to Regulate Bullying Essay example1356 Words   |  6 Pagesteasing. When one reads these words, the first thing that we might associate it with is bullying. Whether or not we have experienced it ourselves, we have at least heard about it. However, as technology advances, so does the method of bullying. Today in our world that is run by technology, the modern method of bullying is called cyber bullying. The most recent definition of this is, â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦This type of bullying allows the perpetrator to hide behind a computer screen or a phone screen and harass theirRead MoreCrt 205 Final Paper1576 Words   |  7 Pagesout one form for each source. |Source 1 Title and Citation: Cyberbullying Has a Broader Impact than Traditional Bullying | |Uhls, Yalda T. Cyberbullying Has a Broader Impact than Traditional Bullying. Cyberbullying. Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: | |Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. Rpt. from Is Bullying Going Digital? Cyber Bullying Facts. PsychologyinAction.org. 2010. Gale | |Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 23 May 2012. Read MoreThe Effects Of Cyberbullying On Children And Teens1568 Words   |  7 Pagesbecoming more of an issue, some schools around the world have been enforcing rules to stop cyberbullying. 88% teens who use social media have seen someone be disrespectful to another individual. â€Å"It is no secret that teens are now spending more time than ever on social networking sites and due to this increase many are using it to bully their peers†. According to Sherri Gordon who wrote the article â€Å"Reasons Why Kids Cyberbully Others† here are some reasons why. Some reasons that children cyberbullyRead MoreThe Psychology behind Bullying in Adolescents Essay1176 Words   |  5 PagesBullying by definition is a form of aggressive behavior in which someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort. Bullying can take the form of physical contact, words or more subtle actions. [Why] Bullying has grown new outlets over the last decade. With social media outlets and text messaging added to the game, bullying is not just about getting tormented face to face anymore. Cyber bullying can include sending out mean or threatening emails and instant messages

Monday, December 16, 2019

Consumer Behavior †Chapter 1 Free Essays

Consumer behavior chapter 1 – introduction In our ever-increasing global market, attention needs to be paid to the global consumer in order to identify who they are. Marketers and consumer behaviour researchers are constantly attempting to determine the similarities and the differences of the multifaceted global consumer. Some general theory about the sociological and psychological influences on consumer behaviour may be common to all Western cultures, but there are still strong We will write a custom essay sample on Consumer Behavior – Chapter 1 or any similar topic only for you Order Now com/pricing-psychology-consumption/"regional consumption trends. Consumer behaviour as it pertains to the marketplace is concerned with the manner in which consumers purchase and use products and services, and how these goods are incorporated into their lives. Researchers use various techniques to determine the features of consumers. These techniques include categorisation by the use of descriptive characteristics, such as demographics and psychographics. Individual consumers are part of a larger society with common cultural values and beliefs, which can be further segmented into smaller groups, or subcultures. There are regional differences between consumers from different European countries, despite their being part of the larger European community. Marketers use  market segmentation strategies  to adapt their communications to meet the varied needs of a diverse target market. Consumer behaviour is good business! Marketers who understand their customers’ needs and wants do better than their competitors. The essential component is deciding who to target and how. Marketers do this by defining markets and then dividing these markets into smaller chunks, or segments. A segment is based upon the demographic and psychographic aspects of the targeted population. The consumer’s response is the ultimate test of whether or not a marketing strategy will succeed. However, initial consumer testing is not an absolute science. Sometimes a product can fail its initial test marketing and still go on to be highly successful. Sony has responded to market and consumer changes with its latest MP3 player, a rival to the Apple iPod. In attempting to define accurate information about the traits, habits, likes and dislikes of consumers, effective market segmentation separates members of a population into smaller segments of consumers who share unique characteristics that set them apart from the main population. Market segmentation  can be described as ‘slicing up’ the market into bit-sized chunks of information. It is essential that for effective segmentation the following criteria are met: Consumers within the identified segment share similar product needs that will be different to other consumers in other segments. Important differences between the segments can be clearly identified. The segment is large enough to be profitable. Consumers in the segment can be reached with an appropriate marketing mix. The consumers in the segment will respond in the desired way to the marketing mix. Two important segmentation tools are the use of demographics and psychographics to determine unique attributes of the targeted population. Demographic statistics measure the observable aspects of the population. Psychographics are far more subtle. They illustrate the differences in consumers’ personalities and cannot be measured objectively. Demographic variables include: Age Different age groups have different needs and wants. Consumers in similar age groups often share similar values and cultural experiences. Gender The behaviours and tastes of men and women are constantly evolving. It is thought that gender segmentation is an unintended result of marketing strategy. Family structure Marital status and family are important demographic variables that often affect spending priorities. Social class and income People in the same social class often have similar occupations and may share values and interests. Income is a good determinant of buying power and market potential. Race and ethnicity Immigrants from Asia and Africa are the fastest growing ethnic groups in Europe. Increased multiculturalism creates new opportunities for marketers. Geography Cultural differences play an important role in consumption patterns. Within the European context, consumption is common across cultures, but it is also specific between different cultural groups. European segmentation factors include: Consumption traits that are common across different cultures. Consumption traits that are specific to cultural groups. Relationship Marketing: building bonds with consumers The more marketers understand their current and potential consumers, the more effective they will be. This concept has developed into the role of  relationship marketing, in which marketers build long-term relationships between the company and the consumer. Relationship marketing is seen as the big trend for marketers. In conjunction with re lationship marketing, a major growth area has been the need to gather and manage accurate information about customers. This has culminated in the formation of sophisticated  database marketing  that tracks consumer buying habits. However, this ‘big brother is watching you’ concept intimidates some consumers. Database marketing is required to comply with respondent confidentiality restrictions. As global consumers, we are influenced significantly by marketers through a number of mechanisms centred upon building relationships with customers. Advertisements illustrate how we should act and define roles, as well as informing about the use of products. As of 2006, the majority of people will live in urban centres and the number of ‘megacities’ will increase to 26 in 2015. A controversial effect of the sophisticated marketing strategies used to communicate with these large potential markets is the emergence of  global consumer culture, in which people are united by their common devotion to brand-name consumer products, film stars and music celebrities. 2 Virtual consumption and the power of crowds There is little doubt that the digital revolution is one of the most significant influences on consumer behaviour, and the impact of the Web will continue to expand as more and more people around the world log on. It is not all bout businesses selling to customers (B2C e-commerce). The cyberspace explosion has caused a revolution in consumer-to-consumer activity (C2C e-commerce): welcome to the new world of  virtual brand communities. A close cousin of the global consumer is the  Euro-consumer. Much research and marketing effort is focused upon determining the characteristics of this consumer. Findings indicate links between social class, culture and income, with consumers who expressed more positive attitudes towards cultural change being more likely to consume luxury goods, despite their demographics and social class. 2 Marketing Ethics There is a constant battle between achievement of organisational profit goals and the necessity to conduct business honestly and ethically. 1 Prescribing Ethical Standards of Conduct Organisations often devise codes of conduct for their employees, and marketing associations provide guidelines for conduct, such as the following: Disclosure of the substantial risks associated with a product or service. Identification of added features that will increase the cost. Avoidance of false or misleading advertising. Rejection of high-pressure selling. Prohibition of selling or fund-raising under the guise of market research. Socially Responsible Behaviour Some marketers continue to violate the bond of trust with the consumer with the use of ‘bait-and-switch’ tactics and misleading claims. A critical barometer of ethical behaviour is the action taken by companies to rectify a problem with their advertising or products. Benetton discontinued their controversial advertisements that f eatured the depiction of an AIDS victim and which were deemed to be exploitative by consumers. Much criticism has been leveled at marketing techniques that influence consumers to purchase products that are not essential. Philosophers view this conundrum from the perspective of individuals exercising their free will and free action in coming to decisions. However, this clinical approach supports the argument so long as only informative advertising is used in the marketing communication. Any other type of advertising – such as ones with imagery and underlying motives – cannot be so clinically rationalized. The raging debate that marketing techniques manipulate customers continues. We explore this issue from three perspectives. 3 Do Marketers Create Artificial Needs? Some conservative traditionalists believe that advertising can lead to the moral decay of societies by the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure, while some liberals believe that the misleading promises of material pleasure function to buy off people who would otherwise be revolutionaries working to change the system. Through advertising, then, the system creates demands that only its products can satisfy. Numerous responses to this criticism abound, including the argument that needs are a basic biological motive and that a want represents one way that society has taught us that the need can be satisfied. The primary objective of advertising is to create awareness of needs, rather than to create the needs themselves. Needs are thus something that we are socialized to have. Marketers must be cognisant of the fact that they contribute heavily to the socializing influence of individuals in modern society and, thus, influence needs. Some commentators believe that purchasing decisions are manipulated by marketers using their understanding of psychology and the social sciences. They claim that marketers devise advertising techniques that manipulate a majority of individuals. A sense of social responsibility should underpin all advertising. There is little doubt that advertising creates and changes patterns of consumer behaviour. The central issue is whether the audience is discerning enough to see through the marketing hype and still make a deliberative judgement. Have a look at the  PBS Frontline website on ‘The Persuaders’, which explores the world of modern marketers and advertisers, and discusses the methods they use to decipher who we are and what we want. As powerful an influence as advertising is, in the majority of cases advertisers still do not know enough about their target audience to effectively manipulate them. This fact is supported by the high degree of product failures (40-80 per cent) that occur. 4 Interdisciplinary Influences on the Study of Consumer Behaviour Consumer behaviour is a multidisciplinary field that integrates a vast array of disciplines, from psychophysiology to sociology and anthropology. Each discipline views the subject from their own perspective, which results in a rich sociological interpretation of a fascinating and dynamic topic. The figure below illustrates the integrated and interconnected approach to consumer behaviour from both a macro and micro perspective. The macro perspective represents the social focus and the micro perspective represents the individual focus. [pic] pyramid of comsumer behavior Consumer research has adopted two popular forms of research paradigms, or sets of beliefs: Positivism Believes that human reason is supreme and that objective truth is only revealed by science. Structured and ordered. Stresses functionality. Celebrates technology. Regards the world as an ordered, rational place with a clearly defined past, present and future. Emphasizes material well-being, and is based predominantly on the homogenous views of a predominantly Western and male culture. Interpretivism Believes the social and cultural world in which we live is complex. Dislikes too much emphasis on science and technology. Emphasizes the importance of symbolic and subjective experiences. Believes individuals construct meanings based on unique, shared cultural experiences, therefore there are no right or wrong references. Consumption is interpreted as a set of diverse experiences. Many consumer behaviour experts believe that the existing predominant positivistic paradigm of consumer behaviour is undergoing a paradigm shift, due to challenge from the competing paradigm of interpretivism. How to cite Consumer Behavior – Chapter 1, Papers

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Does a dividend policy matter free essay sample

That report is a detailed review of dividend policy and whether or not could affect the market value of the company. When companies make profits, managers have to decide either to reinvest those profits for the good of company or either they could pay out the owners (shareholders) of the firm in dividends. Once they decide to pay dividends they may possibly establish a permanent dividend policy, which is the set of guidelines a company uses in order to decide how much of its profits it will pay out to shareholders in dividends and that decision depends on the preferences of existing and new investors and the situation of the company now and in the future (Garrison, 1999). There are various limitations that may affect firm’s decision and must consider when paying dividends to shareholders such as Legal Limitations where added net realised profits is the only way to pay dividends, Liquidity where managers has to consider the effect that future dividend payments may have on liquidity, Interest Payment obligations where if the gearing (level of debt) is high then the available funds for dividends should be reduced and Investment Opportunities where a company could invest in attractive projects rather than to pay more dividends (Watson and Head, 2007). There are two theories related to dividend, the Irrelevance Theory suggested that dividend policy it is not relevant to security valuation and the Relevance Theory, suggested that it is relevant and affect the value (Bar-Yosef and Kolodny, 1976). Below will see those theories. IRRELEVANCE THEORY Modigliani Miller (1961) through the Irrelevance Theory stated that share value depends on corporate earnings, which reflect the investment policy of the company, depends only on investment decisions and it is independent of the level of dividend paid. First of all that theory assume that capital markets are perfect, there are no transactions costs associated with converting shares into cash by selling them and firms can issue shares without incurring flotation or transactions costs to raise equity, whenever needed (Damodaran [Internet source]). Another assumption that Modigliani Miller made is that there are no taxes at either a corporate or personal level associated with dividend and informations are freely available to all investors. Continuing with the assumptions Modigliani Miller stated that In a perfect capital market there are no conflicts of interests between managers and security holders, which is known as the Agency Problem. Shareholders, actually, own a company but managers are the ones who make the business run and decide. The agency problem arise because manager’s interests are different from shareholder’s interests and that is for the reason that managers may prefer to invest in unprofitable projects for their own benefit and that may incur some costs in order to manage the manager’s behaviour (Ming and Ming, 2013). Modigliani and Miller argues that rational investors, in other words those who prefer their wealth maximization, do not care whether they receive dividends on their shares or investing retained earnings in new opportunities, they have identical borrowing and lending rates and were apathetic to the timing of dividends. Furthermore shareholders can simply sell some of their shares for cash, if dividend are too small. According to Modigliani and Miller a company’s choice of dividend policy is a choice of financing strategy and the investment decision is separate from the dividend decision (Watson And Heat, 2007). They also argued that investors calculate the value of companies based on their future earnings capitalized value and is not affected by the dividends that a company pay and neither how dividend policies are set from company. RELEVANCE THEORY On the other hand we have the Relevance Theory of Lintner (1956) and Gordon (1959), who argued that dividends are preferred to capital gains due to their certainty, which means that an investor prefer to receive a certain dividend payment now rather than leaving the equivalent amount in an uncertain investment. If a company pays low dividends may face a fall in share price and that is because investors exchange their shares with shares of a different company with higher dividend policy. Under that theory we have Asymmetry of Information, which means that dividend decisions may contain new information for shareholders and that is because managers have more informations about the health of the company than investors. Asymmetry of information arises when capital markets are not perfect and depend on the direction of the dividend change and the difference between the actual dividend and the expected dividend by the market. Lintner Gordon argues that shareholders are not homogeneous, they have different needs and preferences and the majority of them need a fixed income preferring dividends to capital gains which depends on their personal tax circumstances. A company’s share price is affected downward form the disappointment of its shareholders if there is a significant change in its dividend policy. Lintner and Gordon use a mathematical model, knows as the Dividend Growth Model, to predict the value of ordinary shares through an increasing stream of cash flows. Dividend growth model is the equation:Po=(Do(1+g))/(r-g)=D1/(r-g), where: Po is the current market price of the share, D1 is the dividend at time t1, g the expected future growth rate of dividend, r the required rate of shareholders and Do the current dividend. The model shows the relationship between the payout ratio, the rate of return, market price of the share and the cost of capital (Answers, 2013). Both theories are established and argued by famous economists and we cannot challenge them, but under a real market conditions we cannot use the Irrelevance theory and that is because some of the assumptions made by Miller and Modigliani are not realistic. Transaction costs are not zero hence there is a price for investors who try to sell their shares and neither informations are freely available to all investors. Taxes does exists in the real world and issuing securities does incur costs. Moreover the assumption that investors have free informations available for them is unrealistic such as they have to spend time and money in order to have those informations (Watson and Head, 2007). For the reason that Irrelevance Theory’s assumptions are realistic under a perfect market only, the Relevance Theory is more useful in real world since a firm’s valuation is affected from the distribution of cash to investors (Ming J Ming X, 2013). POLICIES Using the more realistic theory there are some policies that should be used based on two factors: the company’s operation industry and second the nature of the company and its characteristics. As will see below those policies have advantages and disadvantages. Those Policies are: The Fixed percentage payout ratio policy, The Zero dividend policy and The Constant or steadily increasing dividend Fixed Percentage Pay-out Ratio is the policy where the ‘company pays out a fixed percentage of annual profits as dividends’ (Watson and Heat, 2007). In that case, firms can create reserves for the years that earnings are fewer than usual or when they have losses. Is better for companies with stable earnings over years (SlideShare, 2012). The main advantage is that a company who choose that policy can easily control and send clear signals to its shareholders, related to the level of company’s performance. The disadvantage is from the company’s point again and is that it limits the available funds for reinvestment (Watson and Heat, 2007). In Zero Dividend Policy ‘a company could decide to pay no dividend at all’ (Watson and Heat, 2007). That policy is more acceptable for new companies or for firms which need those profits for research new possibilities in the company. However is unacceptable to the most shareholders and that is because the majority of investors are rely on dividend payments as an income and that is the disadvantage of that policy. On the other hand the advantages are that is by not paying dividends, the administration costs will be eliminated making the operation easier and most important all the profits of the company could be reinvested making the company more attractive for new investors (Watson and Heat, 2007). In Constant or Steadily Increasing Dividend Policy, a company may choose to pay dividend in a constant or steadily increasing ratio. In that case investors prefer a yearly steady growth of dividends and avoid to invest in companies with fluctuating dividend (Lee, 2009). That policy counter to the zero dividend policy is more acceptable from the majority of investors and the reason is that they expect that payments will continued for ever. That except of the advantage may cause one disadvantage, the problem that shareholders expect dividends that company may be unable to afford. Another disadvantage is the fact that companies who adopt that policy do not have the ability to invest in projects that may be profitable (Watson and Heat, 2007) CONCLUSION Concluding this report we can say in sure that companies is likely to prefer the theory of Lintner and Gordon, the Relevance Theory, which argues that dividend policy does matter in real world and in the structure of the real market. Then, according to the policies stated above, should be able to choose which dividend policy is better for them. We hope that the contents of this report are useful and will help you to find the best for the company. We are waiting for your chief’s accountant comments and we are ready to help out you on any further matters which may arise on these or any other finance issues.