American family

There are three common characteristics that would Impact types of marriages that have on family definitions. Monogamous, polygamous, and arranged marriages. Monogamous is where the family stays out of the decision. Polygamous is where they have multiple options, which is illegal in the US. This type of marriage finds it k to have multiple families. Arranged marriages are where the family of the bride and groom negotiate an arrangement before the two parties enter Into a relationship. . Family Is a group of two people or more related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together. Household refers to all people who occupy a housing unit regardless of relationship. They should be viewed different because people that live together doesn't necessarily have to be related, which makes it a household. 3. The United States include fewer marriages, fewer children, later age of marriage, which causes an increase in single-parent families and step families. 4. Marriage is in decline. 5.T he positive effects of family of origin Is high levels of parental affection during holding are associated with an improved ability to regulate negative emotions in childhood, high levels of parental warmth during childhood are associated with better physical health in adulthood, parents who are involved in their children's school activates have children with higher educational aspirations, and children whose parents model and explain financial tasks to them are better prepared to take on financial roles and responsibilities themselves.The negative effects of family of origin Is early exposure to violence in the family correlates with positive attitudes award marital violence, mothers with maladaptive eating habits may increase the likelihood of their daughters developing disorders, lack of parental affection and high levels of conflict at home may result in poor emotion regulation and maladaptive coping styles, children from divorced families are more likely to get divorced themsel ves and people who perceived their family of origin as less healthy are more likely to have negative attitudes toward marriage. . Families fulfill economic security, social prestige and status, education, recreation, and affection. . A race Is a group of people who are classified according to their skin color. An ethnic group is a group of people characterized by cultural factors, such as language, religion, and shared customs, that are passed from one generation to the next which can impact the definition of family. 8. Structural functionalist view the family as a system that promotes the maintenance of society, with the traditional nuclear family as the Ideal form.Conflict theorists believe that individual family members are Involved In a instant power struggle and that conflict within families is necessary because it results in change and adaptation. Symbolic interactions believe that individuals develop a sense of self through their interactions with others. 9. The perspective o f society, the perspective of small groups, and the perspective of the individual can be used to define families. 10.It has been said that step on it is the chilly of civilization. But In nutshell we can say that It's a distinct way from another (pronominal) human pick out his rush, as it is given by other person. So it becomes the pop out of his identity. This identity influences several aspects of the hereafter such as society, politics; etcetera American society has endlessly been enriched by its waves of immigrants. And hence at that place is a requisite for statistics due to its evolution and diversity.Therefore the authentic bodily characters, the alleged (pronominal) unit characters, such as cranial profile and size, stature, the proportions of the baseless automobile trunk and the relative length of the limbs, eye excuse (blue, gray, Rene, low-spirited or BRB owners eyes), the lips, sensory hair color and texture, irrupt form,? skin color, facial type, absence or abundance o f body hair, etc. Races were almost universally considered to reflect group differences in moral character and intelligence.Let's consider and cause session an example of Nordic or Baltic subspecies. 11. The â€Å"golden age† of the asses was also a contributing factor to rising divorce rates in the asses and asses. When soldiers returned from the war, many omen were forced to give up their factory Jobs to make way for the returning veterans and encouraged to stay at home and assume domestic roles. As a result, birth rates increased and the average age at first marriage decreased. 2. Although they all appear to be closely related to reality to me, I would have to say functionalism. 13. The family stress is related to work obligations. Changing the attitudes by less long work hours, more family time, and household management in the workplace could be done to reduce or eliminate these stresses. 14. Yes, one loud argue that the strong reduction in community/neighborhood ties has impacted the strength of American Families.The community IS the American family. 15. Yes, it is best for a researcher to conduct both the qualitative and quantitative studies. 16. Qualitative research is likely based on the theoretical perspective. 17. A. Ask a question about a specific topic B. Do background research on the topic C. Formulate a hypothesis. D. Test your hypothesis by conducting research and gathering data. E. Analyze your data and decide on a conclusion. F. Write up the results. American family There exists some fundamental differences between the 21st century American family and the 19th Century or early 20th Century American family. In sociological, political fronts, issues ranging from racism to cold war characterized the American family of the 1963. Eating habits were different and were influenced by economic activities as was the transport means commonly in use then. Back then, the typical American family was mostly made up of parents and children with a high affiliation to the extended family compared to today’s family.Back then the gender equity debate had not gained prominence. The male was widely considered as the sole bread winner and very few women compared to today were working although it is around this time that there was an upsurge in the number of women pursuing career lives. The American nation was back then an industrial power and therefore tasks for a husband included working in the industries, participating in various political meetings then domin ated by the segregation debate. Depending on personal interest, political movements were something the ordinary American would participate in.Major cities in America had started experiencing transportation crisis by 1963, which means the average American was not walking to work as they owned automobiles especially those in the urban settings [Wilentz, 1984. 436-440]. The road transport was one of the widely used means of transport although for movement further outside the major cities, railway transport was a major transport mode. Air transport was not widely used as it is today, as the aviation industry was still not very developed.In the 1960s most women and indeed the girl child was not treated the same way as men by the society. The girl child was viewed as fit for some professions. It was rare to get women competing in some fields like medicine or engineering and indeed the military. Women were constructed by the society as the weaker sex and only suitable for some professions such as nursing and education. The above can be attributed to the lack of strong forums for women to express themselves as well as lack of enough role models for the women.The media back then played a very important role in the lives of the Americans, by 1963, most families owned television sets. Although the flow of news was not as swift and faster as it is the case today, nevertheless most Americans had access to radios and TVs. The limited flow of information into and out of the US meant that most families could not quite comprehend and therefore appreciate other cultures. The above can be attributed to the not so advanced technology as compared to today’s era of internet technology.The education system in 1963 was not very different from what it is today although many amendments have been introduced to the education act. Overly the education system as it existed in 1963 left room for infiltration by racism and marginalization of the racial minorities. For instance in some states racial minority children would be openly denied access in white dominated schools, colleges and universities. Therefore where children would attend school largely depended on amongst others; social background.Overly, the society was not as sensitive to the disabled children to the special needs children as compared to today’s education system. Famous music bands such as the Beatles spiced American entertainment lives. Rock and pop music was what engulfed revelers and especially teenagers. Cinema had also gained popularity as a source of entertainment in the USA. Under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, America was experiencing a lot of political, social, environmental and economic activities.Generally, by 1963, the economy had shown signs of improvements and culturally people where having a more quality life. There were a lot of campaigns geared at fighting for total elimination of all forms of segregation something which often resulted into arrests of crusaders like Martin Luther King Junior. Back then getting admission to University was very much determined by one’s racial background. The year also saw the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 22 and the swearing of Lyndon Johnson as the 36th President of the USA.It is worth noting that during this time, the country was just recovering from an economic depression suffered as a result of the world wars. Americans were awakening on matters like imperialism, civil rights and gender equality. Due to the ideological differences between the Soviet Union and the US a lot of government expenditure was directed towards military activity and covert missions something which might have influenced the onset of the Vietnam War. Americans are today faced with great nutritional problems, compared to 1963 the number of children who are obese and overweight is on the increase.This is not a 21st century problem; it started in the 1960s although the popularity of fast foods has made it look like a 2 1st century problem. The most common foods back in 1963 included pizza, hamburger, chocolate, coffee for breakfast, and wines and spirits [Cavan, & Shonle1969, 79-99]. The children attended schools according to their parents’ abilities although public schools were the choice of majority as they were affordable compared to private schools. In the 1960s Americans had shifted from eating traditional foods to eating of processed foods something which can be attributed to busy lives.There was an increase in obesity incidences in late 1960s, a problem which persists up to date. Of interest also is the fact that more Americans had started to use microwaves to cook, atleast not many used wood stoves. Since a significant portion of the population was still working in farms, fresh farm produce was in big supply and therefore most families included in their meals fresh vegetables, fresh meat, milk, poultry, eggs and butter. Soft drink intake also gained popularity as people became busie r and fast food restaurants became very popular.Due to mechanization of farming, food prices went down as the country become self sufficient in terms of food supply (Sanjur, 1995. 45-67). Also fruit and vegetable meals were common as more and more Americans began to appreciate health eating habits. Conclusion The American family has evolved a lot since 1963 up to date. Change is evident in the way people dress, eat, and the way they view the external world. A lot of the above changes have been occasioned by technological advancement, globalization and the advent of internet.The economy has also grown a lot and today more American families earn above average in terms of finances meaning that they can afford a quality life. Works cited Cavan, & Shonle, R. The American Family. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co. , [1969. 79-99] Sanjur, D. Hispanic Foodways, Nutrition, and Health. Boston . Allyn and Bacon. [1995. 45-67]. Wilentz, S. Chants Democratic: New York City and the Rise of the Ameri can Working Class. New York: Oxford University Press. [1984. 436-440]. American Family The modern American family as described by Joseph B. Verrengia is â€Å"always in motion, child-dominated, strained and losing intimacy. † It is actually the title of the paper that deals with common problems facing each family. American family is illustrated by a twenty-four hour activities by individual family members totally depart from each other from the head of the family down to children going to school. Only babies are pampered until they reach school age. In the article written by Joseph B.Verrengia, he described Jake Zeiss, a nine-year boy who after seven-hour of back-to-back meetings, would volley for an hour with his tennis pro, then slid back into Mercedes to take nutritious bar and to do paper works using his laptop while traveling with other family members in the car. When tempted to play yo-yo, his mother would say, â€Å"Is that a good use of your time? † Yet, the family was heading to a gym where they would meet their father to play some sports.David O sborne in an article entitled â€Å"The Cult of Fatherhood,† he illustrated how he struggled as he took care of their kid since birth because his wife had to stay in the hospital as a gynecologist where she worked 100 hours a week. He is a nontraditional father as he called himself because that was not the usual set up in the family but they had to cope up with the challenges. David Osborne told that traditional mothers work harder than anyone else could imagine; he referred to his own mother who had to rush with urgency in doing household chores twenty-four hours a day, three hundred sixty five days a year.These are just two of the many families that experience complexity that affect their relationship and child rearing. Financially they are sufficient but in the advent of assuming roles and responsibilities, the future of the family is also affected. The Modern-day Family There are differences between the traditional family model and modern-day family and the primary reason for the abrupt change in the family set up was economic reason, since both mother and father have to work away from home leaving the kids unattended for some times and the whole family do not have quality time together.Everyone is rushing trying to get works done, especially mothers, which is according to David Osborne, divided responsibilities are the reason for the â€Å"central unresolved conflict in the lives of the American women† (p. 195). Also, in the advent of change, fathers have to assume different role, which touches the sensitive part of his masculinity. On the other hand, the Zeiss family is an example of a family that enjoys the benefit of a good life, with bigger home, a Mercedes car, children attending exclusive schools and extra time for playing sports in the evening.Despite togetherness they are time-bounded; without proper scheduling, they may miss important events of the day as a family. Verrengia writes as he quoted one statement, â€Å"We’ve sch eduled and outsourced a lot of our relationships; there isn’t much room for the flow of life, those little moments when things happen spontaneously† (p. 6). The changes that occur in the lives of the American family especially in the middle-class working families present predicament that affect the country as a whole. And many of the dilemmas facing America right now could be associated with the family set up and relationship between each family member.The many incident reports of crimes and marriage break ups have something to do with family relationships that were left unresolved. Thus, if one would not be creative enough to gather the family in one activity, most likely, the family would suffer for not having intimate time together. Contrast of Traditional and Modern-day Family These issues are by-products of the advent of modernization and industrialization in America and that; traditional family had their own way of coping up with the challenges and struggles of li fe without neglecting responsibility to one another.Traditional family and modern-day family are distinct with each other in different ways. First, they are different as they view home. Traditional family model existed during the pre-Civil war and pre-sexual revolution; it was the time when family relied on agriculture as the source of income. Traditional family, which occurred during the pre-industrial America, the home would serve as a market, which was the main income source of the family. Usually, the home was not just a place for relaxation but a place where women could perform other income-generating activities like soap making, clothing production, etc.Whereas, the modern homes that existed during the era of industrial and urban development, is viewed as a private place for the family to enjoy one another and to find relaxation. The home became the ideal place for domesticity or the place centered on family activities. Second, they differ in terms of gender role. During pre-i ndustrial revolution, husband and wife had equal rights with one another and at the same time, perform equally for the betterment of the family. Clarence Roberts Jr. stated that men â€Å"worked at their various crafts (near the farm) or worked on the family farm† (The Changing Family).Mothers worked in the house at the same time; her responsibility was important to the health and survival of the family† according to Clarence Roberts, Jr. There was no individual breadwinner and each had distinct role to perform – the wife for the house and husband in the farm. In contrary, gender roles had also changed in the modern-day society. During the post-industrial revolution, men finally realized their roles as breadwinners; so they left the responsibility of child rearing to the wife who was left alone. However change in gender role also change at the present day.To use the example of Osborne, one distinct change was the fact that mother and father had interchanged their roles from being a provider to housekeeper and vice-versa. Women’s role in earning money for the family had been part of her responsibility since the pre-industrial era, but due to the disappearance and removal of home market, women had to look for a job outside the house, which is carried out until today. Third, family relationship had changed forever. Pre-industrial period family was seen as having a strong kinship.By tradition, American family during that period practice extended family relations wherein relatives are part of the family such as in-laws, first cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. In an article entitled â€Å"Redefining Family, it stated there that the traditional parents’ role â€Å"gave way to affectionate bonds,† while husband and wife were â€Å"companionable. † In effect, women were active in spiritual direction in the family, which shows her value in the family. However, industrialization and technology was the cause for the collapse of the tie that binds the family together.Fathers had to left home to work in far away lands; women were left with the kids; extended family was lost; and, children had to work also The case of two families mentioned in this paper, is a scenario of the modern day family that grasp for time to be spent for the family. As each family member strives to give quality time, there is still missing because each is a human being that needs affection and togetherness. If not sufficiently given, the family might suffer. Industrialization has the advantage in the family, yet, American family is tied up with the system. Work Citedâ€Å"David Osborne: Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood (1985). † Absorbing Stories, Creating Identities â€Å"Redefining Family. † Colonial Williamsburg. 2007. http://www. history. org/Almanack/life/family/essay. cfm#transformed Roberts Jr. , Clarence. The Changing Family: How Changes in the Family Reflects Social and Economic Changes in Society. Yal e-New Haven Teachers Institute. http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1990/4/90. 04. 08. x. html Verrengia, Joseph. The Modern American Family: Always in Motion, Child-Dominated, Strained and Losing Intimacy. † UCLA College Report. http://www. college. ucla. edu/celfarticle. pdf

Rastafarianism Beliefs and Rituals Essay

The incorporation in many modern societies of dread locks amongst youths, the ever increasing efforts to legalize marijuana; what started out as an entirely black oriented religion spread throughout the world, particularly in the 1970s because of the popularity of reggae music, and currently has around one million followers in Japan, New Zealand, and elsewhere (Simpson 96) , along with many other activities that we are accustomed to in the American pluralistic society, represents a form of rituals and beliefs that have been brought to the mainstream by the Rastafarians. I had often been puzzled by the way in which my Rastafarian friends viewed and behaved within each different situation; in particular how happy and settled they usually were even on the most difficult conditions. The Rastafarian religion’s beliefs and rituals are extremely rich and pure; throughout extensive research it was possible to unveil six main beliefs that can be considered truly Rastafarians, one of th em stating that Haile Selassie I is the only God. These beliefs don’t hold true in a theological point of view because the bible teaches us of the Holy Trinity, and clearly proves that Jesus Christ is the son of God, the only living God, and that salvation can only be obtained through Jesus Christ. Before describing exactly what Rastafarianism’s religious beliefs and rituals are, it is important to understand the religious background. Rastafarianism is relatively new religion based on the African traditional religion. The Rastafarian religion falls into the Experiential/Emotional Dimension due to its particular distinctions between that which is profane and that which is sacred, and also to their careful distinction of food that the followers of this sect of religion’s are allowed to eat. Rastafarians don’t build special places for worship because they believe that their own body is the true church or temple of God; Although, some Rastafarians have created temples, as some call spiritual meeting centers i n international communities with large Rastafarian population. As a religion Rastafari is difficult to encapsulate, it might be meaningfully described as a spiritual movement that started in  Jamaica with a goal rooted in returning to, retrieving, or reinventing African heritage and identity. The name Rastafari derives from the title and given name (Ras, translated as â€Å"prince,† and Tafari, â€Å"he who must be feared,† from the Amharic language of Ethiopia) of Haile Selassie (Amharic for â€Å"power of the Trinity†; 1892–1975), the former Ethiopian emperor, whom most Rastafari worship as a God-king or messiah (Morris 217). Rastafari emphasizes the interior location of deity (Haile Selassie I), often referred to as I and I instead of We which represents an overdetermined symbol that includes both a sense of the self as divinity residing internally and the notion that the spirit and power of Haile Selassie I dwell within each individual Rastafari. Because of their cultural background some of their beliefs are sim ilarly shared by those of the Lost/Found Nation of Islam (Corduan, 104) although it differs on the prophetic message. One might wonder about what are the main religious beliefs of Rastafarians. First it’s important to define religious beliefs. Religious belief is a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny. Such a state may relate to the existence, characteristic and worship of the deity or deities, divine intervention in the universe and human life, or values and practices centered on teachings of spiritual leaders (although Rastafarianism doesn’t have spiritual leaders), religious beliefs are usually codified. This power derives not from a body of systematic or logical truth, but rather from the psychological, emotional content of ideology (Barret, 103). The Rastafarians have developed for themselves a body of myth and rituals which can be summarized in a systematic form. Throughout my investigation, only the central ideas will be discussed along with the most basic rituals of the movement. Note also that many beliefs and rituals may vary from one group to the next depending on their demographic location. Information regarding this investigation was obtained from various internet sources, books, and scholarly published journals. There are a few main beliefs that can be described as being truly Rastafarians, They are the following! Haile Selassie is the living God. All true Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie, the emperor of Ethiopia, is the true and living God, at least for the black race. One member of the Rastafarian Repatriation Association it explained this way: We know before that when a king should be  crowned in the land of David’s throne, that individual would be Shiloh, the anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ returned in the personification of Rastafari. He (Ras Tafari) is the â€Å"Ancient of Days† (The bearded God). The scripture declares that â€Å"the hair of whose head was like wool (matted hair), whose feet were like unto burning b rass† (i.e., black skin). The scripture declares that God hangs in motionless space surrounded with thick darkness (hence a black man). Rastafarians also regard Haile Selassie I as God because of Marcus Garvey’s prophesy â€Å"Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be the redeemer â€Å"was swiftly followed by the ascension of Haile Selassie I as Emperor of Ethiopia. The notion of Haile Selassie being the God of the black race is supported by the Rastafarian idea that God himself is black, a claim backed by the biblical text found in Jeremiah 8:12 â€Å" For the hurt of the daughter of my people am I hurt, I am black; as astonishment hath taken hold of me†. This scripture is true, but one must be careful on how to use scriptures in order to defend our own views based on racial principles. It is necessary to study and understand completely the Holy Bible, and not quote verses that seem favorable for that moment our use at that instance. Rastafarians offer justification for the divinity of Haile Selassie I, by using biblical names such as Lord of the Lords, King of Kings and Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah for Haile Selassie I. further proof that Haile Selassie I is not God can be said because this term had been used throughout history to describe Ethiopian Emperors and describing him as another God would be taking the Rastafarian religion as a variation of Hinduism in which reincarnation of God’s is common. Many Rastafarians trace Haile Selassie’s lineage back to King Salomon and the Queen of Sheba. They believe that the Queen of Sheba’s visit to King Solomon found in the Book of Kings (1 Kings 10:1-13) provides further proof of the divinity of Haile Selassie I. Rastafarians believe that King Salomon and Queen of Sheba had sexual intercourse during the visit, which led to the conception of a child who was in the same line of descendants as Haile Selassie I; which to many of them this shows the divine nature of Haile Selassie as he is therefore related to Salomon’s father King David and therefore to Jesus. This perception is basically a Rastafarian myth since there are no literature that defends the idea of King Salomon and Queen of Sheba being involved sexually and this idea arose because King Solomon is well known for  being unfaithful and married different woman in order to expand his empire. The Rastafarians also believe that the lord Jesus Christ spoken of in the bible is Haile Selassie I and believe that the early Christians missionaries present him as a Jew in order to hide from the black slaves their true identity. However, the research shows that Haile Selassie I was a devoted Christian and did not want to be perceived as a God, which contradicts one of the main beliefs of the Rastafarians. According to Rastafarian teaching, the black person is the reincarnation of ancient Israel, who at the hand of the white person, has been exiled in Jamaica, because they believe to be Israelites, they have not been able to break away from the world â€Å"Israel†. They believe that Israelites and Ethiopians are basically the same name referring to holy people. The idea of Ethiopia being Israel â€Å"Israelite state founded in 1947† and that Jamaicans Slaves came from Ethiopia is completely false; and African History shows that Jamaican slaves came from different part s of Africa not from Ethiopia; Ethiopia is actually the only country that was not exposed through slavery and that Slavery act According to the Rastafarians, they, the true Israelites have been punished for their sins by God, their father through slavery under whites. This sin has led to their exile in Jamaica. They believed to have been long pardoned by God, and should have returned to Ethiopia long time ago, but because of the slavemasters’ trickery, they have been unable to do so (Barret 112). Another major Rastafarian teaching states that the white person is inferior to the black person. This idea of black supremacy comes largely as an echo from the days of Marcus Garvey and remains a strong point in both the Black Muslins in the (United States) and the Jamaican Rastafarian movements. As example from Garvey’s African Fundamentalism we read: If others laugh at you, return the laughter to them; if they mimic you, return the compliment with equal force. They have no more right to dishonor, disrespect and disregard your feeling and manhood than you have in dealing with them. Honor them when they honor you; disrespect and disregard them when they vilely treat you. Their arrogance is but skin deep and an assumption that has no foundation of morals or in law (Barret, 114). I greatly disagree with the idea of black or white supremacy because God has made us equal in every sense, and that the only perfect man to ever walk in the earth did not see ethnicity but taught  us that the most important thing in the world is to love each other. Rastafarians believe that not all white people are evil. I have previously mentioned that this Rastafarian belief is very similar to the Black Muslin movement as can be seen in the supreme wisdom of Elijah Muhammad that says: The original man is none other than black man, the black man is the first and the last: creator of the universe and the primogenitor of all other races including the white race, for which a black man used a special method of birth control. White man’s history is only six thousand years long, but black man coexistence with the creation of the earth†¦ Everywhere the white man has go ne on our planet they have found the original man or sign that he has been there previously (Morris, 118). The last major Rastafarian belief states that Jamaica is Hell; and Ethiopia is Heaven thus representing their idea of Heaven on earth. Rastafarians regard ‘Ethiopia’ as their homeland and believe they will eventually return. During periods of colonization Africans were divided up and sent to destinations throughout the world, in most cases as slaves to whites. This is why many Africans found themselves in Jamaica and why it is regarded by many Rastafarians as hell. Ethiopia, the homeland, was seen as a place of fond memories of freedom and life prior to oppression. This meant it eventually became regarded as heaven. To develop this belief Rastafarians refer to Psalm 137:1 â€Å"By the Rivers of Babylon we sat down; there we wept when we remembered Zion†. The intent of this belief was to lift up their morale and give them hope of a place where blacks just as much rights as their fellow whites. I completely agree with this idea of Ethiopia representing Zion for Jama ican slaves. One important aspect of the Rastafarian religion is to be found on its rituals. The most important ceremonial occasion is the Nyabinghi, which is held to commemorate events that are sacred to the Rastafari. Nyabinghi was a religious-political cult that resisted colonial domination in Uganda in the last decade of the nineteenth century. It was also a term that came to suggest a secret organization, Nyabinghi, which swore on oath ‘death to whites’ (Chevannes 1995, 15). In contemporary setting, it essentially refers to Rastafari ritual meetings, otherwise known as groundation, a conflation of the words ‘ground’ and ‘foundation’ (Morris, 219). The typical Nyabinghi meetings were held monthly or on specific occasions, such as to mark the coronation or birthday of Haile Selassie. They began in the early evening and would last  for an entire night or extend for several days with prayers, readings from the bible, dancing, smoking of ganja, and feasting. The other kind of ritual is more informal and consists of a small gathering o f brethren who share the smoking of the sacred weed, ganja, and engage in what is described as ‘reasoning’ (Chevannes 1995,17). The weed is to be passed on a clockwise manner; the only time that the weed is passed on a counterclockwise is at the time of war. Yet although there is very little in the way of rituals among the Rastafari and they repudiated baptism and funeral rituals, nevertheless there are crucial rituals focused around the individual person and the body. The other aspect of Rastafari personal rituals is the emphasis on I-tal [natural] food and the ritual avoidance of many foods that aren’t considered natural. The Rastafari, in varying degrees, refrain from drinking alcohol (which is associated with aggression), using salt in their cooking, eating meat (which is associated with sexuality), and even express a revulsion for chickens and goats that, like the pig, are associated with scavenging. Rastafarians express a viewpoint that is essentially naturalistic and ecological, for like the early romantics, they have a positive attitude towards nature and organic life. Yet though affirming that they are vegetarians and non-violent, the key image that they promote of themselves is, ironically, that of a lion aggressive, proud, dominant, dreadful, and they ‘simulate the spirit of the lion in the way they wear they locks and in the way they walk (Morris, 221). Rastafarians reject the use of alcohol, since is a fermented chemical that does not belong in the temple of the body and make a person completely stupid, thereby playing into the hands of the white leaders. This is contrasted with the holy herb of marijuana, which is natural and believed by Rastas to open their mind and assist in reasoning. Throughout this research, it was possible to see that Rastafarians like other non Christian religions often ignore some teachings of the Holy Bible in favor certain scriptures that defend their wrong doing. Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures says that the smoking of Marijuana enhances one’s ability to communicate with God, Paul teaches us that Christ is our only way to God, and despises the use of narcotics! The emphasis is to accept Jesus Christ as our savior and live a life that glorifies him, so the use of marijuana is not the right way to get God’s attention. Some people, most people like me haven’t spent enough time studying and understanding the essence and different types of religions. Rastafarians are very passionate and caring people who by the smoking of ganja believe to have a better understand of the world; they beliefs and rituals are very rich and pure. Although their all religion is based on revolutionary ideas rather than biblical techings; I believe that they have not understood that the New Testament gives us a clear guidance on how to live for God even when on face of persecution, and that the only living God has already walked on the earth two thousand years ago. A careful study is necessary in order to create basis and understand of their background which throughout my research I found it to be very contradictory of what the bible teaches us about God. In conclusion; contradiction is the main word I can find to describe Rastafarianism beliefs and rituals. Works Cited Morris, Brian. Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. Corduan, Winfried. Neighboring Faiths. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1998. Print. Barret, Leonard. The Rastafarians. Boston: Beacon Press,1997. Google Book Search. Web. 20 November 2012. Chevannes, Barry. â€Å"The continuity creative debate, the case of revival.† Diss. University of the West Indies, 1995. Print. Simpson, George. â€Å"Afro-Caribbean Religions†. The Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Mircea Eliade. New York: McMillan, 1995. Print.

Early Childhood Research and Practice Essay

From the heading I am able to see that the journal is going to be about â€Å"Learning Stories and Children’s Powerful Mathematics. † There are three authors in total who were part of the publishing of the journal, they are Bob Perry, Sue Dockett and Elspeth Harley. It is possible to find out a great deal of information about the authors, for example what university they attended, their current job roles and what they are interested in researching. The journal was published in the Early Childhood Research Practice, and it can only be found here. The journal has been peer reviewed. From reading the title and the abstract, I have learnt that â€Å"The approaches to teaching and learning mathematics in Australian preschools and schools can be quite different. † It is believed that different cultures are taught in different ways, however I would have to disagree with this statement, as schools today have multicultural classes, therefore every child has an equal opportunity and is taught the core subjects in the same way. The introduction made it clear that there is often conflict between this increase in formality and the play-based, child-centred philosophies of prior-to-school settings (Thomson, Rowe, Underwood, & Peck, 2005). They key to the research was to investigate young children’s mathematical experiences. The article was set out under numerous headings, separating key information into paragraphs. With-in the articles there are also tables showing how maths can be linked with play and whether it is a successful way of teaching the younger generation. Two of the authors of this paper worked with a small group of early childhood educators for two days in 2005 and two days in 2006. This paper reports how the powerful mathematical ideas and the developmental learning outcomes were brought together by a group of practicing early childhood educators into a numeracy matrix that encouraged the educators to plan, implement, and assess their practices. It also considers the use of learning stories by the early childhood educators to assess the mathematics learning of preschool children. Their list bears many similarities to other such lists (see, for example, Greenes, Ginsburg, & Balfanz, 2004; National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2000). Learning Stories are qualitative snapshots, recorded as structured written narratives, often with accompanying photographs that document and communicate the context and complexity of children’s learning (Carr, 2001). Luke has been given the opportunity, through the provision of time, materials, and space, to â€Å"participate purposefully in spatial tasks† and to â€Å"demonstrate flexibility and to make choices. † The article was easy to follow and fulfilled all of its set aims. Through their use of the numeracy matrix, the educators are now able to see how each of the powerful ideas contributes to the DLO. One of them was able to suggest that the work with the numeracy matrix had helped them see how the DLOs were the capstones to all that they were trying to do in all learning areas The purpose of this paper was to introduce the numeracy matrix, which has been developed as part of the Southern Numeracy Initiative in South Australia. subjective evidence from the participants in the Southern Numeracy Initiative suggest that the use of the numeracy matrix and the thinking behind it have had positive effects on the pedagogical practices of the early childhood educators involved. However some educators disagreed with this and the source can’t be trusted. The article gave a to the point review of what they were trying to achieve and also gave references so if you wanted to further your knowledge on the topic or similar reports then you could do so. Unlike previous articles, this one did not relate to anything that I have previously read. It interested me as I believe that maths is over looked and there is a great amount of ways in linking it in with everyday play and practice; however some educators do not do that. With Australia now putting this â€Å"matrix† into place others may follow suit and see the positive outcomes. References Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers and Early Childhood Australia. (2006). Position paper on early childhood mathematics. Retrieved March 7, 2010, from http://www.aamt. edu. au Carr, Margaret. (2001). Assessment in early childhood settings: Learning stories. London: Paul Chapman. Carr, Margaret, & Claxton, Guy. (2002). Tracking the development of learning dispositions. Assessment in Education, 9(1), 9-37. Greenes, Carole; Ginsburg, Herbert P. ; & Balfanz, Robert. (2004). Big math for little kids. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19(1), 159-166. Thomson, Sue; Rowe, Ken; Underwood, Catherine; & Peck, Ray. (2005). Numeracy in the early years: Project Good Start. Melbourne: Australian Council for Educational Research.

The Great Depression and African American Movements Essay

The Great Depression and African American Movements - Essay Example The Great Depression was addressed by President Roosevelt’s New Deal when he assumed office as a President of the United States on March 4, 1933. President Roosevelt’s New Deal involved a series of economic programs focused on Relief, Recovery and Reform of the economy not only to address the Great Depression but also to avoid the repetition of the same. Among the programs of his new deal was the obtained permission to reopen most banks and provided grants to citizens. He instituted government initiated work programs to generate employment through the Works Progress Administration (WPA) programs. President Roosevelt also pump primed the economy with the widespread public spending on infrastructure by constructing roads, buildings, dams and similar projects through his Public Works Administration (PWA) which provided not only jobs but income in the system. He also enlisted young men in the Civilian Conservation Corps to work on conservation projects.President Rooseveltâ €™s New Deal was to elevate both income and prices which dropped during the depression. When Second World War came in 1941, President Roosevelt shifted his attention to foreign policy to address the war. The war proved to be good for the US economy because the massive spending to build war machines double the country’s Gross National Product or GNP and reduced unemployment rate from 14% to less than 2%.The 1930s and 1940s saw the emergence of two African American religious movements which includes the Nation of Islam.

Why swimming is the best form of exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why swimming is the best form of exercise - Essay Example It increases the body’s metabolism which ultimately results in the burning of fats. Exercise has always been very important part of the human body. It not only keeps one in better shape but also reduces the risks of heart diseases, strokes, various cancers and high blood pressure. In the modern era the need to exercise has increased significantly. People today feel the need to stay and look fit more than ever before. Over the past few years various exercising machines and fitness units have been introduced some of which comprises of state-of-the-art technology e.g. calculating pulse rate, calories burnt and speed range etc. But swimming has always been a conventional way to stay fit and healthy, with the main reasons being that it is a simple and non technology oriented form of exercise delivering some very effective results. Swimming is an aquatic sport. It is the art of self- movement in water with the help of upper and lower limbs. Swimming is the best form of exercise as i t is easy on the body, it works all muscles, can be used by people who are limited in the exercise they can undertake, is varied Unlike many exercises which prove to be very monotonous and harsh, swimming refreshes both the mind and body. It eases the body without giving jarring effects. Water has some very effective and soothing effects. Athletes use water to rehabilitate after an injury.

Impact of Stress on Nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Impact of Stress on Nursing - Essay Example The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them" (Murray, 2005). This essay takes into consideration the negative effects of stress to which nurses may be prone. It also presents strategies for nurses to that can reduce the level or types of stress that nurses encounter. A number of negative effects of stress have been identified. Patterns of extreme or high stress may lead to the fight-or-flight response (Selye, 1976) and psychological and physical illnesses or many times its symptoms (Cropley and Steptoe, 2005; Neilsen et al, 2005). There are also situation where stress results in extreme discomfort (Drew, et al., 2005), exacerbation of age-related declines in memory (Vendras, et al., 2005), low quality of life (Lustyk, Widman, Paschane, and Ecker, 2004), and premature death (Robinson, McBeth, and McFarlane, 2004). Today with the increasing pressure and stress on the nursing staff, it is estimated that first-year retention rates for new graduate nurses is only between 40% and 65%. In terms of numbers as many as 6 out of 10 new nursing grads leave nursing practice within one year of graduation (Rosebrough, 2005). It is important to understand the impact of stress and ... If we try to categorise the type of stress faced by nurses it can be said that physically, the job of a nurse is often demanding with high levels of muscular-skeletal stress, culminating in many aches and pains. Mentally, nurses are required to be alert and 'on the ball', making calculations for medication and responding to important questions from patients and relatives. Emotionally, the impact is felt when nurses involve themselves in empathising and helping people and working in an environment where there is pain and sadness. Additionally, the context of work may be characterised by resource constraints, poor staff support and organizational change, which add to the energy expended. Too much stress and burn out brings the discomfort of finding the nursing staff struggling (Murray, 2005). Strategies of Stress Management Nursing is the profession of serving others and it is very important that nurses maintain a balance between work and other personal activities. Since most of the nursing staff work on shift basis it is important to use leisure time to recharge and energise themselves. There are several strategies for stress management and among these the coping strategies and relaxation techniques are simple, effective and helpful in controlling anxiety levels, depression and anger. Besides, there are a range of interventions that can reduce stress in nursing. According to a recent review cognitive behavioural interventions and relaxation or the meditation strategies are effective in bringing down personal levels of stress (Mimura and Griffiths, 2003). Cognitive-behavioural interventions are intended to help people live longer, feel better and avoid having self-defeating thoughts. These interventions help nurses to

Type 2 Diabetes Among Latinas Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Type 2 Diabetes Among Latinas - Research Paper Example These findings also show that the association between type-2 diabetes and food insecurity in this population are due to certain mechanisms including physical activity, dietary intake, SES, obesity and cigarette smoking but negative association with meal skipping and alcohol drinking. This model also showed less significant association of Latina’s depressive symptoms, BMI, nutritional knowledge, interaction, education, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program participation, marital status, and access to car and cigarette smoking to likelihood of getting type-2 diabetes. Latinas with High depression levels and those with low nutritional knowledge also had high food insecurity and those who were food secure had good nutritional knowledge as well as low depressions and were not participating in SNAP. The findings also showed that depression scores increased with increasing severity of food security with scores of 14.7 for food security, 24.2 low food security and 28.2 for very low food security (Fitzgerald et al, 2011). Fitzgerald et al’s â€Å"Food insecurity is related to increased risk of type 2 diabetes among Latinas focused on examining the relationship between food security and type-2 diabetes among Latino Americans. While the investigators clearly outline the aim of the study, they have not stated clearly what the problem is as well as the hypothesis. In this kind of study, it is important to outline the epidemiological problem that warrants the investigation. As stated by Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt (2011), a clear research question is important since it provides the researcher with direction so as to focus on specific answers to the research question. Gerrishet al (2011) also noted that a clear statement of the epidemiological problem should clearly state the condition, population of interest, the comparison or control, the population of interest, intervention and the outcome measure

Effects of Stakeholders on Communication Assignment

Effects of Stakeholders on Communication - Assignment Example Owners are concerned with maximizing the business profits, investors are interested in earning income from their investment, and employees want to keep their job and earn higher wages. External stakeholders are individuals or groups that are not within the business, and are not working directly with the business, but are affected in a number of ways from the business decisions. They include the government, trade unions, community, creditors, suppliers, and customers. Identifying the stakeholder affects communication in many ways. The best thing is just learning what a particular stakeholder needs to enhance profit or protect and then structure communication according to these factors. First, the information to be communicated and the mode of communication vary for each group. Additionally, the period or frame for delivering the information to a group of stakeholders or a stakeholder varies as there are those that require to be notified immediately, and it will help reduce overloading stakeholders with information. The level of the stakeholder and their interests influences a lot how you should communicate with them. The interested individuals or groups should be managed closely through status meetings; change logs, and notified about the issues, this is most probably the high power individuals and groups. These that are high powered and have less interest should always be satisfied through board meeting updates and steering committees. Those inte rested and are in low power, need to be informed in-person or through email updates, and video.

Adam Smith Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Adam Smith - Essay Example While many elements of Adam Smith’s theory of capitalism persist today, his view of pure capitalism has proved impossible in modern markets. There are a variety of reasons why Smith’s theory of the invisible hand does not go far enough. One of the major reasons Smith’s theory fails is because of the possibility of monopoly structures. In these situations, organizations are able to gain significant power that allows them to shape market elements in their favor, effectively eliminating the process of supply and demand, and making the emergence of competitors an impossibility. In these situations, it became the responsibility of the government to institute regulatory mechanisms, as not doing so would result in potential recessions or economic complications. Other elements are the nature of ethical considerations. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution organizations increasingly presented longer workweeks and poor working conditions. While it’s possible the invisible hand would ultimately regulate these situations, there remain significant human rights concerns in permitting such a pure capitalistic structure. In conclusion, this essay has examined Adam Smith’s theory of capitalism and demonstrated why it is impossible in the modern world. In this context of understanding, the essay demonstrates that Smith proposed an invisible hand that regulates the market. Still, it’s clear this is impossible in the modern world because of the potential of corporate monopolies and widespread human rights concerns.

Critically Assess the Difference between Labour Standards and Labour Assignment

Critically Assess the Difference between Labour Standards and Labour Rights with Reference to the Work of the International Lab - Assignment Example Introduction The United Nations was established in 1945 to maintain global peace, â€Å"to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom†.1 It discharges its functions effectively through the working of a number of specialized organizations like the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) that aims to reduce hunger and poverty by developing agriculture and â€Å"providing healthy dietary intake†2 , the World Health Organization (WHO) that strives for the control and eradication of diseases, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that works for monetary cooperation among nations and many more.3 One such organization is th e International Labour Organization (ILO) that promotes social justice for laborers and aims to elevate the standards of labor rights and practices. ... bor compensation, social insurance, paid vacation, safety of industrial workers, employment service and labor inspection†.5 The achievements of the ILO in the pursuit of its objectives have been many like the ‘Tripartite Meeting on Safety and Health’ in the fishing industry in 1998-99 that set safety standards for fishermen.6 However, the deviation of the actual labor standards in comparison to the labor rights stated by the ILO is a subject seeking great evaluation. In this context, research in labor policies initiated by the ILO is of considerable relevance. The paper will presently address this problem of divergence of labor practices from the standard labor rights given by ILO. Labour Standards of the ILO The labor standards theoretically stated by the ILO are reflective of its objectives and goals but whether or not these standards are applied in reality, in case of all member nations, is debatable. Statement of Labour Rights In 1995, five broad fundamental ri ghts were identified by the ILO, addressing men, women and children workers of the world. They are freedom of association, right to organize and bargain collectively, freedom from forced labor, right to equal remuneration and non-discrimination in employment and the abolition of child labor.7 Freedom of Association implies that workers have the right to associate with one another and form unions or groups for the pursuit of a common objective or goal. The common objective is usually something aimed at improving the conditions of work for the laborers.8 Freedom to organize and bargain collectively states that the workers have the right to organize themselves into trade unions and other organizations. Collective bargaining occurs between these bodies and the management of a company on a variety of issues

I can't believe that this was once a syllabus Assignment

I can't believe that this was once a syllabus - Assignment Example This particular curriculum design intended to evaluate the performance effectiveness in the educational system of America. Through his book, Ralph emphasized on the purpose of education in the life of children. Ralph focused on the factors such as what are the interests of the child, the problems he encountered in obtaining education through the traditional curriculum and the purpose of his study. Also to make the education system better, no particular source of information is adequate to provide a basis of wise and comprehensive decision. As Ralph suggested in his book, education system should be so formed that it would help to change the behavior of the people in the most righteous way. The feeling and thinking skills of the people influenced by the content derived from education was the key point highlighted in Ralph W Tyler’s principle. His basic principle was to understand learning of education and its effectiveness in the behavior of the people throughout the life (Tyler , 2013). Evaluation of Tyler’s Curriculum Tyler’s curriculum came into existence during his eight year study. The concentration point of the study was to understand whether students were actually getting educated through the learning delivered in the classes. While Ralph was working on his eight year study, he went to the Ohio State where the faculty wanted him to test the knowledge of the students. The instructor would give emphasis on taking tests, but Ralph suggested that tests would quantify the memorizing power of the student and not their understanding on the subject matter, which certainly became a major turning point in today’s contemporary education process. Ralph coined the term â€Å"Evaluation† to investigate the real leanings of the students through the education system (Tyler, 2013). The evaluation was to understand the effectiveness of education and learning on the people’s behavioral characteristics and their life in future. The une mployment rate in the organization was increasing due to the lack of learning in the specific subject matter. The curriculum theory of Ralph dealt with the real sense of understanding of education. The theory emphasized not on the dull sensing of meaning of the subject matter but focused on the inner meaning, emotions and continuous exploration of the study in the life of the student (Tyler, 2013). The curriculum theory also gave emphasis to few principles, which were required to be followed for a better education system. The principle of the curriculum was to explore the knowledge of the learning, the interest of the students in the given subject and most importantly, the purpose the child has in his mind regarding the study. It was observed through his curriculum theory that every student had different interests and hence, 30 schools were developed to try the new education system suggested by Ralph. The evaluation of students, were further suggested by Ralph, to be done by the rec ords of the performance of the students throughout. Appraisal system would be introduced every year to check the knowledge and to understand whether they are learning the expected skills, which would help them in future. The theory also stated that the evaluation of the people after completion of studies, which meant how the people are dealing in the real

Seatbelts Laws Are Beneficial- Disagree Essay Example for Free

Seatbelts Laws Are Beneficial- Disagree Essay The article that is being critique is called â€Å"Primary Seat belt Enforcement Laws Are Beneficial.† The author of this article is Kathyrn O’Leary Higgins. She explains on the reasoning behind why seatbelt laws are very beneficial to wear. Her main reasoning of this article is to explain and commend you for considering this measure that will so easily save many motor vehicle occupants from crash-related deaths and injuries. She strongly believes that people who do not wear there seatbelt are more likely to get in to car accidents. She did a great job putting this article together with all the good information and great points to each idea. The author Kathyrn does give good credibility throughout her article. Her vocabulary was good aimed toward college students. She did not however look in the direction on how seatbelt laws can be unbeneficial. Although her topic is very debatable many do not agree with the idea that seatbelt enforcement laws are beneficial. â€Å"Seatbelt laws may be the number one defense against motor vehicle injuries and fatalities†. The author also mentions that,† These drivers, who choose not to buckle up, tend to exhibit multiple high risk behaviors and are more frequently involved in crashes.† Yet, that idea can be very debatable. Many people would highly disagree, just because you aren’t wearing your seatbelt doesn’t many you are more likely to drive crazy. In addition, Many people believe that it should be your own decision if you want to wear a seatbelt or not. Yes there may be many cases where a seatbelt has saved individuals lives. But there are also many accidents where a seatbelt has killed a person’s life or seriously injured the individual. For an example on how a seatbelt killed an individual, there was one accident wear the car caught on fire and the individual could not get the seatbelt unattached which kept him trapped in the car and died from the fire. Also many people get injured from seatbelts. They get bad chest and shoulder injuries. There was one paper that mentioned on how the mother left her daughter in the car while she was having a conversation with a friend. She had a bad feeling and deceided to stop and check on her daughter. She knew something was not right when seen that her daughter wasn’t moving around. She opened the door to see her daughter with two seatbelts wrapped around her neck. She was strangling there and as they tried to un wrap the seatbelts they got tighter, until they finally got something to cut the seatbelts and get her loose. That’s another great example on how seatbelts aren’t always there for just safety. Some people even believe that they can drive faster if wearing their seatbelt, they believe if they crash they are safe due to the seatbelt, which is ridiculous. †If this just sounds absolutely absurd, ask yourself: would you drive with greater care if – one fine day- you woke and discovered that someone cut away your seatbelt? If the answer is yes, then it means you aren’t driving as safely as you can, right now with your seatbelt on† (Kumar, Navin. 1). Yes in many cases seatbelts reduce the amount of accidents that happen, and they decrease the number of deaths. But they cause people to drive faster and more recklessly, causing more accidents and increasing the number of people who die. Seatbelt laws are also hypocritical. The author mentions, â€Å"Although opponents to primary enforcement seat belt laws claim that nonuse is a personal choice and affects only the individual, the fact is that motor vehicle injuries and fatalities have a significant societal cost.† Why is it that a person in a vehicle has to wear a seatbelt yet a motorcyclist doesn’t have to wear a helmet? The beneficial law is a violation of a person’s freedom. Seatbelts are there if a person chooses to wear one, and those who want to can wear their seatbelt, but those who don’t want to shouldn’t be forced to wear one. If some people think others are risking their life because they aren’t wearing their seatbelt then that’s their opinion. Our belief is that it’s up to you to make your own decisions. The government shouldn’t be forcing anyone to do anything for their own good. In a free society, if someone is injured or killed because they freely choose to use or not use their seatbelt, that is a person’s tragedy, as it is with other freely chosen risks in life. It’s not at all reasonable. Citations Higgins, Kathyrn OLeary. Primary Seat Belt Enforcement Laws Are Beneficial. Cars in America. Ed. Andrea C. Nakaya. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from Testimony of Honorable Kathryn OLeary Higgins, Board Member, National Transportation Safety Board. 2009. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 4 Feb. 2013. http://ic.galegroup.com.gary.libproxy.ivytech.edu.allstate.libproxy.ivytech.edu/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOverType=query=prodId=OVICwindowstate=normalcontentModules=mode=viewdisplayGroupName=Viewpointslimiter=currPage=disableHighlighting=truedisplayGroups=sortBy=source=search_within_results=action=ecatId=activityType=scanId=documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010429245 Kumar, Navin. â€Å"Can safety regulations kill you? How safe are seatbelts and seatbelt laws? Digital Bits Skeptic. Copyright. 2012. Web 4 Feb 2013. http://www.dbskeptic.com/2009/06/21/can-safety-regulations-kill-you-how-safe-are-seabelts-and-seatbelt-laws/ http://www.sallycphotography.com/archives/2005

The Communication Style In Middle East Cultural Studies Essay

The Communication Style In Middle East Cultural Studies Essay In this chapter, an analysis of the communication style of Middle Eastern countries will be provided, with particular focus on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Before analysing our focus countries, it is interesting to provide an overview of the communication style in the Middle East compared to that in the West. Only after understanding the main differences between these two regions, can inner differences be explained. Western ventures as well as expat foreign workers that start working in the Middle East face many challenges due to the differences in their communication style. The nature of business communication style is the result of the combination of different factors, such as cultural, political, socio-economical and historical characteristics of a country. Some of the main cultural factors will be therefore analysed in the section. First of all, Middle East countries are very high context, meaning that people from this region take into consideration all the different aspects of a certain event in order to get the true understanding of it. Hidden meanings can be found by analysing the situation as a whole. This term was coined by Edward Hall (1976) and positioned in contrast to low-context countries, such as USA, in which the meaning of words can be taken directly from the message, without the necessity to analyse the whole context. As can be seen later in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia section, the high context characteristic can also be associated to the characteristic of the Arabic language as an associative language. This statement by Hall (1976, p. 98) effectively gives an effective understand of the meaning of high context When talking about something that they have on their minds, a high context individual will expect his interlocutor to know whats bothering him, so that he doesnt have to be specific. The re sult is that he will talk around and around the point, in effect putting all the pieces in place except the crucial one. Placing it properly this keystone is the role of his interlocutor. Secondly, Middle Eastern people tend to invest a huge amount of their time establishing personal relationships and getting to better know their negotiating parties before actually initiating the work (Badawy, 1980). Because of this, doing business in the Middle East usually takes longer than in other countries. Personal contacts are considered more important than procedures and standard processes for businesses. For example, creative sales techniques and media advertising are not as effective in these countries as in Western ones. Instead, business in the Middle East relies more on the cultivation of individual customers and on government officials (Badawy, 1980). Another characteristic that distinguishes Middle Eastern management communication style from that of the West is related to the perception of time and space. Middle Eastern countries have a primarily polychronic work style, they usually engage in multiple activities and goals at the same time. In the Middle East, time is an open-ended concept. It is a mixture of past, present and future. The word bukra (literally tomorrow) that is often used in this region refers to the fact that what cannot be done today will be done tomorrow and the word inshallah (literally God willing) underlines that God is in control of time (Martin and Chaney, 2006). Therefore, time is considered to be a flexible concept, being late at meetings and not respecting strictly deadlines is usually not seen as offensive behaviour. Moreover, being late could also be a tactic used by Middle Eastern managers to demonstrate their superiority and power over their subordinates (Martin and Chaney, 2006). As far as space is concerned, business conversations in Middle Eastern countries usually occur simultaneously among different people and in the same office, similar to a round table discussion (Badawy, 1980). Having described some of the main features that characterise the communication style of the Middle East, this paper will now focus on the two considered countries, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The aim of the two subsections is to provide an analysis of the two countries in respect to some factors that either distinguish the Emirati or Saudi communication style from the general concept of business communication style in the Middle East or that underline differences between the two regions. United Arab Emirates The UAE is a very particular Middle Eastern country as we have seen in the previous sections. As far as the communication style is involved, studies have shown sound insights. On one hand, the high percentage of expatriate workers and western organisations have been influencing the communication behaviour of Emiratis. Many UAE companies have adapted their norms and communication style to match the Western ones (Willemyns et al., 2011). This has been a progressive process, driven by the fact that today more and more expatriates work in the UAE and that Emiratis employed in large companies can usually speak fluent English. On the other hand, specific patterns of communication style can be found within UAE companies. Our main reference will be the study performed by Willemyns et al. (2011) and described in their research paper Communication and Social Identity Dynamics in UAE Organizations. The study was conducted among 192 Emiratis (34 women) who worked in different companies in Dubai and were asked to complete a survey about their interaction with Western expatriate colleagues . However, before proceeding with the analysis of the findings, a short overview of the theoretical underpinnings behind them will be provided. More specifically, the social identity theory has been considered. This theory proposes that ones self-concept is compromised of a personal identity (based on idiosyncratic characteristics such as bodily attributes, abilities and psychological traits) and of social identities, based on groups memberships (Willemyns et al., 2011). A certain person would thus see themselves as part of a group (ingroup) and would compare their ingroup to an outsider group (outgroup), composed of people that are not part of the ingroup (Williams and Giles, 1996). This theory can therefore be used to understand and explain how the Emiratis interact with their foreign colleagues, whether they relate to them as part of the ingroup or the outgroup. The study has shown three main communication patterns. The first category relates to Interpersonal Control, which refers to the interpersonal control adopted in the interaction of Emirati nationals with their foreign colleagues. This study has stressed the importance of the ingroup dimension to many Emirati employees. In fact, a high percentage of them feel that they are perceived by their co-workers as belonging to the same group, on an equitable level. Furthermore, Emiratis try to understand the single individual when they interact with their co-workers rather than classifying them as part of a stereotypical cultural outgroup. Examples of this perception are related to non-work and friendship role relationship, similar values and interpersonal similarities. In a broader sense of the individualization process just described, Condon and Yousef (1975) have highlighted the difference between individualism, which indicates independence from the group, and individuality, which relates to the freedom of an individual to act, individuality ref ers to the persons freedom to act differently within the limits set by the social structure (Condon and Yousef,1975). Thus, in this specific case, the study refers more to individuality than to individualism of Emiratis. This sense of individuality can also be traced in the Quran where an individual (a prophet) would go against his group in order to proclaim his faith and belief in God. Therefore, for Arab people and in this specific case, for Emiratis, individual dignity and honour are extremely important. (Ayish, 2003). Therefore, if on one hand the belonging to ingroup is an essential part for Emiratis, on the other hand, the individual as a unique person is highly respected. This fact shows that it is probably too simplistic considering Emiratis as a collectivistic culture (Zaharna, 2009). The second category analysed is discourse management, which refers to the ability of a person in creating written and oral texts. In the specific case, we consider discourse management in relation to conversations held at work between Emiratis and their Western counterparts. As far as discourse management is concerned, the ingroup and outgroup sides seem to be balanced. More specifically, if on one hand, some Emiratis perceive high cultural difference with their colleagues, for example they feel their ideas are not listened to nor understood, on the other hand, some other Emiratis express an open, transparent and efficient communication process. Significant examples of this aspect are related to the willingness or unwillingness of colleagues to listen and communicate or to participate in small talk and self-disclosure. Small talks are defined by DeVito (2001) as short conversations typically used to break the ice between people. They are also defined pathic communication, term that w as coined by the anthropologist Malinowsky (1923) and refers to short discussions of low information content that are used to build and maintain relationships, to saving face issues. Finally, a balance can also be found in the last category, face issues. Emiratis value face-to-face communication as an important feature. Face-to-face communication could lead to both positive effects, for example a foreign colleague expressing explicit praise, congratulations and encouragement and negative consequences, for instance by embarrassing in public an Emirati, through criticism and negative feedback and by asking inappropriate questions such as questions related to wives and or sisters. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia In this section, an analysis of some interesting factors that shape the business communication style in Saudi Arabia will be provided. First of all, the environment highly influences the communication style of Arab countries. In particular, Ali (1990) underlines how Arab people are subjected to behave in different ways depending on the characteristics of the environment in which they are and have relationship with. More specifically, in an authoritarian environment, an Arab tends to be conservative, dependent on authorities and on higher status people and refrains from debate and discussions (Ali and Hayward, 1993). In Saudi Arabia, the communication style is more indirect and conservative compared to the communication style of other Mideastern such as the Emiratis due to their stricter environment. Moreover, Saudis show a higher avoidance of public conflict and criticism, preferring personal to impersonal procedures to resolve conflict and one-to-one business communication (Ali, 1995). Saudi Arabia is the place of birth both of Islam and Arabic. As Arabic is the language of the Quran, the spread of Islam to non-Arabic countries, such as part of South Asia, Europe and North Africa, has also implied the diffusion of Arabic language in them (Hitti, 1970; Hourani, 1992; Chejne, 1965). However, even though all countries in the Middle East have a common heritage in the Arabic language, not all of them have employed Arabic as official first language. Arabic is therefore one of the most important factors that influence the communication style in Saudi Arabia. According to Kabasakal and Bodur (2002), the Arabic language has a very strong influence on the identity of an Arabic person as well as on their communication style. Arabic manages to develop a feeling of identity among Arab people that also has crucial consequences on the communication style. In particular, the Arabic language is very associative, different examples of association can be found within the Arabic language and in the Quran (Zaharna, 2009). Therefore, in order to get the true understanding of a text written in Arabic, the ability to read Arabic is not sufficient; it is instead necessary to understand the different associations among words within a certain context. Likewise, Saudis use an indirect business communication style, where single words will not probably be of significant meaning. According to Katz (2006), a simple word like yes might mean possibly and i t will be very rare that a Saudi would answer with a direct no. Instead, Saudis value beautiful, elegant rhetoric over concise and accurate communication. Eloquent people are considered to be more worthy of trust and respect and so they will often use extremely descriptive, emotive and even poetic language to communicate their point indirectly. This can often make it difficult for Westerners to decipher the intended message. Furthermore, body language and eye contact is very important in the Middle East, however in Saudi Arabia it is more restricted and controlled. The final aspect that will be analysed in this section refers to the interaction of Saudis with the foreign corporations and colleagues. Unlike UAE, as seen in section 1.2 where Emiratis have shown a more open, transparent and positive behaviour, Saudi Arabia is a much more conservative and closed society that also regulates the way Saudis work with expatriates (Mackey, 1987). Having a local intermediary can therefore be extremely important for a foreigner to initiate a business relationship with local people. The intermediary will help providing the contacts and leveraging on existing relationships. (Katz, 2006). In fact, as described previously, personal relationships are crucial in Middle East and in this particular case, in Saudi Arabia.

Green Marketing: Advantages and Disadvantages

Green Marketing: Advantages and Disadvantages ACKNOWLEDGEMENT As I sum up draft of my study, I appreciatively reminisce the contribution of all those people without whose support and help, this study would have never taken its present form. I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude towards the pillars of successful completion of Dissertation Report, without whose unflinching assistance co-operation at all times it would rather have been impossible for me to achieve the desired goal. I am greatly indebted to my faculty guide mentor, Mr.Saravana Krishnamurthy, Professor Kohinoor Business School, Khandala for his undying support encouragement throughout the project. Lastly I would like to thank my school, Kohinoor Business School, Khandala for giving me this opportunity to put to practice, the theoretical knowledge that I imparted from the program . Last but not the least I express my thanks to all the respondents who showed a keen interest in my Project, relatives, friends and neighbors to provide me the necessary resources to complete the Project the help provided to me at every step. DEDICATION â€Å"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision,hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.† -Merlin Olsen I dedicate this report to my parents and friends in recognition of their worth and to my teachers who are the guiding force for me and it is their effort and hard work that showed me the path of success and prosperity which would be there for me for the rest of my life. I would like to thank and dedicate this report to everyone who knowingly and unknowingly contributed to the completion of my Summer Internship Project. I hope people find this report useful and the subject matter adds to their knowledge. ABSTRACT In todays business world environmental issues plays an important role in marketing. All most all the governments around the world have concerned about green marketing activities that they have attempted to regulate them. For example, in the United States (US) the Federal Trade Commission and the National Association of Attorneys-General have developed extensive documents examining green marketing. There has been little attempt to academically examine environmental or green marketing. It introduces the terms and concepts of green marketing, briefly discuss why going green is important and also examine some of the reason that organizations are adopting a green marketing philosophy. It also focuses some of the problems with green marketing. It identifies the key to successful green marketing:  § Credibility  § Publicize stories of the companys and employees green initiatives.  § Enter environmental awards programs to profile environmental credentials to customers and stakeholders.  § Never overstate environmental claims or establish unrealistic expectations. It also tells about Why Are Firms Using Green Marketing  § Organizations perceive environmental marketing to be an opportunity that can be used to achieve its objectives  § Organizations believe they have a moral obligation to be more socially responsible  § Governmental bodies are forcing firms to become more responsible  § Competitors environmental activities pressure firms to change their environmental marketing  § activities  § Cost factors associated with waste disposal, or reductions in material usage forces firms to modify their behavior This report stresses upon the effect of green marketing on the consumers. Green marketing isnt just a catchphrase; its a marketing strategy that can help you get more customers and make more money. But only if you do it right. OBJECTIVE: 1)To determine whether Indian consumers are ready for Green Marketing 2) To determine whether Price has effect on purchase of green products 3) To determine whether environment consciousness has effect on purchase of green products 4) To determine whether Availability has effect on the purchase of green products 5) To determine whether Awareness has an effect on Purchase of green products RESEARCH METHDOLOGY Research Methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods/techniques but also the methodology. Researchers not only need to know how to develop certain indices or tests, how to calculate the mean, the mode, the median or the standard deviation, how to apply particular research techniques, but they also need to know which of these methods or techniques, are relevant and which are not, and what would they mean and indicate and why. Researchers also need to understand the assumptions underlying various techniques and they need to know the criteria by which they can decide that certain techniques and procedures will be applicable to certain problems and others will not. Thus, when we talk of research methodology we not only talk of the research methods but also consider the logic behind the methods we use in the context of our research study and explain why we are using a particular method or technique and why we are not using others. INTRODUCTION According to the American Marketing Association [1],green marketing is the marketing of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including * Product modification, * Changes to the production process, * Packaging changes, as well as * Modifying advertising. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several meanings intersect and contradict each other; an example of this will be the existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached to this term. Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological Marketing. The legal implications of marketing claims call for caution. Misleading or overstated claims can lead to regulatory or civil challenges. In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission provides some guidance on environmental marketing claims. The term green marketing [2] came into prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The American Marketing Association (AMA) held the first workshop on Ecological Marketing in 1975. The proceedings of this workshop resulted in one of the first books on green marketing entitled Ecological Marketing Thus green marketing incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification, changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying advertising. My definition which encompasses all major components of other definitions is: Green or Environmental Marketing consists of all activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants, such that the satisfaction of these needs and wants occurs, with minimal detrimental impact on the natural environment. This definition incorporates much of the traditional components of the marketing definition that is All activities designed to generate and facilitate any exchanges intended to satisfy human needs or wants. So, in simple terms Green marketing refers to the process of selling products and/or services based on their environmental benefits. Such a product or service may be environmentally friendly in itself or produced and/or packaged in an environmentally friendly way. The obvious assumption of green marketing is that potential consumers will view a product or services greenness as a benefit and base their buying decision accordingly. The not-so-obvious assumption of green marketing is that consumers will be willing to pay more for green products than they would for a less-green comparable alternative product -an assumption that has not been proven conclusively, specially the mild effect which it had had on consumers has washed away by the present recession (2008-09) only. Green marketers though argue that it is a way to use the environmental benefits of a product or service to promote sales. Many consumers will choose products that do not damage the environment over less environmentally friendly products, even if they cost more. With green marketing, advertisers focus on environmental benefits to sell products such as biodegradable diapers, energy-efficient light bulbs, and environmentally safe detergents. People buy billions of dollars worth of goods and services every year—many of which harm the environment in the way they are harvested, made, or used. Environmentalists support green marketing to encourage people to use environmentally preferable alternatives, and to offer incentives to manufacturers that develop more environmentally beneficial products. IMPORTANCE OF GREEN MARKETING Man has limited resources on the earth [3], with which she/he must attempt to provide for the worlds unlimited wants. There is extensive debate as to whether the earth is a resource at mans disposal. In market societies where there is freedom of choice, it has generally been accepted that individuals and organizations have the right to attempt to have their wants satisfied. As firms face limited natural resources, they must develop new or alternative ways of satisfying these unlimited wants. Ultimately green marketing looks at how marketing activities utilize these limited resources, while satisfying consumers wants, both of individuals and industry, as well as achieving the selling organizations objectives. When looking through the literature there are several suggested reasons for firms increased use of Green Marketing. Five possible reasons cited are: †¢ Organizations perceive environmental marketing to be an opportunity that can be used to achieve its objectives †¢ Organizations believe they have a moral obligation to be more socially responsible †¢ Governmental bodies are forcing firms to become more responsible †¢ Competitors environmental activities pressure firms to change their environmental marketing activities †¢ Cost factors associated with waste disposal, or reductions in material usage forces firms to modify their behavior †¢ Opportunities GOALS OF GREEN MARKETING  · Eliminate the concept of waste.  · Reinvent the concept of product.  · Make prices reflect actual and environmental costs.  · Make environmentalism profitable.  · Bringing out product modifications.  · Changing in production processes.  · Packaging changes.  · Modifying advertising. NEED OF GREEN MARKETING: AN ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEW Issues like Global warming [3] and depletion of ozone umbrella are the main for the healthy survival. Every person rich or poor would be interested in quality life with full of health and vigor and so would the corporate class. Financial gain and economic profit is the main aim of any corporate business. But harm to environment cost by sustain business across the globe is realized now though off late. This sense is building corporate citizenship in the business class. So green marketing by the business class is still in the selfish anthological perspective of long term sustainable business and to please the consumer and obtain the sanction license by the governing body. Industries in Asian countries are catching the need of green marketing from the developed countries but still there is a wide gap between their understanding and implementation. CHALLENGES IN GREEN MARKETING Ø NEED FOR STANDARDIZATION It is found that only 5% of the marketing messages from â€Å"Green† campaigns are entirely true and there is a lack of standardization to authenticate these claims. There is no standardization to authenticate these claims. There is no standardization currently in place to certify a product as organic. Unless some regulatory bodies are involved in providing the certifications there will not be any verifiable means. A standard quality control board needs to be in place for such labeling and licensing. Ø NEW CONCEPT Indian literate and urban consumer is getting more aware about the merits of Green products. But it is still a new concept for the masses. The consumer needs to be educated and made aware of the environmental threats. The new green movements need to reach the masses and that will take a lot of time and effort. By Indias ayurvedic heritage, Indian consumers do appreciate the importance of using natural and herbal beauty products. Indian consumer is exposed to healthy living lifestyles such as yoga and natural food consumption. In those aspects the consumer is already aware and will be inclined to accept the green products. Ø PATIENCE AND PERSEVERANCE The investors and corporate need to view the environment as a major long-term investment opportunity, the marketers need to look at the long-term benefits from this new green movement. It will require a lot of patience and no immediate results. Since it is a new concept and idea, it will have its own acceptance period. Ø AVOIDING GREEN MYOPIA The first rule of green marketing is focusing on customer benefits i.e. the primary reason why consumers buy certain products in the first place. Do this right, and motivate consumers to switch brands or even pay a premium for the greener alternative. It is not going to help if product is developed which is absolutely green in various aspects but does not pass the customer satisfaction criteria. This will lead to green myopia. Also if the green products are priced very high then again it will loose its market acceptability. BENEFITS OF GREEN MARKETING Todays consumers are becoming more and more conscious about the environment and are also becoming socially responsible. Therefore, more companies are responsible to consumers aspirations for environmentally less damaging or neutral products. Many companies want to have an early mover advantage as they have to eventually move towards becoming green. Some of the advantages of green marketing are: †¢It ensures sustained long term growth along with profitability. †¢ It saves money in the long run, though initially the cost is more. †¢ It helps the companies market their products and services keeping the environment aspects in mind. It helps in accessing the new markets and enjoying the competitive advantage. †¢ Most of the employees also feel proud and responsible to be working for an environmentally responsible company. GREEN MARKETING MIX PRODUCT Entrepreneurs [5] wanting to exploit emerging green markets either: Identify customers environmental needs and develop products to address these needs or will develop environmentally responsible products to have less impact than competitors. The increasingly wide variety of products on the market that support sustainable developments are: †¢ Products made from recycled goods, such as Quick N Tuff housing materials made from recycled broccoli boxes. †¢ Products that can be recycled or reused. †¢ Efficient products, which save water, energy or gasoline, save money and reduce environmental impact. †¢ Products with environmentally responsible packaging, McDonalds, for example, changed their packaging from polystyrene clamshells to paper. †¢ Products with green labels, as long as they offer substantiation. †¢ Certified products, which meet or exceed environmentally responsible criteria. †¢ Organic products-many customers are prepared to pay a premium for organic products, which offer promise of quality. Organic butchers, for example, promote the added qualities such as taste and tenderness. †¢ A service that rents or loans products-toy libraries. Whatever the product or service, it is vital to ensure that products meet or exceed the quality expectation of customers and is thoroughly tested. PRICE Pricing is the critical element of the marketing mix. Most customers will only be prepared to pay a premium if there is a perception of additional product value. This value may be improved performance, function, design, visual appeal or taste. Environmental benefits will be often be the deciding factor between products of equal value or quality. Environmentally responsible products, however are often less expensive when product life cycle coast are taken into consideration, for example fuel-efficient vehicles, water efficient printing and non-hazardous products. PLACE The choice of where and when to make products available will have significant impact on the customers you attract. Very few customers go out of their way to buy green products merely for the sake of it. Marketers looking to successfully introduce new green products should position them broadly in the market place so they are not just appealing to a small green niche market. The location must also be consistent with the image you want to project and allow you to project your own image rather than being dominated or compromised by the image of venue. The location must differentiate you from the competitors. This can be achieved by in-store promotions and visually appealing displays or using recycled materials to emphasize the environmental and other benefits. PROMOTION Promoting products and services to target markets include paid advertising, public relations, sales promotions, direct marketing and on-site promotions. Smart green marketers will be able to reinforce environmental credibility by using sustainable marketing and communication tools and practices. For example, many companies in the financial industry are providing electronic statements by email; e-marketing is rapidly replacing more traditional marketing methods and printed materials can be produced using recycled materials and efficient processes such as waterless printing. Retailers, for example are recognizing the value of alliances with other companies, environmental groups and research organizations. When promoting their environmental commitment to reduce the use of plastic bags and promote their green commitment, some retailers sell shopping bags and promote their green commitments. Moving Towards Green Marketing The era of green marketing has begun. It has already been granted wide acceptance by all stakeholders. However, there is a need to lay down the standards and practices, in order to bring in objectivity in the judgment of various national and international agencies. This will not only encourage the activities of green marketing but shall also provide the much needed level playing fields to all. PRESENT TRENDS IN GREEN MARKETING IN INDIA[6] . Ø Organizations Perceive Environmental marketing to be an Opportunity that can be used to achieve its objectives. Firms have realized that consumers prefer products that do not harm the natural environment as also the human health. Firms marketing such green products are preferred over the others not doing so and thus develop a competitive advantage, simultaneously meeting their business objectives. Ø Organizations believe they have a moral obligation to be more socially responsible. This is in keeping with the philosophy of CSR which has been successfully adopted by many business houses to improve their corporate image. Firms in this situation can take two approaches: †¢ Use the fact that they are environmentally responsible as a marketing tool. †¢ Become responsible without prompting this fact. . Ø Governmental Bodies are forcing Firms to Become More Responsible In most cases the government forces the firm to adopt policy which protects the interests of the consumers. It does so in following ways: †¢ Reduce production of harmful goods or by -products †¢ Modify consumer and industrys use and /or consumption of harmful goods; or †¢ Ensure that all types of consumers have the ability to evaluate the environmental composition of goods . Ø Competitors Environmental Activities Pressure Firms to change their Environmental Marketing Activities In order to get even with competitors claim to being environmentally friendly, firms change over to green marketing. Result is green marketing percolates entire industry. . Ø Cost Factors Associated With Waste Disposal or Reductions in Material Usage Forces Firms to Modify their Behavior With cost cutting becoming part of the strategy of the firms it adopts green marketing in relation to these activities. It may pursue these as follows: †¢ A Firm develops a technology for reducing waste and sells it to other firms. †¢ A waste recycling or removal industry develops. LITERATURE REVIEW 1. GOLDEN GOOSE OR WILD GOOSE? THE HUNT FOR THE GREEN CONSUMER This paper tries to provide insight by discarding the socio-demographic and personality-based influences that have been the prime research focus for the last 20 years Instead, it follows the example of other researchers looking at the importance of situational factors relating to the purchase itself. The green purchase perception matrix brings together two of the factors that have most often shown a positive link with green purchase behaviour in academic research perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and cost/ benefit trade-offs. The consumer will remain central to the greening of business for two very important reasons. Firstly, the consumption undertaken by private households accounts for a large proportion of the economys environmental impact . Secondly, consumption must also form part of the solution within free market economies in which consumer sovereignty is enshrined, and where the majority of companies profess to have a marketing orientation. However, continuing within the conventional marketing paradigm (and with a hunting mentality of identifying and targeting the green consumer with bait, traps and a little camouflage) is unlikely to create significant progress towards sustainability. Perhaps more importantly companies need to create the right habitat in which green consumption can thrive. Instead of acting as hunters, aggressively trying to benefit from the emergence of green consumers by targeting them, they could act more like gamekeepers who nurture and facilitate growth in the population of green consumers. This can be achieved by boosting consumer confidence and by reducing the level of compromise they must make through openness, the provision of full information and consumer choice, environmentally realistic pricing and the development of innovative clean technology solutions. Reference:- Ken Peattie (2001), Bussiness Strategy Environment, Golden goose or wild goose? The Hunt For the green Consumers, Vol: Bus. Strat. Env. 10, 187-199 2. A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF ENVIRONMENTAL ADVERTISING CLAIMS: A MATRIX METHOD APPROACH This study demonstrates that environmental advertising is not a monolithic phenomenon. Certain types of claims posed among environmental a dare more susceptible to consumer confusion and perceptions of deception. Advertisers would be well advised to pay particular attention to these types claims, particularly in light of the recent FTC directives. In their efforts to jump on the green bandwagon, advertisers should be sensitized to the fact that image claims may be a specific problem area Care should be taken in developing and pretest in environmental ads that rely on such claims and efforts to monitor consumer response to them should made. Ultimately, applying the matrix that we have developed here may help to identify such shortcomings with environmental advertising claims and direct attention to potential remedies. Reference:- Les Carlson, Stephen J Grove Norman Kangum (Sep 1993), Journal of Advertising, A context Analysis of environmental Advertising Claims: A matrix Method Approach, Vol.: XXII, No. 3, 27-38. 3.BUYER CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GREEN CONSUMERS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR ADVERTISING STRATEGY The study results provide interesting and potentially useful information about the consumer who is interested in buying green. They suggest that particular consumer attitudes are related to the propensity to buy green, but the relations are qualified somewhat by gender and by the nature of the green buying behavior.Making a special effort to buy green is unrelated to impulse buying and brand loyalty. In terms of the communication variables, persons making a special effort to buy green found magazines more interesting than television and indicated they would not buy a brand whose advertising they dislike. As expected, it was found predictor-criterion relationship differences between the two green buying variables. One criterion variable (making a special effort to buy green) taps a general interest in buying green. The other criterion variable (switching brands to buy green, even at the expense of product effectiveness) is more specific and more stringent in terms of greenness in that it provides more constraints and introduces a salient cost. The results indicate that, across genders, the consumer variables do a better job of predicting the variance in the former criterion than that in the latter criterion.. The results show that the green consumer has an interest in new products, is an information seeker, and talks with others about products. Additionally, green consumers consider themselves opinion leaders, and hence may provide word-of-mouth information that other consumers respect. The green consumer is also a careful shopper, not prone to impulse buying, and pays attention to pr ice, so advertisers must consider those issues as well.The results suggest that if companies do succeed in attracting green-oriented consumers, they will have to continue working to keep them. The lack of brand loyalty on the part of green consumers (in comparison with those less green), coupled with their propensity to actively seek information, implies that the green consumer will always be looking for new products. Although the environmental movement has been underway for years, green marketing seems to be a relatively new phenomenon. Marketers are typically not slow to adopt an innovation, but green marketing is in some ways fraught with peril Certainly, marketers are getting mixed signals—from polls, from research results, an d from sales figures. Common sense suggests that the use of green appeals by marketers can be productive. However, recent research on green marketing and the green consumer, indicates that the concepts will not be easy to apply. Green consumers must be treated carefully and, in particular, with respect. They appear to be careful and thoughtful consumers. Treated fairly, they may be receptive; treated poorly, they may not only switch brands, but also take others with them. References:- L J Shrun, John A McCarty Tina M Lowrey (Summer 1995), Journal of advertising, Buyer Characteristics of the green consumers and Their implications for Advertising strategy, Vol: XXIV, no 2, 71-81 4.ROLE OF SOCIO DEMOGRAPHICS IN SEGMENTING AND PROFILING GREEN CONSUMERS; AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF CONSUMERS IN INDIA Though green consumerism is on the rise, not all the consumers are equally green. To be able to more effectively market green products and ideas,marketers need to segment their market and use differentiated marketing approach for each target segment. Socio-demographic characteristics have been widely used in the past researches as a basis of market segmentation and profiling of green consumers. The present study explores the usefulness of select socio-demographic characteristics in capturing variations present in the environmental consciousness of the consumers in India. Both the univariate and multivariate analyses point to the presence of statistically significant linkages between the socio-demographic characteristics and different environmental consciousness constructs, thus implying potential usefulness of these characteristics in profiling different segments of green consumers an devolving accordingly the green marketing strategies and environmental campaigns as capable of more effectively reaching and influencing the chosen green consumer segments. The study has employed a more elaborate conceptualization of the environmental consciousness construct. Regarding age,. A negative relationship of age with WSE, IISB and IIO signifies a greater tendency among the relatively younger persons (viz., those belonging to the age groups 18-24 years and 24-35 years) to actively search for the environmentally friendly products, gather environment related information and influence others to behave in an environmentally responsible manner. These persons, however, appear less enthusiastic about choosing the least polluting products (ICLPP). This might be due to their lower purchasing power for being mainly either students or unemployed at this stage in their family life cycle. Education level is found to be significantly related with the environmental consciousness in respect to five environmental consciousness measures. A significantly positive relationship of the education level with environmental knowledge (EK), incidence and frequency of conservation behavior (ICB and FCB) and frequency of environmental activism implies greater environmental consciousness among the relatively more educated persons. Because of their higher intellectual orientation, these persons are able to better understand and appreciate green ideas and green claims made by the green marketers. Education level is, however, found to be significantly but negatively related with the respondents willingness to seek environmentally friendly products (WSE). The variable â€Å"typeofschoolattended† emerges as a significant correlate of the environmental consciousness for as many as six constructs. Notwithstanding being less articulate and extrovert, persons with the government school background exhibit a higher level of environmental consciousness in terms of environmental awareness (AEIP) as well as willingness to seek environmentally friendly products (WSE), incidence of seeking information (IISB), conserving resources (ICB) and choosing the least polluting products (ICLPP). The only aspect where they lag behind persons with the private school background is frequency of environmental activism (FEA), probably due to being less extrovert and gregarious than their counterpart. Income also emerges as an important correlate of environmental consciousness. Persons with higher income are also high in their awareness of the environmental regulations (AER),willingness to pay for the environmentally friendly products (WPM), incidence of information seeking behavior (IISB) and choosing the least polluting products (ICLPP). But in terms of their involvement with the activities relating to influencing others (IIO) and conserving the environment (FCB), they turn out to be poor performers. References:- Sanjay k Jain Gurmeet Kaur (2006), Role of Socio Demographics in Segmenting and profiling Green Consumers; An exploratory Study of consumers in India, Vol.: 18 (3), 107-146 5. GREEN MARKETING, AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE The present paper discusses the emergence of environmentalism in India and examines the response of government agencies, consumers, non- business organizations and corporat