Essay about Pro Legalization of Marijuana - 906 Words

Cannabis has been illegal since the Marijuana Tax act of 1934. Yet out of a population of 284 million American citizens, 70 million Americans claim to have smoked cannabis at some point in their lives. Prohibition of cannabis is therefore apparently ineffective at changing the habits of a population, just as prohibition of alcohol was ineffective in 1919-1933. Making otherwise law-abiding citizens fugitives does nothing more than fill the prisons and alienate the populace from their government. In fact the total cost to taxpayers of solely marijuana-related incarceration (in local, state, and federal prisons and jails) of 15,400 people exceeds $1.2 million per year. There have been many studies†¦show more content†¦Most Americans do not want to spend scarce public funds incarcerating nonviolent marijuana offenders, Marijuana prohibition costs taxpayers at least $7.5 billion annually. This is an enormous waste of scarce federal dollars that should be used to target violent crimes. Politicians must reconsider our countrys priorities and attach more importance to combating violent crime rather than targeting marijuana smokers. Our prisons and jails are so full of drug users like harmless marijuana smokers such that we do not have any place to stick real criminals. Marijuana prohibition makes no exception for the medical use of marijuana. The tens of thousands of seriously ill Americans who presently use marijuana as a therapeutic agent to alleviate symptoms of cancer, AIDS, glaucoma, or multiple sclerosis risk arrest and jail time to obtain and use their medication. Between 1978 and 1996, 34 states passed laws recognizing marijuanas therapeutic value. Most recently, voters in two states -- Arizona and California -- passed laws allowing for the medical use of marijuana under a physicians supervision. Yet, states are severely limited in their ability to implement their medical use laws because of the federal prohibition of marijuana. America tried alcohol prohibition between 1919 and 1931, but discovered that the crime and violence associated with prohibition was more damagingShow MoreRelatedThe Pros And Cons Of Marijuana Legalization1226 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is Marijuana? According to Dictionary.com, Marijuana is, â€Å"a preparation made from the dried flower clusters and leaves of the cannabis plant, usually smoked or eaten to induce euphoria†(marijuana). Marijuana, also known as â€Å"Mary Jane†, is drawn out to be an extremely horrible, life-ruining drug. Children learn that marijuana is a â€Å"gateway† drug and that it only does harm. Though it can be quite addictive, Marijuana is safer than commonly used drugs like Tobacco and could possibly be moreRead MorePros And Cons Of Legalization Of Marijuana784 Words   |  4 Pages According to the English Oxford Living Dictionaries (2017), marijuana is â€Å"Cannabis, especially as smocked or consumed as a psychoactive (mind-altering) drug.† Although marijuana is illegal by the federal law, 29 states have legalized the use of medical marijuana, and in 8 states anyone over the age of 21 can buy marijuana (Nathan, D. L., Clark, H. W., Elders, J, 2017, p. 1746). Many Americans tend to experiment with drugs when put in a certain social event, but rarely abuse drugs or become a drugRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Legalization Of Marijuana715 Words   |  3 PagesMarijuana legalization is a controversial subject with many different problems and solutions. Marijuana has benefits and disadvantages to using it (and many viewpoints on said pros and cons) so one person cannot be the only authority on the subject. Marijuana could possibly be used as a medicine, and although legalizing marijuana could have some benefits, the action could have serious repercussions. The legalization of medical marijuana could have positive benefits to the United States governmentRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Marijuana Legalization1442 Words   |  6 Pagesthat plague American society, the issue over the legalization of Marijuana remains as one of the most controversial topics. Marijuana, also known as Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States. According to national surveys conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), â€Å"marijuana use rose from 4.1 percent to 9.5 percent of the U.S. adult population in the past decade.† The increase of Marijuana use created an ongoing debate over whether it shouldRead MoreMarijuana Position Paper - Pro Legalization3633 Words   |  15 PagesResearch Based Position Paper Marijuana Laws in a Rapidly Changing American Society The turbulent history of Marijuana prohibition in America is one filled with racial motives and propaganda, but surprisingly was not an issue before 80 years ago. In fact, when Ronald Reagan was a child, marijuana was still legal in his state (Guither). Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of scientific or medical process which classified it as a dangerous drug, and thoughRead More Pro Legalization of Marijuana in the United States Essay1689 Words   |  7 Pagestoday, it seems as if the legalization of marijuana is being set on the back burner of legislation. There are so many opinions, sides, and overall arguments for and against it that many vote seeking politicians and policy makers have put up a strong resistance to this issue. In this paper I will illustrate the reasons why I think marijuana should indeed be legalized and also the arguments from people who disagree and feel that it should stay an illegal drug. Marijuana has been around for centuriesRead MoreShould Marijuana Legalization Be Legal?1532 Words   |  7 PagesMarijuana Legalization Marijuana legalization is an issue that the United States is currently facing. Through all branches and aspects of government, the concept of marijuana legalization can be applied and understood. In order to better frame the policy issue, the policy should be viewed through different lenses and all aspects of government. In this essay, it will be shown how marijuana legalization truly incorporates all areas of government interest. First, the politics of marijuana legalizationRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized? Essay1372 Words   |  6 PagesLegalization of Weed Growing up, everyone is told that, â€Å"Drugs are bad for you,† time and time again. Now as a kid you don’t really understand the reasoning behind it, but you listen to your authority figure regardless. I remember being told this my entire life and even to this very day. But as I got older I realized that people would still use drugs even though it’s illegal. I could never understand why someone would go against the law and jeopardize their life just to use drugs? The drug thatRead MoreIt Is Time to Legalize Marijana1700 Words   |  7 Pagestalking about is marijuana, and surprisingly it is all around us. Marijuana is even referred to in today’s media Mainstream media sources that people enjoy, like music, movies, and TV shows, do not even bother to leave the drug out of their system. Now being a young adult and having my own personal experience with the drug and knowing its effects on others, I wonder why it’s not legal. Why is it that t his drug has become illegal all over the world? The debate to legalize marijuana in the UnitedRead MoreEssay on Legalization of Marijuana610 Words   |  3 PagesLegalization of Marijuana One debate that keeps coming up time and again is the topic of the legalization of marijuana. Marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug. Nearly one in three teenagers have at least tried marijuana by the time they graduate high school. It is also gets the most publicity for its legalization. Over thirty pro-legalization organizations have been displayed on the Internet alone. The legalization of marijuana , although popular by todays drug culture, would be a

President Reag A Leader And Ethical Leader - 1613 Words

Ronald Reagan â€Å"There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect† (Reagan s State of the Union, n.d.). Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States and took office during a time of economic crisis, a disorderly foreign policy, and a decline in national morale. When Reagan left office 8 years later, the economic crisis was over, foreign policy was at an all time high and national morale had been restored. In this essay I will illustrate how President Reagan was both a visionary leader and ethical leader in the way he conducted himself throughout his Presidency. I will demonstrate how he used the visionary leadership traits of a†¦show more content†¦President Reagan sought to use team building to devise a cohesive team with US, Soviet Union and Allied Nations. During these long drawn out treaties the different nations would use the Z-Process to come up with terms an d conditions that would ultimately end decades of nuclear impasse. President Reagan and other political leaders were in constant state of creating, advancing, refining and executing their ideas. In the Geneva and Reykjavà ­k Summits the allied nation team were not able to come to decision and instead were stuck in the refining process of their ideas. The summits were still looked upon as a success as Reagan was moving the team closer to the vision of nuclear abolishment. It wasn’t until the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 1987 where the team was able to complete the entire Z-Process and come to a decisive decision to abolish nuclear intermediate range weapons. Reagan demonstrated he was a visionary leader by his use of team building while utilizing the Z-Process during treaty talks to come up with a solution to the nuclear stand. His use of inspirational motivation during these treaty talks to motivate the allied nations to commit to the common vision once again demonstrates how Reagan was a visionary leader. Ethical Leader Ronald Reagan was an Ethical Leader by using the critical thinking attribute of open mindedness as well as avoiding the ethical trap

Not a chance Essay Example For Students

Not a chance Essay Select a paper/assignment which you have written within the last 10 days. The paper must be at least 2 typed pages in length, or 100 words. Only continuous prose can be used for the test. Information contained in charts or graphs should not be included in the test. Quotations are not counted towards the minimum of 100 words. Select a paper/assignment which you have written within the last 10 days. The paper must be at least 2 typed pages in length, or 100 words. Only continuous prose can be used for the test. Information contained in charts or graphs should not be included in the test. Quotations are not counted towards the minimum of 100 words. Using whatever standard Word-Processing Program that is available, enter in the text of your paper exactly as you have written it. Avoid the temptation to make any editorial changes to the original paper while you are typing it in. In fact, if possible, it is preferrable to have SOMEONE ELSE type in your paper. SINGLE SPACE your text and avoid using ANY special formatting commands, i.e., tabs, bolding, underlining, etc. Hyphenated words are considered as one word, so do NOT leave spaces-between the two words. Also, ALL QUOTES, including long quotes which are indented and single spaced in the original text, should be indicated by double ( ) quote marks. Copy your text into the text box below. Or, if you already have the text in a file on your computer, you need only cut and paste the text into the space below. Using whatever standard Word-Processing Program that is available, enter in the text of your paper exactly as you have written it. Avoid the temptation to make any editorial changes to the original paper while you are typing it in. In fact, if possible, it is preferrable to have SOMEONE ELSE type in your paper. SINGLE SPACE your text and avoid using ANY special formatting commands, i.e., tabs, bolding, underlining, etc. Hyphenated words are considered as one word, so do NOT leave spaces-between the two words. Also, ALL QUOTES, including long quotes which are indented and single spaced in the original text, should be indicated by double ( ) quote marks. Copy your text into the text box below. Or, if you already have the text in a file on your computer, you need only cut and paste the text into the space below. Words/ Pages : 395 / 24

Levi Strauss Co. Global Sourcing an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Levi Strauss Co.: Global Sourcing Levi Strauss & Co is said to be the world biggest apparel company it is now presented with a tough decision that could have enormous implications for it profitability, stability and internal values. There is a clear dichotomy of choices now facing the company and these forces the senior managers to rethink entrenched value propositions, weight their relevance and decide on a path that does not undermine or negatively impact their brands and ultimate profitability. The company is very careful in selecting business partners who share their values and so the way forward presents opportunities and also outcomes inimical to its image and financial health. The Company set up the China Policy Group in 1992 to specifically examine two options relating to China. Need essay sample on "Levi Strauss& Co.: Global Sourcing" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed The Group had two foci: The first was on whether Levi Strauss and Co. should continue to source and purchase fabric in China and the second was if it should make direct investments in manufacturing and marketing in that country. Both decision needed to be carefully thought out and any ensuing decision needed to be pragmatic, principled and consistent with the companys ethical values and global sourcing guidelines. The company was started in the 1850s and operates in countries all over the world and by the end of the twentieth century, Levi was said to be synonymous with jeans and is emblematic of American popular culture. The vice president for Corporate Marketing explained that Levis jeans epitomized freedom, originality, youthfulness and the spirit of America in markets worldwide. They were even included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute, a museum of U.S. history and culture located in Washington, D.C. (Janofsky p. C4. Ff). This clearly showed that the company was seriously concerned about its image and wanted to maintain the right relationships with its various publics to ensure that Levis products would consistently represent its ideals. The company manufacture products primarily in countries where they can be sold and market it flagship Levis brand in more than sixty countries (Levi Strauss to sales of jeans and related products outside the United States, principally in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region (San Francisco Business Times, May 22, 1992, p. 5 ff ). This means that the company needs to seriously consider the financial impact of the China decision on its bottom line. The company would ideally need to operate within the global guidelines and ethics but would have to weigh theses against the possibility of losing a potentially profitable market thus potentially negatively impacting future growth and financial health. Burgeoning international sales have become increasingly significant and in 1992, these sales accounted for 37% of total revenues and 53% of pretax profits. Therefore the significance of the China market with over a billion people and one of the fastest growing economies in the world could not be ignored even if the company experience some dissonance or discomfort with its decision. Levi Strauss & Co. also recognized that it receives higher profit margins from foreign customers who were more willing to pay for perceived high quality clothing (Eckhouse p.D2). Foreign customers were paying about twice the average price that customers in the United States were paying and this, coupled with profitability data might encourage the leaders of Levi Strauss and company to consider the option to engage in investments in manufacturing and marketing in that China. Legal grey markets were surfacing in some countries and this was the process were people would buy Levis products in bulk off the shelf in the United States, ship them into another country and then sell the products at knock-off prices in unauthorized outlets. This is a trend that the company perceived to be a threat to the image of its products. The company has registered its trademark in over 150 countries to combat this trend and a decision to make direct investments in manufacturing and marketing in China may also help the company to successfully fight this unwanted happening. China has a large population of over a billion people and on the surface; this provides an attractive market for its products. However, Levi Strauss and Co. has guidelines for company selection and these may be in conflict with the companys options concerning China. China has a military government and the communist regime has come under attack from people and governments all over the world for perceived human rights violation. The incident at Tiananmen Square, China in 1989 where demonstrators were killed could be a thorny issue for the company leaders to deal with in light of the fact that historically, Levi withdrew from Burma and cancelling contracts to buy 850, 000 trousers and shirts annually because, under current circumstances, it is not possible to do business without directly supporting the military government and its pervasive human-rights violations (Billenness 1993). Levi Strauss s clothing was not mass marketed there .The companys China Policy Group started its work in late 1992 and companys presence in China was quite little then. During 1991 the company leaders decided in the 11th hour of consultation to give up on a China joint venture to produce clothes for sale in local Chinese markets after they discovered that the venture would be responsible for enforcing Chinas one-child-per family policy. This was not in keeping with the internal guidelines of Levi Strauss and Co. In China, the company sourced materials for its products either directly or indirectly from contractors and these include buttons, threads, labels and fabric. China was a top location for global companies to place fabric mills and so Levi could easily source many of the required raw materials at competitive prices. According to the report from the Harvard Business School, Levi Strauss decision carried other implications: Any change in LSs China stance would be felt most directly by employees in the Hong Kong branch of the companys Asian sourcing organization. Responsible for all Hong Kong and China sourcing, the 120-person office arranged for a total of 20 million to 22 million units from about 20 contractors in 1992. The Hong Kong branch was confident there would be no problem finding satisfactory contractors if LSs Chinese contractors were doing well under the Business Partner Terms of Engagementbetter even than contractors in some other parts of Asia with whom LS&CO. had very successful relationships. These implications would have to be considered by the senior leaders before any concrete action is taken to move forward. Historically, the leaders of Levi predicated their actions on a strong link between good ethics and good business over future years and appreciated the ethical dilemmas that came with a decision to do business in China. It all well and good to potentially make a goof profit, but the leaders did not want to sacrifice ethical ideas on the altar of financial gain. Levi Strauss principled reasoning approach(PRA), a thorough and explicit procedure that involved six discrete steps: (1) defining the problem, (2) agreeing on the principles to be satisfied, (3) identifying both high- impact and high-influence stakeholders and assessing their claims, (4) brainstorming possible solutions, (5) testing the consequences of chosen solutions, and (6) developing an ethical process for implementing the Solution (Levi Strauss & Co.: Global Sourcing (A). This approach could prove to be the guide to making a decision that allow the company to implement a strategic plan without violating internal guidelines. Levi Strauss s sales if International and local consumers in the United States reject items sourced or manufactured in China. The consequences could be at best risky and at worst; financially disastrous. Levi would not want to be seen as supporting sub-standard wages in China in order to make a profit. On the other hand, Labor costs in countries differ and the average salary to maintain a household in different countries differs. Levis decision to continue to source and purchase fabric in China or make direct investments in manufacturing and marketing in that country does not mean that they support sub-standard wages or a military government. In fact a decision to make direct investments in manufacturing and marketing in that country may mean that they have a level of control over the wages of workers and the ability to ensure that the company can withstand international scrutiny about its practices. Levi could then ensure that labor standards are equal to that of any first world nation and that the salary of workers in the manufacturing plants is fair. The company can roll-out a global strategy that ensures that workers all over the world are comparatively and equitably paid, albeit not necessarily at the exact same hourly rate. The China market cannot be ignored by the company as it is one of the fastest growing economies in the world and future expansion and profitability of Levi may be impacted on that countrys continued growth. The company can help to change the stereotypical image of firms benefiting from unjust labor standards by becoming a beacon of good corporate citizenry and also increase its profitability. Work Cited Apparel Business Unwrinkled by Retailing Slump, San Francisco Business Times, May 22, 1992, p. 5 ff John Eckhouse, Record Profit as Levis Sales Top $5 Billion, The San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 1993, p. D2. Michael Janofsky, Whether Its Bluejeans or Mini-Motors or Power Plants . . .: Levi Strauss, American Symbol with A Cause, The New York Times, January 3, 1994, p. C4 ff. Simon Billenness, Burma: A New Issue for Social Investors, Franklin's Insight: Investing for a Better World, Franklin Research and Development Corporation, October 15, 1993.

Marketing the Nintendo free essay sample

Relating relevant marketing theories to different aspects of Nintendo’s marketing scheme. Discussing how Nintendo are attempting to influence, modify or impact the consumer’s behaviour in particular. 3. Organisation and Product Overview Nintendo Co Ltd was founded 1889 in Kyoto, Japan; by Fusajiro Yamauchi. This company would eventually go on to develop and release this generations most successful gaming console; the ‘Nintendo Wii’. Originally the company produced and marketed a playing card game called Hanafuda. Becoming quite successful in this area the company eventually enlisted on the Osaka stock exchange in 1962 and continued to push further into the Japanese toy market (developing an assortment of toys over the time period). In the 1970’s Nintendo started introducing electronic technology to the Japanese toy industry; culminating in 1976 with the release of the first home television game (‘Colour TV Game 6’). The Nintendo as we know it today had been born. Nintendo have released many electronic hardware and software over the years; uilding up a strong relationship with the consumer along the way. We will write a custom essay sample on Marketing the Nintendo or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page With its release of countless gaming consoles and characters that have obtained icon status throughout the world, Nintendo is now a recognised name throughout the world. By observing the company history we can see how through constant successful releases Nintendo has nurtured a strong brand loyalty from its consumers. Introduced in 1985, ‘Nintendo Entertainment System’ was an instant hit; almost single-handedly revitalising the video game industry. Selling over 60 million units, this product introduced consumers to the names Mario and Zelda for the first times. Following the success of the NES, Nintendo released the iconic Game Boy in 1889 (a hand held gaming system). Although the screen was only 4 shades of grey, the device defined portable gaming and was extremely enjoyable. â€Å"Game Boy is the most successful video game ever†¦ selling over 150 million copies worldwide† (History-Nintendo, retrieved on 20/5/11 from http://www. nintendo. com. au/index. php? pageID=13). The Game Boy would see itself continually innovated over the years. However Nintendo didn’t ignore its home gaming consoles during this time, endeavouring to release more powerful gaming consoles, starting with the 16 bit ‘Super Nintendo’ (released 1991) and its successor the ‘Nintendo 64’ (released 1997). With the N64 setting new standards in realistic gaming. With the N64’s success leading the way for the Nintendo’s ‘Game Cube’, this was the first Nintendo product to utilise disk technology instead of cartridges. The ‘Game Cube’ was the final step that led to the development of the Wii. With each predecessor (both home and portable consoles) adding tiny bits of consumer information, consumer loyalty/base, technological advancements and company experiences to its development. The Wii was conceived in 2001, around the same time the ‘GameCube’ was first seeing release. Shigeru Miyamoto (co designer) stated in an interview that the concept involved focusing on a new form of player interaction. The consensus was that power isnt everything for a console. Too many powerful consoles cant coexist. Its like having only ferocious dinosaurs. They might fight and hasten their own extinction. (The Big Ideas Behind Nintendos Wii, retrieved on 20/5/11 from http://www. businessweek. com/technology/content/nov2006/tc20061116_750580. htm). It was conceived as a cheap, more easily accessible, fun gaming system. Designed for a broader audience; opposed to its main competition the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Wii was designed with some differences to its predecessors and competitors. The main difference is in the controller. Wii utilises a wireless, motion detection controller that resembles a television remote control. This was decided to allow more adults and non-gamers to enjoy the Wii; as the motion capture aspect allowed all ages and experience levels to pick up a controller and point, swing or slice away. This technology eventually leading the way for the ‘Wii Fit’ product range; which in itself is a huge success. Another difference is in the price, with Wii only costing $250 US up against the $500-$600 price for competition consoles. Since its launch, the sales numbers of the Wii have been higher than its competitors around the world. With the Wii selling more units in America (first half of 2007) than the Xbox 360 and the PS3 combined. (Nintendo the big winner, PS3 dead last for the first half of 2007); with this lead even larger in the Japanese market. As of April, 2011, Nintendo announced they had sold 86. 01 million Wii consoles. (Nintendo: Wii successor coming in 2012 retrieved on 20/6/11 from http://news. cnet. com/8301-13772_3-20056950-52. tml) With Nintendo’s huge customer base, reputation for high quality products, creation of iconic names (Mario Donkey Kong ect. ), history of innovation and understanding of their new broader target market, it is no surprise that the ‘Wii’ has been as successful as it has been. 4a. Theory 1 – Wii marketing in relation to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a human motivation theory that is based around the p sychology of consumers as individuals with ongoing or enduring wants and needs. The theory aids marketers and producers in determining what goods and services satisfy various ‘levels’ of human requirements, with five basic levels of needs that rank from low too high in priority (Refer Appendix A). (Schiffman, 2011). 4b. How does this apply to Nintendo Wii? Nintendo’s Wii is a product that can be associated with the requirements of physiological needs, social needs and esteem or ego needs. Physiological Needs * Health and fitness * Education * Competition and Entertainment The invention of the Nintendo Wii is about getting gamers off the couch and expanding gaming for greater use in our daily lives, particularly with the development of the Wii Fit which allows for a fill workout and attainment of weightless/fitness goals. Brain-training games, language games, musical games and sports/fitness games have been able to challenge consumers across a range of physiological and cognitive skills (Nintendo 2006). The marketing of Wii was aimed at promoting the benefits of its use, for entertainment in collaboration with the psychological benefits and entertainment factors. The ‘newness’ of this design means that intrigue was prominent in capturing and maintaining people’s attention and desire to try the new retail. A major landmark in marketing was also created when Nintendo launched its ‘Ambassador Program’ which was a trial for the Wii where people could give feedback on its use. This program involved multigenerational families, hard-core gamers and modern Mums hosting their closest friends and families in a social event that broadened the horizons of their target market (Surette 2006). Marketing the Wii within households as a ‘necessity’ was aimed at the physiological needs section of Maslow’s Hierarchy, attempting to show that this product is able to fulfil aspects of everyday life for its consumers. Nintendo also ensured that the gaming console was made affordable to consumers, with packaged bundles ranging from $250 – 500 depending on the accessories required (Nintendo Article). This meant that the product was not segregated to being purely a ‘luxury’ item, and places it in an achievable bracket when analysed in Maslow’s theory. Social Needs * Inclusion, importance of the affiliation need Love, affection and happiness * Interaction and relationships building The creation of Wii brought forth a new identity and experience to gaming, making the use of the product accessible to people of all ages and for purposes beyond entertainment. The Wii incorporates both physical and cognitive activity in its games, reaching a wi de variety of interests. The Wii also allows multiple players to be involved in the game at any one time, which is repeatedly demonstrated in its advertising campaigns, affiliating it with the ‘social needs’ in Maslow’s Hierarchy; where we show the want for ompanionship, inclusion and interaction. A primary example of Wii utilising our intrinsic need for ‘belonging’ as a part of the marketing of Wii can be seen in television advertisements featuring popular Australian family the McGrath’s playing active and seemingly enjoyable games on Wii Sports as a bonding session. This was a part of Nintendo targeting both gamers and non-gamers to this new technology, bringing an experience where without the barriers of age or previous experience (Nintendo Thinkbox 2011). The development of social and cyber networks in conjunction with ownership and playing of the Wii helped to create a ‘community’ of interest, once more building on the need for belonging for its members. The promotional strategy by Nintendo to make Wii Sports a standard purchase with all Wii’s differentiates it further from major competitors in PlayStation, whereas substitutable goods, the Wii works out cheaper with games and console pricing. The Wi-Fi connection on the Wii, also allows consumers to play online against friends, creating more interconnectivity and affirmation of social needs (Wii Article). Ego Needs * Inward or outwardly associated with self-esteem * Self-evaluating, Achievement * Image Association In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the ‘Ego Needs’ emulate from feelings of achievement, satisfaction with the association with an image and an overall connection with either inward or outward self-esteem through successes. Gaming products are an entertainment device which works on the premise that individuals will want to improve over time and gaining satisfaction out of doing so (Rogers 2004). This can be linked to the feeling of ‘prestige’ in the ego needs, with the Wii specifically allowing its users to self-evaluate their progress, such as in the game ‘Wii Fit’ where consumers are able to monitor their fitness and health gains from using the game. These health improvements and the image association of the ‘class’ of the Wii brand can also lead to improved self-esteem for the consumer (Schiffman, 2011). Nintendo has used its products differentiation from the norm of gaming products (which are standardised by fixed controllers) and variety of self-improvement games to increase its market share. Wii sampling events including gaming hours, retail midnight and music tours created hype around a range of games and benefits in accordance with this notion (Janiszewski 2010). Studies have shown particularly that adults and the older generation are a growing share of the market with the ageing workforce, and tend to look for more emotional outcomes or ‘being experiences’ leading to self-realisation and actualisation when purchasing new goods and services (Goodhead 1991). The positioning of Wii products as a gateway to experiences encourage purchasing for this purpose, making will span from one extreme of Maslow’s Hierarchy to the other. 4c. Conclusions and Recommendations Nintendo launched the Wii marketing campaign with a distinct aim to â€Å"involve non-gamers [and] expand the market† (Fils-Aime 2006) in the phenomenon of this new and innovative device. The main problem with the hierarchy in analysing the products connection to the target market is that it can’t be tested empirically so there is no way to measure when one need transfers across to the next. However, Wii can currently only be connected with three of the five levels of the pyramid, giving potential for new initiatives in marketing campaigns to expand upon this. The way that Wii has been marketed thus far has set is aside from its major competitors in PlayStation and Xbox, sticking to the motto that â€Å"playing is believing†, keeping Nintendo Wii as the actively involving gaming console (Janiszewski 2010). The future of the Nintendo Wii would be best benefitted from maintaining the successes of its hand-promotional campaigns, and continuing with expanding this niche market which has enthralled consumers globally. a. Theory 2 – Wii marketing in relation to Emotional Appeals As defined by Schiffman, Emotional motives are those that â€Å"imply the selection of goals according to personal or subjective criteria† (2011). There are feelings associated with this type of marketing such as â€Å"adventure, fear, romance and status† (Mortimer, 2008) ju st to name a few. It has become apparent according to research conducted by Mahjan and Wind that marketing to the emotion of an individual is on the rise; especially consider that not all purchasing decisions are made logically. Therefore it has become a key component of advertising today to be able to connect on an emotional level to the average consumer as well as to get them to purchase the product in question. The Nintendo Wii has been one of the highest selling game consoles in history, surpassing its main competitors, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3. In the discussion below we will discuss how Nintendo has been able to use the emotional appeals approach to connect with their audience and been very successful in doing so. 5b. How does this apply to Nintendo Wii? The Wii has been one of the largest users of advertising that uses emotional appeals as of late. Because the Nintendo Wii is not your typical product that the average consumer would buy because it is not one that requires a straight forward â€Å"rational approach† (Mortimer, 2008). Instead it requires a much more emotionally based decision. It requires us to not listen to that voice of reason that is rational motives and in the case of the example given by Mahjan and wind â€Å"just do it†(2002) the logo for the sporting brand Nike. We don’t specifically know what ‘it’ is but it compels our emotions to do something that makes us feel better. One such example of the Nintendo Wii using this approach that was named earlier in this paper was the television commercial that shows the McGrath Family, one of Australia’s most prolific sporting families, enjoying themselves in the comfort of their home, playing video games on the Nintendo Wii. The advertisement has very little information involved with it but it does however invoke the emotions so that a consumer can be thought to believe that this make me feel better, focusing on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in particular a consumers increased self-esteem (Schiffman, 2011). This example is shown to be following the trend that the â€Å"Messages are becoming more vague while the emotions are becoming more vivid† (Mahajan and Wind, 2002). Other examples of celebrity endorsement for the Wii include Olivia Newton-John, Dame Helen Mirren and Rebecca Gibney. Another example of Nintendo using emotional advertising would be on their international website â€Å"www. wii. com â€Å" (Nintendo, 2010), on the website it show a group of at least 3 or more people sitting around a Wii while one person participate in a game. This exemplifies Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in particular â€Å"social needs† (Schiffman, 2011) which is a very large motivator for emotional advertising. An example of this is given by Schiffman et. al. when discussing physiological arousal. He states that â€Å"television programs can generate physiological arousal†. When the consumer see’s the commercial, there needs are aroused and in this scenario, their needs are that they need to belong and their thought process makes them think that purchasing a Wii may help them with belonging, whether it would be in a group or in society in general. Due to this already successful approach involved with the sales of the Nintendo Wii. It is obvious to see that this approach with celebrity endorsements and emotionally motivated commercials is working very successfully with their sales as they have surpassed the 2 million units sold mark in Australia in 2010 (Salter, 2010). Another advertising campaign that has been utilised successfully by Nintendo Wii is the reintroduction and reinvigoration of their original titles back into their video game selection due to the Wii’s â€Å"planned obsolescence† (Mahajan and Wind, 2002). This allows for â€Å"continuity in the relationship† (Mahajan and Wind, 2002) as such. An example is Intel, a very successful company that specialises in software chip manufacturing. Just because the product may change, it does not mean that the effect has to as well. Intel have realised this through the consistent use of â€Å"its ‘inside Intel’ branding, along with a distinctive set of musical tones and cool looking, clean-room-suited representatives†(Mahajan and Wind, 2002) and because of this consistent approach, Intel have been quite successful. 5c. Conclusions and Recommendations Nintendo have been one of the market leaders when it comes to emotional appeals. Their market share as well as their advertisements alone, put them apart from any other competitor at this stage, however as more of their rivals start to adapt to this style of advertising, they will need to learn to be able to change their strategy in order to remain a power within the market force. 6a Theory 3 – Wii marketing in relation to Involvement theory Involvement theory focused on how advertisements or brand could stimulate to individuals personality makes link to its. Involvement has been used commercial ad on TV and paper, the early involvement theories relate to advertising and consumer behavior combined concept from research called as split brain theory. According to research, the left hemispheres of the brain ‘specialized’ in the sorts of information they process, it has roles that primarily cognitive activities such as reading, speaking and attribution information running. On the other side, the right hemisphere is that also responsible for non-verbal, timeless, pictional and holistic information. (Leon schiffman). It was discussed that activities such as watching commercial ad on TV were fairly passive minimally involving and were controlled by right side, on the other hand, such as reading print media were more involving and were controlled by left side on brain. (Herbert E,Krugman). In other words, the left side is more likely rational, active and realistic. The right side is emotional, metaphoric, impulsive and intuitive. Consumer involvement is now recognized well as an usual, or motivating, factor that drives consumer influences consumer are making decision whether purchase this product or not. There have four types of involvement level; †¢High involvement / rational †¢High involvement / emotional †¢Low involvement / rational †¢Low involvement / emotional 6b. How it relates to Wii? Wii now competed against several video consoles such as Xbox, play station in market area. In compare to those feature between PS3 ,Xbox and Wii, both PS3 and Xbox the main difference is use their own pad for using it while Wii uses remote controller which can be used as a handheld pointing device and detects movement in three dimensions. Next picture shows to customer make them attraction of wii, but also it shows to how Wii works. The available activity is that main difference against other consoles. Wii targets widely even who aren’t big fan of video games because Nintendo expects that they wanted to bring new consumers, not only sell to limited game users so that they focused on Wii strives to stimulate to customer leads play Wii. Generally thinking of playing game, it used to referred aspects of bad sight, Wii is that more easily to use to people more widely age. The main type of involvement involved in a Wii purchase is High Involvement/Emotional. Although not as expensive as a car or holiday in which most High involvement purchases are associated, the Wii is still expensive enough and has enough competition that it does involve high involvement from its consumers. Wii’s marketers make a point to highlight the differences in their product and its competitors to appeal to the high involvement involved in making a purchase between the 3 big gaming consoles on the market (PlayStation and Xbox being the other two). Their advertisements appeal to the emotional side of high involvement. Showing the social aspect of Wii in almost all of their ads ( which feature up beat music and bright colours) and also showing the social responsibility and the feelings of becoming healthier with their ‘Wii Fit’ product range. Their website has a huge amount of information on it. Showing features, upcoming additions, games, and many more things that appeal to the high involvement buyer. Nintendo does its best to make the gaming experience a family orientated decision and likes to inform all members of the family of the benefits they could receive from purchasing a Wii. This also appeals to the emotional side of the consumer through family. 6c. Conclusions and Recommendations Wii still holds a huge advantage over its competitors with emotional involvement and also through our research we found also gives a lot more information on their website as opposed to its main competitors. If you could find fault with their advertising is that it’s stayed the same for the past 3 years and with the introduction of similar products from tis competitors it has lost a bit of its advantage in being different therefore its high involvement style of marketing could begin to be not as effective.

Signs youre stuck in the rat race

Signs youre stuck in the rat race We’ve all heard the phrase rat race before- it refers to a seemingly never-ending, pointless, and even self-defeating pursuit, and it’s often used when referring to one’s job or career. Individuals who are stuck in the rat race are unhappily going through the motions in life, trudging through the daily grind of their workday feeling unfulfilled, unchallenged, and uninspired until they go home at the end of the day- only to repeat the whole process again. Individuals who are stuck in the rat race are more than just unhappy- they’re actually negatively affecting their health and well-being. According to a recent Forbes article, individuals who hate their jobs face some serious consequences, including increased risks for stress, sleeplessness, illness, and mental health issues. An article by The Atlantic  even goes on to suggest that workplace unhappiness can shorten your lifespan!Obviously, individuals who are stuck in this unfortunate situation have every good reason to try and get out of it. Are you one of them? The truth is, sometimes people get so busy and wrapped up in the responsibilities and activities they have going on in their daily lives that they fail to take stock of their current situations. You may very well be stuck in the rat race and not even know it!Use the following signs to determine if you need to make some changes to your daily life.1. Your energy and enthusiasm levels are low.Are you like the energizer bunny when you get up in the morning? Do you go through an average workday full of â€Å"get up and go† enthusiasm for what lies ahead? Or maybe you’re more like a wilted flower or droopy basset hound who practically needs to be dragged through the day, and can’t wait to get back home so you can†¦lie around and do absolutely nothing. We all have good days and bad, but if more often than not you’re facing each day with a real lack of energy and enthusiasm, that’s a good sig n your stuck in a rat race and may need a change.2. You’re stuck in the past.Do you spend more time thinking about â€Å"past glories† than future opportunities? Do you gladly reminisce about days gone by and what you have done at the expense of what lies ahead and what you will accomplish? Individuals who are stuck in the rat race avoid thinking about the present and the future as a protective mechanism- keeping them from having to confront an unhappy reality or an uncertain tomorrow. If this sounds like you, you might just be stuck in a rut.3. You lack purpose.Folks who are in happy places in their lives are fueled by a sense of purpose and gamely tackle each day, along with the challenges and goals they’ve set for themselves. Those stuck in less fulfilling situations? Not so much. And it’s not hard to imagine the vicious spiral this creates, leading you to accomplish less and less as the days drag on. Don’t get stuck in a rat race spiral!4. Youà ¢â‚¬â„¢re noticing changes in your health and wellness.We’ve already touched on this one- when you’re stuck in the grinding gears of the rat race you’re going to experience a negative effect on your health and well-being. The ravages of stress, tension, sleeplessness, anxiety, and more will begin to gnaw away at you- and you’ll notice it. Tack on to this that people stuck in the rat race often make poor diet and exercise choices and it’s easy to see that this is a road to ruin.5. You feel powerless to effect change or think there’s nothing better out there for you.One of the real tragedies of being stuck in the rat race- as if we haven’t mentioned enough of them already- is that it robs you of the very ability to see a way out of it. It’s common for those stuck in a rut to feel that there’s simply no way out or have such a negative raincloud following them that they can’t even fathom that there’s something better out there. It’s not a good place to be.If after reading this you’ve realized that you’re stuck in the rat race and are starting to worry or panic- take a deep breath. It’s always better to know the truth and it’s never too late or a bad time to figure out where you are with your job situation- good or bad- and make a change!

An Effective Speaker Paper Comparison Critique of 2 Famous Speeches Essay

An Effective Speaker Paper Comparison Critique of 2 Famous Speeches - Essay Example Steve is the most appropriate speaker for the Stanford audience, because of his experience in the technology field, for which the university is renowned. In the course of delivering his speech, Steve Jobs adopts a conversational approach. This is particularly evident when he reminisces about how he founded Apple, Inc with his co-founder, Steve Wozniak. Instead of referring to his partner with his full name he states â€Å"Woz and I started Apple.† This statement evokes a mental picture of two close allies and it is a good choice of words. This is especially because the audience comprises of graduates, who often perceive the ceremony to be a point in time when close friends diverge perhaps never to meet again. Steve also utilizes a simple and customary delivery approach. This is evident throughout the fourteen and a half minutes long speech. For instance, he summarizes his entire speech using four simple phrases; first he states that he will narrate three stories to the audienc e. He then outlines the three narrative topics as â€Å"a story about connecting dots† (0.23), â€Å"a story about love and loss† (5.32) and finally â€Å"a story about death† (14.33). ... This serves to ensure that the audience gets sufficient time to assimilate the information. For instance, at the end of his first story about backward connection of dots, Steve poses for about six seconds when he says â€Å"even when it leads you off the well-worn path†¦ and that will make all the difference† (5.18). The pause is intended to ensure that the audience acknowledges the importance of exploration and persistence. Steve’s relatively casual opening, his conversational delivery approach, simplicity and use of pauses in the course of the address, are all attributes that make his speech effective. These are all features that resonate with the principally young audience. They are also attributes that enable him to effectively convey his primary lessons on mortality, the importance of individuals loving their work and the essence of courage in following one’s intuition. However, the speech is not without few flaws. The first and most notable flaw is tha t, Steve constantly reads from his transcript and hardly maintains eye contact with his audience. This denies him the chance to fully connect with the listeners as shown by their occasional disinterest. The other outstanding fault is the speaker’s partial fail at comedic delivery. For instance, when Steve states that â€Å"I didn’t even know what a pancreas was† (10:07), he delivers the line in passing and does not even pause to relieve the audience’s tension. Another example is when he says â€Å"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there† (11:40). However, the partially failed attempt at humor could be attributable to the speaker’s effort to imitate academic oration; to evoke empathy from listeners, or to emphasize the magnitude of