The death penalty as a form of punishment

The death penalty as a form of punishment The death penalty has been used throughout all of history as a form of punishment. In the past it was used by leaders to keep citizens in line. There are currently 35 states in the US that have the death penalty in place. This particular social issue is still under a lot of debate in the United States and around the world. Some of the questions it raises is what happens if the wrong person is sentenced, what are the financial costs of the process, how should it be done? However, the main question that is raises is whether it is morally acceptable. Today the death penalty is used in about 70 different countries, a number that has been rapidly declining in the past few decades. In societys effort to be just and to protect the rights of criminals in the justice system, a reasonable effort, let them not ignore or diminish the rights of the victims. Capital punishment is an instrument that insures the murderer will not cause harm to another victim and it authenticates the sacredness of hu man life. There are many philosophers that think capital punishment is morally acceptable if it is done for the right reasons. Two such philosophers are Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill. By analyzing Kants ethical theories it can be said that he is for the death penalty as he comes right out and says he is, however there have been objections to this as part of his ethical theory can be interpreted as hypocritical. John Stuart Mills is more straight forward as seen in his book entitled Utilitarianism and also his speech on capital punishment. Kant is an avid believer in the old saying an eye for an eye as evidence by his statement that if someone has committed murder, he must die. In this case, no possible substitute can satisfy justice. He believes a victim has the right to have their accuser inflicted with the same pain that they had. Therefore, if a person commits murder then that person in return should be subject to the death penalty. He goes on to specify that a person must be judged by a court first, but if they are found guilty of murder and the court does not sentence them to death, then they themselves are contributing to the crime. He also believes that a murder does not deserve a worse punishment than the crime they committed. To Kant a life in prison, which in his mind is a life of embarrassment, is worse than a death sentence. In the end Kant believes in the death penalty, but not in the case of all crimes. The punishment must be fitting to the crime itself. If a person is sentenced to death for something li ke stealing then the legal system has failed to achieve its rightful intention. Even though Kant comes right out and says he is in favor of the death penalty, with regard to his ethical theories the line is more blurred. One of the main points of his theory is the idea of a universal law. In the Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals he talks about the categorical imperative. One of the keys to this theory is that one should act so that their maxims can become a universal law. He believes that an immoral action cannot become a universal law. The universal laws in his mind make up what he calls the Kingdom of ends. This is an ideal moral community where everyone is held to the same moral standards, or laws. Universal laws should be followed by everyone, including, and especially those in power. This is where the contradiction can come in. In his defense of the death penalty Kant states that it is the head of states obligation to fulfill this and that as a result of their job they should be exempt from the punishment, however, in his theory of the categorical imp erative he believes that no one including the head of state should be allowed to break a universal law. Another contradiction regarding Kants ethical theory is seen in his respect for persons theory. Kant believes that each person has intrinsic value and this makes them deserving of moral respect from others. Is killing someone giving them moral respect? The argument against this objection is that if a person kills another, not in self defense, do they in return deserve moral respect? Kants answer is no. People who have dignity and reason are the ones who are priceless to society and deserve respect. In order to achieve the ideal Kingdom of Ends there has to be laws, and if people dont follow those laws they need to be punished. This is the only way in which to ensure that people act in moral ways. Another theory that can be used to advocate the death penalty is Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism was written by John Stuart Mill in 1878. Though on the surface it might seem to say capital punishment is not morally right, Mill is actually for the death penalty, as long as it is for the betterment of society as a whole. What is considered right and wrong in society is dependent not on the motive of an action, but the incentive. The difference between the two is a motive is the feeling that makes a person act, while an incentive is what the agent wills as an ultimate end of that action. An example of this distinction can be found in the scenario of saving a drowning man. If someone wants to save the man in the hopes of getting a reward that is still considered the right thing to do. The greed would be the persons motive but the intention would still be to save the mans life. However, if someone wants to save the man in order to torture him afterwards this would be considered wrong. The motive here would be power and the incentive would be to bring pain to the drowning man. Utilitarianism does not evaluate people, but only the actions. It is then the actions that are judged by their consequences. Any consequences that, in the end, betters society as a whole is acceptable. There are many ways that society would benefit from the death penalty. Keeping prisoners locked up for life is expensive, especially when there is overcrowding in prisons and money must be spent on the construction of new ones. Instead this money could be spent on education and healthcare, which in the end would hopefully decrease murders that occur. There is also the possibility that a person will get released from prison. A person who has already committed a crime is much more likely to repeat it which would cause more harm to society. John Stuart Mills not only advocates the death penalty through his ethical theory of Utilitarianism, but directly in his speech to the British Parliament in 1868 in defense of it. He believes, as does Kant, that sentencing someone to life in prison is worse than sentencing someone to death.(footer). This is the basis of his argument, that the death penalty is a more humane form of punishment than a person serving a life in a tomb. Capital punishment has been used throughout all of history but the real question is does the death penalty really work in modern times? The death penalty can be morally acceptable if it is used for the right reasons and not abused by people who just want power. When it is for the betterment of society as a whole it can be a justifiable action as said by two of the most respected philosophers Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mills. Through their ethical theories, though Kants has been scrutinized, and in direct quotes they have supported the death penalty. It is a declining form of punishment in the modern world, and continues to be one of the most heated issues in the United States and around the world. The death penalty can be morally justified if it is not abused and used in the right way. When it is used in such a way it can actually be a more humane, though still affective, form of punishment that protects the sanctity of human life and betters society. I defend this penalty, [the death penalty] when confined to the atrocious cases, on the very round for which it is commonly attacked- on that of humanity to the criminal; as beyond comparison the least cruel mode in which it is possible adequately to deter from the crime(65).

Body Shape and Gender

Body Shape and Gender Body Shape and Gender differences in ratings. Introduction Body image is the way people perceive themselves and equally important, the way they think others perceive them. Body image is constantly changing, and is always being modified by biological growth, trauma, or decline. It is also significantly influenced and moulded by life circumstances which bring about pain or pleasure. There are many factors that influence how people perceive their own body image and others. Factors such as culture have a significant influence on perceptions of body images. As people tend to compare their self to what is acceptable within their own culture, and see if they match the standard of others. Although, womens perception of the ideal body shape, is a thin one. Delameter 2004 stated that attraction is characterised as an attitude, which consists of feelings beliefs and behaviours, whether it is a positive or negative one is dependant on the persons perception of the individual. Socio cultural theory The sociocultural theory is a perspective that presents the idea that human behaviour is affected by cultural influences. It highlights the important of cultural values in understanding how individuals are perceived by others and how they perceive themselves. In relation to body image and attractiveness, the sociocultural perspective would offer the idea that if the culture deems attractiveness to be important and is admired within its members, then individuals within the society will value attractiveness in themselves as well as others, and the same idea would apply if the culture deems attractiveness to be of less importance then the members of the society would then not look into the importance of attractiveness within themselves or others. Within the socio cultural theory there are three approaches which help to explain the role of physical attractiveness in everyday life. The first theory being the social expectancy theory, this theory argues that cultural values influence perceptions of others and the behaviour, which in turn influences the behaviour of others which then has an impact on the self perception of others. The â€Å"self fulfilling prophecy† is the sequence of events that happens in order for people to make judgments on others, which are based on the other personss and expectations, and then the individual is led to believe they are as the perceiver expected them to be. An example of this in relation to body image, if a shop assistant was helping a customer chose clothes and had to fetch the customer clothes without asking for their size, and kept bringing back larger sizes. The customer may then begin to think that as the shop assistant perceives them to be larger that they are actually much large r and if such events occurred over a number of times the customer would then believe it to be true over a period of time. There are many hypotheses that derive from the social expectancy theory such as: There is a consensual agreement within cultures about who is attractive and who is not attractive, but variability among cultures. There are consensual expectations within cultures about attractive and unattractive others, but variability among cultures. People behave differently toward attractive and unattractive others. Peoples differential behaviour toward attractive other results in differences in how they respond. These behavioural differences result in differences in the elf-concepts of attractive and unattractive others. There is very little research looking into the reasons why attractiveness is valued, or why some faces and body characteristics are considered attractive and others are not. The next approach descending from the socio cultural theory is the implicit personality theory. This approach focuses on the knowledge structure that people use to make sense of their social world, which is to understand and predict the behaviour of others. Implicit theories are conceptualised as cognitive structures that consist of personal attributes an inferential relations that specify the degree to which attribute are related. An example of the attribute â€Å"intellectual† might be expected to go well with the attribute â€Å"studious† rather than the attribute â€Å"nervous†. Implicit personality theory provides a framework for understanding the physical attractiveness stereotype. The category label physically attractive is presumed to be linked to a variety of attributes; the number and nature depend on the culture. Cultural information is transmitted through direct observations of attractive others and by exposure to cultural representations of attractiveness. However, the theory does not explain why different cultures associate different attributes with attractiveness. The final theory to stem from the social cultural theory is the status generalisation theory which has evolved from sociological theories. The theory suggests that external status characteristics are used to generate expectation states regarding performance, with or without prior association between these characteristics and performance and with or without conscious awareness. Status generalisation theory views physical attractiveness as a â€Å"diffuse† status characteristic because if discriminates among individuals and establishes performance expectancies â€Å"without-limit† that is, without regard to the actual relevance of attractiveness to performance. From the status generalisation perspective, physical attractiveness should be associated with a wide range of desirable attributes in both perceptions of others and self perceptions. Similarly, like the social expectancy theory and implicit personality theory, the status generalisation theory predicts that people hold more positive expectations for attractive than unattractive others. All three theories predict that people behave more favourably towards attractive than unattractive others, and that more favourable treatment results in more favourable self-concepts for attractive people. The socio cultural perspective, states that culture defines what an attractive body is and self perceptions of body attractiveness depend on these cultural definitions. The closer body self perceptions comes to the ideal, the higher the self rating should be of body attractiveness. Therefore, body image should depend on cultural ideals and on how an individual perceives his or her own body in relation to these ideals. This also, suggests that culture is an important issue which frames certain individuals perception on their body image, and perception of others. Research following the socio cultural perspective has been found to suggest that body ideals vary among cultures as well as within cultures across groups and time. Present-day Western cultures idealise thinness for females and an average type for males. The thin ideal for women replaced the more full d one of the 1950s, and may soon be replaced by† fitness â€Å"ideal that began to emerge in the 1990s.) Evolutionary theory â€Å"The evolutionary theory argues that for the existence of universally shared criteria of attractiveness, which are cues to a persons potential reproductive success† Buss (1999) according to this theory, females are believed to select partners that will enhance their reproductive success, and the biological features are deemed to be found more attractive. It is stated that the biological features are â€Å"to honestly signal that one individual is more â€Å"desirable† then another† Buss 1999. Culture Within many different cultures there are different standards of what attractiveness is, and there are a wider range of acceptable weights and shapes. Within the â€Å"white† Western culture female attractiveness consists of a slender body shape. Slenderness is generally associated with happiness, success, youthfulness and social acceptability. Over weight for both men and women has been seen as physically unattractive and is also associated with other negative characteristics. Research from Bordo (1993) found that excess flesh started to become linked with low morality, reflecting personal inadequacy or lack of willpower. Slenderness symbolises being in control, which in turn is seen as an attractive feature. The firm toned body is seen as representing success. Most people do not have slim, toned bodies, so they have to work towards fitting in with the norm of society. Bordo states that the current idealisation of slenderness is that the body is kept under control â€Å"The ideal here is of a body that is absolutely tight, contained, bolted down, firm† (Bordo 1993: 190) In a study by Tiggemann and Rothblum (1988) asked a large number of students about their stereotypes of fat and thin men and women. They were asked to rate the extents to which eight qualities were typical of thin men and women and fat men and women. Men and women in both cultures reported negative stereotypes if fat people. Although, fat people were seen as warmer and friendlier, confirming the traditional stereotype of the fat jolly person, they were also viewed as less happy, more self indulgent, less self confident, less self disciplined, lazier and less attractive than thin people. These judgements were marked of fat women than fat men. The results indicate negative stereotyping of fat people, especially fat women. Tiggemann et al stated that from the findings they found â€Å"there were no differences in stereotyping between students who were fat and those who were thin. Even those who were overweight had negative stereotypes of fat people† Dion researched the link between attractiveness and positive personal qualities. He stated that â€Å"What is beautiful is good† Dion et al 1972: 285). Dion stated that people tend to assign more favourable personality traits and life outcomes to those they perceive as attractive. More recent supporting evidence came from Eagley (1991) suggested that the effects of physical attractiveness stereotypes are strongest for perceptions of social competence. Negative stereotyping of overweight may be a specific aspect of the physical attractiveness stereotype that refers specifically to assignment of negative traits to those who have a body size and shape that is not considered attractive by dominant groups in western cultures. It is often assumed that womens obsession with weight is linked with their desire to be attractive, to men, but research from Fallon and Rozin (1985) disagrees with this idea. They conducted an experiment which consisted of participants were shown line drawings of women ranging from extremely thin to extremely fat. It was found that women chose their ideal as thinner than what they believed men to prefer and this is more evident to be done in adolescence Cohn et al (1987) which may have an impact on how women rate and judge other womens bodies, and levels of attractiveness. The societal pressure hypothesis states that, the thin standard of beauty seen in the mass media encourages women to strive for unrealistically thin Silverstein et al (1986). Whereas, in African cultures â€Å"black† females have described their standard of an ideal body on non body factors such as style of clothes, skin, ethnic pride and so on. The black community has a unique view of ideal weight and body size compared to white mainstream culture. Black women tend to support a larger and more moderate idea body size than the very thin ideal that is favoured by the white western societies. Also in contrast, to overweight white women, over weight black women are more likely to view their bodies as attractive. There is also less prejudice against overweight people amongst the African cultures. Jackson and McGill (1996) found that when black men were asked to â€Å"relate several descriptors with the term â€Å"obese† they were more likely to associate positive characteristics such as â€Å"attractive† and â€Å"generous† and less likely to state negative attributes such as â€Å"lazy† or â€Å"uneducated† compared to the opinions of white men. Similarly, black women were more likely than white women to relate â€Å"sexiness† with â€Å"obese† in regard to same race men.† This more tolerant and appreciative view of overweight and obese body sizes likely. Langlois 2000 most research on physical attractiveness dominates research on attractiveness as it maybe most accessible trait when first meeting someone. Whereas in Western societies Furnham 1983 found that there is an inverse relationship between high social class and low body weight, the inverse is true of less developed, non-Western societies. As it has also been shown that the longer immigrants have been in Western societies, the less obese they tend to be. This study examined how Kenyan Asian, British and Kenyan British females from similar backgrounds perceived female body shapes. As predicted, the Kenyans rated larger more favourably and smaller less favourably than the British. Also, as predicted, it was found that the Kenyan Asian British were more similar to the British group in their perceptions. The results support the view that social and cultural factors play dominant role in the perception of ones own and others body shapes. In addition, the results reveal that in Britain preferences for small body shapes to the point of being anorexic are not uncommon. WHR ratio It is difficult to state where fat is distributed and to comment on whether it is appropriate or inappropriate. Before puberty boys and girls have roughly the same pattern of fat distribution. However when puberty strikes, due to oestrogen, it causes fat to be placed around the hip area of the body. The affect on male bodies is that testosterone causes the body to distribute the fat around the abdominal region. The fat distribution is measured by the wait hip ratio (WHR). The WHR is obtained by taking an individuals waist at the narrowest point, and hip measurement, and then finding the ratio of the two measurements. The WHR is a reliable index of the distribution of fat between upper and lower body according to Leibel, Edens and Fried (1989) also they stated that the loss or gain of 10 pounds doesnt appear to affect fat distribution. Healthy men typically have a WHR in the range of 0.85- 0.95 and for women the WHR is in the region of 0.67-0.80. In relation to attractiveness, it has become apparent that over the years the female has become more curvaceous over time. Later studies have looked mostly at select groups of women such as playboy centrefolds and Miss America contestants. Based on data from these populations, researchers have hypothesised that the female body shape is moving away from an hourglass shape and becoming curvier. This would indicate that women when rating bodies and their perception of them should favour the curvier shapes. However, when Singh (1993) re-examined the same data using the WHR, it was found that despite a reduction in total body weight, WHR has remained fairly stable at the measurement of 0.68-0.72 over the years. These ratios are still very indicative of an hourglass form. If women had a very curvaceous body shape their WHR would approach 1.0. Although, attractiveness does change over time, and these issues should be considered when men and women are rating body shapes for attractiveness as it may affect the scores they give. However, it does appear that the relation between a small waist and attractiveness has remained fairly similar. Mostly, western societys trends have been for women to exaggerate the smallness of this feature with a few exceptions, an example of this comes from periods such as the flapper period; where waist lines were eliminated. Research by Morris 1985 showed that in this â€Å"flapper† period women went to high levels of extremes to fit in with the small waist preference, and had their lower ribs removed. A narrow waist is often a preferred and†¦. Singh 1993 research found that both male and female subjects have the ability to use the WHR by itself to make judgements about womens attractiveness and other features which suggests that body shape is a very important variable, which should implicate that WHR is an important feature when body perceptions are made. Within Singhs study he allowed participants a 12 line drawing of female bodies, which four different WHR ratings. These images were also split into three body sizes of underweight, normal or overweight. , participants were then shown all images, and asked to rate the attractiveness of each in order. Participants were also asked other questions to group the images in certain groups. The results from this study found that participants can make discriminations about images, based on weight and WHR. The results also found that participants preferred women with lower WHR and found them more attractive than the higher WHR. The normal weighted were rated higher whereas, the unde rweight and overweight images were perceived as being less attractive. Singhs study implies that female attractiveness is associated with low WHRs, and that fat distribution is more important than body weight when determining attractiveness. Singh also stated that a small WHR was gender specific, so a low WHR is more favoured when the image people are presented with to rate are females have a low WHR. Male images with low WHRs are judged as least attractive no matter what their weight category is. Research by Palwlowski and Grabarcyk 2003 conducted research into WHR, and investigated the difference within WHR and the different components that are a part of WHR dimensions. They looked into the hip size and the waist size. In order to state which asset is more important when males are rating female attractiveness they conducted an experiment whereby participants were presented with a series of photographs where the WHR had been altered with, in either the hip or waist area. It was found that attractiveness was correlated negatively with WHR especially when it was manipulated. Although, some research by Tassinary and Hansen 1998 has suggested that hip size is more influential than waist size. In many traditional societies, living in relatively poor conditions, where fat reserves in hip and thigh regions may be important as an energy source during pregnancy and lactation, as it may be expected that there could also be a preference for wider hips. On the other hand, in modern societies; where there is no risk of having not enough food and where there are resources for financially poor mothers, resources are given to support them. Therefore, men may be harsher judges about waist size. Although, Tovee et al 1999 found that weight was more important than WHR when participants were judging womens attractiveness. Anorexics Body perception may differ between anorexic people, research by Furnham et al 1994 studied three groups of anorexic females, teenagers and mature adults, all participants were shown male and female body images which ranged in body size; from thin to fat. The participants were then asked to rate them on four categories using a 10 point rating scale. It was found that both anorexic and teenage groups rated the thinner women as more attractive than the mature females. Both mature and teenage females rated the fat female body shape more positively than did the anorexics. This study design was altered in the experiment that was conducted. Influential research Swami and Tovee (2005) researched the cues that are perceived to influence rating female attractiveness, which were bass mass index (BMI) and waist-to hip-ratio (WHR). This study examined the relative contribution of both cues in two different cultures; British and Malaysian. Both cultures were asked to rate the females images where BMI and WHR was presented with the image, and asked to rate the attractiveness of the image. The results showed that BMI is an influential factor whereas, WHR doesnt emerge as a predictor, which suggest that the WHR doesnt have any major impact when rating images for levels for attractiveness. Thornhill and Grammer 1999 used real images of women and this study also found that BMI is strongly correlated with attractiveness than is WHR. Swami, Salem, Furnham Tovà ©e (2008) criticise standard research into ratings because they often use ratings of unrealistic drawings of women. They developed a scale using real photographs of women the photographic rating scale (PFRS), taken from the front view and wearing a neutral costume. The PFRS was designed to overcome many of the limitations associated with line-drawn that are currently in use, including a lack of realism and poor ecological validity. Based on a sample of 208 adult women, the results of the study showed that the PFRS had good validity in that all images were correctly rank-ordered by BMI. Marlowe, Apicella Reed (2005) criticised standard research on this topic from a different angle they said that WHR has only been evaluated using front-on , where WHR involves waists and hips of varying comparative sizes. They created a scale of in profile and varied how large the s buttocks were. They concluded that womens actually vary regarding where the fat is deposited in some cultures (e.g. USA) it tends to be deposited on the hips (and is favoured/disfavoured there) whilst in other cultures (e.g. Tanzania)it tends to be deposited on the buttocks (and is favoured/disfavoured there. Smith, Cornelissen Tovee (2007) also had something to say about where fat is distributed and how different this can be from person to person. This prompted them to conduct a study using real womens bodies, where participants were shown many angles around the 360 degree spectrum. it appears that cardiovascular fitness may be a weak cue, at least in bodies not undergoing cardiovascular exercise. Instead, it seems that more salient cues, such as body mass and skin tanning, are the primary determinants of attractiveness judgements. The current study has been inspired by a popular news article in the Mail Online, which presented a range of 12 body shapes, including â€Å"Pear†, â€Å"Skittle† and â€Å"Goblet† (Trinny Susannah, 2007). This news article acknowledged the varying places where body fat can be distributed on the female . The current study intends to vary the positioning of body fat deposits and the amount of body fat, to test whether it is only WHR that affects raters judgements or other elements of body fat distribution. This will be accomplished using artificial widening and narrowing of three photos, to produce three sizes for three shapes being tested. It is anticipated that Differences in judgements between males and females and between body sizes are expected, as found in previous research. However, it is also anticipated that there may be some interesting differences in ratings depending on where body fat is distributed. It is expected that top heavy distribution of fat may be more unfavourably rated than bottom heavy or equally distributed body fat across all body sizes tested. However, there may also be interaction effects, for example, with only minor body shape differences for the narrower , yet greater body shape differences for the wider . There may also be an interaction between gender and these issues (e.g. males may be more discerning about body shape than females, or may be more discerning than females about body shape for some body sizes and not others). The hypothesis that arises from the previous research that has been discussed is: To investigate if there is a relationship between the different types of body shapes and the perception of body image between different genders. If there is an effect within altered body shapes and between gender overall. Method Participants A total of 180 participants were recruited at random from social networking website to take part in the online questionnaire. Most participants were selected from the university social network so the participants consisted of a range of individuals studying different courses. The participants age ranged from 18-25 with a mean of 21.5. An equal gender split sample was selected to participate. The participants were randomly assigned to a questionnaire, each questionnaire required 20 participants to take part in the study. 10 males and 10 females were randomly chosen to complete each the questionnaire. Materials The materials used in this experiment were the questionnaire, which was created using an online service. A copy of the questionnaire can be seen in the appendix (see appendix?). The questionnaire results are then logged online. The results will then be analysed using the computer program SPSS. Each questionnaire contains 9 different images, consisting of 3 original images which were altered in size. The original 3 were pear, skittle and goblet body shapes which are the stimuli. Design The experiment will be analysed through a three-way ANOVA on the attractiveness ratings: a 2 (Gender: Male, Female) x 3 (Body Size: Narrowed, Original, Widened) x (Body Shape: Pear, Skittle, Goblet). The independent variable is the reaction to body image. This will be measured through a rating scale, whereby participants will be asked to rate the level of attractiveness of the picture they are presented with. The attractiveness ratings are the central concern of this study, with the other ratings appearing to help reduce demand characteristics. Although each participant will rate just one stimulus, between participants three body shapes and three body sizes will be rated. The dependant variable is the image that the participant will be faced with, and the gender of the participant. Procedure Participants were randomly assigned to participant and complete one of the 9 questionnaires. There were 9 different images altogether; each of the 9 questionnaires had a different image. After this had been created, 9 separate online groups were created on the social networking website, which participants were then randomly allocated a website to click on and complete the questionnaire. Once the participant had been randomly selected, a link was sent the participant to complete the questionnaire. Once the participant clicked the link they were presented with the assigned questionnaire. The participant was given a brief description and outline of what the experiment asked them to do, and once the participant agreed they continued through with the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the participants age and gender. Participants will be faced with one, female stimulus to rate, followed by four questions, which will ask them to rate the stimulus on: attracti veness, healthiness, success and popularity. The rating scale will consist of 1 being â€Å"definitely not† attractive and so on and 10 being â€Å"extremely† attractive and so on. After the participant had then completed the ratings they were then presented with a small debrief description, and once they had done so an option of whether their participation was still acceptable to go on and be analysed was offered and the results were logged on the online survey website. Ethics Ethical issues with this study were addressed sufficiently and followed the BPS ethical guidelines in line with the methods used. The biggest issue was of informed consent. The participants could not be allowed to know the end aim of the study to eliminate demand characteristics. This was addressed by a number of steps being followed: the subject matter will be made clear from the start and the task will be clearly explained. Also the responses will be entirely anonymous; and, in the debrief contact details will be provided for help and advice on any matters that may have distressed participants, and the participants will have the right to withdraw from the experiment at any time. Another issue that may occur is the issue of psychological harm to the participants, as the participant may feel inadequate when viewing the image and compare themselves against the image they are presented with too much. This issue will be addressed by a detailed debrief explaining that the images are a fi ctional image, to help lower the low self esteem that may arise. Also participants if given a questionnaire with the researcher present may feel pressured and may think that they themselves are being judged by the researcher about their body image, as the experiment is about this issue. However, this issue will be minimised as the questionnaire is online, and the researcher will not be present and the participant may answer the questions alone and not feel pressured by the researcher. Another, issue that may have been if the researcher had to be faced with the participant, is physical risk of the participants health which is deemed to be minimal; however this is primarily an online survey so that it will involve participants using their normal computing facilities. For the online recruitment, the participants and researcher will not meet face to face. However, Should additional face to face recruitment be required, it will take place in the public areas of the University in location s that both participants and researcher frequent in their normal daily lives. Other issues such as clinical interventions are not involved in the study and it is not expected to involve the University with any financial or legal risks. The Psychological risk to the researcher is considered to be minimal because the researcher understands the nature of the study and what is involved in both the subject matter and the data collection process. Results A three way ANOVA was used to analyse participants ratings. There are 3 main effects that could affect each participants results. However within these effects there maybe some interactions between these through a two way interaction: 1) Body size x Body Shape 2) Body size x Gender 3) Body shape x Gender. By comparing body size x body shape x gender this is looking at a three way interaction was made. The mean of all scores was 4.9944. After a Post Hoc analysis was conducted and the results from this test are shown below. The main effects of the results are as follows. The results show that the ratings of images were not significantly affected by the factor Body Shape. Main effect of Body shape [F (2, 162) = 0.523; p = 0.594]. The main effect of Body size was significantly affected the rating the participant gave: [F (2,162) = 10.702; p=0.001]. Also, both genders were significantly different when rating all body shapes when they were widened (4.08) compared with original (5.28) and narrowed scores (5.62). The type of body size the participant was faced with impacted on the attractiveness rating they gave. The main effect of gender was shown to be significant [F (2,162) = 7.254; p =0.008]. The main effect of gender overall, the means were significantly different the average rating given by males was 4.61, whereas, the female rating was 5.38, showing a significant difference between scores. Below is a table showing the means for each body shape and gender. The table indicates that there is a significant difference between the average score of Goblet (low WHR) ratings, which show that males rate the Goblet (low WHR) lower 4.20 than females 5.60. Below, are graphs showing the interaction between all three factors and there average, mean scores, and the differences between scores. This graph shows the difference between the scores given of body size, between males and females. The means of all scores are shown. The graph indicates that overall, in all three body sizes, females rated the image higher than males. The mean for widened images shows that males significantly in particular rated this image lower 3.53 than females 4.63 this is a significant difference. (See table 1) The graph shows the interaction between the mean scores of body shape and gender. Females rated the all body shapes higher than males. The biggest

Iago’s Soliloquies and Intentions Essay -- William Shakespeare, Othell

Iago’s Soliloquies and Intentions In every play, there is at least one character that jumps off the page and begs for your attention. In The Tragedy of Othello the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare, this character is Iago. Iago is a devious man, a liar, a manipulator, and a psychopath. It seems Shakespeare developed a very maniacal character but not one that is unreal. I feel as though we have our fair share of Iago’s in today’s society. Many politicians seem to fit into this category, manipulating people for manipulation sake. However, to me the most interesting psychopath of all, is in the play Othello. In this play, Iago is Othello’s trusted ensign. However, Iago is not what he portrays himself to be, to the characters in the play. In his soliloquies, he exclusively reveals to the audience his mal intent. He betrays Othello in the most deceitful ways, abusing Othello’s trust. Plotting against him, Iago seeks revenge on an unknowing Othello. One would conclude that Iago would have motive behind his ruthless and elaborate plans. However, it seems that Iago committed these amoral crimes, for power, for psychopathic reasons, and for sport. He has displayed his power over Othello by proving to himself, that he could in fact exploit those around him, distorting what they believe to be true. We will look into Iago’s soliloquies, dissect them, and discover his plans. Iago, the obvious villain in this love story gone array. Shows us his true colors from the beginning of the play. In act one scene one, Iago is speaking with Roderigo, he confides in Roderigo telling him â€Å"I know my price; I am worth no worse a place†. Here Iago is holding himself in high regard in an exceedingly conceited manner. He ... ...ful newly wed couple and destroyed them. In some respect, you have to admire how truly devious Iago is. He takes the innocent Desdemona and making her look so guilty when she did absolute nothing wrong. He successfully convinced Othello that Desdemona was unfaithful to him, so much so that Othello kills his innocent wife. Iago receives his title of lieutenant if only for a moment, and his revenge against Othello. Iago throughout the play uses his manipulation of words to destroy those around him. In the end, his plan was unveiled, however it was too late the deeds were done. Iago has the last laugh, his gift of language he keeps to himself "Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth I never will speak word". He laughs knowing that he will never give the others the satisfaction of knowing why he did this. Evil is triumphant at the end of Othello.

Susan B. Anthony Essay -- Biography

Susan B. Anthony Susan Brownell Anthony was a magnificent women who devoted most of her life to gain the right for women to vote. She traveled the United States by stage coach, wagon, and train giving many speeches, up to 75 to 100 a year, for 45 years. She went as far as writing a newspaper, the Revolution, and casting a ballot, despite it being illegal. Susan B. Anthony was born on February 15, 1820, in Adams, Massachusetts. She was the second of eight children in her family. In the early 1800's girls were not allowed an education. Susan's father, Daniel, believed in equal treatment for boys and girls and allowed her to receive her education from a private boarding school in Philadelphia. At the age of seven her family moved to Batterville, New York. Later, in 1845 her family made their final move to Rochester, New York. At the early age of fifteen, Susan started her teaching career, thanks to her father's encouragement. She continued to teach until she was thirty. Opposing the use of liquor and wanting an immediate end of slavery, Susan displayed he...

Educational Goals and Philosophy Essay example -- Reflective Writing T

Educational Goals and Philosophy Teaching is a complex occupation that requires as much empathy and emotion as it does educational skill. I had always dreamed of becoming a teacher, and realized after having my own children, that I would not truly be fulfilling my purpose in life if I did not pursue this dream. As a volunteer at the elementary school in my community, I loved the environment and took tremendous joy in watching the children learn. I felt that I had the ability, along with the dedication and desire, it would take to become a full time educator. To achieve this goal I will strive to give my students a positive beginning, provide confidence in their individual abilities, and prepare them for different aspects in life. I plan to teach elementary education, Kindergarten through the sixth grade. I sincerely believe that a child’s first experiences with education help to determine the path that child will choose to follow. The primary years of education sets the pace for an academic career through learning skills in conjunction with an optimistic outlook. A positive, or negative, first experience can determine a child’s attitude toward learning for the duration of a lifetime. I feel that each student has the potential and ability to gain knowledge, though each may have a different learning style. It will be my job, as a teacher, to experiment, explore, and determine the correct technique for each individual. In order to achieve this goal, I will need to be aware of the student’s personality, academic level, and any risk factors that child may have. I will work to inspire, motivate, and instill the confidence needed for each child to reach his/her full potential. I feel the purpose ... ...West Virginia. Once my career has been established, I will join the National Education Association. I will continue my education by pursuing my Master’s degree and attending various seminars and workshops. I want for myself, as well as my students, to be lifetime learners. I plan to stay up to date on current methods, ideas, and curriculums so that I can transfer the knowledge to subsequent generations. As I step closer towards the door of accomplishing my dream, I become more enthusiastic each day. To have the ability to influence, empower, and shape a young mind is breathtaking. I will strive to teach each child in a way that will meet his/her individual needs and support him/her to become all that is desired. I will indoctrinate the required knowledge along with other aspects of education that will benefit my students. â€Å"I† will make a difference.

Nestle Philippines Essay

I. INTRODUCTION Nestlà © Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is a leading manufacturer of food and beverage in the Philippines. It was established in the country in the early 1930s, initially as a trading company. By the year 1962, it formed a joint venture with San Miguel Corporation (SMC), a company specializing in brewing with extensive interests in agribusiness and food products. In 1996, San Miguel’s Magnolia Foods Division had been merged with Nestlà ©. It produced and sold products like Magnolia ice creams and tetra pack juices, Bear Brand and Carnation condensed milk, Bertolli pastas and tomato sauce, Maggi seasonings, pasta and mayonnaise, and Smarties candies. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Instant Drink Division produced and sold Nescafà ©, Nestea, Milo, Coffee Mate and Milkmaid powdered milk. Nestlà © Philippines is ranked number 10 among Nestlà © subsidiaries worldwide and number 3 in Asia-Pacific, behind Japan and Australia. Nestlà © is the only foreign-owned coffee producer in the Philippines. Nescafà © –already a household name in the Philippines needs to respond to major changes in the environment. Competing brands like Great Taste and Nescafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s nearest competitor, Blend 45 already reduced or are planning to reduce their prices. There are also major changes in Government Regulation, Imports and Market Entry resulting to the potential entry of foreign brands like Kraft General Foods’s Maxwell House and Procter & Gamble’s Folgers Coffee. The company needs to decide whether it should import Arabica beans for blending Master Roaster coffee, change the composition of Nescafà © by importing Arabica beans to the same composition as those sold abroad, and whether it should continue producing Taster’s Choice which are made from Philippine-grown Robusta and Imported Arabica. II. STATEMENT OF FACTS Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Instant Drink Division contributes 75% of the company’s total sales; Nescafà © contributes 53% of the department sales. In 1996, Nescafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s market share increased from 52% to 66%. Nestlà © have 40 independently-owned warehouses located throughout the Philippines. These warehouses, along with 200 salespersons cater 20,000 dealers who had accounts with Nestlà ©, with direct access for orders and credit lines. The company’s production facilities however are already strained to the limit. The company spent 5%  of sales on advertising and promotion of Nescafà © which includes decorative streamers and raffle draws. The company also offered volume â€Å"bonus discounts†. According to market research, the bonus promotions are Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s most effective promotional offering. However, Nestlà © doesn’t buy shelf space, which is a common practice in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Instead it prefers rental of special display space for promotion, which is considered as the most expensive real estate in the Philippines. There is a significant increase in the number of households that purchased coffee within two weeks, from 67% in 1974, to 96% in 1995. This is due to the relatively high usage of 1.7 gram foil packs in the Philippines. These 1.7 gram individual packs contribute 8% of Nescafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s sales. Coffee is typically drunk with sugar and without milk or non-dairy whiteners. However, there is a 350% increase in the use of such whiteners over the past decade. The Carnation brand which produces whiteners, condensed milk and powdered milk is owned by Nestlà ©. One of the reasons behind the rapid increase in volume and market share is the fall of green coffee bean prices both in the world market and Philippines. The price of green coffee beans, where Nestlà © sourced all its coffee fell by 50%; these beans comprised about 30% of the delivery costs. Nestlà © and other producers are able to lower their prices because of the savings. Another reason is the introduction of cheaper packaging. Bottles make up 30% of the total cost. Hence, coffee sold on bottles are more expensive at PHP 26.25 for a 50-gram pack while those in foil packaging are sold only at PHP 20.45. Research by Nestlà © shows that its market share is highest in small stores located in large cities. Conversely, among small stores, its market share is highest outside big cities. People outside big cities prefer to shop in sari-sari stores. The prices of commodities sold in sari-sari stores are 15% higher than in supermarkets outside big cities and 20% higher than those in big cities. Over the past decade, other producers, who sold their coffee 10% below the price of Nescafà ©, entered the market. Nescafà © gradually lost market share from 75% in 1965, to 60% in 1975, and finally, 55% in 1985. However, there was a decline in coffee prices in the 1980s, giving Nestlà © a window to reduce its prices to within 5% of its competitors and still preserve its margins. Other major producers of coffee in the Philippines include: Blend 45 which has 15% market share in 1996, Great Taste with 10% market share, Kafe de Oro with 6%  market share and Cafà © Filipino which has 3% market share. The Gokongwei Group’s Blend 45 employs a cheaper blend of coffee and carbohydrates. In 1996, they dropped the price of Blend 45. They are sold 28% below Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s price and 20% below most of the other brands sold in the market. So far the price increase made no significant effect yet on the market share of Nescafà ©. Prior to 1996, the import of coffee beans, either unprocessed or processed is prohibited. All of the coffee sold within the Philippines had to be produced within the country. The quality of Robusta beans grown in the country was of international quality. On the other hand, the quality of Arabica beans was of inferior quality. Consequently, Nestlà © used 100% Robusta unlike those processed in the U.S. or Europe which are blends. Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Master Roaster coffee is made from locally grown Robusta and Arabica beans. Taster’s Choice, on the other hand is made from locally grown Robusta and imported Arabica. In 1996, the Philippine Government committed under GATT and WTO to remove import prohibitions on agricultural products. Hence, a Minimum Access Volume (MAV) was set. Impor ts of green and roasted beans and packaged products are charged a tariff of 30% while those outside the MAV are charged 100%. The government, however committed to increase the MAV and reduce the tariff in imports both within the MAV and outside it. Nestlà © is facing the threat of importers, both from the U.S. and regional coffee producers. One of which is Indonesia’s Indocafà © which already begun production in Malaysia and exporting to Vietnam and is rumored to invest in China and export to the Philippines. Indocafà © is sold 10% below the price of Nescafà © in both markets. It has backward integration with its own coffee plantations so it was buffered from price swings. Another possible importer is Singapore’s Supermix who pioneered in individual â€Å"3-in-1† packs within Singapore and in other nearby countries. In the 1990s, the Philippine Government liberalized regulations on Foreign Direct Investments. Prior to that, investments with sales direct to domestic market had to be 40% Filipino-owned. In 1992, the government allowed 100% foreign ownership in most industries. As a result, Kraft General Foods which had substantial production operations in the Philippines is rumored to produce Maxwell House within the country. Procter & Gamble which also had substantial production in the Philippines also announced that it would produce Folgers Coffee in the country. IV. ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION One of the possible alternative courses of action is to increase the production capacity of Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s facilities. Upgrading the capacity would enable Nestlà © to experiment on product development without the possible reduction of Nescafà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s already established market share. However, the upgrade would require $3 million worth of investments. Another possible option is to focus substantial amount of investment for the marketing and sales of Master Roaster coffee which is currently made up of locally produced Robusta and Arabica. Nestlà © could either import Arabica beans to improve the taste of Master Roaster, which is now possible due to the major changes in import regulation. The brand would cater Nestlà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s high-end consumers. However, it would reduce the company’s current production capacity of the current blends. Lastly, Nestlà © could modify the Nescafà © and use imported Arabica and locally produced Robusta to copy the foreign blend. This would make Nescafà © a high-end product which could match imported brands. Again, this is possible because of the favorable changes in import regulation. However, this modification might result in Nescafà © losing significant amount of market share and household penetration. V. CONCLUSION To react to the major changes in the environment, Nestlà © should lower the price of Nescafà © closer to its competitors. According to research, there is a direct relationship between coffee prices and household penetration.  Hence, the price reduction would make the product even more accessible to the masses. In return, the company would gain even higher market share. In response to the threats of the entry of imported brands in the country, Nestlà © should continue producing Taster’s Choice and discontinue the unsuccessful Master Roaster. Taster’s Choice would both accommodate a separate market segment and the increasing â€Å"import mentality† of Filipinos. Importation of either Arabica beans or finished product is possible because of the changes in import regulation. Lastly, Nestlà © should consider buying shelf spaces. Besides the fact that it is a proven and common practice not only in the Philippines but also in other Asian countries, it is more econ omical than renting special display spaces. Nonetheless, Nestlà © should only lessen, not stop renting special display spaces. VI. CHANGE MANAGEMENT In order to sustain the changes made, Nestlà © should explore the use even cheaper packaging materials. The savings, in turn would enable the company to reduce the prices of Nescafà ©. The company should also actively promote its 1.7 gram individual packs and â€Å"3-in-1† packs. This would result to the brand gaining more market penetration, translating to a better market position. It should also aggressively promote both Nescafà © and Taster’s Choice which satisfies different market segments. VII. RECOMMENDATION Nestlà © should engage in more product development activities, like for example new flavors of coffee. Considering it is a multinational company, it will have the advantage of increased awareness in the current trends abroad. A development in the existing product lines would not only generate more market shares but also create new market segments. Filipinos would accept the idea of these improvements because of their import mentality. However, there should be enough market research regarding such improvements to make sure they are feasible in the Philippine setting. Also, Nestlà © should capitalize on its strength of having close relationships with its farmers. It should procure its raw materials in a manner that would benefit farmers. There should be more capacity building trainings among its coffee suppliers in order to promote increased productivity.

Lemon Lovin’ Life Essay

Introduction The company, Lemon Lovin’ Life, is a lemonade stand that is in the beverage business. Being that it is a popular drink and the low cost of starting a lemonade business, there is competition making it quite competitive in the market. This report outlines the company’s branding strategy, identification of possible new locations, promotional plans, and employee training opportunities. Branding Strategy To create a branding strategy for Lemon Lovin’ Life it will also consists of the marketing mix, namely, product, place, and promotion. Lemon Lovin’ Life has a reasonable size and will be priced competitively. It will be known for its healthy, natural, delicious, and well-known taste. A focus of the drink is to get it to be appreciated not only during the summer months, but rather, the whole year round. Highlighting its health benefits with increase consumer’s interest into the product. If this investment is success, Lemon Lovin’ Life could expand by adding a twist to the lemonade drinks. For instance, a lemonade drink can have a combination of lemon and strawberry, lemon and pineapple but always focusing on lemon as the main flavor. Ideally the lemonade stand will be placed in front of the owner’s house perhaps near a tree for shade. Attracting more consumers, being that they won’t have to stand under the blazing sun. For marketing purposes, flyers and posters will be distributed in various strategic places in the neighborhood along with calling friends and family. Creating a page on Facebook, a Twitter account, and Instagram, among others, will also heavily use social media sites. Opportunities for New Locations Lemon Lovin’ Life’s goal is to reach as many customers as possible in order to address the changing lifestyle choices that mainly aim to have healthy living. The new locations must consider that the target market has access to the lemonade whenever they’d like. This strategy will already tap a number of customers ranging from children, mothers buying for their families, health buffs, and young people who can already make their own purchases (Bovee & Thill, 2013, p. 346). Promotion Plans Usually local residents support new business ventures and Lemon Lovin’ Life has $10,000 to spend for advertising. Considering the product theme various marketing vehicles will be utilized to communicate the message, image, and presence of the business. Bovee & Thill (2013) asserted that there are different ways to promote products, including the use of print media (magazines, local newspapers and student publications) (p. 382), broadcast media (local TV shows, radio programs), hotel guides (Chamber of Commerce newsletters, brochures, flyers), direct mail (subscriber lists, inserts in newspapers, office mail delivery) (p. 374), social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) (p. 382), and others (attendance in charity events, sponsorships, press conferences) (p. 382). Employee Training In hope that the company shall grow, it will be necessary to hire more people in order to help run the lemonade stand. It is also important for the company to invest in training the staff to continue to offer quality lemonade. To do this, the company should always check whether employees are engaged, satisfied, committed, and rooted (Bovee & Thill, 2013, p. 220). Providing employees with job security through a strong salary is the first step. Secondly, provide employees with health insurance and retirement plans that can be extended to their families. Finally, the company must ensure that employees have a clear career path, especially for those who have leadership qualities to allow them to have the feeling that what they are doing is â€Å"worthwhile and satisfying in itself† (Bovee & Thill, 2013, p. 223). When these needs are met, employees are will actually view the job in a different manner. Their attitude toward working there will be a positive one. Conclusion Starting a company is not only about having the money and hiring employees. There are other aspects that should be considered, including the viability of the product, the target market, demographical considerations, the location, and marketing the product. References Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2013). Business in action. (6th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.