Whole Foods Value Chain

Team O Financial Performance Analysis of the financial performance Team O through periods 0-4, highlights the company performance scorecard, market share, brand contribution, the overall performance of the brand and the brands position in the BCG matrix. The two brands are SOLD and SONO and at the end of period 0, SOLD has 11. 9% market share and SONO has 5. 6%, SOLD has the largest market share In High Earners at 29. 9% and Pros at 19. 5%. SONO’s highest market share is in Buffs at 16. 2% and has 42. 4% in specialty stores, 39. % in department stores and 25. 2% in mass merchandisers. SONO was 42. 5% in specialty stores, 38. 1% in department stores and 24. 1% in mass merchandisers. Period O the market capitalization was 276,287 with a net contribution of 13,644. In period 1, SOLD has slightly decreased to 11. 8% while SONO’s overall market share grew to 6. 5%. SOLD’s High Earners decreased to 27. 6% while Pros increased to 21. 6%. SONO significantly increased in Buffs to 25. 6% as the goal for SONO is to become a cash cow in Buffs and withdraw from other markets.SOLD is focusing on High Earners and Pros to steadily increase market share while the market capitalization increases to 322,185. The net contribution for period 1 totaled 21,089 and the stock index rose to 1,166. The distribution coverage in period 1 was more wide spread as each brand had an overall mean of 34. 6%. In period 1, what was most successful for Team O was SONO and the increase in Buffs market share percentage. Period 2 The overall market share for Team O decreased to 11. 4% and 6. 3% for SOLD and SONO. However, team O captured the highest overall market share at 21. % over competitors. In SOLDs most important markets of High Earners and Pros there was a decrease to 23% and an increase to 24%. SOLD also has an increase in Buffs at 8% which the brand SONO continues to increase market share to 31% and remain non-existent in the other markets. The market capitalization rose to 363,906 ranking 3rd among competitors in the stock market. The company performance key indicators show team O with the largest number of retail sales each period. Team O in period 2 has a steady increase in the Buffs and is continuing to be a cash cow in the Buffs.Period 3 Market share for SOLD dramatically increased as efforts were set on increasing High Earners and spreading to gain market share in all markets. Buffs increased to 12. 8%, Singles increased to 4. 6%, Pros decreased to 17% and High Earners increased to 29. 6%. Resulting in an increase in net contribution to 38,594 and market capitalization at 434,919 gives Team O the highest stock index at 1,574 ranking first among its competitors. SONO continued to increase its market share in the Buffs at 37. 6% and becoming a cash cow.Success in period 3 is contributed to the diversification of SOLD increasing overall sales much greater than a steady increase in one or two market segments. Period 4 The overall market share for SOLD decreased as the decision to enter the Vodite market was made. SOLD’s Pros was significantly reduced to 6. 7%, High Earners to 23. 5%, Buffs 9. 1%, Singles 2. 3%. SONO continued to grow at 40. 1% in Buffs. Team O has expanded with VOLT to the vodite market capturing 100% of the Innovators, Adapters and Followers.The ability to do this was beneficial as no loan was incurred to cover the costs of a new product. The financial performance of Team O shows significant potential and establishing the market dominance with SONO in Buffs as well as being the first to enter the Vodite Market creating brand loyalty and capturing significant sales. SOLD continues to be a successful brand and contributes the majority of retail sales to Team O. Evaluating the BCG matrix SONO has become a cash cow, SOLD becomes a question mark and VOLT remains a question mark with high potential.

Occupational Health and Safety Issues Essay

Explain how Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) contributes to managing the human resource environment. Use the research literature to outline and discuss at least two current OH&S issues that impact human resource management in contemporary organizations. * * * Occupational health and safety are becoming more and more important in term of human resource management. On one hand, managers need to be familiar with the legal context. On the other hand, they also have to keep in mind a development of strategy to manage occupational health and safety. This essay will discuss some current occupational health and safety issues and how they affect human resource management. Occupational health and safety refers to the physical, physiological and psychological conditions of an organization’s workforce, related to aspects of work and the work context. When setting organization’s goal and strategies, managers may have to take to consider occupational health and safety management as an influencing factor. As countries all over the world are integrating in globalization, the change in economic structure also has influence on the way of doing business. When more and more companies move from state-owned to private ones, they may have their own strategy to manage occupational health and safety which is more suitable for their own goal. China is an example. Before, China’s government has authority and is the one who sets regulations on standard conditions of workplace in state-owned company. Since China opened its market to join the global market, a lot of private companies as well as foreign companies were established. This led to the change in government’s laws and regulations related to occupational health and safety. It has been stated in article of Dara (2003) that government rules through unions and associations that also communicate with organizations through smaller ones. Each organization has its own department to take care the conditions related to workplace (usually human resource department). However, this raises another issue among the society. As reported in researches, the problem related to occupational health and safety is still underestimated. Managers and board directors are still considering the profit and outcomes more important than employees’ wellbeing (Meei-shia, 2003, p. 68). Only high demand of employees or legislation from government can affect management decision on occupational health and safety. This can be seen as one of the reasons for an increasing number of work-related stress as well as other diseases. The modern life with the advantage of new technologies may have result in rising stress at work. It can easily be found on jobs that require long time working and much effort such as professionals, science research and managers. There are several reasons that cause stress in workplace. Poor working conditions, high job demands or physical harassment; all of these can lead to work-related stress. Many studies have shown a same result about the effect of long working hour and high demand of work on level of stress of workers. Moreover, as the labor-force is becoming older, younger workers are decreasing; the task for employees will increase. While the number of old labor increased by 4. 2 million, this number of younger workforce decreased by 0. 7 million (â€Å"New and emerging risks in occupational safety and health†, 2009). This can also lead to a high level of depression. It has been argued that because of lack of experience, skills and training, young workers often have to suffer more risk at work (Marie-Amelie, 2009). A major issue that managers have to take to consider in this perspective is how to train young and new labor-force so they will be aware of their rights and duties regarding health and safety. Problems related to occupational health and safety is differing from industries. Heavy industries often observe higher rate of risk than other industries. For example, a study of Hitomi, Bryan and Xabier (2009) on truck drivers’ occupational accidents has shown a relative high percentage of accidents when working on and around the truck. These include stepping off the edge at height (33. 3%), wrong footing (27. 0%), slipping (44. 1%) and so on. Another occupational health and safety issue is that not only it differs from industries but also differs from types of worker. The world is moving; countries are getting closer and closer. Organizations nowadays tend to do their production offshore because the foreign labor cost is much cheaper than local ones. However, foreign managers, as mentioned earlier, usually care more about the profit than occupational health and safety. Similarly, workers who immigrate have to work in unfavorable conditions than local workers. Reports’ results have shown a remarkable high-risk rate of migrant workers compared to local ones. As immigrants, they have to accept hard works with long hour, high demand and poor conditions in order to earn money for their living. For example, a French study revealed that immigrant workers have to face with more risks at work in compared with local workers (Gliber, as cited in Eusebio, 2009). Besides, they often lack of education and information about occupational health and safety at workplace. Differences in language and culture are too factors prevent them from communications related to occupational health and safety. Since occupational health and safety issues are recognized, it is necessary for managers to think about how to manage it along with organizations’ goal and mission. As mentioned earlier, both government and organization should control occupational health and safety. Government can set the standard conditions while organization can have its own management according to its situation. However, the most important factor that contributes to a successful management of occupational health and safety is employees’ involvement. In the research of workplace conditions in China, Dara and Garrett (2003) has emphasized the important role of employees in occupational health and safety. Employees are people who work and face with risks directly at workplace. They know what type of health and safety problem workers often have as well as how to create an ideal working environment. Having workers’ involvement in occupational health and safety management is the best way to do. Employees themselves should be aware of their role in occupational health and safety issues. It is for their own benefit that they take part in occupational health and safety management. They have the right to raise their voice, to make sure that their rights and obligations are protected. Workers’ participation is also one of many factors contributing to a successful occupational health and safety management. In order to encourage workers to take part in occupational health and safety, it needs to have a strong connection between top manager, supervisors and employees. There is number of organizations have failed in occupational health and safety management as they don’t take to consider worker’ involvement in decision-making. The communication gap between employers and employees is one of many impediments to develop a safety workplace. We are living in a dynamic environment that is changing everyday. The advantages of new technologies help people in many aspects. However, occupational health and safety is still one of the issues that people concern the most when doing business. It is still a controversy about how decision-making can help to create a healthy and safety environment. The responsibility not only belongs to managers but also workers who directly experience the conditions of workplaces. Managers should take to consider the occupational health and safety as a contributor to human resource management therefore have contingency plan in decision-making in order to make occupational health and safety management suitable with organization’s goal.

Corporate social responsibility provides greater benefits to the Assignment

Corporate social responsibility provides greater benefits to the organisation than it does to society and other stakeholders - Assignment Example The rationale of CSR has been articulated in numerous ways, which emphasize on building of sustainable businesses, which require stable economies, markets and communities (Roberts and Baker 7). Needless to mention that, most individuals ranging from students, managers or even employees are conversant to Corporate Social Responsibility, in businesses, community, and media. Although, CSR has various definition that are given in accordance to the organizations and or companies that practise it, it is clear that social responsibility is a mandate that decision makers ought to make in protecting and improving the welfare of the society in respect to their own interests (Cosans 396) Constituents of Corporate Social Responsibility: benefits to the organisation Corporate Social Responsibility is made up of constituents, which are necessary in making an impact in both the companies and the society. To begin with, companies have responsibilities other than the usual production of goods and ser vices to make a profit. Basically, the responsibilities entail assisting in solving important social challenges particularly those that they have contributed towards. Moreover, corporations have wider elements as compared to stockholders where the impact goes beyond market transactions to serve a larger population of people in the society (Mulligan 266). Never the less, CSR in companies can be tricky especially when it comes to application of ethical standards. For instance, most of the morals standards present in companies tend to conflict with each other because it is still unclear which standards should take priority. Somewhat, companies have the responsibility of respecting ethical values and principles in relation to pursuing company objectives, which translate to high profit margins. Of importance to note is that, the ethics of business make a company socially responsible. Once a company practise good business ethics, then it becomes easier for companies to participate in soci al responsibility (Roberts and Baker 8). Enhancing Brand and Image Reputation CSR in an organization or a company ensures that its reputation and brand continuously grow in reference to their practise. Hence, CSR programmes are bound to provide numerous chances especially when they want to communicate to the stakeholders by use of messages. In relation to reputation, CSR is involved in ensuring that it management any reputation risk that may tend to harm the image of the company in one way or another (Bejou 3). Additionally, companies involve themselves in projects within the society that enhance awareness from the public, a situation that translates to an improved reputation. Consequently, companies should be conversant with the needs of the customers, partners and suppliers. The action and behavior of the company toward these three stake holders automatically enhances the company’s brand. Once a company has a good perception in terms of image reputation and brand, a culture of understanding is created between the society and the company (Mulligan 268). For instance, it is the business of companies to works in the interest of behaving responsibly especially when some groups of activists are not comfortable with some of the aspects that have been put forward by the company. Thus, CSR plays a crucial role in ensuring that the company benefits through brand and image reputation. Increased Sales and Customer Loyalty It is evident that CSR does not only entail social

Behavioural Aspects of Budgeting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Behavioural Aspects of Budgeting - Essay Example However, before anything else, it is a good idea to understand something about the chosen company. The Southeast Asia (S.E.A.) Olympus Marketing Incorporated is one of the affiliates of S.E.A. Olympus Group of Companies, which was founded in the Philippines in 1983. The other affiliates are SPARKO, distributor of imported surface coatings and SCADE Industrial Corporation, a manufacturing plant of stainless water tanks such as storage water tanks and hydro pneumatic pressure tanks. The S.E.A. Olympus Marketing Incorporated is both a trading and manufacturing company which operates nationwide in the Philippines. It has branches in the three major islands of the Philippines. The S.E.A. Olympus Marketing Incorporated is responsible for the distribution of products produced by other affiliates. Originally, the company was a distributor of composite materials such as resin and fiber glass to the fishing and fashion industries. Today, the S.E.A. Olympus Marketing Incorporated is having a link with its main suppliers in Singapore, Taiwan and China. This year, it is planning to expand in the entire country and later in the Southeast regions in Asia. As of the moment, it has sub-business units (SBU) in the major cities in the Philippines as part of its strategic positioning. This year, its goal is to expand, but part of it is to carefully manage its finances. At the national level, the S.E.A. Olympus Incorporated might appear to have a very complicated organizational working structure of working departments. For the purpose of looking at the micro level of the organization’s activity, this paper examines the working business units in the country. S.E.A. Olympus Marketing Incorporated is composed of sub-business units working together for one goal. Each of this sub-business unit is composed of general support group and frontline group. The general support group is composed of the Accounting

Technology Development and Market Globalization Essay

Technology Development and Market Globalization - Essay Example Therefore, environmental, social and economic concerns are influenced by technological development globally. The development of modern technologies, IT communications influenced the operation of the global market. For example, by means of electronic communication the modern employees are able to work for two or even more companies, they can regulate their own schedule and as a result we come across a well-developed an integrated cosmopolitan, a more dynamic individual, who is able to integrate in the system of countries integration globally. Question 2 Country factors to locate production In order to locate production in the global market, there is a need to take into account many different factors. For example, the importance of country factors cannot be denied. There is a need for firms operating at the local level to locate manufacturing activities in such a way, that it would focus on different economic, political, and cultural issues. Moreover, the relative factor costs play ano ther critical role in such type of performance. There are different regulations within a certain country, which may influence the national consumption of goods or production. For example, regulations on FDI or exchange rates changing are also essential for country factors considerations. Every country has its own system of values, factors, features and specific needs, which should be taken into account by the producers and manufacturers. Question 3 World financial system without IMF The important role of IMF in the global market cannot be denied. The important sustainable function of IMF with regards to different global countries can be found in multilateral and bilateral surveillance, development of its lending programs, and the provision of technical assistance. In case IMF was absent, it would be impossible for the world financial system to conduct a dialogue between countries-members. Any financial system would be unable to determine from an independent perspective its advantage s and disadvantages. This function is performed by IMF in the process of bilateral surveillance. Under conditions of multilateral surveillance IMF determines financial spillovers from one country to another. There is a technical assistance of IMF and diagnostic actions implemented by this organization, otherwise the countries would be lacking of strategic development of macroeconomic and other structural policies (Kiggundu, 2002). Question 4 China in international business China is a great player globally. This country is being developed at a full pace and it is a well-known producer of 13% of world economic output and consumes nickel, copper and oil at the fullest extent (Kiggundu, 2002). The role of China in WTO reflects the country’s ability to increase its export rates (for 29%). China is a great manufacturer and exporter of textile and electronics (Kiggundu, 2002). There are different spheres of business, trade and manufacturing, which are covered by China. There are fut ure intentions of the country to export cars and airplanes. The global society is greatly interested in investments into this country. There is a favorable atmosphere in China for skilled professionals, their training and education. There is an evident potential in the country, which is attractive for other global players. Question 5 Outsourcing Outsourcing is very

Reading response 4 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading response 4 - Assignment Example However, when a learner is giving a speech, then errors in using language forms can lead to confusion. The authors have also pointed that â€Å"the identity of the researcher has an impact on the speech of second language learners† (Bayley and Tarone, 2013, p.43). For instance, a L2 learner uses more native accent in their second language speech when interviewed by their native people than by foreigners. It has also been stated that people living in a community have the same style of variations in their language. This theory is not clear since each individual may have difference in variation degrees. The authors have also used Liu’s longitudinal study of L2 variation on a five year old Chinese immigrant â€Å"Bob† to Australia (Bayley and Tarone, 2013, p.46). It was observed that in his developmental stage of learning English, Bob used more complex sentences when conversing with friends and peers, and simpler sentences when conversing with teachers. It proved tha t Bob’s L2 acquisition is faster in informal environment. In the fourth chapter which is on sociocultural theory (SCT), the author Lantolf has said that â€Å"although SCT is a general theory of human mental development, it has been productively extended to include the investigation of second language development† (Lantolf, 2013, p.57). The basic concept of this theory, according to the author, is how a speaker masters â€Å"narrative performance through private speech† (Lantolf, 2013, p.57). Therefore, it can be observed that the level of second language acquisition does not depend only on internal ability of the learner, but also the external interactions that have a major impact on the learner’s ability to learn. The major question explored in this chapter is the extent to which an individual uses his second language for cognitive thinking. It has been found from various

Working in Education on Many Levels Personal Statement

Working in Education on Many Levels - Personal Statement Example Education majors are essentially divided into two categories, Secondary Education and Elementary Education. Secondary Education programs are intended to equip teachers for educating young adolescent students up through graduation from high school. In most states, this involves instruction from sixth or seventh grade up through twelfth grade. Teachers are usually certified in an individual subject at the secondary level. So, a typical student will graduate with a B.S Ed. in Secondary Education with a certification to teach Chemistry, Geography, English, Foreign Language, etc. Elementary Education programs usually certify a teacher to teach from Kindergarten through sixth grade. In some states, this certification is broken into Primary (K-2) and Elementary (3-6) Education certifications. Most states avoid this, however, allowing teachers certified in Elementary Education to teach from Kindergarten through sixth grade. The coursework for Elementary and Secondary teachers is quite differ ent. Both will receive instruction in Educational Psychology and Methods of Instruction. They will also complete classes on Assessment and Evaluation that are similar, but his is where most of the similarities end. Elementary Education programs are more intensive in instructing teachers in strategies for building basic literacy in math and reading (Cooper, 1993). They will receive coursework in reading strategies, phonics and computational instruction that Secondary Education students do not receive. Secondary students will focus more on learning directly related to their area of certification. For example, a student studying to be a Chemistry teacher will have a core of chemistry classes that will include classes such as Chemicals Engineering and Organic Chemistry. The capstone for most teaching programs, both Elementary and Secondary, is a semester of student teaching, where the student is assigned to a mentor and teaches, with guidance, in a live classroom with his or her mentor. This experience is vital, because it is the first time students really get to experience what a real teacher does day after day (Ryan, 1992). It is not uncommon for students to leave Education programs after student teaching because they find they do not enjoy the duties teachers are expected to do or they have trouble learning how to manage students. The field of education has bee viewed by some as a safe place to work in many ways. Traditionally, teachers do not need to worry about fluctuations in the economy because they rarely are retrenched, even when tax revenue declines. Teaching has been viewed as an easy job with lots of perks, such as summers off and a short workday. The one downside to teaching, in the traditional point of view, is the relatively low pay when compared to other professions that require a college degree (Students, 2012). This view of teaching and working in Education is still intact, but has become dated over the past several years. The first way this myth about working in Education has been shattered is a result of the recent economic depression. Education, as a sector of the economy, has lost a record number of jobs (Teachers, 2012). School districts all across America have been dismissing teacher as they try to make their precious tax dollars stretch farther.  

Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Financial Management - Essay Example Due to the soaring or not-for-profit organizations, there has been the need for the implementation of financial management mechanisms to ensure that grants of funds from donors are used for their intended purposes. To ensure this, these organizations ought to create a budget indicating all the activities they intend to do and how much these activities would cost. Subsequently, rules and regulations should be set to govern how funds are used. There are regulatory bodies in every country whose main objective is to assess whether not-for-profit organizations comply with legal and ethical standards related to management. Not-for-profit organizations get their funds from individual donors, institutional donors, and even governments. For-profit organizations, on the other hand, get their funds from investors. In performance evaluation, a tool referred to a balanced scorecard is used to evaluate performance based on clients perspectives, financial perspectives, learning perspective, and als o on the basis of internal processes or procedures. One of the recommendations is the adoption of this tool in financial evaluating performance and implement strategies to ensure compliance. Subsequently, it is also important to have a clear vision for the organization in order to ensure funds are used for their intended purposes. . To effectively understand and comprehend these issues, it is of significance to define a nonprofit organization as well as a for-profit organization. A for-profit organization can be referred to as a commercial entity of organization. In other words, this main objective is to generate revenue. A nonprofit organization, on the other hand, is an organization established with the main objective of helping the society in general rather than for commercial purposes. In addition, a nonprofit organization is excused from paying levies as opposed to a for-profit organization where all services and commodities

What are the main data collection techniques to elicit requirements Is Essay

What are the main data collection techniques to elicit requirements Is one better than another What is the preferred method - Essay Example Basically, there are two types of interview: structured and unstructured interview based data collection methods. We can extract a lot of useful data through such interviews. We can use this technique to discover people’s opinions, feelings, objectives and hard facts. However, there are certain limitations of this method, for example a large amount of qualitative data can be hard to analyze and it is extremely difficult to compare diverse respondents (Fisher & Foreit, 2002; Summerhill & Taylor, 1992). This is a significant data collection technique to elicit requirements. This method allows us to collect data and information quickly a large number of people. Here we are able to easily manage this process remotely. This can also offer a great deal of support for collecting data about beliefs, attitudes and characteristics. However, there are also certain problems with this method like that its simplistic (presupposed) categories offer a very small background. Here we also have no room for users to communicate their real requirements (Fisher & Foreit, 2002; Summerhill & Taylor, 1992). This data collection technique to elicit requirements is used for summarization as well as feedback. Here we are able to discuss the outcome of the data collection stage. This method also allows us to extract a set of requirements. We can use this data collection technique as a significant management tool. However, the scope of this technique is very limited (depends on the discussion) (Fisher & Foreit, 2002; Summerhill & Taylor, 1992). This data collection technique to elicit requirements is based on the brainstorming and project team. This technique allows us to make use of more natural communication between people as compared to a formal interview. In this scenario, we are able to measure reaction to motivation materials (for example: storyboards, mock-ups, etc.). This method has also some disadvantages for instance it is can create unnatural

Wildlife Tourism and Environmental Impacts Research Paper

Wildlife Tourism and Environmental Impacts - Research Paper Example Inasmuch as wildlife tourism provides opportunities for wildlife protection, it also creates negative impacts on the environment. This paper shall discuss wildlife tourism and its environmental impacts. It shall review various research materials on wildlife tourism, summarising the main issues on this topic and the general impacts on related activities which pertain to wildlife tourism. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP, 2006) discusses that wildlife tourism is related to wildlife watch, mostly those of large mammals or flocks of birds; however, all types of animals are also included in this type of tourism. Wildlife watching is set apart from hunting and fishing and is confined to observations on animals; interactions in some cases are also seen, including the touching and feeding of these animals (UNEP, 2006). Wildlife tourism has grown significantly in recent years and it has evolved in its features to include other optional activities which tourists can choose to include in their package (UNEP, 2006). In some instances, wildlife tourism also includes hunting or fishing and in some instances viewing animals in zoos and confined parks (UNEP, 2006). This paper shall include both wildlife watching and wildlife tourism (with hunting and fishing) and the term wildlife tourism shall include wildlife watching. In the study by Roe, Leader-Williams, and Dalal-Clayton (1997), the authors discuss that wildlife tourism is usually associated with wildlife management and economic enterprises which support conservation, most especially in developing nations. The proliferation of other forms of tourism has occurred alongside the increased recognition of the need to secure sustainable development and ecotourism has been considered as a stable means of implementing sustainability (Roe, et.al., 1997).

Corrections Purpose and History Essay Example for Free

Corrections Purpose and History Essay The history of punishment is a unique one, since the dawn of man human kind has punished one another. Man did not merely throw someone in a chamber and let them contemplate their crimes such as we do in today’s society; rather, during those early times, punishment was harsh and swift. Criminals were not drawn through the litigation processes; instead, they were found immediately guilty of a crime and brought forth to be punished in an open forum, serving to the masses as an example of the consequences of crime. The early forms of punishment in Europe varied greatly but all forms were meant to inflict unimaginable pain upon the recipient, and it is from the European methods of imprisonment from which the U.S. drew inspiration. Punishment such as crucifixion, burning on pyres, guillotines, and gauntlets are but a few examples of what methods were utilized as early methods of punishment in early Europe. This illustrates the underlying ideology that punishment should be administered with two principles in mind, deterrence and retribution. Purpose and History Methods of imprisonment introduced near the turn of the eighteenth century England inspired and revolutionized the way we punish and house inmates. In England during the fifteenth and sixteenth century’s corporal punishment reined supreme. Public beatings were carried out in the streets with whips; beheadings and torture were the norm for serious crimes; and enslavement was common for petty offenders. During the seventeenth century in England and other European countries, imprisonment for lesser offenses started to occur but conditions were less than desirable or humane. These facilities were overcrowded, unsanitary, and, worst of all, gender/age neutral, which meant that male felons frequently took liberties with incarcerated women and children (Incarcerated: The History of the Penitentiary from 1776-Present, 1997). The American Colonies quickly embraced the idea of imprisonment, because of the religious freedoms English settlers sought when they colonized this nation. The Quakers were a religious group that settled in the northeast United States and they developed new laws to govern punishment and incarcerations that focused on prolonged imprisonment to serve as retribution for crimes committed. The Quakers belief system focused on of morality, peace, non-violence, and humanity. As such they showed mercy on offenders by allowing them to shed their anti-social behaviors through long term incarceration and a penance of hard labor. It is from this that modern the concept of reformation was established. Since this form of incarceration gained popularity, it has held onto two core principles: that a criminal can make restitutions for his/her crimes and that a convict can be eventually reintegrated back into society. The new form of punishment provided an alternative to the implemented punishments of yesteryear. Auburn versus Cherry Hill Pennsylvania System This reformation of how society punished criminals served as the foundation for new and competing theories on incarceration and punishment. In America around the early 1800’s, two prison systems were the dominant models of confinement: the Pennsylvania and the Auburn State. The first model was the Pennsylvania model, which was first used at Cherry Hill prison. This model used solitary confinement as its primary tool: convicts were perpetually detained without interactions with other individuals or time outside of confinement. The idea was that solitary confinement would lead to inward reflection and religious motivation and result in a penitent convict. In fact the word penitentiary actually comes from the Pennsylvania model of perpetual confinement because it had religious implications. At first, particularly in Cherry Hill, a Bible would be left in the solitary confinement cells in the hopes it would help prisoners repent. The second model was the Auburn State prison system, which supported the labor penance model. It operated under the assumption that hard, physical labor could not only serve as restitution but as a means of helping a convicted criminal reintegrate into society fully reformed. Often, prisoners worked during the day in total silence and would be hosed down them at night. A main criticism of the Auburn system was that prisoners were being used essentially as slave labor. Inmates were being farmed out to private business owners, who had contracts with the state, which in turn lined the pockets of the private businesses and cut costs for the state. As such, the Auburn model became the popular model, because states faced significantly less prison and prisoner care costs. Businesses paid a fee in order to use the prisoners and the prisoners acted as unpaid labor for the businesses. The state prisons pocketed the fees thus creating a revenue stream that could be used to support the prisons, rather than tapping into state funds, i.e. tax payer dollars (Colvin, 1997). Around the 1920’s to 1930’s many changes occurred due to the state of the economy and activists pressing the government for prison reform. One of the main changes occurred when Congress enacted the Hawes Cooper Act, which effectively stymied the sale of prison-made goods or the us e of prison-labor by making such goods subject to state punitive laws. This act was passed in no small part due to the jobs that were needed by good upstanding citizens—jobs that were being taken away during extremely tough financial times by cheap prison labor. Congress had the authority to pass such a law thanks to its power to control and tax interstate commerce. The Ashurst-Sumners Act was the final nail in the coffin by prohibiting transport companies from accepting prison-made products (McShane Williams,1996). The changes that stemmed from the Depression helped shape the correctional system into the rehabilitation-oriented program we have today. Prisoners are now classified into the likelihood of rehabilitation and the type of crimes that were committed, and this determines what type of facility an offender is incarcerated. Since 1935, the government made it clear that prisons must separate prisoners on the basis of gender and age. Now, facilities specifically for juvenile offenders have been established and the handling procedures for you nger offenders have been defined. Furthermore, there are programs to rehabilitate all types of offenders whether their needs are as simple as talking to someone during counseling sessions or educational opportunities. In some ways this system has been detrimental to corrections as a whole because it arguably results in overcrowding and a more lenient attitude: if you commit a crime then you will only have to contend with years off your life rather than hard labor and making reparations for the crime (Seiter, 2011). Over-population has resulted in more money taken from the taxpayers because if there are more people in the correctional system, more facilities and care are needed. Crime levels have dissipated over the years but not dramatically enough to really prove that this system is the true solution to our problems. Conclusion Modern principles of rehabilitation and reform have brought about the institution of facilities to incarcerate convicted individuals; these structures are called penitentiaries, jails, and prisons. Current prisons are more aptly concerned with long-term detention rather than a temporary housing prior to punishment like it was used as in the past. Today’s Prisons are a shell of the former institutions. Inmates in facilities today would never allow themselves to be used for labor outside prison walls it would be considered cruel and unusual punishment. For now the correctional system work, but soon it could be on the verge of collapse and any moment the flood gates could burst and the concept of rehabilitation could come to an end. References: Mcshane, M. D., Williams, F. P. (1996). Encyclopedia of American Prisons (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis. INCARCERATED: THE HISTORY OF THE PENITENTIARY FROM 1776- PRESENT. (1997). Retrieved from http://www.richeast.org/htwm/jails/Jails.html Colvin, M. (1997). Penitentiaries, Reformatories, and Chain Gangs: Social Theory and the History of Punishment in Nineteenth Century America. : St. Martin’s Press. Seiter, R. (2011). Corrections an Introduction (3rd ed.). Upper saddle Hall, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

The Crime Film Genre and Coppolas The Godfather

The Crime Film Genre and Coppolas The Godfather Introduction Genre theory Films belong to different kind of genres which depend on the content of the film. One of the familiar types of movies available in the market today and the entire movie industry is crime and drama type of movies that are loved by most youth today. (Corliss, 2014). Crime films are arguably the most complex genre of movies that reflect our ideology of moral order and justice in society, lawful even illicit, desirable and sometimes unworthy. Crime genre of films mirrors society because of its relationship with the complexity of real live events that fulfill the audience’s desire for mayhem and underdog characters. The critical alternative and tradition, for the most part, focuses on the nature of the film where the traditional movies tend to emphasize heroism together with the restoration of moral order in the society. (Seel, 2008). The earliest crime film is traced to be the silent epoch in 1897-1927. Duringthis Progressive erain the United States of America. Social conditions that existed this time, such as immigration together with increased urbanizationled to a proliferation ofmost organized crimes, social anarchy and there was also a distrust of the government activities. Serial killer movie genres have far more cerebral-thinking characters the slasher movies. Serial killers have specialized victims in them and a consistent way of committing crimes in the same movies. More than this, these films once emerged during a time when conservative criminal justice policies were more and society viewed crimes as inherently evil people. There was a big need for research and funding in dealing with serial murderers. And to make matters worse, criminologists and psychologists were less careful to this pattern of behavior. But serial killer movies grew in fame due to the increase of actual serial killer cases worldwide and human interest in movies that are awry in nature. (Poon, 2006). The Godfather first movie The Godfather is a 1972 American film in which the director was Francis Ford. The producer of this movie was Albert Ruddy and the screenplay was facilitated by Mario Puzo together with Coppola. Starring in the movie was Marlon Brando and one Al Pacino, who were leaders of a fictional New York family of crime, the story was written between 1945and 1955. The concentration was on the transformation of Michael Corleone from being in a reluctant family outsider to a ruthless Mafia boss while undertaking the Corleones under the one patriarch Vito. This movie that was ideally based on a script labored between for some period by Puzo and later given form, I believe, by director gets the same feel by the person watching. We even tend to observe with Don Corleone’s family not that we dig gang wars, but just because we have been with them from the start, watching them in the movie wait for battle while situated even at the kitchen table in the activity of eating. (Welsh, Fleming Dowler, 2011). The Godfather† himself in the movie is not even the central character in the drama. The position goes to the youngest and the brightest son known as Michael, who keenly understands the way of his father’s position while revising his old ways of life. The Godfather’s role in the family business is described by his name as he stands outside the next generation that will move on and eventually angle the family into the legitimate business. In the film, Brando’s performance is skillful. Though it earned him an Award of the Academy for the best actor. His voice is wheezy and also whispery. We also notice that physical movements deliberately lack enough precision in the film. The effect of lack of precision is of a man so accustomed to the power that he no longer needs to remind others of it. Brando does look the part of old one, Don Corleone, just because of acting and partly because of his makeup. However at some point, he seems to have stuffed a bit of cotton into his jowls, making his lower face immobile. (Poon, 2006). The genre conventions available. The film genre convention is the presentation of the film.the way the actions of the actors convey the theme, and the title of the movie is what genre convention is all about.In the Godfather movie, the act of family loyalties was portrayed. With his father at the end of his career and also his brother too weak, Michael takes the reins of the family and then promising Kay that he will make the business legitimate within five years period. To this end, he insists that Hagen has to relocate to Las Vegas and relinquish his role to Vito for Tom is not a wartime consigliere and thus the older man concurs that Tom should have no part in whatever will in case happen in the coming battles with their rival families. At the time when Michael travels to Las Vegas in order to buy out Greenes stake from the familys casinos, their partner derides the family for being run out of town. Michael, to his dismay, notices that Fredo has fallen beneath Greenes sway. (Navarro, 2012). We also see that there are violence and murder. When Vito suffers a fatal heart attack and dies, at the funeral Tessio, one of the Don’s capos, approaches Michael in order to arrange a meeting between him and Barzini, exposing on the treachery that Vito had just forewarned. The meeting is set to occur the same day as it was for the christening of Connie’s baby. As Michael stands on the altar as the childs godfather, Corleone just assassins murder to the other New York dons and Moe Greene. Tessio is executed because of his betrayal, and then Michael extracts Carlo’s confession for his involvement in setting up Sonnys murder of Barzini, and also Clemenza garrotes Carlo with a wire. Kay tries hard to comfort Connie when she goes on and accuses Michael of killing her dear husband and ordering other executions, and she is finally relieved when he finally denies it. But when the capos arrive, they address her husband as Don Corleone. (Andrew, 2008). References Andrew, D. (2008). The GODFATHER. (Cover story). Film Comment, 44(6), 38-42. Corliss, R. (2014). Corleone Family Values: The Godfather Part II at 40. Time.Com, N.PAG. Navarro, V. (2012). Nonfictional Performance from Portrait Films to the Internet. Cinema Journal, 51(3), 136-141 Poon, P. (2006). The Corleone CHRONICLES. Journal Of Popular Film Television, 33(4), 187-195. Poon, P. (2006). The Tragedy of Michael Corleone in The Godfather: Part III.. Literature Film Quarterly, 34(1), 64-70. Roundtable on the Return to Classical Film Theory. (2014). October, (148), 5-26. Seel, M. (2008). Realism and Anti-Realism in Film Theory. Critical Horizons, 9(2), 157-175. Welsh, A., Fleming, T., Dowler, K. (2011). Constructing crime and justice on film: meaning and message in cinema. Contemporary Justice Review, 14(4), 457-476. doi:10.1080/10282580.2011.616376

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button | Adapting literature

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button | Adapting literature Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18. This quote from Mark Twain inspired F. Scott Fitzgerald to write his short story à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in 1922. Just recently, in 2008, it has been adapted as a motion picture movie directed by David Fincher with great success. There have been many adaption of literature into film and the quality of the outcome as well as the number of parallels to the original work often differ greatly. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a very extreme example and for a long time the nouvelle wasnt even considered to possibly be turned into a movie due to the lack of techniques to have the reversed aging process of Benjamin Button seem real. I found the idea of living life backwards and the difficulties and experiences which are linked to such an extraordinary phenomenon very appealing. Therefore I wanted to find out more about it and read the short story The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Even though book and film differ in several ways, the main idea is the same and so fascinating that I decided to do my research paper on comparing the book with the movie. B: I As we will see, the movie is a very loose adaption of the book, basically, the only consistent occurrence in both the movie and the book is Benjamin Buttons unusual, reversed aging process. Yet not even this is completely similar: while the book ´s character of Benjamin Button has the mental age of 80 at the end of his life, the movies version gives Benjamin the mindset of an infant trapped in an 80 year old body. Film: The story starts at the day when Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans. At this very day Daisy Williams is waiting in a New Orleans hospital on her deathbed for her end to come. There with her is her daughter Caroline, who stands by her and reads to her mum out loud of a diary given to her by a man called Benjamin. His mother died by giving birth to him. Now the difference to all the other newborn babies is that he was old and wrinkled. Thomas Button, his father, horrified of his son leaves him on the doorsteps of an elderly care-home. Where Queenie a black NANNA? Takes him in and treats him like her own son. Benjamin fits in well even though of his young age he looks as old as most of the residents. Soon Benjamin realizes that he is physically growing younger not older. SZENE . Early in his life, he meets Daisy, the woman of his life which he first meets when shes a young child. Both lives go different ways and sometimes their paths even cross each other. Until they finally can manage to make a life together, which however because of there different fates isnt of a long duration. (QUELLE) Book: Benjamin Button was born in 1860 in a hospital in Baltimore. But not as a baby, he had the mind and appearance of an old man in his 80s. Mr Roger Button, Benjamins father, is member of a eminently respectable family and the president of Roger Button Co., Wholesale Hardware. Because of his high social status he has difficulties accepting his son for who he was. He tries to build up the illusion that his son is in no aspect different from any other person. The times society cared a lot for conformity and therefore had very little tolerance for this curious case of Benjamin Button. Benjamin still lives a very full live just in a different kind of way. He ages backwards at the same rate as everybody else is getting older. In 1880 Benjamin Button is twenty years old (but appears approximately 50) and meets and falls in love with Hildergarde the beautiful daughter of General Moncrief. Hildegarde turns out to be attracted to older men and six month later against all moral standards becaus e of their great age difference the get married and even have a son called Roscoe. While Benjamin is getting younger Hildegarde is getting older, and he soon looses interest in her à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾He wondered what possible fascination she had ever exercised over him.(p.37) Benjamin goes off to fight in the Spanish American War, as he returns home he appears about the same age as his own son, Roscoe. Growing younger everyday he attends Harvard University at the age of 18. After Benjamin graduates he is young enough to go to prep school, until he ends up beeing playmates with Roscoes son. Without being able to stop the reversed ageing process he goes to kindergarden until he finally is even too young for that. As he grows younger and younger he looses the memory of his entire past life until ..it was all dark(p.52) While the plotline is a complete different one when comparing book and film, there are however obstacles Benjamin Button has to overcome during his lifetime. In the book mainly because of the nonacceptance of society and in the movie because of II b ; One main theme in the book is how a new born baby, physically and mentally in his 80s, is accepted into society. In the short story, which plays in 1860(first few lines), Benjamin is born in the hospital and right from the beginning one can see how Benjamin is considered to be beneath social standards of that time. When Mr Button arrives at the hospital, the doctor even worries about his own reputation : Do you imagine a case like this will help my professional reputation? One more would ruin meruin anybody. (Page 4). Mr Button still unsuspecting of what happened has to realize, that the doctor who brought himself into the world and had been the family ´s physician for over 40 years, has no interest in seeing any of the Buttons ever again as he makes clear by saying : à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Im through with you! I dont want to see you or any of your relatives ever again! Good-bye! (Page 4) It is not only the doctor who is upset and hostile. It seems like the whole hospital is worried because of this unusual event.. The hospital will never regain its flawless reputation after-(Page 6) complaint the nurse seconds before she showed Mr Button the way to his new born child. The fact that his new born baby actually is an old man outrages Mr. Button to a degree, that he even calls his own son an imposter and lier (page 8). This shows very well how the society back then reacts to phenomenons which do not fit their norms and believes. From this moment on, Roger Button does everything in his power to threat Benjamin appropriate to his age. He wants to keep the old age of Benjamin a secret and even thinks further what the best solution would be to do so. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾If, say, he could only find a very large boys suit, he might cut off that long and awful beard, dye the white hair brown, and thus manage to conceal the worst, and to retain something of his own self-respect not to mention his position in Baltimore society . Roger Button is determined to keep his illusion alive and deny the obvious which is made very clear by the following words :Benjamin was a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾baby, and a baby he should remain(page 15) What the mishap would have cost the Buttons and their kinsfolk socially cannot be determined (page 17) But the citys attention is very soon drawn onto other things the outbreak of the Civil War. By the age of twelve Benjamins parents got used to him and even felt that he was not any different from other children. This was the time when Benjamin was not troubled by society because of his appearance. Later in the book though he has once again troubles to find his place in society. This occurs when Benjamin Button who just passed his entrance examination to Yale college is called into the Yale registrars office to receive his schedule. Benjamin cant die his hair before he enters the office and therefore cant hide his elderly appearance. The registrar first thought hed be talking to Mr Roger Button. As Benjamin made is case clear and insists on his age of eighteen, once again Benjamin meets with his à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾curse he has to deal with since his birth. The idea! the registrar shouted. A man of your age trying to enter here as a freshman. Eighteen years old, are you? Well,Ill give you eighteen minutes to get out of town. (Page 23) Being unable to gain a proper education at college because of the social inacceptance of his case he starts working for his fathers company Roger Button Co. During this time, Benjamin also starts to mingle with society and meets the daughter of General Moncrief, HildegardeIt whom he marries 6 months later. The story of Benjamins birth is being remembered again but many stories were made up such as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Benjamin was really the father of Roger Button, that he was his brother who had been in prison for forty years(page 31) Therefore the real story is forgotten or just so unbelievable that nobody believes it, not even his own wife. Many years Benjamin is able to life a happy life without having to worry about his physical aging process which makes him appear younger by the day, until he comes back from the Civil War to his wife and has to face that his ever younger appearance drives his wife nuts, she honestly believes its his way of annoying her and she is in the illusion that he could stop his aging process any time he wants. But, Hildegarde, I cant help it. You can too. Youre simply stubborn. You think you dont want to be like any one else. (page 37) After that point, the gab between them begins to widen. Benjamin keeps getting younger until he is a young boy. He receives a letter from the army asking him, since he served as an officer with a higher rank during the Spanish-American War to go back into service. He sees this as an opportunity to go back in time and do the duty he once enjoyed so much. Again society does not comply with his intentions. He arrives at the headquarters where he is turned down and sent home considered a little boy who wanted to play soldier. This also is the last conflict concerning the aspect of society and Benjams process of becoming younger. From that moment on Benjamin continues living his life backwards going back to kindergarden then under a nanny ´s custody getting younger and younger until hes finally gone. The skit of Benjamin Button is that the need for social self-preservation plays such a big role,that it blinds everyone from seeing Benjamins fate for what it is, and for accepting him for the person he is. Fitzgerald criticizes the community of the upper class whos reputation mainly is secured throughout conformity and their status is determend by their wealth. The social aspect or concerns about someone ´s reputation and how its influencing the book however is almost absent in the whole movie. In the film, Benjamin appears like a child, but his appearance still is so shocking to Mr. Button (PHOTO) that he grabs the baby wanting to get rid of him. It seems like he even attempts to throw the little baby into the river. (9:57) The appearance of a police officer stops that thought and he leaves Benjamin with 18 Dollars on the steps leading to a New Orleans boardinghouse for the elderly , the Nolan House (QUELLE), where Queenie, takes him in and raises him like he was her own child, hes accepted right away. There is no hint in the movie that Mr Button gave his son away for any other reason than his outer appearance .Mr Button:I thought you were a monster (1:43:23) c; In the movie, Benjamin Button has to overcome several obstacles linked to his reversed aging process such as witnessing people constantly dying in front of his eyes during his earlier time in the Nolan House, where à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾death was a common visitor. (25:03) When Benjamin talks about his process about getting younger with one of the residents living in the Nolan House. Its made pretty clear by the words of the resident what heavy burden he has to carry upon his shoulders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾Well I feel sorry for you, you have to see everybody you love die before you do, its an aweful responsibility(52:47). In the movie theres a love story which helps to understand what it means to live a life backwards like Benjamin does. He meets Daisy who is the grandchild of Miss Fall and sometimes comes to visit her over the weekends at the Nolan House. Benjamin falls in love with Daisy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ from the first time he saw her (36:47) But her being only 10 and him physically in his 70s and the mentally young age of both makes a romance impossible at least for this moment. It turns out to be a love story which develops slowly, over the course of many decades. At the age of 17, Benjamin goes on a long intense trip on a tugboat. Even though Daisy and Benjamin write each other constantly, many years pass until they meet each other again in the Nolan House in 1945 when Benjamin is 26 years old. Even though Daisy makes strong suggestions to sleep with Benjamin, he turns her down for the reason that she is to be leaving the next morning. This incident though is not important for the aspect which is discussed here. Its mentioned here only for the better understanding of the plotline. However in spring 1962, 19 years later Daisy and Benjamin meet again in New Orleans at the Nolan House where they both fall in love with each other at once. The fact that Daisy is many years older than Benjamin seems to be irrelevant for quite a long time until the reality of his curse pops back into his life. Daisy gets pregnant and Benjamin asks himself the question :How can I be a father when Im heading in the other direction? Even though his wife knows the consequences she gives him words of encouragement and insists that they will somehow make it work. But life doesnt always go according to one ´s wishes, therefore not long after the baby is born Benjamin realizes that his son needs a father and not a playmate. He makes a very tough decision and goes away, leaving his wife and daughter with enough money to live a good life. Giving up the love of his life is probably the biggest obstacle Benjamin has to overcome because of his reversed aging process. SETTING: III a;Charactere In the short story Benjamin is born as an old man apparently about seventy years of age.(p.7) He has almost white hair and a long smoke-colored beard(p.7) Benjamin starts out with a lot of demanding and complaining. Just born and still in the hospital he announces This is a fine place to keep a youngster of quiet tastes. With all this yelling and howling, I havent been able to get a wink of sleep. I asked for something to eat.(p.9) He also doesnt act anything like a baby. When he is alone he secretely smokes cigares and finds more interest in an encyclopedia than in kids ´ toys.(FOOTNOTE) Instead of playing with children of his age he finds more pleasure in sitting and talking to his grandfather. Benjamin occassionally breaks things on purpose to create the illusion beeing a normal baby just to delighten his father. he only did these thing because they were expected of him, and because he was by nature obliging.(p.18) This is also the reason why he dies his hair and shaves his bear d, he tries to please everybody around him even if hes not comfortable with it. Aging backwards for Benjamin means to overcome many obstacles as shown above and still Benjamin always keeps his dignity and never complains about his faith. Benjamin, once he left the hospital, took life as he found it.(p. 17) As Benjamin gets older, or younger for this matter, he turns out to be very intelligent and succesfull in what he does. Not only did he graduate from Havard University but also made his fathers company way more profitable due his new ideas. He also becomes an expert in dancing and great in playing golf. During his army time in the Spanish-American War in 1898 he becomes a lieutenant-colonel. He was slightly wounded, and received a medal. Benjamin also becomes more and more attracted by the gay side of life. He was dancing with the prettiest of the young married women, and chatting with the most popular of the dà ªbutantes.1912 though is a turning point in Benjamins life. His glor y years seem to be over now- as his physical appearance now is the one of a sixteen year old teenager his mental ability grows back as well. And therefore his social status is following the same process, he finds himself much alone, except for the companionship of three or four fifteen-year-old boys in the neighborhood. Now at the end of his life he behaves and thinks the way he was supposed to during his early years. He reads little boys stories and for him now playing with little stripes was the most fascinating game in the world.(p.49). He is a little boy now and he was very happy(p.49) Slowely he starts to forget no token came to him of his brave days at college, of the glittering years when he was flustered the hearts of many girls. And then he remembered nothing. In the movie Benjamin starts his life by looking like a normal baby except for his skin which is heavily wrinkeled, just like the skin of an old person. He cries like any other baby but after a closer examination by the doctor they find out that his health condition is rather in a state which can be found by elderly people than by a newborn child. Details then bookaccommodating Father: In the story Benjamins dad is very present right from the beginning. He is a succesfull man and helds a high position, both social and financial. And therefore is always concered about other peoples opinions of him. He seems to not be very open for things he doesnt understand or he doesnt believe in. Which is shown by his attempt raising his son Benjamin the normal way, which is only made possible through illusions he built for himself to avoid the confrontation with the truth. He has a hard time accepting Benjamin as his son until he gets older which is either because of Benjamins trumendous success with the company (It was mainly due him that the family fortune was doubled chpt. 7) or due to the fact that Benjamin finally appears younger than his dad. In the movie however his name is Thomas Button. He also is the head of a successful Button company, but he doesnt seem too concerned about what other people think about him, he even seems like a man without any scruble by abondoning his son just because of his appearance. Later in the movie it accured that Mr Button is sick and his time on earth is very limited. He wants to make up for everything and regrets his mistakes. He tells Benjamin that he was his father and furthermore tells him that he should never have abondoned him (1:34:37). Though the apolgy was long overdue and what he did unforgivable this small move still makes him a sympathic character at the end. Mother: While in the book the mother is alive there isnt anything else mentioned about her. In the movie however Benjamins biological mother dies giving birth to Benjamin. At her place steps Queenie, his black surrogate mother. This character is very strong and independant, its basically her who runs the whole Nolan House with all its elderly residents. Which also shows how responsible and caring she is. Her joyfull acting and her supportiveness towards Benjamin thouroughout the movie makes her a loveable character.

Hawthorne Essay -- essays research papers

I think that Hawthorne’s description of Dr. Heidegger’s study describes the four friends. â€Å"It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs and besprinkled with antique dust†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this quote, it represents the physical characteristics of the four friends, old and wrinkled. The dark and dank atmosphere of the study reflects their depressed personalities. I think that one of the themes found in â€Å"Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment is that if a person is given a second chance at life, it is impossible for a person to change their behavior. Each of the characters all had chosen a lifestyle in their youths which each led a life of prosperity, but to loose their success and respect because of their behavior. The four friends had a life without pleasant memories to recall. They had gotten a second chance to relive life, they returned to their original faults. â€Å"Inflamed to madness by the coquetry of the girl-widow, who neither granted nor quite withheld her favors, the three rivals began to interchange threatening glances.† Once back to their youthful selves, the good doctor sees that their morals are still the same as before. Mr. Medbourne is still greedy. Colonel Killigrew still wants to seek the sinful pleasures he once had. Mr. Gascoigne is still lying about politics. The Widow Wycherly is still very vain and conceited. All of them laugh at the doctor since he is still old. They mock the sick, elderly, and disabled of which they had just been so themselves. There are many ind... Hawthorne Essay -- essays research papers I think that Hawthorne’s description of Dr. Heidegger’s study describes the four friends. â€Å"It was a dim, old-fashioned chamber, festooned with cobwebs and besprinkled with antique dust†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In this quote, it represents the physical characteristics of the four friends, old and wrinkled. The dark and dank atmosphere of the study reflects their depressed personalities. I think that one of the themes found in â€Å"Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment is that if a person is given a second chance at life, it is impossible for a person to change their behavior. Each of the characters all had chosen a lifestyle in their youths which each led a life of prosperity, but to loose their success and respect because of their behavior. The four friends had a life without pleasant memories to recall. They had gotten a second chance to relive life, they returned to their original faults. â€Å"Inflamed to madness by the coquetry of the girl-widow, who neither granted nor quite withheld her favors, the three rivals began to interchange threatening glances.† Once back to their youthful selves, the good doctor sees that their morals are still the same as before. Mr. Medbourne is still greedy. Colonel Killigrew still wants to seek the sinful pleasures he once had. Mr. Gascoigne is still lying about politics. The Widow Wycherly is still very vain and conceited. All of them laugh at the doctor since he is still old. They mock the sick, elderly, and disabled of which they had just been so themselves. There are many ind...

Meditation Essay -- essays research papers

Meditation is a private devotion or mental exercise consisting of a number of techniques of concentration, contemplation, and abstraction to heighten spiritual awareness. It has also been defined as, â€Å"Consciously directing your attention to alter your state of consciousness.† Meditation has been practiced around the world since the ancient times. It was used back then and still used today for spiritual growth (becoming more conscious). Meditation is mostly concerned about your attention, where it is directed to, and how it alters or changes a person’s consciousness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although meditation has been used for spiritual growth, recently it has become a way of finding a peaceful bridge between stress and the fast paced world around us. It has become a way of taking time out of all the distractions and stress that occurs in our lives and relaxing and finding ourselves. Some other uses of meditation include healing, emotional cleansing and balancing, deepening concentration and insight, manifesting change, developing intuition, unlocking creativity, exploring higher realities, and finding inner guidance.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is no exact way to meditate. Different people meditate in different ways. However, there are many similar guidelines or ways that people go about meditating. First, put your expectations aside. Don’t expect to all of a sudden have your consciousness altered. Be open to meditation but don’t try to force something to hap...

Comparing Rebels in Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies :: comparison compare contrast essays

Rebels in Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies Despite the fact that rebels are viewed as troublemakers, in the long run, they help a society grow for the better. In Pleasantville, Fahrenheit 451, and Lord of the Flies, there have been so called "rebels" and these rebels were looked down upon for their different points of view. These rebels were what made these books and movie interesting because in a society, change is sometimes good. In all of these cases, change was feared and thought impossible, but eventually these changes happened, and there was a better civilization because of it. In Pleasantville, one world came clashing with another. These two different worlds had different values and perceptions of a perfect and pleasant life. When David and Jennifer entered the town of Pleasantville and became Bud and Mary Sue, they were looked at differently because they knew something that the others in Pleasantville didn't know. They knew of change, color, and true beauty and because they were spreading this knowledge, they were considered rebels. After color started to spread, the town of Pleasantville was never the same and they now knew what they were missing. A rebel is defined as a minority, going against the majority. As time passed, and more color appeared, the more "rebels" there were. When these "rebels" become the majority, they are not considered different or threatening anymore. Once everybody changed from black and white to color, Pleasantville was now happy again. But this happiness was not because of a boring routine, but because of beautiful change and multicolored experiences. Times change and these rebels that see differently than everyone else influence these changes. Change is what makes the world go round. In Fahrenheit 451, there were also rebels that existed and viewed what everyone was used to, as a living hell. The rebels that I speak of are people like Clarisse McClellan, Guy Montag, Professor Faber, and Granger. These rebels are people that are sick of the way things are and want change to occur. These characters are all bright, intelligent, and bring forth fresh and sensible ideas that nobody even thought of or considered because it was out of the norm and it was risky.

Pros and cons of working as a doctor Essay

I’d like to tell you about the pros and cons of working as a doctor. There are a lot of interesting trades and all of them are important and useful. After finishing secondary school young people may enter an institute or a university to prepare for different professions. Some of them require high qualification and education, such as doctors, teachers, developers, scientists etc. But there is no doubt that working as a doctor is a demanding job with both advantages and disadvantages. There are several arguments in favour of working as a doctor. To begin with, it’s a rewarding job because doctors help sick or injured people to recover. It is very important and in most countries this work is well-paid. For instance, doctor’s earning ranged from about $156,000 a year for pediatricians to about $315,000 for radiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Furthermore, doctors are rarely out of work because there is always a demand for people to treat the sick or injured. However, there are also a number of disadvantages to being a doctor. Firstly, it’s a tiring job because they work shifts and often work at night. For example, doctors must always be prepared to deal with any number of sick at any time. It is also stressful job because they are in charge of the life of people. In addition, it can be depressing because they often see people suffering. To conclude, I must say that it is not an easy profession and quite a hard job. Unfortunately, in our country this work is badly-paid. But it is impossible to imagine the life of the society without doctors.

Psy 1010

Psy 110, portions chap 5, 6 & 7M. Dwyer Fall 2009/ Exam #3 Chapter 5 1. What are the four kinds of reinforcers mentioned in your book? Define them and be prepared to give an example of each. POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IS INFORCE A STIMULI NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IS TO REMOVE A STIMULI POSITIVE PUNISHMENT IS WHEN A TARGITED BEHAVIOUR IS REMOVED BY PRESENTING A STIMULAS shouting at the dog NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT IS WHEN TARGET BEHAVIOUR BY REMOVING A STIMULAS toy removal 2. What are the four schedules of partial reinforcement we discussed? Which produces the highest rate of responding and the most resistance to extinction and why?FIXED INTERVAL reward every 5 mins FIXED RATIO reward every 5 responses VARIABLE INTERVAL an avg. every 3 mins and varied VARIABLE RATIO an avg. every 5 behaviours 3. What is the significance of latent learning and observational learning? How did discovery of these two important types of learning change our definition of psychology? OBERVATIONAL LEARNING learning by l ooking at others by observing LETENT LEARNING learning that is not directly observable 4. Define conditioned taste aversion, instinctual drift, subliminal learning, discovery learning, direct instruction, learning styles.TASTE AVERSION it is when we recognize a taste and in the future we try to avoid it due to its effect to us INSTINCTUAL DRIFT is the tendency of an organism to revert to instinctive behaviors that can interfere with the conditioned response SUBLIMINAL LEARNING sub means below and luminal light it is the theory that states that a person can learn even with little information which if is continuously repeated DISCOVERY LEARNING is when we learn after experiencing something for our self DIRECT INSTRUCTION learning through given instruction e. g. ectures not experiments LERNING STYLE it the type of style that best fits a individual Chapter 6 5. When we have a memory of an event it is a reconstruction of the event. Explain what that means. What information goes into our reconstructions of the past? Previous info Trace memories of the event Past experiences Context of the person asking the question 6. What are the functions, span(capacity), and duration of each of the three types of memory processes? Sensory memory Short term memory Long term memory 7. What happens in sensory store? What does it mean when we say that these processes are preattentive?PREATTENTIVE –SO FAST WE DON’T KNOW WE ARE DOING IT IMAGE IS CREATEDLD WE SCAN IMAGE AND PICK UP INFORMATION THAT WE WANT FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS 8. The three types of processes that go on in short term memory (working memory) are.. I listed them .. beginning with the match-mismatch identification of incoming information, maintenance rehearsal and elaborative rehearsal—be able to give a number of examples of the latter†¦ GATHER INFO REHERCE INFO REHERCE IT TILL IT IS STORED IN LONG TERM MEMORY 9. What are proactive and retroactive interference? Be able to give examples.RETRO ACTIVE ability to recall something that you have learned in the past after lerning something new PROACTIVE ability to learn second lesson after learning the both lessons 10. Be able to name and give examples of all the different types of long term memory. SEMANTIC OUR KNOWLOGE ABOUT FACTS FO THE WORLD EPISODIC RECOLLECTION OF EVENTS OF OUR LIVES EXPLICIT MEMORIES WE RECALL INTENTIONALLY AND WHICH WE HAVE CONSTANT AWARENESS IMPLICIT MEMORIES FOR HOW WE DO THINGS PROCEDURAL ABILITY TO IDENTIFY A STIMULAS MORE EASILY OR QUICKLY AFTER WE ENCOUNTER SIMILAR STIMULI 11.Define encoding, storage and retrieval. ENCODING IS THE PROCESS OF GETTING INFORMATION INTO OUR MEMORY BANKS STORING IS THE PROCES OF KEEPING INFORMATION IN OUR MEMORY REVIVAL IS THE REACTIVATION OR RECONSTRUCTION OF EVENTS FROM OUR MEMORY STORAGE 12. What are the different forms of retrieval? Be able to identify one of each in the items on your test.. RECALL – IF U TRULY LEARN IT RECOGNITION- MULTI CHOICE SKETCHY INDERSTAN DING 13. What are the three ways in which the concept of â€Å"specificity of cues† apply to memory retrieval. RELEARN -REAQUIRING KNOWLOGE THAT WE PRVIOUSLYLEARNED BUT FORGOTTEN OVER TIME RECALL-GENERATING PREVIOUSLY GENERATED INFORMATION RECOGNISATION- SELECTIONG INFO FROM ARRY OF INFO THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY LEARNED 14. What do we mean by levels of processing? MARE DEEP REPETITION PROCESS MARE BRAIN MARE 15. What are semantic networks, lexicons, and schemas? (define them). 16. Name five study tips that would improve student test performance. 20 MIN BREAK LONG TERM NO CRAMMING SAME STATE SIT IN SAM SEAT 17. How do we distinguish between false memories or true memories? MORE REHERSAL CONSIDER THE PROBE DISTINCT BW BIAS Chapter 7: 18. What is language?Define it and be able to discuss its basic components. PATTERN OF SIGNALS GENERATIVE AND IS COMPLECATED SYMBOLS WORDS GESTURES RULE BOUND ENCODING AND DECODING IT IS ARBITUARY 19. What are the early stages of language developmen t? The early stages comprise of babbling in children where they utter parts of words which they cannot pronounce but as the early stages pass gradually the child starts to utter words in a more meaning full pattern and the later on in life they interpret words give them meanings this type of behavior is coved in behaviorism where learning is done by observing. 0. Define phonemes, morphemes, babbling, syntax (Of surface and prescriptive grammar, which of these two is taught to us by our elementary and high school teachers? ) Phonemes is the smallest unit of sound Morphemes are composed of phonemes and a number of them to create meaning Babbling is the experimentation of noise making by the child trying to speak making vovel sound 21. Familiarize yourself with and be able to critiques the four theories of language development covered in your book.

Economics Commentary Essay

The collusive1 market structure that the Japanese traditional industry has traced over previous years has increasingly become to fail. The tendency of companies abandoning cross-shareholdings2 has generated a in deep economic loss resulting from a reduce in the total revenue of corporations in the country. The attempt of industries such as steel, paper and energy as well as car making companies and electronic firms3 to consolidate economic partnership through means of oligopoly, has decreased deliberately from 50% of the market values to 20% over the last 17 years. The benefits of share holding companies were determined in preceding times to maximize profits by jointly agreeing in a fixed price which will avoid â€Å"price wars† and therefore substantial revenues4. Also assuming the interdependent behaviors, cross-shareholding companies act together to establish high barriers of entry to the industry in order to preserve ascendancy and evade competitiveness to have a high indices of demand. As the extract mentions, there is a bought share between companies to prevent the overhaul of others and to regulate the number of firms within the market as it happened with Mitsubishi when 11 other companies had an acquisition of shares to â€Å"block the outsider†. As these companies were subdued to price controls of the industry, the demand curve will therefore be highly inelastic responding to the few amount of substitutes5 that the industry seeks to have in flow. However the concerns about the crumbling of the traditional tendency of cross-shareholding are given with the results in the change of behavior of the industry. Along with the abandonment of share holding companies, the industry becomes vulnerable to external entry and in the case of Japan foreign investments which increases competition. As there is increase in supply of same products, demand for products of individual firms will fall and the demand curve will shift to the left. Demand shifts to the left from D1 to D2 due to the increase in supply with the entry of new firms and the removal of a unique price of product in the whole industry. As the result in the shifting of the demand curve of any Japanese product prices of evidently reduce as shown in the previous figure. From P1, being the demand of a cross-holding alliance of the market, and P2 the consequent reduction of this model. Quantity produced also lessens from Q1 to Q2 as costs of production are directly proportional to the loss of profit6 with the diminishing prices. Due to price decline, total revenue also decreases as both quantity and price of products decrease considerately. The impacts of this phenomenon on Japanese economy is illustrated with losses of the questioned firms. Between March and September more than 160 shareholding companies lost a total of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½300 billion in value. 610 Banks and monetary institutions have also been affected as these companies are part of the essential capital they lend against. Despite the increase in cross-shareholding companies since 2004, the evident economic impact of the â€Å"criss-crossed capitalism† are starting to arise. The Japanese government in response has been working on regulatory measures to prevent this phenomenon future repercussions. Works Cited – * Economic Basis: Demand and Supply. In the internet: http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics3.asp, s.t. * Economic Basis: Monopolies, Oligopolies and Perfect Competition, s.t. In the internet: http://www.investopedia.com/university/economics/economics6.asp, s.t. * Introduction to economics * WHITTEN, Darrel. Japan: Japan’s System Of Interlocking Shareholdings. In the internet: http://www.mondaq.com/article.asp?articleid=24335, 2004. 1 A commonly accepted price determination of oligopolists to prevent competition of prices over similar products. 2 When to or more firms3 hold each other shares. 3 Institutions that employ production factors to produce and hence sell goods and services. 4 The resultant economic gains of multiplying the price of a good times the quantity of that good sold (TR=pxq). 5 Similar products with certain differentiations that determine price elasticity of demand. 6 Net income in gains of a businesses activity.

Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder Essay

     INTRODUCTION Personality disorders constitute a major group in the classification of mental disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR),1 these conditions are defined by maladaptive personality characteristics beginning early in life that have consistent and serious effects on functioning. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is frequently seen in clinical practice.2 Characterized by emotional turmoil and chronic suicidality (suicide ideation and attempts), this type of personality disorder presents some of the most difficult and troubling problems in all of psychiatry.   The majority of patients with BPD are seen in psychiatric clinics or in primary care. The keys to successful management include making an accurate diagnosis, maintaining a supportive relationship with the patient and establishing limited goals. Although BPD may persist for years, it does not last forever, and one can be reasonably optimistic that most patients will recover with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotherapy can help speed up the recovery from BPD. The most effective forms of treatment have been developed by psychologists, and therefore when making a referral, physicians should consider a patient’s ability to pay for such therapy.   More research into the causes of BPD is needed, the results of which may help to develop evidence-based approaches to treatment that are practical and specifically designed for this challenging disorder.   THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER   Epidemiologic studies of personality disorders are at an early stage of development. Community surveys of adults have indicated that the prevalence of BPD is close to 1% (similar to that of schizophrenia).3,4 About 80% of patients receiving therapy for BPD are women,2 but sex differences are less striking in community samples.4 As is the case for personality disorders in general, BPD is associated with lower social class and lower levels of education.3,4   THE ETIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER We are only beginning to understand the causes of BPD. As with most mental disorders, no single factor explains its development, and multiple factors (biological, psychological and social) all play a role.   The biological factors in personality disorders consist of temperamental (inborn or heritable) characteristics that present in adulthood as stable personality traits: patterns of thought, affect and behaviour that characterize individuals and are stable over time.5 Heritable factors account for about half of the variability in virtually all traits that have been studied.6 Specifically, both affective instability6 and impulsivity7 have a heritable component of this magnitude, and studies involving twins have demonstrated that BPD itself shows a similar genetic influence.8 Also, family history studies have found that impulsive disorders such as antisocial personality and substance abuse are particularly common among firstdegree relatives of patients with BPD.9 Studies of central neurotransmitter activity have shown that impulsive traits, a major component of BPD, are associated with deficits in central serotonergic functioning.10,11 However, the biological correlates of affective instability are unknown, and no markers specific to the overall disorder have been identified.10 The psychological factors in BPD can be striking but are not consistent. BPD first presents clinically in adolescence, at a mean age of 18 years.12 Although many patients describe adversities such as family dysfunction as well as mood and impulsive symptoms that go back to childhood, longitudinal data are needed to determine the precise influence of early risk factors. 13 Reports of a high frequency of traumatic events during childhood in this population need to take into account community studies, which show extensive resilience following trauma, particularly for less severe adversities.13 The most careful studies have shown that a quarter of patients with BPD describe sexual abuse from a caretaker14 and that about a third report severe forms of abuse.15 However, although child abuse is clearly a risk factor, it is not specific to BPD.13 In general, adverse life events are not consistently pathogenic by themselves but, rather, produce sequelae in vulnerable populations.16 Social factors in BPD are suggested by indirect evidence.   Thus far, there have been no cross-cultural studies of BPD, although characteristic symptoms such as recurrent suicide attempts are less common in traditional societies, in which there is little change from one generation to the next, but are on the increase in modern societies and in societies undergoing rapid change.17   DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER The term â€Å"borderline† is a misnomer, based on an old theory that this form of pathology lies on a border between psychosis and neurosis. Actually, BPD is a complex syndrome whose   central features are instability of mood, impulse control and interpersonal relationships.2 Box 1 presents the DSM-IV-TR1 criteria, reorganized in relation to these basic dimensions, as well as cognitive symptoms.   Since the DSM-IV-TR requires only 5 of 9 criteria to be present, making a diagnosis on this basis leads to heterogeneity; more precise research definitions have been developed that require high scores for all 3 dimensions.18 The affective symptoms in BPD involve rapid mood shifts, in which emotional states tend to last only a few hours.19 When affective instability is monitored with standardized instruments,20 emotions are found to be intense but reactive to external circumstances, with a strong tendency toward angry outbursts. Levels of affective instability are most predictive of suicide attempts.21 Impulsive symptoms include a wide range of behaviours and are central to diagnosis.22 The combination of affective instability with impulsivity in BPD23 helps account for a clinical presentation marked by chronic suicidality and by instability of interpersonal relationships.23 Finally, cognitive symptoms are also frequent. In one case series,24 about 40% of 50 patients with BPD had quasi-psychotic thoughts. In another series,25 27% of 92 patients experienced psychotic episodes.   In a third series,26 psychotic symptoms were found to predict self-harm in patients with personality disorders. BPD is common in practice. A recent study involving patients in an emergency department who had attempted suicide showed that 41% of those with a history of multiple suicide attempts met the criteria for BPD this disorder.27   However, many cases are also seen in primary care settings.   Data from a survey conducted in a US urban primary care practice indicated that BPD was present in 6.4% of a sample of 218 patients.28   Because of the wide range of symptoms seen in BPD that are also typical of other disorders (Table 1), such as mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and eating disorders,29 patients may be felt to have one of these conditions while their BPD goes undetected. The most common disorder associated with BPD is depression, but in BPD, symptoms are usually associated with mood instability rather than with the extended and continuous periods of lower mood seen in classic mood disorders.19 Also, because of characteristic mood swings, BPD is often mistaken for bipolar disorder.30 However, patients with BPD do not show continuously elevated mood but instead exhibit a pattern of rapid shifts in affect related to environmental events, with â€Å"high† periods that last for hours rather than for days or weeks.30 BPD may be mistaken for schizophrenia; however, instead of long-term psychotic symptoms, patients with BPD experience â€Å"micropsychotic† phenomena of short duration (lasting hours or at most a few days), auditory hallucinations without loss of insight (patients with schizophrenia do not recognize that a hallucination is imaginary, whereas patients with BPD do), paranoid trends and depersonalization states in which patients experience themselves or their environment as unreal.   24 Finally, patients with BPD are at increased risk of substance abuse, which forms part of the clinical picture of widespread impulsivity.2 To diagnose BPD in practice, clinicians must first establish whether a patient has the overall characteristics of a personality disorder described in the DSM-IV-TR;1 that is, long-term problems affecting cognition, mood, interpersonal functioning and impulse control that begin early in life and are associated with maladaptive personality traits, such as neuroticism (being easily prone to anxiety or depression, or both) or impulsivity. Personality disorders can often account better for the multiplicity and chronicity of symptoms than can alternative diagnoses such as mood or anxiety disorders. The next step is a personality assessment, which requires a good history. Although practitioners will be able to obtain needed information from most patients during a routine visit, they may also, with the patient’s consent, wish to speak to family members or friends.   The final step is to determine the category that best fits the clinical picture. To diagnose BPD, clinicians   need to establish that patterns of affective instability, impulsivity and unstable relationships have been consistent over time.   THE COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISODERs Managing patients with BPD can be burdensome for clinicians because they may have to deal with repeated suicide threats and attempts over years. Also, patients with BPD do not easily respect boundaries and may become overly attached to their therapists.31 When practitioners fail to diagnose BPD, they may be at risk of becoming overinvolved with patients who suffer greatly but can be personally appealing to the physicians. Fortunately, most patients with BPD improve with time.32–34 About 75% will regain close to normal functioning by the age of 35 to 40 years, and 90% will recover by the age of 50.32 Unfortunately, about 1 in 10 patients eventually succeeds in committing suicide.35 However, this outcome is difficult to predict, and 90% of patients improve despite having threatened to end their lives on multiple occasions. The mechanism of recovery in BPD is not fully understood, but impulsivity generally decreases with age, and patients learn over time how to avoid the situations that give them the most trouble (e.g., intense love affairs), finding stable niches that provide the structure they need.35 BPD is a therapeutic challenge. A series of randomized controlled trials of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy36–47,50,52–54 have been published; however, the trials had a number of defects, most particularly small samples, attrition and durations that were too short (usually 8–12 weeks) for a chronic disorder that can last for years. Finally, outcomes in these studies were generally measured by self-report and did not indicate whether the clinical picture had actually shown full remission. The pharmacologic treatment of BPD remains limited in scope. By and large, the result can be described as a mild degree of symptom relief. A number of agents, including low-dose atypical neuroleptics,38 specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors39,41–43 and mood stabilizers,44,45 all alleviate impulsive symptoms. However, antidepressants are much less effective for mood symptoms in BPD patients than in patients without a personality disorder.48 Benzodiazepines are not very useful in BPD and carry some danger of abuse.49   Thus, although several drugs â€Å"take the edge off† symptoms, they do not produce remission of BPD. Failure to understand this point has led to polypharmacy regimens, on the assumption that multiple drugs are needed to target all aspects of the disorder. The result is that many patients receive 4–5 agents — with all their attendant side effects12 — in the absence of evidence from clinical trials supporting the efficacy of such combinations. Future research may lead to the development of agents more specific to the symptoms seen in BPD.   The mainstay of treatment for BPD is still psychotherapy. Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that targets affective instability and impulsivity, using group and individual sessions to teach patients how to regulate their emotions. This form of behaviour therapy has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours under control within a year.50–53 However, whether this method is effective in the long term is unknown. There is evidence from a randomized controlled trial supporting the use of a modified form of psychoanalytic therapy in a day-treatment setting that also makes us of cognitive techniques.54   Unfortunately, these forms of psychotherapy for BPD are expensive in terms of resources and are not generally available. In practice, therapy tends to be practical and supportive.   Practitioners who manage these cases can also use educational materials for patients and their families.31   BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main problem that practitioners face in managing cases of BPD is chronic suicidality. Physicians in primary care settings are prepared to care for many patients with psychotic disorders but are likely to ask psychiatrists to manage patients who make repeated suicide threats and attempts, or to suggest hospital admission. However, there has been little research on the   Efectiveness of hospitalization for the treatment of BPD and no evidence that it prevents completion of suicide.55 Suicidality in BPD peaks when patients are in their early 20s, but completed suicide is most common after 3035 and usually occurs in patients who fail to recover after many attempts at treatment. In contrast, suicidal actions such as impulsive overdoses, most often seen in younger patients, do not usually carry a high short-term risk and function to communicate distress.56 Self-mutilating behaviours such as chronic cutting, often referred to as â€Å"suicidal,† are problematic but are not associated with suicidal intent and instead serve to regulate dysphoric emotional states.56 Practitioners should move beyond their concerns about these patients and instead concentrate on managing symptoms and the life problems that exacerbate suicidal thoughts or behaviours.   THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR INTENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Explaining and predicting consumer behavior has been the focus of research for many years. Marketing research seeks to find the answers as to why people make specific choices and how can these be predicted.   Are there commonalities among purchasing groups that can be identified as predictors?   The literature available is rich, as researchers try to understand the drive forces and motivators of the consumer. Hovland and Rosenberg (1960) proposed that attitude, acting as an intervening or moderating variable, consists of three components: cognition (knowledge, ability), affect (beliefs, opinions) and conation (behavior or intent of behavior) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Hansen, 1972).  Ã‚   In order for behavior intent to exist, the three components must be present (Fazio & Olsen, 2003). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that attitude does not consist of three components, but is the moderating or intervening variable between cognition and the behavioral intent.   Attitude is derived from cognition, which in turn determines the intent to act or not (Ryan, 1982)   They proposed that researchers need to look at four categories: 1) knowledge, opinions and beliefs (cognition) about the object, 2) attitude (affect) towards the object, 3) behavior intent (conation) and 4) observed behavior to the object (Fishbein and   Ajzen, 1975). The specific action cannot be determined by the assessment of the knowledge of attitude toward an object but rather through the person’s intention to perform the act (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   Previous studies have shown that people may have a positive attitude toward an object; however, the intention of behavior will be negative.  Ã‚   This was found in studies concerning blood donation, condom use, and racial prejudice (Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005; Burnkrant and Page, 1982; Fazio and Olson, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Although many previous surveys showed favorable attitudes toward blood donation, condom use, and other races, their intention to give blood, use condoms or socialize with racial groups was negative.   Therefore, the intent of behavior of an individual must be determined, as well as his beliefs and attitude.   An in-depth discussion of each component will be addressed at a later point of this chapter.   MOA THEORY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Related to the behavioral intent theories is the motivation-opportunity-ability theory of processing information.   Although this theory is in response to communication outcomes, the components are relative to this study.   According to the MOA theory, a person must have motivation, opportunity, and ability to process information in order to develop an attitude towards a brand, which can be enhanced through advertising cues (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Motivation in ad processing refers to the consumers’ willingness to allocate processing resources; whereas, opportunity is the amount of attention that is allocated without disruption; and ability is the â€Å"skills or proficiencies† or prior knowledge (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Each component of the MacInnes et al. model will be discussed in greater detail.   Cognition – Knowledge, Opinions and Beliefs The cognition or knowledge, opinions and beliefs component of the Fishbein and Ajzen model is considered to be the driving force of the model.   Beliefs about an object are formed through direct observation, with information received from outside sources or by inference processes (Fazio and Olsen, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   The information or knowledge sought in belief formation in a specific situation can be influenced by the effort needed to obtain the information, the time constraint, and the likelihood that the information will be useful (Hansen, 1972).   Opportunity Opportunity pertains to those distractions or environmental factors which affect the consumers’ attention to information (Agho et al., 1993; MacInnes and Jaworski, 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Fazio and Olsen (2003) further proposed in their MODE or Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants of attitude-behavior relationship that in order for deliberate processes such as activities used in belief formation, opportunity to engage in the deliberate process must first be available, otherwise, the consumer will resort to memory (Fazio & Olsen, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time is reflective of opportunity as it influences consumer behavior and choices.   This finite and intangible resource is allocated by the consumer by choice, and is acquired by trading for another resource such as money (Bergadaa, 1990).   Therefore, consumers must choose how to use and manage their time.   Okada and Hoch (2004) found that consumers place a higher value on time spent if the outcome is positive and a lesser value if the experience is negative.   Consumers who have little time pressure will process the information in a leisurely fashion.   However, consumers who experience greater time pressure will generally use less time to process the information (Suri and Monroe, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, this study will propose that if the consumer has little time or reduced opportunity to expend on search and information gathering, he or she will be more likely to enlist the services of a realtor.   However, if the consumer is seeking monetary savings, and believes that time is less than the value of monetary costs, that consumer will participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction. Reference groups, friends, and family are important resources for the search of information, which is an integral part of buying or selling real estate.   This social network provides a means for sending and receiving information.   Word-of-mouth communication is important in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the consumer.   â€Å"Personal word-of-mouth influence has a more decisive role in influencing behavior than advertising and other marketer dominated sources (Herr et al., 1991).   Brown and Reingen (1987) found that the stronger the relationship tie, the more influential the communication.   The weaker relationships, on the other hand, were instrumental in developing a bridge in the communication flow and in providing a means for referrals.   The opportunity to obtain information increases as the number of people a person comes into contact with increases.   Ability Ability comprises the second component of cognition.   Not only does the consumer need opportunity to process information, but he or she must have the skill set or ability to access and process the information (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Any increase in ability can reduce the search process for information, as consumers will rely more on internal information than external information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003). The Internet has become a primary source for product research.   By using the Internet, consumers are afforded the ability to research a specific product, as well as compare products, attributes and prices.   â€Å"Retail businesses must struggle with facing an era of unprecedented consumer power obtained through Internet information† (Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002).   This phenomenon would apply to the sale or purchase of a home as well (Muhanna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology and the Internet have provided consumers access to information and products that were previously difficult, if not impossible to obtain, as well as have significantly influenced lowering of search costs.   Armed with this advantage, consumers are now afforded with possibilities of researching on the Internet and taking virtual tours, or viewing pictures and descriptions of available properties from the comfort of their own home.   The use of the Internet as one source of information will reduce the cost to the consumer during the search process (Baen, 1997; Baen and Guttery, 1997; Bakos, 1998; Seiler et al., 2001; Giaglis et al., 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ability is an intangible attribute that is often related to age and education.   As a person ages, or attains higher levels of education, the level of ability increases (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Age contributes to the informal knowledge base while education contributes to the formal knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Experience is also often associated with the level of ability (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Alba and Marmorstein (1987) studied the correlation of frequency or the number of times an event occurs, of experience to knowledge levels.  Ã‚   The greater the number of times a person was exposed to information or experience, the process of decision making was observed to be faster and less complicated.   Furthermore, â€Å"task performance is improved by different types of experiences† (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987).   Gibler and Nelson (2003) described that experienced home buyers remember which dimensions were useful in the past; on the other hand, inexperienced buyers ar e more susceptible to external influences, such as real estate agents, in determining their criteria for selection.   Therefore, the more homes a person has bought and/or sold, the more experience he/she has gained, and the less likely will that person enlist the services of a real estate agent.   The measurement of the levels of ability by the consumer can be ascertained by examining age, education level and prior experience.   â€Å"The greater the accumulation of experience and knowledge as one ages creates a reduced desire for additional information† (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).   Conation/Motivation – Dependent Variable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conation is defined as behavior or behavior intent.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) determined that conation is motivation or behavior intent.   Behavior only occurs if motivation is present to perform the behavior.   MacInnes et al. (1991) stated in their MOA theory that motivation is defined as the consumers’ desire or readiness to process the information.   Therefore, motivation can be defined as behavior intent.   Opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, and ability, measured by Internet access, education and experience (cognition) directly influence the level of motivation or behavior intent (conation).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hovland and Rosenberg (1959) proposed that attitude consists of three elements:   cognition, affect and conation.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argued, however, that attitude is affect, or the feelings toward a behavior.   â€Å"Attitudes reflect reasons for acting, and focus on what the decision maker does or can do† (Bagozzi et al., 2003)   For the purposes of this study, affect and attitude will be treated as the same and will be referred to as affect.   Affect is the result of cognition (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Therefore, if behavior intent is a result of persuasion and persuasion is the result of cognition, then persuasion will act as a moderating variable.   As the persuasion increases positively and based upon previous studies, behavior intent will increase positively.   Media habits, or message exposure, will also moderate cognition-affect-behavior intent (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Rubben, 2003).   The higher the levels of exposure to television, radio, newspaper, and internet, the more frequency the messages will occur (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics have been routinely used in marketing to assist in segmenting markets based upon gender, age group, income, culture, marital status, education and household size.   These variables are often referred to as demographics; however, as pointed out by Art Weinstein (1994), many variables used for demography are often socioeconomic.   It is common in marketing research to refer to all of these variables as â€Å"demographics† (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics are commonly used in business management due to the fact that they are easy to collect, group and analyze.   Furthermore, demographic variables typically have an interrelated correlation, which facilitates generalization and analysis of demographic data (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Household income and household size have a direct correlation with the monetary asset or value.   Consumers with lower incomes, or who have a large number of members in the household, are generally more price conscious.   Therefore, it is proposed that these consumers would prefer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction, foregoing the commissions paid to a real estate agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this study is to identify those determinants which persuade a consumer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction.   Therefore, in order to identify these factors, the proposed model is an integration of the three major theoretical models discussed. Fishbein and Ajzen’s expectancy value model, and Hovland and Rosenberg’s tripartite theory of behavior, provides the cognition-affect-conation model and cognition-attitude-motivation.   Integrated with this model, is the MOA model as proposed by MacInnes, Moorman and Jaworski (1991), in which behavior is influenced by motivation, opportunity and ability.   Through literature, it has been determined that opportunity and ability are components of cognition, and motivation is influenced by cognition and moderated by affect.   METHODOLOGY Study Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The selected population for this study is the participants of a study conducted by Bluefield State College School of Business.   The purpose of the study was to collect raw data regarding the real estate buying and selling behavior of the consumer in the local area, which would be available for future analysis and interpretation.   Their sample is composed of participants over the age of 18 at a local annual exposition held in Mercer County, West Virginia.   Mercer County has a population of 61, 589 people with a median income of $28,130. In 2004, 30,207 housing units existed in the County, with 63.5% of the population living in the same house in 2000.   The homeownership rate was 76.8% in 2000 (US Census Bureau).   The attendance rate at this particular event was approximately 6000 people, approximately 10% of the population (Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 2006).   Table 2 provides a summation of the demographics of Mercer County, West Virginia, in comparison to the State of West Virginia and United States averages.   Table 2. Demographic Data Mercer County, WV, State of West Virginia and United States (US Census Bureau, 2000) Demographic Mercer County West Virginia United States Population 62, 980 1,816,815 281,421,906 Median Household Income 28,120 32,967 43,318 Homeownership 76.8% 75.2% 66.2% For Sale By Owner N/A N/A 13% Living in the same home in 1995 and 2000 63.5% 63.3% 54.1% Housing units 30,207 866,944 122,671,734 High School Graduates 72.1% 75.2% 80.4% Bachelor’s Degree or above 13.8% 14.8% 24.4% In order to determine the appropriate sample size needed to complete this study, the following formula was used (Malhotra, 372); whereas the number of possible homeowners is 76.8% or 77% (US Census, 2000), Proportion of population that are homeowners (Ï€) = .70 Desired precision level (D) =.05 Confidence Level (CL) = 95% z value associated with 95% confidence level =1.96: Therefore, the number of samples needed:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n = Ï€(1-Ï€)z2/D2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(1-.77)(1.96)2/.052   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(.23)(3.8416)/.25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=272.13 or 272 samples needed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bluefield State College study contains 356 usable surveys of individuals rather than households, which is in excess of the 272 samples required for this study.   Based upon attendance of 6,000, this represents .0593% or 6% of the attendees surveyed. Instrument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The questionnaire developed consists of 42 questions including 35 opinion statements followed by 4-point Likert Scale responses and 8 demographic questions.   The Likert responses ranged from â€Å"mostly disagree† = 1 to â€Å"mostly agree† = 4.   Therefore, those who prefer to purchase or sell real estate without the assistance of a real estate agent will answer 1’s or mostly disagree.   These questions were drawn from Mitchell’s 1980 VALS; however, drawing from the works of Wells (1975) the constructs were changed to reflect product specific behavior. Opportunity H1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the level of opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, increases, the behavior intent or motivation to buy or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase.      Two variables will be measured to identify the positive or negative level of opportunity.   As previously stated in the literature, opportunity is influenced by time and social contacts. Six opinion statements are used to identify respondents’ attitudes and opinions regarding time, or the lack of time. These statements are followed by four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   An example statement from the questionnaire is, â€Å"I spend more than 40 hours a week outside of the home†.   Those respondents, who disagree with this statement, will have more time available to search or sell a home.   Previous research cited has shown that reference groups are an important factor during the information search phase of the decision making process.   Therefore, the more people a consumer comes into contact with, the greater access to information.   The questionnaire contains eight opinion statements with 4-point Lickert-scale responses.   These statements represent the respondent’s network by asking questions in regards to school, community, church and family gatherings.   It is proposed that respondents who have a larger network of social contacts will have access to more information than those who choose not to participate in outside of the home activities.   Therefore, based upon the scale responses, 1=mostly disagree and 4=mostly agree, responses that are higher numbers, will most likely have a stronger social network.   For instance, the statement â€Å"I am active in my community†, reflects the activities of the respondent.   If the response is a 4, then the respondent has outside of the home social contacts and access to information. Affect H1a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The direction of the level of affect will moderate the level of motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to determine affect, or beliefs, the survey provided seven belief statements.   Respondents responded using a Lickert scale, with â€Å"1† = mostly disagree to â€Å"4† = mostly agree.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I believe real estate agents are a necessity when buying or selling a home†.   Responses with higher numbers will have a strong belief concerning real estate agents. Ability H2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As ability, measured by age, education and experience, increases, behavior intent or motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase. Ability is measured by three variables:   experience, Internet access and education. In order to determine experience, the survey provides two questions and twelve opinion statements.   Experience can be measured by the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime.   Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more.   As the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime increases, the level of experience increases.   The highest possible response will be a 4 and the lowest 1.   Furthermore, experience with a real estate agent is questioned.   If the respondent had used an agent to buy or sell his/her home the answer would be no, represented by the number 1.   If yes, then number 2. Internet presence, which is also an indicator of information access, is determined in the questionnaire by requesting the respondent to choose which email providers they use for email.   The more email providers would indicate a higher Internet usage of the respondent.   Also, based upon the provider, it can be determined if the respondent has high speed cable or DSL access.   Those respondents without email would respond to â€Å"none†. Information regarding education level will then be analyzed to determine correlation with the questions and statements regarding ability.   According to the literature cited, it is proposed that as the level of education, Internet access, and experience increases ability will increase, which will directly impact behavior intent. Motivation (Behavior Intent) The next twelve statements contained in the survey are opinion statements regarding the use of real estate agents, brokers and intentions of the respondent.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I would always use a real estate agent to help with purchasing a home†.   Respondents were given four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   Therefore, â€Å"3† and â€Å"4† would indicate the respondent’s intent to use a real estate agent, rather than for sale by owner. Media Habits H1b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of opportunity and its relationship with motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent..      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of ability and its relationship with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Media habits, is also an indicator of information access.   Survey questions ask respondents the number of hours spent weekly watching television, listening to the radio, as well as newspapers read.   It is proposed that as the hours spent watching television or listening to the radio will moderate cognition and behavior intent.   As the number of hours exposed to media increases, the level of behavior intent will increase. Demographics H1c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between opportunity and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between ability and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic information regarding age, household income and household size will be collected.   This information will mediate cognition and behavior intent. Questions concerning gender, marital status and zip code will be used as descriptor or extraneous variables which are not statistically significant in this study. Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The data that will be used in this study has been collected by the Bluefield State College School of Business; however, statistical analysis has not been completed.   Therefore, raw data obtained will be used for this study. The first step will be determining the descriptive statistics of the variables used in the study.   This will provide the mean, median and standard deviation of each survey question.   The aggregate mean will then be used for each variable.   The results of this analysis will then be used to conduct inferential statistic analysis. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistic analysis will be conducted in four steps.   Multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the affect of the moderating and mediating variables.   The dependent variable is dichotomous; therefore, logit analysis will be conducted, followed by model fit and significance testing. Due to the existence of several independent variables, mediators and moderators influencing the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the relationships (Hair, 2003, p579).   The steps that will be taken to accomplish this, as recommended by Hair (2003, p579) are: assess the statistical significance of the overall regression model using the F statistic with a level of significance