Monday, January 27, 2020
Significance of The Newport Sex Scandal, 1919
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Sunday, January 19, 2020
Preaching to Every Pew: Cross-Cultural Strategies Essay
Introduction                Understanding the Bible is not that easy to do. Especially when dealing with cross cultural population such as the American society is today. Undeniably, the majority of the population of the American communities today comprises of the strong number of immigrants from all over the world? How are these people to be preached by religious leaders and missionaries? The book of Nieman points out four major elements of doing the preaching process. The said elements include ethnicity, class, displacement, and religious beliefs (Nieman, 2001, 14). Considering these elements would make studying the Bibl with a culturally diverse society an easier task to complete. What of dealing with the complexity of the Bible itself? The context of the entire book stresses a certain deepness that is not that easy to comprehend with. Certainly, the procedure in studying the Bible is then perceived to have more complicated vitalities. How then could an individual understand the Bible without actually going to theological institutions and getting a formal education? Are individual owners of the Bible given the privilege to understand the Bible? Certainly! The Bible is made available and understandable to anybody wanting to gain knowledge from it (Nieman, 2001, 19). The procedure to be taken is not based upon quite an arranged system that is followed in formal institutions of theology. Opposite from what people think, studying the Bible is quite easy. What’s not easy is the fact that there are required elements of being scripturally convinced of an individual before the success of the said study could be expected. There are at least six major elements of being scripturally convinced and at least 12 major procedures of studying the Bible (Nieman, 2001, 22). These elements and procedures would be the entire context of this paper’s discussion. Elements of Scriptural Convincing            Before an individual even starts to study the Bible, he must be primarily convinced that he really believes the principles and the laws that are found in the Bible. How does one assure himself of this truth? The following elements shall help him have a clear understanding of this particular truth. Conviction of the truth that he needs to depend upon God’s laws      A person’s conviction that he indeed needs the strength and the guidance of God to be able to live a fruitful life is the primary basis of his faith upon the guidance of God that is outlined in the Bible. Once he does realize this fact, he is then motivated to start his Bible study with a more certain optimism in is vision towards the result of the Bible education that he is about to get. (Nieman, 2001, 28)      â€Å"For this means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you and of the one whom you sent forth Jesus Christ†(John 17:3) Getting the accurate knowledge about the truth is a necessary element of conviction if a person is about to study the Scriptures. Willingness to Learn This motivation is strengthened still more by an accurate knowledge of God’s purposes. Such knowledge helps to change the very ‘force actuating our minds,’ the spirit that motivates our thoughts and actions. (Ephesians 4:23, 24). An individual’s willingness to learn the basic knowledge about life that the Bible offers certainly identifies the ability of the person to actually absorb the lessons that he would primarily grasp from the Bible. (Nieman, 2001, 28) Determination to change and apply the principles of God’s words      IN THE middle of the first century C.E., the apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christian congregation in Rome. In it he highlighted the requirement that true Christians had to make changes. He said: â€Å"Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.†(Romans 12:2)      Once the lessons of the Bible have been introduced to an individual, it is necessary that the individual acts upon the needs of adjusting one’s personality in accord with the policies and principles of the Holy Scriptures. (Nieman, 2001, 32) Willingness to adjust one’s personality according to the ways of God â€Å"The word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword and pierces even to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of joints and their marrow, and is able to discern thoughts and intentions of the heart.†(Hebrews 4:12) â€Å"Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it.†â€â€Colossians 3:9, 10.      The verses of the scriptures cited above are indeed effective in applying the element of studying the Bible that pertains to personality change. The willingness and the motivation of the individual to change his paths in life certainly identifies his ability to change his personality in accordance with the Bible’s suggested path of understanding life and living with it. (Nieman, 2001, 36) Ability to communicate with God in fervent prayers â€Å"Persevere in prayer.†(Romans 12:12) By prayer we address Jehovah, praise him, thank him, and ask for his help. If we ask for help to overcome undesirable personality traits, such as a bad temper, stubbornness, impatience, or pride, God’s spirit will back up any efforts we make in harmony with that prayer.â€â€John 14:13, 14; James 1:5; 1 John 5:14.      The ability of people to understand the privilege that they have in terms of communicating with God through prayers help them gain more confidence and faith on whatever they are able to grasp from primarily studying the word of God. (Nieman, 2001, 41) Interest in learning not only the major parts of the Bible but the entire book as it is      The Bible contains 66 books in two sections, often called the Old Testament and the New Testament. Thirty-nine Bible books were written mainly in Hebrew and 27 in Greek. The Hebrew Scriptures, consisting of Genesis through Malachi, cover creation as well as the first 3,500 years of human history. Examining this part of the Bible, we learn about God’s dealings with the Israelitesâ€â€from their birth as a nation in the 16th century B.C.E. on into the 5th century B.C.E. The Greek Scriptures, containing the books of Matthew through Revelation, focus on the teachings and activities of Jesus Christ and his disciples during the first century C.E. (Knowledge that Leads to Everlasting Life, 16). Certainly, from this particular claim, the Bible could be viewed as a book with a singular theme that leads to one’s understanding of the necessity that an individual studying the Bible should study not only several portions of the Bible but the entire book as well. These elements are indeed to be preset within the mind of the individual who aims to study and apply the biblical principles that are embedded within the context of the entire Biblical theme. To understand the effects of the said elements on individual Bible students, the following diagram shall be presented: Diagram 1: The impact of the elements of conviction upon a Bible student Diagram Explanation:      The diagram above shows how many the circles containing the elements of conviction affects the learning motivation of the students. As a result, the become more convinced to continue progressing in their study and thus progress as well in their application of the major lessons that they learn from the Bible. True, the application of the elements of conviction before actually studying the bible helps an individual collectively arrange the procedures of learning as to how they fit their needs. The following paragraphs shall discuss on the twelve major methods of studying the Bible: 1 – Method One – The Devotional Method of Bible Study            Method one is a method that pertains more on the divine conviction of the student in learning the Bible. The desire of the student based upon his desire in becoming a person who follows the principles of the Bible conscientiously is the primary reason for him to continue learning the basic principles of the Bible. 2 – Method Two – The Chapter Summary Method of Bible Study            Every chapter in the Bible is of high importance in connection with the main theme that the Bible intends to portray for its readers. The summarizing procedure that a student does to be able to come up with a single conclusion of what has been read every time the Bible study ends, helps the  students recognize the importance of each chapter within their lives. 3 – Method Three – The Character Quality Method of Bible Study            The early Christians of the 1st century have left a pattern for the present Christian to follow. Their capability of dealing with the challenges that they had to face way back them and the characteristics and the consequences of their decision certainly have an impact on how the Christians at present act towards the different issues in the society as well as with their personal lives. 4 – Method Four – The Thematic Method of Bible Study            Thematic method is based upon the evaluation of the student of the sub-themes of the bible that primarily pertains to the entire theme of the Scriptures which is pointed to the purpose of God for the lives of humans on earth. This method helps the student understand the different idealisms presented in the Bibles and thus get the entire thought of actually applying them within the social and personal activities of the individual himself. 5 – Method Five – The Biographical Method of Bible Study            The lives of the people within the historical accounts of the Bible leave a strong impact upon the personality of the people today. Studying their biographical backgrounds would not only increase the knowledge of a student about biblical characters, it would also increase the possibility of the individual’s familiarity with what the said characters did and how they fared so far with the decisions that they made. Hence, by this, the student is equipped with the wisdom that he needs to face and decide for his life. 6 – Method Six – The Topical Method of Bible Study            Topical method encourages the student to focus on certain topics that primarily interest him. Since the topics interest him, it is not impossible that it would be easier fro him to grasp the lesson’s importance. 7 – Method Seven – The Word Study Method of Bible Study            This is more of enriching ones knowledge based upon the different vocabularies that are found in the Bible. The vocabulary-based meaning of the context would certainly help the student locate the connection of each Bible book with reach other through the thematic approach of the presentation of the vocabularies of the entire context of the Bible. 8 – Method Eight – The Book Background Method of Bible Study            Knowing the Bible’s history and how it has been passed on from generations to generation and how it has been preserved amidst all the Christian persecution during the early Years of Christianity helps the students understand how important the Bible really is. 9 – Method Nine – The Book Survey Method of Bible Study            Book survey involves the evaluation of the Biblical theme based form book to book. Once students glance on the book and immediately recognize the ideas presented in theta particular book, then the said method has been utilized effectively by the student. 10 – Method Ten – The Chapter Analysis Method of Bible Study Chapter analysis helps the students get the gist of every chapter and thus be bale to explain the said ideas to others when the chapters are being discussed. 11 – Method Eleven – The Book Synthesis Method of Bible Study            The condensing of the lessons that were previously studied and carrying them into becoming a single conclusion, it could be noted that the theme of the Bible is certain and thus through this method, the proof of such claim could be well established. 12 – Method Twelve – The Verse by Verse Method of Bible Study Each verse is important in creating the main theme of the bible. Studying each verse and understanding how they are able to affect the lives of the students both personally and socially determines the success of the application of this particular method. Conclusion IT IS only reasonable that our loving Creator would provide a book of instruction and guidance for mankind. More than 2,500 years ago, a prophet and historian wrote: â€Å"It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.†(Jeremiah 10:23) Today, the truthfulness of that statement is more evident than ever. Thus, historian William H. McNeill notes: â€Å"The human adventure on the face of this planet has been an almost uninterrupted series of crises and disruptions of society’s established order.†True, with the certain methods and elements of studying the Bible presented herein, it could be observed that being able to understand the Bible clearly indeed provides the best benefits that one could ever get form informal yet highly-established procedure of studying.  References: New American Standard Bible. Foundation Publications; updated edition (August 2005). Nelson Bibles. (1999). The NKJV Slim line Bible. Thomas Nelson; New Ed edition. James R. Nieman and Thomas G. Rogers. (2001). Preaching to Every Pew: Cross-Cultural Strategies. Augsburg Fortress Publishers.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Black Friday
The phenomenon of Black Friday Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and retail store chaos: only one scenario explains the commonality between these situations, shopping on Black Friday. For half a century Black Friday has become an unofficial retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers incredible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a frenzy of crazed shoppers to local retailers looking to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping da y of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina's Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced†Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out th eir strategy. †(Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition  such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods  they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping v alue, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. †(Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources†triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people.Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,†said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. †(Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm†for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. †(Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often the mselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of othersâ€â€often more so than we'd like to admit.Sometimes we're impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. †(McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer.Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives t heir extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. †The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. †Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart†N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. †The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. †CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. †Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Dayâ € , in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. †The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. . Black Friday The three sources to be compared are all in relation to the events that occurred on â€Å"Black Friday†, particularly surrounding the conduct of the metropolitan police. Source 10, taken from â€Å"The Times†newspaper presents the view that the police were more victims of the women and raiders that they were trying to control, and that it took some effort to restrain the women that were protesting on that day.Whereas source 11, taken from a memorandum that was sent to the home office after ‘Black Friday†gives the view that the police were acting violently towards the women protesting and that the women in this situation were the victims. Source 12, a statement from a suffragette who participated in â€Å"Black Friday†presents a similar opinion to that in source 11, indicating that the woman in question received several injuries from a police officer.The events that occurred on â€Å"Black Friday†and the conduct of the police have been under dispute by many historians, which some taking the side of source 10, and others agreeing more with the recollections presented in sources 11 and 12- it can therefore be argued how much sources 11 and 12 challenge the view contained in source 10 about the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†. Source 10, taken from â€Å"The Times’ newspaper on 19th November 1910 is an extract from a report covering the events of what eventually became known as â€Å"Black Friday†.It presents the view that the police â€Å"kept their temper very well’ towards â€Å"the ladies who flung themselves against (them)†. It also speaks of how â€Å"several police had their helmets knocked off in carrying out their duty†and later mentions that â€Å"one was disabled by a kick on the ankle†and another â€Å"was cut on the face by a belt†therefore implying that the women who were present on Black Friday were acting violently towards the police , and that any rough handling of the police towards the protesters was only in response to the treatment they were receiving.It could be said then, that this article presents the police in a positive light and shows the suffragettes to be the ones at fault on â€Å"Black Friday†which comes as no surprise given that the article comes from â€Å"The Times†- a newspaper that would have been primarily aimed at educated men, and its purpose therefore would have been to share the opinion that women were out of control and lacked the dignity to receive the vote. Source 11 on the other hand disagrees with the view presented in source source 10.It is an extract from a memorandum by the Parliamentary Conciliation Committee for Women’s Suffrage send to the Home Office after â€Å"Black Friday†. It agrees with the source ten in the sense that it admits a â€Å"relentless struggle†occurred between the police and the suffragettes, but it disagrees with source 10 because it presents the view that it was the police acting violently towards the women, who it says were â€Å"flung hither and thither amid moving traffic, and into the hands of a crows which was sometimes rough and indecent†.This opinion is presented because the purpose of the memorandum sent to the home office was to request a public inquiry into the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†, because they did not follow their â€Å"usual course of action†which â€Å"would have been to arrest the women on a charge of obstruction†but they â€Å"had been instructed to avoid, as far as possible, making any arrests†which is why, the women argue that the police were so violent.Also, this article presents the events of â€Å"Black Friday†in such a different light, because it was written by those who sympathized with Suffragettes and therefore supported them, the Committee was set up in 1910 to encourage support for women’s suffr age, so it would have wanted to make the actions of the police look bad in order to gain support for the women who were protesting. Similar to source 11, Source 12, from a statement by a 60 year old suffragette who had participated in the demonstration on â€Å"Black Friday†is of the opinion that it was the police who acted wrongly during the events, and not the women protesting.The suffragette talks about how she was â€Å"seized by several policemen†and how â€Å"one twisted (her) right arm behind (her) back with such brute force that (she) really thought he would break it†. She also mentions that â€Å"another policeman gave (her) a terrible blow in (her) back, which sent (her) whirling into the crowd†- clearly presenting the view that the police were acting violently and out of conduct towards the women and as a result disputing the viewpoint held in source 10.However, it must be taken into consideration the purpose of this statement, which was a te stament before the Parliamentary Conciliation Committee for Women’s Suffrage, who we know from source 11 sympathized with suffragettes and were trying to gain support from them. Therefore, the women who gave this testament would have been trying to give as much evidence against the police as possible in order for the Committee to have a case against the police and order for an inquiry to be made.In addition to this, it was the aim of suffragettes at time to create as much publicity towards their cause as they could, whether good or bad, they wanted attention, and by complaining about the police it would have prolonged the time that â€Å"Black Friday†was publicized in the media which was what they wanted. In conclusion, sources 11 and 12, which present the view that it was the police who acted wrongly on â€Å"Black Friday†disagree with the view presented in source 10, which is that it was the women who were at fault.This is because the purpose of both sources 11 and 12 was to create sympathy for the suffragettes in order to gain support for their cause, whereas source 10 was aimed at an audience who did not support women’s suffrage, and by publishing an article presenting women in a bad light, â€Å"The Times†newspaper would have been ensuring that it’s readers remained loyal. Although sources 11 and 12 agree with source 10 in the fact that a violent dispute took place, they differ in opinion of who was the victim in the situation, therefore sources 11 and 12 challenge the view presented in source 10 about the conduct of the police on â€Å"Black Friday†. Black Friday The phenomenon of Black Friday Bustling city streets, hour-long lines, and retail store chaos: only one scenario explains the commonality between these situations, shopping on Black Friday. For half a century Black Friday has become an unofficial retail holiday in the United States. It is a day that offers incredible discounts and killer deals, and most notoriously, it brings a frenzy of crazed shoppers to local retailers looking to save on purchases.Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping da y of the year.In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina's Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced†Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out th eir strategy. †(Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments.When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition  such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods  they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping v alue, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. †(Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consumers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased.Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources†triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people.Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,†said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. †(Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm†for consumer misbehavior.Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. †(Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often the mselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005)Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day.The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of othersâ€â€often more so than we'd like to admit.Sometimes we're impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. †(McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer.Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives t heir extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy.In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way.Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. †The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds.Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. †Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart†N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. †The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. †CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. †Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Dayâ € , in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. †The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. .
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Week 3 Economics Essay On Cell Phones - 752 Words
Week 3 Economics Essay Jacob Sundermann Spring Arbor University With technology continuously advancing and information becoming more easily accessible through smartphones, it is a must have to keep up with the latest cell phones that come from Apple. Just recently, Apple has released their newest model, the iPhone X, at a the standard price of $999 (Reisinger, 2017). Comparing this to their original iPhone, which was priced at around $499 (Cohen, 2007), this is a decent price jump, not including the prices if you were to buy the larger models or models with higher storage. However, consumers are still willing to pay a pretty penny for these smartphones, regardless of the price. This shows how even though the price may rise on†¦show more content†¦Or in the case of iPhone’s, simply creating more advanced technology would increase the price while demand stays the same. The advancement in technology for new models on iPhone’s can be represented by the given graph. Because there are little to no substitutes for iPhone’s, the demand will always stay the same no matter the price. In about 10 years time, the price of iPhone’s has increased by approximately $500, but because in this day and age almost everyone needs a smartphone and Apple is a major smartphone producer, consumers will continue to purchase iPhone’s no matter the price, allowing the demand to stay the same. Something that could possibly cause the demand in iPhone’s to decrease could be if another competing smartphone producer made a product that was better in quality and cheaper in price than the current iPhone model, this would result in a loss of capital for Apple which could then lead to them also increasing the price on their products. In regards to my faith, I believe that the increase in price due to advancements in technology in the smartphone industry is completely ethical. Although it is hard for some people to afford a brand new cell phone for nearly $1,000, the cost to produce, the labour, and the fact tha t the industries have to make a profit must be taken into consideration. With these factors in mind, the ever changing smartphones and the increase in prices can be considered ethical. If they were to sellShow MoreRelated Illegal Immigration Growing on the U.S. Essay859 Words  | 4 PagesIllegal Immigration Growing on the U.S. In â€Å"Illegal Immigrants Do Not Harm America’s Economy,†Brian Grow and his colleagues, reporters for Business Week, argue that rather than damaging it, illegal immigrants actually help the economy by paying taxes and advancing general economic growth. The writers are responding to claims that illegal immigrants receive unwarranted negative attention for supposed drains on public services. 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