Ethnic and Religious Conflict in Nigeria Essay

Basically, Nigeria is a plural society and heterogeneous in virtually all the facet of life. The custom and tradition of Nigerians is so diverse to the extent that Nigeria as a country is now confronted with the problem of religion and ethnicity towards their political stability. The origin and history of ethnic conflict (societal wars and violence) can be traced from eternal (internal) state rivalry to external (physical). And its root cause is not very far from power competition and decision making over economic resources and other important human factor, like position. The implementation process has always involved more than one or two persons. In general concept, the author of this work traces conflict back to the first and early Patriarchal of human history and ever since then, there has been an increase (in various dimensions) of Conflict in the face of human world. Some are personal (internal) conflict, family, community, and group, intellectual, state, national and international in nature, to mention but few. In conforming to this idea, Badawi (2006) in his statement titled â€Å"World Apart† stated thus, â€Å"indeed the greatest discord today is among the descendants of Abraham. These are the people of the book, the followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, who had in fact shared a common beginning in the religion of Abraham†. In shedding more light in the above statement, Badawi statement goes far beyond religion, rather, he was tracing one of the earliest source of conflict which Badawi mentioned the off-springs of the said Abraham. Even before Abraham, there had been conflict, so it is as old as human history down to the Abrahamic period, to ancient kingdoms, Dukes, and Kings. In about 88 B. C. , King Mithriadates VI of Pontus invaded Roman territory in Asian Minor. He advised Asian debtors to kill their Roman creditors. Happy to reduce their credit card bills, the Asians massacred 80,000 Romans. Ethno-political conflicts have greatly shaped our present world and of course have its structural phenomenon, (William Easterly, 2001). For instances, the conflict we now call Israeli and Palestinian war, has been an ever-lengthening sort. The Assyrian, Babylonian war, by King Nebuchadnezzar of the hanging Garden in history, the Persia war, Alexander the Great (the Macedonian mad man in history), the German war of Adolf’s. Hitler, the Roman wars, narrowing all these down, we came to the horn of African continent which seem to be an epidemic field of conflicts of diverse kinds till date. The giant-lion of African continent, just like the origin of conflict is said to have stated very old in human history, even so in the case of Nigeria, which can be traced to the colonial period of history. Conflict takes different sizes and shapes with diverse reasons and purposes. Majority of the conflicts takes time before their escalation and at such, could have been transformed right at their respective early stages. The history of ethnicity and ethnic conflicts in Nigeria is also traced back to the colonial transgressions that forced the ethnic groups of the northern and southern provinces to become an entity called Nigeria in 1914. In the case of Nigeria situation, disturbing history of colonialism, this generated hatred and conflict among different ethnic groups. The task of addressing this seed of conflict planted by the British has been a complex one. After weakening the former diverse kingdoms, Emperors, etc now called Nigeria and reordering the groups’ politics, the colonial powers failed in nation building and providing for the people’s basic needs. Hence, unemployment, poverty increase, and due to these, conflict over scarce resources ensue. The Southern and Northern protectorates were also being amalgamated into a nation. Thereafter, the merging of different colonies into one country called Nigeria was forcefully done without the people’s consent. This was a major seed of conflict that is still troubling Nigeria today. This article is focused on the historical incidents of ethnic conflicts in within Nigeria societies, the cause of the conflicts and perhaps, the government actions towards ethnic conflict in the country. In conclusion, this paper will explore into decision-making (by the elites and those in authority) process has contributed immensely in generating the syndromes of conflict in the said state. The Nigerian political situation has witnessed more breaking of heads, than counting them. In fact, even when it has been convenient for heads to be counted, the outcome has always been the breaking of heads instead. Conflict in Nigeria is so intense because of lack of democratic behaviour. The head of the individual in the democratic context signifies citizenship. So when heads are broken in the Nigerian political community, the issue in respect of broken heads is citizenship. If conflict in Nigeria means the absence of democratic behaviour, it follows, therefore, that conflict in Nigeria is interwoven with the absence of democratic governance. Gurr (2000): has also shown that the incidence of conflicts at the global level declined in recent years with the deepening of democratisation. Nation-states where conflicts persist are those where what obtains is the democratisation of disempowerment (Ake 1996). Beyond the veneer of elections, the state remains ambushed, privatised, repressive and unpopular. The people who were tantalised by the prospect of a democratic revolution that would terminate decades of alienation and pauperisation have been short changed and given a ‘choice less democracy’ (Mkandawire 1999). The ‘credibility gap’ which fostered the De-linkage of the people from the state, and ignited social forces to struggle for democracy, is not being bridged (Rothchild 1995: 58). African peoples out of clear rational calculations sans atavistic attachments have turned their backs on the state ‘and given their loyalty to sub-national social formations such as the community, the sub nationality or ethnic groups’ (Ake 2000: 114). It is against this backdrop that the proliferation and exacerbation of violent ethno-religious conflicts in Nigeria in the post-transition period can be appreciated. This article adopts an analytical framework that holds that The interface between ethnicity and democratisation is found in absence of effective citizenship and good governance in post-transition societies. In the circumstance that democracy does not go beyond the conduct of multiparty elections to include improvement in the quality of life of the people, there is frustration, and people who already feel alienated from the state are vulnerable and likely to be mobilised around counter-elites who exploit extant popular alienation from the state by whipping up sectarian sentiments. This has been the case in Nigeria and several multi-ethnic states of Africa (Osaghae 1994). Although the foregoing theoretical discussion has focused on ethnicity, the term ethno-religious is adopted because some of the recent violent conflicts to be examined were triggered by religious issues. The relevance of religion is also underlined by the fact that in Nigeria ethnic boundaries tend to coincide with religion, with the exception of the Yoruba ethnic group (Ibrahim 1999). The Nigeria state was amalgamated in the year 1914 by lord lugard. The various geographical areas or territory which was amalgamated to form Nigeria by the colonialist comprises of various cleavages, clans, towns even there were kingdoms and chiefdoms with diverse culture, language, religion, norms values, customs and political structures etc. The focus of the research monogram is to examine the role of religion and ethnicity in Nigeria nascent democracy. In Nigeria especially, religion plays a very vital and influential role in the society that has manifested itself as a potent force in the political development of the Nigerian state from pre-independence to post-independence. Hardly can the Nigerian state be talked about without reference to religion (Kukah, 1994; Falola, 1990; Kenny, 2006; International IDEA, 2000; Suberu, 2009). However, religion in Nigeria, at different levels, is mostly mentioned in negative terms. Or rather, historical events linked to religion tilts more towards its negative than its positive contribution to the Nigerian state. The Jihad, the civil war propaganda, the Sharia law controversy, the tensions provoked by the Nigerian accession to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) and the incessant religious crises that have engulfed the Northern part mainly indicate that religion cannot be ignored or wished away in the Nigerian political development. Several religious crises have occurred in Nigeria. They have been documented as academic dissertations for some of them. This piece of work does not intend to start the discourse on religious violence anew but only recognizes the fact that as a recurrent phenomenon it is worth being explored further. Thus â€Å"Boko Haram† menace which gained global recognition and even press support ranging from July 2009 till date is a the central focus of this study together with other riots which has engulfed the Nigeria state from 1999 till date which most Nigeria educated elite believed that religion and ethnicity were the basic causes. The educated elite have conducted series of research on what the causes of this violent riots maybe. Most have concluded that it can be traced and linked to the failure of governance in Nigeria. 1. 2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS The mistake of 1914 has polarised the Nigeria society together with its citizens in which loyalty to the State is a mirage instead people pay loyalty to their various families and ethnic groups the effect of this can be traced to 1967 civil-war which disintegrate the country or in the political system which almost lead to secession of the country with the easterner believed to be the aggrieved ethnic in the war. Similarly Nigeria has a long history of religious crisis which has affected the political instability of Nigeria. The maintasine riot of 1980 can be said to be the first major religious riot in Nigerian history, claiming about 800 lives. The Boko Haram insurgence in the northern part of the country which has been directed mainly against the Christians, they have suffered a lot both physically, psychologically, economically, spiritually and even politically in the far North which has led political writers and pundits to affirm that Boko Haram conflict has its roots in Religion. The thrust of this work will be to examine the underlying reasons behind political instability in Nigeria using religion and ethnicity as a paradigm. 1. 3 SCOPE OF THE STUDY. The study will cover the impacts of religion and ethnicity towards the stabilization or in- stabilization of the Nigeria political system it will cover how religion and ethnicity have impacted on the political stability of Nigeria. Furthermore the study will emphasize more on the role the government is playing in stabilizing the un-stabilized country. 1. 4OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The following can be regarded as the aims and objective of the study 1. To know the meaning of religion, ethnicity, political stability, and political instability 2. To know how religion and ethnicity have negatively impacted on Nigerian political development 3. To develop possible solutions and panaceas to the problems of religions and ethnicity to Nigerian political in-stability 1. 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1 What meaning does religion, ethnicity and political instability carries 2 How has religion and ethnicity impacted on the political stability of Nigeria 3 what are the possible solutions to the problem of religion and ethnicity in Nigeria political system 1. 6 JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY Many a developing countries of the world are currently experiencing the problems which ethnicity and religion have caused. The ethnic problem which led to the apartheid era in South Africa is also the same ethnicity and religion problem which has almost disintegrated the Nigerian State. Recalling back to what happen during the civil war in the late sixties and early seventies which led to the introduction of the national youth service corp. by the then military president General Yakubu Gowon which aim at integrating back the almost disintegrated country. Books, Journals, Magazines, Pamphlets, and lot of researches have been written and carried out respectively on the issue of ethnicity and religion, and its impact on the Nigeria political stability. This research work will serve as an additional material to the issue on ethnicity and religion to political instability in Nigeria, this work will focus more on ethnicity and religion and its impact on Nigerian politics 1. 7RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The research methodology will be based on secondary data collections ranging from books, Journals Newspapers, News Magazines, Pamphlets and even the Internet. In conducting any research basically there are two methodologies employed by researchers which are the primary and the secondary methods. This research work will be basically conducted using the secondary methodology as earlier mentioned. 1. 8DEFINITION OF TERMS Ethnicity: According to the oxford advance learners dictionary ethnicity can simply mean â€Å"the fact of belonging to a particular race† from the dictionary meaning we can deduced the fact that Humans believed in race and they have passion for race which leads to humans ethnocentrism i. e. highly ethnocentric in nature. Ethnicity has a strategic interaction of persons and other actors, who have different beliefs, attitude’s, values and goals as they decide particular conflict the distribution of resource’s and general issues of political rules within a context of norms, expectations and institutions. Any of the rule, expectation and institutions may be reversed, maintained or inverted by the individual who win the right to control them, in the course of those political negotiations that are sometimes called cooperation, and sometimes called war, and are usually somewhere between the two. In another sense, ethnic identity are political resources just like money or vote. Instrumentalist like Micheal Banton and Micheal Hecthtar, argue that ethnic identity are not inherent in group or socio-formation of people. They see ethnic identity as socio-capital brought to bear on the political negotiation table by different groups and at different times. Hutchinson and Smith also argue that ethnic identity are an important resource that political Elite employ in securing the support of the masses as a strategy for gaining a desired good. These goods and or goals are â€Å"measured in terms of wealth, power, and status and†¦ joining or national communities helps to secure these ends either by influencing the state, or in certain situations, through secession. Religion: religion on its own part can be regarded as the belief in the existence of God or gods and the activity that are connected in the worship of them. Religion can also be stress further by meaning one of the system of faith that are based on the belief in the existence of a particular God or gods. For example the Jewish religion, Christianity Islam and other world religion. Furthermore in the classical and ancient ages religion has achieved a lot in their politics for example the doctrine of Islam was used in many Arab nations has their constitution even up till the present age. The Ancient Romans, also, during the time of Constantine accepted Christianity as a religion and a mode of life which also affected their political terrain. Religion in the 21 century is now used narrowly towards Christianity and Islam even though other religion still exist but the former two religion have elevated to prominence that other religion are now beneath them. For instance about Political stability: can depict the mean of a system of politics in which the government of that State is experiencing a stable government and peaceful existence in the State or in otherworld’s a legitimately accepted government by the people. Democratically governed States are believed to be stable. In the global sense every political entity must be ruled democratically without internal oppression or external aggression. Any country of the world that is free from the aforementioned point are regarded as stable political system in other words internal oppression has cause a lot of havoc to many democracies of the world which has infringed on their stability as noted by Ojo 2002. Descent Rule: These covers a larger set of cases that we commonly understand to be ethnic than the rules that ethnic groups must have a myth of common ancestry or common origin. But it excludes several cases in which individuals routinely consider themselves, and are considered as members, of a group that we classify as ethnic even when their parents were not coded as members of this group. Take for example the category â€Å"Yoruba† when it was invented in Nigeria in the nineteenth century. At this time period, the parents of those who were classified as Yoruba were not themselves classified as Yoruba for the reason that this category did not exist during their lifetimes. According to Descent Rule, then, the category Yoruba in the nineteenth century would not be coded as ethnic. But the category Yoruba is universally coded as an ethnic category by all comparative political scientists, without making a distinction between time periods. As another example, consider the category â€Å"Backward Caste† in India, which included as members individuals who possessed a given set of last names and/or ancestral occupations. The category was introduced by the Indian Central Government in 1990. Within a few years, 52% of the Indian population classified itself and was classified as backward. Yet the parents of those who termed themselves â€Å"Backward Caste† were not coded by themselves or by others as â€Å"Backward Caste† because, as in the case of the first generation of Yoruba’s, this category did not exist during their lifetimes Democracy: According to Abraham Lincoln he defines democracy as the government of the people by the people and for the people. In this wise democracy connotes a system of government in which all the people in a country will have the outright say on the government of their country although in a representative manner meaning that they will elect representatives that will represent their interest in the government. Advanced countries if the world where democracy is practiced completely they have national identity as opposed to the developing world where they have ethnic identity. Advanced democracies always believe in secularism in which every religion is accepted and embraced not a system in which part will have cognisance to a religion and the other will believe in other religion causing serious tension in such states like Nigeria. Federalism : Elasar (cited in Akande, 1996:1)† the formation of European union (EU) which simply begun as a trading partnership for coal and steel is now moving towards a more integrated political union founded upon federal principle of governance†. The African union (AU) which is the federation of African counties where a central government intended to be created with sharing or division of power among the federating unit, even the world highest organization body united Nation have in some little degree, evolved the principle of federalism. Federalism is a system of government which embraces unity in diversity. Federalism as a system of government is one in which there will be central and regional governments each one autonomous of each other.

A Critique of Jean Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring Essay

Different views of nursing gave rise to the formulation of various nursing theories that contribute greatly to the advancement and evolution of the nursing profession as a whole. Some focus on the curative nature of nursing, while others revolve around the social and ethical aspect of the profession that complements conventional medicine. Among the latter is Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Transpersonal Caring, which this paper attempts to analyze and evaluate using J. Fawcett’s Framework of Analysis and Evaluation of Conceptual Models of Nursing. Dr. Watson’s personal views of nursing brought about the conception of the theory in 1979, at the time when she was a professor of nursing at the University of Colorado. Her background in educational-clinical and social psychology influenced these views, along with her involvement in a nursing curriculum that sought to establish a standard to nursing that transcends settings, populations, specialty, subspecialty areas and so forth. It was an attempt to bring meaning and focus to nursing as an emerging discipline and distinct health profession with its own unique values, knowledge and practices, with its own ethic and mission to society (Watson, 2006). Originally, Watson’s theory revolved around three major elements, namely the carative factors, the transpersonal caring relationship, and the caring moment. She stated ten carative factors that served as guidelines for the nursing practice and basically centered on the principles of caring. The transpersonal caring relationship describes how the nurse goes beyond an objective assessment, showing concerns toward the person’s subjective and deeper meaning regarding their own health care situation, while the caring moment is defined as the moment (focal point in space and time) when the nurse and another person come together in such a way that an occasion for human caring is created (Cara, 2003). In this context, the four essential concepts of nursing – person, environment, health, and nursing – are encompassed in the theory. Being holistic in nature, the theory presents its framework as a congregation of all these concepts, centering on the person. Watson regards a person as an individual with unique qualities and unique needs. The person is recognized as a being capable of communicating with another beyond physical interaction. The person is viewed as whole and complete, regardless of illness of disease (Watson, 2006). The environment is regarded as a healing space, where the person’s awareness and consciousness can expand and promote mindbodyspirit wholeness and healing (Watson, 1999). Inevitably, the state of a patient’s environment can influence an individual’s state of health. The physical environment can affect how the person can connect and exist in the spiritual environment created by transpersonal caring relationships, and could affect the effectiveness of the science of caring. Health is referred to as the unity and harmony within the mind, body and soul. It is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and functioning (Hagopian, 2007). The theory establishes that caring can promote a person’s health better than the curative means of conventional medicine. Through caring, the care giver recognizes the condition of the recipient at a deeper level, enabling him/her to sympathize as needed, and provide the appropriate care needed by the patient. With this means of understanding the patient better, there is greater chance of addressing the patient’s needs, creating the needed balance in his/her physical, mental, and social well-being. Watson defines nursing â€Å"as a human science of persons and human health – illness experiences that are mediated by professional, personal, scientific, esthetic, and ethical human care transactions† (Watson, 1988). The theory also emphasizes caring as central to nursing, and is essentially what the theory wishes to achieve. Nursing is not just about curing an illness or disease – it is beyond that. It is about the nurse being able to center consciousness on the entire being of the other in order to detect his/her inner condition, and impart genuine concern through caring moments communicated through â€Å"movements, gestures, facial expressions, procedures, information, touch, sound, verbal expressions and other scientific, technical, aesthetic, and human means of communication.† The role of consciousness is deemed greatly important, because then the nurse exhibits commitment and sincere intention to connect with the patient at a deeper level, thus becoming an effective aid in nursing the patient back to health, physically, emotionally, and spiritually (Watson, 2006). As can be derived from what has been discussed, the theory is concerned with establishing nursing as a profession distinct from the curative nature of conventional medicine, to which it has been originally strongly associated with – the original role of the nurse being to primarily care for the patient as dictated and required by disease or illness. The theory places emphasis on the transcendent and healing quality of a caring relationship shared by nurse and patient. It describes how transpersonal caring goes beyond physical reality and ventures into the spiritual, opening greater possibilities of healing and well-being, as opposed to disease-based medication and regard to patient. Watson’s theory has guided nursing practices in different areas, including rehabilitation centers, hospices, hospitals, and long-term care facilities. Watson’s model proved to be socially significant, as well. It has served as a conceptual framework for guiding community health nursing practice, and has been described as â€Å"philosophically congruent with contemporary global approaches to community health and health promotion† (Rafael, 2000). However, this model can both lead to nursing activities that meet social expectations, and create expectations that require societal change. In this time when people think twice before trusting, nursing professionals may have to exert more conscious effort in making the connection and creating transpersonal caring relationships because beyond the hesitation, society expects the nursing community to be sympathetic, concerned, and genuinely caring of their patient. On the other hand, as transpersonal caring becomes increasingly successful in the improvement of the patient’s well-being, higher expectations of nurses are created. This may lead to society being increasingly dependent on nurses, and less on medical technology. The effectiveness of Watson’s theory has been validated with its use as a guide in several studies centering on caring science. It has been â€Å"recommended as a guide to nursing patients with hypertension, as one means of decreasing blood pressure and increase in quality of life,† in a study made on its effectiveness on the quality of life and blood pressure of patients with hypertension in Turkey (Erci, Sayan, Tortumluoglu, Kilic, Sahin, & Gungormus, 2003). In another study on caring for old adults, it was established that the theory was effective in improving the quality of life and peace of mind, body, and soul of the older people, just by caring and listening attentively to what they have to say (Bernick, 2004). Through the years since the conception of the theory, Watson’s work continues to evolve. In recent updates, she had offered the concept of clinical caritas processes over the original carative factors. It basically injects more spirituality and love into the framework. Such a perspective ironically places nursing within its most mature framework, consistent with the Nightingale model of nursing, yet to be actualized, but awaiting its evolution within a caring-healing theory. This direction, ironically while embedded in theory, goes beyond theory and becomes a converging paradigm for nursing’s future (Watson, 2006). References Bernick, L. (2004). Caring for older adults: practice guided by Watson’s caring-healing model. Nursing Science Quarterly, 17(2):128-34. Cara, C. (2003). A pragmatic view of Jean Watson’s caring theory. International Journal of Human Caring, 7(3), 51-61. Erci, B., Sayan, A.,Tortumluoglu, G., Kilic, D., Sahin, O., & Gungormus Z. (2003). The effectiveness of Watson’s Caring Model on the quality of life and blood pressure of patients with hypertension. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 41(2), 130–139. Hagopian, G. (2007). Nursing theorists. Retrieved February 8, 2007 from www.nipissingu.ca/faculty/arohap/aphome/NURS3006/Resources/theorists.ppt Rafael, AR. (2000). Watson’s philosophy, science, and theory of human caring as a conceptual framework for guiding community health nursing practice. ANS. Advances in Nursing Science, 23(2):34-49. Watson, J. (1988). Nursing: Human science and human care. A theory of nursing (2nd printing). New York: National League for Nursing. Watson, J. (1999). Postmodern nursing and beyond. Toronto, Canada: Churchill Livingstone. Watson, J. (2006). Dr. Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Retrieved February 8, 2007 from http://www2.uchsc.edu/son/caring/content/evolution.asp

Greenpeace and the 21st century Environmentalism Essay

In today’s expanding and growing population in local economies, various technological changes and improvements have been happening that have been an important catalyst towards development. However, corresponding to these innovations that shape human lives is a threat that critics have often attributed as a setback for development. These are societal and environmental problems deemed to be a vital cause of concern as evidence and manifestations have been appearing more rapidly. But amongst these two problems, one important facet has been affected the most: the environment. With the rising challenges that man faces with the environment, various groups have stood up and started to make a stand towards environmental degradation. An example of such organizations is Greenpeace. The organization has continually lobbied for legislation as it tries to create law-binding solutions and increased awareness with the overall aim of environmental sustainability. This, in turn, has sparked a new phase of social, political and economic concern, which was later coined ‘environmentalism. ’ With all of these, it can be argued that since its inception, Greenpeace has adopted a role towards creating environmental awareness and protection. It has continuously been adapting towards the betterment of both global and local societies. In the end, as new issues and challenges emerge, the organization is committed towards adjusting and administering proper avenues for change. Prior to 1960’s, the drive for environmentalism has been a spurting one and occurred at a minimal level. Boston Review argues that â€Å"until the late 1960s, much (not all) of environmental protection in the United States occurred via private law suits and judge-made common law† (p. 1). However, this aim proved to be biased and limiting as it created temporary solutions and non-accountable judicial bodies. (Boston Review) Since the creation of Greenpeace in 1971, the period has been classified to be an important era for environmentalism as recognizable and large scale changes started to take place. Various legislating bodies across America have recognized the importance maintaining and preserving the environment for future exploitation and usage. Moreover, the system during this time was more accountable; in taking responsibility of actions and democratic in nature; by providing fair and equal provision of processes, which greatly improved the outcome of various decision making and regulation among concerned groups. Boston Review mentions that â€Å"between 1970 and the present, much (not all) of environmental protection has occurred via a remarkably ambitious, complex, and cumbersome system of national regulation† (p. 1). Defining Environmentalism Before dwelling further on the contributions of Greenpeace towards local and international societies, one must look at the focal and foundation of the organization’s endeavors – environmentalism. To fully grasp such concept one must be able to define the parameters and evolution of environmentalism and link it towards how Greenpeace operates. Looking at the concept, one can define environmentalism to be the goal towards preservation of the natural environment. However, since its conception, the term has reached out in various fields and areas that made the term dynamic and continuously evolving. Tao of Prosperity points out that â€Å"in defining environmentalism, we must recognize that it is not a monolithic movement† (p. 1). With all of these, it can be argued that the term environmentalism takes a holistic approach and embraces various dimensions and norms in society and therefore creating a balanced approach. Bidinotto stipulates that environmentalism thought is â€Å"the view that everything in nature exists in a perfectly harmonious balance–a balance ever threatened by the activities of Man† (p. 1) This means that the environmental movement has been moving towards the creation of better practices on the basis of experiences learned in the process of harmonizing and interaction with society. It is in here that they form their own respective views and points out what needs to be done. The Strands of Environmentalism Since its initial creation, the term environmentalism has evolved into various forms and various strands of the movements have been seen in the years. Though these groups vary in their thoughts, their contribution and mindset remains to be united and aimed towards one goal but various alternatives of practice. Looking at it, these facets have been credited as hues of environmentalism. Examples of these groups include (1) dark greens, (2) light green and (3) bright green environmentalism. The first strand deals with the belief of dark green environmentalism. The ideals of this strand are extreme in nature and are unwilling to compromise their objectives among other groups or organizations. Environment Support mentions that â€Å"Dark Greens have a more radical point of view, believing that we need to change our worldview drastically in order to be in harmony with the earth† (p. 1). Moreover, the philosophy of the group revolves around the concept that â€Å"all living things have the same right to live and flourish† (Environmental Support). The second strand deals with Light Green environmentalism. Compared to Dark Greens, this people advocate a lesser way of promoting environmental security. Looking at their beliefs, Light Greens believe that â€Å"belief that all living things have the same right to live and flourish† (Environmental Support). In addition, these groups propose reforms to important movers of society by cooperating and bargaining towards changes. Also, the promoters of this strand seek to have a positive relationship with the conventional ideologies. Environmental Support points out that environmentalism should not be approached â€Å"as a separate ideology but as something that needs greater importance within political schools of thought like conservatism, socialism, and liberalism† (p. 1) The last strand involves a new approach towards environmentalism. The Bright Greens, which was coined in 2003, seeks to promote a new outlook of the concept towards the future. (Environmental Support) Seeing the current developments in today’s society, the group seeks to exhaust the positive effects of technological innovations and apply it to the environment. Environmental Support mentions that the process can be achieved by using â€Å"new technology, improved and modified designs of products, plus eco-communities and sustainable lifestyles† (p. 1). Furthermore, the supporters of this claim argues that by using alternative measures backed up by technology such as renewable energy, biotechnology and nanotechnologies, environmentalism is achieved. In the end, the group favors advancement and progress but with responsibility and taking into consideration the environment. Looking at this, there is a â€Å"need to adopt open-source models of information exchange, so ideas and innovation can grow and be shared and develop as fast as possible† (Tao of Prosperity). This means that environmentalist must continuously open communication lines so as better sharing of information necessary for change can be possible. Linking Greenpeace and the strands Environmentalism After pointing out the relevant hues of environmentalism, it is better to point where Greenpeace can be associated with. The formation of Greenpeace is a reaction towards the clamor for environmental protection and security. Moreover, it is an activism in its organizational form; a grouping of individuals who fight for one common goal. Looking at the facets of each strand, the organization can be associated with the Light Green Environmentalism. Greenpeace creates avenues of cooperation among various organizations and governments to create a consensus towards creating better outcomes for the environment. Environmental Support mentions that the â€Å"groups belonging to this category are Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and Friends of the Earth† (p. 1) However, Greenpeace has gradually been diversifying and adopting a different environmentalist approach (Bright Green) while retaining important and valuable objectives of environmentalism. Take for example, the case of the regional office of Greenpeace in USA. Many scholars attribute their current programs and schemes aimed at the balance of the three hues of environmentalism. Shaiko argues that â€Å"Greenpeace U. S. A. exhibits characteristics of both and new social movements and is thus classified as an organizational hybrid† (88). Quoting Eyerman and Jamison, both argued that: â€Å"Greenpeace is environmentalist because behind its non-ideological ‘profile’ lies a continuation of the basics of environmental cosmology: that modern societies have reached the limits of growth, that the consumption of resources has reached dangerous and crisis proportions and that there is a need for fundamental social change if society is to survive† (114) II. Tracing the roots: Greenpeace The beginnings of Greenpeace began during the time when there was a renowned interest in testing nuclear weapons. The story of the organization begins in 1971 when activists sailed towards a destination where nuclear testing was taking place – Amchitka. Greenpeace International mentions that â€Å"Amchitka was the last refuge for 3000 endangered sea otters, and home to bald eagles, peregrine falcons and other wildlife† (p. 1) Greenpeace International mentions that â€Å"in 1971, motivated by their vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada, in an old fishing boat. These activists, the founders of Greenpeace, believed a few individuals could make a difference† (p. 1) Looking at it, the relevance of Amchitka was indeed important in the point of activists. This is because the event proved to be a catalyst towards the creation of the organization and a plight to stop nuclear testing at a far greater level. Though the nuclear testing took place on the same year and the team of Dorothy and Irving Stowe, Marie and Jim Bohlen, Ben and Dorothy Metcalfe, and Bob Hunter were prevented from arriving in the island; it raised international clamors seeking its protection. After such, an international organization; Greenpeace, was founded and recruited millions of followers. The Rainbow Warrior One important aspect of Greenpeace’s history is its prized ship – the Rainbow Warrior. According to Greenpeace International â€Å"it was renamed ‘Rainbow Warrior’ after the Warriors in a North American Cree Indian prophecy: ‘When the world is sick and dying, the people will rise up like Warriors of the Rainbow† (p. 1). It is a symbol of the first collaborative effort by members towards one particular objective. Also, it is a significant symbol towards the organizations commitment towards worldwide consensus to protect and save the environment. Their first efforts were to sail towards Iceland and advocate the abolishment of commercial whaling. (Greenpeace International) After that, the Rainbow Warrior has been associated as an instrument for environmentalism. Though it was bombed in 1985 allegedly by the French Government due to its contributions towards pressuring the state against nuclear testing, the spirit that it carried was always part of the organization. (Greenpeace International) Currently, the new Rainbow Warrior is a manifestation of old traditions of the organization and a mixture of new environmental friendly technological developments – a symbol of Greenpeace’ past and present. Greenpeace International mentions that â€Å"it is also a showcase of environmentally friendly technologies including solar panels for hot water, a specially designed fuel-saving wind/motor propulsion system, and a recycling system for engine heat† (p. 1) Core Values and Structure For any organization to function according to their objectives and goals, one must have a firm foundation of structure and core values. With regards to Greenpeace, their foundation and values are structured heavily on environmental protection and democracy. Greenpeace International mentions that â€Å"in developing our campaign strategies and policies we take great care to reflect our fundamental respect for democratic principles and to seek solutions that will promote global social equity† (p. 1) Looking closely, the core values of the organization revolve on the following: â€Å"(1) ‘bear witness’ to environmental destruction in a peaceful, non-violent manner, (2) use non-violent confrontation to raise the level and quality of public debate, (3) exposing threats to the environment and finding solutions we have no permanent allies or adversaries, (4) ensure our financial independence from political or commercial interests and (5) seek solutions for, and promote open, informed debate about society’s environmental choices† (Greenpeace International).

Chapter 9 Euro Disney Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chapter 9 Euro Disney - Case Study Example There are significant cultural differences between Americans and Europeans, and between the Japanese. Culture affects everything from language to spending habits and attitudes towards money in general. A better reading of the cultural differences between the French and Americans could have been attained if a consumer survey was commissioned at that time which will indicate a huge gap in behavioral patterns, especially with regards to discretionary spending. Senior Disney executives could hardly be faulted for believing that the Disney brand is a surefire success since it is a great global brand but their fault was in their execution plans. They overlooked something as obvious as opening a major themed park in the very middle of a recession when people would naturally be reluctant to spend on entertainment which is very discretionary in nature. They had also put blinders on their own eyes by engaging in hubris; it was stated in the case they were even afraid of being too successful (Hartley, 2010, p. 140). It was an instance of believing in their own publicity, much like the mistake committed by most entrepreneurs who think the world will beat a path to his door because of a better mousetrap. Disney executives did not take into account the lessons from three earlier French failures. The French people is one of those rare instances in which they are bi-lingual; many of them can speak and understand English very well. The Americans, on the other hand, do not know a lot about the French language and culture. So there is clearly a cultural gap which is a cause of many misunderstandings on the part of the American executives. Tokyo Disneyland is a great success because the Japanese are obsessed and preoccupied with anything that is of American origin (ibid. p. 143). This can be contrasted with the attitudes of the French people who are fanatically proud of their culture; they do not want even

Narrative about pueblo revolt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Narrative about pueblo revolt - Essay Example But the Spaniards began to implement their hidden agenda. They imposed the encomienda system on Pueblo population. As per their motivated plans, the Pueblos were required to give to the Spanish missions and the army, a portion of their agricultural products. The Pueblos were just covering up their own family expenses and had nothing extra to spare, but they were forced to part with their products by the Spanish authorities. The Pueblos were also directed to render free labor in the plantations of the Spaniards. These highhanded actions led to the beginning of the hostilities. Population-wise Pueblos far outnumbered as compared to those who had come with the avowed objective of colonization. But the Spaniards were cleverly playing the card of religion to win over the Pueblos. â€Å"The Franciscans set up a series of missions among the Pueblos with the expectation that they would abandon their religious beliefs for Christianity.† (New Mexico) Those who converted were given the award of land and education for their children. But Pueblos were utterly loyal to their own customs, religion and culture and the Spaniards were unable to make effective and lasting inroads in this area. By now, Spaniards had taken up the option of intimidation to convert and that was resented by the Pueblos. The brewing discontent ultimately led to the revolt leading to the uprising in Acoma in 1599 by the Pueblos. The Spaniards retaliated highhandedly with barbaric vengeance. The authorities ordered amputation of the right foot of every male Pueblo over the age of twenty-fiv e. The rebellion also failed in effect, due to another strong reason-- the inability of various tribes of Pueblo Indians to offer a united front of resistance. The scheming Spaniards tried to consolidate their hold on the Pueblo Indians with more barbarity. With majority of the male leaders facing persecution, the question of leadership was the issue with the Pueblos. Spanish Governor Juan Francisco Trevino

Mid-Term Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mid-Term - Essay Example She loves new experiences, unstructured work activities and creative space. This means that her qualities suit any industry that involves a great deal of interactions, communication and creativity. This includes marketing and advertising, product development, design (both fashion and industrial), teaching, research, social work, and information technology (IT). These fields will exploit Chris’s strengths and allow her to thrive. She will also have the opportunity to make a difference, directly and indirectly, to people’s lives. Research is a highly demanding career that involves spending a lot of time alone. This will compliment Chris’s introverted nature and allow her to be in her element. While pursuing research, she can use her progressive, out-of-the-box mindset, investigative traits, analytical skills, dynamism, and vision to conduct research that can change the lives of people around the world. Her introverted nature would be ideal for laboratory work, since most research involves conducting lab experiments, analyzing data, and establishing and decoding patterns and relationships. As a teacher, Chris can use her analytical skills to engage her students and to develop new pedagogical methods that improve their learning experience. She is also likely to benefit from the psychological dimension of teaching, which involves evaluating students to determine their strengths and weaknesses and how to improve their performances. Her affinity for new experiences, goal-setting and time-consciousness, and creativity will allow her to carry out her teaching duties at the highest possible standards. Finally, since she is a visionary, she can inspire her students to work harder and improve so that they can achieve their goals. She would find assisting students grow and develop a highly fulfilling endeavor. Chris needs a workplace where she can participate in social, investigative, and artistic activities. Her investigative nature requires

Women's rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women's rights - Essay Example I chose the two papers for the high mindedness of the writers and for the subject matters relating to aspects of the empowerment of women and the advancement of women’s causes. An underlying theme or thread in the two works is that women are both intellectually and morally capable to secure an equal place in society with men, not only in matters of economics and such things as the right to property as well as relations with men, but also in important political aspects, such as suffrage. In other words both argue for the securing of the various rights of women, as they pertain to being equal to men in those fundamental huiman rights. The thinking of course is that at the time of their writing the two works reflect imbalances and injustices in the way these rights are recognized along gender rights, with women’s rights not recognized in the same degree as men’s rights, if at all (Fuller; May). This document was written by Margaret Fuller, who was considered a feminist, and bright and intellectual enough to be in the company of the Transcendentalists. In a way she was writing the piece for both the Transcendalists and the general society, in hopes of addressing the systemic discrimination against women in society and the denial of their inherent rights as human beings, in parity with the men (Fuller).. The first major point in the article is with regard to the conditions that women found themselves in, which is basically akin to slavery, in that they are unable to hold property, and are dependent on their husbands for whatever they get even when widowed. This, even as women are abused by vicious men, and made to suffer while the men live off their labors and their love like parasites. Fuller asserts too, that she is a slave in other ways, but this first point sets the stage for the airing of grievances so to speak, and by way of arguing for the recognition of the wider

Political Science The State of the Union Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Science The State of the Union - Essay Example The president believed that through this new path, America will be able to forge forward economically. However, he promised to work with the lawmakers from both parties despite his assertive statement on working independently to tackle the economic issues (The 2014 State of the Union Address (Enhanced Version). President Obama also talked about the foreign policy. He explained that America used diplomacy and threat to make Syria surrender their chemical weapons. He also added that Afghanistan was brought to the negotiation table through using diplomacy and pressure. Moreover, pulling troops out of Afghanistan was a plan that President Obama mentioned that he will execute this year and also cautioned that he would veto sanctions on Iran in case the country disrupts his diplomatic efforts. There was an emotional moment when Sgt. First Class Cory Remsburg, an Army Ranger  was introduced. President Obama had met him before and after he was involved in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan. The bomb led to the loss of one of his eyes and legs, making him have to learn to walk again. There was an elongated standing ovation from the lawmakers of both parties as the Army Ranger made it to the first lady’s box (The 2014 State of the Union Address (Enhanced Version). The message of the day was mainly on the inequality of wealth distribution between the rich and the poor. On this, President Obama elaborated on the struggles of the average-earning citizens. This was in a bid to show the big gap between the rich and the poor in the US. On that note, the president announced an increase in the minimum wage rate to $10.10 for future federal workers on contract, and the establishment of a fresh treasury savings bond for the workers who cannot access traditional retirement options. He also made a suggestion for higher efficiency levels for trucks running on gasoline and those running on alternative fuels (The 2014 State of the Union

Why organizations changes as well as why they fail to change Thesis

Why organizations changes as well as why they fail to change - Thesis Example ent 52 Secondary Research 52 Interview 55 Types of research format 59 Structured format 59 Semi-structured format: 60 Unstructured format 60 Survey 61 Likert Scale 63 Data gathering procedure 65 Quantitative data gathering 66 Qualitative data gathering 68 Secondary data gathering 68 Online Interview data gathering 69 Statistical Treatment of data 71 Ethical Concern 73 Secondary Analysis and Discussion: 75 Secondary analysis 75 Discussion: 80 Results and Analysis 94 Questionnaire Analysis: 94 Analysis of the Interviews: 119 Conclusion and Recommendations: 127 Summary of Findings: 127 Limitations 130 Recommendations for further research 132 References 133 Appendix 141 Introduction: â€Å"There has been increasing research on organizational change that seeks to explain both why organizations changes as well as why they fail to change†. Most theories and literatures have been published between 1960s and 1980s. The dual authority in matrix organization has become as a controversial application and a big argument between pros and cons around the world. The main arguments and theories of dual authority in matrix structure have appeared since 1962 and until current days. The following studies show different views and perspectives between some authors and researchers which indicate that dual authority can be a real concern in the organization structure. Therefore I have selected the main arguments and studies which most of them still exist until now.   1- The book â€Å" MATRIX MANAGEMENT SYSTEM HANDBOOK† â€Å"1984   The author â€Å"David Cleland, professor of engineering management, Pennsylvania†Ã‚   Although the book was published before more than twenty years, I have found two critical points about implementing the dual authority in matrix organizations, one of them still take place in many books and many studies but without making sure of its validity   1. Under designing matrix structure and implementing the dual design, the author bel ieves that â€Å"the more differentiated the organizational unit, the more difficult it is to achieve the required degree of integration†. He believes that matrix organization must reflect the external and internal factors before the implementation and he sees the members as critical factor in this case. The author adapts the notion of Gannon which says that the highest degree of differentiation and integration can be attained with the matrix organization design. â€Å"P.234, section III, The human factor in matrix organization, MATRIX MANAGMENT SYSTEM By David Cleland†Ã‚   The question is   Does the implementation of matrix organization on the ground have really achieved the highest degree of differentiation and integration? (This can be tested by comparing the performance of the units based on the degree of differentiation and integration)   2. â€Å"Implicit in much of the thinking behind dual leadership is the notion that satisfaction and productivity can both be obtained simultaneously. One manager, with natural inclination toward the task or goals of the group, can place more emphasis upon planning, organizing, and controlling group performance. The other manager, with a natural inclination toward people can act as the satisfier, consoler, and emphasize. One works toward increased productivity, the other toward improved morale and group cohesiveness. Both styles are needed for group effectiveness

Pluto or Neptune Essay Example for Free

Pluto or Neptune Essay Dr. Derik Johnson is highly acclaimed for his knowledge and research in physics. He has done a lot of research on the force of gravitation, and has a very conclusive notion in his mind that if sun’s gravitational pull is so great that it can compel a system of 9 planets to rotate around itself, then objects on earth, which is relatively very near to the sun as compared to Pluto or Neptune, should also fall towards sun, and not down towards the centre of the planet. He defies Newtonian theory on gravitational pull. Years of concentrated research on this notion, enable him to make a device, which can reverse the gravitational pull on any object. His joy does not know any limits, on this achievement. This is a device, which has a flat surface and which can be held in ones hand. Once the flat surface is made to face the Sun for 5 minutes, it gathers enough energy to change the gravitational field acting on any body. So, if he points this device to a person walking on road, it would appear to him as if, the person is getting carried upwards. To a common person, this device appears as if it is a round mirror of 5 inches diameter, and nothing else. Dr.Derik’s close friend John Mathew, is a shrewd businessman with acute sense of business opportunities. It was because of this sense of turning innovations into business, that he was a very wealthy man today. As a close friend, he discusses Dr. Derik discusses his invention with John, who perceives a gigantic business opportunity in this device. Now, tons and tons of load can be lifted upwards, with this small device !!!!! No extra energy no extra efforts !!! His shrewd business mind tells him that cranes and lifting devices could be a thing of past, if this invention could be turned into a working, marketable product. Both work together, incessantly, to bring out a commercially viable product, which can make any object move upward, just by pointing towards it. This product creates as storm in the market, and becomes an outright success. It becomes a minting machine for this duo. This run for minting money through this product, did not last long. Barely within a few months of its existence, reports of varied misuse of the product started flowing in and making headlines in the news channels and papers. While it proved very beneficial to the industry which had real time applications, it became a nuisance for others. Mrs. Alice, the head of an NGO, filed a law suit against this company, on behalf of a young girl, Edwina. It so happened that a boy studying with Edwina was madly in love with her, and wanted to marry her. Edwina was in no mood to agree to his proposal, and had been rejecting this boy consistently. So, this boy, uses this device, to shoot a small clip, with her walking above the surface of the earth. Since she was wearing a skirt at that time, the camera was able to shoot her private parts also. This was obviously very embarrassing to Edwina. Her MMS clips started circulating around the campus, then the town and then to the whole world through the internet. Edwina reported this case to Mrs. Alice, who was very upset at knowing her story. She approached the courts, and filed a law suit against the manufacturers, demanding a very heavy penalty in favor of Edwina, and immediate withdrawal of all the products from the market, and closing down the manufacturing unit. The court, decides to withdraw all the products from the market, pay heavy compensation to Edwina, but does not order closing down of the manufacturing unit. Instead, it issues an order that the product could be marketed to genuine customers only, who have to obtain a license to buy this product. The court also orders Dr. Derik to improvise the design in such a way that only a person with very high technical skills can use it. ( Dear customer : the resemblances are as follows : Dr. Derik – Dr. Frankenstein, the product – the monster, Edwina- William who was the victim, John- Henry, and Mrs. Alice- Elizabeth). Reference: 1) Victor Frankenstein, Wikipedia the free encyclopedia, retrieved on 5 january 2008 from : http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Victor_Frankenstein

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay

Puma Ag Rudolf Dassler Sport Marketing Essay Introduction The Report presents a comprehensive analysis of NIKE INC. NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Product/Service Nike produces a wide range of Footwear, Apparel and Sports Equipments. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include Cole Haan, Converse Inc, Hurley International LLC and Umbro Ltd Target Market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. Goals and Objectives Nikes goal is to  carry on his legacy of innovative thinking, whether  to develop products that help athletes of every level of ability reach their potential, or to create business opportunities that set Nike apart from the competition and provide value for our shareholders. Management Philip H. Knight, Chairman of the Board of Directors Mark Parker, President Chief Executive Officer, NIKE, Inc. Charlie Denson, President, NIKE Brand INTRODUCTION NIKE was founded in January 1964 as Blue Ribbon Sports by Bill Bowerman and Philip Knight and incorporated in 1968 under the laws of the state of Oregon. Its worlds leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Nike became globally recognized for its swoosh logo and its trademark slogan Just do it. Nikes Wholly-owned subsidiaries include: Cole Haan which designs markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats. Converse Inc which designs markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. Hurley International LLC which designs markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. Umbro Ltd is leading United Kingdom based global football (soccer) brand. http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/nke/description http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-newsArticleID=1380811highlight= http://www.ehow.com/about_6465548_nike-uses-endorsements-sponsorships.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nike,_Inc. THE MARKET ENVIRONMENT Geographical Market Nikes world headquarters is located near Beaverton, Oregon, a suburb of Portland.Today Nike operates in more than 160 countries around the globe like U.S, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Americas. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Business Nike specializes in Footwear, apparels and equipments. In addition to its namesake Nike brand, the company also develops and markets footwear and apparel products under the Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro Inc which are nikes owned subsidiaries. http://www.nikebiz.com/?sitesrc=emealp Pest-G Analysis Nike is an international organization and needs to focus on macro environmental factors. Macro environmental factors comprise Political, Economics, Society, and Technology. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ BCG Matrix Nike is established within its markets from economies of scale. Hence places them in the Cash Cows category on the BCG Matrix. Cash cows market growth has slowed and hence the products hold a fairly stable market share. http://www.businessteacher.org.uk/free-business-essays/nike-business-essay/ THE COMPETITION Main Competitors The main competitors of Nike are:- Adidas AG New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html Sales and Profit trends Adidas AG During the first half of the year 2010, Adidas sales are à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 5590 millions and profit is à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2727 millions. There is an increase of 11% of sales and an increase of 20.2% of profit in 2010. http://www.adidas-group.com/en/investorrelations/financial_data/income_statement/default.aspx New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc At the end of the year 2008, the total revenue was 1640.00 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42602.html PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport At the end of year 2009, the total revenue was 3526.70 M. http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/91/91292.html Market share Adidas AG Adidas acquires 6% of the global athletic apparel market and 16% of the global athletic footwear market. New balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance Athletic Shoes acquires 6% of the global athletic footwear market. PUMA AG Rudolf Dassler Sport Puma acquires 2% of the global athletic apparel market and 7% of the global athletic footwear market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Target markets Adidas Adidass target market is mainly the urban youth with the brand position and the potential target market is the principal consumption centers like the metros. http://www.scribd.com/doc/8760709/Adidas New Balance Athletic Shoes Inc New Balance target young consumers with the same zeal of its rivals http://www.answers.com/topic/new-balance-athletic-shoe-inc Puma AG By shifting their brand proposition Puma broadened their target market from solely sport to lifestyle and even fashion. http://www.nundroo.com/archives/000008.html THE COMPANY Sales and profit trends During the year 2009, Nikes sales were $2,583 million whereas in 2010 it is $2741 million. The profits earned during the year 2009 were $2216 million whereas in 2010 it is $2434 million. There is an increase of 6% in profits and 10% in sales in the year 2010. http://invest.nike.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=100529p=irol-finReporting Market share Nike is the clear market leader with 31% of the global athletic footwear market and 7% of the global athletic apparel market. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share Business sectors Footwear Nike specializes in athletic footwear particularly in running, cross-training, basketball, and soccer. It also sells sport-inspired casual footwear like its Air Force Ones footwear line. Nikes Footwear sales increased by 14% in 2009 reaching about $10.3 billion. Hence 54% of revenue comes from the footwear sector. Apparel Nike also sells sports apparel such as running shorts, t-shirts, and licensed apparel (with logos of college and professional sports teams). Apparel sales totaled $5.24 billion in 2009, a 0.2% increase from a year earlier. Equipments Nike also sells sports equipment such as balls, protective equipment, and golf clubs. Sales of Nike branded equipment has reached $1.11 billion in 2009 which resulted in 9.5% increase from 2008. Others Nike also sells apparel and footwear under the Nike Golf, Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International, and Umbro brand names. http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Sharen Project focus Since Nike is specialized and famous in athletic footwear, I have selected footwear sector as my project focus. SWOT analysis http://www.quality-assurance-solutions.com/swot-analysis-nike.html THE COMPANYS MARKETING STRATEGY Segmentation According to Philip Kotler Market Segmentation is the subdividing of market into homogeneous sub-set of customers, where any subset may conceivably be selected as market target to be reached with distinct Marketing Mix. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Nike segments the international markets by geographic location; the United States, the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Targeting A target market or target audience is a group of customers that the business has decided to aim its marketing efforts and ultimately its merchandise. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Target_market Nikes target market for their shoes, clothes and other accessories are males and females between 18 and 35 years old. It also targets active and sporty people as it provides products for all kinds of sports. (function() { var scribd = document.createElement("script"); scribd.type = "text/javascript"; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = "https://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js"; var s = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })() Positioning The process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positioning_(marketing) Nike products are easily available in different retail and outlet stores all over the world such as Sun and Sand Sports. Nike products are also available at their own Nike store online and Nike town. Differentiation/Low Cost Leadership/Focus Low price compare to its high quality products. Edge cutting products. E.g. Nike + iPod Cushioning technologies in its shoes. Patents all its new technologies Growth Strategy To create innovative products, amazing brand experiences, and premium retail destinations wherever consumers connect with NIKE. -Mark Parker, President and CEO, NIKE, Inc http://www.nikebiz.com/media/pr/2010/09/23_FY11Q1Earnings.html Generic strategy Nike uses network structure Nike implemented Differentiation Strategies THE MARKETING MIX Product Nike is trying to meet the consumer needs. Nike realizes that the clients could be participating in more than one sporting event and they need a huge range of products to meet all their sporting needs. The Companys innovation has added great value to its products. For example, there are some Nike shoes that have been installed with radio devices to measure runners pace. Nikes quality products, loyal customer base and its great marketing techniques all contribute to make the shoe empire a huge success. Some of the Nike shoes are Nike Jordon, Nike air force classic, Nike air max, Nike Shox etc. http://www.pickyourshoes.com/size/nike_air_forces.htm http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://shopping.aol.com/articles/2008/05/12/nike-shoes/ Price Nike has designed to be competitive to other fashion shoe retailers. Nike targets the consumers who accept product intimacy and thus care less about the product. This enables Nike to set pretty higher prices than its competitors. This strategy helps to push product perceived product value. Once the consumers develop product intimacy, they come to associate their person with the product and will pay whatever price quoted on the product with Nike logo on it. Nike uses the vertical integration pricing strategy in which the steps involved in the production and/or distribution of a product or service are controlled by NIKE, in order to increase that companys or entitys power in the marketplace. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404 Place Nike shoes are sold in multi-brand stores and the exclusive Nike stores across the globe. Nike sells its product to about 20,000 retail accounts in the U.S. and in almost 200 countries around the world (http://www.suite101.com/content/audit-on-nikes-marketing-strategies-a94404) . The Company sells its products directly or it uses subsidiaries and distributors. It also sells its products through internet as it has its own online Nike store and Nike town. Because the company is located all over the world and it also uses licensed distributors because it is rather difficult to reach all those parts of the globe. http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 Promotion Nike has a number of famous athletes that serve as brand ambassadors such as the Brazilian Soccer Team (especially Ronaldino, Renaldo, and Roberto Carlos), Lebron James and Jermane ONeal for basketball, Lance Armstrong for cycling, and Tiger Woods for Golf. Sponsoring of events is another great promotional technique for Nike. Web sites are a great promotional tool as they cover these events. Events like Hoop It Up and The Golden West Invitational. Nike make the websites exclusively for a sport such as nikebasketball.com, nikefootball.com, and nikegolf.com http://www.upublish.info/Article/Marketing-Mix-for-Nike/314859 EVALUATION OF COMPANYS STRATEGIES AND TACTICS Evaluation of companys current position Strong brand recognition. Top endorser. Global leader in athletic shoe market. The swoosh is nationally recognized by 97 percent of the American population. Nike is leading the U.S. marketplace in athletic footwear. Through aggressive advertising, endorsements by the leading professional athletes in nearly every major sport, and a high-quality product, Nike has been able to sustain a competitive advantage. They continue to show growth in the athletic footwear industry. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17947394/With-adidas-and-Reebok-Combined_-Will-Nike-Still-Crush-the Evidence of companys success (refer to the graphs in appendix) The total revenue during 2010 was $19014 million, a little less than the previous year. EPS performance of Nike has increased from $3.03 in 2009 to $3.86 in 2010. Return on invested capital has also increased from 17.8% in 2009 to 20.7% in 2010. The gross profit has increased from $8,604,400 in 2009 to $8,800,400 in 2010. The net income has increased from $1,486,700  in 2009 to $1,906,700 in 2010. Revenue distributions of Nike in international markets have increased from 49% in 2009 to 53% in 2010. Increased stock performance by 90% in comparison of SP 500. Nike has always remained on the preference list of athletes and athletic footwear was indeed the first category of products launched by the company more than 30 years ago. Today, you can see the craze for its products, not only among athletes, but also among golfers and other sportspeople. http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials Prospects for future growth/success. Offer economical price to variable consumers around the world. Open up more stores and franchise to reach maximum buyers. Have more communication with their customers and receive feedback from them to help create imagine that Nike care for its customers. Come up with more new ideas of designing the shoes. CONCLUSION Nike, Inc. is a company rooted in competition. From equipping athletes with the finest sports equipment in the world to continuously improving their financial performance, Nike dominates its competitors. Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman probably could not have imagined in 1962 to what degree their $500 investments would yield in 2010. They did know that product quality and innovation would help athletes to achieve greater goals. It is one that has helped athletes and stakeholders alike to realize athletic and financial greatness. Despite a changing marketplace for athletic footwear, Nike wants to expand their product lines and marketing reach to become a more powerful global brand. Nike has existed for more than 35 years and is still willing to travel a long distance of popularity. APPENDICES 400px-Footwear_market_shares.png400px-Apparel_market_shares.pnghttp://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Nike_(NKE)#Market_Share chart-revenue.gif chart-eps.gifchart-roi.gif chart-stock.gif chart-distrib.gif http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/IROL/10/100529/nike-ar-20100804/index.html#select_financials

Social Promotion :: essays research papers

Most children are taught since the beginning of their educational careers that they must do well, and succeed if they wish to be acknowledged. There was always a black sheep, some boy or girl, who did not do their work and was held back. Consequently, these children were used as horrifying examples of what could happen. However, was the child really at fault for failing to complete grade requirements, or was the system in which they were taught in error? The evidence available demonstrates that children who were retained were not unintelligent, but that education policies were to blame. Although the human race has gone through stupendous scientific awakenings, it is suprising to see that the education policies practiced today are based on the reasonings of a dead age. It is certainly not because Americans do not value their children’s educations but perhaps because we live in a country that is not always aware of significant aspects of our society, particularly education. Soc ial promotion, in use nationally for at least 20 years , is an educational policy where students are advanced from grade to grade. There is no regard to their learning because it is a widely accepted notion that they learn better with their peers. â€Å"Studies show that it’s better to promote an underachiever than keep them down,† stated Peg Dawson from the National Association of School Psychologists. Yet, high profile protesters of this system include both United States President Bill Clinton and The American Federation of Teachers. In many cases, children are advanced repeatedly without knowing basic educational skills, and suffer greatly when in high school. Social promotion, used throughout the course of the American educational system as a standard policy, is archaic, and should be altered to address individual student needs, helping to create a future conscientious and prosperous society. The other frequently used option, retention of a student, has also displayed several negative characteristics and is not a likely alternative. Drop-out rates for grade repeaters are generally higher than most students and they often display greater behavioral problems, due largely to the fact that they are older than their classmates. A qualitative comparison is that while only 20.4% of students not delayed were not enrolled in a 4-year college, 54.7% of delayed students were not enrolled in a 4-year college. More than double are not enrolled. The ratio of delayed to non-delayed students with Bachelors Degree’s is 1.

Women Entrepreneurs in the U.S. Essay -- Gender and Small Business

Across America, there is a prevalent viewpoint that women are inferior to men in the field of entrepreneurship. However, â€Å"The common perception that women primarily start small hobby-related enterprises that are less likely to grow is contradicted by substantial evidence showing that women own firms in all industrial sectors, and that many do want to grow them in size and scope,† (Brush, Carter, Gatewood, Greene, & Hart, 2001, p. 4). In the United States in 2007, nearly 7.8 million firms were women-owned (National Women’s Business Council, 2012). Some may believe that this viewpoint permeated society because men are more successful at starting businesses than women. Yet, women-led businesses are not more likely to fail than those led by men, (Rosa, Carter, & Hamilton, 1996) (Kalleberg & Leicht, 1991). That being said, women would be even more successful as entrepreneurs if they had equal access to funding as that of their male counterparts. One way businesses receive funding is through angel investors. Angels provide financial backing and bring â€Å"industry experience and a network of potentially valuable contacts (i.e. the gold-plated rolodex) that can service as intangible assets to the firm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Amatucci & Sohl, 2004, p. 186). They are focused on the success of the business, rather than gaining profit or a majority share-hold. Women receive less funding from angel investors due to the realization of stereotype threat pertaining to three traits related to success in entrepreneurship: confidence, risk tolerance, and social capital. This causes a cycle that deters female entrepreneurial success; women-led firms lack necessary start-up funds, which hinder their success, and the ability to become angel investors themselves. This cy... ...tes/default/files/NWBC%20Final%20Narrative%20Report.pdf Oster, N. (2013, November). Men vs. women: Risk aversion. In BlackRock, The Blog. Retrieved December 14, 2013, from http://www.blackrockblog.com/2013/11/06/men-women-risk-aversion/ Rosa, P., Carter, S., & Hamilton, D. (1996). Gender as a determinant of small business performance: Insights from a British study. Small Business Economics, 8(6), 463-478. Retrieved December 13, 2013, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00390031# Sohl, J. E., & Hill, L. (2007). Women business angels: Insights from angel groups. Venture Capital, 9(3), 207-222. doi:10.1080/13691060701324536 Stengel, G. (2013). It's not just warren buffet who is bullish on women. In Forbes. Retrieved December 15, 2013, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/geristengel/2013/05/08/its-not-just-warren-buffett-who-is-bullish-on-women/

Moral Destruction In The Great Gatsby Essay -- essays research papers

The Great Gatsby: The Destruction of Morals In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the destruction of morals in society. The characters in this novel, all lose their morals in attempt to find their desired place in the social world. They trade their beliefs for the hope of being acceptance. Myrtle believes she can scorn her true social class in an attempt to be accepted into Ton's, Jay Gatsby who bases his whole life on buying love with wealth, and Daisy, who instead of marrying the man she truly loves, marries someone with wealth. The romance of money lures the characters in The Great Gatsby into surrendering their values, but in the end, "the streets paved with gold led to a dead end" (Vogue, December 1999). The first example of a character whose morals are destroyed is Myrtle. Myrtle's attempt to enter into the group to which the Buchanans belong is doomed to fail. She enters the affair with Tom, hoping to adopt his way of life and be accepted into his class to escape from her own. Her class is that of the middle class. Her husband, Wilson, owns a gas station, making an honest living and trying his best to succeed in a world where everything revolves around material possessions. With her involvement in Tom's class, she only becomes vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She loses all sense of morality by hurting others in her futile attempt to join the ranks of Tom's social class. In doin...

Christopher Columbus Hero or Villan

Aysha Imtiaz Should a man whose actions created a wave of genocide and killed thousands of innocent natives be considered a hero? Christopher Columbus found the Americas, but today he takes credit for discovering a new world. Native Americans had been living in civilizations across North and South America long before Columbus had â€Å"discovered† it. This journey has now ruined many of those cultivations as well as the citizens. With his expedition, he exposed countries to new disease and violence. His greed led him to deprive America of its natives and its resources.Thirdly, he also introduced Native Americans to slavery. These horrible monstrosities should be added to Columbus's reputation, which shows him to be a villain in American history. Christopher Columbus had evil intentions from the start of his voyage when he promised to repay Ferdinand, Spanish monarch and founder of Columbus's travels, with gold, spice, and other resources. When he first arrived in what he thoug ht was Asia, he quickly gathered the natives and introduced them to slavery. What he did was wrong and he shouldn’t be celebrated.Firstly, with his expedition he exposed countries to new disease and violence. Christopher Columbus brought explorers who had disease. This caused the Native Americans to get diseases as well. He was very violent and treated them in a cruel way. The poor Native Americans were trying to share their land and Columbus didn’t want to share even though it wasn’t his land. Whatever he did was wrong, and I feel ashamed that we celebrate a person who did nothing but torture people. We should be thankful to the Native Americans for finding America and proving to be very good people unlike Christopher Columbus.Secondly, Christopher Columbus‘s greed led him to deprive America of its natives and resources. Columbus deprived the Native Americans of everything they had. He took away their land and their crops. The Native Americans showed ever ything they knew about their advice. But Christopher Columbus uses them and took away their land. He killed them and literally kicked them out of their land. The Native Americans tried to retrieve what was rightfully theirs but Columbus had too much power. He was impossible to defeat.This left them no choice but to give away their land to Christopher Columbus. Thirdly, he also introduced slavery to the Native Americans. The Native Americans worked for nobody. But ever since Christopher Columbus came to their land they knew the feeling of working with no pay. They were treated unfairly and were beaten up if they did their work incorrectly. The Native Americans had to go through so much. They were punished unnecessarily and treated like humans. We all see Christopher Columbus as a hero but he is no one other than a villain.This information has taught me that Christopher Columbus was a horrible person people like him take credit for things they haven’t done. He brought disease a nd violence to the new land. Secondly, his greed left Native Americans with nothing. He even introduced slavery to them. In my eyes Christopher is nothing but a villain, because jealousy, greed and envy won’t get you very far in life, because you’ll always discontent and unhappy about yourself, your life and the people around you. If Columbus thought about that in 1492. Maybe the Native Americans wouldn’t have gone through all that torture.

Principles of business and administration Essay

1. Explain why change happens in a business environment. You should include at least three reasons in your answer. For any business to be successful it must be willing to make changes to best provide the services that are required whilst at the same time being profitable, Businesses must constantly evolve and improve both their produce and manufacturing procedures in order to stay competitive in the global marketplace. Management and employees alike must learn to adapt and respond to changes and new challenges. There are two main causes that will make a business make changes, reactive factor and proactive factors. Reactive factor are when external changes occur such. Political reasons like a new law/legislation has been passed by government and this could have a direct effect on your business. Economic factors also will play a major role in making changes to the business; these could be anything from consumers buying trends and economic performance to government tax increases, international exchange rates and interest rate fluctuations. Social awareness is vital when it comes to making business changes as this will massively influence any changes that you put into place, if not researched properly and managed effectively you could make huge mistakes when it comes to advertising and public relations. By monitoring consumers buying preferences and competitors behaviour you will be able to make any changes with the knowledge that they will be relevant. New technology will help a business to be more efficient and competitive and by having the latest/newest technology, that could be what make you stand out over your rivals; you must constantly research new technology because all technology has a life cycle and by being contempt with what you currently have could lead to you falling behind in the marketplace. One helpful way of thinking about the reactive factors influencing change is to use the PEST acronym. Political, Economic, Social, Technology. The other main reason that will cause a business to make changes is when the company has a desire to improve or has internal demands that must be met, this is called a proactive change and this can be of a financial nature such as – implementing a new way to reduce waste efficiently, or launching a new cutting edge product. But it could also be a way to improve the business moral and wellbeing with changes like refitting communal areas (toilets etc.) and enhancement courses such as- first aid training. Section 2 – Understand the purpose of supporting change in a business environment 1. Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment. In a business environment nothing stays the same and therefore you must continually review your working methods, products and services to ensure that they are still relevant, suitable and efficient. Companies review their services and products regularly so that they can keep up to date with the expectations of their customers. This will ensure the company can stay competitive and meet its targets and objectives. If a change has to be made to a service or product that you offer this could mean that related procedures need to be reviewed to ensure they are still correct and efficient. Any successful business will follow the principle continual reviewing of the working methods and services, making changes to improve them, reviewing these changes and then making further changes, by doing this you will always be confident in your product. 2. When a business is going through change: a) Describe the different types of support that people may need. When a business goes through change it can cause employees to feel unhappy, stressed or anxious this can cause them to be withdrawn and uncooperative when it comes to learning and adapting to the implemented changes Supporting people during change is important as failure to do this could be harmful to the person/s involved and to the business. Different types of support that can help people during change include: Effective planning of how different people will react to the change. Participation and keeping staff informed of progress or changes. Training or retraining so all staff members are confident in their new roles or expectations. Encouragement and other supportive behaviours by reassuring, supporting, guidance and by giving praise. Counselling or coaching with staffs that appears unable to deal with the changes or with external issues. b) Explain the benefits of working with others. When a business is going through changes it is always better to work as part of a team because it will create camaraderie and with others there you can always ask for assistance or advice if you have a concerns, as a business you should always try make staff work in groups when implementing changes as with this format you will be able to reduce the risk of individuals becoming isolated and it will help to create a framework for mutual support and problem solving. Section 3 – Understand how to respond to change in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with): a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods. As I am familiar with working in a commercial kitchen environment I have to be able to respond positively to change as they happen possibly more often than anywhere else. For example if the head chef decides to make changes the menus then I have to be able to adapt and make the relevant changes immediately because failure to do this could result in products being made incorrectly and will be returned at cost to the company this would mean that  I would have to remake the dish correctly therefore costing me valuable time/resources especially if the restaurant is busy. If I was to make too many mistakes then this would have a negative impact on the moral of the kitchen and could end up with me being sent out of the kitchen and possibly losing my job because of my ineptness, on the other hand if the head chef was to see that I was responding the change positively then he might feel that he could move me onto a more complex station this would give me a confidence boost and encourage me to continue my good work. b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services. All companies need to update or change their products from time to time in order to be competitive and all employees including myself have to accept that changes will have to be made to the way in which we work but by being positive to the changes it will show my employer that I am willing to adapt to any changes and that i show a willingness to learn new methods and techniques that could improve the way that I work, this will create a positive image of me in my employer’s and fellow colleagues eyes. By adapting the skills that I have acquired I may be able to offer advice on the effectiveness of any changes. In the long-run this could benefit me by enhancing my career prospects within the company. c) Identify ways of responding positively to change. All business wants staff that can respond positively to change and look out for people who can show that they have a willingness to learn new skills and procedures and those that can apply what they have learned into the workplace. They are the sort of people that will seek out answers and ask questions in order to find solutions to problems/difficulties and find it enjoyable when they have a chance to change and adapt. They will also be willing to share their knowledge, skills and experience. They will try to help others to adapt to the changes. And by keeping a happy can-do attitude you can prevent yourself from becoming stressed or anxious and this could encourage others to feel more positive Once you have completed all 3 Sections of this Assessment, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your work to your tutor for marking.

Attitudinal Behaviour Essay

Purpose – In order to classify individuals based on their needs, this paper aims to consider both self-stated attitudes and behaviours in a comprehensive range of daily ï ¬ nancial affairs. Furthermore, it aims to study the impacts of socio-demographic variables such as gender, age, and education. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was answered by 1,282 respondents in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. Factor analysis revealed ï ¬ ve components. Based on these components a two-step cluster analysis (Ward and K-means analyses) identiï ¬ ed distinct subgroups. Linear regressions were used to investigate the impacts of socio-demographic variables. Findings – Factor analysis revealed ï ¬ ve underlying dimensions of ï ¬ nancial attitudes and behaviour: anxiety, interests in ï ¬ nancial issues, decision styles, need for precautionary savings, and spending tendency. Cluster analysis segmented the respondents into ï ¬ ve subgroups based on these dimensions with an ascending order of speciï ¬ c needs for ï ¬ nancial products. Gender, age, and education were found to have signiï ¬ cant impacts. Research limitations/implications – Real consumption behaviour cannot be observed through the survey, which limits the external validity of the study. Practical implications – The segmentation identiï ¬ es different levels of ï ¬ nancial competence and needs for ï ¬ nancial products. It allows ï ¬ nancial service providers to offer more effective advice and to meet customers on their own level to improve personal ï ¬ nancial management. Originality/value – Attitudes and behaviours in daily ï ¬ nancial affairs are examined to reveal individuals’ ï ¬ nancial competence and consequential product needs. A heterogeneous sample covers a variety of demographic groups. Keywords Personal ï ¬ nance, Savings, Questionnaires, Factor analysis, Cluster analysis, Switzerland Paper type Research paper Introduction Everyone has to manage his or her personal ï ¬ nance in one way or another. Some tend to save a lot, some like to collect information before each purchase, some like to follow their gut feelings. Private investors are not a homogeneous group but rather The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the University Research Priority Program â€Å"Finance and Financial Markets† of the University of Zurich and the National Centre of Competence in Research â€Å"Financial Valuation and Risk Management† (NCCR FINRISK), Project 3, â€Å"Evolution and Foundations of Financial Markets†. In addition, they would like to thank the Swiss ï ¬ nancial company that provided them with client data and the anonymous referee for the helpful comments. International Journal of Bank Marketing Vol. 27 No. 2, 2009 pp. 108-128 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0265-2323 DOI 10.1108/02652320910935607 individuals with various ï ¬ nancial practices combined with different levels of experience, anxiety and interest in ï ¬ nancial matters (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997). In an increasingly competitive marketplace, ï ¬ nancial institutions need to emphasise customer relationships and the retention of existing customers that require an in-depth understanding of their attitudes and behaviours (Harrison and Ansell, 2002). The heterogeneous market is divided into smaller more homogeneous groups to meet speciï ¬ c needs with a corresponding business model (Jenkins and McDonald, 1997). Market segmentation relies, in the ï ¬ nancial industry, largely on socio-demographic information to deï ¬ ne segments for speciï ¬ c services (Harrison, 2000). It is questionable  ¨ as to how appropriate they are (Jorg, 2005), therefore in this study, selected aspects of ï ¬ nancial affairs such as routines and attitudes are gathered to gain insights towards signiï ¬ cant behavioural patt erns. The objective in this research is to examine the extent to which a broad range of private investors can be classiï ¬ ed into a small number of clusters in order to learn about group-speciï ¬ c needs in ï ¬ nancial affairs. More than 1,200 participants in Switzerland have answered our questionnaire with a response rate of 79 per cent. Unlike some other studies in this ï ¬ eld (e.g. Lim and Teo, 1997; Wood and Zaichkowsky, 2004), this survey is not limited to students, but includes a broader range of the public. Instead of focusing solely on savings behaviour (EBRI, 2002; MacFarland et al., 2003), the present study embraces a wider scope of daily ï ¬ nancial concerns. Thereby factor analysis exposes ï ¬ ve underlying dimensions: anxiety, interests in ï ¬ nancial issues, decision styles, need for precautionary savings, and spending tendency. We demonstrate that our respondents can, based on these dimensions, be classiï ¬ ed into ï ¬ ve distinct groups by cluster analysis where from cluster I to V, the need for action for a better handling of ï ¬ nancial matters increases: for example, the â€Å"Gut-feeling followers† show a intuitive way of decision taking, disinterest in ï ¬ nancial subjects and a lack of awareness for the need of provision which make it difï ¬ cult to argue for or to initiate remedial action. Each cluster raises key issues in meeting their needs and allows for guidance to design and adapt instruments to assist in speciï ¬ c ï ¬ nancial requirements. To illustrate how ï ¬ nancial behaviour can be modiï ¬ ed to improve personal ï ¬ nance speciï ¬ cally for each group, examples from the area of retirement savings, an important part of daily ï ¬ nancial management, are chosen (Clark-Murphy and Soutar, 2005). Linear regression further reveals that the clusters highlight socio-demographic characteristics and help generate a better understanding, although one socio-demographic factor alone does not offer enough information to detect cluster membership. The main theoretical contribution of this paper is that we segment the investors based on the revealed dimensions in attitudes (e.g., level of anxiety), together with the self-stated ï ¬ nance-related behavioural pattern (e.g., spending tendency). In this way we could identify the speciï ¬ c needs and provide different services to each subgroup. Theoretical background and literature review Individuals show considerable deviation from the expectation of rational behaviour implied by ï ¬ nancial models (Barberis, 2003). Being conscious of the empirical limitations of the homo economicus model for exploring the behaviour of private individuals, behavioural ï ¬ nance broadens the view by combining knowledge from psychology and economics ( Camerer and Loewenstein, 2004). Our study belongs to this area. However, instead of focusing on particular anomalies and biases that individuals succumb to, such as overconï ¬ dence and procrastination (Biais et al., 2005; O’Donoghue and Rabin, 1998), we broaden the scope under review by studying general patterns when dealing with ï ¬ nancial issues. Market segmentation In the ï ¬ nancial services industry, market segmentation is a common method to understand better and serve the diverse customer base with its wide-ranging needs and various behaviours (Speed and Smith, 1992). Competitive pressures from deregulation of the ï ¬ nancial services market increase the requirement for market orientation and a more intimate knowledge of the market and its segments (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997). Previous research has shown that there are various beneï ¬ ts from taking a segmented approach to the marketplace: a better serving of customer requirements; a tailoring of offerings; and higher customer satisfaction (Harrison and Ansell, 2002). It can increase customer retention and create loyalty and long-term relationships that positively affect performance (Martenson, 2008). Market segmentation aims to recognise patterns of ï ¬ nancial behaviour, identiï ¬ ed by studied segment predictors to group individuals into segments according to their product needs (Harrison, 2000). Yet, marketing in the ï ¬ nancial services industry today is still predominantly based on socio-demographic features like gender and age which are easy to identify and easy to apply in the composition of groups (Machauer and Morgner, 2001). A prediction of needs from socio-demographic characteristics cannot be assumed; therefore these widely used a priori segmentations are under review (Speed and Smith, 1992). In contrast, post hoc methods entail the grouping of respondents according to their responses to particular variables, focusing on customer motivations (i.e. needs/behaviour) that are more likely to result in a service based on individual n eed (Durkin, 2005). In research, behavioural segmentation is increasingly found (Elliott and Glynn, 1998; Soper, 2002), although researchers continue to concentrate on the ï ¬ nancial behaviour of speciï ¬ c groups and selective variables  ¨ (Warneryd, 2001). This study focuses on the general population, giving a more holistic view of personal ï ¬ nancial management activities and taking attitudes and behaviour into account. Individual investors The literature on individual economic behaviour often focuses narrowly on speciï ¬ c  ¨ areas such as risk attitudes (Warneryd, 1999; Wood and Zaichkowsky, 2004) or saving (Normann and Langer, 2002; Thaler and Benartzi, 2004). Other ï ¬ elds of research target investment in securities (Barber and Odean, 2001; Brennan, 1995; Keller and Siegrist, 2006) or focus on speciï ¬ c segments such as occupational groups (e.g., dentists and  ¨ managers (Jorg, 2005)). Speciï ¬ c ï ¬ nancial issues or situations, however, are not indicative of an individual’s behavioural and attitudinal disposition toward ï ¬ nance. Rather an interest in ï ¬ nances or having certain habits related to managing one’s ï ¬ nancial means may indeed be a moderating factor to learn about behaviours and needs (Loix et al., 2005). The attitudes and behaviours toward ï ¬ nances regarded in this study focus on individual ï ¬ nancial management behaviour. It is a topic with important implications that has not been sufï ¬ ciently examined in ï ¬ nancial and economic behavioural studies (Loix et al., 2005). The subject is not covered by the extensive research on individual’s attitudes and habits towards money, as such studies focus on the meaning of money (Lim and Teo, 1997) or basic values concerning money in general as an abstract concept (Raich, 2008), and not on an individuals’ ways of dealing with his or her personal ï ¬ nance. Previous studies of private investors have used mainly behaviour-based criteria or attitudes and do not combine both aspects (Keller and Siegrist, 2006) that are the focus of this study. This study is not product-linked but wider ranging in that it examines the self-stated ï ¬ nancial attitudes and behaviour of individual investors. Attitudes and behaviours A frequently discussed question in research is to what extent attitudes predict behaviour. A direct relationship between attitudes and behaviour has often been found to be weak, but difï ¬ culties in ï ¬ nding a strong relationship might derive from  ¨ differences in deï ¬ nition and measurement (Warneryd, 1999). The more speciï ¬ c the attitude is the better are the chances of ï ¬ nding a substantial correlation with behaviour if behaviour is also deï ¬ ned as a speciï ¬ c act (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). Therefore, deï ¬ ned questions or attitudes can have predictive power and a higher correlation of attitude to-wards behaviour has been conï ¬ rmed in studies (in a comprehensive  ´ meta-analysis: Glasman and AlbarracÄ ±n, 2006; Tesser and Shaffer, 1990). A further question is the beneï ¬ t of knowledge concerning behaviour. Whilst behaviour changes over time, there is a popular assertion that â€Å"past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour† (Ajzen, 1991, p. 202). It is a reï ¬â€šection of these ideas that leads to attitudes and behaviour being explored in this paper. Financial needs segmentation Several typologies concerning the ï ¬ nancial affairs of private investors can be found in the previous literature, but with more speciï ¬ c approaches: se gmentations are based on ï ¬ nancial maturity and knowledge (Harrison, 1994), provision for retirement (Gough and Sozou, 2005) or savings strategies (Gunnarsson and Wahlund, 1997). Loix et al. (2005) come closest to the focus of this study with the question of orientation towards ï ¬ nances but their goal is to develop a measurement scale for individual’s ï ¬ nancial management. In this study, we examine the self-stated ï ¬ nancial attitudes and behaviour through a broader basis and do not restrict ourselves only to questions concerning risk or saving. We apply the methodology of cluster analysis to identify groups of private investors in order to obtain insight into the enforcing or modifying of speciï ¬ c behaviour. Cluster analysis has become a common tool in marketing and is a well-adopted method for market segmentation as well as the applied factor analysis apparent in this paper (Punj and Stewart, 1983). The aim of the present study is to obtain a better understanding of people’s needs in ï ¬ nancial matters to provide adequate services and products. This study, based on ï ¬ nancial service consumers, identiï ¬ es distinct motivational clusters that were independent of the more established socio-demographic segmentation variables used in targeting and communicating by ï ¬ nancial institutions. This study demonstrates that, by segmenting respondents on the basis of a broader range of ï ¬ nancial attitudes and behaviour, a yield of clearly interpretable proï ¬ les can be realised and is helpful to identify those people in most need of professional ï ¬ nancial advice. This research suggests that customer’s ï ¬ nancial proï ¬ les may be useful in predicting their response to new products as well as persuading them to use existing services for the speciï ¬ c beneï ¬ ts they value. Participants and questionnaire The data come from a questionnaire that wa s completed by 1,282 respondents from various regions of the German-speaking part of Switzerland. The respondents were recruited from two sources: 53 per cent of the participants (n  ¼ 680) were clients seeking consulting advice from a Swiss ï ¬ nancial planning company, together with participants in courses in ï ¬ nancial training within the same ï ¬ rm (convenient sample). The second source was employed to avoid a client bias in the study. A total of 602 study subjects (47 per cent of the total study) were identiï ¬ ed through a combination of â€Å"quota[1] and snowball[2] sampling procedures† (Vogt, 2005) so that its composition in terms of sex, age, and other demographic characteristics came close to reï ¬â€šecting the respective proportions in Switzerland. Although not every member of the population is equally likely to be selected, the sample is composed of a wide variety of backgrounds. The diversity came from such groups as participants in a study relating to ï ¬ nancial literacy, and from different sources such as a nursing home, a group of university students, a group of teachers, company employees from four Swiss companies unrelated to the ï ¬ nancial services sector, a group of self-employed people, participants in a course for the unemployed, and a group made up of parents. The questionnaire was designed in German. Participants were ï ¬ rst asked to give their self-assessment by answering 17 questions on their ï ¬ nancial behavioural practice or attitude towards ï ¬ nancial affairs. The response format is a ï ¬ ve-point-Likert-type scale with â€Å"absolutely† and â€Å"not at all† at the two ends of the question spectrum. Subsequently, the questionnaire contains questions concerning socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, career stage, and education[3]. The age of participants ranges from 18 to 84 years old, with 58.9 per cent between 36 and 65 years old (n  ¼ 755). The natural demographic balance of men and women is reï ¬â€šected in the sample with 49.3 per cent men (n  ¼ 632) and 50.7 per cent women (n  ¼ 650). The proportion of people with a university degree or equivalent is 46.6 per cent (n  ¼ 598), whereas 33.8 per cent participants (n  ¼ 433) obtained an apprenticeship (up to ï ¬ ve years). There are 14.5 per cent participants (n  ¼ 186) who have a high school diploma as the highest educational level, whereas 5.1 per cent participants (n  ¼ 65) have only attended secondary school. There are 10.5 per cent (n  ¼ 135) participants who were studying at a university or at another institute of higher education at the time of our survey. Methodology and results Factor analysis As the ï ¬ rst step we conducted an exploratory factor analysis, a principal component analysis, in order to determine the underlying dimensions of the ï ¬ nancial attitudes and behavioural tendencies. The chosen solution with ï ¬ ve principal components was constructed using the varimax rotation technique and can explain 53.3 per cent of the total variance. Different opinions concerning what constitut es a high loading are found in the literature, e.g. 0.3 (Gardner, 2001). Here, the rotated factor loading of 0.5 was chosen as a threshold.