Data Analysis and Interpretation Research Paper

Data Analysis and Interpretation - Research Paper Example Using the value 0.05 level of significance, F-statistics, and an Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, the df num value is k-1, or 2 -1, or 1 and the df den value is T-k, or 150 - 2, or 148. So, with = 0.05, the critical value of F in this analysis of variance test was F0.05 (1, 148) = 253. Since computed F (FC) is less than Tabulated F (FT), Ho is accepted, which states that the British consumers' perception of "Rioja" wine attributes is affected by the image factors of "La Rioja" origin. In other words, the result of the "Analysis of Variance" (ANOVA) shows that the computed F, 1.117 is less than the tabular values of F-statistics, 253 at 0.05 degrees of freedom, 1, 148. This denotes that the British consumers' perception of "Rioja" wine attributes is affected by the image factors of "La Rioja" origin. The resultant R square value is 0.007. This is very far from the point of reference value 1. This shows that the correlation is not on the normal curve distribution. So, it is interpreted as very small positive correlation. In percentile (%), it is 0.7 which indicates significant differences in terms of the British consumers' perception of "Rioja" wine and the image factors of "La Rioja" origin. Moreover, because the R square value of 0.007 is not close to the adjusted R square value of 0.001, this signifies that the regression model is not fit for the data. The very small positive correlation denotes that the perception is uncorrelated with image or perception, it may be either large or small when the image is large and vice versa. This further implies that there is no systematic trend in British consumer's perception of "Rioja" wine as the image factors of "La Rioja" origin value increase. 2. Ho 2: The image of "La Rioja" origin has no direct influence on the British consumers' preference for "Rioja" wine; Data analysis on: Relationship of the image of "La Rioja" origin and the British consumers' preference for "Rioja" wine using analysis of variance (ANOVA) Relationship Computed F Tabulated F Interpretation Image versus Preference 334 253 Rejected Using 0.05 level of significance, F-statistics, and an Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, it was established that the df num value is k-1, or 2 -1, or 1 and the df den value is T-k, or 150 - 2, or 148. So, with = 0.05, the critical value of F in this analysis of variance test was F0.05 (1, 148) = 253. The computed F (FC) value is greater than Tabulated F (FT). Ho is rejected. This is because the result of the "Analysis of Variance" (ANOVA) shows that the computed F (334) is greater than the tabular values of F-statistics (253) at 0.05 degree of freedom (1, 148). This means that the image of "La Rioja" origin has direct influence on the British consumers' preference for "Rioja" wine Data analysis on: Correlation of the image of "La Rioja" origin and the British consumers' preference for "Rioja" wine Using coefficient of determination (R2) Correlation R2 Adjusted R2 Interpretation

Challenges for Measuring Fear of Crime

Challenges for Measuring Fear of Crime A case study on the difficulty and the progress of measuring fear of crime Fear of crime has been the centre of attention of scientific inquiry for nearly half a century. Scholars in this field have argued that fear of crime is directly correlated to experiences of deviant activity (Blakin, 1979; Skogan Maxfiend, 1981). Additionally, fear of crime was also reasoned in terms of the risk an individual is exposed to (Jackson, 2005). Others have focused on explaining fear of crime in terms of the influence of environmental factors (Wyant, 2008). Although there has been extensive research in terms of explaining fear of crime, contemporary scholars have recognised methodological limitations when analysing it (Farrall, 2005; Gray, Jackson and Farrall, 2008). For instance, fear of crime was measured as a dichotomous response (yes or no) to fear of crime. One example includes the questions that were asked in the British Crime Survey (BCS, now called the Crime Survey for England and Wales, CSEW): How safe do you feel walking alone in this area after dark?. Therefore, this paper will argue what limitations these old measurements have when measuring fear of crime, as well as discuss how the new methods of analysis contribute to the better understanding of fear of crime. Firstly, this essay will draw upon the limitations of measuring fear of crime. This includes discussing the problem with defining fear of crime. Secondly, this essay will explain what progress researchers in this field made in terms of measuring fear of crime. This i ncludes how and why these advances improved researchers understanding of fear of crime, as well as how these new methods improved the validity and reliability of measuring fear of crime. Lastly, this essay will identify some examples from the literature, in terms of how these new measures have enabled researchers to conduct better studies of measuring fear of crime. This includes the female and male paradoxes, among others. DEFINITION Although many attempts have been made by scholars to define fear of crime, there remains a confusion as to what fear of crime means, due to the reason that there is not a universal definition in place. Therefore, because there is no general agreed definition of fear of crime upon researchers, questions differ from survey to survey, serving as a limitation to the way it is measured. For instance, Ditton et al., (1999) defined fear as a term à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ encompassing a confusing variety of feelings, perspectives and risk-estimations and thus meaning different things to different people. Ferraro and LaGrange (1987) defined fear of crime as the negative emotional reaction generated by crime or symbols associated with crime. Ferraro (1995 cited in Gray et al., 2011) also defined it as emotional response of dread or anxiety to crime. From these two definitions, aside from the fact that they are both quite outdated definitions of fear of crime, they are also very simplified definitions, as they only focus on the term fear of crime, being generated only from criminal activity. However, more contemporary definitions of fear of crime were provided by Gray et al., (2010). They defined fear of crime by making two significant distinctions in terms of fear of crime as everyday worries and fear of crime as anxiety. The way they explained fear of crime, not only widens the spectrums in terms of what it is categorised as fear, but it also enables researchers to evaluate and conduct studies using more specific definitions, further allowing them to better understand this topic. OLDER MEASUREMENTS OF FEAR OF CRIME To begin with It is important to mention how the two way of measuring fear of crime had emerged from the theoretical point of view. Firstly, the old standard measurement of fear of crime, which started to emerge in the 1960s, developed from positivist ideas, by using data-driven models of research (Lorenc et al., 2014, p12). Additionally, it has also used observational research in order to identify factors which causes fear (Lorenc et al., 2014). Secondly, the new measurements, were developed on a more critical basis, using the foundation of sociology and criminology. Furthermore, the new development of measurement of fear of crime was also determined by the feminist ideas, as it explores a variety of attitudes and anxieties, that people experience in their daily lives fear (Lorenc et al., 2014). Although these two measurement of fear of crime, were developed from two different theories, the way they measured crime also different. For instance, the old positivist measurement, focused primarily on quantitative surveys, whereas the new critical measurements focused primarily on qualitative and ethnographic studies (Lorenc et al., 2014). With regards to, more recent research on the measurement fear of crime, both qualitative and quantitative research were used, in order to obtain more accurate and reliable data (Gray et al.,). The traditional single questions used to measure fear of crime is identified by researchers to be a formless measure, as it does not make any reference to real or specific offences. Therefore, it is still not certain if those question measured fear of crime, or measured any other approach (Ferraro LaGrange, 1987). For instance, on the British Crime Survey in 1995 questions such as How fearful are you when walking alone at night? were asked. Fearful is ambiguous in this question. The fear expressed by respondents may be about their physical or psychological circumstances, such as having a bad vision at night. In addition, the fear may also be expressed due to other factors, such as low street lightning. Therefore, it could be argued that those type of questions are mainly about fear of personal safety, rather than fear about crime (Radar, 2004). Questions about the validity of the instruments used to collect the data were also raised by various researchers (Gray et al., 1997 and Skogan Maxfiend, 1981). Additionally, the concept of fear of crime is being amplified from the research conducted via surveys (Farrall et al., 1997: 665-666). Furthermore, although some may argue that the traditional questions do measure fear of crime, those questions only measure general fear of crime, and not fear of certain type of offences (Gray et a.,). Therefore, participants might respond to questions based on offences they have experienced or offences they think about, rather than give specific, narrow answers. For instance, someone might think street robbery, while others might think of rape. It is important to specify the type of crime in questions about fear of crime, because the level of fear of crime that respondents experience, depend on different offences. One study shows that respondents expressed a higher level of fear of being a victim of burglary, when compared to the fear of being murdered (Warr and Stafford, 1983). It was also found that womens main reason of worry was being a victim of sexual attacks (Ferraro and Jackson, 1995). Nevertheless, the dichotomous single questions provide only two answers for respondents to choose from: yes or no. Therefore, it is difficult, if not impossible to precisely pinpoint the exact fears of crime experiences by the respondents. Additionally, because these questions measure broad areas, it is difficult to generalise different studies (Lane et al., 2014). For example, there is extensive research to show that females express a higher level of worry when are alone in the night, when compared to men (Ferraro, 1995). However, it can be argued that, the only reason women may express higher levels of fear is only because they are alone in the night, and not because females generally express a higher level of fear of crime. There is also a problem with perceived risk and fear of crime, in the formless measurements. For instance, LaGrange and Ferraro (1989) made a clear district ion between fear of crime and perceived risk. However, before this distinction, the surveys made no differentiation between these two concepts. Researchers who wanted to measure perceived risk of crime, used the same form of measurement used for fear of crime (La Grange and Ferraro, 1989). Also others have tried to measure fear of crime, as well as perceived risk of victimisation but they failed to distinguished between the two (Ferraro and Jackson, 1995). This could cause problems with the validity of the answers, as respondents might respond to experience of perceived risk, as fear of crime (Ferraro and Jackson, 1995). Various researcher also identified the problem with time. The earlier questions to measure fear of crime, does not include any time period; frequency (Farrall and Ditton, 1999). Due to this, some respondents might refer to their fear of crime, from an incident that happened years ago, while other might refer to an incident they witness recently (Nair, 1993). Problems with differentiating between frequency that fear of crime happens and the intensity of fear of crime also arises. These considerations are important because it is important to be able to make the distinguish between people who fear crime intensively and the frequency to which they experience those fears (Gray et al., 2008). Hough (2004) however opposes the view that these type of questions, require the need to know more about the frequency. He argues that researching the intensity of the fear is more important, than researching the frequency of the fear. He stated that: When we talk about mental states such as anxiety or worry, we are concerned with intensity, not frequency. Leaving aside acute anxiety attacks, anxiety is not comprised of a series of events that can be located in space and time (Hough, 2004, pp. 174). Although some researcher opposes the fact that frequency should be acknowledged when measuring fear of crime, Farrall (1997 cited in Jackson, 2008) found that when giving the respondents the opportunity to express their perceptions and feelings in detail (i.e. qualitative interview), showed that anxieties were happening rare. On the contrary, the old standard measurements revealed a more exaggerates image of the anxieties that respondents experience in their day to day life (Farrall, 1997 cited in Jackson, 2008). Old standard measures used to also ask respondents for a summary of the intensity of their worries. Researchers argued that, it is difficult to put emotions into writing, especially when the traditional questions were not clear, but where rather general (Jackson, 2005). Additionally, there is a problem with over-estimating the fear of crime. Researchers found that traditional measurements of fear of crime tend to exaggerate the results of the respondents. The reasons why this fear was amplified in the surveys, was because respondents summarised their most vivid and threatening experience of fear of crime as well as overestimated the frequency of those threatening experiences (Jackson, 2005). One example is from the 1995 British Crime Survey. it was found that there was a strong link between fear of crime, the experience of crime (which is either direct or indirect) and offences such a vandalism and drug use (Hough, 1995). Additionally, it was also found that fear of vehicle crime and mugging has increased since 1982 (Hough, 1995). It is difficult to say if those questions were accurately measured, due to the type of questions asked. NEWER MEASUREMENTS OF FEAR OF CRIME Various researchers have since modified the old standard questions used in the surveys such as British Crime Survey (Gray et el., 2008), as well as researchers who wanted to investigate fear of crime in their studies (Warr and Stafford, 1983, Fisher and May, 2008). For instance, Fisher and May (2009). They conducted a study, and asked questions about fear of four particular offences, rather than asking about fear of crime in general. By this, Fisher and May (2009) minimized the changes of obtaining measurement error, as respondents only had to measure fear of crime in relation to those type of crime. Furthermore, this type of questions not only diminishes the chances of measurement error, but also improves validity and reliability of data obtained from those responses (Jackson, 2005). Lastly, this also makes the questions clear and unambiguous, unlike the standard old measures of fear of crime. Other researchers such as Smith and Hill (1991) developed questions which have more specific context; such as: inside, outside, day, night, etc. These type of questions also adds to the validity and reliability of the questions, when compared to the non-specific questions. The scale of which the questions are answered was also modified in order to obtain more accurate and more unambiguous responses on fear of crime. For instance, the traditional questions used a two way answer (yes;no), whereas the new questions used the Likert-scale questions (Lane et al., 2014). For examples, researchers such as Fisher and Sloan (2003) used for their studies a 10-point scale (such as 1 being not afraid and 10 being very afraid). Gray et al., (2008) also used Liked scale (i.e. 1 being not worried and 5 being very worried). The new measurements of fear of crime also include questions about frequency and intensity of the fear/worry/anxiety felt by the respondents. These new questions were not taken into account when the old standard questions were used. However, when the new questions started to be integrated into the fear of crime measurement questions about the frequency and intensity of fear of crime, it could be seen that fear of crime was not as frequent as one might think, as often respondents answers using the traditional survey was exaggerated due to the measurement error caused (Farrall et al., 2004). Nevertheless, the standards question, never asked the frequency of the fear, until the new measurements of fear of crime started to take control (Gray et al.; Jackson, 2005). The newer critical measurements of fear of crime used in its questions terms such as worry, rather than fear of anxiety (Jackson, 2005). It is suggested that although it is difficult to predict how respondents understand these terms, terms such as fear or anxiety could have a negative impact, as well as ambiguous responses to questions. One reason for this could be because fear is understood, as a present respond to a stimulus, as well as anxiety. It is believed that these two words have a strong significance, which in turn could have a negative impact on peoples responses (i.e. exaggeration) (Jackson, 2005). However, the term worry could be a better word due to the fact that it includes a mental state, a concern about potential danger à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a chain of thoughts and images about an unpleasant and uncertain outcome (Jackson, 2005, p. 301). Although it is believed by researchers (Farrell, 1997; Gray et al, 2008; Jackson, 2005) that the newer forms of measuring fear of crime are more accurate, some researchers still argue that even these measures have its flaws. Due to these flaws, these measures can lack validity and reliability. Some people might be more influenced, than other by certain factors, which in turn can make them report a higher level of worry (Jackson, 2005). For instance, those who reported the highest level of worry, were most likely to live in the low crime areas, experience fewer victimisation levels, as well as know fewer people who experience crime (Jackson et al, 2008 cited in Farrall and Lee, 2008). Media is also believed to be an important factor, which influences peoples perception of fear of crime, as well as perceived risk. Also, knowing people who have been exposed to victimisation can also increase respondents fear of crime. (Jackson et al., 2008 cited in Farrall and Lee, 2008). THE BENEFITS OF USING NEW MEASUREMENTS OF FEAR OF CRIME However, although researchers believe these new forms of measurements can also attract ambiguous responses, these measurements, are the most advanced and accurate methods that exist today to measure fear of crime. For instance, due to the advancements of measuring fear of crime, it allowed researchers to distinguish between experiential and expressive fear of crime (Jackson et al., 2009). The experiential being the former, whilst the expressive fear of crime being the latter. A research was conducted and it was found that on one hand lower income areas with more crimes, experienced more experiential fear of crime, whilst on the other hand it has was found the expressive far was correlated with the sympathy expressed for the victims (Jackson et. al, 2009). These conclusions were drawn using questions about experience of fear of crime, as well as the frequency of fear experience by the respondents (Jackson et al., 2009). Additionally, Jackson (2008 cited in Farrall and Lee, 2008) also identified functional fear. This is when individuals who are worried about crime, in order to protect themselves, take precautionary measures, which in turn it does not affect their daily life, but makes it better. The new methods of measuring fear of crime were also beneficial in terms of distinguishing between the levels of fear of crime amongst men and women. For instance, it is well known about the fear paradox. References Balkin, S. (1979). Victimization Rates, Safety and Fear of Crime. Social Problems, 26(3), pp.343-358. Ditton, J., Bannister, J., Gilchrist, E. And Farrall, S. (1999). Afraid or Angry? Recalibrating the fear of Crime. International Review of Victimology, 6(2), pp.83-99. Farrall, S. And Ditton, J. (1999). Improving the measurement of attitudinal responses: An example from a crime survey. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2(1), pp.55-68 Ferraro, K. And Grange, R. (1987). The Measurement of Fear of Crime. Sociological Inquiry, 57(1), pp.70-97. Gray, E., Jackson, J. And Farrall, S. (2008). Reassessing the Fear of Crime. European Journal of Criminology, 5(3), pp.363-380. Gray, E., Jackson, J. And Farrall, S. (2010). Feelings and Functions in the Fear of Crime: Applying a New Approach to Victimisation Insecurity. British Journal of Criminology, 51(1), pp.75-94. Hough, M. (2004). Worry about crime: mental events or mental states?. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 7(2), pp.173-176 Jackson, J. (2005). Validating New Measures of the Fear of Crime. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(4), pp.297-315. Jackson, P. And Ferraro, K. (1995). Fear of Crime: Interpreting Victimization Risk. Contemporary Sociology, 25(2), p.246. Lagrange, r. And ferraro, k. (1989). Assessing age and gender differences in perceived risk and fear of crime. Criminology, 27(4), pp.697-720. Lane, J., Rader, N., Henson, B. And May, D. (2014). Fear of crime in the United States: Causes, Consequences, and Contradictions. 1st ed. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. Nair, G., Ditton, J. And Phillips, S. (1993). Environmental Improvements and the fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology, 33(4), pp.555-561. Rader, n. (2004). The threat of victimization: a theoretical reconceptualization of fear of crime. Sociological Spectrum, 24(6), pp.689-704. Skogan, W. And Maxfield, M. (1981). Coping with crime. 1st ed. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications. Warr, M. And Stafford, M. (1983). Fear of Victimization: A Look at the Proximate Causes. Social Forces, 61(4), pp.1033-1043 Wyant, B. (2008). Multilevel Impacts of Perceived Incivilities and Perceptions of Crime Risk on Fear of Crime: Isolating Endogenous Impacts. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 45(1), pp.39-64.

The Story Of Isaak :: essays research papers

The story of Isaac . In telling the story of Isaac it is very important to tell about his father Abram . Once Lord ordered Abram to leave his country , his people and his father's household and to go to the land that God was going to show him . After that God made promises which were fulfilled inthe rest of the Genesis. The first was making Abram into a great nation . Naturally question arises : how can man be made into a great nation ? The answer is that through one's heir that in it's term will give more and more heirs (children) one can be made into nation . Than God promised that he would bless Abram , making his name great, that he would bless those who bless him , that he wold curse those who curse him and finally that through Abram all nations would be blessed. At that time Abram was seventy five years old , so he followed the Lord's will and took his wife Sarai , nephew Lot and moved to Canaan. While Abram was travelling at the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shehem , God appeared to him and told that through his offspring he would receive that land . Because there was a famine in that land Abram went to Egypt. But there was a problem . Abram knew how beautiful his wife Sarai was, also he knew what would happen to her if Egyptians saw her ; moreover he knew what would happen to him if they would have learned that Abraham was her husband- he would be dead . So they decided to pretend as if she was his sister . But once Pharaoh's officials saw her so they took her to the palace . Sarai became Pharaoh's wife , Pharaoh in his term treated well to Abraham(he gave cattle, sheep, different servants).But the Lord inficted serious deseases on Egypt , Pharaoh understood that that was all because of Sarai and he gave back her to Abram . Then he made orders about them to his men and they sent him on his way . All that time Lot was with them . They came to Negev , after that they moved to Bethel, there Abraham called on the name of the Lord . Land could not support allof them while they stayed together , for their posessions where so great .

Marijuana Use: An Ethical Examination Essay -- legalization of marijuan

Works Cited Missing Instead of addressing the tiresome argument about whether or not marijuana should be legalized in the United States, I would like to examine a much more fundamental question: whether or not it is right to use the drug. This problem is strictly an ethical one. If we are to examine only the moral implications of the action then we must discard governmental laws from the equation, for this decision could be made anywhere, at any time, under any sort of governmental regime, under any set of laws, which after all are only that particular government’s best guess at morality and who’s to say their judgment is any better than yours? Knowing that this decision is a rather daunting one, I’ve enlisted the help of three friends, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and John Stuart Mill, to aid in the decision making process. It just so happens that they are experts in the field of ethics. Aristotle is an ancient Greek philosopher, really the first philosopher to use the word â€Å"ethics†. His major book on ethics is titled Nicomachean Ethics (Bostock 1). In order to understand Nicomachean Ethics and apply it, we must first understand how Aristotle viewed the world. Aristotle sees the world in terms of ends, purposes, and functions. In nature, the end of the acorn is to become an oak tree. In human affairs, the end of architecture is to produce buildings; of shipbuilding, to produce ships; of medicine, to promote health. Humans too have a function, an ultimate end; this Aristotle calls eudaimonia. The traditional translation is happiness, but this translation is misleading. To put it most aptly eudaimonia â€Å"connotes overall success and prosperity and achievement, though it also connotes something that we may call... ... the world would most likely be made up of people enjoying pleasure, something that can not really be considered bad. Many would argue that the world would be full of drug addicts, but this is not the world that we have set up. According to our perceived duty, all must use marijuana in moderation, and to use it to excess would be just as offensive to the duty as would be not using it at all. We have now heard from three very distinguished Moral philosophers, and all have said that moderate use of marijuana is not a bad thing, one even calling it our duty. The most common type of actual moral reasoning is a loose combination or confusion of methods (Sweet 4). So, if we combine all that we have heard, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that the use of marijuana, as a bodily pleasure, is morally justifiable, probably more so than not using the drug.

Perfect Competition

Perfect Competition In  economic theory,  perfect competition  describes markets such that no participants are large enough to have the  market power  to set the price of a homogeneous product. Because the conditions for perfect competition are strict, there are few if any perfectly competitive markets. Still, buyers and sellers in some  auction-type markets, say for  commodities  or some financial assets, may approximate the concept. Perfect competition serves as a benchmark against which to measure real-life and  imperfectly competitive  markets.Generally, a perfectly competitive market exists when every participant is a â€Å"price taker†, and no participant influences the price of the product it buys or sells. Specific characteristics may include: * Infinite buyers and sellers  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ An infinite number of consumers with the willingness and ability to buy the product at a certain price, and infinite producers with the willingness and ability to supp ly the product at a certain price. * Zero entry and exit barriers  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ A lack of entry and exit barriers makes it extremely easy to enter or exit a perfectly competitive market. Perfect factor mobility  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ In the long run  factors of production  are perfectly mobile, allowing free long term adjustments to changing market conditions. * Perfect information  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ All consumers and producers are assumed to have perfect knowledge of price, utility, quality and production methods of products. * Zero transaction costs  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Buyers and sellers do not incur costs in making an exchange of goods in a perfectly competitive market. * Profit maximization  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Firms are assumed to sell where marginal costs meet marginal revenue, where the most profit is generated. Homogenous products  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The qualities and characteristics of a market good or service do not vary between different suppliers. * Non-increasing returns to scale  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ The lack of increa sing returns to scale (or economies of scale) ensures that there will always be a sufficient number of firms in the industry. * Property rights  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Well defined property rights determine what may be sold, as well as what rights are conferred on the buyer. In the short run, perfectly-competitive markets are not  productively efficient  as output will not occur where marginal cost is equal to average cost (MC=AC).They are  allocatively efficient, as output will always occur where  marginal cost  is equal to  marginal revenue(MC=MR). In the long run, perfectly competitive markets are both allocatively and productively efficient. In perfect competition, any profit-maximizing producer faces a  market price  equal to its  marginal cost  (P=MC). This implies that a factor's price equals the factor's marginal revenue product. It allows for derivation of the supply curve on which the neoclassical approach is based. This is also the reason why â€Å"a monopoly doe s not have a supply curve†.The abandonment of price taking creates considerable difficulties for the demonstration of a general equilibrium except under other, very specific conditions such as that of monopolistic competition. By definition a perfectly competitive market is one in which no single firm has to influence either the equilibrium price of the market or the the total quantity supplied in the market. Thus, a firm operating in a competitive market has no incentive to supply at a price lower than market equilibrium price, as it can sell all it wants to supply at equilibrium.At the same time, the firm cannot sell at price higher than the market price, because it will be able find no buyers at that price, and its sales volume will drop down to zero. Thus, a firm operating in perfectly competitive market has to accept whatever is the market equilibrium price, and therefore it is called a price taker. In contrast, a monopoly firm is the only supplier in the market and there fore has full control over the market prices and total market supplies.Therefore, a firm operating in a monopoly market fixes its price in such a way that for the quantity demanded by customers at that market price the marginal revenue of the firm is equal to its marginal costs. In this way way it decides the market price as well as the total quantity if a commodity supplied in the market, and therefore it is called a price maker. Imperfect Competition In  economic theory,  imperfect competition  is the competitive situation in any market where the sellers in the market sell different/dissimilar of goods, (haterogenous) that does not meet the conditions of perfect competition.Forms of imperfect competition include: * Monopoly, in which there is only one seller of a good. * Oligopoly, in which there are few sellers of a good. * Monopolistic competition, in which there are many sellers producing highly differentiated goods. * Monopsony, in which there is only one buyer of a good . * Oligopsony, in which there are few buyers of a good. * Information asymmetry  when one competitor has the advantage of more or better information. There may also be imperfect competition due to a time lag in a market. An example is the â€Å"jobless recovery†.There are many growth opportunities available after a recession, but it takes time for employers to react, leading to high  unemployment. High unemployment decreases wages, which makes hiring more attractive, but it takes time for new jobs to be created. A type of  market that does not operate under the rigid rules of perfect competition. Perfect competition implies an industry or market in which no one supplier can influence prices, barriers to entry and exit are small, all suppliers offer the same goods, there are a large number of   suppliers and buyers, and information on pricing and process is readily available.Forms of imperfect competition include monopoly, oligopoly, monopolistic competition, monopson y and oligopsony. Pure Competition Pure Competition  is a market situation where there is a large number of independent sellers offering identical products. Pure competition is a term for an industry where competition isstagnant and relatively non competitive. Companies within the pure competition category have little control of price or distribution of product. Advertising, market research, and product development play a very little role in these companies/industries.A  market  characterized by a large  number  of independent  sellers  of standardized  products, free  flow  of information, and  free entry  and  exit. Each seller is a â€Å"price taker† rather than a â€Å"price maker†. Also sometimes referred to as  perfect competition,  pure  competition  is a situation in which the market for a product is populated with so many consumers and producers that no one entity has the ability to influence the price of the product sufficien tly to cause a fluctuation.Within this type of market setting, sellers are considered to be price takers, indicating that they are not in a position to set the price for their products outside a certain range, given the fact that so many other producers are active within the market. At the same time, consumers have little influence over the prices offered by the producers, since there is no singular group of consumers that dominates the demand. In reality,  pure  competition  is more  theory  than actual fact.While there are rare situations in which a marketplace functions with  pure  competition  for a short period of time, the situation normally shifts as various factors change the stalemate created by a multiplicity of sellers and buyers. This is often due to the somewhat stringent set of factors that must be present in order for the  competition  to be considered perfect or  pure. There are several essential characteristics that define  pure  competitio n. One has to do with the balance of buyers to sellers.When there is an infinite number of buyers who are willing to purchase the products offered for sale by an infinite number of producers, at a certain price, the opportunity for anyone to take actions that shift the market price is extremely limited. The price remains more or less the same, and the same number of buyers purchase the products from the same range of producers. With  pure  competition, sellers can easily exit or enter the marketplace, without creating any undue influence on the price. Consumers continue to make purchases at the same rate, even if two companies leave the market and only one new one enters.The collective producers who are still in the market simply continue to produce enough products to meet consumer demand, without a shift in market price. Businesses engaged in a  pure  competition  market usually structure production so that they incur marginal costs at a level where they can earn the most profit. When the product line is homogeneous, this means the products produced are essentially the same as the product line produced by other  suppliers  in the marketplace. Assuming the costs are in line withmarginal revenue, the business can generate a consistent profit for as long as the condition of  pure  competition  is present in the market.

Jasper Jones Essay

In Craig Silveys outrageous novel Jasper Jones, the younger characters are faced with a loss of innocence. They have to find out the hard way the world is not what it’s portrayed to be. Throughout the novel the characters are dragged through violence, destruction and death and uncover the truth about mysteries and lies. Body Paragraph 1 Throughout the novel Charlie the protagonist, has lost most the innocence out of all the characters and has to learn to truth about a lot of things. Over the â€Å"hottest summer in Corrigan† Charlie is confronted about many truths including the truth behind the myth of Mad Jack Lionel and the truth behind his mother’s hurtful behaviour. However the truth that has the biggest impact on Charlie has to be the dark secret that jasper exposes Charlie to. Charlies visions of the world, his way of life are about to change forever. Charlie’s exposure to Laura’s suicide and the events leading up to it force him to confront the darkness in the world and as a result he loses his last shred of innocence. The truths Charlie comes to realise and the actions he takes are shown near the end of the novel when he says I â€Å"finally have the right words in me.† Body Paragraph 2 In the novel jasper is seen as an outcast by most of Corrigan, and is treated this way as well. Jasper has already matured to a certain point but there are still things that he hasn’t realised the truth about yet. Jasper has to overcome the truth about his mother and the truth about Mad Jack being his grandad and the truth behind Laura’s suicide. Laura’s suicide took Jaspers last bit of innocence from him he had to find out who committed this terrible crime and he wanted to bring them to justice. Jaspers mentality changes throughout the whole novel and when he finally admits Laura’s gone. Jasper decides to leave Corrigan for good and this is a sign of maturity. Body Paragraph 3 Jeffrey Is Charlies best friend and neighbour. Jeffery is Vietnamese living in the 1960s in an Australian town, and he has to grow up with adversity and  realisation of the truth that he is an outcast because of his race. Jeffery has quite a lot of maturing to do, supporting this is the extremely stupid conversations he and Charlie sometimes have. Jeffery has realised that it doesn’t matter what anyone says to him he had to believe in himself and Jeffery got his time to shine. He has come to realise the horrible truth that his family is not respected and is seen as a lower class of society and come to realise that whatever race you are dictates your â€Å" status † in the community. His mentality also changes throughout the entire novel. By the end of the novel he believes in himself and has earned his respect in the community. Body Paragraph 4 Eliza doesn’t really make an appearance in the novel until about halfway through, but by that time we are shown that Eliza is already quite matured and grown up. Eliza has to realise that her sister committed suicide to escape her violent father and Eliza come to the realise the truth about human nature that it isn’t all nice smiles and hellos people hurt other people on purpose just because they want to. Eliza shows just how grown up at the end of the novel when she sets her house on fire to try to escape from the harsh memories. Conclusion In conclusion all the characters in the novel were greatly affected by Laura’s death it lit a fuse that made the whole town explode into utter chaos and Jasper Charlie and Eliza were stuck In the middle of it. In addition all of the character had to grow up in their own way just to survive in this small outback town.

Compare the advertising campaigns for Benetton and Barnardos Essay

â€Å"Advertising is a form of communication that typically attempts to persuade potential customers to purchase or to consume more of a particular brand of product or service.† 1 Advertising is used to either attract an audience’s attention, an audience to a product or cause or to persuade the audience the merit or desirability of the product or cause. Advertisers do this by defining the qualities of a product, highlighting the difference to other products or by using emotional appeal, stressing peer pressure, using aspiration, fear or stressing the benefits to the consumer’s lifestyle. The main focus of this essay is to compare advertising methods and campaigns employed by Benetton and Bernardos, one for selling clothes and the other trying to help children in need. Bernardos’ campaign is trying to achieve an awareness of child abuse, giving an image of a child in the place of an adult in situations ranging from standing on top of a large building to being about to use heroin or some other form of drug. By using these emotional images of children in an adult situation it emotionally blackmails us into donating to their cause because adults are accountable for their mistakes, which children are basked in innocence, to have this ripped from under them is like defiling the greatest gift and because Bernardo’s uses children instead of adults in these situations makes us even more emotional even though they are the fake pictures, while they can be considered more shocking than images used by Benetton. Text used with each image is also emotionally moving and makes the audience want to help. The image of â€Å"Martin Ward age 29† shows a young boy standing atop a handrail on a large building looking down against a background of dull, grey and large buildings. The background is almost colourless except the very top right corner, with the Bernardos advert on top of the only sky in the image, which is a grey-blue. This represents a bleak life for the persona in the image, except one small part which seems to be being almost guarded by the Bernardos logo. Also the use of colourful clothing on the child shows us that though he is put into an adult situation and his life is bleak, childishness remains and isn’t completely destroyed. The use of yellow on the clothing can seem to represent hope due to yellow being the perceived colour of light. â€Å"Made to feel worthless as a child, it was hardly surprising that Martin could see no other way out† by using this text they highlight on how the bleak landscape may be that of his own mind and what he believes, and though a child is being used to stand on the handrail it could infact either be the last of Martin’s childhood and innocence or that Martin, aged 29 had jumped off a rooftop to his death because of his childhood and so, the child in him is the one who committed suicide. By using and giving a name to the image, it creates a link to reality. An ordinary picture could be fake, it isn’t alive and can’t affect most people yet you give that persona in the picture a name and all of a sudden it’s like it’s alive and people either shy away and ignore it, or get up and believe in a cause and by doing so, this adds even more power to the extremely power of the image and text. Benetton’s campaign is trying to sell a product by using racial stereotypes to highlight our own stereotypes and stereotypical views in their first campaign, then going on to use real extreme or violent images to ask us why we accept how violent the world in whole is and why we do nothing to stop such atrocities. Benetton’s â€Å"Rice in hand† ad is black to cause the audience to be alerted to the advertisement, while making the audience think about the poorest people in the eastern world and how little they have. The open palm can be interpreted as a hand asking for help because of so little they have. The â€Å"Rice in hand† ad is focusing on our essential needs, thus the use of a plain background, only an open palm which can symbolize friendship or peace, and the bare essential food we need, cutting out the luxuries that the west can afford. However the white background could also present the idea that white people in history have been seen as a â€Å"superior† race and so have encroached on black people’s lands and taken it from them until they are left with their own bare minimums. Both of these make people want to break the stereotype of the hoarding white man and the poor black man. Where as the â€Å"Handcuffs† ad is showing a white man and black man connected at the wrist by hand cuffs, they also appear to be wearing blue prison overalls. The handcuff around the black man’s wrist appears to be tighter because of the veins being more visible but this may be coincidence. This ad draws the audience to think about cultural stereotypes of black males as trouble makers where as white people are seen as average; normal and yet the handcuffs may be seen as a link between races, that we are both on the Earth together yet we are separated, thus the only link is the handcuffs which are forcefully put there. The purpose of this advert is to show the links between the races and how we racially or culturally stereotype each other and though we may not want to be with the other race, we have to. The target audience is everyone who is able to consider these ideas as sooner or later lots of people are subjected to racism, be it causing it or fighting it. Both these adverts are trying to raise awareness of the way different races come into contact with each other and have racial or cultural stereotypes. Benetton have exploited this to sell their products. They have no intention of giving their profits to starving people in Africa with less than the minimum needed, or to make bridges between white and black communities, instead they use these images to make the potential customer think about the advert and this causes it to become stuck in their head which is known to increase chances of buying the product. The slogan of â€Å"United colors by Benetton† also factors into this because it almost tricks the buyer into thinking that their money is going to a good cause. The images used are from real situations are intended to shock by means of style, layout, central focus or colour. They also raise awareness of issues while selling a product and I believe it is right to use real images of human suffering in this way because it brings the troubles of the world into the fuzzy pink clouds that are our norm and by interrupting that normality people complain, to which you can reply â€Å"Then why aren’t you doing anything?† If it takes a clothing company to exploit these images to make people believe in helping and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy then images of real human suffering should definitely be used. The general style for the second campaign is much more extreme and violent than the first which originally prayed on stereotypes; the second campaign used shock to instill care into people. â€Å"We need to have images that will make people think and discuss. Ad agencies are obsolete, they’re out of touch with the times; they’re far too comfortable. When the client is happy, they stop trying. They don’t want to know what’s going on in the world. They create a false reality and want people to believe in it. We show reality and we’re criticized for it.†2 The second campaigns images forced people to examine their reactions to violent images outside of the TV where they were accepted as normal, and not realized how truly horrific they were until now. The â€Å"Death of AIDS Victim† or â€Å"La Pietà  Ã¢â‚¬  ad is extremely moving because the settings, the people in the image are like that of Jesus and yet this is an AIDS victim being compared to the son of God and yet the grief is the same, loved ones and a priest. The image of the wasted corpse, ravaged by disease is enough to burn into someone’s memory without the loved ones crying and it also gives it a sense of reality and despair and it is because of this reality that people block it because they aren’t strong enough to have their safe world penetrated by the reality of the world and it’s violent nature. â€Å"Michelangelo’s Pietà   during the Renaissance might be fake, Jesus Christ may never have existed. That was real promotion. But we know this death has happened. This is the thing. And the more real the thing is, the less people want to see it.†2 Bernardo’s uses fake images of children in the place of adults in extreme adult situations to make us more emotional and likely to donate to their cause, yet this is seen as acceptable while people should be angry they are effectively being blackmailed emotionally and yet Benetton uses real life images and is criticized. â€Å"Shocking violence in the news is normal, but when you take the same photo out of the news and put a Benetton logo on it, people pause and reflect on their position on the problem. When they can’t come to terms with it, they get mad at us.†2 and yet it is these images that we should be happier about compared to the fakes supplied by Bernardo’s. â€Å"It seems that an advertisement which misleads the consumer with deception and lies is considered more correct†2 and this is true with life, because people don’t want reality, they want their perfect worlds where bad things happen to other people far, far away with no consequences on them, yet when the bad things happen to other people far, far away and are brought to them they are outraged. â€Å"people don’t want news, they want olds†3 â€Å"It has always intrigued me how fakes have been accepted and reality is rejected.†2 After analysis, the Bernardo’s campaign seems better equipped to achieve its purpose because it uses image which though still troubling, is deemed less so than that of Benetton’s. Also because it uses fake images instead of real ones, context is added and so people are able to keep their bubbles of saneness that the world’s violence desperately wants to burst. Although Barnardos seeks to get its audience to give for a good cause, it does it through deceit, lies and emotional blackmail though the end justifies the means and it is seen as acceptable while Benetton’s campaign images gives real life at its core it does so for what is seen as the wrong reasons and so is shunned and criticized. Bibliography: 1 – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advertising 2 – Oliviero Toscani 3 – â€Å"The Truth: A Novel of Discworld† http://www.amazon.com/review/R3LV503LWFE65Z