In Defense of Darkness Rhetorical Analysis Essay - 1134 Words

In Holly Wren Spaulding’s essay, â€Å"In Defense of Darkness,† her main claim is that we have fallen away from darkness and immersed ourselves in a society of lightness. Furthermore, she claims this has lead humans to lose touch with basic human emotion as well as the sensual and spiritual experience true darkness has to offer. Spaulding makes this claim evident through exceptional use of personal testimony and copious appeals to value. Spaulding begins her essay with a detailed personal testimony that describes the deep emotional connection she feels for darkness. In part of the second paragraph she states, â€Å"the sky and shore and water were all one inky darkness though stars sparkled on the watery surface,† (83). This description of the†¦show more content†¦She takes advantage of her passion for the darkness as a way of persuading her side of the argument, placing greater favor upon the peacefulness in darkness versus chaos in the light. Also her description of her emotions when she is surrounded by darkness suggests that our busy lives in the light have taken relaxation away from our lives; darkness helps us fall back into simpler times and serenity. Next, Spaulding places her appeals to value upon the light/urbanism. She states, â€Å"We modern, industrial, technological Homo sapiens favor light,† (84). This is the start of her counterargument; she explains the importance of light in our technological society. Spaulding shows how it has become a security blanket that has caused us to slowly move away from darkness, almost as if it was an enemy. Which brings her to consumer capitalism and how institutions draw us into products taking advantage of light and brightness. Because consumer capitalism is a way for institutions to control us, Spaulding is suggesting that they are in control of the obsession with light; they make sure it surrounds us showing us â€Å"the action is here, this is the thing to buy, we are open for business, this is the way,† (84). While the previous paragraphs considered the value we place upon light and served as a part of Spaulding’s counter argument, it also built up for her qualifying argument. She has acknowledged that humans prefer light and claims â€Å"But why notShow MoreRelatedStrategy Safari by Mintzberg71628 Words   |  287 Pagesway to ensure that strategy is controlled in one mind is to keep the process simple (182). However, this point, together with the first, forced Andrews to tread a fine line throughout his text between nonconscious intuition on one side and formal analysis on the other, a position he characterized as an act of judgment (108). This distinguishes the design school from the entrepreneurial school on one side and the planning and especially positioning schools on the other. 4. Strategies should be oneRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Chan ge.163893 Words   |  656 Pageslamentable. Taken together, the key themes and processes that have been selected as the focus for each of the eight essays provide a way to conceptualize the twentieth century as a coherent unit for teaching, as well as for written narrative and analysis. Though they do not exhaust the crucial strands of historical development that tie the century together—one could add, for example, nationalism and decolonization—they cover in depth the defining phenomena of that epoch, which, as the essays demonstrateRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesReasons ................................................................................................ 236 Deceiving with Loaded Language ................................................................................................... 238 Using Rhetorical Devices .................................................................................................................. 240 Review of Major Points .............................................................................................

Shopping Addiction Free Essays

What Shopping Can Lead To What is shopping? Is shopping something we do for fun, for fashion, or to make us happy? Is shopping in our culture? Is shopping something we have learned from our parents, growing up? Shopping can be defined in many ways, but when does shopping become a problem? In â€Å"Shopping Spree, or Addiction† by Heather Hatfield, MD, she says â€Å"shopping can be one of America’s favorite past-times, but shopping can also lead to a self-destructive addiction that will cause financial disaster (1-2). I’ll be going over two main factors, credit cards and the mall environment, that cause a shopping addiction, along with the type of illness, depression, that also causes a shopping addiction. I’ll also talk about the treatment individuals go through to overcome the addiction. We will write a custom essay sample on Shopping Addiction or any similar topic only for you Order Now The dictionary definition of shopping is the act of a person who shops. It does not define an overreaction to shopping. What is an overreaction to shopping? It’s a shopping addiction. A shopping addiction is referred to as shopoholism, and is just as unhealthy as alcoholism, drug abuse, and gambling. In some cases there are similarities amongst these addictions. For instance, alcoholics will hide their bottles, and shopaholics will hide their purchases. Having a shopping and spending addiction is defined as being inappropriate, excessive, and out of control. â€Å"Like other addictions, it has to do with impulsiveness and lack of control over one’s impulse. In America, shopping is embedded in our culture; so often, the impulsiveness comes out as excessive shopping,† says Donald Black, MD (quoted in Hatifield 1-2). A article by David Futrelle, who is a licensed psychologist and prominent researcher of Shopoholism, states that shopoholism is an impulse control problem rather being an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). For an example, a person with OCD will wash their hands and find relief whereas a compulsive shopper will get a high. The euphoria compulsive shoppers feel keeps them coming back for more, and more, and more (Futrelle). Individuals who are compulsive shoppers aren’t able to control their behavior through rational considerations. They will not be concerned if they don’t have enough money to pay. Since credit is so easily available, it makes it easy for people to spend, but before they know it they will find themselves in debt. The word credit card is in almost every shopaholic’s story. But it’s not credit cards that cause shopping addictions. According to statistics most individuals who develop this addiction are in their early twenties. Normally, this is after they get their first real job and their first credit card. It’s not just shopaholics who have problems spending with credit cards. It’s everyone. Using credit cards is easier, and we feel like we got it for free because no money has come out of our pocket, just not yet anyway. People who use credit instead of cash tend to spend 20%-30% more than someone who is paying with cash† says Gary Herman, director of counseling services for consolidated credit (quoted in Futrelle). With all the spending that’s going on the debt keeps piling up. Individuals won’t know how much debt they are in. Eventually individuals will go into denial on how much they really spent and owe back. People will end up owing back twice as much as they thought they did. Credit cards aren’t to blame for addictive shopping; they just play a big part in a person’s life who is addicted to shopping. The way malls, stores, and advertisements are set up plays a big part on how people spend. Advertisers influence people to shop and spend more. Malls and shops are set up to attract people with their displays. For instance, people can go into their favorite store and there could be a sale. Of course the shopper will buy more than they really need because they feel like they have gotten a deal. â€Å"In a way malls and stores seduce us to buy, and it can lead to an addiction† says James J. Farrell who is a professor of history at St. Olaf College (53-55). Companies also will use their slogans to get people to buy and spend more. Take BMW for instance, their slogan is â€Å"The Ultimate Driving Machine. † This slogan tricks people into thinking that if they don’t own a BMW then whatever car they do own is not good enough. Other catchy slogans include Levi jeans, â€Å"You Walk a Little Taller in Levis† or Visa â€Å"Everywhere You Want to be. † Companies use these tactics to persuade people to spend and spend and spend, attracting the shopalcholics until individuals can’t spend any more. Nine million people in America suffer from shopoholism, and it’s more common in women. There have been studies conducted to see if addictions are genetic. â€Å"About 10%-15% may have a genetic predisposition to an addictive behavior† says Ruth Engs, MD (quoted in Hatifield 1). As reported by Dr. Adrienne Backer â€Å"There is a strong link between compulsive shopping and an inadequate maternal relationship (quoted in Futrelle). † Frequently the mother was depressed or absent emotionally causing the daughter to develop a low self-esteem, resulting in the daughter turning to shopping to feel happy (Futrelle). In reality people who have a shopping addiction are covering up a low self-esteem. Dr. Louise Chang who is a physician at Grady Memorial hospital states that the endorphins, dopamine, and  naturally occurring opiate receptors get switched on in the brain, and people will feel a high that makes them feel good about themselves for that short amount of time while shopping. The causes of addictions and why addicts will continue their destructive behaviors remain uncertain. Most individuals who suffer from compulsive shopping have a history of psychological problems and difficulties at home, and this plays a huge part in forming this compulsion (Chang 1). There are many warning signs to look out for in individuals who are addicted to shopping. Some of the signs to look out for are spending over budget, compulsive buying, being obsessed with money, and feeling lost without credit cards or cash. Having a shopping addiction will cause arguments with other family members about the individual’s shopping habits. A shopping addiction is a vicious cycle that keeps repeating itself. For most people shopping is going to the mall with friends or to buy the latest style, but for compulsive shoppers, shopping makes them feel good. About ninety years ago German psychologist, Emil Kraepelin defined excessive shopping as an illness calling it â€Å"onioman,† (quoted in Velez-Mitchell 20-25) but only recently it’s being understood as a disorder. After individuals shop they feel guilty or depressed about how much they spent. In some cases individuals will feel so guilty they will go back to the store and return the merchandise thinking they will feel relief. Again once they return home they find the guilt has gone away, but then they will feel anxious. The outcome of feeling anxious will lead to another shopping spree. It’s an ongoing cycle. More than half the time shopping addicts have to hide their problem from loved ones to avoid arguments. Individuals will let merchandise pile up in their car until loved ones aren’t home. Then they take their purchases inside. In marriages, one will have secret bank accounts or credit cards to avoid confrontation with their significant other about spending money. Just like any other addiction it takes a toll on family relationships or personal relationships. Individuals will spend every extra minute they have at the mall instead of being home. Individuals will also isolate themselves from others because they become preoccupied with their behavior. Before one notices that their partner has a problem, they usually are in debt for $75,000 or more. The husband or wife is equally responsible for the debt their significant other has obtained. Usually this addiction will ruin a relationship, and if one is married it will end with divorce, which is stated by Jane Velez Mitchell who is an awarding winning journalist and bestselling author (192-198). Is there a cure for someone who has a shopping addiction? The answer is yes. The first thing to do it to admit one has a problem. There are different levels of a shopaholic. Individuals will have to find a debtors anonymous 12 step program to go to. This program is important for ongoing support and maintenance. Individuals will also have to go through credit counseling. â€Å"There are no standard treatments for shopping addictions† says Donald Black, MD (quoted in Hatifield 1-2). There is one type of medication that is given to people with a shopping addiction and that is an antidepressant, called Celexa. The cause of a shopping addiction results in the individual being depressed, and they will use shopping to relieve their depression and feel happy. But antidepressants don’t always work, and many victims they have to go to counseling. For individuals who try to recover from this addiction, it’s a good idea to get rid of check books and credit cards which fuel the problem. People also should not shop by themselves. They should find other meaningful ways to spend their time. With people who have a severe shopping addiction, it’s recommended that someone else controls their finances for them. If someone disagrees with what I’ve written about shopping addictions, they are either an addict or wealthy. People with shopping addictions or any other addiction don’t realize they have a problem and think they are ok. It’s very hard for one to realize and admit they have a problem. In seeking help for this addiction a person needs to admit they have a problem in order to recover from the addiction. Another type of person who would disagree with a shopping addiction is someone who has money to spend. If an individual has money and can afford going on shopping sprees regularly, then why not buy everything they want. But individuals who are wealthy won’t realize they have a problem, and they could be suffering from depression. The first thing to do to recover from this addiction is to admit one has a problem, otherwise treatment won’t work. Works Cited Chang, Louise, MD. â€Å"The New Addiction. †WebMD. 2009. Web. 5 July 2011. Farrell, James J. One Nation Under Good. Washington D. C: Smithsonian Books, 2003. Print. Futrelle, David. â€Å"Do You Shop Too Much. † Money Magazine. Money Magazine, 31 Oct. 2003. Web. 1 July 2001. Hatifield, Heather,MD. â€Å"Shopping Spree, or Addiction? †Ã‚  WebMD. 2004. Web. 5 July 2011. Velez-Mitchell, Jane and Sandra Mohr. Addict Nation. Florida: Health Communications, 2011. Print. How to cite Shopping Addiction, Essay examples

Marketing Management of Amazon Company †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Marketing Management of Amazon Company. Answer: Introduction Amazon Company is Fortune 500 e-commerce organization that is based in Seattle, Wash. It has proper distinction of being one of the largest companies in order to sell different goods as well as services in the internet. In the year 1994, Jeff Bezos has founded Amazon that will be launched in the following year. There are two different issues that has to be discussed in the entire report is relating to the marketing mix as well as the different strategies in order to adopt as well as standardize different international area ofmarketing along with process of internationalization in order to properly describe the internationalization of Amazon. Amazon considers itself as customer centric organization that will help in gaining huge competitive advantage in the competitive market. It is one of the cloud computing organizations that have been the largest internet retailer. The Amazon Company has different as well as separate retail stores in the United States, Ireland, and Germany as well as in Italy. The different theories as well as approaches have to be described in order to discuss the entire report. Furthermore, from the year 2000, the logotype of Amazon has properly featured curved arrow that is leading from A to Z and in the year 2011, there were 30,000 full time employees who were working with them (Fuentes-Blasco et al. 2017). Marketing Mix Marketing mix is a proper mixture of four Ps such as product, promotion, distribution, price as well as place (Festa et al. 2016). There are 7Ps of marketing has been discussed in the next chapters as this helps in determining the entire success or failure of the respective brand. The entire success as well as sustainability helps in analyzing the different strategies as well as tactics that is suitable in nature for making Amazon brand sustainable in nature. The different elements of the marketing mix is essential in nature as this will help in analyzing as well as ensuring the company to put the right kind of product at the right place at the right time as well. Concept of adaption as well as standardization Proper standardization process helps in comprising of different publication, formulation as well as implementation of different guidelines as well as specifications. It is such a process wherein proper equipments as well as methods will be used in order to gain competitive advantage in the competitive environment (Moorthy and Suresh 2014). Amazon can properly use different set of procedures, as this will help them in adopting new technologies that will help in having huge positive impact on the performance of the respective company. The Amazon can properly adopt different technologies in the new markets with existing range of products by making different changes in the strategy that will properly suit in local market (Sharma and Gautam 2017). Marketing Mix elements with adoption as well as standardization There are different marketing mix elements such as product, price, promotion as well as place. Amazon has properly incorporated different 4Ps of marketing mix in an effective manner that will help in achieving positive results as well. During the time for entering into the international market, Amazon has to adopt the marketing mix in order to choose different strategies that are accurate in nature for proper implementation such as adoption or standardization. As per Gupta and Pirsch (2014), the actual flavor of global marketing is to create proper balance between the standard approach as well as standardized that will indicate extension to marketing mix that will help Amazon in operating in a better way in the future. Amazon has to implement different global strategies that will help in understanding the entire global marketing mix. Proper marketing mix is essential to be performed in order to understand the different issues relating to the different Ps in the competitive environment. Amazon requires to properly ascertaining the different Ps of marketing in order to analyze the different challenges that will be faced by the respective brand in the future (Khan 2014). Elements of Marketing Mix Product is one of concept that is adopted by Amazon that helps in making proper connections to internet with different gadgets like tablets, phones and this will allow the customers in order to properly browse as well as purchase products in an effective manner. These products are delivered to the customers with the help of delivery service organizations. Amazon has properly built huge product base and this will help in selling different products that includes Boos, jewellery, clothes for women, men as well as for children along with different mobiles as well as tablets (Ooi Kuan, Lloyd and Mou Chuan 2017). Amazon expanded business in India as well as in United Kingdom with the proper implementation of different other products as this will help them in making their presence in the entire market. This will help in ensuring that Amazon continues to properly deliver different variety products at a competitive price as this will help them in providing proper competition to the other comp etitors in the market (Ha and Lee 2018). Price is another essential component in the marketing mix wherein Amazon is competitive in nature with the pricing techniques of staying ahead of the different competitors in the market. Amazon helps in offering different copies both new as well as old in order to provide the customers a premium account who is frequent buyers from Amazon. The prices can be kept competitive in nature by Amazon as this will help in ensuring proper benefit to the consumers and this will help in showing lesser prices online to the customers than the competitors. Amazon is providing huge competition to the other competitors such as Flipkart, eBay as well as other online stores as the price that is offered by Amazon is comparatively lower in nature in comparison to the others in the market and this is helping them in gaining proper competitive advantage in the competitive environment as well (Tapp and Spotswood 2103). Promotion is another essential component of the marketing mix wherein Amazon uses advertisements that are web based and they will use this as the search engine to advertise their different offers and products that is sold by them. The result that has been generated from the search engine has worked in favor of Amazon and this is the best promotional strategy that is used by Amazon as well. Furthermore, the formal level of promotion has properly grown in the recent years and this is becoming huge incentive for the market as well. Proper advertising techniques has to be applied by the different companies as this will help Amazon in gaining huge profit in the near future as well. Place is another essential component that helps in maintaining proper brand image among the customers. The brand image of Amazon is strong in nature, this helped them in creating a huge presence across the globe, and the employees who are working in Amazon are friendly as well as relaxed in nature as well. There are different individuals in India who can access broadband and the likes for the competition gets toughen in nature as well. The main competitors of Amazon are Flipkart, eBay as well as snapdeal and they create tough competition for Amazon as well in different companies in different parts of the world. The online shopping will help in gaining proper competitive advantage, as this will help in avoiding the cost of rents as well as other issues as well. Proper ascertainments are required in order to generate proper techniques to increase their presence in the competitive market. Argument over adoption as well as standardization The argument that has been raised is such that the process of adoption in the product helps in raising production cost and this has weakened the entire band over the global scale. There is no such chance left wherein the consumers will adopt such product and this will help the company in improving the brand globally as well. Amazon has properly used the proper strategy of adoption along with distribution strategy that will help in attracting huge number of customers in the market. Amazon properly realizes that the customers want proper as well as quick delivery of goods as well as services. Amazon has properly adopted the proper distribution system in order to serve the different customers in the competitive market. There are different theories on internationalization that can be adopted by Amazon in order to properly such as: Uppsala Internationalization process model is the model that has been properly proposed by Johansson and Wiedersheim Paul in the year 1975. Both of the authors properly believed that process of internationalization takes place with various steps that are interesting in nature that is known as establishment chains. With the help of proper time, the decisions related to commitment as well as knowledge relating to market will help in enhancing the brand image of the company and this will help in exploring more future opportunities as well (Eddyono and Subroto 2014). The entire knowledge relating to the market is essential, as this will help them in getting proper commitment towards market as well as for the customers. Network theory is the next theory that has been raised after understanding the different concern of the Uppsala theory. In this theory, proper importance has been provided to the technological advancements rather than the experience as well as usage of resources (Abdul-Hamid et al. 2017). There are different authors who have commented that proper collective efforts are essential in nature as his will help in improving the relationship between the business and this is the source of knowledge as well (Akgn, Keskin and Ayar 2014). International Entrepreneurship theory is the kind of theory that is based on the advancements of technology and this will help in decreasing the different barriers that is present in the culture as well as increment wherein proper awareness relating to culture in the remote market exists (Gummesson and Gummesson 2017). New ventures as well as joint ventures are properly adopted by organizations in order to establish in the new area. The entrepreneurship theory is essential in nature as this will help in expanding their brand in the market and this will help them in gaining competitive advantage in the market as well. Application of theory in Amazon along with different advantages as well as disadvantages The model of internationalization that is applied by Amazon is Uppsala Model, as this will help in analyzing the different internationalization path of Amazon. The Uppsala model used by Amazon helps in describing the foreign market entry as the proper process of learning. There is initial commitment of the different resources to foreign market that will lead to increase in knowledge relating to the local market and the proper continuation of the cycle will continue till sufficient market knowledge is gained for proper expansion of such knowledge. The implication of the Uppsala model helps Amazon in expanding their markets globally as well and this will minimize the psychic distance as well (Adams 2016). Advantages of Uppsala Model It can be analyzed that Amazon did not follow the Uppsala model to such an extent, as the main strategy that was adopted by Amazon. This helped in directly acquiring companies in the foreign markets without the local knowledge of the markets such as in UK, Germany as well in China. Amazon continued as well as expanded the business in Canada as well in India but there were no Canadian or Indian employees who were working with them. Proper as well as extensive experience research will help in analyzing the previous needs as well as other models as well. The entire Uppsala theory is based on proper as well as gradual way of proper collection as well as making information, as this will help in extracting different information as well as other knowledge from the entire market (Kesavan and Mascarenhas 2015). Disadvantages of Uppsala Model Uppsala Model did not provide competitive advantage to Amazon as there is huge competition in the entire market There is no such advancement in technologies in Uppsala Model and this has affected Amazon There has been different issues related to the Uppsala Model as the other competitors in the market who are competiting in the market References Abdul-Hamid, I.K., Hinson, R.E., Mahmoud, M.A. and Yaw, E., 2017, June. Sustainability Marketing: The 7ps Perspectives. In5 th International Conference on Contemporary Marketing Issues ICCMI June 21-23, 2017 Thessaloniki, Greece(p. 595). Adams, M.E., 2016.Beyond the Glass: Examining Wine Tasting Room Profitability Using the 4Ps of the Marketing Mix(Doctoral dissertation, Virginia Tech). Akgn, A.E., Keskin, H. and Ayar, H., 2014. Standardization and adaptation of international marketing mix activities: A case study.Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences,150, pp.609-618. Eddyono, F. and Subroto, B., 2014. Purchase Behavior of Noodles: A Case Study of Effort Primary Food Diversification in Indonesia.International Journal of Science and Technology,3(10). Festa, G., Cuomo, M.T., Metallo, G. and Festa, A., 2016. The (r) evolution of wine marketing mix: From the 4Ps to the 4Es.Journal of Business Research,69(5), pp.1550-1555. Fuentes-Blasco, M., Fuentes-Blasco, M., Moliner-Velzquez, B., Moliner-Velzquez, B., Gil-Saura, I. and Gil-Saura, I., 2017. Analyzing heterogeneity on the value, satisfaction, word-of-mouth relationship in retailing.Management Decision,55(7), pp.1558-1577. Gummesson, E. and Gummesson, E., 2017. From relationship marketing to total relationship marketing and beyond.Journal of services marketing,31(1), pp.16-19. Gupta, S. and Pirsch, J., 2014. Consumer evaluation of target marketing to the bottom of the pyramid.Journal of International Consumer Marketing,26(1), pp.58-74. Ha, E.Y. and Lee, H., 2018. Projecting service quality: The effects of social media reviews on service perception.International Journal of Hospitality Management,69, pp.132-141. Kesavan, R. and Mascarenhas, O., 2015. Retailer Perception of In-Store Customer Responsibility: Managerial Implications. InProceedings of the 1989 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference(pp. 278-282). Springer, Cham. Khan, M.T., 2014. The concept of'marketing mix'and its elements (a conceptual review paper).International journal of information, business and management,6(2), p.95. Moorthy, D. and Suresh, G., 2014. Consumer Perception on Private Label Products in Coimbatore.Journal of Commerce and Management Thought,5(2), p.241. Ooi Kuan, T., Lloyd, L. and Mou Chuan, C., 2017, October. An assessment on the trustworthiness of engineers in higher tertiary institutions. InAIP Conference Proceedings(Vol. 1891, No. 1, p. 020137). AIP Publishing. Rahman, A.S., Barua, A., Hoque, R. and Zahir, M.R., 2017. Influence of Green Marketing on Consumer Behavior: A Realistic Study on Bangladesh.Global Journal of Management And Business Research. Tapp, A. and Spotswood, F., 2013. From the 4Ps to COM-SM: reconfiguring the social marketing mix.Journal of Social Marketing,3(3), pp.206-222.