Buying Decisions of the Parents Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Buying Decisions of the Parents - Essay Example Older children exerted greater influence on their parents; a child’s gender was not a significant factor that influenced their parents’ buying decisions.  Researchers have suggested that, the â€Å"family as a consuming and decision making unit is a central phenomenon in marketing and consumer behavior† (Commuri& Gentry, 2000, p. 1). Since the late 1960’s, marketing managers have identifiedthe central role of the family in decision making and consumption of products (Assael, 1998);family units havebeen at the center of interest of marketers and academics in the line of marketing (Moore, Wilkie, & Lutz, 2002; Shoham&Dalakas, 2005).Joint decisions by the consumer and family members work toward influencing or modifying the desire and disposition of the other family member toward a certain consumer good (Foxall, 1977). A family unit had an intermediating function,and also was the point of integration of an individual within the precincts of a large r society. Being the primary consumption unit, the family was also the primary target for all the available products and their categories (Schiffman&Kanuk, 1983). The family unit might be defined as a group of people residing together who might be related by marriage, blood, or adoption (Loudon & Della Bitta, 1993). A nuclear type of family would consist of a husband, a wife, and their children. An extended family included the nuclear family members and other relatives. During the course of a single day there will be multiple decisions made by family members (nuclear or extended), and in a majority of the cases the wife or the husband will be the prevailing decision maker within the family. Commuri&Gentry Many researchers had focused their studies â€Å"on family consumer behavior and a majority of the literature has been on decision role — who makes what decisions† (Commuri&Gentry, 2000, pp. 8). Other researchessuggeststhat the influence of the wife and the h usband would most likely change according to the (a) product types being considered for consumption, (b) the step reached in the process of decision making,(c) purchase influence type, and (d) the basic characteristics of the particular family that was making the decision (Assael21998).  According to other research, the type of product under consideration was divided into four main categories (see Figure 1). These were: Product types for which the husband had the major influence (Mowen, 1995). Product types for which the wife had the dominant influencing factor (Mowen, 1995). Product types for which the decisions can be taken by either the wife or the husband and for which either spouse can be the dominant factor, called the automaticdecision type (Assael,21998). Product types where the husband and wife go in for a joint decision,called the syncretic decision type (Assael,21998). Figure 1. The family decision making proces. Adapted from Consumer behavior and marketing acti on(p. 462), by H. Assael, 1998, Cincinnati, OH:

J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls Essay -- English Literature

By what means, and how successfully is suspense created and sustained in An Inspector Calls? An Inspector Calls Essay By what means, and how successfully is suspense created and sustained in ‘An Inspector Calls?’  · Show analytical and interpretative skills  · The effects of dramatic devices and structure  · Layers of meaning in language, ideas and themes  · The social and historical setting/context JB Priestley wrote ‘An Inspector Calls’ towards the end of World War 2. The play however, is set in 1912 at a wealthy, middle-class family home. The play is about a family celebrating an engagement, when an Inspector calls, and tells them of a young girl’s suicide. The play is always set in the family’s dining room, but it has precise stage directions, so each character must be sitting in a certain place. Suspense is used right through the play, usually at its peak at the end of an act. I think JB Priestley was trying to get a message across to us that we need to abolish the social class differences, and all be equal. The play is very good because you are always trying to find out who was responsible for the suicide, and you know that everybody fits in, but you don’t know when or how. As you find, or think you’ve found something out, the play takes a new dramatic turn, which definitely makes suspense the key factor. What makes the play even better is that the audience always knows a lot more than the characters do, and you are always wondering: â€Å"why haven’t they worked that out?† Suspense is very successfully created and sustained in ‘An Inspector Calls.’ When Act one begins, the mood is merry, and civilised in the dining room, at The Birlings’ house. The family are happy, excited and ... ...er this phone call means that yes everything was true, or no, it was a hoax. Then, it is used as a dramatic device again when it rings, and the local Inspector says he is coming round to question the Birlings about a young girl’s death. The play ends here. Now, we have found out the suspense is created and sustained very successfully in ‘An Inspector Calls’. With you always wondering whether the Inspector is real, and all the cliffhangers that are used, you are constantly left in suspense, even after the very unusual ending. You are wondering at the end whether this time it really is real, or is it another hoax? We will never know. Dramatic devices are a key element in this play, for example in Act 3; a telephone is the focal point. It can be little things like that. I hope this brings a good conclusion to a very good, interesting, even if strange play.

Music Comparison: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Ludwig Van Beethoven

Music Comparison: Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and Ludwig van Beethoven Inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven and the ideas of Romanticism, the new group of composers in music were born. One composer, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, grew to love composing music, like Beethoven. The child prodigies both delighted in learning and performing music at a young age. Hensel learned music from many different teachers, but Beethoven was taught by more known instructors. Although the two composers both lived in Germany, they created very different compositions.While Hensel and Beethoven have many differences between them, there are also similarities, which are sometimes over looked. Music was always a large part of both Hensel and Beethoven’s lives, beginning from when they were children. The composers grew up only four hours away from each other, yet in both households, they were composing music at a young age. The first person to teach Beethoven music was his own father. Hensel’s first teache r; her own mother.At the age of twelve, Hensel started writing her own music, while Beethoven was composing by eleven years of age. These composers started writing at a very early age, proving that they are musical geniuses. Considering the many teachers the composers had, it would explain how they could create such beautiful music. Beethoven had many noteworthy teachers while Hensel was taught by many lesser-known, but just as talented, educators. Once Beethoven’s father’s teachings had reached it’s end, he was taught by Gottlob Neefe.Neefe taught mainly the organ and compositions to Beethoven and made a comment saying that â€Å"If he continues like this, he will be, without a doubt, the new Mozart† Although his teachers helped him greatly, Beethoven gave his first performance before any educator had taught him, when he was seven and a half, at Cologne, a large city in Germany. Her parents first taught her what was normally expected from a child, but la ter Hensel was taught by tutors the aspects of music. Some notable teachers that Hensel studied under were Marie Bigot, Ludwig Berger, and Carl Friedrich Zelter.Hensel only performed once in public when she was twelve years old, from memory. Although she was very talented, Hensel’s father demanded that she never play music for a living, but maintain the role of a normal woman in their time. Hensel obeyed her father, but Felix Mendelssohn, her younger brother, was willing to help in her career. Mendelssohn was also musically talented and performed for the courts, sometimes playing Hensel’s works that she composed. Once when Mendelssohn was performing for Queen Victoria, she was very impressed and mentioned that the work â€Å"Italien† was her favorite.Mendelssohn then admitted that that was his sister’s work. Hensel often composed lieders, bagatelles, fugues, preludes, sonatas, and choral and instrumental ensemble music, showing her versatility of music th at she could perform and compose. One of her more famous works; â€Å"Oratorium nach den Bildern der Bibel† was a cantata. Another example of Hensel’s compositions is one of her lieders, â€Å"Swan Song†. Beethoven, though partially deaf in his late twenties or early thirties, composed chamber music, sonatas, symphonies, songs, quartets and more. He was almost completely deaf when Beethoven wrote his third to eighth symphony.Many of Beethoven’s works are more famous than Hensel’s, but his most famous symphonies are the fifth and seventh symphonies. The many works that Hensel and Beethoven wrote were different than each other’s, but Beethoven is often known to help inspire the Romantic period composers. These two composers inspire many others to write and perform music throughout the world. There are many similarities between the two composers, even if Beethoven died only twenty-two years after Hensel was born. The two were great composers an d musicians starting in childhood, increasing their knowledge of music early on. Though, they did not learn on their own.Many different teachers, composers, and musicians taught and influenced Hensel and Beethoven. These composers prospered greatly in their careers, expanding their knowledge more every day. Although Hensel and Beethoven have passed on, they will both leave a great footprint on music for generations to come. References Anonymous(n. d. ) Music History: Resource Center. Retrieved from http://academic. cengage. com/music/book_content/049557273X_wrightSimms_DEMO/index. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Facts about Beethoven. Retrieved from http://www. buzzle. com/articles/facts-about-beethoven. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, 1805-1847.Retrieved from http://lcweb2. loc. gov/diglib/ihas/loc. natlib. ihas. 200156440/default. html Anonymous(n. d. ) Biography: Beethoven’s Life. Retrieved from http://www. lvbeethoven. com/Bio/BiographyLudwig. html Estrella, E. (n . d. ) Profile of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/famousmusicians1/p/fmendelssohn. htm? rd=1 Estrella, E. (n. d. ) Profile of Ludwig van Beethoven. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/classicalmusicians/p/beethoven. htm Estrella, E. (n. d. ) Music of the Romantic Period. Retrieved from http://musiced. about. com/od/historyofmusic/a/romanticmusic. htm? rd=1

Leopard Seal Facts

If you get the opportunity to take an Antarctic cruise, you may be lucky enough to see a leopard seal in its natural habitat. The leopard seal  (Hydrurga leptonyx) is an earless seal with  leopard-spotted fur. Like its feline namesake, the seal is a powerful predator high on the food chain. The only animal that hunts leopard seals is the killer whale. Fast Facts: Leopard Seal Scientific Name: Hydrurga leptonyxCommon Names: Leopard seal, sea leopardBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: 10-12 feetWeight: 800-1000 poundsLifespan: 12-15 yearsDiet: CarnivoreHabitat: Sea around AntarcticaPopulation: 200,000Conservation Status: Least Concern Description You might think the obvious identifying feature of the leopard seal is its black-spotted coat. However, many seals have spots. What sets the leopard seal apart is its elongated head and sinuous body, somewhat resembling a furry eel. The leopard seal is earless, about 10 to 12 feet long (females slightly larger than males), weighs between 800 and 1000 pounds, and always seems to be smiling because the edges of its mouth curl upward. The leopard seal is large, but smaller than the elephant seal and walrus. The mouth of the leopard seal turns upward at the edges, resembling a smile. Peter Johnson/Corbis/VCG / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Leopard seals live in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters of the Ross Sea, Antarctic Peninsula, Weddell Sea, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands. Sometimes they are found along the southern coasts of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.  The leopard seals habitat overlaps that of other seals. Diet Leopard seals eat penguins.  © Tim Davis/Corbis/VCG / Getty Images The leopard seal will eat just about any other animals. Like other carnivorous mammals, the seal has sharp front teeth and fearsome-looking inch-long canines. However, the seals molars lock together to make a sieve that allows it to filter krill from the water. Seal pups primarily eat krill, but once they learn to hunt, they eat penguins, squid, shellfish, fish, and smaller seals. They are the only seals that regularly hunt warm-blooded prey.  Leopard seals often wait underwater and propel themselves out of the water to snatch their victim. Scientists can analyze a seals diet by examining its whiskers. Behavior Leopard seals are known to play cat and mouse with prey, typically with young seals or penguins. They will chase their prey until it either escapes or dies, but wont necessarily eat their kill. Scientists are uncertain of the reason for this behavior, but believe it may help hone hunting skills or might simply be for sport. Leopard seal males hang under the ice when they sing. Michael Nolan / Getty Images During the austral summer, male leopard seals sing (loudly) underwater for hours each day. A singing seal hangs upside down, with a bent neck and pulsating inflated chests, rocking from side to side. Each male has a distinct call, although the calls change depending on the seals age. Singing coincides with the breeding season. Captive females have been known to sing when reproductive hormone levels are elevated. Reproduction and Offspring While some kinds of seals live in groups, the leopard seal is solitary. Exceptions include mother and pup pairs and temporary mating pairs. Seals mate in summer and give birth after 11 months gestation to a single pup. At birth, the pup weighs around 66 pounds. The pup is weaned on the ice for about a month. Females become mature between ages three and seven. Males mature a bit later, typically between ages six and seven. Leopard seals live a long time for a seal, partly because they have few predators. While the average lifespan is 12 to 15 years, its  not uncommon for a wild leopard seal to live 26 years. Conservation Status According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), scientists once believed there may be over 200,000 leopard seals. Environmental changes have dramatically affected species the seals eat, so this number is likely inaccurate. The leopard seal is not endangered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists it as a species of least concern. Leopard Seals and Humans Leopard seals are highly dangerous predators. While attacks of humans are rare, cases of aggression, stalking, and fatalities have been documented. Leopard seals are known to attack the black pontoons of inflatable boats, posing an indirect risk to people. However, not all encounters with humans are predatory. When National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen dove into Antarctic waters to observe a leopard seal, the female seal he photographed brought him injured and dead penguins. Whether the seal was trying to feed the photographer, teach him to hunt, or had other motives is unknown. Sources Rogers, T. L.; Cato, D. H.; Bryden, M. M. Behavioral significance of underwater vocalizations of captive leopard seals, Hydrurga leptonyx.  Marine Mammal Science.  12  (3): 414–42, 1996.Rogers, T.L. Source levels of the underwater calls of a male leopard seal.  The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.  136  (4): 1495–1498, 2014.Wilson, Don E. and DeeAnn M. Reeder, eds. Species: Hydrurga leptonyx. Mammal species of the world : a taxonomic and geographic reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005.