Consumer behavior Essay Example for Free

Consumer behavior Essay 1. Why would someone shop on the internet ? buy an ipad ? eat at T. G. I. Fridays frequently ? -Because of the fast-paced world that we live in it would be more practical to shop through the internet because of its accessibility. Through online shopping customer can get the product and avail the services they need in just a simple click of button it saves them time and energy. An ipad is a tablet computer developed by Apple. It is smaller than a typical laptop, but significantly larger than the average smartphone. The iPad does not include a keyboard or a trackpad, but instead has a touchscreen interface , which is used to control the device. Due to it’s portability, accessibility, ease of use, and the great applications you can avail with it millions of people around the world are ipad user and hundreds are still planning to get their self one, so they can ride along in the bandwagon and be one with the trend. Having an ipad can also defined one’s social status so, even though it is expensive with it’s benefits and the image it can give to a person we find iPAD’s as a practical thing to buy. T. G. I. Fridays is an American restaurant chain focusing on casual dining. It offers it’s customers good food and an American dining experience though it maybe expensive compared to other restaurant but, it is a great place to relaxed after a hard days work. a) Why would someone else not make those purchases? -Other People find it much more complicated to shop through the internet and prefer the old fashion way of shopping, some find iPad’s expensive and impractical and other people find eating at an expensive restaurant just a waste of time and money and they just prefer to eat home cooked meal. b) How would you choose one outlet, brand and model over the others? If they have a good ambiance and feel of their store, the sales person offers good service and if their product are worthy and reasonable enough for their price. c) Would others make choice the same way ? -I guess not, because other people prefer to go with products with cheaper prices.

Learning English In The Vietnamese Context

Learning English In The Vietnamese Context English has become a vital and mandatory communication language in Vietnam since the opening of its doors to the world in 1986. Many English-speaking foreigners from across Asia, Australia, America and Europe started coming to invest in Vietnam. This has motivated the people of Vietnam to learn English to facilitate efficient and effective communication among their counterparts. The importance of English was immediately acknowledged by the Vietnamese government and as a result the English language programs were made compulsory beginning with the secondary schools and subsequently the high schools and finally university. The teaching of English in secondary and high schools strongly focus mainly on grammar, sentence structures and vocabulary. In such a teaching format, conversational English was not taken into consideration. In addition, English learning and teaching is purely examination-based. Examinations were mainly grammar-focused. As a result, the teachers and academicians teach only the bare necessity which is required to pass the examination and is not linked to the learning needs of individual students. This has caused students to become de-motivated because English is just another subject at school, not part of their life. Many students eventually fail to see the importance and pride in being able to speak fluent English. At university level, students who are motivated to develop their competencies in English can pursue a Bachelorà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s degree in English Language Teaching or a Bachelor of English degree. After graduation, they can work as teachers of English within the Vietnamese education system or as an English translator/interpreter depending on their capacity and proficiency. Students in these programs normally study for four years, course subjects among others include lessons about language structures, linguistics and teaching methodology. While this may sound theoretically sufficient, the learning and teaching of English in Vietnam today is purely limited to teacher-focused classrooms or in other words teaching methods that do not create opportunities for learners to satisfy their communicative needs. The English syllabus in Vietnam is very Grammar-focused. Therefore, it is very difficult for Vietnamese learners to communicate fluently and effectively in English sinc e it is rarely spoken in Vietnam with the exception of some special places and events such as offices of multinational corporations and English language clubs. In fact you will hardly see Vietnamese speak English unless absolutely necessary. This is a far cry from neighboring countries like Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines where English is spoken even during casual conversations with friends and family. In recent years, the teaching methodologies of English has been through an enormous amount of changes and improvements especially in the areas of how the communicative approach is being widely applied and integrated into the English learning language classrooms. In classrooms of today, we see more and more learner response taking place. As a result, the English curriculum has also been revamped to generate youths which are able to communicate holistically in English and not merely in grammar theories. Problem statement The result of poor learning and ineffective teaching methodologies of English in Vietnamese classrooms today (due to the lack of genuine communication experience and examination à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ centric lessons) are generating many students that achieve relatively good grades in their exams but on the other hand unable to communicate effectively in the real world. According to Cunningham Una (2009) Vietnamese-accented speech in English has been informally observed to be notably unintelligible for native English-speaking listeners and even for Vietnamese listeners. There are extremely limited opportunities for proper hearing and speaking of English in Vietnam. It is undeniable that the pronunciation of English presents severe challenges to Vietnamese learners but they were not trained on how to pronounce English phonetics accurately and nobody corrected their mispronunciations in the early years of learning English. In addition, students mainly learn English pronunciation from Vietnamese English teachers who sometimes encounter difficulties themselves. Students are likely to imitate their teachersà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ pronunciation. This is somehow a kin to the Blind man leading another Blind man across the street. The concern here is that we are unsure if Vietnamese students can recognize common pronunciation errors which they make on a regular basis. The purpose of the study This paper explores to what extent Vietnamese learners recognize common pronunciation errors in their spoken English and the reasons why they do not or are unable to correct their own mistakes. Suggestions will be made on how to improve the methods of teaching and correcting English pronunciation flaws in the Vietnamese context. The significance of the study This study will paint honest picture of the difficulties in learning and improving the English pronunciation of Vietnamese students. The students will have opportunity to self-assess their own English speech and recognize their mispronunciation with support from a native English-speaker. In the event a native speaker is unavailable, an equally competent and qualified speaker of English will be invited to observe and act as a point of reference. The scope of the study The primary focus of this study is to present an overview on the major difference between English and Vietnamese phonology and the capacity of a Vietnamese speaker to recognize common English pronunciation errors in his/her own speech. The students for this study will consist of English Language undergraduate students from the Foreign Languages Faculty at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City. The correlation between theory and practice in the learning of English pronunciation will also be studied. The study will contribute some suggestions that will further enhance the accuracy in pronouncing the English phonetics. Methodology The experiment will be conducted using qualitative methods. The speech of three students during a speaking test at the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City will be recorded and analyzed. All three students will get to listen to their own speech again respectively to see if they are able identify their pronunciation errors. A native/competent English speaker will also get listen to the studentsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ speech to identify their mistakes in pronunciation.

Historical Significance of Mona Lisa Painting

Historical Significance of Mona Lisa Painting Mona Lisa is a 16th-century painting made from oil and popular wood. Due to the paintings mystique and technical mystery, it is one of the worlds most famous paintings. Mona Lisa is also known as La Joconde or La Giocondo was made by a Renaissance Man, an Italian artist known as Leonardo Da Vinci (Sassoon, 2002).The painting was later bought by the France King at that time King Francois. Mona Lisa presently hangs in the museum in Musee de Louvre, Paris and is currently a French Government property. Many theories have been brought up regarding the woman sitting on the painting and the painting itself. The painting has been reproduced and can be found at almost every museum. THE MONA LISA HISTORY According to Vasari, Leonardo first took four years to make the painting after which he set it aside (Barolsky 22). He thereafter moved to France to paint at Clos Luc à © upon King Francoise request. Where he resumed working on the Mona Lisa. It took Leonardo three more years to complete the painting. The painting according to Farago (1999) is said to have been commissioned by Francesco Del Giocondo, a wealthy silk merchant and his wife Lisa. In spite of the continuous debate. It is a common belief that the lady in the portrait could as well be Lisa Del Giocondo. The couple requested the painting at the birth of their second child since they wanted it for their home (Van Dyke, 2008). A contrasting theory suggests Da Vinci did not paint a picture of a woman but his own portrait in feminine clothing. Mona Lisa painting shows a woman whose facial expression is enigmatic. The half-length portrait shows a woman who is gazing at the viewer with a smile (Farago 184). The smile has raised many questions with many people arguing that the smile has a hidden mystery. Most people who had seen the portrait say that her eyes follow someone across the room if you gaze at her. The painting has been an object of continual fascination due to the ambiguous expression of the woman, the half-figure composition monumentality, the atmospheric illusionism and the subtle modelling forms (Sassoon, 2002). Da Vinci used a rare design of a pyramid to place Mona Lisa calmly and simply in the paintings space. On the front corner of the pyramid, he placed the form of her folded hands. Lighting was well used as her neck, breast and face glow with similar light as the one that models her hands (Van Dyke, 2008). Da Vinci used the formula used for the image of seated Madonna that was popular at that time to creat e the seated female figure. He used a modification of this formula whereby he created a distance between the observer and the seated woman through visual impression (Farago 216). SIGNIFICANCE Mona Lisa and the viewer are divided using the armrest of the chair. Mona Lisa shows a reserved posture as she sits markedly upright her arms folded across the chest. She welcomes a silent communication to the observer through her gaze, which is constantly fixed to the viewer. The viewer is greatly attracted to Mona Lisas face by the brightly lit face that is framed practically by darker elements of the veil, hair and the shadows. Da Vinci created Mona Lisa in such a way that her composition will evoke an ambiguous effect to the observer. The painting shows a divine creature with a lot of mystery (Farago, 1999). The observer is attracted to her but her divinity and mystery create a distance. The painting depicts no kind of dialogue between the woman and the observer (Van Dyke 268). MONA LISA AND FASHION DESIGN Mona Lisas clothing indicated the fashion design of that time (Titians) which was well designed to suit her personality, her social status and physical condition (Barolsky 78). Mona Lisa is a figure of a woman, dressed in the fashion of her days known as Florentine fashion. The painting represents Lisa Del Giocondo a wife to a Florentine silk merchant who was wealthy (Farago 202). Therefore her dressing represents class and wealth. Her dressing signifies magnificent enigma and mystery especially the dark silk swathes. The Florentine fashion worn by Mona Lisa presents a challenge to the modern fashion design some wishing to replicate her costume. Her garment which is made of sheer dark silk has some gathers around the neck (Barolsky 93). The garment has loose sleeves that roll back at the elbow embroidery or gold braid trimmings at the neck. Beneath her garment seems to be a well-structured garment that supports her bosom. A strip of white gathered fabric is visible beneath silk rapin g at her left shoulder. Further at the shoulder are sleeves that have a different color from the rest of the garment tied to an invisible garment (Van Dyke 63). Mona Lisa is wearing a veil made of finest black silk. The veil is stopped from falling by a line at the back of her head. Mona Lisa style of dressing and fashion had several controversies. The white linen that was visible from the shoulder suggested that she had worn a chemise beneath. Her outer garments showed a type of garment known as guarnello which was made of linen worn by pregnant women and children of those days. Mona Lisa had made such a garment made of silk (Van Dyke 208). When Leonardo made the painting Francesco and Lisa were celebrating the birth of their third child. It is therefore very significant in the type of Lisas dressing. The use of the fabulous sheer silk dress, the veiling on her shoulders portrays wealth and promotion of Francescas business (Sassoon 108). Leonardo da Vinci made Mona Lisa clothing design to match with her pregnant body and her social status as a wife to a wealthy silk merchant. Leonardo explains his design and the reasons why he used the specific materials. The gown was made from black silk damask so that it would not show through the guarnello which was made of sheer silk (Van Dyke, 229). To show that the woman was recently pregnant, da Vinci used black velvet bands to edge and frost-fasten it. Her bodice was lightly boned and stiffened and then linen lined and fastened with concealed rings. A single ribbon was drawn from the bodice and a pleated trained skirt and cartridge pleated to it. During the time women were wearing full chemise with raglan cut sleeves and gathered neckline (Herald, 1981). This could be indicated through painting such as Titians The Woman with the Mirror. Leonardo decided to use a less full chemise which was less bulky. The Titians women also wore sashes which Leonardo used to fold the sheer si lk guarnello and draw in the gathers in order to give the gown in painting a controlled form (Sassoon 88). The major aspect that measures female beauty is physical attractiveness which specifically covers fashion design. Mona Lisa was one of Da Vincis numerous works which are a masterpiece to marvel at to date. The picture of Mona Lisa has also been used to date to grace many magazines, objects such as cups and souvenirs among others (Farago 267). Da Vincis work has challenged fashion design industry especially is construction and couture execution. A good fashion designer does not need to only be artistic but also a critical thinker. Most people argue that Leonardo da Vinci created a picture of himself as a woman and from what can be seen he was a good fashion (Barolsky 73). According to Farago (1999) Leonardo da Vinci through the Mona Lisa painting creates a challenge to the modern designers, especially in fashion. Fashion design involves having an inherent talent and passion for fashion. Fashion design is known to be the art of designing and sketching attractive and beautiful dresses (Sassoon 188). A good fashion designer should have traits that are significant in order to produce exemplary designs. The figure of Mona Lisa is said to be one of the exemplary ancient works because da Vinci used the right materials to design it. Van Dyke (2008) aptly states that choosing the right materials plays a very crucial role because even if a designer is good on paper, using substandard wrong materials could result to a substandard design. The perfect way that Leonardo has combined the rare design of a pyramid and sfumato to create Mona Lisa indicates that a good designer should be an expert in mixing colors and designs (Van Dyke, 266). Da Vinci portrays that a designer should have an aesthetic sense such that he/she can gamble with colors. A good designer should be sensible enough to design something that is suitable for the clients body type and personality. Da Vinci portrays this character by painting a picture of Lisa Del Giocondo (Barolsky 63). CONCLUSION Mona Lisa was one of Da Vincis numerous works, which is a masterpiece to marvel at to date. Mona Lisa, which hangs on the walls of Musee de Louvre currently, depicts a feminine mystique of a mysterious woman. Although controversies have risen over the identity of the woman on the painting and the significance of the painting, many art historians and scholars have appreciated Mona Lisas enormous success. People from all over the world often gaze and wonder at the mysterious and smiling painting of Mona Lisa. Mona Lisa also means Lisa, of bare eyebrow. The picture of Mona Lisa has also been used to grace many magazines, objects such as cups and souvenirs among others.

Abortion in Australia Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essay

Abortion in Australia   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our world today is full of unsolved, devisive and controversial issues. Most of them relate to our morals, ethics and religion, thus creating a very strong ‘yes’ and ‘no’, or ‘good’ and ‘bad’ side. Like the Chinese Yin and Yang sign, abortion has a very prominent ‘black’ and ‘white’ side but also contains traces of each in the alternating colour. This shows that if you were to come to any kind of conclusion on abortion, there would still be a downside to it, and that is primarily why the world cannot agree on this sensitive and emotional issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being female myself, I can understand why a woman would want to have an abortion. Being pregnant and wishing you weren’t is probably the worst feeling a woman can have. Knowing that if you brought a child into the world and you didn’t want it, or you would have to give it up for adoption is such a disheartening way to start off, and you and the un-born child would be so much better off if you were to terminate the pregnancy and wait for a more appropriate time, or in the case of rape, put the past behind you and move on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Society has attached a stigma to abortion. When we hear of women having abortions, we seem to automatically think that she wasn’t careful enough, or she didn’t use contraception. We forget to stop and think about the other possible reasons she may have accidentally become pregnant. Just forgetting to take one pill per packet can reduce it’s effectiveness and also taking anti-biotics, or being ill can also undermine the way the pill works. Condoms can tear or be forgotten, and emergency contraceptives like the ‘morning after’ pill are underprescribed and not readily available. Would it surprise you that over 50% of women getting an abortion in Britain used some form of contraception when they got pregnant? This obviously shows that women are having huge problems with using contraception, and something needs to be done about it now. Starting by educating women more on the pill and the way it works, the after effects of abortion, and the risks of having an abortion. We don’t want abortion to become the easy way out though. People just need to know more about it and have to satisfy specific criteria before having the pregnancy terminated, for instance by interviews with doctor’s, given unbiased advice, and consultations with peop... ...at Justice Menhennit ruled that abortion was legal in Australia, to protect the life or health of the woman. This has made abortion available to all who need it, and women can go to Family Planning Centres all over Australia and receive the advice and support that they need. So far about 20,000 Victorian women have an abortion in a year, but that doesn’t compare to the statistics in Britain where 1 in every 4 women will have an abortion at some stage. Lets just keep abortion as the very last option and not travel down the path in which Britain and the USA are heading. We don’t want babies getting thrown out in bins like vegetable waste now do we Works Cited: 1) â€Å"Doctor quits, cites anti-abortion threats† http://www.washingtonpost.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic 2) â€Å"Half UK Women seeking abortion used contraception† http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/999013/sc/health_contraception_2.html 3) Abortion Information http://www.medico.abort.jk24/ss_health.com 4) â€Å"Scotland Church Chided on Abortion† http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/19991011/wl/scotland_pregnancy_4.html 5) Abortion at Family Planning Centres 171 Berkeley Street, Carlton, 3053 Melbourne, Australia

Materialism In Hong Kong :: essays papers

Materialism In Hong Kong Is the Materialism serious in Hong Kong? Do people in Hong Kong dream of wealth and bodily comfort rather than spiritual and intellect things? Absolutely. Living in a thriving, busy and booming city which dreams for wealth and treat the luxuries as a sign of success through the effect of media and the attitude of enjoy-the-life-the-most, misery and impoverished characteristics are dishonoured, however, it makes the whole society in Hong Kong falls into an unlimited cliff, people would never remember what the reality and the value of their life. The most obvious way of proving materialism in Hong Kong is the flooding of advertisement and quick develop of luxuries, brand-named goods companies. The idea of become "rich" is hot around Hong Kong. There was a survey states that almost 70% of the undergraduate student looking for the goal of a better job, high salary and higher living standard after they graduate rather than study for their interest or fulfilment of their unlimited field. Theory of success has been distorted by the over loaded mass media in Hong Kong. It is easy to know where you can buy the brand-named and expensive clothes and usually they strongly mention about which successful person or movie stars have them. People then agreed with the message comes from the mass media and make themselves "look like" a successful person rather than being a "real" successful person. The dreams of wealth has the first position in Hong Kong atmosphere. Most of the children who are raised in a high living standard family and bathing in the pool of parents' adore has been receiving over loaded information from television and advertisements. Before a child enters first grade class, and before entering in any real way into our religious ceremonies, a child will have soaked in a large amount of advertisements. The time Hong Kong teenagers adsorbing advertisements more than their total stay in high school. Especially in the small area residence environment in Hong Kong. Most of the small sized families have their corresponding small sized flats since the price of real estate in the market was in hyper inflation few years ago and never fall down its price. Children spend their time in watching TV instead of going outside, doing sports or reading books compared to the other countries. They have been raised and built up their mind mostly by the commercial TV programmes such as advertisements where children receive their ethnic value, their basic grasp of worlds' meaning and therefore create the habit of buying luxury

Palestine and Israel Essay -- Middle East War Palestin Israel Essays

Palestine and Israel On the day of January 18th, 2004 Israeli forces rushed through the Gaza strip and attempted a dangerous raid. The effects of the raid left eight Palestinians civilians dead in cold blood. Within twenty-four hours a young Palestinian police officer by the name of Ali Jaara climbed onto a Jerusalem bus and detonated a bomb, killing him and ten Israeli passengers. This is a very sad but common example of the never ending war that takes place not only on the battlefield but now on the streets and in homes of innocents. The war between Palestine and Israel may be able to date back to Biblical times and there seems to be no end in sight for either side. (Winder) The war in the Middle East is a great one. The cause for the fighting between both sides has changed repetitively. One of the earliest problems dates back to the bible. It is said that an angel promised the exiled slave Hagar that her son Ishmael would be the father of a country and his descendants would be hated and against everyone. Ishmael’s descendants did become the Arabs and would be hated by many especially the Jews. But in fact the Jews would face much more persecution and hatred than the Arabs ever did until recent events. From 1250 BCE to 138 CE the Jews fought many wars against the Roman Empire, the Babylonians, and the strength of Alexander the great. Over this time period the Jews were exiled, revolted, and then after a Jewish revolt in 133 CE, Jerusalem was destroyed and all of its inhabitants were exiled, banished, and forced into labor and slavery. (Porat) Thousands of years later in 1897 the first Zionist congress met in Switzerland to make plans for a Jewish state. Their dream was finally realized in 1917 the British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour agreed to establish a national home for Jews in Palestine. He informed a leading Zionist and this became known as the Balfour Declaration. This was the first action that may have led to the rekindling of the rivalry between Jews and Arabs. After The Declaration over the next 15 years many Jews began to immigrate to British Mandate Palestine. This caused a lot of unrest among the Palestinian Arabs, and caused a strike by the Arab population, this was countered by the Irgun Zvai Leumi who was a Zionist group that attacked not only Arabs but also British targets. The Zionist groups hoped to liberate themselves... ...they affect a lot of people who want nothing to do with the brutality and violence they are forced to face everyday. Some like the Father of the policeman who became a suicide bomber had to face many consequences. With the death of his son his family mourned and was unable to support itself. On top of those problems days after the suicide bombing Israeli forces stormed into his house and destroyed it leaving it lying in mere rubbles and stones. Now his family is forced to live in tents and on the streets to starve with it being no fault of there own. So many chances of peace have been ignored or just completely forgotten, it’s an eternal and never ending war. Works Cited Mallison, William Thomas. The Palestine problem in international law and world order. Essex: Longman, 1986. â€Å"The Origin of the Palestine Israeli Conflict.† THE WASHINGTON REPORT ON MIDDLE EAST AFFAIRS. 6 Jan. 2005. Jews for Justice in the Middle East. 6 Jan. 2005 . Porat, Dina. The blue and the yellow stars of David : the Zionist leadership in Palestine and the Holocaust. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990. Winder, Rob. â€Å"My son the suicide bomber.† BBC News Online. 2 Mar. 2004. 6 Jan. 2005

CRITIQUE OF CURTIS’ A NOTE TO STUDENT ART DIRECTORS

Hal Curtis’ â€Å"A Note to Student Art Directors† is an inspirational, simple to read article about the need for greater creativity in the advertising world.   The author believes that there are formulas that are already in place and known to sell.   The art director’s job is to add more originality to the simple formulas.   To put it another way, the author advises the budding art director not to forget about the word, ‘art,’ once he or she has managed to land a dream job in an advertising agency used to selling advertisements created with standard formulas.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The most essential portion of the article driving the point home begins and ends thus: â€Å"Here’s the thing†¦. But not the art part.†[1]   To encourage art directors to remain connected to originality and creativity – central to being an artist – Curtis offers several pointers toward the end of the article.   He mentions â€Å"execut ion† before this.[2]   According to him, art directors must not only remain focused on fine arts but also able to convey their originality and creativity in the advertisements that they play a role in creating.   These portions of the article persuade the reader to believe in the message of the author.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although the author does not provide evidence of lack of creativity in the world of advertising, nearly everybody in the worlds of art and business is aware of the importance of creativity and innovation.A formula that sells does not ask for anything else unless an art director has risen above mediocrity to help in the creation of an advertisement that is entirely unique.   Even though Curtis does not mention this – it is quite possible for the art director’s originality to be rejected at first.   Then again, as the author would advise, it is for the art director to remain loyal to art.BibliographyCurtis, Hal. â€Å"A Note to Student Art Di rectors.†[1] Hal Curtis, â€Å"A Note to Student Directors.† [2] Ibid.