Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Acceptable Use Policy

Acceptable Use Policy Artiesha Artis CIS 462 Security Strategies and Policy Professor Darrell Nerove October 20, 2012 Working in many different arenas while pursuing my degree in Computer Security has opened my eyes to many things, one thing that I have noticed is that some companies felt that they were immune to data breaches. I have worked in smaller organizations that just didn’t have the knowledge to protect their network against security breaches.One inexpensive and very productive way to counteract lack of resources or know how is with an Acceptable use police. An acceptable use policy is not put in place to snoop on individuals rather than to protect the businesses assets. The AUP (acceptable use policy) that I want to focus on is one that governs internet usage. Acceptable use policy regarding internet usage normally includes information about websites that are off limits as well as defining a scope for what sites are allowed to be accessed for personal surfing.Most AU P’s are put in place to protect the company’s employees, partners and the company itself from any illegal or damaging actions by individuals knowingly or unknowingly. Confidentiality, integrity and availability are the founding stables of insuring that information is secure. An acceptable use policy enforces confidentiality, integrity and availability by limiting access and disclosure to authorized users — â€Å"the right people† — and preventing access or disclosure to unauthorized ones — â€Å"the wrong people. , as well as requiring employees to authenticate themselves in order to control access to data system resources and in turn hold employees responsible if violations occur under their user id. The company that I presently work for has an acceptable use policy it purposes is to highlight an outline the acceptable use of the computer equipment and systems that we are granted access to. It is always stated throughout all the acceptable use policies I have seen that users must be aware that data created on corporate systems are property of the company.Employees are to exercise sound judgment regarding personal usage of computer systems. To be quite honest the AUP at my current organization is very straight forward and what I consider to be week. It is literally a blurb in the handbook that states that the internet systems are for business purposes only, and that the company observes the right to monitor the usage of the software. I can only think of a few reasons why the AUP at my organization is so brief.I work in the healthcare industry and because we deal with a lot of member information we are more concerned with HIPPA violations. In conjunction with HIPPA we also focus on making sure we remain in compliance with the HITECH act. Since there are other rules that we become preoccupied with the focus is no longer place on the AUP at my job. You will notice although there is no strict regards to an AUP at my place of employment there are filters and blocks in place so that certain websites are not able to be accessed.I have a few ideas on how I would implement a better AUP at my place of employment. I would first conduct a current policy review. By performing an audit of my current internet usage policy I would compare it with what I want my new policy to be. Taking into careful consideration the degree of policy enforcement required. Next I would want to gain visibility of your network traffic. Using a Web traffic assessment tool, such as a proxy appliance, to identify and monitor Internet traffic and to identify specific areas or groups that are engaging in inappropriate or excessive Web use.This would allow me to analyze how much time users and user groups spend on the Internet during an â€Å"average† workday and what policies may need to be implemented. I would then concentrate on working collaboratively with all departments to enforce my end goal concentrating on the departments that have a bearing on the companywide Internet use policy, especially human resources and IT ensuring that there are no mismatches between the policies established and the ability of the network infrastructure to support them.After all this is completely then we would need to test my new policy by conducting an exercise with key users when the policy is at a draft stage. This will ensure that the policy is both practical in terms of achieving its objectives and sufficiently flexible to accommodate change or emergency situations. Then I would create a plan for announcing the new Internet usage policy throughout the organization to ensure that employee communication is well managed, the policy is understood and the restrictions imposed are fully justified.This would include denying access to Internet resources until users agree to accept the new policy. I would then ensure monitoring employee use is automated through Web monitoring software. I feel it would be a waste of human resou rces to assign a person or team to monitor the Internet activities of all company employees as a supervisor I know that there is just no time for looking over someone’s shoulder. Web monitoring software would provide efficient and comprehensive reports and data can be accessed within minutes.Stricter automation would allow management to set boundaries for site browsing, prevent downloading and installing of software and has multiple scanning engines to ensure that allowed downloads are free of viruses and other malware. By controlling downloads and browsing in real-time, the network is protected from malware. There is also the prevention of data leakage through socially-engineered websites and it also helps reduce cyber-slacking, thus boosting employee and business productivity.In order to increase awareness of the importance of AUP and the need for them I would hold formal companywide training. I would also have quarterly reviews on what to do if. I have always believed that the only way for end users to truly embrace and understand the importance of any new policy or procedure implemented is to make them part of it, so during training I would ask for suggestions on how the employees feel they could make things smoother or easier and I would advise them to keep an eye out for violations.Having individuals keep an eye out on violations is the more challenging part of it all because no one wants to be a snitch but in order for any policy or procedure to work well to its fullest all wheels have to turn in the same direction. Of course the responsibility of reporting violations won’t be solely on staff because I would want monitoring in place to assist with that.AUPs are put in place to protect a company's data assets and confidential information while also safeguarding employees and maintaining standards concerning the use of the Internet during working hours. Implementing Web monitoring software is an investment in security and could prevent emplo yees from cyber-slacking or abusing the company's trust with work-related information. By implementing and enforcing a solid AUP and providing ongoing, end-user education and training, a company can minimize risk, allowing them to focus on growing their business ather than the need to repair it. ? References Gaskin, J. E. (1998). Internet acceptable usage policies. Information Systems Management, 15(2), 20 Johnson , R. , Merkow, M. (2011). Security Policies and Implementation Issues. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett. Palgi, R. D. (1996). Rules of the Road: Why You Need an Acceptable Use Policy. School Library Journal, 42(8), 32-33. Siau, K. , Nah, F. , & Teng, L. (2002). ACCEPTABLE INTERNET USE POLICY. Communications of the ACM, 45(1), 75-79.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Art Experience Essay

Abstract Through the journey of Art, one can experience many ideas and also learn how far his or her imagination can take them. While visiting the 621 Gallery located in Tallahassee, Florida, I learned that art does not necessarily have to consist of paintings or drawings but that it could also consist of steel made up into shapes and patterns that can represent some for of existence or portion of history. The first peice of atrwork that I would like to analyize was created by Charles Hook. The peice is call Fernis and it is painted steel that was done in 2007.It is a part of the permanent collection there at the gallery and it seems to be shaped up into the form of a dragon of some sort. It is black in color and seems to be the head of a dragon who seems to be opening it’s mouth with a gesture as if it is about to get very angry and possible send out a roaring hurl of fire. The tongue of the dragon is sticking out and the eyes are slanted. The dragon does not have a body, jus t only the head is seen here which to me seems to leave the viewer with more of a chance to imagine what could have possiblyhappen to this poor creature of extinction.The fact that the steel peice is located out in a woody area is also interesting because it seem to show that shrubbery has since then emerged around this image creating a scene to me that the dragon could have been seen in more recent of times, thats if one has a greater imagination. Being that dragons were considered to be winged beasts that were ruler of the water and the lands around them, this peice of art was interesting to me beacuse it makes me wonder how can such of beast of this great nature (ruler of the land and sea) end up with no body parts and be represented in a civilization where in all but his exist.The second peice of artwork that I would like to analyze is a peice created by James Davis. This peice is entitled, This is Something We Had to go Through. It is made of Steel and Cast Iron in 2004-2005. T his peice must have been for sale as it is priced at $10,000. The peice of artwork seems to be a wall that has the been ran through by maybe a soldier of war that has been in training. The wall also has a breakage area noted that looks as if the wall began to crack open as the force from the soldiers running through it caused it to crack open.I think this peice is a perfect representation of war times and one can imagine the types of training that the soldiers were asked to perform in order to get them ready for dthe next battle at hand. The two peices of artwork seem to be similar in that they both represent creatures of war and protection of territory in some form or fashion to me. I enjoyed viewing the peices as it broadens my mind and makes me take into consideration that there is a message in each peice of artwork whether it be a statue, painting, column, or just the impressionism of a male or female, flower or great wall of any nature.The viewer must be able to open up and und erstand that art is a creation of feelings, emotions and experiences that one has been through and that we must be able to try to open our eyes and see what the artist is trying to express as a whole. Art work can also be made out of many forms of material. It can be made of canvas, stone, steel and even objects found by many in things such as trash and even found in nature. Artists can be young or old. Imagination can become astounding when used spontaneously.

Lidl Grocery store UK

Lidl's history goes back to the 1930s, when the company was founded in Germany as a grocery wholesaler. Today, Lidl is one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe. The first Lidl stores were opened in 1973 and by the 1980s Lidl was a household name throughout Germany. During the 1990s Lidl started to open stores outside Germany and today Lidl stores can be found in nearly every country in Europe. Lidl is now well established as a major European food retailer. Our extensive network of stores is unmatched in the discount sector. Lidl takes pride in providing top quality products at the lowest possible prices to all our customers across Europe. Our stores are operated by a network of dedicated store staff, helping to establish and further develop the success of the company. Lidl will continue to play a major role in the exploration of new markets in Europe and beyond. Since establishing ourselves in the UK in 1994, we have grown consistently and today have more than 590 stores, and there are plenty more to come†¦ OUR MANAGEMENT CULTURE We create a working environment that encourages initiative and drive and promotes enjoyment and satisfaction at work. We enable our employees to work effectively and successfully for our business and we support our employees’ development. In leading by example, each of us contributes to the achievement of common goals and to the fulfilment of our management culture and principles. OUR MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES We agree targets together with our employees, define clear duties, develop tasks and define areas of responsibilities with room for initiative. We place confidence in our employees and trust that they will complete all tasks to the best of their ability, and that they will develop ideas and suggestions that will benefit our business. We speak to each other openly and promote honest, prompt and direct communication. We treat each other fairly and respectfully. We honour our agreements with our employees as a trustworthy partner. We give regular feedback to our employees on their performance and conduct. We support and motivate by recognition of achievements and constructive criticism. We monitor all areas of our business in a results driven and reflective manner. As a team, we are pro-active in identifying and realising improvement potential throughout our organisation. We are reliable, trustworthy and loyal – especially in times of crisis and conflict. We are open to changes and challenges with the aim of developing and continuously improving our business.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Cultural differences in nonverbal communication Research Paper

Cultural differences in nonverbal communication - Research Paper Example The different ways of expressing nonverbal communication become pronounced especially in a multicultural context. Different cultures have different ways of expressing themselves nonverbally. However, it is worth noting that there are nonverbal communication ways which are similar across the board. One unique feature about nonverbal communication is that forms of expression used in a culture to express a particular message may not express the same message if used in another culture. Nonverbal communication forms can therefore be said to be the same across the board, but the ways they are used differs a great deal and hence the messages they communicate differ a great deal depending on how and where they are used. Because of these fundamental differences across the board, it therefore becomes possible for subjects to communicate different messages when using nonverbal communication forms in a multicultural context without their knowledge. This leads to a breakdown of communication and emergence of conflicts. This is the subject of this research paper. The paper will make a detailed discussion of cultural differences in nonverbal communication. NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION A clear understanding of nonverbal communication is essential for a proper discussion of the objective of this paper. According to Martin and Friedman, nonverbal communication is a way of passing messages or/and emotions without using words. Ways in which verbal communication is expressed include â€Å"facial expression, gestures, gaze, touch and vocal cues† (Martin and Friedman 3). Davis describes nonverbal communication with more features and includes actions such as â€Å"rolling your eyes, how you look at someone, your posture, whether you move your hands, how close you stand, the tone of your voice and the speed at which you speak† (233). In the views of Prinsen and Punyanunt-Carter, nonverbal communication also includes touching and eye contact. Basically, it can be argued that no nverbal communication makes use of body organs to communicate. The manner in which the body organs are twisted or moved or altered can communicate differently. These movements of body organs are numerous and all of them cannot be mentioned in this paper. This is especially the case when different cultures are involved. Martin and Friedman argue that nonverbal communication is quite essential especially where â€Å"verbal communications are untrustworthy, ambiguous or otherwise difficult to interpret† (Martin and Friedman 3). Topan shares the same views and adds that nonverbal communication is more important than verbal communication. He argues that this is because â€Å"up to 93 percent of all communication takes place at a nonverbal and paraverbal level† (Topan 132). Davis equally concurs by saying nonverbal communication has more effect than words (233). Nonverbal communication has clearly been ranked top as the best means of true expression. Indeed, Topan argues tha t people will choose to take the message they see in place of the one they hear (136). This simply means if there is a contradiction between what one is saying verbally and nonverbally, then the message communicated nonverbally is taken as the actually intended message that is being communicated. With a good understanding of what nonverbal communication is and even more importantly its significance, it is therefore necessary to examine how different cultures express themselves nonverbally. At this point, it is

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Urban enterpreneurialism has become the adopted post-modern system of Essay

Urban enterpreneurialism has become the adopted post-modern system of governance in cities such as Birmingham. Do new developments benefit inner city areas and - Essay Example We want affordable, quality housing. We want our children to have no need to worry about tomorrow; their biggest concern should be striving to do well at school. We want to know that if the need arises there is quality, affordable healthcare available. We want to give our children a better life than what we have. We want to be able to live comfortably in our old age. Lastly, we want to proud of our communities. However, given the unique problems faced by centre cities, such as Aston, can this attempt at urban entrepreneurialism be effective at combating the extreme poverty and unemployment areas like Aston face? Urban Renewal, Urban entrepreneurialism, Urban Revitalisation or Urban Renaissance – by whatever name called, the concept behind it, no matter where one resides, holds fundamental desires every person strives for. We want to feel safe in our homes and on our streets; we want to make a decent living that will sustain our families. We want affordable, quality housing. We want our children to have no need to worry about tomorrow; their biggest concern should be striving to do well at school. We want to know that if the need arises there is quality, affordable healthcare available. We want to give our children a better life than what we have. We want to be able to live comfortably in our old age. Lastly, we want to proud of our communities. In the mid 1990’s the government saw the need to revitalize our major cities after the industrial decline in the 1980’s and the economic instability that proceeded it. People were flowing out of centre city for the suburbs, industry was leaving, crime was on the rise, and a host of the economic and social problems were happening in our major cities. In an initiative to revitalize urban England, the government implemented a plan to â€Å"create sustainable communities, improve the quality of life

Saturday, July 27, 2019

The Creation of the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution Research Paper

The Creation of the Bill of Rights and U.S. Constitution - Research Paper Example This current status comes from the original decision of the founders of the USA to formulate and adopt a Constitution and a Bill of Rights for what was then the Union, in order to begin the country that is today the United States of America. The Constitution was adopted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by the Constitutional Convention, on September 17, 1787 (Spaeth & Smith, 1991, p.1). Today the Constitution acts as the most powerful law in the USA, controlling the Federal Government, its relationship with State Governments, the Courts and the citizens of the USA, as well as non-citizens living within the US (For Know-It-Alls, 2008, p.2). It established the three branches of government – in the first three Articles of the Constitution – and also the federal system by which the USA is governed. In addition to the total Constitution, the first ten Amendments to the Constitution form the Bill of Rights, which limit the power of the Federal Government, and give basic human ri ghts, such as of property ownership and freedom of speech, association and other liberties, to the citizens of the USA (AmericansGoverning.org, website). These Amendments were proposed to the First United Stated Congress by James Madison and adopted by the House of Representatives on August 21, 1789 (Spaeth & Smith, 1991, p.22). ... ution the loose union of States tied together by the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union (For Know-It-Alls, 2008, p.3), but the individual States were not adhering to the rules of the Confederation, particularly in terms of money: they were not contributing to the national budget – and by 1786, the budget really just consisted of foreign debt which could not be paid by the Union (AmericansGoverning.org, website). In addition to this, the threats from international powers and from pirates, even, were making it clear that the Union was not functioning as an effective nation. Often, individual States were not attending Confederation meetings and not acting together in any meaningful way. Individual States were violating the peace treaty between Great Britain and the United States (The Treaty of Paris, 1783). States could not pay for defense and no real defense force could be raised on a federal level. All of these circumstances meant that Congress had become extremely i neffectual and legislation and all decision-making were being hampered severely. State representatives were not arriving at Congress – for five months up to April 1786, for example, there had been only three days when nine States – the number required to pass any proposal – were present in Congress. At the same time, as mentioned, States were acting unilaterally in international relations, and within their own legislatures, completely independently of Congress. In short, the Congress was no longer the government (Spaeth & Smith, 1991, p.15-18). Thus in September 1786, the plans were made to meet in Philadelphia in order to amend the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union in the hope that the Union could be more effectively structured, and begin to function as a nation. By June 16,

Friday, July 26, 2019

Uniform Commercial Code Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Uniform Commercial Code - Essay Example In the United States, the remedies of buyers and sellers of goods are governed by the Article 2 of Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) as it has been adopted with variations from state to state. Some contractual control over remedy is developed by the Article II of the Uniform Commercial Code, i.e., liquidated damages clauses; and contractual modification or limitation of remedy under UCC 2-719. Some remedies have been promoted for mistake and unconscionability as like, mistake in the formation of an agreement - the recession and restitution remedies; mistake in integration or expression - the reformation remedy; mistake in performance of an obligation - the restitution remedy; and unconscionability. If one of the parties to sale fails to perform the contract duties, the law makes several remedies available to the other party (Anderson; 1980:372). Remedies for the aggrieved seller are listed in the Uniform of Commercial Code 2-703 and 2-711 gives the basic buyer's remedies. The underlying doctrine for Code remedies is contained in section 1-106, which restates "the common-law theory of contract damages." Remedies under the Code are designed to protect the expectation interest of the party not in breach, and to provide "just compensation for the loss." The focus of the Code's remedial structure is on the anticipated future result if a party in breach has fully performed. Remedies under the Code are found in several sections, depending on who the breaching party is and at what point in the transaction breach occurs. The Article 2 concept that usually dictates which of these two remedial schemes will apply is "acceptance." If a buyer receives and continues to "accept" the goods, the exchange will normally be completed despite a breach. 7 Thus, except in rare circumstances, a buyer can retain accepted goods and a seller is entitled to the price for accepted goods.8 Seller's Remedies under UCC When contract for sale is breached by the buyer, the seller has a number of remedies available. Among the seller's remedies under the circumstances in 2-203 of the Uniform of Commercial Code, are the option to cancel, UCC 2-106(4), 2-703(f), or to withhold delivery, UCC 2-703(a).9 UCC 2-703 certify that where the buyer wrongfully rejects or revokes acceptance of goods or fails to make a payment due on or before delivery or repudiates with respect to a part or the whole, then with respect to any goods directly affected and, if the breach is of the whole contract (UCC 2-612), then also with respect to the whole undelivered balance, the aggrieved seller may following remedies: (a) withhold delivery of such goods; (b) stop delivery by any bailee as hereafter provided (UCC 2-705); (c) proceed under the next section respecting goods still unidentified to the contract; (d) resell and recover damages as hereafter provided (UCC 2-706); (e) recover damages for non-acceptance (UCC 2-708) or in a proper case the price (UCC 2-709); (f) cancel. Before

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Internet fame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Internet fame - Essay Example Although I personally never experienced a breach of privacy or leakage of important information, I’ve known friends who had thus suffered. A friend of mine had the most embarrassing experience, as her pajama party photographs got leaked into the public domain. She posted the pictures in her Facebook profile, setting access to only those who are her friends. But perhaps as a result of someone hacking into her profile and downloading these pictures, they got out into the public domain of the Internet. A big fan of social networking sites like Facebook, my friend is yet to overcome the embarrassment caused by the leak. She is now very hesitant to post or share any sensitive information in these sites and is regretful that she trusted them in the past. It makes sense for her to exercise caution from now on, for these leaks could prove very costly. In this instance she only has to bear through minor social embarrassment. But there are leaks that could prove more damaging, as in hav ing one’s credit card details hacked or professional accounts becoming accessible to miscreants. If this were to happen, she could face severe monetary loss or a dent to her professional reputation. Hence, she has to take all precautions in the future to avoid these

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Consider the state of the American Public School System. Put forward Essay

Consider the state of the American Public School System. Put forward an argument on the topic.Can you suggest a solution - Essay Example However, the decentralization makes it difficult to deal issues pertaining to school reforms (William J. Reese, 2). The current public educational system is piled up with issues not just pertaining to classrooms or corridors but resulting in the failure of American public education system. This failure cannot be made accountable to the performance of the students but the entire system that is responsible for the declining performance. (John Hood, Volume: 43). Many factors were being considered to hinder the public education like money or funds, poverty, class size, teachers, salaries of teachers, student’s performance and teachers unions etc. (Jay P. Greene, James Q Wilson, 3) increasing the rate of drop outs and unqualified students for future. Even today certain percent of unskilled and drop out students exists which increases the relocation of more qualified professionals from outside the country. Considering the growing competition parents coming from a middle or higher cl ass prefer to educate their children in private funding institutions that provide high standards of education while vast numbers of lower class children attend public schools. Funds: People assume that lack of funds has resulted in failure of public educational system which is a myth. ... unds while improved nutritional programs like arrangements of breakfast or lunch increased the expenditure to an extent, added to these issues the â€Å"no child left behind† policy is yet to be met (Amy Richards, 24th October 2011). Teachers and Unions: Teachers have their unions to support and protect them no matter how incompetent they are while their â€Å"tenure† guarantees the job safety until retirement without considering their performance. They are given salaries with no rewards of excellence and are not penalized for their poor performance due to which every teacher performs the same (B. Awesome, 30th May 2011). Training needs to be provided to those under performing teachers to improve their ability to teach. Teachers who lack to improve their performance levels even after rigorous training should be removed while qualified and hardworking teachers can bring reform in the public education system to certain extent should be provided with a performance based wa ges and incentives. Society Influences: Many students who tend to drop out of high schools are not skilled enough to work in a technologically advanced workplace. Those who have dropped out of high school earn less salary than students who graduated from high school. Dropped out students usually live in poverty and depend upon welfare (Jay P. Greene, James Q Wilson, 95). Societal influences like poverty and bad parenting also results in poor performance. Successful public schools are in the area where the rich and wealthy reside, while worst or unsuccessful public schools belong to the areas where poor families live (Valerie Strauss, Washington Post). Children dealing with poverty can afford to attend these unsuccessful schools where they are not provided with proper resources. Class Size: Some believe

Read the three articles in the instructions . Then, write three Assignment

Read the three articles in the instructions . Then, write three synopsis of the work - Assignment Example uses direct communication). He comments that the concepts of high-context and low-context cultures and polychronic (i.e. multitasking) versus monochronic time (i.e. one thing at a time) orientation are useful, but ambiguous. The next theory comes from Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. These dimensions pertain to: power distance, individualism /collectivism, masculinity/femininity and uncertainty avoidance (Dahl 12). Dahl commends the model for its simplicity and widespread application on different cultural interactions. Dahl also explains Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s seven value orientations. These orientations are: universalism versus particularism; communitarianism versus individualism; neutral versus emotional; defuse versus specific cultures; achievement versus ascription; human-time relationship and; human-nature relationship (Dahl 14). Dahl explains the connections between these orientations and other intercultural theories. In addition, Dahl describes Shalom Schwartz’s Schwartz Value Inventory (SVI). SVI has two categories: individual-level analysis and cultural-level analysis. Dahl concludes that there is no one theory of cultural dimensions. In the article, â€Å"What Do Employers Really Want? Top Skills and Values Employers Seek from Job-Seekers,† Randall S. Hansen and Katharine Hansen discuss the major skills and values that employers desire from their employees. They want to help job-seekers become more employable for target employers by explaining these skills and values and how the latter can appear in resumes, cover letters, and interviews. Hansen and Hansen discuss that the top main skills that employers want from employees are: communication skills, analytical/research skills, technical literacy, flexibility, interpersonal abilities, leadership and management skills, multicultural sensitivity, planning and organizing skills, problem-solving/reasoning/creativity skills, and teamwork

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Self-Reflective Journal on Corporate Social Responsibility Essay - 1

Self-Reflective Journal on Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example This paper illustrates that a valuable relationship between CSR and social media was understood through the case of Goldman Sachs where the company gained both in terms of revenue and brand value through philanthropic contributions. Other companies such as Facebook and Google, which are predominantly online, are using the social media channel in order to achieve competitive advantage. The literature review from various other news reports and news articles also revealed that corporate social responsibility has become one of the crucial elements in the strategic decision-making process of organizations. Media is quickly becoming one of the emergent channels for information. As a result, companies are frequently utilizing social media platforms in order to engage with its customers as well as disseminate critical information about their national and international CSR activities. Rising consciousness among individuals as well as growing number of environmental communities have also impac ted the rise of CSR among big firms. However, the reports and articles also revealed that high disparity exists in terms of CSR activities between large and established firms and small and medium-sized companies. The seminar started with the discussion of the burgeoning issues which are hampering the authenticity of social media. Then the topic of CSR and its current practices were discussed. The key topics of discussion were internal and external CSR aspects, issues and challenges while implementing CSR strategies through social media channel, the importance of CSR activities in the global marketplace. Another important issue which was discussed in detail was changing climate conditions and its impact on the global environment.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Theories of communication Essay Example for Free

Theories of communication Essay Theories of communication Argyles theory of communication is a cycle of six concepts, which repeats its self through every conversation, emailing, phone call, and text, through all the ways we communicate. The 6 following steps are: An idea occurs-A thought goes through your head. Example: A midwife thinking to tell a student midwife to go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in Message coded- turning your thoughts and feelings in to communication thinking about Your body posture, tone of voice, body language, gestures, pictures, writing and posture. Example- the midwife now needs to think how to say to the student midwife she needs to do the observations and how she is going to come across, like her tone of voice, her facial expressions, body language , does she need to write it and her posture. Message sent- have communicated what you want to say. Example- The midwife has now told the student midwife to go and do observations on the lady that has come in, the way she wanted to come across. Message received- is when the person or audience has received what the sender had tried to communicate. Example- The student midwife has received what the midwife has communicated. Message decoded- now they have to take what has been said and try to decode it so they understand what they have communicated. Example- the student midwife is now trying to understand and decode what the midwife has said about doing observations on the patient that has just come in. Message understood- the audience or the person targeted at has understood what has been communicated. Example- the student midwife has understood that she needs to go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in. This works with a response as well for example: Idea occurs- thinking of a response- example: the student midwife is thinking of a response to say to the midwife. Message coded- thinking how you are going to communicate your response- Example-student midwife thinks how she is going to communicate her response. Message sent- you have communicated your response- Example- The student midwife has communicated what she wants to say to the midwife. Message received- the response has been received- example- The midwife has received the student midwife’s response Message decoded- take the response and try to understand it, attempt to decode it-  Example – the midwife now needs to decode what the student midwife has said so she can understand it. Message understood- they have understood the response- Example- the midwife has understood the student midwife will go and do the observations on the patient that has just come in. Bruce Tuckman’s 1965. Forming, storming, norming and performing- team development model Bruce Tuckman’s theory was a helpful explanation of team development and behaviour. He believed that there was stages when a team come together and they was the forming, storming, norming, and performing there is also adjourning and transforming also known as the mourning stage These stages worked like this: The first stage is forming and this was the team being assembled, at the beginning each individual tend to behave independently, until they start shaping in to a team. The team is coming together and trying to figure out why they are there or what they have to do. They spend time collecting information and bonding. The second stage is the storming stage, in this stage the team are aware of the task and begin to suggest different ideas and what they are going to do and how it works. This is just the stage of ideas and talking about the task. This is also when a team leader may be formed to lead the group. Time is spent addressing the task working out what they have to do and then brainstorming all their ideas for the task. The third stage is the norming stage, this is where the team finish the storming stage and move towards working on the task after putting all their ideas together and agreeing on what they are going to do and work out an effective plan, allowing the contribution of each member. At this point team leader can also take a step back as each individual team member takes more responsibility. In this stage time is used putting ideas together and agreeing and moving towards working on the task. The fourth stage is the performing, performing their ideas to complete the task given and have a final piece, this is the bit where they actually do it and try to complete it. The time is spent completing the task, working together. The last stage is the adjourning and transforming also known as mourning. This is the final stage; this is the breakup of the team, where the team leave as they have completed the task given. Example of Bruce Tuckman’s theory: classroom of year ones on their 1st day. The year ones have been put into a group, this  is where they meet and talk for the first time, this would be the forming stage, as the group is being formed and shaped. The teacher then gave them a task. Each child had to give an idea to help to complete the task, this is the storming stage as different ideas where put together to help complete the task. The year ones then had to decide all together what ideas they liked and agree on which one they was going to use for the task, this is the norming stage where they all decide and agree and start to work on the task, also having to agree on the rules which is given for the task. The fifth stage is the performing stage where they all perform the task given and the decisions are collaborative for the final piece. The final stage is the adjourning and transforming stage where the children go home after completing their task and the group is broken up as the task is now finished.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Green consumer behavior and influencing factors

Green consumer behavior and influencing factors This chapter literature review is presented by using review of previous studies. The literature explains green consumption, green consumer behavior and factors influence consumer behavior. During the past decade environment become a serious issue that leading to environmental problems have been concerned from public and the environmental awareness has occurred. Environmental knowledge from media, society, or education are boosting that lead to consumer behavior have been changed (Wagne,1997). Many companies consider about environmental issue force and start to take it to be part of corporate management (Reinhardt and Vietor, 1996). It causes the demand of green products is increasing. Many studies found out that green consumption pattern in variable factor widely base on consumption decision that partly on the environmental attributes (Krarup and Russell, 2005). In 1970, many companies were pressured by society and consumer; therefore, environmental marketing involves offering consumer with more socially acceptable product(Peattie, 2002).There is evidence that in 1988 many countries in the world have adopted the green label in order to support environmental behavior (Peattie, 2002). Green label is the label that shows the reduced environmental impact over the product life time (Rex and Baumann, 2006) and this lead to an increase of green consumption because green label also help some consumer who cannot distinguish green product from conventional product(Morris, 1997). Sheth mentioned that in 1990 almost 10% of new product was launched in form of green or environmental friendly. Although Bleda and Valente (2009) suggested that green label can use for solving the environment problem, Blair (1992) claimed green product cannot stop environmental harm. It only can be less harm which green product characteristics is less impact global environmental problem, design to be re-used or recycle, non-polluting, minimal packaging, local obtainable materials, no test animal. This is supported by Alwitt and Berger (1993)s reported that 70% of consumer concern about environment issue (Vantomme et al., 2004). Moreover, Tnsglobal (2007, p11) conducted survey in 12 countries around the world. It was found that for automobile, 53% of respondents said the environment has a significant or large influence on their day-to-day purchasing decisions. For food items, the figure is 49%. Household goods at 43% and then health beauty products at 41% come next. It can be seen that there are green consumer in all of products type. Besides, Eco-electrons (2009) reported that 81% of U.S. con sumers are willing to pay on green product, and 79% have a positive brand image with green brand. 2.2. Green consumer Green consumers is one who avoids products that are likely to endanger the health of the consumer or others; cause significant damage to the environment during manufactory, use or disposal; consumer a disproportionate amount of energy; cause unnecessary waste; use material derived from threatened species or environment; involve unnecessary use of, or cruelty to animal; adversely affect other countries (Elkington,1994 cited in Strong, 1998) While Moisander and Peronen (2002) mentioned that green consumers are the consumer who has morally oriented behaviour that is reinforced from their need or other, aiming to make better life of society. Wagner (1997) said that green behaviour cannot occur though only general environmental concern, the actual behaviour will be take place when specific environmental exist. In other word, green consumers who have green consciousness will have green behaviour, while Peattie (1992) observed that green consumer in one market is not necessary to be green c onsumer in other. This depends on their own behaviour attitude toward specific products, and the linked between green information and product information. Some consumer cannot separate between green product and general one, this lead to available green information and green label that help consumer make purchase decision. Moreover, an increase of green information also lead to the rise of green consumer and cause many companies behave environmental performance. However, there is no study about green consumer in Thai cosmetic market. Many researches characterise on green consumer that they are female, high education, high income, high social class (Peattie, 1992; Wager, 1997; Barr, 2003; Chen, 2007). There is no evident of Thai green consumer demographic. This research will investigate green consumers demographic, namely gender, age, status or income in Thai green cosmetic market in order to ascertain the exits potential segmentation. 2.2.3 Green consumer decision process Generally, consumer decision process consist of 5 stages ,namely, motivation, information search, evaluation of alternative, purchase choice, purchase outcomes. Understanding the determinant of each stage from beginning through the last stage is need in order to run the campaign or marketing mix which is suitable target consumer. Consumer can skip the stage or reverse some stage; it is necessary to pay attention in all stages (Wils n, Richard and Gilligan, 2007; Kotler and Armstrong, 2004; Ouwersloot and Duncan, 2008). Peattie (2002) explained the step of green consumer decision process as same as general consumer decision process; however, green consumer behaviour is not simple as general consumer behaviour because green consumers tend to behave as environmental responsible that involving buying or avertable consumption. Moreover, green consumer behaviour pattern are easily changed. It can be said that green consumer behaviour is the consumer behaviour that concerning about environm ental issue or social criteria, and lead to the purchasing and non-purchasing decision (Peattie, 2002). They might not purchase the product and do alternative way that respond green challenge such as replace, maintain or dispose of product. Figure4. Greening the buying process model Source: Peattie,2002,p.84 First stage: Recognition of a need or want Generally, all needs can be explained though Maslows need hierarchy. Physiological needs or the lower need in the hierarchy aim to be satisfied first and the need will turn to next level such as safety needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. However, it is not necessary that the lower need is fulfilled as first, some people might want to meet the higher level need as first, for example, some people forgoing food and buy other product that meet their higher needs(Wilson, Richard and Gilligan, 2007; Fan, 2008). Peattie (2002) said that during 1980s green issues become significant issue to drive certain need at each level of Maslow model. Ordinary, consumers have physiological needs as basic needs. They need food, clothes and house, however, green consumers tend to consume as small proportion in order to reduce resources. Moreover, in safety needs level, green consumers concern about safety and health. They interest about either production of packaging or product, how is come from t hat this contribute the secured package such as tamperproof container (Mackenzie. 1990). This cause people trust more in green product because they think that green product is safety for them. Many people consume organic food or natural cosmetic instead chemical ones (Peattie,2002). The is evident that demand of cosmetic in Thai market is required nature ingredient that means that product are not tested on animal, recyclable package (Falk, J ,2007 Ponbamrungwong and Chandsawang, 2009 ). Moreover, green consumers needs are shaped from recognition of problem that is influenced from media coverage, advertising or pressure group about environmental problem (Wilson, Richard and Gilligan, 2007). Some cosmetic company using emotional appeal in their advertising that represent how they help the world ( bodyshop,2010)This lead to people is looking for alternative green product and become the generic desire to buy other green product in their life. Second stage: Information search When consumers aware their needs. Finding information is important for them (Sheth and Mittal, 2004). There are many sources which consumer can have information either personal source from friend and family, public source from media and magazine, commercial source from staff or brochures and experimental source by trying product (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). Regarding Green consumers, they need much more information about product that relate to environment, particularly, household product. They seek information beyond the given-information from company. Consumers also look for their guide, therefore; many organizations and pressure group activity become important because they truly inform the information in terms of product, and suggest about situation that consumer face involves environmental issue (Peattie et al.,2002).This kind of organization such as Greenpeace, Earthwatch and PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals). They provide the information on their website that people can easily access. This can be shown that internet source becomes the importance source for consumer. Sheth and Mittal, (2004) stated in cosmetic market, internet are significant source because they can compare the price and share opinion about product. Although, Grubow (2010) found that in some Asia countries such as china, consumer still seek informat ion from cosmetic store as the first choice, they will go back to internet to find furthermore information. There is no study about significant source in cosmetic market in Thailand. The examination on this point will be occurred in order to benefit the companies that doing in this firm. Third stage: Evaluation of alternative stages The study of Thai consumer decision-making styles on imported cosmetic brand products by Chaisitthiroj (2007) found that Thai women have many characteristics that cause the different evaluation of alternative such as brand conscious characteristic, quality characteristic. Brand conscious characteristic refers to the consumer who appreciate brand as the first factor, they seem to be insensitive in price. They believe that brands represent the quality of product, and the brand that represent frequently in public can effectively influence their decision making. In cosmetic market, Green cosmetic brand might be best choice for green consumer that respond their desire and encourage them to switch from other brand (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). Price conscious characteristic account for consumer who prefers the low price, they make buying decision making on the product that lower price. Green consumers look for alternative product that can help environment, for example, they use bicycles in stead of car in short distance. However, green consumers do not evaluate only between products or brand, they consider on the way of alternative purchase behaviour. Some consumer might not consume new product and repair or maintain old product instead. Borrowing is alternative way that consumers believe that after they return product to owner, it will be conserved. Buying second- hand approach becomes popular. Green consumer can fulfil their need without use more resources. Brand loyalty also can be green consumer by using refill product rather than buy the competed package product (Peattie,2002).. Forth stage: make purchase choice Euromonitor International showed that the highest company value in Thai colour cosmetic market is Mistine Brand (This brand sell an item around 50 pence) while the body shop (green cosmetic brand) was ranked at top 20. This can be questioned that Thai women use price factor or income factor to make purchase on cosmetic product. However, there is no study of influence factor in green cosmetic consumer. Therefore, green cosmetic market need to understand Thai green consumer buyer pattern. Peattie (2002) explained that green consumer will buy the product in where can help environmental problem or welfare of society, for example, green consumer might purchase the cosmetic that be made from the developing area that represents reinvestment and environmental protection. Moreover, green consumers purchase when product is creditable that have eco-behaviour, Those products can be shown by using green label or eco-performance. They might not purchase the unreliable product. Regarding quantity, green consumers tend to buy product at the less level in order to reduce the resources or buy refill pack of product (Peattie,1992 Peattie,2002). Fifth stage: post purchase behaviour stage After consumer purchasing the products, companies need to know the consumer perception in terms of product meet their exception or not, because it can lead to a repeat purchase behaviour. The seller need to make consumer are satisfied. It is because present consumer can leads to new consumer or become loyal consumer (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). Peattie (2002) mentioned that in this stage green consumers have different behaviour from convention consumer. Therefore, marketers should understand green consumer post purchase behaviour. Peattie (2002) divided post- purchase of green consumer into 5 behaviours. Product use change. Green consumers use the same product in different ways. They might act as environmental organization guide. For example drive at 50-80 km/miles in order to reduce car emission. Reuse of product. Green consumer will reuse the part of product that serves their other needs. They might use cookie container to keep other food. Product disposal. Green consumer carefully use the product in order to though the where can be useful, some green consumer sell it as second hand products or donate them. Recycle of waste packaging. Green consumers consider about recycle packaged. Many green consumers said that natural material of package can be the factor that influences their buying decision. Care and maintenance. Green consumers pay more attention to use product in order to extend product life cycle. Therefore, the products that are easily maintained will be the choice for them. 2.4. Factor influence consumer behaviour Figure. The framework consumer behaviour Source:Lancaster,Massingham,Ashford ( 2002,p.75) 2.4.1 Cultural factors It is difficult to deny that cultures generate behaviour norms, and it is important to connect culture and consumer behaviour. Understating culture is needed. Brassington and Pettitt (2006, p.127) explained that culture is the personality of society within which an individual lives. It manifests itself through the built environment, art, language, literature, music and the products that society consumes as well as through its prevalent beliefs, value systems and government. It also includes traditions, taboos, value, and basic attitude of society, nationality, religious and geographic. Wilson, Richard and Gilligan (2007) mentioned that this factor is the fundamental factor influencing buyer behaviour. Kotler and Armstrong (2004) supported that different society has different culture. Asia culture varies from western culture; it leads to different behaviour. This research will be conducted in Thailand where is located in Asia, hence understanding Asia culture is necessary. Buddhism has been in Thailand more than 2000 years. It can be said that Buddhism unwittingly becomes a part of Thai people life and it is a national religion of Thailand. Although these days many Thai people change their religion to other, more than 90% of Thai people still is Buddhism (Department of Religious Affairs, 2010). Buddhism teachings avoid persecute all animal, other people and society. They search for peaceful life. This concept is similar as green consumer concern in terms of avoidance of animal (and) environmental damage. However, it cannot judge that culture can motivate Thai women behave as green behaviour and buy green cosmetic. The finding of Johri and Sahasakmontri(1998) found that Thai consumer did not buy cosmetic because no tested on animal as the important factor. However, this finding is obsolete, when data was collected Thai people did not have sufficient information about environmental which differ as present. According to Hofstedes demission of cultural value Asia countries have high uncertainty avoidance. Uncertainty avoidance refers to uncertainty acceptance culture. In high uncertainty avoidance culture people tend to avoid the risk, change in their life that lead to the social risk of trying a new product is very high (Fan ,2009) Although, many studies examine the factor influencing Thai women behaviour in green cosmetic market, it is surprising that many studies did not use culture factor to measure in their studies (Prapakamol, 2001; Namsanguan, 2007, Chaisittiroj, 2007). As it can be seen from review that culture is significant factor that influence buying behaviour. , this research cannot overlook culture factor. This research will investigate the positive relationship between culture and buying behaviour in green cosmetic market in Thailand. H1. Culture is significant factor influence Thai women to buy green cosmetic 2.4.2 Group and reference group There are many theories stated that consumer behaviour is reinforced from social group. This is evident that the social group can influence consumer behaviour by group which each consumer belong (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). Chen (2007) mentioned that people perform a behaviour that is related to people in their life (eg, family, friend, and other). Schutte and Ciarlante (1999) claimed that family is the fundamental group in Asia people life because family is the first place that giving experience of life. Family will transfer the traditional and the building block of a harmonious society. for example, if green cosmetic are believed as a good product from people in their family, the consumer will have high intention of buying green cosmetic, whereas if member of consumers family think that green cosmetic is not good, consumer will not buy green cosmetic (chen, 2007) Moreover, Fan (2009) said that Asians always follow the crowed in the consumption because Asians are collectivism that always interdependent on each other and the way they act follow and believe the group than individual. In other word, if green cosmetic is the popular product in Thailand and chemical one is rejected, Thai women will purchase green cosmetic instead chemical one. However, it is also important to reach the opinion of leader group to find out the characteristic which influence other member so as to easily access other member (Kotler and Armstrong, 2004). The study of Summers (1970) found that the opinion leader in cosmetic product is influence consumer behaviour. In USA opinion leader are younger, high educated. Similarly, opinion leader in Hungary are younger, high educated and they have been to Western Europe or the USA in recent year. Although their finding found that leader group characteristic is similar, there is a small difference that might cause from demographic (Coulter, Feick and Price, 2002). Furthermore, Brassington and Pettitt (2006) added that environmental friendly trends are quickly spread from reference group, peer-group or social group, and they affect on their member buying decision. Strong (1998) examined that in green market, children are significant key that influence on family buying decision because children are important source in family that can encourage or discourage buying power. Furthermore, Lee (2008) claimed that green consumption is a form of symbolic consumption. Therefore, there is possible that people will buy green product in order to be accepted from group. As green cosmetic products are quite new topic in this area that no enough guidance. However, Cosmetics are fashionable product and green products are acknowledged as environmental friendly in Thailand. There is a possible that group, opinion leader are significant factor that motivate Thai consumer when buying green cosmetic. H2. Social group is significant factor that influence Thai women to buy green cosmetic. 2.4.3 Status Solomon et al (2006) said that the product or services we purchase often will represent to other people know what our social class. Therefore, consumer behaviour always is influenced with this aspect because consumer the products as status symbols. Status also display to education and income, for example, wearing high price suits can display the individuals professional or career position. Similarly, Fan (2009) said that Asian people are the most status-conscious in the world. The important of status makes it imperative to project the right image, which usually means up-market and prestigious(Schutte, 2010,p.658).To be accepted from social Asians will buy product that express status, normally expensive product. Although, products display status, it does not mean that social class can influence all kind of product. Chao and Schor (1998) claimed that social visibility is a key of status consumption. Status will be important when consumers purchase only the products are always showed to public view. In cosmetic products, they found that women buy expensive lipstick and do not care about relationship between price and quality because women only want to show their status though lipstick brand which normally women carry lipstick with them everywhere ,while facial cleaner are perceived as non-visible product because consumer keep it at home. When they buy they always consider about relationship price and quality. In contrast, the study of pungpumput and ngamsanguan (2000) in buying cosmetic behaviour in Thai students shows that the relationship between price and quality is a significant factor influence student buying decision and they did not mentioned about relationship between status and buying behaviour. It cannot be summarised that status is not influence factor when Thai women buy green cosmetic. Therefore, this research will find out that status have positive relationship with buying green cosmetic product or not. H3. Status has positive relationship with buying green cosmetic behaviour. 2.4.4 Attitudes Attitudes refer to peoples feeling, tendencies, evaluation toward the object, idea or concept. People actions and learning are affected from attitude. In the other word, attitudes affect consumer behaviour (Kotler and Armstrong 2004; Ouwersloot and Duncan 2008; Pickett and Ozaki, 2008). That is reason why many marketers try to change consumer attitude. However, it is not always that attitude become behaviour. Sometimes positive attitude cannot generate the behaviour, for example, consumer want to buy green cosmetic but she may not have money to buy because green cosmetic is more expensive than chemical one (Pickton and Broderick, 2005).In terms of negative attitude, it cannot automatically stop a purchase as can see from example of cigarette smoking. The behaviour will be occurred, if strong attitude overcome negative aspect. It can be said that if the importance of purchase is high, the importance of attitude toward product will be high. Attitude will less influence in case the purc hase is a part of habit or routine (Pickton and Broderick, 2005). Kotler et al (2004) mentioned that attitudes are difficult to change, therefore, company should try not to change consumer attitude but the companies should design the message about their product or service which is suitable to their attitude. Pickett and Ozaki, 2008 argued that marketer can change consumers attitude by adapt consumer evaluation through inputting new belief. 2.4.4.1 Environmental attitudes Fisgbein and Ajzen mentioned that attitude is one significant aspect that creates behaviour. Environmentally friendly attitude causes eco-behaviour such as purchase green product this can confirm from many studies (Kim et al., 2005; Chen, 2007). Kim et al (2005) found that the environmental attitude or concern directly influence on green purchase behaviour, explaining that consumer who has strong environmental attitude concern will interest in the product that connect to their concern. Chen (2007, p.1016) also examined that consumers attitude to organic foods purchase is in turn positively. However, Barr and Gilg (2007) found that people who have environmental attitude tend to do green activities (recycle, reuse) rather than purchasing green product. Similarly, Peattie (1999) said that green consumer seek for alternative purchase behaviour such as borrow or repair instead of purchasing. In contrast, Baker and Ozaki (2008) claimed that belief shaped attitudes toward behaviour that become to behaviour intention. However, their finding showed that environmental attitudes are not important factor that generate environmental behaviour. They explained that actual behaviour is not necessary occur from what they think is good because consumer might consider other factor such as subjective -interests. Baker and Ozaki (2008) added that providing green information is less effective on consumer attitude than educate them. It indicates that environment education is significant key that influence consumers attitude. Marketers should concern this point in order to choose the best way that affect on consumers attitude. Although some studies said attitudes have negative relationship with behaviour, there is study in cosmetic area. Therefore, this research will investigate that positive attitude toward environmental can influence Thai women buying green cosmetic. H4. Environmental attitudes are a significant factor influence Thai women buying green cosmetics. 2.4.5 Perception Perception is the way in which individuals analyse, interpret and make sense of incoming information, and is affected by personality, experience and mood (Brassington and Pettitt, 2006, p.118). Consumers always make decision or behave base on their point of view or perception (Peattie, 2002). The term of perception in marketing is consumers view toward to product, services, package, smell, taste, message or company. Perceptions will be differently modified by individual interpretation and that influence on decision making process. Even the same individual might have perception varies in different times. 2.4.5.1 Brand perception Creating brand awareness or placing information into consumer mind is important to consumer perception because it can be linked to brand image of company (Lancaster,Massingham and Ashford 2002). Especially, Strong brand name can influence consumer perceptions. It causes people feel familiar with brand and then purchase the products. Once consumers are satisfied the product, the brand will be on the top of consumer mind. This make consumers become loyal consumer and continue to purchase the products. For example, Wu (2003) stated that consumer do not stop purchasing current brand and change to environmental alternative brand. Ouwersloot and Duncan (2008) added that loyal consumer always communicate positively about company and brand to other consumers. It is called word-of- mouth. Pickett and Ozaki, (2008) stated that word of mouth is valuable tool that influence on consumer perception rather than other tool such as sale promotion. The finding of Pickett and Ozaki (2008) illustrates that some consumer trusted certain brand than other. This is showed that brand affect on consumer perception that transfer to emotional preference. Wu and Lo (2008) study the influence of core-brand attitude and consumer perception on purchase intention towards extended product found that consumer perception can increase consumers purchase intention. They experienced that brand awareness and product perception lead to purchase intention while Yam Ting and Chans study (1998) found that no strong relationship between green purchase behaviour and self- perception. They explained that this is because (1) consumers have gap between attitude and behaviour and (2) respondents do not perceive that purchase behaviour can improve environmental condition. 2.4.5.2 Corporate social responsibility perception Corporate social responsibility activities are the way to create consumer positive perception. West, Ford, Ibrahim (2006,p434) said that CSR is the actions of the company to act in a socially responsible manner to protect and enhance the various stakeholders that have an interest in company, the community in which it operate, the environment which surrounds it, and society. According to MORIs research (2003) found that 74% of British people accept that behaviour of company on social responsible would affect their buying decision ,and 86% suggest that community activities should be actively announced- 59% said it is grateful to see company profit from social activities.. The performance of CSR leads to good brand image and productivity and profitability in long time (CSR of British government, 2010). When consumers perceive the information about evidence of firm. They decode the message into 2 types of motive to the firm-self serving (to enhance profits, sale, brand image) or public serving (help people or develop society) that it can be called as profit-motivated or socially motivated respectively. The attribution is fundamental of perceived motivation affect consumers judgement on firm. Once consumers perceive the firm action as self-profit, the positive attitude on firm will be reduced. On the other hand ,if the firm is perceived as socially motivated, the positive attitude on firm will be increased (Olsen et al.,2005). From the review, it can be concluded that consumer perception either brand perception or CSR perception can generate buying behaviour. However, there is no evident that perception cause Thai women buying behaviour in green cosmetic product. This research will examine that there is positive relationship between perception and buying green cosmetic behaviour. H5. Brand perception is a significant factor influencing Thai women buying green cosmetics. H6. CSR perception is a significant factor influencing Thai women buying green cosmetics.

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Terrorism and the Media

Terrorism and the Media Mass Media has always historically been recognised as newspapers, radio, and television, also dramatic arts, through film and theatre, and books. Since the advent of the Internet, global media has been revolutionised with new ways to broadcast information and the speed at with which that information is conveyed. Terrorism requires media publicity in order that the political message they wish to convey reaches the target audience thus influencing and swaying public opinion. The Media seek to provide information to their audience to meet their need for information and news stories. The more dramatic and spectacular the news coverage then the greater an audience the Media will attract. A greater audience brings intrinsic benefits to the Media. I will discuss the symbiotic relationship between Media and Terrorism and whether it exits and to what degree it is symbiotic. I will also examine how the internet has affected the symbiosis between Terrorism and Media. Introduction I am a passionate believer in freedom of speech. I would not support anything which would impinge on aggressive robust freedom of the British press. Nick Clegg, British Deputy Prime Minster (as cited in Chorley, 2012). Nick Clegg made this comment in the wake of the Leveson enquiry into the Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press. Freedom of the Press has always been part of the foundation of a democratic society; however it is this democratic society that enables the terrorist to deliver their message through the media. democratic society make the tasks of terrorist propaganda, recruitment, organisation, and the mounting of operations a relatively easy matter (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 22). As Wilkinson rightly argues a democratic society is an enabler for terrorism to exist, especially in regard to delivering their propaganda and political message. In late March 2001, three simultaneous car explosions killed twenty-three and injured more than one hundred civilians in southern Russia. If this had happened in the old Soviet Union, the state-controlled mass media probably would not have reported the incident. (Nacos, 2007, p. 36). In the old USSR state-controlled mass media would simply deny the terrorists the propaganda of their attack. Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had it right when she proclaimed the publicity is the oxygen of terrorism (Ibid., p. 36). Nacos correctly reminds us of what Mrs Thatcher said, and it is this oxygen that the terrorists seek to obtain when they plan an attack. without the medias coverage the acts impact is arguably wasted, remaining narrowly confined to the immediate victim(s) of the attack, rather than reaching the wider target audience at whom the terrorists violence is actually aimed. (Hoffman, 2006, p. 174). Hoffman reinforces that terrorists require publicity form the media. It is clear from the above that terrorism and the media are in some form of relationship. This essay discusses the interactions of the relationship between terrorists and media, if it is symbiotic, and how does advent of the internet affect the relationship. Definitions Defining terrorism has been difficult since it has first been studied. Laqueur states More than a hundred definitions have been offered (including a few of my own) for the phenomenon. (Laqueur, 1995, p. 5). There are characteristics that can be found in the majority of the definitions and these have been highlighted by Wilkinson: It is premeditated and designed to create a climate of extreme fear. It is directed at a wider target than the immediate victims. It inherently involves attacks on random or symbiotic targets, including civilians. It is considered by the society, in which it occurs as extra normal, that is, in the literal sense it violates the norms regulating disputes, protest and dissent. It is used primarily, though not exclusively, to influence the political behaviour of governments, communities or specific social groups.(Wilkinson, 2011, p. 1) These characteristics will define terrorism for the discussions within this essay and specifically the act being premeditated, designed to create a climate of extreme fear, and being directed at a wider target than the immediate victims. Wilkinson also comments on the meaning of symbiotic In sociology the term symbiosis is taken to mean relations of mutual dependence between different groups within a community when the groups are unlike each other and their relations are complementary (Ibid., p. 145). The relationship between terrorism and media will be examined and discussed to assess whether it is mutually dependent and complementary, and if so, does this remain true in the era of internet media. The mass media are taken to encompass newspapers, radio and television and other important forms of communications, including books, films, music, theatre and the visual arts. (Ibid., p. 144). Wilkinson defines the meaning of mass media, for the purpose of this essay and discussion For the purposes of this essay I will separate mass media from new media technology including the internet. Terrorist interaction with media The Assassin Sect of Shia Islam which attempted to sow terror in the Muslim world and Middle Ages, relied upon word of mouth in mosques and market places to relay news of their attacks (Ibid., p. 144). Wilkinson informs us that terrorists need to spread the news of their attacks is not a modern phenomenon, but as terrorism has increased, their need for publicity has also. Without being noticed, in fact, terrorism would not exist. The sheer act of killing does not create a terrorist act: murders and wilful assaults occur with such frequency in most societies that they are scarcely reported in the news media. What makes an act terrorism is that it terrifies. The acts to which we assign that label are deliberate events, bombings and attacks performed at such places and times that they are calculated to be observed. Terrorism without its horrified witnesses would be as pointless as a play without an audience. (Juergensmeyer, 2003, p. 141). Juergensmeyer states that the terrorists need to horrify witnesses, if the act is not sufficiently terrifying then it will not achieve the publicity any further than the initial audience. Schmid and de Graaf concur, the immediate victim is merely instrumental, the skin of a drum beaten to achieve a calculated impact on a wider audience. As such, an act of terrorism is in reality an act of communication. For the terrorist the message matters, not the victim (Schmid and de Graaf, 1982, p. 14). When transmitting this message what are the terrorists trying to achieve? Nacos argues that there are four media objectives that terrorists seek to achieve when they commit/threaten an act of violence. First, terrorists want the attention and awareness of various audiences inside and outside their target societies and thereby condition their targets for intimidation. Second, terrorists want the recognition of their motives. They want the media and the public to explore the question: Why do they attack us? Third, terrorists want the respect and sympathy of those in whose interest they claim to act. Fourth, terrorists want a quasi-legitimate status and the same or similar media treatment that legitimate political actors receive. (Nacos, 2007, p. 20) Nacos has neatly packaged the objectives, not all these objectives will be achieved in every attack by terrorists, but generally they will be trying to achieve the majority of them. On the 12 April 2010, the Real IRA attacked Palace Barracks in Northern Ireland, the Headquarters for the British Security Service in Northern Ireland. The date of the attack was not chosen at random, it was the day that justice and security powers were devolved from Westminster to the Northern Ireland Assembly. Mark Simpson BBC Northern Ireland Correspondent stated On a day when a new political era is starting at Stormont, dissident republicans wanted to highlight one of the weaknesses of the peace process the threat of further violence. (Simpson, 2010). The Real IRA succeeded in achieving media coverage of the incident and took the headlines rather, than the devolution of justice powers. When we examine Nacos objectives we can see that the Real IRA achieved certainly the first three objectives, and the fourth being open to debate if whether it improved their claims to be legitimate political actors. On 14 June 1985 TWA Flight 847 was hijacked by Lebanese Terrorist enroute from Athens to Rome. The flight contained a considerable number of United States citizens. This incident provides a good example of how terrorists optimise their media exposure and how perhaps unwittingly the media played into their hands. Schmid (as cited in Wilkinson, 2011. p. 155) Schmid observes that National Broadcasting Company (NBC) devoted no less than two thirds of their total news time to the crisis over the fate of the American hostages taken to Beirut throughout the 17 days of the hijacking. The US media brought its considerable might to bare upon the coverage of the drama. The focus of the coverage was on the hostages and their families, which proved detrimental to the Reagan administration A gross imbalance therefore emerged: soft, human-interest feature stories predominated (mostly interviews with the hostages and their families), accounting for slightly more than a third of all reports, with few er than half as many stories addressing real issues (Hoffman, 2006, p. 175). The media coverage achieved what the terrorists desired, in that the concentrated effort was the safe recovery of the hostages at any cost. The domestic demand for the release of the TWA Flight 847 hostages placed such pressure on the US government that it led them to press their Israeli allies to release over 700 prisoners demanded by the hostage-takers, thus conceding an enormous political and psychological victory to the terrorists (Wilkinson 2011, p. 106). The effect that transpired was that terrorism was seen to produce results. As Hoffman states the most pernicious effect of the crisis was its validation of terrorism as a tactic. (Hoffman, 2006, p. 175). The terrorist manipulation of the media was no coincidence. According to John Bullock, a British journalist who covered the story, throughout the crisis the terrorists knew exactly what they were doing. (Ibid, p. 176). It can be seen from the above how additional media pressure influenced US foreign policy and ultimately achiev ed the terrorists goals. Do all terrorists seek publicity? Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path, Peruvian Terrorist Organisation) long remained quite uncommunicative and seemingly uninterested both in the wider media and in creating an underground press through which to broadcast its ideology on a media level (Wieviorka, 2004, p. 43). Wieviorka argues that The Shining Path terrorist group had no expectation of any mediation whatsoever on part of the press (Ibid. p. 43). Wilkinson disagrees with Wieviorka assessment arguing This category is totally unreal because even for the purpose of creating terror in an intended set of victims, the perpetrator relies on some channel or medium of communication to relay the threat. If there is no aim to instil terror, then the violence is not of a terroristic nature. (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 145). Nacos further highlights that it doesnt matter if the terrorists do not directly seek media coverage But whether terrorists claim responsibility for their deeds does not matter at all with respect to media coverage. (Nacos 2007, p. 18). The media, if they become aware of the incident, will provide coverage to the public. Nacos further states that most terrorist groups dont just want their terrorist act publicised They typically want their political causes publicized and their motives discussed. For this to happen the perpetrators do not necessarily have to do the explaining themselves- the media do it for them. (Ibid., p. 21). It can be seen from the above analysis how terrorists use the media to their advantage and to convey their political message. In the vast majority of terrorist incidents the terrorists rely upon media coverage of their attack to ensure that they reach a wider audience. English aptly summarises the role of the media in the eyes of the terrorists media provide a crucial amplifier for the terrorists cause, case and deeds (English, 2009, p. 44). Media interaction with terrorists. I will now discuss why and how the media interact with terrorism. Why the media interacts with terrorism is relatively simple. a cynical aphorism in the newspaper business holds that if it bleeds, it leads.' (Mueller, 2006, p. 40), this holds true as the media require headline news to attract viewers. Media in an open society are in a fiercely competitive market for their audiences, are constantly under pressure to be first with the news and to provide more information (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 147). It is the drive to attract more viewers that places media under pressure to report terrorist incidents. A high drama incident is the ideal news story to attract a greater audience, in the first three weeks of the Tehran Hostage crisis in 1979 all the major television networks achieved an 18 per cent increase in audience rating. (Ibid., p. 150). According to Hamin Mowlana (As cited in Wilkinson 2011, p. 150) the networks were able to secure, in 1979, an annual increase of  £30 million for each percentage point of audience rating increase. From this argument we can see where the advantage for media is in covering such incidents, there is however no suggestion that the media are constantly hoping for a terrorist incident, as outlined by Nacos While I do not suggest that the news media favour this sort of political violence, it is nevertheless true that terrorist strikes provide what the contemporary media crave most drama, shock, and tragedy suited to be packaged as human interest news. (Nacos, 2006, p. 81-82). Laqueur further states It has been said that journalists are terrorists bes t friends, because they are willing to give terrorist operations maximum exposure. This is not to say that journalists as a group are sympathetic to terrorists, although it may appear so. It simply means that violence is news, whereas peace and harmony are not. The terrorists need the media, and the media find in terrorism all the ingredients of an exciting story. (Laqueur, 1995, p. 44). It has been shown why media pay so much attention to terrorist incidents, but is the coverage disproportional to the actual threat that the terrorists pose in comparison to other threats that the public face daily, and thus giving an uneven balance of threat to the public, which in turn may be assisting the terrorists? Jenkins argues it makes no difference that ordinary homicides vastly exceed murders caused by terrorists. The news media do not allocate space or air time proportionally according to the leading causes of death in the world. (Jenkins, 1981, p. 2). Jenkins further states Content analysis of coverage of terrorist incidents in The New York Times and the Times of London shows that the news media provide little context in which the public can judge the events Ibid., p. 2). Iyengar gives additional evidence Between 1981 and 1986, more stories were broadcast on terrorism than on poverty, unemployment racial inequality, and crime combined (Iyengar, 1991, p. 27). The media have the unhealthy habit of being anecdotal rather than factual, skewing reality and the threat. It is my opinion that this only aids the terrorist by inflating the threat that is posed. From the analysis it is evident that terrorism can be overrepresented and overemphasised by the media; this in turn only aids the terroris t in the broadcast of their political message. To additionally aggravate the situation is pressure upon media to get the Scoop before competing media channels. As Nacos states In this competition, terrorists seem to start out with a significant advantage because their violent deeds are a powerful message that commands the mass medias attention and thus that of their target audience(s). (Nacos, 2007, p. 198). Shpiro states Speed plays a critical role in global news coverage. While the newsreels of World War II could be edited and censored for several days or even weeks before being publicly screened, the audience of present-day con ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡icts demands media reaction time measured by hours and even minutes. Media outlets that, for technical, political or  ¬Ã‚ nancial reasons, cannot supply the most up-to-date news coverage lose out in a  ¬Ã‚ eld saturated by intense competition. (Shpiro, 2002, p. 77). Shprio points out that unless the media outlet gets the story out quickly they will lose to the competition, but does this then affect the coverage? Nacos argues Given the all-out competition between news organizations, the pressure to present breaking news, the determination to report some new angle although a terrorist situation has not changed, and the tendency to sensationalize even genuinely dramatic situations, the hastily reported and often unverified news is likely to contain inaccuracies, mistakes, and problematic features. (Nacos, 2007, p. 207). We can see from Nacos that there is the possibility of inaccuracies and mistakes to become apparent in the rush to release news, this can potentially influence the true perspective on the incident and ultimately may play into the terrorists hands. I have now discussed how terrorist interact with the media and in turn how the media interact with terrorist, I will now discuss whether this relationship is symbiotic. Is the relationship between media and terrorism symbiotic? If we take Wilkinsons earlier view of what a symbiotic relationship is then in order for it to exist the relationship must have mutual dependence between terrorism and media and the relationship is complementary. Hoffman notes that Clearly, terrorism and the media are bound together in an inherently symbiotic relationship, each feeding off and exploiting the other for its own purposes. (Hoffman, 2006, p.193). Wilkinson also comments that once terrorist violence is under way, the relationship between the terrorists and the mass media tends inevitably to become symbiotic (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 145). There is dependence in both cases, the terrorist dependence on the media to publicise the incident, and the medias desire for spectacular news stories to broadcast and attract viewers. Wieviorka offered a counter argument refuting that terrorism and the media are in a symbiotic relationship, stating that terrorists relate to the media in any of four different ways, from pure indifference to media, through relative indifference, then to a media-oriented strategy, and finally to coercion of the media (Wieviorka 1988, p. 43, as cited by Wilkinson, 2011, p. 145). Paul Wilkinson questioned Wieviorkas four categories of the relationship, saying that channels of communication always are used by any terrorist. The first of Wieviorkas categories is pure indifference to any desire to terrorize a population beyond the immediate victim of violence. Wilkinson states that This category is totally unreal because even for the purpose of creating terror in an intended set of victims, the perpetrator relies on some channel or medium of communication to relay the threat. If there is no aim to instil terror, then the violence is not of a terroristic nature (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 145). In Wieviorkas second category relative indifference Wilkinson dismisses Wieviorkas argument that terrorists are disinterested with regard to communicating through powerful media when they have other channels already existing to communicate and explain their position. Wilkinson argues that The kind of channels he lists that already exist are a legal and relatively free press, radio transmitters and centres for free expression such as universities, churches and mosques. But what are these channels that already exist if not alternative media? (Ibid., 2011, p. 146). The third category media-orientated strategy is the only category the Wieviorka believes that terrorists are actively engaged in a relationship with the media. Wilkinson counter argues that this type of media-orientated strategy in reality it is intrinsic to the very activity of terrorisation that some form of media, however crude, is utilised as an instrument to disseminate the messages of threat and intimidation (Ibid., 2011. p. 146). The final category offered by Wieviorka, total break is described by Wilkinson Wieviorka is referring here to cases where the terrorists come to view the media organisation, editors, journalists and broadcasters as enemies to be punished and destroyed. Those working in the media have often been the targets of terrorist violence (Ibid., 2011, p .146). Wilkinson dismissed the total break category for the same reason as media-orientated strategy. It is clear that there is a relationship between terrorism and media, but is it always complementary? Wilkinson lists a number of incidents where the media irresponsibility aided the terrorists or came very close to aiding them with adverse coverage; Firstly the Iranian Embassy siege in 1980, where a news team defied police instructions and filmed the SAS Assault, if this had been broadcast live in would have severely endangered the hostages and rescue team, Secondly the hijacking of a Kuwait airliner in 1988, whilst on the ground at Larnaca Airport, media coverage was so intense a rescue mission was impossible to launch, and finally the media coverage of an IRA trial in 1997 collapsed after media published material that prejudiced a fair trial. (Ibid., 2011, p. 151). The above examples are not to illustrate that the media consciously aid terrorists, Wilkinson further states There is no evidence to suggest that the Western-dominated mass media organisations share the political aims of the terrorist organisations, but sophisticated media-wise terrorists can certainly exploit and manipulate the power of the mass media for their own malevolent purpose. (Ibid., 2011, p. 151). Media attention also brings with it unpredictability for the terrorist organisation, as Wilkinson rightly states, Western-dominated mass media do not share the political ideals of terrorist organisations, therefore are unlikely to give positive coverage of the terrorist incident, Hoffman further points out While most terrorists certainly crave the attention that the media eagerly provide, the publicity that they receive cuts both ways (Hoffman, 2006, p. 188). Wilkinson notes Terrorists like to present themselves as noble Robin Hoods, champions of the oppressed and downtrodden. By showing the savage cruelty of terrorists violence and the way in which they violate the rights of the innocent, the media can help to shatter this myth. (Wilkinson, 2011, p. 152). If we break the symbiotic relationship down to the fact that terrorists require coverage and the media require an audience to produce revenue, it is my opinion the symbiosis does clearly exist. If believe this relationship can aid the terrorists, as the analysis has shown, unless the media report is more balanced and less anecdotal. I will now discuss how the internet may affect the symbiotic relationship. New media and the symbiotic relationship For the purpose of this discussion I will limit new media to terrorist use of the internet and the publicising of their attacks. Lumbaca and Gray define the internet as The internet is an information tool used in namely all parts of the world. The internet has made life a lot simpler for the average person who is looking to earn a degree, engage in commerce exchanges, make purchases, write friends and look up information. Unfortunately while it wields these benefits, this capability is a double-edged sword; these benefits are also open to terrorists. Whether right-winged or left, terrorists view the internet as a powerful too; it is inexpensive, easy to set up and can be found just about anywhere. (Lumbaca, Gray, 2011, p. 47). Hoffman informs us that Few technological innovations have had the impact of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Beyond any doubt, in a comparatively short span of time, they have revolutionized communications, enabling the rapid (often in real time), pervasive, and-most important-inexpensive exchange of information worldwide. (Hoffman 2006, p. 201). Weimann contends the internet is ideal for terrorists-as-communicators: it is decentralized, it cannot be subjected to control or restriction, it is not censored, and it allows access to anyone who wants it (Weimann, 2006, p. 25). Lumbaca, and Gray, Hoffman, and Weimann point out the distinct advantages the internet and World Wide Web offer to terrorists, namely speed, non-censorship and ready access to anyone who wants it. So does the advent of the internet and World Wide Web affect the symbiotic relationship between terrorism and media? As discussed earlier in the essay, the terrorists wish to garner as much publicity regarding their attack as possible, Hoffman reinforces this The overriding objective for the terrorists is to wring every last drop of exposure, publicity, and coercive power from the incident (Hoffman, 2006, p. 180). With regard to terrorist use of the internet Weimann correctly states that it can be accessed by anyone who wants to, this in my opinion is the key to how the internet affects the symbiotic relationship. In order for the terrorists to maximise the exposure of their incident they are still somewhat reliant upon mass media to pick up information they place on the internet, this practice by mass media is becoming known as information laundering for example, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was one of the first jihadist terrorists to optimise the use of the internet and World Wide Web Zarqawi went straight to the internet, which enabled him to produce graphic videos that would have never been shown on mainstream media Katz as cited in (Shane, 2006, p. 1). As these videos were breaking news they were picked up by the mainstream media, and reported upon, thus Zarqawi achieved his publicity. The symbiosis between terrorism and mass media is still apparent in the internet era although the balance is shifting in that the relationship is blurring from the traditional symbiosis in that terrorist can now influence and dictate what information they choose to be available and when. Conclusion Terrorists require publicity of their attack or incident in order to reach a wider audience. The wider audience is essential if the terrorist political message is to have any impact. It has been argued that not all terrorist groups seek publicity; however they have no choice if the media decide to provide coverage of it and thus the relationship is still present. Media is about revenue, it has been shown that terrorist incidents have all the human interest factors that attract a wide audience, with this comes additional revenue through advertisements. The detrimental effect of coverage is that it can skew public and governmental approaches to terrorism, disproportionately over emphasising the threat posed and undermining government policy. Media however seldom portray terrorists well, and this can readdress some of the detrimental effect. The symbiotic relationship is evident in that the relationship between media and terrorism is complementary, however with the advent of the interne t there is less of dependence by terrorist upon media to pick up incidents when the terrorist can publicise their own acts.

Comparing the Living Dead in James Joyces The Dead and Dubliners Essay

Dubliners and The Living Dead      Ã‚  Ã‚   In his work "The Dead," James Joyce utilizes his character Michael Furey, Gretta Conroy's deceased love from her youth, as an apparent symbol of how the dead have a steadfast and continuous power over the living.   The dominant power which Michael maintains over the protagonist, Gabriel Conroy, is that Gabriel is faced with the intense question of whether his wife, Gretta Conroy, loves him and whether he honestly loves her.   Joyce provides substantial information to persuade one to believe that Gabriel does truly love his wife.   Even though it is made evident to the reader that Gabriel possesses such devotion and adoration for Gretta, Michael diverts Gabriel's confidence in his love, causing Gabriel to come to terms with his understanding that his life is not as Gabriel once thought it to be.   Through this process of misleading realization, Gabriel has allowed himself to become one of the many living dead of his community in Dublin.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the taxi ride from his aunts' party to their hotel, Gabriel reminisces about his and Gretta's lives together.   Joyce enforces the passion of Gabriel's thoughts, "Moments of their secret life together burst like stars on his memory" (Joyce 173).   Joyce continues to fill his readers thoughts with examples of the Conroy's wonderful life: "He had felt proud and happy then, happy that she was his proud of her grace and wifely carriage... after the kindling again of so many memories, the first touch of her body, musical and strange and perfumed, sent through him a keen pang of lust" (Joyce 175).   Gabriel seizes Gretta in a passionate embrace and inquires into her thoughts.   Gretta hesitates at first then proceeds to explain the tragic tale... ...ased to consider themselves irrelevant as living beings.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Gabriel Conroy, through his self-righteous concern for others, has created an internal paralysis.   Because Gabriel dwells on events in the past he is unable to move forward in his life with satisfaction.   Although Gabriel indisputably loves his wife, the elusive curse created by Michael Furey's inconsequential existence, long before he and Gretta were involved, has instigated unruly thoughts on Gabriel's behalf.   This vague and malicious being breaks down Gabriel's ego; he questions the validity of his and Gretta's love for one another and the significance of his own life.   These thought processes cause Gabriel to believe himself better off dead rather than alive, banishing him to a life of eternal discontent.    Works Cited Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Bantam Books, 1990.