Consumer Behaviour and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Consumer Behaviour and Research - Essay Example The theory presents a model that states the factors stimulating individual, group or corporate purchases, the intervening variables that may influence the purchase decisions, and the likely outcome of such purchase decisions. The factors influencing the purchase decision, according to this theory, is the sensitivity to information, perception bias and the active search for information, which ends-up indicating the favorable purchases to be done, based on the buyer preferences (Howard, 1965 p84). This is a progressive development from the earlier utility and Herbert Simon's satisficing life theories, which based the consumer behavior solely on the needs of the individual, ignoring all the intervening factors that could alter the purchase decision (Loudon, 1988 p 48). Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) This theory was developed in 1975, postulating that the buyer decision is fully influenced by beliefs and attitudes (Foxall, 2005 p16). Thus, the process of buyer behavior is preceded by at titude formation, where the buyer evaluates the alternative products and services that are available to satisfy their needs, while gauging each product and services upon its effectiveness and attractiveness. The theory further advanced, to not only look at the attitudes, but also interrogate the behavior depicted by the buyer throughout the purchase decision and execution process (Engel, Kollat & Blackwell, 1968 p10). This advanced the development of the consumer behavior theories further, from a mere focus on the needs and satisfaction process, to the actual involvement of the buyer, in information evaluation and arriving at informed decisions (Massy, Montgomery, & Morrison 1970 p16). The Theory of Planned Behavior This is a buyer intention and prediction analysis... The researcher of this essay aims to analyze the consumer behavior, that usually depicts the processes by which individuals or groups of people secure, utilize and dispose products or services, in a bid to satisfy their needs. Today, there are various theories that have been put across to explain the consumer behavior. Notably, theories of consumer behavior have been widely developed since 1800 to present day, with subsequent theories improving and expanding the previous ones. The development in the theories of buyer behavior took an upward trend starting 1950, with many researchers keenly engaging in the evaluation of the factors that influences the consumption behavior in individuals. The consumer behavior theories that have been subsequently developed include: Herbert Simon's satisficing life theory, the Theory of Buyer Behavior, Theory of Reasoned Action, The Theory of Planned Behavior. These theories were analyzed in details in this essay. The researcher also described the onlin e buying, that has become a norm for many people, owing to the recent technological developments that allow individuals to purchase products and have them delivered, in the comfort of the houses. While traditionally people used to visit stores and premises to inspect the products on sale, they are currently viewing the products online, while assessing their features and usability from the seller’s website, so that straight-to-the-point description of the products are needed for the implementation of the successful strategy.

Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Dream is a wildly creative and imaginative futuristic story of ones, or another’s life dream. It is the American Dream is one that encompasses the most imaginative story which is what the person desires to have or accomplish in his lifetime. Although all people of all ages have American Dreams, the notion of such a dream is truly impossible because of its wildly imporportionate measures of desire. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the mysterious Jay Gatsby, had a similar fantasy dream. But, in theory, Jay Gatsby is just as far as any other person in their progress towards their true American Dream. Jay Gatsby, whose dream included of being with the girl of his dream, and being filthy rich. Having that sort of dream was not only impossible but by pursuing his dream, it directly led to his downfall and soon his assassination. The American Dream is a widely known and used notion of a person’s â€Å"dream life†, many try to follow or achieve their goals until they realize it is just plainly impossible. Others realize from the very start that their most wild and extravagant American dreams are just what they are†¦ dreams. But then, people like Jay Gatsby do not give up and fight until the end, this came to be the case literally in the â€Å"Great Gatsby† when Gatsby pursues his dream until the time of his death. The entire notion of the American Dream had captured Gatsby, and his dream soon began to dictate his life, and actions. Throughout the novel, Jay is following this one dream that he truly believes can be his one day. This dream was to become very rich and have Daisy Buchanan as his lover. In fact, he does quite well in progressing in the dream until the point where he combines reality and his fantasy and completely forgets about reality. This notion of the American dream was very much hyped up in the time after World War 1, in the 1920’s called the Jazz Age, and this is just the same time frame that this novel is put in. Since there was many wrong doings and many people trying to accomplish these impossible dreams, the time period gave quite a influence on Gatsby and his actions toward his dreams. The corruption is explained by Diane Telgen even further; â€Å"Fitzgeralds book mirrors the headiness, ambition, despair, and disillusionment of America in the 1920s: its ideals lost behind the trappings of class and material success (Telgen, 2). Although something may be impossible, Gatsby knows he will not stop until he achieves it, but due to this mindset he also begins living in a fantasy where he sees his dream take over his life and reality and influence his actions. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald both openly and subliminally incorporated symbols to represent Gatsby’s dream and his progress to attain the unattainable. As the reader reads the book he is foreshadowed by these symbols of how the dream for Gatsby is literally out of his reach, and thus will never be able to grab it. Throughout the novel, there are many times where Gatsby is looking out and sees a green light. Since the dream has taken control, he warps a simple light into something magnificently grander in his mind. In the text of the novel Fitzgerald writes, a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock. †(ch. 1) As seen in this quote, Gatsby has been overwhelmed by his dream and all he sees is his dream. He has even confused the differences between logic and fantasy. because as seen here he, throughout the book, continuously is gazing at this minute green light thinking of it to be his dream and the closeness between him and Daisy. But he of course fails to realize the reality of the scene that it might just simply be the end of a dock, nothing more, nothing less. Not only was Gatsby blinded by such disillusionment between reality and fake, but he strived to achieve his goal by doing whatever he thought was needed for the accomplishment of such a dream. Jay Gatsby was so emotionally and physically attached to his American Dream that he would do absolutely anything to attain such a dream. Jay is willing to not only lie, but to do crime and other horrendous things just for his money and love. While in the Car going to New York City, Jay tells Nick Carraway his life dream, what is not told is that this life dream is late to be recognized as false and a cover up lie for Gatsby to seem better off and richer that what he really is. One of these lies is captured by Richard Lehan; â€Å"These absurd adventures he went on like living like a rajah in the capitols of Europe and collecting rubies and jewels made some question his honesty. † (get real quote not paraphrased one). Also not only did he make up a new life, in order to mpress a simple girl and earn money he was willing to even do crime which is just absurd in today’s society’s eyes. In the time of the 1920’s there were many immoral practices and many immoral practitioners like Gatsby committing crimes and making up his life as he went. In the novel he really is just not willing to give up on his greedy dream. Even to the point of death he kept on thinking to himself that there might still be a chance for him to have Daisy for himself, as his lover one day. The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald included a twisted plot where the main character Jay Gatsby takes off on an impulse to love Daisy Buchanan and want her and his money. OF course his American Dream was just out of reach and due to such standards for Gatsby it truly led to quarrels between the characters which ended up with Gatsby’s death. Jay Gatsby, whose dream included of being with the girl of his dream, and being filthy rich. Having that sort of dream was not only impossible but by pursuing his dream, it directly led to his downfall and soon his assassination. He was so attached to such a dream he saw simple, everyday objects as signs to him that he is getting closer to Daisy, he also was willing to stoop as low as for a wealthy man to commit crime to earn more money just to impress Daisy Buchanan. He also did not stop there, he made up his own fake life where it lightened up his past for Daisy’s amusement and sticked to that notion until his assassination. Through this novel, it is yet again showed how the notion of the American Dream is just what it is; a notion or a dream, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing attainable.

Medieval Castles Essay -- essays research papers fc

Medieval Castles and their Interior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although it is thought that medieval times were barbaric they too enjoyed many comforts we still do today. There is much more to the castle then its’ size or the stone arches inside which are still used in many homes today. Castles today are still flocked to by millions of people every year. Sometimes you even see copies of castles right here in the U.S.A but they are not quite the same. Although they were originally built to protect the King, Castles became more and more popular among other nobles as well. Each family castle had their own special design and touch but most castles of medieval times had a lot of the same basic elements in their interior.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the shell keep and behind the great walls of these castles there was always one basic element: the great hall. It was often on the ground floor but sometimes it was raised to the second floor for extra security. â€Å"The great hall was a large one-room structure with a lofty ceiling†(Giess 58). This was where all the people of the castles slept (excluding the lord and the Lady). There was of course a great big curtain put up so the ladies would be separate from the men. It wasn’t until the end of the century when separate rooms were invented. The great hall was usually located in the very center of the castle and walls built out of stone surrounded the whole room. The entrance was in a sidewall near the lower end of the hall. An outside staircase would be built if the hall were on the second floor. The family would usually have its feasts in this room (Gies 60). For even more security they would have guards stand outside the great hall on all sides of the room so guests would feel safe when they were feasting (Nardo 57). Early halls were aisled like a church, with rows of wooden posts or stone pillars supporting the timber roof. Windows were equipped with wooden shutters secured by an iron bar but they were rarely glazed. It wasn’t until the13th century a king or a great baron might have white or greenish glass in the windows. Then later in the14th century that glazed windows were in every castle (Gies59).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the castle, the first floor or ground floor (it was sometimes called) was the actual earth itself. ... ...d. All that remains now are ruins that dot the countryside every where throughout England.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though the castle has disappeared it has not been completely forgotten. Today many decorators and homeowners borrow and try to recreate the barbaric look. A lot of people find in quite romantic. People are reminded of royalty and all the important people during this period like King Arthur and Robin Hood. In conclusion, the Medieval Castle’s interior decoration began to have importance and much of its’ innovations are still used today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WORKS CITED Nardo, Don. The Medieval Castle. California: Lucent Books, 1997. Singman, Jeffery L. Medieval Europe. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1999. Gies, Frances, et. al. Life in a Medieval Castle. New York: Thomas Crowell Company,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1974. â€Å"Interior Design.† World Book Encyclopedia. 1995. ed. Medieval Castles. 12 Dec 2001. http://www.castles-of-britain.com

Nursing and Care Essay

The concept of Synergy can be applied to the practice of nursing by means of education and service. To obtain Synergy in nursing the nurse’s knowledge and skills are able to meet the individual needs of the patient population that is presented. Currently in Western Pennsylvania, there is a rising number maternal substance abuse during pregnancy. This epidemic in turn creates a different type of population in infants than other areas of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), with specific healthcare needs. One area that is lacking synergy is the care of this rising patient population of infants suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS). This creates a gap between nursing education and clinical application. Due to the rise in NAS infants it is important for nurses to be educated in proper care for an infant presenting with this diagnosis, symptom management, communication skills, and the fundamental knowledge Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. Poor patient outcomes can be caused by a lack of understanding addiction. The Vermont Oxford Network states, â€Å"Fear of stigmatization, discrimination, child removal, poor treatment, and criminal prosecution has deterred women from seeking care. However, the research suggests that providing substance dependent women with comprehensive healthcare, drug and alcohol abuse treatment, and social support improves pregnancy, birth, and child development outcomes. † (Horbar, Soll & Buus-Frank, 2013) When the infant is admitted into the acute care setting, the care needs of these patients should focus less on the immediate outcome, and more on what will create the greatest good for each patient as an individual. There is an essential need for the development of collaborative solutions for care and education in the healthcare setting for the care of this rising population. Often this would be to provide care with a realistic goal of maintaining optimal levels of comfort with minimal side effects of withdraw. â€Å"About 40% of infants who exhibit withdrawal symptoms can be treated without medication. † (White, 2013) Nurses who take time to ensure a level of comfort will help to alleviate symptoms of NAS withdraw and also help support the family in their infant’s care. In addition to providing comfort will help decrease the need to be medicated for withdraw and ultimately will lead to a shorter hospitalization. The manager of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit will need to address this issue and implement change in order to improve patient outcomes. The competencies that make up the Synergy model are clinical judgment, advocacy and moral agency, caring practices, facilitation of learning, collaboration, systems thinking, response to diversity, and clinical inquiry. For the NAS population advocacy, clinical judgment, caring practices and facilitation of learning are most important. Advocacy proposes the nurse to serve as a moral agent to work on the infant’s behalf in order to provide the greatest good to help resolve concerns that are both clinical and ethical. Clinical judgment is the ability for the nurse to take on the leadership role to care for their patient. Infants are unable to make healthcare decisions; the nurse must consider the parent’s wishes and what the result the nurses’ actions will yield for this infant. These actions must positively contribute to their plan of care overall. Caring practices creates a compassionate and therapeutic environment for each the patients, recognizing the unique needs of each infant. The nurse acts as a facilitator of learning when he/she incorporates the understanding of the infant’s family into the care. The Synergy mode includes patient characteristics, which are, resiliency, vulnerability, stability, complexity, resource availability, participation in care and decision-making and predictability. For the NAS population the patient characteristics would immediately associate complexity, vulnerability, and participation in care and decision-making. Complexity as referred to as to the multitude of symptoms that are to be considered for proper care of the patient. These infants are unable communicate pain, symptoms needs, and what their desire’s are. For example, these infant’s cry and are inconsolable until the nurse goes through a trial and error until he/she figures out the needs of the child. They do not understand what is happening to them. Vulnerability includes the stressors that these patients will be exposed to that may affect outcomes. The infants depend on the decisions their families and healthcare professionals. Increased length of hospital stay can lead to problems that may decline in their already compromised condition, for example, infection. Lastly, the NAS patients are vulnerable due to the fact that they are unable to make their own healthcare decisions and have to depend on parents and healthcare providers to be speak on their behalf. The parents participate in care as they receive information and help assist in the care for their child. Analyze the Case Nursing education places emphasis on clinical presentation, physical stressors and conditions that affect the patient and their associated treatments. Increased education is needed for nurses on the postpartum and NICU units about the treatment for this specific patient population. With the increase in drug dependent mothers there seems to be little nursing education provided on postpartum and NICU nursing units about the care for these infants, and this issue needs to be addressed. â€Å"Infants with NAS have higher rates of neonatal complications, prolonged lengths of stay and consume substantial NICU and hospital resources. Further, they impose a growing burden on already strained healthcare resources because state Medicaid expenditures are disproportionately impacted. † (Horbar, Soll & Buus-Frank, 2013) The administration and education team needs to identify this problem and incorporate teaching and updated research on these units. One competency that lacks synergy in the nursing care of the NAS population is collaboration. â€Å"Collaboration enhances the capacity of a group and increases the potential for success. † (Hardin & Kaplow, p. 75, 2005) It is not uncommon when different discipline areas such as the nurse, doctor, social worker etc. identify different goals for the patient. Poor communication causes the team to not work in unison to collaborate and work towards a common goal. â€Å"A key to collaboration is the communication that must exist between the patient, family, and health care team members as well as among members of the health care team. Another synergy lacking competency would be caring practices, which is the unique nursing care provided to the patient and families. Within the NAS population nurses have to recognize the differences and incorporated them into the infants care. Having compassion and creating a calming environment help provide comfort in a therapeutic environment. Often times the NAS population is considered as level II care, this allows for the nurses to take on a multiple patient assignment of three to five infants at a time. The NAS population is unique; they require much coddling and almost constant attention from the nurse. Having greater than three patients causes a great disadvantage to these children due to the nurse having to spread herself thin to meet the basic needs of feeding, changing and medicating, the nurse does not have adequate time to rock and soothe the infants causing greater withdraw symptoms. The rational decision-making model will help identify and implement the appropriate changes that are essential in optimizing care for the NAS population. Improvement in the education of the healthcare staff will create better patient outcomes. This decision making process includes three steps to achieve this objective: identify possible outcomes, determine probability of each outcome, and take action with the highest probability to achieve a positive outcome. The considered actions are increased in-person training, mandatory review of printed materials, or an on-line training course. The greatest positive outcome would come from increased in-person training. Create a Change Proposal Part of the nursing orientation for staff will be to participate in a class specified for the training related to care of the NAS infant prior to working in the NICU. Written material as well as a presentation will be provided. The attending physician will make a statement about services provided to the NAS infant, medications and important facts that the physician would like in report. For the staff nurses’ senior nursing projects are assigned yearly and are presented to maintain their status on the unit. Assigning NAS care to a few nurses each year will keep the most up to date research on the unit. These nurses will participate in Internet presentations that focus on quality, safety and care for infants and families of and NAS infant. Finally, a staff member from the social work team will join and present his/her role in the case of a NAS infant. The unit will provide CEU’s for this training. This proposal will affect the unit internally by involving the management team and multiple staff disciplines. The management team will help aid in this proposal by providing a day that is designated this additional training and appoint the appropriate nursing, physician and social work staff to participate in running the program. Finally obtaining CEU’s approved by the state board of nurses to offer education credits for after the completion of training. The designated nurses assigned to NAS as a senior project must keep up to date with the training information prior to the class of new staff, doing so will ensure they are prepared for questions that may arise. With this proposal the staff has the potential to increase the patient stability, outcome and satisfaction. Also this proposal will be aimed to help the nurses caring for NAS infants to promote patient care through evidenced based research. A change model that applies to this proposal would be the Lewin’s change model. This model is based on unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. First the unfreezing stage, the current beliefs and ideas will change with the desired outcome. The health care team will sufficiently identify the epidemic and need for changes in care for the NAS infant, inspiring the education and treatments needed to move the staff towards bettering practices. Lastly, refreezing, the nursing staff will have a new outlook or attitude towards NAS infants. Changes in the treatment process will be instituted based on the staff’s new outlook. Having the knowledge and resources for the care of the NAS infant will allow the care team to handle each unique case with evidenced based approach. Along with any type of change there will always be positive and negative outcomes on the environment. Positive outcomes will include an influx in nursing knowledge, better patient outcomes and an increased amount of resources for the staff. Negative outcomes may include not having the adequate amount of staff to run this program and the biases formed by individuals prior to participating in this class. A way to follow up with the care provided to these patients and their families would be an optional survey completed by the families allowing the unit to see their strengths and weaknesses. The survey will allow for improvement of care. â€Å"Nurses who have confidence in their ability to positively impact maternal parenting behaviors through education and skill building may impact patient care outcomes. It is imperative that the management and supervisors recognize the issues that nurse’s experience when caring for NAS infants. Educating staff will allow for a balance of practice and the nurses actions. Instituting this educational program will provide synergy to the NICU units and the epidemic of withdraw infants. The unit directors will be able to see that the changes to the unit and education instituted has worked when NAS infants have a shorter hospital stay, a decrease in the use of morphine and phenobarbital and finally patient/parental and nurse satisfaction. In conclusion, with the epidemic of substance abuse mothers on the rise it is imperative that neonatal nursing units properly educate their staff about the treatment and care of NAS infants. With the changes proposed in this case the care of this specific population will be enhanced. These infants are very fragile and require a lot of special attention. The proper care and education could make the world of a difference in a baby’s life.

Quikr vs Olx

SWOT ANALYSIS TEMPLATE Before you sit down to plan the future of your club’s marketing activities, you need to take stock of where your club is now and why you are there. One useful way to get a clear picture of where your club currently sits is by using a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. By using the SWOT analysis you can identify where your club stands in the market, which provides a useful launch pad for making future marketing plans. Take the time to work through the SWOT process carefully and you will have a clearer idea of: The things your club does well, and the things you need to improve on (strengths and opportunities). †¢ What types of competition exist for your club and which ones can be defended (strengths and threats) †¢ Whether your club needs to change the product itself to protect from outside influences (weaknesses and threats) †¢ Which issues your club needs to make as its priorities (weaknesses a nd opportunities). Strengths When you look at the strengths, concentrate on the club itself and whether it can achieve the outcomes you want.Examples of strengths include: †¢ Strong financial base. †¢ Strong local need for your product, many new members, etc. †¢ Group of skilled volunteers. †¢ Support from local businesses, politicians, etc. †¢ Well-equipped clubhouse. †¢ Committee is well-structured, enthusiastic, capable, etc. Weaknesses Weaknesses often appear as the direct opposite of the strengths listed above and include: †¢ Weak financial base. †¢ Diminishing need or desire for your product, fewer new members, etc. †¢ Few volunteers. †¢ No support from local businesses, politicians, etc. Out of date ill equipped clubhouse. †¢ Committee is poorly structured, overworked, disinterested, etc. Opportunities Opportunities refer to the possibilities of new growth because of the changes in the external environment and can include such things as: †¢ Promotion of sport by government authorities, e. g. renewed ‘Push Play† campaign. †¢ New population of potential users moving into the area, e. g. with children. †¢ Grants by local and national government to encourage sport and recreation. †¢ Organisations looking to sponsor local activities. Seasonal interest in particular sports, e. g cricket in summer, football in winter. †¢ International or national interests the activity your club is involved in, e. g Commonwealth or Olympic Games. †¢ Promotion of your activity to a different age group or gender e. g. lawn bowls to teenagers, rugby to girls. Threats As with strengths and weaknesses, the threats are often very similar to the opportunities. Examples of threats include: †¢ Traditional sponsors of sport and recreation changing the way they spend their sponsorship dollars. Seasonal interest in particular sports or activities which is in direct competition with your o wn, e. g. competing codes of Rugby. †¢ Promotion of sport to different age groups or gender which competes with your club’s interest e. g. ballet and soccer for girls. †¢ Other interests including television, video games, school activities, part-time work for teenagers, and so on. †¢ Time related issues for example, competition for volunteers time, longer working hours, both parents working – children unable to attend, limited available free time for both children and parents. Other organisations with better facilities. †¢ Lack of knowledge and interest in your product. A SWOT Analysis should be drawn up to look like this: |Internal |STRENGTHS |WEAKNESSES | |Factors |Vision : simple and quick |Not having international experience, therefore diversification | |(Things about |Strong funding |might be a problem at later stage. |your club) |Experienced partners: Norwest Venture Partners brings in a lot of |No acquisition till date as a result OLX has s urpassed quikr. | | |experience |Employee base is very low: Need to increase the sales force and| | |Horizontal rather than vertical |target other opportunity to increase market share. | |Customer Centric, not just technology centric : Free missed call | | | |Investment in analytics, mobile platforms | | |External |OPPORTUNITIES |THREATS | |Factors |Internet penetration(10%) is bound to increase |Low entry barrier | |(Things |Internet surfing through mobiles has surpassed PC. Competitors have international experience and deep pockets. | |outside of |Mobile base is huge and recently they have introduced a missed call |Zero switching cost. | |your club) |feature. |Intense Competiton | | |Cloud computing (SaaS, PaaS) could be useful in reducing the cost. | | | |Network Effects | | It’s a great idea to draw this up on a whiteboard or large piece of paper and use as a brainstorming base at a committee meeting.

Breakdown of Choosing Civility Essays

Breakdown of Choosing Civility Essays Breakdown of Choosing Civility Essay Breakdown of Choosing Civility Essay When approaching meditation as a novice like anything new you begin to categorize and assign key ideas based on the generalization of the word. One would expect when discussing the topic of mediation key components would arise to conform to the American Heritage Dictionary definition, â€Å"a devotional exercise of contemplation or a contemplative discourse† (Heritage, 1982). In such an exercise as mediation how would a simple subject of civility impact your ability to reflect and improve on upon yourself? Forni proposes that, â€Å"as a society we take a new, close look at that intriguing code of behavior based on respect, restraint and responsibility we call civility† (M. , 2002, p. 14); with in mind, one can correlate the relationship civility plays in mediation with Forni’s book Choosing Civility. Three conceptual pillars of civility, respect, restraint and responsibility in place the foundation for achieving a beneficial meditational experience is essentially achievable; from everyday life experiences we can confidently state, everyone has moment of incivility but placing stabilization on your actions can directly affect the growth in your meditation experience. Forni begins to support this by stating, â€Å"As an art, civility has rules one can learn and facility with these rules can improve with practice. This is good news. The bad news is that often we are unable to imagine the benefits of that learning and practice. We thus leave untapped a resource that would prove invaluable in increasing the quality of our lives† (M. , 2002, p. 34). The unstoppable presence of incivility will always be a bump in our proverbial road of life; the ability to remain in a state, a state of civility, is a chance to improve your quality of life and those around you. Meditation as a stepping stone in these situations provides a great learning point and gives one the ability to grow, and keep improving. To further understand the idea of civility and the large role it plays within everyday life, one would need to understand the impact and presence civility promotes within improving meditation. Life is laced with rules, regulations, morals, and standards not only as individuals but society as whole strives to adhere to in regards to meditation, improvement is not only sought by an individual but taken into consideration of others as well. With making the choice in choosing civility over incivility, the ability not only to improve as an individual but also impact a group meditation can be the water in which allows this seed to germinate. Therefore one would tinker with the concept Forni begins to elaborate, â€Å"it becomes clearer and clearer that civility is the place of encounter between Self and Other where altruism and self-interest find a harmonious way to coexist† (M. , 2002, p. 37). What Forni state’s it is obvious, a symbiotic relationship formed between the practice of mediation and the potential to affect another’s civility. As the dissection of Choosing Civility progresses on, one can contemplate the relation of the study of mediation with primary principles broken down by the book. The book in more detail by the text: civility can be described as rather complex and intricate; also coated with an element of good, embraces courtesy, politeness, good manners and inhabits the broad realm of ethics. In establishing these boundaries a connection can be made with the study of mediation with the principles mentioned above; without this understanding embraced of civility, the process of studying and practicing meditation would theoretically be hindered. Deeper into Forni’s text he begins to condense and establish rules or guidelines in solidifying the foundations for civility. Twenty-five established rules allowed the doors of comprehension and the ability to personally relate and reflect to the authors’ view-points to open. As each of these rules plays a defining role in understanding the ability to practice civility, each rule is also a key component in assimilating how to improve on your meditation skills; understand what civility and mediation represent, Forni makes a solid statement that intertwines the two: â€Å"if anything, these rules may feel like a â€Å"longcut,† since civility requires work and dedication. But they do offer a path to serenity and contentment† (M. , 2002, p. 41). Since civility and mediation share multiple common grounds and house a wide variety of rules, three will be singled out in which I have found, the most beneficial to my own personal growth and understanding. How often do you find yourself being spoken to in an unkind manner or talked down to? Everyone at some point is guilty of this at one point or another in their life. Rule six is essentially addressing this issue, speak kindly. Most people do not realize the significance of verbal communication and if practiced incorrectly how detrimental it can be to others. Breaking rule six is a drastic setback in improving your civility skills and can handicap you when it comes to many things. Forni immediately begins to state, â€Å"speaking with consideration and kindness is at the heart of civil behavior† (M. , 2002, p. 65). Without following this key rule achieving a sense of civility would be a farce. Within the description of this rule Forni goes on to describe the importance of speaking slow, calm and concise choosing words with grace and respect in order to preserve your integrity and respect those around you. Next on the chopping block that most people forget about is rule eight, accept and give praise. A feeling engrained into our heads at an early age instills acceptance and pride and leaves a need for praise for the rest of one’s lifespan. born and reinforced during the very first, formative years of our lives, our taste for being praised never goes away† (M. , 2002, p. 73) states Forni. This rule is one that if not practiced often can deteriorate over time causing either party to feel awkward or unsure. Giving and receiving praise can be hard for the sender and the receiver causing somewhat of a disruption in the flow of a conversation. As Forni assures, â€Å"after a while, as we make others feel good about themselves by praising them, we feel good about our selves as well† (M. 2002, p. 73). Great ways to practice improvement on this rule would be adhering to some simple guidelines that often get overlooked outlined in Choosing Civility; when giving compliments make sure they are sincere in meaning, don’t let your mind fool you into thinking people can read your thoughts causing you to second guess issuing a compliment, remember patronizing and compliments are two different things and a personal favorite even the smallest of compliments can make someone feel amazing not all have to be of great importance. Practice makes the difference with this rule and once mastered can greatly benefit one’s personal life and meditational experiences. In parallel with rule eight, rule twenty-three accept and give constructive criticism strikes general similarities and proves to be an area of struggle with some individuals and on the flipside others tend to enjoy it. Misunderstood by many, receiving criticism can provide a great chance to learn and improve on one’s self and the ability to see things that are normally shrouded by a mist of self-ego. Forni touches base on how enjoyable criticism can be and the responsibility it can hold, â€Å"this is a welcome opportunity to learn? mostly about my critics and about life. Although criticism is not always directed at us with the noblest of intentions, nothing prevents us from looking at it as a gift to be put to good use† (M. , 2002, p. 137). The wording in Forni’s statement is great for those who see the negative side in a critique by looking at what is said and breaking it down into a more positive view providing room for growth. In cahoots with rule eight the book also describes principles to assure the effectiveness of relaying criticism in a constructive manner and should be taken into consideration. Identify, describe, show, suggest and remain calm are all tools that should be used when giving proper criticism if one is left out during this process the effectiveness and chance for a jaded interpretation may arise. After reading Choosing Civility one can be almost taken away at the vast information hidden in such a small book. The book jumps from many different spectrums of everyday life; the main purpose stays sincere and structured allowing the reader to apply the reading to a wide array of topics but ultimately set on improving the general quality and civility of life, supported by Forni, â€Å"a better quality of human interaction makes for a better life? a saner, more meaningful, healthier, and happier life† (M. , 2002, p. 172). In application to meditational practices this book proves to be an invaluable source of tips and tools in which if utilized correctly can be beneficial to achieving a pleasurable experience for not only a single person but a group as well. Reference Heritage, A. (1982). Ahd 2nd college ed plain edge. Boston,MA: Houghton. M. , P. (2002). Choosing civility: the twenty-five rules of considerate conduct. New York,NY: St Martins Pr.

A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function

A Quick Tutorial on the Perl Array Pop() Function When writing a Perl script you might find it handy to use the pop() function, which looks like this: $ITEM pop(ARRAY); Perls pop() function is used to remove and return (or pop) the last element from an array, which reduces the number of elements by one. The last element in the array is the one with the highest index. Its easy to confuse this function with shift(), which removes the first element from an array. An Example of Using the Perl Pop() Function myNames (Larry, Curly, Moe);$oneName pop(myNames); If you think of an array as a row of numbered boxes, going from left to right, it would be the element on the far right. The pop() function would cut the element off the right side of the array, return it, and reduce the elements by one. In the examples, the value of $oneName becomes Moe, the last element, and myNames is shortened to (Larry, Curly). The array can also be thought of as a stack- picture of a stack of numbered boxes, starting with 0 on the top, and increasing as it goes down. The pop() function would pop the element off the bottom of the stack, return it, and reduce the elements by one. myNames (Larry,Curly,Moe);$oneName pop(myNames);