Literature Review Of Women Suffering From Multiple Sclerosis Nursing Essay

Literature Review Of Women Suffering From Multiple Sclerosis Nursing Essay The focus of this study will be the lived experience of women suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and their ability to maintain a quality of life through various coping strategies. Therefore, literature surrounding the quality of life and coping mechanisms in MS sufferers will be critically appraised. A literature review was performed to identify published material relating to the lived experience of women suffering with MS with the main focus being on how women cope with the challenges that MS brings everyday and how they try and maintain a quality of life. This was done to introduce the topic of interest. When conducting the research there was little research into this area but the search was limited to health and social care databases such as CINALH, Internurse, Science direct, Pubmed and the library catalogue. The key words that were initially used in the literature search were lived experience, multiple sclerosis, women and quality of life and coping mechanisms, however this revealed little research so key words such as fatigue, education and depression were included. 2.1 Emotional Responses in Multiple Sclerosis 2.1.1 Uncertainty Uncertainty is one of the first stresses that MS places on women. First there is uncertainty until the diagnosis has been confirmed. Having MS means living with uncertainty and adapting to changing situations with the course of MS. Being unpredictable posses an emotional challenge to build a sense of stability and security in the face of uncertainty (Halper Holland, 1997). Millerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s (1997) phenomenological study emphasized the primary role of uncertainty in the lived experiences of patients with relapsing MS. The participants in this study are described as living one day at a time, not knowing how they will feel tomorrow, leading to negative effects on employment, family life and coping abilities. It was also evident that fear and loss of control in daily life were also experienced due the unpredictability of relapsing MS. Olsson, Lexell Soderberg (2007) conducted a qualitative in order to describe the meaning of womenà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s experience of living with MS. The study consisted of 10 women with secondary progressive MS and the fact that daily life was influenced by MS. Women spoke about their daily lifeà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s, their experience of symptoms and their thoughts about their illness. They described that they were no longer in charge over their body and this had a great impact on their quality of life, however, women were found to actively strive to maintain strength and power to carry on to protect their dignity. This study showed that people with the progressive form of the disease appeared to cope better and were determined to improve their quality of life despite the effects of the illness, this could be due to them accepting MS as part of their life. 2.1.2 Hope Hope relates to those things that can be realistically achieved (Pinson, Ottens Fisher, 2009). This implies that the individual has devised a plan that has the likelihood of being carried out to achieve resolution of a problem. Miller (1997) found that hope provided a means for dealing with the uncertainty of MS. In a quantitative study carried out by Goretti, Pataccio, Zipoli, Hakiki, Siracusa, Sori and Amato (2009) they found that women tend to have higher levels of hope and optimism when facing the disease at early stages. Their study looked at the psychological features of depression, fatigue and anxiety, coping strategies and their influence on quality of life in people suffering from remitting relapsing MS. , furthermore, a qualitative study by Pinson et al (2009) found that hope was present as a coping resource. Also, hope seems to interact with psychosocial resources such as self-esteem, hope has often been related to higher levels of self-esteem and evidence of better socia l support. However, Pinson et al (2009) study only focused on people with a progressive form of MS and who did not suffer with depression. Depression itself can have a significant affect on a individuals self-esteem, if a MS sufferer as lowered self esteem due to depression then their coping mechanisms will be compromised and this will contribute to a lower quality of life perception ( Murphy, 1998). 2.2 Information and education Multiple Sclerosis considerably changes peoples every day life and the power and capacity to meet personal expectations (Yorkson, Klasner Swanson, 2001). Toombs (1995) stated that living with MS implies insecurity on a daily basis as their body can not be taken for granted or trusted, instead, it demands constant attention. To manage every day life, people with MS find it urgent to prioritise their personal goals and the search for information and knowledge regarding the disease has been described as crucial in maintaining control. A qualitative study carried out by Fleming Courts, Buchanan and Werstlein (2004) investigated the lived experience of people with MS and examined their needs from their perspectives using two focus groups consisting of 4 men and 6 women, they found that education is power and having education about the disease helps whose in maintaining a quality of life, without knowledge, information and education from health care professionals about the disease, its sy mptoms and what support is available then coping with daily activities will be compromised and a good quality of life will not be achievable. Miller (1997) and Pinson (DATE) are supportive of this but conclude that people with MS need information to deal with the uncertainty and the unpredictability of the disease in order to remain in control of their lifeà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s. 2.3 Coping Coping is an abstract concept that refers to how individuals make meaning and values and can be see as a way of problem solving. Psychological as proved to be crucially important for adjusting to the adaptive demands of the chronic illness and in the past few years as received a growing interest in MS. A study conducted by McCabe, Stokes and McDonald (2009) evaluated the relationship between quality of life and coping among people with MS over a 2 year period using a longitudinal approach. The sample consisted of 144 men and 238 women. The World Health Organisation quality of life scale was used to assess participants overall quality of life. They found that people with MS experienced lower levels of quality for independence, social, environmental and spiritual quality of life but experienced a higher psychological quality of life and focused on positive coping compared to the general population, these findings may suggest that although people with MS have lower levels of quality of life in many areas, they may be more accepting of the situation and knowing that their condition is going to change. However, in a quantitative carried out by Goretti et al (2009) found that MS patients were less likely to use positive and problem focused strategies and often adopted avoiding strategies more frequently, it was also found that younger patients with relapsing remitting MS were less disabled so therefore the disease had a lower impact on their quality of life, also, positive attitude and planning activity strategies were less likely to be adopted by patients with lower disease duration. They tended to have higher levels of hope and optimism when facing the disease at its early stages. Those who adopted avoiding strategies were more likely to experience depression and anxiety that contributed to their overall quality of life. The results finish later, re word !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 2.4 Support Pinson et al found that knowing family and friends would provide support either emotional or physical was very important to the participants. This support system appears to act as an anchor for these women if situations became difficult. McCabe also found that when people were more accepting of the situation, there was an increased need for social and emotional support., they also found that women with MS compared to men were more likely to seek social support, but more likely to wish that things were different. This is also supported by Olsson and Goretti. However, Olsson (2008) also found that accepting needing support from family led to feelings of guilt and failure as they felt that the whole family was suffering too. They also described being dependant on others when performing daily tasks that they wished to have done themselves. To engage in daily life was crucial in maintaining a good quality of life. This study only focused on women with the progressive form of MS, so are more likely to have more disabilities. McCabe states that increased needs may lead them to seek and obtain more social support and rely more on friend, family and community assistance (Murphy, 1998). Although support is

Legalizing Marjuana Essay

The legalization of marijuana in the United States has been a major issue for several years. There are many opinions on this topic, some people don’t give marijuana a thought. Many people including most government consider marijuana a â€Å"bad drug†. Marijuana actually has many good uses. Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes, to reduce America’s prison population and to boost the economy. The use of marijuana as a medicine is rapidly becoming popular in the treatment of various types of illnesses. Sixty-five percent of Americans were for legalizing marijuana for medical purposes (Update: Medical Marijuana). Every year there are different trials being done that prove marijuana has good medicinal use. Medical marijuana can be used in providing pain relief for people with different cancers and HIV/AIDS (Update: Medical Marijuana). It has been used to provide relief for nerve pain in patients with AIDS (Update: Medical Marijuana). Marijuana is also eff ective in treating nausea in cancer patients that go through chemotherapy. Some States have already legalized medicinal marijuana, while others are more reserved. Georgia just legalized the use of marijuana oils to be used for medicinal purposes. Additionally, people being arrested for marijuana is causing over population in the prison systems. Some people that support the legalization of marijuana think that law enforcement fighting the war against drugs should focus their attention towards other violent crimes or hard-core street drugs. Marijuana is the most widely used and prosecuted drug in the United States (Decriminalizing Marijuana). Ninety percent of the people arrested in 2007 were arrested for simple possession alone (Decriminalizing Marijuana). People that are being arrested for marijuana are being sent to jail/prison with violent criminals. Law enforcement could use a different way of dealing with people that are being arrested for marijuana like righting a ticket, inste ad of spending taxpayer’s dollars on sending them to prison. The over population in our prison system is a heavy burden on taxpayers. Furthermore, legalizing marijuana would be a major boost for the struggling economy. More people are in agreement with legalizing marijuana when the issue focuses on using it as a taxable substance (Decriminalizing Marijuana). There is such a demand for marijuana already that legalizing it could only boost the economy instead of hurting it. Unemployment has been a major issue in America today. Legalizing marijuana would generate jobs for thousands of people in various different fields of work. In addition, the tax revenue would benefit students of all ages by providing grants and scholarships for education. It has been estimated that legalizing marijuana would generate $10-$14 billion dollars in savings and tax revenue annually (Decriminalizing Marijuana). Instead of the government spending money on restricting the use of marijuana, they could make money off legalizing it. The government could tax marijuana just as they tax tobacco and alcohol. In conclusion, the times are changing, more states are agreeing to legalize marijuana, both for medicinal purposes and recreational use. Mar ijuana should not be treated any different from the way people treat alcohol and tobacco. Legalizing marijuana would benefit Americans for medicinal use, it would also decrease over crowding in our prison populations and help our struggling economy. It is time for our government leaders to become more open minded when it comes to the topic of marijuana. Works Cited Update: Medical Marijuana.† Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 15 July 2009. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. . Decriminalizing Marijuana.† Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. .

An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Premiums Promotion, Limited

Qing Lu 2111573 10 weeks Business M. Sc. International Business Permission given to use this project Word Count: 2824 An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Premiums Promotion, Limited- time Discount and Loyalty Card Promotion—Based on Product Life Cycle 31 August 2012 Abstract In recent years, sales promotion tactics are extensively used to achieve different marketing targets.The aim of this project is to analyze the effectiveness of premiums promotion, limited-time discount and loyalty card promotion according to the marketing targets in the first three phases of product life cycle, which can help companies maximize the effects of sales promotion. The specific marketing targets in the first three stages of product life cycle are discussed and the effective sales promotion tactics are analyzed, based on a rich literature about sales promotion.The potential risks in the implementation process need to be taken into account and the possible solutions are proposed to help companie s reduce the unnecessary losses. This may be of interest to marketers, which intend to enhance the competitiveness of companies.   List of references Introduction As the competitive pressure on market increases, the studies on product life cycle are paid more and more attention by marketers in recent years. On one hand, product life cycle can direct companies to set the clear marketing target in each phase. On the other hand, it can help marketers select the effective sales promotion tactics to achieve each marketing target.The selection of sales promotion strategies in each stage of product life cycle seems to be of considerable importance in achieving different marketing targets. The study by Yeshin (2006) suggests that premiums promotion, limited-time discount and loyalty card promotion play marked roles in the first three stages of product. Moreover, it appears to be necessary for marketers to set the marketing targets in different stages of product life cycle, to select the e ffective means of sales promotion, and to be aware of possible solutions for dealing with potential risks.As Kotler and Armstrong (2001) point out, companies can induce customers to know, to use and to be loyal for their products by the effective means of sales promotion, even if customers may have different buying habits, product preference and purchase motivation. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effectiveness of premiums promotion, limited-time promotion and loyalty card promotion according to the three marketing targets in the first three phases of product life cycles, which tends to help companies expand new product awareness, increase market share and maintain customer loyalty. Features nd marketing targets of the first three stages of product life cycle will first be presented. The reasons for the effectiveness of the three marketing tactics mentioned above will then be analyzed, with a focus on the three corresponding marketing targets. The limitations and the pos sible solutions will finally be discussed to help firms reduce the potential risks. 1. Features and Marketing Targets of Product Life Cycle When a new product is launched into market, it will go through four stages of product life cycle, which are introduction, growth, maturity, and decline (Kotler and Armstrong 2001).The first three stages, however, may be the optimal period at which the effect of sales promotion can be maximized. Therefore, features of the first three stages and the corresponding marketing targets will be discussed in the following subsections. 1. 1 Introduction stage Introduction stage refers to a period at which new products are first introduced into market (Ibid). In this phase, the growth of sales tends to be slow because much time and money need to be invested to attract the resellers, to inform customers of new products, and to encourage the trial (Ibid).In other words, customer demand for new products should be aroused in the introduction stage. As Bhasin ( 2011) points out, marketers should induce customers to accept new products, thus inspiriting their desires for these products. As a result, the marketing target in introduction stage appears to maximize new products awareness and to stimulate customers to try out new products. 1. 2 Growth stage Growth stage refers to a period at which new products are widely recognized in the market, and more and more customers are willing to follow their innovators (Kotler and Armstrong 2001).The market share is likely to be quickly expanded in this stage as long as marketers attempt to form a purchasing trend. According to the illustration by Bhasin (2011), growth stage offers the appropriate opportunity to markers to occupy more market share due to the high growth rate of sales. Hence, the marketing target in this phase should be to quickly boost sales volume, so as to create a customer trend that more new customers could be attracted to follow. 1. 3 Maturity stageIt is widely agreed that sales i n the maturity stage continue to grow at a relatively slow rate until it reaches the peak, which means the number of customers seems to maintain relatively stable (Kotler and Armstrong 2001, Janotta 2012). There is far less agreement, however, about customers’ purchasing behaviors in this phase. Yeshin (2006) concludes that it may be a competitive period in which the existing customers are likely to buy other brands. In fact, competitive products are likely to flood into the marketplace in the maturity stage, providing more options for customers.Thus, if the effective measures are not taken, companies would lose a portion of market share. Likewise, Bhasin (2011) also illustrates that fierce market competition probably occurs in the maturity stage because some competitors tend to drive down the prices under the cost, in order to draw the attention of customers. Namely, the risk of brand switching in this phase seems to be high, so the marketing target should be set to retain c ustomer loyalty.In conclusion, the first three stages of product life cycle have their own features, so different marketing targets need to be set in different phases: new products awareness should be expanded in the introduction stage, sales volume should be quickly boosted in the growth stage, and customer loyalty should be maintained in the maturity stage. Then, effective sales promotion tactics will be analyzed in the next chapter, according to the marketing targets in the three phases. 2. Analysis of the Three Sales Promotion Tactics 2. 1 Premiums promotion for new product awarenessPremiums promotion refers to free products or free services that can be obtained by customers in addition to the main purchase (Yeshin 2006). Gift promotion plays an important role in new product introduction. First of all, free gifts as incentives can encourage customers to try out new products as well as inform customers about new demand. For example, 200,000 Quattro for Women razors were given out as free gifts in American by Schick, which allowed Quattro to receive the recognition of most female customers (Pride and Ferrell, 2010).It seems that free gifts are effective to stimulate customers to generate interest in new products. Yeshin (2006), however, argues that premiums promotion may reduce the value of brand due to the possible hazard caused by the free gifts in the product contents. For example, in order to attract children, small toys are often inserted into snakes as premiums, which are likely to arouse the controversy about food security, thereby resulting in brand crises. Nevertheless, premiums still contribute to expand new products awareness.Pride and Ferrell (2010) illustrates that the Promotion Marketing Association’s Product Sampling Council, according to an investigation, showed that 92%of participators in this survey indicated that free samples motivated their trials for new products. Besides, the free experience as a kind of intangible gifts could al low customers experience multi-value such as relational, emotional and behavioral value, which increases brand popularity and affinity. As a case in point, the customers who buy the new item in Burger King could watch the latest Star Wars film for free (Yeshin 2006).Not only did the famous film expand the new item awareness, but also increased customers’ affection for Burger King. In fact, the reason why premiums promotion has a great appeal to customers tends to be that it gets hold of customers’ mentalities. According to the study by Yeshin (2006), customers usually get used to regarding themselves as the weaker end of the deal, so the free products or services as the compensatory gifts can incentivize customers. Consequently, premiums as incentives can benefit to expand new products awareness in the introduction stage. 2. 2 Limited-time promotion for quick boost to salesA promotional deadline is set for customers to ensure that the volume of sales can be boosted as soon as possible, which is called limited-time promotion (Reid and Bojanic 2010). The advantage of limited-time discount lies in a short-term surge in sales, which enables companies to rapidly grab market share in the growth phase. Limited-time discount seems to create a sense of excitement and competition and a tense atmosphere. Customers tend to be attracted by excitement that limited-time discount create. Or rather, what customers love may not be products themselves but the sense of getting a good deal.Kolb (2005) also indicates that even the customers with high wages like to feel that they are smart in this way. In addition, as this kind of discount is temporary, which will restore regular prices soon, it creates a threat to customers, aiming at stimulating them to make immediate purchase (Gaffney and Francis, 2009). Such a threat appears to take effect on rapidly increasing sales. According to Reid and Bojanic (2010), Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, and Hilton gave discounts to customers on weekends as so to quickly boost the volume of sale, which had gotten great success.Hence, if limited-time discount is used in the growth stage, market share can be quickly expanded by increasing sales in the short term. 2. 3 Loyalty card for customer loyalty Loyalty card is used to earn points for purchasing certain products or shopping at certain retailers. When customers collect enough points, these can be exchanged for money, goods or other offers (Kotler and Armstrong 2001). One of the main functions of loyalty card is to maintain the long-term relationship between customers and brands. It motivates customers to keep buying products with fixed brand, thus strengthening customers’ brand loyalty.A study by Lancaster and Massingham (2011) shows that Tesco owed its success in becoming the largest grocery supermarket retailer in Britain to introduction of loyalty card, since loyalty card was used to reward regular purchase, thus enhancing consum er loyalty to Tesco. Furthermore, loyalty card is felt to be effective in analyzing purchasing behaviors of the existing customers and directing enterprises to improve the operation of businesses, which thus benefits to build long-lasting relationship with existing customers.As Humby, Hunt and Phillips (2007) conclude, shopping habits, brand preference and economic capability of certain customer groups can be analyzed through loyalty card data, which contribute to firms to adjust marketing strategy. As a matter of fact, most marketers concern about customer loyalty in the maturity stage in that many competitive brands have piled into the market, which may lead customers to switch other brands.Liljenwall(2004) points out that it is difficult to be loyal for most products that customers purchase, even though many of them have brand preference for commodities. Indeed, they attempt to seek the best one by constantly changing brands. However, it seems that loyalty card reduces the risks of brand switching by offering discounts for regular purchases. When facing to different brands with same quality, customers usually would like to purchase fixed brand in return for discount. That is to say, loyalty card promotion can effectively maintain customer loyalty in the maturity stage.In conclusion, the three sales promotion tactics are effectively used to help companies to achieve the marketing targets in different phases: premiums promotion expands new products awareness in the introduction stage since this way could induce consumers to try out new items; limited-time promotion probably helps companies increase market share in the growth stage through boosting the volume of sales as soon as possible; loyalty card seems to be effective to maintain customer loyalty in the maturity stage because marketers would like to provide discount or gifts in return for regular purchase.Nonetheless, some potential risks may occur in the implementation. In order to maximize the effects o f sales promotion on different phases of product life cycle, limitations and possible solutions of the three means of sales promotion will be discussed in the next main section. 3. Limitations and Possible Solutions 3. 1 Risks of premiums promotion There seems to be two limitations in premiums promotion. First, it is difficult for marketers to ensure that premiums or free samples are attractive enough to their target customers (Ace 2002).In the introduction stage, new products usually need to be widely aware, so if premiums cannot arouse customers’ interest, marketers may lose chances to convince customers to try out their new products. Second, the cost of premiums and the value that customers perceive should be balanced. As Yeshin (2006) illustrates, the low-cost premiums may be perceived as low quality, thus reducing the brand value of new products themselves, whereas free gifts with high quality often cost much.Hence, it is felt to be difficult for marketers to forecast th e perceived value of premiums and to ensure that premiums can enhance new products reputation. 3. 2 Risks of limited-time discount Two possible limitations should be taken into account when limited-time discount is implemented. First, overusing limited-time discount probably shakes consumers’ decision for instant purchase in that they get used to waiting for discounts (Hendershot-Hurd 2007). As most customers are waiting for discount, it seems possible that the growth rate of sales becomes low in the growth stage.Second, if the time interval between the end of a limited-time discount and the start of the next limited-time discount is short, the perceived value of products may be reduced (Devlin, Ennew, McKechnie, and Smith 2007). In other words, Customers may regard the promotional price as the actual value. As a result, once restoring the original price, products may become unacceptable. 3. 3 Risks of loyalty card promotion The security of personal data caused by loyalty car ds may lead to customer dissatisfaction (Janotta 2012).For example, customers probably regard loyalty cards as source of spamming, thereby refusing to use loyalty card; they may also feel that individual privacy is offended, which could directly decrease customer satisfaction and destroy customer loyalty; if rewards cannot satisfy customers, they are likely to lose interest in loyalty card. As Janotta (2012) concludes, loyalty card system often disappoints consumers because of unattractive rewards, harsh requirements for exchange, and time and place limit. 3. 4 Possible solutionsWith regard to the limitations above, the possible solutions are proposed by Yeshin (2006) and Kotler and Armstrong (2001) as follow: * A small quantity of premiums should be first used at the beginning of introduction stage for market test, and a mass of premiums or free samples should be then used to expand new products popularity. * Time limited discount should be reasonably used and the promotion cycle s hould be identified by market investigation * Integrated promotion replacing single promotion should be used to stimulate customers in the first three stages of product life cycle.These possible solutions enable companies to reduce the risks in the implementation, thereby avoiding the unnecessary losses. All in all, the risks of sales promotions should be considered by marketers. First, low attractiveness and low perceived value of premiums could reduce the interest of customers in new products. Second, overuse and short cycle of limited-time promotion tend to compel companies to cut prices in that customers may overly relay on discount and reject to purchase at the original price.Third, the invasion of privacy caused by loyalty cards can result in decreasing customer satisfaction since customers could feel to be offended. Furthermore, in terms of possible solutions, early market test on a small scale enables companies to adjust promotion strategies, appropriate promotion cycle prob ably stimulate customers to make instant purchase decision, and integrated promotion mode could make better use of the advantages of sales promotion and compensate for the disadvantages of each other. Conclusion Sales promotion tactics seems to be of considerable importance in achieving different marketing targets.This paper analyzed the effectiveness of three sales promotion tactics according to the three marketing targets mentioned above. First, premiums could encourage customers to try out new products, which are beneficial to expand new products popularity in the introduction stage. Second, limited-time promotion is used to increase sales as sons as possible, eventually occupying more market share in the growth stage. Third, loyalty card has great advantage in keeping long-term relationship with existing customers, which could reduce the risk of brand switching in the maturity stage by rewarding regular purchase.Nevertheless, it seems to be inevitable that the three sales promot ion strategies have limitations. First of all, the quality and attractiveness of free gifts may directly influence the perceived values of new products. Furthermore, limited-time discount may stop products from restoring the original prices since customers prefer to wait for discounting. Finally, even if companies may obtain useful information about customers through analyses of loyalty card data, customer satisfaction is probably reduced due to the invasion of individual privacy.The possible solutions can be summarized as market test on a small scale, appropriate promotion cycle, and integrated promotion mode, which could reduce the risks above and maximize the effects of sales promotion. In discussing process in premiums promotion, limited-time discount and loyalty card promotion, it was conclude that the three tactics of promotion can be effective to help companies achieve the marketing targets in the first three phases, based on a rich literature about sales promotion.However, i t should be noted that a detailed analysis of other tactics of sales promotion realizing different marketing targets is not involved in this paper and future work could be done in this area. This would mainly focus on online marketing and could help marketers enhance the competitiveness of online marketing by appropriate strategies of sales promotion.References Ace, C. (2002) Effective Promotional Planning for e-Business. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Devlin, J. , Ennew, C. ,McKechnie, S. , and Smith, A. (2007) ‘A study of time limited price promotions’. Journal of Product & Brand Management 16 (4), 280 – 285 Gaffney, S. and Francis, C. (2009) Honesty Sells: How to Make More Money and Increase Business Profits. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Humby, C. , Hunt, T. , and Phillips, T. (2007) Scoring Points: How Tesco Continues to Win Customer Loyalty. London: Kogan Page Hendershot-Hurd, K. (2007) Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Mess ages that  Deliver Results. Swindon: Acuminate Janotta, S. (2012) Loyalty Cards in the Apparel Retail Industry. Munich: Grin Verlag Kolb, B. M. (2005) Marketing for Cultural Organizations. London: Thomson Learning Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2001) Principles of Marketing. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Lancaster, G. and Massingham, L. (2011) Essentials of MarketingManagement. Abingdon: Routledge Liljenwall, R. (2004) The Power of Point-of-Purchase Advertising: Marketing At Retail. Washington, DC: Point-Of-Purchase Advertising International   Pride, W. M. and Ferrell, O. C. (2010) Marketing. Stamford: Cengage Learning Reid, R. , D. and Bojanic, D. , C. (2010) Hospitality Marketing Management. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons Yeshin, T. (2006) Sales Promotion. London: Thomson Learning

Donald Trumps Use of Uncivil Discourse Through Twitter - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2175 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2019/03/27 Category Politics Essay Level High school Tags: Donald Trump Essay Did you like this example? Along with a changing society comes changes in communication. The age of television is segueing to the age of social media with the rise of platforms such as Twitter. No longer are the thoughts and ideas conveyed being guided, regulated or fact-checked by any overseeing organization or body, and nor is there any delay between the occurrence of a thought and that thought being shared publicly. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Donald Trumps Use of Uncivil Discourse Through Twitter" essay for you Create order Anyone with a smart phone has the ability to share their opinions directly and immediately with the world at large. This would not be a concern if all Twitter content was harmless, but this is not the case. Through the tweets of its users, Twitter often presents itself as a conveyer of important cultural conversations addressing topics such as politics, religion and education. When this happens, Twitter destroys conversation and contemplation, fosters mockery and fanaticism, and contributes to apathy and scorn. This may be demonstrated by examining the platform of Twitter and reflecting upon the Twitter practices of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump successfully utilizes Twitter as a forum for his uncivil discourse. Trumps misogyny and sexist attitudes towards women are expressed and presented through this uncivil discourse on Twitter. Twitter ultimately trains us to devalue others, thereby cultivating mean, malicious and uncivil discourse such as President Trump using Twitter as a means to devalue women. This cultivating of uncivil discourse is achieved through the three main attributes of Twitter posts. According to Brian L. Ott, professor of Communication Studies at Texas Tech University, these three main attributes are: simplicity, impulsivity and incivility (NCA). Trump also possesses and exemplifies these three attributes of Twitter, ultimately making Twitter the perfect form of uncivil discourse to express his misogynistic views. In an age of increasing relevance of social media like Twitter, civil discourse is being increasingly violated. This is inversely proportionate to the increasing relevance of uncivil discourse. By nature, both civil and uncivil discourse are entirely subjective for discourse to be determined as civil or uncivil is entirely dependent on the eye of the beholder. Civil discourse may be defined as a means of communication with attributes including being polite, organized, reasoned, calm, orderly, etc. In contrast, uncivil discourse can be understood as a communication that is unorganized, impulsive, aggressive, one-sided, insulting, etc. By definition, Twitter is a means of communication that cultures an ideal environment for uncivil discourse. This is due to a few attributes of Twitter. Firstly, Twitter is designed to require simplicity. Due to Twitters limited number of 280 words, the content of a tweet must be concise, which suggests it lacks in complexity. While brevity may be adequate for many topics, for more complicated subject matters such as politics, racism, religion, sexism and more it is not only inadequate but irresponsible to pose ideas and opinions without any rational or justification. In the word limit imposed by Twitter, tweets can express feelings or opinions but cannot explain, analyse or assess those feelings or opinions (NCA). Simply stating ones opinions and feelings without justification or reason provides nothing to discuss or deliberate, so inhibits the possibility of meaningful, constructive dialog between individuals or groups of people. For example, Trump tweeted his feelings towards Hillary Clinton, saying, If Hillary Clinton cant satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy America? @realDonaldTrump #2016president. In this example of Trump utilizing Twitter as a means for uncivil discourse, he expresses his feelings on a topic, in this case Hillary Clinton, but fails to provide a logical reason (or any reason at all) as to why he feels that way. As well, he does not express these feelings with any intent of having a dialog with Clinton or anyone else. Secondly, Twitter promotes impulsivity. Our phones are always within arms-reach and turned on so we can have a thought one moment and share it with the world via Twitter just a few seconds later. This inhibits the user from examining and considering the possible result of sharing their feelings and motives, proving the sense of urgency and contributing to the idea of Twitter promoting impulsiveness. For example, as seen on the time stamps on many of Trumps tweets, he often is choosing to express his opinions on important issues at very early hours in the morning, proving just how readily available Twitter is. This immense convenience that Twitter provides allows for this sense of impulsivity, perhaps even encourages it. The immediacy of Twitter leaves no time for reflexivity which leads to many emotionally charged tweets being posted in spite of how the user might have expressed those feelings in person, without the comfort of the distance associated with social media. This is clearl y a common occurrence when one considers how often tweets are later deleted and/or apologized for once reflected upon. Thirdly, Twitter fosters and encourages incivility through its informality and depersonalization of interactions. Twitters lack of concern with proper grammar and style undermines norms that tend to enforce civility (NCA). As well, much like other forms of social media, the anonymity and feeling of safety from the distance that social media is perceived to provide, Twitter creates space for depersonalized interactions (NCA). This perceived anonymity provided by social media allows individuals to post an opinion without considering the effects on another person. It is far more difficult, for example, to share an insult about someone when they are in front of you. Trumps natural style of speaking and Twitter are perfectly suited to each other. According to the Flesch-Kincaid readability test, Trump tested at a fourth grade reading level, explaining his avoidance of multisyllabic words and his overuse of adverbs like very (PoliticoMagazine). He speaks simply, impulsively and uncivilly and perhaps some of Trumps popularity is due, at least in part, to the fact that he is so perfectly suited to the social media technology of our age. As such, it may suggested that Twitter had a significant impact on Trump being elected president in spite of his being unqualified and temperamentally unfit for the role (NCA). Such a global position of power comes with an enormous amount of influence and President Trumps simple, impulsive and uncivil tweets do more than merely reflect his own views. His tweets teach others to see people as less-than and embolden society as a whole to descend into uncivil discourse along with him. His position as a world leader paire d with his popularity on Twitter (55.8 million followers) ensures the spread of his ideology like a plague. Trumps position as a world leader provides him a certain level of authority. This authority contributes to the reasons his use of uncivil discourse is successful. The use of uncivil discourse is dependent and related to power or lack thereof. When an individual holds a certain amount of authority, their uncivil discourse may be accepted by the general public. This may be because people generally assume that along with authority comes the qualification for that authority, which therefore makes the individual with the authority considered trustworthy, appealing or knowledgeable; their reputation provides them credibility which, in turn, allows their uncivil discourse a level of credibility. This being said, although uncivil discourse may be accepted due to someone like Donald Trumps authority, it does not mean that the uncivil discourse is necessary or right. Uncivil discourse should be reserved for those who are in a lesser position of power, like historically marginalized groups. When someone is in a position of power such as Donald Trump, they do not need to grab someones attention, therefore they do not need to utilize uncivil discourse. In other words, civil discourse is dependent or restrictive to the power dynamics of the parties involved. So, for example, Donald Trump should not utilize uncivil discourse, as he does, towards groups of traditionally and historically lesser power like females and marginalized races. This evokes questions regarding who has power and what power looks like. The idea of power is very subjective, but there are some objective aspects. Society is a historically patriarchal society. In most cultures around the world, and throughout most of human society, men have held more power than women. In spite of all the progress we have made, this is still the case today. This dynamic of power between men and women affects most all aspects of society and therefore leads to many men being selected for roles which hold more power. For example, every US president has been male. As well, men on average still make significantly more money in the work place. According to Josh Zumbrun, writer for The Wall Street Journal, The U.S. Census Bureau finds that the median earnings of men working full-time, year-round, is $49,398. The median for women was $37,791 (The Wall Street Journal). As well, according to Dalton Conley in You May Ask Yourself, there are certain types of power and authority that possess their own attributes. For example, a traditional position of authority includes hereditary monarchies which possesses positions of authority that are provide to someone based on their heredity and who they are as an individual (Conley 578). That is to say, this type of authority position is dependent on the individual that holds that position rather than the qualification that individual may possess. In contrast, a legal-rational position of authority is dependent on the individuals qualifications and is independent of the status of the individual occupying that position (Conley 279). When one individual leaves a position of legal-rational authority, that individual will lose the power and the next individual will resume the authority associated with that position. An example of this is the position of president currently occupied by Donald Trump. Once he leaves presidency, he will lose a certain amount of power. This will, in turn, affect his credibility which will impact the success of his regular use of incivility as a means of communication. This idea of legal-rational authority may also explain why Trumps uncivil discourse is successful in regard to its intent. Although Trumps position of authority makes it unnecessary for him to use uncivil discourse, it also makes possible his use of uncivil discourse and may in fact be the only reason it is successful. Regular use of incivility as a means of communication has its own negatives. Uncivil discourse should be considered a temporary means of communicating, not as a means of communicating on a regular basis. Uncivil discourse is a means to grab someones attention. Once the individual or group utilizing uncivil discourse has gained the attention they sought, it is critical that they immediately return to using civil discourse through the presentation of intelligent, well-thought-out arguments as prolonged use of uncivil discourse will detract from the credibility of the user. Donald Trump has been using Twitter as a forum for uncivil discourse for years, long before being elected president. His failure to utilize uncivil discourse sparingly ultimately detracts from his credibility. In addition, uncivil discourse should be considered a last resort. When civil discourse has been exhausted, then uncivil discourse may be necessary. Civil discourse should always be the first tool in fighting for a cause or voicing ones opinion because it can often be very effective in achieving ones goals. If we had a conversation about the topic where both sides listened to each other and made an open and honest effort to understand the others perspective, many issues could be resolved through civil discourse. If uncivil discourse is used as the first tool in trying to achieve ones goals, it is not only likely to be met with resistance but will detract attention from the issue being fought for or the opinion being shared. It creates a starting point of anger and immediately encourages the recipient to either go on the defence or offense due to the dynamics of the uncivil discourse, and this only detracts attention from and perhaps undermines the issue one is arguing for. This is no t so much an issue for Donald Trump because, as mentioned before, he does not tweet in attempt to start a dialog with anyone. He posts more for the attention aspect of uncivil discourse but has no real purpose or reason for his act of uncivil discourse. Social medias accessibility allows an immense amount of people to connect and share opinion, civil and uncivil, with ease. Therefore, it is now more important than ever that institutions continue to educate people to be independent, critical reasoners who will remind the world that peoples opinions on platforms such as Twitter are just that; opinions. Educated, independent, critical thinkers will hold accountable those who utilize platforms like Twitter to share their opinions about important social and cultural issues, constantly pressing and requiring them to back-up and justify their tweets with facts and figures. Informed critical thinkers and writers will also be the ones who continue the invaluable task of conducting serious investigative reporting, calling out and challenging false and misleading information. They will be the ones who will not allow society to descend into the politics of division and degradation through uncivil discourse with impunity.