Comparing Hedonistic and Utilitarian Products Essay

Utilitarian Consumption: The consumption of products has tangible benefit for consumer. In western culture, such products are often labeled as practical or necessary. Utilitarian products are purchased and consumed to satisfy consumer’s practical or functional needs. Utilitarian consumer behavior has been described as ergic, task-related and rational. In the marketing literature choice and decision with respect to utilitarian products and informed by the utility maximizing perspective. Thus the consumption of utilitarian products is more instrumental. The motivation initiating the need for a utilitarian product suggests that these products are primarily thought of in terms of their functional performance. Hedonic Consumption: The consumption of products for fun, amusement, fantasy, arousal, sensory stimulation, or enjoyment. Hedonic, pleasure-oriented consumption is motivated by the desire for sensual pleasure and fun. In western culture such products are often labeled as frivolous or decadent. The concept of hedonic consumption recognizes that individuals consume many types of products because of the feelings and images that are associated with the product. The cognitive motives driving the consumption of hedonic products are arguably the need to satisfy symbolic and value-expressive motives such as ego gratification, social acceptance and intellectual. Hedonic products have pleasure potential whereas utilitarian products perform functions in everyday life. Products with pleasure potential provide intangible, symbolic benefits and are likely to hold greater potential for evoking positive emotions in a consumer. Consumer decision making process: Consumers are often faced with these types of choices between hedonic and utilitarian alternatives that are at least partly driven by emotional desires rather than cold cognitive deliberations. Hence, these choices represent an important domain of consumer decision-making. Yet much of the pioneering work in behavioral decision theory has largely focused on the cognitive aspects of decision-making without exploring its emotional dimensions. Consumer decision is driven by functionality, usage and benefits out of various functions of product in the case of utilitarian consumption. But the decision making process is obsessed by symbolism, status, value-expression and social acceptance. For example: the decision of buying bread is driven is by its generic functions and attributes not by brand or image, which are already underlined and understood by every consumer. In case of designer suit the decision is influenced by its brand, image, labels and certain associations like brand ambassador , designer and promoters or co-owner also.

The Moontrap by Don Berry

It was on the 23rd day of January in the year 1932 at Rosewood Falls, MN when an award – winning author was born.   Don Berry (1932 – 2001), the author of the novel entitled Moontrap has been the recipient of the Spur Award, Western Writers of America, 1963 for best historical novel (University of Oregon Libraries, 2008).   Berry can be best remembered for the lasting influence as well as the universality of the themes of the stories he wrote.   Just before the final days of his life, Berry continued to be a success as an author.   This statement holds true as Berry concluded his â€Å"spore, Berryworks,† – that which was considered to be his masterpiece (Don Berry, 2000).   Berry’s Moontrap is a novel about a man caught between his lucid past and his vague future.   The Oregon territory serves as the setting of his trilogy following the Trask (Oregon State University Press, 2004).   His works, which include novels and science fiction short stories, lean towards the western genre.   It was the publication of his three novels which has secured him a reputation for having a tight grasp of the American Pacific Northwest history.The adventure stories he wrote shed light on the damaging effects of impinging white population on the Native American population.   Berry’s first ever novel, the Trask has been a stunning success of mature writing in the year 1960.   Following the Trask was Moontrap, his second novel.   Though it has not been equally commended as its predecessor, Moontrap is considered to be exceptional than the Trask (University of Oregon Libraries, 2008).If there was a population to be considered as the one most devoted reading group it would be none other than the people of the Pacific Northwest.   Reasons to support this claim is one too many.   For one, there is the long gray winter in the western part of the Cascades.   This weather encourages warm and dry indoor activities.   If there is the long gray winter of the west, there’s the seclusion of the ranching region at the mountain’s east.   If these would still not suffice, there is the lavishness and variety of the crops produced by the riches of the regional publishers (Garmen, 2008).It is our improved connection with these communities essential to our future which causes us a relief in our sense of selfishness and seclusion.   Many other unique publishers find an opulent and generous home at the Pacific Northwest.   This can be attributed to the region’s open spaces of mind and geography (Garmen, 2008).Oregon owes its publicity to the missionaries and fur traders.   They are the ones who made Oregon familiar to the American population.   The year was 1840 when a great deal of people broke new ground as they begun to come by the Oregon Trail to the Willamette Valley.   Most of the pioneers trace their origins from the Middle West farms.   Their exodus has been brought b y the ruthless weather condition and recurring sickness, national depression which began in the year 1837.   There where some who only sought for adventure, though.   For the majority, however, it was the search for a better material life than what they have which has driven them out of their homeland to the Willamette Valley.Young businessmen from the Northeastern cities wanted to engage in the mercantile business as a form of livelihood in the urban areas of Oregon.   These people consists the minority of Oregon emigrants during the pre – Civil War period.   It was during the 1850s when Chinese immigrants came to the gold fields at the south of Oregon.   Even before the Civil War, African Americans can already be found at Oregon (Garmen, 2008).The pre – Civil War Oregon’s political life was for the most part, was based upon local issues.   The majority party consisted of the Democrats.   The Republicans as well as the Whigs do have their respecti ve followers.   The most important national concern during that time was whether slavery should be extended to the federal territories.   Oregonians of the pioneer era busy themselves in farming.   It was also during this time when Portland, the major city started to emerge.   Other towns sprang up, thereafter.Oregonians traded lumber, wheat and cattle to California in exchange for gold.   With respect to the Oregonian’s cultural life, schools, colleges and churches were set out.   It was during the 1850s when Indian wars were ignited.   This was brought about by the gold miners who broke out the Rogue River War (1855 – 1856) as they find their way to south Oregon.   White farmers invaded the Indian lands at other parts of Oregon.   This event brought the Indians on reservation.   It was at the central Oregon during 1855 when the Warn Spring Reservation was founded for the Wasco, Walla Walla and the Paiutes (Garmen, 2008).A transitional period in th e New Oregon Territory happened during the 1850s.   It was during this time when the settlers and lawmakers were working to control the uncivilized region.   A white man who goes by the name Johnson â€Å"Jaybird† Monday has been living on a bend of the Willamette River near Oregon City.   Monday was a former mountain man.   He lives with his wife, Mary Deer Walking, who is about to give birth to their first child.   Walking, a common – law, Shoshone Indian has been married to Monday for seven years.The couple wrestles to find their place in the settled society.   Webster â€Å"Webb† T. Webster, Monday’s old friend, paid a sudden visit one summer morning.   Webster is a strident and unremorseful trapper.   He has a crude humor and a stubborn obedience to the simple life (Oregon State University Press, 2004).   He has no other frills of civilization (Tillabooks, 2006).   It was him who led Monday through adventures which leaned dangerou sly close to lawlessness.   It was through their misadventures which led Monday towards a rediscovery of his moral core.   Monday’s life takes us on a journey through rebelliousness, feat and misfortune (Oregon State University Press, 2004).Moontrap gives an account of the conflict one man confronts in maintaining his old habits or fashioning a new life.   It is a splendidly humorous comic and deeply moving rendition of the life in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon State University Press, 2004).   It was a mixture of tough play, wit, lyric romance and the cruel realities of life (cited in Oregon State University Press, 2004).   It follows Monday on his quest towards the realization that renouncing the austere honesty of mountain life for the bargain of civilization is a high a price to pay, indeed (Oregon State University Press, 2004).The idea that a Shoshone Indian who is married to a white man and is about to give birth to their first born does not rest well with the authority that be, the powers of civilization who seemingly have the power over the fate of the region.   This stark reality confronted Monday face to face as the judge refuse to record the name of Monday’s son otherwise.   â€Å"The judge insists on writing out the birth certificate as: Father: Johnson Monday, White.   Mother: Mary Deer Walking, Shoshone Indian.   Child: Webster, son of Mary Deer Walking, Shoshone Indian, Bastard.†Ã‚   This reminded Monday that as he was once a mountain man, he will remain a mountain man (Tillabooks, 2006).Moontrap leaves its readers the haunting questions like: What transpires of the mountain man when he arrives at the final verge?   When the time comes that the Oregon territory has been established and America meets the Pacific, what remains to be the vestiges of old?     Ã‚  (Tillabooks, 2006).The powerful forces of civilization are left to squeeze out what if left of that freedom.   As the account of the conclusion of an epoch, the last of the moral fiber of the mountain man, as civilization sweeps on the Oregon territory.   â€Å"Just as you can’t trap the reflection of the moon in a moving pool of water, so you can’t preserve the freedom of the old ways of life† (Tillabooks, 2006).ReferencesDon Berry. 2000. Berryworks. Retrieved February 1, 2008 from http://www.donberry.com/.Open Space Publications, Inc. 2008. Publishing in the Northwest. Retrieved February 2, 2008from http://www.open-spaces.com/article-v2n3-publishing.phpOregon State University Press. 2004. Moontrap by Don Berry. Retrieved January 31, 2008   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from oregonstate.edu/dept/press/images/fall04cat.pdf.Tillabooks. 2006. Moontrap by Don Berry. Retrieved February 2, 2008 fromhttp://tillabooks.blogspot.com/2006/07/moontrap-by-don-berry.htmlUniversity of Oregon Libraries. 2008. Subject guide to papers of major literary figures in   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Manuscript collectio ns. Retrieved January 31, 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   https://libweb.uoregon.edu/speccoll/guides/lit.html?tab=3.

All Shave

All Shave in Saudi Arabia I. Problem Statement All Shave company sold a majority of interest of its company to Almin family in Saudi Arabia and from then, All Shave’s sales have dropped constantly. II. Underlying Issue Should Almin family accept the Mike Lacey’s aggressive promotional strategy or instead increase its products quality? III. Relevant Facts A. Company History: All Shave 1) Until three years ago, the company had been successfully exporting razors and blades to Saudi Arabia 2) The All Shave Company was sold to the Almin family due to possiblefuture import restrictions. ) The contract with Almin family was specified that the Almin family would â€Å"actively promote All Shave products†. 4) Mike Lacey, All Shave’s Middle Eastern Manager, believes that Shave’s previous success has made by strong promotion. B. Company History: Almin Family 1) The Almin family is a one of leading company in Saudi Arabia’s steel industry. 2) The Almin f amily acquired the All Shave Company to expand their market field. 3) Mustafa Almin, the head of Almin family, believes that a good product was its own best advertisement. ) The Almin family claimed that the company was still making reasonable profit. C. Marketing Mix: 1) The All Shave products were being sold from the Almin Warehouses.. 2)The advertisement was limited to a few newspaper and posters distributed by the industrial sales reps. 3)No additional salespeople had been added for All Shave promotion. D. Competitors: 1)Mike Lacey argues that the present results achieved by their competitions are made by strong promotion. 2)Mustafa Almin did not agree and claimed that the competitors’ achievement is made by high quality products. )Mustafa feels that to approach to the local market is the little advertising and long participation. IV. Strategic Alternatives A. The Almin family can accept Mike’s suggestion and increase promotional activity and advertisement to incre ase the sales. B. The All Shave Company can trust on local company, Almin family, and make higher quality products. C. The All Shave Company can take back the company and rule as they would do with their other company however, the restriction in import could be crisis. D.Do more research: The All Shave Company could do more extend researchabout the local’s business culture and the strategies in the same field competitors. E. Do Nothing V. Criteria As Mustafa Almin said, the Saudi Arabian market is all about the quality of the products. He argued that people will go for the best quality products not the best advertisement product. VI. Selected Alternative and Why Alternative Strategy B seems to be the most effective alternative choice. To become a big part of local market, localize is main point.The local’s favor will not change in short time therefore; the company needs to adjust their products’ aspect and the market strategy to the local market. The Almin famil y has been in local market with constant success. The Almin family understands the business culture and had proven before. After all the All Shave Company wants to make higher sales and maximize profit. In order to do that, the All Shave needs to accept the business culture in Saudi Arabia and product high quality products even though it might take longer period.

Telecommunications in health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Telecommunications in health care - Essay Example ose of this paper is to talk about examples of telecommunication used I the workplace, the advantages and disadvantages of telecommunication, and new developments expected in the sector. An example of telecommunication technology used in the place of work is telephonic nurse case manager. It is used for getting timely and cost effective results by communicating and negotiating with patients, their providers and employers. The claims management process is facilitated using electronic data interface, which downloads case process documents into the patient’s claims management system. The telephonic nurse case manager is beneficial because it enables the patient to receive the appropriate treatment for his or her injuries. It is also beneficial because the patient is able to go back to work as soon as possible: the telephonic nurse case manager has a return to work plan. The use of telecommunication has a lot of advantages (Suter & Johnston, 2011). Hospitals that use telemedicine achieve reduced costs in their operations (Suter & Johnston, 2011). Suter and Johnson describe how learning is easily done through actions compared to listening. Therefore, telemedicine has the benefit of teaching patients how to take care of themselves since they will have learned through actions. Telemedicine increases the number of patients attended to by a physician (Gorman, 2011). This addresses the issue where there are very few physicians attending to the increasing number of patients (Gorman, 2011). There is a two way interactive television with a patient at one end and a physician at the other (Gillette, 2003). This is useful when a patient is not able to travel to the urban area for treatment. The use of telecommunication technology in healthcare has disadvantages when it comes to delivering the required equipment to the patients home (Gillette, 2003). In America, some states do not allow physicians from another state to perform their services to other states (Gillette, 2003).

Northeast Utilities Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Northeast Utilities - Research Paper Example The company that is the subject of this research is Northeast Utilities Industries. This company was formed in 1966 following the successful business merger that occurred between Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P), the Hartford Electric Light Company, and the Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECO). This merger made the companies come under one management qualifying to be the largest multi-state holding following the Public Utility Holding Act of 1935. Other companies later joined the merger in the subsequent years and in this case, Holyoke Water Power Company (HWP) joined in 1967 and finally, in 1992, Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) signed a deal to merge with the company. This informs that five companies that were once independent constitute the Utility. In 2010, Northeast Utility further eluded their intention to the merger with NSTAR but maintaining the title as Northeast Utility and this is still a subject of approval. It is worth noting that the co mpany is listed in the Fortune 500 with the headquarters at Berlin, Connecticut. The company also runs several subsidiaries in the business of retailing electricity and natural gas. The company’s customer base in New England is about 2.1 million and this qualifies it to be one of the largest public utilities in New England. In this regard, the company has electric transmission lines covering 3,140 miles with about 32, 802 distribution pole miles. Their natural gas distribution also covers an area of about 5,000 km2.... In any business, it is very important to understand these forces so that one can identify the source of business strength and weaknesses so that the necessary adjustments can follow. In this case, this industry faces fierce competition from other companies providing similar products-competitive rivalry. This includes other companies like, First Energy, UIL Holdings, UNITIL, NSTAR, and EnerNOC (Murray, 2012). The existence of these companies in the provision of the same product has elicited severe competition in the provision of the same service-energy. There is different customer’s loyalty experienced in the market and other factors like switching cost that make the competition based on the existence similar products industries to be fierce. In the industry, there is need to achieve change in different categories; to achieve change in the efficiency of the energy production and distribution, this is aimed at reducing the cost of energy to the final consumers. When the cost of production is reduced, there is possibility of reducing the cost of the final product that goes to the consumers and thus a company is able to cut themselves a niche in the market. In this sense, the factor that is driving change in the company is the need to provide the consumers with products at moderated prizes to acquire a larger share in the market place. The reliability and safety of the product is also a concern of the company, the company dealing in the provision of the utilities tend to have the sense of reliability to the customers so that they do not lose market on that grounds. Competitors in the Industry Like any other business, the provision of the energy in which Northeast Utility is involved is experiencing the same competition from other service providers.

To compare Pedagogy of the oppressed by Paulo Freire with the movie Essay

To compare Pedagogy of the oppressed by Paulo Freire with the movie The Slave Narratives - Essay Example On the other side of the coin, the ones who are oppressed are in search and yearn for their freedom and liberty and this deep seated struggle is a constant quest to regain their lost humanity. Liberation seems to be the light at the end of the tunnel, but how many of the oppressed gain their liberty? This oppressed group is looked down upon as the downtrodden lot who suffers and endures violence and exploitation meted out to them. When this vicious circle becomes too hard to bear, the oppressed who are not in a position to put up a fight become oppressors in return. Such incidents are brought out clearly in the movie ‘The Slave Narratives.’ This essay is going to analyze what takes place in ‘The Slave Narratives’ against the backdrop of Paulo Freire’s ‘Pedagogy of the Oppressed’ that portrays an incessant struggle by the oppressed to gain their freedom and humanity. According to Paulo, ‘The pedagogy of the oppressed is an instrument for their critical discovery that both they and their oppressors are manifestations of dehumanization.† (Paulo Freire,) The heartrending movie titled â€Å"Unchained Memories† was scripted from readings taken from the ‘Slave Narratives† which is an exclusive collection of documents based on the true stories and incidents of those people who lived beneath the yoke of slavery in ancient times. These true life narratives were transcribed by the ‘Federal Writer’s Project’ (WPA’s) writers and were made use of to film a very touching story filled with tragic life experiences of the oppressed slaves under their cruel white masters. ‘Unchained Memories’ belongs to the genre of social history based on race and ethnicity. The movie which is 74 minutes in length was shot in the United States. ‘The Slave Narratives’ which were housed safely in the Library of Congress, was made use of by directors Ed Bell

Radiohead and Kid A Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Radiohead and Kid A - Research Paper Example Band leader Thom Yorke commented that the album simply reflected the music the band was mainly listening to at the time they were creating the album, though there is evident an obvious attempt to depart from the band’s previous ‘rock’ style. There are evident influences from synthesised bands such as Aphex Twin, Talking Heads and jazz artists such as Charles Mingus and Miles Davis. Some songs, particularly ‘How to Disappear’, contain heavy classical influences. ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’ is a particular example of the band’s new direction, and experimenting with minimal sound yet varied instruments, as well as new and old styles. The album’s style is certainly a new direction from the band’s older albums, and it perhaps symbolises the band’s injection of personal influences into their musical style. Concepts Behind the Album Radiohead experimented with the music of Kid A, and its comparison to earlier albums s hows a distinct move from their usual ‘alternative rock’ style to a more electronic music style (Gilbert). For this album, Radiohead experimented with a broader range of musical instruments; a rather different approach compared to their previous focus on the use of guitars. Radiohead incorporated the use of keyboards, brass and strings – a depiction of their classical music and jazz influences. The music contains less use of lyrics than previous albums, and the lyrics that the band does use are more conceptual and theoretical than the lyrics they had created before. Many described Kid A as an evolution of the band: â€Å"their core sound had changed† (Koehler 193). Perhaps the success of Kid A is owed to its new sound; the inability to slot it into any one musical genre, as Kaye claims: â€Å"the album is a motley painting of many types of music, mixed and bended in playful and satirical ways, that cannot be boxed into any neat compartment (sic)† (241). Perhaps the most prominent feature of Kid A’s music style is Yorke’s adamant departure from rock; he claimed â€Å"I never wanted to be in a...rock group† (Lin 32). One can hear the band’s avoidance of producing yet another ‘alternative rock’ album, and the experimentation they undertook, although it is mainly synthesised and electronic, cannot be particularly classed as any single genre. It seems that the band achieved this goal very successfully. Tension Among the Band Led to this Album The problems faced by the band, particularly Thom York e leading up to and during the creation of the album are certainly not few and far between. There was not only tension in the band, but Yorke had begun to feel alienated from the fast paced life of the rest of the world, as well as feeling that his music had become mainstream and unimportant (‘Meeting People is Easy’). Yorke shunned media attention which had been created as a result of Radiohead’s success, and the exhausted band almost split up before the making of Kid A. The main problems facing the band as a whole, however, were due to the constant disagreements which arose between the members as to the musical style the album should be based on. The main tension was between Yorke’s desire to inject electronic music into the band’s style and the rest of the band’s desire to remain with the guitar ‘rock-pop-alternative’ style. As a result of the conglomerated problems, Yorke faced many difficulties while trying to write songs