Dietary Trends A Literature Review - 1468 Words

Policies of Nutritional Well-Being and Their Success to Change Dietary Trends: A Literature Review I INTRODUCTION The law of supply and demand offers an economic model that allows the market to set prices for goods. Within a competitive market, consumers can dictate the price and a company’s willingness to produce a product for that matter by their spending habits or their demand. If a large enough portion of consumers were to stop buying a product for example, this could ultimately run it out of the market. This is important to understand because this could provide an important tool to helping in the efforts for sustainability. Shifts in consumer trends within the global food market could pressure producers to alter their practices of land degradation in the effort to stay in existence. This could be applied to challenges beyond just land degradation as effective ways to create change in dietary trends can allow us to pressure any producer of environmental harm to change its ways. One way to see this is through historical records on dietary trends of consumer purchases. To realize the potential success of this type of strategy however, there must be historical evidence of shifts in consumer trends following the increased awareness of an issue. The increased awareness in the last few decades in nutritional well-being in the United States provides a great case study to determine the effectiveness of policies/programs in changing dietary trends. If it can be seen thatShow MoreRelatedObesity And Its Effects On Children1011 Words   |  5 Pagesmovement. Unfortunate dietary patterns and physical latency are ahead of schedule to end up built up and contribute majorly toward advancement of adolescence overweight and heftiness. 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Obesity rates remain high in the United States, where one third of adults are obese.1 According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the percent of children (ages 2-19 years) who are obese rose from 14.5% in 1999 to 17.3% in 2012.1 A recent study based on the 2012-2013 NHANES suggests a stabilization in obesity rates since 2003-2004, with a significant decrease amongRead MoreDairy intake for adequate calcium levels in the management of Osteoporosis Sidak Singh1600 Words   |  7 Pagesnutritional factor in achieving optimal peak bone mass. Dietary dairy intake is an essential source of calcium necessary for sufficient bone density. While studies illustrate the value of dairy intake as a source of calcium and thus bone health, contention on this topic has followed. Discordant viewpoints argue no effect of dairy consumption on bone strength and negative impacts of excess protein leading to metabolic acidosis which impacts bone mass. 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A sample size of 60 was selected from two adult medical acute care units was selected. Informed consent was approved by the institutional review board and the study was explained to participants, disclosing that 2 additional independent finger sticksRead MoreThe Link Between Autism And Autism1580 Words   |  7 Pagesresult in autism is important because such knowledge will lead to better treatments, prevention, or even cures. In this essay, I will review recent research advances in the field of autism, including searches for historical and current trends for potential causes or contributing factors of an autism-related disorder in addition to identifying accurately how these trends have changed over the years and how they may continue to change in the future. Clinical diagnosis Autism is now recognized as a disorderRead MoreInferential Statistics Essay560 Words   |  3 Pagesequivalent with a number of European nations. Yet sub-Saharan Africa, where most of the worlds famished exist, is considering a raise in obesity, particularly among urban women. In all areas, obesity seems to increase as income rises (Obesity Worldwide Trends, para 3). Obesity has an extensive implication on a childs health. Obesity has been correlated to numerous diseases and circumstances in adults, like heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Overweight children are twice as much probable to containRead MoreObesity : An American Crises1062 Words   |  5 Pagesdichotomies in trends when it comes to overweight and obesity by sex and race that are statistically significant with the Hispanic group. Among children ages 2 to 19, Hispanic boys are more likely than Hispanic girls to be obese. It is noted that Hispanic boys of this age group, 2- 19 years old are obese (NCLR, 2010). The target audience for this health promotion topic is Hispanic male children ages 2 to19 years residing in Norcross Georgia. This paper focuses on the literature reviews on the prevalenceRead MoreEssay on Childhood Obesity1599 Words   |  7 PagesHollar, PhD, Marie Almon, RD, MS, and Arthur S. Agatston, MD. The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2010. The focus of the study was to assess the effects of a school-based obesity prevention intervention that included dietary, curricula, and physical activity components on body mass index (BMI) percentiles and academic performance among low-income elementary school children. According to the article the prevalence of obesity remains high among all age and racial groupsRead MoreCombating Childhood Obesity in America2461 Words   |  10 Pagesfor many American youths, a trend that has been further reinforced by participation in social media networks. 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Should Scientists Be Allowed to Perform DNA Tests on...

The study of the DNA of human embryos was possible at the time when in vitro fertilization began to be practiced. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the process of forming a human embryo outside the womb. The process involves extracting several eggs from a woman’s body and then fertilizing them in a laboratory. A couple days after fertilization, genetic tests can be applied on a cell that is removed from the embryo. The DNA testing process is called preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and usually triggers the diagnosis of the embryos with genetic abnormalities but can also identify other genetic traits of the future progenitor such as sex, athletic ability, special talent, and certain physical appearance. The researchers produced the†¦show more content†¦The embryos considered questionable are being discarded; this act is being criticized as an act of abortion (Hudson 106-107). However, Caplan argues: â€Å"When you destroy a fetus in an abortion, its because you dont want to have a baby. When you make a lot of embryos, its because you are desperately trying to have a baby† (qtd. in Williams 100). Therefore, creating multiple embryos can be deemed pro-life. Another issue regarding DNA testing of embryos is the possible societal discrimination of disabled people, women, and familial discrimination based on child preference. Disabled people can be stigmatized in society. For example, people with conditions that are not life-threatening, such as Downs syndrome, can be categorized as unworthy of life. However, Gregor Wolbring, a bioethicist at the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada replies, If there was nothing wrong with Downs syndrome or disabilities, there would be no need for PGD (qtd. inGenetic Testing.). In addition, an eventual discrimination for women can occur in such countries as China and India, known through history for their preference for a male child. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis can denigrate the families’ integrity because parents may show more affection towards the children selected genetically than thoseShow MoreRelatedPreimplantation Embryo Genetic Modification Should Be Legal1753 Words   |  8 Pages Preimplantation embryo Genetic Modification should be legal for medical purposes because it was proven safer than other forms of genetic modification in other countries. According to the National Institute of Health, PGM is legal in the United Kingdom for research purposes only. However, it is illegal to implant the embryos into a woman for further development or gestation. In the United States, it is not legal to perform such research because of ethical concerns (NIH). Some argue that it is notRead MoreGenetic Engineering : The Field Of Biomedical Research1710 Words   |  7 Pagesexperimental practice used in the world of biomedical research. This practice refers to humans modifying an animals’ genetic component in order to express a particular trait (Dale et al). The scientific community calls the animals produced by this practice as transgenic animals in order to distinguish between its wild type relative. This innovative technology paved ways for medical breakthroughs, along with the expansion of human understanding towards the mechanisms of prevalent diseases. As a result, researchRead MoreCell Biology Final Essay30093 Words   |  121 PagesName: _Leroy Johnson __________________________________ Date: ______________Comprehensive Study Guide. Test will only be Multiple choice 1. The feature that most clearly separates eukaryotes from prokaryotes is the presence of _______ in eukaryotic cells. A) ribosomes B) oxidative phosphorylation C) DNA molecules -D) a nucleus 2. Cytoplasmic organelles are - A) absent in prokaryotic cells; present in eukaryotic cells. B) present in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Conformity Free Essays

The Price of Nonconformity Defiance is a daring and bold resistance to authority or society. In any group, whether a neighborhood, team, or school, there is a certain ethical and moral code that people are expected to abide by, and therefore defiance is not welcome. However, every group has its individuals, people who break the mold and go against the grain. We will write a custom essay sample on Conformity or any similar topic only for you Order Now Actions made by individuals that shake the foundations of a society’s beliefs are seen in negative light, and as a result, the individual faces animosity. Nonconformity and defiance to a society’s customs lead to great implications for the individual. In the novel The Chocolate War, Jerry’s friendship with Roland Goubert deteriorates in correlation with Jerry’s nonconformity. Popularly referred to as â€Å"The Goober,† Roland is Jerry’s only real ally in the novel. The Goober is a peaceful figure who hates strain and contention and gets along with Jerry who shares Goober’s mild behavior (Cormier 100). The chocolate sale, however, drives a wedge between the two’s easy friendship. Goober responds with fear and apprehension when Jerry relates his plan to refuse the chocolates. He entreats Jerry to appease the school and sell the chocolates, and Jerry’s empty response to Goober’s plea starts the division in their friendship. â€Å"Jerry’s lone protest is partly inspired by a poster displayed in the back of his Buda 2 locker. It shows a man walking alone on the beach, with a captioned quote from poet T. S. Eliot: ‘Do I dare disturb the universe? ’ Beyond answering this challenge Jerry has no satisfactory explanation for his friend The Goober, or for himself, as to why he is still refusing to sell the chocolates† (Telgen). As a result, Goober refuses to participate on the football team, which greatly upsets Jerry and widens the fissure between them. After sharing their conflicting positions on the way to the bus stop one morning, the two feel separated. â€Å"They sat in sadness. Finally, they gathered their books, got up, and walked in silence to the bus stop† (Cormier 160). One’s nonconformity can also cause him to be subjected to psychological warfare. Archie Costello has a keen and disturbing talent for inflicting psychological damage on his subjects. Because Jerry defies the Vigils, Archie focuses his â€Å"talent† on Jerry. Jerry receives frequent, anonymous phones calls at all hours of the night. When Jerry answers, there is only silence; and then the people on the other line chuckle, privately, at some intimate joke (Cormier 191). This scheme proves very effective in penetrating into Jerry’s mind. â€Å"In bed once more, small in the dark, Jerry willed his body to loosen, to relax. After a while, sleep plucked at him with soft fingers, soothing away the ache. But the phone rang in his dreams all night long† (Cormier 220). The morning after his first night phone call, Jerry goes to his locker and finds that someone vandalized his poster and slashed his shoes. His poster that inspired his nonconformity had been smeared with something that appeared to be blue paint, and the message had been virtually obliterated into a grotesque jumble of unconnected letters (Cormier 192). After this event, Jerry feels as if someone is trying to send him a deliberate message. Archie further psychologically attacks Jerry by secretly taking Jerry’s homework assignment after he turns it in. Jerry claims he left his watercolor project on the teacher’s desk the day before, but Buda 3 the substitute, Brother Andrew, doubts him. â€Å"Jerry sighed quietly, in resignation. He knew that brother Andrew wouldn’t find the drawing there. He wanted to turn, to scan the faces of the kids in the class, to find that one kid who’d be gloating in satisfaction. Hey, you’re getting paranoid, he told himself† (Cormier 195). Despite all the plots against him, Jerry decides to keep disturbing the universe. Unfortunately, more problems inevitably follow as Jerry becomes firm in his conviction. Jerry is made an outcast in the eyes of the students at Trinity. Archie states that nobody defines the Vigils and gets away with it (Cormier 148). As one method of punishing Jerry, the Vigils make a point of separating Jerry and turning him into an outsider. The Vigils achieve this by interfering with the chocolate sale. The Vigils rally school support for the chocolate sale and make sure every boy meets his quota of fifty boxes except for Jerry (Peck). Jerry also starts to feel that he is invisible at school. As he walks through the corridors, students give him a wide berth. Nobody brushes against him, and guys step out of his path. Jerry believes that the teachers are part of the conspiracy too. They let their eyes slide over him, looking elsewhere when Jerry tried to catch their attention. Once, he waved his hand frantically to answer a question but the teacher ignored him† (Cormier 224). At first, Jerry feels like someone is trying to obliterate him and remove all traces of his existence, but after a while he begins to enjoy his absence of identity. Jerry relaxes, feeling as if he no longer has to be on his guard. His feelings of security, however, disappear when the students drop the cold shoulder act and move on to a much worse form of punishment. Buda 4 Often, it is only a matter a time before a nonconformist faces violence. Jerry realizes that the football field becomes a place where people can abuse him unmercifully. The athletic department provides for the testing of individuals, including each one’s willingness and ability to withstand physical abuse; the football field is an arena where violence is ritualized, sanctioned, and even demanded (Carter, Harris). At football practice one day, Jerry gets viciously tackled from behind, and he wonders who attacked him (â€Å"The Chocolate War†). Emile Janza also sets out to hurt Jerry and assembles a group of kids for an attack. Emile confronts Jerry alone after football practice. Emile calls Jerry a fairy, and when Jerry returns with crude remark Emile’s band of kids emerge from their hiding places to beat up Jerry. Emile and Jerry’s battle with each other reaches its height when Archie sets them both up to participate in a boxing match in front of the entire student body. â€Å"The undercurrent of physical bullying in the school, represented by Emile Janza, encourages our expectation that the larger battle will end in a key confrontation† (Peck). Archie puts a spin on the fight; he creates a raffle that dictates the moves of the boxing match, making it practically impossible for Jerry to win. Voices overwhelmingly cry from the crowd of students for Janza to kill his opponent. Jerry is alone out there, at the mercy of the students who recently decided that he was not a revolutionary at all, but rather someone who considered himself better than them (â€Å"The Chocolate War). Artists, including musicians and painters, have recognized and addressed the hardships and isolation of nonconformists in their works. The song â€Å"Minority† by the American band Green Day exemplifies an individual’s nonconformity. The lyrics â€Å"Stepped out of the line like a sheep runs from the herd† (Metro Lyrics), imply that an individual is rebelling against a group. The word â€Å"herd† suggests a like-minded group that acts together and therefore is robbed of their Buda 5 individuality. â€Å"A face in the crowd unsung, against the mold. Without a doubt singled out the only way I know† (Metro Lyrics). These lyrics demonstrate the isolation one faces as a result of nonconformity. If someone is â€Å"Marching out of time† (Metro Lyrics), they are turned into a minority, as evident in Jerry’s case when students treat him as an outsider. The painting, â€Å"Wake up America† by American artist Jon McNaughton symbolizes going against society. The painting makes a political statement while also expressing the idea of defiance. â€Å"There are all types of people bound together by the same problem we all face: our national debt. But strangely enough, most people don’t even seem to realize what is happening to them† (McNaughton). The people in this painting are bound by the national debt just like the students at Trinity are bound by the chocolate sale. The Trinity students carry out the sale unaware of its deeper purpose of keeping authority concentrated in the hands of Brother Leon. The painting suggests that Obama is like Leon in the sense that Obama gains power from the very debt that chains American taxpayers. The man in the foreground sawing off his chain is like Jerry breaking free from the grip of the chocolate sale. Like Jerry, the man escaping from the group will certainly face hostility. In fact, the woman behind him is already pointing him out to the group. For most individuals, protesting a society’s ethical and moral standards ultimately proves to be a losing battle. Even if a person fosters change among a group, it is only after facing numerous consequences. â€Å"Jerry’s protest is not easy for him to carry out, but he gains a new identity through his actions. What this idea becomes in the novel is the concept of being true to oneself and standing up to the evil that one perceives in the world. The only character that is true Buda 6 to himself in the novel is Jerry — but at a terrible price† (Peck). Individuals face conflict with the values of society or society at large as a result of an idea that they espouse or an action that they commit. Individuality may be described as the consciousness of the individual as to what he is and how he lives. The very essence of individuality is expression; the sense of dignity and independence is the soil wherein it thrives. Man’s thirst for liberation from authority and power will never be quenched despite the fact that society operates against people who refuse to conform. Consequences such as isolation, emotional damage, and violence are the price an individual must pay along his quest for freedom from every shackle. How to cite Conformity, Papers Conformity Free Essays Asch’s Study on Conformity The following essay will briefly outline Solomon Asch’s classic study on conformity (Asch, S. E. ,1956). We will write a custom essay sample on Conformity or any similar topic only for you Order Now , highlight the importance of the study in the field of psychology, ask if one gender tends to conform over another, explain the reasons why people conform to social norms and discuss the factors affecting conformity. Have you ever wondered why groups of teenagers dress and wear their hair so similarly? Or why people order the same dish as their partner at a restaurant? Or why people queue in an orderly fashion at the supermarket? These are all examples of social conformity and when you look closer at our social world, they are all around us. The aim of Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment (Baron, R. A. , Branscombe, N. R. , Byrne, D. , 2009) was to investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform. The experiment was conducted under laboratory conditions and involved only one real participant and 7 confederates. The real participant was unaware that there were confederates involved and was informed that it was a visual perception study. The participants had to match a standard line length to three comparison line lengths that were shown on two separate cards and announce their answer out loud. The 7 confederates were always first to answer, leaving the real participant last to act each time. On particular occasions (12 out of 18), known as clinical trials, the confederates unanimously chose a comparison line that was clearly incorrect. Each participant took part in the experiment several times. The results showed (Baron et al. , 2009) that over the course of several studies 76 % of the participants conformed with the rest of the group’s incorrect answers at least once and 37% of the participants went along with the confederate’s incorrect consensus overall. Asch also put a control group in place where adversely only 5% made such errors. In later experiments, Asch slightly varied the conditions of the experiment where one of the confederates answered correctly, agreeing with the real participant. This broke the group’s unanimity and conformity dropped to 5%. â€Å"Apparently, a single ally is all you need to â€Å"stick to your guns† and resist the pressure to conform† (Hock, R. , 2004). Further research (Morris, W. N. , Miller, R. S. , Spangenberg, S. , 1977) supports this, whereby the experiment was recreated with 1 of the confederates giving the correct answer, going against the group consensus. The researchers found that the level of conformity depended on at what stage the confederate agreed with the participant’s correct answer, early or late in the process. It now seems clear that early agreement with one’s implicit response serves to solidify or strengthen the implicit response, making conformity less likely† (Morris et al. , 1977). Further research (Asch, S. E. ,1956). , also showed that when the participant did not say his answer out loud but wrote it down, the level of conformity dropped. â€Å"Often, it appears, we follow social norms overtly but don’t actually change our private views† (Maas, A. , ; Clark, R. D. III, 1984 as cited in Social Psychology, Baron et al. ). This shows the distinction between public conformity and private acceptance. Asch’s study on conformity was important in the field of psychology because â€Å"the real power of social pressure to conform was demonstrated clearly and scientifically for the first time† (Hock, R. , 2004). Many researchers (Crutchfield, R. S. ,1955, Morris et al. , 1977, Mori, K. , ; Arai, M. , 2010) that have reconstructed Asch’s original study or conducted similar studies support the original findings for the most part. A very clever variation of the study was devised (Mori et al. 2010) without the use of confederates whereby the participants wore two types of polarized sunglasses during the critical trials which depending on the filtering of green or magenta at the top of the comparison lines would make the lines longer or shorter. This study used both men and women where Asch’s experiment only involved men. â€Å"The results showed that, in line with Asch’s basic f indings, the minority women participants conformed to the majority. However, the study produced two different results: While minority women conformed, minority men did not. Contrary to Asch’s findings, the frequency of conformity of minority participants was almost the same regardless of whether the majority answered unanimously or not† (Mori et al. , 2010). This asks the question whether men and women differ in their tendency to conform. Researchers (Sistrunk, F. , ; McDavid, J. W. ,1971) carried out an experiment to try and find out if one gender has a tendency to conform more than another. The researchers concluded that gender did not affect the likelihood to conform but â€Å"a disregard for particular characteristics of the ehaving male or female together with the particular nature of the judgmental tasks which have been employed in experimental studies of conformity may have contributed to artificially inflated observations of sex-determined differences† (Sistrunk et al. ) But why do people conform? Asch interviewed the participants of his experiment afterwards and asked them why they went along with the general consensus of th e group. Many of the participants simply replied because they did not want to feel stupid or embarrassed. This supports the theory (League, B. , ; Jackson, D. N. , 1964) of the connection between conformity and self-esteem. â€Å"Research in the area of conformity generally supports the hypothesis that persons with low self-value tend to be more conformant to social pressures than persons with high self-value† (League, B. , ; Jackson, D. N. , 1964). Other factors that can increase conformity are the cohesiveness of the group. There is a mounting body of evidence (Crandall, C. S. , 1988, Latane, B. , ; L’Herrou, T. 1996) that suggests that the more attracted or committed to the group you are a part of, the more likely you are to conform. Two groups of college girls in sororities were studied (Crandall, C. S. , 1988) with respect to popularity patterns and binge eating. In sorority alpha the further from the mean level of binge eating was correlated with being less popular. In sorority beta the more the women binged the more popular she was. â€Å"Most important, however, is the correlation which directly indicates social influence:  Women became more like their friends over time. (Crandall, C. S. , 1988). Another factor that can influence conformity is the size of the group. Conformity was originally thought by researchers (Gerard, H. B. , Wilhemly, R. A. , Conolley, E. S. , 1968) to increase with group size but it would seem to plateau up to three or more members. â€Å"The major hypothesis of the present study, which was not supported, was that the independent condition would show a linear increase in conformity through all group sizes† (Gerard et al. ). But later research (Bond, R. , Smith, P. B. , 1996), a meta-analysis of 133 Asch-like line judgement studies from 17 countries showed that conformity tends to increase up to 8 group members and then level off. The meta-analysis conducted by (Bond et al. , 1996) was to examine whether conformity has changed over time and whether culture plays a significant role in conformity levels. The results (focusing on analysis conducted only in the U. S. ) showed that â€Å"levels of conformity in general had steadily declined since Asch’s studies in the early 1950s† (Bond et al. , 1996). The hypothesis that conformity in collectivist cultures (China, Asia) would be higher than in individualistic cultures (US, Europe) from analyses of cultural values from studies (Hofstede, 1980,  1983,  Schwartz, 1994, Trompenaars, 1993) was confirmed. â€Å"Moreover, the impact of the cultural variables was greater than any other, including those moderator variables such as majority size typically identified as being important factors. Cultural values, it would seem, are significant mediators of response in group pressure experiments† (Bond et al. , 1996) To summarise, Asch’s study on conformity (Asch, S. E. , 1956) shows that social pressure from a majority group can affect a person to conform. Asch and others (Morris et al. 1977) also show that if the unanimity of the group is broken, conformity decreases and (Maas et al. , 1984) distinguishes between public commitment and private acceptance. There have been conflicting studies (Mori et al. , 2010, Sistrunk et al. 1971) on whether one gender conforms more than another. Research suggests that there are many reasons for conformity; if one has low self-esteem (League et al. 1964), the cohesiveness of the group (Crandall et al. , 1988, Latane et al. , 1996), the size of the group (although there is conflicting research) (Gerard et al. , 1968, Bond et al. , 1996). To conclude, there is research (Bond et al. , 1996) to suggest that conformity in the U. S. has decreased since Asch’s original study and that in collectivistic cultures there are higher levels of conformity than in individualistic ones. References Asch, S. E. (1956). Studies of independence and conformity: I. A minority of one against a unanimous majority. Psychological Monographs: General And Applied,  70(9), 1-70. doi:10. 1037/h0093718 Baron, R. A. , Branscombe, N. R. , ; Byrne, D. (2009). Social Psychology  (12th ed. ). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. Bond, R. , ; Smith, P. B. (1996). Culture and conformity: A meta-analysis of studies using Asch’s (1952b, 1956) line judgment task. Psychological Bulletin,  119(1), 111-137. doi:10. 1037/0033-2909. 119. 1. 111 Crandall, C. S. (1988). Social contagion of binge eating. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,  55(4), 588-598. doi:10. 1037/0022-3514. 55. 4. 88 Crutchfield, R. S. (1955). Conformity and character. American Psychologist,  10(5), 191-198. doi:10. 1037/h0040237 Gerard, H. B. , Wilhemly, R. A. , Conolley, E. S. (1968). Conformity And Group Size. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,  8(11), 79-82. doi:10. 1037/h0025325 Hock, Roger R. (2004). Forty Studies that Changed Psychology  : Explorations into the History of Psychological Research ( 5th Edition). Prentice Hall. ISBN  0-13-114729-3. Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences:  International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA:  Sage. As cited in Bond, R. , Smith, P. B. (1996) Latane, B. , L’Herrou, T. (1996). Spatial clustering in the conformity game: Dynamic social impact in electronic groups. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,  70(6), 1218-1230. doi:10. 1037/0022-3514. 70. 6. 1218 League, B. , ; Jackson, D. N. (1964). Conformity, veridicality, and self-esteem. The Journal Of Abnormal And Social Psychology,  68(1), 113-115. doi:10. 1037/h0047230 Maas, A. , ; Clark, R. D. III, (1984). Hidden Impact of Minorities: Fifteen Years of Minority Influence Research. Psychology Bulletin, 95, 233-243 as cited in Social Psychology Mori, K. , ; Arai, M. (2010). No need to fake it: Reproduction of the Asch experiment without confederates. International Journal Of Psychology,  45(5), 390-397. doi:10. 1080/00207591003774485 Morris, W. N. , Miller, R. S. , ; Spangenberg, S. (1977). The effects of dissenter position and task difficulty on conformity and response conflict. Journal Of Personality,  45(2), 251-266. doi:10. 1111/j. 1467-6494. 1977. tb00150. x Sistrunk, F. , ; McDavid, J. W. (1971). Sex variable in conforming behavior. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology,  17(2), 200-207. doi:10. 1037/h0030382 Schwartz, S. H. (1994). Cultural dimensions of values:  Towards an understanding of national differences. In U. Kim H. C. Triandis C. Kagitcibasi S. C. Choi ; G. Yoon (Eds. ),  Individualism and collectivism:  Theory, method and applications  (pp. 85–119). Thousand Oaks, CA:  Sage. As cited in Bond, R. , ; Smith, P. B. (1996) Trompenaars, F. (1993). Riding the waves of culture. London:  Economist Books. As cited in Bond, R. , ; Smith, P. B. (1996) How to cite Conformity, Essay examples Conformity Free Essays One of society popular issues – conformity, is the act of one individual likely to change his or her thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes in order to fit in a group or to follow social norms. Norms are understood as unspoken, invisible rules appeared by a group of people then spread out to the whole community. Conformity occurs in various environment and situations, which fashion trends, plastic surgery, and tattooed people are some typical examples (depends on the case). We will write a custom essay sample on Conformity or any similar topic only for you Order Now Furthermore, when talking about the place where conformity rules over, is which we are most familiar with: the school. First of all, we can possibly see that school managers, staffs and teachers are the ones who directly apply conformity on students. Rules and punishments which are thought to organize and unite everyone but the reality is reverse. These excessive and unreasonable ones constrain student from freedom, that later on make them afraid Of schools, studying, and conform hopelessly although their brain are opposing. Plus, the approach of rigid and severe educating nowadays leads to reducing curiosity and creativity in students. This problem happens in not one but many different countries, hence takes art in declining the developing education. Besides, there is still a minority of teachers who are stubborn enough to reject any students’ new innovative resolutions so as to protect their ego. Yet another outcome of the conformity doctrine is standardized examinations. â€Å"Future of the humanity’ should be tested on their personalized and specific abilities to prepare for life, not just narrow and impractical plain papers to figuratively test our memory – which then disappears like it never happens! It may be exaggerated but somehow, schools have made us involved in either a batch or flow production, waiting or an acceptable diploma to apply for ordinary jobs with and expectation of getting average income†¦ In another aspect, students ourselves are conformist as well. From observation, there are mainly three considerable reasons why students conform, and one of them is lacking of knowledge. In a group work or class period, those who are not as clever as others usually listen to everything discussed or lecture assuming they are all correct. They make themselves lower than their friends, follow orders when doing a project, or obey the rules unconditionally. The second type are whom we can sibyl call â€Å"trend followers†. These individuals are the one who would buy a pair of shoes that has similar brand to other majorities in school; put on sweaters in a boiling temperature of 35 ‘C because fashion icons in Russia wear them; or even mimic the same tattoo as their idols’. Their needs of affection and admiration from others resulting in conformity that they want to mimic everything from the loved ones! Finally, the third and also why students conform is that they are yearning to be protected: they would avoid any action leads to disagreement or making them an outcast. Anything that mess harmful is always on their black-list including arguments, bullying, criticism therefore they ignore their individuality to make themselves be like the majority. We can find these kind of students everywhere: agree on every decision made despite of having different opinion; suddenly draw back their arms after seeing no one raises theirs up; or more unintelligible like one claiming he or she has not finish the assignment – which is supposed to be done already, just because there are few people have completed the task. Overall, how conformity affects education – beneficially or contrary, is still beatable. To consider in a positive way, the fact that conformity provides cooperation and acceptance is undeniable. It keeps students from engaging in anti-social acts for fear of isolation plus ensures security. Conformity is metaphorically like an established path for us to follow without deliberation and therefore make a great assistance since we are not capable of everything. Moreover, besides self-completing, it also maintains social norms, discipline, and easily operates school via ‘obedient kids’. However, many argue that conformity brings up more draw backs than its advantages. Taking as an example: the school bell. When it rings, the whole school jointly moves to another location to start another activity as now it is controlled by an audio signal. Clearly, there are logistical issues to consider if we are to safely and effectively manage a volatile school population of over SHOO young people, but are there any less militaristic ways to operate? When will we see schools acting less like prisons or military bases, and more like places where learning can actually be enjoyed? It is clear that schools should be founded on diversity not on conformity. Yet to achieve this involves not only a strong consideration of the development of individuals and their specific abilities, but also on the need for each school to create its own distinct identity within its community. It is not only the school’s duty to apply conformity properly but also our accurate perception that does. Do you want to become one of a mass chain of approximate dolls that people always see you as one tiny part of a group, or a distinct star shining in the dark sky? Whether good or not, remember that being yourself is the best! How to cite Conformity, Papers

Competitive Intelligence System in SMEs †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Competitive Intelligence System in SMEs. Answer: Introduction: This essay discusses the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility. Along with this, this essay analyzes and critically discusses the benefits of implementing the initiatives of the CSR for bottom line of company using the information from Journal Articles on Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing well by doing good and The Business Case for Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Concepts, Research and Practice. Corporate social responsibility is the economical, social, ethical, legal, and environmental responsibility of the corporate houses. The fair and effective execution of the strategies, activities, policies in corporate social responsibility by the firms improves the bottom line of the organizations (Lund-Thomsen and Lindgreen, 2014). The bottom line is the net earnings of any company after deducting all the cost and expenses. The specific benefit of the implementing the corporate social responsibility policies is improvement in the economic and financial performance or bottom line of the company. The benefits of implementing CSR initiatives sometime may be seen clearly (Carroll and Shabana, 2010). The benefits from the CSR initiatives for bottom line of the company can be categorized into four categories such as reduction in the risk and cost of the company, competitive advantage to company, reputation and legitimacy and win-win outcomes. The effective execution of CSR initiatives by the companies helps in reducing their cost and risk associated with their operation. The demand by the stakeholders poses challenges and threats to the organization, which the organization can reduce by performing its social and environmental responsibility (Carroll and Shabana, 2010). This serves economical benefit to the company by reducing the cost and increasing the revenue. Apart from this, the equal employment opportunity and equal treatment with employees improve the productivity of employees that reduce the overall cost and risk to organizations. Attaining competitive advantage: Every company wants to experience competitive advantage over their competitors. The execution of the CSR initiatives develop strong relation of the company with customers that provides competitive advantage edge to company. Werther and Chandler (2005) argued that organizations undertake actions that are socially desirable, can improve their reputation and establish strong relationship with customers. The philanthropy provides companies with the competitive advantage to through aligning the market or external demand with the competence of companies. The match between the demand and competency of the companies provides them with the competitive edge over their competitors. Along with this, companies improve their competitiveness by improving the relation with government and nonprofit organizations (Islam et al, 2011). For instance, McDonalds provides support to Ronald McDonald House Charity. Along with this, organizations may align their core competencies and capabilities with their ph ilanthropy activities. For example, McKinsey and Co. provides consulting services to nonprofit organization free of cost in the field of education, social, cultural and environmental field (Carroll and Shabana, 2010). At the same time, Home Depot Inc. is providing service to the communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Developing reputation and Legitimacy: Firms may maintain and improve their reputation and legitimacy by showing their engagement in the CSR activities. Smith argued that activities and policies of the corporate social responsibility of companies attract skilled and talented employees, investors, and consumers. Companies are using cause marketing for meeting the profit goal of company as well as meeting the needs of stakeholders in society (Carroll and Shabana, 2010). For example, General Mills Inc. donated 1.5 million USD to the customers purchased Yoplait Yoghurt. The company donated only to the customers sent Pink Lid to company. The company ran this policy for helping people having breast cancer by its Breast Cancer Initiatives. Chen et al (2008) argues that corporate social responsibility initiatives may be tools of the legitimization. They argued that the firms having negative performance in the field of environmental responsibility and product safety rely on the charity for maintaining and building their legitimacy . By developing trust and managing their dependency, firms may make strong legitimacy for them. The CSR initiatives of organizations streamlined towards meeting the desires of society improve the reputation and image of the company, which in turn may contribute in the competitive advantage to company. Win-win outcome through creating synergetic value: Synergetic value can be created by reconciling the differing demands of stakeholders. Porter and Kramer (2002) argued that corporate philanthropy improves the competitiveness of the companies but at the same time it meets the needs of the stakeholders. For example, charitable contribution for education may improve the quality and skills of the human resources for firms. Wheeler et al (2003) said that a Novo Group adopted win-win perspective that helped in pursuing its business of genetic modification and yet it has effective relation with stakeholders. Apart from this, it provides and publishes environmental and social reports at high rate. At the same time, in contrast, Monsanto experienced various issues in operation of its business as it neglected the demands and desires of the stakeholders. The win-win perspective was developed with an aim to meet the demand of stakeholders but at the same time to make the firms able to effective operation of their businesses. The policies and in vestment of the companies in CSR initiatives depends on the economic, social, and environmental policies of the country (Spence, 2011). The stakeholders are divided into three categories, which are minor stakeholders, emerging stakeholders, and key stakeholders. The management has to consider which stakeholders have to be put in which category and which category must be provided with more importance (Falck and Heblich, 2007). Conclusion: From the above analysis, it can be concluded that the corporate social responsibility is the legal, social, economical, and environmental responsibility of the organization, which helps the organization in achieving sustainable development. The implementation of initiatives and activities of corporate social responsibility is beneficial for the bottom line of businesses. The implantation of the CSR initiatives provides competitive advantage to the firms, as every organization wants to be competitive in the market. The CSR initiatives also help the companies in improving their reputation and legitimacy. Furthermore, the CSR implementation provides economical benefit to the companies by increasing their profitability and sales revenue and reducing the cost and risk to the company. References: Werther, W., Chandler, D. (2005) Strategic corporate social responsibility as global brand insurance. Business Horizons, 48(4), 317324. Porter, M., Kramer, M. (2002) The competitive advantage of corporate philanthropy. Harvard Business Review, 80(9), 4858. Chen, J.C., Patten, D.M. and Roberts, R. (2008) Corporatecharitable contributions: a corporate social performance or legitimacy strategy? Journal of Business Ethics, 82, pp. 131144. Wheeler, C., Colbert, B. and Freeman, R.E. (2003) Focusing on value: reconciling corporate social responsibility, sustainability and a stakeholder approach in a network world. Journal of General Management, 28(3), pp. 128. Lund-Thomsen, P., Lindgreen, A. (2014) Corporate social responsibility in global value chains: Where are we now and where are we going?.Journal of Business Ethics,123(1), 11-22. Carroll, A. B., Shabana, K. M. (2010) The business case for corporate social responsibility: A review of concepts, research and practice.International journal of management reviews,12(1), 85-105. Islam, M. T., Rahman, M. M., Ali, M. I. (2011) Competitive Intelligence System in SMEs of Bangladesh: A sense making approach.Journal of Business Economics,3(2), 180. Spence, D. B. (2011) Corporate social responsibility in the oil and gas industry: The importance of reputational risk.Chi.-Kent L. Rev.,86, 59. Falck, O., Heblich, S. (2007). Corporate social responsibility: Doing well by doing good.Business Horizons,50(3), 247-254.