Treatment and Support for Transgender Children

Treatment and Support for Transgender Children Jill Seale Transgender children and adolescents face many obstacles in todays society that others do not; however, these obstacles are socially constructed and can be mitigated, and in some cases even negated, when the child or teen is afforded an affirming environment and the appropriate social and medical interventions. These factors are crucial to the welfare of transgender children and ideally would be available to them as early in their lives as possible. Kohlbergs Theory of Gender Constancy (as cited in Bernal Coolhart, 2012) states that children begin developing their gender identity in their preschool years. It is therefore unsurprising that the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the organization that is responsible for drafting the standards of care by which all trans people are treated by medical and psychiatric professionals, has found that signs pointing to Gender Dysphoria have been observed in children as young as two years old (2012). Gender Dysphoria, previously known as Gender Identity Disorder, is the state of feeling dissonance between ones gender assigned at birth and ones self-perceived or experienced gender. The number of children and youth who are being diagnosed and treated for this condition is growing, and according to Bernal Coolhart (2012), research and treatment protocols are showing that early intervention is effective in improving the lives of these children. In early childhood, one of the biggest decisions families will have to face is whether or not to allow their gender non-conforming child to begin socially transitioning into their preferred gender. In Kuvalanka, Weiner, and Mahans (2014) study, in which five mothers of transgender girls between the ages of eight and eleven years old were interviewed, it was shown that all five of the children were happier, more outgoing, and had a more confident demeanor after being allowed to express their self-perceived gender. At the point in her social transition in which she was allowed to express herself as a girl at home but had to pretend to be a boy in public, Lilly, a nine year old at the time, was described by her teacher as being â€Å"very quiet and shy (p.363).† Her mother, however, reported that at home she was happy and vibrant (Kuvalanka et al., 2014). Ehrensaft (2012) explains Lillys behavior at school as being what she calls the â€Å"false gender self,† that is, â₠¬Å"the face a child puts on for the world [either consciously or subconsciously] based on the expectations of the external environment and the childs interpretations and internalizations of either appropriate or adaptive gender behaviors (p.342).† When the girls in the study were allowed to express their â€Å"true gender self,† the positive effects went even further than just changes in attitude; their mothers reported that the childrens friendships and participation in school also improved (Kuvalanka et al., 2014). With the support of their families, these girls were able to go on to lead relatively normal childhoods. However, many children maintain this false gender self for years, sometimes into adulthood, with no parental support and no outlet to express their true self. Parental support has been shown to be extremely important in the quality of life of transgender children and teens. Simons, Schrager, Clark, Belzer, and Olsons (2013) study on the effects of parental support on the mental health of transgender adolescents shows that parental support correlates positively with higher life satisfaction, lower perceived burden of being trans, and fewer depressive symptoms. The study surveyed transgender youth between the ages of 12 and 24, excluding those who had not yet decided to pursue hormone replacement therapy, on their quality of life and the level of parental support they were receiving (Simons et al., 2013). Their quality of life was measured as their life satisfaction and their perceived burden of being trans, and their level of parental support was determined using the family subscale o f the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Simons et al., 2013). This includes questions such as, â€Å"I get the emotional help and support I need from my [parents]† and â€Å"I can talk about my problems with my [parents] (Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley, 1988, p. 35).† It was also shown that greater depressive symptoms were associated with a greater perceived burden and that life satisfaction negatively correlated with perceived burden (Simons et al, 2013). What this study shows is that without parental support, transgender youth face a litany of hardships because of their gender identity that most children do not. Parental support is even more important when we consider the fact that many of the necessary medical and therapeutic interventions transgender children and adolescents need become much more difficult, if not impossible, for them to attain without the resources and support of their parents. Arguably the most important of these, and undoubtedly the most difficult to obtain without parental support, is the medicine used to delay the effects of puberty, known as puberty blockers. According to Bernal Coolhart (2012), many transgender people describe puberty as â€Å"extremely distressing, as changes in their bodies feel like betrayals to their sense of self (p. 292). † Puberty blockers allow the child to stall their natal puberty so that they can further explore their gender identity without fear of experiencing this potentially traumatic and permanently life-altering event. Even after being allowed to socially transition, one girl in the Kuvalanka et al. (2014) study, Nicole, experienced suicidal urges and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder when her natal puberty began; however, the diagnosis was removed after she began taking puberty blockers. According to her mother, Nicole is now â€Å"doing very well and her issues are only those of a normal middle school girl (Kuvalanka et al., 2014, p. 364).† A study by Cohen-Kettenis, Schagen, Steensma, de Vries, and Delemarre-van de Waal (2011) that followed a transgender man from age 13 to age 35, who at the age of 13 had received puberty blockers, showed that puberty suppression can be a safe and effective treatment for transgender adolescents. They found that puberty blockers make certain gender affirming surgeries unnecessary, because many of them involve correcting the effects of natal puberty; they also made other surgeries less invasive, should the person decide they are necessary for them in the future (Cohen-Kettenis et al., 2011). According to Cohen-Kettenis et al. (2011), â€Å"unfavorable post operative outcomes seem to be associated with a late rather than an early start of gender reassignment (p.844).† One possible side effect, as noted by Bernal Coolhart (2012) is that cognitive development may be delayed as long as puberty is being delayed, however Cohen-Kettenis et al. (2011) found that the puberty blockers can be stopped at any time and the adolescents natal puberty, including their cognitive development, will commence. The research presented shows that with family support and positive, early intervention, transgender children and adolescents lives can be improved; however, there is a dearth of research on transgender people in general, and on children and adolescents in particular. That is why this paper will propose a study to be performed to learn more about this under served population. Cohen Kettenis et al. (2011) showed that puberty blockers can be an effective intervention for transgender adolescents, but because their study was longitudinal and limited to one transgender man it was unable to make conclusions that could be generalized to the larger transgender population; also, it was unable to measure the effects of puberty blockers against a control group of transgender adolescents who are not receiving puberty blockers. Therefore, the question this research will be attempting to answer is this: How do puberty blockers affect the quality of life of transgender adolescents? The study will measure quality of life by the subjects reported life satisfaction (to include their satisfaction with their social lives) as well as their academic and/or professional achievement. The hypothesis of this study is that taking puberty blockers will positively correlate with higher quality of life. References Bernal, A. T., Coolhart, D. (2012). Treatment and Ethical Considerations with Transgender Children and Youth in Family Therapy.Journal of Family Psychotherapy,23(4), 287-303. Cohen-Kettenis, P. T., Schagen, S. E., Steensma, T. D., de Vries, A. L., Delemarre-van de Waal, H. A. (2011). Puberty Suppression in a Gender-Dysphoric Adolescent: A 22-year Follow-Up.Archives of sexual behavior,40(4), 843-847. Coleman, E., Bockting, W., Botzer, M., Cohen-Kettenis, P., DeCuypere, G., Feldman, J., Zucker, K. (2012). Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, Version 7. International Journal of Transgenderism,13(4), 165-232. Ehrensaft, D. (2012). From Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Identity Creativity: True Gender Self Child Therapy.Journal of Homosexuality,59(3), 337-356. Kuvalanka, K. A., Weiner, J. L., Mahan, D. (2014). Child, Family, and Community Transformations: Findings from Interviews with Mothers of Transgender Girls.Journal of GLBT Family Studies,10(4), 354-379. Simons, L., Schrager, S. M., Clark, L. F., Belzer, M., Olson, J. (2013). Parental Support and Mental Health among Transgender Adolescents.Journal of Adolescent Health,53(6), 791-793. Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.Journal of personality assessment,52(1), 30-41.

Chapmans Version of The Odyssey and the Iliad Essay -- John Keats Epi

Chapman's Version of The Odyssey and the Iliad This poem is an expression of how the poet John Keats felt after rediscovering Homer's "The Odyssey and the Iliad" when he read Chapman's English translation of this Greek classic. To express this he uses the form of a sonnet, with fourteen lines, every set of two lines rhyming. The first four lines are one long sentence consisting mainly as metaphors to summarize his full meaning in whole. "Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold, and many goodly states and kingdoms seen". This can be understood only in a "literary" and not a "literal" sense. I say this because he was relatively poor and probably had traveled very little when he wrote this poem at age 21.* But we know that he had a strong passion for literature. * John Keats is trying to tell us that he has traveled and explored the rich realms of literature. "Round many western islands I have been which bards in fealty to Apollo hold". Keats is using "western Islands" to cause us to think of ever new vistas of constant discovery. Keats is stressin...

investigation into jazz :: essays research papers

Written investigation into the contexts and musical influences on the jazz style. Summary of HND seminar on History of Jazz. On the 10th March, we were given a seminar by the HND students on ‘The Development of Jazz Music and Dance. My aim in this written investigation is to summarise the information given to me. Development through African music The earliest form of Jazz, began in African music. While most West African culture was erased when people were transported into slavery, some core possession and spirit based beliefs remained. People began to develop rhythms by using polyrhythmic drums, dance and clapping. This was carried from the work place to the Christian Church House. Church began to become more of a music lesson, than a spiritual, calm place to pray. This was the earliest sign of ‘Gospel’ churches. The rhythms developed here became known by Western listeners as syncopation. Development of the Blues. Blues lyrics are simple rhyming couplets. The first line is repeated followed by a second to complete the three lines of poetry. The story is always about a subject upon which the performer has strong feelings. This is the example we were given: ‘while you’re livin’ in your mansion – You don’t know what hard times mean while you’re livin’ in your mansion – you don’t know what hard times mean Poor workin’ man’s wife is stravin’ – your wife is livin’ is like a queen.’ We were also given another example which was Natural Blues by Moby. Merging of cultures. By the end of the civil was in 1865, the abolition of slavery meant that many black musicians earned their living by playing music. The musicians would play European tunes adding their own rhythms and melodies. Tunes were therefore ‘jazzed’ or ‘ragged’. The merging of black and white music traditions began the birth of jazz. New Orleans is considered to be the birth place of jazz. The French section of the city housed black creoles originally from the West Indies, were influenced by the European rule. The black creoles were trained in European music and often played in chamber ensembles and so on. The American part of the city housed newly freed American Blacks who were greatly disadvantaged and generally uneducated. To occupy themselves they would play the music of gospel, blues and worked on songs played passed on by ear. A new racial segregation law introduced in 1894, forced Creoles and American Blacks to live together in one section of the city.

Butler Lumber Essay

After thorough review and analysis of Butler Lumber’s financial reports, I believe that it is in the best interest of Northrup National Bank to not only approve the requested $465,000 loan, but look to increase the loan amount. A review of the 5 C’s will show in more detail the decision to approve this loan: 1. Capacity/Cash Flow: Butler runs a lean operation that has allowed them to have success due to competitive pricing. They have met their financing needs by increasing their debt (notes payable) in order to keep up with the demand. However, their borrowing had led conjunctly to an increase in sales. Net sales have increased 59% over the 1988-1990 timeline and have been projected to increase by another 34% in 1991. From 1988-1990, for every $1000 borrowed, net sales increased by $4,278.96. By utilizing leverage, they have been able maintain their free cash flow and maintain their current ratio over 1.0. Although Free Cash Flow and current ratio have dropped over the past year, Butler has made large investments which have proven able to give a higher return, which will have significant payoff in the long run. By doing this, they will continue to have the ability to pay interest to debtholders, repay debtholders, and buy short-term investments. As business continues to grow, debt obligations will decrease and their current ratio will be back on the rise. (See Exhibit 1 and Exhibit 2). Based on this analysis, I believe the estimate for the loans requirements is light. I believe it would be in the best interest to pursue rolling the $247,000 owed to Suburban National Bank onto this line of credit. With the increased projection in sales, you are also seeing an increase in cost of goods sold. However, that number could be dramatically reduced if Butler had the appropriate capital or credit line to take advantage of the 2% discount for payments made within 10 days of the invoice date. If total cost of goods sold will be roughly $2 million in 1991, you could reduce that by over $40,000.00 simply by taking advantage of the 2% discount. Having quick access to capital will allow Butler to run their business more efficiently. 2. Capital: Butler has a good level of net worth compared to total assets. This has been continuously increasing from 1988-1990 and will be even higher in 1991. The reason for this is going back to their use of leverage. They increased notes payable from nothing to $247,000 in the three year span. By doing this they have been able to increase total assets at a much faster pace than their borrowing. Butler will be able to continue to increase its capital ratio with their new line of credit. Even with an increase in liabilities, Butler should have no problem repaying their debts, even if there were to be an economic downturn. They hold very little long term debt, so even with a decrease in sales they should be able to meet their financial obligations. They have equity in their plants and land and could utilize that if need be. Also, they have the ability to weather a crisis because of the amount of business that they have in home improvements. If there is a housing boom, people will lo ok to build new houses, where as if there is a backup in the housing market, people will stay in their house and do improvements. 3. Collateral: With rolling the almost $250,000.00 loan into this line of credit, and pursuing the increase in the total line of credit, I believe that this loans should be secured. I would keep the loans secured by the assets of the company and do not see the need to pursue personal collateral. We know that Mr. Butler currently has objections to using collateral, but if we can show him how having a large credit limit would be able to have a substantial positive impact to his bottom line, he should be comfortable with putting up company collateral and nothing personal. I would secure this using the company’s property as well as their inventory. At the end of the first quarter of 1991, Butler’s inventory was valued at $556,000 and its property at another $162,000. Because it would be such a large line that could help Butler Lumber, it needs to be understood that when working with that level of volume, some sort of collateral needs to be put up. We will be able to show how taking advantage of the 2 net 30 option, you can decrease cost of goods sold and increase net income with no strategic changes to business. Using this collateral would be a good way to recover some of the funds to reduce the loss if the company were to go bankrupt. However, when evaluating the performance of the company, it is believed that this company should be able to continue to produce strong results regardless of the economy and that the securitizing of the loan is an added safety precaution due to the increase size of this line of credit. 4. Conditions: The first thing that needs to be determined is the limit on the credit line. It was originally requested to obtain a limit of $465,000. However, it is recommended that we, as part of the approval process, refinance the current $247,000 loan to Suburban National Bank. If there were to be an issue, we do not want there to be a conflict on who needs to be paid first. Mr. Butler has had a working relationship with Suburban National Bank, but we do not see this to be an issue due to the fact they are capping him at $250,000. It is recommended that the limit exceed $750,000.00 but be no greater than $1,000,000.00. There needs to be enough capital infusion that they can meet all needs, take advantage of supplier discounts, and take advantage of short term opportunities. However, we do not want to exceed $1,000,000.00 because we do not want the company to become overly aggressive and invest more an inventory then can be sold, leaving them overleveraged and at bigger risk of de fault due to economic downturns. Next, we need to determine an appropriate interest rate for this line of credit. Based on economic outlook, it would be in the best interest of Northrup to make this a fixed loan based on the prime rate of interest. From February of 1989 to January of 1991, the prime rate of interest has dropped almost 2% and we believe it is going to be downward trending for the next three to four years before going back up (See Exhibit 3). Therefore, we believe we should do a prime plus 1% loan, giving an interest rate of 10%. As rates continue to drop, the value of this loan will continue to increase. If at any point we fear that this loan maybe paid off through an outside bank refinance, we can look to restructure this line of credit to a lower rate. Because this is a lower rate, we can pursue adding the balance of the loan to payoff the obligation of buying out Henry Stark. This is at roughly a $70,000 balance, which is secured by land and buildings with an 11% interest rate. This will lower Butler’s current debt obligations and will result in an increase in profit. Because this business appears to be in a growth phase, controls operations costs effectively, and has the ability to weather economic crisis better than others, this would be a good company to invest in. Next, we need to determine the duration of this line of credit. We need to clearly state that this will be reviewed every two to three years to revisit creditworthiness as well as ability to repay. If need be, the limit could be lowered. However, if the company continues to grow we can also evaluate the possibility of a credit limit increase. When determining fees, we need to realize that this is a competitive situation and they should be somewhat minimal. The commitment fee should be .50% per year. This falls right in line with the average. We will keep the closing fees at .25% in order to ensure they are on the low end and we can keep his business. We want to establish a working relationship with Mr. Butler so that we will be his only source of borrowing. We will not put a prepayment fee on this line of credit, but should continue to keep his business with reviews and potential changes and increases every two to three years. We also need to negotiate in appropriate covenants into this loan agreement. This will carry forward the reps and warrants that we have Mr. Butler sign. By adding the following covenants, we will be able mitigate risk for the bank and allow us to detect any signs for potential default early, allowing us time to evaluate our next steps before it is too late. The following covenants should be documented: * Notification of borrowing outside of our bank * Detailed description of usage of loan proceeds * Quarterly Financial Reporting sent to Northrup * Maintain ethical and legal responsibilities * Notification of any major business impacts such as mergers, acquisitions, and business model changes. By installing these conditions, it will allow us to properly forecast and negative business impacts and allow us to make appropriate modifications. We believe that because over 55% of Butler’s business is in home improvement, economic downturns should not impact them as much as other businesses. Also, by now being able to take advantage of the 2 net 30 discount, the company will be able to instantly lower expenses and increase net income. 5. Character: The character of Mark Butler is strong and it is believed that he would be a conscientious borrower. He is an extremely hard worker and takes a lot of pride in his business. He knows the business inside and out and possesses sound judgment. He is well respected by his peers. All of this things make him a strong candidate for lending, because it appears that he will do everything in his power in order to pay this loan back and on time. This includes tapping into personal equity form his home, his life insurance policy, or the interest that his wife has in a separate property.

Smells Like Fifth Symphony: A Dissertation On The Works Of Cobain And Beethoven

Musical legends Kurt Cobain and Ludwig Van Beethoven may have lived in different timelines, played different kinds of music and had different musical influences but their passion and the workmanship that they have rendered to perfect their craft is so commendable that their masterpieces are still considered as one of the pillars of the music industry of today. Kurt Cobain as Kurt Donald Cobain was born on February 20, 1967. On the other hand, Ludwig Van Beethoven was born on December 16, 1770. Both of them had families that had musical backgrounds, Cobain’s maternal uncle Chuck Fradenburg starred in a band called â€Å"The Beachcombers† while his Aunt Mari Earle played guitar and performed in bands throughout Grays Harbor County, and his great-uncle Delbert had a career as an Irish tenor; making an appearance in the 1930 film King of Jazz . On the other hand, Beethoven was a grandson of a musician named Lodewijk van Beethoven where he was named after as Lodewijk which was the Dutch cognate of Ludwig. His grandfather was employed as a bass singer at the court of the Elector of Cologne, rising to become Kapellmeister (music director). Moreover, his grandfather had one son, Johann van Beethoven who worked as a tenor in the same musical establishment, was also giving lessons on piano and violin for additional income . With those musical genes encrypted in their DNA, it was no wonder that both of them made a mark in the music industry with their compositions. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Kurt Cobain’s Smells like Teen Spirit both catapulted them to superstar’s status and fame to say the least. Even though the compositions of the two musical geniuses were 183 years apart, Smells like Teen Spirit was released on 1991 while Fifth Symphony was released on 1808, both had changed the way the music should be played in their various eras. The song â€Å"Smells like Teen Spirit† talked about teenage angst and not following the guidelines that the adults expect the teenagers to be. It was sort of a revolutionary anthem among teenagers at that time . On the contrary, experts believed that Beethoven’s â€Å"Fifth Symphony† was about fate knocking at the door or at the gate . Among the other differences of the two pieces was the key of the song, Teen Spirit was written in the key of F minor while Fifth Symphony was written in C minor. Furthermore, instrumentation was one of the major differences among the two pieces; Fifth Symphony used flutes, clarinets, horns among others while Teen Spirit used heavy guitar distortions and drums. However, tempo was one of the resemblances of the two compositions. They both had transition between slow notes and faster notes and vice versa. Furthermore, they also had distinctive notes played mostly throughout the song. One thing that could really connect the two musical geniuses was that Cobain loved to focus on the melodies of the songs and not the lyrics. Cobain said, why in the hell do journalists insist on coming up with a second-rate Freudian evaluation of my lyrics, when 90 percent of the time they've transcribed them incorrectly? With that kind of mentality, given the chance, Cobain’s musical idea could have worked well with the idea of Beethoven. It would like the mash-up between the classical music and rock music. For sure, the music industry would never be the same again.

Introduction to Consumer Behavior Essay

The totality of an individual’s thoughts and feelings about oneself Lifestyle How one lives, including the products one buys, how one uses them, what one thinks about them, and how one feels about them Situations and Consumer Decisions Consumer decisions result from perceived problems and opportunities. Consumer problems arise in specific situations and the nature of the situation influences the resulting consumer behavior Perception The nature of Perception- pg 278-279, Figure 8-1 Information Processing is a series of activities by which stimuli are perceived, transformed into information, and stored. Exposure- pg 279-283 Exposure Occurs when a stimulus is placed within a person’s relevant environment and comes within range of their sensory receptor nerves. Exposure provides consumers with the opportunity to pay attention to available information but in no way guarantees it. Types of Exposure 1) Selective Exposure The highly selective nature of consumer exposure is a major concern for marketers, since failure to gain exposure results in lost of communication and sales opportunities. Responses to Selective Exposure Product Placement: Branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows or new programs. Ex) Transformers’ and LFO’s Summer girls music video. Pop-up Ads Outdoor Display. Ex) M&M’ painted on concrete steps and money inside a security glass on the side of the street. 2) Voluntary Exposure Although consumers often avoid commercials and other marketing stimuli, sometimes they actively seek them out for various reasons including purchase goals, entertainment, and information. Responses to Voluntary Exposure Permission-Based Marketing The Privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. Banner Ads. Ex) ads that pop up on the side or top of a website Real-time Chat Service. Ex) J Crew has a chat service Providing Highly Entertaining Materials. Ex) guy doing flips into jeans Attention- pg 283-284 Attention Occurs when the stimulus activates one or more sensory receptor nerves, and is the resulting sensations go to the brain for processing Most consumers are bombarded by a large number of messages or stimuli Consumer attention is selective Attention is determined by three factors: Stimulus Factors- pg 284-290 Physical characteristics of the stimulus itself Size Intensity Attractive Visuals Color and Movement Position Isolation Format Contrast and Expectations Interestingness Information Quantity Color and Size Color and Size attract attention A brightly colored package or display is more likely to received attention Larger stimuli are more likely to be noticed than smaller ones Position Is the placement of an object in physical space or time In retail stores, items that are easy to find or stand out are more likely to attract attention, such as end-caps and kiosks High impact zones in print ads in the U.S. tend to be toward the top left portion of the ad. Contrast and Expectations Consumers pay more attention to stimuli that contrast with their background Expectations drive perceptions of contrast. Ads that differ from expectations for a product category often motivate more attention Adaption Level Theory Suggests that if a stimulus doesn’t change over time we habituate to it and begin to notice it less. Individual Factors- pg 290-291 Characteristics which distinguish one individual from another. Example: Heineken Ad Motivation: A drive state created by consumer interest and needs Ability: The capacity of individuals to attend to and process information Situational Factors- pg 291 Include stimuli in the environment other than the focal stimulus and temporary characteristics of the individual that are induced by the environment Clutter: the density of stimuli in the environment â€Å"Less is More† Program Involvement: Interest in the program or editorial content surrounding the ads. Subliminal Stimuli- pg 293 Non-focused Attention Subliminal Stimuli A message presented so fast, softly or masked by other messages that one is aware of hearing (Progressive Ad) A subliminal as â€Å"hides† key persuasive information within the ad by making it so weak that it is difficult or impossible for someone to physically detect. Subliminal advertising has been the focus of intense study and public concern Interpretation- pg 293-294 The assignment of meaning to sensations Three aspects of interpretation: 1) It is generally a relative process rather than absolute, referred to as perceptual relativity 2) It tends to be subjective and open to a host of psychological biases 3) It can be a cognitive â€Å"thinking† process or an affective â€Å"emotional† process. Ex) Bud light Ad Interpretation is determined by three factors: 1) Individual Characteristics Traits: inherent physiological and psychological traits Learning and Knowledge The meanings attached to such â€Å"natural† things as time, space, relationships, and colors are learned and vary widely across cultures. Expectations Expectation Bias: Interpretations tend to be consistent with expectations 2) Situational Characteristics The situation provides a context within which the focal stimulus is interpreted The context clues present in the situation play a role in the consumer interpretation independent of the actual stimulus 3) Stimulus Characteristics Traits: specific traits of the stimulus such as size, shape, color, etc. Organization Proximity Closure Figure-Ground Changes Sensory Discrimination The physiological ability of an individual to distinguish between similar stimuli JND (Just Noticeable Difference) The minimum amount that one brand can differ from another (or from its previous version) with the difference still being noticed. Figure-ground- pg 299 Involves presenting the stimulus in such a way that it is perceived as the focal object to be attended to and all other stimuli are perceived as the background. Consumer Inferences Inferences: Knowledge and belief that are not based on explicit information in the environment. Quality Signals- pg 300 Price-perceived quality, Advertising intensity, Warranties, Country of origin, Brand, etc. Interpreting Images Missing Information and Ethical Concerns Price-perceived Quality Bottled water vs. tap water Country of Origin Wine, cars, TV’s, rugs, cologne Perception and Marketing Strategy Retail Strategy Brand Name and Logo Development Linguistic Consideration Branding Strategies Logo Design and Typographics Media Strategy Advertisements Package Design and Labeling Learning and Memory Nature of Learning and Memory- pg 318-319 Learning Any change in the content or organization of long-term memory or behavior Memory The total accumulation of prior learning experiences Difference between short-term and long-term memory- pg 319-321 Short-term Memory (STM) or working memory Is that portion of total memory that is currently activated or in use Long-term memory (LTM) Is that portion of total memory devoted to permanent information storage STM is Short Lived Consumers must constantly refresh information through maintenance rehearsal or it will be lost STM has Limited Capacity Consumers can only hold so much information in current memory Elaborative Activities Occur in STM Elaborative activities serve to redefine or add new elements to memory and can involve both concepts and imagery LTM Semantic memory (AKA Schemas) Basic knowledge and feelings an individual has about a concept Episodic Memory The memory of a sequence of events in which a person participated Schematic Memory- pg 323 A pattern of such associations around a particular concept Retrieval from long-term memory- pg 324-325 The likelihood and ease with which information can be recalled from LTM is accessibility. Learning under high and low involvement – pg 324-326, Figure 9-3 Conditioning (mechanism, classical, and operant conditioning)- pg 326-330 Conditioning Theories Classical Conditioning The process of using an established relationship between one stimulus (music) and response (pleasant feelings) to bring about the learning of the same response (pleasant feelings) to a different stimulus (the brand) ex) LMFAO’s Sexy & I know it for M&M Chocolate Operant Conditioning (or instrumental learning) Rewarding desirable behaviors such as brand purchases with a positive outcome that serves to reinforce the behavior ex) free sampling, discount coupon, loyalty card Cognitive Learning (iconic rote learning, vicarious learning, and analytical reasoning)- pg 331-332 Ironic Rote Learning Learning a concept or the association between two or more concepts in the absence of conditioning ex) Head-on ad Vicarious Learning (aka Modeling) Observing the outcomes of others’ behaviors and adjust their own accordingly ex) Oral B Brush-ups Analytical Reasoning Individuals engage in creative thinking to restructure and recombine existing information as well as new information to form new associations and concepts Memory retrieval failure and influencing factors- pg 334-342 Brand Image- pg 342-343 Brand image Refers to the schematic memory of a brand Perceived Product Attributes Manufacturer Marketer Characteristics Users Usage Situations Benefits An important component of brand image is the appropriate usage situations for the product or brand Product Positioning- pg 344 Product Positioning Is a decision by a marketer to try to achieve a defined brand image relative to competition within a market segment Perceptual Mapping- pg 345 Perceptual Mapping Offers marketing managers a useful technique for measuring and developing a product’s position Brand Equity and brand leverage- pg 347 Brand Equity Is the value consumers assign to a brand above and beyond the functional characteristics of the product. Strong Brand Equity enables: 1) Brand Leverage Often termed family branding, brand extensions, or umbrella branding, refers to marketers capitalizing on brand equity by using existing brand name for new products 2) Sub-Branding Creating a secondary brand within a main brand that can help differentiate a product line to a desired target group Motivation, Personality, and Emotion Motivation- pg 360 Motivation Is the reason for behavior A motive is a construct representing an unobservable inner force that stimulates and compels a behavioral response and provides specific direction to that response Consumers buy motive satisfaction or problem resolution Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs- pg 360-361, Table 10-1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs A macro theory designed to account for most human behavior in general terms Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is based on four premises 1) All humans acquire a similar set of motives through genetic endowment and social interaction 2) Some motives are more basic or critical than others 3) The more basic motives must be satisfied to a minimum level before other motives are activated 4) As the basic motive becomes satisfied, more advanced motives come into play Need for expression (one of the McGuire’s Psychological Motives)-pg 365 McGuire’s Psychological Motives A fairly detailed set of motives used to account for specific aspects of consumer behavior Need for expression (active, external) This motive deals with the need to express one’s identity to others. Discovering purchase motives (Manifest and latent motive)- pg 367-369, Figure 10-1 Manifest Motives Consumers recognize and will share these motives Latent Motives Consumers are unaware of these motives, or reluctant to admit them Substantially more complex than manifest motives Techniques to uncover latent motives 1) Projective techniques 2) Laddering (= means-end or benefit chain) Regulatory focus theory (Promotion and prevention-focused motives)- pg 372, figure 10-2 Promotion-focused motives Revolve around a desire for growth and development and are related to consumers’ hopes and aspirations Prevention-focused motives Revolve around a desire for safety and security and are related to consumers’ sense of duties and obligations Regulatory Focus Theory Suggests that consumers will react differently depending on which broad set of motives is most salient Personality- pg 373-374 Personality An individual’s characteristic response tendencies across similar situations Consumer ethnocentrism Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to be biased against the purchase of foreign products Need for cognition Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to engage in and enjoy thinking Consumer’s need for uniqueness Reflects an individual difference in consumers’ propensity to pursue differentness relative to other through the acquisition, utilization, and disposition of consumer goods Dimensions of brand personality and communication strategies- pg 375-378 Emotion and typology of consumer coping strategies- pg 379, 381 Attitudes Attitude and attitude components –pg. 392-398, Figure 11-1 Attitude An enduring organization of motivational, emotional, perceptual, and cognitive processes with respect to some aspect of our environment Attitude Components Cognitive component Consists of a consumer’s beliefs about an object Affective component Feelings or emotional reactions to an object Behavioral component Is one’s tendency to respond in a certain manner toward an object or activity Attitude component consistency –pg. 398-399 All three attitude components tend to be consistent. This means that a change in one attitude component tends to produce related changes in the other components Attitude change strategy for affective component-pg. 402-403 ELM model –pg. 404, Figure 11-3 Elaboration likelihood model A theory about how attitudes are formed and changed under varying conditions of involvement The ELM suggests that involvement is a key determinant of how information is processed and attitudes are changed Communication strategy for attitude formation and change Celebrity sources –pg. 408-409, Figure 11-4 Celebrity sources can be effective in enhancing attention, attitude toward the ad, trustworthiness, expertise, aspirational aspects, and meaning transfer. Effectiveness of celebrity sources enhanced when Marketer Match Endorser with Product and Target Audience Ex) Tiger Woods Comparative ads –pg. 412-413 Directly compare the features or benefits of two or more brands Value-expressive vs. Utilitarian appeals appeal-pg. 414-415 Value-expressive appeals Attempt to build a personality for the product or create an image of the product user. Utilitarian appeals Involve informing the consumer of one or more functional benefits that are important to the target market. Positive vs. Negative Framing-p. 415 Message framing Refers to presenting one of two equivalent value outcomes either in positive or gain terms (positive framing) or in negative or loss terms (negative framing) Self-Concept and Lifestyle Self-concept Defined as the totality of the individual’s thoughts and feelings having reference to himself or herself as an object. Its an individual’s perception of and feelings towards him or herself Interdependent/Independent self-concepts – pg. 428-429 Independent self-concept Emphasizes personal goals, characteristics, achievements, and desires. Individuals with an independent self-concept tend to be individualistic, egocentric, autonomous, self-reliant, and self-contained They define themselves in terms of what they have done, what they have, and their personal characteristics Interdependent self-concept Emphasizes family, cultural, professional, and social relationships. Individuals with an interdependent self-concept tend to be obedient, sociocentric, holistic, connected, and relation oriented. They define themselves in terms of social roles, family relationships, and commonalities with other members of their groups. Possessions and the Extended Self – pg. 429-430 Extended self Consists of the self plus possessions; that is, people tend to define themselves in part by their possessions. Our possessions reflect our beliefs, wants, and inner desires. Extended self = Self + Possessions Tattoos can become a part of one’s extended self Mere ownership effect (AKA the Endowment effect) The tendency of an owner to evaluate an object more favorably than a non-owner Using Self-Concept to Position Products – pg. 432-433 Lifestyle – pg. 434-435, Figure 12-2 Lifestyle How a person lives. It is how one enacts his or her self-concept Influences all aspects of one’s consumption behavior Is determined by the person’s past experiences, innate characteristics, and current situation Ex) Brett Favre’s Wrangler commercial and Tom Brady’s Smart Water commercial Measurement of Lifestyle – pg. 435-436 Psychographics Attempts to develop quantitative measures of lifestyle Measures include: Attitudes- Evaluative statements about other people, places, ideas, products, etc. Values- Widely held beliefs about what is acceptable or desirable Activities and Interests- Non-occupational behaviors to which consumers devote time and effort, such as hobbies, sports, public service, and church Demographics- Age, education, income, occupation, family structure, ethnic background Media Patterns- The specific media the consumers utilize Usage Rates- Measurements of consumption within a specified product category; often consumers are categorized as heavy, medium, or light users or as nonusers. VALS– pg. 439, Figure 12-3 VALS (Social Value and Lifestyle) Provides a systematic classification of U.S. adults into 8 distinct consumer segments Core premise: an individual’s primary motivation determines what in particular about the self or the world is the meaningful core that governs his or her activities. Three Primary Consumer Motivations: 1) Ideals Motivation These consumers are guided in their choices by their beliefs and principles rather than by feelings or desire for social approval. They purchase functionality and reliability. 2) Achievement Motivation These consumers strive for a clear social position and are strongly influenced by the actions, approval, and opinions of others. They purchase status symbols. 3) Self-Expression Motivation These action-oriented consumers strive to express their individuality through their choices. They purchase experiences. PRIZM – pg. 444 Define every household in the U.S. by distinct lifestyle types, called â€Å"segments†, to provide you with a comprehensive picture of who lives where and what they are like. The underlying logic: Geo-Demographic Segmentation People with similar cultural backgrounds, means and perspectives naturally gravitate toward one another. They choose to live amongst their peers in neighborhoods offering †¦compatible lifestyles. They exhibit shared patterns of consumer behavior toward products, services, media and promotions. 4 major social groups of PRIZM: Urban- Major cities with high population density Suburban- Moderately dense â€Å"suburban† areas surrounding metropolitan areas Second City- Smaller, less densely populated cities or satellites to major cities Town and Country- Low-density towns and rural communities

Business Law: Man U Break Clause Rooney Essay

‘Manchester united Footballer Wayne Rooney signs new contract worth  £30 million’. Discuss the essentials of such a contract with particular reference to the function and efficacy of the ‘break clause’ and ‘confidentiality agreement’ it contains. 1,500 words. Guidance: You do not have to discuss Wayne’s actual contract; you do have to discuss the essentials of a contract. You must discuss express terms. What is a ‘break clause’? What is a ‘confidentially agreement’? What is the purpose of such clauses? Do they protect the parties to the contract? Do not forget to cite case law. The issue that will be discussed in this essay is the break clause/exemption and confidentiality agreement with regards to Wayne Rooney’s contract with Manchester United. An exemption clause, like any other term, will be incorporated into a contract if it is contained in a signed document; this was shown in the case of L’Estrange v Graucob (1934) where the purchaser of a vending machine was bound by a very wide exemption clause contained in the small print on the order form which she had signed. A break clause is a term in a tenancy agreement that allows a tenant to leave before the tenancy period comes to an end, without incurring any financial penalty. It is not unusual for a contract clause regarding proprietary information to also be included in many types of agreements. Break clauses are inserted as standard in contracts in Spanish football, and are generally related to the total wages the player will earn throughout his contract. The insertion of a break clause gives the player (Rooney) the freedom to move if his valuation is met, but it also protects the club against players who try to force cut-price deals’. In terms of Wayne Rooney and Manchester United FC, ‘Wayne Rooney is thought to have negotiated a break clause in his new five-year contract with Manchester United’ says an article in the Times. The striker can leave for as little as  £30 million if certain targets are not met on a year-by-year basis. Article 17 of the FIFA Transfer Regulations states that players can unilaterally cancel their contract with their club after a certain protected period has expired if an amount of compensation is paid to their original club. For players over the age of 28 the protected period for their contract is two years, meaning they will be able to unilaterally terminate their contract when they are two years into it. This rule applies to footballers under the age of 28. Rooney is 24 and therefore his protected period for contract is three years, meaning he will be able to unilaterally terminate his contract once he is three years into it however Rooney is not bound by this because he has his own break clause within his own contract that allows him to leave at any time if he is offered a minimum of  £30 million. Some contracts have what is known as a confidentiality agreement, this is a written legal contract between an employer and employee. The confidentiality agreement lays out binding terms and conditions of which prohibit Wayne Rooney from disclosing company confidentials on Manchester United. The purpose of a confidentiality contract is that it; creates certainty, establishes a contractual obligation, ensures enforcement and supports a claim under general law because it creates the relationship of confidence that is the basis of many claims and it sets out in detail the conduct which the disclosing party expects from the recipient). A confidentiality agreement is in effect for the duration of an employee’s employment and for a period of time following employment termination of which is the period of 5 years in this case. In the following case by Seager Limited v Copydex Limited [1967] 2 All ER 415, Lord Denning MR established the principle that even if you do not have a confidentiality agreement in place, under equity law a person who has received information in confidence cannot take unfair advantage of it. That person must not make use of it to the prejudice of the person who gave it without obtaining his or her consent. A contract is an agreement between two or more parties. A contract is defined as, an agreement made between two or more persons or entities with specific terms made between two or more persons or companies promising to do something in return for money or money’s worth. A contract begins with an offer. The offer is an expression of willingness to contract on certain terms. It allows the other party to accept the offer and provides the basis of the agreement. To be effective, an offer must be communicated, this is to say that there cannot be acceptance of an offer without knowledge of it. A valid contract requires: an agreement; an intention to create legal relations as shown in the case of Balfour v. Balfour [1919] 2 K.B. 571, here the courts found that both parties must intend that an agreement be legally binding in order to be an enforceable contract; and consideration (unless the Contract is made by deed). Whilst each of these three requirements receives separate treatment, they must in reality be looked at together. The rights and duties of both employers and employees are to be found in the contract of employment, they are referred to as terms of a contract. Some of these terms are express terms; that is they are expressly or specifically stated, either orally, say at the initial interview, or in writing. Express terms include things like pay, hours and holidays. The law states that certain express terms must be put in writing and handed to the employee in the form of a written statement of particulars within 8 weeks of starting work. There are other contractual terms called implied terms. These are not expressly or explicitly stated because, in the main, they are fairly obvious to both parties to the contract of employment. Occasionally the courts will imply a term in a contract of employment where an important term has been left out. Implied terms include statutory rights, such as the right to equal pay and duties such as a duty of care. Each contract clause contained within an agreement is aimed at defining the rights, privileges, and commitments that each party has determined represent the terms govern their working relationship. This is the purpose of such clauses. For example, in this football employment contract, Manchester United agrees to provide Wayne Rooney with a specific set of benefits, such as salary, health insurance, a retirement plan, a football team transfer and any other benefit that both parties have agreed is necessary. At the same time, the contract will contain clauses that determine the range of services that Rooney will provide in exchange for these benefits. The idea is to include as much detail as possible, so that there is very little room for misinterpretation of what is expected of each party.