CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY AND BUYING BEHAVIOR Research Paper

CONSUMER PSYCHOLOGY AND BUYING BEHAVIOR - Research Paper Example Research shows that the congruity between product image and self-image affects the product preference of a consumer and their intentions to buy an item. This congruence with self-image could also facilitate positive attitudes and behaviour towards products. The study conducted in â€Å"Consumers and brands a study of the impact of self-image congruence on brand preference and satisfaction†, was seeking to understand the consequences of congruity of self-image on brand preference and the consumer satisfaction in the UK’s precious jewellery sector. Results indicated that congruity of self-image acted as a vitally powerful predictor of brand preferences of consumers as well as acting as a suitable predictor for satisfaction of the consumer. The respondents with above average self-image, congruity levels were found to be more likely to enjoy higher satisfaction levels, as well as increased likelihood to buy the brand. This was when compared to those who had below average se lf-image congruity levels (Gordon, 2006 p140). For this case study, the consumers were found to be dissonance-reducing buyers (Gordon, 2006 p141). They were highly involved in the jewellery purchase since the product was expensive. There was minimal difference between the brands of jewelry that existed. The consumers were also found to be complex buyers as they were buying highly valued products, and they looked for detailed information before making the purchase.

Endangered and Threatened Species of Wyoming Essay

Endangered and Threatened Species of Wyoming - Essay Example All grizzly bears have thick fur that shields them from cold and moisture (Potts, 1997, pp. 7-8). Figure 1. The grizzly bear has fur that has grayish tips. From â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† by J. Eastcott and Y. Momatiuk, n.d., http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/grizzly-bear/. Copyright by J. Eastcott and Y. Momatiuk. Reprinted with permission. The adult grizzly bear has an average height of three to five feet when it is on all fours and six to 10 feet when standing. An adult grizzly may weigh from 600 pounds (Potts, 1997, p.4) to 800 pounds (â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† 2011), and even 1,400 pounds. When it comes to the physical description of the grizzly, it has flat feet and a muscular shoulder hump that powers the forelimbs for digging. Its head is round â€Å"with a concave facial profile† (â€Å"Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)†, 2011). According to the National Geographic, grizzly bears are â€Å"top-of-the-food-chain predators†. Alt hough they eat animals, surprisingly, grizzly bears are fond of fruits, berries, leaves and roots (â€Å"Grizzly Bear,† 2011). Potts (1997) reported that there are 40,000 to 50,000 grizzly bears living in the mountains and forests of Canada and Alaska. In the United States, particularly in the states of Montana, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho, the number of grizzlies is from 600 to 800 (p.5). In Wyoming, grizzly bears are recognized as threatened. Whitaker & Hamilton (1998) define threatened as the likelihood that a species become endangered in the future whereas an endangered species is in the danger of extinction throughout a part of its range (p.549). Due to burgeoning population, people occupy the territories of grizzly bears, driving them away from their home. When this happens, the food supply of these bears becomes limited; thus, grizzly bears go after the farm animals of the settlers. In turn, these settlers hunted the bears until they were almost extinct (Potts, 1997, p.13). Primarily, it was the dwindling number of existing grizzly bears that prompted their being threatened. In an article, it says that human activities that occur in the habitat of grizzlies also deprive these animals of territory and food supply. These activities include timber cutting, grazing, private land development and so on (Delvin, 1999). These grizzly bears have been recognized as threatened since 1967. Not surprisingly, humans bear greater responsibility in managing grizzly bears. It is the humans who pushed grizzly bears out of their territories. Due to growing population, some people settled in areas that are natural habitat to grizzly bears. Moreover, human influence has changed the bears’ natural ecosystems through the many activities such as timber cutting. Human contact has also led to some bears being hunted. For the past years, there were some debates whether grizzly bears should be delisted as threatened. Some experts disapproved, saying that bears are not ready yet to be delisted. However, there are some suggestions to improve the situation of grizzlies. First, there must be a law or policy that strictly prohibits the killing of bears. It is noteworthy that grizzlies were included in the threatened creatures list because of their dwindling number. Thus, for grizzlies to completely recover, humans must not kill them. Second, the government must provide a habitat with sufficient area where the bears are secured and have no way of venturing to where humans live. This is in relation to the fact that bears ventured out of Yellowstone that might â€Å"bring them into dangerous contact with humans† (Eilperin, 2005). Finally, the habitat of the grizzlies must be

Motivation to Learn: Teacher-Student Relationship

Motivation to Learn: Teacher-Student Relationship It is a generally accepted truth that the future lies in the hands of the next generation and that the success of the next generation is based largely on education. Increasing numbers of reports and articles in the media have been published over the last several years showing that education of the next generation in the U.S. is lacking. The long-standing super power stands to lose its status on the global playing field, threatening the way America has come to see itself and its role in the world. These trends have caused panic and politicians have claimed a rededication of their efforts in this arena because that is what the nation is crying for. However, while the belief that U.S. students are falling behind the world academically is wide-spread, and fact that this is an undesirable circumstance to be in is unanimous, no single concrete solution has emerged. The leading approach is currently raising standards as can be measured according to standardized tests. The idea is that without a quantifiable measure of progress schools cannot know whether they are improving and that by seeing how they are doing in comparison to other schools, they will be motivated to make even greater strides. It has been suggested that an emphasis on student motivation may be far more valuable than an emphasis on which specific facts theyve memorized from American history or which functions they can calculate in mathematics. While it may be somewhat counterintuitive to argue that education is best improved by focusing on something beside the material the students are expected to learn, many studies have shown that this very well might be the case. This is, in brief, due to the fact that motivated students learn more, learn better, and learn themselves. That is to say, the tradeoff is more than worth it: To dedicate some percentage of a teachers time and efforts to motivating students will translate at the end of the day to those students having learned a lot more than if that same time and effort was invested in conventional transfer of knowledge methods, or far worse, test preparation. Accordingly, many researchers have conducted a considerable number of studies on students academic motivation and students goal orientation, particularly those who concentrate on the dynamics of motivation within classroom settings, have started to emphasize the potential role of relational variables ( e.g., Davis, 2003; Pianta, 1999) and teacher behaviors (e.g., Skinner Belmont, 1993) in students academic engagement. In the last forty years, researches (e.g., Pintrich, 2001, Skinner, 1995, Stipek, 1988) have studied student motivation and, have found a great deal about: What moves students to learn and the quantity and quality of the effort they invest?, What choices students make?, What makes them persist in the face of hardship?, How student motivation is affected by their relationships with significant adults?, How motivation develops?, and How the school environment affects it?. Accordingly, educators, parents, and students have paid substantial attention to the importance of motivation in school because of significant contributions to students academic learning, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and school readiness. Motivation to learn is a competence acquired through general experience however, it is mostly stimulated through modeling, communication of expectations, and direct instruction or socialization by significant others (Brophy, 1987). Infants and young children appear to be mobilized by curiosity, driven by an intense need to explore, interact with, and discover their environment. In the classroom settings, the content covered and the social context can vary continuously. Therefore, children are frequently involved in unfamiliar learning environment. This can create ambiguity for some students; however can crate challenge for other students. Accordingly, students try to make sense of novel learning situations by referring to their motivational beliefs (Brophy, 1987). Motivational belief refers to the opinions, judgments, and values that students hold about objects, events, and learning process (Brophy, 1987). Motivational belief also refers to the students opinions of the efficacy or ef fectiveness of learning and teaching process. For example, childrens beliefs about their academic experiences have important implications for their school adjustment and academic achievement ( Mueller Dweck, 1998; Wigfield Eccles, 2002). Accordingly, expectancies and values are directly determined by other achievement related beliefs (e.g., achievement goals, self-schemata, beliefs about science (Wigfield, 1994). Similarly, motivational beliefs act as a frame of reference that guides students thinking, feelings, and actions in any subject area. For example, motivational beliefs about mathematics determine which strategies and motivational goals students develop. It is crucial that a students beliefs about a domain may be predominantly optimistic or pessimistic, thus providing a positive or negative context for learning ( Skinner, 1995; Stipek, 1988; Vermeer, Boekaerts, Seegers, 2000). Teacher-child relations play a prominent role in the development of competencies in early school-age years (Pianta, Steinberg, Rollins, 1995; Pianta Walsh, 1996) and transition to middle school (Davis. 2003; Pianta, 1999). Teacher may operate as social agents, and they can affect the students intellectual and sociemotional experiences by creating a classroom setting that stimulates both students motivation and learning. Moreover teacher-student relationships serve as a regulatory function for the development of social, emotional, and academic skills (Davis, 2006). Studies have shown that positive teacher-student relationships can lead to a warm classroom environment that facilitates successful adaptation in school and thereby increase students motivation to learn. On the other hand, conflictual teacher-student relationships are associated with lower achievement and self-esteem as well as ongoing relational conflict with both teachers and peers (Pianta Hamre, 2005; Buyse, Verschuere n, Doumen, Damme, Maes, 2008). Research has further indicated that children with whom teachers report positive relationships are outgoing and socially competent (Pianta, et. all., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1998). Moreover, the teachers believed that high quality relationships between teachers and their students enhanced classroom learning and motivation by building a safe and supportive classroom context for students to open up and listen to the teachers and take intellectual risks (Pianta, et al., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1998).Similarly, the beliefs teachers hold about teaching and learning, and the nature of expectations have about their students also exert a powerful influence (Stipek, 1988). These findings support the key role of teacher-student relationships on childrens motivation to learn and school adjustment. The various studies examined the influence of family, academic, and personal factors on the students academic failure and poor motivation to learn (e.g., Covington, 1992). Among personal variables most studied are self-concept, unfavorable motivational beliefs, low ability, and personal goal orientation (Ryan Deci, 2000; Stipek, 2002). For example, unfavorable beliefs impede the learning process because they direct the learners attention away from learning activity itself (Stipek, 1998; Ryan, Gheen, Midgley, 1998). Similarly, the students themselves attribute to poor performance to low ability and to luck (Stipek, 2002) and an improvement in performance to motivation (task-goal orientation), to self-regulating behaviors, and to competence as a function of task characteristics ( Stipek, 2002). Most students believe their ability and effort are the main reasons for school achievement. By the same token, if asked whether they would prefer to be called smart or hard-working, they will choose smart almost every time. Why? Because they believe that hard-working students risk being considered either excessively ambitious or of limited ability, both of which they would find embarrassing. The following literature review covers the significance of young childrens motivation to learn, the effects of the quality of teacher-student relationships on their motivation to learn, the implications of poorly motivated young students on their social and academic life. Firstly, two relevant theoretical frameworks are introduced: self-determination and expectancy and value theory. These theories provide the basis of the rationale for the present study and frame the possible bridging point from the problem to where the attempted solutions until this point failed, and what is worth trying next. Theoretical Considerations Further understanding of the topics of motivation and learning is facilitated through the lenses of various theoretical frameworks. These frameworks shed insight on the bigger picture of motivation and learning and are helpful guides in developing practical new approaches to the classroom. Three major relevant theories are discussed below: self-determination and value-expectancy for achievement motivation As children continue their social, emotional, and physical development during school years, they broaden their familial and extra-familial relationships (Marvin Stewart, 1990). Participation in family-child, teacher-child, and peer-child systems supports the development of play, social interaction, and conflict resolution skills for those children (Lynch Cicchetti, 1992; Pianta, 1999). Self-System and Self-Determination Theories Self-determination theorists (e.g., Ryan, Connell, Deci) claim that children start to value the behaviors for which they and significant others (i.e., teachers, families) in their social environments are reinforced. When these values are accepted as their own (internalization), students begin to choose to engage in activities that are consistent with their own feelings (Deci Ryan, 2001).Similarly, according to self-determination theory, children learn from their parents and other significant adults that achievement behaviors and motivation to learn are valued in the society. Some children internalize these values and behaviors as their own and begin to behave in ways that are consistent with them (Connell, 1990). Accordingly, Connell (1990) posits that the need for relatedness, the need for competence, and the need for autonomy are the most important psychological needs in the framework of self-system processes. The self-system theory of engagement assumes that human beings have bas ic psychological needs and can be motivated to engage in activities passionately and voluntarily when those needs are met (Connell Wellborn, 1991). In addition, in the self- system process, the self evaluates the degree to which psychological needs are met and this evaluation may affect relationships with others (Connell, 1990 ;). Self-determination theory shares this perspective (Davis, 2001; Deci Ryan, 1985) and has also contributed to the construct definition of relatedness by proposing that individuals innate needs (e.g., the need for competence, the need for relatedness, and the need for autonomy) must be fulfilled to achieve self-regulation, motivation, and personal well-being. Deci and Ryan (1985) defined the need for relatedness as feelings of security or belongingness in the social environment that motivate individuals to follow norms and rules. Moreover, all three needs are interrelated. For example, relatedness provides the security that is necessary for student initiat ive, independence, and autonomy in completing tasks that promote competence. Competence enables students to feel confident, accepted, and related to those around them. The healthy fulfillment of these basic needs provides a social environment that regulates the amount of acceptance and success (Urdan Schoenfelder, 2006; Deci Ryan, 2002). The teacher-student relationship is a very important and a powerful motivator for the development of the need for competence and autonomy within this social environment, because school as a complex and unique system asks students to accomplish various intellectual and social tasks. For example, a growing body of studies showed that students, who believed that they are competent academically, are more likely to be interested in academic and school tasks ( Stipek Daniels,1991; Skaalvik Rankin, 1995). Similarly, for teachers, supporting childrens basic psychological needs and provide a healthy classroom environment also promote more positive teacher-student relationships. Within this type of environment, students report grea ter levels of competence, autonomy, and positive relatedness (Connell Wellborn, 1991; Standage, Duda, Ntoumanis, 2005; Urdan Schoenfelder, 2006; Deci Ryan, 2002). Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation Another important alternative and complementary theoretical view of students motivation to learn in educational settings is expectancy-value theory (Atkinson, 1957; Eccles, Adler, Goff, Kaczala, Meece, Midgley, 1983). Eccles and her colleagues (1983) studies values in the context of an expanded expectancy- value theory. This model is consisted of two components: a psychological component which focuses on cognitive factors such as expectations for success and the values placed on successful attainment, and a socialization component which explains individual differences that occur within the variables of the psychological component (Eccles et al., 1983). A major premise of this model involves the influence of parental socialization on childrens motivation ( Eccles et al., 1983; Wigfield, 1994). Like Atkinson (1957), they posited that people choose to engage in tasks that they value and in which they expect to be successful. However, Eccles et al. (1983) conceptualized and defined valu es more broadly than Atkinson (1957). Similarly, they proposed that there are three kinds of values (e.g., attainment value, utility value, intrinsic value) relevant to achievement ( Jacobs Eccles, 2000; Wigfield Eccles, 1992). Attainment value refers to the relevance of an activity to a persons actual or ideal self-concept, and it is determined by how tasks satisfy peoples needs (Eccles et al., 1983). Accordingly, attainment value is the most closely related to internalized motivation in self-determination theory. Utility value is related to the usefulness of a task as a means to accomplish goals that may not be linked to the task itself. Intrinsic value is defined as the immediate enjoyment people get from doing a task. In other words, as a task has intrinsic value , people engage in for its own sake, rather than for some other purpose (Wigfield Eccles, 1992). Furthermore, Eccles et al. (1983) pointed out that values need to be considered in the context of costs such as that hu miliation if failure occurs. Motivation for Academic Achievement If testing is not the way to get students to learn, what is? It has been proposed that the single factor with the greatest impact on whether a student learns is his or her motivation. As mentioned above, motivation is considered one of, if not the, most important factors influencing students learning. Qin Xiaoqing (2002) found that the presence of absence of motivation is in large part what determines success or failure in second language learning. This is because motivated students use learning strategies more frequently, have a stronger will to learn and so set more and higher goals for themselves, and they are more persistent in learning. Qin (2003) found that learning motivation influences the learners autonomous learning ability, and determines the learners confidence in overcoming learning difficulty. These theories on motivation demonstrate that motivation, as one of the crucial factors determining the success in language learning, attracts much attention of the researchers (L i Pan, 2009). What is motivation? While different theorists define motivation differently, motivation is commonly thought of as an inner state of need or desire that activates an individual to do something to satisfy them. In other words, motivation is the force that accounts for the arousal, selection, direction, and continuation of behavior (Li Pan, 2009). Williams and Burden (2000) proposed the definition of motivation as a state of cognitive and emotional arousal that leads to a conscious decision to act, and which causes the exertion of intellectual and physical effort towards reaching a previously set goal. In day to day language, motivation is why we do what we do. Therefore, it is clear why so much education research is focused on motivating students: If motivation is why we do what we do, only a motivated student will learn. It is increasingly accepted in the literature that motivation is more important to a childs education than any other single factor including the teachers skill/exper ience, classroom resources, etc. What role does motivation play in achievement? It has been argued that motivation is not only the key ingredient for outstanding work, but also in extraordinary achievement. The claim is that creative genius grows out of the ability to sustain intense commitment for very long periods in the face of obstacles-in other words, motivation (Runco, Nemiro, Walberg, 1998). However, on the other hand is the widespread believe that accomplishment, and especially outstanding accomplishment, is about innate talent. People who believe this somehow ignore the fact that Mozart, Darwin, Michal Jordan, and Tiger Woods practiced feverishly and single-mindedly for years, and instead believe that they were simply born with a talent that if one is not born with cannot not be achieved regardless of how motivation or any other factor controllable (Dwek, 2002). Proponents of the first belief however, that motivation and not talent is the core ingredient for success, have developed various ways to bring that motivation to the classroom towards students academic achievement. One major school of thought is called progressive education. This approach is centered on the importance of the genuine interest of the students (Simmons Page, 2010). A students interest or motivation can stem from innumerable factors and vary depending on the student, of course. Researchers in the field have categorized stuent motivations into two categories: intrinsic and extrinsic. A student who is intrinsically motivated commits him or herself to a task for its own sake, that is, for the enjoyment of it, the learning it allows, and for a feeling of accomplishment. A student who is extrinsically motivated comits to a task in order to receive a reward from a source external to him or herself such as from the teacher (Macabudbud, Alba, Jestony, Dadis,Diaz, Realiza, Ven tura, 2009).Understanding these different motivations is important when translating the theoretical ideas of the importance of motivating students into practical ways to do so. The Implications of Young Childrens Motivation to Learn Many young children begin school with a thirst for learning. Similarly, Goldberg (1994) pointed out that young children enthusiastically seek novel and challenging school tasks and therefore, motivation is key to successful school adjustment. Motivation can be defined as the process that helps instigate goal directed activity, and enables that activity to be maintained (Pintrich Schunk, 1996). Positive motivational patterns are crucial for learning in early childhood as they are for later learning (Carlton Winsler, 1998). Intrinsic motivation refers to the desire to participate in a task only for the pleasure derived from a task itself, whereas extrinsic motivation refers to the desire to participate in a task for the sake of a desirable outcome such as teacher praise or a reward (Pintrich Schunk, 1996). Gottfried (1985) hypothesized that academic intrinsic motivation is positively and significantly related to school achievement. Gottfried (1985) found that children, who are more intrinsically motivated, are more successful learners than those with more extrinsically motivated. Accordingly, inhibiting the development of intrinsic motivation in early childhood education and schools have been criticized (Broophy, 1998). It is noteworthy to first understand how motivation relates to education and how motivation affects the childrens social and academic competence. Similarly, Fortier (1995) examined the effects of autonomous academic motivation on perceived academic self-competence and perceived academic self-determination. He showed that perceived academic competence and perceived academic self-determination positively influenced autonomous academic motivation, which in turn had a positive impact on school and the development of intrinsic motivation. Moreover, Boggiano, Shields, Barrett, Thompson, Simons, and Katz (1992) found that motivational orientation is significantly related to childrens standardized achievement scores. Specifically, young students with a n intrinsic motivational orientation got higher reading and math achievement scores than their classroom mates with extrinsic motivational orientation (Boggiano, et al., 1992). Together, this indicates that intrinsic motivational orientation contributes to a range of achievement-related behaviors and cognitions. School readiness as a multidimensional concept includes childrens approaches to learning (i.e., emergent literacy and math skills) (Kagan Neuman, 1997). Moreover, school readiness is a significant indication of a childs ability to be successful in school settings. In previous research with older children (e.g., Stipek, 1998; Ryan Connell, 1989; Harter, 1992), motivation has showed as an important factor for learning, academic success, and social development. Similarly, Carlton (1999) showed that childrens motivation to learn is an important predictor of school readiness and the development of social skills. Another important alternative and complementary theoretical view of students motivation to learn in educational settings is achievement goal theory (Miserandino, 1998). Achievement goal theory provided insights in order to examine students motivation and achievement-related outcomes (Ames, 1992 ; Walters, 2004). Achievement goals can be defined as the purposes and reasons for a persons pursuit in achievement situation. Different purposes and reasons lead to different emotional, cognitive, and affective patterns (Dweck Leggett, 1988 ; Urdan Midgley, 2003). There have been considerable amount of researches (e.g., Elliot McGregor, 2001; Elliot Thrash, 2001) that showed the effects of achievement goals on students motivation to learn. For example, Kaplan, Gheen, and Midgley (2002) examined the relationship between classroom goal structure and student disruptive behavior. They (2002) found that student perceptions of a mastery goal structure were related to lower incidence of behavior al problems and disruptive behaviors whereas student perceptions of a performance approach goal structure were related to higher incidence of behavioral problems and disruptive behaviors. Ames (1992) pointed out that mastery orientation is associated with depth engagement with the task and greater perseverance in the face of failure or barriers and thereby, mastery orientation increases the individuals intrinsic motivation, then in turn, motivation to learn. Previous researches examining childrens expectancy-related beliefs about different achievement tasks showed that childrens expectancy-related beliefs play a central role in their achievement motivation and contribute to their behavior and learning (Eccles et al., 1983; Meece Courtney, 1992). For example, young children who have positive ability beliefs and approach achievement tasks with a high expectancy of success, consistently show high levels of persistence and performance on achievement tasks (Eccles et al., 1983). Similarly, childrens expectancies and values themselves are most directly affected by childrens achievement goals, their self-schemata, and their task-specific beliefs. Values also influence students intentions and decisions about the course enrollment (Meece Courtney, 1992). Furthermore, values affect the perception of self-competence and self-esteem (Eccles et al.,1983). Accordingly, Dweck and Elliott (1983) posited that how learning and performance goals are dete rmined by childrens subjective values. For instance, the kind of achievement situation the child is in influence the childs subjective values. The child, who believes he or she is competent at a certain task, believes that achievement of similar tasks in the future is possible and easy and so competence belief and expectancy for success are directly related (Eccles et al., 1983; Wigfield Eccles, 1992). For examples, achievement values in school tasks (i.e., mathematic) can influence self-perceptions of competence (Covington, 1992). Previous research also suggested that early achievement and socialization experiences and cultural norms can influence how elementary and high-school students understand, interpret, and approach achievement (Eccles et al. 1983 ; Meece, Parsons, Kaczala, Goff, Futterman, 1982). Similarly, studies of junior and senior high school students demonstrated that the subjective task values adolescents attach to school subjects are related to their course plans, activity choices ( Eccles, Adler, Meece, 1984; Meece, Wigfleld, Eccles, 1990). For example, in their study of junior high school students, Meece and colleagues (1990) found that the importance students attached to mathematics predicted their intentions to continue taking mathematics. Eccles and Harold (1991) examined adolescents self-perceptions of ability, subjective task values, and activity choices in sports. They reported that adolescents self-reports of free time involvement in sports was significantly related to their subjective task values of sports. However, there is paucity of investigation of effects of motivation to learn on young childrens learning. Accordingly, focusing on young school childrens expectations and values using the expectancy-value model and the effects of may contribute to our understanding about childrens development of motivational values and expectancy and in early school years. A number of researchers (e.g., Stipek Mac Iver, 1989; Wigfield, Eccles, Mac Iver, Reuman, Midgley, 1991) also showed that young childrens beliefs about their ability and expectancies for success are overly optimistic and are not realistic. Young children perceive themselves as competent and they nearly always think that they will be successful on the upcoming tasks. However, as children progress through elementary school, their ability beliefs and expectancies for success may demonstrate a substantial change, and their beliefs about their ability and expectancies become more accurate and realistic (Stipek, 1984; Wigfleld Eccles, 1992). Although there can be age related differences in childrens motivational belief, perceived academic self-competence, perceived academic self-determination, the quality of teacher-student relationships, classroom achievement goal structure also play a significant role in young students motivation to learn and their motivational belief ( Eccles et al., 1983; Pianta, 1999; Stipek, 2002). Therefore, it is very crucial to further investigate and demonstrate the effects of aforementioned factors in young children motivation to learn, and in turn, how young childrens motivation to learn influence the development of social and academic competence. Teacher-Student Relationship and Young Childrens Motivation to Learn It is widely recognized that when children enter school or transient to next level, they encounter a variety of new challenges. These include creating positive relationships with peer groups and adults in the school environment as well as learning to meet the demands of a wide range of cognitive, social, and academic tasks (Pianta et al., 1995; Birch Ladd, 1997; Baker, 2006). Teacher-child relationships play a prominent role in the development of competencies in the preschool and early school years (Hamre Pianta, 2001; Pianta Walsh, 1996). Teacher may operate as social agents, and they can affect the students intellectual and sociemotional experiences by creating a classroom setting that stimulates both students motivation and learning. Moreover teacher-student relationships serve as a regulatory function for the development of social, emotional, and academic skills (Davis, 2006). Similarly, young children who enjoy taking positive supports from teachers and having warm and close relationships with them appear to demonstrate social and academic competence at school (Pianta, 1999). A growing body of research examined the effects of the quality of teacher-student dyadic interaction on students academic motivation (e.g., Davis Ashley, 2003; Pianta, 1999). In fact, the degree to which children develop social and academic competencies in their school lives is a good indicator of successful school adaptation and positive teacher as well as peer relationship (Birch Ladd, 1997; Pianta, et. all., 1995). For example, Davis and Ashley (2003) reported that positive teacher-student interaction enhanced classroom learning and students motivation by building a safe and supportive context for students to motivate for learning and take intellectual risks. In addition, teachers believed that students tended to work hard if they liked their teachers and had caring relations with their teachers. Therefore, teachers in Daviss and Ashleys study (David Ashley, 2003) preferred to invest the time and effort for the development of supportive relations with their students. In additio n, those positive and caring relations helped the teachers to be creative in their instruction. Accordingly, Davis (2006) found that middle school students and teachers, who perceived their relations as a supportive and positive, reported enhanced motivation, more facilitative classroom settings, and higher grades. Similarly, Birch and Ladd (1997) found that supportive teacher-student relationship plays an important role in developing school adjustment competencies including attention, motivation, problem-solving, and self esteem. Together, when teachers provided more autonomy and the instruction addressed students personal interest and personal relevance, they were more emotionally and behaviorally engaged in school works and they had more supportive relationships with their teachers. Similarly, those students, who reported higher levels of autonomy provided by their teacher, showed more adaptive patterns of learning (David Ashley, 2003; Stipek, 2002). Accordingly, previous researches (e.g., Patrick, Hicks, Ryan, 1997; Patrick, Ryan, Kaplan, 2007; Ryan Patrick, 2001) have indicated that there is a significant relationship between students adaptive motivation for academics and a number of social factors within the classroom. These include teacher-student relationship, teacher support ( Midgley, Feldlaufer, Ecles, 1988), and teacher practices that foster respect among students ( Ryan Patrick, 2001; Patrick, Ryan, Kaplan, 2007). Similarly, Patrick, Anderman, Ryan, Edelin, and Midgley (2001) examined how teacher-student interaction influences both students classrooms goal-orientation structure. They found that teachers apparent support and enthusiasm toward students progress and their confidence in students ability to learn were accompanied by teachers recognition practices and their teaching styles. Their relationships with students were characterized by supporting students academic engagement and giving warm praise. Teachers en couraged their students to focus on task and informational feedback. In mastery-approach classroom, all teachers perceived learning as active process in which classroom involvement, positive interactions, understanding (not memorization), student engagement are key requirements of student academic achievement and motivation. On the oth

Edna’s Search for Solitude in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay

Edna’s Search for Solitude in Kate Chopin's The Awakening Home from a summer at Grand Isle, separated from the company of an agreeable and, eventually beloved, companion and in the stifling company of a disagreeable, oblivious husband, Edna Pontellier sees her home, her garden, her fashionable neighborhood as "an alien world which had suddenly become antagonistic" (76). When she is left alone in the house, she thrills to the sensation of free time and space, the chance to explore, investigate, to see her house in its own light. To eat in peace without her husband's trifling complaints, to read until sleepy, to rest is a luxury which convention, her husband and her own complicity had denied her. She slept well, "now that her time was her own to do with as she liked" (96). This is but one night in the course of Edna's "awakening," a complicated process that, for better or worse, puts her in control of her own destiny. Ultimately, she will answer to no one but herself. Her path to this point is a complex struggle to carve out the solitude she craves - companionship when and with whom of her choosing. As Edna grows to recognize her own voice, she suffers alternately euphoria, despair and frustration. Her choices develop from a heightened sense of the world around her, of her own preferences and desires. Her experiences, beginning with Robert Lebrun, open her to these sensations, and the sensations provide her with the power to free herself. Looking at examples of Edna's increasingly acute and outward responses to stimuli and her equally willful behavior, her search for solitude evolves as a woman becoming aware of her choices. When Edna hears Mademoiselle Reisz play at Grand Isle, she is prepared to see the music, as she ... ...had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days" (138). The sensations that colored her world and gave her voice also gave her an unquenchable desire for freedom, for choice, for self-determined solitude. Unable to make those whom she loved understand, she makes another choice, and opens herself to another wrap of sensation. Like the man in "Solitude," Edna stands upon the beach naked, surrounded by space and air. But unlike that man, her solitude and exposure are chosen - she is not left behind, she is leaving. The sea holds no boundaries any longer, she is not afraid to leave the shore and she knows she can swim to sea, as far out as it takes to be free. As she swims out, her senses revive in memory of her father and sister's voices and the odor of dianthus; once again she is being lulled, but this time toward a resolution.

Indian Creation Stories Essay

After reading the Iroquois and Pima creation myths in the book, I have been very intrigued by the Native American beliefs of the creation of the earth. It seems that nearly every tribe has a different belief of how it happened, though some are very similar. The Huron tribe, originally from the St. Lawrence Valley, have a very similar belief of creation as the Iroquois, where the Cherokee tribe had a totally different view than the Pima. The Iroquois and the Huron myths are both in the Earth-Diver category. In this type of myth, animals swim deep to the bottom of the water and bring up dirt in their mouth, forming the earth. Just like the Iroquois, in the Huron myth, a divine woman falls out the sky and is swept up just before hitting water by a hawk. The hawk then calls down in the water for help, for she is too heavy for it to hold by itself. First, a turtle comes out the sea for her to sit on, and then he instructs other animals such as ducks, beavers, and even a muskrat. After the earth is built, the woman gives birth to twins, but soon dies after giving birth to her two sons. The sons in both myths represent good and evil on earth. They were to prepare the earth so that humans could live on it, but they found out that they could not live together. So, they separated, with each one taking their own portion of the earth to prepare. Once older, the good son creates a sun and moon out of the remains of its mother’s body. It continues to create the world, forming vegetation and other useful tools to help humans survive. Meanwhile, the evil brother made outrageous animals, violent and disturbing. He made wolves, bears, venomous snakes, and panthers of giant size. He made massive mosquitos, the size of wild turkeys, and he made an enormous toad, it drank up the fresh water that was on the earth. The good brother then had to kill the toad to bring water back to the land. In the end, the good brother defeated the evil brother in a fight, sending the evil brother’s soul to the center of the earth. Pima creation myth is similar to the Iroquois and Huron myths in that there are both animals that help build the earth, except in the Pima myth, they are land animals instead of sea animals. Also, there are two main characters that represent good and evil. The Cherokee creation myth starts as the world being completely covered in water and earth merely being an island floating bove the seas suspended by four rawhide ropes. There were no people, and the animals lived above the rainbow. The animals sent the water beetle under the seas to search for more room, and it brought up mud that spread quickly, turning into land. Although at first the land was to soft and flat, Godfather buzzard went to check on the land and the wind from his wings created mountains and valleys, thus why the Cherokee territory has many mountains. As the new ground stiffened, the pulled the sun from behind the rainbow and raised it higher in the sky. The next thing created was the plants, and view animals were given the privilege to see at night. People were created last, with the women being able to have babies every seven days, the Creator feared that the world would soon become crowed and made it so women could only have one child a year. The Native American creation stories of the Iroquois and Huron are almost identical where the Pima and Cherokee are completely opposite of each other. This goes to show just how different the beliefs of different Indian tribes are, and how this holds true to how there are different beliefs across the United States still today.

Theory X, Theory Y

Theory X, Theory Y by Douglas McGregor is a motivation theory. Douglas McGregor is a social psychologist and applied two sets of assumptions to the organizational structure called Theory X and Theory Y. His theory is based on managerial views of human beings. In his book, The Human Side of Enterprise, he outlined a new role for managers. He stated that managers should assist subordinates in reaching their full potential, rather than commanding and controlling. Theory X is negative and Theory Y can be stated as the opposite, positive. Douglas concluded that managers shaped their behavior towards workers based on either the X or Y views.Theory X presumes that average employees dislike work, are lazy, dislike responsibility, and must be coerced to perform. (text book citation pg 177) Theory X is focused on an authoritarian management style. Rewards and punishments are assumed to be the key to employee productivity. Employees have little to offer in terms of organizational problem solvin g. Under Theory X employees need to be controlled and threatened to get them working. Employees work for money and security only. According to theory X, appraisals and promotions occur on a regular basis.This view is based on that employees merely satisfy their lower-level physical needs and could not hope to be as productive. Theory Y supposes that employees like work, are creative, seek responsibility, and can exercise self-direction (text book citation pg 177). Theory Y is focused on a participative management style. The managers would take suggestions from workers. These type of managers relate to Theory Y employees and try to share ideas on how the work should be carried out and how it should be improved. The manager values the workers opinion. This type of leadership leads to high motivation.Theory Y assumes that there is an opportunity to align personal goals with organizational goals by using peoples own ambition for self fulfillment. Individuals go to work of their own acco rd, because work is the only way in which they have a chance of satisfying their need for achievement and self-respect. Effort in work is as natural as rest and play. Employees under Theory Y are motivated by many different factors apart from money. The most important reward is satisfaction of their ego needs. What is the relevance of this topic to the study of organizational behavior?The relevance of this topic to the study of organizational behavior is that every employee has some hierarchy of needs and alerting managers’ actions and views accordingly will lead to more motivated workers in an organization. Organizational behavior is the study of what people do in an organization and how their behavior affects the organization’s performance. (text book citation. Pg 11) Organizational behavior works towards improving the organization’s effectiveness and to establish an improvement and organizational change so that employees will be more productive and happy.In t urn those organizations will be more effective and efficient in achieving their goals through their employees. Theory X and Theory Y stated that employees can either be motivated by strict direction or allowed to work freely. Either one of these two theories would maximize an employee’s job motivation and would produce happy employees working towards the organizations goals. â€Å"The effectiveness of organizations could be at least doubled if managers could discover how to tap into the unrealized potential present in their workforces. (book citation) What are the strengths and weaknesses of the theory or idea? There are both strengths and weaknesses in Douglas McGregor’s, Theory X and Theory Y. Some of the strengths of Theory X and Theory Y are that it exposes the endless possibilities for creating opportunities for people to obtain personal satisfaction, knowledge, achievement, challenge, prestige, and other rewards through work. This theory offers opportunities for human resource development involvement in team-building sessions and management development.Douglas’s theory also offers those in supervisory positions a chance to gain some self-knowledge thus acquiring some insight in their managerial skills. Theory X and Y call for managers to examine their assumptions about human nature and see how these models lead to managerial practices. These assumptions will be reflected in management attitudes toward employees, the kind and amount of participation they allow, and the outcomes they expect. The strength of McGregor’s theory is its significance. When McGregor formulated his theory, companies competed on their ability to mass produce goods.Today, however, paying attention to the human aspect is a requirement if any organization. Without a powerfully motivated, highly skilled, self-reliant human resource, organizations do not stand a chance to survive, much less compete. McGregor’s theory provides the solution to problems related to the human aspect of an organization. Some of the weaknesses in McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y theory are that there is only so much money that can be offered as motivation and only so much control that can be applied. People change and so do motivators. McGregor states that a satisfied need no longer motivates.This theory has no evidence to support Theory X or Theory Y. There’s no validity in the assumption that managers who modify their actions or behaviors will lead to more motivated workers (textbook citation p177). It is part of the manager's job to exercise control and influence, and there are situations in which this is the only method of achieving the desired results because subordinates do not agree that the ends are desirable. What does the research say about the theory? Has it been supported by research? Cite the relevant research, and explain what it shows.Studies in relation to the application and observations of McGregor’s Theory X and Y views of managerial behavior and employee outcomes have been conducted and have shed some additional light on this topic. McGregor’s research has also been questioned for its practicality and usefulness. For instance, in Kopelman, Prottas, and Davis journal in the Journal of Managerial Issues (2008 (2) 255-271) they state that â€Å"the paucity of substantive research on the effects of Theory Y managerial assumptions/attitudes may be attributed to the absence of a construct valid measure that is freely available to researchers.How can McGregor’s theory be tested if the focal construct has essentially gone unmeasured? (p. 2697) McGregor’s theorizing about the effects of managerial assumptions has not been rigorously examined. (p. 269) . A construct-valid measure of the central concept was developed, as a critical first step in assessing the substantive validity of McGregor’s theorizing. During this research, a survey was given to undergraduate and gradu ate students in business. The survey consisted of four principal section s measuring Theory X and Theory Y attitudes and behaviors, faith in people, fast food opinions, and items relating to leisure time activities.The reasoning behind the survey was that Theory X/Y attitudes and assumptions would be closely related to Theory X/Y behaviors and that Theory X/Y attitudes and behaviors would be positively but distally related to generalized faith in people. The end results of the survey concluded that in order to construct validity of a measure should precede substantive research. Summarizing the research done by Kopelman, Prottas and Davis it was stated that theory Y attitudes, such as participative leadership should not be viewed as proxies for measuring managerial attitudes.Theory Y pertains to an individual difference variable reflecting assumptions about people at work-it is not a specific set of recommended management practices. (p. 267) In Kermally’s Book (p. 39) it state s that State you cannot and should not apply one set of assumptions to fit all situations. Again, the focus should be on individual differences and needs. There are groups of workers who would like to be directed and who are not keen on taking responsibility. Such workers would perform better under ‘autocratic managers’. According to the Harvard Business Review (p. 8) we need further investigation of what personality characteristics fit various tasks and organizations. The theory of motivation and organization will have to take account of the contingent relationship between task, organization, and people. Kermally, S. (2005). CHAPTER FIVE: Douglas McGregor (1906-1964). (pp. 35-41). Thorogood Publishing Ltd. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database. Morse, J. , ; Lorsch, J. (1970). Beyond Theory Y. Harvard Business Review, 48(3), 61. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.

Free Essays on Case Briefing

Anheuser- Busch, Inc., v. Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore City, 63 F.3d 1305 (1995) United States Court of Appeals FACTS In January 1994, Baltimore exercised the authority granted it by the State and enacted Ordinance 288 prohibiting the outdoor advertising of alcoholic beverages in certain locations of Baltimore City. It also includes an exception permitting advertising in certain commercially and industrially zoned areas. The City Council of Baltimore is basing its ban on the premise that children are exposed to the advertising of alcoholic beverages â€Å"simply by walking to school or playing in their neighborhood†. The City goes on to state that children’s â€Å"attitudes are favorable to alcohol and are significantly related to their exposure to alcohol advertisements†. Anheuser-Busch argues that the purpose of its advertising is to â€Å"solidify brand loyalty and increase market share by shifting adult beer drinkers from other brands to the advertised brand of beer†. On January 14, 1994, filed suit in federal court, challenging the ordinance under the First Amen dment. ISSUE Is Baltimore City violating Anheuser-Busch’s First Amendment rights? Holding Niemeyer, Circuit Judge The court held the ordinance constitutional after concluding that â€Å"it directly advances the City’s asserted interest in promoting the welfare and temperance of minors† and is â€Å"narrowly tailored† to that end. We do not believe that the liquor industry spends a million dollars a year on advertising solely to acquire an added market share at the expense of competitors. We hold, as a matter of law, that prohibitions against the advertising of alcoholic beverages are reasonably related to reducing the sale and consumption of those beverages and their attendant problems. It is readily acknowledged that limitations on outdoor advertising of alcoholic beverages designed to protect minors also reduce the opportunities for adults to receive... Free Essays on Case Briefing Free Essays on Case Briefing Anheuser- Busch, Inc., v. Schmoke, Mayor of Baltimore City, 63 F.3d 1305 (1995) United States Court of Appeals FACTS In January 1994, Baltimore exercised the authority granted it by the State and enacted Ordinance 288 prohibiting the outdoor advertising of alcoholic beverages in certain locations of Baltimore City. It also includes an exception permitting advertising in certain commercially and industrially zoned areas. The City Council of Baltimore is basing its ban on the premise that children are exposed to the advertising of alcoholic beverages â€Å"simply by walking to school or playing in their neighborhood†. The City goes on to state that children’s â€Å"attitudes are favorable to alcohol and are significantly related to their exposure to alcohol advertisements†. Anheuser-Busch argues that the purpose of its advertising is to â€Å"solidify brand loyalty and increase market share by shifting adult beer drinkers from other brands to the advertised brand of beer†. On January 14, 1994, filed suit in federal court, challenging the ordinance under the First Amen dment. ISSUE Is Baltimore City violating Anheuser-Busch’s First Amendment rights? Holding Niemeyer, Circuit Judge The court held the ordinance constitutional after concluding that â€Å"it directly advances the City’s asserted interest in promoting the welfare and temperance of minors† and is â€Å"narrowly tailored† to that end. We do not believe that the liquor industry spends a million dollars a year on advertising solely to acquire an added market share at the expense of competitors. We hold, as a matter of law, that prohibitions against the advertising of alcoholic beverages are reasonably related to reducing the sale and consumption of those beverages and their attendant problems. It is readily acknowledged that limitations on outdoor advertising of alcoholic beverages designed to protect minors also reduce the opportunities for adults to receive...

Saying Best and Worst in Spanish

Saying Best and Worst in Spanish Best and worst as adjectives are usually expressed in Spanish using mejor (plural mejores) and peor (plural peores), respectively, preceded by a definite article (el, la, los or las). A few examples: el mejor presidente, the best presidentel mejor ejemplo, the best examplela mejor cmara, the best cameralos mejores estudiantes, the best studentsel peor libro, the worst bookla peor excusa, the worst excuselas peores pelà ­culas, the worst films The definite article is dropped when mejor or peor follows a possessive adjective: mi mejor camisa, my best shirtnuestras mejores decisiones, our best decisionstu peor caracterà ­stica, your worst quality Like most other adjectives, mejor and peor can function as nouns:  ¿Quà © coche es el mejor? Which car is the best?He comprado muchas computadoras, y à ©sta es la peor. I have bought many computers, and this one is the worst. When mejor or peor is functioning as a noun, lo is used as the definite article when mejor or peor refers to no particular noun. In such cases, lo mejor frequently can be translated as the best or the best thing; lo peor frequently can be translated as the worst or the worst thing. A few examples: Lo mejor es olvidar. The best thing is forgetting.Lo mejor es que me voy a casa. The best thing is that Im going home.El amor es lo mejor de lo mejor. Love is the best of the best.Lo peor es cuando haces una pregunta y nadie responde. The worst thing is when you ask a question and nobody answers.Vi lo mejor y lo peor de la humanidad. I saw the best and the worst of humanity. In phrases taking the form the best/worst ... in the ..., the in typically is translated using de: lo mejor coche del mundo, the best car in the worldel mejor presidente de la historia, the best president in historyel peor libro de toda la existencia humana, the worst book in all human existencelas peores pelà ­culas de la serie, the worst movies in the series

Facts About Muscle Tissue

Facts About Muscle Tissue Muscle tissue is made of excitable cells that are capable of contraction. Of all the different tissue types (muscle, epithelial, connective, and nervous), muscle tissue is the most abundant tissue in most animals, including in humans. Muscle Tissue Types Muscle tissue contains numerous microfilaments composed of the contractile proteins actin and myosin. These proteins are responsible for movement in muscles. The three major types of muscle tissue are: Cardiac Muscle: Cardiac muscle is so named because it is found in the heart. Cells are joined to one another by intercalated discs, which allow the synchronization of the heartbeat. Cardiac muscle is branched, striated muscle. The heart wall consists of three layers: epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium. Myocardium is the middle muscular layer of the heart. Myocardial muscle fibers carry electrical impulses through the heart that power cardiac conduction.  Skeletal Muscle: Skeletal muscle, which is attached to the bones by tendons, is controlled by the peripheral nervous system and associated with the bodys voluntary movements. Skeletal muscle is striated muscle. Unlike cardiac muscle, the cells are not branched. Skeletal muscle cells are covered by connective tissue, which protects and supports muscle fiber bundles. Blood vessels and nerves run through the connective tissue, supplying muscle cells with oxygen and nerve impulses that allow for muscle contraction. Skeletal muscle is organized into several muscle groups that work in coordination to perform body movements. Some of these groupings include head and neck muscles (facial expressions, chewing, and neck movement), trunk muscles (moving the chest, back, abdomen, and vertebral column), upper extremity muscles (moving the shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers), and lower extremity muscles (moving the legs, ankles, feet, and toes). Visceral (Smooth) Muscle: Visceral muscle is found in various parts of the body including the blood vessels, the bladder, and the digestive tract as well as in many other hollow organs. Like cardiac muscle, most visceral muscle is regulated by the autonomic nervous system and is under involuntary control. Visceral muscle is also called smooth muscle because it doesnt have cross striations. Visceral muscle contracts slower than skeletal muscle, but the contraction can be sustained over a longer period of time. Organs of the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and reproductive systems are lined with smooth muscle. This muscle can be described as rhythmic or tonic. Rhythmic, or phasic, smooth muscle contracts periodically and spends most of the time in a relaxed state. Tonic smooth muscle remains contracted for the majority of the time and only relaxes periodically. Other Facts About Muscle Tissue Adults have a certain number of muscle cells. Through exercise, such as weight lifting, the cells enlarge but the overall number of cells does not increase. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles because we have control over their contraction. Our brains control skeletal muscle movement. However, reflex reactions of skeletal muscle are an exception. These are involuntary reactions to external stimuli. Visceral muscles are involuntary because, for the most part, they are not consciously controlled. Smooth and cardiac muscles are under the control of the peripheral nervous system.

Qatar sporting legacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Qatar sporting legacy - Essay Example Qatar in a bid to bring out some probable strengths, weaknesses and challenges that characterize the Qatar environment in relation to hosting the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Political: The political aspect of PESTEL analysis evaluates the impact of government policy on a particular business undertaking. Sporting activities of the stature of the FIFA World Cup require the consideration of political stability primarily for security of both the players and the fans, and to ensure that the activities proceed with no interference. Qatar has enjoyed a rather stable political stability. Qatar gained independence from the British in 1976 and has not experienced any major political conflict from within or with the surrounding neighbors Saudi Arabia and Bahrain except for the coup attempt in 1996. The coup attempt surprisingly consolidated the government’s popularity after its failure (Cordesman 2007, p.148). The only political threat in Qatar is an uprising similar to the uprisings observed in the other Arab countries such as Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Before the revolution, Libya was among the key contenders to host the African Cup of Nations 2012. The revolution made it impossible (Gonzalez 2008, p.36). Such an occurrence in Oman or even the probability of such an occurrence might drive away potential organizers of a sporting event and sports tourists for security reasons. Qatar is relatively a religious tolerant country in the region and this tolerance has drawn frowns from Muslim extremists in the regio n who might want to retaliate. In 2007, Qatar allowed for the construction of the first Christian, Hindu and Muslim Churches in the country. However, since 2007 the country has not faced major violent oppositions which imply that the country can still survive as a tolerant country in the midst of extremists. Currently, the government of Qatar has taken significant steps to market the country as a tourism destination and it is obvious that the government will welcome a move

Discussion 1 Week 6 Corporate-level Strategies Assignment

Discussion 1 Week 6 Corporate-level Strategies - Assignment Example The merger could increase tendencies for dependencies between the corporate partners. As such, two examples which would illustrate the manner in which each company would avoid risks of dependency are as follows: (1) one company could replicate a successfully implemented business model in new market segments within the industry (Hill and Jones); and (2) the corporate partner could differentiate its products (or services) by focusing on core competencies which appeal to their clientele. For instance, offering exemplary customer service through acknowledging loyal clients by name recognition or provision of perks and freebies. 2. From e-Activity, determine the fundamental drawbacks associated with horizontal integration. Suggest another corporate-level strategy that could redefine the Southwest business model and thus allow the company to increase its competitive advantage within a changing industry environment. Provide a rationale to support your response. The fundamental drawbacks associated with horizontal integration include being exposed to coming into conflict with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for potential violations of anti-trust laws which undermine fair competition. In addition, customers’ interests and purchasing power could also be jeopardized if major companies within the industry engage in horizontal integration and control or dictate market prices. As such, another corporate-level strategy that could redefine the Southwest business model and allow the company to increase its competitive advantage within the changing airlines industry is the application of vertical integration. Southwest could look into improving scheduling (queuing of airline routes to facilitate speed in the number and volume of flights). The strategy would assist in minimizing costs, as well as improving customer satisfaction through speed within which services

Demographics and Voting Patterns Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Demographics and Voting Patterns - Research Paper Example However, Obama used much of his manpower on the ground and as his winning-formulae (Perry 178). One of his tactics was the demographic voting patterns and he created firm grounds among the African-Americans, Hispanic and women. According to an Associated Press exit poll report, 71 percent of the Hispanics and 93 percent of the African-Americans voted in favor of Obama. Women in particular, helped Obama to win the re-elections. For instance, 55 percent voted in favor of the sitting President compared to 44 percent votes that were in favor of Romney (FEDERATION FOR AMERICAN IMMIGRATION REFORM, â€Å"Immigration and the 2012 Elections†). In October, 2012, the Pew Hispanic Center reported that Hispanic voted for Obama because immigration issues were vital to them. For example, according to an analysis of poll exit, more Latinos voted for President Obama over Romney by 71 percent and 27 percent respectively (Lopez and Taylor, â€Å"Latino Voters in the 2012 Election†). The women issues that attracted them to Obama’s recipe for his campaigns were him addressing the issues of healthcare, education and social amenities (Espo, â€Å"President Obama Wins Second Term in Victory over Mitt Romney†). President Obama.† Boston.com. Retrieved from:

Professional Development and Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Professional Development and Research - Essay Example There is the need to incorporate organizations into research because individually; it is harder to pursue more complex research (Zuber-Skerritt, 1992). It is crucial to have such organizations incorporated into learning institutions because; there is a chance of increasing effectiveness from all quarters. This paper will examine articles that look into the growing career path taken by many, and how it is impacting school cultures. Article by Zuber-Skerritt, Ortrun on Professional development in higher education: A theoretical framework for action research. In this article, the biographer believes that by incorporating educational research and teaching in higher learning institutions, action research has a chance at giving professional development a theoretical framework. This means that different assumptions and theories about learning may be provided from the well-known paradigms of learning, considered by many, traditional. Action research involves the enquiry into different subjec ts, providing the results to the public, and actively participating in problem solving in many fields. The basics for the theoretical framework are provided in this article. It provides the foundation from which action research can build an institution, and help it address most of the issues it faces. Professional development is crucial in the growth and development of an institution. Professionals are likely to find out the best possible areas that need addressing. They can, therefore, provide theories, strategies and methods that build on this framework. Advocating for an action research model may assist education personnel develop an attitude toward problem-solving. Article by Darling-Hammond, Linda on Professional development schools: Schools for developing a profession. A description of recent trends affecting schools is found in this article. The acquisition of knowledge among schools is paid attention to by the author in the article. Schools are keen on getting this knowledge , and sharing it among institutions in their circle. They have one common characteristic; they depend on the collaboration between research practitioners to feed them this knowledge. The structure, function and philosophy that guide the professional development school are covered in the article. Such trends affect the learning environment positively. Research conducted in the same area or locality may provide an avenue for all the education facilitators. This is through sharing ideas about the development and growth of the learning environment. Eventually, this works in pushing for education reforms. The evaluation of professional development is expanding so as to allow for student achievement. This goes a long in promoting the education sector, and not just some its divisions. Training, implementation, and transfer to teacher’s repertoire (adapted from Joyce & Showers, 1995). In this article, cartain theories are presented to the audience. One, if a concept in an area of lea rning is introduced; there is the probability that a high number of people may understand its introduction. This goes for its modelling in the same capacity. However, in both cases, it is next to impossible for the learner to apply most of the skills they gain from such concepts. They tend to grasp little skills from the concepts from theoretical work. In other cases, it is possible for practice and coaching to achieve different results. Those

Call it what ever you like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Call it what ever you like - Essay Example Summary of the conclusions of the article Interpersonal communication has a direct influence on culture development. Open and clear communication between people forms the basis for good and effective public relations. The interpersonal relationships between the politicians have a major influence on the behavioral culture of the voters. The interpersonal communication between politicians serves to depress the voter turnout, through influencing the attitudes of the voters, since the controversy raised by the interpersonal communication affects the informational gains of the voters. The disagreements of the politicians make it hard for the voters to decide which party to support (Hopmann, 265). Thus, it is apparent that interpersonal communication has a direct influence on the culture of the people, based on the techniques and skills applied in the communication. Where there seems to be disagreement and ineffective interpersonal communication between the politicians, which focuses on di screditing each other’s political parties at the expense of disseminating gainful information, there is a tendency to generate a culture of voter apathy (Hopmann, 282). On the other hand, where there is effective interpersonal communication, based on disseminating the individual and party political ideologies to the people, the voter motivation and positive attitude is enhanced. The conflict arising from the controversy of words and the disagreements between the voters serves to cause the disapproval of the voters’ party of choice, which in turn influences the political behavior and political attitudes of the people. Studies have shown that citizens tend to identify with the political network that supports their ideologies and lifestyle (Hopmann, 267). However, the controversy created by the interpersonal communication between the politicians, serves to erode the information gains that such citizens would have reaped from the discussion of the parties’ ideologie s, since the controversy seeks to discredit each other’s party pledges, at the expense of informing the citizens on the ideologies that the parties stands for. The citizens then tend to avoid controversies and thus opt out of the communication tussle between the politicians. Ineffective interpersonal communication is the basis for influencing the social pressure in a negative way. The application of good interpersonal communication skills, which amounts to diverging and disseminating gainful information to the public, constitutes a positive political behavioral attitude towards party and candidates choice decision-making (Hopmann, 278). The ineffective interpersonal communication techniques serve to influence the attitudinal effect of the voter decision and their behavioral effects. Thus the fundamental conclusion of this article is that; the application of poor interpersonal communicational skills and techniques does not only serve to ruin the relationship of the two individ uals holding a conversation, but also the third parties, who may be interested, or affected by the interpersonal relationship in any way (Watzlawick, 57). This draws a parallel relationship between the interpersonal communication and the social context, where the nature of the interpersonal communication applied, and the context where it is applied, has a great influence on the impacts that such a communication is likely to make. Argument in

Contemporary Management Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Contemporary Management Issues - Essay Example The company’ s business is a large-scale business accounting almost all of the country’s natural gas supply and for more than 70% of its crude oil productions (Petroleum Development Oman, 2014). In order to perform its operational activity at more than 5,000 producing wells the company employs about 6  000 people and works with more than 35, 000 contractors (Petroleum Development Oman, 2014). Taking into consideration this type of business and the number of people involved, the company has extremely huge social and environmental responsibility for its activity. There are two key objectives of the assignment. The first one is to provide an overview of the theories of business ethics to stakeholders and critical analysis of how Petroleum Development Oman Llc develops and sustains business ethics and how the company conducts business ethics to its stakeholders (including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, and government). The second objective is to review different elements of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and to provide critical evaluation of the rewards/benefits of CSR obtains the Petroleum Development Oman Llc while implementing CSR. There are many various definitions and interpretations of the term â€Å"business ethics†. One of the most common interpretations is that business ethics or values set the definitions of good and bad, right or wrong in business environment (Payne, & Landry 2006). Further, these definitions become generally accepted standards in the business context (Gavai 2010). Thomas Garrett explains that business ethics is â€Å"concerned primarily with the relationship of business goals and techniques to specific human needs† (cited by Gavai 2010, 4). There are recognized two traditional theories of business ethics: Raiborn and Payne principles and the Kantian analysis (Payne, & Landry 2006). The idea of the

Call it what ever you like Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Call it what ever you like - Essay Example Summary of the conclusions of the article Interpersonal communication has a direct influence on culture development. Open and clear communication between people forms the basis for good and effective public relations. The interpersonal relationships between the politicians have a major influence on the behavioral culture of the voters. The interpersonal communication between politicians serves to depress the voter turnout, through influencing the attitudes of the voters, since the controversy raised by the interpersonal communication affects the informational gains of the voters. The disagreements of the politicians make it hard for the voters to decide which party to support (Hopmann, 265). Thus, it is apparent that interpersonal communication has a direct influence on the culture of the people, based on the techniques and skills applied in the communication. Where there seems to be disagreement and ineffective interpersonal communication between the politicians, which focuses on di screditing each other’s political parties at the expense of disseminating gainful information, there is a tendency to generate a culture of voter apathy (Hopmann, 282). On the other hand, where there is effective interpersonal communication, based on disseminating the individual and party political ideologies to the people, the voter motivation and positive attitude is enhanced. The conflict arising from the controversy of words and the disagreements between the voters serves to cause the disapproval of the voters’ party of choice, which in turn influences the political behavior and political attitudes of the people. Studies have shown that citizens tend to identify with the political network that supports their ideologies and lifestyle (Hopmann, 267). However, the controversy created by the interpersonal communication between the politicians, serves to erode the information gains that such citizens would have reaped from the discussion of the parties’ ideologie s, since the controversy seeks to discredit each other’s party pledges, at the expense of informing the citizens on the ideologies that the parties stands for. The citizens then tend to avoid controversies and thus opt out of the communication tussle between the politicians. Ineffective interpersonal communication is the basis for influencing the social pressure in a negative way. The application of good interpersonal communication skills, which amounts to diverging and disseminating gainful information to the public, constitutes a positive political behavioral attitude towards party and candidates choice decision-making (Hopmann, 278). The ineffective interpersonal communication techniques serve to influence the attitudinal effect of the voter decision and their behavioral effects. Thus the fundamental conclusion of this article is that; the application of poor interpersonal communicational skills and techniques does not only serve to ruin the relationship of the two individ uals holding a conversation, but also the third parties, who may be interested, or affected by the interpersonal relationship in any way (Watzlawick, 57). This draws a parallel relationship between the interpersonal communication and the social context, where the nature of the interpersonal communication applied, and the context where it is applied, has a great influence on the impacts that such a communication is likely to make. Argument in

The Automotive Industry in Mexico and Brazil Essay Example for Free

The Automotive Industry in Mexico and Brazil Essay The automotive industry in Mexico and Brazil is one of the most dynamic business in Latin America, with both countries are disputing the 8th place as the highest car producers in the world [a}. While the production of cars in Mexico is directed to foreign consumption, the Brazilian one is mainly directed to its internal and regional markets. Both countries offer several advantages, such as low labor cost and high qualified personnel, however there are many challenges that must be considered such as pending political reforms and high crime rate in Mexico, and high inflation rate and economic deceleration in Brazil. Whereas, Mexico is better located geographically, Brazil’s potential internal market makes it the best option to invest currently, as long as it has best regulatory conditions and may offer better tax incentives. Whereas a weak local currency may affect the assembly of cars industry in both countries, Brazil’s infrastructure spending is entering a frenzied period [b] to meet its commitments to host the Olympics (2014) and the World Cup (2016), which may contribute to make it a popular destination for Foreign Direct Investment.

Riddells Safe Helmets Marketing Plan

Riddells Safe Helmets Marketing Plan Riddell, the brainchild of John Tate Riddell, has a long and illustrious history of introducing innovative sports equipment. Since 1929 the Riddell Sports has been producing technologically innovative performance equipment aimed at providing athletes efficient safety gear (Riddell, 2012). A wide range of sports equipment is manufactured by Riddell Sports ranging from its most popular product the football helmets to other sports equipment such as shoulder pads, face masks, body pads and helmet chin straps. In 2006 Riddell Bell Holdings and Easton Sports merged their operations forming Easton-Bell Sports (Riddell, 2012). Riddell has been a prominent brand of Easton-Bell Sports ever since 2006 along with its other brands such as Easton, Giro and bell (Riddell, 2012). Football is a tough sport and medical researches prove that there exist strong chances that regular players will suffer from at least one concussion while playing for a school, college or professional football team (Hyde Gengenbach, 2007). Concussion is an injury to brain that is caused by a punch or violent strike on the head (Hyde Gengenbach, 2007). The medical implications of concussion can be mild like suffering from a headache to severe like going into coma. Concussion is a serious problem plaguing American football. Nearly 63,000 students participating in ten different high school sports suffer from mild concussions each year with two-third of them suffer concussions while playing football (Hyde Gengenbach, 2007). Among football players brain injury is the most common cause of death. It is the responsibility of coaches along with the school and college authorities to ensure that athletes are provided proper safety gear for taking part in any sport. Along with this parents an d athletes themselves should take proper steps to prevent any injury which includes use of appropriate head gear, avoiding dangerous on-field practices such as head-on tacking and head shots in hockey (Hyde Gengenbach, 2007). In case of a concussion the athletes should not be allowed to return back to field until they are cleared by a neurologist after a thorough examination for possible brain injuries. The above statistics show that there exists a huge market need for safety sports gear. This need was effectively tapped by Riddell (Riddell, 2012). The Riddell Sports uses a variety of innovative sports technologies to manufacture safety equipment for athletes that helps them in improving their performance on field (Riddell, 2012). Through effective marketing of its sports safety equipment Riddell can ensure it retains the top spot in safety sports equipment manufacturing for many years to come (Riddell, 2012). Below is a detailed marketing plan for Riddell Sports that examines the marketing strategies currently adopted by Riddell and the possible strategies it can adopt for better promotion of its products. SWOT analysis Strengths: The main strengths of Riddell Sports are outlined below. Riddell is one of the leading football helmet suppliers for schools, colleges and professional football teams. Riddell is the official helmet provider of the National Football League (NFL). Low cost manufacturing and assembling facilities along with excellent relationship with suppliers throughout the world. Riddell also provides state of the art reconditioning services for football safety gear and equipment in US that uses cutting edge technologies like Riddell Staph-Fighter to get rid of viruses, bacteria and molds developed inside the sporting gear. Weaknesses: The main weaknesses of Riddell Sports are outlined below. A limited marketing budget to develop consumer brand awareness. Inability to tackle competition from emerging protective football equipment manufacturers such as Schutt and Rawlings. Opportunities: The main opportunities for Riddell Sports are outlined below. An exceptionally motivated product development team that is keen to develop innovative products offering complete safety solutions to athletes. Through optimization of supply chain operational efficiencies can be gained. Football helmet manufacturing remains an extremely lucrative business with sales for safety football gear rising from $308 million in 2009 to almost $327 million in 2010. Threats: The main threats being faced by Riddell Sports are outlined below. Strong performance of Schutt Sports at all levels of football manufacturing grabbing almost 57% of total market share of safety football manufacturing (Brown, 2011). The strong re-emergence of Rawlings after a gap of two decades. In its first year of operations in 2011 it captured about 6%-7% of the market (Brown, 2011). Marketing Plan for Riddell Sports Industry Analysis The sports equipment industry is a very fast growing industry which makes a projected $3 billion a year. According to Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) an estimated 1 million athletes were a part of high school football teams in 2002. These figures point out towards tremendous potential for sales of football related equipment and accessories. Riddell Sports is currently the market leader in football helmet sales closely followed by Rawlings Football, Schutt Sports and Xenith. Target Market Description The target market for football equipment and accessories can be divided into four main groups: Youth league programs focused on young athletes High school students College students Professional athletes Demographics: The target market of Riddell Sports may comprise of both unmarried young men mainly falling in the 9-25 years age bracket to the married men falling in the 25-35 years age bracket. Psychographics: Riddell Sports mainly aims to target men of around 9-35 years of age who play football this is the reason the Riddell Sports advertisements are mainly shown during NFL games when men are most likely to be watching the television. Interest is another common factor in determining psychographic trend, the target market of Riddell Sports takes equal interest in football. The interest level may vary while some may be interested in watching football on television others are more interested in playing on-field, but all are connected by their love for the game. Geographic location: In the US certain geographical areas are well-known for their love for football (Delaney Madigan, 2009). Significant evidence collected over a period of time proves that football is very popular in Texas, Florida and Alabama (Delaney Madigan, 2009). Thus, the Riddell Sports should concentrate all its energies on effectively marketing its football gear in these areas. Marketing Strategy Mix Product Review: Riddell Sports manufactures football helmets and equipment as well as helmets and equipment used in baseball, lacrosse and other team sports (Riddell, 2012). Riddell Sports may be divided into three main product categories among which are described as below: Football helmets: Riddell manufactures varsity football helmets, youth football helmets, football helmet face masks, and football helmet accessories (Riddell, 2012). Shoulder pads: In this category Riddell also manufactures varsity football shoulder pads, junior varsity shoulder pads, youth football shoulder pads (Riddell, 2012). Reconditioning services: Riddell also provides a cleaning and repairing service for helmets in order to repair any broken parts and pass the helmets through a Riddell Staph-Fighter machine in order to completely sanitize the sports equipment and get rid of molds, viruses and bacteria hidden in the sporting gear (Riddell, 2012). The Riddell Staph-Fighter machine has an amazing kill rate of more than 99.99% of the bacteria (Riddell, 2012). Placement: The version of football that closely resembles rugby and requires athletes to wear helmets is more popular in North America and Europe. Thus, the Riddell Sports placement strategy will be more closely focused on targeting the North American market. Pricing: The pricing strategy of Riddell Sports is based on close monitoring of the prices of competitors products and then developing its pricing strategy accordingly. Riddell Sports continuously strives to remain in line with its competitors prices including Rawlings Football, Schutt Sports and Xenith. Price for Riddells football helmets will also be made competitive with substitute products as well. Distribution Strategy: Riddell Sport has worlds most diversified distribution network for helmets used in athletic and recreational activities. Riddell Sports will be distributing its football equipment through a combination of channels such as: Mass merchants Sporting goods stores Independent specialty retailers Positioning Statement Riddell Sports is positioned as the official helmet of the National Football League (NFL). This is a very powerful positioning statement for Riddell since the competitors cannot imitate it as long as the Riddell Sports is the official helmet supplier of the NFL. Another important reason why it is a powerful positioning statement is because the positioning statement is visible to the customers (Reynolds, 2001). During NFL matches they can see the logo of Riddell Sports on the helmets and other safety equipment worn by athletes. Competitor Review: In the US protective football manufacturing equipment market there are three major companies that have the potential and operational and financial ability to snatch market share away from Riddell Sports. These companies are: Schutt Sports: Offering substantial competition to Riddell Sports in the football helmet manufacturing market. Xenith: Offering substantial competition to Riddell Sports in the youth football helmet market, high school football helmet market and college football helmets market. Rawlings Football: Offering substantial competition to Riddell Sports in the football helmet and apparel manufacturing market. Other competitors of Riddell sports include: Diamond Sports: Offering substantial competition to Riddell Sports in the softball and baseball equipment manufacturing market. Douglas Protective Equipment: Offering substantial competition to Riddell Sports in the shoulder pads manufacturing market. Marketing Communication and Promotion Strategies Press Releases: In the marketing communication context press release is a very effective tool for announcing the arrival of a new product or service into the market. Press releases are usually prepared to convey positive information about the organization. The format of a press release is the same whether it is being prepared for radio, television or newspapers. Riddell Sports actively releases press releases announcing the arrival of new products in the market. Some press releases issued by Riddell in recent times are: On December 12, 2011 Riddell Sport released a press statement announcing that it has entered into a exclusive partnership with National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) to educate athletic administrators about latest safety equipment for athletes (Riddell Press Releases, 2012). On January 12, 2012 Riddell Sports announced though a press release that it was acquiring Gunthers Athletic Service; a West Coast company specializing in sales of sporting equipment and uniforms. The press release further mentioned that the strategic move of acquiring Gunthers will help to boast Riddells presence in West Coast (Riddell Press Releases, 2012). On February 14, 2012 Sports announced though a press release that it was renewing its helmet and equipment partnership with USA Football, which is footballs regulating body in the US (Riddell Press Releases, 2012). Consumer Brand Awareness Strategies Billboards: Non-traditional billboards effectively advertising Riddells safe helmets erected in college stadiums, densely populated neighborhoods can help the consumers to identify with the products of Riddell helmets. Magazines: Riddell Sports can prominently advertise its product offerings through major US sports magazines, since these magazines are read by athletes and sports buffs that are more likely to take interest in advertisements related to sports goods and equipment. Magazine based advertising is a very good way to promote sales of a firms goods and products. Prominent sports magazines through which Riddell sports can advertise its product offerings are: Soccer America Sporting News Sports Illustrated Social Media: Contemporary marketing scenario has been taken over by emerging social media channels (Weinberg, 2009). Various social media channels can be used by Riddell Sports for advertisements of its goods and services, some of the many social media channels that can be used by Riddell Sports are: FaceBook YouTube Twitter Pinit Reddit Mixx Delicious Media Strategy Print Advertising: Riddell can increase consumer brand awareness by advertising through various print media channels such as magazines, newspapers, industry periodicals, in-house publication and a direct mail campaign (Hackley, 2010). Event Marketing: Organizations around the world create events that are tied around marketing of their own products (Trehan Trehan, 2007). Riddell Sports can also use various event marketing tactics to increase its customer base, some of these tactics are mentioned below: Organizing promotional events at various schools and colleges where exhibition football matches are held and the winning team is provided free product samples including premium items bearing companys logo for example t-shirts, hats, mugs etc. In addition to this Riddell Sports can also sponsor local art exhibits, music concerts and various other festivals where there are chances that a large number of men and adult boys will be in attendance, since the main target market for Riddell safety helmets are the above mentioned two groups of consumers. At different locations on the event site large banners and signage featuring Riddells products can be erected which would subconsciously work to increase consumer brand awareness. Organizing such events greatly contribute to increasing consumer brand awareness and can be am effective marketing ploy that can reap great benefits for the sponsoring organization if used wisely. Sales Promotion tactics: Sales promotion is one of the most popular tactical weapons available to organizations around the globe which can be effectively utilized to enhance firms distinctive capabilities along with giving the organization a unique edge over its competitors (Hackley, 2010). The Riddell Sports can use various sales promotion strategies to boost firms sales. Some of the most powerful tactics which can be used by an organization are: A great sales promotion tactic can be that of a offer of a price-cut on a prestigious product of the organization. For example Riddell Sports can offer price-cut on its $376.99 The Game Changer brand of helmets or its $248.99 Revolution Speed brand of helmets (Riddell, 2012). Offering customers a free product when they buy a higher priced helmet. For example customers buying one Game Changer helmet worth around $380 would be given a free chin strap worth $8 (Riddell, 2012). Another popular consumer demand pulling marketing tactic can be the use of coupons (Fifield, 2012). Coupons are a very well-known means of offering targeted customers discounts on selected items (Fifield, 2012). In the case of Riddell helmets these coupons can be distributed in magazines, or advertised on the sports page of local newspaper from where it can be cut and presented to nearby retailer carrying Riddell helmets for a discount of a specified item. Coupons may also be distributed through direct mail or in stores and shopping malls. Broadcast media: Broadcast media includes television and radio (Ranchhod, 2007). Organizations across the world use broadcast media for marketing of their products and services because of the ability of this particular medium to reach a large number of people either internationally or nationally (Fifield, 2012). One of the main benefits of broadcast media is its ability to create vivid product messages that are memorable and compelling (Ranchhod, 2007). Riddell Sports also ran one such memorable television commercial during the National Football Leagues Arizona Cardinals vs. Dallas Cowboys game (Riddell, 2012). Worlds Apart Television Commercial: This television commercial was aired in 2011 (Riddell, 2012). The 30 second commercial which featured top-quality Riddell football equipment gave the message that players may represent entirely different football teams but they are same because they are wearing protective gear and helmets made by Riddell (Riddell, 2012). The particular television commercial designed by HeadRush advertising agency received amazing feedback from television viewers across the US (HeadRush Creative, 2011). Celebrity Endorsements: The TEARS (Trustworthiness, Expertise, Physical Attractiveness, Respect, and Similarity to Target Audience) model has been developed to describe the reasons why using a celebrity as an endorser for a firms product can produce a positive impact on the overall sales of the organization (Fifield, 2012). When customers see their favorite celebrity using a product they can easily identify and recall that particular product when they go for shopping (Hackley, 2010). The use of well known celebrities in advertising is a great marketing tool that has been effectively used by Riddell for marketing of its safety sports gear. The Riddell Sports has a long standing history of roping in top of the class athletes for celebrity endorsement of Riddell products. Some of the famous athletes endorsing Riddell products are: Dave Mirra the American BMX athlete who holds the record for winning the highest number of X-games medals endorses Riddell helmets. Tony Hawk also endorses Riddell helmets. He is also famously known as birdman, for his amazing antics using skateboard. Tony Hawk holds the record for being the vertical skateboarding champion for 12 years in a row. Tanner Hall, the legendary American skier also endorses Riddell helmets. Tanner Hall has defined and pushed the limits for freestyle skiing, at the age of 28 years he holds the record for most career gold medals and thus, is a perfect choice for marketing the Riddell helmets.