How to Make a Mini-Flamethrower With Citrus Oil

Are you looking for a way to play with your food and play with fire at the same time? This project is the perfect solution, plus its very, very easy! Citrus Fire Materials Citrus fruit (orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine... you get the idea)Flame, as from a candle Make Citrus Fire! Peel off a strip of citrus fruit.Snap the peel between your fingers, peel side toward the flame. You want to squirt a tiny amount of oil from the peel or rind toward the flame. Ive uploaded a YouTube video so you can see what to expect. How Citrus Fire Works The oil from citrus fruits is volatile and flammable. When you squeeze the oil out of the fruit peel it vaporizes enough that you can flash your flame. It is primarily the D-limonene in the citrus oil that vaporizes and ignites. The flash point of limonene is 50Â °C. Limonene is used as an orange flavoring, a cleaner, and may have use as a biofuel. Disclaimer: Please be advised that the content provided by our website is for EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Fireworks and the chemicals contained within them are dangerous and should always be handled with care and used with common sense. By using this website you acknowledge that ThoughtCo., its parent About, Inc. (a/k/a Dotdash), and IAC/InterActive Corp. shall have no liability for any damages, injuries, or other legal matters caused by your use of fireworks or the knowledge or application of the information on this website. The providers of this content specifically do not condone using fireworks for disruptive, unsafe, illegal, or destructive purposes. You are responsible for following all applicable laws before using or applying the information provided on this website.

Symptoms And Treatment Of Schizophrenia - 1171 Words

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder often characterized by abnormal social behavior and failure to recognize what is real. Common symptoms include false beliefs, unclear or confused thinking, auditory hallucinations, reduced social engagement and emotional expression, and lack of motivation. Diagnosis is based on observed behavior and the person s reported experiences. Genetics and early environment, as well as psychological and social processes, appear to be important contributory factors. Some recreational and prescription drugs appear to cause or worsen symptoms. The many possible combinations of symptoms have triggered debate about whether the diagnosis represents a single disorder or a number of separate syndromes. Despite the†¦show more content†¦Social problems, such as long-term unemployment, poverty, and homelessness are common. The average life expectancy of people with the disorder is ten to twenty five years less than the average life expectancy. Symptoms, individ uals with schizophrenia may experience hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking and speech. The last may range from loss of train of thought, to sentences only loosely connected in meaning, to speech that is not understandable known as word salad. Social withdrawal, sloppiness of dress and hygiene, and loss of motivation and judgment are all common in schizophrenia. There is often an observable pattern of emotional difficulty, for example lack of responsiveness. Impairment in social cognition is associated with schizophrenia, as are symptoms of paranoia. Social isolation commonly occurs. Difficulties in working and long-term memory, attention, executive functioning, and speed of processing also commonly occur. People with schizophrenia fail to accept that they have an illness or their recommended treatment. Know I am going to compare what I believe the process of the schizophrenia with John Nash is during the process of this movie. A Beautiful Mind is an inspiring story about triumph over schizophrenia, among the most devastating and disabling of all mental disorders. A Beautiful Mind succeeds in realistically describing the disturbed thinking, emotion, perception, and behavior

Butterfly Life Cycle Free Essays

A butterfly collector is studying a species of butterfly that has expanded its range into a new area over the last thirty years. The butterflies in the new area feed on a species of flower that has a deeper throat than the flowers exploited by the butterfly species in its original range. The average length of the proboscis that is used to suck nectar from flowers is also greater in butterflies that inhabit the new area. We will write a custom essay sample on Butterfly Life Cycle or any similar topic only for you Order Now The butterfly collector makes a very valid hypothesis saying that the butterflies have adapted and evolved to their surroundings by having longer proboscis. Evolution plays a key role in how animals survive, change and evolve according to their surroundings. It is no surprise that if the flowers grew longer, the butterflies would have to adapt their own body in order to reach the nectar. Once the butterflies adapted this trait to live, it was soon passed on to their offspring until all butterflies had longer proboscises which they needed to have in order to survive and live. Also since it was a new area where these flowers were, it is no surprise that the butterflies had to adapt to a new flower. Animals and humans adapt to their surroundings to make life easier to live. Another reason for why the butterflies had a longer proboscis could be because over time the butterflies evolved to have different organs in their bodies to be able to fight off different kind of prey and over time more and more butterflies adapted this trait. Also, over time the butterflies with this trait could use it to collect nectar from these different types of flowers that other butterflies couldn’t which made them the stronger butterflies and the other type slowly died off, only leaving butterflies with bigger proboscises alive. How to cite Butterfly Life Cycle, Essay examples

Wynn Resort free essay sample

So, Wynn can enter into new market where social norms are positively changing in favor of the company. As few competitors are merging and changing its target market from high-end customers to middle-class gamblers, this could result in additional revenues for Wynn as these high-end customers may switch to Wynn for higher-class amenities. If other countries of the World allow such licenses as allowed by China (Macau), then there would be an enormous growth opportunity for Wynn, as Wynn has giant experience in the business and have strong customer base.If the Chinese government loosens its restrictions on travel and currency movement for Chinese citizens, tourism to Macau will grow, and profit potential for Wynn resorts will increase. Threats Increased global and local competition becomes great concern for Wynn resorts to sustain its high brand image to attract new customers and retain â€Å"whale†, customers. In the resort casino industry, the ability to find land and licenses in legal areas is very difficult because many countries have strict regulations about gaming resorts. We will write a custom essay sample on Wynn Resort or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This can be a barrier to expand their business by entering in new markets.The concession period for Wynn in Macau will expire in June, 2017 at which time Macau government has the right to take over the operation of the company By doing business in Macau, which is an emerging market, there are significant amount of political, economic and social risks for Wynn Macau. In Macau, the company needs to pay tax on gross gaming revenue, not on net income. They have to pay tax for the gross revenue even if the income is not earned, this happens when Wynn fails to collect gaming debts from its customers. Moreover, they have to pay tax even if they incur loss from operation in a given year.United States introduced stricter visa and passport requirement due to possible terrorisms after terrorist attack in September 11, 2001. Therefore, they are losing prospective customers from around the globe. Business Strategy Wynn Resorts’ business level strategy is focused differentiation with an emphasis on customer responsiveness. It caters to high-rollers who are comfortable spending large amounts of money at casinos and want the best. Wynn Resorts has developed services that provide them with the ultimate in personalized attention including complimentary use of luxury cars and lavish suites.Wynn Resorts’ provides the feeling of exclusivity and offering intimacy and privacy to its customers. Wynn Resorts forgoes other customer segments to service only the high-end customers,  focusing on niche marketing strategy. Steve Wynn is personally involved in all aspects of floor operations including the concept of tip-pooling, an incentive system for dealers to become supervisors. His presence on the floor motivates employees to perform at their best, and allows him to model his vision of  customer responsiveness to his employees. His presence keeps employees honest, hard-working, and engenders their trust.Steve Wynn pays close attention to his best and frequent customers, knowing them by name and remembering personal details. He uses his passion to build loyalty from both customers and employees. Wynn Resorts’ incentive system, especially tip-pooling, provides incentives to experienced dealers to become supervisors, and provide the best service to their customers to earn higher compensation. Corporate Strategy Wynn’s mission is: â€Å"A commitment to providing an elegant environment, high quality amenities, a superior level of service and distinctive attractions for our customers. †

Marilyn Manson Essays - Marilyn Manson, Ginger Fish, John 5

Marilyn Manson Hey Mr. Superstar This band is a twist of Iggy Pop, KISS, and Alice Coopper. Starting in south Florida as a small industrial Goth band, Marilyn Manson has changed the main stream music of today. They have come to be a leader and paved the way for other shock-rock bands. Just coming out with his fifth album this week, he will continue reaching out to rebellious teenagers that need some sort of support. Marilyn Manson has been hitting charts because of their songs and lyrics, show performances, and public attention. One of the reasons why Marilyn Manson is famous today is because of their undefined musically talents. They are a five piece band which includes singer Marilyn Manson, lead guitarist Twiggy Ramirez, bassist John5, drummer Ginger Fish, and on keyboards M.W. Gacy. Each member has been playing music since childhood. Putting these musician's talents and creative minds together they have accomplished more than most bands around. Unlike many artists today Manson with help from Ramarize writes and produces all songs that go onto thier albums. Their lyrics are very skillfully written so that they will attract public attention and listeners. Manson gets lyrics from his personal thoughts and tragedies that happen around him. On their bands fourth album he wrote about his girlfriends drug addiction in a song called Coma White, A pill to make you numb, A pill to make you dumb, A pill to make you anybody else, But all the drugs in this world won't save her from herself. In this new album called H olywood, Manson was inspired by the violence he see in entertainment and how it is affecting children and the world. Touring the world, visiting countries across the globe, and selling out concerts have been the role of Marilyn Manson since they became popular with the public in the mid nineties. The band works hard to entertain their fans with new and outrageous performances. Most of their earnings from touring and album sales go into the performances and live shows they do. Their performance is a show to remember. In last year's sold-out tour, Dead to The World, had Manson doing over seven costume changes, stage explosions, a burning cross, wide screen televisions, and large amounts of glitter poured onto the crowd. With over a hour long performances filled with entertainment, speeches, and music. Their show is like no other shock-rock artist of today. Another reason why Marilyn Manson keeps on the top of the charts is because of his public attention. Even when he is not turning out records or running his music videos, the media seems to still keep him at a focus point. The publicity that he gets from reports saying negative rumors just seems to help him with selling albums and concert tickets. The anti-Marilyn Manson fans appear to have something to say about him and his acts. They start rumors to trash the shock rock band by telling media that they kill animals, throw puppies into the crowd at concerts, and even say that he pours pigs blood on the audience of his concerts. Yet this does not stop young rebellious teenagers from attending. Even politician Joe Lieberman suggested that Marilyn Manson's music was responsible for the shooting at Columbine, when in fact the shooters for the high school killing did not listen to their music. A big part of being Marilyn Manson is attracting fans, pushing the limits, and finding new ways to shock and appall people. Yes, many older generations do not agree with what they are putting out and think that it is rock trash, but then why is the band topping charts, and why is it that they can go to any country and sell out concerts with a weeks notice? Maybe because some people believe in what he is saying and that some people actually do like his music.

Great Rift Valley - Crack in the Planets Crust

Great Rift Valley - Crack in the Planet's Crust The Rift Valley of eastern Africa and Asia (sometimes called the Great Rift Valley [GRV] or East African Rift system [EAR or EARS]) is an enormous geological split in the crust of the earth, thousands of kilometers long, up to 125 miles (200 kilometers) wide, and between a few hundred to thousands of meters deep. First designated as the Great Rift Valley in the late 19th century and visible from space, the valley has also been a great source of hominid fossils, most famously in Tanzanias Olduvai Gorge. Key Takeaways: Great Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley is a huge fracture in the crust of the earth in the eastern part of Africa.  Crustal rifts are found all over the world, but the one in East Africa is the largest.  The rift is a complex series of faultlines that runs from the Red Sea down into Mozambique.The Lake Turkana basin in the rift region is known as the Cradle of Mankind and has been a source of hominid fossils since the 1970s.A 2019 paper suggests that the Kenyan and Ethiopian rifts are evolving into one single oblique rift.   The Rift Valley is the result of an ancient series of faults, rifts, and volcanoes deriving from the shifting of tectonic plates at the junction between the Somalian and the African plates. Scholars recognize two branches of the GRV: the eastern half- which is that piece north of Lake Victoria that runs NE/SW and meets the Red Sea; and the western half- running nearly N/S from Victoria to the Zambezi river in Mozambique. The eastern branch rifts first occurred 30 million years ago, the western 12.6 million years ago. In terms of rift evolution, many parts of the Great Rift Valley are in different stages, from pre-rift in the Limpopo valley, to initial-rift stage at the Malawi rift; to typical-rift stage in the northern Tanganyika rift region; to advanced-rift stage in the Ethiopian rift region; and finally to oceanic-rift stage in the Afar range. That means the region is still quite tectonically active: see Chorowicz (2005) for much more detail concerning the ages of the different rift regions. Geography and Topography The East African Rift System stretches from the Red Sea to Mozambique. It is marked by the African Great Lakes and is currently the largest rift of the world. S. Brune; Kartengrundlage: Nasa-World-Wind The Eastern African Rift Valley is a long valley flanked by uplifted shoulders that step down to the central rift by more or less parallel faults. The main valley is classed as a continental rift, extending from 12 degrees north to 15 degrees south of our planets​ equator. It extends a length of 3,500 km  and intersects major portions of the modern countries of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, and Mozambique and minor portions of others. The width of the valley varies between 30 km to 200 km (20-125 mi), with the widest section at the northern end where it links to the Red Sea in the Afar region of Ethiopia. The depth of the valley varies across eastern Africa, but for most of its length it is more than 1 km (3280 feet) deep and at its deepest, in Ethiopia, it is over 3 km (9,800 ft) deep. The topographical steepness of its shoulders and the depth of the valley have created specialized microclimates and hydrology within its walls. Most rivers are short and small within the valley, but a few follow the rifts for hundreds of kilometers, discharging into deep lake basins. The valley acts as a north-south corridor for the migration of animals and birds  and inhibits east/west movements. When glaciers dominated most of Europe and Asia during the Pleistocene, the rift lake basins were havens for animals and plant life, including early hominins. History of the Rift Valley Studies Following on the mid- to late-19th-century work of dozens of explorers including the famous David Livingstone, the concept of an East African rift fracture was established by Austrian geologist Eduard Suess, and named the Great Rift Valley of East Africa in 1896 by British geologist John Walter Gregory. In 1921, Gregory described the GRV as a system of graben basins which included the valleys of the Red and Dead Seas in western Asia, as the Afro-Arabian rift system. Gregorys interpretation of the GRV formation was that two faults had opened up and a central piece dropped down forming the valley (called a graben). Since Gregorys investigations, scholars have re-interpreted the rift as the result of multiple graben faults organized over a major fault line at the plate juncture. The faults occurred in time from the Paleozoic to Quaternary eras, a time span of some 500 million years. In many areas, there have been repeated rifting events, including at least seven phases of rifting over the past 200 million years. Paleontology in the Rift Valley In the 1970s, paleontologist Richard Leakey designated the East African Rift region as the Cradle of Mankind, and there is no doubt that the earliest hominids- members of the Homo species- arose within its boundaries. Why that happened is a matter of conjecture, but may have something to do with the steep valley walls and microclimates created within them. The interior of the rift valley was isolated from the rest of Africa during the Pleistocene ice age  and sheltered freshwater lakes located in savannahs. As with other animals, our early ancestors may have found refuge there when the ice covered much of the planet and then evolved as hominids within its tall shoulders. An interesting study on the genetics of frog species by Freilich and colleagues showed that the valleys micro-climates and topography are at least, in this case, a biogeographic barrier that resulted in the splitting of the species into two separate gene pools. It is the eastern branch (much of Kenya and Ethiopia) where much of the paleontological work has identified hominids. Beginning about 2 million years ago, barriers in the eastern branch eroded away, a time which is coeval (as much as that clock can be called co-eval) with the spread of Homo species outside of Africa. Rift Evolution Analysis of the rift reported by German geologist Sascha Brune and colleagues in March 2019 (Corti et al. 2019) suggests that although the rift began as two overlapping disconnected rifts (Ethiopian and Kenyan), the lateral offset that lies in the Turkana depression has evolved and continues to evolve into a single oblique rift.   In March of 2018, a great crack measuring 50 feet wide and miles long opened up in the Suswa area of southwestern Kenya. Scientists believe the cause was not a sudden recent shift of the tectonic plates, but rather the abrupt erosion to the surface of a long-standing subsurface crack that developed over thousands of years. Recent heavy rains caused the soil to collapse over the crack, exposing it to the surface, rather like a sinkhole.  Ã‚   Selected Sources Blinkhorn, J., and M. Grove. The Structure of the Middle Stone Age of Eastern Africa. Quaternary Science Reviews 195 (2018): 1–20. Print.Chorowicz, Jean. The East African Rift System. Journal of African Earth Sciences 43.1–3 (2005): 379–410. Print.Corti, Giacomo, et al. Aborted Propagation of the Ethiopian Rift Caused by Linkage with the Kenyan Rift. Nature Communications 10.1 (2019): 1309. Print.Deino, Alan L., et al. Chronology of the Acheulean to Middle Stone Age Transition in Eastern Africa. Science 360.6384 (2018): 95–98. Print.Freilich, Xenia, et al. Comparative Phylogeography of Ethiopian Anurans: Impact of the Great Rift Valley and Pleistocene Climate Change. BMC Evolutionary Biology 16.1 (2016): 206. Print.Frostick, L. Africa: Rift Valley. Encyclopedia of Geology. Eds. Cocks, L. Robin M. and Ian R. Plimer. Oxford: Elsevier, 2005. 26–34. Print.Sahnouni, Mohamed, et al. 1.9-Million- and 2.4-Million-Year-Old Artifacts and Stone Tool-Cutmarked Bones from Ain Boucherit, Algeria. Science 362.6420 (2018): 1297–301. Print. Simon, Brendan, et al. Deformation and Sedimentary Evolution of the Lake Albert Rift (Uganda, East African Rift System). Marine and Petroleum Geology 86 (2017): 17–37. Print.

Present your argument evaluation and counterargument Essay

Present your argument evaluation and counterargument - Essay Example s, the factors which forms and orients a intelligence includes heredity or genetic or natural factors, which will be imbued when the child is born, and the other being environmental or nurturing factors, which can tune the child as he/she grows up. One argument is that heredity or genetics ‘naturally’ establishes the basic foundation of ones intelligence particularly the physical aspects needed for intelligence and then will function as the â€Å"blueprint† for the further development of the individual’s intelligence. However, the counter-argument is that the environmental or nurturing factors such as cultural, social, situational, and many more factors mainly influences the child’s development and the evolution of intelligence. So, focusing on this Nature vs. Nurture debate, the discussion will be about how nurture plays the crucial role in developing and orienting intelligence than nature. Hereditary or the genetic transmission of certain physical characteristics from the parents determines the physical part of an individual’s intelligence and thereby personality. That is, as the child is born, it will inherit the physical components needed for intelligence especially brain as well as other genetic materials which will be exhibited in the DNA of the offspring. So, just as the child will inherit certain physical features like eyes, color, height, hair, and others, the child could also inherit the genetic materials, which have made their parents or even their ancestors intelligent. This focus on nature being the reason for intelligence was first started in the late 1800’s, coinciding and consistent with the scientific discoveries made by Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin regarding the role of inheritance as well as natural selection. The first prominent contributor for this psychological perspective was Francis Galton, who in his book "Hereditary Genius: It s Laws and Consequences† focused on how intelligent and talented individuals naturally tend to

This for East Asian paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

This for East Asian paper - Essay Example The country has a population of more than 1.35 million with 22 provinces, two special administrative states, Macau and Hong Kong and four directly controlled states which are Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Tianjin. The country is the second biggest nation in the world as computed by the land area covered with an area of 9.6 million square kilometers. The selected topic is considered to be relevant and suitable for study because of the tremendous growth that China has experienced over the years, the complexities inherent to the country and the impressive strategies used by the country to deal through the various economic fractures and downturns faced by it over the years of its existence. The word Chinese refers to anything that is related to the country China and its people, culture, ethnicity or language. Chinese from the perspective of an individual refers to any person who is an inhabitant or resident of China or an individual who belongs to the Chinese ancestry. Chineseness refers to the state of having the unique characteristics pertaining to China including its culture, ethnicity, language, political and social aspects etc. (Leutner 404). The culture of China is one of the oldest cultures in the history of the world. The significant components of the Chinese culture are music, architecture, martial arts, religion, ceramics, visual arts and cuisine. The culture of China is dominant over wide geographical regions in the eastern parts of China. The traditions and customs of China vary greatly in towns, cities and provinces. The traditional culture of China is spread over wide geographical territories in which each region is divided into separately identifiable sub cultures. Each of these regions is represented by at least three ancestral components related to the ancient Chinese customs and traditions. For example, ancient cities like Guangdong

Three reasons why Adolf Hitler is the Epitomy of Evil Research Paper

Three reasons why Adolf Hitler is the Epitomy of Evil - Research Paper Example First, Hitler was evil because he started wars and no one could trust him. Second, because he was an anti-Semite responsible for the Holocaust and deaths of millions of people in concentration camps. And third, because he believed he was right and everyone should listen to him, and as a genius all children should be indoctrinated with his thinking. These three reasons will be further explored in this essay. Hitler was a war leader because he chose to start wars everywhere in Europe. He was deluded if he thought that other people were starting wars against him. His surprise attack on the Soviet Union is a good example of this. Every time he made an agreement with someone he broke it. He was a war leader by choice. He loved war and wanted it to start everywhere. He knew that Russia was never an easy place to invade and that the brutal winters made it very hard to hold ground there. But he decided to invade anyway. The lives of his soldiers meant nothing to him—a very evil positi on for a commander-in-chief. Hitler thought his invasion of the Soviet Union could be complete within a few months, but he overestimated the speed and equipment at the disposal of the Wehrmacht. At Stalingrad, the Soviet army delayed the Germans long enough to effectively freeze them out and encircle the Sixth Army—a devastating blow. ... He became detached from reality and refused to listen to advice about anything. Finally, perhaps Hitler's most evil as a war leader was not seeking to surrender when it was clear that he had lost the war. If he had chosen to surrender unconditionally the allies, he would have saved millions of lives. The last months of the war were very bloody and they required the Allies to fight for every last inch of territory. He might even have been able to come up with a conditional surrender—although it was against the Allies policy dictated at Casablanca—had he been willing to step down. Nothing was gained by fighting to the last man except the total destruction of his own country. This was a terrible, culminating show of his evil being. Hitler's beliefs marked him out as an evil individual. Hitler believed that all Jews were different than Germans (Langer, 54). He wanted Germans to fit into the Aryan ideal and to be blue-eyed and blonde-haired. He desired a people that did not look at all Semitic. To Hitler, Jews could be detected by their appearance. This was another example of his anti-Semitism which led to the Holocaust. He thought that people who were different than him should die. He arranged for death camps to be built to house and kill people he felt were inferior such as gypsies, communists, homosexuals, and Jews. These people were often marginalized in German society, but Hitler wanted to blame all of Germany's troubles on them. He went to extreme lengths to ensure they were killed and their existence wiped off the face of the planet. It is hard to conceive of a more evil act. Another evil example that Hitler personified was indoctrinating young people into his evil way of thinking. Hitler definitely thought that young people should indoctrinated early

Brand loyalty

Brand loyalty INTRODUCTION Brand loyalty is the preference of the consumer to buy a particular brand in a specific product category. Brand loyalist have the following mindset: I am committed to this brand, I am willing to pay a higher price for this brand over other brands and I will recommend this brand to other (Giddens, 2002). Greater loyalty leads to numerous benefits such as an improved market share, decline in marketing cost and improved opportunities for brand extension to name a few (Martin evans). The Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic research determined that in December 2007 the U.S. economy reached its peak in economic activities. The peak marked the end of the expansion period that began in November 2001 and the start of the recession episode. Recession is a considerable decline in all economic activity which affects employment, production and real income spread over the economy. The recession has forced many consumers to prioritise and cut back spending. But how will consumers cut back and by how much, will vary immensely by brand and by category. The money consumers spend on various brands in different product categories would vary person to person but one thing that remains constant is that each one evokes a set of positive feelings like powerful, confident, young, happy, stylish etc. Consequently, for a brand to do well in an economic downturn, it is vital for the brand to do more than just satisfy a need or service. It must create and maintain an emotional connection with its customers which would induce positive feelings in them and hence the consumer will keep coming back for more (Isakovich, 2008). In this regard, this research proposal would answer a few questions regarding the effects of recession on brand loyalty of consumers in the U.S. Firstly, how store brands have become more popular than name brands in supermarkets. Lastly, how luxury brands have benefitted even through recession. The structure of the proposal would include methodology, its literature review, research techniques, research time-table and a conclusion. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Research methodology is a system of principles and methods of procedure followed by a researcher of any discipline. There are several paradigms of research methodology. The most quoted definition of paradigm is Thomas Kuhns (1962, 1970) concept in The Nature of Science Revolution, i.e. paradigm as the underlying assumptions and intellectual structure upon which research and development in a field of inquiry is based. The main components of a paradigm are ontology, epistemology and methodology. Under these comes the comparative study of different approaches like positivism, interpretivism and critical theory. Ontology is reality and the state of being. It is how things exist in the world. It is how we view objects in studies (Lecture 2). Reality can be subjective or objective. For example are people with free will wholly responsible for their actions or is life predetermined by situations. Subjectivists believe that something comes into existence only when one experiences it and gives it meaning. They believe that people have their own beliefs assumptions and perceptions so they experience realities in different ways. While objectivists consider that reality is independent of those who exist in it. From their point of view people react to situations in a predictable way since their behaviour is a part of the material world these can be determined by causes (Hatch, 2006). There are a few assumptions which have to be explained in order to carry out this research: Store brands also include private-label brands Luxury brands are the companies which sell true luxury commodities. In this study hypermarkets are also taken into account. Recession is still prevalent but the economy is improving so the study is of when it was at its worst. Brand loyalty will be restored to its original state once consumers have disposable income to spend. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge in which we study how we know the world (Lecture 2). It basically investigates and answers questions like how do people generate knowledge? How do we discriminate knowledge (for example: good from bad or valid from invalid)? How should reality be represented? Epistemology and ontology is interlinked since answers to these questions help to forge and depend on ontological assumptions (Hatch, 2006). Epistemology can be of two categories either positivist or interpretivist. Positive Epistemology is the search of accurate representation which is objective in nature (Lecture 2). It assumes one can learn about what actually happens in organizations by categorizing and scientifically measuring the behaviour of individuals and systems. They generate knowledge by gathering data and analysing it, then develop hypotheses and propositions and finally test these against the external reality to see if they are accurate (Hatch, 2006).Positivists use more of t he quantitative methods like questionnaires and surveys. Based on these methods they derive theoretical models for factual explanations. Interpretivist believe that there are multiple and subjective interpretations of the world. This means that there can be numerous understandings and interpretations of reality. Interpretive epistemology helps us to apply methods designed to understand meanings made by others and how they come to make these meanings (Hatch, 2006). The third approach is critical theory which is governed by conflicting, underlying structures -political, social, economic, ethnic, gender. Individuals can reconstruct their world by way of action and critical reflection (Voce, 2004). Methodology is figuring out how can the researcher go about finding out whatever she/he believes can be known (Guba, 1994). There are basically two ways or carrying out research Quantitative and Qualitative. According to ontology and epistemology the methodology is chosen. So if the ontology is objective then epistemology will be positivist and methodology will be quantitative. So in positivism quantitative methods are used like surveys, questionnaires and quantitative analysis. Positivists need more data and large samples to prove their study. But if the ontology is subjective then epistemology will be interpretivist and methodology will be qualitative. Interpretivists use qualitative methods like case studies, interviews and ethnographic style of investigation. Here researchers can lose context with large samples. Many researchers combine both quantitative and qualitative methods in one study this is known as the triangulation approach. This research proposal would be positivistic. The objects here would be independent from the external environment. Brand loyalty in customers is based on consumer behaviour which is predictable. In recession, since the disposable income of consumers have reduced it is very obvious that consumers will shift to cheaper brands in the short term. This brings brand loyalty down for the commodity or service. The research questions specifically are how store brands have become more popular than name brands and how luxury brands have benefitted through recession also. Addressing the first question it is based on consumer preferences which can be studied using quantitative methods. For example: does Mr.Simon prefer brand A over brand B in toothpastes? These results are quantifiable and are objective. Since we are addressing the issue of recession in the U.S., we have to keep in mind and study the product type as well since luxury brands did well in these times. Since luxury brands are bought by the wealthy, these brands did well. Not that the rich were not affected by recession but there are several reasons (discussed in the literature review) that the rich could not keep away from these brands. The behaviour of the affluent is predictable and one of the major causes luxury brands are flourishing. LITERATURE REVIEW A study released by Boston Consulting Group on 30th April, 2008 indicated that 73% of Americans said that they intended to cut down on spending in the next twelve months. In reality, spending has been on a steady drop each month since July 2008 (Bureau of Economics Analysis, 2008).The significance of brands for consumers in the U.S. has been continuously declining. Only 27% of Americans said they were ready to trade up for a superior brand (McGregor, 2008). Research denotes that the less personal the commodity, the lower the need to stay loyal to a particular brand (Isakovich, 2008). This research will cover two broad product categories which are household items and luxury goods. Due to the recession, one way consumers are cutting back on spending is by substituting more expensive name brands with less expensive store or private label alternatives (Isakovich, 2008). This is mostly seen in supermarkets since consumer have a wide variety of name and store products to choose from. Retailers are also sensing shopper experimentation. Supermarkets like Safeway Inc. and Kroger Co. recorded that sales of their store brands were on the rise. In this economy, customers are much more willing to try a private-label item, and were seeing signs that this is happening more and more as the year progresses, Kroger CEO David Dillon said on a conference call (Brown, 2008). Thomas Falk (CEO) of Kimberly -Clark Corp noted that the companys once famous potty training which used to be one of the biggest sales growth products in the baby aisle has reduced in it sales and consumers now prefer diapers since the diaper is less expensive (Brown, 2008). Mintel International, a market research company by interviewing 3000 customers found out that 40% of primary household shoppers said they would buy store brand paper because it is cheaper than national brands. This is one product category where consumer strictly trade for budgetary reasons. Paper napkin, facial tissue and paper towels suffered the sharpest declines in the past year though toilet paper did well (Brown, 2008). Laundry habits were another sector in which change in consumption patterns was seen. Consumers shifted to cheaper detergents and softeners this is a rare shift since it is one of the most brand loyal among product categories (Brown, 2008).According to Nielson Co. private label soaps and other bath products did very well and were up by 23% and skin care products was up by 16%. It is obvious that lower incomes consumers were hit the most and reacted to changes quickly by changing to store brands. Upper income consumers have also started reacting to prices. According to a survey conducted by IRI consumers with household incomes of $100,000 are making considerable changes. A report Shopper in crisis found that upper -income consumers had reduced spending on nonessential groceries by 41%. In another IRI survey of 1000 respondents of all income levels, 52% of consumers said they try to make personal -care items last longer and a quarter of them share these products with household members (Brown, 2008). Nielson reported from late November 2008 that private label brands grew in the U.S. to $81 billion that would a 10% growth from 2007 (Wong, 2008). This study also reported that 72% of respondents viewed private label brands while 62% viewed store brands as good alternatives to name brands (Wong, 2008). There is empirical evidence that consumers have shifted to private label or store brands and have become more loyal to name brands. In numerous of product categories people often buy the same products or brands repeatedly either as several purchases or on the same purchase, For example groceries, we buy them week after week but that does not show our loyalty towards the brands. Consumers are brand loyal when even if a cheaper option is available the consumer would still be committed to a brand due to trust (Martin evans). Riechheld (1988) argued that repeat purchasing pattern of a consumer cannot be called loyalty. Since here consumers are forgoing trust and accepting a lower quality product and are willing to change to a less expensive alternate. This aspect of research should be analysed as well. This one of the drawback of this research whether repeat purchasing behaviour can be called brand loyalty or not. The marketing and branding are very different for luxury commodities compare to household commodities. As for luxury goods their business plan places trust designer and his artistic vision and anticipates that it will lure customers. There are several reasons why consumers purchase luxurious brands. Some of which is uniqueness of the brand /product, materialistic attitude of the consumer, quality associated with the brand, functional advantages and financial associations with luxury product (Shukla, 2009). The rich tend to fly towards quality this is reason that luxury brands will survive the recession specially the ones with heritage and a strong identity (Fellowes, 2008). The rich continue to spend on private jets, boats, cars, art, jewellery and beautiful garments. This is because they are used to it but now during recession they will buy carefully and ensure value for their money. Prince and associates, a consulting company conducted a recent survey which saw that consumers worth more than $10million including assets intended to increase their expenditure this year on luxury goods but those with less than that will cut back (Sullivan, 2007). In these times of recession it is important that we differentiate between affordable luxury and true luxury. The affordable luxury sector especially cars, travel, perfumes and clothing which have been hit by recession. Since the broader market is subdued, as middle-income consumers have deserted luxury brands which they used to buy during the good times. This is why profits of the affordable luxury companies have significantly dropped (Clark, 2009). The Companies which come under true luxuries have actually flourished even during recession. Since only a few individuals have cash to spare they look for genuine luxury and not something everyone can own (Clark, 2009). These brands have to have an image of exclusivity and qual ity but at the same time they should achieve enough scale to be profitable. Brand like these have very glamorous stores and boutiques, their goods are never crammed into sales racks or sold at discount stores. Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Rolls-Royce are a few of the companies which did well even in the face of recession. According to the Top 100 Most Powerful Brands, Louis Vuitton tops the luxury category with a enormous brand value of $19.4 billion and following behind is Hermes at $7.86 billion (Sherman, 2009). Despite the Automotive industry not doing well in recession but the luxurious car manufacturer Rolls-Royce accounted a 20% increase in sales for the year 2008. According to the company it sold 1010 cars in 2007 compared to 1212 cars in 2008 (Clark, 2009). Providing Empirical evidence and conceptual understanding it now clear that all luxury commodities did not flourish during the economic downturn. It was only the very exclusive and unique brands that were successful. Other mid-market retailers of luxury brands did not abide by this and reduced their prices. For example Saks Fifth Avenue went on a price cut rampage last fall, offering 70% discount on several high-end brands. But stores like Louis Vuitton remained at full price. Strategies should be implemented but in such a way that the exclusivity of the brand should not be lost whether in good or bad times. RESEARCH METHODS Research methodology and research methods are interlinked because methodology determines which methods to use quantitative or qualitative. In reference with this research proposal, ontology is objective which makes epistemology; positivism therefore the methodology used here would be Quantitative. Research questions under consideration are firstly, how store brands have become more popular than name brands in supermarkets and lastly, how luxury brands have benefitted even through recession. Both have a positivistic approach, so to investigate this topic, more of quantitative methods will be used. Usually both quantitative and qualitative methods are combined in order to get the fuller picture. Methodology can be only one but methods can vary. In this study of how brand loyalty was affected in the U.S. due to recession, several research methods can be used. Some of which are interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus groups, case studies, observation, laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling. Interviews can be structured, semi-structured or unstructured. In structured the question are preset, in semi-structured the some questions are preset the rest are spontaneous and in unstructured there are no preset questions only a framework of the research questions. Structured Interviews are more quantitative in nature. Questionnaires and survey are also quantitative method of research. These have open or close ended questions which individuals answer. There are various mediums to do a survey via mail or telephone or face to face. Written questionnaires and surveys have a coding system to analyse their results. Laboratory experiments and mathematical modelling are also quantitative methods. Case-studies and observations ar e qualitative methods. Being a positivist study, the research methods which will be employed will be structured interviews and Questionnaires. Structured interviews will be used to answer the first research question on store brands and Questionnaires will be utilized for the second research question on luxury brands. To test whether store or private label brands did better than name brands in supermarkets structured interviews would be planned with supermarket giants in the U.S. A representative of the market research team would be interviewed in order to gain insights and facts into this topic. Using questionnaires for this topic would be difficult because there is a very huge market to cover since lower, middle and upper income consumers reacted during recession. These interviews will be structured and through the telephone (convenient and less time consuming). There will be five supermarkets involved Aldi, Costco, Kroger, Safeway and Wal-mart supercenters. Interviewers will be informed that where their information will be used and all the necessary background information will be given beforehand. The length of the interview will be merely 20 minutes. There will be four questions asked. For example: has the market share of their store brand increased? According to them the cause of this increa sed popularity? Which products were doing very well as store brands? What does the future hold for name brands endorsed in their respective supermarkets? There will be one open ended question at the end of the interview. If possible within the level of confidentiality secondary data supporting the information just given will be requested for. This would help since there will be a back up of empirical evidence. Questionnaires will be utilized to prove that the brand loyalty of luxury brands in U.S. consumers was intact during recession. These questionnaires will be sent out to consumers and their families worth more than ten million dollars including assets. Since the range is so restrictive in money matters there will be no age barrier. This Questionnaire will let us know that whether the ultra wealthy are ready to spend on true luxury brands or not. These Questionnaires will be emailed to suitable candidates. Assuming the response rate of questionnaires is only 20%, 5000 questionnaires will have to be sent out in order to get 1000 respondents. There will be very little cost associated with these questionnaires. The Questionnaire will provide clear instructions for respondents and will state the purpose and aims of the study. Respondents will not have to disclose their names but they will have to disclose their age and income. There will be an income and age bracket which they will have to place themselves in at the end of the questionnaire. There would be a code to analyse results since there will be there will be all multiple choice questions. There will be one question in the end which will not be a multiple choice and the respondents will have to express their views. Examples of questions would be: Do you feel brand loyal towards any luxurious brand? Do you still purchase these brands? What is the average price range you would spend annually on these brands? How often do you purchase products from these brands? Why are you loyal to these brands? Other than the last question all other questions are multiple choice questions. There are several problems which one can face with these research methods. Structured interviews may be expensive and time consuming. It is open to manipulation in answers by the interviewer. It might be also difficult to summarise findings. Interviewing giants can be a problem because they might not want to disclose information regarding their brand because of several reasons. A questionnaire has its own set of problems. They have a very low response rate and responses can be biased. Many of the respondents may not understand the questions. Its not certain that the intended individual filled in the questionnaire. Lastly, we cannot check responses with the respondent (Nef, 2008). Data Protection and ethics have also become an integral part of a research topic. In this research data will be held fairly, lawfully, accurately and relevantly. It will not be used for any future purposes and will not be held any longer than necessary. Ethics will also be taken care of while dealing with individuals. Confidentiality and anonymity of respondents will be respected. The research design will be reviewed to further ensure integrity and quality. There is no forms of compulsion to take part in the research it is purely voluntary. There is no sexism or racism involved in this study. CONCLUSION Impulsive buying used to be one of the most distinct features of American Consumers. According to Abrahams (1997) 62% of supermarket and 80% of luxury -goods sales in the U.S. were impulsive (Zhang, 2009). But these are the two product categories in which due to recession either people are moving to name brands in supermarkets or are buying luxury goods very carefully to ensure value for money. The basic aim of this research is to show how the popularity of store brands have increased and how the luxury brand still make profits during recession. The recession has created great opportunities for store brands to advance their market position. As for the luxury brands, true luxury will always sell at its highest price so it remains exclusive and unique. Both product categories one of household items and the other of luxury commodities are very different but it shows a contrast in the market which is affected by the recession. Bibliography Brown, E. (2008). At the Supermarket Checkout, Frugality Trumps Brand Loyalty . Wall Street Journal , D1. Bureau of Economics Analysis. (2008, November 25th). National Incone and product accounts. Retrieved from Hhttp://www.bea.gov/nationalH Clark, N. (2009, February 24th). Luxury brands ditch mass-market strategy as credit crunch deepens. Marketing magzine. Fellowes, J. (2008, October 17th). Financial crisis: Luxury brands boom as rich fly to quality. Telegraph. Giddens, N. (2002, August). Brand Loyalty. Guba, L. a. (1994). Handbook of Qualitative Research. In Competing paradigms in qualitative research (p. Chapter 6). U.S.A: Sage Publishers. Hatch, M. a. (2006). Organisation Theory:Modern,Symbolic and Postmodern Perspectives. What is Organisational Theory Handout . Oxford: Oxford University Press. Isakovich, H. (2008). How brands can capitalize on an economic downturn. Consumer spending in a recession. New York: Interbrand. Martin evans, A. J. (3rd edition). Consumer Behaviour. John Willey and Sons. McGregor, J. (2008, April 30th). Consumer Spending in a Recession. Retrieved from Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/careers/managementiq/archives/2009/04/consumer_spendi.html Mclean, C. (n.d.). Research Methodology. Lecture 2. Nef. (2008). Comparison chart. Retrieved from http://www.proveandimprove.org/new/meaim/documents/CompareChart.pdf. Sherman, L. (2009, May 10th). Powerful luxury brands that say, what recession?. Forbes. Shukla, D. P. (2009, May 1st). Luxury brands in recession: Developing a better value proposition and luxury brand strategy . Retrieved from Perspectives: http://pauravshukla.blogspot.com/2009/05/luxury-brands-in-recession-developing.html Sullivan, A. (2007, March 7th). Luxury brands covet the recession-proof. 1. New York Times. Voce, A. (2004, November). Introduction to research paradigms. Handout for Qualitative Research Module. Wong, E. (2008, November 17th). Nielson: Private Label Deemed Equal to Name Brands. BrandWeek . Zhang, Y. (2009). Power-Distance Belief and Impulsive Buying. Journal of Marketing Research, 4.

The Whiskey Rebellion Essay -- American History

The end of the American Revolution wasn’t the end of political turmoil in the United States. In the years after the Revolution, political parties formed and disbanded, rebellions started, and even celebrations became increasingly political. Each political faction had a different idea of what the Revolution meant and what the future of the country looked like. The conflicting views of American politics began to manifest in holiday celebrations, governmental affairs, and even rebellions. The Whiskey Rebellion was created from many issues, not just the excise tax on whiskey. Farmers in western Pennsylvania blocked roads to prevent tax collectors from reaching them and to show their disdain for the taxes placed on the farmers that they couldn’t pay. Western Pennsylvanians felt democracy was being undermined by the state and nationals governments. They also believed the government favored the wealthy. Revolutionary veterans were angered over the payment of war debt IOUS. Most IOUs had been bought by the upper class, which had to power to demand they be paid in full, while they had paid the original owners of the IOUs a fraction of its value. The government obliged them by creating the Funding Act of 1790 to raise money to pay the war debt IOUs. To protest the unfairness of the government, a militia of about 9,000 troops gathered and began a peaceful march to Pittsburgh. Federalists were worried that what had happened to France (revolution and execution of their k ing) would happen to the United States if protest against the Funding Act and whiskey tax wasn’t put down. The protestors didn’t see themselves as insurgents like the Federalists did. They believed they were defenders of liberty. No force was needed by the government though. O... ...Carolina Press, 1997), 129; Lecture notes, November 17, 2011; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 129; Eric Nellis, The Long Road to Change: America’s Revolution, 1750-1820 (Ontario: Broadview Press, 2007), 221; Lance Banning, Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle, (Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2004), 225. Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 144-147; Bouton, Taming Democracy, 246; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 113; Bouton, Taming Democracy, 244-52. Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 38; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 71; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 118-23; Lecture notes, November 29, 2011; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 92-93; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 205. Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 297. Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 83-84; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 166-68; Waldstreicher, Perpetual Fetes, 232-34; Bouton, Taming Democracy, 250.