Consumer Behaviour consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer Behaviour consumption - Essay Example 1). The innovative ways of using mass-production goods are conceptualized as 'styles' which are expressive of the individualities/identities of the users. In the construction of lifestyles, the use-value of an object of consumption is secondary to the object's signifying effects, to its 'sign-value', organized around what Hebdige calls, 'a theology of appearances' (1993:89, p.1). Within this cultural politics, beyond the individual styles, social collectives are deemed to be constituted of a 'series of narrowly defined markets, targets, consumption, taste and status groups' (Hebdige 1999, p. 1). The concept of identity is useful for conceptualizing interrelations between tastes, social and organizational factors, and consumption. Anthony Giddens (1991, p.37) pointed out that in typical societies, lifestyles, social roles, relationships, and daily activities were monitored by religion, ascribed status, and accepted practices. Post-modernism created more scope for people to establish their own identities by adopting lifestyles, self-manifestations, and self-concepts that have symbols, pleasures, and values significant to them. In this situation, consumption plays a crucial and defining role: given the fragmentation of socioeconomic life, observable aspects such as clothing, the type of vehicle, place of residence, and eating and drinking habits provide compact signals of how one wants to be seen, what resources one commands, and what one's values are. (Dolfsma 1999, 1993:88). SHOPPING AS A CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY The retail sector as a whole has been studied through analyses of 'shopping' as a social, cultural and economic activity (Falk and Campbell 1997), of shopping mall as a location of consumption of dreams and hopes, helped by architectural designs and display technologies, and of the interactions between the sales-person and customers in closing the sale (Peretz 1995). Consumer desires have been prompted by exposure to the possessions and lifestyles of a reference group. The reference group is a comparison group located nearby in the social hierarchy. In Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, the Pierre Bourdieu discovered a striking regularity in French consumer patterns in the 1960s and 1970s. Bourdieu discovered that a person's educational level and father's occupation revealed much about that individual's taste in music and art, what kinds of shops they patronized, and the type of cooking they did. In the

MHE512 - Disaster Relief Module 4 - SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MHE512 - Disaster Relief Module 4 - SLP - Essay Example nt has made it possible to predict accurately the oncoming of such disaster, as we cannot prevent the damage caused by such tragedies in terms of human losses and property damages. Nevertheless, several disaster relief plans have been formulated to tackle the after-affects of these natural calamities. This paper will give a short introductory detail on various aspects of Disaster Relief Plans (DRP), with emphasis on the training and management of human resources to make the relief plans most effective, strength and weakness of a DRP and its concerns with the funding of different projects. This enables the volunteer or the relief worker to use chain saw and other equipment efficiently and safely. While this type of training will discuss the brush pulling and cutting techniques, it can also provide information on the maintenance of such equipment. This will include training on rebuilding, which enables the worker to close holes in houses or roofs, after the removal of any fallen trees etc.. Similarly, training on fueling, and load handling operations of forklift equipment is also very useful. This would impart training on the use of radio equipment and setting of antennas and other vital gadgets in the disaster area. While this is required for every field worker, amateur radio licensees can pick up the relevant tricks more easily. This type of training is to enable the relief staff for analyzing the disaster data correctly so that a proper assessment of damage can be undertaken and decisions reached based on such information. While these will affect the recovery plan, they will also assist in the knowledge of impact from disaster and weather conditions, on the local community.....(DR training facts) There is saying which goes like†you cannot dig a well after the fire has engulfed your place†. The gist of the story is that disaster preparedness is an exercise that should be undertaken during the times of peace when there is no threat to the atmosphere, where