Sep, 23, 2014
Reading/ composition
Good Brand Positioning
How does the brand name have effects on the consumers? In fact, while they have good impact to the consumer, they have also negative impacts to customers such as the increase of distribution costs, high advertising costs, and excessive mark ups. However, we can reduce those negative impacts by establishing the good brand positioning. This essay will focus on the benefit by having good brand positioning, including importance of the cheap products and the quality of the products.
By building the brand positioning, the price of the products and services can go down. Firstly, consumer’s demand will increase. The reason is that the most customer always wants to buy cheap products, so the sales will also go up. Secondly, if the sales increase, marketers don’t need to persuade people to buy their products, because if marketers don’t sell their goods to consumers strategically, the customers buy their products automatically because of their brand name. Therefore, Companies can stabilize their business. Thirdly, marketers don’t have to spend money for the advertising. The reason is that even if they don’t make a lot of advertising to inform their products to the customers, the customer buys the goods because of the brand name.
Additionally, if the companies build the brand positioning, they can obtain the certain quality of the products. Firstly, the consumer can trust the brand. By establishing the good product’s quality, the customer can believe the brand types of coffee and they buy the brand’s products repeatedly. For example, if there are two coffee, which are Starbucks coffee and a generic one, consumers will choose the Starbucks’ one, because their quality is insured by a brand name. Moreover, marketers don’t need to do deceptive practice that leads consumers to believe they will get more value than they have expected, because the company has good products quality. Additionally, the marketers can assure the certain consumers, who always buy their products, because of the high quality of the products.
To sum up, both marketers and consumers can get a benefit by having good brand positioning. For example, marketers can get many customers, and customers can buy high quality and cheap goods with trust. Therefore, it is clear that establishing the good brand positioning can reduce the negative impact for the customers.
October 15, 2014
Reading/ composition
Comparison Between Biomedical Model and Humanistic Model
These days, we have many medical choices of treatment when we are sick or injured our body parts. In the many treatments, biomedical model and humanistic model are common medical knowledge within many countries. However, patients have to find out the most efficient methods for them when they have problems with the body because both methods have some different characteristics and advantages. Therefore, this essay will focus on comparison between biomedical model and humanistic model, including beliefs and relationship between physicians and patients.
First, both biomedical model and humanistic model have different beliefs or philosophy. In the biomedical model of medicine, a person is considered like a machine which is composed of individual parts. Thus, when we break our body parts, biomedical physician can fix or replace by new parts. Therefore, most important thing in the process of treatment in this model is to find the diseased body parts, and then to choose the most effective treatment to cure the patient’s emotion from the physician. Moreover, physicians in the biomedical model have to select the best treatment based on statistical data obtained from clinical studies. That is why, the physician is considered as “mechanic or technician” (Williams, 2012). On the other hand, humanistic model of medicine is focused on not only broken parts but also whole person. It means that the patient is recognized as a person that is composed of body and mind. The reason is that the physician thinks mind and body sometimes influences each other. For example, if we have much stress because of busyness, some problems will occur with our body. Also, the physician will examine the patient with empathy or emotion, and also the patients will be cured by using the traditional medical therapy. Thus, using the non-traditional therapy like latest medical technique is last way in this model. To sum up, both models have different beliefs because biomedical model focuses on only healing the diseased or injured parts, but a humanistic physician cures both diseased parts and also the mind.
Second, the relationship between patients and physicians is different from each other. According to LEAP, in the biomedical model, “the physicians are the authority figure with the knowledge and power to save patients” (Williams, 2012). The reason is that the physician’s relationship to patients is active, but the patient is passive because the patients are simply diagnosed by doctors, and there is little conversation. That is why, some people regard the doctor as mechanic or technician. However, in the humanistic model, “humanism in health care is characterized by a respectful and compassionate relationship between physician” (The Arnold P Gold Foundation, n.d.). Therefore, the relation between them is based on empathy, because physicians examine the patients by trying to cure not only their body, but also their mind. Thus, communication is an important process for them to cure and overcome their illness. Therefore, their connection is active compared to the biomedical model. That they respect and participate in the healing process with each other is an important procedure for humanistic model. In brief, the relationship between doctors and patients varies from each other because in the biomedical model, their relationship is like a dominance but in the humanistic model, the relation is more closely, and to communicate with each other is the most significant part.
In conclusion, both models have good features. For instance, while physician of biomedical model diagnoses only diseased or damaged parts, humanistic model’s doctors focuses on the body and also the patient’s mind. Thus, the relation between physicians and patients differ from each other like patients is active in the humanistic model, but in the biomedical model, they are simply passive toward the doctors. For these reasons, we have to choose the most effective and useful model for us. However, patients have each different illnesses and conditions. Therefore, I think which method we should choose depends on the person.
References
Williams, Julia. (2012) LEAP: Reading and writing for Academic purpose.
Pearson ELT.
The Arnold P. Gold Foundation. (n.d). http://humanism-in-medicine.org/about-us/faqs/
Retrieved 14 October, 2014
November 11, 2014
Reading & Composition
Public Risk Perception
According to Williams in her book of 2012, everyone has fear against risk, and reactions to risk often happen by more emotion than facts. It means risk is related to not factors but emotion. Also, the fear comes from general information such as media, so people tend to believe their thinking even if there is no evidence whether or not it affects us badly. Additionally, fear and fact do not match in almost all cases. This phenomenon is called “risk perception”. Moreover, researchers state that risk perception came from many process of changing ancient behavior over millions of year. However, if ancient humans had modern thinking as same as nowadays people, they could not survive. In other words, these processes of adapting risk are significant to evolve ourselves. Also, risk perception vary among individuals because we have different culture, live, jobs, conditions, experiences, values, so responding to risk differ from each people although we have similar risk perception, and we are sharing them each other.
In my opinion, I agree with author’s idea. Especially, respond to risk is deeply related to their experiences and knowledge. For example, if we had experiences that a wasp bitted us, we would be more fear against them than before when we see them again. Also, I think we have fear more new things than old things. For instance, when doctors suggest me to take new medicine instead of old one, I will chose the medicine that I used to use because there is reliable evidence I can use safely. That is why I strongly agree with her idea, and especially new thing and our experiences are strongly connected with reaction to risk.
Reading & Composition
Living at Home or Living on your own
Almost all children live with their family until they grow up because they have to learn many things from their parents. However, they have to live by themselves when they become over 20 years old because of some reasons. First, they can be independent compared to living with their family. The reason is that they have to manage their housework and time. For instance, if they want to eat some food, they have to cook something by themselves, which mean they have to do all housework by themselves. Second, they can know how serious housework is, and they will appreciate their parents. Even if they did not do anything when they were in their parent’s home, they must do all housekeeping. Thus, they can feel gratitude for their parents. Third, they do not have to pay attention other families, so they can have free time. For example, if they have to do homework with their friends, they may worry about others. However, if they live by themselves, they can control their time, so they do not have to pay attention to others. To sum up, I think children have to live on their own because they can be independent, and they can know how to live by themselves. Therefore, it is clear that children should live by themselves when they become over 20.
Reading and Composition
Field Trip to San Francisco
I went to field trip in San Francisco in October 27th. In there, I had wonderful time with my friend who I met in SSALLI because not only I enjoyed shopping but also I could talk with my friends a lot. Additionally, I saw many homeless on the roadside. I expected there are many homeless in San Francisco because I have heard San Francisco is one of the big cities which have many homeless in the United States. However, I saw more many homeless than I expected. Also, they seemed like they wanted money and some foods. When I went hamburger shop as a lunch, I could not finish everything, so I thought I want to give my left overs to a homeless. Thus, I gave it to one homeless, and then he took it quickly, but he seemed like happy. By this incident, he really impressed me with the important of food and what I can live comfortably. I thought we have to appreciate everything like food and family. Therefore, trip to San Francisco was really memorable time for me.
December 9, 2014
Reading & Composition
Slow Food Movement
We have heard of fast food, but what about Slow Food? Easting is a habit for everyone since we were born. Even if we are sick or busy, we eat some foods to make our brain work. However, these days, people do not have enough time to eat meals because of their busyness, so they are tend to eat fast-food like McDonalds. Also, we often cannot spend time with our family and friends. Therefor, we might forget the benefit of taking time to eat, and share the dinnertime with others. To improve this, Carlo Petrini suggested Slow Food. This is the movement that focused on encouraging people to eat not fast food but locally food which is fresh, instead taking time to prepare a feast.
Also, the focus of slow food is not only on nutrition, but also on preserving culture and heritage which means we can take over the old-fashioned way of cooking to next generation (What Is the Slow Food Movement, n.d). Because there are many advantages, Perini launched the movement. Although Petrini believes that there are many advantages of slow food, if people have more interest about Slow Food, Petrini has not considered that it would affect badly consumers, farmers, and the environment. Thus, this essay will focus on the reason why Slow Food has bad effects to the environment, farmers, and consumers, including price, land, and teenagers.
First, consumers have to pay more money than before if people adhere to Slow Food. The reason is that slow food is expensive with its unique, natural and seasonal ingredients (What are the advantages and disadvantages of Slow Food, n.d). In other words, the price will be more expensive than other normal products. Also, if everyone was interested in Slow Food, only certain food could be available. For example, if we want to buy vegetables in the grocery store, we might see only a little because it takes long time to grow products. Thus, it will be difficult to get food, and consumer would have to pay more money to get it.
Second, to make a lot of food, farmers have to use more lands. The reason is that when they need to grow many products, it also needs a huge and large space. Moreover, in the Slow Food movement, we can gain only certain food, so there is not enough production for many people. That is why we need large amounts of land to churn out food.
Third, consumers, especially teenagers, do not have to easy to access to Slow Food. If all people are foodies, we always might get specific information about Slow Food because they are interested in food. However, people who have no interest about it, it is difficult to connect with Slow Food. Especially, teenagers are most difficult to join Slow Food because they like to use fast food. Therefore, they can no longer access to Slow Food easily.
To sum up, if Slow Food spread to many people, although there are many benefits like farmers can get more money, it has also some disadvantages. For example, the price of products will be expensive, and it is difficult to get information about Slow Food. Also, large space is needed to make a lot of foods, so it has bad effects for the environment. As you can see from these points, it is clear that Slow Food badly affects to our environment and consumers. That is why Slow Food has not only advantages but also disadvantages.
References
Williams, Julia. (2012) LEAP: Reading and writing for Academic purpose.
Pearson ELT.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of slow food? (n.d).
http://www.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_slow_food Retrieved 9 December 2014
What is the Slow Food Movement? (n.d).
http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/low-impact-living/what-is-slow-food-movement Retrieved 9 December 2014