...-Discuss how the production and consumption of food is an environmental justice issue. The production and consumption of food is an environmental justice issue due to the amount of pesticides used to prevent the loss of crops and ensure the production of them to feed the amount of people who need food. The lack of distribution or consideration of America’s waste of food is an issue for third world countries as well. 2.What did the Mayor of Toulouse mean when he said “We must stop asking our citizens to choose between their work and their lives’? Can you think of an example of people who choose work over environmental safety? What the Mayor of Toulouse mean when he said that statement is that people who struggle to pay the finances or to obtain jobs whether its educational or legal status, chose to work in any condition despite the risk of their health. Workers should be concerned of the regulations and working conditions to make sure that they are not obtaining health problems of loosing their lives. The Apple factories in China is a good example of lower than minimum paid workers under poor conditions to make ends meet to make the products. 3.What is a sacrifice zone? Can you provide an example of a sacrifice zone in New York City? A sacrifice zone according to Peggy Shepard, are “areas that are targeted for the disproportionate burden of pollution, for the byproducts of consumerism and our disregard.” An example of an sacrifice zone is Harlem, Bronx New York...
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...Case 1 Colleen Case Dr. Stogner UCWR 110-046 9 November 2012 Excessive Consumerism Today Excessive consumerism is a growing problem in today's society. So many of our actions are driven by the desire to consume. Our whole lives revolve around getting the latest thing and working to no end to achieve it. Then, once we have the means of obtaining it, we spend even more time trying to decide which features we want or don't want. In this way, we find ourselves in a situation in which we serve the economy instead of it serving us. Colin Beavan and Robert Reich both offer their interpretation of the issue in relation to sustainability and freedom of choice, respectively. In No Impact Man, Beavan reveals the environmental issues associated with increased consumerism and attempts to find a way to counter the effects by discontinuing purchase of anything new. In Reich's "The Choice Fetish", he discusses how the sheer number of options available to us can limit our personal freedom because so much of our time is spent mulling over these insignificant choices. He uses the example of buying a computer, something many people do in their lifetime, and shows how incredibly overwhelming the process can be with all of the features to choose from in order to make the final product "personalized". In No Impact Man and "The Choice Fetish", Beavan and Reich show their readers the causes and effects of increased consumerism in a variety of areas. Because of these causes and their...
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...Consumerisms Effect Consumerisms Effect Consumerism is defined as, “the theory that an increasing consumption to goods is economically desirable; also: a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods” (“Consumerism,” n.d.). With this said, is consumerism healthy for anyone who is involved? From American cultures birth after the revolutionary war, this society has relished the flattery of consumerism. The search for wealth, material goods, and happiness has no boundaries in this society. Although some positive influences exist within consumerisms definition, a darker side to this phenomenon cannot be over looked. Consumerism reflects many negative human attributes and its increase is adversely affecting American culture, societal equalities, and the environment. Consumerism, in all its forms, has been around since the earliest times of American culture. From the earliest time of America, directly after the Revolutionary War, this attitude of need and want for material good and what was considered the best was very evident. One would think that during a life altering divide of nations the concept of consumerism would stop between them, but during this time, Americans still sought British goods. A high perceived value and thought pattern that these goods were of superior quality allowed these items to become a status symbol for early Americans. George Washington, weeks after signing a peace treaty with Britain, ordered a large...
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...that the United States has become a consumerist society since the early 1900’s. A consumerist society is defined as one directed largely by the accumulation and consumption of material goods (O’Shaughnessy and O’Shaughnessy, 2002). This consumerism was said to have peaked during the 1950’s when it is said that happiness and contentment with life was at its greatest. Today, things have changed significantly. The adoption of modern marketing practices has led to the emergence of consumerist societies in the swelling middle classes (Chan and Cui, 2004). On one hand, this means that more people are earning enough money to spend. However, the increase in the spending power of the middle class had led to greater demand for consumer goods and thus the resources that are used to make them. The video discussed how much marketing has played a role in the way that people advocate for consumerism. Those who advocate against consumerism stated that social progress and economic development have caused contemporary marketing practice to contribute to a consumerist or materialistic society. The main issue with consumerism seems to be the fact that it is a system that consumes way more than it produces. As the video discussed the process through which consumer goods endure from extraction to production to distribution to consumption to disposal. The woman in the video pointed out that there are some missing links in the linear map that we are using to understand the process through...
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...contributing factor? * people in wealthy industrialized society are on average happier than poor ones * greater wealth comes a greater ability to meet needs and desires * economic development has been shown to generate a steady increase in average happiness levels, but after a certain level of development has been reached the effects disappear completely * the middle class continue to feel squeezed economically * people are working harder, under more stress, less free time * some people question the value of economic growth altogether * serious sacrifices in order to keep a high growth rate * but growth isn’t making us happier * people spend their money on private consumption goods * something pathological about consumption habits * obsessed with acquiring more even though this leads to unreasonable sacrifices * is social criticism really a criticism or rather a piece...
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...STRATEGY in the SPECIAL ISSUE NEW WORLD The 10 Trends You Have to Watch | by Eric Beinhocker, Ian Davis, and Lenny Mendonca AFTER A FULL YEAR in heads-down crisis mode, to the evolving role of business in society. Here we discuss how the crisis may affect their trajectories, and we address the implications for strategy. Some trends, we argue, remain firmly on track, but uncertainties are cropping up around others. We also see signs of new forces emerging, which we will be exploring in more detail in the months ahead. The overall picture is of an altered business landscape. It does seem there will be no going back to the precrisis world. hbr.org Are these the right trends to watch? Share your thoughts with the authors at landscape.hbr.org. business executives are looking again to the future. As they reengage in strategic thinking, many are struck by a sense that the world has changed: The turmoil was not merely another turn of the business cycle but a restructuring of the economic order. Is that impression accurate? To answer this question, it is necessary to examine the underlying forces that shape the business environment and to look for discontinuities. McKinsey & Company tracks the most important of these forces, from the growth of emerging markets Lorenzo Petrantoni Eric Beinhocker is a senior fellow at the McKinsey Global Institute, McKinsey & Company’s economics research arm, where he leads research on economic, management, and public policy issues;...
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...Americans spent an average of $407.02 from the Thursday through Sunday that bookends Black Friday, as stated by the National Retail Federation. This topsy-turvy day recognized by a vast majority of American culture has been seen by many as the yearly peak of the country’s ever-increasing trend towards consumerism. Consumerism, the belief that goods give meaning to individuals and their roles in society, has presented itself to Americans in both a positive and negative spirit. On the one hand, consumer spending drives the economy, gives consumers a vast myriad of retailers to choose from, and renders shopping as a social experience. On the other hand, consumerism can render all aspects of life as merely a commodity, encourages excess consumption, and distorts our personal values. In this paper, I will explore these details in greater depth. After that point, I will assess said details and form my own opinion on whether consumerism as a whole is healthy or unhealthy for the average American shopper. Finally, I will...
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... The table shows how many percent of national consumer expenditure by category in five different countries in 2002. According to the table, all five countries spend the most expenditure in group of food, drinks and tobacco. The largest and the smallest percentage of this group are consumed in Turkey and Sweden at 32.11 % and 15.77% respectively. Four other nations also have the percentage of food, drink and tobacco from 16 % to above 20 %. Clothing and footwear group is the second largest group with the highest percentage is Italy with 9%. Although Sweden spend on food, drink and tobacco group at the highest percentage but they spend at least on clothing and footwear among four other countries at 5,4%. Of the three groups, the consumption of leisure and education group is the lowest one. The percentage just fluctuate from 1,98 % in Spain to 4,35% in Turkey. The same pattern can be seen for other countries, for example Turkey consume food, drinks and tobacco at the highest percentage, however, they only spend 4,35% of expenditure on leisure and education. Writing task 2 : It is generally believed that some people are born with certain talents, for instance for sport or music, and others are not. However, it is sometimes claimed that any child can be taught to become a good sports person or musician. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion. Task In this era, it is very important for a person to have some abilities to some extent such as playing...
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...businessmonitor.com © 2010 Business Monitor International. All rights reserved. All information contained in this publication is copyrighted in the name of Business Monitor International, and as such no part of this publication may be reproduced, repackaged, redistributed, resold in whole or in any part, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by information storage or retrieval, or by any other means, without the express written consent of the publisher. DISCLAIMER All information contained in this publication has been researched and compiled from sources believed to be accurate and reliable at the time of publishing. However, in view of the natural scope for human and/or mechanical error, either at source or during production, Business Monitor International accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damage resulting from errors, inaccuracies or omissions affecting any part of the publication. All information is provided without warranty, and Business Monitor International makes no representation of warranty of any kind as to the accuracy or completeness of any information hereto contained. Australia Food & Drink Report Q4 2010 © Business Monitor International Ltd Page 2 Australia Food & Drink Report Q4...
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...Smaller Famillies Having a smaller family is a springboard for giving future generations the chance of greater prosperity. A small family gets the advantages of a quieter home, cleaner home and possibly more money to spend on holidays. It's also not a struggle to bring your family of one or 0two children to the shops or a restaurant or even holidays. However a small family gets the disadvantage of a lonely child. Big families are more fun and usually a bit more daring and adventurous. Children from small families are often more spoilt than children from a bigger family, especially if you have one child. They might find it harder to make friends, share and socialize. A bigger family gets the advantage of children that are never lonely and have had to share and make friends easily. Big families often have more fun and an excuse to get out more. Children from a big family appreciate their siblings when they are older more then they would when they are younger. However a big family gets the disadvantage of less attention. This might make them frustrated or upset. Siblings don't always get along as well, It can be a pain trying to bring your family down to the shop, cinema and especially a fancy restaurant. There are some very clear benefits to having a small family; * Each child receives more parental attention and educational advantages, which generally raise her self-esteem. * Children in small families, especially first and only children, tend to have higher school and personal...
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...Are Genetically Modified Foods Safe for Human Consumption? Arianne Liz Quila DeVry University Professor Donham-Miller/English 135 Advanced Composition December 16, 2010 It’s a sad reality that many Americans are unaware that they have been eating foods that were genetically modified. In fact, more than half of the processed and unprocessed foods sold in supermarkets have been genetically engineered and yet, 59% of us are clueless about it (IFIC, 2008). The technology of genetic engineering or genetic modification is widely used in food industry because it produces plants that have better qualities such as bigger size and longer shelf life while reducing the production cost at the same time. However, there are concerns regarding the safety of GM foods for human consumption. This is due to several health incidents in the past that have been linked to ingestion of GM organisms such as the death of 37 people in 1987 caused by a food supplement that contains GM bacteria(Taggart, 2010, par. 7). Research studies also show that GM foods could cause allergic reactions, antibiotic resistance and even organ deterioration. Although genetically modified foods possess favorable attributes, they could also introduce new allergens and toxins that are dangerous to human health making these foods unsafe for consumption. What are GM Foods? Genetically modified (GM) foods refer to food items in which the genetic make-up has been altered. Some processed foods can also be considered GM foods...
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...Sciences Prague Faculty of Economics and Management Department of Economics Project of Econometric Modelling © 2013 CULS in Prague I. One equation model: The following econometric model would like to analyze the impacts of consumption, interest rate and unemployment rate on Gross Domestic Product of China based on the data extracted from National Bureau of Statistics of China.(1992-2011 National Data in 1992-2011 ). 1. Economic model and econometric model 2.1. Assumption * Gross Domestic Product (GDP) depends on the following variables: * Private Consumption * Government spending * Total wage of employees * General model: GDP = f (Private Consumption, Government spending, Total wage of employees) * Dependency between variables based on economic theory: * Increase of private consumption will cause increase in GDP. * Increase of Government spending will cause increase in GDP. * Increase of Total wage will cause increase in GDP. 2.2. Economic and econometrics model * Declaration of variables Variable | Symbol | Unit | Gross Domestic Product | y1 | 100 million yuan | Unit vector | x1 | | Private Consumption | x2 | 100 million yuan | Government spending | x3 | 100 million yuan | Total wage of employees | x4 | 100 million yuan | Stochastic variable | u1t | | * Economic model: y1 = γ1+ γ2 x2 + γ3 x3 + γ4 x4 . Insert stochastic variable-...
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...Valued Possessions vs. Insignificant Desires Anna Quindlen, a novelist, social critic, and journalist wrote an intriguing essay “Stuff is Not Salvation” about the addiction of Americans, who splurge on materialistic items that have no real meaning. The ability to obtain credit is one of the main reasons to blame for society’s consumption epidemic. However, Quindlen feels the economic decline due to credit card debt is insignificant compared to the underlying issues of American’s binging problems. Quindlen’s essay gives excellent points regarding the differences in America’s typical shopping habits. Additionally, she mentions how people acquire all this “stuff” but seem to never realize, “why did I get this?”(501). Quindlen makes her audience visualize a world where we acquire our needs versus our meaningless desires. Yet, she fails to mention people who could live a life of happiness through the possessions they acquire. In summary, Quindlen supports her point of view with examples of American spending habits in the past decades of depression compared to now. She mentions Black Friday and how people become enthralled by cheap bargains (Quindlen 500-501). In Quindlen’s essay, she refers to an accident in which a worker at Walmart was trampled to death by a mob of shoppers and despite the horrific incident people kept shopping (500). With the U.S. depression, Black Friday brings hopes of more money spent, therefore a rise in the markets. The dream of an uplifted economy became...
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...such as malls and shopping districts (Tyndall, 2009). This version of consumer-driven rules – culled from qualitative research and personal interviews – depicts a new notion of public-ness that is less egalitarian than ever before. It is a version of public space that is not entirely open to the public. Baker adds to this perspective by historicizing the commercialization of public space, dating the use widespread use of public space for advertising purposes to before the dawn of the 20th century (Baker, 2007). This argument inextricably links the notion of “culture” with “consumerism”, and sets the stage for the potential for access to public spaces to be consumed, or purchased. Finally, Klingle underscores this spatial history of consumption, placing the transaction of consumer power contexts as diverse as Thoreau’s Walden to the challenges environmentalists face in today’s high-powered, consumer-driven society (Klingle, 2003). Problem Statement However, a systematic and historical chronology of public spaces that conveys power relations borne out of consumerism has yet to be fully developed....
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...consumers. We shop and shop and shop.” We love our stuff. Yet more than the stuff itself, we love the act of finding it – the search, the anticipation. But why is consumerism – and particularly, an online hunt for the ideal purchase – so addictive? It turns out that our consumerist impulse stimulates the same part of the brain that fires when we’re on the trail of a great idea. As we go through the trial and error of executing an idea – What if I tried this? Ah! Now what about this? – we’re using those same wanting, hunting, getting instincts but in a nobler pursuit. Neuroscientist Jaak Panksepp calls this highly addictive emotional state “seeking.” In a Slate article on seeking, writer Emily Yoffe sums up his research: For humans, this desire to...
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