Free Essay

Theories in Action

In: Other Topics

Submitted By eckhardt
Words 942
Pages 4
In this paper I will be discussing six different concepts that were presented in chapters 1-3 of the first unit. I will explain the concept, find an example of the related theory in action, and then identify how the example demonstrates how the particular type of persuasion is being applied. The first concept I will be discussing is Aristotle’s three artistic proofs. According to Aristotle, persuasion succeeds or fails based on three basic types of artistic proof (Larson, 2013). They include ethos, which is the credibility of the speaker, pathos, which is the emotional appeal, and logos, the logic behind the content. The first example will be an advertisement from Gatorade’s G Series (see figure 1). This ad uses ethos through the use of three famous athletes of their respected sport. By using famous athletes to endorse the product, the credibility of the product is established because the audience will buy into the effectiveness of the product since professionals are using it. Pathos is engaged by showing pictures of the athletes energized in competition, which in turn will help attain an emotion from the consumer, as they too will want to be energized if they consumed the product. The logos behind the piece is to draw in consumers to purchase the product, as they too will perform like these famous athletes if they purchase the product. The second concept is Enthymemes, defined as a form of argument in which the first or major premise in the proof remains unstated by the persuader and instead, is supplied by the audience (Larson, 2013). An example of this comes from a church marquee (see figure 2), in which the board read “Don’t let worries kill you, let the church help.” This humorous example identifies the stated premise to be, “Don’t let worries kill you.” The stated conclusion is, “Let the church help with worries.” The implied premise of the example is that not to let the worries kill you, but let the church help kill you instead. The third concept is the SMCR Model of Persuasion. This model is based on the process of the source, message, channel, and receiver. The source represents where the information originates. The message is the encrypted piece of information provided by the source. The channel is the medium of transmission from the source to the receiver, and the receiver is the end recipient of the information (Bass). An example of the SMCR Model is used in a piece by Versace brand (see figure 3). The sender of the piece is the brand Versace. The message is to have consumers purchase their products you could be as ravishing as the great Madonna herself because she promotes and wears the same products of that brand. The channel is through advertisements places in magazines and TV spots. The receiver is aimed at consumers and the public and whoever views the ads. The fourth concept is Burke’s dramatistic pentad. The pentad includes: the act of what is taking place; the scene providing the background of the act; the agent or person who performs the act; the agency, which is the means of accomplishing the act; and the purpose (Larson, 2013). A great example of Burke’s pentad is the motivational speech by Coach Norman Dale in the basketball movie, “Hoosiers” (see figure 4). The act that took place was a pre game speech motivating his players before the game, and helping them to focus on the task at hand, winning the big game. The scene was of the players all gathered together to focus to the coach’s speech. The agent is the head coach, which gave the team the speech. The coach’s purpose was to gain his players’ focus on the game, and to help motivate for the task at hand, which was winning. The fifth concept is a Scam. A scam is a form of deception and persuading element that aims toward persuading the person to some kind of commitment. An example of a scam is seen in an ad for, “The Apple Patch Diet” (see figure 5). This is a scam because of the lack of credibility the ad offers as well as it clearly being a hoax by just identifying the features of the ad. No real evidence is backed up and supported in this ad, which makes it a scam. The last concept I will discuss is Downplaying. Downplaying can soften the persuader’s own weak points while downplaying a competitor’s strong points (Larson, 2013). An example of downplaying is used in an article discussing the health effects of nuclear radiation (see figure 6). Downplay was used to cause less harm and paranoia to the public and people reading the article. Nuclear radiation is a big problem but it downplaying the health effects seems like the only way to go to inform the public and not create chaos. Although there are many concepts, these six that I chose to share are some of the most important ones that I have learned so far in class. In writing this paper, I also learned even more about each concept that I didn’t know already. References
Bass, B. (n.d.). Examples of an smcr model. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-smcr-model-20287.html
Larson, C. (2013). Persuasion reception and responsibility. (13th ed., p. 17,31,83). Boston: Wadsworth.

Appendices

Appendix A

*Figure 1

Appendix B
*Figure 2

Appendix C
*Figure 3

Appendix D
*Figure 4
Hoosiers Gene Hackman Inspirational Speech

http://youtu.be/CDJS9rFGCHE

Appendix E
*Figure 5

Appendix F *Figure 6 http://nuclear-news.net/2014/01/21/nuclear-engineer-warns-on-articles-that-downplay-fukushima-health-effects/

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Action Theory Notes

...Action Theories - Theory and methods This is not a structural theory. Action theories focus on individual behaviour in everyday social situations. This is a bottom up approach – looking at meanings and interpretations of actions. There are many branches of action theories; Symbolic interactionism, Labelling theory, Dramturgical model, Phenomenology,  Ethnomethodology, Structuration theory and Webe’rs integrated approaches Key features: 1. Society and social structures/ institutions are socially constructed (family does not exist externally to our daily lives) 2. People have free will to do things and form their own identities 3. Prefer to research on small groups of individuals (micro) 4. People’s behaviour is driven by their beliefs, meaning and emotions gives to a situation. e.g how mother interprets crying of baby, meaning of the cry will affect her actions and the babies behaviour will affect the mother Symbolic interactionism This focuses on how we create the world through our interactions. Our interactions are based on the meaning we give to situations and we can convey this through symbols like language. G. H. Mead – The Role of Others – Symbols vs Instincts Symbols versus instincts: * Animals are guided through instinct whereas we are guided by our responses to the world in the form of meanings we attach to significant things. * We create the world by attaching symbols to meanings we have attached. The symbol of putting a finger to your...

Words: 2330 - Pages: 10

Free Essay

Sociology Action Theories

...contribution of different ‘action’ theories to our understanding of society today Social action theories are known as micro theories which take a bottom-up approach to studying society; they look at how individuals within society interact with each other. There are many forms of social action theories, the main ones being symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and ethnomethodology. They are all based on the work of Max Weber, a sociologist, who acknowledged that structural factors can shape our behaviour but individuals do have reasons for their actions. He used this to explain why people behave in the way in which they do within society. Weber saw four types of actions which are commonly committed within society; rational, this includes logical plans which are used to achieve goals, traditional-customary behaviour, this is behaviour which is traditional and has always been done; he also saw effectual actions, this includes an emotion associated with an action and value-rational actions, this is behaviour which is seen as logical by an individual. Weber’s discovery of these actions can therefore be seen as useful in the study of society. Weber discovered these actions by using his concept of verstehan, a deeper understanding. However, some sociologists have criticised him as they argue that verstehan cannot be accomplished as it is not possible to see thing in the way that others see them, leaving sociologists to question whether Weber’s social action theory is useful in the study...

Words: 2643 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Reasoned Action Theory

...Theory of Reasoned Action/Planned Behavior The theory of reasoned action (TRA) was developed by Icek Ajzen and Martin Fishbein in 1975, to examine the relation between attitudes and behavior (Morisky, 2002). The intention to behave a certain way is determined by the persons attitude toward the behavior (Littlejohn, 2011). Later, behaviors appeared to not be completely voluntary and under control. This led to the addition of perceived behavioral control, and the theory got the name “the theory of planned behavior” (TPB). This theory predicts deliberate behavior. It states that only specific attitudes toward a behavior can be expected to predict the behavior. In addition to measuring attitudes toward a behavior, as the theory of reasoned actions...

Words: 1304 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Weber's Theory Of Social Action

...Social action Social action, in contrast, is where people make different choices. Weber suggested that there were four ideals. Ideals models would not necessarily be favourable. One of these ideals was what he called instrumental rational actions, where people weigh up the choices that are open to them and then choose rationally what to do. This is comparable to the ideas of the economists in the perfect competition model. In practice, it seems difficult to reconcile the rational model with so much advertising, which clearly does not try to inform people. Identical products can be sold at widely different prices at different points of sale. The second of Weber’s ideals was valuing rational actions where the ends are given, for example, with...

Words: 1061 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Communicative Action Theory Analysis

...Communicative action theory is a major theoretical approach taken in child and youth development. Communication for change is the basis for this theoretical approach. These two areas, are areas, which are vital to community development. The researcher will explore how different methods previous used have been successful, created change as well as how the research can be vital to the continued success in child and youth development and how it could be implemented. With community of change being a base to the communicative action theory, one must embrace its components. Community for change encompasses a variety of components, according to Phillips and Pittman (2015), it “… is linked to the concept of full participation, a consistent value...

Words: 693 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Behavioral Theory

...Haritha vardhini Katragadda Social and Behavioral health Dr. Preety Gadhoke, PhD, MPH MPH-301 Reflection paper #6 Firstly, ‘Theory of reasoned action’, a model of behavioral intention prediction that spans attitude and behavior predictions. Subsequent separation of behavior from behavioral intentions allows for limiting factors’ explanation on the basis of attitudinal influence. Icek Ajzen and Martin Fishbein developed the theory of reasoned action between 1975 and 1980. This theory was derived from past studies that began as attitude theory and eventually led to behavior and attitude studies. This theory originated from frustration with the traditional behavior and attitude studies. Most studies in this field established weak correlations between the measures of attitude and volitional behaviors’ performance. Initially, the theory related to voluntary behavior but it was noticed later that the theory was not 100 percent voluntary. Under control, it later led to addition of the perceived behavioral controls. According to the theory of reasoned action, behavior of an individual is determined by their intention to perform it and that in turn, the intention is a function of their attitude towards that behavior and their subjective norm. Intention is the best behavior’s predictor. The theory suggests that cognitive representation of the readiness of an individual to perform a particular behavior is their intention. Intention is the immediate antecedent of a behavior. Three factors...

Words: 793 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Mr Gcb

...i THE CONSUMER’S BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TOWARD E-TICKETING SYSTEM OF GOLDEN SCREEN CINEMA (GSC) IN MELAKA SHAFINAZ NADIA BINTI MOHD MOTTASIR Report submitted in partial fulfillment for the Bachelor of Technology Management (High Technology Marketing) FAKULTI PENGURUSAN TEKNOLOGI & TEKNOUSAHAWAN UNIVERSITI TEKNIKAL MALAYSIA MELAKA ii VERIFICATION “I hereby declare that I have read this thesis and in my opinion this thesis is sufficient in terms of scope and quality for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Technology Management (High Technology Marketing) Signature: Name of Supervisor: Madam Azrina Binti Othman Date: Signature: Name of Panel Supervisor: Dr. Norfaridatul Akmaliah Binti Othman Date: iii CONFESSION “Hereby, I declare that this thesis entitled “The Consumer’s Behavioral Intention Towards e-Ticketing of Golden Screen Cinema (GSC) in Melaka” is the result of my own research except as cited in the reference. The thesis has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of other degree. Signature: …………………………………… Name : Shafinaz Nadia Binti Mohd Mottasir Date : …………………………………… iv DEDICATION I learn patience, perseverance and dedication. Now I really know myself, and I know my voice. It’s a voice of pain and victory. To my beloved Mom and Dad, My siblings, My lecturers, My friends, Those who have helped me during my rough time, Helped shape me into what I’ve...

Words: 4232 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Air Line

...FACTORS AFFECTING BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TO PURCHASE LOW–COST AIRLINE E-TICKET IN YHAILAND by Piyanath Maneechot School of Business, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Suthawan Chirapanda School of Business, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce E-mail: suthawan_chi@utcc.ac.th 41 FACTORS AFFECTING BEHAVIORAL INTENTION TO PURCHASE LOW–COST AIRLINE E-TICKET IN YHAILAND by Piyanath Maneechot School of Business, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Suthawan Chirapanda School of Business, University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce E-mail: suthawan_chi@utcc.ac.th Abstract Purpose - The purpose of this research aims to investigate the factors that affecting behavioral intention to purchase low-cost airline e-ticket and this research. Design/methodology - This research employed an empirical study with the use of the questionnaire survey method, in total, 430 responses were collected through randomly mailing and sent out to consumers who had an experience of purchasing low cost airline e-ticket. Findings - The result showed that marketing efforts, perceive ease of use and perceived usefulness positively affects attitude toward using low cost airline e-ticket and attitude toward using and subjective norm also positive affect behavioral intention to purchase low-cost airline e-ticket. The research showed that perceived usefulness was the most important factor that affect to the behavioral intention to purchase low-cost airline e-ticket...

Words: 5995 - Pages: 24

Free Essay

Business

...Inf Soc (2015) 14:81–95 DOI 10.1007/s10209-014-0348-1 LONG PAPER Technology acceptance model: a literature review from 1986 to 2013 ´ ´ Nikola Marangunic • Andrina Granic Published online: 16 February 2014 Ó Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 Abstract With the ever-increasing development of technology and its integration into users’ private and professional life, a decision regarding its acceptance or rejection still remains an open question. A respectable amount of work dealing with the technology acceptance model (TAM), from its first appearance more than a quarter of a century ago, clearly indicates a popularity of the model in the field of technology acceptance. Originated in the psychological theory of reasoned action and theory of planned behavior, TAM has evolved to become a key model in understanding predictors of human behavior toward potential acceptance or rejection of the technology. The main aim of the paper is to provide an up-to-date, wellresearched resource of past and current references to TAMrelated literature and to identify possible directions for future TAM research. The paper presents a comprehensive concept-centric literature review of the TAM, from 1986 onwards. According to a designed methodology, 85 scientific publications have been selected and classified according to their aim and content into three categories such as (i) TAM literature reviews, (ii) development and extension of TAM, and (iii) modification and application...

Words: 9674 - Pages: 39

Premium Essay

Technology Acceptance Model

...that the adoption of a particular technology would enhance their job performance. * Perceived ease of use: the degree to which individuals believed that using a particular technology would be simple. USEFULLNESS The technology acceptance model specifies the causal relationships between system design features, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, and actual usage behaviour.Overall,the TAM provides an informative representation of themechanisms by which design choices influence user acceptance, and should therefore behelpful in applied contexts for forecasting and evaluating user acceptance of information technology 1) Person’s attitude towards the use of the system : As demonstrated in the theory of reasoned Action, the Technology Acceptance Model postulates that the use of an information system is determined by the behavioral intention, but on the other hand, that the behavioral intention is determined by the person’s attitude towards the use of the system and also by his perception of its utility. 2) Impact on performance: The attitude of an individual is not the only factor that determines his use of a system, but is also based on the impact which it may have on his performance. Therefore, even if an employee does not welcome an information system, the probability that he will use it is high if he perceives that the system will improve his performance at work. 3) Easier to use:  The Technology...

Words: 583 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

The Impact of Wireless Technology Towards Acceptance of Rural Area Residence at Kampung Sawah Bahru, Segamat Johor

...doing this research. Background of Study Labis started as a small village known as Kampung Paya Merah. The village got its name from a type of river grass which became the favourite food for river terrapins. In early 20th century, British officers came to the villages to survey for new areas to be developed in Segamat district. The British officer was surprised to see the river terrapins since they had not seen those animals before. They asked the villagers the name of those animals and the villagers answered, “labi-labi tuan” and because they did not know the name of those animals the British officers referred to them as Labis in the plural form. Therefore, the British officers decided to name the settlement Labis. Another theory is that in the 17th century, a member of the Malacca royal family was travelling through the area. He saw something that intrigued him. He called out to his advisors to tell him what it was, he went “Habis? Habis?” then accidentally is blurting out the name Labis. Labis is the second largest town in the district of Segamat, Johor with a population of about 20, 000 people and the largest community there is Chinese. Labis is an agricultural town and the main export is rubber. This study is focusing on the impact of wireless technology towards rural areas resident at Kampung Sawah Baru, which one of Labis part. Kampung Sawah Baru has 500 villagers which equals to 114 houses. Their main activities is gardening and trapping...

Words: 7956 - Pages: 32

Free Essay

Role of Age in Technology Adoption in Organizations

...Technology helps an organization to re-engineer work practices, improve speed, maintain consistency and accuracy and increase reliability. In the past two decades, research has focused on the notion of technology adoption. Studies have examined various aspects of technology adoption at an individual and organizational level and in this paper will analyze if age can be a differentiating factor in adoption of technology in the workplace. Research examining age differences in technology adoption decisions A research study was conducted by Micheal G.Morris and Viswanath Venkatesh in the year 2000 to investigate age differences in individual adoption and sustained usage of technology in the workplace using the theory of planned behavior. The theory of planned behavior is a theory which links beliefs and behavior. The study was done over a period of 5 months among 118 workers. User reactions and technology usage behavior were studied majorly in this experiment by introducing a new software system to the workers. Research Method: The setting for the research done by Morris and Venkatesh was a medium-size financial accounting firm in a large mid-western city with approximately 300 employees. The firm was well established and had been in business for about 15 years. A total...

Words: 1189 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Assess the Contribution of Social Action Theories to Our Understanding of Society Today?

...contribution of Social Action Theories to our understanding of society today? There are some many structural theories put across in today’s society which can be interpreted in many different levels. Structural theories such as Functionalism and Marxism have more of a positivist approach to how they see societies values as they are macro level which means they view society as a real physical thing out there which initially shapes our ideas and behaviour, and they also put the meaning across how to understand people’s behaviour we must first properly understand the social structure that shapes it to what it is today. Moreover, unlike structural theories which are put across, action theories also bring to the understanding as they are micro level which can be seen as a voluntaristic approach which focuses on the actions and sometimes interactions of individuals as having free will and personal choice. Weber also argues the point how our actions are not determined by society as structural theories specify how we possess agency and so therefore we can shape society through our choices, meanings and actions put forward. Overall the main critical four actions theories which evaluate our understanding in terms of society today, is Weber’s social action, ethnomethodology, phenomenology and symbolic interactionism. However all these actions specifically differ in how far they see structural explanations of behavior in the everyday surroundings. Firstly, the main famous action put across was...

Words: 964 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Assess the Usefulness of Social Action Theories in the Study of Society (33 Marks)

...Social action theories are known as micro theories which take a bottom-up approach to studying society; they look at how individuals within society interact with each other. There are many forms of social action theories, the main ones being symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and ethnomethodology. They are all based on the work of Max Weber, a sociologist, who acknowledged that structural factors can shape our behaviour but individuals do have reasons for their actions. He used this to explain why people behave in the way in which they do within society. Weber saw four types of actions which are commonly committed within society; rational, this includes logical plans which are used to achieve goals, traditional-customary behaviour, this is behaviour which is traditional and has always been done; he also saw affectual actions, this includes an emotion associated with an action and value-rational actions, this is behaviour which is seen as logical by an individual. Weber’s discovery of these actions can therefore be seen as useful in the study of society. Weber discovered these actions by using his concept of verstehan, a deeper understanding. However, some sociologists have criticised him as they argue that verstehan cannot be accomplished as it is not possible to see thing in the way that others see them, leaving sociologists to question whether Weber’s social action theory is useful in the study of society. Social action theories have also been referred to as interactionism...

Words: 759 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Explain How Natural Law Theory Can Be Used to Decide the Right Moral Action

...Explain how Natural Law theory can be used to decide the right moral action [25] Natural law is an absolutist theory which is most commonly associated with Thomas Aquinas. It mainly relies on Aquinas’ theory that humans try to do good things and try to avoid evil in order to find fulfilment and happiness in life. However, according to Aquinas there are two types of good. There is the real good and the apparent good. The ‘real good’ is something that genuinely leads us to fulfil our purpose and achieve perfection. And the ‘apparent good’ is something that only appears good to us but it isn’t genuinely good. For example, a real good would be to study and revise for exams, whereas an apparent good would be to enjoy ourselves by watching television. We might think the second option is the real good for us but it’s the apparent good as we are not really benefiting from it. Aquinas is arguing that for a person to be happy, they must do good actions which can be one of the two types of good. He is also arguing that if humans do evil, they will be lead to the path of unhappiness. This could be interpreted as our actions determine the extent of happiness in our lives. This is known as the Synderesis Rule. Natural law in itself is based on five primary precepts which were, according to Aquinas, revealed to us by God. In defining the Primary Precepts, Aquinas was stating 'self-evident principles' that are universal and absolute - they are part of our very nature as humans, this sounds...

Words: 591 - Pages: 3