Starbucks in China Essay Example for Free

Starbucks in China Essay Why did Starbucks fail in the Forbidden City? Zane lee (Ziang Li) ESLI PMP Why did Starbucks fail in the Forbidden City? Introduction Nowadays, economic globalization is becoming an irreversible tendency; therefore, different multinational corporations always want to extend their branches to other countries, especially for the food companies, such as, McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Burger King. In recent years, the world has also witnessed that China’s economy has developed to a higher level since China has reformed and opened for more than 30 years. According to Lardy, in the middle of 1990s, China had become one of the largest world’s trading nations (Lardy, 1995, p.1). Now, Chinese customers have more desire and abilities to enjoy western food. Therefore, many multinational food corporations, such as, Starbucks, KFC, and Krispy Kreme, want to enter in Chinese market, and these companies treat China as an emerging market because of the development of Chinese economy and consumption ability. However, China has thousands years of history, and its market situation is complicated. It is hard for western companies to be adapted to the situation. Now, some western food companies, to some extent, have achieved success in China, such as, Starbucks, KFC, and McDonald’s. There were also many companies, such as Dunkin, Krispy Kreme, and Burger King failed in China (Rein, 2012). Starbucks is one of the few that has successfully entered the Chinese market, but it is still facing many challenges, and it also failed in the most traditional areas in China, such as in the Forbidden City. In the past ten years, Starbucks has achieved much success in general business areas in China. Starbucks is an international coffee retailers which was founded in the early of 1970s in Seattle, U.S. It sells both a variety of coffee and other related beverages all over the world (Marketline, 2012, pp.3-4). Starbucks entered in Chinese market in 1999 (Wang, 2012, para.3). As the Trefils team (2012) shows that with the development of Starbucks, â€Å"Starbucks has successfully opened more than 570 stores in 48 cities since it first entered China twelve years ago. Building on this momentum, it plans to open 1500 stores by 2015† (Trefils team, 2012). To achieve the succe ss,  Starbucks’ marketing strategies have exerted a big influence in this process. According to Rein (2012), Starbucks introduced â€Å"coffee experience shop† to give customers an opportunity to experience Starbucks’ culture, and Starbucks developed some tea-flavor coffee to be adapted to Chinese flavor. Moreover, Starbucks chose wonderful shop location to promote its brand image and avoided using advertising or promotions to make direct conflicts with the Chinese tea culture. Furthermore, Starbucks also collaborates with local companies to spread Starbucks’ business and to reduce Starbucks’ cost (Rein, 2012). Through taking these strategies, Starbucks, to some degree, has overcame the challenges from both the traditional culture and the local competitors, such as U.B.C and Dio Coffee. However, Starbucks still failed in the Forbidden City. According to Netzley, Digantral, Wong, Tan, Hee (2011), at the Yale CEO Leadership Summit (2006), China Central Television’s news compere Chenggang Rui asked Jim that â€Å"Do you have plans to open stores in the Taj Mahai, Versailles, or Buckingham Palace?†. Half year later, Rui posted a blog in Sina blog to against Starbucks’ existence in the Forbidden City, and he thought that Starbucks existed in the Forbidde n City was a kind of erosion for Chinese culture. Even though in 2007, the internet was an infancy in China, it was growing fast. There were tens of thousands of people following Rui’s blog at that time. â€Å"In January 2007, Rui, an experienced media personality from CCTV turned this communication channel on Starbucks. The effort to remove the iconic western brand from the centre of the Forbidden City quickly became global news† (Netzleym, Digantral, Wong, 2006). Several months later, Starbucks closed the coffeehouse in the Forbidden City. By analysing Starbucks’ failure in the Forbidden City, this paper will help Starbucks to know how to control the risks, such as entering in some special areas in China, in the future and help other international companies to understand the Chinese culture. In recent years, Scholars have analysed how Starbucks can achieve success in the general areas in China. For example, Starbucks has two main business strategies: License and Joint Venture (Harrison, Chang, Gauthier, Joerchel, Nevarez, Wang, 2005, p.281), and Starbucks also uses HR strategy, which is offering good salary for staff, to maintain the quality workforce (Zhang, 2009, p.18). Scholars also have discussed some culture factors on cross-culture brand extension. For instance, â€Å"consumer s in several East Asian countries have higher levels  of self-construal. Therefore, the likelihood of brand extension success is expected to be higher in respect of these group† (Henseler, Horvà ¡th, Sarstedt, Zimmermann, 2010, p.8). Even though Starbucks’ marketing strategies made it success in general business areas in China, this does not mean that there is no potential risks for Starbucks in China. Starbucks is still facing challenges in the most traditional areas, such as in the Forbidden City, because the Forbidden City’s imperial culture excludes foreign culture, Chinese people’s nationalism could not accept Starbucks’ existence in the Forbidden City, and Starbucks’ fashion culture contradicts to the Forbidden City’s classic culture. This paper will discuss Starbucks’ failure in the Forbidden City from these three parts. The serious culture shock in the Forbidden City One of the most important reasons why Starbucks failed in the Forbidden City was Starbucks and the Forbidden City had different cultures, and they were different symbolisms. China has five thousand years history, and its traditional culture was handed down by each generation. Nowadays, Chinese traditional culture has exerted a big influence on modern business, especially on multinational companies which have set up business in China but have different cultures with Chinese. If multinational companies want to run their business to be more successful in China, it is necessary for them to understand Chinese traditional culture, especially for the company, like Starbucks, which want to set up its business in the most traditional areas in China. Starbucks’ symbol of western country could not combined with the Forbidden City’s imperial culture The Forbidden City is the symbolism of the imperial culture (Han Zhang, 2009, p.397). According to China. Org (2005), the Forbidden C ity (Imperial Palace) is setting in the center of Beijing, and it is the largest and most complete imperial palace and ancient building group in China. The buildings of Forbidden City was started to be built in 1406 and was finished in 1420. Since Ming dynasty, there had been twenty-four emperors lived and ruled China in this palace (China.org, 2005, para. 1). In the Forbidden City, yellow is the primary, and almost all roofs of buildings were decorated with yellow glazed tiles. During Ming and Qing dynasty, yellow was the color that only emperors could use. This kind of color â€Å"represents the emperor, the central figure of China, and also  represents land, the root and origin of all earthly creatures† (Han Zhang, 2009, p.397). Moreover, in ancient China, besides servants, only the people who had direct relationship with emperor could live in the Forbidden City. Therefore, the Forbidden City can be the symbol of the imperial culture. Starbucks is the symbolism of western culture. Starbucks is American company. Now, drinking coffee in Starbucks coffeehouse has become a normal living style for many American people. Moreover, Starbucks’ branches have spread to all over the world. On the one hand, according to Curtin and Gaither (2009), â€Å"In the eyes of many Chinese people, the image of Starbucks is encoded with a meaning that might convey, like many other western fast food brands which introduced from U.S., ‘America, western value’ in China† (Curtin Gaither, 2007, p.85). On the other hand, in or der to entering in Chinese market, Starbucks has developed its coffee flavours to be adapted to Chinese taste, and Starbucks also sells tea and moon cakes which are the traditional Chinese food in its coffee house (Rein, 2012). These product, to some degree, can implicate traditional culture. The supreme imperial culture of the Forbidden City excludes Starbucks’ culture. The imperial culture is a traditional Chinese culture, and it has thousands years of history. In the ancient time, normal people could not use the stuff that emperor used and also could not enjoy the food that emperor enjoyed, which means that the imperial power was supreme and had the feature of exclusiveness. According to Chiu and Cheng (2007), when Starbucks opened its coffeehouse in the Forbidden City, these traditional Chinese food were also sold in Starbucks Forbidden City Shop, and on the surface of its products, Starbucks still used its English logo (Chiu Cheng, 2007, pp.85-86). As Bzelova shows that moon cakes, which have thousands years of history, are treated as the symbol of family reunion and the round harvest moon. Initially, moon cake was invented by soldier. In Ming dynasty, the mood cake was introduced into the Forbidden City and became a kind of specialized food for emperor at one time (Bzelova, 2013). Another fact is moon cakes are usually yellow. As above mention ed, in the ancient time, only emperor could use the color â€Å"Yellow†. However, Starbucks sold the moon cakes with English logo, it was a kind of contradiction to the traditional Chinese culture. Moreover, the English logo which was painted on the yellow moon cake was a kind of contradiction to the imperial culture. Even though emperor was disappeared  for almost one hundred year and the Forbidden City had also become a tourist attraction, the imperial culture still exist in the Forbidden City, which can be revealed from the Forbidden City’s main color—â€Å"Yellow†. Therefore, selling these products by a foreign company could emerge conflicts to the Forbidden City’s imperial culture, and the imperial culture of the Forbidden City, to some degree, prevented Starbucks to run its business in the Forbidden City. Chinese nationalism could not accept Starbucks in the Forbidden City Chinese people’s nationalism could not accept Starbucks’ existence in the Forbidden City. As Miscevic (2010) defines that â€Å"nationalism† is usually used to describe two phenomena: â€Å"(1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity, and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or susta in) self-determination† (Miscevic, 2010, p.1). Chinese people’s nationalism has hundreds years of history. In 1840, the first opium war happened in China, and Britain invaded in China by selling opium. For western countries, such as British, Spain, and France, after the first industrial revolution, their industries and economy were developed fast, and their domestic demands could not meet the requirements of their economic development; therefore, many of these countries wanted to invade to other countries to make profits, and China became one of the most important targets for western invaders. After the first opium war, China paid millions of silver for British and France and ceded territory to British. In the following one hundred year, Chinese people had experienced a series of invasions from western countries. Chinese people’s nationalism was set up during these disasters. According to He (2007), even though China is becoming more and more open, and people’s living condition is becoming more and more fortu nate, Chinese people still cannot accept that western culture exceedingly combined with Chinese culture (p.6). As above mentioned that Starbucks can be treated as a symbol of America. Even though in the history, China and America did not have direct conflict, U.S. is still usually treated as the representation of western power because America is one of the biggest and the most powerful country in the world (Cheng, 2012). However, Chinese people usually treat the Forbidden City as the most tradition area, and â€Å"[t]he presence of any foreign brands or products in this place may imply invasion of western culture assisted by western corporate power† (Hang Zhang. 2009, p.398). As these areas were destroyed by western invaders during the war; therefore, it is hard for Chinese people to accept western companies, such as Starbucks, which have strong culture to run its business in the Forbidden City. Starbucks’ fashion contradicts to the Forbidden City’s classic culture The Forbidden City is the symbolism of Chinese classic culture. This symbolism can be experienced from the Forbidden City’s design. According to Han Zhang (2009), â€Å"[t]he design of the Forbidden City, from its overall layout, as laid down in the Classic of Rites (Li ji), to the smallest detail of decoration, has symbolic meaning with underlying philosophical and religious principles† (Han Zhang, 2009, p.397). From Han Zhang’s analysis, we can find that the design of the Forbidden City’s buildings contains profound Chinese culture. As Wang (2010) indicates that â€Å"[t]he calligraphy tablets hung over each main gate and building, although often neglected by visitors, actually are special embodiments of traditional Chinese concepts either well known or maybe unexpected by their readers† (Wang, 2010, p.11). Taking the Confucianism â€Å"Harmony† for example, there are three great front halls in the Forbidden City, their names are â€Å"Hall of Supreme Harmony†, â€Å"Hall of Central Harmonyâ € , and â€Å"Hall of Preserving Harmony†, respectively. In ancient time, the emperor usually believed that he was the son of Heaven. â€Å"His highest goal was established to achieve harmony among Heaven, the Earth and the human being. Thus, harmony was repeatedly emphasized on the tablets to idealize the effectiveness of the court† (Wang, 2010, p.12). This is the one of the traditional cultures that can be found in the Forbidden City. The Forbidden City’s buildings also represent the theory of â€Å"syncretism between heaven and man† and the theory of â€Å"self-discipline and social commitment† (Zi, 1987, p.448). Therefore, the Forbidden City implies many great and profound Chinese classic culture. Starbuck is the symbol of fashion. From the surface of Starbucks, we can find that the meaning of Starbucks is represented by the green logo, â€Å"the fine coffee drinks, music, cozy in-store setting and free Wi-Fi† (Puel, Pons, Jin, 2007, p.2). According to Han and Zhang (2009), Starbucks is making itself to be a widely known brand in China. â€Å"Particularly, Starbucks is targeting affluent Chinese customers as well as the growing middle class, making itself ubiquitous in chic shopping malls†¦. Drinking Starbucks coffee has gradually become fashionable† (Han Zhang, 2009, p.397). Therefore, Starbucks’ fashion culture has deeply rooted in the heart of Chinese customers. Starbucks’ fashion culture contradicts to the Forbidden City’s classic culture. As Cha (2003) indicates that Chinese classic culture is dominated by the Confucianism, and in the Confucianism, â€Å"self-cultivation† is an important thought which means people should keep their bodies to be healthy and through self-reflection to improve their minds to reach an optimal state (Cha, 2003, pp.170-171). From the definition of â€Å"self-cultivation†, we can recognise that Chinese classic culture advocates the importance of having a peaceful living style, the importance of implementing self-discipline, and the importance of keeping on the rails. However, as Harrison (2005) shows that Starbucks’ fashion culture advocates the importance of freedom and the importance of materials (p.281). Therefore, Starbucks’ fashion culture could not combined with Starbucks’ classic culture. Objections Except the cultural factors, media influence is also a cause for Starbucks’ failure in the Forbidden City. In recent years, China’s internet media is developing so fast and is becoming more and more powerful on affecting business. According to Chiu, Lin, and Sliverman (2013), the most popular websites, such as Sina, Tencent, and Netease, are important media for companies to engage in the increasingly affluent online audience, and companies can also use â€Å"social media as a vital source of information for brand and product decisions. China’s social media landscape is a complex environment at huge scale† (Chiu, Lin, Sliverman, 2013, para.3). As above mentioned that Chenggang Rui posted a blog on Sina to against Starbucks. According to Han and Zhang (2009), â€Å"[s]ince September 2006, Sina launched a blogsphere, informally called ‘celebrity blogs (mingren boke),’ where most bloggers are well-known public figures such as performers, artists and writers. Using a ranking system, Sina promotes certain celebrities’ blogs and downplay others† (Han Zhang, 2009, p.397). After Rui posted his blog, his arguments were spread to many places quickly because of the tremendous internet users. â€Å"Without using Sina as platform, Rui’s voice would not have been so well received† (Han Zhang, 2009,  p.397). Therefore, the internet media, to some extent, made influence on Starbucks’ failure in the Forbidden City; however, the cultural problems is still the main cause for Starbucks’ failure because internet media is only a kind of medium for opponents to advocates the cultural problems. Conclusion This article shows the problems that Starbucks had experienced in the Forbidden City and analyses the reasons why Starbucks failed in the Forbidden City. With above mentioned analysis, we can draw a conclusion that Starbucks failed in the Forbidden City because of the serious Chinese culture shock. Even though Starbucks has achieved success in the general business areas in China, it still cannot thoroughly cope with the problem of culture shock in the most traditional areas in China, such as in the Forbidden City. The case that Starbucks failed in the Forbidden City is a good example not only for Starbucks itself but also for other multinational corporations in China to understand how serious the Chinese culture shock is, and Starbucks can also learn from this case to avoid making the same inappropriate decision in the future. References Bezlova, A. (2013). China’s traditional moon cake now a status symbol. Retrieved from http://www.culturebriefings.com/articles/chinmnck.html Cheng, D. (2012). The complicated history of U.S. Relations with China. Retrieved from http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/10/the-complicated-history-of-us-relations-with-china Cha, S. H. (2003). Modern Chinese Confucianism: The contemporary neo-Confucian movement and its cultural significance. Social compass, 50(4), 481-491. Chiu, C. Y., Cheng, S. Y. (2007). Toward a social psychology of culture and globalization: Some social cognitive consequences of activating two cultures simultaneously. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 1(1), 84-100. Curtin, P. A., Gaither, T. K. (2007). International public relations: Negotiating culture, identity and power. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Chiu, C. Lin, D., Sliverman, A. 2013. High influence: China’s social media boom. Retrieved from http://cmsoforum.mckinsey.com/article/high-i nfluence-chinas-social-media-boom

Is Homeschooling a Better Choice? Essay -- Education School Essays

Is Homeschooling a Better Choice? He is up with the sun, ready to go. He waits patiently for his brothers and sisters, but today is the first day of school and he is eager to start on his studies. All of the children are assembled in the front foyer as the big, yellow school bus zooms past their house. None of the children seem to notice. Instead, the group of eager students proceeds into their "schoolroom" to greet their teacher, also known as "Mom." Even as early as the turn of the century, children were often taught at home by their parents. Most often, this was because of the need of help on the family farm, location, or the lack of money. The description above, however, is one of a modern family. Home schooling is the fastest growing idea in education in the United States and beyond, in such countries as England, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. (Blumenfeld 1) Probably the most asked question of homeschooling is, "Why?" Many parents feel the guardians of homeschooled children have deprived those children of social intelligence. They may feel that the children are taken away and are isolated for all their childhood years. This idea couldn’t be more far from the truth. Parents homeschool their children because they care about the education they receive. They know the public school system is in trouble. So much so, things such as becoming intellectually crippled and seriously handicapped are effective for 40 to 60 percent of schoolchildren. This academic problem is due to the educational means and methods public schoolchildren are brought up on. Reading disabilities diagnosed later on in life, such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder can be caused by these teaching methods. ADD is often treated by the drug R... ...oses. (Blumenfeld 112-116) Homeschooling isn’t just an idea; it’s a way of life. The parents know their children, and kids learn naturally, with out any help, so continuing their interests through one on one interaction could only be good on them. Children learn so much more about the world around when they can be active participants in it. This is an idea that is long overdue. Works Cited Blumenfeld, Samuel L. Homeschooling: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Children. Secaucus, N.J.: Carol Publishing Group, 1997. Dobson, Linda. The Homeschooling Book of Answers. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1998. "How to Get Started Homeschooling." Home School House. 1998. www.geocities.com/~perkinshome/page54.html. Indiana Department of Education. Shackelford, Luanne, and Susan White. A Survivors Guide to Home Schooling. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1988. Is Homeschooling a Better Choice? Essay -- Education School Essays Is Homeschooling a Better Choice? He is up with the sun, ready to go. He waits patiently for his brothers and sisters, but today is the first day of school and he is eager to start on his studies. All of the children are assembled in the front foyer as the big, yellow school bus zooms past their house. None of the children seem to notice. Instead, the group of eager students proceeds into their "schoolroom" to greet their teacher, also known as "Mom." Even as early as the turn of the century, children were often taught at home by their parents. Most often, this was because of the need of help on the family farm, location, or the lack of money. The description above, however, is one of a modern family. Home schooling is the fastest growing idea in education in the United States and beyond, in such countries as England, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. (Blumenfeld 1) Probably the most asked question of homeschooling is, "Why?" Many parents feel the guardians of homeschooled children have deprived those children of social intelligence. They may feel that the children are taken away and are isolated for all their childhood years. This idea couldn’t be more far from the truth. Parents homeschool their children because they care about the education they receive. They know the public school system is in trouble. So much so, things such as becoming intellectually crippled and seriously handicapped are effective for 40 to 60 percent of schoolchildren. This academic problem is due to the educational means and methods public schoolchildren are brought up on. Reading disabilities diagnosed later on in life, such as dyslexia and attention deficit disorder can be caused by these teaching methods. ADD is often treated by the drug R... ...oses. (Blumenfeld 112-116) Homeschooling isn’t just an idea; it’s a way of life. The parents know their children, and kids learn naturally, with out any help, so continuing their interests through one on one interaction could only be good on them. Children learn so much more about the world around when they can be active participants in it. This is an idea that is long overdue. Works Cited Blumenfeld, Samuel L. Homeschooling: A Parent’s Guide to Teaching Children. Secaucus, N.J.: Carol Publishing Group, 1997. Dobson, Linda. The Homeschooling Book of Answers. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1998. "How to Get Started Homeschooling." Home School House. 1998. www.geocities.com/~perkinshome/page54.html. Indiana Department of Education. Shackelford, Luanne, and Susan White. A Survivors Guide to Home Schooling. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 1988.

Analysis of Bandura’s Cognitive Theory and Beck’s Cognitive Theory

The study of human behavior or behaviorism focuses on attributes of humanity that are discernible, measurable and which can be manipulated. The emphasis of behaviorism is on experimental methods and avoids attributes that are subjective, internal or unavailable.The experimental method involves the manipulation of one variable and measurement of its effect on another variable. It is from the study of variable and effects that a Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura found the cognitive theory (or social cognitive theory) (Bandura, 2006).Bandura for instance observed aggressive behavior in adolescents and opined that the aggressiveness is caused by the environment in which the adolescents grow. On the other hand, he also realized that behavior causes an environment as well.Thus, since behavior and environment are causes and effects of each other, Bandura referred to the concept as reciprocal determinism (Bandura1986). In short, Bandura’s theory was based on the fact that the worl d and a person’s character (behavior) affect each other (Bandura, 1986).While it would appear that the environment was the cause of behavior and personality, Bandura also realized that personality is an interaction of a person’s psychological responses in relation to the environment (Bandura, 2006).The psychological processes consist of the human being’s ability to entertain different images and languages. Thus, the cognitive theory is built on two essential principles. The first one is a framework for explaining how different personalities function, whereas the other one addresses the type of variables (that is the elements of analysis) on which the personality theory should be centred (Bandura, 2006).In analysis of the influence of reciprocal determinism, Bandura categorically uses the word â€Å"determinism† to imply the aspect in which effects are produced by events (Bandura, 2006). However, this opinion does not mean that a human being’s actio ns arise from straightforward and predictable chains of cause and consequence.Rather, it implies that events produce effects by chance. As a result, the probability or chance of an event producing an effect is emphasized in Bandura’s cognitive theory (Bandura, 2006). Perhaps the most significant aspect of Bandura’s theory is the way in which the theory treats behavior.Unlike many other theoretical frameworks, this theory has equal action on both the input of the personality and the output of personality (Bandura, 1986). In essence, Bandura’s opinion is that a person’s actions and the resultant effects shape the person’s aptitude, feelings and belief in one self (Bandura, 2006).For example, many behaviorist theories depict scant curiosity in self-process because the theorists assume that human functioning is caused by external stimulus rather than the internal stimulus which is only considered as transmitting rather than causing behavior (Bandura, 1 986).This paper critically evaluates the notable features of Bandura’s cognitive theory and discusses in detail the viewpoint of the Bandura at the time of formulation of the theory and the theory’s subsequent modification.The paper will also appraise the strengths and weaknesses of the theory based on the discussion. Analysis of the salient features of Bandura’s cognitive theory The most notable feature of Bandura’s social cognitive theory is the concept of reciprocal determinism (Bandura, 1986).Reciprocal determinism is a phenomenon that implies the causes and effects of different actions on behavior and environment and how they affect each other. Thus, Bandura’s theory was based on the point that personal factors in the form of cognition, biological events and affect, behavior and environmental factors create interfaces that result in a triadic reciprocality as illustrated in Figure 1. Bandura modified the label of his theory from the common per spective of social learning to social cognitive in order to distance it from the common social learning theories of his time (Bandura, 1986).He also wanted to lay emphasis on the idea that cognition plays a significant role in people’s capability to construct reality, regulate their personality, encode information and display other kinds of behavior. According to Bandura (1971), the reciprocal form of the determinants of individual human functioning in social cognitive theory enables services such as therapeutic and counseling efforts to be rendered with focus on personal environment or behavioral factors as illustrated in the diagram above.Based on this, strategies to improve a person’s well-being can be aimed at ameliorating the emotional, cognitive and motivational process of the human being (Bandura, 1986). The focus can also be on improving behavioral capabilities or changing the communal conditions under which people live and work.As an example, teachers in schoo ls have a role to not only improve their students’ academic learning and confidence, but also boost their (students’) self-beliefs and habits of thinking. Hence, teachers and students have to embrace all the components of Bandura’s triadic expression of cognitive theory.As earlier mentioned, Bandura’s social cognitive theory sets itself aside from other theories that overemphasize the role played by environmental factors in the development of human behavior (Bandura, 1986; Bandura, 2006).These theories are often dismissed since they have the redundant factor of cause and effect that is unworthy in the context of evaluating the psychological aspect of human beings. Thus according to Bandura, psychology per se without a clear self-examination cannot purport to explain the complexities of human intricacies of human functioning.Bandura (1986) further noted it is by evaluating their own conscious minds that people discern their own psychological processes. The refore, in order to predict how the human behavior is affected by environmental outcomes, it is imperative that the individual’s cognitive process and how he or she interprets the outcomes be understood.Personal determinants An important factor in addressing how a person interprets the outcomes is recognition of the personal determinants. This is affected by the choice of variables to be used in the evaluation process.Bandura’s choice for such variable depicts what may be the most distinctive aspect of human life, that is, people have abilities to adapt to different environments (Bandura, 1986). For instance, people are able to live in a variety of physical environments such as deserts, rainforests, Polar Regions and so on.They are also able to live and engage in a variety of social environments such as nomadic systems, diverse religious beliefs, different socio economic and socio cultural activities and so on. People also exhibit a variety of unique capabilities that cannot be attributed to the occurrence of evolution over time (Bandura, 1971).In fact, the list of human beings’ unique capabilities relative to animals cannot be exhausted in a single book. Hence, in order to perform an analysis of psychological functioning, one must specify the psychological mechanisms that facilitate the unique capabilities. Bandura’s (1986) theory has a focal point on the cognitive methods that enable people to learn about the world around them (environment) and also about themselves, and use the knowledge gained to control their behavior and mental experiences.In particular, Bandura (1986) enlisted five basic capabilities that facilitate the learning process, as described below. Symbolizing capability implies the ability of people to represent their knowledge symbolically. The most common symbolic representation or conveyance of messages is language (Bandura, 1971). The ability to use symbols in terms of language is perhaps the most fundamental ca pability in human beings as it serves as a leeway for the other capabilities.Vicarious capability is the ability to acquire skills, knowledge and other emotional tendencies through observation or a similar approach (Bandura, 1971). Bandura’s (2006) assiduous analysis of vicarious processes that are involved in acquiring skills makes the cognitive theory not only realistic but also unusually easy to comprehend and interpret. In addition, it clears most of the issues that are usually overlooked by psychological theories such how people acquire knowledge and skills that enable them to act efficiently.According to Bandura (1997), vicarious capability enables people to keep away from risky or costly undertakings that could lead to fatal outcomes. This is because the people ideally have a sense of experience by observing their own characters relative to the characters or behavior of others.Bandura (1986) referred to the ability to anticipate future contingencies as the forethought capability of human beings. Forethought capability is vital for both emotional and motivational perspectives of life.For instance, contrary to popular belief, psychological distress arises from peoples’ anticipated dreadful experiences and not the present or actual experiences. It is because of the ability to derive alternative approaches that one can foresee the consequences of an action without actually being involved in it.According to Bandura (1986), the fourth unique human capability is the self-regulatory capability. This is the capacity of an individual to set goals. In addition, this capability allows individuals to evaluate their performance in relation to their own (internal) standards of performance.Bandura (1986) further noted that the ability of people to evaluate their self-concept, esteem and values enables them have a sense of self-direction and ability to lead life without much reliance on others. Much similar to the above capability is the self-reflective ca pability.According to Bandura (1997), this is the capacity of human beings to have personal thoughts. In this context, personal reflections lay a course for action and formulation of ideas by individuals based on self-efficacy. The aforementioned capabilities do not work in isolation but in concert.In particular, according to Bandura (1997), the aspects of self-reflection, self-regulation and forethought act in synergy to form a self-system, which comprises the framework of personality. Furthermore, people are able to control their emotions and social lives by integrating the constituents of the self-system (Bandura, 1986).Self-reflection in particular is â€Å"distinctly human† and forms a prominent feature of the social cognitive theory. Through self-reflection, individuals derive sense from their experiences and embrace their cognitions and self-beliefs.Consequently, they are able to engage in self-evaluation and are able to shift their thinking and behavior accordingly (B andura, 1986). Self-efficacy When the capabilities so far described are integrated effectively, the self-system acquires a state of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1997).Perceived self-efficacy refers to people’s ability to evaluate their own efficiencies in solving problems and attaining certain levels of performance (Bandura, 1997). The relevance of perceived self-efficacy to the social cognitive theory postulated by Bandura is that self-efficacy judgments have a pervasive role in human affairs.In the scope of both achievements and interpersonal relationships, people’s stances are calculated by how effectively (and wisely) they can make decisions and how efficiently they can act in fulfilling the decisions taken. From the above perspective, it is evident that evaluation between an individual’s skills and the requirements of the environment is pertinent in determining the courses of action that are viewed as being the determinants of one’s personality. Efficacy beliefs are vital in that not only do they act on overt behavior but they also address the internal psychological affairs of individuals.This is an important aspect of the social cognition theory with respect to the triadic scheme. This is because an individual’s personality is judged from acts that are done both overtly and covertly. In view of Bandura’s (1997) ideas, people with robust perceptions of their efficacy envisage more positive futures, experience less distressing emotions, and are capable of planning for their life programs more effectively. In addition, such people are able to deal with demanding tasks more efficiently than people who have lower opinion of their efficacy. How personal determinants relate with individual differences and dispositionsWith reference to Bandura (1999), the basic capacities of the social cognitive theory are dissimilar in three ways from the units of measurement employed in the character-related theories of personality. To begi n with, the capabilities are not single variable differences with reference to personality.For instance, Bandura (1999) accentuated that a single-difference analysis may hinder the realization of other vital capabilities possessed by an individual. Such an instance would occur if the ability in an individual is rare and is therefore not detected as an important factor in analysis (Bandura, 1999).As is common with many forms of analysis, there is usually an investigation for a small number of primary units of variation, or for capabilities that are common but possessed to uniformly high level by many individuals.The fact that almost everyone possesses a unique capability (for example the ability to use symbols of the ability to be self-reflective and self–conscious) does not necessarily make the capabilities less important in the context of the functioning of personality. These capabilities are still important in spite of the fact that they may not be identified as the primary dimensions of individual dissimilarity.The second difference in the context of the capabilities in the social cognitive theory is related to average tendencies. For instance, Bandura’s (1999) category of cognitive capabilities does not just mention the average tendencies.Rather, Bandura opines that self-reflection and self-regulation contribute to both constancy and variability of actions among individuals. Along this line, it is important to note that people’s goals, choices and cognitive abilities are displayed in the manner in which they act and handle different circumstances that they come across in their lives.This point is of importance in describing an individual’s personality (Bandura, 1999). It implies that dispositional characteristics per se cannot suffice the description of personality as they refer to the average tendencies in behavior and are devoid of reference to particular individuals (Bandura, 1999).In addition, a single individual’s so cial cognitive may not contribute significantly to the distinct patterns of behavior that are not in line with the contemporary descriptive characteristics that are used in the analysis of standard individual difference categories.The third point is that the social cognitive theory’s definition of personality and the role personality factors play in contribution to social behavior is significantly different from the dispositional approach. The social cognitive theory does not view dispositional tendencies as personality structures. Instead, the theory realizes personality structures as consisting of cognitive and affective systems, which contribute to the patterns of individuals’ behavior in a much informal way. These, according to Bandura (1999), are the dispositional tendencies.In this context therefore, dispositions are effects and not causes. Bandura opposed the proponents of personality description based on behavior as being mistaken since the aspects of behaviora l description â€Å"locate the personality structure in the wrong place† (Bandura, 1999, p 200).Therefore, the Bandura’s social cognitive theory views the standard dispositional units of personality description as being inadequate to fully describe an individual or to explain his or her personality functioning. Strengths and weaknesses of the theoryAs discussed, Bandura’s theory has many points of strength, notable of which being that it describes the relationship between behavior and the environment. In addition, the theory gives a clear picture of how behaviors are learned and developed.On the other hand, it is evident that the theory puts too much emphasis on what happens to people rather than what the people do. Along the same line, the theory does not address consistent differences among individuals as they go through different developmental stages. a

Solving The Foreclosure Crisis Essay - 987 Words

It is a well know fact that the world is in a financial crisis which has resulted in the foreclosure crisis. This is a problem that can not be resolved by the government alone. If the government continues to hand out bail out money to businesses trying to help them avoid bankruptcy or from going out of business the national debt will continue to increase. The national debt will have to someday be paid off and if the government continues to borrow money the result will be higher income taxes paid by those that are already struggling to bring home a paycheck that will meet their basic living expenses. In turn this will make the financial crisis continue to get worse as time goes on. This is a problem that has to be solved by each business†¦show more content†¦The solution is mortgage amendments. These amendments are not the same as a refinance and do not require any refinance fees or appraisal. They should take very little time and expense to create, approve and be considered a legal amendment filed with the original documents. These are meant to be temporary but the time limit on them is dependent on the borrower’s income allowing them time to find a job or increase their current income. There will be two types of amendments. The first one will lower the interest rate significantly which will lower the monthly payment without changing the term of the mortgage. This one can be very beneficial to those who have taken a pay cut or a slightly lower paying job and will not extend the term of the loan. The second one will also lower the interest rate significantly but will also lower the principle payment and extend the term of the loan until the loan is paid in full. The disadvantage to this amendment is that the borrower may end up paying more in interest through the length of the loan. The advantage is that the borrower will be able to lower their payment to an amount they can afford. With both amendments the borrower will report their income yearly until their income reaches the amount that was provided in the original mortgage documents or their income from the borrower’s previous job. Reasonable income guidelinesShow MoreRelatedSolving the Foreclosure Crisis 1107 Words   |  5 PagesSolving the foreclosure crisis is not an easy quest. In order to solve the crisis, it will take everyone getting involved. The banks and other lenders need to be willing to work with people who have been in their homes and need to have their loans restructured or refinanced. There should not be any more QUICK FIXES. Too many of the lending institutions are trying to put a bandage on an open wound. Instead of working with the homeowners, they are willing to put the residents out of the homes and thinkRead MoreSolving the Foreclosure Crisis 972 Words   |  4 PagesIn order to solve the foreclosure crisis, first we must identify and examine the reasons why people are going i nto foreclosure. The unstable economy which has led to the loss of thousands of jobs is the most obvious reason that people are foreclosing their homes. Without a stable and sufficient source of income, it is virtually impossible to pay back mortgage lenders. The first step we should take to solve the foreclosure crises is to create more jobs so that people can pay their mortgages on timeRead MoreSolving The Foreclosure Crisis Essay985 Words   |  4 PagesHome foreclosures have been a hot topic in recent months as the economy has been in a serious downfall with a very slow recovery process. There are many different philosophies and many people truly feel that we can recover from this. 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By doing this it willRead MoreSolving the Foreclosure Crisis 1578 Words   |  7 Pagespotential loss breaks down as follows: Loss from sales price: $200,000.00 5% Commission: $10,000.00 3% closing cost credit: $6,000.00 Repair credits: $1,000.00 Foreclosure fees: $50,000.00 Total loss $267,000.00 Case number one: For those whose income has not had any major variations from the time they initiated their mortgage, but are finding themselves unable to continue their payments because of anRead MoreSolving the Foreclosure Crisis Essay1092 Words   |  5 PagesThe foreclosure crisis was one of the harbingers of the coming economic recession. This was the issue that shifted the focus of the 2008 presidential election from the Iraq War to the economy. As one can imagine, many individuals and families are currently hurting as a result of this foreclosure crisis. High unemployment rates and lack of job creation leave very few options for already struggling homeowners. Because the housing industry composes such a large part of the American economy and affectsRead MoreEssay on Solving the Foreclosure Crisis 969 Words   |  4 PagesThe current foreclosure crisis that our nation is experiencing has become a great hardship on many people in America. People that have lost their jobs due to cut backs, people with families for whom they need to provide shelter, people who are otherwise very responsible but have been put in a position from which they cannot escape, these are the people that are suffering. Normally if one could not afford to make payments on their mortgage, there would be ways for them to refinance their mortgageRead MoreThe Solving The Foreclosure Crisis933 Words   |  4 Pages The foreclosure crisis, which tragically happened several years ago, stole away the homes from countless Americans and left them high and dry. These Americans were not even neglecting to pay for their mortgage on purpose; the economy took a drastic downfall and took all of those unshielded Americans with it. Now, these Americans are left with many questions that are unanswered – until now. They still have the chance to improve their credit, test out their dream home, and thrive in the current reasonable