Poverty in Black America Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poverty in Black America - Research Paper Example Out of 40 million, 10.7 million blacks live in poverty (27.4%). A total of 54.6 % of all blacks live in single mother homes. (Black Poverty).1 2. American Black community is not only poor by American standards; rather many amongst them touch â€Å"third world† poor status. In USA official unemployment rate is 4.4% whereas official unemployment rate for blacks is 10% .Approximately a million black children in USA are living below poverty line. (Phillip).2 3. Poverty brings other associated problems. Either poverty causes these problems or these problems cause poverty. The problems include poor education standards, broken family structure, violence, high crime rate, mass unemployment, poor living standards and housing, poor health, friction in communities and low contribution towards economy etc. 4. Higher education is considered essential in upgrading the standard of life. However with poor economic status, black families are unable to afford college education and postgraduate studies. The frustrated youth is therefore divulged towards depression, uncertainty, frustration, drugs and crime. 5. Consistently black students in schools have not performed well. According to Carter (Carter) â€Å"so many decades have passed since 1954 Brown decision however many people are still intrigued by the (under) performance of Black Students in Americas schools†3 . In schools these students remain in groups. These groups often fight each other to gain dominance. Masculine image amongst black boys is a very dominant concept. The past association with slavery also haunts quite a few black youngsters. There is another impression amongst black students according to which a student involved in studies is not received well amongst the peers. When impact of all these factors is combined it results into distraction from studies and poor results and failure in life later on. 6. There has been a factor of racism as well in few schools where black students have been labeled naturally â€Å"dumb†. There has been a feedback from teachers according to which white teachers did not feel comfortable in the company of black students. Unfortunately negative indicators in school life do not point towards bright future of black students. 7. Lack of role models is often cited as a reason for blacks not doing well in many fields specially education. There is a general impression that blacks are not good at studies however they are good in sports and music. However it is considered a wrong argument. Black sportsmen and music celebrities are very few in number. The lifestyles and wealth these celebrities enjoy create a false impression amongst blacks, due to which, black youngsters dream of becoming music or sports stars, through some sort of shortcut in life. The results in real life are far different than dreams. 8. Thirteenth amendment to US constitution was passed in December 1865, according to which slavery was abolished in USA. The country was not stabl e in that era and southern states continued with practices similar to slavery however union army was limited and could not protect ex-slaves. Few states passed â€Å"black codes† according to which unemployed blacks could be arrested and fined .Prisoners that were unable to pay fines could be used as slaves. Blacks were not allowed to buy land and were denied fair wages for work. 9. After the civil war

Shopping Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Shopping Motivation - Essay Example however behind all these characteristics, the motivation to buy is one of the key variables which contribute towards shaping the overall strategies for marketing. Thus, analyzing and understanding different shopping motivations allow managers to help them better their segmentation policies as well as the development of new and more penetrating retail marketing strategies. (Wagner,2007). The traditional research in this area however, remained focused on the interaction of consumers with the physical market places to make their buying decisions however, over the period of time, as the new forms of markets and marketing evolved, the scope has broadened and currently research in this area also focus on the different motivations of consumers while making purchase decisions in different market settings. This paper will attempt to study and anlyse different shopping motivations that exists when consumers make buying decisions. This paper however, also takes into consideration Means End Chain and its links to the Goal Directed Theory while presenting analyzing various shopping motivations. According to dictionary definition of Consumer, a consumer is one who consumes an economic good. A consumer is generally thought of as a person who identifies a need or desire accordingly makes a purchase. Thus, a consumer is a person who first identifies or feels the need for something and then after going through a mental process decides to whether buy or not buy certain goods or services. Thus a consumer is generally thought of as a person who identifies a need or desire accordingly makes a purchase. However, there are different factors which influence that mental process of deciding what to buy and what not to buy and a good marketer will always attempt to understand that mental process and then design strategies to influence that decision making process. Thus, no matter who are we in life (a child, a parent, a student, a worker, a business owner, a lover, etc.) we buy and consume things which makes us consumers. We buy different products (tangible and intangible) for many reasons (to eat, to wear, to watch, to play, to travel, to keep in good shape and to feel secure). Hence, the consumption activity is essential and primary part of our daily life and we as consumers attempt to consume according to our needs, wants and purchasing power. (David, 1997). However, there is a certain process, as defined above, which takes place in consumer's mind while evaluating a purchase. That process or behavior is often called consumer behavior. Consumer Behavior Consumer behavior can be easily be described as how consumers feel, think, create reasons to select between different alternatives like different brands of goods, or different products. Thus in its essence, consumer behavior is how the external and internal factors influence a consumer to make a buying decision. Consumer behavior, therefore, not only involve the interaction of the consumer with its environment but it also attempt to comprehend the influence of that environment on the decision making p