by Herman Bailey | Apr 11, 2023 | Essays |
Q2. List all the promotional mix elements used by Pepsi Refresh campaign. What grade would you give PepsiCo on integrating these elements into an integration marketing campaign?
The Pepsi Refresh campaign has used promotional mix elements such as:
- Advertising that has been carried out through, digital and social media like Facebook and Tweeter and broadcasting as pointed out by Kotler & Armstrong (2011).
- PepsiCo has used personal selling since Kotler & Armstrong (2011) indicate that, the company draws people into their retailer outlets to see the point of-purchase materials and hoping they buy its soft drinks, PepsiCo has partnered with Foursquare to direct its members to Pepsi retailers and gives them the incentive for them to visit.
- Public relation. PepsiCo has created refresheverything.com web site, has sealed agreements like the one with NBC Universal for paid pitches on the “Today” show (Kotler & Armstrong, 2011) as well as using celebrity endorsers by encouraging those they have recruited such as NFL players Mark Sanchez to apply for the grants be ambassadors of the project.
- Direct marketing has also been used since the company is spreading the message at purchase point by having the message on Pepsi bottles, cans and multipacks.
- According to Kotler & Armstrong (2011), PepsiCo has integrated promotion mix elements well as the campaign’s message is the same in all the methods used in conveying it. Therefore, I would award them 100%.
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Q3. Describe PepsiCo’s target audience. Is the Pepsi Refresh campaign consistent with that audience?
The Pepsi Refresh campaign, according to Kotler & Armstrong (2011) targets selfless individuals and organizations with noble ideas, passion and the desire to create a better society. The campaign is consistence with the audience since they have achieved the desired audience response indicated by the number of proposals they get from individuals and organizations and the numerous projects they have funded since the campaign began.
Q4. As completely as possible analyze the campaign according to the steps listed in the chapter for developing effective marketing communication.
Kotler & Armstrong (2011) implies that the company has developed effective marketing communication as it has identified the target audience that are individuals and organization with noble ideas for the well-being of the society and do not have funds to achieve their proposal ideas. The campaign has determined the communication objectives as making individuals aware of this campaign and encourage them to participate in the good of thee. Moreover, the company promotes social responsibility by funding good proposal projects sending a message about the importance of community services. PepsiCo is using social media, broadcast and its own website, refresheverything.com, to convey the message. In addition, PepsiCo is collecting feedback via responding to people’s tweets and Facebook comments.
Q5. Will the Pepsi campaign be successful? Why or why not?
The Pepsi Refresh campaign will be successful since its main objective is to benefit the society. The major challenge of the Pepsi campaign would be finance. The campaign has had positive feedback in terms of its objectives since people have come forward to participate either by presenting their project proposals or voting for the best project proposal an implication that it is a worthy project. Therefore, most people would want to support it by purchasing the Pepsi drink as advised by the marketing director. Besides, the campaign also markets the drink and as long as the drink is being bought, they will never run short of money for the campaign just as illustrated by Kotler & Armstrong (2011).
Reference
Kotler, P., & Armstrong, G. (2011). Principles of marketing (14th ed.). Boston: Pearson Prentice Hall.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Apr 11, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
In this paper, I would like to make a reflection on the ethical issue of workplace bullying in Australia. From my reading and experience, work place bullying is one of the main problems facing employees in many Australian companies (Rigby 2002p.77). Work place bullying impact on both the employees and the clients of a company negatively. Hayes & Herbert (2011) pointed out that work place bulling in Australia has contributed to the increased work place errors, sick leaves, psychological ill health and poor retention of staffs among most employees in Australia. While there are many reasons on work place bullying, contemporary studies on work places have reviewed factors that influence bullying in the work places. To critically review my experience in one of the service companies in Australia, I have applied the Kolb’s learning cycle (Kolb 1984) to structure and inform my reflection. The model will enable me to simplify issues I felt to be a complex collection of feelings influenced and governed by many people I interacted with in the in the work place. The essay will use the model components to give a description of my experiences in the work place via concrete experiences, commentary, reflection, active experimentation and abstract conceptualization (Kolb 1984).
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Work place bullying
Workplace bullying is influenced by many factors but, according to the numerous work place bullying authors and researchers, the fundamental aspects of work place bullying are formed and influenced primarily work culture(Ramsay et al 2011, Salmivalli et al 2011p.515). The nature of the work place bullying, particularly within the service industry sectors of Australia, impacts on the services provided by the employees on the customers (Ramsay et al 2011p.800). It also influences the employees’ health working within the organization.
My experiences as a citizen and an employee of Australia Service Company have made me develop an interest in understanding deeper the work place bullying. Over the past few years, I relocated back home from my former work place to escape from work place bullying. I have lots of friends who have also been tormented similarly. We have shared stories and even consoled ourselves. Like me, some of them have resigned and found new jobs and some extended their calendar days and retired to escape from their tormentors. However, many people do not have the options, and therefore cannot leave their rewarding jobs simply because someone is tormenting them or trying to make them miserable. Therefore, they continue to suffer anger, anxiety and even depression that are associated with bullying.
Concrete experience
Workplace cultures that are positive are essential to productive workplace environments but they rarely exist within the service industry. The inability to create such an environment affects the company’s ability to employ, retain employees, and impacts adversely on the customer’s morale and satisfaction, health and productivity among the employees (Geffner 2004).
My time I spent as a junior employee has exposed me to many effects of work place bullying, predominantly influenced by dogmatic leadership styles and hierarchal management. This impacted significantly on the on the level I chose to interact with my peers. Despite the fact that I was still new in the company, I had some level of confidence in my capability, thanks to the positive mentoring from my college tutor who mentored me since I was a first year during my undergraduate studies. His mentorship assisted me in maintaining my enthusiasm and standard service delivery to clients of the company despite the poor environment at the work place.
However, I also witnessed the influence of non-transparent managerial and poor leadership styles. Some employees attempted becoming part of the company’s hierarchal clan for them to improve their conditions at the work place, which means they ran a similar fashion to the staffs at the management level. This could be deemed as bullying. Other employees who did not try to make an attempt to work their way into these hierarchical tribes of the company cut down their shifts or simply found jobs out of the work place.
Working in this kind of work environment really frustrated me. I managed to manage with the circumstances by keeping myself busy and only consulted other employees when I need advice on the company’s matters. I shook my head back then at what to me appeared to be a total lack of emotional intelligence shown by the senior staff members. This management style did not align with the transformational style of leadership that is encouraged in the service industry in Australia.
Reflective observation
My observations and experiences while working in a company where work place bullying was the order of the day included, witnessing many of my fellow employees forming relationships with the senior staff members for them to avoid victimization, advance their careers and survive in the work place. I refused and will continue refusing allowing any form of negativity to interfere with the way I function in the workplace but instead use this knowledge to form change for the better future.
Witnessing the effects of this style of leadership gendered a lot of resentment and anger towards the hierarchy. Additionally, I was confused in the manner I was experiencing workplace bullying, peers talking about one another behind doors closed and the hierarchal management. My perception of a workplace environment was one where there is respect, equality, understanding and openness. However, my experience with some of my fellow employees contradicted this. From my end I could see some of the effects of operating in a company in such a manner were having on my peers but my lowest position in the work place hierarchy did not have the bravery that is needed to challenge the workplace culture.
Abstract conceptualization
The experiences I encountered in my former company as an employee has had a significant on me as a junior employee and as a student of management studies. I am sad when reporting that the experiences of the students that are similar to my own is very common nowadays. As difficult as change in work place bullying may be, it is important if we wish to improve service delivery and improve work place environment for junior employees, and also allow the employees to work within an environment that is supportive. Otherwise, the employees’ choice and ability to positively engage within the environment of a workplace will be reduced.
Many work paces have strengthened or instituted policies that deals with this hot topic of work place bullying. It is very easy to bump into online advices that talk about the office bullies. Tehrani (2012) pointed out that the documentary film dubbed “Bully” which focused on bullied students at school, has extensively contributed to the broader conversation on this topic. People are frequently speaking about their experiences. This provides guidance and hope for the others who are still being victimized. However, what troubles me is that the perpetrators are always almost left out of the discussion by the public. The news articles describe the situation typically from the perspectives of the victims. Moreover, the online forums are basically for the anonymous victims who share their sad stories of injustice and abuse.
Learning how to utilize the strength of the employees and manage behaviors not conducive to a productive workplace environment may be helpful in eliminating the workplace bullying. In my opinion, this whole process may require the mangers to take a lead in modeling emotionally intelligent behavior and encouraging all employees to undertake an honest personal reflection of the experiences and values that underpin their practices daily. As all employees working in an organization, we all need to embrace and appreciate each other and contribute to a positive culture in the work places.
Active experimentation
For the past one year I have been using my experiences and my position to enlighten many employees about the challenges faced at the work place particularly the work place bullying. In most of the forums and tutorials, we discuss openly some of the encounters employees have been exposed to in different work place settings, and how these experiences have informed their beliefs and values and practice as employees in different organizations. in my opinion, these tutorials have proven to be important in providing employees with the reflection ability on whether these work place bullying incidents had a positive or negative influence on them, and the mechanisms they can apply to define what kind of employee they desire to be.
However, the questions I persistently ask myself are; where are the forum platforms for the recovering bullies? Are there advices for the work place bullies? The funny thing is that no one openly identifies himself or herself s a bully. Yet it is obvious that if many people claim to be tormented or being bullied at work, it is true that there are bullies out there at the work places. Is there a possibility that some of the employees are bullies but do not know it? What if you roundly condemn the vice and you are part of the problem?
Ramsay et al (2011p.802) devised a quiz that can help in identifying if an individual qualifies to be a bully. For each of the affirmative answer or yes you award yourself to the listed questions, you should consider yourself a bully at the workplace whatever level you hold in the work place, be it a supervisor, a boss, or a junior employee.
- Have you ever sent an angry email or yelled at someone in the office?
- Have you ever ignored a request or snubbed a colleague for a meeting?
- During a dispute, have you ever gotten so close to your colleague that he could not get past you?
- Have you ever followed a coworker down the hallway while angrily speaking to him?
- Have ever made an attempt to exclude a qualified coworker from a project or committee that is important?
- Have you ever prevented someone by working behind scenes from getting a pay rise or promotion?
- Have you ever ambushed a colleague in a meeting with a remark or question to embarrass him before other employees?
- Have you ever denied a colleague credit for a well done job?
- Have you ever twisted the words of a colleague to make him look bad, or created a fuss over a small problem to get him in trouble
- Have you ever attempted to turn other members of staff against a coworker you dislike
Change of Work place bullying
I have come to understand and accept that change in work place bullying is a very long process that needs a shift from the attitudes and behaviors from employees (Salmivalli et al 2011). Rigby (2002) argued that the employees or the micro-system is the level where most interaction is experienced. Furthermore, it is this level that mostly influences the services provided and the commitment of the employees.
The central message of change in work place bullying is summed by Hayes & Herbert (2011) who propose that practice transformation in the service industry requires great changes in the behavior patterns and mindset of employees. This theory I believe would be applied best to managers and leaders, who can be a positive role models for the workers and provide them with work place clear vision.
Conclusion
My exploration of different literature and my experiences in different work places has revealed many factors that negatives and positively influence the work place bullying currently. One way to advance in reducing the work place bullying is to systematically review and examine the contributing factors. This will require me to honestly reflect on the current systems, and how the core beliefs and values of individuals contribute to the practice. The organizations need also to reflect and implement strategies that have proved positive in the work place.
References
Rigby, K. (2002). New perspectives on bullying. London, J. Kingsley. Accessed from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=91780.
Hayes, R., & Herbert, C. (2011). Rising Above Bullying From Despair to Recovery. London, Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Accessed from
http://public.eblib.com/EBLPublic/PublicView.do?ptiID=679270.
Tehrani, N. (2012). Workplace bullying: symptoms and solutions. London, Routledge.
Geffner, R. (2004). Aggression in organizations: violence, abuse, and harassment at work and in schools. Binghamton, NY, Haworth Maltreatment & Trauma Press.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall.
Ramsay, S., Troth, A., & Branch, S. (2011). Work-place bullying: A group processes framework. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. 84, 799-816.
Salmivalli, C., Peets, K., & Hodges, E. V. E. (2011). Bullying. 510-528.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Apr 10, 2023 | Essays |
Early Childhood Care and Education
Identify three ways in which organizations such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and/or the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) work to positively impact quality child care and education. Describe one way that individual early childhood professionals can also work to positively impact the lives of young children and their families.
NAFCC and NAEYC work in ensuring child care quality in many different ways. These organizations understand that to ensure high quality and functional child care system, then the children, parents,, and teachers need to be empowered, and this gets achieved through three ways. First, is by providing support for all people who work, educate, and care for the children. By doing this gives the relevant and necessary tools in the education as well as morale for the necessary care and nurturing for the complete growth of the child. Second, the organizations also provide a healthy and safe physical environment. Lastly, they also implement strong policies for program management resulting in high-quality service.
Individual early childhood professionals, a caregiver, can also positively impact the young children’s lives by providing guidance and loving care to the child and working with the family in ensuring the child grows and develops in the best possible way (n.a, 2018, p. 169-174).
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Schools have a definite role in the socialization process. Explain the difference between the concepts of cultural assimilation and cultural pluralism. Why is the concept of bilingual/multicultural education an example of cultural pluralism?
Cultural assimilation occurs when the minority group of people takes on the way of life and the characteristics of the majority group of people. On the other hand, cultural pluralism occurs when all cultures in the society are accepted and appreciated by different races, lifestyles, religious beliefs,, and languages. The bilingual/multicultural education concept is regarded as an example of cultural pluralism because of the acceptance and understanding that no change to the language despite other languages being taught (Gretta, 2001).
Identify and explain the key responsibilities of early childhood classroom teachers about children who have disabilities, the IEP process, and their work in inclusive settings. Explain the role of the early childhood classroom teacher in each of these areas, identifying and explaining examples of the key responsibilities of early childhood educators.
Early childhood classroom teachers provide children especially children with disabilities with the concepts they will require for learning further and also for helping them in adapting to the structured environment of the classroom. Some of the key responsibilities for the early childhood classroom teachers include the following:
- To the children with disabilities, the childhood classroom teachers should ensure that the assessments are nondiscriminatory and nonbiased. educational decisions about a child with a disability must be done on many assessments and not on a single test
- To the IEP process, the childhood classroom teachers need to use an individualized educational program that is inclusive and involving a team’s approach to the education of the child, meaning collaborative efforts and input from the child’s family and experts.
- In the inclusive settings, the teacher also has a responsibility of demonstrating that he or she values every child in the classroom. Moreover, he or she should help other children in the general education classes in accepting their peers with disabilities. For example, all the children especially those with disabilities, need to see the teacher as viewing them as valuable members of the class (Sagepub, 2018).
References
Gretta, K. (2001). A critical analysis of multicultural education with special reference to the values issue in the South African context. Air.Unisa.ac.za. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from http://uir.unisa.ac.za/handle/10500/18559
n.a. (2018). Course Text. Presentation. Pp. 169-174
Sagepub. (2018). Working With Children With Special Needs. Sagepub.com. Retrieved 15 March 2018, from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/23472_Willis_Chapter_1.pdf
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Apr 10, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
Babylon is amongst the first greatest cities in Mesopotamia. Mesopotamia which today is known as Iraq; was located in the land between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. Mesopotamia was located in a place popularly known as the Fertile Crescent. However, it is vital to note that in the present day the Fertile Crescent is part of quite a several Southwest Asia countries.
The Mesopotamia rivers regularly flooded in a regular pattern, resulting in a substantial amount of water as well as rich and the mountain depositing new topsoil into the valleys. Therefore, this region stands amongst the first areas where farming was a way of living for its inhabitants. An estimated ten thousand years back, the Mesopotamian farmers began growing grains; a good example being barley. The early farmers also began the domestication of animals including cattle and sheep; animals who both provided hides, wool, alternative food sources, as well as manure which was utilized as the field’s fertilizers.
Mesopotamian’s population consistently grew and subsequently expanded, leading its people to need more cultivation land. Achieving the expansion of the farms into areas within the desert areas and a substantial distance from the rivers, Mesopotamia invented a complex irrigation method utilizing dams, canals, together with aqueducts. Utilization of these projects enabled them to have substantial control over yearly floods of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris; however, the two rivers remained overwhelming to the dams to a degree.
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Foundation of Babylon
The City of Babylon was founded around the year 2300 B.C. Babylon was founded by the Akkadian-speaking people who were ancient natives of southern Mesopotamia. Babylon under Amorite King Hammurabi grew to become a major military power. King Hammurabi ruled from the year 1792 B.C up to the year 1750 B.C. Hammurabi during his rule conquered the neighboring city-states, bringing much of the central as well as southern Mesopotamia under his rule; thus unifying the Babylonian rule, and leading to the creation of the Babylonia empire. King Hammurabi helped Babylon grow into a powerful as well as an influential city. Furthermore, he was the creator of one of the earliest World’s written legal codes that were complete; otherwise popularly referred to as the Code of Hammurabi. Nevertheless, these legal cords enable Babylon to successfully surpass the other cities within the region. Not to mention that the Hammurabi’s law codes enhanced the implementation of policies which were objectified towards the maintenance of peace and even the encouragement of prosperity. Moreover, King Hammurabi focused on the enlargement as well as the heightening of the city’s wall, engaging in the public work projects such as canals, temples, and opulent; and making diplomacy a key integral portion within his entire administration.
Babylon’s Economy
Ancient Babylonians had their main industry as the agriculture industry; however, trade was a critical part of the Babylonian civilization as well as their lives. Babylon’s ruling king did not that the capability of raising the taxes to fund the great war from the poor peasants, therefore, trade for the Babylon empire was the major key to their wealth. Their kings knew the best means and ways to enhance the preservation of the region’s own wealth and the importance of the promotion of trade. Therefore the Babylon Kings effectively supported the merchants; often ransoming them in the case of bandits or when hostile kingdoms have captured them. Nevertheless, with the trade promotion in the kingdom, the King could now implement taxes on people.
Moreover, to ensure the flourishing of trade-in Babylon the trade routes were heightened in regards to security ensuring protection from bandits; thus it was beneficial for trade when there existed large empires that were stable. Scholars explain that with one particular empire in control of the trade routes, peace and security will prevail, and eventually no wars will occur therefore leading to greater levels of greater prosperity. The city of Babylon stood out and became vital within the established Middle Eastern trade network. Babylon’s traders were exporting as well as importing goods; goods not only from their region but also from significantly distant regions.
The economy of Babylon was reliant on two key principles; these are trade and agricultural surplus. Babylon was significantly adept when it came to controlling the waterways through the utilization of dyke systems and irrigation. Babylon therefore in control of the fertile river valleys as well as the rivers gave way to a substantial yield and surplus agricultural products. The agricultural products consisted of a vast range from grains to vegetables to fruits. The great food supplies were substantially supplemented with the farm animals such as bovines and sheep. However, even with the existence of a significant surplus of agricultural products, Babylon was still deficient in the essential resources to effectively support the fast-growing city, thus the economic reliance on an efficient and strong trade network which enabled the supply of the lacking materials. Therefore, the economy of Babylon grew on trade relationships with distant countries such as Egypt, Anatolia, Europe, India, and even Persia. The key trade goods included wood, copper, manufactured products as well as gold; Items that Babylonians used in their day to day lives, as well as, in the making of weapons.
Babylon Art and Architecture
The Art and architecture in the Babylonian Empire flourished significantly throughout the Empire, but more specifically Babylon’s capital city of Babylon. The capital city of Babylon became famous because of its impenetrable walls. King Hammurabi was the first to encircle the city strategically with walls. Thereafter, King Nebuchadnezzar II fortified the city’s walls further adding three rings of walls which were all forty feet tall. Moreover, King Nebuchadnezzar II later built three enormous palaces. Each of the palaces’ was lavishly decorated using yellow and blue glazed tiles. Additionally, he built quite a several shrines in the city and empire as a whole. Amongst the shrines is Esagil which is the largest of the shrines; Esagil was built in dedication to Marduk. Esagil stood about two hundred and eighty feet tall.
Conclusion
A great debate still goes on amongst the scholars on the argument and believes that the Tower of Babel which was legendary stood as the foundation and inspiration of the real-life temple that was built in honor of Marduk; Marduk is Babylon’s patron god. Nevertheless, scholars have gone a long way to introduce Babylon and its origin, growth, and development throughout the ancient period before the years 200 BC.
Bibliography
Beaulieu, Paul-Alain. A History of Babylon, 2200 BC-AD 75. 2018.
Blake, Richard. The Curse of Babylon. 2013.
Leick, Gwendolyn. Mesopotamia: The Invention of the City. 2002.
Liverani, Mario. Imagining Babylon The Modern Story of the Ancient City. 2016.
Seymour, Michael. Babylon: Legend, History, and the Ancient City. 2016.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Apr 10, 2023 | Essays |
Introduction
The rise in the number of couples seeking divorce has been quite concerning for the past decade. In the United States, for example, researchers have shown that at least 50% of the first marriages are most likely to end up in divorce. Also, 58.7% of all second marriages end in divorce. What is concerning is not the basic statistic but rather, the rising numbers. Between 1990-2000, a percentage of 52 were recorded for first marriages seeking a divorce. In the next decade, this number would see a rise to at least 67% the last decade (Wilson 20). The younger the couples are, the more likely that their marriage would end in divorce. However, Jasper clearly states that age may not necessarily be a factor when it comes to divorce (8). People married for decades are just as likely to get a divorce as young couples married for months.
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The major factor that is generally becoming a concern for researchers is the fact that infidelity is the main reason cited for increased divorce rates. Whereas the majority of the factors associated with divorce can be easily manipulated, even avoided during the process of preparing for marriage, infidelity can neither be anticipated, expected nor even prepared for. The result is that majority of the marriages are ill-prepared to deal with a case of infidelity. Infidelity leads to mistrust among the partners, with one partner feeling betrayed. The sense of mistrust in turn leads to bitterness and un-forgiveness. Within a duration of time, even as the couple and individuals work hard to repair the relationship, they often find that this is difficult and in some cases impossible.
Factors Leading To Divorce and Infidelity
Lack of commitment
Faust (281) during the course of a study found that 74% of the participants felt that a lack of commitment to building the marriage and/ or relationship led to the divorce. According to him, the main difference between marriages facing difficult problems withstanding or breaking down is the simple inability to commit and work towards the success of the relationship. Many partners often feel that while they may have invested greatly in ensuring the success of the marriage, their partners failed to do the same. However, the issue of commitment does not just reflect on their partners, 13% of the individuals in the study indicated that they wished they themselves had worked harder to ensure the success of their marriage. There have been two basic levels of commitment identified upon which marriages are built:
Constraint commitment: this is a commitment that is drawn from external factors. For example, since the economic downturn around the globe, financial constraints coupled with the increased costs of divorces have discouraged divorce altogether. Children often play a big role in constraint commitment. Many couples, around 34% have stayed together despite the majority of problems they are facing because of the children. It is common to hear individuals stating that they are only together because of their children.
Personal commitment: this is the kind of commitment often encouraged towards fostering a strong marriage. Personal commitment comes from internal, where an individual is willing to work through the problems and leaks that they are facing in the marriage. For this individual, it is unlikely that they will engage in any untoward or risky behavior that is likely to jeopardize the marriage.
Loss of income:
Due to several reasons, there is likely to be a decrease in income in the home. When such a decrease brings on a change in lifestyle especially for couples who began at a particular social class and got used to particular things quarrels cause friction which in turn leads to divorce or infidelity. Cheating is often viewed as an ideal way to overcome the responsibilities that could be overwhelming an individual. The majority of the cheating partners are often looking for an avenue to release some of the tension arising from financial and other obligations. Financial constraints can be quite stressful and in turn, lead to major disagreements by a couple. Nearly (23) however disagrees indicating that majority of the divorces and cases of infidelity and brought on by other matters rather than finances. According to him, the case of financial strain can cause a couple to draw together, and marriage to last much longer. He states that couples that have undergone stressful financial situations are most likely to succeed in marriage than couples who have enjoyed a relatively strong financial cushion through the period of marriage (78). The evidence shows that couples earning less than $25,000 are less likely to get divorced compared to couples earning $70,000 and more during the period of marriage. To these researchers, apparently, couples earning modest incomes struggle together and therefore can bond through the difficulties of financial strain.
Coupled with income is the issue of education. Couples that are less educated are less likely to get divorced since they often feel they are obligated to their own partners. Further, they are also less likely to engage in activities that are risky including infidelity. On the other hand, Dnes and Rowthorn disagree stating that proper education and investment in the same is a vital foundation for couples to build their own marriage (122). Such investment allows the couple to have common ground, to resolve issues with high knowledge, and to critically evaluate situations that are facing them. The result is of course a higher chance of survival within the marriage.
Pre-marital cohabitation
In the 1980s majority of psychoanalysts encouraged couples to live together before deciding to get married. The basis of this hypothesis was that majority of the couples get married before they are acquainted with each other’s behaviors, likes, and dislikes. Once they are married and have to live together, it takes a few months to realize that they are completely incompatible. However, 37% of couples who have cohabited often end up in divorce and separation. According to Reinhold (19), this is because the majority of the couples cohabiting have often in many cases cohabited with someone else. This statistic often gets worse when the couple gets children. In the United States, 42% of children are born out of wedlock. Parents who get married or cohabit because they have a child or children have a 60% of getting divorced within the second year of marriage. Visio (86) found that couples who live together before they get married tend to develop more leniency in the topic of divorce. Such couples find that divorce is more acceptable, and are most likely to call upon this action when things do not go as they had planned or expected when getting married.
Infidelity as a Valid Reason for Divorce
Recent research showed that at least 75% of all Americans feel that divorce is an acceptable choice. Also, many feel that where infidelity is concerned, divorce is inevitable (Clark 288). However, Taylor cites that some couples could be easily destroyed by simple arguments, while others can work through and sustain their marriages even though bigger issues such as infidelity (97). Infidelity and cheating are issues that are clearly beyond the boundary of what a healthy marriage is expected to be. Each partner has the right to be fulfilled happy and safe within the relationship, and infidelity often destroys the sanctity of this safety. The stakes become higher when children are involved. Statistics have shown that at least 70% of the children coming from divorced parents are emotionally stagnated, often living well below their own potential, and are more likely to become divorcees themselves. According to Hirsch all parents feel and understand that their children have a stake in the marriage. Therefore when children are concerned, parents and married couples tend to take the topic of divorce a bit more seriously (para 5). Parents will attempt every avenue to repair the marriage, and only if such avenues fail will they opt for a divorce.
63% of the couples interviewed by Brown (91) stated that they would not forgive a spouse if they found out they had been unfaithful. Surprisingly, 25% of those married responded that they had been unfaithful at least once during the course of their marriage. It follows therefore that whereas a majority of couples may feel that their spouses have remained faithful, the opposite could be true. There are more and more avenues opening up for individuals looking to cheat on their spouses. There are now several channels, the fastest and most effective of which is the internet to meet someone and engage in an illicit affair. Bair (200) reports however that couples who have managed to deal with infidelity are often much stronger and more determined to stay together. He states that whereas many couples say they would divorce a cheating partner, in actuality at least 60% stay even after discovering a partner’s infidelity.
Divorce and Children
Stosny and Morey 213) say that society has attempted to control and manage the institution of marriage by ensuring that parents have a heavy responsibility. Parents are according to the norms of society expected to ensure the happiness and safety of their children. For proper development, emotional stability, and behavioral response, children need both parents. A divorce, according to Spence could cause detrimental emotional development of the children. Children often find it difficult to adjust to life after a divorce (112). Fine and Harvey show that issues such as constant arguments, division of property, loss of income for one parent, and subsequent custodial fights have a generally negative impact on children (67). Their ability to cope becomes stagnated; they become emotionally distant and at the same time often develop questionable behavior. On the other hand, Pam and Pearson (199) show that parents who stay together just for the kid’s sake end up hurting and stagnating them even more. The resentment that is often apparent between such parents makes it difficult for the kids to grow and develop properly especially emotionally. Such an environment is often so toxic that such children prefer if the parents were actually divorced.
Conclusion
The topic of divorce has been widely debated. Partners who decide to take the divorce path, or make attempts at infidelity rather than choose to build their own relationships and marriages do so based on the befits they seem to accrue from the marriage. Where children are considered a major benefit, divorce is unlikely despite the kind of situation that the marriage is in. the 20th-century society has become permissive with regards to the morals surrounding divorce and cheating. In this modern age, infidelity is considered a norm, and divorces are granted as many times as one wishes. This permissive culture is only set to make the situation degrade and become worse.
Work Cited
Bair, Deirdre. Calling It Quits: Late-life Divorce and Starting Over. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.
Brown, Emily M. Patterns of Infidelity and Their Treatment. New York, N.Y: Brunner/Mazel, 1991.
Clarke, Roderick O. Loose but Bound: Infidelity in Marriage. Milton Keynes: AuthorHouse UK, 2008
Dnes, Antony W, and Bob Rowthorn. The Law and Economics of Marriage and Divorce. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press, 2002
Faust, Kimberly A. “Marriage. Divorce, and Family Groups.” Methods and Materials of Demography. (2008)
Fine, Mark A, and John H. Harvey. Handbook of Divorce and Relationship Dissolution. Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2006.
Healey, Justin. Marriage and Divorce. Rozelle, N.S.W: Spinney Press, 2003
Hirsch, Jennifer S. The Secret: Love, Marriage, and Hiv. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 2009.
Jasper, Margaret C. Marriage and Divorce. New York: Oceana, 2008.
Pam, Alvin, and Judith Pearson. Splitting Up: Enmeshment and Estrangement in the Process of Divorce. New York: Guilford Press, 1998.
Reinhold, Steffen. Reassessing the Link between Premarital Cohabitation and Marital Instability. Mannheim: MEA, 2009 Spence, Aaron M. Adult Children Accounts of Parental Infidelity and Divorce: Associations with Own Infidelity, Risky Behaviors, and Attachment. , 2012.
Stosny, Steven, and Arthur Morey. Living & Loving After Betrayal: How to Heal from Emotional Abuse, Deceit, Infidelity, and Chronic Resentment. , 2013.
Taylor, Richard, and Richard Taylor. Love Affairs: Marriage & Infidelity. Amherst, N.Y: Prometheus Books, 1997. Print. Wilson, Mike. Divorce. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009.
Vasko, Christopher P. Premarital Cohabitation and Its Effects on Marital Consent: Canonical Considerations and Pastoral Preparation for Marriage. , 2006
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
by Herman Bailey | Apr 9, 2023 | Essays |
Summary
A woman doing life is the most unique book in terms of describing and understanding the experience of women incarcerated for hard core crimes (George & Johnson, 2010). The book revolves around the writer and the people, her experiences and responses to the prison life. The experiences that she describes are authentic, rather than fictional as most prison based books are; they are basically based on the author’s own personal experiences as a convicted criminal serving as a life sentence in Virginia. The book provides an inside view, into not just the prison system as experienced by women, but also the emotions and uphill traumas that the women prisoners have to endure.
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Surviving the life in prison
Erin George in the book takes the time to describe the harsh circumstances that women in prison are faced with. To clearly bring the reader a complete insight as to how women survive these harsh circumstances, she includes essays, personally written by other inmates with regard to their experiences (George & Johnson, 2010p.141-150). Inmates describe the conditions under which they live, with meager resources and violent environment.
From the chapter, one can draw that to survive the harsh environment; creativity and a strong character are required. For basic services, communication with the outside world and to protect themselves from the violent crimes; women in prison are forced to form unlikely alliances and support groups. Some are forced to not only befriend, but indeed become sexually involved with those ranking highly in human behavior. In her quote, “…the mind shapes itself to the body, and, roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison. She indicates that this may be the only way through which they can survive their prison terms (George & Johnson, 2010p.146).
The lives of skeletal muscles. In a study conducted by (), the findings indicated that HRT improves the functions of muscles in women in prison are shown to be quite difficult, especially because they are completely shut out by their families on the outside. They are forced to survive on barely basic necessities. Simple and basic clothing for example underwear; is not easy to come by as one would imagine. She shares her experience, of how her first pair fell apart on the first day in prison. Moreover, George & Johnson (2010p.147) pointed out how the women prisons are shown to distribute low quality food, clothing and even security. Survival in prison is not obvious as one would imagine, but in fact, requires the prisoners to not only be creative but also develop a tough skin. These are some examples of situations skeletal muscles. In a study conducted by (), the findings indicated that HRT improves the functions of muscles in women endure in the prisons to survive.
Social organization in women’s prisons
Although there is a legitimate social organization, one in which the guards and prison correction officers rank highly, George, supersedes that there is a greater and stronger underground network (George & Johnson, 2010p.148). This social organization is especially strong for those serving long term and life sentences. For instance, the inmates that serve long terms in the prison are accorded ranks among the fellow inmates because of their many years spend behind bars, and also because of their acquaintances with the prison officers.
George & Johnson (2010) shows how privileges are earned from these underground social organizations. Prisoners, who have lived much longer in prison rank highly here, are closer to the guards and have learnt how one can avoid solitary confinement or earn unique privileges. For this reason, they are highly regarded and sought after, with prisoner completing their duties and doing them favors in exchange for protection and other privileges.
However, it should be noted that although there are high ranking prisoners, those in a different class and realm altogether from the rest of the prison population, guards are considered even higher. Meeting and interacting with another prison official is difficult. Guards hold the keys to the quality of life can experience in prison. They are in charge of the shake downs which could land one in more trouble. To survive, prisoners respect and obey the guard, taking every opportunity that they can to befriend and do them favors (George & Johnson, 2010).
References
George, E., & Johnson, R. (2010). A woman doing life: Notes from a prison for women. New York: Oxford University Press.
With a student-centered approach, I create engaging and informative blog posts that tackle relevant topics for students. My content aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed academically and beyond.
