...Definitions A definition is a statement that gives the meaning of a concept. For simple and relatively concrete concepts such as ‘Table’ we can understand them without definitions by simply seeing them. But most concepts are abstract and complex and to understand them definitions are important tool of knowledge. A definition does the following functions: a. It clarifies the boundaries of a concept. b. It clarifies the relationships among concepts. c. It clarifies the referents of the concepts. Vagueness and Ambiguity A term is ‘vague’ means it is hazy obscure and imprecise for example the words love, happiness, rich or poor are vague. We can rarely tell whether they apply to a given situation or not. How rich one has to be in order to be called rich? An ‘ambiguous expression’ is one that can be interpreted as having more than one clearly distinct meaning in a given context for example: words such as proper, light, critical, bank can be used ambiguously. If one were to describe an action as proper, does this mean proper in moral sense or proper in the sense of being socially acceptable? The difference between ambiguity and vagueness is that vague terminology allows for a relatively continuous range of interpretations, where as ambiguous terminology allows for multiple discrete interpretations. A vague expression creates a blur of meaning where as ambiguous expression mixes up otherwise clear meanings. Definitions and their purposes Definition is a group...
Words: 1936 - Pages: 8
...The definition of marketing has evolved and changed throughout time and will continue to do so, as our environment changes and our knowledge improves. Kotler defines marketing as ‘the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large’ (Kotler, Adam, Denzie, Armstrong 2007 pg 7). This being the most current definition best reflects marketing in today’s environment. Through looking at the 1935 and 1985 AMA’s definitions plus the 2004 article definition it is clear that they are not suitable for today’s time. The American Marketing Association (1935), first defined ‘marketing as the performance of business activities that direct the flow of goods and services from producers to consumers’ (Darroch, Miles, Jardine, Cooke 2004 pg. 31). This first official definition of marketing was seen to be restricted, concentrating on 3 main focal points; ‘the managerial function of coordinating demand and supply, production of goods and services and marketing as a business activity’ (AMA 2004 pg. 31). It had little reflection to either promotions or pricing( Dann 2008 pg. 226). For a Definition to be viable in today’s environment it must include promotions & pricing. The AMA (1985), later modified their definition of marketing stating that it was ‘the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services...
Words: 847 - Pages: 4
...Success is a word that has a definition written in the dictionary, but no one truly knows that version. Everyone that has used the word success created their own meaning that rings true to themselves and what reaching success means and requires to them. To me, success is not the amount of money or the grade given, but the rank of joy and accomplishment felt inside afterwards. When I feel like I accomplished a goal or achieved something that brought me great joy, success is the word that crosses my mind. Then again, I am not the person who always believes I have succeeded in everything I do, just because I am proud. The things I must accomplish are things that involved effort and time to achieve. When people get a good grade on a test without...
Words: 314 - Pages: 2
...Poverty is the Constant Fear of the Future As society moves forward in their pursuit of the American dream, less and less attention is given to the impoverished. The actual definition of a person in poverty is often times debated. Sometimes, there are entire political platforms formed on the basis that the impoverished are not really suffering and that the people have nothing to worry about. In Robert Rector’s article regarding the effectiveness of the poverty safety net, he states that the lower end of society does not need any more help, but their his definition does not include the various problems that poverty entails. He solely focuses on the financial aspect. So, it is important to know the exact definition and parameters of poverty. Poverty is when a person or people live in fear of the inability to provide basic needs for themselves and their loved ones. With the advancements in the modern era, there is a misunderstanding of what actual poverty is. Although many believe that the lowest levels of society, those who have the lowest incomes and/or no income at all, have the ability to get food stamps and other avenues of aid through the government, they fail to see that the aid is either not sufficient nor does it help sustain a family for the future. Rector says “When the aid an impoverished family is given does not give them comfort for the near future, then the family is in poverty. The same applies to those people that do not get aid in 3rd world countries. I also...
Words: 375 - Pages: 2
...'What are the four definitions of organization? An organization can be define by four main factors including: the group of people, persons, acting together in synergy for a common and specific purpose; the economic actors following economic goals and the economic impact on their environment; the accumulation of knowledge and learning of the different actors composing the organization; and the bundle of the different type of resources available for it. As a collection of people, stakeholders are the ones directly or indirectly connected to the organization. These actors have an interest in all its activities. The internal ones, directly involved in the organization (such as employees for example) are implicated in organizational politics and submitted to a hierarchy usually well define. As an economic actor, organization involve buyers and sellers of products or services. This concept induce the fact that the organization must be profitable and generate revenue producing what it sells, and so at an acceptable price and cost. To be able to do this, its different costs and efficiency must be well controlled to adapt, in its industry, to its market conditions. As an accumulation of knowledge and learnings, the organization is also define as a history of way of doing things, adapting its processes to ameliorate the work which have to be done, by putting in place some routines for example. And what enrich the organization is also all the tacit knowledge coming from the...
Words: 330 - Pages: 2
...has been class separation. This is very important when trying to understand the complexity of the noun poverty. If there was no social class manipulation there would be no poverty. Poverty is not a straightforward term to define. It can have many different interpretations affecting every race or social class. Whether it’s the most severe case of poverty of not being able to obtain life’s essential needs, healthcare or falling trapped into living at a lower standard of life, the word poverty carries a gloomy cloud that rains negativity. But like anything it is always possible to persevere. No one ever wishes to live in poverty or have to deal with its effects. But with the understanding of the word, maybe we can work to give it a new definition. References: Merriam Webster Dictionary, retrieved from...
Words: 297 - Pages: 2
...with one another than with other humans. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race?s=t) This is the definition given by the online dictionary I found, while the definition given by the sociological board for race is that although the essential characteristics of race are biological in origin, it is their transformation into a social variable by society that gives it its explanatory power during social situations. In this essay I shall be showing how these two different definitions of race contrast with one another in many different ways. First of all the dictionary definition of race and ethnicity defines them more on physical characteristics that certain groups of people would have in common when compared to others or are also of common descent. A prime example of this would be the physical differences between white and black people. While on the other hand, the sociological definition describes race and ethnicity as more of a thing we come...
Words: 660 - Pages: 3
...Definition of marketing One could pose a simple request like “Define Marketing” and you would have a barrage of answers as unique as the individual defining the word. For this paper I will present two definitions, as well as present my personal definition or understanding of the marketing. To begin, Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines marketing as “the process or technique of promoting, selling, and distributing a product or service” (Merriam-Webster, 2012). This definition is clear and pretty simple to comprehend. Next, the class textbook, Marketing Management, defines marketing as “the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals” (Kotler, 2012). This definition lends a more academic view, but still is comprehendible and simply stated. After reading and reviewing the above definitions, I have come to my own personal definition. Marketing, as defined by Carla Posey, is the process which encompasses everything involved with the purchasing and selling of services and goods. This includes all work and research to effectively satisfy the needs and wants of the consumer. Importance of Marketing Marketing is important because it is the little voice to the consumer that says “hello, I know you need me and I want to give it to you”. A successful company has caught your attention and you have shown appreciation by buying into that brand. This is...
Words: 921 - Pages: 4
...I think that success can be defined in many different ways. In my eyes the definition of success is a family big or small. First, I think a family is always very successful no matter what life hands us. Second, one person that I believe to be successful is my fantastic father, Paul. Last, I also think my awesome mother, Lonetta, is successful. There for, we can define success in all kinds of different, crazy, and wonderful ways. As a matter of fact, success can be determined by any type of family no matter how big or small. We can fight and argue, but we will always love one another. We should always keep each other’s secrets, no matter what they are or whose they are, but sometimes...
Words: 504 - Pages: 3
...The Definition of Bullying Jonathan C Howell ITT Technical Institute October 7, 2015 The Definition of Bullying Bullying is when a person or persons uses words, emotions and/or actions to intentionally harm another person. News reports have reported that it is expanded to social media on the internet. It is all about intimidation or making the person feel inferior to another person. Defining bullying accurately is important. Bullying can be mistaken for other behavior. If it is a one-time event, do we punish that person? I think there must an established pattern of this behavior, before it is defined as bullying. Because a person has a bad day, that is not bullying. We must be cautious moving toward defining bullying. I think it is important to examine the root cause of bullying; then we are better equipped to treat the offenders. Punishment should fit the crime. I believe that prison is not the answer. Prison doesn’t correct the problem, it only exacerbates the behavior. By sending a person to prison affects that person, their family and the person bullied. Only one person benefits, the person that was bullied. The military generally retrains offenders; they are provided an opportunity to correct bad behavior. My understanding of the definition of bullying has changed. As I got older, with children of my own, I know that bullying comes in a variety of forms. My definition is very specific because I am able to identify the behavior. I feel it’s our responsibility...
Words: 273 - Pages: 2
...Success Success can have a billion and one definitions, all depending on the person defining it. Therefore, making the search for success a difficult journey. For some individuals it only means fame and money while for others it is something more personal. For me success is a balance of both the materialistic and the spiritual. My idea of success is having the financial freedom to maintain my family, accept and love myself, and also being an active member of my future community. Regardless of the definition people may have on success, it can only be reached through certain qualities that not every individual possesses. To reach success one must have patience. We all heard of the famous sang “patience is key” yet we fail to apply it to our problematic situations. Without patience we soon give up and move along the path of life in search for something else that will take less time. Nothing that...
Words: 1411 - Pages: 6
...As a child, we were always told that we had to get good grades so we could grow up and be successful. Everyone has a different say about what success means. Most people think that in order to be successful, they have to make a lot of money and gain social praise. For other people, like me, success is made by how you feel. You feel success when you feel accomplished and happy about the task you just completed. Success is determined by you. A lot of people have long term goals. A long term goal is something that takes some work to accomplish. It also usually is a process that takes time and multiple steps to accomplish. These type of people choose making money as their success. College is the first step to their money-making goals. College is...
Words: 326 - Pages: 2
...Outline and evaluate definitions of abnormality The first definition of abnormality is deviation from the social norm. This means that the person is not conforming to the expected and accepted patterns of behaviour in society. There are two types of social norms which can be broken by ‘not normal’ patterns of behaviour, Implicit and Explicit. Implicit rules are those which are implied, for example using cutlery to eat a roast dinner. Whilst there is no law stating that this must be done, it would be deemed unusual by other members of society. The other rule, explicit, refers to stated rules, for example the law. One example of an individual breaking an explicit rule would be committing Murder. There are however several issues with using deviation from social norm to determine abnormality. The first being cultural relativism, meaning social norms vary between cultures. For example in many African-American tribes, hearing the voices of the recently deceased is seen as a blessing. In the west, it is diagnosed as schizophrenia. Further to this, the definition does not allow for eccentric behaviour, which does not necessarily mean a person is mentally ill, ie. A rugby streaker may not be abnormal, but may just seek attention. A final drawback to this approach is that it does not define the difference between a criminal and a person with a mental health issue. A burglar, for example, may simply have a criminal mind but not be abnormal. The second definition of abnormality is the...
Words: 631 - Pages: 3
...A definition of myself. A seventeen year old female athlete in high school. That is what anyone walking down the street would say, but that random person walking down the street is not writing this essay. So, I am going to start over. A definition of myself. I am temperamental, I get aggressive, I tend to trust easier than I should, I forgive too easily, I am almost always angry, the glass tends to be half empty, I throw fits, my words tend to be venom, and I do not know who I am. I cannot pinpoint where I fit into society and what my purpose is. I do know that I am an aggressive teenage girl that runs Cross Country and Track, I am a girl that sings in my school's choir, I am a girl that tapes and bandages together wounded athlete in my school's athletic activities, I am a girl that enjoys listening to music so loudly that people have to repeat themselves at least twice before I can form a coherent sentence in my head, and I am a girl that is still trying to form a cohesive definition of myself....
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...What is success? People generally define it as a financial status; you do well in college, find a job and make a lot of money. I believe success doesn't value the amount of money, rather it values the amount of effort you put into attaining what you want and showing/spreading happiness. Money is redundant in success. You can be a person living in the streets and still successful. In order to be successful, you have to be devoted. Some people think success is just given to random people. This is a lie. People work up to success, it's not something you can just get out of the blue. There will be many failures, and that is okay. It is about being able to learn from them and climb the mountain with more knowledge. Another characteristic...
Words: 407 - Pages: 2
