Arranged Marriage vs. Free-choice Marriage Essay

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry† (Tom Mullen, 2005, p.1). It is argued that free-choice marriages based on love or romance, offer more independence and freedom as compared to arranged marriages where the man and woman are chosen by the parents and so there is pressure and is not so suitable and independent. However, no marriage is necessarily an ideal sort of marriage. Therefore, it becomes difficult to predict the ideal sort of marriage. The decision is upon the individual, whether he or she wants to be part of an arrange or free-choice marriage. There are two main types of marriages that are practiced in various societies and cultures and they are: arranged marriages and free-choice marriages. Both type of marriages have benefits and particular expectations for the man and woman. Research shows that the type of marriage chosen often reflects a person’s values, traditions, beliefs, and cultural custom s. Both arranged and free-choice marriages have similarities and differences. An arranged marriage is an union between two prospective spouses chosen by the parents and sometimes between the extended family. In most cases of arranged marriages the two partners can have a say in it after several meetings with one another or even just once. However, in some cases the parents make the final decision and do not let the daughter or son have a say in it after that. This is explained well in Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, â€Å"Arranged marriages can also be very flexible. In one scenario, the parents introduce their son or daughter to several potential mates, while giving two the final decision, given sometime† (2005). The relationship in an arranged marriage starts off from not knowing each other and or no feelings, and as time moves on, the love is built on together as the partners get to know each other more and spend more time together. The partners learn to love each other and in many cases the partners are more conservative and it takes longer for th em to develop a bond. Unlike love or romantic marriages, arranged marriages have learned to love. Even after taking these facts in consideration, arranged marriages are being practiced all over the world. However, it depends on different cultures around the world. If research is done, arranged marriages would be most  likely be happening in parts of Africa, most of Asia, and a good portion of Eastern Europe. Knowing where arranged are being practiced, it is also important to know that arranged marriages are practiced when the two partners are chosen by others for some specific reasons or due to the person’s traditions, beliefs, and culture. When deciding an arranged marriage, special requirements need to be fulfilled from both sides of the couple. Therefore, these requirements should be acceptable from both the parents and the couple. For example, in some cases, women get the opportunity to work and some are usually forced to be stay-at-home moms. Also sometimes the two partners have to be the same nationality, have the same beliefs, belong in the same culture and etcetera. â€Å"The importance of good family background and compatibility as far as upbringing and family is concerned are vital for two individuals entering into a relationship† (Alochona, 2004, p.1). However, most people believe that there is a low rate of divorce. If the two people do not know much about each other, it would be better for their marriage because they will find out new and interesting facts about each other during the time they spend together after marriage. As in free-choice, also called love or romance marriages, both partners know each other from before and do not have much left to find out or maybe in some cases, a number of new things can be found between couples. So, it is more likely to get bored of the marriage life if that is the case and it could lead up to divorce. In different cultures around the world, this type of marriage is a type of an advantage for people who need money, therefore they will find someone who will be willing to marry the person because they cannot afford money to arrange the marriage function or give to their daughters as a dowry. Also, this type of marriage is chosen because of social status. A rich family will want their heir to marry into a family that is worth their status. And lastly, very religious and cultural son and daughters will just agree to an arranged marriage because of the way they have been brought up since childhood and they know that they will not have to worry about their parents of not approving or rejecting of their choice of spouse. On the other side, a free-choice marriage can be based on romance or  friendship. The relationship between this type of marriage can be based on admiration and with a person known really well from before. If the relationship has been brought together because of romance, it often seems for both of the partners that they are not able to live without each other. In this type of marriage, timing is important. It takes time for the two people to fully understand each other and make this big decision. Romance allows the two people to spend more time together and get to know each other better. This marriage is considered very sweet and romantic. Many people imagine themselves having this type of marriage one day. The idea of falling in love with someone is great because if the person is known from before, it makes it easier knowing that the rest of the upcoming marriage life will be spent with that person. Sometimes it also makes it easier when two people are in love, they are comfortable around each other and they have a certain understanding of what the other expects. A free-choice marriage can also be based on friendship. If a person is very good friends with another person, it could lead up to romance. It is heard quite often that â€Å"Friendship is the first step towards love and the last step†. Knowing that a free-choice marriage has so many great feelings stored within it, it is being practiced all over the world. This type of marriage is not based on religious and cultural beliefs however it is based on feelings and emotions. Love just happens, no one can ignore it or even try to ignore it. If it cannot be ignored , it cannot be stopped. This leads to the two people thinking they are ready and have chosen their partner to move onto the next step, and that step is marriage. However, before making such a big decision, most people think about their values, traditions, beliefs, and cultural customs because they know this will have a large amount of impact on their upcoming future. Even in this type of marriage certain circumstances have to be taken in consideration. Such examples include when two people are in love they are at their best to impress the other person, they wear their best clothes, they are at their best behaviour and project many things that they are actually not, and also it takes a while between couples to shed the veil after marriage when they are more open and comfortable towards each other. When a person thinks about a free-choice marriage they think of love and freedom and automatically agree to it, to the great feelings stored within the marriage. A person would choose this type of marriage because they would not have to worry about not knowing the person from before. They know the person he or she is going to be with, have all the qualities they are looking for and have no doubt about it. Being comfortable with each other and when around each other is a big factor and in this relationship, this is all included. In this type of marriage, there is no pressure of their family, friends, culture, and society because the marriage is based on freedom and own choice. There is no involvement of the parents and there is no worry about dowry and so on. Also, in this type of marriage the couples understand each other well and they decide this from over looking at all the factors that would need to be considered after marriage. Such examples include: children, work, homes, etcetera. In this generation, it does not matter what love is or what relationships are, most people just want to do what they want and what they think is right. Whether it is an arranged marriage or a free-choice marriage, it takes two people who are very responsible, honest, and committed for the union to succeed. Arranged or free-choice, people seek perfect husband and wives but no one is hundred percent perfect. The success of marriage is in mutual understanding and acceptance, and also in mutual love and respect. Neither arranged marriages nor free-choice marriages are better than one another, it is up to the individual who is involved to decide which is best for them.†Getting married is a complete package. One does not marry the person as such but his or her habits, family, emotional problems, background, experiences, career, and many other things that are required to be dealt with† (p.1). â€Å"Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate† (Barnett Brickner,2002, p.2). References August, P. (2005, October). Arranged Marriages in the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arranged_marriageBowman, H. & Spanier, G. (1978). Modern Marriage. McGraw-Hill Book Company. Mullen, T. (2005). Love Marriages. iloveindia. http://weddings.iloveindia.comNighat, S. (2005) personal Interview. 7 December. O’Neil, N. & O’Neil, G. (1973, February). Open Marriage. Dushkin Publishing Company Group Inc. Sabreen, F. (2005, May). Arranged versus Love Marriage. The New Nationhttp://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/exec/view.cgi/30/18526

Microsoft

Question 1 Developing customer intimacy is essential for developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Whether the products of an organization will have any market potential depends on whether the customers like them or not. Therefore the management of an organization will have to develop an intimate understanding of the customers’ tastes and preferences if that organization is to stay of ahead of the competition. The process of developing customer intimacy is to conduct periodic market research on what the customer expectations are. One of the first companies to market itself through developing customer intimacy was Dell Computers. Michael Dell wanted to build computers not through idea generation from its internal engineering personnel but through data collection on what the customers’ tastes and preferences were. The founder of the company himself spent a significant amount of time with the customers to determine what they wanted to see most in a computer. The hardware manufacturing company also developed a website by means of which the customers could share their opinions with the company. As a result, the company hit the fortune 500 list in a very short time. Being in constant touch with customer requirements enabled Dell to develop customer intimacy that also enabled them to develop their products and services very quickly. Question 2 The external environment of an organization is the industry in which it operates. The industry is affected by a number of forces such as political, economic, sociological and technological. Therefore a business organization in particular has to conduct a PEST analysis periodically. A company such as Microsoft has to take into account the forces of the external environment very carefully. On first appearances, the political environment would not seem to affect Microsoft’s operations significantly. However Microsoft is frequently thrust into anti-trust suits the outcome of which would depend considerably on the prevailing political environment. The company would be hard hit if the country it is operating in went through an economic downturn. Whenever there is an economic downturn, companies tend to invest less and one of the first operations that experience cost-cutting is information technology. Therefore, demand for Microsoft’s products and services would go down when the economic environment is unfavorable. Corporate social responsibility is a very critical issue in today’s business environment. Therefore Microsoft has to fund community projects from time to time in order to endear itself to the society. That is part of the sociological environment. Also relevant in this respect is how the society views the complexities of adopting new technologies. Microsoft would also be affected very significantly by technological shifts. For example, when the use of the internet caught on, Microsoft had to reengineer itself completely to stay in business because previously it had decided not to enter the Internet. Question 3 Price is the risk that is at the forefront of the customers’ minds when making a purchase. When making a purchase, consumers must make sure that the price they are paying is equivalent to the value they are receiving in return. If this risk remains high for the customer, then the company will have a negative image in the minds of the customers. Therefore the management of that company must work to reduce that risk. One method is to offer customers price guarantees. This means that the customers will be paying the lowest possible price available anywhere. Some companies even offer to lower the price even further by a certain percentage if after purchase, the customer comes across another company offering a lower price still. Price guarantees are an admirable way to attract customers in the current age of the Internet because a lot of customers prefer to make their purchases online if the products they are looking for are available there. This enables to them go price shopping. Rather than walking miles to compare prices, customers shopping online can simply surf and compare sitting in the comforts of home. If they come across a certain company offering price matching or price beating, then customers will be hooked immediately because they can stop price shopping right there. Another perceived consumer risk is how they will be viewed by the society when they buy a certain product. The way to mitigate this risk is to promote certain products as status symbols and the demographics of the people who purchase those products. That will have a positive effect on the customer psyche. Question 4 The phenomenon of price sensitivity is a function of demand and supply. When prices are lower, people buy more and vice versa. However there are times when demand peaks and during these times there is lower price sensitivity. Business organizations can take advantage of these times to raise the prices of their products and services in order to maximize their revenue. For example many people like to go skiing during school vacations. As a result, skiing resorts raise their prices when school is in half term because that is the time when demand for skiing is very high. All the parents like to take their kids skiing during that time and they are willing to pay a higher price at the time. So peaks and troughs in demand are the top influencers of price sensitivity. In other words, the management of the business organization has a powerful tool in the form of price sensitivity by taking demand seasonality into consideration. However price sensitivity also depends type of goods. If the goods in question are necessity goods, then price sensitivity will significantly affect buying behavior. If the goods are status symbols however, then raising prices will not affect demand. Question 5 A business organization must promote its products and services in order to attract demand. The management has four methods with which to conduct the promoting. It might want to go for advertising. Usually the media used for this form of communication is radio, television or the internet. It is a non- personal form of communication. The advantage with this form of communication is that it has a wide reach. If the advertising is broadcast by means of the television for example, then millions of people will be exposed to the message. It also has a high emotional value. The second form of communication is personal selling. As the name implies, this has a personal touch because usually the company sends out its sales representatives door to door promoting its products and services. The advantage with this form of communication is that consumers can ask questions and find out whatever they need to find out about the products immediately. Another form of communication is sales promotion whereby consumers get something else into the bargain when they purchase a product. The advantage with this form of communication is that it motivates the consumers to consider buying something that they had not bought before. Last but not the least in the list of communication techniques is public relations. This promotional technique is most useful when the management is trying to build a good corporate image. BIBILIOGRAPHY Kotler, Philip., and Gary Armstrong. Principles of Marketing. Prentice Hall. 2005. Cateora, Philip, and John Graham. International Marketing. Prentice Hall. 2005. Kerin, Roger A., et al. Marketing. McGraw Hill/Irwin. 2005. Nagle, Thomas T., and John Hogan. The Strategy & Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably . South western college pub. 2007. 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