Social Psychology - Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Psychology - Theory - Essay Example A group gives each of its members an identity and a role. Group identity gives an individual improved self-esteem, confidence level and sense of belonging. The individual is also socially and culturally influenced by the group. This study was conducted in 1971 by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University, California, along with a group of researchers. It was a dramatic simulation of prison life conducted to study the behavior of good people when placed in an evil setting, to learn if humanity would prevail over evil or vice versa, etc. (Zimbardo). The independent variable in the study was the conditions the participants were assigned, the dependent variable being their consequent behavior (Haney, Banks and Zimbardo). The study was stopped halfway through due to the grim effects seen in the participants where the "guards" had become sadistic and the "prisoners" extremely depressed. The experiment was funded by the US Navy with a view to study the causes of conflict between the guards and prisoners in the naval prisons. Up until then, there was a belief that the guards entered their jobs with a "guard mentality" and were basically sadistic and insensitive whereas the prisoners were aggressive people with no respect for law. The study, however, disproved this dispositional hypothesis. Though the participants knew that they were part of a study, from the moment the "prisoners" were caught and arrested unawares from their homes and from the moment the "guards" were initiated into their roles a day before the prisoners were brought in, the participants fell so perfectly into their roles and they were affected by them so much that they seemed to believe in their assigned roles or positions. The participants were not preconditioned on their form of interactions and were free to interact in any way. Yet, their "encounters tended to be negative, hostile, insulting and dehumanizing" (Haney, Banks and Zimbardo). The negative emotions showed that the participants, both the prisoners and the guards, had internalized the situation or that they had started to believe in the situation. Though physical violence was strictly not allowed, forms of less direct aggressive behavior were noted. Another instance where the participants' internalization was evidenced was when five of the prisoners had to be released due to extreme depression. Though the prisoners were fully aware that they were only playing a role and could quit the study if they so wished, only two of the rest were ready to forfeit their earnings in consideration of "parole." When the study was terminated earlier than planned, the prisoners were delighted while the guards were disappointed. This was because the guards had grown to enjoy the power that they now held. Even the "prison officials," meaning the research team, had started behaving in a manner they thought was befitting the roles they played. The styles of responding to and coping with the new situation differed from individual to individual. While a few prisoners had to be released, a few endured the atmosphere. While some guards were "tough but fair, some went far beyond their roles to engage in creative cruelty and harassment" (Haney, Banks and Zimbardo). The preliminary personality tests done on the participants had not predicted this manner of a behavior

Barclaycard's Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Barclaycard's Marketing - Case Study Example This research will begin with the statement that Barclaycard has been a success story of a creative media campaign sustained by a system of persistent value creation. Branding is a strategic approach adopted by organizations to create favorable perceptions about products among consumers. Barclaycard too adopted such an approach with a series of products including its debit card and the credit card. However, its subsequent success with the credit card came with the innovative brand value-creating efforts of t of brand value management. Some hitherto unheard of concepts were adopted by its management in order to innovate, reorient, strategically position and redefine its then existing strategic branding techniques. An articulate strategy of brand value creation along with a customer loyalty management approach was adopted in response to competitors’ threat to its core business. It was around this time that the management of the company realized the relative significance of a str ategic shift in its brand management and value creation approaches. Coupled with a mammoth advertising campaign, the company sought convincingly to introduce innovation, value for money and an individual value parameter as the new dynamic concepts in a customer-oriented promotion campaign. This strategic shift in company’s brand equity policy approach worked to such an extent that soon its rivals began to copy some of its fundamental principles... However its strategic environment as divided in to product and marketing strategy, competition strategy, growth strategy and financial strategy indicates that the organization has been faced with many constraints. Despite these constraints in its organizational environment, Barclaycard has successfully initiated some far reaching policy related outcomes. For instance Barclaycard related product and marketing strategy have been oriented towards achieving a series of positive mergers & acquisitions (M&A) related synergies including growth and competitive capabilities (Gaughan, 2007). This outcome is qualitativley and qunatitatively influenced by Barclay's M&A activity. IntroductionBarclaycard has been a success story of a creative media campaign saustained by a system of persistent vaslue creation. Branding is a strategic approach adopted by organizations to create favorable perceptions about products among consumers. Barclaycard too adopted such an approach with a series of products including its debit card and the credit card. However its subsequent success with the credit card came with the innovative brand value creating efforts of t of brand value management. Some hitherto unheard of concepts were adopted by its management in order to innovate, reorient, strategically position and redefine its then existing strategic branding techniques. An articulate strategy of brand value creation along with a customer loyalty management approach was adopted in response to competitors' threat to its core business. It was around this time that the management of the company realized the relative significance of a strategic shift in its brand management and value creation approaches.