Native American Cultural Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Native American Cultural - Research Paper Example However, these groups of Americans show inspirational inner strategies and reserves for survival. Some major concepts of the Native American’s identity, cultural context, perseverance, and adaptability include a desire to promote a group’s well being, a holistic approach to life, respect for all healing ways, and an enduring spirit. Cultural aspects widespread among Native Americans usually comprise of valuing cooperation, and being oriented in the present. They also place a great value on spiritual beliefs and family. To them, a state of health exists when an individual lives in totality with nature. Sickness is not viewed as an alteration in one’s physiological state, rather as an imbalance between the ill individual and supernatural forces or nature in general. Their medicine men or women, called ‘shaman’ are conducted in case of an illness (Barry, 2000). Traditional healing systems are meant for balancing the body, spirit, and mind within the com munity context of the Native Americans. Contrary to the Western advance to health and healing, this group of people finds it odd to isolate one part of a human being and try by all means to heal that part, a holistic approach that has been practiced for a long time. Their survival depends on their wisdom of the connectedness and interrelatedness of everything in the universe. Their holistic perception involves a sense of connection with land and place. It also entails the practical application of techniques of preventing illnesses that they believe are caused naturally, such as broken bones, as well as illnesses of the spirit and mind. According to Barry, 2000, conventional healing practices rotate around gains to the psychological, emotional, spiritual, and cultural facets of the tribal group. Systems of healing share the belief that huge, communal ceremonies act as a way to promote the well being of all Natives. The role of a healer is to reaffirm the cultural values of the group, combine all the pieces into the cultural framework, and to consider everybody in the community. To them, medicine is all about healing the patient but not curing the disease. Furthermore, some believe that inherited conditions like birth defects are a result of the parent’s immoral life and thus are not easily treated. To others, such conditions are a reflection of God’s touch and may consider them a sort of gift. Native American’s healing approaches aim to bring back wholeness and balance and restore spirituality and healthy pure state. From the cultural beliefs of Native Americans, severity of an illness is often judged with the pain, discomfort, and disability related to it. They also believe that no human part should be eliminated from the body but rather left to heal. For instance, a member of this group has to undergo a surgical procedure but when he reaches the physicians room, he informs him that he has already made peace with his creator and he is will ing to die. Some of the members who are strong believers in culture will not opt to take the patient to the hospital; instead take him to a spiritual healer or use herbs, which may have toxic effects to the affected body part. A Native American patient may not come back for treatment just because the therapist did not recognize the worth of traditional curing interventions. In such cases, a therapist may mistakenly believe that the patient is a victim of neglect or that he is not taking

Marketing Concept to the 21st century Business of Starbucks Essay - 1

Marketing Concept to the 21st century Business of Starbucks - Essay Example This requires marketers to constantly upgrade their marketing tactics and strategies. In the 21st century, marketing is quite different from what it used to be a century before. One concept that has gained interest among the marketers is relationship marketing. Relationship marketing deals with developing long and lasting relationships with the stakeholders of the organization. One company that has truly adopted this concept is Starbucks that continues to provide services and products while remaining customer and employee oriented. This paper will delve on relationship marketing and its application within one specific organization which is Starbucks. Description of the Marketing Concept As competition is increasing throughout the world, companies have to constantly readjust their marketing strategies in order to gain an edge over the competition. In this era, companies are becoming increasingly people-oriented, that is, they develop their operations to suit the needs of their stakeho lders. These usually include in most cases the consumers and with new concepts developed, employees have also become the central focus on the companies. Employee oriented companies have become more common in the service industries where employees form the face of the company. Thus the concept of relationship marketing has emerged in today’s world that companies are increasingly adapting to in order gain a good share of the market. In relationship marketing, the aim of the company is not profit maximization but rather retaining good relationship with its stakeholders, specifically the consumers. Palmatier, 2008 defines relationship marketing as ‘the process of identifying, developing, maintaining, and terminating relational exchanges with the purpose of enhancing performance’. This relationship, though is falsely attributed to extend to only the consumers, is in fact developed with all stakeholders including the consumers, employees and the community. Gummesson, 2 002 further broadens relationship marketing to total relationship marketing where marketing is extended from CRM approaches to developing relationships with all stakeholders of the company. He defines the concept in the following terms, ‘Total relationship marketing is marketing based on relationships, networks and interaction, recognizing that marketing is embedded in the total management of the networks of the selling organization, the market and society. It is directed to long-term win-win relationships with individual customers, and value is jointly created between the parties involved. It transcends the boundaries between specialist functions and disciplines’ (Gummesson, 2002) In terms of the consumers, the aim of the company in relationship marketing is to develop long-lasting relationships. This is done by orienting the company to meet the needs of the consumers. Companies that aim at relationship building conduct regular surveys and feedbacks. The purpose of the se surveys is to better understand the customers and to align the operations of the company with the changing needs of the consumers. Companies practicing relationship marketing consistently innovate their products and services to better serve their customers. For example, recently many retail outlets have developed their Android presence. Consumers can easily download applications and order for their products through their cell phones conveniently.