Two Questions - Essay Example

Marketing ESSAY According to my parents, as well as grandparents, many aspects have changed in the world today, including values. Being Chinese, they hold that the aspect of collectivism in society was paramount during their days. Collectivism is simply a cultural characteristic, which constitutes various values that emphasize the importance of relationship with relevant others as well as group membership. Nonetheless, in China, this aspect drew from Confucius principles. This emphasized values such as kindness, generosity, and goodness towards other people.

My parents consider that this aspect/ a body of values has changed today, as more people, including the Chinese have started to become individualistic. They argue that westernization and globalization has led to many people minding more about themselves and not others, which has ushered in selfishness and lack of kindness towards other people today. I consider the shift from the values that emphasized collectivism to individualism as having both negative and positive influence on society today.

On the positive side, this change in values has led to competition among people, thus fast personal development in people. This thus has promoted development in various aspects in society, including economic status of individuals as well as the performance of corporations. More individualism will help to alleviate poverty levels today as more people will learn to be independent, and learn that it is impossible to depend on others in this era. On the negative side, the shift to individualism has made people to be quite insensitive toward other people.

For this reason, people care less about the welfare of others, thus it is hard to trust strangers. The aspect of brotherly kindness is also diminishing, thus people are losing their goodwill, hence might not help another person that is sincerely in a problem. ESSAY 2 A major purchase I have made in the recent past is an exercise bike. Before purchasing the bike, there are various factors that I considered, which guided me, and helped me reach the decision of purchasing the bike. First, I ensured to find out the various types of exercise bikes in the market.

This was important in helping me to decide on the one that was well suited to my needs, including taste and preference. For this reason, I also considered the various designs of the exercise bikes in the market. Secondly, I also considered the kind of exercise bike that anyone would consider classy, as most people, I included, value class. Another important factor I considered before making the purchase was my budget. Although I wanted a classy bicycle, the level of its classiness would depend on the amount of cash I had to spend on it.

Furthermore, I considered the durability of the exercise bike. This was through exploring the key features of the bike, such as seat, display console, and programs, among others. Finally, basing on my budget, I considered the price of the exercise bike, as well as warranty provided. After putting all these factors into consideration, I was able to make a purchase of the exercise bike that well suited my needs. My post-purchase expectations were that my exercise bike would meet my exercise goals.

I also expected that this would last long, without major hitches or technical dysfunctions. Furthermore, I expected that my friends would like it and consider it classy. Nonetheless, I was glad that my post-purchase expectations were met. To date, I have used the exercise bike, and it has never posed a technical dysfunction in whatever way whatsoever. Additionally, my friends liked it, and this has also helped to achieve my exercise goals. Although the exercise bike cost me quite highly, I am happy because I got value for my money.