Low in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Low in business - Essay Example In the UK, â€Å"Product liability law defines a defective product as existing when the safety of the product is below that which consumers are entitled to expect†¦The standard of proof required by the court is such that the person claiming compensation must be able to show†¦that the defect in the product caused the injury or damage† (â€Å"UK Product Liability Law,† 2009). In one case of product liability, â€Å"[an individual] helped his mother attach [a] product to his younger brothers pushchair. One of the elastic straps slipped and lashed back. The buckle attached to the elastic strap hit him in the eye causing serious, permanent damage. The claimant sued Mothercare, the supplier of the product, claiming damages in negligence and also under the Consumer Protection Act† (â€Å"Abouzaid v. Mothercare (UK) Ltd.,† 2009). Brian is a budding semi-professional roller skater, and ha been practising for a national roller skating competition in which he was the favourite to win a 5000-pound prize. Albert asked James (Phillip’s younger brother and sales associate at Cretins Ltd.) whether the store had any skates suitable for semi-professional skating. Not only did Brian fall, but he brought his father down with him. Brain sustained a broken ankle, which would prevent him from skating for a year—while Albert sustained a broken arm in the accident. This is an incidence of where product liability would come into play. â€Å"Products liability refers to the liability of any or all parties along the chain of manufacture of any product for damage caused by that product. This includes the manufacturer of component parts (at the top of the chain), an assembling manufacturer, the wholesaler, and the retail store owner† (â€Å"Product Liability—US,† 2009). There are multiple possibilities. â€Å"Products liability law consists of a mixture of tort law and contract law†¦Aspects that relate to

Cultural Differences in Uncertainty Reduction Essay

Cultural Differences in Uncertainty Reduction - Essay Example The basic difference between high context cultures and low context ones is that while high context cultures view communication as a means for social bonding, low context cultures see it as a means for information transmission. As a result people while people from these varied cultural backgrounds are faced with anxiety when dealing with strangers, the manner in which they tackle the issue is rather different. Charles Berger's Uncertainty Reduction Theory deals with this concept of 'uncertainty' and focuses on how different aspects of communication can increase or decrease our uncertainty level about others Uncertainty reduction is all about understanding a stranger and being able to predict and explain his/her behaviour in a given context. (Griffin, 2006)The first part of this paper focuses on Charles Berger's uncertainty reduction theory and how this theory is important to our understanding of communication between cultures. The second part of the paper discusses the issue of cultural differences between societies and individuals. This section will describe the various characteristics of high and low context cultures and how they try to reduce uncertainty while dealing with strangers. Expanding on Berger's theory,. ... Expanding on Berger's theory,. William Gudykunst and his colleagues found out that all cultures seek to reduce anxiety and uncertainty in the initial stages of the relationship, but they do so in different ways (Littlejohn & Foss, 2004). The difference can be explained by whether one is a member of a high-context culture or low-context culture. Central to the uncertainty reduction theory, which was originally formulated by Charles Berger, is the assumption that when strangers meet, their primary concern is one of uncertainty reduction or increasing predictability about the behavior of both themselves and others in the interaction (Wright, 2000). The original formulation of uncertainty reduction theory in initial interactions posited seven axioms and 21 theorems which specify the interrelations among uncertainty, amount of communication, nonverbal affirmative expressiveness, information seeking, intimacy level of communication content, reciprocity, similarity, and liking (Gudykunst, 1985). The seven axioms that Berger uses to reinforce his theory are; as verbal communication increases, the level of uncertainty decreases; uncertainty causes increased levels of information seeking; high levels of uncertainty result in low levels of self disclosure; uncertainty causes increased levels of reciprocity; similarities decreases unce rtainty whereas dissimilarities increase uncertainty; and high levels of uncertainty causes a decrease in liking whereas low levels of uncertainty increase liking (Wright, 2000). Charles Berger's Uncertainty reduction Theory focuses on how human communication can be used to gain knowledge and create understanding. (Griffin, 2006) . Uncertainty reduction follws a three step pattern of developmental stages namely, entry personal and exit. At