Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at Bmw

Target, Positioning, and Marketing Mix at BMW BMW is one of the world’s largest luxury car companies and it is easy to understand why. Not only does this premium auto brand have a high resale value, but strong brand loyalty and an even bigger profit margin than mass-produced cars (Holloway, 2002). This in turn enables the premium maker to spend more on research and development into the minds of its target market to make better, more advanced cars with a powerful brand image. BMW is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company, which owns and produces the Mini brand, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW is well known for its sporty, yet sophisticated image which has been built up since the 1970’s with many motor sports victories, and its BMW Group’s worldwide mission statement, â€Å"To be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry† (http://www. bmwgroup. com). The majority of BMW’s success is attributed to the development of a consistent marketing policy, the ‘market niche’ strategy. The company has built is brand on four core values, which are technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity, whereas BMW has traditionally positioned its brand to be perceived as the leader in performance (Arnold, n. d. ). In fact, the BMW group and all BMW models are all about performance on the road and inside the plant in which they are manufactured. The fundamental core benefits for BMW customers are reliability, durability, and style. People who buy BMW are also paying for the engineering and quality, not for breakdowns (Arnold, n. d. . Buyers normally expect certain qualities in their cars when they purchase at BMW. Brand associations of German luxury brands like BMW include powerful, high-quality, fast, pricy, luxurious, classy, and sleek (Holloway, 2002). BMW owners usually purchase because they know they can rely on its solid background of high-quality vehicles, and superior performance, but they also know they are getting a vehicle that looks sporty, classy, and expensi ve at the same time. Technology plays a huge role in the difference between BMW and its competitors. BMW has combined its superior quality product with that of technology to enhance BMW service experience for its customers. In fact, research by Wanke, Bohner, and Jurkowitsch, (1997) suggest that BMW’s Augmented Reality has created the bridge and extends the real world by adding virtual information to assist BMW Service staff in their highly demanding technical work. Using augmented reality, a BMW mechanic receives additional three-dimensional information on the engine he/she is repairing. For example, augmented reality can be used to help in diagnosing and solving the fault in and engine (Horatiu, 2009). Apart from the real environment, technicians can see virtually animated components, the tools to be used and hear instruction on each of the working steps through headphones integrated inside the goggles (Horatiu, 2009). Next stands the exclusivity of BMW’s potential product and the ideas’ genesis come up with. BMW now makes cars using resources that would otherwise be wasted by putting them to good use. For instance, the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project at BMW used to reduce its reliance on natural gas and better utilizes the previously untapped methane, which is a byproduct of decomposing trash and can have harmful effects on air quality. By turning this methane into energy, the plant has reduced carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 61,000 automobiles from the U. S highways each year (Arnold, n. d. ). Today, 63 percent of the plant’s total energy is derived from landfill gas (Arnold, n. d. ). Not only that, this project has three core benefits, it reduces the amount of harmful greenhouse gases released into the air, allows BMW to use a wasted energy source by transforming the methane gas produced from the nearby Palmetto Landfill into electricity to heat for the plant, and it saves a lot of money for the company as a whole (Arnold, n. . ). BMW is now the first auto company in the world to use green energy to fuel its painting facility. Furthermore, since its inception, the project has been expanded to utilize landfill gas to fuel 23 oven burners in the paint shops at BMW and supply indirect heat to these areas (Arnold, n. d. ). In addition, marketers have classified BMW products as specialty goods be cause they have a unique characteristic or brand identification for which a sufficient number of buyers are willing to make a special purchasing effort (Kotler & Keller, 2009). Consumers who purchase BMW’s are willing to go to great lengths and travel afar to buy one. In fact, BMW is a product that stands above the rest requiring very little if any comparison to other brands as buyers already know exactly what they are looking for when in search of this particular type of vehicle (Holloway, 2002). Thus consumers that purchase BMW’s are investment buyers and often have upscale purchasing habits. And it is this reason that BMW, unlike many other marketers, has stopped emphasizing demographics such as targeting customers based on age and income, and tarted targeting based on mind-set and lifestyle. BMW marketers understand that their customers are concerned about status, and so this is what they focus their attention on. When advertising BMW marketers have focused on the specifics of the BWM and emphasis are often placed on the fact that BMW is continuously managing its cars performance quality through time, and research (Boudette, 2005). It cons istently strives to improve its products and for years has produced high returns and market shares for this very reason. Ideally, BMW’s positioning has been maintained over such a long period of time because the company possesses and develops an incredible competitive advantage. In terms of price, BMW’s mid-range vehicles start around $29,400 up to the most prestigious and luxurious vehicles priced around $130,000 (Boudette, 2005). Additionally, every new BMW is covered by a limited warranty for defects in materials or workmanship for the first four years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first. BMW also offers a rust protection program for 2006 and newer models, which provides a 12-year limited rust perforation protection without mileage limitations (http://www. bmwgroup. com). Additional accessories and services offered by BMW include iDrive, Real Time Traffic Information, BMW Roadside Assistance, and BMW assist all the more reasons why consumers choose BMW. iDrive links BMW vehicles’ with communications, navigation and entertainment functions allowing owners to make calls, listen to music, plot routes and find places to stop along the way, with just one controller all at the same time. Real Time Traffic takes owners down shorter and faster routes, preventing them from getting stuck in traffic. It identifies traffic accidents and delays in real time and continuously updates the service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, while smaller markets report only during normal commuting hours (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW Roadside Assistance is a feature most BMW owners find comforting because if they are traveling and get a flat, run out of gas, or need a tow BMW will send someone out immediately to assist no matter where the customer is located. BMW owners are covered in all 50 states, in Canada and Puerto Rico, even if someone else is driving the vehicle. These services are offered 24 hours, 365 days a year, at no additional cost, and without any mileage restrictions (http://www. bmwgroup. com). BMW assist, on the other hand, works as a sense of security, and is there for BMW customer’s safety. It is a convenient service that adds peace of mind for BMW owners, and is suitably equipped in 2007 and later models. BMW assist is part of the Ultimate Service at BMW, and is included at no additional cost for up to 4 years. This service connects owners to a response specialist that can help with almost everything, from an emergency situation to directions and traffic information by just a push of a button (http://www. bmwgroup. com). At BMW distribution is about the use of consistent standards of quality, safety, and processes at all locations. They guarantee worldwide premium products made by BMW Group as well as the careful use of resources being the guiding principle behind all production and planning. Its living structure is what enables it to react flexibly to customer demands and market requirements and conditions throughout the world (Ludwig, n. ). This is why they have such flexibility in models, as well as their ability to build additional numbers of certain models in other plants, if necessary. BMW gives its consumers exactly what they want building models with options customized to fit the individual consumer (Ludwig, n. d). As a result, the company’s dealerships keep very few cars on the lot. Instead, BMW offers intimate showrooms where customers can view cars and place orders with individual custom options that they select (Ludwig, n. d). After the car has been selected and the customer has chosen their individual custom features, BMW directs its manufacturing plant to produce the car and deliver it within a matter of days. Logistically speaking, when it comes to BMW and the channel of information, it means using CRM to strengthen communications with its dealers and make it as easy as possible for potential customers to get all the buyer information they need (Ludwig, n. d). BMW group also uses e-commerce strategies as a means to explore the market for effective business. The group introduced an ordering system in 1998 which gives dealers the option of showing customers their desired car on the screen and confirming the delivery date on the spot. Through the use of this system, the time frame when the vehicle can be built with the desired fitting is configured within a few seconds and is reserved in the production process immediately (Ludwig, n. d). Furthermore, the manufacturing logistics department at BMW has such outstanding internal processes to such a level that when changes accord due to customers’ wishes regarding issues as omplicated as engine capacity to something as small as the color of the upholstery it can be immediately communicated, and in most cases resolved prior to shipment of the vehicle. Moreover, the company has adopted a consistent advertising strategy. In addition to the message of its values being portrayed in advertising campaigns, the company explicitly expresses one or more of these values in all BMW advertisements (J ones, 2010). Its design philosophy also runs through every BMW advertisement communicated through TV and print ads. Its brand imaged has been built up by using over 300 different types of color press advertisements, as well as 64 different types of television commercials (Jones, 2010). BMW ads are always consistent and focus on the substance of the cars themselves. However, it is important to point out that BMW also relies on its sensitivity to the environment, which is clearly seen by how the company’s advertisements evolved in response to economic, environmental and competitive changes. In addition, since the competition started to imitate BMW’s adverting messages of outstanding quality, BMW decided to come up with a more unique way to reach its target audience. The company did so by hiring Fallon Worldwide, an advertisement agency, to come up with new campaigns. Now BMW uses guerilla public relations campaigning as a means to drive sales. Its diverse promotion tactics include seeding news of the BMW Films at key Internet entertainment rumor sites and radio DJ programs in 20 key metro markets, and BMW manufacturers use web mostly to drive its brand (Jones, 2010). In fact, BMW takes the phrase â€Å"beyond the banner† seriously. In its ads for the BMW Compact, the car drives out of the banner ad and around the sides of the browser window, to show how it loves corners. BMW’s online strategy in the UK is highly-brand drive, with clickthrough considered to be a side benefit (Jones, 2010). Not only that, BMW uses traditional banner ads, with pull-down menus, Superstitials, transitional ads which appear between pages, sponsorship and dynamic html ads like the one mentioned previously to promote its brand message and to drive the benefit of ownership in terms of the driving experience (Jones, 2010). Superstitials are highly interactive, non-banner ads that can be any size on the computer screen and up to 100k in file size. They can feature animation, sound graphics capable of effectively conveying integrated advertising messages while protecting its Web site’s performance (Jones, 2010). BMW utilizes this form of advertisement to achieve multiple goals, including branding, direct marketing, commerce and entertainment. In conclusion, as a worldwide organization, BMW Group has a long and established heritage of manufacturing premium products and holding true to its four core values of technology, quality, performance, and exclusivity. Today, BMW is one of the most respected companies and recognizable brands in the world. This is due to the fact that the BMW Group continues its leading position in the premium segments of the domestic and international automobile markets. The BMW Group has long pursued the objective of continuously and permanently increasing its company value and has done so by playing an active role in both shaping internal economic success factors as well as corporate citizenship in society as a means to gain and retain loyal customers. References Arnold, P. V. (n. d. ). BMW: The ultimate reliability machine. Retrieved March 2, 2011, from http://www. reliableplant. com/Read/5197/bmw-reliability Boudette, N. E. (2005). BMW’s Push to Broaden Line Hits Some Bumps in the Road. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 3, 2011, from http://www. bimmerfest. com/forums/showthread. php? t=83762 Holloway, N. (2002). The best-driven brand. Forbes. com Inc. Retrieved March 01, 2011, from http://www. forbes. com/global/2002/0722/024. html Horatiu, B. (2009). BMW Augmented Reality. BMWBLOG News. Retrieved March 02, 2011, from http://www. bmwblog. com/2009/09/03/bmw-augmented-reality/ Jones, J. (2010). Driving Success Digitally. Response, 19(1) 30-35. Retrieved March 7, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Kotler, P. , & Keller, K. L. (2009). Marketing Management. Upper Saddle River, NJ:Prentice Hall. Ludwig, C. (n. d). Standing atop the Welt of BMW’s vehicle distribution. Automotive Logistics. Retrieved March 5, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database. Wanke, M. , Bohner, G. , & Jurkowitsch, A. (1997). There Are Many Reasons to Drive a BMW: Does Imagined Ease of Argument Generation Influence Attitudes? Journal of Consumer Research, 24(2) 170-177. Retrieved March 6, 2011, from EBSCOhost Direct database.

Persuasive Speech about Prayer in Public Schools Essay

Ladies and Gentlemen all protocol observed, I would like to tell you the facts behind the reason why I am against prayers in public schools. Prayer in public schools should no be allowed since it is inconsiderate of the different religions that are represented in the school. Public schools host people from all religions since they are cheaper hence affordable. When the prayers are done they are biased against the religion with minor representation in the school hence it is better if prayer was abolished in school. When prayers for one religion are done, the other religions feel oppressed discriminated against and they have a feeling of inferiority. It feels like the school administration is trying to force the students to join their religion. The school administration should advocate the elimination of prayer to avoid cases where the students feel discriminated. The students will feel like they are forced to worship (Sommer 1984). Instead of conducting prayers in public school each student should be allowed to pray on their own. This way the school will be respecting all religions since all students will have freedom of worship and they will feel appreciated. Even though some of the schools acknowledge all religions, they tend to allocate less time to the prayers of the religions with minor representation. At times the public schools do not even recognize the religious holidays of the religions that have minor representation. Some of the prayers that are done too do not show the serious that religion requires and some people prefer not praying instead of praying in a way that will leave other offended. There are some people who believe that they should only conduct personal prayers the people prefer praying for themselves (Lindorfer 2004). When prayers are conducted in school by a person who is not in the same religion with another, since there is the feeling of indifference between the two parties, divisions could arise in extreme cases that could disrupt the education process in the school as a result of strikes. Ladies and gentlemen, with these issues at hand, I suggest that prayers should be eliminated from public schools and all students should pray on their own. This way the unity among students will be enhanced since religious differences will be avoided and all students will coexist in peace (religionandpoliticsgeek 2008). In those schools that all students share one religion, there are different denominations and all people fight to have their denomination as the superior. An example is where a catholic would like to conduct a prayer in their way and a Presbyterian too will want prayers conducted the way they do it in their place of worship. As a result when the prayers are conducted in one way, they other student will feel that their denomination is not appreciated. With the emergence of very many churches, it is advisable to eliminate prayer in public schools to avoid cases where the students rise against each other based on prayer (Rollins 1998). With those facts, I would request all of you to join me in advocating for abolition of prayer in public schools.

Social construction gender

The Social Construction of Gender Associated with Disordered Eating Patterns. In the US alone, there is reported to be over 1 million malnourished cases. Of all the above, a significant percentage are self-imposed malnourishment, which implies that, they do not occur as a result of lack of nutritious food but rather as a result of the rush for beauty. More than ever before, women want to look and feel thin and ‘small’. This is what is in the contemporary times viewed as beauty. The media, community as well as peers have all contributed to the development. This paper explores the concept of thinness as reflected in the contemporary society especially the role of eating disorders in the endeavour for beauty. 1. Introduction The social construction of gender has been attributed to numerous challenges facing women since time immemorial. Numerous happenings which influence or affect human beings have been given a social interpretation and therefore resulting onto the coining of the term â€Å"social construction†. The term basically refer to those belief widely held by the society which influence the interactions. In reference to gender, social construction refers to the social process in which men and women are subjected to different conditions in an endeavour to understand better how each one functions as well as the interconnection between the two genders. Social construction aims at looking at the effects the differential treatment of women has on their social life as well as their cultural practices. Although not widely researched on, social construction of gender had much influence on eating patterns. The fact that modernization has yielded much pressure on today’s human is a point to the fact that social construction is in action in almost all spheres of life. Unlike in the fact when beauty has not so much tied to one’s body weight/mass. The 21st century has seen a rise in the emphasis given to being slim especially on the part of women although overweight, obesity or under weight are problems that affect both gender, not is worthy noting that much of the emphasis on keeping fit in the sense of remaining slim is usually used in regard to women. From a gender perspective women are under much pressure to look and keep’ smart. The reason why majority want to remain slim is due to social pressure which stems from the fact that many cultures and especially the western culture value slimness and views it as a lading quality of beauty. The following discussion focuses on self-scheme less space as well as lack of voice as basic concept which advances social construction of gender. On the other hand, the discussion analyses gender identity from a woman perspective while at the same discussing the valuable concepts such as the power associated with beauty as well as the pressure of period the community at large as well as the effects these have on women. . Self-Schema This refers to the experiences of people in regard to their interactions with the society. Self-schema has been defined by, Lorber, & Farrell,(1991) as the organization of personal information all related to one experiences all of which have an impact on what people do and focus on. In regard to social construction, self-schema may refer to how wome n perceive and describe themselves. Such may include women role in the family women and leadership, women and beauty, which is the main focus of this paper. Schema in human beings is concerned with beliefs, pas experiences in life. In case of women various schemas can be attributed to eating disorder. These includes, what the society holder as the ideal weight, what the society beliefs to be the ideal height the ideal hair colour, the idea colour as well as what the society holds to represent heavily. The above contribute to childhood experiences as well experiences in teenage, early adulthood as well as late adulthood as well as late adult shapes ones mind set on many issues. For instances whether a lady perceives herself as beautiful cut, attractive or one of the above is greatly influenced by what she has undergone in life. The experiences shape beliefs over perception of the general public. In regard to women and dietary habits any consistent staring aimed at an overweight or round figured lady can lead to the lady believing that the stares are as a result of her body size, shape or figure and this further contributes to social construction of women. Self schema depends and is shaped by a woman’s experiences and at the same by stimuli in the society such as reactions from people, fashion, attitudes as well as cultural and environmental factors. Self schema on the other had is determined by the company or peers of a woman, the environment whether office or human environment. Determinants of self schema in women. Experience, how often a woman has been subjected to particular self-schema in women. Experiences of how often a woman has been subjected to particular self-schema determine how one is likely to respond or react. Importance of self-schema in women. While self schema could sometimes be detrimental to a woman’s health, the fact that some self-schema is represented positively is worth noting. Of particular interest to feminists is the fact that women who result of self-schema hold high opinions of themselves are more likely to resist social pressures which cause many women to confirm to society’s expectations which are mostly anti feminine. Problems of self-schema Self-schema can cause a number of problems to women. Such may include the development of stereotypes which revolve around certain attributes being assigned to specific groups of people. For instance, there exists, a stereotype about the western woman being slim and tall as apposed to African who are viewed as plum and short. Stereotypes can lead to misconceptions of facts and a lack of clear interpretation to meaning this in turn results into women suffering especially if the stereotypes come in the way of woman development issues. A. Disappear/Less Space A prejudice concerning a woman as not being beautiful for instance may put the particular woman at a disadvantage when it comes to making choices especially in her social life. For instance where prejudice of a woman in terms of her appearance and shape is dominant, chances are that the woman is more likely to suffer and be at a disadvantage compared to others who are not subjected to the prejudice. . Woman’s gender Identity Self schema may be problematic in that, they may lead to a woman being discriminated against in light of her beauty or lack of it. Since society mostly conceptual ones beauty a physical appearance, a woman may be discriminated against as account of her physical looks. This in turn may cause numerous effects in that the woman who is not equally physically endowed may miss out on opportunities she rightfully qualifies for. Woman gender identity From a gender perspective a woman has been portrayed as the weaker sex. Although it is hard to trace the origin of this common belief, it can be attributed to the domination of man in most spheres of public life such as politics and religion. Also the religious teachings of many religious have perpetrated this understanding in that their teaching which often call for nor-compromising adherence preach about how a woman should be submissive to a man. This has had the greatest impact in the lives of more women than any other factor, for instance, a woman is more likely to be denied a place in some churches or religious purely because of the fact that the particular religion teachers that. Power of beauty Power of beauty has been known to bring down ever the mightiest in the society. From the biblical records of King Solomon to Samson, from presidents to kings, beauty has been cited as one of the greatest assets the female gender has at its disposal. Even at household levels, beautiful women have a high bargaining then not so beautiful woman, for a beautiful woman, the beauty acts like a fall-back position and one is likely to use it to her advantage. However beauty as a gender concept is given different interpretation from culture to culture as well as from society to society, however, the immense power those of the females who are beautiful yield makes them at bargaining. The concept of beauty and the emphasis accorded to it has meant it more of a tool of bargain than it is a natural gift endowed to a woman. Women are investing in healthy and nutritious foods as well as seeking services of beauty consultants. Overall, the role of diet and food in beauty can not be over-emphasized. To remain beautiful, at least according to American standards one has to keep close watch on their weight, this has in turn has contributed to eating disorders. This is a big blow to proponents of health. Unlike in the past, currently the once promising trends as far as malnourishment cases in the society are concerned have started to revert and more cases of malnourishment are being reported. It is common knowledge that nowadays; women are keen to ‘keep fit’ at all costs. However, what makes the topic of interest and concern to social constructionist is the fact that the problem does not reflect in men as much as it is reflected in women. This phenomenon has led to feminists calling far changes in the way beauty is perceived in the society so as to alleviate the impeding danger of malnourishment. Recent happenings in some beauty events early this year clearly illustrates the extent to which the problem has become another challenge for governments and other stakeholder such as health departments. Role of media Media has been termed as one of the strongest agent of change in the 21st century. From the internet to television adverts, mobile phones and computer technology. Media in all its forms whether print or electronic is the vehicle through which the society mostly utilizes in communication. For instance, in advertisement, the medial constantly portrays the beautiful women as that who is slim slender or not weighing a lot. Due to its power of communication, audiences often fall for what the media passes across and only a few take the time to review it and give it a critical review. Thus, the media has in some sense been misused to misconstrue facts and there has altered meanings of some concepts such as beauty. On the other hard, media can be used positively to rectify the negative perception inculcated in minds of people especially about what entails beauty. The media can come up with programmes aimed at advancing a different dimension, which perhaps de-emphasises sliminess and concentrates on other aspects such as beauty of the heart as well as beauty of being truly health through use of natural means such as healthy food, and exercises. Role of community/Team In terms of beauty at least every one grows knowing a beautiful colleague. It is hard to fail to arrive at consensus on who is beautiful than, who usually the judgement does not need experts but each society is socially constructed in such a way that, it has attribute and even values which as highly associated with beauty, it is these values than the community and ones peers hold about being beautiful and what is beauty that, make the role of community and peer central to the understanding of beauty. The society especially peers have enhanced the constructing of beauty as thinness is that, even in most cultures, being overweight is more revered than being under weight. This clearly points to the fact that, thinness has been taken to be a synonym for beauty and vice versa. Conclusion As long as society continues to give more power to thinner women, eating disorders will continue. Women are expected to look and act a certain way in order to have a small portion of the power men have. As feminist we must help create a society that avoids discrimination. Eventually that is the only way that we will help alleviate many issues women deal with, such as eating disorders.

“Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley Essay

No matter how much two individuals are alike, there are always traits that separate one from the other. In Mary Shelley’s novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton are both seekers of knowledge who are determined to succeed. However, while Walton is able to risk everything, Frankenstein soon realizes his errors in his frenzied obsession with discovery. The novel begins with Robert Walton’s caring letters to his sister Margaret. Walton bids farewell to his â€Å"dear, excellent Margaret(9)†, and thanks her for her â€Å"love and kindness(9)†. His words display his love and affection for Margaret. Robert Walton, while seemingly unfeeling on his search for discovery, is tender to his beloved sister. In the same manner, Victor Frankenstein harbors love for Elizabeth Lavenza. Frankenstein creates a horrific killing creature, yet still has the heart to be affectionate to cousin. Even before Frankenstein looks at Elizabeth as his spouse, she was a sister to him, the same way Margaret is a sisterly character to Walton. Loneliness is another aspect that Frankenstein and Walton have in common. Although loved ones first surround Frankenstein, the Creature soon takes out his anger of life and of Victor by killing all those close to him. After those unfortunate occurrences, Frankenstein is left lonely, with only one goal, to seek revenge on the Creature. Walton’s loneliness is clearly described in his first letters to Margaret. Perhaps the most obvious similarity connecting Robert Walton and Victor Frankenstein is their quest for knowledge, or â€Å"the country of eternal life† as Walton described in a letter to his sister. Robert Walton’s perilous journey to the Arctic is very much like Frankenstein’s search for the secret of life. Walton explores unknown territory in the north. Likewise, Frankenstein delves into undiscovered territory on a theoretical basis. In the field of science, Frankenstein is very determined to achieve his goal. He describes his summer, as a time when he was â€Å"engaged, heart and soul, in one pursuit(34)†. However, as soon as his creation, the Creature, opens his eyes, Victor Frankenstein realizes his mistakes in going against nature,  thus terminating his quest to revive life. Robert Walton, on the other hand, is still persistent on his expedition. He faces many obstacles like the numbing cold and abundance of ice, but Walton has not yet faced anything like the shocking creation of the Creature, that would stop him from his task. He continues Another characteristic that separates Frankenstein and Walton is their ability to attain friends. Frankenstein is constantly surrounded by his loved ones, if not his father or Elizabeth, then it is his best friend Henry Clerval. Unlike Frankenstein, Robert Walton seems unable to make friends. In his second letter to his sister, he writes that he desperately â€Å"feels† the want of a friend(10)†. Victor Frankenstein, on the other hand, even finds a friend in M. Waldman, his professor. He is blessed with companions, though he soon loses them by the hand of the Creature. Meanwhile, Walton, having no friends finds one in Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein and Robert Walton, both looking to achieve one goal, have many traits in common. Yet, no two people can be exactly alike, thus they also have areas in which the other lacks in. They both have love, and seek the truth. At the same time, Walton and Frankenstein have very different personalities, shown in their ability to make friends, and both go through different lengths to gain knowledge. In the end, they both learn that knowledge is not everything, and sometimes turning back is not so horrible.

Case study of E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Case study of E-commerce - Essay Example For valid online contracts, there should be an acknowledged set of conditions, and each party to the contract must signify to come into a lawfully binding agreement and there should be adequate considerations. An e-tailor (e-service provider) may opt that the agreement for supply or sale of services or goods to be regulated by his own typical conditions and terms. To be legally enforceable, these conditions and terms should be integrated into the online contracts by making them to the awareness of the client at the time or before the agreement comes into force. If the typical conditions and terms are not correctly included, in case of any disagreement, the court will take into recognition the conditions to oversee the agreement footed on earlier track of dealing or on the statue which could be offering less beneficial or lucrative to the e-tailor (e-service provider)1 Methods of Incorporation of Standard Terms and conditions in a Web Site Mere inclusion of conditions and terms on a w ebsite is not adequate to include them into the agreement. Both the parties to e-contract should agree to such an e-contract on the expressed terms. There are three chief courses available in which terms and conditions may be incorporated into a website for the benefit of users and incorporated into the contract, and they are â€Å"click-wrap†, â€Å"browse-wrap†, and â€Å"web-wrap† despite the fact that the distinction between these courses may not be especially clear-cut in real practice. â€Å"Browse-Wrap† connotes that the conditions are reachable through a hypertext link. â€Å"Click-wrap â€Å"connotes that constructive consent to the exhibited terms, for instance, by clicking an â€Å"I agree† button is needed. Under this, a customer is required to roll through the conditions before to click â€Å"I accept† and then continue with such business. â€Å"Web-wrap† connotes a notice trying to make an entry into and further use of website conditions posted under â€Å"terms & conditions.† Under this, there will be a hyperlink within a phrase with words to the cause of, â€Å"By ticking on the â€Å"I accept† icon, the customer acknowledges that he has read and acknowledged the conditions and terms2. By comparison with past court cases concerning with the integration of conditions into an e-contract, it is possible that a competent court would arrive at a conclusion that inclusion of either second or third condition as mentioned above will be valid as the content and existence of the conditions are obviously brought to the notice of the client before the formation of any e-contract and hence, it would be bonding on the part of the customer. However, the first option mentioned above may be held to be invalid. Despite not pinpointing of the English courts’ approach, US courts have held that â€Å"click-wrap† agreement is valid one while holding that plain mention to the conditions a nd terms as a computer-link like the first choice mentioned above or by employing a browse-wrap facility, could not be adequate to integrate conditions and terms as in such a type of e-contracts, customers are not warranted to read the terms of the e-contracts before ordering3. In William’s v America Online Inc4, the plaintiff claimed that installation of online software provided by the defendant had resulted in unauthorised changes to his computer. AOI attempted to rely on a jurisdiction clause which consisted in its terms of service

Electoral college Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Electoral college - Essay Example Their understanding being that the electors sent by the individual states would most likely prevent the election of an individual who threatens to consolidate power within the federal government. The Electoral College really favours the states, since it ensures there is more attention to the less populous states which would otherwise be at the risk of being sidelined and ignored by the presidential candidates. This means that if people elected the president directly, candidates would more likely shift their attention to population-rich states such as Texas, California and New York rather than small states like Nevada, Wisconsin and New Mexico. Another better argument for Electoral College is that it produces clear winners, and contrasts sharply with the popular vote which has always remained quite close in almost all presidential elections. The Electoral College is a disadvantage to the individual voter since it violates the rule of one person, one vote, which actually would be the best rule of a vibrant modern democracy. All in all the Electoral College has always helped magnify the scope of the incoming candidate’s victory and for someone entrusted with the most high-profile job in the world, an additional boost of legitimacy cannot be

Negotiation Skills for Managers Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Negotiation Skills for Managers - Research Paper Example 2006, p.3). For example, a sales manager and his clients may have contrasting interests. Clients always like to get the job done as cheaply as possible whereas the manager would like to get that job for a price as higher as possible. A compromise is necessary between the manager and his client in order to protect mutual interests as much as possible and for that purpose negotiation is a must. Since sales is a profession in which negotiation takes place quiet frequently, I decided to interview a car salesman of a Toyota dealership in order to get more awareness about various aspects of business negotiations. This paper is written based on the interview I conducted with that Toyota car salesman. My own perspectives of negotiation In my opinion, various types of negotiations occur every day in our life. However, in business world, negotiation occurs between an organization and its clients, organization and its employees, organization and its suppliers, organization and communities in wh ich it operates. However, negotiations between the sellers and buyers are more common in the business world. The seller wants to sell his product for maximum prices whereas the buyer would like to purchase things for minimum prices. Since these two motives are traveling in opposite directions, negotiation is the only way to settle the issues between the sellers and buyers. In short, better deal is the major motive behind every business negotiation. It is not necessary that all negotiation process may end up in victories or failures. In certain cases, both the parties may sacrifice many of their interests to get the work done. Characteristics of business negotiations As per the opinions of the car salesman I interviewed, negotiations can be classified into two different groups; 1) Negotiations that end up in the victory of one party and the failure of the other party 2) Negotiations that end up in victory to both the parties. He has labeled these negotiations as distributive (win-los e) and integrative (win-win). He has pointed out that a win-win or integrative negotiation is always desirable as both the parties may get some benefits out of the negotiation process. Distributive or win-lose negotiations may end up in the victory of only one party at the expense of the other. I asked him about the type of negotiation usually he undertakes and the reasons for that. He has told me that majority of the times he will go for integrative negotiations and only at the unavoidable circumstances; he will go for the distributive type of bargaining. In his opinion, business concepts are changing rapidly. Business management principles in the past and at present are entirely different. Earlier, sales people concentrated more on selling the goods at any cost. They used all positive and negative tactics to sell the product in the past. In other words, the intentions of a salesman in the past were to conduct only distributive negotiations in which the ultimate winner would be the salesman. As a result of such distributive negotiations, many companies lost their customer base as cheated customers or the losing customers started to look for other options. He has mentioned that as per the modern business principles, retaining of the customers is as important as attracting a new customer and therefore

Production in the Long Run Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Production in the Long Run - Essay Example When it comes to marginal product, change in production is registered after the addition of capital employed. (Steinemann 11) This could be an added employee. The major point about the long run is that all the factors pertaining to production are assumed to be variable. The term ‘Returns to Scale’ is a term used to refer to the process by which a firms output, responds to change factors input. An example of this is as outlined in the table below; Labor Input Plant 1 Plant 2 Plant 3 Plant 4 10 40 100 130 150 20 100 120 150 173 30 120 140 175 199 40 130 170 200 231 50 150 190 230 260 Capital Input 10 20 30 40 Courtesy of (http://tutor2u.net/) From the above chart, Plant 1, business increases to 40 working with labor input 10 and capital input of 10. This demonstrates increase in returns to scale, resulting to a fall in the total cost of production. Generally, the scale of production can be increased or reduced. This is due to the variability of all factors. As a result, th e firm moves to new average cost curves. Every firm has an equivalent short run average cost curve, with the firms’ expansion, it moves on to different short run average cost curves. Economies of scale result after the expanded scale output leads to a lower average cost for each level of output. The overhead costs relative to the running costs will probably be high in industries where big networks and national distribution are necessary. This leaves only little room for the company to exploit the returns of scale available in the market. When the cost disadvantage of operation is small, the companies/firms may operate at a profit. This also happens in price differentiation allowing small suppliers to sell their produce at premium price to the market average, on the advantage, willingness and ability for the consumers to pay high prices to cover the cost per unit. A high level of industry concentration is likely, where the minimum efficient scale of production is high as compa red to overall market demand. The time duration required for the long run id different from one sector to another. For example, in the nuclear power industry, it can take so many years to commission a new power plant or improve capacity. The law of diminishing marginal returns is the only critical difference between long run and short run (Tutor2u par 4). This law only applies to short run, which has a fixed output unlike the case of long run where it’s output are variable. Difference between the short and long run could differ depending on the period; some producers may operate at short run over a minimal period while others may operate at short run over a long time. Variability in the long run also applies to the quantity of capital. This means that, the company can not only adjust manpower in the industry but can also increase the size of the factory. For example, if the currently used factory is used beyond capacity, then a bigger one is constructed in the long run to acc ommodate more output. In the case where the factory has used space, it is possible to relocate to a smaller factory in the long run. The major concerns in the long run production, is how producers adjust the inputs under their control considering changes in prices. All production activities include input that is beyond the producer’s control. This includes the Government and its regulations, forces of nature, weather, and social customs and institutions. These variables are not

Internet Telephony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet Telephony - Essay Example History of 'Voice over Internet Protocol' (VoIP) can be dated back to 1973, when the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPAnet), the predecessor of today's 'Global Internet', used 'Packet Switching' for voice communication. By the late 1990s it evolved into a standard telephone hooked up to an internet connection. Today, with the introduction of 'Broadband Internet' and improvement in 'Quality of Service', traditional phone lines are slowly being phased out as businesses and households around the world embrace the benefits and features that VoIP technology has to offer. In existing telephone systems, which use 'circuit switching', when a call is made between two parties, the 'connection' between them is maintained for the duration of the call. This is the basic foundation of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). Earlier, every call had to have a dedicated wire stretching from one end to the other for the duration of the call. So, if suppose you wanted to call from Washington DC to San Francisco, you actually owned a cable that long for the duration of the call. Later, with digitalization, your voice along with thousands of others was combined onto a single fiber optic cable for most of the distance, yet there was a dedicated copper wire going through each house. "For more than a hundred years, the PSTN was the only bearer network available for telephony." (PSTN, par.5) In VoIP, you do not maintain ... Each 'payload' is then packed in a 'packet' with an address on each one telling the network devices where to send them. The 'packet' is then 'routed' through the internet to the receiving computer, which retrieves the 'payload' and reassembles the 'data' in its original state, which is, in the last networking stage, converted back to 'voice'. Each 'packet' may follow an entirely different path to the destination computer. This makes VoIP very efficient since it lets the network route the packet along the least congested lines. Also, since there is no need for any continuous connection, "it minimizes the time that a connection is maintained between two systems, which reduces the load on the network." (HPSW, par.3) So, if given the liberty to define, we could call VoIP as the 'process of converting voice into data and then sending it via a network'. VoIP Requirements: The things you would need to get started are: A 'High Speed' Internet Connection: Depending upon availability, your budget and the amount of telephone traffic, you can choose between many different products. A VoIP Box: An adaptor that lets you connect your phone to the network. An Account with a VoIP Provider: That provides real-time two-way voice communication using the Internet Protocol. An Audio I/O Device OR A Stunning Gizmo: Although to use some of the basic services, you could just get away with your PC with a Speaker and a Microphone, most users are accustomed to a soft phone loaded on a laptop. Wi-Fi enabled mobile phones today provide additional features like multi-call conferencing, video conferencing, internet faxing, web browsing, etc. Advantages of Using VoIP: One major advantage of the 'Packet Switching' technology used in VoIP is that it allows multiple phone

Personal Statement for a Business and Finance Final year student

For a Business and Finance Final year student - Personal Statement Example and I believe in life that the best educational institutes brings out the best in any scholar , this is why I have chosen to further my education at Hult International Business School. I realized early in life that we are put on this earth to build important things. Businesses are the drivers of our economy and the building blocks of society. Over the next five years, I hope that the things I learn at Hult will put me on a path to both professional and personal development. My short term goal is to start a small business. My long-term goal is to turn that business into a multinational company. My desire to study business stems from a willingness to make money and help others. I think that a job is the best form of social assistance. From the beginning, I have been interested in this field of study. I completed a Bachelors degree in Business and Finance, earning very good marks along the way. I learned that it’s businesspeople who create jobs. Studying business will ultimately be a highly rewarding experience. Therefore I am motivated in completing the business program successfully. I possess the intellectual commitment and compassionate interest to make this a satisfying and successful vocation. I truly want to leave my mark on the world by helping others. I realize this will not be an easy task, but I am motivated and determined. My perseverance and diligence will help me to reach my ultimate objective of completing the program successfully. Having a Masters from your institution will open up many doors for me. Please consider me for Hult International Business

Police Racial Profiling Has Become a Growing Problem in the Fairfield Essay

Police Racial Profiling Has Become a Growing Problem in the Fairfield County of Connecticut - Essay Example Connecticut is a state in the US in which police racial profiling has drastically increased. In towns like Milford, Stratford, Fairfield, Westport and Greenwich racial profiling has increased to a dangerous extent. Despite the increasing issue of racial profiling, the nation is showing little concern over this issue. According to latest researches, it was found out that blacks and Latinos are 30 times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police without any serious reason and suspicion than the whites. And this figure has increased within the past year. The minorities in any area are usually the ones who suffer from racial profiling. It is generally believed that the minorities of a nation are the ones who are involved in causing riots, thefts, robbery and car snatching. In Fairfield county racial discrimination is extremely alarming. Most of the towns in Connecticut have a population consisting mostly of blacks and Latinos and, therefore, police racial profiling is very comm on in these areas. The whites and blacks still live apart from each other in these areas and do not prefer to make friends with each other (Holbert 2004). The government has made promises that they will eliminate police racial profiling in the US and make sure that all citizens of the country are secure and safe. But the government has failed to do so. Not white people are still now and then stopped and inquired without any reason. This has increased the feeling of hostility among the blacks and Latinos for the white people and, as a result, they try to make troubles for the white people in order to take revenge. Many riots that have occurred in the previous years were mostly because of racial profiling. The black people demand to have some self-respect and when the police stop and search them without a search warrant and any solid reason just because they are black, they feel exceedingly insulted and this increases the feeling of hatred for the white (Holbert 2004). As a safety pre caution, the black people teach their children that they must take extra care while stopped by a police because if a black misbehaves with the latter, they can easily make it a serious issue and can even get you jailed on this petty offense. It is found that for the same offense a white will be exempted whereas a black can be severely punished for the same issue. So a black must be extra careful while confronting the police. Although statistics clearly show that these are not the blacks who are majorly involved in keeping illegal weapons and having drugs, but about 70% of drug users were found to be white as compared to only 15% black and 8% Latino. It is the duty of law enforcement agencies to protect people without any discrimination, but when the former practise racial profiling, people will not feel secure and safe. Following such practice, it is assumed that the whites are the people who abide by the law whereas blacks and Latinos are criminals, although this is not true. The w hite people know that they are free to do whatever they like because the police will never catch them for little issues. So it is now observed that the white people are greatly getting involved in street crimes day by day and carrying drugs and illegal weapons with them. To improve the relationships among people, the police and law enforcement agencies it is necessary for people to be satisfied with the performance of the police and only then people

Executive Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Executive Summary - Essay Example the euro exchange economy can also be used to remove the lower bound which has an effect on the short period threatening free nominal interest (Buiter, 2010, p. 219). On the other hand, during price setting, New-Calvo-Woodford approach can be used in setting price. Their approach involve secretive division in the euro-currency financial system, government in the euro exchange economy, equilibrium in the euro currency economy, deterministic steady state in the euro currency economy and lastly the lower bound which can become a binding constraint in the euro currency economy (Buiter, 2010 p.223). In prevailing over the lower bound on nominal charge, one can use the following strategies: eliminating currency, disburse negative interest rates on money (Buiter, 2010) or taxing money or even dividing the standard of trade. The three methods of eliminating subordinate bound on nominal interest plays a role in making it possible to ensure that it target the true stability of prices (Buiter, 2010). The author use of quotes from outside source gives a back up to the points that are highlighted in the report. He used seventy outside sources to support his main ideas concerning the monetary policy. The examples used are ones that have methodology to come up with the main idea

Provide a viral marketing plan that uses blogs and social media tools Essay

Provide a viral marketing plan that uses blogs and social media tools to generate interest in the Courier - Essay Example In order to ensure the credibility of local news, the Courier should use a blog that is frequently updated and one that allows for the general public to comment. This blog will be more effective when it is attached to the Courier’s website. It can also be uses to share opinions of people and their reactions to different news items. High school students and institutions are the main target market for high school sport results. According to Bregman (18), the most effective way to reach out to students is through social media. Many students spend a large portion of their time on social media. Organizing campaigns that target them on social media platforms will create interest in the courier. The courier should engage the students by posting pictures of the sporting activities and commenting on the. Social media campaigns can also include competitions for students. This will increase the flow of students to the site and enhance the visibility of the Courier The courier should use social media presence to post topics that command attention of the reader. These topics should be linked to the main feature stories in the Courier’s website and blogs. Once the readers click on the topic, they should be automatically redirected to the Courier’s website to get access to the full story. This will increase the flow of customers to the Courier’s website and generate more interest in it. According to Andrews (6), using blogs and linking it to the website will optimize the website and make it easier to be traced by the search engine. In order to attract the interest of gardeners, home repair agents, crafts men and their clients who love functionality and beauty in their homes and places of work, the Courier will need to dedicate a blog spot on the Courier’s website that is linked to a social media page. This will act as a one stop shop for

Career planing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Career planing - Assignment Example cognizes the trends in the modern changing world in terms information and technology by constantly researching and acquainting myself with current concepts in mathematics, assessing, evaluating, and applying new strategies and techniques in an appropriate and continuous manner. I want to be involved in action research that will help test the effectiveness of class-specific strategies in order to be used to improve the performance of my students and others by availing them for adoption by other teachers. As a teacher, I will put my skills to task in finding and developing better learning resources and also share them with other educationists in the community. For the fact that my goals revolve around facilitating learning in young people, I will practice a learning lifestyle, share my personal learning with other educationists, and model lifelong learning. In this form of lifestyle, I will be able to gain self-actualization and fulfillment through continuous achievement of performance targets. It will also give me great pleasure to realize that the future is guaranteed of good leadership as a consequence of my

Analysis and Meaning of Dante Gabriel Rossettis The Bocca Baciata Essay

Analysis and Meaning of Dante Gabriel Rossettis The Bocca Baciata - Essay Example Bocca Baciata can be said to the beginning of Rossetti’s shift in terms of style and medium in his paintings that later became the signature of his work. Bocca Baciata marked Rossetti’s beginning of painting singular female figures that evoke seduction and earthly pleasure. According to a fellow cofounder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood William The painting, just like Rossetti’s previous painting bore inscription that wrote; Bocca baciata non perde ventura, anzi rinnova come fa la luna. ‘The mouth that has been kissed does not lose its savour, indeed it renews itself just as the moon does2 II. Evolution of Dante Gabriel Rossetti as an Artist To fully understand, appreciate and decipher the meaning of Bocca Baciata on how it relate to Rossetti, it would be necessary to understand Rossetti as an artist to contextualize the meaning of the Bocca Baciata and fully understand the painting in the process. Rossetti as an artist did not employ a single theme in hi s works although the nature of his subjects primarily centred on women. His subject (the female) and how they were depicted evolved and it served as a mark on Rossetti’s growth and maturity as an artist and this has a significance in understanding Rossetti’s final paintings (Bocca Baciata was one of them) that became the signature of Rossetti’s work. ... hift of style is significant because Rossetti was not only one of the most accomplished artists during his time but also cofounded the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which was a movement towards a particular painting style of stressing the importance of nature3. Bearing in mind Rossetti’s involvement with the Pre-Raphaelite movement is important because Rossetti’s later works that include the Bocca Baciata was still assessed under the standard of the artistic style of the brotherhood of whom he cofounded even when he attempted to depart from it. This resulted to the harsh criticism of his later works that led many critique of the Victorian painting to judge that the best of Rossetti’s works were those whom he had painted earlier. a. The first phase (from 1848 to 1853) The female has always been a central subject among Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s work. This was already evident from his very first public artwork which was The Girlhood of Mary Virgin. What differed from Rossetti’s later work such as the Bocca Baciata is not how the subject changed but rather, on how the rendering of the subject shifted. Bocca Baciata can be said to be similar with Rossetti’s first major work The Girlhood of Mary Virgin in many aspect although not necessarily on how the women were depicted. Bocca Baciata was Rossetti’s first work that marked his shift in terms of rendering the female while The Girlhood of Mary Virgin was Rossetti’s first work that made him prominent in having the female as subjects. Rossetti as an artist during the first evolution of his works can be likened to the growth of a boy to a man where the perspective about the female change as the boy grows to puberty and become a man. In The Girlhood of Mary Virgin, Rossetti’s boyish and impressionable nature was

Critical Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Analysis - Research Paper Example The first issue arises when the writer shows no issues associated with the black origin of Armand. To illustrate, the writer evidently points out that Armand had a ‘dark handsome face’ that did not disfigure. It is rather unsound to believe that Armand, in his entire lifetime, had no chance to know about his color, and that he never examined his skin color or compared it with the skin of others. Secondly, a man with such a strong and rather cruel personality did not seem aware about the race his mother belonged to. It is at the end of the story that he comes to know that his mother ‘who adores him, belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery’. The intention here is very clear; Armand is destined to be portrayed as an irrational human being. In other words, instead of race, the writer is trying to give stress on gender. The second technical fault comes in the fact that despite his ‘dark’ face, Madame Valmonde had no problem in al lowing their marriage. In addition, he had not loved her before, and he started loving her as if ‘stuck by a pistol shot’. Here, he decides to marry Desiree despite her obscure origin, and loves her blindly. Again as the child is born, He stops beating the black slaves he has. Thus, it becomes evident that Armand is presented as a cruel man who used to beat his slaves for no apparent reason. However, as Serafin, Bendixen point out, the birth of a child makes him give up his cruelty; and on the other hand, the female figures, despite his black complexion, started loving and trusting him blindly (188). The third point that hurts the reader is the fact that though Madame Valmonde and the nurse woman Zandrine immediately realize the fact that the child is black in complexion, both the parents; Armand and Desiree seem unaware of the color of the child until the child is three months old. It is rather irrational to believe that all other people except the child’s paren ts identified the issue. Here, again, the story loses its integrity by saying that Armand failed to identify the color of the child which is highly unlikely. For example, the moment Madame Valmonde sees the child she cries, â€Å"this is not the baby!† That means, she is totally surprised by the color of the baby. It is rather surprising that neither Armand nor Desiree could see this. However, for the sake of argument, one can say that while marrying a white woman, the purpose of Armand was to give birth to a white child that would ‘bear his name’. Here, one can make a rather reasonable assumption that though Armand was aware of his color and race, he married a white woman expecting a white boy. However, as he was disappointed by Desiree by giving birth to a black child instead, he loses all happiness. In the case of Desiree too, the negligence towards the color of the child she shows is surprising. Here, instead of claiming that she was unaware of the color, a b etter assumption would be that as she married a black man, she was expecting a black child. So, when the black child was born to a black father, she failed to see any dangers in it. In other words, she was unaware of the unreasonable ambitions of Armand. So, even when Madame Valmonde exclaims â€Å"this is not the baby† , Desiree believes the comment is about the growth of the child; not about the color.

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drugs and Crime - Neurotransmitters - Assignment Example The brain as an entry of the CNS is the centre of control in the body that has three main components; brainstem, forebrain and the hindbrain. The forebrain’s responsibility is stretched several functions such as thinking, understanding, perceiving, reception and sensory information processing among others. Some of the structures forming it include thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum and the cerebral cortex (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). The hind and midbrain from the brainstem. Visual and auditory responses are carried out in the midbrain. About the hindbrain, it stretches from the spinal cord. It holds structures that build it such as the cerebellum and the pons. This region is vital for the maintenance of equilibrium and balance, coordination and conducting the sensory information. The medulla oblongata is also in the hindbrain, responsible for automated functions such as heart rate, digestion and breathing. The spinal cord is also a structure in the central nervous system; it takes a cylindrical form of bundled nerve fibres that are connected to the brain, running in the protective column that extends from the neck. Its nerves relay external stimuli to and from the brain. Body cells contain neurons and are the basic units of the CNS, they hold nerve processes which consist of dendrites and axons to transmit and conduct signals. Axons ferry signals outside the cell body, while dendrites do the reverse (Nieuwenhuys, 2008). Neurons are further classified as sensory or motor, inter-neurons. The motor neurons transport information from the CNS to glands, muscles and organs while the sensory neurons carry information to the CNS from external or internal stimuli. Signals between the sensory and motor are relayed by the inter-neurons The synapse is the gap between the axon and dendrites that holds the synapse fluid where axon releases the neurotransmitters.  Neurotransmitters are mostly associated with dopamine and schizophrenia.     

Sociological Perspective of Body Language Research Paper

Sociological Perspective of Body Language - Research Paper Example There are several schools of thought concerning the role of nonverbal communication regarding everyday communication patterns. For example, in Nonverbal Behavior and the Communication Process (1974), Charles Duke explains the different viewpoints held by psychologists and anthropologists regarding these roles. â€Å"Members of the psychological school view nonverbal communication as simply the expression of emotions, but those individuals in the communicational school – mainly anthropologists and ethologists – are concerned with behaviors of posture, touch, and movement as they relate to social processes like group cohesion and regulation† (Duke, 1974). The study The Challenge of Non-Verbal Research (1971), by Charles Galloway, outlines the various difficulties inherent in attempting to decode nonverbal behavior, what produces the meanings, how to differ from verbal communication and under what circumstances they are used. ... s excessively noisy as a more effective means of gaining attention than shouting over the noise or of holding a finger to their lips to indicate she wishes the students to fall silent. Other examples of body language that teachers of all cultures and areas of the world use on a widespread basis include: staring at students for prolonged periods of time as a means of demonstrating disapproval, crossing their arms tightly in front of their chest too, again, symbolize disapproval and pointing at students to get their attention. â€Å"82 percent of the communication that happens in the classroom is nonverbal and hand gestures used in conjunction with speech help listeners remember the message much longer than speech alone.† (Zoller, 2004) Students, universally, have demonstrated a widespread awareness that the best method to get attention in the classroom is to raise their hands high above their heads and are often observed doing this same action outside of the classroom when they have something urgent (to them) that they want to say. â€Å"These signals are well understood by students and any observer can see the results† (Galloway, 1971). To establish how the superior (boss) in an office environment while not indicating any type of ‘classier’ styles or other symbols of position was able to express the sense of superiority was addressed in the book Body Language (1970) by Julius Fast, a study of the power and status theory. The study utilized silent films portraying two actors, one acting as the visitor, the other playing the part of a corporate senior management. It was viewed by audiences who were filling out a questionnaire concerning how they ‘read’ the scene. A number of patterns became apparent from the answers provided.  Ã‚  

Macroeconomics II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Macroeconomics II - Essay Example Macroeconomics is the big picture of a country. The rate of inflation measured by the Consumer price index, Growth measured by the GDP rate, and the rate of unemployment, which denotes the country’s full employment potential. On the other hand, Microeconomics is study of the behavior of firms workers, markets and households. The primary goal of the government and the Bank of England is to keep inflation and unemployment as low as possible in the process of maximizing growth. To achieve this goal a monetary and fiscal policy is formulated. A monetary policy is the altering of lending rates to banks this in turn releases or curbs money supply in the financial market. An increase in the prime lending rate by the Bank of England to other banks pushes them to raise the interest paid on deposits to consumers and the interest on loan to borrowers. A fiscal policy is the change in the taxation structure and public spending. Public spending in other words is the government spending on defense, infrastructure and welfare schemes for the country. (Source:Mathew Bishop ’Economist’ Essentials of Economics, Macroeconomic policy.) Inflation is caused when demand for goods and services exceed supply or a rise in the price of oil, which most countries around the globe are facing right now. An increase in the prime lending rate will encourage saving, and discourage borrowing due to the high rate of interest on loans and in turn bring down consumption spending by giving the common person, lower disposable income, Therefore lower demand and this controls price rise. Now the reduction in consumption spending decreases the demand for goods and services, and businesses will cut cost as they worry about inventory pile up and future sales. This results in low wages and unemployment. So what do we do? What we see here is ironical. In the attempts to

The Case of Coca Cola Gaining a Stake in Innocent Drinks Assignment

The Case of Coca Cola Gaining a Stake in Innocent Drinks - Assignment Example The management body of Innocent however confided that in terms of consumer responsibility they would remain the same in terms of generating natural and healthy products to the consumers while rendering valuable information as to the contents on the product packages and also working in terms of rendering charitable funds. They further mentioned that gaining of funds through the selling of a certain portion of the company’s stake would contribute in enhancing the potential of the concern to fulfill responsibilities related to the consumers and the society in general (Sweney, 2009). Evaluation of the Selling Activity of Innocent’s Stake to Coca Cola The evaluation of the impact of the corporate sell out of Innocent’s Stake to Coca Cola on Innocent’s own image can be made based along certain views and ideologies related to marketing and consumer philosophy. Firstly it needs to be understood that the current age of consumption does not only relate to customer s atisfaction at the subsistence level. Rather it tends to stream out from the level of subsistence to the level of maximization of consumer benefits and other parameters related to leisure, comfort and luxury. This era of change in consumer’s demand patterns has greatly emerged owing to the abundance of resources not only relate to the physical and economic level but where such resources relate to the sociological and cultural triggers that in turn is governing the changes in consumption ideologies. This era of abundance in terms of psychological, sociological and physical resources has also led the consumers to gain a breakthrough from the traditional notions where a move to gain luxurious and comfortable products was taken on an erroneous note. Changes in the economic and societal lifestyle of the consumers act as potential triggers in making them gain interest in new product categories that would help them gain new taste and rise along their social status (Lazer, 1969, p.8) . The case of selling of Innocent’s Stake to Coca Cola relating to the above discussion holds a positive outlook for it would assist Innocent in enhancing its brand and product portfolio. Enhancement of the product portfolio of the juice and smoothie manufacturer would in turn assist the company in penetrating a larger consumer base in the existing markets. Further in addition to gaining funds the above decision of Innocent would largely contribute in its market development activities in foreign markets relating to European regions. Consumers of Innocent through the above change would also gain the chance of earning a taste of other beverages from under the same brand umbrella. The management body of Innocent in the light of selling of a certain portion of the company’s stake to Coca Cola also worked largely in the dimension of public relation activities to help in enhancing and sustaining a positive relationship base with the consumer sphere. Richard Reed, Co-Founder of Innocent through public relation activities tended to reassure the consumers that in spite of the sell-off of the company’s stake every other thing related to product attributes, packaging and

Gunshot Residue Aanalysis Essay Example for Free

Gunshot Residue Aanalysis Essay When a firearm is discharged, residues from the bullet’s force, the primer, cartridge case, firearm itself and the powder from the propellant are expelled from gaps in the guns working parts (Pepper, 2005: 118). These particles are known as gunshot residue (GSR) or firearm discharge residue (FDR) and are composed of partially burnt and un-burnt propellant powder, particles from the ammunition primer, smoke, lubricants, grease and metals from the cartridge. GSR’s are mainly deposited on skin, the hand in which the weapon was fired, on clothing, the entrance wound of victim or any other local target materials present at the crime scene. The major primer elements are lead (Pb), barium (Ba) and antimony (Sb) usually all three elements are present on the hand after firing. Less common elements include aluminium, zinc, copper, silicon and potassium. Organic and inorganic compounds are also present in GSR’s. Organic compounds are found in propellant powder and primer mixtures whereas inorganic compounds derive from primer mixtures. GSR particles are formed when the pin strikes, the primer cap and mixture is ignited creating high levels of temperature and pressure within the cartridge. The increase of temperature melts the primer mixture and the three elements are produced by vaporisation. As the primer mix ignites the propellant powder, an increase in pressure and temperature occurs and the bullet is released from the firearm barrel. The particles involved in this process form as liquid droplets which instantly solidify due to the quick increase of temperature followed by instant cooling. The discharge of firearm can deposit residues on all persons present and not just the person that fired the gun, the analysis as to who fired the weapon must be made with precaution because any hand or body part that was close to the fired weapon may have residue appearing consistent with having fired the weapon. The cartridge case, bullet and bullet coating contain specific elements that can also be detected such as zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu). There are three classifications of GSR particles which take on characteristic morphologies of GSR, regular spheroids, irregular particles and particles that form a layer of lead surrounding an inner core. The collection of GSR should be carried out instantly because GSR evidence can easily be destroyed just by washing your hands and once examined it is generally spherical in shape. Strong evidential value of all three elements must be found by specialised equipment to confirm a gun had been fired by specific suspect(s). Electron microscope (EM) is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to create an image of the specimen being analysed, it is capable of much higher magnifications and is able to see much smaller objects in detail. They are large, expensive pieces of equipment, and require a lot of skill and training to operate EM. All electron microscopes use electromagnetic and electrostatic lenses to control the path of electrons. The design of an electromagnetic lens is a coil of wire around the outside of a tube through which one can pass a current, creating an electromagnetic field. The electron beam passes through the centre of the coil of wire and down the column of the EM towards the sample. Electrons are very sensitive to magnetic fields and are controlled by changing the current through the lenses. There are two types of EM, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Transmission electron microscopy involves a high voltage electron beam emitted by a cathode and formed by magnetic lenses. The electron beam that has been partially transmitted through the thin specimen carries information about the structure of the specimen.This information is then magnified by a chain of magnetic lenses until it is recorded by hitting a fluorescent screen, photographic plate, or light sensitive sensor such as a camera. The image detected is displayed on a computer. SEM is a technique that uses a beam of electrons to produce magnified images of sample by detecting secondary electrons which are emitted from the surface due to excitation by a primary electron beam. The electron beam is scanned across the surface of the sample with detectors building up an image by mapping the detected signals.The beam that impacts with the sample produces 3-dimensional (3D) images of the surfaces at high levels of magnification. SEM can also reveal the actual surface details of the particles with known examples of GSR, the large particles of partially burnt powder and spheres of residues analysed can appear to be from contaminated materials and not just from the specimen. In SEM, backscattered electrons (BSE) form due to collisions between incoming electron and the nucleus of the target atom where electrons are being knocked off. BSE are used to detect contrast between areas with different chemical compositions where heavy metal elements appear brighter in the ima ges formed and lighter metal elements appear darker. SEM has the ability to be coupled with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) to provide information about the elemental composition of the sample being analysed. To date the most successful technique is SEM/EDX, which concentrates on the inorganic particles of GSR. This technique not only allows much of the elemental composition of individual particles to be produced but to also enable images that show morphology and the characteristics of GSR (Jackson et al, 2011: 317) . This is important because these two techniques allow GSR particles to be uniquely identified and the discovery of a suspect may appear to be guilty of a crime. Particles will either be identified as possibly being GSR or shown not to have fired the weapon. The advantage of using this technique has the ability to analyse individual particles of GSR typically the three elements lead, barium and antimony can be identified easily using this technique.(Jackson et al, 2011: 315) The EDX technique detects x-rays emitted from the sample during bombardment by an electron beam to characterize the elemental composition of the analysis, features as small as 1 ÃŽ ¼m or less can be analys ed. When the sample is bombarded by the SEMs electron beam, electrons are knocked off from the atoms to the samples surface. The electrons from the ground state are filled by electrons from a higher state which creates an electron hole so that an x-ray is emitted to balance the energy difference between the two electron states. The number and energy of the x-rays emitted from a specimen can be measured by an energy dispersive spectrometer; this gives information direct to the energy difference. The data can be interpreted in various forms from its composition to the x-ray spectrum. SEM/EDX cannot determine whether a person discharged a weapon on any occasion.Thedisadvantages of using this technique are that it’s cost effective, limited availability and a significant amount of training is required to operate the machine as it’s considered to be a specialised piece of equipment (Bell, 2006: 447). SEM examines specific particulates under high magnification whereas EDX allows elemental analysis of samples. SEM/EDX is the preferred method of GSR analysis as it shows in current study that the use o f this technique has increased from 21% to 26% (Ronald et al, 1996: 195) this shows how reliable and accurate it is to use. Positive results are always produced and when providing evidence in court it is less frequently challenged by the judge. Over 72% of laboratories that analyse GSR use SEM/EDX and search more than 50% of the stub; this is composed of aluminium and is an electrically charged conducting tab which is directly placed into the SEM/EDX machine without sample pre-treatment (Ronald et al, 1996: 197) to start the analysis.EDX extends the usefulness of SEM in that elemental analysis which can be performed within regions as small as a few cubic micrometres. All elements from the periodic table can be detected with this type of method. There are many other methods that have been applied to identify both organic and inorganic GSR analysis but it depends on which method you use. Time of Flight-Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS), x-ray micro-fluorescence, colour/spot testing, inductively coupled plasma (ICP), neutron activation analysis (NAA), gas chromatography (GC) and atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). TOF-SIMS was determined to have many advantages over SEM/EDX but because of its lack of high resolution imaging it could not reach its level of expectation. TOF-SIMS analyses smokeless black powders because of the high vacuum conditions inside the instrument but was reported to be unsuitable for volatile components such as nitro-glycerine (NG), which is a liquid substance made from glycerol, nitric and sulphuric acid.(Oliver et al, 2010) References Books 1. Suzanne Bell (2006). Forensic Chemistry. USA: Pearson Education Inc. 447. 2. Andrew R.W Jackson and Julie M. Jackson (2011). Forensic Science. 3rd ed. London: Pearson Education Inc. 311-317. 3. Ian K. Pepper (2005). Crime Scene Investigation: Methods and Procedures. 2nd ed. United Kingdom: McGraw-Hill Company. 118. Journals 4. Ronald L. Singer, 1 M.S.; Dusty Davis, 2 B.S.; and Max M. Houck, 3 M.A. (1996). Journal of Forensic Science. A Survey of Gunshot Residue Analysis Methods. 41 (2), 195-198. 5. Oliver Dalby, B.Sc, David Butler, MSc and Jason W. Birkett Ph.D. (2010). Analysis of Gunshot Residue and Associated Materials-A Review. Journal of Forensic Sciences. 55 (4), 924-926 930-931. Websites 6. http://www.jic.ac.uk/microscopy/intro_em.html accessed Thursday 13th December 2012 at 11.12pm 7. http://mee-inc.com/eds.html accessed Wednesday 19th December 2012 at 3.09pm

Sociological Theories Response Essay Example for Free

Sociological Theories Response Essay In the Virgin Islands there is program that is run by the police force by the name of SADD (Students against Destructive Decisions). The program is run by local Police Officers with the involvement of the Chief Police. There are also volunteers that are made up of parents and some business personnel’s. This program helps children and adolescents make wise choices when it comes to their actions and choosing their friends. The program assists with after school care that includes homework help, tutoring and literacy help. There are also sports programs, counseling and outreach upport for those that are in need. The business aspect helps young adolescents with preparation of resumes and business etiquette when it comes to job searches. For me this program holds true to the social structure theory because it embodies all aspects of uplifting, nurturing and educating young adolescents and children to do right(Virgin Island Police Department, 2010). My next program that I will look at is one that embodies social process theories. The New Zealand National Parliament implemented a program called Family Group Conferencing. This program embodies child and youth affairs that range from care and protection matters to social welfare problems. The program helps individual and their families with education, healthcare and assists with curbing youth delinquency. This program also gives considerable decision making power to individuals rather than the state when it comes to parents and their families. They also provide funding to programs on child subsidy, helping parents who are unemployed to find and keep jobs (Cengage Learning, 2010). The Social conflict theory is known as society as a whole always battling for what is ight and trying to confirm ones belief unto someone else. It is people fighting for a justice that they feel should be equaled across the boards, whether or not it affects a certain group of people the goal is to have and keep the less fortunate at a level of low poverty. The Cooke, Fannin and Grayson County Juvenile Boot Campis facility that helps boys between the ages of 12 through 17 years old. Their goal is to keep those troubled individuals out of the justice system through counseling, therapy and acceptance of ones actions. The boot camp is established as a leader in providing top otch programs to juvenile offenders and it also has specialized commons that serves sex offenders and substance abuse offenders. Their goal is a step by step program that offers educational, therapeutic and socio-education opportunities. Discipline and physical activities are also part of the curriculum. The programs belief are being in a structured but nonrestrictive environment helps these young men begin a process of trust. By building on that platform the individuals will be able to be compliant within societal norms (Cook, Fannin and Grayson County Boot Camp, 2009).

Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) Research Plan

Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) Research Plan MOHAMMAD FAISAL Collection of Data A.1. What were the objectives of the study? What was the association of interest? The objectives of the study were to examine the association of the prevalence of coal workers pneumoconiosis (CWP) in the USA and different contributing factors such as level of dust exposure, mine size, low seam mining and other factors. Also the regional differences in CWP were compared. The association of interest is between CWP and various contributing factors and also between different MSHA district regions. It was a cross-sectional study. A.2. What was the primary outcome (usually a disease, health condition, or other dependent variable) of interest? Briefly explain how the outcome was measured. The primary outcomes were observed and predicted prevalence in CWP prevalence in miners who participated in this study. Attfield and Morring Exposure response model was utilized to measure the predicted prevalence in CWP and the Chi-square test was used to compare the predicted and observed prevalences in CWP in miners. Radiographs were used to determine the presence of lung parenchymal abnormalities that are consistent with pneumoconiosis obtained from CWHSP. A.3. What was the primary exposure (actual exposure such as chemical, other risk factor, or other independent variable) of interest? Briefly explain how exposure was measured. The primary exposures were level of dust exposure concentration, mine size, tenure, seam height. These data were collected from CWHSP, approved by the NIOSH Human Subjects Review Board. Coal mine dust concentration and seam height data were obtained from MSIS. A.4. What type of study was conducted (study design)? This was a cross sectional study, which was done with a large number of participants from survey data. A.5. Describe the process of subject selection.   Define the source population for this study, if possible. The study participants were 12,408 underground coal miners from the MSHA districts. Participation in this CWHSP study were voluntary and study participants were 16 years and older. Due to small number of participants and different type of coal type (anthracite rather than bituminous), MSHA district 1 participants were excluded. The source population was all the underground coal miners in MSHA districts in USA. A.6. Selection bias: What are possible sources in this study? Examples: in a case-control study, how were the study subjects included? In a cohort study, is there loss to follow-up?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The study participants (underground coal miners) in this CWHSP study were stratified by MSHA districts. Since stratified analyses are important in this study, the probability of being selected in a specific stratum might be different from another stratum and thus a selection bias might have happened. A.7. Information bias: What are some of the sources of information (measurement) error, for either the exposure or outcome measurement? Are these differential with respect to the exposure or outcome of interest? For exposure measurement, the investigators analyzed the self reported tenure in mining to derive the cumulative exposures. Also current exposures were examined for CWP which may not establish temporal relationship due to lack of allowance for lag time. A.8. Confounding: Did the authors consider potential confounders in the design of the study? The authors considered the following confounders: miner age and coal rank because the effect of respirable coal mine dust can be modified by the rank of the coal.   Ã‚  Ã‚   B. Analysis of Data B.1. What methods were used to control confounding? Were these sufficient (as far as you can tell)? As mentioned in the report the investigators incorporated all of the above mentioned covariates in their exposure-response statistical models to control for confounding. No detailed description is found about controlling the confounders. B.2. What measure of association (e.g. odds ratio, risk ratio, rate difference, etc.) was reported in the study? Was this appropriate? The authors reported the prevalence of the CWP and prevalence ratio between different MSHA district regions in this study. Since this is a survey based study, prevalence ratio is appropriate. B.3. How was the uncertainty of the measure of association (effect of random error or statistical significance) reported in this study? Are the conclusions of the study consistent with the uncertainty of the measure of association? The authors did not report 95% confidence intervals to report the uncertainty of the measure. However they reported the range of measured dust concentration level, worked hours per miners and tenure median. The prevalence ratio was statistically significant (p

A Model Of Consumer Behavior Online

A Model Of Consumer Behavior Online Del Monte operates in a very competitive global food industry. In addition to manufacturing canned fruits and vegetables for human consumption, Del Monte produces pet food such as Gravy Train, 9 Lives, and Meow Mix. Therefore, using market research the company constantly looks for innovative ways to increase its competitive edge. The company also decided to implement social media. Once Del Monte made the decision to deploy social media projects, the company had to decide how best to use social media research to support its diverse product line-in this case dog food. The Solution The basic idea was first to connect and collaborate with dog lovers via social networks. Since the corporate IT department was not equipped to deal with social network research, Del Monte hired Market Tools Inc., a market research firm. With the help of Market Tools Inc., Del Monte began offering an online platform for customers to chat and comment on blog entries about different Del Monte products. Using their propriety software, Market Tools monitors millions of relevant blogs in the blogsphere as well as forums in social networks, in order to identify key ideas and issues that consumers are interested in, analyze them, and then predict consumer behavior trends. To analyze the collected data, Del Monte teamed up with Umbria (a division of J. D. Power and Associates), a pioneer in drawing market intelligence from the online community. Umbria assisted in further analysis of and in profiling the collected information. Such analysis is usually done by using computerized tools such as monitoring consumer interactions, analyzing consumers sentiments, and using social analytics methods (e.g., see Hedin, et al. 2011 and Jayanti 2010). By utilizing social media, Del Monte can conduct market research much more efficiently. The conventional approach was to use questionnaires or focus groups that were expensive and difficult to fill with qualified participants. Using social media, Del Monte can gather much of the same or more qualitative data faster and at a lower price. All that is required now is to monitor customer conversations, collect the data, and analyze the vast amount of information. The software also facilitates subgroup creation, idea generation, and panel creation. The results of the analysis help Del Monte understand its customers and consequently plan its marketing activities, communication strategies, and customer service applications. The results also help evaluate the success of marketing campaigns, how well the business processes accomplished the goals, and better justify proposed new activities. The Experiment Del Monte used the above application first to help improve its dog treat, Snausages Breakfast Bites. For guidance, Del Monte relied on its dog lovers social community. By monitoring customer blogs and by posting questions to customers to stimulate discussions, Del Monte used text analysis methods to investigate the relationship between dogs and their owners. Del Monte concluded that owners of small dogs would be the major purchasers of Snausages Breakfast Bites. The company also found differences due to the age of owners, and discovered other people-dogs relationships. Next, a small sample of the improved dog food was produced and tested in the physical market. As a result of both social media and physical research, the product design decisions were revised. Also, marketing promotions were modified. The product sells better because the dogs love it. Finally, the new approach solidified the community of dog lovers who are happy that their opinions are considered. The Results Product cycle time was reduced by more than 50 percent to only 6 months, and Del Monte was able to develop a better marketing communication strategy. Furthermore, the analysis helped the company better understand customers and their purchasing activities as well as predicting market trends and identifying and anticipating opportunities. Note: Similar research on cat food was conducted in 2012 in an online survey, by Kelton Research, using e-mail invitation and an online survey. For details see Meow Mix (2012). Sources: Compiled from Steel (2008), Greengard (2008), Hedin et al. (2011), Jayanti (2010), Meow Mix (2012), Wikivest (2012), and Market Tools (2008). What we can learnà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The opening case illustrates that market research can be useful in a competitive market by providing insights for better product development and marketing strategy. In this case, the company collected data online from its socially-oriented customers. Market Tools Inc. monitored conversations (over 50 millions of them) on blogs and discussion rooms to find the voice of the customers. The collected data were then analyzed. The results of the analysis helped Del Monte improve its dog food and devise new marketing strategies. Market research, as seen in the case, is related to consumer behavior, purchasing decision making, behavioral marketing, and advertising strategies; all these topics are addressed in this chapter. 9.1 Learning About Consumer Behavior Online Companies are operating in an increasingly competitive environment. Therefore, they please customers and influence them to buy their goods and services. Finding and retaining customers are major critical success factors for most businesses, both offline and online. One of the key elements in building effective customer relationships is an understanding of consumer shopping behavior online. A Model of Consumer Behavior Online For decades, market researchers have tried to understand consumer shopping behavior, and have summarized their findings in various models. The purpose of a consumer behavior model is to help vendors understand how a consumer makes a purchasing decision. If a firm understands the decision process, it may be able to better influence the buyers decision, for example, through advertising or special promotions. Before examining the consumer behavior models variables, lets describe who the EC consumers are. Online consumers can be divided into two types: individual consumers (who get much of the media attention) and organizational buyers, who do most of the actual shopping in cyberspace in terms of dollar volume of sales. Organizational buyers include governments, private corporations, resellers, and nonprofit organizations. Purchases by organizational buyers are generally used to add value to materials or products. Also, organizational buyers may purchase products for resale without any further modifications. We discuss organizational purchasing in detail in Chapter 5 (e-procurement) and will focus on individual consumers in this chapter. The purpose of a consumer behavior model (for individuals) is to show factors that affect consumer behavior. Exhibit 9.1 shows the basic elements of a consumer behavior model. The model is composed of two major parts: influential factors and the consumer decision process. [Insert Exhibit 9.1 here] Æ’ËÅ" Influential factors. Five dimensions are considered to affect consumer behavior. They are consumer characteristics, environmental characteristics, merchant and intermediary characteristics (which are at the top of the exhibit and are considered uncontrollable from the sellers point of view), product/service characteristics (which include market stimuli), and EC systems. The last two are mostly controlled by the sellers. Exhibit 9.1 illustrates the major variables in each influential dimension. A more detailed description is provided in Online File W9.1. Æ’ËÅ" The attitude-behavior decision process. The consumer decision process usually starts with a positive attitude and ends with the buyers decision to purchase and/or repurchase. A favorable attitude would lead to a stronger buying intention, which in turn would result in the actual buying behavior. Previous research has shown that the linkages among the previously mentioned three constructs are quite strong. For example, Ranganathan and Jha (2007) found that past online shopping experiences have the strongest associations with online purchase intention, followed by customer concerns, website quality, and computer self-efficacy. Therefore, developing a positive consumer attitude plays a central role in the final purchase decision. The Major Influential Factors These factors fall into the following categories: Personal characteristics. Personal characteristics, which are shown in the top-left portion of Exhibit 9.1, refer to demographic factors, individual preferences, and behavioral characteristics. Several websites provide information on customer buying habits online (e.g., emarketer.com, clickz.com, and comscore.com). The major demographics that such sites track are gender, age, marital status, educational level, ethnicity, occupation, and household income, which can be correlated with Internet usage and EC data. Males and females have been found to perceive information differently depending on their levels of purchase confidence and internal knowledge (Barber et al. 2009). A recent survey by Crespo and Bosque (2010) shows that shopping experience has a significant effect on consumer attitude and intention to purchase online. Psychological variables such as personality and lifestyle characteristics are also studied by marketers. These variables are briefly mentioned in several places throughout the text. The reader who is interested in the impact of lifestyle differences on online shopping may see Wang et al. (2006). Product/service factors. The second group of factors is related to the product/service itself. Whether a consumer decides to buy is affected by the nature of the product/service in the transaction. These may include the price, quality, design, brand, and other related attributes of the product. Merchant and intermediary factors. Online transactions may also be affected by the merchant that provides the product/service. This group of factors includes merchant reputation, size of transaction, trust in the merchant, and so on. For example, people feel more secure when they purchase from Amazon.com (due to its reputation) than from a no-name seller. Other factors such as marketing strategy and advertising can also play a major role. EC systems. The EC platform for online transactions (e.g., security protection, payment mechanism, and so forth) offered by the merchant may also have effects. EC design factors can be divided into motivational and hygiene factors. Motivational factors were found to be more important than hygiene factors in attracting online customers (Liang and Lai 2002). Perceived usability is highly related to user preference for commercial websites (Lee and Koubek 2010). Motivational factors. Motivational factors are the functions available on the website to provide direct support in the transactional process (e.g., search engine, shopping carts, multiple payment methods). Hygiene factors. Hygiene factors are functions available on the website whose main purpose is to prevent possible trouble in the process (e.g., security and product status tracking). Environmental factors. The environment in which a transaction occurs may affect a consumers purchase decision. As shown in Exhibit 8.1, environmental variables can be grouped into the following categories: Social variables. People are influenced by family members, friends, coworkers, and whats in fashion this year. Therefore, social variables (such as customer endorsement, word-of-mouth) play an important role in EC. Of special importance in EC are Internet communities (see Chapter 7) and discussion groups, in which people communicate via chat rooms, electronic bulletin boards, twitting, and newsgroups. These topics are discussed in various places in the text. Cultural/community variables. It makes a big difference in what people buy if a consumer lives near Silicon Valley in California or in the mountains in Nepal. Chinese shoppers may differ from French shoppers, and rural shoppers may differ from urban ones. Other environmental variables. These include aspects such as available information, government regulations, legal constraints, and situational factors. [Comp: please shade the bullet list] Section 9.1 Ã… ¸ Review Questions 1. Describe the major components and structure of the consumer online purchasing behavior model. 2. List some major personal characteristics that influence consumer behavior. 3. List the major environmental variables of the purchasing environment. 4. List and describe five major merchant-related variables. 5. Describe the relationships among attitude, intention, and actual behavior in the behavior process model. 9.2 The Consumer Purchasing Decision-Making Process Consumer behavior is a major element in the process of consumers decisions to purchase or repurchase. A Generic Purchasing-Decision Model From the consumers perspective, a general purchasing-decision model consists of five major phases (Hawkins and Mothersbaugh 2010). In each phase, we can distinguish several activities and, in some, one or more decisions. The five phases are (1) need identification, (2) information search, (3) evaluation of alternatives, (4) purchase and delivery, and (5) postpurchase activities. Although these phases offer a general guide to the consumer decision-making process, one should not assume that every consumers decision-making process will necessarily proceed in this order. In fact, some consumers may proceed to a specific phase and then revert to a previous phase, or they may skip a phase altogether. The phases are discussed in more details next. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Need identification. The first phase occurs when a consumer is faced with an imbalance between the actual and the desired states of a need. A marketers goal is to get the consumer to recognize such imbalance and then convince the consumer that the product or service the seller offers will fill this gap. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Information search. After identifying the need, the consumer searches for information on the various alternatives available to satisfy the need. Here, we differentiate between two decisions: what product to buy (product brokering) and from whom to buy it (merchant brokering). These two decisions can be separate or combined. In the consumers search for information, catalogs, advertising, promotions, and reference groups could influence decision making. During this phase, online product search and comparison engines, see examples at shopping.com, buyersindex.com, and mysimon.com, can be very helpful. (See decision aids in Chapter 3.) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Evaluation of Alternatives. The consumers information search will eventually generate a smaller set of preferred alternatives. From this set, the would-be buyer will further evaluate the alternatives and, if possible, negotiate terms. In this phase, a consumer will use the collected information to develop a set of criteria. These criteria will help the consumer evaluate and compare alternatives. For online consumers, the activities may include evaluation of product prices and features. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Purchase and delivery. After evaluating the alternatives, the consumer will make the purchasing decision, arrange payment and delivery, purchase warranties, and so on. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Postpurchase activities. The final phase is a postpurchase phase, which consists of customer service and evaluation of the usefulness of the product. Customer services and consumer satisfaction will result in positive experience and word-of-mouth (e.g., This product is really great! or We really received good service when we had problems.). If the customer is satisfied with the product and services, loyalty will increase and repeat purchases will occur afterward. [Comp: please shade the bullet list] Several other purchasing-decision models have been proposed. A classic (1925) model for describing consumer message processing is the Attention-Interest-Desire-Action (AIDA) model at Wikipedia (see AIDA at Wikipedia). It argues that consumer processing of an advertising message (part of the information search phase) includes the following four stages: 1. A-Attention (Awareness). The first step is to get the customers attention. 2. I-Interest. By demonstrating features, advantages, and benefits, the customer becomes interested in the product. 3. D-Desire. Convice the customers that they want the product or service and that it will suit their needs. 4. A-Action. Finally, the consumer will take action toward purchasing. Now, some researchers also add another letter to form AIDA(S), where: 5. S-Satisfaction. Customer satisfaction will generate higher loyalty and lead to repurchase after using a product/service. (Loyalty, satisfaction, and trust are discussed in Online File W9.2.) A recent version of AIDA is the AISAS model proposed by the Dentsu Group that is tailored to online behavior. The model replaces decision with search and adds share to show the increased word-of-mouth effect on the Internet. It indicates that consumers go through a process of Attention-Interest-Search-Action-Share in their online decision process. This model is particularly suitable for social commerce. Customer Decision Support in Web Purchasing The preceding generic purchasing-decision model was widely used in research on consumer-based EC. In the Web-based environment, decision support is available in each phase. The framework that is illustrated in Online File W9.3 shows that each of the phases of the purchasing model, which were described earlier, can be supported by both a consumer decision support system (CDSS) that facilitates the process and Internet and Web-aiding facilities. The CDSS facilities support the specific decisions in the process. Generic EC technologies and analytics provide the necessary mechanisms as well as enhanced communication and collaboration tools. Specific implementation of this framework and explanations of some of the terms are provided throughout this chapter and the entire text. The planner of B2C marketing needs to consider the Web purchasing models in order to better influence the customers decision-making process (e.g., by effective one-to-one advertising and marketing). [Insert Exhibit 9.2 here] Online File W9.1 shows a model for a website that supports buyer searching and decision making. This model revises the generic model by describing a purchasing framework. The model is divided into three parts. The first includes three stages of buyer behavior (see top of exhibit): identify and manage buying criteria, search for products and merchants, and compare alternatives. Below these activities are boxes with decision support options that support the three top boxes (such as product representation).. The second part of the model (on the right) has a box that includes price, financial terms, shipping and warranty negotiations. These become relevant when alternatives are compared. The third part at the bottom of the exhibit, major concerns are cited. Players in the Consumer Decision Process Several different people may play roles in various phases of the consumer decision process. The following are five major roles: 1. Initiator. The person who first suggests or thinks of the idea of buying a particular product or service. 2. Influencer. A person whose advice or view carries some weight in making a final purchasing decision. 3. Decider. The person who ultimately makes a buying decision or any part of it-whether to buy, what to buy, how to buy, or where to buy. 4. Buyer. The person who makes an actual purchase. 5. User. The person who consumes or uses a product or service. [Comp: please shade the number list] A single person may play all the roles if the product or service is for personal use. In this case, the marketer needs to understand and target such individuals. In many situations, however, different people may play different roles. For example, a newly graduated engineer proposed to buy a car for his mother, which was followed by suggestions from his father and friends. Finally, he followed his fathers suggestion to buy the car. When more than one individual comes into play, it becomes more difficult to properly target advertising and marketing. Different marketing efforts may be designed to target people who are playing different roles. Section 9.2 Ã… ¸ Review Questions 1. List the five phases of the generic purchasing-decision model. 2. Use an example to explain the five phases in the generic purchasing-decision model. 3. Describe the supporting functions available in Web-based purchasing. 4. Describe AIDA and AISAS models and analyze their differences in illustrating an online purchasing behavior. 5. Describe the major players in a purchasing decision. 9.3 LOYALTY, SATISFACTION, AND TRUST IN E-COMMERCE Good online marketing activity can generate positive effects, which are generally observed as trust, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. Loyalty is the goal of marketing, while trust and customer satisfaction are factors that may affect customer loyalty. CUSTOMER LOYALTY One of the major objectives of marketing is to increase customer loyalty (recall the Netflix case). Customer loyalty refers to a deep commitment to repurchase or repatronize a preferred product/service continually in the future, thereby causing repetitive same-brand or same brand-set purchasing, despite situational influences and marketing efforts that have the potential to cause switching behavior. Customer acquisition and retention is a critical success factor in e-tailing. The expense of acquiring a new customer can be more than $100; even for Amazon.com, which has a huge reach, it is more than $15. In contrast, the cost of maintaining an existing customer at Amazon.com is $2 to $4. Attracting and retaining loyal customers remains the most important issue for any selling company, including e-tailers. Increased customer loyalty can result in cost savings to a company in various ways: lower marketing and advertising costs, lower transaction costs, lower customer turnover expenses, lower failure costs such as warranty claims, and so on. Customer loyalty also strengthens a companys market position because loyal customers are kept away from the competition. In addition, customer loyalty can lead to high resistance to competitors, a decrease in price sensitivity, and an increase in favorable word of mouth. Loyalty programs were introduced more than 100 years ago and are widely used among airlines, retailers, hotel chains, banks, casinos, car rentals, restaurants, and credit card companies. But now, loyalty programs have been computerized and expanded to all kinds of businesses. For example, Octopus Hong Kong (octopuscards.com), a stored-value card operator, launched a reward program for consumers aimed at increasing card usage across Hong Kong. Reward points are gained by purchasing at a number of leading merchants across the territory, including Wellcome, Watsons, UA Cinemas, and McDonalds. Each Octopus card can store up to 1,000 rewards points, which can be redeemed on the next purchase. FANCL, see the company atfancl.com, a Japanese cosmetics and health-care company, offers the FANCL point program where consumers earn FANCL points that are saved for gift redemption. However, the introduction of Internet technologies and social networking has the potential to undermine brands and discourage customer loyalty. The customers ability to shop, compare, get quick advice from friends, and switch to different vendors becomes easier, faster, and less expensive, given the aid of search engines and other technologies. Furthermore, customers are less loyal to the brand because of the lower switching costs for them to take advantage of special online offers and promotions, as well as to try new things. It is interesting to note that companies have found that loyal customers end up buying more when they have an optional website from which to shop. For example, W.W. Grainger, a large industrial-supply company, found that loyal B2B customers increased their purchases substantially when they began using Graingers website (grainger.com). (See Chapter 4 for more information.) Also, loyal customers may refer other customers to a site, especially with word of mouth in social networks. Therefore, it is important for EC companies to increase customer loyalty. The Web offers ample opportunities to do so. E-Loyalty E-loyalty refers to a customers loyalty to an e-tailer or a manufacturer that sells directly online, or to loyalty programs delivered online or supported electronically. Companies can foster e-loyalty by learning about their customers needs, interacting with customers, and providing superb customer service. Another source of information is colloquy.com, which concentrates on loyalty marketing. In an online environment, merchant ratings can be the source of interpersonal communication and are obtained from other consumers, not just friends and family. It is interesting to note that positive customer reviews have considerable impact on repurchase intention. It is not the total number of reviews that influences customer repurchase intention, but the percentage of positive reviews. This increases e-loyalty. (For reviews and recommendations in social networks, see Chapter 7.) Also, online ratings and word of mouth may undermine the effects of competitors low prices. For example, Amazon.com has higher prices than Half.com, but Amazon.com is still preferred by many customers. The difference is that Amazon.com has customer reviews and other personalization services, and Half.com does not. Many factors may affect customer loyalty and e-loyalty. A typical model is to check the relationship quality between retailers and their customers, which often is composed of trust, satisfaction, and commitment. Satisfaction and trust are particularly important because they will lead to commitment. For example, a recent study by Cyr (2008) found that e-loyalty is affected by trust and satisfaction across different cultures. Hence, we shall further discuss these two factors. SATISFACTION IN EC Satisfaction is one of the most important success measures in the B2C online environment. Customer satisfaction is associated with several key outcomes (e.g., repeat purchase, positive word of mouth, and so on) and it can lead to higher customer loyalty. A survey indicates that 80 percent of highly satisfied online consumers would shop again within two months, and 90 percent would recommend Internet retailers to others. However, 87 percent of dissatisfied consumers would permanently leave their Internet retailers without any complaints (Cheung and Lee 2005). Satisfaction has received considerable attention in studies of consumer-based EC. For example, ForeSee Results, an online customer satisfaction measurement company, developed the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) (theasci.org) for measuring customer satisfaction with EC. The Customer Respect Group (customerrespect.com) also provides an index to measure customers online experiences. The Customer Respect Index (CRI) includes the following components: simplicity, responsiveness, transparency, principles, attitude, and privacy. Researchers have proposed several models to explain the formation of satisfaction with online shopping. For example, Cheung and Lee (2005) proposed a framework for consumer satisfaction with Internet shopping by correlating the end-user satisfaction perspective with the service quality viewpoint. The framework is shown in Exhibit 9.3. The ability to predict consumer satisfaction can be useful in designing websites as well as advertising and marketing strategies. However, website designers should also pay attention to the nature of website features including navigational, visual, and information design (Cyr 2008). Different features have different impacts on customer (dis)satisfaction. If certain website features, such as reliability of content, loading speed, and usefulness fail to perform properly, customer satisfaction will drop dramatically. In contrast, if features such as those make the usage enjoyable, entertaining, and useful, they could result in a significant jump in customer satisfaction. [Insert Exhibit 9.3 here] Factors that Affect Consumer Satisfaction with Internet Shopping TRUST IN EC Trust is the psychological status of depending on another person or organization to achieve a planned goal. When people trust each other, they have confidence that their transaction partners will keep their promises. However, both parties in a transaction assume some risk. In the electronic marketplace, sellers and buyers do not meet face to face. The buyer can see a picture of the product but not the product itself. Promises of quality and delivery time can be easily made-but will they be kept? To deal with these issues, EC vendors need to establish high levels of trust with current and potential customers. Trust is particularly important in global EC transactions due to the difficulty of taking legal action in cases of a dispute or fraud and the potential for conflicts caused by differences in culture and business environments. In addition to sellers and buyers trusting each other, both must have trust in the EC computing environment and in the EC infrastructure. For example, if people do not trust the security of the EC infrastructure, they will not feel comfortable about using credit cards to make EC purchases. EC Trust Models Trust in e-commerce is often called online trust. Several models have been put forth to explain the factors that may affect online trust. For example, Lee and Turban (2001) examined the various aspects of EC trust and developed the model shown in Online File W9.2. According to this model, the level of trust is determined by numerous variables (factors) shown on the left side and in the middle of the exhibit. The exhibit illustrates the complexity of trust relationships, especially in B2C EC. [Enter Exhibit 9.4 here] EC Trust Model A newer model expands previous ones to include internal and external factors. Internal factors are directly related to online services provided by the vendor, and external factors are those that have indirect relationships (Salo and Karjaluoto 2007). How to Increase Trust in EC Consumer trust is fundamental to successful online retailing; it is considered the currency of the Internet. The following are representative strategies for building consumer trust in EC. Improve Your Website. The most important factor that affects online trust is the quality of the website. Cyr (2008) found that the navigational, visual, and information design of a website affect consumer trust. Gregg and Walczak (2010) reported a positive relationship between website quality and trust. Higher perceived website quality induces higher trust and price premium based on a survey of 701 eBay users. Therefore, how to design the EC website that delivers high-quality information and navigational experience