Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Saudi Arabia Politics (Paper 2) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Saudi Arabia Politics (Paper 2) - Essay Example ssion on the politics of Saudi Arabia is taken from a 2-tier perspective, where in the first instance, Saudi Arabia is viewed as a sovereign country with much respect for its political decisions as possible. In the second instance, the discussion is done from an international perspective where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is seen as part of the international League of Nations and so must have basic considerations for international political principles. The discussion is also undertaken from a post-modern perspective whereby the influence of the current political system on the modern day Saudi Arabian is viewed. At the end of the paper, what the future is hoped to look like has been suggested and titled â€Å"future trends†. Since 1932 when what has been known as the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdulaziz bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud (Idn Saud), the country has operated a monarchy political system, which is handed over from one ruler to the other through a hereditary monarchy system (Mayan, 2012). This means that there is a Royal Family from which prospective rulers are picked to lead the country. This manner of governance has not changed since 1932. Even though this political system has been in place since 1932, there was no written document that guided as a governmental instrument of leader till 1992 when the Basic Law of Governance was established by royal decree under the rule of King Fahad (Atipoe and Marion, 2011). The Basic Law of Governance may best be compared to a constitution of any democratic country as it defines the government’s rights, responsibilities and mandate. The political system of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is such that it allows all inclusive governance wher e three arms of government namely Executive, Legislature and Judiciary are all identified to play check and balance roles. The roles that these arms of government play also inter-link each other in such a way that all parties are expected to judiciously execute their parts

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Kellers Customer Based Brand Equity Model Marketing Essay

Kellers Customer Based Brand Equity Model Marketing Essay Principles of Marketing, by Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong and the American Marketing Association defined brand  as a name, term, sign / symbol or a  combination of these that identifies the maker or seller of the product and differentiates them from those of the competition. Aakers (1991) widely accepted definition of a brand is to identify the goods or services of whether one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors. Brands are thus, valuable assets and tools influencing consumer behavior which includes awareness, choice, use, satisfaction, recommendation, trust and loyalty. They reduce information search costs and risk for consumers and deliver quality, values, promises, and lifestyle enhancement (Czellar, 2010) .According to Keller (2002) the benefits of a strong brand can be categorized under 4 different categories, namely, product-related effects, price-related effects, communication-related effects and channel r elated effects. Product-related effects of brand include consumer product evaluations, consumer confidence, perceptions of quality, and purchase rate positively related to a brand name. If consumers are well aware of a brand, their attitude and their purchase intention toward the brand are increased. Price-related effects refer to the fact that brand leaders have higher priced positions and consumers have a lower level of price sensitivity toward those leaders. Communication-related effects refer to how the evaluation of brand advertising can be positively biased when consumers have positive feelings toward a brand which is a well known and well-liked brand and the effect of the well-known brand, which is most likely to have competitive advantage in marketing activities, is the channel-related effect. 2.2 Fashion and Branding According to Solomon and Rabolt (2004), fashion is defined as a style that is accepted by a large group of people at a given time. Generally people use the term fashion and style interchangeably. In the fashion context, consumers choose a certain fashion brand over others because they are associated with a certain style (Ferney et al.2005).The way individuals have their own distinctive personalities and styles in the manner of living, speaking as well as dressing, the brands too can be associated with a particular personality, because branding has the propensity to distinguish a brand from others by creating an individual brand personality, by using different brand elements like name, logo, symbol, and package design(Newman and Patel ,2002).Branding is important in fashion retailing as the brand can project a specific image like personality, sex, lifestyle and age, to the target consumers. Like in case of a sports brand, the attribute of sporty feeling would be formed in consumers mi nd whereas a casual fashion brand would be associated with the casual attribute (Keller 2002). The brand image allows fashion merchandise to communicate a distinct symbolic meaning, through merchandise, store atmosphere, sales associate attraction with customers, and marketing campaign, between the retailers and the consumers (Ferney et al, 2005). Newman and Patel discovered that brand image is crucial in this intensely competitive fashion retail sector. As different types of fashion consumers are matched with particular clothing styles, brand image can create a point of difference and assist consumers in selecting a suitable fashion brand. A successful fashion brand can capture the market share and maintain a positive relationship with its customers, therefore creating an appropriate fashion brand is one of the primary ways for the marketers to differentiate the products from the competitors. In brief, fashion and branding are closely related (Solomon and Rabolt 2004; Newman and Pa tel, 2002). 2.3 Brand Equity In Building Strong Brands, David Aaker defined brand equity as a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to the brand-its name and symbols-that add value to, or subtract value from, a product or service. The major asset categories are brand loyalty, brand name awareness, perceived quality and brand associations. http://www.tvonlinesurveys.com/enquete/Brand%20equity%20model%20Aaker.bmp(Aakers Brand Equity Model) The model mainly talks about how brand equity is formed of five components and how each has a role to play in the performance of the brand and indicates that how the brand equity will rise with the increase in brand loyalty, brand name awareness, and perceived quality and with stronger and positive brand associations and also with the increase in the number of brand related proprietary assets. This model can thus be used to get to grips with a brands equity and gain insight into the relation between the different brand equity components and the future performance of the brand. Apart from the five components, the model also reflects indicators or the consequences of the pursued branding policy. (Aaker, 1991) The five components and the factors having an influence on these components are: Brand loyalty: Aaker (1991) defines brand loyalty as the attachment that a customer has to a brand. Two different levels of loyalty are classified: behavioral and cognitive loyalty (Keller, 1998). Behavioral loyalty can be indicated by a number of repeated purchases (Keller, 1998) or commitment to buy the brand as a primary choice .Cognitive loyalty refers to the consumers intention to buy the brand as the first choice .Another indicator of loyalty is the customers willingness to pay higher price for a brand in comparison with another brand offering similar benefits. The extent to which people are loyal to a brand is expressed in the following factors: Reduced marketing costs, as hanging on to loyal customers is way cheaper than charming potential new customers. Trade leverage, as loyal customers represent a stable source of revenue for the distributive level. Attracting new customers, as current customers can help boost name awareness and hence bring in new customers Time to respond to competitive threats, as loyal customers that are not quick to switch brands give a company more time to respond to competitive threats. (Aaker, 1991) Brand awareness: It is a key determinant of brand equity. It is defined as an individuals ability to recall and recognize a brand. Top-of-mind and brand dominance is other levels of awareness included by Aaker (1996) in measuring awareness. Awareness can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different brand choice and even loyalty (Aaker, 1996). A brand with strong brand recall (unaided awareness) and top of mind can affect customers perceptions, which lead to different customer choice inside a product category. The extent to which a brand is known among the public ,can be measured using the following parameters: Anchor to which associations can be attached (depending on the strength of the brand name, more or fewer associations can be attached to it, which will, in turn ,eventually influence brand awareness) Familiarity and liking (consumers with a positive attitude towards a brand ,will talk about it more and spread brand awareness) Signal of substance/commitment to a brand. Brand to be considered during the purchasing process (to what extent does the brand form part of the evoked set of brands in a consumers mind) (Aaker, 1991) Perceived quality: It is defined as the customers judgment about a products overall excellence or superiority in comparison to alternatives brand and overall superiority that ultimately motivates the customer to purchase the product (Aaker and Jacobson, 1994). It is difficult for customers to make a rational judgment of the quality. They are likely using quality attributes like color, flavor, form, and appearance of the product and the availability of production information to infer quality. The extent to which a brand is considered to provide good quality products can be measured on the basis of the following criteria: The quality offered by the product / brand is a reason to buy it. Level of differentiation/position in relation to competing brands. Price, as the product becomes more complex to assess and status is at play, consumers tend to take price as a quality indicator. Availability in different sales channels, i.e. consumers have a higher quality perception of brands that are widely available. The number of brand extensions (this can tell the consumer the brand stands for a certain quality guarantee that is applicable on a wide scale) (Aaker, 1991) Brand associations: Consumer must first be aware of the brand in order to develop a set of associations. Brand association contains the meaning of the brand for consumers; it is anything linked in memory to a brand (Aaker, 1991). Brand associations are mostly grouped into a product-related attribute like brand performance and non product related attributes like brand personality and organizational associations. Customers evaluate a product not merely by whether the product can perform the functions for which it is designed for but the reasons to buy this brand over the competitors. Brand personalities include symbolic attributes (Aaker, 1996; Keller, 1993) which are the intangible features that meet consumers needs for social approval, personal expression or self-esteem. The associations triggered by a brand can be assessed on the basis of the following indicators: The extent to which a brand name is able to retrieve associations from the consumers brain, such as information from TV advertising. The extent to which association contribute to brand differentiation in relation to the competition (these can be abstract association or associations with concrete product benefits) The extent to which brand associations play a role in the buying process (the greater this extent ,the higher the total brand equity) The extent to which brand associations create positive attitude/feelings(the greater this extent, the higher the total brand equity) The number of brand extensions in the market (the greater this number, the greater the opportunity to add brand associations) (Aaker, 1991) Other proprietary assets: Some of the examples are patent and intellectual property rights, relations with trade partners, etc. (the more the proprietary rights a brand has accumulated, the greater the brands competitive edge in those fields) (Aaker, 1991) The model also provides an insight into the criteria that indicate to what degree actual value is created with both consumer and company due to pursued branding policy. However, this model does not make a clear distinction between added value brand can have for the consumer /customer and added value it can have for the brand owner/company and does not even discuss the process that goes into building strong brands, and is only useful to gain insight into the various brand equity components and the relation between them. (Wood, 2000) 2.4 Kellers Customer-based Brand equity model This model depicts the process that goes into building strong brands. It is set in the realm of brand added value, i.e. the focus of this model is on the added value a brand offers its customers/consumers. Kevin Lane Keller introduced this customer-based brand equity model, and has defined it as the differential effect that consumers brand knowledge has on their response to the marketing of that brand (Keller 1993).Differential consumer response is mainly based on consumers knowledge of the brand as well as the favorability of associations. The model is made up of various steps, which should be taken in a fixed order. The model talks about the six dimensions of brand equity, namely, brand salience, brand performance, brand imagery, consumer judgments, consumer feelings and brand resonance. According to Keller, the highest level of brand equity is realized when the top of the pyramid is attained. In his view, the resonance comes about when the consumer has a high level of awareness of and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favorable and unique associations in memory. (Keller, Strategic brand management, 2002) http://markhendrikse.squarespace.com/storage/post-images/july-2009/cmmemodel.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1247443493748 (Kellers customer based brand equity model) The six dimensions and the process that goes into building of strong brands, as identified by Keller are: Brand Salience: The first step in the development of a strong brand involves describing its identity, and revolves around the question: Who am I? .To achieve this, the brand managers need to ensure that the customers should be able to identify with the brand. A clear associative link between the brand and a specific product class/category has to be established in the mind of the consumer, this also further helps in creating a solid footing for the building of brand awareness and knowledge. Salience basically refers to how familiar consumers are with a brand and whether the brand is actively considered when consumers find themselves in purchase or consumption situations. A high level of salience means that a consumer has knowledge of both the depth and the width of a brand, (depth here refers to the ease with which a brand can be activated in the consumers brain, while width refers to the extent to which happens when the consumer is making a purchase decision.)Brand Salience is thus a precondition for moving up on the brand pyramid. (Keller, 2002) (Keller, Strategic Brand Management: a european perspective, 2008) Brand performance and brand imagery: when brand salience has been realized, the process moves on to the next steps in the development of brand meaning. The second step basically answers the question: What am I?This question is answered by using intrinsic (tangible) and extrinsic (intangible) characteristics of a brand.(Intrinsic characteristics refer to the degree to which a product/service is seen to perform by consumers, and extrinsic characteristics refers to how consumers think about a brand. In order to boost overall brand equity the focus needs to be on both brand performance and brand imagery, since they together add on to the brand associations. Raising brand performance starts by delivering a product/service that fulfills current customers needs, followed by attempts to surpass the triggered customer expectations. Brand imagery on the other hand can be increased by tailoring to consumerspshyco-social needs. Imagery refers to what people think about a brand (in terms of value and meaning) and not so much about what exactly the product does or can do (in terms of functionality).It can be raised directly by creating brand experience or indirectly through advertisement. In the end, these two dimensions together need to bring about certain brand associations that are strong, positive and unique. These dimensions also play an important role in creating brand loyalty. (Keller, 2002) Brand judgments and brand feelings: After realizing strong, positive and unique brand associations, the third step deals with the way consumers think and feel about a brand. This step basically contains the responses to the efforts from step 2(performance and imagery).the brand is evaluated and judged at this stage, formulating a certain attitude towards the brand. The two dimensions at play here are: brand judgments (rational) and brand feelings (emotional).the former denotes the opinion consumers have of a brand, and how they evaluate the brand. The opinion in this case is formed rationally and based on three criteria, quality, reliability and superiority. Brand feelings on the other hand are the emotional reactions by consumers to brands and their marketing efforts. What feelings does the brand evoke in the consumer, and in the social environment? Are these feelings intense or not, positive or negative? These feelings can very strong and can have an affect on brand observation dur ing actual use of the product. These feelings are based on various factors, namely, warmth, pleasure, tension, security, social acceptance and self respect. (Keller, 2002) Brand resonance: once when the consumer has acquired a positive idea of the brand in both a rational and an emotional sense, a solid base is created to further jump on to the last stage. This stage answers the question whether the consumer is willing to enter into a (lasting) relationship with a brand. If this stage is attained, then its considered as the brand has achieved true brand loyalty, where the consumer identifies him/herself with the values of the brand to a considerable degree and is willing to invest in a relationship. Brand resonance is an ultimate relationship between a brand and a consumer. The closeness of the bond can be measured using factors like loyalty, emotional bond, being a member of a brand community and active brand involvement. (Keller, 2002) Brand equity if used appropriately, possesses a huge potential to create advantages and benefits for the firm, the trade and the consumer. Some of the benefits of strong brand equity being, improved perceptions of product performance, greater loyalty, less vulnerability to competitive marketing actions and marketing crises, larger margins , more inelastic consumer response to price increases and more elastic consumer response to price decreases ,greater trade cooperation and support ,increased marketing communication effectiveness along with licensing opportunities and additional brand extension opportunities.(Wood ,2000 ; Feldwick, 1996) 2.5 Brand equity and brand extension Brand equity can be leveraged by building it, borrowing it, or by buying it. Building brand equity is not an easy task due to the rapid increase in the number of brands and the intense competition that is prevalent in many industries. Thus, the brands generally prefer to opt for the alternatives to building brand equity i.e. by borrowing it or buying it. (Moisescu, 2005; Tuominen, 1999) Since the study focuses on the role of brand equity in brand extensions, leveraging brand equity by borrowing it, will be discussed. Borrowing brand equity: According to Tuominen (1999), many firms borrow on the brand equity in their brand names by extending existing brand names to other products, which is referred to as brand extension. There are two types of brand extensions namely, a line and a category extension. A line extension is when a current brand name is used to enter new market segment in the existing product class, whereas, a category extension is when the current brand name is used to enter a different product class. A line extension occurs when a company introduces additional items in the same product category under the same brand name. A line extension often involves a different size, color, flavor or ingredient, a different form or a different application for the brand (Richard Elliot, 2006). Products in line extensions are technically congruent, i.e., similar in many attributes. They belong to the same product category or subclass. The vast majority of new-product activity consists of line extens ions. Excess manufacturing capacity often drives a company to introduce additional items. The company might want to meet the consumers desire for variety. The company may recognize a latent consumer want and try to capitalize on it (Moisescu, 2005). The company may want to match a competitors successful line extension. Many companies introduce line extensions primarily to command more shelf space from resellers. Line extensions involve risks. There is a chance that the brand name will lose its specific meaning. This is called the line-extension trap (Eun Young Kim, 2000) .The other risk is that many line extensions will not sell enough to cover their development and promotion costs. Furthermore, even when they sell enough, the sales may come at the expense of other items in the line. A line extension works best when it takes sales away from competing brands, not when it cannibalizes the companys other products (Moisescu, 2005).A category extension occurs when a company decides to us e an existing brand name to launch a product in a new product category. Category extensions capitalize on the brand image of the core product or service to efficiently inform consumers and retailers about a new product or service (Richard Elliot, 2006).The potential benefits of category extensions include immediate name recognition and the transference of benefits associated with a familiar brand. A well-regarded brand name gives the new product instant recognition and earlier acceptance (Eun Young Kim, 2000). It enables the company to enter into new-product categories more easily. Moreover, category extensions eliminate the high costs of establishing a new brand and often reduce the costs of gaining distribution (Eun Young Kim, 2000; Dennis A. Pitta, 1995). Category extensions also involve risks. The new product might disappoint buyers and damage their respect for the companys other products. The brand name may lose its special positioning in the consumers mind through over-extensi on. (Dennis A. Pitta, 1995) Brand dilution is said to occur when consumers no longer associate a brand with a specific product or highly similar products (Richard Elliot, 2006). Companies that are tempted to transfer their brand name must research how well the brands associations fit the new product. The best result would occur when the brand name builds the sales of both the new product and the existing product. An acceptable result would be when the new product sells well without affecting the sales of the existing product. The worst result would be when the new product fails and hurts the sales of the existing product (Tuominen, 1999). Transferring an existing brand name to a new product category requires great care. In order to successfully maintain and further leverage the existing brand equity and to prevent it from any damage, a brand needs to carefully extend itself by maintaining perceptual fit, competitive leverage, and benefit transfer. Where in perceptual fit means that the consumer must perceive the new item to be consistent with the parent brand, competitive leverage means that the new item must be comparable or superior to other products in the category and benefit transfer means that the benefit offered by the parent brand is desired by consumers of products in the new category (Dennis A. Pitta, 1995; Tuominen, 1999). To use brand equity efficiently and appropriately and to further maintain perceptual fit, competitive leverage and benefit transfer, a brand needs to know and consider various factors while deciding upon a brand extension strategy. Consumers beliefs and feelings about the original brand are likely to be transferred, only when the extension product is perceived as a member of the original brand family (Abhishek Dwivedi, 2007).The greater the fit / similarity perceived by consumers between the extension product and the original brand, the more likely, the affect associated with the original brand would be transferred to the extension product. Thus the consumer perception of fit is s the most important construct in a consumer evaluation of brand extension. The consumer perception of fit serves as a heuristic cue in a consumer brand extension evaluation process because one of the functions of similarity is to allow people to make educated guesses in the face of limited knowledge with the brand extension (Leslie de Chernatony, 2001). The extension product is new to the consumers so if it is perceived as similar to the original brand, the consumers will be able to make inferences or judgments about the new extension based on these similarities. The perceived fit will be achieved when a consumer perceives that the new extension product is consistent with the parent brand ,or a family member of the brand name, and then affect or attitude transference will be more likely to occur ,to facilitate the brand extension evaluation. It is widely accepted that fit perceptions between an extension and its parent brand determines consumer evaluations of brand extensions and there is a positive relationship between the fit perceptions and consumers attitudes toward the extension. (Abhishek Dwivedi, 2007; Havard Hansen, 1998) 2.6 Dimensions of fit The perception of fit is an important determinant but there still considerable variances about its dimensions in the literature. The most popular concepts that have been used to define the dimensions of fit are similarity ,relatedness, typicality, and brand concept consistency. These concepts define the perception of fit from different aspects, but they also have some overlaps. (Langlotz, 2008; Izabella b.2009) 2.6.1 Similarity: In most research similarity refers to how alike the original product and the extension product are in terms of features and attributes. The consumer similarity judgment involves comparing or matching features between the original product category and the new extension product category. The more features that overlap or match between the two classes of products, the more likely it is that these two products will be perceived to belong to the same cognitive category (Dr. Ashish Sharma, 2007) .Besides, shared features between two product classes, similarity also refers to shared benefits, which means that two products have a common goal. Similarity can also be used to refer to sharing same usage situations, or being complementary in usage. From the firms perspective similarity also refers to manufacturing synergies or the firms ability to transfer the marketing, operating or manufacturing capability from the original product to the new extension product ( Izabella b.20 09). According to Aaker Keller (1990), similarity is based on three elements, complement, substitute, and transfer. Complement indicates the extent to which consumers view two product classes as sharing the same usage context. Substitute is the extent to which consumers perceive two product classes can replace each other in satisfying the same need. Transfer is the extent to which the perceived ability or skill of a manufacturer that is required for the extension overlaps with that of the parent brands. Consumer perceived similarity plays an important role in brand extension evaluation. It can enhance the transferability of perceived quality of the brand to the extension, and directly affect the attitude towards the extension; the higher the level of similarity, the more favorable the attitude toward brand extension (Langlotz, 2008). 2.6.2 Typicality: It is used to measure the consumers perception of fit between the extension product and the original family branded products. According to Tauber (2001), when an extension shares more features of current family branded products, it will be a more typical member of the family brand and the affect transference will be more likely to occur on the new extension. Typicality refers to how representative the extension product category is of the original family branded products .An extension product may be perceived as a typical member of the original brand family not only because it shares many physical features of the original product, but also because it represents the family brand image at a high level. Typicality is basically a broader view of similarity .It also includes some non product related aspects like the brand image. Typicality has an impact on consumer brand extension evaluations; however the notion of typicality may be more useful measurement of fit percepti on when the original brand has more than one existing product, because it measures how representative the new extension is of the brand family. (Tauber, 2001; Vukasovic, 2001) 2.6.3 Relatedness: It is another word used to describe the fit between the extension product and the original brand .It refers to the strength of the association between the brands parent category and the target extension category (VukasoviÄ , 2001). The consumer attitudes transference is more likely to occur on extensions which are closely related to the parent categories. Relatedness is a similar concept to similarity. It depends on the similarity of common features, complementarities in a common usage situation, and substitutability in providing a common function. However, relatedness is a more inclusive construct than similarity. The notion of similarity only refers to the common physical features between the original product category and the extension category. It does not accommodate the notion of conceptual coherence; i .e, sometimes two product categories are perceived to be related to each other conceptually not physically. So it can be concluded that relatedness offe rs a broader view of similarity. (Langlotz, 2008).Like the concept of typicality, the notion of relatedness defines consumer perceptions of fit on the concept of similarity, but they both offer some idea that is more than the similarity concept. These two concepts indicate that the consumer perceptions of fit in brand extension evaluations include not only physical product similarities, but also consistencies at some non physical levels, for example the brand image level and product conceptual level. (Langlotz, 2008; Vukasovic, 2001) 2.6.4 Brand concept consistency : Although both concepts of typicality and relatedness capture some non physical aspects of fit, the non product aspects of fit are accommodated more by the concept of brand concept consistency. A brand concept is the brand image, which is made up of specific associations that differentiate the brand from other competing brands. It is the unique abstract meaning that is derived from a particular configuration of product features (Tauber, 2001). Langlotz (2008) reveals that when consumers evaluate a brand extension, they not only take into account information about the product feature similarity, but also the concept consistency between the brand concept and the extension. The brand concept consistency is more non product related and is more about the brand image than the physical features. The more that consumers think the extension is consistent with the parent brand concept or image, the more favorable consumer attitudes are toward the extension. Thu s those extensions, which are very different from the parent product category physically, can also be perceived as fitting with the parent brand, as long as they have consistent images and concepts with the parent brand. Compared with the notion of similarity, brand concept consistency captures a totally different aspect of fit. However it is believed to be equally important to the similarity between the extension product and the original product in a consumer brand extension evaluation process. The concept of consumer fit perceptions in brand extension evaluation is incomplete without either similarity or brand concept consistency (Tauber, 2001; Vukasovic, 2001). 2.7 Role of Consumer knowledge in brand extension evaluations Consumer knowledge is indicated as one of the moderating variables that have an impact on consumer fit perceptions in the brand extension evaluation process (Ma, 2005). Thus, review of the importance of the consumer fit perception in a brand extension evaluation, and its dimensions is followed with the review of consumer knowledge. 2.7.1 Influence of knowledge on consumers behaviors: Consumers with high and low knowledge react differently in a variety of consumer behaviors like information processing evaluation strategies and decision making. The differences between high and low knowledge consumers are addressed in three related areas: Differences in cognitive structure ,capabilities of analysis, inference and memory, Differences in internal knowledge transfer, Differences in similarity judgments between brands, Differences in fit perception in brand extension evaluations. (Phau, 2003)

Friday, October 25, 2019

Interpret and Draft DISA Completion Reports :: essays research papers fc

A completion report is one of three reports. The situation is based on conditions that exist at the time a TSO directs as to when a circuit, trunk, or link is expected to be available. The 3 types of reports are In-Effect Report, Exception Report, and Delayed Service Report. In-Effect Report (IER) – The facility or activity designated in the TSO (normally the CCO or CMO) will, within 72 duty hours (based on 24-hour workday not including weekends and holidays) of completion of action on the TSO, forward an in-effect report directly to the originator and all addressees of the TSO. If the service being ineffected has been assigned a TSP, the in-effect report, containing the applicable TSP Authorization Code, must be submitted to: "MGR NCSTSP WASHINGTON DC." This report will be submitted either when the service is provided end-to-end and accepted, meets all details of the TSO, and meets all technical parameters of the specified technical schedule, or to clear previously submitted exception or delayed service reports. One service will be covered by one in-effect report. In-effect reports will contain the following information: Subject: In-Effect Report, or Multiple In-Effect Report. (Submit multiple report only if TSO was multiple.) Reference: Identification of the message forwarding the TSO. Item 1: Complete TSO number. Item 2: TSR number from TSO paragraph 2N. Item 3: CCSD or trunk ID from TSO paragraph 2A. Item 4: Commercial carrier and commercial circuit number from TSO paragraph 3X2A or other sources, or enter NA. Item 5: Type action from TSO paragraph 2C. Item 6A: Date, time, month, and year of completion of action. Item 6B: Date, time, month, and year commercial service was provided, or enter NA when no commercial service has been requested. Item 7: Remarks. Note any administrative comments or minor changes authorized under DISAC 310-130-1, chapter 2, paragraphs 7.2.2 and 7.2.3. Item 8: Point of contact. Name, organization, and DSN/ commercial telephone number of person submitting the in-effect report. Item 9: NCS assigned TSP Authorization Code from item102 of the TSR and/or paragraph 2B of the TSO. Subject: In-Effect Report for XXXX Reference: MSG DTG XXXXXX mmm XX 1. TSO Number 2. TRS Number 3. 8 Digit CCSD 4. Commercial carrier circuit number or NA 5. Action (START, CHANGE, AMEND, DISCONTINUE) 6a. In-service DTG 6b. Commercial In-service DTG 7. Remarks 8. Point of Contact 9. TSP Authorization Number Exception Report – The facility or activity designated in the TSO (normally the CCO or CMO) will, within 72 duty hours (based on 24-hour workday not including weekends and holidays) of completion of action on the TSO, submit an exception report if end-to-end service is provided and accepted with some exceptions to, or deviations

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Health and Social Care Unit 1 P2,

Argyles theory Michael argyle was a psychologist born on august 11th 1925. He was one of the best known social psychologist who spent most of his career in the University of Oxford. Later on he gained a first experimental degree in psychology from Cambridge University in 1950 and later became the first lecturer in social psychology at the University of Oxford, also with London school of economics.The communication cycle. The communication cycle is when we understand what is being said, reflect and check out what the person you are communicating with is saying. When communicating to people we have to make sure they understand what we are saying and respond to it accordingly. The communication cycle has 6 steps. Step one- an idea occurs Have you idea of what you are going to communicate -Who you are going to communicate with, for example if they are older or younger than you and if so how much are they, or a work colleague -What the person on the recovering end should do with the info rmation for example if a parent asks the chid a question they are expecting an answer -What is the best way to communicate the certain information, for example if a doctor is telling a patient they are terminally ill they should say it in a gentle, caring tone and show that they care -Should I have used diagrams, charts, pictures or any other sign language for example if you are communicating with someone who has a speech, visual and hearing disability Step two-message coded The second step is that you need to code the message. You should think about what language you are going to talk to the person in and if they’re going to understand it, you also need to think about what barriers may affect the way you are going to put across this message. When you’re talking to a child you have to change the way you talk and use simple English and basic words so the child understands you properly. You may also need to think about using signs and symbols for those who have difficul ty communicating. Linked to the above example I would hoose my words carefully to be supportive but also give them the opportunity to express their feelings Step 3- send the message When sending a message communicate clearly and making sure that you’re saying the right things at the right time. Some things that you have to consider is that maybe the receiver of the message is having a hard time so you may have to think of sensitive things to say. You also have to make sure that you are communicating this information in a clear and understandable environment so you will have to make sure that the lighting is good and also that there’s no distractions wherever you are going to hold this conversation. Related article: Unit 4: Health and Social Care Level 3Step 4-message received The fourth step of the communication cycle is that the message should be received but this depends on whether the message is either spoken or written because there are different ways of storing the information and also converting the information. If you find something hard to understand you should always ask the speaker and they should be able to explain it again but you should always wait for the speaker to finish talking and not interrupt. If the message received is being read you should always find somewhere to read it quietly, not be distracted and if you don’t seem to understand it you should try and reply to the person sending you the message.Step 5-message code If the message has been sent effectively, you should be able to understand what is being said or written. For example if a carer asks their patient how they feel, they will respond by saying if they are feeling good or bad. Does your b ody language back up what you are saying? For example if a member of staff at a primary school is talking to a toddler their body language should be calm and inviting and their voice should be calm and gentle rather than tense Step 6-message understood The last step is of the communication cycle is to make sure that the message has been understood even though sometimes you may not understand the first time but you may understand if its explained more than once.It’s like if you were explaining something to someone who didn’t understand what you were saying you would have to explain it more than once for the information to be understood. Tuckman Tuckman looks at the way groups work together. The first part of Tuckmans theory is forming which is when someone meets someone new or more than one person/ people meet and start to share knowledge and information this might even be information about yourself and the other person The second part of Tuckmans theory is storming whi ch is when the task is given to the group members. Storming is when say a team or group of people put ideas across to each other and discuss these ideas.During storming although the group members don’t know each other that well they start to work together more and do less independent work. The storming part is hard because the fact that the group members don’t know each other properly will make it hard because different people might have different ways of communicating and this may be a barrier to communication. The third part of Tuckmans theory is norming so when the group have finished storming they start to move onto norming which is when everything becomes normal and the group gets used to each other and decide to start communicating without difficulties and without any kinds of problems.Stage four of Tuckmans theory is called performing, when the team starts to work together properly and get everything done. Everyone in the group knows what they’re doing an d are assigned tasks together or even separately and the leader of the group won’t have to even interfere only when there are some disagreements. An example of this is a new nursery starting up to start with a group of new people would come together under the leadership of the manager. Together they would start forming relationships and lead by the manager would start to develop the aims of the nursery. As they would come from various backgrounds they may all have different ideas to contribute and ways of oing things during the forming stage the group would identify ways to work together with the leader still making sure that all ideas are listened to, there would possibly be some disagreements at this stage and the manager would still need to do some leading of the group. Once the group have identified the way that they want the nursery to run and everyone in the group knows what they’re doing they move on to the norming stage where people begin to work with each othe r knowing what they should be doing and communicating effectively Finally after a while if there are no changes to staffing the group will work independently knowing what they are doing and will need little assistance from the manager most of the time.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Hotel Industry

Introduction In the Introduction I have researched a given division of the Hotel area In Kolkata i. e. extravagance storing up of Hotels. The paper settled on the present Macro Business in India and its connection to the friendliness business. The focuses are as runs with:- Macro Environment may be depicted as the major outside and uncontrollable segments that impacts a conglomeration's choice settling on and effects its choice making and approach. PESTEL) Political, Social, Economical, Technological, Environmental, Legal investigation of Luxury Collection of Hotels. Evaluation of PESTEL examination Negative and Positive Aspects. Main Body †¢Political issues that happen for the abundance lodgings are the strikes that happen consistently. The clients are hesitant to visit and thusly drop reservations and lodgings run on occurrences. The foundations of certain structures are also an issue on the grounds that the promoters does not contemplate further frameworks as bids hail from t op power.Thusly structures are not made and the zone moves to working in the direction of inching toward getting pummeled decimating occupations of different individuals. †¢The Economical issues may be the sponsorship imperfections made watching the reach now clients starting from outside in particular complete visitors they need to stay in a wealth lodge that is composed close-by shade and in a spot where the street unite with the generally speaking city.For instance let's take a river side hotel which is situated in Kolkata as an example, the separation is essentially far at a partition from the runway or to the suburbs to the city so standard if the visitor has a get-as one kept inside the city he should leave early by a hour or two to finish the specific terminus on time which winds up being essentially a nervousness. Yet for a uxury hotel, it is essentially coordinated amidst the shed and the city so its much supportive for the visitor to stay in an important indulgence ke eping up which at the same focus is moreover segregated at a partitioning from every spot of the confusion which about bargains to manage generous situations. †¢The Social issues may be impeccable for an occasion completion of the line for the most part social occasions as it moreover incorporates I. T. arts and where there is a touch of progress individuals can furthermore encounter the certain underpinnings as the city Kolkata incorporates academic castles case in point British space offices and Queen Elizabeth's Victoria Memorial. So clients can encounter both forward and bona fide being. As the city is not rural based hence it has appositive impact. Here the customers can like both expert and private necessities. Summation:- The report thoroughly recognizes the PESTEL examination and its unavoidable finishes influence on the client cooperation.What are the various meanders being undertaken and what are the notable things and its suspected organize beginning from the foundat ion till the prodding position. How the whole cordiality business influences the business redesign as an entire degree that Macro Environment determining the budgetary and the political issues as the central issue. At whatever time its all stated and done the examination insists if the steps taken are gainful or setback acknowledged.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Common Stereotypes About Africa

Common Stereotypes About Africa In the 21st century, there’s never been more focus on Africa than now. Thanks to the revolutions sweeping through North Africa and the Middle East, Africa has the world’s attention. But just because all eyes happen to be on Africa at the moment doesn’t mean myths about this part of the world have been dispelled. Despite the intense interest in Africa today, racial stereotypes about it persist. Do you have any misperceptions about Africa? This list of common myths about Africa aims to clear them up. Africa Is a Country What’s the No. 1 stereotype about Africa? Arguably, the biggest stereotype is that Africa’s not a continent, but a country. Ever hear someone refer to African food or African art or even the African language? Such individuals have no idea that Africa’s the second largest continent in the world. Instead, they view it as a tiny country with no distinct traditions, cultures or ethnic groups. They fail to realize that referring to, say, African food sounds just as odd as referring to North American food or the North American language or the North American people. Africa’s home to 53 countries, including island nations along the continent’s coast. These countries contain diverse groups of people who speak a variety of languages and practice a wide range of customs. Take Nigeria- Africa’s most populous country. Among the nation’s population of 152 million, more than 250 distinct ethnic groups live. While English is the former British colonys official language, the dialects of ethnic groups indigenous to the West African nation, such as Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, are commonly spoken as well. To boot, Nigerians practice Christianity, Islam and indigenous religions. So much for the myth that all Africans are alike. The most populated nation on the continent certainly proves otherwise. All Africans Look the Same If you turn to popular culture for images of people on the African continent, you’re likely to notice a pattern. Time and time again, Africans are depicted as if they’re one and the same. You’ll see Africans portrayed wearing face paint and animal print and all with nearly pitch black skin. The controversy surrounding singer Beyonce Knowles’ decision to don black face for French magazine L’Officiel is a case in point. In a photo shoot for the magazine described as â€Å"a return to her African roots,† Knowles darkened her skin to a deep brown, wore splotches of blue and beige paint on her cheekbones and leopard print clothing, not to mention a necklace made out of bone-like material. The fashion spread sparked public outcry for a number of reasons. For one, Knowles portrays no particular African ethnic group in the spread, so which roots did she pay tribute to during the shoot? The generic African heritage L’Officiel claims Knowles honors in the spread really just amounts to racial stereotyping. Do some groups in Africa wear face paint? Sure, but not all do. And the leopard print clothing? That’s not a look favored by indigenous African groups. It simply highlights that the Western world commonly views Africans as tribal and untamed. As for the skin-darkening- Africans, even sub-Saharan ones, have a range of skin tones, hair textures, and other physical traits. This is why some people pegged L’Officiel’s decision to darken Knowles’ skin for the shoot unnecessary. After all, not every African is black-skinned. As Dodai Stewart of Jezebel.com put it: â€Å"When you paint your face darker in order to look more ‘African,’ aren’t you reducing an entire continent, full of different nations, tribes, cultures, and histories, into one brown color?† Egypt Isn’t Part of Africa Geographically, there’s no question: Egypt sits squarely in Northeast Africa. Specifically, it borders Libya to the West, Sudan to the South, the Mediterranean Sea to the North, the Red Sea to the East and Israel and the Gaza Strip to the Northeast. Despite its location, Egypt is often not described as an African nation, but as Middle Eastern- the region where Europe, Africa, and Asia meet. This omission stems mostly from the fact that Egypt’s population of more than 80 million is heavily Arab- with up to 100,000 Nubians in the South- a drastic difference from the population of sub-Saharan Africa. Complicating matters is that Arabs tend to be classified as Caucasian. According to scientific research, the ancient Egyptians- known for their pyramids and sophisticated civilization- were neither European nor sub-Saharan African biologically, but a genetically distinct group. In one study cited by John H. Relethford in the Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology, ancient skulls belonging to populations from sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, the Far East and Australia were compared to determine the racial origin of ancient Egyptians. If Egyptians did indeed originate in Europe, their skull samples would closely match those of ancient Europeans. Researchers found, however, that this wasn’t the case. But the Egyptian skull samples weren’t similar to those of sub-Saharan Africans either. Rather, â€Å"the ancient Egyptians are Egyptian,† Relethford writes. In other words, Egyptians are an ethnically unique people. These people happen to be situated on the African continent, though. Their existence reveals Africa’s diversity. Africa Is All Jungle Never mind that the Sahara Desert makes up one-third of Africa. Thanks to Tarzan films and other cinematic portrayals of Africa, many mistakenly believe that jungle occupies most of the continent and that ferocious beasts roam its entire landscape. Black activist Malcolm X, who visited several African countries before his assassination in 1965, took issue with this depiction. He not only discussed Western stereotypes of Africa but also how such stereotypes resulted in black Americans distancing themselves from the continent. â€Å"They always project Africa in a negative light: jungle savages, cannibals, nothing civilized,† he  pointed out. In reality, Africa houses  a wide range of vegetation zones. Only a small portion of the continent includes jungle or rainforests. These tropical areas are located along the Guinea Coast and in the Zaire River Basin. Africa’s largest vegetation zone is actually savanna or tropical grassland. Moreover, Africa’s home to urban centers with populations in the multimillions, including Cairo, Egypt; Lagos, Nigeria; and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. By 2025, more than half of the African population will reside in cities, according to  some estimates. Black American Slaves Came From All Over Africa Largely due to the misconception that Africa’s a country, it’s not uncommon for people to assume that black Americans have ancestors from all over the continent. In reality, the slaves traded throughout the Americas originated specifically along Africa’s western coast. For the first time, Portuguese sailors who’d previously traveled to Africa for gold returned to Europe with 10 African slaves in 1442, PBS  reports. Four decades later, the Portuguese built a trading post on the Guinean shore called Elmina, or â€Å"the mine† in Portuguese. There, gold, ivory, and other goods were traded along with African slaves- exported for weapons, mirrors, and cloth, to name a few. Before long, Dutch and English ships began arriving at Elmina for African slaves as well. By 1619, Europeans had forced a million slaves into the Americas. Altogether, 10 to 12 million Africans were forced into servitude in the New World. These Africans were â€Å"either captured in warring raids or kidnapped and taken to the port by African slave traders,† PBS notes. Yes, West Africans played a key role in the transatlantic slave trade. For these Africans, slavery was nothing new, but African slavery in no way resembled North and South American slavery. In his book, the  African Slave Trade, Basil Davidson likens slavery on the African continent to European serfdom. Take the Ashanti Kingdom of West Africa, where â€Å"slaves could marry, own property and even own slaves,† PBS explains. Slaves in the United States enjoyed no such privileges. Moreover, while slavery in the U.S. was linked to skin color- with blacks as servants and whites as masters- racism was not the impetus for slavery in Africa. Plus, like indentured servants, slaves in Africa were typically released from bondage after a set amount of time. Accordingly, slavery in Africa never lasted across generations. Wrapping Up Many myths  about Africa date back centuries. In the modern day, new stereotypes about the continent have emerged. Thanks to a sensationalistic news media, people worldwide associate Africa with famine, war, AIDS, poverty and political corruption. This isn’t to say that such problems don’t exist in Africa. Of course, they do. But even in a nation as wealthy as the United States, hunger, abuse of power and chronic illness factor into everyday life. While the continent of Africa faces enormous challenges, not every African is in need, nor is every African nation in crisis. Source Relethford, John. Fundamentals of Biological Anthropology. 2 edition, McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages, October 18, 1996.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Masking Poor Communication Essays

Masking Poor Communication Essays Masking Poor Communication Paper Masking Poor Communication Paper Article Critique: Masking Poor Communication Brandi N. Ervin COM 200: Interpersonal Communication Instructor: Benae Lambright May 09, 2011 Masking Poor Communication Yes this has happen to me on several occasions, Sometimes my husband and I will bump heads because of a simple gesture or look on ones face. What I have done to correct this is to simply ask if whatever I’m trying to communicate is understood or if he has questions as to the subject at hand. After reading and doing some research on this week’s assignment I came across some interesting points. People commonly believe that they communicate better with close friends than with strangers. That closeness can lead people to overestimate how well they communicate, a phenomenon we term the closeness-communication bias,' study co-author Boaz Keysar, a professor in psychology at the University of Chicago, said in a university news release  © 2011 HealthDay. I have found that sometimes its just plan miscommunication between us an example of this is I would say to my husband, its getting hot in here, as a hint for her him to turn up the air conditioning a notch, I was surprised when he interpreted my statement as a coy, amorous advance instead this has happen in many other simple conversations. I amazed me after reading more on this the article â€Å"Close Relationships Sometimes Mask Poor Communication†. I do this al the time not only with my Husband but family and friends as well. Not to sat that my intentions were to mislead anyone, but this article rang close to home. As an effort to make sure that I don’t find myself in the miscommunication habit, I will have to practice and evaluate my communicative skills daily. I also believe that it’s very easy to expect someone close to you to understand you, but it more complex than that. I will have to not take for granted that those close to me are always on the page. I found through research six key steps to communicate better with others Use open-ended questions, Active Listening, Create a cocoon† If youre finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try to imagine a â€Å"cocoon† around you and the person youre listening to. Imagine that the cocoon is blocking out all outside distractions, so you can really focus on what theyre saying. Try repeating their words mentally as they say it this will reinforce their message and help you control mind drift† Copyright  © 2006-2011 VideoJug Corporation Limited, Engage with the other person, Assumptions (stop assuming), and Don’t use Antagonistic sentences like â€Å"You should know me better†, â€Å"Why are you trying to upset me? , â€Å"Youve never understood me†, â€Å"I thought we were going to enjoy ourselves†. These are antagonistic sentences. I must say these six steps have had a dramatic affect. [pic] References: 1. mindtools. com/page8. html 2. videojug. com/film/how-to-talk-to-people-better-communication-skills 3. http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? ReqType=301=0GSM3D4P8S=WELCOME=1

Sunday, October 20, 2019

A Surprising Tip to Finding Your Ideal Career

A Surprising Tip to Finding Your Ideal Career Embarking on the path to find a new career can be daunting. You can purse anything and everything, which seems  exciting–but for many, the idea of too many choices and directions adds more layers of stress. How do you narrow down the possibilities? Start by making a list titled, â€Å"Professional Activities I Hate.†Seem unproductive? Why be negative from the start? Well, when you can go in only a few of seemingly limitless options, it’s helpful to have a method of elimination. That way, you won’t waste your time pursuing career paths that might ultimately leave you unhappy and unfulfilled.To start your list, think about daily activities you really despise. Do you hate to talk on the phone? Are you not a fan of sitting indoors and a computer for hours on end? Does being on your feet all day make you grumpy and exhausted? Do you love working closely with people, or do you prefer a solitary workspace? Writing down what you don’t  like (and thinkin g about why you don’t like these activities) will help clarify what you do  like.Avoiding from the get-go jobs that will leave you unsatisfied is a smart way to find a career you can thrive in for years to come. Take time now to pare down your options so you don’t waste it in the job hunting process!Trying To Find Your Passion? Figure Out What You HateRead More at idealistcareers.org

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Research Paper-Impact of climate change on ocean life Paper

-Impact of climate change on ocean life - Research Paper Example Climate change may generally be defined as the change in climate patterns due to high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. There are various causes of climate change both natural and human. Some of the natural causes may include volcanic activity and solar output. Some human causes include fossil fuels burning and clearing of forests for agricultural purposes. A great percentage of climate change has been attributed to human activities mainly burning of fossil fuels which give rise to high carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Debates have been done in discussion of whether this is true and how these high levels can be reduced (CEICC & BLS & DE & LSNRC, 23). Climate change is seen to be highly contributed by human activities due to the growing industries. Technology has greatly improved leading to the rise of new industries that use fuels. The increase in population can also be said to be a contributing factor in that forests are destroyed and land left bare to build homes and stay and also grow crops for subsistence and commercial purposes. It does not only affect what we see on the surface but also affects the creatures that live in the ocean including fish and other animals. Water bodies around the world have also been affected by climate change. Many of these water bodies are used for providing drinking water for both people and animals and the water is also used in industries and agriculture. This enables people to live a healthy life, have food and run businesses with the availability of electricity. The effects of climate change on these water bodies will have severe consequences which are already being experienced. Some of these effects include an increase in drought and floods causing people to be displaced. It also leads to less fresh water causing a reduction in the food produced and the revenue from agriculture (CEICC et al, 23). â€Å"Forty years of research have documented strong responses (pg 22)†. Some of the

Friday, October 18, 2019

Matt Holmes & Cool Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Matt Holmes & Cool Company - Case Study Example Assets would be written down if the company continues to use those assets. Lack of recoverability of the net carrying amount must be recognized as asset impairment and it occurs under certain circumstances such as changes in regulation and business climate, technology changes, usage rate decline, and forecasts of a notable decline it the asset’s long term profitability. It appears that the Cool Company must perform an impairment test as the firm experiences changes in business climate. However, it must be noted that every change in business climate would not indicate asset impairment. ‘A quoted market price in an active market’ would be the best evidence of fair value and it must be applied as the basis for measurement (â€Å"Goodwill and other..†). Market inputs such as credit data and yield curve are some of the alternative methods of estimating fair value. From an asset impairment analysis, the Cool’s department manager would get valuable informat ion that would assist him to determine whether or not those suspected assets should be written down. 2. King Company Good will is an account that can be seen in the asset side of the balance sheet. Often, good will arises as a result of acquisition of a company by another company. The amount paid for the acquired company over book value generally reflects the value of that firm’s intangible assets. Since the good will is not a physical asset as land and buildings, it is recorded as an intangible asset on the balance sheet. Intangible assets include good will, corporate intellectual property, and brand recognition. Typically, good will indicates the value of intangible assets such as patents, strong brand name, better employee relations, and better customer relations. US GAAP defines good will as the â€Å"excess of the cost of an acquisition price over the fair value of acquired net assets†; similarly, goodwill and some other intangible assets will no longer be subject ed to amortization (â€Å"Stock dividend). Therefore, the reported amounts of goodwill would not decrease and moreover, goodwill recorded on the acquisition will not result in a ‘drag’ on future earnings for goodwill amortization. According to Graham, when goodwill is recognized by a subsidiary, it should be tested for impairment at the subsidiary level using the subsidiary’s reporting units; and if goodwill at the consolidated level is impaired, it would be recognized at the consolidated level (116). In total, the King Company would not face issues that were pointed out by senior accounting staff because the goodwill accounting has changed. Ethics case 1 Marco Chemical Corp The government and public are the stakeholders involved in the situation specified in the Macro Chemical case. The director of the Marco’s R&D division would not be ethically liable even if the chemical caused any disaster because he had strongly recommended the chemical’s furt her testing for side effects. On the other hand, the Marco’s president has worked against his professional ethics. The president had been advised by the R&D’s director regarding the chemical’s further testing in the laboratory for its side effects on other insects, birds, animals, plants, and even humans. However, the president did not consider such warnings as he focused only on the improvement of company’s sales and profits. In other words, he did not take human values or

Animal testing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Animal testing - Research Paper Example The same applies to cosmetics since researchers investigate for the suitability of such products in animals. Animal testing therefore is a vital practice in education, defense and breading researchers with most governments formulating appropriate legislations to guide the use of animals in studies as the discussion below portrays. Government regulation is essential in safeguarding the rights of both the animals and the humans who engage in the practice. Proponents of animals testing argue on the positive attributes of the practice key among which is the fact that animal testing enhances the growth of knowledge thereby bettering such vital sciences as medicine and social arts among many others. â€Å"they feel that the scientific advances that have emerged from animal testing-such as polio vaccine and measles, cancer chemotherapy and open heart surgery- far outweigh any pain, suffering or death the animals may experience† (Hayhurst 72). Opponents of the practice on the other hand argue in favor of the animals. They claim that using animals is both unethical and breaches the rights of the animals. The studies disrupt the natural existence of the animals in their respective habitats. Furthermore, the testing includes inserting harmful substances in the bodies of the animals possibly endangering or killing such animals. Such individuals oppose the practice based on the ethical implications and the rights of the animals. Despite the above arguments, both parties contend that animal testing is important and advantageous in medical practice among others. Toxicology testing is one such important tests conducted on animals. Just as the name suggests, it refers to the testing of the toxic levels in such finished products as pesticides thereby establishing the suitability of such products. The tests investigate for the effectiveness of such pesticides and their effects on other animals including humans. The tests include testing both the

Front-line Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Front-line Management - Essay Example In relation to the whole army, the front-line commanders are in fact several rungs removed from the generals and occupy the lowest post in the chain of command but in the eyes of the ground troops, the front-line officers are the army and the high command. Thus, FLM in its organizational sense is sometimes good-naturedly described as a position caught between a rock and a hard place. For this reason, the roles and responsibilities of FLM are so unlike those of the higher management layers, and that these differ in scope and importance according to the configuration of the organization. This paper gathers evidence to support the view that the smaller and younger the organization, the heavier and more difficult the tasks it imposes on front-line management although the rewards are sparse. Conversely, the FLM job is easier but more rewarding in larger and older organizations. The paper will also attempt to explain why such a curiosity happens. All managers are required to demonstrate a higher level of skills in planning, organizing, coordinating, communicating and reporting activities; in directing and delegating work; in training, directing, motivating, supporting and disciplining people; and in team building. The need for such skills follows the description of management as getting the work of many done through the guidance of one. More or less the same talents are needed in front-line managers, with some basic differences. ... Second, the front-line managers are placed right next to the "coal face" being the first layer of management in an organization. In most cases, the FLM position may be the holder's first exposure to management. For these reasons, the front-line managers bear the burden of developing a good working relationship not only with their superiors but also with their subordinates. This particular responsibility spares managers in the upper hierarchy. Front-line managers go by various designations, among them supervisor, foreman, team leader, office manager and senior administrator. In an organizational context, holders of FLM position are defined as managers with first-line responsibility for a work group of about 10-25 people. They are accountable to top-floor management for the following tasks: People management. Managing operational costs. Providing technical expertise. Organizing, such as planning work allocation and shifts. Monitoring work processes. Checking on quality. Dealing with customers or clients. Measuring operational performance. (Hutchinson & Purcell online) The basic elements of the modern FLM role include building and maintenance of an efficient organizational structure, creating and maintaining a productive workforce, and controlling the workflow. A front-line manager is responsible for managing the individual employee as to his performance and professional development as well a to his health and safety at work. The front-line manager must exert an effort to know his team, improve the social relationships among members, and ensure that jobs and people match. Towards these ends, he must monitor the employees' progress and keep an eye out for possible changes by keeping his communication lines open (Mullins,

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Octagon House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Octagon House - Essay Example The building is made of bricks, sandstone, and cold stone. The six-sided building has a symmetrical wing that fits well with its triangular lot (Lonely Planet, 2014).   The building closely resembles the octagonal and circular buildings that prominently featured in England during the 1700s and the 1800s (Fodors, 2014). The building is a notable example of U.S. federal architecture. The building has chimneys and a furnace for heating water sits in the basement. It also has a central spiral staircase and the rooms are so arranged that they appear to be symmetrical while its roof is flat and surmounted by a cupola. The roof of the building is made of cedar and shingle and has a balustrade. Some of the rooms that are in the building are the treaty room, dining room, parlor, and kitchen. Today, the building is under use as a museum and hosts exhibits related to building design and architecture. Generally, the building is simple in design. It was designed differently from the traditional buildings that were common in Washington DC at the time of its construction. The traditional style at the time of its construction was Georgian. It is partly inspired by the  Federal style architecture, creativity, and Greek interior style (AIA, 2014).

Developing a Research Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Developing a Research Hypothesis - Essay Example 804). The study design that these researchers used was to review a series of research articles that described this phenomenon. They conducted cross-sectional empirical literature study. In doing so, they scoured PsycARTICLES database using a variety of keywords and then used two major databases, the Society of Personality and Social Psychology listserv and the Quality of Life Studies listserv. They found 225 articles that was comprised of 293 samples with over 275,000 participants. The results of their study found that happiness is â€Å"positively correlated† with â€Å"superior† mental and physical health. Essentially, they found that people who kept a positive affect were happier than those who did not. This suggests that there is truth in the idea that happy people are more successful in all aspects of their lives including family, work and health. In fact, there was a positive correlation with the immune system and happiness that showed that people who were happy w ere healthier most of the time. Research Hypothesis: People who are naturally happy are more successful in life than those who are not happy. Independent variable: Happiness Dependent variable: Positive affect There is a lot of talk about people who are happy having more in life than those who are unhappy.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Octagon House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Octagon House - Essay Example The building is made of bricks, sandstone, and cold stone. The six-sided building has a symmetrical wing that fits well with its triangular lot (Lonely Planet, 2014).   The building closely resembles the octagonal and circular buildings that prominently featured in England during the 1700s and the 1800s (Fodors, 2014). The building is a notable example of U.S. federal architecture. The building has chimneys and a furnace for heating water sits in the basement. It also has a central spiral staircase and the rooms are so arranged that they appear to be symmetrical while its roof is flat and surmounted by a cupola. The roof of the building is made of cedar and shingle and has a balustrade. Some of the rooms that are in the building are the treaty room, dining room, parlor, and kitchen. Today, the building is under use as a museum and hosts exhibits related to building design and architecture. Generally, the building is simple in design. It was designed differently from the traditional buildings that were common in Washington DC at the time of its construction. The traditional style at the time of its construction was Georgian. It is partly inspired by the  Federal style architecture, creativity, and Greek interior style (AIA, 2014).

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Project Evaluation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Project Evaluation - Assignment Example In other words, project evaluation offers a step-by-step procedure of recording, gathering and organizing data and information regarding project outcomes, comprising short-term results of tasks, or project deliverables, and instant and longer-term project results like transformations in behavior, processes or policy outcome from the project (GoogleDocs, 2011; Hughes & Cotterell, 2002; Government of Ontario, 2006). This report discusses some of the important aspects of the project evaluation and its application in technology-intensive enterprises. This report discusses the use and application of the project evaluation processes and various quantitative or qualitative approaches to project evaluation and selection. Usually, project assessment or evaluation is the last stage in the project lifecycle. In this stage analysis is done systematically at the fundamentals of accomplishments as well as failure in the project practice to discover how to plan more effectively for the future. The fundamental aim and objective of this study is to determine the actual value of a program or project as much as probable. In more simple words, project evaluation can be described as "a procedure that tries to find out as methodically as well as objectively as probable the significance, efficiency and influence of actions in the light of the fundamental aims and objectives†. It is, therefore an important examination of the accurate accomplishments and outcomes of a program, project or policy in comparison with the planned tasks, fundamental suppositions, and policy and resource assurance. In addition, it formulates an effort to evaluate impartially the following given main aspects: (Planning Commission, 201 1; Hughes & Cotterell, 2002; Government of Ontario, 2006) The significance and strength of the project aims and objectives and design of the project/program in scenario of wider problems of project development policy, project priorities as well as strategies with

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model

The Main Critiques Of Liberal Democratic Model One of the most important political ideologies used in the modern era especially by the Western countries is liberal democracy. A liberal democratic state involves of the goals of both liberalism and democracy. This essay will talk about the critiques of liberal democracy explaining the four criteria of liberal democracy and why it works or does not work in the context to the case study countries. In a liberal democratic model, it is necessary to have some basic criteria on liberal democracy. The four criteria that will be explored in relation to the case study countries are multiple distinct political parties, separation of power into different branches of government, an idea of equality and lastly secularism. According to Gordon Smith political parties are, the summation of pluralist tradition. This means political parties are very important because of the role they play in society. Pluralists debate that there should be multiple contenders in opposing centres of power as the power should not rest in one group rather be divided and diffused (Schwarzmantel, 1994:51). Political parties represent the public interests. Likewise, multi- party system creates diversity and competition in turn parties makes efforts and try out to reach to a larger group of people making their policies relevant. It emphasises different groups of interests within the liberal democratic state which prevents any one group from dominating. As each human being have different perspective of looking at the world, similarly each party might have a different interpretation on a policy because of the different ideals and values. The main aim of political parties is to capture state power. This pluralist view applies to a co untry like Russia where they have multi-party system. It is practically accurate to argue that at the national level Russia has attained at least a semi-pluralistic political system, with number of national parties and the strong influence of business interests. On the other hand Elite theory rejects the pluralist theory that power can be diffused and can be divided and spread among different groups of society. Elite theory argues that the power rests in the hands of few, who are wealthy. They assert that the average person cannot be heard because the power is usually concentrated in a few at the top. Democratic elite theorists argued that the decrease in internal party democracy and meeting process did not matter much, so long as competition between parties still give voters the final power. Elite theory says that two-party or multi-party system is usually dominated by an elite. For example in a country like USA elite theory works more than the pluralist theory. United States has two parties unlike the other countries that have multi-party system. In a multi-party system, political parties usually have specialised agenda which in turn represents their interests like environment, labor or business. But in America with a more generalised syst em, the two parties have to please a wider range of people to be elected. Consequently, both parties act neither too liberal nor too conservative. Many people agree that United States has a two-party system but there have been few cases where third party candidate won an election. Third party candidates have to struggle to get elected. The last time when the country saw a third party presented elected was in 1860 when Abraham Lincoln became President. In the view of elite theory they agree with the two-party system in United States as campaigns costs a fortune in this country. In their view the wealth buys the political power by recruiting capable individuals to serve the interests of the ruling class, and by financing the campaigns of politicians and the operation of political parties'(Module guide).Political parties are important for keeping the check and balance of power through peaceful means and are thus important in a liberal democracy. Without having any form of competition t hen from an elitist, then there would be only one outcome and that is whatever the elite considers the best then that will be the decision. In a country to be liberal democratic state power should be divided among different groups so that state cannot rule the masses on their own and the power is distributed among different factions of government. Pluralism critique of the state suggests a solution to how democracies can be realised in large and complex societies and how to achieve popular power and at the same time limit the power of the state. Pluralism is strictly against the totalitarian government. A pluralist society is on in which the decisions are taken by associations of citizens, acting independently of state. They assume state as a neutral actor which helps control conflicts and negotiations among groups. As all groups do not have equal resources or influence as some of the other groups in society, state does not favour any of the group rather remain neutral. Pluralism prefers a federal system of government in which power is divided among executive, legislature and judiciary. So that there is checks and balanc es and no one can misuse the power. Madison advocated a simple logic stating that, grant independent power to the different branches of government, and each member of that branch will have a personal interest in maintaining that power and preventing the other branches from carrying out their repressive designs. It means if the power is distributed among different bodies in the government, no person will be able to impose his or her will. Pluralist theory can apply to a country like France where there is a federal system of government although the executive is body is slightly stronger than that of legislature. However all the power does not rest with the executive, power also lies within the two remaining branches of government, the legislative, and the judiciary. The second critique which describes the state is elite theory. In their view, the separation of power is unimportant within the state because in the end unified elite hold the power. They assert that the elites will always hold power in the society in different forms and their nature will directly determine the properties of society in which they live. The post- war elite theory critique C. Wright Mills argued that important decisions made in United States policy making were most of the times made by unelected power elite. For example, Unites States has a federal system of government in which power is evenly distributed among the 3 bodies of government , namely legislature, executive and judiciary but there certain cases where there are power elite makes the decisions. For instance the head of a big American business corporation or even the President or his appointed staff. On the contrary, Marxist theory argues that economy is the most important element in the society and that the s ociety should grow towards a classless structure with an equal distribution of power. Each citizen should be treated equally irrespective of gender, cast and religion to live in peace. Thus, idea of equality should be present in every country which makes it an important aspect of a liberal democratic country. Marxist Theory can best explain that why there is inequality among countries. Marxists states that unequal distribution of wealth is caused by exploitation in production as well as distribution of wealth. Capitalism and notion of private property creates class differences and unequal distribution of power. Private property maximises the gap between rich and poor. For instance if a person owns a property, he gets to exploit people who dont which leads to other people working for the person who owns the property and can provide them with money. This form of organisation develops two classes, the bourgeoisie or ruling class who control and profit from the system and the working class who are much more numerous. In Marxist view wealth should be equally distributed am ong people. Rejecting this theory of Marxism, elite critiques argue that economic or social class forces do not determine what happens in society rather elites do. Italian writer Vilfredo Pareto criticises Marxists for overlooking the control of elite. For example in a country like America and Nigeria there is a huge income gap between rich and poor due to capitalism. The wealth is concentrated in the hands of elites which gives an adverse effect on the welfare of citizens. Utter poverty for a large percentage of the people of Nigeria is because of the mismanagement of the economy and widespread corruption by political elites. Therefore both the theories can be applied in the countries like Nigeria and United States. All the liberal democratic countries should accept that citizens should not be prevented from practicing their religion and the state is no one to interfere with the religious decisions of citizens or their institutions. Marxist sees religion as a feature only of a class-divided society. The theory argues that whichever class controls the economic production also controls the production and distribution of ideas in society via institutions such as church, education system and the media. For example, France has declared herself as a secular country having divided church and state during the French Revolution. However, over 80% of her citizens claim to be Roman Catholics, on the other hand 10% claim to be Muslim (CIA).In spite of being a secular state France does not allow manifestation of religion in public sphere. In 2004, an anti-religious law passed through legislature that banned the wearing of headscarves, turban, skullcaps, or large crosses in the public schools as (Graham, 109) .Therefore looking at this example of France it can be said that the Marxist theory can describe secularism in France as the person who is ruling is passing all the laws which controls all the power in the government and can influence any law in his favour. Moreover this law in the end can lead to divisions in society. Similarly, Pluralism accepts all the religions in the society and rejects the notion that there can be a single belief in religion or culture. That is, pluralism is a simple recognition of the fact that there are many different faith groups active in the country. Pluralist theory works well in the liberal democratic countries as they demonstrate well about secularism. Pluralist theory works well in religious country like United States which is a multi-cultural society consisting of many religious groups such as Christians, Muslims, Hindus.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Essay --

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley was born in Somers Town on August 30th of 1797 in London, England. Shortly after her birth her mother died due to puerperal fever, leaving her father William Goodwin to care for her and her three year old half-sister Fanny Imlay. Elanor Ty said, â€Å"Mary became his favorite child. He called her â€Å"pretty little Mary† and relished evidence of her superiority over Fanny.† At the age of seventeen Mary had her first relationship with a man known as Percy Bysshe Shelley who later became her husband. On a cold stormy night in 1816 Percy and Mary spent their time reading about ghost stories and which later prompted Mary to write her first sketch of what is known as today as Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus. At a very young age Mary was encouraged by her father to write. She really grew such a interest in writing, by the time she was nineteen years old she was finished one of the most famous novels ever published known as Frankenstein. Mary wrote a total of six other novels including the most famous novel today Frankenstein. Frankenstein still thrills people of all descents young and old with its suspense. In Frankenstein, Mary Shelly analyzes how Victor Frankenstein creates a monster but in doing so the only real monster he created was himself. Early in the book Victor talks about his early childhood and how Elizabeth had gotten adopted in to his family. Frankenstein was four years old when Elizabeth's mother died. She was soon adopted into the Frankenstein family. Victor’s mother thought that one day Elizabeth and Victor should marry one day. Victor and Elizabeth grew up as best friends. He also met a new school mate friend named Henry Clerval. Victor spent his childhood happily with his two good f... ...became obsessed with his studies. He became very ill and created a monster. He then was nursed back to health and was getting better by his friend Henry. Just as you thought everything was getting better terror struck again. He lost his brother William to the monster. By creating this monster Victor became the monster himself. When he created the monster it killed his brother William, which led to the execution of his friend Justine. The monster later killed his old school mate Henry Clerval, and the love of his life Elizabeth which days later caused the death of his Father. Everyone around him that he loved was dying. The monster knew no better, the monster was lonely and had no place to go so it took revenge in Victor, and everything he loved. Victor was the real monster here by creating one. By creating the monster it caused much devastation throughout his life.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Essay --

Electrical stimulation (ES) therapy involves the transfer of electrical current across wound tissue through the two electrodes and uses three types of currents: AC, DC and Pulse DC. According to various studies, electrical stimulation therapy has shown to reduce inflammation, edema, improve wound appearance, cause a faster reduction in wound size by helping to kick start the wound healing process and is cost effective for many patients. It has generated a positive impact on patient’s comfort and convenience. Electrical stimulation therapy has provided numerous beneficial effects in wound healing demonstrated by various studies, however; further research trials are needed in order to prove the effectiveness and benefits of electrical stimulation therapy as it relates to wound healing (Cutting, 2006). Background: The clinical application of ES can be dated as far back as 1812 when Hartshorne used electricity to promote bone healing in a patient suffering a tibial nonunion, later described in an 1841 publication (Wienke & Dayton, 2011). Research stayed in focus with bone stimulation via ES therapy for many years leading to the US Food and Drug Administration approved labeling electromagnetic devices for treatment of nonunion and delayed union fractures. ES therapy in chronic wound healing became a major research trend in the mid 1960s with a multitude of successful clinical trials to follow (Isseroff & Dahle, 2012). Eventually ES use in treating chronic soft tissue wounds became widely accepted and in 2002 the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services approved ES treatment in a clinical setting for certain types of chronic wounds and pressure ulcers. Until 2003, research focus stayed with ES therapy on pressure ulcers but later ... ...rocess and is cost effective for many patients. It has also generated a positive impact on patient’s comfort and convenience. Yet still, the selection of an optimal modality remains amongst the scientific and medical communities. Further research and clinical trials to support these positive effects on wound healing may help generate that consensus and help ES therapy gain full support in the US. In reviewing the above studies the evidence of the numerous beneficial effects ES therapy has are clear, however, the evidence that the lack of consensus on standardization of parameters to devise systematic protocols for its use and the lack of uniformity in reports on ES dosages, application modes and waveforms is also clear. Further research trials are needed in order to prove the effectiveness and benefits of electrical stimulation therapy as it relates to wound healing

Friday, October 11, 2019

Managing a Foreign Subsidiary

Outline 1. Introduction The objective of the research is to manage the subsidiary of Metersbonwe in Brazil and Russia. Metersbonwe is a Chinese local clothing brand. Metersbonwe was founded in 1994, and it specializes in casual wear. The reasons why I choose this brand is that I’m a young man, and I think the design of Metersbonwe is very suitable for the young people. Also, Metersbonwe is a popular brand with low price, so, the developing country like Russia and Brazil could adapt the price.However, to manage a subsidiary in a foreign country is full of challenge, and the one of the important factor to make it success is The Five Dimensions of National Culture. Power Distance (PDI): the extent to the power distribution is unequally in the less powerful member. Individualism versus Collectivism (IDV): the extent to the individuals integrates into the group. Masculinity Femininity (MAS): the degree of the sexism in the culture. Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI): how this culture trea t the uncertainty and ambiguity.Long-Term Orientation (LTO): the Long-term cultures value thrift and perseverance, but, the short-term cultures value tradition, the fulfillment of social obligations and protecting honors. The other factor is the leadership style. There 3 different leadership styles is Authoritarian Style, Democratic Style, Laissez-Faire Style respectively. I think my leadership style is Democratic Style, because I will not be authoritarian to make the company all listen to me, A man's wisdom is limited, so, I need group’s wisdom to help the company become stronger.I will also not be Laissez-Faire Style, as a subsidiary company’s leader, I have a responsibility to carry the company. The research is anticipated to manage Metersbonwe in Russia and Brazil. The most important elements to manage the subsidiary in Russia and Brazil are local culture, people’s cloth wearing habit and the weather. 2. Methods The only data collection method used in the re search is Internet research, because, it’s limited by the source around.But the amount of the information on the internet was plenty, also, is easy to get the useful information on the internet, although the data collect by internet research may have less authenticity and accuracy, it is enough for this research. The internet research provided lot background knowledge, relatively official information about the company, many culture conventions in the Russia and Brazil and the Unilever’s business model in Russia and Brazil to locate the research, the internet research method helps a lot in this research. . Findings 2. 1. Examine the cultural conventions influencing business In Russia and Brazil Russia: Normal business hours are 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. Mondays to Fridays, and It is not unusual for Russians to renegotiate a contract. Brazil: Schedule the business meeting at least 2 weeks. Use casual conversation to start a business meeting or negotiation. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 4. 2. Determine Unilever’s business model in Russia and Brazil Russia: * Focused on special development program * Building leadership in large categories Using employees from 11 different nationalities Brazil: * have a local structure * top notch infrastructure * 10 major categories to sustained market leadership 2. Discussion 3. 2. Interpret the findings in light of thesis statement 3. 3. 1. Advantage for Metersbowe in Russia Diversity staff to build up the company’s culture exchange 3. 3. 2. Disadvantage for Metersbonwe in Russia Need long time to reconcile the cross culture staff 3. 3. 3. Advantage for Metersbonwe in Brazil Is not emphasize the culture convention . 3. 4. Disadvantage for Metersbonwe in Brazil 3. 3. Assess the effectiveness of the research * Not enough information to locate the Unilever’s business model in Russia and Brazil * Only internet research to fulfill the report, no other reliable source of data 3. Conclusions 4. 4. Identify and justify the Metersbonwe in Brazil * the country I choose to manage Metersbonwe is Brazil * Metersbonwe as a new brand access in Brazil clothing market 4. 5. Suggestion * More source of data provide * Confirm the accuracy of the data

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Peopod

CASE: III Peapod Online Grocery—2003 The online grocery turned out to be a lot tougher than analysts thought a few years ago. Many of the early online grocers, including Webvan, ShopLink, StreamLine, Kosmom, Homeruns, and PDQuick, went bankrupt and out of business. At one time, Webvan had 46 percent of the online grocery business, but it still wasn’t profitable enough to survive. The new business model for online grocers is to be part of an existing brick-and-mortar chain. Large grocery chains, like Safeway and Albertson’s, are experiencing sales growth in their online business but have yet to turn a profit.Jupiter Research estimates that online grocery sales will be over $5 billion by 2007, about 1 percent of all grocery sales, while it expects more than 5 percent of all retail sales to be online by then. A few years ago, optimistic analysts estimated online grocery sales would be 10 to 20 times that by 2005, but it didn’t work out that way. One of the fe w online grocers to survive in 2003 is Peapod, the first online grocer, started by brothers Andrew and Thomas Parkinson in 1990.However, even Peapod was failing until 2001 when Dutch grocery giant Royal Ahold purchased controlling interest in the company for $73 million. Peapod operates in five markets, mainly by closely affiliating itself with Ahold-owned grocery chains. Peapod by Giant is in the Washington, DC, area, while Peapod by Stop and Shop runs in Boston, New York, and Connecticut. The exception is Chicago, where Peapod operates without an affiliation with a local grocery chain. Peapod executives claim the company is growing by 25 percent annually and has 130,000 customers, and all of its markets except Connecticut are profitable.Average order size is up to $143 from $106 three years earlier. The online grocery business seemed like a sure winner in the 1990s. Dual-income families strapped for time could simply go online to do their grocery shopping. They has about the same choices of products that they would have had if they went to a brick-and-mortar grocery, about 20,000 SKUs (stockkeeping units). They could browse the â€Å"aisles† on their home computers and place orders via computer, fax or telephone. The orders were filled at ffiliated stores and delivered to their homes in a 90-minute window, saving them time and effort and simplifying their daily lives. For all this convenience, consumers were willing to pay a monthly fee and a fee per order for packaging, shipping, and delivery. Since most of the products purchased were well-known branded items, consumer faced little risk in buying their traditional foodstuffs. Even perishables like produce and meat could be counted on to be high quality, and if consumers were concerned, they could make a quick trip to a brick-and-mortar grocery for these selections.However, while all of this sounded good, most consumers didn’t change their grocery shopping habits to take advantage of the online alternative. Currently analysts do not expect the online grocery industry to take off in the near future, if ever. Miles Cook of Bain & Company estimates that only 8 to 10 percent of U. S. consumers will find ordering groceries online appealing, but only about 1 percent will ever do so. He concludes: â€Å"This is going to remain a niche offering in a few markets. It’s not going to be a national mainstream offering. Jupiter Media Metrix analyst Ken Cassar concludes that â€Å"The moral of the story is that the ability to build a better mousetrap must be measured against consumers’ willingness to buy it. † Question: 1. What behaviors are involved in online grocery shopping? How does online shopping compare with traditional shopping in terms of behavioral effort? 2. What types of consumers are likely to value online grocery shopping from Peapod? 3. Overall, what do you think about the idea of online grocery shopping? How does it compare with simply eating in res taurants and avoiding grocery shopping and cooking altogether?