A role for transportin in the nuclear import of Adenovirus core proteins and dna

The research paper of Hindley and colleagues (2007) describes the function of the protein transportin in the entry of adenovirus-associated proteins in a cell.   Adenoviruses are microbial organisms that contain genetic material that has been highly compacted by the help of adenoviral core proteins.The DNA packaging facilitators have been known as terminal proteins and three types have been characterized by previous studies (Robinson et al., 1979).   It has been determined that these terminal proteins exist as two units, each one associates with the 5’ end of the DNA strand.   One of the terminal proteins, called protein VII, is created by the deletion of the terminal 24 resides of the precursor polypeptide preVII.The precursor protein, composed of 197 amino acid residues, is produced by the protease enzyme of the adenovirus right after the generation of new viral microorganisms.   It has been determined that the processed protein VII makes up most of the core protein content of an adenovirus and it situated in close proximity to the DNA strand of an adenovirus.   Another core protein that is present in significant amounts in an adenovirus is protein V.This 369-residue polypeptide has been postulated to link the core to the adenoviral coat.   The third core protein, termed Mu, also shows the ability of package viral DNA.Previous research has shown that the core proteins V and VII have the capacity to send signals that would dictate importation of material into the nucleus as well as compaction of nucleolar material (Wodrich et al., 2006).   However, the authors of the research article were aware that there has been no research effort conducted in order to determine the relation of these two terminal coreproteins and the process of importation of materials into the nucleus.The proponents of this research paper then set off to investigate the specific associations that between the import signals and the terminal core proteins.   In order to examine this relationship, the proponents of the research extracted the import receptors that were involved in the viral import process.   Isolated terminal core proteins were also prepared.A cell import experimental setup was developed in order to test each import receptor against each of the terminal core proteins.   The receptors were introduced to an established cancer cell line (HeLa) in order to determine whether any association will take place.   Simple import routes were also tested using the protein importin, which has the ability to associated core proteins.Both precursor and mature core proteins were tested in order to determine the temporal interactions that occur within an adenovirus.   In order to compare the action of other binding proteins with the core proteins, the protein transportin was also employed in the binding assay.   Pull-down assays were also conducted in order to catch a glimpse of the actual protein-protein associations within particular stag es of the adenoviral cycle.The assays showed that the binding protein transportin was necessary for the success of core protein V to attach to the nucleolar material of the adenovirus.   This result suggested that the packaging of nucleolar material can not be triggered by any type of binding protein but by a specific one such as transportin.The pull-down assays also showed that precursor and mature core proteins behaved differently within an adenoviral organism.   This observation provides an explanation why a significant number of amino acid residues have to be deleted from the precursor protein preVII.   The truncation actually does not only make the polypeptide shorter but specifically helps in the identification of particular signal motifs that would trigger further packaging of genetic material within an adenovirus.

Country of origin, consumer’s Perception and Brand Image Essay

Introduction The impact of country of origin (COO) on the consumer’s perception of products has been one of the most widely studied areas of international marketing. Increasing globalization of today’s business has resulted in unprecedented problems for manufacturers, marketers, and consumers (L. Y. Lin & Chen, 2006). The country of origin (where a product is made) touches both consumer evaluations of the product as well as the firm’s decision to manufacture its goods in certain countries and how to brand (Parkvithee & Miranda, 2012). Country-of-origin or in other words the â€Å"Made in† is a concept which states that people constitutes attitudes and believes shaping the perceptions to products from specific countries and this influences purchase and consumption behaviors in international markets. The â€Å"Made In† image is the picture, the reputation, the stereotype that businessmen and consumers attach to products of a specific country (Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Gaedeke, 1973; Johansson, 1989; Nagashima, 1970, 1977, Zain and Yasin, 1997). Country-of-origin image (COI) has a strong influence on consumer behavior in the global market, as it is associated with mass communication, personal experience, as well as brand image. COI is defined as the consumer’s perception formed of a certain product offering according to this offering’s country of origin (Samiee, 1994; Peterson and Jolibert, 1995, Leonidou et al, 1999). The country, the type of product, and the image of the company and its brands all influence whether the country of origin will engender a positive or negative reaction. A variety of generalization can be made about country of origin effects on products and brands. Consumers tend to have stereotypes about products and countries that have been formed by experience, hearsay, and myth (Piron, 2000, p. 308; Roth and Rameo, 1992, p.479). Stereotypes of country and the preference of customer influence the purchase intention. Political system, culture and the economy of the country can be a  cause of sensitivity to people (Teo, Mohamad, & Ramayah, 2011). For instance, in 2006, protestors across the Muslim world demonstrated against the publications of cartoon images â€Å"Prophet Mohammed† in a Danish newspaper therefore many boycotted Danish products and many supermarkets in Cairo removed Danish products from their shelves. The question that this paper will attempt to answer is â€Å"To what extent does the country of origin image affect consumer perceptions, brand image and purchase intentions†. Previous research indicates that consumers’ and businesses’ evaluations are based on their assessment of product cues, which may be intrinsic (taste, design, performance) or extrinsic (brand name, country of origin). Buyers often make judgments about product quality and purchase value on the basis of extrinsic cues, especially when it is difficult to evaluate the intrinsic value of a product. This justifies the reason behind using the country of origin as an extrinsic cue in order to judge any foreign product. This paper also aims to fill the gap between the impact of country of origin on the brand image, consumer’s perception and purchase intention, more specially; the research objective is to develop a better understanding of the effect of positive and negative country of origin image on consumer’s buying decisions. Literature background The impact of COO applies to products in general, classes of products, specific types of products, specific brands, image among developed countries, between developed and less developed countries, or among less developed countries (Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Prendergast, Chan and Tsang, 2010, p.181). Country image is ‘‘the overall perception consumers’ form of products from a particular country, based on their prior perceptions of the country’s production and marketing strengths and weaknesses’’ (Roth and Romeo, 1992; Koubaa, 2008, p.140). Brand-image has been described as part of branding strategy at the country level (Meenaghan, 1995; Koubaa, 2008, p.141). Consumers tend to recall the  stored information about the brand and the country in question and then they relate the brand name with the COO to form a brand image and infer the product evaluation (Scott and Keith, 2005; Koubaa, 2008, p.141). Brand image is the reasoned or emotional perceptions consumers attach to a specific brand. It consists of functional and symbolic brand beliefs (Dobni and Zinkhan, 1990; Koubaa, 2008, p.141). Brand image is made up of brand associations. ‘‘Brand associations are the category of brand’s assets and liabilities that include anything ‘‘linked’’ in memory to a brand’’ (Aaker, 1991; Koubaa, 2008, p.141). â€Å"The ‘essence’ of the brand is a single simple value, easily understood and valued by consumer† (Arnold, 1992, p. 17; Pappu, Quester and Cooksey 2006, p.697).When brands are competing in the international arena, marketing managers should understand how to maintain the core essence of their brand across international boundaries. Examining how country of origin impacts brand image and its associated dimensions (e.g. perceived quality, brand associations) should reveal the means to protect or enhance the core essence of a brand. The country of origin of a product is an important marketing element known to influence consumer perceptions as well as behavior. Conversely, an inferior country of origin could tarnish a brand name (Thakor and Katsanis, 1997; Pappu, Quester and Cooksey, 2006, p.697). That is, if the country of origin of a brand were to change from a country towards which consumers have favorable associations (e.g. the USA), to a country towards which consumers have less favorable associations (e.g. Mexico), the brand names in question could be tarnished and the consumer-based equity of these brands erodes. Johansson (1989) speculated that consumers may, depending their circumstances, regard the country cue as a silent attribute of the product in question and that this attribute may influence the consumer through affective processes, as in the case of individuals who hold strongly patriotic feelings about their own country (Han, 1988; Knight and Calantone, 2000, p.129), or through behavioral intentions via processes such as social norms (Fishben and Ajzen, 1975; Knight and Calantone, 2000, p.129). Johansson’s (1989) model is an important accompaniment to the empirical work of Han (1989). Household and organizational buyers’ perceptions of the quality and purchase value of products are more favorable when these products are designed and/or assembled in developed countries than when they are designed and/or assembled in a newly industrializing country. A basic premise of the COO effect is that consumers’ image of a given product’s COO influences their subsequent evaluations of the product (e.g. Gurhan-Canli and Maheswaran, 2000; Josiassen and Assaf, 2010, p.296) as well as their subsequent behavioral intentions to purchase or repurchase the product (e.g. Ouellet, 2007). According to Johansson, country of origin is an extrinsic information cue allowing buyers to make inferences about the intrinsic value of a product (Ahmed and Astous, 1995, p.38). Consumers are more likely to purchase products manufactured by countries having distinctive images for that product(s) rather than countries that do not possess a good reputation for producing the same product(s) (Roth and Romeo, 1992; Chuang and Yen, 2007; Ozmen, 2004; Ahmed, Zbib, Sikander and Noujaim, 2012, p.110). The values which consumers associate with a brand are significantly associated with both the macro- and micro-images of the COO of the brand (Pappu et al., 2007; Ahmed, Zbib, Sikander and Noujaim, 2012, p.110). According to Cordell, consumer preferences are more product specific for industrialized than less developed countries. COO becomes of less significance when the product is widely known (Cordell, 1992; Ahmed, Zbib, Sikander and Noujaim, 2012, p.110). The image of countries as origins of products is one of many extrinsic cues, such as price, brand name that may become part of a product’s total image. Country image in respect of customer purchase intention is one of the most significant subjects among marketers for supporting their manufactured goods. The attention to this issue is because many researchers have demonstrated that a country’s image influences the prior purchase decision of customers. These kinds of investigation about country image and other related subjects dates back over three decades in developed countries  (YAMOAH, 2005). According to Laroche et al. (2005) country image and product beliefs affect product evaluations simultaneously regardless of consumers’ level of familiarity with a country’s products. A product’s COO can have a significant effect on consumer’s purchase and consumption decisions. Further, causal observation indicates the importance of COO in many consumer goods, such as clothing, cars, and food products. For instance, some luxury products (e.g. perfumes, fashion clothing) are strongly and positively tainted by being labeled ‘‘Product of France†. Most of the researchers agree that the â€Å"Country of Origin Image† has a significant impact on consumers’ evaluations of product quality and willingness to buy a product (e.g. Bilkey and Nes, 1982; Han and Terpstra, 1988; Maheswaran, 1994) Conceptual development and hypotheses In this study, Country of origin is the independent variable of interest while the dependent variables include 3 main dimensions (perception, brand image and purchase intention) as shown in Figure 1. Each of these dimensions is expected to be affected by the country of origin image. Since the proposed model is being tested for a certain product category therefore, there relation between COI and the 3 main dependent variables will be affected by the product category in question. In other words we can say that Product category will moderate this relation. Country of origin image (COI) The history of country image dates back to 1970, when Nagashima wrote about it in an academic paper. In a statement about country image he defined it as a â€Å"special image, stereotype and standing, which customers have in their mind about specific country, this picture can be shaped by historical, economical and traditional variables† (L. Y. Lin & Chen, 2006). In addition, country image is one of the first variables that researchers test when it comes to foreign product as well as international business and consumer behavior studies (Kotler, 2011). Studying issues concerning country image  has been prominent in international business for many years (Laroche, Papadopoulos, Heslop, & Mourali, 2005). In our research we investigate COI as an independent variable in order to monitor its effect on buyer’s decision making process which involves two main factors consumer’s perception and purchase intentions and also to examine its influence on the brand image through examining the brand’s perceived quality and brand associations. Brand image Brand image is defined as ‘‘a set of perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumers’ memory’’ (Hsieh and Lindridge, 2005; Koubaa, 2008, p.140). Brand image is determined not by only the brand’s perceived quality, but also by a host of other factors such as product characteristics, packaging, advertising, price and schemas of the typical user. Purchase intention Scholars define purchase intention as personal action tendencies according to brand. They have also concluded that intention is different from attitude. While attitude means evaluation of products, intention is the person’s motivation in the sense of his or her intention to perform behavior. Another definition declares that purchase intention is the individual’s awareness to make an attempt to buy a brand (Shabbir, M. S., Kirmani, S., Iqbal, J., & Khan, B. 2009). In a very competitive global market consumers are facing a variety of alternatives when they decide to buy a certain product therefore it is important to consider COI as a factor that can influence the consumer’s purchase intentions Consumer’s perception Individual act and react on the basis of their perceptions, not on the basis of objective reality. Thus, perceptions are much more important. Perception can be described as â€Å"How we see the world around us†. Perception is defined as the process by which an individual selects, organizes, and interprets stimuli in to a meaningful and coherent picture of the world. Customers are individuals, and each customer perceives things differently in the same  situation. Perception of the product is more important than the product itself (Dave, 2013). Product category Consumers have associations toward entities such as products, places, brands and countries of origin. These associations can have direction and strength. For example, Farquhar and Herr (1993) argued that product category-brand associations can be bi-directional. That is, consumers may recall a product category when they think of a brand name and they may recall a brand name when they think of a product category. Product category-country associations, which refer to consumers’ ability to evoke a country when the product category is mentioned, are of interest when examining the relationships between country of origin and our 3 main dependent variables. Since consumers are known to associate countries with certain product categories and vice Versa (Terpstra and Sarathy, 2000), consumers’ â€Å"product category-country† associations appear to be bi-directional. Based on the literature review and our research objectives, a conceptualized model for this research was developed and is shown in Figure 1. Previous research results support the following relations: CI directly and positively impacts brand image (Roth and Romeo, 1992; Hsieh et al, 2004). CI directly and positively impacts purchase intentions (Laroche et al, 2005). Brand image directly and positively impact purchase intentions (Esch et al, 2006). Hypotheses H1: COO image significantly affects how consumers perceive the products H2: COO image has a significant influence on the formulation of the brand image H3: The country-of-origin asserts a significant impact on the consumer’s purchase intention. H4: Product category will moderate the effect of COO image on the purchase intentions, consumer’s perceptions, and brand image We expect that the perceived quality levels of a brand will vary by the country of origin of the brand. That is, the perceived quality level of Ericsson made in Sweden is likely to be higher than the perceived quality  level of Ericsson made in Mexico or Hungary, for the product category â€Å"mobile phones†. Furthermore, consumers’ perception of the quality of products is known to be product-category specific (Kaynak and Cavusgil, 1983; Pappu, Quester and Cooksey 2006, p.701) Furthermore, consumers’ product category is believed to moderate the effect of the country of origin on consumer-based brand image. For example, the consumer’s perception of a brand made in a country with positive COO image in a certain product category (e.g. car/Germany) is likely to be substantially higher than that for the same brand made in a country with a negative COO image in that same product category (e.g. car/Mexico), in cases where consumers perceive substantive differences between the two countries in terms of their product category associated with COO (Pappu, Quester and Cooksey 2006, p.702). As concerns brand-origin effects, Takhor and Lavack (2003) declared that brand-origin is one such cue that plays potentially important role in determining a brand’s image. Samiee et al. (2005) found that consumers classify brands with their COO basing on the brand pronunciation or spelling and its similarity with the brand-origin language (Koubaa, 2007, p.142). When the brand is created, it comes out to consumers in association with its brand origin (Koubaa, 2007, p.143). Farquhar and Herr (1993) claimed that brand image will have different dimensions in consumer’s mind (Koubaa, 2007, p.143). Because brands have different perceptions among consumers across brands and across countries of production, and consumers are likely to be different as they have different backgrounds and are under different circumstances of consumption; we expect that brand image will differ across brands and across countries of production (origin) (Koubaa. , 2007, p.143). Nowadays, the international trade market is very competitive and there are many new ideas on the market to attract customers. In this case, customers have many alternatives for buying products; however, there are many elements that have an effect on product success and customer purchase intention. Other researchers believe that purchase intention is â€Å"what we think we will buy† (Park, J. 2002). It also describes the feeling or perceived likelihood of purchasing the products that are advertised, moreover, purchase shows the level of loyalty to products. Other scholars like Daneshvary and Schower (2000) believe that purchase intention has a relationship with demographic factors like age, gender, profession and education (Lu, M. 2007). There is another statement that shows that particular features of products, perception of consumers, country of origin and perception of country of origin, all have an influence on customer purchase intention (C. L. Wang, Li, Barnes, & Ahn, 2012). Purchase intention can also be defined as the decision to act or physiological action that shows an individual’s behavior according to the product (X. Wang & Yang, 2008; Rezvani, Dehkordi, Rahman, Fouladivanda, 2012, p.208). Sample characteristics Respondents were asked in the end of the questionnaire to deliver some personal information related to gender, age, income and education. Thirty eight respondents participated in the investigation. Regarding gender, the sample was selected randomly. Females’ percentage was 57.9 while the males’ percentage was 42.1. As for the income category 15.8 percent earned less than 5000 LE per month, 34.2 percent earned between 5000 LE and 10000 LE while 50 percent earned more than 10000 LE per month. And for the education 5.3 percent of the respondents were high school graduates, 71.1 percent are bachelor degree holder, 23.7 percent are master degree holders. Data collection: Our choice of COI stimuli and our variables (BI, CP and PI) was guided by our conceptual framework, specifically we wanted to test and compare the effect of COI on the three variables shown in figure (1) to enhance the generalizability of our results. To test our hypothesis we asked Egyptian  consumers to answer a questionnaire (see appendix) with regards to the latest purchased items. In addition to hypothesis advanced in this study we explore the reliability of the measurements of each variable to conduct a reliable computation regarding each variable in the questionnaire. Reflective scales were to operationalize the constructs in our conceptual framework. Except for the demographic indicators (gender, age, income and education) Measurements  COI 1. economic development 2. Political structure 3. Industrialization 4. standard of living 5. Product made in this country is reliable 6. Products made in this country of good quality 7. Products made in his country Prestigious 8. It is great to have a products from this country Khosrozadeh Shirin and Heidarzadeh Hanzaee Kambiz, (2011), P.614 Consumer perception 1. Important/ not important 2. Overall quality 3. Durability 4. Technological sophistication 5. Prestigious Gray A. Knight & Roger J. Calantone (1999) P. 144 Brand image 1. brand X offers high quality 2. brand X offers reliable products 3. I feel proud to products from brand X 4. I trust the company which makes brand X (Aakar,1991, 1996; Yoo et al. 2000) Purchase intention 1. the possibility I will buy this product 2. the possibility I recommend this product Khosrozadeh Shirin and Heidarzadeh Hanzaee Kambiz, (2011), P.614 Product category 1. Expensive/ inexpensive 2. Good quality/bad quality 3. I look for the COO to choose the best product available in a product class Ravi Pappu, Pascale G. Quester, Ray W. Cooksey, (2005) Country of origin image We used Khosrocadeh Shirin 9-items scale. The 9-items of the scale measure the extent to which the respondent perceives a particular product category from a particular country to be a good purchase choice, of high quality better than the same product category originating from other countries. The COI is formed according to the economic level of the country, the political system of the country, the standard of living and finally the technological advancement of that country. The items are anchored with strongly agree and strongly disagree. The scale displays lower reliability (ÃŽ ± = 0.66). In comparison with the previous studies reliability, our scale measurements are lower (Alpha = 0.83). Consumer perception We used five items scale from Ali Riza (April 2006). The items measure the importance of looking for COI as an external attribute. It also measures the perceived quality of the product from a certain country, so as the consumer’s association of COI with the technological sophistication of the product, and finally if they don’t have knowledge about the product’s COO; whether they will refuse to purchase the product or agree to purchase this product. The items anchored strongly agree and strongly disagree, the scale displays a good reliability (Alpha = 0.75). In comparison with the previous studies reliability, our scale measurements are lower (Alpha = 0.92). Brand image We mapped the brand image depending on two main indicators; brand perceived quality and brand associations using Aaker, 1991, 1996; Yoo et al. , 2000.  Seven items scale including the brand’s good quality, reliability, durability, its excellent features and prestige. Items was anchored with strongly agree and strongly disagree, the scale displays a good reliability (Alpha = 0.74). In comparison with the previous studies reliability, our scale measurements are higher (Alpha = 0.70). Purchase intentions The purchase intention was examined using Khostozodel Shirin. Two items scale including the possibility of the purchase and the recommendation of the purchased product. Anchored with very low and very high, the scale displays a very good reliability (Alpha = 0.89). In comparison with the previous studies reliability, our scale measurements are higher (Alpha = 0.87). Product category The research investigated the product category variable using Ray W. Cooksey, 2005. Scale with four items including the value of certain product category relative to the COI, the importance of this product category and whether it depends on the COI or not was also investigated. And finally the choice of the product class according to the COI. Ray W. Cooksey research suggested that four items scale are adequate when measuring this moderating variable. It was examined according to five-point likert scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. The scale displays a very poor reliability (Alpha = 0.5) which was very close to the researcher’s reliability (Alpha = 0.56) Correlation Analysis Correlation coefficient of Pierson was applied to study the relation between constructs. The results are listed in Table 3. As it is stated in the table, Pierson coefficients between constructs are significant at 95% confidence level. Several of the constructs in the research were correlated. The highest correlation was 0.36, which was between the COI and brand image, and also between the consumer’s perception and brand image. This correlation appears to be weak, positive and significant, while the lowest correlation was 0.08, which was between COI and consumer’s perception. This correlation appears to be weak, positive and insignificant. Correlations between our independent variable â€Å"COI† and the other 3 main dependent variables are as follows: there is a weak and positive yet insignificant correlation between the COI and consumer’s perception (0.08). The previous studies findings concerning this correlation were (0.48) which is higher than our correlation. These analyses were conducted by (Knight, Calantone, 1998, p.136). When comparing the correlations between COI and brand image with the previous studies, we found that our correlation was significant, positive and weak amounted to (0.36) while (Ahmed, Zbib, Sikander, Noujaim, 2012, p.118) concluded that it was (0.344) which is lower than our correlation. Table (3) shows that there is a significantly weak positive correlation between country of origin and purchase intention with (0.28) while the previous studies correlation was (0.375) by (Shirin, Kambiz, 2011) there correlation was weak significant and positive. COI has a weak and positive yet insignificant correlation with product category amounted to (0.14). It also has an insignificant weak positive correlation with brand image and purchase intention while, it has a negative weak correlation with consumers’ perception. According to the previous studies; the interaction between COI and product category was insignificant  at (correlation less than 0.05). Indicating that the product category will moderate the relation ship between the COI and consumer’s perception, brand image and purchase intention (Pappu, Quester, Cooksey, 2006, p.705) Two new significant correlations were deduced from the analysis; the brand image has a significant, weak, positive correlation with the purchase intentions (0.27) and also with the consumer perception (0.36). The prior correlation corresponds with previous studies (0.53) which states that â€Å"Brand image directly and positively impacts purchase intentions† (bu Esch et al. 2006). In light of our findings it appears to us that; COI has a positive impact on focal country’s brand image. This would be the case for Germany that has a strong reputation for cars in general (product) but also produces strong brands like BMW or Mercedes. Alternatively, a country like Turkey may develop a strong reputation for a certain type of product, such as carpets, but lacks the relevant skills to turn this product-related capability into strong and well-known brands (strong product image/weak brand image) Conceptually interesting are also cases where a country, such as Austria, manages to develop strong brands, for example Red Bull or Swarowski, but is not at all well known for its expertise in the respective product categories (weak product image/ strong brand image). It would be of immediate benefit for companies operating in such countries to analyze whether image advantages accrued by strong brands can also be used to support other less well-known brands in these product categories. Hypothesis Testing To test the hypotheses of the research, we used the correlation analysis in table 3 as an indicator. This testing resulted in several significant correlation and other insignificant ones and this analysis enabled us to reject and accept our previously stated hypothesis statements. Hypothesis H1 stated that COO image significantly affects how consumer perceives the product. The major substantive finding from the correlation analysis is that the correlation between the 2 variables is insignificant therefore H1 is  rejected. This finding doesn’t confirm the predictions of previous researchers that the country of origin image significantly impacts the consumer perceptions (including two important dimension consumer’s attitude and beliefs). Gary A. Knight and Roger J. Calantone (1999,p.131) stated that COI is a significant antecedent of attitudes and beliefs which form the consumer’s perceptions related to the product in question and this appear to be insignificant in our hypothesis testing. Hypothesis H2 predicted the existents of a significant influence of the COI and the brand image. Our findings support this hypothesis therefore H2 will be accepted. The correlation confirms that the COI is directly related to the brand image which supports the previous studies findings (Roth and Romeo, 1992; Hsieh et al, 2004) which stated that CI directly and positively impacts brand image. Hypothesis H3 stated that the country of origin asserts a significant impact on the purchase intention. The result of the correlation analysis shows a statistical significant relation between the two variables which supports our hypothesis therefore H3 is accepted. This finding confirms with the predictions of previous researchers that CI directly and positively impacts purchase intentions (Laroche et al, 2005) and also with â€Å"the country of origin has a significantly positive impact on purchase intention† stated by ( Shirin; Kambiz, 2011 p.605). Hypothesis H4 offered that the product category will moderate the relation between the COI and consumer perceptions, brand image and purchase intentions. The results supported the predictions made in H4,therefore H4 is accepted. This confirms with the pervious studies findings (Pappu, Quester and Cooksey, 2005 p.705). Conclusion The verification of the hypotheses in this paper leads to five conclusions: (1) Country-of-origin image has an insignificant influence on consumer perceptions (2) Country-of-origin image has a significantly positive influence on brand image; (3) Country of origin image has a significantly  positive influence on purchase intentions; (4) Brand image has a significantly positive influence on both consumer perceptions and purchase intentions; (5) product category moderates the relation between COI and the other 3 variables. The country-of-origin effect is an environmental factor that firms have to deal with whenever they trade in non-domestic market. Yet we can do little to change COI since it is defined by a set of historical and cultural attitudes rather than by anything lying within the control of an individual firm. The good news, however, is that consumer place (COO) below such things as quality and reliability as factor influencing purchase decision for instance Mercedes make good cars but don’t necessarily transfer such positive impression to other German products. Our findings confirms that consumers use a product’s COO as a cue in purchase decisions but this cue can be superseded by the brand image which proves to have a significant relation with the purchase intentions. Also COI insignificantly contribute to the consumer’s perceptions of a certain products this means that other information about the product reliability, quality or brand image will take precedence over COI in determining how people perceive a certain product. So where does this leave us? Companies cannot ignore COO effect but equally they should not rely on those effects in the promotion of their brands because for instance simply being an Italian clothing brand may be an advantage but it isn’t enough for the firm to rely solely on it when promoting its products. Any advantage from COO needs reinforcement through the marketing process this justifies the weak positive correlation between the COI and the brand image. In conclusion, COI is just one of many factors that influence the consumer’s decision to purchase or not to purchase a particular brand. And, yet again we find that consumers do not place a huge emphasis on where a product comes  from- unless they have nothing else on which to base a decision. â€Å"The origin of a product has never been more important in the minds of consumers† (Winter, 2004, p. 46). â€Å"Ninety three percent said it is good to know the origin of products such as where it came from and who made it. People are no longer content to pay for something superficial and hollow† (Winter, 2004, p. 46). Holt et al. (2004, p. 96) Elaborated on this sentiment by stating that consumers expect global brands to tell the myth from the particular places that are associated with the brand. In this research we are presenting both point of views supporting and against the idea that COI is considered an important external attribute that buyers take into account when making a purchase decisions. The research did not attempt to support a certain point of view that is why the predicted hypotheses were not initially directional. One of the limitations of the study was the number of samples collected. In our research we managed to collect 38 questionnaires which are relatively small in comparison to our population. More over the age range and income level range were narrow ranges also the reliability of the measurements imitated from previous papers of 2 variables including product category and COI was very weak; future studies shall consider such limitations. Reference Adamantios Diamantopoulos, Bodo Schlegelmilch, Dayananda Palihawadana,(2011), The relationship between country-of-origin image and brand image as drivers of purchase intentions. Ahmed, d’Astous, (1994), Comparison of country-of origin effects on household and organizational buyers’ product perceptions. Alexander Josiassen, A. Assaf, (2009), Country-of-origin contingencies: their joint influence on consumer behavior. APIL, (2006), Foreign Product Perceptions and Country of Origin Analysis across Black Sea; Studies on Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Russia, and Turkey Gerared P. Prendergast and Alex S.L. Tsang, (2010), The interactive influence of country origin of brand and product involvement on purchase intention. Hong, S. and Wyer, R.S. (1989), â€Å"Effects of country-of-origin and product attribute information or product evaluation: an information processing perspective Kamal Ghalandari and Abdollah Norouzi , (2012), The Effect of Country of Origin on Purchase Intention: The Role of Product Knowledge. Katja Jà ¤rvelà ¤inen, (2012), Effects of Country of Origin on Consumer Product Evaluations. Khosrozadeh Shirin, Heidarzadeh Hanzaee Kambiz, (2011), The Effect of the Country-of-Origin Image, Product Knowledge and Product Involvement on Consumer Purchase Decisions. Knight, Calantone, (1999), A flexible model of consumer country- of- origin perceptions. Pappu, Quester, Cooksey, (2005) Consumer-based brand equity and country-of-origin relationships. Piron, (2000), Consumers’ perception of the country of origin effect on purchase intentions of (in) conceptions products. Rezvani, Rahman, Fouladivand, Habibi,(2012), A Conceptual Study on the Country of Origin Effect on Consumer Purchase Intention. Schaefer, (1995), Consumer knowledge and country of origin effects. Zafar U. Ahmed, Imad J. Zbib, Arif Sikander, Ralph Gilbert Noujaim, (2012), Does country of brand origin (COBO) matter for the Lebanese consumers?

The Bicentennial Man

I would consider Andrew Martin that he became truly a human being. I think that Andrew has fulfilled the characteristics and personalities of a human being. These abilities are things that can only be observed in human, and these abilities are what makes human unique from other creatures. These abilities include consciousness, free will, emotions, feelings, mortality, and other things were all developed and possessed by Andrew. Although Andrew was made up of steels, it is not only the physical features that make us a human being. What more important is our inner features that make us human being; what a person thinks and expressing his actions determine his being. It is by expressing human freedom through his/her will that affirms his/her humanity. Andrew was able to learn and grows that made him fully understand what it is like being a human. It also portray that the used of â€Å"I† by Andrew that I think makes him truly a human being, it is because like what I’ve said he was able to assert his self and we all know that it is only human being who is capable of asserting oneself. In addition with that, it is Andrew’s will that defines his meaningfulness in becoming a human being. But we should also remember not to take for granted on our will; we must be responsible with everything we do, just like what Mr. Martin told Andrew after giving his freedom â€Å"you wish for freedom, you must accept the consequences†. It was Andrew’s will to obtain freedom and he must be responsible with it and accept the consequences.

Individual portfolio on global enterprise Essay - 2

Individual portfolio on global enterprise - Essay Example The introduction of globalisation along with its effectiveness is generally considered to have commenced in the decade of 1980s. The different aspects and the procedure of globalisation have become one of the key components for the financial development of a particular nation. In this context, the business organisations deeply concentrate upon globalisation factor because it might affect their financial performance along with other business aspects by a significant level (Stewart, 2007). Thus, on the basis of above discussed grounds, it can be stated that globalisation can be measured as a multidimensional character that crucially affects towards the worldwide phenomena. In this particular paper, the conception of globalisation along with its different impacts and importance towards the economy of a particular nation and also on the business organisations will be depicted. ... of Emirates Airlines will also be depicted. In addition, certain discussions will also be portrayed on the basis of a presentation along with developing an efficient idea regarding the conduct of the project. Section 1: Literature Review of Globalisation Theory According to Bertucci & Alberti, the conception of globalisation is fundamentally defined as a worldwide complex phenomenon that covers a broad assortment of trends along with tendencies particularly in the communal, cultural and financial dimensions. It can be described as a flow of products as well as services in different countries and it increases the global interrelation of business culture, people and financial functions. Moreover, Bertucci & Alberti also stated that globalisation facilitates in the worldwide distribution of the manufacturing products along with services through reducing certain restrictions towards international trade that include the export charges, tariffs and taxes and import quotas among others. It also minimises the restrictions upon the movement of investment as well as of capital. Thus, by focusing upon the above discussed functions of globalisation, it can be stated that globalisation may contribute towards financial progression and advancement in different nations whether developed or underdeveloped by a considerable extent (Bertucci & Alberti, n.d.). In this context, Bertucci & Alberti identified that there are certain noteworthy driving forces that lie behind the aspect of globalisation. The important driving forces include technological innovation as well as the notion of entrepreneurship. From the perspective of technological innovation, the introduction of latest and innovative technologies plays an integral role in making the aspect of globalisation

By studying the particular situation in somalia,illustrate how poverty Essay - 1

By studying the particular situation in somalia,illustrate how poverty links with conflict and vice versa ,and suggest ways in which international organisations can help realistically and effectively - Essay Example This led to a period when the country underwent a form of decentralization as independent regional governments were formed in the North by different groups (Thomashausen, 2002). The war against the ruling Somali government began near the end of the 1970s when the then socialist government began seeking out individuals suspected of taking part in the attempted coup dà ©tat of 1978 and executing them. Though the government captured many of these individuals who were military and government officials, a number of them managed to escape and flee the country (Degu, 2007). These ex officials began to form the first dissident groups that were determined to see Major General Mohamed Siad Barre, the leader of the government removed from power even if it meant the use of force. The demise of the ruling government and its army was the source of a power vacuum that was left as a result, and the main cause for the civil war that ensued thereafter as the different factions that had fought together to oust the Major general now fought with one another as each tried to assume control of essential regions most notably, the country’s capital (Thomashausen, 2002). Groups that had once been allies turned into foes as they failed to see eye to eye and agree over who should assume control from the fallen general leading to bloody clashes in which countless of innocent lives were lost in the process as they were caught up in between the warring factions. Though the conflict existed before this time, the main focus will be on the war from 1991 onwards for the purpose of this essay. In the year 1992, the United Nations decided to become involved in the civil war through helping those who were affected by it via providing human relief to those who were affected as well as help restore order in the country. One of the ways in which the UN strived to achieve these objectives was

HRM IN BUSINESS CONTEXT Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

HRM IN BUSINESS CONTEXT - Coursework Example Along with this another reason for the slowdown in the market is the inflow of the inferior quality of products into the market for futon which has acquired all the market share of the first time buyers or the students. The Furniture Manufacturer’s association have also appealed to the European Union for the control of such imports from India and the countries of the Far East (Hill and Jones 43-45). The changes in the policies of exports and imports of the government may have an effect on the revenue of the company. This will have an effect on the production level of the company and it would employ less people in the process of production. Thus there is threat of competition from the foreign countries. The company is also influenced by the government grants and in order to set up factory in such areas these grants are essential. Therefore it might be difficult for any other competing firm to open operations in Nottingham at ease (Palmer and Hartley 99-116). The availability of the hardwood and the softwood would have an influence on the costing of the company. Thus the barrier to entry is high for the new entrants. The company needs to have enough labour supply in order to continue with the production process. Since there is unemployment in the area the company can get adequate supply of labour. This means that the bargaining power of the labourers is low. The company is also influenced by the various laws relating to the emissions in the organisation. If the levels of emissions are not maintained the company would have to pay a huge amount of fine to the government. Niche Market for Futons and Sofa-beds The market for sofa beds and futons is a niche market because it is targeted towards those customers who are the students or the first time buyers. This market is an extremely specialised market in the town of Nottingham. The market is of the size of 10.7 billion pounds. The company though produces only a certain line of products, the company appeals to people of all the income groups. This is because the company has product made for the people who have lesser amount to spend as well as for those customers who generally look for the premium priced products. The company also caters to the unique styles and the wacky design segments for the furniture cover. These products are preferred by people with a different kind of taste. The import markets of the UK are mainly driven by China which account for 33% of the market share. The furniture is also imported from the Italian as well as German Markets. STEEPLE Analysis Social The products of the company are purchased by the people from different groups of income. Thus the portfolio of niche products of the company includes something to offer to each of the segments. The company has an opportunity to cater to the other markets. Technological The new methods of technique are used in the production process of the company. The company can use the advanced techniques of incorporating the high efficiency cyclones that would reduce the level of emissions. The incorporation of the new technology would also reduce the requirement of people in the company because the production process would be more automated. This would also be an opportunity for the company if the manufacture the various new technologically advanced products. Economic There are several economic factors that may affect the operations of the company.

243 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

243 - Essay Example â€Å"The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is deciding what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations.† 1 An individual has emotions, feelings, attitudes, hopes, aspirations and expectations. Interpersonal relations at work, physical and economic condition and ease at work determine productivity. Individual behavior is influenced by group behavior which in turn has impact on behavior of organization. â€Å"Employee Relations involves the body of work concerned with maintaining employer-employee relationships that contribute to satisfactory productivity, motivation, and morale.† 2 As the organization has to bring individuals together to achieve a common goal it needs to have certain parameters, guidelines and accepted norms to decide what and how these goals are to be achieved. For this a well defined human resource management is required in every organization. The maximum utilization of human resources is very essential to achieve organizational goals. â€Å"Employees are the most important and valuable asset of an organization.† 3 Retention strategies have to be clearly e xecuted. Employee retention will enable the organization to achieve goals. As organizations have different structures and these structures have a bearing on employee attitudes and behavior. The key components that make up an organization structure help in identifying the contingency factors that make certain structural designs preferable in varying situations. Thus a well structured organization provides a sound basis for effective planning and facilitates attainment of objectives through proper co-ordination and it promotes dignity of employment of

Museum Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Museum Report - Essay Example One of the practitioners of this style of painting was Paul Cezanne, a French painter, though some critics put him in the post-impressionist period. However a study of his works show that many of his paintings have the characteristics associated with the impressionist style (Impressionist 3). One example of Cezanne's work that exemplifies his style of painting is the 'Farmhouse and Chestnut Trees at Jas-de-Bouffan' the Cezanne family estate at Aix in the south of France. Cezzane's early work did not meet with much success, and it is only later, once introduced to this style of art that the "black and morbid atmosphere of his paintings gradually changes as he concentrates on landscape subjects" (Expo, Paul Cezanne). Moreover, impressionist paintings feature "short 'broken' strokes of pure untinted and unmixed color" (Impressionism 2) and these characteristics are very much in evidence in this painting, especially in the manner in which the leaves have been painted. This aspect has to be viewed in the backdrop of the technique then in vogue of "having an almost smooth surface of the canvas without visible brush strokes" (Impressionism 2). Another feature of this painting which also fits the Impressionist style is the absence of define lines to determine the edges of various objects, which is true of the chestnut tree

Comparing Unethical versus Ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparing Unethical versus Ethical - Essay Example The leaders were ethical by showing courage and standing for what was right and by deciding to offer these bonuses to the executive in these conditions. Furthermore, AIG leaders showed respect to the executive by honoring their contract, and they strived for fairness, honesty and straightforwardness for the sake of these executives. Giving bonuses to the executives is a way of encouraging and developing them; hence, it is an indication of ethical leadership. Therefore, in this situation AIG leaders can be considered ethical by possessing these attributes, portrayed through the decision of giving bonuses to the executives. According to Kellerman and Matusak (4), participative leaders commit themselves as members of the team, whereby they discuss with the team members in the decision-making process. Therefore, they seek consensus in order to make the final decision. For example, a participative leader seeks a consensus during negotiations, whereby he or she settles at a deal after consulting with the other team members. On the other hand, the authoritarian leadership is known to dictate task and timelines for completing the assignment for group in order to achieve the set objective. For example, authoritarian leadership style can be applied during a crisis, when the leader has to take control of a situation. Nevertheless, these leaders do not involve members of the team in decision-making. Servant leadership focuses on leading through virtue aimed at satisfying the needs of the team members. Therefore, this leader establishes a form of democracy among the team members. For example, democratic leaders are keen to listen to the members of the team, whereby the members are given the chance to offer their ideas to the process of decision-making. Moreover, power is achieved by these leaders through values and ideals, though there are convictions that this style of leadership is behind other leadership styles. Stewardship style of

Linguistics worksheet Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Linguistics worksheet - Lab Report Example Being brown eyed can be considered as a reason for believing in UFOs only if non brown eyed people are interviewed and none of them are found to believe in UFOs. b) This again does not prove the theory. It will just show that non brown-eyed people do not believe in UFOs. This does not define the reason of their disbelief nor does it show any connection between believing in UFOs and having brown eyes. a) We can take 10 people; 5 of whom drink coffee while studying and 5 who do not. An assignment will be given to all of them where they have to memorize words, facts or small poems over a period say 3 days. After three days, everyone is given an assignment which should contain few question to quote the learned things and few would be questions which to be answered, need the information they learnt in past 3 days. f) No, because individual memorizing capacity is inherent and can only sometimes depend on genetic conditions. Also, work environment does not change for people who take caffeine and who do not. It affects everyone similarly.

Tutorial Linguistic Essay Example for Free

Tutorial Linguistic Essay I. Linguistics analysis Linguistic Pitfalls aims at settling some problems of sentence meaning by identifying what problems there is. Meaning-Incompleteness(éâ€"•ç ¾ ©): lack of reference point (parameter), and the sentence meaning becomes incomplete. Ambiguity(æ ­ §Ã§ ¾ ©): more than one meaning in an expression, and the context cannot show which meaning it refers to. Vagueness(Ã¥  «Ã¦ · ·): some relative terms does not have a clear-cut boundary, and the expression becomes trivial. Reification(Ã¥ ¯ ¦Ã¥Å'â€"): an abstract name is used as concrete name, and it may arouses confusion. Colored Expression(è‘â€"è‰ ²): a situation is described by emotive terms without reason or explanations Idiosyncratic Sense(ç™â€"ç ¾ ©): use an abnormal meaning without explanation or announcement Whether it commits linguistic pitfalls, we have to identify if it offenses the PRINCIPLE and harms out thinking. II. Exercises Identify which pitfalls they commit with justifications. 1. æŸ Ã¨ ­ °Ã¥â€œ ¡Ã¨ ¢ «Ã¦â€° ¹Ã¨ ©â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¤ ºâ€¹Ã¨ ¦ ªÃ¤ ¸ ­Ã¯ ¼Å'æŸ Ã¨ ­ °Ã¥â€œ ¡Ã§â€º ´Ã¨ ª Ã¤ ¸ Ã¨ « ±Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ¸ ¦Ã¤ ¸â€Ã¨ ª ªÃ¯ ¼Å¡Ã£â‚¬Å'ä ¸ ­Ã¥Å"‹ä º ºÃ¨ ¦ ªÃ¤ ¸ ­Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã§ â€ Ã¦â€°â‚¬Ã§â€¢ ¶Ã§â€ž ¶Ã§Å¡â€žÃ£â‚¬â€šÃ£â‚¬  2. 我çÅ"‹éŸ“劇æÅ"Æ'å“ ­Ã¯ ¼Å'å›  Ã§â€š ºÃ¦Ë†â€˜Ã¥ ¿Æ'è… ¸Ã¥ ¥ ½Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ ½â€ Ã¤ ½  Ã¤ ¸ Ã¤ ¸â‚¬Ã¦ ¨ £Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ½  Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ¦ ¿ «Ã¦Æ'…〠Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ¦Ëœâ€œÃ¥ â€"Ã¥ ½ ±Ã©Å¸ ¿Ã£â‚¬â€š 3. Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¦ ª ¢Ã¨Ë†â€°Ã¥ ®ËœÃ¨ ³ ªÃ¥â€¢ Ã¤ ¸â€¹Ã¯ ¼Å'å…‹æžâ€"é  â€œÃ¦â€° ¿Ã¨ ª Ã¦â€™ «Ã¦â€˜ ¸Ã¤ »â€"ä º ºÃ¨Æ' ¸Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¥ Å Ã§ § Ã¨â„¢â€¢Ã¤ » ¥Ã¥Ë† ºÃ¦ ¿â‚¬Ã¤ »â€"ä º ºÃ¦â‚¬ §Ã¦ ¬ ²Ã¯ ¼Å'æ˜ ¯Ã¦â‚¬ §Ã©â€"Å"ä ¿â€šÃ¤ ¸â‚¬Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ ½â€ Ã§â€¢ ¶Ã¨ ³ ªÃ¥â€¢ Ã¤ »â€"Ã¥ ° Ã¥  £Ã¤ º ¤Ã§Å¡â€žÃ§Å"‹æ ³â€¢Ã¦Ëœ ¤Ã¯ ¼Å'ä »â€"ä ¸â‚¬Ã¥â€  Ã¥ ¼ ·Ã¨ ª ¿Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¥â€¦ ¶Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã§ ¾ ©Ã¤ ¸ ­Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥  £Ã¤ º ¤Ã¤ ¸ Ã§ ®â€"æ€ §Ã©â€"Å"ä ¿â€šÃ¤ ¸â‚¬Ã©Æ' ¨Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ »â€"與è Å Ã¦ º «Ã¦â€" ¯Ã¥Å¸ ºÃ¦ ²â€™Ã¦Å "‰æ€ §Ã©â€"Å"ä ¿â€šÃ£â‚¬â€š 4. ä ¸ »Ã¥ ¸ ­Ã¤ ¸ Ã¦ » ¿Ã¨ ¨ËœÃ¨â‚¬â€¦Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¦  Ã¥â€¢ Ã¨ ª ªÃ¯ ¼Å'ã€Å'ä ½  Ã¥â‚¬â€˜Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ¥ « ©Ã¤ ºâ€ Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ¥â€¢ Ã© ¡Å'Ã¥ ¤ ªÃ§ ° ¡Ã¥â€" ®Ã¯ ¼Å'æÅ"‰æ™‚æ› ´Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã¥ ¤ ©Ã§Å"Ÿã€‚〠 5. æŸ Ã¦ ¥Å Ã¥Å" ¨Ã¤ »â€"çš„æ› ¸Ã£â‚¬Å Ã©â€ Å"陋的ä ¸ ­Ã¥Å"‹ä º ºÃ£â‚¬â€¹Ã¤ ¸ ­Ã¦Å'‡å‡ ºÃ¯ ¼Å'ã€Å'ä ¸ ­Ã¥Å"‹ä º ºÃ¦Ëœ ¯Ã©â€ Å"陋的〠Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ½  Ã¨ ª Ã¥ Å'Ã¥â€"Žï ¼Å¸ 6. é› »Ã¨ ¨Å Ã¥â€¦ ¬Ã¥  ¸Ã¥ » £Ã¥â€˜Å Ã¯ ¼Å¡Ã£â‚¬Å'æâ€" °Ã¨ ¨Ë†Ã¥Å Æ'æ ¯ Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã© ËœÃ¤ ¾ ¿Ã¥ ®Å"ï ¼â€Ã¦ ¯â€ºÃ©Å' ¢Ã£â‚¬â€šÃ£â‚¬  7. æŸ Ã¨ ¶â€¦Ã¥ ¸â€šÃ¥ » £Ã¥â€˜Å Ã¨ ª Ã§â€š ºÃ¯ ¼Å'è ² ¨Ã¥â€œ Ã¦ ¸â€ºÃ¥Æ' ¹Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã§â€š ºÃ¤ ½  Ã¥â‚¬â€˜Ã¦ ¶Ë†Ã¨ ² »Ã¨â‚¬â€¦Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¦â€" ¥Ã¨ ³ ºÃ©Å' ¢Ã£â‚¬â€š 8. é ¦â„¢Ã¦ ¸ ¯Ã© â€™Ã¥ ¹ ´(80Ã¥ ¾Å')æ˜ ¯Ã¥  ¯Ã¦â‚¬â€¢Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¥â€¹â€¢Ã¤ ºâ€šÃ¥Ë†â€ Ã¥ ­ Ã£â‚¬â€š 9. çÆ' ¹Ã© £ ªÃ¦â€¢â„¢Ã¥ ¸ «Ã¦â€¢â„¢Ã¦Å½Ë†Ã¥ ­ ¸Ã§â€Å¸Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¤ ½â€¢Ã§â€¦ ®Ã¦Å½â€™Ã© ª ¨Ã¦â„¢â€šÃ¯ ¼Å'æÅ'‡å‡ ºÃ¯ ¼Å¡Ã£â‚¬Å'è ¦ Ã¥Å   Ã¥â€¦ ¥Ã©  ©Ã©â€¡ Ã§Å¡â€žÃ© ¹ ½Ã¥â€™Å'ç ³â€"。〠 10. æ› ¼Ã¨  ¯Ã§â„¢ ¼Ã¨ ¨â‚¬Ã¤ º ºÃ¦Å'‡å‡ ºÃ¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦Å¾Å"é ¦â„¢Ã¦ ¸ ¯Ã©â€šâ‚¬Ã¨ «â€¹Ã¦â€º ¼Ã¨  ¯Ã¥Ë† °Ã© ¦â„¢Ã¦ ¸ ¯Ã¤ ½Å"è ³ ½Ã¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¿â€¦Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã¦ ´ ¾Ã¥â€¡ ºÃ¤ ¸ »Ã¥Å â€ºÃ§ Æ'å“ ¡Ã£â‚¬ Ã¦Å"ی ¼ ·Ã©â„¢ £Ã¥ ® ¹Ã¦  ±Ã¤ ¾â€ Ã£â‚¬â€š 11. Ã¥ Æ'å… ¬Ã¤ »â€Ã©  ¢Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã§â€ž ¡Ã§â€ºÅ Ã§Å¡â€žÃ£â‚¬â€š 12. Ã¥ ¦â€šÃ¦Å¾Å"æ„›æÆ'…å  â€¦Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã¯ ¼Å'怎æ ¨ £Ã§Å¡â€žÃ¨ ¡ Ã¦â€œÅ Ã©Æ' ½Ã¤ ¸ Ã¨ ®Å Ã¯ ¼â€ºÃ¥ ¦â€šÃ¦Å¾Å"æ„›æÆ'…ä ¸ Ã¥  â€¦Ã¥ ®Å¡Ã¯ ¼Å'æ ²â€™Ã¦Å"‰è ¡ Ã¦â€œÅ Ã©Æ' ½Ã¦Å"Æ'è ®Å Ã£â‚¬â€š 13. ï ¼â€™Ã¯ ¼ Ã¯ ¼ Ã¯ ¼ Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ¸â‚¬Ã¤ ½ Ã¨  ¯Ã¦â€"‡æ‰€å“ ¡Ã¥ · ¥Ã£â‚¬Å'æÅ'‰éÅ' ¯Ã¦Å½ £Ã£â‚¬ Ã¯ ¼Å'把å ¾Å'å‚™é› »Ã¦ º Ã©â€"Å"掉ï ¼Å'ä » ¤Ã©â€º »Ã¨â€¦ ¦Ã§ ³ »Ã§ µ ±Ã§â„¢ ±Ã§Ëœâ€œÃ¯ ¼Å'Ã¥ ¼â€¢Ã¨â€¡ ´Ã¨â€š ¡Ã§ ¥ ¨Ã¤ º ¤Ã¦Ëœâ€œÃ¥ Å"ä ºâ€ Ã¯ ¼â€™Ã¯ ¼ Ã¥Ë†â€ Ã© ËœÃ£â‚¬â€šÃ¤ ½â€ Ã¨  ¯Ã¤ º ¤Ã¦â€°â‚¬Ã¨ ¡Å'æ” ¿Ã§ ¸ ½Ã¨ £ Ã¥ ¾ Ã¨â‚¬â‚¬Ã¨  ¯Ã¥  â€¦Ã§ ¨ ±Ã©â‚¬â„¢Ã¥  ªÃ¦Ëœ ¯Ã£â‚¬Å'ä º ºÃ¦â€°â€¹Ã¦â€ž Ã¥ ¤â€"〠Ã¯ ¼Å'ä ¸ Ã¦Ëœ ¯Ã£â‚¬Å'ä º ºÃ§â€š ºÃ©Å' ¯

Common Misconceptions Essay Example for Free

Common Misconceptions Essay Commonly thought of as belligerently walking the streets late at night, or at any time in fact, the Irish culture is inaccurately perceived as the drinking type, at any point of the day on any day of the week, though usually all of the above. Americans drink, French people do too, as well as our friends from Great Britain, but for some reason people always accuse those Irish people of being too drunk too often. It just so happens to be that I am Irish, and American, though I am not drunk at this time of writing this paper. I may just be the exception, as many people believe or have believed at some time that they are just heavy drinkers. There are the stories we are told, how the potato famine in Ireland was a result of the Irish being too drunk to realize something’s wrong with their potatoes, and possibly continue to believe nothing is wrong. Then they came over to America and brought their drinking problems and potato famine ignorance with them and the rest is history that they will soon forget. With them jumping seas, it gave us Americans an excuse for our own belligerent ways; we could use those drunken Irish as a scapegoat! Now, if we are caught by our friends in a bush after a long night, we may say â€Å"It’s alright, I’m Irish, I’m just respecting my ancestry† or we have an excuse to celebrate the holiday St. Patrick’s day, which is more of a reason to drink than celebrate the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. If this myth helps All-Americans get out of sticky situations through deception, than it sure is doing its job, just be sure to say â€Å"I’m Irish† and wear that green clover hat every once in a while. Some could find it offensive, such as the Irish who didn’t jump ship because they paid good attention to their potatoes. So instead of reading the myth as â€Å"those drunken Irish are always drunk†, it should read â€Å"those drunken Irish who forgot about their potatoes are always drunk†. Now, where’s my shot glass?

Economy During Civil War and Slavery

Economy During Civil War and Slavery Group A: Colonial Experience 3. How could each of the various labor arrangements extant in the colonies be characterized? Why did the mix of people working under different arrangements change over time? The labor arrangements in colonial times widely varied from indentured servitude, redemptioners, prisoners, African slaves, to those from the free population. Indentured servants were individuals contracted to a certain type of work for an agreed upon amount of time, typically lasting from four to seven years (Hughes Cain, 2007). Their contracted work is in return for transportation across the Atlantic, as well as food, clothing, housing and perhaps training in a specific craft. Redemptioners were immigrants from Europe who were brought over by ship captains and were allowed a specified time to pay the captain back after arrival; according to Hughes Cain, payments were often made by placing one of their children into indentured servitude. While the transportation of prisoners over to colonial America was not the most popular of methods to acquire workers, it was still an important one nonetheless. Men and women convicted of a crime punishable by death in England were allowed to liv e on the condition of transporting themselves elsewhere. Ship captains welcomed prisoners on their voyage, as they proved to be a valuable commodity since they would trade them for produce before making the voyage back to Europe. The most well-known of all labor arrangements was that of African slaves. They were not protected as British subjects nor had any status in court, which means the slaves were unable to contract their own labor. Slaves were also considered their master’s property for life, including any children the slaves may bear. Lastly, the final form of labor was those from the free population who on their own funds purchased transportation to the colonies, which therefore made them eligible for individual land grants. Over time, indentutured servants became less enticing to employers, as slaves were cheaper for unskilled labor; most indentured servants were eventually replaced by African slaves or white servants. Once America gained its independence, British prisoners were understandably less welcomed in the new country as well. As new circumstances arise, the labor market changes accordingly to fit with the needs of the new market. Group B: Slavery and the Civil War 4. In what ways were the economic situations and economic policy interests of the south and other regions shared and different, in the years leading up to the civil war? While the Civil War mainly revolved around the fundamental differences between the north and the south, often times the similarities of economic policy of the two sides can be overlooked. For starters, both economies relied heavily on farming and they both used similar methods while working the land, even if the north was far more advanced from an industrial manufacturing point of view. As far as the economic differences, one need not look any further than the labor market of the two sides. In the south, the labor market was obviously driven by slave labor, as that was one of their main fighting points and a direct reason for secession; while the north did not allow slavery, but as a consequence, the labor was significantly more expensive than that of the south. Tariffs were a fundamental difference between the two sides as well; the south opposed tariffs entirely, as they wanted to keep the price of imported goods low. The north on the other hand was a proponent of imposing high tar iffs; this is because the higher the tariff from other countries, the more competitive the price of goods produced in the north would be. Without such tariffs, the goods from Europe were a cheaper option for the south to purchase, instead of directly benefitting the northern economy. As Baack and Ray assert, â€Å"the fact that tariff cuts were systematically associated with fast growth industries†¦lends support to our contention that tariff rates across industries and tariff changes over time were structured to serve the narrow economic protectionist needs of special interest groups† (Hughes Cain, 2007). The north had narrow interests in supporting their own economy and imposing tariffs served as that protection for special interest groups, exactly as Baack and Ray contended. This idea also lends itself with the concept of infant industry, where new economies may achieve domestic economic growth if only they initially shield themselves from foreign competition. The fin al difference lied in industrial manufacturing, as it was almost solely occurring in the north while the south had little involvement in the initial American industrial revolution. Group C: The Nineteenth Century 8. What were the key characteristics of industrialization in US, and important contributing factors? Immediately following the Civil War, the United States underwent what is now referred to as the â€Å"industrialization† process, where production by machine replaced manual labor and where new inventions and applied science were greatly emphasized. Some key characteristics of American industrialization include an increasing proportion of workers involved with manufacturing, as well as an overall greater availability of labor. Hughes and Cain (2007, p. 343) contend, â€Å"[w]orkers generally made their way into the industries experiencing the most rapid growth and demand for labor, producing relatively rapid labor force expansion.† Other key characteristics included growth of a national transportation network and expanded markets with ability to move products and raw materials quickly. Industrialization necessitated a wide-reaching transportation system for rapid movement of raw materials and finished products, which gave way for the steam engine and the railroad system . As Hughes and Cain (2007, p. 287) assert, â€Å"[t]he products of farm and factory, thousands of miles apart in their origins, were now easily mixed in the country’s new establishments of manufacturing and distribution.† The rail network provided a way for products to be shipped from New York to far reaching west coast towns at a pace previously unimagined. Isolated markets quickly became a thing of the past in the United States, as individuals living in previously unreached economies now had the access to products that were completely unavailable before the advent of the railroad. One of the final key characteristics of American industrialization included a steady increase in size and population of urban areas. As the population and labor availability increased, cities meant jobs and a variety of opportunities for a myriad of individuals. The extent of the economic scale of cities includes: transportation, education, medicine, sewage systems, central water, commutat ion, etc. The different amenities and job prospect attracted individuals to urban areas across the United States. Industrialization was clearly a major component of the advanced society of today, as it connected America through transportation, communication, utilizing cheaper raw goods, and taking advantage of an abundance of employment opportunities.

Analyzing Ibsens Character, Hedda Gabler Essay -- Character Analysis,

Henrik Ibsen's character, Hedda Gabler, is a woman who is torn between her desires and the expectations required of someone of her social standing. At the onset of the play, Hedda has been married for six months, but she still clings to her maiden name, as evident in the title of the play, â€Å"Hedda Gabler.† Her reluctance at accepting her new name is symbolic of her dissatisfaction of being married; she misses the freedom of being single, while at the same time longs to be married to an aristocrat, to someone who is more important in society than her husband is. Hedda was raised under the rule of her military father, General Gabler, and was probably subjected to strict rules and discipline. Growing up she learned nothing of the domestic skills and expectations required of the women of her social standing; she also learned nothing about motherhood, which left her feeling terrified and lost once she learned she was pregnant. Instead, she learned how to shoot pistols and ride horses. Her high social standing never left her in want of any possessions; Hedda was â€Å"used to having things in the General's time† (168). She was constantly engaged in social situations with suitors who, though she was beautiful, did not want to marry her. Her lack of prospects within the aristocratic class led her to accept a marriage proposal from Jà ¶rgen Tesman, a scholar of lower social standing. Her husband's potential failure at being able to obtain a respectable position at a university leaves Hedda fearing her security and the possibility of not being able to afford new and expensive possessions. Upon her first appearance on stage, one can garner some very important clues as to Hedda's personality. She is â€Å"aristocratic and elegant† (175) and ... ...p† (203) between herself, her husband, and Brack. The inevitability of an impending affair, coupled with her unwanted pregnancy and loveless marriage, convinced Hedda that she was losing all control of her life. Suicide was Hedda's final attempt at regaining her control. She destroyed her and Tesman's child, just as she had done with Mrs. Elvsted and Là ¶vborg's â€Å"child;† if she did not love the unborn child, no one else was going to be able to. But foremost, she wanted to be able to escape male dominion, most notably that of Brack's. She did not relish the idea of having to cater to his needs and abhorred the idea of having an affair because, if someone found out, it would cause a scandal. In Hedda's eyes, the only way out of this dire situation was to commit suicide. But her death was not going to be hideous like Là ¶vborg's was; hers was going to be beautiful.

Essay --

University of La Verne, MBA Program BUS 665-CRN1285 Strategic Marketing Management Mid-Term Examination by Vivek Vaswani Mid Term Answers: Part I) For a single product or service that your firm provides, discuss and evaluate how your customers perceive value and how your organization delivers customer value. Answer: Company: I work as a Talent Manager at the ESI Network. The ESI Network is a talent management firm that has built its reputation in the entertainment industry over the last two decades. Though it is a full-service management firm, which means it represents the careers of actors, directors and writers, I will be focusing the scope of this answer on the on-camera division that manages the actors. Product: The product, or in this case the service I am focusing on is the on-camera division that manages the careers of actors. Our youngest talent is 2 years of age, and our oldest client is 97 years old. This division’s expanse covers about 260 clients. To make it easier to manage, the roster is broken up into categories by age a) The Kidz which covers 2-17 years old, b) The Young Adults which covers 18-29 years old, c) The Adults which covers 30-55, and d) The Seniors which covers 55 and up. These are further divided into â€Å"Tiers† internally that help us as a team to prioritize our focus on individuals who we consider as the upper echelon of our roster. The existence of these Tiers and the knowledge of which individuals are compartmentalized within them are privy only to the members of the firm and never the clients. In keeping with the Pareto principle, Tier 1 comprises of talent that deliver 80% of the total of ESI’s gross earnings annually, Tier 2 comprises individuals who bring in 10% of revenue... ...e parent’s status in their social circles. A lot of them like to gush that â€Å"their eight-year old† has a manager. On the other hand an adult client in our Tier 1 section who is bringing in upwards of $250,000 per year will require management that is extremely hands-on. For such clients we are running their daily schedules, working with them on a business plan to build their brand, monitoring their projects and checking in with their publicists and agents on a daily basis. Thus through the use of CRM, we at ESI can promote successfully to market segments. By retrieving information in our database various departments can customize products and create promotions designed to cater to very specific customer’s wants and needs. This increases profitability for the firm overall, and more importantly is able to allow us to retain more customers for a longer period of time. Essay -- University of La Verne, MBA Program BUS 665-CRN1285 Strategic Marketing Management Mid-Term Examination by Vivek Vaswani Mid Term Answers: Part I) For a single product or service that your firm provides, discuss and evaluate how your customers perceive value and how your organization delivers customer value. Answer: Company: I work as a Talent Manager at the ESI Network. The ESI Network is a talent management firm that has built its reputation in the entertainment industry over the last two decades. Though it is a full-service management firm, which means it represents the careers of actors, directors and writers, I will be focusing the scope of this answer on the on-camera division that manages the actors. Product: The product, or in this case the service I am focusing on is the on-camera division that manages the careers of actors. Our youngest talent is 2 years of age, and our oldest client is 97 years old. This division’s expanse covers about 260 clients. To make it easier to manage, the roster is broken up into categories by age a) The Kidz which covers 2-17 years old, b) The Young Adults which covers 18-29 years old, c) The Adults which covers 30-55, and d) The Seniors which covers 55 and up. These are further divided into â€Å"Tiers† internally that help us as a team to prioritize our focus on individuals who we consider as the upper echelon of our roster. The existence of these Tiers and the knowledge of which individuals are compartmentalized within them are privy only to the members of the firm and never the clients. In keeping with the Pareto principle, Tier 1 comprises of talent that deliver 80% of the total of ESI’s gross earnings annually, Tier 2 comprises individuals who bring in 10% of revenue... ...e parent’s status in their social circles. A lot of them like to gush that â€Å"their eight-year old† has a manager. On the other hand an adult client in our Tier 1 section who is bringing in upwards of $250,000 per year will require management that is extremely hands-on. For such clients we are running their daily schedules, working with them on a business plan to build their brand, monitoring their projects and checking in with their publicists and agents on a daily basis. Thus through the use of CRM, we at ESI can promote successfully to market segments. By retrieving information in our database various departments can customize products and create promotions designed to cater to very specific customer’s wants and needs. This increases profitability for the firm overall, and more importantly is able to allow us to retain more customers for a longer period of time.

The Search for Large Extra Dimensions using Dijet Production from pp Collisions at 1.8 TeV :: Physics Papers

The Search for Large Extra Dimensions using Dijet Production from pp Collisions at 1.8 TeV Abstract The search for extra dimensions has been a topic of great interest and has been investigated with a variety of methods and techniques of analysis.[1,2,3,4] The existence of Large Extra Dimensions (LED) can be determined given that (at ~ Mew or greater) gravity and its mediator, the graviton (spin 2), can access these extra dimensional manifolds. Atwood has developed a model using hadron colliders and the cross-sections for a 2 T 2 hadronic dijet process.[2] We propose to use this model and to make a best fit as well as to establish bounds using Ms, the Planck energy scale for when quantum gravity causes a noticeable change from the SM, and n, the number of compacted extra dimensions. Introduction Popular string theories predict a 10 + 1 dimension space-time with the extra dimensions creating compacted manifolds. However, the size of these manifolds would be on the order of 10-35 m, and the energy needed for experimental test is significantly far out of the range of even very imaginative future colliders. The model proposed by Arkani-Hamed, Dimopoulos, and Dvali (ADD) introduces the possibility for extra dimensions (ED) to exist in order to solve the hierarchy problem of the physics at two very different energy scales. The first scale is the current experimental scale where physics is dictated by the SM (~Mew, the electro-weak scale), and the other scale is at the Planck scale (MPl).[1] In addition, ED may also help explain losses in transverse momenta and monojet events.[1,2,3,4]. The strength of gravity is about 1037 times weaker than the weak nuclear force. At some point on the energy scale, as most physics and especially Grand Unified Theories seem to indicate, all of the forces must be â€Å"unified.† This will certainly happen around the Planck energy scale (MPl  » 1017 GeV). Although the three strongest forces appear to be coming closer in relative strength with increasing energy, an extrapolation of the coupling constants for these forces using the SM will not cross at the same point.[5] However, supersymmetry and other related theories such as Technicolor, which have be cleverly devised in part to solve this (7s) problem, seem to predict that they will cross together with additional physics beyond the SM.[1,5] On the other hand, if unification is to occur, at some point gravity must make a tremendous climb in strength to be unified with the other forces.

Othello – Iago’s Deception of Roderigo

In this passage, Iago is trying to persuade Roderigo that they both have a common enemy, Othello, and that they should work together in their revenge against him. Iago wants revenge because Othello gave the promotion of lieutenant to Cassio instead of him. Roderigo wants revenge because Othello is married to Desdemona, the woman Roderigo is madly in love with. The passage then ends with Roderigo leaving the stage, leaving Iago alone to recite a soliloquy, revealing his true emotions to the audience for the first time. In his first speech, Iago seems very controlling over Roderigo; he starts his speech by two consecutive gestures implicating that he is the superior character in the scenario. He starts by telling Roderigo how he feels towards Iago, â€Å"Thou art sure of me†, leaving no room for Roderigo to question him. This boldly tells the audience that Iago is the decision maker in this duo, as he is making an important decision for Roderigo, whether to trust Iago or not. Roderigo’s indecision has made him ‘weak’. Iago then immediately orders Roderigo to go ‘make money’, which further emphasizes Iago’s superiority. Iago then goes on to trying to comfort Roderigo with the orders and decisions Iago is making for him, in a sense, by showing him how they are both in common and want the same final outcome (that they both hate Othello and want him to suffer). â€Å"I have told thee often, and I retell thee again and again, I hate the moor†, Iago uses the words ‘again and again’ to emphasize and make clear and definite how much he loathes Othello, and then says ‘my cause is hearted’ to express how important it is for him to have revenge on Othello (he craves it deep down in his heart, hence it is hearted). Iago then proposes that he and Roderigo should work together in an accumulative effort to avenge against Othello, and continues to try and persuade him to trust him. He says ‘ if thou canst cuckold him, thou dost thyself a pleasure, me a sport’ to ensure Roderigo that he can help him in sleeping with Desdemona, which will bring great pleasure to Roderigo, and will be easy to accomplish for Iago, much like a ‘sport’. The word ‘sport’ is particularly interesting as, in my opinion, it makes Iago seem very wicked because it seems as if sabotaging relationships is a sport to him, an act that brings him joy and others sorrow. ‘For I mine own gained†¦. But for my sport and profit’, this sentence which Iago says in his soliloquy, suggests to the audience that Iago is a selfish or self-empowering person, meaning that he would not spend time or waste knowledge unless it somehow benefited him. In Iago’s soliloquy, it is the first time the audience gets to see how he processes the events of the play and how he thinks and plans his revenge against Othello. He reveals how he plans to turn Othello and Cassio against one another and, by doing so, ‘eliminating two birds with one stone. This also stimulates a sense of suspense, as the audience is aware of the damage that will happen in the future but are not aware of how it will happen. During the soliloquy, Iago presents his two-faced character, which the audience by now will have suspected he has. After Roderigo leaves, Iago immediately starts his soliloquy by expressing how much of a fool Roderigo is, and how Iago is only using him as a sort of personal piggy bank. â€Å"Thus do I ever make my fool my purse†. This immediately makes it clear and obvious to the audience that Iago is not what he seems and what the other characters believe him to be, honest and loyal. This bluntly imprints Iago’s true personality into the minds of the audience.

Comparative Analysis of Models in the Competitive Market

Every rational individual acknowledges that businesses need to be competitive in order to thrive. My comparative analysis will recognize the various models used in the competitive marketplace and compare the end-results of these models. The four models that I will be comparing are: step checklist, transformation model, Mintzberg’s physiognomy, and the economic sector analysis. In line with my analysis I will also be using my experience as a sales marketer for Aramco Oil Company to provide key examples about how these fundamental processes occur on an every day basis. When comprehending comparative models you must first understand that a model is simply a complex or systematic description of the competitive marketplace. These models are used to aid individuals in seeing the structure or design of the marketplace. Initially, we will focus first on the transformation model and its hand in the marketplace. Looking at the general word ‘transform’ you will see how wisely chosen this process is. To transform is to create something from a raw material. In this model, this transformation occurs when inputs are transformed to outputs. This process is a very high level look at the marketplace. It looks simply at what manner of item when in to the system in order to procure a end result item. Almost like a circuit, it is the in-s and out-s which keep the market process in a continuous movement and growth. The more raw material which goes into a system the more outputs you expect to see. In my role, as a sales marketer of Aramco Oil Company I see this process every day. The raw material of oil is processed to produce a high demand product, and thus the transformation process is a never-ending cycle. As a model though, this process does not account for all the idiosyncrasies or complex factors that play a role in the create of this high end product. In fact, the process is so high leveled that I see the Step Checklist as a much more logical look at the process (Armson, Rosalind, John Martin, Susan Carr, Roger Spear, and Tony Walsh.) Of the four models being compared, the Step Checklist is by far the most organized in its structural intact and outlook on the competitive market. This checklist looks at the key influences in the competitive marketplace. It focuses on the social, technological, economic, and political influences by concisely breaking down various aspects of how, why, where, when, and what possible affects they have on an organization. Unlike the transformation model, this checklist supplies the analyzer with various possibilities to be on the lookout for when determining a course of action. Furthermore, this checklist allows for a simplistic and widely applicable usage of these factors. Whereas the transformation model was a very board look at the inputs and outputs, this Step Checklist is a systematic perspective of social factors like demographics and age-groups. By looking at the technological components of the competitive marketplace, a company like my own has the opportunity to ensure that it is staying or making advancements along with the competitive other players. Economic changes can be watched or statistically analyzed to make appropriate changes or adaptations should the competitive marketplace change. My company is a key player in the oil industry and must gauge how its future profitability will be at the best advantage. From a political avenue, this model is essential to make sure that all players in the competitive marketplace are aware of legislative policies or strategies that might affect the industry. Furthermore, politics has a constant role in policies changing or advancements. Should a sales representative like myself not account for this changes our clients will see that we are not staying in line with policies and perhaps be adversely affected by our lack of adhering to those policies. This analysis of competitors is a means towards identifying the company’s competitors, understanding what their strategies are, recognizing their objectives, seeing how their strengths and weaknesses are seen in a checklist manner, and recognizing reaction patterns to those factors which affect the marketplace (Kotler 234-247) Moving on to the Mintzberg’s physiognomy model, many analysts might see this model as highly subjective in origin. In comparison to both the Transformation and Step Checklist models, this model is dependent on looking at the power various players wield in the competitive marketplace or industry. This model stresses that there is a ‘cast of characters’ in an organization which ranges from owners to employees to special interest groups to various other entities. Based upon this model, we see a very visual representation of the marketplace. It is unique to see the differences between the models. Transformation model is seemingly a process flow. The Step Checklist was created based upon influences and logically connects or affects upon the industry. Now here we have Mintzberg’s physiognomy’s model. What stuck out at me first is that physiognomy is clearly the study of a person’s palm to determine that individual’s fate. This destiny is determined based upon a higher source of power which dictates what is to occur in the future for that individual. Here this model looks at the ‘power’ play of what will determine the fate of the company based upon the various sectors which play a role in its maintaining profitability (Armson, Rosalind, John Martin, Susan Carr, Roger Spear, and Tony Walsh.). It focuses primarily on the strategies or activities of these entities. These strategies or activities will overall affect the competitive industry in some manner. For instance, in my company should the owners fail to provide adequate compensation to the employees they can either strike or retain work elsewhere. If the company lacks adequately experienced employees it will fail to retain clients or creditability in the eyes of its public. This can potentially damage or hinder the economic profitability or continued success of Aramco Oil Company. If that occurs, as a sales marketer I will have a difficult time convincing others that the company is maintaining its correct directions and gross profit margins. At this time, I will roll right into the economic sector analysis model. The competitive marketplace is built on the ideology of ‘economics’. This fundamental model looks at sectors, the environment, and markets. Without bumping the company against its competitors we will fail to recognize where growth or change is required. The sectors themselves compete amongst themselves and there are definite signs of where one company might be affecting or causing a chain-reaction within other companies. For instance, an EDI system allows for less manual maintenance. If a company fails to make appropriate changes or does not advance itself like other, then the other companies in that particular sector will swiftly overtake its market shares. In the oil industry there is often a state of rapid growth and it is wise for a company to watch for such changes. Like the Mintzberg’s physiognomy, there is a look at the power players or influences in this model. The power look in this case is the economic sector and other players in that particular sector. All in all, measures must be taken to ensure that the marketplace is watched for its stability, and adversely if unstable occurrences are happening. These models can all be used to determine how the competitive marketplace is doing and how to identify influences that affect it. In general, these models each have their strengths and weaknesses. In general each model can be used to analyze various aspects of the marketplace. This analysis can be broken down into the strategies used to determine how the marketplace needs to react as changes occur in it and around it. Works Cited: Armson, Rosalind, John Martin, Susan Carr, Roger Spear, and Tony Walsh. Understanding Business   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Environments: Identifying Environmental Issues, 2000 Kotler, Philip. Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation, and Control. Sixth Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1988

Process Essay

Jeana Hughes English 101 Process Essay Draft February 19, 2013 No Bake Cookies Peanutbutter Chocolate No Bake Cookies recipe is one of the most easiest recipe I have ever made. My reason for saying this is because there is no baking involved. The steps for making is really quite easy. I am going to first start out with a list of ingredients and supplies I use. ? Cup Milk 2 sticks butter 2 Cups sugar ? Cup cocoa ? tsp vanilla 3 Cups quick oats ? Cup peanutbutter 8 Qt pan, 2 sheets waxpaper, and two spoonsI start out going ahead and laying out waxpaper so that it is ready when the cookie dough is done. I then get my pan on the stove. I add the milk, sticks of butter, sugar and cocoa. Once I have added all the ingredients I turn the stove on high. I stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. I then let it boil without stirring for 1 minute. Then I remove from heat. Thus will bring me to my second step. I will then add the vanilla, quick oats, and peanutbutter, stirring mixture well. I consider this my third step. I bring my pan with the cookie dough over to where I have my wax paper layed out.I then use two teaspoons one for scooping and one for scraping off. I start getting teaspoonfuls of cookie dough and dropping it on wax paper. I continue doing this till all cookie dough is used. My final step is waiting. Usually if I have boiled the ingredients long enough the cookies will be ready in 30 minutes to an hour. I can tell this by pulling one of the cookies off the wax paper and it does not stick. I find this recipe to be very quick and easy. I hope if you attempt this recipe you will feel the same way. Process Essay Jeana Hughes English 101 Process Essay Draft February 19, 2013 No Bake Cookies Peanutbutter Chocolate No Bake Cookies recipe is one of the most easiest recipe I have ever made. My reason for saying this is because there is no baking involved. The steps for making is really quite easy. I am going to first start out with a list of ingredients and supplies I use. ? Cup Milk 2 sticks butter 2 Cups sugar ? Cup cocoa ? tsp vanilla 3 Cups quick oats ? Cup peanutbutter 8 Qt pan, 2 sheets waxpaper, and two spoonsI start out going ahead and laying out waxpaper so that it is ready when the cookie dough is done. I then get my pan on the stove. I add the milk, sticks of butter, sugar and cocoa. Once I have added all the ingredients I turn the stove on high. I stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil. I then let it boil without stirring for 1 minute. Then I remove from heat. Thus will bring me to my second step. I will then add the vanilla, quick oats, and peanutbutter, stirring mixture well. I consider this my third step. I bring my pan with the cookie dough over to where I have my wax paper layed out.I then use two teaspoons one for scooping and one for scraping off. I start getting teaspoonfuls of cookie dough and dropping it on wax paper. I continue doing this till all cookie dough is used. My final step is waiting. Usually if I have boiled the ingredients long enough the cookies will be ready in 30 minutes to an hour. I can tell this by pulling one of the cookies off the wax paper and it does not stick. I find this recipe to be very quick and easy. I hope if you attempt this recipe you will feel the same way.

Brandwashed, Martin Lindstrom (Zoom in- Zoom out)

â€Å"By uniting us against a common enemy, fear also brings humans together. It has a preserve yet delicious binding quality. It's for this reason that we love to spread fearful rumors, sometimes blowing them out of all proportion just to heighten the sense of danger.† (33. Brandwashed)Zoom In:In this passage, Martin Lindstrom denotes a method used by big corporations and advertising companies that literally scares people into buying things. Lindstrom explains that â€Å"uniting us against a common enemy, fear also brings humans together†, which is a stark statement, but definitely not an inconceivable one. This is such interesting prose, because when we humans feel afraid, the last thing we are thinking about is how united we are. We are thinking about what we can do to eradicate the danger, and how we can feel safe. In 2009, sales of the well known hand sanitizer Purell rose by 50%, which also happens to be the year that the H191 pandemic (better known as â€Å"swin e flu†) erupted.This statistic is fascinating because we can see how us humans were scared of something, in this case, getting the swine flu, but we managed to unite and buy 50% more hand sanitizer. This was our way of eradicating the danger, and feeling safe. The most enthralling part of this is that hand sanitizer does nothing to prevent the H1N1 virus, because it is spread through the air in the form of a cough or sneeze from a infected individual! You may be asking yourself â€Å"How and why did people choose to buy Purell to feel protected from H191?†. Well, Purell posted a statement on their website saying that â€Å"According to the Centers for Disease Control, one of the ways you can help protect yourself from Swine Flu is by practicing good hand hygiene. specifically using an alcohol-based sanitizer.†What they are trying to insinuate is that their product is the key to good hygiene — and that without it you will not be as healthy, and will be at r isk of getting the Swine Flu. The CDC did say that hand sanitizer is good for hand hygiene, but the CDC never said that hand hygiene protects against Swine flu, because that would be a scientifically proven lie. Simply put by Lindstrom, the company totally blew the CDC's statement â€Å"out of all proportion just to heighten the sense of danger†. This example is really captivating, because it sheds light on a situation that most people would  never question. It really shows how big corporations are using fear to provoke emotions, which lead us to buying thing in order to once again feel safe.Zoom Out:Does fear really sell? Everyone is afraid of something but regardless of what that is, there is no doubt that fear sells. Since few products actually solve a person’s fears but rather placate fear temporarily, brands that effectively evoke feelings related to fear can establish long-term relationships with consumers who think they won’t be safe unless they keep bu ying the brand. Anyone who pays for any kind of insurance is proof that fear sells for a long, long time. You choose to buy life insurance; because you are afraid of your family’s well being once you are gone.There are so many ways to portray messages of fear, and that’s why it’s used in so many diverse industries to sell both products and services. For example, the sunscreen industry shifted its messaging from helping people get the darkest possible tans, to helping people avoid getting skin cancer. By using a message that elicits feelings of fear in consumers’ minds, sunscreen brands turned what could have been a brand disaster into a brand opportunity. â€Å"Cutting your sun exposure is easier than cutting out a skin cancer†. This message persuades us to buy more sunscreen, by making us fear the consequences of skin cancer.Personal:Almost every person that I know has been persuaded to buy something by fear, or has at least seen a form of adverti sement in which fear is used as a medium. I can recall an anti-smoking ad that I once saw on the morning news. It depicted footage of a real life open-heart surgery, gore and all, because the victim had smoked cigarettes his entire life. The commercial was so vivid, so vial, so real that I felt the need to reach for the remote, and change the channel.I have seen many commercials like that one since, all getting up close and personal with lifelong smokers who have debilitating deformities, all reaching out to try to get people to quit. These commercials have persuaded viewers to never go near a cigarette, and have definitely taught me that the consequences of smoking certainly outweigh the pleasure of popping open a pack and lighting one up. These commercials use  fear as a medium, but aren’t trying to sell anything, besides the truth.