Catatech Industries The Question of Electronic Commerce

Catatech Industries focuses on providing electric measuring tools to both local and international market. Jose Fernandez founded Catatech in 1911 based on meeting their set targets or numbers. Markedly, the company’s key objective was to maximize on returns to realize high profit on sales irrespective of the management style within the firm. Since the company’s management is a lineage one, it has maintained a conservative culture in its operations.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Catatech Industries: The Question of Electronic Commerce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Moreover, the firm is in business to offer quality services and products to the final users: customers. The inclusion of former electricians and professionals among sales representatives at all times attests to the urgent need for quality-service provision. In essence, the sales personnel commanded vast knowledge on the Catatech p roducts. Catatech Industries also intended to dominate the global market with its products. Its international expansion relied primarily on local acquisitions or takeovers, which were small. Notably, the company’s need for international presence had faced numerous challenges over the years since it had not adopted modern technology in promoting and selling its products. The company relied on the philosophy of profit maximization, but was slow to accept changes in the business world. Additionally, Catatech Industries has tried to accomplish the use of technology under Marisa Riviera as the CIO. According to Marisa, upgrading electronic commerce was a necessity; however, it was destined to attract negatives receptions from the longtime conservative CEO and the entire community that had appreciated his roles at the helm of the company. For instance, the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) led to production of better products and cost reduction in overall operati ons. The package integrated all functions and departments within Catatech Industries into a single component of a computer system that was able to serve needs of all the departments. Evidently, the company worked towards cost cutting techniques by employing the use of ERP single unified software, which enabled all departments to process customers’ orders at once. Essentially, outcome-based objectives alter the attitude, perceptions, understanding, behaviors, and opinions of consumers (Pearlson Saunders, 2013). From this aspect, it is possible to determine whether the company had reached its objectives or not. After making numerous ratifications in the services of the company, Catatech recorded increased customer purchases, especially in 1998 where it had revenues of close to $2 billion. Carlos also ensured that they customized their products to meet the needs of the local market.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company’s measure of outcome relies on setting measurable objectives that are time bound, achievable, realistic, and specific (Pearlson Saunders, 2013). When objectives are clear and measurable, key stakeholders will build credibility for the value of communication hence resulting to understandable outcomes and outputs. Evidently, the whole process starts with alignment of marketing objectives that are communicable to gauge their contributions and demonstrations of the leadership team. Catatech’s moves in the market created great impact on its operations. For instance, the use of ERB streamlined the company’s global supply chain, which resulted to reduction of inventory costs by 20%. There were also improvements in the delivery of quality products at low cost of production. The streamlining of the global supply chain minimized the time for processing of customers’ orders since the Manufacturing, Fina nce, and ERB departments could process the orders on the same platform at the same time. Marketers, therefore, should be in a position to demonstrate their values and contributions to their enterprises in order to register significant benefits. With adequate resources, time and knowledge, the objectives become achievable within a specified time. Again, if marketers find great satisfaction in the relationships and reputations among the leaders, they become confident to maximize effectiveness through proper resource allocation. In short, the objectives must be SMART since they focus on outcomes hence enabling businesses gauge their success. Through this approach, the management can determine the business outcome without a clear set measure for success. Catatech allowed slight independence in the operations of international outlets provided they could meet the numbers. This meant that there were ways of determining or measuring success. In summing up, effective measurements call for be st demonstrations of the value of work, clarity of goals and inclusion of all stakeholders in the process. In line with accountability, the company maintained local management in the operations of all its outlets and through its Board’s refusal to accept changes that could require more funds for implementation. They believed in traditional modes of doing business as they could engage the local electricians and professionals who had wealth of knowledge on the electrical products. For example, the evolution in electronic commerce, which required funding, attracted massive debates on the potential impacts in the market. The Board perceived the internet initiative as difficult and expensive to implement.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Catatech Industries: The Question of Electronic Commerce specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Marisa, on her part, was also cautious on the cost of implementing the website id ea and had to convince the Board to accept it through mass education. By 1998, the Board had to contend with the new idea of electronic marketing in order to remain a float in the global and dynamic market. Marisa had focused on taking the services of Catatech Industries to the online platform so that their products can receive global attention from a click of the button in any part of the globe. The CIO had remained persistent on the need for internet marketing such that during Executive Board meetings, she could assert her point in order to convince them. Markedly, having successfully achieved the implementation of ERB package, she could easily get the yearly infrastructure investments and operating funds. Earlier, Catatech merged with small, local firms so that it could expand its services to the global front. The acquisitions occurred after several years of attempts to go international. Further, in absorbing qualified sales representatives, the company aimed at meeting and surpa ssing its objectives. The implementation of the IT system in the operations of the company will automatically minimize the overall costs of marketing, expand its regional and global market, and reduce the logistics and expenses within the management. The business environment, at the time, faced changes in technology where businesses were adopting the use of internet in marketing their products. For example, â€Å"eHerramientas,† an unknown company had automated its services such that people all over the world could view the products at any time. So convenient and effective was the internet-marketing platform that Marisa took the initiative of convincing the conservative CEO who had remained adamant in adopting internet services. Carlos believed that the time for such technologies had not reached and they could still make profits without it. Clearly, the state of the economy called for inclusion of internet in promoting products in order to remain competitive in the global mar ket. Catatech Industries has been facing numerous binding constraints that have been affecting their ability to achieve the aforementioned objectives. Some of the constraints include lack of liberal talents, the conservative management and Board members and possible inadequate funds. The company has been targeting to expand its presence in the global stage using traditional means of marketing at a time when other businesses were adopting the use of internet to reach a large customer base at a low cost. Marisa is the only person that has been engaging the Executive Board on adoption of recent technological applications in their services. In addition, the company’s conservative culture has posed serious challenges to the achievement of the set objectives.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More For instance, the Board argued that adopting the power of internet in their marketing strategies would undermine the efforts of local sales representatives and marketing. An attempt to adopt electronic commerce in their operations will imply a departure from the past autonomous and localized culture. The company had also showed fears of implementing a global electronic commerce strategy as it would be tough and expensive to execute. The challenges that arose from the implementation of electronic commerce reveal lack of adequate technocrats who could monitor the entire process of implementation and laxity by the Executive Board to commit funds in projects in which they have little knowledge about. In solving the constraints, the company can use its limited funds to outsource for internet services from international marketing organizations like in the US. The company’s financial strength is also a plus to the achievement of its objectives given that it recorded revenues of $2 b illion in 1998/1999 financial year. Moreover, Catatech Industries have a professional group of sales representatives and Board members that Marisa can educate on the benefits of using the new technology. Primarily, the company has an IT savvy CIO who is extremely interested in inculcating internet usage in its operations. The company can influence all the previously mentioned resources towards achieving its goals and objectives. Key processes help a firm to remain competitive in the market, produce maximum output on its success, and deliver outcomes that are specific and measurable (Pearlson Saunders, 2013). In essence, key processes create real value for an organization’s shareholders and customers. The current key processes include training and education on new technologies, human involvement effective communication, execution of the ERP package, desktop upgrading, automation of the sales force and knowledgeable sales representatives. These processes had steered the compan y above greater heights thus enabling it enjoy steady growth and un-challengeable cash flow. The business remained competitive in the local market with revenues of $2 billion as at 1998. Clearly, the current performance level shows that the firm is meeting its goal of profit maximization and international expansion, but at a high cost. The company’s ability to customize or tailor its products to the local markets has proved that the company believes in meeting the diverse needs of its customers. The outcomes of the current key processes are not meeting the objectives fully. The CEO’s view of rejecting the use of internet in reaching the international market at a lower cost than the present method is one cause for failure of the key processes. The present methods require high capital input hence lowering the amount of working capital. Catatech, therefore, cannot expand its services due to inadequate working capital for further investments. Inadequate allocation of resou rces constitutes to failure of key processes. Further, lack of organization’s readiness to accept change can result to un-cooperation among key stakeholders in achieving common goals as evident in Catatech Industries (Pearlson Saunders, 2013). Catatech had a conservative management that was not ready for change amidst attempts by the CIO to train them on the benefits of online marketing. The root cause of the challenges facing Catatech Industries is unwillingness of the CEO to learn new technological developments. He is a reservist who believes in old means to meet the objectives of the firm in the present times. Markedly, Carlos showed lack of leadership during Executive Board meeting by leaving the members argue over crucial issues for the success of the business. The Board could easily manipulate the CEO given that he mostly took passive roles during such discussions. The Catatech Executive Board, which was composed of conservatives, was also the root cause of the company ’s reluctance to go global via the internet platform. In addressing such issues, the company should recognize hardworking employees such as Marisa given that she successfully oversaw the streamlining of the manufacturing, ERP and finance departments, and automation of the sales force. Employee motivation is crucial as a way of attracting and maintaining qualified employees in an organization. In addition, the firm ought to have conducted wide market research on the benefits of internet so that the Board members could easily comprehend the essence of the initiative. The Executive Board could also have gone through training and education in partnership with international firms in order to gain competitive advantage over its competitors. If the company could have dynamic Board members, it could minimize cost of marketing and, subsequently, improving its creditworthiness. On the other hand, online sales are prone to fraud cases and website hacking; therefore, Catatech will have t o adopt high internet security to avert such cases. In the global platform, there is constant competition that will lower the prices of Catatech’s electrical products. Catatech could also opt to do nothing and continue with the conservative management. This approach could result to greater local market control and slow growth as well. The criterion for selecting the best option lies on the ability of the firm to understand the dynamic needs of its customers. In the current market, consumers’ tastes and preferences change frequently; therefore, Catatech should consider involving its customers in decision-making process. Moreover, consumers like comfort and, as a result, will easily accept to make orders online at any location. In making customers’ needs a priority, Catatech will have achieved its goal of maximizing sales, producing quality products and maximizing profit levels. If the company targets to interact with most of its customers at a low cost, then goin g online will be the best option since it will be able to align its strategy with the IT infrastructure (Pearlson Saunders, 2013). Catatech will be able to expand its market globally thereby maintaining a strong presence in the competitors’ regions. In long-term perspective, Catatech will also acquire new ideas on how to improve their manufacturing process since it will attract and retain skillful employees globally. In global market, there are stiff competitions that will require the management of Catatech to conduct frequent employee trainings and seminars to inculcate new ideas in them. Such moves will enable the firm to remain competitive in the global arena, as employees will be up-to-date on recent technological developments. In addition, there will be effective communication within and outside the company with the alignment of IT infrastructure with the marketing strategies. Reference Pearlson, K.E. Saunders, C.S. (2013). Managing and Using Information Systems â€⠀œ A Strategic Approach 5/E. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons. This case study on Catatech Industries: The Question of Electronic Commerce was written and submitted by user Dorothy R. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Supriya Panjiyar et al. Essays - Family, Family Law, Free Essays

Supriya Panjiyar et al. Essays - Family, Family Law, Free Essays Supriya Panjiyar et al. Professor Hernandez English 1302 4/8/17 "Paternity and Maternity leave": Gender role beliefs Are only mothers obliged to stay at home after giving birth to a child and take care of her newborn? Or should the father take care of his newborn as well? The six month period after a child is born is the most crucial time for forming a born with the child and family. The same amount of six month is the time the mother recovers from the child birth. The bond that a family creates during those six months is what that makes the family stronger. The value of receiving care from both parents while the child grows up is what makes the difference in how the child has been raised and how the child perceives their own life. Like maternity leave paternity leave is the time father takes time off from their work. According to Oxford English Dictionary Paternity leave is, " a short period of authorized absence from employment granted to a father after or shortly before the birth of his child". We live in a culture that hands child care mostly to the women. Historically, women are always the one who takes care of the newborn along with the help of their mother in law, sisters, friends or neighbours while fathers are always taken as the one who earns money and takes care of the family needs. But since everything in our world is becoming more modern the idea of paternity leave is slowly coming to light. Paid paternity leave should be given as much priority as paid maternity leave since involvement of fathers are as crucial in a child's life. The father should be able to take time off of his work and be paid for so that he can still help and support his family. Some might oppose that taking too much time off after the birth of a child might take away their opportunities in workplace. That might hinder the relationship between him and his family.

Response Phase 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response Phase 2 - Essay Example am also pleased to see that you did not choose to have a one-size-fits-all contract in the transaction that you undertook but considered the best alternative in each case. This is a very insightful discussion, very well-researched and thought of. I learned a lot from it. Thanks. Your discussion has depth and substance by allowing me to absorb details on how to make the purchase a success. Your emphasis on the processes and factors which will ensure the smooth running and success of the scheduling tool is commendable. I like it that you made suggestions in some areas which will enable ADC to possible avoid mistakes and mitigate risk while operating the tool. However, let me suggest that you need to define your acronyms in order to be understood by the class. For example, instead of just saying FFP, you can elaborate by mentioning Firm Fixed Price. Also, you should add Guaranteed Maximum Shares Savings (GMSS) into your types of contracts. Having all of them for discussion will enable you to choose the best one.. ï Å  Your paper’s main strengths is its focus on two factors which allows ADC to make decisions according to the bases being risk minimization and time constraint. These factors are always present in real world situations and should really be taken into account when deciding about purchasing and installing tools for business operations. The process that you outlined in procuring the software is very logical. Yes, a company would have to search for vendors, products, and features available and a choice is made. The cost plus incentive contract that you choose is reasonable noting that the vendor and ADC shares the risk. However, I believe that you should also have outlined how it will work. Like how much costs should be shared and how much cost is fixed. With the company’s target of risk minimization, it should be prepared how to handle this situation. I suggest that instead of choosing a type of contract for the number of tasks, you could choose one

Distributors Dell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Distributors Dell - Essay Example From this paper it is clear that, due to this illicit practice which violated the contract Dell had signed with these distributors the company had to file lawsuits against their own distributors. Another mistake Dell made was that it did not foster long term relationships with distributors in order to create partnerships. There was a sense of distrust between the distributors and Dell because the distributors believed that Dell at any time would stop using their services and introduce a direct sales model in China. A third mistake the company made was that it did not invest any resources in to enhance functionality of their supply chain function with its distributors. The company could have gotten more involved in the operation of its distributors by providing managerial and technical assistance. If the company would have established a mutual relationship based on respect and high ethical standards the distributors would have seen Dell as a business allied instead of just another com pany with a product to sell. When a company creates close relationship with suppliers and distributors it enables a business to obtain concessions and favors the firm would otherwise not receive. A fourth mistake the company made was delegating market strategy to its distributors. The communication between Dell and its distributors was weak. Due to this fact the distributors moved the merchandise utilizing their own criteria without taking into consideration any strategic input from Dell. The problem with the direct model in China was that the company was entering a market in which the people had different expectations than the US market. First of all a computer purchase to a Chinese person means a lot more than to a customer in the US or Europe because a worker would have to save money for nearly two years before they could make such a purchase.  

Giving Guantanamo back to Cuba Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Giving Guantanamo back to Cuba - Case Study Example Though it is debatable, I am of the opinion that at some point we might have lost our goodwill. I have no doubt that the United States is after the well-being of humans worldwide, but that does not mean we ought to let our feet of the gas and take for granted the happenings at Guantanamo bay. I say so because for over a decade we have allowed our government to use duress in Guantanamo bay detention camp. For the first time in several, we have maintained hard line stands and consigned human dignity to oblivion. In my opinion, I think the key players who take part in the process of national decision-making have backed the wrong horse. This is because they have overtime watched with crossed hands the dismal conditions under which those who stay at the Guantanamo bay detention camp put up with on a daily basis. In handling this project description, I am going to assume the role of the Secretary of State and shed light on how I can address the issues raised by Jonathan M. Hansen in his article titled Give Guantanamo Back to Cuba. I am going to evaluate the best possible action mechanisms we can employ to put the issue to rest. At the same time, I am going to discuss the relationship between the courses of action with the aim of preserving our national interests. Supplementary to the above mentioned, I am going to take account of the possibility of handing over the leadership of Guantanamo bay Island to Cuba and weigh the consequences of such an action. Since its creation by the Congress in 1789, the State Department under the watchful eye of the Secretary of State has risen to become one of the most looked upon offices not only in the United-States but worldwide. As the Secretary of State, I would put into use my duty as the President’s prime advisor on US foreign policy and recommend the end to American rule at the Cuban based Guantanamo bay detention camp. I am convinced by far, that the closure of the Guantanamo bay detention camp shall enable the US to be the custodian of two of its most important national interests: values and international organization. I say so because those suspects detained at the camp are subjected to undignified treatment. For starters, those detained at the facility are still innocent and the prosecutors are still in the process of proving that they are responsible for the various crime charges they are facing (Air University, 2012). If recent statistics collected from the facility are anything to go by, then the fact that only one out of 172 detainees is put to trial is even more worrying. I would ensure the enactment of laws that leave the military, which is our main instrument of power at the facility with no choice but to ensure that they treat the suspects with honor and decency. I would bring to an end the physical abuse that t he suspects always go through. This is achievable by penalizing heavily those military officers who harm the captives (Air University, 2013). During the transition process, I would recommend information as an instrument of power. Information shall come out through proper guidance and counseling of the captives. Guidance and counseling is imperative because it enables the captives to know that there is hope amidst all the tribulations they face. Another reason as to why information as an instrument of power should be employed during transition is because, of the causes of death at the facility. Recent studies taken from the Guantanamo ba

Concepts in Cognitive Psychology

Concepts in Cognitive Psychology Memory, Thinking, Attention, Perception, Language Cognitive psychology is primarily interested in the role of the mind and its conceptual functioning. As by way of communicating information to and from each other and understanding the external world through the process of labelling and categorising certain elements pertaining to that world, the cognitive approach to psychological investigation has been interested in the nature of language from its origins. Such conceptual structures as memory , thinking, attention, perception and language have been put into place informing much research relating to this school of psychology (Sternberg, 2006). The concepts associated with memory, thinking, attention, perception and language are prominent within the school of cognitive psychology are inter related across a multitudes of experiments. Memory can be seen as having a basis in the retrieval, store and recall of information and is commonly divided into the working memory model (or short term memory) and long term memory (or long term store) . Thinking is often associated with the way in which a process of logic is undergone by any subject. Attention is the mental ability to focus and apply thinking and memory, usually characterised in experiments as the. Perception is the way in which the individual may perceive any task and language is the underlying source of communicable information that externalises the subject of any culture. Research into the functioning and processes of semantic memory suggested a key model that was a primary source in the formation of the memory system. This was called the working memory. This model of the working memory, which is a system and procedure whereby information is internalised and subsequently turned into stored long term memory, was believed to be more than just a simple function involving storage and retrieval. At its procedural stage, we can see from the concept of the short term memory model that the process is broken into a schematic procedure in which stimuli, such as words, signs or symbols are encoded and stored within the memory. At this point it is believed to be rehearsed in the mind before being either rejected through forgetting or being accepted into the long term store, probably due to the perception of its significance (Waugh Norman, 1965). Due to its limited capacity, the working memory is believed to incorporate this forgetting procedure due to the effect s of either decay (unrehearsed code) or displacement (rejection due to irrelevance) of the encoded stimuli (Bjork, 1970). However, although many studies have indeed indicated that this model is accurate in terms of the basic procedure of memory, it can not be considered as fully accounting for other important phenomena as the effects of rehearsal are not always found to be defining (Craik Watkins, 1973). For instance, primacy and recency effects that are found in many free recall tests are suggested as being due to the length of rehearsal time spent on the initial words presented to individuals, whilst also finding that fewer words present to displace the more likely the encoding of the latter words presented (Murdoch, 1972). In terms of memory, this research into the phenomenon of primacy and recency effects indicated that slow presentation of words would increase primacy performance, but would have no effect on recency performance (Murdoch, 1972). This indicated that the more tim e permitted to information rehearsal, the stronger the likelihood would be for that information to enter the long term store, whilst contrastingly, the faster that the information was presented to the individual the more likely it was for that individual to forget. What this research suggests is that the working memory model requires an engagement with a target stimuli rather than just mere exposure alone, which suggests a strong relationship with the perception of language and the nature of thought processes (Nickerson Adams, 1979). Further study on the effects of primacy and recency with relation to language indicated that individuals required subjects to identify early and late acquired nouns presented in noise (Young Ellis, 1980). Subsequent findings from these studies indicated that early acquisition of words were recognized more accurately than words acquired at a more recent stage of language acquisition, when the words were matched on frequency, image-ability, concreteness , familiarity and letter length. However, they did not examine the full effect of frequency and the identification of words matched onto age of acquisition or other factors. Subsequently, further research suggested that high frequency words were more intelligible when heard in white noise than words of lower frequency, using lists uncontrolled for age of acquisition (Broadbent, 1971). Essentially, this meant that language and attention were fundamental factors in determining the process of memory. Another important phenomenon regarding the role of language and attention within memory is chunking. This phenomenon indicates the role that thinking plays, in particular the encoding of language meaning. This is the phenomena in which the individual categorises an array of information and configures it as one chunk. For instance, the numbers one, nine, four and five could be stored as one whole chunk as opposed to four individual units when rehearsed under one set of information known as nineteen forty five; a key cultural date. What we can see in this phenomenon is the construct of perception. Essentially, because no significance is placed upon the individual’s prior knowledge or their difference in experience, we can see that the memory model can not account for chunking alone. For example, the chunking of one, nine, four and five would more likely be stored if this chunk correlated with a significant date or number already maintained in the individuals learned experience, such as a soldier who saw the end of the Second World War (Ericsson et al, 1980). Therefore, seeing memory as language alone does not take into account the reality that prior meaning vastly reduces the significance of time taking in memory, as rehearsal is reduced due to recognition of former learned categories in relation to semantic structures held in the mental lexicon. This would suggest that prior learning, familiarity, chunking, categorisation as well as rehearsal can determine the success of word recognition of different lexical constructs. Subsequently, Baddeley suggested a notion of limitation within the working memory, which indicated that encoding stimuli (or information) and storing memory was a system of varying depths of processing (Baddeley, 1992). Situating all five factors as one inter related mechanism we can see then a notion of a mental lexicon from which all language can be understood, constructed, learned and articulated via communication and understanding (Aitchison, 2003). Subsequent inquiry into such a word store has created an appreciation of certain phenomena relating to how individuals understand and articulate language. This has become a very useful resource for research into anything involving the nature of language within the cognitive realm. One such piece of research was conducted by Collins and Quillian, who constructed a model of semantic memory storage and retrieval that was imperative to language. This was called the hierarchy of semantic memory (Collins Quillian, 1969). We can see from this model how memory and language inter relate. In their model, it was suggested that individuals would store memory in sets and would retrieve knowledge judgements according to the familiarity of a certain concept and it s association to certain definers regarding any particular concept. In further studies, it was established that semantic distance was based upon the strength of the perceived relationship between one concept and its hierarchal group (Rosch, 1973). Essentially, knowledge was seen as being stored in the structure of a mental lexicon and concepts were recognised and categorised due to the specific and relevant qualities and properties that it accorded to in the mental lexical structure (Conrad, 1972). This conceptual notion forms the basis for perception as information is seen as belonging to certain defining features held by the knowledge of the individual. The assumption was that the farther you moved up this hierarchy of conceptual information, the more the defining features would decrease (Loftus, 1973). For instance, a Robin would be more strongly accorded to the hierarchy of birds than a flightless bird, such as a chicken, as the defining variable of flight was recognised (Rips e t al, 1974). It was believed that if something were to disturb this hierarchal structure of word storage, then incorrect recall would become present (Loftus, 1973). Subsequently, this suggests that cognition is governed by perception as well as memory and word meaning. Essentially, the conceptual construction of this mental lexicon gives us good indication as to how words are conceptualised, understood and recognised by the individual. This avenue of research requires the investigation into thinking and learning in relation to perception. The role of perception with relation to thinking formed the interest of the seminal cognitive psychologist Bruner, whose studies investigated the nature of learning. He famously devised a test to measure and explore the nature in which people constructed and comprehended meaning. Bruner’s findings suggested that there was an intelligent procedure in operation during learning that performed by way of a hypothesis testing. This form of logical thinking was indicated as being understood through stages of either acceptance or rejection of similarities and categories based upon an intelligent process of trial testing (Bruner et al, 1956). Bruner gave a sample of individuals various sets of pictures, each portraying a variety of different and similar shapes. The different categories of shapes were considered as the conditions of the experiment. Some of the pictures in the conditions shared the same number of shapes; some of them shared the same colour of shapes while others shared t he same number of borders surrounding the shapes. However, in each condition the shapes were marginally different; none were identical. From the findings of these studies, Bruner was able to discern that there were two forms of learning that could be identified. These were dubbed successive and conservative scanning (Bruner et al, 1956). Successive scanning was deemed the type of learning that used a thinking process that involved trail testing that attempted one hypothesis at a time before either accepting or rejecting similarities. However, conservative scanning was believed to indicate a deeper form thinking that categorised certain classes of type before carrying out the acceptance or rejecting of any hypotheses. It was concluded that the latter thought process was a much faster and more efficient process than the former. What is crucial here is that these thought processes have little to do with language or memorised knowledge. However, not everyone within the field of the cogn itive psychology accepts this notion of thinking. Many researchers and theorists related to the field of thinking and perception have argued that categories are an innate knowledge rather than a learned one and so the use of language and memory are not essential to thinking (Fodor Chomsky, 1980). The main implication in this idea is that empirical category learning may not be done with the rejection of hypothesis but with the rejection of the externally governed conceptualisation of the external world. Studies relating to word recall have highlighted the role of attention in the role of psychological research. In one such piece of research the ability to read words was indicated by letter identification and visual configurations (McClelland Johnson, 1977). Other research has indicated the use of non literal cues in the recognition of word (Marchbanks Levin, 1965). In either case, we can see that an attentional basis for word recognition. More contemporary research into the relationship between word recognition and the effects that peer groups had within the educational learning structure indicated that there was a significance of both memory and the symbolic structure of the mental lexicon within the recognition of words that could be applied to the acquisition of knowledge (Fuchs Fuchs, 2005). It would seem that from the results involving lexical decision tasks that the more a child is familiar with the semantic construct of words the more likely they are in recognising the wor ds without error or side effects. Particular attention has focused upon the possibility that the numerous amounts of previously reported effects of word frequency in attentional tasks might actually result from confounded effects of the age of acquisition as the two variables are related. Subsequently, high frequency words tend to be learned earlier in life than low frequency words, so that sets of words selected as being of high or low frequency of occurrence tend also to be sets of words which are acquired early on or more recently. There has been evidence put forward suggesting that the age at which a word is acquired during a child’s development affects performance throughout life. Essentially, the earlier that the process of word acquisition is incorporated the more successful it will be in producing meaning. It would seem that the later the words are acquired, even when attentional factors such as frequency of usage and word image-ability are controlled, the poorer the memory and articulation will be (Brown and Watson, 1987). The effects of frequency can be understood in the interaction activation model of McClelland and Rumelhart (1981). This suggested that there is a node for each familiar word in this connectionist stimulation of word recognition. Each node was believed to have an activation level which varied from cycle to cycle and a resting level which is determined by the node’s level of activation over a long period of time. The node for a high frequency word was believed to be constantly activated. This was effective by having a higher resting level than the node for a low frequency word, which rarely received this activation. Studies have revealed that the age of acquisition is known to affect object naming speed, yet not the speed with which pictures of objects can be classified into semantic categories in the mental lexicon (Morrison Ellis, 1992). The naming of words was then followed by a delayed cue which has also been established as being unaffected by the age of acquisition (Morris on Ellis, 1995). This strongly indicates that the effect of language does not accord to the process of articulation, but to a process of deductive reasoning. However, research by Brown and Watson (1987) has suggested that the phonological output representations of early acquired words are more complete than those for later acquired words and can be accessed more easily. We can see from our analysis of the five key components regarding cognitive psychology and the way in which they inter-relate with one another philosophically and practically that they apply to the psychology of everyday life. Whether it is the perception of birds, the recognition of a word or concept, the thought process that delivers a solution to a problem or simply the recall of a particular number, such as a bank sort code or telephone number, the roles of memory, thinking, attention, perception and language are fundamental components in the psychological study of cognition. It is difficult to conceive of a world without these five components working together. Without perception we would not be able to conceive of a world or understand the processes in which we experience the external environment and inform our knowledge of it. Without language we would not be able to categorise the various constructs that we encounter in the world, exchange our experiences of them or recognise the amount of information that we do. Without memory we would not be able to retain any information or experience that we had gathered about the world or be able to determine what in our immediate experience was relevant and considered vastly significant from what was not. Without attention we would not be able to discern between the varying contexts in which we experience language and information about the environment or acquire specific knowledge and without thinking and understanding thought processes we would not be able to solve problems, reason, make decisions, extract symbolic meaning or even conceive of mental imagery or spatial awareness. These factors are then, vastly significant in the understanding of both cognitive psychology and ourselves and although distinctions between these five components is necessary for both academic knowledge and practical application, they are best seen as factors that inter-relate and are prevalent to studies and practices of cognitive psycho logy. Bibliography Atchison, J., (2003) Words in the Mind: An Introduction to the Mental Lexicon Sydney: Blackwell Publishing. Baddeley, A.D. (1992) Is Working Memory Working? The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 44A, 1-31 Broadbent, D, E., (1971) Decision and stress. London: Academic Press. Brown, G. D. A., Watson, F. L. (1987). First in, first out: Word learning age and spoken word frequency as predictors of word familiarity and word naming latency. Memory Cognition, 15, 208-216. Bruner, J, S., Goodnow, J, J., and Austin, G, A., (1956) A Study of Thinking New York: John Wiley and Sons. Bjork, R, A., (1970) Positive Forgetting: The Non-Interference of Items Intentionally Forgotten. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 9, 255-68. Chomsky, N., and Fodor, J, A., (1980) Statement of the Paradox, in Piatelli Palmarini, M. (ed.). Collins, A, M., Quillian, M, R., (1969) Retrieval Time from Semantic Memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 8, 240-47. Craik, F, I, M., Watkins, M, J., (1973) The Role of Rehearsal in Short Term Memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behaviour, 12, 599-607. Ericsson, K, A., Chase, W, G., Faloon, S., (1980) Acquisition of a Memory Skill. Science, 208, 1181-1182. Marchbanks, G., Levin, H., (1965) Cues by which children recognize words. Journal of Educational Psychology, 56 (2), 57-61. McClelland Johnson (1977) The role of familiar units in perception of words and nonwords. Perception and Psychophysics, 22, 249-261. McClelland Rumelhart (1981) An interactive activation model of context effects in letter perception: Part 1. An account of basic findings. Psychological Review, 88, 375–407. Morrison, C, A., Ellis, A, W., (2000) Real age of acquisition effects in word naming and lexical decision. British Journal of Psychology, 91, 167-180. Murdoch, B., (1962) The Serial Position Effect of Free Recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 64, 482-488. Nickerson, R, A., Adams, M, J., (1979) Long-Term Memory for a Common Object. Cognitive Psychology, 11, 287-307. Rosch, E, H., (1973) On the Internal Structure of Perceptual and Semantic Categories. In Moore, T, E., (Ed.) Cognitive Development and the Acquisition of Language. New York: Academic Press. Sternberg, R, J., (2006) Cognitive Psychology (4th ed) Belmont: Thomson Waugh, N, C., Norman, D, A., (1965) Primary Memory. Psychological Review, 72, 89-104.

Beowulf The Hero :: essays research papers

In Beowulf, the protagonist Beowulf is shown as a hero with extrodinary strength. This is not what makes him a hero. By definition, a hero is a man of exceptional quality. However this term does not do Beowulf justice. His self-imposed purpose in life is to help others, and eventually sacrifices his own life in doing so. Beowulf’s battle with the dragon serves as a critique of the notion that Beowulf is a hero. The Dragon section displays many of Beowulf’s heoric characteristics. Beowulf establishes himself as a hero by fighting the dragon, exemplifing strength and courage when fighting the dragon, and sacrificing himself so that others can live. Beowulf’s fight against the dragon shows Beowulf as a hero. Although Beowulf had previously defeated two other foes, he stands fast and fights his most formidable foe yet, the dragon. Dragons were notoriously difficult to kill, and the poem states that it was a great man, who could kill a dragon, even if it meant losing one's life. While others cower away Beowulf fights the dragon. Beowulf defeats the dragon but loses his life in the same instance. Like the classical hero Beowulf loses his special status in death. Beowulf sought no compensation for his services; the mere satisfaction of helping others was pay enough. Like his two previous battles Beowulf fights for those who could not fight for themselves. While fighting the Dragon Beowulf shows feats of strength and courage that define him as a hero. The classical hero displays a special quality that separates him from the rest of Moss 2 society. In Beowulf, Beowulf shows extraordinary courage and strength that gives him special status. This notion is shown, when Beowulf fights Grendel and Grendel’s mother, but it is especially noticeable when he fights the dragon. When Beowulf fought Grendel others had the courage to attempt to fight him. The same is true with Grendel’s mother. When Beowulf goes to fight the Dragon, the other warriors cower away into the woods. Beowulf shows his courage by fighting the Dragon. Even when Beowulf is fighting the Dragon and realizes that his sword can do no damage he continues to fight. After Beowulf is on the verge of death he shows a combination of courage and strength by delivering the death blow to the Dragon, and not just laying down to die. Beowulf’s strength is shown when he is able to actually do battle with the Dragon; any normal man would have fallen to the dragon immediately.

How Social Media Influences Your Shopping Essay

At the present time social media is the one of the most powerful ways to shop and advertise online via the use of web-based and mobile technologies; it transforms online communication into an interactive dialogue. Quester, Pettigrew and Hawkins (2011) defined social media as â€Å"media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable communication techniques.† According to Vithoulkas, social media is more than just the hardware or software which enables it, instead he argues that it is more of a philosophy of communication where honest and transparency is required and information is shared and has the potential to â€Å"spread virally very quickly†. For the consumer, social media can be a continual bombardment of advertising and promotion every time we use communication modes, such as the internet or mobile, which may be infuriating for the consumer but increases the market exposure for the seller. This report intends to analyse the effectiveness of social media in influencing the general population to purchase more than presently before. When large companies, such as Pepsi, invest 50% of their annual advertising budget into Social Media it is obviously a worthy idea for the discussion of marketing professionals worldwide. The buyer behaviour system has been challenged in ranges of high involvement and low involvement alike. Consumer control is now the focus of consumption, when before it was heavily regulated institutionally. Although social media is an inescapable part of every day life it cannot be assumed that it will replace other forms of communication. A great number of people of all ages use social networking sites before purchasing a product, especially in high involvement purchases. Seidma (2010, p11) has demonstrated that the large majority of people are engaged in some form of social media, showing its considerable societal acceptance; Marketing magazine online tells us that â€Å"Facebook has more than 400 million active users. Every minute, 24 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube. An estimated 5–10 thousand Twitter accounts are opened per day,† showing that when information is directly found by a population 20 times that of Australia there is serious product awareness to gain . Quester et al. (2011) stated that there are fives stages of decisions making processes prior to making the choice in buying a product or service. These include problem recognition, information search, evaluation and selection, store choice and purchase and post purchase processes. When consumers’ recognise a need or identify a problem which may exist, they then undertake an information search on the product or service with their behaviour influenced by internal and external factors, Consumers evaluate the various alternatives after they have gathered all information, and afterwards they make a selection of retail outlets for the actual purchase of the good or service. Lastly, the consumer compares the product performance against their expectations and decide whether they satisfied or dissatisfied with it. In last few decades, traditional media such as television, radio, newspaper has been the only way to promote and communicate with the target market, but now it appears that the trend has changed. As seen in diagram one (below) consumer control is now the driver in the marketing segment. As seen in chart one (below), it can be seen that on average people spend more time when choosing and product and general spend more money, suggesting that when purchasing online the products will be a high involvement purchase. Marketing Magazine online tell us â€Å"For 35% of shoppers, the process starts with online search; 30% of consumers read user reviews on retailer websites as a part of the shopping process.† In the U.S.A. alone there are 95 million people who admit to frequently using social-media in their purchase decisions. Hub Magazine found that more than 40% of American adults currently use social media as part of their shopping experiences, with further data showing most consumers increased in use of social media for shopping within an annual period. Hub magazine also found that 39% have strongly agreed with the statement that ‘they can learn a lot more about a brand by seeing what everyday people are saying about it online’ in comparison with only 22% percent of non-social media shoppers agreeing with the statement. This clealy shows us that Social Media can obviously affect buying habits. However, social media may not be the first choice for every business or organisation for their marketing strategy. In December 2009, COM Score released a report of their customer survey that showed peoples views on social media in comparison to traditional forms of media. Overall, they found that 28% of respondents were likely to notice advertising on social media and less than that 23% are likely to trust the advertisements they notice. Those numbers put social media websites at #5 on the list behind television, print, news and corporate websites. In the same findings it also showed that only 28% of those who had began their holiday shopping this season indicated that social media has influenced their purchases specifically consumers said their influences were: †¢ Reading a consumer-generated product review (13% of respondents) †¢ Reading an expert product review (11 %)  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Following a fan page on Face book to take advantage of special offers and deals (7%) †¢ Influence by a friend’s Face book status update referring to a particular product (6%) †¢ Following a company on Twitter to take advantage of special offers and deals (5%) †¢ A friend’s â€Å"tweet† about a product influenced their purchase behaviour (3%) Given the exposure to the internet that we in the western world undergo every day versus time spend watching television, it is odd that only 13% saw the high consumer involvement in reading reviews of products. What is even stranger is that these consumers have shifted from trusting expert reviews to peer reviews. In traditional media reputable sources were usually quoted to give weight to a certain product. It seems in the days of social media, peer influence has replaced the trustworthiness of reputable sources. Thus changing the buyer behaviour process. Social Media may influence and change the buyer behaviour process but it is not necessarily a replacement for tradition media. Although it is a change to the normal standards of media, it will never replace traditional media given the system of interaction in our society. The interesting thing, as discussed in this essay, is the change in the high involvement purchase process and the consumer control over purchases. It is effective to some degree, given the right target audience and consumer group, but in our society with the lack of general literacy (21.1% of the world are internet literate) and dramatic choices for consumers it is not the answer to the change of the consumer buyer process.

Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Example

Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Example Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Motorola China Experience Case Answers Essay Case Study-Motorola China Experience 1. How should Motorola appropriately react to the emerging local brands, head-to-head competing or cooperating in some fields? Due to the large size of the Chinese cell phone market and its potential for long-term continual growth, competition for access to China’s consumer markets is intense. Competitive threats from Nokia, Siemens, Samsung, and local producers like TCL are a cause for concern within Motorola. However, eighty-four percent of Chinese consumers prefer foreign mobile phones to local models, with Motorola, Nokia and Ericsson being their favorite makers, according to a nation-wide survey conducted by the China Telecommunications Association and Eaglewings Public Relations. For this reason, Motorola’s biggest competition for cell phone supremacy would likely appear to come from foreign companies outside of China. China’s aforementioned government structure plays an interesting role in the assumption that foreign companies will maintain dominance. As is traditional, the socialist government hierarchy prefers for a majority of any industry to have local majority control. The government, which controls the operations of the service provider sector and is a dominant player in distribution channels as well, has the means to make this goal a reality – quickly. For this reason, Motorola must not only utilize shorter-term strategies to find a way to grow market share, but long-term change strategies to find a way to compete with government powered locally owned firms. The Ministry of Information Industry showed that Motorola had a leading market share of 28. % in the mobile phone industry as of April 2002. Competition Local Chinese Brands ? 3% Nokia ? 5% Siemens ? 47% Motorola ? 13 % Samsung ? 22% Others ? 10% Market Share of Chinese Cell Phone Market (as of 1st Quarter 2005) The cellular phone industry in China is going through the growth stage of the industry life cycle. As the countries market continues to grow rapidly, bar riers to entry are being lessened, as the government and its people want to assure the advancement of the industry. Overall the market is currently at around 180 million subscribers, number one in the world, with expectations of 300 million subscribers by 2003. This is currently only a 13. 9% penetration rate, which is lower than average, as compared with all other major cell phone markets. This early industry life cycle stage’s strong growth potential is what makes China such an attractive market for expansion. Emerging local brands Joint ventures and cooperation projects Motorola has 9 joint ventures in China, which produce cell phones, CDMA equipment, semiconductors and other high-tech products. ? Guangzhou Jinpeng Cellular System Co. , Ltd. ? Shanghai Motorola Telecom Products Co. ,Ltd. ? Beijing Huamin Smartcard System Manufacturing Co. ,Ltd. ? Hangzhou Eastcom Cellular Phone Co. Ltd. ? Leshan-Phoenix Semiconductor Co. ,Ltd. ? Huamin Smartcard System Co. ,Ltd. ? Hangzhou Eastcom Cellular Equipment Co. , Ltd. ? Shanghai Zhongmei Automotive Electronics Co. , Ltd. ? Motorola Qiangxin (Tianjin) IC Design Co. , Ltd.. Despite the increasing number of Chinese phones, foreign brands - Nokia (NYSE: NOK), Motorola (NYSE: MOT), Samsung an d Sony Ericsson (NYSE: SNE) - still dominate the mobile phone market in the world’s fastest growing economy. According to CCID Consulting, the mentioned four handset maker’s account for more than 70% of all mobile phones sold in the first half of this year. During the first six months, around 248 million mobile phones have been produced in China, and the figure is expected to exceed half a billion till the year’s end. Speaking of numbers, it’s also important to repeat that there were over 480 million mobile phone users in China at the end of Q1 2007. If the growth continues with the expected rate - and every indicator goes in that direction - there will be more than 500 million mobile phone subscribers until the end of 2007. Market analysts attribute this success to the company’s brand reputation, flexible product strategy, and considerate after sales service. Motorola has positioned itself as a desired local product brand that provides optimal value throughout its relationship with customers. According to company sources, Motorola was successful in China due to its understanding of the market and the people and because of the strategies it adopted. However, analysts were skeptical about Motorolas success in China in the future on account of increasing competition from both local and foreign players in the mobile handset market, which was an important product segment for the company. Over the years, Motorola expanded its business in China to various segments, such as Personal Communication Sector (PCS), Global Telecom Solutions Sector (GTSS), Semiconductor Products Sector (SPS), Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector (CGISS), Broadcast Communications Sector (BCS) and Integrated Electronics Systems Sector (IESS) (Refer Table I for segment information). Along with expanding into a wide range of products, Motorola also focused on improving quality in its Chinese manufacturing units. In 1995, Motorola manufacturing plants got ISO9002,7 ISO140018 and QS9000 quality certification. 9 Over the years, Motorola concentrated on three product categories mobile phones, telecom network equipment and semiconductors 2. How would licensing manufacturing technology to Chinese manufacturers weaken Motorola’s core competency? Motorola’s Long-term Manufacturing Strategy in China 1. Motorola is firmly committed to investing, transferring technologies, and building local manufacturing and R capabilities in China, which will provide China with advanced communications solutions. 2. Motorola will continue its long-term plan to localize management in China and to develop and train outstanding local management. 3. Motorola will continue to work with local partners to create a comprehensive local supply chain. 4. Motorola will continue to promote joint ventures and cooperative projects with local partners to probe China’s new market opportunities as China is increasing integrate into the world market. In the near term, Motorola’s China strategy is to build China into world-class production and R bases, realize Seamless Mobility in China first and proactively carry out CSR. Motorola has been demonstrating its firm commitment to China through the years, which can be best reflected by the awards the company has received in recent years. The following are the major awards Motorola has won in China in 2006: The Success Recipe When Motorola entered China in the early 1990s, analysts were not very sure about its success due to increasing inflation and the unstable political environment. However, they did feel that China offered a vast market and was an attractive destination for MNCs. According to Motorola sources, Chinas vast market and low manufacturing costs were the factors that influenced their investment decision. Initially Motorola was wary about setting up manufacturing facilities in China and put up a makeshift plant in Tianjin to manufacture paging devices. However by 2003, Motorola was regarded as the most successful foreign company in China. There are two service providers for wireless access in the Chinese market: China Mobile, which provides 69% of service; China Unicom, which provides the remaining 31% of service. China United Telecommunications Co. , Ltd. was formed in 1994 under a government directive to break up the monopoly held by China Mobile. In May 2002, the old China Mobile was ordered by the government to break into two operating entities, where China mobile will retain the original corporate identity and operate in 21 provinces and municipalities in south China. Despite this apparent attempt by the government to strengthen competition in the market, both have strong government ties. These ties, and the duopoly created by this situation has caused for a lack of competition to lead to severe price imbalances for consumers. Because of their dominant positions it is imperative that cell phone distributors form alliance with these providers to enhance the distribution of their products. The retail distribution for the cell phone is severely fragmented, but consolidating with industry growth and expansion. As mentioned previously, because of its dominant position, China Mobile serves as a major distributor for cell phone technology producers. Major department stores and retail outlets (ex. Tristar) provide another key outlets for distribution. There is no one way to get products to consumers, as no one company has access to all of the markets in the nation, so providers must develop relationships with many types of outlets to gain market advantage. This is changing as the larger outlets and suppliers are buying up smaller retailers to consolidate their retail capabilities. Growth in China may not be huge in dollar terms, but it helps counter sales declines elsewhere, says Claudia D’Arpizio, a Bain partner in Milan. According to D’Arpizio, China’s luxury market is still modest when compared to Europe’s (which accounts for 38 percent of worldwide spending on luxury goods), South and North America’s (which accounts for 33 percent) and Japan’s (which accounts for 12 percent). Michael Ouyang, CEO of the World Luxury Association China Office,  said luxury brands have become an essential part of life for many Chinese and  estimates China will become the biggest consumer of luxury goods by 2015, accounting for at least 32 percent of the market. China has an estimated 300,000 millionaires and a 250-million strong middle class. When combined, these groups spend 40 billion yuan a year on luxuries, according to figures from accounting firm Ernst Young. As China grows, the consumption of luxury goods will not only be found in stores and in person – they’ll be found online and through mobile devices. Luxury brands need to develop long-term digital strategies that focus on e-commerce and m-commerce. And those strategies need to coincide with the brand’s long-term strategy for expansion and growth of retail locations in the cities’ brick and mortar stores. Licensing With the growing demand for cell phones and saturating markets for other consumer appliances, many Chinese consumer appliance companies also entered the mobile handset business thus increasing the competition for multinational companies such as Motorola. Motorola started feeling the heat by the early 2000s, when it saw its market share declining due to fierce competition in the Chinese mobile handset market. In order to increase its sales and market share, Motorola announced a new strategy in June 2002. Despite this, Motorola continued to lose its market share and analysts were skeptical about its continued dominance in the Chinese market The China telecom sector is witnessing plenty of competition nowadays, where excellent IT services management is becoming a critical advantage in the close competition, said Frank Zhou, General Manager of FrontRange China. Before deployment of our GoldMine solution, we analyzed the specific requirements and processes of the most successful enterprises like Motorola China, and finalized key elements in IT service management of these enterprises. We are sure the latest version of FrontRanges GoldMine can best manage customer relations with minimal operation costs, and help our customers in highly competitive markets. 3. Facing the expanding low-priced segment, how should Motorola, traditionally known as a brand for high-end mobile phones, position itself? By the end of October 2002, China became the largest cellular market in the world with a total number of 180 million cell phones in use. The number reached 220 million by the end of 2002. According to the data from China Mobile and China Unicom, the cumulative number of subscribers has increased by an annual rate of more than 50% from 1998 through 2002. The stereotyped image of cell phone owner â€Å"affluent boss† – has long faded. While this may describe one of the segments still targeted by cell phone manufacturers, today’s user symbolizes the blending of tastes, preferences and meanings associated with products crossing several demographics and psychographics boundaries. A discussion of the 4 market segments that defines today’s cell phone user follows. Heavy Users: They are successful entrepreneurs, businessmen/women, or professionals aged older than 30, with higher income. People in this segment view cell phones as a necessary tool for their jobs. Most of them are early adopters of mobile phone. It’s easy for them to stick to one brand because they are unwilling to spend time in getting used to new menus. Therefore, this segment is much more loyal in certain brands with reliable quality, compared to the other three segments. They are willing to pay extra money for high quality. Technology Enthusiasts: This segment is male dominated, highly educated, aged between 25 and 45. They are eager to try every hi-tech gadget, and always seek new cell phones with either cutting-edge technology embedded or unique functions. Consumers falling into this category are more likely to try some fantastic accessories connecting cell phone and other personal digital devices, such as laptop and PDA, as well as make advantage of the wide usage of cell phone like wireless access to the Internet. Fashion Seekers: Most consumers in this segment are young female aged 20 to 40 who love and can afford trendy apparel. They care more about the appearance of cell phone, such shape, size and color, than diversified functions. TV commercials featuring appropriate celebrities usually have a significant influence on the purchase behavior of this segment. Both this segment and Technology Enthusiasts have the propensity of changing their phones frequently. Therefore, products targeting these two segments have a relatively shorter life cycle. Social-Life Lovers: This is not a â€Å"richer† segment. Regarding demographics, these people are consumers with average income, either man or woman, without age limit. They like to make friends and care about their families. Cell phone is a perfect tool for them to keep in touch with both friends and family members. However, they may not be attracted to cell phones with comprehensive and sophisticated functions at relatively higher prices. People in these segments are much more price-sensitive than those in the above three segments. They’re usually patient to wait for sales promotions in order to get good deals. From this point of view, the profit margin of cell phones targeting this segment is the lowest in the four categories. However, with the increasing number of people owning a cell phone, this segment is expanding rapidly and makes more and more contribution to the growth of the entire market size. Covering all levels in mobile phone products, Motorola’s smart phones cover low-class, middle-class and high-class, with products prices from several hundred Yuan to six thousand Yuan. The fall in average prices allow smart phones to become the market mainstream, so Motorola’s lays its solid dominant position in middle-and low-end market. The low-end market of 2,000 Yuan and under phones is almost occupied by Motorola market share has improved slightly in 2008Q3, with its new middle-end products becoming popular among users. Motorola fifth largest brand in Chinas smart phone market. Consumers Motorola’s primary consumers can be broken down into four primary segments: ? Busy professionals for whom cell phones are a Heavy Users absolute requirement (high income). ? Primarily males 25 – 45, highly educated and Enthusiasts fascinated by the latest technologies. Accompli Fashion ? Young females 20 – 40. They tend to keep up with the latest trends and are fairly affluent. Seekers Social-Life ? Average income consumers, who love to socialize and make new friends. Family tends to Lovers be very important. Motorola’s Strategy Originally pursued a global marketing strategy in China. This strategy quickly met resistance and Motorola adjusted by changing to a more localized strategy. Localized strategy included: Adapting models and software to meet specified local demands. Sourcing through local suppliers. International mobile phone giants have suffered big market share declines in China, because the countrys two mobile operators, China Mobile Ltd. and China Unicom Ltd. , have collectively purchased more cell phones for rural locations and other emerging markets since the first half of 2007. They have purchased mainly low-end and mid-range handsets in which local brands enjoy comparative advantages. This has helped domestic handset manufacturers win a larger collective market share of 37. 5 percent, up from 25 percent in 2007. At the same time, Nokia and Samsung, major competitors of Motorola in China, have been trying to secure larger market shares. Nokia, with its advantages in product diversity, sales channels, product promotions and packaged sales, saw its first-quarter sales continue to increase and its market share reach 37. 4 percent. Samsung has invested substantially in the Chinese market in the past year by introducing more products, adjusting its product portfolio and pricing and distribution strategies, strengthening its marketing efforts and expanding its cooperation with mobile operators in customized handsets. As a result, its share of the Chinese market outpaced Motorolas by 6 percentage points in the first quarter of 2008. By contrast, Motorolas product portfolio is thinner. The company failed to introduce more innovations after it started marketing its hot-selling RAZR series handsets in August 2004. This has prevented the company from winning more customers, said Yang. Motorola only introduced 13 new mobile phone models in China in 2007, while Nokia introduced 55, the majority of which were low-end handsets. With an 80-year history of technological innovation and branding behind it, all Motorola needs is a rejuvenation plan. The company will start by launching more diversified products designed for Chi nese customers, Ren told the Beijing Morning Post. Motorola also has failed to introduce more handsets to cater to the Chinese market since the rollout of its MING handsets, a Linux-based smartphone, Ren said. The company came to realize that this has been one of the reasons for its unsatisfactory performance in China in the past two years, he added. Motorola launched a new model in its ROKR handset series-the ROKR E8-as a music phone, on April 30 and is about to debut seven or eight new models in China in the coming three months. 4. Is the company’s current branding strategy effective in penetrating this segment? If not, what kind of marketing strategy should Motorola follow? Motorola wants to be a purely Chinese company. We want to be more Chinese than local companies. Lai Bingrong, Senior Vice President Motorola Inc. President Motorola (China) Electronic Co. , Ltd. in 2000. China is one of our most important crucial markets and we are still the first and largest US business in operation there. Fred Harburg, President, Motorola University, in June 2002. There is a lot of trust on the Chinese side because Motorola has put a lot of investment into the country. Crag Watts, A nalyst Norson Telecom Consulting, in January 2003 Five Point plan for winning branding strategy 1. Winning People Persistent enhancement of the management team and work environment. 2. Winning Financials Aggressive focus on strengthening the balance sheet and cash flow. . Winning with Customers Relentless pursuit of cost competitiveness, quality and customer satisfaction. 4. Winning Innovations Growth through profitable innovative products, systems, software and customer relationships. 5. Winning Strategies Continuously reassess and improve our business strategies and portfolio. Motorola follow this market strategy to penetrate in the market With increasing competition and declining market share, Motorola announced a new five-year 2+3+3 strategy, in June 2002. The new strategy was announced by Tim Chen (Chen) who took over as president of Motorola China in 2002. +3+3 strategy – 2: to turn China into both a global production base and a R base of Motorola – 3: An a nnual output value of US$10B, a total investment of US$10B in China, and US$10B purchasing of accessories and services from China – 3: To lay emphasis on the development of digital trunking, semiconductors, and broadband Utilized joint-venture partners to focus on its expertise in developing and distributing cell phone technology and products This strategy aimed at strengthening the companys position in China as it had become a strategically important market for Motorola. Analysts reported that while Motorola experienced declining sales in the other markets across the world, in China, its sales were on the rise. According to company sources, Chinas share in Motorolas global revenues was increasing over the years Growth in Subscriber: 350 million subscribers is only 13. 9% penetration! Motorola Optimistic about Chinas Market strategy Although Motorola, worlds second largest mobile phone supplier, reported US$206 million of deficits in first quarter, its China branch is still optimistic about Chinas market. Ning Suyong, manager of public affairs office of Motorola (China) Electronics said that Motorolas deficits in the first quarter were for a slowdown of American economy and global recession of mobile phone and semiconductor market, and high costs of Motorola mobile phones. Motorola is now undergoing business re adjustment, it is not very possible for it to see desired effect. Demand for mobile phone and semiconductors in China’s market are considerable which is quite different from that in America. Chinas market may boast 100 million mobile phones this year. Recently, Motorola developed T189 mobile phones; it will continue this year to tap GPRS (2. 5 G) market which will bring a great commercial opportunity. Motorola produces different types of mobile phones. So far, it has set up 18 R centers in China with total expenditure on research and development coming up to 1. 3 billion yuan. Its dedication to research and development in China has indicated the importance of Chinas market. Motorola still ranks No. 1 by its market share in China. Last year, Its China branchs sales volume topped US $ 4 billion. With exports up to US $ 1. 643 billion, it paid a total of 4. 6 billion yuan in taxes, topping all foreign investors in China. 5. What should Motorola do in order to effectively cut cost in developing a low-priced mobile phone? Motorola’s Strategy Originally pursued a global marketing strategy in China. This strategy quickly met resistance and Motorola adjusted by changing to a more localized strategy. Localized Low Priced strategy included: ? Adapting models and software to meet specified local demands. ? Sourcing through local suppliers. Motorola Introduces Dirt-Cheap Cell Phone For Developing Countries The handsets, wholesale-priced at under $30, are targeted for markets such as India, China, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, and Yemen. Motorola introduced the new models at the 3GSM World Congress in Singapore when the GSM Association revealed the company had again won the tender to supply handsets to operators in emerging countries. The phones are targeted for markets as diverse as India, South Africa, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Thailand, the Philippines, and Yemen. To get below US$30 per handset is a milestone achievement,† said Craig Ehrlich, chairman of the GSM Association, the trade group for the world’s GSM mobile operators. â€Å"(This) cements the formation of a whole new market segment for the mobile industry and will bring the benefits of mobile communications to a huge swathe of people in developing countries. † The GSM Association fueled discussion about handsets for emerging markets earlier this year when it announced that the sub-$40 Motorola C114 phone had won its tender for an estimated 6 million ultra low-cost handsets from eight operators. At the time, the GSMA said it would have a follow-on bid in September in an effort to attract more handset makers and cover more emerging markets. Although other handset makers made bids, such as China’s TCL Alcatel (NYSE: ALU) Mobile Phones Ltd. , the GSM Association decided Motorola’s low-cost platform best fit the needs of difficult to reach emerging market users. Conway said important factors were after-sales support, local service, brand presence and a choice of low-cost handset models, including an exclusive product, the C113a. Motorola submitted two handsets in its proposal the C113 and the C113a, which was specifically designed for the Emerging Market Handset program. The C113a offers talk times of up to 450 minutes and up to 330 hours of standby, reducing the need for frequent recharging. Motorola recently developed plans to release the F3 model on the Local market, which sells for between US$30 and US$50. The product isn’t yet available on the Chinese market, mainly because Motorola isn’t sure if Chinese consumers will accept the super-slim handset. But at the same time, the Motorola â€Å"Ming† PDA Smart Phone, which was released by Motorola’s R center in China, has been very popular on the mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and some other northern Asian regions. So popular, in fact, that it sold one million units in three months! Much of Motorola’s strength lies in the culture it has created. Technical innovations and open-mindedness are encouraged and, indeed, needed to ensure success. Motorola is willing to set up independent R institutions on the local market to support local demands. Like branches of other multinationals in China, Motorola’s facility is nothing special: employees compile programs in monotonous office blocks. Still, the company does have a few noticeable differences from other multinationals. One that immediately jumps out is its equal important status with the R center at Motorola’s headquarters. An exceedingly large number of multinational R institutions in China are focused on product localization based on their global platforms. Motorola, however, has taken a slightly different approach by unleashing its China R center and allowing it to operate independently. Knowing that consumer preference in the Chinese market is quite different from that in the U. S. market, Motorola started to localize its product development after the initial poor performance of pure â€Å"global† strategy. Now Motorola adapts its models to meet the specific demand from local markets rather than simply throw the current products into the market without any adjustment. The R center in China successfully developed software to show the menu in Chinese and input Chinese characters. In 1999, a combination PDA/phone, which was designed by Chinese engineers, was launched in China and spread to the US and European countries. Motorola’s localization strategy also includes local sourcing. The company takes initiative in establishing relationships with local suppliers. 7 years ago, 65% of components were imported, while 69% of components are purchased locally now. Local sourcing brings Motorola three major benefits: lowering manufacturing cost, reducing risks from currency fluctuation, and catering to Chinese government’s requirements. Motorola consists of three businesses low-priced model: Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Home Networks Mobility, and Mobile Devices. Enterprise Mobility Solutions This group includes the mission-critical communications offered by our government and public safety sectors and our enterprise mobility business. We design, manufacture, sell, install and service analog and digital two-way radio as well as voice and data communications products and systems. We deliver mobile computing, advanced data capture, wireless infrastructure and RFID solutions not only to clients in the public sector, but also to retail, manufacturing, wholesale distribution, healthcare, travel and transportation customers worldwide. Through innovative technology, we help people integrate, optimize and manage their networks to seamlessly stay connected as they move about their daily lives. Home Networks Mobility Operators today are being asked by their subscribers to deliver bandwidth-intensive, experience-based services - regardless of the network architecture. Motorola is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend, providing integrated, end-to-end systems that seamlessly and reliably enable uninterrupted access to digital entertainment, information and communications services over a variety of wired and wireless solutions. Motorola designs, manufactures, sells and services digital video system solutions and interactive set-top boxes; voice and data modems for digital subscriber line and cable networks; and, broadband access systems (including ellular infrastructure systems) for cable and satellite television operators, wireline carriers and wireless service providers. With these solutions, Motorola empowers consumers by connecting their homes - easily keeping contacts, content and services within reach. Mobile Devices As a pioneer in wireless communications, Motorola has transformed the cell phone into an icon of personal technology - an integral part of daily communications, data management and mobile entertainment. Motorola not only designs, manufactures, sells and services wireless handsets, but also licenses its vast portfolio of intellectual property. Our collection spans all cellular and wireless systems and includes integrated software applications as well as one a large complement of Bluetooth ®-enabled accessories. We offer customers innovative product designs that deliver must have experiences, such as mobile music and video - enabling seamless connectivity at work or at play.

Slavery As Portrayed In The Novel To Kill A Mocking Bird

Slavery As Portrayed In The Novel To Kill A Mocking Bird Introduction The novel is based on a true story and explains the events that took place in the writer’s hometown in the late 1930s. It is a classic book that captivates the reader with the unique flow of the story bringing out the author’s emotions. The book became an instant hit due to its perfect combination of humor and remorse in the narration. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Slavery As Portrayed In The Novel ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The narrator of the story is a young girl named Scout Finch who lives with her father Atticus Finch in Maycomb, Alabama. He is a lawyer by profession. She has only one brother called Jem. Throughout the story, Scout portrays her father as a hero and a role model in maintaining integrity in the legal profession (Johnson 6). Slavery As A Theme The book brings out certain themes such as roles of gender, education, racism, cour age and destruction. The primary theme in the book is the issue of black slavery and the attempt to abolish it. Slavery is more depicted through racial prejudice. The main characters in the novel are said to live in the southern side of the United States of America (Roden 45). The South Americans practiced racism as opposed to the inhabitants in the north. The southern territory supported the use of slaves to provide free labor in their large cotton plantations as opposed to the northern state who had declared the practice illegal. However, the southerners were faced with a dilemma of maintaining their Christian morals on one hand and retaining the slaves on the other (Tolstoy 43). The ‘negroes’, as they were referred by the Southerners were important during this period of Great Depression. So as to balance their Christianity beliefs and their material needs, they declared the Negroes as being in-humans who were inferior to the society. This justified their role as sl aves and the reason why they could not be treated equally according to Christianity (McCarty 23). Inferiority Of Slaves As Depicted In The Novel The author introduces a character Tom Robinson who represents the slaves in the South (Lee and Bloom 12). Tom is accused of rape and Atticus acts as his lawyer. Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He worked as a slave in Mr. Link Deas’s farm. He had been accused of raping a white lady, Mayella in the pretense of helping her. Racial discrimination was evident during the cross examination when Tom told the court that he felt pity for the white lady who seemed lonely. The statement is said to shock the audience as it was not usual for a black Negro to feel any remorse towards a white person. The narrator is able to bring out the hardships the slaves go through during the trial of Tom (Bloom 63). They are depicted as liar s and criminals with no chance of being justifiably heard. Atticus defends Tom with all his might by reminding the jury that there was no difference between the black and white men in court of law and that they should be fair in their verdict. Tom is however found guilty despite his strong defense. Atticus does not display any shock at the out come and he states that he expected the jury not to rule in favor of Tom as he was a black Negro. Tom is finally shot dead by prison guards in his attempt to escape from prison. Plot Analysis Introduction of Tom by the author is a plot device to represent the plight of the slaves in the state. Tom is black and in a crippled state. He has been convicted before for engaging himself in a fight and being unable to pay up a fine. This is an indication that the slaves were poor. He had severely injured his arm in the farm while working on the cotton gin machine. It should be noted that this machine was used primarily by slaves in cotton fields. To m’s character depicts the hardships that the slaves underwent. The injured arm plays an important to role to act as an emblem to portray negligence over the slaves by the whites. The decision by the jury despite the strong defense is also an indication that the slaves had no chance against the whites. Lastly, Tom’s death portrays the manner in which the slaves were killed for no apparent reason. This is due to the fact that they were not considered humans at all by the whites. However, the author brings out another side of the black people as opposed to the whites. They are generous and do not seem to discriminate. One incidence is the fact that Tom befriends the lonely white woman and even offers to help her on several occasions. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Slavery As Portrayed In The Novel ‘To Kill A Mocking Bird’ specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The other incidence is the fact tha t the black people in the court room stand up to pave way for Atticus as a sign of respect for his effort to set Tom free. The whites on the other hand seem to hold a grudge towards Atticus for representing a black man in court and trying to uphold justice in the court. Conclusion The author brings out slavery in a brilliant manner though her excellent narration style. She tells the story as an innocent child observer in an adult based situation hence embedding the scene in the reader’s mind. Not only does the author portrays her father as a hero but also her hatred towards the practice of slavery. Her only wish is for justice to be served equally to both the blacks and the whites. Bloom, Harold. Harper Lee’s To Kill a mockingbird. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print. Johnson, Claudia. Understanding To Kill a mockingbird: a student casebook to issues, sources, and historic documents. United States: The Greenwood Press, 1994. Print. Lee, Harper and Bloom, Harold . To Kill a Mockingbird. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2010. Print. McCarty, Lisa. To kill a Mockingbird. USA: Saddleback Educational Publishing, 2006. Print. Roden, Donald. Harper Lee’s To Kill a mockingbird. London: Barnes Nobles, 1997. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on american literature? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Tolstoy, Leo. The Slavery of Our Times. London: Barnes Nobles, 2004. Print.

Restaurant takeover report and evaluation Essay

Restaurant takeover report and evaluation - Essay Example The legal framework in which the event has to be conducted within requires a lot of detail because it has various implications on key issues in the event including a significant impact on the customers, guests and any other participants at the event (Monica and Sally, 2005). The regulations also outline the roles and responsibilities of employers to their staff. Non compliance with the require legislation attracts heavy penalties. The event planners therefore need to take legal issues very seriously and comply with each legal detail so as to avoid the penalties and ensure that the event runs smoothly. A lot of attention also has to be given to the health and safety issues of both the members of staff serving during the event as well as the customers who will be attending the event. The place has to be safe for the day, most especially if it is going to attract a lot of people (Beth, 2007). There has to be a first aid team ready at hand to take care of any emergencies at the event. Th e members of staff have to have a safe environment to work within for that day so as to ensure their work is perfect. Safety planning also involves outlining a security plan of action. This will help restore things when they get out of hand. Most takeover events attract a lot of people who may have different characteristics. ... Background information This particular restaurant takeover that I was involved in happened a few weeks ago at my college. It was organized at the college restaurant and I happened to be part of the team involved in the planning period for the event. This was going to be a major event as we were expecting a huge turnout from both within and outside the college. The event was scheduled to take place on a Wednesday night between 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm. This being in the middle of the week, most students would be in campus and would come in large numbers to witness the event happening during the night. As part of the takeover team charged with the responsibility of planning and supervising the event, I was involved in almost every aspect of the event, we worked so hard to ensure the event went according to our script and that there were no sideshows or any major incidences during the occasion. Profile of the takeover Team The takeover team was made up of three people, my two colleagues and I. Our team was charged with the responsibility of managing the whole event from its preparation stage, supervising the event as well as wrapping up everything after the event. This task requires highly dedicated and committed individuals. The three of us had the necessary skills and dedication that was needed to see the event to a successful completion. It was a great opportunity for us to put in to practice the knowledge we had acquired in class. Specific Roles and Activities Undertaken My team was engaged with negotiations with the staff and supervisors of the college restaurant during the planning stages to make sure everyone understood their role during the event. These negotiations also helped us to deal with emerging

Water pollution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Water pollution - Assignment Example is rising faster than any other region over the past decade, are similarly instituting factory farming (FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of U.N., Report, 2008). A major byproduct of livestock farming is animal waste. Thus, animal husbandry leads to point source pollution. One of the major problems associated with animal farming involves the movement of excessive nutrients from manure and other byproducts to soil, water and air causing significant environmental problems. In the U.S., the production of livestock and their feedcrops transports about one-third of the nitrogen and phosphorous discharged (from all sources) into freshwater. Besides the nutrients, the other major polluting agents resulting from livestock farming are pathogens and antibiotics and hormones, fertilisers, and the pesticides used to spray feed crops. Elements present in animal waste such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other minerals are essential nutrients for plant growth. However, the manure may run-off during rainfall and pollute the waterways if inadequately contained. Uncontrolled and prolonged discharge of animal waste into waterways can add excessive amounts of nutrients to the waterways causing excessive growth of algae or algal blooms which may be toxic and consume large amounts of oxygen when decaying, thereby reducing the dissolved oxygen concentration in water, and killing fish and other organisms through the process of eutrophication. Pathogens including protozoan parasites such as Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis, bacteria such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes and viruses are commonly present in manure and may runoff to surface waters with the possibility of   their eventual transmission to animals and humans (USDA, United States Department of Agriculture, 2008). Animal wastes including wastewater and manure can have large concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds such as hormones and antibiotics