A Small Theory of the Visible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Small Theory of the Visible - Essay Example Reality, and not just the wilderness, is something that lies outside of what is practical, and can only be properly appreciated from a kind of receptivity that the artists perspective can capture. There are profound insights to be had from taking this view (Williams; Berger). Williams in a way hopes to frame the wilderness as conceptual art, as living art, or as performance art, at any rate a form of art. This is not an empty exercise in highfalutin aesthetics, or an attempt to cultivate an elevated mind. This is not empty intellectualizing, but something rooted in the way the wilderness and its experience can be made more immediate. This is not to say that framing the wilderness as art is something that has some outward economic, financial, or utilitarian function, to improve humanity. This is not it at all. In the mind of Williams this has more to do with the proper framing of the wilderness in terms of a perspective that in a way restores its sanctity, its religious essence. Art i s something that has no defined use in society, and it has the ability to jolt and to shock people into paying attention, away from their smart phones, their computers, their mundane interests, their conversations, and the business of life. Why shouldnt the wilderness be framed in the same way? There is something ultimately mysterious and indefinable about the wilderness, something that cannot be tamed and cannot be domesticated and caged in aquariums, or in natural history museums. There is something ultimately mysterious.

American Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Marriage - Essay Example American families are just changing as the society around them changes. Initially, marriage was believed to be challenging commitments for both the man and the woman. The man had to work hard in providing for his family, as the woman remained behind to care for both residence and the kids. However, due to apparent global economic crisis that has filtered into American marriage, women no longer remain at home due to the economic demands for their families. Women also strive to provide for their families by going to work just as their husbands. Children too are taken to baby care centers at tender age to keep them busy and away from their parents who are ever busy to make end meet especially during the day. Indeed, this can be seen as an adjustment to the changes in the modern society. It has been argued that marriages are experiencing stress in regard to socialization and communication between spouses and the children as well (Popenoe and Whitehead 146-148). However, there is an emerg ing divergence from traditional face-to-face communication to technologically supported social platforms. Most couples maintain distant relationship where, for instance, a man works in one state and the wife works in another state. The presence of various communication methods such as the social media and mobile phones has, however, improved communication between the two. Therefore, this shift in socialization is just a way of family adaptation and not as a result of stressed marriages (Schwartz and Scott 156-159). Although financial soundness was not valued in the past, it greatly influences marriage in the current society. For instance, the economic status of an individual would greatly affect the quality of the relationship. Financially stable individuals are likely to succeed in a marriage relationship. Arguably, according to Popenoe and Whitehead (146-148), families need to make extra coins today than earlier days. Although this can be viewed as a marriage stressor, it can be a rgued that input of both partners towards the economic prowess is actually an adaptation to the modern challenges. Therefore, marriages are much more likely to survive the test of the financial stressor. Marriage is no longer based on community but solely depend on individuality. However, the modern society has certainly set high standards especially in social, economic, and educational aspects. This causes American families to go an extra mile in meeting these apparent standards. Whereas this could be seen as an overwhelming challenge to the family, societal standards also act as a motivation towards a better family. Therefore, American marriages, in their endeavor to meet these standards, will come out stronger than weak (Graham 9-10). Another important factor affecting modern marriages is the issue of religion. Whereas traditional marriages were largely based on traditional religion, modernity has changed the religious aspect of marriage (Schwartz and Scott 156-159; Graham 8-11). With the uprising of many religious denominations, families experience apparent conflict of religious belief in regard to marriage and family values. However, the fact that modern religion appreciates and upholds the role of the marriage institution is actually a bonus to American marriages. Teachings and trainings on marriages boosts marriages hence making them last longer. Therefore, despite the conflicts acting as a stressing

Strategy

Strategy Strategy Definition of: A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. The word strategy has military connotations, because it derives from the Greek word for general. Strategy is the mean or the tool by which objectives are consciously and systematically pursued and obtained over time. A strategy is a long term plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. Strategy is different from method. In military terms, tactic is concerned with the conduct of an engagement while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked. In other words, how a battle is fought is a matter of tactics: the terms that it is fought on and whether it should be fought at all is a matter of strategy. Q.1 Strategic and operating causes morita realized the importance of the american market during his trip thats where he decided the stategy for his compamny to devlope company market outside japan to capture the most important market in the world. Objective of stretegy objective was to capture the most important market in the world to gain more reputation in out side market,first he decided to change companys name from ttkkk to sony which became barnd name later on. first objective was to increse the globalisation to capture the important markets in the world and be more localised. sony appointed the mangement team that was well and truely capable in thier work. sony open their first office in 1960 to control the export and distribution of its product to get more control and hold in the target market and from the export of radios, magnetic tapes they received more then 50 % of their revenues. sony invested in r d to keep the balance between production and sales that they can produce the right amount of product according to demand. sony opened their first manufacturing plant in 1970 which started producing colour television which gave them a significant rise in sales beacuse everything was avilable to customres lacally in america during 1970 soony had been able to grow and profit as a manufaturerer of small consumer electronic goods compare to other companies its invenstment was modest in areas out side of consumer products,such as semiconductor and computers. (ref: http://www.sony.net/fun/sh/1-36/h1.html) - Q.2 Sony to Sustain in Current operational period. Have to increase its RD and bring new innovation because first mover may gain advantages in building distribution channel, in typing up spesilaized suppliers or in gaining the attention of customer. SONY needs to have more specialized forienger management team with the hope that the outsider will assist. SONY should implement more efficient and effective strategies to gain more strength in the market. open more distribution channels in the world specailly in europe and america. SONY to sustain in the market should advertize its product more to the general masses. SONY should maintain its quality standard. SONY to sustain in the market should cope with new technology and start proucing the product according to the trends of the markets. Q.3(a) A Company strategy and A Business strategy A Company strategy:- In Simple term, It is company aims in general and the way its hopes to achive them. The direction of an organization takes with the objective of achiving business success in the long term. The formulation of company startegy involes establishing the purpose and the scope of the organization activities and the nature of the business it is in taking the enviorment in which it operate its position in market palce and competetion it faces tion corporate palnnig and busiiness plan are use to implement company strategy. A Business Strategy: Long-term approach to implementing a firms business plans to achieve its business objectives. OR A course of action, including the specification of resources required, to achieve a specific objective. Business strtegy is a term used in business plannig that imples a careful selection and appilication of resource to obtain a copetative futre events or trends. Business strategy is concern more with how a business complete successfully in a particular market it concern strategic decesion about choice of product meeting needs of customers, gaing advanteges over competetors expoliting or creating new oppourtunitiesetc. The simplest is by developing slightly different offerings, perhaps to target slightly different markets from those it serves at the moment or to meet more precisely the needs a sub-segment of existing customers examples include: 1.Mcdonalds introduction of the bigger Big Mac, targeted at existing customers with above average appetites in order to increase their spend at McDonalds . 2. Sonys induction of a range of LCD TVs. Q.3 (b) Global strategy: Global strategy as defined in business terms is an organizations strategic guide to globalization. A sound global strategy should address these questions: what must be (versus what is) the extent of market presence in the worlds major markets? How to build the necessary global presence? What must be (versus what is) the optimal locations around the world for the various value chain activities? How to run global presence into global competitive advantage? A global strategy may be appropriate in industries where firms are faced with strong pressures for cost reduction but with weak pressures for local responsiveness. Therefore, it allows these firms to sell a standardized product worldwide. However, fixed costs (capital equipment) are substantial. Nevertheless, these firms are able to take advantage of scale economies and experience curve effects, because it is able to mass-produce a standard product which can be exported (providing that demand is greater than the costs involved). Global strategies require firms to tightly coordinate their product and pricing strategies across international markets and locations, and therefore firms that pursue a global strategy are typically highly centralized Characteristics of sony global stratege Morita co-founder of sony wants to make his copmany successful all around the global for that.he use a global strategy and its charecteics are as follows. when he went to usa he found that the american market is the better target market than the japanes market for electronic conusemers.so he decided to implement the strategy than can give him a significant. sony not only target american market but also keep note of the importance of the other markets in the world. sony status making it item locally so that it can achieve a balance in sales and production. sony makes item that are local to that market.sony starts his RD local so that sony can achive a better result in that part of local market,because differnet part of world got different consumeres and got different needs and satisfaction point. sony has given such innovation and quality in their product that customers can be satisfied.this strategy was adopted all over the world by sony. Q.4: Corporate planning and strategic planning Corporate Panning Is concerned with an organizations basic direction for the future: its purpose,its ambitions, its resources and how it interacts with the world in which it operates Involves decisions about the organization as whole. defines the activities of the organization and structure. The process of drawing up detailed action plans to achieve an organizations goals and objectives, taking into account the resources of the organization and the environment within which it operates. Corporate planning represents a formal, structured approach to achieving objectives and to implementing the corporate strategy of an organization. It has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of senior management. The use of the term became predominant during the 1960s but has now been largely superseded by the concept of strategic management. Strategic Planning. A fundamental pattern of present and planned objectives, resource deployments and interactions of an organization with markets, competitors, and other environmental factors. Strategic Planning process. Mission Objectives. Environment Scanning. Strategy Formulation. Strategy Implementation. Evaluation Control. Strategic planning is an organizations process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. Various business analysis techniques can be used in strategic planning, including SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats ) and PEST analysis (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological analysis) or STEER analysis (Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors) and EPISTEL (Environment, Political, Informatic, Social, Technological, Economic and Legal). Corporate planing consist of objectives, aims and strategies of any organization on the other hand Strategic planning will give us direction how to take the right decisions at the right time to achieve these aims, objectives and strategies. Example of Corporate planning. Corporate Planning of IBM. For decades IBMs corporate, bussiness, and marketing strategies were all very successful. By the mid 1990s, however, several of IBMs traditional businesses were in trouble.The companys share of the worldwide PC market fell to about 8 percent in 1990, third behind Dell and Compaq. Worse, the firms Pc business was projected to lose $400 million, on top of a $1 billion loss in 1998. A New Corproate Strategy. when Lou Gerstner took over as IBMs chief executive in 1994, he and a task force of other executives, including many from the marketing and sales ranks, reexamined all the firms businesses, customer segments, competitors, and potential competitors. Thier Conclusion : the internet would change everything. They foresaw that The real leadership in the [ information technolgy] industry was moving away from the creartion of technology to the application of the technology, says Gerstner. The explosive growth is in service. Further We concluded that this[the internet] was not an information superhighway. This was all about business, doing transaction, not looking up information. consequenty, IBMs top excutives began to refocus the corporate mission,de-emphasising the development and manufacture of high-tech hardware while increasing the emphasis on providing customers with e-business engineering,software, and outsourcing services.to leverage the firms existing competencies and its long-term relationships with its traditional customers, many of the new services the firm developed concentrate on helping large, brick- and mortar firms (1) hook old corporate databases (often on mainframes)into new online systems, (2) integrate web technology into their internal business processes to improve efficiency, and (3) develop and run company websites.for instance, lego, the danish toy manufacturer, pays IBM to run its entire Web operation, including contracting with the danish post office to handle shipping. but the corporation has also expanded the scope of both its new service and old hard-ware businesses to embrace smaller customers. for example, in 2002 the firm released scaled-down version of its database,email, and network management software that are easier to maintain and up to 80 per cent cheaper than its standard versions. IBM also announced a partnership with J.D edwards co. in which the provider of tech services to midsized companies will base its entire software menu on IBM programs.

Personal Narrative Essay - Crickets :: Personal Narrative Writing

Personal Narrative- Crickets I’ve never liked bugs. Grasshoppers are gruesome, and wasps are menacing. Even butterflies seem to flaunt their grace by fluttering in your face. Recently, however, I’ve realized that one insect cowers below the others as the most scheming of the six-legged world. I’ve discovered that I hate crickets. These bugs are way too happy for their own good. Not only black, smaller versions of the grasshopper, crickets are masters of hide and seek. The inky bodies blend flawlessly into the shadows beneath a bush or inside the garage. Each crunchy creature also must have a shrinking ability. Squeezing into cracks and crannies in walls, even the cockroach is shamed by the cricket. Once hiding within thirty feet of my presence, the despicable beast begins to sing its wretched, repetitive tune. Echoing in my ears, magnified by the silence between chirps, the song rattles in my head. Forget studying, forget writing and solving problems, forget sleeping, because I am irritated. Each shrill note pierces my skull, drumming inside my head as though pressuring my brain. "Find me," it taunts, "if you can." Concentrating becomes isolated, like a special filter is funneling only the vibrato-filled song into my mind. Eyes wide and furious, I hunt, following the gnawing chirp. Listening with ears attuned only to the shriek, I creep so slowly, so focused my muscles ache with the strain. Zoning in on a tiny area, suddenly repulsed by the thought of cricket skin brushing my delicate fingertips, I seize a sandal from the step. I can hear it. I know it’s only a few inches away.

Advergames

Synopsis Advergames – Advertising into your subconsciousness Disposition This paper investigates how advergames and anti- advergames have made a ground in our culture. I will explore how the anti- advergame movement utilizes the procedural rhetoric in order to create awareness. Furthermore I will come to a conclusion about why or if we need the anti – advergame movement. What exactly is advergames? Advergames is a great way to reach out to the consumers in a subconscious manner. Advergames are video games which contains advertisement for a product, service, or company. – Advergames are created to fill out a purpose – often to promote the company or one of the products. These games are often distributed freely as the game is a marketing tool. – Advergames can also be less obvious in their advertisement with product placement in the game. The video games is an alternative form of advertising with some advantages: they are cheap, fast, and have an extr aordinary peer-to-peer marketing ability. Advertising within a video game allows for more exposures to the product than traditional ads because, according to Ellen Ratchye– Foster, a trend analyst for Fallon, â€Å"anyone who buys these games devotes weeks and weeks to getting through their levels. † This means that the consumer will see the advertisements over and over while they play, thus it may resonate with them. †1 Product placement – â€Å"Product placement in-game-advertising is most commonly found in sports titles and simulation games. For advertisers an add may be displayed multiple times and a game may provide an opportunity to ally a product's brand image with the image of the game. – Such examples include the use Sobe drink in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent – While product placement in film and television is fairly common, this type of in-game advertising has only recently become common in games. â€Å"2 1 http ://advergamingtoday. blogspot. com/2006/02/just-product-placement. html 2 http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Advergaming What is anti – advergames? Anti- advergames are games that challenge players to rethink their relationship with consumption and encourage corporate critique. â€Å"Advertisers, governments and organizations mount huge campaigns to show us what they want us to see, and we want to expose what they're hiding,† 3 In order to create awareness for the consumer (or more precisely the player) molleindustria. org and others create anti – advergames. The video games satirize big companies and question corporate polices ranging from how cattle are raised (The McDonald’s Videogame) to low pay for workers (Disaffected! . â€Å"I've always had a complicated relationship with advertising,† Bogost said. â€Å"It's everywhere, and it's becoming more and more parasitic. Yet, because it's everywhere it has the power to influence people positively as well as negatively. † 4 When attempting to sell games as a persuasive medium, those in the business early on found it useful to refer to this class of games as serious games. Ian Bogost wrote the book †Persuasive games† where he analysed the rhetoric these games used in their attempt to share information. Persuasive games – Ian Bogost †A book about how videogames make arguments: rhetoric, computing, politics, advertising, learning. In Persuasive Games, Ian Bogost explains how companies with the video game as a medium can make arguments and influence players. The games represent how the real and artificial/imagined systems work, and the players are invited to an interaction with the system to form an opinion about them. Bogost analyses the unique functions of rhetoric in software and especially in videogames. He argues that videogames because of their representation of procedurality open a whole new domain for persuasion, a new form for rhetoric. 5 3 http://www. molleindustria. org/node/149 4 http://www. molleindustria. org/node/149 5 http://www. bogost. com/books/persuasive_games. shtml This new form is called â€Å"procedural rhetoric† and is a form of rhetoric that is tied to the core affordances of computers which is running processes an executing a rule-based symbolic manipulation. 6 Procedural rhetoric is the practice of authoring arguments through processes. Computer games are interesting in this regard because they are some of the most complex processes that exist. †Covering both commercial and non-commercial games from the earliest arcade games through contemporaty titles, I look at three areas in which videogame persuasion has already taken form and shows considerable potential: politics, advertising, and education. The book reflects both theoretical and game-design goals. †7 The McDonald’s Videogame example McDonald’s video game is a good example of procedural rhetoric. The game was designed to persuade you that McDonald’s business model is corrupt. The McDonald’s Videogame mounts a procedural rhetoric about the necessity of corruption in the global fast food business, and the overwhelming temptation of greed, which leads to more corruption. In order to succeed in the longterm, the player must use growth hormones, he must coerce banana republics, and he must mount PR and lobbying campaigns. â⠂¬ 8 The game makes a procedural argument about the inherent problems in the fast food industry, particularly the necessity of overstepping environmental and health-related boundaries. Critical Play – Mary Flanagan While Ian Bogost's procedural rhetoric explore the expressive processes in video games, Mary Flanagan examines the theories of critical play which considers how designing a play space in a 6 7 8 9 http://www. bogost. com/books/persuasive_games. shtml http://www. bogost. com/books/persuasive_games. shtml The Rhetoric of video games, Ian Bogost p. 127 The Rhetoric of video games, Ian Bogost p. 127 video game can be a kind of social activism. Definition of critical Play To Flanagan, critical play â€Å"means to create or occupy play environments and activities that represent one or more questions about aspects of human life,†10 and â€Å"is characterized by a careful examination of social, cultural, political, or even personal themes that function as alternates to popular play spaces. [†¦] Thus the goal in theorizing a critical game-design paradigm is as much about the creative person’s interest in critiquing the status quo as it is about using play for such a phase change†11. The connection that this process has with social activism is that the games that people play and how they play those games change in response to culture. The doll example A simple example of critical play in a natural setting is playing with dolls. They are often used to enforce gender roles and stereotypes, many young girls today and in the early days of the doll industry would use dolls to break down social roles. Violent fantasies, macabre funerals, and other forms of changing the way play worked with dolls provides a striking example of critical play in its natural form. 2 10 Critical Play: Radical game design, Mary Flanagan, p 6 11 Critical Play: Radical game design, Mary Flanagan, p 6 12 http://www. popmatters. com/pm/post/128966-mary-flanagans-critical-play Anti – advergames Ian Bogost is one of the founding fathers of anti- advergames and in his book Persuasive Games he describes how procedural rhetoric can be used to understand the problems in our culture. â€Å"Disa ffected! Does not purport to proceduralize a solution to Kinko's customer service or labour issues. But its procedural rhetoric of incompetence does underscore the problem of disaffection in contemporary culture, on both sides of the counter. We're dissatisfied or unwilling to support structures of authority, but we do scarcely little about it. We go to work at lousy jobs with poor benefits and ill treatment. We shrug off poor customer service and bad products, assuming that nothing can be done and ignoring the reasons why workers might feel disenfranchised in the first place. We take for granted that we can't reach people in authority. These problems extend far beyond copy stores. Disaffected has, like the McDonald’s video game, no solution to how we change the problem. The game attempts instead to inform and educate the users by using the procedural rhetoric, showing how the organisation/world through processes affect everyone. The question is, does anti – advergames really have the effekt that Bogost and other gamedesigners think it does? Its a question with more than one side. On one hand people do get a better understanding of the structure and the core of the message but how is that different form any other campaign? On the other hand we already know that Billion dollar companies may be a little rough around the edges and that morally the best thing (in a perfect world) would be to avoid the products and companies altogether. So why do we need anti – advergames to inform us about the dangers? The point is to create awareness. There arent any (easy) solution to the problems so the next best thing is to make people aware of how the system works so that we dont stand idly by. This does not mean that the anti- advergames are created in a belief that the user, by playing the video game, is fully enlightened on completion of the game. Often the player already has insight in how the system works as the people who aren't interested in the critique wont be interested in the game either. None the less designers like Ian Bogost and Paolo Pedercini (molleindustria. org) feel their work will have some effect. At the very least, they contend, players might start thinking about corporations in new ways. The games, Pedercini said, â€Å"can make people ask some questions, and for instance read a book or consider that there are a lot of motivations to change their lifestyles. â€Å"13 Brad Scott, director of digital branding at Landor Associates has an other opinion: â€Å"I don't know that they would have that negative effect on the brand,† Scott said. â€Å"You can almost use it as, ‘Boy, we've become such an icon as a brand that we're being mimicked by video games. † 14 I cant say which statement I think is correct but I think that advergames are a great way of advertising. There is an enormous amount of people who play video games, â€Å"according to the Interactive Digital Software Association, as many as 60% of Americans over age 6 play them. Putting that statistic together with the number of people using the internet, you have a phenomenal amount of people you ca n market to. â€Å"15 This great area of potential would of course be a great place for marketing, both commercial and non-commercial. It would be a waste not to utilize it especially if the people aren't as offended or as immune as to other of the more traditional methods of advertising. 13 http://www. molleindustria. org/node/149 14 http://www. molleindustria. org/node/149 15 http://advergamingtoday. blogspot. com/2006/02/just-product-placement. html 7 Digital Kultur Conclusion Advergames are becoming more and more popular as the availability to the internet increases. The video game is like any other media being used to the benefit of the marketing industry and why not? The anti – advergame movement with Ian Bogost criticise the marketing industry for being omnipresent and overpowering in its behaviour but is itself a game that has an agenda. Despite all, the anti – advergames are needed. The goal is not to come up with a solution, but to create awareness, and that is exactly what they do. We have an anti advertising forum in any other media, why not in the video games? 8 http://advergamingtoday. blogspot. com/2006/02/just-product-placement. html http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Advergaming http://www. molleindustria. rg/node/149 http://www. bogost. com/books/persuasive_games. shtml http://www. popmatters. com/pm/post/128966-mary-flanagans-critical-play http://www. molleindustria. org/node/149 Texts Ian Bogost, ‘The Rhetoric of video games, in The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2008 Ian Bogost, ‘Procedural Rhetoric' [extract], in Persuasive Games: The Expressive Power of Videoga mes, Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press, 2007 Mary Flanagan, ‘Introduction to Critical Play', in Critical Play: Radical Game Design, Cambridge, Mass. : MIT Press 2009 9

Secondary Data

Q) What are Secondary Data? Secondary Data Secondary data is information gathered for purposes other than the completion of a research project. Data previously collected by someone else, possibly for some other purpose that can be used later for making decisions if found suitable for the purpose, other than the original one. Secondary data can be acquired from the internal records of the organization, their departments, subsidiaries or sister organizations and also from external sources, such as chambers of commerce, government, professional and commercial consultants subject to the availability of data . e. g. , data in books, journals, newspapers, magazines, etc. †¢ e. g. , data in reports, surveys, etc A variety of secondary information sources is available to the researcher gathering data on an industry, potential product applications and the market place. Secondary data is also used to gain initial insight into the research problem. Secondary data is classified in terms of its source – either internal or external. Internal, or in-house data, is secondary information acquired within the organization where research is being carried out. External secondary data is obtained from outside sources. The secondary information will provide a useful background and will identify key questions and issues that will need to be addressed by the primary research. BENEFITS †¢ Low cost †¢ Less effort †¢ Less time †¢ At times, more accurate †¢ At times, only way to obtain data LIMITATION †¢ Collected for some other purpose †¢ No control over data collection †¢ May not be accurate †¢ May not be in correct form †¢ May be outdated †¢ May not meet data requirements †¢ Assumptions have to be made Q) What are the major problems encountered with Secondary Data? It is necessary that the secondary data are taken from a source which obtained from the original source, and then a secondary source is being used. It is important to avoid the use of secondary sources by using only the original sources for a Secondary Data. The other problems may include: †¢ Secondary information pertinent to the research topic is either not available, or is only available in insufficient quantities. †¢ Some secondary data may be of questionable accuracy and reliability. Even government publications and trade magazines statistics can be misleading. For example, many trade magazines survey their members to derive estimates of market size, market growth rate and purchasing patterns, then average out these results. Often these statistics are merely average opinions based on less than 10% of their members. †¢ Data may be in a different format or units than is required by the researcher. †¢ The methodology used by the party for collecting the secondary data is not explained and the accuracy level may not be verified. Much secondary data is several years old and may not reflect the current market conditions. Trade journals and other publications often accept articles six months before appear in print. The research may have been done months or even years earlier. Q) What are the major sources of Internal Data? Internal Data Internal secondary data is usually an inexpensive information source for the company conducting research, and is the place to start for existing operations. Internally generated sales and pricing data can be used as a research source. The use of this data is to define the competitive position of the firm, an evaluation of a marketing strategy the firm has used in the past, or gaining a better understanding of the company’s best customers. The main sources of internal data may include: 1. Sales and marketing reports. These can include such things as: †¢ Type of product/service purchased †¢ Type of end-user/industry segment †¢ Method of payment †¢ Product or product line †¢ Sales territory †¢ Salesperson †¢ Date of purchase †¢ Amount of purchase †¢ Price †¢ Application by product †¢ Location of end-user 2. Accounting and financial records. These are often an overlooked source of internal secondary information and can be invaluable in the identification, clarification and prediction of certain problems. Accounting records can be used to evaluate the success of various marketing strategies such as revenues from a direct marketing campaign. There are several problems in using accounting and financial data. One is the timeliness factor – it is often several months before accounting statements are available. Another is the structure of the records themselves. Most firms do not adequately setup their accounts to provide the types of answers to research questions that they need. For example, the account systems should capture project/product costs in order to identify the company’s most profitable (and least profitable) activities. Companies should also consider establishing performance indicators based on financial data. These can be industry standards or unique ones designed to measure key performance factors that will enable the firm to monitor its performance over a period of time and compare it to its competitors. Some example may be sales per employee, sales per square foot, expenses per employee (salesperson, etc. ). 3. Miscellaneous reports. These can include such things as inventory reports, service calls, number (qualifications and compensation) of staff, production and R&D reports. Also the company’s business plan and customer calls (complaints) log can be useful sources of information. COMMON SOURCES OF INTERNAL SECONDARY DATA Information originating within the company 1. Sales invoices a. Customer name b. Address c. Class of product/service sold d. Price by unit e. Salesperson f. Term of sales g. Shipment point 2. Accounts receivable reports a. Customer name b. Product purchased c. Total unit and dollar sales d. Customer as percentage of sales . Customer as percentage of regional sales f. Profit margin g. Credit rating h. Items returned i. Reason for return 3. Quarterly sales report a. Total dollar and unit sales by: Customer Geographic segment Customer segment Sales territory Product Sales report Product segment b. Total sales against planned objective c. Total sales against budget d. Total sales against pri or periods e. Actual sales percentage increase/decrease f. Contribution trends 4. Sales activity reports a. Classification of customer account i. e. Mega, Large, Medium and Small b. Available dollar sales potential c. Current sales penetration d. Existing bids/contracts by customer location product Q) What is a computerized Data Base? COMPUTERIZED DATA BASE A database is simply a collection of related information. More specifically a computerized database is a computerized record keeping system. More completely, it is a system involving data, the hardware that physically stores that data, the software that utilizes the hardware's file system in order to 1) store the data and 2) provide a standardized method for retrieving or changing the data, and finally, the users who turn the data into information. For many companies, a computerized database containing information about customers and prospects has become an essential marketing tool. Creating an internal marketing secondary database built upon sales results and customer preferences can be a powerful marketing tool. Databases dealing with published information usually found in libraries, such as books, articles and other types of documents, are commonly called bibliographic databases. Computerized databases published secondary data, the Internet, and internal databases are important parts of an organization’s information system. Intelligent decision making is always predicated on having good information. †¢ When a person uses an automated teller machine to withdraw money from the bank account, he/she is using a computerized database. †¢ When a travel agent makes an airline reservation for the customers, he/she is using a computerized database. †¢ When a telephone operator gives the customer a phone number, he/she is using a computerized database. Any significant collections of information stored on computers are virtually always organized as databases and are known as computerized data base. Computerized Database On-line vendors – purchase (rent) databases from a number of suppliers and sell to the subscribers (e. g. services provided by America Online, DIALOG). ON-LINE DATABASES Provide http: easy and direct access to public information through a computer. There are about 7,000 databases on a variety of topics that one can use. Q) Describe a specialized online data base of marketing manager? An online database which can be used by a marketing manager for Substantial Cost Savings, for Increasing the understanding of the Decision Environment, Upgrading the Decision-Making Effectiveness, Improving the Information Value. This may include: †¢ Internet – World-wide telecommunications network that allows computers to access data, files, pictures and sound throughout the world. †¢ World Wide Web – Component of the Internet designed to make transmission of text and images very easy. †¢ Uniform Reference Locator (URL) – Internet address that identifies a specific location. – A typical Web address looks like the following: http://www. microsoft. com †¢ Search Engines – Internet search directories to aid in locating topics of interest and URLs. – An example is Yahoo at http://www. yahoo. com On-line Databases Consist of: Internet, Direct from Vendors, Direct from Producer, Indirect through Networks Organizations Must Create a Database Management System. Managers must be trained on How to Retrieve Information and How to Manipulate the Data Using Database Management Software. A marketing manager can use a specialized data base to fulfill his/her tasks effectively and efficiently through: †¢ Internet †¢ Website †¢ Emails †¢ Online Subscriptions †¢ Online queries †¢ Online Feed back †¢ Newsgroups on the Internet †¢ Internet sites devoted to a specific topic where people can read and post messages. †¢ Databases on CD ROM A number of companies offer database packages on CD ROM for personal computers that is very useful for manager in decision making and other tasks. †¢ Geographic Information Systems †¢ Computer-based system that uses secondary and/or primary data to generate maps that visually display answers to research questions. †¢ Decision Sup port System – Through Online Data Base an interactive, personalized MIS, designed to be initiated and controlled by individual decision makers. – Managers use decision support systems to conduct sales analyses, forecast sales, evaluate advertising, analyze product lines, and keep tabs n market trends and competitor analysis. Creating Databases from a Web Site -A Marketing Manager’s Dream – Customer’s link to an online store is a two-way electronic link – Allows online merchant to gather information about the customer – Text file place on a user’s computer in order to identify the user when there is a return visit to the Web site. – Helping Managers in creation of a large computerized file of customers’ and potential customers’ profiles and purchase patterns. – It is the fastest-growing use of internal database technology. A manager has to build company’s online Pages on Search Engines. Working online to find out target audiences and provide them information through Internet services performing internet marketing services that are mention above. The services are designed to help the company’s website increase its. Through this Online Database a marketing Manager is able to get, Demographic Dimensions Population growth: actual and projected Population density In-migration and out-migration patterns Population trends by age, race, and ethnic background Employment Characteristics Labor force growth Unemployment levels Percentage of employment by occupation categories Employment by industry Economic Characteristics Personal income levels (per capita and median) Type of manufacturing/service firms Total housing starts Building permits issued Sales tax rates Competitive Characteristics Levels of retail and wholesale sales Number and types of competing retailers Availability of financial institutions International Market Characteristics Transportation and exporting requirements Trade barriers Business philosophies Legal system Social customs Political climate Cultural patterns Religious and moral backgrounds Common Government Documents Used as Secondary Data Sources Statistics of Income Survey of Current Business Through a specialized Online Data Base a marketing manager able to get up-to-date information. A marketing Manager able to, †¢ Evaluate sales territory. †¢ PLC †¢ Identify most profitable and least profitable customers. †¢ Identify most profitable market segments and target efforts with greater efficiency and effectiveness. †¢ Aim marketing efforts to those products, services, and segments that require the most support. †¢ Increase revenue through repackaging and re-pricing products for various market segments. Evaluate opportunities for offering new products or services. †¢ Identify products or services that are best-sellers or most profitable. †¢ Evaluate existing marketing programs. †¢ Database Technologies †¢ Database technologies continue to evolve. For example, Fingerhut, a database firm, uses a Sun Microsystems parallel co mputer, whereas American Express relies on Thinking Machines Corporation’s supercomputers. †¢ Renting Internal Databases †¢ Some companies rent their internal databases to obtain extra income, although this can lead to ethical questions. [pic]

Developmental Psychology essay

Developmental Psychology essay Developmental Psychology essay Developmental Psychology essay1) Define and discuss the differences between self-esteem and self-concept, self-efficacy, and self-regulation.Self-esteem is referred to affective and emotional aspect of self and implies the self-evaluation of one’s self. Self-efficacy is the extent of one’s belief in one’s own ability to complete tasks and research goals. Self-concept is the idea of how one’s perceives oneself. The self-regulation is one’s ability to control one’s emotional condition (Banyard 105-106).2) Describe and discuss the different types of peer status.Types of peer status are: popular children, average children, neglected children (who are not disliked by peers); rejected children (who are disliked by children), controversial children (Banyard 141).3) Discuss bullying and its effects, and describe strategies to reduce bullying.Bullying is an abusive behavior of children in relation to their peers. Bullying may involve physical and ver bal abuse (Banyard 193). Effects of bullying are the exclusion of children, who are victimized by bullies; psychological problems in both victims and bullies; the development of violent behavioral patterns in bullies and their victims; negative psychological changes that may appear in the adulthood (Banyard 194). Strategies to reduce bullying are: recognition and response; creation of a dialogue; encouraging bystanders becoming upstanders; fostering safety and inclusion; educating community (Banyard 196).4) Discuss the functions of friendships.Friendships contribute to the development of closer social relations between individuals and ties them on the ground of mutual interests, interaction and values (Banyard 174).5) Compare and contrast the constructivist and direct-instruction approaches to education.Constructivist approach to education implies teachers to perform the role of facilitators, who helps students to learn that makes students active agents of the learning process (Bany ard 158). The direct instruction approach implies the delivery of instructions to students and learning of the instructions by students that makes students subjects to learning (161).