Examples of Computer Pheripherals Essay

A computer peripheral is defined as an auxiliary device, such as a printer, modem, or storage system, that works in conjunction with a computer.† Computer peripherals allow computers to accomplish several tasks at once, such as downloading software updates while simultaneously printing a document. Thousands of computer peripherals have been produced over the years; however, each computer peripheral’s primary function falls into one of several categories. Input Peripherals Computer systems are capable of handling thousands of calculations per second. However, in order for a computer to have something to process, the computer must receive instructions from an input device. Some examples of input peripheral devices are keyboards, computer mice, touchscreens, and bar-code readers. Output Peripherals Once a computer has processed information, the information must be sent to an output device. Some examples of output devices are computer monitors, printers, plotters, and computer speakers. Communication Peripherals Computers are capable of communicating with each other, and with other devices (such as PDAs and cell phones). In order to communicate with these devices, a computer must have a compatible communication peripheral to transmit and receive data. Some examples of communication peripherals are computer modems, network adapters, infrared adapter ports, and wireless (radio frequency) adapters. Data Storage Peripherals A computer requires space to store files, programs, and other data. Besides the internal hard disk drive, storage peripherals also provide places for the computer to store data to and access data from. Some examples of data storage peripherals are external CD-ROM drives, flash memory drives, tape drives, and network-attached storage (NAS) drives

Virtual Private Network

Faith, my best friend has been trying to get some online writing job. She found some good websites the only problem was her location; the services could not be offered in her country Kenya. She informed me about it and I just learned about VPN so I advised to use it. So what's a VPN? VPN stands for Virtual Private Networks. It gives you online privacy and anonymity by creating a private network from a public Internet connection. VPNs mask your Internet protocol (IP) address so your online actions are virtually untraceable. Most important, VPN services establish secure and encrypted connections too. How VPN protects your privacy? VPNs essentially create a data tunnel between your local network and an exit node in another location, which could be thousands of miles away, making it seem as if you're in another place. This benefit allows â€Å"online freedom† or the ability to access your favorite apps and websites from anywhere in the world.VPN providers.There are many choices when it comes to VPN providers. There are some VPN providers who offer free service and there are some who charge for VPN service. Paid VPN providers offer robust gateways, proven security, free software and unmatched speed.VPN protocolsThe number of protocols and available security features has grown with time but the most common protocols are:PPTP-PPTP tunnels a point-to-point connection over the GRE protocol.It is strong and can be set up on every major OS but it is not the most secure. L2TP/IPsec- It is more secure than PPTP and offers more features. L2TP/IPsec implements two protocols together to gain the best features of each; L2TP protocol creates a tunnel and IPsec provides a secure channel. This makes an impressively secure package.Open VPN- OpenVPN is an SSL-based VPN that is gaining popularity. SSL is a mature encryption protocol and OpenVPN can run on a single UDP or TCP port.The software used is open source and freely available.That's all for today for more inquiries on VPNs register on my email list for more info.

Cannon

Select a company you believe to be innovative (this should be an internationally known company). Explain what makes this company innovative? In your answer, use relevant theory and examples to illustrate why you believe the company is innovative. Cannon – an innovative company Founded in 1937 with the specific goal of making the best quality camera available to customers, Canon’s passion for the power of image has since extended its technology into many other markets and has established it as a world leader in both consumer and business imaging solutions. Its solutions comprise products, ranging from digital compact and SLR cameras, through broadcast lenses and portable X-ray machines, to multi-function and production printers, all supported by a range of value added services. Canon invests heavily in R&D to deliver the richest and most innovative products and services to satisfy customers’ creative needs. In my essay I will show that through disruptive, strategic and product innovation Canon remains the leader in the market of all its products. Canon has proved that disruptive innovation brings many benefits to businesses. Christensen and Raynor (Christensen and Raynor, 2003) justify that new entrant firms will win with leading firms of an industry through disruptive innovation, by commercializing a simpler, more convenient product that sells for less money and appeals to new or unattractive customer set. Canon has proved that the best way for an upstart company to attack established competitors is to disrupt them. Disruptive innovations do not attempt to bring better products to established customers in existing markets. Rather, they disrupt and redefine that trajectory by introducing products and services that are not as good as currently available products. Still, disruptive technologies offer other benefits – typically, they are simpler, more convenient, and less expensive products that appeal to new or less-demanding customers (Todd and Bessant, 2009). Once the disruptive product gains a share in the new or low-end markets, the improvement cycle begins. In addition, the pace of technological process exceeds customers’ ability to use it; the previously not good enough technology eventually improves to intersect with the needs of the more demanding customers. When that happens, the disruptors are on the path that will ultimately beat the incumbents. Throughout Canon’s history, the company has used disruptive innovation in order to gain market share. In 1982 Canon developed the first personal copier. It gained its name because the reproduction elements were all contained in a cartridge that users could just replace themselves when they ran out. Canon’s desktop photocopiers were a new-market disruption; in that they enabled people to begin conveniently making their own photocopies, rather than taking their originals to the corporate high-speed photocopy center where a technician had to run the job for them. The high-speed Xerox machine was very complicated, needed servicing frequently and only a technician could operate it. When Canon made photocopying so convenient, people ended up making a lot more copies, therefore through disruption innovation Canon has created new value network. Additionally, Canon’s innovation sources come from monitoring the market and following and adjusting to its competitors. In 1987 Ricoh revolutionized the photocopier industry with the release of the first digital photocopier. Thus, Canon followed releasing their digital photocopier products, which effectively consisted of an integrated scanner and laser printer. In 2001 Canon released its first two digital personal copiers, the PC1080F and the PC1060. Furthermore, with the disruptive innovation of touch screen technology, the company has decided to launch its own touch screen display in order to compete in the market. The new Digital IXUS 200 IS features Canon’s first ever touch screen display that delivers intuitive control to the customer and greater ease of use. Canon’s success is also based on the company’s commitment to strategic innovation. Strategic innovation means experimenting with new strategies, with new combinations of the ‘What, Who and How’ of a business. If a company identifies a new customer base, it will start behaving in a way that best satisfies the specific needs of those customers. This behavior will most likely be different from that of established competitors who are serving different customers (Markides, 1997). In the case of Cannon, Xerox leased big photocopiers to corporations through a direct sales force. Canon sold its personal photocopiers to end users through a dealer network. Thus Canon has adopted a different product, along with different selling and distribution strategies. They identified a customer segment that was not currently served by existing competitors. Then they designed their products and delivery systems to fit the requirements of this customer niche. New product innovations from Canon strengthen its leadership in imaging technology. In 2009, Canon has reaffirmed its commitment to innovation in product development with the launch of 38 consumer products ranging from an innovative new Digital SLR camera in its flagship EOS range to a germ resistant calculator, and a first voice guided printer. The new SELPHY ES40 is the first printer, which talks to its user. It provides spoken instructions on how to operate the printer in seven different languages; the guidance also gives advice to assist users of all ages to simplify the printing process. Successful product innovation requires more than the management of technology; it also must address users’ problems and needs, how the product will be used, and for what purpose. Conducting marketing research to obtain customers requirements and needs is a fundamental feature of Canon’s strategic innovation process, which the company adds onto its product innovation cycle. The new EOS 7D digital SLR camera is a completely new design created to meet the specific demands of photographers. During extensive development Canon went back to the drawing board, listening to photographers worldwide, in order to design the new digital camera to meet their specific needs. Commenting on the creation of the EOS 7D, Mr. Uchidoi, Group Executive of Photo Products Group, said, â€Å"We consulted over 5,000 photographers worldwide and asked them what they most wanted to see from a camera. Matching this insight with cutting-edge technology, we were able to develop a camera that truly gives photographers the versatile tool they require to experiment with their images. † Markides (Markides, 1990) argues that successful innovative companies need to adopt a new thinki ng process. New ideas emerge more easily if managers can escape their mechanistic way of thinking and look at an issue from different perspectives or angles. Thinking ‘out side of the box’ enables Canon to create new ideas and pioneer new trends. One area, which Canon has foreseen, was the growing importance of reducing global warming and becoming more ‘green’. Long before it was in fashion, Canon introduced a collection and recycling program for used toner cartridges. The company adopted a corporate-wide lifecycle assessment to understand and reduce its carbon footprint, and it has already achieved zero waste output at its worldwide plants. Canon has jointly developed a new bio-based plastic that incorporates plant-based and organic components to use in its products (Silverstein, 2010). Therefore, innovative thinking helps the company stay ahead of the competition. Another source of innovation is building on the organizations existing core competencies to create a new product or a new way of doing business that is totally different from the way competitors currently do business. Leveraging existing core competencies is therefore one way to create new products or new ways to compete. Canon’s core competencies lay in the combination of the precision mechanics, fine optics and microelectronics technologies that underline all their products (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). However, most major breakthroughs occur not so much from amortizing existing competencies but from exploiting them to create and accumulate new strategic assets more quickly and cheaply than competitors. A company can use a core competence of a strategic asset in one small business unit (SBU) to help improve the quality of a strategic asset in another SBU (Markides, 1990). Because Canon is in two businesses, cameras and photocopiers, in which the processes of improving dealer effectiveness, speeding up product development or improving assembly-line productivity are similar, it can improve the quality of the strategic assets in its photocopier business by transferring competencies learned in its camera business and vice versa. Leveraging core competencies among Canon’s different business units therefore reduces the costs and saves valuable time. Through the years, Canon has continually provided a lot of innovative and revolutionary products. From the company’s very first product launched, a 35 mm focal plane-shutter camera called the Kwanon, to now a days most recent products, the company has integrated innovation to all of its business units. Canon is committed to developing innovative solutions to enhance business productivity that it invests 8% of annual turnover in R&D. This devotion to innovation translates to fact that the company is consistently rated in the top five most innovative companies in the world in terms of new patent registrations. Thus concluding, throughout disruptive, strategic and product innovation Canon stays one of the leaders in its markets.

Maritime bussines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maritime bussines - Essay Example The international trade remains successful first of all because of the improvement in marine transportation (The Long History of Shipping Company). However, besides the advantages, recent global changes also brought some problems and changes shipping organizations have to solve and adapt to. The given paper will discuss the issue of adaptation in relation to shipping organizations. The main stress will be made on the necessity for such adaptation. These advices on success and adaptation might serve as a model for shipping organizations, which go through difficult times. Notwithstanding that shipping organizations sometimes have problems they are very successful in development and their business is thriving. The typical problems frequently met by the companies are delays in delivery, problems with documents, and problems with communication. Information technologies development made it possible for shipping companies to control the ships and provide the needed level of security. Â  Today the main task of shipping originations is to adapt to the developing of new technologies, especially in creating new systems of controlling and spreading the data. Modern shipping organization needs a modern database to track the information, and thus having correct information is the key element of the successful functioning of the company. The absence of a good database in any shipping organization might even indirectly lead to its closing, and much has already been said about it. Any organization needs the ability to adapt to the changing environment, as it is always influenced by the limited resources and increasing competition. Only a few organizations are able to develop a strong plan of adaptation looking for opportunities of modernizing their techniques and making marketing strategies work effectively. Shipping company should be was mainly concentrated on the issue of information technologies,

S5W6DQs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

S5W6DQs - Essay Example Therefore, among the many causes of the implementation of apartheid system was to prevent the enlightenment of blacks which could be detrimental to the Dutch supremacy and colonial rule in the country. For that reason, apartheid ensured that blacks and whites could not interact or share ideas. This successfully jeopardized the blacks’ endeavor to get enlightened. Additionally, the unity between whites and blacks could have been disastrous to the colonial government and divide and rule became the philosophy to maintain power. The implementation of apartheid in South Africa has numerous consequences most of which revolved around the supremacy of white minority and the suffering of the black majority. Racial hatred was a direct consequence of apartheid in the sense that the black community disliked whites because of the noble and prestigious lifestyles. Africans, on the other hand, were left to reside in poor neighborhoods with minimal or no amenities at all (Gibson, 2006). This schism eventually led to the freedom (independence) movement in South Africa. The apartheid system created a monopoly for the white minority to dominate all spheres of power creating a great advantage for the colonial power. In the absence of the system, blacks could have claimed equal share of national resources. The reconciliation process in South Africa is unparalleled in the world in the sense that no other country has been able to successfully deal with past racial injustices like South Africa. After independence in 1994, it was highly expected that the new majority government would expel whites and perhaps revenge for the barbaric treatment of blacks. However, to the surprise of many, the new South African republic embarked on a reconciliation process that was underscored by the pursuit for truth and reconciliation (Vora & Vora, 2004). At the centre of this process was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that organized several sittings where victims, their relatives and

Effective Customer Care for Business Success Coursework

Effective Customer Care for Business Success - Coursework Example This is the more reason that the customer care provider should be dynamic in dealing with different customers and must know how to handle each in a unique way. Communication, therefore, becomes vital in addressing each customer’s needs effectively. TASK 1: Developing a plan for the management of customer contact for EcoJET Airways (i) Identify three EcoJET target markets and briefly explain why you have identified each as a target market. A target market for a particular business is a group of customers who have a common relationship with each other. Some of the commonalities shared by such customer groups include but not limited to sharing similar demographic characteristics, residing or working in the same location, using the product/service for the same reason among others. For EcoJET Airways, one of the target markets may be identified as the business class travellers class of customers mainly because these customers travel for the same reason as part of carrying out busin ess activities between the three cities of Sydney-Melbourne-Brisbane or they could be classified as a target market because of the fact that they travel business class as a specific product/service offered by EcoJET Airways. These business travellers may also be staying in any of the three states, therefore, qualifying as a target market for the airline by virtue of common place of residence. The Airline provides various services to clients in this particular market including bus shuttle service from airport to CBD, Business travel lounge facilities, Use of mobile phone in-flight, In-screen entertainment with live access to major financial and business pay television channels (Lecture 1, p.18). Another market segment for EcoJET Airways are groups of customers flying across the three states at the same hours mainly 9am arrivals and between 5pm and 7pm departures. This is a perfect market niche for the airline because the customers use the air travel services at common times of day or night perhaps as a consequence of their work schedules or dictated by the hours of business around the three cities. Customers from the regional markets outside the three major cities could be another class of customers, which EcoJET Airways is trying to reach through the cooperative arrangement with Rural Express. This is a potential target market because the customers are non-city dwellers who wish to travel to either of the cities to carry out personal business, shopping, or for other different reasons. One of the airline’s policies is to promote sustainable air travel through minimization of emissions. Customers who subscribe to this, thus accepting to pay a carbon offset fee, may be classified as a target market for the firm; as opposed to another category which does not subscribe to the policy. (ii) Question TWO a. Skills which would benefit EcoJET staff in identifying and satisfying customer needs and expectations In identifying customer needs and expectations, commun ication is key and proper planning for it should involve carrying out adequate research about customer requirements ahead of meeting them, products or services on offer to suit needs identified and preparation for questions and clarifications. One of the ways communication can take place between the customer and promoter of the product/service is through non-verbal communication that involves the use of body language such as facial expressions, gestures, hands/ body movements, different

Employers Duty of Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employers Duty of Care - Essay Example However, Jake could seek the car owners’ permission to provide the basic checking services for extra charge that would provide revenue for the shop and would not necessarily cause unnecessary work slowdown for those car owners who opted not to avail of these extra services. In so doing, Jake would still be complying with the duties expected from his scope of employment and still adhere to the priorities set by Herman, his manager.2. Explain whether or not Herman is responsible for Jake’s injury.  As employer, Herman is responsible for Jake’s injury primarily since the injury was sustained while doing the responsibilities expected of him in the service department. According to U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), â€Å"employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace† (OSHA Law and Regulations, n.d., p. 1). The injuries sustained by Jake form part of OSHA’s regulations that co ver autobody repair and refinishing where injuries that were identified include â€Å"being struck by an object, struck against an object, and caught in an object, equipment, or material† (Smith, 2007). In this regard, it is within the responsibility of Herman, as employer, to ensure that the workplace is safe and that employees, including Jake, are accorded with the appropriate medical attention for injuries sustained within the work setting and in complying with his identified responsibilities.... According to U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), â€Å"employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace† (OSHA Law and Regulations, n.d., p. 1). The injuries sustained by Jake form part of OSHA’s regulations that cover autobody repair and refinishing where injuries that were identified include â€Å"being struck by an object, struck against an object, and caught in an object, equipment, or material† (Smith, 2007). In this regard, it is within the responsibility of Herman, as employer, to ensure that the workplace is safe and that employees, including Jake, are accorded with the appropriate medical attention for injuries sustained within the work setting and in complying with his identified responsibilities. Herman should duly comply with OSHA reportorial requirements, as needed. 3. Explain whether or not Jake should be paid the overtime. The payment of overtime is governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) issued by the U.S. Dept. of Labor. The law specified that â€Å"it requires employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay of one-and-one-half-times the regular rate of pay† (U.S. Department of Labor, n.d., par. 1). Jake’s responsibilities, despite the noted promotion to service manager, remained the same as a service personnel. In this regard, he should be paid the overtime. As disclosed in the law for exemptions in the availment of overtime pay, â€Å"to qualify for exemption, employees generally must meet certain tests regarding their job duties and be paid on a salary basis at not less than $455 per week. Job titles do

Global Enterprise and Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Enterprise and Innovation - Essay Example Sony Corporation restructured and realigned their U.S. business portfolio. The company also recorded gains related to the corporate restructuring improvements in operating results of their Devices and Financial services segments. Sony took measures to accelerate decision making and execution with management and across all departments, allowing Sony to be better equipped for the challenges of the industry. I think Sony has achieved a satisfactory outcome through their corporate restructuring efforts so far and creating new growth opportunities through acquisitions. In terms of future growth Sony will need to focus on their core electronics business (mobile, gaming, imaging) continued innovation, process improvement and providing cutting edge products that their customers need and want. Their operational focus will continue a key component in achieving continued profitability and financial growth for the company and their stakeholders. In general Sony can utilize the same operational philosophy can be used to improve operational results in all markets where it competes. It is imperative that the company achieve long-term results with their operational improvements and new business initiatives. Sony aims to achieve stable, repeatable, long-term improvements in their operations in order to determine the viability of any new business initiative, acquisition or process improvements. It is the goal of the company to achieve stable, repeatable and transferable operating results in order to achieve good operating results when entering new markets or operating

Business to Business Marketing Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business to Business Marketing - Case Study Example From the current organizational structure it can be deduced that SCS is a centralized, line-staff function organization. Keeping this in mind and the growth strategy they choose, it would directly impact their success in the new region. The positive fact us that SCS has a very good word of mouth. However, the question is to maintain the same level of word of mount in the new region, they would have to match the same deliverables that they are in Birmingham. SCS will soon be completing a decade of operating successfully in the UK market. After establishing its brand name in the commercial cleaning market, now they are seeking to expand their operations to other regions. One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. ... One resource that SCS has underrated till yet has been the sales force. While expansion is the strategy for SCS for the next five years, the need of having a sales force for the implementation of the expansion strategy is of extreme importance. After establishing the importance of having a sales force, the next step is to organize the sales force. Organization of sales force is carried out by: Organizing the sales force: Applied to SCS Organizing the objectives Achieve sales orders from atleast twenty offices in the nearby regions of Norwich Organizing the individual assignments Each sales person is responsible for arranging five orders a month. Organizing the tasks Each sales representative has to visit two offices a day Appointing a leader All the sales representatives will be reporting to the Sales Manager Effective organization of sales force requires: Adequate division of work: SCS management should divide work equally; the burden sharing should be fair. However, simultaneously, the burden sharing has to be intelligently allocated for e.g. out of a team of four sales people, the two who possess exceptional selling skills should be kept exclusively for this function and career growth options should be made for them. The two who are not so good at sales can also be utilized for other purposes for example if one of them is good at communication, he can help the rest of them with their letters and proposals. Span of management: The smaller the number of bosses the better it is. As the saying goes, "too many cooks spoil the broth" likewise too many bosses eventually lead to an authority proving tirade rather than a work team. It is best if the chain of command has only one boss giving clear-cut instructions. Change

Dell, Inc Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dell, Inc - Research Paper Example The company has gained significant recognition in the world and is currently the number three supplier of computers in the world. This paper is going to highlight the business cycle of Dell, including risks the company faces, and the reason for their success. Dell computers face challenges in its demand. The company offers its computers at low cost. The low price makes customers buy the computers. Lower prices and high quality made dell computers become so popular all over the world. An increase in demand required an increase in supply. Dell expanded its company size and was able to manufacture many computers, making it the number one shipper of computers as by 2012. Consumer’s income always affects the supply of demand of a product(Hawken, 1988). It also depends on the commodity. A customer will not spend more than what he earns. Dell established itself in the high life areas of Texas. These are places where people are high-class earners. The demand for dell was on the rise here, and more people came to know about dell. It was the baseline for the success of Dell as more and more people came to know about it. After reaching the big markets, Dell reduced its prices to favor the low class earners. Prices of goods that relate to each other are forces that affect supply and demand. HP and Lenovo are the main competitors of Dell. Each company has different prices on their computers. HP computers are cheaper than Dell computers. This has made HP have higher demand in their products compared to Dell. If goods are of same characteristics, but from different companies, people will favor the cheap one. HP is the number one PC vendor in the world because of this. Dell is trying to improve its demand by reducing the prices of their goods. Computer companies always face competition in the markets based on the level of production. The systems in the computers are very

How meditation can help you become happier and healthier Annotated Bibliography

How meditation can help you become happier and healthier - Annotated Bibliography Example Most of the research done in the articles has strongly linked mindfulness meditation with neurology. In the article, meditation has been associated with various health benefits. It describes a situation where an individual has been able to overcome pain resulting from degenerative osteoarthritis. Moreover, the same practice has been shown to help in relieving symptoms of some diseases such as hypertension and chronic pain. In addition, it has been shown to accelerate the treatment of diseases such as anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. The source is very useful in highlighting the health benefits that are linked to one engaging in meditation. The source is objective as it is based on various scientific researches. The source will be significant in my research as it will help in proving the health benefit of those that actively takes part in mediation. Freeman, David. â€Å"Try This Simple Meditation Method To Be Happier, Healthier & More Caring (PODCAST).† Huffingtonpost.com. Web. 01 May 2015. . The article begins with noting how powerful the brain is in terms of thinking and reasoning. The brain is also noted as giving human power to reflect on the past and also in controlling the emotions. In a research is done, mediation has been shown as a powerful way of stopping negative emotions and enhancing our resilience in the presence of various challenges that occur in life. It is seen as providing a chance for individual to interrogate their minds. As noted, it helps in increasing awareness of our minds and the mental processes. Hence, in participation in mediation even at a short duration enhances our mental focus as well as empathy and altruism. Consequently, it is described as an ingredient that can uplift one

Branches of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Branches of Philosophy Essay In order to narrow the aims of discussion philosophy was broken into branches. Traditionally philosophy has been broken into four main branches; however we would like to add a fifth branch in our text -Epistemology Epistemology, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge and love. -Metaphysics Metaphysics (derived from the Greek words ta meta ta physika biblia) meaning the book that follows the physics book. It was the way students referred to a specific book in the works of Aristotle, and it was a book on First Philosophy. (The assumption that the word means beyond physics is misleading) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). In other words, Metaphysics is the study of the most general aspects of reality, such as substance, identity, the nature of the mind, and free will. In other way is a study of nature and the nature of the world in which man lives -Logic Logic (from Classical Greek (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). However the subject is grounded, the task of the logician is the same: to advance an account of valid and fallacious inference to allow one to distinguish good from bad arguments. -Ethics Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy. Other Branches Philosophy of Education: Fairly self-explanatory. A minor branch, mainly concerned with what is the correct way to educate a person. Classic works include Platos Republic, Lockes Thoughts Concerning Education, and Rousseaus Emile. Philosophy of History: Fairly minor branch (not as minor as education), although highly important to Hegel and those who followed him, most notably Marx. It is the philosophical study of history, particularly concerned with the question whether history (i. e.the universe and/or humankind) is progressing towards a specific end? Hegel argued that it was, as did Marx. Classic works include Vicos New Science, and Hegel and Marxs works. Philosophy of Language: Ancient branch of philosophy which gained prominence in the last century under Wittgenstein. Basically concerned with how our languages affect our thought. Wittgenstein famously asserted that the limits of our languages mark the limits of our thought. Classic works include Platos Cratylus, Lockes Essay, and Wittgensteins Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Philosophy of Law: Also called Jurisprudence. Study of law attempting to discern what the best laws might be, how laws came into being in the first place, attempting to delimit human laws from natural laws, whether we should always obey the law, and so on. Law isnt often directly dealt with by philosophers, but much of political philosophy obviously has a bearing on it. Philosophy of Mathematics: Concerned with issues such as, the nature of the axioms and symbols (numbers, triangle, operands) of mathematics that we use to understand the world, do perfect mathematical forms exist in the real world, and so on. Principia Mathematica is almost certainly the most important work in this field. Philosophy of Mind: Study of the mind, attempting to ascertain exactly what the mind is, how it interacts with our body, do other minds exist, how does it work, and so on. Probably the most popular branch of philosophy right now, it has expanded to include issues of AI. Classic works include Platos Republic and Wittgensteins Philosophical Investigations, although every major philosopher has had some opinion at least on what the mind is and how it works. Philosophy of Politics: Closely related to ethics, this is a study of government and nations, particularly how they came about, what makes good governments, what obligations citizens have towards their government, and so on. Classic works include Platos Republic, Hobbes Leviathan, Lockes Two Treatises, and J. S. Mills On Liberty. Philosophy of Religion: Theology is concerned with the study of God, recommending the best religious practises, how our religion should shape our life, and so on. Philosophy of religion is concerned with much the same issues, but where Theology uses religious works, like the Bible, as its authority, philosophy likes to use reason as the ultimate authority. Philosophy of Science: Study of science concerned with whether scientific knowledge can be said to be certain, how we obtain it, can science really explain everything, does causation really exist, can every event in the universe be described in terms of physics and so on. Also popular in recent times, classic works include Humes Treatise on Human Nature, Kripkes Naming and Necessity, Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Empiricism is a philosophical idea based on the idea that all reliable knowledge about the world is gained in the process of experience. Famous empiricists were Hume, Locke and Berkley, basing themselves on ideas already postulated by Aristotle, that we are born with the Tabula Rasa which receives throughout our lives information on which it can base all thinking and knowing. The movement of empiricism was in part a countermovement to what Descartes and Spinoza had proposed as rationalism. Knowledge derived from experience is called a posteriori. - Doing Philosophy Many fields can be studied and learned without ever actually working with the tools in the field. For instance, chemistry can be learned in depth without ever picking up a test tube or mixing ionic compounds. Philosophy, however, is more about the methodology behind deriving answers than it is about the answers themselves. As such, students studying philosophy must use the methodology of philosophy on the philosophy they are learning as they are learning it. Doing philosophy involves asking the right questions, critically examining the work of previous philosophers, truly understanding the works and the reasoning behind the works, and possibly building on the works of previous philosophers by expanding or testing this methodology.

An Analysis Of Nespressos Strategy

An Analysis Of Nespressos Strategy Since 1970, Nestlà © has been endeavoring to search for a brand-new method in order to meet the rapidly growing demands of the gourmet specialty coffee. After an effort of many years development and preparation, the Nespresso System was founded in 1986 along with a lot of patents. After that, Nespresso gradually grew to represent a unique coffee concept designed to enable anyone to create the perfect cup of espresso. The irreplaceable Nespresso â€Å"trilogy â€Å"unites the worlds highest quality Grand Crcoffees with smart and stylish machines and exclusive, personalized services. Table 1: Impressive continuous growth 2000 2009 2010 Turnover in CHF 210million 2.77billion 3.20billion Cups per minute 868 10,000 12,300 Coffee Systems MS%(Units) 6% 19.5% 20% Global Club Community 600,000 8million 10million Global Boutique Network 1 191 223 Nespresso Employees* 331 4,500 5,500 *70% in direct contact with Nespresso customers In 2010, Nespresso reached sales of more than CHF 3 billion with a growth above 20% compared to the year of 2009. 12,300 cups of coffee were consumed every minute. Additionally, Nespresso keeps doing well in generating its leading market share in coffee machines to about 20%. Moreover, the number of the Nespresso Club Members has been increased by over 20% to 10 million. In order to deliver and retain its exclusive personalized services, 1000 more employees were recruited by the company; more than 70% of the 5,500 staffs are facing the customers in direct contact. In 2010, Nespresso started a series of expansion, with 32 more new boutiques opened in Brussels, Miami, Shanghai and Sydney, from Europe to Asia; so far Nespresso has 223 boutiques in total all over the world. Consequently, 63% of the markets are occupied by the Europe, and the rest is divided into Americas and Asia. Winning Strategy Nespresso is becoming a global player and always wants to be outstanding of the competitors. In order to enhance their competitive advantages as well as building on their core competences, Nespresso has been working on the strategy for the past two decades. As a result, thanks to the creation and perseverance of the formula, the company is now as a pioneer and one of the fastest growing operating units of the Nestlà © Group. There are six crucial factors attributes to the success story of Nespresso, these include: Unsurpassed coffee quality and coffee specialists. The company has its own unique sourcing of finest coffee around the world. For many years, the Nespresso coffee experts have been exploring the world in search of the best coffees from the best producer countries, including Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Togo, Kenya and so forth. According to their findings, only the top one to two percent of the worlds green coffee crop meets the Nespressos high quality standards. At the same time, the company makes every effort to build long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with the local farmers who produce these precious beans. Table 2: Nespresso Quality+ Aroma Profile Unstoppable drive for innovation distinctive design Nestlà © is always in pursuit of the perfect products with the creative ideas. From the perfectly portioned Grand Crcoffee, the advanced coffee machine to the creation of the Nespresso Club, the company is obsessed about innovative and distinctive minds, compulsive about the fine details and passionate about the combination of high technology and avant-garde design. To date, the brand owns more than 1,700 patents. Passionate global brand community with direct consumer relations Nespresso is expanding their network over the globe. Currently, according to the companys annual report, the statistic shows that more than fifty percent of all new Nespresso Club Members first experience the brand through existing members. Update to the year of 2010, the total number of Nespresso Club Members worldwide has increased sharply from 600,000 in 2001 to more than 10 million, with an incredible amount of 2 million new members added in 2009 alone. Inspiration, iconic global brand The involvement of George Clooney makes Nespresso become the most charming and attractive coffee brand overnight. The slogan can be seen everywhere: Nespresso, what else? It seems that, for true coffee lovers, perfect coffee is not just an indulgence, it is a lifestyle. That is the main idea Nespresso trying to convey to their loyal clients. As a result, Nespresso has become the first global roast and ground coffee brand, moreover, since 2008 it is among the top 20 risers in brand value ranking. Exclusive route-to-market Table 3: Nespressos Sales in% by channel Internet 50% Customers Relation Centre 20% Boutique 30% Nespresso has the biggest shop window: www.nespresso.com. It is recorded that everyday seven millions visits in 2009 with an average time spent of 6 minutes. Consumers can purchase coffee, machines and accessories through the internet without any difficulties in terms of payment or customer service. In addition, the existing 223 boutiques are now possible for all the fans to go and enjoy the perfect espresso. Holistic approach to Sustainable QualityTM development The remarkable â€Å"Creating Shared Value† is the the Nestle Group key principle and obviously Nespresso is a loyal supporter. To further development, Nespresso carries out the strategy of Ecolaboration. The Nespresso EcolaborationTM aims to improve the sustainability performance of the Nespresso value chain. Under this circumstance, Nespresso brings their partners, stakeholders and also the coffee producers (local farmers) together to achieve a goal of the perfect fusion of: highest quality beans, economic viability, and respect the environment. There are three commitments the Nespresso is trying to achieve by the year of 2013: Source 80% of the coffee from Nespresso AAA Sustainable QualityTM Program certified by Rainforest Alliance (achieved 60% in 2010 already) Triple the ability to recycle the used capsules to 75% (achieved 60% in 2010 already) Reduce the CO2 footprint per cup by 20% (between 2009 and 2013) Conclusion Looking to the future, there are still many growing issues waiting for Nespresso to face with. For the moment, the strategy leader team needs to concern about five key issues: How to attract new customers (â€Å"away-from-home† V.S home consumption); Whether to introduce lower-cost system, compare to the current competitors; How to wider the market and then serve; Whether to invest in non-coffee market, diversify the products; How to gain an advantage over a competitor.

Using GDP as a Measure of Living Standard

Using GDP as a Measure of Living Standard Introduction Real GDP is measure to assess changes in economic welfare over time, to make international comparison of GDP, and for business cycle assessment and forecasting. (Parkin et al 2000). The gross national product (now measured as GDP) was introduced during World War II as a measure of wartime production capacity. Now it is commonly used worldwide as indicator of economic progress (http://www.redefiningprogress.org cited on 1st June 2008). GDP is not accounting Household production, Quality improvement, the underground economy, Health and safety Expectancy, Leisure time, The Environment Quality, Equal wealth Distribution, Political freedom and social justice. GDP can be good indicator of measure of economy living but it is not accurate measure of living standard. â€Å" Improving livings standards is about poor families gaining access to what is available at the time to make comfortable, healthy and rewarding .in the end, economic statistics only measure what they measure, we may not bear much relation to how well off we are.† (The Independent Dec 2002) Source: US department of state (www.usinfo.state.gov cited on 22nd May 2008) Poverty Rising Real GDP is not affecting on the reduction of poverty and change in living standard. USA is the wealthiest country in the world having high real GDP, but more than 35 million people out of 294 million of population faced hunger in 2006 and 390000 in 2005 According to the US Department of agriculture’s household food security report, that 10.4% of all U.S adults and 17.2 percent of all children faced the food insecurity in 2006. (www.ipsnews.net cited on 22nd May 2008) According to survey in 2005, India had population of approx. 1094.6 Millions and Pakistan had population of approx. 155.8 Million. (www.worldbank.org cited 13th May 2008). Real GDP per capita from 2000 2006 Years Data Source: (United Nation, USA 2007 ‘Economic and Social survey of Asia and the pacific 2007’) The real GDP gap between India and Pakistan shows that average Indian people are better being then average Pakistani People. But poverty ratio shows that living standard of India is lower than Pakistan. By comparing India’s population below $1 and poverty line per day with Pakistan shows that living standard of India is not very high than Pakistan because people ratio living below $1 is high that mean they are not using full resources of a happy life. So GDP is not representing the living standard of people and also not counting the poverty ratio. COUNTRY Population Below National Poverty line Per day (%) 1990-2004 Population Below $1 Per day (%) 1990-2005 GDP Per Capita (PPP US $) (2005) CHINA INDIA PAKISTAN SIERRA LEONE NIGERIA ZAMBIA 4.6 28.6 32.6 70.2 34.1 68 9.9 34.3 17 57 70.8 63.8 6757 3452 2370 806 1128 1023 About 10 sub Saharan economies are suffering from malnutrition all the time. (The Observer 18th May 2008) Exchange Rate Inflation It is difficult to compare living standard because exchange rate of country do not show the domestic purchasing power of a currency e.g. any product cost in USA will be 10$ but in China may be 5$. So comparison should consider these. Purchasing power party (PPP) is exchange rates between currencies are in equilibrium and when two countries purchasing power same. Gross domestic products are accounted on standard way based on trade exchange, value of international (dollar) that is purchasing power parity. If the exchange rates of two countries same then the price level will be fixed for both countries products and services. If the domestic price level of any country increase, then exchange rate will be depreciate to return PPP then that country will experience inflation. (www.ftb.bis.gov cited on 27th May 2008) According to World Bank survey (9th April, 2008) on recently increasing the high prices of food will increase the poverty in poor and developing countries. The rise in oil prices changes the each commodity price and result into increase in poverty, the 80% increase in prices of maize and 70% increased in price of rice played main link to increase in poverty. (World Bank 2008) According to head of UN, About 850 million people are facing already the shortage of food and rapidly rising prices could push up to 130 millions population into hunger trap.( Metro 4th June ,2008) so when inflation will increase, it will increase the poverty in poor countries. In Real GDP, increase in price will account as inflation. Quality of Goods GDP is a quantitative measure, and thus does not capture the value of improvements in product quality e.g. $200 dollar phone costs the same as a $200 dollar phone 10 years ago ,it never include the new technology is introduces or quality of goods improved. Unemployment Rising GDP means we are better off, but it is not actually happening. According to recent report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) May, 2008, Turkish youth hit by unemployment. In Turkey 18% of the total population young people aged 15-24, 30% go to school and 30 % work. This means that almost 40% young people have no proper education and/or are unemployed. It also reveals the extreme of sexual discrimination against female. So they are not able to get education because of family pressure. The report says that turkey has achieved continuous high economic growth of the order of 7.5 percent on average during the 2002-2006 periods. That mean turkey has strong economic growth but weaker human development. Turkey economy boosts cause of foreign debts. Economic growth based on foreign capital means that country like Turkey lacks the potential to handle unemployment and other socioeconomic ills. (www.wsws.org cited 16th May 2008). COUNTRY Population Total (millions) 2005 2015 Unemployment Rate Total (% of Labour force) 1996-2005 AUSTRALIA UK CHINA INDIA TURKEY ZAMBIA 20.3 22.4 60.2 62.8 1313.00 – 1388.60 1134.40 1302.50 73 82.1 11.5 13.8 4.9 5 4.2 4.3 9.9 12 Literacy Education is necessary and fundamental part of all societies and globally competitive economies. Education can reduce the poverty and inequality, improving the health precaution, enable the use of new technologies and knowledge. In an increasingly competitive knowledge based surroundings, primary education must be the priority and it leads to higher levels of education (http://ddp-xt.worldbank.org cited by 24th May 2008) Sources: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), World Bank, UNAIDS, ILO, Household Surveys, IMF, Country. Data are for the most recent year available in 2000-2005. If in a country more people will be literate it will increase the living standard of people and awareness of their rights. Curren( 2003) explained ‘’Illiteracy and other deprivations related to lack of basic education are significant obstacles to essentials of good living such as participation in economic activity, political life and decision making within family’’. Education is important for all age group and gender but some countries gender discrimination is high and woman discourages and their potential is not counted because of discrimination, education expenses, and household duties. In some countries girls are behind the boys in education and health care because of their parent’s discriminations and neglect. So gender inequalities in woman start in early and keep throughout their lives. (www.moe.gov.pk cited on 22nd May 2008). According to World Bank report says that more than 100 million primary school age children remain out of school. Because of poverty, parents concern of safety of their child, lack of school and bad teaching method. (http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org) Country Adult Literacy Rate (% aged 15 and older) 1995- 2005 Combined gross enrolment ratio for Primary, secondary, and tertiary Education (%) 2005 Saudi Arabia China India Pakistan Turkey Nigeria U.A.E 82.9 90.9 61 49.9 87.4 69.1 88.7 76 69.1 63.8 40 68.5 56.2 59.9 Source: Human Development Report 2007/2008 (www.hdrstats.undp.org) Under Ground Economy GDP never count the greatest source of wealth i.e. the household and volunteer work sectors go ignore entirely. GDP is not considering the factor of total production that people hide to avoid taxes because the production and services they are producing are illegal and never comes in GDP. (Parkin el at 2005) The black economy never comes in revenue, i.e. production by labor paid less than minimum wage rate, Labor are paid by giving cash avoid Taxes, unreported self employee, the tips money earned by taxi/cab drivers, waiters in Hotel Restaurants, Smuggling of products e.g. oil, etc. these transactions never comes in the figures for GDP. An estimated 5 to 10% black economy adds to GDP in the United States and the UK and 30% in Italy. In the late 1990s, in Russia estimated 50% black economy adds to GDP(The economist 31st may 2008 ). A lot of Household production carry on in developing countries never comes in economic transactions e.g. grass cutting, child care, embroidery stitching of cloths done by female at home, growing vegetable at home, production of hand made goods etc According to the latest estimate by Economist’s the calculation of the underground economy is to average 15% of national output for developed countries and 33% for developing countries. According to the survey Nigeria and Thailand have the world largest black economies accounting for more than 70% of GDP. (www.tutor2u.net/economics cited on 07th May, 2008). Changes in Leisure Time For the long life and leisure time as if we have more leisure facilities we live better, that never count in GDP. (Parkin el at 2005). GDP only takes the market value of output, therefore, Leisure (paid vacation, holidays, leave time), which shows increase of well-being, satisfaction, and happiness is excluded in the GDP. Different reports have been highlighted that there are longer working hours are in America with compared to Europe which can cause stress and damage family life. European’s have choice for shorter weeks and a longer holiday that will leads to better life and more happiness but not leads to higher GDP as compared to America. Income inequality The GDP only tells how much income we produce but it fails to tell how that income is distributed. So the GDP increases the gap between poor and rich people. The real GDP was the key indicator of measure of national progress. The growth in GDP is offset by increasing inequality, High level of foreign dept, growing costs of unemployment, environment problems, and failure to maintain wealth equality, i.e. in same economy might be one group is using all resources. (Mc Taggart et al 1999). The large portion of financial wealth real GDP per capita goes to small percentage of population. Income and earnings are unequally distributed among the population. Economic growth increasing also accompanied that increasing poverty. ‘If the income is uneven distributed, then increase in income per capita may disproportionately benefit a small group of high income earners and have little impact on reducing poverty. The gini coefficient is used to measure how evenly income is distributed.’ (www.bized.co.uk/virtual cited on 21st May ,2008 The Gini coefficient (An INEQUALITY indicator ) varies from zero, that shows the perfect equailty of income. Latin America is the worlds most unequal region, with a Gini coefficient of around 0.5; in rich countries the figure is closer to 0.3.(The economist 2008). inequalirty will incrase moverty and it will effect to slow down the economic growth cause poor people cannot afford to buy their needs e.g. education,foods etc . The chart below shows that income is more unevenly distributed in Zambia as compared to other countries .so GDP per capita income is fail to count that how income is distributed among the population. Data Source: www.bized.co.uk cite on 21st May 2008 and World Bank development indicator 2007, Washington D.C. (www.hdrstats.undp.org cited on 21st May 2008) Pollution Crime, war, pollution, tobacco smoking, and car accidents all cause people to spend money and so they all increase the GDP. The more trees we fell, fish we catch, fossil fuels we burn, greenhouse gases we emit, the more the GDP increases. (http://www.redefiningprogress.org) Real GDP never count for the quality of life e.g. clean water, life expectancy, leisure time, and it never count for the increase in traffic congestion and loss of open space (www.bos.frb.org cited on 06th May, 2008) The causes to produce environment pollution are the carbon dioxide and Ozone depleting substance use. In china the emission of CO2 and ozone depleting substance use is greater than other developing countries. According to European space agency, Bijing and its surrounded cities have air pollution with the high level of nitrogen dioxide, which is dangerous for lungs. In 2005 when China was hosting for the Olympic Games in Beijing, satellite data has reveals that Beijing as air pollution capital of World. (The Guardian, Monday 31 October, 2005) In an overview of the report of WHO, the cigarette and tobacco product are polluting air as well and is the main cause of death. In 2003, 5 million people died most of in poor and over poor populations. (www.wsws.org cited 22nd May 2008). Data Source: Human development report 2007/2008 www.hrdstats.undp.org cited 5th May 2008) COUNTRY Ozone –depleting Substances use (grams per capita) (2004) CHINA INDIA PAKISTAN AUSTRALIA SINGAPORE IRAN MALAYSIA THAILAND JAPAN 27.1 9.3 10.2 9.5 50.5 89.9 59.2 39.7 15.3 Data Source: (Table: 29 United Nation, ‘Economic and Social survey of Asia and the pacific 2007’) and The World health Organization says that almost 3 million people are died worldwide because of air pollution out door and 1.6 from indoor 80% of illness and death in developing countries because of polluted water.2.1 people die with diarrhea disease. (BBC NEWS www.bbc.co.uk cited on 21/05/2008) The 2nd factor for the human being to live healthy in this world is clean water. In 2004 Romania faced big problem in clean drinking water. Many people became ill because of polluted water. According to WHO/UNICEF (joint monitoring program) in the Romania only 18% of population of the rural had access to clean drinking water (www.ens-newswire.com cited on 22 May 2008). If we see real GDP of Romania in 2004, it comes in high human developed countries but real GDP fail to count the clean water source for the people. In 2004, In comparison with India and Pakistan, the %age of resources using improved drinking water in rural and urban shows that India is behind Pakistan, but if view the economic growth in real GDP shows that India is better than Pakistan. In 2005 in china water pollution increase and 2 million people suffered diseases caused by drinking water with high arsenic content and cancer. In the rural area 360 million peoples faced lack of safe drinking water. The pollution increased 70% in lake and river and sample test. but 95%of water tests were polluted. (BBC NEWS, www.news.bbc.co.uk cited by 23rd May 2008) COUNTRY Share of population with access to improve Water sources (%) (2004) Share of population with access to improve Sanitation (%) (2004) CHINA INDIA PAKISTAN NIGERIA ZAMBIA 77 86 91 48 58 44 33 59 44 55 Data Source: Table- 29 United Nation, ‘Economic and Social survey of Asia and the pacific 2007’ Life expectancy and infant birth morality Good health and long life is the hope of everyone which does not show up in real GDP, at least not directly. (Parkin et al 2000).Increase in Real GDP will spend money on the medical and health safety but it ignore new health and expectancy problem every years e.g diseases i.e. Aids, , drug addiction,, murder and suicide and natural disasters i.e. Earthquake etc. In developing countries, in each year More than 500,000 women die in childbirth. In Asia and Africa, lack of access to trained health staff, modern medical facilities the ratio of maternal death may be more than 100 times higher as compared to woman in Western Europe and North America. (www. worldbank.org cited 22nd May 2008.) According to (WHO) report that in Japan life expectancy is higher. For example a baby born can expect to live 85 years having sufficient needs of life to live happy life e.g. food, vaccination and good education. On average enough funds to spend on medication per year. But in same way its not same situation in Sierra Leone a baby will survive a life expectancy of just 36 years. Due to the non availability of resources one or more of children would die and on average could have enough funds a year to spend on medication. (www.worldbank.org cited on 21st May 2008) According to WHO report (2005), In Nigeria the maternal death rate is 59,000 with the population of 140 Millions. African continent countries are having high maternal death in the world. As compared to India, the maternal death is 117,000 with the population of over billion. According to official US report (2007) says that America has dropped from 11th to 42nd place in 20 years being a richest country in the world. The drop is due to more advance way of lifestyle, health care, and better food in the world i.e. Europe, Japan, Singapore and Jordon whose life expectancy is longer. In US the infant morality 6.8 deaths every 1000 births is also high. The worst life expectancy is figured in Africa that is 34.1 years. (The Guardian, 13th August, 2007) Country Infant mortality rate( per 1000 live births) (2005) Life expectancy at birth (Years) 2005 Male Life expectancy at birth (Years) 2005 Female Australia UK China India Nigeria Sierra Leone 5 5 23 56 100 165 78.5 76.7 71 62.3 46 40.2 83.3 81.2 74.3 65.3 47.1 43.4 (www.worldbank.org cited on 21st May 2008) (United Nation, ‘Economic and Social survey of Asia and the pacific 2007’) In UK, Life expectancy at age 65 reached its highest level for both men and women. Men and women could expect live more 16.9 years and 19.7 years respectively. If mortality rates will be same is in 2004/06. Life expectancy at age 65, United Kingdom At birth Life expectancy has also its highest level for both males and females. Boys and girls born in the UK could expect on average to live to 76.9 years and 81.3 years of age respectively. http://www.statistics.gov.uk cited 17th May 2008 Alternative Indicators The flaws in GDP as a measure of national well-being have generated worldwide moves to develop a better index. Most work is focused on developing the index of sustainable economics welfare (ISEW) also known as the Genuine Progress indicator (GPI).it has been constructed for different countries i.e. US, Germany, Britain, Sweden and Australia. In Australia calculation of GPI shows that GPI was generally less than GDP measure until 1976, it grew at nearly the same rate and from 1976 to 1996 the GPI did not increase.† (Hamilton C. 1997 cited by Mc Taggart et al 1999) In 1995, redefining progress, a non profit public policy organization, based in northern California, introduce a measure of progress that is Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI). GPI basic start with the same accounting framework as the GDP, but then makes some distinctions with same indicators as GDP. GPI counts the beneficial progress as positive and destructive activates as negative. GPI add contribution of household activity volunteer work as hiring some one to do it. but real GDP ignore this contribution that money never change hands, GPI calculate income distribution as GPI will rise when poor receive large portion of income and go down if small portion of income received. GPI subtract these factors that are family break down crime and pollution. In real GDP family break down crime are expenses to addition in well being but GPI minus this cost comes from crime or divorce. Real GDP treats pollution as when it created and when it is clean up that is double gain. But GPI subtract the cost of water and air pollution as damage to human health and environment by increasing the nation wealth people should get the more leisure time and more free time for family or other activities. But the GDP ignores the loss of free time. The GPI goes up if leisure time increases. When people spend money to protect against misfortune or spend for improving their living standard i.e. accidents, drinking water filter, pollution control devices etc the GDP counts as additions but GPI treats these expenses as cost.http://www.redefiningprogress.org cited on 28th May 2008) GDP provides a false sense of progress by comparing with GPI. The chart illutrstae that real (inflation adjusted) US per capita GDP and GPI growth between 1950 and 2004, the GPI figure significantly starggle GDP. It shows that when resource depletion, crime costs, and volounteer sector costs, etc., are accounted for, then the per capita net benefit of a rising GDP is fully invalid. (http://www.redefiningprogress.org cited 2en June 2008) In 1990s United Nations created the human development index (HDI). It Examine that how the people are well being. It shows three indicators that are life expectancy at birth, school and adult literacy and real GNP measure at Purchasing Power Parity in US dollars (The Ledger www.bos.frb.org cited 27th May 2008). Human GDP per capita Development Index PPP US$ 0.70 2600 Tajikistan 0.67 2450 0.64 2300 0.61 2150 0.58 2000 Pakistan 0.55 1850 0.52 1700 0.49 1550 0.46 1400 0.43 1250 0.40 1100 Source: HDI and GDP refer to 2005 as reported in the 2007/2008 Report. (www.hdrstats.undp.org cited on 13th May, 2008) In 2005, HDI highlights the very large gaps in well being and life chances for Pakistan. (Figure 1) It shows that the GDP per Capita was high but the HDI indicator was low showing that people are not well being. The HDI for Pakistan was 0.551 which gives the country 136th rank out of 177 countries. (www.hdrstats.undp.org cited on 13th May, 2008) Conclusion The major disadvantage of Real GDP using as an indicator is a measure of living standard. Real GDP is the good measure on economic growth but it fails to measure that how the people are living and are they happy. It does not true impact that if a country is having high GDP and export 100 percent production will also have high living standard. In the view of replace real GDP with the GPI, as for as west concern it will be very hard for them to adopt this because their concern is to strong the economy and business interest. But economic growth does not bring the happiness. As for as economic growth and living standard of country concern, GPI is good indicator for measuring living standard, but social and non-market costs are included are at dispute. might be thease are the reason GPI has not achieved yet as common usage. Overall, however, the GPI aim is to measure the quality of economic welfare but GDP measure the quantity of economic growth. So GDP is failing to measure the living standard of people it should be replace by GPI. Reference ‘The Ledger’ www.bos.frb.org/education/ledger03/measure.html : Federal Reserve of bank of Boston, (cited 06 May 2008) Parkin M, Powell M. Kent M., ‘Economics’ 6th edition, London: Addison Wesley Publishing, chapter 20 Parkin M, Powell M, Matthews K. (2000) ‘Economics 4th Edition’ Addison Wesley Publishing, p.543-547 McTaggart D., Findly C., Parkin M. (1999) ‘Economics’ 3rd edition, Australia: Pearson Education Limited Chap, 21, 22 32 United Nation, ‘Economic and Social survey of Asia and the pacific 2007’ NEW YORK 2007) ‘Economics’ (www.tutor2u.net/economics cited on 07th May, 2008) ‘Pakistan data profile’ ‘India data profile’ http://devdata.worldbank.org cited on 13th May, 2008 MacAskill E. ‘US tumble down the world ratings list for life expectancy’ The Guardian,13th August, 2007) Curren R. 2003 ‘A companion to the philosophy of education’ blackwall publisher USA, page 457 Watts J. ‘Satellite data reveals Beijing as air pollution capital of world’ The Guardian newspaper, 31 October 2005 ‘Using national income data to measure poverty and living standard’ (www.bized.co.uk/virtual cited on 21st May, 2008 Ministry of education, Govt. of Pakistan www.moe.gov.pk cited 22nd may 2008) ‘Hunger Stalks world’s wealthiest country’, (www.ipsnews.net cited on 22nd May 2008) ‘Romania’s Polluted Water a Barrier to EU Member Status’ published on 20 July,2004 (www.ens-newswire.com/ens/jul2004/2004-07-20-04.asp cited on 22 May 2008) World Socialist Website (www.wsws.org cited 22nd May 2008) ‘China Warns water pollution’, BBC NEWS, www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4374383 cited by 23rd May 2008) ‘Implication of Higher Global Food Prices for poverty in low-income countries’ published on April 2008 Policy Research Working paper 4594 www-wds.worldbank.org cited on 23rd May 2008 ‘Nigeria, alarming Maternal Death Ratio’ posted 23 October 2007 www.allafrica.com cited on 23rd May 2008 Newspaper The Independent Dec 2002 Comparative Real GDP per capita and per employed person ‘ www.ftb.bis.gov cited on 27th May 2008 (http://www.rprogress.org The redefining Progress cited on 28th May 2008) World Social Website (www.wsws.org cited 22nd May 2008 Whats Wrong with the GDP as a Measure of Progress? http://www.redefiningprogress.org ‘The Human Development index going beyond income’ cited 13th May 2008, www.hdrstats.undp.org/countries/country_fact_sheets/cty_fs_pak.html US department of state (http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/economy-in-brief/page10.html Cited on 22nd May 2008) Mathiason N. ‘Globe- trotting fixer doing deals to help the hungry’ The Observer 18th May 2008 ‘130 Millions more Face falling into hunger trap’ Attewill F., Metro 4th June 2008 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Importance of Imagery in Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Course

Importance of Imagery in Hamlet In 'Hamlet', imagery performs three important functions. Firstly, it helps to individualize the major characters of the drama. Secondly, it announces and elaborates major themes. And thirdly, reiterated images establish the distinctive atmosphere of the tragedy and keep the underlying mood of a scene, or of a succession of scenes, before the audience's mind. The crucial dramatic event on which the plot of 'Hamlet' hinges - the murder of King Hamlet by his brother Claudius - takes place in the pre-history of the tragedy, but it is vividly recalled for Hamlet (and for the audience) by the ghost in 1.5. The old king describes in vivid detail how the poison attacked his body as he slept, and how that healthy organism was destroyed from within, not having a chance to defend itself. The leperous distilment, whose effect Holds such an emnity with blood of man, That swift as quicksilver it courses through The natural gates and alleys of the body, And with a sudden vigour it doth posset And curd, like eager droppings into milk, The thin and wholesome blood; so did it mine, And a most instant tetter barked about Most lazar-like with vile and loathsome crust All my smooth body. At two further points in the play's action physical poisoning visually recurs - the poisoning of Old Hamlet is re-enacted in 3.2 by Lucianus and the Player King; and in the final scene of the drama all of the major characters, including the arch-poisoner Claudius himself, meet their deaths by poison. Poisoning also becomes a distinctive recurring pattern in the play's imagery. The individual occurrence in the palace garden is expanded into a symbol for the central problem of the... ...in his hands and philosophises on life and death. Images of animal lust and sensual appetite highlight Hamlet's feeling of revulsion at the adulterous, incestuous relationship between his mother and his uncle. The carnal nature of their relationship is emphasised through a pattern of animal images. In his opening soliloquy the grieving Prince declares his disgust that even an animal lacking reasoning power would have mourned longer for its mate than Gertrude did for her dead husband. O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourn'd longer And the pair are imaged by him as pigs in their lovemaking Nay, but to live In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love Over the nasty sty Finally, the bloat king is variously described by Hamlet as a 'satyr', 'beast', 'paddock', 'bat', 'gib'

Analysis of Exodus 21-24 Essay -- essays research papers

Exodus 21-24 was definitely quite an instructive piece of literature. It was almost raw in its nature as a text or â€Å"book† but more of reading an excerpt from a piece of non-fiction most similar to an instruction manual of some sort that you get when you buy a dissembled bike or desk. Something like being enrolled in a police academy there was definite sense of a master-slave relationship in the air. It is like something never before seen in the Torah, these chapters showed a whole new YHWH. The YHWH who is feared like the school principal in an elementary school, not even mom and dad has come on so strong as to the dos and donts of living life. It seems as if YHWH was pushed to such a point where YHWH has no choice but intervene into the lives of his children, and set the rules for the pl... Analysis of Exodus 21-24 Essay -- essays research papers Exodus 21-24 was definitely quite an instructive piece of literature. It was almost raw in its nature as a text or â€Å"book† but more of reading an excerpt from a piece of non-fiction most similar to an instruction manual of some sort that you get when you buy a dissembled bike or desk. Something like being enrolled in a police academy there was definite sense of a master-slave relationship in the air. It is like something never before seen in the Torah, these chapters showed a whole new YHWH. The YHWH who is feared like the school principal in an elementary school, not even mom and dad has come on so strong as to the dos and donts of living life. It seems as if YHWH was pushed to such a point where YHWH has no choice but intervene into the lives of his children, and set the rules for the pl...

Genre Analysis: Musical The Wizard of Oz Essay

The Wizard of Oz is one of the biggest American Musicals in film. It has become known world wide, it is apart of our American popular culture, and is best known of all films. It was based on the novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by L. Frank Baum in the 1900s. It was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar in the year of 1939. This film just hit the end of the â€Å"Golden Age of the Musical† that started in the early 1930s. MGM benefited greatly from the hit of the rebirth of musicals. It’s known for the use of technicolor which is a system of making color motion pictures by means of superimposing the three primary colors to produce a final colored print (Websters Dictionary), fantasy storytelling, interesting and creative characters, and the musicality imbedded into it. There was also a complex use of special effects for film in that specific time era which helped the film receive special notice. MGM’s film had many awards but one of the most famous one was the award of Best Original Song for â€Å"Over the Rainbow.† It was sung by Judy Garland as Dorothy just five minutes into the movie after she was trying to get her Aunt and Uncle to come to a realization of what happened to her poor little dog Toto. In the beginning of the film â€Å"Over the Rainbow† is played by MGM orchestra over the starting credits. There is a big taste of fantasy in this particular film which kind of in a way departs away from the musical genre. There is many scenes of flying monkeys, and the wicked witch of the West and Glinda, the good witch of the South, and the munchkins, and talking lions, and a tin man, and a talking scarecrow. There are many musical scenes that I am fond of in The Wizard of Oz like the scarecrow’s song â€Å"If I only had a Brain†, the tin man’s song â€Å"If I only had a Heart† and the lion’s song â€Å"If I only had the Nerve†. The Wizard of Oz was the famous directors, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar’s, most popular musical in his time. Starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale was one of the best professional choices MGM had in his career. She was the stand out in the whole film. Also starring Frank Morgan as the wizard, Ray Bolger as the scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Bert Lahr as the cowardly lion, Billie Burke as Glinda the good witch of the south, and Margaret Hamilton as the wicked witch of the west. â€Å"Somewhere over the Rainbow† became Judy Garland’s signature song. She has been in 32 of MGM’s films and she won a Golden Globe Award, Grammy Awards and the Special Tony Award. She was then nominated the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in â€Å"A Star is Born†. Everyone of the lead rolls in The Wizard of Oz has been in many of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayar’s other films.

Censorship of internet in China

Since the Faceable and Youth are blocked in main land China, feel totally disconnected with the US after go back to China for vacation. Not only myself, but also the whole country Is blocked from rest of the world because of the censorship for the Internet. The censorship of Internet Is not good for the country and Its nation. Censorship of the Internet block the people In China from the rest of the world which Is harmful for the development for the country. Nobody can progress all on themselves, they cannot see the defects clearly as other do.The theory is the same for progress of the country, no communications and connect with other countries will only lead to fall behind. However, there are still some people support the censorship. They state that the censorship of internet is necessary. Because children can see sexually explicit materials which is unhealthy for them through the opening internet. Surely we should keep the bad information away from the children but there is no need to forbid everything about the sex in the internet. Proper and moderate Information Is necessary and good for the children.Whereas, government makes a sensitive topic even more awkward. Forbid of healthy sex education and free thoughts will not make country progress. Likewise, block the Chinese people from the world, often get blabs Information. If the news on the Internet Is fact, the government do not have to censor It. In addition, If the Information Is blabs, people still will find out the truth someday which means censor the internet is useless and harmful to people. Besides, people get curious when they can't see something and they will do anything that it takes to find what they want.The hiding of the fact could not last forever, people will find the information navy. ‘ay. The anger of feeling betrayal will cause and develop the disappointment from the nation. As the disappointment increase day by day, people will do violence things to release the feeling. Also, govern ment expresses free and open internet environment causes social unrest. However, that is the pretext of government which fears retaliation from the public if all the truth came out. The reason for social unrest Is not come from nowhere, there must be something wrong and causes people's dissatisfied.One of the reason Is the government hide the truth and no lies can last forever. In addition, the censorship harms the right for freedom of speech. People have the right to talk whatever they want to and that is the natural rights. Share the opinions also help the government and country find out error which can be corrected. All things considered that internet censorship offers more disadvantages than the benefits. Hiding the fact, blocking country from the rest of world in digital way and forbidden for the freedom of public speech strongly against the people's right as well s the impress for the country.Next question appears to us that how can we change the situation of censorship? Since the Faceable and Youth are blocked in main land China, I feel totally disconnected with the US after I go back to China for vacation. Not only myself, but also the whole country is blocked from rest of the world because of the censorship for the internet. The censorship of internet is not good for the country and its nation. Censorship of the internet block the people in China from the rest of the world which is harmful for the development for the country.Nobody can progress all on moderate information is necessary and good for the children. Whereas, government world, often get bias information. If the news on the internet is fact, the government do not have to censor it. In addition, if the information is bias, people still will find out forever, people will find the information anyway. The anger of feeling betrayal will all the truth came out. The reason for social unrest is not come from nowhere, there must be something wrong and causes people's dissatisfied. One of the reason i s the

Reaction Paper on Personality Theory Essay

If you were in this situation, how would you explain this mistake? Many of us might blame the slip on distraction or describe it as a simple accident. However, a psychoanalytic theorist might tell you that this is much more than a random accident. The psychoanalytic view holds that there are inner forces outside of your awareness that are directing your behavior. For example, a psychoanalyst might say that James misspoke due to unresolved feelings for his ex or perhaps because of misgivings about his new relationship. The founder of psychoanalytic theory was Sigmund Freud. While his theories were considered shocking at the time and continue to create debate and controversy, his work had a profound influence on a number of disciplines, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, literature, and art. The term psychoanalysis is used to refer to many aspects of Freud’s work and research, including Freudian therapy and the research methodology he used to develop his theories. Freud relied heavily upon his observations and case studies of his patients when he formed his theory of personality development. Before we can understand Freud’s theory of personality, we must first understand his view of how the mind is organized. According to Freud, the mind can be divided into two main parts: 1. The conscious mind includes everything that we are aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing that we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory, which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and brought into our awareness. Freud called this ordinary memory thepreconscious. . The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. According to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality, personality is composed of three elements. These three elements of personality–known as the id, the ego and the superego–work together to create complex human behaviors. The Id The id is the only component of personality that is present from birth. This aspect of personality is entirely unconscious and includes of the instinctive and primitive behaviors. According to Freud, the id is the source of all psychic energy, making it the primary component of personality. The id is driven by the pleasure principle, which strives for immediate gratification of all desires, wants, and needs. If these needs are not satisfied immediately, the result is a state anxiety or tension. For example, an increase in hunger or thirst should produce an immediate attempt to eat or drink. The id is very important early in life, because it ensures that an infant’s needs are met. If the infant is hungry or uncomfortable, he or she will cry until the demands of the id are met. However, immediately satisfying these needs is not always realistic or even possible. If we were ruled entirely by the pleasure principle, we might find ourselves grabbing things we want out of other people’s hands to satisfy our own cravings. This sort of behavior would be both disruptive and socially unacceptable. According to Freud, the id tries to resolve the tension created by the pleasure principle through the primary process, which involves forming a mental image of the desired object as a way of satisfying the need. The Ego The ego is the component of personality that is responsible for dealing with reality. According to Freud, the ego develops from the id and ensures that the impulses of the id can be expressed in a manner acceptable in the real world. The ego functions in both the conscious,preconscious, and unconscious mind. The ego operates based on the reality principle, which strives to satisfy the id’s desires in realistic and socially appropriate ways. The reality principle weighs the costs and benefits of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon impulses. In many cases, the id’s impulses can be satisfied through a process of delayed gratification–the ego will eventually allow the behavior, but only in the appropriate time and place. The ego also discharges tension created by unmet impulses through the secondary process, in which the ego tries to find an object in the real world that matches the mental image created by the id’s primary process. The Superego The last component of personality to develop is the superego. The superego is the aspect of personality that holds all of our internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from both parents and society–our sense of right and wrong. The superego provides guidelines for making judgments. According to Freud, the superego begins to emerge at around age five. There are two parts of the superego: 1. The ego ideal includes the rules and standards for good behaviors. These behaviors include those which are approved of by parental and other authority figures. Obeying these rules leads to feelings of pride, value and accomplishment. 2. The conscience includes information about things that are viewed as bad by parents and society. These behaviors are often forbidden and lead to bad consequences, punishments or feelings of guilt and remorse. The superego acts to perfect and civilize our behavior. It works to suppress all unacceptable urges of the id and struggles to make the ego act upon idealistic standards rather that upon realistic principles. The superego is present in the conscious, preconscious and unconscious. The Interaction of the Id, Ego and Superego With so many competing forces, it is easy to see how conflict might arise between the id, ego and superego. Freud used the term ego strength to refer to the ego’s ability to function despite these dueling forces. A person with good ego strength is able to effectively manage these pressures, while those with too much or too little ego strength can become too unyielding or too disrupting. According to Freud, the key to a healthy personality is a balance between the id, the ego, and the superego.

Consumer Behaviour †Product Line Extension Essay

Created by two avid surfers, Billabong is a brand designed by surfers, for surfers. In 1973, Billabong offered little more than a small range of surf wear: mainly surfboards and board shorts. But today, Billabong is a brand that encompasses the Australian surf culture by offering products that cater not only for the surfer inside many of us, but for fashion and lifestyle needs. 1.2 CURRENT TARGET MARKET Billabong is a brand that offers numerous products designed to accommodate numerous lifestyles. Included in their extensive range are products designed for surfers, general beach goers, skateboarders and the fashion conscious. Comprehensive characteristics of this market are difficult to pinpoint, however, it is the assumption that the majority of consumers are males and females aged between 12 and 35 years of age. Consumer Need: Social Image Need – the most important need satisfied by Billabong 1.3 CURRENTLY SOLD In the mid 1980’s, just over ten years since the birth of Billabong, the successes of the small Australian brand were being recognised world wide and Billabong products were in high demand. This led to the export of Billabong products to the global market with countries such as the USA, Japan, New Zealand and Europe first in line. Today, the product range available extends as far as 2200 lines in Australia, 1300 lines in the US and many more in over 60 other countries. It is not unusual that the greatest distribution of Billabong products is to coastal destinations. However, countries locked by land are given the opportunity to live the Billabong experience with products available on-line and in assorted stores around the world. 1.4 PRICE RANGE Billabong products appear at the higher end of the price spectrum for the overall market, and are moderately to high priced as compared to their surf brand competitors. Some examples of how Billabong measure in the market are illustrated below: Girls Thongs: Billabong – $17.95 Mermaid Sister – $19.95 Target $4.00 Men’s Jeans: Billabong – $120.00 Quiksilver $139.95 Jeanswest $65.00 Beach Towel: Billabong – $69.95 Aztec Rose – $39.95 Bonds $29.95 1.5 MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLE The single most important environmental variable affecting Billabong is ‘Culture’; defined as † a set of values, ideas, artefacts and other meaningful symbols that help individuals communicate, interpret and evaluate as members of society† (Blackwell et al. 2001). Products are largely designed, as outlined in section 1.2 and Appendix A, for a surf/sun/style culture which is seemingly ubiquitous in Australian living. 1.6 PRODUCT EXTENSION Billabong Skinwear: a Skin-care range including sunscreen, lip-balm and after sun-gel. This range meets the highest Australian standards in sun protection whilst also providing the essential style that Australians have come to know and expect from Billabong products. 2.0 SECTION B The target audience for any given product or service is the group of people that advertisers wish to attract through their marketing activities. The process of identifying and defining an audience leads to assessing priorities. For instance, a firm may identify a sizably large group or market to be potential consumers. However, it is likely to be financially unsound to attempt to target all consumers within the group. A target audience may be established by asking questions such as: Which audience is large enough to be a significant target? Which audience is a priority in terms of the brand’s product? Which audience is the target of the product’s attributes and benefits? A target audience may be defined by their age, gender, family status, lifestyle, interests or a combination of these characteristics. It is noteworthy that a target audience invariably differs from the overall target market and is generally only a segment of a given market. For example, Billabong would target consumers (both male and female) between the ages of around 12 – 35; but different segments of this broad market are more likely to purchase than others. It is desirable to develop demographic and psychographic profiles of these likely consumers (the target audience). Accurate details of a target audience can only be obtained by means of credible market research practices. However, inferences and assumptions can be made beforehand to aid any research. Some of the demographic characteristics of the Billabong target audience are, as mentioned previously, males and females between the ages of around 12 – 35 (although  advertising is usually specific to one particular gender as seen in the example of Appendix A). Such individuals are predominantly situated in coastal regions where the beach/surf/sun culture thrives (as clearly demonstrated in Appendix A), although there are significant deviations from this trend especially in recent times with such a broad, climate and geographically unbiased product range spanning some 2200 lines in Australia alone (Billabong International 2004). Economic factors can sometimes play a role in defining a target but in this case the audience is not necessarily limited to any specific economic traits; for example, income brackets are not easily defined for consumers as Billabong International offers such a variety of products satisfying both functional lifestyle needs and fashion influenced desires, hence the user’s likelihood of purchasing is expected to be more dependant on the psychographic factors of consumer motivation, motivational intensity and consumer knowledge. Consumer motivation represents the drive to meet physiological and psychological needs via purchase and consumption of products (Blackwell et al. 2001, p.233). Billabong customers are likely to be driven to satisfy their social image needs and needs for pleasure. They are expected to have a high motivational intensity to fulfil these needs so as to willingly overcome the price barrier associated with doing so. The target consumers for Billabong have a relatively high level of consumer knowledge regarding their chosen product. The concept of consumer knowledge involves individuals pre-existing knowledge and perceptions related to product purchase and consumption. These consumers have a high awareness of the products attributes and associations, such as the famous waves symbol, the obvious ties with surfing and pro surfing and the companies Australian origins. They have a familiarity with the products image within the marketplace. They associate the brand with high quality, high fashion and are prepared to bear the comparatively high price. This target audience is aided by the purchase knowledge they hold regarding Billabong’s price positioning; that is, the company is in the high price range compared to the overall market but is moderate to high in price when evaluating surf brands (see Section 1.4). These consumers are also equipped with knowledge on when  and where to buy – aware that the products are available in specialty surf-specific stores and can rely on a least two sales each year at the end of summer and winter. Although expensive research is often the most accurate way of developing a targeted marketing approach, it is always beneficial to attempt to identify expected consumers as early as possible in a marketing plan. Whether you utilize extensive demographic and psychographic research or just use common-sense, â€Å"the key is to identify a group or groups of potential customers that offer the best opportunities for business potential† (Defining Your Target 2004). 3.0 SECTION C 3.1 THE BILLABONG COMMUNICATION MIX A successful communication mix is essential in the marketing of any brand or product to consumers. This ties in with the familiar four P’s of marketing which are price, place, promotion and product. The most important factor relating to the concept of the communications mix is promotion. Examples of promotion include: personal selling, sales promotion, public relations, publicity, direct mail, advertising, sponsorship, branding and distribution of samples. A good communication mix ensures that the brand receives adequate exposure whilst also targeting the appropriate audiences (see Section B). For many large corporations, their logo is an integral part of their marketing activities. This unique identifier will be present throughout all forms of visual marketing communication and is a powerful statement in itself. An obvious example of such would be Nike with its ‘swoosh’ symbol. Similarly, the famous Billabong ‘waves’ are present throughout the Billabong communication mix. 3.2 PRINT ADVERTISING Currently there are a number of communication methods that are used by Billabong. Products are featured in a number of magazines such as Dolly,  Girlfriend, Chik and Cosmopolitan, who predominately market to the female segment of Billabong’s target audience. Print advertisements also feature in more male oriented publications such as Ralph and FHM and can be seen in specific surfing magazines such as Surfing. The combination of these promotional activities effectively reaches the specific audience that Billabong targets. 3.3 BROADCAST ADVERTISING Broadcast advertising is very limited and is likely to only be featured for events such as special surfing related events such as the Billabong Pro surf championships. 3.4 INTERNET PROMOTIONS Internet promotions are one of the most extensive ways in which Billabong advertises. On almost every Billabong advertisement featured in the aforementioned media, the Billabong web address is present; ‘billabong.com’. The website shows the entire product list, which are available for purchase online. The website is not just limited to the Australian audience. It also caters for different products and prices suitable for different regions around the world, including: North America, South America, Asia and Europe – representative of Billabongs growing international presence and successful utilisation of the internet in market places around the world. 3.5 PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL Associated to Billabong is a highly influential reference group who effectively act as a promotional tool. These are pro surfers such as Layne Beachley, Alana Brennan and Andy Irons. This reference group gains credibility for the brand by using Billabong products. Billabong promotions use these public faces to give testimonials as the attention gained by having expert’s approval is invaluable in the fight for consumer preference. 3.6 POINT OF PURCHASE DISPLAYS Point of purchase displays are frequently used by Billabong. In surf shops such as City Beach Surf (Garden City, Whitfords City), Billabong products are grouped together in the store whereas in Brothers Nielsen (Garden City, Perth, Whitfords City), the Billabong are grouped alongside competing brands by category. From the marketing perspective of a reputable manufacturer, it is more desirable to have the clothes grouped by brand rather than by category as this allows consumers to search for the specific brand they wish to purchase. 3.7 IS THIS COMMUNICATION MIX APPROPRIATE? Print advertising utilised by Billabong is appropriate and effective as the magazines that they feature in are targeting similar or overlapping audiences. Promotions and promotional material aid in increasing public familiarity with the brand. This has been achieved by attaching the Billabong name and logo with events such as the Billabong Pro and other surfing events worldwide. Celebrities, especially movie stars, television actors, entertainers, and sports figures, can be very powerful assets to any marketing and advertising campaign (Blackwell et al. 2001). Billabong uses famous surfers Layne Beachley, Alana Brennan and Andy Irons to achieve higher credibility within the surfing world. Another powerful promotional tool is the brands website. Generation â€Å"X† and â€Å"Y† are very likely to search the internet for products that they wish to purchase, as it allows them to shop in the comfort of their homes without the effort of searching different stores to find certain products or information. Internet Promotions are seen to be effective because of the increasing frequency and effectiveness of e-commerce in today’s globalised market place. The website is easy to use, easy to find and is prevalent in all the advertising material; increasing consumer knowledge of the website. Broadcast advertising for Billabong is likely to have a limited effectiveness. It has been shown that only 19% of television viewers actually watch the advertisements shown during a show (Lach, cited in  Blackwell 2001, p. 438). Bearing this in mind, and realising that the target audience is a relatively specific one, it is doubtful that the audience will be reached on a frequent basis via this medium. 3.8 CHANGES TO COMMUNICATION MIX We believe that Billabong should implement a number of various changes to the current communications mix in order to launch the Skinwear range. Procedures such as distributing free samples would be effective in increasing: awareness of the product, its function of reducing the effects of sun exposure and the positive associations of the brand. An increase in Billabong sponsored events will lead to increased exposure of the Billabong name and will provide an excellent opportunity to introduce consumers to the product extension line. The Skinwear range can be officially launched by specifically attaching the name of the new product (Skinwear) to a Billabong sponsored event. On its launch, the previously mentioned method of sample distribution can be used to full effect. The launch of Skinwear will coincide with the increased marketing activities surrounding the entire Billabong range during the summer holiday season. An effective way of maximising the benefits of this situation would be to utilise POP displays, perhaps combined with promotional gift packs. 4.0 SECTION D 4.1 PRODUCT CONCEPT As a well recognised and trusted surf brand, Billabong is endeavouring to branch out into the skin-care market, in particular: sun-care to further cater to its customers lifestyle needs. Like the rest of the world, Australia as a society has become heavily health and image conscious; as demonstrated from the many articles, advertisements, new products and spending increases based in the Health and Cosmetic Industries. Billabong has made the decision to extend their existing product range in an attempt  to take advantage of this new demand for health and beauty products. In doing so, Billabong has created its ‘Skinwear’ range which includes a Sunscreen, Lip balm and After-Sun Gel all of which meet the high standards set by the Australian Government and Australian Cancer Council. Included in the Billabong Skinwear range is a Sunscreen boasting an SPF or Sun Protection Factor of 30, shielding the skin from harmful UV rays 30 times longer than our skins natural defences are able to. Through the introduction of past innovative products, Billabong has become known for its dedication to meet and exceed the needs demanded by their surfing clientele; hence incorporating an 8 hour water protection attribute into this product. This feature allows surfers and beach goers the chance to enjoy their lifestyle without the concerns of having to frequently reapply sunscreen. The combination of 30 SPF and 8hrs of water resistance will instantly place the product at least equally, in terms of functional attributes, at the top of the market. Billabongs new Skinwear range also includes a Lipbalm featuring an SPF of 15. As a means to widen the target audience, Billabong’s new Lipbalm is free of colour and taste, removing added hesitation in the male demographic. For easy application, the Lipbalm is packaged in a squeezable tube, making for easy and mess-free application; all of which is very handy when applying at the beach. Incorporated into the After-Sun Gel is an aloe extract. According to Steve Herman (2004, p.54) â€Å"aloe remains a genuinely useful healing agent widely accepted by the public†. In order to meet consumer requirements, aloe is a feature in the After-Sun Gel product. It is merely a last resort that consumers would ultimately require a product to soothe the effects the sunburn; however, as Plato quite accurately stated â€Å"The most we can teach people is what they already know†. This statement defines the need for a product such as After-Sun Gel, as it is expected that even with the existence of a Sunscreen as provided by Billabong; consumers are likely to use the product ineffectively every now and then. Pat Thomas (2004, p.16) declares â€Å"the sun is now officially the enemy – against which sun creams are our weapon of choice†. According to figures given on the Australian Cancer website (http://www.cancer.org.au) 374,000 Australian’s are treated for non-melanoma skin cancer every year. This figure accounts for 1.9% of Australia’s entire population. More alarming is that an additional 8,500 Australians are diagnosed with a melanoma, of which 1300 will die as a result. Such frightening statistics generate the question; are members of Australia’s beach and surf culture taking appropriate steps to protect their skin from such devastating consequences? Pioneers in serving this beach/surf culture, Billabong attempt to make their consumers aware of the harmful dangers associated with long term exposure to the sun and its effects. In doing so, Billabong offers such products as available in their new Skinwear range to protect the physiological needs of their consumers as well as removing the quite apparent social negativity involved in wearing and applying sunscreen. 4.2 TARGET MARKET REVISITED It would be unwise for a brand such as Billabong to extend an already successful product range if there was any reason to believe that it would not be as successful as the collective existing products. In accordance, Billabong has created a Skinwear range that not only extends the well recognised image of the brand but also the values and attributes that a consumer would associate with any of its other products. For instance, Billabong is renowned for its high quality surf-related products, innovative style and up-to-date fashion. A marketing approach to increase the popularity of Billabong products is to promote consumption as more than an experience, but rather a statement of image and self-expression. It is for this reason that the slogan for the new Skinwear range reads: â€Å"Wear Billabong, even when you’re naked†. As identified in Section B, Billabong’s key target audience extends between males and females aged between 12 and 35. At these ages, it would not be inaccurate to suggest that a major factor in the purchase and consumption of  surf brands and their related products is whether the product links consumers with the desire to fit certain image and style demands. The surf and beach culture is dominant in the lifestyles and images of Australian people. This, in effect, further intensifies the need for many consumers to conform. Australians are becoming more obsessed with their health and appearance. Appearing on Australian networks week by week are television shows that promote cosmetic surgery, crash diets, new health risks, advanced pharmaceuticals and much more. It is not surprising that consumers in the demographic of 12-35 years of age are identifying a need to improve and maintain beauty and health. The links between sun exposure and skin damage have been extensively researched in Australia, as it appears that compared to other geographical locations, Australian people are more susceptible and at risk of suffering, due to the consequences of living in such a sun exposed location. When taking into consideration the various issues relating to sun exposure and skin damage, Billabong decided to create their Skinwear range. It is expected that with an informative and effective marketing campaign, existing Billabong consumers will see the need to execute a diligent skin protection regime, in turn utilising the products that are now offered by Billabong. 4.3 ATTITUDES In order for this product extension to be successful, Billabong has attempted to seize the large target audience that already purchases and consumes their existing product range. It is suggested by Blackwell et al. (2001, p. 289) that â€Å"holding a favourable attitude toward a product is almost always an essential prerequisite in order for consumers to hold a favourable purchase of consumption intention†. In saying this, it is not expected that the consumer will automatically purchase the product, but that they will hold a favourable intention which may assist in their decision. Several models are used to aid marketers of company’s such as Billabong to analyse consumer attitudes and their associated effects on product evaluation and choice.  Better known as the Fishbien Model and Ideal-Point Model, marketers of brands such as Billabong are given important information from consumer’s responses. In many cases, this leads to new product developments as is the case of Billabong, where certain needs not catered for are alerted to designers. In order for Billabong to avoid consumer’ attitudes becoming impartial between brands, it is essential to do whatever it takes to achieve â€Å"Attitude persistence†¦ [where] an attitude’s immune to such corrosion† (Blackwell et al. p. 300). It is likely that the need for products such as that offered in Billabongs Skinwear range will never be made redundant, purely because the risks associated with having lives revolved around the sun are not diminishing in number and neither are the risks associated. The greatest obstacle faced when introducing Billabongs new Skinwear range is changing consumer’s preferences, in effect, â€Å"recruiting competitor’s customers† (Blackwell et al. 2001, p. 301). A strong feature of the Skinwear range is its SPF rating and Water Resistance. In order to â€Å"recruit competitor’s customers† Billabong must be effective in changing consumers attitudes, drawing on favourable attitudes held about their existing product range, as well as emphasising comparisons between their new product extension and other existing brands – hopefully in favour of their products. 4.4 CONCLUSION Billabong recognises the importance of consumers needs to ‘be protected in the sun’. After all, it is the expectation that having consumers who exude a lifestyle surrounded by surf and beach that these needs will as some point require satisfying. As a highly regarded surf brand, Billabong places importance on fulfilling consumer’s needs for safety and health. In recognising the gap in its product range, Billabongs new product extension, boasting a highly protective Sunscreen, Lipbalm and After-Sun Gel, continues their commitment to meet the demands of its consumers for the coming summer season. 5.0 SECTION E To examine the decision making processes experienced by a consumer it is practical to use the Consumer Decision Process (CDP) Model which defines seven likely stages involved in any purchase. The CDP model â€Å"†¦represents a roadmap of consumers’ minds that marketers and managers can use to help guide product mix, communication and sales strategies† (Blackwell et al. 2001, p.71). All consumers are not strictly bound by this model in making their decisions, but are likely to undergo at least some of the following stages: The Consumer Decision Process Model In the case of Billabong, to ensure the success of their product line extension and the associated marketing activities; it would be beneficial to hypothesise the probable processes of their target audience in becoming loyal users of the new product. Such predictions may be made by examining the stages of the CDP model. The first stage of the model, need recognition, involves the consumer sensing the difference between their ideal and actual state of affairs. Billabong will aim, through straight-forward advertising and other marketing communications (as outlined in Section C), to undermine the user’s perceptions about the adequacy of their existing state and will hence create a problem that must be solved. Advertising will include the contrasting negative consequences of not using the product (such as skin damage and/or cancer) with the altogether positives outcomes associated with using the new product. Such benefits include a high level of skin care and also positive social image. With so many choices and more and more variables affecting consumer decisions, especially for low-involvement products such as sunscreen, it is expected that previous loyal followers of the Billabong trademark will factor their positive experiences and high levels of satisfaction into their decision to use Billabong Skinwear. The second stage involves searching the marketplace for information on  products and alternatives. The loyal Billabong consumer will find themselves undergoing components of both an internal and external search and will then move on to assess evaluative criteria as outlined by the third stage; pre-purchase evaluation. It is in this stage that these particular consumers are likely to conclude Billabong as the better alternative. The target audience, whether undergoing an external or internal search will find Billabong to be at least equal (see Section 4.1) to its competitors in terms of its products attributes whilst the positive associations with the Billabong brand will ensure that Billabong Skinwear is seen as the superior alternative. It is the intention of Billabong to extend its dominance into the new market and it is hoped that consumers eliminate the need for extensive searching in order to simply transfer loyalty into this new market. There are two paths that will lead a consumer to the fourth stage of the purchase decision. They may either systematically travel through the previous three stages leading to an obvious choice to purchase, or they may avoid the first three stages altogether and simply purchase the product based on an instantaneous decision influenced by prior ties to the Billabong brand. An example of such may be seen in impulse purchasing, where point-of-purchase (POP) displays may play a significant role. The fifth stage; consumption, is likely to occur seasonally as sun protection is demanded mainly in summer. However, loyal consumers such as those outlined in section B are perhaps the more likely of any one in the market to use the product as suggested by Billabong and its experts – all year round. Stages five and six; consumption and post-consumption evaluations are likely to have a positive, satisfied response from consumers when taking into consideration Billabongs efforts to transfer loyalty from past experiences into the new products evaluation. The last stage, divestment, holds no definitive expectations from those marketing the new product. The only aim is for the target consumers to consume the product completely and not discard it in preference for a competing brand before the end of its useful life The transition of loyal users to the new product (as summarized in this section) demonstrates how varying influential factors will alter the processes outlined in the Consumer Decision Process (CDP) Model. Whether it be the testimony of industry experts or the word of mouth (WOM) distribution of the positive brand image, it is clear that it will be more than possible to transmit the loyalty of the brand into the new product extension line. 6.0 REFERENCES Billabong International 2004. Retrieved: September 30, 2004, from http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/ 06/12/1086749947661.html?from=storylhs. Blackwell, D.R., Miniard, P.W. & Engel, J.F. 2001, Consumer Behaviour 9ED, Harcourt Inc., Florida. Defining Your Target 2004. Retrieved: October 4, 2004, from http://www.usg.com/contractors/defining_your_target.asp. Herman, S. 2004, ‘A day at the beach’, Global Cosmetic Industry, vol. 172, no. 8, pp. 53-54. Retrieved: October 13, 2004, from Proquest. Thomas, P. 2004, ‘Behind the Label: Suncream’, The Ecologist, vol. 34, no.6, Retrieved: October 13, 2004, from Proquest.