Online Marketing Essay

In today’s world, marketing research has begun to use the Internet and popular social networking sites such as, Facebook and Twitter, to gather personal information of all users. It’s becoming a lot easier for companies to connect directly with customers and collect individual information that goes into a computer database. This information can also be matched to other websites and share data collected during unrelated transactions. There are ethical and technical considerations that need to be addressed on how companies conduct its market research. Two major examples of ethical considerations of online marketing are privacy and confidentiality. Many online consumers try to avoid anything that will result in invading their privacy, but many companies tend to do that without the consumer’s knowledge. A company can easily have the ability to collect and store information relating to a consumer that can violate their right to privacy. The companies use this information to target certain advertising to that consumer, but the constant targeting can put a strain on the privacy of the consumer and start to result in a breach of confidentiality. Businesses are constantly sharing consumer’s information with partners or other affiliates to precisely target them with certain services or products they offer. Some companies sell the information to outside companies to make extra money that will lead to more strain on your privacy or even worse, identity theft. The most important example of technical consideration of online marketing is security. Security is the number one issue in a consumer’s mind when they need to use personal information to purchase or do anything online that requires that information. Hackers and viruses can lead to personal information on any database to be sold and used to wreak havoc on innocent consumers. Viruses can be used through E-mail or websites to hack into the businesses or consumer’s computer and track or steal sensitive information that can be given to a hacker at any time. Hackers can then sell that information to anyone or use it for their own benefit to ruin the reputation of that consumer. For example, hackers can use the personal information of the consumer to steal their identity and purchase things without the knowledge of the consumer and the consumer will be at fault for anything the hacker does. This continues to be an ongoing problem in the online world and something that businesses need to be very cautious about when dealing with personal information that was given from a consumer through trust in the company’s integrity online. As online marketing is becoming more popular daily around the world, companies need to realize the ethical and technical considerations that play a role on the abundance of consumer’s personal information they have. Businesses rely on precise online marketing to make the most profit with as little effort as possible, but they also need to focus on the consumer’s personal needs. Privacy, confidentiality, and security are the most important topics when it comes to personal information being stored and shared online. Without taking the time to address and resolve these issues, companies can scare away consumers from revealing certain information that helps their business grow and become successful. References Masters, T. (n.d.). Ethical Considerations of Marketing Research. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-considerations-marketing-research-43621.html. Sullivan, B. (Dec 6). Online privacy fears are real. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3078835/t/online-privacy-fears-are-real/#.UZl358qE72o

DHCP

ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT Course EMP-5116 Issues in the Management and Operation of Communication Prepared by Student Number Submitted To KAMRUL KHAN 7025417 Dr. Serban Gheorghe Term Report (FALL 2012) December 13, 2012 The main purpose of using DHCP is to assign unique IP address to the computers in a network. This protocol is widely used by the ISPs to let their customers join the internet with less effort. It is also used by the enterprises to reduce workload and simplify the network management. (1) (2) 1. 1 History of DHCP Before DHCP was developed a protocol named Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP) was developed for similar functionality as DHCP. Later in 1993, DHCP was introduced for the first time with the release of RFC 1531 as an extension to the BOOTP. The main reason behind extending BOOTP was that manual intervention was required to add configuration information for each client. Furthermore, BOOTP had no mechanism to reclaim disused IP addresses. Within a short period of time, DHCP became popular among the IT community. In 1997 another update of DHCP was released through RFC 2131. RFC 3315 defined the DHCPv6 specification. RFC 3633 was released with a prefix delegation mechanism for DHCPv6. RFC 3736 mechanism to provide configuration information to clients configured using stateless address auto configuration was added as an extension. (1) 1. A brief overview A database of available IP addresses and configuration information is maintained by the DHCP server. When a client requests the DHCP server for configuration information, the DHCP server checks the subnet in which DHCP client is connected, and then sends back the client with appropriate configuration information. 2 Typically IP addresses distributed to clients are assigned f or limited interval by the server. DHCP clients are responsible for renewing their IP address before that interval has expired. If they are unable to renew it by the expiration interval, they must stop using the address. Both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported by DHCP. Even if a client does not use DHCP for acquiring IP address, it can still be used to obtain other configuration information. (1) 2 2. 1 DHCP and Its operation DHCP Protocol Overview The major component of DHCP is the DHCP server and clients. Basic task of server is to assign IP address to the clients. The DHCP client makes a request to a DHCP server that may or may reside on different subnet. The server distributes IP address, subnet mask and default gateway to a host. Other configuration parameters such as name servers and netbios configuration can also be included. The IP assignment process is called â€Å"binding† or â€Å"lease†. The word â€Å"lease† is used as the client leases an IP address for a particular amount of time. This implies, after a certain period of time client must relinquish the IP address. The DHCP client side works combining six basic states. These states are: Initializing Selecting Requesting Binding Renewing Rebinding These states will be discussed in details in the next chapters of this paper. (3) 3 2. 2 DHCP Lease As discussed before DHCP lease is the process of associating IP address and client. The address leased by the client expires after certain period of time. Two timers are maintained by the client to manage this expiration process. Which are, 1. Renewing time T1 2. Rebinding Time T2 Renewing time T1 means the client will get a new lease from a server. Rebinding is the extension of lease. Typically renewing time is set to half of the renewing time. (4) 2. 3 DHCP Messages and Client States DHCP has several messages for establishing server to client communications. All DHCP instruction or updates are carried through these messages. The basic messages defined for DHCP are, DHCPDISCOVER, DHCPOFFER, DHCPREQUEST, DHCPACK, DHCPNAK, DHCPDECLINE, DHCPRELEASE, and DHCPINFORM. All these messages are effectively used during different states of DHCP. Purpose and flow of these messages in different DHCP states are discussed in the following sections. (4) 2. 3. 1 INIT The client tries to find a DHCP server by broadcasting DHCPDISCOVER message. It transitions to the SELECTING state. The server sends DHCPOFFER back to the client which is basically the choice of address and other parameters for the client. (5) 2. 3. 2 SELECTING In this state, client waits for DHCPOFFER message from any server. It selects the preferred offer and declares the selection by sending the DHCPREQUEST message. It transitions to the REQUESTING state. (5) 4 2. 3. 3 REQUESTING After sending the DHCPOFFER the client waits for the response from the server. Three different situations can occur. First, the most expected situation that, the server sends the acceptance of the request sent through DHCPACK. The client the starts the T1 and T2 timers and moves to the Bound state. Second, if the previously sent offer is no more available the server ill send a DHCPNAK message to deny the DHCPREQUEST. In this situation the client must return to the INIT state and start from the beginning. Third, server may send acceptance through DHCPACK however, the offer is no more acceptable to the client. Typically, this happens if the client finds the offered address is already been used somewhere else in the network. In this case client sends a DHCPDECLINE message and moves to the INIT state to start over. (4) 2. 3. 4 BOUND If lease assignment is successful the client goes to BOUND state. After timer T1 is expired the client sends a new DHCPREQUEST and moves to RENEWING state. 4) 2. 3. 5 RENEWING In this state client tries to extend of its lease by sending new DHCPREQUEST to the same server it took the lease from. Again three situations may be observed. First, the server may deny the request through DHCPNAK message. The client must return to INIT state and start from beginning in this situation. Second, if client does not get response from server, it will broadcast DHCPREQUEST after T2 is expired and move to the REINDING state. Third, server accepted the new request with the DHCPACK and the lease is extended. The client will again move back to BOUND state in this situation. 4) 5 2. 3. 6 REBINDING As discussed earlier, client moves to REBINDING state if T2 get expired in RENEWING state. Here, if client may get a DHCPACK response from the server if the request is approved. The client will then return to BOUND state extending the lease. Otherwise, the client gets a DHCPNAK response which indicates the refusal of request. In this case the client needs to move to the INIT state to start from beginning. (4) 2. 3. 7 INIT-REBOOT This state is for special case. If a client can find its previous DHCP configuration right after starting up, it moves to special INIT-REBOOT state. It sends a DHCPREQUEST message immediately from where it got the previous lease requesting to use the same old address and moves to the REBOOTING state. (4) 2. 3. 8 REBOOTING In REBOOTING state, client requests the server for allowing the client to continue with the previous address. Here, again two situations may occur. First, server may accept and send DHCPACK. Client will then reset timer T1 and T2 and continue with the previous address. Second, client may get a DHCPNAK message indicating the refusal of the request. Typically this kind of situation occurs when the client is turned off for very long time. The server may assign the address to other client. And as usual the only way left for the client is to go back to the INIT state and start from the beginning. (4) 2. 4 The Finite Client State Machine Finite State Machine (FSM) is a tool or method to describe a protocol. The behavior of a protocol is described by showing all the different states a device can be in, all possible transitions between individual states, events that cause transitions, and the actions that are performed as a response of an event. 6 The FSM can be used to describe the lease life cycle from the perspective of a DHCP client. The client begins its life cycle from the initial INIT state when no lease is acquired. It then travels through different states like, renews, rebinds and/or releases its IP address. The whole process can be described graphically using the FSM method. The below figure describe the FSM of DHCP client. (5) Figure 1: DHCP Client Finite State Machine 7 3 DCHP Server Vendors and Market Overview The ever increasing number of IP devices (Network endpoints, IP telephones, virtual servers, etc. ) is the main emerging factor of IP management and DCHP server market growth. In the past, the network admins had very limited options to pick up a DHCP/DNS solution. Sometimes, they used to write their own codes to manage DHCP/DNS in their network. However, now many vendors have come up with DHCP/DNS solutions. The integrated DNS/DHCP appliancebased offerings are proved to be more attractive to the consumers. (6) 3. 1 Present Market Statistics According to the recent statistics, DHCP solutions along with DNS and IPAM (DDI) have been showing more than 20% consistent growth starting from 2009. In 2011, DDI market had an increment of 36% by generating $290 million. It is estimated that, by the end of 2012, the market will increase to $380 million with an increment of 29%. According to the statistics mentioned above it can clearly be stated that, the DDI market is promising and growing. (7) 3. 2 Market Segments In general, DDI( DNS, DHCP and IPAM) solutions can be categorized in three major segments, bundled offerings, overlay management solutions and managed services. These segments are described in the following sections. (7) 3. 2. 1 Bundled Offerings Bounded offerings are the fastest growing in DDI market. In bundled offerings, the DHCP and DNS services share an integrated database. Although, physical appliance forms are the dominating factor of bundled offerings, software or virtual services are also available. (7) 3. 2. 2 Overlay Management Solutions Overlay management solutions are free DHCP or DNS services. It is easier to deploy as it does not require replacement of DHCP/DNS infrastructure or integration with existing DNS server. It can add management capability to DNS or DHCP and IPAM functionality. (7) 8 3. 2. 3 Managed Services Managed service market is smaller comparing to other segments. According to recent statistics it is around 10% of the total spending of DDI solutions. 7) 3. 3 DDI Vendors Though DDI market is growing, some giant DDI vendors discontinued with their products due to slow revenue and other factors like increasing popularity of appliance based offerings. For example, Nortel used to be one of the market leaders in the field of DDI. However, they decided to discontinue their IP Address Domain Manager from the beginning of 2008. On the ot her hand, Infoblox and BlueCat are getting more popular with their integrated DNS/DHCP appliance based offerings. There are couple of â€Å"free DHCP solutions† available in the market. Among them, the Internet Software Consortium should be mentioned in the first place. Other than that the CMU DHCP server is also very popular (4). However, considering the market scopes and market segments it was found the commercial solutions are more promising. Therefore, in this report only the commercial solutions are briefly described. According to recent market analysis, seven companies were found to be prominent. Their overall rating based on product/service, customer feedback and business strategy is given in the chart below. (7) Figure 2 Market Scope for DDI Source: Gartner, April 2012 9 3. . 1 Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel-Lucent developed their DDI solution VitalQIP back in 1998. It has flexible deployment options with broad overlay solutions. The solution is highly capable with large enterprise network. However, some common features like the DHCP lease history is missing in VitalQIP. This can be considered as major drawback. (7) 3. 3. 2 BlueCat Networks BlueCat is a DDI pure-pla y vendor based on Toronto, Canada. They offer Adion family of integrated DNS and DHCP which can be used as an overlay to manage windows DNS and DHCP. It has strong network discovery and endpoint mapping ability. 7) 3. 3. 3 BT Diamond Diamond IP was released on 2007 by British Telecom. It is a highly scalable product. It is available through software, appliance or for virtual environment (VMWare). Diamond IP is present in all three market segment discussed before: Bundled offerings, overlay and managed services. (7) 3. 3. 4 EfficientIP EfficientIP is another pure-play DDI vendor based on France. They provide solutions as bundled or overlay. The main feature of EfficientIP is its template based architecture functionality which makes it very easy to automate the configuration and management of DNS/DHCP servers. 7) 3. 3. 5 InfoBlox InfoBlox is a California based company founded on 1999. They sell integrated DHCP/DNS solutions and overlay solutions for Microsoft Windows DHCP. Their solutions are available through appliance and virtual VMWare environment. One of the main features of InfoBlox is its grid functionality which makes the operation and management easier. (7) 10 3. 3. 6 Men & Mice Men &Mice is a Iceland based company founded at 1990. They do not sell any integrated DNS/DHCP appliance. They only sell software based overlay solutions for managing DNS/DHCP services from othe r vendors. 7) 3. 3. 7 Nixu Software A Finland based company founded on 1988. The DDI components of Nixu software are only available as software appliance. (7) 4 4. 1 Case Study: TYROLIT Delivers Resilient DNS and DHCP with BlueCat Networks Background TYROLIT is an Austria based company founded in 1919. It is one of the world's largest manufacturers of grinding, cutting, drilling dressing tools and machines for the construction industry. TYROLIT has base in 12 different countries with 4,500 employees at 27 production locations. TYROLIT’ has a

The use of social media by criminal gangs Research Paper

The use of social media by criminal gangs - Research Paper Example The very basic, often considered as the pioneer, a text only social networking system was Six Degrees (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Success of this free site did not go unnoticed and soon other enthusiastic companies came into play. MySpace was launched after this. In addition to the profile creation and connecting with different users of choice, myspace allowed users to change the layout of their profile as a direct reflection of their personality. Sharing and listening music was also added later. Myspace was one of the most popular websites ever launched though it has several problems like openness of profile to everyone in the network. The ease of finding other people in the network had influenced the stalker to harass the victims without minimal effort. Myspace’s problems pushed many users to visit a trendier and privacy concerned website, named Facebook. At the starting of the business, facebook was targeted to the young audience, but it is focused to a broader segment of users . Facebook tried to share more information about the people from their profile and they have changed their security settings numerous times. Continuous distraction of users by new messages, or any intimation has become an annoying factor. These drawbacks have shifted the site’s once loyal users to a different social networking environment. Twitter is the latest addition to this trend. Launched in 2006, twitter soon became successful because of their distraction free method of connecting with different users in the network just by posting the message. It is now integrated to many platforms, including mobile phones and different operating systems. Twitter is an instant success and the success of twitter inspired Google to launch their social networking website named Google+. The Company has registered more than 90 million users (Barnett, 2012) in a span of a few months and its contact management

How does the postmodern picturebook set out to capture both the adult Essay

How does the postmodern picturebook set out to capture both the adult and the child reader's interest - Essay Example This paper examines two postmodern children’s picture books, Voices in the Park, and The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy Tales, and explains four techniques that they use to capture both the adult and the child reader’s interest, namely non-traditional plot structure, shifting character perspective, paratextual devices, and intertextual references. The postmodern children’s picture book does not exist in a vacuum, but follows a long history of writing and illustrating which goes back many centuries. It sets itself against the rather rigid traditional stories such as fables and fairy tales, which usually have an anonymous narrator who leads the reader along a steady chronological timeline through a single plot with key characters who play fairly predictable roles. Children and adults alike enjoy the comfortable framework that is provided, and there are conventions like a â€Å"once upon a time† beginning, some thrills and spills with good an d bad characters in the middle, and a nice, neat â€Å"happy ending† in which all the loose ends of the plot are tied up. A postmodern children’s picture book relies upon this framework too, but in a different way. Instead of following these predictable patterns, it springs outside them and introduces different narrative voices and non-chronological structures to mix things up and make the story multifaceted. A good example of this is Voice in the Park which tells four stories in succession, all of which refer to the same actual time frame. No one narrative voice is dominant, and the perspectives of mother figure, father figure, girl figure and boy figure are allowed to coexist, even though they do not exactly agree with each other. Portraying them as gorillas is a clever technique which echoes older traditions of anthropomorphism but at the same time forces modern readers out of any race or class stereotypes: age and gender are what distinguish the characters, and the re is an equal number of each. There is no single plot in this book, but instead there is a spell of time in a park in which four people meet, and the book presents this from four different angles. In The Stinky Cheeseman there is a single narrator, who is the â€Å"Jack† character from the well-known fairy tale â€Å"Jack and the Beanstalk† but he appears in the book outside the confines of his own story, and interacts with characters from other tales such as the Little Red Hen and Little Red Riding Hood. None of the characters in the stories agree to play along with the original plotlines that adults especially will have learned, and the result is a kaleidoscope of fairy tale elements turned upside down. There are short tales within a tale, but the boundaries are fluid and characters appear in stories where they traditionally do not belong, all of which indicates a postmodern playfulness. The narrator is not in control of the stories, and the characters run amok. Thi s is an example of metafiction (Pantaleo, 2004, p. 213) because it draws attention to how the story is put together. This in turn stimulates discussion between readers about both the content of the story and the whole process of story formation, reading, listening and understanding. Returning to Voices in the Park, this book adult and child personas to engage both adult and child interest. Adults will be able to identify with the mother figure, criticising the

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Research Paper

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Research Paper Example The Book of Mormon was marketed on the 26th of March 1830. A year after the extensively cited analysis of Alexander Campbell charged it of clarifying all the major concerns talked about in New York throughout the 1820s, as well as â€Å"infant baptism, ordination, the trinity, regeneration†¦ even the question of free masonry, republic government, and the rights of man† (Winn, 1990, 20). Aspects in the book did appear to relate with several of existing issues at that time and to address its readers’ mental and emotional needs; several converts made use of the book as prescribed by Campbell. Numerous, nevertheless, did not. In truth, the Book of Mormon, in comparison with the Bible, was used sparsely (Winn, 1990). Smith’s revelations and converts mention ‘Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures,’ setting aside the ‘holy scripture’ for the Bible (Barlow, 1997, 44). God scolded the members of the Church for not giving little importance t o the Book of Mormon. According to Morris (2006), W.W. Phelps, Mormon writer, protested that the Saints would instead seek mysteries and miracles in the Bible than find out details communicated in the Book of Mormon. Mormon publications during the 1830s mentioned the Bible several times as frequently as the Book of Mormon, and in the sermons presented to Nauvoo, Illinois for which current documentation is available, Smith reworded the Book of Mormon a number of times but mentioned or reworded the Bible hundreds of times (Morris, 2006).  ... Numerous, nevertheless, did not. In truth, the Book of Mormon, in comparison with the Bible, was used sparsely (Winn, 1990). Smith’s revelations and converts mention ‘Book of Mormon and the holy scriptures,’ setting aside the ‘holy scripture’ for the Bible (Barlow, 1997, 44). God scolded the members of the Church for not giving little importance to the Book of Mormon. According to Morris (2006), W.W. Phelps, Mormon writer, protested that the Saints would instead seek mysteries and miracles in the Bible than find out details communicated in the Book of Mormon. Mormon publications during the 1830s mentioned the Bible several times as frequently as the Book of Mormon, and in the sermons presented to Nauvoo, Illinois for which current documentations are available, Smith reworded the Book of Mormon a number of times but mentioned or reworded the Bible hundreds of times (Morris, 2006). Even though he illustrated the Book of Mormon as more accurate than any other manuscript and as â€Å"the keystone of our religion,† (Parry, 2004, 17) there are very few proofs that he gave an effort to analyze its text as he studied the Bible. The Book of Mormon was given due importance by its followers, but it did not turn out to be the foundation for the early Church tradition and dogma, the everyday revelations of Smith accomplished that. It would linger for a succeeding period of Saints to embrace as idols those Book of Mormon icons like Nephi, Moroni, and Alma (Parry, 2004). The very first Mormon chose the Bible, in spite of the flaws they discovered in it. Malachi, Zechariah, and Nahum were not indefinite or unclear icons for them and their colleagues (Barlow,

Lyndon Johnson and how he handle the Tet offensive Research Paper

Lyndon Johnson and how he handle the Tet offensive - Research Paper Example Johnson the president of United States. His domestic public support for the war waned leading to his abandonment of re-election in the 1968 elections. As for Giap the North Vietnamese army general â€Å"they were not able to destroy enemy forces but the offensive sent shudders through vital points† (Willbanks, 2008, p. 66). However, the question we need to ask ourselves is: why was the Tet offensive carried out in the first place and how did Lyndon Johnson handle it? Americans under General William Westmoreland took troops to Vietnam for continuity of its foreign policy of containing the spread of communism and for nation building just like Lyndon’s predecessor John Kennedy. North Vietnam under General Giap wanted to win the war fast and weaken South Vietnam military and at the same time provoke an uprising that would see the overthrow of government which was under Thieu. However, they underestimated the military power of allied forces hence the defeat. Many criticisms have been leveled against Johnson on the way he handled the whole affair. The doves believed American should not have been involved in the war in the first place while the hawks supported the effort. This paper will argue that Johnson was guided by his domestic as well as foreign policy when handling the offensive. He only had two options: leave his domestic program of â€Å"Great Society† and get involved in war thus risk losing all programs at home or seek peace and let the communists win the war but this option would have rendered him a coward. He could not have the â€Å"guns and butter† as Eisenhower used to say (Bringham, 2008, p. 119). He had an option of granting Westmoreland more troops to finish the war but this would have resulted into full-scale war attracting China and Soviet Union into the war. On the other hand, withdrawing the troops and seek peace but this would definitely result in defeat. The withdrawal of the troops in the end gave North Vietnam the edge and when war finally ended in 1975, South Vietnam was under control of the communists. Background Tet Offensive of 1968 was carried out in the midst of Vietnam War. The war was an extension of the cold war between two superpowers: U.S and U.S.S.R after the Second World War. Though the two nations collaborated against common enemies such as Japanese and Germany, it was clear that the two had tense relations filled with suspicions and lack of trust. The two super powers had very divergent political ideals; the U.S wanted states to free and democratic under capitalism form of government while the U.S.S.R viewed capitalism as a source of all evil and the cause of world war in the first place. It thus wanted to eliminate capitalism and replace it with communism hence the beginning of cold war. The cold war shaped U.S foreign policy for decades to come with Harry S. Truman’s doctrine of containment being the guide. It was meant to contain the spread of communism by using U.S funds to promote economic development in affected nations especially Europe and South Eastern Asia. A developed nation which takes care of the well-being of its people and lets them determine their future by electing a democratic government would combat communism spread. U.S.S.R on the other hand, was bent of spreading communism especially to border countries for security reasons. Various indirect wars were fought in the struggle for dominance

Summry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summry - Essay Example ratic presidents like Bill Clinton gave more attention to the business sector whereas the only positive gesture Obama expressed towards the business sector was the rescue of the huge union-dominated General Motors and Chrysler. Obama concentrated more on pulling out the American economy from recession even though he had least concerns on business people. The bureaucratic finance bill was not a Wall Street killer even though the President’s anti-business stand raised many concerns. Moreover, Obama concentrated more on ensuring enormous cash flow to business even though he doesn’t like the business people much. And above all his policies have helped pull the economy out of recession. Obama was keener on tackling big subjects like health care and Wall Street, and he never bothered about publishing the details to others. Fiscal policy is even more uncertain, thanks to Mr Obama’s refusal to produce a credible plan to rein in the deficit. Obama has realized that many entrepreneurs plough money into a new factory when they have no idea about the business principles or what taxes they will eventually be asked to pay. Even then, it is necessary for Obama to put more efforts on the business sect or for the revival of American

Supreme Court of the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Supreme Court of the US - Essay Example It is evident from the very outset that the small, quiet city of Intrusion is indeed, in a state of panic; a state of affairs that the state is, in fact, responsible for – the protection of life. The suspicion that someone was selling methamphetamine illegally to the locals, more so to the underage [teenagers] and that and a popular life has been lost due to inappropriate use of the said chemical has been proved beyond doubt. I firm the legal principles that give the police department the right to protect life, people and their properties thereof. However, so must be done according to the constitution. In this very case, the state prosecutor advised the police department to talk with the local cell phone carrier about â€Å"cloning† the phone of a suspect, Mr. Doe’s, which was done, in effect, allowing the police to read text messages sent and received by Mr. Doe. In no time the police had evidence implicating Mr. Doe as a dealer and the location of the meth lab, leading to the accused being convicted and his meth lab being closed.   This case requires the explicit legal based decision on whether the interception of Mr. Doe’s text messages via a cloned phone was but an unreasonable search and seizure, exceeding the provisions of the Fourth Amendment. It is important to note that though individual’s privacy is doubt fundamental in this case, the degree to which the principles of search and seizure, more so of crucial evidence, promotes legitimate collective interests must not be lost, for laws enjoyed by every citizen of this nation also carry certain responsibilities (Bond v the United States 539).   Cell phones are important tools of communication, with criminal enterprises included in the same processes.

The value of brands to organizations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The value of brands to organizations - Essay Example establish the aforementioned by elucidating on the value of brands through a definition of the concept, an analysis of the implications of brand equity, a discussion of the benefits of brands and a clarification of the relationship between brands and firms. Brands are firm-owned products which have undergone a process of branding. It is â€Å"the means by which a company aims to differentiate its products from competition and-through marketing-protect its position in the market. profitably over time† (White 1999) It is recognized as â€Å"the sum of ail elements of the marketing mix† (Ambler and Styles 1996). The most commonly accepted definition of brand is a distinguishing name and/or symbol (such as a logo. trademark or package design) intended to identify the goods or services of either one seller or a group of sellers and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors (Aaker 1991. p. 7). Other relevant brand concepts include brand associations, brand image, brand identity and brand equity. Brand associations are â€Å"anything that connects the customer to the brand.† They include â€Å"user imagery, product attributes, use situations, organizational associations, brand personality, and symbols† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 17). Brand strategies, the set of â€Å"perceptions about a brand as reflected by the brand associations held in consumer memory† (Herzog 1963). Brand identity is defined as the totality of the brand associations that the marketer wishes to create or maintain for the brand: Brand identity is a unique set of brand associations that the brand strategist aspires to create or maintain, These associations represent that the brand stands for and imply a promise to customers for the organisation members (Aaker, 1996, p. 68) It represents â€Å"what the organization wants the brand to stand for† (Aaker and Joachimathaler 2000. p. 40). Brand identity is thus contrasted to brand image, where brand image is a

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay Example for Free

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay Introduction Today I would like to discuss, with you, the current state of the U.S. macro economy. I will attempt to simply address concepts and terms which focus on international trade and foreign exchange rates. Much of the discussion will focus around the surplus of imports brought into the U.S., and the impact it has on the U.S. businesses and consumers involved. I will also describe the effects of the international trade to GDP, domestic markets, and university students. It is important to understand how the government’s choices, in regards to tariffs and quotas, affect international relations and trade; so I will describe the interactive relationship in regards to tariffs and quotas, and how the government’s choices affect international relations and trade. We will also understand how foreign exchange rates are determined, and identify the reasons the U.S. does not restrict goods from China and minimize imports from other countries. Imports in the U.S. The U.S. imports many goods from various countries around the globe; and the trading of these goods plays an important role in the stability of economic growth for the U.S. The U.S. imports goods or products from other countries such as China; and if the U.S. has a surplus of imports it means there is an increase in the trade deficit, which is not good for the U.S. because trade deficits usually increase unemployment. Examples of products with an import surplus in the U.S. are China’s auto-parts. The U.S. auto-parts industry is at risk of lost jobs because of the rapid growth of auto-parts imported from China. The Chinese government unfairly subsidizes and trades auto-parts to the U.S.; which in return jeopardizes jobs related to the auto-parts industry in the U.S. Exports from the U.S. support jobs, but imports supplant production which would otherwise support U.S. employment. The U.S. auto-parts trade deficit increased from $9.5 billion in the year 2000 to $31.2 billion in the year 2010. During the year 2010, China’s exports of auto-parts exceeded their imports of U.S. products by 725 percent. The impact of this discrepancy between the two countries forces consumers and businesses, in the U.S., to evaluate which products are worth buying. Many times China’s products are manufactured just as thoroughly as their counterparts in the U.S., and they are often much cheaper to purchase. In order to save money, many U.S. companies and consumers will purchase goods from China, and also establish businesses and create jobs in that country which would otherwise benefit domestic employment (Economic Policy Institute, 2012). GDP I would like to next address the effects of international trade to the GDP, domestic markets, and university students. International trade has become important to the U.S. economy in recent years, and the benefits of a global market improve the U.S. standard of living. The problem for the U.S. is the contraction of the GDP because of reduced exports and higher imports. The outflow of domestic currency to foreign markets can decrease the currency of the dollar, and make imports more expensive to purchase. If the currency of the dollar decreases, domestic markets will suffer because now goods cost more to purchase. Domestic markets can also be affected by international trade. If imports are cheaper than domestic company products, then domestic markets may suffer because the imports are cheaper to purchase. Many international students and public and private institutions also benefit from the effects of international trade. The revenues generated by international students are important because they usually pay out-of-state tuition, and the education sector usually benefits from a trade surplus (Business Day, 2013). Tariffs and Quotas The government’s choices, in regards to tariffs and quotas, usually have a big effect on international trade and relations. Many countries rely on net exports to maximize their productions companies. When quotas and tariffs are introduced to the global market, it can affect the flow of goods and products to consumer nations; and can negatively impact the production companies. Because it is usually beneficial for international companies to maximize production, tariffs and quotas can potentially strain international relations and trade. Exchange Rates I would like to next address foreign exchange rates and what determines them. Most of us are aware that currency has a value attached to it. The difference between the two country’s currency value, and the rate for what they will be exchanged for each other; is known as the foreign exchange rate. The exchange rates are determined in the foreign exchange market, which determines the local demand for foreign currencies (Businessdictionary.com, 2013). Goods in the U.S. The question is often asked, if China has restrictions on U.S. imports, then why does the U.S. not restrict goods coming in from China? To answer the question simply, Chinese imports are important to the U.S. because China has the fastest growing markets in the world. If the U.S. were to stop imports from China, then accordingly China would stop imports for the U.S., and we would not have access that important market. It is vital to have relationships with the global market, because those trade relationships keep the U.S. relevant in the global economy. Many economists agree if the U.S. were to stop trading with foreign countries, then the entire global economy would collapse, which would result in the entire globe going into a depression. Conclusion In conclusion I would like to state that I hope I have addressed all of you questions about the current state of the U.S. macro economy. It is important to understand the importance of all countries involved with foreign trade, and how their imports and our exports directly affect the U.S. economy and our jobs. While we would like to be independent from a lot of foreign goods, the idea of total independence from foreign trade is virtually impossible. As we discussed earlier, the reason is because of our trade deficits and their countries ability to invest in the U.S. References Economic Policy Institute. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.epi.org/publication/bp336-us-china-auto-parts-industry/ Businessdictionary.com. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/foreign-exchange-rate.html Business Day. (2013). Retrieved from http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/10/the-impact-of-foreign-trade-on-the-economy/

The Effects Of Different Ugc On Users Marketing Essay

The Effects Of Different Ugc On Users Marketing Essay Since the advent of Web 2.0, social media, such as social networking sites and user-generated services, have emerged into mass use Boyd and Ellison, 2008. Academic research is starting to explore related concepts, such as social networking sites (Boyd and Ellison, 2008; Utz, 2010), user-generated content (Shao, 2009), and social media (Walker Rettberg, 2009). Basically, what characterizes user-generated content (UGC) is the fact that consumers are the ones producing, designing, publishing, or editing the content in the media (Krishnamurthy and Dou, 2008), i.e. the service is user-created. Social media in turn enable people to share and interact with each other and the content becomes more democratized (Drury, 2008). User generated content (UGC) is fast becoming one of the most valuable and influential sources of information in the on-line world, supporting millions of consumers who have come to rely on product and service reviews to support the purchase process. There is considerable interest in the value of UGC and its antecedents. Research shows that product reviews, for instance, influence consumer search and product choice, enhance sales forecast quality, affect product sales, and drive viewership (Chevalier and Mayzlin, 2006; Godes and Mayzlin, 2004; Li and Hitt, 2008). Current research on UGC has focused mainly on the motivations of consumers to produce UGC. Studies on brand-related UGC and its causality to brand perceptions is still in its infancy. It has been mentioned as part of future research to study consumers of UGC who are individuals exposed to brand-related UGC to investigate whether simply viewing rather than creating UGC may effect a change in consumer perception of brands. (Ch ristodoulides, et. al., 2012). Future research has also been suggested to distinguish between incentive- and non-incentive driven UGC and examine differences in terms of drivers and brand perceptions (Christodoulides, et. al., 2012). As consumers are increasingly performing activities previously controlled by companies, the entire marketing landscape is changing. Therefore, companies need to better understand the changing behaviour of consumers, in order to create mutual benefits from the use of social media (Heinonen, 2011). This research is an extension of current work to examine the effects of the different types of UGC on users perceptions of brands. This research is an exploratory study to address this subject by first discussing current literature on UGC and its relation to brand equity. Then, the design of the study and its results are presented and discussed. The research hopes to bring new knowledge about the positive and negative influences of UGC on brands, and highlights managerial implications for brand-related activities on online platforms containing UGC. 2 Literature Review: User Generated Content (UGC) and its growing influence in brand marketing The term social media here refers to user-created services, such as blogs, online review/rating sites, social networking sites, and online communities. The term consumer is used to describe the individual user that is active in the social media, however, not necessarily only consuming the media but also performing other activities, such as participating in, using, or producing activities.(Heinonen, 2011). Consumption means reading the content that is posted by other users; participation occurs when people comment on others creations, and production means posting ones own content on the site (Shao, 2009). In brief, information technology is empowering consumers, and their role is shifting from being passive recipients of information to becoming active generators of information (Stewart and Pavlou, 2002). Research has suggested that the classic notion of individuals as mere consumers is outdated and that consumers should also be seen as active producers of business value (Heinonen, 201 1). Marketers think that brand-related UGC is a more effective and targeted way of reaching disparate audiences than standard paid media (Lovett, 2011). The recent boom in social media provides opportunities for more targeted distribution of branded content (Lovett, 2011). Social networks are not just targeting tools but rather egalitarian and inexpensive platforms for broadcast and distribution (Lovett, 2011). Many websites such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and weblogs enable consumers to easily create UGC (Dwyer, 2012). With the enormous interest in social media and user-generated content on these sites, consumers are seen to be actively contributing to the marketing content. A significant amount of UGC concerns brand-related material (Burmann and Arnhold, 2008). For example, recent evidence shows that about 70 percent of brand-related searches on social-networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter relate to UGC (360i, 2009). This active consumer behaviour is changing the media and marketing landscape as consumers are invading companies marketing sphere (Berthon, et al.2008). Some of the online activities performed by consumers may influence the company image and brand positively whereas other consumer activities are perhaps not favourable (Heinonen, 2011). This is explained by a finding that consumers of UGC often consider it more credible than professional content (Cheong and Morrison, 2008). Hence, negative UGC can have harmful implications for building and sustaining a brands market presence. It is, therefore, important for managers to understand the impact of UGC on brands (Berthon, et. al., 2008; Christodoulides, 2009). One of the motivation for social media activity is information processing. A key activity in information processing is sharing information and experiences, and accessing shared knowledge online. Contrary to factual information that has lower trustworthiness, opinions were considered to be reliable and value adding. It was felt that UGC is a reliable way to get opinions of products. As they do not benefit anything from advertising a certain product, producers who create product reviews are seen to be more motivated to tell the truth. When the truth is unfavourable, this may negatively impact consumers perception of a brand and their subsequent decision to use it (Heinonen, 2011). Information processing is also concerned with applying knowledge from UGC for utilitarian purposes. This activity often results in monetary benefits and economic gain. Higher levels of brand awareness and associations may prompt perceptions of choice and progress cues (Hoyer and Brown, 1990). When applying su ch knowledge appropriately, UGC may inform consumers selection of brands. Thus, we hypothesise: H1: The platform type of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users awareness of the sponsoring brand. H2a: The platform type of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand. H2b: The users general opinion on the bias-ness of incentive-driven UCC has an effect on the difference between the effects of the platform type of incentive-driven UGC in the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand H3a: The platform type of positive incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. H3b: The users general opinion on the bias-ness of incentive-driven UCC has an effect on the difference between the effects of the platform type of incentive-driven UGC in the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. 3 Research Design and Measures This study used the uses and gratifications approach as the theoretical fundament. This method is commonly used in internet studies, see for example (Sangwan, 2005), (Papacharissi and Rubin, 2000) or (Kaye and Johnson, 2002). The approach assumes people using media actively and goal orientated and according to their needs (Katz and Blumler, 1974). This implicitly means that people know their needs and can articulate them. The uses and gratifications approach is seen to be appropriate for studying the motivations of people using media (Lin, 1996). To complement the perspective given through the uses and gratifications approach, the study used concepts common in economic theory, namely the consideration of monetary rewards and signalling incentives (Lerner and Tirole 2002). This means of data gathering has been found useful in a number of studies concerning user motivation (Lakhani and Wolf, 2005; Hars and Ou, 2002; Hippel and Lakhani, 2003). The authors develop a questionnaire to capture quantitative data administered via survey of a small sample of NTU graduate students. The chosen procedure for recruitment has the disadvantage not to be statistically representative (Ruggiero, 2000). It is therefore an exploratory study. The survey questionnaire was sent out to about 100 people, of which the return rate was 68% with 68 users. The questionnaire was in the form of an online survey, which was emailed to the randomly selected participants in the form of an embedded link. The survey was open for 2 days. Of the 68 responses, all of them were useable with no incomplete responses. The brand awareness construct was measured through one item, while the users purchasing decision of the brand construct was measured through three items. Finally, the users evaluation of the brand construct was measured through eight items. In all of the items, survey participants are asked to rank their responses based upon a 5-unit Likert scale of 1 to 5 (1- Strongly Agree; 2 Agree; 3 Neutral; 4 Disagree; 5 Strongly Disagree). For each of the dependent constructs relating to the users perceptions of brands, we calculate the sum of all the results of the survey items relating to that construct respective to each platform type (namely Facebook-related UGC or product review). Then, we begin by first conducting reliability analysis for each of the construct. A paired t-test was performed to test if there is any significant difference between the effects of the platform types of incentive-driven UGC on each of the constructs to test the postulated hypotheses. For the dependent constructs of the users related purchasing decision of the sponsoring brand, and the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand, a further linear regression analysis was performed to test if the users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC has an effect on the difference between each platform types sum of all the results of the survey items relating to each of those dependent constructs (i.e., difference =[sum of Facebook-related survey items for construct A] [sum of product reviews-related survey items for construct A] ) 4 Results In the testing of the hypothesis H1, it is found that the difference between incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and in the form of product reviews is not statistically significant (p = 0.816, ÃŽÂ ±=0.05). Therefore, H1 is rejected. However, there is a moderate correlation between the users awareness of the sponsoring brand as a result of incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and the users awareness of the sponsoring brand as a result of incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.543 is significant at ÃŽÂ ± =0.05 (p In the test for the next hypothesis H2a, two analogous sets of 3 items are used; one set for measuring the construct of users related purchasing decisions with respect to incentive-driven UGC on Facebook and the other for incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews. In the initial reliability analysis, Cronbachs alpha for each of the Facebook and product reviews-related set of items was 0.802 and 0.891 respectively. The mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC is 8.82, which suggests an almost neutral opinion on the average for each of the three survey items (3 = neutral). Similarly, the mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC is 9.05, which suggests a neutral opinion on the average for each of the 3 survey items (3 = neutral). The mean of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC was not significantly different from that of the users related purchasing decisions as a result of incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews (p =0.539, ÃŽÂ ±= 0.05). Thus, H2a is rejected. However, there is fairly moderate correlation between the two variables, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.338 is significant (p =0.005, ÃŽÂ ±= 0.05). In the testing of the hypothesis H2b, the R2 value is 0.158, and there is a statistically significant negative linear relationship (standardised coefficient ÃŽÂ ² = -0.398) between the users opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC and the difference in the platform types effect on the users related purchasing decisions (p = 0.001, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). In other words, the more the user agrees that the incentive-driven UGC are biased, the greater the positive effect that product reviews will on the users purchasing decisions than the same by Facebook-related UGC. Thus, hypothesis H2b is accepted. In the test of the hypothesis H3a, two analogous sets of 8 items are used. One set is for measuring the construct of users evaluation of brands with respect to positive incentive driven UGC on Facebook, and the other for incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews. Cronbachs alpha for each of the Facebook and product reviews-related set of items was 0.891 and 0.926 respectively in the reliability analysis. The mean rating of the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand as a result of Facebook-related UGC or product reviews are 22.35 and 22.94 respectively, both of which denote that the average opinion is between that of agree and neutral for each of the 8 survey items in each set. The mean of the users evaluation of brands as a result of positive incentive-driven UGC on Facebook was not significantly different from the same as a result of positive incentive-driven UGC in the form of product reviews ( p = 0.510, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). Thus, H3a is rejected. However, there is moderate correlation between the two variables, and the Pearsons coefficient of 0.385 is significant (p = 0.001, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.05). In the testing of the hypothesis H3b, the R2 value is 0.231, and there is a statistically significant negative linear relationship (standardised coefficient ÃŽÂ ² = -0.480) between the users opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC and the difference in the platform types effect on the users related purchasing decisions (p 5 Analysis and Discussion In summary, there is no significant difference between the platform type of online incentive-driven UGC (whether Facebook-related UGC or UGC in the form of online product reviews) in their effects on all of i) the awareness of the sponsoring brand; ii) the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand, and; iii) the users evaluation of the sponsoring brand. However, there is a significant difference between the platform type of online incentive-driven UGC on the constructs of purchasing decisions and evaluation of the brand when the users general opinion of the bias-ness of incentive-driven UGC is taken into consideration. 5.1 When users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC is not considered The results seem to suggest that there is no difference between the efficacy of both incentive-driven Facebook-related UGC and incentive-driven customer product reviews in furthering brand awareness. This may also hint of an overall fairly even amount of exposure that users currently have of both Facebook and websites/blogs. The lack of difference between the efficacy of both Facebook-related UGC and product reviews also seems to extend to the users related purchasing decisions of the sponsoring brand. This also seems to support the view that in fact that the users related purchasing decisions (whether their own or when advising a friend or relatives purchasing decision) had less to do with any type of UGC then the factors that they are directly exposed to when they are in a store or at the point of purchase (Edelman, 2010). Those information such as product placement, stock availability, packaging, pricing and sales interactions, are more crucial in influencing the users related purchasing decisions. Despite that, a user may still put off the purchase if they realise that the actual product is different from what is represented in other promotional materials online or offline (Edelman, 2010). The results also suggest that neither type of incentive-driven UGC, whether on Facebook or in product reviews, has a greater effect than the other in boosting the users opinion of the brand. It seems to reflect that the users acquisition of information in their evaluation of the product is multi-faceted, and does not rest solely on a single platform. 5.2 When users general opinion of the biasness of incentive-driven UGC is considered Of the 68 participants, 45.6% of them agree (36.8%) or strongly agree (8.8%) that online incentive-driven UGC are generally more biased than balanced, while a substantial 30.9 % of them are neutral on this. 41.2% of the surveyed participants also agreed or strongly agreed that extremely biased online UGC has a greater impact on their impression of the brand than moderately biased online UGC, while a significant 35.3% of the group remained neutral. The results suggest that when the user feels more strongly about the biasness of incentive-driven UGC, he has a tendency to trust the product information encapsulated within product reviews more than those reflected on Facebook contributed by other users. This might be possibly due to the more detailed textual information that the typical product review has than the average Facebook post, which tend to be more sporadic in nature. The results also support the findings in a study by McKinsey, that most consumers in the study are observed to have headed directly to Amazon.com, a major online shopping website hosted in multiple countries. There is a wealth of customer reviews on related products on the website, where customers can obtain more detailed product information and conduct their own product comparisons (Edelman, 2010). It is thus not surprising that Amazon.com is found to be one of the top influencers in brand equity, as it is where customers are influenced in both their evaluation of the product and purchasing decisions (Edelman, 2010). 5.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research There are several limitations in this study. One limitation of this study is the small sample group size. Although the Cronbachs alpha in the reliability analysis was more than 0.7 for the data used in testing the hypothesis, a larger number of survey participants would allow for a more representative sample. In addition, the current study only focuses on two main platforms, namely Facebook and product reviews in blogs and websites for the studying of incentive-driven UGC. The inclusion of other platforms, such as the micro-blogging platform Twitter, and LinkedIn, a business networking platform that is gaining prominence for use in marketing companies and brands, might also have possibly shed more light on their respective effects on brand perceptions. Further, there is no specific brand that is used as a case study for this research. Sentiments may be highly mixed when responding to the survey questions as the participants are likely to have in mind different brands as their subjects for analysis. Hence, possible future work as an extension of this study could include a longitudinal study that is focused on representative brands across several product categories to analyse the efficacies of UGC on different product categories. It is also found that differences in culture and language can affect the users actions and behaviours when writing reviews, and in turn, such differences influences the disparity in product ratings creating their own online UGC related to products and brands, which in turn can influence others user perceptions of the brands in concern (Decker Trusov, 2010). Therefore, it would be useful to also study if differences in culture and language of UGC also have an effect on the users perception of brands. 6 Managerial implications The results of the current study have several implications for the marketing manager. Firstly, the lack of a difference in efficacy between Facebook-related UGC and product reviews and an average opinion that is almost neutral that either platform has influenced the user in his awareness of the sponsoring brand, showed that neither platform should be neglected by the manager in the online marketing plan when promoting a product or brand, nor should the manager put an over-emphasis of the marketing budget on these two platforms versus other online marketing mediums. Secondly, the manager may also consider allowing customer reviews on the companys own retail website for its products, if there is one. Such a feature will allow the growth of a virtual community of customers, and will also increase the time that a user spends on the website, thus boosting product sales (Mudambi Schuff, 2010). The social functions available on the retail website provide added value to the customer, and will exert a positive effect on brand equity through a more enhanced customer experience (Kumar Benbasat, 2006). 7 Conclusion

math lesson Essay -- essays research papers

Lesson Plan Title: Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday: Understanding Opportunity Costs Grade Level:2, 3, or 6th Duration: three 50-minute class periods Student Goal: To understand that there is an opportunity cost to every economic decision and that these costs come as a result of limited resources. Student Objectives Students will: †¢ Identify "opportunity costs" in the story and in their own lives. †¢ Create an opportunity costs bar graph as a whole class. †¢ Complete a table of personal spending and savings information. †¢ Write an original story about how they spent and saved their allowance and what they gave up or their "opportunity costs" in order to reach their goals. Materials: †¢ a copy of Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst †¢ chart paper †¢ markers †¢ overhead projector †¢ transparency †¢ student handout: How I Spent & Saved My Allowance (included). This was provided by the teacher in which I was doing my participant observations with. Set Up and Prepare: 1. Use the book Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday, by Judith Viorst. 2. Write the definition of the term "opportunity cost" on a sheet of chart paper and display for the class: Opportunity Cost: what you give up when you decide to do or buy something 3. Draw a bar graph on a transparency. Write the title "Opportunity Costs for a College Education" across the top. Label the horizontal axis "Opportunity Costs." Label the vertical axis "Number of Students." 4. Print out copies of the student handout "How I Spent & Saved My Money" for each student to take home. Directions: PART I: Step 1: Share with students a story about a time when you did not buy something you really wanted so that you could use or save the money for something more important. For example, maybe you didn't go on a vacation so you could save the money for a car you need to buy. Explain that what you gave up is called an "opportunity cost." Direct students' attention to the definition of "opportunity cost" displayed on the chart paper. Step 2: Ask students to share stories from their own lives in which they gave up something to get something else, or to save for something else that they want more. Have them identify their opportunity costs. Ask studen... ... †¢ How much does Alexander have after he buys the gum? ($0.85); after he loses a bet to his mother? ($0.70); after he rents Eddie's snake? ($0.58); after his father fines him for saying naughty words ($0.48); after flushing pennies down the toilet and dropping a nickel through a crack? ($0.40); after paying for Anthony's chocolate bar? ($0.29); after pennies disappear in Nick's trick ($0.25); after paying his father for kicking his brother? ($0.20); after buying things at a garage sale ($0.00). Set Up Shop/ Learning Center: Students set up a shop and role play the parts of customer and shopkeeper, making economic decisions along the way. Have them draw pictures or use manipulatives for the items they are selling in the store. Allow them to determine prices and tag each item. Then give all students the opportunity to be a customer and the shopkeeper. Provide customers with a limited amount of play money to spend in the store. They will need to budget their money so that they can afford all they need to buy. Using play money too, the shopkeepers sharpen their math skills as they make change for the customers. Assignments: Student Handout: How I Spent & Saved My Money

Catcher In The Rye- Movie Proposal Essay -- essays research papers

Movie Proposal: The Catcher in the Rye To the Producer:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Catcher in the Rye, a contemporary novel by J.D. Salinger, is a thought-provoking, fascinating look at society’s values and issues in the 1950’s. This book would make an excellent transition to film because it is full of both action and implication. It focuses on a four-day period of time in the life of a sixteen-year-old cynic with emotional problems. The book follows Holden Caulfield as he struggles with others and himself to find his way through the â€Å"phoniness† and disillusionment involved in his adolescent life. These struggles essentially make up the novel, occurring during a long â€Å"flashback† of the four days as he relates them to a psychoanalyst. It would make a brilliant movie because it is written with so much detail, so many pictures that would be beautifully expressed through visual representation. Not only that, but the novel possesses substance, providing a subjective view of the superficiality of modern life, which is represented by the world Salinger creates around Holden. Summary: The movie would be named after the novel it is based on, and would attempt to follow the exact storyline. Pencey Prep, the private school that Holden attended would not have to be in Pennsylvania, but somewhere resembling the area. Most of the city incidents would actually be filmed in New York City. Of course, certain streets would have to be singled out, and the costuming and cars, etc., would have to resemble1950’s New York in order to fit the time period.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie would be narrated by Holden, who would stop talking at times to allow focus on the flashbacks taking place in what would then seem like present tense. Much of the narration does not need to be put into dialogue because Holden spends a great deal of time in his descriptions of what is going on around him. This aspect of the book would have to be carried out carefully and precisely by actors with the right kind of talent (see Characters/Acting) in order to make the movie successful in capturing Salinger’s exact tones and concepts. Note: the main objective of the movie is to present The Catcher in the Rye in visual format. This means to follow as closely as possible to the original plot, dialogue, settings, etc. as written in the book unless truly impo... ...ovel, whether obviously or inconspicuously. The novel accurately describes most of the other characters, because of Holden’s observant nature. All details given by Holden should be carried out accordingly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie would be best directed by Stephen Spielberg, because of his ability to keep movies true to nature, and still produce a compelling story. This would be an excellent project for him because the objective of the film is to do exactly what Spielberg did with movies such as Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan: to take a story, fiction or non-, and portray it as a emotionally moving picture, while keeping it true to the original vision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie spin-off of The Catcher in the Rye should accurately represent the novel written by J.D. Salinger. The budget for the film should be whatever is deemed necessary by the director to make the movie as realistic and well done as possible. The budget should not be a consideration because it would hinder the quality of the film and therefore not allow it to live up to the wonderful the novel could have as a film. If carried out well, this film would be a huge success.

The Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Essays -- Dai Sijie

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a marvelous novel, written by Dai Sijie, which himself was re-educated between 1971 and 1974 during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. In Dai Sijie’s Balzac and the Little Seamstress three separate accounts are given of an incident in which Luo and the Little Seamstress make love in an isolated mountain pool. Two of these perspectives are given by the participants while the third is provided by the old miller who observes their love making from a distance. Of all the accounts, I found the count of this incident of Little Seamstress most appealing as she is able to present at an imaginative description of this setting and allow the readers to understand her thoughts and feelings. In contrast the account of the Old Miller is more detached and is more focused about the physical beauty of the Little Seamstress, while Luo’s story to me is more focused on his own concerns and is desire to escape the remote mountain village which he ha s been sent. The Old Miller’s perspective conveys the sense that he is both transfixed by what he sees, but he feel shamed for being unable to take his eyes off the lovers. Their acrobatic movements in the water make him feel his age in the fact that he realizes he can never again enjoy such pleasures. What he focuses on is their nudity and their coupling. This is captured in the image of â€Å"their bodies entwined, whirling round and round in the water.† Feeling â€Å"rooted to the spot† he notices â€Å"the limpid water glittering in the sun exaggerated and distorted their obscene movements.† The miller’s account makes the reader feel like a voyeur and imagine the old man with his face â€Å"reddened.† He is overcome by the beauty of the Little Seamstress â€Å"her naked belly and un... ...h an injury on the Little Seamstress’s finger. A turning point comes up when they get back to the village and finds out that his mother’s been rushed to the hospital, which than he has to visit her for a month. Out of the three stories told by Luo, the Old Miller and the Chinese Seamstress, I find the Little Chinese Seamstress’s story more appealing than others. From my view, it shows a variety of meanings because overall, the Little Seamstress was not educated, but from this story I could tell that she gained knowledge and was able to use what she was capable of doing and you would not expect to gain feedback from a woman who just had relationship with a man. Luo’s story is also very appealing but it shows only concerns for himself and is own feelings. Whereas the Chinese Seamstress was more appealing and showed improvement of her ability to think independently.

Photosynthesis – Limiting Factors

[pic] Photosynthesis Outline Terms and Vocabulary Autotroph Photosynthesis Photon Pigment Chloroplast Reaction Center Electron Donor Molecule Electron Transport System Ferredoxin NADPH RuBP PGA Cuticle Stomata Rubisco Photorespiration C4 Pathway Concepts 1. What are two Adaptations of plant leaves for capturing light? 2. Describe the properties of Light Energy in terms of energy and wavelength. 3. Why are Pigments important for Photosynthesis? 4. What two types of reactions take place during photosynthesis? 5. Summarize the results of Light dependent Reactions. . Summarize the results of Light-Independent Reactions. 7. Where are the pigments for the light-dependent reactions located in the leaf? 8. What is the function of a photosystem? 9. What is the function of water in the light-dependent reactions? 10. Describe the similarities and differences of Photosystems I & II 11. What are the limiting factors to photosynthesis? 12. Describe adaptations that allow the leaf to retain water. 13. Explain how photorespiration reduces production of glucose. Look at the graphs below. A |[pic] |B |[pic] | |C |[pic] |D |[pic] | 1. Which graph best shows the effect of increasing light intensity on the rate of photosynthesis? 2. 3. Which graph best shows the effect of increasing carbon dioxide concentration on the rate of photosynthesis? 4. Which graph best shows the effect of increasing temperature if light and carbon dioxide are not limiting (i. e. he levels of light and carbon dioxide are high). If you plot the rate of photosynthesis against the levels of these three limiting factors you get graphs like the ones below. [pic] Limiting Factor In biology, agricultural science, physiology, and ecology, a limiting factor is one that controls a process, such as organism growth or species population size or distribution. The concept is based upon Liebig's Law of the Minimum put forth by German geochemist, Justus von Liebig, in 1840. It can be easy to conceive how a limiting resou rce (say, food) controls a process (say, growth) by running low or running out.However, some biological and ecological processes are controlled by too much of a factor (such as heat) rather than too little. Or, processes may be controlled by complex interactions of factors (Shelford, 1952). At any given moment, the rate of a physiological process is limited by the one factor which is in the shortest supply. (Toole pg 273) – The factor which is nearest its minimum value determines the rate of the reaction. – Changing the levels of this factor will change the rate of the reaction. Changing the levels of the other factors will have no effect on the rate of the reaction. Example [pic] [pic] 1. Up to A1, A2 and A3 the concentrations of CO2 is the limiting factor for the respective light intensities. 2. Low Light Intensity: beyond A1 light intensity is the limiting factor because increasing the light intensity (medium value) increases the rate of photosynthesis. 3. Medium Li ght Intensity: beyond A2 light intensity is the limiting factor because increasing the light intensity (high value) increases the rate of photosynthesis. . High Light Intensity: beyond A3 the limiting factor could be light intensity, chlorophyll content, temperature or the enzyme system. It cannot be CO2 concentration because increase in CO2 concentration does not lead to an increase in photosynthesis. [pic] 1. Up to A1, A2 and A3 the light intensity is the limiting factor for the respective CO2 concentrations. 2. Low CO2 concentration: beyond A1 CO2 concentration is the limiting factor because increasing the CO2 concentration (medium value) increases the rate of photosynthesis. . Medium CO2 concentration: beyond A2 CO2 concentration is the limiting factor because increasing the CO2 concentration (high value) increases the rate of photosynthesis. 4. High CO2 concentration: beyond A3 the limiting factor could be CO2 concentration, chlorophyll content, temperature or the enzyme system . It cannot be light intensity because increase in light intensity does not increase photosynthesis. [pic] In commercial greenhouses horticulturists try to maximise productivity by maximising the rate of photosynthesis.How do they achieve this? – Clear glass maximizes light intensity – Extra lighting in winter – Glass traps heat energy from solar radiation – Heaters raise night time temperature – Gas and oil heaters put extra carbon dioxide into the air. [pic] Photosynthesis and productivity †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   carbon gain by the plant (biomass) is dependent on the balance between carbon uptake by photosynthesis and carbon loss by respiration †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   factors influencing productivity include – light, – CO2, – temperature, – environmental factors: light:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   at low fluence levels, there is a net loss of CO2 †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   light compensation point is where CO2 uptake and exchange equal zero (equivalent to an office or room) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   as fluence rate increases above compensation point, so does photosynthesis (C3 plants) until light saturation is reached (1/4 to ? full sun) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   light saturation occurs because CO2 is limiting †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   C4 plants don’t achieve light saturation as rapidly as C3 plants CO2: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CO2 content in atmosphere is about 0. 035% by volume (well below CO2 saturation point in plants) †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   at higher fluence rates when CO2 is not imiting, photosynthesis increases †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   some commercial growers practice CO2-enrichment to increase yield and biomass   temperature: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   temperature response is influenced by temperature dependence of enzymes and chemical reactions †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   cardinal points are used to describe te mperature minimum maximum, and optimum of a reaction †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   many reaction rates tend to decline sharply following optimum due to enzyme denaturation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   for photosynthesis, temperature response curves represent the average of many different enzymes, but are dominated by rubisco (C3 plants) and PEPcase (C4 plants) water:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   water stress causes a decline in photosynthesis †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   water stress triggers stomatal closure and subsequent decrease in CO2 levels †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   turgor pressure reduces leaf expansion decreasing photosynthetic surface area †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   even mild water stress causes decrease in net photosynthesis nutrients, pathology, and pollutants: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   photosynthetic capacity is especially sensitive to nitrogen †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   rubisco accounts for ;50% of total leaf nitrogen †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   pathogen stress reduces photosynthetic capacity †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   environmental pollutants (sulpher dioxide, ozone, heavy metals) also reduce capacity eaf factors: Question:   Which has a higher photosynthetic rate – a pine tree needle or a maple tree leaf? Why might needles be favored over leaves on pine trees? †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   productivity of plants is impacted by leaf canopy †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   canopy is determined by age, morphology, angle and spacing of individual leaves †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   in older plants, lower leaves may be shaded and fall below light compensation point (negative carbon gain) and are a burden to the plant †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   many annuals undergo sequential senescence to avoid the burden †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   some leaves change with the angle of the sun [pic] pic] [pic] ———————– A plant in the dark does not photosyn thesize. [pic] Increasing the amount of light increases the amount of photosynthesis. [pic] Even if a plant in the dark is well watered and given increasing amounts of carbon dioxide it will not photosynthesize. Only a change in light intensity will alter the rate. Light is the limiting factor.

The Port of Singapore: a Reflective Essay

[Company Address] 08 Fall The Port of Singapore Prepared by : Rajib Das, Student # 38410098 This document discuses about the Port of Singapore and the strategic importance of its location to the modern traders. It also discusses the government incentives and the Advanced Information Technology that the port has been using to attract new shipping companies in the recent past. Anything beyond is not discussed for the limitation of the term paper. Table of Contents The Port of Singapore3 Singapore: Strategic Importance of the Geographic Location†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 4 The Adoption of IT 6Government Incentives9 Competition10 Conclusions11 Appendix12 Citations16 The port of singapore Over the last 40 years, the world has been awestruck with the unbelievable growth of the island nation into a major transportation epicentre of global trading. In the 1970s ,the Port of Singapore pioneered the first container port in the history. By 1980’s the port h it its first milestone of handling 1 million TEUs and within the next 10 years by 1990’s (Port of Singapore Annual Reports), the port was handling 5 million TEU (Twenty foot equivalent container units)per annum.Today, about 20 years after the big landmark, the port handles over 28 million TEUs (Port of Singapore Annual Reports) per year making it the second largest port in the entire world after the Port of Shanghai in terms of Container traffic. The container shipments from the Port of Singapore comprise of one fifth of the world’s container shipment volume (Authority). The port also takes immense pride in shipping half of the world’s annual crude oil supply. In terms of total cargo volume, the port handles about 500000 thousand freight tonnes per year (Authority) which makes it the second busiest port in the world after the Port of Shanghai .Today the Port Singapore is connected to 123 ports of the world spreading over 123 countries and 6 continents, making it one of the most important ports of the world. Singapore: Strategic Importance of the Geographical Location The importance of the Geographical location of Singapore has been largely significant since trading started between Asian, North American and the European continents. The Singapore Strait has been used heavily for trading by the Romans, Chinese, Arabs, Greeks and the Indians since time immemorial (Gupta).After the Suez Canal opened in the mid 1800s, the Singapore Strait have become a vital linkage of trade between the powerful European nations and East Asia. The Singapore Strait is attractive to traders because it is the shortest and cheapest sea-link between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean (Gupta). With the advent of the large Japanese car manufacturing industry , the textile industry of South Asia and the heavy outsourcing of the North American manufacturing plants in the last 30 years, Asia is no longer a continent which mainly exports low-valued raw materials to be processed in the West.The flow of more expensive manufactured goods from the East to the West have proliferated in the last 30 years. (Sie) As a result, shipping and transportation costs have become even further less inelastic fostering the immense growth of the shipping industry of Singapore. Although it is often not in the limelight, but the South-east Asian nations have a large base of oil- refineries which have led to the heavy shipping traffic of the crude oil through the strait of Singapore. Taiwan has a oil refining capacity of . 54 million b/cd and South Korea has a capacity of 1 million b/cd alongside Singapore.Japan and China tops the list with a capacity of 4. 7 and 2. 2 million b/cd respectively. (Olson) Apart from China which has a self-sustaining production of crude oil, every other nations depend on the Middle-Eastern countries for their oil supplies. Japan alone imported 130 million tonnes and 195 million tonnes of crude oil from the Middle-East and the African natio ns in the years 1990 and 2010 respectively (Olson). Owing to these heavy demand for crude oil, the Port of Singapore has been responsible for transporting half of the world’s oil supply in the year 2010.Owing to it’s prime geographic location and heavy government incentives and a base of Information Technology discussed later in the paper, majority of the exports from Singapore is based on re-exports from other countries . There are about 60000 ship movements annually in the Strait of Singapore. In 2010, the Port of Singapore transhipped 17447,000 TEUs which constituted almost 82 (Statistics)% of Singapore’s annual export . Today, the port of Singapore is the busiest Port in the World in terms of transhipment of containers.Port of Singapore : Operations The Port of Singapore has 6 terminals to accommodate all types of vessels-ocean liners, lighters, cargo freighters, coasters, break bulk carriers and container ships. The 6 terminals are Keppel Terminal, Brani Te rminal, Pasir Panjang Terminal, Sembawang Wharves and Pasir Panjang Wharves . The Wharves terminals can facilitate all kinds of vessel while the other terminals are specialized meant for the containers vessels. The Port of Singapore’s container’s facilities are listed as follows: * Number of Terminals: 4 Area: 436 hectares * Designed capacity : 24700 kTEU * Quay cranes: 143 * Maximum draft: 16 m * Quay length: 12800 m According to the Global Competitive Report published by the World Economic Forum, Port of Singapore ranked the best port in terms of facilities and received a rating of 6. 76 out of a maximum 7. The adoption of information technology Over the last few years The Port of Singapore has invested heavily in Information Technology which means that processes now are much faster, more reliable and more cost effective for the consumers.Making the most out of the latest automation technology, information technology and wireless communications, the Port of Singapore combined it’s large domain knowledge in container operations with the latest technology such as CITOS(Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System), PORTNET and Flow through Gate Technology. CITOS(Computer Integrated Terminal Operating System) Singapore Port’s massive network and heavy shipping traffic is very efficiently controlled by Computer Integrated Terminal Operations System(CITOS).CITOS is a Resource Planning System that keeps track of every asset from prime movers to yard cranes to quay cranes to containers and drivers. Before CITOS was introduced, resources were allocated to a certain place in the port and they stayed there unless it was needed somewhere else. With CITOS, resources can be much easily coordinated and allocated. 60 different vessels harbour the Singapore Port on a given day. Although a lot of these vessels arrive out of schedule, CITOS make sure that they don’t have to wait in the harbour for a minute.When any shipping line applies fo r a berth, the ship stowage and the shipping connection information is sent to the port through PORTNET . The CITOS system begins planning the berth of the shipping line almost 72 hours prior arrival which means that the system also compute other alternatives in case that the vessel is off schedule. This means that for almost all the vessels that harbour the Port of Singapore, there is almost zero waiting time. (Authority) Once a ship is harboured, the quay cranes operated by the CITOS system start discharging containers destined for other ports and load boxes brought in by other vessels.Once containers are unloaded on the dock, they are not randomly stacked on the yard. The Information about the container is fed into the system and CITOS generates a ship stowage and yard layout plans base on the following factors in order of importance : * Special requirements (e. g. Dangerous goods, tight connections etc) * Destination * Ship stability (for further stowage planning) * Size * Weigh t The CITOS system provides many competitive advantages to the Port of Singapore. It allows the system to keep track and locate every single container on the port.It allows the maximum use of land and optimize efficiency. Last, but not the least, it ensures maximum utilization of each individual resource since it is pre-planned by the system beforehand. PORTNET PORTNET is a network service that provides internet connectivity to the entire port community with a single sign-on network portal. The system provides interconnectivity between vessels, freight forwarders, government agencies and haulers. This helps them to synchronize and manage information much better.PORTNET Singapore has about 8000 users who use the system to get real time, detailed information on all port, logistics and shipping processes and use it to make critical decisions in their business. The main functions of PORTNET Singapore is summarized below: * Enable shipping companies to monitor their own performance * Pro vide a documentation portal between the consumers and the shipping company, * Managing efficiency for transhipment processes of the vessels * Supporting real time information exchanges between shipping line alliances. FLOW THROUGH GATEThe Flow through gate system is a sustainable paper-less system that helps truck drivers to identify the specific containers that is needed to be loaded onto the truck within a span of 20-25 seconds. On average, the system processes about 8000 trucks per day. Before the driver arrives at the dock, he submits a requisition for the containers through the PORTNET system. After the driver arrives at the Port gate, he verifies his identity through a fingerprint biometric reader or by punching in his unique identification number. The gate scan’s the truck’s dashboard and identifies the truck.The Container number Recognition system captures the container number with a close circuit camera. The system then matches these information against the in formation provided during requisition and clears the truck for entry. After the driver enters the port, the system sends a text message to the driver’s mobile phone with the precise information about the location in the dock where the containers would be ready to be stacked onto the truck. Government incentives The Government of Singapore had a major role to play in the boom of the shipping industry in the last 40 years.Singapore has 5 Free Trade Zones to encourage Re-exports of goods from other countries. Under the Free Trade Act goods could be cleaned ,sorted, distributed, repacked, assembled or sold in accordance with the Act. Under the Act, transhipment goods can be stored in Singapore free of charge with very little custom bureaucracies. In 1991 , The Singapore government enacted the Approved International Shipping(AIS) Enterprise incentive under which shipping companies based on Singapore could be exempted from corporate taxes for the initial 10 years and can be renewed even if they don’t own their own vessel.In 2009, the Government of Singapore announced their goal of making Singapore the ‘’global maritime knowledge hub’’ of the world. Since then the government have heavily invested in research and development of Information Technology in the shipping industry and the Port of Singapore. It has introduced the Maritime Cluster Fund which offers financial funds for training ,various research, engineering and innovation under this field. Such HR incentives have definitely smoothened the transition of a lot of shipping companies to Singapore in the last two and a half years.COMPETITION As discussed earlier, the Singapore Strait have grown massive importance in the last few decades. Today, Singapore faces massive competition from the neighbouring ports especially from the port of Tenjung Peepas in Malaysia. In the early 2000, 10 % of the Singapore’s container volume moved to the port in Malaysia owing to the che ap handling charges in the neighbouring country. Statistics shows that, handling charges were about 30-40% lower than Singapore. Many of the neighbouring ports have below-par facilities compared to the Port of Singapore.Hence many of these ports can afford to have much lower handling and receiving charges. Although Singapore have a much better reputation, the comparatively more expensive nature of the Port of Singapore is going to continue to pose a threat to the port in the years to come. COnclusion The Port of Singapore has a great reputation being the trade epicentre of the world and for being one of the best sea port in the world. Although the port has an excellent past reputation, the 21st century will bring about new challenges and competition from neighbouring ports such as Malaysia.The Government of Singapore is doing its best by harnessing advanced Information technology at the Port and providing different government incentives to hold it’s competitive standing. In r esponse, many of the foreign companies such as Clarkson, Swiss Re, Shipowners’ P&I club and Rolls Royce have moved their marine headquarters to Singapore in the last few years. As the supremacy for leading ports unfolds, more shipping companies will be taking government incentives and Information Technology for granted.Today more firms are showing interest in ports which have established legal, financial and logistics sector. It will be interesting to see ho the Port of Singapore respond to these new challenges in the years to come. Appendix Table 2. Containers handled at the PSA terminals (source: PSA annual report 2000) Year| Million TEUs handled| 1989| 4. 36| 1990| 5. 22| 1991| 6. 35| 1992| 7. 55| 1993| 9. 04| 1994| 10. 39| 1995| 11. 84| 1996| 12. 93| 1997| 14. 12| 1998| 15. 1| 1999| 15. 9| Appendix 2: Port Rankings according to the World Economic Forum Table 1.Ranking of ports on port facilities as presented in the global competitiveness report published by the world econ omic forum Rank| Country| Rating for port facilities are extensive and efficient (1 strongly disagree, 7 strongly agree)| 1| Singapore| 6. 76| 2| Netherlands| 6. 64| 3| Canada| 6. 42| 4| Germany| 6. 38| 5| Hong Kong SAR| 6. 38| 6| United States| 6. 27| 7| Finland| 6. 26| 8| Belgium| 6. 17| 9| Denmark| 6. 16| 10| New Zealand| 5. 82| Appendix 3: 14. 1 SEA CARGO AND SHIPPING STATISTICS 2000 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Vessel Arrivals Number 145,383 130,318 128,922 128,568 131,695 130,575 127,299Shipping Tonnage (‘000 GT) 910,180 1,151,791 1,314,990 1,459,221 1,621,065 1,784,669 1,919,408 Total Cargo (‘000 tonnes) 325,591 423,268 448,504 483,616 515,415 472,300 503,342 General 199,577 262,265 281,393 314,917 336,425 280,349 313,683 Bulk 126,014 161,003 167,111 168,699 178,991 191,951 189,659 Total Container Throughput (‘000 TEUs) 17,087 23,192 24,792 27,935 29,918 25,867 28,431 Bunker Sales (‘000 tonnes) 18,651 25,479 28,379 31,546 34,936 36,387 40,853 Singapor e Ship Registry (End of Period) Number 3,335 3,219 3,249 3,553 3,843 3,950 3,978 ‘000 GT 23,043 32,963 34,793 39,603 43,702 45,632 48,783Works Cited Authority, Port of Singapore. www. singaporepsa. com. Gupta, Sen. The Malacca Straits and the Indian Ocean: A Study of the Strategic and Legal Aspects of a Controversial Sea-lane. New Delhi, 1974. Olson, Hal F. â€Å"â€Å"Tanker traffic and shipping routes†. † n. d. â€Å"Port of Singapore Annual Reports. † Port of Singapore, 1970-2010. Sie, Chia Lin. â€Å"â€Å"The Straits of Malacca and Singapore: Navigational, Resources, and Environmental Considerations†. † Southeast Asian Seas: Frontiers for Development, 1981. Statistics, Singapore Department of. â€Å"†Yearbook of Statistics? .† 2011.

Importance Of The Perception Of Customer Service Quality

The impression customers receive when they are paying for a service is very important. Rather than judging the quality of the goods, or the cost of the item, the customer can only base their opinion of a service on the way the service makes them feel and the effectiveness of the service. There are potentially 7 gaps where customer service quality can be affected within a service organization. It is therefore highly important that management of service industry employees are aware of these potential pitfalls and manage their employees to mitigate these problems.There is a Knowledge Gap where management must understand the level of knowledge the customer has, and define this properly. Once management has this understanding, they must develop standards for employees to ensure a high level of service quality. The gap between management understanding and the translation to standards is called the Standards Gap. However, the creation of standards by management does not necessarily translat e into the customer service reps communicating with the customer properly. This is called the Delivery Gap.These gaps can all be linked together under a framework of Internal Communications gaps. At the end of these internal processes, the customer receives the service product. At this point in time, the perception of the customer can be different than the perception of the customer service representative. The representative may think they are offering high quality service, but the customer perceives it negatively. This is called the Perception Gap. Additionally, the customer will be presented with promotional materials and communications from the company.The perception of these materials may not match what the company believes it is communicating. This is called the Interpretation Gap. These two culminating gaps ultimately link together to create the overall Service Gap. This gap is a culmination of potential differences throughout the process. If a company is experiencing low leve ls of customer satisfaction, it is imperative to work back through the gaps to find where the problem may be occurring. A good example is the car insurance service industry.In the area of insurance, the typical consumer will not understand the finer details of insurance – what premiums are, what deductibles are, and the varying types of additional coverage that can be purchased. Management might assume that the customer knows more than they do, or less than they do. This would be part of the knowledge gap. The processes they develop for service representative would not meet customers' needs very well. This would result in an overall service gap.However, if management can understand the knowledge needs of the customer, they can potentially increase sales, as the customer may come to realize that they need more in an insurance package than just the basics they were first considering. If the customer service quality is excellent from the beginning, the insurance company is able to attract a new customer, as well as increasing profits for the company from that one customer. Additionally, the company may think that since they are following internal procedures, their customer service quality is excellent.However, the company must watch its customer retention rates. If it finds that it is loosing customers, it must find out why. It is probably due to an interpretation or perception gap. Perhaps the printed material does not appeal to the target audience. Or perhaps the language the service representatives are using does not meet the customers' expectations. In either case, the overall service quality will decrease. It is therefore very important that the company constantly evaluates its level of customer satisfaction and revises its internal processes to meet customers' needs.