Free Essays on Pop-up Adds

Pop-up Ads: The Most Annoying Advertisement Ever In today’s electronic market, new ways to get potential customers’ attention have become of utmost importance. Some internet sites, it seems, will stop at nothing to get you to come to their site. This ruthless advertising frenzy has birthed an abomination: the pop-up ad. What better way to get a person to come to a specific site than to put a big advertisement right in their face whether they want it or not? Many of these pop-ups don’t even have the name of the site on them, merely some game or offer of a â€Å"special prize† for those unwitting dupes that click on them. In fact, some don’t even require you to click on them. They merely need you to â€Å"mouse† over them.1 One site with such a pop-up ad is Orbitz.com, a major proponent of this style of advertisement. In one month, they delivered more than 400 million pop-ups or pop-unders. This form of advertisement continues annoy me. Whenever I get onto a site and receive 3 more open sites that I really didn’t want to go to, it never fails to make me leave the site posthaste. However, on the flipside of things, it has proved to me to be an effective form of advertising. I will occasionally see a site promoted in one of these ads and be intrigued by it. From a profit-seeking point of view, using pop-up ads is a good idea. If a company gets more â€Å"hits,† than they can sell more ads, and thus make more money. From a customer loyalty point of view however, I believe that pop-up ads are detrimental. If a person goes to a site, and each time he does so is bombarded by a flurry of new windows advertising for things he doesn’t want, the less likely he is to come back to that site.... Free Essays on Pop-up Adds Free Essays on Pop-up Adds Pop-up Ads: The Most Annoying Advertisement Ever In today’s electronic market, new ways to get potential customers’ attention have become of utmost importance. Some internet sites, it seems, will stop at nothing to get you to come to their site. This ruthless advertising frenzy has birthed an abomination: the pop-up ad. What better way to get a person to come to a specific site than to put a big advertisement right in their face whether they want it or not? Many of these pop-ups don’t even have the name of the site on them, merely some game or offer of a â€Å"special prize† for those unwitting dupes that click on them. In fact, some don’t even require you to click on them. They merely need you to â€Å"mouse† over them.1 One site with such a pop-up ad is Orbitz.com, a major proponent of this style of advertisement. In one month, they delivered more than 400 million pop-ups or pop-unders. This form of advertisement continues annoy me. Whenever I get onto a site and receive 3 more open sites that I really didn’t want to go to, it never fails to make me leave the site posthaste. However, on the flipside of things, it has proved to me to be an effective form of advertising. I will occasionally see a site promoted in one of these ads and be intrigued by it. From a profit-seeking point of view, using pop-up ads is a good idea. If a company gets more â€Å"hits,† than they can sell more ads, and thus make more money. From a customer loyalty point of view however, I believe that pop-up ads are detrimental. If a person goes to a site, and each time he does so is bombarded by a flurry of new windows advertising for things he doesn’t want, the less likely he is to come back to that site....

Qualitative Research Definition and Methods

Qualitative Research Definition and Methods Qualitative research is a type of social science research that collects and works with non-numerical data and that seeks to interpret meaning from these data that help us understand social life through the study of targeted populations or places. People often frame it in opposition to quantitative research, which uses numerical data to identify large-scale trends and employs statistical operations to determine causal and correlative relationships between variables. Within sociology, qualitative research is typically focused on the micro-level of social interaction that composes everyday life, whereas quantitative research typically focuses on macro-level trends and phenomena. Methods of qualitative research include  observation and immersion, interviews, open-ended surveys, focus groups, content analysis of visual and textual materials, and oral history.   The Purpose of Qualitative Research Qualitative research has a long history in sociology and has been used within it for as long as the field itself has existed. This type of research has long appealed to social scientists because it allows the research to investigate the meanings that people attribute to their behavior, actions, and interactions with others. While quantitative research is useful for identifying relationships between variables, like, for example, the connection between poverty and racial hate, it is qualitative research that can illuminate why this connection exists by going directly to the source the people themselves. Qualitative research is designed to reveal the meaning that informs the action or outcomes that are typically measured by quantitative research. So, qualitative researchers investigate  meanings, interpretations, symbols, and the  processes and relations of social life. What this type of research produces is descriptive data that the researcher must then interpret using rigorous and systematic methods of transcribing, coding, and analysis of trends and themes. Because its focus is everyday life and peoples experiences, qualitative research lends itself well to creating new theories using the inductive method, which can then be tested with further research. Methods of Qualitative Research Qualitative researchers  use their own eyes, ears, and intelligence to collect in-depth perceptions and descriptions of targeted populations, places, and events. Their findings are collected through a variety of methods, and often, a researcher will use at least two or several of the following while conducting a qualitative study. Direct observation:  With direct observation, a researcher studies people as they go about their daily lives without participating or interfering. This type of research is often unknown to those under study, and as such, must be conducted in public settings where people do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. For example, a researcher might observe the ways in which strangers interact in public as they gather to watch a street performer.Open-ended surveys: While many surveys are designed to generate quantitative data, many are also designed with open-ended questions that allow for the generation and analysis of qualitative data. For example, a survey might be used to investigate not just which political candidates voters chose, but why they chose them, in their own words.Focus group: In a focus group, a researcher engages a small group of participants in a conversation designed to generate data relevant to the research question. Focus groups can contain anywhere from 5 to 15 participants. Social scientists often use them  in studies that examine an event or trend that occurs within a specific community. They are common in market research too. In-depth interviews: Researchers conduct in-depth interviews by speaking with participants in a one-on-one setting. Sometimes a researcher approaches the interview with a predetermined list of questions or topics for discussion but allows the conversation to evolve based on how the participant responds. Other times, the researcher has identified certain topics of interest but does not have a formal guide for the conversation, but allows the participant to guide it.Oral history: The oral history method is used to create a historical account of an event, group, or community, and typically involves a series of in-depth interviews conducted with one or multiple participants over an extended period of time.Participant observation:  This method is similar to observation, however with this one, the researcher also participates in the action or events in order to not only observe others but to gain the first-hand experience in the setting.Ethnographic observation:  Ethnographic observati on is the most intensive and in-depth observational method. Originating in anthropology, with this method, a researcher fully immerses herself into the research setting and lives among the participants as one of them for anywhere from months to years.  By doing this, the researcher attempts to experience day-to-day existence from the viewpoints of those studied in order to develop in-depth and long-term accounts of the community, events, or trends under observation. Content analysis:  This method is used by sociologists to analyze social life by interpreting words and images from documents, film, art, music, and other cultural products and media. The researchers look at how the words and images are used, and the context in which they are used to draw inferences about the underlying culture. In the last decade, content analysis of digital material, especially that generated by social media users, has become a popular technique within the social sciences. While much of the data generated by qualitative research is coded and analyzed using just the researchers eyes and brain, the use of computer software to do these processes is increasingly popular within the social sciences. Pros and Cons of Qualitative Research Qualitative research has both benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, it creates an in-depth understanding of the attitudes, behaviors, interactions, events, and social processes that comprise everyday life. In doing so, it helps social scientists understand how everyday life is influenced by society-wide things like social structure, social order, and all kinds of social forces. This set of methods also has the benefit of being flexible and easily adaptable to changes in the research environment and can be conducted with minimal cost in many cases. The downsides of qualitative research are that its scope is fairly limited so its findings are not always widely generalizable. Researchers also have to use caution with these methods to ensure that they themselves do not influence the data in ways that significantly change it and that they do not bring undue personal bias to their interpretation of the findings. Fortunately, qualitative researchers receive rigorous training designed to eliminate or reduce these types of research bias.

Alternative energy source, technology, or energy storage method Assignment

Alternative energy source, technology, or energy storage method - Assignment Example Apart from the environmental impact, the other major concern with fossil fuels is their limited capacity. Fossil fuels run the risk of becoming extinct with the rate at which it is being utilized. It is for these reasons that the need for a sustainable, alternate energy resource has become a necessity. Renewable energy has been defined by Lund (2009), â€Å"as the energy that is produced by natural resources-such as sunlight, wind, rain, waves, tides, and geothermal heat-that are naturally replenished within a time span of a few years†. This energy domain encompasses all those energy systems that convert natural resources into useful energy for instance; wind, wave, tidal, hydropower, biomass, biofuel and solar energy. For centuries plants have been harnessing solar energy to process their energy needs through photosynthesis. The earth receives 174 petaWatts (PW) of solar radiation in the upper atmosphere (A.I. & N, 2011). The thought of harnessing the sun’s energy to power man-made devices was first commercially incorporated in 1958. Space exploration equipments such as satellites and space stations were powered by solar energy. Since then, the technology of harnessing solar energy has progressed. Currently there are two major methods of acquiring solar energy. The first is direct heating; which involves concentrating the solar rays onto a specific target to heat it. Solar water heaters utilize direct heating. However, there are two significant techniques involved in direct heating which are; solar ponds and flat plate collectors (Pimentel, 2008). Solar ponds are artificially constructed ponds in which solar energy may be stored by allowing temperature rise on the bottom layer of the liquid and preventing convection currents from developing. There are multiple methods in which convection currents can be halted. The most suitable, however, is the addition and maintenance of salt concentration gradient. The

American Presidency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

American Presidency - Essay Example In general, each man who has held the position, has faced somewhat similar circumstances while holding the job, but have been forced to approach them from an individualistic standpoint that stays true to their respective convictions, while outlining their legacies in the pages of the history books that future generations will come to read. As for the American Presidency, the following are listed under Article II of the US Constitution in regards to the issue of the role of the office of the Presidency and in particular the tools available to its occupant; Chief Diplomat: Under the Constitution, the president has more authority over foreign policy than the other branches of the government (but not sole authority). The president can negotiate treaties (with consent of the Senate), appoint diplomatic personnel, and has sole power to recognize governments. Commander-in-Chief: The Constitution places the president as the head of the armed forces of the United States. One way to look at this is that he is the general of the generals. This is important because it guarantees civilian control over the military (something missing in many countries of the world). One of the last major challenges to the presidency as commanderin-chief came when General douglas McArthur challenged Truman's policies during the Korean War which led to President Truman's firing of McArthur. Chief Legislator: No bill propos... Commander-in-Chief: The Constitution places the president as the head of the armed forces of the United States. One way to look at this is that he is the general of the generals. This is important because it guarantees civilian control over the military (something missing in many countries of the world). One of the last major challenges to the presidency as commanderin-chief came when General douglas McArthur challenged Truman's policies during the Korean War which led to President Truman's firing of McArthur. Chief Legislator: No bill proposed by the congress can become a law without the president's signature. Thus the president is also involved in the process of legislation. But the Constitution mandates that the president "from time to time" inform the congress on the state of the union (the U.S.). By tradition, this has become a yearly event known as the State of the Union Address. Through this address the president helps to set legislative priorities for the coming year. ("The Presidency", p.1). Different President's come into office at different times during the course of their nation's history. Contrary circumstances that can lead different men in vastly different directions and lead them to having distinct Presidencies in their own right. In regards to what would enable a President to succeed, as well as what could make then fail, "Two hundred years of our country's history suggest that five qualities have been constants in the men who have most effectively fulfilled the oath of office. First, every successful president has had vision, insight, or understanding: a clear idea of

Law Enforcement Agencies Essay Example for Free

Law Enforcement Agencies Essay Identify three federal law enforcement agencies. Roles and responsibilities and comparison of local and state law enforcement duties, functions, and their two main differences. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of Local Law Enforcement agencies are as follows: They are required to arrest law violators, perform routine patrol, investigates crimes, enforce traffic laws (including parking violations), provide crowd and traffic control for example parades and other huge public events. Today they also have duties such as: Performing the duties of coroners, tax assessors, tax collectors, keepers of county jails, court attendants, and executors of criminal and civil processes, as well as law enforcement officers. The duties, functions, and responsibilities of State Police Agencies are as follows: patrol small towns and state highways, regulate traffic, and have the primary responsibility to enforce some state laws. They also carry out many duties for local police agencies, such as the managing of state training academies, criminal identification systems, and crime laboratories. Some of the differences between the state and the local police are as follows: State police cooperates with an assortment of law enforcement agencies such as local police, the highway patrol, and park or forest rangers. Really the differences between a sheriff and a police officer vary slightly from state to state, which sometimes lead to confusion. Three federal law enforcement agencies are: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Administration or Agency (DEA), and the Alcohol Tobacco Firearms (ATF). â€Å"The FBI is a threat-based, intelligence driven national security organization, their principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Justice and a full member of the U.S. Intelligence Community,†(FBI 2010). These agents are â€Å"dedicated men and women of the DEA are working hard to investigate and arrest the traffickers of the dangerous drugs.† These agents also help keep our schools and neighborhoods safe and secure. The â€Å"Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seeks to reduce alcohol smuggling and contraband cigarette trafficking activity, divest criminal and terrorist organizations of monies derived from this illicit activity and significantly reduce tax revenue losses to the States,† (ATF 2010). These agents are also reducing violent crime, and enforcing the Federal explosives laws and regulations. These agents are working to enforce Federal firearms laws and regulations.  All these agents whether local, state or federal work together to protect the United Sates residents from all criminals activities.

Evils of Monarchy and Society in the Works of Mark Twain Essay

The Evils of Monarchy and Society in the Works of Mark Twain      Ã‚  Ã‚   In the latter part of his life, Mark Twain developed a deep-rooted hatred for society.   His aphorisms often reflect this contempt: "Every one is a moon and has a dark side which he shows to no one" (Salwen n.pag.).   This disdain for humanity eventually seated itself in complete disapproval for what he called the "damned human race."   Twain's criticism for society appeared in many of his works, growing stronger and stronger as time passed.   Hand in hand with his distaste for society went his hatred for the upper class.   In each of his works, Twain creates a theme of appearance versus reality and ultimately brings out his harsh criticism of monarchies.   Through such royal criticism, Twain comments on American civilization, attacks society's ideals, and assaults commonly held beliefs.      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Prince and the Pauper has often been written off as just another children's book.   It is seen as Twain's first experience with historical fiction, which simply led into Twain's more famous work, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.   However, Twain starts to show his disapproval of monarchies in this book.   Edward, the Prince of England, and a common beggar boy, Tom Canty, switch clothes and identities, throwing each into a social situation with which he is not familiar.   Through the stories of each boy, Twain brings out two themes that reflect his views on monarchy and society.   Underlying the adventures of Tom Canty is Twain's mockery of the idea that clothes determine a man's place in society.   As Twain once said, "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society" ("Clothes" n.pag.).   Tom Canty assumes the role of King of Engl... ...n.   Boston: Twayne, 1988. Lynn, Kenneth S.   "Afterword" to The Prince and the Pauper. "Mark Twain Quotations - Clothes."   [Online] Available: <http://www.tarleton.edu/~schmidt/Clothes.html> (May 22, 1999) "Mark Twain Quotations - Monarchy."   [Online] Available: <http://www.tarleton.edu/~schmidt/Monarchy.html> (May 22, 1999) Salomon, Roger. B.   Twain and the Image of History.   Yale University, 1961.   Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism, Vol. 48.   Detroit: Gale,   1993. Salwen, Peter.   "The Quotable Mark Twain."   [Online] Available:   <http://salwen.com/mtquotes.html> (May 4, 1999) Twain, Mark.   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.   Tom Doherty, 1985. _____.   A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.   New York: Penguin. _____.   The Prince and the Pauper.   New York: Penguin, 1964.

Human Resource Activities of Qantas Airways Essay

The Qantas Airways is the largest airline in Australia. Its Human Resource Management operates in the company in four major areas, which are business segments, corporate, shared services, development, and learning. This report gives limelight to the Qantas airways HRM and its role in ensuring perfect operations of the company. It further discusses change management and job analysis and design. The company has undergone intensive change management such as cutting of prices and labor costs in order to ensure high productivity, moderation of wages as well as the introduction of flexible structures through a versatile and motivated workforce. Moreover, the HRM is also responsible of ensuring that right people are hired and given necessary training under job analysis and design. However, despite the roles that the company has entrusted the HRM, there have been heightened cases of accidents and strikes from dissatisfied workers alleging that they are paid meager salaries. This shows a HRM gap in delivering its responsibilities. Therefore, the report further argues that the HRM has failed in its change management and job design and analysis strategy. In order to correct the situation, the report further proposes that the HRM change its training and communication model. As a means to an end, the report discusses some of the implications emerging from the HRM problems and ends with a comprehensive summary. Description of Qantas and their HRM Activities The Qantas Airways is Australia’s largest airline. It has a solid history as it began its business years back by transporting passengers and mails. Today, the company has expanded its operations in almost 140 destinations across the globe. It is Australia’s largest employers with around 37,000 employees. The human resource management operates in the company in four major areas, which are business segments, corporate, shared services, and development and learning. Under corporate level, the HRM is responsible for employees’ remuneration as well as benefits, the industrial relations of the airline with its competitors and development of the management. In the business segment level, the HR teams often collaborate with other business segments to ensure successful delivering of strategies that will ensure competitive advantage. Human resource has a major responsibility in the company and under shared services; the HRM is responsible of managing  workers records, supporting remuneration and recruitment process and managing employees’ compensation as well as coming up with strategic plans on staff travelling schedules and schemes (Belobaba, Odoni and Barnhart, 2009). Finally, under the learning and development level, the HRM comes up with training programs for employees to help them deliver their work effectively. HR Functions: Change Management and Job Analysis and Design at the Qantas Airways Discussion of Two HR functions in the Qantas Change Management The Qantas airline was formerly owned by the government hence did not perceive efficiency and profits as its prime goal (Rothkopf, 2009). After its privatisation in 1995, the HRM had to adopt various management practices in order to overcome the company’s external and internal influences. The HRM in their change management has emphasised on cutting costs and more so reduction of labour costs to guarantee heightened productivity, moderation of wages as well as the introduction of flexible structures through a versatile and motivated workforce (Marks, 2007). Cutting labour costs in the Qantas airways have involved strict measures from the HRM such as reducing wages and salaries through eliminating costly practices (Hernandez, 2011.). The Qantas airline HRM has undertaken immense changes in order to cope with diverse external and internal factors (Gillen and Morrison, 2005). Various factors led to changes in the HR management such as the need to have more profits in the company a nd the fact that the company was under government ownership. This means that the airline had maintained its authoritarian hierarchical structure, autocratic form of leadership, and strict procedures and rules (Hughes, 2012). In addition, the airline has been involved in a major change as far as training is concerned and in 2003, the HRM facilitated in the expansion of the company’s apprenticeship programme (Gunn, 1988). According to Kirkpatrick’s model of learning and training, training helps in ensuring affirmative results (Kearns, 2010). Job Analysis and Design Job design and analysis is the cornerstone of the Qantas HRM. Job analysis can be viewed as the hub of all human resource management activities that are needed for effective organizational functioning (Berman et al, 2009). Under job analysis, the HRM is responsible for planning, recruitment, selection, placement, and induction of workers (Berman et al, 2009). The procedures that are often supported by job analysis process include personnel selection, training, job evaluation as well as performance appraisal (Berman et al, 2009). In addition, the process of job analysis supports the Qantas organizational strategy in dealing with market competition and talent crisis. According to human resource theory, strategic HRM focuses on connecting all HR functions with organizational goals (Rothwell and Benscoter, 2012). The Qantas airline HRM in the process of job analysis determines various training needs of workers. Moreover, in job analysis process, the HRM determines on some of the things that affect behavior in the company. After job analysis process, the next step is job design, which aims at outlining and organizing duties, responsibilities, as well as tasks in a single unit in order to achieve particular objectives. Job design in the Qantas airways is essential in enabling effective feedback. In addition, training is an imperative part in job design in order to make sure that employees are conscious of their work demands. Training encompasses leadership training to employee orientation (Aulenbach, 2007). Development and training plays an imperative role in ensuring success of a company. Today, most organizations view training as an imperative role of human resource (Price, 2011). From research conducted, it is apparent that most organizations such as the Qantas airways are spending a lot of money on training with a belief that it will consequently give them a competitive advantage in both global and local market (Jackson, Schuler and Werner, 2011). According to human resource theory (Bacon et al, 2009), workers need maximum support from human resource function. In that case, the Qantas airways offer training to staff in order to motivate them as well as ensure competitive advantage in the company. Frances (2009) avows that training is imperative in ensuring imperative piloting skills. In 2009, the company opened approximately $10 million staff training centers in an effort to build on economies of scale. The HRM through job design help the workforce to make vital adjustments. Problem s and Implications Faced by Qantas Although the two major basic functions of HRM is to ensure successful change management and job analysis and design, the Qantas airline has undergone  through various challenges in these two areas. The HRM in their change management focused on cutting costs such as labor costs in order to increase productivity, ensure moderate workers’ salary and introduce flexible structures. However, they have failed in ensuring effective and non-biased change management. This is because, workers recently have been complaining of being paid meager salaries and even gone for strikes. Under change management, they should have ensured successful remuneration of employees. However, it is embarrassing to note that a reputable company like Qantas with such successful change management strategy has failed to take care of its employees. The unsolved salary issues have caused employee outcry and various scandals in the company. The pilots have been protesting over meager salaries and the union workers have continued to demonstrate over pay inequality arguing they are paid 25% less than their equals in Victoria (Hernandez, 2012). In a survey that was conducted in 2012, on three thousand Qantas employees, the workers expressed dissatisfaction with the management of the company mostly the HRM (McDonald, 2012). Serious staff challenges have continued threatening the company yet up to now the HRM is still reluctant to come up with a new change management model such as ADKAR model that will cater for the interests of workers and allow the company to focus activities on particular business results (Hiatt, 2006). Under Job analysis and design, it is apparent that the HRM made immense mistakes in choosing the right candidates. Despite heavy training programs that the HRM has invested in during job analysis and design process, it is only in 2008 that the company was involved in an in-flight incident, which caused ser ious injuries to passengers and death of 129 passengers due to specious commands (Frances, 2009). In addition, it is apparent that training has not had a positive impact in the company since in 2006, the Qantas Airways pilots failed to monitor their position hence ended up to the wrong runway. Moreover, in 2009, the company’s pilots failed to acknowledge and decided to overshoot their destinations by 150 miles (Frances, 2009). Frances (2009) alleges that captains in the company are not competent enough as they lacked knowledge on use of stick shaker and stall recovery thus causing serious accidents. It is hence clear that the HRM department leaves a lot to be desired as incidences have continued to intensify despite the company’s change management and job design and analysis strategy (Louise, 2011). With such a successful airline company, it is apparent that its HRM is ineffectual and has only led to losses than success. The company asserts that it is committed fully to developing its people, yet they do not seem to know how they can forge a beneficial relationship with its staff. There has been a lot of change in the company including cutting of costs, developing training programs, outsourcing working rules and regulations, collaborating with the unions yet the situation seem to be moving from bad to worse. It is apparent that the HRM has been incompetent in hiring the right personnel and dealing with employees. Implications to Stakeholders Various stakeholders include trade unions, government, shareholders, customers, community, business partners, employees, the media, and non-governmental organizations. They all have a major influence on the company’s performance and its strategy. The media coverage on wrong decisions in the Qantas have affected negatively on the company’s image. The problems discussed obviously imply that the HRM, shareholders, and business partners have been reluctant in solving the current crisis hence affecting the performance of the company. Because of the accidents reported, most consumers are not keen on using Qantas airline hence affecting profitability (BBC News, 2012). Additionally, the challenges in the company have also affected employees and consumers on grounds that they have lost confidence with the running of the company (Sandilands, 2011). The looming disagreement between Qantas and its pilots shows clearly that the HRM and business partners have failed in ensuring they contribute in effective management of the company. In addition, the Non-governmental organizations have failed in conflict resolution between the Qantas and its employees. It is apparent that the HRM, business partners, and non-governmental organizations involved have failed in coming up with rational solutions to ensure such current disputes do not develop into a major crisis. Instead of the company’s CEO, Alan Joyce holding productive talks, he has been busy making provocative comments in numerous heated exchanges. For instance, he condemned union members on issues regarding wages arguing that their talks and protests were baseless (Bamber, 2011). The union leaders in return criticized N senior managers and accused them of tarnishing the brand image of the company while they were awarding themselves hefty salaries. This hence implies that the  community as well as Union members have lost confidence on the company’s stakeholders and this in return has led to bad publicity and reduced profitability. Consequently, the media has given a wide coverage on the company’s latest controversies meaning that it is benefiting financially because of the developing story. It is upsetting to see Qantas’ employees go on strike due to poor management issues in a company owned by various stakeholders. The shareholders, business partners, the HRM, CEO, and Nongovernmental Organizations have a major role to play in ensuring issues in the company are resolved and the company goes back to its initial profitable situation. Therefore, they need to sit down and come up with a rational plan towards improvement (Bamber, 2011). Action plan and Recommendations With the increasing incidences, there is hence a need to come up with an action plan. First, all the stakeholders must meet to discuss on ways to solve the recent crisis. In the meeting, there will be change of communication and training model to more rational models that are employee oriented. The HRM will carry out the process and engage other stakeholders to give ideas on how salary and training issues ought to be handled. The change process will take place from 1st to 28th November in the company’s boardroom. To carry out the process, the employees will be interviewed in order to show some of the areas they would need change. The entire company’s workforce and managers will be given information concerning the changed plan. The recent problems involving HRM function has caused the company to suffer financially. The Qantas airline in their website asserts that, â€Å"Qantas is committed to providing meaningful jobs with competitive salaries and superior benefits† (Qantas, n.d). However, they have failed in fulfilling their promise as the strikes reported tell a different story. In addition, they allege that they â€Å"provide targeted, quality training to the Qantas group and assists in the development of skills† (Qantas, n.d). However, the accidents reported show a major gap in their training strategy. The HRM should revisit their training and communication model and make a change on it. It is time the company moved out of a market approach change strategy that only focus on making profits and focus on employee oriented approach that consider the interests of workers. With an effective training  model, there will be workshop and focus group sessions where employees air their grievances and come up with solutions to their problems (Frances, 2009). In addition, effective HRM communication should contribute successfully to teamwork, learning, innovation, safety, and productivity (Krizan et al, 2010). Moreover, the HRM should invest heavily on their pilot candidates and ensure that they get the right training. Coming up with a HR strategic oriented communication model is important in guaranteeing that employees are at par with requirements and needs of the company. This will help in discussing paramount issues affecting the running of the company. Once there is fit between communicat ion and training model in relation to the role of the HRM, the next step should be to come up with a tactical plan on how the HR will be managing their roles to ensure there are no more scandals. The HR needs to be involved fully in daily operations of the company to ensure alignment with needs of the employees. Moreover, the HRM should come up with performance management plan, which is imperative in following up on the performance of the staff members. The HRM should also be transparent in its strategy. This means that the company’s operational and strategic agenda should be communicated clearly to workers and must be accepted. This will ensure employees’ needs are met and there are no operational challenges. In addition, its mission should be shared with other shareholders to make sure they are on the right path to correcting the image of the company. Today’s HR models recognize on the fact that people do not leave their issues at home when they are going to work. For the company to be successful, it should focus on the needs of the workers whether personal or professional. This will motivate the workers to deliver quality work. In that case, there will be less accidents and remuneration problems in the company (Frances, 2009). In addition, in training sessions, the HR should focus on changing staff members’ attitude towards work and teach them on how to have a positive attitude. This will help in motivating workers and encouraging them to air their grievances through dialogue.

Jimmy Choo a Celebrity Brand

A Celebrity Brand Strategic Fashion Management A report by Psyche Kuo 2010-11-15 Contents 1. Introduction3 2. Shoes fit for a Princess3 3. Tamara Mellon Part co-owner, Part celebrity4 4. Power of Media6 5. Potential crises 8 * Fast fashion use the celebrities power * Celebrity brands * Celebrities’ scandals 6. Conclusion 9 7. Reference 10Introduction The following report will look at the influence of celebrities and the culture of celebrity lifestyle upon the success and the strategies adopted by Jimmy Choo. From the beginning of Jimmy Choo as a bespoke shoemaker to the takeover of Tamara Mellon, celebrities and red carpet media events which have always been associated with its name. The report will look at the past, present and possible future strategies influenced by celebrities and its culture. Shoes fit for a princess â€Å"The late Princess Diana who was a Choo shoes devotee, made him rise to further fame in 1990.Choo has made a mark on the fashion designing industry and in time was accepted as an iconic image of a classic and refined fashion designer in shoes and later in accessories. † Naomi Silveira (2010) The late Princess Diana would be the first significant figure that helped propel Jimmy Choo shoes from great, to extraordinary. Through history we can always identify luxury brands with a celebrity face, dating back to Chanel with Marilyn Monroe and Givenchy with Audrey Hepburn. It’s a key strategy that helps educate and promote the brand to the public, making the brand more desirable and more exclusive.However, Jimmy Choo did not endorse any celebrities at that time, Princess Diana was a customer of Jimmy Choo simply because she liked the design and comfort of the Shoe. Without Princess Diana, Jimmy Choo may have not achieved the success it has today, with such a public figure photographed wearing a pair of Jimmy Choo. Tamara Mellon – Part co owner, Part Celebrity â€Å"†¦, understood the importance of linking celebr ities to brands and was recognized as an important marketing communications tool. † Uche Okonkwo (2006)Tamara Mellon, former UK Vogue accessories editor, was looking out for out-of-the-ordinary designs that were both chic and attention grabbing. That’s when she approached Jimmy Choo and bought 50% of his company. With her relationship with the media and her strong networking skills, Tamara Mellon managed to help the company grow to worth ? 500 million. Tamara Mellon’s relationship with the media is a very important aspect to why Jimmy Choo succeeded in such a short time span. â€Å"Celebrities are extremely important and valuable to brands, especially in the luxury fashion sector. There is no argument about it.They wield enormous power in fashion circles and can contribute to making and breaking brands. † Uche Okonkwo (2006) If Tamara Mellon was not a public figure as she was, it would have been difficult for Jimmy Choo to achieve the level of â€Å" adve rtisement â€Å" and public awareness without having to invest a large number of capital and resources into this key area. It was hugely beneficial that the new co-owner Tamara Mellon was already a public figure and was able to use this to her advantage. Tamara Mellon realised that celebrity are the brand icon of this generation, an icon which conjures as a mental image or an opinion.This acts as an indirect metaphor to both corporate worlds. Just as brands and brands owners don’t necessarily coincide. Similarly, Jimmy Choo shoes aren’t made by Jimmy Choo. Jimmy Choo is no longer associated with its own brand design with Tamara Mellon whereas Jimmy Choo now focuses on Jimmy Choo Couture footwear. There are not many companies left that follow this tradition of shoes being designed by the company’s founder who brings Jimmy Choo to a few competitors which are Christian Louboutin and Manolo Blahnik.Regarding Tamara Mellon’s marketing strategy of penetration, celebrity endorsement which determines the wealth and success to the brand has lead to a factor where luxury brands appear lesser extent than consumer brands as luxury brands already have well-defined personalities. Power of Media â€Å"The rise of the cult of celebrity, in which everyone can be famous for 15 minutes, can be directly related to the rise of reality television and social networking sites. † PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (2007) The number of celebrity advertisements has doubled from 1996 to 2006. It was uring 1996 that Choo established his brand name Jimmy Choo in London with the assistance of Tamara Mellon. It is no coincidence that Jimmy Choo benefitted from the boom in celebrity endorsement during these ten years. Programmes such as â€Å"Sex and The City â€Å"are just an example of how strong an influence TV have on consumers. â€Å"But the real growth story of Jimmy Choo over the past 14 years has been the riding of a tidal wave of celebrity endorsements, as well as those gushing recommendations in Sex and the City. † Anonymous (2010) Without TV, Media and even Sex and the City, Jimmy Choo would not have become an instant household name.With millions of viewers, Sex and The City was the ideal catapult to make the name public to an even wider audience, even with the programme also â€Å" mentioning â€Å" rival brand Manolo Blahnik in the programme, this did not affect the sales or brand equity of Jimmy Choo. â€Å"Jimmy Choo is attractive to celebrities but they must have pushed it to celebrities as well because that is how you keep the brand in the public's mind – most designers now want to get their shoes on the red carpet because you get so much media coverage from that. † Maureen Hinton (2010)Disregarding that fact however, the lead analyst at the retail consultancy Veridct added that Jimmy Choo’s are attractive enough to stand on its own for it fashionable design. It was also commented that the medi a only acts as a reminder to the public’s mind about the brand’s image. This strengthens the foundations of Jimmy Choo’s defined image. Potential crises Celebrity endorsement is as easy as it sounds as it upholds several risks that are associated with brand communication strategy. If a luxury brand decided to use celebrity endorsement as a strategy, brands should meticulously evaluate their interconnections elements.Fast fashion use the celebrities power The current Jimmy Choo’s strategy that uses celebrity endorsement has a potential risk as the current fast market (mass production market) also uses celebrity power as a major marketing strategy. In examples to that are Gap which Sarah Jessica Parker promoting its brand and Top Shop which Kate Moss is anointed to design their clothing and accessories. Celebrity brands Celebrities’ brands indulge in brand extension and brand architectures. They now understand the importance and influence of personal branding and are exploiting it and also extending it to commercial branding.As a result, several celebrities have ventured into the fashion and accessories businesses and more are on the way. A few examples are such as Jennifer Lopez, Sean Combs and Jessica Simpsons. Celebrities’ scandals The biggest harmful factor that Jimmy Choo can come across as a brand image is from celebrity scandals as celebrities are easily exposed to the public and may get into controversies. An image of a celebrity holds a very important role to the brand it’s promoting. A scandal may lead to a negative connotation. Conclusion The media, TV and Public figures have always been synergetic with Jimmy Choo from the very Beginning.From the late Princess Diana, to Tamara Mellon, Sex and The City and countless of other celebrities photographed with a pair of â€Å" Jimmys†, Jimmy Choo’s main strategy was to use this â€Å" tidal wave of celebrity endorsement â€Å" to its full advan tage. For a new brand in a very competitive market, it was important to utilise this strength to compete with rival brands with a deeper heritage and history. Even though Jimmy Choo has always used celebrities and the media as its main source of advertisement, there are indications that t Jimmy Choo is diversifying its strategies by collaborating with other brands, such as H;amp;M and UGG.With so much reliance with its celebrity exposure, it is potential dangerous to solely rely its company’s future in such an unstable trend. With Collaborations with H;amp;M is a more stable and long-term strategy to appeal to a â€Å" different â€Å" target consumer. Jimmy Choo may be a shoe for the stars, but will eventually grow and establish themselves through other mediums. 1082 words (Excluding title page, direct quotations and references)Reference1. Anonymous, 2010. Jimmy Choo: The world's most valuable shoemaker, The Independent, [Online], Available at: http://www. independent. co. k/news/business/analysis-and-features/jimmy-choo-the-worlds-most-valuable-shoemaker-2076499. html [10 Oct 2010].

Assistive Medical Devices Essays

Assistive Medical Devices Essays Assistive Medical Devices Paper Assistive Medical Devices Paper Essay Topic: Medical   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The development and evolution of technology since the 20th century has paved the way for the creation of new alternatives that continuous to help man in its endeavor towards easing the difficulties of life. It has enabled many to go over hurdles and boundaries. It created better opportunities for man to seek out new ways to innovate and prove the road for betterment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This technology has also spread in the creation of assistive devices for the disabled. It opened up new ways wherein it can go over man’s limitations and function as a normal human being. Now, these individuals too can dream and achieve goals without thinking their respective restrictions. In the end, these devices have been supplemental in the creation of better ways to appreciate life and seek out numerous possibilities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One example of this assistive device involves the creation and design of Dr. Maysam Ghovanloo who is an assistant professor at NC State. With his expertise in both engineering and computer science, he looks into creating the ‘Tongue Drive System’ (The All Need, 2006). In this machine, he tries to help the people who had suffered from different severe disabilities. These include spinal cord ailments and degenerative diseases.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Looking at the machine, it is composed of microchip sensors that try to monitor movement within a person’s mouth and the vibrations that it may emit. â€Å"The basic device consists of three components: a tiny permanent magnet the size of a rice grain, which is coated with gold or platinum and can be attached to the tongue by means of piercing or implantation† (The All Need, 2006, p.1). After this procedure, it tries to gather responses from the brain and is receptive towards severe damages.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another component of this apparatus involves a control unit. It is in here that the records of the brain activity of a person is recorded and stored. Looking at its components, it is â€Å"comprised of sensor interface circuitry, wireless transmitter, and a pair of watch batteries – is contained in a coin-sized, custom designed sealed package that rests inside the mouth in the area under the tongue† (The All Need, 2006, p.1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Prior to its creation, there were different models available to determine and understand the intentions and thoughts of an individual with severe disabilities. Most of the time, it looks into the attachment of a device towards a body part then simulated to an equipment to actively calculate a response. Examples of these include the sip-and-puff devices which are considered to be designed under a switch-based approach. However, these have proven to be disadvantageous at the long run because it lacks appeal to the public and the limited capabilities it can offer (The All Need, 2006, p.1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another apparatus that is also existent prior to this device is the one that uses webcam that tries to â€Å"scan face or eye movements and require user to sit in front of the monitor† (The All Need, 2006, p.1). Again, this device is difficult to achieve because of the degenerative state of an individual and the obstacle of getting the accurate reading out of the process. At the same time, this is unappealing because it is not user-friendly in nature and requires a professional to make the necessary readings and findings. Seeing this, it is more expensive to pursue this process than the switch-based approach.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Ghovanloo mentions that this gadget is supplemental for these individuals because it can generate reactions without really tapping into the damaged area such as the spinal cord. It is said that this device operates and taps into the hypglossal nerve which is connected to the brain; a part that can be seen in the man’s tongue (The All Need, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Though there are physical limitations in this equipment such as it does not operate on a switch based or sip-and-puff device, the Tongue Drive System has components that are appealing even to the disabled person. Its strength lies in the way it is designed; simple yet effective in nature. â€Å"This gadget â€Å"provides maximum capabilities with no invasive procedures and no externally obvious wiring or visually unappealing components† (The All Need, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also another important advantage of this device is it is inexpensive and not difficult to operate. Not like the new models wherein they try to put in electrodes in the brain to decipher intentions and thoughts, the Tongue Drive system does not use invasive brain surgery and expensive materials for it to work and monitor an individual’s activities (The All Need, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One way that this device is innovative compared to its predecessors is the way it communicates with other systems. â€Å"The Tongue Drive System uses a wireless transmission to communicate with a basic PDA or nearby technology using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi technology† (The All Need, 2006, p.1).   Moreover, software has been written to actively make this device responsive to the apparatus and its receiver. It tries to â€Å"decode signals from the mouth sensors, translate them to user commands, and then communicate the commands to a specified device such as a computer, powered wheelchair, telephone or television† (The All Need, 2006, p.1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Ghovanloo explains this process between the tongue and his device to be like a peripheral device in a computer wherein the user can point out specific up to complex instructions which would then be interpreted into several actions (The All Need, 2006). The good thing about this device is it also collaborates with previous innovations such as switch based and then enables the person to have control over a connected machine such as a wheelchair. Also, it provides a continuous motion compared to its predecessors as it processes data and information at a faster rate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the end, Dr. Ghovanloo and his collaboration with other scientists have paved the way for the creation of better devices that will support the needs of patients with degenerative diseases and ailments. By taking into consideration the needs of patients particularly in WakeMed Rehab, he and his team can find better ways that can increase possibilities for these people to live normal lives (The All Need, 2006).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To conclude, assistive devices are inventions that have been supplemental for people with disabilities in making them cope with the challenges of society and life. It gave them the hope and inspiration that despite their current state, possibilities are still available for them. It gave them the motivation that by making these things work for them, they can interact and live like normal human beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the same time, innovators and researchers also share a unique responsibility in fostering and catering towards improvement. By dwelling into what matters most for these people, they can come up and design new possibilities that will bridge further the gap that exists between normal and disabled people. Reference The All Need (2006) Tongue Drive System Revolutionizes Assistive Device for the Disabled. Retrieved January 9, 2009 from, theallineed.com/engineering/06082931.htm

In Regards To

In Regards To In Regards To In Regards To By Maeve Maddox A web search for â€Å"in regards to† brings up 680 million links, thousands of which lead to articles telling readers that â€Å"in regards to† is nonstandard English. Apparently quite a few English speakers have managed to avoid reading any of them. Nonstandard â€Å"in regards to† continues to spread, and not just on blogs and in comments written by the educationally challenged. Here are some examples from sites that aspire to some sort of professional expertise: Elasticity of Ridership In Regards to Transit Fare and Service Changes headline over an About.com article ICA President McLean Changes Tune in Regards to CCE headline at The Chronicle of Chiropractic Nitrogen Inversion in regards to Stereochemistry title of study guide at ucla.edu McDonalds in regards to globalization and business change title of an essay offered at a UK site The phrase â€Å"in regard to† means â€Å"about, regarding, concerning.† Speakers who put an â€Å"s† on regard in â€Å"in regard to† and â€Å"with regard to† are perhaps confusing these phrases with â€Å"as regards†: As regards your question concerning the membership of the Universal House BBC policy as regards interviewers/journalists and their relationship with government officials In the expressions â€Å"in regard to† and â€Å"with regard to,† regard is a noun; in the expression â€Å"as regards,† regards is a verb. The noun regard does take the plural in certain other idioms. For example, Give my regards to your parents. Best regards, Sam Speakers who find it difficult to remember to omit the â€Å"s† can avoid nonstandard â€Å"in regards to† and â€Å"with regards to† by using regarding in their place. Related post: In Regard to Your Letter Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely?Used To vs. Use ToHow to Punctuate Introductory Phrases

Marketing in a Foreign Country Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing in a Foreign Country - Case Study Example Therefore, in this case, the paper is going to consider the following products such as men’s neckties in Saudi Arabia, digital cameras in South Africa and men’s shoes in Russia. The aforementioned nations have varied cultures and traditions that may have adverse effects of marketing of products and acquisition of profits. It is also imperative to note that culture affects numerous facets of international trade in the context of rejection from consumers and lack of sales in the market. For example, in South Africa, they believe in the culture called ‘Ubuntu.’ Ubuntu means the art of loving one another through sharing and assistance (Clark, 2008). Therefore, for a business to prosper in a country especially in terms of promotion and advertising, it should factor the aspect of ‘Ubuntu.’ In other words the promotions should lean on the guiding ideals of ‘Ubuntu’ that will motivate consumers to buy the products. Additionally, another fa ctor that would require product change entails the culture of social mores. In South Africa, women are still considered inferior and hence the company that wishes to sell its digital cameras should employ more men than women to attract more customers. However, when it comes to men’s neckties in Saudi Arabia, it is a different case. ... On that aspect, sale of men’s ties should mostly be targeted at the foreigners who are exempted from the rigid dress code. Alternatively, these neckties should be accompanied by long trousers and shirts that make the wearer decent by covering the upper torso. This suggests in the context of packing size the men’s neckties should come with additional shirts and long trousers to compliment the decency. Furthermore, in terms of promotion and advertising in the media, Saudi Arabia has a limited freedom of the press and the expression of opinion in public. In other words, when the foreign company is making its advertisements, it should not arouse conflicts of traditional Islamic values. These include questioning the role of women in Saudi Arabia such as encouraging them to also buy men’s ties. When it comes to Russia and its sale of men’s shoes, there are varied cultures that would affect packaging size, promotion, and advertising. For instance, it is essential to observe that Russia has a rich culture that dates to many centuries with significant achievements. On that account, the dress code is much respected especially in the business context and hence its promotion consists of different things. Therefore, for a foreign company to succeed in Russia, it is crucial to observe shoes supposed to be highly polished at all times. Additionally, men are required to wear business suits that depict formality and conservatism (Nickles, 2008). This suggests that the packaging size of men’s shoes should also come with complimenting men’s suits. However, in terms of promotion, it should not so business. Russians dislike people who are so business and hence it should be made friendly and casual. Additionally, when conducting an advertisement