Who are the typical winners and losers in an inflation and how does Essay

Who are the typical winners and losers in an inflation and how does inflation make them winners or losers - Essay Example Stockholders will benefit from a higher inflation as the factors that increase the price of goods also increases the values of companies (Money Expert 7). Also, as prices of products increase, owners of small businesses will be in a position to manage fixed-rate debt from investments in different business requirements. Citizens who earn low incomes may find it tough during the times of inflation. Low-income earners tend to have their wealth in cash unlike the wealthy who invest in real and financial assets. Low-income earners face challenges because inflation affects the value of their primary asset, which is cash (Money Expert 9). When a country faces inflation, the value of money goes down, and people tend to spend often since they have to spend all the money in their possession. The people on fixed incomes will find it challenging when inflation is high; unanticipated inflation on fixed income earners will make their income go down. High inflation also affects the economy of a country since the consuming power of citizens goes down while the standard of living reduces (Miller

Participant roles and purposes Essay Example for Free

Participant roles and purposes Essay In talking about social situations and participants, Goffman suggests that situations move forward in accomplishing Ð ° goal or purpose because the participants come to Ð ° working consensus about the nature of the situation: Together the participants contribute to Ð ° single overall definition of the situation which involves not so much Ð ° real agreement as to what exists but rather Ð ° real agreement as to whose claims concerning what issues will be temporarily honored (1959: 9-1o). The working consensus of most teacher-student meetings is realized through the expectations and obligations of the role of teacher and student. These roles have mirroring expectations (the actions others can insist we perform) and obligations (the actions we can insist others perform) (Goffman 1967: 126). For example, the obligations of the student roleto read, to take exams, to attend classesare expectations of the teacher role. The expectations of the student roleto receive information, to be given fair exams, to be graded on the basis of meritare the obligations of the professor role. Thus these roles become interdependent; the expectations and obligations are complementary and in service to each other. In their interviews, both the Professor and the Student focus on the expectations and obligations of their respective roles as teacher and student, They both articulated the role of the Student as checking on an assignment (getting information) and making sure the Student had Ð ° clear understanding of the Professors expectations (giving information). The Professor: My view of the meeting was that І was there to answer [the Students] questions, not that І was there to tell him anything. І think thats why І started the meeting by looking expectantly at him. The Student explained his purpose: My purpose was to make sure І understood the assignment correctly and was going in the right direction. The paper was supposed to be handed in during class, and І held it back because І wanted her to check it first. If she approved, then fine, І would hand it in. І knew the ASL would be hard to understand, so І wanted to ask if І should go ahead with the ASL story or follow the English interpretation. When asked if they thought the meeting was successful, that expectations and obligations were met, both responded affirmatively. They explain in their own words. The Professor: The meeting was successful. Nobody yelled at anybody. [The Student] came to get information and he got it. The laughter, І think the laughter is my signal that everything is going well. І felt [the Student] knew what he was supposed to do. The Student: She read my story and seemed satisfied with it. І knew she wanted me to improve it and bring it back with thirty copies. Yes, the meeting was successful. Although the Professor comments on the interactional success, nobody yelled at anybody as well, both speakers are attentive to the primary purpose, and their ensuing obligations, of Ð ° teacher-student meeting. As the next chapter demonstrates, many of the Professors and the Students motivations for speaking or taking Ð ° turn center on their expectations or obligations of their social roles, their roles define their purpose for meeting and constitute how they will interact and how their meanings are represented in talk. The Interpreters role is to interpret. In general, the role of an interpreter is to make possible communication between people who do not speak the same language. The Interpreter defined his role, what he says it always is, as working to have effective communication, for people to communicate. However, when asked if he thought the meeting went well, he offered Ð ° perspective that was not centered on whether or not the participants had effective communication: Yes, because І think [the Students] goals were achieved, in getting some ideas across and talking about some issues. That he understood where she was coming from and she understood where he was coming from Although this response is vague and unfortunately not further clarified; there are some indications as to what the Interpreter is referring. When the Interpreter mentions [the Students] goals were achieved, it appears that the Interpreter assumes goals other than getting an assignment reviewed. He continues by adding getting ideas across and talking about some issues, but the only issue mentioned previously by the Interpreter is connected to people communicating. The Interpreter never mentioned checking the assignment or the Student getting information on how to analyze the narrative, nor did he mention the Professors obligations she might have for meeting with students. Because both primary participants are involved with the study of language and because the study of ASL as Ð ° natural language was still Ð ° relatively new idea, many conversations with linguists who study spoken languages come around to the topic of the differences between Ð ° signed language and Ð ° spoken language. At the time, the status of ASL as Ð ° language in the larger world community was not firmly established, nor was the status of Deaf persons as member’s of Ð ° linguistic and ethnic minority. That these issues particularly affect interpreters can be demonstrated by reading newsletters and journals published at the time in the interpreting field, as well as by attendance at meetings and conferences. These debates and discussions are often referred to with phrases such as getting ideas across and talking about issues, so І can suggest the possibility that the interpreter is referring to these potentially explosive arguments about the acceptance of American Sign Language as Ð ° natural language. Fortunately, this is not an issue with the Professor, as the Interpreter acknowledges: Shes obviously educated [about Deaf people] in that shes familiar with deafness and Deaf people because she explained the outgoing message on the answering machine, things that are very hearing culture and so І think that in some regards she took care of all that. Although he acknowledges that the Professor is familiar with deafness and Deaf people, it is also his focus on her adaptations to the Student that remain primary in his reflection on the interpreted event. The answering machine was Ð ° few seconds of small talk before the more important discussion of the Students narrative and transcript. The Interpreters focus on getting ideas across and taking care of cultural differences reflects what is Ð ° central concern of interpreters in their role, the notions of equality and justice. It seems that the Interpreter feels that it is incumbent on him in his role to create an understanding and Ð ° balance between these speakers moreover, the Interpreter never commented on the discussion around the assignment for either participant. To see how far the Interpreters thinking was from the thinking of the primary participants, here is what the Professor said about the answering machine talk: [І was] trying to be polite and make everyone comfortable, telling him about the answering machine and the knocking at the door and then І realized [there was] no reason to tell him. The Interpreter has attributed the meaning of the talk to the Professors awareness of Deaf people when, in fact, she was focused on the nature of starting to talk and the often necessary small talk that is Ð ° prelude to official business. Because interpreters are primarily concerned with communication, of language and also of cultural nuances, much of an interpreters concern is for differences in language and culture. But speakers themselves are typically concerned with the central task of the meeting, carrying out their obligations and responsibilities necessary to accomplish their goals. We will see in the next chapter that an interpreters role is more than to just translate or just interpret. What the role is and how to manifest that role to others, while appearing neutral or impartial, is not an easy task. If an interpreters role expectations and obligations were as easily defined as the teacher or student role, then there would not be the problems, concerns, and issues that arise around the discussions about an interpreters role.

The application of Strategic Change Management in Toyota

The application of Strategic Change Management in Toyota This report deeply discusses the application of the Strategic Change Management in worlds fifth biggest company, Toyota Motor Corporation which is founded by Kiichiro Toyoda in 1937. As an organization which has significant changes through last years, The Toyota Motor Corporation will be a good example. As the worlds largest automobile manufacture, The Toyota aims continue the 21st century with stable long-term growth whereas determine for harmony with society, People and the environment. According to the Vision of the Toyota, Good corporate citizen, they focus on constantly winning the trust and respect of the international community. The Toyota Motor Corporation always adopt with business environment for the purpose of long term growth. The Toyota Motor Corporation implemented The Toyota Way 2001 in April 2001 by expressing values and guidelines that should be embraced by all employees in the Toyota. There are four components in The Toyota Way 2001 As a root for Management Decisions, think long-term. Problem-solving process Develop employees for Adding value to Toyota Recognize the solving root problems constantly initiatives organizational learning The Toyota Motor Corporation Makes decisions gently by consensus, Consider entire options thoroughly and implement its decisions rapidly with the changing environment. The Toyota Motor Corporation is now expanded in different countries and worldwide market and it has grown-up as a large multinational corporation from wherever it started. In 2008 it displaced General Motor and became the largest automobile manufacturer. The Toyota Motor Corporation acquired 51% ownership of Daihatsu, 16.7% ownership of Fuji Heavy Industries and acquired 5.9% of Isuzu Motors Ltd in 2006. The Toyota Motor Corporation is planning to introduce Isuzu diesel technology for the products of Toyota. The Toyota introduced new technologies comprising hybrid gasoline-electric vehicles which are one of the first mass-production and it is sold 2 million in global by 2010. The Toyota accepted The Global Vision 2020, that is established the Guiding Principles at Toyota in 2007. It has drafted management plan from medium to long term and how work Toyota in order to achieve its goal. Likewise, The Toyota always is making decisions and implements changes in terms of achieving goals with changing environment. In this report, first discuss the background to the change affecting Toyota Motor Corporation. In here, try to identify a range of models in Change Management, Factors to change and value of intervention techniques. At the next step, recognise the issues in strategic changes. Then identify the key stakeholders in Toyota, develop systems for understating them and analyse the benefits and drawbacks of these systems. After that explain how the organization can develop strategy for a change with its key stakeholders and for managing resistance to change. Finally, plan to implement a model in order to achieve its goals and discuss how to measure the improvements. TASK 01: BACK GROUND TO THE STRATEGIC CHANGE IN THE ORGANIZATION In terms of achievement of the Global Vision 2020 the Toyota has to change their system according to the plan that they have drafted. Models In Change Management First of all, The Toyota should be explored that the models in change Management which they can follow. Here, we can discuss, Freeze Phases (Developed by Kurt Lewin 1975) Concept of Force Field (By Kurt Lewin) Transition Modal ( by Beckhard 1969) Change through the learning of organization ( By Peter Senge 1992) Change by entrepreneurship ( By Rosabeth Moss Kanter) Freeze Phases (Developed by Kurtt Lewin 1975) This is one of the most useful models we can use for successful change. This is proposed by Kurt Lewin (1975). He discussed the model of change in three steps or three stages as given below. Unfreezing Finding alterations or reductions for change that most employees can understand and accept those factors easily. Changing developing patterns of their behaviours in new attitudes, feedback on new information and new change. Refreezing Supporting devices to make sure the patterns of the new behaviour is maintained. At the stage of Unfreezing, the managers use the threat of competitors from external environment to make sure that employees are jolted out of satisfaction with current situation. At the stage of changing, develop or change the new attitude, behaviour and feedback on new information and implementation of change. At the refreezing, the managers have danger in generating a new system. Concept of Force Field (By Kurt Lewin) This concept also created by Kurt Lewin (1975). When there is a change required by driving forces or restrictive forces motivate to maintain the current situation, this concept of Force Field can apply. Change is possible by identifying driving forces and utilising them while minimising restrictive forces. Organizational Goals and objectives, problems and need Driving Forces Restrictive Forces (Forces Favoured on change) (Forces restricted on change) Current Situation Change through the learning of organization (By Peter Senge 1992) He explained this model by five core competencies involve in creating learning organization. Create a shared vision to make sure that employees are focused on Personal mastery learning by persons who are frequently finding out how creates more of what matter to them. Working with people to overcome their challenge such as unconscious assumptions and to appreciate. Learning about team. The learning organization is required individuals to gather together and work as a team. The systems focus on importance of consideration on interrelationships and networks rather than distribute the problems in to parts and performing with alone. Intensification of factors that driving to change External Triggers to Change Because of the external development the change is necessary. The Toyota should be come to terms with number of external factors including global market share, environmental issues, and changes in demographically and awareness of health. Eventually, these factors will cause to triggers to change. It is very clear that the external triggers are occurred by the direct action (Task Environment) and indirect action (General Environment) of the organization. These changes in both two environments have to be monitored and reacted according to them. When considering the general environment of the Toyota Motor Corporation, those triggers can be discussed under PESTLE. Political effects of new government. As an example, in 2010 the US government required from The Toyota Motor Corporation a penalty of US$16.375 million for its delayed response to the notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Changes in economy such as global competition, fluctuation of exchange rates, activity level of macro economy. As an example, in 2008 The Toyota Motor Corporation had to face the global financial crisis of 2008 and it was in a loss after 70 years. Changes of social or demographic such as education level and changes of expectation or values. Because of the succession of Toyota Team Europe in 1997, The Toyota Motor Corporation decided to implement the TMME, Toyota Motor Europe Marketing Engineering. After two years, The Toyota could create the customer base in the United Kingdom, since the Toyotas cars were very popular among the British people. Changes in Technology such as innovations and developments in product and production process. The Toyota Sienna, popular minivan is programmed to join the hybrid line-up by 2010, and it plans to suggest its entire line-up of cars, SUVs, and trucks with a Hybrid Synergy Drive option by 2030. By 2012 also Toyota hopes to issue an electric version of the RAV4. Implications of the legal environment like government policies. Tariff on Imports introduced by government As an example, in 2010 the US government required from The Toyota Motor Corporation a penalty of US$16.375 million for its delayed response to the notifying the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Environmental implications by legislation The Toyota Motor Corporation is a leader in manufacturing vehicle environment friendly technologies. In 2005, Toyota implemented Fourth Environmental Action Plan. The Task Environment discuses about all stakeholders, those who can effect to the Toyota and who can effected by the Toyota as well. The economist Michael Porter introduced this context and it has five dimensions. Power of Buyer: Develop the new market and search for a new customer base for the products of Toyota. Because of the succession of Toyota Team Europe in 1997, The Toyota Motor Corporation decided to implement the TMME, Toyota Motor Europe Marketing Engineering. After two years, The Toyota could create the customer base in the United Kingdom Power of Suppliers: Seek the new bases of raw materials to make sure that they can supply continuously and stability of the prices of materials. Threatens from its substitute: Develop the awareness of the customers about benefits from the products not reached through substitutions. Entry barriers to the Market: It is good to make the advantages from economies of scale in production which cost savings can be delivered to the customer The degree in rivalry of inter-firm: Put effort on making agreement with the competitors to level of advertising. Internal Triggers to Change The internal triggers will occur as the result of: A new head in the organization When performing external organization by benchmarking exercises Dissatisfaction of the management with the current situation Conflict of the management and employees The system approach highlighting the necessities of interrelationship within subsystem in the Toyota Motor Corporation, such as, Responsibilities that everybody has Technology that they using Employees of the organization Structure of the organization Management of the organization After summarising all the factors which driving to change the organization I can suggest the Concept of Force Field (By Kurt Lewin) is the best model for managing the change in The Toyota Motor Corporation. The Force Field Analysis is really important to identify all the forces which favourable on change and on the other hand it identify forces which are against to the change. In addition to that it helps us to consider the importance of these factors and to make the decision whether the implementation of the plan for change is worth. When we made the decision to carry out the plan, the Force Field Analysis is supported to recognise the changes that we have to make to improve it. TASK 02: UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE ISSUES IN STRATECIG CHANGE According to the explanation of Richard Daft (1998) there are some key parameters that would be observed for the purpose of succession of change in the organization. Needs and Ideas for the change If there is not a perceived need for the change, ideas not considered seriously. When managers identified the gap between predicted performance and the actuals performance, the perceived need arise. Success of change would be difficult whereas the organisational culture is very strong or interest is obliged by internal stability. Ability to adopt When the decision makers of the organization decided to go ahead with the suggested Idea, Adoption will occur. The top managers and employees of the organisation should be agreed to support for the change. Sometimes the decision might be required by signing a legal document by the directors in occasions such as acquisition of ownership in another company. For any small changes, the formal approval of the middle management is enough. Available resources Resources requires at the time of scheming, planning, and implementing of the change and reinforcing change as well. Most of the innovations are going over the budgeted funds and requires special funds. Implementation When the organisation decided to make a plan to utilise new ideas, techniques or a system, the implementation will occur. This would be happened to a system that already exists such as, approval system for capital spending, budgeting process for departments or divisions. The organization should be acquired the equipment and materials and the employees should be trained to use their ideas. Managerial Barriers to the Change The Managers can generate barriers for the benefits of change. The management can generate mistakes by ignoring their objectives, availability of materials or resources and the alternatives they able to undertake. There are several factors to describe by Daft and they are discussing as a framework for this issue. Extreme focus on costs The management always possess by mind-set that the most importance thing is cost and they forget to appreciate that the cost is not the most important thing for the change, as an example when we suppose to change employee motivation or customer satisfaction at higher level. Unless the forthcoming yields are considerable, when performance of an idea that cost more than existing applies, is unlikely to be accepted. Failures in highlighting benefits Both negative and positive responses will be produced by any kind of changes. The managers should be perceived more positive aspects than the negative aspects of the change and education would be helpful for the manager to achieve this. Lack of corporation and coordination ability Because of the lack of coordination to the implementation of the change, organizational conflict and fragmentation will be resulted. In addition to that, the old and new systems might not be compatible. Sometimes, the progress at the operational level may be seriously slow and the performance of the new system is not known. This type of problem will arise in projects that re-engineering the business process since, failure to assume properly that how thing are going on currently. Uncertainty avoidance The managers fear uncertainty related to the change at the single level. To avoid this situation communication should be strong horizontally. Then the team may know how process is going on and they can understand the how the change will impact on their duties. Fears on Loss- Fear of loss are related to uncertainty of avoidance. Managers may feel fear not only about their status and authority but also about their jobs. TASK 03: IDENTIFY THE RESPONSES TO CHANGE BY THE STAKEHOLDERS AND OVERCOMING THE RESISTANCE FOR CHANGE The all activities of The Toyota Motor Corporation are directly associated with its key holders such as shareholders, customers, employees, competitors and etc. So, it is really important to concentrate about stakeholders responses on change. The organizational goals and The Global Vision 2020 of Toyota is affected by performance and work return and the responses by its stake holders. Therefore it is very essential to create a positive image of the strategic change for both Toyota and its stakeholders. The stakeholders of the Toyota highly concentrate on benefits that they could have through the strategic change. The shareholders of Toyota Motor Corporation are seeking higher return for their investments, the employees are expecting salary increment and as well as good working environment in their working places and customers are expecting batter value for their investments on Toyota Vehicles due to the strategic change in Toyota Motor Corporation. Consequently if there is any failure on strategic Change in Toyota it will badly effect on response of stakeholders. Therefore the responses of the stakeholders to change are really important to make decision on Strategic Change. Because the strategic change, can be accepted or rejected by the stakeholders. How Attitudes of stakeholders will effect on Strategic Change Resistance on change can be forecast if the change is inevitable. As the responsible persons in the organization, top management of Toyota Motor Corporation should be focus on how and why resistance to change grows within the organization. Torrington and Weightman (1994) distinguish the different types of change experience. Imposition, Commenced by The Toyota from on High Adaptation, make changes in behaviors or attitudes of stakeholders Growth, favorable responses for opportunities Creativity, when stakeholders are initiator and they in control The imposition complies with resistance, adaptation complies with uncertainty, growth complies with delight and creativity complies with excitement. Therefore the management of the Toyota need be strong with skills to, Overcome the resistance or find other alternatives for change methods. Win the uncertainty Encourage the stakeholders and subordinates to get favorable response. There are some spectrum conceivable reactions to the objective of the change programme. Enthusiastic Corporation, acceptance or corporation under pressure from the management. Inactive Resignation Loss of interest, Least Contribution, Indifference Inactive Resistance non-learning behavior, regressive behavior Active Resistance working to rule, least work, protest, sabotages, obligating errors, Organizational change always encounter certain resistance may be simple. The change can be threatened by resistance but it is not amazement. Reasons for the resistance can be summarized as follows, Poor understanding about nature of the strategic change and what are the reason for that strategic change Believes of stakeholders: they think that their personal goals and interest would be threatened due to strategic change. Contradictory assessment on costs and advantages of the strategic change for the Toyota Motor Corporation. Lack of confidence about initializing the change and their intentions These clarifications for the resistance can be explained by concentrating on strategic change at individual level and then small group in the organization. Resistance by employees of working groups or informal group is possible to pose more troubles for the Management of the organization. Overcome the resistance to change Because of the poor understanding and the poor communication, resistance may be occurred. Though, if there are any serious matters for the resistance, a complex approach would be required. The management of the organization should be able to adopt with flexible approach to manage the strategic change and identify the main contingent issues in every situation. The managers should be able to identify the different types of resistance. Ignoring : I dont have enough information to make decision Delay for the judgment : I can wait and see how it going on for the decision Self-justifying Stances: Ooh Other solutions are better than me. this will not work Scarcity: I cant allow this to proceed. It is very costly Worry: I am sure. I cant work on this new system Disaffection: this is separate from my duty and from my division Experienced refusal: We tried on this before and it was failed Loss of Authority: It has to give up control Avoidance: I am not interest to computers Resistance may be meeting with face to face conflict. Normally it will indicate that the objectives of the organization had not been explained properly. It is better to listen the complaints, let the annoyance surface and finally makes calm behavior in all circumstances of conflict. Six Methods to overcome the resistance Develop the Education and Communication Improve the involvement and participating Providing supports and Facilitation Make better negotiation and agreement Improve cooperation and Manipulation Explicit and implicit coercion (Kotter and Schlesinger -1979) When we try to implement last two methods will raise legal and ethical problems. And also cause to make the situation worse. These methods are not mutually exclusive but managers make the decision in effective way by combining them. TASK 04 IDENTIFYING APPROPRIATE MODELS FOR THE STRATEGIC CHANGE AND MEASURING THE EXPECTATION OF STRATEGIC CHANGE The implementation of strategic can be valued, to make sure the ongoing change. For the implementation of strategic change we can establish monitoring and review techniques. The strategic change would be able to implement within the Toyotas stakeholders for the purpose of achieving Global Vision 2020. When we implement the strategic plan to the organization we have to implement it step by step. We can suggest a change process as follow: Recognize the problems in the Toyota Motor Corporation Observe the reasons for those problems and analyze the solutions to overcome them Select and plan alternative solution Implement the planned solutions Communicate the learning process and allow organization to deal with ongoing change (Senior and Fleming 2006) The managers can state the strategic change plan by allocating employees into separate teams and instructing them. Therefore each team automatically will used to implement the strategic plan easily. Making teams within the organization is very essential to evaluate strategic changes. The outcomes should be able to monitor and evaluate the performance of team workers for the successful implementation. The management can introduce incentive scheme for the best team for the purpose of motivation through success in strategic management by monitoring and evaluating the each team. According to my point of view, I can suggest the Concept of Force Field (By Kurt Lewin) is the best model for managing the change in The Toyota Motor Corporation. The Force Field Analysis is really important to identify all the forces which favourable on change and on the other hand it identify forces which are against to the change. In addition to that it helps us to consider the importance of these factors and to make the decision whether the implementation of the plan for change is worth. As an example, when The Toyota Motor Corporation target to issue an electric version of the RAV4 by 2012. Target to issue an electric version of the RAV4 by 2012 Driving Forces Restrictive Forces Customer wants new product Loss of staff overtime Improve speed of production Cost Raise volume output Staff afraid to new technology Control rising maintenance Cost Environmental impact (Forces Favoured on change) (Forces restricted on change) Current Situation We can use action plan to review the process of implementation. In addition realize the present position in the organization after the strategic change. By using action plan we can recognize the time frame and difference between expected level and actual level of the strategic change in the organization. By recording, keeping, monitoring and evaluating the changes we can make sure the on-going change in organization. We can check whether expected performance have achieved by stakeholders through the strategic management by measuring actual performance. CONCLUSION This report deeply discussed the application of the Strategic Change Management in worlds fifth biggest company, Toyota Motor Corporation. According to the Vision of the Toyota, Good corporate citizen, they focus on constantly winning the trust and respect of the international community. The Toyota Motor Corporation always adopt with business environment for the purpose of long term growth. In terms of achievement of the Global Vision 2020 the Toyota has to change their system according to the plan that they have drafted. Because of the external development the change is necessary. The Toyota should be come to terms with number of external factors including global market share, environmental issues, and changes in demographically and awareness of health. Eventually, these factors will cause to triggers to change. The all activities of The Toyota Motor Corporation are directly associated with its key holders such as shareholders, customers, employees, competitors and etc. So, it is really important to concentrate about stakeholders responses on change. The organizational goals and The Global Vision 2020 of Toyota is affected by performance and work return and the responses by its stake holders. Therefore it is very essential to create a positive image of the strategic change for both Toyota and its stakeholders.

rainforest destruction Essay -- essays research papers

Rainforest Destruction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rainforests cover less than two percent of the Earth’s surface yet they are home to some forty to fifty percent of all life forms on our planet: as many as 30 million species of plants, animals and insects. The Rainforests are quite simply, the richest, oldest most productive and most complex ecosystems on earth. As biologist Norman Myers says, â€Å"Rainforests are the finest celebration of nature ever known on the planet and never before has nature’s greatest orchestration been so threatened.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Rainforests are very important to the world for many reasons, most of them being very simple. One of the major reasons is that the plants in the forest turn carbon dioxide into clean air, which helps us, fight pollution. Also, by absorbing carbon dioxide, the rainforests help deter the greenhouse effect.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The plants and animals of the rainforest also provide us with food, fuel, wood, shelter, jobs and medicine. â€Å"Imagine losing the potential cure for cancer or AIDS that might have been found in an undiscovered plant from the rainforest.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996) â€Å"The vine Aucistrocladus koropensis may be effective in treating AIDS; we can only guess what other beneficial plants may be destroyed before we find them.† (Allo, 1996) It is repeated often that the rainforest contains important plants that will cure the worst diseases of today. Although there is scientific proof of its value, the rainforest continues to disappear. â€Å"In every sense, a standing rainforest supplies more economic wealth then if it were cleared†¦yet deforestation continues at an alarming rate.† (Tropical Rainforest Coalition, 1996)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tropical rainforests are found in eighty-five countries around the world. â€Å"Ninety percent of these forests are concentrated into fifteen countries, each country containing over ten million hectares each.† (Malaysian Timber Council, 1995) Tropical rainforests are located around the equator, where temperatures stay above eighty degrees Fahrenheit year round. These forests are very dense and damp. â€Å"Although tropical rainforests cover just seven percent of the Earth’s surface, they can provide habitat for between fifty to ninety percent of its plant and animal species. In 1990, tropical rainforests totaled some 1.7 billio... ...ese rainforest species have never even been seen. â€Å"Scientist estimates an average of 137 species of life forms are driven into extinction everyday or 50,000 each year.† (Myers) While extinction is supposed to be a natural selection this is purely human induced. Quite simply when habitat is reduces, species disappear.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All in all, the tropical rainforests are one of the Earth’s greatest assets. We need to preserve this valuable resource. It could provide the cure for cancer or AIDS but we’ll never know if we continue to deforest it. There are now ways to fight back against the destruction of our rainforests. Many people now boycott; for example not eating fast food because the meat come from rainforest cattle because they are cheap, or by not buying furniture made from rosewood, mahogany, ebony, and teakwood, because they most likely came from the rainforest as well. People can also adopt an acre of tropical rainforest for only 45 dollars. Rainforests are very complex ecosystems and have many untapped resources which we have barely scratched the surface on. Preservation of the rainforest is essential for our well being and the well being of the future.

Ice Cubes Addiction Simulation

My 48 hour ice cube addiction simulation turned out to be very different than what i had expected. I don't put an ice cubes in my water cup at all. So my ice maker in the freezer is always empty. So I have to keep the ice maker full of ice cubes to use it in my addiction simulation. My first hour in the 48 hours simulation I was trying to fill my water bottle with ice cubes. I spilled some of ice cubes on the floor. My dad got suspicious when I filled a water bottle full of ice cubes, because I'm not used to put an ice cubes in my water bottle. My dad yelled at me and asked me why I needed that much ice anyways. I said that I needed to keep my water cold. He said we have a cold bottles in the refrigerator. I said it's better to drink water with ice cubes, he looked at me and said you weren't do that before. I said yeah, but i just want to try it. He didn't believe what i said. So it was so hard to keep my ice cubes addiction from my dad, and my friends also. My friend Johne when he saw my water bottle full of ice cubes, he kept asking me about, and made it very difficult for me to try to come up with a descent lie. It's easy to see how all the lies of an addiction can destroy a relationship and cause multiple problems. I noticed that the next morning while I was sitting in my room I was very thirsty even though I never am. I need a cup of water full with ice cubes, but my dad is sitting in the living room, and he can watch what i'm doing in the kitchen. I planned to get ice cubes in a smart way. I said dad I'll prepare the breakfast. I went to the kitchen and I started to prepare the breakfast, when my dad was watching the TV I turned on the microwave and I opened the freezer softly, and I kept looking to my dad if he realized what I'm doing. I filled my cup with ice cubes and water and I put it in a bag and I hid it under the couch. I must have gotten a little caught up in the whole ice addiction and started to want to drink the ice water. 2 days were easy to hide my addiction but after a while my dad would have probably caught on and i would have had to confess. This was a very eye opening and interesting experiment.

Essay on Media, Historical Upheavals and Remembrance in Everyday LifeEssay Writing Service

Essay on Media, Historical Upheavals and Remembrance in Everyday LifeEssay Writing Service Essay on Media, Historical Upheavals and Remembrance in Everyday Life Essay on Media, Historical Upheavals and Remembrance in Everyday LifeTraditionally, mass media have a considerable impact on the life of people and on their perception of the surrounding world and their cultural identity. At the same time, the major problem caused by mass media today is their overwhelming impact. As a result, today, people face substantial difficulties with the development of the independent view on historical events, because they are constantly exposed to the impact of mass media. Therefore, views and beliefs of people are shaped, to a significant extent, by mass media. In fact, mass media can contribute to historical upheavals and public remembrance of the past in everyday life, although such remembrance and perception of historical events may not mirror the actual events and they may be far from reality. Therefore, mass media overwhelming impact can provoke misleading interpretation of the past and historical events and formation of the erroneous view of people on their present because people learn about the surrounding world, key social, economic, political and historical events and issues from mass media mainly but they can never be certain in accuracy and objectivity of mass media.The development of mass media affects the public opinion and may have a historical impact on the society. In such a way, the development of mass media can have the higher impact on the development of the society because the perception of the present social life depends on the interpretation of the past of the society or, like George Orwell explained in his 1984, who controls the past controls the future, who controls the present, controls the past. Mass media control the public opinion today and shape the remembrance of people about their past (Bury 205). This is why the further development of the society also depends on mass media because people will rely on their past experienced created by mass media rather than by real facts. For instance, the misinterpretat ion of the past by mass media can cause conflicts between different social groups, as was the case of white Americans and Native Americans or white Americans and African Americans.At the same time, mass media contribute to the formation of the remembrance of the society of key events in the history. As a result, people retain in their memory what they receive from mass media (Bagdikian 199). In this regard, Twelve Years a Slave gives insight into the US history uncovering the problem of slavery and its impact on the life of the average people. The film offers the view from within, from the standpoint of a slave, who had struggled for his liberty.In such a way, the film reveals the full extent to which the media can influence the public opinion. At this point, it is worth mentioning the fact that the media, like Twelve Years a Slave, contribute to the formation of the public opinion and remembrance. For instance, the film Twelve Years a Slave contributes to the formation of the publi c remembrance about slavery. The film depicts the slavery and the life of slaves, while people tend to take events described in the film for granted. In such a way, they shape their vision of the slavery as the issue is depicted in the film and other media. Therefore, mass media contribute to the formation of the stable remembrance which may differ from the real history and historically grounded description of those invents. Instead, people tend to develop their views on the past through mass media and the way the media depict those events lead to the formation of the remembrance about those events.Therefore, mass media can contribute to the development of human remembrance and views, which may differ from the real facts. In such a way, mass media can create the illusionary world, where people learn from mass media and take them for granted.In such a situation, the question concerning the possible impact of mass media on the society arises. For instance, there is a high risk that ma ss media can promote misleading ideas and convey inaccurate messages about the past. For instance, it is possible to refer to the case of slavery as depicted by Twelve Years a Slave. In this regard, it is worth mentioning another film, Soldier Blue, which is the revisionist film that offered a different view on relations between white Americans and Native Americans. The film was shot in 1970, while before mass media developed a different view on the relations of white Americans and Native Americans. Mass media contributed to the formation of a hostile view on Native Americans, who represented a threat to white Americans. In such a way, mass media formed an erroneous view on Native Americans that caused tension between white Americans and Native Americans and contributed to the exclusion of Native Americans from the mainstream culture and society. Therefore, mass media develop the public opinion and remembrance of people about the past, although the way mass media depict the past may be inaccurate and fail to mirror the actual development of historical events.The danger of misrepresentation of the past persists as the mass media play increasingly more important role today. To put it more precisely, mass media have the overwhelming impact on the contemporary society because people are always vulnerable to the impact of mass media. In such a way, mass media became the major drivers of the formation of the historical remembrance and historical upheaval. In this regard, the public may face considerable difficulties with the adequate and accurate interpretation of messages conveyed by mass media. The difference may be the result of the artistic interpretation of historical events by authors. For instance, directors of Twelve Years a Slave and Soldier Blue have to re-work historical events, namely slavery and relations between white and Native Americans respectively. As a result, they develop a different view on historical events because they create feature films whi ch are fictional, even though they are grounded on historical facts (Chomsky 183). The point is the risk of misinterpretation of historical events by the public and formation of erroneous remembrance because of the overwhelming impact of mass media on the public remembrance of the past.At the same time, mass media contribute to historical upheavals that means that mass media can trigger social turmoil or other important events that lead to serious consequences in historical terms. At this point, it is possible to refer to the media coverage of 9/11 terror attacks. Even though the terror attacks have had a disastrous impact on the society and life of people in the US, mass media close attention and excessive coverage of the tragic events has provoked the public paranoia and shock because Americans could not feel being secure in the US, in their homes and public places. The fear caused by terror attacks and multiplied by the media coverage of terror attacks contributed to the wide pub lic support of the new policy launched by the US, known as the war on terror, which included the large scale struggle against international terrorism at all levels. The historical upheaval caused by the excessive media coverage of terror attacks of 9/11 determined, to a significant extent, aggressive militarist foreign policy of the US, justified the US military intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan and influenced the historical development of the US and the Middle East and the entire world for decades ahead because consequences of the US policy would be relevant for decades. This example reveals how mass media can contribute to the historical upheaval.Thus, the development of mass media contributes to the formation of the public opinion because mass media have the overwhelming impact on the contemporary society. However, such overwhelming impact of mass media on the public opinion is dangerous because mass media can influence historical upheavals and remembrance of the society. in s uch a situation, people may shape erroneous views about their past, if mass media misinterpret the past and represent their version of the past which may differ from the real historical facts.

Understanding Market

Understanding Market Introduction Over the past several decades, the world has seen fast growth in technology. Companies in the hardware and software development fields have extensively invested in innovative ideas. They have also enhanced their understanding of devices and how to make life simpler for technology users.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Understanding Market MediaFire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More MediaFire is one of the companies that have identified the opportunity presented by the internet through social media, data sharing, and file sharing. The company differentiates itself in the field by developing a platform that allows users of different technological devices to back-up different files. The company focuses on enabling its consumers to save their files for security purposes, and it has also developed a channel that allows the customers to share the files with their friends. File sharing in the current state of technological growth is the biggest challenge because of the space required in gadgets, and the ability to share important files fast and easy. MediaFire has taken up the challenge to provide its users with the most secure, easy-to-use, and fast way to back-up and share files. The system allows its users to save and share software, music, documents, and many other digital files. The company has developed user applications to simplify the use of the system. The applications are compatible with different operating systems to ensure that customers with computers, tablets, mobile phones, and other internet-enabled gadgets. This paper looks to highlight the opportunities and threats that exist in MediaFire’s cloud. Market size The market size of the company has been on an increasing trend owing to the fast consumption of internet-enabled mobile phones across the world. More people in the emerging markets for smartphone developers are acquiring mobile phones that can accommodat e the free MediaFire application. According to the company’s website, there are more than 150 million people using the MediaFire on a monthly basis. The cloud system is yet to be introduced to a large number of people across the globe; hence, there are many emerging markets that the company can harness. The company has particularly targeted marketing through its interactive website and social media platforms.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This approach indicates that as more people continue using social media platforms, the number of potential users of MediaFire will continue increasing across the globe. The marketing department of the company has indicated that the company’s website is one of the most effective marketing channels. Over 345 million people visit the website on a monthly basis. A big number of the visitors to the website are from the United States, and other developed nations where more people have access to internet-enabled gadgets (MediaFire, 2015). Growth MediaFire has seen tremendous growth over the past several years as the target population across the world continues to appreciate media and technology. Growth in the company is expected to be influenced by the youth across the world because 85% of the visitors to its website are aged between 18 and 54 years. 53% of these visitors are male; hence, the men across the world are expected to make a bigger contribution to MediaFire’s growth. Researchers in the company have revealed that on average, every visitor to the site spends 8 minutes. This time translates to about 2 million hours spent on the system on a daily basis. The company has particularly witnessed fast growth in users through social media platforms like Facebook, where millions of users have declared their approval of the quality of the services offered by MediaFire. The growth rate of the company for the past three years has been 85% every year (MediaFire, 2015). Geographical distribution and profits The majority of MediaFire customers are located in the United States and other developed nations across the world. The customers have diverse requirements, and their use of the cloud system varies. While there are professionals who save important files, there are also other users who rely on the system for entertainment by sharing files like images and music. The ability of the system to accommodate diverse users has distinguished it from its competitors, and this adds value to the services offered by the company (Satpute Deora, 2014). MediaFire has used a very effective strategy to increase its profit margins. The strategy entails offering its users free accounts.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Understanding Market MediaFire specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The company has developed applicat ions for Android, iOS, and Windows, which are free to download for users. Users create free accounts that have paid upgrades. The upgrades are part of the profit generating operations of the company. As the number of free account increases, the company is increasing its profits because most of the customers upgrade their accounts after a short time using the free accounts. The free accounts are also ad-enabled, and they have increased profits for the company (Li et al., 2013). Market segments MediaFire has segmented its market across the lines of consumer behaviour, in terms of their preferred operating systems in their gadgets.The company’s marketing strategy focuses on different users. The cloud system accommodates professionals looking to save and share important files while accommodating casual users looking to use the cloud for entertainment. The market segments are bounded by the types of gadgets that the potential users possess. MediaFire has developed applications tha t are compatible with Android, iOS, and desktops using OSX and Windows. The company’s website is the primary marketing channel, and it has targeted the four segments. The company has already identified that the majority of the customers are youths who possess internet-enabled gadgets; hence the marketing strategy is based on attracting more youths. This strategy is especially targeted to the regions with developed nations because there is more data to be shared by youths in the regions. Using social media as a marketing tool has also influenced global targeting of the potential customers. Within each market segment, MediaFire has concentrated on the unique features that are enabled by the respective operating systems to add value to the services offered by the cloud system (Press, 2015). MediaFire has distinguished its services from its competitors by developing a system that allows users to secure their files and share them easily with their friends. It targets all types of files; thus, it is a system for all technology users. Expected rates of growth MediaFire’s growth rate is dependent on the growth rate of internet users across the world, and this is a function of the rate of consumption of smartphones and computers. According to the reports available from the company’s website, MediaFire has witnessed a growth rate of 82% every year for the past three years.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This trend is expected to prevail, especially as the company continues to target the emerging markets for mobile technology. The projected growth in smartphone consumption across the world in 2015 reveals that the emerging markets will have the biggest contribution to new users of MediaFire. Countries like India, China, Brazil, and many other emerging markets for mobile technology will translate into growth in cloud systems for global companies, including MediaFire. The United States’ society has one of the highest consumer populations of smartphones, and the iOS-based gadgets already have MediaFire applications (Tech Devices in 2015, 2014). The graph below reveals the projected rates of smartphone consumption in the United States, which will potentially translate to a larger market share for cloud companies (Why we need Mobile/ smartphone Websites, 2015). This factor means that as more consumers buy iOS products, MediaFire will continue harnessing a larger market share. See ing that smartphone users are set to increase in 2015, MediaFire is likely to be one of the beneficiaries of this growth in mobile technology consumption. The company is in a position to record more than 82% growth, which it has recorded for the past three years. Growth in social media users is also a variable that will influence growth for the company because of its marketing strategy. The main reason for projecting a growth rate higher than 82% in 2015 is because the company is looking to introduce unique services and applications for MediaFire users. For instance, Pool is a new application that the company is looking to introduce to its cloud system. The application is bound to increase the number of MediaFire users because of the quality of the experience it is expected to facilitate to picture lovers (Press, 2015). High opportunity segment and low opportunity segment MediaFire uses a behavioural marketing segmentation strategy, and it has based its segmentation on the types of gadgets possessed by its potential consumers. This segmentation process focuses on the type of operating system that runs the gadgets. In the current state of business, the iOS is one of the most lucrative segments. Users of iPhones and iPad have the advantage of having MediaFire as one of the native applications in the gadgets. This development means that every sale of an iOS product with the application translates to a potential new user of MediaFire without incurring the cost of marketing.  MediaFire has concentrated its marketing strategy in the United States because the nation has more users of the iPhone and the iPad than any other part of the world. The free applications and accounts can also be upgraded to the required package for respective customers. The desktop application segment is the low opportunity segment because more people are shifting from using desktops to smaller gadgets like mobile phones and tablets. The desktop application has been facing numerous challeng es, including lack of sufficient data storage for potential customers (Ulloa, 2013). How customers make buying decisions Purchasing decision-making on the part of the customers has to be in line with one or more factors that influence them to buy products (Pride et al., 2012). Customers have to be in a state of dissatisfaction with their current products. This dissatisfaction forces the customers to replace their current product with a new product that would possibly solve the prevailing problems (Ferguson Johnston, 2011). Customers also make buying decisions when they recognise the need to own a product. When people find a commodity that raises a need in their lives, they are likely to purchase it. Customers may also make buying decisions based on their research findings. Purchasing a commodity may also be triggered by an evaluation of the available options. For instance, customers may opt to buy a product because it has better quality and prices. (Hutchinson, Reid, Donnell Irela nd, 2013). Most customers in the modern world are making decisions to purchase products based on their usage experience. This trend is especially widespread in purchasing technology products and services. Tastes and preferences are also big factors in buying decisions (Dabhilkar, 2011). Most people have loyalty to specific brands of products. For instance, in the mobile technology field, there are people who prefer iOS products to Android products and vice versa.  After the introduction of online business platforms, customer purchasing decisions have been influenced by the reviews given by other customers (Urban, Sultan Qualls, 2000). It is apparent that most online buyers focus on what other people are saying about a given product or service prior to making their purchasing decisions. Company websites are also a good source of information that would influence customers to make a purchase (Samson, Mehta Chandani, 2014). Most consumers rely on the information provided about the p roduct to make their buying decision. For instance, with a new technological product, customers have to be educated on the benefits of acquiring the technology. Social norms have also been known to influence buying preferences in a society. Cognitive fluency is also a factor in purchasing habits of consumers. Some people purchase products because they understand them better than the alternative commodities (Uddin, Lopa Oheduzzaman, 2014). Major competitors The major competitors of MediaFire include Google Drive and DropBox. The companies have been in the business for a long time, and they have developed a very large market share across the world. The companies have particularly harnessed a big market share in the American market, where MediaFire is looking to establish a larger share. The main strength of the two major competitors is their asset base. The companies have the capability to accommodate mass storage of customer files, unlike MediaFire, which is still looking to enhance its storage capacity. Their weaknesses lie in their diversity in services. MediaFire has provided a platform that allows social sharing of files for individuals, as well as for professionals. It accommodates a more diverse set of products and services for its clients. Google Drive and DropBox have a significantly larger market share than MediaFire because they are better equipped and more experienced in the cloud systems field (Google Drive vs The Competitors, 2015). Conclusion MediaFire has taken up the challenge to provide its users with the most secure, easy-to-use, and fast way to back-up and share files. According to the company’s website, there are more than 150 million people using the MediaFire on a monthly basis. The marketing department of the company has indicated that the company’s website is one of the most effective marketing channels. Growth in the company is expected to be influenced by the youth across the world because 85% of the visitors to its webs ite are aged between 18 and 54 years. 53% of these visitors are male; hence, the men across the world are expected to make a bigger contribution to MediaFire’s growth. MediaFire has segmented its market across the lines of consumer behaviour in terms of their preferred operating systems in their gadgets. According to the reports provided by the company’s website, MediaFire has witnessed a growth rate of 82% every year for the past three years. References Dabhilkar, M. (2011). Trade-offs in make-buy decisions. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 17(3), 158-166. Ferguson, J. L., Johnston, W. J. (2011). Customer response to dissatisfaction: A synthesis of literature and conceptual framework. Industrial Marketing Management, 40(1), 118-127. Google Drive vs The Competitors. (2015). Retrieved from cloudstoragereviews.co/cloud-storage-basics/google-drive-vs-the-competitors.html Hutchinson, K., Reid, A., Donnell, L., Ireland, N. (2013). Closing the Needs-to-Offer Ga p: customer relationship management in retail SMEs. Management Articles of the Year, 3(1), 31-37. Li, N., Zhang, L. J., Xu, P., Wang, L., Zheng, J., Guo, Y. (2013). Research on Pricing Model of Cloud Storage. In Services (SERVICES), 203 IEEE Ninth World Congress on (pp. 412-419). IEEE. MediaFire. (2015). Retrieved from mediafire.com/ Press. (2015). Retrieved from mediafire.com/press/ Pride, W. M., Ferrell, O. C., Lukas, B. A., Schembri, S., Niininen, O. (2012). Marketing Principles. Sydney: Cengage Learning Australia. Samson, R., Mehta, M., Chandani, A. (2014). Impact of Online Digital Communication on Customer Buying Decision. Procedia Economics and Finance, 11(1), 872-880. Satpute, S., Deora, B. S. (2014). Efficient replication of cloud data for mobile devices. In Issues and Challenges in Intelligent Computing Techniques (ICICT), 2014 International Conference on (pp. 299-302). IEEE. Tech Devices in 2015: Emerging Markets Dominate Growth, Increasing by Billion USD. (2014). Retr ieved from gfk.com/news-and-events/press-room/press-releases/pages/tech-devices-in-2015-sales-forecast.aspx Uddin, M. R., Lopa, N. Z., Oheduzzaman, M. (2014). Factors Affecting Customers’ Buying Decisions Of Mobile Phone: A Study On Khulna City, Bangladesh. International Journal Of Managing Value And Supply Chains (IJMVSC), 5(2), 21-28. Ulloa, N. (2013). MediaFire Desktop Challenges Mega, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Box. Retrieved from digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2013/12/05/mediafireapp Urban, G. L., Sultan, F., Qualls, W. J. (2000). Placing trust at the center of your internet strategy. Sloan Management Review, 42(1). Why we need Mobile/ smartphone Websites. (2015). Retrieved from http://arcres.com/smartphonetraveller-why-mobile-marketing.cfm

Comparing Masacios Holy Trinity and Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini Marriage Essays

Comparing Masacios Holy Trinity and Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini Marriage Essays Comparing Masacios Holy Trinity and Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini Marriage Paper Comparing Masacios Holy Trinity and Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini Marriage Paper In comparing Masacios Holy Trinity and Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini marriage, we are able to analyze many similarities and differences. We notice the innovative Renaissance techniques as well as these two paintings being pivotal pieces not only in these artists careers but also as pioneering artists in history. If we compare these two painting with Gothic art, we observe that these artists techniques have much evolved. These evolved techniques include a focus on naturalism and individualism. These two elements distinguish people in the paintings and are very realistic, unlike gothic art, in which all the people looked the same. The focus on detail, precision, and depth is truly amazing in both Holy Trinity and Arnolfini. The colors in Masacios Holy Trinity can help us see the artists intent on creating deep space. Masacio used red to give the feeling of closeness and blue to give the feeling of this deep space. But the reason for these colors goes beyond precision and for the first time people were dealing with having meaning and ideas behind their paintings rather than just telling a story. Masacios use of blue and red is strategically placed to pull us in to the painting with the blue and push us away with the red. This feeling of push and pulling can also be seen in Von Eycks Arnolfini, in a different way. Van Eycks piece gives us a general image of the betroval of a young couple but then proceeds to lure us into the center of the painting, which is the mirror. The mirror with immense detail absorbs the room but also reflects it. The mirror is almost a hole in this room but takes all of what we see with it and transforms it into a refection. Hence we are pulled into the hole but also pushed back by the reflection. Another aspect of these two paintings that is important to notice is the different settings of each painting and how they affect the overall feeling and message of the paintings. With Van Eyck the setting is in a domestic house of a merchant. This is the first element to a larger idea that the painting is portraying life on earth in the present moment. This aspect together with the intense and incredible detail of the house almost puts you in the painting. We become a perfect eyewitness, which was a very innovative technique at this time because most paintings, like Masacios Holy Trinity were of God and a higher abstract place. Hence Masacios Holy Trinity is set in an abstract chapel, which portrays god as the main subject. To me, Masacios fame is much more based on the fact that the Holy Trinity was extremely mathematically precise. Masacios application of mathematics to his picture and the symmetric balance of the painting represents the research that was valued in paintings during the Renaissance. The overall feeling of Masacios painting is very dark and haunting which is supported by the intense shadows and darkness among with the almost a calm resonance. The composition of the painting also adds to the sad mood of the painting because everything seems very symmetrical and orderly. And when considering the tragic circumstances this organization does not seem right. In Van Eycks painting we are left with so much when we walk away from the painting. The extent of the detail extends information about things far past the ordinary limits of scrutiny and leaves us almost overwhelmed with the amount. He seems to have focused on everything from the fur on Arnolfinis robe to the twigs on the broom.

Overcoming My Anxiety in Public Speaking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Overcoming My Anxiety in Public Speaking - Essay Example As expected in my profession, I am required to present the children’s condition including the approach and methodology applied in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Armed with my evaluation papers and a few bulleted note cards outlining my whole presentation—which I rehearsed over and over until the last minute—I still felt as if a full bucket of nervousness was drenching my whole body. The situation catapulted me to my primary and secondary years and once again I am again a high school student before the analytical eye of my professor and the mocking glare of my classmates; as if every eye is staring at the flaws in my face, counting every drop of sweat, listening to the quivering of my voice, watching the trembling of my hands, and making a mental note of every mistake that would come out of my mouth. But I had to shake off the imaginary time warp and forced myself to get a rock-hard grip on the present. I strived to produce a genuine smile as I a cknowledged the audience and proceeded to my presentation. The discussion went pretty well although there were few verbal lapses which I believe is forgivable enough. It’s a total relief that it’s over and done with. There will be succeeding occasions when I would have to speak again but I know that it wouldn’t be as hard as it had in the previous times. I may not be the best speaker and not everyone may appreciate my speech but never again will I dread the opportunity to impart the knowledge which I believe is of benefit to the listeners.

Lack of educational opportunities Speech or Presentation

Lack of educational opportunities - Speech or Presentation Example It is high time to seek for some effective solutions and recommendations that do away with this social inequality. One of the basic solutions to the problem of lack of educational opportunities is to adopt new policies and programs that help the backward sections of the society. Successful implementation of these policies by the government bodies is equally important, and the role of large-scale campaigns and public awareness programs should not be overlooked. As the non-conservative market-oriented public education system has exacerbated the widespread inequality of educational opportunities, â€Å"the focus of public education should shift to the needs of low-income students. A need-oriented public education system can greatly benefit the poor without lowering quality of education for others.† (Arrighi and Maume, 105) Therefore, a new system of public education opposing market-oriented public education system can ensure quality of education, real life opportunities, and equi table educational opportunities. It is essential to recognize that lack of educational opportunities result in violence, poverty, social injustice, crimes, and even anti-social activities.

Flag Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Flag - Essay Example Jennifer de Poyen is both a writer as well as visual artist. She was a critic and journalist for the San Diego Union Tribune, writing about theater and dance. After graduating from McGill University, she studied journalism and finally graduated from Stanford University. In her book â€Å"Seeing Stars and Stripes† she criticizes the attitude of the Americans towards their national flag ever since the catastrophic incident of the 911. She explains how the American citizens treat the flag because of all the gruesome incidents that had taken place ever since. Jennifer de Poyen was triggered to paint the U.S. national flag for one of her painting assignments, but soon she realized that her interest in the flag was not academic but was more sentimental in nature. In her book â€Å"Seeing Stars and Stripes†, she recalls the days before the 911 incident when the U.S. national flag stood as a proud symbol of Liberty, Fraternity and Peace. The citizens respected and honored their flag and held it in high esteem by hoisting it on Independence Day and other important political holidays. The proud waving of flags was meant to show their love, solidarity and patriotism for America. However, Poyen states that a major reactionary shift or change in the American sentiment towards the national flag occurred ever since the catastrophe of the 911. She writes vehemently on the aftermath and states that though many people took comfort in the national flag after the 911 incident, she and many others view the flag from a different angle. According to Poyen, the fear of terrorist attacks and the helplessness to avoid such acts was brought on by the subsequent acts of the U.S. government. In particular, she makes mention of John Ashcroft’s vengefully repressive department of justice. The display of the stars and stripes evidenced a reactionary shift in sentiment of all Americans. Poyen recalls that horrendous day when thousands of innocent people lost their lives

American Literature 17th-19th Century Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Literature 17th-19th Century - Essay Example Tom Paine’s in his literary work the â€Å"Rights of Man† described King George as a â€Å"royal brute.† In the first part of the book, Paine attacks the whole essence of monarchy. Unlike his colleague Burke, Paine insists that each society has the privilege to establish a solid foundation of their own government without the consistent oppression of a monarch. Paine attacks King George III from all angles as he considers King George to be an â€Å"unfit leader† in many aspects. First and foremost is the fact that he used the colonist’s tax money to fund his poor decisions as a King but also to pay for his son’s misfortunes. Paine elaborately describes this dilemma as he states, â€Å"The burden of the national debt consists not in its being so many millions, or so many hundred millions, but in the quantity of taxes collected every year to pay the interest. If this quantity continue the same, the burden of the national debt is the same to all intents and purposes, be the capital more or less† (Paine, 20). Clearly, he is irate at the fact that the colonists have to atone for the burden for the King’s self-pursuit interests. According to his perspective, the King wanted to "keep the rebels harassed, anxious, and poor, until the day when, by a natural and inevitable process, discontent and disappointment were converted into penitence and remorse† (Paine, 24). Paine’s point of emphasis continues to be the fact that government is for the living and not for the dead. Heredity power should be acquired through the choice of the people and is not heredity. Paine was one of the most prominent philosophers that dominated the philosophy scene in his era. One cannot ignore the fact that Paine was writing during an era where warfare plagued society. Clearly, Paine wanted to establish the fact the notion of commonwealth in this statement. In commonwealth, the notion a covenant is established. A covenant in

Are Actors and Professional Athletes Paid Too Much Essay

Are Actors and Professional Athletes Paid Too Much - Essay Example However, when these payments are compared to other classes of labor in the American labor market, it becomes evident that celebrities are paid far more than other classes of labor. This phenomenon has resulted in an active debate that seems unbridgeable – are actors and professional athletes paid too much? One extreme end of the debate believes that actors and professional athletes are paid too much compared to the services they offer while the other extreme end holds that such compensation is fair because it is based on market principles. This text will deconstruct the debate from either end in order to find a more manageable stance on the issue. 2. Background The compensation provided to actors, professional athletes and other celebrities exceeds average payment figures for the top CEOs in corporate America. Not only this, these celebrities continue to receive large sums of money after their retirement from professional careers using means such as branding, advertising and p romotion of goods and services. It could therefore be surmised that these celebrities continue to be paid exuberantly throughout the course of their lives. In contrasts to these celebrities, the average American professional worker is paid far less by a large order of magnitude. Increasing economic pressure in the wake of the global economic crunch has forced many professional workers to consider their income levels as low. Critics argue that professionals who are more critical to the functioning of society such as law enforcement professionals, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers etc. should be paid more for their services. 3. Body One of the primary causes for high payments doled out to celebrities is disparity between demand and supply of professionally excellent celebrities. Hundreds of thousands of actors and professional athletes dot the United States but only a few are able to achieve demigod status based on their performance. The structure of the sports and entertainment mark ets also favors the more competent celebrities (Rosen and Sanderson). A common observation in the entertainment and sports industry is that celebrities are able to develop a personal following that allows them to bring in crowds of spectators to movie theaters and sports stadiums (Hausman and Leonard). Based on this â€Å"cult† following of celebrities their value addition to business processes becomes critical. This reason mandates for different teams to buy the most glamorous athletes and for movie producers to cast the most glamorous of actors. When overall business evaluation is carried out, it becomes obvious that the share of these celebrities in improving business revenues is undeniable (Fort and Quirk) and so it is common for them to be paid highly. The more affluent celebrities can be thought of as business partners – the investor provides the requisite fiscal liquidity while the celebrities provide the requisite market in the form of fans and followers. Hence , celebrities are a critical part of the equation that determines returns in the entertainment and sports industries so they are compensated highly in order to hold their interests in place. In contrast, others argue that paying celebrities highly is not rational and tends to distort the society and labor market structures badly. The glorification of celebrities as well as their glamorous ways tends to attract a lot of attention which is their selling point. This selling point means that many young

Strategy implementation and context Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategy implementation and context - Case Study Example This strategy should be supported by a different structure that would carry on the fulfillment of various responsibilities and tasks to achieve the organization's objectives. However, in implementing a chosen strategy which requires restructuring within an organization, various strategic human resource management issues should be addressed. In the case of VSM, where the recommended strategies are to induce inorganic growth and to consolidate fragmented markets through acquisitions, potential barriers to the implementation of these strategies are discussed below. Capacity talks about the ability of the environment of an organization to promote growth, which is measured through relative abundance or scarcity in the market. In the case of VSM, researchers suggest in their recommendation acquisitions in the market in order for the company to strengthen its presence, due to scarcity of resources. There is little growth in some parts of the market that it needs to be consolidated for VSM to maintain profitability and acquire new resources for its expansion goals. Stability and dynamism is what the volatility dimension is about-the degree of instability in the environment of the company.... The third dimension is determined by relative homogeneity and dispersion of elements which make an environment either simple or complex. VSM operates in a relative heterogeneous environment with dispersed elements, given that its sewing machine production is coupled with the changes in technology, which we all know is more rapidly-changing. When it incorporates information technology in its offering, the company becomes subject to changes in technology in the market place. Also, the company faces relative threat of new entrant as competitors that fight in terms of costs. All these comprise the complexity in VSM's environment. P&G P&G is in the business of fast-moving consumer goods-as it offers a diverse range of products that consumers use and consume in their daily lives. From abundant to scarce--the amount of resources that are available to the organization determines the degree of an organization to sustain growth; this is the capacity dimension of the organization, as Robbins has put it. The fast moving consumer goods is an abundant environment for P&G, as basically as the people in the world are consumers. The world market has a lot of opportunities in terms of untapped market where P&G can offer the vast range of its products. In terms of volatility, the second dimension in the environment which Robbins described as the degree of instability in the environment, P&G's surrounding environment is relatively dynamic. From stable to dynamic: the degree of high unpredictable change a company faces makes forecasting and testing various probabilities becomes imperative for managers when making decisions. The 'consumer' factor, or the

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American Literature 17th-19th Century - Essay Example Tom Paine’s in his literary work the â€Å"Rights of Man† described King George as a â€Å"royal brute.† In the first part of the book, Paine attacks the whole essence of monarchy. Unlike his colleague Burke, Paine insists that each society has the privilege to establish a solid foundation of their own government without the consistent oppression of a monarch. Paine attacks King George III from all angles as he considers King George to be an â€Å"unfit leader† in many aspects. First and foremost is the fact that he used the colonist’s tax money to fund his poor decisions as a King but also to pay for his son’s misfortunes. Paine elaborately describes this dilemma as he states, â€Å"The burden of the national debt consists not in its being so many millions, or so many hundred millions, but in the quantity of taxes collected every year to pay the interest. If this quantity continue the same, the burden of the national debt is the same to all intents and purposes, be the capital more or less† (Paine, 20). Clearly, he is irate at the fact that the colonists have to atone for the burden for the King’s self-pursuit interests. According to his perspective, the King wanted to "keep the rebels harassed, anxious, and poor, until the day when, by a natural and inevitable process, discontent and disappointment were converted into penitence and remorse† (Paine, 24). Paine’s point of emphasis continues to be the fact that government is for the living and not for the dead. Heredity power should be acquired through the choice of the people and is not heredity. Paine was one of the most prominent philosophers that dominated the philosophy scene in his era. One cannot ignore the fact that Paine was writing during an era where warfare plagued society. Clearly, Paine wanted to establish the fact the notion of commonwealth in this statement. In commonwealth, the notion a covenant is established. A covenant in

Strategy implementation and context Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategy implementation and context - Case Study Example This strategy should be supported by a different structure that would carry on the fulfillment of various responsibilities and tasks to achieve the organization's objectives. However, in implementing a chosen strategy which requires restructuring within an organization, various strategic human resource management issues should be addressed. In the case of VSM, where the recommended strategies are to induce inorganic growth and to consolidate fragmented markets through acquisitions, potential barriers to the implementation of these strategies are discussed below. Capacity talks about the ability of the environment of an organization to promote growth, which is measured through relative abundance or scarcity in the market. In the case of VSM, researchers suggest in their recommendation acquisitions in the market in order for the company to strengthen its presence, due to scarcity of resources. There is little growth in some parts of the market that it needs to be consolidated for VSM to maintain profitability and acquire new resources for its expansion goals. Stability and dynamism is what the volatility dimension is about-the degree of instability in the environment of the company.... The third dimension is determined by relative homogeneity and dispersion of elements which make an environment either simple or complex. VSM operates in a relative heterogeneous environment with dispersed elements, given that its sewing machine production is coupled with the changes in technology, which we all know is more rapidly-changing. When it incorporates information technology in its offering, the company becomes subject to changes in technology in the market place. Also, the company faces relative threat of new entrant as competitors that fight in terms of costs. All these comprise the complexity in VSM's environment. P&G P&G is in the business of fast-moving consumer goods-as it offers a diverse range of products that consumers use and consume in their daily lives. From abundant to scarce--the amount of resources that are available to the organization determines the degree of an organization to sustain growth; this is the capacity dimension of the organization, as Robbins has put it. The fast moving consumer goods is an abundant environment for P&G, as basically as the people in the world are consumers. The world market has a lot of opportunities in terms of untapped market where P&G can offer the vast range of its products. In terms of volatility, the second dimension in the environment which Robbins described as the degree of instability in the environment, P&G's surrounding environment is relatively dynamic. From stable to dynamic: the degree of high unpredictable change a company faces makes forecasting and testing various probabilities becomes imperative for managers when making decisions. The 'consumer' factor, or the

The Meaning, Mechanism, And Evidence Of Bergman’s Rule Essay Example for Free

The Meaning, Mechanism, And Evidence Of Bergman’s Rule Essay The publication of Charles Darwin’s â€Å"Origin of Species† was the turning point for nascent evolution theorists. Basically, he stated that organisms evolved into genotype or specie that breeds progenies which possess attributes of fitness, survivability, and adaptation to their environment over that of another of a related specie. This results to new generations becoming better adapted to their environment and more likely to survive than those that are less adapted, and this difference is not due to chance (Rittner and MacCabe, 2004, p. 241). Christian Bergmann, A contemporary of Darwin published a paper which embodied his Bergmanns rule that correlates latitude with body mass in animals. Broadly it asserts that within a species the body mass increases with latitude and colder climate and decreases with warmer climate. The difference in size makes this a better adaptive strategy in the climatic environs these species are found. The Mechanism of Determining Bergman’s Rule Christopher Ruff of the John Hopkins University has conducted studies on variation of humans in to climate. To make it simple, Ruff views the human body as a cylinder, the diameter of which represents the width of the body, or, more specifically, the width of the pelvis; the length of the cylinder represents trunk length. The link between anatomy and climate relates to thermoregulation, or the balance between heat produced and the ability to dissipate it. This relationship translates to the ratio of the surface area to the volume of the cylinder, or body mass. In hot climates, a high ratio that is, a large surface area relative to body mass, or a slim, long trunk a facilitates heat loss. In cold climates, a low ratio that is, a small surface area relative to body mass, a bulky, short trunk allows heat retention. Differences in body breadth among human populations largely explain differences in body mass, the basis of Bergmann’s rule (Lewin, 2005, p. 69). Ruff’s scientific studies could be summed as follows: on the relationship between body breadth and latitude, Ruff concluded that people living at high latitudes have broad bodies, as measured by the bi-iliac (pelvic) breadth; those residing at low latitudes have narrow bodies; on the relationship between the ratio of surface area to body mass and latitude people living at high latitudes have a low ratio as a consequence of Bergmann’s rule; and an increase in the length of the trunk has no effect on the ratio of surface area to body mass.

The Factors That Affect The Prescription Behavior

The Factors That Affect The Prescription Behavior The aim of the study is to investigate the factors that affect the prescription behavior of doctors. As generic medicines are taking the market share of big branded one, the latter is trying to review their strategies in order to get back their market share. Mauritians are price conscious nowadays, they will look for better prices for the purchase of their needs and wants and even doctors would prefer to prescribe cheaper medicines in order to attract more of their customers. But what innovator firms are trying to do, is to eliminate generic firms from the market by hook or by crook. So this study will be more focus on the possible alternative Marketing mix strategies that can be adopted by generic firms in Mauritius in order to survive in this fierce pharmaceutical market. The research objectives were to analyze the factors that influence prescription behavior of doctors and to identify if mobile marketing and digital platforms (social media) are means for staying in this competitio n. Conceptual frameworks will be used. Both exploratory and descriptive studies will be used. The population would be consisted of general practitioners and some pharmacists. The sampling method would be stratified sampling. Data analysis would be done using SPSS 20 statistical software. Descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, hypothesis testing will be done. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Introduction of the study The pharmaceutical industry is an important sector in the worldwide economy. Indeed, it is considered as one of the most dynamic and fast growing industries. The pharmaceutical industry consists of numerous players, all of whom hold only a small market share of the industry. The 2009 global 500 lists 12 international pharmaceutical companies (table 1.1). The fortune global 500 report also shows that Milan is the highest profit achiever with 48.4 % profit change from 2009. Eli Lilly was ranked as the second highest with 17.1% followed by Johnson Johnson with 8.7% and Biogen Idec with 3.6% and so on. Consequently, big firms Pfizer and Merck had encountered a decreased in the percentage change from 2009. The Pharmaceutical industry is now facing a lot of serious challenges. Patents on major drugs continue to expire while companies struggle to produce innovative break through to offset the impact of generic substitutes. The regulative environment is becoming more intense as the food and drug administration (FDA) looks to impose more effective safety standards in approving new drugs. In addition, rising anger over the price of prescription drugs and calls for lower prices may lead to further reduction in revenue growth. These challenges facing the brand name pharmaceuticals are considered as promising opportunities to grow for another sector in the pharmaceutical industry, the generics. Patents expiration means the ability of generics to produce and sell more and more pharmaceutical products at lower prices. The increased focus on generic drugs as cost effective alternatives to the expensive brand name drugs along with the very high growth rates of generics have made the Federal Trade Commission in cooperation with the FDA to put new rules that ensure timely access of consumers to generic pharmaceutical products and to ensure that consumers are protected from potentially anti-competitive arrangements between brand name and generic drug makers. These rules are widely known as the Hatch Waxman act. Lately, in the pharmaceutical industry, there are many trends taking place. One of them is the generic drugs and the other being the globalization of generic medicine. Generic Medicines are taking the market share of branded medicines around the world, so big Pharmaceutical companies have turned to underhanded practices to get these cheaper drugs out of the market 1.2 Background of the study The Pharmaceutical industry plays an important role in the worlds economy, as well as in ensuring the welfare of its citizens. It is apart from other industries since it offers the world population cure and alleviation from disease and contributes to the economies of many nations. In Mauritius, the pharmaceutical industry consists of a public sector as well as a private sector. The Public sector comprises of hospitals, dispensaries, area heath sectors and medi-clinics. The latter is free of charge and accessible to the public. Moreover the medication is free of charge for the patients. Doctors working in the public sector do not have the right to do private practices expect specialist doctors who are authorized to do so after working hours (4 p.m). The public sectors buys all drugs through tenders and the doctors working there cannot prescribe drugs other than that available in the hospital. Hospitals usually look forward to have business with generic pharmaceutical companies because of cheaper quotations. On the contrary, in the private sector, the patients have to pay to consult a doctor, whether it is a specialist of a general practitioner. These doctors are free to prescribe drugs of their choice that the patient can buy in any drug house. Most Pharmaceuti cal companies focus their marketing mix on these doctors for prescription drugs and on pharmacies of OTC products so as to conquer the maximum market share as well to be more profitable. POM and OTC drugs are the two major types of pharmaceutical products. POMs are licensed medicines regulated by legislation, and requiring a prescription for purchase. On the other hand, OTC drugs are medicines directly sold to patients without any prescription from doctors. The study will be focused mainly on prescription drugs where the market involves a complex buying and decision making process. So, private doctors will be my main focus since they are the ones to prescribe drugs and followed by Pharmacists who are also responsible for the success of some generic pharmaceutical firms. Moreover, this study will mainly focused on the marketing mixed strategies used by Generic pharmaceutical firms and how they influence the prescription behavior of doctors in Mauritius. 1.3 Statement of problem Since Generic pharmaceutical market is getting bigger day by day, they will be more competitors in the pharmaceutical market. This in turn resulted in very tough competition both against brand name manufacturers and within the generic industry itself. Of course, this highly competitive environment relies mainly on price differences and will definitely lead to price wars among all Generic Pharmaceutical Companies. The problem is that for generics to rely on cost leadership and hence lower selling prices as a sole competitive strategy will lead definitely to industry exit by many companies due to low profitability. Moreover, physicians and pharmacists prefer to dispense generic medicines and this has a great negative impact on the innovators companies where their sales, profits and market share were affected. Consequently the innovator companies will decrease their expenditure, budget, reduce headcounts and spend a lot of money in implementing new strategies and conduct various promotional activities in order to keep their market share and maintain their profits. So, Generic Companies must find other competitive marketing mixed strategies to differentiate themselves if they are to survive in this highly competitive environment. 1.4 Significance of the study 1.4.1 Objectives To study some of the various marketing activities related to the pharmaceutical market in Mauritius and in particular Branding strategies Pricing strategies Promotion strategies (sponsorship, gifts etc) Analyze the appropriate marketing mix strategies for generic companies working in Mauritius. To study the cost leadership as a generic strategy and its effectiveness for generic companies working in Mauritius. From the doctors responses, identify if the use of mobile marketing and other social Medias (Facebook, msn, yahoo, Skypeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) will be a competitive advantage. From the doctors responses, formulate other generic strategies that can be adopted by generic Pharmaceutical companies working in Mauritius. 1.4.2 Research Questions To serve the purpose of this study we shall address the following research questions: What are the possible marketing mix tools that can be used by the Generic Pharmaceuticals? Is the cost leadership as a competitive strategy sufficient alone for generics to survive in this highly competitive industry in Mauritius? What other Marketing mix strategies that can be adopted by generic pharmaceuticals working in Mauritian Market? 1.5 Hypothesis (Assumptions) The following hypotheses based on the objectives of the study have been formulated: Hypothesis I Ho: Prescription behavior is not affected by distribution Characteristics HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by characteristics Hypothesis II Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by promotion HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by promotion Hypothesis III Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by medical representative skills and relationship characteristics. HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by medical representative skills and relationship characteristics Hypothesis IV Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by product characteristics HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by product characteristics Hypothesis V Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by drug cost HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by drug cost. Hypothesis VI Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by sampling HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by sampling Hypothesis VII Ho: Prescription behavior of doctors is not affected by frequency of visit of medical representative HA: Prescription behavior of doctors is affected by frequency of visit of medical representative Hypothesis VIII Ho: It is not important to implement mobile marketing in the pharmaceutical marketing mix strategy HA: It is important to implement mobile marketing in the pharmaceutical marketing mix strategy. Hypothesis IX Ho: It is not important to implement social platform and other digital platforms in the marketing mix strategy. HA: It is important to implement social platform and other digital platforms in the marketing mix strategy. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter presents theories pertaining to the stated research questions. The theories will cover the most important elements of the marketing mix and their implication on the generic pharmaceutical industry. This chapter will also discuss the different competitive strategies and the possibility to adopt them to the generic pharmaceutical industry. 2.1 Introduction The pharmaceutical industry is a large and important industry worldwide, where its practices have direct impact on the welfare of patients in specific and the society in general (Manchanda Honka, 2005). The pharmaceutical market is characterized by the phenomena of derived demand, where the end consumer of the product is not necessarily the decision maker in the purchase process. The process is controlled by the patientsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ physicians, where physicians act as gatekeepers or intermediaries who decide whether or not a purchase will be made and if so, which drug will be purchased through prescriptions (Zelnio, 1982). Thus, the pharmaceutical industry is characterized by multiplicity of market players including physicians, medical representatives, patients, insurance companies, government, health organizations etc. Moreover, the industry is highly regulated and monitored by various institutions including health organizations on a national and international level (Carter Chi tturi, 2009). There are two major types of pharmaceutical products, prescription only medicines (POM) and over-the-counter drugs (OTC). POMs are licensed medicine regulated by legislation, and requiring a prescription for purchase. On the contrary, OTC drugs are medicines directly sold to patients and not requiring a prescription from a healthcare professional, i.e. physician. This paper will solely study marketing techniques tailored for POMs. The researcher chose to study the POM market because it constitutes the main sector of the international pharmaceutical industry; and it is challenging for research because it involves a complex buying and decision making process where patients can only dispense POMs with a physiciansà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¸ prescription (British Medical Association, 2006). The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by multiplicity of market players including physicians, medical representatives, patients, insurance companies, government, health organizations etc. Since physicians are a key determinant for the prescription of POMs (Huh Langteau, 2007); hence the literature review will discuss all the marketing mix strategies used by pharmaceutical firms to influence the Doctors prescription behavior. 2.2 The followings are some of the findings done by researchers on the traditional marketing mix strategies used by pharmaceutical firms: Irin P. et al (2009) emphasized the need for continuous marketing research .There is a real need of continuous pharmaceutical analysis, because it is essential for success to understand the uniqueness of the pharmaceutical industry benefiting of the complex and iterative process that carefully builds a pharmaceutical data warehouse, this being considered a necessity to the strategic direction of any pharmaceutical company facing increased competition and external pressure. The study done by Morgan M.A. et al (2006) shows that Acceptance of drug samples was judged to be ethical by almost all respondents and acceptance of a lucrative consultant ship by just over a half. Respondent s seem to believe that the average doctor is more likely to accept most items and is more likely to be influenced in his or her prescribing practices by accepting an item than they are. A useful study by Gonul et al. (2001) explored the impact of visits by sales representatives and samples, on prescribing. However, the study also showed that excessive detailing or samples did not increase sales further, and that doctors who saw a high proportion of Medicare or Health Maintenance Organization patients were less influenced by promotion. Garima Malik (2011) Said in their study of sales promotion of Dabur India Limited in Indian rural market that the success of business in India will be decided in the future by its success in the heart of India that is the rural market. Harris G., (2009) said that Overall, there is clearly a substantial, though variable, effect from one-to-one drug information delivery. This study adds to our knowledge of the subject and reminds us that there is no such thing as a free lunch; these visits really do result in increased sales. Dr Rajan T. D. believes that the regular visit by a medical representative as per him, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Name is not all what it takes to get into the mind space of a busy doctor. Every product, old or new, requires extensive marketing. Any busy consultant will vouch that if a particular companys medical representative (MR) fails to show up for over a month, he suspects the availability of the products of that manufacturer. Charlene Prounis (2003) has excellently expressed that the relationship between pharma field force and doctors is very important and crucial part Major changes are in the works for sales force and pharma company relations with doctors. If companies fail to address sales repsnegative image, physicians-and possibly governments-are likely to further restrict, or even terminate, the doctor- rep relationship. But companies can take steps to strengthen that bond. Doctors may be unhappy about pharmas huge field force, but they understand that reps have a job to do. Better pharma marketing will make doctors and reps happier. And both sides will benefit. As per Jayakumar, (2008) usual marketing practices followed by most of the large and mid-sized companies include valuable gifts, arranging foreign trips with family and complimentary tickets and memberships for social activities to doctors. Verma (2004) has highlighted one of the important points of give and take relationship as per study, Social scientists describe and the pharmaceutical industry follows the, norm of reciprocity i.e., the obligation to help those who have helped you, as one of the fundamental guiding principle of human interactions. It is not surprising, therefore, that pharmaceutical companies rely on this principle of human nature by giving gifts to doctors in hope that they will prescribe their firms product in return. 2.3 Digital Plateform Pharmaceutical companies need to employ a multichannel approach to fulfill their Physician marketing objective in 2012. Digital in this scenario is becoming the big trend with innovative and integrated solutions. The vast majority of physicians today are digitally active, accessing multiple devices and networks as part of their day-to-day activities. Physicians are increasingly interested in video and social media for personal and professional usage. According to Manhattan Research, 81% of Physicians are expected to own a smart phone by 2012, 79% of Physicians have watched Video clips online and 72% of the Physicians engage in social media, either for personal purposes, professional or both.(UBM Medica-HCPs and social media) (Source: Manhattan Research, 2012) 3.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This section describes the methodology that will be followed to address the hypotheses or research questions. It includes the research design, sampling method, data collection procedures, research instrumentation and related data analysis 3.1 Research Design Research design provides the basic direction for carrying out a research project so as to obtain answers to research questions. A descriptive research design will be adopted for this study as it involves a collection of quantitative information by conducting a survey. The descriptive research design will thus make predictions and analyse the behaviour of Mauritian consumers with respect to the survey. 3.2 Population and Sample 3.2.1 Target population A research population is a well-defined collection of individuals or objects known to have similar characteristics. All individuals or objects within a certain population usually have a common, binding characteristic or trait. (http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-population.html) The target population for the study will include a representative sample of the Mauritian population. This sample will include Mauritian consumers within different age groups, different locality and different professional backgrounds. 3.2.2 Sampling Method A sample is simply a subset of the population. The concept of sample arises from the inability of the researchers to test all the individuals in a given population. The sample must be representative of the population from which it was drawn and it must have good size to warrant statistical analysis. (http://www.experiment-resources.com/research-population.html) Thus, it is of great importance of ensuring that the appropriate sampling techniques and to design the sampling method to minimize any error or response bias. The appropriate sampling technique that will be adopted for this study will be a quota sampling so as to be able to achieve surveys with consumers of different age groups, different regions and professional backgrounds. 3.2.3 Sample Size To determine the sample size we will need to calculate the necessary sample size for a different combination of levels of precision, confidence level (95%), and variability. The confidence level tells you how sure you can be. It is expressed as a percentage and represents how often the true percentage of the population who would pick an answer lies within the confidence interval. The level of precision also known as the sampling error is the range in which the true value of the population is estimated to be. The 95% confidence level means you can be 95% certain. This range is often expressed in percentage points, (e.g.,  ±5 percent). A proportion of 0.5 indicates the maximum variability in a population. Slovins formula is used to calculate the sample size (n) given the population size (N) and a margin of error (e).Therefore the Solvins formula, as described below, will be used to calculate the sample size at 5% level of precision. n = N / (1 + Ne^2) Hence the sample size for this study will be 200. 3.3 The research Instrument The research instrument for this research study will consist of a structured questionnaire so as to prompt relevant information from the respondents, which will constitute primary and secondary sources of data. Through the means of structured questionnaires, responses can be gathered in a standardized way and furthermore it is quicker to collect information using a questionnaire; potentially useful information can be collected from a large portion of a group. Its cost-effective, easy to analyse, reduces bias and is less intrusive than other survey methods. People participating in surveys can complete them whenever they want. Theyre also more likely to respond honestly to questions if they know their answers are anonymous. An open-ended question will encourage the respondents to give a full, meaningful answer while using his knowledge and/or feelings. Whereas, a closed-ended question provides the respondents with a list of answer choices from which they must choice to answer the question. For this particular study, the questionnaire will include both open ended and closed ended questions. The close ended will comprise of dichotomous, multiple choice response, as well as likert scaled information and ratings. The questionnaire will consist of four main sections where: Section A will illustrate the about the factors affecting the Prescription behaviour. (Promotional sources, relationship, price, product characteristics and distribution channels) Section B will illustrate the traditional detailing, skill of detailing of medical representative and the promotional incentives offered by pharmaceutical firm Section C will be focused only if whether or not doctors use digital platforms for medical research. (I-pad, smart phone and social media) Section D will be mainly on Demographic characteristics of the respondents. 3.4 Data Collection Method The choice of data collection mode influences the extent to which the data are affected by each type of non-sampling error and is influenced by the data collection strategy, the type of variables involved, the accuracy required and the data collection points. (http://eprints.ncrm.ac.uk/418/1/MethodsReviewPaperNCRM-008.pdf) Therefore, a survey method will be adopted for the data collection as this particular research will involve a quantitative phase which will involve the use of a structured questionnaire. Coverage error (also known as sampling frame bias) occurs when not all members of a target population have an equal chance of being selected in the survey sample. This type of error tends to be lower for survey methods that are able to make use of more comprehensive lists for sampling purposes. Data will be collected by scheduling meetings with the different targeted persons identified for the quota based sampling where the questionnaires will be either distributed to the targeted respondents, to be ultimately collected a few days later or will be filled on the spot by the respondents with the help of the interviewer. 3.5 Validity and Reliability Validity is the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure. It is vital for a test to be valid in order for the results to be accurately applied and interpreted, whereas Reliability has to do with the quality of measurement. In its everyday sense, reliability is the consistency or repeatability of your measures. Validity and Reality will be taken into serious consideration for this study 3.5.1 Pre Testing For a pilot test for many surveys is done for the purpose of testing the full implementation procedures. Pilot tests are usually conducted well in advance of when the survey will be fielded so as to identify and eliminate problems prior to the field phase. 10% of the sample size will be used for pilot testing prior to the data collection phase. The pilot testing will be used for pilot testing prior to the data collection phase. The pilot test will be used to check questions relevancy, by that respondent understands all questions and its rationale behind. 3.5.2 Reliability of data Reliability of data is used to check for internal consistency of data which is measured using coefficient alpha. A reliability coefficient of .70 or higher is considered acceptable for research study. Therefore, for the purpose of this study a Cronbachs alpha of 0.7 or higher will be considered acceptable, and that below 0.75 was regarded as multidimensional. The standardized Cronbachs alpha is as follows: 3.6 Data analysis and interpretation The data file will then be organized and analysed employing the SPSS software version 16.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics will be used for analysis where descriptive statistics will include frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Inferential statistics will include regression analysis, correlation, chi square, T-test, ANOVA. Significant tests will be conducted at 5% level using p-value as indicator for both significance and hypothesis testing where; Indicator for significance: P-value less than 0.05 = statistical significance P-value greater than 0.05 = no significance Indicators to be used for hypothesis testing: P-value less or equal to 0.05 = reject Null hypothesis (H0) P-value greater than 0.05 = do not reject Null hypothesis (H0) 4.0 EXPECTED OUTPUTS The following results might be expected: Personal selling through medical representative visits and detailing as a powerful tool do influence doctors prescription behaviour. Factors like packaging, availability, stock and expiry date of products also influence doctors dispensing behaviour. Product characteristics (efficacy, side effect, etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) do influence the prescription behaviour of doctors. The frequencies of visit of medical representatives do influence the doctors prescription behaviour. Sampling has a great impact on doctors prescription behaviour Tools like clinical trials and studies regarding a certain medicine do have a great impact on doctors; prescription behaviour. Doctors are interested in the publication of generic medicines in medical journals. Building close relations with doctors through public relations activities like table meetings, seminars and presentations are considered as an effective promotional activity. The use of ipad for detailing is an innovative tool to grab doctors attention and is much appreciated by doctors. Doctors prefer to dispense cheaper medicines to Mauritians. Nowadays, Most of the doctors are using smart phones and ipad for medical updates. Many doctors use social media for queries and update about medicines. 5.0 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS In order to protect confidentiality, the data collected will not be revealed to others expect in the form of processed data/information without detailing the identity of the individual responses. Relevant permission will be sought from the concerned authorities prior to administering the questionnaires. 6.0 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY The limitation of the study is that not all the targeted doctors will respond due to time constraints. However, the data collected from respondents will be analysed and interpreted within the limited framework allowed. 7.0 CONCLUSION This study will try to identify the key factors of the marketing mix that really has a great impact on doctors prescription behaviour. It will also help generic companies to identify the main influencing factors which might make them be competitive. Personal questions concerning the type of mobile phone used and for which purpose, will try to find out if mobile marketing could be implemented as an important tool for the marketing mix strategies.