Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Lulu PLC Clothing Manufacturing In China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Lulu PLC Clothing Manufacturing In China - Essay Example Manufacturing in China Rapid economic growth and industrial development has been witnessed in China in the recent past. China is ranked third from the U.S and Germany in the rankings of world’s trading nations. Business organizations intending to exploit business opportunities in China has a mandatory task to understand the prevailing business environment as this may have profound consequences in business development. Cultural and political environment in particular greatly affect any business performance. The government of the People’s Republic of China has over time developed a market economy in the system, which is dominated by socialist characteristics. Socialism in China advocate for collective or state ownership of economic resources and their distribution. Equal opportunities to all characterize the mode of production. This poses a challenge to Lulu Company in that it may take time before adjusting to the common ownership and sharing of production resources. There are two major market trends that are emerging in China’s market that are likely to affect Lulu company’s operations. These are regional integration and world multi-polarization. The NDRC has a plan that is meant to better manage her Foreign Direct Investment in the economy. This plan monitors the national security investment as well as foreign investment. From the policies sighted in the plan, China is advised to give room to foreign investors to own domestic enterprises. This, on the other hand, would work as a boost to Lulu PLC Company’s plan to establish a manufacturing plant. ... This plan monitors the national security investment as well as foreign investment. From the policies sighted in the plan, China is advised to give room to foreign investors to own domestic enterprises. This, on the other hand, would work as a boost to Lulu PLC Company’s plan to establish a manufacturing plant. China’s government has been on the forefront in providing equal treatment to both local and foreign countries interested in engaging in business activities with her. This is equally an advantage to the company’s proposal (Chu, 2010, p.5). Hard work, moral uprightness, social life structures and family institution are some of the basic cultural dimensions a company must face whenever she intends to venture into China for business. As earlier noted in the political governance, social collectivism is a major aspect in the country. This means that our company must be in a position to face the aspect of social cooperation. This must be put in consideration in th e decisions regarding the kind of products to develop for such groups as the family, schools and also on the management control systems to be adopted. The company must design management control policies most suited in collective working as opposed to individual units (Sebenius and Qian, 2008, p.5). Lastly, the clothing industry has been invaded by the advancement of ICT. China as a country has not been left aside. Accesses of niche markets and the development of higher value design and logistics are the main emerging trends in the industry and thus any competitive company must consider this. Lulu PLC Company must thus consider technological advancement in her move to establish the manufacturing facility in China (McNamara, 2008). Setting Up a Manufacturing

Embedded Systems Applications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Embedded Systems Applications - Essay Example Below is the algorithm that was used to generate the test cases. The SAT solver was used to explore all the possible assignments and they are then converted to test cases. The methods that are in use are capable of generating a wide coverage for the requirements of any given specification. The filtering technique can be used to extract the most efficient test cases that satisfy the existing pre conditions and post conditions. From the design above of the embedded system, the following weaknesses can be identified: 1.There is an existing challenge in constructing a real time system that incorporates both real times in terms of both time and output. 2.The test generator may not have the capacity to deal with and handle the compositions of the subsystems. In order to make the system more efficient, a number of measures can be proposed to make improve the system. 1.Improve the methods of automatic test generator test sequences so that they are obtained automatically based on a testing go al. This can be achieved by use of TGSENS to improve the quality of the embedded system. 2.The use of scalable test generators can also improve the performance of the system. 3.The application of model checking techniques. From the discussions above, the design of an embedded system calls for a sequential creation of a model that creates a model using programming languages such as MC51 and then testing it before implementation. This has been achieved and from the results of the test case, the system can be improved in any way seen appropriate.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Frued’s Psychoanalytic Theory Essay Example for Free

Frued’s Psychoanalytic Theory Essay Legendary and groundbreaking psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud changed the way scholars and doctors alike thought about the nature of the brain. Freud’s insight created a new paradigm that focused future inquiries onto the functional aspects of the mind, rather than cerebral and somatic physicality. With this essay, I will begin by describing and defining the id, ego and superego while also discussing how they interact. I will conclude by examining the essential differences of the ego and superego and the implications these distinctions imply. According to Dr. Freud, the id is the part of the human mind that we are born with and it is primarily responsible for the instinctual drives of the individual (Sigmund). For Freud, the id is mainly motivated by libido, or the sexual instinct in its quest for pleasure and satisfaction. Further, the libido is divided into two parts: eros and thanatos. Eros is the drive to fulfill pleasure seeking actions and sexual desires while thanatos is an oppositional drive toward death that causes the aggression and destructive tendencies of humans (Freud’s). This is an important distinction that creates the impression and theory that the id belongs to the tension filled domain of the unconscious. It is the part of us that we can scarcely control, but can incite intense pleasure or aggressive destruction when these desires are fulfilled or denied. In opposition to the basic instinctual need to achieve pleasure or enact destruction lies the part of the brain shaped and defined by social and cultural influences. Freud defines this part of the brain as the superego. The superego in practical terms can be defined as the conscious mind that develops and manifests over time, beginning with inputs from parents and siblings, to schools, relationships and work. This part of the mind internalizes all of these inputs in its creation of consciousness while also being responsible for critiquing consciousness and counterbalancing the instinctual desires of the id in order to successfully navigate through society based on learned values and moral judgments. In between the id and the superego is the ego. The ego can be thought of as the part of the brain that mediates the tensions between the conscious and the unconscious; the id and the superego (Freud’s). In this capacity, the ego contains all objects of consciousness without the moralizing and criticism of the superego. In other words, the ego is the part of our minds that is aware of consciousness and the reality of other people’s consciousness. In this model then, the ego still wants to fulfill the id’s pleasure principle but it also realizes that in trying to accomplish this, the person may hurt other people in the process and must take this fact into consideration (Sigmund). The ego is also responsible for covering the impulses of the id through the development of what he called defense mechanisms. These are forms of repression and rationalization that lessen anxiety or cover troubling thoughts and memories. In addition to his personality theory, Freud also studied the psychosexual stages of development. His stages are organized chronologically beginning with the oral stage and moving through to the anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. They all focus on the sexual pleasure drive on the psyche. Stage development can only be achieved through the resolution of the previous stage (Stevenson). The resolution or lack thereof, affects the psyche throughout life, especially when one becomes fixated at a particular stage. Each of these stages and the developing person’s id, ego, and superego are constantly mediating the latent pleasures of the psychosexual drive against societal norms. The Structural Theory proposed by Dr. Sigmund Freud has far reaching implications for the way we account for the actions and impulses of our minds. With this model, divided into the id, ego, and superego, we can explain how we can simultaneously harbor uninhibited desires in the unconscious pleasure and destructive tendencies developed by the id, but we can also mediate these instinctive drives through the self-conscious functions performed by the ego’s defense mechanisms, while in addition re-appropriating this tension through the role of the superego in order to live a morally responsible and hopefully well-balanced life. References Freud’s Personality Factors. (2008). http://changingminds. org/explanations/personality/freud_personality. htm Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). (2008). The Internet Encyclopedia of Psychology. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from. http://www. iep. utm. edu/f/freud. htm Stevenson, David. (1996). Freud’s Psychosexual Stages of Development. Brown University. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from http://www. victorianweb. org/science/freud/develop. html

The Suggestibility of Child Witnesses

The Suggestibility of Child Witnesses Karpinski and Scullins (2009) study tests whether theory of mind and executive functioning affects childrens inclination to adopt the view asserted by misleading questions under pressured interviews. In addition, effects of age ranging from three to five as a factor of suggestibility was investigated. The procedures required 80 preschoolers, over four sessions, to witness a video and live show prior to a theory of mind test, performance on executive function tasks and a Video Suggestibility Scale for Children (VSSC) to rank them based on assents to misleading questions (Yield), changing of answer after feedback (Shift) and total affirmative answers given after feedback in Shift (Yield 2). The results showed that children performed better in theory of mind and executive tasks functions with increasing age, making them less suggestible. This suggests that older children, by understanding the theory of mind, comprehending that the interviewer might have an existing false belief, and thu s avoids assenting. Through the VSSC, lower Yield 2 scores correlated with poorer executive functioning, which was observed in younger children. Additionally, pressure from the interviewer has shown a higher suggestibility in children. However, the study only studied children from ages three to five, limiting the age group to a smaller range and did not include older children into the study. Moreover, executive functions and theory of mind are not the sole factors of individual differences in children that play a part in suggestibility. Allwood, C. M., Granhag, P. A., Jonsson, A. (2006). Child witnesses metamemory realism. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 47(6), 461-470. The study conducted was to determine the degree of acceptance of confidence judgments to childrens answers regarding a video about a kidnapping event. This was investigated using a sample of 80 children, from 11 to 12 years old. Four confidence scales, the numeric scale, picture scale, line scale and written scale were used. Frequency judgments of the children were also acquired. Prior training was provided to ensure that the children understood the probability scale. Results were that participants show overconfidence over all four confidence scales after calibration. No significant effect was found whether any of the confidence scales had affected the confidence judgment. However, a significant difference was found by comparing genders, with girls being better calibrated that boys to confidence scales, and the girls had a significantly lower frequency judgment than boys. However, both genders had a higher frequency judgment than the number of questions they actually had answered cor rectly. Lastly, by comparing the results obtained from adults who watched the same video in another study by Allwood et al. (2003), it showed that children were more overconfident than adults. However, this comparison to another study cannot promise that the conditions undertook were exactly the same. The study should extend its age range of children to younger children, who are still developing, though it is not known whether they would comprehend the different confidence scales to render it effective to children that age. Warren, A. R., McGough, L. S. (1996). Research on childrens suggestibility: Implications for the investigative interview. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23(2), 269-303. This review contains consolidated result from various researches to report the best conditions under which childrens recount of experiences would be reliable to use in court. This targets eliminating the possibility of childrens suggestibility. By using the role of the interviewer, the timing of the interview and the process, it emphasizes on points which interviewers should take note of. Specifically, interviewers should not hold any bias, nor ask misleading questions. This should also be coupled with a non-biased response and building ground rules such as the acceptance of unsure as a response. Repetition of questions are not encouraged, though it may require several sessions before details are noted. As for interviews, delays would result in more errors in recalling, especially in children. Video recorded interviews are welcomed, serving as evidence in court for reliability and a source for children to remember previous interviews. For the interview process, guidelines do include the necessity of building rapport with the child and allow free-recall of events, as they give higher accuracy of memory. One method widely encouraged is the cognitive interview. Though anatomically correct dolls are not endorsed, age-appropriate language can be used to encourage the child to indicate abused body parts. Lastly, the interview should be done in stress free environment. Though these information would greatly help interviewers, the best formula is to allow states to train specialists in interviewing children or building specific protocol for other interviewers to follow. 4. Quas, J. A., Goodman, G. S., Ghetti, S. Redlich, A. D. (2000). Questioning the child witness: What can we conclude from the research thus far? Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 1(3), 223-249. The study review conducted a summary of researches and their association to investigating child witnesses. First, the articles reported differences in development between younger and older children. It was found that younger children are more suggestible due to poorer recall. However, preschoolers are proficient in script memory, although it is limited to repeated events. Also, though children can recall memory, they have difficulty putting the memory into a logical structure. This is limited by their source memory. The relationship between stress and memory has not been significantly proven, but children who are more distressed may have a lower recall due to a third factor, such as attention. Trauma, especially repeated ones, are not found to hinder memory. Another idea to factor in is general knowledge, where knowledge consistent to what the child knows is encoded in memory easily. Next, suggestibility was discussed. It was revealed that free-recall allows children to give accurate memories, given that no false information was given prior to recall. However, when false information was given repeatedly, childrens suggestibility increased. Thirdly, individual differences in children was reviewed. It concluded that other than age, internal characteristics of the child can affect the quality of the information elicited. Suggestibility has been related to dual representation, source memory and imaginativeness of the child. Though much has been concluded from previous studies, there are certain areas which have not been researched or little research have been done on those areas. 5. Lyon, T. D., Saywitz, K. J. (2006). From post-mortem to preventive medicine: Next steps for research on child witness. Journal of Social Issues, 62(4), 833-861. The current paper looks into future researches that can be done regarding the suggestibility of child witnesses. It proposes to researchers not to only keep abreast of current researches but also develop new models. The study agrees source monitoring training can be conducted to decrease suggestibility in younger children. Due to reluctance of some children to admit to abuse, research can look into factors affecting such victims and methods to allay the symptoms. Also, researches should encompass older children, other than preschoolers. Moreover, laboratory results should be brought out into the field to test its validity. Through combination of field and laboratory work, methods can be refined to bring about better policies. Additionally, recantation, an important topic in child witnesses, is a subject yet to be researched. Similarly, sequencing of recall in children and the extent of display or description of emotions when interviewed can be researched. A lucrative area can be to d iscover methods to allow both therapy and legal proceedings to coexist simultaneously without increasing suggestibility. Lastly, the paper suggests that instead of looking to sexual abuse cases, researchers should acknowledge that there are large proportions of non-sexual cases that can be looked into. However, authors should note that these researches must be applied to the field in order to be rendered effective. It requires policymakers and researchers to come together to allow such cooperation. Through such partnerships, interview processes can be improved to reduce suggestibility.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Nigeria Fertility Rates :: Fertility Rate Africa Nigerian Essays

Nigeria Fertility Rates The fertility rates in Nigeria are high because of Nigerian resistance toward family planning. Strangely, African maternal mortality rates are also the highest in the world. Nigeria, on the South Atlantic coast is one of the typical rural-based countries of Africa. It is generally lower in terms of education and income when compared to the rest of the world. Nigeria is also one of the leading populated countries of Africa with one-fourth of the Sub-Saharan African population. The country has contributed greatly to Africa's fertility rise and the continent as a whole claims up to twelve percent of the world's population, which is comparable to its nine percent population density in 1950 (Caldwell, 1990, 118) Many researchers connect Africa's economical and educational standings to the continents high fertility rates. However, this hypothesis was proven wrong by a comparison study done on the two continents of Africa and Asia. Both had similar social and economic numbers, but today Asia's economy has grown more than Africa's, and Asia's fertility rates have declined more than a third since the 1980s. As a result of these studies many researchers now say that the reason for high fertility rates in the world is among the lifestyles of the people. Nigerian lifestyle is commonly rural and less industrialized than that of the rest of the world (Caldwell, 1990, 118). Not surprisingly, the introduction of family planning to African countries such as Nigeria started out slowly. At a world population conference in Bucharest in 1974, most African governments cautiously took direction toward national population programs. Only a few countries supported such programs; Nigeria was not among them. Ten years later, at a conference in Mexico City, most African Nations supported family planning. The Nigerian government set president and now encourages women to limit themselves to four children; other countries throughout the continent are doing likewise (Caldwell, 1990, 123). Although Nigeria was one of the first to try directly controlling the number of children a couple should have, it is still struggling with family planning. Like most African governments, the Nigerian government is a little apprehensive to create a population control program, much less one similar to China's. This is due to their fear of inflicting on the views of fertility issues. Nigerian views are somewhat different; they are centered on beliefs and religious practices that are strange to the modernized world (Caldwell, 1990, 121).

Friday, October 25, 2019

Software Piracy in India and the Developed World :: Software Computers Technology Essays

Software Piracy in India and the Developed World Introduction: Software Piracy in India Software is one of the easiest and a very lucrative medium to steal. The copies made are as good as the original software and can be made quickly in large quantities. This makes it very difficult to effectively enforce anti-piracy laws, as the officials cannot raid each and every home in search of illegal copies of copyrighted software. In India, with a population of over 1 billion, effective enforcement of anti-piracy laws is a ponderous task. The government of India possesses neither the will nor the finances to dedicate a chunk of its budget to enforcing copyright infringement laws. Another problem is that to control expenditure of monitoring and convicting such a huge number of offenders is a complicated and time consuming process. Latest figures show that the Personal Computer market in India is rocketing skywards. In the quarter ending December 31st, 2003, 800,000 units were sold. Out of these 55 percent of the computer sales were of regional brands and unbranded systems. It should be noted that not all of these brands conform to software copyright laws as in the United States and Europe, or even in India. By the end of March 2004, an estimated 3 million personal computers are expected to sell. 2 The regional brands are the most responsible for propagating software piracy. In order to sell the computers cheap, pirated versions of software are installed on all machines sold. It can easily be deduced how much loss software piracy will cause the industry in the recent future. The use of illegal or copied versions of software costs the worldwide software industry more than 13 Billion Dollars a year in revenues, out of which 1.96 billion dollars are lost in the US alone, which has a software piracy rate of 23 percent. In some East-Asian, Latin American and European countries, 95 percent of the software used is pirated. So, India is better off but still has a long way to go in the fight against software piracy. India is unarguably one of the software hubs of the world, yet software piracy is rampant in this country. The software piracy rate in India is nearly 65 percent. No illegal activity of this scale can survive unless and until it has the support or involvement of a large number of users. The more concrete manner in which software piracy can be precluded is to pro-actively involve the public in the anti-piracy initiative.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

What Is a Human Person?

â€Å"What Is Human Person? † Essay What is a person? A seemingly easy question, however, once looked into, the ideas and presumptions that people have are filled with contradictions and controversies. Many people, religions, organisations, and governments have a differing opinion on what qualities an entity must possess to be a person, however, there are many similarities. Many religions, for example, believe a person, houses an immortal ‘soul’ or spirit, capable of eternal life. There is also the question raised – are human beings the only ones who can be a ‘person’, can animals and machines also be, or become persons? Philosophers generally agree that there are several key characteristics that can be discussed concerning personhood. The characteristics are as follows: A soul (or spirit), embodiment of the mental and physical (the question of the mind being separate to the body), the idea of beliefs and morals, rationality, self awareness, the use of language and meaning, self reflection (and imagination), and exploring what different societies and peoples, view as a full and whole person. Religions house some of the oldest beliefs and explanations of this world, and hold a key way to understanding the people of the past, as well as their ways of thinking and explanation. Whilst modern science had proven a lot of religious beliefs (such as the origins and complexities of the of the universe) to be false, many people base their view of a person on that of their religions. For example, Christianity. The belief of the Christian Church is that every human being in born with a soul, this soul the dwells within them is unobservable, however, it is the immortal, personal link between themselves and God, connecting through prayer and reflection, and is believed that every person possesses this, thereby rendering a soul as a component of personhood. However, since the soul is unobservable, there is seemingly no way to tell whether or not a person has one, or if they exist at all. However, the Catholic Church also teaches that human beings were created in the image of God, therefore making every human a sacred being, and possessing a soul, their spiritual link between themselves and the divine. Therefore, a soul, spirit or equivalent is a required part of personhood to the spiritual or religious person. Another key point of relevancy is one’s mind, the question of the mind and body, are they one thing, or do they exist separately from each other? The mind is the term often referring to the higher functions of the brain, the totally of conscious and unconscious mental activity that controls the way we think, feel judge, our intellect and consciousness, perception, emotion, memory, imagination et cetera. The mind resides within the brain, and is central to our being, it controls us, it is us. The brain is the one part of the body that humans have been unable to create via artificial means – scientific progress has allowed the body to function using artificial means, such as machines aiding, or sometimes in place of our internal organs. Given time, research and money, it is theoretically possible for the brain to function outside the body, through a machine (A body could almost be considered a machine, as the brain sends out electrical signals to control the rest of the body). In this sense, yes, the mind is a separate being to the body, able to function outside of the flesh when given an adequate source of power. The body, in a sense, is a battery, and output source for the mind, much like a gaming console and a game disc. The disc holds the functions, and the console executes them. The mind relies on the body to function, however they are two different entities. This theory completely disregards the mortal body as being a part of personhood, or rather, everything but the brain and it’s processes. This raises the question of whether or not an animal or robot (machine) can be a person. Following on from the previous paragraph, the idea that a person’s mind can exist and function within a machine poses the question of a machine being a person in itself. As modern science has enabled virtually every part of the body (except the brain) to be reconstructed and function as a machine, it is not entirely implausible for science to get as far as to reconstruct the brain through mechanics, the brain consciousness, activities and functions, electrical currents, being uploaded into the ‘mechanical brain’. The human mind, being present in the machine knows itself to be a person, observes itself as a person therefore classes itself as a person. It has the mind and processes of a person, therefore sees itself as a person. A vital part of personhood may in fact acknowledging oneself (and others) as people. In a Descartes like manner, â€Å"I think I am a person, therefore I am a person. † The ability to be able to reflect on one’s self and being, an ability that only human beings possess, can be considered another trait of personhood. The human’s ability to the reflect, sympathise and empathise with each other and other beings is something that is specific (as far as scientific progress has proved) to humans alone. From these stem the ideas of ethics and morality, which again branch off to the law of society behaviour. An animal, for example, will not stop preying on other animal because they see it as morally wrong, the animal sees the other simply as food, to eat. A human however, has a respect and value for life, thus why some people choose to become vegetarians. An animal does not process this, and continues to kill other animals to sustain nourishment. This respect for life, and others, has led to the creation of laws to maintain an orderly and fully functioning society. Society and laws have differing opinions on what a person can or cannot do. These vary country to country, even state to state. Age regulations and restrictions restrict what a person of a certain age or ability can or cannot do. This may influence thinking that people of a certain age or ability are not full people, but underdeveloped, or not people. The subject of personhood is a difficult one, if one defines a person as having the qualities or w, x, y, and z, it is certainly possible for some animals to qualify as persons, or some people to not. owever, if one defines a person as a human being, then one has to then define a human being. The English language reinforces the theory of a human being the sole entity capable of personhood as the word ‘person’ and ‘human being’ are used interchangeably. Although modern secularism and the more traditional religious views have differing ideas, it all comes down to the individual’s opinion. This also comes b ack to individual beliefs and truths, as well as the person’s ability to think and reflect on a subject. If one believes a person has qualities x and y, then all things with these qualities are persons. If one believes a person is a human being, then human beings to them are persons. And argument could be made that the ability to think, reflect, argue and to form an opinion through observation, belief and personal values over what is a person makes one a person themselves, thereby making anyone agreeing or disagreeing with these examples a person. Bibliography. Law, Stephen, 2007. The Great Philosophers, Quercus Publishing Plc, London. Handouts from class: What is a Human Person? Summary Notes Problems of Knowledge: The Brain in the Vat The Weekend Australian Magazine: January 30-31st, 2010: Can animals think? The Human Being: Roman Catholic perspective Metaphysics Handout Handout with exerts from various stories: I, Rodney Brooks, am a Robot, How Smart is the Octopus, Spanish Parliament†¦ Etc.

One amazing thing summary Essay

One Amazing Thing by: Chitra Divakaruni. It was first published in the US in voice by Hyperion in 2009 and later published by Penguin books India February 2010. The book also has 240 pages. Chitra B. Divakaiumi is an award winning author poet. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 500 magazines. Including Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. She was born in India and lived there until 1976. At which point she left Calcutta and came to the United States. A young woman Uma, sits in the waiting room of the India passport office. She starts to get very impatient, and she entertains herself by observing the other people in the waiting room with her. Everyone has a reason of why they want to enter into India. In the waiting area their waits an Africa American war veteran Cameron who takes charge, but some are unhappy about it. A Muslim names Tariq. An upper class Caucasian couple that really don’t get alone. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past, and her granddaughter, two visa office workers on the verge of and affair Malathi and Mr. Mangalam, and Uma. As they all set in the waiting area Uma starts to feel a little rumbling and that when the earthquake strikes. When everything settles down, there were some major injuries as well as some minor injuries. People started to go into survival mode, as there is little food to eat. The office starts to flood. So emotional stress seems to much for everyone to handle as they wait to be rescued or die. So that’s when Uma comes up with everyone telling â€Å"One Amazing Thing† , about themselves because she believes that no one can go through life without encountering at least one amazing thing. So everyone begin to tell one amazing thing that they have never told anyone before. With One Amazing Thing everyone discover so much from each other as well as their selves. Elderly Caucasian couple Mr. and Mrs. Pritchet going through a difficult time in their marriage, an Indian-Muslim man Tariq who is disillusioned and angry with the new US, as Chinese lady Jiang who loved and lost a man in her younger days, her granddaughter Lily, a middle age army officer haunted by his guilt Cameron, Malathi a visa officer who is engaging in a affair with her boss, Mr. Mangalam on the verge of an extra-martial affair, an Indian-American student Uma, who is confused by her parents decision to return to Kolkata after living in the US for over 20 years. The plot focuses on a group of strangers who are trapped in a visa office. Most customers even some staff have come and gone, but nine people remain in the office. When an earthquake rips through the afternoon, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first is to survive through the struggle. There is a little food from which came from what people had. The office begins to flood, and everyone starts to panic and get really scared and frustrated. So when the emotional stress seems to be to much for them to bear, the young lady Uma tells them to tell a personal tale about them that no one knows about â€Å"One Amazing Thing†, from what they have been through in life. So all of their stories from the romance, self-discovery, family, etc. This novel really proves the power of a lot of stories and the meaning of us as human’s expressions itself. In my opinion the book â€Å"One Amazing Thing†, is an engaging book because it reinforces the idea that all of us are different and unique in our own ways, and that we all have stories of our lives that may be interesting or not to tell. We all can connect to this book or see one another if we are willing to take the time out to listen to people. Because everyone has a something to tell, and amazing is not always positive words. But describes something that might have changed a life, or the course of someone life. Some of the stories are very heart breaking, but all of them paint a picture in some way of the characters and why they may be who they have become.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Promotion and Price Analysis

The product chosen for its promotion campaign analysis is instant coffee Nescafe produced by Nestle. Before analyzing the promotion campaign, it is important to determine the target audience of Nescafe. In the major part coffee is usually preferred by both male and female at the age of   20 to 45 approximately. Children are usually not allowed to drink much coffee, since caffeine is believed to provoke special hyper reaction. Older people, in turn, are trying to avoid coffee because at this age they are taking special care for their health.Thus, the typical segmentation in the sector can be represented in the following way:Demographic characteristics:men and women from 20 to 45;single/married/married with children;elderly people who prefer decaffeinated coffee.Economic: low, middle and premium segments;Consumption habits:regular buyers, random buyers;those who prefer to drink coffee at coffee bars/ those who prefer to drink coffee at home / those who prefer take-outs;  those who prefer to drink coffee alone/ in a company;psychographical characteristics:people who lead active style of life/passive style of life;people who prefer status/price/taste/convenience;businessmen/students/working people. (Cateora, 1990, p.116)As for Nescafe its target segments are:1. Married and married with children people who prefer to drink coffee alone at home and buy instant coffee on a regular basis. It is caused by the fact that those people are oftentimes busy and they do not have time to brew their coffee. Moreover, those who have children usually face the problem that if they leave the coffee in the coffee machine, their children might tempt to drink it.2.Students who simply do not have coffee machines and prefer instantaneous coffee, which they can easily make at any given time.Thus, we can see that Nescafe is aimed for younger audience as its core segment.  Ã‚   Targeting the younger audience as its core segment, it is very important for the company with such a strong b rand as Nescafe to distinguish the core values for this type of customers. Such values are individuality, independence, pleasure, self-confidence.Thus, the brand is positioned as the one, which has extraordinary taste that you want to enjoy every day. The slogan sounds like â€Å"Don’t let anyone prevent you from enjoying your favorite taste†. The company emphasizes both functional qualities of the product, as well as special feelings that it gives to the customers – pleasure, comfort, and the whole imaginary world that you want to enjoy over and over again. Nescafe is really aimed to be â€Å"Your favorite taste,† as another slogan states. Thus, we can see that Nescafe is professing more individualistic values.However, Nescafe is still perceived as a caring, charming brand, though it gives self-confidence and assures good taste. People choose this brand as they trust its long-standing reputation and think this brand is very reliable. Moreover, it is quit e affordable as well. Since it cares about people, Nescafe, as it was mentioned before, presents something for everybody – a wide range of choice from different type of product to different sizes and prices.Having analyzed the positioning of Nescafe, it is easier to determine the key messages that are being delivered via different channels of communications. The first channel of communication is television with large-scale advertising. The key message that are being delivered is that Nescafe is a wonderful taste that needs to be enjoyed and enjoyed. Global commercial portraying woman in a peculiar garment trying to become unnoticed by her husband to be able to enjoy Nescafe alone is the best proof of that.Thus, we can see that brand managers of Nescafe are emphasizing physical qualities of the product, specifically its taste. However, the TV with its ability to show the wide range of colors, sounds and images is also chosen to make people feel and understand the sophisticatio n of Nescafe’s taste. It was already mentioned that Nescafe is positioned as a premium segment coffee (despite subbrand Nescafe classic). That is why it is crucial to transmit to the audience the very special qualities, the originality of the brand.Thus, on of the original feature of Nescafe appears to be its sophistication, its elite taste. The commercial is trying to convey that if you drink Nescafe, it means that you belong to the chosen circle of people who have exceptional taste, namely elite.The second channel of communication is Internet. In fact, Nescafe has its own web-site separate from the site of the producer Nestle. Nescafe site was created in order to give its target audience ampful information about the product and the brand in particular. It has the description of all the existing types of Nescafe (subbrands), about the new products that appears in the product line. It also tells about the coffee as a physical substance, about its nutrition etc.Thus, the main message that is being delivered via Internet (including Internet advertising) is that brand Nescafe is so diverse, that everyone can find something that suits him/her the best wether it is Necafe Colombie or Nescafe Gold. The message stimulates to try Nescafe and to match the desire with the available product brand.Finally, the third channel of communication is publicity. The latter is achieved by creating different kinds of informational grounds. It can be sponsorship of certain events that are covered by different types of media. It can be informational articles discussing the problem of coffee-drinking. It can also be different special events that are also covered in media.   For instance, in 2004 in England there was a contest the winners of which could experience a luxury balloon flight and stay in the country hotel house.The evnts was transmitted via TV. This was a great informational ground and thus the cause of publicity. The main message that is delivered via publicity is that Nescafe is a reliable trustworthy and responsible brand. Thus, drinking Nescafe one can be sure of its exceptional quality. In other words, publicity is aimed to ensure good reputation of Nescafe and ultimately to form a strong brand loyalty of customers.As for pricing, it is not dependent on the life cycle of the product. Coffee is a product with an extended life-cycle since the taste and the quality of it are unique, and the customers are usually loyal to the brand that can ensure the same quality taste over and over again. Therefore, the pricing of Nescafe is based upon its segmentation. Simply saying the premium segment brands such as Nescafe Gold, Nescafe cap Colombie, Nescafe Alta Rica cost more. They are aimed at elite target audience with more than average level of income.Similarly, there is also an offer for the lower income level people who cannot afford buying premium segment products.   This offer is called Nescafe Classic, which is substantially cheaper than bra nds mentioned before. Thus, we see that Nescafe pricing strategy is more of a marketing tool that allows to cover more of a target audience. Yet, the key target audience for Nescafe still remains people with more than average income segment that can afford buying elite products.In conclusion, it is important to say that Nescafe is aimed to embrace as big audience as possible. However, its primary focus is on younger people with middle and high income, who are self-confident, active and enjoy pleasure. The company positions its brand as the one giving tempting taste that you want to enjoy. Since the brand is designed to embrace wide circle of customers, the company uses differentiation while pricing the product, giving its customers the opportunity to choose from different types and sizes.The key messages that Nescafe is trying to deliver depends on the channel of communication. yet, the main messages emphasize Nescafe’s exceptional taste, reliability of the brand and its pecu liarity varying on the subbrand, so that everyone can find something that suits him/her best.ReferencesApplbaum K. â€Å"The Marketing Era† Routledge, New York, 2004 Brown S. â€Å"Imagining Marketing: Art, aesthetics and the avant-garde† Routledge, London, 2000 Cateora P. †International Marketing†, 7th ed. Irwin, Homewood, IL, 1990 Laforet S. (1999)  «Managing Brand Portfolios: Why Leaders Do What They Do† In Journal of Advertising Research, vol.39, p.23 Parsons A. (1996) â€Å"Nestle; The visions of local managers† In The McKinsey Quarterly, no.2, pp.21-22

Effects of Bio fuels on the Environment Essay

Bio fuel is a type of fuel that is made out of both living or lifeless biological material and specifically, the plants as per the definition given by Shepardson, (2009). According to Shepardson, most bio fuels are in the form of esters, alcohols among others and a good example of this type of fuel is bio ethanol and bio diesel. This fuel is mostly used in vehicles and for it to be considered as a bio fuel according to Connor Steve (2008), it must consist of about 80% of renewable materials. The production of this kind of fuel has been said to be impacting negatively on the environment however though this is the case, the benefits of bio fuels cannot be dismissed altogether. As a result of this disagreement, a lot of discussions have been held over this issue something that has polarized the society between those who argue that it does not impact negatively on the environment and those that maintain that it does. This becomes the basis of this essay where the paper will take a stand and support the claims that indeed bio fuels impact negatively on the environment. According to Mongobay. com (2008), there are various types of bio fuels and one of these is E10 which over time has been greatly improved in terms of quality in that initially it contained about 90 percent of petroleum and 10 percent of ethanol but of late it is called E100 because it is almost made up of ethanol alone and about 4 percent of water. The invention of this type of fuel according to Shepardson (2009) is something that has greatly revolutionised the transport industry. These fuels have particularly been cited as one of the best ways to reduce green house gas emissions unlike it is the case with other types of fuel especially fossil fuels. Even though they are praised for this, the negative environmental consequences they have are innumerable. One of these effects according to a scientific study that was conducted in 2008 contradicts the alleged potential of this fuel to reduce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide among others; this is as per the Mongobay. com (2008). As per this study, Mongobay. com (2008) argues that growing crops with an aim of producing bio fuel leads to an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This claim according to the Green Website. co. uk is given weight by reports that were published in a science journal known as Journal Science that showed that plants that are specifically grown for the production of this fuel produce more carbon dioxide than what these plants can naturally absorb. According to these scientists Mongobay (2008), it would take decades to reverse the trend or to balance what they termed as ‘carbon debt’. Or in other words the amount of oxygen released to the atmosphere in the course of growing these crops and is yet to be absorbed. The US and the European Union have particularly been on the forefront in propagating the idea for the production of biomass as the surest way of controlling global warming (Shepardson, 2009). According to Shepardson this has forced researchers from all over the world who aims at protecting the environment to conduct researches in their bid to understand better how this would impact on the environment. One of the researches that were conducted as per the report compiled by Connor, (2008) shown that clearing Amazon’s forested land to grow soybeans would create a carbon debt that would take 319 years to be restored not mentioning the magnitude in which forests and bushes would be destroyed to grow these crops Production of biomass is labour intensive and requires a big land according to Sawahei (2009), what this means is that a lot of bushes and forests are cleared to produce raw materials for bio fuel thereby leaving the ground with no cover thereby increasing the possibility of soil erosion taking place. To Sawahei, the world requires large tracts of land for it to feed its population now amounting over six billions. By growing biomass as an alternative source of fuel would require more land that what is needed for growing crops as per the Action for Global Health (2008) and eventually there will be no natural vegetations as all land will either have been cultivated for crop production or biomass production or both. According to the Action for Global Health (2008), this greatly destroys the environment considering that vegetation cover protects soil erosion and again it is a habitat to millions of animal species (Sawahei, 2009). Apart from this, the risk of polluting water sources with phosphates and nitrates from fertilizers that are applied to boost crop production are very high (Biofuel, 2003). Water is also polluted by chemicals that are used in the production of biomass such as pesticides sprayed to get rid of pests that attack and destroy these plants. These chemicals not only pollute water but they also kill micro organisms present in the soil that in one way or the other keep the eco system working (Action for Global Health. 2008). Rogercopenh (2008) contends that by the United States embarking on campaigns to push for the use of bio fuels might mislead many third world countries into substituting land meant for growing food crops for biomass production because of the money this business would bring. According to Rogercopenh (2008) this might in turn lead to the encroachment of forests and other natural habitats which are home to millions of wild animals. It should also not be forgotten that when this green matter is harvested, there are chances that some will rot thereby producing a very bad smell and apart from rotting, some of these plants produce bad odour naturally and thus they are an environmental hazard in that they pollute the air. As per the evidence given by Franke and Reinherdt (1998), Bio fuel also kills biodiversity in terms of the variety of plants growing in a field. For biomass to be produced in large quantity, enough to keep the world going, then its production must be professionally done. What this means according to Franke and Reinherdt (1998) is that a whole field is filled with only one type of plants leading to what is known as monoculture and by doing this, other types of plants are not given a chance to grow something that indirectly leads to their extinction (Franke and Reinherdt, 1998). In doing this according to Randooke (2009), animal are also not spared in that deforestation must take place, grasslands must be cleared and wetlands are destroyed. The truth is that these areas are habitat to many species of animals and thus what this means is that these species will be killed while others are displaced. Trees naturally preserve water catchments areas and thus when land is prepared for the cultivation these reserves are destroyed (Randooke, 2009). According to the Action for Global Health, (2008) the whole bio fuel production process requires a lot of energy and basically the type of energy that is used is fossil fuel. The argument raised by the Action for Global Health (2008) is that the amount of carbon that is emitted by burning bio fuels is absorbed by crops that are grown purposely for bio fuels production but the problem is that the amount of carbon that is emitted during their production considering that carbon emitted during planting, spraying, treating and harvesting season where machines that uses fossil fuels is not cleared from the air. This claim is supported by Sawahei, (2009) who argues that even after these crops are harvested, more carbon is emitted to the atmosphere in that coal or other forms of fossil fuels such as gas are used to heat the raw materials that are used in the production of bio fuels. Though bio fuels are heavily criticised in that they cause serious negative environmental ramifications according to Connor (2008), there are other various researches that have been done which prove otherwise. Researches show that production of other forms of fuel such as fossil fuel leads to the release of more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere than it is the case with bio fuels (Science for environmental policy, 2008). One research that strongly supports this claim is the one that was done in the United Kingdom. According to the same source, what they call first generation process Life Cycle Analysis, carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by over sixty percent unlike other forms. As per Biofuels (2003), the second generation process carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced by over 80 percent. Generally according to this report, carbon dioxide emissions can be saved by an average of about 50 to 60 percent. Another advantage of using this kind of fuel according to the Greencar website (2009) is that bio fuel does not contain sulphur which is one of the main components that causes acid rains. Also considering that it is made by bio degradable materials, its chances of destroying the soil are low unlike other fuels such as fossil fuels which contaminate water sources and destroy soil when they leak into them (Science for environmental policy, 2008). In consideration of the massive evidence that is provided here above, one is justified to say that biofuels are an environmental hazard. There are a lot of researches that have been done by different researchers and most of them point to the fact that the production of bio fuels produces many effects that in one way or the other destroys the eco system for example, fertilizers that are applied on crops meant to produce biomass releases phosphates and nitrates thereby destroying soil and water. Another way through which biofuels destroys the environment is that despite the fact that a lot of forests and bushes have already been cleared for crop production, more land is snow needed for biomass production something that leads to soil erosion due clearance of bushes and the destruction of habitats that are home to many species. This indirectly leads to the extinction of these species whether plant or animals. Bibliography: Action for Global Health. 2008. New study demonstrates bio fuels negative impact on poverty, hunger and environment. Available at http://docs. google. com/gview? a=v&q=cache:elry2KJk0UgJ:ec. europa. eu/environ ment/integration/research/newsalert/pdf/1si4. pdf+biofuels+,+negative+impacts+,e nvironment&hl=en&gl=ke Biofuel, 2003. Bio diesel Impacts on the environment. http://www. biofuelus. com/biofuel/biodiesel/biodiesel-impact-on-the- environment. php Connor Steve, 2008. Biofuels make climate change worse, Scientific Study concludes. Available at http://www. independent. co. uk/environment/climate-change/biofuels- make-climate-change-worse-scientific-study-concludes-779811. html

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Alfons_Victim_Essay Essays - Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Free Essays

Alfons_Victim_Essay Essays - Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, Free Essays Sachan Shah Mrs. Kupchuck English 1d (3g) 17 October 2014 The Holocaust was the horrific mass killing of over 6 million Jews and 5 million other groups of people deemed undesirable by the Nazi party. Among the Nazis most fanatic group was the Hitler youth many who claimed after the war to be a victim rather than a to be a violator. The book Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer, Alfon Heck, and Helen Waterford describes the experiences of the Hitler youth through one young man named Alfon Heck. Towards the end of the book Alfon describes himself as a victim. Alfon heck was a victim of the Hitler youth because of Hitler's huge influence, and because of the fact that he did not know about the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler had a huge influence on Alfon Heck and he was greatly attracted to the power that Hitler had promised. For example, in the story it states "You are a superior race of people; it is natural that you should rule the world." (20). If one was to praise someone continually then they will think it is true, I think this caused much of the German youth to join. In addition those who were against Hitler's ideas had little or no power on the children. It was if the children of the Hitler youth were under a spell. In the book it states: "Parents who did not agree with the Hitler Youth leader's ideas found themselves powerless to change their children's mind. Alfons father was one who didn't agree. "Girls as well as boys were attracted by the power, glory, and the importance that the Hitler youth promised." (21) This symbolizes how Hitler had a huge influence on the German population. Alfon had not listened to his father to enroll in the Hitler youth. This also shows that the Hitler Youth persuaded both boys and girls into joining the Nazi cause. In conclusion, Hitler had a huge influence on kids and they were what seem like a spell. Those whom were in the Hitler youth had not known of many of the horrors of the Holocaust. "That is our life sentence for having been the enthusiastic followers of Adolf Hitler."(219) this shows that he was tricked and he was brainwashed. Alfon just thought that he was helping his country. "My goal is to share with others the lessons I learned at such a tremendous and painful cost... It is up to me to plant the seeds of this message in the minds of my readers and listeners. And I hope that they will believe me. Only then will I feel certain that my survival has had some meaning." (223). this shows that he had learned that at a tremendous cost and he had only learned after the war. Also in the text he says that the French hit him with the butts of their guns for not believing that the holocaust was real. He was only 16 and he had no clue that all these people were treated like this. This shows that he did not know of the holocaust and he was innocent. In conclusion Alfon was a child in the Hitler youth who was misled by Hitler's promised power and did not know about the holocaust. He was told that he was of a superior race and that he was entitled to lots of power. He might have acted differently if had known about the Holocaust. He now has to live with himself for being in the Hitler youth.

Remembering Life - Creating Wholeness from Loss

Remembering Life - Creating Wholeness from Loss It’s Memorial Day and I am remembering. Remembering those who have passed in various ways throughout the years. Those who have touched me personally. Remembering, etymologically, is a putting back together of parts. When someone is torn from us, we naturally perform this reconstruction through our thoughts. The most recent lost in my life was my friend Nikk, who died unexpectedly two weeks ago. He was 33. His family has chosen not to request an autopsy, so we don’t know how he died, whether it was an aneurysm or a tumor or a heart attack. I have a compulsion to understand, to know the reason. His family, understandably, believes that the final result is the same so why put their son’s body through invasive procedures? What’s important is not how it happened but how we choose to remember. And so we remember. The music, the love, the funny things he said and did. The contribution he made. In Memory of Nikk C. These are the sorts of things we are called upon to piece together about all our loved ones who have passed on. I remember these things about my father who died of pneumonia at age 57; my college roommate who was killed in a car accident in the prime of her life; and my grandmother who lived to a ripe old age. What of my high school classmate who was hit by a bus? Or the professor who was going to be my thesis advisor until he was in an accident on his way home one night? We experience painful loss, and in the same transaction we are gifted with memories that repair the rift. What will we choose to remember? And what can we learn from those memories about how best to live our lives? I asked some of Nikk’s friends what message they thought he would want to send to the world. Some words and phrases that came up were were joy, spontaneity, embracing who you are, connecting closely with others, believing in others even when they don’t believe in themselves, and being a force for positivity, inspiration and love. Recently he had completed a huge web development project for the Rainbird Foundation, whose mission is to end child abuse. He definitely made his mark. The pieces come together. I had a brush with possible death when I was in a car accident four weeks ago, and I have been called to consider what people will remember about me. I want to be thought of for the creativity I have put into the world, for the ways I have expanded and progressed other people’s lives, for my spirit and my contributions. I hope that many people’s lives have been made better because I have touched them. Celebrating Life The phrase â€Å"Memorial Service† has rather somber connotations, and so Nikk’s family gathered people together for a â€Å"Celebration of Life.† Whatever the title, what we all did there was scroll through our memories. We experienced joy, we connected with each other, and we appreciated all that Nikk had created. We say â€Å"Rest in Peace,† and we want the souls of our loved ones to be at peace if that is our belief. I believe that with that phrase we are seeking peace and wholeness in ourselves as we adjust to life without the person who passed. I also believe it’s the remembering, and the inspiration that springs from it, that will get us there. Category:Life and LeadershipBy Brenda BernsteinMay 28, 2013 1 Comment Andrea says: May 28, 2013 at 2:54 pm Hi Brenda Im sorry for your loss. Nikk must have been touched by the joy in your life, too. He sounds like he was such a special guy. Log in to Reply

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Technology In Schools

The Power of Technology in Schools The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. Educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or Telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. Technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each other. Desktop video conferencing promises to bring students together from geographic and cultural distances, face to face via compu... Free Essays on Technology In Schools Free Essays on Technology In Schools The Power of Technology in Schools The best method for improving educational standards is to utilize every tool available, including state-of-the-art technology. Computers and the Internet have expanded the way in which information can be delivered to the students of today. Today's networking technologies provide a valuable opportunity to practice new learning techniques. Educators are discovering that computers are facilitating learning. Computer based communications, or Telecommunications, can offer many educational opportunities; therefore, educators will need to adapt current teaching methods to incorporate this new media into the classroom. Computers have made a fundamental impact in most industries, providing a competitive advantage that has come to be essential to many businesses. Therefore, schools must also use technology to improve the educational process. School systems often consider purchasing a computer network, and justify its purchase by applying it to routine administrative tasks, such as attendance records and grading. While these tasks are very important, they only show a small part of what technology can do for a school. Technology must go further than simply keeping attendance; it must focus on keeping students interested and productive. Since computers and the Internet have expanded in such a way in which education can be delivered to students, it is currently possible to engage in "distance education through the Internet. Distance education involves audio and video links between teachers and students in remote areas. Video conferencing allows groups to communicate with each other. Desktop video conferencing promises to bring students together from geographic and cultural distances, face to face via compu...

Customer Journey Mapping How to Create One the Best Way (Template)

Customer Journey Mapping How to Create One the Best Way (Template) As a marketer, it would be helpful to be inside the heads of our customers for a little bit. Wouldn’t it be nice to know the answers to questions like: What are they feeling and thinking when they first start to search for a solution to their problem? What caused them to quit looking at a certain product before they purchased? What led them to choose one solution over another? While you can’t read minds, you can answer the questions above. Once you have that information you can create the right messages to send at the best time to capture your customer’s attention and encourage them to buy. How can you do all of this? With a customer journey map. Customer journey maps are detailed frameworks that give everyone (not just your marketing team) the information they need to put your customer at the forefront of what you do. In this post, we’ll walk you through how to gather the data you need. You’ll be able to see how your customers are moving while they shop for a product and how they feel about their experience. You’ll also be able to map high points and low points to see what portions of their journey are going well and ways your company can improve their overall shopping experience. At the end of this post, you’ll have a detailed journey map that will help guide your entire company to create the right content and experiences that leaves your customers loving your brand and coming back for more. How to Make an Effective Customer Journey Map The Best Way via @Download Your Free Customer Journey Mapping Template Before you continue reading download your customer journey mapping template. This spreadsheet will help you sort and organize the data that you’ve gathered about their experiences searching for a product. From there you can easily spot gaps in their experiences that your company can fill with the right information and attract the right customers to increase your conversions.Get Your Free Customer Journey Mapping Template Bundle via @What Is Customer Journey Mapping? Customer journey mapping is: An exercise that allows a brand to understand and improve a customer’s experience when they attempt to shop for their product. It tells the story of a person’s experience when they first start shopping for a product and continues through to the process of them purchasing a solution. What is customer journey mapping, and why do marketers need to understand it?6 Customer Journey Map Examples Each customer journey map is different depending on the organization or industry that creates it. Look at these seven industries and businesses and notice how different their maps are. Health Insurance Industry This health insurance customer journey map from Heart of the Customer  integrates goals that their customer wants to achieve during their shopping process. Preact Preact follows a more traditional path  for creating a customer journey map. Instead of focusing on a variety of different emotions, Preact focus on the frustrations their customers feel during their shopping experience. Online Travel Company This online travel company customer journey  is unique in the fact that it has broken down it’s stages into multiple parts instead of the standard four. Starbucks Starbucks’ customer journey map  follows a timeline style layout more than others. B2B Customer Journey This B2B customer journey map  is laid out like a designed infographic rather than a traditional customer journey map. Yahoo Yahoo’s customer journey map  is structured more like a flow chart, making it easy to track customer progress. Recommended Reading: How to Map Content to the Marketing Funnel to Boost Conversions By 69.77% 11 Steps To Properly Map Your Customer Journey The following eleven steps will help you gather the data you need to create a customer journey map that summarizes their experiences shopping for a product. Each phase of your map will follow the marketing funnel and help guide you in creating the right message at the right time to encourage conversions. As a quick review, the stages in your map (and your marketing funnel) are: Discovery:  Your customers are just beginning to understand what your brand is about. They are experiencing some pain point in their life, and they aren’t sure how to fix it. Consideration:  They are now aware that there are solutions to the problem they are facing and that your brand offers one. What they don’t know is that your brand provides the best solution to their problems. Purchase:  They know about your solution and think you are the best option, but they need one last little shove over the line to buy your product. Retention: Your product has been bought by your customer, and you give them additional information to ensure they continue to love their products. Here are the 11 steps you’ll need to take to complete your map: Here's how to create a customer journey map in 11 steps via @Step One: Gather Any Existing Data On Your Audience The ultimate goal for you is to attract customers like your existing best customers.Therefore the first step is to gather any existing data the organization has on your target market. This is important because existing data can give you the information you need for who you have been or are currently targeting. By knowing who you’re targeting you’ll be able to learn more about their personality and how they handle their shopping experience. However, if your target audience has changed, you need to be able to see if any of the old information you have is useful. Look for old audience personas, surveys, or collections of data that may have been gathered. You may need to check in with upper management to find where that data has been stored. As you read through old data answer the following: Does the persona here still reflect our current potential buyer? Is our product or service still helping solve the problems these people were experiencing? When was the data collected? Action Items: Talk to upper management and find places where older audience data and personas may be stored. Look through data to see if it still applies to the customers you want to focus on now. Keep what is applicable and file away the rest. Step Two: Gather Data From Your Website And Social Media Once you have gone through research that has already been collected by your organization, you can move on to gathering data from your website and your social media channels to see the types of people you are attracting to your website. Your website analytics can give you information about where your audience is coming from and what kind of roadblocks they are running into while they search for information on your site. Your social media can show you more about who is following your organization and who is interested in your product. Collecting Website Data Using Google Analytics, you can collect data points on: Age Gender Location Interests Language And even the device that they’re browsing your website from. To access this information go to Audience Overview: As you pull your data look for trends and patterns that may indicate that people belonging to a particular age group, job category, or location are consistently visiting your site. Another section of your Google Analytics that will provide useful information for your customer journey map is your User Flows. This section of your analytics will show you the first and second touchpoints that your users are reaching when they first enter your site. You can access this data by going to Audience User Flow. This information can be vital to show you where users are getting hung up and exiting your site. By locating those hang-ups and finding what information you need to include, you can patch the leak and potentially raise conversions. Now each of your social media channels will gather its internal demographics that you can collect and record. Here is where to find that information on every social media channel. Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest LinkedIn On each channel that your organization is active on, pull the demographic data and see where the data from your Google Analytics and the data from your social media pages overlap. Action Items: Run a Google Analytics audience report for the past six months. Note demographic data in a separate data sheet. Run a User Flow for the past six months. Note which paths your audience is taking and where they are dropping off and leaving your website. Record those flows. Gather demographic data from your social media sites and record them. Look for trends and overlapping patterns. Step Three: Talk To Co-Workers In Customer-Facing Operations You have a lot of data on your hands by now, but you’re not done yet. Creating a customer journey map means that you need to know every detail about your customer’s experience to tell their story accurately. Next, you need to talk with co-workers who interact with your customers daily. Why would something like this be relevant? Because your co-workers in these roles are in front of your audience all the time. They are the first ones to hear when something has gone well or when something is a disaster. They hear about their shopping experience first hand. Start with the following questions to help gather qualitative data on your audience: What are common problems that our customers experience? What experiences have impressed our customers? What roadblocks have our customers ran into in the past? What questions come up as they search for a solution to their problem? What feelings have they experienced as they search for a product? Remember, that this is an initial list and you can always expand or change questions based on the information you need to gather about their experiences. Action Items: Create the questions you’d like your co-workers to answer. Set up brief 15-minute interviews. Send them the questions in advance. Chat and record answers. Look for recurring patterns. Step Four: Set Up In Person Interviews It’s easy to send out a survey and have your target audience respond to questions. However, are your customers going to divulge their shopping experiences with you over a survey? Probably not. Which is why taking the time to sit down with your customers one on one is so important. You’re more likely to get the honest, in-depth answers that can help you shape the story of your customer’s journey. What questions should you include in those interviews to get the answers you’re looking for? Start with these: What was your first thought when you realized you needed [Product]? If you didn’t buy [Product] what made you decide to seek another solution? What problem did you hope this product would solve? What information did you have trouble finding? How easy was it for you to find options? What would have made your purchase process easier? What would have made your shopping experience easier? Set up five to ten interviews and remember, your meeting should be a conversation, not a dull question and answer session. Action Items: Create your interview questions. Choose 10 to 15 customers you believe would be good interview candidates. Confirm five to ten interviews. Send your interview questions in advance. Attend the interview with a recording device (it’s easier than trying to take notes). Transcribe your interview and look for data or patterns. Step Five: Create A Survey To Gather Qualitative And Quantitative Data The last data gathering step in this process is creating a survey to send to customers. You can’t be everywhere at once and talking to five to ten customers alone won’t give you enough data to accurately recreate their shopping experiences. How can you ensure you’ll get the answers you need? Try adding these questions: Qualitative Questions: What is it like using [Product]? What was your experience with buying [product]? What information could have been that would have made your purchasing process easier? What would make you reconsider buying a product? What has your shopping experience been like? Quantitative Questions: How likely are you to purchase [Product] again? How did you hear about [Product]? How frequently do you use [Product]? What gender do you identify as? What nationality are you? Once you have your questions figured out, you can upload them to tools like  Survey Monkey, Google Forms  or Polldaddy. After that share your survey link with your customers via email or social media. Set a goal for the number of responses you want to get. Action Items: Create your questions. Run your questions by co-workers. Upload your questions into a survey tool. Share the link via email or social media. Set a time frame to establish how long you'll collect answers. Record your data and look for patterns. Step Six: Use Your Data To Build An Update Audience Persona Now you need to sort through the data you collected to create your audience persona. What is an audience persona? At we define them as: Your marketing persona is a document that details your target audience’s who, what, when, where, and why, in addition to understanding general demographic information such as gender, job title, job function, business size, team size, needs, pain points, and challenges. As you go through your data, look for recurring themes, like a typical job type, age range, location, etc. Note which qualities are overlapping and add them to your audience persona. You should also look for overlapping interests and common problems that your target audience is experiencing that would cause them to need your product. Use the following template to help get your persona started: {Insert your company} creates content to attract {insert target audience} so they can {insert desired outcome} better. Action Items: Gather all of your data into one document. Highlight recurring trends and qualities. Use the template to start formatting your persona. Add in frequent problems your audience’s experiences that would cause them to want to buy your product. Step Seven: Map Out The Discovery Phase Of Your Customer Journey Map Now that you have your audience persona and your customer data you can begin to develop your customer journey map. The first phase is centered around discovery. This phase of your map should include: The reason they are searching for a product. Their motivation for wanting to buy a product. How they are getting their information. The actions they take. The initial touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. So how does this look in practice? Let’s say that you wanted to create a customer journey map for online clothing subscription boxes. Our persona, Lisa is a 25-year-old marketing manager, who has an upcoming wedding. What is Lisa’s story? You can also pull out the customer journey mapping template that you downloaded earlier and see how to fill it in. The Reason They Are Buying A Product First, establish the reason behind why someone wants to buy a product. They are searching for a solution to the problem they are experiencing and can no longer fix it themselves. In the case of our example, a reason could be that Lisa has a wedding coming up and she doesn’t have enough time to go to the mall and shop for an outfit. Record the reason why your customers would be interested in your product in your template: The Motivation Behind Buying A Product There is always a reason for buying a product. In this case, Lisa needs an outfit for the wedding. However, there is also a motivating factor which in the case of our clothing example could be that Lisa wants an outfit that will make her stand out and look good at this wedding. In your template, motivations can go into one section: How Are They Getting Their Information Depending on your customers, they may prefer to get their information in different ways. This could be through newspapers, advertisements, blogs, social media, etc. You need to identify how they prefer to get their information in this phase of their journey. In this case, because Lisa doesn’t have time to go to the mall she’ll be getting her information from the websites of clothing stores she visits. Record how they are getting their information in your template: The Actions They Take Next, is outlining the actions they’ll take to get the information they need. What does your customer need to do to find the solution they are looking for? Lisa decides that going to the mall is too much work. Then again so is online shopping, she doesn’t have time to scroll, through every website to find the right dress. So she types â€Å"personal shopper† into Google and sees an ad for a clothing subscription company. Lisa decides to click on the ad which takes her to the website. List all the actions that your customer could take in your template: What Are The Initial Touchpoints A Customer Has With Your Company? Your initial touchpoints in a customer journey map revolve around the first time they interact with an organization that sells the product or service they are looking for. (Remember this is a generalized experience, not just the experience they have with your brand.) In Lisa’s case her initial touchpoints will be: She sees the ad in her Google results. She clicks on the ad. She sees the homepage (or landing page) for the first time. List out your customer’s touchpoints in your template. Document How Your Customer Is Feeling Part of telling your story involves explaining how your customer feels. You can’t leave out that kind of information because how the customer feels affects their entire experience. And it doesn’t begin once they click an ad and learn about your organization. This starts before they even begin to search for your product. In Lisa’s case, she was feeling stressed because she needed a great outfit for an upcoming wedding and was worried she didn’t have enough time to shop. She thought about online shopping, but that just made her frustrated because she didn’t have time to scroll through pages of dresses. But, she feels defeated because she doesn’t have a choice. She starts her search and becomes intrigued with an ad that talks about someone who could do her shopping for her. Record those emotional highs and lows in your template: Their Experience Thus Far Next, you need to document their experience. How are things going? For Lisa, it’s going pretty well; there’s a chance that someone will do all of the shopping for her! The Pain Points They’re Having At this point, you need to address any pain points that your potential customer may be having. Lisa’s pain points revolve around the fact that: She has a wedding that she doesn’t have time to shop for. She has to resort to online shopping, but she hates scrolling through page after page of dresses. What Questions Do They Currently Have You need to identify any questions they might have at this phase in their journey. Why? Because by anticipating questions that occur during their shopping experience, your organization can be proactive and already have them answered. For Lisa the following questions might come up in this phase of her journey: Is there a better way to shop online? Can someone do this for me? What is this site? What Recommendations Do You Have? Now that the discovery phase of this customer journey map is over you can list any recommendations that would help improve the shopping experience for your potential customers. For this example, we might suggest adding additional ad copy that explains how a clothing subscription box can do all of the shopping for their customers. So what does this look like formatted into an actual map? Something like this: Step Eight: Map Out The Consideration Phase Of Your Customer Journey. Now that your potential customers know that your product exists they are going to start to consider if they want to buy your product. You’ll need to outline the following information in your template: Their motivation for wanting to learn more about a product. The actions they take. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. Remember to include your answers in your spreadsheet under the Consideration column. What Is Motivating Them To Learn More About Your Product At this point, your customer knows you might have the solution to their problem. You need to identify what message they need to hear that would entice them learn more. If we go back to our example, Lisa’s motivation to learn more would be to see if someone really would do her clothes shopping for her. What Actions Do They Take You’ve got your customer hooked in and motivated to learn more. Identify what actions they will take to do this. For example, those actions could look like this. She clicks the about us page and sees that it’s a personalized box of clothing delivered straight to her door. She reads more about how the process works and learns that she needs to take a quiz before they send her clothes. She clicks the quiz and sees she needs to create an account to continue. She creates an account and starts the quiz. After about 20 questions, she realizes it’s extensive. She sees that the company needs her measurements and has to google what size she is. She is asked about her price range and is curious about how cheap the cheapest option is. She leaves the quiz and searches online for reviews. She finds a few blogs that have positive reviews about the boxes. From the reviews, she sees that the clothes are spendy, but she can swing it. She wants to continue the quiz again. She can’t find the quiz. She looks in the help docs to find where the quiz is. She continues the quiz. She asked how often she wants a box delivered, so she leaves the page to see if she can do the box once. She scrolls through four help documents before seeing that she can schedule a one time box. Now she has to deal with the hassle of finding the quiz again. She is warned about a service fee. She wants to find what the service fee is for. She can’t find anything on the website, so she goes back to the reviews. She finds out what the service fee is. She finishes the quiz and is asked for payment. That list is extensive. However, when it comes to mapping out your customer journey, you need to lay out every possible action they could take while they are shopping. The Touchpoints Your Potential Customers Have At this phase in your customer’s journey, they are going to have multiple touchpoints with an organization. It’s up to you to list out point they could come into contact with. For our example, that list could be: The homepage The account creation page Their â€Å"my account† page The quiz they take The help center The frequently asked questions page Articles that review the products a customer is looking for. How Are They Feeling? For each action that your customer takes they’re probably experiencing some emotional shift. For example: Lisa is excited because she learns that someone can do her shopping for her. However, after finding out she needs to create an account to take the quiz, she’s a little annoyed but optimistic. She becomes frustrated with how long the quiz is. Then she’s confused because she doesn’t know her measurements. Now she’s a little nervous because how expensive are these clothes? She’s on a budget after all. After a few reviews, she’s confident she can afford a box. And now she’s flustered again because she can’t find the quiz and will be angry if she has to fill out all those questions again. She’s hesitant now because she only wants to order the box once to try it. So she goes back to the review to see if they said anything about only ordering a box once. She’s happy again because she can schedule one box. After the service fee is introduced, she’s annoyed because now they want her to spend more money? Now, she’s angry because she can’t find out what the service fee is for and has to go back to the reviews again. Once she’s read a little more, she sees it can be applied towards her total. She’s relieved that she’s finally finished the quiz and is brought to the payment screen. What Is Their Experience? Documenting your customer’s experience during this phase is essential because it can show you the gaps you need to fill. Filling those gaps allows you get ahead of a problem before it begins. In our example, you can see that Lisa had to spend a lot of time going off the website to find the information she was looking for. Not to mention she was already caught off guard by how long the quiz was and frustrated when she couldn’t find it again right away. What Pain Points Are They Having? It’s important to identify pain points in the consideration phase of your customer journey because these are incidences that could potentially cause your customers to choose one business over another. If you can eliminate those pain points for them why wouldn’t they choose you? In Lisa’s case, had the information she was looking for been easily found on the website, she may not have gotten so frustrated trying to get answers. What Questions Do They Have? In the consideration phase knowing the questions that your customers will have when learning about your product will save you time in the long run. Why? Because you can anticipate those questions and have them answered before they even come up. Some questions that might come up in our example are: How many boxes can I order? Do I have to order more than one box? How much is the service fee and what is it for? What are my actual measurements? How can I find the quiz again if I left it in progress? How long is this quiz? Remember to include recommendations for changes your company can make to improve your customer’s experience. In this case, you could suggest a widget that contains answers to frequently asked questions. Here is what the consideration phase of your customer journey looks like mapped out. Step Nine: Map Out The Purchase Phase Of Your Customer Journey The next part of your customer journey involves making a purchase (hopefully from you). Tracking their journey through this process is crucial because you want their experience to be as hassle-free as possible. Here’s what you’ll need to outline in your template: Their motivation for buying a product. The actions they take. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. The pain points they’re experiencing. Any questions they have. The Motivation To Buy A Product What caused your customer to take the plunge and buy a product? Was there a specific benefit that one choice provided over another? You need to identify what that final push was and see if you can create something better to compete with it. In our example, we could say that Lisa was motivated to choose Company A over Company B because they offered a free box for every five purchased. Recommended Reading: Why Should Startups Always Follow the Customer? The Actions They Take Now it may seem simple to track the actions they take during the purchase phase. They give their payment information, and they’re done. However, you want to ensure that this process is as smooth as possible, so they don’t leave the transaction halfway through. In our example, Lisa would take the following actions: Continue to the pricing page. Fill out her billing and shipping address. Enter her credit card information. Confirm the purchase. Receive an instant email with the estimated delivery time and tracking information. The Touchpoints They Have With The Company At this point, all the of the touchpoints are centered around one specific company. If you’re in the process of buying something it usually involves a touchpoint or two like: Proceeding to the billing page. Receiving an email with the invoice. Seeing the link to FAQ pages around product shipment. Their Experience Tracking how this process goes for your customers can let you see snags and get in front of them to make sure you don’t miss out. If other brands are missing out on customers, what is it about their process that is turning people away? How can you avoid that? In Lisa’s case, her experience was smooth because the website had code built in that automatically filled in her billing, shipping and payment information. If other brands are missing out on customers, what is it about their process that is turning people...The Pain Points They’re Experiencing At this phase in your customer’s journey, you need to make sure all the kinks are smoothed out. Does this process smoothly flow from point A to point B? If it doesn’t what can you do to make it easier? In our example, Lisa didn’t have too many problems in this step because the company she chose automatically filled in her forms, saving her time. Recommended Reading: How to Create Opt-In Forms: 5 Ways to Convert Traffic What Questions Do They Have? Once your customer is ready to convert, you should have all of their questions answered right? Wrong. They need to know when they’re getting their product and what to expect when it gets here. What if something goes wrong? How long do they have to return it? Anticipate those questions in advance and call them out in the purchasing process, so people don’t have to wonder. How do you know what questions they might have? By going through your customer interviews! Some example questions Lisa might have are: When will my box get here? Is shipping free? What if I don’t like what’s in the box? How do I pay for the items I like? How long do I have to return the items? Record your questions and your recommendations for improvement in your template. Your fully mapped out purchase phase should look like this. Step Ten: Map Out The Retention Phase Of Your Customer Journey The last phase of your journey is retention. This is how you create loyal customers and keep them coming back to buy your product. At this point, your customer has purchased your product, but you want to follow up to make sure their experience was as memorable as possible. And hopefully, convince them to buy from you again in the future. So what should be outlined in your customer journey map? Their motivation to order again. The actions they take after the product has been purchased. The touchpoints they have with a company. How they are feeling. Their experience. Any questions they have.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Proper Use of The Semicolon

Proper Use of The Semicolon Proper Use of The Semicolon Proper Use of The Semicolon By Mark Nichol Pity the poor semicolon so often misunderstood, so seldom asked to dance because he is seen as stiff, formal, and pretentious. But he’s such a practical, useful fellow whose talents should be appreciated that I would like to reintroduce him to you. A semicolon has two primary functions, exemplified in two labels attached to it: It is said to be the equivalent of a weak period and a strong comma. Think of the two as distinct dance steps. In its weak-period mode, the semicolon stands in for a period when an independent clause could appear as a separate sentence but is so closely related to the previous independent clause that the semicolon is inserted to signal that relationship: â€Å"An investigator files and locates court documents; librarians file claims for missing serials and locate requested information.† As a stand-in for a strong comma, it separates items in a list when one or more items in that list are themselves lists: â€Å"The apple figures prominently in Christian and Islamic belief; Greek, Nordic, and Celtic legends; and folklore throughout the Western world.† It serves that function, too, when one or more list items otherwise include a comma: â€Å"Astrology’s origins can also be traced to several other locations and cultures, including Egypt, which developed sophisticated timekeeping and calendar science; Greece, where Ptolemy authored influential astrological and astronomical texts; and Rome, where many of the most learned men including two emperors were astrologers who wrote laws and counseled citizens based on the stars.† That said, though semicolons are underutilized in the first role, they are overused in the second they’re underappreciated for their facility with one dance step and are too often called on to demonstrate the other dance step when the dance is not appropriate. Here are some solutions for balancing out the semicolon’s dance card: 1. â€Å"More than 900 million people still lacked access to clean drinking water in 2010; and 2.6 billion did not have adequate sanitation.† An independent clause following a weak-period semicolon should not begin with a conjunction; they are redundant to each other. Often, the conjunction is preferable: â€Å"More than 900 million people still lacked access to clean drinking water in 2010, and 2.6 billion did not have adequate sanitation.† (This usage, common in the past, is frequently seen in classic literature, but it’s fallen out of favor.) 2. â€Å"Part of the company’s responsibility is to show others their responsibility; to help other water users see that small changes can save a lot of water.† If a thought does not constitute an independent clause, use a comma (or, for greater emphasis, perhaps an em dash), not a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"Part of the company’s responsibility is to show others their responsibility, to help other water users see that small changes can save a lot of water.† (Again, easily found in older works, but no longer considered proper usage.) 3. â€Å"That is true, however, the increasing conflicts over water for energy involve the vast amounts power generation makes unavailable for people and aquatic ecosystems.† Here is a weak-period construction complicated by the presence of the conjunctive adverb however, which requires a comma after it. The one before it should be a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"That is true; however, the increasing conflicts over water for energy involve the vast amounts power generation makes unavailable for people and aquatic ecosystems.† 4. â€Å"Residents had to slash their water use by a third, farmers by nearly half.† Here’s a similar problem. The phrase â€Å"farmers by nearly half† is an incorrectly punctuated abridgement of the potential independent clause â€Å"farmers had to slash their water use by nearly half.† The elided repetition of the phrase â€Å"had to slash their water use† is signaled by a comma in its place, and the two independent clauses are stitched together by a weak-period semicolon: â€Å"Residents had to slash their water use by a third; farmers, by nearly half.† 5. â€Å"He also uses a Geiger counter, which measures radiation; motion detectors; barometric pressure monitors; and thermometers.† This sentence is grammatically correct as is, but so many semicolons in a short sentence make it look cluttered. Reconstruct the sentence to eliminate the need for the strong-comma semicolons: â€Å"He also uses a Geiger counter, which measures radiation, plus motion detectors, barometric pressure monitors, and thermometers.† 6. â€Å"Our services can identify sites that infringe on brand name, content, or trademarks; misuse a brand name or image; or disparage a brand.† Here’s another solution for the correct-but-excessive strong-comma semicolon when only one item in a list is itself a list, if it’s logical to do so, move that item to the end of the sentence: â€Å"Our services can identify sites that disparage a brand, misuse a brand name or image, or infringe on brand name, content, or trademarks.† 7. â€Å"Follow-up studies are needed to improve our understanding of whether influences on decision making carry through to patterns of actual disclosure; whether involvement in counseling affects outcomes; and whether access to professional assistance at the time of planned disclosure is helpful.† Semicolons are not required to separate items in a list just because one or more items is lengthy, especially in this sentence, in which the repetition of whether clearly signals the beginning of each list item. Replace the strong-comma semicolons with authentic commas: â€Å"Follow-up studies are needed to improve our understanding of whether influences on decision making carry through to patterns of actual disclosure, whether involvement in counseling affects outcomes, and whether access to professional assistance at the time of planned disclosure is helpful.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Classes and Types of PhrasesHow to Punctuate with â€Å"However†Grammar Review #1: Particles and Phrasal Verbs