Exploring Identity and Time in Here, An Arundel Tomb and The Whitsun Weddings :: An Arundel Tomb

Exploring Identity and Time in Here, An Arundel Tomb and The Whitsun Weddings  Ã‚  Ã‚   Larkin has been criticized over the years for the moroseness of his poems, the blackened description of everyday life that some people say lacks depth, however, unlike many other poets, Larkin does not always write the truth or the depth of his feelings. In many there is a voice, trying to convince its author of something that is usually quite evident or exploring itself but revealing only the surface. Why he is trying to convince himself and what are is true feelings present the real challenge and profundity of Larkin poems. The search for one's identity, combined for everybody in one's unique fantasies and realities is a recurrent theme in his poems. As is time, the passing of it, the transformation it engenders and the damage it inflicts. In "Here", identity or the search for one's identity is the main theme. The search is symbolized by the journey taken by Larkin, which takes him through the countryside before Hull, through Hull and finally into the countryside and the beach outside Hull. He finds his identity in the countryside outside Hull, however, he knows that although it is here that he yearns for, it is not his true self, it is his fantasy, the "Here" he would like to live in but that is nevertheless "out of reach". His real identity can be found in Hull with the people and city he so despises. His journey starts in the farm lands before Hull, he does not stop his car, he swerves passed everything as he knows it is not what he is searching for and the slowness of the life he describes here is used in contrast to the imagined speed of the author's swerving vehicle on the motorway. His next stop, his arrival in Hull marks an abrupt change in scenery ("the surprise of a large town") and the driver stops his car, Larkin uses the word "Here" here for the first time so that we assume he has at last found something, a part of his identity. What he sees, described in the next two paragraphs is a city he despises, a city of people whom he feels are below him, yet he knows it and them extremely. He knows about the contrast between its "domes and statues" and "grain scattered streets", as he knows the people there, he describes their movements as "stealing" suggesting stealth and sleaze as they move towards the supermarkets, swinging doors to their "desires", emphasizing that the desires are theirs.

Metabical: Communications Plan Essay

1. Introduction Metabical is a bran new revolutionary weight loss drug, developed by the Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals, which expects the final approved by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration). As soon, as the FDA approves it, the product is going to be launched. Metabical is clinically proven to be a very effective drug for the weight-loss in moderately overweight people with the BMI 25-30. 2. Background The statistics show, that not less than 70 % of participants of the Marketing Survey for the weight-loss products are unhappy with their current weight. 35 % of them are trying actively to lose weight via any means. 15 % of them do not mind the usage of the weight-loss products to help them in losing weight. 65 % of the adult population of the United States is considered as the overweight or obese. Many of the members of focus groups claim that they starve themselves with diets and suffer from the intensive exercising; however, they do not get the desired results as quick and easy as they want them to be. These facts show the need of the market for the weight-loss products. Overweight and obesity become global problems nowadays. Pharmaceutical companies try to find the solutions to these problems by creating weight-loss drugs. These are the pills, which have to be taken regularly for a period of time. They serve as an additional aid to the weight-loss program of a person. It is best to combine them with healthy diet and regular exercising. 3. The Situation Analysis Company Analysis Cambridge Science Pharmaceuticals (CSP) is a global pharmaceutical company based in Cambridge, US. In 2007, it had a remarkable sales record of $25 billion. Currently, it is ready to launch a very promising drug in the weight-loss field, which will greatly impact the company’s future. With correct positioning, it has all the chances of becoming a new market leader and a holder of the monopoly on the market. Competitor Analysis The weight-loss drug market is new to business society and it is still developing; however, it is highly competitive. Currently, the OTC product monopoly is held by a few competitive products: Alli, Xeniacal4 and Ephedra. The advantages of the Metabical product on its competitors are crucial. Metabical is the first weight-loss drug, which is potentially approved by the FDA in all the aspects – it is the safest weight-loss drug on the market. It means, that it does not have so many side effects, as the competitor’s products do. For example, there have been many cases of heart-death, caused by the regular usage of the Ephedra product, and a lot of liver damages cause by Xenical4. Out of all these drugs, Alli is the only one, which got approved by the FDA; so, one can say that it is the number one competitor for the Metabical product on the market. Even though it got approved, it is much less safe to consume than Metabical product. Alli causes a lot of side effects as the loose stools, abdominal pain, and increased defecation incontinence, when a person consumes it with too much fat. Another advantage of Metabical is the program itself. It is longer and better balanced than the Alli’s one. Unlike its competitors, it offers an individual exercise plan and a personal support component. The price tag of $3 – $5 for Metabical can be considered relatively inexpensive to the competitors’ products and with all the benefits it gives. It is also much easier to use than the competitors’ products (1 pill a day versus 1 pill per meal). The duration of the effect of the Metabical pill is also better than the one of the competitors’ products. The main difference of the Metabical product from all its potential competitors is its vision and philosophy. It focuses on the improvement of the product from the health perspective, making it safer to use for its consumers with the least amount of side effects, while the other companies try to strengthen the effects of their product, so, that the results will be noticed earlier. This is very important, because the customers of the weight-loss products do not want just to lose the weight, but become healthy in all of the aspects. Consumer Analysis Since the Metabical is a weight-loss drug, and it is already known that its target costumers have a Body Mass Index varying from 25 to 30 units, it is easy to determine and choose the segments of the potential consumers. Mostly, these are the average people, who are very concerned about the overweight and obesity issue. They may suffer from the exceed of weight and they are highly motivated in fighting with it. They attend the gym regularly, exercise a lot, and struggle with healthy diets; however, this is still not enough for them to lose the exceeding weight. Metabical is not a solution, but a great aid in fighting with their problem. Some overweight people do not care about or even do not notice their problem, so, Metabical do not see them as the primary costumers. The gender of the potential customers is most of the cases feminine. As studies show, women tend to care and put much more attention into their physical appearance, than men do. In addition, studies say that 75 % of overweight women are not happy with their weight and 60 % tried to fight with their exceed of weight with different methods but failed. The age of the potential Metabical consumers is also easy to determine. It is known, that most of the people become more and more concerned with their weight when they are getting older and older. When a person reaches his physical size and stops growing, his body changes – the calories gained per day do not go into the growth, but the fat. These fats are very hard to fight, and even the exceeding exercising at this age is not a solution. The fat usually becomes a problem at the age of 25-35. The Metabical drug is averagely priced; however, not everybody can afford it. It is never given out for free, since, the overweight is not considered an illness. The consumer has to have salary of funds, which can cover the full Metabical diet program. He also has to have an access to the gym and can afford to buy healthy products. The estimated income of the Metabical consumer is $40’000+ a year, so, this is a middle-class person. Also, the studies show, that the single people tend to care more about their physical appearance, than the married / in relationship ones, especially, the women. The relationship status of the Metabical customer can be identified as single / actively searching. Also, there are the sub-segments of the customers on the market – Metabical consumers can be divided in two kinds: some want to use the product to look good, others, who want to be healthier. The first type of the customers are usually younger (25+), the second type are older (35+). The first sub-segment is considered as the priority for the Metabical product. This is explained by the philosophy of the drug: it is made for the people, who want to be healthy and not just slim. CSP puts a lot of effort in making Metabical a safe product to use on the first place. As a conclusion, the target costumer of the Metabical product is usually an overweight woman (BMI 25-30), aged 25+, with the yearly income of $40’000+ (middle class). She usually has a college education. Her self-esteem is low and she is either worried that she does not look good or she wants to become healthier. She is a workingwoman or a housewife, usually single. She attends the gym regularly and stays on a strict healthy diet. She is very motivated and willing to fight with her problem via any means. Product Analysis Metabical is a prescription weight-loss drug developed by CSP. It is consumed in the form of pills one time a day. It costs $3 – $5 a day. The average duration of the Metabical treatment program is 12 weeks. The cost of the program varies from $252 to $420. The drug is prescribed to the overweight people with the BMI of 25 to 30, and is not as effective on the consumers with higher BMI. To achieve the maximum effectiveness of the drug, the individual diet and the exercise program have to be developed and followed during the usage of the Metabical. As any other weight-loss drug, Metabical has some side effects. They are similar to the ones of Alli (gastrointestinal discomfort) but much less noticeable. They may appear if a person combines the consumption of the Metabical drug with a lot of fatty foods. At this stage, it awaits the final approval of the FDA, and will be launched, as soon, as it gets the approval.

International Business Essay

Q.2 a) Evaluate the different ways in which Bata has interacted with foreign political systems in its investments and operations abroad. ANS – Multinational enterprises (MNEs) like Bata must operate in countries with different political and legal conditions, so the political impact on the foreign investments is very important. This paper explains this issue based on the Bata case in three parts. The first part evaluates the different ways in which Bata has interacted with foreign political systems in its investments and operations aboard. In the second part, the advantages and disadvantages, which MNEs bring to their company and the host-country when doing foreign direct investment, are analyzed relating to the Bata case. And the last part gives a detailed analysis of the complex political impact on international business with reference to the political environment in general; also supply the way of formulating effective political strategy. * Bata’s effective organizational structure and managing style With activities in 60 countries, Canada-based Bata Shoe Organization has much operational experience both in developed countries and developing countries and can deal with different political systems. It has an effective organization structure, which consists of  · Bata Limited located in Toronto, Canada, acts as headquarters of the operating companies. Regional offices exist in Toronto, Mexico City, Singapore, Paris, Calcutta and Harare.  · The International structure: a decentralized organization, where operating companies are independent businesses, supported by a global management team.  · Private Ownership: Bata shoe organization companies have also entered into a number of joint ventures, retail franchising and brand licensing agreements [1]. By and large Bata’s operations are independent units established in each country where the firm does business. As such, Bata is able to decentralize control of its political strategy–giving subsidiaries significant autonomy in managing relations with their respective government. b) Should Pizza Hut put more of its efforts in expanding in Brazil or somewhere in South East Asia? Why? ANS – Pizza Hut, one of the most popular food chains, opened their 10000Th shops in the Brazilian market in 1994. Pizza Hut’s parent company is PepsiCo. PepsiCo was trying to penetrate in Brazilian market in various ways. However, the path was not as easy as assumed. Pizza Hut faced decline in the Brazilian market. Experts said that there were two probable reasons for this. One is Pizza Hut’s less successful introduction of new products and the second is the low price strategy of the competitors. However, Pizza Hut had a high hope to make Brazils their second or third major market because Brazil had many location specific advantages like urbanization, size, population, Gross National Product etc. Brazil endured erratic political situations since 1964. After a long military dictatorship, a stable political reformation was done by the year 1997.Economically; Brazil has a mixed history as well. It has a very good economic potential. It has access to several natural resources and well knit infrastructures. However, inflation affected the economy very badly. Pizza Hut entered in Brazil in 1988, during the period of high inflation. It followed the practice of corporate franchise. Later, Pizza Hut bought some of the franchises. But still different problems arose like- difference in cultures, cost of maintaining large pool of employees and of course inflation. Gradually, the inflation rate of Brazil normalized. People made more informed decisions and Pizza Hut began to flourish. However, in 1995, sales of Pizza Hut dropped. As a mean of counterattack, Pizza Hut took two different strategies. One was to cut the price by 25% and another was to announce various sales related decisions by mingling with local cultures like Samba dance. But both of the plans failed miserably. In these ways, Pizza Hut struggled to succeed in the Brazilian market. Q.3 a) what factors threaten India’s future competitive positions in cashew nut productions? ANS – Since the opening of China’s doors to world trade in the late 90’s, it has become an emerging super power. Hence, China may be a threat to India’s current competitive position in the cashew nut production because it is also capable to support cashew processing with its abundance of human resources, low-wage rates, and possible training in the manual dexterity required in the premium cashew nut production. China is currently engaging in new markets and providing cheap manual labor to other manufacturing. With this, China can see that the increasing profitable cashew nut industry and decide to enter it because it has the capability to do so. Moreover, the current formulation of the European Union (EU) provides that its members eliminate trade barriers for imports and exports between each other may be a possible threat to India’s United Kingdom market. Since the UK can virtually import anything from its neighboring countries without any cost, it might affect the demand of cashew nuts –the Europeans may divert their attention from cashew nuts to other products popular in its neighboring countries. India’s competitiveness could also be threatened by the increased Research and Development improvement that countries worldwide are engaging in nowadays. Brazilians (India’s most prominent competitor in the cashew nut industry) may possibly find machinery that can be substituted for the needed hand dexterity for the flavor that India’s cashew nut has. b) Should the United States seek to tighten the economic grip on cube? If so, how should it be done? ANS – U.S. should not seek to tighten economic grip on Cuba as it is already a weak economy as compared to U.S. due to the political environment of the country for the past few decades. For U.S. industries and companies Cuba is a very potential market. Also the workforce is efficient, so there is a possibility of efficient labor at lower cost for U.S. industries. Also, other countries of the world started favoring Cuba and also doubted the rationale of U.S. on imposing the embargo. 1. Attitude: An attitude may be defined as a learned disposition to behave in a consistently favourable or unfavourable way with respect to a given object (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2000). Stated differently, it positions people into a frame of mind of liking or disliking things, of moving toward or away from them‘ (Kolter and Armstrong, 2008: p144). It is acknowledged that people have attitudes toward almost everything – religion, politics, clothes, music, food (Kotler, 2003). For instance The demand for life insurance in a country may be affected by the unique culture of the country to the extent that it affects the population‘s risk aversion (Douglas and Wildavski, 1982). Henderson and Milhouse (1987) argue that an individual‘s religion can provide an insight into the individual‘s behaviour; and understanding religion is an important component of understanding a nation‘s unique culture. Also, Zelizer (1979) notes that religion historically has provided a strong source of cultural opposition to life insurance as many religious people believe that a reliance on life insurance results from a distrust of God‘s protecting care. But historically, some form of social insurance existed in Nigerian and Africa society long before the introduction of the modern insurance in Nigeria (Osoka, 1992). These social schemes evolved through the existence of extended family system and social associations such as age grades, and other unions. The simplest form of the â€â€"social insurance‘ was practiced by means of providing cash donations, materials or sometimes organized collective labour to assist members of extended family and members of social or communal associations who suffer a mishap. 2. Lack of Knowledge of Insurance Culture: In a recent study of quality of life in developing countries with reference to South Africa (Moller, 2004), income and social security (own wages, ability to provide for family, insurance against illness/death and income in old age) have been treated as one of the major indicators of quality of life. This standpoint stresses the significance of insurance to human life. Ironically, insurance services seem not to have been so accepted enthusiastically in developing countries. The abysmal level of insurance culture in developing economies has attracted relative interests among researchers and practitioners alike. Risk has been identified as a central fact of life in the rural areas of less-developed countries (Udry, 1994). Some of the problems associated with this have been marketing. For example, Omar (2005) assesses consumers‘attitudes towards life insurance patronage in Nigeria and found out that there is lack of trust and confidence i n the insurance companies. Other major reason for this attitude is lack of knowledge about life insurance product. 3. Low Level of Education: Educational status of Nigerians has significant influence on their attitude towards insurance. Educated people have more positive attitude to insurance than less educated ones. In a recent insurance conducted in Lagos, Nigeria. The choice of Lagos is due to its nature as a metropolitan city where most Nigerian ethnic groups are largely represented. Fact shows that respondents with higher education outperformed others even though no statistical significant difference was observed with vocational education. 4. Unemployment Issue: Employees working status has a significance effect on Nigerians attitude towards insurance. Retired and Employed Nigerians with means attitude scores of 28.50 and 28.14 respectively outperformed their competitors. No significant difference was observed between retired, employed and Self-employed respondents. On the other hand, self-employed people have significantly higher attitude towards insurance than unemployed, student and part time workers. This result is quite similar to findings in most developed world. In Conclusion, The findings of this study suggest some major implications for marketing of insurances services in Nigerian businesses environment which is a big market. Given that attitude is strongly linked to behaviour, marketers of insurance services targeting Nigerians are confronted with the challenge of encouraging people to embrace insurance institution and its associated benefits. Based on the findings, this article confirms negative attitudes of Nigerians to insurance services further. But apart from this broad finding in respect of the negative attitudes to this line of business, this study suggests some specific findings based on different demographical factors of the respondents. The findings serve as inputs to marketers of insurance services on how they formulate and implement relevant marketing strategies towards addressing the nonchalant attitude of Nigerians to insurance. For instance, specific marketing strategies are required to encourage the young generation below 46 years of age, the divorced/separated, and the less-educated to embrace and appreciate the role of insurance. Since, the basic issue associated with this lack of interest rests mainly in their lack of appreciation of the roles of benefits of insurance services; it is recommended that significant marketing communication activities with instant compensation to both marketers be targeted more at this set of people highlighted. This will help to kindle their interest in the business and brings the insurance institution to the highly exalted position it belongs in their perception.

Imposed in ederly driver

Should special conditions be imposed on elderly Victorian There have been four high-profile traffic accidents Involving older drivers In the past few days. As we known, Victorian Is the only Australia state which does not have compulsory testing of driving license held by older motorists. However, it does not mean that mandatory testing should be imposed on elderly driver in Victorian due to mandatory testing does not make the road safer, older drivers are more cautious and elderly driver promotes economics development. Firstly, mandatory testing of older driver does not make the roads safer.Most of the states have the restrictions for elderly drivers except Victorian. For example, According to Australia government, In New South Wales drivers aged 75 and over must pass an annual medical examination or pass a practical driving test every second years. In Queensland, drivers over 75 must only drive with a medical certificate issued by a doctor. However, according to the Victoria, Vic h ad the lowest older driver crash rate per number of license Issued by comparing the crash rates of elder driver across the country which surprised audience about the statistic.The statistic shows audience older driver in Victoria without legal equipment did not increase the crashes rate however it is safer compare to the other states in Australia. Secondly, most of the drivers are more cautious and therefore there are safer than younger driver. Not only Judith Carlton writes that ‘older drivers actually aware of their own limitations'. For example, by choosing easy-to-manage driving environments or by choosing not to drive at night. T also professor Raphael Criticize from Transport and Road Safety unit at nun of news satisfying people just don't have a perception of risk, in terms of driving skills, in terms of crashes. The media affect our decision. The contrast of two opinions is obvious that older driver are more careful than younger drivers. Thirdly, allowing driver to dri ve will promotes economic development. According to Victoria seniors over 70 had 10 percent of Victorian licenses In 2012 and worse still. Australian the proportion of people over the age of 65 will increase from 11. Recent in 2001 to 24,2 percent in 2051 which means there are more elderly driver in the road. If special condition imposed on elderly Victorian motorists. Many elder drivers will be taken licenses away . Then, it is hard for them to go out and spending money on shopping centre coffee shops and so on because these are away from uptown which also prevent economic development. On the other side, society think of older people do not need cars to travel or to work, public transport is available for older driver.Even though Victoria has a extensive and safe public transport system. Older driver can not easily travel for routine travel to shop and for social reasons because number of run relatively little especially on the weekend, It runs every one hour and finishes earlier w hich means It is Last but not least, driving a car is right of older driver. Forbidden to drive due to the age is unfair. Should older drivers stay on the road will be a serious problem due to aging population. The government needs to work out a good way to help them driving safely.

Marketing Challenges in the Global Economy Essay

Abstract This article discusses some challenges faced with product development in the global economy. Brief case studies of Apple, eBay, and Levi Strauss & Co., provide real-world examples of the challenges – competition, reach of influences, infringement, etc. Embracing technological advances, such as social media, is essential for leveraging a competitive edge, provide the company can operate ethically. Marketing Challenges in the Global Economy Introduction The world is getting smaller, figuratively speaking, and companies must continually reinvent themselves to remain competitive in the global economy. A constant introduction of seemingly ever-changing variables create challenges for big businesses and start-ups alike, and while technology creates its own set of challenges, leveraging its benefits in marketing can propel a company to the leader’s board. But while technology has created new marketing opportunities – especially in engaging with consumers – companies need to be ever cautious about maintaining an ethical marketing strategy. Challenges in New Product Launches Companies face various challenges when developing products in the global economy. Some of these challenges are more distinct to specific industries, while others are universal. Twenty years ago, the biggest challenges with product development in the global economy were communication with manufacturers, especially when dealing with manufacturers halfway around the world, and the speed of production. Rapidly evolving technology has on one hand eased these, but also created new sets of challenges. The same technology that brought the world 24-hour news service also meant greater access for scrutiny, as well as a greater consumer expectation for full disclosure of business practices. Increasingly, people want to know that companies are running ethical production operations (Pelsmacker, Driesen & Rayp, 2005). Environmental sustainability, fair trade and wages, and safe and healthy work conditions are issues that companies have to consider more than ever. While technological advancement has granted easier interaction with manufacturers around the world, it has not changed the fact that reach of influence is still a challenge. Independent start-ups now have virtually the same global market access as multinational corporations. Big businesses can no longer assume the competitive edge. And all of these companies, big and small, operating internationally, have to compete with local businesses. This is why operating across a spectrum of socioeconomic and cultural consumer bases requires an understanding of the psychographics for each target audience. Another challenge in product development, especially for technology-based companies, is the risk of patent infringement. More tech dollars are spent in the courtroom than on the research and development (Duhigg & Lohr, 2012). Technology firms make money suing each other back and forth. Case Study 1: Apple Under the direction of Steve Jobs, Apple seemed to have no problem delivering products to the global market that transcended cultural boundaries – iPod, iPhone, iPad, Macbook. The key was simple, user-friendly products. Are Macbooks worth their price tags? Was the first iPhone worth $500? Product valuation has been a question largely irrelevant For Apple. It was able to defy the odds by creating a demand for the products, a key to pricing a product line (Guiltinan, 2011). Still, Apple, as with any tech firm, is at risk of being overshadowed by the next greatest innovation, as seen in the latest battle of the smartphone wars (Reuters, 2012). It is a back-and-forth war that extends beyond the front line that is the retail floor. Behind the scenes, Apple and every other tech device and software developer are engaged in costly patent litigation. Apple recently won more than $1 billion from Samsung (Pepitone & Goldman, 2012). Likewise, Samsung is taking legal action against Apple for patent infringement on the iPhone 5 (Musil, 2012). Other challenge that Apple provides a prime example is ethical oversight of offshore production. Apple’s Chinese factories, run by Foxconn, have received a lot of heat for work conditions and unfair wages that have resulted in mass suicide of employees, brawls, and halting production (Garside, 2012). Case Study 2: eBay Since 1995, the internet auction giant has been providing a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) service that revolutionized e-commerce, but its success has not been without challenges. Acting essentially as nothing more than an internet moderator between C2C transaction, eBay has not had to deal with all of the same issues as Apple, such as the controversy of sub-par factory conditions. But it has faced some of the other challenges synonymous with technology firms. Patent infringement has haunted eBay. For example, MercExchange sued eBay for unlawfully using its patented software to create the eBay â€Å"Buy It Now† feature (Larson, 2010). Likewise, eBay has had to compete with other e-commerce auctions around the world. It is the standard in most western markets, but could not win in China against TaoBao (Ou & Davison, 2009). After battling for market dominance eBay conceded to TaoBao, showing that even corporate giants are sometimes challenged in reach of influence. But eBay celebrates its failures just the same as its successes. With rapidly advancing technology, the minds behind eBay have sometimes had to make decision quickly, without conclusive research, and adjust later. If the decision resulted in a failure, they at least knew what direction not to evolve in (Ignatius, 2011). Case Study 3: Levi Strauss & Co The apparel industry is probably most notoriously associated with running factories in sub-par conditions (Brown, Deardorff, & Stern). Even iconic American denim brand Levi’s is not innocent of this. Competition in the 1990s forced the company to move much of it’s production offshore, where it was soon implicated along with dozens of other brands in sweatshop operations (Shenon, 1993). More recently, ease of access into the market has created a lot of competition for Levi’s. Furthermore, emerging fashion markets have been turning their focus to local designers, further challenging Levi’s reach of influence (Grail Research, 2009). To ensure survival, Levi’s has taken steps to reinvent its image through fresh marketing campaigns to match its fresh designs (Frey, n.d.), like its recent â€Å"Go Forth† campaign. Technology and New Product Development Social media has radically changed the marketing landscape. Advertising used to be a one-directional conversation – television, radio, and magazines told consumers what to buy, and consumers were limited in their ability to denounce these sales pitches. Now marketing is most certainly dialog that requires input from consumers. Technology: Facebook MySpace might have introduced the world to the concept of social media, but Facebook took it beyond peer-to-peer and created an environment where businesses and consumers can engage in meaningful dialog (Wilkinson & Thelwall, 2010). This has allowed companies to get direct feedback from consumers, while making consumers feel like they are part of the company. Companies of varying sizes have staged successful Facebook campaigns. Even anti-Facebook campaigns have found success on the virtual playground. As a tribute to Facebook’s IPO, the magazine Fast Company published what it considered to be the five all-time best Facebook campaigns (Iezzi, 2012). Technology: YouTube Celebrities like Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy have defined a new paradigm of stardom, achieving fame through the use of viral video. Social media users are always looking for their 15 minutes of fame, and companies have picked up on this. Numerous brands have launched user-generated content campaigns. This has allowed fresh vision to emerge, while build brand evangelism. One successful campaign of this nature was the Doritos Superbowl ad contest, in which the best user-submitted video was aired during the Superbowl. Technology: Google AdSense The ever-innovative Google developed a method for posting advertisements based on the user’s browsing habits – that, is ads related to page content. Logging onto Gmail, it is no coincidence that the right-column ads share subject matter with the inbox emails. Even the Facebook ads reflect browsing history. While web ads, especially pop-ups, generally invoke negative connotations, they have a certain subliminal effect on consumers. Legal and Ethical Implications in New Product Development As previously stated, advances in technology have allowed easier access for consumers to see the skeletons in the closet, so to speak, of companies. This means companies should be on their best behavior, or expect to have their dirty little secrets discovered. Still, companies continue to engage in unethical, and even illegal marketing. This questionable activity can come in such forms as misrepresentation and misinformation, slander against competition, omission of facts, or outright lying. It can even involve deliberate manipulation of emotions to achieve a desired effect. Legal and ethical implications: Dannon Activia Despite inconclusive evidence in studies (Walker & Buckley, 2006) regarding the benefits of probiotics, Dannon chose to market implied digestive benefits of Activia and DanActive. In turn, the yogurt company found itself engaged in a lawsuit. This is a clear example of why companies should not mislead consumers for profit. Legal and ethical implications: Feed the Children The Feed the Children campaign releases videos that use techniques to deliberately elicit guilt, thus â€Å"inspiring† the the viewer to donate. What they fail to include in the commercials is the fact that the majority of donations goes to administrative costs, that is, salaries (Defoor, n.d.) Legal and ethical implications: Techie trash talk If it isn’t enough to sue each other back and forth over patent infringement, smartphone companies have taken to slandering each other for the competitive edge. Samsung accused Nokia of this with its recent â€Å"Blown Away by Lumina† campaign, in which it allegedly misrepresents the capabilities of the Nokia Lumina against other smartphones (Mukherjee, 2012). Conclusion The examples presented here provide discourse for the challenges of product development in the global economy, and the benefits of technology in marketing. While technological advancement brings along new sets of challenges, the benefits vastly amount to more. Leveraging these benefits in marketing is key for companies to succeed in an increasingly competitive global market. However, under the looming microscope of public scrutiny, companies need to be ever cautious about maintaining ethical marketing strategies. References Brown, D., Deardorff, A., & Stern, R. NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, (2003).The effects of multinational production on wages and working conditions in developing countries(Working Paper 9669). Retrieved from website: http://www.nber.org/papers/w9669 Defoor, A. (n.d.). Who do they feed?. Retrieved from http://www.themarketingscene.com/index.php/site/topic/who_do_they_feed Duhigg, C., & Lohr, S. (2012, October 07). The patent, used as a sword. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/technology/patent-wars-among-tech-giants-can-stifle-competition.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 Frey, U. (n.d.). Reinventing levi strauss & co. CalBusiness, Retrieved from http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/groups/pubs/calbusiness/stories/levi1.html Garside, J. (2012, March 29). Apple’s factories in china are breaking employment laws, audit finds. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/mar/30/apple-factories-china-foxconn-audit Grail Research. Integreon, Grail Research. (2009). T he global fashion industry – growth in emerging markets. Retrieved from website http://www.grailresearch.com/pdf/ ContenPodsPdf/Global_Fashion_Industry_Growth_in_Emerging_Markets.pdf Iezzi, T. (2012). The 5 all-time best facebook campaigns. Retrieved from http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680811/the-5-all-time-best-facebook-campaigns Ignatius, A. (2011). How eBay Developed A Culture of Experimentation. Harvard Business Review, 89(3), 92-97. Mukherjee, W. (2012, April 11). Samsung: Nokia lumia campaign unethical. Retrieved from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/enterprise-it/strategy/Samsung-Nokia-Lumia-campaign-unethical/articleshow/12620894.cms Musil, S. (2012, September 10). Samsung will reportedly sue apple over lte use on iphone 5. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57510080-37/samsung-will-reportedly-sue-a

Marriage tradition in Amish Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marriage tradition in Amish - Essay Example Their language is a German dialect called Pennsylvania Dutch, and religious services are held in the homes of community members – not in churches. Farming is their preferred occupation, although they have diversified into small businesses, such as furniture and leather goods. Based on the Biblical words, ‘Be ye not conformed to the world,’ the Amish isolate themselves from mainstream society, rejecting social security, public education, technology and automobiles (Boeree, n.d.). Separation of the State and church, a literal interpretation of the Bible, non-violence, separation from the world, distinct appearance and clothing, and strict adherence to the ‘Ordnung,’ or oral tradition of rules, are characteristic, unique Amish beliefs (Robinson, 2005). Devotion to community and family is the hallmark of the Amish. The welfare of the community supersedes individual interests. As the family is the center of the Amish community, marriage is a significant st ep in life, and is governed by several rules and traditional rituals. Amish marriages demonstrate the societal functions of establishing stable relationships, regulating sexual division of labor, and providing for the needs of the children. Amish marriages are directed towards the establishment of permanent relationships between a man and a woman. This is to ensure the stability of the community. As such, marriage is linked with group identity and culture. It is a part of the need to strengthen community ties. This attempt to create stable unions, in accordance with the social regulations which govern their sect, mandates that Amish marriages are governed by various strictures. These rituals strengthen the feeling of identity and sense of belonging to the community. In order to maintain the isolation of the community from outside culture, marriages outside the faith are not permitted. Consanguineous marriage is not encouraged. In furtherance of group unity, all Amish marriages

Economcs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Economcs - Essay Example The company is especially famous for its contribution of the assembly line, granting the mass production of automobiles by 1913 (Ford motor, n.d.). For decades, it remained to be the second largest automaker worldwide, only behind General Motors (Freysennet, 1998). Today Ford has major operations in America, Asia Pacific Africa, and Europe. It used to manufacture diverse car and truck brands, to wit, Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Jaguar, Aston Martin, Volvo, Land Rover and Mercury (Freysennet, 1998). Recently, however, it is streamlining (though less than an overhauling) its global and domestic approach to avert unwanted outcomes. Ford sold off Jaguar, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Volvo; and conclusive in ceasing the production of Mercury by the end of this year (Weaver, 2010). Threat of Substitutes. Automobiles give the end-users a sense of individuality which other modes of transportation (e.g. trains, and buses) don’t inherently offer. However this doesn’t give them an entire advantage. Owning private vehicles doesn’t only involve a costly purchase but also entails a probably costly responsibility as well in sustaining its usability mainly in times like repairing damaged parts/areas, or supplying gasoline. Moreover, in a global perspective, people are culturally and/or socially distinct (Bradley, et al., 2005). Not all people find automobiles a commodity. Thus, the threat of substitutes is only fair and varies greatly in different geographic market locations. Rivalry between Established Competitors. Though the oligopolistic structure of the automotive industry should partly eliminate price-based competition, the concentration ratios could no longer disguise the ongoing competition (Bradley, et al., 2005). This may not even be some sleazy plan to reinforce competition but a by-product of the economic slumps such that companies ultimately attempted to generate maximum sales to finance its operations. With Honda, Toyota,