Human biology and nutrition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human biology and nutrition - Essay Example The model deals with the alleviation of the health condition of the individual. The social model of health entails how determinants other than the absence or presence of a disease affect the health of individuals. Some of these determinants include the culture, beliefs of the individuals as well as the level of income, housing and education. Moreover, the political, socio-economic and the environmental conditions that the person is exposed to can have an impact on health. The social interactions of the people also influence their health (CDHN). The model deals with the alleviation of the health condition of the individual. The model helps to bring down the rate of deaths and early death. The physician will study the various pathological aspects of diabetes and the organs that it is involving. This includes the heart, kidneys, brain, liver and blood vessels as well as the extremities of the body. The model would help the person from his or health condition by considering the social determinants of health. The doctor will make an analysis of the genetic linkage of the disease as well as the intake of sugar in the diet of the person. If the person is overweight the doctor will make an analysis of the income of the patient and the dietary habits. Disadvantage: The doctor can do little or nothing about the health condition of the patient if irreversible damage has been done. However the patient can be advised on the management of the health condition. The physician makes an assessment of what is wrong with the body and accordingly fixes that part of the individual. In the case of heart disease, it is the heart that is the most affected. Other organs maybe affected as a consequence the inability of the heart to pump correctly. For instance, inability of the heart to achieve a normal stroke output can result in pooling of blood in the ventricles, and subsequently the atria. If blood pools up in the left atrium, it

Ethical Issues Essay Example for Free

Ethical Issues Essay Different people have different understandings of what constitutes ethical behavior. There are laws that help define what is legal and what is not, but the differences between moral ethics are not always clear. These types of moral ethics often lead to ethical dilemmas. According to Trevino Nelson (2007), â€Å"it might surprise many people to learn that there were few laws protecting consumers before the 1960s. At the turn of the last century, consumers didn’t even have the right to sue a manufacturer for defective equipment. † (p. 17) No matter what type of business is run, there are ethical and moral dilemmas attached and in some cases, legal issues arise from unethical-based decisions. Berry`s Bug Blasters is no exception to the rule. Berry`s Bug Blasters is a local company that terminates any type of pest including, armadillos, rodents, and bees. The friendly workers at Berry`s work with their clients to design a customized pest control plan. Berry`s mission statement states that they will use the safest methods for your family, home, and environment. One of the top ethical issues among pest control companies surrounds the controversy of the types of chemicals that are used while executing the termination of pests. Most of the pest control companies are known to use toxic, synthetic, and chemically-based pesticides. These types of pesticides have been known to be the most effective in the extermination of pests. However, they are not safe for people or the environment. The most common chemical used in pest control is Diazinon. Diazinon is used for household pests inside the home, or outside on the lawn. It kills a variety of insects and is classified as an acute and chronic health hazard. Diazinon is very toxic to wildlife and can be fatal if ingested. Recently, EcoSMART pest control was created. The scientists wanted to find a pesticide that will not harm a family. The scientists had a challenge on their hands. They had to discover natural ingredients that: â€Å"effectively kill pests, could be used around the home, family, and pets, and leave no toxic residue or run-off† (Meehan, 2010). The scientists found a way of creating the organic pesticide by using â€Å"essential oils that trees and plants use in nature as insect defense. They found all-natural plant oils which target the octopamine receptors in insects† (Meehan, 2010). The management of Berry`s Bug Blasters faced the ethical decision each time that they make a service call. Should they use chemicals that they know are not good for the environment and could potentially cause an individual a lot of health issues, or should they research and use a much safer chemical that may not be as effective as other pesticides. Other benefits of choosing Berry`s Bug Blasters is they are offering a monthly special to all customers for the first month and offer monthly extermination plans. There are ways to make sure that decisions that are made within a business are ethical. A business-person may ask him or herself how they would feel if his or her actions were publicized throughout the community. If the individual would not mind his or her family, friends, and community learning about the actions, then the decision is most likely ethical. However, if the individual did feel bad about others known the actions, the decision is probably unethical and should be reconsidered. The employees and management of Berry`s Bug Blasters will do whatever is in their power to protect a family as well as the environment. Although new ‘green’ pesticides may not seem as effective as older ones, more laws are coming out that prevent pest control companies in using anything toxic in order to protect the community. Berry`s Bug Blasters will face this ethical dilemma constantly as clients insist on using a chemical that will rid the pests once and for all without a doubt rather than take a risk with something not as strong.

A Fairy Tale :: essays research papers

The Fairy Tale: The symbolism of the apple   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the story The Fairy Tale a prostitute named Miss Noi lives in Saigon, Vietnam. She begins by asking the difference between up on and upon and is told that they have the same meaning. She beginnings telling the her story which she refers to as her fairy tale with the words once upon a time. In her story she has sex with any men from the American army. Miss Noi enjoys fruit but apples are in Saigon. As the GI’s come to sleep with her they bring her apples. The GI’s give her fruit as they come to sleep with and she receives pleasure and happiness from eating the apples. She enjoys the apples because this is something rare to her. The fruit can be taken as lust we are not supposed to indulge in. She meets an American man and falls in love. He promises to marry and wants to bring her America. She thought she would become a housewife with a toaster machine and a vacuum cleaner. When she comes her dreams are not fulfilled, she and the man break up. She goes back to prostituting dancing in a bar in New Orleans on Bourbon Street. In New Orleans, she can buy and eat all the apples that she wants, the taste of an apple no longer becomes special to her. The indulgence that was once rare now has become sickening to her. One night, while dancing in the bar she meets a man. She notices that he is a nice man because he does that refer in any negative way as most men in the club. He calls her beautiful and asks her if she wants a drink. The man, Mr. Fontenot, tells her that he was in the army served in Saigon. The talk for a while about Saigon and later that night they have sex. Before they have sex, she begins to think about the comparison between men and apples. She has slept with many men and it is like eating too many apples. â€Å"You take a bite now and you can make yourself remember that apples are sweet, but it is like the apple in your mouth is not even there. You eat too many apples and all you can do is remember them.† She has slept with so many men that she can no longer remember the men, just like the apples.

The Factors Affecting The Working Capital Requirements Accounting Essay

Why does budgeting so of import for an organisation. It is a planning and commanding agencies for an administration. This tool works successfully merely when it is implemented with due concern. The budget is non merely a cost supervising method but besides an built-in portion in footings of planning and control parts of an administration. It ever aims to accomplish organisational ends and besides motivates the human resources concerned. The manner of assemblage required information and so choosing an appropriate budgetary system is indispensable for the success of budgetary system. The effectual budgetary attack is one that a state of affairs where the single aims & A ; ends match the organisational aims & A ; ends. It is called end congruity. To guarantee end congruity it is a requirement to guarantee monolithic engagement of supervisory degree in the direction procedure. There are different types of budgets to get by with different patterns. An organisation may utilize a conventional budgetary system and may sometime demand to exchange over to another budgetary system to run into its demands. It is non a simple undertaking to ask for alteration in a budget system. An organisation has to confront certain complexnesss in the signifier of hindrances to alter by the employee of the organisation, alterations necessary in the current support system due to alter in its budgetary system. The degree of truth in gauging the grosss & A ; costs in the budget period is vastly of import for a successful budget. There are a figure of statistical techniques which may be suited in calculating the hereafter figures to be accommodated in budgets. The rule of budgeting is to give direction an thought of how a company is run intoing their ends, whether or non the disbursals are in line with budgeted degrees, and how good controls are working. Appropriately used, budgeting can and should increase incomes, cut down unneeded outgo, and obviously defines how instant stairss can be taken to do bigger markets ( Thomsett, 1988, p. 5 ) . In order to achieve this, direction demands to build a budgeting system, the major aims of which are to ( Viscione, 1984, p. 42 ) : Set acceptable marks for grosss and disbursals. Increase the chance that marks will be reached. Provide clip and chance to explicate and measure options should obstacles arise. As budgeting procedure is really intricate, it comes as no amazement that budgets are seeking to carry through several maps such as ( Harper, 1995, p. 321, and Churchill, 1984, p. 162 ) : Planning, Controlling, Co-ordinating, Instructing, Authorizing, Motivating, Performance measurement, Decision Making, Delegating, Educating, Better Management of Subordinates etc. In the horizon of this study I would wish to discourse two different attacks of budgeting i.e. ( I ) Traditional Budgeting & A ; ( two ) Rolling Budgets & A ; prognosissTraditional Budgeting:In the traditional attack to budgeting and budgeting controls the system of developing a program against the factors which may act upon the budget of the following twelvemonth. There are so many organisations that use traditional budgeting, which give them an thought to calculate for the coming twelvemonth and do non necessitate altering durinthe budget cyclele. Companies treat traditional budgeting suited with simpler coordination of budget premises for different divisions. However with the transition of clip and alterations go oning in the concern, companies raise complain that the traditional budgeting is non accommodating with their demands. The major unfavorable judgment on traditional budgeting is due to: Unsuitable step they are either really simple or really complex Not flexible with altering concern state of affairss The budget is falsely timed either excessively short or excessively long It is considered really political Rolling Budgets and prognosiss: A rolling/continuous budget is such a program that is continually updated & A ; the clip frame remains changeless while the existent period covered by the budget adjusted. Practically, as each month base on ballss, the one twelvemonth uninterrupted budget is expanded by one month, so there is ever a annual budget in topographic point. In the peal budget, directors have to re-think the procedure and do alterations each month. The result of this is normally a more right, up-to-date budget suiting the most recent information ( Horngren, Foster, Datar, 2000, p. 182 ) . This approach- Encourages directors to believe & amp ; re-think sing planning as an on-going procedure, it is non a inactive event. An chance to give more â€Å" existent clip † response to rapidly altering concern state of affairs. In theory, the annually planning procedure is eradicated ; the projection for following twelvemonth is the first peal anticipation. Planing is non stated by the calendar, but can be generated by important events and alterations. As rolled budgets are equipped with the close experience by taking into consideration the current period, they are rationalized with the recent alterations. Rolling budgets are continually updated with the current events, this facilitates in minimising the running discrepancies. Rolling budgets are the most appropriate signifier of budget for organisations which are working in a tentative ambiance, where future events can non be predicted faithfully. Based on the treatment stated above it would be easy to urge the most suited budgetary attack under the undermentioned two scenarios. Scenario-1: One of the concerns operates in a really stable and inactive market topographic point, where there is small alteration in either merchandises or demand twelvemonth on twelvemonth. In this scenario we can easy foretell about future concern state of affairs. Upon historical record we can integrate necessary alterations in the budgetary procedure. As the market scenario does non alter often there is no necessity to integrate rapid alterations in the budgetary system. As per above premise we can rede the organisation to follow the traditional attack to budgeting & A ; budgetary control. Scenario-2: One of the concerns operates in a really dynamic, quickly altering, advanced environment, where there is rapid alteration in either merchandises or demand twelvemonth on twelvemonth. In this scenario we can non easy predict about future concern state of affairs. Upon historical record we can non integrate necessary alterations in the budgetary procedure. As the market scenario changes often there is a necessity to integrate rapid alterations in the budgetary system. To make so, the directors of the organisation need to believe & amp ; re-think sing planning as an on-going procedure & A ; besides need to react rapidly as alterations concern state of affairs. So, the annually planning procedure is eradicated. The projection for the following twelvemonth is the first peal anticipation. Rolling budgets and prognosiss need to be furnished every month or every one-fourth, alternatively of annually as before, which amplified work and costs linked to budgeting. As per above premise we can rede the organisation to follow the peal budget & A ; prognosiss approach to budgeting & A ; budgetary control. Through the planning procedure under this attack is clip devouring, turn overing budget must be suited for such type of concerns.Decision:There are many unfavorable judgments have come from experts. Budgeting theory has been really effectual in analytical jobs and supplying equal solutions linked to budgeting systems. Sometimes, the results of budgeting analysis have been conflicting and ill-defined, but in general upper limit recommendations have been incorporated & amp ; verified in existent scenarios. What I personally have observed really few companies even today use a flexible budgetary system and do a clear difference between governable & amp ; non-controllable disbursal when measuring their executives or directors. It can be freely mentioned that traditional budgeting is still non dead or wholly disused as it is still has been used in the bulk companies all over the universe. Nevertheless, most of them are likely to recognize that precisely the same budgeting theoretical account can non be used in the twenty-first century. Business environment scenarios are no longer sane and budgeting systems must go more antiphonal to the exact demand of consumers & A ; demands arise from the competition. Answer to the Question no. 02 Here XYZ Limited is a medium sized fabrication company which industry & A ; sells its merchandises to different industrial clients who use its merchandises in their ain production line. The typical on the job capital of a fabrication company includes its hard currency, history receivables, three degree stocks as natural stuff, work-in-progress & A ; finished goods and history payables. Now I am advised to describe on how each portion of the on the job capital rhythm could be improved and how it will critically measure the deductions of the developments on XYZ and other dependant clients. To make so, I would wish to discourse all the specifics of working capital rhythms of a fabrication company. The on the job capital rhythm means how efficient a company is at change overing hard currency into merchandises and back into hard currency once more. We can state a company with a really efficient capital rhythm confirms the competitory advantage over a company with an abysmal on the job capital rhythm. To give a better image of working capital rhythm let us say a company has a immense hard currency capital and it spends the hard currency to buy natural stuffs. Then the finished nutrient has been sold. As we are populating in a recognition universe so we have non received hard currency immediately. So, monies can be delinquent to purchasers & A ; Sellerss as trade receivables & A ; trade payables severally. So the on the job capital rhythm requires uniting the period of the stock list or gross revenues degree every bit good as hard currency recovery from clients.Critical tools of working capital rhythm:Working Capital Cycle = INVDOH+ ARDOH – APDOH Here, INVDOH= Inventory Days on Hand= ( Inventory/COGS ) *365 ; This ratio measures how many yearss stock list of a company remains on manus. The lower figure of yearss stock list shows a company possesses strong gross revenues or the demand to increase stock list degrees. In contrary to this the higher figure of yearss stock list shows the company possesses a low gross revenues place. ARDOH= Account Receivables Days on Hand = ( Account Receivables/Credit Gross saless ) *365 ; This ratio measures the figure of yearss it takes to have payments from clients. The lower figure yearss receivables show a company is pull offing its receivables expeditiously. APDOH= Account Payables Days on Hand = ( Account Payables/COGS ) *365 ; This ratio measures the figure of yearss it takes to pay its providers or sellers. The figure of yearss to pay varies by organisation and by industry. Each and every company wants to hold suited payment footings to guarantee liquidness at an optimal degree but does non desire to incur delinquent measures and fees.The Factors Affecting the Working Capital Requirements of an Organization:1 ) Fictional character or nature of Business: The working capital demand is related to the nature and size of the concern. In organisations where the cost of natural stuffs will be used in the fabrication of a merchandise is immense in per centum of its entire cost of industry. In this context the working capital demands will be big. Contrary to this organisation holding immense investings in fixed plus need lesser sum of working capital. 2 ) Volume or Size of Business & A ; scope of Operationss: The demands of working capital of an organisation are straight influenced by the volume of its concern which may be shown in footings of a scope of operations. The greater the size of a concern concern, by and large higher will be the demands of working capital. 3 ) Policy of Production: A concern marked by articulating cyclicality in its sale may prosecute a production policy that may cut down the fluctuations in demands of working capital. For illustration an Air conditioner maker may keep stable production throughout the twelvemonth instead than beef uping the production activity at the clip of the extremum concern season. Such determination may cut down the fluctuations in the demands of working capital. 4 ) Manufacturing Procedure: In a fabrication concern, the working capital demands addition in proportion to the length of the fabrication procedure. The longer the procedure clip of fabrication, the larger is the demand of working capital. 5 ) Variations in Supply: In the seasonal industries the natural stuffs are non available throughout the twelvemonth. Those industries had to purchase natural stuffs in majority at the clip of choice season to do certain an uninterrupted flow and production procedure than during the full twelvemonth. 6 ) Credit Availability: If any house awarded recognition on flexible footings it will necessitate less working capital as it can ever pay to creditors subsequently and vice-versa 7 ) Inventory: In the concern like sugar industry, one requires to hive away a immense sum of natural stuffs and finished merchandises because of its sensualness. The concerns are non able to sell whole finished goods, and so more on the job capital to be required. 8 ) Working Capital Cycle: In a fabrication company, the working capital rhythm begins with the purchase of natural stuff and stops with the realisation of hard currency from the gross revenues returns. The working capital demands find how rapidly the on the job capital rhythm completes one rhythm i.e. , longer the period of the on the job capital rhythm greater is the demands of working capital. 9 ) Stock Turnover rate: The sum of working capital and the velocity with which gross revenues are performed is reciprocally related. A house holding a higher rate of stock list turnover will necessitate lower sums of working capital comparing to a house holding a lower rate of turnover. 10 ) Business growing rate: The demands of working capital of a company addition with the growing and development of its concern activities.How on the job capital rhythm affects an organisation:Now I will seek to do understand how on the job capital demand varies with alterations of different specifics of balance sheet & A ; income statements. Let us see the undermentioned information collected from three Old ages fiscal statements of XYZ Limited.Particulars2010 ( $ )%2011 ( $ )%2012 ( $ )%Current AssetAAAAAACash 795 3.1 585 2.6 427 2.0 A/R 7873 30.4 6693 30.0 7298 34.7 Inventory 10025 38.7 7982 35.7 6695 31.8Entire CA1869372.11526068.31442068.5Fixed AssetAAAAAALand & A ; Building 2660 10.3 2660 11.9 2660 12.6 Machinery & A ; Eqp. 3463 13.4 4135 18.5 4519 21.5 Gross FA 6123 23.6 6795 30.4 7179 34.1 Acc. Dep. 1508 5.8 2187 9.8 2786 13.2Net Fa461517.8460820.6439320.9Due from Military officers 37 0.1 0 0.0 0 0.0 Intangible Assetss 2583 10.0 2470 11.1 2245 10.7Entire Assetss25928100.022338100.021058100.0AAAAAAACurrent LiabilitiessAAAAAASTL 9113 35.1 7142 32.0 4813 22.9 Current Part of LTD 690 2.7 1255 5.6 1137 5.4 A/P 4572 17.6 3784 16.9 4124 19.6 Accrued Expenses 465 1.8 421 1.9 481 2.3Entire CL1484057.21260256.41055550.1Long Term LiabilitiesAAAAAALong Term Debt 3258 12.6 3483 15.6 2840 13.5 Deferred Income Tax 305 1.2 0 0.0 283 1.3Entire Long Term Liabilities356313.7348315.6312314.8Stockholders ‘ EquityAAAAAACommon Stock 1890 7.3 1890 8.5 1890 9.0 Retained Net incomes 5635 21.7 4363 19.5 5490 26.1Entire Stockholders ‘ Equity752529.0625328.0738035.0AAAAAAAEntire liabilities & A ; Net Worth25928100.022338100.021058100.0AAAAAAAGross saless32388100.036993100.040960100.0Cog 23913 73.8 25565 69.1 25885 63.2 Depreciation 515 1.6 573 1.5 733 1.8Gross Net income796024.61085529.31434235.0Operating ExpensesAAAAAASG & A ; A 6830 21.1 9493 25.7 11360 27.7 Amortization 260 0.8 252 0.7 225 0.5 Traveling & A ; Other Expenses 425 1.3 0 0.0 0 0.0Entire Operating Expenses751523.2974526.31158528.3Net Operation Net income4451.411103.027576.7AAAAAAAInterest Expense 617 1.9 747 2.0 1002 2.4EBT-172-0.53631.017554.3Income Tax Expenses ( Credit ) -230 -0.7 -305 -0.8 322 0.8Net Income580.26681.814333.5AAAAAAADividend PaidAA1940A306AFrom the information mentioned above we can cipher the undermentioned ratios:Ratios2010 ( $ )2011 ( $ )2012 ( $ )Working Capital 3853.0 2658.0 3865.0EfficiencyAAAINVDOH 153.0 114.0 94.00 ARDOH 89.00 66.0 65.0 APDOH 70.00 87.00 54.00 Working Capital Cycle 172 yearss 93 yearss 105 yearssProfitablenessAAAGross Profit Margin 24.6 29.3 35.0 Operating Net income Margin 1.4 3.0 6.7 Net Net income Margin 0.2 1.8 3.5 Remarks: If we analyze the above result we will see that the on the job capital demand in 2010 was US $ 3853 and working capital rhythm was 172 yearss. But in 2011 the concern made immense development in working capital rhythm i.e. it reduced ARDOH for 23 yearss, INVDOH for 39 yearss and increased APDOH for 17 yearss and as such it reduced its on the job capital rhythm for 79 yearss and this development straight reduced its working capital demands i.e US $ 2658 in 2011. Again it fails to keep on the job capital rhythm that degree in 2012 and so its working capital demands besides increased up to US $ 3865.

Evs project information and topics

Possible ways to reduce river pollution. Use of public transport for reducing purchase of fuel. How to reduce use of electricity? Awareness in students about dangers of tobacco consumption. Hawkers along the streets: Problem or convenience? Flood control measures on bank of river Mitch. Select any one topic from part A Project – Report is to be written on both the sides of two ruled sheets (AY size paper). Write:- a)Tied of project b)illumination /History c)Observation d) Advantages e)Recommendations Part B: Journal 1 (Topics) VI. Recycling of treated sewage.Chip movement. Save the silent valley movement. Effect of agriculture on area of natural CEO-systems (grass/ land ‘forest). Importance of green surroundings in well being of people. All species have their own right to live life. Composition / vermin composition organic waste at home. Change in the onset of flowering of tree in different seasons over last decade. Part C: Journal 2 (Topics) Future of nuclear power proj ects in India. Ether Dam project campaign. Plastic waste: Its effects on environment. Effect of fish harvesting on diversity of fish locality.The factors affecting cost of farming. Use of integrated pest management techniques. Different steps / mechanisms to reduce electricity consumption. Ministry of environment and forest. All topics are compulsory in journal 1 and Journal 2 Each topic must be hand-written on ruled AY size paper (on both sides of paper) Use one AY size paper for each topic Write title of each topic Index page, Project-Report, Journal 1 & Journal 2 must be stapled together and cover it with brown paper of same size Write Student's name, Class, Stream, Division, Roll No.

Cross-Species Virus Transmission Essays

Cross-Species Virus Transmission Essays Cross-Species Virus Transmission Essay Cross-Species Virus Transmission Essay Harmonizing to the article supported by the American Society of Microbiology, viruses have one time once more been doing a splash in footings of giving rise to new diseases through their ability of host shift. SARS, Ebola febrility and Influenza are a few illustrations in which viruses have underwent transmittal from wildlife hosts onto human hosts. Furthermore, it was reported that when the HIV/AIDS virus crossed the species barrier from archpriest to human about 70 old ages ago, a major menace arose for a great sum of people were infected and still go on to be infected today. As outlined by the writers, there are three specific phases in which viral diseases emerge and successfully exchange from giver host into recipient host. Therefore, this article focuses upon and analyze the variables that affect the success rate of emerging viral diseases by the manner they influence the three phases antecedently noted. The diverseness of these variables which affect the mechanism of host exch anging consist of environmental and demographic barriers, host barriers, bing host scopes, and viral development in footings of transmittal, recombination, reassortment and viral intermediates. In order for host shift to be successful, there has to be interaction between the virus and the possible new hosts. However, if contact between the two is either prevented or limited, so the likeliness of transportation is weakened. This barrier is discernible in the HIV virus, which prior to its planetary outgrowth was transferred to worlds several times with small success because of the limited interaction between Primatess and homo. However, one time Primatess were able to come into contact with a big adequate human population, transmittal became successful and the effects can be viewed today for infections still arise. Figure 2 in the article shows the transportation of viruses into human host populations with small or no transmittal along with the occasional viruses that are able to emerge and do epidemics. Based upon findings, assorted demographic factors and human behaviours such as going, endovenous drug usage, sexual patterns and contacts, farming patterns, and agricultural enlargement addition viral host shift and advance the outgrowth of new diseases. As confirmed by the writers, human trade and travel forms were able to distribute insect vectors of viruses and viral pathogens such as SARS while migratory birds transporting the Influenza A virus were able to cross across a broad scope of populations. In add-on, ecological alterations brought upon by human actions have impacted the outgrowth of the Nipah virus in Malaysia. For illustration, chiropterans are considered to be the reservoirs of the Nipah virus, and therefore when people decided to works fruit groves around pig farms, the chiropterans became attracted to the groves and caused a spillover which infected the hogs. In bend, people working with the septic hogs became exposed to the virus and this caused an addition in carnal virus transmittal. Host barriers are the 2nd variable examined in the article and proven to impact the mechanism of host shift. In order for transmittal to be a possibility, a virus has to be able to infect cells of a new host. Yet, this procedure can be delayed at assorted degrees such as receptor binding, entry into the cell, genome reproduction or cistron look. Based on these multiple host barriers, the virus would hold to undergo alterations to be able to get the better of everything therefore increasing the trouble of transmittal. Besides this article states that unconditioned antiviral responses from host cells and apolipoprotein B-editing catalytic polypeptide proteins ( APOBEC ) further impede the hazard of infection by barricading infection to subsequent cells. In analyzing evolutionary relatedness, species that are closely related to one another have an increased likeliness of viral host shift as viewed between Pan troglodytess and worlds, therefore ensuing in the constitution of HIV. On the other manus, due to relatedness, certain restrictions based on cross-immunity to related pathogens and innate immune oppositions to related viral groups arise. Another facet to host barriers is the physical entry of the virus into the cell. Upon entry there are host glycans or lectins which bind to the virus particles to forestall infection. Besides, deficiency of neuraminidase proteins, used in the procedure of emersion, do viral inactivation which farther AIDSs in the bar of transmittal and outgrowth. Because viruses are specific to their appropriate host, they are besides specific to the assorted receptors in which they bind to the host cell. For illustration, the HIV virus binds specifically to CD4 host receptors whereas avian viruses recognize sialic acids found on host cells. Aside from receptor binding, there are besides intracellular limitations which decrease viral transmittal. For illustration, interferon responses are found to be host specific and therefore more likely to protect cells against viruses. This can be observed by alpha and beta interferons which restrict the murine norovirus from come ining the host cell. The writer further examined the host ranges of viruses and whether or non they were a factor in host shift. It was conjectured that preexisting host ranges influence the ability of a virus to be established in a new host. Viruss were classified as either Renaissance man, infecting many different hosts, or specializer, infecting merely a few related hosts. The outlook was that Renaissance man viruses would demo a greater likeliness of switching to extra hosts whereas specialist viruses would be more inclined to limitations of host shift. However, looking at the informations in Table 1, it became evident that both Renaissance man and specializer viruses have transmitted successfully into new hosts therefore decreasing the overall generalisation antecedently made. The last variable under reappraisal for impacting the mechanism of host shift is the viral evolutionary mechanisms which consist of viral fittingness tradeoffs, manners of virus transmittal, recombination and reassortment and viral intermediates. It has been speculated in the article that cross-species transmittal is more common in quickly germinating viruses. This means the greater the rate of fluctuation, the more likely a virus is able to accommodate to a new host and undergo transmittal. Because RNA viruses lack proofreading mechanisms and incorporate big viral populations, they are more likely to undergo development and transmit within a new host. Yet, there is grounds that some RNA viruses have developed host specialisation and that rates of fluctuation of DNA viruses should non be underestimated in comparing to RNA viruses. Because viruses are able to undergo assorted mutants, this increases their ability to infect new hosts but in the long tally reduces their fittingness in t he giver host. By detecting Figures 2 and 3 in the article, this is deemed fitness tradeoff. However, non all mutants cause a decrease in fitness tradeoff for there are a few advantageous 1s that increase fittingness. Besides, when merely a few adaptative mutants are required between giver host and receiver host, transmittal becomes more efficient. Equally far as outgrowth and successful host transportation are concerned, the manners of virus transmittal cause restrictions. For illustration, if viruses are non able to last between giver, receiver and or vector hosts, so outgrowth becomes a challenge. Furthermore, different tracts of transmittal either by droplet spread, sexual vaccination and or fecal-oral represent challenges in suiting assorted hosts. Recombination and reassortment brand viruses more susceptible to familial alterations that are good in the long tally. In comparing RNA and DNA viruses, the possibility of recombination varies but in detecting the retrovirus HIV, the re is a high rate of recombination which may correlate to its effectual outgrowth. Figure 5 examines possible functions of recombination in the HIV virus every bit good as its beginning from other Primatess. Another illustration of a recombination virus can be viewed in SARS CoV which most likely arose from a combination of a CoV virus and another chiropteran virus before infecting human hosts. Once a virus has been able to exchange to a new host, it farther uses recombination and reassortment in the procedure of version. Last, there have been instances in which viral intermediates with lower fittingness were required in the procedure of successful transmittal. Aside from viruses accommodating to their new hosts they besides have to optimise their strength in the host cells at the same clip hedging any immune responses. By being able to observe viruses that do non distribute expeditiously, there would be a greater opportunity of commanding epidemic eruptions. Reading through this scientific diary, the chief intent of the article is to show the audience with information on how viruses are able to traverse species and convey approximately new epidemic diseases. The writers largely define the barriers that a virus has to get the better of in order to obtain successful transmittal and overall outgrowth by forming the information into assorted subheadings. For illustration, in the subdivision Environmental and Demographic Barriers to Host Switching, the writers compare human actions such as travel or trade and associate these to viral host shift and the potency for infection. In the following subdivision, they focus on the host and the barriers that the virus has to get the better of in order to give rise to efficient transmittal. Basically the virus has to be able to come in into possible host cells and in making so has to adhere to receptors and so either blend or undergo endocytosis. However, host cells have assorted mechanisms by which the y are able to halt a virus from distributing and doing farther infections. Following, there is a treatment about the relationship between the host scope of a virus and whether or non it is a factor in finding the likeliness of host shift. The writers province that regardless of the host scope of a virus, both Renaissance man and specializer viruses have been successful in transmittal into a new host. Last, the writers examine mutants and versions of viruses in response to their ability to emerge and do diseases. These last few paragraphs see what occurs one time a virus has entered into a host cell and its ability to keep entry by undergoing advantageous mutants or farther accommodating to the receiver hosts. The article ends with a basic sum-up or overview of all the information presented earlier with the mentality of being able to command future epidemic diseases. Upon reading this diary article, the manner of authorship is instead complex in certain subdivisions which would suppr ess the audience from to the full understanding the stuff. Besides, there look to be no major experiments or trials conducted by the writers for the diary article merely contains basic information and referenced informations. Further, in rather a few subdivisions, the writers use phrases such as, poorly understood and we know comparatively little in discoursing the information. This would most likely make the audience disbelieving as to the writers competency and apprehension of the information being presented. In add-on, while showing their information, the writers chiefly focus on few specific viruses such as HIV, SARS and Influenza. What about the remainder? Are other viruses less prone to host shift or traversing barriers? These facets need to be addressed so that the audience is non able to chew over and do generalisations. Last, no solution is stated as to the bar of future epidemics from the possibility of viral host shift. The lone statements made in the diary consisted of being able to better understand the information presented and the complexnesss that follow this subject. Overall, this article should merely be used as background information in helping old cognition on the subject. The writers accomplish the undertaking of supplying the audience with information, but the manner and the presentation should hold been executed otherwise.

20 English 101 Essay Topics That Are Well-Thought Out

20 English 101 Essay Topics That Are Well-Thought Out In this post, we will explore different ideas on writing a college English 101 essay and they can serve as a means of inspiration to you when writing your own English 101 paper. To simplify the task of drafting your paper, the second half of this post will contain an English 101 essay sample which should serve as a tutorial or a road map for your own writings. 20 Well-Thought Out Topics on International Student Migration for an English 101 Essay Analysing the Lure of Western Environments to Educationists Western Education and Student Migration: The Importance of Quality Education and Its Role in Student Migration Non-European Students and the Rush for Higher Learning Opportunities in Western Countries: A Case Study Taking Advantage of Educational Opportunities: How Foreign Students See International Migration International Student Migration and Finance: The Role of Increased Earning Power on Student Migration The World’s Growing Middle-Class, Excellent Education and the Role of Available Finances in Spreading Student Migration in Europe Analysis the Triggers for the International Graduates Success Based on the Degrees International Students Pursue Most as a Case Study A Look at the Top 10 Courses Migrating Students Participate In Scrutinising the Top Colleges International Students Choose to Attend and the Diverse Incentives that Make These Institutions Attractive to Them Are the Top Schools for International Students in the West the Best? An Analysis of International Students’ Migration Policies Scrutinising the Reason why STEM-related Study Fields Lure more Foreign Students than their Contemporaries Population Indexes and Student Migration: Analyse the Connection Between a Non-EU Nation’s Population and the Number Of Foreign Students it Creates Examining the Impact of International Students from Asia and Africa on Western Societies and their Corresponding Environment Discussing the Attraction of Western Metropolitan Cities to International Student Migrating to the US, Canada and the UK Examining Why Metropolitan Societies Are the Best Options for International Students Schooling in a Foreign Country Scrutinising the Different Visa Laws In the US and Their Effect on Students Examining the Discrepancies with the Number of Graduating Professionals and Those Granted with H-1 B Visas to Work in the US The Visa Crises: Why Graduating International Students Are Restrained from Actively Seeking Jobs in EU Countries and the US The Importance of Migrating Students to Western Educational Systems Scrutinising Diverse Migration Policies and How They Can Help International Students Seek Employment in the Host Countries Here we come to the end of the promised topics for writing your own English 101 essay samples. You can either lift off a topic from this post or modify one to simply begin your English 101 essay outline. English 101 Sample Essay The Visa Crisis: Why Graduating Students Are Restrained from Seeking Jobs in the EU and the US Research from the National Office of Statistics shows that approximately 670,000 students are legally allowed to school in the United States while 193,000 are also given visas into the UK. The research also goes further to show that less than a 10th of these students are provided with working visas to seek employment as professionals in both countries. Why is this so? The purpose of this essay is to highlight these discrepancies while also attempting to answer the question raised in the above paragraph. In order to do this, I intend to quote some facts from the US immigration office which states that approximately 19,500 individuals schooled in the US are given H-1B visas annually. Putting this figure against the 600 thousand getting an F-1 visa for study tells its own tales. First, it is important to state that the poor acceptance rate of skilled professionals has little or nothing to do with a candidate’s intelligence or competence as some may think. This is because a far larger portion of international students actually do very well academically in US schools but are still deemed in-equipped for work. Secondly, it also has next to nothing to do with them posing security threats for the average foreign student spends 3 years in the US without going against the laws. It means the issues are rather political and money-related. To back up my claim, let’s take a look at the H-1B visa admittance process. According to immigration statistics, more than a 100,000 professionals apply each year to become recipients of this working visa, and only a fraction of people are successful. You should remember that the process isn’t cheap as the participants must pay a particular amount before their applications can even be considered. Therefore, I believe the underlying factor here is a revenue generation. This is why F-1 visas are readily available to students bringing money into the countrys coffers while H-1B visas are more like unicorns. Finally, I believe it is important for countries to be upfront to students coming in to study, so the most perspective of them can accurately consider their options. In the modern society inventions are the key to the countrys success, and it shouldnt matter if they are made by the former international students or by the local ones Here we come to the end of the English 101 essay covering the issue of migrating students.

Archaeology of a German Hillfort Called Heuneburg

Archaeology of a German Hillfort Called Heuneburg Heuneburg refers to an Iron Age hillfort, an elite residence (called Fà ¼rstensitz or princely residence) located on a steep hill overlooking the Danube River in southern Germany. The site includes an area of 3.3 hectares (~8 acres) within its fortifications; and, according to the latest research, at least 100 ha (~247 ac) of additional and separately fortified settlement surrounds the hill. Based on this latest research, Heuneburg, and its surrounding community  was an important and early urban center, one of the first north of the Alps. Alternate Spellings: Heuneberg Common Misspellings: Heuenburg History of Heuneburg Stratigraphic excavation at Heuneburg hillfort identified eight main occupations and 23 construction phases, between the Middle Bronze Age and Medieval periods. The earliest settlement at the site occurred in the Middle Bronze Age, and Heuneburg was first fortified in the 16th century BC and again in the 13th century BC. It was abandoned during the Late Bronze Age. During the Hallstatt Early Iron Age period, ~600 BC, Heuneburg was reoccupied and extensively modified, with 14 identified structural phases and 10 phases of fortification. Iron Age construction at the hillfort includes a stone foundation about 3 meters (10 feet) wide and .5-1 m (1.5-3 ft) high. Atop the foundation was a wall of dried-mud (adobe) brick, reaching to about a total height of 4 m (~13 ft). The mud-brick wall suggested to scholars that at least some sort of interaction took place between the elites of Heueneburg and the Mediterranean, illustrated both by the adobe wallmud brick is strictly a Mediterranean invention and was not previously used in central Europeand the presence of approximately 40 Greek Attic sherds at the site, pottery produced some 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) away. About 500 BC, Heuneburg was rebuilt to match Celtic models of hillfort design, with a wooden wall protected by a stone wall. The site was burned and abandoned between 450 and 400 BC, and it remained unoccupied until ~AD 700. Reoccupation of the hilltop by a farmstead beginning AD 1323 caused extensive damage to the later Iron Age settlement. Structures in Heuneburg Houses within the fortification walls of Heuneburg were rectangular timber-framed structures built close together. During the Iron Age, the mudbrick fortification wall was white-washed, making this prominent structure stand out even more: the wall was for both protection and display. Crenelated watchtowers were built and a covered walkway protected the sentries from inclement weather. This construction was fairly evidently built in imitation of classical Greek polis architecture. Cemeteries at Heuneburg during the Iron Age included 11 monumental mounds containing a rich array of grave goods. Workshops in Heuneburg held craftspeople who produced iron, worked bronze, made pottery and carved bone and antler. Also in evidence are craftspeople who processed luxury goods including lignite, amber, coral, gold, and jet. Outside Heuneburgs Walls Recent excavations concentrated on regions outside Heuneburg hillfort have revealed that beginning in the Early Iron Age, the outskirts of Heuneburg became quite dense. This settlement area included Late Hallstatt ditch fortifications dated from the first quarter of the sixth century BC, with a monumental stone gate. Iron Age terracing of the surrounding slopes provided a place for expansion of the settlement area, and by the first half of the sixth century BC, an area of some 100 acres was occupied by closely spaced farmsteads, enclosed by a series of rectangular palisades, housing an estimated population of about 5,000 inhabitants. The suburbs of Heuneburg also included several additional Hallstatt period hillforts, as well as production centers for pottery and artisanal wares such as fibulae and textiles. All of this led scholars back to the Greek historian Herodotus: a polis mentioned by Herodotus and located in the Danube valley ca 600 BC is called Pyrene; scholars have long connected Pyrene with Heuneberg, and the identified remains of such an established settlement with important production and distribution centers and a connection to the Mediterranean is strong support for that. Archaeological Investigations Heuneberg was first excavated in the 1870s  and sustained 25 years of excavations beginning in 1921. Excavations at Hohmichele mound were conducted in 1937-1938. Systematic excavations of the surrounding hilltop plateau were conducted from the 1950s to 1979. Studies since 1990, including field walking, intensive excavations, geomagnetic prospection, and high-resolution airborne LIDAR scans have concentrated on the outlying communities below the hillfort. Artifacts from the excavations are stored at the Heuneburg Museum, who operates a living village where visitors can see the reconstructed buildings. That web page contains information in English (and German, Italian and French) on the latest research. Sources Arafat, K and C Morgan. 1995 Athens, Etruria and the Heuneburg: Mutual misconceptions in the study of Greek-barbarian relations. Chapter 7 in Classical Greece: Ancient histories and modern archaeologies. Edited by Ian Morris. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p 108-135 Arnold, B. 2010. Eventful archaeology, the mudbrick wall, and the early Iron Age of southwest Germany. Chapter 6 in Eventful Archaeologies: New approaches to social transformation in the archaeological record, edited by Douglas J. Bolender. Albany: SUNY Press, p 100-114. Arnold B. 2002. A landscape of ancestors: the space and place of death in Iron Age West-Central Europe. In: Silverman H, and Small D, editors. The Space and Place of Death. Arlington: Archaeological Papers of the American Anthropological Association. p 129-144. Fernndez-Gà ¶tz M, and Krausse D. 2012. Heuneburg: First city north of the Alps. Current World Archaeology 55:28-34. Fernndez-Gà ¶tz M, and Krausse D. 2013. Rethinking Early Iron Age urbanisation  in Central Europe: the Heuneburg site and its archaeological environment. Antiquity 87:473-487. Gersbach, Egon. 1996. Heuneburg. P. 275 in Brian Fagan (ed), The Oxford Companion to Archaeology. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Maggetti M, and Galetti G. 1980. Composition of iron age fine ceramics from Chà ¢tillon-s-Glà ¢ne (Kt. Fribourg, Switzerland) and the Heuneburg (Kr. Sigmaringen, West Germany). Journal of Archaeological Science 7(1):87-91. Schuppert C, and Dix A. 2009. Reconstructing Former Features of the Cultural Landscape Near Early Celtic Princely Seats in Southern Germany. Social Science Computer Review 27(3):420-436. Wells PS. 2008. Europe, Northern and Western: Iron Age. In: Pearsall DM, editor. Encyclopedia of Archaeology. London: Elsevier Inc. p 1230-1240.

Assignment 4.3 Answering Questions P153& P 160 Essay

Assignment 4.3 Answering Questions P153& P 160 - Essay Example en if athletes are the point of interest in the Olympic Games, yet there are ways through which the rights of the athletes can be protected without necessarily supporting actions of countries whose actions are an affront to the goals of the Olympics. There are several efforts that the author concerts, as a way of providing his viewpoints with evidence. He quotes authorities in social sciences and political studies such as Anita DeFrantz and Tim Wendel to validate his claims and propositions, respectively. He also adduces historical and diplomatic realities to validate his viewpoints. For example, he mentions: China’s invasion of Tibet in 1950s; China attenuating democratic space and suppressing liberty presently; and China being Sudan’s supplier of arms and chief buyer of Sudan’s oil. One of the views (Reader’s view of the situation) stresses that boycotting Olympics is not the solution to the problems that undermine the goals and essence of the games. The view divulges that instead, boycotts frustrate the interests of the athletes themselves. The antithesis of this view is that even though boycotts may undermine the interests of athletes, yet, the failure to address a host country’s injustices is a threat to the promise of peace. The writer sufficiently acknowledges these opposing views by: discussing their essence and viability; issuing examples to underscore these views (for instance Russia and China’s political stance towards human rights are repeatedly referred to); and suggesting and qualifying the panacea to the problem. The conclusion emphasizes the ineffectiveness of boycotts in tackling injustices, the injurious pitfalls of holding Olympic Games in repressive host countries, and a possible nostrum to the problem as being workable. This nostrum (proposition) is establishing permanent Olympic sites in countries that uphold the values that these Olympic Games promote. Traditional arguments would make the essay different by arguing that

Final Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Final Analysis - Assignment Example Oversight is an important aspect in data networks in that it ensures successful implementation of policies within the business. Specificity of policies means that each policy should deal with a particular action while implementation guidance refers to what and how the policy will be undertaken. For example, implementation guidance may require that encryption be 1000 bits long. Within the context of information technology, implementation refers to various processes that include acquiring hardware and software, installation of the computer programs, testing, configuration and making changes that are vital during the performance of a system. Standards are implementation guidance that must be followed by policy implementers during the utilization of particular technologies. One of the key aspects of standards is that they are compulsory and they aim at creating uniformity within an organization. On the other hand, guidelines refer to the methodologies of enhancing security within a system. Raymond and Julia (2011) argue that due to their flexibility, guidelines are used to develop standards within various information systems. Even though guidelines are essential in systems security, they are not compulsory but they should be given careful consideration. According to Raymond and Julia (2011) three types of oversight that ensure policies are successfully implemented are auditing, vulnerability analysis and log files. Vulnerability testing refers to the scanning of network systems to be certain that all the configurations are properly set and adequate security of the system. It is important for a policy to drive both implementation and oversight to ensure that the objectives of the policy are attained within the

Legal Method and Skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal Method and Skills - Assignment Example It also helps the author maintain his or her consistency, and thus it makes it easier for the reader to follow to argument being made. The main feature of the OSCOLA system of referencing is that it uses the footnote system, rather than in-text citations2. An example of in-text citation is this: (Harvey, 2009). A footnote provides evidence for one’s claims by citing legal sources (for example, statutes, cases) as well as secondary sources (for example, books, journals, etc.) Footnotes are indicated by putting a superscript number after the relevant punctuation in the text. If a case is being cited, the name of the case must be given, the neutral citation and the volume and first page of the relevant law report. If necessary, the name of the court must be given as well. For example, in citing the case Phipps v Boardman3 the citation would be like this: [1967] 2 AC 46 (HL). Another example is this: In the case of Foss v Harbottle4, the Court sought to look into the rights of an individual shareholder against a company. The footnote would read: (1843) 2 Ha. 461. The footnotes and the punctuations should conform the underlying rules in the OSCOLA System. 2. According to a comparison made by the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies5, Lexis Nexis has full text legislation and cases, and contains about 60 series of law reports. As for UK journals, it has Halbury’s Laws of England. ... It also has US material including a wide collection of US treaties, as well as material from the Commonwealth: Australia, New Zealand and Canada. On the other hand, WestLaw has the full text of legislation and cases including law reports but just 30 series. However, it gives links to journal references to these cases, unlike Lexis Nexis. It has around 50 full-text titles of journals, its legal journals index covers over 800 journals (in contrast to Lexis Nexis’s 60). It also has EU official publications, legislation, case law, international agreements, and the like. Like Lexis Nexis, it has access to international law materials, US treaties, and material for Australia and Canada (not New Zealand). Finally, Lawtel, which is another database that can be a useful resource for students, contains UK law and case reports similar to the above-mentioned databases, and provides summaries of case law, articles, parliamentary bills, statutes and statutory instruments, as well as command papers. Its interesting feature is the Lawtel Human Rights law, which provides Human Rights related judgments dating back to 1960, as well as human rights legal articles and legislation. It is also updated daily so that the law student or legal practitioner will find it to be of maximum convenience. 3. a. Round brackets are used when the year is not needed to identify the correct volume of the case. Square brackets are used when the year is needed to identify the correct volume of the case. b. The judge is Mr. Justice Griffith Williams c. William Hoskins (instructed by Greenwoods Solicitors) for the Defendant; Robert Glancy QC and Richard Cartwright (instructed by Irwin Mitchell Solicitors) for the Claimant. d. The material facts of the case are as

Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism Essay

Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism - Essay Example According to the paper the manager Michael has faced an ethical situation in his family’s business of metal components. The current economic crisis has created strong challenges to Michael in sustaining his family business. On the other hand, one of his unskilled, but loyal workers, John, who started working for the company even at a time when Michael’s grandfather was running the business, has developed some unhealthy behaviors at the workplace which caused Michael lot of headaches. Michael knows that John’s wife and only son died in a car crash a year ago and that, to cope with his loss, John has taken to drinking alcohol. Michael has repeatedly talked with John about this problem but this has not changed John’s behavior. Even though Michael decided to cut down all the unproductive sectors including the unproductive problematic employees also, he decided to keep John on. This paper briefly analyses Michael’s decision to keep John on the basis of e thical theories of utilitarianism and Kantianism. This study outlines that the main ethical issue involved in this case was about John’s future. He has started his career even when Michael’s grandfather was running the business and moreover John has spent majority of his healthy periods for the company and worked hard for the company as a loyal worker. Right now he is rapidly approaching the end of period of his life both as a worker and a human being. Is it right to fire a worker who spent majority of his life for the wellbeing of a company during a period when he was about to retire? Another ethical issue involved in the above case was that John has lost his entire family in an accident and left alone in this world by destiny. Apart from his family, the company was the second entity in which John was constantly interacting. Is it right for the company to fire such a loyal worker when he was left alone in this world, especially when considering his earlier services to the organization?

LS week5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LS week5 - Essay Example The employees follow the instructions relayed by the managers and there is very little participation as a team. The team members do not have an intricate caring for the task and this results in reduced performance throughput from the team as a whole. The traditional heroic model of leadership is followed and the leadership authority resides with individuals, based on their level of hierarchy. Being a manager I understand the need to make the employees in the team perform with an intrinsic caring for their tasks. Team empowerment is defined as increased motivation in the team at performing a task due to team members’ collective, positive assessments of their relationship to tasks within the organization (Kirkman, Rosen, 2000). As the motivation factor lacks in the organization the effort put into the task by the team is low, resulting in poor performance. Self leadership has been defined as â€Å"the influence we exert on ourselves to achieve self motivation and self-direction we need to perform† (Manz and Sims, 1991, pg.23). Self leadership qualities are a must with the team leaders and managers. As the leaders a majority of them in my organization lack these leadership skills the teams fail to succeed. The expectations are unclear, the roles and responsibilities of the team members are not elaborate and this results in missed deadlines and duplication of effort. There is poor communication within the teams and the teams are not well organized due to lack of self leadership qualities amongst the leaders. Organizations are now increasingly facing high levels of dynamic, complex changes and environmental uncertainties (Champy, Nohria, 1997). In my organization the lack of efficient facilitators has resulted in poor role clarity and poor understanding of the organizations objectives. There are numerous conflicts within the organization and the conflict resolution process has to be handled better. I have discussed about employee

Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism Essay

Ethical Theories of Utilitarianism and Kantianism - Essay Example According to the paper the manager Michael has faced an ethical situation in his family’s business of metal components. The current economic crisis has created strong challenges to Michael in sustaining his family business. On the other hand, one of his unskilled, but loyal workers, John, who started working for the company even at a time when Michael’s grandfather was running the business, has developed some unhealthy behaviors at the workplace which caused Michael lot of headaches. Michael knows that John’s wife and only son died in a car crash a year ago and that, to cope with his loss, John has taken to drinking alcohol. Michael has repeatedly talked with John about this problem but this has not changed John’s behavior. Even though Michael decided to cut down all the unproductive sectors including the unproductive problematic employees also, he decided to keep John on. This paper briefly analyses Michael’s decision to keep John on the basis of e thical theories of utilitarianism and Kantianism. This study outlines that the main ethical issue involved in this case was about John’s future. He has started his career even when Michael’s grandfather was running the business and moreover John has spent majority of his healthy periods for the company and worked hard for the company as a loyal worker. Right now he is rapidly approaching the end of period of his life both as a worker and a human being. Is it right to fire a worker who spent majority of his life for the wellbeing of a company during a period when he was about to retire? Another ethical issue involved in the above case was that John has lost his entire family in an accident and left alone in this world by destiny. Apart from his family, the company was the second entity in which John was constantly interacting. Is it right for the company to fire such a loyal worker when he was left alone in this world, especially when considering his earlier services to the organization?

Action report 4 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Action report 4 - Article Example The most affected are the young workers looking for the first opportunity to have a job as they have no experience. Also, the increase in the minimum wage reduces the freedom of the American citizens in spending. This is because there will be increase in the price of services and products in the economy (Schmitt, 18). Also according to the article, â€Å"Why Does the Minimum Wage Have No Discernible Effect on Employment,† research has evidently shown that minimum wage has no discernible effect on the employment practice of the low-wage earners. This is because the cost of the minimum wage in most firms is relatively small and that employers have many channels of adjustments. One channel of adjustment is that employers may reduce their expenditures on job training for low wage workers. Employers may also adjust by upgrading the skill level of their workforce and work against the employment of the less-experienced and less-educated workers. Employers in a highly competitive economy may also respond to a high minimum wage by passing the added cost to the consumers in form of high prices (Schmitt, 16). In conclusion, employers can cut pay to more highly paid workers, shift the composition towards higher skilled workers and accept a smaller profit margin as minimum wage has no discernible effect on employment. As for the workers, they may respond to the higher wage by working harder on the job and reducing labor turnover which enables the employers to save on

Outline and comment on the two schools Essay Example for Free

Outline and comment on the two schools Essay Outline and comment on the two schools of thought involved in the study of the nature-nurture debate in development. Explain, using examples, why this debate gives rise to so much controversy.  The debate concerning the two schools of thought involved in the study of the nature versus nurture is one of the most controversial and long-lasting debates in psychology. Psychologists disagree whether a particular part of behaviour had taken place through genetic and heredity factors or through experience in their environment and learning. Psychologists are trying to answer, What makes us who we are? and consider two main influences. Firstly nature which is involved in genes and heredity, and their influences on our development, and secondly nurture which is involved in external influences on our development such as the environment and nurturing. Psychologists were divided into two schools of thought, firstly the nativists, who are concerned with the nature side of the debate. In 1943 Gesell argued that genes and chromosomes that are inherited are the main influence in child development (Hayes and Orrell 1996, pg 2). For example: Gesell found that the development of physical coordination in a baby seemed to follow an orderly sequence, beginning with its head, and gradually moved down the body. Gesell regarded these sequences of development as being fixed and genetically determined (Hayes N 1993, pg 31). See more: what is essay format Genes are lengths of DNA, which carry instructions that control everything that happens inside a cell. They are passed onto the next generation in order to avoid extinction. Each body cell contains two sets of 23 chromosomes and each chromosome contains up to 4000 genes. (Barber M et al 2000, pg 480). Every newborn baby has around 60,000 genes; they have two copies of each gene and inherit one set from the mother and one set from the father. (Barber M et al 2000,pg 504). We portray some of these genes in our similarities in appearance to our parents or other members of our immediate family, or when generations have been skipped. For example our eye and hair colour is similar or our height, build and weight is similar to our parents. Genes can be recessive or dominant. For example: The gene that gives the colour in brown eyes is a dominant gene and the blue gene that results in blue eyes is a recessive gene. A child will have brown eyes if one of its parents had brown eyes even if the other parent had blue eyes. That child will still have the blue-eyed gene and may pass it on to the next generation (Hayes and Orrell 1996, pg 5). Some diseases are inherited mainly because of faulty genes. For example: Huntingdon disease is caused by a faulty gene and causes premature degeneration of the brain (Barber M et al 2000,pg 504). Downs syndrome is another example of a genetic disorder, which has resulted from the presence of an extra chromosome and causes physical and mental handicaps to different degrees of severity (Hayes and Orrell 1996, pg 4).  As well as inherited characteristics and features there is also evidence of inherited behaviour. This was shown in 1938 in Lorenz and Tinbergens 4 characteristics in animal behaviour: Stereotyped this behaviour happens the same way every time.  Species specific this behaviour is specific to a certain type of animal.  Isolation this behaviour is the same as others of their species, even if they have been isolated.  No practice this behaviour appears as a complete unit even if the animal has had no chance to practice it. (Hayes and Orrell 1996 pg 9 Class notes)  Imprinting is a type of behaviour that can form rapid attachments and is also believed to be genetically influenced. For example: Ducklings had become imprinted on a human being. Lorenz found that ducklings would adopt him if he were the first moving thing they saw. He believed this would only take place in the critical period, up to 25 hours after hatching. This was questioned by, (W Slucking in 1964.) After his own study of the same experiment, he found the period was extended if the ducklings were isolated from one another, and hadnt been able to imprint on each other (Hayes N 1993, pg 39). Behaviours we inherit dont show up all at once. Certain forms of behaviour emerge when the individual is mature enough. This is known as maturation, for example, the physiological changes that take place in puberty (Hayes Orrell 1996 pg 7). There are disagreements between the nativists and behaviourists about whether or not maturation is purely genetic. (Hayes N 1993, pg 32).  This brings the debate to the other side of the disagreement and behaviourists also known, as empiricists, believe nurture is the main influence in development. In 1913, J.B. Watson attempted to make psychology `Scientific`. Previously psychology had concentrated on the study of the mind, Watson argued that the mind was not suitable for valid scientific research, so instead he studied behaviour (Hayes N 1995, pg 3). Watson was a total empiricist believing the environment was the only important factor in an individuals development. He considered that a child was born as tabula rasa a blank slate, which experience would write upon to produce the person (Hayes Orrell 1996, pg 2.

Alternatives to Prison in Dealing with Offenders

Alternatives to Prison in Dealing with Offenders Assess the alternatives to prison in dealing with offenders We live in a society that is screaming for help. When it comes to a medical illness that a doctor can cure, he is allowed to go through great lengths to provide the best care possible. The same applies to the government who relies on the prison system to maintain law and order in dealing with offenders in order to live in a peaceful society. The idea for the use of a prison as a whole is to rehabilitate and, in most cases, restructure the way of living so that, when released, a person is better off in society than behind bars. However, there are several alternatives to prison that can be considered according to the offence committed. A well known alternative to prison is the system of fines. Fines are known as monetary sanction imposed upon a convicted offender which can vary according to where the crime was committed and the gravity of the crime. Offences which warrant a fine are classified according to the level of seriousness; the more serious offence obviously refers to a higher fine. This method is normally used for small offences committed. Fines are not considered appropriate for murder, rape, serious drug offences, aggravated robberies, and major re-offences by any member state. Any offence carrying a maximum prison sentence of at least three years in Croatia, any ‘intentional violent crime’ in Moldova, and any war crime conviction in Bosnia Herzegovina cannot be dealt with by a fine.(2010) However, this method did not prove to be quite effective since it concludes that if people could afford the fine, the punishment would not be effective, and where people could not pay the fine, it was lik ely that their family would suffer the financial consequences. Pre trial detention is the time period that an offender is incarcerated between being arrested and his trial.Detentionis only supposed to be used so as to ensure that the person will not pose a danger to other people. It undermines the chance of a fair trial and the rule of law in a number of ways. People in pre-trial detention are particularly likely to suffer violence and abuse. Without the protection of law, and isolated from their family, it is difficult to withstand such pressure. High rates of pre-trial detention are also contributing to prison overcrowding, poor prison conditions and growing the risk of torture. Pre-trial detention has a hugely damaging impact on defendants, their families and communities. Even if a person is acquitted and released, they may still have lost their home and job. They face the stigma of having been in prison when they return to the community. Unfortunately, in many countries pre-trial detention continues to be imposed systematically on those susp ected of a criminal offence without considering whether or not it is necessary, or whether less intrusive measures could be applied. A good alternative to prison is education as it has the potential to be a major driver of rehabilitation. At best, it opens prisoners’ minds to new possibilities and ways of understanding that can give them a way out of the cycle of reoffending. It can also have positive effects elsewhere, for example by raising prisoners’ skills so that they are more likely to be able to access a stable job after release, which in itself will help with reintegration. Considered more broadly, courses that encourage prisoners to think in a different light about family and other personal relationships may lead to better communication within families and a more positive, stable home environment. Education helps one broaden his mind and also helps a person to think more positively. Due to an advancing technological world, a new way of dealing with offenders has been found. The use of electronic monitoring was first applied in a criminal justice case in England and Wales in 1989, when a man was granted bail on condition that he ‘voluntarily agreed’ to have a device attached to him (Lilly and Himan, 1993:1)119 The use of electronic monitoring is becoming increasingly widespread and is now used to monitor over 10,000 offenders in Europe on any given day. Where it has been established, electronic monitoring of a curfew has become an ever-more important part of criminal justice systems and is used at various stages of criminal cases: as a condition of granting bail before trial; as a sentence in its own right; and as a condition of early release from prison. When an offender is monitored electronically, a tracking device is fitted to their ankle and a monitoring unit is positioned in the person’s house or other place of curfew. Currently, the equ ipment is based on radio frequency technology where the tag acts as a transmitter. The tag sends signals to the monitoring unit which in turn send signals to a control centre. Dick Whitfield stated that one common thread that can be observed within Europe is that the growth of EM has been ‘very largely politically driven(2007) much more than most criminal justice developments.( It means it is also politically more vulnerable, too’. This method is mostly used for small offences; this also helps to control prisons in a better way since many small offenders can stay at home with this device. It is also safe since the offender will not be able to move a long distance due to this electronic tag. A good prison policy aiming at the social reintegration of prisoners is an important factor when considering the social life of an offender after imprisonment. Even though the purpose of a prison sentence is to punish offenders and put them where they can do no harm, while preparing them for subsequent release and reintegration into society, , imprisonment does not achieve the second objective as a large number of former prisoners reoffend within five years of their release. There are many causes for this, including socialisation to prison culture, lack of family support, lack of education and vocational training and social prejudices. Spending many years in prison may be a factor in de-socialisation as it very often destroys prisoners’ ties with their families, friends and the rest of society. The chances of successful social reintegration also depend on the nature of the offence committed and the sentence served. In this connection, the possibility of alternatives to impriso nment for petty offenders might be social integration. Community service has proved to be an effective solution while dealing with offenders. Judges can sentence defendants to perform unpaid community work called community service to repay a debt to society for having committed the offense. The defendant may be required to perform community service in addition to receiving some other form of punishment, such as probation, a fine, or restitution. In 1992, Zimbabwe introduced Community Service(2004). Very quickly this alternative proved itself to be more humane, less expensive and a more efficient response to crime. An example of community service would be: Someone convicted of persistently dropping litter may be sentenced to pick up litter, or a convicted drunk driver may be required to appear before school groups to explain why drink driving is a crime and an ethical breach. This in fact makes the offender realise that whatever offence he committed was wrong. Therefore this method psychologically helps the offender to be a responsible ci tizen instead of ruining his life by going to jail. Death penalty can be considered as an option while dealing with offenders. This form of punishment has in fact been banned in many countries due to the beliefs of each of them, for example, a country might have religious beliefs about taking the life of someone as something wrong. However, it is not always the case since the offender must have done something which is not humane to deserve this form of punishment. If someone may allow himself to rape/kill/murder another person, then why should he be allowed to stay alive? This form of punishment has been a debatable one over years; yet many do not believe in it. Death penalty should actually be applicable to offenders who commit serious offences who would instead have a lifetime imprisonment as punishment. This would also increase the economic budget of a society which would have to spend unnecessary money on such offenders; this money could instead be used to reduce poverty. We certainly cannot have a specific alternative to prison in dealing with offenders, but we can surely choose the best punishment according to the offence committed. This would help to reduce the number of criminals in our society since many of the offenders stand a chance of being re-integrated in the society instead of becoming a worse person by going to jail. References 1. Loffmann.M, Morten.F. (2010)  Investigating Alternatives to Imprisonment.[online] The Quaker Council for European Affairs.  Place of publication: Europe. Available from-  http://www.qcea.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/rprt-alternatives-en-jan-2010.pdf 2. Whitfield Dick, Electronic Monitoring: Ethics, Politics and Practice, keynote presentation 10 May 2007 in the Netherlands [on-line], accessed 10 December 2007, available at: http://www.cepprobation.org/uploaded_files/pres EM 07 whitfield.pdf 3. PRI(2004) Alternatives to imprisonment, Pre-trial justice, Prison conditions, Rehabilitation and reintegration[online] . Available from: http://www.penalreform.org/resource/community-service-africa-alternative-imprisonment/

The Books :: essays research papers

The Book   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Fahrenheit 451 books are burned on sight without exceptions. If I had the choice to save three books and â€Å"become† one, the first would be The Black Road which represents what greed and power can do to any kind of man. The second is A Spell For A Chameleon; it shows how if you’re different in any way from society you will be exiled out of the â€Å"group†. The Far Side Experience should be saved because it shows satire in the world around us.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the world around us we see good men and women corrupted by positions of power and or money. In The Black Road, Kabraxis the demon corrupts a Priest of the Zakurumm church by offering him unlimited power and wealth. The way the demon corrupts other people is â€Å"the way of Dreams† which cures the person of whatever is wrong with them and sometimes making them wealthy. This is the book that I would â€Å"become† because I think it has the most meaning out of them all. That is why this book should be saved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Spell For A Chameleon should be saved because it shows how if you’re different then society then they will exile you from it. In Xanth (the land in which the story takes place) everyone has a unique magical power and if yours isn’t discovered by the time your 18 you are exile from Xanth into Mundane (normal realm). There is a powerful magician that can tell you if you have a power and he tells Bink (the main character) that his power is not only there but is very strong magic. Unfortunately this is how some societies today really are. The reason this book should be saved is it shows how you should not act towards somebody that is different from the majority.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Far Side Experience should be kept because it shows satire in the world around us. Satire is a form of written that pokes fun at human weaknesses in hope to fix them. An example in this book is that it shows a kid at his birthday party and a liver truck is part of his party, he obviously doesn’t like liver but smiles anyway. This represents satire in that even though somebody doesn’t like something they will smile and lie that they like it. This can be wrong because people lie so others feelings aren’t hurt and some just because they cant tell the truth.

A Report of Acer

Acer India (Pvt) Ltd. [pic] An Internship Project Report on â€Å"Study of Brand awareness of Acer in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore† JANANI SESHADRI In partial fulfillment of the Master’s Program in Business Administration, Ohio University, Athens, USA OHIO University Christ College Academy for Management Education Christ College Campus Hosur Road, Bangalore-29 May14th, 2007 DECLARATION I Janani Seshadri here by declare that the project entitled â€Å"Study on the awareness of the brand Acer† at Acer India Pvt. Ltd. , is an original and genuine work carried out under the guidance of Mr. Darryl Gray from march 12th to April 25th 2007 in partial fulfillment for the Ohio University Christ college academy for management education. I declare that the report submitted by me is a bonafide work of my own effort and it has not been submitted to other university or published any time before. Place: Bangalore Date: 03-07-2007 Janani Seshadri ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks to God for showering his blessings and for granting me the chance and ability to successfully complete the summer internship program I had taken up. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to ACER INDIA Pvt. Ltd. , head office Bangalore for giving me this valuable opportunity in doing my internship amongst them in their esteemed organization. I would like to extend my special thanks and gratitude to Mr. Rajendran general manager marketing for giving me this opportunity. Also I would like to sincerely thank Mr. S. Raghu marketing projects and Mr. Darryl Gray marketing programmes for their genuine support, valuable advice and sincere comments which helped me a lot to accomplish this project. This internship would not be complete without the support and guidance of our Director Mr. Shivprakash. I also want to express my gratitude to the official referees and the project coordinators Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi and Mr. Girish (Ohio University Christ College) whose valuable comments and valid criticism helped me in refining my project from the draft stage to this final report. I also want to express my thanks to Prof. Venkatesh Bhagwat (Ohio University Christ College) for assisting me in the data compilation and analysis which helped me a lot in fine tuning my report. I cannot forget the assistance and encouragement that made this work possible towards the end. My special thanks to my co-student and dear friend Mr. B. Venkata Ramana who supported me throughout my Internship project with his valuable suggestions and ideas which helped me to approach my project wisely and accomplish it successfully without which I could have not completed my work efficiently and effectively. His consistent help kept me motivated throughout the internship period. Last but not the least, my endless thanks and gratitude goes to my parents Mr. S. N. Seshadri and Mrs. Sasikala Seshadri who has stood by my side, encouraged and given me moral support at all points of time. I would also like to thank my brother Mr. Koushik Ram for all his support and advice. Thank You! EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing is an activity present in all companies where marketing strategies determine the outcome of the products and the company itself. To test to see if marketing is successful, it is necessary to measure where the company was and where it is now. This can be carried out with tracking studies monitoring the market position and changes to the brand image over time or, for particular campaigns, measuring pre- and post- event to see what has changed. This is project report is a market survey study to check the Brand awareness of Acer and thereby figure out the measures that can be implemented to lift the current level of awareness. This study is based on the data collected from the (customers) people regarding their awareness of the PC vendors in the market today then zeroing it into the brand Acer. The means of collecting data were through personal interviews, distributing the questionnaire, and online survey questionnaire. Also observation during the interviews helped a lot in the analysis. To facilitate the analysis of the study I concentrated in two different segments which were based on the demographic segmentation (occupation-Students, working profile and SME) and geographic segmentation (places-Coimbatore, Chennai and Bangalore). Acer stands number four behind Dell. The visibility and awareness for the brand Acer among people is average. About 20% of the people have not heard about Acer. Moreover on an average about 55% of the segmented people perceive Acer to be a national brand in collaboration with Wipro India (Wipro Acer). The perceptions on few product parameters were also measured which resulted in a good quality, fair or average service, and good affordable price, fair performance and good features. Though Acer has the highest network of retail outlets less number of people has actually visited them. Comparatively HP has more number of visits. Lenovo though being a new entrant in the market has already made its place. There is a tuff competition being faced by Acer with Lenovo. All these things finally zero into average awareness of the brand and the awareness which is already there is also through word of mouth, so this may lead to negative or positive propagation of the brand. The data (300 samples) was compiled in SPSS and analyzed with respect to the two categories of segments. Acer is number one in Europe and other countries globally. Considering the primary data available Acer India is one of the youngest players in India. It has performed very well in the recent years (2001 to 2006). In the past five years it faced a tremendous steady growth rate of about 49% in India. Therefore though the awareness amongst people was not all that good Acer still lies in the area where if prompt and good advertising strategies were formulated and implemented the awareness will lift to a great extent. TABLE OF CONTENTS ? PREFACE7 ? ABOUT THE COMPANY 1. Back ground – Acer India8 2. Growing with time – milestones9 3. Product portfolio and key features11 ? PROJECT ? RESEARCH DESIGN METHADOLOGY17 1. Research task17 2. Research tool17 3. Research nature17 4. Research scope17 5. Analysis19 6. Findings53 ? CONCLUSION63 ? SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS64 ? APPENDIX65 PREFACE THE BRAND increasingly is becoming the key source of differentiation that guides customer purchase choice. It is the focal point around which an organization defines how it will uniquely deliver the value to the customer for a profit-effectively embodying the â€Å"heart and soul† of that organization. The brands promise is delivered through its products and services, and consumer communication- the total consumer relationship and experience. The act of creating public awareness of a specific brand in order to maximize its recognition, successful brand awareness strategies should define a company's uniqueness and set it apart from competitors. Quite simply, if potential customers do not know about a company, they will not purchase from it. Therefore, one of the preeminent goals of any business should be to build brand awareness, although in as cost-effective manner as possible. Consumers tend to make purchasing decisions based on peer recommendations and direct experience, as well as traditional advertising methods. This is why it is necessary to build brand awareness strategies out by instilling trust among consumers. This trust must be achieved through credibility, rather than just a catchy advertising campaign. Promotional marketing involving a one-to-one component is proving increasingly effective at building trust and acquiring new customers. Brand building begins with awareness. Consumers first must be aware that there are different brands for the product they want to buy even before making a purchase decision, for which visibility is very important to create awareness. BACKGROUND – ACER INDIA Acer India was incorporated in September 9, 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc. , the world’s No. 4 PC brand. Acer’s mission in India is to translate the group’s goal in making computer technology easier to use and more affordable-to everyone in this country. In shot span, Acer has managed to bridge the gap between product launches worldwide and in India and also offer fresh technology without any inventory backlog. Headquartered in Bangalore, today Acer India has offices in twelve cities including Ahemedabed, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur,New Delhi, Pune, Secunderabed and has its uniload facility in Pondicherry. I has now a customer base of over 180,000 in India. There are over 125 human resource team in India comes with over 700 man-year of IT experience, geared to listen and provide to the IT user in India the very best in sales & marketing support, after-sales support backed up with infrastructure to bring fresh technology to India. GROWING WITH TIME The history of ACER starts from a long way back making its steps of success in every step it takes. 1976-1983 Commercializing microprocessor technology Acer is founded under the name Multitech Designs Taiwan’s first mass-produced compute for export. Becomes the first company to promote 16-bit PC products in Taiwan 1984-1994: Build brand awareness and globalize Acer Peripherals, now known as BenQ corp. , and Multiventure Investments Inc. established Acer beat IBM with 32 bit PCs Acer Inc. launches IPO Acer creates the world’s first 3865x 33 chipset Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Acre introduces Chip Up technology, the world’s first 386-to-486 single chip CPU upgrade solution 1994-2004: Transform from manufacturing to services Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Aspire Park, acer’s multifunctional high-tech intelligence park inaugurated Acer launches Aspire, the multimedia PC, creating a new bench marks for home computers Acer re-engineers its OEM unit to create Wiston Crop. , an independent design and IT manufacturing company Acer reveals a new generation of e-business: MegaMicro e-Enabling Services Acer notebook ranked first in Western Europe. 2004: Acer wins awards in all product categories AC 713 rated the best performance Monitors Altos G 520 Server gets Digit Best Buy Gold Award Veriton 7600 rated the Editors Choice TravelMate 292 LCi rated Best Performance Notebook KEY SUCCESES IN 2005/2006 2005 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rates among the top five. †¢ No. 3 for total PCs in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook across 13 European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. †¢ No. 3 notebook in Asia Pacific, with highest growth rate among top ten. †¢ No. 1 notebook in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. †¢ No. 1 for total PCs in Taiwan. †¢ Enjoyed highest growth rates among the top-10 vendors for total PCs and notebooks in the U. S †¢ No. LCD monitors worldwide. †¢ No. 3 notebook worldwide 2006 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rate. †¢ No. 3 for total desktops WW †¢ No. 1 notebook in Europe and ASEAN block PRODUCT SUITE Powered To Perform Few IT companies offer the breadth and depth of products tha t the Acer Group does. Acer is the only PC vendor in India that has a product for each market segment-be it a large corporates, the SME, SOHO or even the corner office enterprises. The product line includes a broad array of personal computing products segmented under the desktop, laptop and server categories. Acer India Pvt. Ltd. has a vast product portfolio. The four main product categories are as follows 1) Desktops 2) Notebooks There are many more sub- divided products under each different product variety. Those are as follows: DESKTOPS In the desktop segment, Acer’s product range spans the SOHO segment, corner office, manageable desktops, SMEs, STPI etc. this makes Acer the only PC Company that offers such a wide range. Most other companies have products that are not distinct, and overlap each of these segments. Acer Aspire Series Desktops built to cater to a growing demand in the home segment. Acer’s continuing commitment to bring technology closer to our customers has resulted in a core technology that is now integrated into our entire product range. Acer’s Empowering Technology presents users with friendly and intuitive interface by presenting a single key and following a simple â€Å"123† process, gives fast and easy access to cutting-edge hardware and software solutions. Veriton Series Ideal for enterprises large or small, Veriton PCs are built for peak performance, with security features, proven system reliability, and convenience offering that amplify productivity and perfect business sense. The current desktops range are as below with a wide variety of product line. ASPIRE V820 The fastest dual core DT from Acer, the Aspire V820 is powered by a latest Intel Pentium D 820 (2. 8 GHz); is configured with 256 MB RAM for powerful performance; features a DVD/CD-R/W combo drive; comes fitted with a 80 GB SATA HDD for ample storage space; connects to a set of functional speakers for the multimedia experience; offers a 56 Kbps fax/modem port and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port for flexible connectivity; and, displays vide a 17†³ CRT monitor for comfortable viewing. COMMERCIAL MODELS: Acer Power (945GZ) The Acer Power 945GZ offers users’ high end features like Gigabit LAN and PCI Express X16 technology at value for money prices. Acer Power M8 Acer becomes the first in India to commercially launch the new Socket AM2 based AMD products offering the power of DDR-II SDRAM on AMD platform. Acer Power 335 Acer Power 335 is the Entry level product for customers looking for Value machine with complete specifications Notebooks Acer was among the first to build notebooks with Intel Centrino mobile technology, liberating users to work witj wireless environments, offering wireless mobility for the new age road warrior. Acer’s laptops have revolutionary features that offer an astounding battery life, thermal management- more than nay other laptop offering. Acer TravelMate Series A range of the world’s most award wining notebooks, Acer TravelMate is designed to empower enterprises SMB and SOHO users with the ultimate in mobile computing performance. Available at every possible price point, and offering unmatched value through innovations like Disc Anti-Shock Protection System, Smart Card Security, and high-speed wireless capability to name a few. Acer Ferrari Series This is the result of the victorious partnership with Scuderia Ferrari; the Ferrari series of notebooks sport the patented Ferrari-Black& Red color, and offers sheer performance that’s truly worthy of Ferraris passion and Acer’s technology. The various types of products in the notebook series are showcased below. TravelMate 2420 Series Rich entertainment with long lasting mobility Driven by an Centrino @ 1. 7GHz Processor, 14. 1†³ Wide Screen XGA TFT Screen, 6-cell battery and wireless 802. 1b/g connectivity for long lasting mobility, the TravelMate 2428NWXCi is extremely rich in features. This trendy notebook is packed with Centrino Mobile technology, dual-channel memory, 60 GB huge storage- giving users everything they need for work and play – for unrivalled value! KEYFEATURES †¢ Pure portability- Weighing just 1. 40 kgs and measuring the size of an A4 notepad, the TravelMate 3000 is easy to take from one meeting to another †¢ Centrino with 915 Chipset- The TravelMate 3000 adopts the new generation of Intel ® Centrinoâ„ ¢ mobile technology- Sonoma Platform (915 hipset) †¢ Phenomenal battery power- Another first in the industry, Acer has bundled two batteries with the TravelMate 3000, delivering full-day performance for on-the-go users. †¢ Acer GridVista, an innovative software utility, boosts convenience and efficiency. Especially useful for making the most of 12. 1†³ WXGA wide-aspect LCDs, Acer GridVista automatically resizes open application windows to fit the screen, simultaneously SERVERS In the server category, Acer dominates the entry and mid level space, which actually constitutes 90% of the total server market. Acer offers everything from basic data storage to full fledged enterprise solutions. Acer Altos Series Commercial users and enterprises derive unmatched value from Altos Servers and storage solutions. These ranges of servers accentuate reliability and manageability features, along with unrivalled flexibility in terms of implementation. For business applications that demand high performance, high availability and more flexibility, Acer Altos rack-mounted servers provide the ultimate solution. Under this type of product there are a large number of differentiated products. Some of which are as given below KEY FEATURES Scalability and Performance: Provide excellent performance and scalability beyond 40TB in a highly cost-effective SATA-based package for small companies. †¢ Consolidation: Reduce the number of storage systems, maximize storage utilization, improve storage administrators’ productivity, and lower management costs. †¢ Application QoS: Dedicate cache to specif ic applications and volumes to enhance performance. †¢ Configuration Flexibility: Dedicate to specific mission-critical applications, deploy as part of a first SAN in small enterprises, or integrate into a tiered storage infrastructure for rchive, backup, or tape replacement in larger companies. Peripherals Acer Handheld PDAs These support a variety of mobile platforms and operating systems, giving customers easy access to their critical data. Streamlined and fashionable, Acer handhelds are available in both standard and wireless models for both work-related and personal tasks – any time, any place. Acer Displays Acer offers a rainbow-spectrum of devices that suit all kinds of working environments and user needs, including TFT and LCD monitors, optical drives, projectors and multi-function drives. Acer Projectors Acer's projectors bring you an incredible investment to satisfy all home entertainment and business needs. There are three different peripherals the Acer India Pvt. Ltd. is focusing on. They are the LCD monitors, the CRT monitors and the projectors. Some of them are explained below: LCD monitors: Acer AL900 Series – LCD Monitor Benefits: †¢ 500:1 contrast ratio – For strikingly vivid images †¢ Wide viewing angle – Allows more enjoyment for more people †¢ Quick response time – Offers dynamic graphics and advanced animated games †¢ VESA wall mounting – Allows easy mounting Kensington lock – Secures your monitor from theft †¢ Built-in speakers – For freedom from bulky boxes †¢ Auto-scale – Gives full-screen display †¢ Auto-adjustment – Provides self-adjusting screen settings †¢ True color support – Renders picture-pure viewing PROJECTORS: There is a wide product range in project ors section which comprises of 1) Acer PD115 2) Acer XD 1150 3) Acer XD 1170D 4) Acer XD 1270D 5) Acer PD113 6) Acer PD725 7) Acer PD523 8) Acer PD523 All these have a common display system working with called the DLP system, and also all these products have the capacity of displaying 16. 7 million colors. They mainly vary in their computer compatibility, video compatibility, projection lens, projection screen size (diagonal), projection distance, lamp life etc. RESEARCH DESIGN METHODOLOGY Research task: Study the brand awareness of Acer India in the cities Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore focusing on the segments students, SMEs and working profile. Research nature: This project is a complete market research. Market research is the only function that relates or links the organization to its market and in turn to its customers by first studying the consumer behavior which then helps in proper planning accordingly. This is the valid information which allows the organization to identify and define the market related opportunities and problems. This information allows for the generation, refinement and evaluation of marketing activities. Regular market research and thorough study of the consumer behavior towards a company’s products permits the organization to be on par with the changing consumer attitude towards their products. It thus facilitates monitoring the marketing performance and improved understanding of marketing as a business process. Research scope: The scope of this market research can be divided into two major divisions which include Demographic segmentation: In demographic segmentation, the market is divided into groups on the basis of variables such as age, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality and social class. Here the survey was taken by dividing the groups on the basis of age and occupation. The three main segment groups were college students, working profile (first and second job people) and the Small and Medium Enterprises (taking 40, 40 and 20 respectively). The age factor was also set to be between18 to 40 and throughout the survey care was taken about the age limit. The data was collected from college students belonging to professional, agricultural, textile and arts background. To name a few the different colleges include PSG tech, Kumara guru college of technology, Alliance business academy, Indian Institute of Planning Management, Ohio University Christ college, Loyola college, Crescent Engineering college, Agricultural university( Coimbatore). This variety was chosen so as to find out if any new market segment or untapped market can be spotted. The working profiled people also includes professionals from companies like Accenture, Oracle, Travel Guru, Roots, Pricol, Numeric power systems and so on Geographic segmentation: Geographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. The survey was carried on in three different cities namely Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. This was done in the intension of collecting information from two first tier cities where a large population already uses laptops and desktops. This was done to study the variation in the behavior and attitudes of these people and their inclination towards branded PC vendors. The choice of the two tier city Coimbatore was to study the perception of the laptops and desktops and their usage in the people’s mind. Also the perception of the different brands was noted with the main concentration on Acer products. This was done with the intention to explore the potential market there and their requirements. Research tool: The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire covering the areas that lead to the solution of the objective. This includes measures like Acer’s market penetration, its visibility in comparison with other brands, awareness to their advertisements and promotions, the customer media habits, their perception towards Acer etc. Data compilation and analysis methodology: The sample size of three hundred was integrated and compiled in software called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). This is comprehensive statistical software that includes the capabilities for data analysis, data management and programming which enables the analysts in generating decision making information quickly using powerful statistics. ANALYSIS BASIC ATTITUDES AWARENESS CHECK: 1) Channel through which Acer was first heard Geographically The means through which people came to know about Acer for the first time was noted. This helps in reengineering the channel that can be adopted to penetrate market. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 1 Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Coimbatore |33% |11% |9% |9 % |10% | |Chennai |27. 3% |11. 1% |18. 2% |7. 1% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |27. % |13. 1% |17. 2% |19. 2% |8. 1% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 2 |Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Students |33. 1% |16. 1% |12. 1% |12. 1% |8. % | |SME |21. 4% |7. 1% |19. 6% |14. 3% |10. 7% | |Working profile |30. 0% |9. 2% |15% |10% |9. 2% | BRAND VISIBILITY CHECK: Geographically Awareness of a brand can be created only when it is made visible to the people and especially to the potential customers. The three segments considered here shows varied visibility of the brand Acer. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 3 |NO Visibility |Low visibility |Average visibility |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Coimbatore |36% (36) |19% (19) |20% (20) |18% 18) |7% (7) | |Chennai |34. 7% (34) |17. 3% (17) |23. 5% |17. 3%(17) |7. 1% (7) | | | | |(23) | | | |Bangalore |12. % (12) |30. 1% (28) |21. 5% (20) |30. 1% (28) |5. 4% (5) | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 4 |Parameters/ |No |Low |Average |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Places |visibility |Visibility |Visibility | | | |STUDENTS |32. 8% |15. 6% |23. % |20. 5% |7. 4% | |SME |27. 5% |23. 5% |19. 6% |23. 5% |5. 9% | |WORKING PROFILE PEOPLE |24. 2% |27. 5% |20% | 22. 5% |5. 8% | ADVERTISING AWARENESS–Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Awareness towards Acer’s promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 5 Parameters/ Places |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer | | |Promotions | |Coimbatore |51% 9% | |Chennai |53. 5% 16. 2% | |Bangalore |62. 6% 33. % | The advertisements and promotional activities which come under the bottom line projects were checked if it contributed to the awareness. The Acer advertisements were noticed by most of the people in all the three cities. But still on an average almost 50% of the crowd has not seen Acer advertisements which create a lot of gap for the brand in reaching people completely. The promotions which Acer conducts were also not noticed much by the people. On an average more than 70 to 80% of the people do not have any idea of the promotional activities done by ACER. Demographically Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Awareness of promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 6 |Parameters/ occupation |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer Promotions | |Students |63. 7% 22. 6% | |SME |44. 6% 12. 5% | |Working profile |53. % 20. 0% | THE MEDIA HABITS Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically TAB 7 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—TV MEDIA– | | |NEWSPAPER | |Students |65. 3% 50. 8% | |SME |46. 3% 42. % | |Working profile |61. 7% 65% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—newspaper Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—Magazine Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 8 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—Magazine MEDIA– | | |Internet | |Students |37. 9% 15. 3% | |SME |21. 4% 16. 1% | |Working profile |45. 8% 33. 3% | Media habits—internet Geographically [pic] Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) 4) Visibility check through the number of visits to the retail outlets: Geographically This check is mainly done to measure the visibility by the frequency of visit to Acer retail outlets. The brand HP has the highest hit for the customer visit to retail outlets. Very less number of people has visited the Acer malls (the retail outlets) in all the three places. On an average much less than 10% of the sample have visited the Acer malls, which is very less to the 40% visit rate to the HP retail outlets. pic] (Sample size 100 each) [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision – evaluating the product: Geographically Since the awareness rate differs between different cities the purchasing decision and the evaluation of the products may also vary. Before the purchase decision occurs there is a stage called the evaluation stage where people compare and examine the products of the brand they are aware off which finally leads to the procurement of the product. [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 9 |Parameters/ |Word of |Comparing |Media Checking |Seeing demo | |Places |Mouth |Specifications | |Offer | | |Coimbatore |32% |71% |28% |22% |32% | |Chennai |25% |62% |27% |22% |32% | |Bangalore |38% |52% |26% |22% |28% | Means That Facilitate the Purchasing Decision – Demographic Segmentation Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision can be influenced by a lot of factors which can totally change the buying pattern itself. When analyzed here on the basis of the demographic segments the inferences and major findings were as follows STUDENTS – †¢ 35. 5% through comparing specifications †¢ 12. 1% word of mouth & checking specification. †¢ 5. 6% checking offer & checking specification. 5. 6% checking & media. SME – †¢ 10. 7% Checking specification& comparing specifications †¢ 10. 7% comparing specif ication †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth & checking specification †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth and checking offer WORKING PROFILE – †¢ 20% comparing specification †¢ 12. 5% checking offer & checking specifications. †¢ 11. 7% checking specification & media †¢ 9. 2% word mouth & checking specifications BRAND PERCEPTION Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 10 Parameters/ Places |Acer perceived as an MNC brand | |Coimbatore |62% | |Chennai |67% | |Bangalore |71% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 11 |Parameters/ |Acer perceived as an | |Segments |MNC brand | |Students |42. % | |SME |17% | |Working people |40. 7% | Rating the parameters concerned with the products of Acer Geographically Some parameters linked with the product of Acer were also asked to rank like quality, price, service, features and performance. Rating quality pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 12 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |3. 1% |19. 4% |35. 7% |15. 3% |10. 2% | |Chennai |1% |11. 2% |43. 9% |18. 4% |12. % | |Bangalore |4. 3% |23. 7% |47. 3% |14% |4. 3% | Demographically Rating quality TAB 13 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4. 1% |22% |42. 3% |13% |8. % | |SME |2. 0% |18% |38. 0% |22% |8. 0% | |Working profile |2. 5% |13. 6% |44. 1% |16. 1% |9. 3% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average all the three segments feel that the qualities o f Acer products are good. This comes around 41. 5% of the population. Rating service [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 14 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good Very good |Excellent | |Places | | | | | | | Coimbatore |7. 1% |25. 5% |36. 7% |13. 3% |1% | |Chennai |3. 1% |26. 5% |39. 8% |16. 3% |1% | |Bangalore |2. 2% |32. 2% |33. 3% |25. 6% |O% | Rating Acer’s service Demographically TAB 15 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |5. 0% |33. 1% |35. 5% |16. 5% |0% | |SME |4. 0% |46% |30% |20% |0% | |Working profile |4. % |33. 4% |27. 3% |18. 8% |1. 7% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Rating price Geographically TAB 16 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2% |17. 3% |35. 7% |26. 5% |2. 0% | |Chennai |2. % |12. 4% |32. 0% |33. 0% |8. 2% | |Bangalore |4. 3% |9. 7% |28% |36. 6% |15. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 100) Rating price Demographically Tab 17 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |1. % |14. 6% |39. 8% |28. 5% |5. 7% | |SME |4. 1% |16. 3% |22. 4% |34. 7% |12. 2% | |Working profile |3. 4% |10. 2% |28% |33. 9% |10. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING PERFORMANCE Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 18 Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |33. 7% |29. 6% |8. 2% | |Chennai |2. 0% |7. 1% |37. 8% |34. 7% |5. 1% | |Bangalore |3. 3% |30. 4% |22. 8% |34. 8% |2. % | Rating performance Demographically TAB 19 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |16. 3% |39% |28. 5% |3. 3% | |SME |4. 0% |12. 0% |26. 0% |38. 0% |8% | |Working profile |0. % |17. 1% |26. 5% |35. 0% |6. 0% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING FEATURES Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 20 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |38. 8% |21. 4% |11. 2% | |Chennai |1. % |3. 1% |41. 8% |29. 6% |11. 2% | |Bangalore |5. 4% |20. 7% |30. 4% |28. 3% |8. 7% | RATING THE FEATURES Demographically TAB 21 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |13. % |45. 5% |22. 8% |4. 9% | |SME |2. 0% |10% |22. 0% |36% |18% | |Working profile |2. 6% |10. 3% |34. 2% |25. 6% |12. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) DEGREE TO WHICH ACER PRODUCTS ARE RECOMMENDED Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 22 |Parameters/ |Def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Would probably |Would def. |Places | | | | | | |Coimbatore |1% |38% |10% |42% |9% | |Chennai |2% |38. 4% |8. 1% |42. 4% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |6. 1% |19. 2% |7. 1% |51. 5% |16. 3% | Demographically TAB 23 Parameters/ |Would def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Probably would |Def. would | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4% |36. 3% |10. 5% |45. 2% |4. 0% | |SME |1. 8% |23. 3% |3. 6% |53. 6% |17. 9% | |Working profile |2. 5% |32. % |8. 3% |40. 8% |15. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average 46. 5% of the people would probably recommend Acer products to his/ her friends/ associates or relatives. About 30. 7% of the people on average are not sure if they would recommend and around 12. 55% of the people would definitely recommend. Demographically—consideration set for Acer desktops Frequency of peopl e having Acer in their consideration set †¢ STUDENTS – 31. 5% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer products. SME – Around 50% of the people would consider Acer while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% of the people would consider Acer during purchase decisions. [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Acer notebooks in the consideration set Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 24 |Parameters/ Places |Acer desktops |Acer notebooks | |Coimbatore |35% |56% | |Chennai |36. % |55. 6% | |Bangalore |46. 5% |52. 5% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) †¢ STUDENTS – 47. 6% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer notebooks. †¢ SME – Around 58. 9% of the people would consider Acer notebooks while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 59. 2% of the people would consider Acer notebooks during purchase decisions. P reference set—Acer desktops Geographically Acer’s share in the preference set of the people TAB 25 |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10% |30% |60% | |Chennai |9. 4% |28. 1% |62. 5% | |Bangalore |17. % |41. 2% |41. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 26 Demographically |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Students |60. 6% |33. 3% |6. 1% | |SME |46. 2% |38. 55 |15. 4% | |Working profile |48. 8% |34. 1% |17. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Preference for notebooks: Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 27 |Parameters/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10. % |57. 9% |31. 6% | |Chennai |12% |36. 0% |52% | |Bangalore |27. 3% |29. 5% |43. 2% | Demographically—Acer notebooks in preference set [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 28 Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |students |52. 8% |30. 6% |16. 7% | |SME |45. 5% |36. 4% |18. 2% | |Working profile |39. 4% |44. % |20. 9% | FINDINGS The general attitudes and awareness of the brand Acer is analyzed Channel through which Acer was first heard of: Geographically †¢ People came to know about Acer products and brand to a greater extent from friends/ relatives / associates which contributes to about 30% in each city on an average. †¢ Newspaper awareness contributed to around 14. 8% and magazine contribution was around 12%. Demographically †¢ Students came to know about Acer through friends /relatives / associates which contributed about 33. 1%. About 12. % each through newspaper and magazine. Nearly 17. 8 % of the people have not heard of Acer. †¢ SME came to know about Acer through friends / relatives and associates to about 21. 4%. Newspaper contributed to about 19. 6% and magazine to about 14. 3% to the awareness of Acer for the first time. 25% of the people have not heard about Acer. †¢ Working profile about 30% contribution was due to friends / relatives / associates. 15% contribution by newspaper. About 23. 7% of the people have not heard of Acer. Brand visibility Index: Geographically †¢ The visibility index from the analysis is Coimbatore – 2. 41 Chennai – 2. Bangalore – 2. 65 This indicated that Acer as a brand lies between low and average visibility zone. Demographically †¢ The visibility index is Students – 2. 54 SME – 3. 45 Working profile – 2. 58 This indicates that Acer has low visibility for the student and working profile segment. It has average visibility in the SME segment Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities: Geographically: †¢ On an average 55. 6% of the people have seen Acer advertisements taking all the three cities in to consideration. †¢ Acer promotional activities were not noticed in a very negligible pattern. Coimbatore – only 9% of the people have noticed an Acer promotion. †¢ Chennai – around 16. 2% have seen Acer promotions †¢ Bangalore – about 34. 3% of the people have noticed Acer promotional activities. Demographically Acer advertisements †¢ Students – 63. 7% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ SME – 44. 6% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ Working profile – 53. 3% has noticed Acer advertisements Acer promotions †¢ Students – 22. 6% has noticed Acer promotions †¢ SME – 12. 5% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities †¢ Working profile – 20. 0% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities Number of visits to Acer retail outlets (in the past six months): Geographically Coimbatore †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% Chennai †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. 3% of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Bangalore †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Demographically Students †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% SME †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. % of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Working profile †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Measures that people undertake before their purchase decision—evaluating the product Geographically Coimbatore †¢ 71% purchases occur by comparing specifications †¢ 50% purchases also happen by comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 32% word of mouth Chennai †¢ 62% purchases occur by comparing specification. †¢ 45% purchases through comparing specification and checking offers. †¢ 27% through media †¢ 32% seeing demo Bangalore †¢ 52% comparing specification †¢ 38% word of mouth †¢ 30% comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 26% through media Demographically †¢ Students – 35. 5% of the purchases through comparing specifications 12. 1% through word of mouth 5. 6% each through checking offer and comparing specifications †¢ SME – 10. 7% of purchase through comparing specification and checking Offer 10. 7% only comparing specification 9% each through word of mouth & checking offer, word of mouth & Checking specification and checking specification and seeing demo. Working profile – 20% of the purchase through comparing specification 12. 5% through checking offer & comparing specification 11. 7% checking specification & media BRAND PERCEPTION CHECK: Perception linked with the brand name: Acer is still perceived to be in collaboration with Wipro. So it is giving a perception of a national brand amongst most people. Geographically †¢ Coimbator e only 62% of the people are aware that Acer is an MNC †¢ Chennai 67% had the awareness †¢ Bangalore 71% of the people knew that Acer is an MNC. Demographically †¢ Students – only 42. 5% perceive Acer as an MNC SME – only 17% of the SME perceive Acer as an MNC †¢ Working profile – 40. 7% perceive Acer as an MNC. Perception on the product parameters An index is got from the analysis which gives the quality index in the three different cities. This is done on a scale of 1 to 5 indicating where the parameter actually lies. †¢ Quality Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 56 Chennai – 2. 84 Bangalore – 2. 65 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone but far towards good. Demographically Students – 1. 9 SME – 2. 8 Working profile 2. 72 Students perceive Acer’s quality to be fair. Both SME and working profile perceive Acer’s quality to be good. †¢ Service Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 22 Chennai – 2. 41 Bangalore – 2. 42 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the lower fair zone. Demographically Students – 2. 43 SME – 2. 38 Working profile – 2. 05 The weighted average shows that the service of Acer perceived by the three different segments is invariably fair. †¢ Price. Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 55 Chennai – 2. 87 Bangalore – 3. 06 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone in Coimbatore and far towards good in Chennai. In Bangalore price vice perception for Acer is good Demographically Students – 2. 9 SME – 2. 69 Working profile – 2. 9 The data above shows that the price of Acer products is perceived to be good invariably in all three segments. †¢ Performance Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 77 Chennai – 2. 88 Bangalore – 2. 60 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 82 SME – 2. 98 Working profile – 2. 86 The data shows that the performance of Acer products is perceived to be in between fair and good but more inclined towards good. Features Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 75 Chennai – 3. 01 Bangalore – 2. 71 From the above data it is clear that in Coimbatore and Bangalore Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. In Chennai it lies in the good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 829 SME – 3. 22 Working profile – 2. 92 The data shows indicates that students and working profile perceive the features of Acer products to be in between fair and good. The SMEs’ perceive the features of Acer products to be good. Degree to which Acer products are recommended Geographically Taking the weighted average mean into consideration and rating the different parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 people feel that †¢ Coimbatore – 3. 2 †¢ Chennai – 3. 15 †¢ Bangalore – 3. 49 The respondents feel that they would probably not recommend Acer products to their friends / relatives / associates. Demographically †¢ Students – 3. 05 †¢ SME – 3. 625 †¢ Working profile – 3. 35 Students and working profile people feel that they would probably not recommend Acer to their known ones. SMEs response lies in between probably not to probably would and more inclined towards probably would. Checking if Acer desktops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set Geographically †¢ Coimbatore – 35% people considers Acer desktops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 30 respondents’ preferred Acer desktops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 5. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 36. 4% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy desktops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 68 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 46. 5% of the people consider Acer desktops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 0. 629. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference. Demograph ically †¢ Students – 31. 5% of the people feel that they would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of which when it comes to the preference set only 33 responses were there. In the scale of 1 to 3 it lays around 1. 5 which indicates their preference lies between third and second preference. †¢ SME – Around 50% of the respondents would consider Acer desktops while they decide a purchase. In the preference set only 13 responses where there and their preference lies between third and second preference more inclined towards second preference. †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of the consideration set only 41 responses preferred Acer desktops. Their preference lies between third and second preference (1. 68) in the scale of 1 to 3. Checking if Acer laptops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set †¢ Coimbatore – 56% people considers Acer laptops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 19 respondents’ preferred Acer laptops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 789. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 55. 6% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy laptops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 6 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 52. 5% of the people consider Acer laptops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 8. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference The preference fro an Acer laptop, on the whole is between third and second preference and more towards third preference. That for Acer laptop is also between third and second preference but inclined more towards second preference. Demographically †¢ Students – 47. % of the people have Acer notebooks in their consideration set out of which only 36 people have it in their preference set and their ranking for preference in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 638. this indicates that their preference lies between third and second preference inclined towards second preference. †¢ SME – 58. 9% of the respondents say that they would consider Acer pr oducts but their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 7, heading towards second preference. †¢ Working Profile – 59. 2% have Acer in their consideration set and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 it lies at 2. 1 indicating that working profile people have Acer notebooks as their second preference. CONCLUSION The awareness of the brand Acer is average which is due to the low visibility of the brand to the customers. There is not enough advertisement and promotional activities that is undertaken to boost the brand. There must be a lot of investment made make the brand more visible. This will help the brand to build itself strong. The channel through Acer became aware to many people is through word of mouth. But to some extent even through internet and newspaper. There must be another research conducted to check if the word of mouth propagation is ctually causing a positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. There are about 20% of the people who ha ve not heard of Acer. The amount of advertisements and promotions that we undertake is also comparatively low and it is not being noticed much. This is in turn affecting the visibility of the brand compared to the other brands that really pump a great amount of advertisements even being a new entrant in the market. This also is leading to the relatively low number of visits to the Acer retail outlets though having the highest network. Acer is also being perceived still as a national brand which is in collaboration with Wipro. People are not sure if Acer is an Indian or a foreign brand, which actually creates a wrong vibration in the purchase decision chain of the customers. SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS First thing that we need to do is change that perception and project ourselves as an MNC with the Indian emotions filled in it. We need to target our customer segment properly and advertise our product and brand We must focus on the other means of throwing light on the band like TV commercials, internet banners and magazine printed ads because the amount of people with media habits as TV, newspaper, internet is really huge. Acer has to be made awareness first regionally and then nationally. †¢ Tying up with educational institutions will increase the awareness and also the leads. †¢ Acer needs to redefine its target segment as to which is potential. The segment suggested is SMEs and college students. †¢ Acer needs to set its target properly and focus Advertisements to hit them especially the TV commercials. †¢ Designing gift offers and vouchers with the product also will help a lot to draw the attention of the customers. †¢ Online banner Advertisements can be designed and can be displayed on the widely used sites especially in messengers like Yahoo and Google talk. Popup inviting users to participate in online survey can be designed and implemented so that the perception of the people can be known periodically. †¢ Huge hoardings with the endorsed celebrity can be designed and put o places where are forced to see such as in the signals, near direction boards, outside famous malls, on road dividers etc. †¢ Service and support is one factor which has to be worked out properly. †¢ Providing good incentives and schemes to the dealers as Acer in India will help a lot as it is still a push product. †¢ Sponsoring for big events like the filmy events which happen and also sport. APPENDIX Dear Respondent: I am a student of Ohio University, Christ College carrying out a research project titled brand awareness and consumer perception of the branded PC vendors. I request you to kindly fill in this questionnaire. All the information provided by you will be strictly confidential and will be used only for academic purposes. Please put a tick mark or circle the bullets where ever necessary. 1. Do you own a Personal Computer / Notebook? Desktop Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No Notebook Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No 2. Which brand would you prefer to buy while buying a desktop or notebook? (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell Inc. Toshiba) 2. (a) Desktop ( rate your preference) |Rank | 1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | | | | | | | | 2. (b) Notebook ( rate your preference) Rank |1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | |