Four Key Attributes of Strategic Management

Strategic Management must firstly be directed towards a company’s goals and objectives. Typically the company will be organized with a mission and vision developed, stating a purpose and direction of the overall organization. The goals and objectives set by the manager’s act as stepping stones to maintain that vision. These goals need to be transparent throughout the organization to allow the key players to achieve buy-in as the team moves towards accomplishing these goals.Secondly, the strategic management of an organization must include multiple stakeholders in decision making . Typically stake holders have demands on different areas of the organization. Managers must consider the consequences of how certain decision will affect each stakeholder group. Stakeholders will include the owners, shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, and the community . Decisions that may benefit the owners such as taking short cuts in safety may have drastic effects on the employee s or a local community’s environment.Decisions to cut costs in quality control and employee training may benefit the bottom line of a company for a short time, but eventually will lead to a poorer product being produced and a lack of consumer confidence or higher warranty claims of the end user. Third, strategic management requires incorporating both short-term and long-term perspectives. Managers must maintain a vision for the future as well as focus on the present needs.Managers can be put in a position to be â€Å"short sited† to reach production numbers or sales goals by making decisions that don’t coincide with those long term goals of growth. Salesmen with quotas may always look for the quick sale without respect for building a long term relationship with the customer. This can cause long term reputation issues and cause a company to develop a culture of poor service and trust. Strategic managers must fourthly recognize the trade-off between effectiveness and efficiency. This is described as â€Å"doing the right thing† or â€Å"doing things right†.Managers must make decisions that guide the organization towards its overarching goals and perform actions which create cost savings, best practice’s, and build a culture of a positive corporation. Sometimes doing the right thing may cost the company more money to stay on focus of the mission. Companies may make organizational decisions that inhibit the success of the organization. In a recent news story, a company in West Virginia made a decision not to report a chemical spill from its holding tanks into the Elk River .This spill has now contaminated the drinking water supply of over 300,000 residents and sent some of them to the hospital. Freedom Industries made the decision not to report the spill until after the state Department of Environmental Protection had already traced it to one of their leaking tanks. Through this act of neglect and failure to report the lea k, the company now creates a reputation of untrustworthiness and may face legal action which will significantly affect the stakeholders (both stockholders and local community).A local company in my business area has been known as a poor company to work for and has a reputation of a sour culture. This company has had safety issues and difficult times finding quality employees. The company deals in supplies to major automakers and has recently seen great growth due to the surge in automotive sales over the last several years. Now the company has a need for expansion of its building and added equipment to produce the needed volume of parts to match the growth.Because they have had a short term perspective of the economy due to the downturn in 2008, the management has made decisions to pay the employees lower wages and fail to train them adequately which eventually have led to a 40% turnover rate. The company has recently spent millions of dollars on the expansion and can’t find employees that are willing to work for them due to the reputation they have. Poor cultures within a company can have long term effect on its continual growth and take many years to turn around even with the best strategic managers.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – 3

Ernest Hemingway probably summed it up best when he said, â€Å"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn† (source). We’re dealing with quite a book here. Published in 1885, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain’s follow-up to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, carved new territory into the American literary landscape in several ways. As one of the first novels to use a specific region’s vernacular in its narration, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn set a precedent for many other distinctly American works to follow. Some readers didn’t exactly â€Å"get† this new colloquial style, however.Accustomed to the proper prose of Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Emerson, some readers didn’t know what to do with Huck’s particular way of storytelling. Aside from the novel’s new style of writing, Twain’s decision to use thirteen-year-old Huck as the narrator allowed him to include certain con tent that a more civilized narrator probably would have left out. At first, Twain’s novel was labeled crass by some readers. The book was even banned in schools for its use of the n-word which is ironic, given that the novel is up in arms over slavery. Even today, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn makes â€Å"Banned Books† lists.Twain’s novel jumped head first into one of the biggest issues of its day: racism. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed over two decades before Huckleberry Finn’s original publication date, African-Americans everywhere were still victims of oppression and racism. They were technically â€Å"free,† but often by name only in Reconstruction-era America. Many southerners were bitter about the outcome of the Civil War. By guiding his characters through several states of the Confederacy, Twain was able to reveal the hypocrisy of many pre-war southern communities.As a southerner himself, Twain had first-hand exp eriences to draw on, and he was able to walk the fine line between realistic depiction and ironic farce. Not to mention, Twain created the now-iconic character of Jim, a runaway slave who convinces Huck that African-Americans are deserving of freedom, and that equality is a goal for which we all should be fighting. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is now considered to be one of the Great American Novels, mostly due to how it so heartily champions the American ideals of freedom, independence, and rugged individualism.Huck’s dedication to his own moral standards and his bold sense of adventure and self-sufficiency have earned him a place in the All-American Hall of Fame. In addition, Twain is a hilarious storyteller, and the plot of this novel is a roller-coaster ride of moral dilemmas – so trust us when we say that if you haven’t taken the ride yet, you probably should. Why Should I Care? Mark Twain wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn twenty years after the Am erican Civil War. Slavery had been abolished, and the North and South were making up (albeit with some residual anger).So why publish a highly moralistic tale about a system that was no longer in place? Weren’t race issues a moot point once slavery was out of the picture? Hardly. Freedom didn’t mean equality by any means – not legally, socially, or practically. (See Shmoop History's â€Å"Jim Crow in America† for more. ) Actually, come to think of it, this isn’t an outdated notion at all. Rules and laws often don’t accurately reflect what’s really going on. From a legal standpoint today, we have equality of race; yet racism is still a problem.Men and women are equal, yet many still see a â€Å"glass ceiling† for women in the workplace, meaning they often have invisible boundaries to advancement. That doesn’t mean laws are useless. Laws may not immediately effect change, but we’ve seen that they do precede change. While laws can affect how people act, it takes more to change the way we think. We can’t rely on laws alone. That’s where The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn comes back into the picture. We need people like Mark Twain to remind us not to be self-congratulatory for starting a process in motion,

Strategy, Business Information and Analysis Assignment

Strategy, Business Information and Analysis - Assignment Example It will be a critical section creating strong fundamentals so that further extensive study will be easier. The second section will talk about critical risks associated with blue ocean strategy as well as alternative models which define the overall strategy. The third section will describe various strategic management theories and strategies and their relationship with blue ocean strategy. The section will also describe ways to overcome the limitations associated with each of these strategies through application of Blue Ocean Strategy. The overall objective of the strategy is to understand the importance of blue ocean strategy and the relevance of its application in current scenarios. Contents 1.Introduction 4 2.Section One 5 2.a. Logic of Blue Ocean Strategy 5 2.b. Listing non-consumers-/non buyers 5 2.c. Sequence of BOS 6 2.d. Buyer experience Cycle 6 2.e. Strategy Canvas 7 2.f. ERRC Grid 7 2.g. To be canvas 8 3.Section Two 8 Critical risks of Blue Ocean Strategy 8 Outside versus in side out strategy 9 Emergent versus rational strategy 10 Adoption process 10 Learning approach 11 4.Section Three 11 Disadvantages of Blue ocean strategy 11 Porter’s Generic Strategy 12 Ansoff’s Matrix 12 Disruptive Innovation 13 Experience Innovation 13 Scenario planning 14 Conclusion 14 Reference List 16 1. Introduction Strategy has been implicitly used in various ways, even though the traditional definition is limited. The 5 Ps of strategy were first coined by Mintzberg (1992); plan, ploy, pattern, position and perspective. Understanding and implementing these elements helps organizations in developing practical, robust and successful strategies for business. Nestle is one of the renowned food manufacturing companies across the globe. It was founded in the year 1865 by Henri, with initial focus on infant nutrition and later, expanded into other confectionary and milk-based products. Nestle has continuously focussed on its core products while diversifying into new an d emerging categories. Nestle company has been chosen for applying the logic of blue ocean strategy because of the extreme industry rivalry as well as maturity of the market. As a result of the constant growth of local competitors, new emerging companies and decreasing demands among consumers, profit margins have become low (Hollensen, 2007). A simultaneous retailer and distributor consolidation has helped in raising their power of bargaining against plethora of wine producers. Fiery battles are fought for distribution and retail space. With no surprise, companies which are weak and poorly run are swept aside. In order to hold its grounds as well as create a sustainable competition, Nestle could think of implementing blue ocean strategy (BOS) as an initiative. Downward pressure on prices of low involvement food products has crept in. BOS could help in creating sustainable differentiation to the company compared to its competitors. 2. Section One 2.a. Logic of Blue Ocean Strategy Foo d manufacturing around the globe consists of an array of industries, differing in inputs and produced goods. In the current scenario, competition is the major concern for Nestle. Food markets as well as ingredient suppliers are facing pressure in terms of higher commodities as well as shelf prices. The fundamental logic of BOS is that it provides high amount of profit growth at lower risk and is applicable to even those industries which are

Wine studies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wine studies - Research Paper Example Aromas are imparted through transferring wines into oak barrels for maturing process. Australia ranks among the top ten wine exporting and producing countries globally. The Hunter Valley remains one of the globally recognised wine producing regions in Australia. The Hunter Valley Semillon remains the globally recognised iconic wine from the region. The Hunter Valley region remains extensively covered by vineyards for producing wine grapes utilised in processing of wine. The region is naturally flat and irrigated by the Hunter River and its tributaries, which flow through the region. The Hunter Valley wine industry is significantly boosted by the proximity to Sydney, which provides market form the produced wines (Schamel & Anderson, 2003). Trading links between the valley and the city have existed since the nineteenth century. The streaming number of individuals from the city into the valley continues to drive the Hunter Valley economy through the wine and tourism industries. The Hunter Valley has been the largest wine producing region in the entire Australia. The region has utilised this global recognition in marketing itself as tourist destination to many tourists visiting the country. The proximity to the city of Sydney further provides essential support to the tourism and wine industry within the valley. The region consists of beautiful scenery, adorned by hectares of large vineyards producing wine grapes. The globally acclaimed wineries and vineyards within the valley remain the fundamental features, which tourists anticipate to see. The Hunter Valley continues to gain international acclamation with increased growth in the wine production industry. The region has been extensively marketed as a perfect destination for an extremely unique tourism element – wine tourism. Wine tourism involves the process where individuals

Banking and Finance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Banking and Finance Law - Essay Example In the case at bar, the role of Bank A is an arranger as it is representing the borrower and not the participating banks, therefore, its obligations centered upon the borrower. Generally, the functions of the arranger starts upon its acceptance of the offer to arrange from the borrow and shall subsist until the time that the facility shall have been executed or in case of syndicated loan, its duties and obligations shall be deemed fulfilled at syndication when the participant banks are brought into direct contractual relations with the borrower2. Part of the duties of the arranger is to assist the borrower in drafting the Information Memorandum (IM), which will be circulated to prospective lenders/investors or in the case of syndication, to participating banks. Note that the IM is an instrument, which will be relied upon by the participating bank in assessing the nature of the investment and risk involved thereon. By this token, English law so for measures that will ensure that the p articipating bank will not be misled by unfounded claims set in the IM. The obligations of the arranger towards the participating banks in the case of syndication arise particularly during the negotiation stage and before the signing of the instruments of documents ratifying the facility. Breach of obligation to disclose the full state of the borrower or the misrepresentation of facts in the IM whether it is fraudulent or negligent in nature would give rise to both statutory breach and violation of established case laws. Fraudulent misrepresentation is the act of giving information knowing fully that it is not true. Fraud can also be deemed present where the arranger recklessly gives information without ascertaining its veracity and rending the facts disclosed as misleading. The key in this situation is that there is deceit in the act of the arranger as opposed to an innocent misrepresentation where the arranger believed in good faith in the truthfulness of the data disclosed.

Legalization of birth control fight in the early 1900s Term Paper

Legalization of birth control fight in the early 1900s - Term Paper Example Margaret was the pioneer in the movement of birth control. This was the time when she voiced her opinions on the contraception and their advantages when they had become illegal. Early in the twentieth century, there was a heavy toll of sickness and premature deaths noticed among the working class women who got pregnant and were made to work in the poor working conditions in the working neighborhood of New York State. Margaret raised her voice against the illegalization of contraception and said that a step should be taken for the prevention of repeated pregnancies (Tobin 1901-1937) . She worked under Havelock Ellis after travelling to Europe and got extensive training on the human sexuality. After she returned to United States, she launched a program where she gave better access to family planning information to the women who were expecting babies and later starting mailing the birth control pamphlets to her clients. Since she was using U.S mail, therefore in the year 1916, she got a rrested as well as her clinic which gave assistance on birth control measures was located in Brooklyn. With her controversial books and pamphlets, she started off her program on educating women on family planning. She wrote many of the books and pamphlets and one of them was What Every Girl Should Know (1913). This was a detailed book which gave answers to the unasked questions such as girlhood, puberty, sexual impulse, reproduction and the diseases which can be potentially transferred. She gave very vague but never clear ideas that what can be done to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. However, she became quite a controversial lady in the eyes of the medical leaders and the nursing professionals when she raised her voice on a taboo topic such as the masturbation. But since she had an enlightened attitude, therefore she carried on with her and her concentration. In the year 1923, she successfully opened a family planning clinician New York and later on arranged conferences which were he ld on the international and national level, discussing the family planning issues. National Committee on Federal Legislation for Birth was found by her and she became the President of the committee until the breakup of the committee after the federal birth control legislation enactment in 1937 (Sanger n.p.). She was a brave woman who inspired women all over the work and she discussed the need of birth control through a number of conferences held in many parts of the world. She travelled to Africa, Europe to spread more awareness on the issue and established many clinics world wide as well. For centuries, women have fought in the society for their own rights. Anything that they have wanted to themselves, they always had to earn it through fight and perseverance. Just like Margaret Sanger, history show many women who have stood up for the rights of the women and these social activists made innumerable contribution to the women history. Right over birth control is not the only issue th at they had to deal with, infact, right to vote, and right to work with equal opportunities were few of the many issues for which they fought and stood up against for. It is very important to realize that a woman has a right over her body and by right over it is meant, that she should have the right to decided that when does she want a baby in her life. Until the year 1914, women of

Men and masculinity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Men and masculinity - Research Paper Example Rationale of Research This research project hopes to assess the relationship between men and masculinity in the context of their significance to media and social context. For example, the aggression of men is feasible for media projects such as the television, newspapers and radio among others. Similarly, men can use masculinity in the shaping of news through modeling and fashion shows that attract the young clientele. In other words, there is the direct impact on the social context through interaction with men who walk with a masculine persona. Additionally, this is paramount in the advertisement world where the essence of pictures and body images translates to profits for companies (Ayers, 2008). In the same prospect, there is also the use of male power in reaching the female audience who get attracted to the masculine nature in their marriages. This is influential in defining social interactions such as marriage and relationships that looks up to men as the role models of their fa milies. On the other hand, in the media world, men use masculinity to set standards of excellence and moral good in helping young people to emulate the career as a profession of serious people. In the same view, men have the ability to manipulate the power of masculinity to win admiration in terms of upping the moral bar of society. Annotated bibliography Ayers, D. (2008). Bodies, bullets, and bad guys: Elements of the hardbody film. Film Criticism, 32(3), 41-58. According to Ayers in the above article, there are several connotations of male image in the film industry through the symbol of sex image. In the author’s view, the film industry banks on the masculinity of men in the depiction of bad boys who misuse girls, kill people, and do drugs among other vices in the community (Ayers, 2008). Additionally, there is also the relationship between high film ratings for the exposure of hard boy image to represent the alluring effect of masculinity and male power. Lee, T. (2002). V irtual violence in Fight Club: This is what transformation of masculine ego feels like. Journal of American and Comparative Cultures, 25(3-4), 418-423. DOI:10.1111/1542-734X.00059. However, in the perspective of Lee, masculinity according to most men is starting fights and stoking violence in clubs. This is mostly done as proof of bloated egos and pride that only demeans the maturity of men. Similarly, there is also a promotion of the wrong culture that violence is something noble especially if it is done by men to boost their egos (Lee, 2002). Alternatively, there is also the use of violence to gain sexual domination. Rosenburg, J. (2009). Circles in the surf: Australian masculinity, morality and grief. Critical Public health, vol. 19 issue 3-4 page 417-426. However, according to Rosenburg, there are several negative consequences of the promotion of masculinity among men in the moral sphere. For example, the display of masculinity erodes the moral standards of young people who assu me that physical power is the same as brain power. It also leads to misrepresentation that the use of masculinity among men is a direct symbol of domination in society over others (Rosenburg, 2009). This has hence resulted to broken morals and peer pressure among young Australians. Alilunas, P. (2009). "Male masculinity as the celebration of failure: The frat pack, women and the trauma of victimization in the "dude flick." Mediascape. On the other hand, according to

Staffing Ethics for HR in a Globalized World Research Paper

Staffing Ethics for HR in a Globalized World - Research Paper Example Each contributes insights. Some are specific to that culture, but several cross-cultural themes emerge from the literature. One cross-cultural pattern that emerged was challenges to ethical staffing, especially in the face of multinational companies with HRM that are not in touch with the influence of cultural dimensions on staffing. Another pattern was resistance due to tradition, which was revealed in Canada, India, Mexico, and Poland. A third cross-cultural pattern was the overwhelming agreement that HR must lead the way to a more ethical workplace. Recommendations are offered to facilitate protection, ethical leadership, cultural sensitivity, and the balance of rights and agenda that HR faces. Staffing Ethics for HR in a Globalized World Human Resources is probably the most crucial component of any company. They must, after all, negotiate a delicate balance between the needs of the company and the needs of applicants and employees. They must not only do so within the context of t he law, but must traverse the netherworld of ethics, which applies even when the law is unclear, insufficient, or when there is not yet a law specific to the issue. The latter case is seen with online privacy issues, for example, when utilized by to screen applicants. In an increasingly globalized world, Human Resource departments find increasingly complex demands on their role. Change is rapid and it is not enough to stay updated. Instead, Human Resource Managers must serve as leaders in the company. This is especially so in the arena of ethics. This paper is a thematic literature review with a global focus. Too often, globalization imposes Western standards. As developing nations increase their involvement in and concern for fair practices in HR, the world has an opportunity to gain new insights from new voices. This paper will review the literature from ten selected cross-cultural sources, including Romania, Poland, India, Mexico, Canada and the USA, in order to understand how to ethically staff in a way that balances privacy rights with company need-to-know; affirmative action with profit and tradition; local culture with globalized standards. This cross-cultural dialogue can make HR management an even stronger ethical force and inspiration to companies and their employees around the world. Methodology A Google Scholar search was conducted, utilizing a relevant search phrase, HR and ethical hiring practices. A strong effort was made to locate peer-reviewed journals, particularly in the business management area. A special effort was made to select articles that reflected the voices of other cultures beyond the US, as well as articles that mentioned globalization. Effort was made to reflect both male and female authored articles. Both theoretical and research-based articles were selected. Current articles were selected since, given the rapid changes, engendered by globalization, HR should be currently informed. The oldest article was published six years ago, but most articles were published within the past couple of years. This is particularly important in the area of ethics. No effort was made, during the article selection process, to support a particular point of view, nor to narrow the themes down any more than those already mentioned. Rather than considering an hypothesis, the selection process held a central organizing question: What is the role of HR in an ethical hiring process?

History of Vehicles Essay Example for Free

History of Vehicles Essay Vehicles had provided humans a means of transportation and vehicles had been a great help in building early civilizations such as of Mesopotamia with its chariots, Egypt with its reed boats, and China with its wheelbarrow. The old had been improved; the new had been invented; and the future had been conceptualized. These had been the cycle of vehicles through the change of time. Looking ahead†¦ The Wheel and the Ship (3500 BC) The oldest wheel discovered was in Mesopotamia and is believed to be over fifty-five hundred years old. Rock drawings of ships were found in Egypt and are believed to have been drawn around 6000 BC. These thus proved that wheel and ships are known by man at that very early time and were used as a part of their trading and technology. Wheels are taught to had been conceptualized when â€Å"humans realized that heavy objects could be moved easier if something round, for example a fallen tree log, was placed under it and the object rolled over it† (Bellis, â€Å"The Invention of the Wheel†). First boats then were usually built of wood while animal skins, clay pots, and reeds had served as an alternative. The Wheelbarrow (181 234 AD) The wheelbarrow is believed to have originated from China and was invented by a general named Chuko Liang to transport supplies to injured soldiers. It is believed that â€Å"wheelbarrows do not exist in Europe before the 11th or 12th century (the earliest known Western depiction is in a window at Chartres Cathedral, dated around 1220 AD). Descriptions of the wheelbarrow in China refer to first century BC, and the oldest surviving picture, a frieze relief from a tomb-shrine in Szechuan province, dates from about 118 AD† (â€Å"Wheelbarrow†). The Early Triumphs to Fly (400 BC-1850s) Kite flying started by the Chinese had been the pioneer of man on how he could fly. Different thoughts as to how man could meet this objective had undergone. These included the experiment to imitate a bird by attaching feathers or light weight wood to arms which had been proven disastrous since human arms’ muscles are not like of birds and cannot move with a strength like of a bird. Other experiments though were not originally intended so as man could fly included the work of Hero of Alexandria on Aeolipile. â€Å"Hero mounted a sphere on top of a water kettle. A fire below the kettle turned the water into steam, and the gas traveled through pipes to the sphere. Two L-shaped tubes on opposite sides of the sphere allowed the gas to escape, which gave a thrust to the sphere that caused it to rotate. Aeolipile must be included in the history of vehicles because it gave the principle for engine created movement† (Bellis, â€Å"Early history of Flight†). In the 1480s, with over 100 drawings that illustrated theories on bird and mechanical flight, Leonardo da Vinci had also entered this search to man’s mean to fly (Bellis, Early history of Flight). Leonardo’s Ornithopter concept had been the basis to the invention of the modern day helicopter. In 1783, Jacques Etienne and Joseph Michel Montgolfier invented the first hot air balloon (â€Å"How Did We Learn to Fly Like the Birds? †). Using the smoke from a fire to blow hot air into a silk bag that was attached to a basket, they had been able to fly aboard the hot air balloons’ first passengers, a sheep, a rooster, and a duck. On November 21, 1783, the first ever successful manned flight took place sending Francois Laurent and Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier up in the air (Bellis, Early history of Flight). Further studies then went on. In the 1850’s, George Cayley, the considered founder of Aerodynamics, had made his contribution through his gliders wherein a young boy had been the first to fly. The Submarine (1578 – 1620) Designs for underwater boats or submarines date back to the 1500s and ideas for underwater travel date back even further but only in the year 1578 did appear a record of a craft for underwater navigation. â€Å"William Bourne, a former Royal Navy gunner, designed a completely enclosed boat that could be submerged and rowed beneath the surface (Bellis, â€Å"History of the Submarine 2†). Bourne’s idea had never been implemented but a similar apparatus was launched in 1605 (Bellis, History of the Submarine 2). The apparatus didn’t get farther as its designers did not considered the tenacity of underwater mud which caused the craft to stick in the river bottom in its first underwater trial. But in the year 1620, Cornelius Van Drebbel had invented the first â€Å"practical† submarine which was a rowboat covered with greased leather (Bellis, History of the Submarine 2). His submarine had successfully maneuvered at depths of 12 to 15 ft. below the surface of Thames River. He had then further made revisions of his first submarine and legends says that after repeated tests, King James I of England rode to one of his later models (â€Å"The Saga of the Submarine†). Despite success, Drebbel’s invention did not quickly amaze the British Navy that made submarine warfare infeasible during that time. Steam Powered Automobiles (1600 1700) Steam power had been known for the past centuries but it was only in the 1600’s where it had been in practical use. â€Å"Ferdinand Verbiest created a model steam carriage in 1678, that moved by using a principle that is used in the modern day turbine. In the 17th century the Dutch physicist, Christiaan Huygens built an engine that uses air pressure. About 1750, the French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson gave a demonstration of a carriage propelled by a large clockwork engine. The steam engine had then developed the motorized land transport by the 1760s† (Brainard). The first built automobile is attributed to Nicolas Joseph Cugnot in the year 1769. He made his three wheeled steam driven tractor intending to help the French army to move its heavy artillery pieces in and around Paris (Brainard). His being the first had made also his automobile to be also the first to be involved in an automobile accident in 1771. Steamboat (1783 1787) After a century of steam power exploration used in automobiles, development of steam powered boats then took place. In 1783, the first practical steamboat was demonstrated by Marquis Claude Francois de Jouffroy d’Abbans – a paddle wheel steamboat. â€Å"The era of the steamboat then began in America in 1787 when John Fitch (1743-1798) made the first successful trial of a forty-five-foot steamboat on the Delaware River on August 22, 1787, in the presence of members of the Constitutional Convention. Fitch later built a larger vessel that carried passengers and freight between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey. † (Bellis, â€Å"History of Steamboats†). Modern Bicycles (1790) The next notable improvement in the history of vehicles is the invention of modern day bicycles which is disputed on whether the invention of Pierre and Ernest Michaux were the first ever built or not. â€Å"Some history books states that Pierre and Ernest Michaux, the French father and son team of carriage-makers, invented the first bicycle during the 1860s. Historians now disagree and there is supporting evidence that the bicycle is already known before. However, historians all agree that Pierre and Ernest Michaux invent the modern bicycle pedal and cranks in 1861. † (Bellis, â€Å"Bicycle History†, â€Å"Bicycle History in Debate†). Steam Powered Locomotives (1801) Locomotives were designed first by Richard Trevithick but not originally for railroad tracks but for roads while George Stephenson is regarded as the inventor of the first steam locomotive engine for railroads. â€Å"Richard Trevithicks invention is considered the first tramway locomotive, however, it was designed for a road, not for a railroad. † (Bellis, â€Å"Richard Trevithick†). The Motorcycles (1867) The mechanical version of the bicycles had been born with the invention of motorcycles in 1867. â€Å"American, Sylvester Howard Roper (1823-1896) invented a two-cylinder, steam-engine motorcycle (powered by coal) in 1867. This can be considered the first motorcycle, if you allow your description of a motorcycle to include a steam engine. † (Bellis, â€Å"Motorcycle†).

Marketing Management Assignment-Smu Essay Example for Free

Marketing Management Assignment-Smu Essay Q.1 A. Explain the six criteria for effective market segmentation * Identity The marketing manager must have some means of identifying members of the segment i.e., some basis for classifying an individual as being or not being a member of the segment. There must be clear differences between segments. Members of such segments can be readily identified by common characteristics as they display similar behavior. * Accessibility It must be possible to reach the different segments in regard to both promotion and distribution. ln other words, the organisation must be able to focus its marketing efforts on the chosen segment. Segments must be accessible in two senses. First, firms must be able to make segmented customers aware of products or services. Second, they must get products to them through the distribution system at a reasonable cost. * Responsiveness — A clearly defined segment must react to changes in any of the elements of the marketing mix. For example. if a particular segment is defined as being cost-conscious, it should react negatively to price rises. If it does not, this is an indication that the segment needs to be redefined. * Size The segment must be reasonably large to be a profitable target. Lt depends upon the number of people in it and their purchasing power. For example, makers of luxury goods may appeal to small but wealthy target markets whereas makers of cheap consumption goods may sell to a large but relatively poor target markets. * Nature of demand — lt refers to the different quantities demanded by various segments. Segmentation is required only if there are market differentiation in terms of demand. The marketing manager should not only be able to find out the total demand and the differences in demand patterns in each of these segments. * Measurability — The purpose of segmentation is to measure the changing behavioural pattern of consumers. For example, the segment of a market for a car is determined by a number of considerations, such as economy, status, quality, safety, comforts, etc. B. Discuss the types of target marketing strategies. * Undifferentiated marketing strategy or mass marketing strategy In the absence of a proper mechanism to classify the market into a number of markets segments and analyse their potential, many firms decide on the mass marketing strategy. In this case, the marketer goes against the idea of a differentiated market and decides to sell the product to the whole market. Here the marketing manager ignores the idea of segment characteristics and differences, and develops a unified marketing programme for the entire market. This strategy keeps the overall marketing costs low and makes it easier to manage and track the market forces uniformly. The marketer tries to find out commonalities across various segments rather than focusing on the differences between segments. * Concentrated marketing strategy In the second alternative strategy, the marketing manager decides to enter into a selected market segment instead of all the available market segments. When resources and market access are limited and the company has to face intense competition, the marketing manager has to stretch the budget for market coverage. In this case, the company is likely to follow the concentrated marketing strategy. * Differentiated marketing strategy Many marketers choose to target several segments or niches with a differentiated marketing offer to suit each market segment. Maruti is the leading automobile company, which has the distinction of having different products for different market segments. Q.2 Explain the consumer buying decision process. * Problem recognition A buying process starts when a consumer recognizes that there is a substantial discrepancy between his/her current state of satisfaction and expectations in a consumption situation. A need can be activated through internal or external stimuli. The basic needs of common men rise to a particular level and become a drive. From their previous experiences, they know how to satisfy these needs like hunger, thirst, sex, etc. This is a case of internal stimulus. A need can also be aroused by an external stimulus such as sighting a new product in a shop while purchasing other usual products. * Information search After need arousal, the behaviour of the consumer leads towards collection of available information about various stimuli. ln this case, information about products and services are gathered from various sources for further processing and decision-making. The first source of consumer information is the internal source. This means the consumer first search the information regarding the relevant product from his/her inner memory. If the information is not available from internal source for making a purchase decision he or she may collect information from external sources. A External sources for desired information can be grouped into four categories. * Personal sources (family, friends, neighbors, and peer group) * Commercial sources or market dominated sources (advertisements, salesmen, dealers, and company owned sales force) * Public sources (mass media, consumer rating organisations, and trade association publications) * Experiential sources (handling, examining, and using the product) The marketer will find it worthwhile to study the consumers’ information sources when: * A substantial percentage of the target market engages in the search * The target market shows some stable patterns of using the respective information sources. * Alternative evaluation Once interest in a product(s) is aroused, a consumer enters the subsequent stage of evaluation of alternatives. Evaluation leads to formation of buying intention that can be to either purchase or reject the product/brand. The final purchase will however depend on the strength of the positive-intention, which is the intention to buy. * Purchase decision Finally the consumer arrives at a purchase decision. Purchase decisions can be any one of the three no buying, buying later, and buy now. No buying takes the consumers to the problem recognition stage as their consumption problem is not solved and they may again get involved in the process as we have explained. A postponement of buying can be due to a lesser motivation or evolving personal and economic situation that forces the consumer not to buy now or postponement of purchase for future period of time. If positive attitudes are formed towards the decided alternative, the consumer will make a purchase. * Post-purchase behaviour Post-purchase behaviour refers to the behaviour of consumers after their commitment to a product has been made. It originates out of consumers’ experience regarding the use of the product and is indicated in terms of satisfaction. This behaviour is reflected in repeated purchases or abstinence from further purchase. A satisfied product-use experience leads to repeated purchase, referrals from satisfied customers to new customers, higher usage rate, and also brand advocacy. Q.3 A. Discuss the Henry Assael model on buying decision behaviour. Henry Assael has come up with an explanation to analyse why consumers buy the goods they buy. He explained the relationship between the level of involvement by the consumers in the purchase of goods and services and the level at which diverse goods or services differ from one another. High involvement Low Involvement Signiï ¬ cant differences Complex Variety Seeking between brands Buying Behaviour Buying Behaviour Few differences Dissonance Reducing Habitual Buying between brands Buying Behaviour * Complex buying behaviour — Consumers are highly involved in a purchase and aware of significant differences among brands. This is usually the case when the product is expensive, bought infrequently, risky, and highly self-expressive. Typically the consumers dont know much about the product category and have more to learn. Example: personal computer. * Dissonance-reducing — sometimes, the consumer is highly involved in a purchase but sees little differences in the brands. The high involvement is based on the fact that the purchase is expensive, infrequent, and risky. Example: carpet. After purchasing the carpet, consumers might experience dissonance that stems from noticing certain disquieting features of the carpet or hearing favorable things about other carpets. * Habitual buying behaviour Many products are bought under conditions flow consumer involvement and the absence of significant brand differences. Considering salt, consumers have little involvement in this product category. They go to the store and reach for a brand. If they keep reaching for the same brand, it is out of habit and not strong brand loyalty. * Variety-seeking buying Some buying situations are characterized by low consumer involvement but significant brand differences. Here consumers often do a lot of brand switching. Consumers do the brand switching for the sake of variety rather than dissatisfaction. Example: wafer potato chips. B. Explain the five stages of Adoption Process. * Awareness During the first stage of adoption process, the product innovation is explained to the consumers. This process gives information about the new product or service. * Interest When consumers develop an interest in the product or product category, they search for information about how the innovation can benefit them. * Evaluation The evaluation stage represents a kind of ‘mental trial’ of the product innovation. Only if the consumers’ evaluation of the innovation is satisfactory, they will actually try the product. In case the evaluation is unsatisfactory, the product is automatically rejected. * TriaI- ln this stage- consumers use the product on a limited basis. Their experience with the product provides them with the critical information that they need to adopt or reject it. * Adoption -In this stage, consumers decide to make full and regular use of the product. Q.4 Describe the components of the micro environment of marketing * The company Some company factors that affect the marketing decisions are: Culture and value system — Organizational culture can be viewed as the system of shared values and beliefs that shape a company’s behavioural norms. A value. is an enduring preference as a mode of conduct or an end state. The value system of the founders of the organisation has a lasting impact on it. The value system not only influences the working of the company and the attitude of its people but also the choice of its business. 1. Mission and objectives — The mission and objectives of the company guide the priorities, direction of development, business philosophy, and business policy. 2. Management structure and nature Structure is the manner in which the tasks and sub-tasks of the organisation are related. Structure is concerned with the hierarchical relationship and the relationship between the management of different functional areas like the structure of the top management and the pattern of share holding. 3. Human resource This concerns factors like manpower planning, recruitment and selection, compensation, communication, and appraisal. * Intermediaries intermediaries are independent business units and they carry the company’s products and services to the customers. Prominent intermediaries include wholesalers, retailers, merchants, selling agents, brokers, etc. Their objective of being in business is different than being in a firm, so the intermediaries will be interested in maximizing their profits. Any trade promotion scheme will motivate them to push competitors’ product deeper and faster. * Public Positive and favorable public opinion is crucial to marketing success since the public is the authority that permits the existence and operation of competitive marketing systems. This environmental factor includes the general public, its support, the government, and the set of public who have a direct bearing on business. These public can be classified as welcome public, sought public, and unsought public. As a marketer, one must understand that the general public grants the license for conducting business with an expectation that the company will practice fair play. Lack of this supportive framework as evidenced by declining sales or adverse public opinion can lead to eventual failure of the firm as well as the marketing system. * Competitors Success or failure of an offer largely depends on how competitors react to the company‘s offer. Godrej was a successful refrigerator manufacturer. Once competition intensified, the company started losing market share. Today, though there is a growth in refrigerator industry, Godrej as a brand is not growing as fast as its competitors. Through the years, marketing systems have become increasingly competitive. Traditional economic analysis, views competition as a battle between companies in the same industry or between substitutable products. Marketers, however, tend to accept the argument that all firms are competing for a limited discretionary buying power. Though we can say that Maruti as a car manufacturing-company is facing competition from other car manufacturers, ultimately it is the consumers disposable income for which shampoos, soaps, and scooters are also competing with Maruti. A customer is expected to allocate his disposable income optimally and in the process a category also competes with another category to be in the active consideration set of customers for such an allocation. Industry has found numerous new uses for existing products, with the whole arena of competition being expanded. While this forces business to reassess long-established marketing practices, it also opens new avenues of business opportunity. Emergence of computers with multimedia as a tool of infotainment and knowledge sharing device has challenged traditional products in the entertainment market. * Suppliers Increase in the price of raw materials will have a bang on effect on the marketing mix strategy of an organisation. As a result, the prices may be forced up. This is the impact that the suppliers can have. Closer relationship with suppliers is one way of ensuring competitive and quality products for an organisation. * Customers Organisations exist because of customers. No customer means, no business. Organizations on how they meet the needs and wants of the customers and provide them with maximum benefits. Failure to do so will result in a failed business strategy. Q.5 A. Explain the types of Marketing Information systems MIS supplies three types of information, which are: * Monitoring information Monitoring information is the information obtained from scanning external sources which include newspapers, trade publications, technical journals, magazines, directories, balance sheets of companies, and syndicated and published research reports. Data are captured to monitor changes and trends related to marketing situation. Some of these data can be purchased at a price from commercial sources such as market research agencies or from government sources. * Recurrent information — Recurrent information is the information that is generated at regular intervals like monthly sales reports; the stock statements, the trial balance, etc. ln MlS, recurrent information is the data that MIS supplies at a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual interval, which are made available regularly. It can also provide information on customer awareness of company’s brands, advertising campaigns, and similar data on close competitors. * Customized information   Customized information is also called problem-related, which is developed in response to some speciï ¬ c requirements related to a marketing problem or any particular data requested by a manager. B. Discuss the different components of MIS The overall Objective of an Ml IS to provide inputs from marketing environmental factors like target markets, marketing channels, competitors, consumers, and other forces for creating, changing, and modifying marketing decisions in the formulation of relevant and competitive marketing strategies. * Internal record systems — Internal record systems are available within the company across various departments and provide relevant, routine information for making marketing decisions. The most evident internal record system is the purchase and payment cycle systems. It records the timing and size of orders placed by consumers, the payment cycles followed by consumers, and the time taken to fulfill the orders in the shortest possible time. * Marketing intelligence system A marketing intelligence system is the system of collecting and collating data. This system tries to capture relevant data from the external environment. It collects and manages data from the external environment ab out the competitors’ moves, government regulations, and other relevant information having a direct impact on the marketing environment of the firm. *Analytical marketing systems Analytical marketing systems are also known as Marketing Decision Support Systems (MDSS). A MDSS is a coordinated collection of data, systems, tools, and techniques with supporting software and hardware. Using this collection, an organisation gathers and interprets relevant information from business and environment and turns it into a basis for marketing action. lt involves problem-solving technology consisting of people, knowledge, software, and hardware integrated through the information technology platform into the sales management process of the organisation. * Marketing research systems Marketing research systems are based on systems and processes that help marketing managers to design, collect, analyse, and report data and ï ¬ ndings relevant to a specific marketing situation facing the company. It also involves analysis of information, which includes a coordinated collection of data, systems, tools, and techniques with supporting software, and hardware by which an organisation gathers and interprets the relevant data and turns it into a basis for marketing action and tactics. Q.6 Describe the factors to be considered while developing an Effective marketing mix. To develop an effective marketing mix the company should consider the following factors and then choose the most appropriate mix of elements (7Ps) to target the customers: * Company’s resources These are one of the prime factors affecting the company’s marketing mix. The financial, human, and technological resources available with the company affect the composition of the marketing mix. The firm needs to conduct a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threat (SWOT) analysis for the business unit. * Demographics — It implies to the changes in the composition of the market, the demand of the population, the opportunities in the country, etc. that affect the marketing mix. Current and projected economic conditions It connotes the economic factors like inflation, employment, taxes, and other economic factors that influence marketing mix decisions. * Market potential Analysis of market potential for new products considers market growth, prospects need for your offering, the beneï ¬ ts of the offering the number of barriers to immediate use, the credibility of the offering and the impact on the customers daily operations. * Competitors They are important considerations that affect the marketing mix of a firm as the potential for competitive retaliation is based on the competitor’s resources, commitment to the industry, cash position, predictability, and status of the market. Porter’s Five Forces Model * Supplier power- The power of suppliers to drive up the prices of inputs. * Buyer power- The power of customers to drive ‘down products’ prices. * Competitive rivalry — The strength of competition in the industry. * Threat of substitution The extent to which different products and services can be used in place of a particular product. * Threat of new entry — The ease with which new competitors can enter the market if they see that a product is making good proï ¬ t and then drive your prices down. By thinking about how each force affects a product and by identifying the strength and direction of each force, you can quickly assess the strength of a product’s position and ability to make a sustained proï ¬ t in the industry.

Demand and Supply in Microeconomics

Demand and Supply in Microeconomics Introduction Economics is a study of how to use limited resource to satisfy unlimited people wants. Demand and supply is the two main concept of the modern economic. Demand is what people want and supply is how many goods available for people want. In free market the price of good is determined by the numbers of consumers and how many products available for them. As the result of that, when consumers understand the law of demand and supply they will have ability to decide when they can buy a product with low price and the suppliers can set the right price of this product and decide how many product they will make. In this case study we will evaluate the theory of demand and supply. We also give an example of demand and supply in food market in Hanoi in storm season. Theory Demand and supply might be one of the basic concepts of economics. It is the core of market economy. Demand is the price or quantity of a product or service desired by consumers. The demand relationship refers to the relationship between the price and quantity demanded, which are the price and quantity people willing to pay for. Supply is the amount of products a market produces. The supply relationship represents the relation between the price and quantity supplied, which are the price and quantity suppliers willing to produce. Therefore, price is the main concern for demand and supply to consider increased or deducted, and so demand and supply vary according to the price. According to the law of demand and supply, the higher of a products price the more suppliers will produce and the less people will buy. Because of that, the market price is changes. ( Investopedia news and articles, copyright 2010 ) In such a case, the quantity supplied is greater than the quantity demanded and there is a surplus of the good on the market. From the graph we see that if the unit price is $3 (assuming relative pricing in dollars), the quantities supplied and demanded would be: Quantity Supplied = 42 units Quantity Demanded = 26 units Therefore there would be a surplus of 42 26 = 16 units. The sellers then would lower their price in order to sell the surplus. Suppose the sellers lowered their prices below the equilibrium point. In this case, the quantity demanded would increase beyond what was supplied, and there would be a shortage. If the price is held at $2, the quantity supplied then would be: Quantity Supplied = 28 units Quantity Demanded = 38 units Therefore, there would be a shortage of 38 28 = 10 units. The sellers then would increase their prices to make more profit. The equilibrium point must be the point at which quantity supplied and quantity demanded are in balance, which is where the supply and demand curves cross. From the graph above, one sees that this is at a price of approximately $2.40 and a quantity of 34 units. (NetMBA.com) In general, if the price of a product is at low level, more people want to buy it and the demand will increase. As the result, there will be a shortage. The supplier now will be willing to produce more because people still want to use that product. So the supply increases. It will keep increasing to a point where customers demand and the quantity of that product is equal. Thus, there is a tendency toward an equilibrium point where quantity demanded equals quantity supplied. On the other hand, if the price of a product is at high level, less and less people want to buy it and so the demand decreases. In the end, there will be a surplus. The supplier now will drop down the price in order to attract more customers. This price keeps going down until they sell all out of the surplus. So, the price is moving backward to an equilibrium point where price demanded equals price supplied. So, how a firm know when to produce more or less? As in THE TIMES 100 article states that An important aspect of marketing is knowing what the demand is for your products. All companies engage in marketing activities to find out what the demand for their different products will be. For example, Coca-Cola will want to investigate market trends in the carbonated drinks sector, while a bank will want to find out about the demand for financial services. Armed with this information they are able to make appropriate pricing decisions based on what other suppliers are doing, as well as on the demand from consumers in the market. Some main factors causing the change in demand: Economic factors: When a country economy is good and people have more money in their pockets. They likely want to consume more and thus the demand will increase Social factors: As the social trend changes, people might have less time for taking care of their houses. Therefore, they will need to buy more washing machines and hire employees to do all the cleaning and cooking services. So, there will be more opportunity for firms making washing machine and higher demand for cleaning service. The quantity and the price of competitive goods: the higher the price of a competitive good, the higher will be the demand for this good as customers change from competitive goods. An example for this is that, if the price of i-phone mobile phone goes up, the demand of other smart phones will increase. Some main factors causing the change in supply: Wants: it is simply the demand for a particular product. As the demand rises, the supplies will rise also. The number of suppliers: If new companies join the market, usually the supply increases Natural and unpredictable events: If earthquakes, floods and fire occur, the output likely to drop. Wars, which affect the supply of imported raw materials, the breakdown of machinery, may happen anytime. (John Sloman (1998), and The Times 100, Copyright  © the Times Newspapers) Demand and Supply in Macroeconomics and Microeconomics: Macroeconomics is the study of the whole economic activities which include inflation, recession and unemploymentà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Therefore, it concerns with the total demand and total supply. If the total demand is high compared to the total supply, inflation and balance of trade deficits will occur Inflation: is the increase of the price level in the whole economy. If there is a rise in demand, suppliers likely react by setting up high prices. After all, if the demand is still high, they can sell as good as before and make a lot of profits. Inflation will happen when all suppliers just keep their prices at high level. The balance of trade deficits happens when import is greater than export. When the aggregate demand rises, people will have a tendency to buy more foreign goods, more imported cars, wines, electronic equipments will be consumed. If the inflation is also high, the domestic goods are even harder to compare with foreign goods. As the result, our goods cannot be consumed not only by our country but also foreign countries. If the total demand is low compared to the total supply, unemployment and recession will occur Recession: is the economic situation when business activities are declined. As the result, fewer and fewer people are willing to spend money. Thus, firms will have a lot of surplus goods. They likely to buy less from the manufacturers, which will decrease the production in return. Unemployment will happen if manufacturers do not need to produce anymore. Microeconomics is the study about the individual parts of economy, individual firms. It studies about the demand and supply of specific products and services such as cars, clothes, food, electricians. We cannot make as many goods as want because the lack of resources. There are some choices must be made in our society: What should be produced? We dont have enough resources to produce as many goods as we want. Therefore, we have to decide how many cars, how many buildings, how many hospitalsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ should be produced? How should things be produced? If there is more than one way to produce thing, we have to decide which is the best. Who will use our products? This is the problem of income. We have to decide what the wage of particular job such as: doctor, engineer, farmerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Because if they have more money, they likely to consume more (John Sloman, 1998) Case study In October of 2008, Ha Noi was flooded by heavy rains. Because the drains did not work effectively as it was supposed to be. People in Ha Noi had a terrible experience because of the scarcity of the food. Learning from that experience, people in Ha Noi today usually store food when a storm is announced coming. As the matter of fact, in the evening of July 17th in 2010, the news forecasted that a storm might be coming. However, in the next day, the weather turned normally again. Because of the worry about the scarcity of food, people in Ha Noi already rushed to the super market and bought as many foods as they can. The change of demand and supply made a lot of supermarket out of stock, also the price of the food was doubled the supposed price. At some supermarket, people had to struggle, pushed each other just to fill up their fridge. As a result, they had to eat frozen food for months while low price fresh food is selling everywhere. At this point, the market had to suffer the decrease of food demand because people already had food in their fridge. In this case, when a demand surprisingly increase the quantity supply cannot afford to satisfy all the needs instead of that is the increasing of the price. When the demand drops down, the quantity supply stays the same but the price has to fall to attract more customers. Conclusion Nowadays, the real world economy is too complex that even in some cases the law of demand and supply cannot be applied. The market today is changing ceaselessly; many individual speculations are getting even more and more uncertainly. Therefore, people shouldnt rush in deciding to buy anything. In my opinion, stock and real estate markets are really risky for those who only follow the market tendency meaning to say the majority of people and dont have enough knowledge of how the economy works. Furthermore, the government should be flexible with the policy to keep the market price at a suitable level so that both customers and suppliers can adapt with, and also avoid inflation and unemployment.

Becks Music :: essays research papers

Music is central to my life. Without music, the world would be naked, cold, and quiet. Music can set the rhythm for a long day of work, the mood for a date, for a party, for your whole life. It can wrap you in a blanket of comfort when you are lonely, or inspire you when you are down. Music is a vehicle for expressing love, telling a story, or showing happiness. My love for music has grown immensely throughout the past few years and continues to grow without bounds. Playing musical instruments, such as the piano and guitar, has deepened my appreciation for the sounds I hear when I listen to music. From personal experience playing in concerts and writing my own songs, I have captured the views of both sides of music's artistic prism: creation and presentation. Creation, I have learned, can be a tremendously tedious task. It involves much more than perseverance and determination. Creating music requires the harmonious articulation of one's feelings and thoughts through instrumental or vocal sounds. There is no one who accomplishes the feat more cleverly than Beck.Beck Hansen, known as Beck, is a musical genius who performs an unparalleled, funky, and melodic music style. At the age of 29, he has produced six full albums and will soon be releasing his seventh. Beck has become an inspirational icon among rising musicians and has defied the classification system of musical genres. Much disagreement has arisen over what kind of music it is that Beck performs, but the resistance to classification is what makes it unique. He merges coinciding genres, such as psychedelic hip-hop, folk, rap, and country, to define his own genre. Beck's dynamic music adjusts to the latest musical trends and builds off of talent from past generations. Like a catfish feeding on the bottom of a lake, Beck's music feeds off of the styles of other successful musician, such as Bob Dylan and The Beastie Boys. However, this does not mean that Beck is a copycat artist. It means that his music is based on a collaboration of the sounds of the world, and this makes his music very diversified. Beck is one of the most original musicians of all time, and to classify him as anything but a genius would be even more absurd than Beck himself. He is always "courting cultural disaster, and part of his genius is that he's always on the verge of making a complete ass of himself"(Rotundi).

Dylan Thomas Poems of 1933 Essay -- Dylan Thomas Poets Poetry Languag

Dylan Thomas' Poems of 1933 Show how, in his poems of 1933, Dylan Thomas uses language and poetic form to explore both his own metaphysical viewpoint and his position as a poet in relation to the rest of society. In this essay I will look at how Dylan Thomas uses language and poetic form to explore his own metaphysical viewpoint and his position as a poet in relation to the rest of society. I will begin by looking at and analysing the poems that explore DT’s metaphysical ideas. In this part of my analysis I will be analysing relevant parts of the following poems; ‘The force that through the green fuse’, ‘And death shall have no dominion’ and ‘Why east wind chills’. ==================================================================== From reading the first poem ‘The force that through the green fuse’ I see the image of life being the ‘force’ and living things are the ‘fuses’. I think that what DT is trying to say is that life is a continual cycle and never stops, it is only the physical elements which the ‘force’ must possess to become life that are the restriction to the flowing and continual cycle. I think the key lexis here is ‘fuse’; the word fuse has many different connotations within the context of this poem (also note that the fuse is green – a further connection with nature and natural things). One such meaning that could be derived from it is that of a fuse used in an electrical socket. This kind of fuse breaks if there is too much current flowing through at once. On the other hand the word fuse can also means to join together, to combine. So, the force that combines human kind and nature as one is at the same time the force that divides us and prevents us from understanding why we exist.... ... nature in order to create bead and wine for Holy Communion. This is show in line 10 ‘Man broke the sun, pulled the wind down’ the word ‘sun’ could also be a pun for son – Jesus. In the last stanza the reader is addressed directly ‘you’, bringing them into the poem and allowing them to see what damage man is causing. He reminds them that he too is a part of nature, which seems to suggest that his destruction is an inevitable part of his purpose on earth. Overall I feel that these poems give a representation of DT’s position as a poet in relation to the rest of society. I feel that he is trying to say that, as a poet, he is isolated from the rest of civilisation and that it is his job to help readers see the falseness of society and persuade them to not change it, but realise the illusion and appreciate the wonders of nature and all natural things.

Hacking and Countermeasures: Controls

Aim Higher College needs to ensure the safety of all its information. Recently we have seen suspicious and careless activity in the research data center. Data center technicians have reported lights left on, doors left open, successful logins to the research database, as well as login attempts in the backup business database after normal hours of operation. Because this is also the backup for our business information we need to keep this area as secure as possible.In order maintain control over who has access to what in the center we need first ensure that only those that need access to the center are granted the appropriate permissions to the areas that they need. The revolving door should only allow one person through at a time, this will help to prevent someone without access from slipping by with some one that does have access or allow a person with access giving access to some that is not authorized in the build. This will be done with a using simple radio frequency identificati on (RFID) cards for the initial access to the building’s lobby.Both entry and exit will require that the card be read so that a log of who enters and leaves the building can be kept. Entry to the staff offices will simply be with a RFID card reader. With these cards, we can select what areas they have access to according to their needs. The front double doors and access to the receiving area can only be opened from the inside of the building. By allowing one-way access we ensure that hacking of the reader is not possible. Biometric scanners should be used for all sensitive areas as a second method to prevent card cloning. Those that have access to sensitive areas or doors that can allow more than one person through such as the shipping area and front double doors will be issued a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) cards. These card work with the biometric scans. When the card is scanned it relays to  the biometric scanner the information that the scanner will need to make the identification.This means that even if the card’s RFID is cloned as soon as it is read it would be denied because the biometric information is not there. The biometric that we should use is an iris scanner. Rather than hand dimensions that can change or fingerprints. Fingerprints are easy to fool, if the finger is dry the scan may not read correctly, the maintenance if high as the sensor must be cleaned, impurities on the hand or air can give false readings, and lastly to prevent the spread of disease. Iris scanners do not require physical contact, eyeglasses, and contracts normally do not disrupt the reading.To make things easier the iris scanning is much faster. The iris can be scanned as the person is walking up and then compared to the card when the PIV is read . In addition, it is my recommendation that the datacenter be physically separated between the backup site and the research site. This will allow students and staff to gain access to the research center but no t the backup center. Only those that need to have access to the business side backup will be required to use biometrics and a PIV card. All servers will be locked in cabinets for the protection of the severs and SANs that are on site.This will deter theft of any equipment that might contain information. Security cameras will be used to monitor all access and movement within the building. Thirteen stationary static cameras will need to be in use to watch all hallways, doors, and the datacenters. Two motion detecting pan / tilt / zoom (PTZ) cameras will be paced in the center of the data centers (one in each) to follow and watch the activity of persons entering. This should be accompanied with a security system that monitors movement, doors and windows. The diagrams below show the position of the cameras and access control equipment and measures that are recommended.In the event of a power outage, it is highly recommended there is enough UPS in place for at least 15 minutes to allow f or proper shut down. Preferable would be to have a backup generator so that information can be saved and moved to another site or to maintain functionality until the power comes back on. Protection of the systems will consist of the floor being raised by at least eight inches from the ground and an automatic pump system in place to mitigate flooding. Because there are people working in these areas  we need to ensure that we have an adequate fire suppression and we need to keep in mind the equipment that is in the room.The recommendation here is to use an waterless fire suppression. While it may not be as cheap as using water, the damage of having a water system in the area will be much more expensive. Waterless systems work by lowering the oxygen in the area to a point that the fire cannot continue combustion without the harmful effects to persons like Halon or CO2. The have been proven to put out fires faster without any damage people. This will give all persons enough time to ev acuate calmly in case of fire . Water systems only help in containing the fire until fire fighters can arrive, in the meantime, we are causing damage to our own equipment They cost of the damage would be in the millions to replace servers and other equipment.The estimated time after a fire with a water system is approximately one month if data can be recovered. Not that we have the physical aspect of the data centered covered we need to look at the technical or logical side of protecting the information. Safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, accessibility, and the non-repudiation (CIA) is vital. As stated before an IDS and IPS will be put in to place to watch the system at all times to report and mitigate if not stop unauthorized activity to the business backup and research databases. This will help with monitoring the network and see what and where unauthorized traffic and attempts are coming from. Anti-virus and anti-malware programs will be installed on all systems in both databases to protect the information and programs.Firewall implementation between the networks is necessary to keep unauthorized attempts from getting in to the business side of the database. All information will be encrypted so that if the data is or any hardware is stolen then the information be more difficult to read and will hopefully discourage the thief. To prevent a brute force attack through a console connection after 3 attempts at a password the system will lock down that port and a flag will be sent to the data center technician on duty.To ensure that the person that is attempting to gain access to the server through a console connection a token that generates a random alphanumeric code will be used. As we all know people are where we see the biggest problems in security breaches and problems on any computer or network system. People need to understand what they are allowed and not allowed to do, this is where policies, procedures, and training come in to play. By  impl ementing policies that use best practices, such as an acceptable use policy for all staff and students, we make it known what they are allowed to do, and what the consequences are should they choose to ignore the rules.Training all staff and students on security awareness is something that is necessary so that people to go or do things that can jeopardize the network. Making sure that procedures are documented help if there is a problem that can arise again, this reduces down time should the problem return. Making sure that a disaster recovery plan (DRP) is in place, practiced and trained on regularly. This is critical to make sure that down time is as minimal as possible. The separation of duties helps to break up the processes involved to complete a task prevents one individual from having total control over the whole system.Each person or team is responsible for his or her area only and if required forces collusion so that someone else is needed to meet the end goal. It acts like a checks and balance. With these policies in place we need to ensure that they stay current with or business continuity plan and the goal of our mission statement. This will be accomplished by security reviews and audits. This helps to ensure we do not get complacent as well. Performance evaluations help with ensuring that all staff is at their peak performance. Here is where performance correction for both junior and senior members comes in to play. We always need to keep even our staff up to date and fine-tuned to keep one-step ahead. Background checks from time to time are a good way of making she that all employees are acting honestly.There by safeguarding from any circumstance outside of work, that would lead one to perform maliciously with in work for a personal gain. Required vacations will help with employees with being overwrought with situations at work. As people, we need to step back, rest, and regain focus. Forcing staff to take vacations helps this happen. Finally, ro tation of duties helps to make the team come to a better understanding of the network as a whole. This allows all members to be cross platform trained, which helps when someone is sick, on required vacation, or a team is short from termination. Aim higher college has come a long way in the two months now that security is serious concern.If we work together then we can make this college one that students and faculty feel safe coming to, to learn and teach. With colleges competing with online schools and courses, our information system needs to be at its most secure and best  performance to keep pulling students in. These controls are just an insight as to the recommendations that looked at seriously and deeply considered to make sure that Aim Higher College stays at the top.

Krogstad’s blackmailing of Nora in regards to Nora’s illegal

Henrik Ibsen's â€Å"A Doll's House† is the story of Nora Helmer and the events that led to her independence.   At the end of the play, Nora decides to leave her husband, Torvald.One central event ultimately led to her decision to leave: Krogstad's blackmailing of Nora in regards to Nora's illegal borrowing of money in order to travel with Torvald to Italy for a cure for his illness.   Nora's predicament led to a major life change.   Nora had to leave at the end of the play because she realized who her husband really was, and what her life actually turned out to be.Nora began her awakening when she started secretly working to pay back the money she borrowed illegally for her and Torvald's trip to Italy to cure Torvald of his illness.   This event led to her fully realizing that her life was not what it should be.   Toward the end of the play, when Nora had made up her mind to leave Torvald, she states, â€Å"I lived by doing tricks for you, Torvald.But that's the wa y you wanted it.   You and Daddy did me a great wrong.   It's your fault that I've never made anything of my life.†Ã‚   (Ibsen 1879/1998, act 3; 80).   From this statement, it is obvious that Nora finally realized the truth about her life.   She acted the part of a child, only living to please first her father, then her husband.Toward the end, however, she realized that those two men compelled her to behave in a certain way, and that this behavior had stunted her growth from child to adult.   She had existed only to please men, therefore making nothing of her life.   She decided to leave Torvald, not to punish him, but to make something of her life; to gain independence from other people.Nora had to leave Torvald because she realized that she did not know him like she thought she did.   When Torvald found out about her illegal dealings, Nora thought he would take the blame for her and risk his own honor.When this did not happen, the image of the good and noble hu sband she though Torvald was had been shattered.   Once this happened, a domino-effect was created; Nora's other illusions about her life, such as her having a happy marriage, were also shattered.   She began to see Torvald for who he really is, and this directly led to her leaving her husband.

Research Methods Essay

Methodology One of the primary ways in which marketing is defined is in terms of its difference from the so-called ‘pure sciences’ such as physics, chemistry, biology etc. Its use of theory and methodology is, therefore, closely related to this distinction. Academics of marketing often emphasize what too many of us are utterly obvious, that there is no certainty in the study of marketing sciences. This is because marketing not only deals with fiscal variables but also it deals with humanity, which is inherently transient. Taking this element of transience into consideration marketing scientists has to use not just quantitative but also qualitative methods of study. For this study of Establishing Islamic Fund to issue Islamic Bonds for Infrastructure Projects both the methods would be used. A Qualitative method of study differs from the usual quantitative methods (used in the study of pure sciences) in the sense that it tends to be far more subjective. This is in sharp contrast to the methods used in pure sciences which are exclusively objective. The research methods for marketing are a combination of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Being open to qualitative methods of study also allows social scientists to incorporate non-quantitative data (i. e. non-numerical data, such as words, images, gestures, impressions etc. ) in their study. Since human beings tend to operate in terms of such data and not in terms of the finance used in ordinary sciences this broader outlook is far more applicable in the study of social sciences. In keeping with the methodology employed in marketing researches the theories too are formulated and used keeping in mind that they aren’t necessarily applicable to all conditions. Be it psychology, history, political science or economics human events are most likely to influence the rules which define the basic theories of a marketing subject. Success in the field of marketing researches can therefore be achieved if and only if it is understood that the subject has no space or opportunity for water-tight methodologies or theories. It can always be stated that Qualitative research is a process that includes interpretative paradigm under the measures of theoretical assumptions and the entire approach is based on sustainability that is depended on people’s experience in terms of communication. It can also be mentioned that the total approach is based on the fact that reality is created on the social formulations. It can also be mentioned that the basic target of qualitative research is instrumented towards social context under normal circumstances where it would be possible to interpret, decode and describe the significances of a phenomenon. The entire process is operational under the parameter of interpretative paradigm that can minimize illusion and share subjectivity under contextualization, authenticity and complexity of the investigation. The basic advantages of qualitative measures are multifold. Firstly, it presents a completely realistic approach that the statistical analysis and numerical data used in research based on quantitative research cannot provide. Another advantage of qualitative measures is that it is more flexible in nature in terms of collected information interpretation, subsequent analysis and data collection. It also presents a holistic point of view of the investigation. Furthermore this approach of research allows the subjects to be comfortable thus be more accurate as research is carried on in accordance to the subject’s own terms. The best statistical method would be to interview long well formulated day to day working procedure at a specific and well selected location and in this case it would be the three selected events mentioned. Throughout the procedure, it should be noticed whether there are specific variables within the testable population or not. These variables would be extremely important while evaluating the basic data in the final stages where the adjustments would be made to the formulated data in accordance to the observations. However, it is important to completely take into account the aspects of fundamental variables of an individual such as ethnicity, religious belief or positive support from the sales structure of the management and individual. It is necessary to design a new experiment that test the statistical method. For the purpose it is necessary to collect a complete data of the site that would include different religion, ethnicity or gender. An open meeting with potential customers of the Islamic fund and bond would be very relevant in this context but only the upper income limits should be taken into account in the initial stages. This is because only upper sections are the groups that are most likely to be present at the upper grade cosmetics. The mixed gender of male and female potential customers could well be excluded as that would complicate matters in the context of gender variable juxtaposed with other pre mentioned variables but considering other dependable factors sustaining it would yield to be fruitful in the long run. Data would be collected in relation to the gender, colour, and religion of the potential customers in respect to the composition of the management under the same parameters. Furthermore, the favourable conditions in the context of experienced customer response would also be accounted. All these variables are considered as very relevant and important features of the statistical method and it is to be seen if these aspects are fundamentally acceptable in practical world and it could well be mentioned that service, especially Islamic fund and bond, are a very relevant manifestation of the social dimensions. As a result if the test is carried out in a proper manner with proper calculations of the population involved then there is no reason that the results would be both logical and true at the end consideration. In accordance to the basic test selected it could be stated that it could be possible that the outcome would be relatively logical in the sense that it would ultimately follow the trends of social facilitation theory in marketing and thus it would be agreeable with the statistical method and thus a well formulated marketing strategy can be constructed for the benefit of the strategies of the Islamic fund and bond. However, it should be stated that there would be few independent variables in the context of the test that could not be explained by the statistical method statements. Here the ethical consideration of the potential customers or the ethnic background of the potential customers may not be a very relevant factor. Thus there could be some flaws to the collection of the population but if these aspects are kept in mind then the shortcomings would easily be negotiated during the ultimate computations. As a result the test would appear to be a full proofed measure that would be able to define and prove the fundamental aspects and statistical method applied. However it could be stated that the most basic distinction is between a quantitative or qualitative evaluation. In a quantitative evaluation, the purpose is to come up with some objective metric of human performance that can be used to compare interaction phenomena. This can be contrasted with a qualitative evaluation, in which the purpose is to derive deeper understanding of the human interaction experience. A typical example of a quantitative evaluation is the empirical user study, a controlled experiment in which some hypothesis about interaction is tested through direct measurement. A typical example of a qualitative evaluation is an open-ended interview with relevant users. As a result this method would be used widely. As descriptions of statistical methods that will be used it could be stated that in order to isolate the results for this particular study, only a survey questionnaire done would have been utilized. These questionnaires would be delivered to potential customers and retailers along with the administrators of the events. The results were divided into these same categories to ensure validity and reliability. General information in regard to identifiers was utilized in order to ensure that there would be no bias. This information provided the researcher with a more clarified view of perceptions in regard to the possibility and impact of economic, social and market penetration in the Islamic fund and bond strategy analysis of their successes and failures of their strategy. The objective in this study was to see the possible effect of the Islamic fund and bond strategy analysis of their successes and failures of their strategy. The study would in fact be balanced in its validity and reliability by results in questionnaires delivered. The objective would be to discover whether a prior knowledge of management of market segmentation would be beneficial or detrimental toward the company and their understanding of the use of strategies as marketing tools. Data would be gained from a specific area for ease of accessibility and for targeted accuracy lending reliability and validity to the research process. The variables involved would also include age groups, amount of education, and understanding of security needs and responsibility. Other variables may be inclusive of the economic standings of the potential customers of the Islamic fund and bond along with the same standings for the customers at the edge of the market segment interviewed. A third series of variables includes the types of studies that are managed and the cultural background of the customers at each of these areas. The research paradigm considered by the researcher in regard to this work included the consideration of groups and how strategically developed planning would target them. These considerations included in management and how the different respondents would in fact classify usage of event goers. The data for this work was managed through a single questionnaire handed out to potential customers and current customers of the Islamic fund and bond. The researcher utilized gender identifiers and numbers or letters to separate each questionnaire for validity and reliability of results and to ensure bias reductions. The questionnaire is located in the Appendix section for understanding of the questions. Each question had either a yes or a no answer or followed positive or negative reactions to certain questions. The process to deliver and collect these questionnaires would be spanned around approximately two weeks. The data sampling would be randomly managed utilizing stratified means with thirty-seven questionnaires completed by both male and female potential customers. The choice to use potential and existing customers alone in this research was made for three reasons. First, it was far simpler to have access to customers in regard to the researcher’s availability. Second, the focus itself is on customers’ attitudes and understanding of the gadget. Third, the quantification of such information allows the researcher to gain a broader perspective on how customers observe and realize the validity and reliability of information received from a variety of sources and how they apply it to daily life in terms of events. It should be noted that reliability for the researcher was achieved in the assurance that only a specified group of men and women were utilized in regard to the research. That group was focused mostly on customers and retails along with administrative personnel. This gave the research a more focused view of the research goal. The validity was managed as a result of this focus and emphasized in the considerations involved in the data collection, variables, and sampling methods. Privacy and confidentiality methods included assigning numeric and alphabetic coding to each responding questionnaire. This ensured anonymity in regard to the researcher and the subjects of the research process. Thus the most important objective of the interviews regarding this study concerning the market segment of the Islamic fund and bond would be building an impact regarding the profitability of this market for the stakeholder. As a result the study would feature qualitative interviews of personnel and personalities that are well known to the arena of marketing and a huge amount of potential customers who would provide complete views of their needs through as series of open and close ended questions. The interviews and questioners would certainly include the Administrators, Managers, marketing experts and Scholar, senior managers and obviously the potential customers of the Islamic fund and bond. The involvement of the administrators is a logical conclusion as this is the main stronghold that would be able to render the impetus of the market with his valued opinions. It should be noted that the interviews of the organization managers would be very helpful as they are the personnel who directly understand the ground reality of the nature and feasibility of the game plans established in the market segments of the Islamic fund and bond Strategies. Marketing and cosmetic industry management scholars and experts are also important for the basic strategy development these are the people who would be able to provide the theoretical framework of entire project. Interviews of the senior administrators, Journalists and retailer are very important because not only these people are well respected and their words highly valued, these are the people who are able to influence the structure of the Islamic fund and bond Strategies with their experience and insights. Lastly, interview would also be taken of experienced and potential consumers because they are the key objective of the entire scenario and these are the people who would actually present the objective of the market and would be instrumental directly to make the market worth venturing. To sum it up it should be mentioned that the methodology will involve client interviews, client’s strategic customer interview, event records, secondary research through the Internet and university database, it will also use strategic analysis tools for development of the marketing plan. In this context it should also be mentioned that the purpose of the project is formulated in a mutually beneficial way such that from an academic perspective there would be a huge gain in the context of valuable experience, and simultaneously add value by providing insights as well as a fresh & objective outlook on any matter relevant to the organization. Method of Analysis Information from the interviews will be classified into meaningful categories, which can be derived from the objectives and the literature. In using this categorisation approach, the data can be ordered and summarised according to the topic areas discussed and the depth of information attained. This could be done by establishing a suitable matrix and entering the data into the appropriate cells. However, it is essential to ensure that the categories devised are a coherent set so that the analytical framework is well structured and allows for effective analysis. This approach will allow the researcher to identify the most prevalent opinions and viewpoints as well as identifying polarised opinions. The analysis will help to draw out key themes and relationships, which will hopefully establish meaning in the data set. The key themes from the two types of interviewees can often be compared and contrasted in an attempt to create a clearer understanding of meaning. Lamb suggests that when existing theory has been used to formulate objectives, the theoretical propositions that enabled the researcher do this can also be used as a framework to help organise the data analysis. A clear theoretical framework was not used to establish the research question, although the objectives do acknowledge the relevant theory, so it is possible to use some theoretical framework to assist in the data analysis. The secondary data analysis will be used to support and augment the primary data. Analysis and Findings Analysis of information in regard to research managed by the researcher must include complete and full understanding of the questionnaire. This understanding focuses in the use of the questionnaire created specifically for this process. It is the considerations realized within the questionnaires, no matter their simplicity, that will focus considerations in later chapters of this work. Within this section of Analysis and Findings there will be measurement of all responses in regard to the questionnaire. Analysis strategy included a full series of statistical diagrams of all information collected including positive and negative responses, gender variations and marital status. This strategy provided the researcher with a wider spread for the conclusions that became evident in regard to the researcher’s focus. This information was broken down into specific charts for the benefit of visual context. The visual context provided insight in regard to perceptions of credit use and considerations by collegiate consumers in regard to financial planning and execution. These perceptions and considerations provide the researcher with evidence to support the hypothesis made in that there would in fact be adverse affects in the abuse of credit and that the use of credit, if not held in check, could in fact have auxiliary outside influence on other portions of daily life for collegiate students and perhaps for those outside the realm of collegiate studies. The researcher held awareness of the potential for study in regard to Islamic fund and bonds and their use or abuse through many methods. Those methods include observation, interaction and extensive research. The awareness of the media discussions of credit usage amongst collegiate level men and women and the similar studies within this idea would in fact have influenced the choice made. The choice of analyzing how students amongst this particular collegiate population would in fact consider their credit use and knowledge allows for a singular perspective isolated from the more broadly painted view including financial advisors, professors, parents and more. The focus itself was on the students and how they absorbed this information from the various resources available before applying it to their personal financial decisions. Overall, the respondents to the questionnaires provided insight in regard to how many individuals are learning more and more about financial management. This also provides insight in regard to some steps financial entities including banks and Islamic fund and bond issuers might consider in regard to further educating the general public, starting at the younger ages including collegiate level students and providing access to learning materials in this regard. The concern for this researcher would in fact be the lack of true knowledge in regard to Islamic fund and bond debt and its downfalls. The fact that there is much higher usage of Islamic fund and bonds and other forms of credits now than in years past causes more concern in regard to how to manage that growth of Islamic fund and bond debt in future endeavours. Limitations However, it should be mentioned there are certain limitations of the study. A number of people (usually senior administrators) may also insist that the consumers have no contribution to the issue. Many of them may think that consumers come into the working formulation only during the advertising scenario and never in the development plan of the marketing procedure. As a result they do not use the requisite strategic management techniques or adaptive methods that need to be exercised while developing a study such as this. However, it creates a void in the test as this limitation can be overcome by taking the subject into better mode of confidence. However, at the same time, it should also be noted that there are certain limitations regarding the methodology of the interview aspect. It could be mentioned that past history has shown that it is not always people revealing a context in a survey or interview holds much truth in the long run in general sense. This is one variable that is able to corrupt any well formulated strategically set formulations. But this again is a possibility and not the general rule. At any case it should be noted that all steps would be taken with utmost care so that such variables are not allowed to upset the basic test of market segmentation beyond a certain permissible limit. If all these parameters are well implemented there could be no reason why a long term strategy for operation in a full length marketing penetration and procedure cannot be established. Conclusion The understanding of this information gathered is proven in the statistics within the questionnaires that were completed and submitted. The research found that all respondents understood the material being requested and filled the questionnaires accordingly in timely fashion. This information was then examined thoroughly for consistency and validity. The researcher now understands that there is a great deal of diversity in the understanding of financial matters based on how those financial matters are taught to individuals whether through personal research, a parent, a bank representative, friends or other family members. The number of participants who pursued avenues toward understanding was surprising to the researcher in that there were far more to ask advice and to heed initial learning methods in regard to financial stability and concerns. The majority of respondents claim to have been taught financial management by a parent. Twenty-six respondents gave this as their response. Twelve also claimed that a professor had been beneficial in their learning. Bank representatives comprised eleven responses to the inquiry and six employers. The numerous choices for other methods of learning financial management included one grandparent, five respondents claimed their friends, two said internet resources, and one said society while two would actually work in the field. The diverse, yet incredibly stratified methods for learning and understanding financial management provide the researcher with interesting insights on how well these financial management methods are learned. Of the thirty-seven respondents to the questionnaire, the majority, including twenty-six respondents stated that they did inquire as to advice prior to application toward credit. This is intriguing to the researcher as it proves that students are understanding more and more in regard to their financial stature. Regarding whether positive or negative effects are seen or felt in regard to credit, most respondents claimed positive effects were seen. That number included twenty-one respondents with sixteen claiming there were more negatives than positives. When asked whether the students felt targeted by credit advertisers, the overwhelming response was yes with twenty-five respondents stating this. The remaining twelve said they didn’t feel targeted. The respondents overwhelmingly responded positively toward the need of courses on financial management. When asked if credit issuers were doing enough to educate consumers, the response was negative for the majority of respondents. When asked whether college campuses should provide financial planning assistance and credit understanding for students, the overwhelming majority of thirty-six to one said yes. The same response came in regard to having financial managers from banks and other financial institutions working with the college campuses for educational purposes in regard to use and abuse of Islamic fund and bonds and other forms of credit. Factors that manage approval of studies such as this one in regard to Islamic fund and bond use and abuse on college or university campuses would include the verifiable reports of credit usage by agencies including credit issuers, banks and debt management corporations. The rise in bankruptcies and such provide a very thorough glance into the behaviour of consumers and how that behaviour in the use of credit is affected by their ready knowledge of credit facts and figures. The researcher finds that the hypotheses made in the progression of the research would indeed have been validated through responses from the selected population. 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