Marketing Strategy And E-Commerce Essays (4569 words) - Management

Marketing Strategy And E-Commerce Introduction With the rapidly advancing technologies that are occurring in modern business, organisations are required to be ready, and able to adapt within their ever-changing environment. It is true across all diverse industries that in order to stay competitive, organisations must be able to utilise the various tools that technology has to offer. Technological factors have been of growing importance, particularly in recent years. A major factor involved in these technology issues is the use of the Internet as a major issue to modern organisations. The Internet has been rapidly growing since it's inception and is now commonly used in all sectors of societies, in all corners of the globe. The Internet has quickly become one of the most valuable assets in modern technology, and as such, is developing as an integral part of modern commerce. As with past technologies, the Internet will have future technological advances develop from its own growth. The task the organisations of in the new century? Realise future opportunities and threats, and base a strategy accordingly. Is it clich? to say that 'the Internet changes everything': the challenge now is to say what, how and how quickly. (When Companies Connect, 1999, p.19) The Internet has lead to the birth and evolution of electronic commerce or E-commerce. E-commerce has now become a key component of many organisations in the daily running of their business. Simply defined, electronic commerce is a system of online shopping and information retrieval accessed through networks of personal computers. (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) E-commerce challenges traditional organisational practices, and opens ups a vast array of issues that the organisations must address. By focusing on the varying levels of an organisation, it soon become apparent the effects that E-commerce can have. An understanding of the implication E-commerce has on such organisational divisions can help businesses gain understanding hence plan for it's inevitable continuing evolution. In terms of marketing, the modern organisation must be critically aware of the development of E-commerce, and the implications that it entails. Marketers develop their own recipe of promotional tactics to fit the product lines or industries in which they compete. Now electronic communications tools are and will continue to be an important ingredient in the promotional mix (Reedy, J. Schullo, S. Zimmerman, K. 2000, pg. 29) In assessing the implications of E-commerce in terms of marketing, it is important to understand its impact in respect to marketing strategy formulation. As the Internet, and in turn E-commerce has developed, and continues to evolve and grow, it is vital that any organisation, in any particular industry, must base it's strategic planning around such a rapidly growing medium. The growth of the Internet is an environmental influence that must be embraced and understood so to successfully plan for future marketing implementation. In order to successful realise the impact that E-commerce has in terms of marketing, it is important to break the area of interest into some key areas. As most of the issues that arise in terms of E-commerce represent organisations entering the environment, it seems natural to base discussion around this. Therefore, the bulk of the literature review relates existing organisations entering into the E-commerce market environment. In successfully identifying the relationship between E-commerce and strategy, the issues are categorised as follows: 1. Strategic analysis ? Understanding the environment 2. Identifying the strategic options/SWOT analysis ? Strategic Advantages/Disadvantages ? Advertising ? Electronic cost cutting/publishing/Process 3. Corporate level, Business level, d Marketing level 4. Retailing in E-commerce ? Implementation Issues ? Financial ? Performance monitoring 5. Conclusion ? Based on current knowledge state To gain a clearer understanding of the implication of E-Commerce in the formulation of marketing strategy, it is imperative to gain a clear understanding of the environment and it's relevant effects. This helps in understanding the rationale in a developing marketing strategy, particularly the influences of E-Commerce on its make-up. The next crucial element is to gain an understanding of E-commerce itself, as well as the current and possible future developments. In understanding E-commerce's impact on strategic foundations, an organisation's strategies can be more clearly focused. Once the organisation and E-commerce's respective environments are clear it is then possible to understand E-commerce's implications in regards to fundamental marketing strategies. By focusing on tools such as the competitive strategy framework we can gain a

Sample APA Formated Informational Essay

Sample APA Formated Informational EssayA sample APA formatted informative essay will help your resume to come to life and convey the best of you to the hiring managers. The decision makers who would be choosing the candidate from a lot of resumes will read it to decide whether the applicant is fit for the job or not.Well written informative essays are the most powerful tool to enhance the resume of a person. Moreover, it is easy to understand how the applicant will stand in front of the eyes of the people for being selected for the job.If the person has to write an essay of this type on their own, then they can follow the guidelines on writing sample APA formatted informative essays. However, if you would like a more personal touch, you can select the samples from some of the sample essay that the HR experts have prepared. These samples are meant to showcase the character of the person to other.If you are concerned about the quality of the application then you can choose from the sam ple essay that has been edited and submitted by some of the candidates who have applied for the same job. Besides, they will have further suggestions about the application.Sample essays have been widely used in the past. However, in recent times, more emphasis has been given to writing sample essay. The reason behind this is that the applicants would like to provide better quality to the samples as compared to writing them in one's own free time.To sum up, as far as hiring managers and hiring professionals are concerned, it is important to make sure that the applicant has effective communication skills and is well motivated to do well. This will prove helpful to the hiring manager in his selection of the candidate from among the resumes that he/she receives.When you fill up the online application form, you can include some brief details about yourself that you think will make the application interesting and convincing to the applicants. This helps to grab the attention of the applic ant.

How to Find the Meaning and Origin of Your Surname

How to Find the Meaning and Origin of Your Surname With a few exceptions, hereditary surnames- the last names passed down through the male family lines- didnt exist until about 1000 years ago. While it may be hard to believe in todays world of passports and retinal scans, surnames just werent necessary before that. The world  was much less crowded than it is today, and most folks never ventured more than a few miles from their place of birth.  Every man knew his neighbors, so  first, or given names, were the only designations necessary.  Even kings got by with a single name. During the middle ages, as families got bigger and villages got a bit more crowded, individual names became inadequate to distinguish friends and neighbors from one another. One John might be called John son of William to distinguish him from his neighbor, John the smith, or his friend John of the dale. These secondary names, werent quite yet the surnames as we know them today, however, because they werent passed down from father to son. John, son of William, for example, might have a son known as Robert, the fletcher (arrow maker). Last names that were passed down unchanged from one generation to the next first came into use in Europe about 1000 A.D., beginning in southern areas and gradually spreading northward. In many countries, the use of hereditary surnames began with the nobility who often called themselves after their ancestral seats. Many of the gentry, however, did not adopt surnames until the 14th century, and it was not until about 1500 A.D. that most surnames became inherited and no longer transformed with a change in a persons appearance, job, or place of residence. Surnames, for the most part, drew their meanings from the lives of men in the Middle Ages, and their origins can be divided into four main categories: Patronymic Surnames Patronymics- last names derived from a fathers name- were widely used in forming surnames, especially in the Scandinavian countries. Occasionally, the name of the mother contributed the surname, referred to as a matronymic surname. Such names were formed by adding a prefix or suffix denoting either son of or daughter of. English and Scandinavian names ending in son are patronymic surnames, as are many names prefixed with the Gaelic Mac, the Norman Fitz, the Irish O, and the Welsh ap. Examples: The son of John (Johnson), son of Donald (MacDonald), son of Patrick (Fitzpatrick), son of Brien (OBrien), son of Howell (ap Howell). Place Names or Local Names One of the most common ways to differentiate one man from his neighbor was to describe him in terms of his geographic surroundings or location (similar to describing a friend as the one who lives down the street). Such local names denoted some of the earliest instances of surnames in France, and were quickly introduced into England by the Norman nobility who chose names based on the locations of their ancestral estates. If a person or family migrated from one place to another, they were often identified by the place they came from. If they lived near a stream, cliff, forest, hill, or other geographic feature, this might be used to describe them. Some last names can still be traced back to their exact place of origin, such as a particular city or county, while others have origins lost in obscurity (Atwood lived near a wood, but we dont know which one). Compass directions were another common geographic identification in the Middle Ages (Eastman, Westwood). Most geographic-based surname s are easy to spot, though the evolution of language has made others less obvious, i.e. Dunlop (muddy hill). Examples: Brooks lived along a brook; Churchill lived near a church on a hill; Neville came from Neville-Seine-Maritime, France or Neuville (New Town), a common place name in France; Parris came from- you guessed it- Paris, France. Descriptive Names (Nicknames) Another class of surnames, those derived from a physical or other characteristic of ​the  first bearer, make up an estimated 10% of all surname or family names. These descriptive surnames are thought to have originally evolved as nicknames during the Middle Ages when men created nicknames or pet names for his neighbors and friends based on personality or physical appearance. Thus, Michael the strong became Michael Strong and black-haired Peter became Peter Black. Sources for such nicknames included: an unusual size or shape of the body, bald heads, facial hair, physical deformities, distinctive facial features, skin or hair coloring, and even emotional disposition. Examples: Broadhead, a person with a large head; Baines (bones), a thin man; Goodman, a generous individual; Armstrong, strong in the arm Occupational Names The last class of surnames to develop reflect the occupation or status of the first bearer. These occupational last names, derived from the specialty crafts and trades of the medieval period, are fairly self-explanatory. A Miller was essential for grinding flour from grain, a Wainwright was a wagon builder, and Bishop was in the employ of a Bishop. Different surnames often developed from the same occupation based on the language of the country of origin (Mà ¼ller, for example, is German for Miller). Examples:  Alderman, an official clerk of the court; Taylor, one that makes or repairs garments; Carter, a maker/driver of carts; Outlaw, an outlaw or criminal Despite these basic surname classifications, many last names  or surnames of today seem to defy explanation. The majority of these are probably corruptions of the original surnames- variations that have become disguised almost beyond recognition.  Surname spelling  and pronunciation has evolved over many centuries, often making it hard for current generations to determine the origin and evolution of their surnames. Such  family name derivations, resulting from a variety of factors, tend to confound both genealogists and etymologists. It is fairly common for different branches of the same family to carry different last names, as the majority of English and American surnames have, in their history, appeared in four to more than a dozen variant spellings. Therefore, when researching the origin of your surname, it is important to work your way back through the generations in order to determine the  original family name, as the surname that you carry now may have an entirely different meaning than the surname of your distant ancestor. It is also important to remember that some surnames, though their origins may appear obvious, arent what they seem. Banker, for example, is not an occupational surname, instead meaning dweller on a hillside.

Secrets of Cheating Revealed and Myths Dispelled

Secrets of Cheating Revealed and Myths Dispelled School Cheating: A Cause of Students’ Troubles or Its Consequence? People tend to blame wrongdoers by default, leaving circumstances and motivations aside. Usually, it is a plausible way to evaluate a situation, but sometimes, a second thought is needed, like in case with school cheating. But what is cheating, why does it exist, how does it affect students’ skills and can it be prevented (and should it)? We will try to find answers to these questions in the following article, so read on. What Is Cheating and Why Does It Exist Among Students? Cheating is copying home tasks from other students, from the web or asking for other students’ help while sitting the exams or midterm tests (and other kinds of assessment). Cheating is blamed on the laziness of students and is supposed to mean their total educational failure since they cannot cope with the material and so ‘steal’ it from the others. But cheating has existed probably as long as students and teachers themselves. People with excellent grades and records have poor jobs, and people who dropped from their schools or hardly managed to graduate then build successful careers and create cool things. So it looks like getting good grades or completing all homework individually does not guarantee success and vice versa. So, well, cheating is not an indication of academic failure. It indicates something else. But what? It points to the extreme loads of duties and expectations placed on children and to the total inability of the education system to account for natural capacities and limits children have. It also indicates that inbuilt creativity and smartness of children still exist, and it helps children rig the system that is rigged against them, in the first place. Put in less complicated words, if children are expected to accomplish things that are basically un-accomplishable, they will find the way out. If homework is so big that it is impossible to cope with it for the majority of students, they will find the way to obtain it from smarter and more persistent classmates or will complete parts of work and exchange these parts between themselves, so that everyone gets a complete work. Anyway, in a system where grades mean everything and knowledge and understanding mean nothing, cheating is only one of the logical step kids take to help themselves out. Common Misconceptions About Cheating Cheating is for lazy. No. Time and efforts spent on preparation of cheats are as labor intense as any other intellectual activity. Some may argue that students better be learning with this intensity, but teachers today assess not knowledge but very formal markers of knowledge, and students provide what is required from them. Cheating does nothing to improve knowledge and just brings students undeserved grades. – No. While copying homework or preparing cheats for tests students repeat the material and learn at least basics of stuff that they will not get otherwise. Cheating outwardly harms learning process. – No. It improves it. Students exchange, copy, repeat, go over the stuff, read, select, and in general do things they are supposed to do at school. Cheating makes students stupid. – Big no. Just imagine how much creativity and skills are required to prepare cheats and to use them. It requires self-control, discreetness, resistance to stress, ingenuity and many more traits that are absolutely necessary in our agile and unstable world. So instead of memorizing stuff, they do not understand, students learn skills they will apply anywhere – and be praised as valuable workers. Cheating is unethical. – If assessing formal criteria (like writing all answers to problems in a column) instead of assessing the correctness of answers and creativity of thinking is OK from an ethical viewpoint, then cheating as an adequate solution is ethical as well. Surprising Upsides to Cheating for Children Cheating is training in itself, and even more intense and useful training than writing letters or memorizing poems. To cheat, children, even in elementary school, need to develop and possess the following skills (and can every adult boast of having them all?): concentration attention to details memorizing things heard or seen only once (catching a glimpse in a mate’s handout, for example) caution fast reaction We can bet that every adult would want to develop these traits in themselves and see them develop in their kids. Hence cheating is a very positive booster for these skills – and not only for the classroom. Homework is actually useless and even dangerous for kids Despite the traditional belief into the usefulness of loads of homework, the reasons behind giving it are more of wishful thinking kind than of true science. Indeed, older students can benefit from limited amounts of homework, but not young kids and middle schoolers. Recent experiments on canceling homework altogether show that students in such classes show the same level of academic success and failures as students who perform homework daily. So what’s the sense? Besides, along being mostly useless, unregulated and abundant homework is outwardly harmful to the mental and physical health of kids. Homework harms kids’ health significantly by stealing their sleep and play/rest time. A school day is almost equal to a workday, but after this day kids are expected to work even more, and it is called ‘time management’, not overtime work, like it should be. Children lack sleep, lack exercise and simply relaxation time, they get mental health problems, anxieties, chronic fatigue, eating disorders, all for the sake of turning in an assignment that no one will bother to check. Homework steals time. Kids have their whole day mapped out for them, with no time to be kids or teens, they are treated like adults in regard to responsibilities but dismissed as children when it comes to their wishes and needs. Not very progressive approach. Hometask is also believed to discipline kids, teach them to order, but the world needs creativity today, and structured time filled with boring useless tasks is a killer of creativity. According to Alfie Cohn, a researcher, and many other reliable investigations, the impact of homework on academic success is almost negligible. So why is the practice of homework so persistent? Just because of habit? Homework destroys peace with parents. Teens already have it hard during their transition from childhood to adulthood. Homework is one more stumbling stone that makes kid and parents argue. Parents believe that teachers know what they do when they give that much homework (but it looks like they don’t). So parents make kids do every assignment instead of relaxing, watching TV or socializing. That’s enough to spark a quarrel. Sometimes parents try to help kids do cope with tasks, but parents have long forgotten the school stuff (or did not learn it properly anyway). Besides, they are not teachers and do not have skills and patience to explain and help properly, on a level accessible to a child. So instead of help, new trouble of miscommunication arises. Cheating Is a Symptom of the Problem, Not a Cause So what is the conclusion? Cheating time, everyone? Definitely, no, it is not. Students do need to learn and understand school subjects properly to be able to study in college and then move on to work. But cheating persistently indicates that the education system does not work the way it should, and instead of gaining skills students employ cheating tactics to get high grades that are demanded by parents, teachers and state/federal education bodies. If the system becomes more productive and inspiring, with less stress on failure and more pressure on the joy of discovery and learning something new, then cheating will become a negligent percentage of students’ activities. As of today, it is a bailout gear that helps students stay afloat in the modern schooling system and not lose their mind completely. Need help, and no friend can help you? Let us be your friends and provide you with a completed assignment or paper that will bail you out and bring you positive grades – and maybe some long-needed rest.

Event management planing for Playwright Media in Birmingam Essay

Event management planing for Playwright Media in Birmingam - Essay Example They also offer projects that are aimed at giving young people practical skills that they can utilize. Their C.O.M. Youthnity Project is a 6 week media program that gives students an introduction to basic film, photography and radio. They also take volunteers to help with these youth oriented programs and this helps since they are able to connect better with the students. Since its establishment in October 2009 Playwright Media has successfully worked with a number of Third sector organizations to promote and showcase their services. Through the success of smaller projects Playwright has managed to sustain lengthy contracts. In particular Playwright Media has played a key role in the growth and sustainability of several small organizations. PlayWright believes 'your goals are our goals' and their consultants work hard to achieve them, whether they be increasing profit or turnover, attracting and retaining customers or simply maintaining competitive advantage, PlayWright can always he lp. Right now, PlayWright is looking to create an event that will help push its client base when it comes to corporate events and reach out to its target audience. It also wants to make people aware of the youth centric programs it handles. Objectives: PlayWright Media has two specific objectives to plan this event. 1. To significantly increase their client base for their corporate services, with a focus on companies based in South Birmingham. 2. To significantly increase the awareness of their organization and its services to its target audience. Solution An event targeted at SMEs, that is, Small to Medium Enterprises that will help them realize that they are in fact the future of the nation, and how the right marketing will help them increase their productivity and give them better output. It has always been a misconception that media services are targeted mainly at large scale enterprises. This, due to the fact the most obvious and main stream of promotional media such as televis ion and newspaper advertisements are very expensive due to their wide coverage. Smaller agencies do not allow such expenses in their budget, one, because they do not need to reach out to such a wide audience and two, because spending on such activities seems nothing short of frivolous to them. They concentrate on servicing their immediate geographic area and bank on word of mouth to spread word of their services. Pettit and Singer (1985) state that SMEs normally operate in less concentrated markets, with greater competitive pressure. In the last three decades, the economy of Birmingham has gone through a tremendous change with manufacturing being replaced by the service sector as the principle source of employment. This is expected to create over 50,000 additional jobs in the city in the next decade. (birminghameconomy.org.uk) A new research has shown that only nine per cent of Birmingham’s SMEs have created over 50,000 jobs in the city in the last three years. (birminghampos t.net) Thus, we can say that SMEs are the future of Birmingham and to take them to a higher level, they must be given the right guidance, support and coverage. Event: â€Å"SMEs: Brightening Birmingham† The event will be a corporate style seminar followed by a group discussion revolving around Small and Medium Enterprises and the future prospects they have in Birmingham. The theme of the event will be â€Å"SMEs: Brightening Birmingham†. SMEs in the area of South Birmingham will be invited to this event. The idea is to make people

How will I utilize these funds to change my community for the better Scholarship Essay

How will I utilize these funds to change my community for the better - Scholarship Essay Example The out-of-school black youths have become a problem in our community. Aside from being a wasted potential labor force, they have become concerns of the government. With the funds that I will be receiving, I plan to gather them in a meeting and a fun time, where I would be able to relay to them the things I have learned from school; therefore they can get updated with the new knowledge taught at the university. It can be two-sessions per month during my free days, and it will consist of both a serious study and sharing of knowledge, and a fun-filled play and snack time. I will specifically use the funds for the buying of teaching materials and food. In line with this, I will also share with them some ways to earn extra income such as possible part-time jobs that they can involve in so as to save money for their schooling. These can be in the form of small enterprise or cooperative that will help these young blacks earn a living. To boost our budget and power, I will coordinate with our city-government for further financial and manpower support. In this way, we can give hope to the out-of-school black youths.

Divorce Separation Children

Divorce Separation Children Divorce is the separation of husband and wife after being legally married. Most times the divorce process is very painful to the couples, but the most affected are the children who lack the mechanism to fully comprehend the basis of their parents separation. This paper is going to look at the effects of this process depending on the age of the child. Introduction The separation of a husband and wife in a divorce situation can have serious and devastating effects not only for the separating couples but to the children as well. Often times the divorcing couples are too consumed with their own emotional burdens to clearly understand the trauma the divorce causes to the children. Children seemingly bear the brunt of the separation especially psychologically. (Emery, R. E., 96) However, not all divorces end up hurting children. Children in an abusive and violent marriage may in fact be spared much of the physiological torture if the parents just separated. Thus divorce can sometimes be a welcome process for the well being of the children. (Emery, R. E., 126) Various studies have in fact indicated that some children actually thrive better after being brought up in a divorce environment. Children become more responsible and loving especially because they are raised by a single parent. However, it is critical to note that the negative effects much more outweigh the positive effects. (Emery, R. E., 46) So, how are children affected by divorce? Sociologists, psychologists and other researchers have continued to study out this question and sometimes it has generated so much controversy. But all agree that indeed divorce most often times is not good for children especially when the family unit is put at risk. Studies have continued to show that children equate divorce to the pain of death of one of the parent. The experience itself brings great loss, sadness, grief and in many cases confusion to the affected children. Children may also end up blaming themselves for what has happened and tend to think that parents do not love them any more. (Emery, R. E.,123) Research world over has continued to indicate that the effects of divorce differ because of various factors; depends on the age of the child at the time of divorce, gender and personality of the child, the level of family/friends support and the extent of the conflict between the parents Age of children Divorce does not have any serious effects on children less than 3 years. Children below this age might not have the opportunity to understand conflict and might not have developed so much of a serious relationship with one of the parents. Nevertheless, if the relationship had established a bond, it may have some short-term effects. The only thing that might affect these children is the low mood and energy level of the parent albeit for a short while. This effect may be characterized by appetite lose, or upset stomach including vomiting. (Emery, R. E., 132) Children between 3-5 years are in a position to understand conflict and divorce will have an obvious effect on their well-being. Children at this age end up believing that they are the cause of the divorce, and blame themselves for it. For example they might reason out that if they ate their dinner or obeyed when told to do so, daddy wouldnt have left. The children at this age fear being left alone and would behave like toddlers by unknowingly wetting their beds, wanting their security blankets and old toys. They may end up being depressed, angry and uncooperative. They may also resort to aggressive and disobedient behavior. (Emery, R. E., 135) Children at the age of 6-10 years are school-age children. Many psychologists believe that this is the worst age where the effects of divorce are felt. Children at this age have the capacity to understand the pain brought about by the separation of the parents. However, they lack the capability to understand how to control their reactions to the pain caused. (Emery, R. E., 142) The school-aged children may experience severe psychological turmoil like embarrassment, grief, resentment, divided loyalty and at times intense anger. They may also feel rejected by the leaving parent and have cases of stomachaches and headaches. These children can cope easily with the situation if they get involved actively with play and other activities with their peers (Emery, R. E., 145) Children aged between 10-16 are already pre-teens or teens and are now adolescents. They are in a position to understand the reasons leading up to the divorce. This is because they can easily remember the stress and conflict preceding such a divorce. Such ability to remember may at the some time interfere with the capability to handle the changes that occur in the family. (Emery, R. E., 155) The teen may also be faced with emotional strain because of the pressure of trying to side with one parent as opposed to the other. This would involve faulting one parent over the other as the sole cause for the divorce. (Emery, R. E., 156) At this age they are likely to experience anger, depression, loneliness and guilt. They also end up taking various responsibilities to fill in the gap the parent has left. Such responsibilities would include house chores and caring for other siblings. This may make them feel pushed to adult-hood. Some in response to the low energy and high stress levels from the parent may want to take control of the family. The teens at this time also would be undergoing various sexual changes and may get affected because of lack of parental support. (Emery, R. E., 159) Witnessing the pain of divorce may also have serious implication on the teens perception on how well they would stay in a marriage in the future. (Emery, R. E., 159) Gender effects Various research findings have revealed that gender of the child plays a significant role on the effects of divorce on the respective children. It has been seen that boys raised by their fathers and girls raised by their mothers do better than vice versa. Boys of school age, who live with their fathers, seem to be less aggressive and have low emotional problems compared to boys living with their mothers who lack any contact with the fathers. (Emery, R. E., 164) On the other hand, girls raised by their mothers seem to be more responsible and mature than those ones raised by the fathers. (Emery, R. E., 164) Conclusion All said and done divorce has devastating and traumatic effects on the children. However the society at large has the responsibility of making it easier for the children. When parents are well supported through the divorce process especially how to incorporate the children can play a major role to alleviate serious implications. The most important thing for the children would be to adjust to the changes and the quality of child-parent relationship would come in handy Works Cited Emery, R. E. (1988): Marriage, divorce and childrens adjustments. Newbury Park,CA:Sage.