Free trade

Free trade Free trade is a part of the geopolitical landscape today, but that was not always the case. In terms of free trade, the practice of reciprocal non-interference had been followed in the second period between 1934 and 1990, but there had also been very different results ("Civil," 1999). The period witnessed an expansion in terms of the scope of civil society, and a growing labor movement had become increasingly involved in the debate; this occurred in addition to the shift in national objectives (1999). What happened was that the United States switched from a protectionist to a free-trade position with the enactment of the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act of 1934 (RTAA) (1999). The move gave the president the authority to negotiate and impose tariff-reduction agreements (1999). The recurring conflicts in respect to the various factions within U.S. civil society had been resolved by a variation on reciprocal non-interference, where specific groups that objected to the overall policy of t rade liberalization could be "bought off" with the extension of special treatment (1999).PowerPoint 2010I love spending time with my friends and family on a regular basis and try and live life to the fullest.

Marketing and Buying Decision Essay Example

Marketing and Buying Decision Essay Example Marketing and Buying Decision Essay Marketing and Buying Decision Essay Principles of Marketing Name: Robert Barnes Student Number: 21154021 Institution: University of West London Table of Contents Introduction Question Personality Motivation Conflict Question Bibliography Introduction The case study I have chosen to cover is â€Å"Breezing out for a night on the tiles†. It discusses the rise of the premium pre-mixed drinks industry between 1995-2000, in particular the Bacardi Breezer brand. It looks at the marketing activity which has taken place and the brand association the marketers aimed to achieve. In this report I will be exploring the buying process involved when purchasing an alcoholic beverage, the influencing factors when making a decision and the role that marketing plays, in these decisions. The definition of marketing is â€Å"The management process which identifies anticipates and supplies customer requirements efficiently and profitably. † Adrian Palmer 2004 Personality noun (plural personalities) The coon of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character: – Oxford Dictionary 2012 ENTJ Frank, decisive, assume leadership readily. Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies, develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organisational problems. Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. Usually well informed, well read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. Forceful in presenting their ideas. Introduction to Type, Sixth Edition by Isabel Briggs-Myers 1998 Question 1 Q. Give an overview of how the buying decision-making process might work for purchasing an alcoholic drink in a pub or club. How would this differ when purchasing alcohol in a supermarket or off licence? A. The Theory To answer this question we first need to look at the theories in marketing associated to the buying process, influences and behaviours. Diagram 2. 0 is the structure of the buying process based on the â€Å"Cognitive Paradigm† theory (Pickton and Broderick 2001) which focuses on the individuals thought process, during a buying decision. It assumes that the buying decision is approached as a problem solving activity and that the consumer is being rational throughout the process. It is widely used as the default theory by marketers and sales professionals when structuring campaigns. It does not however accurately describe the process that occurs during extreme impulse or irrational purchases, which are both, almost intangible processes. For the purpose of this exercise, we will assume that the responsible purchase of alcohol is approached, both rationally and thoughtfully. Diagram 2. 0 The Buying Process. Source: Marketing Communications, by John Egan. 2007) Step 1 of the process is the â€Å"Problem Recognition†. This is the identification of a need, such as â€Å"I am hungry, therefore I need to eat†. It can however be very complex and the consumer may require education or informing before recognising a problem exists, such as a dentist telling you, you need a filling, even though you hadn’t felt any pain in that tooth. Marketers can exploit this step by feeding information to consumers for goods and services, they hadn’t realised they needed. Step 2 of the process is the â€Å"Information Search†. This is when an individual has identified a need but may need to research to find the right solution. For example, if a student identifies a need for a computer, but has a limited budget, he or she might research information to identify the best option for the budget they have. This step can skipped if the consumer has enough knowledge, regarding the possible solutions. Step 3 of the process is â€Å"Evaluation†. This is when more than one option is available to solve the identified need, and the consumer wants to experience these before purchasing. An example would be someone test driving multiple cars before purchasing one. Effectively they will all satisfy the same need, but the consumer wants to know what the experience is, before making the decision. This step can skipped if the consumer has previous experience or is happy with a certain product or service beforehand. Step 4 of the process is â€Å"Decision†. This is simply the final choose for a solution to the identified need, after weighing up all options. Again, a consumer can move directly to this step from â€Å"Problem Recognition† if enough prior knowledge exists. Step 5 of the process is â€Å"Purchase†. This is when the decision is executed and the goods or services are acquired. Step 6 of the process is â€Å"Post-Purchase Evaluation†. This is when you access you satisfaction with your product or service after you have acquired it. If a great experience is had, it will lead to a higher likelihood that you will purchase that product or service again. Applying the theory Table 2. 0 is an application of the above theory, for an individual going through the buying process at both a club and supermarket. Buying Process Step| Nightclub or Pub| Supermarket| Problem Recognition| * A want to let loose. * A need for confidence. * A desire to fit in or stand-out. An aspiration to impress. | * Alcohol for cooking. * Thoughts of a night in. * A desire to relax and unwind. * Drinks for guests and friends. * Cheap drinks before going out. | Information Search| * Advertisement around the club. * Bottles behind the bar. * Drink cocktail menus. * What others are drinking. * Peer and/or social pressure. | * The label on the bottle. * Prices and special offers. * Staff knowledge. | Evaluation| * Tasting a friends drink. * Design of the bottle. * Recognition of a brand. | * Description on label. * Design and quality of bottle. Alcohol percentage. * Brand recognition. | Decision| * Information processed and decision made. | * Information processed and decision made. | Purchase| * Majority of exchanges in cash. | * Majority of exchanges by credit card. | Post-Purchase Evaluation| * Did that get me dr unk? * Did I like the taste? * Do I want another one? * Did it give me a hangover? | * Did I like the taste? * Was it good value? * Will I buy it again? * Did it get me to the desired level of drunkenness? | Table 2. 0 – The Buying Process of Alcohol in Different Environments. What this application of theory shows, is that there are different factors in play when buying alcohol in a club or pub compared to a supermarket, but the process remains the same. These factors are different mostly due to the environment, information availability, the individual’s intent and marketing strategies. If selling a drink in a club or pub it is more important for your drink to be seen as â€Å"cool† socially and price is less of a factor whereas if selling in a supermarket, your drink needs to be competitively priced yet still demonstrate a level of quality. Question 2 Q.Detail the individual and group influences that are likely to affect someone’s choice of drink brand? A. The Theory Diagram 3. 0 demonstrates the individual and group influencing factors when making a buying decision. Diagram 2. 1 – Factors affecting buying decisions. (Source: Marketing Communications, by John Egan. 2007) Our strongest influences when making a buying decision are our internal beliefs and values. These include Attitude, Perception, Learning, Memory and Motivation. The next in terms of influencing power are Primary Groups. Primary groups are made up of close friends, family and people who you respect. You are affected by these groups by the opinions and values they hold. The next group in terms of influencing power is the Secondary Group. This group is made up of people you know but not closely, or people who you may aspire to be like. Lastly there are influences depending on your Culture, Race or Religion, that will affect your decision when buying something. There are also External factors that include things that are beyond your control, such as Fashion, Law, Time ect. So how do these factors affect someone when buying an alcoholic drink? Well if I was out with my family, I would be unlikely to order shots, as they would not approve, whereas if I was out with close friends, then this would be the opposite. The secondary group has the same effect, but is less powerful in its influence. Question 3 Q. Explain the roles of the various marketing activities described in this case in influencing consumer behaviour. A. In 2000 Bacardi spent ? 14m on a campaign to promote their brand â€Å"Bacardi Breezer†. The reason to do this is to influence people decisions when making a buying decision. Bacardi’s first large campaign was in 1999 when they spent ? 5. 6m. The campaign was headlined with the slogan â€Å"there’s Latin spirit in everyone† aimed at the 18-24 year old market. This campaign was created to give the brand an exotic, cool to be seen drinking appeal and was aimed at the demographic that would most likely be drinking in an environment where these factors we important in their buying decision. This campaign established Bacardi Breezer as one of the major players in the alco-pop industry. Bibliography John Martin, 2010. Organizational Behaviour Management. 4th Revised edition Edition. South Western Educational Publishing. John Martin, 2004. Organizational Behaviour And Management. Edition. Thomson Learning. Laurie J. Mullins, 2006. Essentials of Management and Organisational Behaviour. Edition. FT Press. Isabel Briggs Myers, 1998. Introduction to Type: A Guide to Understanding Your Results on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. 6th Edition. Center for Applications of. Adrian Furnham, 2008. Personality and Intelligence at Work: Exploring and Explaining Individual Differences at Work. 1 Edition. Routledge. Stephen P. Robins, 2010. Organizational Behaviour. 1 Edition. Pearson Books. John Ivancevich, 2010. Organizational Behavior and Management. 9 Edition. McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Technology and business assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Technology and business assessment - Essay Example As stated on its website, Cisco Systems, Inc. is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create Internet solutions that allow individuals, companies, and countries to increase productivity, improve customer satisfaction and strengthen competitive advantage. The Cisco name has become synonymous with the Internet, as well as with the productivity improvements that Internet business solutions provide. Cisco Systems vision statement claims that their vision "is to change the way people work, live, play and learn." Source from website ) Stanford University Computer Scientists Sandy Lerner and Leonard Bosack founded Cisco Systems. There was a genuine need for large scale computer networks based on industry standard technologies and while in college, they found that the inefficiencies of the current infrastructure led to great technical hitches in being compatible with the numerous mail clients. This inspiration served as a spark that set their ideas in motion and when they left the campus, they were ready to embark upon the operation. Surprisingly, its stupendous growth was the harbinger of its problems. Cisco grew rapidly and to cater to the company and product information distribution, launched an official website in 1991. It had a 50% share of the networking market and struggled to keep up with the calls it was receiving. By 1992, its market share was 85% and the customer service requests and training programs were severely straining its existing systems that were not built for these volumes. By 1993, Cisco boasted a growth of an astounding 270% growth, but its IT department was sorely lacking to cope with a half billion-dollar company growing by 50% each year. Unable to sustain, its customer service was not up to the standards desired and Cisco was losing its ratings. Its IT budget was a paltry 0.75% of sales that was way below industry standards. The Plan CIO Pete Slovik and Senior Executive, Doug Allred, brought a revolutionary concept that entailed that the IT spending was linked to the business units that in turn necessitated close alignment to the company goals. The managers of the business units would be required to independently take decisions about the investment required to reach the company targets and the level of customer satisfaction. Cisco's internal network would play a strategic role in providing the connectivity needed for the business units to build applications creatively and therefore this would require a thorough revamp of its internal infrastructure. Because it was a major decision that would cost millions, cash-strapped Cisco deliberated over the decision. Small technical difficulties kept occurring and in 1994, Cisco's systems broke down unable to cope and Cisco was forced to close down for two days. The Solution The board went ahead and approved the proposal for a $15 million Oracle ERP system. This would entail a 2.5 percent of the 1993 revenues, thrice the IT budget of the previous year. The total cost of completing the ERP was $100million. It is not an overstatement to say that the Oracle ERP system became the backbone of the Cisco E-Business. It unified all of the Unix Servers and became a source of centralized information.

Defamation of Character Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Defamation of Character - Essay Example To cite an example of a â€Å"libel† or defamation case, let us look at the $100 million defamation lawsuit filed by a well-known Hollywood actor Tom Cruise against a pornography actor Chad Slater who uses stage name Kyle Bradford. (NDTV.com 2003).   Slater allegedly claimed he had a gay affair with Cruise that broke up Cruise's marriage (Digital Journal 2001).   According to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Slater told the French magazine Actustar that â€Å"he had a continuing homosexual relationship during Cruise’s marriage and that the relationship was discovered by Nicole Kidman, who ended the relationship†.   With this allegations, a per se defamation, it caused damage to the plaintiff or Cruise.   The defender, in the person of Slater, issued false statements in the effect that Cruise committed immoral turpitude. The lawsuit claimed that ``Cruise is not and never has been a homosexual'' and ``does not even know Slater†.   Sl ater defaulted the $100 million by claiming that he never met Cruise and said that "I hope by defaulting, Cruise will finally get what he is after and I can finally start to put my life back in order,'' (NDTV.com 2003).   The default motion did not indicated that Slater admitted to wrongdoing, but was an acknowledgment that he did not have the money to fight the lawsuit and would not contest it, causing Tom Cruise to win a $10 million defamation judgment, and clearing his name in the public eye.

USSR History Essay Example for Free

USSR History Essay The peasant women collectivization took place in the era between 1928 and 1932 (Lynne, 1992). This collectiveness can be seen as a modern day social movement geared towards fighting for human rights. The peasant women proved their political maturity through making efforts to fight for their rights in a country where opposition was unheard of. To modern historians the peasant women can be seen as agents as social change who used mental prowess to bring about social change. This collectiveness however was faced with many obstacles, for instance Soviet Union used propaganda to stop peasant women from getting together and uniting in their fight against state policy (Lynne, 1996). Soviet Union knew that such a unity would be detrimental to its fascist regime (Lynne, 1992). The success of peasant women collectivism would also be detrimental to the objectives and goals of Soviet Union. The Soviet Union can be argued to have been obsessed with its fascist kind of leadership and any slight threat had to be dealt with. For instance, peasant women were considered to be backward and incapable of spearheading any social action from its oppressive government (Lynne, 1996). With this in mind, the only possible explanation for the women collectiveness was incitement from anti soviet groups. Consequently it can be argued that the Soviet Union had a very low opinion of the peasant women. This is shown in their mode of leadership whereby they use brainwashing tactics to make the peasant women do what they wanted them to do. For instance the Soviet Union made the women take their side through propaganda and those who opposed them were treated with much violence (Lynne, 1996). On the other hand, it can be argued that the first step by the women in realizing their plight and using unity (collectiveness) to fight for their rights was a big milestone in the development of democracy not only in Soviet Union but in the world.

The Things They Carried and Herbert’s Article War is Personal :: Things They Carried Essays

The Things They Carried and Herbert’s Article War is Personal Bob Herbert's article, "War is Personal," has many parallels to Tim O'Brien's novel The Things They Carried. Although O'Brien's novel deals with the Vietnam War and Herbert's article deals with the current war with Iraq, both describe the position of American soldiers and their struggle with living in war. O'Brien's novel is more personal than Herbert's objective article but both show the importance of trust, significance of pain, and the terror of young soldiers face. In war it is important to be able to trust your fellow soldiers and allies because the conditions of war already has soldiers "a bit jumpy, [and] edgy," according to Captain James McGahey in Herbert's article. In O'Brien's novel Lee Strunk and Dave Jensen get into a fight over a stolen jackknife. Jenson injured Strunk and then broke his own nose because he was afraid of Strunk retaliating. Jensen was not able to trust Strunk to remain non-violent, which is important because, "you never want to have to think whether you can trust the guy to your left or right," according to Captain James McGahey in Herbert's article. Strunk and Jensen were able to trust each other again, making the war a little easier to handle. Although the article and novel were about two different wars, the two still serve as complements to each other. Another key event in war is the pain soldiers go through. O'Brien describes the pain of many injuries he and his platoon mates have gone through. When O'Brien got shot the second time, the medic, Jorgenson, was incompetent and didn't respond immediately. As O'Brien explains, by the time Jorgenson got to him, "I was gone with pain."(198) The same pain O'Brien experienced was explained by a soldier in Herbert's article who stated, "There was nothing in the whole world except me and that pain." War's excruciating pain is unavoidable for the young soldiers that have to experience it. The soldiers are also a parallel in the two wars. Soldiers are young and not always in war for the right reasons. As Mrs. Paine says in Herbert's article, "They're just children, really.

Play Production In The Greek & Elizabethan Eras Essay

The contemporary Greek play was an amalgamation of several artistic tools like pictures for example the one shown below which conveyed strong message to the audience. There were numerous other scenic elements used in the Greek theater. When a crane was used (called machina in Greek), it gave an impression of an airborne actor. A wheeled wagon was also common in the Greek playhouses and it made it possible for the audience to view dead characters. Openings in the ground, for example trap doors, were vital as they were used to elevate people onto the stage. Pictures like the one above, pinakes, were used to demonstrate a scene’s backdrop. Satyr plays were very common in the Greek playhouses just as were the tragedies. Phallic props were used in such plays to symbolize fertility in of the Roman and the Greek god of wine- Dionysus. Elizabethan acting was not any near ‘naturalistic.’ The repertory of the Elizabethan era was extremely divergent from that of the present as was the demands on Elizabethan actors compared to the present day’s actors. Elizabethan theaters in two weeks could frequently present â€Å"eleven shows of ten dissimilar plays†. Playhouses would not show again the same play two days in a row. The Elizabethan Era was moment that reflected the atmosphere and values of the 16th century through the application of fashion. It was a phase where a lot of uniqueness and originality was manifest and was used to produce fresh styles of dress. The style in Elizabethan England at this time replicated the worth and principles of the era. The physical theatre spaces, sets, Costumes, Lights, Who would be in the audience Much may not be available to talk about the performance space for the Greek plays. This because all that is available for consultation is basically the works of literature. However, the Greek performances took place in theaters which could be subdivided into three: Athenian, Graeco-Roman and Hellenistic. In the Elizabethan era the theater consisted of theater not only as a form of art but also as a form of institution as well. There was originality then as evidenced in dressing styles and the costumes. However, the Elizabethan playhouse never made use of prolific or lavish scenery, but as an alternative the stage was left largely exposed with a few key props, the chief visual appeal on stage was in the costumes. Costumes were habitually brilliant in color and visually enchanting. Costumes were expensive, nonetheless, so generally players wore fashionable clothing in spite of the time interlude of the play. Intermittently, a lead character would be dressed in a conventionalized edition of more historically accurate apparel, but secondary characters would nevertheless remain in fashionable attire- (Bracewell, N. 1999). The Greek theaters were filled with Athenians who formed a majority of the judges (audience). There was an extremely large audience who were won by the playwrights through distribution of small gifts and flattery as well. Dealing with rowdy (in the strict sense of being extremely loud) was a challenge the playwrights had learned to deal with through performance of some outrageous and interesting act to draw the attention of the spectators. What might be the topic of a play in theater?   What was not acceptable as a topic for a play? The Greek plays circulated around tragedies, comedies or satyrs. This was also the case with Elizabethan era whose plays got much support fro the queen. In the Greek era women were forbidden from acting thus all the actors then were men. In terms of the experience, in relation to the Elizabethan era, the religiosity of the community or the individual played a major role. However, most of those who went to the theaters enjoyed dancing and playing other games like cards. In the Greek era, it was quite a motivating factor that every day of performance there had to be at least totally different issue or subject matter of performance. It would therefore motivate audience who crowded the Athenian theaters to have their full experience. In this era too, the experience of an individual was wholly or jointly dependent on the social class of the community or individual. The higher caste would have their best when it comedy while the lower class individuals were little more violent- (Ruben F. 2006).