Marketing Campaign: Organic Foods Essay

Our campaign, â€Å"why organic? †, includes a series of print ads that increase awareness to consumers about chemically injected foods. Our campaign is differentiated from other campaigns by the multiple perspectives our ads take while sharing a common theme in design and overall point. Humorous, fearful, and informative pictures and facts are used to show consumers the connection between non-organic foods and disease, cancer, and other disorders in consumers. Although organic foods are more expensive in the long run the benefits of eating healthy outweigh the cost of purchasing them. SWOT Analysis: Strengths. In general, the growing concern for healthful habits is beneficial to our campaign. Mothers’ desire for a long and healthy life for their children is largely helpful. Consumers are becoming more aware of the toxins and chemicals used in foods, and want better grocery options. This is apparent in the recent increase of organic food retail sales. â€Å"The Health of Organic Foods† states that sales have steadily been increasing in recent years. The prevalent demand for organic foods will increase the attractiveness of our campaign while catching the attention of other consumers who are not yet aware or sold on the idea. The honesty of â€Å"why organic? † has the strength to build a strong brand image, making the campaign a credible influence to shopping mothers. Weaknesses When promoting organic food choices, there are factors that could potentially weaken the effectiveness of the campaign. Cost is an important purchasing consideration for consumers and a potential weakness for a campaign supporting organic foods. Traditionally, organic foods are more expensive than average groceries. The recent recession has raised consumers’ cost sensitivity. In addition, consumers lack awareness and require further education about the dangers of food additives and the benefits of organic food choices. Opportunities The opportunities pertaining to a campaign centralized around moving to organic food choices includes improving the standard of living for people who do make the choice to avoid chemically injected foods. Food habits have been changing, which creates big opportunities for our campaign. One opportunity we are implementing is partnering with the Breast Cancer Society to motivate women to eat organic foods, which is proven to help prevent breast cancer. A second opportunity is to pair up with restaurants and have them come up with some organic dishes for their menus to offer consumers. A third opportunity is to form an alliance with the Food Network and allow the chefs to start cooking organic meals, and inform their audiences on the benefits of eating organic food. Food habits have been starting to change, which will help allow us to reach consumers better than ever before. Threats A potential threat to a campaign targeting the dangers in U. S. meats is the potential negative reaction from the USDA. Being a direct advocate for avoiding purchasing their products could possibly lead to heavy controversy and ultimately litigation. So, treading lightly and focusing on solid facts is pertinent. Another threat includes competitors such as McDonald’s and other fast food places, where it’s very quick and easy to get processed foods that the campaign is fighting against. Market Selection We have selected mothers of all ages and incomes as the target market. Typically mothers are the influencing agents on grocery purchases. Making mothers the target of the campaign will increase their awareness regarding the dangerous effects of food additives in non-organic milk, meat, and other non organic products that they feed their children. The dangerous diseases and effects of non-organic foods, creates the incentive to make organic food choices. Promotional Advertisements Our advertisements, â€Å"why organic? †, are designed to attract the concern of mothers regarding the foods their families are eating. Our advertisements make consumers question their current non-organic buying habits and consider organic foods. We developed a print ad targeting consumers who purchase fruits and to increase awareness of the pesticide sprays used when farming and how it affects consumer’s health. Another print ad targets Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) additive links to Breast Caner in women. Studies of animals exposed to rBST, which increases levels of insulin-like growth factor in cows, raise concerns about potential changes in milk protein that links estrogen exposure to breast cancer. The longer the exposure to high levels of the hormone, the greater the breast cancer risk (Organic Valley). The processed chicken print ad is targeted to the 90 percent of Americans who spend their food budget on processed meats that tastes appetizing but have dangerous future health defects (Sustainable Table). Our final print ad targets food coloring and additive links that lead to increased levels of hyperactivity, irritability and restlessness that are common signs of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) in children. An upset baby surrounded with additives being fed to it will be used as the face of our â€Å"why organic? † campaign. This advertisement will reach our target market of mothers, and convey the message that they are essentially feeding their children ADHD, ear infections, eczema, and other health problems. The call to action will leave consumers questioning whether they would in fact feed their children harmful additives. Benefits Sought/Solutions Provided The benefits of encouraging consumers to follow our campaign â€Å"why organic† increases awareness of the dangerous effects associated with food additives, food preservatives, food coloring and pesticides ingested by consumers daily. The value that will be communicated through the integrated marketing campaign is removing the veil that the meat, dairy, and farmers have put in place through educating consumers and ultimately improving their health and children’s future eating habits. The value extends beyond tangible benefits of preventing cancers, neurological problems, and behavioral issues. The value of the campaign is more than just functional but offers emotional benefit as well like security and confidence. Knowing that the parent is instilling healthy eating habits in their children, as well as being a positive example, plays a significant role in the importance of the campaign. The solution of our campaign ideally will be to ultimately eliminate all forms of genetically altered foods by increasing awareness in consumers to make a difference in their lives as well as others by making the decision to purchase organic and ultimately decrease the profits of companies producing unhealthy foods for consumers. Campaign Execution Print ads with the slogan â€Å"why organic? † followed by a specific health risk and an emotional connection to the picture shown is the basis for the integrated marketing campaign to increase awareness about the dangers of food additives and the importance of transitioning to purchasing organic foods. Specifically, hormone injected chicken which is shown in a photo as a â€Å"pink mush† reveals the truth about processed chicken that most mothers have fed children since childhood. The veil that meat suppliers and non-organic farmers have placed over consumers eyes have shielded the true effects of the processes that food goes through. The whole basis of processing food is to gain more profit through bigger produce and bulkier meat products. The result of these injections and additives are dangerous cancers, hyper-activity, neurological deficiencies, and physical disorders. By keeping the print ads consistent at each consumer touch point is important to conveying a recognizable and memorable campaign in the consumers mind. In order to instill a loyalty to the concept of organic foods, it is important to have multiple touch points that involves more than just the magazine print ads. Joint promotions with the National Breast Cancer Association in the campaign to â€Å"fight for a cure for breast cancer† touches the perfect target market for this campaign, women. According to nationalbreastcancer. org, â€Å"NBCF is one of the most highly visible and recognized breast cancer charities in America. † At the â€Å"Race for the Cure† this October in Charlotte, the magazine print ads will be displayed along the run path which had a participation level of 1 million people in 2010, according to http://www. komencharlotte. org. The ultimate goal for the joint promotion with the Breast Cancer Society is to inform the target market of a possible cause of breast cancer (and prostate cancer). In addition, we aim to motivate them to make adjustments in their food habits and transition towards purchasing organic foods to decrease their risk for the very cancer they are fighting. To have an opportunity to reach such a large portion of the Charlotte target market is a substantial step in impacting mothers in the greater Charlotte area and a step towards moving nationally. In order to spread the awareness of the dangers in food additives the print ads will continue to travel as the race for the cure travels across the country in addition to being placed in four national magazines, on food network TV and on foodnetwork. com which will be detailed in a later section. The combination between magazine print ads and a joint campaign with the Breast Cancer Society will ultimately provide the consumer education needed to persuade the target market to follow our campaign and impact their decision whether to change their food purchasing habits. Marketing Mix: Product The marketing mix is a pertinent factor in the integrated campaign because it ties together each individual effort to create awareness. First, magazine print ads that advocate purchasing organic meat, dairy products, fruit, and vegetables will be implemented. The print ads emphasize the link between dangerous health effects and hormone injected bovine, diary products, and pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables. Pesticides may increase the risk of cancer and neurological problems (such as Parkinson’s disease), impair the immune system, and may even result in hepatitis A found from consuming strawberries. In addition, E-coli infection has shown to stem from non-organic alfalfa sprouts and lettuce. These dangerous effects are just a few of the hundreds of health risks pertaining to non-organic food choices. Place. The awareness about the health risks of non-organic foods will be created via catalogue print ads in Parenting, Women’s Health, Cooking Light, and Mothering Magazine and Internet ads on each catalogue website as well as teaming up with foodnetwork. com and food network TV. Food Network chefs advocating using organic meats and dairy products in home cooking would have a significant impact on mothers learning to cook and grabbing new recipes from such a well renowned source. In the magazines, one print ad shows the link between ADHD, hyperactivity, and food coloring. This ad would be placed in Parenting Magazine to target mothers who are dealing with the increasing problems with hyperactivity disorders in children. The importance of the ad would be to make mothers aware of a potential source for these disorders and to motivate them to make a change in purchasing food items and ultimately decrease their children’s risk of developing a hyperactivity disorder. Another touch point to reach mothers would be placing two of the print ads in Women’s Health Magazine and website. The two applicable print ads would include the photo of non-organic fruit causing neurological diseases like Parkinson’s. A call to action, â€Å"join the fight†, in Women’s Health Magazine would feature the connection between non-organic meats injected with rGBH and rBST and breast cancer. The same print ads pertaining to women can be printed on five by three foot banners and hung at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this October in Charlotte. The final consumer touch point would be included on foodnetwork. com, their magazine, and Cooking Light Magazine. The print ad to be published on these cooking sites would be the ad showing processed chicken which has been mashed, dyed, injected with hormones and ammonia, and will be turned into chicken nuggets. Chemically injected chicken has been shown to cause underdeveloped metabolism in infants and neurological problems in adults according to buzzle. com â€Å"Pregnancy and Nutrition. † A successful marketing mix is the backbone in creating an integrated marketing campaign and the key to creating awareness among mothers about the true dangers of food additives and the benefits of purchasing organic foods. Promotion In addition to public relations activities to foster goodwill through joint advertising with the National Breast Cancer Society, the event sponsorship will be paired with Internet communications on nationalbreastcancer.org with links to the campaign’s website and facebook page. From the campaign website and Facebook page consumers can learn about the specific dangers of the foods they purchase, the effects of the additives in their non-organic choices, and download organic food recipes that are plausible for young mothers who are creating the foundations for their cooking habits. Works Cited â€Å"10 SWOT Analysis. † Organic Food Cafe. 25 Jan. 2008. Retrieved Web. 06 May 2011.. ADHD linked to food coloring. Retrieved 8 May 2011. Organic Valley. Retrieved 8 May 2011. http://www. cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-20048725-10391704. html> Organic Valley. Retrieved 8 May 2011. http://www. organicvalley. coop/why-organic/synthetic-hormones/about-rbgh/> Processed Chicken Effects. Retrieved 8 May 2011. Sustainable Table. Retrieved 8 May 2011. â€Å"The Health of Organic Foods. † Reference Articles on All Topics. CBS, May 2003. Web. 06 May 2011. . â€Å"Processed Chicken,† Agro Products. Retrieved 2 May 2011. http://www. agriculturalproductsindia. com/processed-foods-snacks/processed- foods-snacks-processed-chicken. html> Reference Articles on Organics. CBS, May 2003. Web. 06 May 2011.

Is Inequality Necessary?

Miller, inequality is necessary because it is a great thing. These two believe that with inequality, private property will emerge and when it does people will be creating assets for themselves. When the people are able to create assets, they have a motive to work harder to earn what they deserve. Being more efficient on a daily basis can help a person become more active and helps them accomplishes more. A person can save the resources that they have and convert It Into assets of their own, thus creating their own wealth.Ferguson and Millard says that because of personal incentives, a person will not stop working after they have completed their Job and received the needed amount. Instead, they will continue on to work even more to gain more In order move up the ladder In society. As social progress, It aids In the development of collocation which Is the ultimate goal. I believe that Inequality Is necessary, because of how unfair things are, If a person Is willing to work harder than a nother, they should have more assets for themselves.Adam Ferguson and John Miller see inequality as something that is necessary for the development of civilization. One must work hard to achieve goals and build up more assets for themselves. Free-rider program on the other hand is similar to a free-lancer. A person, who refuses to participate in the work need to push forward, is in a way opposite to what Ferguson and Miller said about inequality. There are lazy people out there who would rather have someone else do the work for them.A group working on a project can only hope that the other members on their team will be able o do their own part. With inequality in the air, a person can only predict that the free rider program will follow. A person's asset will only grow as big as they are pushing it to be, but without hard work and by doing mediocre Job, an individual might not get too far. Mankind is always moving forward and the free rider program will only fall behind. Each person is expected to carry their own share of work during a group activity and they should have the responsibility to build themselves up.

Understanding the history of Native American Indians Research Paper

Understanding the history of Native American Indians - Research Paper Example Additionally, social interaction with other cultures from African, Asian, European and other continents have with time continued to dilute the observance of cultural values of Native American Indians. 1 Three major factors among them political, economic, and social interactions have had a significant effect on the cultural identity of Native American Indians. This paper will make a critical analysis of how political, economic, and social factors have continued to shape the history of Native Americans. Origin of Native Americans The Indians found in American continents are thought to have migrated from the Asian continent a long time ago when the two plates were still close to each other. As they moved across the continents searching for better hunting and gathering grounds, they settled in different areas where the land had plenty of resources. 2 Here, they mastered and adapted to the environment surrounding these lands. Political The discovery of American continent by Christopher Co lumbus in 1492 created a lot of enthusiasm among the Europeans, among them were the British, Dutch and French who wanted to explore and settle in the interior of this new continent. The arrival of these new inhabitants led to forceful evictions of Native Americans from their ancestral lands to create room for the new settlers. Additionally, there was the problem of destruction of natural habitat and over exploitation of resources that the Native Americans relied on. In addition, the Indians were faced by the new challenge of being forcefully enrolled as workers in the white men farms with little or no pay. The young and strong men were also taken to work in the mines under unbearable conditions. The unwelcoming behavior among the settlers led to the development of a negative attitude among the natives. Additionally, the new settlers from the European continent brought with them new germs and other disease causing agents. However, due to their social seclusions and reliance on tradit ional medicine, a large number of Native American Indian population died due to the effects of these new diseases. 3 In an effort to defend and retain their cultural identity, the Native Indians revolted against their colonialists by waging wars. The war between Europeans and Indians was a common phenomenon from the early years of colonization. European used war as a weapon to enforce a particular a political stand or force them out of their land. For instance, in 1936, a violent clash between whites and Indians broke out in Connecticut after the whites attacked an Indian village where about 600 Indian lives were lost. This aggravated the zeal of the Indians to resist the white settlement. In 1675, a mass resistance was formed by a number of Indian tribes against the settlement of whites on their lands in New England.4 Even though the settlers managed to overcome the resistance within a year, the Indians would not give up their struggle for their lost rights. The struggle for Indian land rights was drawn into the French-England wars especially in the northern America. At the time of the American Revolutionary war, most of Indian tribes aided the Britons as they perceived them as the defenders of their land rights. Even though the government of the United States had vowed to protect the rights of Indians, the promise was never kept as the whites continued to expand their settlements on the Indian lands under the protection of the army. In 1930, the then President of United States Andrew Jackson

The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The American Dream - Essay Example Far from being dead, the American dream is alive and kicking. For many people, home-ownership has been a large part of the American dream. Owning your own house means controlling your own destiny and having a large asset to borrow against. For many years, the government encouraged this idea and provided tax breaks and other incentives to ensure that people would be able to buy their own homes. While some suggest that these policies helped to create a housing bubble, this does not mean the dream is wrong. The problem begins when a dream is subsidized by the government. Governments are not responsible for giving us our dreams. They should move out of the way and let people be free to pursue their own ideas. Rather than killing the American dream, the governments program of subsidizing home ownership effectively distorted the dream out of recognition. Now it is back again as the economy recovers. Furthermore, the dream is expanding around the world. In Russia, almost 70 per cent of peop le live in apartment buildings and do not own their own homes. The Russian government wants to encourage more home ownership and copy this element of the American dream (Ustinova). There are other elements of the American dream which play an important role in the idea that the dream is alive and kicking. No one can dispute that America has had problems with racial issues in the past. Until the Civil War and emancipation, it can be argued that there was no such thing as the American dream, that it simply did not exist because a large number of Americans were enslaved. Following Reconstruction there was still a lot of racial problems and schools in the South were not desegregated until the 1950s. Perhaps then the dream really came to life as it became at least possible for African-Americans to achieve success in America. But in recent years this dream has come thrillingly to life. With the election of Barack Obama in 2008, America showed that the dream is more alive than ever. Indeed the long-standing American dream of upward mobility and fairness for all was wedded powerfully to Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of racial equality. For the first time a black man was in the White House. Anything was possible. Some people dispute this and suggest that President Obama's father was African and not African-American and therefore did not have to fight the civil rights battles, but could simply walk into an American university unopposed. But this idea overlooks the true power of the American dream. If the American dream were dead, why would so many people wish to live in America. Why would America continue to be a beacon of hope and prosperity to the rest of the world. Americans live some of the most comfortable lives in the world (Ownby). Consumer and luxury goods are plentiful and available for excellent prices everywhere. Life for most Americans is good and getting better. Unemployment issues will soon be resolved. America is on path to make a more perfect union, welc oming new immigrants to share in their prosperity. Recent problems will not last. The dream is alive and well. It is so strong is cannot be knocked off course by a minor financial crisis. The truth is that America is not in decline. Its system is working fine and the current problems are just a blip on the radar. American is a powerful country that believes in freedom. Its home ownership market is improving and the economy is recovering. Minorities have never had as many opportunities as they do today and Barack Obama is President.

Employee Scenarios Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employee Scenarios - Essay Example This paper analyzes internet abuse, sexual harassment, and substance abuse as fictional scenarios, which employer deals with regarding employees. All these scenarios have effects to the employee and the employer. The employee finds it difficult to cope with such situations in the company. It makes it impossible for the employer, to delegate duties to such workers, because of poor performance. On the other hand, employees find it difficult to cope with work demands, when the scenarios’ affect them. It is important for employers to form and develop regulations within their work place that tend to regulate occurrence of such scenarios within the work place. Technology enables majority of employees to use the internet when undertaking company duties. The internet gives relevance to the type of work an employee undertakes and some irrelevant to his or her work. In both cases, internet plays a crucial role when performing different company duties. In econet wireless company, a company that offers internet wireless services to his customers, Bradley, the companies’ supervisor director, gets into serious problems with his manager, after he is found watching pornographic videos using the company’s internet at work. Clearly, the company has rules and regulations that regulate internet usage of the employees. The rules and regulations seem not right to Bradley and he decides to abuse the rules by going to unpleasant sites to watch the videos. According to his employer, this becomes a gigantic scenario as the company’s rules and regulations violation. Regular conduct of job examination studies and certification of the resul ts helps guard employers from unfair treatment (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2012, p.153). Bradley’s manager positions himself as a perfect employer because he had the regular examination, but Bradley had not taken it seriously. However, the company still

Introduce your research topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduce your research topic - Essay Example The first element is a state of human mind that is beyond that of other animals and this means consideration of happiness must go beyond what animals can feel. A consistent attitude over a long period and that is strong enough to overcome challenges is another element of happiness and this disqualifies short-term pleasures from being categorized as happiness. The long-term attitude must further be of satisfaction with a person’s environment and embedded in the person’s mind. The definition identifies significance of factors that influence a person’s attitude to happiness of the role of mediator factors on effects of the primary factors on a person’s level of happiness. An understanding of the actual definitions of spirituality and religion is therefore important for investigating and explaining possible effects of the two factors on happiness. Spirituality is the aspect of a person’s inner being and how the person relate to his or her environment. It has been associated with such concepts as morality, holiness, and sanctity (Young and Koopsen 9, 10). Religion is, however, the practical manifestation of spirituality and is often visible through such aspects as culture and behavior. It is a social characteristic, unlike spirituality that is an individual trait and may be embedded too deep to be perceived from an outward look (Young and Koopsen 89, 90). The two however defines an individual’s personality, the individual’s interaction with the environment, and are therefore important in a person’s attitude towards contentment with the environment. A person’s moral conscience, an element of spirituality that can be manifested in behavior, can therefore define the individual’s value for other people in an environment and the people’s possessions. An understanding that spirit cont rols forces in an individual’s environment and that it is not an individual’s responsibility to

The importance of Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The importance of Auditing - Essay Example The research paper is specifically meant to explore the reasons why developing countries in particular often fail to meet their expectations in terms of economic development. As such, the hypothesis for the research is: "Implementing better regulated auditing systems with severe consequences for not passing the audit will help developing countries to improve their economic development and avoid widespread corruption." Along with this hypothesis, the methods for data collection that will be mainly used include qualitative research. This will be mainly comprised of secondary data obtained from published literature such as journals as well as other official documents in the same area of study. The main advantage of using secondary research for this particular research is that the data going to be used is authentic. This data would have been validated in other previous studies. One of the reasons for the financial success of developed countries is their reliance on strict auditing practices. However, one of the reasons for the financial problems of many developing countries is lack of regulation of auditing system. Developing countries fail to apply the right plans for developing because they depend on accounting and neglect the auditing systems. By not involving auditing systems in the process, the range of corruption will increase. Unfortunately, accounting and auditing systems or procedures of developing countries are currently struggling to keep pace with those of the developed nations because they were specifically designed to meet the needs of centrally planned economy and not globalized economies (Prather-Kinsey, 2006). Therefore, the accounting systems lack uniformity as well as accounting standards because they are applied differently across industries and sectors. The auditing and accounting systems normally set clear objectives of providing accounting information related to tax, statistics, and financial

Development vs Poverty and Hunger as a Result of Globalization Coursework

Development vs Poverty and Hunger as a Result of Globalization - Coursework Example Different societies have been impacted in different ways and magnitudes by the results of globalization (MSN 1). This paper will highlight the contributions and impacts of globalization with regards to development, poverty, and hunger.In presenting the first argument, it is true that for the modern world, globalization has been credited with economic growth. This has been achieved by the way it has liberalized trade in a manner capable of benefiting both developed and developing countries (Wells, Shuey, & Kiely 31). Through it, there have been innovations in services and goods because of the competitive and open nature of the global market. Countries select their trading partners based on which one has an advantage of production, which results in consumers getting cheaper services and goods (Dean & Ritzer 9). This development has enabled some countries from the third world to grow into first world status.However, even with the above positive aspects, globalization has been a widely c ontroversial issue (Hamilton 16). This forms the basis of the second argument. Although it has allowed countries to economically develop and improve standards of lives, challenges of globalization made up of anti-poverty campaigners, environmentalists and trade unionists claim free markets have only been reaping gains for Western multinational corporations. By joining a worldwide economy, the less developed countries expose themselves to external economic factors over which they command little or no control. Their diluted national sovereignty renders management of macroeconomics a challenging task, with a decline in their abilities to increase corporation taxation (Friedman 351). Furthermore, while developed countries gain, developing ones suffer when the demand for labor in the first word increases. This leads to diminishing labor forces locally and, ultimately, poverty. Therefore, globalization strengthens positions of developed economies capable of taking advantage of free market s but increases poverty levels of struggling economies.

Macbeth and Jane Eyre Essay Example for Free

Macbeth and Jane Eyre Essay Macbeth by Shakespeare and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte have a similar theme. In both the novel and play, there is a contender edging somebody else on. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth edges Macbeth on to first killing King Duncan and other people. In Jane Eyre, Jane pushes Rochester not to be scared and to let go of the safety nets and trust in others. In Macbeth, Macbeth turns from having a pure heart to a black and evil heart, while Rochester changes from having a closed heart to an open and trusting heart. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a courageous soldier who is loyal to the King but is corrupted from the witches prophecies and by his and Lady Macbeths ambition. This is because of the weakness of Macbeths character and the strong power of Lady Macbeth and how she is easily able to influence him. Her strength motivates him at the start but after, he realizes what he has done, but still decides to continue to go down his murderous, bloody path. At the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth appears as a kind wife of Macbeths but underneath lays a scheming and treacherous woman. She watered his seed and started the never-ending growth of the beanstalk from Jack and the Bean Stalk. Macbeth however was his own sunlight and let the plant just keep on growing higher with more and more thorns. The first time she waters the seed is when they first hear that King Duncan is sleeping over their house that night. Lady Macbeth asks her husband when the King would leave. Macbeth answers that the king would leave the following day. Lady Macbeth tells him otherwise however. O, never shall sun that morrow see Your hand, your tongue: look like th innocent flower, but be the serpent undert. She tells him that she has to kill the king and nobody would expect it because he is being hospitable and letting the king stay at his house. To the King Duncan and the rest of the people, Lady Macbeth seems to be a nice sweet lady. However, she is really tricky and conniving. At First, Macbeth tries to back out last minute. He says, We will proceed no further in this business: he hath honored me of late, and I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people, which would be worn now in their newest gloss, not cast aside so soon. He says that the king has only been nice to him and is a wise man and does not want to get rid of him so soon. Lady Macbeth shrewdly answers that he is a coward for not  wanting to go through with it and that he is not a man unless he does. Macbeth is convinced by her argument and decides to go through with it. Later that night while the king was fast asleep, Macbeth killed him. After the murder, Macbeth got paranoid and started to kill people left and right in order to make sure nobody would find out about the assassination he commit against King Duncan. That is an example of how Lady Macbeth stated the seed to sprout, but once it would come out of its shell, Macbeth could not put it back and instead would make it keep on growing until it would kill him. Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester are soul mates. When two people are meant for each other, they feed off of each other. In this particular case, Mr. Rochester feeds off of Jane more then the other way around. When they first meet at Thornfield, Rochester is cold and bitter while Jane is trying to be as nice and warm as she can be. When he falls off of his horse, he sprained his ankle. When she sees him fall, she runs to him and asks, Are you injured, sir? before even finding who he is or where he comes from. Her primary focus is to make sure that he is all right. He keeps telling her to go home but she insists on helping him. Later in the conversation, he realizes who she is but still has no idea who he is. Only later she learns who is the man she helped. That is the first time he meets someone who is nice to him without having secret intentions behind it to get a reward or just to get on his good side. From that moment on Jane and Rochester feed off each other to grow to become happy people. A few weeks after Rochester fell off his horse, somebody tried to kill Rochester by putting his room on fire during his sleep. It is suspected to be Bertha, his crazy wife. Jane sees smoke come out of Rochesters room. She runs to his room and puts out the fire and saves his life. He feels indebted to her and invites Jane to have dinner with him. They both think the other one is not so physically attracted. After speaking during dinner however, they start to like each others personalities. He later throws a party where a beautiful lady by the name of Blanche Ingram attends. Rochester and her are suppose to get married but Jane gets in the way. Rochester realized that he could not marry Ingram because he realizes that he is in love with Jane. After many incidents and complications to get married, Jane runs away. While she is away, Bertha  Mason, a crazy woman who is Rochesters first wife, burns down the house and kills herself and at the same time blinding Rochester. Jane hears Rochester screams her name about a year after she leaves. She magically hears it somehow and is able to tell that the person shouting is Rochester. She goes back to Thornfield and they marry. While he is blinded, he trusts her with his life and lets her guide him everywhere without being scared. A few months after they get married, thanks to her love for him and his love for her, he is able to see again. Shakespeares Macbeth and Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre are two great stories that share a theme. Although the outcomes are complete opposite, they both have someone affecting the other person in a positive or negative way. In Macbeth, unfortunately, the evil seed grew inside Macbeths body and caused him to go on a murder rampage. In Jane Eyre, fortunately, Jane is there to kill the sprout of the bad plant and implant a kind-hearted, lively, and firm maple tree.

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Example for Free

Birmingham Letter Illusions Essay Letter from Birmingham Jail Allusions in Section 3 Martin Luther King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is one of the most well known documents in American history. King’s profound ability to articulate important ideas, values, concepts and Biblical perspectives made for some of the most powerful and inspirational pieces of American literature ever produced. One technique that King used in his public speeches and letters was his allusions to historical figures, the Bible and opposing congressmen. During the 60’s when cultural prejudice still held strong roots in Congress, it was King’s talent to inspire the public that revolutionized America’s racial injustices. King’s frequent use of allusions in his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail proved his intelligence and greatly attributed to his success and popularity during the 1960’s. His allusions demonstrated his referential capabilities while also making his messages readily relatable to the public. It was often said that it was not King’s intelligence that made him seem so acumen, but that he was â€Å"well read†(knew much from reading). His frequent allusions to major documents and famous statements in contest to his adversaries ultimately lead to his dominance in public speech. In the paragraphs 12 through 14 when king references the election of mayor Albert Boutwell, he states, â€Å"We are sadly mistaken if we feel that the election of Albert Boutwell as mayor will bring the millennium to Birmingham† in paragraph twelve. The millennium is an allusion to a specific verse from the Bible’s book of Revelation interpreted as the 1,000 years in which Jesus comes back to earth to restore peace. He made many correlations to the Bible and major public documents, such as the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to make his arguments accurate and mainly understandable by restating vital rules and quotes that even the illiterate could comprehend. In these paragraphs he quoted the Bible by using phrases like â€Å"moral light, â€Å"abyss of despair† and â€Å" unjust posture. † King used the word â€Å"wait† in this section of the letter multiple times as a allusion to the current denial of rights to African Americans that had been going on for the last 340 years. He also stated that â€Å"justice too long delayed is justice denied† in correlation to the current racial dilemma in America at the time. All of these direct references made for some of the most significant and powerful American literature ever created and made Martin Luther King one of the most successful authors in this period of civil revolution. By reinforcing his argument with allusions that the public could relate to, King was able to greatly impact the civil rights movement of the 1960’s and ultimately bring around the social turning point of the century that provided racial equality to all and smother prejudice in America thereafter.

Cytomegalovirus History, Biology and Treatment

Cytomegalovirus History, Biology and Treatment Historical Aspect Human CMV (HCMV) is a very common human DNA virus. Since the beginning of human life; it has co-evolved with its host (McGeoch et al., 1995). Although being a part of humankind, not everybody is infected (Alford et al., 1990). It was first isolated in 1956 by Smith where two strains were isolated from the salivary gland and kidney of two dying infants. Cytomegalic inclusion bodies had been found in both tissues. In 1957, Weller and colleagues isolated three strains of CMV from adenoid tissues of three asymptomatic children after surgical removal. Also in 1970, they isolated three other strains from liver biopsy and urine of three congenitally infected infants with CMV (Ho, 2008). In 1881, Ribbert was the first who observed the characteristic cells in the kidney of a stillborn infant but without interpretation of these observations and that was the first description of histologic features of infection (Naraqi, 1991). The first histopathological evidenve of CMV infection was identified in 1904 by Ribbert in tissues from a congenitally infected infant. Mistakenly the large inclusion-bearing cells observed at autopsy was assumed to be from protozoa. As a result, these cells were called protozoa like cells and many workers thought that they were protozoa. After that, the similiraties between these cells and those infected by Varicella-Zoster virus and Herpes simplex virus raised the suspicion of a viral cause. In 1920, Good pasture hypothesized the viral cause of such inclusions (Ho, 2008). The first name proposed for CMV was salivary gland virus or salivary gland inclusion disease virus. In 1921, Good pasture and Talbot used the word cytomegalia to describe the huge enlargement and alterations of infected cells. Such word was the origin of the term cytomegalovirus initially proposed by Weller and colleagues in 1960 (Weller and Hanshaw, 1962). The role of the virus as an important pathogen with different clinical manifestations was significantly identified during the 1970s and 1980s. The molecular biology, immunology, and antiviral therapeutic agents had been characterized. However, establishment of preventive strategies of CMV infection and determining the role of certain genes in viral pathogenesis still need more efforts (Sung and Schleiss, 2010). Classification Human CMV, designated as HHV5, is a member of the Herpesviridae family of viruses. It is one of the 8 human herpesviruses (HHV) (Schleiss, 2009). The Herpesviridae family is divided into three subfamilies designated ÃŽÂ ±, ÃŽÂ ², and ÃŽÂ ³. The classification into these subfamilies is based on the features of host range, duration of reproductive cycle, cytopathology and characteristics of latent infection. DNA sequence analysis, guanine and cytosine (G + C) content snd serologic reactivity of gene products are the main criteria for subdivision of each subfamily into genera (Hanley and Bollard, 2014). The ÃŽÂ ± subfamily includes herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV); the ÃŽÂ ² subfamily includes cytomegalovirus (CMV) and the roseolaviruses, human herpes viruses 6 and 7, which are responsible for the clinical syndrome of exanthem subitum (roseola infantum) in young children, and the ÃŽÂ ³ subfamily includes Epstein-Barr vir us and human herpes virus 8. All of these viruses share similarities in virion morphology and genome organization (Schleiss, 2009). Human herpesvirus classification is represented in table ( ) (Ryan and Ray, 2004). Table (1): Humah haerpesvirus (HHV) classificstion Type Synonym Subfamily Primary Target Cell Pathophysiology Site of Latency Means of Spread HHV-1 Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) ÃŽÂ ± (Alpha) Mucoepithelial Oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly orofacial), as well as other herpes simplex infections Neuron Close contact (oral or sexually transmitted infection) HHV-2 Herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) ÃŽÂ ± Mucoepithelial Oral and/or genital herpes (predominantly genital), as well as other herpes simplex infections Neuron Close contact (sexually transmitted disease) HHV-3 Varicella zoster virus (VZV) ÃŽÂ ± Mucoepithelial Chickenpox and shingles Neuron Respiratory and close contact HHV-4 Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), lymphocryptovirus ÃŽÂ ³ (Gamma) B cells and epithelial cells Infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt lymphoma, CNS lymphoma in AIDS patients, post-transplant lymphoproliferative syndrome (PTLD), nasopharyngeal carcinoma, HIV-associated hairy leucoplakia B cell Close contact, transfusions, tissue transplant, and congenital HHV-5 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) ÃŽÂ ²(Beta) Monocyte, lymphocyte, and epithelial cells Infectious mononucleosis-like syndrome, retinitis, etc. Monocyte, lymphocyte, and? Saliva, urine, breast milk, etc HHV-6A and 6B Roseolavirus, Herpes lymphotropic virus ÃŽÂ ² T cells and ? Sixth disease (roseola infantum or exanthema subitum) T cell and ? Respiratory and close contact HHV-7 Pityriasis Rosea ÃŽÂ ² T cells and ? ? (roseola infantum or exanthema subitum) T cell and ? ? HHV-8 Kaposis sarcoma -associated herpesvirus (KSHV), a type of rhadinovirus ÃŽÂ ³ Lymphocyte, and other cells Kaposisarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, some types of multicentric Castlemans disease B cell Close contact (sexual), saliva? Quoted from (Ryan and Ray , 2004). Biology of Cytomegalovirus Morphology: Cytomegalovirus is an enveloped virus with a double-stranded DNA genome. The three distinct regions of the CMV virus particle include: an icosahedral capsid; the tegument layer; and an outer lipid envelope. The morphology of CMV is demonstrated in the electron microscopy (EM) studies shown in Fig. (). The capsid, which comprises 162 capsomere subunits arranged in an icosahedral symmetry, houses the viral genome, and is classically highly electron-dense when imaged by EM (Schleiss, 2011). In the virus particle, the capsid is surrounded by the tegument, a protein-rich layer containing several of the dominant targets of the T-lymphocyte response to infection, including a 65-kilodalton (kDa) phosphoprotein (pp) referred to as pp65 (Kern etal., 2002). Surrounding the tegument is the envelope layer which contains several virally-encoded glycoproteins (g), including protein complexes designated as the gB complex, the gM/gN complex, and the gH/gL/gO complex. CMV-seropositive individuals mount an immune response characterized by neutralizing antibodies that target these glycoproteins (Bernstein, 2011). In addition to serving as targets of the humoral immune response, these glycoproteins also play a central role in the binding and entry of CMV into cells (Ryckman etal., 2006). Â   Â   As a result of the variability in the thickness of the tegument, the complete virion varies in size from 150 to 200 nm in diameter. The genome is about 64 nm in diameter with a molecular weight of 100 x 106 to 150 x 106. The capsid is 110 nm in diameter (Subhendu et al., 2007). During the process of viral replication, a variety of types of CMV particles are generated. In cell culture, CMV infection leads to the assembly and release of, in addition to infectious virions, non-infectious defective particles termed dense bodies (DB), so designated because of their characteristic highly electron-dense appearance when imaged by EM. Another type of body, designated as a noninfectious enveloped particle (NIEP), is also generated during viral replication as designated in Fig. () (Pepperl etal., 2000). The structure and protein composition of NIEPs are comparable to those of virions, but they lack DNA and are therefore not infectious (Schleiss, 2011). DBs are enveloped spherical structures that lack capsid proteins and DNA (Pepperl etal., 2000). They consist mainly of viral tegument proteins and glycoproteins. In cell culture, the biology of DBs mimics that of infectious virus, since DBs enter cells efficiently and deliver their protein components intracellularly (Me rsseman etal., 2008). In principle, DBs could induce a broad range of humoral and cellular immune responses (Schleiss, 2011). Cytomegalovirus particles exhibit additional levels of complexity. Using CMV gene array technology, a class of viral RNA transcripts, termed virion RNAs, has been identified in infectious virions (Bresnahan and Shenk, 2000). These RNAs, which are packaged during virion assembly, are delivered to the host cell immediately on infection, potentially allowing viral gene products to be expressed in an infected cell before any viral transcription or host immune response occurs. The role of virion

Before The Law :: Short Story Stories Essays

Before The Law BEFORE THE LAW stands a doorkeeper. To this doorkeeper there comes a man from the country and prays for admittance to the Law. But the doorkeeper says that he cannot grant admittance at the moment. The man thinks it over and then asks if he will be allowed in later. "It is possible," says the doorkeeper, "but not at the moment." Since the gate stands open, as usual, and the doorkeeper steps to one side, the man stoops to peer through the gateway into the interior. Observing that, the doorkeeper laughs and says: "If you are so drawn to it, 'just try to go in despite my veto. But take note: I am powerful. And I am only the least of the doorkeepers. From hall to hall there is one doorkeeper after another, each more powerful than the last. The third doorkeeper is already so terrible that even I cannot bear to look at him." These are difficulties the man from the country has not expected; the Law, he thinks, should surely be accessible at all times and to everyone, but as he now takes a c loser look at the doorkeeper in his fur coat, with his big sharp nose and long, thin, black Tartar beard, he decides that it is better to wait until he gets permission to enter. The doorkeeper gives him a stool and lets him sit down at one side of the door. There he sits for days and years. He makes many attempts to be admitted, and wearies the doorkeeper by his importunity. The doorkeeper frequently has little interviews with him, asking him questions about his home and many other things, but the questions are put indifferently, as great lords put them, and always finish with the statement that he cannot be let in yet. The man, who has furnished himself with many things for his journey, sacrifices all he has, however valuable, to bribe the doorkeeper. The doorkeeper accepts everything, but always with the remark: "I am only taking it to keep you from thinking you have omitted anything." During these many years the man fixes his attention almost continuously on the doorkeeper. He forgets the other doorkeepers, and this first one seems to him the sole obstacle preventing access to the Law. He curses his bad luck, in his early years boldly and loudly; later, as he grows old, he only grumbles to himself.

Flea Control for Dogs and Cats :: Pets Dogs Cats Essays

Flea Control for Dogs and Cats Many Americans have a four-legged member of their family in their home. Most people deal with housebreaking problems, pet hair on furniture, and an occasional broken lamp because all the friendly welcomes home outweigh these minor problems. When the weather begins to get warmer, these pet owners begin to cringe with the thought of spring. It can only mean one thing; flea season and the circus of giving flea baths and dips is about to start. But in the past few years, there has been a break through in scientific technology allowing both owners and pets to rest easier. The scientific community has come up with a liquid that can be put on the pets skin that kills adult fleas. These liquids are safe for people and animals, and do not wash off. But which one is the best choice? While only a veterinarian can choose the right product for each pet, owners can definitely look into the choices by asking their vet or by simply logging onto the internet. There are three products on the market that are currently most often advised by vets: Frontline-Topspot, Advantage, and Revolution. By examining each products webpage, one can gain more information about each product that they can use along with their veterinarians advice to find the right product. Each website is different in the way they represent their products information through audience choice, layout, presentation of information, and general style. Before looking at the difference between these websites, it may be helpful to know exactly what these products are. These products are meant as a flea control measure by killing the adult fleas that bite the pet. The product comes in a small ampule and is in liquid form. The liquid is applied directly to the skin of the pet between the shoulder blades. It is then absorbed into the fatty layer of the skin and into the blood system. The product cannot be washed off after application, which allows the pet to be bathed and to play in water and it does not rub off into the environment. Flea Control for Dogs and Cats :: Pets Dogs Cats Essays Flea Control for Dogs and Cats Many Americans have a four-legged member of their family in their home. Most people deal with housebreaking problems, pet hair on furniture, and an occasional broken lamp because all the friendly welcomes home outweigh these minor problems. When the weather begins to get warmer, these pet owners begin to cringe with the thought of spring. It can only mean one thing; flea season and the circus of giving flea baths and dips is about to start. But in the past few years, there has been a break through in scientific technology allowing both owners and pets to rest easier. The scientific community has come up with a liquid that can be put on the pets skin that kills adult fleas. These liquids are safe for people and animals, and do not wash off. But which one is the best choice? While only a veterinarian can choose the right product for each pet, owners can definitely look into the choices by asking their vet or by simply logging onto the internet. There are three products on the market that are currently most often advised by vets: Frontline-Topspot, Advantage, and Revolution. By examining each products webpage, one can gain more information about each product that they can use along with their veterinarians advice to find the right product. Each website is different in the way they represent their products information through audience choice, layout, presentation of information, and general style. Before looking at the difference between these websites, it may be helpful to know exactly what these products are. These products are meant as a flea control measure by killing the adult fleas that bite the pet. The product comes in a small ampule and is in liquid form. The liquid is applied directly to the skin of the pet between the shoulder blades. It is then absorbed into the fatty layer of the skin and into the blood system. The product cannot be washed off after application, which allows the pet to be bathed and to play in water and it does not rub off into the environment.

Current Applications Of Software Agents Essay

If you have made a purchase at Amazon, you would have noticed that as soon as you complete your purchase procedures, Amazon presents you with a list of books that customers who purchased the same item as you did also bought along with this item. During your next visit, you will find a list of books that are similar to the ones you purchased previously that you might be interested in buying. Another popular site eBay displays a list of similar products that other customers who did the same search looked at. The above two sites are examples of two ways of implementing software agents. A software agent is a computer program that is capable of intelligently and autonomously executing a given task based on the instructions provided by the user. It basically operates on behalf of its owner. The goal of a software agent is to maximize the owner’s interests which it does by maximizing a particular utility function. Most software agents can learn from experience and adapt themselves based on the feedback obtained from the environment thus making it an autonomous process with no human intervention. A multi-agent system involves multiple software agents. Software agents are ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, in particular, process and workflow automation, electronic commerce, distributed problem solving and Internet applications (Acronymics, Inc. 2004). Some application examples include agent-based supply chain management, personal or user agents, e-business systems, e-market, e-banking, and e-investments, etc. Merchandise management in the retail industry is one area of application of the software agent. Merchandise management involves selection of desirable merchandise, disposal of slow-selling ones and ordering and distributing them appropriately. The competition is fierce with the eCommerce making it even more difficult due to diverse customer preferences low merchant loyalty. The only way to tackle this problem is by understanding the changes in customer demands quickly and responding appropriately through merchandise management. However, due to the sheer number of merchandise and brands, managing merchandise effectively becomes an impossible task. This is where software agents are helpful by performing the merchandise managers’ jobs autonomously, continuously and efficiently. These software agents help in evaluating and selecting merchandise and predicting seasons and building purchase schedules autonomously. An effective merchandise management helps reduce the inventory level while increasing sales and profits. (Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003) Rob Meijer describes the following commercial applications in his article: 1. Watcher agents – These autonomously look for the specified information and provide personalized versions based on the end-user’s preferences, an example is personalized versions of newspapers. To generate a personalized paper, a user must first provide with relevant personal information, preferences, and special interests. The agent then provides personalized news based on these details. With each visit, the agent improves and provides personalized newspaper without much human intervention. Fishwrap (MIT) and Newshound are examples of Watcher agents. (Meijer, R. 2005) 2. Learning agents – Based on the behavior of their user, they can learn to tailor their performance. Examples of the same are Firefly, Similarities Engine, WegHunter, Open Sesame, and InterAp. Similarities Engine was a Web-based music recommending system that worked similar to Amazon’s recommedations of new books; the technology has now been purchased by Microsoft. (Meijer, R. 2005) 3. Shopping agents – These agents are capable of comparing and finding the best price for an item. BargainFinder is an example of Shopping agents that searches the inventory of vendors on the internet to find the lowest prices on the desired product helping you save both time and money. (Meijer, R. 2005) 4. Information retrieval agents – These agents search for information intelligently and are capable of summarizing the information as well. Netsumm is an example that can provide an abstract of the most important sentences of a web page. (Meijer, R. 2005) The Intelligent Software Agents Lab (The Robotics Institute – Carnegie Mellon University) has created an information retrieval agent for Aircraft Maintenance. Considering the searching of relevant information along with time constraints, the mechanics are provided with wearable computers based on RETSINA infrastructure. When a discrepancy is encountered, all he needs to do is fill out a form on his computer and the agents would seek relevant information. â€Å"The advantages of wearable computers with agents include automatic location and retrieval of information relevant to repairs, utilization of historical repair data, increased efficiency of access to information from manuals, and reduction in average time for repair. The overall result is timely, quality maintenance. † (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009) Another example on their site is WebMate which is a personal digital assistant that â€Å"provides URL recommendations based on a continuously updated user profile; offers ever more relevant web documents based on the ‘Trigger Pairs Model’ approach to keyword refinement; responds to user feedback by selecting features from documents the user finds relevant and incorporating these features into the context of new queries; compiles a daily personal newspaper with links to documents of interest to the user. † (The Intelligent Software Agents Lab, 2001-2009) 5. Helper agents – These are generally used for network management and standard maintenance functions. LANAlert is an example of Helper agent. (Meijer, R. 2005) Agents can also help automate the bargaining process i. e. based on the user preferences, products and services along with related conditions (like warranty and delivery time) can be made flexible to meet the client’s expectations. (Gerding, E. H. 2004) Google AdWords is an example of such an agent. On typing search keywords, it provides recommendations to users as sponsored links. First of all, there are limited ads that can be displayed on a search result page. The ads are displayed only on certain keywords selected by the advertiser. Also, since limited ads are there and also the order of displaying the ads (from top to bottom) makes a difference, advertisers have to compete for these spaces. This is done by choosing the best keywords based on the information provided by Google regarding search counts and setting an upper limit on the amount that you would pay if you have a visitor. The advertiser with the highest bid wins in this case. Gary Anthes provides the examples of the following companies who have been successful in utilizing software agents for complex processes: †¢ Procter & Gample Co. (P&G) used software agents to convert their supply chain management into a supply network connecting to 5 billion consumers in 140 countries saving $300 million annually. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Southwest Airlines Co. optimized cargo routing using software agents. †¢ For Air Liquide America LP, software agents helped reduce both production and distribution costs. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Software agents helped Merck & Co. find more efficient ways to distribute anti-HIV drugs in Zimbabwe. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Simulation of buyer preferences using software agents helped Ford Motor Co. come up with car options that â€Å"optimized the trade-offs between production costs and customer demands†. (Anthes, G. 2003) †¢ Software agents helped Edison Chouest Offshore LLC to optimize service and supply vessels deployment in the Gulf of Mexico. (Anthes, G. 2003) Supply Chain Management through software agents not only help save costs but also help in inventory management through reduced inventory, and improved customer service. (Anthes, G. 2003) Gary Anthes also explains how software agents have helped P&G. Basically, each component of the supply system from trucks to drivers to stores was represented by a software agent. Using rules, they defined the behavior of each component that represented its actual behavior such as â€Å"Dispatch truck when full†. P&G then used the simulations to perform what-if scenarios and checked out inventory levels, transportation costs and in-store stock-outs. Many alternate rules were considered such as on ordering and shipping frequencies, demand forecasting etc. (Anthes, G. 2003) Through the use of these agent-based models, P&G realized that while sending trucks with less than full loads increases transportation costs, frequency of in-store stock-outs often resulting in lost sales is reduced. Similarly P&G relooked into many of its rigid rules and relaxed them to improve the overall performance of the supply chain. They also had to be more flexible in manufacturing – instead of one product at a time, they had to be able to produce every product every day, reducing stock-outs. Flexibility in distributing products within 24 hours instead of the customary 48 to 72 hours was another change that software agents helped P&G realize and change. (Anthes, G. 2003) References Jae Heon, P. , Sang Chan P. 2003. Agent-based merchandise management in business-to-business electronic commerce. In Decision Support Systems (Volume 35 , Issue 3 , June 2003). Elsevier Science Publishers B. V. Amsterdam. http://portal. acm. org/citation. cfm? id=794070 This article explains how an agent-based merchandise management system can help retail companies better manage their merchandise. Gerding, E. H. 2004. Autonomous Agents in Bargaining Games: An Evolutionary Investigation of Fundamentals, Strategies, and Business Applications. PhD thesis, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. http://eprints. ecs. soton. ac. uk/15640/ This article explains how autonomous software agents could be used in the bargaining process and some of its applications. WebMate. The Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http://www. cs. cmu. edu/~softagents/webmate. html This article explains WebMate, a personal digital assistant, a real-life application of software agents. Aircraft Maintenance. The Intelligent Software Agents Lab. The Robotics Institute. Carnegie Mellon University. http://www. cs. cmu. edu/~softagents/aircraft. html This article explains how the aircraft maintenance issues have been resolved using software agents. Anthes, G. 2003. Agents of Change. In Computerworld. http://www. computerworld. com/action/article. do? command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyName=Software+Development&articleId=77855&taxonomyId=63&pageNumber=1 This article provides examples of successful implementation of software agents by several companies and how it has helped them improve their processes as well as their thinking. Meijer, R. 2005. Intelligent Software Agents: Perspective for business. In The IPTS Report (Issue 5). http://ipts. jrc. ec. europa. eu/home/report/english/articles/vol05/art-it1. htm This article provides types of commercial applications of software agents along with implemented examples. Acronymics, Inc. 2004. Why, When, and Where to Use Software Agents. http://www. agentbuilder. com/Documentation/whyAgents. html This article provides an overview on software agents.

Vertu Luxury Branding

VERTU presentation for â€Å"Branding for Luxury Products† course. HISTORY The VERTU originally started in 1998 in Great Britain, now wholly owned subsidiary of Finnish company Nokia. The same year founder and Chief Designer, Italian Frank Nouvo began putting his ideas for Vertu on paper and the board of Nokia gave the project a green light. Frank Nuovo was a design strategist at Nokia from 1995 to 2006, when he left to become Vertu’s lead designer full time. Also in 1998 the company made it a company principle of hand making their products with â€Å"exotic, rare and naturally durable materials†.In 1999, their characteristic V form was established, and it is still highly visible across the Vertu product portfolio. In 2000 Vertu began taking shape as a company, locating their headquarters in England, and started an extensive Research and Development- project and decided on some of the parts that would go into the phones as well as some design decisions, such as t he use of sapphire crystals as a design-tweak. Three years in to operations, Vertu was granted the Vertu Concierge Service as a patent and this is still one of Vertu’s edges in the luxury cell phones market. Vertu launched what they themselves call the â€Å"†¦ irst ever luxury mobile phone† near the Eiffel tower in Paris in 2002, the Vertu Signature. With the first phones now available on the newly created market for luxury phones, Vertu also had the opportunity to offer one of their customers help through the concierge service, with a flight from London to New York. In 2005 10. 000 concierge requests was made according to Vertu, a figure that is, and should be (due to their customers privacy), hard to confirm. In 2003 they open their 50th retail location. By 2010, Vertu had more than 90 own boutiques and was sold in over 600 locations in almost 70 ountries, worldwide, according to Nokia`s financial statement for 2010. In 2007 Vertu went on a joint venture with F errari, creating an special edition phone marking the car company’s 60th anniversary. CONCEPT AND UNIQUENESS The concept of Vertu is to appeal to high-end customers who look for something unique in their mobile phones. Through meeting target customers standards about design, materials, price and brand Vertu has created a market for luxury mobile phones. The additional services, such as the Vertu Concierge give customers an elevated experience. Vertu aims to enhance and enrich customers’ lives through the services and products we offer. This enrichment will now further extend to the experience in our stores with a focused, tailored approach to customer interaction. † by Perry Oosting, President of Vertu BUSINESS STRATEGY Nokia's first idea was to create a phone that was completely contrary to the company's mass phone distribution and enter the luxury market by creating the subsidiary company Vertu. In order to keep the luxury image and status of Vertu, the phone w as not associated with Nokia's mass mobile phones.During the recession in 2009, the CEO Perry Oosting, announced that Vertu was launching cheaper phones and accessories as a tool to keep up the market shares and survive the recession. Late 2011, the new CEO of Nokia, presented the new strategy; to use a new operating system from Microsoft for their smartphones. This resulted in a giant downfall in market shares. As mentioned above, Vertu's flagship stores are located at the most exclusive shopping districts, amongst other Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, in order to be associated with the same luxury atmosphere as the neighboring brands.Vertu also put a huge emphasis on the store layout, everything from special glass for the display cases, to the floor and lightening. For the ultimate luxury experience, they also provide high personal service with top skills. For the exclusiveness and status of the luxury phone, it was chosen to be launched in connection with fashion shows at Paris fas hion week and was thereby becoming to be viewed as a fashion brand instead of a technology brand. This was a strategic move to strengthen the image if the brand. Vertu chose to launch their products in the BRIC countries, which consists of some of the most emerging markets in the world today.Additionally, the Middle East and Japan are also two extremely important markets for Vertu, partly due to the strong technology awareness in these areas. The sales in these countries are larger than in the western countries and the luxury company is exploiting the new wealth of the generations with high luxury awareness and taste. In order to gain greater market share in the British and Hong-Kong market, Vertu has numerous joint ventures and partnerships with jewelry stores, such as King Fook Jewelry in Hong-Kong and Goldsmiths in Harrods, London. We understand communications technology. We believe now that we understand the luxury industry. It will take something for competition to match that. † – Nigel Litchfield, former president of Vertu, 2002 MARKETING MIX Product: Vertu sells hand-made luxury phones made from fine materials like gold, platinum and sapphire. Along with every purchase the buyer receives superior service and is entitled to free ‘concierge’ service which assists users with exclusive services like restaurant and hotel reservations, priority bookings, and a global recommendation network.Price: Vertu prices range from $5,000 to over $300,000. The prices vary with the different collections and the materials that are used in them. Place: Vertu phones are selectively distributed. They are available at company-owned boutiques and at other various company-selected luxury stores like London Jewelers, Goldsmiths, Tourneau and Colette. Vertu locates its stores in luxury shopping districts of large metropolitan areas and opens relatively few stores. The stores are small, intimate and have a luxury feel more like that of a jewelry store than a cell phone store.All sale locations can be found on vertu. com. Promotion: Vertu acquires much publicity from sales to celebrities like David Beckham, Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. As well Vertu has collaborated with big brands before like Ferrari, Boucheron and Audemars Piguet. Vertu releases different collections at different times and will only make a certain number of phones in order to keep a prestigious image and attract buyers. Vertu has a website for publicity which features product descriptions and photos of celebrities who own Vertu phones. POSITIONINGVertu was a pioneer in the luxury cell phone market and has positioned itself as the top-of-the-line targeting high-net-worth individuals. Vertu accomplishes this by using only the finest materials to manufacture their products which are all handcrafted ensuring that every product is of perfect quality. Vertu will release different collections each featuring different materials and designs which make the collections unique and prestigious; their most expensive line ever was the Signature Cobra designed by Boucheron, only eight were made and they cost $310,000 each.Vertu will often collaborate with other luxury brands, like Boucheron, Audemars Piguet and Ferrari, to extend their success and name in the luxury product world. Vertu offers superior and personalized service to its clients, including a free concierge service anywhere in the world, guaranteeing customer satisfaction and loyalty. They also position themselves by showcasing the celebrities who own their products as an indication that their products are for the rich and famous.Vertu has locations all over the world in 70 countries however they open relatively few boutiques solely in luxury shopping districts of large cities and thus are considered selectively distributed. Vertu boutiques are decadent, small, intimate venues which offer personalized service to clients wishing to make a purchase; the other stores licensed to sell Vertu products a re also luxury stores like Tourneau Watches and London Jewelers in the United States, Bandiera Jewelers in Canada, Colette in Paris and Ernest Jones in London.Vertu very successfully maintains a prestigious image with its ultra-luxurious products and superior service through its positioning. VERTU SERVICES VERTU brand offers services that are unique, independent and carefully customized to the particular needs and desires of their customers. All services are integrated into gadget. VERTU CONCIERGE Vertu Concierge is added directly to the customer`s handset, offering luxury assistance and enrichment. The service is offered by voice call or email, and access through a dedicated key on the cell.At the moment of VERTU phone registration and activation of VERTU Concierge service, initial â€Å"fitting† call is proposed. It can be done immediately at purchase time or later up to client`s choice. The â€Å"fitting† call gives an opportunity to have full explanation of service s offered by Concierge, as well as client can express her/his needs and desires which will be matched to this service. This includes the establishment of personal preferences, the range of the service they would wish and significantly, the sort of contact they wish to receive from Vertu.The Vertu Concierge Classic service offers the client with 24/7 access to a team of lifestyle managers, situated within a network of global centers covering all the main time zones including London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Vertu Concierge also has managers on the ground in major destinations in order to create close relationships with specialist suppliers of goods and services specifically for Vertu clients. Many customers choose to use Vertu Concierge for their travel and lodging requirements as Vertu has protected exclusive opportunities for its clients.Vertu Concierge can contact the widest network of hotels, restaurants and airlines, and can as a result meet the exact preferen ces and expectations of their customers. Vertu Concierge clients may also ask for support with purchases ranging from small luxury items to accompaniments to their property range. Vertu Concierge is available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese. Vertu Classic Concierge is included free of charge for one year from the date of purchase of a Vertu handset. VERTU CITY BRIEFVertu City Brief is a global digest of information covering more than 200 cities and destinations worldwide. Launched in September 2009, it is now one of Vertu’s most utilized services. Independently written for Vertu by experts in their respective fields, Vertu City Brief is available on Vertu handsets in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Japanese and Simplified Chinese. Refreshed and updated on a regular basis, Vertu City Brief allows the user to hit the ground running on arrival in an unfamiliar territory or to explore new or exciting opport unities in their home town.If the customer does not see anything which exactly meets their requirements, Vertu City Brief is the perfect inspiration to begin a conversation with a Vertu Concierge Lifestyle Manager. VERTU SELECT Vertu Select delivers original articles selected to inspire, inform and entertain based on a user’s region, preferences and passions. Written by carefully selected global journalists, experts and organizations, the articles appear via the handsets RSS feed once a customer has registered their phone. Vertu Select is available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.VERTU. ME Introduced with the launch of Constellation Quest in October 2010, vertu. me is a service that provides the user with a Vertu email account and effortless harmonization of the device’s lifestyle and business tools. Should the customer choose, the user’s emails, contacts, calendar and task information can be automatically sy nchronized with Vertu’s secure servers, giving the benefit of protected back up of their data. Vertu offers the consumer complete peace of mind. Should the handset be lost, this data can be retrieved and seamlessly downloaded to a replacement phone.The system also ensures that whenever the vertu. me account is accessed, whether from the phone, a home or office computer (PC and Mac) or via the web, this information is up to date. TARGET CONSUMER The Vertu mobile is a highly luxurious product, which doubtlessly is made to fit the extremely wealthy population of this world. The main customers are rich and found in the urban areas, who are constantly searching for the extraordinary products. Furthermore, their flagship- and department stores are situated in the finest areas, in order to attract the highly rich international shoppers. These are people who buy the best quality watches, the best quality fashion devices† – Nigel Litchfield, former president of Vertu The special features and services of the phone such as the â€Å"Vertu Concierge†, attracts customers who are constantly traveling worldwide – jet setters. The Vertu mobile was the first phone which was able function in over 180 different countries. This fact covered many needs and made it rapidly attractive for people who were constantly traveling such as celebrities and high ranked business people. In fact, Madonna, Beckham and Gwyneth Patrol were some of Vertu's first users when it was launched.CONSUMER-BASED BRAND EQUITY PYRAMID Brand Salience For Vertu achieving right brand identity involves brand salience. People generally are not still aware of VERTU because it is relatively â€Å"young† brand and promotion is quite narrow. However their target consumer for sure can recall and recognize this brand. So conclusion here is that Brand salience is more depth than breadth. This basically means that even thou there are not yet many people knowing VERTU, but those wh o do , they know all insights of it, can easily recall it and understands what this brand is about.Brand Performance The product itself is at the heart of brand equity, as it is the primary influence of what consumers experience with a brand, what they hear about the brand from others, and what the brand can tell customers about the brand in their communication. Brand Performance relates to the ways in which the product or service attempts to meet customers` functional needs. This is on top level for VERTU brand. It is crucial to contribute to customers` desires, wants and needs. Vertu brand highly represents all what their HNWI customers want to have for paying a high price.The product is highly durable; it has distinctive logo, premium pricing and advanced technology in gadgets. Unique services provided for customers by VERTY also attributes to brand`s performance. Brand Imagery Another variable CBBE Pyramid is second type of brand meaning which involves brand imagery. Imagery dea ls with such a properties of a product, which meets customers` psychological needs. It is more about what people think of it, how they see it. VERTU`s imagery is extremely individualistic and stylish.When customer is buying VERTU cell he/she buys a beauty of it as well. As of VERTU`s customer has a strong judgment of a brand as high quality luxury product. Credibility is high and customer see VERTU as superior, advantageous brand. Brand Judgments Brand judgments focus upon customers` personal opinions and evaluation with regard to brand. This involves how consumer put together all from performance and imagery association to make kind of an evaluation. VERTU`s clients evaluate this brand as a high quality luxury brand.Brand Feelings This variable shows emotional response with respect to VERTU brand. It shows what feelings are evoked by the marketing strategy for the VERTU and how does it affect feelings about themselves and relationships with others. Customer of VERU is for sure stat us-conscious person. Customers of VERTU have a unique and warmth feeling about the brand. It can be exciting due to special relationship of beauty and technology in brand`s products. Customer feels it is trendy and relates to special status and therefore social approval.Customer feels high security within this brand due to all advantages provided. As VERTU makes consumer feel better self-respect, pride, fulfillment and accomplishment also occurs. Brand Resonance Final variable of pyramid shows brand relationships with a customer based on Salience, Performance, Imagery, Judgments and Feelings. As for VERTU even if general awareness is low the behavioral loyalty is very high, customer want to get back to this brand, consequently repeat purchase is possible. Brand loyalty is necessary but not sufficient for resonance to occur.Within VERTU brand customer is not returning to this brand again due to, for example, scarce of substitutes. VERTU attained their main goal- strong personal attac hment to brand. It goes beyond of having just a positive attitude to view brand. Another important part of Resonance is active engagement. This probably is the strongest affirmation of brand loyalty. It occurs when client is willing to invest time, energy, money in to the brand. Constantly customers of VERTU are invited to special social events created by VERTU worldwide, and they are participating.Therefore VERTU has a very strong relationship with its customer. SWOT ANALISYS FOR VETRU STRENGHT * Masterpiece of design, engineering, and craftsmanship * Was truly innovative pioneering brand * Strong reputation (Products have established strong reputation in their field) * Global expansion (Includes significant growth over last 10 years) * Customer service * Control of Quality(As produced just in one factory in England) * London Symphony Orchestra is creating ringtones exclusively for each model of Vertu WEAKNESSES Extremely high production price (which leads to high product price) * Limited access as distribution is exclusive and limited (Missing opportunities for new customers) * Not able to buy online (More customers now go online) * Not enough technical innovation again (Many customers claim that gadgets are beautiful but not really practical) OPPORTUNITIES * E-business (launch â€Å"buy option† online) * Emerging markets * Mix VERTU styling with Nokia (in order to increase awareness ) * Change of consumer lifestyle (growing demand from young and senior people) THREATS Increasing Quality of Competing Products and Number of those * Importance of counterfeiting (Chinese counterfeiting factories already picked up the idea) * Newer forms of luxury and innovation are constantly changing COMPETITORS GOLDVISH Brand established in Geneve, Switzerland in 2003. Very Haut-Couture style but extremely not practical. Cells are difficult to buy, narrow distribution channel. View itself as a pioneering brand of luxury cell phone on official website which is obvious l ie. The pioneering brand was VERTU. Only 3 lines of phones are developed since 2003.The most expensive gadget is â€Å"Le Millionaire† and it costs $1,000 000. MOBIADO Canadian-based manufacturer of luxury phones with modern minimalistic design launched in 2004. It has 3 main lines –Classic, Professional and Grand Line. Mobiado actively participates in social events in North America (such as Golden Globes and Couture Fashion Week in NY). The brand is not very popular in Middle East and Europe. Still Distribution channel is not wide enough. Price range is from $1,900 to $57,000 GRESSO Gresso is Russia-based company which started its activity in 2007, so it is the newest competing brand in luxury phones field.Gresso has 5 main lines and they also provide customized phone for their clients. But mostly popular in Russia and Vietnam, Ukraine and one distributor in USA so far, however it is compensated by their option to buy products online. For Gresso products price range i s from $3,000 to $42,000. RECOMMENDATIONS Focused and customized segmentation is valuable in this market, so VERTU must continuously concentrate on their customers’ needs and desires. As any luxury company which faces constant global expansion it has to pay attention to counterfeiting problem. For example, Apple Inc. ow faced big problem in China where whole Apple stores are opened and being â€Å"fake†. China already produces cheap unqualified cells, abusing the brand VERTU, so losses in long-run might be significant. VERTU must work on effective anti-counterfeiting strategy in order to preserve the â€Å"face† of the brand. During this study we have discovered that general awareness of the brand is still low, therefore VERTU might collaborate with mother-company Nokia in order to produce some kind of mix and make the brand more popular and easily recognized, as for example H;M and Roberto Cavalli collaboration.Vertu is constantly launching Limited Edition line s which are sufficient in this market, because â€Å"best consumer† wants something distinctive and really exclusive, and more important, the customer is ready to pay for that. Partnership with Ferrari, Boucheron and Ermenegildo Zegna increased popularity of the brand considerably. For that reason, we suggest VERTU to collaborate more also with fashion designers, thus gaining also â€Å"fashion† group customers. REFERENCES http://us. vertu. com/world-of-vertu/history/ http://i. nokia. com/blob/view/-/263802/data/1/-/form20-f-10-pdf. pdf http://www. pp-luxury. com/en/vertu-lanseaza-o-gama-de-produse-mai-ieftina_444. html http://www. google. fr/url? sa=t;rct=j;q=vertu%20mobile%20strategy;source=web;cd=8;ved=0CGQQFjAH;url=http%3A%2F%2Fhighered. mcgraw-hill. com%2Fsites%2Fdl%2Ffree%2F007710708x%2F110214%2FGucciLouisVuitton_Vertu_CaseStudy. doc;ei=_GctT_WCE8HM0QWryK2tCA;usg=AFQjCNHW6_wzn1WCQxkM_OJSMTuizfXMcQ;sig2=MWFOk5Qo1sZB17F5_23Eew;cad=rja http://www. businessweek. com/ globalbiz/content/dec2007/gb20071221_951028. htm http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/MKTG151. tm https://www. iveycases. com/ProductView. aspx? id=52373 http://www. wital. net/en/press-events/press/vertu-services-overview/ http://mktg. uni-svishtov. bg/ivm/resources/CustomerBasedbrandEquityModel. pdf http://www. wital. net/en/press-events/press/vertu-retail-concept-2011/ http://www. brandchannel. com/features_profile. asp? pr_id=61 http://www. prschool. ge/img/every_day/Fashion%20Marketing. pdf#page=155 http://www. zdnet. co. uk/news/desktop-hardware/2002/03/22/platinum-luxury-phones-have-no-competition-2107188/ http://www. goldvish. com/ http://mobiado. com/ http://www. gresso. com/ ttp://vertu. com/ http://www. linkedin. com/company/vertu/statistics http://vertu. com/en/discover-vertu/history. aspx http://vertu. com/en/help-and-support/contact-vertu/where-to-buy. aspx http://money. cnn. com/popups/2006/biz2/cellphone/4. html http://www. allbusiness. com/reta il-trade/apparel-accessory-stores-womens-specialty/4250840-1. html http://www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/Marketing/MKTG151. htm http://www. unet. univie. ac. at/~a0025537/php/ABWLs/FK-Marketing/store3/Internet_Exercise_Vertu. pdf http://www. wital. net/en/press-events/press/vertu-retail-concept-2011/

Top 5 Social Networking Site †Taiwan

Top 5 Social Networking Site – Taiwan Mobile phone and social networking site – market research Researcher Name: Sam Ng Date: 5 August 2011 1|Page Social Networking Site No. 1 – (Facebook) 1. How many users are there on the site? In Taiwan, there are approximately 10,192,740 audiences (http://www. checkfacebook. com/) 2. How many active users are there? Facebook said it hit 9 million monthly active users in Taiwan in January 2011. (http://www. clickz. asia/2334/facebook-gains-popularity-in-taiwan) 3. How many users access the site via their pc? According to the static of the Taiwan Network Information Center, 91. % users use non-mobile access the network. (http://www. twnic. net. tw/) 10,192,740 times 91. 1% = 928. 6 millions 4. How many users access the site via their mobile According to the static of the Taiwan Network Information Center, 8. 9% users use mobile access the network. (http://www. twnic. net. tw/). 10,192,740 times 8. 9% = 907,153 5. Is there an â €˜app’ or a modified website view for mobile phone access? ’ Yes. It has both mobile app and mobile site. (http://zh-hk. facebook. com/mobile/? v=texts) 6. Who are the main audience? Demographics (age, gender, country) Sex: female 49. 2% and male 50. % Age: 25 – 34 is 37. 0% 18 – 24 is 28. 5% 35 – 44 is 14. 6% 14 – 17 is 11. 5% To view country information, please check at http://www. checkfacebook. com/ 7. What are the main features of the social networking site? (daily status updates, games, avatars? ) The main features include Daily status updates, news feed, like page, Easter eggs, message and inbox. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook_features) 2|Page 8. Are there any features of the site that you have to pay for (e. g you can get a better profile page if you pay a small amount? ) We can pay for virtual gift and virtual goods. http://www. facebook. com/payments_terms/) 9. Are there any games in the site where you can pay a little amount to progress further within the game? Provide some examples. Empires & Allies by Zynga, Happy Farm, City ville (http://apps. facebook. com/silvergames/). 10. What payment methods are available on the site? Are these different for mobile phones vs. pc? paypal, credit card, MyCard, mobile phone, Bank transfer, Western Union QuickPay, Easecard, Gamania GASH GASH/BeanFun Member Account, Gamania GASH – Card Redemption, DaoPay. (http://www. facebook. com/payments_terms/)Please provide any other interesting information regarding the social networking site. Not applicable 3|Page Social Networking Site No. 2 – (Wretch. cc) 1. How many users are there on the site? The official site said they have 10,282,840 visitors per month. (http://tw. emarketing. yahoo. com/wretch/superior/wretch/wretch_01. php? menu_tree=A&menu_sub_tree=a) 2. How many active users are there? According to the online statistic, it has 4. 4 million daily visitors. (http://www. wolframalpha. com/input/? i=Wretch. cc) 3. How many users access the site via their pc?With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (4. 4 million times 91. 1% = 4 million daily visitors) access the site via PCs. 4. How many users access the site via their mobile With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (4. 4 million times 8. 9% = 0. 39 million daily visitors) access the site via mobiles. 5. Is there an ‘app’ or a modified website view for mobile phone access? ’ It has a mobile site (tw. m. wretch. yahoo. com) and some mobile apps. (http://itunes. apple. com/hk/app/wretchcam/id407676372? mt=8) 6. Who are the main audience?Demographics (age, gender, country) Based on internet averages, wretch. cc is visited more frequently by females who are in the age range 35-44, have no children, have no college education and browse this site from school. (http://www. alexa. com/siteinfo/wretch. cc) According to the online statistics, 90. 7% of the visitors are located at Taiwan a nd 2. 5% are located at Hong Kong. (http://www. alexa. com/siteinfo/wretch. cc) 7. What are the main features of the social networking site? (daily status updates, games, avatars? ) The main features are blog, album and message board.The users can also exchange name cards and add friends in the site. 8. Are there any features of the site that you have to pay for (e. g you can get a better profile page if you pay a small amount? ) Album: increase album storage, no ad, album background music, online photo rotation, customize album list title, recover deleted album, maximize album title length Blog: increase folder number, increase catalog number, increase links number, increase maximum reply number, blog background music, friend protection Friend: increase maximum friend number, customize friend page title, ncrease friend catalog number 4|Page Media: increase catalog number, increase reply number, increase favorite video number, customize video page title Profile: customize background music, visit counter Message board: increase message number, no ad, visit counter, customize title, use album music, comment alert http://bill. wretch. cc/function. php 9. Are there any games in the site where you can pay a little amount to progress further within the game? Provide some examples. Not applicable 10. What payment methods are available on the site? Are these different for mobile phones vs. c? It supports ATM transfer, credit card and paying at 7-11 http://help. cc. tw. yahoo. com/cp_info. html? id=1213. Please provide any other interesting information regarding the social networking site. Wretch is the largest multimedia database in Taiwan – as of the beginning of 2010, there are 3. 5 billion photos, 500 million blog postings, and 15 million video clips. (internal statistics) Each and every day, the users would submit more than 5 million photos to the Wretch. (internal statistics) (http://www. wretch. cc/blog/ycorpblog/11345185). 5|Page Social Networking Site N o. 3 – Gamer. com. tw) 1. How many users are there on the site? The official site said they have 2,500,000 users. (http://prj. gamer. com. tw/bahaAD/) 2. How many active users are there? The official site said they have 1,500,000 active users. (http://prj. gamer. com. tw/bahaAD/) According to the online statistic, they have 1. 4 million daily visitors. (http://www. wolframalpha. com/entities/web_domains/gamer. com. tw/5s/ci/ql/) 3. How many users access the site via their pc? With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (2,500,000 times 91. 1% = 2277500) access the site via PCs. . How many users access the site via their mobile With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (2,500,000 times 8. 9% = 222500) access the site via mobiles.. 5. Is there an ‘app’ or a modified website view for mobile phone access? ’ Not applicable 6. Who are the main audience? Demographics (age, gender, country) Gender: Male 78% and Female 22% Age: 16 – 2 0 is 38% 21 – 25 is 29% 26 – 30 is 16% Country: 96% Taiwan people. The official site also provides the job and education statistic of the users. (http://prj. gamer. com. tw/bahaAD/userall. html) 7.What are the main features of the social networking site? (daily status updates, games, avatars? ) This site provide game information, blog and forum, E-card and computer graphic gallery. (http://acg. gamer. com. tw/wikimenu. php? s=13710) 8. Are there any features of the site that you have to pay for (e. g you can get a better profile page if you pay a small amount? ) They do not charge any money from the users. However, the users can earn virtual money by posting in the forum and reply others’ questions. The virtual money can be used to buy gifts and play games. (http://wiki2. gamer. com. w/wiki. php? n=13710%3A%E7%B6%93%E9%A9%97%E5%80%BC%E5%92%8C %E5%B7%B4%E5%B9%A3&ss=13710) 6|Page 9. Are there any games in the site where you can pay a little amount to progress furt her within the game? Provide some examples. They provide different kind of games such as â€Å"Magic School† (online RPC), â€Å"Troubled Times in China† (online RPC) and Monopoly. (http://acg. gamer. com. tw/apiList. php? s=12) 10 What payment methods are available on the site? Are these different for mobile phones vs. pc? Not applicable xt. Please provide any other interesting information regarding the social networking site.Not applicable 7|Page Social Networking Site No. 4 – (Eyny. com) 1. How many users are there on the site? There are approximately 4,000,000 users on the site. (http://evchk. wikia. com/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E8%8E%89%E8%A8%8E%E8%AB%96%E5%8D%80) 2. How many active users are there? Based on the online statistics, the number of daily pageviews is 4,910,809 and the number of daily visitors is 316,695. (http://webinformation. co/www. eyny. com) 3. How many users access the site via their pc? With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (4,000 ,000 times 91. 1% = 3644000) access the site via PCs.. . How many users access the site via their mobile With reference to question 3 for Facebook, we estimate (4,000,000 times 8. 9% = 356000) access the site via mobiles.. 5. Is there an ‘app’ or a modified website view for mobile phone access? ’ Not applicable. 6. Who are the main audience? Demographics (age, gender, country) Age: 18 – 24 is the most represented at eyny. com Gender: the ratio of male and female is fifty-fifty. (http://www. alexa. com/siteinfo/eyny. com) Country: Taiwan 85. 8% and Hong Kong 7. 0% (http://www. websitelooker. com/www/eyny. com) 7.What are the main features of the social networking site? (daily status updates, games, avatars? ) Forum, blog, Wikipedia and share video 8. Are there any features of the site that you have to pay for (e. g you can get a better profile page if you pay a small amount? ) Unlimited picture view, unlimited downloading attachments, unlimited search funct ion and unlimited in-site message. (http://www07. eyny. com/thread-224266-1-1. html) 9. Are there any games in the site where you can pay a little amount to progress further within the game? Provide some examples. Not applicable. |Page 10. What payment methods are available on the site? Are these different for mobile phones vs. pc? Bank Transfer (ATM, online banking, pay in banks) and cheque (mail to the office). (http://www07. eyny. com/thread-224266-1-1. html) Please provide any other interesting information regarding the social networking site. Maximum online user is 24287. (http://evchk. wikia. com/wiki/%E4%BC%8A%E8%8E%89%E8%A8%8E%E8%AB%96%E5%8D%80) Alexa Traffic Rank 7 in Taiwan, Rank 31 in Macao, Rank 65 in Hong Kong (http://www. alexa. com/siteinfo/eyny. com) Social Networking Site No. 5 (PIXNET) . How many users are there on the site? Not applicable. 2. How many active users are there? According to the online statistics, the number of daily page views is around 8. 5 million and the number of daily visitors is around 2. 4 million. (http://www. wolframalpha. com/input/? i=www. pixnet. net) . 3. How many users access the site via their pc? With reference to question 3 for Facebook, around 91. 1% users access the site via PCs. 4. How many users access the site via their mobile With reference to question 3 for Facebook, around 8. 9% users access the site via Mobiles. 5.Is there an ‘app’ or a modified website view for mobile phone access? ’ It has a mobile app (http://cn. androidzoom. com/android_applications/social/pixnet-mobile-controlpanel_lfrv. html) and a mobile site. (http://m. pixnet. net/) 6. Who are the main audience? Demographics (age, gender, country) Age: 25 – 34 and 45 to 54 year olds are the most similar to the general internet population Gender: male is slightly more than female. Country: 80. 9% Taiwan, 6. 6% Hong Kong, 2. 6% China and 2. 3% United States (http://www. alexa. com/siteinfo/pixnet. net) 7. What are the main features of the social networking site? daily status updates, games, avatars? ) Album, blog, message board, exchange name card. 9|Page 8. Are there any features of the site that you have to pay for (e. g you can get a better profile page if you pay a small amount? ) The site provides the following features that we have to pay for: – increase monthly upload size (not included video) and unlimited video upload – choose blog domain name – unlimited album back up – unlimited visitor tracking – album folder management (add, move and delete) – more RSS subscriptions – the latest month blog statistic (https://bill. pixnet. tw/vip/vipnew) . Are there any games in the site where you can pay a little amount to progress further within the game? Provide some examples. Chinese Dragon (flash game), Happy Farm (social game), Pocket Monster (webpage game) (http://pixnet. gamebase. com. tw/) 10. What payment methods are available on the site? Are these different for mobile phones vs. pc? ATM transfer, 7-11 ibon payment, credit card online payment and mobile phone Micro Payment (http://help. pixnet. tw/index/qa? faq_id=95). Please provide any other interesting information regarding the social networking site. Not applicable. 10 | P a g e