Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Germany was to blame for the outbreak of the First World War Essay

Germany was to blame for the outbreak of the First World War do you agree? I do not agree fully that the Germans were to blame for the outbreak of war. German intentions were not to start a war, however there are a few events where they unintentionally helped to escalate the situation. There is no doubt that they did help to escalate the situation between Serbia and Austro Hungary. In this essay I will be arguing that Germans did not cause the outbreak of the war. I will be doing this by discussing the blank cheque, the Schlieffen plan, the September programme, the actions of the Kaiser and the actions of Bethmann Hollweg. Many historians argue that because Germany pre-planed for war that when the chance of war arose they obviously provoked it. The evidence for this argument is the Schlieffen plan, it was a military strategy devised in 1882 as a means of coping with a two front war. Some people argue that the Schlieffen plan is the first traceable reason why the war started. However this is hardly true the Schlieffen plan was drawn up because of the increasing pressure Germany was under because of the triple Entente. Germany was after all geographically in bad position on one side they had France and on the other Russia, to make this situation worse France and Russia were allied. Therefore it is not surprising that a plan was created in case a war with the both countries was to occur. A war such as this would have to be fought on two fronts so to be able to fight a war like this on side would have to be disabled quickly. The German’s plans to get to Paris in 6 weeks is seen to be an aggressive tactic that is why some people see the Schlieffen plan as a plan to expand Germany if war was to break out. It is clear this is not the case, the Schlieffen plan was a defensive strategy designed to help Germany to come with a war on two fronts. The Schlieffen plan can hardly be seen as the Germans planning for war because other nations had simial plans such as Russia who had to stick to their plans so completely that hey had to declare war on Germany. An argument has been put forward that Germany declaring war on France is proof that the Schlieffen plan was a form of expansion for Germany and that that it was not a defensive plan. However this is hardly true, Germany declared war on France because Russia had declared war on them and Russia and France were allies. So to Germany I was natural that France would join the war because of the alliance system. Russia also did the same when the Tsar was told that he could not mobilise against Austria alone because the plans were for a war with Austria and Russia. The September programme drawn up by the chancellor of Germany, Bethmann Hollweg is seen as another piece of evidence suggesting that Germany had planned the war. The September programme was a document that set out Germany’s war aims, including a list of territorial acquisitions. This is seen to be incriminating because it was written so soon after war broke out. However Bethmann Hollweg was under a lot of pressure from military who needed to know their objectives. It should also be considered that the German army had been mobilised for a few months so plans for the army had to be drawn up. Some people argue that because the September programme was released so quickly that these objectives must have been premeditated. This is not completely true, it was important for the germens to think quickly what they were going to have to achieve in the war after all they were fighting on two fronts. Some of the objective might have been premeditated but these were probably defensive ones thought up long ago. It is clear to see that Bethmann Hollweg was caught between the Kaiser and Moltke. Bethmann Hollweg’s behaviour is often criticized during the July crisis. It is Bethmann Hollweg’s actions that are used as the argument against him. However what he did can be seen as a gamble that went horribly wrong. Bethmann was not consulted on the blank cheque but did back it. Some people argue that Bethmann wanted to manipulate Russia into mobilising against Germany so they didn’t look as if they started the war. This is untrue because instead Bethmann thought that he could keep the Balkan war localized. The evidence for this argument is that Bethmann thought that Russia would not help Serbia if a war happened because the Tsar would not lend his support to royal assassins. Bethmann also felt that Russia was not military or financially ready for a war. Germany’s mobilisation against Russia was only meant to deter Russia from war not to provoke them into war that is where Bethmann’s gamble failed. The blank cheque is seen as confirming Germany’s guilt in starting the First World War. The blank cheque is another example of a mistake made by Germany. The Kaiser gave unconditional support to Austria, this was done because Germany felt isolated by the triple entente and wanted to make it clear to Austria that their alliance was strong. However as professor Rohl argues the Kaiser was a very unstable man. There is a lot of evidence to support this argument such as when the Kaiser decided to change is mind about the blank cheque but then was convinced by his wife to â€Å"be a man†. The Kaiser was heavily influenced by others and there are many examples, such as the first Moroccan crisis where he was pushed by Bulow and Holstein into provoking the French. The blank cheque is greatly misunderstood the vague phasing used is open to interpretation. The historian Gerhard Ritter argues â€Å"that Germany sought to deter Russia from war, not to provoke conflict with her†. The blank cheque like the September programme is seen as evidence that Germany had wanted a war for some time but really they have both been misinterpreted. The real nation that was to blame for the outbreak of war was Austro-Hungary who even after finding no evidence that linked the assassins to any terror groups in Serbia and after Serbia agreed to their ultimatum still invaded their country. This is really the behaviour of a nation with war on their agenda. Austro-Hungary it can be said had to avenge the death of Franz Ferdinand. Russia too could have avoided war but much like the Kaiser the Tsar kept on changing his mind. In conclusion from the evidence above it can be seen that everyone muddled into war and that no one power is to blame. The September programme and the Schlieffen plan which are seen to highlight German guilt, do not and are actually defensive precautions not premeditated plans for war. Bethmann Hollweg and the Kaiser both were trying to achieve the same objective but were both communicating very well. The nations involved in the July crisis can be blamed for standing by their alliances instead of sorting out the situation. Germany did contribute to the mix up between nations in the Balkans and for inciting Austro-Hungary however they are not ultimately to blame for the outbreak of war.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Zara Fast Fashion Giant

Using at least one of the company/industry related databases available to you at the Marcus (or some other) Library, as well as the attached articles and case studies, please provide a 5 page assessment of, and proposal for, Ezra as follows: Context: Briefly outline the scope of the company's operations, including # of stores, the countries in which it operates, # of employees, annual volume and its history. Ezra is owned by Inedited AS (Industrial De Dieses Textile AS) headquartered in Artesia La Corona Spain with companies under the name of Ezra are located in the areas sited below.Inedited sells on a global scale, with 4,900 shops in about 75 countries under different names such as Ezra, Shoo, Misaims Duty, Pull and Bear, Berserk, Strabismus, Ezra Home, and Torque. Inedited reported that for 2014 sales they made $22. 76 billion with a one year sales growth. Their net income was $3. 24 billion which was a one year net income growth. Their total assets were $18. 72 billion with a ma rket value of $81. 85 billion. Ezra Spans AS headquartered in Artesia, La Corona Spain is the flagship brand for Inedited AS and is considered the â€Å"cheap-chic subsidiary.Ezra runs about 2,350 stores in major cities worldwide, as well as, some 165 Ezra Kids shops in 75 countries and 125 shops across Canada, the US, and Mexico. Ezra is considered a chain and sells women's, men's and children's apparel. They also offer plus-size and maternity lines. I didn't locate any information regarding who sells the plus-size and maternity garments and they are not sold online. Ezra began in 1975 and is Indies's main chain and brings in more than two- thirds of its total sales. Ninety-nine percent of Ezra stores are company-owned and other franchises or Joint ventures.Ezra has a clear focus and vision in the clothing market because they have captured the needs of heir customers. They have shortened the conventional supply chain response time from 5-7 months to 2-eh months. Ezra makes about o f their raw material. The remaining 60% is outsourced from within Spain, mostly from the La Curran. Designing of clothes at Ezra is done by creative teams of over 300 professionals at the headquarters in La Curran, Spain. After the garments are sewn, the clothes are returned to Sara's facilities for ironing by an assembly line of workers.Sara's merchandise assortment is great in terms of color, styles and accessories for women, men and children. The clothing sizes are based on European body types which are rustically small than American body types. After this, the clothing items are wrapped in plastic and transported on conveyor belts to a group of giant warehouses. In the warehouse, the customized machines patterned after the equipment used by overnight parcel services, sorts, packs, labels, and allocates clothing items for shipment to Sara's retail stores.For Sara's retail stores within a 24- hour drive, goods are delivered by truck whereas goods meant for stores beyond 24- hour d rive are delivered by cargo Jets. On a global average of 17 visits per customer per year. This is higher than the three visits to its competitors. This process prevents any bottlenecks in the vertical integration supply chain. Ezra is constantly communicating with retail managers regarding what their customer's needs are. Such as, what styles are selling, comments customers make about design features they like or don't like. Sara's inventory supply is small and they make frequent shipments to all their stores.The quick turnaround of merchandise helps generate revenue, reduce inventory, eliminate debt and keep their customers happy. The competitors rely heavily on end of season sales and â€Å"black Friday' sales in order to reduce inventory and eliminate debt. 2. How does Sara's execution of this mix compare to that of a primary Intricate competitor. Sara's competitors rely on their products being designed in one location, shipped to a company overseas to make the clothes and shipp ed to a distribution center where the garments are inspected and then shipped to the various store locations.The vertical integration in the supply chain definitely creates challenges for the designers, who have are competing with other designers having garments produced by the same manufacturer and factory closes schedules. If products are delayed, the company's risk not having products in their stores on time. Additional challenges for designers are working one to two years in advanced on lines per season. Their stores introduce new products during the four seasons (fall, holiday, winter, spring/ summer).Surplus inventory is stored in their distribution centers and shipped to the stores when they need to restock, fill special orders and complete online orders. Sara's competitors conduct sales in order to deplete their inventory and to prepare for the next season of merchandise. The challenge with this process is that it generally creates overstock in the store's storage room and a dded pressures to the employees who work in these areas. 3. What do you believe Ezra does particularly well or poorly? Explain your reasoning. *Advertising – Prices should compare to online logbook.Prices are lower in U. S. Although, Ezra is the leader in getting new styles to the customers on a weekly basis, the customers must be aware that you must try on garments because they are based on European sizes which meaner they fit smaller than their competitors. 3. ) Explain what is meant by the term â€Å"strategic competitive advantage† and identify the way(s) in which Ezra has established one vs.. Its primary competitors; the Data cases can be helpful here. Zara Fast Fashion Giant Using at least one of the company/industry related databases available to you at the Marcus (or some other) Library, as well as the attached articles and case studies, please provide a 5 page assessment of, and proposal for, Ezra as follows: Context: Briefly outline the scope of the company's operations, including # of stores, the countries in which it operates, # of employees, annual volume and its history. Ezra is owned by Inedited AS (Industrial De Dieses Textile AS) headquartered in Artesia La Corona Spain with companies under the name of Ezra are located in the areas sited below.Inedited sells on a global scale, with 4,900 shops in about 75 countries under different names such as Ezra, Shoo, Misaims Duty, Pull and Bear, Berserk, Strabismus, Ezra Home, and Torque. Inedited reported that for 2014 sales they made $22. 76 billion with a one year sales growth. Their net income was $3. 24 billion which was a one year net income growth. Their total assets were $18. 72 billion with a ma rket value of $81. 85 billion. Ezra Spans AS headquartered in Artesia, La Corona Spain is the flagship brand for Inedited AS and is considered the â€Å"cheap-chic subsidiary.Ezra runs about 2,350 stores in major cities worldwide, as well as, some 165 Ezra Kids shops in 75 countries and 125 shops across Canada, the US, and Mexico. Ezra is considered a chain and sells women's, men's and children's apparel. They also offer plus-size and maternity lines. I didn't locate any information regarding who sells the plus-size and maternity garments and they are not sold online. Ezra began in 1975 and is Indies's main chain and brings in more than two- thirds of its total sales. Ninety-nine percent of Ezra stores are company-owned and other franchises or Joint ventures.Ezra has a clear focus and vision in the clothing market because they have captured the needs of heir customers. They have shortened the conventional supply chain response time from 5-7 months to 2-eh months. Ezra makes about o f their raw material. The remaining 60% is outsourced from within Spain, mostly from the La Curran. Designing of clothes at Ezra is done by creative teams of over 300 professionals at the headquarters in La Curran, Spain. After the garments are sewn, the clothes are returned to Sara's facilities for ironing by an assembly line of workers.Sara's merchandise assortment is great in terms of color, styles and accessories for women, men and children. The clothing sizes are based on European body types which are rustically small than American body types. After this, the clothing items are wrapped in plastic and transported on conveyor belts to a group of giant warehouses. In the warehouse, the customized machines patterned after the equipment used by overnight parcel services, sorts, packs, labels, and allocates clothing items for shipment to Sara's retail stores.For Sara's retail stores within a 24- hour drive, goods are delivered by truck whereas goods meant for stores beyond 24- hour d rive are delivered by cargo Jets. On a global average of 17 visits per customer per year. This is higher than the three visits to its competitors. This process prevents any bottlenecks in the vertical integration supply chain. Ezra is constantly communicating with retail managers regarding what their customer's needs are. Such as, what styles are selling, comments customers make about design features they like or don't like. Sara's inventory supply is small and they make frequent shipments to all their stores.The quick turnaround of merchandise helps generate revenue, reduce inventory, eliminate debt and keep their customers happy. The competitors rely heavily on end of season sales and â€Å"black Friday' sales in order to reduce inventory and eliminate debt. 2. How does Sara's execution of this mix compare to that of a primary Intricate competitor. Sara's competitors rely on their products being designed in one location, shipped to a company overseas to make the clothes and shipp ed to a distribution center where the garments are inspected and then shipped to the various store locations.The vertical integration in the supply chain definitely creates challenges for the designers, who have are competing with other designers having garments produced by the same manufacturer and factory closes schedules. If products are delayed, the company's risk not having products in their stores on time. Additional challenges for designers are working one to two years in advanced on lines per season. Their stores introduce new products during the four seasons (fall, holiday, winter, spring/ summer).Surplus inventory is stored in their distribution centers and shipped to the stores when they need to restock, fill special orders and complete online orders. Sara's competitors conduct sales in order to deplete their inventory and to prepare for the next season of merchandise. The challenge with this process is that it generally creates overstock in the store's storage room and a dded pressures to the employees who work in these areas. 3. What do you believe Ezra does particularly well or poorly? Explain your reasoning. *Advertising – Prices should compare to online logbook.Prices are lower in U. S. Although, Ezra is the leader in getting new styles to the customers on a weekly basis, the customers must be aware that you must try on garments because they are based on European sizes which meaner they fit smaller than their competitors. 3. ) Explain what is meant by the term â€Å"strategic competitive advantage† and identify the way(s) in which Ezra has established one vs.. Its primary competitors; the Data cases can be helpful here.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Morality in war Essay

Is war ever moral? I feel that War is a necessary part of life. Sometimes force is the only way to defend yourself or others. We are all equals, and It is immoral to take the life of anyone, but it is also immoral to let the life of anyone be taken. We have a responsibility to help each other because cooperation is the only way the human race can survive; we also have a right to defend ourselves. This means that if someone else is threatening you or anothers life, and you are capable of helping, you have an obligation to protect yourself or them. Lethal force will never be moral, but what if it’s the only way to protect someone? Let’s say that an attacker has broken into your house and is holding a gun to you and your family. You also have a gun pointed at the assailant. In this hypothetical situation we must assume that the only way to save your family is to kill the attacker. You must make a choice to kill the attacker or let the attacker kill you and your family. Both options are immoral, so one has to ask if it’s more immoral to kill the attacker, or to let the attacker kill your family? The obvious choice to me is to kill the assailant. I feel this is the right choice because of two reasons. One, our responsibility to protect ourselves and our family is larger than the responsibility to not do harm to another. The second reason has to do with the proportion of damage. The attacker would be doing more harm in killing my family and me then I would be doing in killing him. This example allows us to see, on a small scale, when lethal force is necessary. Things get more complicated when we look at entire countries rather than just one family, but my view point remains the same. Lethal force is only permitted when it is the only option to defend yourself or others. War is necessary because people sometimes make immoral decisions that put others in a position where there is no other option, but is war ever moral? Killing is always immoral, and killing is part of war, so parts of war are immoral, but does this mean war is inherently immoral? Sometimes it is the least immoral choice; this makes it the most moral choice, so it is sometime moral. I believe that many of the wars we have had have been immoral. I don’t think that the United States has been justified in it’s actions every time. â€Å"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. † – Vladimir Putin. I feel that it is in part due to the classical â€Å"male† approach to ethics which focuses on â€Å"independence, autonomy, intellect, will, wariness, hierarchy, domination, culture, transcendence, product, asceticism, war, and death,† Jaggar, â€Å"Feminist Ethics,† 1992 One can see that these characteristics would allow for war to be more often morally acceptable. A â€Å"feminist† approach to ethics would focus more on â€Å"interdependence, community, connection, sharing, emotion, body, trust, absence of hierarchy, nature, immanence, process, joy, peace, and life. †Jaggar, â€Å"Feminist Ethics,† 1992 These characteristics allow for a more peaceful world. The Syrian regime was accused of using chemical weapons against it’s own people in september of 2013. The weapon of mass destruction â€Å"Sarin† may have been used, and this action is against international law. The United states felt obligated to step in and punish the Syrian Government for this because they felt it was in the worlds best interest to not let these atrocities go unpunished. It could be more dangerous to let them get away with it because international law could fall apart and the world could turn to anarchy if nothing is done to punish wrong behavior. This being said, what is the best course of action to punish the Syrian government if they did infact use this weapon? Military action was debated, and President Obama was willing to attack if necessary, but I feel this is very dangerous. If the United States were to attack the Syrian government without UN approval It could have the same effect as doing nothing. This is because the united states would also be breaking international law, and this could also cause the UN to fall apart. If strong countries like the US bypass UN approval on military actions then International law means nothing. â€Å"The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. † -Vladimir Putin. In addition, military action would not be morally acceptable in this situation because it would not be in self defense; it would be an act of aggression causing more harm than good. A diplomatic approach would be a step in the right direction for this particular situation. This real life situation allows us to see how we can judge the morality of an action on a larger scale. In conclusion, war can be moral, but it is only a strategy to attain peace and safety for a group. All other options should be explored before war can be considered; this is because war involves some of the most immoral actions possible; the killing of others. â€Å"Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime. †- Ernest Hemingway http://www. brainyquote. com/quotes/quotes/e/ernesthemi108407. html#zB7XwPTRbCpbv7my. 99 http://www. nytimes. com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria. html? _r=0.

Terry Cannon, MBA Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Terry Cannon, MBA - Case Study Example From this paper it is clear that this company would be an internet based start-up so, it is quite evident that Terry Cannon should have proper knowledge regarding the information system as most of the work would be computer and internet based. In such a company with his given position, he requires to have good knowledge about Management Information Systems, Executive Support Systems, Decision-Support Systems, Transaction Processing Systems and Office Automation Systems as well. In this company Terry Cannon has been offered a position as a manager of the marketing department and would be responsible for developing new customers. Considering his role in this organization, Terry Cannon needs to have knowledge regarding Management Information System, Transaction Processing Systems, Decision Support Systems and Knowledge Management Systems. As the paper outlines Terry Cannon can prove to be a knowledgeable participant in each of the mentioned three jobs by possessing knowledge regarding information systems that would be relevant with the job profile in relation to all the three organizations. Being a knowledgeable participant in the field of information systems would assist him in carrying out his responsibilities more effectively. This would also help him in designing appropriate and accurate marketing as well as business strategies for his clients and his organizations. In case of Terry Cannon to be a knowledgeable participant, he should be well informed and possess enough knowledge regarding the types of information systems that would assist him in performing his duties as well as responsibilities towards his organizations and clients efficiently and successfully. For instance, being a consultant at ICG would involve designing marketing strategies for his clients.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Discuss the contribution British colonialism made to the accumulation Term Paper

Discuss the contribution British colonialism made to the accumulation of capital during the First Industrial Revolution - Term Paper Example The British colonial expansion was motivated by various factors. One of them was the need to make profits across the world. Due to the Britain’s desire to strengthen its economy, it decided to expand its colonies so as to access more land wherein they would invest. The need for Britain to establish both political and religious freedom was a motivation for colonial expansion as suggested by Liska (187). Britain wanted to ensure that most of the people in the world adopted their religion. By expanding its colonial interests the country was able to gain more followers. There was also the issue of political freedom which forced Britain to increase the number of colonies that it had so that it could rule the larger part of the world. The need for better life by the Britons also motivated their need to expand its colonial interests. The Britons needed big tracts of land where they could settle without congestion. As a result, Britain ventured across the world expanding its territori es in order to acquire more land for its nationals. The fact that Britain had managed to acquire slaves motivated it to colonize more places considering that the slaves could be used as workers. There was also a growing need for more plantation areas where the slaves could be taken to work for the benefit of the British economy. Yet another factor that motivated Britain’s colonial activities was the need for new markets. After increasing its production capacities, Britain no doubt needed markets in which to sell its products. The country also needed raw materials for its industries and the easiest way that this could be done was to get them from colonies. The desire of the British colonialists to have control of the most strategic places in the world motivated the country’s need for industrial expansion. The industrial revolution was another motivation for colonial expansion as it brought with it great effects. Essentially the increase in industrial production and the expansion of urban centers brought much wealth and overcrowding making it a necessity to seek more land for expansion. British colonial expansion was faced with a number of remarkable constraints. One of these constraints was the economic imbalance. Britain was relying more on imported raw materials from its colonies and other territories more than on the export of products. This state of events led to an unfavorable balance of trade in Britain. There was also growing competition from industrialized countries as they had new factories and had access to inexpensive labor as suggested by West (132). Fighting this completion was a major challenge to Britain colonial expansion. Due to the economic changes there also arose political issues which were a major challenge to colonial expansion. Britain experienced a transformation of the political parties that existed during the pre-industrial period. They were getting fragmented into various interest groups such as land owners, industrialis t, labor unions and bankers. This made politicians to become disunited and desperate for new ideologies which would unite the colonies. The international tension which was increasingly heightening was another constraint for British colonial expansion. The emergence of strongly integrated German and Italy greatly impacted the weak balance of power in the European countries. These adversely affected Britain which faced rebellion from

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Analysis if financial perfomance of Wholefoods Market Essay

Analysis if financial perfomance of Wholefoods Market - Essay Example A critical analysis of the financial performance of this organisation shows that despite market forces such as competition, this organisation is performing relatively well given that it has managed to record a steady increase in its profits over a five year period from 2006 to 2010. Against this background, it has been recommended that it is safe for investors to invest in this company given that there are positive indications of positive growth which lowers the chances of risk in the event of unprecedented forces impacting negatively on the economy. 1.0 Introduction According to the World Book Encyclopaedia (2008), a stock is a right to ownership in a corporation. The stakeholders buy shares and they can sell them for a profit in market places called stock exchanges. The financial performance of a listed company is influenced by various factors. As such, this report seeks to critically analyse the financial performance of Whole Foods Market which is a listed on the New York Stock Ex change. The report starts by outlining the historical background of the company as well as the factors that can affect its operations. This section is followed by a critical analysis of the organisation’s financial performance during the 2006 to 2010 fiscal years. Recommendations are given at the end of the report in order to establish if it is feasible for the investors to buy shares in this particular Company. 2.0 Historical background of Whole Foods Market According to its official website, Whole Foods Market was founded in Austin, Texas as a natural foods industry. It specifically focused in offering organic foods in a bid to promote health among the consumers. It was established in 1980 and grew through acquisitions to become a force to reckon with in the organic food segment of the market. This company is regarded as the world’s leading natural and organic foods supermarket in America as well as other parts in the globe. The company completed its initial public o ffering in January 1992 and it trades its common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol WFMI. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and its mission is â€Å"to promote the vitality and well being of all the individuals by supplying the highest quality, most wholesome foods available.† The mission of the company is primarily concerned with developing organic foods, food safety concerns as well as sustainability of the entire ecosystem. There is growing concern to preserve the environment against the backdrop of rising cases of global warming and other issues related to health of the human beings. This company has managed to lead the organic food industry in the US since its inception about 30 years ago as a result of the fact that it has remained uniquely mission driven. 3.0 Market analysis Like any other industry, this company operates in an e competitive market where there are different players as well. The competitors for this company inclu de local, regional as well as international

Friday, July 26, 2019

Famine, Affluence, and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Famine, Affluence, and Morality - Essay Example The same feeling of caring and helping should be applied to people from all over the world. The second reason for agreeing with Singer is the fact that ‘developed countries’ have resources to help the hungry. I agree with Singer’s point that instead of terming the act of helping famine victim as a ‘charitable act’, it should be termed as ‘moral obligation’ (Singer 236). So much of food is wasted and thrown away by common people. One can easily feed hundreds of starving people with the amount of the left-over food by people in a developed nation. Also, people make choices regarding the food items and quality. This shows that there is more than enough amount of food related items available in a country. Hence, when a country has the storage of food even after feeding its citizens sufficiently, then it becomes amoral obligation of that nation, or people of that nation, to help minimize the world hunger. Instead of wasting food or throwing aw ay the edible parts just because they are not needed for a particular dish, it should be given to people who need it. No sane human being will choose to throw food in waste bin rather than giving it to a person who is starving to death. Hence, I agree with Singer that minimizing world hunger is a moral obligation of human beings. ... Singer’s argument is convincing as he has pointed out to the fact that richer nations have the capacity to reduce the suffering of famine victims in other countries without causing any reduction in the supply of resources to its own people (Singer 229). He has also stated that at the individual level also, common people have failed to raise their voice to help famine victims (Singer 229). Singer is convincing as he has exposed the selfish attitude of people and their lack of empathy towards the needy. From his argument, it becomes clear that proving money is not the only way one can help the famine victims. They can help the famine victims by holding demonstrations on the street to force the government to take right decisions. They can encourage people to help the victims by conduct awareness campaigns to let them know about the inhuman conditions in which the victims are living. As Singer says, they can write to responsible government officials, hold symbolic fasts and donate whatever is essential for the survival of the victims (Singer 229). His argument shows that people have aced irresponsibly and immaturely. Moreover, Singer’s argument is strengthened by the fact that what is needed to help the victims is nothing more than just a little awareness and desire to help the needy. By focusing on the people’s and nation’s lack of desire to help the victims, and irresponsibility towards the world citizenship despite of having the resources to help, Singer convinces the reader that individuals and nations have failed on the level of humanity. Answer C Singer’s argument can be objected on the point that being wealthy is not crime. Singer has pointed a finger towards wealthy people by saying that instead of choosing to help the famine victims, they

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Earthquakes at Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Earthquakes at Home - Essay Example There are also some degrees of distribution in the mid-South region, but the principal areas of high risk, which show up red on the map, tend to be located in the equivalent of the states of California, Oregon, and Washington (Science, 2010). These areas also appear to extend into the nation of Mexico. #2 Where I live, in Erie, Pennsylvania, is gray on the map of earthquake risk, meaning it has a low risk (Science, 2010). It is not near any major fault lines, so it is relatively safe from earthquakes. There are occasionally small earthquakes around Erie, but they only extremely rarely get above 3 magnitude, cause any damage, or result in any injury or destruction. #3 The earthquakes around the world seem unevenly distributed according to the map of the last week’s earthquakes. The predominant amount of earthquakes have occurred in the Pacific Rim; many of these are in East Asia and Southeast Asia (Latest, 2010). This is not surprising to me, because these areas are known to have a high earthquake risk. I have heard a lot about very bad earthquakes happening in Japan and China. #5 I have visited some of the red areas on the map, including spots in California and Mexico. In California, the real estate where I was, is too expensive for me to consider living there. I also do not want to move to Mexico, because I don’t speak fluent Spanish. However, I would be willing to live in a red earthquake risk area, if I had enough income to do so in California or, if I learned Spanish and also had a better job and income, in Mexico. I would assume that especially in the US, architects would have earthquake proofed many buildings. I would be more hesitant in living in a red zone in some country with less advanced building standards. Generally, though, I am a risk taker as a person. I think that no one lives forever, and that none of us are

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Bit Coin Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bit Coin - Essay Example Bit Coins can also be sent and received by the users after paying an optional transaction fees by using their mobile device, web application or wallet software of their computers. This payment system is used by businesses as well as customers for carrying out transactions. It is one of the most secure payment systems and therefore it has succeeded to grab the attention of many merchants (The Bitcoin Foundation ). Through Bit Coin it is easy to send and receive payment instantly from any part of the world, without any limitations. Bit Coins give the users the full access to their money. Another advantage of bit coin is that the payment is processed with small or no transaction fees. A transaction fee is optional if the users want their payment confirmation to be processed faster by the network. The merchant processor present in the system guides the merchant in payment transaction. Bit coin transaction is irreversible, secure and does not require the personal and sensitive information of the customers. This protects the users from losses occurred as the result of fraud and also there is no such need for PCI compliance. Bit Coin helps the merchants to expand in a market where credit cards are not available and where the rate of fraud is unacceptably high. Bit Coin system gives the users the full control of a transaction and therefore the merchant may not impose unnoticed or unwanted charges on the customer, the way it happens in other payment systems. Bit coin payments do not require the personal information of the users, which provides the customers protections against identity theft. The Bit Coins users may also protect their money with backup and encryption. Many people are still not aware about the concept of Bit Coin. With every passing day more and more businesses are adopting the Bit Coin payment system but still there is a need for the list to grow more, so that they may benefit from the network affect. The value of Bit Coin circulation and the

London School Business & Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

London School Business & Finance - Essay Example As the report discusses  internet marketing is an effort that helps to facilitate overall marketing concept by using different internet portals as well as various electronic medium. Global context that are associated with digital improvement is an identical objective that is evident within every marketing practices and assist in enlarging the value that is associated with the overall advertising technique that is provided using electronic media.This essay stresses that in the current complex social domain, it is identifiable that the organisations that are trying to develop its competitive advantage need to maintain a string digital presence. In order to maintain the competitive advantage within the current complex business internet marketing has emerged to be a concept that helps in engaging overall business artillery using large web mediums.  Internet marketing is identified to be a process of marketing as well promoting events that are conducted using the Web, email along with other mediums that helps in fulfilling the needs of internet marketing. Various elements including social media, website, blog, networking, and attractive public interfaces enhances the ability of the internet .Social media is identified to be having certain involvement to increase the overall business campaign virtually.  Now a day’s people highly prefer to conduct online activities and sharing information with the use of digital media.

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Extended Time Out in Operation Rooms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Extended Time Out in Operation Rooms - Essay Example However, despite those ongoing protocols, the effectiveness of those safety strategies is still unknown. Wrong site surgery can cause extremely bad outcomes, which may range from performing surgery on the wrong side of the body and delayed the necessary treatments to amputating the wrong leg then the patient is suffering both physically and psychologically. In order to improve better outcomes and prevent those preventable surgical mistakes, an extended surgical timeout (STO), also called second time out was implanted into the health care system. This dissertation discusses the effectiveness of the extended STO out based on evidence from research and case studies, and it also explores the interventions used to reduce risks of wrong site surgery. This dissertation also analyzes patient who is allergic to epinephrine and how extended surgical time out improved their quality of care. The article, â€Å"The extended surgical time-out: does it improve quality and prevent wrong-site surgery?† focuses on pediatric surgery and review the results of the implementation of an extended surgical time out. The members of Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre implemented extended surgical time out beginning January 2006. The protocol included confirming a patient’s ID, anesthetic, and technical details, medications administered and the available ones and the need for special equipment and blood products (Lee, 2010). The impacts of implementing surgical timeout were then studied before induction of anesthesia and surveys of both before and after implementing the pre-induction STO were recorded. The results of this study showed that there were no significant differences in elapsed time to incision for both urgent and elective operations and after implementing pre-induction surgical timeout (Lee, 2010).

Monday, July 22, 2019

Human Behavior in an Organization Essay Example for Free

Human Behavior in an Organization Essay In an organization there are lots of factors to be considered for the company to achieve its goals and objective and succeed. These factors include communication, motivation, leadership skills, personal characteristics of employees, interaction between and among employees and teamwork. Communication is significant in transferring information because the information to be transferred must be precise and accurate to avoid miscommunication. Failure to communicate proper information might cause a negative long-term effect on the company. Furthermore, miscommunication may result to personal conflicts between members of an organization. Persons or employees in the organization must feel motivated to achieve the goals and objectives that should be met. This motivation may come from personal factors, such as for family and self-competence, or external factors, such as salaries or benefits are tied to performance of doing a job. Highly motivated members are the ones who mostly done their job efficiently. Management must motivate employees for them to do their jobs efficiently and effectively so as to lessen any probable negative impacts to the organization. There is always a person or a group of persons that will initiate any activities done by an organization and we usually call these people as leaders. A leader must be sensitive to feelings of others but not to the extent that it would prejudice any undertakings made by the group. We see different kinds of leaders, there are those who are autocratic or who don’t listen to what others has to say but there are also those that listens, hears and considers the point of view of others. Conflicts may arise in an organization primarily because of the personal characteristics of each employee that are not acceptable to others. This should not be done because everyone is different in his or her own way. Conflicts between employees would result to negative effects that would cause to fail to meet the objectives. These problems between members must be resolve to build a better relationship between them and to be able to prevent this problems to arise again in the future. In any activity that an organization should do, teamwork must always be present. This is very important to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives efficiently. In a team, each one must do their part to help achieve the goal and not help prejudice the activity. In a team, together everyone achieves more, which means that if members would just work together, all of the objectives, even the least important objective will be met. There are weaknesses and strengths inside a group and this must be taken into considerations, to eliminate these weaknesses and improve those strengths. Team building activities may be done by the organization to improve the relationship between and among members so as to have a team that works together for a common goal. Hence, goal congruence arises, which is very important factor that must exist inside the organization. Thus, proper communication, motivation, leadership skills, relationships between members and teamwork must exist within an organization. In this way, any goals and objectives of the organization will be met. As long as each one of the members do their parts well, nothing could go wrong and the organization will be successful in any activities they will undertake.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Marketing Of German Brand Bionade

Marketing Of German Brand Bionade The German brand BIONADE which produces and distributes organically lemonade brewed like beer but without alcohol {BIONADE #1}, tries to enter markets all over the world. {Dagmar Mussey 08/10/2007 #2}. With the threat of going bankrupt with its beer brewery {Dagmar Mussey 08/10/2007 #2}, the head of the company Leipold, tried to spread its product range and invented a brewed soft drink for children. With its superficial marketing strategy with just few money BIONADE managed to get known all over Germany in shortest time by sponsoring events and viral marketing. {Ralph Atkins #3} In 2009 the large German group Dr. Oetker bought with 70% the majority of BIONADE. {Weiguny 2009 #18} After distributing in most European countries since 2008 the companys aim is now, that their organic drink will become a Weltdrink.{Ralph Atkins 12.12.2007 #3} How BIONADE can reach the target and what they should considered, it is indicated in this paper on the example entering the US beverage market. Environmental Analysis BIONADE needs to analyse the market of US. The retailing market in the United States is very competitive and dynamic. Consumers can choose out of a large number of retailers. With the information of the internet consumers can easily compare all products and retailers. So retailing has been led to a hard job and you have to observe the consumers needs, because consumers have the power. {Weitz 2010 #4} Market trends BIONADE aims to go on the American beverage market. The carbonated drink sector is the most established in the soft drink industry with about 40% of the volume. {Jonathan Thomas 2010 #6} But the growth almost stagnates with just 1.2% growth rate and the share will fall more, because more consumer prefer healthier beverages like fruit juices, fruit based drinks or bottled water. In this case, there is a chance for BIONADE to put its organically healthy and nearly sugarless beverage on the US market. In addition it should be mentioned, that the market shares for sport and energy drinks within the carbonated soft drink segment has raised about 7% last year, and it is assumed that this trend will last. {Jonathan Thomas 2010 #6} The study, which was ordered by just-drinks, says that the fruit-based drinks are expected to remain strong. Customers BIONADEs target group are healthy, young consumers and aware of the health. Examining the consumers in US nowadays it can be noticed, that there is a change in lifestyle. For decreasing the problems of fat children, which has become a major issue in the US, the government planned to ban sugared drinks like Coca Cola from school. {Atkins 12.12.2007 #3} Consumers strive away from convenience and fast food to fresh cooked meals and healthy, organic products, which are traded fair. {Lifestyle Food and Drinks Future 2008 #10}Business Insides report Lifestyle Food and Drinks (2008) says in addition, that many habitants of the US do have work-related stress, which they try to compensate with healthy drinks and food to get more energy and fun. Additionally America has an ageing generation. These people do all their best to stay young and healthy. Therefore they consume e.g. many anti-ageing products, which aim this target group. Altogether there is a broad diversity of different reasons, why people want to live healthier, which is shown in the illustration 1. Figure : The complexity and diversity of modern lifestyles {Lifestyle Food and Drinks Future 2008 #10} Competitiors The beverage market is a strong market in the United States. Global players like Pepsi and Coca Cola are settled in America as well as the US brand Dr. Pepper. These three brands are in 2010 the best-selling companies, and most customers bought drinks of these companies. {Sector Soft Drinks Non-Alcoholic 2010 #11} They also try to establish healthier drinks, to follow the trend. Coca Cola put The Spirit of Georiga on the market, which is competitive lemonade to BIONADE. They also try to do a partnership with Honest Teas, which also is settled in the health and wellness segment.{Beverage World 2011 #13} Nestlà ©, who is also a big player one the beverage market, also put some health drinks, like ready-to-drink teas on the market. Viewing the global health drink and food segment it can there were more than 4000 new products came on the market in 2009, which are more than double as much as in five years ago.{Heather Landi #12} There is a keen competition in this field. Analysis and Theories With entering a new market there are many topics which should be considered. The SWOT analysis is a management tool which shows clearly arranged which strength and weaknesses a company has, and which opportunities and threats are given from the environment of a company. The points are aimed on the target, a company has. In this case it targets the entry of BIONADE on the American market. {Simon 2002 #9} Strengths Weaknesses Large Network Only breed lemonade Experience on other markets Large target group Good references in Europe Plans for adopting the product for the US market (new flavours) Unique product (the only brewed lemonade) Just one product site Workers with no knowledge Large Supply-Chain High costs New unknown market Opportunities Threats Changing Consumer Behaviour Growing sustainable and health market Growing Beverage Market Banning sugared drinks in schools Market niche Large Beverage Market Many Competitors like Coca Cola (Georgia) Other organic certificates in the US than in Europe Many other healthy drinks Figure : SWOT-analysis for BIONADE on the US-market {Simon 2002 #9} To get an overview of the market, Porter invented the tool Porters 5 Forces. {Porter 1998 #14} Porter has identified five competitive forces at work in every industry and every market. The expression of these forces determines the intensity of competition in an industry and thus its profitability and attractiveness. The objective of corporate strategy should therefore in looking for ways to weaken competitive forces in relation to the company itself. {Porter 1998 #14} Figure : Porters five forces {Porter 1998 #14} Analysing the American health beverage market, which BIONADE wants to enter, there is a variety of forces, which should be considered. Buyers: It can be a threat, because buyers have the force to choose other drinks. Substitutes: There are some substitutes. They are and mainly they will become a threat. There are not only other healthy lemonades but also bottled waters, ready-to-drink teas and fruit juices. Suppliers: Meanwhile there is no big threat by suppliers, because BIONADE exports its own bottles form Germany and uses the concentrate which is produced in its producing site in Germany. Potential Entrants: This would be the biggest threat. Because of the large market and the huge chance because of the trend of changing lifestyle, many competitors will get on the market. There will be keen competition which should be considered by entering the market and solutions must be found for each problem. Some solutions can be in the marketing mix, like pricing politic or with clever product placement. Strategies With its aim generating a larger turn-over, BIONADE entered the US market because there is a niche market. There is no other brewed lemonade in America, but there are customers who would buy healthy drinks. With this unique position, they have a chance to challenge other companies and take market share. {Doole 2004 #20} Because of the large competitors like Coca Cola and Pepsi, BIONADE should distinguish in marketing, product, product placement and aim with a unique marketing-mix at the target group to prevent other companies taking their business idea.{Kotabe 2008 #21} The best strategy for BIONADE was Differentiation. {Doole 2004 #20} Because of the flexibility of a SME, the company can meet customer needs very fast and can distinguish from other beverages. To have not a high level of risk BIONADE made a joint venture with a German noodle company, which piggybacks the product. This indirect exporting method can work, because both products are organic, but they are no competitive products. BIONADE can profit of the reputation of the noodles. As the noodle company does not have the knowledge in the beverage segment it would be a better strategy to get help of an agent, who knows the market. With direct export the companies risk shrinks but the cost raise. {Kotabe 2008 #21} BIONADE established a production site in the US. With this strategy they can save costs for transport, which are mainly the highest costs of the supply chain. {Kotabe 2008 #21} But with this strategy the quality of the beverage can decrease. The employees dont have the knowledge like the staff in Germany. In addition there is also the risk, that BIONADE does not sell as much as calculated and the assembly lines are not working to their full capacity. Recommendation To keep successful BIONADE can go different ways. There is the possibility of entering more markets, or to penetrate new markets or put new BIONADE products on the market. In this chapter is shown, how BIONADE can manage these two different paths of expanding the brands value. Staying competitive with entering new markets or products New Products ExistingAnsoff(1957) invented a method, which makes it for companies possible to generate more profit and growth. His theory is divided in four ways, which are entering new markets or inventing new products. This method can help BIONADE to succeed on the market during the next years. Existing Markets or segments New Figure : Ansoff matrix {H. Ansoff #15} Potential strategies are: Market development: BIONADE can generate growth with entering new markets with existing products, like BIONADE already has done in countries around the domestic market. There are the possibilities which are shown in chapter 4.1. It is recommended that BIONADE searches for a partner in US who supports the company by selling the beverage. A good partner could be McDonalds, because it changed the strategy to healthier food. There already exists a partnership between both in Germany, which can be expanded to North America. {Weiguny 2009 #18} Market penetration: In this field, Ansoff describes in his theory, there are is not much growth expected. {H. Ansoff #15} But BIONADE can use its experience to gain new customers on the existing market or sells more to regular customer. It can be aimed with setting up a marketing campaign like making cocktails with BIONADE. New product development: This strategy has more risks than just market penetration. {Thommen 2009 #16} It is useful to stay successful. BIONADE can remain successful on the existing market with introducing new flavours like Cranberry for the US market, new design of bottles or maybe thermo jugs of BIONADE to keep the beverage cool in summer. Diversification: The strategy of entering new markets with new products has the highest risk rate. {Thommen 2009 #16} BIONADES has a variety of possibilities from putting a sports drink on the US market or inventing sweets or ice cream for kids. But another strategy to stay competitive is to keep an eye on the global market trends and spread the beverage in more foreign markets. Entering new markets BIONADE is on shelves in almost in the whole northern part of the hemisphere, like in almost whole Western Europe, North America, and Russia, as it is shown on the map below. Figure : BIONADES current and potential market entries {Daniel Dalert #17} As the SWOT analysis shows in chapter 2.1 BIONADE has many opportunities and chances, not only in the US market. The trend to a healthier life exists in almost all Western countries. To expand the market, it is recommended to enter step-by-step all Western European countries, like the missing countries Portugal and the East European countries, with new special flavours adopted for the countries. Because of the short trade routes it could be made by exporting the bottles. If North America runs well, there is the opportunity to go to Australia, which is also a Western country with loads of sportive, healthy living people on the beaches. It could be the strategy to sell the beverage first on the coast in cafes and bars. With the same strategy like in Germany and with just low marketing campaign they could sponsor surfing contests. Also Brasilia is a good target market with healthy living, open-minded people. With their favourite trend fruit Acai berry there is even a flavour for this ma rket. Because of its hot climate there is the possibility to sell it as a healthy refreshing drink for day and night, even for cocktails. It is recommended not to concentrate to just a view countries, because the beverage market has keen competition. Entering more markets and to have in all countries a little market share is the key to BIONADEs success. Conclusion For BIONADE, there is still high potential to raise the growth like in the last few years, especially with entering new markets. {Weiguny 2009 #18} But BIONADE gets harsh critics, especially in Germany, because they had a change of their strategy. {Matthias Benirschke 05.02.2011 #19} It is said BIONADE is not that bio like they say and it is not any more a drink for a better world, and they stopped sponsoring some events. In Germany there is at the moment the threat of losing regular customers because of just trying to gain the highest profit. The target group is very sensible and should be taken very into account. {Matthias Benirschke 05.02.2011 #19} Appendices

Saturday, July 20, 2019

An Overview Of Teaser Advertising

An Overview Of Teaser Advertising Zoon, V.I.B, On ne peut larreter; these ad shouts for ones attention but there is no brand name. As you pass by, the hoardings yell out to you they look extremely familiar but yet they reveal nothing except the promise of more to come. Sometimes they work in a tizzy while sometimes they ask a response out of you. It is suspense with a purpose to tease. These are Teaser advertising. In Mauritius, this style of advertising which tend to advertise for a new product while keeping the target audience interest arouse each day and at the same time creating a sort of buzz around the ad-the teaser, has become a craze lately. The Zoon Teaser advertising proved to be successful in teasing people. Nevertheless some people consider Teaser advertising to be Much Ado about Nothing (quoting the word of Shakespeare). But, why is there so much fantasy about communicating and advertising a product? Today, advertising is considered by many to be the most important factor in the success of the company as most organizations -small and large- that rely on marketing to create customer interest, are engaged in consistent use of advertising to help meet marketing objectives. An organization can have the best idea, product or service, but without effectively delivering their messages to its target market, these ideas, products and services can go unnoticed. An effective creative campaign in the form of a teaser can set a company apart from the competition and allows it to give to its potential customers an image of what makes the brand different from the competition which has for goal to be top of the mind of these busy consumers. This means that the name of the business or the brand is the first thing that pops into their head, when looking for a product in the respective category. Furthermore, given info rmation asymmetry that prevails in the market, advertising is a communication tool that cannot be missed to signal potential clients and Teaser advertising with its ability to create buzz and word of mouth is for sure a successful method to spread news about a subject. But even if advertising including Teaser plays a crucial role in positioning the product in the mind of customers, does this type of advertising push people to buy the advertised product as such? Therefore does this type of advertising always work? Does it create this sort of buzz that it wants to cause? Does it create this sort of buzz that it wants to cause? Does it has an impact on people and how do they react to it? Does it act as a source of motivation for customers to purchase? To know more about this interesting aspect of advertising and to explore this specific area of advertising, a study has been conducted towards this perspective by considering the recent teaser ads in Mauritius. This study will allow discovering and evaluating this particular technique of advertising and explore the surrounding galaxy of such tool of advertising. 1.1 Aims and Objectives Ø Understanding the concept of Teaser advertising o Teaser Ad as an advertising practice o Teaser Ad as a communication tool o Teaser Ad in relation with customer attitudes Ø Evaluating the effectiveness of Teaser advertising in the Mauritian context Ø Analysing Teaser ad as a source of motivation for customers to purchase 1.2 Hypotheses Hypothesis 1: H0: There is no relationship between Teaser advertising and frequency of purchase H1: There is a relationship between Teaser advertising and frequency of purchase Hypothesis 2: H0: There is no relationship between Teaser ad as a source of motivation and purchasing decisions. H1: There is a relationship between Teaser ad as a source of motivation and purchasing decisions. Hypothesis 3: H0: There is no relationship between Teaser effectiveness and level of expectation of revelation of the ad. H1: There is a relationship between Teaser effectiveness and level of expectation of revelation of the ad. Hypothesis 4: H0: There is no relationship between teaser ad as a communication tool and purchasing decisions. H1: There is a relationship between teaser ad as a communication tool and purchasing decisions. Hypothesis 5: H0: There is no relationship between buyers self-concept towards teaser advertising and purchase intention of that product. H1: There is a relationship between buyers self-concept towards teaser advertising and purchase intention of that product. Hypothesis 6: H0: There is no relationship between religion and purchasing intention. H1: There is a relationship between religion and purchasing intention Chapter 2 Literature Review 2.0 Introduction Under this chapter, teaser advertising will be treated as a style of doing advertising among others and also the concept of teaser advertising with relation customers. Thus teaser advertising will be defined under 3 main heading. Moreover, this chapter covers literatures on the development of this particular type of advertising in Mauritius. This section will try to analyse Teaser ad as a source of motivation for customers to purchase with reference to different literatures from various authors. Concrete authors examples will be used. 2.1 What is advertising? According to Smith et al. (1998), there exist twelve different communication tools available to a marketer. As per Leiss (1972), advertising has been recognized as a major vehicle of social communication in the field of marketing in modern Western society. Kotler and Armstrong (2007) provide an alternative definition: Advertising is any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods and services through mass media such as newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor. Advertising is the promotion of products and services carried out by companies principally to drive sales of the products and services and equally to establish brand identity and to communicate changes or new products or services to the customers. Marketers have identified several reasons for advertising, among which are as follows: * Increasing the sales of the product/service * Creating and maintaining a brand identity or brand image. * Communicating a change in the existing product line. * Introduction of a new product or service. * Increasing the buzz-value of the brand or the company. Thus, just like, there are several reasons for advertising; similarly there exist various media that effectively can be employed for advertising. Based on these criteria there can be several styles of advertising which will be discussed below. 2.2 Styles of advertising The creative style of execution refers to the manner in which a particular appeal is transformed into a message of publicity which is presented to the consumer. According to the research done by Tony Yeshin (1997), the following are the most common styles of advertising: 2.3 Teaser advertising The Marketing Dictionary and Barrons Educational Series, 2007 defines teaser advertising as: A brief advertisement designed to tease the public by offering only bits of information without revealing either the sponsor of the ad or the product being advertised. 2.3.1 Teaser advertising: As an advertising practice According to this theory by Joannis (1995), the very old principle of Teaser advertising is to arouse the curiosity of the prospect by communicating to it the first part of the completely mysterious message. It is supposed to hold ones attention and brings him/her to seek the second part of the message. Joannis (1995) also points out that this second part would not have been read if the curiosity excites by the first part, is very far away from the subject. Joe ODonnell (2002) puts forward: If theyve got the right target audience and the right media, the audience is going to pay attention to the teaser campaign as it develops. Jean-Marc Lehu (2006) for his part stresses that Teaser advertising is characterised by a two phases advertising campaign. This technique can consist of two or even three teasers. (Lehu,2006) Source: Two Phases Advertising Campaign adapted by Jean-Marc Lehu, 2006 Bruce Miller (2002) classifies the HERE Teaser campaign in Baltimore (the largest city and cultural center of the U.S. state of Maryland) as an effective advertising practice. The revelation part of the Teaser Christopher Jacob (2006) puts forward that the revelation of certain Teaser ads are weak which eventually have a negative impact on consumers purchasing decisions. For example in 2007, in France the Teaser advertising for Transatlantis proved to be very effective, however the revelation which relates to the offer (a journey) was somehow weak which eventually had a negative effect on customers purchasing decisions. 2.3.2 Teaser advertising: As a communication tool According to Hung (2000), teaser ads rely heavily on nonverbal executional cues to communicate. As a copywriting approach to break through confusion, teaser ads provide incomplete information (Kover 1995) and rely on lush visual images, accompanied by music or other sound effects, to create an attractive image for the advertised brand and its users. Aaker et al. (1992) considers: It is through teaser advertising that we can provide creative advertising along with effective communication. This is because; this style of advertising not only attracts the target consumers attention, but also generates interest and educates the consumer about the product benefits and positioning, thus acting as an effective tool of communication. Teaser ad is a powerful tool used to convey message to the target audience but in its own style of creating curiosity on what the ad is about and thus directs the attention of target audience (Journal of Advertising, 2001) Erik Schmuckler (1999) views Lee Jeans Teaser ad as an effective communication tool in terms of delivering the right message to the target audience. The main idea behind this mystery ad was to show that this particular brand is cool to wear. Lee became very cool very fast. According to the agencys (Fallon McElligott, 1999) tracking study, perceptions that the brand was becoming more popular and was cool to wear jumped 10 percentage points from 25 to 35 percent and their sell-in of the Dungarees line was four times higher than anticipated. Most importantly, Lee gained 3 percent in market share in a flat year while Levis dropped just as many percentage points. 2.3.3 Teaser advertising: With relation to customer attitudes Lutz (1985) defines customers attitudes towards Teaser advertising as a learnt tendency to react in a favourable or unfavourable manner to Teaser campaign in general. According to Bauer and Greyser (1968), Teaser ad had important economic and social effects and built up a set of belief items associated with positive and negative outcomes of such ad in these specific areas. The attitudes of customers towards teaser advertising vary from one another. With particular reference to www.agencyfaqs.com, the following are some thoughts on teaser advertising with respect to customers: Ø Teaser campaigns are a bit like lemon. If one squeeze them too much they become bitter. One should quickly take out the juice and make the lemonade (as in the main campaign), rather than squeeze it drop by drop till it becomes too sour for anybodys liking Ø Teaser ads are not cash cows in terms of immediate sale, but if one notices, they are always at the top of the mind Ø Teasers tease the consumers and do stimulate to buy provided it is a launch product or a new sensational stuff. Gums are fun to chew and get better on chewing more but loose the juice on chewing too long. Ø What a waste of advertising money! 2.4 Development of teaser advertising According to Dan S. Kennedy (2006), the main problem with carrying out big ad in the newspaper, in a trade journal, or in a national magazine is the number of people one pay for simply do not see it. This means that on any one day, ones best prospects may be out of town, sick in bed, or too busy to read newspaper. As a solution to this problem, one strategy to focus attention on ones big ad is to precede it with a series of tiny, low-cost teaser ads. For example, a new computer store eager of making the business community aware of its existence for two months, in the weekly city business journal, ran small display ads. (Dan S. Kennedy, 2006) 2.5 Teaser advertising in Mauritius Past research done by LExpress (2005) proves that many people are still unaware of this great phenomenon in advertising in Mauritius. This is because many people have difficulty in associating the Teaser with advertising, or for the new generation this concept is still new, except those having knowledge in the marketing field. But if one asks someone about the Zoon teaser advertising campaign, they will definitely recall it. In fact, Zoon was launched in October 2005 to assess the effectiveness of billboards. But primarily the billboard was featuring a dog (who was lost and his master apparently launch this ad campaign for it and even propose a big sum of money as reward), but this was all a teaser. This was done just to make zoon becoming the talk of the town as per Mr. Vincent Montocchio; Creative Director of Circus (Lexpress October 2005). However, this particular teaser advertising is not the first one to appear in Mauritius. In fact, by the end of the eighties, one among the first teaser advertising which was famous to the public, is the one developed for the national airline company; Air Mauritius by the Immedia advertising agency. They placed a koala in 3D in front of Queen Victoria in front of the government house, without any indication what it is. This created curiosity among the general public and became the talk of not just the town but of the whole country, and it was even on the first page of the newspaper. A few days later, the teaser was revealed; it in fact introduces Air Mauritius first flight to Australia. Subsequently, this teaser advertising campaign has brought the emergence of other teaser ads and fifteen years after, this style of advertising is still present. (Poonoosamy, 2006) 2.6 The When of teaser advertising in Mauritius This is commonly used by new products and new businesses to create an element of intrigue and curiosity and build excitement and anticipation. A good example is the launch campaign for the Nissan Micra (Baker, 1994) and the initial campaign for Cable and Wireless. (Tony Yeshin, 1997) Generally, not all advertising agencies in Mauritius get involved in Teaser advertising, because it depends highly on the clients product positioning, budget of the client and most importantly, what does the client want; what dose the brand wants to say during the advertising campaign. But then when does one engage in teaser advertising? Figure 2. 3: When to do teaser in Mauritius New Product Launching According to Belch and Belch (2003), the teaser advertising has for key objective to reveal the brand after hiding it for some time and after keeping this moment of pure intrigue. Therefore it will be wise to say that teaser advertising will best be adapted when the company is launching a new product or brand. For example, in France, the merger Neuf Telecom and Cegetel used online teaser ads to introduce its new subsidiary Neuf Cegetel that was meant to specialize in mobile communications (www.journaldunet.com). A local example is the national lottery LOTO where a Teaser campaign was used to advertise this product since it was new in the Mauritian market. New Business According to blimpcam.com, it is very important for a new business to generate customer interest before a business opens its doors. To achieve this, some businesses do teaser advertising. For example a teaser ad may be, the countdown has begun; there are only 60 days until a certain company opens. However in Mauritius, this particular style of advertising does not only used for new business but also for existing one. A recent example of Teaser ad in Mauritius for an existing business is Orange. 2.7 Evaluation of teaser advertising All advertising efforts-regardless of its styles, are directed mainly towards the attainment of various objectives (in terms of business, marketing and advertising) i.e., to increase the sales turnover and thus to market the maximum profit. The advertiser spends millions of rupees in this activity. In the background of all these hard work, is an effort to attract the customer towards the product through advertising. Pollay and Mittal (1993) put forward that Teaser advertising influences consumers on three levels namely: Ø economic level Ø personal level Ø social level However, in reality, does advertising especially Teaser ad really motivates ones to carry out the purchase activity? Hristo Ivanov Katranjiev (2000) points out that in most cases, the ultimate response is purchase. Normally, consumers pass through six stages (see figure 2.4) in their way to making a purchase. Phillip Kotler, Gary Armstrong (2001) suggest that prior to the first stage, consumers may be completely unaware of the product, know only its name or know a bit about it. So, there is a need to build awareness first and then knowledge. When Nissan introduced its Infinity automobile line, it started with with an extensive teaser advertising campaign to build name familiarity. Original ads for the Infiniti created curiosity and awareness by showing the cars name only and not the car. Later ads created knowledge by informing potential buyers of the cars high quality and many innovative features and continued like this till the last stage. In common cases, Teaser ads act as a source of motivation for customers to purchase activity. 2.7.1 Teaser advertising as a source of motivation for customers to purchase According to David A.Aaker (1989), usually advertising in general is not well suited to directly precipitate action. Rather it is better at conducting some communication, association or persuasion task that will hopefully result in the desired action being precipitated. A communication results in the audience members learning something new or gaining an improved understanding or memory of some fact. However, according to David A.Aaker (1989), Teaser advertising is one of the many forces that motivate customers to purchase. That is this style of advertising is well suited to directly precipitate action of purchase (see figure 2.5). According to Henri Joannis (1995), Teaser ad is actually an altered version of a very old model of advertising, the AIDA model, which points out that an announce must draw attention, arise interest, inculcate the desire and provoke action. Joannis (1995) also stresses on the fact that Teaser ad is altered in the way that the factor attention is separated from the factor interest and desire by the use of suspense element that creates curiosity. In advertising settings, consumers are assumed to go through a process to compare Teaser ad contents with self-concept when they are exposed to the advertising messages. According to Markus et al. (1985), self-concept does not just have the meaning of mere knowledge of facts, but rather, it is a cognitive structure which is related with strong feelings and motivations. While research pertaining to the effect of self-concept on purchase intention is rare, Landon (1974) and Belch (1978) found that both actual and ideal self-concept influence purchase intention (though their degree of relative impact is different). That is, the more closely the teaser ad matches the buyers self-concept, the higher the purchase intention for that product. However, previous research done by Hristo Ivanov Katrandjiev (2000) proves that Teaser advertising is cheaper than sales promotion and more expensive than public relations, but often evokes negative feelings (such as annoyance, anger, distrust, etc.). Paul Hague (2001) states that the AIDA hierarchical model follows the decision making process from lighting the lamp for people through to the sale itself. At each level in the process the number of people drastically diminishes so that those who take action are a small fraction of those who are aware of or interested in the product (see figure 2.6). Kim Shyan Fam et al. (2004) point out that religious beliefs play a major role in shaping human behaviour towards a particular ad no matter of its styles. According to Deng et al. (1994), religion also controls gender roles in a particular culture. As per Philippe Tesseron (2006), the very effective style of advertising-Teaser ad was used in France for a hypermarket. The first billboard was introduced anonymously, without brand but with a promising revelation. Comparatively, that everybody, especially the religious ones, seems to remember the great advertising campaign which became a real scoop in 1981. There was a young woman in bikini which promises to take out her top then the bottom as they change posters, then to discover the reveal-a naked woman from the back with the slogan-Avenir Advertising-They hold their promises. Philippe Tesseron (2006) points out that this teaser ad on the hypermarket in France did not really act as a source of motivation for customers to do the act of purchase, but rather this ad arise questions: Is the body merchandise that we use to satisfy the desires of some advertisers? What is the relationship between the opening of a hypermarket and the back of a woman or man in underwear on posters and billboards? So the Myriam advertising campaign realized in France 1981 on the hypermarket has created lots of controversies. Philippe Tesseron (2006) also points out that these controversies were not only due to religious beliefs but on ethical ground which eventually lead to the idea that religion alone does not influence purchasing decisions. 2.8 Summary Teaser advertising has for objective to create attention around a subject and to trigger curiosity its prospect. This technique of advertising is done in two phases. Despite the Zoon Teaser in Mauritius was a real success as it has been playing a lot on emotions, there exist lots of controversies of this style of advertising because of ethical aspects of some of the visuals displayed. Finally it is mentioned that Teaser ad acts as a source of motivation but does it really influence consumers in their purchasing decisions and force them to do the purchase activity. For this, various literatures from different authors have been used so as to obtain a deep understanding of the subject. Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.0 Introduction According to Zikmund, research is the systematic and objective process of gathering, recording and analyzing of data for aid in making decisions (Zikmund, 2000). Advertising related research provides information in several areas, for example the uses of research pertaining specifically to the creative execution (Michelet, 2006). While carrying out research, it is important for us to look at the steps in the research process that will be handled further in this chapter. 3.1 Step 1: Formulation of the research problem The marketing environment is constantly changing and therefore marketers or managers have to address new issues which may create opportunities or problems for their organizations (Wilson, 2003). As far as Teaser advertising is concerned, some ad agencies and advertisers have forgotten what this style of advertising should do and how they should do it. As a consequence, some of the advertising produced in Mauritius has substantial flaws that limit its value as a communication tool. Therefore, the present study investigates the perception of the Mauritian consumers on Teaser advertising. Basically, consumers inference to the nature and purpose of mystery advertising has been decided. The following questions also have been addressed: how far does Teaser ad influence consumers in their purchase decisions, where there are similar types of advertising as well as lots of ad messages in todays clutter. The result is ineffective advertising that gives nothing to potential consumer and the advertiser. With lots of repeated ads, can advertising in terms of teaser advertising deliver information people need and want to make them make intelligent purchase decision and motivate them to buy? Thus, a survey has been carried out and it has the following objectives: Ø Understand the concept of Teaser advertising o Teaser Ad as an advertising practice o Teaser Ad as a communication tool o Teaser Ad in relation with customer attitudes Ø Evaluate the effectiveness of Teaser advertising in the Mauritian context Ø Analyse Teaser ad as a source of motivation for customers to purchase. 3.2 Step 2: Determine Research Design Research Design is simply the framework or plan for a study used as a guide in collecting and analyzing data. There are some important research design frameworks that are classified as: Ø Exploratory Ø Conclusive (a) Descriptive (b) Causal Research This study is an attribute of both exploratory and descriptive research. It is to be noted that due to time and other constraints, a true exploratory design involving techniques like focus groups were not adopted for the study. 3.2.1 Exploratory Research An exploratory research principally for this study has been conducted in order to find out the point of view of Mauritian consumers on Teaser advertising and also to identify the factors that influence their perception of Teaser advertising. This will help in the assessment of Teaser ad as a source of motivation for customers to purchase. Thus, the following hypotheses (with reference to various authors) were developed: 1. There is no relationship between Teaser advertising and frequency of purchase. Paul Hague (2001) states that at each level in the process (AIDA model) the number of people drastically diminishes so that those who take action are a small fraction 2. There is a relationship between Teaser ad as a source of motivation and purchasing decisions. As per Phillip Kotler, Gary Armstrong (2001), Teaser ads act as a source of motivation for customers to purchase activity. 3. There is a relationship between Teaser effectiveness and level of expectation of revelation of the ad. Christopher Jacob (2006) puts forward that weak revelation of Teaser ads have a negative impact on consumers purchasing decisions. 4. There is a relationship between buyers self-concept towards teaser advertising and purchase intention of that product. Landon (1974) and Belch (1978) found that the more closely the teaser ad matches the buyers self-concept, the higher the purchase intention for that product. 5. There is a relationship between teaser ad as a communication tool and purchasing decisions. Erik Schmuckler (1999) found that Teaser ad as an effective communication tool positively influences purchasing decision. 6. There is no relationship between religion and purchasing intention. As per, Philippe Tesseron (2006) religion alone does not influence purchasing decisions. 3.2.2 Descriptive research Since the objectives of the study require information to be generated about Teaser advertising as a source of motivation for customers to purchase, this study is descriptive in nature as well. 3.3 Step 3: Determining Data Collection Methods 3.3.1 Secondary Data Secondary data is information that has been previously gathered for some purpose other than the current research. As such secondary data which includes newspapers such as LExpress, the Internet and journal articles was collected externally. 3.3.2 Primary Data It is collected by a program of observation, qualitative or quantitative research either separately or in combination. For this study, both quantitative and qualitative researches were chosen. Quantitative Research: This approach was used so as to identify the influence of Teaser ad on purchasing decisions. Hence, a survey was conducted where questionnaires were designed and administered to the target population so as to get the required information. Qualitative Research: This research was as important in this study so as to gain a deeper understanding of Teaser ad as a source of motivation to make purchase

Cause and Effects of Smallpox Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical Dise

Cause and Effects of Smallpox Smallpox is caused by the variola virus that emerged in human populations thousands of years ago. Smallpox is a specific, infectious, and highly contagious febrile disease known only to be transmitted by humans. It is caused by a virus from air currents which are eventually passed on from person to person. Smallpox varies from a mild form without skin manifestations to a highly fatal hemorrhagic form. Edward Jenner, an English physician, discovered a means of preventing smallpox through vaccination. Gradually mass vaccination programs were introduced in many parts of the world. Smallpox was the first disease conquered by human beings and was eradicated by vaccination. The last known cases of naturally occurring smallpox were isolated in 1977 in Somalia. Smallpox had been one of the world’s most feared diseases which killed hundreds of millions of people and scarred and blinded millions more. Smallpox, which is caused by variola virus, is a severe, often fatal, highly contagious disease. The name smallpox is derived from the Latin word for â€Å"spotted† and refers to the raised bumps that appear on the face and body of an infected person. It is characterized by high fever and distinctive skin rash that frequently leaves permanent deep-pitted scars. Smallpox varies in severity from a mild, difficult-to-recognize form without skin manifestations to a highly fatal hemorrhagic form. From the 15th century through the 18th records of the disease in Europe show its catastrophic effect on the lives of people and the political and economic history of nations. Even survivors were frequently disfigured for life. (Henderson, 1947) Smallpox was caused by a virus that spread from person to person through the air. I... ...revention. However, in the aftermath of the events of September and October, 2001, there is heightened concern that the variola virus might be used as an agent of bioterrorism. For this reason, the U.S. government is taking precautions for dealing with a smallpox outbreak. (CDC, 2005). Cause and Effects of Smallpox†¦6 References Center for Disease Control. (2004,December).Smallpox Disease Overview. Center for Disease Control. Date Retreived: http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/overview/disease-facts.asp Henderson. D. 1947. World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago, IL: Scott Fetzer. Thomas, R. (1907). Variola. The Ecletric Practice of Medcine. Date Retreived: July 21, 2005: http://www.ibiblio.org/herbmed/eclectic/themes/smallpox.html World Health Organization. Smallpox. World Health Org. July 21, 2005: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/smallpox/en/print.html

Friday, July 19, 2019

Vitamin C in Treatment of the Common Cold :: Health Medicine Papers

Vitamin C in Treatment of the Common Cold Is Vitamin C the cure for the common cold? Will it reduce the severity and duration of a cold? Will it prevent you from ever having another cold? Of course, we would all like to think that would be true, but what’s the real effect of Vitamin C supplements? What is Vitamin C and Where Can I Find It? Vitamin C is water soluble and functions as an antioxidant and as a coenzyme. Furthermore, it can perform different functions in various situations, such as aiding in collagen formation for teeth, cartilage, and connective tissue and aiding in the formation of new tissue in wound healing. Vitamin C can be found in foods such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cantaloupe, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, peppers, and strawberries. Presently the RDA is 60 mg. What are the Dangers? Vitamin C Deficiency Vitamin C deficiency is rather rare in Western countries, however, it still occurs in alcoholics, drug addicts, and the elderly--groups whose dietary intakes are often very poor. Marginal deficiency symptoms are gingivitis, loose teeth, aching limbs and joints, poor wound healing, and weakening of tissues which increases the risk of infection. (Grodner, Anderson, & DeYoung; 1996) Vitamin C Toxicity Despite the fact that Vitamin C is essential to good health, you can have too much of a good thing. Although toxicity from foods high in Vitamin C does not occur, taking supplements in large doses (1 gm to 15 gm) may result in symptoms such as cramps, nausea, diarrhea, kidney stones, and gout. After receiving excessive amounts of Vitamin C, the body begins to destroy much of the excess Vitamin C that is in circulation. Furthermore, there is a potential rebound effect upon abruptly stopping supplementation for the body is still in the process of destroying the vitamin. (Grodner, Anderson, & DeYoung; 1996) Brown (1973) also warned that chronic massive doses of Vitamin C resulted in increased mobilization of calcium and phosphate from the skeletons of chicks, weakening the bone structure. Although unsure if massive doses would produce the same effect in humans, the author warned against chronic massive supplementation. Vitamin C and Colds: How Does it Work? Vitamin C is often used for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. Wilson, Loh, and Foster (1972) state that the prophylactic effect refers to the ability of vitamin C to prevent a cold Furthermore, commencement of administration of vitamin C when cold symptoms first appear constitutes the therapeutic use.

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Developing Business Skills Essay

How do OMM activities create value and a competitive advantage at the input, operations, and output stages? The input stage of the operations and materials management process would include the materials needed to create the finished goods that the consumer desires. This is where the company determines the amount of value they create for the customer by purchasing products that have the greatest value for the money. The operations stage of the process is where the skills, knowledge, machines, and experts come together to produce the goods and services to sell to the consumer at the lowest cost possible to remain competitive in their market. The output stage of this process is when the products that were produced reach the customers that they were intended for. If these products cost more to make than the competitors, then the consumers will likely not buy their product because the cost will be higher to cover the expenses involved in making them. What is TQM, and why is it important for a company to improve the quality of its products? In terms of a company’s input, operations, and output stages, how can TQM be used to create a competitive advantage? The term TQM refers to total quality management and refers to techniques used to improve operational efficiency and effectiveness. This operational technique is aimed toward continuous improvement within the company from input to output. This technique helps companies to reduce the production time it takes to make a product as well as the waste involved in the process too. When a company focuses on streamlining their production process it allows them to reduce their initial cost involved in producing their products which, in turn, reduces their overall cost and allows them to pass the savings on to their consumers. What is Six Sigma, and it what ways can it be used to reduce the costs of a company’s OMM process? In terms of a company’s input, operations, and output stages, how can Six Sigma be used to create a competitive advantage? Six Sigma refers to the process that can measure how far a task deviates from perfection. It can also figure where the problems derive from and figure out ways to eliminate them. This process can produce no more than 3.4 defects per million chances for nonconformance. It revolves around six key concepts to acquire perfection within the process. These would include: critical to quality, defect, process capability, variation, stable operations, and design for Six Sigma. These six key concepts focus on how the consumers discern their product and the value that it provides to them. I have worked for a company that has this process in place and the key component that I found helpful was the fact that everything had a specific place that it should be. This made finding things very easy which eliminated running around hunting for things that you needed for the production process. This cut down on time wasted and made the production of the product much less time consuming. How does a just-in-time inventory system operate? In terms of a company’s input, operations, and output stages, how can JIT be used to create a competitive advantage? A just-in-time (JIT) inventory system requires that inputs and components are delivered at the exact moment they are needed to reduce the inventory levels. These systems cut costs by not requiring products stored in inventory for days or even weeks ahead of time. This allows a company to keep their overhead down and only purchase the exact amount of product they need to produce the product they are making. One way for a company to create a competitive advantage with a JIT is to work with their suppliers to incorporate a JIT process as well to reduce costs and increase quality. This process allows a company to change the design of their product without producing an abundance of their previous products because they must use up their inventory.

Computer Information Specialist Essay

Computer discipline Specialist, Inc. (CIS) filed a complain of the award of a shrink to Open Technology Group, Inc. (OTG). CIS responded to a request for marriage proposals (RFP) No. NLM-030101/SAN by the plane section of Health and Human function for telecommunications documentation services at the theatricals Bethesda, Maryland facility. The solicitation specified a requirements twinge with fixed periodic rank for a base year with quad 1-year options. The agency intended to award the contract based on best foster with several non-price criteria as the to the highest degree severely weighted factors. Proposals were to include fully-loaded, fixed hourly rates for labor categories. The agency veritable numerous proposals and established a free-enterprise(a) range of quaternary firms after sign military rank. The range included CIS as healthful as OTG the eventual awardee. Following the contract award to OTG CIS underwent an agency debrief and after filed a protest asserting that some(prenominal) its proposal and the proposal of OTG were misevaluated.IssuesAgencies are required to evaluate proposals based solely on the evaluation factors identified in the solicitation. moreover, match to Federal Acquisition Regulations, they must adequately document the reasons for their evaluation conclusions (FAR 15.308). GAO recommended to the agency was to, at a minimal reevaluate both(prenominal) proposals to ascertain if they were evaluated based on the evaluation factors and to determine if adequate rationale were articulated.Decisions (Holdings)Anthony H. Gamboa, everyday Counsel wrote the recommendation. The protest was sustained. Reasoning (Rationale) GAO cerebrate that the plane section of Health and Human Services misevaluated the proposals of both CIS and OTG, contract awardee. In addition, they be that the agencys misevaluation was prejudicial to CIS, since there is a reasonable possibility that, however for the agencys errors, CIS mi ght contrive been selected for award notwithstanding its higher price. stop OpinionsNo dissenting opinion was produce with GAOs decision.AnalysisGAO analyzed the proposals from both CIS and OTG against the RFPs stated evaluation criteria. The Department of Health and Human Services computer address selection team consisted of five justices. In the case of the proposal by CIS, the initial evaluation criticized the proposal for not fling personnel that met all of the solicitation minimum personnel experience requirements. CIS revised their proposal to cure this deficiency. In further evaluation, four of the five evaluators scored this area higher than the initial proposal. However, the fifth evaluator scored the proposal dramatically differently. In the first evaluation, only passing(prenominal) notes were provided to support conclusions. In the second evaluation, most evaluators still provided limited support. However, the fifth evaluator provided comments.Many of the comments w ere either inaccurate or held not relation to evaluation criteria. With cipher to the OTG proposal, GAO determined that the solicitation failed to meet ii of the evaluation criteria and should not have been authorized in the competitive range. It was also recommended that the agency terminate the contract awarded to OTG for the convenience of the authorities and make award to the firm appoint to be in line for award. Furthermore CIS was to be reimbursed all costs associated with the protest to include legal fees.