Thursday, October 31, 2019
Movie review 2 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
2 - Movie Review Example It represents crime scenes. The director presents this perception when Paul’s wife and daughter are killed and raped respectively, his boss sends him specifically to New York to fight crime (Brian and Winner, 2003). The role race plays in the film is evident when Kersey kills more black muggers with the intent of increasing the number of the white muggers. Race is used to indicate that most for the criminals in the setting were of the black origin and this necessitated the discriminative killing (Brian and Winner, 2003). Gender plays a significant role of indicating that the muggers targeted women in their criminal activities. This is evident from the killing of Kersey’s wife, rape of Kersey’s daughter and the killing of a young woman at the parking garage. In essence, gender is used to show that, women fall victims of the muggers’ criminal activities. Gender is represented as an indicator of the safety loophole. This implies that women needed more safety measures than their male counterparts (Brian and Winner, 2003). Class plays a key role of enhancing criminal activities. It is represented by drug barons who engage in a fierce competition in selling hard drugs such as cocaine. They kill each other’s accomplices. For instance, Zacharias gang competes with brothers Jack and Romero’s gang. This is an elite class but grossly involved in criminal activities. This leaves the society a rotten and unsafe place for peaceful dwelling (Brian and Winner, 2003). The film reflects the political situation of the society. There is no political willingness to solve the problems facing the subjects. The coordination between the police and the Kersey indicates a rotten political set up. The film reflects the aspects of racism in fighting crime and this extends to the broader perspective of a racist political milieu existing tin the society (Brian and Winner,
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
Security Essentials DB 4.3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Security Essentials DB 4.3 - Essay Example The world today faces many types of crimes in this age of the computer. The number of hackers driven by the urge to steal and embezzle funds is on the rise. In addition, computer crimes get more sophisticated with hackers working in organized groups to steal credit information, military secrets, funds and information pertaining to personal identity. Due to the prevalence of such crimes, IT security professionals spend much time dealing with the criminal aspects of the legislation than civil issues. Civil laws have limited connection to the security profession. It is because many civil cases concern intellectual property laws, which include trade secrets, trademarks, patents and copyrights. In several instances, these civil laws serve to protect the value of the corporation and other professional may handle them. The aspects governed by the civil laws were vital before the computer age. However, they do not engage security experts intensely in the contemporary issues facing firms today. Therefore, the criminal aspects of the law directly touch on the security profession in the modern word of
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Applying Cue Utilization Theory
Applying Cue Utilization Theory Evaluating Website Quality: Applying Cue Utilization Theory to WebQual Abstract      Cue Utilization Theory is applied to examine the relative importance of each of the WebQual dimensions (Informational Fit-to-Task, Tailored Information, Trust, Response Time, Ease of Understanding, Intuitive Operations, Visual Appeal, Innovativeness, Emotional Appeal, Consistent Image, On-line Completeness, and Relative Advantage) in determining consumers evaluation of website quality. Two studies have been designed for this task. Study 1 qualifies how subjects rate the predictive value (PV) and confidence value (CV) of each dimension. An analysis of these results provides an ability to fit the WebQual dimensions to a 22 model showing the relative magnitude that each dimension has on consumers evaluation of website quality. Study 2 is designed to test the viability of the model via a set of proposed hypotheses. The results from this research will contribute to the field by providing a model that developers can utilize to focus on those characteristics most determi nistic of overall website quality. 1. Introduction      In the last ten years, online shopping has become a prevalent part of the average consumers shopping experience. The consumer now has the ability to purchase virtually anything online; ranging from small-ticket items such as a rubber-band ball to bigticket items like vacation homes. With this increase in the online consumers purchasing power and propensity to purchase online, retailers have become increasingly willing to develop their e-commerce presence. Moreover, this explosion of Internet activity has prompted businesses to demand that website developers understand the qualities of a website that serve to facilitate the shopping experience for e-commerce consumers. At the same time, this growth of e-commerce has provided a virtual plethora of new options for crimes of opportunity such as identity theft. The online shopper has to worry not only about finding the perfect product, but they also have to evaluate the website to determine if they are willing to make a purchase from this site.      Valacich, Parboteeah and Wells [1] developed the Online Consumers Hierarchy of Needs to delineate the needs of the online consumer. Their model showed that certain fundamental needs exist that the online consumer must have met before they are willing to utilize a website. These fundamental needs are then further broken down into the specific website characteristic categories of Functional Convenience, Representational Delight and Structural Firmness. Functional Convenience is the category allowing the consumer to accomplish the task-athand easily and includes attributes, such as ease of ordering and tracking. Representational Delight is characterized by those dimensions that make the site visually appealing, such as graphics and sizing. Structural Firmness consists of fundamental qualities such as response time and security. Using this Hierarchy of Needs, a consumer interested in online banking would need to have their basic need for each of these characteristics met before they would be willing to use the website.      This Hierarchy of Needs model shows those characteristics that are necessary for a consumer to utilize a website, and further elaborates by showing which characteristics are most important depending on if the consumer is visiting the website for business, pleasure or a combination of the two [1]. Knowing these characteristics is important for development of the website, but also implies that the consumers level of confidence in evaluating these characteristics of a website is of particular importance to their overall assessment of a given websites quality. Traditional marketing literature suggests that when people make assessments of quality, they tend to use informational cues that are not only predictive, but also easy to assess. This is known as the Cue Utilization Theory [2], and has been paramount in evaluating consumers perceptions of product quality.      This research project elaborates on consumers inability to evaluate all relevant cues during the online shopping experience. A model is developed using Cue Utilization Theory [2] and WebQual [3] to show the attributes of a website that are the most determinant of how a consumer will react to the website. This model will provide a deeper understanding of the evaluation of existing and proposed websites with respect to consumers confidence in evaluating the cues communicated by the website. 2. Cue Utilization Theory      Richardson, Dick and Jain [2] employed Cue Utilization Theory in their research to determine how consumers viewed store brand quality vs. nationally branded merchandise. According to this theory, â€Å" products consist of an array of cues that serve as surrogate indicators of quality to shoppers†[2]. This theory purports that cues are evoked by the two separate dimensions of predictive and confidence values. The predictive value (PV) is â€Å" the degree to which consumers associate a given cue with product quality†[2]. Confidence value (CV) is â€Å" the degree to which consumers have confidence in their ability to use and judge that cue accurately†[2].      Further, based on relative differences in PV and CV, cues can be broken down into the distinct areas of extrinsic and intrinsic. The American Heritage dictionary describes intrinsic as, â€Å"Of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent†[4] and extrinsic as, â€Å"not forming an essential or inherent part of a thing; extraneous.†[5] From this definition, an intrinsic attribute would be one that would fundamentally alter the focal object (e.g., product) if it was changed or absent and, per Cue Utilization Theory, would possess an inherently high degree of PV. Alternatively, an extrinsic attribute would be one that would not alter the fundamental nature of the focal object in its absence but might alter a consumers reaction or perceptions of the object. Per Cue Utilization theory, an extrinsic cue would typically have higher degrees of CV compared to PV.      For example, when looking at a video card on an e-commerce website it could be said that the product price is an example of an extrinsic attribute of the video card. While the video cards dimensions and material composition of the video card serve as intrinsic indicators. Further, you could postulate that the average consumer has a higher CV in their ability to judge the quality of the card based on the price rather than the material composition. Though the consumer knows that the dimensions and material composition of the card are important, they will tend to rely on price as an informational cue, as that is the cue that they feel the most comfortable evaluating.      When considering the quality of a website there are a myriad of dimensions that the consumer mustevaluate to determine if they intend to perform a transaction on this website. From the Valacich et al [1] article the consumers basic needs in terms of Structural Firmness, Functional Convenience and Representational Delight must all be met before the consumer will consider doing business. To determine if these needs are being met the consumer will evaluate the cues they perceive as being exhibited from the website. These cues can be further broken down into components by utilizing the WebQual model [3]. 3. WebQual      WebQual consists of 12 dimensions: Informational Fit-to-Task, Tailored Information, Trust, Response Time, Ease of Understanding, Intuitive Operations, Visual Appeal, Innovativeness, Emotional Appeal, Consistent Image, On-line Completeness, and Relative Advantage. Each of these dimensions is shown to have strong measurement validity in regards to the consumers evaluation of overall website quality [3].      Information fit-to-task is an amalgamation of information quality and functional fit-to-task [3]. In component form, information quality refers to the datas appropriateness for use or ability to meet the users needs [6]. Functional Fit-to-Task can be represented as the degree the technology assists the user at a given task [7]. Drawing these two components back together as a whole and relating them to cyberspace lends credence to the definition that information fit-to-task is assisting the user in their desired task by presenting relevant/appropriate information. Loiacono, Chen, and Goodhue [8] define this as â€Å"The information provided meets task needs and improves performance†.      The ability for consumers to tailor the information displayed on a website to meet their needs is the basic form of Tailored Information. Tailored Information is further characterized by Ghose and Dou [9] as the interactivity of the website, and represents the consumers ability to modify information presented on the website. Recent research suggests that website interactivity will lead consumers to be more positive in their evaluation of websites [9]. This concept has also been operationalized as the ability to personalize information between the consumer and the website [8,10]      Trust, in relation to websites, is defined in an extremely simple form as consumers confidence that any information entered into the website will remain confidential and that said information will be transmitted and stored in a secure fashion [8]. Furthermore, trust is having faith that the information presented on the website is true and accurate [11,12]. Lack of Trust has been cited as one of the main hindrances to completion of e-commerce transactions [14,11,15]      Response Time (aka. download time or download delay) is defined by Rose and Straub [16] as â€Å" the time it takes for a web client to fully receive, process, and display files†(p. 56), and is ranked as one of the largest impediments to electronic commerce in their research. Additional research has reinforced that Response Time can be an impediment to e-Commerce, and that is it also strongly associated with web site success [17,18]      The consumers ease in comprehending the website is the Ease of Understanding. Loiacono et al. [8] describe this in terms of a websites ease of reading and the understandability of said website. This would include things like presenting the information in a manner which is easy for the consumer to assimilate, and in a fashion such that the consumer can quickly navigate to the desired information.      Intuitive Operations deals with the usability of a website, and includes items such as navigability, link placement, operation, and changing the color of visited links [19]. Intuitive Operations could be thought of as making the webpage easy to navigate, and providing intuitive options for available tasks [8]      Visual Appeal is how aesthetically pleasing the website is to the consumer. Determining what is aesthetically pleasing is complicated though; it ranges from the overall complexity of the website [20] and the layout of the interface [21] to how many ads and graphics are appropriate on a given page[22]      Innovativeness is â€Å"The creativity and uniqueness of a site design†[8]. This could include concepts such as a website having a new way of presenting its merchandise (e.g. Woot.com) or a website attempting to tailor the information to consumer preferences (e.g. Amazon.com)      Emotional Appeal can be elicited in many forms and can be thought of as the consumers intensity of involvement given the emotions that the website elicits [8]. This is often seen in the form of testimonials presented on the website, but can also be observed by simple things such as a consumers reaction to a Valentines Day card.      Loiacono et al. [8] articulate Consistent Image as the websites ability to project a company image that is compatible with the company image shown in other forms of media channels. For instance, a traditional brick-and-mortal store would want to ensure that their website was displaying a compatible image so that they could capitalize on synergies created by marketing in multiple channels such as cost savings, market extension and improved Trus [23].      Presenting all the information required for the tasks that the website is designed for would be considered On-line Completeness. This would include tasks such as the ability to complete an online transaction on e-commerce sites. A bank for instance would want ubiquitous account access using all available channels, and the information presented in each of these channels has to be on the same update cycle as to present the customer the same information regardless of channel [6].      Relative Advantage is gaining a competitive advantage by being able to do something better than the competition. This could come in the form of providing better interaction with the customer through the website [8], being able to provide more accurate and timely data through your website than the competition [6] or being able to price products lower than the competition because of reduced prices in your supply chain. Each of these dimensions is then tied back into the consumers intention to use/reuse the site. Trust and Response Time, being key indicators, are directly linked to the consumers intention to use the site. Common sense would tell us that consumers are not going to shop on a site that does not respond rapidly to requests. Likewise, if users dont trust the site to keep their information secure, they are not likely to supply the information in the first place. The remaining dimensions are all fully mediated by Usefulness, Ease of Use and Entertainment. Usefulness mediates Informational Fit-to-Task, Tailored Information, Online Completeness and Relative Advantage. Additionally, Ease of Use is partially mediated by Usefulness. Ease of Use mediates Ease of Understanding and Intuitive Operations. Finally, Entertainment mediates Visual Appeal, Innovativeness, Emotional Appeal and Consistent Image (See WebQual model in Figure 1).      Consumers do not just browse a site and evaluate each of these individual traits though. Consumers instead tend to examine a website using those cues that they feel confident in their ability to evaluate successfully. To understand this issue further, WebQual needs to be combined with Cue Utilization Theory to explain the extrinsic/intrinsic nature of each of these dimensions. 4. Cue Utilization/WebQual Conceptual Model      As Valacich et al [1] point out; consumers must have their basic level of needs met before any of the other elements of the website can become relevant to the consumers experience. To validate that these basic needs have been met, the consumer will evaluate those features that they believe to be highly predictive of the quality of the website. This evaluation will then be indicative of their willingness to continue to use the website.      Both extrinsic and intrinsic cues serve a function in the consumers overall evaluation of the quality of a website, which means that such cues possess varying degrees of PV and CV. Literature has shown that consumers tend to use a combination of both extrinsic and intrinsic cues when evaluating the quality of a product [2]. An argument can be made about the extrinsic versus intrinsic nature of each of the dimensions in the WebQual model.      Intrinsic cues are those cues that are inherent to a website. Conceptually they are the cues that when changed fundamentally alter a characteristic of the website (e.g. Visual Appeal). Consumers tend to see these cues as being highly predictive of quality [2]. At the same time, consumers may or may not have a high degree of confidence in their ability to evaluate these intrinsic cues because these cues are often difficult to differentiate. Thus, assuming a Cue Utilization Theory perspective, a website characteristic that is perceived to be an intrinsic cue would have an inherently high degree of PV. Yet, the power of an intrinsic cue for assessments of quality will depend on the CV of the cue, with higher levels of CV being optimal.      Extrinsic cues are those cues that are used to evaluate a website but are not an inherent part of the website (e.g. Response Time). Consumers tend to have a lot of confidence in their ability to evaluate these cues in regards to assessment of quality [2]. On [the other hand, consumers typically do not rate these cues as being highly predictive (as compared to intrinsic cues) of the overall quality of the website. Considering extrinsic cues from a Cue Utilization Theory perspective, a website characteristic that is perceived to be an extrinsic cue would have an inherently high degree of CV.      Shown in Table 1 is a 22 matrix representing how each of the combinations of CV and PV will influence consumers willingness to perform tasks on a given website. As shown, characteristics with high CV and high PV are believed to have the largest effect on consumers perceptions of website quality. Those with low CV and PV would have a small to none existent effect, and those high on one dimension but low on the other would have a moderate effect. Next, we will posit about how varying degrees of cue PVs and CVs, respectively, will affect consumer perceptions of overall website quality.      Relative Advantage is often considered an important aspect of websites as discussed previously. However, from a Cue Utilization Theory perspective the consumer may experience, at most, only a vague feeling about the Relative Advantage of the website. As such they would not place much value in their confidence in assessing this characteristic, which would result in a low CV. Along the same lines the average consumer would also not really take Relative Advantage into consideration when they were performing tasks, implying a relatively low level of PV. Thus, website characteristics that fall into the quadrant in the model with low levels of both PV and CV would have a small impact on consumers willingness to perform tasks on a website. H1: A website characteristic with low CV low PV will produce a small to none existent effect on the consumers perception of website quality.      A characteristic such as Trust is highly predictive of consumers willingness to use a website, but the average consumer may not have much confidence in their ability to evaluate this characteristic. Trust in an online medium has been shown to be an attribute that is hard for the consumer to evaluate and in some cases to even define. Cue Utilization Theory suggests that though this characteristic is highly predictive of website quality, consumers lack of confidence in evaluating the characteristic may inhibit their ability to use the characteristic to assess the quality of the website. Moreover, dimensions in this quadrant, high PV/Low CV, have been shown to be relatively intrinsic to the website [2], and will have a moderate effect on the consumers evaluation of the websites quality. H2a: A website characteristic with low CV high PV will produce a moderate effect on consumers perception of website quality.      One could reason that Response Time is a good example of an extrinsic attribute because it is not part of the inherent composition of the website. Rather, Response Time could be considered extrinsic because it can vary without changing anything about the content of the website. Rose and Straub [16] have shown in their research that consumers tend to attribute lack of responsiveness to extrinsic factors such as the overall speed of the internet, their own internet connection being slow, or other factors. In general, consumers seem to be willing to give the website the benefit of the doubt when slow response times are encountered, and as such, Response Time could be considered extrinsic to the website because it doesnt fundamental change the consumers perception of the website when it is altered. Based on Cue Utilization theory attributes with a low PV and high CV (such as Response Time) will only have a moderate influence on the consumers evaluations of website qua lity, and those dimensions belonging to this quadrant would be extrinsic to the website [2]. H2b: A website characteristic with high CV low PV will produce a moderate effect on consumers perception of website quality.      Cue Utilization Theory suggests that those characteristics with High CV and PV are the most highly predictive of consumers perception of website quality. Visual Appeal could be considered an intrinsic attribute because it is a characteristic inherent to the website that consumers are confident in using to evaluate website quality. One could further speculate that Visual Appeal is intrinsic to the website because if the Visual Appeal of the website was changed it would alter the inherent nature of the website. Lindgaard, Fernandes, Dudek, and Browà ± [24] have shown in their research that consumers form opinions about websites within the first 50 milliseconds (ms) of exposure. Furthermore, this initial perception of websites is almost entirely based on Visual Appeal; this was shown by correlating the ratings between 50 ms and 500 ms. However, though this attribute is intrinsic it shows an optimally high level of CV and PV thus placing it firmly into the high impac t quadrant. Dimensions in this quadrant would exhibit the optimal balance between PV and CV (i.e., an optimal intrinsic cue), and as such this quadrant of the table is hypothesized to have the largest impact on the consumers evaluation of the websites quality. H3: A website characteristic with high CV high PV will produce the largest effect on consumers perception of website quality. 5. Research Method      To test these hypotheses two empirical studies will be administered. Study 1 is designed to determine where each of the WebQual dimensions fit into the 22 model shown in Table 1. Furthermore, this study is designed to determine if a significant difference can be perceived to exist between each of the dimensions when rank ordered by PV and CV. Study 2 will test the hypotheses by collecting data on each of these dimensions using a sample website, and comparing actual results to those found in the first study. 5.1 Study 1      This study will focus on determining the CV and PV for each of the 12 dimensions of website quality, and determining if there is a significant difference between adjacent dimensions when rank ordered. 5.1.1 Subjects. Approximately 500 subjects will be recruited from an introductory Information Systems class held on campus at a large Northwestern University. Additionally, approximately 125 subjects will also be recruited from a distance education class offered by the same university. Subjects physically present on campus will complete the survey during their regular lecture times, and the distance education participants will have one week to complete the survey on their own personal computer. All data for Study 1 will be collected during the fall of 2009. Subjects will be given course credit for completing the survey, and no other incentives will be provided. 5.1.2 Survey Procedure. The survey is broken into two sections, one for CV and one for PV. In the CV section subjects are presented with a scenario about shopping on the Internet and asked about their confidence in assessing each of the 12 WebQual dimensions when shopping on the Internet for a product (e.g. Amazon.com) or Service (e.g. Bank of America). For this series of questions, the subjects will be required to rate each of the 12 WebQual dimensions on a 10-point likert-type scale with Confident/Not Confident being the top and bottom end of the scale. Finally, the subjects are asked to rank order the dimensions from the ones they have the highest confidence in assessing to the ones they have the least confidence in assessing.      The second section is designed to measure the PV of each of the 12 dimensions. Subjects are put in a hypothetical situation where they are in charge of designing a website for their employer. The first step towards designing the website is to decide the relative importance of each of the twelve dimensions in regards to consumers evaluation of the overall website quality. For this series of questions, the subjects will be required to rate each of the 12 dimensions on a 10-point likert-type scale with Important/Not Important being the top and bottom end of the scale. The subjects are then asked to rank order each of the 12 dimensions with respect to how predictive of website quality the subject believes each dimension to be. 5.1.3 Data Analysis. Aggregating the results of this data collection will allow each of the dimensions to be mapped to a CV and PV scale. Based on the relative PV and CV scores, each of the dimensions will be integrated into the 22 matrix shown in Table 1. Furthermore, the relative magnitude of each dimension will indicate the relative effect each dimension will have on the overall rating of website quality. 5.2 Study 2      This study will utilize subjects from an introductory Information Systems class taught in the fall of 2009. Approximately 500 students will participate. This study will focus on first determining the overall quality attributed to a website by the subjects, and secondly how the subjects rate each of the twelve WebQual dimensions for each website. Using regression analysis, we should then be able to show that the model accurately predicts the website quality based on the rating of each of the 12 dimensions.      Furthermore, the pattern of results from this study will examine how well the WebQual dimensions fit to the quadrant they were assigned in Study 1, and that the model developed in Study 1 is predictive of the responses received in Study 2. Those dimensions that serve as the highest-level indicators of website quality should be rated the highest by the subjects, and those that are the lowest should be rated likewise. Ideally, this study should provide significant support for each of the proposed hypotheses, and indicate which of the dimensions should be of highest consideration when constructing a high quality website. Initial data for both of these studies should be ready to share at the conference, should the paper be accepted. 6. Discussion and Potential Contribution      As shown in the model, the most important considerations when developing a website are those attributes that reside in the high CV and high PV quadrant. Online businesses should pay particular attention to the characteristics in this quadrant, as the consumer will tend to utilize these dimensions the most when determining the overall quality of the website. All businesses seeking to perform transactions within the e-commerce channel should pay heed to these recommendations, but online retailers need to pay particular attention, as this is the primary channel through which they produce revenue.      Of secondary importance to consumers are the Low CV/High PV and High CV/Low PV quadrants. If an online business seeks to capitalize on one of the dimensions within these quadrants, they need to pay particular attention to how they will nudge the consumer into using these dimensions for evaluation of website quality. This could potentially be accomplished through educational campaigns or marketing literature. Finally, the low CV/Low PV quadrant is of limited value to the online retailer, and should be removed from consideration when developing a website. This article seeks to contribute to the field by providing a model that can be used to enable web developers to effectively predict the overall quality of a website based on its design. In following this model, the developer will need to pay particular attention to those attributes that are highly predictive, from the consumers viewpoint, of overall website quality, and as such, the website should be designed in a fashion that encourages the consumer to conduct transactions. Additionally, the consumer will be motivated to perform future transactions from this website because they are familiar with the layout and possess a high confidence in the overall quality of the website. 7. Limitations and Future Research      The primary limitation of this model is that it is an untested conceptual model. The assumptions contained herein are as of yet ungrounded in solid empirical evidence; furthermore, this model was designed around e-commerce websites designed to sell products to end consumers.      Future research could delve into decomposing those elements that are the most highly predictive of website quality. This research could take each dimension and decompose them to their base elements to discover what it is about the dimension that makes it highly predictive of website quality. Additionally, the extrinsic/intrinsic nature of each of the dimensions could be explored to determine how a company can best capitalize on these dimensions when trying to sell the consumer on the quality of their website. Either of these approaches could prove invaluable to the field, as they will begin to give the developer a specific set of principles to follow when developing a high quality website. 8. Conclusion      Cue Utilization Theory is a concept that has been used in marketing for years to determine why consumers react differently to a given product. The author of this article has overlaid Cue Utilization theory upon WebQual to design a model that is predictive of the dimensions serving to form the consumers overall feel for the quality of a website. Using this model, website designers will be able to build a website that consumers will be more confident in assessing the quality of, and as such, the consumer will gain confidence in performing transactions on this website. 9. References J.S. Valacich, D.V. Parboteeah, and J.D. Wells, â€Å"The online consumers hierarchy of needs,†Commun. ACM, Vol. 50, No. 9, pp. 84-90, 2007. P.S. Richardson, A.S. Dick, and A.K. Jain, â€Å"Extrinsic and intrinsic cue effects on perceptions of store brand quality.,†Journal of Marketing, Vol. 58, No. 4, p. 28, Oct. 1994. E.T. Loiacono, R.T. Watson, and D.L. Goodhue, â€Å"WebQual: An Instrument for Consumer Evaluation of Web Sites.,†International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 51-87, Spring. 2007. â€Å"intrinsic,†The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. â€Å"extrinsic,†The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. C. Cappiello, C. Francalanci, and B. Pernici, â€Å"Time-Related Factors of Data Quality in Multichannel Information Systems.,†Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 71-91, Winter. 2003. D.L. Goodhue and R.L. Thompson, â€Å"Task-Technology Fit and Individual Performance.,†MIS Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 213-236, Jun. 1995. E.T. Loiacono, D. Chen, and D.L. Goodhue, â€Å"WebQual TM Revisited: Predicting the Intent to Reuse a Web Site,†AMCIS 2002 Proceedings, p. Paper 46, 2002. S. Ghose and W. Dou, â€Å"Interactive Functions and Their Impacts on the Appeal of Internet Presence Sites.,†Journal of Advertising Research, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 29-43, Mar. 1998. R.T. Rust and K.N. Lemon, â€Å"E-Service and the Consumer.,†International Journal of Electronic Commerce, Vol. 5, No. 3, pp. 85-101, Spring. 2001. D.H. McKnight, V. Choudhury, and C. Kacmar, â€Å"Developing and Validating Trust Measures for e-Commerce: An Integrative Typology.,†Information Systems Research, Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 334-359, 2002. R. Pennington, H.D. Wilcox, and V. Grover, â€Å"The Role of System Trust in Business-to-Consumer Transactions.,†Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 197-226, Winter. 2003. J. Kim, J
Friday, October 25, 2019
PULLMAN Essay -- essays research papers
The Town of Pullman: Success or Failure? The invention of the railroad was probably the most important occurrence in the nineteenth century. The United States became a unified front and interstate travel become safe, cheap and efficient. Industries related to the railroad began to prosper, fueling much of the American economy. Entrepreneurs quickly began to take advantage of this boom and thus â€Å"American Big Business†was born. George Pullman was one of the many prominent tycoons of this â€Å"Railroad Era†. Through the use of his talented ingenuity and high organizational skills, he acquired a vast fortune and immense power. George Pullman is most notably credited for the creation of the Pullman Sleeping Car. Its invention enhanced the pleasure of railroad travel by making it more comfortable, clean and exciting. As George Pullman’s invention gained quick public approval, his company began to expand at an enormous rate. This presented a great deal of proble ms to Pullman. â€Å"The company wanted to increase efficiency and economy in servicing and providing cars by spreading facilities. He [Pullman] wanted several hundred acres adjacent to railroad and water transportation.†In 1868, Pullman decided on the Calumet region in southern Chicago. Pullman selected the Calumet region because it offered â€Å"cheap land, low taxes, and excellent transportation.†Few people knew his second and main intention was to build a model town adjacent to the new factory, which he hoped would improve his business enterprise. Pullman was deeply troubled by the social problems of the mid- nineteenth century. He believed that they were the root of the labor unrest his company was experiencing. â€Å"The period showed a dramatic intensification in the numbers of the urban poor, as people with little capital and few useful skills came to the cities in search for employment.†Living conditions were terrible and congestion, dirt, and poor s anitation were held responsible for diseases. Crime, prostitution and violence were blamed on poor housing while alcoholism became synonymous with the slum. Many attributed the poverty and the poor living conditions of the working class to â€Å"the lack of such virtues such as frugality, industriousness and temperateness.†It was believed that the general solution to the problem of the workingman and his family was to elevate their character. Through Pullman’s experience ... ...n social planning and happiness for the individual. A town is recognized for the individuals who live in it, not the business it seems to incorporate. Pullman had a disillusioned, egotistical regard for his workers. When asked about his intentions on building the model town, he commented: â€Å"Capital will not invest in sentiment, nor for sentimental considerations for the laboring class. But let it once be proved that enterprises of this kind are safe and profitable and we shall see great manufacturing corporations developing similar enterprises and thus a new era will be introduced in the history of labor.†Pullman never seemed to grasp how a workingman’s happiness must be fulfilled on a much deeper level than his mere physical settings. The leisurely enjoyment of oneself as well as an overall establishment of identity was the key. When Pullman planned his model town, it was a dream which he envisioned for himself. A dream which would increase his wealth, improve his business and make him renowned. In his heart, he might have never intentionally wanted to socially deprive his work force; it just so happened that the planning of the town did not take this into proper consideration.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
The Different Motivational Theories
This model, namely expectancy theory, suggests that individuals, acting through self-interest, adopt courses of action perceived as maximizing the probability of desirable outcomes for themselves. This desire to maximize self-interest provides aspiring leaders with unique opportunities to assume leadership roles by simultaneously meeting both follower needs and organizational requirements. We intend to explicitly link expectancy theory and leadership concepts to demonstrate that leader interactions with followers permit the establishment of highly motivational working environments. In so doing, individuals acquire the means to transcend their traditional roles of supervisor, manager, or follower, and realize their potentials as leaders. In order to remain competitive at home or within the global market, we must stop relegating in our minds the functions of leadership to the office of the president or CEO of the organization. Instead, we must come to view the leadership role as part of every employee's job, at all levels of the organization. (Isaac, Zerbe & Pitt, 2001, p. 212) Since its origins in the 1960s Equity Theory held forth the promise of helping to explain how employees respond to situations in which they perceive they are being rewarded more or less favorably in comparison to a referent doing similar work. Shortly after its inception, Weick (1966) deemed it to be one of the most useful existing organizational behavior theories. Subsequent reviews concluded that the empirical evidence supporting Equity Theory was generally strong, especially with regards to how workers respond to under-reward situations. Equity Theory proposed that subjects respond to under-reward situations in various ways in an attempt to bring their equity ratio back into balance. For example, subjects may choose a behavioral response to help reduce their feelings of inequity. They may respond in such ways as reducing their inputs (i. e. , not put forth as much effort) or increasing their outcomes (i. e. , ask for a raise). Subjects may instead use a cognitive response to reduce feelings of inequity such as selecting another person to use as their referent. Ultimately the subject may choose to exit the situation by deciding to transfer or quit the organization. Allen & White, 2002) Although previous Equity Theory research has concluded that under-rewarded subjects generally respond in a manner that is consistent with classic Equity Theory, it is not easy to predict which option they will select to bring their equity ratio into balance. This lack of specificity regarding what responses individuals experiencing inequity are likely to have is a serious shortcoming of the original Equity Theory. As such, the original Equity Theory eventually fell out of favor due in part to this inability to predict exactly how individuals would respond to an under-reward situation (e. . , lower their inputs, attempt to raise their outcomes, cognitively justifying the situation, decide to leave the organization). This lack of predictive ability of Equity Theory makes it much less useful to practitioners such as managers and human resource professionals who would greatly benefit if they could accurately predict the reactions that their employees would have to different inequitable situations. Accordingly, research on the topic of Equity Theory moved off in another direction. Inspired by legal research, the procedural justice stream of research began to focus more on the processes and procedures of how pay and recognition are determined, rather than the reactions that individuals have to them. Equity Theory research became less popular and eventually withered away. (Allen & White, 2002) While changing organizational culture is not an easy process, it can be accomplished by emphasizing a commitment to the individual employee. Despite the literature's heavy emphasis on the private sector, many of the elements of Theory Z can be found in public organizations. This article describes one city's effort to change culture by emphasizing fair treatment of organizational members, employee involvement, two-way communication, employees' personal development and recognition and camaraderie. During the past decade, organizations in the American society have faced great uncertainty. The challenge of meeting the increasing competition of the Japanese and Western Europeans in the international marketplace, massive reordering of corporations through leveraged acquisitions and consolidations, and rapidly changing technology have impacted organizational life in the private sector. Public sector organizations have faced the effects of the new federalism, the Tax Reform Act of 1986, taxpayer revolts, and numerous other events and actions which have caused disruption. These demands on American organizations, especially those coming from foreign competition, have forced leaders to question their management abilities and their organizations' commitment to excel. As part of this introspection, an examination of the underlying values, beliefs, and attitudes of organizations has been undertaken, especially in the popular, non-academic literature (Watson & Burkhalter, 1992) Job Design for service employees has been categorized as a â€Å"production line†approach or an â€Å"empowerment†approach (Bowen & Lawler, 1992). The production line approach, as its name implies, is based on a Tayloristic view. It is based on four tenets  simple tasks, clear division of labor, substitution of equipment and systems for employees, and little decision-making discretion of employees. This design seeks to gain customer satisfaction through efficiency, consistency, and low costs. It is imperative with the production line job design that IT is installed as a part of that design so as to facilitate matching it to the service encounters anticipated. The number and nature of the options from which the employee chooses should then be limited to matching the constraints on their decision-making authority. Any access to additional information would not only be of no use; it would actually deter efficiency. For example, if all hamburgers are prepared to the same degree of doneness, giving a customer encounter person the option of asking a customer how he/she would like the meat cooked would slow down the process. In fast food, cash registers (which also communicate orders to the backroom) prompt order-takers through the decisions that are allowable. Thus, the more standardized the service the more easily circumscribed technologically it can be(5) because the reality of the encounter is simple and presumed to be more easily captured than encounters in which provided services are customized and the outcome of any one such encounter is variable. The more circumscribed technologically the service is, the more efficiently the service can be performed but the more dependent upon the circumscribing technology customer encounter service personnel become. Mechling & Little, 2000, p. 65) The Two-factor Theory, or Motivation and Hygiene Theory, purports to differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of the job. The authors referred to the intrinsic factors as content or motivators, and they include: achievement, advancement, the work itself, responsibility, and recognition. The extrinsic factors were referred to as hygiene has and included: company policy and administration, technical supervision, working conditions, salary, and interpersonal supervision. (Maidani, 1991) the applicability of Herzberg's Two-factor Theory of job Satisfaction among public and private sector employees. The study, therefore was designed to investigate the job content (motivators or intrinsic) and job context (hygiene or extrinsic) factors contributing to job satisfaction among those employees. Furthermore, the study attempted to determine whether using this instrument would yield the same results as those of Herzberg et al. (1959) using the critical incidents techniques. Hypothesis 1 was supported. Significant differences were found due to the fact that the satisfied group values motivator significantly more than the dissatisfied group. A t-value of 1. 98 indicated that a significant difference existed between the two groups. Hypothesis 2 was not supported. No significant differences were found between the satisfied and dissatisfied employees relating to value placed on hygiene factors. Hypothesis 3 was not supported as no significant differences were found between private and public sector employees on the value placed on motivator factors. (Maidani, 1991) The expectancy theory – formulated by Edward C Tolman in the 1930s – (whereby behavior rests on the instinctive tendency for individuals to balance the value of expected benefits against the expenditure of energy) falls into the same ‘stimulus-response' approach to motivation. It demonstrates that an individual's strength of motivation can be affected by the expectations of outcomes from certain actions and further strengthened by the individuals preferred outcome, as demonstrated by Victor H. Vroom in the 1960s. Individuals are consciously self-interested in the outcomes of their actions. For example, a worker may put in extra time and effort to a project and expect to be paid more money. That is his desired reward and what he expects. If he does not receive, what he expects his motivational level will fall dramatically. Elton Mayo, in the Hawthorne experiments concluded that individuals adjusted their motivational levels to fit in with the group. The individual values the approval and acceptance of others and will conform to the groups motivational standards in order to ‘fit in'. One important point about expectancy theory is that individual perceptions can be very different, and the motivation and behavior of individuals will vary considerably. It pays, therefore, in external stimuli to bear in mind that: 1. he routes to desired outcomes for individuals and teams are clear; and 2. individuals perceive the rewards or punishments in different ways according to their own values. There is a great need to treat people as individuals but as the 50:50 rule also indicates, other motivational factors should always be set in the context of the individual's managed environment. Leaders have a vital role to play in creating a motivational environment in which their team members can excel by in turn using the motivation within themselves. To be able to do this, we as leaders need to begin by looking at ourselves and getting our contribution right before we can criticize others. (Thomas, 2004, p. 61) Process models are based on the important insight that responses to (persuasive) messages do not only take the form of controlled, capacity-intensive cognitive processes, or only the form of simple automatic processes involving little working memory. Message processing may be dominated by either form, or it may blend the two, depending on our ability and motivation to think about the substance of a message. Affective processes appear to (a) influence levels of motivation and ability to process in a thoughtful manner, (b) guide the retrieval of information from memory, and (c) provide cues to simple responses (Babrow, 1993, p. 111) Dialectical perspectives on communication also embody multiple- process theory. Of course, dialectical analyses of one sort or another have been discussed for centuries (see Adler, 1952). As numerous dialectical thinkers have pointed out, however, several themes are consistent in these writings; these themes exemplify some of the most desirable potentialities of multiple- process theory. The most elemental theme in dialectical thinking is that of opposition; â€Å"dialectic either begins or ends with some sort of intellectual conflict, or develops and resolves around such oppositions†( Adler, 1952 , p. 350). Dialectical opposites are â€Å"mutually conditioning†(the occurrence, existence, or meaning of one pole is conditioned by its opposite) and at the same time â€Å"mutually excluding†. For instance, sound presupposes but also excludes silence, and so too for amity and enmity, motion and stillness. (Babrow, 1993, p. 15) All of these theories thrive on the perception of the individual working to better themselves in some way. They differ in their methods, some look at how the individual will work for recognition, advancement, or just for encouragement. All of these methods are effective means of making individuals and groups work more efficiently. However, it is important to point out that each method does not work for the same situation. One must be able to differentiate between the theories in order to determine the best means.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Contract and Chicago Medical School Essay
Facts: In December 1973 Robert Steinberg, the plaintiff, applied for admissions to the Chicago Medical School. He paid an application fee of $15, but his application was rejected. After being rejected he filed against the school, claiming that they did not evaluate his application according to the academic entrance criteria printed in the school’s bulletin. Steinberg argues that the school based its decision primarily on nonacademic consideration such as family connections between the applicant and his family to donate large sums of money to the school. Steinberg assets that by evaluating his application to these unpublished criteria, the school breached the contract it had created when it accepted his application fee. The trail court granted the defendant’s motion to dismiss, and Steinberg appealed. Issue: What is a contract? Rules: Mutual Assent- the parties to a contract must by show of words or condut that they have agreed to enter a contract. The usual method of mutual assent is by offering and acceptance. Consideration- each party to a contract must intentionally exchange a legal benefit or incur a legal deteriment as an inducement to the other party to make a renturn change. THIS FOR THAT basically. Legality of subject matter- the purpose of a contract must be not criminal, tortuous, or otherwise against public policy Capacity- the parties to a contract must have mental understanding of what they are entering into. Application: The contract that Steinberg and Chicago Medical School entered into meets the four requirements for a contractual contract. Therefore it is binding and legally enforceable. Conclusion: The court agreed with Steinberg’s position and that both parties did indeed enter a enforceable contract and under this contract by accepting the application fee the school must evaluate give him valuable consideration and his application evaluation was to be based on the criteria stated in the school’s bulletin. Steinberg accepted the school’s promises in good faith and he was.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Clinical Sexual Misconduct
Clinical Sexual Misconduct Free Online Research Papers Sexual misconduct is a term for variety different sexual acts. This is a problem that lies in clinical, legal, and ethical judgment of a person. One of the many types of misconduct occurs in professional relationships. When a physician advances sexual acts upon a client or patient this constitutes as sexual misconduct. This type of behavior is obviously wrong and unacceptable. In the case outlined in the text concerning a dentist’s inappropriate sexual contact; there was evidence that while under dental care the practitioner engaged in physical and sexual relationship with five different patients. This type of thing happens more than some may think. In this case there was an obvious wrong due to the ages of the patients. The dentist advanced to patients from age seven to fifteen (Pozgar, 269). This would not only constitute as misconduct, but also a statutory case. Transference and counter transference is one of most important aspects of treatment between patient and practitioner. Transference is defined as the redirection of feelings and desires and especially of those unconsciously retained from childhood toward a new object (Merriam-Webster). Counter transference is when a practitioner has complex feelings toward the patient (Merriam-Webster). In a clinical setting we do not always notice these occurrences. Sigmund Freud coined the term in 1910 in The Future Prospects of Psycho-Analytic Therapy. The term later expanded to include unconscious hostile and/or erotic feelings toward a patient that interferes with the treatment and or professional relationship. Counter transference can be the feelings that a provider shows toward his or her patient, and also includes cases where the therapist takes on the suffering and pain of his/her patient. An example of this would be a patient that was a victim of a rape. We as their provider while lis tening to their situation would put ourselves in their shoes and feel the pain and the torture that the patient felt. Training, knowledge, and their education give physicians a sense of power. Patients come to their physicians fearful and vulnerable. Secrets are revealed, clothes are removed, and skin is touched. Physicians are trusted to serve their patient’s best interests. Physicians may use these events to further scar a person for nothing more than their own personal pleasure. Sexual misconduct by physicians can create a false sense of security that is ultimately detrimental to the patient. This can scar a patient from ever trusting a healthcare provider of any kind. Not to mention that this goes against any health care professionals ethics and oaths (such as the Hippocratic Oath). In 1990 the American Medical Association (AMA) council on ethical and judicial affairs released their report Sexual misconduct in the practice of medicine. The AMA Council decided that sexual contact or a romantic relationship conducted while in the care of a physician is unethical. A romantic relationship with a former patient may be considered unethical, but this would depend on the circumstances. Sexual misconduct is also discussed in medical training programs. Reporting these offenders is an important responsibility that should be upheld. Most physicians agree that sexual relationships should not be part of the physicians of this may be an inappropriate joke or a comment about a woman’s tight clothing. These things seem like they are harmless, but still are considered inappropriate. If the comment has no diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, it should not be stated. Some actions that should be avoided include hugging, romantic kissing, touching any sexualized body part for any purpose other than examination or treatment. Discounting or offering medical-related services or prescriptions in exchange for sex is unacceptable. The AMA states that a physicians ethical duties include terminating the physician-patient relationship before initiating a dating, romantic, or sexual relationship with the patient. A relationship with a former patient is unethical if it uses or exploits trust, knowledge, emotions, or influence derived from the previous professional relationship. The AMA does not address the appropriate length of time between the termination of the physician-patient relationship and the initiation of a romantic or sexual relationship. Regardless of the conduct or consent of a patient, the physician is felt to be in the more powerful position in the relationship and thus responsible for even consensual boundary violations. A physician within the facility that I work for is the prime example of this. I will refer to this physician as Dr. Jones for confidentiality reasons. Dr. Jones had a lucrative practice. He was one of two specialists in his area of expertise in a wide area. He was very good at his job and he was liked personally by everyone that I would speak with. Mr. Jones had a professional patient relationship with Mrs. Doe. Ms. Doe’s medical problems were under control but she did need to come back and follow up with the single physician often. There was a point when they started chatting at the visits about their personal lives. That turned in to emails and then phone conversations; then a mutual kiss. After the kiss the physician thought that it would be a good idea to refer to another physician. Over about a year and a half the relationship was consensual as they mutually conducted a sexual relationship. Mrs. Doe was married. The physician however; was a single man. There relationship went on for about six months or so and then Mr. Doe, Ms. Doe’s husband, learned of the affair and made Mrs. Doe report Dr. Jones to th e State Medical Board. Most people would look at this as two consensual people entering into a relationship; there was enough emails and correspondence produced to prove that Mrs. Doe entered into this relationship willingly; so what is the problem? They are both consenting adults. She was the married party she was the one in the wrong right? Wrong! Physicians are held to a higher professional standard. As soon as he started to experience those feelings he should have referred her to another physician. Not after he had already crossed the ethical line. That is why his license is now suspended for a minimum of six months and he is required to do all types of ethics training. Just goes to show you that this type of thing happens and is taken very seriously. When in doubt refer the patient. I hold a medical license in the State of Ohio that I worked very hard for. I can see very easily how things like this can happen. I have been on both sides of this example. As a massage therapist I take the sexual jokes of friends and my friends friends’. I will say that it is a fine line when you are working with people’s bodies. I constantly ask questions and explain my procedures very clearly before a session takes place. I have had to refer a patient to another therapist because the lines of professional and personal seemed to be a bit blurry and not even on a sexual level on a personal one. I have been in situations that a client was looking for more than a therapeutic relationship and I had to end the session. These types of things do happen but my medical license, my integrity, and name are not worth the risk. References Pozar, George D. (2010). Legal and Ethical Issues for Healthcare Professionals. 2nd ed. Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Sudbury. transference. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transference countertransference. (2010). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countertransference .. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/hippooath.html .. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from ama-assn.org/ .. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/opinion814.shtml .. Retrieved February 1, 2010, from med.ohio.gov/ Research Papers on Clinical Sexual MisconductArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)The Fifth HorsemanThree Concepts of PsychodynamicCapital PunishmentInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesGenetic EngineeringPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andAnalysis Of A Cosmetics Advertisement
Monday, October 21, 2019
The eNotes Blog National Book Award FinalistsAnnounced
National Book Award FinalistsAnnounced For book geeks, October is a month of thrills. First, on October 7, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa. The Swiss Academy praised the author â€Å"for his cartography of the structures of power and his trenchant images of the individual’s resistance, revolt and defeat.†On October 12, the Man Booker Prize was presented to British author Howard Jacobson for The Finkler Question, a comic novel about anti-semitism. You can read a review of the work here. And now, the National Book Award Finalists have been revealed. On October 13, author Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini) announced the nominess from Flannery OConnors childhood home in Savannah, Georgia. Peter Carey, whose novel Parrot and Oliver in America was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, is also a nominee for the National Book Award. Among the non-fiction contenders is Patti Smith, often called the Godmother of Punk, for her work Just Kids, a memoir of her life on the punk scene in the 1970s and her relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. You can listen to a fascinating interview with Smith on NPRs Fresh Air With Terry Gross here. Poets nominated include C.D. Wright for One with Others and Terrance Hayes for Lighthead. Young-adult fiction authors include well-known names like Walter Dean Myers (for his novel Lockdown) as well as lesser-known authors such as Laura McNeal (for Dark Water). You can check out the full list of all twenty nominees here. Happy reading!
Sunday, October 20, 2019
An Introduction to Representational Art
An Introduction to Representational Art The word representational, when used to describe a work of art, means that the work depicts something easily recognized by most people. Throughout our history as art-creating humans, most art has been representational. Even when art was symbolic, or non-figurative, it was usually representative of something. Abstract (non-representational) art is a relatively recent invention and didnt evolve until the early 20th-century. What Makes Art Representational? There are three basic types of art: representational, abstract, and non-objective. Representational is the oldest, best-known, and most popular of the three. Abstract art typically starts with a subject that exists in the real world but then presents those subjects in a new way. A well-known example of abstract art is Picassos Three Musicians. Anyone looking at the painting would understand that its subjects are three individuals with musical instruments–but neither the musicians nor their instruments are intended to replicate reality. Non-objective art does not, in any way, replicate or represent reality. Instead, it explores color, texture, and other visual elements without reference to natural or constructed world. Jackson Pollock, whose work involved complex splatters of paint, is a good example of a non-objective artist. Representational art strives to depict reality. Because representational artists are creative individuals, however, their work need not look precisely like the object they are representing. For example, Impressionist artists such as Renoir and Monet used patches of color to create visually compelling, representative paintings of gardens, people, and locations. History of Representational Art Representational art got its start many millennia ago with Late Paleolithic figurines and carvings. Venus of Willendorf, while not too terribly realistic, is clearly meant to show the figure of a woman. She was created around 25,000 years ago and is an excellent example of the earliest representational art. Ancient examples of representational art are often in the form of sculptures, decorative friezes, bas-reliefs, and busts representing real people, idealized gods, and scenes from nature. During the middle ages, European artists focused largely on religious subjects. During the Renaissance, major artists such as Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci created extraordinarily realistic paintings and sculptures. Artists were also commissioned to paint portraits of members of the nobility. Some artists created workshops in which they trained apprentices in their own style of painting. By the 19th century, representative artists were beginning to experiment with new ways of expressing themselves visually. They were also exploring new subjects: instead of focusing on portraits, landscapes, and religious subjects, artists experiments with socially relevant topics related to the Industrial Revolution. Present Status Representational art is thriving. Many people have a higher degree of comfort with representational art than with abstract or non-objective art. Digital tools are providing artists with a wider range of options for capturing and creating realistic images. Additionally, the workshop (or atelier) system continues to exist, and many of these teach figurative painting exclusively. One example is the School of Representational Art in Chicago, Illinois. There are also whole societies dedicated to representational art. Here in the United States, the Traditional Fine Arts Organization comes quickly to mind. A web search using the keywords of representational art (your geographical location) should turn up venues and/or artists in your area.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - Essay Example The oil spill incident of Exxon Valdez oil tanker in the year 1989 had occurred in the Alaska. The disaster occurred when the tanker had struck the Bligh Reef in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. The location being a remote one and the intensity of the disaster being huge, the government had to encounter difficulties in reaching at the location for the cleanup process. Only helicopters and boats could reach the location. It was in the Prince William Sound’s region and the fishing industry in the area was significantly affected along with the food chain in the region, as well as birds and other sea species. The effects were severely obtained in species like the harbor porpoises and sea lions, and several varieties of whales, and the lives of different migratory birds came under danger (Exxon Valdez, 2011). It could be realized that Exxon was not prepared for such a massive disaster. Thus after the occurrence of the incident, the local coast Marine Safety Office (MSO) as well as the contingency plan for Prince William Sound had been found to take the initiatives in the rescue and cleanup process with much difficulties. The planning of the federal government and the preparedness were considered under the responsibilities of the National Response Team (NRT) that include 14 agencies of the federal department. As soon as the incident was noted, the MSO and other immediate authorities took charge to put a stop to the traffic at the port of Valdez. The cleanup process was undertaken by the Alyeska and their activities had been initiative within 45 minutes of the notification of the spillage (Skinner & Reilly, 5-12). The most important concern considered was the spillage to be stopped from spreading in the sea. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had taken charge of identifying the areas that were more vulnerable to the
Friday, October 18, 2019
I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
I Hate To See That Evening Sun Go Down - Essay Example Choat family live in Meecham’s house having been given the lease agreement by his son. Upon arrival at the house, Meecham is amazed that somebody is living in his apartment. In a bid to own back his house, he takes up events to prove this point. When Meecham learns that Mr. Choat dislikes dog barks, he get a dog from an old friend and allows it to distract Choat. The drama that unfolds regarding the dog leads to it death. When Choat rests thinking that he has solved the problem, the true nature and the inspiration Meecham has to get rid of Choat from his compound (Gay). It becomes evident when he brings on a dog sculpture in place of the dead dog. Meecham’s son knows his father is affected psychologically after the death of his mother. The reason he recommends Meecham to stay in a nursing home is to keep the society at peace. Meecham is a kind of a man who rests at nothing until he achieves set goal. The work is a masterpiece well recorded and executed. The play has a simple plot bringing out the encounters vividly. Simple as it is the title is spelled out in every other line that precedes the story (Gay). Meecham wants his house back but in reality, nothing brings him joy anymore on earth. Everything else seems to oppose his will to live. It is evident in the work when he plays a song â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I hate to see the sun goes down..†He hates death yet he is willing to go that path to prove he wants his home back. Understanding the law and the presence of the police, Meecham desires to use that route to get the attention of his son to allow him get back the house. The efforts are fruitless. On the other hand, Meecham’s son persuades him to go back to the nursing him with the promise of getting the home back. It does not dampen his spirit (Gay). It drives him into a state of insanity because the incidences that seemed a fight for a better life back were proved by death.
Testosterone's direct effect on adult males diagnosed with depression Research Paper
Testosterone's direct effect on adult males diagnosed with depression - Research Paper Example Almost all vital organ systems in the human body need testosterone to work efficiently hence their functioning is also affected by a decrease in testosterone levels. The overall health of men, especially their psychological or emotional wellbeing, largely depends on testosterone levels. Because testosterone’s serum level lowers as men become older, sexual fervor and strength also lowers, resulting in a higher risk for depressive symptoms. Decrease in testosterone levels can also cause impotence in mean, and this is usually another cause of depression (Grant & Potenza, 2007). Luckily testosterone levels can be diagnosed and treated. Relationship between Testosterone Levels and Depression in Men Some empirical findings substantiate the assumption that testosterone is related to depression. Primarily, cross-sectional research has studied the connection between testosterone levels and development of depressive symptoms. In addition, the levels of gonadotropin in non-depressed and depressed groups have been studied. Moreover, there are quite a few longitudinal studies looking at the testosterone levels throughout occurrences of depression in men (Kaplan, 2012). Basically, one way to understand the effect of testosterone levels on male depression is to study the correlation between testosterone levels and depression in elderly males. Sternbach (1998) examined empirical studies on the natural decrease of testosterone in adult males and discovered an apparent correlation between low testosterone levels and different symptoms of mood disorders, such as bad temper, sexual problems, anxiety, and depression. These natural outcomes of the decrease of testosterone may resemble a mood disturbance in elderly males. This correlation offers indirect substantiation for a relationship between testosterone levels and male depression (Heidelbaugh, 2007). Studies that focus on the effect of testosterone levels on the development of depressive symptoms among adult males have pr oduced varied findings. Yesavage and colleagues (1985) studied levels of testosterone in depressed males and discovered a moderate inverse correlation between levels of testosterone and the degree of depression when the latter was controlled. The hypothesized correlation between degree of depression and testosterone levels was discovered. Another set of studies that substantiates the effect of testosterone on male depression is derived from the application of the testosterone replacement therapy in the treatment of depressive symptoms in men. A number of studies have supported the effectiveness of testosterone replacement therapy in the treatment of depressive symptoms in men with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (Heidelbaugh, 2007). Wagner and colleagues (1996) reported that testosterone replacement therapy had a greater positive outcome compared to standard antidepressant treatments in treating depressive symptoms in males with HIV. Even though it may be tempting to search for a hormone-based biological substrate to demonstrate the severity and prevalence of male depression, there are no sufficient or strong indications that testosterone affects the prevalence and degree of depression in males. Treatment research supporting this is carried out with clinically vulnerable males, several of whom also display acute depressive sympto
Jonathan pollard Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Jonathan pollard - Research Paper Example Having completed his high school and scored well, he joined Stanford University to study political science where he graduated with a degree, and later joined several graduate schools but did not finish a post graduate degree (Olive, 2006). During his high school years, he was a trouble maker and when he transitioned to the university he developed more interest in the Israel history and the Holocaust seemed to form art of his major interest, owing to the fact that his immediate family had been adversely affected by it. Pollard developed much interest in the intelligence career after his university studies, and he consequently applied for intelligence jobs both in the CIA and the US Navy, but the CIA turned down his application since he tested positive for drug use for the several past years (Goldenberg, 1993). However, the Navy Intelligence Command (NIC) found him suitable for intelligence gathering due to his interest in intelligence issues, thus was hired as an intelligence specialist in 1979 (Taylor, 2014). Pollard had indicated signs of inappropriateness for the intelligence career earlier in his employment, when his immediate supervisor had requested the termination of his employment after he was found to lie about issues related with the CIA involvement of his family. However, rather than terminating his employment, he was simply deployed to a different department of the NIC (Olive, 2006). Thus, he was recommended for termination or deployment to non-sensitive area of the intelligence service where he could not be involved in direct intelligence collection, but kept evading the arm of the recommending officers while transferring to different departments. In 1984, he applied for promotion to the position of naval intelligence analyst, and was subsequently accepted after the departmen t was reorganized (Shaw, 2001). John Pollard’s espionage started after he met an Israel Air force officer on leave, who was seeking to earn a
Thursday, October 17, 2019
PUBLIC POLICY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
PUBLIC POLICY - Essay Example However, democracy is currently increasingly criticized for not representing the interests of citizens or not taking into account the social justice and environmental concerns that span national boundaries. Undoubtedly, it is a potential challenge for democratic governments to represent diverse stakeholders and to manage risk in an accountable, inclusive way that is transparent to all. This paper will discuss the relevance of democracy in the present society with particular reference given to this system of government. Although democracy is the most accepted and suggested form of government today, many of its benefits proposed are hypothetical. The democratic progress was increasingly visible a couple of decades ago. The defeat of authoritarian military in Latin America, the failure of communist system around the world, and the fall of the Berlin wall were some of the notable examples of democratic progress (The Explosion of Third World Democracy, n.d.). However, the spread of democr acy has slowed down following the dramatic political events by the end of the last century. Democracy appears to be difficult to achieve its stated goals completely despite certain significant success events in the past. Although many countries have undertaken processes like the organization of competitive elections as initial steps toward the execution of democracy, they fail to meet the high expectations of citizens about an improvement in their living standards. Many followers (states) of the democracy have failed to develop this system from within national boundaries by eventually institutionalizing political processes and spreading core values that are intrinsic to the democratic system. The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that â€Å"†¦democracy is a universal right that does not belong to any country or region, and that participatory governance, based on the will of the people, is the best path to freedom, growth, and development†(World Movement for Democracy). However, it seems that most of the countries cannot transform the universal values of the democracy into the practice of democratic governance mainly because the supply of transformation is lagging behind the people’s high expectations. Creating a social contract with citizens is necessary for governments so as to manage the democracy building process effectively. It is also important to meet the expectations of the people who really provide the governments with the governing legitimacy. Unfortunately, most of the countries have not ensured such a social contract and it is one of the major reasons the democratic system is struggling globally. Though today governments worldwide try to promote public participation in policy making, such efforts fail to meet their goals due to lack of dialogue between people (Smith 2003. As scholars point out, dialogue is an integral element of the participative democracy. Over the centuries after the time of Plato, the dialogic form s of democracy have been losing their significance. Today democratic processes have become individual centered as majority of our representatives are more beholden to corporate giants and fund donors than they are to citizens (Lindeman, n.d.). Similarly, today the media are also playing a noticeable role in ruining the good sides of democracy (Fog
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Internet and social media Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Internet and social media - Article Example I know a friend of mine, since childhood who used to remain very quiet in the classroom until few years ago. His name is John. He used to speak very rarely, and did not participate in group discussions. He remained silent and kept observing others. I seldom saw him speak in gatherings. I always found him more defensive than expressive in his speech. He could not bear someone contradicting his points of view or pass an indecent comment as friends normally do. This is perhaps the reason John did not participate in group discussions. But this John is completely different from the one I have in my friends list on facebook. John is too expressive in the virtual world. One day, I asked John the reason behind the disparity between his real world social interaction and that in the virtual world. He told me that he felt more protected while interacting in the virtual world. One reason why he thinks so is that he does not have to come up with prompt answers to the nasty comments made by his fr iends. When someone sends him a message on facebook and criticizes him in anyway, he has more time to select the most rational answer from a variety of choices. I have personally noticed that his responses to others’ comments on facebook are much more objective, well synthesized and well reasoned than what he normally makes in the real world conversation.
PUBLIC POLICY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
PUBLIC POLICY - Essay Example However, democracy is currently increasingly criticized for not representing the interests of citizens or not taking into account the social justice and environmental concerns that span national boundaries. Undoubtedly, it is a potential challenge for democratic governments to represent diverse stakeholders and to manage risk in an accountable, inclusive way that is transparent to all. This paper will discuss the relevance of democracy in the present society with particular reference given to this system of government. Although democracy is the most accepted and suggested form of government today, many of its benefits proposed are hypothetical. The democratic progress was increasingly visible a couple of decades ago. The defeat of authoritarian military in Latin America, the failure of communist system around the world, and the fall of the Berlin wall were some of the notable examples of democratic progress (The Explosion of Third World Democracy, n.d.). However, the spread of democr acy has slowed down following the dramatic political events by the end of the last century. Democracy appears to be difficult to achieve its stated goals completely despite certain significant success events in the past. Although many countries have undertaken processes like the organization of competitive elections as initial steps toward the execution of democracy, they fail to meet the high expectations of citizens about an improvement in their living standards. Many followers (states) of the democracy have failed to develop this system from within national boundaries by eventually institutionalizing political processes and spreading core values that are intrinsic to the democratic system. The former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that â€Å"†¦democracy is a universal right that does not belong to any country or region, and that participatory governance, based on the will of the people, is the best path to freedom, growth, and development†(World Movement for Democracy). However, it seems that most of the countries cannot transform the universal values of the democracy into the practice of democratic governance mainly because the supply of transformation is lagging behind the people’s high expectations. Creating a social contract with citizens is necessary for governments so as to manage the democracy building process effectively. It is also important to meet the expectations of the people who really provide the governments with the governing legitimacy. Unfortunately, most of the countries have not ensured such a social contract and it is one of the major reasons the democratic system is struggling globally. Though today governments worldwide try to promote public participation in policy making, such efforts fail to meet their goals due to lack of dialogue between people (Smith 2003. As scholars point out, dialogue is an integral element of the participative democracy. Over the centuries after the time of Plato, the dialogic form s of democracy have been losing their significance. Today democratic processes have become individual centered as majority of our representatives are more beholden to corporate giants and fund donors than they are to citizens (Lindeman, n.d.). Similarly, today the media are also playing a noticeable role in ruining the good sides of democracy (Fog
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Conflict Resolution worksheet Essay Example for Free
Conflict Resolution worksheet Essay Complete the Resolving Conflicts in Teams simulation located on the SOC 110 student Web page for Week Four. Reflect on the experiences with different conflict management styles at K24, in Ch. 12 of Small Group and Team Communication, and on your own experiences. Answer the following questions. 1. What are your strengths in resolving conflict? My greatest strength in resolving conflict is the ability to bring a team together to focus on the issues rather than the personalities involved. I also come from a neutral standpoint when addressing conflict, and have been successful getting members in the team to remove all assumptions and stereotypes and meet me at the same neutral starting point. 2. What skills do you want to improve? I would like to improve my focus on maintenance behaviors. Although I have strong conflict resolution skills as it pertains to tasks, I want to make sure the team interpersonal relationships don’t take a hit as a result of the resolution. 3. Which of the following conflict management styles did you select in managing conflict at K24? Check all that apply. Briefly describe why you selected each, or why you chose not to try a particular method. XAccommodation Didn’t attempt accommodation as there were two strongly opposing points of view and someone would have been unhappy XAvoidance Didn’t attempt to avoid or nothing would have gotten resolved and there was a deadline XCompromise Compromise was not an option due to the fact that the result had to be choosing or not choosing to go with Emily’s idea XCompetition I selected Competition first, as there were two competing ideas, and I needed to get all the information on the table about each and why the points of view were supported or not. XCollaboration After hearing all of the information from both sides, I got the group to agree on the goal, then we analyzed each viewpoint to see why we should or shouldn’t support them as a team. 4. What was your dominant conflict management style? collaboration Was this style effective? Why or why not? This style was effective because it allowed the team to focus on the important issues at hand and analyze the facts after we agreed what the goal was. 5. Provide an example of how you have used the following conflict management styles in your personal or professional life. Accommodation I’ve accommodated team members when a project had requirements in each individual had their own tasks, but may have felt better suited to perform a task that was assigned to me. Being that I was able to complete several tasks, I switched with team members to accommodate them. Avoidance I have worked with team members who have always wanted to complain about projects after team meetings. I’ve picked up my cell phone right after the meetings and walked off to avoid the negativity Compromise I have wanted to meet with my study group on Fridays because it give me more time to work on our team assignments, but the team didn’t want to work on weekends, so we compromised and chose Monday, therefore it still gives us 2 days to work individually before class on Wednesday. Competition I’ve had a problem that was to be resolved by the team a few members had a different suggestion on how to complete the task. We’ve each went away and wrote down our solutions and then met as a team and let the team decided a whole which idea was best in moving forward Collaboration In working on our week 4 assignment, we all met as a team, discussed our strengths and weaknesses, deciding what we wanted our paper to look like and the time in which we wanted to have it submitted. This allowed us to divide up the work so that everyone would be pleased with his or her portion and the time in which it should be done. 6. What conflict management styles do you plan to use in future team or group situations? Explain your answer. I plan to use competition using the nominal group technique and collaboration. I like the idea of putting competing issues out on the table for discussion. I think it’s important to make sure that, in doing so; each member has the chance to voice his concerns and point of view without interruption. I find it equally important that each opposing member have a chance to address why they oppose. This allows everyone’s point of view to be expressed. Then we can focus on what we expect to achieve then collaborate to get that accomplished.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Analysis of Lidls Marketing Strategy | 7Ps, SWOT
Analysis of Lidls Marketing Strategy | 7Ps, SWOT Introduction Lidls history begins in the 1930s, when their first store was created in Germany acting as a grocery wholesaler. Since then, Lidl has now become one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe, with over 600 stores operating in the UK, and thousands based across Europe (Butler, 2014). Although the amount of stores that Lidl have in operation is staggering, it is made even more amazing by the fact they only expanded out of Germany 20 years ago (Lidl, 2015). This rapid expansion has made them one of the most dominant and feared competitors in the UK grocery market, with major grocery retailers constantly trying to minimise Lidls portion of market share. Although Lidls market share in the UK is still relatively small, with them acquiring 3.5% at the beginning of 2015, they are one of the fastest growing grocery retailers. Whilst many supermarkets are losing their market share, Lidls was increased by a stagger 15.1% from 3.1% to 3.5% (FT, 2015). Figure 1 highlights the variation in market share, and how much market share each supermarket currently holds. As previously mentioned, although Lidl have a relatively low market share, they are currently one of the fastest growing retailers in the market. An analysis of Lidls current marketing strategy will be conducted, with particular emphasis on the 7 Ps of marketing. Furthermore, Porters Generic Strategies will be analysed in order to aid in the understanding of Lidls current strategies. This will then be concluded with a SWOT analysis, with recommendations being drawn up via the utilisation of a TOWS matrix. Marketing Strategy Analysis The five core concepts of marketing are; consumer needs/wants/demands, products and services, value/satisfaction/quality, exchanges/transactions/relationships and markets (Kotler, et al., 2008). One of the most efficient ways to analyse these factors is to conduct a marketing strategy analysis, which looks to explore the strategies an organisation utilises in order to grow and expand their market share. 7 Ps Analysis In order to successfully analyse Lidl marketing strategy, a 7 Ps analysis can be conducted, which seeks to analyse some very basic, but significant issues. Originally, the 7 Ps was only comprised of 4 Ps which aimed to address certain issues that would allow a firm to have a more developed understanding of their internal operations. The 4Ps are comprised of; product, price, place and promotion (CIM, 2009). However, due to the limited applicability of the 4 Ps, three more were added to form the 7Ps, which aims to encompass some service qualities the 4 Ps do not cover (Booms Bitner, 1981; Lusch, et al., 2007). Product (Quality, brand name, service line, warranty, capabilities, facilitating goods, tangible clues, price, personnel, physical environment and process of service delivery): Very solid brand name from being one of the cheapest supermarket retailers in the industry. Their main competition as a value supermarket is Aldi (Bosshart, 2006). The products sold in Lidl are often very similar to the goods sold in other supermarkets, such as Tesco or Asda. However, the main distinction would be the different brand names of the products in Lidl stores. Consumers could have a negative perception of the quality of Lidls products as they are sold for such a cheap price (Siro, et al., 2008). Price (Level, discounts and allowances, payment terms, customers own perceived value, quality/price interaction and differentiation): One of the key competitive advantages for Lidl is their clever pricing strategies. Lidl entered the market on the basis of being one of the most value-driven supermarkets in the industry (Dolgui Proth, 2010). All payments are made up before leaving the store at the check outs. As they offer goods at an incredibly cheap price, consumers may believe that the goods they sell are poor quality, however this is generally not the case (Siro, et al., 2008). Place (Location, accessibility, distribution channels and distribution coverage): Lidl have a plethora of stores across the UK and Europe. However, depending on the country, they operate in different segments of the supermarket industry, ranging from value to high-end goods (Butler, 2014). They have a variety of distribution hubs across the UK and Europe to ensure that stores are maintaining a constant level of stock (Brown, 2015). As their business model is to sell as many goods as possible in the shortest amount of time, ensuring stock levels are maintained is incredibly important. This means that it is imperative to have stores in reasonably close proximity to national distribution centres. Promotion (Advertisements, personal selling, sales promotion, publicity, personnel, physical environment, facilitating goods, tangible clues and process of service delivery): Lidl do not current have any loyalty schemes present in the UK, as they believe their pricing model is enough to incentivise consumers. Lidl often have in store promotions, but they do not discount their goods as highly as other retailers due to the low prices that already exist. People (Personnel training, discretion, commitment, incentives, appearance, interpersonal behaviour, attitudes and customer behaviour/degree of involvement): Employees are generally paid a very attractive salary, but have to work incredibly hard whilst on the job. The amount of items scanned is often used as a performance measurement indicator (Ruddick, 2015). High training standards to ensure employees can scan items fast enough and meet all customer needs. Consumers may feel that staff do not pay them enough attention as they are very rushed doing their job responsibilities. Process (Policies, procedures, mechanisation, employee discretion, customer involvement, customer direction and flow of activities): Primary process of Lidl is to purchase and sell as many goods as possible on a low-cost basis. Consumers are not very involved in any of the processes or procedures of Lidl, and would have little power over their business operations. Physical (Environment, furnishings, colour, layout, noise level, facilitating goods and tangible clues): The majority of Lidl stores are laid out in a very linear and traditional manner. This is to aid consumers in finding their goods as soon as possible and having easy access to purchase and leave (Lidl, 2015). Lidl will often exhibit their brand colours, yellow and blue, throughout their stores or surrounding areas. This will help consumers know there is a Lidl nearby. Porters Generic Strategies Porter outlines four generic strategies; differentiation, cost leadership, differentiation focus and cost focus (Porter, 1980). From utilising the information gathered from the 7 Ps analysis, it becomes quickly apparent as to what strategy Lidl are currently pursuing. Lidl have a reliant focus on selling quality products at the cheapest cost possible. This would suggest that they are utilising a cost leadership strategy, and are implemented it with incredible effectiveness (Morschett, et al., 2006). However, in order to maintain their current rate of growth and expansion, Lidl may have to diversify from their current strategies in order to stay competitive and innovative within the UK grocery market. SWOT Analysis Based on the 7 Ps analysis, a SWOT analysis can be conducted in regards to Lidl. The SWOT analysis will help an organisation measure and understand the internal strengths and weaknesses, and the external opportunities and threats facing the firm. Being able to identify these elements will help an organisation to formulate and develop strategies which may build on the strengths, negate the weaknesses, exploit the opportunities or counter the threats (Dyson, 2004). Strengths (Simon, et al., 2010; Kumar Steenkamp, 2007): Strong business structure allows them to sell their products at an incredibly cheap price. Wide range of private labels gives them exclusivity and security. Has a huge amount of stores across the whole of the UK and Europe giving Lidl great exposure. Online presence that showcases the products they have and any deals they may be running. Weaknesses (FT, 2015; Siro, et al., 2008): Does not quite have the market share of the other big supermarkets in the UK, such as Tesco or Asda. Has not been able to spread their operations outside of Europe very successfully. As their products are so cheap consumers can often think that the quality is not good enough. Opportunities (Felsted, 2014): Potential to expand in the UK and acquire a higher share of the UK grocery market. Successfully expanding abroad can provide more funds to invest in the UK. Expand their website to actually accept orders and sell products. Threats (Poulter, 2014): If Lidl were to engage with a price war with other major grocery retailers then they could force competitors prices down. International expansion of other global brands would cause more competition. Aldi surpassing their market share and becoming the dominant discount grocery retailer. Recommendations Together with the SWOT analysis, a TOWS matrix can be utilised in order to develop strategies and recommendations for Lidl to acquire a greater market share of the UK grocery industry (Weihrich, 1982). Based on the TOWS matrix, and the analysis of Lidls current market strategies, three recommendations can be laid that would help Lidl acquire a greater share of the UK grocery market. The three recommendations are; Extend the usability of their website to accept click collect orders or even delivery. This would expand their presence in the UK market. Develop and implement upper-class branded products in order to target a new demographic and compete with the major supermarket retailers on a more even environment. Construct firm barriers of entry to deter other organisations from entering the UK grocery market and potentially encroaching on Lidls market share. In order to stay competitive in the UK grocery industry, and continue to build upon their UK market share, Lidl should utilise the aforementioned strategies. Furthermore, this could result in them following a combination of generic strategies, as the introducing of upper-class brands, in combination with their current business structure, would suggest a differentiation strategy is in place. However, if Lidl pursue the adoption of other strategies, they must ensure that their current consumer base is not alienated, or they could end up losing market share. Furthermore, Lidl should continue to open more stores in the UK in order to expand their presence and accessibility, which will allow their operations to have similar exposure to the other major supermarket retailers. Bibliography Booms, B. H. Bitner, M. J., 1981. Marketing strategies and organization structures for service firms. In: Marketing of Services. Chicago: American Marketing Association, pp. 47-51. Bosshart, D., 2006. Cheap?: The Real Cost of Living in a Low Price, Low Wage World. London: Kogan Page Limited. Brown, G., 2015. Giant Lidl distribution hub to create 500 West Midlands jobs. [Online] Available at: http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/business/business-news/giant-lidl-distribution-hub-create-8883111 Butler, S., 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/27/lidl-launches-store-expansion-programme. [Online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/jun/27/lidl-launches-store-expansion-programme CIM, 2009. Marketing and the 7Ps, s.l.: Chartered Institute of Marketing. Dolgui, A. Proth, J. M., 2010. Pricing strategies and models. Annual Reviews in Control, 34(1), pp. 101-110. Dyson, R. G., 2004. Strategic development and SWOT analysis at the University of Warwick. European Journal of Operational Research, Volume 152, pp. 631-640. Felsted, A., 2014. Lidl expansion to crank up pressure on big stores. [Online] Available at: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2465c426-fd53-11e3-bc93-00144feab7de.html#axzz3giD80B9c FT, 2015. Half of UK shoppers visited Lidl, Aldi over Xmas. [Online] Available at: http://www.ft.com/fastft/260632/half-of-uk-shoppers-visited-lidl-aldi-over-xmas Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. Saunders, J., 2008. Principles of Marketing. 5th ed. s.l.:Prentice Hall. Kumar, N. Steenkamp, J. B. E. M., 2007. Private Label Strategy: How to Meet the Store Brand Challenge. Cambridge: Harvard Business Press. Lidl, 2015. Customer orientated expansion. [Online] Available at: http://property.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/5187.htm Lidl, 2015. http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/659.htm. [Online] Available at: http://www.lidl.co.uk/en/659.htm Lusch, R. F., Vargo, S. L. OBrien, M., 2007. Competing through service: Insights from service-dominant logic. Journal of Retailing, 83(1), pp. 5-18. Morschett, D., Swoboda, B. Schramm-Klein, H., 2006. Porter outlines four generic strategies; differentiation, cost leadership, differentiation focus and cost focus (Porter, 1980).. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 13(4), pp. 275-287. Porter, M. E., 1980. Competitive Strategy. s.l.:Free Press. Poulter, S., 2014. Aldi and Lidl to force big four supermarkets into price war to stop stampede of customers to discount chains. [Online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2539064/Aldi-Lidl-force-big-four-supermarkets-price-war-stop-stampede-customers-discount-chains.html Ruddick, G., 2015. Supermarkets could increase prices to pay for living wage. [Online] Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/11736662/Supermarkets-could-increase-prices-to-pay-for-living-wage.html Simon, H., Gathen, A. V. D. Daus, P. W., 2010. Retail Pricing Higher Profits Through Improved Pricing Processes. In: Retailing in the 21st Century. Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 319-336. Siro, I., Kapolna, E., Kapolna, B. Lugasi, A., 2008. Functional food. Product development, marketing and consumer acceptanceâ€â€A review. Appetite, 51(3), pp. 456-467. Weihrich, H., 1982. The TOWS Matrix A Tool for Situational Analysis, San Francisco: Long Range Planning .
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