Aggressive Rate Increase Would Hurt Growth

Mukesh Jagota and Anant Vijay Kala have written an article named â€Å"Aggressive Rate Increase Would Hurt Growth† published on 4th of August 2010 in Wall Street Journal India. As the title of the article suggests that it’s about rates increasing in a more hyper way that could hurt the economy.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Aggressive Rate Increase Would Hurt Growth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As per Finance Minister of India, Pranab Mukherjee, the increase in interest rates with such an aggressive way would ultimately lead to hurt the economy’s recovery which would lead to no further investment in the country, no growth and as obvious there would be ultimately no job creation. Since March 2010 lending and borrowing rates have increased in India fourth time in August. The latest lending rate increase was by 0.25 points in percentage and for borrowing 0.50 points in percentage which was more than expected. So in total since March the total lending rate got hiked up to a total of 1 percentage points and for borrowing to a total of 1.25 points in percentage. However, the government has been supportive and has cut down the taxes along with increase in spending for the country. Not even this but Reserve Bank of India has also became supportive which has cut down its policy rates in order to be more encouraging for the country in times of worldwide financial disaster. Moreover, the inflation rates for food have also displayed some flexibility keeping in view the track record of previous three months. For example the inflation rate for eatables was around 9.67% on 17th July, 2010 which got down from an inflation rate of 12.47% the week previous to that. The main reason for decrease in the rate was due to the price fall on vegetables, pulses, rice and cereals (Jagota and Kala). However, if India’s wholesale price indexed-based inflation rate is taken into consider ation then it has displayed an increase from May where it was about 10.16% which got up to 10.55% in June (Jagota and Kala). For having more flexibility in the food inflation rates, the government is relying on the monsoon rains in order to get more farm output but unluckily this year the monsoon rains have been two percent below if compared to the average of long-term (Jagota and Kala).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order to control the overall inflation rate system, the central bank of India has tried cleaning the excess cash from the overall banking system by making adjustments cash reserve ratio, policy rates and continuously monitoring the levels of liquidity in the financial system. Liquidity has also been compressed lately because of the outflow of around 1.35 trillion rupees fee payouts for license by telecommunication companies and also for advance payments of taxations. This whole situation led to a result that banks which were keeping excess money with the Reserve Bank of India for a very long time now turned out to be the frequent borrows from the central bank in order to meet even the very short term needs of these banks faced by them on a daily or monthly basis (Jagota and Kala). As per the words of Indian Finance Minister, the high growth faced during the previous five years, the rise in local incomes and increase in prices of commodities globally including higher prices paid to farmers as a support for the effort the put in production are all ultimately leading towards increase in inflation. According to the finance minister if the provinces put some effort in the improvisation of public distribution system and do not compromise on the rules related to commodity-limits on agricultural stocks then inflation can further be curbed and more investments can be a result (Jagota and Kala). Work Cited Jagota, Mukesh and Anant Vijay Kala. à ¢â‚¬Å"About aggressive rate increase.† 4 August 2010. Wall Street Journal India. 05 September 2010 https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704017904575408814234842560. This essay on Aggressive Rate Increase Would Hurt Growth was written and submitted by user Camren D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Education on Adolescents Essays

The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Education on Adolescents Essays The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Education on Adolescents Essay The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Education on Adolescents Essay The Psychological and Social Effects of Sexual Education on Adolescents Two drastic Emergency Room cases were handled in 1998 at Mary Washington Hospital. Concerned mothers brought their 12 year old daughters into the hospital thinking they were suffering from severe stomach pain or even appendicitis†¦both girls were actually in labor (Abstinence, 2002). The United States has the highest teen pregnancy, birth, and abortion rates in the Western world (Planned Parenthood, 2003). Are teens getting enough knowledge on sex and how to prevent STDs and unwanted pregnancies? Another heartbreaking statistic is that teenagers have the highest rate of STDs of any age group, with one in four young people contracting an STD by the age of 21 (Sex-Ed Work, 2003). Is sex education really working in school? Or do we need to change the type of curricula that is taught? There is no question that sex education should be taught in schools, but the question is how? The Importance of Sex Education Children and young adults today distinguish right from wrong based on their previous knowledge. The education they receive plays a major role in the way they make decisions. Sex is a controversial topic brought up frequently throughout a childs life. Based on the way it is taught, the child makes decisions that may forever change his or her life. (Sex Education That 3) Although it is often opposed, the two most essential ways children learn about sex today is the education they receive at home and at school. The relationship and behavior between children and their parents is crucial to the ways these children shape their own sexual ideas and values A child who perceives his relationship to his parents as supportive and close, is more likely to sexually behave in a way approved by his or her parents than a child brought up in an unhealthy environment. The state of teenage sexuality in America right now is a dismal thought. Young people lack the most basic information, like how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Sex education in public schools has been a controversial issue in the United States for over a decade. With the HIV and teen pregnancy crises growing, sex education is needed. What do the American people as a whole want their youth to be taught about sex? That is the ongoing question that not only state and federal governments are asking, but also local school districts, churches, and parents of all aged children. In the early twentieth century, disputes focused on whether or not to teach sexuality education at all; while currently it has shifted to which method is more successful in the school curriculum. Sexuality education does not just solely include the education of the sexual act itself and the diseases associated with it, but also the way us as humans feel we are as people; how we dress, talk, move, and the way we feel towards others (Families). Sex education and sexuality education are two separate things. Sex education is a learning opportunity that helps individuals understand and prepare for intimacy in their adult lives (Baer). Whereas, sexuality education is the field of study that examines the relationship skills and knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, and the values that promote healthy relations. We live in a time of heightened sexual activity. The United States has suffered a great increase in sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy. One out of every ten teenage girls in the United States between the ages of 15-19 become pregnant. As a result, five of every six pregnancies are unintended. Ninety-two percent of all these â€Å"unintended† pregnancies are conceived premarital. There is such a high rate of teenage pregnancy because of two main things: one, teenagers believe that conception is rare and two, they never anticipated intercourse to occur, therefore they never use any type of contraceptives. Research has shown that only one in every three teenagers use contraceptives. These are only a few examples that support the need for sexual education to be taught to young people as early as elementary school through high school. While we have learned a good deal about effective sexuality and HIV education, we can do much better. Several areas of research suggest that it is time to develop and test a â€Å"social studies† approach to sex and HIV education one that starts earlier and fosters critical thinking skills, gender equality, and human rights. Such an effort may have important lessons for improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes and contribute to other aspects of young people’s preparation for active, informed participation in civil society. As with other complex issues, many parents may need support, resources, and expertise from schools and other organizations. It is important that young people receive age-appropriate sexual health information and develop practical skills for keeping healthy. Educators can help families by providing culturally meaningful learning opportunities in safe and nonjudgmental environments so that young people can learn about sexuality in a healthy and positive context. We are all sexual. Sexuality is an integral part of each person’s identity. Learning about our sexuality and achieving sexual health and well-being are lifelong processes that begin at birth and continue throughout our lives. Although parents and guardians are the primary sexuality educators of their children, children also receive messages about sexuality from many other sources. Some of them may have more negative than positive impact. Schools and other community-based organizations can be important partners with parents to provide young people accurate and developmentally appropriate sexuality education. The goals of comprehensive sexuality education are to help young people gain a positive view of sexuality and to provide them with developmentally appropriate knowledge and skills so that they can make healthy decisions about their sex lives now and in the future. Medically accurate sexuality education is an investment in our children’s future - their well-being. Our â€Å"return on investment† could be a generation of young people who have heard more helpful messages about sexuality than the provocative media images and/or silences they currently witness. It could be a generation of women and men comfortable in their own skin; able to make well-informed, responsible decisions; form healthy relationships; and take care of their bodies. Research has identified highly effective sex education nd HIV prevention programs that affect multiple behaviors and/or achieve positive health impacts. Behavioral outcomes have included delaying the initiation of sex as well as reducing the frequency of sex, the number of new partners, and the incidence of unprotected sex, and/or increasing the use of condoms and contraception among sexually active participants. Experts have identified critical characteristics of highly effective sex education an d HIV/STI prevention education programs. Such programs: offer age- and culturally appropriate sexual health information in a safe environment for participants; Are developed in cooperation with members of the target community, especially young people; Assist youth to clarify their individual, family, and community values; assist youth to develop skills in communication, refusal, and negotiation; provide medically accurate information about both abstinence and also contraception, including condoms; have clear goals for preventing HIV, other STIs, and/or teen pregnancy; focus on specific health behaviors related to the goals, with clear messages about these behaviors; address psychosocial risk and protective factors with activities to change each targeted risk and to promote each protective factor. The finding suggests that adults should give teens guidance in coping with both the negative outcomes of engaging in sexual behaviors, and the negative experiences of refraining from them, the researchers say. The study, reported i n the January 2008 issue of the â€Å"American Journal of Public Health,† studied teens from the fall of their ninth-grade year through the spring of their tenth-grade year. Among teens who remained sexually inexperienced during the study, the percentage reporting only positive experiences from refraining from sex fell from 46 percent to 24 percent. Among teens who were sexually experienced at the outset of the study, the percentage reporting only positive experiences from refraining fell from 37 percent to 8 percent. The greatest change in attitudes was among teens who became sexually experienced during the study period. For those teens, the percentage who said that not having sex resulted in only positive experiences dropped from 40 percent to 6 percent. A comparison between the groups was also illuminating. Those adolescents who were sexually experienced from the outset were more likely than those who remained sexually inexperienced to value refraining from sex (odds ratio 3. 1 to 1. 6). When we encourage teens to abstain from sex or delay becoming sexually active, we frequently over-focus on the health risks, such as unintended pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections,† said senior study author Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, a professor of pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at UCSF. â€Å"Young teens are aware of the health risks, but this study shows that teens are assessing how they feel about refraining from sexual behaviors based upon how having sex makes them feel – and those feelings become increasingly influential over time,† Halpern-Felsher said. While research has examined how teens feel about becoming sexually active, the current study is the first to examine how teens feel when they don’t have sex, according to Sonya Brady, PhD, lead study author and a former UCSF post-doctoral fellow. The study examined the attitudes of approximately 600 Northern California high school students. Study participants were divided into three categories: those who were sexually experienced at the outset of the study, in the fall quarter of the ninth grade; those who had become sexually experienced by the end of the spring quarter of the tenth grade; and those who remained sexually inexperienced throughout the ninth and tenth grades. The study data was collected between 2002 and 2004 from a racially and ethnically diverse group of high schoolers who were mostly 14 years old at the start of the study. Fifty eight percent of the teens were female. Forty percent were Caucasian, 22 percent were Asian and 17 percent were Hispanic, with the remainder being of other racial groups. In the study, researchers asked participants to fill out survey questionnaires that asked about the positive and negative consequences of refraining from sexual activity. Sexual activity was defined as having either oral or vaginal sexual relations. Positive consequences of not having sex included ‘having a good reputation,’ ‘friends were proud,’ and ‘felt responsible. ’ Negative consequences included ‘partner became angry,’ ‘felt regret,’ ‘felt left out’ and ‘felt like you let your partner down’. The participants were surveyed every six months. Those who were sexually experienced were more likely that the other groups to value refraining from sex. By the spring of the tenth grade, these teens were twice as likely to report a positive outcome from not having sex, when compared with adolescents who became sexually experienced during the course of the study. Although more research is needed to understand why that might be the case, say Brady and Halpern-Felsher, they say that sexually experienced teens may reflect upon their past experiences and come to value selectivity about sexual partners or appropriate occasions for engaging in sex. â€Å"Refraining from sexual behavior should feel rewarding, and engaging in sexual behavior should be based on maturity and readiness,† Brady said. We often focus on abstinence in sex education programs. It may be that, when we do this exclusively, we’re not meeting the needs of those adolescents who choose to be sexually active, and may be failing to give them the tools to sele ct the most caring partners for them, the right occasions for engaging in sex, and the best strategies for engaging in safer sexual behavior,† she said. The study was conducted by the Halpern-Felsher Lab in the Division of Adolescent Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics at UCSF Children’s Hospital, when Brady was a post-doctoral fellow. She is now an assistant professor of epidemiology and community health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.

Computers and Computer Networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Computers and Computer Networks - Essay Example Parameters for this layer are the destination addresses. The Network Layer is associated with routing and directing data to different networks. Likewise, Local area networks, Wide area networks and Metropolitan Area Networks. The Transport layer is associated with check and balance of data packets. It ensures complete delivery of data in terms of files or messages. The Session Layer is associated with maintaining data sessions between different nodes on the network. It also analyzes and prevents collisions between data channels by prioritizing them. The Presentation Layer is associated with presenting the data by converting protocols from data conversion techniques, encryption techniques, binary conversion techniques etc. The Application layer is associated with software including email software, client / server software, FTP software, and much more. Network Components Functionality A simple definition of regenerative repeater is available in network dictionary which states it as â⠂¬Å"a device which regenerates incoming digital signals and then retransmit these signals on an outgoing circuit† The regenerative repeaters are the network devices, installed within the network to regenerate signals that may become weak or unreachable to the destination, due to long distance. These devices are implemented in long distance wired networks for transferring data geographically from one network to the other. As signals, are evolved via network cables, they become weak and attenuated over a certain distance within the same network, resulting in unreachable signals to the destination. This is where regenerative repeaters are useful as they regenerate signals received on their ports and sends the regenerated signals to all the other ports connected on the other end. Moreover, regenerative repeaters do not maintain a database as compare to Ethernet switches and operates on Physical Layer of the OSI model. Furthermore, regenerative repeaters are not compatible for rege nerating signals via two different networks. For instance, the regeneration of signals between a token ring network and Ethernet network is not supported. For example, there are two network locations, where the distance between the two is above 100 meters, repeaters are required to synchronize uninterruptible transmission of data from one network to the other. Otherwise, the attenuation may disturb the digital signals and may not reach the distance, which is above 100 meters. A simplest of definition for a network device known as bridge is as follows â€Å"Local Bridge is a bridge that directly interconnects networks in the same geographical area† (Local Bridge. 2007). Bridge has capabilities to develop network segments. The segments are developed to eliminate unnecessary broadcasting from some workstations or a department on the network. Consequently, the performance of the network will be efficient as bridges can segregate workstation from the network. As these devices oper ate on data link layer of the OSI model, it is implemented to amplify distance between network segments, allowing room for more workstations, to be attached within the same network. Moreover, the segregation of affected workstations from the network, eliminates network congestions and traffic choking. Bridges do not deal with the information available in the higher levels of the

The hunger game (movie) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The hunger game (movie) - Essay Example Here are some of the vivid concepts integrated into the movie film. The first includes social acceptance of engaging youth and minors into actual life battles that at some point may also cause their lives. However, this portrayal is not limited to what is happening in the imaginary society of Panem. In the actual world, life’s battle may not be a form of entertainment, but it is a reality for some people, most particularly to the victims and culprits of some relevant crimes. Consider for instance the contemporary war against child prostitution or human trafficking across the world. This is a reality that is placing the future of some minors in jeopardy. It may even distort their normal view of life in a not so distant future. This point may show that the actual child prostitution may not physically kill minors or children at certain level, but the actual idea involved in it is that it includes killing some important aspects in their individual lives. Trading children for sex i s simply considered illegal in contemporary time because of the associated international law that would stand against it to cut its detrimental perpetuation. The unethical implications associated with it is therefore remarkable because of the moral standard set by the government to be integrated in the actual law for ensuring the safety and protection of minors or children. However, despite this government control to protect the welfare of the child as citizen, the ongoing crimes associated with sexual exploitation including minors as primary subjects persist, and even the relevant number of incidence is moving to an upward spiral. Latest statistics reveals more minors are currently involved in sex trade and pornographic activities based on increase hotline calls of victims (National Human Trafficking Resource Center 5). The existence of media and internet increases or motivates the speed of online pornography involving minors. Thus, the televised fight-to-the-death featured in â₠¬Å"The Hunger Games† for instance is a relevant depiction of the actual struggles of some minors particularly those who might have active involvement in online pornography or other related illegal activities. Just as the subjects of televised fight-to-the-death in Panem may have lost their freedom to take hold of preserving their lives, these minors involved in some online or media-related crimes are actually experiencing the same level of struggle to fight for their right to live with a high quality of life founded by safety and protection against exploitations as promised by the government for its people, including the young citizens. Here is another point. The movie may also showcase a hidden message concerning the level of vulnerability of the adult population to provide weak direction for the welfare of the young people while exposing them to the peril of violence that we normally found reported with utmost controversy on the media. Like the nation of Panem that vividly s ees the actual violence through a televised-fight-to-the-death Hunger Games, the world today has never been so blind seeing and hearing the actual crimes committed by minors and young people alike through controversial news coverage in the media. Just let us take for instance the latest case we heard from the media concerning minors molesting another minor (The New York Times). The media informed us of the actual violen

Key To Success For Implementation Of IMC

Key To Success For Implementation Of IMC The emergence of integrated marketing communications (IMC) has developed into one of the most significant example of growth and expansion in the marketing discipline (Kitchen, 2003). It has influenced acting and thinking among companies but also state owned companies, authorities and political parties, all facing the realities of rivalry in an open economy (Smith, 1996). Today, integrated communications has developed into an expansive discipline that links marketing to a number of other grounds, including corporate culture, corporate design, corporate communication and public relations (Christensen et al., 2008). IMC has received significant interest in both the practitioner and academic communities, since the beginning. The interest played to IMC is largely a purpose of its strong appeal which makes good sense. Its been more than a decade since the concept was first introduced but however most major businesses have yet to fully apply the ideas contained in the IMC. In fact Schultz, et. al. (1992) state that recognition of IMC has not been as rapid as they thought. The benefits of IMC that Smith et al. (1999) identified are the following: All of the market communications are controlled and managed by the IMC. IMC ensures that brand positioning, personality and messages are conveyed to each part of communication which are delivered from a single reliable strategy. It is said that Relationship Marketing strengthens a bond of devotion with consumers which can also protect them from the competition. It is a great advantage to keep a consumer for life. IMC can increase the sales by extending messages across numerous communication tools to generate more ways for consumers to be aware of the product and to make a purchase. IMC reduces duplication in photography and graphics as they can be shared in advertising and exhibitions. A single agency is used for all communications so the agency fee is reduced or even if many agencies are used, time is as meetings get all the agencies together for strategic planning or briefings. Thus, it decreases workload and stress levels. Successful IMC campaign needs to find the firm a correct mixture of promotional techniques and tools that define their tasks and the level to which they should be used, and manage their use appropriately. IMC helps in making the communications effective and efficient amongst companies through various concepts such as customer focus, customer empowerment, brand resonance, immersive marketing and emotional bonding. If correctly implemented, the IMC plan could collect data and implement response based on the previously gathered data. Marketing communications derived from the consumer need is able to build value into the service or product and divide it from the competition in the customers minds. BARRIERS TO IMC IMPLEMENTATION Marketers appear to be tired when it comes to modifying the change and investment in their approach to marketing communications. The discussion concerning what marketing communications can be predictable to accomplish has been going on for very long ( Ambler, 2000). In the middle of the rising identification that advertising; mostly in the grown markets mainly carries out a reminder purpose focused largely on protecting the existing market-share. Both the agencies and clients have challenges in generating and implementing the efficient communications agenda. All areas of the diverse marketing communication business carry on to face instability among the media, declining audience and the internet (Douglas, 2003). All this are making the companies reconsider the blend of marketing communication tools with consequences for the usual mass media which may not be capable to gather the wants of the 21st century customers and find their market shares wear down despite of the synergies occurr ing from tactical associations in the media business (Davis and Craft, 2000). Another concern is regarding the advertising practitioners where an occurrence of inside-out idea and practice overcomes (Kitchen and de Pelsmacker, 2004). There are various tactical subjects of concern in the broader discussion concerning the development of IMC along with the long term involvement to marketing practice and theory (Gould, 2000). Duncan (2005) advocated the tactical forecasting and examining of brand relationships is who as well said that priority ought to be given to their most important consumers. But, so far, there is very little proof of purchaser value being resolute by any segment of IMC (Garber and Dotson, 2002). In spite of huge investments, the relationship amongst the multiplicity of IMC and customers is not well understood. Though, observed evidence of the effects of mixtures of media, like print advertising and television (Jin, 2004) is rising. According to the consumer driven strategy, IMC is the main organization of all the brand contact points. Different levels exist, where such integration takes place. The different levels would be the following. Level 1 Tactical co-ordination Level 2 Redefining the scope of marketing communication Level 3 Application of IT Level 4 Strategic and Financial Integration Key to success for implementation of IMC IMC is a theory that must be implemented logically and simultaneously at all levels and functions of a corporation. Marketing functions and Public relations are not the only programs that are integrated which makes the company an example of IMC (Low, 2000). The key tip is to be careful of companies with strong marketing cultures, because topics like corporate reputation will take a back seat to the provincialism of brand management (Pettegrew, 2000). Functional and Structural issues must become a critical part of any effective IMC series. Of particular importance is beginning with a communication czar who will become the principles and evangelist of the IMC implementation attempt (Reid, 2005). Any IMC program must be personalized to the unique character of a particular organizational culture. For an IMC program to work successfully, it must reflect the distinctive culture in which it must function well. EXAMPLES: In spite of the demand, the IMC premise fails to take into account the way most companies are structured and functioned. Many corporations that are believed to be examples of IMC; fail to maintain the IMC principles on a company basis. The examples of Nike and Proctor Gamble will disclose that neither of these companies are functionally or structurally integrated public relations and employee communications with their marketing roles. NIKE Nike- the athletic footwear and attire manufacturer, has been cited as an example of IMC excellence and marketing. In a cover story from Fortune, (Hamel, 1997) states: Ask Nike- CEO Phil Knight what he likes to do best, and he does not falter a beat, he likes to break things. then in the 1980s, he turned his booming athletic shoe corporation into a marketing machine, saturating the airwaves with drastic commercials that highlighted emotion rather than the product. Schultz, et. al. (1992) publicized Nikes success in their IMC book: The thinking behind IMC is that every statement logo, price, promotion, label, distribution should be created to help convince the intention of the competitive advantage. Duncan and Caywood (1996) also include Nike among several companies that have been tremendously successful and based on observation, they are doing brilliant jobs of integrating their communication labors. Nikes breaking the marketing rules of the athletic footwear business which has come at a cost paid by its worldwide company reputation. Given these setbacks, one could argue that Phil Knights tactical wisdom for Nike is more alike to original advertising and horizontal integration than true IMC. There is a little proof that Nikes victory was achieved by the tactical management of all messages and media used by an organization to jointly influence its perceived brand value (Keegan, Moriarty Duncan, 1992). There are missteps that suggest Nikes marketing communications which may not be so ideal. For example, in 1997, Nike followed its patently bold and brash in your face marketing formula in an attempt to gain market share in an international soccer (Thurow, 1997). In Spain, an overwhelmingly Catholic nation, Nike introduced a commercial of Satan and his demons playing against a team of Nike endorsers. Spain refused to allow the commercial to air during primetime. Nike also placed an advertisement in Soccer American magazine saying: Europe, Asia and Latin America: Barricade your stadiums. Hide your trophies. Invest in some deodorant, as Asia and Latin America have been crushed. So will Europe. The world has been warned (Thurow, 1997). And finally, Nike ran an ad on British TV featuring a controversial French soccer player who detailed how spitting at a fan and insulting his coach had won him a Nike contract. Far from having an insight into the soccer market from the customers point of v iew and gaining ground against rival Adidas, Nike garnered a scathing editorial in the International Federation of Football Associations newsletter. Another recent evidence that says Nike is hardly the quintessential IMC company. Nike groped and allowed accusations of child-labor sweatshops in Asia that subcontract the manufacturing of Nike shoes to fester. In 1999, a team of journalists went to document the conditions for themselves, but Nike shut the factories. Prior to this series of incidents, widely published news stories detailed incidents in which poor children in the inner-city were robbing, stealing and seriously injuring peers to obtain expensive Nike shoes such as Air Jordans. Publicly Nike ignored these charges for years. Considering these two incidents, there was a genuine public relation crisis where any company engaged in lawful IMC could have anticipated before it became a crisis. Instead, Nike just kept on marketing until crisis overwhelmed it. Nikes power as an IMC example is, at best overstated. Harris (1998) argues: That master marketer of our times, Phil Knight, likes to point out that while an ad page in Sports Illustrated costs $150,000, no amount of money can buy the front cover where swoosh-bearing athletes appear with great frequency. The omnipresent swoosh has a 90 percent-plus awareness among consumers, enabling it to stand alone. Many seasoned public relations professionals are quick to admit that companies that live by extraordinary market exposure can also die by the same token. In a recent effort to distance itself from its public relations problems, Nike first tried to eliminate its swoosh from its marketing campaigns and replace it with a kinder-friendlier marketing approach that emphasizes fair labor practices, the global community and environment. PROCTER GAMBLE Procter Gamble (PG) is considered by academic scholars to be a world-class marketing company and is said to stand 6th in Fortunes Most Admired Companies 2010 list (Wikipedia). Similar to the Nike brand, PG possesses some of the most particular brands in the world like Tide detergent, Duncan Hines cake mix, Jiff peanut butter, Crest toothpaste and Cover Girl cosmetics. It also has dominant market share with many of its leading brands. Even though, PGs marketing command has a record of external internal communication mistakes suggestive of Nike. PG openly misused both the Rely Tampon crisis and allegations that their packaging sign recognized the companys satanic links. It was said that PG lost face openly and separated employees when it was exposed that the company had phone-tapped a few staffs they had assumed of revealing business information. This was followed by a job of dealing with some of the physiological effects of its new replacement, Olestra. Without bearing in mind the public comeback, they allowed their scientists to name the release of Olestra, anal leakage (Henkoff, 1996), raising an additional sign of public controversy. Recently, PG shot itself in the business reputational base again. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) declared to the media that PG anticipated to meet its earnings forecast for the end of the quarter. Few weeks later, new CEO, Durk Jager was forced to declare to the same media that they had incorrectly over-estimated their periodical income and that the business would fall very short of its periodical earnings forecast. Over the following week, the companys stock fell sharply as financial markets and shareholders lost faith in the respected company. The Board of Directors of PG then fired Mr. Jager. New CEO, A.G. Lafley must now try to recover the market share and end the defections of many of the companys finest and brightest to the hi-tech industry. Regardless of Harris (1998) categorization to the opposite, these exemplars explain just how far away PG has been working from the essential IMC state of speaking to all stakeholders with a single voice (Schultz, et. Al., 1992). THE PROBLEM WITH IMPLEMENTING AT THE HIGHER LEVEL OF MANAGEMENT Nike and PG do a wonderful job with the marketing side of IMC without incorporating their employee and public relation functions, their company reputations have suffered. IMC theory has given a short shrift to the organizational barriers that often avoid companies from implementing IMC effectively. BARRIERS BETWEEN THE COMPANIES [NIKE AND PG] I have argued that two companies Nike and Procter Gamble, fall far short of the IMC model. Neither company has effectively integrated its many communication functions seamlessly. Both companies are very strong in terms of marketing, but they remain weak in employee communications, public relations or both. The question is, how do companies like these miss the IMC mark? The answer would be to a great level in their organizational structures. Both- Nike and PG are marketing organizations, organized around product marketing. PG demonstrates a brand management association where both staff and line functions are positioned within a companys various brands or products. While, PGs organizational structure has developed over the years, staff communication functions such as public relations and employee communications are organized around and directly support each brand or group of brands. Brands get the most resources and use huge internal influence. Beginning in June 1999, PG undertook a new organizational proposal that created a unit called Global Business Services providing a centralized staff support service across all of its Global Business Units (GBUs). Prior to this idea, each brand unit had its own communication staff functions with little company-wide centralization and control. While Nike uses another form of organization, its purpose and structure still highlight marketing its products and services. CEO- Phillip Knight is Nikes marketing chief and until its recent reputational woes, exemplified its bold approach to the market (Thurow, 1997). Most of the marketing decisions are made by the heads of these business units without the kind of teamwork and central planning required by IMC. Staff communication functions like investor relations, public affairs and human resources have traditionally played support roles. CONCLUSION The concept of IMC is a good one but it only exists at lower level management and not the higher level management and reasons for it are very clearly stated in the passage above.

The Tapestry Metaphor Essay -- Intercultural Communication Cultural Es

The Tapestry Metaphor We have all heard or used the tapestry metaphor at one time or another: â€Å"It's like a tapestry —with many delicate threads all woven together to make a whole.† Yes, we have heard it again and again. But why not repeat it? Well, after contemplating on the sociocultural experiences I chose to study—attending a Sunday worship service at the local Nazarene church and arraignments at the Juneau Court House—I believe that a person's idea of her or his cultural self is like a tapestry. One's own life experiences and communications with others are the threads. And woven together, the experiences of one's life create a unique cultural being. The Juneau Church of the Nazarene conducts its Sunday services much like many other churches I have attended. A pastor, associate pastor, or music director leads the service from the front of the sanctuary, each taking turns standing at the pulpit when speaking. Also up in front sits the musicians, two pianists and a guitarist. In the main part of the sanctuary sit the congregation in rows of pews. The service usually begins with a reading of scripture, church announcements, or a hymn. Then there are small orders of business, like prayer concerns, special music sung by church members, or other scripture readings. The climax of the hour-long service is the pastor's sermon, in which he preaches about some specific topic centering on the Christian doctrine. The two services I attended followed this basic outline, with little to no deviation from the bulletin. Rather than a bulletin, the Juneau Court House conducts its arraignments according to a calendar, which is posted outside the door to indicate which cases will be addressed on a particular day. A judge or, in this case... ...Well, we could go with Lustig and Koester's definition: â€Å"Culture is a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms, which affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people† (27). But why not use a timeless analogy? Cultural identity is a tapestry, a tapestry of one's social interactions, traditions, values, philosophy on life, and so on. Culture is not purely family or ethnicity or location or religion; it is an amalgam of these things—a unique weaving of what makes up our everyday lives. Works Cited and Consulted Jandt, Fred E. An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community. 4 th ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc., 2004. Lustig, Myron W., and Jolene Koester. Intercultural Competence: Interpersonal Communication across Cultures. 4 th ed. Boston: Pearson Education Inc., 2003.

Paper Issues – Mobile Ecommerce

S30057544 Christopher Navarro Atarama S30057544 Christopher Navarro Atarama Mobile E-Commerce ITECH 3212 E-commerce 2 – Assignment 1 Mobile E-Commerce ITECH 3212 E-commerce 2 – Assignment 1 Table of Contents 1Abstract2 2Introduction2 3Definitions2 4Mobile E-commerce infrastructure3 5Privacy issues4 6Security issues4 7Mobile Client Device Technologies and Issues5 8Mobile devices applications issues6 9Bibliography7 * Abstract The following report is a document made with the intention of accomplishes the first assignment of E-Commerce 2 course of the University of Ballarat at IIBIT Sydney. The aim of this report is give a general overview about Mobile E-Commerce or M-Commerce and its different issues in the actuality. Introduction Day by day, new technologies come up bringing new ways of communication and interconnection, using the great network: Internet. This network, in addition, opens a wide door of electronic business opportunities known as E-Commerce (Roehl-Anderson, 2010). In the actuality, and with the development of new technologies in mobile devices area, make electronic commerce is more accessible, fast and mobile (Antovski & Gusev, 2009). This new E-business model is known as Mobile E-commerce or M-Ecommerce. According with Antovski & Gusev (2009), M-Commerce is defined as any transaction with monetary value that is conducted via a mobile telecommunications network. M-Commerce like Ecommerce can be B2B (business to business), P2P (person to person) or B2C (business to customer) oriented. The framework divides into couple sub areas based on user’s distribution criterion. Mobile Ecommerce addresses electronic commerce via mobile devices, where the consumer is not in physical or eye contact with the goods that are being purchased. Definitions Mobile Devices: Also referred to as handheld devices, are generally poket-sized devices with computing capabilities (including smartphones, PDAs, etc. ). These devices generally offer robust functionality without the restriction associated with heavier, tethered equipped (Harris, 2010). E-commerce: E-commerce (electronic commerce or EC) is the buying and selling of goods and services on the Internet, especially the World Wide Web. In practice, this term and a newer term,  e-business, are often used interchangeably. For online retail selling, the term  e-tailing  is sometimes used (Harris, 2010). Smartphone: A cellular telephone with built-in applications and Internet access. Smartphones provide digital voice service as well as text messaging, e-mail, Web browsing, still and video cameras, MP3 player, video viewing and often video calling. In addition to their built-in functions, smartphones can run myriad applications, turning the once single-minded cellphone into a mobile computer. Mobile E-commerce infrastructure The mobile e-commerce evolution is being fuelled by the same forces that enabled ecommerce by PC users (Buccafurri, 2010). According with Antovski & Gusev (2009), there has been considerable investment in mobile e-commerce by banks, hardware providers, cellular operators, and content providers that is leading mobile consumers to eventually have the same satisfactory experience, in terms of content and variety, that they have come to appreciate from their PC Several banking projects are underway to fund the payment architecture needed to address the mobile consumer. MasterCard International announced in May, 2000 that it would launch a fund for start-ups and established companies dedicated to the development of new roducts and services involving smart cards, e-commerce and m-commerce that strategically supports MasterCard’s member institutions (Winter, 2010). Visa, likewise, announced it was teaming up with Cyberbills and Aether Systems to create an â€Å"anytime, anywhere bill payment service†. Credit Mutual, a French bank, is teaming up with MasterCard International and Europay Internation al on an EMV-compliant mobile commerce pilot in France. Included in this global agreement are hardware providers France Telecom, Oberthur Card Systems, and Motorola. Other pilots are planned in Germany, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, the UK and the US. Hardware companies are equally important stakeholders in the mobile commerce revolution (Buccafurri, 2010). Efforts are underway in developing standards and forming partnerships and consortiums between industry leaders to establish the platform for building the mobile commerce industry. Cellular handset manufacturers are leading this effort with developing next generation digital phones that will carry voice and data over new communications networks that will rival the wired market for transmission speeds and internet access. The big three; Ericsson, Nokia, and Motorola control over 50% of the handset market worldwide. They have formed an alliance called the Global M-commerce Standard. The objective of this alliance is to develop standards that will reduce the time to market for hardware, applications, and communications. Analysts predict that by 2003, there will be more cell phones that are capable of accessing the Internet than PCs. The ability of the cellular industry to quickly achieve worldwide standards like GSM, WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) and WAN (Wireless Application Network) has contributed to position they find themselves in leading the mobile commerce revolution. The consortium has wisely included operators and financial institutions into the mix to make sure the services will keep up with the technology (Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, 2009). Privacy issues Privacy issues have always been a key reason for potential online consumers to avoid E-Commerce (Jun Xu, 2010). In the early days of E-commerce, a significant fraction of consumers thought that credit cards could be â€Å"snatched† off the Internet. Solid encryption technologies have reduced most of those fears, and for the most part, new consumers don't orry about losing credit cards while online (Cruz-Cunha, 2010). However, there remains some very real privacy issues associated with conducting transactions electronically, which may be exacerbated with the capacity to undertake mobile transactions. These include unauthorized access to stored data, especially personal information and transaction history. Security issues According to Francesco Buccafurri (2010), s ecuring m-commerce may be even more difficult than protecting wired transaction. Constrained bandwidth and computing power, memory limitations, battery life and various network configurations all come into play, raise the questions as to whether there will be adequate security for users without compromising the ease of use and speed. In the use of text messaging, a number of security issues have already been identified, and will extend to the use of m-commerce (Buccafurri, 2010). While a direct SMS message is relatively safe because it is encrypted for its transition from one mobile handset to the other, because of its store forward nature, messages are vulnerable to being corrupted. Like voice messages, SMS' are stored on a server before being forwarded to the receiver. There is no mandatory encryption and access protection for storage. The only way to secure the entire transmission would be with end-to-end encryption. Messages exchanged between two service providers can also be violated in transit if the link between the two networks is not protected. If this information is payment details or authorities to make transactions, there is even more danger (Lee, 2009). The reliability of SMS messages is also in question. Unlike in Europe, where message delivery confirmation can be obtained by pressing a three-digit code, no confirmation is issued in Australia. The capacity to check and ensure that sent messages are received will be essential to build and maintain trust in the use of m-commerce. Mobile technologies manufacturers are developing improved security for applications with authentication and encryption technologies. However, there are two trade-offs for increased security, namely price and style (Cruz-Cunha, 2010). Mobile Client Device Technologies and Issues According to Antovski & Gusev (2009), the interactivity devices or mobile client devices currently most important to mobile e-commerce are mobile telephones, handheld computers, laptop computers, and vehicle-mounted interfaces. Hybrid devices are now appearing, such as the crosses between mobile phones and handheld devices (sometimes called smartphones), but the question remains as to what form the devices will ultimately take, which is an important issue for mobile system developers. Usability will become more critical with handheld and phone devices, which differ from desktop and laptop computers in terms of their smaller screen sizes, less available memory, and limited input devices (Antovski & Gusev, 2009). Many handheld devices are limited to a few lines of text, and do not have traditional keyboards. One usability issue is the need for organizations to determine how people can best use applications and access information through different devices. Mobile devices have forced developers to carefully revisit both operating systems and applications software on a variety of platforms (Jun Xu, 2010). Operating systems such as Microsoft’s Pocket PC and Palm’s PalmOS have been developed for handheld devices. Although this software meets some of the current needs, it has limited functionality. The creation of system software with increased functionality for devices with limited capabilities will be an ongoing challenge. Another important building block for this emerging infrastructure landscape may be the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), which enables wireless devices such as mobile phones to access the Internet (Kr. Sharma, Sharma, & Raj, 2011). Many WAP-enabled devices have already appeared, although there is doubt as to whether WAP will become a globally accepted standard, especially with the popularity of Japan’s i-mode. Developers ultimately face the issue of deciding which set of protocols to accept, or risk the potential problems of working with multiple standards and/or choosing to ignore some. Mobile devices applications issues Many of mobile devices applications are currently constrained by technology limitations and issues described previously. According Juhnyoung Lee (2009), there are two fundamental application issues that researchers and developers must address are what tasks do users want to do without regard for temporal or spatial constraints and how to provide support for these tasks through wireless applications. Mobile e-commerce payment systems can also benefit from wireless technology (Skeldon, 2011). One scenario involves a consumer not having to stand in line to make a purchase, but simply paying for an item though a wireless device. Final payments might even be billed to a telephone company. Bluetooth technology may enable a list of available services to be generated automatically on a device when a user walks close to a Bluetooth-equipped cash register. Wireless technology is well suited for bringing e-commerce to automobiles and other forms of transportation (Lee, 2009). Traffic advisory systems can warn of impending traffic jams. Cars will eventually be able to report potential problems to service centres themselves. The service centre might even make minor adjustments to the car online. Car-mounted devices will eventually allow regular Internet access, although safety issues of â€Å"browsing while driving† must be addressed. While most initial mobile commerce applications seem to be aimed at the business-to-consumer market, business-to-business and intranet applications are also appearing (Lee, 2009). Service technicians can be dynamically assigned new tasks and sent problem information while they are traveling. Sales people can go literally anywhere in the field and access product information and customer accounts, although the applications right now are still subject to the constraints of current wireless devices. Organizations must address the issue of designing complex, robust applications that work well within these current (and any foreseeable) device limitations. Flexibility can be integrated into designs to enable future functionality. Conclusions Mobile electronic commerce enables the consumer to be able to conduct their business while on the move. In today’s fast-paced society, people are always looking to do everything on the go and do not want to be slowed down. Also, as technology changes throughout the years, people are now looking for their mobile devices to perform more tasks than ever before. It seems logical for people to want access to the Internet through their mobile devices and to want to take care of their business through these devices. Through the origin of mobile electronic commerce, people are now able to conduct their business over the Internet without having to sit in front of their computer all day. This saves consumers time because they no longer have to be logged onto their personal computer at home or work. This allows consumers to be mobile and on the go. But, mobile electronic commerce has also helped the companies as well. Bibliography Antovski, L. , & Gusev, M. (2009). M-Commerce Services. Retrieved August 09, 2011, from http://delab. csd. auth. gr/bci1/Balkan/15Antovski. pdf Australian Interactive Media Industry Association. (2009). Australian Mobile Phone lifestyle index. Buccafurri, F. (2010). E-Commerce and Web Technologies: 11th International Conference, EC-Web 2010, Bilbao, Spain, September 1-3, 2010, Proceedings. Springer. Cook, A. , & Goette, T. (2009). Mobile Electronic Commerce: What Is It? Who Uses It? And Why Use It? . Communications of the IIMA . Cruz-Cunha, M. M. (2010). E-Business Issues, Challenges and Opportunities for SMEs: Driving Competitiveness. Idea Group Inc (IGI). Encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved August 10, 2011, from PCMag. com: http://www. pcmag. com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Smartphone&i=51537,00. asp Harris, C. (2010, September). Ebook glossary. Retrieved August 10, 2011, from Library Journal: http://www. libraryjournal. com/lj/articlereview/886887-457/the_lj_ebook_glossary. html. csp Jun Xu, M. Q. (2010). E-business in the 21st century: realities, challenges and outlook. World Scientific. Kr. Sharma, R. , Sharma, R. , & Raj, S. (2011). CONFRONTS AND ISSUES IN M-COMMERCE: A BUSINESS ON MOBILE AND NET APPROACH. International Journal of Information Technology and Knowledge Management. Lee, J. (2009). Data engineering issues in e-commerce and services: second international workshop, DEECS 2009, San Francisco, CA, USA, June 26, 2006 : proceedings. San Fransisco: Springer. Roehl-Anderson, J. M. (2010). IT Best Practices for Financial Managers. John Wiley and Sons. Skeldon, P. (2011). M-Commerce. Crimson Publishing, Limited. Winter, R. (2010). Global Perspectives on Design Science Research: 5th International Conference, DESRIST 2010, St. Gallen, Switzerland, June 4-5, 2010. Proceedings. Springer.