Case Study of Prostitution Essay

Has overall responsibility and accountability for providing direction in the area of treasury services, accounting services, or procurement services. This position has discretion in establishing overall operating policies and procedures for assigned QUALIFICATIONS Bachelor’s Degree in accounting, finance, business administration or related field. Relevant experience may substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis. Eight years of progressively responsible, professional experience related to area of assignment at a management level. Depending on area of assignment, Certified Public Accountant Certification or Certified Purchasing Manager Certification may be strongly preferred or required. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS Knowledge of: †¢ Managerial principles; †¢ Financial principles and practices in assigned areas of responsibility; †¢ Budgeting principles and practices; †¢ Applicable federal, state, and local laws, rules, regulations, and ordinances; †¢ Non-profit/college fund accounting systems and principles; †¢ Advanced internal control practices; †¢ Advanced financial analysis principles and methods; †¢ Strategic planning principles and practices;. Demonstrated Skill in: †¢ Coordinating activities with other internal departments and/or external agencies; † †¢ Developing and monitoring budgets; †¢ Managing large, complex governmental financial systems; †¢ Preparing and reviewing reports; †¢ Interpreting and applying applicable Federal, State, and/or Local laws, rules, and regulations; DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 1. Plans, organizes, maintains, and manages the processes and operations of multiple functional areas within Finance. Manages the activities of assigned areas to include: planning, implementing, administering and evaluating projects and services impacting College operations from a Finance perspective. 2. Develops, recommends, and administers policies, procedures, and processes in support of Finance operations in assigned areas of responsibility; implements and monitors compliance with approved policies, procedures, and processes, ensuring alignment with College mission, values, goals and objectives and local, state, and federal laws and regulations. 3. Develops, recommends, and administers policies, procedures, and processes in support of Financial Services operations; implements and monitors compliance with approved policies, procedures, and processes. 4. Supervises administrative services professionals, paraprofessionals, and technical/support staff and performs both direct and indirect supervision through subordinates. Hires, evaluates, trains, disciplines and recommends dismissal of staff as necessary. 5. Prepares financial management reports for various College programs, reviewing financial data to ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal requirements and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles. Researches, analyzes, and interprets applicable laws and regulations relative to assigned areas of responsibility; makes recommendations based on findings. The Customer business Relationship division is responsible for the planning, successful execution and follow up for a diverse range of customer retention campaigns, along with producing their annual budget, monthly forecast, and other business reporting as required. The CRM will carry out innovative and sometimes complex projects to their completion, and thoroughly analyze maturing data in order to make sound recommendations for next steps that aim to improve our financial results. Responsibilities †¢ P&L: Responsibility for reaching or exceeding budgeted financial goals in one or more of our key customer retention categories – saves and reinstatement, customer longevity, load ups, and cross sell – using a variety of communication media including invoice text, inserts, email and telemarketing. †¢ Campaign Planning & Execution: Responsible for conceptualizing and managing a diverse range of customer retention campaigns and initiatives. This includes idea generation and exploration, preparing and presenting proposals, overseeing the creative and production processes and championing successful execution. †¢ Campaign Analysis: Analyze campaign outcomes in detail, using a variety of proprietary software applications. Draw insights and present results clearly to facilitate sound decision making on next steps. †¢ Budget/Forecast: Build a detailed, bottom-up annual budget for areas of responsibility. Supply key inputs to the quarterly reforecast, using the most accurate, up-to-date information available. Be prepared to discuss assumptions used for developing budgets and forecasts. †¢ Special Projects: Participate in a variety of special projects as requested, including explorations of system or process improvements, new retention categories, and joint projects with Customer Service. †¢ Customer Focus: Working with Customer Service, Marketing Services and Operation to develop and maintain a customer-focused attitude toward activities, concentrating on those that most strongly contribute toward improving customer lifetime value. Qualifications †¢ BS degree with major in Marketing required †¢ 4-6 years experience in a direct marketing environment, preferably with experience in both acquisition and retention marketing †¢ Continuity or club experience, including retention and cross selling strongly preferred. †¢ Keen project management skills with an ability to interact with and motivate others to succeed on several fronts simultaneously †¢ Effective verbal and written communication on all levels and both internally and externally †¢ Strong analytical, technical and mathematical abilities †¢ Self-motivated, analytical, quick learner, organized, detail-oriented, multi-tasker †¢ Prioritizes workload and meets deadlines for a variety of marketing â€Å"deliverables† †¢ Demonstrates initiative with a results orientation, while exhibiting strong drive and leadership skill Marketing and communication division —–is someone who works to promote a company’s services or products. Marketing communications managers work in conjunction with advertising and sales managers, helping to generate income for their company. They are employed in a wide array of industries and perform a multitude of tasks. Marketing communication managers also hire, train and organize their staffs. Responsibilities: – Manage the marketing communications function – including communications calendar, brand, PR plan, and content development Develop presentations, collateral, positioning documents and sales tools to support both internal channel Management teams as well as Mobile Access’s VARs, strategic carriers and OEMs o Work with product management to integrate the product roadmap into a communications calendar and translate the new product value in terms of the overall company’s position within the market o Create a Mobile Access style guide and manage company’s brand image and consistency o Translate complex technical solutions in to easy to comprehend marketing messages – Administer the company’s Web-site including overall positioning, content and messaging. – Responsible for managing the Mobile Access Partner Portal – coordinating with the channel program team on content and tool needs – Create and manage direct/indirect marketing campaigns to enable Mobile Access VARs to drive acquisition and embedded base sales – Work with industry analysts and pr firm to build Mobile Access brand presence and recognition – Responsible for event management . QUALIFICATIONS – 7-10 years of experience in marketing and other broad range of marketing and business related roles in technology companies. Broad exposure and holistic understanding of different wireless technologies and/or in building wireless experience is desirable. – Bachelors Degree required – a focus in English or communications is preferred – Must have a writing background and previous experience with creating press releases, marketing collateral and white papers – Experience with managing a Web-site and/or portal, utilizing a CMS like Expression Engine as well as managing the site performance against standard Web metrics – Experience with e-marketing campaigns (Webinars, e-mail, banner ads, search (organic and paid), Web 2.0 tools) – Experience with branding, co-branding and managing a brand delivered via indirect distribution. – High-energy and team-oriented candidate desired- Familiarity with Adobe CS3/4 suite The Retail Division You will be responsible forThe aim of any retail manager is to maximize profit while minimizing costs. Retail managers ensure promotions are accurate and merchandised to the company’s standards, staff is fully versed on the target for the day and excellent customer care standards are met. †¢ Depending on the size of the store, and company structure, retail managers may also be required to deal with human resources, marketing, logistics, information technology, customer service and finance. managing and motivating a team to increase sales and ensure efficiency; †¢ managing stock levels and making key decisions about stock control; †¢ analyzing sales figures and forecasting future sales volumes to maximize profits; †¢ analyzing and interpreting trends to facilitate planning; †¢ using information technology to record sales figures, for data analysis and forward planning; †¢ dealing with staffing issues such as interviewing potential staff, conducting appraisals and performance reviews, as well as providing or organising training and development; †¢ ensuring standards for quality, customer service and health and safety are met; †¢ resolving health and safety, legal and security issues; †¢ responding to customer complaints and c omments; †¢ promoting the organization locally by liaising with local schools, newspapers and the community in general; †¢ organizing special promotions, displays and events; †¢ attending and chairing meetings; Qualification has deep understanding, knowledge and skill in the Retail industry, and extensive experience in managing Retail operations across a network ideally in the beauty and gift sectors. You must possess excellent analytical skills and commercial flair evidenced by previous ability to drive commercial growth, be an inspirational leader with excellent people management skills, strong business acumen with ability to perform with insight and intelligence and first class decision making and negotiation skills.

How are Marco and Rodolpho initially presented in A View From the Bridge? Essay

From Marco’s first appearance on stage it is clear that Miller intended to portray him as cautious and respectful. In the stage directions, Miller describes him as â€Å"suspicious, tender†. The use of the word â€Å"suspicious† tells us that Marco is aware of the dangers he and his brother face as immigrants and as such trusts very few people. The word â€Å"tender† supports this idea as it implies that Marco is being careful about what he says as well as being careful to not overstep any boundaries, an idea further supported by the fact that he either sticks only to one or two word answers such as â€Å"thank you† or just nodding. The way Marco has been presented shows that he is very careful by nature and as such will obey those who are in charge. This is first demonstrated after the brothers enter the apartment. After addressing Beatrice, the first thing that Marco tells Eddie is that when â€Å" you (Eddie) say go, we will go†. Almost immediately after meeting the Carbone family Marco states that he will obey Eddies commands and in doing so establishes a hierarchy, in which Eddie is at the highest point. When asked about the condition of life in Italy Marco responds by saying it’s â€Å"bad†. Though on the surface this seems like a very basic description when taken into context it displays just how horrible conditions are there. Marco states that his eldest son is â€Å"sick in the chest† and that if he had stayed â€Å"they (the children) will never grow up†. These sentences show the suffering present in Italy and the fact that Marco doesn’t explicitly refer to the possibility of his children dying and rather only vaguely hints to it shows the fact that while he knows that it is a possibility he refuses to accept it. So when Marco describes the situation as â€Å"bad† what Miller is doing is allowing the audience to imagine for themselves just how bad the situation is. This explains why Marco has come to the US; he is trying to support his family back home and ensure their survival. When Rodolpho first sees the house he exclaims that he thought the Carbone’s â€Å"were poor†. This implies that Rodolpho is seeing their house as very big compared to what he would be used to, which shows just how poor Rodolpho’s family are. Additionally the way Miller has Rodolpho speak this line shows a lot about his character; Miller presents him as excitable and naive through the fact that while Marco is being quiet and careful Rodolpho is talking loudly and being playful. This idea is added onto when Rodolpho answers Catherine’s question about her appearance by saying the â€Å"Danes invaded Sicily†. This is clearly intended to be a joke and shows that Rodolpho is being playful with Catherine, and also hints to the fact that Rodolpho might be attracted to her. Miller adds to Rodolpho’s childlike nature when he has him describe life back in Sicily. While Marco describes the negativities of life back home Rodolpho decides to make it humorous describing how everything in the town â€Å"you gotta push†. His forwardness shows how naive he is. This is further demonstrated when he describes his reasons for coming to America. Rodolpho states that â€Å"when [he] is rich† he will â€Å"buy a motorcycle†. The fact that he says â€Å"when [he] is rich† shows just how little he has thought the plan through. Eddie has been working in America his entire life and is nowhere near being considered being rich, while Rodolpho just assumes he will be. Additionally, his dream of owning a â€Å"motorcycle† is what could be described as a young man’s dream i.e. a person in their youth further adding to the idea that Rodolpho is very childlike. In the relationship between Marco and Rodolpho, Miller makes it clear that Marco is the one with the authority. This is first shown when Marco says to Rodolpho â€Å"Shh! Come†. In this line it is clear that Marco is commanding Rodolpho and since he follows Marco’s commands we can assume that this is normal for them. Furthermore it is Marco who knocks on the door of the apartment implying it is he who takes responsibility. When Rodolpho mentions how he wants to own a motorbike, Marco replies by saying â€Å"when you have no wife you have dreams†. The use of the word dreams suggests that Marco sees Rodolpho’s ambition as unrealistic and as nothing more than just childish wishes. Additionally it could show that Marco sees Rodolpho as not having any responsibilities as he does not have a wife. Furthermore when Rodolpho is describing his first singing performance he states on having lived â€Å"six months on that night† to which Marco â€Å"nods doubtfully† and responds that they in fact only lived two months off the performance. The hyperbole made by Rodolpho seems to confirm the idea of him being a childish figure therefore making Marco the adult figure in the relationship. When Eddie questions Rodolpho about whether or not he â€Å"want[s] to be picked up† Marco replies by rising and saying â€Å"no – no†. Marco’s dominance is displayed by the fact that he replies for Rodolpho and because of the fact that he does it so quickly. Additionally he then goes on to tell Rodolpho â€Å"you’ll be quiet† and the use of an imperative further demonstrated the dominance Marco has over Rodolpho. When Catherine sees Rodolpho she questions him â€Å"wondrously† about his complexion. Wondrously shows that Catherine is intrigued by Rodolpho’s appearance as well as possibly hinting to the fact that she finds him attractive and is curious about him. Furthermore she then exclaims to Beatrice that he is â€Å"practically blond† again showing her interest in him. Additionally Miller heavily suggests Catherine’s interest toward Rodolpho when she is described as asking him whether he’s â€Å"married too†. What this does is show to the audience that Catherine is very interested in Rodolpho and is already considering starting a relationship with him. When Miller describes Eddie as coming to â€Å"address Marco only† what he is doing is showing the audience the start of Eddies disapproval of Rodolpho. This all stems from the fact that in Eddie’s eyes he sees Marco as a real man, strong and masculine, whereas Rodolpho is seen as weak and effeminate. This is added onto when Eddie interrupts Rodolpho’s singing and says â€Å"we never had no singers here†. While this may just be concern for him it could also be interpreted as Eddie being jealous of all the attention Roldolpho is receiving and so purposefully stopped him. In contrast Catherine responds to Eddie’s interruption by saying â€Å"leave him finish†. The fact that Catherine, who had prior to this point been entirely dependant on Eddie’s opinions, goes against Eddie’s wishes is significant and shows just how deep her attraction for Rodolpho goes.

Overview of Electronic Commerce Essay

Electronic commerce is the process of buying, selling, or exchanging products, services, and information via computer networks. E-business is a broader definition of EC that includes not just the buying and selling of goods and services, but also servicing customers, collaborating with business partners and conducting electronic transactions within an organization. 2. Distinguish between pure and partial EC. Companies utilizing pure EC conduct all of their business online. Businesses utilizing partial EC conduct a portion of their business online and a portion of their business off-line. 3. Define click-and-mortar organizations. These are organizations that conduct e-commerce activities, but do their primary business in the physical world. 4. Define electronic markets, IOSs, and intraorganizational information systems. Electronic market – An online marketplace where buyers and sellers meet to exchange goods, services, money or information. IOSs – Communication systems that allow routine transaction processing and information flow between two or more organizations. Intraorganizational information systems – Communication systems that enable e-commerce activities to go on within individual organizations. Section 1. 2 Review Questions . List the major components of the EC framework. The EC framework is made up of the following components: people, the public policy, technical standards and protocols, business partners and support services. 2. List the major transactional types of EC. The major transactional types of EC include: business-to-business, business-to-consumer, business-to-business- to-consumer, consumer-to-business, consumer-to-consumer, mobile commerce, intrabusiness EC, business-to-employee, collaborative commerce, nonbusiness EC, electronic government and exchange-to-exchange. 3. Describe the major landmarks in EC history. The major landmarks in EC history began with the use of EDI to transmit business information. This was followed by a wide public acceptance of the Internet. The next major landmark was the development of several early electronic commerce sites online and the growth of the â€Å"new economy. † Another major landmark is the winding down of many of these â€Å"new economy† businesses. 4. List some EC successes and failures. Student answers will vary. Section 1. 3 Review Questions 1. Define a business plan, business case, and business model. A business plan is a written document that identifies the business goals and outlines the plan to achieve them. A business case is a written document that is used by managers to gather funding for specific applications for projects; its major emphasis is the justification for specific investment. A business model is a method of doing business by which a company can generate revenue to sustain itself. 2. Describe a revenue model and a value proposition. Revenue model – Description of how the company or an EC project will earn money. Value Proposition – The benefits a company can derive from using EC. 3. Describe the following business models: name your own price, affiliate marketing, viral marketing, and product customization. Name your own price – reverse auction where bidders submit prices they would pay, and the system attempts to match those prices with merchants Affiliate marketing – One firm helps advertise for another and takes a commission on sales from referrals Viral marketing – Word of mouth marketing Product customization – creating products based on individual needs 4. Identify business models related to buying and those related to selling. Some business models related to buying include: electronic tendering systems, find the best price, group purchasing and supply chain improvements. Some business models related to selling include: online direct marketing, name your own price, affiliate marketing, buyer marketing, online auctions, product and service customization, electronic marketplaces and exchanges and supply chain improvements. 5. Describe how a linear supply chain can be changed to a hub. By allowing all members and levels of the supply chain to interact directly with a central hub (private or third-party), members can more easily communicate back and forth while improving and streamlining their overall processes. Section 1. 4 Review Questions . Describe some EC benefits to organizations, individuals, and society. EC benefits consumers by providing them convenience, speed, cost, customization, personalization and communities. EC benefits organizations by expanding the marketplace, creating a cost savings, improving business processes and promoting interactivity. EC benefits society by improving the standard of living and delivery of public services. 2. List the major technological and non-technological limitations of EC. These limitations are summarized in Exhibit 1. 5. Section 1. 5 Review Questions . Define the digital economy. A digital economy is an economy that is based on digital technologies, including digital communication networks, computers, software, and other related information technologies. It may also be called the Internet economy, the new economy, or the Web economy. 2. List the three characteristics of the digital revolution cited by Choi and Whinston. These characteristics include: a wide variety of digitized products, financial transactions being conducted digitally, and microprocessors and network capabilities embedded in physical goods. . List the major business pressures faced by organizations today. The major business pressures faced by organizations can be divided into markets, societal and technological categories. 4 . List the major organizational responses to business pressures. Organizations respond to business pressures by using: strategic systems, continuous improvement systems, business alliances, electronic markets, increased efficiencies, employee empowerment, supply chain improvements, and mass customization. 5. Describe how EC supports organization responses to business pressures. EC, and technology in general, provide organizations with ways to operate their businesses more efficiently by providing services and functions that in the past have been performed by employees at less than optimum efficiencies. Section 1. 6 Review Questions 1. Define intranets and extranets. An intranet is an internal corporate or government network that uses Internet tools, such as Web browsers, and Internet protocols. An extranet is a network that uses the Internet to connect multiple intranets. 2. What is a corporate portal? A corporate portal is a major gateway through which employees, business partners and the public can enter a corporate Web site. 3. Identify EC transaction models (e. g. , B2B) in Exhibit 1. 9 (page 27). These would include: ? Selling online ? Selling digital goods ? Online auctions ? Reverse Auctions ? Supply chains Answers to EC Application Case Questions EC Application Case 1. 1: Voice-Based 511 Traveler Information Line Questions 1. Enter tellme. com and find more information about this case. Summarize the benefits to the users. Student answers will vary. Users obtain a number of benefits, but the largest is the ability to quickly and easily access travel information from a single number. 2. What is the role of Tellme? What Internet technology is used? Tellme is the technology provider that uses a voice portal to access a number of Web sites and databases. 3. Can this application be classified as m-commerce? As l-commerce? Why or why not? This application is m-commerce since it is accessed with a mobile device. It is not l-commerce, since no location sensors (GPS) are used. EC Application Case 1. : The Success Story of Campusfood. com Questions 1. Classify this application by EC transaction type. This is a hybrid business model combining B2B and B2C elements. The business acts as an intermediary to other businesses (restaurants) and then resells these products to students (food). This business could be described as B2B2C. 2. Explain the benefits of Campusfood. com for its students and for the restaurants it represents. Both parties re ceived benefits from this relationship. Campusfood. com is able to create a market and revenue by reselling restaurants’ food to students. The greater variety of restaurants that they represent, the better possible market for students (and thus higher revenues). Restaurants benefits from the additional marketing and sales volume generated by Campusfood. com 3. Trace the flow of digitized information in this venture. Campusfood. com receives restaurant menus and enters them into their EC site. Consumers view this information on the Internet and place electronic orders to Campusfood. com. The orders are then forwarded digitally to the restaurant. 4. How does the outsourcing of marketing activities contribute to the business? By outsourcing marketing activities, the business is able to benefit from the firms expertise in this area. Additionally, the business is able to concentrate on its core abilities. EC Application Case 1. 3: Orbis Group Changes a Linear Physical Supply Chain to an Electronic Hub Questions 1. Identify the benefits of the ProductBank system to the supply-chain participants. The hub model is beneficial to the participants in the supply chain because it eliminates unnecessary steps in the process, and by doing so lowers overall cost and increases the speed of the process. 2. Where does the cost reduction in the ProductBank process come from? The cost reduction comes from several locations. The first area of reduction is the ability for the retailer or their advertising agency to immediately view and select an appropriate image without the use of a courier. When an image is selected it can be immediately pulled from the database instead of being sent out for scanning. 3. Where does the cycle time reduction come from? The cycle time reduction comes from two locations. The first area of reduction is the ability for the retailer or their advertising agency to immediately view and select an appropriate image without the use of a courier. When an image is selected it can be immediately pulled from the database instead of being sent out for scanning. 4. Explain the benefits of electronic collaboration between the catalog owner and the ad agency. Electronic collaboration between the two parties allows them to communicate more quickly and efficiently than traditional methods. The retailer is able to participate more fully in the process of the selection of photos, while the ad agency is able to more quickly process their customers’ requests. EC Application Case 1. 4: The Internet and the Intranet Shorten Time to Market for New Drugs Questions 1. How does the computerized drug application system facilitate collaboration? This application system facilitates collaboration because it provides full and easy access to the information needed. In addition, the information can also be easily searched and specific facts retrieved quickly. 2. How is cycle time reduced? Cycle time is reduced because pharmaceutical and FDA employees are able to concentrate more fully on the review of the drug in question. This is accomplished by the ease of searching online databases for facts and information as opposed to wading through hundreds of thousands of pages of paper documents. Answers to Discussion Questions 1. Compare and contrast viral marketing with affiliate marketing. In both viral and affiliate marketing of business, relying on a third party to assist in its marketing effort is necessary. With affiliate marketing, individuals or firms are paid based on the amount of additional business they can send to the selling firm. With viral marketing, individuals are encouraged to market the product to others without any financial gain. 2. Carefully examine the nontechnological limitations of EC. Which are company dependent and which are generic? All of the listed nontechnological limitations are generic concerns with EC with the exception of â€Å"Lack of trust in EC and in unknown sellers hinder buying. † This limitation may be overcome by well-known and established merchants who will bring with them some level of customer confidence. 3. Compare brick-and-mortar and click-and-mortar organizations. Brick-and-mortar organizations only maintain a presence off-line. Click-and-mortar organizations maintain a presence both online and off-line. 4. Why is it said the EC is a catalyst of fundamental changes in organizations? EC causes fundamental changes in organizations because it requires business models and processes to be redesigned and streamlined. This is required for firms to have successful EC. 5. Explain how EC facilitates supply chain management. EC facilitates supply chain management by exposing the inner workings of the supply chain and indicating which areas contribute the greatest value. These indications, coupled with a firm understanding of the chain’s workings, provide the necessary information for supply-chain optimization. 6. Which of the EC limitations do you think will be more easily overcome—the technological or the nontechnological limitations, and why? Student answers will vary. In most cases technical limitations are easier to overcome, with customer preferences taking more time to adapt. 7. Explain how EC can reduce cycle time, improve employees’ empowerment, and facilitate customer support. EC can reduce cycle time by eliminating steps in business processes. The steps may be redundant or can be replaced with more efficient technology solutions. The elimination of the steps speeds the overall process and reduces cycle time. EC can provide employee empowerment by providing employees with greater and easier access to information provided by the employer. EC facilitates customer support by providing a wide range of technological solutions and communication opportunities. Additionally, EC supports self-help customer service so consumers can answer their own questions. 8. How does EC facilitate customization of products and services? EC facilitates customization by allowing customers to see the full range of options available for a given product. Customers are then able to select the options that they desire and these options may be sent directly to the manufacturer or service provider. This provides a more direct link between the customer and the firm that will eventually fill their custom order. 9. Why is buying with a smart card from a vending machine considered EC? EC can be defined as the application of technology toward the automation of business transactions and workflow. Because a smart card uses technology to automate a process (creating greater efficiencies and ease-of-use) it can therefore be considered EC. 0. Why is distance learning considered EC? EC can be defined as the application of technology toward the automation of business transactions and workflow, as well as a gathering place for community members to learn, transact and collaborate. Distance learning fits both of these definitions because it provides the technology solution for workflows (education) while also creating a learning community. Internet Exe rcises (Note: URLs may change over time; please check the Internet Exercises on the Turban Web site for possible updates: www. prenhall. com/turban. ) 1. Enter bigboxx. com and identify the services the company provides to its customers. What type of EC is this? What business model(s) does Bigboxx use? This company provides a large supply of office products, as well as other products and services to customers in the Hong Kong market. This company focuses primarily on B2B sales. This company makes the majority of its revenue through the direct sale of items. 2. Enter Amazon. com’s site (amazon. com) and locate recent information in the following areas: Student information will vary based on when this question is completed. a. Find the five top-selling books on EC. b. Find a review of one of these books. c. Review the customer services you can get from Amazon and describe the benefits you receive from shopping there. Amazon. com provides several services for customers. These benefits include: †¢ free shipping on large orders †¢ the ability to track orders †¢ the ability to combine orders †¢ the ability to send orders as guests †¢ additional answers will vary d. Review the products directory. Amazon. com provides a wide variety of products including books, electronics, music, travel services and many others. . Enter priceline. com and identify the various business models it uses. Priceline. com uses the â€Å"name your own price† or reverse auction business model. This model allows consumers to place bids for different services with several third-party companies through priceline. com. If the amount paid by the customer meets the third-party company’s minimum sales pri ce, the customer purchases the product or service at that price. 4. Go to ups. com and find information about recent EC projects that are related to logistics and supply chain management. UPS provides a variety of EC business products and solutions. Many of the solutions allow companies to easily ship, track and receive packages through UPS. In many of these cases, UPS provides software and services that allows customers to link UPS information to their existing information or e-commerce systems. The systems then allow greater visibility of the supply chain creating easier understanding of problems and opportunities in logistics. 5. Go to mixonic. com and create a CD. Then go to nike. com and design your own shoes. Next visit iprint. com and create your own business card. Finally, enter jaguar. com and configure the car of your dreams. What are the advantages of each activity? The disadvantages? Each of these sites provides the ability of individual customization for various products. The major advantage of this system is the ability of the consumer to create and purchase a product that meets their individual specifications. The disadvantages of the systems are the limitations and possible customizations and the additional cost and fulfillment time associated with customized products. 6. Enter chemconnect. com. What kind of EC does this site represent? What benefits can it provide to buyers? To sellers? This company provides an Internet-based exchange for the buying and selling of chemicals and plastics. This site provides benefits to both buyers and sellers. Buyers are able to evaluate pricing, availability and other information from a variety of sellers. Sellers are able to present their products for sale to a wide variety of buyers. 7. It is time you try to sell or buy on an online auction. You can try eBay. com, auction. yahoo. com, or an auction site of your choice. You can participate in an auction of almost any country. Prepare a short report describing your experiences. Reports will vary based on the auction site used by the student. In many cases students will comment on the overall experience of listing and purchasing products. Points of reference would include the ease-of-use of the site, the ease in searching and gathering information, the ability to compare products and the ease in completing transactions. 8. Try to save on your next purchase by using group purchasing. Visit letsbuyit. com, shop2gether. com, and buyerzone. com. Which site do you prefer? Why? Opinions will vary based on student preferences. . Enter espn. com and identify all sources of revenue there. I was able to identify: Advertising (pop-up) Advertising (co-branding MSN) Advertising (banners) Advertising (internal, for ESPN) E-Commerce (sales) Team Assignments and Role Playing 1. Assign each team two failed or failing Internet companies (e. g. , musicmaker. com, comdex. com). Use startupfailures. com to identify companies th at are in distress. Fortune. com is a good source of details for particular business failures. Have each team prepare a report on why is the companies failed or are failing. Responses will vary based on the businesses chosen by students and the source of their information. 2. Each team will research two EC success stories. Members of the group should examine companies that operate solely online and some that extensively utilize a click-and-mortar strategy. Each team should identify the critical success factors for its companies and present a report to the other teams. Responses will vary based on the businesses chosen by students and the source of their information. Answers to End-of-Chapter Real-World Case Questions: E-Commerce Supports Field Employees at Maybelline Questions 1. IVR systems are still popular. What advantages do they have over a system in which the reps mail or fax reports? Information comes in faster, and in a machine understandable format. 2. Explain why the MSP application is an e-commerce application. Compare it to the definitions and classifications in the chapter. The MSP application is an e-commerce application because it uses IT to directly enable communications and sales of products. 3. The existing technology enables transmission of data any time an employee can access the Internet with a PC. Technically, the system can be enhanced so that the data can be sent wirelessly from any location as soon as they are entered. Would you recommend such a wireless system to Maybelline? Why or why not? Student answers will vary. Students will weigh the benefits of real-time information against the costs and access issues of a new system. 4. Summarize the advantages of the new MSP system over the IVR one. Some of the advantages include: †¢ Easier to use †¢ More accurate information †¢ More detailed information †¢ More timely information †¢ Two-way communication †¢ Fulfills more roles

Equal opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equal opportunity - Essay Example Parents who adopt such professions that allow them to spend more time with their children are better able to take care of their children’s education as compared to the parents that leave it up to the tutors to guide the children through everything. Parental involvement in school enhances a child’s self esteem and he/she is able to achieve more (Klepfer, n.d.). Not just that, educated parents can also improve the mannerism of their children because â€Å"the children will mimic the parents’ attitude and behavior despite whatever they learn in school† (DHRRA, 2009). Likewise, people who earn more are able to educate their children in better schools. Good education is often quite expensive. Schools that charge the parents lesser for the child’s education compromise upon the quality of education. Hence, highly earning parents can provide their children with education in better schools. Owing to the difference of socioeconomic status of parents, all chil dren do not have equal opportunities of achievement in the school. References: DHRRA. (2009). Parents’ Role in Children’s Education. Retrieved from http://www.dhrramalaysia.org.my/dhrramalaysia/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:parents-role-in-childrens-education&catid=36:child-programmes&Itemid=64. Klepfer, J. (n.d.).

Argumentative Writing about Apocalypse Now and the Vietnam Conflict Essay

Argumentative Writing about Apocalypse Now and the Vietnam Conflict - Essay Example Kurtz is the manifestation of America’s inner collective awareness regarding Vietnam. He defends America’s participation by implying that the Viet Cong are stronger because of their montrosity. The movie portrays Kurtz as a product of the imperfect system, which takes its values to the most extreme conclusion. He was prepared and trained to fill a political position in the future but instead, he turned against the very forces that created him. (French, 1998) Kilgore utters his infamous phrase â€Å"I love the smell of napalm in the morning† at Charlie’s point. His helicopter name was death from above swept in, in sensational formation, accompanied by a musical score of The Ride of the Valkyries, which symbolized the significant passage of dead heroes into Valhalla. This scene lauds war wherein the soldiers become God-like heroes. The Vietnamese remained faceless but the camera isolated the agony of a sole US soldier and this aesthetic show of violence adds to the feel of twisted patriotism. America’s colonial belief were reproduced through the fighting that was occurring in the midst of the California surf. The audience were being encouraged to believe that, contrary to popular belief, the war was not unendurable for the soldiers and so the film made use of chauvinistic approaches to show how the actuality of this situation was compromised. It focuses on the suffering of the US by implying that they were fighting amongst themselves. They either fight or surf. Smoothness in contrast with orientation is a visible theme here. The war itself was compelling and full of meaning, however, a bunch of clowns were running the show. The mission was commendable but the missionaries themselves were not. As Willard was entrusted with the mission to to find and terminate Kurtz, with the full understanding that the man has gone insane, the methods he applied in order to achieve his goals were insufficient. The deeper Willard goes into the Vie tnamese jungle, the more his awareness was rising in regards to his comprehension of how and why Kurtz became what he is. Kurtz lost himself in the very heart of darkness wherein he had no choice but to make his own rules in order to survive. The characters in the story displayed deep respect for Kurtz, which, Willard himself felt compelled to admire himself. By confronting the shift in the shift in his opinion of Kurtz, Willard emphasized how Kurtz can not be judged the way an ordinary man will be judged. Kurtz is a man who was able to transcend to the heights of what other characters in the story are also longing for. Living far away in the jungle, Kurtz was able to escape the bonds which morality and conscientiousness that societies impose. He has turned into a creature filled with the deepest desires and wishes of a every human being, although suppressed. Willard kills him in the end. Kurtz’ last words â€Å"The Horror, the horror† associates to what he must have f elt while he was becoming a part of the wilderness. He acted with what his cardinal impulses were telling him. He killed whomever he wanted to kill and talked to people any way he wanted to and generally treated everyone like he was the one with the power or authority to decide. One view of the story is the message of how the environment can affect one’s mind. Sigmund Freud’s model of the human mind may be used in order to explain how Kurtz’ may have been influenced by the environment. When he left the society as a civilized human being and stepped into a whole new

Violence and Victimization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Violence and Victimization - Essay Example Hence for people who have the biological setup that supports aggressive behavior, they would be more prone to react violently and get into fights in a conflictual situation, the focus here being on the disability to think or rationalize before acting and acting on pure instincts. Having said that, let’s now analyze the research side on violent behavior that more work has been done on, namely correlation of various factors with the probability of being victimized. Research on violent offenders and violence gives proofs of correlation between risk of being violence victimized and violence offender with various factors of the person in question(Albert J.Reiss, Jr., and Jeffery A.roth, 1994). Among these factors the most dominant ones are: age, race, sex, marital status and socioeconomic status. This phenomenon cannot be explained by the biological causes of violent behavior because according to the biological theory, the offender would act on impulse, without thinking and get aggressive or violent when confronted with a conflictual situation, his/her impulses would not be affected by the conditions i.e. regardless of the age, gender, number and race of the to-be-victim. The trend in the victims means there are either learned behaviors or some cognition p rocess involved, like for example, if the probability of being a victim is greater for people below 20 years of age, it could be because the offender knows them to be weak and easy to attack. And if the male population is at a higher risk of being victimized it could be because of the social setup where the weaker sex is protected from aggressive situations. Minimizing violent behavior among specific age groups (Scott Barbour, 2011) and social classes involves identifying the root causes. Juvenile violence is usually because of electronic media including television shows and video games which encourage youngsters to develop violent mindsets. A violent environment at home and inappropriate behaviors of those

International Joint Ventures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

International Joint Ventures - Essay Example Reasons for shifting to wholly owned subsidiaries rather than joint ventures Wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures Subsidiaries are those companies which are controlled by larger organizations like an MNC. It guarantees full operational ownership in the host country. A wholly owned subsidiary is one where the parent company owns 100% stocks of the subsidiary company. These are the expensive and complicated form of market entry. To establish a wholly owned subsidiary, a company can either enter into ventures with a local company or can establish a new venture on its own in the host country (Charles & Jones, 2007, p.290). A joint venture is a strategic move adopted by countries while setting up a business outside their home countries. In joint ventures a group of companies come together to conduct a specific business objective (Gutterman, 2002, p.1). Basically wholly owned subsidiaries and joint ventures differ on the aspect of ownership. While joint venture companies may be own ed by two or more companies wholly owned subsidiaries are owned by a single company which maintains complete control over it. In the light of the trade reforms and practices introduced by WTO, it becomes easy for a country to establish its subsidiary company in a foreign country where it would have its complete control over the daily activities. Many companies avoid in establishing joint ventures due to the complexities involved in the coordinating policies, decisions and execution with a different company. Let us take the example of the Chinese economy. The trade reforms have changed the Chinese economy drastically. China which previously had its monopoly over almost all of its trading activities by the state owned companies (Siyuan, 2007, p.22) has now adopted the WTO policies by becoming one of its member countries (International Joint Ventures in China after WTO Accession: Will Trust Relations Change?, 2005, p.5). It has opened its markets in agriculture to the world. With the e stablishment of WTO trade rules, baking industry in China underwent a sea change. Foreign banks that were not allowed to operate freely in the Chinese market found the opportunity to establish international wholly owned subsidiaries in the country that would be controlled by the foreign national companies. This was beneficial for the Chinese economy too as the foreign banks introduced new technology and which helped to increase the economic growth (Foreign banks develop in China after WTO entry, 2011). The relative advantages and disadvantages of the JVC versus the wholly-owned subsidiary as a means of market entry Trade reforms introduced by WTO- an idea After the establishment of WTO in 1995, many trade reforms were introduced across countries. This has extended to the Asian countries too like China and India. WTO introduced several reforms in the trading system. WTO has lowered trade barriers across nations through negotiation. This has resulted in reduced costs of production as the import cost gets lowered and the cost of the resources which became cheaper. This directly leads to the reduction in the cost of the consumer articles which reduces the cost of living for the people (World Trade Organization, 2008, p.6). Reducing trade barriers have also increased the income levels of the companies both at a personal level and also from its business perspective. This also contributes in increasing the world

Research Critique - Dapagliflozin Trials Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Critique - Dapagliflozin Trials - Research Paper Example This paper reviews various aspects of a medical trial study carried out in Japan. The critique evaluates issues of human protection, data collection, analyses and management as well as the final findings. The study by Boulton et al. (2011) highlights the comparative use of dapagliflozin on two treatment groups consisting of diabetics with type II diabetes (T2DM) and healthy subjects. The research paper was published in the fourth issue of the Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism Journal in 2011. The main objective of the research was to investigate the tolerability and safety of dapagliflozin in the Japanese participants. Evaluated aspects included the pharmacodynamics (PD) and pharmacokinetics (PK) of the drug on both treatment groups. Protection of Human Participants The implicitly implied benefits of this research included the ability to determine the tolerability and safety of the drug for Japanese subjects, and thus offer a reliable, non-insulin dependent therapeutic option for T2DM management. This would be beneficial because it would save patients with T2DM from regular insulin injections and costs if it would be established as an efficient mono-therapy option or improving add-on to other diabetic therapies. The authors of the research recognized drug allergy as a potential risk and possible aggravation of cardiovascular and diabetic ketoacidocis. As such, precautionary measures were taken to exclude subjects with such conditions or a history of such conditions. In addition to the highlighted benefits, the researchers failed to note that dapagliflozin’s effectiveness does not depend on the dysfunction severity of beta cells. Unlike most other therapies, its effectiveness will not decrease with beta cell failure advancement or with higher severity of insulin resistance. This would be a major benefit in the T2DM therapy. Additionally, they also failed to identify other risks such as possible aggravation of polyuria, which may results from the diuretic e ffect of dapagliflozin. The research was conducted after acquisition of informed consent from subjects as stated within the material and methods section, and as such it is expected that all participants consented to participation after full information. The research process and procedures adhered to GCP (â€Å"Good Clinical Practice†), and â€Å"Japanese Pharmaceutical Affairs Law† both of which define standards of clinical pharmaceutical trials (Boulton et al. 2011). The adherence to these standards as asserted within the paper implies that indeed the participants must have voluntarily accepted participation in the study. This is because voluntary participation is one of the stipulations under these standards, and adherence confirms willing participation. As part of ensuring adherence the researchers also sought approval from the local ethics committee/ IRB (â€Å"Institutional Review Board†). From these facts it can be inferred that ethical, procedural adheren ce was upheld as required in any drug trial cases. Data Collection Data collection in the study was done through the bio-analytical

Equality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equality - Assignment Example In the 19th century, the American society thrived on a subsistence economy where women typically did home-based work and reproductive roles. At the onset a market economy, women called for equal social and political representation in the affairs governing the society. In a seemingly patriarchal society, the French feminism of the nineteenth century grew at a very slow rate (Roth 23). On the face of it, the republican political system was reluctant to support the women and refused them the voting rights until after the Second World War, in 1945 (Paletschek & Bianka 12). According to the various reports by human rights organizations, some countries are yet to conform to the observation of women’s right. In the contemporary world, the modern woman faces the challenge of balancing work and social life. Nevertheless, the protection of women from gender discrimination is paramount for any society. Unfortunately, some countries, including the US, have loose gender policies that aim at giving insurance to the social existence of women (Gardiner  11). The pursuit of gender equality is a major controversial debate that surfaces the modern

The liability of secondary parties in homicide in the UK Essay

The liability of secondary parties in homicide in the UK - Essay Example This research paper explores the liability of secondary parties in homicide in the UK as per common law and as per the existing criminal laws in UK.The operation of Western Legal Systems shows that the Criminal Law exhibits two separate paradigms of responsibility. One, where individual justice is paramount... Much devotion in this research paper will be given to the standard that is to be perused at common law for foresight of outcomes at common law where homicide has happened due to joint criminal enterprises and the involvement of a secondary party in such offences. This research paper will also give prominence to the fact how international humanitarian law deals with the joint criminal enterprises unleashed by a state and its officials against a race or community and how they will be considered under the international criminal law as delinquent. Further, whether corporate can also be punishable for their involvement in manslaughter like an individual person will also be discussed in detail in this paper? This research paper will discuss the liability of secondary parties in homicide in UK by analysing the current laws on the subject in UK, the common law and the potential reforms to be carried out on the â€Å"common purpose ‘rule under the criminal codes. Introduction Secondary liability under criminal law can be explained as making accountable someone legally for engaging in or to assist or facilitating or being in some other manner accountable for acts done by another party1. It is a difficult and complex area of law to fix the criminal liability for abetting and helping another individual to carry out an offence. When an offence is being carried out by two or more persons, if only some of them are really the real culprits or perpetrators of the offence, then issue becomes more complex. Under criminal law, the person will be held liable if he carries out the actus reus of the offence. Joint enterprise is an intricate notion that permits multiple p arties to a crime to be sentenced of the same crime. Thus, in case of joint enterprise, accountability will be inflicted not only to the main offender who causes the deadly blow but also any secondary culprits who have been associated in carrying out of offence. However, convicting a secondary party for a murder offence has been under severe examination and often, under review for many years. Awarding of mandatory life sentence to a secondary party in a homicide case may seem to be unbalanced to the role an individual has assumed in the carrying of a crime whereas it is argued that mandatory life sentence should be awarded to those culpable of causing a serious blow. However, the law is unambiguous in this regard and s.8 of Accessories and Abettors Act, 1861 clearly emphasises that both main and secondary parties are to be given equal treatment before the law2. The above section states that whomsoever shall assist, abet, gain or counsel the perpetration of a cognisable offence shall be accountable to be tried, sentenced and punished as the main culprit. The question, whether a secondary party should be given equal treatment to that of a main culprit is incredibly intricate, and it always create chaos3. This research essay will make an earnest attempt to examine in detail liability of secondary parties in homicide in the UK and will make how the present law needs to be revamped so that abettors of homicide also get equal sentence as that of a principal perpetrator of a crime. â€Å"Section 8 of Accessories and Abettors Act, 1861† The following three significant three points have to be borne in mind while analysing the section 8 of Accessories and Abettors Act, 1861. Section 8 mirrors the common law notion that helping, encouraging, or counselling or inducing another individual to carry out a crime is not itself a separate crime. However, due

Defying the Iranian revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Defying the Iranian revolution - Essay Example These were especially initiated by the opposition. It is in this respect that Shah escaped after realizing that he had no place, in Iran. The new political system developed, in 1979. It must be noted that literature also has an impact on the Iranian society. Literature was fundamental and most authors were against Shah’s westernization policy. This attribute is mostly characterized by the Persian culture. An example of such authors is Jalal Al-e Ahmad. Some of his key literary works on the same topics include his book Gharbzadegi (Weststruckness) and his novel (The School Principal). His wife, Simin Daneshvar, was also a prominent writer. She authored the book entitled â€Å"Savushun†. These are also some of the authors who were adversely harassed by the SAVAK (Axworthy60). In my opinion, the Shah’s regime and his special SAVAK team concede to be the most noteworthy factor that initiated the writing of the Reading Lolita in Tehran. After this white revolution, Ne zhat Nafisi’s mother became one of the women who emerged as parliamentarians. This was the first time a woman was in parliament, and this is what influenced the writer to compose the novel. This clearly reflects the freedom of women, in Iran. Ahmed Nafisi, her father, had a strong relationship with the mayor of Tehran. Their relationship was strong and it was a shock to her when she received the information that her father was arrested by the SAVAK on charges of bribery and corruption. This obviously changed her perception about the relationship. However, this was not the true picture. The then prime minister, Hassan, had arrested her father on a false account. Ahmed had shown splendid skills in public speaking and had held numerous State offices. Prime Minister Mansur, therefore, felt that... Defying the Iranian revolution Even the opposition did not pose a strong threat to him in the beginning of his reign. As it turns out, Shah lost his power when Mohammad Mosaddeq became Prime Minister, in 1951 because he fought for nationalization the oil industry. Mosaddeq was arrested by the cooperation between the Iranian army and CIA. After this incident, Shah created the SAVAK, in 1957. The was responsible for training this group. SAVAK’s task was to suppress opponents of the Shah of Iran and give a close watch over the people. They also fought opponents of the Iranian people. They employed all kinds of torture and starvation in prison, in addition, to the physical liquidation of the opposition leaders. Shah announced, in 1963, that the white revolution will bring women's freedom and it would support the social life. He also maintained that the industrial life and the laws that protect the family would be appropriated. He particularly focused on saving children and women from oppression from men. Theref ore, this improved the relations with other countries and the Iranian people had a peaceful life. Khomeini incited people against the government, and carried out demonstrations against Shah. Later, SAVAK arrested Khomeini and sent him to exile in Turkey in 1963. This was the cause of the demise of the Shah's rule. The Iranian people are mostly conservative, especially those who live in the suburbs. Azar hoped for a better Iran after shah’s regime. She hoped for justice and democracy after the repressive regime falls.

Quality Early Childhood Education Essay Example for Free

Quality Early Childhood Education Essay This essay will identity three of quality indicators which related to early childhood education [ECE]: trained staff, small group size, and partnership with parents and families, then discuss about why they are important for children, parents and society. Firstly, young children should be cared by trained staff. Rouse and Tarrant (2001) stated staff should have high qualification, training, experience, and positive attitudes working with young children. Educators with high acknowledge are able to provide appropriate care and learning activities. Therefore, not only will children improve their social skills, but their parents will also get valued support and information (Rouse Tarrant, 2001). In addition, small group size plays an important role in quality ECE. This means â€Å"the children learn more, get on better with others, express themselves better and feel good about themselves† (Rouse Tarrant, 2001, p.13). For example, if children are well organized to watch how a butterfly to begin hatching from the chrysalis, they can observe more carefully by asking interesting questions. During this play, children can take advantage on making good relationships and intensive conversations. Without doubt, children will feel more valued and secure (Rouse Tarrant, 2001). Finally, it is vital for centres to have good partnership with parents and families. Both staff and parents should recognize children’s education is consistent learning which based on their families’ customs, values and beliefs (Grey, 1999). This means they need to respect and trust each other. This can be achieved by working together with decision-making (Ministry of Education, 1998). Obviously, they will get more opportunities to discuss how to improve children’s development more efficiently. Consequently, both parenting skills and children’s self-confidence will be enhanced, and the society will be the real winner as children are a previous resource for future society (Rouse Tarrant, 2001). To conclude, children will get long-term benefits, if they play in a small group, and be educated by high quality staffs who work with parents.  And these benefits will extend to their family and the whole society as well. (332 words)

Marketing Advertising in the Hotel Industry

Marketing Advertising in the Hotel Industry Until recently research on advertising appeals focused on either physical products or a comparison in relation to the way in which advertising appeals differed between products and services (predominantly professional services). With the continuing growth in the MICE and 5 star resort hotel market, the purpose of this paper is to look at the effectiveness of rational and emotional advertising appeals with respect to the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector and provide a foundation for further study in this area. Introduction â€Å"Advertising appeals† are essentially the methods which advertisers employ to sell products and services. Some of the more common forms of advertising appeals include money (saving, making and/or retaining), well being, sex, health, fun, pleasure, love, fear, admiration, convenience, vanity, egotism and environmentalism. Different forms of advertising appeals are more effective for selling different types of products or services. Likewise, cultural factors play a large role in how well a particular advertising campaign is received by consumers. Within the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (â€Å"MICE†) and 5 star resort hotel industry, advertising appeals are generally classified according to whether they are rational or emotional appeals. The difference between how effective each of these is can only be ascertained when the customer’s preferences are taken into account. However, it should be remembered that the use of advertising appeals is not a precise science and that the difference between a campaign which is highly effective and one that is not can often be the matter of a few words or the use of the wrong colour. The most important factor with respect to the effectiveness of advertising appeals are the existing customer attitudes toward the product or service and the need or want that the customer is seeking to have the product or service fulfil. It is not therefore surprising that an advertising appeal which is effective in engaging business customers may not fare as well when appealing to leisure customers. The purpose of this paper is therefore to examine, both by secondary and primary research methods, the which type of advertising appeal (ie rational or emotional) is most effective when selling MICE and 5 star resort hotels to leisure and business clients. However, it should be noted that due to time and cost restraints the scope of this paper is limited in two important respects. There is no intention to examine customers who have never used a MICE and 5 star resort hotel before and the cultural aspects of advertising appeals is only briefly touched upon. 2. Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of this paper are to determine the extent to which rational and emotional appeals apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. While the usefulness of various types of advertising appeals within the service sector generally has been researched quite extensively, this paper seeks to determine whether or not that general research can be applied equally to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. The peculiarity that is thrown up by MICE and 5 star resort hotels is that they have to appeal equally to both business and leisure consumers. Whereas most service businesses can focus on one sector of the market alone, MICE and 5 star resort hotels need to be able to attract both types of customers which can make creating an advertising campaign particularly treacherous as different appeals apply to each group. Furthermore, each type of customer group can be broken down into various further categories, for instance personal, family, tour groups, returning or first time clients, conference, by income, by age, etc. In light of the innumerable combinations and types of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, it is important to limit the extent of the research. As such, the focus of this paper is limited to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. These types of establishments only seek to attract the right type of clientele and as such are able to focus their marketing on certain sectors of the population and thereby limit the types of advertising appeals they need to rely upon. 3. Providing a rational for the work This work has both a theoretical and practical basis. From a practical point of view, the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector is particularly competitive and the clientele is extremely discerning. There are always newer, more fashionable 5 star resort hotels or conference centres opening up and therefore it is extremely important that MICE and resort hotels understand how to market effectively to those sectors which are most likely to use their services. From a theoretical standpoint, research into the rational versus emotional dichotomy as it applies to the service industry is only now being touched upon. Even where it is being touched upon, the research often starts with the way in which emotional and rational appeals affect the marketing of physical products and then compares this to the way in which service advertising appeals are used. By focusing on a specific industry sector, MICE and 5 star resort hotels, this research is able to provide important feedback to the general theoretical position as to how well that research holds up in specific circumstances. By examining the most effective advertising appeals for the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector, this paper aims to provide a solid foundation for both future academic research in this area and also to provide MICE and 5 star resort hotels with practical information which can be used to better tailor their advertising campaigns and most importantly, to avoid making mistakes the damage from which, particularly in a fast paced industry, can take years to undo. 4. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework In order to determine when it is most appropriate for MICE and 5 star resort hotels to use rational and emotional appeals it is first necessary to create a theoretical framework based on a critical review and synthesis of the relevant work in this area. With such a theoretical framework in place, it will then be possible to come to a conclusion as to the merits of both rational and emotional appeals as they apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. It is first important to clearly define the terms being referred to. An advertising appeal is defined by Wells, Burnett and Moriarty as, â€Å"something that makes the product particularly attractive or interesting to the consumer.† There are many types of advertising appeals that can be relied upon (sex, price, fear, etc), but as Albers-Miller note, most authors agree that overall all advertising appeals can be classified as either being rational appeals and emotional appeals. A rational appeal is, â€Å"a form of argument and motivation used in the promotion of products and services. Rational factors, including facts and figures, advantages and benefits, are used in an appeal to consumers’ intellects, rather than their emotions† , while an emotional appeal is where, â€Å"the basis of an advertising message having strong emotional character.† Some examples of rational appeals are; for products, the top speed of a car, the processing power of a computer and the memory size of an MP3 player; and for services, the leg room on a flight and the savings made when travelling on off peak public transport. Examples of emotional appeals include; for productions, the sex appeal of a new sports car and the popularity that comes from drinking certain alcoholic beverages; and for services, the possibilities which open up to a consumer once they obtain a certain credit card and the sex appeal of the latest, must-see Hollywood blockbuster which everyone is talking about. One of the main themes that comes through in the literature in this area is that there has been a lack of empirical research undertaken which focuses predominantly on the role of advertising appeals with respect to service industries. This is somewhat surprising when one considers that most Western economies are now service-based economies. As Mattila notes, this growth in the level of interest in services marketing has not corresponded in a similar level of interest in how service quality is communicated rather, most current research has focused on a comparison between service and goods advertising and even when focusing on services, has concentrated on professional as opposed to retail services. While the research may not have kept pace with the fundamental shift in the underlying economic foundations of Western economies, it is now quickly catching up with interest in this area increasing. While the level of general research in the area of advertising appeals and how they relate to service industries increases and the understanding of the differences between goods and services marketing increases, an opportunity exists for researchers to use this developing research base as a theoretical foundation from which to focus on more specific market segments. As such, the focus of this paper, while falling within the broad scope of the current research with respect to advertising appeals in service industries aims to focus in on a much more specific sub-set of this research area; that of the effectiveness of rational and emotional appeals in advertising MICE and 5 star resort hotels. At the same time as focusing in on a specific area of the advertising appeals in service industries research, it is important that this specific area be considered within the context of the marketing strategies of MICE and 5 star resort hotels as a whole. An organisation which wants to make the most effective use of advertising must have a clear understanding of the market segments that they are targeting and an overall marketing mix which allows them to focus their resources on communicating with that segment of the market. Advertising is only one part of the marketing mix and where the other parts are not working effectively, advertising will not provide the highest return on investment possible. Finally, it is important to take into account the environment (and in particular the external environment) in which MICE and 5 star hotels operate in when considering which advertising appeals are most likely to be effective. For instance, in times of rapid growth and high disposable income or when tax breaks are provided for entertaining, MICE and 5 star hotels would be wise to avoid focusing on appealing to the cost savings that can be made by staying with them. Rather, at these times, rational appeals are unlikely to be as necessary as emotional appeals as the necessity for a customer to substantiate a decision rationally is not as great. Before being able to consider the market segmentation that MICE and 5 star resort hotels target, it is important to define the market in which they operate. The market in which they operate can be defined broadly as, for instance, all hotels and resorts, all holidays, all business communication methods, etc; or specifically as all 5 star hotels, all hotels in a particular location, etc. Because of the diverse nature of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, it is almost impossible to come to a determination as to a market in which specific hotel operates as this will be influenced by cultural, geographic and other features. However, it is a little simpler to determine the market segments that MICE and 5 star resort hotels are interested in targeting. The market segments that all MICE and 5 star resort hotels are interested in targeting are business customers and wealthy individuals. As noted above, advertising is a sub-set of an organisation’s overall marketing mix. As such, before proceeding, it is important that the distinction between marketing and advertising is clearly set out. Marketing has been defined by the (British) Chartered Institute of Marketing as, â€Å"the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.† Advertising is defined by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising as, â€Å"advertising presents the most persuasive possible selling message to the right prospects for the product or service at the lowest possible cost.† The marketing mix refers to the â€Å"price/value proposition† and is, as expanded on by Kotler, often referred to as the four P’s; Product, Place, Price and Promotion. The Product refers to the good or service that the supplier wishes to sell and which the consumer wishes to buy; Place refers to the convenience of buying the goods or services; Price refers to the cost to the consumer of the goods or services; and Promotion refers to the ways in which the supplier and customer communicate with each other. Advertising comes within the ambit of the promotion function. When applying the marketing mix to MICE and resort hotels, one observes that in general the Product is appealing (this may not apply to such an extent in countries in which the idea of staying in hotels is a relatively new concept for a majority of the population); with respect to the Place, while requiring travel to reach and therefore not being entirely convenient to most people, most MICE and resort hotels are located close to either business districts or leisure areas (eg beaches) meaning that while the location may not be entirely convenient, the location is generally desirable; MICE and 5 star resort hotels are generally price prohibitive with a strong emphasis on catering for company functions and higher level clientele; finally, with respect to Promotion, MICE and resort hotels rely on strong business focused advertising and word of mouth. With respect to Porter’s generic strategies matrix, MICE and resort hotels clearly aim for the niche market which is distinguished by high differentiation and high relative costs. That said, while MICE and resort hotels aim to represent themselves as being highly differentiated, exclusive and expensive, they are in fact extremely similar and operate on a low cost principle. As such, it is important for MICE and resort hotels to maintain this faà §ade and to ensure that customers’ experiences of cognitive dissonance are kept at a minimum. This faà §ade that all â€Å"cathedrals of consumption† must maintain, this separation from the mundane events of everyday life, is particularly evident in MICE and 5 star resort hotels. These establishments must be able to offer an entire â€Å"package† not only satisfying a guests physical needs, but also satisfying their wish to be deceived, to believe that for the length of their stay they are deserving of the 5 star treatment that they are receiving even through the next day they their office-bound mundane life. Williamson summarises this â€Å"package† element which applies to all purchases best when he writes: â€Å"Advertisements are selling us something else beside consumer goods; in providing us with a structure in which we and those goods are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves†¦ Ideology is the meaning made necessary by the condition of society while helping to perpetuate those conditions. We feel a need to belong, to have a social place; it can be hard to find. Instead we may be given an imaginary one.† A supplementary point which arises from Williamson’s statement is that of the language of consumption. Many potential consumers are put off purchasing new goods or services because they do not have experience in having used them previously. For instance, someone who normally eats dinner on the couch in front of the television will be extremely reticent to eat dinner in a 5 star restaurant in which a knowledge of dining etiquette is expected. While this reluctance to try new things increases with age, it can be bridged in several ways. Advertising is a particularly effective means of overcoming potential consumers’ fears of try something new. By using analogies which relate the new product with something that the customer has already used and feels comfortable with advertisers are able to provide new consumers with the consumption queues necessary to use the new good or service and feel more comfortable doing so. In general, such techniques are not often used by MICE and 5 star resort hotels in places in which their use is understood by consumers. In societies in which the role of these hotels is understood by consumers, the aim of their advertising, is to create demand within the specific market segment that they are targeting. As such, it is almost the opposite of teaching new consumers how to use the services. These establishments are more likely to assume that those they are targeting understand how to use their services and are more likely to try to limit the understanding of their services by the general population. This is usually done through language and by offering services which are extremely specialised (eg tens of different types of facials, massages, etc) which are intended to intimidate the average consumer. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person’s expectations are not met meaning that their level of satisfaction is low. With respect to guests’ perceptions of hotels, Saleh and Ryan write that, â€Å"†¦it is imperative that guests’ expectations be realistic and possible for the firm to deliver, otherwise an obvious gap in service quality is created.† One advantage that MICE and 5 star resort hotels have over other hotels and resorts is that a large portion of their clientele are not required to pay for their own accommodation. In situations in which the accommodation costs are being met by a third party, it is unlikely that any potential feelings of cognitive dissonance will be as strong as those of someone who has booked and paid for a hotel or resort themselves. Furthermore, any such feelings by a guest who is staying at someone else’s expense are more likely to be directed at the payer, who should have chosen a better quality hotel or resort, rather than directed at the actual hotel or resort. In addition, for guests of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, the actual hotel is normally a background factor (ie to a conference, the beach, an event, etc). These guests have other matters to occupy them. This contrasts with individuals who stay at a resort hotel that they have paid for themselves and where actually being at a resort hotel is the focus of their trip. As noted above, Mattila focuses on what she believes to be a gap in the studies examining services advertising. She believes that most of these studies focus on tangibilizing the offering or â€Å"making the service more concrete† and as a result of this a gap exists with respect to knowledge about the role emotional advertising appeals play in services advertising. What is important to keep in mind when advertising either products or services is that the advertising appeal has to match the product or service type. Albers-Miller et al note that previous research on this point has found that, â€Å"a more emotional (value-expressive) appeal should be used for a value-expressive product and a more rational (utilitarian) appeal should be used for a utilitarian product.† The way in which advertisers determine the best combination of rational and emotional appeal is assisted by the level of involvement model developed by Vaughn and adapted by Foote, Cone and Belding. That model focuses on products but provides a useful tool for understanding the differences between rational (thinking) and emotional (feeling) appeals. The four options are, high involvement/thinking which relates to high importance purchases such as cars and houses and the message should be based on â€Å"long copy, informational demonstration, comparative†; low involvement/thinking which relates to routinely purchased products such as food and items for the house and the message should be based on â€Å"coupons and samples†; high involvement/feeling which relate to a customer’s self esteem such as make up, jewellery and clothes and the message should be based on â€Å"emotional and visual† triggers; and low involvement/feeling which relates to products which satisfy personal cravings such as alcohol, snack foods and cigarettes and the message should be â€Å"creativity and lifestyle† based. How well these levels of involvement transfer to the service sector is still open to debate. If one was to take the same levels of involvement and attempted to determine which group MICE and 5 star resort hotels fall into, one might have difficulty as they do not fit cleanly into any of the categories. In general, a large proportion of business-to-business type advertising relies on rational appeals due to the fact that buyers tend to be knowledgeable about the products or services that they are buying and are seeking supportable justification for their purchasing decisions. As Stafford and Albers-Miller note, â€Å"†¦rational informative advertising appeals may help reduce some of the uncertainty often associated with the purchase of services.† That said, in today’s marketplace, it is unlikely that rational advertising appeals would be made without consideration of the emotional aspects. As such, essentially what is being said when one refers to a rational appeal is not that the emotional aspects of the appeal are not present, but that they are used more subtly and as a backdrop to the advertising campaign. As Albers-Miller et al argue: â€Å"†¦there is no reason not to include an emotional appeal and service information and benefits. Indeed many advertising practitioners would argue that this juxtaposition is one of the aims of good advertising – informing the consumer and stimulating a response through appeals to emotional, right-brain influences. However, there still needs to be some guidance given as to where we lay the emphasis in this area or emotions and rationality. And this is especially true in diverse cultures.† The importance of emotional appeals is especially important today when product differentiation is becoming more and more difficult. With respect to the MICE and 5 star resort hotel market sector, while some of these hotels are able to differentiate themselves on the basis of location, facilities and other competitive advantages, the general level of such differentiation is not great. Most people using the facilities of a MICE and 5 star resort hotels expect that certain levels of service and facilities are available. As the, â€Å"USP (unique selling proposition) is fast disappearing, then what becomes correspondingly more important is the ESP – the emotional selling point.† With respect to the advertising that MICE and 5 star resort hotels engage in, it is important for them to ensure that they are using the most effective advertising appeals necessary to persuade the targeted market segment. Louise Ha argues that the study of advertising appeals with respect to the services market has been hampered by a failure to differentiate between service firms. She believes that the type of service firm should be taken into account when determining the appropriate advertising appeals to use and relies on Zeithaml’s classification of services into three categories which are; â€Å"high on search attributes (performance of the service can be known before consumption); high on experience attributes (attributes that can only be discerned after purchase or during consumption) such as haircut and restaurants. These services are non-professional services that can be substituted by self-service of the consumer; and high on credence attributes (attributes that consumers may still find them impossible to evaluate after consuming the service) such as medical services and repair services. These are professional services that require special training or license.† MICE and 5 star resort hotels can be classified as being high on experience attributes. It should also be noted that MICE and 5 star resort hotels operate in a global marketplace. Albers-Miller et al have studied the differences between rational and emotional appeals across cultures (and in particular, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico and the USA). They conclude that, â€Å"culture appears to play a significant role in the use of emotional and rational advertisements for services, and anthropological measures of culture provide some insight into the differences in emotional appeals.† They also note that across cultures business customers, the main target segment for MICE and 5 star resort hotels, â€Å"tend to make decisions based on more rational criteria†¦ [and that] across cultures, cognition changes little, while emotions change considerably.† While the cultural aspects of rational and emotional advertising appeals with respect to MICE and 5 star resort hotels is beyond the scope of this paper, it does provide an interesting area of research for future studies. While the differentiation between rational and emotional appeals seems like a simple and logical distinction to make, the distinction is largely artificial as an advertising campaign which solely relies on rational or emotional appeals is unlikely, if not impossible. As such, the difference between the two in an advertising campaign is the level of emphasis that is given to one over the other. Both will be used, the decision is rather how best to combine the two for maximum effect. 5. Methodology When considering the type of methodology to employ the choice is between primary or secondary research methods. Primary research methods refer to those that generally require replies from and interaction with service users such as questionnaires, focus-groups and interviews (ie fieldwork). On the other hand, secondary research methods rely on reviewing books, articles, statistical data, etc (ie deskwork). While primary research is generally viewed as being superior to secondary research, this is not always the case. Primary research is almost always hampered by cost considerations, the sample size used, the manner in which the sample population has been decided upon, researcher bias, etc. In light of cost considerations, it is almost always more cost effective to ask yourself whether or not someone else has already done this research and if so to begin at that point and then use primary research to fill in any gaps or specific areas which have not been addressed in the depth required. Secondary research also has its own problems which include such factors as the fact that it is reliant on someone else’s primary research with all the inherent problems that presents as set out above, the researcher is limited to the questions raised in the secondary materials, etc. As such, it is important that in secondary research, the sources of the information to be used are reliable (ie government sources, peer reviewed journals, text books written by qualified authors, etc). In light of the above considerations, it is important that any market research conducted uses a balance of primary and secondary research methods. In the case of this paper, it was found that there was an array of literature (secondary sources) on advertising and the service sector. However, there was less to be found when one looked at the area of MICE and resort hotels specifically. As such, while secondary research could take us to a point, from that point it was necessary to use primary research methods. The most common primary research methods are interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus groups and secret visits. As the objective of this paper is to determine the most effective methods of advertising appeals with respect to MICE and resort hotels, some of the primary methods referred to above will not be appropriate. MICA and resort hotels cover a large cross-section of the market and large distances. As such, secret visits to the hotels would not only be cost prohibitive, but would be unlikely to provide the necessary data required. On the other hand, as most of the users of these services are UK-based, a focus group may be more appropriate for personal holiday makers. In light of the practical issues of setting up a focus group of business users, questionnaires may be more appropriate for that sector of the market. A decision was finally made to make use of a questionnaire and a focus group. Both would target people who had already used MICE and 5 star resort hotels on the basis that this was the segment of the market that these hotels were targeting. It was decided that an attempt to include customers who had never stayed in a MICE and 5 star resort hotel would be too much for a paper of this length however, it would remain a potential area for future research. With respect to the design of the questionnaire, it was decided that while quantitative responses are the easiest to compile and analyse, they do not give the depth of information that can be gleaned from qualitative answers. Furthermore, in order to be statistically valid, a quantitative questionnaire would need to involve a large, randomly selected sample base. Due to cost and time limitations, this was not considered feasible and as such, it was thought most appropriate to concentrate on a smaller, specifically selected sample of the market segment being targeted and an analysis of their qualitative responses with a clear statement as to the understood limitations of proceeding in this way. 6. Findings, analyses and evaluation The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the extent to which rational and emotional appeals apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. A review of secondary sources and current research on the topic showed that this is an area which has suffered from a lack of research interest to date. While Mattila’s work provides a strong overview of advertising appeals as they relate solely to the service sector (as opposed to dealing with them solely in comparison with products), her work is quite broad and as such, while it is used as a starting point for this paper, it was necessary to supplement the secondary research and theoretical framework with primary research which consisted of a questionnaire and focus group. Further primary research was deemed not feasible due to cost and time constraints. In total, 150 questionnaires were posted or handed out. Due to the small sample size, the participants were targeted (eg businesses which book MICE and 5 star resort hotels for conferences, people leaving MICE and 5 star resort hotels, etc). Of the 150 questionnaires posted or handed out, thirty were returned. This was considered to be a reasonable level of returns in light of the type of person being asked to complete them (ie busy individuals who work long hours). A summary of the questionnaire replies are set out in Appendix 2. Due to the qualitative nature of the replies, statistical analysis of the responses is not feasible. However, they do provide an interesting insight into the way in which advertising appeals are able to influence guests of MICE and 5 star resort hotels. Along with the questionnaire, a focus group was used to try to determine in a more direct fashion people’s attitudes to MICE and 5 star resort hotels and more particularly, what effect advertising appeals had on their purchasing behaviour. As with the questionnaire, the group chosen was not chosen randomly, but rather was selected from people who had already used MICE and 5 star resort hotels in the past. Participants were shown various advertisements (not only limited to MICE and 5 star resort hotels) and asked to discuss various propositions put to them. Once again, the results were qualitative and as such not appropriate for statistical analysis. While the response to the questionnaire was not particularly high, those individuals that did respond provided some particularly interesting replies. Predictably perhaps, most responses were from middle aged, well educated men. This group is the market segment that most MICE and 5 star resort hotels seek to target with their advertising. However, the strong response by women suggests that those MICE and 5 star resort hotels that are spending most of their advertising budgets targeting men may be missing out on a large segment of the market which may still Marketing Advertising in the Hotel Industry Marketing Advertising in the Hotel Industry Until recently research on advertising appeals focused on either physical products or a comparison in relation to the way in which advertising appeals differed between products and services (predominantly professional services). With the continuing growth in the MICE and 5 star resort hotel market, the purpose of this paper is to look at the effectiveness of rational and emotional advertising appeals with respect to the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector and provide a foundation for further study in this area. Introduction â€Å"Advertising appeals† are essentially the methods which advertisers employ to sell products and services. Some of the more common forms of advertising appeals include money (saving, making and/or retaining), well being, sex, health, fun, pleasure, love, fear, admiration, convenience, vanity, egotism and environmentalism. Different forms of advertising appeals are more effective for selling different types of products or services. Likewise, cultural factors play a large role in how well a particular advertising campaign is received by consumers. Within the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (â€Å"MICE†) and 5 star resort hotel industry, advertising appeals are generally classified according to whether they are rational or emotional appeals. The difference between how effective each of these is can only be ascertained when the customer’s preferences are taken into account. However, it should be remembered that the use of advertising appeals is not a precise science and that the difference between a campaign which is highly effective and one that is not can often be the matter of a few words or the use of the wrong colour. The most important factor with respect to the effectiveness of advertising appeals are the existing customer attitudes toward the product or service and the need or want that the customer is seeking to have the product or service fulfil. It is not therefore surprising that an advertising appeal which is effective in engaging business customers may not fare as well when appealing to leisure customers. The purpose of this paper is therefore to examine, both by secondary and primary research methods, the which type of advertising appeal (ie rational or emotional) is most effective when selling MICE and 5 star resort hotels to leisure and business clients. However, it should be noted that due to time and cost restraints the scope of this paper is limited in two important respects. There is no intention to examine customers who have never used a MICE and 5 star resort hotel before and the cultural aspects of advertising appeals is only briefly touched upon. 2. Aims and Objectives The aims and objectives of this paper are to determine the extent to which rational and emotional appeals apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. While the usefulness of various types of advertising appeals within the service sector generally has been researched quite extensively, this paper seeks to determine whether or not that general research can be applied equally to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. The peculiarity that is thrown up by MICE and 5 star resort hotels is that they have to appeal equally to both business and leisure consumers. Whereas most service businesses can focus on one sector of the market alone, MICE and 5 star resort hotels need to be able to attract both types of customers which can make creating an advertising campaign particularly treacherous as different appeals apply to each group. Furthermore, each type of customer group can be broken down into various further categories, for instance personal, family, tour groups, returning or first time clients, conference, by income, by age, etc. In light of the innumerable combinations and types of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, it is important to limit the extent of the research. As such, the focus of this paper is limited to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. These types of establishments only seek to attract the right type of clientele and as such are able to focus their marketing on certain sectors of the population and thereby limit the types of advertising appeals they need to rely upon. 3. Providing a rational for the work This work has both a theoretical and practical basis. From a practical point of view, the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector is particularly competitive and the clientele is extremely discerning. There are always newer, more fashionable 5 star resort hotels or conference centres opening up and therefore it is extremely important that MICE and resort hotels understand how to market effectively to those sectors which are most likely to use their services. From a theoretical standpoint, research into the rational versus emotional dichotomy as it applies to the service industry is only now being touched upon. Even where it is being touched upon, the research often starts with the way in which emotional and rational appeals affect the marketing of physical products and then compares this to the way in which service advertising appeals are used. By focusing on a specific industry sector, MICE and 5 star resort hotels, this research is able to provide important feedback to the general theoretical position as to how well that research holds up in specific circumstances. By examining the most effective advertising appeals for the MICE and 5 star resort hotel sector, this paper aims to provide a solid foundation for both future academic research in this area and also to provide MICE and 5 star resort hotels with practical information which can be used to better tailor their advertising campaigns and most importantly, to avoid making mistakes the damage from which, particularly in a fast paced industry, can take years to undo. 4. Literature Review and Theoretical Framework In order to determine when it is most appropriate for MICE and 5 star resort hotels to use rational and emotional appeals it is first necessary to create a theoretical framework based on a critical review and synthesis of the relevant work in this area. With such a theoretical framework in place, it will then be possible to come to a conclusion as to the merits of both rational and emotional appeals as they apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. It is first important to clearly define the terms being referred to. An advertising appeal is defined by Wells, Burnett and Moriarty as, â€Å"something that makes the product particularly attractive or interesting to the consumer.† There are many types of advertising appeals that can be relied upon (sex, price, fear, etc), but as Albers-Miller note, most authors agree that overall all advertising appeals can be classified as either being rational appeals and emotional appeals. A rational appeal is, â€Å"a form of argument and motivation used in the promotion of products and services. Rational factors, including facts and figures, advantages and benefits, are used in an appeal to consumers’ intellects, rather than their emotions† , while an emotional appeal is where, â€Å"the basis of an advertising message having strong emotional character.† Some examples of rational appeals are; for products, the top speed of a car, the processing power of a computer and the memory size of an MP3 player; and for services, the leg room on a flight and the savings made when travelling on off peak public transport. Examples of emotional appeals include; for productions, the sex appeal of a new sports car and the popularity that comes from drinking certain alcoholic beverages; and for services, the possibilities which open up to a consumer once they obtain a certain credit card and the sex appeal of the latest, must-see Hollywood blockbuster which everyone is talking about. One of the main themes that comes through in the literature in this area is that there has been a lack of empirical research undertaken which focuses predominantly on the role of advertising appeals with respect to service industries. This is somewhat surprising when one considers that most Western economies are now service-based economies. As Mattila notes, this growth in the level of interest in services marketing has not corresponded in a similar level of interest in how service quality is communicated rather, most current research has focused on a comparison between service and goods advertising and even when focusing on services, has concentrated on professional as opposed to retail services. While the research may not have kept pace with the fundamental shift in the underlying economic foundations of Western economies, it is now quickly catching up with interest in this area increasing. While the level of general research in the area of advertising appeals and how they relate to service industries increases and the understanding of the differences between goods and services marketing increases, an opportunity exists for researchers to use this developing research base as a theoretical foundation from which to focus on more specific market segments. As such, the focus of this paper, while falling within the broad scope of the current research with respect to advertising appeals in service industries aims to focus in on a much more specific sub-set of this research area; that of the effectiveness of rational and emotional appeals in advertising MICE and 5 star resort hotels. At the same time as focusing in on a specific area of the advertising appeals in service industries research, it is important that this specific area be considered within the context of the marketing strategies of MICE and 5 star resort hotels as a whole. An organisation which wants to make the most effective use of advertising must have a clear understanding of the market segments that they are targeting and an overall marketing mix which allows them to focus their resources on communicating with that segment of the market. Advertising is only one part of the marketing mix and where the other parts are not working effectively, advertising will not provide the highest return on investment possible. Finally, it is important to take into account the environment (and in particular the external environment) in which MICE and 5 star hotels operate in when considering which advertising appeals are most likely to be effective. For instance, in times of rapid growth and high disposable income or when tax breaks are provided for entertaining, MICE and 5 star hotels would be wise to avoid focusing on appealing to the cost savings that can be made by staying with them. Rather, at these times, rational appeals are unlikely to be as necessary as emotional appeals as the necessity for a customer to substantiate a decision rationally is not as great. Before being able to consider the market segmentation that MICE and 5 star resort hotels target, it is important to define the market in which they operate. The market in which they operate can be defined broadly as, for instance, all hotels and resorts, all holidays, all business communication methods, etc; or specifically as all 5 star hotels, all hotels in a particular location, etc. Because of the diverse nature of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, it is almost impossible to come to a determination as to a market in which specific hotel operates as this will be influenced by cultural, geographic and other features. However, it is a little simpler to determine the market segments that MICE and 5 star resort hotels are interested in targeting. The market segments that all MICE and 5 star resort hotels are interested in targeting are business customers and wealthy individuals. As noted above, advertising is a sub-set of an organisation’s overall marketing mix. As such, before proceeding, it is important that the distinction between marketing and advertising is clearly set out. Marketing has been defined by the (British) Chartered Institute of Marketing as, â€Å"the management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer requirements profitably.† Advertising is defined by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising as, â€Å"advertising presents the most persuasive possible selling message to the right prospects for the product or service at the lowest possible cost.† The marketing mix refers to the â€Å"price/value proposition† and is, as expanded on by Kotler, often referred to as the four P’s; Product, Place, Price and Promotion. The Product refers to the good or service that the supplier wishes to sell and which the consumer wishes to buy; Place refers to the convenience of buying the goods or services; Price refers to the cost to the consumer of the goods or services; and Promotion refers to the ways in which the supplier and customer communicate with each other. Advertising comes within the ambit of the promotion function. When applying the marketing mix to MICE and resort hotels, one observes that in general the Product is appealing (this may not apply to such an extent in countries in which the idea of staying in hotels is a relatively new concept for a majority of the population); with respect to the Place, while requiring travel to reach and therefore not being entirely convenient to most people, most MICE and resort hotels are located close to either business districts or leisure areas (eg beaches) meaning that while the location may not be entirely convenient, the location is generally desirable; MICE and 5 star resort hotels are generally price prohibitive with a strong emphasis on catering for company functions and higher level clientele; finally, with respect to Promotion, MICE and resort hotels rely on strong business focused advertising and word of mouth. With respect to Porter’s generic strategies matrix, MICE and resort hotels clearly aim for the niche market which is distinguished by high differentiation and high relative costs. That said, while MICE and resort hotels aim to represent themselves as being highly differentiated, exclusive and expensive, they are in fact extremely similar and operate on a low cost principle. As such, it is important for MICE and resort hotels to maintain this faà §ade and to ensure that customers’ experiences of cognitive dissonance are kept at a minimum. This faà §ade that all â€Å"cathedrals of consumption† must maintain, this separation from the mundane events of everyday life, is particularly evident in MICE and 5 star resort hotels. These establishments must be able to offer an entire â€Å"package† not only satisfying a guests physical needs, but also satisfying their wish to be deceived, to believe that for the length of their stay they are deserving of the 5 star treatment that they are receiving even through the next day they their office-bound mundane life. Williamson summarises this â€Å"package† element which applies to all purchases best when he writes: â€Å"Advertisements are selling us something else beside consumer goods; in providing us with a structure in which we and those goods are interchangeable, they are selling us ourselves†¦ Ideology is the meaning made necessary by the condition of society while helping to perpetuate those conditions. We feel a need to belong, to have a social place; it can be hard to find. Instead we may be given an imaginary one.† A supplementary point which arises from Williamson’s statement is that of the language of consumption. Many potential consumers are put off purchasing new goods or services because they do not have experience in having used them previously. For instance, someone who normally eats dinner on the couch in front of the television will be extremely reticent to eat dinner in a 5 star restaurant in which a knowledge of dining etiquette is expected. While this reluctance to try new things increases with age, it can be bridged in several ways. Advertising is a particularly effective means of overcoming potential consumers’ fears of try something new. By using analogies which relate the new product with something that the customer has already used and feels comfortable with advertisers are able to provide new consumers with the consumption queues necessary to use the new good or service and feel more comfortable doing so. In general, such techniques are not often used by MICE and 5 star resort hotels in places in which their use is understood by consumers. In societies in which the role of these hotels is understood by consumers, the aim of their advertising, is to create demand within the specific market segment that they are targeting. As such, it is almost the opposite of teaching new consumers how to use the services. These establishments are more likely to assume that those they are targeting understand how to use their services and are more likely to try to limit the understanding of their services by the general population. This is usually done through language and by offering services which are extremely specialised (eg tens of different types of facials, massages, etc) which are intended to intimidate the average consumer. Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person’s expectations are not met meaning that their level of satisfaction is low. With respect to guests’ perceptions of hotels, Saleh and Ryan write that, â€Å"†¦it is imperative that guests’ expectations be realistic and possible for the firm to deliver, otherwise an obvious gap in service quality is created.† One advantage that MICE and 5 star resort hotels have over other hotels and resorts is that a large portion of their clientele are not required to pay for their own accommodation. In situations in which the accommodation costs are being met by a third party, it is unlikely that any potential feelings of cognitive dissonance will be as strong as those of someone who has booked and paid for a hotel or resort themselves. Furthermore, any such feelings by a guest who is staying at someone else’s expense are more likely to be directed at the payer, who should have chosen a better quality hotel or resort, rather than directed at the actual hotel or resort. In addition, for guests of MICE and 5 star resort hotels, the actual hotel is normally a background factor (ie to a conference, the beach, an event, etc). These guests have other matters to occupy them. This contrasts with individuals who stay at a resort hotel that they have paid for themselves and where actually being at a resort hotel is the focus of their trip. As noted above, Mattila focuses on what she believes to be a gap in the studies examining services advertising. She believes that most of these studies focus on tangibilizing the offering or â€Å"making the service more concrete† and as a result of this a gap exists with respect to knowledge about the role emotional advertising appeals play in services advertising. What is important to keep in mind when advertising either products or services is that the advertising appeal has to match the product or service type. Albers-Miller et al note that previous research on this point has found that, â€Å"a more emotional (value-expressive) appeal should be used for a value-expressive product and a more rational (utilitarian) appeal should be used for a utilitarian product.† The way in which advertisers determine the best combination of rational and emotional appeal is assisted by the level of involvement model developed by Vaughn and adapted by Foote, Cone and Belding. That model focuses on products but provides a useful tool for understanding the differences between rational (thinking) and emotional (feeling) appeals. The four options are, high involvement/thinking which relates to high importance purchases such as cars and houses and the message should be based on â€Å"long copy, informational demonstration, comparative†; low involvement/thinking which relates to routinely purchased products such as food and items for the house and the message should be based on â€Å"coupons and samples†; high involvement/feeling which relate to a customer’s self esteem such as make up, jewellery and clothes and the message should be based on â€Å"emotional and visual† triggers; and low involvement/feeling which relates to products which satisfy personal cravings such as alcohol, snack foods and cigarettes and the message should be â€Å"creativity and lifestyle† based. How well these levels of involvement transfer to the service sector is still open to debate. If one was to take the same levels of involvement and attempted to determine which group MICE and 5 star resort hotels fall into, one might have difficulty as they do not fit cleanly into any of the categories. In general, a large proportion of business-to-business type advertising relies on rational appeals due to the fact that buyers tend to be knowledgeable about the products or services that they are buying and are seeking supportable justification for their purchasing decisions. As Stafford and Albers-Miller note, â€Å"†¦rational informative advertising appeals may help reduce some of the uncertainty often associated with the purchase of services.† That said, in today’s marketplace, it is unlikely that rational advertising appeals would be made without consideration of the emotional aspects. As such, essentially what is being said when one refers to a rational appeal is not that the emotional aspects of the appeal are not present, but that they are used more subtly and as a backdrop to the advertising campaign. As Albers-Miller et al argue: â€Å"†¦there is no reason not to include an emotional appeal and service information and benefits. Indeed many advertising practitioners would argue that this juxtaposition is one of the aims of good advertising – informing the consumer and stimulating a response through appeals to emotional, right-brain influences. However, there still needs to be some guidance given as to where we lay the emphasis in this area or emotions and rationality. And this is especially true in diverse cultures.† The importance of emotional appeals is especially important today when product differentiation is becoming more and more difficult. With respect to the MICE and 5 star resort hotel market sector, while some of these hotels are able to differentiate themselves on the basis of location, facilities and other competitive advantages, the general level of such differentiation is not great. Most people using the facilities of a MICE and 5 star resort hotels expect that certain levels of service and facilities are available. As the, â€Å"USP (unique selling proposition) is fast disappearing, then what becomes correspondingly more important is the ESP – the emotional selling point.† With respect to the advertising that MICE and 5 star resort hotels engage in, it is important for them to ensure that they are using the most effective advertising appeals necessary to persuade the targeted market segment. Louise Ha argues that the study of advertising appeals with respect to the services market has been hampered by a failure to differentiate between service firms. She believes that the type of service firm should be taken into account when determining the appropriate advertising appeals to use and relies on Zeithaml’s classification of services into three categories which are; â€Å"high on search attributes (performance of the service can be known before consumption); high on experience attributes (attributes that can only be discerned after purchase or during consumption) such as haircut and restaurants. These services are non-professional services that can be substituted by self-service of the consumer; and high on credence attributes (attributes that consumers may still find them impossible to evaluate after consuming the service) such as medical services and repair services. These are professional services that require special training or license.† MICE and 5 star resort hotels can be classified as being high on experience attributes. It should also be noted that MICE and 5 star resort hotels operate in a global marketplace. Albers-Miller et al have studied the differences between rational and emotional appeals across cultures (and in particular, Brazil, Taiwan, Mexico and the USA). They conclude that, â€Å"culture appears to play a significant role in the use of emotional and rational advertisements for services, and anthropological measures of culture provide some insight into the differences in emotional appeals.† They also note that across cultures business customers, the main target segment for MICE and 5 star resort hotels, â€Å"tend to make decisions based on more rational criteria†¦ [and that] across cultures, cognition changes little, while emotions change considerably.† While the cultural aspects of rational and emotional advertising appeals with respect to MICE and 5 star resort hotels is beyond the scope of this paper, it does provide an interesting area of research for future studies. While the differentiation between rational and emotional appeals seems like a simple and logical distinction to make, the distinction is largely artificial as an advertising campaign which solely relies on rational or emotional appeals is unlikely, if not impossible. As such, the difference between the two in an advertising campaign is the level of emphasis that is given to one over the other. Both will be used, the decision is rather how best to combine the two for maximum effect. 5. Methodology When considering the type of methodology to employ the choice is between primary or secondary research methods. Primary research methods refer to those that generally require replies from and interaction with service users such as questionnaires, focus-groups and interviews (ie fieldwork). On the other hand, secondary research methods rely on reviewing books, articles, statistical data, etc (ie deskwork). While primary research is generally viewed as being superior to secondary research, this is not always the case. Primary research is almost always hampered by cost considerations, the sample size used, the manner in which the sample population has been decided upon, researcher bias, etc. In light of cost considerations, it is almost always more cost effective to ask yourself whether or not someone else has already done this research and if so to begin at that point and then use primary research to fill in any gaps or specific areas which have not been addressed in the depth required. Secondary research also has its own problems which include such factors as the fact that it is reliant on someone else’s primary research with all the inherent problems that presents as set out above, the researcher is limited to the questions raised in the secondary materials, etc. As such, it is important that in secondary research, the sources of the information to be used are reliable (ie government sources, peer reviewed journals, text books written by qualified authors, etc). In light of the above considerations, it is important that any market research conducted uses a balance of primary and secondary research methods. In the case of this paper, it was found that there was an array of literature (secondary sources) on advertising and the service sector. However, there was less to be found when one looked at the area of MICE and resort hotels specifically. As such, while secondary research could take us to a point, from that point it was necessary to use primary research methods. The most common primary research methods are interviews, questionnaires, surveys, focus groups and secret visits. As the objective of this paper is to determine the most effective methods of advertising appeals with respect to MICE and resort hotels, some of the primary methods referred to above will not be appropriate. MICA and resort hotels cover a large cross-section of the market and large distances. As such, secret visits to the hotels would not only be cost prohibitive, but would be unlikely to provide the necessary data required. On the other hand, as most of the users of these services are UK-based, a focus group may be more appropriate for personal holiday makers. In light of the practical issues of setting up a focus group of business users, questionnaires may be more appropriate for that sector of the market. A decision was finally made to make use of a questionnaire and a focus group. Both would target people who had already used MICE and 5 star resort hotels on the basis that this was the segment of the market that these hotels were targeting. It was decided that an attempt to include customers who had never stayed in a MICE and 5 star resort hotel would be too much for a paper of this length however, it would remain a potential area for future research. With respect to the design of the questionnaire, it was decided that while quantitative responses are the easiest to compile and analyse, they do not give the depth of information that can be gleaned from qualitative answers. Furthermore, in order to be statistically valid, a quantitative questionnaire would need to involve a large, randomly selected sample base. Due to cost and time limitations, this was not considered feasible and as such, it was thought most appropriate to concentrate on a smaller, specifically selected sample of the market segment being targeted and an analysis of their qualitative responses with a clear statement as to the understood limitations of proceeding in this way. 6. Findings, analyses and evaluation The purpose of this dissertation is to determine the extent to which rational and emotional appeals apply to MICE and 5 star resort hotels. A review of secondary sources and current research on the topic showed that this is an area which has suffered from a lack of research interest to date. While Mattila’s work provides a strong overview of advertising appeals as they relate solely to the service sector (as opposed to dealing with them solely in comparison with products), her work is quite broad and as such, while it is used as a starting point for this paper, it was necessary to supplement the secondary research and theoretical framework with primary research which consisted of a questionnaire and focus group. Further primary research was deemed not feasible due to cost and time constraints. In total, 150 questionnaires were posted or handed out. Due to the small sample size, the participants were targeted (eg businesses which book MICE and 5 star resort hotels for conferences, people leaving MICE and 5 star resort hotels, etc). Of the 150 questionnaires posted or handed out, thirty were returned. This was considered to be a reasonable level of returns in light of the type of person being asked to complete them (ie busy individuals who work long hours). A summary of the questionnaire replies are set out in Appendix 2. Due to the qualitative nature of the replies, statistical analysis of the responses is not feasible. However, they do provide an interesting insight into the way in which advertising appeals are able to influence guests of MICE and 5 star resort hotels. Along with the questionnaire, a focus group was used to try to determine in a more direct fashion people’s attitudes to MICE and 5 star resort hotels and more particularly, what effect advertising appeals had on their purchasing behaviour. As with the questionnaire, the group chosen was not chosen randomly, but rather was selected from people who had already used MICE and 5 star resort hotels in the past. Participants were shown various advertisements (not only limited to MICE and 5 star resort hotels) and asked to discuss various propositions put to them. Once again, the results were qualitative and as such not appropriate for statistical analysis. While the response to the questionnaire was not particularly high, those individuals that did respond provided some particularly interesting replies. Predictably perhaps, most responses were from middle aged, well educated men. This group is the market segment that most MICE and 5 star resort hotels seek to target with their advertising. However, the strong response by women suggests that those MICE and 5 star resort hotels that are spending most of their advertising budgets targeting men may be missing out on a large segment of the market which may still