High Crime Rate Essay

Also, some movies watched by individuals can play a role in some crimes being committed. Some individuals think it is ok to perform these acts of crime. This information is an eye opener to me. I would have never known this information if it was not for doing this research paper. I have come to the conclusion that I will never find the answers that I am looking for. There is no way that anyone in the wild could have an answer to why crime and violence is high in America. My opinion on why crime and violence is high is because people don’t seem to have a heart or respect others. This opinion has changed because the person committing crimes may get pleasure from it who knows. In my research the book Reducing Gun Violence (2012), I got a clear understanding of violent crime that relates to guns. This book talked about how gun crimes can be cut down, and what people in authority can do to make these changes. I feel that my research is inspiring because it demonstrates how crime and violent have impacted many communities here in America. I put a lot of time and energy in finding information on my why question and formatting my paper correctly. In my research I have come to a new point. Is there a thing as good crime?

The Country Husband

Literally Essay The Country Husband We all make choices in our lives. We choose who we will be, what we will believe and what social norms or values will guide our everyday lives. In making these choices, particularly about our value system , we do not question whether these choices (our value system)will be tested and found faulty because of our ever changing circumstance. In the story The Country Husband, Francis Weed found himself questioning his value system as dictated by his suburban living. Francis Weed, after a traumatic life event, became temporarily dissatisfied with his superficial world of social clubs and high society (suburbia) and acted to rebel against it. However in his fight, he realized that he needed the very thing he hated and resolved this conflict with distractions, unrequited love and woodworking. We all belong in a community in which our membership should mean we agree with the values/standards of that community and our participation is a choice. In this story, Mr. Weeds participation in his community appears to be forced After an alleged emergency plane landing, Mr. Weeds returns home to his family and community where his ordeal is ignored. He attempts to share this ordeal with his wife in stating, â€Å" [I] was nearly killed in an airplane crash, and [I[ don’t like to come home every night to a battlefield. † (Cheever, pg 65) Instead of inquiring about the accident or showing some degree of sympathy about his accident, Mrs. Weeds responds by stating that â€Å"He doesn’t come home every night to a battlefield. † (Cheever, pg 65) Mr. Weeds ordeal is ignored because it does not have a place in his suburban life in the community of Shady Hill. It neither adds to nor takes away from the values of this community and therefore it has no relevance. It appears that Mr. Weeds begins to question the values his community places on him and the consequence endured if they are violated. Thus, he recalled the war in Vessey, a day in which a woman who was socially humiliated for some apparent indiscretion for which her head was shaved and she was made to walk the street naked. He believes that woman who serves him dinner is the oman â€Å"punished at the crossroads, (Cheever, pg 67) but he know it would have been â€Å"a social as well as human error† to share this story at the dinner table because talk of war and trouble of the world was â€Å"unseemly and impolite† (Cheever, pg 67) in Shady Hill. Mr. Weeds understood the tenuous nature of his standing in his community/family but he no longer wanted to be a part of it. Mr. Weeds saw how pretentious his life had become and in his first act of rebellion was to fall in love with the baby sitter, Ann, which was an awesome slap in the face to the norms and values of his community. As he stated, there was no history for Shady Hill of such â€Å"turpitude†¦they had not even been a breath of scandal. † (Cheever, pg 71). But, Mr. Weeds imagined loving the babysitter and the ruckus it would cause, if he were caught taking advantage of the baby sitter. The mere thought however filled Mr. Weeds with so much energy/life that as a result of this newfound freedom, he impulsively purchased a bracelet for the baby sitter who seems to regard him only as an employer. Further, his escape from the pressure of conforming leads him to kiss this girl in the presence of the social misfit. In this new state of mind, Mr. Weeks finds courage and is finally able to say what is on his mind. He is temporarily able to free himself from the constraint of civility and express his innermost thought to the leading member of the Shady Hill society by stating to her that she should paint her windows curtain black and shut up. The feeling of being â€Å"deliberately impolite† made Mr. Weeds feel wonderful. (Cheever, pg 70) Francis has arrived another moment of truth when his wife Julia decides she is going to leave him because she cannot stand by and watch him destroy their social position that she has worked so hard to gain within Shady Hill. He confesses to her by saying Julia, I do love you, and I would like to be as we were-sweet and bawdy and dark-but now there are so many people. (Cheever, pg77) It seems at this moment with everything he has gone through that he has accepted his life and realizes his wife needs him and he needs her. He makes an appointment to see a psychiatrist where he is advised that he should take up woodwork as a hobby. Perhaps this is an outlet where there are no boundaries and he is free to create whatever he likes without having to fit into a standard. There comes a point in everybody’s life where we reflect on the values we adopt in becoming a member of a community and sometimes we are not satisfied with the decisions we make. I am sure for that when we initially decide to become a member of a community we do so with the hope that as we grow and our needs change, our community will reflect our new needs and growth. Mr. Weed’s community did not foster change and could not allow him to grow. He found himself trapped in the values of his community and his only escape was within his imagination.

Right to Counsel

Right to Counsel CJA/364 October 9, 2011 Right to Counsel Every individual is afforded the right to counsel in criminal proceedings. It is the liability of the government to provide every defendant facing criminal charges with legal representation that also is considered sufficient (2011). The Sixth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution guarantees every individual the right to a swift and public trial from an unbiased jury of his or her peers in the state or district in which the crime was committed in (1995-2011). The district should have been beforehand established by law, and to be educated of the nature and reason for the charge, the right to face the eyewitness in opposition of him or her, to have necessary process for gathering eyewitnesses in his or her support (1995-2011). Last, the Sixth Amendment affords and individual the right to have the aid of an attorney for his or her defense (1995-2011). The last statement of the Sixth Amendments establishes that every individual has a right to counsel from the very second he or she is placed in police confinement (2011). The judgments of the U. S. Supreme Court also indicates that the Right to Counsel be provided to any individual who is insolvent or penniless and that the individual is guaranteed the right to the attendance of a court-appointed counsel at a crucial point in the criminal trial (2011). The crucial points of these proceedings are composed of custodial questioning, pre-charge lineups, preliminary examinations, arraignment, trial, punishment, and the first appeal of guilty verdict (2011). The Right to Counsel was initiated as a response to the English custom of refusing the aid of counsel in severe criminal proceedings that forces individuals to be present in court and represent his or herself in his or her own words (2011). An example of the strictness of the practice to deny counsel is evident in the trial of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots in 1568 (2011). Queen Mary was indicted for treason for supposedly plotting to kill Queen Elizabeth I (2011). Queen Mary requested the aid of an attorney on the basis that the laws and statutes of England were unfamiliar to her, she was without an attorney and no one would stand up and speak for her (2011). Queen Mary was eventually found guilty of her crimes and sentenced to death by beheading (2011). The creators of the U. S. Constitution deemed the denial of an attorney revolting to the fundamental ideology of criminal justice (2011). The creators of the U. S. Constitution ascertained that the aid of an attorney was an important factor in sustaining an accusatorial method of justice (2011). The accusatorial method of justice leaves the problem on the state to determine the guiltiness of the defendant (2011). The accusatorial method is in disagreement with the inquisitorial method in which fault or blamelessness is established through questioning of the defendant (2011). The Supreme Court also has interpreted the Sixth Amendment to mean that a defendant is entitled to an attorney that the attorney must also be effective in representing the defendant (2011). The Supreme Court interpreted this to mean that the representation must be diligent and significant (2011). The Supreme Court established that if a defendant is not provided with effective counsel during court proceedings, the conviction could be overturned (2011). The Supreme Court has also established that although the Sixth Amendment guarantees an individual the right to have an attorney, whether the attorney is hired or delegated by the courts that an individual may also represent his or herself (2004-2011). Any individual has the right to represent his or herself in court but a judge may refuse the individual that right to be his or her own counsel if the judge deems the individual lacks the capability to exercise a knowing or competent dismissal of an attorney (2004-2011). The judge may also deny an individual the right to represent his or herself if the representation is in any way disorderly of normal court proceedings (2004-2001). The right for an individaul to represent his or herself is granted only at normal court proceedings and is not available when a case is before the courts on appeal (2004-2011). If a person is granted the right to represent his or herself in court, that individual cannot later state the quality of his or her defense deprived him or her of sufficient aid to an attorney (2004-2011). The crucial components of right to an attorney is highlighted in the case of McKaskle v. Wiggins that detailed the self-represented defendants rights vis-a-vis â€Å"standby counsel† delegated by the trial court (2004-2011). If the defendant is representing his or herself, he or she has the power of how information is presented to the jurors (2004-2011). Even if there is an attorney on standby, the attorney’s presence should in no way alter the jury’s assessment that the individual is representing his or herself (2004-2011). But involvement of a standby attorney in the company of the jury and despite the protest of the defendant does not infringe on the defendants constitutional rights afforded by the Sixth Amendment when the aid is in agreement with normal courtroom principles and practices that alleviates the trail judge of these responsibilites (2004-2011). Some defendants may think it is wise to represent his or herself but if the individual is not well versed in the law he or she could make major mistakes that may cause him or her to lose his or her freedom. It is said that a person who represents his or herself has a fool for a client. An attorney is a delegate of citizens, an officer of the criminal justice system and the public that has an accountability to ensure justice is dispensed (1995-199). The role of an attorney has many facets; a consultant, promoter, delegate, mediator, and an assessor (1995-1999). As a consultant an attorney notifies his or her client with knowledge of his or her constitutional rights and responsibilites and clarifies his or her realistic suggestions (1995-1999). As a promoter an attorney feverously emphasizes the client’s point under the standards of the adversary method (1995-1999). As a delegate an attorney searches for an outcome beneficial to the client but uniform with the necessities of truthful dealings with others (1995-1999). As a mediator among clients an attorney searches to settle his or her conflicting interest (1995-1999). As an assessor an attorney researches his or her client’s legal dealings and informs the client or others of the legal dealings (1995-1999). In criminal court proceedings the prosecutor who works for the state, and the defense attorney who can also work for the state but is there to aid the defendant. The U. S. Supreme Court established in the case of Gideon v. Wainwright that the basic role of applies in a just criminal justice system (2011). The Justices collectively determined that the states possess a legal responsibility afforded within the Sixth and 14th Amendments to offer counsel to any individual who cannot afford one (2011). The judgment emphasized that a penniless individual in a criminal proceeding is guaranteed the aid of an attorney as a basic civil right necessary to ensure a just trial, a client’s trial and sentence deprived of an attorney is an infringement of the 14th Amendment (2011). The privilege to have an ttorney is the most basic bureaucratic safety measure to ensure a just trial in which the government and the defendant stand alike in the eyes of the law (2011). As stated earlier, the Supreme Court established that if a defendant is not provided with effective counsel during court proceedings, the conviction could be overturned (2011). References Right to Counsel 2011 http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/right+to+counsel Retrieved October 9, The Exclusionary Rule January 16, 1999 The United States Constitution 1995-2011 U. S. Constitution Online http://www. usconstitution. net/const. html#Am1 Retrieved October 9, 2011 Self Representation 2004-2011 http://supreme. justia. com/constitution/amendment-06/16-self-representation. html Retrieved October 9, 2011 Preamble: A Lawyer’s Responsibilites 1995-1999 Touch N’ Go Systems http://touchngo. com/lglcntr/ctrules/profcon/profcon. htm Retrieved October 9, 2011 National Committee on the Right to Counsel 2011 National Legal Aid and Defender Associaton http://www. nlada. org/Defender/Defender_Kit/NCRC Retrieved October 9, 2011

Quantitative Easing (Pros and Cons) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quantitative Easing (Pros and Cons) - Essay Example main aim of quantitative easing is to inject money into the economy to stabilize nominal spending by purchasing assets from private or public sector. When the government uses their new central bank currency to purchase resources, it boosts the quantity of central bank currency held by financial institutions which in turn boost the sum of deposits retained by firms and households. The increase in the amount of assets held by firms and households increases spending which is healthy for a stable economic system. Since central bank is the sole supplier of the currency in circulation, it takes money in the form of reserve balances held by banks to make payments between different banks. Benford argues that such a scenario was witnessed in in England in order to reduce the rate of inflation to protect consumers from economic crisis and it succeeded to some extent. According to Benford, the bank may decide to generate this money electronically simply by increasing the balances on the reserve account so that it credits the bank reserve account when the bank purchases an asset. The central bank can also decide to purchase asset from a non banking institution by paying the amount directly via the seller’s bank thereby crediting the reserve account of the seller’s bank (Berger & Weber 36). By so doing, the asset of central bank increases which consequently increases the assets of commercial banks and the non bank institutions concerned. This ultimately leads to an increase in assets prices and spending and consequently reduces the rate of inflation to desired levels (Berger &Weber 37). Economists argue that this is a perfect method of expansion of supply of central bank money without increasing the rate of inflation in an economy (Benford 3). Controlling inflation is not easy due to pressure from financial hawks who are always interested in seeing high interest rates (Krugman). Since quantitative easing involves large amounts of currency, there needs to be se t properties to procure for it to be successful in the short term. Most of the purchases go to public organizations with private organization receiving less purchase with the aim of improving the conditions of the corporate credit. The injection of government money into the economy is helpful in increasing the liquidity in return for the assets which helps to improve the balance sheet of the private sector households and firms (Berger &Weber 37). Since money is highly liquid, its injection into the economy increases the buying of goods and services hence is a good manipulating tool for inflation. Purchase of assets by the government increases the prices of assets reducing the cost of borrowing from household and companies thus resulting to higher consumption and investment spending (Benford 3). When companies have cheaper access to

Human Trafficking Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 2

Human Trafficking - Research Paper Example ally includes sexual exploitation such as prostitution, slavery, forced labour, removal of body organs, forced services, servitude or acts similar or imitating slavery. This is the fundamental definition of human trafficking according to the United Nations Trafficking protocol.1 It is the universally agreed definition of human trafficking. However, in simple terms, human trafficking can be defined as the illegal act of buying and subsequently selling of people or individuals for the main purpose of forced labour, prostitution and other acts of exploitation. The human trafficker often operate by making false promises, restricting family and friends contact, limiting one’s freedom of movement, denial of basic necessities like food, taking one’s identification documents, stopping an individual from attending religious services and even threatening deportation to the victim. Over the last two decades, trafficking in human beings, often called ‘contemporary form of slavery’, has become a major international concern. It is an issue that has raised intense political discussions together with ambiguous legal regulations on national, regional and international levels. International organisations, government and civil societies have increasingly focused on trafficking, measures to prevent it, protect trafficked people, prosecute perpetrators and strengthen cross border cooperation against human trafficking. It is the most grave violation of human rights and considered the second most profitable transnational crime after drug trafficking.2 According to statistics by the Homeland Security Department, human trafficking generates about $32 billion per year, with millions of people being trafficked every year in the world. Women, men and children are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, forced labour, commercial marriage market, the sel ling of organs and for adoption. Western Europe is a region of destination for victims of human trafficking from mainly

Finance Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finance Ethics - Essay Example We shall address their views regarding such decisions and issues. Ford deals in automobiles that find a market all over the world. The success of the company is dependent on a number of stakeholders as viewed from the perspective of production of the end product. All stages of production call for integration of a couple of elements that move in the same direction (Preston, 1995). Employees are key stakeholders in this company. They feature in various departments and segments of the organization. Production process would need personnel in the form of engineers and technical experts. There would be a need for administrators, marketers, assistant managers and a whole range of other staff members. The organization would have to steer them towards achieving goals of the organization without ignoring other stakeholders (Preston, 1995). Financiers of the company are in the form of banks and shareholders. Their role is key in having the entire company on its feet. Hiring of personnel, making purchases from suppliers, marketing, and advertising are all dependent on funds generated and availed by suppliers. Another key stakeholder of this company is the target customer. The company has a moral duty to have their needs first by providing quality automobile and after sales attention. Their opinion and regards about the item bought is an area of concern for the buyers. Their suggestions define the success of the company (Harrison, 2010). Suppliers to Ford Motors complete a segment of the success puzzle. They avail resources to the company for the production process. Structural materials in the form of tires, metallic items, and other requirements make production happen. Ford Motor Company thrives in a community that is on its receiving end of the matters that come with production. The company has to be a good citizen to execute production responsibly. Governmental bodies have a stake

Hybrid Cultures and the Hermetically Sealed Cultures Essay

Hybrid Cultures and the Hermetically Sealed Cultures - Essay Example Huntington views the Arab world as being primarily 'sealed' because it avoids the advances and the cultural hybrid elements of democratic countries. According to his view, there is a certain core collective of nations who try to derive their power by opposing western influences and define their own place in an increasingly diverse world. Barber's more capitalistic interpretation understanding of global imperialism is in direct contrast to Huntington's view. He believes America is a hybrid country that is "democratic", even though it is aggressive toward countries that exercise their own sovereignty as 'sealed' cultures. The primary foundation for Huntington's argument on the "clash of civilizations" after the Cold War is that there is not a single country to which American allied nations could rally against in a bi-polar construct. Huntington's perspective is based on American bias on the danger that Communism posed through the Soviet Union as an example of the new Arab threat: During the Cold War global politics became bipolar and the world divided into three parts. A group of mostly wealthy and democratic societies, led by the United States, was engaged in a pervasive ideological, political, economic, and, at times, military competition (Huntington, ,p.21). The criterion for this belief is based on the American view that the conflict with the Soviet automatically created a situation in which they became the two dominant forces and the rest of the countries allied themselves on either side based on whether they followed a capitalist or communist ideology. However, America's identity as a democratic society with immense wealth that had to subdue poorer communist societies is often generalized through Huntington's "triumphalist" view of American domination. In fact, the harshly undemocratic nature of American hegemony in Latin America and other nation states presents a stark contrast to the idealized discourse of freedom and liberty that Huntington defines in the conflict between American and the Soviet Union. This fact is over-generalized in Huntington's view and supports a deliberately biased superiority of western civilization over the rest of the world before 1991. The first basis of Huntington's theory on Muslim culture as to the historicity of violence that was founded in its early beginnings does not hold ground considering that Judaism and Christianity also propounded the use of "the sword" to fight with one another and also against other religions. Surely, the comment made by George Bush about a "Crusade" against Muslim terrorism reveals the age-old Christian tradition of using military force in the name of Christ (Ford para.2). Although Huntington likes to compare Christ's seeming passivity to his enemies in the Christian faith, the United States (as a Christian nation) has certainly gone against the dictates of Christ's message by attacking Iraq without any evidence of WMDS. Similarly, the hollowness of the hybrid foundation for western

E-commerce Service Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-commerce Service - Research Paper Example Beyond the real world, the Internet has created the new world called as a sixth continent or virtual network. In business, e-commerce has made prosperous circulation system. E-commerce has enabled to achieve the fast, reliable and better economic results as compared to traditional business. E-commerce permeates the every profile including media, logistics, finance, enterprises, governments and traditional agriculture.The aim of this paper is to see the changes brought by the adoption of E-commerce for enterprises. What advantages and disadvantages have been produced from E-commerce to business? What are factors involved in buying the attention of customers from E-commerce as well as traditional buying?E-commerce has commonly used the term in the era of the Internet age. E-commerce simply means the putting up the website for service and product information along with the email contacts from where customers can place an order for buying the products. E-commerce is a system to conduct t he business activities via the usage of internet and related technologies. This internet usage refers to a computer network to conduct the business. In also includes the selling and buying online, transferring the electronic funds, business communication and associated activities with the selling and buying of services and goods online (Qin et al., 2014). Business to Consumers (B2C) as a category of e-commerce deals with the direct business between the business companies and consumers.

Mechanism of transmit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mechanism of transmit - Essay Example Physical contact includes actions like kissing and sexual intercourse. Other times the contact may not be a person to person and could be in the form of particles or droplets getting into the human eye or nose (McKenzie, 2014). It is a type of a transmission mechanism where a vector introduces the agents of infection into the body. A vector refers to a living organism that transmits an infection from the reservoir to the host. In indirect transmission, there is no physical contact. Such vectors include insects like ticks and mosquitoes (Shors, 2009). It is a type of transmission mechanism where droplets or particles suspended in the air and contain the pathogenic microorganisms enter the body mainly through the respiratory tract. Such particles remain suspended in the air for long periods, therefore only suitable for pathogens that can survive for long periods outside the body. An example of such a disease is tuberculosis (McKenzie, 2014). Mechanisms of transmission are dependent on the host, the environment, and the contact. While some mechanisms are suitable for dusty environment, other forms thrive more in dump conditions. For a transmission to occur there must be some form of contact, whether direct or indirect. Transmission mechanisms are direct, indirect, and airborne, depending on the nature of the

Examination of why governments become involved in tourism and events Essay

Examination of why governments become involved in tourism and events and highlights the roles and the functions that they play within the tourism system - Essay Example Apart from this, the government supports the interest in their environment and cultural resources (Diekmann and McCabe, 2011). Several countries have been involved in the creation of tourism activities making them develop an agency to cater for the industrial activities (Qin, Wall and Liu, 2011). The main concern of tourism in most countries is to increase economic standards. Different governments should get involved in tourism to provide a suitable environment for tourism and attract minor business within the state to take part in tourism (Qin, Wall and Liu, 2011). They also aim at protecting the scarcity of capital and manage inexperience within their governments are usually advocated as a basis for states involvement in the action. Socialist governments have a weak private sector managing tourism, while the government takes part in the major roles in controlling tourisms. The state creates several jobs to their citizens through tourism and hotel industries (Qin, Wall and Liu, 2011). In developing countries, they face numerous challenges in inexpert private areas and they have scarcity of capital and lack of enough monetary resources (Diekmann and McCabe, 2011). This makes the entire process of tourism a responsibility of the government instead of private sectors within the country. This involvement is highly influenced by their interests in profits made from tourism. Challenges resulting from tourism can only be reduced or controlled by the governments mainly when the benefits of the local sector differ from individuals of the group and state as a whole (Diekmann and McCabe, 2011). The other major responsibility of the government is to increase social, political and economic development resulting from tourism. For instance, the China government, which is a socialist government, is highly controlled by the state. Their policy has a profound impact on tourism (Diekmann and

The role of ghrelins Essay Example for Free

The role of ghrelins Essay Ghrelin is a general name for a class of hormones found in the gastrointestinal tract of vertebrates. It is a preprohormone containing a chain of 28 amino acid peptides. During synthesis, a modification arises whereas n-octanoic acid is bound to one of its amino acids. This makes it capable of playing its biological role. Ghrelins are synthesized at the fundus lining the stomach. It is primarily produced by epithelial cells lining the fundus. However, smaller amounts have also been detected in the kidneys, placenta, hypothalamus and the pituitary gland. (Brown, 2006) The ghrelin receptor was known before the discovery of ghrelin. It is located in the anterior pituitary and stimulates secretion of growth hormone when activated. It was named GHS-R or growth hormone secretagoue receptor. In 1999, Kojima et al. announced that they have discovered the natural ligand for GHS-R.   They named it ghrelin, deriving it form the word â€Å"ghre† which means grow in Proto-Indo-European languages. They obtained it from rat stomach and investigated its role in pituitary growth hormone and energy homeostasis functions. (Kojima Kangawa, 2004) Roles of ghrelin Ghrelin is the ligand of GHS-r. Its signal together with that of semostatin and other growth hormone inducers control the timing as well as the magnitude of growth hormone excretion. It is suggested that the stomach releases ghrelin into the bloodstream, where it is conveyed to the potiuitary gland, triggering the release of growth hormone. Kanagawa et al. found significant amounts of ghrelin in healthy people.(Kojima et al., 1999) In 2000, Ezio Ghigo et al. discovered that ghrelin injections led to prolonged increase of growth hormone concentrations in the blood. (Dickson, 1999)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ghrelin   also seems to stimulate appetite. Lab tests in rats show ann increase in body weight after ghrelin injections. This effect is independent of ghrelin’s role in GH stimulation. In people, a popular side effect of taking ghrelin containing drugs was the sensation of intense hunger. About 80% of test participants in a study to test ghrelins growth hormone functions also suffered an increase of appetite. It was found that ghrelin concentration in the blood increases as a person grows hungry and decreases as that person’s hunger is sated.   Another study showed that people injected with ghrelin before meals increased their food intake by 30%. (Cummings et al., 2002) Another study also showed that resting   ghrelin levels rise as net body weight decreases and returns once a set point is reached. This means that the body regulates ghrelin levels based on a specific body weight attainment, making you hungrier as you lose more weight. Persons with anorexia nervosa, a disorder in which people starve themselves show extremely high amounts of ghrelin. But it seems in their cases, their body does not listen. (Travis, 2002)The increase of ghrelins is also related to time as discovered by Yildiz et al. An increase in ghrelin was noted between midnight to dawn, mhowever, hunger is suppressed by other hormones, making it easier to fall asleep and eat in the morning after.(Yildiz, Suchard, Wong, McCann, Licinio, 2004)Alos, lack of sleep particularly in obese persons lead to production of ghrelin and less production of leptin, the hormone which suppresses appetite. Ghrelin levels also decrease dramatically with the conduction of gastric bypass surgery. Animal research has also discovered that ghrelin may enhance memory and learning as it enters the hippocampus via the bloodstream. High ghrelin levels, particularly before meals when the stomach is empty may be the time most conducive to learning. (Philips, 2006) REFERENCES Brown, R. (2006). Ghrelin.  Ã‚   Retrieved March 11, 2007, from http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/gi/ghrelin.html Cummings, D., Weigle, D., Frayo, R., Breen, P., Ma, M., Dellinger, E., et al. (2002). Plasma Ghrelin Levels after Diet-Induced Weight Loss or Gastric Bypass Surgery. New England Journal of Medicine(346), 1623-1630. Dickson, S. L. (1999). Ghrelin: A newly discovered hormone  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   [Electronic Version]. British Society for Neuroenterology from http://neuroendo.org.uk/index.php/content/view/26/11/. Kojima, M., Hosoda, H., Date, Y., Nakazato, M., Matsuo, H., Kangawa, K. (1999). Ghrelin is a growth-hormone-releasing acylated peptide from stomach. Nature 402, 656-660 (402), 656-660. Kojima, M., Kangawa, K. (2004). Ghrelin: Structure and Function   [Electronic Version]. Physiological Review, 85, 495-522. Retrieved March 11 2007. Philips, M. L. (2006). Hunger hormone tied to learning [Electronic Version]. The Scientist. Retrieved March 11 2007 from http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/23132/. Travis, J. (2002). The Hunger Hormone? [Electronic Version]. Science News Online, 161, 107. Retrieved March 11 2007 from http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20020216/bob10.asp. Yildiz, B. O., Suchard, M. A., Wong, M.-L., McCann, S. M., Licinio, J. (2004). Alterations in the dynamics of circulating ghrelin, adiponectin, and leptin in human obesity [Electronic Version]. Medical Sciences. Retrieved March 11 2007 from http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=478601.

Osama Bin Ladens Strategy Essay Example for Free

Osama Bin Ladens Strategy Essay What were Osama bin Laden’s intended strategies in response to the â€Å"Arab Spring and why did he consider it a formidable event?† In response to the revolutionary wave of demonstrations and protest (both non-violent and violent) throughout the Arab world, Osama Bin Laden wanted to reevaluate how Al-Qaida as a whole conducted their operations within the Muslim world. Osama Bin Laden viewed Al Qaeda’s in ability to attract followers as a weakness, â€Å"He believed that a media campaign should be launched to incite people who have not yet revolted and exhort them to rebel against the rulers†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 3). By avoiding joining political parties and focusing on combat operations, for example in Afghanistan the Taliban were â€Å"weakening† the United States which had a negative effect on the United States ability to assist leaders in the Muslim world with combating the Arab Spring, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 3). Osama Bin Laden viewed the Arab spring, which was sweeping across the Muslim World causing riots and protest as a time filled with great opportunity because of the effect it was having on Governments such as Tunisia and Egypt. â€Å"At the time he was writing, the presidents of Tunisia and Egypt, Zein al-`Abidin bin `Ali and Husni Mubarak had fallen. Bin Laden was convinced that their fall was bound to trigger a domino effect, and â€Å"the fall of the remaining tyrants in the region was inevitable†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 48). Explain Osama bin Laden’s relationship with regional jihadi groups at the time of his death. Senior Al Qaeda leadership held mixed feelings in regards to how to deal with regional jihadi groups. These regional groups were likely attracted to Al Qaeda after its much successful attack on September 11, 2009. While some Al Qaeda leadership felt that regional Jihadis should not be accepted into Al Qaeda, other leadership felt that only be including regional insurgents could Al Qaeda grow it’s numbers. â€Å"Bin Laden represented a third position, as he wanted to maintain communication, through his own pen or that of his inner circle, with â€Å"brothers† everywhere, to urge restraint and provide advice, without granting them formal unity with al-Qa`ida†, (Lahoud et al. 2012, 11- 12). Explain how King and Taylor describe the radicalization process for the purposes of their study, and why their study focused on the radicalization of homegrown jihadists. King and Taylor describe the radicalization process as one, which requires more than point of view to  understand. This is why King and Taylor conducted analysis of all five radicalization models at one time in order to understand the process of radicalization. By comparing each method King and Taylor were able to note similarities and difference amongst the methods. The study focused on â€Å"homegrown Jihadists† because of the current threat towards the west as a result of radical ideology produced by terrorist organization such as Al Qaeda, (King and Taylor, 2011). Why do King and Taylor take the position that basing counter-terrorism or counter-radicalization strategies on models that have not been empirically validated can be misleading and risky? In addition, why do King and Taylor take the position that the narrative promoted by jihadists is amenable to empirical research? King and Taylor believe the understanding and process of radicalization cannot be narrowed down to one method because the reason behind one individuals path towards terrorism may differ from another, (King and Taylor 2011, 616). Also, King and Taylor believe insurgents use propaganda to their benefit. For example, by leading Muslims to believe the West is attacking not only Muslim countries but also Islam itself they are able to instill into Muslim that they must defend their fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. This is one method that is used in describing the early stages of the Radicalization, as described by the NYPD, (King and Taylor 2011, 617). What conclusions do King and Taylor reach, regarding their study of radicalization of homegrown jihadists and what recommendations do they make regarding future research? At the conclusion of their research, King and Taylor decided that each method provided important information in regards to their own respected method. â€Å"When brought together, however, the commonalities and discrepancies between these models offered even greater insights, which may be used as a guiding framework for future research concerning homegrown jihadi radicalization†, (King and Taylor 2011, 617). The conclusion primarily focused on three factors which King and Taylor label as â€Å"contributing factors† to the radicalization process, reaction to group relative deprivation, management of identities and lastly personality characteristics, (King and Taylor 2011, 617-618). Along with these three factors King and Taylor suggest further research also focused on the internet and how it leads to ra dicalization and also the Jihadi narrative and its ability to influence homegrown jihadists, (King and Taylor 2011, 618)

Chariots of Fire Analysis

Chariots of Fire Analysis Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British film directed by Hugh Hudson. The original screenplay is written by Colin Welland, based on the true story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, two athletes that have competed in the 1924 Olympic Games. The film was nominated for seven and won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. 1.1. Synopsis The film is the inspiring story of two highly talented British runners, as they prepare for and compete in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) is an English Jew with Lithuanian roots, who faces both prejudice for his origins and criticism for his use of a professional trainer in his preparations for the Olympics. He is an ambitious sprinter from the Cambridge University, eager to win and to prove his place in the English society. However, in order to succeed, he needs to overcome his inner demons. His rival and teammate, Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), is a devout Christian, a Scottish Presbyterian protestant whose life ambition is to become a missionary, but who is a talented and passionate sportsman. He runs for his faith and to glorify God. Due to his religious principles, Liddell refused to run in the 100 meter Olympic heats, which were held on a Sunday.  «Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  Chariots of Fire is a film that digs deep into the human spirit. It not only presents us the story of two men and the motivations they have for running, it reaches to the very essence of the questions of why we exist and what significance our lives have. The film begins with Abrahams funerals and then tells, in flashback, the story of the two main characters. It starts with Harolds first day at Cambridge, Caius College, in 1919. Later, he takes part in the college dash, a competition where the challenger will attempt to run around the court perimeter to and from a point beneath the clock within the time taken by the clock to strike midday. A distance traditionally recognized as one of 188 paces. His sole competitor is Liddell, representing Edinburgh University. Abrahams defeats him, to the slight discontent of his masters, who first discuss his social and ethnic origins, and then his capabilities. The focus shifts to Eric Liddell who is invited in Scotland, 1920, to preside a childrens race. At the end, he holds a speech about sports and faith. It is the first moment that presents his preaching spirit. Further along he is shown dining with his family, who has made from missionary a purpose in life. Another memorable scene is the one when Liddell runs in the France-Scotland competition and when he is pushed and falls. However, he finds the power within to raise and not only finish, but win the race. Afterwards, under the rain, people are mesmerized by his speech where he preaches that the true power comes from within. Harold Abrahams, who assists as this race, is amazed before his gift and envious at the same time. He takes the opportunity to introduce himself to Sam Mussabini, a professional coach, and to ask if he could train him for the Olympics gold. The latter does not accept, but agrees to watch him and see if he has the right talent, because, as he says, you cant put in what Gods left out. While Liddell is more of a loner, Abrahams is often shown with his friends or in public. He even has a love interest, Sybil Gordon, singer. The scene of the two of them dining for the first time is a very important one, as Harold speaks about himself, his heritage and why he feels he has to run in order to fit in the English society: Do you love running? Im more of an addict. Its a compulsion. A weapon. Against what? Being Jewish, I suppose. Youre not serious?! Youre not Jewish, or you wouldnt ask. People dont care. Anyway, being Jewish hasnt done you any harm. Im what I call semi-deprived . It means they lead me to water, but they wont let me drink. The climax of Abrahams pre-Olympic struggle is reached when his loses a challenge against Liddell. Demoralized by the fact that he feels he has done anything he could, he feels worthless: I run to win. If I cant win, I dont run. Despite his apparent failure, at the end of the race Mr. Mussabini offers to coach him: I can find you another two yards. This is the decisive moment, and from this point on all of Harolds energy is channeled to one purpose and one purpose only: winning the gold medal. They start training in a sustained and technical way, analyzing mistakes and finding ways to improve. In the meantime, Eric trains in a more relaxed manner, but always empowered by his faith. When his sister, Jenny, is worried that athletics is not something noble enough, and suggests that he should better pursue the family tradition and go to China to spread his faith, Eric replies: I believe that God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure. The preparations for the Olympics start generating rumors. A highly expressive moment is that when Harold Abrahams is called at Cambridge to the masters office. He is confronted by two professors who accuse him of denaturizing the amateur spirit of sports to his own personal interest; of turning into a tradesman: for the past year, you have concentrated on developing your own technique in the headlong pursuit, may I suggest, of individual glory. The athlete replies by a true declaration of independence, a manifest saying: I am a Cambridge man first and last. I am an Englishman first and last. What I have achieved, what I intend to achieve, is for my family, my university and my country [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦].You know, gentlemen you yearn for victory, just as I do. But achieved with the apparent effortlessness of gods [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. I believe in the pursuit of excellence and Ill carry the future with me. After this bitter discussion Abrahams learns that he has been selected to represent his country at the Olympic Games of 1924, held in Paris. Eris Liddell was also qualified. On the boat to Paris, Liddell is informed that the 100 meter race will be held on a Sunday. This stirs enormous conscience turmoil for him. To run on a Sunday would be against Gods Law. The Prince of Wales himself tries to convince him to compete, but the problem is not solved until Lindsay, another member of the team, offers his place in the 400 meter race. However, this remains a highly representative scene of Erics dilemma and a testimony of his faith. He is torn between his desire to run and his commitment to praise God on the one hand and between his future King and God on the other hand. Liddell is depicted as a true man of principle and a true athlete. His speed is a mere extension of his life, its force. In the Olympic Games each of the two athletes wins a gold medal. However, the meaning of his success is significantly different. As Harold Abrahams discovers before his most decisive race; his life has become all about those few seconds in which he feels he has to justify everything he has done and who he will become I am forever in pursuit and I dont even know what is I am chasing. And even though he wins, he can not rejoice. He has not defeated his inner demons and he has not understood the meaning of his life. Eric Liddell, on the other hand, does not share his colleagues bizarre reaction. He is ecstatic after his success, he feels he has reached his purpose as a sportsman and is ready to embrace his future life, of a missionary. 1.2. The title The title is inspired by And did those feet in ancient time, a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem. Today it is best known as the hymn Jerusalem, whose music is written by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916. It seems that the films working title was Running. The inspiration came one Sunday evening when Colin Welland (screenplay writer) turned on the television to the BBCs religious music series Songs of Praise featuring the stirring hymn Jerusalem, its chorus including the words Bring me my chariot of fire. the writer allegedly leapt up to his feet and shouted to his wife Patricia, Ive got it, Pat! Chariots of Fire!  [1]  . A church congregation sings Jerusalem at the end of the film and a performance appears on the Chariots of Fire soundtrack performed by the Ambrosian Singers overlaid partly by a composition by Vangelis. 2. Chariots of Fire film analysis Our analysis will focus on the two heroes, their leadership style and their interactions with the other characters. In order to fully understand Harold, we also need to take into account Sam Mussabini, because their activity and achievements are complementary. We will begin with a short description of their personality based on the way the film depicts them and then we will observe their leadership styles. 2.1. The character of Eric Liddell Eric Liddell is a fully talented person, led by efforts for excellence in studies and sport. Being an academic, he belongs to one of the best schools of Scotland Eton College, Edinburgh University. he is also extremely talented in sports. He is initially very good at rugby, but gives up with it in order to completely dedicate himself to running for the Olympic Games. He is called the flying Scotsman. He is extremely gifted and works very hard to achieve his goals.   Ive never seen such drive, such commitment in a runner. He runs like a wild animal, says Harold Abrahams. He is more of a runner on long distances; opposite to Abrahams, who is a sprinter. Hes fast. But he wont go any faster, not in the dash, anyway. Hes a gut runner. Hes all heart. Digs deep, says Sam Mussabini. During a competition, he falls  while  running and still manages to win the race. Therefore, he achieves the almost impossible veterans, were unanimous in the opinion that Liddells win in the quarter mile was the greatest track performance that they had ever seen  [2]  . We also can notice that, despite the fact he has no coach, he wins the Olympic 400 meter race. He has been able to provide the right efforts on his own and with the help of God. He is a man who lives for his faith. His parents are missionaries in China and are very  strict  about religion. God is a loving dictator. His rules are such as attending the Sunday service, or not playing football on Sunday. Eric fully embraces this conception of religion. He feels that running and winning races will prove the world the presence of God. To win is an honor for Him. When I run, I feel his pleasure. Winning an Olympic Gold Medal becomes a priority, second only to his religion. The ambition to win this event is part of his religion; is spiritual. Eric believed that everything he did in the name of his belief should give God pleasure. I would like to give you something more permanent but I can only point the way. I believe God made me for a purpose, he says after a race. After winning the Olympic medal, he follows his family and becomes himself a missionary in China, as he had planned from the beginning. He is an example of a person who lived out the Olympic ideals while upholding the Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius (used for the first time in 1924), which means, Swifter, Higher, Stronger, throughout his life.  [3]  Today, a foundation and an internet site are dedicated to his memory. His conscience issue, his testimony of faith   When he learns that the heats are to be run on a Sunday, he switches to the 400 meter competition. Running on Sunday is against Gods law. His decision is taken; he will show inflexibility on this point. The Prince of Wales himself tries to influence him to change decision, but Eric says that although he loves his country, he is not ready for such a sacrifice. Lindsay is the one who suggests the solution. Having already won a silver medal, he yields his place on the 400 meter race, which takes place the next Tuesday.   In this situation, Eric has proven to be extremely focused; he wins and stands by his principles. It is a way to promote his religion, since his convictions make the headlines in all the newspapers Eric Liddell, God before the king.   His relationship with others For Abrahams, with whom he shares personal conversations, he holds a strong friendship. It is remarkable to notice that, although competition should be the master word in his field, he does not appear to be affected by this state of mind.   He does his best to encourage friendship and loyalty. His sister Jennie is very worried about him being stolen by sports: your mind is not with us anymore, it is full of running and starting and medals and pace. He is diplomatic and very soft with her, tells him that he will go to China, but only after the Olympic Games. He tries to convince Jenny that he is an excellent runner and that it is Gods wish for him to do his best to win the games, because it is God who made him fast. Sandy, his close friend confesses: Erics special to me. Precious. When Erics father goes back to China, he is asked to look after the family Im relying on you now to keep them all out of mischief. This is why he remains close to him; he even follows him at the Olympic Games. An illustration of charismatic leadership Leadership is described as  «Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  the art of influencing others in the manner desired by the leader  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ».  [4]  In this case, we believe that Eric has the natural talent to attract people around him without exercising authority. He gets his power from inside and does not need any kind of support or coach. It is a personality trait that he had from his birth, which makes him endowed with special qualities. His father being a missionary, we presume that it is a family gene. He takes risks by involving himself in religious purposes. He is extremely confident in his faith; he can therefore communicate strongly about it. This increases his leadership towards others as well as his charisma. He feels he is driven by a divine mission to uphold God throw his behavior in sports. He therefore takes every opportunity to preach the god news. He is skilled for public speaking and uses this talent very often; he is an authority for those around him. He is passionate and shows a lot of determination in convincing others.    At the end of a race, he does not hesitate to gather the crowd around him and speak about God. Under the rain, he is able to federate a large group of people. He speaks their language, talks about their problems. People are highly receptive, some of them captivated.   Open to others, he is able to mix with very different social classes. He is as well at ease with people from his high level College and people from the street who watch him racing. His modesty is entirely genuine and unaffected. Eric Liddell possesses a outstanding emotional intelligence  [5]  . He is self aware; he is good at understanding what motivates him and how his actions or words affect others. For example, when he speaks to his sister Jenny who is worried about his attitude towards sport, he finds the right argument and gains her support: he will pursue the mission to China when the games are finished. He is motivated by something beyond money or status. He wants to win in the name of his religion and that is his drive. He is empathetic, since he preoccupies himself with what is on peoples mind. He is a role model for children. For example, at the end of a Sunday service, a young little girl asks him to sign on her Bible. Eric also has good social skills, as we can see many friends are around him. On the Sunday when he should have run, he is called to participate to Sunday mass at the Paris Church of Scotland. He is asked to read a psalm and it is a moment of deep emotion for the people listening to him. Being a leader, he also shows abilities of self management: he entirely enjoys what he does and appears as someone very well balanced.   He is setting high objectives for himself, winning the games, and he visualizes his success.   He is mature because he knows that the Olympic Games will only be a step in his life and that after, his mission will lead him to higher purposes. His vision of the future is realistic. He balances  hard work, studies and personal life very well since he achieves all his goals, by a good management of time and resources. Moreover, he is well integrated in his social community and appreciated by many people around him. All these elements prove that he has the skills to self manage his life and his reach objectives very efficiently. We can observe that Erics followers are captivated, the message is healthy and people oriented. By his behavior and his personality, he shows the necessary qualities for a Spiritual Leader. His life after the film shows him even more determined on this point. Today, an internet site and a community exist and services are regularly offered in his name, a proof that his leadership was strong enough to still be present today. 2.2. The character of Harold Abrahams Harold Abrahams is depicted as a strong and somewhat tormented personality. He descends from a family of Lithuanian Jews and his familys origins follow him everywhere, not only in his perception, but also in the attitude of others. His determination and his desire to be appreciated for what he really is as a person, and not to be judged upon his ascendants, is evident from the very first scenes of the film. For example, as he arrives his first day at Cambridge, where he studies law, he feels obliged to correct the porters, who address him using the word laddie. In response, Abrahams mentions: I ceased to be a laddie when I took up the Kings commission. Harold is an excellent athlete, a great runner, and the first challenge he takes is to run the collage dash. He is the first student in all the 700 years of the college to attempt to run the whole perimeter of the court between the first and the last strike of 12. He is competitive, determined and extremely self confident when he runs. We learn however that his need to be valued and respected comes from his sense of inferiority. He feels rejected in the English society because he is Jewish. The confession he makes to Aubrey is particularly relevant: Its an ache, a helplessness and an anger. One feels humiliated. Sometimes I say to myself, Steady on, youre imagining all this. Then I catch that look again. Catch it on the edge of a remark. Feel a cold reluctance in a handshake. Thats my father. A Lithuanian Jew. He is alien [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. I love and admire him. He worships this country. From nothing, he built what he believed was enough to make true Englishmen of his sons. My brothers a doctor. A leader in his field [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. And here am I. Setting up shop in the finest university in the land. But the old man forgot one thing. This England of his is Christian and Anglo-Saxon. And so are her corridors of power. And those who stalk them guard them with jealousy and venom. Youre right to study law. Youre quite an advocate. A rare ethnic advantage. Its called the gift of the gab. So what now? Grin and bear it? No, Aubrey. Im going to take them on. All of them. One by one. And run them off their feet. In order to be the best, Harold Abrahams does something unusual and revolutionary for his time; he hires a professional coach, Sam Mussabini. The latter is reluctant to this demand, because it was usually him who made the proposition. Nevertheless, Harolds argument convinces him to observe and then acknowledge his talent: I can run fast. With your help, I think I can run even faster. Perhaps faster than any man ever ran. I want that Olympic medal. Now, I can see it there. Its waiting for me. But I cant get it on my own. During the few moments when Harold is shown with his friends, he seems outgoing and gregarious, a good company. There is a clear contrast in comparison to his moments of solitude, when his more fragile side of his personality appears. This is why we speak of inner demons, of the duality he faces: he is eager for others to like and appreciate him, but seems incapable to do that for himself. He denies his true essence, his origins, he doubts himself at the smallest failure. His life becomes even more complex when he meets Sybil Gordon, a singer who becomes his girlfriend, his confident and his supporter. She stands by him during his hardest moment of fear and uncertainty: when Eric Liddell defeats him. It is the moment when Harold expresses his compulsion for winning. He cannot conceive to run if he does not win. His thrill does not come from sports, from racing; it comes from winning, being the best. This is why a defeat is unconceivable, unbearable. His salvation, his drive to move on and aim for the Olympic gold does not come from love, nevertheless, but from the one who had refused him. Sam Mussabini is the one who comes at the end of the race and promises to find him another two yards. Mussabini is truly the person Abrahams needed to perk up his performance. His entire perception of life changes when the coach agrees to train him. Everything else falls into second place, including his girlfriend. He no longer has an amateur view over sports, but a more professional one. He understands that result can only come out of hard work and sweat. Together, they analyze other top athletes, their technique and their mistakes. Then they practice, improve Harolds performance and aim for the ultimate goal: the Olympic medal. Due to his use of a professional coach, Harold is accused of is professors at Cambridge of mercantilism, of desiring to win at all costs. In fact, in the 1920s, athletics were regarded as an emanation of talent, not of herd training. The masters plead for an amateur approach and consider that Abrahams attitude prejudices the name of their school: Here in Cambridge, weve always been proud of our athletic prowess. We believe, weve always believed, that our games are indispensable in helping to complete the education of an Englishman. They create character. They foster courage, honesty and leadership; but, most of all, an unassailable spirit of loyalty, comradeship and mutual responsibility [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. Im afraid there is a growing suspicion in the bosom of this university [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] that in your enthusiasm for success you have perhaps lost sight of some of these ideals. Harolds reaction to these accusations reveals his innovative way of thinking. He is a visionary who has set his goals and will stop at nothing to achieve them. He is committed and ready to do everything humanly possible to succeed. He believes in himself and uses every resource available. A personal coach is one of them. I believe in the pursuit of excellence and Ill carry the future with me, he says leaving the masters office, only to find out shortly after that he has been selected to be part of the team for the 8th Olympic Games, held in Paris. Abrahams channels all his energy to attain his life dream. He strives for the medal and for recognition. From this point of view, he and Mussabini are very similar. The former is e Jew who feels inferior and therefore uses sports to prove that he belongs in the upper English society. The latter is half Italian, half Arab and is ostracized because he brings a professional approach to sports in an era when it was predominantly amateur. He becomes not only Harolds coach, but his mentor. They complete each other in their desire for glory and they need one another, because none of them can succeed on their own. A discussion between Sybil and Andy, a mutual friend, is extremely eloquent when it comes to Harolds commitment: He says he needs to clear his mind of me. He cant love me and say that. Syb, the worlds against him, or so he believes. Now hes got a chance to prove himself. He cant see or hear anything beyond that, not even you. The fastest man ever before [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. Thats immortality. Just think what it means to a man like Harold. Well, to me the whole things fun. I dont need that. Cast care aside and all that. But for Harold, its a matter of life and death. In Paris, his competitors are two living legends, members of the American team: Paddock and Scholz. Harold suffers several defeats in the beginning of the Olympics and therefore questions his ability to ever reach his objective. He questions himself and everything he stands for. Before his most important race, he confesses to his frind: Contentment. Im 24 and Ive never known it. Im forever in pursuit and I dont even know what it is Im chasing. Aubrey, old chap, Im scared. Sam and I, weve labored, rowed and bullied for this. Day in, day out. Youve seen us, chuckled over us, Ill be bound. Out in all weathers. Madmen. And for what? I was beaten out of sight in the 200. Then I let Paddock trick me in the semi. Now, in one hours time, Ill be out there again. Ill raise my eyes and look down that corridor, four-feet wide, with ten lonely seconds to justify my whole existence. But will I? Aubrey, Ive known the fear of losing. But now Im almost too frightened to win. Before the 100-meter dash Harold has almost overcome his fear of losing, but faces the fear of winning. He feels that his whole existence depends on that one race, which he might either win and offer him a long-desired status; or lose and render him into obscurity. In addition to his own dilemma, he receives a letter from Mussabini, telling him that he would not assist at the race, but that he wishes him all the best. He also offers him his fathers charm. He runs the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds and wins the gold medal. However, he can not celebrate his success. He seeks refuge in a bistro where he drinks with Mussabini. He does not want to party with his team. Yes, youve always thought of yourself as a ruthless man. Hard. Bit of a loner, like me. But actually, youre as soft as a limp pocket. Oh, you care. Care about things that really matter. If you didnt, I wouldnt have come within a mile of you. Do you know who you won for out there today? Hmm? Us! You and old Sam Mussabini. Ive waited 30 bloody years for this [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. Harold! It means the world to me, this, you know. Because weve had, today you and me, and weve got it for keeps. Harold has an illogical, irrational reaction. One possible explanation is that he does not want to share this moment with those who might not have believed in him and in his method; that he wanted to savor his achievement all by himself. Another possible explanation is that he realizes that despite his medal, he is the same person. He is still Jewish and he would still have to face the same problems. Is Harold Abrahams a leader? What kind of leader might he be? Harold Abrahams is an outsider at these Olympics. He is passionate about what he does and he takes it to perfection. He has the vision of success and he sets his own goals; extremely high goals. He believes in himself and seeks to overcome his flaws. He is also looking at the future, knowing exactly what he wants to achieve. The only thing that he has not figured out is what he will do once he achieves everything. And this is exactly why he can not rejoice when he wins the gold medal. This is why he is not a leader in the true sense of the word. He does, however, manifest some kind of auto-leadership. He manages himself, he determines his objectives and he identifies his resources. He is extremely self-aware, realistic and down to earth. The fact that he acknowledges the fact that he needs a coach is essential. In a way, we would say that he seeks a leader, a mentor and a motivator. And he convinces Mussabini, the best in his field, to be that leader for him. If we had to integrate their relationship in a leadership model, it would be the cognitive resources theory and the transactional leadership. Mussabinis intelligence and experience are the resources that lead to performance. His directivity is exactly what Harold needs; he requires guidance. From a transactional point of view, we could say that there is a contract between the two and that the ultimate task is to win. Harold has every interest to follow his leader, because he is the best and he cannot succeed without him. This is why the contingent reward behaviour is well adapted in this situation, with the mention that the motivation is intrinsic. And this is exactly what permits them to excel. Harold is a mature follower, both in terms of job and psychological maturity (according to Hersey and Blanchards Situational Leadership Model). Therefore, Mussabinis directive pattern of behaviour (similar to Fielders task-oriented behaviour) works efficiently in their relationship; he is a teller. Transformational leadership is a process that changes and transforms individuals. It often involves long term goals  [6]  . We believe that focusing on the process, the interaction between the two does not exclude the transactional point of view. We therefore consider that Mussabini helps Abrahams reach his full potential. They each have a vision, they are both inspired by their own motivation and they have to work together to achieve their goals. From a certain point of view, they render each other a service. 2.3. The character of Sam Mussabini Sam Mussabini is Harolds coach. He first appears in the film at a race opposing France and Scotland. He has a short conversation with Colonel John Keddie, President of the Scottish Amateur Athletes Association, and we understand that from his point of view he is a persona non grata; they do not share the same vision on sports. This is why when the Colonel says we do have a strict amateur code he replies that he is a mere spectator. Harold Abrahams is in the public as well and takes the opportunity to talk to him about his need to be coached by him. He wants to improve in order to be able to win the gold medal. Mr Mussabini first refuses, telling him that he should be the one to choose whether to coach him or not: its the coach that should do the asking. Still, he promises that he would observe him and see if he is talented and capable or not to deserve his attention. They meet again at another race, which opposes Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams. The latter loses and this defeat in unbearable for him. He questions his ability to be a great runner, he is desperate and depressed. This is the moment when Mussabini appears, telling him I can find you another two yards. A line that is decisive for the rest of the film. They start training together; giving Harold the technique he needed to progresses. He has innovative pedagogical methods, consisting of showing him photos of other runners and analyzing why they win or fail, what they do right and what they do wrong. Abrahams strides are shortened, putting more poise into his running. He acquires a more powerful start and learns to concentrate on his dip at the finish. Mussabini understands the psychology of his student, what drives him: a short sprint is run on nerves. Its tailor-made for neurotics. He realizes that Harold is a good sprinter and that he is pushed by his nerves. He says

Family Values and The Status of The Traditional American Family Essay

When one thinks of the term family values, many different ideas can come to mind. Morals, religion, beliefs, tradition, expectation, controversy, and misuse are some things that may come to mind when the term â€Å"family values† is mentioned. The true definition and meaning of family values can most likely never be directly pinpointed, but it is always going to be a known fact that family values are always going to have different meanings to different people. It is the common misunderstanding that family values are just simply the things that shape a growing persons values and morals. From a the beginning of a child’s life, they are instilled with values to go by in the life that lies ahead of them by either their own family or the people that are going to be in charge of raising them. A child is corrected on the mistakes that they make, and taught what is right and wrong. Following this tough process of teaching a child what is right and wrong, moreover how to tell the difference on there own. Family values are not necessarily always taught within the limits of the family. For those families that hold strong religious beliefs, values can also be taught in church through lectures, Sunday school, and other religious gatherings. In this situation, it is usually told to the child that the values learned in church are directly related to the values taught and practiced within the family and that the two should both be taken with the same token and used the same in real-world situations. It is always a true test of the strength of an individual’s values when situations are presented to them that go against their values but also seem like a good idea at the time. It is then that a person has to make a decision to either d... ...mily. For example, families could drop their young off at Sunday school every week expecting them to absorb proper values from people that may not even be that familiar. Media such as movies and television can also be overly relied on to teach good values and morals to young. Parents will sometimes stick their children in front of what they consider an â€Å"educational† program and expect that they will be instilled with positive traits which they themselves may not even possess. Family values are definitely things commonly misunderstood by American culture today. The true definition of family values are the morals passed through generations of a particular family that are considered to be correct. The true meaning of the term may differ from family to family but the root idea is always going to be the same: family values are the things that make us who we are.

Concept Of Self Essay -- essays research papers

Within everyday life people believe themselves to be constantly changing. In actuality, the changes that one believes to have are but minor changes. A person’s personality is usually set at an early age in childhood. A social psychologist named George Herbert Mead understood society through socialization stems he called social behaviorism. Mead and another psychologist by the name of John B. Watson worked together on this approach. Watson focused on outward behavior in this partnership of ideas. However, Mead emphasized on inward thinking, which he contended was humanity’s defining trait. The back-bone of Mead’s study and the central concept is the self. The self being "A dimension of personality composed of an individual’s self-awareness and self-ima...

Capital in the Market and Economy :: essays research papers

Capital is considered anything that helps enable us to reach our goals, while improving the efficiency of goods and services that we use or produce. Capital is one of the main attributes of improvement. Capital can be almost anything, it can be mental (such as education or training), material (such as a computer or a machine) or it can be money. Capital is invested in a good or service to increase efficiency in production, to increase output and as to increase overall consumer benefit and satisfaction. Capital is a major part of markets and the economy. In order to keep investing capital, there are times where consumption levels need to be decreased in order to collect, or save up, more capital. When you open a savings account, the interest that you earn is actually paid by businesses that have been using your money as capital. You may have given up a monthly shopping spree to save your money. While you are saving, someone is paying interest (your capital) on the money you saved, because they have borrowed it to pay for capital investments such as land, a building, machinery, etc. in order to improve their overall production. If we look at capital in a working environment, we see that when we increase capital goods for workers, they can be more productive. This works up to a point. The law of diminishing returns declares that a general increase in output occurs when capital goods per worker increase, but there comes a point where each increase in capital goods produces a lesser impact on output. At this point, the number of human capital (workers) needs to be increased to utilize the capital goods already in place and continue to improve efficiency. An example of this is the clichà © â€Å"too many cooks in the kitchen†. If you have too many cooks, you need to increase the pots and ingredients. When you increase the pots and ingredients, the cooks are able to work more efficiently and also produce more. When you get too many pots and ingredients, and the cooks are running back and forth, efficiency is decreased. You may still be getting more produced, but not at the same rate when each cook had th eir own pot and ingredients. At this point, you need to bring in more cooks (human capital) to again increase production efficiency and output. The same holds true for capital markets and the economy.

A Report of Acer

Acer India (Pvt) Ltd. [pic] An Internship Project Report on â€Å"Study of Brand awareness of Acer in Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore† JANANI SESHADRI In partial fulfillment of the Master’s Program in Business Administration, Ohio University, Athens, USA OHIO University Christ College Academy for Management Education Christ College Campus Hosur Road, Bangalore-29 May14th, 2007 DECLARATION I Janani Seshadri here by declare that the project entitled â€Å"Study on the awareness of the brand Acer† at Acer India Pvt. Ltd. , is an original and genuine work carried out under the guidance of Mr. Darryl Gray from march 12th to April 25th 2007 in partial fulfillment for the Ohio University Christ college academy for management education. I declare that the report submitted by me is a bonafide work of my own effort and it has not been submitted to other university or published any time before. Place: Bangalore Date: 03-07-2007 Janani Seshadri ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Thanks to God for showering his blessings and for granting me the chance and ability to successfully complete the summer internship program I had taken up. I wish to express my deepest gratitude to ACER INDIA Pvt. Ltd. , head office Bangalore for giving me this valuable opportunity in doing my internship amongst them in their esteemed organization. I would like to extend my special thanks and gratitude to Mr. Rajendran general manager marketing for giving me this opportunity. Also I would like to sincerely thank Mr. S. Raghu marketing projects and Mr. Darryl Gray marketing programmes for their genuine support, valuable advice and sincere comments which helped me a lot to accomplish this project. This internship would not be complete without the support and guidance of our Director Mr. Shivprakash. I also want to express my gratitude to the official referees and the project coordinators Dr. Amalendu Jyotishi and Mr. Girish (Ohio University Christ College) whose valuable comments and valid criticism helped me in refining my project from the draft stage to this final report. I also want to express my thanks to Prof. Venkatesh Bhagwat (Ohio University Christ College) for assisting me in the data compilation and analysis which helped me a lot in fine tuning my report. I cannot forget the assistance and encouragement that made this work possible towards the end. My special thanks to my co-student and dear friend Mr. B. Venkata Ramana who supported me throughout my Internship project with his valuable suggestions and ideas which helped me to approach my project wisely and accomplish it successfully without which I could have not completed my work efficiently and effectively. His consistent help kept me motivated throughout the internship period. Last but not the least, my endless thanks and gratitude goes to my parents Mr. S. N. Seshadri and Mrs. Sasikala Seshadri who has stood by my side, encouraged and given me moral support at all points of time. I would also like to thank my brother Mr. Koushik Ram for all his support and advice. Thank You! EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Marketing is an activity present in all companies where marketing strategies determine the outcome of the products and the company itself. To test to see if marketing is successful, it is necessary to measure where the company was and where it is now. This can be carried out with tracking studies monitoring the market position and changes to the brand image over time or, for particular campaigns, measuring pre- and post- event to see what has changed. This is project report is a market survey study to check the Brand awareness of Acer and thereby figure out the measures that can be implemented to lift the current level of awareness. This study is based on the data collected from the (customers) people regarding their awareness of the PC vendors in the market today then zeroing it into the brand Acer. The means of collecting data were through personal interviews, distributing the questionnaire, and online survey questionnaire. Also observation during the interviews helped a lot in the analysis. To facilitate the analysis of the study I concentrated in two different segments which were based on the demographic segmentation (occupation-Students, working profile and SME) and geographic segmentation (places-Coimbatore, Chennai and Bangalore). Acer stands number four behind Dell. The visibility and awareness for the brand Acer among people is average. About 20% of the people have not heard about Acer. Moreover on an average about 55% of the segmented people perceive Acer to be a national brand in collaboration with Wipro India (Wipro Acer). The perceptions on few product parameters were also measured which resulted in a good quality, fair or average service, and good affordable price, fair performance and good features. Though Acer has the highest network of retail outlets less number of people has actually visited them. Comparatively HP has more number of visits. Lenovo though being a new entrant in the market has already made its place. There is a tuff competition being faced by Acer with Lenovo. All these things finally zero into average awareness of the brand and the awareness which is already there is also through word of mouth, so this may lead to negative or positive propagation of the brand. The data (300 samples) was compiled in SPSS and analyzed with respect to the two categories of segments. Acer is number one in Europe and other countries globally. Considering the primary data available Acer India is one of the youngest players in India. It has performed very well in the recent years (2001 to 2006). In the past five years it faced a tremendous steady growth rate of about 49% in India. Therefore though the awareness amongst people was not all that good Acer still lies in the area where if prompt and good advertising strategies were formulated and implemented the awareness will lift to a great extent. TABLE OF CONTENTS ? PREFACE7 ? ABOUT THE COMPANY 1. Back ground – Acer India8 2. Growing with time – milestones9 3. Product portfolio and key features11 ? PROJECT ? RESEARCH DESIGN METHADOLOGY17 1. Research task17 2. Research tool17 3. Research nature17 4. Research scope17 5. Analysis19 6. Findings53 ? CONCLUSION63 ? SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS64 ? APPENDIX65 PREFACE THE BRAND increasingly is becoming the key source of differentiation that guides customer purchase choice. It is the focal point around which an organization defines how it will uniquely deliver the value to the customer for a profit-effectively embodying the â€Å"heart and soul† of that organization. The brands promise is delivered through its products and services, and consumer communication- the total consumer relationship and experience. The act of creating public awareness of a specific brand in order to maximize its recognition, successful brand awareness strategies should define a company's uniqueness and set it apart from competitors. Quite simply, if potential customers do not know about a company, they will not purchase from it. Therefore, one of the preeminent goals of any business should be to build brand awareness, although in as cost-effective manner as possible. Consumers tend to make purchasing decisions based on peer recommendations and direct experience, as well as traditional advertising methods. This is why it is necessary to build brand awareness strategies out by instilling trust among consumers. This trust must be achieved through credibility, rather than just a catchy advertising campaign. Promotional marketing involving a one-to-one component is proving increasingly effective at building trust and acquiring new customers. Brand building begins with awareness. Consumers first must be aware that there are different brands for the product they want to buy even before making a purchase decision, for which visibility is very important to create awareness. BACKGROUND – ACER INDIA Acer India was incorporated in September 9, 1999 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Inc. , the world’s No. 4 PC brand. Acer’s mission in India is to translate the group’s goal in making computer technology easier to use and more affordable-to everyone in this country. In shot span, Acer has managed to bridge the gap between product launches worldwide and in India and also offer fresh technology without any inventory backlog. Headquartered in Bangalore, today Acer India has offices in twelve cities including Ahemedabed, Chandigarh, Chennai, Guwahati, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur,New Delhi, Pune, Secunderabed and has its uniload facility in Pondicherry. I has now a customer base of over 180,000 in India. There are over 125 human resource team in India comes with over 700 man-year of IT experience, geared to listen and provide to the IT user in India the very best in sales & marketing support, after-sales support backed up with infrastructure to bring fresh technology to India. GROWING WITH TIME The history of ACER starts from a long way back making its steps of success in every step it takes. 1976-1983 Commercializing microprocessor technology Acer is founded under the name Multitech Designs Taiwan’s first mass-produced compute for export. Becomes the first company to promote 16-bit PC products in Taiwan 1984-1994: Build brand awareness and globalize Acer Peripherals, now known as BenQ corp. , and Multiventure Investments Inc. established Acer beat IBM with 32 bit PCs Acer Inc. launches IPO Acer creates the world’s first 3865x 33 chipset Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Acre introduces Chip Up technology, the world’s first 386-to-486 single chip CPU upgrade solution 1994-2004: Transform from manufacturing to services Acer introduces the world’s first dual Intel Pentium PC Aspire Park, acer’s multifunctional high-tech intelligence park inaugurated Acer launches Aspire, the multimedia PC, creating a new bench marks for home computers Acer re-engineers its OEM unit to create Wiston Crop. , an independent design and IT manufacturing company Acer reveals a new generation of e-business: MegaMicro e-Enabling Services Acer notebook ranked first in Western Europe. 2004: Acer wins awards in all product categories AC 713 rated the best performance Monitors Altos G 520 Server gets Digit Best Buy Gold Award Veriton 7600 rated the Editors Choice TravelMate 292 LCi rated Best Performance Notebook KEY SUCCESES IN 2005/2006 2005 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rates among the top five. †¢ No. 3 for total PCs in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook in EMEA. †¢ No. 1 notebook across 13 European countries: France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Portugal, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. †¢ No. 3 notebook in Asia Pacific, with highest growth rate among top ten. †¢ No. 1 notebook in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. †¢ No. 1 for total PCs in Taiwan. †¢ Enjoyed highest growth rates among the top-10 vendors for total PCs and notebooks in the U. S †¢ No. LCD monitors worldwide. †¢ No. 3 notebook worldwide 2006 †¢ World’s no. 4 total PC and notebook brand, with highest growth rate. †¢ No. 3 for total desktops WW †¢ No. 1 notebook in Europe and ASEAN block PRODUCT SUITE Powered To Perform Few IT companies offer the breadth and depth of products tha t the Acer Group does. Acer is the only PC vendor in India that has a product for each market segment-be it a large corporates, the SME, SOHO or even the corner office enterprises. The product line includes a broad array of personal computing products segmented under the desktop, laptop and server categories. Acer India Pvt. Ltd. has a vast product portfolio. The four main product categories are as follows 1) Desktops 2) Notebooks There are many more sub- divided products under each different product variety. Those are as follows: DESKTOPS In the desktop segment, Acer’s product range spans the SOHO segment, corner office, manageable desktops, SMEs, STPI etc. this makes Acer the only PC Company that offers such a wide range. Most other companies have products that are not distinct, and overlap each of these segments. Acer Aspire Series Desktops built to cater to a growing demand in the home segment. Acer’s continuing commitment to bring technology closer to our customers has resulted in a core technology that is now integrated into our entire product range. Acer’s Empowering Technology presents users with friendly and intuitive interface by presenting a single key and following a simple â€Å"123† process, gives fast and easy access to cutting-edge hardware and software solutions. Veriton Series Ideal for enterprises large or small, Veriton PCs are built for peak performance, with security features, proven system reliability, and convenience offering that amplify productivity and perfect business sense. The current desktops range are as below with a wide variety of product line. ASPIRE V820 The fastest dual core DT from Acer, the Aspire V820 is powered by a latest Intel Pentium D 820 (2. 8 GHz); is configured with 256 MB RAM for powerful performance; features a DVD/CD-R/W combo drive; comes fitted with a 80 GB SATA HDD for ample storage space; connects to a set of functional speakers for the multimedia experience; offers a 56 Kbps fax/modem port and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port for flexible connectivity; and, displays vide a 17†³ CRT monitor for comfortable viewing. COMMERCIAL MODELS: Acer Power (945GZ) The Acer Power 945GZ offers users’ high end features like Gigabit LAN and PCI Express X16 technology at value for money prices. Acer Power M8 Acer becomes the first in India to commercially launch the new Socket AM2 based AMD products offering the power of DDR-II SDRAM on AMD platform. Acer Power 335 Acer Power 335 is the Entry level product for customers looking for Value machine with complete specifications Notebooks Acer was among the first to build notebooks with Intel Centrino mobile technology, liberating users to work witj wireless environments, offering wireless mobility for the new age road warrior. Acer’s laptops have revolutionary features that offer an astounding battery life, thermal management- more than nay other laptop offering. Acer TravelMate Series A range of the world’s most award wining notebooks, Acer TravelMate is designed to empower enterprises SMB and SOHO users with the ultimate in mobile computing performance. Available at every possible price point, and offering unmatched value through innovations like Disc Anti-Shock Protection System, Smart Card Security, and high-speed wireless capability to name a few. Acer Ferrari Series This is the result of the victorious partnership with Scuderia Ferrari; the Ferrari series of notebooks sport the patented Ferrari-Black& Red color, and offers sheer performance that’s truly worthy of Ferraris passion and Acer’s technology. The various types of products in the notebook series are showcased below. TravelMate 2420 Series Rich entertainment with long lasting mobility Driven by an Centrino @ 1. 7GHz Processor, 14. 1†³ Wide Screen XGA TFT Screen, 6-cell battery and wireless 802. 1b/g connectivity for long lasting mobility, the TravelMate 2428NWXCi is extremely rich in features. This trendy notebook is packed with Centrino Mobile technology, dual-channel memory, 60 GB huge storage- giving users everything they need for work and play – for unrivalled value! KEYFEATURES †¢ Pure portability- Weighing just 1. 40 kgs and measuring the size of an A4 notepad, the TravelMate 3000 is easy to take from one meeting to another †¢ Centrino with 915 Chipset- The TravelMate 3000 adopts the new generation of Intel ® Centrinoâ„ ¢ mobile technology- Sonoma Platform (915 hipset) †¢ Phenomenal battery power- Another first in the industry, Acer has bundled two batteries with the TravelMate 3000, delivering full-day performance for on-the-go users. †¢ Acer GridVista, an innovative software utility, boosts convenience and efficiency. Especially useful for making the most of 12. 1†³ WXGA wide-aspect LCDs, Acer GridVista automatically resizes open application windows to fit the screen, simultaneously SERVERS In the server category, Acer dominates the entry and mid level space, which actually constitutes 90% of the total server market. Acer offers everything from basic data storage to full fledged enterprise solutions. Acer Altos Series Commercial users and enterprises derive unmatched value from Altos Servers and storage solutions. These ranges of servers accentuate reliability and manageability features, along with unrivalled flexibility in terms of implementation. For business applications that demand high performance, high availability and more flexibility, Acer Altos rack-mounted servers provide the ultimate solution. Under this type of product there are a large number of differentiated products. Some of which are as given below KEY FEATURES Scalability and Performance: Provide excellent performance and scalability beyond 40TB in a highly cost-effective SATA-based package for small companies. †¢ Consolidation: Reduce the number of storage systems, maximize storage utilization, improve storage administrators’ productivity, and lower management costs. †¢ Application QoS: Dedicate cache to specif ic applications and volumes to enhance performance. †¢ Configuration Flexibility: Dedicate to specific mission-critical applications, deploy as part of a first SAN in small enterprises, or integrate into a tiered storage infrastructure for rchive, backup, or tape replacement in larger companies. Peripherals Acer Handheld PDAs These support a variety of mobile platforms and operating systems, giving customers easy access to their critical data. Streamlined and fashionable, Acer handhelds are available in both standard and wireless models for both work-related and personal tasks – any time, any place. Acer Displays Acer offers a rainbow-spectrum of devices that suit all kinds of working environments and user needs, including TFT and LCD monitors, optical drives, projectors and multi-function drives. Acer Projectors Acer's projectors bring you an incredible investment to satisfy all home entertainment and business needs. There are three different peripherals the Acer India Pvt. Ltd. is focusing on. They are the LCD monitors, the CRT monitors and the projectors. Some of them are explained below: LCD monitors: Acer AL900 Series – LCD Monitor Benefits: †¢ 500:1 contrast ratio – For strikingly vivid images †¢ Wide viewing angle – Allows more enjoyment for more people †¢ Quick response time – Offers dynamic graphics and advanced animated games †¢ VESA wall mounting – Allows easy mounting Kensington lock – Secures your monitor from theft †¢ Built-in speakers – For freedom from bulky boxes †¢ Auto-scale – Gives full-screen display †¢ Auto-adjustment – Provides self-adjusting screen settings †¢ True color support – Renders picture-pure viewing PROJECTORS: There is a wide product range in project ors section which comprises of 1) Acer PD115 2) Acer XD 1150 3) Acer XD 1170D 4) Acer XD 1270D 5) Acer PD113 6) Acer PD725 7) Acer PD523 8) Acer PD523 All these have a common display system working with called the DLP system, and also all these products have the capacity of displaying 16. 7 million colors. They mainly vary in their computer compatibility, video compatibility, projection lens, projection screen size (diagonal), projection distance, lamp life etc. RESEARCH DESIGN METHODOLOGY Research task: Study the brand awareness of Acer India in the cities Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore focusing on the segments students, SMEs and working profile. Research nature: This project is a complete market research. Market research is the only function that relates or links the organization to its market and in turn to its customers by first studying the consumer behavior which then helps in proper planning accordingly. This is the valid information which allows the organization to identify and define the market related opportunities and problems. This information allows for the generation, refinement and evaluation of marketing activities. Regular market research and thorough study of the consumer behavior towards a company’s products permits the organization to be on par with the changing consumer attitude towards their products. It thus facilitates monitoring the marketing performance and improved understanding of marketing as a business process. Research scope: The scope of this market research can be divided into two major divisions which include Demographic segmentation: In demographic segmentation, the market is divided into groups on the basis of variables such as age, family life cycle, gender, income, occupation, education, religion, race, generation, nationality and social class. Here the survey was taken by dividing the groups on the basis of age and occupation. The three main segment groups were college students, working profile (first and second job people) and the Small and Medium Enterprises (taking 40, 40 and 20 respectively). The age factor was also set to be between18 to 40 and throughout the survey care was taken about the age limit. The data was collected from college students belonging to professional, agricultural, textile and arts background. To name a few the different colleges include PSG tech, Kumara guru college of technology, Alliance business academy, Indian Institute of Planning Management, Ohio University Christ college, Loyola college, Crescent Engineering college, Agricultural university( Coimbatore). This variety was chosen so as to find out if any new market segment or untapped market can be spotted. The working profiled people also includes professionals from companies like Accenture, Oracle, Travel Guru, Roots, Pricol, Numeric power systems and so on Geographic segmentation: Geographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into different geographical units such as nations, states, regions, countries, cities or neighborhoods. The survey was carried on in three different cities namely Bangalore, Chennai and Coimbatore. This was done in the intension of collecting information from two first tier cities where a large population already uses laptops and desktops. This was done to study the variation in the behavior and attitudes of these people and their inclination towards branded PC vendors. The choice of the two tier city Coimbatore was to study the perception of the laptops and desktops and their usage in the people’s mind. Also the perception of the different brands was noted with the main concentration on Acer products. This was done with the intention to explore the potential market there and their requirements. Research tool: The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire covering the areas that lead to the solution of the objective. This includes measures like Acer’s market penetration, its visibility in comparison with other brands, awareness to their advertisements and promotions, the customer media habits, their perception towards Acer etc. Data compilation and analysis methodology: The sample size of three hundred was integrated and compiled in software called Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). This is comprehensive statistical software that includes the capabilities for data analysis, data management and programming which enables the analysts in generating decision making information quickly using powerful statistics. ANALYSIS BASIC ATTITUDES AWARENESS CHECK: 1) Channel through which Acer was first heard Geographically The means through which people came to know about Acer for the first time was noted. This helps in reengineering the channel that can be adopted to penetrate market. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 1 Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Coimbatore |33% |11% |9% |9 % |10% | |Chennai |27. 3% |11. 1% |18. 2% |7. 1% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |27. % |13. 1% |17. 2% |19. 2% |8. 1% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 2 |Parameters/ |Friends/relatives/ |TV |Newspaper |Magazine |Internet | |Segments |Associates | | | | | |Students |33. 1% |16. 1% |12. 1% |12. 1% |8. % | |SME |21. 4% |7. 1% |19. 6% |14. 3% |10. 7% | |Working profile |30. 0% |9. 2% |15% |10% |9. 2% | BRAND VISIBILITY CHECK: Geographically Awareness of a brand can be created only when it is made visible to the people and especially to the potential customers. The three segments considered here shows varied visibility of the brand Acer. [pic] (Sample size 100 per city) TAB 3 |NO Visibility |Low visibility |Average visibility |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Coimbatore |36% (36) |19% (19) |20% (20) |18% 18) |7% (7) | |Chennai |34. 7% (34) |17. 3% (17) |23. 5% |17. 3%(17) |7. 1% (7) | | | | |(23) | | | |Bangalore |12. % (12) |30. 1% (28) |21. 5% (20) |30. 1% (28) |5. 4% (5) | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 4 |Parameters/ |No |Low |Average |Good visibility |Very good visibility | |Places |visibility |Visibility |Visibility | | | |STUDENTS |32. 8% |15. 6% |23. % |20. 5% |7. 4% | |SME |27. 5% |23. 5% |19. 6% |23. 5% |5. 9% | |WORKING PROFILE PEOPLE |24. 2% |27. 5% |20% | 22. 5% |5. 8% | ADVERTISING AWARENESS–Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Awareness towards Acer’s promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 5 Parameters/ Places |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer | | |Promotions | |Coimbatore |51% 9% | |Chennai |53. 5% 16. 2% | |Bangalore |62. 6% 33. % | The advertisements and promotional activities which come under the bottom line projects were checked if it contributed to the awareness. The Acer advertisements were noticed by most of the people in all the three cities. But still on an average almost 50% of the crowd has not seen Acer advertisements which create a lot of gap for the brand in reaching people completely. The promotions which Acer conducts were also not noticed much by the people. On an average more than 70 to 80% of the people do not have any idea of the promotional activities done by ACER. Demographically Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Awareness of promotional activities [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 6 |Parameters/ occupation |Seen Acer advertisements Seen Acer Promotions | |Students |63. 7% 22. 6% | |SME |44. 6% 12. 5% | |Working profile |53. % 20. 0% | THE MEDIA HABITS Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically TAB 7 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—TV MEDIA– | | |NEWSPAPER | |Students |65. 3% 50. 8% | |SME |46. 3% 42. % | |Working profile |61. 7% 65% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—newspaper Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Media habits—Magazine Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 8 |Parameters/ occupation |MEDIA—Magazine MEDIA– | | |Internet | |Students |37. 9% 15. 3% | |SME |21. 4% 16. 1% | |Working profile |45. 8% 33. 3% | Media habits—internet Geographically [pic] Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) 4) Visibility check through the number of visits to the retail outlets: Geographically This check is mainly done to measure the visibility by the frequency of visit to Acer retail outlets. The brand HP has the highest hit for the customer visit to retail outlets. Very less number of people has visited the Acer malls (the retail outlets) in all the three places. On an average much less than 10% of the sample have visited the Acer malls, which is very less to the 40% visit rate to the HP retail outlets. pic] (Sample size 100 each) [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision – evaluating the product: Geographically Since the awareness rate differs between different cities the purchasing decision and the evaluation of the products may also vary. Before the purchase decision occurs there is a stage called the evaluation stage where people compare and examine the products of the brand they are aware off which finally leads to the procurement of the product. [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 9 |Parameters/ |Word of |Comparing |Media Checking |Seeing demo | |Places |Mouth |Specifications | |Offer | | |Coimbatore |32% |71% |28% |22% |32% | |Chennai |25% |62% |27% |22% |32% | |Bangalore |38% |52% |26% |22% |28% | Means That Facilitate the Purchasing Decision – Demographic Segmentation Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Purchasing decision can be influenced by a lot of factors which can totally change the buying pattern itself. When analyzed here on the basis of the demographic segments the inferences and major findings were as follows STUDENTS – †¢ 35. 5% through comparing specifications †¢ 12. 1% word of mouth & checking specification. †¢ 5. 6% checking offer & checking specification. 5. 6% checking & media. SME – †¢ 10. 7% Checking specification& comparing specifications †¢ 10. 7% comparing specif ication †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth & checking specification †¢ 8. 9% word of mouth and checking offer WORKING PROFILE – †¢ 20% comparing specification †¢ 12. 5% checking offer & checking specifications. †¢ 11. 7% checking specification & media †¢ 9. 2% word mouth & checking specifications BRAND PERCEPTION Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 10 Parameters/ Places |Acer perceived as an MNC brand | |Coimbatore |62% | |Chennai |67% | |Bangalore |71% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 11 |Parameters/ |Acer perceived as an | |Segments |MNC brand | |Students |42. % | |SME |17% | |Working people |40. 7% | Rating the parameters concerned with the products of Acer Geographically Some parameters linked with the product of Acer were also asked to rank like quality, price, service, features and performance. Rating quality pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 12 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |3. 1% |19. 4% |35. 7% |15. 3% |10. 2% | |Chennai |1% |11. 2% |43. 9% |18. 4% |12. % | |Bangalore |4. 3% |23. 7% |47. 3% |14% |4. 3% | Demographically Rating quality TAB 13 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4. 1% |22% |42. 3% |13% |8. % | |SME |2. 0% |18% |38. 0% |22% |8. 0% | |Working profile |2. 5% |13. 6% |44. 1% |16. 1% |9. 3% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average all the three segments feel that the qualities o f Acer products are good. This comes around 41. 5% of the population. Rating service [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 14 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good Very good |Excellent | |Places | | | | | | | Coimbatore |7. 1% |25. 5% |36. 7% |13. 3% |1% | |Chennai |3. 1% |26. 5% |39. 8% |16. 3% |1% | |Bangalore |2. 2% |32. 2% |33. 3% |25. 6% |O% | Rating Acer’s service Demographically TAB 15 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |5. 0% |33. 1% |35. 5% |16. 5% |0% | |SME |4. 0% |46% |30% |20% |0% | |Working profile |4. % |33. 4% |27. 3% |18. 8% |1. 7% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Rating price Geographically TAB 16 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2% |17. 3% |35. 7% |26. 5% |2. 0% | |Chennai |2. % |12. 4% |32. 0% |33. 0% |8. 2% | |Bangalore |4. 3% |9. 7% |28% |36. 6% |15. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 100) Rating price Demographically Tab 17 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |1. % |14. 6% |39. 8% |28. 5% |5. 7% | |SME |4. 1% |16. 3% |22. 4% |34. 7% |12. 2% | |Working profile |3. 4% |10. 2% |28% |33. 9% |10. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING PERFORMANCE Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 18 Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |33. 7% |29. 6% |8. 2% | |Chennai |2. 0% |7. 1% |37. 8% |34. 7% |5. 1% | |Bangalore |3. 3% |30. 4% |22. 8% |34. 8% |2. % | Rating performance Demographically TAB 19 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |16. 3% |39% |28. 5% |3. 3% | |SME |4. 0% |12. 0% |26. 0% |38. 0% |8% | |Working profile |0. % |17. 1% |26. 5% |35. 0% |6. 0% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) RATING FEATURES Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100) TAB 20 |Parameters / |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Place | | | | | | |Coimbatore |2. 0% |10. 2% |38. 8% |21. 4% |11. 2% | |Chennai |1. % |3. 1% |41. 8% |29. 6% |11. 2% | |Bangalore |5. 4% |20. 7% |30. 4% |28. 3% |8. 7% | RATING THE FEATURES Demographically TAB 21 |Parameters/ |Poor |Fair |Good |Very good |Excellent | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |3. 3% |13. % |45. 5% |22. 8% |4. 9% | |SME |2. 0% |10% |22. 0% |36% |18% | |Working profile |2. 6% |10. 3% |34. 2% |25. 6% |12. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) DEGREE TO WHICH ACER PRODUCTS ARE RECOMMENDED Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 22 |Parameters/ |Def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Would probably |Would def. |Places | | | | | | |Coimbatore |1% |38% |10% |42% |9% | |Chennai |2% |38. 4% |8. 1% |42. 4% |9. 1% | |Bangalore |6. 1% |19. 2% |7. 1% |51. 5% |16. 3% | Demographically TAB 23 Parameters/ |Would def. not |Not sure |Probably not |Probably would |Def. would | |Segments | | | | | | |Students |4% |36. 3% |10. 5% |45. 2% |4. 0% | |SME |1. 8% |23. 3% |3. 6% |53. 6% |17. 9% | |Working profile |2. 5% |32. % |8. 3% |40. 8% |15. 8% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) On an average 46. 5% of the people would probably recommend Acer products to his/ her friends/ associates or relatives. About 30. 7% of the people on average are not sure if they would recommend and around 12. 55% of the people would definitely recommend. Demographically—consideration set for Acer desktops Frequency of peopl e having Acer in their consideration set †¢ STUDENTS – 31. 5% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer products. SME – Around 50% of the people would consider Acer while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% of the people would consider Acer during purchase decisions. [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Acer notebooks in the consideration set Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 24 |Parameters/ Places |Acer desktops |Acer notebooks | |Coimbatore |35% |56% | |Chennai |36. % |55. 6% | |Bangalore |46. 5% |52. 5% | Demographically [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) †¢ STUDENTS – 47. 6% were sure that while making decisions they would consider the Acer notebooks. †¢ SME – Around 58. 9% of the people would consider Acer notebooks while making purchase decisions †¢ Working profile – About 59. 2% of the people would consider Acer notebooks during purchase decisions. P reference set—Acer desktops Geographically Acer’s share in the preference set of the people TAB 25 |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10% |30% |60% | |Chennai |9. 4% |28. 1% |62. 5% | |Bangalore |17. % |41. 2% |41. 2% | [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 26 Demographically |Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Students |60. 6% |33. 3% |6. 1% | |SME |46. 2% |38. 55 |15. 4% | |Working profile |48. 8% |34. 1% |17. 1% | [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) Preference for notebooks: Geographically [pic] (Sample size 100 each) TAB 27 |Parameters/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |Coimbatore |10. % |57. 9% |31. 6% | |Chennai |12% |36. 0% |52% | |Bangalore |27. 3% |29. 5% |43. 2% | Demographically—Acer notebooks in preference set [pic] (Sample size 40, 2 0 and 40) TAB 28 Parameter/ |First preference |Second preference |Third preference | |Places | | | | |students |52. 8% |30. 6% |16. 7% | |SME |45. 5% |36. 4% |18. 2% | |Working profile |39. 4% |44. % |20. 9% | FINDINGS The general attitudes and awareness of the brand Acer is analyzed Channel through which Acer was first heard of: Geographically †¢ People came to know about Acer products and brand to a greater extent from friends/ relatives / associates which contributes to about 30% in each city on an average. †¢ Newspaper awareness contributed to around 14. 8% and magazine contribution was around 12%. Demographically †¢ Students came to know about Acer through friends /relatives / associates which contributed about 33. 1%. About 12. % each through newspaper and magazine. Nearly 17. 8 % of the people have not heard of Acer. †¢ SME came to know about Acer through friends / relatives and associates to about 21. 4%. Newspaper contributed to about 19. 6% and magazine to about 14. 3% to the awareness of Acer for the first time. 25% of the people have not heard about Acer. †¢ Working profile about 30% contribution was due to friends / relatives / associates. 15% contribution by newspaper. About 23. 7% of the people have not heard of Acer. Brand visibility Index: Geographically †¢ The visibility index from the analysis is Coimbatore – 2. 41 Chennai – 2. Bangalore – 2. 65 This indicated that Acer as a brand lies between low and average visibility zone. Demographically †¢ The visibility index is Students – 2. 54 SME – 3. 45 Working profile – 2. 58 This indicates that Acer has low visibility for the student and working profile segment. It has average visibility in the SME segment Awareness towards Acer advertisements and promotional activities: Geographically: †¢ On an average 55. 6% of the people have seen Acer advertisements taking all the three cities in to consideration. †¢ Acer promotional activities were not noticed in a very negligible pattern. Coimbatore – only 9% of the people have noticed an Acer promotion. †¢ Chennai – around 16. 2% have seen Acer promotions †¢ Bangalore – about 34. 3% of the people have noticed Acer promotional activities. Demographically Acer advertisements †¢ Students – 63. 7% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ SME – 44. 6% has noticed Acer advertisements †¢ Working profile – 53. 3% has noticed Acer advertisements Acer promotions †¢ Students – 22. 6% has noticed Acer promotions †¢ SME – 12. 5% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities †¢ Working profile – 20. 0% has noticed Acer’s promotional activities Number of visits to Acer retail outlets (in the past six months): Geographically Coimbatore †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% Chennai †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. 3% of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Bangalore †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Demographically Students †¢ On the whole HP has the highest count of about 44% †¢ Visit to Acer retail outlet is 1% SME †¢ Again HP being the highest with about 33. % of visit †¢ About 6% of the people visited Acer retail outlets Working profile †¢ HP with 21. 2% is again the highest hit. †¢ About 19. 2% visit to Acer retail outlets. Measures that people undertake before their purchase decision—evaluating the product Geographically Coimbatore †¢ 71% purchases occur by comparing specifications †¢ 50% purchases also happen by comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 32% word of mouth Chennai †¢ 62% purchases occur by comparing specification. †¢ 45% purchases through comparing specification and checking offers. †¢ 27% through media †¢ 32% seeing demo Bangalore †¢ 52% comparing specification †¢ 38% word of mouth †¢ 30% comparing specification and checking offers †¢ 26% through media Demographically †¢ Students – 35. 5% of the purchases through comparing specifications 12. 1% through word of mouth 5. 6% each through checking offer and comparing specifications †¢ SME – 10. 7% of purchase through comparing specification and checking Offer 10. 7% only comparing specification 9% each through word of mouth & checking offer, word of mouth & Checking specification and checking specification and seeing demo. Working profile – 20% of the purchase through comparing specification 12. 5% through checking offer & comparing specification 11. 7% checking specification & media BRAND PERCEPTION CHECK: Perception linked with the brand name: Acer is still perceived to be in collaboration with Wipro. So it is giving a perception of a national brand amongst most people. Geographically †¢ Coimbator e only 62% of the people are aware that Acer is an MNC †¢ Chennai 67% had the awareness †¢ Bangalore 71% of the people knew that Acer is an MNC. Demographically †¢ Students – only 42. 5% perceive Acer as an MNC SME – only 17% of the SME perceive Acer as an MNC †¢ Working profile – 40. 7% perceive Acer as an MNC. Perception on the product parameters An index is got from the analysis which gives the quality index in the three different cities. This is done on a scale of 1 to 5 indicating where the parameter actually lies. †¢ Quality Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 56 Chennai – 2. 84 Bangalore – 2. 65 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone but far towards good. Demographically Students – 1. 9 SME – 2. 8 Working profile 2. 72 Students perceive Acer’s quality to be fair. Both SME and working profile perceive Acer’s quality to be good. †¢ Service Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 22 Chennai – 2. 41 Bangalore – 2. 42 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the lower fair zone. Demographically Students – 2. 43 SME – 2. 38 Working profile – 2. 05 The weighted average shows that the service of Acer perceived by the three different segments is invariably fair. †¢ Price. Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 55 Chennai – 2. 87 Bangalore – 3. 06 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in the fair zone in Coimbatore and far towards good in Chennai. In Bangalore price vice perception for Acer is good Demographically Students – 2. 9 SME – 2. 69 Working profile – 2. 9 The data above shows that the price of Acer products is perceived to be good invariably in all three segments. †¢ Performance Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 77 Chennai – 2. 88 Bangalore – 2. 60 From the above data it is clear that Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 82 SME – 2. 98 Working profile – 2. 86 The data shows that the performance of Acer products is perceived to be in between fair and good but more inclined towards good. Features Geographically Coimbatore – 2. 75 Chennai – 3. 01 Bangalore – 2. 71 From the above data it is clear that in Coimbatore and Bangalore Acer quality vice it lies in between the fair and good zone. In Chennai it lies in the good zone. Demographically Students – 2. 829 SME – 3. 22 Working profile – 2. 92 The data shows indicates that students and working profile perceive the features of Acer products to be in between fair and good. The SMEs’ perceive the features of Acer products to be good. Degree to which Acer products are recommended Geographically Taking the weighted average mean into consideration and rating the different parameters on the scale of 1 to 5 people feel that †¢ Coimbatore – 3. 2 †¢ Chennai – 3. 15 †¢ Bangalore – 3. 49 The respondents feel that they would probably not recommend Acer products to their friends / relatives / associates. Demographically †¢ Students – 3. 05 †¢ SME – 3. 625 †¢ Working profile – 3. 35 Students and working profile people feel that they would probably not recommend Acer to their known ones. SMEs response lies in between probably not to probably would and more inclined towards probably would. Checking if Acer desktops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set Geographically †¢ Coimbatore – 35% people considers Acer desktops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 30 respondents’ preferred Acer desktops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 5. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 36. 4% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy desktops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 68 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 46. 5% of the people consider Acer desktops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 0. 629. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference. Demograph ically †¢ Students – 31. 5% of the people feel that they would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of which when it comes to the preference set only 33 responses were there. In the scale of 1 to 3 it lays around 1. 5 which indicates their preference lies between third and second preference. †¢ SME – Around 50% of the respondents would consider Acer desktops while they decide a purchase. In the preference set only 13 responses where there and their preference lies between third and second preference more inclined towards second preference. †¢ Working profile – About 41. 7% would consider Acer desktops when they go for a purchase. Out of the consideration set only 41 responses preferred Acer desktops. Their preference lies between third and second preference (1. 68) in the scale of 1 to 3. Checking if Acer laptops falls in the consideration set and in the preference set †¢ Coimbatore – 56% people considers Acer laptops while they are considering buying one. But when it narrows down to the preference set out of the 100 respondents only 19 respondents’ preferred Acer laptops and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 789. This represents somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Chennai – 55. 6% of the people have Acer desktops in their consideration set when they are to buy laptops. But it comes to the preference set the response is 1. 6 in the scale of 1 to 3. That is it somewhere between third and second preference. †¢ Bangalore – 52. 5% of the people consider Acer laptops when they plan for a purchase but their preference level in a scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 8. That is even below third preference. Or could be taken as a few people prefer Acer desktops as their third preference The preference fro an Acer laptop, on the whole is between third and second preference and more towards third preference. That for Acer laptop is also between third and second preference but inclined more towards second preference. Demographically †¢ Students – 47. % of the people have Acer notebooks in their consideration set out of which only 36 people have it in their preference set and their ranking for preference in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 638. this indicates that their preference lies between third and second preference inclined towards second preference. †¢ SME – 58. 9% of the respondents say that they would consider Acer pr oducts but their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 is 1. 7, heading towards second preference. †¢ Working Profile – 59. 2% have Acer in their consideration set and their preference level in the scale of 1 to 3 it lies at 2. 1 indicating that working profile people have Acer notebooks as their second preference. CONCLUSION The awareness of the brand Acer is average which is due to the low visibility of the brand to the customers. There is not enough advertisement and promotional activities that is undertaken to boost the brand. There must be a lot of investment made make the brand more visible. This will help the brand to build itself strong. The channel through Acer became aware to many people is through word of mouth. But to some extent even through internet and newspaper. There must be another research conducted to check if the word of mouth propagation is ctually causing a positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. There are about 20% of the people who ha ve not heard of Acer. The amount of advertisements and promotions that we undertake is also comparatively low and it is not being noticed much. This is in turn affecting the visibility of the brand compared to the other brands that really pump a great amount of advertisements even being a new entrant in the market. This also is leading to the relatively low number of visits to the Acer retail outlets though having the highest network. Acer is also being perceived still as a national brand which is in collaboration with Wipro. People are not sure if Acer is an Indian or a foreign brand, which actually creates a wrong vibration in the purchase decision chain of the customers. SUGGESTIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS First thing that we need to do is change that perception and project ourselves as an MNC with the Indian emotions filled in it. We need to target our customer segment properly and advertise our product and brand We must focus on the other means of throwing light on the band like TV commercials, internet banners and magazine printed ads because the amount of people with media habits as TV, newspaper, internet is really huge. Acer has to be made awareness first regionally and then nationally. †¢ Tying up with educational institutions will increase the awareness and also the leads. †¢ Acer needs to redefine its target segment as to which is potential. The segment suggested is SMEs and college students. †¢ Acer needs to set its target properly and focus Advertisements to hit them especially the TV commercials. †¢ Designing gift offers and vouchers with the product also will help a lot to draw the attention of the customers. †¢ Online banner Advertisements can be designed and can be displayed on the widely used sites especially in messengers like Yahoo and Google talk. Popup inviting users to participate in online survey can be designed and implemented so that the perception of the people can be known periodically. †¢ Huge hoardings with the endorsed celebrity can be designed and put o places where are forced to see such as in the signals, near direction boards, outside famous malls, on road dividers etc. †¢ Service and support is one factor which has to be worked out properly. †¢ Providing good incentives and schemes to the dealers as Acer in India will help a lot as it is still a push product. †¢ Sponsoring for big events like the filmy events which happen and also sport. APPENDIX Dear Respondent: I am a student of Ohio University, Christ College carrying out a research project titled brand awareness and consumer perception of the branded PC vendors. I request you to kindly fill in this questionnaire. All the information provided by you will be strictly confidential and will be used only for academic purposes. Please put a tick mark or circle the bullets where ever necessary. 1. Do you own a Personal Computer / Notebook? Desktop Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No Notebook Yes If yes, which brand? ____________ No 2. Which brand would you prefer to buy while buying a desktop or notebook? (HP, Lenovo, Acer, Dell Inc. Toshiba) 2. (a) Desktop ( rate your preference) |Rank | 1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | | | | | | | | 2. (b) Notebook ( rate your preference) Rank |1 |2 |3 | |Brand | | | | |Reason | | |