Branding: Marketing and Answer

Chapter-9: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. _____ is endowing products and services with the power of a brand. Your Answer:| Branding | 2. _____ is the added value endowed to products and services. Your Answer:| Brand equity | 3. ______ are those trademarked devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand. Your Answer:| Brand elements | 4. _____ marketing is about mixing and matching marketing activities to maximize their individual and collective effects. Your Answer:| Integrating | 5. _____ is consumers' ability to identify the brand under different conditions as reflected by their brand recognition or recall performance.Your Answer:| Brand awareness | 6. _____ occurs when customers experience the company as delivering on its brand promise. Your Answer:| Brand bonding | 7. A _____ is a consumer-focused exercise that involves a series of procedures to assess the health of the brand, uncover its sources of brand equity, and suggest ways to improve and leverage its equi ty. Your Answer:| brand audit | 8. When a firm uses an established brand to introduce a new product it is called a _____. Your Answer:| brand extension | 9. A _____ product is one whose brand name has been licensed to other manufacturers who actually make the product.Your Answer:| licensed | 10. _____ occurs when consumers no longer associate a brand with a specific product or highly similar products and start thinking less about the brand. Your Answer:| Brand dilution | 11. _______is the set of all brands and brand lines which a particular firm offers for sale to buyers in a particular category. Your Answer:| Brand portfolio | 12. _____ measures the degree to which a brand is seen as different from others. Your Answer:| Differentiation | 13. _____ measures the breadth of a brand's appeal. Your Answer:| Relevance | 14.Nike has the distinctive â€Å"swoosh† logo, the â€Å"Just Do It† slogan, and the â€Å"Nike† name based on a mythological goddess. These items a re called _____. Your Answer:| brand elements | 15. Burton, a maker of snowboards, is introducing a new snowboard called â€Å"The Dominator. † This snowboard will be associated and identified with top professional riders. What marketing strategy is Burton using? Your Answer:| leveraging secondary association | 16. The purpose of the _____ is to provide a current, comprehensive profile of how all the products and services sold by a company are marketed and branded. Your Answer:| brand inventory | | 7. A _____ typically employs quantitative measures to provide marketers with current information as to how their brands and marketing programs are performing on the basis of a number of key dimensions. Your Answer:| tracking study| | 18. Nivea, a strong European brand, has expanded its scope from a skin-cream brand to a skin-care and personal-care brand through carefully designed and implemented brand extensions. This is an example of _____. Your Answer:| brand reinforcement | 19. Dannon Yogurt offers several types of new yogurts, Fruit on the Bottom, Natural Flavours, and Fruit Blends to name a few.This is an example of a _____. Your Answer:| line extension | 20. Honda uses the company name to cover different products such as automobiles, motorcycles, snow blowers, and snowmobiles. This is an example of a _____. Your Answer:| category extension | 21. A _____ brand may be kept around despite dwindling sales because they still manage to hold on to a sufficient number of customers and maintain profitability with little or no marketing support. Your Answer:| cash cow | 22. All products marketed by Heinz carry the brand name ‘Heinz'. This is an example of ___________. Your Answer:| blanket family names |Short Questions: Chapter-9: 1. Describe the functions a brand provides for the firm. Ans:Brands simplify product handling or tracking. Brands help to organize inventory and accounting records. Brands also offer the firm legal protection for unique features o r aspects of the product. Finally, brands signal a certain level of quality so that satisfied buyers can easily choose the product again. 2. What are the two basic approaches to measuring brand equity? Ans: The indirect approach assesses potential sources of brand equity by identifying and tracking consumer brand knowledge structures.The direct approach assesses the actual impact of brand knowledge on consumer responses to different aspects of the marketing. 3. From a marketing management perspective, there are three main sets of brand equity drivers. List these factors. Ans: The initial choices for the brand element or identities making up the brand. The way the brand is integrated into the supporting marketing program. The associations indirectly transferred to the brand by linking the brand to some other entity. 4. What are the six criteria used to choose brand elements? Explain each of these.Ans:- 1. Memorable – how easily is the brand element recalled and recognized. 2. Meaningful – to what extent is the brand element credible and suggestive of the corresponding category? 3. Likeability – how aesthetically appealing do consumers find the brand element? 4. Transferable – can the brand element be used to introduce new products in the same or different categories? 5. Adaptable – how adaptable and updatable is the brand element. 6. Protectable – how legally protectable is the brand element? How competitively protectable is it? Can it be copied? 5.Discuss the four general strategies used in choosing a brand name. What are the advantages to each of these strategies? Ans:- ? First, a company can use an individual name strategy. This way the company does not tie its reputation to the product's. If the product fails or appears to have a low quality the company's image is not hurt. ? A second strategy is to use blanket family names. By using this strategy, there is no need for â€Å"name† research or heavy advertisin g to create brand-name recognition; this reduces initial development costs. ? A third strategy is to use separate family names for all products.This works best for companies that produce quite different products and one blanket family name is not desirable. ? Finally, a company can use the corporate name combined with individual product names as a branding strategy. The company name legitimizes and the individual name individualizes the new product. 6. The Marketing Insight – Applying Permission Marketing, presents the practice of permission marketing as an important tool for building customer loyalty. List the five steps which Seth Godin, a pioneer in the technique, has identified as important in creating effective permission marketing.Ans:-   Godin identifies the following 5 steps: Offer the prospect an incentive to volunteer (e. g. , free sample, sales promotion, or contest). Offer the interested prospect a curriculum over time that teaches the consumer about the product or service. Reinforce the incentive to guarantee that the prospect maintains the permission. Offer additional incentives to get more permission from the consumer. Over time, leverage the permission to change consumer behaviour toward profits. Chapter-10: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. ____ is the act of designing the company's offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. Your Answer:| Positioning | 2. Companies can gain a strong competitive advantage through having better-trained people. This is called _____. Your Answer:| personnel differentiation | 3. _____ pass through four stages: distinctiveness, emulation, mass fashion, and decline. Your Answer:| Fashions | 4. In a _____ pattern of the product life cycle, sales grow rapidly when the product is first introduced and then fall to a â€Å"petrified† level.Your Answer:| growth-slump-maturity | 5. The _____ stage is marked by a rapid climb in sales. Your Answer:| growth | 6. During the _____ stage sales slow down creating over-capacity in the industry, which leads to intensified competition. Your Answer:| maturity | 7. During the _____ stage sales and profits decline and some firms withdraw from the market. Your Answer:| decline | 8. _____ calls for gradually reducing a product and business's costs while trying to maintain sales. Your Answer:| Harvesting | 9. If a new product sells well, new firms will enter the market, ushering in a(n) _____ stage.Your Answer:| market-growth | 10. Eventually, when competitors cover and serve all the major market segments the market enters the _____ stage. Your Answer:| maturity | 11. A company may follow the strategies of deletion, harvesting, or contracting in the _______ stage. Your Answer:| decline | 12. Creating the image of a â€Å"delivered pizza† rather than a â€Å"frozen pizza† category for McCain's pizza is an example of _______. Your Answer:| positioning | 13. Attributes or benefits consumers strongl y associate with a brand, such as FedEx-guaranteed overnight delivery-are called _____.Your Answer:| points-of-difference | 14. Associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand are called _____. Your Answer:| points-of-parity | 15. A _____ is a basic and distinctive mode of expression appearing in a field of human endeavour. Your Answer:| style | 16. During the _____ stage prices remain where they are or fall slightly. Your Answer:| growth | 17. The _____ stage divides into three phases: growth, stable, and decaying maturity. Your Answer:| maturity | 18. During the _____ stage product managers try to stimulate sales by modifying other marketing program elements.Your Answer:| maturity | 19. During the _____ stage firms may withdraw from smaller market segments and weaker trade channels. Your Answer:| decline | 20. _____ is used to milk the firm's investments to recover cash quickly in the decline stage. Your Answer:| Harvesting | 21. In a _____ strategy a new product can be designed to meet the preferences of one of the corners of the market. Your Answer:| single-niche | 22. Which of the following is not a key desirability for PODs? Your Answer:| Feasibility | Short Questions: Chapter-10: 1.What are the three key consumer desirability criteria for POD's (points-of-difference)? Ans:- 1. Relevance – target consumers must find the POD personally relevant and important. 2. Distinctiveness – target consumers must find the POD distinctive and superior. 3. Believability – target consumers must find the POD believable and credible. 2. What are the four stages in the Product Life Cycle? Describe what happens at each stage. Ans:- ? In the first stage, introduction, the product experiences slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market. In the second stage, growth, there is a period of rapid market acceptance and substantial profit improvement. ? In the third stage, maturity, the product experiences a slowdown in sales growth, p rofits stabilize or decline because of increased competition. ? And in the fourth and final stage, decline, sales show a downward drift and profits erode. 3. Companies can gain a strong competitive advantage through better trained people. List some of the characteristics of better-trained personnel, and give some illustrative examples.Ans:-   Competence – they possess the required skill and knowledge Courtesy – they are friendly, respectful, and considerate Credibility – they are trustworthy Reliability – they perform the service consistently and accurately Responsiveness – they respond quickly to customers' requests and problems Communication – they make an effort to understand the customer and communicate clearly Some examples of the above: Singapore Airlines – excellent reputation in large part because of its flight attendants McDonald's people are courteous IBM people are professional Disney people are upbeat. . What are the thr ee main ways to convey a brand's category membership? Ans:- 1. Announcing category benefits — benefits are frequently used to announce category membership to reassure consumers that a brand will deliver. 2. Comparing to exemplars — well known noteworthy brands in a category can also be used to specify category membership. 3. Relying on the product descriptor — the product descriptor that follows the brand name is often a concise means of conveying category origin. 5. What five strategies are available to firms in declining industries? Ans:- 1.Increasing the firm's investments. 2. Maintaining the firm's investment level until the uncertainties about the industry are resolved. 3. Decreasing the firm's investment level selectively by dropping unprofitable customer groups and simultaneously strengthening the firm's investment in lucrative niches. 4. Harvesting the firm's investment to recover cash quickly. 5. Divesting the business quickly by disposing of its assets as advantageously as possible. 6. Define and discuss the concepts of points-of-parity (pop) and points-of-difference (pod). Use examples to illustrate your discussion.Ans:-   Points-of-Difference (PODs) are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate, and believe that they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand. Strong, favourable, and unique brand associations that make up PODs may be based on virtually any type of attribute or benefit. Examples are FedEx (guaranteed overnight delivery), Nike (performance), and Lexus (quality. ) Points-of-Parity (POPs) are associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may be shared with other brands. They come in two basic forms: category and competitive.Category POPs are associations consumers view as essential to be a legitimate and credible offering within a certain product or service category. They represent necessary conditions for brand choice. They may change ov er time due to technological advances, legal developments, or consumer trends, but they are the ‘greens fees' to play the marketing game. Competitive POPs are associations designed to negate competitors' PODs. If a brand can ‘break even' in those areas where the competitors are trying to find an advantage and also can achieve advantages in other areas, the brand should be in a strong, and even unbeatable, competitive position.Chapter-13: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. A distinct characteristic of services is _____. Your Answer:| intangibility | 2. Services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously. This is an example of the _____ characteristic of services. Your Answer:| inseparability | 3. Services cannot be stored. This describes the _____ characteristic of services. Your Answer:| perishability | 4. _____ describes employees' skills in serving the client. Your Answer:| Interactive marketing | 5. SSTS refers to _____. Your Answer:| self-service technologi es | 6.Top firms audit service performance by collecting _____ measurements to probe customer satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Your Answer:| voice of the customer | 7. The services a customer expects are called the _____ service package. Your Answer:| primary | 8. Added features to an offering are called _____ service features. Your Answer:| secondary | 9. The intangibility of services has implications for the choice of _____. Your Answer:| brand elements | 10. _____ cost refers to the product's purchase cost plus the discounted cost of maintenance and repair less the discounted salvage value.Your Answer:| Life cycle | 11. According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Benny, the most important determinant of service quality is: Your Answer:| Reliability | 12. An offering that consists primarily of a tangible good with no services at all is considered a _____. Your Answer:| pure tangible good | 13. A restaurant is an example of a(n) _____. Your Answer:| hybrid | 14. _____ refers to the willingne ss to help customers and to provide prompt service. Your Answer:| Responsiveness | 15. _____ refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence.Your Answer:| Assurance | 16. _____ refers to the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Your Answer:| Reliability | 17. Mystery shoppers refer to the use of _____. Your Answer:| undercover shoppers | 18. Customers often view a service as fairly homogeneous, caring less about the provider than the price. Service marketers must therefore _____ their services. Your Answer:| differentiate | 19. Marriott is setting up hotel rooms for high-tech travelers who need accommodations that will support computers, fax machines, and e-mail.These are examples of _____ service features. Your Answer:| secondary | 20. _____ extensions often require sub-branding strategies where the corporate name is combined with an individual brand name or modifier. Your Answer:| Vertical | 21. Servi ces such as installations, staff training, maintenance, and repair services and financing are called _____ services. Your Answer:| facilitating | 22. Ritz-Carlton Hotels' legendary service is an example of which one of the following distinct characteristic of service? Your Answer:| Intangibility | Short Questions: 1.What are the five categories of offerings in the product-service mix? Ans:- 1. Pure tangible good – the offering consists primarily of a tangible good, no services accompany the product. 2. Tangible good with accompanying services – the offering consists of a tangible good accompanied by one or more services. 3. Hybrid – the offering consists of equal parts of goods and services. 4. Major service with accompanying minor goods and services – the offering consists of a major service along with additional services or supporting goods. 5. Pure service – the offering consists primarily of a service. . What are the five determinants of servic e quality in order of importance? Ans:- 1. Reliability – the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. 2. Responsiveness – the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service. 3. Assurance – the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. 4. Empathy – the provision of caring, individualized attention to customers. 5. Tangibles – the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. 3.Holistic marketing for services requires external, internal, and interactive marketing. Define these terms. Ans:-   External marketing describes the normal work of preparing, pricing, distributing, and promoting the service to customers. Internal marketing describes training and motivating employees to serve customers well. Interactive marketing describes the employees' skill in serving the client. Clients judge service not only by its technical quality (e. g. , was the surgery successful? ) but also by its functional quality (e. g. , did the surgeon show concern and inspire confidence? ). Branding: Marketing and Answer Chapter-9: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. _____ is endowing products and services with the power of a brand. Your Answer:| Branding | 2. _____ is the added value endowed to products and services. Your Answer:| Brand equity | 3. ______ are those trademarked devices that serve to identify and differentiate the brand. Your Answer:| Brand elements | 4. _____ marketing is about mixing and matching marketing activities to maximize their individual and collective effects. Your Answer:| Integrating | 5. _____ is consumers' ability to identify the brand under different conditions as reflected by their brand recognition or recall performance.Your Answer:| Brand awareness | 6. _____ occurs when customers experience the company as delivering on its brand promise. Your Answer:| Brand bonding | 7. A _____ is a consumer-focused exercise that involves a series of procedures to assess the health of the brand, uncover its sources of brand equity, and suggest ways to improve and leverage its equi ty. Your Answer:| brand audit | 8. When a firm uses an established brand to introduce a new product it is called a _____. Your Answer:| brand extension | 9. A _____ product is one whose brand name has been licensed to other manufacturers who actually make the product.Your Answer:| licensed | 10. _____ occurs when consumers no longer associate a brand with a specific product or highly similar products and start thinking less about the brand. Your Answer:| Brand dilution | 11. _______is the set of all brands and brand lines which a particular firm offers for sale to buyers in a particular category. Your Answer:| Brand portfolio | 12. _____ measures the degree to which a brand is seen as different from others. Your Answer:| Differentiation | 13. _____ measures the breadth of a brand's appeal. Your Answer:| Relevance | 14.Nike has the distinctive â€Å"swoosh† logo, the â€Å"Just Do It† slogan, and the â€Å"Nike† name based on a mythological goddess. These items a re called _____. Your Answer:| brand elements | 15. Burton, a maker of snowboards, is introducing a new snowboard called â€Å"The Dominator. † This snowboard will be associated and identified with top professional riders. What marketing strategy is Burton using? Your Answer:| leveraging secondary association | 16. The purpose of the _____ is to provide a current, comprehensive profile of how all the products and services sold by a company are marketed and branded. Your Answer:| brand inventory | | 7. A _____ typically employs quantitative measures to provide marketers with current information as to how their brands and marketing programs are performing on the basis of a number of key dimensions. Your Answer:| tracking study| | 18. Nivea, a strong European brand, has expanded its scope from a skin-cream brand to a skin-care and personal-care brand through carefully designed and implemented brand extensions. This is an example of _____. Your Answer:| brand reinforcement | 19. Dannon Yogurt offers several types of new yogurts, Fruit on the Bottom, Natural Flavours, and Fruit Blends to name a few.This is an example of a _____. Your Answer:| line extension | 20. Honda uses the company name to cover different products such as automobiles, motorcycles, snow blowers, and snowmobiles. This is an example of a _____. Your Answer:| category extension | 21. A _____ brand may be kept around despite dwindling sales because they still manage to hold on to a sufficient number of customers and maintain profitability with little or no marketing support. Your Answer:| cash cow | 22. All products marketed by Heinz carry the brand name ‘Heinz'. This is an example of ___________. Your Answer:| blanket family names |Short Questions: Chapter-9: 1. Describe the functions a brand provides for the firm. Ans:Brands simplify product handling or tracking. Brands help to organize inventory and accounting records. Brands also offer the firm legal protection for unique features o r aspects of the product. Finally, brands signal a certain level of quality so that satisfied buyers can easily choose the product again. 2. What are the two basic approaches to measuring brand equity? Ans: The indirect approach assesses potential sources of brand equity by identifying and tracking consumer brand knowledge structures.The direct approach assesses the actual impact of brand knowledge on consumer responses to different aspects of the marketing. 3. From a marketing management perspective, there are three main sets of brand equity drivers. List these factors. Ans: The initial choices for the brand element or identities making up the brand. The way the brand is integrated into the supporting marketing program. The associations indirectly transferred to the brand by linking the brand to some other entity. 4. What are the six criteria used to choose brand elements? Explain each of these.Ans:- 1. Memorable – how easily is the brand element recalled and recognized. 2. Meaningful – to what extent is the brand element credible and suggestive of the corresponding category? 3. Likeability – how aesthetically appealing do consumers find the brand element? 4. Transferable – can the brand element be used to introduce new products in the same or different categories? 5. Adaptable – how adaptable and updatable is the brand element. 6. Protectable – how legally protectable is the brand element? How competitively protectable is it? Can it be copied? 5.Discuss the four general strategies used in choosing a brand name. What are the advantages to each of these strategies? Ans:- ? First, a company can use an individual name strategy. This way the company does not tie its reputation to the product's. If the product fails or appears to have a low quality the company's image is not hurt. ? A second strategy is to use blanket family names. By using this strategy, there is no need for â€Å"name† research or heavy advertisin g to create brand-name recognition; this reduces initial development costs. ? A third strategy is to use separate family names for all products.This works best for companies that produce quite different products and one blanket family name is not desirable. ? Finally, a company can use the corporate name combined with individual product names as a branding strategy. The company name legitimizes and the individual name individualizes the new product. 6. The Marketing Insight – Applying Permission Marketing, presents the practice of permission marketing as an important tool for building customer loyalty. List the five steps which Seth Godin, a pioneer in the technique, has identified as important in creating effective permission marketing.Ans:-   Godin identifies the following 5 steps: Offer the prospect an incentive to volunteer (e. g. , free sample, sales promotion, or contest). Offer the interested prospect a curriculum over time that teaches the consumer about the product or service. Reinforce the incentive to guarantee that the prospect maintains the permission. Offer additional incentives to get more permission from the consumer. Over time, leverage the permission to change consumer behaviour toward profits. Chapter-10: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. ____ is the act of designing the company's offering and image to occupy a distinctive place in the mind of the target market. Your Answer:| Positioning | 2. Companies can gain a strong competitive advantage through having better-trained people. This is called _____. Your Answer:| personnel differentiation | 3. _____ pass through four stages: distinctiveness, emulation, mass fashion, and decline. Your Answer:| Fashions | 4. In a _____ pattern of the product life cycle, sales grow rapidly when the product is first introduced and then fall to a â€Å"petrified† level.Your Answer:| growth-slump-maturity | 5. The _____ stage is marked by a rapid climb in sales. Your Answer:| growth | 6. During the _____ stage sales slow down creating over-capacity in the industry, which leads to intensified competition. Your Answer:| maturity | 7. During the _____ stage sales and profits decline and some firms withdraw from the market. Your Answer:| decline | 8. _____ calls for gradually reducing a product and business's costs while trying to maintain sales. Your Answer:| Harvesting | 9. If a new product sells well, new firms will enter the market, ushering in a(n) _____ stage.Your Answer:| market-growth | 10. Eventually, when competitors cover and serve all the major market segments the market enters the _____ stage. Your Answer:| maturity | 11. A company may follow the strategies of deletion, harvesting, or contracting in the _______ stage. Your Answer:| decline | 12. Creating the image of a â€Å"delivered pizza† rather than a â€Å"frozen pizza† category for McCain's pizza is an example of _______. Your Answer:| positioning | 13. Attributes or benefits consumers strongl y associate with a brand, such as FedEx-guaranteed overnight delivery-are called _____.Your Answer:| points-of-difference | 14. Associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand are called _____. Your Answer:| points-of-parity | 15. A _____ is a basic and distinctive mode of expression appearing in a field of human endeavour. Your Answer:| style | 16. During the _____ stage prices remain where they are or fall slightly. Your Answer:| growth | 17. The _____ stage divides into three phases: growth, stable, and decaying maturity. Your Answer:| maturity | 18. During the _____ stage product managers try to stimulate sales by modifying other marketing program elements.Your Answer:| maturity | 19. During the _____ stage firms may withdraw from smaller market segments and weaker trade channels. Your Answer:| decline | 20. _____ is used to milk the firm's investments to recover cash quickly in the decline stage. Your Answer:| Harvesting | 21. In a _____ strategy a new product can be designed to meet the preferences of one of the corners of the market. Your Answer:| single-niche | 22. Which of the following is not a key desirability for PODs? Your Answer:| Feasibility | Short Questions: Chapter-10: 1.What are the three key consumer desirability criteria for POD's (points-of-difference)? Ans:- 1. Relevance – target consumers must find the POD personally relevant and important. 2. Distinctiveness – target consumers must find the POD distinctive and superior. 3. Believability – target consumers must find the POD believable and credible. 2. What are the four stages in the Product Life Cycle? Describe what happens at each stage. Ans:- ? In the first stage, introduction, the product experiences slow sales growth as the product is introduced in the market. In the second stage, growth, there is a period of rapid market acceptance and substantial profit improvement. ? In the third stage, maturity, the product experiences a slowdown in sales growth, p rofits stabilize or decline because of increased competition. ? And in the fourth and final stage, decline, sales show a downward drift and profits erode. 3. Companies can gain a strong competitive advantage through better trained people. List some of the characteristics of better-trained personnel, and give some illustrative examples.Ans:-   Competence – they possess the required skill and knowledge Courtesy – they are friendly, respectful, and considerate Credibility – they are trustworthy Reliability – they perform the service consistently and accurately Responsiveness – they respond quickly to customers' requests and problems Communication – they make an effort to understand the customer and communicate clearly Some examples of the above: Singapore Airlines – excellent reputation in large part because of its flight attendants McDonald's people are courteous IBM people are professional Disney people are upbeat. . What are the thr ee main ways to convey a brand's category membership? Ans:- 1. Announcing category benefits — benefits are frequently used to announce category membership to reassure consumers that a brand will deliver. 2. Comparing to exemplars — well known noteworthy brands in a category can also be used to specify category membership. 3. Relying on the product descriptor — the product descriptor that follows the brand name is often a concise means of conveying category origin. 5. What five strategies are available to firms in declining industries? Ans:- 1.Increasing the firm's investments. 2. Maintaining the firm's investment level until the uncertainties about the industry are resolved. 3. Decreasing the firm's investment level selectively by dropping unprofitable customer groups and simultaneously strengthening the firm's investment in lucrative niches. 4. Harvesting the firm's investment to recover cash quickly. 5. Divesting the business quickly by disposing of its assets as advantageously as possible. 6. Define and discuss the concepts of points-of-parity (pop) and points-of-difference (pod). Use examples to illustrate your discussion.Ans:-   Points-of-Difference (PODs) are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively evaluate, and believe that they could not find to the same extent with a competitive brand. Strong, favourable, and unique brand associations that make up PODs may be based on virtually any type of attribute or benefit. Examples are FedEx (guaranteed overnight delivery), Nike (performance), and Lexus (quality. ) Points-of-Parity (POPs) are associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but may be shared with other brands. They come in two basic forms: category and competitive.Category POPs are associations consumers view as essential to be a legitimate and credible offering within a certain product or service category. They represent necessary conditions for brand choice. They may change ov er time due to technological advances, legal developments, or consumer trends, but they are the ‘greens fees' to play the marketing game. Competitive POPs are associations designed to negate competitors' PODs. If a brand can ‘break even' in those areas where the competitors are trying to find an advantage and also can achieve advantages in other areas, the brand should be in a strong, and even unbeatable, competitive position.Chapter-13: MCQ’s and short questions: 1. A distinct characteristic of services is _____. Your Answer:| intangibility | 2. Services are typically produced and consumed simultaneously. This is an example of the _____ characteristic of services. Your Answer:| inseparability | 3. Services cannot be stored. This describes the _____ characteristic of services. Your Answer:| perishability | 4. _____ describes employees' skills in serving the client. Your Answer:| Interactive marketing | 5. SSTS refers to _____. Your Answer:| self-service technologi es | 6.Top firms audit service performance by collecting _____ measurements to probe customer satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Your Answer:| voice of the customer | 7. The services a customer expects are called the _____ service package. Your Answer:| primary | 8. Added features to an offering are called _____ service features. Your Answer:| secondary | 9. The intangibility of services has implications for the choice of _____. Your Answer:| brand elements | 10. _____ cost refers to the product's purchase cost plus the discounted cost of maintenance and repair less the discounted salvage value.Your Answer:| Life cycle | 11. According to Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Benny, the most important determinant of service quality is: Your Answer:| Reliability | 12. An offering that consists primarily of a tangible good with no services at all is considered a _____. Your Answer:| pure tangible good | 13. A restaurant is an example of a(n) _____. Your Answer:| hybrid | 14. _____ refers to the willingne ss to help customers and to provide prompt service. Your Answer:| Responsiveness | 15. _____ refers to the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence.Your Answer:| Assurance | 16. _____ refers to the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. Your Answer:| Reliability | 17. Mystery shoppers refer to the use of _____. Your Answer:| undercover shoppers | 18. Customers often view a service as fairly homogeneous, caring less about the provider than the price. Service marketers must therefore _____ their services. Your Answer:| differentiate | 19. Marriott is setting up hotel rooms for high-tech travelers who need accommodations that will support computers, fax machines, and e-mail.These are examples of _____ service features. Your Answer:| secondary | 20. _____ extensions often require sub-branding strategies where the corporate name is combined with an individual brand name or modifier. Your Answer:| Vertical | 21. Servi ces such as installations, staff training, maintenance, and repair services and financing are called _____ services. Your Answer:| facilitating | 22. Ritz-Carlton Hotels' legendary service is an example of which one of the following distinct characteristic of service? Your Answer:| Intangibility | Short Questions: 1.What are the five categories of offerings in the product-service mix? Ans:- 1. Pure tangible good – the offering consists primarily of a tangible good, no services accompany the product. 2. Tangible good with accompanying services – the offering consists of a tangible good accompanied by one or more services. 3. Hybrid – the offering consists of equal parts of goods and services. 4. Major service with accompanying minor goods and services – the offering consists of a major service along with additional services or supporting goods. 5. Pure service – the offering consists primarily of a service. . What are the five determinants of servic e quality in order of importance? Ans:- 1. Reliability – the ability to perform the promised service dependably and accurately. 2. Responsiveness – the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service. 3. Assurance – the knowledge and courtesy of employees and their ability to convey trust and confidence. 4. Empathy – the provision of caring, individualized attention to customers. 5. Tangibles – the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel, and communication materials. 3.Holistic marketing for services requires external, internal, and interactive marketing. Define these terms. Ans:-   External marketing describes the normal work of preparing, pricing, distributing, and promoting the service to customers. Internal marketing describes training and motivating employees to serve customers well. Interactive marketing describes the employees' skill in serving the client. Clients judge service not only by its technical quality (e. g. , was the surgery successful? ) but also by its functional quality (e. g. , did the surgeon show concern and inspire confidence? ).

Karma in Bhagavad-Gita and Shakuntala Essay

In _Bhagavad- Gita_, dharma and karma are two controlling forces of the ultimate destinies of the people to preserve and conserve the Hindu social order. Arjuna, the protagonist, is torn between two choices, either to perform his dharma for the emancipation of the spirit or to fight against his kin that would probably result to evil karma. He belongs to a compelling position in the Hindu social order because of his birth and occupation, making him locked up from the supposed ultimate freedom (Mack, 1995). The dharma of Arjuna complicates his status in the social hierarchy thus makes him doubtful in performing his duties and responsibilities both as a Hindu warrior and a kin. He may have the control over his spirit and he may choose to receive a good karma, but his dharma contradicts and requires him to somehow disobey his self. In addition, according to Krishna, if he will withdraw from action, it is thus an act of self-delusion and the renunciation of moral and social responsibility. Krishna said that he [Arjuna] ‘†¦must learn to endure fleeting things- they come and go!† (2nd teaching: 14). He is convincing him to â€Å"fight the battle† (2nd: 18) and so if â€Å"he has courage, he is fit for immortality† (2nd: 15). He is always reminding him that his dharma requires him to fight. He adds, â€Å"No one exists for even an instant without performing action; however unwilling, every being is forced to act by the qualities of nature† (3rd: 5). Arjuna’s hesitation may be valid in some points but it is orderly since it is human nature. He is overcome by doubts because he does not wish to be guilty of the death of his kin, but Krishna tell him that â€Å"actions imprisons the world unless it is done as sacrifice; freed from attachment, Arjuna, perform action as sacrifice!† (3rd: 9). From the philosophies of Krishna mentioned above, it can be scrutinized that an individual in the Indian society must not think that performing dharma can be immoral once it may result to evil karma, but rather internalize that when performing deeds, â€Å"always perform with detachment any action you must  do; performing action with detachment, one achieves supreme good † (3rd: 19). They are not ruling dharma and karma, but they govern â€Å"to preserve the world† (3rd: 25). _Shakuntala_ also portrays a strong Hindu society and Hinduism. There is sadness and melancholy due to dharma and karma but the ultimate destinies are well-controlled. Hinduism may provide sufficient free will to man but it does not permit him grappling from the moral ambiguities that may lead to tragedy (Yohannan, 1994). Shakunta was punished because she did not able to perform her religious duties. As what Priyamvada told the King, Shakuntala â€Å"†¦has been engaged in the practiced of religious duties†; but because of her fascination and attachment to the King, she forgot her dharma for the first time, leading her to suffer evil consequences (karma). Priyamvada told her assumption to Anasuya when they were in the garden of the hermitage and said â€Å"I fear a terrible misfortune has occurred. Sakoontala, from absence of mind, must have offended some guest whom she was bound to treat with respect†. Shakuntala is the daughter of the hermit leader and a Brahman so she really has to perform her religious duties otherwise she will disobey the norm. Nevertheless, she is not destined to be forever shattered and helpless; she must gain back what and who she deserves to have, and that is to be united with the King. Through the presentation of the fate of the characters, we can say that Hinduism still favors people as long as they keep their faith and deeds according to it. For the question _how can be both paradoxical and at the same time complementary, Shakuntala_ and _Bhagavad- Gita_ have their own ways of portraying an Indian society and its religion. In _Bhagavad- Gita,_ Krishna is really the personal and true-existing (though appeared in a different form) adviser who keeps on reminding and convincing Arjuna to perform his dharma otherwise a great consequence might happen. Arjuna tends to remain in his humanness nature but his dharma tries to desolate him from his morality,  so there is his friend charioteer (Krishna) who keeps on warning him by teaching philosophies. He is overcome by his morality by killing his own kin. On the other hand, Shakuntala has not been warned before she committed such sacred crime. She was more overcome by the humanness nature that she tends to forget her dharma. Her emotions desolate her, so as punishment, her own fault kills the chance to be loved by the King. Because of their social status in the society, their dharma becomes more demanding and regulating. Both show a pleasurable sense of life and their religion guides them not to end up tragically. Both value knowledge as means to salvation and liberation. In _Shakuntala,_ the trial which she brings upon herself matures her in the knowledge of love and prepares her for the life which she is destined to live (Yohannan, 1994). In _Bhagavad- Gita_, â€Å"knowledge is obscured† (3rd: 39), therefore Krishna tells Arjuna that â€Å"kill this evil that wins knowledge and judgment† (3rd: 41) because â€Å"knowing the self beyond understanding sustain the self with the self† (3rd:43)

Aurthur Millers The Crucible and McCarthyism

Miller's message conveys what centuries of life are like centuries ago and what theme is in those eras. Just like today's social and political issues. All three generations have intolerance, hysteria, reputation, and empowerment. This is one of the reasons they are in contact with each other. Teenagers learn much from Crucible 's information, including Puritan' s intolerance to those who do not comply with their religious beliefs, or who think different from themselves. The theme of The Crucible is in the bustle and Arthur Miller talked about the terrible story of Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combined it with McCarthyism of the 1950 's. The drama reflects Miller's view and McCarthy's view, and what he considers to resemble Salem witch hunting. Proctor is the hero who Miller uses to reflect the unfairness of Salem and McCarthy's trial and how the fact died in the 1950s. In Arthur Miller's Chura, feminism is not only allowed but also encouraged. This book shows myriad examples of femin ism and shows the life of a Puritan woman during the trial of Salem Witch. The definition of feminism is the theory of gender, politics, and social equality. It is thought that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. (Feminism - Webster) During this time, women were considered unfair In this article, I will analyze the historical background of crucible and its relevance in today's society. I believe Arthur Miller 's life and McCarthyism' s experience had a strong influence on the writing of Yuzu. McCarthy named after Joseph McCarthy was an era of intense anti-communism that took place in the United States from 1948 to 1956. During this period, the US government persecuted Communist US, its leaders, and many others suspected of being communists. Krugersburg was written by Arthur Miller in the McCarthy era. McCarthyism was led by Senator Joe McCarthy who searched Communists in America in the 1950s or who did hunting witches. This hunting witch indirectly reveals ... ... one of the most strangest and most fearful chapters in human history. Arthur Miller's Chura is a dramatic story about the true story. In the 17th century ... - similarity between crucible theme and McCarthshire In 1692, Arthur Miller's crucible depicted people who saw harmless people because they did not commit a crime. A magician hanged. Crucible provides an accurate history of witch hunting, but its true outcome lies in the many important problems that it deals with. Aurthur Millers The Crucible and McCarthyism Miller's message conveys what centuries of life are like centuries ago and what theme is in those eras. Just like today's social and political issues. All three generations have intolerance, hysteria, reputation, and empowerment. This is one of the reasons they are in contact with each other. Teenagers learn much from Crucible 's information, including Puritan' s intolerance to those who do not comply with their religious beliefs, or who think different from themselves. The theme of The Crucible is in the bustle and Arthur Miller talked about the terrible story of Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combined it with McCarthyism of the 1950 's. The drama reflects Miller's view and McCarthy's view, and what he considers to resemble Salem witch hunting. Proctor is the hero who Miller uses to reflect the unfairness of Salem and McCarthy's trial and how the fact died in the 1950s. In Arthur Miller's Chura, feminism is not only allowed but also encouraged. This book shows myriad examples of femin ism and shows the life of a Puritan woman during the trial of Salem Witch. The definition of feminism is the theory of gender, politics, and social equality. It is thought that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. (Feminism - Webster) During this time, women were considered unfair In this article, I will analyze the historical background of crucible and its relevance in today's society. I believe Arthur Miller 's life and McCarthyism' s experience had a strong influence on the writing of Yuzu. McCarthy named after Joseph McCarthy was an era of intense anti-communism that took place in the United States from 1948 to 1956. During this period, the US government persecuted Communist US, its leaders, and many others suspected of being communists. Krugersburg was written by Arthur Miller in the McCarthy era. McCarthyism was led by Senator Joe McCarthy who searched Communists in America in the 1950s or who did hunting witches. This hunting witch indirectly reveals ... ... one of the most strangest and most fearful chapters in human history. Arthur Miller's Chura is a dramatic story about the true story. In the 17th century ... - similarity between crucible theme and McCarthshire In 1692, Arthur Miller's crucible depicted people who saw harmless people because they did not commit a crime. A magician hanged. Crucible provides an accurate history of witch hunting, but its true outcome lies in the many important problems that it deals with. Aurthur Millers The Crucible and McCarthyism Miller's message conveys what centuries of life are like centuries ago and what theme is in those eras. Just like today's social and political issues. All three generations have intolerance, hysteria, reputation, and empowerment. This is one of the reasons they are in contact with each other. Teenagers learn much from Crucible 's information, including Puritan' s intolerance to those who do not comply with their religious beliefs, or who think different from themselves. The theme of The Crucible is in the bustle and Arthur Miller talked about the terrible story of Salem witch hunt in 1692 and combined it with McCarthyism of the 1950 's. The drama reflects Miller's view and McCarthy's view, and what he considers to resemble Salem witch hunting. Proctor is the hero who Miller uses to reflect the unfairness of Salem and McCarthy's trial and how the fact died in the 1950s. In Arthur Miller's Chura, feminism is not only allowed but also encouraged. This book shows myriad examples of femin ism and shows the life of a Puritan woman during the trial of Salem Witch. The definition of feminism is the theory of gender, politics, and social equality. It is thought that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. (Feminism - Webster) During this time, women were considered unfair In this article, I will analyze the historical background of crucible and its relevance in today's society. I believe Arthur Miller 's life and McCarthyism' s experience had a strong influence on the writing of Yuzu. McCarthy named after Joseph McCarthy was an era of intense anti-communism that took place in the United States from 1948 to 1956. During this period, the US government persecuted Communist US, its leaders, and many others suspected of being communists. Krugersburg was written by Arthur Miller in the McCarthy era. McCarthyism was led by Senator Joe McCarthy who searched Communists in America in the 1950s or who did hunting witches. This hunting witch indirectly reveals ... ... one of the most strangest and most fearful chapters in human history. Arthur Miller's Chura is a dramatic story about the true story. In the 17th century ... - similarity between crucible theme and McCarthshire In 1692, Arthur Miller's crucible depicted people who saw harmless people because they did not commit a crime. A magician hanged. Crucible provides an accurate history of witch hunting, but its true outcome lies in the many important problems that it deals with.

Classical And Modern Natural Art Forms Case Study

Classical And Modern Natural Art Forms - Case Study Example Opera is a multi-dimensional art form that brings numerous art forms together. It is all art forms rolled into one. The numerous arts that are present in an opera are costumes (couture), the story (theatre), sets (visual art), dance (choreography), lighting (technical art), singing (vocal art), drama (acting) and orchestra (music) (Zouves, 2009). All these arts converge and result in a perfect performing art called opera. Films are also an art form and more importantly, the most liked and appreciated the modern form of entertainment. Films too like an opera use different art forms to produce a single art form (Livingston, 2009). A film is different from other art forms in the way that it records and captures the performance as a series of images and then reproduces it to be watched multiple times without actually having to put in the efforts. That it reproduces the performance as and when desired. The stage is a very important aspect during an opera performance. Appropriate use of th e entire stage is very essential in order to grab the attention of the audience. If the stage is not used to the best effect, then an opera act will not be able to integrate itself with the musical idiom of the operatic text, ideas and the atmosphere (Parker, 2001). The entire act is performed on a single stage including orchestra which will be stationed on the stage. An opera performance requires frequent re-formation of the stage to suit the scenarios (Ewans, 2007). On the other hand, films don’t have a centralized stage like an opera. Films are shot on real locations and artificial sets put up to portray real places. More than the use of the stage, the way it is captured by the camera is more important. The priority in a film is in the way the stage is designed and captured rather than the use of it by artists.

Managing organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing organisations - Essay Example Recruitment Managers find Psychology to come in handy when they are recruiting for new job positions in their firms. Managers bearing acute knowledge in psychology are able to tell the different personalities that are needed in the various workplaces and they are able to match different teams with the appropriate team members. This helps the organisation avoid serious recruiting mistakes, thus growing stronger in its workforce (Conrad, 2009). Organisational culture This involves the behaviour of people working in the organisation, how they relate to one another and the meaning that they attach to their roles. Managers need to have knowledge in Psychology to enable them devise plans and strategies that will help in overcoming the challenges within their workforce. They are also able to retain the workforce by understanding their needs and rewards thus retaining them. They are also able to make better and informed decisions when they need to cut costs within the firm. They are able to appease their employees even when the firm is going through some rough times (Conrad, 2009). Development Managers with knowledge in psychology are able to invest in the employees through managerial, leadership, and personal development. This enables the firm to retain the best employees, motivate them and also attract other top performers. This in turn gives the firm competitive advantage with its rival firms (Conrad, 2009). Humanistic Theory of Motivation It is founded on the idea that individuals possess powerful cognitive reasons that influence them into working towards particular goals. Sources of motivations among individuals change as they proceed from basic needs to self-actualisation in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. A well-paying job can be a great source of motivation for the individuals at the initial stage of the hierarchy of needs. As the individual progresses the motivators change and finding meaning in the job, creativity and independence can be the new powerful motivators. Maslow called this compensation when one is motivated by and gives more importance to competencies rather than meta-pay. Organisation of the work environment is very crucial given the changing needs of workers. The managers need to understand this aspect and utilise psychology to implement the necessary strategies to address this issue (Cherry, 2013). Psychology is important as it helps create self-awareness in the managers. They become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, therefore, having total control of all situations in the firm. They also become aware of their surroundings. They are able to understand the behaviour of their subordinates, workers, customers and their clients, thus having the ability to provide better services and a serene work environment. Having knowledge in psychology helps the managers understand different kinds of employees, therefore, finding them positions or departments where they can work well and foster good relationships with others. 1 . b) Examine the problems that managers may encounter when seeking to apply psychology to their role Wrong interpretation of situations The managers may interpret a certain situation wrongly, which will mislead them into making wrong decisions. Managers may walk into a situation at the workplace or with the clients and due to limited interaction with them; they may make the wrong interpretation. This stems from making unfounded assumptions that may lead to the wrong application of Psychology

Civic engagement experiences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civic engagement experiences - Essay Example Some challenges of public concern can only be addressed when people volunteer to serve the community (Sherrod, Purta and Flanagan 368). After finishing my secondary education, I joined a community group of twenty youths and was appointed the chairman. The agenda for the group was to make an effort of solving some of the challenges faced by members of the community. The community was ignorant about HIV/AIDS and the overall hygiene level was below average. As a group we volunteered to organize seminars to educate fellow youths and parents on the causes, effects had how to prevent HIV/ AIDS. We rallied the members of the community to donate funds for supporting the infected persons and the orphaned children.   The donated funds helped the orphans to continue with studies and the infected to afford better. Through this campaign, many people learnt the dangers of the diseases. The community acknowledged that AIDS has no cure and it prevention is abstaining from immorality and being fait hful in marriage. As a result, the spread for the disease declined.As a team, we volunteered to sensitize the community on the importance of maintaining proper hygiene. We donated laundry products and clothes to the poor members of the community. We conducted general cleaning in the neighboring towns regularly. Our campaign on proper hygiene, helped to reduce the number of ailments caused by dirty environment such as malaria and typhoid.   Ã‚  According to Sherrod, Purta and Flanagan (221), Civic engagement has a lot of benefits to the public.

Cloverleaf PLC Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cloverleaf PLC Case Analysis - Essay Example The author has rightly presented that the selling and purchasing process followed by a company plays imperative role in their success in the long run. Nowadays, companies around the world are trying to implement different types of strategies and techniques by which they can increase the overall sales and at the same time can streamline their purchasing process. The company observed that it has great opportunities in the European market as there are more than 1000 organizations that are active in Europe. The company mainly targeted countries such as France, Germany and Benelux countries. Despite, competitive edge over the rivals in terms of technological expertise and better quality, the company failed to get the order of Commercial SA. The company recently opened sales offices in countries such as France, Germany and the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg). The principal intention of the company behind opening new branches in other parts of Europe was to capitalize on the market opportunities and along with that, driving sales was another motive. The company has not been performing to the desired standard since the last few months. The sales figures of the company also represent the same as the company has only been able to sell three units, which is far below the expectations. Hence, to get rid of the financial debacle and strengthen its financial position, the company has decided to make its presence felt in other parts of the world. According to eminent scholars such as Adler (2010) a company with international business holds the opportunity to increase the overall sales and profitability of the firm. The author also emphasized on the fact that the chances of sales go up because of the greater marketplace. Echoing the same, authors such as Pride & Ferrell (2004) stated that the dependence of a business on the domestic market reduces greatly. Kapil (2011) mentioned that it allows companies to learn new methods and makes them more competent in the global marketplace. Hence, from this discussion and statements of the eminent scholars, it is evident that given the company's superiority in product quality and technology, the decision of the company to expand in other parts of Europe was fully justified (Fournier, 1998). Sales Strategy of Cloverleaf PLC According to Solomon (2008) a company must formulate and implement the most appropriate strategy of marketing and selling. This is because, even if a company manufactures superior products, the same will remain unknown to the customers if not promoted properly. Thus, it is obvious that a company should put in equal efforts in developing a product as well as promoting it. In the context of Cloverleaf

Terrorist group Al Qaeda Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Terrorist group Al Qaeda - Research Paper Example Many claim that the origins of the group go back to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, giving us a glimpse of the basis for the group from its inception. It is basically a stateless army made up of mostly Sunni Muslim’s who are willing to die for their cause. This paper is designed to explain Al Qaeda and to educate the reader about the dangers of the organization and what the global community is doing to protect itself from the radical group moving forward. Numerous attacks have been attributed to Al Qaeda, including embassy bombings, that attacks in Bali, and the horrific events that occurred on September 11, 2001. These, and other events like them, were brazen attacks that the organization proudly took credit for. There have been hopeful signs in recent years, however, of a weakened organization in light of numerous leaders being killed by enemy forces, such as Osama bin Laden. Whereas previously Al Qaeda had a strong leadership at the top that directed nearly movement of its followers, the group today lacks strong top-down management, resulting in many splinter groups that are formed in response (Fariborz, 2010). In addition, many members of Al Qaeda have branched off on their own, opting to carry out their own ideological principles that might be in conflict at some level with the organization as a whole. With all of the signs pointing to a weakened Al Qaeda today, the possibility exits to think that the danger is over, but this would be a mistake. Let us now take a look at the historical basis of Al Qaeda and why the future will most likely see a resurgence in the group purporting acts of terror throughout the world. Going back to the beginning, we know that Al Qaeda began largely as a result of Afghans rising up to fend off the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. In order to win this war, multitudes of volunteers from across the Middles East arrived to fight in Afghanistan. These individuals were known at the Mujahideen, and they were known to be f ighters that would go to any length to defend their Muslim brothers. Naturally, a movement like this need tremendous capital resources, chief among them money. This is where Osama bin laden entered in. He quickly rose up to the person primarily responsible for bankrolling a new organization whose primary responsibility was infiltrating Mosques around the world to recruit Muslims to join the cause. The Mujahideen, then, more than any other factor, was largely responsible for defeating the Soviets and keeping Afghanistan a sovereign nation (Jones, 2012). With the war over, Osama bin Laden did return to Saudi Arabia, which is where he is from. While there, he worked feverishly in establishing a group that was designed to aid the veterans of the Afghan War. Many of these individuals had now moved on from Afghanistan as to fight in other wars that were going on around the world, all of which was viewed as a fight for the Muslim cause. As Osama bin Laden began to develop this organization , the need for recruiting more fighters and to raise more money became apparent. Out of this resolve was the basis for forming the organization we know today as Al Qaeda. While back in Saudi Arabia, bin Laden began studying on an even deeper level with various radical Islamic thinkers in the region. Many of these clerics and leaders were very interested in what he was doing, and indications are that he was starting to grow an elaborate organization even before the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Short Story Fiction. Choose one of the following topics; avoid Essay

Short Story Fiction. Choose one of the following topics; avoid long-winded plot summations - Essay Example Situational irony is present in Everyday Use, which enriches the understanding of the theme and its dramatic plot. Since the story begins with Dees domination of her family, readers may expect that she will continue to control her mother and sister and â€Å"own† the quilts for herself. Dee knows that as the â€Å"educated† one in her family, she can easily manipulate her family, who once when she read to them, were â€Å"sitting trapped and ignorant underneath her voice† (Walker). The reversal of expectation happens, because Mama strongly opposes Dees demands for the quilts and decides to give it to Maggie. Apparently, the lamb can also change to a lion when needed. In addition, situational irony persists as a form of exploring the theme of traditional versus modern beliefs. When Dee arrives in a more â€Å"African† ensemble, Walker seems to be inviting readers to think that Dee has changed and shed her superior ego complex. Instead of being humbled by co llege education, however, Dee becomes more enamored with the idea of subjugating rural life, especially its â€Å"backward† (Walker) thinking and practices. Irony shows that Dee remains culturally immature, as she degrades how rural culture will see these old quilts as fit for â€Å"everyday use† (Walker), when for her, a learned African would see it as a precious piece of African heritage, one that is fit for display. Another situational irony example in this story is when Dee fully turns into a white oppressor, all the while believing that changing what she looks like and her name have turned her into a genuine African. Dee tells her mother that her new name is Wangero, because she could not stand â€Å"being named after the people who oppress me† (Walker). Dee also complains that her mother and Maggie remain completely ignorant of their â€Å"heritage† and she says: â€Å"Its really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live youd never know it†

Libya's Legitimacy Crisis Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Libya's Legitimacy Crisis - Literature review Example Finally, the article articulated how the can be resolved as it offer an alternative of power sharing as a way to end the legitimacy crisis and in effect, the conflict that is tearing the country apart. The paper presented the two opposing power which technically now operates as governments vying for Libya’s legitimacy. One is the Tobruk based backed by the rump of the elected parliament, the House of Representatives (HOR). The other is based in the capital of Tripoli and has taken a de facto control over ministries the General National Congress (GNC) led by Khalifa Hifter, a former general in the Libyan Army with the agenda of purging the elites of the old regime and promoted the former revolutionary forces as the core of a new army. The theoretical positions outlined in the reading outlined in the readings contribute to the ongoing development of Foreign Policy Analysis by outlining in a simple manner how the division of Libya begun, the forces underlying it and the backers that made the situation more complex. By clearly outlining how the division begun and how external influences and backers such as UAE and Egypt for GNC and Qatar, Sudan and Turkey for HOR, made the situation more complication that could fuel the conflict more, the proposed solution became more feasible and plausible and even necessary. That is, to have a policy of noninterference that would include non-channeling of funds and arms embargo to make both parties realize that negotiation and compromise is the only way to go with the end in mind of forming a government that is based on power sharing and not on favoring one faction over the other.   The arguments presented by Frederic Wehrey  and  Wolfram Lacher were also objective, impartial and sober that invites the reader to look at the problem from a conciliatory point of view and not from the persuasion of either party. Even the United States who are often

Scientific method Essay Example for Free

Scientific method Essay Policy and practice impacts of research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council A case study of the Future of Work programme, approach and analysis Steven Wooding, Edward Nason, Lisa Klautzer, Jennifer Rubin, Stephen Hanney, Jonathan Grant Policy and practice impacts of research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council A case study of the Future of Work programme, approach and analysis Steven Wooding, Edward Nason, Lisa Klautzer, Jennifer Rubin, Stephen Hanney, Jonathan Grant Prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council. The research described in this report was prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council. The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND’s publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. R ® is a registered trademark.  © Copyright 2007 RAND Corporation All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from RAND. Published 2007 by the RAND Corporation 1776 Main Street, P. O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138 1200 South Hayes Street, Arlington, VA 22202-5050 4570 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-2665 Westbrook Centre, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 1YG, United Kingdom RAND URL: http://www.rand. org/ RAND Europe URL: http://www. rand. org/randeurope. To order RAND documents or to obtain additional information, contact Distribution Services: Telephone: (310) 451-7002; Fax: (310) 451-6915; Email: [emailprotected] org Preface This report, prepared for the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), examines the impact of the ESRC’s ‘Future of Work’ programme on policy makers, professional practitioners and other groups outside academia. It also explores the applicability of the ‘Payback Framework’, a conceptual model for research evaluation, to social science. The Future of Work programme was an initiative that aimed to bring together leading researchers in the United Kingdom in an investigation of the future prospects for paid and unpaid work. The first phase of the programme started in October 1998, followed by a second phase in January 2001. The report is presented in two volumes. This volume presents the conclusions of the research and summarises the methods and results. The second volume includes a brief literature review of the evaluation of social science and the influence of research on policy; an overview of the Future of Work programme; detailed analysis of a survey of Future of Work PIs (Principal Investigators); and four complete case study narratives of projects from the programme. The report will be of interest to the ESRC and policy makers in the wider social science and policy community who are interested in how social science informs policy and practice. It will also be of interest to those developing methods to evaluate research. The research was led by RAND Europe in collaboration with the Health Economics Research Group (HERG). RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit think tank and research organisation that serves the public interest by providing evidence for policy making and public debate. HERG, a Specialist Research Institute of Brunel University, has as one of its main research themes, methodological and empirical studies of the impact of research. This report has been peer reviewed in accordance with RAND’s quality assurance standards (see http://www. rand. org/about/standards/) and therefore may be represented as a RAND Europe product. For more information about RAND Europe or this document, please contact Steven Wooding Senior Policy Analyst Tel: +44 1223 273897 Email: [emailprotected] org RAND Europe Westbrook Centre, Milton Road Cambridge. CB4 1YG, United Kingdom Jonathan Grant Deputy to the President Tel: +44 1223 293 893 Email: [emailprotected] org [emailprotected] org iii Contents Preface iii Overview of impact vii Executive summary ix Acknowledgments.. xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction 1 CHAPTER 2 Methodology and project structure .. 3 2. 1 The analytical framework . 3 2. 2 Initial tasks .. 5 2. 2. 1 Brief review of social science impacts literature . 5 2. 2. 2 Review of FoW documentation 5 2. 2. 3 Key informant interviews. 5 2. 2. 4 Output of initial tasks 5 2. 3 Payback survey .. 6 2. 4 Interim report 7 2. 5 Case studies. 7 2. 6 Analysis workshop 9 CHAPTER 3 Results . 11 3. 1 Key findings from the literature review and key informant interviews.. 11 3. 2 Summary of results from survey.. 13 3. 3 User interviews 26 3. 4 Case study summaries.. 27 3. 5 Case study A. 27 3. 6 Case study B. 30 3. 7 Case study C 33 3. 8 Case study D 35 3. 9 Concluding comments 37 CHAPTER 4 Discussion.. 39 4. 1 Impact of the FoW programme .. 39 4. 1. 1 The FoW programme has had significant wider impacts on policy and practice 39 v Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe 4. 2 4. 3 4. 4 4. 1. 2 What impact has the FoW programme had? 39 4. 1. 3 Why has the FoW programme had an impact? 40 4. 1. 4 What affects the impact of projects .. 41 Applying the Payback Model to wider impacts of social science .. 42 4. 2. 1 The Payback Framework can be applied to social science .. 42 4. 2. 2 Generalisation of categories.. 42 4. 2. 3 General points about assessing impacts of social science . 43 Further research.. 45 Concluding comments. 46 REFERENCES. 47 Reference list.. 49 vi Overview of impact The Future of Work (FoW) programme succeeded in bringing together an interdisciplinary group of academics, stimulating constructive discussions and providing access to policy makers to ensure the wider impact of the research. The FoW programme had significant academic and wider impacts. There was substantial output from the programme in the area of knowledge production. To date this has included 11 books and 69 book chapters; four journal special issues and over 100 peer reviewed articles, alongside over 200 conference presentations. Six of the researchers felt they had changed the direction of their research field. In terms of capacity development, involvement in the FoW programme was seen as a moderate or considerable contributor to 20 academic promotions, and the most common benefit of the programme cited by researchers were the opportunities to meet other researchers and in providing fora for discussion. In our survey of Principal Investigators (PIs) they reported 50 policy impacts, across a range of organisations including national government, political parties, employers and unions. Contributions to the policy debate included more than 60 working papers and official reports; seminars for the DTI, Low Pay Commission and Cabinet Office. More directly there were nine secondments, which placed the researchers in a policy environment, including a senior role in the DTI Women and Equality unit, where the researcher was able to influence strategy and policy decisions relating to equality. Further specific examples of policy impact were: the chairmanship of the TUC Partnership Institute by a researcher, allowing him to impact on employer/union relationships; the drafting of guidance notes on complying with employment legislation for the DTI by a research group; direct input into the Work and Families Bill (2003), which introduced new legislation on maternity and paternity leave; and citation in a House of Lords judgement on pay and conditions, specifically looking at unfair dismissal. Outside the government sectors our case studies identified a number of impacts on employers, including changes in workload policies and career structure; effects on maternity and family friendly working practices in a large consulting organisation and the negotiation of union-employer partnership deals. vii Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe Dissemination Almost half of the PIs felt the extensive networks of the Programme Director, and steering committee, had provided them with direct access to policy makers. These policy makers included those in the Work Foundation and a government agency. In addition, the FoW Media Fellow enhanced the impact of the research on more distant policy makers. He achieved this by producing research summaries set in the context of current policy and other research findings. Crucially, he worked to timescales suitable for policy makers rather than those of researchers. Evaluation methodology This evaluation used the Payback Framework as a conceptual structure and showed that the framework is useful for evaluating the wider impacts of social science. We used a number of techniques to collect data for the study: document review; key informant interviews; an on-line survey; and case studies. However, we found that some impacts are inaccessible to evaluation, because of political sensitivity or anonymity guarantees. viii Executive summary We examined how the ESRC Future of Work (FoW) programme influenced policy and professional practice. While doing so we reflected on the methods used to assess and identify impacts. Specifically, we considered whether the Payback Framework, a conceptual model for research evaluation, was appropriate for social science. Here we summarise the key findings. The FoW brought together an interdisciplinary group of academics, stimulated constructive discussion and provided access to policy makers. This may be especially significant given the view expressed by key informants that employment policy and management practices may be especially hard to reach with evidence as they are heavily contextual and apt to be influenced by fashion and ideology. Impacts The FoW programme had significant impacts on knowledge and research. This was evident in the numerous publications and conference presentations attributed to the programme. Most Principal Investigators (PIs) attributed incremental changes in their field of research to their projects, and some attributed a clear change of direction in their field of research to their projects. Most of the projects also influenced other researchers. The FoW programme had significant impacts on public policy. Although some PIs could identify specific impacts of their research, many found it difficult to identify actual policies they had influenced. PIs generally thought they had influenced policy in an incremental way and informed the policy debate. PIs also gave many presentations of FoW research to policy audiences. The FoW programme had significant impacts on career development. More than 75% of PIs thought the FoW programme had helped them to form networks with researchers, policy makers and practitioners; nearly half of PIs attributed career development for researchers to their FoW projects, including nine secondments to government. The FoW programme impacted on the policies and practice of organisations. There were many presentations given in organisations; PIs thought organisational practices were influenced by the research, but only some were easily identifiable. The policy environment determines policy impact. In one case the heightened awareness among policy makers of issues around maternity leave and women returning to work ix Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe provided fertile ground for research on how women make these decisions. In a second case the waning interest in union-employer partnerships was thought to have reduced the impact of a TUC institute chaired by a former FoW researcher. In general, the FoW research seldom caused major changes in policy but often resulted in impacts such as stimulating debate, fine-tuning policy, dispelling myths and providing confirmatory support. Dissemination The FoW programme provided access to policy makers. It effectively combined the networks of the Director and steering committee, and provided the researchers access to these networks which included key policy makers in the DTI, Low Pay Commission (LPC) and Cabinet Office. The FoW Media Fellow enhanced the impact on policy makers. This was achieved largely for two reasons. First, because his summaries of the FoW research were produced to a timescale suitable for policy makers, rather than researchers. And second because they were accessible to policy makers: setting the FoW research in the context of other research and current policy discussions. Researchers and policy makers differed in their views on how best to disseminate to policy makers. The two groups consider different channels to be important: researchers favouring academic publications, policy makers favouring the Media Fellow’s publications. The Payback Framework is a useful model for evaluating social science research. The Payback Framework provides a structure for research evaluation. It comprises a logic model of the research and dissemination process and a classification scheme for the immediate and wider impacts of research. This consists of five categories: Knowledge; Impacts on future research; Impacts on policy; Impacts on practice and Wider social and economic impacts. Both the literature review and fieldwork showed that the Framework could be effectively applied to social science research. Impacts and attribution Some impacts may be inaccessible to evaluation, for example some impacts were politically sensitive, so participants requested that they were not discussed. Also, subjects of the original research may have been influenced by their participation in that research, but their identity could not be revealed to the researchers in this evaluation. A confluence of inputs and incremental ‘knowledge creep’ make it difficult to attribute policy change to a given input. The Payback Framework provides a structure in which to explore the context within which projects are developed. However, the incremental nature of policy remains a difficulty in assessing impact at the project level. There are few mechanisms in social science to codify and synthesise research. In contrast to biomedical science, in the fields covered by the FoW programme there are fewer formal mechanisms to systematically review research; these mechanisms can offer tracers of policy influence. x RAND Europe Executive summary Timing Research on impacts may happen too early or too late. If research on impacts occurs too early, some impacts may not yet have occurred. If it occurs too late, certain impacts may have already come and gone. This possibility of transience makes it harder to investigate the impacts, as they may not be captured by a current snapshot of policies and policy debates. In order to provide a comprehensive view of the wider impacts of research this project suggests it would be important to warn researchers at the start of the project about likely evaluations; provide researchers with a mechanism to capture early impacts; and then evaluate research after further impacts have had time to develop, probably 5-10 years after completion of the research. The literature suggests that for research relating to ‘hot topics’ in policy, initial impact is likely to occur earlier and that 2 years post completion may provide the best time frame for evaluation. Implementation of evaluation There was widespread cooperation in the evaluation. The majority of PIs (including all case study PIs), 80% of nominated research users, and others nominated by PIs, agreed to participate in the research when approached. Researchers and users may prefer structured interviews to written surveys. Our experience also suggests that such interviews would provide more useful information for evaluation. Our on-line survey required significantly more of most participants’ time than predicted. xi Acknowledgments This study would have been impossible without the generous support of those involved with the Future of Work programme – we thank them for their constructive criticism and for sparing their time for interviews and to fill in our survey. We would particularly like to thank those researchers whose grants were selected as case studies. We would also like to thank Veronica Littlewood of the Economic and Social Research Council for her help and advice, including at the analysis workshop. Finally, we would like to thank Professor Martin Buxton and Stijn Hoorens who acted as the quality assurance reviewers. xiii CHAPTER 1 Introduction This report explores the wider impacts of social science research: how research affects policy, practitioner behaviour and public opinion. It does this by examining the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Future of Work (FoW) research programme. The ESRC is the UK’s largest research funder and training agency addressing economic and social concerns. As such it aims to provide high quality research on issues of importance to business, the public sector and government. The FoW programme set out to bring together leading UK researchers, across a wide range of disciplines, in order to investigate the future prospects for paid and unpaid work. The programme was shaped by a consultation exercise involving 140 policy makers, academics and practitioners, carried out by Professor Peter Nolan in 1997. The first phase of the programme started in October 1998, followed by a second phase in January 2001. The total funding of the programme amounted to ? 4 million and attracted 221 applications for the first phase, of which 19 were supported. A further eight projects were supported in the second phase. The aims of the programme are shown in Box 1. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ To create the evidence base that would then ground theories of work To enhance public understanding of the critical developments most likely to impact on people’s working lives To deepen accounts of the future of work by systematic mapping of past and present shifts and continuities To foster interdisciplinary and comparative perspectives To use innovative methods to engage with research users To act as a focus for debate within and between the academic, practitioner and policy-making communities Box 1. Aims of the FoW programme. Peter Nolan, Montague Burton Chair of Industrial Relations at Leeds, went on to direct the programme. He encouraged interaction between the research groups, promoted dissemination of programme findings and raised the programme’s profile. The Director was assisted by a programme advisory committee of senior representatives from government, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), business and academia. The advisory group attended meetings, participated in site visits to meet researchers, and provided access to policy networks. The written dissemination activities were led by Robert Taylor, a 1. Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe former journalist at the Financial Times, who was appointed as the programme’s Media Fellow. He wrote a series of seven booklets, aimed at policy makers, that described FoW research and set it in context. The output of the programme has been substantial: its outputs so far include 11 books, 69 book chapters, over 100 refereed articles and over 400 media mentions. This study explores the wider impacts of the programme in more detail. Over the past decade there has been an increasing culture of accountability affecting government spending. This climate has led ESRC to investigate the most effective ways to evaluate social science research, and to demonstrate the wider impact of its research on society. This report builds on experience of evaluating research in the health services and biomedical settings and seeks to apply it to social science. In this work we take the Payback Framework, originally developed by the Health Economics Research Group (HERG) at Brunel University, and test its applicability to social science. The Payback Framework was initially developed to examine the payback of health services research (Buxton et al., 1994; Buxton and Hanney, 1994; Buxton and Hanney, 1996). It was further developed in an earlier ESRC analysis of non-academic impact from research (Cave and Hanney, 1996) and subsequently extended to examine basic and clinical biomedical research (Wooding et al. , 2005; Wooding et al. , 2004). This study tested whether the Framework could be applied to examine the payback of social science research. To do this we briefly reviewed the literature on social science evaluation and the common models for examining the impact of evidence on policy, and concluded that they could be aligned with the Payback Framework. We then used the Payback Framework to examine the research projects in the FoW programme. We used the Payback Framework to structure a programme-wide questionnaire and a series of four case studies. Finally, we used these three streams of evidence to summarise the wider impacts of the FoW study and to see what can be learnt from the programme. We also used the evidence to develop a refined Payback Framework and consider its applicability for evaluating the wider impacts of social science research. 2 CHAPTER 2 Methodology and project structure. This project set out to examine the wider impacts of the FoW programme and to test the applicability of the Payback Framework to social science. It used a number of data collection methods (shown schematically in Figure 1). First we conducted a brief review of the literature concerning the ways in which social science affects policy and how the impacts of social science can be assessed. To develop our understanding of the FoW programme we reviewed documents from the ESRC and interviewed key individuals. We then surveyed all the Principal Investigators (PIs) who held grants from the FoW programme  to investigate the wider impacts of their grants, and asked them to nominate a user of their research for follow up via a telephone interview. To examine the pathways to impact in more detail we carried out four case studies of FoW PIs. The data collected throughout the study were then analysed in a one-day workshop. More detail on each of these stages is provided in the sections that follow. Figure 1. Project schematic 2. 1 The analytical framework The analytical framework for the study was based on the Payback Framework. The Payback Framework consists of two elements: a logic model representation of the complete research process (for the purposes of research evaluation), and a series of categories to classify the individual paybacks from research. The logic model and categories of the Payback Framework that served as the starting point for this study are presented below in Figure 2 and Box 2 respectively. The logic model provides a framework for analysing the ‘story’ of a research idea from initial inception 3 Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe. (Stage 0) through the research process (Stage 2) into dissemination (Interface B) and on towards its impact on people and society (Stage 6). The model is meant as a research tool to facilitate cross-case analysis. It does this by providing a common structure for each case study thereby ensuring cognate information for each study is recorded in the same place. The model is not meant to imply that the research process itself is linear. If necessary, individual pieces of information can be recorded in more than one place in the Framework to ensure they are picked up in the relevant cross-case comparisons. Figure 2. The version of the Payback Framework used as a starting point for the study1 Knowledge production Journal articles; conference presentations; books; book chapters; research reports Research targeting and capacity building Better targeting of future research; development of research skills, personnel and overall research capacity; staff development and educational benefits Informing policy and product development Improved information bases for political and executive decisions; development of pharmaceutical products and therapeutic techniques Health and health sector benefits. Improved health; cost reduction in delivery of existing services; qualitative improvements in the process of delivery; improved equity in service delivery Broader economic benefits Wider economic benefits from commercial exploitation of innovations arising from RD; economic benefits from a healthy workforce and reduction in working days lost Box 2. The payback categories of the Payback Framework used as a starting point for the study (Source: Hanney et al. , 2004) The categories of the Payback Framework are considered in the Discussion section of this report where the applicability of the model to social science research is discussed. 1 Source: Hanney et al. , 2004 4 RAND Europe Methodology and project structure 2. 2 2. 2. 1 Initial tasks Brief review of social science impacts literature A brief review of the literature, presented in Volume II, examines frameworks of evaluation previously used to examine the impact of social science research as well as models of research impact. The review was intended to identify lessons from the literature that would inform the current study, but was not intended to be comprehensive. 2. 2. 2 Review of FoW documentation At the outset of the project we also reviewed the ESRC records covering the FoW programme. This informed our interview protocol for the key informant interviews and provided the basis of our overview of the FoW programme, which was used as background information throughout the study. This overview is presented in Volume II. 2. 2. 3 Key informant interviews To gain a deeper understanding of the overall context and impact of the FoW programme we carried out interviews with six key informants. Suitable key informants were identified by ESRC and by the Director of the FoW programme: o o o o o o Professor Peter Nolan (FoW Programme Director) John Hougham (Chair of Advisory Board) Professor Toby Wall (Member of panel that appointed the Programme Director and Member of Advisory Panel) Bill Callaghan (Member of Research Priorities Board and Chair of Commissioning Panel) Professor William Brown (PI on two grants, one in each phase of the programme) Robert Taylor (Programme Media Fellow). These interviews were written up and examined for themes relating to the wider impact of social science and the FoW programme. These themes were then clustered and used to inform the refinement of the Payback Framework. We also carried out a second follow-up interview with Peter Nolan late in the project to examine various issues that had been raised in the survey and case study phases of the project. 2. 2. 4 Output of initial tasks The findings of the initial tasks suggested that the logic model aspect of the Payback Framework was generally appropriate for the social sciences. However, the categories needed some generalisation; our initial revision of these categories was presented in our interim report to the ESRC and are shown in Box 3. 5 Policy and practice impacts of ESRC funded research RAND Europe Knowledge production Journal articles; conference presentations; books + chapters; research reports Research targeting and capacity building Sparking new research proposals; providing research training; supporting career advancement Informing policy and product development Raising the profile/awareness of existing research among policy/practitioners makers; dispelling/resisting myths; providing policy options; prioritising areas; designing management assessment tools; developing benchmarking protocols Employment sector benefits. Improved working conditions; higher participation in workforce; more effective regulation Societal and broader economic benefits Lower stress among workers; improved public health; improved mental health through decreased unemployment; greater productivity; improved equity Box 3: Draft Payback Categories for the Social Sciences afer initial tasks. 2. 3 Payback survey To examine the range and types of payback produced across the FoW programme we invited all the PIs to complete an online survey. The survey concentrated on the wider impacts of the projects, but also asked some questions about the initiation of the research. The survey questions were based on those used in previous payback studies and modified in light of the key informant interviews and literature review2. PIs were invited to participate in the survey using personalised emails which contained a direct hyperlink to their questionnaire. PIs who had grants in both phases of the FoW programme received two emails linking to two separate surveys. The survey was implemented using MMIC web questionnaire software. 3 Data were downloaded from MMIC and analysed using SPSS version 14 and Microsoft Excel version 2000. 4 The questionnaire was originally drafted on paper. The paper draft was reviewed by the ESRC and by both of the project’s quality assurance reviewers. After incorporating their comments it was converted into a web questionnaire and again reviewed by the ESRC. We also asked a RAND researcher from outside the project team to test the questionnaire by talking us through their thoughts as they filled it in. This helped us to identify misunderstandings and confusing questions. 2 Payback questionnaires first used in Buxton et al. , 2000 and subsequently refined for payback analysis of the NHS Research Implementation Methods Programme and the Dutch and UK Health.

An analysis of the influence of technology on contemporary interior architecture Essay Example for Free

An analysis of the influence of technology on contemporary interior architecture Essay The analysis of the articles is based on the influence of technology on interior architecture education and of employer’s expectations in the interior design industry. This also addresses the issues faced by interior designers in today’s world and how technology is hindering/fostering their creativity. Talking about the article on â€Å"Technology Changing the Face of the Modern Fit out†, it addresses a strong point of how the interior design industry was never considered as a crucial part of the industry and was dealt with a stereotype attitude that interior designers dealt only withthe part of â€Å"decorating† the space until technology gained importance. Technology has now given a 180-degree turn to the industry because of which the industry has finally started gaining the deserved recognition. The underlying point in the article â€Å" is technology hindering or fostering the creativity in interior design†, although is on similar lines like the above mentioned article about the positive aspects of technology, it also talks about the pitfall side of technology on the industry. Their argument is supported with an example cited of a professor from a state university of how although he accepts that the technology has given the students, the most innovative platform to communicate their design ideas, somewhere down the lane, the students who are the prospective interior designers are lacking the basic creative skills and hand drafting techniques. â€Å"Interior Designers’ Perceptions of the Influence †¨of Technology on Workplace Performance† article gives us a different perspective of the influence of technology and how it caters to the interior designers. The statement is supported by examples cited by employees from the industry who have been interviewed of how 2D and 3D software have enabled the designers to get their work done in reduced time in comparison to how it was in the past. It also talks about what the expectations of the employers from new hires are, which includes being efficient in 2D and 3D software which will enable them to be proficient in expressing their design ideas. The other side of the coin is that it is hindering the employers in certain ways. This point is well supported by examples they cite of how in case if the computer crashes the students are unable to come up with a hand made drawing ready for a meeting. The over dependence on the computer has led to this state where the new graduates are finding it tough to inculcate sketching and hand drafting although their competent computer skills enable them to complete a design project in no time. The articles that we have looked at firmly state that the influence of technology has its pros and cons. The use of technology has catered to designers in various ways in terms of the time factor, design output etc. But the basic thing we have to understand is every opportunity has both sides. So technology is definitely fostering the designers but having said that it is better that we don’t become over dependent on it that it hinders our creative and innovative skills of designing.