Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Essay

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis Michael Porter provided a framework that analyses an industry as being influenced by five forces. It has been suggested that management, attempting to establish a competitive marketing advantage over rivals, can use this model to understand the industry context in which the business operates and take appropriate strategic decisions. Threat of entry This means the ease with which other firms can join the industry and compete with existing businesses. The threat of entry is greatest when: economies of scale are low in the industry technology needed to enter the industry is relatively cheap istribution channels are easy to access, e. g. retail shops are not owned by existing manufacturers in the industry there are no legal or patent restrictions on entry The importance of product differentiation is low, so extensive advertising may not be required to get established. The power of buyers This refers to the power that customers have on the producing in dustry. For example, if there are four major supermarket groups that dominate this sector of retailing, their buyer power over food and other producers will be great. Buyer power will also be increased when: here are many undifferentiated small supplying firms, e. g. many small farmers supplying milk or chicken to large supermarket businesses the cost of switching suppliers is low Buyers can realistically and easily buy from other suppliers. The power of suppliers Suppliers will be relatively powerful compared with buyers when: the cost of switching is high, e. g. from PC computers to AppleMacs When the brand being sold is very powerful and well known, e. g. Cadbury’s chocolate or Nike shoes. Suppliers could realistically threaten to open their own forward-integration operations, e. g. offee suppliers open their own cafes. Customers have little bargaining power as they are small firms and fragmented, e. g. dispersed around the country as with independent petrol stations. The threat of substitutes In Porter’s model, ‘substitute products’ does not mean alternatives in the same industry such as Toyota for Honda cars. It refers to substitute products in other industries. For instance, the demand for aluminum for cans is partly affected by the price of glass for bottling and plastic for containers. These are substitutes for aluminum, but they are not rivals in the same industry. Competitive rivalry This is the key part of this analysis – it sums up the most important factors that determine the level of competition or rivalry in an industry. It is based on the other four forces which are why it is often illustrated in the center of the Five Forces diagram. Competitive rivalry is most likely to be high where: it is cheap and easy for new firms to enter an industry there is a threat from substitute products suppliers have much power Buyers have much power. Reference: http://classof1. com/homework-help/earth-science-homework-help/

Flood Measuring System Essay

This chapter includes a brief overview on experimental research and the process that led to the selection of the research design used in this study. Additional topics addressed in Chapter 3 are: research locale, and instrumentation. Research Design An experimental type of methodology was used to conduct this research. An experimental method of research is a systematic and scientific approach to research in which the researcher manipulates one or more variables, and controls and measures any change in other variables(http://explorable.com/experimental-research.html). The method is appropriate to this study since it aims to overcome the present condition of our country, specifically the areas near Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila during rainy days. The technique that the researchers will use under experimental method is developing a device that monitors the height of the water using sonar sensor and sends it to the server by the means GSM module. Then the data received by the GSM will be sent to the application created for android phones via internet. The purpose of employing the experimental method is to overcome the present condition of the areas near Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila during rainy days. The researcher opted to use this kind of research considering the desire to acquire data from the device that the researchers developed so as to formulate rational and sound conclusions and recommendations for the study. Block Diagram Flood Monitoring Unit Server Android Application Research Locale The researchers will conduct the study to three different areas near Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, these areas are selected to inform the students of the said university if the route they will take is still passable or not. Instrumentation An instrument was developed to monitor the flood in three different areas near Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. This section will discuss the instrument and its development. The first step in developing the instrument was to make a prototype that will monitor the height of the flood on the said areas. It consists of a sonar sensor, Gizduino and GSM module. The sonar sensor is enclosed in a container with a hole at the bottom that will sense the height of the water measured in inches. It detects the height of the flood with respect to the ground as its basis. The maximum flood level itcan detect is six feet which is equivalent to 72 inches and it only reads data in whole number. It is SIM dependent.The GSM module will send the data gathered to the server. Then the server will analyze the data and relays it to android applicationvia internet. The following will be the list of materials to be used in constructing this project. 1. Microcontroller The Gizduino is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328 and ATmega168. It has 14 digital input/ output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started. it is an open source computing platform based on simple input/output (I/O) board and the use of standard programming language; in other words, it is a tool for implementing a program you have designed. Gizduino is programmed using the IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Gizduino is ideal for beginner programmers and hobbyists because of its simplicity compared to other platforms. It is a multiplatform environment; it ca run on Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. It is programmable via USB cable, which makes it more accessible and allows communication with the computer FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS †¢ Microcontroller: ATmega168 or ATmega328 †¢ User Interface: USB Port, DC Jack, ResetButton, ICSP Port, Shield Connection Port †¢ Debugger Port: ICSP †¢ Power Input: External:8V-12V USB:5V †¢ DC Power Output: 3.3V †¢ PCB Size: 2.7 x 2.1 inch †¢ On-board Crystal: 16MHz and 12MHz 2. Sonar Sensor A US-100 Ultrasonic Sonar isa low cost compact ultrasonic sonar (distance measuring) sensor with up to 3.5-meters range. A host microcontroller circuit determines distance by triggering the US-100 and then measuring the echo time indicated by the pulse width output of the sensor. Temperature compensatured for accurate ranging even on varying ambient temperatures. FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS †¢ 40KHz Ultrasonic sonar †¢ 2cm – 350cm sensor range (Temperature compensated) †¢ TTL Trigger input †¢ TTL Echo output 3. GSM Module GSM/GPRS module is used to establish communication between a computer and a GSM-GPRS system. Global System for Mobile communication (GSM) is an architecture used for mobile communication in most of the countries. Global Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is an extension of GSM that enables higher data transmission rate. GSM/GPRS module consists of a GSM/GPRS modem assembled together with power supply circuit and communication interfaces (like RS-232, USB, etc) for computer. GSM/GPRS MODEM is a class of wireless MODEM devices that are designed for communication of a computer with the GSM and GPRS network. It requires aSIM (Subscriber Identity Module) card just like mobile phones to activate communication with the network. Also they have IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number similar to mobile phones for their identification. A GSM/GPRS MODEM can perform the following operations: 1. Receive, send or delete SMS messages in a SIM. 2. Read, add, search phonebook entries of the SIM. 3. Make, Receive, or reject a voice call. FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS †¢ Quad Band GSM/GPRS †¢ Text and PDU Mode †¢ TCP/IP stack †¢ GPRS class 10: max 85.6 kbps downlink †¢ Standard AT Commands (GSM07.07, 07.05, & SIMCOM enhanced AT commands) †¢ Analog audio port †¢ UART (TTL) serial port †¢ Debug Port †¢ RTC backup †¢ Charger interface

Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder Essay

     INTRODUCTION Personality disorders constitute a major group in the classification of mental disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR),1 these conditions are defined by maladaptive personality characteristics beginning early in life that have consistent and serious effects on functioning. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is frequently seen in clinical practice.2 Characterized by emotional turmoil and chronic suicidality (suicide ideation and attempts), this type of personality disorder presents some of the most difficult and troubling problems in all of psychiatry.   The majority of patients with BPD are seen in psychiatric clinics or in primary care. The keys to successful management include making an accurate diagnosis, maintaining a supportive relationship with the patient and establishing limited goals. Although BPD may persist for years, it does not last forever, and one can be reasonably optimistic that most patients will recover with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotherapy can help speed up the recovery from BPD. The most effective forms of treatment have been developed by psychologists, and therefore when making a referral, physicians should consider a patient’s ability to pay for such therapy.   More research into the causes of BPD is needed, the results of which may help to develop evidence-based approaches to treatment that are practical and specifically designed for this challenging disorder.   THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER   Epidemiologic studies of personality disorders are at an early stage of development. Community surveys of adults have indicated that the prevalence of BPD is close to 1% (similar to that of schizophrenia).3,4 About 80% of patients receiving therapy for BPD are women,2 but sex differences are less striking in community samples.4 As is the case for personality disorders in general, BPD is associated with lower social class and lower levels of education.3,4   THE ETIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER We are only beginning to understand the causes of BPD. As with most mental disorders, no single factor explains its development, and multiple factors (biological, psychological and social) all play a role.   The biological factors in personality disorders consist of temperamental (inborn or heritable) characteristics that present in adulthood as stable personality traits: patterns of thought, affect and behaviour that characterize individuals and are stable over time.5 Heritable factors account for about half of the variability in virtually all traits that have been studied.6 Specifically, both affective instability6 and impulsivity7 have a heritable component of this magnitude, and studies involving twins have demonstrated that BPD itself shows a similar genetic influence.8 Also, family history studies have found that impulsive disorders such as antisocial personality and substance abuse are particularly common among firstdegree relatives of patients with BPD.9 Studies of central neurotransmitter activity have shown that impulsive traits, a major component of BPD, are associated with deficits in central serotonergic functioning.10,11 However, the biological correlates of affective instability are unknown, and no markers specific to the overall disorder have been identified.10 The psychological factors in BPD can be striking but are not consistent. BPD first presents clinically in adolescence, at a mean age of 18 years.12 Although many patients describe adversities such as family dysfunction as well as mood and impulsive symptoms that go back to childhood, longitudinal data are needed to determine the precise influence of early risk factors. 13 Reports of a high frequency of traumatic events during childhood in this population need to take into account community studies, which show extensive resilience following trauma, particularly for less severe adversities.13 The most careful studies have shown that a quarter of patients with BPD describe sexual abuse from a caretaker14 and that about a third report severe forms of abuse.15 However, although child abuse is clearly a risk factor, it is not specific to BPD.13 In general, adverse life events are not consistently pathogenic by themselves but, rather, produce sequelae in vulnerable populations.16 Social factors in BPD are suggested by indirect evidence.   Thus far, there have been no cross-cultural studies of BPD, although characteristic symptoms such as recurrent suicide attempts are less common in traditional societies, in which there is little change from one generation to the next, but are on the increase in modern societies and in societies undergoing rapid change.17   DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER The term â€Å"borderline† is a misnomer, based on an old theory that this form of pathology lies on a border between psychosis and neurosis. Actually, BPD is a complex syndrome whose   central features are instability of mood, impulse control and interpersonal relationships.2 Box 1 presents the DSM-IV-TR1 criteria, reorganized in relation to these basic dimensions, as well as cognitive symptoms.   Since the DSM-IV-TR requires only 5 of 9 criteria to be present, making a diagnosis on this basis leads to heterogeneity; more precise research definitions have been developed that require high scores for all 3 dimensions.18 The affective symptoms in BPD involve rapid mood shifts, in which emotional states tend to last only a few hours.19 When affective instability is monitored with standardized instruments,20 emotions are found to be intense but reactive to external circumstances, with a strong tendency toward angry outbursts. Levels of affective instability are most predictive of suicide attempts.21 Impulsive symptoms include a wide range of behaviours and are central to diagnosis.22 The combination of affective instability with impulsivity in BPD23 helps account for a clinical presentation marked by chronic suicidality and by instability of interpersonal relationships.23 Finally, cognitive symptoms are also frequent. In one case series,24 about 40% of 50 patients with BPD had quasi-psychotic thoughts. In another series,25 27% of 92 patients experienced psychotic episodes.   In a third series,26 psychotic symptoms were found to predict self-harm in patients with personality disorders. BPD is common in practice. A recent study involving patients in an emergency department who had attempted suicide showed that 41% of those with a history of multiple suicide attempts met the criteria for BPD this disorder.27   However, many cases are also seen in primary care settings.   Data from a survey conducted in a US urban primary care practice indicated that BPD was present in 6.4% of a sample of 218 patients.28   Because of the wide range of symptoms seen in BPD that are also typical of other disorders (Table 1), such as mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and eating disorders,29 patients may be felt to have one of these conditions while their BPD goes undetected. The most common disorder associated with BPD is depression, but in BPD, symptoms are usually associated with mood instability rather than with the extended and continuous periods of lower mood seen in classic mood disorders.19 Also, because of characteristic mood swings, BPD is often mistaken for bipolar disorder.30 However, patients with BPD do not show continuously elevated mood but instead exhibit a pattern of rapid shifts in affect related to environmental events, with â€Å"high† periods that last for hours rather than for days or weeks.30 BPD may be mistaken for schizophrenia; however, instead of long-term psychotic symptoms, patients with BPD experience â€Å"micropsychotic† phenomena of short duration (lasting hours or at most a few days), auditory hallucinations without loss of insight (patients with schizophrenia do not recognize that a hallucination is imaginary, whereas patients with BPD do), paranoid trends and depersonalization states in which patients experience themselves or their environment as unreal.   24 Finally, patients with BPD are at increased risk of substance abuse, which forms part of the clinical picture of widespread impulsivity.2 To diagnose BPD in practice, clinicians must first establish whether a patient has the overall characteristics of a personality disorder described in the DSM-IV-TR;1 that is, long-term problems affecting cognition, mood, interpersonal functioning and impulse control that begin early in life and are associated with maladaptive personality traits, such as neuroticism (being easily prone to anxiety or depression, or both) or impulsivity. Personality disorders can often account better for the multiplicity and chronicity of symptoms than can alternative diagnoses such as mood or anxiety disorders. The next step is a personality assessment, which requires a good history. Although practitioners will be able to obtain needed information from most patients during a routine visit, they may also, with the patient’s consent, wish to speak to family members or friends.   The final step is to determine the category that best fits the clinical picture. To diagnose BPD, clinicians   need to establish that patterns of affective instability, impulsivity and unstable relationships have been consistent over time.   THE COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISODERs Managing patients with BPD can be burdensome for clinicians because they may have to deal with repeated suicide threats and attempts over years. Also, patients with BPD do not easily respect boundaries and may become overly attached to their therapists.31 When practitioners fail to diagnose BPD, they may be at risk of becoming overinvolved with patients who suffer greatly but can be personally appealing to the physicians. Fortunately, most patients with BPD improve with time.32–34 About 75% will regain close to normal functioning by the age of 35 to 40 years, and 90% will recover by the age of 50.32 Unfortunately, about 1 in 10 patients eventually succeeds in committing suicide.35 However, this outcome is difficult to predict, and 90% of patients improve despite having threatened to end their lives on multiple occasions. The mechanism of recovery in BPD is not fully understood, but impulsivity generally decreases with age, and patients learn over time how to avoid the situations that give them the most trouble (e.g., intense love affairs), finding stable niches that provide the structure they need.35 BPD is a therapeutic challenge. A series of randomized controlled trials of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy36–47,50,52–54 have been published; however, the trials had a number of defects, most particularly small samples, attrition and durations that were too short (usually 8–12 weeks) for a chronic disorder that can last for years. Finally, outcomes in these studies were generally measured by self-report and did not indicate whether the clinical picture had actually shown full remission. The pharmacologic treatment of BPD remains limited in scope. By and large, the result can be described as a mild degree of symptom relief. A number of agents, including low-dose atypical neuroleptics,38 specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors39,41–43 and mood stabilizers,44,45 all alleviate impulsive symptoms. However, antidepressants are much less effective for mood symptoms in BPD patients than in patients without a personality disorder.48 Benzodiazepines are not very useful in BPD and carry some danger of abuse.49   Thus, although several drugs â€Å"take the edge off† symptoms, they do not produce remission of BPD. Failure to understand this point has led to polypharmacy regimens, on the assumption that multiple drugs are needed to target all aspects of the disorder. The result is that many patients receive 4–5 agents — with all their attendant side effects12 — in the absence of evidence from clinical trials supporting the efficacy of such combinations. Future research may lead to the development of agents more specific to the symptoms seen in BPD.   The mainstay of treatment for BPD is still psychotherapy. Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that targets affective instability and impulsivity, using group and individual sessions to teach patients how to regulate their emotions. This form of behaviour therapy has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours under control within a year.50–53 However, whether this method is effective in the long term is unknown. There is evidence from a randomized controlled trial supporting the use of a modified form of psychoanalytic therapy in a day-treatment setting that also makes us of cognitive techniques.54   Unfortunately, these forms of psychotherapy for BPD are expensive in terms of resources and are not generally available. In practice, therapy tends to be practical and supportive.   Practitioners who manage these cases can also use educational materials for patients and their families.31   BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main problem that practitioners face in managing cases of BPD is chronic suicidality. Physicians in primary care settings are prepared to care for many patients with psychotic disorders but are likely to ask psychiatrists to manage patients who make repeated suicide threats and attempts, or to suggest hospital admission. However, there has been little research on the   Efectiveness of hospitalization for the treatment of BPD and no evidence that it prevents completion of suicide.55 Suicidality in BPD peaks when patients are in their early 20s, but completed suicide is most common after 3035 and usually occurs in patients who fail to recover after many attempts at treatment. In contrast, suicidal actions such as impulsive overdoses, most often seen in younger patients, do not usually carry a high short-term risk and function to communicate distress.56 Self-mutilating behaviours such as chronic cutting, often referred to as â€Å"suicidal,† are problematic but are not associated with suicidal intent and instead serve to regulate dysphoric emotional states.56 Practitioners should move beyond their concerns about these patients and instead concentrate on managing symptoms and the life problems that exacerbate suicidal thoughts or behaviours.   THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR INTENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Explaining and predicting consumer behavior has been the focus of research for many years. Marketing research seeks to find the answers as to why people make specific choices and how can these be predicted.   Are there commonalities among purchasing groups that can be identified as predictors?   The literature available is rich, as researchers try to understand the drive forces and motivators of the consumer. Hovland and Rosenberg (1960) proposed that attitude, acting as an intervening or moderating variable, consists of three components: cognition (knowledge, ability), affect (beliefs, opinions) and conation (behavior or intent of behavior) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Hansen, 1972).  Ã‚   In order for behavior intent to exist, the three components must be present (Fazio & Olsen, 2003). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that attitude does not consist of three components, but is the moderating or intervening variable between cognition and the behavioral intent.   Attitude is derived from cognition, which in turn determines the intent to act or not (Ryan, 1982)   They proposed that researchers need to look at four categories: 1) knowledge, opinions and beliefs (cognition) about the object, 2) attitude (affect) towards the object, 3) behavior intent (conation) and 4) observed behavior to the object (Fishbein and   Ajzen, 1975). The specific action cannot be determined by the assessment of the knowledge of attitude toward an object but rather through the person’s intention to perform the act (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   Previous studies have shown that people may have a positive attitude toward an object; however, the intention of behavior will be negative.  Ã‚   This was found in studies concerning blood donation, condom use, and racial prejudice (Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005; Burnkrant and Page, 1982; Fazio and Olson, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Although many previous surveys showed favorable attitudes toward blood donation, condom use, and other races, their intention to give blood, use condoms or socialize with racial groups was negative.   Therefore, the intent of behavior of an individual must be determined, as well as his beliefs and attitude.   An in-depth discussion of each component will be addressed at a later point of this chapter.   MOA THEORY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Related to the behavioral intent theories is the motivation-opportunity-ability theory of processing information.   Although this theory is in response to communication outcomes, the components are relative to this study.   According to the MOA theory, a person must have motivation, opportunity, and ability to process information in order to develop an attitude towards a brand, which can be enhanced through advertising cues (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Motivation in ad processing refers to the consumers’ willingness to allocate processing resources; whereas, opportunity is the amount of attention that is allocated without disruption; and ability is the â€Å"skills or proficiencies† or prior knowledge (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Each component of the MacInnes et al. model will be discussed in greater detail.   Cognition – Knowledge, Opinions and Beliefs The cognition or knowledge, opinions and beliefs component of the Fishbein and Ajzen model is considered to be the driving force of the model.   Beliefs about an object are formed through direct observation, with information received from outside sources or by inference processes (Fazio and Olsen, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   The information or knowledge sought in belief formation in a specific situation can be influenced by the effort needed to obtain the information, the time constraint, and the likelihood that the information will be useful (Hansen, 1972).   Opportunity Opportunity pertains to those distractions or environmental factors which affect the consumers’ attention to information (Agho et al., 1993; MacInnes and Jaworski, 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Fazio and Olsen (2003) further proposed in their MODE or Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants of attitude-behavior relationship that in order for deliberate processes such as activities used in belief formation, opportunity to engage in the deliberate process must first be available, otherwise, the consumer will resort to memory (Fazio & Olsen, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time is reflective of opportunity as it influences consumer behavior and choices.   This finite and intangible resource is allocated by the consumer by choice, and is acquired by trading for another resource such as money (Bergadaa, 1990).   Therefore, consumers must choose how to use and manage their time.   Okada and Hoch (2004) found that consumers place a higher value on time spent if the outcome is positive and a lesser value if the experience is negative.   Consumers who have little time pressure will process the information in a leisurely fashion.   However, consumers who experience greater time pressure will generally use less time to process the information (Suri and Monroe, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, this study will propose that if the consumer has little time or reduced opportunity to expend on search and information gathering, he or she will be more likely to enlist the services of a realtor.   However, if the consumer is seeking monetary savings, and believes that time is less than the value of monetary costs, that consumer will participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction. Reference groups, friends, and family are important resources for the search of information, which is an integral part of buying or selling real estate.   This social network provides a means for sending and receiving information.   Word-of-mouth communication is important in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the consumer.   â€Å"Personal word-of-mouth influence has a more decisive role in influencing behavior than advertising and other marketer dominated sources (Herr et al., 1991).   Brown and Reingen (1987) found that the stronger the relationship tie, the more influential the communication.   The weaker relationships, on the other hand, were instrumental in developing a bridge in the communication flow and in providing a means for referrals.   The opportunity to obtain information increases as the number of people a person comes into contact with increases.   Ability Ability comprises the second component of cognition.   Not only does the consumer need opportunity to process information, but he or she must have the skill set or ability to access and process the information (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Any increase in ability can reduce the search process for information, as consumers will rely more on internal information than external information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003). The Internet has become a primary source for product research.   By using the Internet, consumers are afforded the ability to research a specific product, as well as compare products, attributes and prices.   â€Å"Retail businesses must struggle with facing an era of unprecedented consumer power obtained through Internet information† (Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002).   This phenomenon would apply to the sale or purchase of a home as well (Muhanna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology and the Internet have provided consumers access to information and products that were previously difficult, if not impossible to obtain, as well as have significantly influenced lowering of search costs.   Armed with this advantage, consumers are now afforded with possibilities of researching on the Internet and taking virtual tours, or viewing pictures and descriptions of available properties from the comfort of their own home.   The use of the Internet as one source of information will reduce the cost to the consumer during the search process (Baen, 1997; Baen and Guttery, 1997; Bakos, 1998; Seiler et al., 2001; Giaglis et al., 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ability is an intangible attribute that is often related to age and education.   As a person ages, or attains higher levels of education, the level of ability increases (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Age contributes to the informal knowledge base while education contributes to the formal knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Experience is also often associated with the level of ability (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Alba and Marmorstein (1987) studied the correlation of frequency or the number of times an event occurs, of experience to knowledge levels.  Ã‚   The greater the number of times a person was exposed to information or experience, the process of decision making was observed to be faster and less complicated.   Furthermore, â€Å"task performance is improved by different types of experiences† (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987).   Gibler and Nelson (2003) described that experienced home buyers remember which dimensions were useful in the past; on the other hand, inexperienced buyers ar e more susceptible to external influences, such as real estate agents, in determining their criteria for selection.   Therefore, the more homes a person has bought and/or sold, the more experience he/she has gained, and the less likely will that person enlist the services of a real estate agent.   The measurement of the levels of ability by the consumer can be ascertained by examining age, education level and prior experience.   â€Å"The greater the accumulation of experience and knowledge as one ages creates a reduced desire for additional information† (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).   Conation/Motivation – Dependent Variable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conation is defined as behavior or behavior intent.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) determined that conation is motivation or behavior intent.   Behavior only occurs if motivation is present to perform the behavior.   MacInnes et al. (1991) stated in their MOA theory that motivation is defined as the consumers’ desire or readiness to process the information.   Therefore, motivation can be defined as behavior intent.   Opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, and ability, measured by Internet access, education and experience (cognition) directly influence the level of motivation or behavior intent (conation).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hovland and Rosenberg (1959) proposed that attitude consists of three elements:   cognition, affect and conation.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argued, however, that attitude is affect, or the feelings toward a behavior.   â€Å"Attitudes reflect reasons for acting, and focus on what the decision maker does or can do† (Bagozzi et al., 2003)   For the purposes of this study, affect and attitude will be treated as the same and will be referred to as affect.   Affect is the result of cognition (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Therefore, if behavior intent is a result of persuasion and persuasion is the result of cognition, then persuasion will act as a moderating variable.   As the persuasion increases positively and based upon previous studies, behavior intent will increase positively.   Media habits, or message exposure, will also moderate cognition-affect-behavior intent (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Rubben, 2003).   The higher the levels of exposure to television, radio, newspaper, and internet, the more frequency the messages will occur (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics have been routinely used in marketing to assist in segmenting markets based upon gender, age group, income, culture, marital status, education and household size.   These variables are often referred to as demographics; however, as pointed out by Art Weinstein (1994), many variables used for demography are often socioeconomic.   It is common in marketing research to refer to all of these variables as â€Å"demographics† (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics are commonly used in business management due to the fact that they are easy to collect, group and analyze.   Furthermore, demographic variables typically have an interrelated correlation, which facilitates generalization and analysis of demographic data (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Household income and household size have a direct correlation with the monetary asset or value.   Consumers with lower incomes, or who have a large number of members in the household, are generally more price conscious.   Therefore, it is proposed that these consumers would prefer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction, foregoing the commissions paid to a real estate agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this study is to identify those determinants which persuade a consumer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction.   Therefore, in order to identify these factors, the proposed model is an integration of the three major theoretical models discussed. Fishbein and Ajzen’s expectancy value model, and Hovland and Rosenberg’s tripartite theory of behavior, provides the cognition-affect-conation model and cognition-attitude-motivation.   Integrated with this model, is the MOA model as proposed by MacInnes, Moorman and Jaworski (1991), in which behavior is influenced by motivation, opportunity and ability.   Through literature, it has been determined that opportunity and ability are components of cognition, and motivation is influenced by cognition and moderated by affect.   METHODOLOGY Study Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The selected population for this study is the participants of a study conducted by Bluefield State College School of Business.   The purpose of the study was to collect raw data regarding the real estate buying and selling behavior of the consumer in the local area, which would be available for future analysis and interpretation.   Their sample is composed of participants over the age of 18 at a local annual exposition held in Mercer County, West Virginia.   Mercer County has a population of 61, 589 people with a median income of $28,130. In 2004, 30,207 housing units existed in the County, with 63.5% of the population living in the same house in 2000.   The homeownership rate was 76.8% in 2000 (US Census Bureau).   The attendance rate at this particular event was approximately 6000 people, approximately 10% of the population (Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 2006).   Table 2 provides a summation of the demographics of Mercer County, West Virginia, in comparison to the State of West Virginia and United States averages.   Table 2. Demographic Data Mercer County, WV, State of West Virginia and United States (US Census Bureau, 2000) Demographic Mercer County West Virginia United States Population 62, 980 1,816,815 281,421,906 Median Household Income 28,120 32,967 43,318 Homeownership 76.8% 75.2% 66.2% For Sale By Owner N/A N/A 13% Living in the same home in 1995 and 2000 63.5% 63.3% 54.1% Housing units 30,207 866,944 122,671,734 High School Graduates 72.1% 75.2% 80.4% Bachelor’s Degree or above 13.8% 14.8% 24.4% In order to determine the appropriate sample size needed to complete this study, the following formula was used (Malhotra, 372); whereas the number of possible homeowners is 76.8% or 77% (US Census, 2000), Proportion of population that are homeowners (Ï€) = .70 Desired precision level (D) =.05 Confidence Level (CL) = 95% z value associated with 95% confidence level =1.96: Therefore, the number of samples needed:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n = Ï€(1-Ï€)z2/D2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(1-.77)(1.96)2/.052   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(.23)(3.8416)/.25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=272.13 or 272 samples needed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bluefield State College study contains 356 usable surveys of individuals rather than households, which is in excess of the 272 samples required for this study.   Based upon attendance of 6,000, this represents .0593% or 6% of the attendees surveyed. Instrument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The questionnaire developed consists of 42 questions including 35 opinion statements followed by 4-point Likert Scale responses and 8 demographic questions.   The Likert responses ranged from â€Å"mostly disagree† = 1 to â€Å"mostly agree† = 4.   Therefore, those who prefer to purchase or sell real estate without the assistance of a real estate agent will answer 1’s or mostly disagree.   These questions were drawn from Mitchell’s 1980 VALS; however, drawing from the works of Wells (1975) the constructs were changed to reflect product specific behavior. Opportunity H1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the level of opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, increases, the behavior intent or motivation to buy or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase.      Two variables will be measured to identify the positive or negative level of opportunity.   As previously stated in the literature, opportunity is influenced by time and social contacts. Six opinion statements are used to identify respondents’ attitudes and opinions regarding time, or the lack of time. These statements are followed by four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   An example statement from the questionnaire is, â€Å"I spend more than 40 hours a week outside of the home†.   Those respondents, who disagree with this statement, will have more time available to search or sell a home.   Previous research cited has shown that reference groups are an important factor during the information search phase of the decision making process.   Therefore, the more people a consumer comes into contact with, the greater access to information.   The questionnaire contains eight opinion statements with 4-point Lickert-scale responses.   These statements represent the respondent’s network by asking questions in regards to school, community, church and family gatherings.   It is proposed that respondents who have a larger network of social contacts will have access to more information than those who choose not to participate in outside of the home activities.   Therefore, based upon the scale responses, 1=mostly disagree and 4=mostly agree, responses that are higher numbers, will most likely have a stronger social network.   For instance, the statement â€Å"I am active in my community†, reflects the activities of the respondent.   If the response is a 4, then the respondent has outside of the home social contacts and access to information. Affect H1a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The direction of the level of affect will moderate the level of motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to determine affect, or beliefs, the survey provided seven belief statements.   Respondents responded using a Lickert scale, with â€Å"1† = mostly disagree to â€Å"4† = mostly agree.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I believe real estate agents are a necessity when buying or selling a home†.   Responses with higher numbers will have a strong belief concerning real estate agents. Ability H2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As ability, measured by age, education and experience, increases, behavior intent or motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase. Ability is measured by three variables:   experience, Internet access and education. In order to determine experience, the survey provides two questions and twelve opinion statements.   Experience can be measured by the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime.   Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more.   As the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime increases, the level of experience increases.   The highest possible response will be a 4 and the lowest 1.   Furthermore, experience with a real estate agent is questioned.   If the respondent had used an agent to buy or sell his/her home the answer would be no, represented by the number 1.   If yes, then number 2. Internet presence, which is also an indicator of information access, is determined in the questionnaire by requesting the respondent to choose which email providers they use for email.   The more email providers would indicate a higher Internet usage of the respondent.   Also, based upon the provider, it can be determined if the respondent has high speed cable or DSL access.   Those respondents without email would respond to â€Å"none†. Information regarding education level will then be analyzed to determine correlation with the questions and statements regarding ability.   According to the literature cited, it is proposed that as the level of education, Internet access, and experience increases ability will increase, which will directly impact behavior intent. Motivation (Behavior Intent) The next twelve statements contained in the survey are opinion statements regarding the use of real estate agents, brokers and intentions of the respondent.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I would always use a real estate agent to help with purchasing a home†.   Respondents were given four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   Therefore, â€Å"3† and â€Å"4† would indicate the respondent’s intent to use a real estate agent, rather than for sale by owner. Media Habits H1b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of opportunity and its relationship with motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent..      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of ability and its relationship with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Media habits, is also an indicator of information access.   Survey questions ask respondents the number of hours spent weekly watching television, listening to the radio, as well as newspapers read.   It is proposed that as the hours spent watching television or listening to the radio will moderate cognition and behavior intent.   As the number of hours exposed to media increases, the level of behavior intent will increase. Demographics H1c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between opportunity and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between ability and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic information regarding age, household income and household size will be collected.   This information will mediate cognition and behavior intent. Questions concerning gender, marital status and zip code will be used as descriptor or extraneous variables which are not statistically significant in this study. Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The data that will be used in this study has been collected by the Bluefield State College School of Business; however, statistical analysis has not been completed.   Therefore, raw data obtained will be used for this study. The first step will be determining the descriptive statistics of the variables used in the study.   This will provide the mean, median and standard deviation of each survey question.   The aggregate mean will then be used for each variable.   The results of this analysis will then be used to conduct inferential statistic analysis. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistic analysis will be conducted in four steps.   Multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the affect of the moderating and mediating variables.   The dependent variable is dichotomous; therefore, logit analysis will be conducted, followed by model fit and significance testing. Due to the existence of several independent variables, mediators and moderators influencing the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the relationships (Hair, 2003, p579).   The steps that will be taken to accomplish this, as recommended by Hair (2003, p579) are: assess the statistical significance of the overall regression model using the F statistic with a level of significance

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The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby Essay If The Great Gatsby had taken place in Sri Lanka, the hype surrounding F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel would have been non-existent. The enthralling love affairs between the characters that are the foundation of the story would have been absent from the plot because Sri Lankan culture is grounded on Buddhism. Buddhist guidelines emphasize the thought that attachment leads to suffering, a theme that appears habitually throughout the novel. Most characters in the novel face this attachment, but at such a degree that they are unable to detach themselves from the thing they desire. The collective inabilities of Wilson, Gatsby and Tom to let go of the people they love are key contributors to Gatsby’s murder. Wilson’s ineptitude to admit that Myrtle, his wife of 12 years, no longer loves him causes emotional suffering and plays a role in Gatsby’s murder. Wilson discovers that â€Å"Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him,† (111) that she shared with Tom. Wilson, in an attempt not to lose Myrtle forever, locks her in her room so that she can’t run away. His plan is to keep her closed off from the world for a few days and then â€Å"she is going whether she wants to or not† (111). Wilson plans on moving away with her so that the two can start a new life, with no one to get in between them. Although Wilson thinks that this will save his relationship, he is inept to acknowledge that he can’t do anything for them. Myrtle, trying to escape from Wilson, runs into the street and is hit by a car, Gatsby’s car. This causes Wilson to mistakenly believe that Gatsby is the one who killed Myrtle. Using an â€Å"eye for an eye† mentality Wilson wants the same consequences to be inflicted on Gatsby and seeks revenge by murdering him. Had Wilson been able to let go of Myrtle, he most likely wouldn’t have felt anger towards Gatsby. But his ineptitude to let go causes him to feel anger towards Gatsby because he has problems imagining a life without Myrtle. Wilson’s incapacity to acknowledge Myrtle’s lack of feelings for him is among components leading to Gatsby’s death. The inability of Gatsby and Daisy to let go of their past together ultimately contributes to Gatsby’s demise. The couple’s passionate history is rekindled because their houses are in close enough proximity to resume their connection. Even though Daisy has been married to Tom for the past five years, she maintains clandestine feelings for Gatsby. â€Å"Both of us loved each other all of that time,† (111) states Daisy in an emotional moment. This drawn out love holds true for Gatsby who faces difficulties letting go of Daisy. For example, right after Daisy marries Tom, Gatsby has problems accepting the realization that she is out of his reach forever. In desperation Gatsby crashes their wedding. Gatsby, a. k. a. Biloxi, ends up making an excuse to sleep at Daisy’s house for a few weeks after her marriage. Daisy is unaware that it is Gatsby, not Biloxi the box maker from Tennessee, who has been sleeping in her house all of that time. Even though Daisy is married to Tom, Gatsby has such an attachment to her that he hasn’t moved on. Gatsby’s inability to forget about Daisy leads him to persuade Nick to invite Daisy over for dinner. Gatsby plans on trying to reconnect an old fire within Daisy that used to burn for him. This attempt to reignite his love with Daisy ultimately results in his own death. Tom, Daisy’s husband, still loves her and like Wilson is distraught by the fact that another man is taking away his love. Tom wants a way to get rid of Gatsby so that Daisy will only have one man in her life. Tom sees his opportunity to rid Gatsby from Daisy’s’ â€Å"picture† by telling Wilson, who is seeking revenge for his wife’s murder, it was Gatsby’s car that killed Myrtle. In a way Gatsby contributed to his own death by not being able to put his past with Daisy behind him. This incapacity to move on is the spark that ignites people’s revenge towards him, and ultimately is the main cause of his death. Tom’s inability to admit that Daisy has become unfaithful, results in him seeking revenge on Gatsby. Tom is aware of the fact that Daisy and Gatsby have an on going clandestine affair, but still thinks that Daisy has loved him during that time. â€Å"Daisy loved me when she married me and she loves me now,† (117) yells Tom at Gatsby. This shows how Tom is incapable of admitting that Daisy has moved on from him. Even though Daisy is having an affair, Tom still thinks that the two of them share a passionate love for one another. Tom is so confident that Daisy still loves him that he states, â€Å"She’s not leaving me† (118). He falsely thinks that Daisy is as in love with him as he is with her. His inability to let go has made him think that Daisy also doesn’t want to loose him. Like all of the other characters in the book, Tom’s inability to let go of Daisy contributes to Gatsby’s murder. Tom still loves Daisy even though she has moved on from him, and will do anything to still be with her. Tom understands that the only way to be with Daisy is for Gatsby to disappear. Therefore, Tom tells Wilson that Gatsby’s car responsible for killing Myrtle, and as previously stated, allows for Wilson to get revenge on Gatsby. By refusing to admit that Daisy still doesn’t have feelings for him, Tom contributes to Gatsby death. Have you ever gone to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and seen one of those Pointillism paintings made up of small dots of paint? The murder of Gatsby is like a pointillist painting titled â€Å"Just Let Go†. Gatsby’s inability to let go of Daisy is the purple, Tom’s inability to let go of Daisy is the green, and Wilson’s inability to let go of Myrtle is the blue. The important thing is that all of these â€Å"colors† come together to form one image. Like the paintings up close, you only see the different colors and are unaware of the bigger picture being painted. When you look closely at The Great Gatsby you are also unaware how Wilson’s love for Myrtle could lead to Gatsby’s death. But when you step back it becomes apparent how each event leads to Gatsby’s unfortunate death. All of the little actions of Tom, Wilson and Gatsby are small dots in a bigger image. If these three men were able to let go of the people they loved at one time, Gatsby most likely wouldn’t have died. Like the Beatles sang, â€Å"Let if be, let it be, let it be, let it be. Speaking words of wisdom let it be. † If only the Beatles were founded 40 years earlier to pass their message onto the main characters in The Great Gatsby.

Designing An Online Dating Service Information Technology Essay

Designing An Online Dating Service Information Technology Essay Valentinos has been a very successful dating service since 1976 as it provides a round the clock assistance to their clients. The company allows the client to request as many introductions as they can and also facilitate the modification of the information as many times as the member wants to free of charge. The agency is very popular because it not only provides better customer care but also effective matching with largest number of members. Weakness Time consuming in terms of matching from database Lack of investment in technology No provision of online matching as the website is information only The technology used for maintaining the database and language used for writing the code are very old The system is poorly documented Valentinos is losing its profitability as the services it provides are old fashioned and consume a lot of time. The process of match making is done offline which delays the service. The technology used in the system is also a decade older which the new staff finds difficult to use and maintain. Opportunities Make use of new and improved technology Provide online matching of compatible clients Bring innovation to their marketing strategy by advertising online Including winks, flirts and various emotions along with messages Valentinos can make best use of the recent advancements in the technology so that they can attract more clients and serve the existing clients in a better way. They can advertise on the internet on different websites along with newspapers and public transports due to the increase usage of internet over the past few years. Threats Different agencies providing better and advanced interactive interfaces Some agencies providing registration free of cost Changing government laws on accessing personal information Due to the competition from various new dating agencies which provide more and more interactive services using of the new technologies at hand, Valentinos is losing its market share. Changes made in the government policies in the past decade also contribute to the loss in the profitability of the organization. BALANCED BUSINESS SCORECARD Financial Objectives Measures Targets Increase the revenue from membership Application processed per day Increase the application processed per day by 15% in next 1 year Reduce advertisement cost More online advertisements Reduce the advertisement cost by 20% within next 6 months Reduce manpower cost Number of queries handled per employee Reduce the cost of manpower by 5% in next one year Customer Objectives Measures Targets Increase response time Time taken to process an application Response time should be within 24 hours Decrease registration fee cost for membership Registration fee should be reduced to 125 pounds More matches per list List of compatible members Compatibility list should have 10 person/ list Internal Objectives Measures Targets Increase manpower utilization No. of applications processed/ employee Increase the No. of applications processed/ employee by 10% Speed up the process of displaying members details Time taken to display members information Members information should be displayed within 24 Provision of online matching No. of matches per application Increase no. of matches per application by 15% Innovation Objectives Measures Targets Market survey To make use of the new technology at a faster pace Quarterly progress Interactive environment of the website Use of more winks and emotions with better look and feel of website Include new features in the website within 2 months VISION STATEMENT For all the people in U.K. who are single and in search for their special someone, Valentinos- the personal introductions agency is an online matchmaking agency that will help them to find the companion they are looking for. The agency allows the users to create a profile on its website to search for their suitable partners without the need to display much of their personal information. The information held is fully confidential, secure and assisted by trained personnel of the company 24*7. The system will increase the revenue of the agency by 20% in the first year of its use. Unlike the current offline matching system our new system will provide the customers with the option of online dating allowing them to find their partners in no time. The customers will be able to interact with their partners effectively and a lot of time will be saved in finding the right match. Scope Diagram Help Desk Administrator Client Website Maintains Member profiles Output Result Query Database Registers Compatible Profiles Customer Assistance Valentinos Membership MatchmakingOut of scope: Marketing Techniques Advancement in technology used Market survey Costs: Cost of development of online matchmaking system The cost that will be involved in creating the software for matching profiles online. Cost of software updation As the software is very old it needs to be updated so it covers the cost involved in any updation of the website. Hardware installation cost This include the cost of setting up of new servers to handle the increased traffic of member and also of the new systems to be set up having advanced technologies. Staff training cost It covers the cost involved in arranging seminars and sessions for the employees to train them so that they can provide efficient service. Software maintenance The cost involved in maintain the software i.e. various updates needed and instalment of new versions of it. Cost of customer Assistance It covers the cost of providing assistance to the clients i.e. setting up of various telephone lines and hiring new people to provide assistance. Benefits: Increased revenue from membership fee There will be an increase in revenue as with new services there will be increase in demand for the membership of the agency. Better throughput The profiles of the clients will be made available in less time thus the process of adding members will increase. Increased customer satisfaction As the services provided will be faster and more proficient the customers will be satisfied to a greater extent. Fast profile matching With online profile matching the compatible list can be generated in very less amount of time thus speeding up the process of dating. Fewer Complaints With the matches been made available in less time there would be fewer problems in related to the delivery of matches and hence the complaints from the clients will also decrease. Increased reliability The dating system will be more reliable as the matches are made online which will result in the decrease in human errors and the success of delivery of results will increase. Functional requirements Membership Creating user profiles Managing user profiles Registration Priority: Medium Profile matching 2.1 Search the members database 2.2 Match the compatible profiles 2.3 Display the matching profiles Priority: High Managing Staff 3.1 Employees responsible for the development 3.2 Employees maintaining database 3.3 Customer assistance staff Priority: Medium Customer support 4.1 Helping with the membership form 4.2 Providing counselling 4.3 Listening to and providing solutions to customer complaints Priority: High Online dating 5.1 Provide online compatibility matching 5.2 Speed dating Priority: High Payments 6.1 Make payments for the membership and new introductions 6.2 Record payments 6.3 Printing statements of the payments made 6.4 Accept membership fee Priority: High Editing user profiles 7.1 Modification to user records by the user any number of times 7.2 Deletion of personal profile Priority: Low Maintaining database 8.1 Creating a database containing user information 8.2 Updating the database 8.3 Deleting the profiles from the database who do not want to be a member anymore Priority: Medium Advertisement 9.1 Increase in online advertisements 9.2 Better graphical advertisements Priority: Low Non-functional requirements Software Quality Attributes Availability-1: The system should be available to the users any time of the day so that they can use it according to their ease. Reliability-1: The capacity of the system should also be planned so that it can handle any amount of user traffic anytime and should not slow down when lot of users are accessing the service at the same time. Performance Requirements PE-1: Response time for answering the general query of the user should not be more than 10 seconds. PE-2: At least 10 matches should be displayed while providing the matching list to the user. PE-3: The members profiles should be made available on the website in no more than one day. PE-4: The compatibility list should be handed over to the member within a day. Security Requirement SE-1: The transactions made online through credit cards should be totally secure so that no theft takes place. SE-2: Members should be asked for verification username and password so that only authorized users can access the service. SE-3: Ensure that only authorized users can modify the account details and personal information of their own profiles. Legislative Requirements LE-1: The system should comply with rules and regulations of the Data Protection Act. LE-2: Personal information provided by the users should be kept confidential i.e. should not be shared with any other entity without the prior permission of the person. Product Requirements PR-1: The software used for providing the service should be easy to upgrade. PR-2: The system should be able to work with all the standard applications. PR-3: The maintaining of the database should not be outsourced to a third party. Employees should be hired to maintain it within the organization. Detailed description of functional requirements Source: Planning Priority: High Owner: Planning Manager Requirement Id: 4.0 Functional requirement: Customer Support To be able to provide counselling to all the users who need one and answer to the complaints of members. Non-functional requirement(s) Description Target Value Acceptable Range Comments Response time 1 day 5 days Analysing the complaint and looking for solution Service hours 24 hours a day Benefits Will enable the agency to improvise the services they offer by finding solutions to the customer complaints. Comments/suggested solutions The user can also provide feedback. Related Documents Related requirements Resolution Source: Planning Priority: High Owner: Planning Manager Requirement Id: 5.0 Functional requirement: Online Dating To be able to match the compatible profiles online and displaying the results to the user. Non-functional requirement(s) Description Target Value Acceptable Range Comments Response time 1 hour 2-3 hours Searching the large database Benefits Will enable the user to find his/her compatible profiles list in a very quick time. Comments/suggested solutions Instant display of compatible profiles. Related Documents Related requirements 2.0 Profile Matching Resolution (Goodland, 2010) Use Case Model For Valentinos (created using StarUML)Detailed description of a single Use Case Use Case 6.1 Make Payment Goal in Context New user deposits the registration fee to use the services of the agency and existing user deposits the charge for getting new introductions Scope Level Online Dating System, User goal Precondition System available, Finance manager available Success End Condition Payment made successfully, Registration fee paid, receipt of the payment handed to user Failed End Condition Payment not successful, receipt not accepted Primary, Secondary Actors Client, Finance Manager, Credit Card Company, Bank Trigger Request for Introductions Description Step Action 1 Client is asked to make the payment to get the introductions. 2 Client enters his/her account details 3 Makes the required payment 4 Finance Manager records the payment made 5 Finance Manager generates a receipt 6 Client prints the receipt Extensions Step Branching Action 1a If the client is the first time customer: 1a1. Asked to register first 1a2. Deposits the membership fee also 2a If the client enters the wrong password: 2a1. Give him few more chances to enter the right one 2a2. Allow the client to change the password if he does not get it right. 4a If the client is using the system for the first time: 4a1. Create a new account for him. Variations Step Branching Action 3 Client may pay through Credit card, Demand draft, Pay pal Related information Make Payments Priority High Performance 5 minutes for the payment, 1 minute to handover the receipt Frequency 500/day Channels to actors Online Open issues Due Date à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦any other management informationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Included in Inclusions (Goodland, 2010) Assumptions made while modelling use case diagram Client can also provide a feedback in the form of complaints if he is dissatisfied with the services or the agency or if he wants to recommend any changes to the service. Administrator will maintain the information supplied by the client. He will also maintain the history of every client i.e. the introductions offered to the client. Administrator will hold the details of all the employees of the company. Customer service providers will not only provide solutions to the queries of the clients but also will be responsible for handling the complaints if any made by the client. Finance manager will be responsible for recording all the payments made by the clients so that the information can be used by the credit card company. He will also be required to produce statements of all the payments made by the client. Developer will have to run the match list to find compatible profiles and also manage the user traffic on the companys website. Areas Requiring Further Definition The use case Make Payments can further be expanded by including the different ways by which user can pay i.e. the user can either pay by credit card, a demand draft or even through services such as pay pal. The use case view online matches can be viewed in further detail by adding various features of online dating like chatting, winking, emotions etc. Rich Picture for Valentinos Reduced cost of offline matching Why cannot i have more than 6 matches Provide faster matches earn more money Will it be secure from hackers? This system will help us compete with new agencies Now I can see matches instantly Administrator Online matchmaking service Manager More work and new technology Maintain client records and their history Manage the traffic and run the match list for users Design the new system with latest technology Make the site more interactive Less queries about delivery success Decrease in number of complaints Developer Customer AssistanceC:UsersDeepankerAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5P2TU6YUZMC900055561[1].wmfC:UsersDeepankerAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5XUXPG77LMC900332528[1].wmf wow a faster and a convenient dating service Client C:UsersDeepankerAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5XUXPG77LMC900410797[1].wmf Police Is the company following the Data Protection Law C:UsersDeepankerAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE56NVVFFGMC900150005[1].wmf C:UsersDeepankerAppDataLocalMicrosoftWindowsTemporary Internet FilesContent.IE5P2TU6YUZMM900365263[1].gif Hacker More chances of getting caught Solve the problems of customers Various Stakeholders Primary stakeholders Client, Shareholders, Developer Secondary Stakeholders Administrator, Finance manager, Customer assistance staff, Hackers Key Stakeholders Client, Shareholders Stakeholders Attitudes Clients that are already using the dating service might not be comfortable with the new system at first. But as they get used to it they will find the new features of the system easy and better to use. The Shareholders at first might fear that the investment for the new system will not be worth the money and the effort. They have to be convinced that it is for the better as the services provided will be enhanced with greater customer satisfaction resulting to increased revenue. The employees may also find it hard to operate the new system as they are used to working with the older one for many years. There should be proper training provided to all the employees on the new system so that they can handle the new system efficiently. The development team may also find it a cumbersome job to create a new system and integrating it with the existing one. There will be an increased amount of work for the customer assistance department in the beginning when the new system is implemented. The lines might be flooded with assistance so they may demand an increase in pay or else new employees have to be recruited. Change Management The development team might not be very proficient or they may be wasting a lot of time in developing the new system. The project may be delayed and wasting a lot of money of the company. The senior managers might have to provide a warning of execution to the present team. If the development process still does not takes the required pace new development team has to be hired. During the developmental stage there might be a change in technology in demand which is cheaper and provides better functionality. Developers will be interested in that but the investors who have already invested in the existing technology will be reluctant. Both the teams have to agree on one common solution for the project to continue. If the new investment in the technology yields a profit on the combined total investment then the management gives a go ahead for investment in the new technology. Possible Developmental Approaches Scenario 1: Development by an external contractor who will specify the system and have it programmed by their sister company Select user story for release Suitable development approach would be Extreme Programming (XP). XP is chosen as it is an agile development technique which helps in developing a more effective product. A the programming is outsourced to the sister company it will be convenient for the contractor to follow this approach as the development can be done with only one customer n only 3 weeks of time. The process of development involves informal story narration of requirements between a customer and developer which can be easily understood. The programming is done by the programmers in pair. There is daily interaction with the customer so if he feels that the system has reached the desired level further work may be prevented. (Source: Cockburn A., 2008) Stories broken down into tasks Release planning Develop/ test software Software release System evaluation Extreme Programming Release Cycle (Sommerville, 2007) Advantages Cost saving in development as the development team consists of 3-10 members only. Development can be done with one customer also in a single room. The process of development is done in interactions over a period of 3 weeks. Each iteration provides the code that is tested and running. The customers as well as the programmers can reprioritize the tasks over time. Pair programming is followed. The delay of finding the solution is less. Rapid feedback. The design is simple. (Cockburn, 2008) Disadvantages The requirements are not documented. To proceed with development discussion is needed between developer and customer after every iteration. Optimization of code is left for the end. No overtime. (Goodland, 2010) Risks Involved There might arise a conflict between the two programmers and they may not be able to reach to a common conclusion. Hence the development can be delayed or even not be able to proceed. In such a case a new team has to set up and the work has to be done all over again. If there is a sudden change in the development team, new employees will find it hard to understand the progress of the work as the requirements are not documented anywhere. (Cockburn, 2008) Scenario 2: Purchase of rival agency and customisation of their software The development lifecycle suitable for such a scenario will be Incremental Model because the software is already present with the rival agency. The development team of Valentinos only need to structure some components and provide extra functionality to it according to their ease. It is an iterative model for the waterfall lifecycle approach i.e. each iteration follows the waterfall model and the iterations are done till the desired functionality of the end product is reached. (Ruparelia, 2010) Design system architecture Assign increments to requirements Define requirements Final system Validate system Integrate increment Validate increment Develop system increment System Incomplete Incremental Model Cycle (Goodland, 2010) Advantages The functionality of the software is made available quickly and in the early stages. Previous iterations provide feedback to the new ones. While the iterations are smaller testing and debussing is an easier job. Stakeholders view can also be incorporated throughout the development cycle. Risk of failure of the project is very low. Potential issues with the development can be found out easily and can be resolved. (Ruparelia, 2010) Disadvantages The individual iterations done are not flexible and they do not overlap with one another. All the requirements for the system life cycle are not clearly framed out during the initial iterations which may lead to problems. (Source: http://qastation.wordpress.com/2008/04/27/software-development-life-cycle-part-5/ )

Evolution of the Moral Code Essays -- Philosophy essays

Evolution of the Moral Code "Morality is the herding instinct of the individual."  Ã‚  Ã‚   -Nietzsche Within the depths of your imagination, two tribes exist. Peaceful hunter-gatherers, they are exactly equal in every respect. All of the variables in their environment are the same or cancel each other out. Their birth and death rates coincide exactly, their resources and location are so similar that they could be the same tribe. They remain in this state of equality, completely unaware of each others' existence, until one day a fight erupts in both tribes at the same time which heats to the point where one member of the tribe kills another in anger. Amidst this, something unusual happens: for the first time, a split occurs in the behavior of the tribes. The first tribe frowns upon the behavior, convenes a meeting of tribal elders, and decides to punish the individual. The punishment is severe and public, the individual justly reprimanded for his heinous crime. In the second tribe, the action is seen as natural. The argument exploded into anger, a perfectly natural emotion, and escalated to the point where it was a life-or-death situation. No punishment is handed down, and the tribe continues to live. As time passes, the tribe which punished the murder sees few further murders, instead keeping its strict standard and severely punishing any such transgression. The looser tribe sees more murders, as it is perfectly accepted, a part of their moral code. Or rather, an accepted standard not mentioned in their moral code. Time passes. The difference does not cause the end or severe decline of either tribe. At some point, the tribes become aware of each other, and find it necessary for the purposes of this illustra... ...essary if we replace it with the realization that morals are in place that we may live together. In this theoretical case, the hypocrisy of religion is subtracted with the outdated morals no longer needed to keep the outdated system intact. The important morals will remain, and religious crimes will end, such as much of the seemingly endless religion-fueled fighting in the Middle East. Religion must, in the end, go, to be replaced by simple ethics and respect. Unfeasible? Wholly. But on the individual level, at least acceptance can be learned and perhaps passed on, and eventually, the outdated, humanized view of God will be replaced by love. For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself; for in case we live, we live to the Lord, and in case we die, we die to the Lord; so whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. -Romans 14:7-8

Staying Connected Essay -- Technology, Social Medias, Smart Phones

What is the first thing we do when we get on our smart phone? Check Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It is amazing how society stays connected today. With the technology we have, social networking has reached new heights in popularity and usefulness. The applications to social media are endless; from sharing pictures, songs, microblogging, and online dating, there is something in it for everyone. With the endless possibilities of social media, people can use it as a wonderful thing or abuse it to become a bad thing. With great power comes great responsibility, and social media is no exception to the rule. Social media can have a negative impact on society for several reasons. One of the first and main issues is privacy. People put so much information on the internet that they would never tell a stranger. People put questionable pictures on Facebook that are later regretted when viewed by an employer or boss. On Facebook people fill out biographies of themselves from date of birth all the way to where they live. They might as well put their social security number on there for anyone to see. The number of identity thieves has risen drastically over the past decade. With internet stalkers looking up and knowing everything about their victims, it is easier than ever to steel someone’s identity. Another problem with putting information on the internet is that companies take this information and sell it for advertising purposes. From a sales person’s view, this is the perfect opportunity to save money. Marketing teams have been trying to figure out how to specifically target each potential customer as cheaply as possible. Today they have figured out the key to this: social media. Have you ever wondered how the advertisement that pops... ...ocial media has redefined the way we live, for better or worse. It has the potential to be one of the greatest inventions in history. But until citizens become responsible as a whole, we cannot handle this power quite yet. Overall social media does more harm than good today, but with future corrections and revisions this could change for the good of mankind. Works Cited Lee, Ellen. â€Å"Social Sites Are Becoming Too Much of a Good Thing.† San Francisco Chronicle (2006) Rpt. in Issues across the Disciplines. Ed. Jennifer Pickel. Vol. #11. New York City: The City University of New York LaGuardia College, 2011. 152-55. Print. McCarthy, Ellen. â€Å"Oh, What a Tangled Online Dating Web We Weave.† Washington Post, 2009. Rpt. in Issues across the Disciplines. Ed. Jennifer Pickel. Vol. #11. New York City: The City University of New York LaGuardia College, 2011. 152-55. Print.

Quebec, The Province, The People, The History :: essays research papers

Quebec, The Province, The People, The History Quebec is a province in eastern Canada, bordered on the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay; on the east by Labrador (Which is a part of Newfoundland), the Strait of Belle Isle, and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; on the south by New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, and Ontario; and on the west by Ontario, James Bay, and Hudson Bay. The name Quebec is derived from an Algonquian term for "place where the river narrows," referring to the Saint Lawrence River near the site of present- day Quebec City, the capital of the province. Quebec is sometimes called "the Storied Province," Quebec became part of the Canadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, as one of the four original provinces. The province of Quebec was first colonized by France and was formally acquired by Great Britain in the Treaty of Paris of 1763. The mass majority of Quebec's population today use French as their first language. Beginning in the 1960s the Quebecois (French-speaking residents of Quebec) made strong efforts to preserve their French heritage as well as to gain additional powers for the province, which led to conflicts with the national government that have yet to be fully resolved. This is apparent in the recent "Referendum" where theQuebecois tried to get Quebec special provincial concederations based on the fact the mass majority of Quebec residents speak French. Quebec is the largest of all the Canadian provinces. Its large area of 1,540,680 sq km (594,858 sq MI) accounts for 15.5 percent of Canada's total area and includes 183,890 sq km (71,000 sq MI) of inland freshwater surface. This is a major draw for Industry in Quebec. Elevations in Quebec range from sea level to 1622 m (5322 ft), atop Mont D'Iberville in the Torngat Mountains in the northeast. Anticosti Island and the Magdalen Islands, (which are both in the Gulf of St. Lawrence), are part of Quebec, which has a tidal shoreline of some 13,775 km (some 8560 MI). Montreal is the leading industrial and commercial center and largest city in the province of Quebec. The climate of Quebec varies drastically. Quebec's climate is effected by regional variations in altitude and by the pce's northern location, and its exposed position between the cold waters of Hudson Bay and the cold ocean currents along the Labrador coast. Montreal has an average January temperature of about -9Â ° C (about 16Â ° F) and an average July temperature of about 22Â ° C (about 72Â ° F). The recorded temperatures in the province have ranged from -54.4Â ° C (-65.9Â ° F), in 1923 at Doucet in the south, to 40Â ° C (104Â ° F), in 1921 at