Should Fred Hire Mimi Despite Her Online History?

In this case â€Å"We Googled You†, googling candidates before hiring often takes place in many companies. Sometimes people’s online histories revealed by googling affect hiring decisions of employers. Fred Westen, the CEO of Hathaway Jones, a luxury appeal retailer, is looking for a candidate who can lead flagship stores successfully in China. Fred met Mimi Brewster and thought that she fits the position because she had grown up in China and she speaks both Mandarin and a local dialect. Mimi graduated from Berkeley University as a cum laude, and majored in modern Chinese history. Hathaway Jones needs creative employees like Mimi who can renovate the image and product line of the company. Fred knows that the brand image of the company is getting old fast according to the firm’s market research. However, the Vice President of HR, Virginia Flanders googled Mimi and found her online information related to protest activities against China. She opposes hiring Mimi because Mimi might get the company into a trouble in the future. If Fred hires Mimi, the company will have a leader who is aggressively creative but potentially risky. On the other hand, if Fred does not hire her, the company can avoid the potential risk but miss a great candidate. Should Fred hire the candidate? From my perspective, Fred Western should talk to Mimi to explain her protest activities, and hire Mimi if the potential risk related the online history can be preventable. He should clarify her point of view about her past protest involvements and how those views have changed rather than making a judgment only from digital information. Online information can be easily falsified so it is important to clarify the situation. If her opinions toward China have changed in positive ways, potential risk can be removed by posting her current point of view on the online. Executives who take responsibility to hire employees should pay more attention to candidates’ potential job abilities than focusing too much on an individual’s online presence. Important hiring standards should focus on what they will do and how they can handle problems in the future rather than what they already did in the past. Fred’s instinct tells him that letting Mimi go to a competitor will be a catastrophe to Hathaway Jones because of her potentials. He cannot realize his ambitious plan to expand on China’s luxury goods market with only people who always play safe. John G. Palfrey’s article, †Should Fred Hire Mimi Despite Her Online History† (p. 42), says that there is no reason to fear bringing Mimi in based on the results of a Google search. Legal issue may arise only if Hathaway Jones discriminates against Mimi. Palfrey argues that if CEOs are looking only for people who are total saints, then maybe they are hiring only uninteresting people at the end of the day. I agree that hiring standards of Virginia have to be revised. Otherwise, companies may miss young great candidates. The young generation called â€Å"digital natives† share much more information on the Internet than the older generation called â€Å"digital immigrants†, who have not plunged themselves into digital environments. If CEOs only hire people who do not have online histories, the companies will suffer from a lack of leaders in the future. Coutu, D. (2007) We Googled You. Harvard Business Review, pp. 37-41. Palfrey, J. (2007). Should Fred Hire Mimi Despite Her Online History? Harvard Business Review, p. 42.

Discrimination in Housing in 1950’s Essay

â€Å"Minorities experienced racism in suburbia in the 1950’s. †(Kruse) Through the postwar, government started developing on highways, housing, and others so on. FHA (Federal Housing Administration) started to build big, nice houses in outside of the city area. Which is now called â€Å"Suburbia†. The main idea of suburbia was having bigger house without lots of money, better social community and nice neighborhood. â€Å"Better housing and jobs, cheap consumer credit, safe and healthy neighborhoods, and good public services and schools. †(Kruse) This idea boomed and Suburbia became popular and got rushed by people. For selling more houses and to make profits their business with big companies, FHA made loaning program. Thru people could be able to buy a house without having money. But meanwhile, FHA had discrimination. They only loan the money to the white. â€Å"Federal government denied most racial minorities access not only to suburbia but also to the many benefits of homeownership. Their goal was to make exclusivity for white. Almost exclusively for white people. †(Kruse) They did not sell the houses to any other minorities even some of them had enough money to buy. To build highways, and houses, in somewhere had to be destroyed for developments. Of course the targets were places where minorities were living in. While suburbia and outside of city were getting developed, the urban area was quickly getting decayed. All minorities were stuck and living in dirty poverty in city. Since that was the government’s act, minorities did not have really anything to do. All they did was protesting, but nothing really influenced changing. But somehow, federal governments felt guilty and removed the discrimination act officially, but there was still segregation going on in individual person’s inside. By the fact, federal governments decided to rebuild urban area. And minorities were able to live in much better conditions. Suburbia mostly started to develop in 1950’s. After world war2, a lot of immigrants kept coming to America and cities were getting packed. People wanted to have better life, better society, and better community. People were sick and tired of city living. A lot of dirty areas in everywhere, small living condition, high taxes crowded by cars, people and danger living. â€Å"People were seeking to remove themselves from the heavy concentration of new immigrant population in the central cities. (Palen) People wanted to get out of the city but not too far away, not to the farms, countryside. Therefore government started to consider and develop some places for them. Suburbia was created to solve this problem, and to satisfy people with their Living. â€Å"It processes something both of the countryside and of the city† (Edwards). For an example, Levitt town was created by Abraham Levitt. Federal government and big businesses cooperated each other to built this big project. Federal government spend a lot of efforts and money as you see â€Å"The modern American suburb is heavily indebted to the federal government. For decades writers have chronicled this debt, documenting how state policy fueled the rapid suburban growth that has so decisively shaped U. S. politics and culture since world war2. Federal Spending priorities, mortgage programs, tax incentives, urban renewal, and a host of other public initiatives fundamentally reshaped the metropolis. †(Kruse) The first new suburbia in United State was Levittown . It is located in Long island, New York. â€Å"Levittown gets its name from its builder, the firm of Levitt & Sons, Inc. , which built it as a planned community between 1947 and 1951. Levittown was the first truly mass-produced suburb and is widely regarded as the archetype for postwar suburbs throughout the country. Levitt and Sons built the community with an eye towards speed, efficiency and cost-effective construction, which methods led to a production rate of 30 houses a day by July of 1948. The planned 2,000 home rental community was quickly successful, with New York Herald Tribune reporting that half of the properties had been rented within two days of the community being announced on May 7, 1947. As demand continued, exceeding availability, the Levitts expanded their project with 4,000 more homes as well as community services, including schools and postal delivery. After thousands of thousands houses built up, federal housing association (FHA) created mortgage program for sell houses. And FHA started loan the money to people. It decisively helped sell all the houses. FHA standardized the long-term, low-interest home mortgage and facilitated its use nationwide. †(Kruse) Thru people who do not have enough money to buy a house, they were still able to buy a house. Also most houses in suburb was not expensive and was worth it comparing to small, dirty, dangerous condition houses in the city. After built houses, and sold houses, government and big businesses started build highways which connect from city to suburbia. And started build public convenient such as high schools, libraries, YMCA for better society and community. With valuable price, bigger house condition, better community, and loaning mortgage program by FHA, suburbia houses got boomed. When people got out of the city and moved to suburbia, most of them were white. The reason why they moved out to suburbia was that not only they wanted have bigger house, fresh areas but also they wanted to have better society and community. Which represents that they wanted have their own ethnic society. Indeed, most of people who moved out to suburbia were white. They have felt dangerous in the city because there was a lot mixed ethnic groups in the city. Therefore they loathed city life. Since they moved out to suburbia, they did not want any other ethnic groups or people come and live in suburbia. They only wanted white neighborhood. Thru suburbia became exclusive living area only for white. By becoming exclusive area, FHA helped a lot to make this happening. Thru it accentuated the nations racial and class inequalities. For example, FHA denied most racial minorities’ access to suburbia and also to the many benefits of homeownership, loaning money to minorities, and even did not sell the house to minorities who had enough money to buy a house in suburbia. FHA operation systematically discriminated by race. FHA agency endorsed the use of race-restrictive covenants until 1950. And they followed the appraisal guideline outlined in the FHA’s underwriting Manual, which prohibited realtors(and by extension, lenders, and builders) from introducing â€Å"incompatible† racial groups into white residential enslaves. If a neighborhood is to retain stability. †(Kruse). Therefore meanwhile suburbia was growing up and up, city was going to downhill. Because all city polices also moved out to suburbia followed to white people. Federal government neglected urban area. After world war 2, federal, state, and local governments abandoned flexible and sensible urban planning and replaced it with restrictive, isolating, community-destructive zoning. † (Morris). Finally urban areas became ghetto; some parts of neighborhoods became very dangerous. People lose their job since the city is getting decayed. By not making money, people gets poorer and moved to compact place such as public housing. People start dealing drug in small area, it causes crimes, and the government neglected it. As an example of apartment residents by high percentage of black people is â€Å"Robert Taylor Homes†. It is located in Bronzeville, south side of Chicago. â€Å"It is largest public housing in Chicago and the nation with 4,415 apartments. † (Lindstrom). Over 96% of residents are African American, and at one point 95% of residents were unemployed. â€Å"Bronzeville’s public housing is extremely dilapidated and controlled by gangs. Entering public housing means stepping into the middle of the drug trade. Gang members monitor the outside of the buildings and sell illicit substances, calling out drug code phrases like â€Å"ghost face† and â€Å"dog face† from first-floor hallways. The unlawful activity makes public housing quite intimidating and dangerous, especially when turf wars, which often involve gunfire, break out. † (Hyra) All minorities’ communities converged into city. Some minorities got really racial attacked by a big business company’s project. As an example, when Walker O’ Malley constructed dodger stadium nearly by highway in Los Angeles, he bulldozed out all the houses, village which were at the ground before stadium constructed. And of course all residents who lived at there were Mexicans. The highway engineer did not hesitate to lay waste to woods, streams, parks, and human neighborhoods† (Morris) â€Å"-L. A. city council decided in 1949 that the area was â€Å"blighted† infected with poverty and dismal living condition three years old neighborhood could be called â€Å" ancient † Mexican villages. It is the side of Tonga Indian ruins and homes built on homes for thousands of years. Mostly Hispanic, cattle ranches gardens, farms that fed everyone who live in the area, hospital, school. It was a community in every sense of the word. Vet little U. S. /California involvement- people were left alone. Most American cities were attempting to glamorize their appearances such as large shining buildings, sports complex, and collect the poor into public housing. Federal housing and urban development gave L. A. money to buy the land and build Elysian Heights. Chavez gives up the land L. A. starts buying pieces for $10,000 at first, then offer less and less as time passes. 1952- 80% of 1100 homes have been bulldozed. In 1952, Maylor Poulson of L. A. declares public housing is communism committee against social housing C. A. S. H. + Maylor cancelled projects. â€Å"Imminent domain† public use, land can be taken by the government. Law used to remove residents of Chavez residents were paid with promise of placement in Elysion Heights. Manvel Arichega(1954)- last resident forcibly removed from his house in L. R. at gunpoint and bloodied family with home. L. A. times was present + reporting therefore no guns were fired. It would have been the final bad move by the L. A. city council paid $10,500. â€Å"Death of Baseball† in America. † (Blizzard) Fig. 2. Anonymous, photographer, Los Angeles Times, Chavez Ravine property owners examine bulldozed ruins (Los Angeles, May 1959). After all those things went through, there were minorities’ reactions against discrimination. But since it was against big government, not an individual personal problem, it was very hard to change it and fix the problem. However, minorities have been protesting, and screaming civil rights, and local state. But nothing was really seems to be changed and fixed until federal government felt guilty themselves. Eventually at some point, federal government felt guilty about segregation, discrimination. They officially removed the law that FHA can able to loan to only white, and changed law that any minorities also can buy a house in suburbia. Also tried to protect minorities from racism. For an example, â€Å"little rock nine† â€Å"When the federal court ordered Gov. Faubus to stop interfering with the court’s order, Faubus removed the guardsmen from in front of the school. On September 23, the Nine entered the school for the first time. Calling the mob’s actions â€Å"disgraceful,† Eisenhower called out 1,200 members of the U. S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division—the â€Å"Screaming Eagles† of Fort Campbell, Kentucky—and placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal orders. On September 25, 1957, under federal troop escort, the Nine were escorted back into Central for their first full day of classes. After the Nine suffered repeated harassment—such as kicking, shoving, and name calling—the military assigned guards to escort them to classes. Fig. 3. Photo by Will Counts ; courtesy of the Arkansas history Commission. National Guardsman prevents four black students from entering little rock central high school; September 4, 1957. (http://www. encyclopediaofarkansas. net/encyclopedia/media- detail. aspx? mediaID=7784). But however, federal government has changed the law and outlawed discrimination, still There was racism going on in suburbia in individual people’s inside through the cultural experiences. When black family tries to buy a house, after outlawed discrimination, the real happening was that the town improvement association representative comes to the family house, and mostly convince not moving into the town for keeping good neighborhood and community and they discouraged people(minority) who tries to buy a house. As it said â€Å"at the moment the overwhelming majority of our people out there feel that people get along better, take more of a common interest in the life of the community, when they share a common background. I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it†. (Littell) Or they just told them that they will not sell houses to them face to face. â€Å"Others were straightforward: â€Å"You’re colored, aren’t you? I can’t do anything for you,† said one. † (Kruse) Even federal government has been trying hard to not have discrimination, it did not work out well. Instead of keep trying on this side, they created a new project and went into it. The idea was rebuilding urban area. Black people also liked more the idea of rebuilding urban area. The black middle class wants to â€Å"restore† communities, and housing to safe, prosperous, and tranquil places. † (Hyra) While suburbia was developing very quickly, the urban area was decaying very quickly. A lot of areas in the city have broken houses and some factories for industry. So it can create jobs for minorities. To make better community, and society, federal government spent more money for school education, and condition than they used to spend before. So minorities could be satisfied even a little living in urban city. Governments tried hard to reduce the gap of living quality between city and suburbia since white majority people didn’t really want any minorities in their neighborhood. And also federal government ordered to build much more houses in between city area and suburb so there would be plenty of houses for everyone. Plenty of empty houses were owned by the federal government. Thru minorities could able to buy a house easily. This made much easier to buy a house than from owned by white people. After post war, people wanted have better society, community and get out of the city. Thru government and big businesses cooperated each other and started to build suburbia which is located in near outside of the city. FHA built tons of houses and highways. While building new houses and highways, the places where minorities were living in, got bulldozed up their houses by government’s power. They didn’t get a new house after all built up to new houses or highway and didn’t get anything back for compensation. And then FHA started loan to people whoever wants to move in suburbia for selling houses and making profits their business. But it was exclusive. Only white could able to buy and move to suburbia. Any of minorities could not able to buy houses because of FHA didn’t loan to any minorities. Even who has enough money to buy a house, they didn’t sell it to minorities. Eventually federal government felt guilty and outlawed discrimination. But it has been culture deeply on people’s mind. Therefore even government outlawed, people didn’t really turned around. They didn’t want any minorities in their neighborhood. They didn’t sell the house to minorities. Finally federal government created a new project instead of keep trying to work one way. Government started renewal dwelling area in urban city. They started rebuild the houses And factories in the city. They cleaned up the slums and ghetto areas first. Factories, industries created new jobs for minorities. Also government put more money for school, and public systems to make satisfy minorities with their living condition. Then government started builds more houses in between city and suburbia to have plenty of empty houses owned by governments. Therefore it would be easier to buy a house for minorities than buying a house from white person.

Applied Business Research Report

Several academicians have established the implication of faithfulness in the service industries and at the same time, it has probable impact on the overall expansion of the suitable competitive border too for the service firms. However, it can be stated that this might be accredited to the exceptional character of services, augmented enslavement on the technologies and superior consumer participation in the entire delivery of services. A base of the trustworthy consumers can perform marvel in terms of the financial rewards and the original commerce projections as captivating a new customer can charge as much as 6 times more than the charge of keeping an old one. Therefore, it can be stated that the customer loyalty clearly brings several momentous benefits to the existing business and calls for a deeper exploration into the features that act as its inventor and make a payment in its augmentation. Baumann, Elliott and Burton (2012) have stated that customer loyalty is convoluted and d ynamic as well as changing with the course of time. Benoit and Van den Poel (2012) have mentioned in his research work that why customer satisfaction as well as customer loyalty is so important and the answer of this question in one word is revenue. It can be seen that the satisfied customers spend huge amount of money, refer more number of the new consumers and support the trade longer than the discontented consumers. Therefore, it can be stated that this all leads to more profits for the trades that can maintain their customers well contented. However, it can b e easily stated that the companies striving to maximize the amount of returns must critically believe investing in a consumer contentment and the faithfulness research curriculum. It can be stated that the rationale of this particular research document is to talk about the importance of consumer faithfulness and its consequence in the contemporary commerce ground throughout a wide-ranging examination literature. Furthermore, it seeks to discover a variety of things that serve as previous circumstances towards consumer loyalty development procedure. In order to understand the importance of customer loyalty on the business performance, Muthoot finance has been selected and the entire research work would try to shed light on these aspects from several perspectives. Therefore, it can be stated this specific research work has tried to represent the importance of customer relationship management as well as customer loyalty for Muthoot finance that wishes to be successful enough and gain enough competitive market in the existing market (Chen, 2012). It can be stated that a new emphasis has been shed on customer relationship management, as this concept has been gradually wide spreading with time in several operating market. Muthoot finance is the principal gold backing corporation in India in provisos of loan selection and the corporation is a â€Å"Systematically significant Non-Deposit captivating NBFC† (muthootfinance.com, 2016). From the company profile it can be seen that Muthoot finance give India’s best gold loans and thus the organization believes that focusing on customer loyalty is one of the major parts to take care of. However, besides gold loan, they provide the facilities of money transfer, foreign exchange, housing finance, insurance as well as travel jango (muthootfinance.com, 2016). Therefore, this specific research work would try to analyze the importance of customer loyalty in Muthoot finance from some different perspectives through an information-rich literature review.   As mentioned by Coelho and Henseler (2012), customer faithfulness is the enthusiasm of the consumers to acquire the manufactured goods from the specific organization and maintain buying the alike from the same brand name for a longer time epoch. However, customer trustworthiness can be also termed as the unremitting buying for a particular brand and at the same time signifying other people to do the similar. Associations are at the present concentrating more on preserving soaring amount of trustworthy consumers that more clients can be recommended through them to patch up a long run business with the product name. Evanschitzky et al. (2012) have mentioned that organisations must follow some exceptional characteristics that can be competent enough in keeping the consumers trading commodities from the brand name devoid of favouring any contestant brand. Preceding studies on consumer allegiance have stated the consumer allegiance into two noteworthy fractions, customer performance and customer approach where both the parts are interrelated to each other. Customer loyalty may be rational or touching factor depending on the node of transaction and base of customer retention. The characteristics of commodities and services are the rational factor whereas the emotional factors are unswervingly connected to the discernment of purchaser towards the association (Jahanshani et al., 2014). Some of the preceding research works have experienced the constraints that influence the purchaser faithfulness and preservation counting the services. These issues can be connected with the consumer faithfulness and withholding as follows: Johnson et al. (2012) have stated that service quality has been gradually becoming one of the major issues of the business that focus on the services as well as the communication procedures. This presently enables the electronic media for communicating with the components outside the business. It can be stated that this sheds importance on gathering of necessary information. Processing several online as well as offline transactions along with the data interchanges procedure among the buyers and the sellers in regards to address space and time consumption. Service excellence from the standpoint of online method can be classified as the degree to which online subsistence of the organization offers competent buying, acquiring and conveying facilities of goods and services in such a method that consumers might be extremely contented with administration (Jyh-Fu Jeng et al., 2012). The professed cost of the consumers refers to the dissimilarity between the settlements of the products that the consumers gain and the price of the products and the services. In that scenario, price and the profit examination plays one of the vital roles in rewarding the needs of the consumers, as the customers are highly concerned in taking happiness in superior reimbursement from the services bearing fewer prices in trading the products and the services. The profits are categorised into four fractions named, manufactured goods advantage, service advantage, individual assistance and image advantage where equivalent four costs are monetary cost, psyche cost, time cost and energy cost. Conveying improved worth to the consumers is an indispensable division of the business approach that facilitates the organization attainment competitive improvement, in order to deal with long term sustainability of the commerce, evaluated to its contestants (Khan, 2012).   As demonstrated by Komunda and Osarenkhoe (2012) in their research work, it can be seen that trust is a clear set of believes that drive the customers towards purchasing a product pr consuming the service from a particular organization. Trust can be defined as the as the self-confidence of the consumers that they experience for the organization making sure the benefits required. However, it can be stated that belief is one of the main significant expression in commerce, especially in online trade operations. Here, truthfulness and generosity works essential position in keeping approval stage at the stage the consumers are enthusiastic to believe (Kwon & Kim, 2012). Martà ­nez and del Bosque (2013) have stated reputation as the inference of uniformity in case of presentation for the long time epoch. Therefore, it can be stated that standing is created from the consisted superiority administration as well innovation amalgamation depending on the time era and the modification in the socio-economic stage. Therefore, it can be stated that the standing of the organizations required to be understood by the consumers not only based on the online survival, but also the complete organization along with its bodily attendance (Pan et al., 2012). As per Prentice (2013), widespread literature proposes that both the marketplace share and the consumer approval leads towards productivity, however, this is not certain that the market share and the customer satisfaction have an affirmative association. Therefore, in this part, some of the significant strategies have been introduced here in details to gain in-depth knowledge of the research topic. It can be stated that company’s association to their consumers is alienated into two separate commerce approaches namely offensive and defensive. Offensive policy deals with magnetizing the new consumers and the defensive strategy try to keep the previously existing consumers. Therefore, it can be stated that in order to focus on customer loyalty, Muthoot Finance is required to attract both the new customers along with the existing customers (Scherer, Wà ¼nderlich & von Wangenheim, 2015). Figure 1: Offensive and Defensive Business Strategies (Source: Scherer, Wà ¼nderlich & von Wangenheim, 2015) Siu et al. (2013) have stated that there exist three phases within customer decision making procedure. In this case, the first phase is defining the brand alternatives, the second phase is reviewing the existing relevant information and the final stage is applying a decision rule. It is regardless to mention that the choices as well as preferences of the customers vary from one product to another product, from one organization to another organization and so on. Therefore, the entire decision making process depends on the preferences of the consumers and the companies are required to provide the customers the best buying experience, so that they become loyal to one particular organization (Tanford, Raab & Kim, 2012). Figure 2: The sequential Multistage Process Model (Source: Toufaily, Ricard & Perrien, 2013) As per Wang and Wu (2012), the major purpose of each organization is productivity and one significant technique for achieving this for an organization is to increase as well as uphold trustworthy consumers. It can be stated that if a corporation spends resources for building consumer trustworthiness without concentrating on productivity, it might lead towards failure in the long run. Therefore, to gain customer loyalty, the organizations are required to focus on both behavioral and attitudinal loyalty of the consumers. However, it can be stated that customer loyalty becomes highly significant to the business of the corporation at times it results in the purchasing behaviour. This following replica can be clarified through major three fundamental objectives like building behavioral loyalty, cultivating attitudinal loyalty and linking loyalty to profitability (Toufaily, Ricard & Perrien, 2013). Figure 3: Structuring and sustaining consumer trustworthiness (Source: Toufaily, Ricard & Perrien, 2013) The adoption of the customer faithfulness programs in the middle of several companies has significantly augmented over the last couple of years and automatically the consumers have turn out to be the focal point of concentration. It has been seen that the customer loyalty programs offer financial as well as relationship rewards to the consumers with the sole principle of making the customers’ brand trustworthy (Kwon & Kim, 2012). There exist five specified group of the customers like non-customers, price switchers, the passive loyal, fence sitters and the committed customers. Therefore, most of the organizations target to grab the attention of all these customers through proper delivery of their services. Muthoot Finance try their best to retain their existing customers and at the same time they tend to design their loyalty programs in such a way, so that the customers get attracted enough towards the company. There exist several economic benefits of retaining the customers like it saves on the acquisition of the customers or the replacement costs. Moreover, it promises of base earnings as obtainable consumers are likely to have a minimum spend per period. Apart from that, retaining the existing customers focus on price premiums, as the existing customers generally do not wait for promotion or the reduction of price before making a decision to buy. Muthoot finance believes that customer loyalty benefits the o rganization from several perspectives like this is comparatively less expensive to keep hold of the consumers that to attract the new customers. It generates huge amount of profits, decreases the making costs and helps in spreading positive word of mouth promotion. Therefore, it can be stated that customer loyalty is one of the strongest assets to the organization, as the success and sustainability of the business largely depends on the number of loyal customers.  Ã‚   Baumann, C., Elliott, G., & Burton, S. (2012). Modeling customer satisfaction and loyalty: survey data versus data mining.  Journal of Services Marketing,  26(3), 148-157. Benoit, D. F., & Van den Poel, D. (2012). Improving customer retention in financial services using kinship network information.  Expert Systems with Applications,  39(13), 11435-11442. Chen, S. C. (2012). The customer satisfaction–loyalty relation in an interactive e-service setting: The mediators.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,  19(2), 202-210. Chu, P. Y., Lee, G. Y., & Chao, Y. (2012). Service quality, customer satisfaction, customer trust, and loyalty in an e-banking context.  Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal,  40(8), 1271-1283. Coelho, P. S., & Henseler, J. (2012). Creating customer loyalty through service customization.  European Journal of Marketing,  46(3/4), 331-356. Evanschitzky, H., Ramaseshan, B., Woisetschlà ¤ger, D. M., Richelsen, V., Blut, M., & Backhaus, C. (2012). Consequences of customer loyalty to the loyalty program and to the company.  Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science,  40(5), 625-638. Jahanshani, A. A., Hajizadeh, G. M. A., Mirdhamadi, S. A., Nawaser, K., & Khaksar, S. M. S. (2014). Study the effects of customer service and product quality on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Johnson, M. D., Herrmann, A., Huber, F., & Gustafsson, A. (Eds.). (2012).Customer retention in the automotive industry: quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Springer Science & Business Media. Jyh-Fu Jeng, D., & Bailey, T. (2012). Assessing customer retention strategies in mobile telecommunications: Hybrid MCDM approach.Management Decision,  50(9), 1570-1595. Khan, I. (2012). Impact of customer satisfaction and retention on customer loyalty.  International Journal of Technology Enhancements and Emerging Engineering Research,  1(2), 106-110. Komunda, M., & Osarenkhoe, A. (2012). Remedy or cure for service failure? Effects of service recovery on customer satisfaction and loyalty.  Business Process Management Journal,  18(1), 82-103. Kwon, K., & Kim, C. (2012). How to design personalization in a context of customer retention: Who personalizes what and to what extent?.  Electronic Commerce Research and Applications,  11(2), 101-116. Martà ­nez, P., & del Bosque, I. R. (2013). CSR and customer loyalty: The roles of trust, customer identification with the company and satisfaction.International Journal of Hospitality Management,  35, 89-99. Pan, Y., Sheng, S., & Xie, F. T. (2012). Antecedents of customer loyalty: An empirical synthesis and reexamination.  Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,  19(1), 150-158. Prentice, C. (2013). Service quality perceptions and customer loyalty in casinos.  International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,25(1), 49-64. Scherer, A., Wà ¼nderlich, N., & von Wangenheim, F. (2015). The Value of Self-Service: Long-Term Effects of Technology-Based Self-Service Usage on Customer Retention.  Mis Quarterly,  39(1), 177-200. Siu, N. Y. M., Zhang, T. J. F., & Yau, C. Y. J. (2013). The roles of justice and customer satisfaction in customer retention: A lesson from service recovery.Journal of business ethics,  114(4), 675-686. Tanford, S., Raab, C., & Kim, Y. S. (2012). Determinants of customer loyalty and purchasing behavior for full-service and limited-service hotels.International Journal of Hospitality Management,  31(2), 319-328. Toufaily, E., Ricard, L., & Perrien, J. (2013). Customer loyalty to a commercial website: Descriptive meta-analysis of the empirical literature and proposal of an integrative model.  Journal of Business Research,  66(9), 1436-1447. Wang, C. Y., & Wu, L. W. (2012). Customer loyalty and the role of relationship length.  Managing Service Quality: An International Journal, 22(1), 58-74.

Holocaust is fake david cole Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Holocaust is fake david cole - Essay Example As if to point out that there was no way faith would work and no such power greater than that of Hitler may intervene to alter this course of history, each victim could be inclined to contemplate with scorn that the fateful event was indeed meant to take place. Back then, how could it be said or thought that Holocaust was not a journey to death and merely a path back to a seemingly neglected spirituality, at least for the Jews? Certainly, one would only afford a weakening capacity to figure tormenting memories and horrible imaginings of all occurrences marked by the reign of ruthless terror as they transpired. To have fallen into the hands of pure evil, clearly, nothing remained of dignity, well-being, and perhaps even the last strands of faith and hope to hold on to for a multitude deprived of every inalienable right, like the concept of choice never existed. Even those who were far from bearing witness to the Holocaust could well identify and concretize deep in their assuming minds the type of Hitler’s injustice which only the lowest form of animal may dare accept as fair to suffer with. Nevertheless, for those who find the potential of gaining a more unique insight, such terrifying portion of history can be perceived with sensible meaning at another paradigm but should certainly not be held in denial as in Cole’s revision attempt. Through a more profound meditation, one discovers the possibility of pondering a moment when humans weren’t dull in senses, rather alive with mixed reflexes despite the pain severities. It appears equivalent to arriving at a point when every second of time counts and love for life or the desire to live is vividly strong that any tendency toward feeling emptiness and meaninglessness is driven

Colon Cancer & Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Colon Cancer & Obesity - Research Paper Example This research paper will look into obesity and colon cancer ion relation to obesity contribution to colon cancer. The paper will then address the extent of contribution of colon cancer, prevention measures, statistics and risk factors that are closely related to it (Pendyala, Neff, Suarez-Farinas and Holt, 2011). Pathophysiology Obese people have a high chance of getting colon cancer compared to healthy individual. Research has proved that obese people has a double likely hood of getting the disease. There is a possibility that obesity exacerbates inflammations in the colon which is associated with cancer. Colon cancer starts in form of non-cancerous growth which is referred to as polyp. The individuals who have the overweight have a higher chance of developing polyps. This puts obese people at a risk of getting colon cancer. Adipose tissue dysfunction is directly related to insulin resistance. Obese individuals have insulin resistance condition where serum level increases. This lead s to aversion of hyperglycemia. The condition of being insulin resistance plays a vital role in promoting cancer growth. Another factor that may lead to obese people having cancer is reduced plasma amount of adiponectin in obesity. Obese individuals are susceptible to oxidative stress which is associated with chronic inflammation leading to tumor development (Louis, Scott, Duncan & Flint, 2007). In obese individuals, several factors lead to the prevalence of the condition. These are classified into two broad categories the mechanisms s can be universal in nature such that they are related to all types of tumors from their relation to hormonal or other abnormalities that are evident in obesity. The other type is specific. They lead to a specific tumor in a specific position. This type is related to consequential effects of obesity. The diet intake of the obese people can also lead to obesity. The typical food that is available in the developed countries is rich in calories and also t here is high consumption of alcohol (Louis, Scott, Duncan & Flint, 2007). Most of the individuals who are obese use weight reducing diets to shed weight. This involves taking diets which are very low in carbohydrates. These diets are very low in carbohydrates but have excess amount of protein which makes it possible to reduce weight faster. These diets involve removal of starch and fiber. Through the use of these diets, the obese individual affects the fermentative activity that occurs in the large intestines. Reduction of the fermentative activity in the large intestines leads to reduction of butyrate and fatty acid in the fecal short chain. The shift in the diet leads to reduction in the bacteria. These are useful bacteria that help in reducing risk of colon cancer in the body. The evidence of the importance of these bacterial puts at risk individuals who are in weight loss diets. The long term effects of using the weight reduction diets are colon cancer. Another factor that can l ead obesity to colon cancer is intake of high protein diet during weight loss exercise. As the obese people try to restrict intake of carbohydrates, they consume food that is high in protein and fat. The reason behind taking food high in protein is satiety (Renehan, Tyson, Egger, Heller and Zwahlen, 2008). Insulin resistance is another cause of obesity related cancer. Obese individuals

CRIMINAL LAW Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

CRIMINAL LAW - Coursework Example In the process, he releases a lion and a tiger. The lion then proceeds to kill a person nearby. The issue is whether the entry release of the dangerous animals and the subsequent killing renders Oscar liable for murder or not. In examining the murder, it is essential to evaluate if it leads to a liability of involuntary manslaughter or not. Rules In involuntary manslaughter, the actus reus is an unlawful and dangerous act. In R V Slingsby (1995), a woman died when a man conducted dangerous sexual acts on her. Although the defendant argued that it was an ordinary sexual act that had gone out of scope, it was held that he was guilty because the act was dangerous and unlawful. In R V Church (1965), the term 'dangerous' was interpreted to mean that it exposes another person to a risk of some harm. Based on this, if such an act is conducted, a person will be guilty of committing involuntary manslaughter. The mens rea of involuntary manslaughter is to commit an act that is obvious to every reasonable person as a dangerous act. In spite of this obvious indication, the defendant proceeded to commit that act. In DPP V Newbury and Jones (1976), the defendants were two teenage boys. They threw a piece of stone from a bridge into a passing train. This hit and killed a guard who was sitting in the driver's compartment. It was held that they had committed involuntary manslaughter because it was obvious to them as reasonable people that they undertook a dangerous act when they foresaw the consequences of their actions. Due to the nature of involuntary manslaughter, the most likely defence is diminished responsibility under section 2 of Homicide Act, 1957. This means that the defendant was suffering from an abnormal mind which caused him to fail to exercise willpower and committed such acts (R V Byrne 1960). Also, a person with a substantially impaired mental responsibility could be plead on the grounds of the impairment (R V Lloyd 1967). Application In this case, Oscar decide s to go to the premises of Peter's circus. He did this and released the dangerous animals because he believed they were being ill-treated. In releasing the animals to prevent them from being 'ill-treated', he failed to realize that he was releasing them into a populated area where the animals could cause havoc to human beings. Releasing a lion and tiger was dangerous. Also, it is apparent that he did not seek the consent of Peter who is licensed to keep the animals under lock and key as a circus operator. This constitutes a trespass under Common Law and makes the act illegal. It should have been obvious to Oscar that an ill-treated lion or tiger was much better caged than released into the society. This is because if the caged lion or tiger is released in an urban centre, it would cause carnage and kill a lot of people. On the balance of probabilities, it should have occurred to him that releasing the animals could cost human lives. However, he did not take time to reconsider that. This makes it a valid mens rea for the commission of involuntary manslaughter. Conclusion In conclusion, Oscar committed the actus reus of unlawfully entering the premises of Peter and releasing dangerous animals that killed a human being. Also, he was negligent and did not think much about his actions. As such, he is guilty of manslaughter. Due to the circumstances, his only credible defence is to plead on the grou

Cause and effect (Why I choose my major) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cause and effect (Why I choose my major) - Essay Example I desire to be part of this phenomenon, now as a student and later as a teacher. Being the product of a mother who teaches elementary school, the importance of learning, of being educated and of educating others has been conveyed to me on an everyday and more than just by words alone from the time of my earliest childhood memory. It caused me to look at learning differently than most other students in my age group. Many kids thought of school as a punishment of sorts, something they had to do much like chores or eating their peas. I didn’t relish every minute of every class, like all teachers or enjoy all homework assignments yet knew of the important component of each. From the boring classes I learned, ultimately, that making class-time interesting or even fun made learning more effective. From the particularly tough classes I learned that every child learns at a different pace and are simply better at some subjects than others. Though it is impossible to fashion a lesson plans that fit the needs of all students, it is possible to make two paths of lear ning, one for those who pick up the information quickly and one for those who do not. If the teacher is really interested, has a passion for the job, they can find a method by which to positively affect the most students in the time available. This is what was going through my mind in third or fourth grade as I sat in class. I was destined to teach. Beside my mother, several teachers inspired my desire for a career in education. Some, because they were so disinterested in their chosen profession, motivated me and possibly as much as any other. I could readily see that the students were not only as disinterested as the teacher but their perception that school was punishment was reinforced. This negative perception was transferred to other classes which diminished the student’s entire educational experience. The damage to their lives is incalculable. If the fire of knowledge acquisition is not lit as a

Writer's topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Writer's topic - Essay Example The explorers who were initially driven by mere curiosity later began to develop interest on products, resources as well as resources available in Africa which they took back home to their financiers. Henry Stanley Morton was the most notable explorer who contributed a lot to the beginning of the scramble for Africa. He was personally hired by King Leopold II of Belgium who wanted to create his own colony along River Congo. The explorers established that slave trade was still going inland part of Africa and therefore several European nations that were advocating for abolition of slave trade had to move in to Africa to ensure total end to slave trade thus triggering the scramble for Africa. Capitalism in Europe further encouraged the scramble as nations sought to locate raw materials for their industries while major inventions in transport, military and medicine facilitated the events (Ghazvinian, 012-019). The European nations were able to subject Africans societies to formal colonia l rules because they developed strategies that were able to work effectively for them. Such include signing of treaties with the African chiefs which allowed for indirect rule, use of force in some places since they had superior weapons and the fact that some of them decided to settle permanently in Africa. They enticed African leaders with gifts in exchange for their territories and promises of assistance in tackling their enemies which paved way for their dominance and formal rule (Nutting, 30). Colonial rule played a key role in shaping the face of modern day African countries in various ways ranging from political, economic and social aspects which are either positive or negative. Colonial rule introduced capitalism in Africa which has caused a great imbalance in the allocation of resources resulting in power struggles between the few rich and the majority poor. This has resulted in

Off-balance sheet banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Off-balance sheet banking - Essay Example On the other hand, if the customer sells the investment and again deposits the amount in the Bank account, it becomes a liability for the bank. For instance, Citibank maintain an off-balance sheet asset of 960 billion $ which accounts for 6% of the GDP of United States. The formal distinction between On & Off-Balance sheets is quite critical and depends largely on the decisions of management. In true sense, a company would include assets and liabilities in their balance sheet if it either actually owns or for which it is legally responsible. For including an asset or liability in the Balance sheet, the asset or liability has to be probable, measurable as well as meaningful. Otherwise, the financial company or the Bank would treat the assets or liabilities as Off-balance sheet items. For example, a Bank which is facing a legal issue due to non-fulfilment of its liabilities would not include the amounts in its balance sheet until a complete judgment is received, until the amount of com pensation or recovery is delivered through judgment, or may include the risk in its balance sheet if it is negligible until the entire legal process is over. Importance of controlling Off-Balance Sheet Banking and Role of Financial Regulators Over the last thirty years, there has been a scenario of increasing crisis while the banks have increased their portfolio of Off-Balance sheet activity through securitization, mainly short term asset backed by commercial paper. This has produced linkage between the banking system and the shadow-banking system. Thus, the importance of regulation off-balance sheet banking by financial regulators is a very...Fall of Lehmann Brothers is an ideal example. Depositors not only withdrew money from their Bank accounts leading to sharp decline in deposit base of the banks but market investor also refused to invest in the share and stocks of the banks for which the share price of the banks fell steeply. This turmoil in the financial industry leads to incr easing accountability for the financial regulators for controlling Off-Balance sheet banking. Regulators control Off-balance sheet activity of Banks in order to safeguard their solvency and maintain the health of the national economy. Banks are expected to keep their Off-balance sheet assets and liabilities within a safe limit and also diversify the risk of Off-balance sheet activity. Banks are required to do a portfolio analysis of their borrowers through securitization and the offer financing to the selected parties in order to hedge the risk (Greuning and Bratanovic, 2009, p.48). Financing to a single large customer would affect the solvency of the bank based on the projected performance and repayment of a single party. On the other hand, diversifying the asset would reduce the risk the Off-Balance sheet risk. Banks are expected to look at the viability of settlement of funds before lending in Off-Balance sheet items. This would reduce the settlement risk of the Banks. Banks should look into comprehensive country risk in terms of irrevocable commitments, contingent liabili ties and foreign-exchange positions to reduce off Balance sheet risk

Responds to Reading and Writing about Research Essay

Responds to Reading and Writing about Research - Essay Example The terms when once interpreted do not cause difficulties for the second time anymore. Interpreting such scientific information as graphs, tables can be more challenging and here it is necessary to explore methods of research in the discipline in advance. This is the stumbling block for the second student. However, it will be a helpful skill in further scientific activity because these methods allow presenting information more effectively. Dealing with complicated information it is possible to reread it several times. It can be rather time-consuming but that is why scientific literature is different from fiction. Another common concern is plagiarism. It is important to remember that any thought or idea borrowed from someone else`s source must be cited properly. If there is a necessity to preserve the original content the quote must be written in inverted commas. All other phrases must be paraphrased which means they must be retold in author`s own words. Including such information as author`s name, the year of publication is compulsory depending on the reference style. The paper must have a list of the sources used in the end as

Global Culture and New Culture Essay Example for Free

Global Culture and New Culture Essay The concept of Global Culture is defined as the idea of a â€Å"one world culture† wherein the â€Å"earth’s inhabitants will lose their cultural diversity and one culture will be experienced by all people† (Oregon State University, 2008). At present, this kind of phenomenon is one of the most controversial issues that is being discusses and debated by numerous scholars especially in its relation to the changes that is currently happening in the world. However, the idea of a global culture is not a new subject matter, as it had been perceived by previous notable personalities. This is greatly exemplified by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel as they discussed the concept of global culture in the Communist Manifesto. The Communist Manifesto is considered as one of the world’s most influential political manuscripts in which the purposes and program of the Communist League is written. Nevertheless, this document also tackled the Communist League’s criticism of the Bourgeois In order to so, they also gave their perception of global culture and how this phenomenon affects the society. Marx and Engel began the Communist Manifesto by stating that the foundation all existing societies is the history of class struggle. They pointed out that early epochs up to the time that the manifesto was created the society is always composed of competing classes that are most appropriately described as the oppressor and the oppressed. The development and revolutions in history paved the way for two great classes that are directly facing against each other namely: the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. The formation of the modern Bourgeoisie is the product of a long course of development as well as the series of revolutions with regards to production and exchange (Marx and Engel, 1848). The Bourgeoisie is largely responsible in the changes of the mode of production, which give way to various modifications that greatly exemplified the idea of a global culture. The existence of the Bourgeoisie is dependent upon the continuous revolutionizing of the instruments of production and eventually the relations of productions. This includes expanding the market over the entire surface of the globe for the consumption of its products. Marx and Engel clearly explained the Bourgeoisie’s desire for globalization when they stated, â€Å"It must nestle everywhere, settle everywhere, establish connections everywhere† (Marx and Engel, 1848). In relation to the idea of market expansion, the Communist Manifesto also give due account of the concept of free trade, which is an important feature in achieving a global culture. The Communist League strongly believes that Free Trade is the main culprit in most people’s perception that personal worth is measured by the exchange of value that is most observable in the importance they give to material things. In order for the Bourgeoisie to pursue their objective of profitability by increasing production, they have to exploit other people by changing the way they think about themselves and modifying the values that they uphold (Marx and Engel, 1848). The Bourgeoisie’s exploitation of the world market is creating a cosmopolitan character to production and consumption of every country. Due to this, it is destroying the old-established national industries that are important in the national identity of a country. Industries do not merely utilized indigenous raw materials but they acquire it from the remotest parts of the world and their products are not merely consumed at their respective countries but also in every quarter of the globe. The globalization of trade also affects other factors such as communication. As such, the very way of life of the people is also influence wherein they adhere to the ideologies of the Bourgeoisie like being consumerists, which heightens the pursuance of this class’ interests (Marx and Engel, 1848). In this sense, Communists support the sentiments of the proletariat that they believed is being exploited by the Bourgeoisie. The league represents the common interests of all proletariats around the world regardless of their nationalities. They represent the proletariats in the different stages of development of the Bourgeoisie wherein there is an observable struggle of the working class. The primary aim of the Communist is similar with all other proletarian parties, which are: â€Å"the formation of the proletariat into a class, overthrow of the bourgeoisie supremacy, conquest of political power by the proletariat† (Marx and Engel, 1848). Nevertheless, the Communist Manifesto clarifies that it is not after the abolition of property in general but rather the eradication of bourgeois property. In doing so, they can be able to uphold the freedom, independence, and equality of an individual that is taken away from him or her due to exploitative wage labor (Marx and Engel, 1848). Communists clearly saw the creation of a global culture through the revolution of production that the Bourgeoisie are responsible for as the cause of most of the world’s evil. Some of the detrimental effects that it gives are the exploitation of people especially the proletariat, the destruction of old established institution like the family, and the very self-value of an individual. On the other hand, some notable scholars like Henry Jenkins and Rob Walker perceive the new culture of globalization in a different light. Their works show the effects of the technological advancement that Marx and Engels noted in the Communist Manifesto. Henry Jenkins main argument was on the concept of Media Convergence. He asserted that the perspective that merely focused on technology is shortsighted. Jenkins emphasized that the real important factor is the understanding of the way by which individuals in the contemporary culture could participate and combine numerous media sources. Comprehending the relationship among various media forms can be done in a more in depth manner if the participation of individuals will be given due consideration. In relation to this, Jenkins suggested that convergence should be seen as a cultural process that is evolving and developing rather than a mere technological end. Moreover, he also elaborated that there are different sited wherein the negotiations between consumers and producers take place. These sites are â€Å"modifying audience measurement, redirecting globalization, re-engaging citizens, renegotiating relations between producers and consumers, redesigning the digital economy, rethinking media aesthetics, regulating media content, redefining intellectual property rights, and restricting media ownership† (Jenkins, 2006). Jenkins’ was able to seriously and extensively study the effects of audience participation in media culture. He was able to highlight the influence of digital popular culture on the behavior of individuals especially in terms of their participation in the field of politics. Rob Walker is also one of the contemporary personalities that has its own perspective with the modern state of production and consumption that exists in the world today. His arguments are centered on the concept of money culture and means of technology like advertising, music, and sequential art. The focus of Walker study is in examining the consumer behavior of an individual from the lens of business and anthropology. He discussed various products and the corresponding consumer trend that is was able to create. Walker attempts to understand the reasons behind consumers’ response to a certain product, which ranges from toothpaste to alcoholic drinks up to television programs. In doing so, he tend to critical analyze the a particular product by trying to understand the underlying concept of its brand name, target consumer, and even its effect on those who patronize it. Furthermore, he also tries to establish a connection between the product and the consumer by explaining how the characteristic or attitude of a consumer is reflected in the products that he or she buys (Walker, 2008). Marx and Engels’ Communist Manifesto calls the people especially the proletariat to take action in abolishing the concept of private property of the Bourgeoisie class that tends to exploit other people and destroy the very culture of nations. On the other hand, Jenkins and Walker also give emphasis in the participation of people in the convergence of media but they pointed out that this aids in the formation of identity rather than a mere way for exploitative labor. National identities are formed because of the existence of mass media that allows its audience to create their own texts and introduce their own identities that allows other people in the globe to see and understand other cultures. The existence of mass media in terms of the concept of convergence is already regarded as a cultural process in itself that allows people to develop their identities. In this modern age, mass media is not merely a technological advancement but rather it is a tool that allows people to participate and interact in the international community. References Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press. Marx, K. , Engels, F. (1848). Manifesto of the Communist Party. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://www. marxists. org/archive/marx/works/1848/communist-manifesto/ch01. htm. Oregon University States. (2008). Definitions of Anthropological Terms. Retrieved December 8, 2008, from http://oregonstate. edu/instruct/anth370/gloss. html. Walker, R. (2008). Buyingin: The Secret Dialogue between What We Buy and Who We Are. New York: Random House.

Absurdism And Existentialism In Their Novels English Literature Essay

Absurdism And Existentialism In Their Novels English Literature Essay The theme of absurdism used by Franz Kafka and Albert Camus does full justice to bring out the pathos in both The Outsider and The Metamorphosis by Albert Camus and Franz Kafka. They establish the unsettling existence of the both the protagonists. The present situation of the narrators brings to life incidents that justify their unpleasant situations and what they are going through in their respective lives. Where existentialism questions mans existence in a particular social system; absurdist investigates characters that are placed in society that is devoid of God and how syllogism and parody loom large over the entire situation. Hence The Outsider and Metamorphoses have existentialism and absurdism as the philosophical tools that take these stories ahead. In The Outsider, for instance, Mersault does not regret the death of his mother but instead goes to watch a comedy film and indulges in a love affair with his girlfriend while In The Metamorphosis Gregor wakes up to find himself transformed into a vermin and his life changes from that point on. The effect of the absurdism soon takes over the lives of both the characters unwittingly and they are faced with questions about their own existence which makes both the novels existentialist in their themes. Existentialist philosophy in a way proves the importance of human individuality and liberty. Camus concretizes an absurdly dramatic story of a man who has no emotions in him evidently in the opening lines Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday, I dont know. I had a telegram from the home: Mother passed away. Funeral tomorrow. Yours sincerely. That doesnt mean anything. It may have been yesterday. He- does not even feel obliged to justify his reason behind such odd and discourteous avoiding of any emotional involvement. Speaking briefly with the director of the home, Mersault tells him that he did not feel any guilt at having sent his mother away. He even declines an invitation to view the body, but keeps vigil with it overnight, in accordance with the custom. When asked by the undertaker how old his mother was, he replies Fairly, for in truth he doesnt know her exact age. His going for a swim with a woman of his acquaintance at an inopportune time proves once again futility of his life. As an embodiment of absurdism, Mersault doesnt see any need to fulfill or dispel the discomfort from the minds of the people as his nature was very offending to other people. He seemed completely inhuman, and never believed it was important to live up to the expectations of others and follow etiquette. According to me, every human being goes through the kind of unpleasant and embarrassing situations Mersault and Gregor face but it principally depends on how a writer decides to detail and sketch these characters. There is a funeral procession, in the heat of the day, across the parched, sun-drenched landscape, and once again, Mersault is disturbed by the light, the sun, and the heat, and feels unable to concentrate. This uncanny effect to the point of blinding ones vision evinces unjustifiable discomfort Mersault exudes towards the society. The Outsider is set in Algiers, where our protagonist Mersault, who was a bachelor, is leading a life that questions his existence. He does not show any interest in his job and does not believe in socializing with other people around him. As the story goes ahead, the reader gets to see the quirkiness of Mersault towards the world with conflicting emotions that make him commit a deadly crime. This marked nature of Mersault is brought out in the narrative in many incidents in the book; one of them being in chapter four where he is not at all concerned about Raymond torturing his wife. He responds matter of factlyAt about 3 in the morning there was a knock on my door and Raymond came in. I didnt get up. I sat at the edge of my bed. He didnt say anything for a minute and I asked him how it had gone. He told me that he had done what he wanted to do but shed slapped him and so hed beaten her up. Id seen the rest. I told him I thought that this time shed really been punished and he ought to be pleased. Mersaults brusque attitude towards other people around him reckons him as an outcast. I feel that the writers philosophical stance is unique, as he puts immense emphasis on the belief of absurdism and we need to understand what absurdism is ? Absurdist fiction is the manifestation of certain beliefs that dominated the works of a number of playwrights during the middle of the 19th century. This form of fiction implies that in a world that is devoid of God, the existence of human being shall have no strong foundation, it would be meaningless. The absurd elements in such plays and fiction were the fact that man has been thrust into a world where he cannot survive on his own instincts but is maneuvered by a force invisible to him. He is caught up in paradoxical situations and finds no reprieve by communicating or logical action. His actions and dialogues turn out to be a mockery of his own existence. The best part about the narrative is that it does not preach with a message but at the same time does tend to ask us some important questions about humans and their social existence. The narrative is kept simple but is compelling nevertheless. Therefore, the work is a reflection of Camuss moral axiom. Like Camus, Kafka too was existentialist and adapted to an absurdist way in carrying the narrative of his stories ahead as traces of his style are evident in his letter to Max Brod. In Franz Kafkas The Metamorphosis, the absurdist and existentialist elements form the main parts of Kafkas narrative. The story begins with the line When Gregor Samsa awoke from troubled dreams one morning; he found that he had been transformed in his bed into an enormous bug. After realizing that his life would never be the same again Gregor starts realizing certain truths about his existence which had not come to his realization before. He starts to reflect on his own being. Till the day before he had been a hardworking salesman who looked after his family but now he cannot continue the same life anymore. Now after Gregors transformation his parents and sister realize that they shall now have to look after Gregor and start making a living of their own. This leads Gregor into a state of depression which he can only observe but cannot do anything about it. His family is robbed of happiness and normalcy and though they are trying their best to cope with it, their disparity is clearly evident in these lines of the second chapter- Now his sister working with her mother had to do the cooking too; of course that did not cause her much trouble since they hardly ate anything. Gregor was always hearing one of them pleading in vain with one of the others to eat and getting no answer except thanks, Ive had enough or something similar. They all knew the unpleasantness they had to confront but none of them had an answer to it. I think that both the stories are existentialist and absurd in their narratives, and they both create a long lasting impact on readers and create a serious sense of debate about human existence and the acceptance of social rules. The Outsider is a well juxtaposed prose of absurdism and existentialism. Mersault is a social outcast and his further actions only make him an object of ridicule in his own society. One cannot see any kind of redemption for Mersault in his predicament; he is doomed and destined for a fatal end. The parts of the story where Mersault is wallowing in self doubt are existentialist in theme and the parts where he is unsuccessfully trying to find out the answers that can legitimize his actions are absurdist. Kafkas Metamorphoses sees Gregor going through an amalgamation of emotional, physical and mental dilemmas. His physical transformation into a vermin is the main culprit. This transformation creates an emotional and mental mayhem in him. It can be said about Gr egor that he has the answers but is in search of the questions. So, the Metamorphoses begins in an existentialist way but ends with an absurdist plot.

Syndicated Data And Standardized Services And Their Differences Marketing Essay

Syndicated Data And Standardized Services And Their Differences Marketing Essay At work, I am involved in the selection process of research suppliers for the sake of annual staff surveys, benefits surveys and for mystery shopper program and analysis, I realize the services offered by the research industry has grown greatly in the past decade. So I am interested to find out the kind of services research agencies offer, and about the marketing research industry worldwide. This paper is therefore relatively informational, in which I have included a lot of named research suppliers who were listed and found from the various book references, library and internet sources in order to support the different categories of the services. There will be little emphasis on opinionated discussion, as the objective of this paper aims to explain the syndicated data and standardized services offered by research agencies, distinguish their differences, various applications and sources of data. Both services are common nowadays in Asia, especially the SMEs (Small to medium sized ente rprise) that are using such research data for nurturing the success of their organizations, however the difficulties to operate a nation-wide approach in Asia is discussed. I have also included a sample of a standardized service in Hong Kong, WorkHKà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ by Towers Watson, in the area of job satisfaction survey and its process is shared here. Introduction What is Syndicated data and Standardized services Today, over $20 billion a year is spent on marketing/advertising/public opinion research services around the world. Spending on marketing research is $6.9 billion in the United States alone. During the past two decades, the research market has become highly concentrated, with about 54 percent of the market being held by the 50 largest worldwide organizations. The other half of the market is shared by a thousand or more small research firms. The concentration is even more pronounced in the United States, where the 10 largest firms account for 64 percent of total U.S. spending for marketing research (Wileys Marketing Research Industry and Research Ethics article, p.26). In the highly competitive retail market, understanding the customer is paramount. In order to fill in the gaps of consumers buying motive and actual buying, companies have to understand the customers, and of course, marketing research is the tool for gaining knowledge about the customers. Marketing research is a systematic gathering of information and such analysis of data gathered connects the consumers and the public to the marketer so as to identify the marketing problems and opportunities, assess marketing actions, manage the marketing performance, and improve the overall marketing process. Marketing research information is provided by research suppliers which can be either an internal supplier or an external supplier. Most manufacturers, retailers, and service businesses, such as McDonalds, Kraft Foods or American Airlines, have small internal marketing research departments, and Procter and Gamble (PG) has a large internal research department. External suppliers are outside marketing research companies hired to supply marketing research data; and they can be classified as full service supplier firms and limited service supplier firms; full service suppliers are companies that offer full range of marketing research activities, they provide standardized information which involves two broad classes, namely the syndicated data services and standardized services which this paper focuses to discuss. Figure 1.0 indicates the overall services provided by an information supplier. What it means by Syndicated Data and Standardized Services According to Curry (1993) and Kolb (2008), syndicated data is a form of external and secondary data supplied in a standardized format and ready-to-use routine information made available to multiple subscribers known as a syndicate in a common database, which means the information is not tailor made to meet the needs of any particular company or designed to solve client-specific problems, the data format is designed to provide a standard, ongoing vehicle to facilitate the collection of data. Syndicated data is provided in a common data base for a service fee charged to subscribers and these research firms which provide the data are known as syndicated data service firms. These suppliers offer syndicated data on a subscription basis to all subscribing members of the syndicate, such detailed information can be of value to companies in a specific trade but may not be available in libraries. Syndicated data suppliers collect data on a continuing basis regarding the consumption of a specif ic product or products or the purchasing behavior of a specific target market segment. These data are then sold to companies, which specify how much data they want and the analysis they require; the more data and analysis that are required, the higher the price and what they do not do is conducting research specifically for any single client company. With syndicated data, both the process of collecting and analyzing the data and the data itself are standardized, firms supplying syndicated data follow standard research formats and uniform reports that enable them to collect the same standardized data over time at periodic intervals. Common types of syndicated data measure retail sales, wholesale product shipments, consumer panels, advertising media audiences, advertising effectiveness, and consumer attitudes. ACNielsen TV Ratings and IRI are examples of two large syndicated data services firms, ACNielson collects information on TV and media viewing and also on ad recognition on the i nternet, anyone, including the public, can buy the products they sell by visiting their website. On the other hand, standardized services rarely provide clients with standardized data, rather, they provide the research process. Zikmund (2003, p.74) explained that standardized services refer to a marketing research process that is standardized and used to generate information for a particular user and the application of that standardized process will result in different data for each client, even though the standardized process is the same in gathering the data. For example, a client will use a standardized service firm to measure customer satisfaction, instead of developing its own process. Several other marketing research services, such as test marketing, naming new brands, pricing a new product, or using mystery shoppers, can be provided or purchased from standardized service firms. Synovates ProductQuest service assists in developing new products and improving existing products. Baltimore Research offers a Mock Trials service to clients involved in litigation, to listen to di fferent attorney presentations so that the litigants attorneys can have better presentation ways to impact the jurors. Advantages and Disadvantages of Syndicated Data and Standardized Services Advantages of Syndicated Data A key advantage of syndicated data is on the shared costs of the data among users as many clients may subscribe to the same information, thus making the cost of the service greatly reduced. Burns Bush (2010, p.205) made it clear that due to the quality of the data collected is typically very high and requiring a huge amount of cost, so the share of affordable cost with several users maintains the validity and reliability quality of the data. Another advantage is that the data are normally disseminated very quickly because of the routinized systems, standard procedures and methods used to collect and process the data over and over again on a periodic basis. Besides, the information is current, the more current the data, the greater is the use. Syndicated data services can at least aid in the formulation of the clients decision problem, suggest types of data for meeting the information needs, and service as a source of comparative data by which internal data from within the organizati on cannot achieve. Advantages of Standardized Services The advantage of using standardized service suppliers is mainly buying the experience of the research firm, especially when the buyer company does not have enough the experienced personnel to carry out a particular research process. Besides, using standardized services helps to reduce cost of the buyer when the trial and error process and potential errors can be minimized. Since the standardized service suppliers has been conducting the service for many clients regularly, their procedure is therefore efficient in delivering the result as compared to having the research processed by the buying company themselves. Most importantly is the time saved for buying company in collecting similar data by themselves, because several weeks or months may be required to design, pretest a survey or questionnaire, train the interviewers, devise a sampling plan, collect and process the data. In addition, such cost of the project could be tremendous but it can be much reduced by employing the services from external standardized suppliers. Due to the always availability of standardized services, it is therefore important in the marketing research application. Disadvantages of Syndicated Data Since the format is standardized, buyers have little control over what information is collected and must be satisfied with the standardized information received. Buyers may feel helpless if the units of measurement or definition of classes, recency of data, publication currencies and the units of geographical data are not appropriate which are summarized as the data fit problem. Burns Bush (2010, pp.205-6) gave a second disadvantage, that buyers must often commit to a long-term contract which only serves to secure the expenses required by the syndicated data supplier on the quality and vast scope of research. The last and most crucial disadvantage is that the same data is available to competitors, that is, what the client firm buy and see from the report, the competitors also see the same analysis and picture. Disadvantages of Standardized Services Naturally, the word standardized automatically implies the service is not customized, standard service suppliers do not design a service specifically for the clients project. Besides, Zikmund (2003, p.113) stated that the standardized service supplier may not know a particular industry well so it becomes the responsibility of the buying company to ensure the standardized service really fits their intention. This accuracy problem poses a limitation and can only be minimized if the buying company has a comprehensive knowledge of the research process so as to evaluate the accuracy of the data and assess the evidences regarding the quality of the data as well. Applications of Standardized Information Standardized information is a type of secondary data which can be either syndicated or standardized, in which the data collected and/or the process of collecting the data are standardized for all users. Standardized information can have many applications, in general, it includes measuring the consumer attitudes, clarifying market segments, conducting market tracking and monitoring the usage of media and effectiveness of promotional activities. Measuring consumer attitudes and opinion polls Burns Bush (2010, pp.206-207) gives plenty of examples for this kind of suppliers: The Maritz Poll uses a standardized process to ensure that consumer attitudes and opinions are properly measured, and these polls are examples of a standardized service. ESRIs Tapestryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ Segmentation is a standardized service that uses a process to profile residential neighborhoods. This information is purchased by clients desiring to better understand who their customers are, where they are located and how to reach them. The Yankelovich Monitor measures changing social values and their impact on consumers. It specializes in generating studies on mature populations, baby boomers and Generation Xers. These data are syndicated which is available to anyone who wishes to buy, and the information can be used for a variety of marketing decisions. Ipsos Public Affairs ® produces Ipsos Global @dvisor ® to study the companys proprietary audiences so that company can better understand how consumers and key stakeholders view its reputation as a brand. Coca-Cola is its subscribers. The Harris Poll measures consumer attitudes and opinions on government and economy, and other topics include politics, world affairs and legal issues. Harris poll is a source for identifying trend lines and is standardized information offering syndicated data. The Gallup Poll (http://poll.gallup.com/) measures public opinion polling on a wide variety of topics, such as domestic issues, private issues or world affairs, military and defense, stem cell research, smoking population percentage over time, etc. Gallup poll is syndicated data, as the information is available to all who wish to buy. Client firms can track attitudes of consumers toward buying private brands or their attitudes. Defining market segments This research method requires placing customers to share certain attributes, such as age, income, into homogeneous groups or market segments. The Stanford Research Institute, for example, conducts an annual survey of consumers and classifies them into homogeneous groups for market segmentation purposes. Some standardized information sources focus on members of the industrial market, two sources being the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) and Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system allow marketers to define industry types more specifically. Dun Bradstreet (DB) credit bureau collects vast amount of information on business firms, private and public. While SIC uses 4 digits codes and NAICS uses 6, DBs Duns Market Identifiers (DMI) uses 8 digits classification system to identify firms into very specific types of businesses. Since DB originated as a credit reporting firm and companies already supplied DB with detailed information about their operations, allow DB create databases containing a wide spectrum of business information. This is important if a marketer is trying to target specific business firms, however narrow their classification. Other standardized information sources provide information on members of the consumer market. SRI Consulting Business Intelligences (SRIC-BIs) VALSà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ program (www.sric-bi.com/VALS/) segments consumers by psychological and demographic measures, placed them in each of eight personality segments. This knowledge of consumers behaviors helps the client firm develop a deeper understanding of its target market consumer. Birn (2000, p.74) brought in the term, geodemographics, which describes the classification of usually small geographical areas and related to the characteristics of the inhabitants. Research firms specializing in geodemographics combine census data with survey data. Boyd, Walker Larrà ©chà © (1998, pp. 171-179) further substantiated this service by referring it as PRIZM, (Potential Ratings Index for ZIP Markets) which defines every neighborhood in the US based upon 66 household market segments. ESRIs Tapestryà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ also divides US residential ZIP cod es into 65 segments based upon selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Nielsen Claritas (http://www.claritas.com) and Acorn help sending promotion messages to targeted consumers and they have created desktop products that assist marketing managers to conduct regional and national segmentation studies. Knowing which market segments helps to make up a client firms potential customers. Conducting market tracking Tracking studies are those that monitor, or track a variable such as market share or sales over time. Tracking studies can tell a firm how well the products are being sold in retail outlets globally and also the sales status on competitors products. Nielsen SCANTRACK Services is based on syndicated retail scanning data, tracks thousands of products as they move through retail stores, allowing brand managers to monitor sales and market share and to evaluate marketing strategies. As for market tracking at the household level, it is gathered in homes using scanning devices or through the use of diaries and sending auditors to households. Nielsen Homescan ® Panel, uses scanning device to scan all bar-coded products brought home from all outlets. IRI ScanKey Consumer Network Household Panel, an example given by Malhotra Birks (2000), maintains a panel of consumer households that record purchases at outlets by using a handheld ScanKey wand. Todays technology is so advanced that a user o f information can easily be overloaded with information, various companies have therefore created decision support systems, data mining systems, expert systems and the like by using analytical tools to attach meaning to data, allowing marketers to make decisions in response to the quickly changing market conditions. Monitoring media usage and promotion effectiveness In order to measure the promotional effectiveness in media, readership, listenership effectiveness, some syndicated data service companies conduct studies on several forms of media. To track television, Nielsen Television Index (NTI) records television ratings data which are reported by DMAs (designed market areas). Naturally higher viewership of certain programs allow the television company to charge higher fee for advertisements. NTI also provides subscribers with audience characteristic information that allows potential advertisers to select audiences that most closely match their target markets characteristics. To track radio, Arbitron Panel provides syndicated data on radio station listening through selected samples who record their radio listening in diaries and Arbitrons Portale People Meter (PPMSM), a hand-held electronic device in the size of a mobile phone, automatically records the stations listened to. The procedures for measuring advertising effectiveness are standardized for comparing the results across studies. To track print, MRIs Starch Readership Survey is widely used for measuring the actual exposure of magazine ads to readers; Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies are another well-known syndicated service firms, aim to help marketers make decisions about what comprises a good ad. To track downloaded music, videos and recorded books, Nielsens SoundScan, VideoScan and BookScan separately provides information on the downloaded music, sales of VHS and DVD and sales of books. To track Multimedia, Simmons National Consumer Study gathers information on media usage linked to product usage, this information allows companies to determine the viewing/listening media habits of users. Nowadays, on-line consumer word of mouth or on-line consumer business have been shared through the internet world, via websites, blogs, facebook, discussion forums, companies can keep track of what is being said about them and their products by subscribing to BussMetrics from the Nielsen Company (Hester, 1996, pp. 169-170 and Burns Bush, 2010, pp. 219-222). Monitoring health related facilities and pharmaceutical products IMS Health Incorporated, as mentioned by Burn Bush (2010, p.76), is the worlds second largest research firm, providing services in over 100 countries. IMS services include pharmacy and hospital audits plus the measurement of disease and treatment patterns. Westat, Americas third largest research firm, conducts research and long-term follow-up surveys for agencies of the US government and businesses foundations. Major areas include health, education, social programs, environment and transportation. Sources and Suppliers of Data Primary and external syndicated Secondary Data Primary and secondary data are two main sources of data. Primary research starts from raw scratch, collected specifically for the research needs to solve the problem at hand. Secondary data already exists and are already published as they were collected for purposes other than the specific research needs at hand and usually used by someone else. Secondary data are therefore more economical than primary research which is a quick source of background information, but the format seldom meets the needs of the researcher. In a marketing problem definition process, analysis of available secondary data is an essential step and primary data should not be collected until the available secondary data have been fully analyzed. Scott (2009) alerted marketers with international marketing research that few problems may arise because customers may vary due to different cultures, traditions, beliefs and expectations. If this happens, separate country should collect individual countrys secondary info rmation and then compare the data difference, which means international marketing research better counts more on original primary data instead of secondary information. Primary data sources Primary data is original and normally organizations commission external researcher to establish the techniques, measurement and analysis for them. The technical aspects of conducting various types of primary marketing research relies on qualitative research methods, which means working with focus groups, conducting surveys, questionnaires, interviews and experiments. Wilson (2006, pp. 37) said this is a skilled task that requires careful thought and planning whereby a poorly designed questionnaire can jeopardize the response rates and provide incomplete or inaccurate data. Besides, determining the sample involves clearly specifying the types of respondent to be included, the number of respondents required and the method by which individual respondents will be selected. To conduct focus groups and interviewing, the researchers need to be well trained to ensure unbiased judgment and uphold the ethics to respect the rights of the respondents. Most companies will outsource the data colle ction process and rarely have it conducted by the companys internal personnel. Syndicated sources and Suppliers of Secondary Data Secondary data can be classified as coming from internal sources or external sources. Boyd et. al. (1998, p.80) specified clearly that internal sources can be available within the organization when every organization has at its disposal valuable internal secondary data, such as sales invoices, estimates of total annual usage of a product, advertising and promotion activities recorded, research and development and manufacturing reports or service by location, etc. that can be an important starting point for any marketing research project. External data can be available from various sources, such as government statistical publications, trade association data, books, bulletins, annual reports and business periodicals which can be free from library resources. Otherwise, external data sources not available in libraries are usually standardized data which are comparatively expensive. These secondary data are supplied by syndicated services suppliers to many client firms, anyone willing to pay the price can buy the data. One method of obtaining secondary data is frequently through surveys, which could be periodic surveys on the same set of variables conducted at regular intervals; or panel surveys to measure the same panel respondents over time but not necessarily on the same variable; or shared surveys are developed and executed for multiple clients when each of them share the cost. A number of firms maintain panels of respondents who are matched to the general population in terms of age, income and who agree in advance to participate in surveys, typically by mail or phone and response rates within the panels tend to be high and the demographic and lifestyle information are already available . Curry (1993) classified syndicated data sources as a) consumer data, b) retail data, c) wholesale data, d) industrial data, e) advertising evaluation data, and f) media and audience data. Consumer data normally relates to purchases and the circumstances surrounding the purchases. Kinnear Taylor (1991, pp.151-155, 164) provided examples of these suppliers: The National Purchase Diary (NPD, http://www.npd.com/) maintains over 30,000 households who keep diaries of purchases. The Marketing Research Corporation of America (MRCA) maintains a diary panel that records details on purchase of groceries and personal care items. Mediamark Inc. has annual survey that includes overall breakdown of usage by demographic category. The Roper Reports monitor public opinion and consumer behavior and interests on a broad range of social and political topics and on opinions of various consumer products and services. Yankelovich Clancy Shulmans Monitor Service conducts annual survey of households on social trends. Regarding consumers attitudes and buying behavior, Burgoyne Consumer Surveys provides in-store consumer on-the-spot reactions to marketing and product innovations, DDB Needham an d Gallup Omnibus conducts long term tracking of attitudes and opinions. PRIZM serves to explain, predict target consumer behavior while the Survey Research Center at University of Michigan monitors consumer consumption patterns, attitudes and intentions on financial issues. Retail Data collected focus on the products or services sold through the outlets and/or the characteristics of the outlets themselves. Hair, Bush Ortinau (2006, pp. 12-13) mentioned ACNielens Retail Index and Audits Surveys National Total-Market Audit provide data on total sales by product class, sales by brand and of competing brands in supermarkets, drugstores. IRI (http://www.infores.com/) and ACNielsen (http://www.acnielsen.com/) basically dominate the retail scanner business. Scanner data are collected in two separate forms (household level and store level) and for two distinct sets of clients (manufacturers and retailers). In addition, three other sets of data are also maintained, they are (a) prices, features and displays at the retail level; (b) coupons and other promotions (c) advertising on TV, print, radio. Audits Survey also provides National Restaurant Market index on the commercial restaurant market annually. Ehrhart-Babic Group provides syndicated in-store distribut ion data and new-product-introduction performance data through their National Retail Tracking Index. BehaviorScan and InfoScan by IRI assist in multiple market testing and tracking services while DBs National Scan Track provides projection to monitor displays in supermarkets. Wholesale data are warehouse shipment data used to estimate sales at retail. Birn (1999) told us that SAMI (Selling Areas-Marketing, Inc.) is the best known syndicated service of this type, especially for retail food stores. SAMIs data allow the client to analyze trends in sales or package size and the impact of promotions and competitive actions. These data also serve as an intermediary audit purpose in the distribution chain, wholesalers and formal examination of product movement by analyzing inventory. Pipeline Research Inc. provides audit service on warehouse inventories of drug products monthly. Then P-O-S Research audits the national warehouse movement and trend line of products sold through food store distribution, including grocery, frozen, dairy, household, health and beauty aids. Industrial data are more syndicated data services available to consumer goods manufacturers rather than to industrial goods suppliers. Birn (1999) shared that DBs Market Identifiers provides data on companies rated by DB, which can be used to construct sales prospect lists, identify sales territories, sales potentials, and so forth. McGraw-Hills Dodge Reports collects data from building material manufacturers and distributors so the data can be used in marketing building products while Polk Companys Motor Statistics provides vehicles registration data. Advertising Evaluation data help advertisers in measuring the effectiveness of their ad expenditures in broadcast and print media. AdTel, ARS (Advertising Research Service), CATS (Comprehensive Advertising Tracking System) offer comprehensive and continuous tracking of weight and quality of commercial ads in terms of GRPs (Gross Rating Points). Starch Message Reports, Gallup and Robinson Magazine Impact Studies are most widely used syndicated services on readership. Burns Bush (2010, p.150) cited Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) is a standardized, independent third party audit bureau, aims to confirm methodology, verification of lists and credibility of the content of magazines which are very helpful to the magazine industry providing advertisers with richer data on magazine readership. Media and audience data Media companies include advertising agencies, sales promotion companies, public relations agencies, and direct marketing firms which are all concerned with getting the right message to the right target market, the advertising effects of competitors, how much they are spending and the media mix, hence marketing research information is often required to accomplish this goal. For example, companies that advertise on network television want to select shows that reach their target customers most efficiently so they need information on the size, demographic and psychographics composition of the audiences for various TV programs. Firms like NMR and American Research Bureau provide standardized TV audience ratings to a syndicate group of clients. The Simmons Market Research Bureau compares audience characteristics. Kolb (2008, p.64) mentioned it would be greatly inefficient for company to collect these data by themselves, only ad agencies have internal research depar tment as they need to find the correct marketing message and the best image to represent a client company and also the best media to use. Marketing Evaluations, Inc., for example, offers several Q Scores ® services, one of its services measures the familiarity and appeal of performers, such as actors/ actresses, authors, athletes, sportscasters, and so forth. Such information helps companies to choose the most appropriate spokesperson or help a movie producer select a performer for an upcoming movie. Scott (2009) gave an interesting fact that Tom Hanks and Bill Cosby, for example, are performers who have high Q scores. Nielsen Media Researchs Nielsen Television Index (NTI), is another example of a syndicated data provider, supplying subscribers with data on TV viewing, available to anyone wishing to buy it. Arbitron and ACB (Advertising Checking Bureau) offer syndicated data on the number and types of listeners to the various radio stations. This standardized information helps advertising firms reach their target markets; and also helps radio stations define audience size and characteristics. One must not undermine the service by the research giant, VNU Inc. (VNU), founded in 1964, is a major international media and information company and the largest company owned by VNU is ACNielsen. Hair et.al. (2006) gave a thorough introduction of ACNielsen, that it is broken down into several companies: a) Nielsen Media Research (NMR) provides television audience measurement information; b) NetRatings Inc. (NR) reports on internet and digital media syndicated research; c) Entertainment Information Division (NE) serves the entertainment industry, including movies, music and home entertainment; d) Media Solutions Division includes PERQ/HCI providing healthcare audience measurement, Scarborough Research (SR) measures local and regional shopping patterns of American consumers, Standard Rate Data Services (SRDS) offers the worlds largest database on media rates, Interactive Market Systems (IMS) offers audience profiling. Single Source Data Single source data means continuously monitor a panel of respondents on media exposure, promotional material exposure, and buying behavior to measure their exposure to promotional material