Market research report on Exxon Mobil Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Market report on Exxon Mobil - Research Proposal Example Despite the fact that the Japanese economy has rebounded slightly in first several years of new millennium after the period of slow growth, it still faces some serious structural problems. At the beginning of the year 2004, there was some hope that more strong consumption demand as well as new better conditions in corporate sector would entail economic recovery. However these hopes did not materialize due to several factors: As we can see Japan economy has been experiencing deflation during the last several years. Whereas other developed countries have experienced low inflation Japan still needs to curb deflation. That is why every company that operates in Japan faces the threats of deflation which entail: the risk of relocation of the debt from debtor to creditor; the risk of decreasing of the prices on the assets as well as the risk of continuation of stagnation. However, these negative factors might be mitigated by effective monetary policy of the Bank of Japan. In order to remedy the threat of deflation Bank of Japan has implemented zero interest rate in order to maintain low interest rates of financial institutions. Despite the fact that Bank of Japan might announce some inflation objective, especially if the treat of inflation is evident, nevertheless one could hardly expect the tightening of monetary policy, in view of the lack of growth of the Japan's economy. Besides, the financial sector of the Japan's economy is much healthier today than in the 90s. Commercial bank can boast of positive net income (the first time they have posted in since 1993). They have jettisoned most of non-performing loans from their balance sheets; nevertheless in spite of this notable progress their profitability remains low. 'Summing up all factors mentioned I think it is relatively easy to obtain the credit in Japan (with low interest rate). ' Since 1990 the energy sector of Japan has started to consolidate (partly due to the stagnation). Japan has no substantial oil reserves and relies heavily on imported oil. There was a noticeable increase in the consumption of oil in 2003 (the consumption increased on 5 % during the period 2002-2003), largely due to the notable decrease in the number of nuclear plants in Japan during the period mentioned. Nevertheless nuclear plant will resume their work in 2004 that might entail some slight decrease of the demand on oil. Japan has one of the highest GNP per capita in the world-29400 USD. Japanese people like to travel abroad and the demand on the traveling overseas was very strong even during stagflation, moreover there is strong demand on new vehicles. Thus it is possible to claim that potential market for oil industry is quite strong. Despite the fact that Japan has had low economic growth during the last several years, government programs of liberalization as well as deregulation will produce positive impact on the economy and will undoubtedly

IT privacy protection, first mover and follower advantages Essay

IT privacy protection, first mover and follower advantages - Essay Example s of privacy policies, after selecting the websites it will discuss privacy policy features of those websites, than it will analyse the availability of those privacy features and will rank them accordingly, and, in the end, the study will provide a brief conclusion. Privacy protection utility is a privacy feature which removes the track of your move. Everything you do leaves tracks behind, it includes each and every activity such as browsing on the web, watching video, and shopping online. Privacy protection utility removes all tracks, in this way the user is safe and the browser stability and performance are increased. By default, on websites such as on social network websites, user’s information such as user’s id, username, networks, profile picture, and gender are publically available to the applications and advertisements; this option allows the user to control the information share setting with applications and advertisements. This safety option allows the user to clean up all the browsing data on the website; it increases the browser stability and allows the user to stay away from all the misuse of browsing records. Everything you browse on a specific websites leaves tracks; option allows the user to clean all the history. When you visit a website for a purchase, watching video, or just browsing, websites store user’s basic information and purchase or browsing behaviors in a cookie on the user PC and personalize website experiences for the visitors to make the website more attractive for users and to increase the website visits. This may be harmful as there is a risk of interruption and modification by other users which may result in wrong use of information and can create a source of tension and loss for the user. Most browsers accept all cookies by default. Cookie manager is a safety feature which allows the user to control the cookie settings (Alwang, 2001). Email is exposed to electronic dangers when it passes through different Internet

WEEK 1 DISCUSSION PART 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

WEEK 1 DISCUSSION PART 1 - Assignment Example Its forward supply chain involves transfer of products to consumers while reverse supply chain involves transfer of products from consumers to the organization for recycling or as return inwards. The forward supply chain involves ordering of products via mail or electronic methods. A first in first out inventory management follows in processing and delivery of the orders, though the organization observers some flexibility. In cases of lack of inventory, a supplier is sought through an online system. The supply chain involves â€Å"postponement,† and â€Å"modularity† (Kumar and Graig, 2007, p. 200, 201). The organization’s suppliers and consumers who determine the volumes of required inventory manage inventory, and products are transported through shipments. The supply chain also involves a series of partnerships with â€Å"suppliers, service providers, shipping companies, and customers† (Kumar and Graig, 2007, p. 203). I could redesign the company’s supply chain through application of the six-sigma approach. The new design would involve a monitoring and evaluation department that would identify ideal supply chain processes and actual deviations from the ideals. The department would also explore periodic changes in supply chain processes and identify significance of those changes with respect to consumers’ expectations in order to eliminate inefficiencies and facilitate cohesion among involved processes and stakeholders. The design will also evaluate suppliers’ efficiency levels to identify the most reliable suppliers for long-term partnerships, contrary to the current short-term partnership approach. This is because long-term partnerships increase commitments towards efficiencies. Inputs and outputs will however remain the same since they are determined by demand (Bandyopadhyay and Jenicke, 2007). The design will involve both domestic and global operations. The need for global operations will extend the analytical approach to the corporation’s

Human Error in Aviation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Human Error in Aviation - Research Paper Example Studies show that out of the aviation accidents that occur in the US, 60% to 80% are due to human error. Loss of or poor Crew Resource Management (CRM) facilitates most of these accidents. US airlines fail to give their crew proper training and CRM, which are very vital in preventing human errors in the aviation industry. Another important factor in human errors and aviation accidents is the ‘Swiss cheese model’ in which defensive systems consists of slices or pieces, as well as holes resulting from opening, and displacement of the slices, which result in human error. Since human errors occur due to psychological and physiological factors, aviation psychology is an effective solution for human failures in aviation. In addition, there should be proper training and CRM for aviation crew focusing on human factors. Accidents are part of our everyday life. Most of these accidents are attributed to the mistakes we make. Many theories link accidents to systems failure other than human errors. However, there is increasing focus on human error as one of the major causes of accidents. Error classification method was developed to explain the various causes of human error in aviation. Error classification method analyzes the ways in, which people contribute to system reliability or the system failure. Many aircraft accidents result from human error other than systems failure. When investigating accidents, there should be a focus on human errors that might have led to an aviation accident. This is because system failures result from the engineers’ failure or errors in making the craft. This research essay seeks to justify the argument that human errors are the main factors behind aviation related accidents. According Reason, high technology systems consist of defensive layers that either are engineered or rely on people and administrative procedures (6). Engineered defensive systems include physical

Vertical Crest Equations Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Vertical Crest Equations - Thesis Example Current road network systems require proper and detailed construction to ensure they last long and also handle different vehicles using the road. There are different types of roads. These include stone paved roads, timber track ways, and brick paved roads, tarmac roads among other types of roads. Tarmac roads are most the most common types of roads in the modern world. Road construction is normally controlled by the public sector. Road building is a capital intensive exercise and most roads are accessible to the general public. Road construction involves the making of a continuous path with low grade of stone to allow for passage of vehicles and humans on foot. it begins with removal of vegetation, followed by digging or rock excavations for areas with rocks. The pavement material is then laid. Proper optimization must be done to ensure minimum cut and fill. Road building process encompasses the removal of the top layer of unwanted soil by excavations. Filling the excavated trench with hardcore stones, compacting the stones, lying of tarmac and finally compaction of the tarmac. During road construction several environmental aspects have to taken into consideration. First roads generate considerable air pollution due to cars emissions. Secondly the urban rainfall cumulates to form runoff that flow along the hard surface collecting chemical and meta ls which end up in /major water bodies. Noise pollution is also common to people living near major highways. During road construction, there are number of geographical obstacles experienced by the engineers and the design engineer has to figure out how to overcome these obstacles in the most effective and economic way. One common problem is when designing a road in hilly areas or in areas with sharp decent and ascent. Care must be taken to ensure that the driver can see ahead especially during the night Vertical curves In the design of highways, there are various fundamental transition elements. These include the horizontal and the vertical curves. The vertical curve is important as it provides the transition between two roadways. This allows the vehicle to negotiate the elevation gradually rather than a sharp cut. These vertical curves are used to connect roadways with inclined sections and provide transitions between two grades. They are easy to design as the only requirement is to determine the length of the curve that will accommodate the required sight distance. Type's of vertical curves According to the Department of transportation, There are two main types of curves, the sag curve and the crest curve ,crest curves are applied when the change in grade is positive for example when ascending valleys while sag vertical curves are used when descending on planes and there is a negative change in grade. Properties of vertical curves Regardless of whether it is a sag curve or a crest curve these curves have three points. These points are: PVC: this is also called the point of vertical curve. It represents the start point of the curve PVT : stands for the point of vertical tangency and is the endpoint of the curve PVI: stands for pint of vertical intersection Fig 1 showing the properties of vertical curves For equal tangent curves, half of the length of the curve is positioned before PVI and the other half after. This forms a uniform curve

The Hunger Games (2012) Essay Example for Free

The Hunger Games (2012) Essay The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The tributes are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 16 year-old girl from District 12, a coal-mining region and the poorest of the districts. This year is the 74th Hunger Games and during the Reaping, Katniss younger sister, Primrose, is chosen as a tribute. Refusing to let her sister be taken, Katniss volunteers herself instead, becoming District 12s female tribute. The male tribute chosen is a bakers son named Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) who is later seen giving bread to Katniss to prevent her family from starving. Despite the threat of the games, Katniss dreams of making a new life for herself and her family outside the fence with her friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). She tells him that she never wants children. Before she leaves, Katniss comforts her mother (Paula Malcomson) and tells her to stay strong for Primrose. Katniss and Peeta are taken from their district by the gaudily dressed Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and travel to the Capitol. En route, they are fed rich food and treats but are disgusted by the amount of luxuries given to them and the occupants of the train while their families starve at home. They are introduced to their mentor and a former winner of the Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) who appears to be a pessimistic alcoholic. Haymitch grabs a drink and food before leaving their train car. Katniss and Peeta later reunite with Haymitch in another car and he tells them that the key to survival is ensuring they are well liked by the public so that they may get sponsored. By having sponsors they will have more access to survival tools such as matches, knives, or even water. When they arrive in the gleaming city of the Capitol, the train is greeted by a cheering crowd. Peeta waves to the residents but Katniss refuses to show herself. Haymitch warns her that she better hold on to her knife and that Peeta actually knows what he is doing by feeding the crowd. Katniss meets her stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), who tells her that, as tributes, they need to make an impression on the audience so theyre remembered, especially by the sponsors. Cinna proclaims that someone as brave as Katniss should have a great costume for the Gala Entry Parade in which each pair of tributes wears an outfit reflecting their districts trade. Katniss and Peeta wear black costumes with actual fire to symbolize the coal-mining district they reside from. As Cinna hoped, they make a great impression on the audience. Peeta takes Katniss hand and raises it into the air during the parade for more effect. After the parade the pair go to their penthouse. The tributes under-go basic weaponry and combat training including the use of knives, swords, and bows. In spite of this training their trainer stresses that survival skills should not be underestimated as exposure and infection can kill just as effectively as any sword. One tribute named Cato (Alexander Ludwig) is hot-headed and imposing, proving to be possibly serious threat. Later, over a meal, Haymitch tells Peeta and Katniss about the Careers district from which Cato comes from. All of the possible tributes train until theyre 18 before openly volunteering to participate in the Hunger Games. Haymitch warns them that they win almost every year due to that fact before asking about Katniss bow and arrow skills. Katniss refocuses on Peeta, describing his impressive strength, but he rebuffs her compliments and confesses that his own mother (Raiko Bowman) thought Katniss to be the superior tribute. When Peeta is bullied by the other tributes during training, Katniss suggests he show off his strength by throwing a large weight across the room. Peeta manages to perform the feat successfully and gains a small amount of respect from the tributes. Later, in succession, each tribute is instructed to show off to the game makers, including Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley). When its Katniss turn, she decides to show off her archery skills. However, she misses her first shot badly and loses what little attention she had from the game makers. Despite her perfect second shot, she doesnt regain their respect. Angered and disgusted by the game makers attitude towards her, Katniss fires an arrow straight through an apple in a roasted pigs mouth, just inside the makers room. Katniss sarcastically thanks them for their consideration and leaves. The game makers display their scores of the tributes on a television screen, ranking from 0 to 12. Many tributes achieve high scores of 9 to 10, including the Careers Cato and his partner Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman). Peeta receives an 8 while Katniss scores an 11, the highest of all the tributes. The President of the Capitol, Snow (Donald Sutherland) addresses Seneca and tells him that the Hunger Games is about giving the districts hope, but that too much hope can actually be dangerous. During another meal, Haymitch tells Katniss about Peetas decision to go without his help because of the fact that there can only be one winner. On the extravagant Hunger Games TV chat show, each tribute is introduced individually and interviewed by the flamboyant host, Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Katniss elicits laughs from the audience during the interview and impresses them by showing off her dress which displays real fire. Ceasar gives her the nickname girl on fire. During his interview, Peeta eats the audience up, garnering some laughs himself. It is then that he announces his crush on Katniss, something which angers her intensely. Backstage Katniss pins Peeta to the wall, demanding answers for his behavior. Haymitch separates the two and explains that he could sell the pair as star-crossed lovers which might gain them sponsorship support during the games. Just before the games, Haymitch warns Katniss to avoid the bloodbath at the beginning by heading to the high ground in search of water despite having to leave her bow and arrow behind. Katniss says goodbye to Cinna who tells her if he was allowed to bet, he would bet on her winning. The tributes are all injected with a tracking device in their arms as they travel via helicopter to the outdoor arena. The tributes are deposited into a meadow containing a cornucopia of weapons and backpacks. As the horn sounds, the tributes rush for the weapons, brutally attacking and killing each other. Katniss manages to grab a pack and barely escapes Clove, who embeds a knife in her backpack. Once at a safe distance, Katniss finds a rope, an empty canteen, and a coat inside the backpack. She takes Haymitchs advice and locates water in a nearby stream before she ties herself high up in a tree for the night and attempts to get some sleep. Loud bangs from a cannon indicate the deaths of tributes and we learn that thirteen were killed within the first 8 hours. Caesar announces that an alliance has been formed during the games and Katniss sees that Peeta has formed this alliance with the Careers during the night. He appears to be trying to lead them to Katniss location. While exploring the next day, Katniss gets too close to the outer regions of the arena. The game controllers decide to start a forest fire to lure her further in to the center. She barely manages to escape but does receive a nasty burn on her thigh, causing her to limp. She is then spotted by Cato and 4 other tributes, including Clove and Glimmer (Leven Rambin) who have banded together. We learn that, apparently, the Careers come, collectively, from Districts 1, 2, and 4 who are trained illegally before volunteering to fight; this group of 4 from two districts chases Katniss who eventually escapes by climbing a tree. Cato attempts to follow her up but is unsuccessful. Peeta suggests that the group wait for Katniss to eventually come down for food and water. The group settles for the night beneath the tree and Katniss ties herself to the tree to sleep. She is woken later that night by a parachute containing much needed medicine for her leg wound, sent by Haymitch. She applies the medicine to her burns and they disappear as if nothing happened. Her attention is then caught by a young 12 year old girl named Rue (Amandla Stenberg) from District 11. Rue, however, is friendly to Katniss and points out a large trackerjacker nest just above Katniss and dangling over the Career group below. We learn that trackerjackers are genetically engineering wasps whose stings are highly venomous and can cause powerful hallucinations. With enough stings, they can even kill. Katniss climbs up the tree towards the nest and begins sawing at the branch holding it up. The trackerjackers become irritated and start stinging her but, eventually, the branch snaps and the nest falls to the ground, exploding in a wave of wasps. The Careers group flees but Glimmer is s tung too many times and succumbs to the venom. Katniss manages to climb down the tree and, despite beginning to hallucinate, grabs a bow and escapes with Peetas help. After a night of hallucinations and nightmares, some involving her father (Phillip Troy Linger), Katniss awakens beneath a tree trunk covered in stings. Unclear as to who exactly helped her, Katniss stumbles around, thinking it must have been Peeta. Rue appears and tells her that she was out cold for 2 days and that shes been the one taking care of her. The two girls decide to team up and go on the offensive. They form a plan to destroy a mountain of food and supplies located in the starting meadow that the Career group is guarding; Rue is to start off small fires to distract the remaining Careers while Katniss detonates the booby-trapped mines around the mound. They agree to use the sounds of mockingjays to signal to each other. The plan works. The Careers become distracted by the smoke of the fires while one tribute, a boy from District 3 (Ian Nelson), remains at the cornucopia, standing guard. Katniss then notices a female tribute unseen by the others. Foxface (Jacqueline Emerson) from District 5 sprints towards the pyramid of food and supplies, unnoticed by the guard, picking her way through the unexploded mines and steals a backpack before making it to the forest, showcasing her cunning. Katniss then shoots at a bag of apples on top of the pile which causes them to cascade down and detonate the mines. The pyramid explodes, sending food and supplies everywhere. Katniss watches, triumphant, as the Career group rushes back to the clearing. Infuriated, Cato demands to know how such a thing could have happened if the guard was doing his job. The tribute from District 3 is equally confused but Catos anger makes him murderous and he snaps the boys neck. Katniss leaves, disturbed by Catos ease to kill. Katniss uses the bird call system to find Rue but receives no response until she hears a scared voice calling to her. Katniss finds Rue trapped under a net and releases her just before theyre attacked by Marvel (Jack Quaid), a tribute from District 1. Marvel throws a spear but Katniss dodges the attack and shoots an arrow into his chest, killing him. However, when she turns to Rue, she sees that Marvels spear has gone through her chest. Distraught, Katniss tries to calm Rue and sings to her peacefully as Rue dies. Katniss then gathers flowers from the forest and spreads them over Rue before her body taken back to her district via hovercraft. Meanwhile, Rues father is horrified and angered by his daughters death and starts a riot against the Hunger Games. His district follows his rebellious example and they destroy the stage showing the games. As Katniss makes a peace gesture to the camera, the Peace Keepers of District 11 arrive and shoot Rues father dead. President snow is enraged by the rebellion in District 11 and wants to change the games rules and circumstances to ensure that Katniss is killed. Haymitch pleads with Seneca to keep Katniss alive, issuing a ploy of teen romance as a main reason. Seneca then announces that the rules of the game have been changed; two winners instead of just one will be allotted so long as they belong to the same district. With this knowledge, and having just overheard the remaining Careers mention leaving Peeta for dead by the river, Katniss sets out in search of him. She finds a trail of blood near the river and follows it to where Peeta has camouflaged himself in the rocks. Katniss helps move him to a nearby cave where they are well hidden. Katniss attempts to heal Peetas sword wound but realizes he has blood poisoning, something that can only be cured with a special medicine. Katniss despairs as there could be no way Haymitch could send some since it would be too expensive at this point. However, as if by magic, an announcement rings out that there will be a feast at the cornucopia for all the tributes but, instead of food, there will be something each tribute desperately needs. Peeta begs Katniss not to leave him and risk her life trying to save him. He asks her to stay and Katniss reluctantly agrees, though she knows there may very well be medicine at the cornucopia that could save his life. The two share a brief kiss, partly as a way to gain more sponsors. However, this hits a nerve with Gale watching back home who is clearly smitten with Katniss. Katniss waits until Peeta has fallen asleep before leaving for the cornucopia. When she arrives, she sees Foxface sprinting towards the supplies, surprising the other tributes with her speed and escaping without much incident. Katniss decides to mimic Foxfaces moves and sprints out to grab the medicine but is thrown off guard when she is hit with a knife launched by Clove. The two wrestle and fight before Clove manages to get the upper hand and presses a knife to Katniss throat. She teases her with bloodlust and mocks her for teaming up with the little monster from District 11; Rue. Before Clove can slit Katniss throat, she is lifted by Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi), the male tribute from District 11, and thrown against the cornucopia wall. Thresh tells Katniss that she gets this one chance since she helped Rue but, after this, everything is fair game. He proceeds to smash Clove to death against the wall as Katniss escapes. She returns to the cave with the medicine and administers it to Peeta and herself, healing their wounds. In a more genuine romantic moment, the two fall asleep in each others arms. The next day, they split up to find food. During her hunt, Katniss hears a cannon signaling another tribute death. Panicked, she runs back to where she last saw Peeta. She finds him near a berry bush, standing bewildered with a handful of berries near the corpse of Foxface, also with berries in her hand. In a mix of anger and relief, Katniss slaps Peeta, telling him that the berries are Nightlock and extremely poisonous. The pair wonder if Cato would ever fall for the same trap that Foxface did before they notice that the sun is going down at mid-day. Unsure of whats to happen, they freeze and ready themselves for an impending attack. In the distance, they hear Thresh cry out followed by the sound of the cannon, signaling his death. They pause for a moment before a giant mutated dog leaps out at them, vicious and the size of a polar bear but with much more speed and agility. Katniss and Peeta sprint through the forest as two more of the dogs begin to pursue them. They are chased to the cornucopia where Peeta helps Katniss climb on top of it, barely making it up himself. They sit back in relief thinking the dogs will kill the last survivor, Cato, and they will be crowned the victors. Cato, however, is also on top of the cornucopia and attacks Katniss, attempting to throw her to the dogs. The three fight each other and Cato grabs Katniss by the throat, holding her near the edge of the structure before Peeta manages to fight him off her. Cato gets the upper hand and gets Peeta in a choke hold to either break his neck, as seen before, or throw him to the mutant dogs. Katniss unsheathes an arrow and points it at him, uncertain whether to shoot or not. Cato, dripping blood, laughs sadistically telling her that he knows what the games are about now. The tributes arent just entertainment, theyre all weapons designed to make the spectacle of death as painful and unnecessary as possible. Peeta, who is still being choked, appears to try and tell Katniss something while Cato talks. Cato asks if she shoots him, then her lover boy goes down with him. Katniss shoots his hand, forcing him to let go of Peeta. Peeta then pushes Cato off the edge to be mauled by the dogs. Katniss and Peeta watch a moment as Cato is savagely attacked before Katniss shoots an arrow into him, ending his misery. The last cannon goes off and Katniss and Peeta realize theyve won the Hunger Games. They embrace and wait for a helicopter to come take them home. No helicopter comes. An announcement then states that the rules which allow two winners has been revoked, meaning only one shall remain. Katniss contemplates shooting Peeta, but decides against it. Peeta, however, begs her to kill him so that she may win, but she takes out her hand and holds out some Nightlock berries. She takes some for herself and gives the rest to Peeta, hinting that shed rather the Capitol have no winners instead of one. Before they can commit suicide, a speaker pleads them to stop and announces that they are both winners. They are brought back to the Capitol where Haymitch tells them how foolish they are to have defied the Capitol like that and instructs them to play up the star-crossed couple routine at their final interview. They oblige but Haymitch relents that it will never be enough for the Capitol. We see Seneca Crane being led into a finely polished room. The door is locked behind him while a goblet is set on a pedestal in front of him, containing Nightlock. Although we do not see it, we are led to believe that he sacrifices himself. Peeta and Katniss travel back to District 12 by train. Although they are met with a heros welcome, Haymitch warns Katniss that she is now a political enemy after such a public defiance against the societys leaders. They are greeted by a crowd of cheering residents including Primrose, Katniss mother and Gale. Peeta realizes that Katniss may have been playing up the star-crossed lovers theme just for the audience. He takes her hand and holds it up in the air. President Snow watches the District 12 welcome from the Capitol. Walking away, he wonders what to do about the two victors and the feelings of rebellion they may have created in the Districts. Bottom of Form In the future, the world is split into districts. Each district is responsible for something: District 12, for example, handles coal and mining. All these districts are controlled by the Capitol, where lives the president who is always very, very cruel. The Capitol, to show the Districts how weak they are and how little control they have, hosts the Hunger Games. Two tributes are selected from each district to participate in a game. An arena is set up that looks like a natural surrounding {a jungle, rain forest, desert, etc..) Here, the tributes have to try to survive and kill each other off. The one who is the last standing wins and earns food and gifts for their District, and also can never be selected for the Games. Once chosen, you cant get out of it unless someone else offers to go for you, which no one is entirely willing to do. To get chosen, your name is written on a piece of paper and put into a small bowl, and is chosen at random. Only children are put once {I believe youre safe at the age of 18}, but poorer families are forced to add their childrens name multiple times because the more you put your name in, the more grain you get for your family. Of course, this means youre even more prone to be selected. Hunger Games is about Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who lives in District 12. Her father died at a young age, and from then on she had to take care of her younger sister Prim and her shocked mother. She snuck out under the electric fence that borders the District, and hunted for food using her bow and arrow. At the Reaping, which is the time of day where they select the tributes, Katnisss sister is chosen to be in the Games. Knowing that Prim knows nothing of survival, and Katniss is more skilled in hunting, Katniss offers to take her place. The rest of the book is about Katniss preparing for the Hunger Games and the Hunger Games itself.

Impact of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Making

Impact of Brand Name on Consumer Decision Making Brand Name Consumer Todays generation follows the pattern of capitalism where human values are measured by, ‘you are known by what you have not by what you are’. This naturally leads to a social structure where everyone seeks uniqueness by possessing things which sets them apart from everybody else. Nowadays, brands not only represent the symbol of a company or product but also define the daily life of a person to a large extent . Products used by a person often reflect the persons tastes, status in society, and economic background. When customers purchase products, the consumer’s choice is frequently affected by brand name. Some customers purchase specific brand products only due to brand name. The purpose of this thesis is to create a deeper consideration about how brand name affects consumers when they gor for purchasing a car. Moreover the author wants to identify if there is any connection between brand name and consumer decision making. The research method involved a critically analysed review on secondary research upon the subject. It provides the reader with an understanding of the relation between companies and consumers in terms of brand equity, emotional branding, consumer behaviour, and consumer decision making. From the secondary research, the basis for primary research was created. The use of a questionnaire allowed the author to identify individual feelings when people go for purchasing car. All of the respondents answered every question upon which quantitative data and findings were produced. The findings and analysis of the research conducted, concluded that brand name is the most important aspect when people go for purchasing a car. Furthermore, the results show that most people prefer brand products which signify consumer status and social status. The paper concludes with an evaluation of the study, limitations, and recommendations for further research. Reasons for choice of topic Every brand differs in names or symbols like logo, trade mark, design and packing. A brand name is a signal to protect the customer from similar brands and protect the producer from the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Brand names present many things about a product and give number of information about it to the customers and also tell the customer or potential buyer what the product means to them (Hansen Christensen, 2003). Brand names affect consumers purchasing behaviour enormously. It is important for companies to find out customer’s decision process and pinpoint the criteria, which customers apply while making decision (Cravens Piercy, 2006). In today’s business environment, companies must work harder than ever before to achieve some degree of differentiation in their products. Many companies have sought to achieve this differentiation by branding their products, simply putting the company’s name on a product (Aaker, 1991). The author has chosen the topic to try to gain further knowledge about the subject of how brand name affects consumer decision in car choice. The reasons for attempting to gain further knowledge are simply based upon the author‟s great interest towards the car industry and consumer behaviour. The author is particularly interested in why customers prefer brand products in case of brand cars. Also the effect of brand name on consumer decision making will be of great curiosity to the author. Academic objectives of dissertation This study attempts to highlight and tackle the extent to how brand name affects consumer decision in car choice. This is to allow a greater understanding of the relation between companies and consumers in terms of brand equity, emotional branding, consumer behaviour, and consumer decision making. In order to achieve this main aim, the following objectives have been produced: To discover any assets and liabilities of brand equity in case of adding or subtracting value for customers. To understand why emotional branding creates feelings and what kind of feelings. To explore how individuals select, purchase, and use or dispose products to satisfy their needs and desires. To investigate consumer decision making and the way of information search when customers go for purchasing a car. Outline of chapters As the introduction is chapter one, the surplus of this study is organised and structured as followed: Chapter Two- This chapter is to set the scene for the study. It presents the background of the current situation of the car industry and the influence of brands in society. Chapter Three This chapter is a review of earlier research and literature on brand name and the effect it has on the consumers purchase decision. In this chapter the earlier literature is critically analysed upon its relevance and importance to the study. Chapter Four The methodology of the study is addressed in this chapter. It involves a description of the research undertaken for the study and a justification of why. The approaches and methods of research are detailed here and justified. Chapter Five This chapter is the findings and analysis of primary research as well as secondary research undertaken towards the study. The findings from the primary research are analysed against the earlier literature and research from chapter three. Chapter Six- This chapter is a conclusion, commenting on the initial objectives of the study. The limitations and recommendations for further research are also discussed in this chapter. Car Industry Background The European Union is the worlds largest car manufacturing region and the worlds biggest market, not only in size terms, but also due to the intensity of competition (Lung, 2003). Europe constitutes a true â€Å"automobile space†, inasmuch as the routing and regulation of the supply and demand for automobile products here has mainly taken place at a regional level (Carrillo, Lung, van Tulder, 2004). We can therefore say that we are in the presence of what can be called a European automobile system (Lung, 2001). From the perspective of car manufacturers the competitive pressure is increasing and their established role is threatened (Selz Klein, 1998). Franchising dominates automobile distribution because of the need to decentralize pricing and control of decisions (Vazquez, 2004). The sales and distribution sector is set to experience considerable change (Eurofund, 2004). The aim of the Commission regulation is to promote competition and a better deal for consumers. It separates new car sales, repair and parts supply, and gives more autonomy to dealers and repairers (Eurofund, 2004). The idea is that such liberalization will promote intrabrand competition, that is, competition between dealers of the same brand (Verboven, 2006). Furthermore, cars of different manufactures look increasingly similar. Product differences are reduced to design aspects, and thus require new branding concepts. At the same time, we move away from the simple durable good car to a complex bundle, incorporating diverse s and after-sales s (Dudenhà ¶ffer, 1997). When a company is deciding which new products to add to its line, it should consider two key factors: First, which new product contenders best fit its distribution system, and second, whether the distribution system will add value to the product in the eyes of the end user (Fites, 1996). Brands in Society Todays generation follows the pattern of capitalism where human values are measured by, ‘you are known by what you have not by what you are’. This naturally leads to a social structure where everyone seeks uniqueness by possessing things which sets them apart from everybody else. Brands not only represent the symbol of the company or product but to a larger extent define the general life of a person. Brand is a combination of name, symbol and design. Brands represent customer perceptions about the performance of a product. A powerful brand is which resides in the mind of the consumer. Brands differ in the amount of power and worth they have in the market place. Brands with high awareness have a high level of acceptability and customers do not refuse to buy such brands as they enjoy the brand performance (Kotler et al., 2005). The history of branding goes back when people utilized burned mark on cattle in order to identify quality (Bengtsson, 2002). Brands differ in name or symbol, trade mark, design and packing. Products are recognized through these elements and thus make it possible to differentiate one product from the other. A brand is a signal to protect the customer from similar brand names and protect the producer from the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Usually people do not buy certain brands because of design and requirements, but also in an attempt to enhance their self esteem in society (De Chernatory McDonald, 1992). Brand names present many things about products and give a number of information to customers. When customers consider to purchase they evaluate the product immediately by reconstructing the product from memory (Hansen Christensen, 2003). In today’s business environment, companies must work harder than ever before to achieve some degree of product differentiation. Many companies have sought to achieve this differentiation by branding their products, simply putting the company’s name on a product (Aaker, 1991). In this respect companies offer different packages to customers in this competition war for raising awareness among the customers about the branded product. Brand and Consumer Perceptions In every industry corporate executives are finding that to be competitive they must increase the communication and contact between their company and their customers (Girsky, 2003). Automotive is no exception: car manufacturers face mounting pressures related to acquiring and retaining customers. While many dealers have assumed that customers make decisions primarily on a rational, fact-driven basis, the truth is that most purchase decisions also involve emotion, intuition and impulse (Zaltmann, 2003). The reason customers buy cars is more connected to the overall experience of the purchase and ownership of an automobile than it is to any traditional impetus such as brand loyalty, price, or personal relationship with the dealer (Bolton, 2002). In this environment, competitive advantage will shift to the player whose value net is most tightly linked and built around the customer: To attract new customers, and sell more to each of them over a lifetime, manufacturers need to move away from their traditional build it and they will come approach to capture customer wallet share (IBM, 2003). To facilitate increased revenue capture over the customer lifecycle, dealers should work to create a collaborative business environment. Increased collaboration will help dealers manage customer touchpoints more efficiently and effectively, increase personalization and establish emotional bonds between themselves and their customers (IBM, 2003).Seeing, touching, and driving the product are still cruc ial to the purchase decision for most consumers (Helper, 2000). The evolution of customer needs advances continually (IBM, 2003). Successful marketing requires understanding how customers relationships with an organization change over time. Todays interactive generation demands products that are valuable to them and that enhance and enable their lifestyle as well. In this environment, quality and price are no longer enough, customers want to make purchases that improve their quality of life – and their buying power will go to the companies that offer them the best (IBM, 2003). Product differentiation is no longer adequate to ensure profits. Traditional customer-focused marketing to determine the needs and wants of target markets is still largely product, rather than customer, focused. Even customer satisfaction itself is no longer enough (IBM, 2003). Customer Touchpoints A car companys marketing instruments have different effects on customer behavior and ultimately on customer lifetime value (Bolton, 2002). Customer lifetime value is characterized by the length, depth and breadth of each customer’s relationship with a dealer in terms of the customers purchase behavior (Verhoef 2001). Length and depth are also reflected in upgrading behavior, which is the purchasing of premium higher margin products instead of low cost variants (Bolton, 2002). Loyal customers are sometimes assumed to be willing to pay higher prices (Reichheld 1996a; Reichheld 1996b) but in some markets loyal customers pay lower prices due to discounts. The breadth of a relationship primarily concerns â€Å"cross- buying† or â€Å"add-on buying† that is, the number of additional (different) products purchased from a company over time (Blattberg, Getz and Thomas 2001). In addition to purchase behavior, customer lifetime value is influenced by non-purchase behaviors, such as word-ofmouth behavior and the provision of new product ideas that may be more difficult to observe and predict (Bettencourt 1997). It is important to know how each of these categories of marketing instruments differentially influence relationship duration, customer usage and cross-buying of products. These marketing activities generate revenues via their effect on individual customer behavior (Bolton, 2002). Satisfaction and Quality Management Marketers typically assume that satisfied customers are more loyal (Szymanski and Hise 2001). However, studies of actual customer behavior have established that the effect of satisfaction on relationship length is complex. Bolton (1998) argues that satisfaction is an indicator of the subjective expected, and finds a positive effect of satisfaction on relationship length that is enhanced by relationship age. Mittal and Kamakura (2001) show that demographics, such as age and gender, moderate the effect of satisfaction on relationship length. Negative discrepancies between a customer’s satisfaction with of a product provider and its competitor (i.e., competitor performs better than company) influence customer retention, whereas positive discrepancies do not (Kumar 2002). A positive link between satisfaction and usage has been documented by Bolton and Lemon (1999). The underlying rationale for this link is that higher satisfaction scores reflect a higher utility of the provided product. This higher utility will be reflected in higher future usage rates. However, a customers’ experience with a particular product will not necessarily transfer to additional products offered by the same organization (Verhoef, Franses and Hoekstra (2001). Relationship Management In direct marketing it is distinguished between marketing instruments that directly stimulate product sales, and those that focus on the maintenance and development of customer relationships (McDonald 1998). Marketing instruments can also be classified based upon whether they provide economic gains or social benefits to the customer (Bhattacharya and Bolton 2000). But these effects of relationship marketing variables have not been extensively investigated (Jain and Singh 2002). Since direct marketing focuses on creating immediate sales, direct marketing is not expected to influence the length of the customer-firm relationship. However, in the case of successful direct marketing policies, direct marketing may positively affect the depth and/or breadth of the relationship (Bolton, 2002). A key objective of concentrating on loyalty is to enhance relationship depth, although it is also intended to increase customer-firm relationship length (Bolton, 2002). Although there is considerable anecdotal evidence that loyalty programs strengthen social bonds between customers and product providers (Sharp and Sharp 1997). In existing relationships, direct marketing is an important tool to sell additionals (Roberts and Berger 1999). Direct marketing often offers attractive propositions to customers, such as economic benefits (Bolton, 2002). Brand Equity Most observers define the brand equity in term of marketing impact that exceptionally attribute to a brand. Brand equity relates to the information that usually gets different results from marketing of a product (Keller, 2003). Brand equity is a set of brand assets and liabilities linked to a brand, its name and symbol that add to or subtract from value provided by a product to a company and/or to the companies customers (Aaker, 1991). Brand awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality and brand association are the core assets for the brand equity. These are important assets for building strong brand equity helps in increasing the brand awareness in the market. The perceived quality and its association with the brand name can effect the customer’s satisfaction and gives him the reason to purchase. This results in the high brand loyalty among the customer and greater share in market (Chen, 2001). A power full brand enjoys a high level of customer brand awareness and loyalty. Company can have a competitive advantage through high brand equity (Kotler et al., 2005). Brand equity provides a great value for customers; brand equity assets help the customers to capture and process the brand and store large number of information about it. Brand equity can help to attract new customers and/or to maintain the loyalty and faith of old customers (Aaker, 1991). Customer based brand equity arises when customers are well acquainted with the brand name and keeps some favorable, strong and unique about brand association in memory (Keller, 2003). Brand equity also involves the value added by a product through customer relations and perceptions about a specific brand name (Wood, 2000). Brand equity supports the company in facing the competition. If a brand has a strong position in the segment, another brand will find a very difficult to compete in the same segment as they already correlate various characteristics with the recognised brand (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Brand Loyalty Brand loyalty shows customer preferences to purchase a particular brand; customers believe that the brand offers the enjoyable features, images, or standard of quality at the right price. Initially customers will purchase a brand for trial, after being satisfied, customers will keep on buying the product from the certain brand (Bolton, 2002). Brand loyalty represents an encouraging approach towards a brand resulting in regular purchase of the brand over time (Tuominen, 1992). Brand Loyalty reflects the ratio of regular buyers to satisfied buyers who like the product This is more useful in marketing the product to existing customers because of good brand loyalty it will cost less effort and money, than to attract new ones (Tuominen, 1992). When loyal customers see any lack to a brand attribute, then they immediately transfer to other brand products that offer a better deal. The reason for buying a same product from a familiar brand saves time and reduces risks (Bloemer Kasper, 1995). Perceived Quality and Brand Association Perceived quality defines a customer’s perception about product superioty. Perceived quality provides fundamental reasons to purchase. Perceived quality provides greater beneficial opportunity of charging a premium price. Perceived quality enables a strong brand to extend on a large scale (Hoyer Brown, 1990). Mostly customers prefer to buy products from a well-known and familiar brand, rather than opting for unknown or new brands (Rust et al, 1999). Perceived quality of a brand influences decision making of consumers. This influence is important when customers are unable to analysis the quality of a product (Aaker, 1991). All customers are conscious about product quality. The majority of people prefer to go for well-known brands which have high reputation in the market. Favorability, strength, and uniqueness of brand associations are the dimensions distinguishing brand knowledge that play an important role in determing responses that makes up brand equity, especially in high involvement decision settings (Chen, 2001). There are values of a brand that are not as visible as other brands. These values can be based on brand association with certain factors that provide confidence and credibility among customers. Companies try to associate certain attributes to their brand, which makes it harder for the new brands to enter the market (Aaker, 1991). Brand Name Awareness Brand name awareness plays an important role in consumer decision making; if a customer has already heard a brand name, the customer would feel more comfortable at the time of decision making. Customers do not prefer to buy unknown brands. Therefore companies’ strong brand name is a wining track as customers choose brand products (Aaker, 1991). People generally tend to buy brands that they are familiar with and in which they have confidence. Brand awareness is responsible for loyal customers, for which unknown brands have to face tough competition (Hoyer Brown, 1990). However, well-known brands are always more likely to be recognized and therefore it is more likely that customers prefere brand products. Emotional Branding At present, successful companies have built relationships with consumers by attractively engaging them in a personal communication which responds to their needs. Marketers have done so by connecting with customers and creating strong emotional bonds with their brands (Brand Week, 2001). When companies want to know what consumers feel about them, they have to build a personal communication with them. This is the good way for a company to consider itself because customer perceptions are very important for companies. However a company can learn a lot by listing to its customers views (Daryi, 2000). For companies it is essential that its brand corresponds with its products to create emotion; thereby products become connected with a brands image in the customer’s mind (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Emotional branding is the fine approach that clarifies the values of a company to its customers (Marken, 2003). Pricing Strategies The effect of price on customer behavior in their relationships with companies do not focus only on actual prices. They also focus on price perceptions, such as price fairness or payment equity (Bolton and Lemon 1999). Higher absolute prices lead to lower perceptions of price fairness, but price fairness is also be affected by competitors’ pricing policies (Rust, Zeithaml and Lemon 2000). Negative changes in price perceptions over time (e.g., price fairness decreases), will probably have a larger influence than positive changes (Tversky and Kahneman 1991). Furthermore, differences between the price perception of the dealer and its competitors can lead to regret (Tsiros and Mittal 2000). Positive price perceptions relative to competitors have a large effect on customer retention, and negative price perceptions relative to competitors have a small effect (Bolton, Kannan and Bramlett 2000). Price plays an important role in the acquisition of new customers. In contrast, after the relationship has been established, the role of price tends to become less prominent and experiential aspects of the relationship, such as quality, become more important (Zahorik and Keiningham 1995). Brand Name The name of a brand is the fundamental indicator of the brand. The name of the brand is the basis for raising awareness of the brand and communication efforts. Often even more important is the fact that it can generate association which serves to describe the brand (Aaker, 1991). Brand name is a significant choice because sometimes it captures the central theme or key association of a product in a condensed and reasonable fashion. Brand names can be extremely successful means of communication (Keller, 2003). Some companies assign their products with a brand name that in reality has nothing to do with the emotional experience but is catchy and a name that people can easily memorize. The core base of naming a brand is that it should be unique, that it can be easily differenciated from other names, that is easy to remember, and that it is attractive for customers (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Symbol and Logo Symbols have a long history which shows brand identification of the company. Logos and symbols are an easy way to recognize a product. It is a greater success if symbol and logos became a linked in memory to corresponding brand name and product to increase brand recall. Customers may perhaps identify definite symbols but be unable to link them any particular brand or product (Keller, 2003). Logos helps companies to develop the brand equity through raised brand identification and brand loyalty. Logos are very important assets, companies spend enormous time and money to promote brand logos and symbols (Hem Iversen, 2003). Experience All brands create feelings; some brands are designed to give customers more experience in the true sense of the word than other brands. The most powerful brand goes beyond the traditional means to steal customers’ heart away and take on special meaning to customers through their product. With time and experience, consumers learn about the brands, they find out which brands satisfy their needs and which ones do not (Daryi, 2000). Customers have used a same branded car for many years, because customers have good experience company brands product. Self esteem Usually people have some pre-conceptions about themselves, which is the image of ideal self and also reflects the person’s desire how he would like to be. When the person tries to think about himself he tries to compare it to the people who are well known in society and have high image in the society. It is a very basic and natural tendency of a human being to look into his self esteem and personality by comparing it to others (Solomon, 2005). Self-esteem refers to person’s self-concept. When people have a bad self-esteem it shows that they will not perform well and they think that when they will do a certain work and they might be rejected or fail (Solomon, 2005). When self esteem advertising is done, there are attempts to change product attribute by motivating a positive feeling about the self. One approach of doing this is to challenge the customer self esteem and then it shows a product with a linkage of that can provide a solution (Solomon, 2005). Consumer Behaviour The Consumer behaviour study involves how an individual or groups select, purchase, use or dispose of products, s ideas, or experience to satisfy their need and desires (Solomon, 2005). The consumer environment influences how the consumers feel, consider and act. The environmental features are, for instance, comments taken from other customers, advertising, packing, price, and product appearance etc (Peter Olson, 2005). Consumer behaviour is related to the physical action of a consumer, which can be measured directly. Frequency of visiting stores or shopping malls can be measured. To select a specific store then to go there is very difficult to choose and observe directly. Where different types of behaviour can be measured including a shopping pattern in stores. This kind of measurement is very hard. The behaviour can be analyzed in different ways, by offering lower price, better and good quality (Papanastassiu Rouhani, 2006). Consumer behavior mainly sheds light on how consumers decides to spend their various resources like time, money etc. on various products so as to meet their needs and requirement. Consumer behavior encompasses study of what, when, why and where the consumers will buy their products. It also focuses on how often the consumers use the products. Furthermore, it also sheds light on how the consumers evaluate the products after the purchase and the effect of evaluations on their future purchases (Schiffmann, 2004). Consumer Decision Making The consumer decision making process defines different steps when a consumer goes through to purchase a product. If customer wants to make a purchase he or she takes a sequence of steps in order to do complete this purchase. Problem recognition includes when consumer feel a significant difference between the current state and ideal so consumer thinks there is some problem to be solved. The problem may be small or big. In the second step, the consumer seeks information about the product. The extent of information search relies on the level of consumer involvement. In case of expensive products, the level of involvement is high. Conversely, in case of relatively cheap products the level of involvement is usually low. In the third step, the consumer evaluates the different attributes of the brands. Consumer may consider the product attributes and compare brand products. In the final step consumer makes his choice about a product (Solomon, 2005). It’s true that a consumer may not necessarily go through all the decision making steps for every purchase he or she makes. At times, consumer makes his or her decision automatically and the decision may be based on heuristics or mental shortcuts. Other times, in case of highinvolvement products consumer may take a long time before reaching a final purchase decision. It depends on consumers’ importance of the products like purchase of a car or home (Solomon, 2005). More over consumers try to make an estimated brand universe on the basis of available information about the brands, and to make an estimated the utility function on the basis of past consumption experience (Davies, 1986). Decision Rules Consumers apply decision rules to attributes and alternatives chosen. A decision rule can be explained as a strategy used by the consumer when selecting from the alternatives. If a purchase decision is habitual, a simplistic decision rule is likely to be applied. The consumer may simply decide to buy the same brand as last time. The complexity of the decision rule depends much on the level of involvement and the perceived importance of the outcome of the purchase decision. There is clear division between more complex rules, which are compensatory and non compensatory (Solomon, 2005). Social Class Social class is an invisible stratification of the inhabitants of the society into different groups based on some traits of the people. Inhabitants in a society can be divided into different social classes according to their income level, occupation, education and so forth (Hawkins, 2004). Social class of a person is determined by a wide variety of set of variables including income, family background and occupation (Solomon, 2005). People of a certain social class will also have different choices and preferences for different products. Members of a specific class will also vary in taste. People form higher social class will have preferences for reputed branded products as they buy products not only to satisfy their needs but also to say who they are through the products (Schiffmann, 2004). Purchase Intention The purchase intention shows customers preference to purchase the product, whose image is very close to customer. Moreover customers are well aware of certain brand name through advertising, from their past experience or information form their friends and relatives (Solomon, 2005). The intention of a consumer to purchase a particular