Should companies lease or buy computer equipment today What kinds of Assignment

Should companies lease or buy computer equipment today What kinds of questions should companies ask themselves when making a de - Assignment Example As the need for accessibility and a wider geographical coverage has been inevitable, it is necessary that there are means of enabling the department attain this requirement. Sales cars are the best ways of ensuring that the organization’s dedicated salesmen or women are able to promptly and appropriately respond to individual customer needs. Since public means is a relatively cheaper but expensive for competition of the organization, there is a practice in the industry that has seen major organizations acquire their own fleet for the purposes of overcoming the challenges of public transport. Apart from affording the salesmen and women the luxury of being flexible and comfortable while performing their duty to the organization, cars owned by the organization are also the best means of ensuring that coordination and monitoring is enhanced in the department. For instance, a good fleet should provide means of tracking locations of different customers across the identified geograph ical segments. In this way, mapping out the target market will be possible and hence easy scheduling and management of issues like delivery and rapid response. On the other hand, the sales department and the organization is able to benefit from the fleet management capabilities provided and therefore hold each sales team accountable. A price cap of $20,000 for each unit has been established for this program. To enable the organization make the most appropriate purchase as per the requirements of the sales staff, several cars will be compared under specified criteria. The remainder of this document contains the following sections: . The Criteria Used to evaluate the sales cars . Car Evaluation . Final Recommendation The Criteria Used To Evaluate the Sales Cars The purpose of this section is to state the requisite specifications that each car should meet as required by majority of sales staff. By identifying the requirements for the ideal car, it will be easy to guide the proposed pur chase program to the most suitable and viable option in the list of the available car choices in the market. The criteria are: Financial viability The number of doors Originality of the car Fuel economy Warranty period Additional benefits Financial viability The chosen car for the sales team must not exceed the sum of $20,000 in total costs of purchase. This implies that regardless of the other requirements that might be fulfilled by other cars, the cost of purchase according to the budget is not to be surpassed. The Number of Doors All the car units need to have four doors. Flexibility of the sales staff is very important in having access to their chosen means of transport. It is also obvious that the number of doors has a direct bearing on the seat capacity and even the storage space in the car. Since the organization is looking to maximize on the available fleet due to limited resources, this criteria is therefore essential for the purposes of the mentioned objective apart from o ther reasons. Boot space is also important for sales staff for delivery purposes. Originality of the Car The vehicles to be purchased must be American-made due to the clientele requirements. The country of manufacture is

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Science - Essay Example According to Tocqueville, the political masses which he called associations had a greater common good because they were not based on self-interest; rather, they were based on the goal of social, economic and even cultural good. These associations were therefore effective to prevent tyranny of the majority because they would put effective checks and balances (Neitzsch, 7). Baldwin conquers with the views of Tocqueville about associations being in a better position to fight against tyranny of the majority. He also argues that when people come together and join hands for the common good of fighting tyranny, the course is better and less selfish compared to only an individual fighting it. According to him, there is strength in numbers (Field, 120). Du Bois on the other hand rejects the notion and idea of tyranny of the majority and instead just wants individuals to focus on equal politics and democracy and forget about the division between the minority and the majority. Du Bois was an activist for the black movement and his main aim was to bring about equality between the races. This ideology was what he based his notion of tyranny on and hence the advocacy of equality (Gooding-Williams,

Promotion Mix To Create An IMC Campaign Marketing Essay

Promotion Mix To Create An IMC Campaign Marketing Essay As defined by the American Association of Advertising Agencies, integrated marketing communications (IMC) is a concept of marketing communications planning that recognizes the added value of a comprehensive plan (Elliott, 2012, P:491). Companies that sell products or services use some or all of the components of a marketing and communications mix, also called a promotional mix. These include advertising, personal sales, sales promotions, public relations and direct marketing. Most national brands use all parts of the mix, each in proportion to the needs of the product. Cereal makers, for example, concentrate most efforts and money on advertising and sales promotions, such as coupons. Other products call for different mix ratios, with some mix components completely eschewed. In addition to these key promotional tools, the marketer can also use other techniques, such as exhibitions and product placement in movies, songs or video games, which have been growing in popularity in recent years. Before proceeding any further, however, it is important to stress that promotional mix decisions should not be made in isolation. As we saw with pricing, all aspects of the marketing mix need to be blended together carefully. The promotional mix used must be aligned with the decisions made with regard to product, pricing and distribution, in order to communicate benefits to a target market. But for a soft-drinks maker like Pepsi, IMC can also be used can be used to create more communication impact, e.g. Advertising can be combined with sales promotions and a little bit of public relations such as sponsorship/events. From the facts of the case study, Pepsi used a new approach in its marketing communication. Pepsi holds the number one, third and fourth position among music, overall position among all companies, and entertainment channels. It gives a significant contribution on the music channels with 12.81% share of coverage and holds the first position in that category. It has the third position on the whole TV media with overall 4.29% share of coverage, the effectiveness of which is reported in reduction by researchers (Kotler Keller 2006, p.576). Similarly, it comes at number fourth on entertainment channels. Overall, these new media win the trust of consumers by connecting with them at a deeper level. Marketers are taking note of many different social media opportunities and beginning to implement new social initiatives at a higher rate than ever before. Social media marketing and the businesses that utilize it have become more sophisticated. Q2. How effectively has Pepsi integrated digital and traditional media for the promotion of their products? Provide examples of digital media used. Nowadays millions of consumers converse on a daily basis in online communities, discussion forums, blogs and social networks. They turn to the Internet to share opinions, advice, grievances and recommendations. It has been said that traditional media is losing its face value and that the Internet is a fad and digital only applies to the millennium generation. While that may seem true, if you want to stay on the innovative cusp for your business, use both traditional and internet media marketing and here are some reasons why: 1. Online conversations can power or deflate a companys brand. Do you have a presence? 2. Discover specific issues that are being discussed around your company, brand or organization and create feedback to these issues. 3. There may be events, trends and issues that may be influencing industry and brand buzz. 4. Measure how your online and offline marketing campaigns resonate with consumers. 5. Leverage word-of-mouth to drive brand credibility, and ultimately sales if you use face-to-face marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization Strategy, and Social Media Strategy correctly. People are more likely to communicate through both word-of-mouth and social media when they are engaged with the product, service, or idea. This engagement may come naturally for supporters of causes, political candidates, and trendy new technological products. However, it can also be creatively stimulated for products and services which generate less psychological involvement of customers. For example, Pepsi (2008) uses its Pepsi Stuff online customer loyalty program to engage consumers by enabling them to redeem points for MP3 downloads, television show downloads, CDs, DVDs, electronics, and apparel. Campaign participants are also allowed to participate in sweepstakes drawings for larger prizes, such as home theater systems and trip giveaways. Coca Cola (2008) has a similar campaign entitled My Coke Rewards. According to Nielson research, TV users watch more than ever before (an average of 127 hrs, 15 min per month) and these users are spending 9% more time using the Internet (26 hrs, 26 min per month) from last year. Approximately 220 million Americans have Internet access at home and/or work with a growing number using the Internet for research and social media. Knowing this research, traditional media entertains and communicates to a mass audience whereas digital media entertains, communicates with, and engages the individual. The benefits of digital media can be highly measurable and marketers can often see a direct effect in the form of improved sales in addition to establishing a direct link with the consumer. This can also be cost effective. However, the pitfalls of digital marketing can be that the medium is new, constantly changing and evolving with results that vary. You often get what you ask for! Digital media is known as digitized content (text, graphics, audio and video) that can be transmitted over the Internet. While digital media consumption such as twitter, facebook, youtube etc have increased tremendously, Pepsi cannot ignore consumers who still rely on traditional media for their informative and entertainment needs, as a result, 2/3 of their advertising budget is still dedicated to traditional media. Marketers must strike a good balance between using traditional and digital/social media and other promotional tools Q3. How might Pepsi measure the effectiveness of its new campaign? Provide examples. The most suitable criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of advertising, depends on a number variables, such as the advertising goals, the type of media used, the cost of evaluation, the value that the business or advertising agency places on evaluation measures, the level of precision and reliability required, who the evaluation is for and the budget. It is difficult to accurately measure the effectiveness of a particular advertisement, because it is affected by such things as the amount and type of prior advertising The best measurement of a campaigns effectiveness is its ability to meet its objectives. From the case study, Pepsis objectives could be: Attract more competitors users (such as Coca-Cola) Increase sales volume Hold present Customers Create brand awareness To project a rejuvenated image for Pepsi as a socially responsible corporation To change consumer attitudes from neutral or unfavourable (it is a soft drink after all) to positive To use newer, digital media to engage in two-way communication with their customers/public. To communicate its new image via it new packaging Generally, Pepsi could use the following to measure the campaigns effectiveness: Stimulate an increase in sales Remind customers of the existence of a product Inform customers Build a brand image Build customer loyalty and relationship Change customer attitudes Marketers recognize that in the modern world of marketing there are many different opportunities and methods for contacting current and prospective customers to provide them with information about a company and/or brands. The challenge is to understand how to use the various IMC tools to make such contacts and deliver the branding message effectively and efficiently. A successful IMC program requires that marketers find the right combination of communication tools and techniques, define their role and the extent to which they can or should be used, and coordinate their use. To accomplish this, the persons responsible for the companys communication efforts must have an understanding of the IMC tools that are available and the ways they can be used.

Reason Why Teens Use Drugs :: Drugs, Social Issues, Legal Issues

The reasons why teenagers use drugs. Drug use is the increasing problem among teenagers in today's High schools. Ever since the drug war of 1900, drugs have been a major problem in todays society. Use of drugs such as opium, morphine, and their derivatives were quite commonplace in nineteenth century America. While most students of contemporary high school drug education programs know about the use of coca leaves in early Coca-Cola and the opium trade with China, the matter of drug addiction at the turn of the century is much more extensive than usually acknowledged. It is estimated that by 1975 there were somewhere in the neighborhood of 550,000 regular users of addictive drugs in the U.S. While this number may seem large (taking into consideration the smaller population of the country in 1970s as compared to today) it is actually surprisingly small even when such drugs were available over the counter. Cocaine, morphine, laudanum, and heroin were all available in drug stores and through the mail. Until the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, banned the sale and distribution of these such drugs In local shops and stores ,and through the mail.Today, all of these drugs are illegal Including the most popular drug among teens and in the united states, marijuana. Most drug use begins in the preteen and teenage years, these years most crucial in the maturation process. During these years, teenagers are faced with difficult tasks of discovering their self identity, as well as their sexual roles,becoming independence, learning to cope with authority and searching for goals that would

Arctic cap melting

The article voices concerns over the unprecedented rapid pace of Arctic cap melting. However, the melting process itself poses lesser danger to the Earth ecosystem as compared with the feedback mechanisms Arctic ice is involved in. These feedback mechanisms contribute to global warming in three distinct ways.As ice melts, the territory of open ocean waters increases. Water has lower reflectivity, or albedo, as compared to ice. This fact entails that water absorbs 80 percent more solar radiation than sea ice does.   Thus, the sun warms the ocean more quickly, and this process results in a vicious circle speeding up global warming.The second way ice melting accelerates climate change is associated with the fact that oceans absorb about half the carbon dioxide that humans emit into the atmosphere. Yet their ability to absorb carbon dioxide is diminished by the increase in ocean’s temperature because the gas dissolves less readily in warmer water. Furthermore, warming of oceans implies less mixing between deep and surface waters – the process that provides nutrients to plankton that absorb carbon dioxide.Finally, ice melting entails rotting of organic matter contained in the permafrost. This process involves the release of carbon dioxide and methane into the Earth atmosphere. Warming also affects wetlands and forests desiccating peat bogs and causing beetle infestation that kills pine forest.More wildfires occur in dead or dying forests, and the process of combustion emits huge quantities of carbon into the atmosphere.All these alarming signs call for a united and consistent action by all environmental activists and everyone keen on saving our planet.

African American Vernacular Essay

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, the definition of vernacular is â€Å"of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country. † In terms of African American history, the evolution of vernacular is very important and a very unique part of the culture. The African American vernacular has aided the development of a distinct culture in terms of what African Americans were subjected to from the installation of slavery. The African American vernacular was used as a way to expose the atrocities that African Americans were imperiled to through songs and language. â€Å"Go down Moses ,† a spiritual and â€Å"Strange Fruit,† performed by Billie Holiday are two songs that represent the vernacular of African American culture. â€Å"Go down Moses,† was a song that had a Christian religious theme that spoke of the Israelites being enslaved by Pharaoh in Egypt’s land. Spirituals had ambiguous meanings that included a reverence for Christianity and a desire to be free from the bondages of slavery. â€Å"Strange Fruit† was a song originally written as a poem that exposed racism against African American and called for a social change. Although they bear some similarities, the differences between â€Å"Go down Moses† and â€Å"Strange Fruit† include setting, meaning and cultural impact. According to The Norton Anthology of African American Literature by Henry Louis-Gates Jr, Spirituals were a very important part of African American culture during the time of slavery. And still are today, although they are widely known as gospels. Spirituals have a Christian religious theme and are usually performed a cappella with a single melody. (Gates Jr, 2003) African American Spirituals are the predecessor to the blues, gospels, jazz and rap/hip-hop. Spirituals are also referred to as Negro spirituals, Black spirituals, folk songs and jubilees. Spirituals were sung to provide comfort and ease the pain of the harsh daily tasks that slaves were submitted to. They were also seen as an expression of spiritual devotion and a yearning for freedom from the bondages of slavery. (Gates Jr, 2003) They were also a means of releasing pent up emotions and expressing sorrow. More importantly, they served a subversive purpose. Songs like â€Å"Steal away to Jesus,† â€Å"Swing low,† â€Å"Sweet Chariot,† â€Å"Didn’t my Lord Deliver Daniel? † and â€Å"Go down Moses†served a dual purpose during the times of slavery. Spirituals were used as a code between the slaves to aide with the task of attempting to escape slavery or the thought of escaping from bondage. â€Å"Go down Moses† first recorded by Paul Robeson, is a song riddled with ambiguous tones. On the surface, this song tells the story of the Israelites as slaves, which is found in the books of Genesis and Exodus. Moses was called by God to instruct Pharaoh to free the Israelites from the bondages of slavery. â€Å"Go down Moses, way down in Egypt’s land, tell old Pharaoh to let my people go† is one line from the song. African slaves forcefully bought to the Americas were converted to Christianity and although they weren’t taught to read or write, they were taught the teachings of the bible. White slave owners used the stories of the sufferings of the Israelites and the affirmation of â€Å"life after death† which is seen throughout the bible, to justify slavery. (Gates Jr. 2003) In the song, â€Å"Go down Moses,† Pharaoh represented the White Slave owners, Israel represented the African American Slaves and Egypt represented the Americas or the United States. â€Å"Strange Fruit† is a song most famously recorded and performed in 1939 by Billie Holiday. The song was written as a poem by Abel Meerpol, a teacher. According to The Norton Anthology of African American Literature, the poem exposed racism in the United States. It shed light on the lynching of African American men in the South. Lynching’s occurred in other regions of the United States, but mainly in the South. â€Å"Strange Fruit† is commonly known as a song of social change. As mentioned before, this poem helped to expose racism in the U. S. During this time, many people were fighting for the civil rights of African American that had been stymied by institutionalized racism. Jim Crow laws of the South are an example of institutionalized racism. Jim Crow laws limited the civil rights of African American and deemed them second class citizens. Even during the days of slavery, there were many efforts made that helped to expose the atrocities that occurred against African Americans. This included photographs and written works such as books and newspaper articles. During the early 20th century, racism against African Americans was exposed via songs that called for a change of societal practices and views. â€Å"Southern trees bear a strange fruit, blood on the leaves and blood at the root, black bodies swinging in the southern breeze†¦Ã¢â‚¬  are some of the lyrics of the song â€Å"Strange Fruit. † â€Å"Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, for the rain togather, for the wind to suck, for the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, here is a strange and bitter crop† are more lyrics to the same song. Imagining a black body swinging from a tree, it can be viewed as a strange fruit or a bitter crop. Hearing the song performed, makes the lyrics and the meaning more ominous. As mentioned before, Billie Holiday recorded the song in 1939 but almost 25 years later, Nina Simone also recorded the song. Concerning the sub-genre social change music, there are many songs written and performed that exposes the way of life for African Americans. This includes â€Å"The Revolution will not be televised† recorded by Gil Scott-Heron in 1970 and â€Å"The Message† recorded by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in 1982. Both these songs are considered important to the evolution of African American vernacular because just like â€Å"Strange Fruit† it exposed the racism, prejudices and discrimination that African Americans were subjected to and how it affected their lives. Both the songs â€Å"Go down Moses† and â€Å"Strange Fruit† have an abundance of differences as was mentioned. However they differ in setting or time, meaning and cultural impact. Spirituals were originally sung during the times of slavery, during the 18th and 19th century. They were seen as a reverence to the Christian religion while at the same time, they were also seen as a yearning for freedom from the bondages of slavery. Spirituals developed into gospel songs which are a main staple of the black church in the United States. â€Å"Strange Fruit† was written, recorded and performed during the 19th century. And although slavery had been abolished for maybe 80 years, African Americans still dealt with prejudices, racism and discrimination. These social change songs were developed to expose those prejudices. The lyrics of â€Å"Strange Fruit† mention the â€Å"black bodies swinging†¦ from the poplar trees. † Unlike spirituals, social change had no ambiguous meaning. It meant to directly display the ugliness of what was going on at the time. One more similarity that should be mentioned which highlight the uniqueness concerning African American vernacular in the way in which both these songs were sung. The tone in which Paul Robeson performs â€Å"Go down Moses’ is similar to the way Billie Holiday and Nina Simone performed â€Å"Strange Fruit. † You can see, hear, and feel the soul, essence, pain, and significance of both songs when they were performed. That sense of soul is the one unique component of African American vernacular that sets us apart from all the others.