Direct Marketing Summary

Direct Marketing Summary DIRECT MARKETING Direct marketing is a type of marketing that set sights on establishing and maintaining long term, structural, direct relationships between a supplier and its customers (Hoekstra and Zwart, 1993; Raaijmaakers et al., 1992). A relationship builds up through regular interaction, in which both parties react to one anothers actions. Direct marketing may be adopted at many levels in the distribution chain: producers, wholesalers as well as retailers may choose for direct marketing (e.g. Marshall and Vredenburg, 1988; Voorhees and Coppett, 1983). Developments in information technology, individualization tendencies, rising distribution costs and the increase of dual-income households have been known as the responsible factors for the increased confidence on direct marketing (Pettit, 1987). Direct marketing is escalating at two times the rate of traditional retailing methods (May, 1989). A Time magazine cover story anticipated the number of Americans responding to direct marketing solicitations to be 92 million in 1989 and the dollar amount of purchases to be $183 billion (Time, 1990). According to Statistical Fact Book (1993-1994), the percentage of adults spending $200 or more per year on products ordered through direct marketing rose from 16% to 21% in 1992. As a matter of fact, more money is currently spent on direct marketing programs and solicitations than on magazine or television advertising (Direct Marketing, 1994; Marketing News, 1992). Particularly, direct mail embraces the third largest percentage of all advertising expenditure, increasing from 16% in 1982 to 19% in 1992 (Statistical Fact Book, 1993-1994). In addition, a growing number of firms are now members of the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), including Fortune 500 firms and leading advertising agen cies (Direct Marketing-Annual Survey, 1984; Statistical Fact Book, 1993-1994). The following media can be used to communicate directly with specific individuals and/or households in order to transmit direct marketing offers and solicitations:  § direct mail: an addressed, written, commercial message that is delivered at the addressees by a postal service;  § telephone; and  § interactive devices like interactive TV and Internet. As a result of the growth of direct marketing, the use of direct media, in particular direct mail, increases continually (Direct Marketing Associations Statistical Factbook, 1993). The increase of the use of direct mail also stems from heavier reliance on the medium, both by previous users as well as by new users. DIRECT MAIL Unlike earlier years, when the direct marketing industry was subjugated by small, morn-and-pop businesses, many large firms are now members of the direct marketing industry, including Sears, Montgomery Ward, AARP, L. L. Bean, and Lands End. This has steered an increased level of competition among firms in the industry. The increased level of competition, sequentially, has led to the surplus of consumers with direct mail solicitations, predominantly that of catalogues (Business Week, 1993a; Miller, 1994; Schwadel, 1988; Storholm and Friedman, 1989; Tixier, 1987). Over 64 billion direct mail pieces finished up in consumers mailboxes in 1989 (Time, 1990). In the literature attention has been primarily focused on the selection of households. In contrast, little attention has been given to the optimization of the design of the mailing, although direct mail practitioners often apply the manipulation of characteristics (Hoekstraand Vriens, 1995). Two studies have been concerned with the elements of the direct mail package. Akaah and Korgaonkar (1988) studied the relative importance of risk relievers in a direct marketing offer. They found that direct marketers can enhance the effectiveness by offering money-back-guarantees rather than free trials/samples, by using established manufacturer names rather than unknown manufacturer names, and that both new and established products can be sold by means of direct marketing. James and Li (1993) studied the importance of the design characteristics of the mailing, by interviewing both consumers and managers through a direct questioning procedure asking about the attractiveness of a number of separa te design characteristics of the mailing. However, letting respondents self-explicate the importance of the various design characteristics of a mailing may not constitute an appropriate task for the respondents, and may produce invalid results (e.g. Green and Srinivasan, 1990). Communicating with target audiences through direct mail is an elegant alternative to total reliance upon broadcast and newspaper mass media. Sending information by direct mail gives an opportunity to make contact with target audience in their homes. The payoff of direct mail fit in the potential for reaching larger target audiences competently, the low cost as compared to many other modes of communication, and perhaps most prominently, its flexibility (Murray, et al., 1988). Direct mail has many advantages over other media. For instance, direct mail can engage in precision targeting to a greater degree than other media, it offers the opportunity to personalize to any desired degree, and there is a large flexibility with regard to formats, timing and testing. However, the relative high cost per potential customer, compared to alternative media, requires sufficient response rates to ensure profitable implementation. So, it is important to develop ways to improve the effectiveness of direct mail campaigns. Vriens, et al. (1998) proposed a method to improve the effectiveness of direct mail by determining the optimal mailing design. They proposed two approaches, based on conjoint methodology, to determine optimal mailing characteristics efficiently. First approach presented a model of the consumer response process and second discussed the mechanism to influence the consumer response process. Another approach for improving the effectiveness of direct mail concerns manipulating the characteristics of the offer and the design of the mailing (e.g. Akaah and Korgaonkar, 1988; Fraser-Robinson, 1989; Roberts and Berger, 1989; Throckmorton, 1992; Và ¶gele, 1992). Characteristics that are essential to the design of the mailing relate to its form (size of the envelope, use of graphics etc.) and to some aspects of the contents (style of writing, use of testimonials etc.). In order to be able to manipulate the characteristics of the offer and the design characteristics of the mailing, the direct marketing manager needs to know exactly to what extent the various characteristics of the offer and the mailing influence the behavioral components of the response process. Milne et al., (1993) conceptualize direct mail as an implied social contract between marketers and consumers. Four attributes constitute the direct mail social contract: volume, targeting, compensation, and permission. An examination of public opinion polls [Equifax 1990, 1991; Hume 1991; United States Postal Service 1992] and proposals to change the direct mail environment [Baker 1986; DiTalamo 1991; DMA 1990; Jones 1991; Miller 1991; Westin 1990] suggest that these four attributes are critical to consumer decisions to participate in direct mail social contracts: Targeting— there seems to be universal agreement that the targeting of direct mail needs to be improved, enabling consumers to receive information of interest to them, but not that which they perceive to be too personal or perhaps even offensive. Volume— most consumers have strong opinions about the volume of mail they receive, and the majority of proposals influence mail quantity in some way. Volume varies more than targeting in terms of preferences. Some people would like more mail, whereas others would like less [United States Postal Service 1992]. Permission— the third criteria used to decide whether to enter a social contract relates to how the information provided to complete a transaction is used subsequently. For example, once an organization obtains information about consumers, that information could be considered their property to do with what they wish, including selling it to other organizations. Alternatively, the information could remain the property of the consumer, and no organization would be permitted to use it for any other purpose without the permission of the consumer. Once again, there is disagreement concerning which option is best. Compensation— a final consideration included in the evaluation of the attributes of a direct mail contract is compensation. Some have suggested that consumers receive compensation (e.g., coupons, rebates, special offers) for providing personal information that is used for direct mail purposes [DMA 1990; Westin 1990]. Others have charged consumers a fee to place them on the mailing lists of their choice [Miller 1991]. Milne measured the trade-offs consumers make among these attributes. The results suggest consumers want improved targeting efficiency and lower mail volume, and they are not willing to pay for these improvements. These findings suggest that consumers consider several attributes in their evaluation of direct mail social contracts. Mentioning name on the envelops of direct mail solicitations yield very positive results in terms of consumers response. Dignan Bahnson (1994) carried out an experiment to investigate causes of influence on the effectiveness of direct mail advertising. Direct mail has exposed promise as a method for getting to target audiences that are complex to reach with other mass media advertising approaches. A randomized experiment was performed to estimate the influence of form of postage and address upon the response rate to direct mail. Results specified that there was no considerable advantage from use of first class over bulk rate postage, but the payoff was significantly larger when the envelope bore a name rather than resident or occupant. With direct mail, artistically built-up educational materials can draw the receivers attention towards the solicitation in a manner where there are less competing solicitations than in TV, radio, or newspapers. For audiences with restricted access to mass media, direct mail can be an imperative means of outreach. For example, those people with limited transportation may not come across billboards, posters, and other identical mass media, but they are more likely to obtain regular mail delivery. Additionally, unlike television and radio solicitations, educational materials, sent by direct mail, can be kept for future reference (Gillespie and coworkers, 1983). After all, direct mail put forward an opportunity to expand two-way communication with the target audiences because the mail can be used to encourage the recipient to act in response to the programs information as well. Gerber and Green (2000) conducted an experiment to study the effects of canvassing, telephone calls and direct mail on voter turnout. The experimental tradition harks back to Gosnells (1927) studies in Chicago, which assigned certain city blocks to receive nonpartisan mail reminders to register and vote. Gosnell found that turnout increased by 1% in the presidential election of 1924 and 9% in the municipal election of 1925. Furthermore, the principal experiment to examine the effects of personal canvassing in conjunction with mailings that used varying types of nonpartisan appeals was conducted by Eldersveld (1956; Eldersveld and Dodge 1954) in two Ann Arbor, Michigan, municipal elections. In both cases the effects of canvassing and mail were statistically significant. Gerber launched a series of turnout experiments in which randomly selected households were exposed to mailings, telephone calls, or personal appeals before the general election. The study was designed to measure the ef fect of personal canvassing, telephone calls, and direct mail appeals on voter turnout. To study the impact of direct mail, an experiment was intended to measure the turnout effect of both the number of mailings received and the message conveyed. To gauge the first effect, the treatment group was divided into three subgroups and sent one, two, or three mailings, respectively. The mailings were sent out at three intervals: 15 days, 13 days, and 8 days before the election. The subgroup that received two mailings was sent mail on the two dates closest to the election, and the single mailing was sent 8 days before the election. The findings indicate that personal canvassing is highly effective, much more so than the direct mail and telemarketing campaigns that have come to displace it. Personal canvassing had a far greater influence on voter participation than three pieces of professionally crafted mail delivered within two weeks of Election Day. Less effective than direct mail were cal ls from professional phone banks. Commercial marketers have been the most fruitful client of direct mail (Dillman, D. A., 1978). For them, response rates vary usually depending on the type of good or service promoted and the complexity of the advertisement. Response rates range from 2-3 percent for a simple direct mail advertising of consumer products to 20 percent for mailings that put forward free products as enticement for future orders (Kanuk, L., and Berenson, C., 1975). Direct mail can be executed efficiently by using commercially prepared lists of recipients mailing addresses (Kanuk, L., and Berenson, C., 1975). Such lists are organized from utility company records, telephone directories, voting records, and further sources. Direct mail also gains importance in not-for-profit organizations. These firms define direct mail in their own perspective as â€Å"Direct mail† is the term used to depict the letters forwarded by philanthropic organizations in an endeavor to raise funds for support. In several respects, these letters are not dissimilar from the promotional direct mail sales letters sent out by businesses (Abelen, Redeker, and Thompson, 1993; Bhatia, 1998). Direct mail is a massive business in the U.S., and there are a few not-for-profit organizations that do not use the direct mail advertising medium in one way or another (Torre and Bedixen, 1988). As Abelen, Redeker, and Thompson (1993) indicated, the direct mail letter is the â€Å"most important instrument for communicating the ‘good cause of a nonprofit organization to a wide range of prospective donors† (p. 325). It is in this solicitation that the prospective donor has to be swayed to give money. In a small scale study, com paring Dutch and American direct mail letters, Abelen et al (1993) reveal that direct mail letters do follow general persuasive strategies which can differ from culture to culture. Besides that, direct mail is considered as one of the imperative marketing tools in arousing the significance of health and dietary practices. Direct mail advertising has been used with extensive success by community-based health learning programs. The Minnesota Heart Health Program deployed a form of direct mail as a strategy to stimulate action by community residents at risk for hypertension (Murray, et al., 1988). In his study, 28.2 percent of the community residents who received a single direct mail letter recalled receiving the message encouraging them to focus attention on screening for hypertension by discussing their blood pressure with a physician. Of the 28.2 percent, 12 percent reported taking action and having their blood pressure checked. Moreover, Gillespie and coworkers (1983) conducted a research to study the effectiveness of using direct mail to improve dietary practices. Of 621 eligible families, 24.5 percent were enlisted for the direct mail nutrition education pro gram. Results portrayed that those completing the program improved productive family interactions about nutrition. Race is a leading communicator cue in taking buying decisions from the medium of direct marketing. This may be primarily relevant in the case of industrial direct mail advertising where straight rebuy and modified rebuy purchasing decisions are inclined to be low rather than high involvement (Hutt and Speh 1998). In such instances, peripheral cues (race) have been found to be an imperative factor in attitude formation and change (Petty, Caioppo and Schumann 1983). In exploring the black consumer market, it has been found that the use of black models in print media might determine, to a great notch, who gets the black segment of the buyer market. In the consumer direct mail advertising medium, Wilson and Biswas (1995) found that the depiction of black modals in consumer specialty catalogs was about 4 percent. Each of these studies concluded that the percentages of blacks in consumer studies trailed their representation in society. Stevenson and Swayne (1999) studied the portrayal of blacks in industrial advertising into a new medium, business-to-business direct mail, and endeavor to determine if the representation of African-Americans in this medium is consistent with that found in other print media. Results showed that the percentage of ads portraying blacks was quite close to the presence of blacks employed in the business world. Moreover, it was found that the qualitative portrayals employed in business-to-business direct mail differed from those found in other industrial media. Thus, it appears that business-to-business direct mail advertisers are responsive to the increasing presence of African-Americans in the buying center. On the other side, some researchers contend that very large volume of such mail is acknowledged to cause consumer annoyance (Schwadel, 1988). Also, it adds to consumer concern about invasion of privacy (Williams, 1991). Thus, the consumers who are concerned about too much catalogue or direct mail solicitations are likely to evince negative attitudes toward direct mailing. This emergent perception regarding direct mailing results in the invasion of consumer privacy which has led to limit marketing practices. These restrictions on practices could be evaded if direct marketers segment their markets based on their consumers attitudes toward direct marketing practices. Milne Gordon (1994) form segments that measured consumers attitudes toward privacy and direct marketing. Data was used from a conjoint study that evaluated 151 consumers attitudes toward diverse direct mail environment scenarios (Milne, et al., 1993). Each scenario was explained using four attributes: targeting efficiency, quantity of mail received by the consumer, com ­pensation, and permission. These attributes and levels were selected because each had been included in at least some of the proposals for re ­stricting direct mail practices (DMA (1990), Di Talamo, Nichoias (1991), Dickson, Roger, and Hollander, Stanley (1986), Miller, Annetta (1991), Westin, Alan F. (1990)). Results of the study suggest that consumers differ in their atti ­tudes toward direct mail, and therefore, in what they consider acceptable in terms of direct mail practices. Principally, the Demanding Middle segment is against paying for mail solicitation. In addition, the Demanding Middle seg ­ment reports a high utility for better targeted mail. The Prospective Lobbyists reported they are sent too much mail. Lastly, The New Right group was comfortable with the status quo. As the youngest of the segments, it may be the most contented with the computer age and feel that direct mail is an acceptable way of doing business. This group had the highest rating of direct mail across all three segments. The governing body of the European Community has proposed a far more restrictive direct mail environment. The proposed regulations would prohibit the use of information about consumers without their permission and require that companies notify consumers when and for what purpose this information is forwarded to another party. The regulations would provide for compensation if information about a consumer is misused. While these regulations apply to direct mail in Europe, they have implications for direct mail in the United States as well. This is because they would prohibit the transfer of data outside the European Community unless the receiving country could assure that the previously described measures would be followed (Di Talamo, Nichoias, 1991). Moreover, several researches find out the fact that potential consumer most often experience risk while purchasing through direct mail. Homer E. et al., (1970) determined whether or not consumers perceive greater risk in the act of buying by mail than in buying from a store or a salesman. For 20 products studied, consumers perceived more risk in the mail-order situation than in the store/salesman situation. ATTITUDE Attitudes are favorable or unfavorable dispositions toward social objects, such as people, places, and policies. Attempts to establish the validity of the attitude construct have most often sought to demonstrate positive correlations between measured attitudes and the favorable-unfavorable aspect of observed behavior toward their objects. The frequently weak correlations observed in these attempts define the predictive validity problem for attitudes (documented especially by Wicker, 1969; see also Festinger, 1964, and LaPiere, 1934). A notable accomplishment of modern research on attitudes has been the solution of this predictive validity problem. That is, conditions under which attitudes strongly correlate with behavior have now been well identified (especially by Ajzen Fishbein, 1980; Fazio, 1986, 1990b; Fazio Zanna, 1981; Fishbein Ajzen, 1974; Zanna Fazio, 1982). Myers (1990) summarized these and related programs of research as showing that our attitudes predict our actions. . .if, as we act, we are conscious of our attitudes (Myers, 1990, p. 40, emphasis added). Similarly, in the description of attitude-behavior relations in their recent treatise on the attitude construct, Eagly and Chaiken (1993, pp. 208-211) referred to the importance of attitudes [coming] to mind and the perceived relevance of attitude to action. Although the modern synthesis achieved by the Fishbein-Ajzen (1974) and Fazio-Zanna (1981) research programs is now well established, it is difficult to avoid concluding that the attitude construct lost scope in the process. For those who can remember it, there might be justifiable nostalgia for an era in which Allport (1935) was able to proclaim that attitude was social psychologys most indispensable concept. The following list gives several definitions that have been influential in guiding scholarly and empirical treatments of attitudes, as indicated by their frequent citation in other works. Although the list may appear dated (the most recent entry is from 1962), it nevertheless remains current. Recent works (e.g., Eagly Chaiken, 1993; Fazio, 1986; McGuire, 1985; Petty Cacioppo, 1981; Zanna Rempel, 1988) continue to draw on them and remain within their boundaries. Attitude is the affect for or against a psychological object. (Thurstone, 1931, p. 261) An attitude is a mental and neural state of readiness, organized through experience, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individuals response to all objects and situations with which it is related. (Allport, 1935, p. 810) Attitude is . . .an implicit, drive-producing response considered socially significant in the individuals society. (Doob, 1947, p. 136) An attitude is a predisposition to experience, to be motivated by, and to act toward, a class of objects in a predictable manner. (M. B. Smith, Bruner, White, 1956, p. 33) [Attitudes] are predispositions to respond, but are distinguished from other such states of readiness in that they predispose toward an evaluative response. (Osgood, Suci, Tannenbaum, 1957, p. 189) [An attitude is] a disposition to react favorably or unfavorably to a class of objects (Sarnoff, 1960, p. 261). Attitudes [are] enduring systems of positive or negative evaluations, emotional feelings, and pro or con action tendencies with respect to social objects. (Krech, Crutchfield, Ballachey, 1962, p. 139) The lack of mention of consciousness in this collection of attitude definitions accurately reflects a long scholarly tradition of nonconcern with the distinction between conscious and unconscious operation of attitudes. At the same time, nothing in this scholarly tradition actively opposes either the possibility or the importance of unconscious operation of attitudes. Standing starkly in the above list as suggesting unconscious operation is Doobs (1947) definition, which labels attitude as an implicit, drive-producing response. In spite of Doobs association with a behaviorist theory (Hull, 1943) that had no use for conceptions of either conscious or unconscious cognition, it is clear that Doob did conceive attitude as operating unconsciously (May Doob, 1937, p. 13). Lately, Doob commented, before World War II we all were impressed by psychoanalysis in addition to behaviorism, suggesting that, even though it may have gone unmentioned in many published treatments, the idea that attitudes operated unconsciously was quite acceptable in the 1940s and earlier. That conclusion is supported also by several passing references to the possibly unconscious nature of attitudes in Allports (1935) review chapter. Recent work has established that attitudes are activated outside of conscious attention, by showing both that activation occurs more rapidly than can be mediated by conscious activity (Bargh, Chaiken, Govender, Pratto, 1992; Fazio, Sanbonmatsu, Powell, Kardes, 1986) and that activation is initiated by (subliminal) stimuli, the presence of which is unreportable (Greenwald, Klinger, Liu, 1989). The present analysis of implicit attitudes extends work on automatic activation to explain how the attitude activated by one object can be (mis)attributed to another. An implicit attitude can be thought of as an existing attitude projected onto a novel object. The interpretation of several important existing findings as implicit attitude effects substantially expands the predictive and construct validity of social psychologys attitude construct. It also prompts the empirical search for further members of the potentially large class of implicit attitude effects. In the domain of attitude chang e, two recent theoretical analyses (Chaiken, 1987; Petty Cacioppo, 1986) have distinguished relatively thoughtful (central or systematic) from relatively thoughtless (peripheral or heuristic) roles of cognition in persuasion. The implicit processes conceived in the present analysis are, in part, subsumed by the notions of peripheral or heuristic processing, but also involve processes operating even further from the range of conscious thought than conceived in these analyses. Several researches on the attitude of people towards direct mail revealed that people evinced positive attitude towards direct mail. Implied social contract provides a basis for evaluating attitudes toward direct mail and temporal changes in attitudes. On the attitudinal questions a four-component solution revealed the following dimensions: (1) favorability towards direct mail, (2) direct mail seen as a resource, (3) list management concerns, and (4) environmental concerns. Respondents concerned about list management and the environmental impact of direct mail. Report a somewhat favorable attitude toward direct mail on average, but do not strongly view it as a resource. (Milne Gordon, 1993) Although it is appealing to infer consumer attitudes by directly observing behavior (e.g., patronage/non-patronage of direct marketing products), it is often difficult and subjective to draw conclusions about attitudes from behavior. A consumer observed purchasing a given product might have done so to take advantage of a special deal on price rather than because he/she particularly liked the product. Moreover, the relationship between attitude and intention lends itself more readily to cross-sectional research than the relationship between attitude and future behavior. Indeed, the viability of patronage intention as a surrogate measure of future behavior is well established in the literature (Darden and Lush, 1983). Furthermore, the theory of reasoned action (as noted previously) suggests that consumer behavior is influenced by intention to engage in the given behavior. Intention, in turn, is influenced by consumer attitudes toward the stimulus (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). The results of the study by Bagozzi (1982) suggest that attitudes influence behavior but through intention. Additional support for this direction of linkage is provided by Bagozzi (1992) and Korgaonkar, Lund, and Price (1985). However, the linkage from intention to attitudes remains to be empirically established. Articulation of the norms that govern the direct mail social contract is useful in understanding why attitudes toward direct mail are changing and how they might evolve in the future. Norms have played an increasingly important role in shaping the direct mail environment and can be expected to do so to an even greater extent in the future. Illustrations of this are the growing percentage of customers who are aware of how information obtained through transactions is used by organizations [Equifax 1991], calls for consumers to receive compensation for their information [Westin 1990], and the practice of businesses charging a fee to provide certain types of offers (i.e., mail order catalogs). Because different types of individuals operate using different sets of norms, they will evaluate the attributes of the direct mail environment differently. Norms guiding the behavior of the majority of individuals and those who are most vocal in their opinions regarding direct mail can be expected to guide the evolution of the direct mail environment. However, researchers strived to identify the dimensions that derive knowledge of consumers attitudes toward direct marketing and the factors that underlie their attitudes but most of them have neglected the domains that determine the attitude of people towards direct mail. The significance of such knowledge lies in the fact that attitudes influence most aspects of consumption behavior (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Sheppard, Hartwick, and Warshaw, 1988). As such, knowledge of consumer attitudes and their determinants is vital to the proper identification and implementation of corrective measures. This notwithstanding, not much empirical research has been conducted on the topic- exceptions being the studies by Jolson (1970) and Lumpkin, Caballero, and Chonko (1989). Moreover, neither of the two studies focused directly on the determinants of consumers attitudes toward direct marketing. Ishmael R Akaah et al., (1995) explored empirically the influence of shopping orientation factors as determinants of consumers attitudes toward direct marketing and the linkage between their attitudes and intention to patronize direct marketing offerings. The study results indicate that four of the five shopping orientation factors examined significantly underlie consumers attitudes toward direct marketing, i.e., too much direct mail, like to examine product before purchase, retail people are pushy and past direct marketing experience. The results also suggest that consumers attitudes toward direct marketing significantly influence their intention to patronize direct marketing offerings but not vice versa. Fishbein and his associates attitude model have received the greatest amount of attention (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Accordingly, the framework adopted here is Fishbeins attitude towards object model (Fishbein, 1963; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1967). Concerning direct marketing, Fishbeins attitude-toward object model would suggest that consumer attitudes are a function of how positively or negatively its various attributes are evaluated. Thus, consumers overall attitudes toward direct marketing would be positive if they relate positively to direct marketing attributes and negative if vice versa (Ajze

Advantages Of Technology In International Trade :: Free Essay Writer

Technology plays a major role in international trade. Databases, overnight delivery and faxes have opened the world market to not only larger companies but small ones too. To add to this globalization, companies and even competitors are combining and forming alliances to cut cost and increase the profit margin. Chrysler, General Motors and Ford have formed an alliance in research and development to avoid duplication. These alliances are not only with domestic companies but they also go over national lines. Companies are pushing for integration of the world economy in hope for increased profits and governments are beginning to listen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since 1986 (GATT) General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade have taken the incitive to move towards the liberalization of international trade. GATT members agreed to reduce tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. From 1986 to the present due to GATT's lead many markets have been open to the United States increasing exports and increasing efficiency through competition.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the most aggressive liberalization groups to follow GATT's lead is APEC (Asian Pacific Economic Community). APEC consist of 18 countries that account for 1/2 of the worlds output. The three largest economies Japan, China and the United States are members. APEC leaders are committed to achieving free and open trade for the region by 2010. APEC is moving towards this goal through many means including accelerating initial Japanese tariff cuts by 50%. China will also cut a number of tariffs by 30%. Indonesia and other APEC members are also reducing tariffs sharply. What sets APEX at the head of the pack leading liberalization is it wiliness to extend benefits of membership to everyone. APEX is willing to extend the benefits of cuts in tariff and non-tariff barriers to all countries willing to make comparable cuts. This is a major incentive for all countries because the Pacific Rim is the fastest growing market in the world and large profits are to be made there.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To put these cut in trade barriers in perspective lets look at the company Chrysler. Chrysler is introducing a right handed drive version of the neon subcompact to the Japanese consumer. Chrysler plans to sell 4,000 units at their 200 show rooms. They are hoping for even more success with the right handed versions of the Voyager and Wrangler which they plan to introduce next year. With Japanese subsidizes on exports which lead to a high price on Japanese domestic goods, Chrysler should be very competitive.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Liberalism in trade, though progressive vary a lot with area. The European Union consisting of the countries of western Europe have established a free trade zone between themselves but those areas outside the union deal with

Essay --

Interactions in the global political economy always result in outcomes such that winners and losers are produced in each political activity. These outcomes vary from country to country depending on factors governing the country’s economic and political environment. Outcomes here range from monetary and trade policy outcomes to outcomes from crises. It is a widely accepted view that outcomes in the global political economy are, most of the time, a result of economic as well as political factors. One of the influential political factors is concerned with institutions. According to North (1991), institutions act as constraints that shape interactions between politics, economics, and society. Furthermore, political institutions are important in initiating rules about policymaking process, weighing preferences of different interest groups, and determining the extent to which interest groups affect policies (Hiscox, 2008). In terms of trade, demands for trade policies from special i nterest groups are converted into policy consequences that affect how people behave, which in turn determines the winners and losers. In view of regime formation, domestic institutions such as electoral and political systems and the distribution of governmental powers are said to have an influence on multilateral regimes through credibility (Cowhey, 1993). Apart from this, whether a country is likely to implement free trade policies or not also largely depends on the type of political systems that country has; democracy, autocracy, or monarchy. In this essay, I would like to focus on the importance of domestic institutions especially electoral systems, political systems, and veto players in producing the trade policy and crises outcomes in the global politica... ...ther the Democrat party can accumulate enough support to replace the government. If not, in order to end this cycle, there might be a need to reconsider the compatibility of democracy with Thailand’s political structure. As seen, institutions such as electoral systems and veto players are an important factor in determining outcomes in the global political economy both in terms of trade policies and crises. Regarding trade policies, having a democratic regime is likely to bring about economic growth through trade liberalisation. In reference to tackling crises, democracies and autocracies have equal chance of experiencing a crisis; however, a democratic country tends to recover faster because it is relatively easy for the population to replace the unsuccessful leader. Ultimately, strong and stable domestic institutions are the foundation of a country’s development.

Marquis de Lafayette Essay -- Essays Papers

Marquis de Lafayette The Marquis de Lafayette is best remembered for the part he played in the American War of Independence. He contributed in helping the Americans gain free control over the colonies by breaking away from British home rule. For sixty years he fought with consistency and insight for political ideals and social reforms that have dominated the history of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Hence, Lafayette can be attributed to the spreading of liberty and freedom throughout America and France. Therefore, he is viewed as a symbol of liberalism in a once absolutist world. Born on September 6, 1757, Gilbert Montier de Lafayette lived in the Chateau de Chavaniac. This beautiful palace is located in the thick forests of France. Lafayette lived there with his aunt and grandmother until the age of ten. During those years, he rummaged through the woods in search of the legendary werewolf who endangered local peasants. Accordingly, even as a child, the marquis had an â€Å"ambition to free his native place from the fabulous monster† (Latzko 4,5). At the age of eleven, the marquis was sent to school in Paris at the College du Plessis. He resided there for four years, learning various subject matter and proper etiquette that would enable him in change to become an educated and well-mannered noble. The curriculum included Latin, the study most emphasized in France at the time; and French rhetoric, which he greatly favored (Gottschalk 18, 19). At the early age of fifteen, the marquis was quite established in his community. While engaged to be married to Adrienne d' Ayen, Lafayette became a lieutenant in the Noailles cavalry (Gottschalk 32). This phenomenon marked the begin... ...ceiving on revisiting the country a few years ago, I know not . . . but when he came to America he was received everywhere as the Savior of the Country† (Bedoyere 36). Inevitably, this statement represents the opinion of many Americans still today. Fortunately, Lafayette gave his all to help the American cause. With his help and the efforts of all the colonials, the United States made its own country and became â€Å"the land of the free†. Works Cited - De La Bedoyere, Michael. Lafayette. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1934. - Gottschalk, Louis. Lafayette Comes To America. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1935. - Latzko, Andreas. Lafayette: A Life. New York: Viking Press, 1931. - Sedgewick, Henry Dwight. La Fayette. Indianapolis: The Bobbs- Merrill Company, 1928. - Woodward, W.E. Lafayette. New York: Farrar & Rinehart, 1938.

Of Mice and Men Commentary

â€Å"Of Mice and Men† is a novel written by the 1962 Nobel Prize winner, John Steinbeck. It is an emotional tale of the extraordinary friendship between George and Lennie, who are traveling workers in the harsh depression years of the 1930s. George is a caring person whose love to Lennie is just like a father-son relationship, where Lennie, a mentally challenged man whose strength lies in body rather than brain, appears to be very dependent on George. â€Å"Of Mice and Men† teaches a universal theme about the nature of human beings that a person whose power exists over another turns corrupt.Steinbeck exploits the theme of power and control in his novel through the extensive use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the weak. Sexism is the belief that one sex is superior over the other. In â€Å"Of Mice and Men†, Steinbeck undoubtedly shows that the power is centered on the majority sex, which is the males, against the minority, the f emales, where in this novel is â€Å"Curley's wife†. By simply keeping the character nameless and using the expression â€Å"Curley's wife† to identify her is a clear example of referring to her as an object without any respect rather than a person. Curley's wife† shows how women during the early 1900s were inferior under the men. She is merely the spouse of Curley as far as all the men in the ranch are concerned. â€Å"They are only forced to relate to her through Curley; if they fear him or want no trouble, the men will stay away from her. George, for example, has set goals in his mind that he is committed to, thus he will stay away from her in order not to get into any trouble. On the other hand, if they do not fear anyone, they can enjoy their time with the intention of forming a physical relationship with her.Lennie, whose childish mind cannot comprehend why he should stay away from Curley's wife, falls into the trap and gets severe consequences for doing s o. â€Å"She is simply a person living in the ranch with the purpose of only to obey Curley with no voice to complain to. All the men including Curley may go to the â€Å"cathouse† and enjoy their time; Curley's wife on the other hand, may not dare to do the same, along with Crooks. During the 1900s, racial discrimination was widely used throughout America, a land that is filled with various ethnic groups. Steinbeck portrays the cruel racist manner that is used throughout on the stable buck, Crooks.He lives a separate, isolated life under everyone in the ranch, and is incapable to protest, merely because he is black. He is terribly labeled with the epithet of a â€Å"nigger† from everyone else. Steinbeck portrays him as an unfortunate man for being born black with no power at all and may not do anything about it. He is not allowed to enter any white man's room, and to slightly raise his own degraded dignity, does the same, not allowing any white man to his room; altho ugh he only says so, it is not necessarily true as we later on see that George and candy enter.Crooks is a person where all the sorrows and miseries of another can be thrown on him because he is powerless to object. As soon as Curley's wife feels insulted from him and Candy, she threatens him verbally, using her superior social status as a white woman, â€Å"Well you keep your place then, Nigger. I could get you strung out in a tree so easy it ain't even funny†. Although most people in the ranch appear to want friendship, they all live with hidden fear of each other.The years of the great depression left everyone trying to look stronger and better than the other, or otherwise the strong will get rid of them; the killing of Candy's dog is a great symbol for that which makes it clear. Candy's dog is ought to get shot and killed, even though it has spent its lifetime with Candy, because it is now old and useless. The stronger, in this case man (Carlson), mercilessly shoots Candy 's dog, who knew nothing of his grief fate. Candy then sees his reflection upon the killing of his dog, that he will soon get too old and therefore useless, which will then have him left alone.This pushes him into desperately asking George to permit him to join with him and Lennie for the pursuit of their own dream ranch, â€Å"Tha's three hundred an' fifty bucks I'd put in, I ain't much good, but I could cook and tend the chickens and hoe the garden some†. On the contrary, Curley is a man who takes advantage of his authority and power to oppress and mock others to make himself seem stronger and even more powerful. He uses his power and gender to boss around with workers of his ranch and his wife, respectively. However, when he chose to do so towards Lennie, Lennie reacts angrily and smashes his hand.Through the intense use of sexism, racial discrimination, and the power of the strong over the weak, Steinbeck successfully exploits the theme of power and control. Whether it is mentally, physically, or money wise, power seems to be moving from one person to another depending on the situation. Perhaps it really is the roots of evil; that occurs as a result of someone realizing his power over others, and then uses it for his own personal desires, while taking advantage of others. In other words, as the Arabic proverb professes, a person's power and freedom is corrupt when it limits the power and freedom of another.

Leadership and Organizational Behavior Essay

A Proposal: †¢ precisely defines your research topic and the need for studying it—what is the organizational issue and OB topical area that requires attention and further study †¢ provides a research question to summarize the problem statement, however tentative it may be †¢ explains the sources critical to your proposed research, demonstrating that they are adequate for your project Proposal Organization: Your project proposal must include the following four labeled sections: Your Name (top of first page). Organization. Give the name of the organization and very briefly describe it. If you are focusing on one department in the organization – tell which one and describe it briefly. Be sure to include a description of your role in the organization. Set the context for the problem statement. Problem Statement. Identify and clearly state the problem—the leadership / management issue in which an element of the identified organization is not meeting expectations. The problem statement is usually phrased in terms of questions considerably more focused than the subject of the paper. End this section by stating the problem in the form of a question. For example, if a work group is not performing effectively, an effective problem statement might be, â€Å"How can group performance be improved?† rather than simply â€Å"Poor group performance.† A well-formed problem statement has four main characteristics: 1. Unity – the problem statement articulates a single controlling idea. The idea may be complex and have several parts, but it should be one idea nevertheless. 2. Focus – the problem should be restricted and specific enough for the reader to gain a clear idea of the OB topical area and the direction of your study and research. 3. Structure – if the problem statement is sufficiently focused, it will provide a basis for decisions about which information to include and which to exclude from the paper. 4. Interest – the problem statement should sharpen the reader’s interest in the OB topical area of interest. Research Plan. Provide an overview of what specific research/actions you will be taking on your problem statement. (surveys, journals, etc.). Do not be vague in this section. Note: Interviews are discouraged unless you secure management approval in advance. Scholarly Sources. You are required to use scholarly sources for your course project. Stay away from textbooks as your primary source. †¢ Within DeVry University Library Services (link can be found within The HUB), you have access to EBSCOhost, which offers full-text access to articles in all subject areas. Within EBSCOhost, you can do an advanced search where you have the choice to search for only â€Å"scholarly (peer reviewed) journals†. †¢ You might also consider using the Google Scholar search engine. Proposal Deadline: The proposal is due at the end of Week 2. Format of Your Proposal †¢ Header should include the title â€Å"Your Name Project Proposal† and the date †¢ Typically this is a one page document—if your need two pages, you are exceeding what is required for the proposal. †¢ Spell check / grammar check / proofread! †¢ Save your document in the following naming convention: â€Å"your last name first initial† Project Proposal.docx and leave it in the Week 2 Project Proposal Dropbox

Mass Media: Sending Out the Wrong Messages Essay

Do the names, Snooki, D.J. Pauly D, The Situation, or J-Woww, ring a bell? What about the famous sayings, â€Å"grenade whistle,† â€Å"G.T.L,† or â€Å"Jersday,† now is it making more sense? MTV’s hit reality show, Jersey Shore, has coined these terms and has become a worldwide phenomenon. The cast of Jersey Shore started out as typical teenagers living their typical lifestyles. Before the reality show premiered, some of the cast woke up everyday to their monotonous jobs, while others attended college. These eight teenagers never knew that by starring in this one television show, their lives would never be the same. Jersey Shore follows eight hardcore Italians, four guys and four girls, who spend their summer months together. Instead of living like there is no tomorrow, these roommates party like there is no tomorrow! Everyday when they wake up, they get their â€Å"G.T.L† on, which means Gym, Tan, and Laundry. At night, they get completely drunk, go to the bars, and see how many guys/girls they can bring back home. Then, they wake up and do it all over again the next day. This does not sound like a normal, healthy lifestyle that these eight roommates are living now, does it? Unfortunately, these eight cast members have become idolized by young and old viewers all around the world. MTV obviously does not believe in censorship, and Jersey Shore’s lifestyle of alcohol and sexuality is being portrayed positively in society. People worship every little move the Jersey Shore makes. Advertisers are using the cast to promote their products because of how influential these eight roommates have become. Even as we speak, on television, Ron promotes a particular weight loss substance and Snooki promotes a certain brand of cashews. These partiers are setting negative trends in society because the large consumption of alcohol and sexual actions made these eight people known all over the world. By partying all day, everyday, these people went from driving Honda Civics to Range Rovers and Mercedes-Benz. This popular television show is sending out the wrong message to viewers and making idols out of the wrong people. It just goes to show how much of an impact the media can have on society. The media has an even bigger impact on the younger generation. Media has expanded from newspapers to the radio, the television, the Internet, cell phones, and gaming devices. Schools are even using media now, more than ever before. Granted, the media is an excellent way of educating our children. However, that education can only be positive to a certain extent. The media is no longer just a part of our society; this technology has taken over our world. Children are completely immersed in the media today, and parents and guardians should regulate how much time their child is spending with any type of media. A child’s brain is not fully developed until he or she is in their twenties. If children are being exposed to drugs, sex, and alcohol through the media, how can we expect children to have the knowledge of deciphering for themselves not to engage in those certain activities? It would be especially hard for those children whose parents are absent in their lives, and for those whom have parents engaged in the drug and alcohol lifestyle. There is absolutely no way for the children to know between right and wrong. Rather than parents educating their children about sex, the media is certainly doing it for them. Ideas of sex are frequently discussed in magazines, songs, television shows, the news, and movies. Jane Brown, a professor at the School of Journalism and Mass Media at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, reported â€Å"The word sex is the most popular search term used on the Internet today.† Also, according to Brown, magazines, such as Seventeen, promote the idea that sex is a tactic for girls to keep their boyfriends. â€Å"Only about one in ten of the programs on television that include sexual content mentions the possible consequences or the need to use contraceptives or protection against STDs. Unintended pregnancies rarely are shown as the outcome of unprotected sex, and STDs other than HIV/AIDS are almost never discussed† (Brown, Jane). No wonder the teen pregnancy rate is so high today! As in the Jersey Shore, it is their hobby to see how many people that they can have sex with. If the person that they are pursuing acts like they are not interested in having sex, the cast wants nothing to do with them and moves on to the next person. These people are the kinds of people that the younger generation has to look up to, which could be troublesome for the future of America. According to Children Now, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization, â€Å"Children spend more time with media than any other activity, except for sleeping.† Rather than engaging in physical activity after school or on the weekends, children are more engaged in watching the television or playing their video game. Manali Oak, an author from Buzzle.com, observes â€Å"Children, who should invest their time in reading good books, studying, playing outdoors, exercising and engaging in social activities, today, spend their evenings glued to the television.† Although Manali Oak does not have a doctorate in this area, she does have a valid point. What happened to the idea of getting up and physically playing football being fun for teenagers, rather than sitting on the couch and playing football on the X-Box? Being so inactive leads to the increase of obesity in America. Another weight problem that America faces is anorexia. The media portrays the idea that successful and attractive people are the thinnest. There are millions of people, both young and old, who are currently battling obesity, but they are also being exposed to junk food advertisements. At the same time, there are other people out there, especially women, who are obsessed with the idea that they are overweight, when in reality, they aren’t. The media makes idols out of super models and thin celebrities, causing millions of people to suffer from eating disorders. Little girls are given Barbie dolls to play with and idolize. Thus, even at a young age, girls are being misled to a certain body image that is unrealistic. Rayuso, an author from the online article database HubPages.com, emphasizes this point by stating: â€Å"Young people are in a stage of life where they want to be accepted by their peers, they want to be loved and be successful. The media creates the ideal image of a beautiful men and women and tells you what are the characteristics of a successful person, you can see it in movies and tv. It’s a subliminal way to tell you that if you are not like them you are not cool yet so its time to buy the stuff they buy and look like they look.† The media has such a large impact on society that it even affects us in the way we perceive ourselves. Still, the media has the potential to influence the society in a positive way. Rayuso proposes the idea that if the media created advertisements that encourage children to get active, and used celebrities like they do to promote certain products; children would pay attention and actually get active. â€Å"If there is a sport that is getting a lot of attention by the media and gains popularity among your friends and society, you will more likely want to practice the sport and be cool with all your friends† (Rayuso). The media knows how to manipulate its audience in order to get its desired result, which is definitely not a good thing. This is why companies use celebrities to advertise their products; humans are so predictable. If we see our favorite celebrity on the television talking about how wonderful a product is, then we will more than likely go out and buy it, versus if there was some random person promoting it. Because of the popularity from Jersey Shore, reality star Ron advertises a certain weight loss substance, Xenadrine, and Snooki promotes â€Å"Wonderful Pistachios.† Of course the commercials only discuss how awesome the product is, and it only flashes the negative side effects in really fine print at the end. Robert Sylwester, a specialist in the brain/stress theory at the University of Oregon, confirms â€Å"Common examples are political promises to increase services and reduce taxes, ads that indicate that a product is improved but don’t say over what, TV drug com mercials that begin with clearly promised positive results, but end with a rapid incomprehensible listing of the dangers associated with the medicine, the televised equivalent of the small print in a contract or print ad.† With this said, the media influences our perception of reality. What viewers fail to realize is that the media is only concerned with making money. In fact, they will do whatever it takes to make that money. The only way we receive news is from the media. The television in the living room, the newspaper in the mailbox, the computer in the office, and the radio in the car are just a few forms of mass communication that keep us informed about our world. Yes, this is wonderful because without the media, we would not be aware of anything going on around us. The negative aspect of this is that the media changes stories around to the way that they want to portray them. If a story is not ‘juicy’ enough, or if there is not enough conflict, the broadcasters will change the story into something that will keep the viewers coming back for more. Jennifer Akin, a research assistant at the University of Colorado, acknowledges, â€Å"Events in the larger community, the state, the country, and the rest of the world are experienced through the eyes o f a journalist. Not only do the media report the news, they create the news by deciding what to report.† Viewers always believe what the media tells us, never questioning how much of it is actually true. The media could report â€Å"Pigs are now flying in Pennsylvania,† and just like in any other media-covered situation, we would believe them and go on with our lives. We are often unaware of how much the media truly impacts our lives. The younger generation is at an even higher risk of the media negatively impacting their lives than anyone else. It is so disgusting and disappointing that children are growing up in a society where sex, drugs, and alcohol are encouraged. What is on television that is discouraging these activities? Jersey Shore started out as eight ordinary people, but their party lifestyle made them famous. By setting this example, how can we expect the young generation to know the difference in acceptable and unacceptable? The children of today are the future of tomorrow. Do we find comfort in knowing that one day, our country is going to be led by people who grew up in such a backwards, messed up society? Not only does the media lack censorship, but it also manipulates us in every possible way. The media gets us to behave exactly how they want, using our idols to tempt us. We believe whatever we read and hear from the media, which makes us the gullible audience that the media thrives off of. Wouldn’t it be safe to say that the media takes advantage of viewers? The only person to blame for this is our self. Viewers should stop being so dependent of the media. Who is to say what the ideal body image is, or what type of products we should use? That is our own decision and our own sense of independence. The media has negatively impacted our society, and we have to find it within ourselves to stop letting the media make our decisions for us!