Saturday, August 31, 2019

Moral Decline in Society Essay

â€Å"Freedom without morality inevitably becomes merely the liberty to perpetuate evil.† The topic I will be presenting on is: â€Å"Family is responsible for the general moral decline in society†. Do any of you know what a ‘moral’ is? The Collins English dictionary defines a moral as the difference between right and wrong or good and bad. What about the word ‘decline’? It simply means a decrease. Thus, a moral decline is a decrease in the difference between knowing what is right and wrong or good and bad. Children learn moral values mainly within their families, and mainly by relying on parents as role models. When families are unstable, when parents are absent, emotionally distant, or pre-occupied, or whenever parents themselves are immoral, the learning of moral values by children is greatly slowed down. For example, what if you grew up in a family where you were forced to sell drugs at an early age? What would you grow up to do, sell drugs? Consider a family who spends time together by going on family outings, and enjoy the quality time that is being spent. During these times, parents may instill in children the proper moral values that would allow them to grow up to be proper adults. With the attack of advertising and the organized entertainment industry, and often sex and violence- saturated popular culture they are driving, childhood is no longer the relatively protected period that it has been in recent times. Children are thrust into an adult culture at an early age, just as they once were in the older era. If a child doesn’t have a strong emotional attachment to a parent, the effectiveness of the parent as a teacher and moral guide is greatly reduced†¦.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Deadly Unna Film Essay

Australian Rules A comparative review by Anita Jetnikoff (QUT) for Australian Screen Education. Published as: Jetnikoff, Anita (2003) Australian Rules: a comparative review. Australian Screen Education(30):36-38. The title may mislead some viewers, as this is not a film about a football code, anymore than Bend it with Beckham is about soccer. This powerful, brave and rather brutal feature is the debut of Paul Goldman, who co-wrote the screenplay with the novelist Phillip Gwynne. Both the storylines and characters from Gwynne’s awardwinning novel Deadly Unna? nd its sequel Nukkin Ya, have been combined in the film, which was commissioned by South Australian Film Corporation for the Adelaide Festival of Arts 2002, and caused a furore with the local Aboriginal community. The film was screened after much deliberation over the objections against depictions of a character resembling a member of the Penninsular community. This certainly suggests collaboration with Indigenous communities could have been sought at earlier stages of the project. In my reading of the film, however, it is the white community who emerge the more brutal, bigoted and shameful. The Aboriginal community, on the other hand, represent solidarity, and sharing. The film was released and promoted by Palace, with the slogan ‘live by the rules play by the rules’. There is, however, an almost apartheid divide between the black [Nunga) and white [Goonya) communities in this film and the central character’s personal navigating between the two, means he must break unwritten rules. The film is based on aspects of two novels, the partly autobiographical novel Deadly Unna, and its sequel, Nukkin Ya, Nunga expressions for ‘Great hey’ and ‘See you later’. Both novels were easy to read and full of humour in spite of the serious subject matter of racism, interracial relationships, adolescent angst, death and revenge. The novels belong to the adolescent problem or coming-of-age genre and are being studied in secondary schools. The film has little of the novels’ lightness and the narrator’s ability to laugh at himself and his community’s foibles. This sometimes disturbing film’s tone is brutal, the landscape stark, sordid and in decay. Most of the characters occupying the saline, arid coastal town are nasty. The adult men are barflies, maggot breeders, fornicators and losers and the women are victims or sluts. This hopeless adult world offers nothing for the young in this fishing town. Viewers are invited to identify with the young, for whom hope lies in escape. The central figure of Blacky (Nathan Phillips), is an intelligent 14 year old caught between the literary world of his imagination and the literal world of his small towns’ bigotry. His mother, who encourages him to play football and to do well at school, is a battler, a victim of his father’s brutality. The dilapidated house the Black family occupy oozes poverty and neglect. These are white fringe dwellers. In the novel Blacky refers to what kind of chops the family will consume as indicative of the ‘pov metre’. They shop at the local op shop. Like many small rural Australian towns, this coastal community struggles to survive. The black and white communities in the region are divided, separated physically by a stretch of coastline, whites at the port and blacks at the point. Even the local pub segregates the Aboriginal drinkers from the white ones. The irony is that the local football team is only viable when the Aboriginal boys come over from the point to play. The sporting fixture allows the communities to merge, but the union stops there. Blacky crosses the racial divide to befriend Dumby Red (Luke Carroll) a talented Aboriginal Australian Rules Player from the Point and to romance Dumby’s sister Clarence (Lisa Flanagan). Whereas book built up the friendship through Blacky’s doubt and hesitation about Dumby, this is not dealt with in the film. The film opens with the two characters already mates, sitting together in the dilapidated shed of the red dirt football field, commiserating over the ineffectiveness of their coach, Arks (Kevin Harrington). Dumby’s spectacular football prowess has been spotted by a city talent scout, which sets up the need for him to win best Player in the final against a much stronger team. A contract to a city football team would mean a possible escape from the bigotry and emptiness of the Penninsular—his chance to be a sporting success. Blacky finds himself an unwitting hero and awarded best team man for winning the premiership game. He unwittingly collides with the toughest star player on the opposing team and is knocked unconscious, along with his gigantic opponent. The shooting sequences of the match were not especially riveting, but this was in keeping with the importance of the game to the story. The film is not about winning or losing, but the personal integrity of the play or the journey in the ongoing process of discovering identity. The medal for ‘Best on the Ground’, rightly belonged to Dumby Red. His ticket out of the hopeless community, however, was denied to him, because rather than kicking a sure goal, he had passed a ball to a cousin who had not handled the ball all day. The cultural code of sharing was stronger than the competitive need to win. In the film, the loss of the award to the coach’s son paves the way for Dumby’s tragic demise. He joins Pretty (Tony Briggs) in an armed robbery of the pub, perhaps to extract an alternative prize to the one he’d been denied. The publican, Mac, laid out in a drunken stupor on the pool table, is beaten even more senseless by Pretty. The noise rouses Blacky’s father (Simon Westaway) who shoots and kills his son’s friend Dumby Red in revenge for the publican’s beating. In the novel the publican was the murderer, but the film’s central villain is Blacky’s father, Bob, who represents fear, loathing and menace. His violent rages left his own family in fear of him. In one memorable scene they escape his menacing torment of their mother behind closed doors by escaping through the window and sleeping in the chicken coop. The feeling is that this experience was not new to them. Blacky is torn in the novel between his initial attraction to Clarence in Deadly Unna, which he conceals from his white ‘friends’ in order to attract the attention of a rich white ‘camper’ girl. In the sequel this relationship between Blacky and Clarence and Blacky and his father represent two kinds of coming of age. His masculinity is tested early on in a storm at sea and later when he was caught in the shed stealing paint to cover a racist slogan in the local boatshed. His intelligence means little to his father, and his good grades and scholarship to Kings College in Adelaide are ignored. In the sequel Nukkin Ya, the filial relationship seems almost mended when his father takes on the renovation of a ‘windjammer’ to bring potential tourism to the town. His father’s project becomes obsessive at the expense of putting food on the family’s table, but the male relationship seems to be temporarily repaired along with the boat, which becomes symbolic of rebuilding strength, unity and hope around the fantasy of the future. In the novels we experience Blacky’s angst at discovering his father’s infidelity to his mother. Blacky and his friend Pickles, stumble upon their adulterous fathers visiting the Aboriginal women at the point. The irony of this is that the entire community seemed set gainst the burgeoning love relationship between Blacky and Dumby’s sister Clarence. The fact that the cross-race relationship of the father is not dealt with in the film makes his violent reaction to finding Clarence innocently sleeping alongside Blacky in his bedroom connected more with his hatred of Aboriginal people, than it is to do with his guilt over murdering Dumby Red. It is a response reduced to racism alone, rather than his own guilt and hypocrisy, which in the novels is built up subtly through the two volumes. The antagonist in the second novel, having moved away from the father, is embodied by the figure of Lovely (Pretty, in the film) who menaces Blacky over his relationship with Clarence. Lovely sports a hate tattoo on his fingers and is a violent instigator in both book and film. The disclosure of the white men’s infidelity at the expense of the black women, who remain nameless and faceless, leads to the climax of the second novel. The boat is set alight, which symbolizes the death of the relationships between Blacky and his father and his community. Lovely is framed, Blacky absolves Lovely in court by taking the blame, but Pickles (Tom Budge ) was the real arsonist. This false confession, leads to Blacky becoming a cipher in his own town, where boats and the sea are peoples workplaces. He becomes a ‘boat burner’ in the cultural imaginary and is forced to leave. In the film this purging is less powerful and seems to emerge from some kind of corporate malice rather than revenge. Pickles manically sets alight rival maggot breeder Darcy’s breeding drums, which has less symbolic poignancy than the boat burning in the novel. Blacky’s central challenge in the film is to reaffirm his masculinity by standing up to his father, through the relationship with Clarence. Blacky is constructed by his father as a ‘gutless wonder. ’ Blacky’s painful journey to manhood, is much harsher in the film than the book. In the novel the father is a violent adulterer, but in the film, he kills Blacky’s best friend. Blacky’s attendance at Dumby’s funeral represents a betrayal of familial solidarity in the eyes of the father. The relationship was not strong enough however, for Blacky to take his father’s side. At this point, Blacky abdicates from identifying with his father. He has begun to flee the emasculated self constructed by his father, towards a more potent, sexual self, embodied by his attraction and identification with the other through the literal ‘body’ of Dumby and the physical, sexual body of Clarence. What is morally worrisome is that the father, who both Blacky and the viewer see as a murderer, continues to live in the community with impugnity, the ‘common sense’ gap we fill is that he claims he shot Dumby in selfdefense. Blacky courageously resists his father’s imperative to stay away from the funeral. In the film’s powerful and moving climax, the battered, but united family in the background witnesses the final stand off between father and son. Blacky literally stands up to his father, not by competing in battle of fists, but resisting by sheer will and strength of character. The father leaves in a vicious rage and we can’t help feeling that the family will be better off with him gone. The second novel Nukkin Ya begins with hope of Blacky taking a scholarship at Kings in Adelaide. His girlfriend Clarence achieves a scholarship to art school and Blacky has a reason to follow her. The film ends with the two young lovers romantically swimming in the clear waters, symbolically cleansing themselves of the grime and grease of prejudice, which had tainted their relationship until that point. The film treats the romance in a much lighter way than the books. There is no stand off between the characters; in fact Clarence becomes Blacky’s bridge between the two cultures. In the film it is Clarence who stands up to Bob Black in Blacky’s bedroom with dignity and silent resistance. Lisa Flanagan’s performance was elegant and dignified. It was Clarence who gently cut through the wall of hostility from the Nunga boys at her brother’s funeral- allowing Blacky to mourn his friend’s death. It was Clarence who understood Blacky’s poetic allusions to dying stars- these two are cosmically connected and there is an almost Shakespearean sense of their fate. The love scenes provide the film’s only softness and the resolution, although moving, is not sentimental. The young people must leave the still-divided community, to survive together.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Competition Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Competition Law - Assignment Example It may be a gadget, technology or pill that would be a panacea to aches and pains. Another strategy is to take over existing business entities or corporate organizations that already possess the technology or business process by way of undertaking1, agreement2 or concentration3, either through merger or acquisition4. It may be undertaken to save a fledgling business or employed by business entities of equal capital assets to further strengthen its holdings and enhance its market viability or simply because it is cheaper to buy the rival company than to compete with it in the open market. One particular study that will be tackled in this paper is the cross-licensing, bundling or tying strategy that increases the role if not the dominance of a commercial organization. Thus this strategy warrants the close scrutiny of the European Commission to protect the interest of the European Market. The European Union advocates not only single market5 but open and free enterprise as well. Business entities or corporations have the discretion or liberty to acquire or join forces with other entities by virtue of agreements, undertaking or concentration but this right is not absolute. It is subject to certain conditions such that it must not prevent, restrict and distort competition6 and more importantly, it should not create, strengthen or abuse dominant position7. The primary objective of competition is to serve the general welfare of the consumers however the growing number of agreements, undertakings, mergers and/or acquisitions had the opposite effect since the main concern of businesses or corporations are increased profits and its bottom-line as well as to protect proprietary rights. The consumers were not protected from corporate greed and adventurism since there were no clear cut policies, standards or measures to regulate or control agreements, undertakings, mergers or acquisitions including collusive or abuse of dominant position by invoking exclusive rights over pat ents or intellectual properties. However, the enactment of Treaty of the Functioning European Union8 and its predecessor, the Treaty Establishing the European Union9 conferred upon competition authorities the jurisdiction not only to scrutinize undertakings within the EU but to ensure competition in the European market is not distorted. It is likewise authorized to determine the economic viability and practicability of the undertakings. It is also within the purview of the competition authorities to conduct due diligence to assess if the intellectual property rights over a product or information technology would significantly impede effective competition and strengthens or abuses dominance. It is empowered to conduct an inquiry to assess whether competition is still functioning effectively and the same is beneficial to the public in general. The TFEU was further supplemented by other regulatory measures such as Merger Control10, Individual11 and Block12 Exemptions and other Regulati ons which target specific industries or sectors. The task of this paper is to determine based on

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Some questions Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Some questions - Personal Statement Example There have been recent cases of gunshot killings in American schools and universities which proves the fact that America is a violent society. The concept of gangs is also one of the major reasons which are dragging the American youth towards collective violence. Kids and teens feel good when they are in a gang. According to Zimring and Hawkins (A-21), the rate of violent death in United States is four to 18 times higher than in any other country, and the reason for this is extensive use of handguns in muggings and burglary. I am a female member of my society. If I was assigned the male gender at birth, then my life would have been totally different. Though, both sexes bring with them their responsibilities, duties and rights, but the male gender is always given a loose edge in almost every society around the globe, especially in societies where male chauvinism has deepened its roots. If I was a male, I would have received higher education which females are kept deprived of at times. I would have been able to hang out with friends, come late at nights and not being answerable to anybody. After marriage, I would not have to leave my parents house to go live with strangers who have no soft corner for the new arrival. I would have been allowed to work outside and enjoy the freedom. I would have been able to impose upon my subordinates whatever I thought is better. I would have been able to lead my family in my own way without having to look for permissions and consents of other members of the family. I wou ld relax and sleep till late hours without getting calls from my mom to get up and look for household chores. I would not be running after my kids and telling them to clean up the mess! The major advantage of school tracking is that it enables teachers to better decide what level of lessons to give to which group of students, keeping in mind their capabilities. This also enhances the

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

DOES AGE MATTER IN A RELATIONSHIP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

DOES AGE MATTER IN A RELATIONSHIP - Essay Example According to the authors, people will engage in relationships that they feel respected, appreciated, protected and comfortable to carry on. Psychological satisfaction is the basic importance that relationships such as marriage ought to achieve in an individual’s life. The importance of social satisfaction inside the marriage must always come from the individual, with personal life playing the important part. In this discourse, various perspectives of age gaps in a relationship are discussed to illustrate the importance of psychological interpretations in a relationship among various social settings and perspectives. Relationships have several considerations that ought to be made when individuals are planning to look for partner, probably to end up with in a marriage. There are differences of interpretation of the importance of age difference between compatible partners with regard to cultural and social settings. While there is a general observation that the majority of cultural settings prefer a relationship in which the male partner is expected to be slightly older than the female partner, there are more important psychological issues involved than the age consideration. To a large extent, age consideration can be categorized as an incidental factor that almost always compliments the other considerations that an intimate relationship needs. Social changes continue to be experienced across the human society at an unprecedented rate, paving way for a more liberal approach to relationship issues. For instance, it was a difficult consideration to make in earlier days on racial differences when ch oosing a marriage partner but with the numerous changes on social fronts, it has become easier for people to date and marry anyone from any race (Buhrmester and Furman, pp104-103). The human community is getting integrated and old order of perceptions is experiencing a huge departure to a

Monday, August 26, 2019

Common household items (chemicals) found in cells Essay

Common household items (chemicals) found in cells - Essay Example The amino acids in a protein determine how it folds into a three-dimensional shape; this structure is, in turn, responsible for the proteins function. Proteins carry out almost all the functions needed for cells to live. A change to the DNA in a gene can change a proteins amino acids, changing its shape and function: this can have a dramatic effect in the cell and on the organism as a whole. Major metabolic reactions by which the cell obtains and stores energy is in the form of ATP. This metabolic energy is then used to accomplish various tasks, including the synthesis of macromolecules and other cell constituents like carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Researchers believe that RNA is a unique molecule and the earth is home to RNA-based organisms, which could find food, grow and reproduce and gradually switch to double-stranded DNA. Proteins cannot be made by RNA-based organisms, so they could live where main ingredients like sulphur, required for protein synthesis is absent. By extraction of DNA, the genome pattern of various species can be established. Scientists are rewriting the genetic code and using engineered bacteria making new proteins with new amino acids. Designing new proteins, looking for signs in metabolic activity in varnishes, scientists are now looking for alternate forms of life. The fact that Deinococcus radiodurans withstood 1000 times the amount of radiation to kill humans, suggests that there might be a life which we do not

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Choccoberry chocolate Lunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choccoberry chocolate Lunch - Essay Example The targeted population is concerned with health issues, and is also educated so the choice of also using e-commerce to reach them is appropriate. The distribution of the chocolate is through warehouse locations as the product is new in the market and has not been retailed before. Launching a new product to the market for customers offers challenges in; the product advantages, the price, and the availability of the product. In marketing, the product one has to consider the available resources for doing this kind of venture. The famous 4 P’s come into mind that is; the product, price, place, and promotion. The quality of the product in terms of; packaging, after sales-services, its function, features and design are very essential strategy in marketing. Price is looked at in terms of the recommended prices for end user, discounts, credit, and distributors’ trade prices. The place, this is where the consumer buys and uses the product in this case the chocolate, it involves the marketing channels, logistics, and physical distribution. Promotion relates to communication in advertising, publicity, exhibitions, direct mail, sales promotion, packaging, and selling by word of mouth. Chocoberry needs to develop a brand loyalty which is a matter of degree, for consumers to continue to buy the chocolates. The various strategies used to market the new product must fit together to achieve the goal of launching the product in the first place. The quality of the product should at all costs match the price of the product. The market changes quite more often, so one has to always remember that effective launch at one time cannot be the same in another period. This is so because the markets change, new trends develop, attitudes change, new sectors evolve, technology changes, different ideal positioning emerge, new distribution channels appear, and new products arrive. All these factors affect the performance of a new product. To be in a better position a company has to develop long term policies in; positioning strategy, firm’s resources, willingness to change according to market demands, market selection, and repeat sales (Rhonda 276). For a product to succeed in such environment, a final combination on the core product, its price, promotion, and distribution must work together for it to be successful. Distribution strategy can easily fit into marketing and supplying of a product by considering other market areas. The type of the product like the chocolates do dictate the distribution options available considering the nature and health issues of the product. The handling of such products physically and activities needed to sell the product to the consumer determine the nature of distribution options. Depending on the price chosen, the strategy on distribution is also put into account. The level of distribution in reaching the market matters, as this determines how the customer receives the product. Distributing a physical product like the chocolate, strategies and channels of distribution is very important. To achieve this, one can involve; direct sales team, retailers, a network of resellers, and e-commerce website. The value of the chain of distribution is determined by contributors which allow for specialization. Factors affecting distribution channels include; market, producer and the product. When considering the market factor, the behavior of the consumer is put into account.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

MGT599 MoD 2 SLP Assignment External Environment Analysis Essay

MGT599 MoD 2 SLP Assignment External Environment Analysis - Essay Example Furthermore, Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations are also introduced by the Food Standard Agency in order to safeguard the food products through proper analysis and evaluation of biological, chemical and physical risk arising at the time of developing or manufacturing it (Food Standard Agency, 2011a). This law is introduced in order to protect the food product from procurement of appropriate raw materials, handling, manufacturing and ultimately selling or consumption, by target customers. Therefore, by procuring proper raw materials, high quality of ingredients might be offered to the customers, so as to reduce the intensity of obesity or any other harmful disorder. This regulation acts as an opportunity for the Kraft food group as it might prove effective in attracting a wide range of customers towards the brand. By improvement in the range of customers, the profitability and brand value of the Kraft food group may get amplified in the market among other rival players. Economic: The economic factors such as consumer spending, disposable income, inflation, unemployment etc might offer significant impact over the organization offering food products. The recent economic downturn of 2007-2008 created considerable changes over the food retail industry. This crisis also offers negative impact over the buying behavior of the customer, due to lack of disposable income. As the rate of unemployment increases; the rate of per capita income of the customers decreases significantly and so their buying behavior also gets hindered significantly (Mintel Group Ltd, 2009). Therefore, due to reduction of the buying behavior, the rate of total sale and profitability of the organization reduces that hinders its total revenue and market share. Thus, such type of economic impacts acts as a threat for the Kraft food group as it decreased its total sale and profitability in the

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow Essay

Osteopetrosis and its Effects on the Elbow - Essay Example In disease diagnosis, radiographic images are taken. The radiographic findings in the case of osteopetrosis show symmetrical increase in the mass of bone in the affected region e.g. the elbow (p. 399). This accumulation of bone mass in the affected region leads to disturbance of bone formation processes which include bone growth, bone modelling and bone remodeling. Using radiographic images, the elbow and joint will show accumulated mass of bone and hence joint movement will be hampered (Arun, Rysavy, & Wozniak, 2007). Laboratory tests are also applied to clear and explain the findings after the radiographic analysis. In most cases hypocalcemia is evident due to low levels of calcium in the body culminating from the disease. Rachitic changes in growth plates is seen in cases where hypocalcemia is severe (p. 400). Treatment is complex and may involve bone marrow transplant from human leukocyte antigen identical donors. This is used to avert the situation as the disease could be hereditary. Hormonal and dietary therapy using calcium deficient diet has also been used in treatment of the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Edwin H. Sutherland Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Edwin H. Sutherland - Research Proposal Example This essay is based upon one of the most celebrated criminologists of the twentieth-century and his theories: Edwin Sutherland. He was born August 13, 1883 in Gibbon, Nebraska and died in 1950. He grew up and studied in Ottawa, Kansas, and Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1904 he received the B.A degree from Grand Island College, and after that, he taught Latin, Greek, history, and shorthand for two years at Sioux Falls College in South Dakota. In 1906 he left Sioux Falls College and entered graduate school at the University of Chicago from which he received his doctorate. (Gaylord, 1988:7-12) There, he changed his major from history to Sociology. Much of his study was influenced by Chicago school's approach to the study of crime that emphasized human behavior as determined by social and physical environmental factors, rather than genetic or personal characteristics. After completing graduate studies he was employed at the University of Minnesota between 1926 and 1929 and solidified his reputation as one of the country's leading criminologists. During this period, his focus was on Sociology as a scientific enterprise whose goal was the understanding and control of social problems, including crime (Gaylord, 1988:13). Later he moved to Indiana University and became the founder of the Bloomington school of Criminology at Indiana University. During that time, he published 3 books, including Twenty Thousand Homeless Men (1936), The Professional Thief (1937), and the third edition of Principles of Criminology (1939). In 1939 he was elected president of the American Sociological Society, and in 1940 was elected president of the Sociological Research Association. According to him, "Criminology is the body of knowledge regarding delinquency and crime as a social phenomena. It includes within its scope the process of making laws, breaking laws, and of reacting toward the breaking of laws. These processes are three aspects of a somewhat unified sequence of interactions. The objective of Criminology is the development of a body of general and verified and principles and of other types of knowledge regarding this process of law, crime, and reaction to crime." (1974: 3) He was the first twentieth century criminologist to forcefully argue that criminal behavior was learned. His theory of differential association, developed in 1934 and 1947, was that persons who become criminal do so because of contacts with criminal patterns and isolations from non-criminal patterns. Differential association theory was Sutherland's major sociological contribution to Criminology; similar in importance to strain theory and social control theory. These theories all explain deviance in terms of the individual's social relationships. Sutherland's theory departs from the pathological perspective and biological perspective by attributing the cause of crime to the social context of individuals. "He rejected biological determinism and the extreme individualism of psychiatry, as well as economic explanations of crime. His search for an alternative understanding of crime led to the development of differential association theory. In contrast to both classical and biological theories, differential asso

Thursday, August 22, 2019

White-tailed deer Essay Example for Free

White-tailed deer Essay Hunting, one of the oldest activities known to man, is being debated by two extremely strong-willed sides. The subject of deer hunting is one topic on which many people have strong emotional opinions either for or against. Some redneck people feel that â€Å"my pa hunted and taught me that if I can kill it, I can eat it†. While the tree huggers feel that â€Å"it is awful because you’re killing Bambi†. Although both are entitled to their own opinion, neither of these reasons comes across as noteworthy enough for a solid case. Do not get me wrong, I am very passionate about the thrills of hunting and will get to that later, but the examples that are most significant to look over are the facts of deer hunting. These imperative facts include the basic ecological population biology and the economic revenues of deer hunting. With all emotional views aside for now, try to look at deer hunting for what it is. It is just a way of leveling out the deer population in place of natural predators. Wolves and mountain lions, the only two true natural predators of adult deer, were basically eradicated from the South-East United States as soon as man settled. This being the case, the only wild animals that pose any sort of threat to deer are coyotes and bobcats, and they are only threatening for a 3-4 month period in young fawns lives. That leaves it up to the humans to keep the populations in balance. If humans did not balance out the deer population, it would be absolutely devastating to the group as a whole. Each ecosystem has a limit to how many organisms of a specific species it can hold. This maximum amount is called the carrying capacity. If the carrying capacity of an ecosystem is surpassed, it is utterly detrimental to the population. This is called overpopulation. Usually, though, the prey species has a predator species to keep the amount in check. This means that the quantity of organisms increases very rapidly until reaching the carrying capacity, and then it levels out. On the other hand, if there are no predators for a species, there is nothing to stop exponential growth. It will soon skyrocket above the carrying capacity thus leading to an inevitable collapse. When a population goes over its carrying capacity, horrifying things happen to the population such as disease and starvation. I personally would rather not be walking in the woods and come across multiple, disease-stricken, hairless deer carcasses that had suffered for months before dying a slow and immensely excruciating death because of its lack of predators. The first time anyone really experimented with deer populations without predators was when Theodore Roosevelt created the Grand Canyon National Game Preserve on the Kaibab Plateau. Here, he ordered all predators of deer to be killed and then banned hunting in the area. He had 4,000 deer placed here and then permitted them to live without restraint while some scientists supervised this process. The total population sprung up to 100,000 and from then on, almost all of them deceased from overpopulation. This is where scientists first began to comprehend the dangers of a lack of predators. One of the main scientists in charge of these observations said, â€Å"The removal of the deers natural predators, which had been done in the interest of preserving the deer population, had allowed the deer to over reproduce, and quickly overwhelm the plateaus resources. †(Kaibab). After learning this, I believe the question that the people who are mad about â€Å"killing Bambi† need to pose to themselves is, â€Å"Would I rather have a small amount of deer killed by people and still get to appreciate the deer that I do see, or would I rather have all the deer killed by disease and there be no more deer around for my children or grandchildren to see? †. As well as hunting being a biological necessity for the deer, it is also a tremendously hefty source for economic revenue. In 2006, the state of Georgia said that it made 1. 8 billion dollars from deer hunting while supplying people with around 15,000 jobs. A typical hunting rifle is around $500. 00 with the scope being an extra $200. 00. That doesn’t even include the ammo people will have to purchase in order to shoot. Deer lockers are also a huge profit in Georgia, as are the appropriate hunting clothes. Also, an average deer processer probably processes around 10,000 deer at $65 per deer. One of the two main profits from hunting, though, is the mandatory hunting licenses. Although they are only $9. 00 for a Georgia in-state resident, they are $135. 00 for out of state people. With the number of travelers who come to Georgia every year for hunting season, these numbers truly add up fast. Because there is so much money made from hunting, it is able to finance a lot of other programs of the Department of Wildlife Resources. A good comparison would be how college football makes so much economic revenue that it pays for most of the other college sports. The other massive economic stimulation as a result of deer hunting are land leases. When farmers are incapable of growing crops anymore for any reason, like old age or droughts, many farmers end up making deals with hunters so they can hunt on the farmer’s unusable soil. This way, the farmers, who would otherwise have land just sitting there with no source of income, would make a much needed profit. If not, the kind, old farmer that always dreamt of letting his kids inherit the plot of land that he spent his whole life on, instead would be forced to sell this stunning terrain to a greedy cooperation and watch them erect a brand new Wal-Mart or Kroger on the land he spent countless hours tending. I’m not sure about you, but I think that I would rather want to allow people to pay the needy farmer to hunt on the land, rather than to watch him reluctantly sell it. Although facts for deer hunting are inevitable, some people still have doubts that deer hunting is good. Some say that it is a very hazardous activity. If that was true, why do you need to pass a rigorous hunting safety course to even obtain your hunting licenses? This was one of many things designed so people could hunt safely, not to even mention the laws they have passed for hunting safety. Some of these laws require you to wear a vibrant orange vest at all times and also deem it highly illegal to have any alcohol in your body while operating weaponry. Also, others may brainlessly argue that people might kill too many deer if hunting is allowed, even though the hunting season is only roughly 80 days out of 365. That’s around twenty-two percent of the days of the whole year. During those eighty days, people are only legally allowed to kill twelve deer total. To the opposing side, this may seem like a colossal amount. In reality though, it is not much at all when you contrast this total to the million-plus deer in this state alone. Also, people might assume that if people don’t hunt them, deer will have happy, fruitful lives in the wild. Unfortunately, if they have no natural predators, it will end badly for them. If people do not hunt deer, they will overpopulate and die. It is just the way biology works. Besides, there is nothing more tranquil then to just take the weight off your feet in the deer stand and to be absorbed by the gripping splendor of nature, all in the flawlessly cool breeze of the early morning. Then when you see the deer approach, you pull the trigger, sending earsplitting sound waves of satisfaction into the silence of the woods, and then beam with the knowledge that, by terminating this one deer, you helped all the other deer in the area live a longer and healthier life. You also know that by killing this animal, you not only saved others from gruesome deaths, but also know that by bringing it home for eating purposes, you are continuing one of the world’s longest lasting human activities.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Internet Advertising: Comparison of Nigeria and Hungary

Internet Advertising: Comparison of Nigeria and Hungary Abstract Despite the marginal difference between Nigeria and Hungary, the internet develops a relationship that can be exploited. Internet users of both countries are dominated by youths, and thus are the most accessible to internet ads. Internet advertising also termed online advertising or internet marketing or web advertising is simply the making available of advertising messages and marketing communication through the internet via the web. Internet advertising which was introduced several years after traditional advertising (banners) in the 1990s now suppresses all other advertising medias and hence constitutes a significant channel for the majority of firms. These firms range from small to big sizes, national and multinational, service providing to manufacturing enterprises (Restaurants to ship manufacturing agencies). Internet advertising now shares a position in the context of marketing communication strategy planning and implementation. It is vital for organizations considering internet marketing strategy to effectively associate each component reason being that, with the global market place, it is important for entrepreneurs and marketers to be critical of what is most beneficial and meets their needs to the internet marketing strategy intended for use. Byusing the standard advertising program process as a base,it is simple to outline the characteristics of the Internet which abusiness must take into consideration when planning a Web advertisingcampaign (Kotler, 1997). Without trying to dispute earlier findings in this thesis, the work presented attempts in it own way to highlight some comparative ideas of internet advertising between Nigeria and Hungary thus stating the aims of this paper based on internet users social context on the effectiveness of internet advertisement. By using primary material from books and other sources, the idea of internet advertisement is identified. And by considering other publication, some conclusions are generated for the better understanding of this piece. By examining the topic of this thesis, its extensive nature is revealed. Three fields of study are mentioned and are dealt with accordingly -Marketing, information technology, and advertisement (internet advertising). As broad as each of these could be, the presentation is quite short and straight to the most essential. The study depicts the differences in the attitude of internet users to ads. The analysis obtained from input sources reveal a significant relationship between the type of activities of users through which they come into contact with internet ads in each of the two countries (Nigeria and Hungary). 1 Introduction 1.1 Background of Study The growth in Internet Advertising has paved its way and settles comfortably in the global world of business due to internet innovations. Further more its effects, impact and usefulness can be observed social aspect of human activities thereby creating greater opportunities for a more developed and diversified recreation. The Internet or World Wide Web has quickly become the most effective way for businesses to advertise their products or services to expected consumers. Some Web sites such sell advertisement space for sponsoring and by so doing they profit highly from the increase of advertising on the Internet. The number of people with internet access and internet services is growing continuously at a geometric rate and with internet advertisement potential customers can view these advertisements thereby contributing to the maximum level of business profits. Recent studies on internet advertising focus more on empirical works as well as theoretical structures there by investigating the role of some factors in the success of internet advertising, none the less it is necessary to present some significant measures employed in this thesis to quantify advertising effectiveness. According to Pavlou and Steward (2000), advertisement has a direct effect to consumers and therefore considered as an independent variable while consumer response is the dependent variable. They further explain the nature of the highly interactive environments taking into account other factors such as online context in which advertisement takes place in order to render this study more insightful. Incorporated here are many aspects of internet advertisement context as types of internet activities and users social context in the study of responses to internet advertisement. Internet advertising is rapidly growing and advertisements have become more apparent in our Internet usage. When advertising on the Internet, both the businesses and the web sites (search engines) profits. Businesses profit from the use of internet advertising by minimizing cost compared to standard advertising which is a lot more expensive. Internet advertising raises awareness, conveys advertisers messages and enhances brand perceptions and with greater advertisement exposure inflicts even greater impact. Responds to this advertisement differs considerably by different individual in different Geographical locations and cultural background. An AdHoc study conducted by Gemius in cooperation with Sanoma Budapest proves that most Internet users in Hungary have a positive attitude towards online advertising. Moreover it shows what their behavior is like in response to online advertising and the perceived image of the advertised companies. The respondents were also evaluating different formats of advertisements in the survey, indicating the ones that they know best and the favorite ones. The research was conducted on the Internet in the form of a pop-up survey (random sampling) on May 2006. 67% of the respondents declared that they accept online advertisements as the price for free access to web sites. (International Operations Department, Press release June 30, 2006) Internet usage in Nigeria is an important issue with the average student using 10.5 hours per week and the total population averaging 3.5 hours per week. Internet usage in Nigeria has consistently grown to 11million internet users as of June 2009 according to the International Communication Union (ITU) report. Various types of broadband bring the internet to our door steps such as Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL), Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), cable broadband, wireless, satellite, Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) etc With the accession of the internet, came an easier method of communication, transmission of information to the public and hence the rise of the internet advertisement. Advertising on the Internet can be viewed as a social contract between advertisers and Internet users. Every individual comes across advertising through multiple channels; either outdoor: through fliers, bill boards etc or indoor: through the internet, A reason why todays market is highly dominated by advertising. Based on the fact that we live in a globalized world, advertising is recognized in every country in its own structure with respect to its culture, consumer demand or requirements. 1.2 Aims and objectives This thesis outlines and compares how internet users in Nigeria and Hungary respond to internet advertisements with focus on the technical aspects, social networking and simple basic adverts in websites. In addition I am searching for various answers and perceptions of what people from these different countries think about these adverts and the effect it has on them in a cultural perspective considering the fact that both cultures are not only socially different but economical and educational as well. In the first part of this study, I am researching how technical aspects, such as social networking and website adverts in Nigeria and Hungary. It is followed by an evaluation of how Nigerians and Hungarians respond to internet in the second part. The third part focuses on a research for: the changes the internet brings in Nigeria and Hungary for example is the internet improving industries such as the banking sector or being an important educational tool for students? Is it the centre of attention for businesses? Finally, the fourth part is the conclusion drawn based on the findings of the aforementioned research. 2 Literature review Under the literature review, I will be considering a thorough review of the already existing literature on the subject of internet advertising which is highly important for the continual understanding of the sections in this thesis. Picking the pieces and fitting them together I will build a concrete piece on the above mentioned topic starting with defining the parts that make up our topic, considering the social and technical aspect of the internet, advertising and last but not the least marketing. 2.1 The internet The birth of the internet did not come as a surprise, may be to the common man in the streets but definitely not for the scientist who had been expecting something new, fresh, cheap and friendlier. It emerged in the early 1960s as a way for the US department of defense to create a secure means of communication in case of uncertainties. It evolved from Advance Research Agency (ARPA) in 1969 to ARPANET for the civilian sector and MILNET (military network) â€Å"(Jeffrey F. Rayport et al. 2001)†. In the 1980s ARPANET was renamed National science Foundation Network (NSFNET). The progress of this development proceeded in 1989 with the creation of a more efficient way of sharing information by defining the Hypermedia Protocol (HTTP- Hypertext Transfer Protocol) which is the standard addressing format URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and the programming language HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) which has become the basis of World Wide Web (WWW) which is universal and the most used part of the internet to access multimedia e.g. text documents, graphics, videos etc â€Å"(Jeffrey F. Rayport et al. 2001)†. In 1993, a team led by Marc Anderson developed a new piece of software called â€Å"Mosaic† as the first internet browser after which other browsers were introduced, like internet explorer by Microsoft which became the most prominent â€Å"(Jeffrey F. Rayport et al. 2001)†. After these developments, todays internet has not only brought technology but also affects the way things are done world wide. It is continuously changing to the extent that it has taken almost all diversification and stems all changes in world business, revolutionarising the way business is done, the concepts between business and consumers. 2.2 Overview of the general background of advertising Advertising is a collective term for public announcements designed to promote the sale of specific products or services. It is a form of mass selling, employed when the use of direct, person-to-person selling is impractical, impossible, or simply inefficient. Advertising techniques range in complexity from the publishing of simple notices in the classified-advertising columns of newspapers to integrated marketing communications, involving the concerted use of advertising in newspapers, magazines, television, and radio, and on the internet which is our main focus. Advertising dates back to the Christian era. Advertisements transited from the outdoor signs as paintings on wall of buildings that were very sight captivating to company trade marks which were two or three dimensional picture or signs in the 16th centuries. Around the 1880s, there came Mail orders and pamphlets and in late19th century, many American firms began to market packaged goods under brandnames. Previously consumers had not been aware of or influenced by brand names. The first product that had brand name was soap products. In the 1880s a fewbrands came out and they were Ivory, Pears, Sapolio, Colgate, Kirks AmericanFamily and Packers. Not long after brands such as Royal baking powder, Quakeroats, Bakers chocolate, Hires root beer, regal shoes, etc were nationally advertised. 2.2.1 Stages of advertisement The major goal of advertising is to generate awareness of a business and its products. Once the business reputation is established and its products are positioned within the market, the amount of resources used for advertising will decrease as the consumer develops a kind of loyalty to the product. Targeting the audience, product concept, communication media, and advertising message are the core elements of an advertising strategy, and are often referred to as the creative mix. Again, what most advertisers stress from the beginning is clear planning and flexibility. And key to these aims is creativity, and the ability to adapt to new market trends. Target consumer is a complex combination of persons. It includes the person who ultimately buys the product, as well as those who decide what product will be bought (but dont physically buy it), and those who influence product purchases, such as children, spouse, and friends. In order to identify the target consumer, the following should be considered; Demographics(Age, gender, job, income, ethnicity, and hobbies.), Behaviors (awareness of the business and its competition, the type of vendors and services the consumer uses, and the types of appeals that are likely to convince the consumer to give the advertisers product or service a chance.), Needs and Desires (determine consumer needs in practical and self-image terms.) The product concept grows out of the guidelines established in the positioning statement. How the product is positioned within the market will dictate the kind of values the product represents, and thus how the target consumer will receive that product. Therefore, it is important to remember that no product is just itself, but, as Courtland L. Bovee and William F. Arens stated in Contemporary Advertising, a bundle of values that the consumer needs to be able to identify with. Whether couched in presentations that emphasize sex, humor, romance, science, masculinity, or femininity, the consumer must be able to believe in the products representation. The communication media is the means by which the advertising message is transmitted to the consumer. In addition to marketing objectives and budgetary restraints, the characteristics of the target consumer need to be considered as an advertiser decides what media to use. Advertisers can choose from the following media categories such as Print, Video, World Wide Web, Direct mail, outdoor advertising-Billboards, advertisements on public transportation (cabs, buses). After deciding on the medium that is 1) financially in reach and 2) most likely to reach the target audience, an advertiser needs to schedule the broadcasting of that advertising. The media schedule, as defined by Hills, is the combination of specific times (for example, by day, week, and month) when advertisements are inserted into media vehicles and delivered to target audiences. An advertising message is guided by the advertising or copy platform, which is a combination of the marketing objectives, copy, art, and production values. This combination is best realized after the target consumer has been analyzed, the product concept has been established, and the media and vehicles have been chosen. At this point, the advertising message can be directed at a very concrete audience to achieve very specific goals. Hiam and Schewe listed three major areas that an advertiser should consider when endeavoring to develop an effective advertising platform: the unique features of the products, how consumers will evaluate the product, rank of competitors in the eyes of the consumer, their weaknesses in their positions and their strengths. Copy: When composing advertising copy, it is crucial to remember that the primary aim is to communicate information about the business and its products and services. Many companies utilize a theme or a slogan as the center piece of such efforts, emphasizing major attributes of the businesss products or services in the process. But as Hiam and Schewe caution, while something must be used to animate the theme †¦care must be taken not to lose the underlying message in the pursuit of memorable advertising. Art work and layout: Small business owners also need to consider the visual rhetoric of the advertisement, which simply means that the entire advertisement, including blank space, should have meaning and logic. Most industry experts recommend that advertisers use short paragraphs, lists, and catchy illustrations and graphics to break up and supplement the text and make the document both visually inviting and easy to understand. Remember, an advertisement has to capture the readers attention quickly. 2.2.2 Internet advertising Internet advertising is a message delivered to people by placing adverts on Search engines, Social networking websites such as Facebook, e-mails, pop ups etc. These adverts can be seen by the whole world and are not limited to a geographical region. In this same respect, adverts are meant for the mass and there are many users of internet worldwide so the message gets spread widely and quickly thereby reaching people of different cultures and beliefs. Some of the people might be uninterested because the signs or symbols used violate their cultures. E-mails are also sent to people who are either not interested or are not located geographically in areas accessible to the products. 2.2.3 Advantages and disadvantages of internet ads The most common item that determines advantages of a product or service lies in its cost. Internet advertising packages could be available at very low costs (10 dollars per monthly subscription). Trouble free relativity could also be a great advantage internet advertisement has over other media ads, to the user and the producer, all which is needed is first of all a PC then internet service, through which you can either design a site or survey advert sites. It is could also be noticed that with internet advertisement, when advertisers get to know the age group, taste, and sex of consumers who most frequently survey their ads, site owners could easily and quickly update their pages to current consumer needs compared to other media ads which could do so only periodically. Market presentation is also easy with internet ad, product or service is designed for the younger generation or the corporate world are easily viewed by this class of persons as they make the greater proportion of int ernet users and the greatest proportion of consumers. Though a multiple advantages make internet advertisement favorable, some disadvantages could still be noticed. Internet advertisement is made better with professional help and these additional costs make some ads more expensive than others. It is disadvantageous to use only the internet as advertising medium because there are a hand full of persons who can not gain access to this new technology or they just dont have the trust in these internet ads. 2.3 Broad band connections in Hungary and Nigeria Broadband connection is a new concept used, in place of dial up connections. Broadband internet connection is faster and offers a host of advantages in them. The speed is usually faster than a dial up connection, which facilitates many operations at a time in for example watching many online live shows and movie downloads etc. There are various types of broadband offered nowadays. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ASDL), Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL), cable, wireless, satellite, Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) etc are some common types. Hungarys internet providers provide their services using a number of broadband which include DSL, Cable broadband, ADSL2+ and Wireless broadband. The broad band is distributed through multiple distribution channels namely; UPC, T-Kabel, Fibernet and DIGI. Hungarys broadband market experiences strong growth, Cable broadband is widely available due to the network penetration of the countrys cable operators. The broadband market as a whole experiences a significant growth as the regulators have reduced access tariffs and have introduced a wholesale system based on retail tariffs to ensure suitable margin for alternative operators. Digital cable services have been launched by a handful of the smaller cable operators and the countrys Direct To Home (DTH) market is showing fresh signs of life. The Internet access sector in Hungary constitutes the total revenues generated by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from the provision of narrowband and broadband Internet connections through both consumer and corporate channels. Similar to Hungary, Nigeria uses ADSL, cable and wireless broadband services which are rapidly replacing the formal dial up access method. Market penetration is still low leaving room for necessary growth. Nigerians connect to the internet in many ways through Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) links, Wireless microwave links internet access and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access. Many of these sessions are through internet cafes as very few Nigerians have their own personal computers. Mobile operators are strongly gaining growth by providing Nigerians to access the internet through mobile devices. Such service providers are; MTN, Celtel, and Glo Mobile providing internet, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA all across the nation. 2.4 Technical aspects of internet usage in Nigeria and Hungary Internet usage is regarded with direct reflection of the total countrys population. This would be termed the percentage rate of penetration which relates to the number of internet users per square feet of the population. Public cyber cafe of various shades and sizes are the most common method of access individuals have to the internet. In addition to that, there are internet service providers delivering direct access to individuals and businesses on a variety of platforms. There is widespread availability in urban centres, and fairly good availability in smaller towns most recently, mobile phone lines such as MTN, Celtel, and Glo Mobile provide internet, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS and HSDPA all across the nation, it is almost amazing to find internet access in some of the most remote locations in the country. According to an issue in trade invest Nigeria onBroadband in Nigeria: The revolution is coming by Jaco Maritzs; posted on Sunday, March 16th 2008, Nigerians connect to the internet in many ways but 53% of connections are made through Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) links. Wireless microwave links account for 19% of internet access and Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) access are estimated to be only 14%. Many of these sessions are through internet cafes as very few Nigerians have their own personal computers. National Bureau of Statistics figures show that in 2006 less than 10% of internet users had access from the workplace and less than 4% from the home. Only 1.3% of the population own personal computers. Nigerian internet users are aged between 11 and 40 with a greater part of this population being students, business persons, and to a lower extent, the public functions giving a 7.4 % total internet population penetration. (See appendix Diagram N2) In Hungary, other than the traditional activities of the internet (emailing, browsing, reading journals online), a greater extent of Internet users use it for the leisure function of the web, job search and application, internet purchases, watching or listening to news, entertainment purposes as well. Users in Hungary vary between the ages of 10 and 69 summing a total of 34.9% internet rate of penetration. 55% of these users use the online voice transmission in communication and chatting, at least 33 percent have tried to watch television via the internet. The number of people using internet at home increases considerably, from 23% in 2007 to 28% in 2008 and 41% in 2009. Having access to the internet does not necessarily imply using it as of the 46% of home owners 10 % of them do not use it at all. (See appendix Diagram H3) 2.5 Marketing in Hungary and Nigeria Advertising is in respect to marketing, that is; people advertise to make known their products and hence gain marketing ground; therefore a vivid understanding of marketing is necessary. Customer satisfaction, as a construct, has been fundamental to marketing for over three decades and every advertisement tries to comply with this logic. As far back as 1960s, satisfying the needs and desires of the consumer stands as the definition of marketing â€Å"Keith 1960†. Interest in customer satisfaction increased through out the years till date. Several studies have shown that it costs about five times to gain a new customer as it does to keep an existing customer and these results into more interest in customer relationships (Naumann, 1995). Companies now have big investment in database marketing, relationship management and customer planning to move closer to their customers â€Å"Hill and Alexander (2000)†. These definitions demonstrate that increasing customer satisfaction affects companies directly, increases their market shares which lead to improved profits, positive recommendation, lower marketing expenditures and greatly impacts company corporate image and hence enhances their survival. The relevance of these definitions to this study indicates that customers access the internet services based on experience of use and rating is done in accordance with the internet services attributes. In this study, customer satisfaction in the Nigerian and Hungarian markets will be evaluated based on customers usage and their reaction to internet advertisements, experience of network quality, billing, validity period and customer care support. By Marketing Penetration we imply where a company expands market share in an existing market byusing existing products which could be done in 4 main ways. 1. Persuade existing customers to buy more of the same product, thiscan be done buy promotions such as 3 for 2. This make the customerfeel as if they are getting more for their money, and hopefullycould stop them from switching to alternative brands. 2. Attracting new customers to products. This can be done buyimproving the image of the product, new packaging, reducing price,or buy giving a % extra free. 3. Poaching customers from competitors. Buy reducing price, givingfreebies, and a % extra free with the product. Doing this couldincrease your market share and reduce your competitors. 4. Withdrawing other products. Buy withdrawing less profitableproducts, similar products can become more profitable, and sellmore. Marketing through internet advertising targets all already existing consumers and expected consumers both to cultivate lasting customer relationships. The internet provides a new and cheap channel for marketing through advertising. Once in the internet any customer is able to see an advert posted and many are willing to place orders via the internet by sending emails directly to the web host. According to Armstrong et al (2005), the internet is an excellent channel for communication with customers on individual basis because of its immediate and direct interaction capability. From companys point of view, a companycan enter the cyber marketing world without theintervention of any intermediaries simply by buying into the technology itself and by turning the medium into amarketing research as well as an advertising medium, interactive media also operates in territories not covered by a vendorssales force, therefore reaching the showroom and the sales pitch to the buyersremote locations simply by dropping it in the post. It can be agreed that internet marketing improves brand image of a company or products or both, hence it is a revenue earner, reliability of the country is very important for the success of internet marketing. Companies necessarily focus their internet marketing based on the gender difference and so make more money though Consumers remain uncertain. Internet marketing can be used successfully whether it is industrial products or consumer products. It is undisputable that online support is an important factor to make internet marketing a success. Companies and consumers agree that more user friendly, better key word matches would drive the future search engine marketing. 2.6 Pricing factor in internet advertising Prising in internet advertisement is a subject which can not be under minded as it involves the reason for advertising (both the advertiser and the consumer) each product or service advertised carries a different parameters depending on the desires of the individual consumer who finally decides on his/her preferences. After this determining factor of attribute parameter of product, the price becomes a relevant factor. Price is a parameter of buyers decision that can not be overlooked, further more, when a characteristic is considered more important than price in making a purchase decision, then its value is considered to be a requirement for purchase, but if the intended characteristic is considered less important than price, then acceptable range can be seen as preference rather than requirement (Joan Morris and Paul P. Maglio, 2001) Therefore, price is a general determinant for especially price sensitive consumers. Internet advertisers have different pricing techniques to attract new buyers and at the same time maintain already existing consumers which is based on consumer characteristic and the dynamically nature of demand and supply. Some of such frequently used pricing techniques are: Dynamic pricing As the term indicates, it is the dynamic adjustment of prices to consumers depending on the value attributed to product or service by these same consumers. By making provisions for affordable prices for certain products, this system instigates optimal results for consumers and hence enhances maximum sales to those selling. With internet marketing, there exists an evident shift from fixed pricing to dynamic pricing with greater competition existing against the formal and still existing traditional marketing system. Price differentiation It is a process whereby the same product of different units is sold at different prices to different consumers. With price differentiation, prices differ with the number of units sold. This could involve group pricing, discount pricing etc. With price differentiation, companies decrease the suitability of their products and services by customising their offers to the requirements of specific customers or market segment. This provides the customer with an advantage to purchase the said product or service. Using these pricing techniques enables the consumer to purchase a product by stating his or her own price, considering the suitability of the product in question. The right price in the market can not be easily determined, prices are competitive and this directly influences price sensitive consumers who have the tendency to fall for the most appreciated prices during their purchases. The best price in internet market does not only consider the price established by the producer or seller but also that requested by the buyer or consumer. Internet marketing offers the opportunity for companies to test prices, segment customers and adjust to change in supply and demand (Efraim Turban et Al. 2006) to consumers these pricing techniques are advantageous in the sense that consumers have the opportunity to find unique items and collectibles, consumers remain unanimous, internet market creates a bargaining atmosphere enabling the consumer to opt for the most affordable price, it is more convenient as consumer is not obliged to change location to execute a purchase and for the producers, they gain more customers by offering more items directly, it enhances maximum sales which is a fundamental base of every business, it improves customer relationship and customer loyalty to already existing customers. 2.7 Factors influencing intern Led Zeppelin: History and Analysis Led Zeppelin: History and Analysis Led Zeppelin was one of the most popular mainstream rock bands from 1968 to 1980. Consisting of Robert Plant on vocals, Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass guitar, and John Bonham on the drums, they are now considered to be one of the greatest rock bands that ever played. Led Zeppelin made many contributions to the music world and their legacy is still very alive today. Each individual member of Led Zeppelin made their own contributions to their music and the advancement of music as a whole. Without any one member Led Zeppelins legacy would be completely different. Robert Plants high vocal style and songwriting abilities were instrumental in Led Zeppelins success. Jimmy Pages musical knowledge and innovative guitar playing are widely considered to be some of the greatest of their time. According to AllMusic.com Jimmy Page is Unquestionably one of the all-time most influential, important, and versatile guitarists and songwriters in rock history (Prato, 2011). John Bonhams loud, heavy drumming and percussion skills were essential to the Led Zeppelin hard rock sound. A friend of Bonhams once said that He always wanted to be one of the loudest drummers in the west and was determined not to be drowned out by guitarists (Welch Nicholls, 2001, p. 28). John Paul Jones steady bass rhythms and musical diversity were key elements to the Led Zeppelin sound tha t are often overlooked. Led Zeppelin was officially formed as a group in the late 1960s. Founder and guitarist Jimmy Page was playing with a group known as The Yardbirds at the time. In 1968, The Yardbirds disbanded and Page began searching for new members for the band. He was soon put into contact with Robert Plant and hired him as the bands new vocalist. Plant knew a drummer and suggested John Bonham, an old band mate, for the job. Bonham was soon hired and all they needed was a bassist. John Paul Jones soon contacted Page and the band was formed as the New Yardbirds. The band soon recorded their first album together and it was released under their new name Led Zeppelin. In late 1968 Led Zeppelin signed with Atlantic Records and in the last days of December they performed live in the United States for the first time. Led Zeppelins early days were mainly spent touring Europe and recording for their first album as Led Zeppelin. Their first record propelled them onto the music scene with a groundbreaking heavy blues-rock fusion. The touring for the first album made Led Zeppelin a household name and landed them in the limelight for the next decade. Over the next ten years Led Zeppelin went to new heights with their massive concerts and innovative records. Led Zeppelins first official album, a self-titled record, was recorded in late 1968 and was subsequently released in the United States in January of 1969. The album produced a number of classic Led Zeppelin staples such as Dazed and Confused, Good Times Bad Times, and Communication Breakdown. Elements from this album such as Jimmy Pages use of a cello bow to play his guitar went on to become icons of Led Zeppelins music. Although the album was initially criticized, the album is now considered to be one of the greatest stepping stones in the further development of hard rock music. Later in October 1969 Led Zeppelin released their second album, Led Zeppelin II, and the response was even greater than their first. This album really showcased the bands blues and folk influences on song like Ramble On and Bring it on Home. Robert Plant became famous for his mystical and story-telling songwriting style and we see those elements in Ramble On. One of the biggest legacies to come from this album was the song Whole Lotta Love. Whole Lotta Love is one of their most famous songs and has been covered extensively over the years. Jimmy Pages guitar riffs and solos are some of the most recognizable guitar works of the time. A year later, in October 1970, Led Zeppelin released their third album and unsurprisingly it was named Led Zeppelin III. The album contains more acoustic and mellow songs than its predecessors. In an interview regarding the making of their third album Jimmy Page said Well never stop doing the heavy things, because that comes out naturally when we play. But there is another side to us. The new album is totally different from the others and I see that its obviously a new direction (Retrieved April 3, 2011, www.ledzeppelin.org). The album was mostly done at a place called Bron-Yr-Aur in the U.K. One of the albums songs, Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp, was named after it. Led Zeppelins fourth album was released in November 1971, and although it is often referred to as Led Zeppelin IV, it is also known by many other names. The album itself has no name on it but it has become known as Zoso or the four symbols due to the symbols that the band members chose to represent themselves. The symbols of Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones all have meanings, but the symbol that Jimmy Page used has been a topic of debate since he began using it. Robert Plants symbol, a circle with a feather inside, is said to represent a writer, John Bonhams, three interlocking circles, are said to represent the link between a man, a woman, and their child, and John Paul Jones symbol, a circle over three vesica piscis, is said to be the symbol of a confident and competent individual (Retrieved April 3, 2001, www.inthelight.co.nz). The real mystery surrounds Jimmy Pages symbol which has become known as Zoso. Nobody really knows for sure what the symbol means other than J immy himself, but it has been a mysterious question for Led Zeppelin fans ever since. The fourth album is also considered to be one of Led Zeppelins greatest works and contains some of their most memorable songs. Led Zeppelin IV contained such Led Zeppelin classics as Black Dog, Rock and Roll, Going to California, When the Levee Breaks, and Stairway to Heaven. Led Zeppelin returned to their hard rock form from their first two records and the result was their best selling record. Led Zeppelin IV is the fourth best-selling album in history with over 22 million copies sold. The epic Stairway to Heaven is still the most requested song of all-time for radio (Retrieved April 5, 2011, rockhall.com). In 1973 Led Zeppelin released Houses of the Holy and in 1975 released the double album Physical Graffiti. These two albums both topped the charts and produced songs such as Kashmir, Over the Hills and Far Away, Houses of the Holy, and Trampled Under Foot. These years were also the height of Led Zeppelins tours. From 1970 until Aug. 1975 Led Zeppelin toured extensively in Britain and the U.S. They set record numbers for attendance and were famous for playing at sports stadiums and other large venues. In August of 1975 Robert Plant and his wife were involved in a serious car accident which prevented the band from touring. Although they couldnt tour, they still continued to stay in the public eye. During their break from touring due to Plants injury, the band focused on new materials and finishing an old project. In March of 1976 the band released Presence, their sixth album. Presence was their worst selling album, although it did produce the epic song Achilles Last Stand. Also, in 1973 the band played three shows in New York City at Madison Square Gardens and their live performances were filmed for use in a live concert film that was released in October 1976. The band returned to the touring circuit in 1977 and picked up where they left off. The band continued to set records for attendance to their concerts and live performances. After touring for a few months, the band cancelled the remainder of the 1977 tour dates due to the surprising death of Robert Plants son. After the death of Plants son, the band took a break and returned to record their next album in late 1978. The album, In Through the Out Door, was released in the summer of 1979. Songs like Fool in the Rain and All of my Love propelled it to the top of the charts. Led Zeppelin toured Europe on and off in 1979 and 1980. On Sept. 25th, 1980, John Bonham was found dead at the age of thirty-two as a result of choking on his own vomit following a day of very heavy drinking. The band disbanded following his death, although they did release an album of old Led Zeppelin outtakes called Coda in 1982. Over the years after 1980 the band only reunited for a few one-time performances. In 1985 they played at the Live Aid concert and again in 1988 for the Atlantic records 40th anniversary. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page released an album together in 1994 entitled No Quarter. Also, In honor of the life of their friend Ahmed Ertegun, the three living members reunited with Jason Bonham, Johns son, on drums to play a concert in London in December 2007. Almost three decades after their departure Led Zeppelin was still highly regarded by both old and new fans, as their show in December 2007 set a new record for most demanded concert tickets. From 1968 to 1980 Led Zeppelin dominated the rock music world with their high-energy live performances that broke numerous attendance records and their chart-topping albums. Their songs are still some of the most recognized and requested songs on American radio. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Their biography for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame used these words to describe their legacy: Combining the visceral power and intensity of hard rock with the finesse and delicacy of British folk music, Led Zeppelin redefined rock in the Seventies and for all time. They were as influential in that decade as the Beatles were in the prior one (Retrieved April 5, 2011, rockhall.com). Led Zeppelin paved the way for the hard rock bands of the late seventies, eighties, and into the nineties. They also popularized huge live performances at stadiums and arenas that were emulated for years to follow. The impact and legacy of Led Zeppelin has influenced bands and the entire music industry for the past three decades and will continue to influence them for years to come. Demographic Analysis of Service Quality | Results Chapter Demographic Analysis of Service Quality | Results Chapter This section presents the findings about the respondents profile in terms of their age, gender, level of education and monthly income. The data are shown in frequencies and percentage. 4.1.1 Age Gender The respondents have been classified into six groups of age: less than 18 years old; between 19-25 years old; between 26-35 years old; between 36-45 years old; between 46-55 years old; 56 years old and above. Table 4.1 indicates that there were no respondents whose age was less than 18 years old. Around one-fifth (33 or 21.6 percent) of the respondents whose age was between 19-25 years old. More than half (78 or 51.0 percent) of the respondents whose age was between 26-35 years old. About (33 or 21.6 percent) of the respondents whose age was between 36-45 years old. Only (8 or 5.2 percent) respondents whose age was between 46-55 years old and only one person whose age was 56 years old and above. 4.1.2 Level of education The respondents have been classified into six groups of educational level: high school, diploma (two years), bachelors degree, masters degree, doctoral degree and other. Table 4.3 indicates that there were almost (11 or 7.2 percent) of the respondents who had high school. About (5 or 3.3 percent) of the respondents who had diploma (two years). About one-third (52 or 34.0 percent) of the respondents who had bachelors degree. More than third (60 or 39.2 percent) of the respondents who had masters degree. About (23 or 15 percent) of the respondents who had doctoral degree and about (2 or 1.3 percent) holding other types of certificates. 4.1.3 Monthly Income The respondents have been classified into seven groups of monthly income: Less than 2,999; 3,000 5,999; 6,000 8,999; 9,000 11,999; 12,000 14,999; 15,000 19,999 and More than 20,000 SAR per month. Table 4.4 shows that there were almost (12 or 7.8 percent) of the respondents who had less than 2,999 SAR income. About (15 or 9.8 percent) had between 3K 5,999 SAR. About (22 or 14.4 percent) had between 6K 8,999 SAR. About 17.6 and 17.0 percent had less than 12K and 15K respectively. The majority (28 or 18.3 percent) of respondents had between 15K 19,999 SAR per month and about (23 or 15.0 percent) have had more than 20K SAR as monthly income. 4.2 Level of Selected Variables This part discusses the respondents level of agreement on system quality factors, information quality factors and service quality factors. The findings are presented in frequencies, percentages, and means. The discussion also emphasizes the data sufficiency and variables effect on e-Commerce growth within Saudi Arabia. 4.2.1 Level of agreement based on system quality In terms of System Quality Approach, it can be seen in Table 4.5 that 58 (37.9 percent) of the respondents are Strongly Agree, while 29 (19 percent) of the respondents are Agree and 28 (18.3 percent) Somewhat Agree. Twenty-two (14.4 percent) of the respondents are Not Sure. Ten (6.5 percent) are Somewhat Disagree while 2 (1.3 percent) of them are Disagree. Only 4 respondents (2.6 percent) are Strongly Disagree. The findings indicated factor 2 (Ease of Use) as the highest level of agreement among the respondents (M=5.66, SD=1.531) in this category. On the other hand, factor 4 (Reliability) had the lowest level of agreement among the respondents (M=5.34, SD=1.717). In the case of the factor analysis, one important aspect is to test the assumptions. The two key techniques used are the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) sampling adequacy test and the Bartlett test for sphericity. The KMO tests the appropriateness of the data, while the Bartlett tests for correlations. For system quality, these tests are shown on Table 4.7. As shown on Table 4.7, the KMO is 0.898. According to Field (2005, p650), the recommended minimum KMO is 0.5 Values between 0.5 and 0.7 are considered as mediocre. KMO of values between 0.7 and 0.8 are considered as good, while values above 0.8 are considered as great. Based on the KMO of 0.898 produced in this analysis, it has been justified that the factor analysis was appropriate for this data. Bartletts measure tests the null hypothesis that the original correlation matrix is an identity matrix. For factor analysis to work, it in necessary for some variables to have relationships; if the R-matrix were an identity, then all correlation coefficients would be zero. Hence there is a need to test for significance (have p The results of the more robust factor analysis techniques for system quality show that a single solution explained about 75% of the variance as shown on Table 4.8 below. 4.2.2 Level of agreement based on information quality In terms of Information Quality Approach, it can be seen in Table 4.7 that 46 (30.1 percent) of the respondents are Strongly Agree, while 36 (23.5 percent) of the respondents are Agree and 39 (25.5 percent) Somewhat Agree. Seventeen (11.1 percent) of the respondents are Not Sure. Nine (5.9 percent) are Somewhat Disagree while 2 (1.3 percent) of them are Disagree. Only 4 respondents (2.6 percent) are Strongly Disagree. The findings indicated factor 6 (Simplicity) as the most influential factor amongst the respondents (M=5.64, SD=1.431) in this category. On the other hand, factor 4 (Personalization) had the lowest level of agreement among the respondents (M=5.16, SD=1.506). The factor analysis produced a single factor solution with an explanatory variance of 78% (Table 4.11). The KMO was 0.913 and Bartlett test (p = 0.000), indicating the appropriateness of the factor analysis. 4.2.3 Level of agreement based on service quality In terms of Service Quality Approach, it can be seen in Table 4.9 that 46 (30.1 percent) of the respondents are Strongly Agree, while 36 (23.5 percent) of the respondents are Agree and 39 (25.5 percent) Somewhat Agree. Seventeen (11.1 percent) of the respondents are Not Sure. Nine (5.9 percent) are Somewhat Disagree while 2 (1.3 percent) of them are Disagree. Only 4 respondents (2.6 percent) are Strongly Disagree. The findings indicated factor 2 (Understanding) as the highest level of agreement among the respondents (M=5.32, SD=1.370) in this category. On the other hand, factor 5 (Dedication) had the lowest level of agreement among the respondents (M=4.96, SD=1.589). Again, the factor analysis produced a single factor solution with an explanatory variance of 67% (Table 4.13). The KMO was 0.900 and Bartlett test (p = 0.000), indicating the appropriateness of the factor analysis. 4.3 Reliability Analysis Test Reliability can be defined as the degree to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure would produce the same result on repeated trials (Writing guides, 2009). Furthermore, reliability could be defined as the degree to which measures are free from error and thus yield consistent results (Zikmund, 2003). There are several different types of reliability coefficients such as Split half reliability, Guttman, Parallel, Strictly parallel and Cronbachs alpha. Cronbachs alpha is one of the most commonly used measures because it can be interpreted as a correlation coefficient and it ranges in value from 0 to 1 (Coakes and Steed, 2003). Hence, Cronbachs alpha was used as a measurement of reliability for each variable in this study. From the analysis done on the instruments listed under each variable in the questionnaire, Table 4.14 shows that Cronsbachs Alpha for the variables system quality, information quality, and service quality are 0.931, 0.943, and 0.898 respectively. The internal consistency reliability of the measures can be considered as great as it achieved more than 0.8 Alpha values (Field, 2005, p. 668). 4.4 Demographic effect on the dimensions factors As stated in chapter three, the effect of demographic differences is to be examined wither it effect the significance of factors in each dimension or not. The following hypothesis was built to test this issue: H0: Demographic differences have no impact on variables significance in an IS model. H1: The importance of success variables in an IS model vary due to demographic differences. To cautiously investigate this issue, a comparison was made between cases with different demographic (from same category) in each on of the three dimensions (i.e. System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality) to clearly mark any differences that might exist. A detailed list of all the mean comparison made is included in appendix B. 4.4.1 Age difference effect on system quality To measure the influence of age on system quality, several comparisons have been made to investigate the case. In general, all tests showed an increase in system quality demanding along with the increase in age. The ease of use and system flexibility features significance increases with respect to the increase in age as descried in Table 4.14. Youth are careless risk takers, while elders are more conservative risk averse this statement can be clearly observed when monitoring (Reliability Security) which increases with the growth of age. Consequently, the effect of age difference on system quality could be undoubtedly seen in this matter. 4.4.2 Level of education effect on information quality To test the indirect effect of education level on the information quality dimension, three comparisons have been carried out. First, both doctoral and masters equally Agree on the importance of information accuracy; high school level, on the other hand, are Not Sure about that. While diploma holders Strongly Agree with the importance of dynamic contents, bachelors degree holders see less significance, thus, they tend to Somewhat Agree with that statement. Unlike bachelors degree holders who Somewhat Agree with the importance of information simplicity, doctoral degree holders do Agree on its weight for information quality. By looking at the three comparisons made, it could be clearly stated that the effect of education level is significant in this situation. 4.4.3 Gender difference effect on service quality Different gender has different interpretation of service quality provided by e-commerce support centres. To test the indirect effect of gender difference on the services quality provided, a small comparison has been made. Women tend to be more concerned about service centre willingness to help (commitment) and they Agree on the importance of human interaction ability in support centres. Men, on the other hand, give less attention Somewhat Agree to these two aspects. An interesting case to be noticed in this context is the privacy protection. In a conventional society such as Saudi Arabia, people tend to be more conservative when it comes to giving personal information. In such society, women are expected to be more conservative then men. Results, however, revealed that men were actually more sensitive toward privacy protection then women as show in Table 4.17. Accordingly, it could be concluded that gender differences have an effect on service quality dimension as shown here. 4.4 Summary of Findings The study revealed a number of interesting cases that need some attention in order to understand the behavior and logical reasoning behind it; in order to help build a better e-Commerce system that is more considerate and sensitive to the needs of targeted consumers. Some of interesting ranking information, regarding the participants, that could be found from the previous tables includes: Age: More than half (51%) of the respondents are between 26-35 years old. This indicates the fact that Saudi Arabia is a young nation with a median age of 24.9 years (male: 26 years, female: 23.4 years) (The World Fact book, 2010). Gender: The majority (72.5 %) of the participants are males. This is due to cultural limitation of contact between the two genders (women segregation) within the country. The minority was done via relatives. Education: More than (88 %) of the participants are holders of bachelor, masters, or doctoral degrees. This is understandable since the online survey was circulated amongst Saudi Students in the UK Saudi Arabia. The findings indicate that simplicity (Ease of use) was the most pointed feature amongst the various system quality factors. A user friendly designed system with simple navigation ability seemed more important to consumers than reliability power, robustness or even security standards. Thus, e-Commerce marketing strategy should focus on sending the image of a simple user friendly e-Commerce system rather than focusing on the facts of security or multi-access capabilities (i.e. PC Mobile, 24/7, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦etc). As for Information quality measures, the findings indicated that simplicity was again the key factor acquired by consumers. Although completeness and accuracy were of high demands (5.47 5.58 means), keeping it simple, straight forward, and in understandable terms was most favorite feature. This is obvious when compared to comprehensiveness which might leads to long lists of annoying terms and conditions catalog. The ability of e-Commerce support centers to understand consumers specific needs was the most important factor of service quality. An argument might be that, a well committed and knowledgeable support personal would not be helpful if the consumer needs were mistakenly interpreted. Based on the data of 153 respondents, the multi-items measures were subjected to a series of validity and reliability checks. For the multi-item scale, the set of factors that correspond to each dimension was initially subjected to an examination of Cronbachs alpha and item-to-total correlations test. Thus, all measures appeared to be uni-dimensional, internally consistent, reliable and valid for analysis of the model. Furthermore, this chapter has examined the influence of demographic effects on the dimensions (System, Information and Service) factors prioritization process. The relationship was conducted by computing the differences measures of the means and Standard Deviations, which supported the hypotheses that all the variables have a significance impact on e-Commerce growth and adoption in Saudi Arabia.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Review of hierarchical theories of intelligence

Review of hierarchical theories of intelligence The theories of cognitive abilities have been advanced through the conglomeration of two similar theories on the structure of human cognitive abilities which have provided a trend in intelligence theories. In particular, Cattell (1941) and Horn (1965) theoretical frameworks on unitary traits that reflects certain basic aspect of cognitive functioning (Fogerty Stankov, 1988) along with the seminal work of Carrolls (1993) three stratum theory that proposed cognitive abilities was an expansion and extension of previous theories, notably Spearman (1927) concept of general intelligence (g) have influenced the advancement in understanding the concept of general abilities. McGrew (2004) article emphasizes the theory based assessment, specifically CHC theory based assessment in human cognitive abilities. The article focuses on the history of cognitive abilities theory particularly test development, operationalisation and interpretation and outlines salient points of the model along with evidence review in support of the model. Thus, McGrew (2004) provided an outline describing the conglomeration of these models in particular, the initial works of Cattell (1941) and Horn (1965) Gf Gc theory which proposed Gf (fluid intelligence) of individual differences in cognitive ability were the influences of two major classes of factors, educational-cultural opportunity, genetic factors and physiological neurological functioning (Ferrer McArdle, 2004) that affected the normal development of cognitive abilities and further postulating that Gc (crystallised intelligence) primarily consisted of representation of measurable outcome of additional environmentally infl uenced factors such as experience and acculturation (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005. Cited in: Flanagan Harrison (Eds)). According to McGrew (2004), the theory was further expanded by Horn to include various aspects of human cognitive abilities that comprised of eight broad abilities: Fluid Intelligence (Gf), Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), Short-Term Acquisition and Retrieval (SAR or Gsm), Visual Intelligence (Gv), Auditory Intelligence (Ga), Long-Term Storage and Retrieval (TSR or Glr), Cognitive Processing Speed (Gs), Correct Decision Speed (CDS), and Quantitative Knowledge (Gq). (Horn, 1991. Cited in McGrew, Werder Woodcock (Eds)) proposing that the correlation between Gf -Gc is the result of an individuals investment in Gf through the acquisitioning of the variety of information and cognitive skills that represents Gc (Jensen, 2002. Cited in Sternberg Grigorenko (Eds)) as well as suggesting that over the period of interaction with the total environment, individuals who are more highly endowed with Gf attain a higher level of Gc (Fogerty Stankov, 1988) . Evidence in further support of the model relates to Carrolls (1993) seminal work Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies, which implied that a distinct number of individual differences in cognitive abilities exist and the relationship amongst these factors can be obtained through classification into three different strata (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005. Cited in Flanagan Harrison (Eds)). As such, Carroll (1993) represented the structure of intelligence as a pyramid where general intelligence (g) formed the apex as conceptualised by Spearman (Berk, 2000). He believed that g was the most important factor when determining intelligence and that general intelligence could be divided into many more sub-factors, thus he organised these sub-factors into domains of intellectual abilities representing three separate levels and listing these abilities in descending order of predominance (Carroll, 1993). Stratum III general intelligence factor, Stratum II included the a bilities of Fluid Intelligence (Gf), Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), General Memory and Learning (Gy), Broad Visual Perception(Gv), Broad Auditory Perception (Ga), Broad Retrieval Ability (Glr), Broad Cognitive CHC Theory of cognitive abilities Speediness (Gs), and Reaction Time/Decision Speed (Gt), including 69 narrow abilities within Stratum I that are subsumed by stratum II abilities (McGrew, 2004). Similarly, there is evidence to indicate that CHC has since been recognised as being the most thorough and well researched multiple view of intelligence to date ( McGrew, 2005; Evans, McGrew, Leforgee. 2001). More specifically, McGrew (2004) argues that contemporary psychometric approaches have resulted in an effort to present a comprehensive conceptualisation of human cognitive abilities based on factor analytic studies. However, McGrew (2004) concede that although psychometrics had been highly recognised within the field of applied intelligence research it had been a much slower acceptance within the field of intelligence testing. Noting, diversity in test measures as the disparity in the advancement of the CHC theory particularly in defining and interpreting cognitive abilities construct, as well as the non inclusion of fluid and crystallised intelligence along with the exclusion of corresponding research base as a means to the development of intelligent testing (Alfonso, Flanaga n Radwan, 2005). The author argued that the impetus of change within this sphere was due to the revise model of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJ-R) based on Horn-Cattell Gf Gc theory as a cognitive model for test development which included two measure of each eight abilities. Moreover, that the amelioration of the WJ-R resulted in the foundation for the first major theory-to-practice bridging with major impact being on the applied measurement of intelligence. This approach of Woodcock (1990) became a blueprint for future intelligence test development thus, substantially influencing narrowing the contemporary psychometric theory and applied practice gap (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). CHC Theory of cognitive abilities McGrew (2004) postulated that as a result of Woodcock (1990) confirmatory factor analyses findings of major intelligences test sparked by the amelioration of the WJ-R permitted the freeing up of practitioners from constraints of most single intelligence batteries. The realisation by practitioners of the provision of a set of principles and procedures consequently from a cross battery approach as suggested by Woodcock (1990), allowed for greater measurement of a wider range of abilities by way of, systematically traversing amongst test batteries that were considered sufficient both in breath and depth in assessing various aspect of the broad range of cognitive abilities (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). The assumption of McGrew (2004) of Woodcocks (1990) work provided a transition in intelligence testing has had ample evidence in the literature (see McGrew Flanagan, 1998; Messick, 1992; Sternberg Kaufman, 1998) to support such a postulation. In the cross batteries approach McGrew Flanagan (1998) proposed the present of the provision of empirically based set of terms that is a standard nomenclature may significantly reduce or eliminate data misinterpretation generally through the combination of cognitive test. Accordingly, Messick (1998) implied that the utilisation of cross batteries approach would safe guards against two ubiquitous sources of invalidity in assessment- construct irrelevant variance and construct under representation. Furthermore, the attributes of cross batteries approach has typically focused on organise assessment that generate and test hypotheses that pertains to an individuals functioning by which reliable and valid conclusions are draw in a systematic mann er (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). It was therefore logical that focus on the structure of human cognitive abilities was of a critical importance given that there were diverse interpretations and understandings of the CHC Theory of cognitive abilities   With the changes in intelligence test development a systematic taxonomic structure was required in the field of intelligence, McGrew (2004) claims Carrolls (1993) seminal work Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies provided the development of a common nomenclature that is a common set of terms and definition for describing broad and narrow cognitive abilities above and beyond the effect of g (McGrew, 2009). In doing so, Carroll (1993) was able to further the understanding of communication and intelligence measurement amongst scholars and practitioners, integrate and compare individual test across an array of intelligence batteries (McGrew, 2004). Moreover, Carrolls (1993) taxonomy on the structure of human cognitive abilities is grounded by exploratory factor analysis of 461 selected human cognitive abilities datasets, drawn from decades of research by various array of dedicated researchers in the field of intelligence (McGrew, 2004). The influence of the CHC taxonomic framework in the use of applied individual batteries of intelligence had ignited the search for common ground between cognitive and psychometric developments; hence, in McGrew (2004) article he had introduced the term spreading of the assessment gospel suggesting in order to study individual differences in cognitive abilities there needed to be a single broad and narrow ability taxonomy by which the constructs of abilities could be measured in the individually administered intelligence batteries. For this reason, McGrew (2004) is further suggesting that broad abilities should be considered as clusters in the construct of intelligent behaviour and therefore should be considered separately, thus, a move from the concept of single unitary constructs. CHC Theory of cognitive abilities The CHC model in the past decade has seen a series of exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analysis studies investigating the validity of a wide range of CHC constructs indicators. McGrew (2004) claims since Woodcocks (1990) series of joint factor analyses the majority of intelligence test prior to this only measured two or three broad cognitive abilities sufficiently, conceding that Carrolls (1993) was amongst the array of studies. However, it seems clear that although such representations are evident, the CHC theory has had major impact on intelligence test development due to exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analysis investigations that substantially increases research base to provide empirical support for the broad strokes of contemporary CHC theory (McGrew, 2004). McGrews (2004) article elucidate studies findings that support the CHC frame work through a comprehensive depiction of the general and broad abilities and their interrelationship in determining human cognitive abilities, for example multiple group confirmatory factor analysis methodological framework (see Bickley, Keith and Wolf, 1995) found support for the developmental invariance , whilst Taub McGrew ( in press) findings were consistent with that of Bickley et.al (1995) in providing additional support for validity of the broad and general stratum abilities of CHC theory, moreover, small sample structural studies provided a strong support for distinct CHC cognitive factors, however, a depiction is also clear that no single intelligence battery effectively measures all the broad abilities delineated in the framework of CHC (see Kaufman Kaufman, 1993; Pallier and Stankov, 1996). Research using cross batteries intelligence test such as WJ-R and Woodcock -Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Third Edition (WJ-III) has demonstrated the importance of broad cognitive abilities in explaining domain specific knowledge for generalisation and correlations CHC Theory of cognitive abilities between construct indicators (McGrew, 2004). In his article, McGrew (2004) provides evidence based on major studies and it is easy to conclude from these findings the existence of these broad abilities. For instance, related cognitive abilities in which learning mediates the influence of fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystallised intelligence (Gc) with cognitive constructs such as general sequential, reasoning (RG), language development (LD), listening ability (LS) with other broad abilities; processing speed (Gs) and basic skills (Grw) (reading and spelling, reading comprehension). A central point in much research interest in intelligence theories has been whether general intelligence is embedded in every cognitive task. The CHC theory represents one of the best examples of collective science in applied psychology (McGrew, 2009), with its core origin being able to be pinpointed back to Spearmans (1927) presentation of the g factor of intelligence. The seminal work of Carrolls (1993) three stratum theory has been a major influence in the framework of CHC theory based on factor analysis of 461 datasets. As previously mentioned in this paper, Carroll (1993) believed that g was the most important factor when determining intelligence, evidence of g is able to be obtained when 60 narrow factor abilities (visualization, visual memory, deductive reasoning) of the first stratum are correlated producing a set of eight second stratum factors (fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, general memory and learning, broad visual perception, broad auditory perception, bro ad retrieval ability, broad cognitive speediness, and processing speed) which are positively inter-correlated. When these second stratum factors are analysed, a single third factor stratum of general intelligence emerges, whereas, in the two stratum model of Cattle-Horn the second broad order factors constitute the apex and are based on over 40 first-order factors (primary mental abilities) that forms the lower stratum denoting that there is only two general factors (fluid intelligence, CHC Theory of cognitive abilities crystallized intelligence) hence, it does not support a third order g factor to account for correlations among the broad sector order factors (Jensen, 2002). Guided by structural and empirical evidence the CHC theory arbitrate well in relation to general intelligence that is, g is measured depending upon the statistical analysis of measures of human cognitive abilities in determining cognitive strength and weaknesses of an individual. This is evident in McGrew (2004) assertion that working memory (MW) is a source of complex cognitive activities and is a critical issue in future studies (see McGrew Woodcock, 2001) for postulation of constancy of relations of MW to exert a large causal effect on complex performance, particularly in understanding the rise and decline over the life span. Furthermore, McGrew (2004) argues that measurement of specific abilities within the CHC framework is mainly due to disparity of the CHC theory in describing a relatively complete taxonomy of cognitive function, however, excludes other processes, such as directly testing sensory modalities. In doing so, CHC theory neglect other abilities that have found to be important in the construct of intelligent behaviour and achievement. Support for contemporary CHC theory is grounded in the extent of factor analytic research that produced the Gf Gc model and the three stratum model with the necessity of further research (heritability, neurocognitive, outcome criterion) to continue the validation, refinement and extension of the CHC taxonomy being evident in McGrew (2004) article suggesting human cognitive abilities is clearly multidimensional. As such, McGrew (2004) makes clear that Carrolls (1994, cited in McGrew) approach of open-ended empirical theory is a pathway to which future research are able to provide yet unknown and unmeasured factor abilities upon one or more levels of the CHC model. CHC Theory of cognitive abilities