Early Childhood Curriculum Essay

While being in this course I have learned about the different curriculums, philosophies and theories. In this paper I will be discussing how to develop an appropriate curriculum for preschool children. This paper will include the following topics: the theories and/or philosophies of Montessori; concepts learned throughout this course, how to apply them into an early childhood classroom focusing on the understanding components to design a curriculum for a preschool classroom based on ages 3 to 5 year old children. First let’s discuss the philosophies of  both Maria Montessori and Jean Piaget. Maria Montessori ideas and beliefs are embedded throughout every early childhood program and her influence on our thinking about curriculum has been profound. She was a tireless child advocate and believed that all children deserve a proper education. Montessori insisted that through proper early education, underprivileged and cognitively impaired children could be successful if they were given a chance to learn. She was one of the first to establish a preschool for poor and mentally retarded children in Rome; these preschools were called â€Å"Casa  dei Bambini†, which translated in English as â€Å"Children’s House. † Dr. Montessori proposed that children that are at risk and the notion that society had a moral responsibility to devote resources to early child intervention. Our textbook states that. â€Å"Montessori embraced and expanded Froebel’s kindergarten concept; she felt that children were natural learners and should drive much of their own learning. She asserted that children should be grouped in multiage (2 ? to 5 years) classes to allow flexibility and opportunities for peer mentoring. Montessori developed an  extensive set of â€Å"didactic† materials and lessons designed to be attractive to children and used by teachers to teach specific concepts and skills. She adapted furniture to child size as a gesture of respect for the unique needs of early learners† (Jaruszewicz, 2012). I agree with her philosophy and theory, because children do need the freedom to learn at their own pace and not to be pressured to do what they see other children do. It is also important the classroom learning environment to be attractive so that it will draw the children to be there and learn new and exciting things. In order to use the teaching method, the teachers must be trained to work with all children and understand that no one child develops the same as another. The other philosopher that I will discuss is Jean Piaget. A contemporary of both Montessori and Dewey, Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget proposed a theory of cognitive development that initiated a constructivist view of curriculum (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget conducted several experiments with young children that proved that their mental concepts are learned through trial and error experiences. Young children will continue to do  things that they have been told not to do, until the consequence of their actions has been reached. For example, when a parent tells their child not to stack the building blocks up too high or they will fall on them which could lead to them being hurt; the child continues to do that the same thing over and over again to see if what their parent said is true. Once the child has seen the building blocks fall over on them is when they have learned that they don’t need to do that. His work confirmed early learning as distinct from other developmental periods, implying, therefore,  that materials and activities for young children should reflect the idiosyncratic way in which they think and process stimuli (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget proposed that cognitive development occurs in four different stages, three of which occur during early childhood. In the sensorimotor stage, infants and toddlers process experience and begin to coordinate movement through sensory exploration. Preoperational thinking of preschoolers emerges spontaneously, as they are internally motivated to make sense of their environment by testing ideas and theories in play and  exploration with materials (Jaruszewicz, 2012). Piaget and Montessori are the main philosophies that stood out to me in this course the most. Next I will discuss the Core knowledge preschool sequence curriculum and the areas inside it. With strong focus on challenging, but appropriate content, the Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence and Teacher Handbook is unique among early childhood programs. It outlines a cumulative and coherent progression of knowledge and skills in all developmental areas and integrates developmentally appropriate practices for both content and instruction. Using the core knowledge curriculum helps with creating appropriate activities that prepare the preschool age children to learn. Children are always ready to learn; as long as the teacher understands that, each child will be eager to learn in new and exciting ways. It is important for teachers to make sure that the information that they wish to teach the children in the classroom is appropriate and fun. The Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence Curriculum focuses on five different areas: Social Skills, Early Literacy skills in reading and writing, Mathematics, Science and Visual Arts. It is important for children to learn how to interact with other children their age early in their lives to develop their social skills. One of the many things I love about Montessori is that Montessori teachers see the ‘whole’ child-developmentally, academically, socially, emotionally, and physically. There is a myth out there that says simply placing children in the same room and having them do activities helps them develop social skills. I disagree. Developing social skills needs to be a value in the classroom as well as modeled by the teachers/adults who are around  the children. Using manners, demonstrating what Montessori called ‘Grace and Courtesy’ and always being respectful of the child are key ingredients to helping a child develop social skills. There are several ways to help expand children’s social skills. The activity that would be used to develop social skills would be to have the children sit in a circle on the floor, pass an object around each child to take turns telling the class something about them. Whether it is there name, favorite color, parents name, how many sibling they may have, etc. When are playing together in  the classroom they learn to take turns, shared things and playing with others in general helps them develop social skills. The development of language in early childhood classrooms is an umbrella for the Montessori curriculum. The teachers and parents consider activities on the shelves of the Language area as the heart of actual language learning. The techniques used in a Montessori classroom are different when it comes to teaching language and literacy. Teachers, parents, and administrators need to recognize communication as the foundation for the meaningful  development of language concepts and skills. Effective communication depends on authentic relationships between communicative partners. Teachers have the responsibility (actually, the opportunity) to develop and expand learning relationships with young children. This is truly the ultimate opportunity to make a difference. Seen in this light, conversations with young children on the playground, during field trips, on the way to the bathroom, in the midst of conflict resolution, during lessons, and countless other times create the context for the development of language skills. Relationships of trust are built between children and teachers and among peers. Classroom work further contributes to language concept and skill development within this context of meaningful communication. It is important to talk children especially infants constantly, so they can develop a strong sense of vocabulary. Children catch on to everything that they may hear. So it is definitely important to be cautious what language you use around children. Printed materials and images are strongly important in an early childhood classroom. These materials make the classroom attractive to  children as well as make them want to learn about what those images and books mean. Phonemic awareness is part of a balanced literacy program, and can be developed in several ways during shared reading and shared writing. Shared reading and shared writing typically occur during the language arts time block, but may also occur during content-area learning. On to my favorite subject any grade level or age is mathematics. In an early childhood classroom, teaching young children mathematics somewhat easy and in some cases not so much. Getting children ages three to four year olds to learn their numbers and one to one  correspondence can be a challenge, but it requires patience to teach the children the meaning of number awareness. Provide children with authentic, hands-on learning experiences-DO NOT USE WORKSHEETS. In preschool you should play to the children’s natural curiosities and look to your student’s interest to guide lesson planning. You are setting up children for a lifetime of learning and you should create excitement around what you. Also, the more hands on the activity is, the more learning styles you are engaging, and the more the child enjoys it the more they will  learn and retain! Create activities that children are actively involved in learning something new, such as how to count and recognize numbers. Numbers are not the only thing that children can learn that is related to mathematics. Shapes are how to perceive and recognize them are important as well. Teaching children about shapes and how many sides each one has involves numbers as well. Mathematics and Language go together because you are using vocabulary words to decide the shapes, numbers, etc. In conclusion, this paper touched on some important factors to help develop a  developmentally appropriate curriculum for preschool/pre-K age children. It is important to provide activities for young children and make sure the environment is a positive, warm and inviting one that children will want to come to school and learn new things. In this paper I discussed the standards for each core knowledge area to develop an appropriate curriculum for young children. References Jaruszewicz, C. (2012). Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. In C. Jaruszewicz, Curriculum and Methods for Early Childhood Educators. San Diego: Bridgepoint Education.

Celta Assignment- Lesson from the Classroom

We are almost half way through the CELTA course and it is admirable that all of us have had such a tremendous growth curve. Personally, I know I have become much more confident about standing in front of a classroom full of students and talking about different aspects of English language. I discovered the very first day that it was important to establish a good rapport with the students and be comfortable talking with them.I learned it was also important to engage students in conversation rather than assume the role of a traditional teacher. When Guy commented on September 13, after my first lesson, that I established a good rapport with the students and marked my performance on â€Å"building/maintaining a good rapport† above the standard, I felt more comfortable from the second lesson onwards. I think I also did well in class management from the beginning. I made sure I kept all students involved in the ongoing activity.In the third week, Guy as well as my peers commented th at I dealt well with the student arriving late, and also another student asking a question which I did not know the answer to but confidant enough to use my ipad to search for the correct answer and gave it to her. I think my class management skills have only improved since then. Also on October 4, my forth lesson, Gui wrote: â€Å"well done† in the additional notes on my ability to focus accurately and clearly on specific lexis and grammar (meaning, form, phonology) and to include effective use of the white board or other visual support.Guy also commented on my first lesson TP feedback that I did a good job explaining some difficult lexis i. e. effortless, lean meat†¦ I think I have developed adequate skills to teach lexis. (300) I haven't done a very good job at providing productive practice to students because I don't time my lessons too well. During my first and third lesson, students didn't have enough time for speaking or even practicing the grammar thought at the end of the lesson.In my TP feedback on September 13, Guy suggested that I should give students a â€Å"restrict time limit† to avoid wasting so much time on every task. Gui also commented in my TP feedback from my third lesson, on September 27, that although I was able to contextualize well but not economically and consequently not enough time for even a controlled practice. However, I feel the area I really need to develop and work on in future is my lesson planning. Since the beginning of the course, I have never felt comfortable with my lesson plans and it has not improved yet.The lack of detailed information is still there, even in my latest lesson plan. I’ve been advised by both Guy and Gui to include more information in my plans about analyzing the language used in each lesson and identifying potential problems and how to respond to them. Another area that I am very self-conscious of is my own oral and written language. I am not an English native speaker and I co nstantly think that I may use inaccurate language when I am speaking in the class.As Guy has drawn my attention to this point in my stage one progress record on September 22, I need to provide accurate and appropriate models of both oral and written language in the classroom. (270) I must add that I have gained a lot by observing both experienced and CELTA trainee teachers. I think I have gained most by observing my CELTA colleagues. I have learnt from their mistakes and picked up many good techniques from them. Observing Guy in the first week of the class was a big bonus. He was so much at ease in class, so much at home.He made the students feel comfortable and involved his Intermediate English students in the process of teaching and learning. His lesson thought me it is very important to have an interesting lead in and connect it smoothly into the main aim of the lesson. It was also great to observe Hayley because it showed how exciting a grammar practice can be to students. Hayle y prepared a police-thief game for the students to investigate a crime using present perfect tense. I found it a very effective method of practicing the language for students and at the same time they enjoyed speaking English.I learned about collocation when I observed John’s and Martina’s lesson on lexis. John allowed the students to speak about different types of relationships and elicited the words that go side by side together such as: ‘married to’ or ‘mother-in-law’. Martina also did the same with eliciting the focus lexis which were comparative and superlative adjectives. Observing James made me realize the effect of proper use of voice when he used his firm voice to say: ‘liar’ while instructing a complicated game. (250) Total word count: 820

Packaging on Consumer Buying Behavior

Consumer Attitude Toward Mobile Marketing INTRODUCTION Starting from background of the research area and why this study is important, this section of the study will continue with necessary definitions of the terms which will be used in this research. Additionally, this section will present problem discussion to enlighten the reader about current situation of the study area. Finally outline of the thesis will be shown to inform the reader about what will be encountered in the upcoming chapters of this study.BACKGROUND After high penetration of the internet, mobile broadband subscription rate also increased dramatically. Subscriptions of mobile broadband outnumbered the subscriptions of broadband by 2008, which is indicating tremendous potential for mobile internet (International Telecommunication Union, 2009). Another research conducted by ITU (International Telecommunication Union, 2010) shows that 90% of the world population has internet access, and 80% of people who is living in ru ral areas also have internet access.Different reasons are playing a role in rise of mobile devices usage, according to Grant et al. , (2007) Improvements in mobile technology, and integration of data, video and audio context in one mobile device absolutely increased the usage of mobile devices. Flexibility in communication and information sharing became possible with improvements in mobile technology and integration of internet and computing in to mobile medium (Siau et al. , 2005). The possibility of reaching the information anytime and anywhere triggered the improvements of mobile devices lately (Deans, 2005).Grant also states that potential of interaction with consumer, target marketing and managing consumer relationship made mobile devices especially important channel for marketers (Grant et al. , 2007). Mobile services and marketing has become powerful source for marketing communication and distribution (Nysveen et al. , 2005). Backed up marketing activities with mobile devices provide companies an opportunity to directly communicate with consumers anytime, anywhere (Haghirian et al. , 2005).Internet has been used as an effective channel by companies for building and managing consumer relationship (Deans, 2005). With the mobile internet, marketing opportunities are defined by different authors like Ahonen, (2002) that when mobile internet subscriptions outnumber the broadband subscriptions mobile internet will have the larger potential audience. Marketing potential of the mobile devices also found by Friedrich et al. , (2009) as, probably mobile medium have more potential * Mobile TechnologyCertainly mobile technologies have a very crucial and important impact on today’s businesses (Haghirian et al. , 2005). As a result mobile technologies are providing many opportunities for marketing activities, especially direct communication opportunity with consumers anytime, anywhere (Haghirian et. al. , 2008). Latest improvements in an area of internet and w ireless technology during the late 1990s paved the way for unique telecommunication service mobile internet (Okazaki, 2005). According to Siau et al. (2005) Mobile technology holds great strategic importance, and it is integrating internet and computing into wireless environment, and improving the communication, information sharing and interworking. Even mobile phones and assistive networks seem to be dominant mobile commerce providers, other technologies and devices will probably have important role in mobile commerce soon (Balasubramanian et al. , 2002). For instance, there are new devices that combine mobile phones and personal digital assistants’ (PDA) features in one device (ibid). Guo et al. , 2010: â€Å"Mobile communication devices, such as cell phones, laptops, PDAs, etc. have provided people with new approaches to accessing web contents, emails, instant messaging, and commerce services in a convenient and flexible fashion which fully takes the advantages of mobilit y and timeliness of mobile communication technologies. † More information about mobile technology will be provided in chapter 2 (3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Software and Technology, SMS & MMS) * Electronic Commerce and Electronic Marketing Definitions of electronic business, electronic commerce, and internet commerce are gathered together under the same roof, and threated as the same term as electronic commerce (Elliot, 2002).Electronic commerce defined by Turban et al. , (2006): â€Å"The process of buying, selling, transferring, or exchanging products, services and/or information via computer networks, including the internet. † (p. 4). Providing interactive environment and personalizing the content of message enabling powerful digital marketing channel (mobile devices and internet) to interact with consumers (Strandvik et al. , 2006). There are four categories of electronic commerce identified, which are business-to-business (B2B), business-toconsumer( B2C), peer-to-peer (P 2P) and consumer-to-business (C2B) as it shown in figure 11 (rayport et al. 2004) in next page. And B2C defined by Rayport as electronic commerce refers to exchanges between businesses and consumer. Business originating from†¦ Business Consumers B2B| C2B| B2C| P2P| And selling to†¦Business Consumer FIGURE 1: Four categories of electronic commerce. According to Strauss et al. , (2006): â€Å"Electronic marketing, is the use of information technology in the process of creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers, and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders†.Chaffey et al. , (2009), also adds that electronic marketing is part of the digital marketing and have more aspects than internet marketing (wireless media, email) such as electronic CRM (Customer relationship management) and digital customer data management. * Mobile Commerce and Mobile Marketing Business experts are estimating potential of mobil e world without time and place boundaries (Balasubramanian et al. , 2002). Widespread usage of mobile phones accelerated the growth of usage of mobile devices to conduct mobile commerce (Xu, 2007).Haghirian et al. , (2005), (p. 32c): â€Å"In a mobile world, these activities (process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion, and distribution of goods, services, and ideas to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organizational goals) are performed via mobile devices, such as cellular phones and pagers, cordless telephones, personal digital assistants, two-way radios, baby crib monitors, wireless networking systems, global positioning systems (GPS) based locators and maps†.Commonly mobile commerce is considered as part of the electronic commerce (Lian et al. , 2010). Currently there is no formal agreement of definition of mobile commerce, but widespread acceptance of mobile commerce is the use of mobile devices to interact with consumers and transacti ons that takes place on private or public networks (Balasubramanian et al. , 2002). By taking advantage of technology and applications, mobile internet become advantageous subsidiary channel for traditional electronic commerce, which is indicating big potential (Wang et al. 2010) Current improvements in mobile technology resulted in widespread usage and different functions of mobile devices, the mobile medium has turned into a powerful marketing channel, which allowed businesses to set up electronic presence alongside with their consumers without time and place boundaries (Toker et al. , 2010). The Mobile Marketing Association, (2008) defines mobile marketing as â€Å"The use of wireless media as an integrated content delivery and direct response vehicle within a cross-media marketing communications program. † Anyway, it is important to clarify mobile marketing and mobile advertising (Leppaniemi et al. 2004). Hence Leppaniemi et al. , (2004) defines mobile advertising as â₠¬Å"Any paid message communicated by mobile media with the intent to influence the attitudes, intentions and behavior of those addressed by the commercial messages. †(p. 93-97) which can be also inferred from definitions mobile advertising is part of mobile marketing. After stating two types of mobile advertising which are push and pull advertising, Leppaniemi et al. , (2004) explains it as following: Leppaniemi et al. , (2004): â€Å"Advertising that is â€Å"pushed† to the users’ devices is generally used in conjunction with mobile advertising.Push advertising may be unsolicited such as special promotions delivered by SMS to users within the context of an existing customer relationship, or it may be solicited where users agree to have certain services or promotions pushed to them at certain times (sponsored sports score alerts, for example). Pull advertising, on the other hand, is defined as an advertising that is attached to content or services that users requ est or â€Å"pull† to themselves. For instance, when a customer requests the local weather from mobile service provider, the content of the response, including any related advertising, is pull advertising. (p. 93-97) The increasing growth in the area of mobile commerce gives new dimensions to interactive marketing (Okazaki, 2009). Direct interaction with consumers is possible via mobile marketing without time and place boundaries (Dickinger et al. , 2005). Personal nature of the mobile phones provide an opportunity to understand buying habits and trends of individual consumers which is impossible in PC environment, that’s why marketers should see mobile internet as a powerful medium (Keefe, 2008). * Attitude According to Antonides et al. (1998), â€Å"Attitude is the individual predisposition to evaluate an object or an aspect of the world in a favorable or unfavorable manner. † (p. 197) More information about consumer attitude will be provided in chapter 2, wit h focus on marketing activities. PROBLEM DISCUSSION Lehmann et al. , (1998): â€Å"The most important phase of any research is the definition of the problem to be addressed. † Large variety of media channels increased the competition for drawing the attention of the consumer (Strandvik et al. , 2006). Mobile medium especially changing the marketing dynamics and pointing consumer needs and interests (Friedrich et al. 2009). In order to take advantage of mobile devices to establish marketing efficiency, it is important to understand how consumers perceive mobile advertising (Haghirian et al. , 2005). Mobile marketing allows marketers to immediately track success of their campaign and provide an opportunity to be more precise about place and how advertisements are conveyed to the consumers (Keefe, 2008). Mobile marketing is the only individual medium that enables interactive, direct interaction without time and place boundaries (Leppaniemi et al. 2004).According to Haig, (2002) The fact is that mobile phones are the most individual device we own and it is possible to interact and target individually (ibid. ). High potential of innovative and creative mobile marketing indicates that it is extremely important to understand and gain deeper knowledge in consumer behavior in mobile commerce medium (Haghirian et al. , 2008). Because of the innovativeness, consumer’s reactions toward mobile marketing become critical for the success of mobile commerce (ibid). To improve the personalization of the advertising, behavioral advertisers are profiling the mobile consumers and tracking them (King et al. 2010). Personalized advertising is adding more value and improving experience for consumers (Dickinger et al. , 2004). Mobile phones have started to commercialize (Wei et al. , 2010). Latest improvements in communication technology opened the way for mobile advertising to be crucial component of marketing mix (Leppaniemi et al. 2004). Mobile marketing is gaining po pularity with improvements in wireless technology and widespread usage of smart phones (Sun et al. , 2010). Despite the fact that mobile marketing increases quickly Haghirian et al. (2005) stated that Potential consumers didn’t have opportunity to express their feeling toward mobile marketing. According to Leppaniemi et al. 2004, even though a lot of research conducted in the area of mobile advertising, only few of these researches delivered useful knowledge to this area. Roach, (2009), (p. 124-138): â€Å"The fast pace of development within the mobile commerce industry has brought about a new field of academic research, in which studies have examined the variety of factors influencing the acceptance of mobile phone marketing from both consumer and organization perspectives.The current literature remains largely inconsistent and fragmented. † There is an accelerating growth of the articles in an area of mobile marketing since 2005, after some time it is stabilized arou nd 42% per year (Toker et al. , 2010). The distribution of articles by year is shown in Figure22. FIGURE 2: Distributions of articles by year. Even though correlation between attitude towards mobile advertising and mobile marketing adoption is indicated, there are several different research investigating the attitude and outcome of it (Toker et al. , 2010). According to Soroa-Koury et. al. (2010) there is probably a positive correlation between positive attitude towards mobile advertising and eagerness to accept mobile advertising. Consumers’ mobile marketing experience and usage frequency of mobile marketing is also another important issue. Some mobile device users may have experienced the mobile marketing, some may have not. One type of usage segmentation is ? Volume Segmentation? and it is explained by Goldsmith et al. , (1999) as; Volume segmentation combines two different factor (frequency of use and usage rate) to divide market into three different categories which are: heavy users, light users and nonusers.In order to understand the relation between frequency of usage and attitude Solomon, (2007) uses the ABC model of attitudes in order to draw attention to relation between components of ABC model of attitudes and usage segments: Solomon, (2007): â€Å"Most researchers agree that an attitude has three components: affect, behavior, and cognition. Affect refers to the way a consumer feels about an attitude object. Behavior involves the person’s intentions to do something with regard to an attitude object. Cognition refers to the beliefs a consumer has about an attitude object.We can remember these three components of an attitude as the ABC model of attitudes. All three components of an attitude is important, but their relative importance will vary depending on a consumer’s level of motivation with regard to the attitude object, whether they are light or heavy users, and so on. † (p. 237) General idea about internet advertising is rather entertaining or informative (Tsang et al. , 2004). Although the difference between internet advertising and general advertising is known, it is unclear how consumers feel about mobile advertising and the relation between attitude and behavior (ibid).There is a big potential for marketers, but there is still lot to learn about mobile marketing by investigating it further (Haghirian et al. , 2005). It is found that younger people are faster than older people about adoption of new technology (Leek et al. , 2009). Consequently highest usage of mobile phone is the 18- 29 years old age group (ibid). Researches indicate that mobile phone is the most common way of communication among young people who uses email more than traditional voice calls (Okazaki, 2009).As technology behind mobile phones improves more and increase their capacity to download and store video and music content, they are going to become more popular for young people (Grant et al. , 2007). As a result the reason why young people use mobile phones and how they use is topic worthy for researchers (ibid). The purpose of the research is to bring light and create understanding of consumers’ attitude formation toward mobile marketing, that’s why the following research problem is formulated: How is the young consumers’ attitude toward mobile marketing? RESEARCH PURPOSE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONSBased on the problem discussion above to accomplish purpose the research is focusing on different factors that affecting consumer attitude toward mobile marketing. Basic aim of the research questions is to understand the effect of each factor on consumer attitude toward mobile marketing, whether positive or negative. Therefore; to increase awareness about the factors that influencing consumer’s attitude toward mobile marketing among young consumer;. Starting from available theories and models, the study will try to find important variables that affect consumer attitude toward mobile marketing.In order to understand the effect of content on attitude toward mobile marketing with the focus on youth generation, first question is formulated to analyze further if consumer form a positive or negative attitude when content is considered. R. Q. 1: How content of mobile marketing play a role in formation of attitude toward mobile marketing? The main aim of the second question is to investigate further of the effect of personalization of mobile marketing on consumer attitude towards mobile marketing. In order to understand the effect of this variable on consumer attitude, second question is formulated as following: R. Q. : How personalization of mobile marketing play a role in formation of attitude toward mobile marketing? The study conducted by Soroa-Koury et al. , 2010 found that perceived usefulness of mobile marketing predicted attitude towards mobile marketing, whereas perceived ease-of-use of mobile marketing did not predict attitude towards mobile marketing. Howev er situation may differ in mobile marketing context, hence the following hypotheses are developed: H. 1: Perceived usefulness has a positive effect on consumer attitude towards mobile marketing. H. 2: Perceived ease-of-use has a positive effect on consumer attitude towards mobile marketing.RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS Hypothesis 1: Perceived Usefulness Analysis of hypothesis 1 â€Å"Perceived usefulness has a positive effect on consumer attitude towards mobile marketing. † is presented for each case separately. Male All five of the male respondents agreed on that usefulness of mobile marketing has an positive impact on their attitude toward it, and they are more open to useful mobile marketing activities. According to Soroa- Koury et al. , (2010) perceived usefulness of mobile advertising predicts attitude toward it and positively influences consumer attitude towards mobile advertising.During the interviews all of the respondents found different reasons to feel that mobile marketing i s useful, their reaction towards useful mobile marketing was having positive feelings toward it. Female All five of the female respondents also stated different motivations to find mobile marketing useful. Usefulness of mobile marketing is directly correlated to reaction toward it, and all of the respondents underlined that usefulness of mobile marketing generates positive feelings towards provider and mobile marketing activity.At this point findings of Soroa-Kory et al. , (2010) with responds of interviewees are matching. * Hypothesis 2: Perceived Ease-of-Use Analysis of hypothesis 2 ? Perceived ease-of-use has a positive effect on consumer attitude towards mobile marketing is presented for each cases separately. Male During the interviews perceived ease of use not found to be as important as usefulness of mobile marketing. All of the respondents agreed on that easiness of mobile marketing doesn’t necessarily creates positive attitude towards it. In accordance with Soroa-Kor y et al. (2010) findings which is implying that perceived ease-of-use is not predicting consumer attitude toward mobile advertising, respondents also agreed that perceived ease-of-use is not effecting consumer attitude in a positive way and not a merit to measure consumer attitude toward mobile marketing. Apart from that one of the respondent doesn’t find mobile marketing easy to use while four of the respondent found mobile marketing easy to use and interact with. Female Three out of five respondents highlighted that mobile marketing is not easy to use and interact with.All of the respondents underlined the fact that easiness of mobile marketing is essential and not an extra, consequently outcome of easiness doesn’t found to be positive by respondents. Findings of Soroa-Kory et al. , (2010) also approves that easiness of mobile marketing is not necessarily predicts the consumer attitude. During the interview one of the respondent highlighted that easiness is not carry ing as LITERATURE REVIEW The previous chapter provided background and problem discussion to the study area of this thesis. This chapter will present the review of earlier studies and literature related to this research purpose.Aim of this chapter is to deliver relevant literature about mobile marketing and attitude towards it. Firstly attitude patterns of the consumers towards mobile marketing will be presented, and secondly mobile marketing enabling technologies will be described. Finally review of the theories concerning the factors that affecting mobile marketing will take place. * Enabling Technologies & Types of Mobile Marketing Improved technology in mobile devices allowed us to surf the internet, find the location with GPS (Global Positioning System), tweet with friends or chat with them, watch movies and play games and so on (Liu et al. 2010) This part of the study will deliver information about technology that making mobile marketing possible and present types of current mo bile marketing applications. * 3G and Wi-Fi The term 3G is one of the latest broadband mobile communication system that uses internet and variety of multimedia communications (Bao, 2010). Zeng et al. , (2009) explains the benefits of 3G by stating that; 3G enabled better data and voice transfer rate, and it is providing various different services like web browsing, video conferencing, e-commerce applications (Video, voice communication, online media, Mobile TV and etc. and personalized information services. Large variety of 3G mobile services transformed mobile devices from traditional voice phones to entertaining, life and business media (Yang, 2010). When we compare surfing on the internet via computer with via 3G there is some advantages of 3G can be seen like without time and place limitations, which are becoming an opportunity for mobile commerce to go further (Zeng et al. , 2009). And if special services can be introduced to people, it can accelerate the improvement of mobile commerce (ibid. ).These days Wi-Fi is becoming more and more popular way to connect to the internet, people are taking advantage of connecting to internet without wires in hotels, at the university campus, in the office, and Wi-Fi is becoming synonymous with WLANs (wireless local area networks) allowing access to the internet (Hayes et al. , 2009). Currently Wi-Fi is available through wide range of mobile devices as a default function (Henry et al. , 2002). Wi-Fi hotspots are providing free internet access to everyone who is carrying a device with Wi-Fi function (ibid). * Mobile banner advertisingDevelopments in mobile screen technology increased the resolution and provided an opportunity for advertisers to implement higher quality images and banners on mobile devices (Mobile Marketing Association, 2007). Consequently advertisers can produce more efficient advertisements with higher quality, richer and bigger (ibid). Example of mobile banner advertising is shown in Figure 43 in next page. FIGURE 4: Example of Mobile Banner Advertising. * Location based marketing Location based services are tried to be produced by many marketers; the main value proposition is the location (Becker et al. 2010). However, location is not the main goal it is an instrument that empowering the services like mapping, advertising and search to be more valuable (ibid). Location-based services are very beneficial for local advertising campaigns: for example consumer may receive short message about the nearest restaurant or bus station with directions (Dickinger et al. , 2004). Location-based advertising utilizes the location by using individual consumers to target consumer in particular location (Tsang et al. 2004). Location based advertising is time sensitive in a way that advertisement can be sent to signed up client when this client pass through a certain point of purchase (Dickinger et al. , 2004). By tracking mobile devices technical address it is possible to detect local position o f the user in the environment of mobile commerce (Lee et al. , 2007). As an example Telia (Swedish company), one of the biggest telecommunication company in Europe, applied real-time SMS game by using mobile devices osition to allow users to interact with each other while playing (Dickinger et al. , 2005). Contextual marketing is also possible with location based marketing. Example for contextual marketing, information or coupon about a specific product can be sent to consumer via mobile device while consumer is in the department store to buy specific product (Lee et al. , 2007). * Bluetooth According to Groten et al. , (2009): â€Å"Bluetooth is a radio interface for short-range connections between electronic devices† (p. 1134-1138).If Bluetooth is enabled, any user with a mobile device can download rich content like graphics, video, sound, wallpaper, text, and software (Leek et al. , 2009). Interaction within mobile devices is possible via Bluetooth, mobile devices can conn ect to other mobile devices with Bluetooth if it is in range (Groten et al. , 2001). * Bluetooth wireless proximity based marketing The proximity path is the use of Bluetooth to interact with consumers which is called proximity marketing, or the local delivery of the content to mobile devices (Becker et al. 2010). The Bluetooth path is the usage of Bluetooth on mobile devices as a communication channel (ibid). Bluetooth technology provides a powerful opportunity for marketers to use location specific areas to reach consumers with rich content, and it is also cheaper and less complex than SMS (Short message service) and MMS (Multimedia message service) (Leek et al. , 2009). Bluecasting is the use of Bluetooth for mobile marketing purposes (Becker et al. , 2010). According to Becker et al. (2010) Bluetooth marketing can be explained as the placement of Bluetooth access point in any public place like airport, train station or any live event, and when consumer walks by this device and t he Bluetooth is enabled on mobile device access point request automatically request interaction with mobile device. If user accepts the request Bluetooth access point sends rich content like game, ringtone sound, picture or any other form of content to users phone (ibid). As an example of this, rock group Coldplay (English famous rock group) used Bluetooth marketing when launching the new album X&Y, 20,000 people ownloaded content like sample tracks and clips from main rail terminals in London for two weeks (Tsiandar, 2006). * Software and Technology Mobile applications are available for mobile devices like enterprise digital assistants, mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDA) (Ho et al. , 2010). Latest advances in mobile technology let mobile phones to have big memories, convenient internet connections and faster processers (Liu et al. , 2010). Lately mobile application market improved dramatically, number of content providers, application developers and advertisers inc reased which improved the mobile services and or functions (Ho et al. 2010). Example for large mobile application platforms are Google Android Market, Microsoft Windows Market, BlackBerry Application World, Nokia Ovi and Ovi Store etc. (ibid). Ho et al, (2010): â€Å"Mobile communication follows the development trend of internet, users can link with mobile software stores through internet, and download all kinds of applications, which has provided human beings with more diversified information application forms, and gradually changed people's living habits and operation mode. It is indicated by research reports that growth rate of global smart phone in 2010 is as high as 78. %, showing that smart phone gradually becomes the mainstream in mobile phone market. Smart phone has the function of installing applications, provides users with more diversified mobile value-added services and will change the use habits in the future† (Ho et al. , 2010). * Application marketing Mobile ap plications can be used to create rich software experiences for consumers and can be provided to mobile devices like Ipad or smartphones (Becker et al, 2010). Mobile applications are similar to computer programs which are installed on mobile devices, and applications can serve in many ways like bank account balances, games (ibid).Mobile applications can be used for branding and advertising purposes and can be sold to get money (Becker et al. , 2010). According to Mobile Marketing Association, integrating advertising into mobile applications generates new revenue streams for service providers, application developers and distributors. Mobile telecommunication companies already started to provide mobile television and digital video services in many places (Ograd, 2006). Mobile television is also another type of application that holds great potential for advertising, Ograd, 2006 explanes the mobile TV as:Mobile TV will provide users an experience that they are already familiar with tradi tional broadcast television, and allow them to choose content (Ograd, 2006). With several multimedia options like camera, music player, radio and video recorder mobile TV will offer more interactive, active and individual experience than traditional broadcast TV (ibid). * QR Codes Another type of mobile marketing is Quick Response (QR) codes which is defined by Hirakawa et al. , (2009) as a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code).Flat surface advertising like paper and cyber media already become popular around the world (Hirakawa et al. ,2009). New method of flat surface advertisement is developed which is cooperating with URLs or QR codes (Quick response code) (ibid). Figure 54 in next page shows the example of QR code. FIGURE 5: Example of QR code. * Interactive Voice Response Interactive voice response is providing and option to send or receive voice calls with people and communicating with them without any live person is involved on the other side of the communication (Becker et al. , 2010). * SMS ; MMSShort Message Service (SMS) defined by Taylor et al. , (2008) as a service enabling to send and receive short messages (up to 160 caracter) via mobile phones. According to Dickinger et al. , (2004) SMS is first and most prosperous type of mobile data transmission. MMS (multimedia message services) is the improved version of short messaging service which allows users to send combined video, sound and pictures (Okazaki, 2005). * SMS ; MMS marketing Personal nature of the mobile phones accelerated the usage rate of SMS and MMS in many parts of the world as a marketing channel (Taylor et al. 2008). Even tough MMS is used less than SMS, rapid growth in mobile technology will increase the rate of usage of music, videos, sounds and visuals in near future (ibid). SMS marketing can provide advantages like lower cost than other media channels, since the main expanse is buying mobile phone numbers (Dickinger et al. , 2004). According to Dickinger et al. , (2004) ther e are several different types of text messaging applications exists which are; information services, mobile couponing, mobile CRM (customer relationship management), branding, entertainment and product launches.Mobile couponing is one type of specific promotion tool wich integrates classic couponing with mobile communications (Wehmeyer et al. , 2005). â€Å"Advertising funded information services include news, weather, traffic, market rates, horoscopes, or songs just played on the radio† (Dickinger et al. , 2004, p. 159-173). User may pay little or nothing for this kind of services and information (ibid). Companies are changing their focus from mass marketing media to more targeted personal media and replacing them with more personalized media (Leppaniemi et al. , 2008).CRM is supported by text messages by allowing registered consumers to receive newsletters, special discounts, prizes and coupons (Dickinger et al. ,2004). According to Dickinger et al. , 2004 mobile marketing is such a tool that enables branding. Wella, one of the world’s leading cosmetic company, with special campaign they sent SMS messages to registered consumers with a kiss and consumers positive feelings about this campaign resulted in word of mouth by forwarding messages to friends (Dickinger et l. , 2004). Entertainment included marketing activities are capable of increasing the customer loyalty and add value (ibid). Attitude Attitude is a major factor in information systems and marketing researches (Tsang et al. , 2004). Attitude is outcome of what we say, feel and know (Mooij, 2005). For Solomon, (2009) â€Å"Attitude is a lasting general evaluation of people (including oneself), objects, advertisements or issues. † (p. 237) It is important to highlight that attitude toward mobile advertising refers to consumers’ attitude toward advertising in general rather than one specific type of advertisement (Haghirian et al. , 2008). Our feelings about product advertis ing are directly effecting how we feel about the product itself (Solomon, 2009).General public attitude toward advertising has been a main concern and focus for a long time (Tsang et al. , 2004). Consumer attitude toward mobile marketing has been popular among different researchers, especially focusing on mobile advertising (Tsang et al. , 2004; Xu, 2007; Haghirian et al. , 2008; Brackett et al. , 2001; Dickinger et al. ,2005). According to Shavitt et al. , (1998), even tough old studies show that there is an unfavorable manner toward advertising among consumers; some researchers found that there is favorable view of advertising.However, situation in mobile marketing and advertising may differ. According to Dickinger et al. , (2004) mobile marketing is â€Å"Using interactive wireless media to provide customers with time and location sensitive, personalized information that promotes goods, services and ideas, thereby generating value for all stakeholders† (p. 159-173). Accord ing to Xu, (2007) it can be expected that mobile advertising is more valuable for consumers when considering location based services and time sensitive events.Xu, (2007) also stated that personalization of mobile content can change the negative attitude of the public toward advertising. * Factors That Affecting Consumer Attitudes This part of the study will present current theories and models in the relevant literature to discuss different variables that playing a role in consumers attitude toward mobile marketing. The effect of personalization and content on attitude toward mobile marketing will be presented (Xu, 2007). Xu’s model of factors contributing to Attitude and intention toward mobile advertising is shown in Figure 65 below.Entertainment Informativeness Intention Attitude Irritation Creditability Personalization FIGURE 6: Factors Contributing to Attitude and Intention toward Mobile Advertising. * Personalization and Content According to Xu, 2007 by personalizing the mobile advertising message consumer attitude can be improved. There is a direct correlation between content (Informative, irritation, credibility and entertaining variables of the content), of mobile marketing and personalization with consumer’s overall attitude (ibid). * PersonalizationMobile commerce holds a great potential for personalization, because of the nature of mobile devices they provide personal information of users (Lee et al. , 2003). Personalized advertising improve the experience for companies and consumers (Dickinger et al. , 2004). By allowing mobile advertising providers to collect data about demographics and location of the consumers, personalization improves the quality of mobile commerce and turns it into important medium (Xu, 2007). The impact of the message can be increased by personalizing the message (Dickinger et al. 2004). Success of the target marketing is based on well-structured and maintained databases (ibid). Marketers are gaining the advanta ge of personalization of the message and collecting consumer feedback and their choices, this is improving customer relation by enabling companies to communicate with them in very individual way (Haghirian et al. , 2005). Personalization of the message is not only making consumer more favorable about the mobile advertising, it is also improving the consumer attitude by turning unfavorable attitude to favorable attitude (Xu, 2007).It is obvious that privacy concerns of the consumer is crucial and must be taken into account (Taylor et al. , 2008). Permission for personal information can be gathered but in some situations this information may be gathered without consumers will (Wei et al. , 2010). Barnes and Scornovacca, 2004 as cited in Leek et al. , 2009, personalized marketing messages are adding value to information service, and there is also a potential of decreasing the negative reaction of the consumer. * Content There are several researchers argue the importance of content in m obile marketing (Leppaniemi et al. 2004; Dickinger et al. , 2004; Haghirian et al. , 2005; Xu, 2007; Rebello et al. , 2009). According to Xu, 2007 personalization, entertainment and informativeness are the attributes of content that have positive effect on overall attitude, but irritation has negative impact on overall attitude. Attributes of the content is defined by Haghirian et al. , 2005 as entertainment, informativeness, credibility and irritation. According to Leppaniemi et al. , 2004 content of the message is crucial in all type of advertising and it is also valid in mobile advertising.In order to communicate properly and efficiently with consumers, underlying factors of mobile advertising must be identified (ibid). Information and entertainment are found to be the most important acceptance attributes of mobile marketing (Bauer et al. ,2005). * Entertainment Customer loyalty can be increased with entertainment services, furthermore extra value can also be created for costumer s (Haghirian et al. , 2005). Informative and entertaining messages with creativity is holding potential to generate positive attitude toward mobile marketing activity among consumers (Bauer et al. 2005). Entertainment of the mobile advertising message is highly important (Haghirian et al. , 2005). According to Tsang et al. , 2004 Entertainment is the most important attribute of the content that has an impact on overall attitude. Loyalty of the consumer can be increased with entertainment services and extra value for the customer can also be created with entertainment services (Haghirian et al. , 2005). Research conducted by Tsang et al. , 2004 found that entertainment is the major attribute that affects consumer attitude towardmobile advertising. Informativeness Assuming the mobile platform as a relatively new marketing channel, marketing centered activities like content and information sharing are main motivations for consumer acceptance of mobile marketing (Sultan et al. , 2010). The user needs easy access to the information that he or she is looking for (Haghirian et al. , 2005). The main difference between personalized mobile marketing with informativeness is that personalization highlights the individual preferences and adjusted to personal needs and interests (Xu et al. , 2007). * CredibilityAdvertisement credibility is defined by Lutz et al. , 1989 as how consumers perceive the brand is truthful and believable, which mentioned in the advertising. Credibility of the advertisement should be considered as an important variable when determining the attitude toward advertisement; in addition to that attitude towards advertisement and mood should be ignored when considering the impact of them on attitude toward advertisement (ibid). There are no academic findings about the impact of the credibility that delivered to mobile devices (Haghirian et al. , 2005). * IrritationAccording to Haghirian et al. , 2005 Confusion among consumers may cause negative reaction toward mobile advertising. Complex mobile advertising message can cause irritation among consumers, and this disturbance decrease the value of the advertising for consumers (ibid). According to Tsang et al. , 2004 there is a negative relation between attitude toward mobile advertising and irritation. * Perceived Usefulness and Ease of Use Several different researchers found that there is a powerful relation with user behavior and perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use (Davis, 1989).Perceived ease-of-use and perceived usefulness are important variables when considering consumer adoption process of technologies (Soroa-Koury et al. , 2010). From different perspectives, perceived ease-of-use and perceived usefulness are significantly influential on consumer’s decision to adopt information technology (Davis, 1989). Theoretical model of Soroa-Koury et al. , (2010) shown in Figure 76 below. FIGURE 7: Theoretical model. Perceived usefulness Misperceptions Pluralistic Ignoranc e False consensus False uniqueness Attitude toward Mobile AdvertisingPerceived Ease of use Intention to Adopt Mobile Advertising FIGURE 7: Theoretical model. Individuals’ acceptance is explained by Davis, 1989 with Technology acceptance model, and main drivers of this model are perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are examined by Soura-Koury et al. , 2010 as predictors of attitude towards mobile advertising. * Perceived usefulness Perceived usefulness is defined by Davis, 1989 as â€Å"The degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job erformance. † (p. 319-339) There is a positive correlation between perceived usefulness of mobile commerce and consumer satisfaction in mobile commerce environment (Lee et al. , 2007,). The study conducted by Soura-Koury et al. , (2010) also found that perceived usefulness is one of the key variable for prediction consumer attitude to ward mobile advertising. * Perceived ease of use Perceived ease-of-use Is the evaluation of the user of how easy for him or her to interact with technology or particular information system (Zhiping, 2009).Perceived ease of use, in contrast, refers to â€Å"the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort† (Davis, 1989, p. -319- 339). It is also claimed by Davis, 1989 easier applications have bigger potential to be accepted by users. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This chapter will deliver information about research methodology, and selected type of research will be presented which suits best to this study. This chapter will start with defining the purpose of the study and continue with describing the research approach.After that this chapter provides information about: Which strategy is chosen for this study, sample selection methods, how the information will be gathered for research, and analysis method and quality aspect of the study. * Res earch Purpose According to Chisnall, (1997) there are three main commonly accepted research design techniques listed as descriptive, exploratory and casual. These classified methods differ depending on research questions, research purpose, certainty of hypothesis that are presented and data collection method that employed (Aaker et al. , 2004).When seeking insights to general problem of the research and relevant variables exploratory research technique is commonly adopted (Aaker et al. 2004). According to Lehmann et al. , (1998) exploratory research is used to identify basic information about the research area and formulating the hypothesis. Exploratory researches are focuses on identification of main nature of the research problems and formulation of hypothesis (ibid). â€Å"Descriptive studies, in contrast to exploratory research, stem from substantial prior knowledge of marketing variables† (Chisnall, 1997).Descriptive research is largely used in marketing research studies (Aaker et al. , 2004). The main aim of descriptive research is to search for different aspects of the market environment (ibid). According to Lehmann et al. , (1998) descriptive studies are playing a bridge role between exploratory and casual studies. This type of studies is assuming the different variables as known facts and hypothesis are of general (ibid). Casual studies investigates the market behavior and evaluation of the relationships and interactions of market behavior and factors that affecting them (Chisnall, 1997).For instance the relationship between demand elasticity and the degree to which advertising efforts may affect the sales (ibid). Casual studies are assuming not only the different variables, they are also assuming that how is the relation between them (hypothesis) (Lehann et al. , 1998). The purpose of this study is to seek insights in to the study, hence it is exploratory, but this research also aims to test different hypothesis which makes it partly casual.Si nce casual studies concerned with hypothesis, and exploratory studies are good for seeking insight into general problem and investigatingthe relation between different variables to gain deeper understanding, this research is primarily exploratory and partly casual. * Research Approach There are different choices of research approaches are available, either the qualitative or quantitative research approach. Qualitative data is most used method when collection method of the study uses or generates non-numerical data (Saunders et al. d, 2007). one main purpose of the qualitative research is to seek insights into research problems (Hair et al. 2006). By asking questions to relatively small samples of respondents and observing respondents behaviors, qualitative data mainly focuses on collection of primary data with details (ibid). Qualitative data was perceived by different authors and researchers as less powerful and pure than quantitative data some time ago (Lehmann et al. , 1998). But recently, advantages of qualitative data is taking attention like cost saving feature, and realization of that truth is not necessarily correlated to size of sample made qualitative research more popular for marketing research (ibid).According to Lehmann et al. , (1998): â€Å"Exploratory research tends to be qualitative and is very important in that it prevents preconceived notions from excluding potentially useful results† Since purpose of this study is to provide deeper understanding of the relation between consumer attitude and factors that effecting attitude, qualitative research approach found to be more convenient. Because qualitative research is more useful in terms of providing insights to research problem as Lehmann et al. , (1998) mentioned. * Research Strategy According to Saunders et al. (2007) there are several types of research strategy exists, which are presented as: survey, case study, grounded theory, experiment, archival research, and ethnography. â€Å"C ase studies are exploratory research that involves intense investigation of one or a few past problem situations that are viewed as similar to the researcher’s current problem situation† (Hair et al. , 2006). According to Hair et al. , (2006) If case study strategy is employed in research it requires in-depth examination of the facts of interest. These facts could be salesperson, customer, store, market area, film, and so on (ibid).Case study strategy have good ability to answer questions starting with ? why , ? what and ? how , and case studies are also good at answering questions like ? how? and ? what? (Sounders et al. , 2007). Because of this reason exploratory and explanatory researches most often employ case study strategy (ibid). According to Sounders et al. , (2007): â€Å"A case study strategy can incorporate multiple cases, that is, more than one case. The rationale for using multiple cases focuses upon the need to establish whether the findings of the first caseoccur in other cases and, as a consequence, the need to generalize from these findings.Case study strategy can be very worthwhile way of exploring existing theory. † (Sounders et al. , 2007) Case study is employed in this study as main research strategy. Since research questions of this study starts with how and case study deals very well with ? How questions, case study found to be most appropriate strategy for this study. Exploratory research approach of this study also requires case study as main strategy. In order to improve the quality of the research, the study incorporates with multiple cases, which are male case and female case. Sample selection Probability sampling is mostly used in cases of survey-based research techniques where it requires interferences from sample about the general population to answer research question(s) or objectives (Sounders et al. , 2007). Whereas non-probability sampling has ability to provide information-rich case study that explores th e research question (ibid). Hence non-probability sampling is chosen as sampling strategy in this study. Purposive or judgmental sampling is one of the non-probability sampling that identified by Sounders et al. 2007 and described as it gives an option for researcher to use their judgment to choose cases which is most appropriate for researcher to answer research question and met the objectives of study. Research targets are exchange students and master student who are studying at Lulea university of Technology and who have experience in using mobile devices and aged between 18- 29. Master and exchange students are coming all around the world, by choosing respondents among exchange students and master students; this study is trying to collect broader data without restricting respondents to one particular country.After starting to collect data ten students found to be sufficient to meet with research objective. Five male and five female respondents has chosen among students to be int erviewed, which makes the number of respondents of each case equal. * Data Collection Interview is defined by Chisnall, (1997) as: â€Å"Interview is concerned with a purposeful exchange of meanings, and it is this interaction between interviewer and the respondent which contributes so much to the success of the interview† (Chisnall, 1997).Valid and reliable data can be collected through interview which helps researcher to answer research questions and meet with research objectives (Sounders et al. , 2003). Hence this study employs interview technique to collect data, by doing so as Sounders et al. , 2007 stated, interview technique can be very handy in answering question ? how? and highlight on exploring ? why? this method found to be most appropriate technique, since this study aims to answer ? how questions. Required data has been collected by using semi-structured interviews. According to Sounders et al. (2003) in Semi-structured interviews have different types of themes and questions to be answered during the interview, and these may differentiate from interview to interview. In order to explore relationship between different variables in exploratory study semi-structured interviews may employed (ibid). Following Table 27 shows different types of interview in each of main research categories. As it can be seen from Table 2 below: Semi-structured interview technique suits best to this study by providing precise data for exploratory and explanatory research. One arrow in the table 2 means less frequent and wo arrows mean more frequent. ExploratoryDescriptiveExplanatory* Structured| | * | * | Semi-Structured| * | | * | In depth| * | | | TABLE 2: Uses of different types of interview in each of the main research categories. * Analysis Four dominant analytic techniques stated by Yin, 1994 which are: pattern-matching, explanation building, time series analysis, and program logic models. Each one of those technique is appropriate for bot single and multipl e-case studies (ibid). For case study analysis, one of the most appropriate strategy is to use pattern-matching logic (Yin, 1994).For case studies which are explanatory, there may be correlation between patterns and dependent or independent variables of the research (ibid). According to Sounders et al. , 2003: â€Å"The process of qualitative analysis generally involves the development of data categories, allocating units of studies’ original data to appropriate categories, recognizing relationships within and between categories of data, and developing and testing hypotheses to produce well-grounded conclusions† (Sounders et al. , 2003). In order to approve validity of the assumption gathered data from sample and mean of sample is calculated (Aaker et al. 2004). Within case and cross case analysis will be employed in this study to reduce the data and compare the data. Comparison between male (case 1) and female (case 2) respondents will be presented during the cross ca se analysis. Youth generation chosen as main target group, and for mobile marketing personalization found to be one of the concerns. But it is also important to understand if there is any difference between any gender to be more precise in personalizing the message and targeting the consumer. Finally findings of the analyses will be presented. Validity and Reliability â€Å"Reliability and validity are crucial aspects of research practice and the importance of these criteria should be full recognized by all who are engaged in survey work of any kind† (Chisnall, 1997). Reliability and validity are not completely separate terms, these terms are interconnected and in some degree they overlap with each other (Chismall, 1997). According to Sounders et al, (2007): ? Reliability refers to extend which your data collection techniques or analysis procedures will yield consistent findings? (Sounders et al. 2007). Taking as more as operational steps in research is the most common way to handle reliability problem (Yin, 1994). All the processes of research (questionnaires, interviews etc. ) conducted under control of supervisor of this research Hakan Perzon. Before conducting the interview on main respondent group, questions are tested on two representative respondents to improve structure and layout of the questionnaire. According to Sounders et al. , 2007 validity is about the reality of findings, whether the findings are actually what they seem to be.Documentation of the fieldwork when conducting qualitative research is highly important in establishing validity effectively, which allow others to examine and check the validity of the research process (Hair et al. , 2007). Hence during the interviews, all the answers and opinions of respondents will be saved in written format to be able to establish validity. Respondents are chosen among students that have prior experience in using mobile devices that enables them to have appropriate knowledge in research area, ex tra information is also provided to respondents to enlarge their idea about mobile marketing.To prevent misperception of mobile marketing and mobile advertising, respondents are also informed about this situation. Average time spend on each interview was around 50 minutes. CONCLUSIONS Based on analysis and finding, variables of content have different effect on consumer attitude. Some of the variables carry more importance than other variables and some of them have negative effect on attitude. For instance informativeness of mobile marketing perceived by both of the cases as most important factor in content of mobile marketing, whereas entertainment and credibility found to be less important than informativeness.Irritation of the content is negatively correlated to overall attitude toward mobile marketing. It is highlighted by respondents that dominant irritation factor of mobile marketing message is permission. It can be concluded from findings that reaction toward disturbance is ma inly negative whereas positive feelings generated positive outcome. Collected data from both of the cases shows that permission is very crucial in mobile marketing especially in personalized messages. Collected data bout permission, privacy and personalization is indicating that if permission is granted privacy must be assured for consumers to feel comfortable about personalized mobile marketing activities. Unpermitted mobile marketing activities that taking place without consumers will is creating inconvenience among consumers, and reaction toward this type of marketing messages are mostly negative. REFERENCES [1] Aaker D. A. ; Kumar V. ; Day G. S. ; Marketing Resarch (Eight edition), John Wiley ; Sons, Inc. , 2004 [2] Antonides G. nd Fred van Raaijd,Consumer behavior: A European Perspective, John Willey ; Sons Ltd. , (1998), pg. 197, 555 [3] Balasubramanian, S. , Peterson, R. A. and Jarvenpaa, S. L. , Exploring the Implications of MCommerce for Markets and Marketing, Journal of th e Academy of Marketing Science 30(4), pp. 348 – 361. 2002 [4] Barnes, S. J. , and E. Scornovacca. â€Å"Mobile Marketing: The Role of Permission and Acceptance. † International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2, 2, 128-39, (2004) [5] Bauer Hans H. , Stuart J.Barnes, Tina Reichardt, Marcus M. Neumann, driving consumer acceptance of mobile marketing: a theoretical framework and empirical study, Journal of Electronic Commerce Research, VOL. 6, NO. 3, (2005) [6] Becker M. , Arnold J. , Mobile Marketing For Dummies, Wiley publishing Inc. (2010) [7] Bao Xin-ren, 3g based mobile internet in china: A service marketing research, Management and Service Science (MASS), 2010 International Conference, (2010) [8] Brackett Lana K. , Benjamin N. Carr, Jr. , Cyberspace Advertising vs. Other Media: Consumer vs. VIature Student Attitudes, Journal of advertising research, (2001) [9] Chaffey D. , Fiona Ellis-Chadwick, Richard Mayer, Kevin Johnston, Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implement ation and Practice (Fourth edition), Pearson Education Limited, (2009) pg. 9 [10] Chisnall P. M. , Marketing Research (Fifth edition), Peter M. Chisnall, (1997) [11] Davis, F. D. , perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information techlonogy, MIS quarterly 13(3), pg 319-339, (1989) [12] Deans P. Dancade, E-commerce and M-Commerce Technologies, IRM Press (an imprint of Ideal GroupInc. , (2005) pg. 1-32 [13] Dickinger A. , Jamie Murphy, Arno Scharl, Diffusion and success factors of mobile marketing, Elsevier B. V. (2004) p. 159-173 [14] Dickinger Astrid, Arno Scharl, Jamie Murphy, Diffusion and success factors of mobile marketing, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications 4 (2005) 159–173 [15] Dickinger Astrid, Parissa Haghirian, An Investigation and Conceptual Model of SMS Marketing, Proceedings of the 37th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, (2004) [16] Elliot S. Electronic commerce: B2C Strategies and Models, John Wiley ; Son s Ltd, 2002 pg. 2 [17] Friedrich R. , Florian Grone, Klaus Holbling, Michael Peterson, The march of mobile marketing: New Chances for Consumer Companies, New Opportunities for Mobiie Operators, Journal of the Advertising Research March 2009 [18] Goldsmith Ronald e. , and Stephen W. Litvin, Heavy users of travel agents: A segmentation analysis of vacation travelers, Journal of travel research, vol. 8, november (1999) [19] Grant I. , Stephanie O? Donohoe (2007), Why young consumers are not open to mobile marketing communication, International Journal of Advertising, 26(2), pp. 223–246 [20] Groten, D. ; Schmidt, J. R. ; Bluetooth-based mobile ad hoc networks: opportunities and challenges for a telecommunications operator, Vehicular Technology Conference, (2001), (p. 1134-1138)

RITZ CARLTON HOTEL COMPANY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Comparison of The Uniform Commercial Code and UCITA Essay

Comparison of The Uniform Commercial Code and UCITA - Essay Example Commerce clause which was founded in article 1,section 8 of the U.S. constitution was the one of the first and most significant attempts of the U.S. government to promote uniformity in commercial laws from state to state. Two key factors in section 8 are: "To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes" and "To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States". The National Conference of commissioners on uniform state laws (NCCUSL) on July 29 adopted Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA) after revising the proposals again and again. The (UCC) Uniform Commercial Code is intended to promote uniformity in the area of (CIT) Computer Information Transactions. Here the question arises â€Å"What is computer information transactions?† "commercial agreements to create, modify, transfer or distribute computer software, multimedia interactive products, computer data and databases [and] Internet and online information† all these things are included in computer information transactions under the model act.

Innovations in Human Resource Management Assignment

Innovations in Human Resource Management - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that distrust of customers leads to decreased profits and market segments. This will lead to losing customers to competing companies who use this information to lure customers and win their trust. Data misuse by third parties has led many users of Facebook have encroached self-determination that limits them from having prosperous careers. Mary Jane has the experience and knowledge to take up the position of Field Sales Manager. However, her negligence and ignorance concerning the use of social networks have tarnished her name and image. Field Sales Manager interacts with so many people and her image should portray all the values of the company. Some of the clients she is going to reach out to use Facebook and will eventually leak out information to prospective clients concerning the pictures. This will give the company a poor image and therefore, the HR administration should reconsider their decision of hiring Mary. Her negligence and ignoran ce portray that she will do the same for the clients she mingles with when hired by the company to carry out the responsibilities of Field Sales Manager. This position is prestigious and needs to be given to an individual with an all-around personality encompassing outstanding social behaviors. Through social media, employers can check on their employees for harassing postings on Facebook, but cannot use data achieved to discriminate against their employees due to religion, race or sexual orientation. A candidate’s legal right to privacy is breached when employers hack into their protected accounts. Encrypted Facebook accounts, with passwords, should not be tampered with by employers.

Identify and describe a case for implementation of SAP Master Data Essay

Identify and describe a case for implementation of SAP Master Data Management at a four year university - Essay Example And Section table contains fields for Place, Time, Student ID, etc. whereas the Department table contains DeptID, Head, CourseID, etc. Also, the Pre-requisites table contains ID, CourseID, DeptID, etc. The University having different departments has a set of similar tables along with other tables, in each department’s database system. Although the data in it may vary, it is observed that there is some data across the departments that is the same for most of the time and does not change frequently, like the DeptID, Semester, Dept, CourseID, etc. Hence, it is created once and used many times over a period of time. Wikipedia defines â€Å"master data as the data used by different organizational components or by different systems that support an organization† (2009). Hence, DeptID, Semester, Dept, CourseID, etc. in the University database system constitute the master data and this data is common across all departments. However, as the different departments have their own database systems and tools, the format of the data may vary according to the department specific transactions and the master data referring to the transactional data thereby is contained in a different data record format in each database. This leads to multiple records for a single entity and creates excess data and data redundancy. To change the redundant data, multiple fields in the databases have to be changed which is time-consuming. Also, there is scope for human error and is difficult to maintain. Hence, maintaining the database in the different departments is time-consuming and costly. With more redundant data and accessing and changing it becoming time-consuming, entering transactions, data retrieval for analysis and reporting, and communication between the different departments becomes more difficult and confusing. Problems in data entry due to difficulty in

Domestic Terror in the United States Term Paper

Domestic Terror in the United States - Term Paper Example ive of excessive force, there must be pressure applied to others in society or government or otherwise persuasive agendas, and the objectives of these acts must be linked with sociological or politically-motivated agendas (FEMA, 1997). Domestic terrorism is characterized as a holistic blend of the aforementioned objectives and activities, which occur within a national region, which are conducted against social systems and ideologies, governmental actors, and citizenry communities. Some of the most common terrorist activities occurring domestically include implementing a variety of illegal pursuits so as to fund hostile or brutal objectives, as well as using a variety of methodologies to elicit threats against government and society so as to establish support or compliance with a specific political or social agenda. The composition of domestic terrorism is complex and usually consists of multi-faceted objectives of the terrorist party or group which has substantial implications for local, state and federal-level institutions when attempting to contend with terrorist activities and agendas. It often involves a series of complicated analyses and interventions within many diverse federal institutions under a collaborative model with local and state-level authorities to achieve terrorist reduction and opposition. This essay examines a variety of domestic terrorism attacks that have occurred in the United States, focusing on the politically-motivated or socially-motivated objectives that drove these violent acts. The project further examines the threats and dangers of domestic terrorism today as opposed to international terrorism within U.S. borders and provides an analysis of the programs currently in place at the federal, state and local levels to prevent reoccurrences of domestic terrorism. It is significant and prudent for American citizens and empowered institutions to understand the dynamics of what serves as catalysts for domestic terrorism as domestic

Who you feel is a public speaker Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who you feel is a public speaker - Term Paper Example Charles Krauthammer, the famous orator in America, can similarly be considered as an apt example for contemporary effective public speakers. The five elements involved in effective public speaking are, â€Å"who is saying what to whom using what medium with what effects?† (The Definition of Public Speaking). If one is using these elements effectively in his speaking he is most likely to establish himself as a successful public speaker, so is the case of Charles. For Jaffe, â€Å"public speaking occurs when one person prepares and delivers a speech for a group that listens, generally without interrupting the speaker’s flow of ideas†( Jaffe 1). In the case of Charles in America, his words were highly valued by the American people and so he may be ranked in the category of famous speakers. Various reasons force a person to speak before the public. Earlier public speaking was considered to be the only source to spread pieces of information among the people. For instance, in the Catholic churches this was very well made use to spread the gospel. As the years passed by speakers used this medium for many purposes. It may be either to pass information or to amuse the audience, or to follow the ideals of the speaker. In the modern world public speaking has been proved to be an indispensable factor in politics, religion, policies, entertainment programs, and the like. Whatever be the purpose, the speaker, Charles takes great roles to work upon. His views on science and politics have received the attention of many. For him â€Å"Science has everything to say about what is possible. Science has nothing to say about what is permissible† and on politics† and he considers Obama as a leveller who â€Å"has come to narrow the divide between rich and poor. For him the ultimate social value is fairness. Imposing it upon the American social order is

Risk and Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Risk and Risk Management - Essay Example Therefore, a more appropriate term would be country risk management, a practice of which country risk assessment is but one element. Country risk, for the international banker, is the potential for a loss of the assets a bank has loaned across borders in a foreign currency. A loss could be caused by a multitude of factors that renders a borrower unable to service or repay the loan as per the agreement. (Also at risk may be physical assets such as branch offices of multinational banks, but that issue is not discussed here.) The borrower may be a sovereign nation, a local firm, or a multinational corporation of another country. Whatever the case, the loan is papered according to the country of risk, that is, the country from which the repayments will flow (Angelini, Maresca, Russo, 2004:855). Country risk assessment entails the identification; a qualitative and quantitative analysis and measurement of the political, economic, social, and natural conditions in the country in which the borrower operates; and the degree to which these exogenous factors can impinge on the borrower's capacity to conform to the terms of the loan agreement. The risks to be considered are those over which private companies or individual borrowers have no control. Examples of country risk by their broad categories are the following: Political events --history and probability of confiscation or expropriation of the assets of the borrower, occupation by a foreign power, civil disorder, ideological conflicts (often closely linked with religious differences), changes in government (both planned and peremptory), regionalism and tribalism in terms of the internal balance of power, inequitable distribution of income related to ethnic rivalries, unwillingness of a government to honor its obligations, changes in policy that affect the borrower's cash flow, and terrorism Social event --history and probability of civil war, riots, labor union strife, religious conflict, and socioeconomic differences in living standards that result in tension or instability Economic conditions --possibilities of recession, extent of diversification of the economy, attitude toward strikes, effects of increases in the cost of imported inputs and foodstuffs, degree of reliance on a few key exports and the effects of a decline in the worldwide prices of those exports, background of policies and development strategies, taxes on local earnings, restrictions on the transfer of remittances out of the country, devaluation or depreciation of the exchange rate and other capital controls, degree of intervention by the state in fixing prices for inputs and outputs, and frequency of intervention of the government in the money market and the ceilings on interest rates Natural disasters --frequency of droughts, floods, earthquakes, and epidemics and the possibility of famines or wide-scale reduction in the productive capacity of the country as a result; the attitude and the most likely policies of the government

Ecosystem Essay Example for Free

Ecosystem Essay In this paper, I will be sharing facts on the major structural and functional dynamics of the ecosystem of Tallgrass Pririe Preserve in Pawuska, Oklahoma. I will share information pertaining to how humans have affected biogeochemical cycles in this ecosystem and how knowledge about that ecosystems structure and function can help or has helped to develop plans for its management and restoration. This paper will reveal only a short synopsis of the many facts pertaining to this very nteresting ecosystem. The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, Oklahoma is the largest protected area of tallgrass prairie on Earth. It is one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. At the present time, it has been measured as spanning over 39,000 acres. The tallgrass prairie is a complex environment , filled with a rich diversity of various plants and animals. The 39,000-acres first began with an initial purchase of the historic Barnard Ranch of 29,000 acres in 1989 and is now anaged by the Nature Conservancy to be enjoyed as a scenic drive. If visitors and tourists want to take a good scenic drive, this is one that should be on the list. It begins and ends in Pawhuska and is about 50 miles long. This is a summary of the results of my assessment that compares the four consumption categories by biome. The first category that I will be summarizing is the cropland footprint. It is one of the most important land categories for supplying us with food. Of this category, it shows the land that is filled. In this category, the national average that is used is 29. 61% and my quiz shows that I use 20. 31% so I am below average on the use of cropland so there isnt a need for improvement or more that I need to do to help society in this area. This only measures the land use. Pasture land is grassland and pasture area used to raise animals for meat, hides, wool, and milk. In this area, the national average is 68. 02% and my measurement is 46. 18%. I do not show to be using any excessive amounts in this area. Marine ecological footprints MEFs) measure the marine ecosystem area appropriated by human populations to supply seafood and other marine products and services. In this area the quiz shows that the national average is 49. 33% and my usage is 33. 50%. I still show that I am not overusing in this area. The Forestland footprint shows the amount of forest that is needed to fulfill the demand for pulp, fuel wood, and timber products. In this area, the national usage is 99. 45% and I show that I am using 64. 95%. It looks like the things that I am doing to onserve in this area are being beneficial to the planets use of this resource. The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earths ecosystems. As I look at the results of my quiz, it is apparent to me that I am not at risk of being one that overuses the earths resources and that I am doing a good Job of helping the planet have a sufficient amount of resources for all of us.

BugUSA, Inc. †Case Scenario Essay Example for Free

BugUSA, Inc. – Case Scenario Essay This scenario presents the case of BugUSA, Inc.; as a team, we endeavor to address the legal ramifications of each companys activities. BugUSA, Inc. has legal rights to intellectual property protection, and this paper explores the options available within that realm. WIRETAP, Inc. will face civil liability claims if caught in its underhanded measures, and possibly a civil RICO suit; BugUSAs security guard Walter, however, has also created a case against its own interests. When another company owns the rights to a web domain that suits BugUSAs needs, it faces the challenge of how to acquire the domain with as little hassle and as much protection as possible. A robbed vendor may present new tort liabilities for BugUSA, and we explore potential defenses. Finally, an injured police officer may have further claims against BugUSA in light of the companys manufacturing decisions. A. Define the different type(s) of legal protections BUG should have for its intellectual property. Explain why these protections are necessary. A patent would protects BugUSA, Inc. from having other parties copy the design of their electronic devices for 20 years from the date they file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office; a copyright would protect the object codes and source codes of any computer programs created by BugUSA, Inc. or its employees that are used in conjunction with their surveillance equipment; finally, a trademark would protect BugUSAs ladybug logo from being copied by competitors (Mallon, Barnes, Bowers Langvardt, 2004). Trademarks, like patents, must be registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office registration lasts for 10 years rather than 20, but can be renewed for additional 10-year periods (Mallon et al., 2004). B. Earlier this year, WIRETIME, Inc., a relatively new company trying to compete with BugUSA Inc., sent an employee to BugUSA, Inc. to get a job. BugUSA, Inc., not realizing Steve was an employee of WIRETIME, hired him to work in its research and development department located in Any State, U.S.A. While working at BugUSA Inc., Steve forwarded any BugUSA, Inc. e-mail he received to WIRETIME Inc. This included e-mail between BugUSA, Inc. officers (both domestic and abroad) that Steve intercepted using his hacking ability.  At the end of each week, Steve met with his boss at WIRETIME, Inc. and gave him all the information he obtained about the BugUSA, Inc. product lines. Discuss in detail what type(s), if any, of civil liability Steve and/or WIRETIME Inc. face if caught. Steve and WIRETIME may face several types of civil liability to include patent infringement, misappropriation of a trade secret, and interference with prospective advantage. WIRETIME would be liable for patent infringement if they used any information or sold any product that contained elements of a patented invention, which they might have received information on from Steve. They would also be liable if a recently designed or changed product had similar elements to any product that BugUSA, Inc. had patented, even if the product was different in design. Since Steve assisted WIRETIME in obtaining information, he could also be liable for contributory infringement, if the information he obtained was used to infringe on the patentees rights. Depending on the information received and used by WIRETIME, they might or might not be liable for patent infringement. Though they might not be held liable for patent infringement, they have are at risk of being liable for misappropriation of a trade secret. A trade secret is defined as, any secret formula, pattern, process, program, device, method, technique, or compilation of information used in the owners business, if it gives its owner an advantage over competitors who do not know it or use it (Mallon et al., 2004). If the information that WIRETIME received was considered a secret and of potential value, WIRETIME will most likely be held responsible for misappropriation liability. A misappropriation liability occurs when a secret is acquired by improper means or an individual breached a duty of confidentiality regarding the secret. In Steves case, both were committed. First, WIRETIME committed fraud by sending one of their employees to be hired by BugUSA, Inc. in order to gain inside access to the company. Secondly, Steve intercepted certain emails by using his hacking ability and broke his confidentiality agreement by giving WIRETIME information that was probably confidential. The last civil liability WIRETIME might face is interference with prospective advantage. Since WIRETIME intentionally interfered by stealing certain information, BugUSA, Inc. could argue that they lost an advantage in their industry because of information that was placed into the wrong hands. In order for WIRETIME to be liable, BugUSA, Inc. would have to prove that they had an advantage and that the advantage was lost by the illegal actions of one of their competitors. C. Walter, a security guard for BugUSA, learns that Steve really works for WIRETIME. Walter takes Steve to a small soundproof room where he keeps him for six hours. During this time, Walter continues to ask Steve what he is doing at BugUSA and what information he has given WIRETIME. Walter tells Steve that he will hurt him if he does not tell him everything. Steve finally tells Walter what he wants to know. Walter then lets Steve go home. Has Walter committed any torts? If so, explain. Discuss any liability BugUSA may have for Walters actions. Walter has committed at least two torts. The first one is false imprisonment and the second is assault. The definition of false imprisonment is the intentional confinement of another person for an appreciable time without his consent (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 173). Walter took Steve to a soundproof room and kept him there for six hours, questioning him about what information Steve has given to WIRETIME. When Walter tells Steve that he will hurt Steve if he does not tell him everything, Walter has committed the tort of assault. Assault is a tort which merely requires the threat of unwanted touching of the victim, while battery requires an actual unwanted touching (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 175). According to this definition assault was committed, however since Walter apparently did not actually hurt Steve, Walter did not commit battery. D. BugUSA has come to you for advice regarding interstate and international e-commerce. BugUSA wants to sell its products through the Internet. BugUSA is concerned about privacy, security, infringement issues, email contract validity, and various other things. BugUSA is also concerned because a  company that buys famous and/or company name domain names seems to own the rights to BugUSA.com. The company is willing to sell the domain name for a high price. Advise BugUSA on all e-commerce issues that could possibly affect them. Be detailed in your response. When dealing with business in the United States, copyright, US patent and trademark laws can help BugUSA in selling products through the internet. When dealing with overseas businesses, BugUSA may turn to the Tariff Act of 1930, the Lanham Act, and patent statute, and the Copyright Act (Mallor et al., 2004). If goods are counterfeited, BugUSA can use the Trademark Counterfeitng Act of 1984 to pursue both civil and criminal actions against the perpetrators. This act allows the company to recover three times the actual damages caused by such acts. When using the domain name, BugUSA should become a member of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, This registration would aid in any disputes that might arise. Also, members of the corporation agree to be bound by arbitration would is usually a faster way to resolve disputes than using the Courts. Therefore, BugUSA should use all protections afforded to the company. Becoming a member of different organizations will aid in protections for the company. E. Shady Town, U.S.A. has been plagued with a recent crime wave. The BugUSA plant in Shady Town has experienced vandalized vehicles in its parking lot and some second shift employees have been robbed as they walked to their cars at night. BugUSA receives shipments of parts and other items from vendors at its receiving/shipping dock located at the rear of each plant. The parking lot and dock areas are well lit; however, some lights are now out. While waiting for the dock manager to return from lunch, a vendor was attacked and robbed of his wallet and electronic chips he was delivering. Discuss what, if any, tort liability BugUSA may have to the vendor and to the BugUSA employees that were attacked. What defenses may be available to BugUSA? Explain your answers. Both the employees and vendor are considered invitees. An invitee is someone  who is on the premises to conduct business, directly or indirectly. As such, the possessor or owner of the premises owes a duty to protect both the employees and vendor from harm arising out of a condition on the premises. Two criteria exist:1.The risk from the harm is unreasonable; and2.The owner of the property knew about the risk. BugUSA knew both conditions existed. BugUSA knew that the crime in the area had risen. BugUSA knew that crime had reached the premises of BugUSA because employees had already been robbed. Furthermore, BugUSA was responsible for replacing the lights in the parking lot and had not done so. Defenses available to BugUSA would be that no vendor had been robbed before this time. BugUSA could also say that one step taken to aid in the security of the area was that it was well lit. F. The attorneys for BugUSA have completed their investigation of WIRETIME and its employee, Steve. If they want to bring a successful action against WIRETIME for civil RICO, what do they need to prove? What type(s) of damages could BugUSA receive?To qualify for civil RICO action, BugUSA will face two challenges. The first is demonstrating that WIRETIME is guilty of two or more violations of RICO anti-racketeering provisions within the previous 10 years without predicate criminal offenses that constitute the necessary pattern of racketeering activity (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 157), long-term racketeering activity will be improvable. Further, the company must show that it was damaged by the activities it alleges to be RICO violations; given the Supreme Court decisions that individuals are inherently separate from business entities (Mallor et al., 2004), it is likely that it would not face difficulty in establishing that a person committed the offense. Should BugUSA present a successful action against WIRETIME, it could receive triple the amount of damages claimed; WIRETIME could also see its assets frozen and the individuals involved would face substantial fines and imprisonment for up to 20 years (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 157).G. Sally DoGood, a police officer in Shady Town, was sitting in a police van monitoring wiretaps placed in the Crime Boss hideout. The equipment she was  using, which was an older model purchased from BugUSA, short-circuited and injured Sally. An insulator that could have prevented the possibility of shorts was not included in the original design because of its effect on production costs. The newer models, not yet purchased by the Shady Town Police, have the insulator installed. Sally may have a successful case against BugUSA for what tort(s)? Explain your answer(s). Sally may have a successful against BugUSA for negligence. In order to prove negligence a plaintiff must show that the defendant owed a duty of care to the plaintiff; that the defendant committed a breach of this duty; and that this breach was the actual and proximate cause of injury experienced by the plaintiff (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 202).When the police purchased the equipment from BugUSA they did so with a reasonable expectation that the equipment was safe to use. BugUSA committed a breach of this duty when they decided to not install the insulator in the equipment even though BugUSA knew there was a possibility of shorts without the use of the insulator. When the equipment short-circuited and injured Sally, BugUSA became liable for personal injury to Sally. Because BugUSA knew the insulator was needed on the equipment used by Sally, when Sally became injured, she would have been eligible for punitive damages as well because BugUSA made a conscious or reckless disregard for the safety of those likely to be affected by the goods (Mallor et al., 2004, p. 506) when they decided to save money and not install the insulator. Strict liability would apply in this case because the company, as a whole, knowingly sold a defective product. A defective product is defined as one with a defect in the design that would have a foreseeable risk of harm. In this case this happened because of the decision to not install the insulator. References Mallor, J. P., Barnes, A.J., Bowers, T., Langvardt, A. W. (2004). Business law: The ethical, global, and e-commerce environment. (13th edition). The McGraw Hill Companies.