Tv Advertising And Peer Group Pressure Marketing Essay

Tv Advertising And Peer Group Pressure Marketing Essay Children also exert a powerful influence over their parents to buy them the latest products, influenced by TV advertising and peer group pressure. TV/film and the latest toy crazes are also important drivers, so a strong stream of new products heavily supported by the media will help to ensure regular uplifts in toy sales. The big challenge is for toy retailers to avoid competing too heavily on price, so as to drive value growth in sales. This will be difficult given the slow pace of the economic recovery and the squeeze on incomes that will increase in 2011 due to austerity measures being introduced to cut the government borrowing deficit. Licensed products will continue to be a major focus of new product launches, with ranges related to new TV or film releases supplementing long-established licensed ranges that continue to be popular. Educational toys that aid learning are also likely to see growth. Nostalgic toys with a modern twist are another important area of the market and in terms of retailing the multi-channel combination of websites, catalogues and stores with a bit of added retail theatre will help drive incremental sales and reduce the heavy reliance on Christmas. This portable Mini Photo Studio is designed to steer children away from video games and towards the artistic passion of photography. The concept came with the increase in popularity of social media and photo sharing, as well as a high percentage of digital camera ownership. Market Description Mini Photo Studio is primarily focused in the market of arts and crafts products; selling a product that will help develop the creativity of the children and teenagers by learning the beautiful art of photography. Demographic Analysis of Consumers The main target market of the Mini Photo Studio is the young teenagers (9-16 years) who are interested in the artistic passion of photography. Children and young teenagers, who are aged between 9-16 years old, are generally interested in social networks, fashion, make-up, latest technology mobile phones and photography (Mintel, 2008). In addition, according to a 2008 Mintel Report the second feature used on mobile phones by young teenagers is the camera facility. Starting with 2003, young teenagers also have more disposable pocket-money to buy their own things and when shopping with parents their own decision is the most important. There are different types of consumers interested in buying the Mini Photo Studio such as consumers interested to learn or develop the photography skills, or interested in modelling which are usually connected more with the celebrity. As Mintel Report says Celebrity endorsement is apparently more influential among children than among adults, with almost a quarter of parents claiming that their child/children aged 12+ are influenced by some kind of celebrity/pop/ sports star. The above characteristics of consumers were among the top factors that came with the increase in popularity of social media and photo sharing, as well as a high percentage of digital camera ownership. With the main focus on creating a product designed to increase the creativity of the teenagers and to keep them away from the use of the video games, which according to Mintel, parents are concerned that video games can become addicted to their children, so it is beneficial for us to focus on this type of consumer. The consumers are those whose attitudes, behaviours, and use of goods are significantly important for their personal development and interest. They make brand choices based on new trends and celebrity endorsements. In fact, according to Mintel Children claim to place heavy emphasis on their own opinion when making purchasing decisions, with around 4 in 10 children claiming to be confident about their own opinions. Therefore any use of celebrities must not appear to dictate or lecture to children, instead allowing them to make informed purchase or usage decisions. This is especially important among older children, who are exerting their independence.

Epidemics in Colonial America

John Duffy, a true historian, contributed immensely to the history of medicine by publishing his research in the form of his first book ‘Epidemics in Colonial America. ’ Duffy continued to write other books as well but this particular one stood as a landmark in his career, facilitating all those interested in the field of medicine. In writing this book, Duffy’s primary goal was to clarify epidemic diseases in order of importance and show their direct and indirect effects on colonial development.He showed how the health environment is important for economic outcomes and that there is a direct effect of health conditions on income and an indirect effect on institutions. There is clearly no ‘hidden’ goal or aim of the author and whatever he has intended to show is pretty apparent and understandable. His book is more on the lines of medical history/ economic impact and is more descriptive and explanatory than theoretical.‘Epidemics in Colonial Ameri ca’ provides, in detail, the history of disease epidemics in America and guides the reader through the years of epidemics to show how the outbreak of various diseases effected the development of colonial America. The book explains how epidemic diseases have been affected, and vice verse, have affected the isolation of rural societies, changing economic conditions, varied work conditions and the factors determining poverty and wealth. BodyThe seventeenth century is identified as the period when epidemics were fairly limited in their impact as the interaction between the people of different colonies was minimum and communities were more isolated than they would be in the future. As a result any disease would remain localized to the people of a particular community and not become an epidemic. However, the situation progressively changed by the end of the eighteenth century when there was more commercialized activity/economy. The increased mobility and urbanization led to a great er threat of epidemics spreading from the rural areas.The situation obviously worsened by the end of the nineteenth century as mobility was further improved and there was increased urbanization. The poor urban centers began experiencing high death rates from diseases like cholera, tuberculosis etc that were endemic in cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and New Orleans. Yellow Fever, Smallpox, malaria, hookworm infection, beri-beri, Typhoid and Dysentry, and Idiocy are amongst the epidemic diseases in colonial America. The detail of each, along with its effects has been given in the book.The impact of the mosquito borne diseases, Yellow fever and malaria, was greater on the colonists of Jamestown as compared to that in New England. Yellow Fever came from Barbados and spread in Philadelphia and New York, and later on in Boston. Thousands of people fell victim to the disease and several left afflicted areas. As is the case with other epidemics, business activity came to a stand still, unemployment rose along with the death rate. People who chose to stay in the afflicted areas had to take severe precautionary measures, but to little effect.They would shut themselves in their homes and keep the sick isolated from the rest in mosquito nets. The period of the disease is almost one week, by the end of which the person either dies or recovers and becomes immune to it. However, the instances of recovery were little and as history tells us, several hours of work had to be put in just to bury the dead. The Yellow Fever epidemic in 1793 killed around 5,000 people in Philadelphia, which is approximately 10% of its population.Moving on, Small Pox was introduced in America by the European colonists and effected the native Americans the most as they had little immunity to the disease because of having very little or no exposure to it. The entire native American population was swept off by the disease and as Duffy quotes a letter by a South Carolina resident in his book which says that Small Pox swept away a whole neighboring [Indian] nation, all to 5 or 6 which ran away and left their dead unburied. In the book, Duffy also describes it by saying that the epidemic in 1738 killed one half of the Cherokee Indians near Charleston.The effect of such an epidemic was reduced resistance to western expansion in the U. S. In another reported incident, some U. S Army men distributed blankets that had been used by smallpox and measles victims, to Indian tribes that also immediately fell prey to the diseases. The small pox epidemic was this disastrous because of its highly contagious nature and the fact that it spreads through even minimum human contact. It can choke the nostrils and also cause blindness. Prevention efforts were made by colonists who tried using isolation and inoculation, a controversial procedure introduced in Boston in 1721.The patient was injected with a mild form of the disease for a short while to create immunity and antibodies to counter the virus. As a result, a person would get the disease for a shorter while as compared to if they had gotten the disease naturally. A more crude form of this procedure was practiced by the African Americans and was called ‘variolation. ’ The practice consisted of transferring the pus or the scabs from the wounds of the already-affected people and injecting them in the open wounds of unaffected people in order to create immunity.Malaria was also one of the epidemics in the U. S. It became one of the significant diseases of the colonial times as it spread from Maryland to Alabama, Georgia, Missouri and Mexico. The mosquito parasite began spreading faster a s virgin soil was introduced in Carolina and the Blacks were available as victims for the mosquitoes. The parasite then gradually spread to the whites and eventually became an epidemic. The Hookworm infection was another one of the diseases, starting from Florida and Louisiana.The Hookworm parasite spread through the m oist soils from Virginia and just like Malaria, the Native American slaves were its carriers. The Beri-Beri disease, a simple deficiency of vitamin B, on the other hand was curable to a great extent. One of the most widely spread diseases, Tuberculosis, remained a highlight of the nineteenth century as it became very common amongst the people of rural areas and also the poor people of urban areas. Its airborne nature accounted for the high number of people who were affected by the disease and it took several decades for doctors to come up with a counter to this disease.Duffy’s book mentions other diseases and their effects on America as well but the ones mentioned above were the most significant ones. They hold great importance in maki9ng the present what it is today as they left a lot for the human race to learn from in terms of medical advances. Conclusion The outbreaks of epidemics not only affected the western expansion but also halted the functioning of many cities in Am erica. People were unwilling to work at the risk of their health and lives and therefore businesses and industries collapsed as unemployment rose.The economy fell and people preferred staying indoors to protect themselves. Education, industry, economy, agriculture and every other structure fell prey to the epidemics that hit the U. S. Local outbreaks became epidemics of a national nature as the transport systems developed and coastal trade began. The nineteenth century saw water and airborne diseases spreading throughout the U. S as poor sewage systems, dirty drinking water and poor food quality etc added to the spread. Eventually, the life expectancy of an average American greatly fell.On a more positive note, these epidemics had a great lesson to teach as far as the knowledge of medicine is concerned. It helped modern medicine develop into what it is today and facilitated doctors dealing with patients suffering from similar diseases to a great extent. Even though these disease wer e thought as a punishment for the sins that had been committed by the people, its positive aspect should not be ignored. ‘Epidemics in Colonial America’ is a significant addition to the literature of medicine and the efforts of John Duffy should be recognized for the immense help that they are.Duffy has remained successful in his attempts of creating awareness regarding the diseases that have struck colonial America in the past and has effectively shown their effects on the people, their incomes, the environment and the development of the United States. The details in the book help paint a fairly adequate picture of the colonial years and make it easy for one to imagine the magnitude of the diseases that occurred. Therefore, it is safe to say that Duffy succeeded in his efforts and should be remembered for them. Reference Duffy, John. Epidemics in Colonial America. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1953.

Mobile Voting System Essay

The proper execution of democratic rights has become linked to the availability and reliable functioning of advanced information and communication technology (ICT). Countries all over the world are implementing computerized voting system for it has some striking advantages over traditional paper voting. Designing an air-tight and reliable computerized voting system is therefore a great task, in that, the system that must be developed must protect the privacy of the voters and electoral candidates, be easily understood and used by the entire voting populace – no matter who they are or where they come from. This project MOBILE VOTING SYSTEM is designed to allow users spontaneously vote on issues with any of the most widely used PDA technologies ( e.g. GSM, laptops, iPad, iPhone etc.) with ease and as much security as possible. Chapter One: Introduction Introduction Elections are understood to be the key of democracy all over the globe and voting is one of the electoral routes that ensure the continuity of democratic system in any civilization. Voting is a formalized way of allowing the general public or a group of people make their choice on administration matters in a free a fair manner. However, voters now lose confidence in the voting process due to fact that election rigging and riots is graduating and assuming a dangerous dimension. Most people now believe that even when they are given the chance to participate in the ongoing election process, their leaders will still be chosen through selection and not the results of the election, others concluded that paper ballots simply couldn’t be counted, even though businesses, banks, lottery systems, and other entities in our society count and deal with paper all the time. Times are changing. We now live in the Internet era, where decisions can be made quickly enough, and there is a perception that anyone who does not jump on the technology bandwagon is going to be left far behind. Businesses are moving online at astonishing speed. The growth of online interaction and presence can be witnessed by the exponential increase in the number of  people with home computers and Internet access. Despite the natural eagerness to treat our election process as the precious, delicate and fragile process that it is, the question of using the new advances in technology to improve our elections is natural. Adding mobility to the voting system (i.e. ability to vote anywhere at any time) is another added strategy to the growth of our voting system. Statistics has proven that more than  ¾ of the world’s population has at least one of the common PDAs. Ability to vote on phones will boost our voting system to a large extent. Statement of Problem There are various factors responsible for flaws in the traditional paper voting system. Chief among the factors include Incompetency on the part of the electoral commission to act as an umpire in the electoral process Do-or-Die syndrome of the contending parties to capture political power by all means Numerous incidence of violence/riots Hoarding of the electoral box by a contending party Low turnout of voters as compared to the number of registered voters; this issue could be attributed to the lack of mobility in the electoral process. Lack of trust in the electoral process by voters due to historical mishaps of insecurity. Objectives Any alternative to the traditional ballot box voting must not compromise the fundamental rights of citizens to express their free political will without any technological, psychological or any other restriction or bias. Mobile voting system provides the following set of objectives: To provide a security tight voting system. To provide a voting system that has compatibility with as many mobile PDAs as possible. To encourage participation in the balloting process by many voters who are currently discouraged by the time and inconvenience of having to attend at a physical location. Significance of the Problem Mobile voting system when implemented will be of great benefit to humanity since in one way or the other, democratic election is part of human lives. It would make obsolete the need for ballot boxes and papers, because the system would simulate these, it provides options to conduct voting in a centralized and decentralized manner, time management, reduced total cost of the election, ability to vote anywhere and anytime thereby increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the voting system. Though, the initial cost of developing Computerized Mobile Voting Systems would be high but the long run effects would be that election costs, processes and time would drastically reduce. In essence, the benefits from the implantation of this project can never be overemphasized. Chapter Two: Literature Review Introduction: This chapter includes a critical look at the existing research and case studies that have significance with this research project. It has been done by consulting other people’s work in order to understand and investigate the problem of the research project. In conducting literature review, scholarly articles, books and other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research or theory has been surveyed. After reviewing all materials, a description, summary, and critical evaluation of each work is granted. The automation of business and governmental processes has long been a success story in many countries. As the use of mobile phones for voice and data communication increase, users continue to demand for more services to be offered by mobile phones due to the comfort they present. Recently a number of governments have employed e-voting systems in some of their elections and referendums using mostly computer terminals and a few with mobile voting systems. Theoretical background This project is a Web application to be developed with the major web technologies having: Database Design, Queries and Connectivity (PHP and My  SQL) User End Design (HTML, CSS, JAVASCRIPT) Server Testing (XAMP/WAMP SERVER) Testing (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox) Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML) is the predominant markup language for web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document by denoting certain text as links, headings, paragraphs, lists, among others and to supplement that text with interactive forms, embedded images, and other objects. HTML is written in the form of tags, surrounded by angle brackets. The following is an example of an HTML code fragment that assign a title to this web application: Mobile Voting System  is the start tag. is the corresponding end tag and â€Å"Mobile Voting System† is the content of the element. Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) defines how HTML elements are to be displayed. It is a collection of styling rules. Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP ) is an open source server side programming language extensively used for web scripts. It is a popular server-side scripting language designed specifically for integration with HTML, and is used often in conjunction with MySQL in web applications. It is available on many platforms, including Windows, Linux and Mac OS. the following is an example of a php script that MySQL: an open source Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) that uses Structured Query Language (SQL), the most popular language for accessing, querying a database. Because it is open source, anyone can download MySQL and tailor it to their needs in accordance with general public license. WampServer/Apache Server : WampServer is a free server bundle that uses Apache server. When installed on the system, it includes Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Apache is a popular web server that many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and individuals use to host web pages. I installed Apache as a web server on the system. Created web pages are stored in the system’s special  folder, www directory in the local disk, in order for pages to be viewed. Review of Related Literature Mobile voting combines technology with the democratic process, in order to make voting more efficient and convenient for voters. Mobile voting allows voters to either vote by computer and any Personal Digital Assistance (PDAs) either from their homes or at the polling station. Brazil is a world leader in electronic elections, having conducted them since 1990. The elections in October 1998, was one of the largest electronic elections in history, with over sixty million voters casting ballots by computer for local and national candidates. 57 percent of the voting population – voted electronically in elections for local, state and 30national offices.

Steve Jobs An Innovative Mastermind With Visions

Steve jobs was an innovative mastermind with visions that helped change the world. His mission statement simple yet sophisticated, â€Å"To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind† (Jobs, 1980). His obsessiveness, focus and passion for creativity has been turned into distinct procedures that allows Apple to deliver a steady line of products - with or without him. Steve Jobs was a charismatic leader with innovative ideas about what the future should look like. His will power and ability to think outside societal norms created a new market with products that consumers did not know they wanted. Many of his traits have led him to become the most successful entrepreneur of all time. It is one thing to envision your company growing, but it is another thing to envision your company’s product and services to completely change the way people communicate. It is less about the product and more about how the functionality of the product will change the mundane aspects of our everyday interactions. Job’s personality traits have become highly integrated at Apple that it will continue to deliver exceptional products and a business culture that prioritizes on customer experience. His focus was on the design of his products, none of which was demonstrated by any other entrepreneurs during or after his time. Investors, shareholder and consumers trusted and loved Steve Jobs ability to constantly develop next - generation products ensuring higherShow MoreRelatedSteve Jobs: Innovative Genius Essay1218 Words   |  5 PagesSteve Jobs was an innovative mastermind with visions that helped change the world. He co-founded Apple inc. which is a well-known billion dollar company, and also invented products so popular, almost anyone you ask owns a product of his. In order to understand why Steve Jobs is an american cultural icon, one needs to have a description of his background and a critical analysis of his moral behavior. Born on the 24th of February, 1955, Jobs was born. Jobs biological parents were graduates of WisconsinRead MoreApple Inc. Company Analysis1848 Words   |  8 PagesApple Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1977, and the headquarters is primarily located in Cupertino, California. In 2011 Tim Cook became the new CEO. Apple has 116,000 employees, 35 key professionals including Tim Cook and he is also one of the eight board members. Apple Inc. Form-10K for their fiscal year ended September 24, 2016, shows that their net income has fluctuated over the years. In 2012, their net income was $156,508, 2013 was $170,910, 2014 was $182,795, 2015 was $233Read MoreApple s Competitive Strategies For The Consumer Electronics Market2054 Words   |  9 Pagesinvest in Apple without Steve Jobs’ leadership? Why or why not? Apple s Steve Jobs was not only the visionary behind Apple Computer but he was also the inspiring and revolutionary that changed the way the world used technology. Anyone following in those footsteps has an enormous challenge and an even bigger duty to uphold as far as standards for consumer satisfaction are concerned. Can Apple continue to be successful without their founding father and innovative mastermind? I believe so. Tim Cook