Hedonism Definition Essay

Hedonism as a philosophy defines â€Å"the good† in terms of pleasure and pain, and is the worldview that holds to the doctrine that pleasure is the greatest good. Now, who wouldn’t define pleasure as good? Aren’t we all by this definition Hedonists? Here is where those three little letters, â€Å"i-s-m† make their impact. As we have learned, the suffix â€Å"-ism† transforms a word into a title for an entire life and world view. Hedonism indicates a system of thought, a lense through which to view the universe in which the â€Å"summum bonum†, the â€Å"highest good† of man and the ultimate purpose of his being is found in the enjoyment of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. So what is sought for under this system, constantly and continuously is the increase of pleasure and the decrease of pain. The roots of Hedonism can be traced back to the fifth century BC to the ancient Greek school of the Cyrenaics. The Cyrenaics were named after their native city of Cyrene in North Africa. Their focus on the pleasure of the moment as the supreme good reflected a general skepticism: Only immediate sensations can be known. Concern with the past or the future causes uncertainty and anxiety, and should therefore be avoided. Gross excess and reckless abandon in sexuality and the use of alcohol are associated with this particular philosophical principal. Greek religious devotion to the god Dionysius and later Roman celebrations of the Bacchanalia, orgiastic festivals honoring Bacchus, the god of wine are similar manifestations of a Cyrenaic-style Hedonism. In these cases, the celebrant sought liberation from every-day inhibitions and a mystical experience of ecstasy, aided at times by temple prostitutes. The Epicurean school of hedonistic philosophy might be looked on as the next stage of Hedonism. Named after its founder, Epicurus, and started around 306 BC, Epicureanism was a more moderate variety of the seeking of pleasure, recognizing the problem of: The Hedonistic Paradox If you don’t achieve what is sought, you lose by frustration, if you do achieve what is sought, you lose by boredom. Either way, pleasure is not consistently attained. Therefore Epicureans sought not necessarily the â€Å"maximum† pleasure, but instead the â€Å"optimum† pleasure, all things considered. Too much wine leads to a hangover, not euphoria. So the balanced enjoyment of pleasure was the means by which Epicureans sought to achieve philosophical ataraxia, or peace of mind. The term â€Å"epicurean† is even in use today as denoting a person of exquisite tastes and gourmet palate, enjoying the finer things in life in a refined and sophisticated manner. Hedonism capitalizes on the natural attraction to pleasure and aversion to pain with which we, as feeling creatures, are naturally endowed. Turning the pursuit of pleasure into an ultimate standpoint of value, the hedonist determines the very meaning of â€Å"goodness† in terms of pain and pleas ure. Modern forms of Hedonism can be clearly seen, along with their consequences in our social environment. The modern pursuit of happiness, redefined as the pursuit of euphoria, has resulted in extreme expressions of escapism such as drug abuse and alcoholism affecting even the youngest members of society. â€Å"Happiness† has been translated almost exclusively into the category of â€Å"feelings†. The function of the word â€Å"feelings† in contemporary culture has undergone a radical change. The concept is so pervasive that standard traditional forms of language, categorical propositions and prefatory statements about theoretical thought have changed to accommodate this word. How often have you heard someone state the following?: â€Å"I feel that you are mistaken†, or, â€Å"I feel that (this or that) is wrong.† What is actually being talked about here is not a feeling, it’s a cognitive process, it’s thinking. That is not to say that feelings are unimportant; feelings are a vital part of what it means to be human. For the work of the physician, counselor or the psychologist feelings are a totally appropriate category to investigate. In inter-personal relationships you’d better be dealing with the issues of feelings or chances are you’re not communicating very well. Feeling, however is not the same thing as thinking. The concept has so permeated our culture that people are talking about feeling ideas and feeling thoughts. Largely due to â€Å"pop psychology† we have become obsessed with the analysis of our moods, which is a focus on our feelings. How has this impacted our lives? If you are a thinking person you already know the answer to that question. Assuming you’ve been awake at some point during the last thirty years, you already know about the â€Å"drug culture†; you live in it. You’ve heard the statistics on teenage alcoholism. You’ve seen the â€Å"sexual revolution†, and its results. The accepted definition of the word â€Å"promiscuity† prior to the 1960’s was :†Sexual involvement with more than one person outside the bonds of marriage†. The â€Å"liberated† Helen Gurley Brown gave us a new definition: â€Å"Having sexual relations with more than one person in the same day.† Are you aware that the divorce rate in the United States is estimated at fifty percent? It is when we buy into the doctrine that life is to be lived to escape pain, including responsibility for anything uncomfortable that we begin to feel the impact of a philosophy of radical Hedonism. By saying the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure is â€Å"the good† (not just ‘good’, but â€Å"The Good†), Hedonism is making a value judgement, which in the hierarchical structure of philosophy produces a system of ethics, which in turn produces behavior patterns of morality. These are the cultural, ethical and philosophical reasons for the changes we have seen in society. As in all forms of philosophy based in secularism, Hedonism removes the Transcendent, destroys any Ultimate basis for Truth and Goodness, and leaves us with â€Å"feelings†, preferences, and a totally subjective basis for ethics and morality. http://www.angelfire.com/az/experiment/hedonism.html

The Importance Of Business In Australia Commerce Essay

Business is the back bone of the Australian economic system ; there are several things that concerns do that are of critical importance to Australia as a state. â€Å" Business supports the development and usage of engineering † by purchasing new equipment which provides companies like: Apple or Mac with gross to pay for employees that research and develop, every bit good as the necessary machinery and equipment to develop modern engineerings. Businesss besides sell the merchandise which allows clients to utilize newer engineering, if shops like Dick Smith ‘s did n't sell IPods or Iphones clients would n't be able to obtain those points. â€Å" Businesses besides provide Australians with employment † , without concerns most Australians would n't do any money, and non be able to supply for their households. â€Å" Businesses besides feed the Australian economic system † through revenue enhancements that they have to pay to the authorities, every bit good as the investings these concerns, a concern creates money which goes around a community but they besides buy and sell merchandises which all support communities.Internal Influence and Impact on Australian BusinessAn internal influence is an influence that is made by the concern itself, they relate to factors within the concern that will impact its operation. All these influences impact in different ways and because they are brought on by the company it means that they may be able to halt the influence if it is damaging to the concern. Each different influence has different impacts and the influences are ; Product, Location, Management, Resource Management, and Business Culture.MerchandiseThe internal influence of merchandise is the ; existent goods or services produce by a concern or company, these goods or services decide many factors for a concern, if the size of the merchandise is reasonably big so the company will necessitate more infinite to be able to hive away the merchandise th erefore increasing the physical size of the concern. The merchandise will reflect the concern, the bigger assortment or scope of merchandises produced the bigger impact the merchandise will do. If the concern buys or produces more than it sells the net income border will diminish, if the merchandise is non suited to the concerns clients the concern will endure. I.e. Harvey Norman bought/produced several thousand computers/laptops ECT. They did n't sell and so Harvey Norman ‘s net income border decreased.LocationHas been said to be the most of import of all internal influences, there is a simple equation â€Å" Prime Location is= Customer Convenience + Visibility. † There are several separate factors of location ; Cost, Visibility, Proximity to clients every bit good as providers and support services. So fundamentally if it ‘s non easy and efficient for clients to travel to a concern that concern will non acquire many clients, location can besides do a concern beca use if a concern is positioned in a great location i.e. near the ground tackle of a shopping Centre, they would bring forth more clients.Resource InfluenceThere are four chief resources available to concern ; human, employees of a concern, Information, Market research the cognition needed to run the concern, Physical, equipment/machinery/raw stuff and Financial, financess the company uses to pay revenue enhancements or other debts. Without proper resource direction a company would neglect i.e. When Vodafone or the Commonwealth bank faced a machinery bug they lost capital.ManagementIn recent times due to engineering and the current planetary fiscal issues have been â€Å" flattening † this means that the degrees of direction have been reduced, these concern have more control over their concern. There are nevertheless some mistakes for illustration, because there are fewer mangers/employees this means that those directors have more control and if one of these directors make a e rror it has a greater impact.Business CultureThe values, thoughts, beliefs and outlooks of a concern, these can be through governmental policy or merely the general dress-code of the staff. Through concern civilization the manner people work is changed, and if there is a negative civilization this will bring forth workers who are un-satisfied which means failure for the concern.External Influences and Impact on Australian BusinessThe external influences on concern are influences that are either wholly out or are of minimum control of the concern. These impacts are more sever to the concern than internal influences because the concern can non alter the influence they can merely alter the concern itself to accommodate the influence i.e. Taxes. There are many different influences and they all impact the concern in different ways and they are: Economic, Financial Geographic, Social, Legal, Political, Institutional, Technological, Competitive state of affairs, and Markets.EconomicThe eco nomic sciences of Australia are a cyclical procedure intending that they go through â€Å" Boom † periods, intending a clip where concern proprietors costumiers are confident, which in bend means more purchasing which provenders and grows the economic system and â€Å" Flops † besides known as a recession this is when there is low costumier assurance so there is less money in concerns intending, less employment which slants the growing of the economic system. The economic system has obvious impacts on concern: when there is a roar there is money which develops the concern, and when there is a flop there is no money which mean the concern fails to run into revenue enhancements and debts ect. So the company fails and may prevent.Fiscal InfluenceThe deregulating of the Australian fiscal system has lead to flexibleness within the fiscal sector. It means that there is a wider scope of competition, and concerns no longer necessitate to remain domesticated to their ain commun ities, this is due to engineering and Globalisation.Geographic InfluenceThis has an tremendous impact on Australian concern, the fact that Australia is located within the Asia-Pacific part every bit good as the economic growing of those states i.e. China. This is a challenge for concerns because there is a stronger competition. And besides provides chances for concerns to develop, every bit good as the nose count along with other population studies which allow for concerns to develop and bring forth goods that are suited for that country, the negative is that concerns have to pass a vast of money to alter, the aging population is an illustration, concerns will hold to accommodate to better suit that population.Social InfluencesThe populace is invariably altering in relation to gustatory sensations, manners and civilization. When a concern can alter to accommodate these gustatory sensations it makes an increased net income but concerns that do n't alter run the hazard of going predat ed and lose clients.Legal InfluencesThese are ordinances and policies that the authorities put frontward and they have monolithic impacts on the concern. A concern is expected to stay by all these Torahs and ordinances, but these affect the sum of money a company makes, which in bend affects how good it runs.Political InfluencesWhen there are large political alterations concern assurance every bit good as uncertainness may lift or fall, governmental issues affect concerns because they can present revenue enhancements, an illustration would be the debut of the Carbon Tax, which was made in response to unfavorable judgment over Australian policy this will set strive on bigger companies. But they can besides be good for a concern ; an illustration would be deregulating which is the remotion of policies.Institutional InfluencesThere are three chief institutional influences and they are ; authorities, regulative organic structures and other. The authorities introduces ordinances, the org anic structures monitor the concern and others affect concerns like authorities.Technological InfluenceWith new engineerings comes a new manner for clients to shop and for concerns to sell, a concern can use assorted engineerings like the cyberspace to air at that place merchandise every bit good as sell their merchandises over the cyberspace which entreaties to newer clients, it besides allows concerns to pass on to their clients quicker. Technology can besides take away from concerns, for case Borders which is a book store, is confronting trouble because clients are now purchasing books off the cyberspace because it is cheaper, this means that Borders will now hold to shut some store and faces a hard hereafter.Competitive Situation InfluencesCompetition between two shops is a general happening ; they can profit the client through cheaper monetary values and better gross revenues every bit good as the concern through the turning client to the concern. Each company fights to go the leader which is called sustainable competitory advantage, the changing scope of rivals determines how the concern will bring forth and sell their merchandise.Changes in Markets InfluenceCapital can now travel through states, it is now easier for concerns to purchase abroad shares/businesses, this frees up concerns, in bend the concern grows. Despite this growing there is an instability which was made apparent during the GFC ; there is now a monolithic move for the demand of skilled workers, i.e. the addition of demand for mineworkers due to the turning excavation sector. There has besides been monolithic growing in consumer markets, in the value of universe trade this was brought on through engineering which made it easier to pass on.DecisionIn decision, an external influence is one that is out of the concerns control whilst an internal influence is associating to a concern. They are both negative and positive, because they help the concern to develop and turn the concern every bit good as let the concern to pass on at an international degree, but they can be negative because they take off from Australian economic system every bit good as Australian concerns losing money to international concerns. As in the past and as what will be in the hereafter, internal influences like merchandise, direction resource direction ECT. And external influences like engineering, political influences, geographic ECT. Will ever impact on concern, because the concern will hold to alter to accommodate the issue, if there are technological promotions the concern must alter to accommodate that. If a merchandise is n't selling they must bring forth a new merchandise that will appeal to clients.

Based on a long common law history and once an important measure in sales contracts, s.13 Sale of Goods Act 1979 has now become unnecessary and irrelevant.’

Introduction Section 13 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979 was previously considered an important measure in sales contracts. It now appears irrelevant and unnecessary and therefore in need of abandonment.This essay will discuss why s.13 is no longer relevant by analysing its flaws and demonstrating how the requirement that ‘goods must match their description’ can be enforced elsewhere. Overview of Section 13 Sale of Goods Act 1979 Section 13 of the Sale of Goods Act (SGA) 1979 states that where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description, there exists an implied term that the goods will correspond with that description. This section only applies to goods that are sold by their description only. If the buyer has the chance to see the goods before making their purchase, then this section cannot be relied upon. An example of this can be seen in the case of Harlingdon & Leinster v Christopher Hull Fine Art [1991] 1 QB 564 where goods were described as a Gabrielle Munter painting in an auction catalogue. Both the buyers and sellers were London art dealers, yet the sellers were not experts in German paintings whilst the buyers were. The buyers also sent there experts to inspect the painting before agreeing to purchase the painting for ?6000. The buyers sought to rely on s.13 when it was found that the painting was a fake, but it was held that the sale was not by description because an expert had been s ent to inspect the painting. This indicates that even if goods are originally being sold by description, once a buyer has had the opportunity to inspect the goods they can no longer seek protection under s.13. Rejection of Goods not Matching Exact Description In Arcos v Ranaason [1933] AC 470 it was demonstrated that the duty of the seller is extremely strict (Atiya et al; 2010: 154). Here, a buyer was entitled to reject goods that were described as being 1/2 an inch thick on the basis that some of them were slightly less than this. Even though the quality of the goods was not affected, it was said that the goods were not as described and could therefore be rejected. This is likely to cause many problems as the purchaser in the Arcos case had simply changed his mind about purchasing the goods and then sought to rely on s.13 to reject them even though the description did not prevent him from using the goods for their intended purpose. As s.13 is narrowly interpreted, it is capable of being used in circumstances that would seem inappropriate. In Re Moore & Landauer [1921] 2 KB 519 it was held that the purchaser was entitled to reject goods that were described as being packed in cases of 30 when they were packed in cases of 24. This was des pite the fact that the overall number of goods was correct. Arguably, s.13 is interpreted very strictly and a slight deviation from the description of the goods will be enough for a purchaser to reject them. Narrow Interpretation of Section 13 As pointed out by the Department of Business Innovation and Skills; â€Å"Description takes on a very narrow meaning, referring only to the commercial characteristics of the goods† (BIS, 2010: 24). Statements that have been made about the goods, or aspects of the specification of the goods are not covered by s.13, illustrating it’s restrictiveness (Ashington Piggeries Ltd. v Christopher Hill Ltd. [1971] 1 All ER 847). This section also appears to conflict with the European Union Directive 99/44/EC which provides that the â€Å"description† of goods will also include the â€Å"description given by the seller†. The Directive thus appears to encompass a wider range of characteristics, thereby providing extra protection to the sale of goods. Sections 3, 8, 11C and 11I of the Supply of Goods and Services Act (SGSA) 1982 and s.9 of the Supply of Goods (Implied Terms) Act (SG(IT)A) 1973 also have identical provisions to s.13. Because of this, it is questionable w hy s.13 is needed given that its application is extremely rigid. The requirement that goods must match their description can be found in other pieces of legislation, thus demonstrating that s.13 is no longer necessary or relevant. Section 13 Unnecessary and Irrelevant Section 13 was originally only supposed to apply to commercial sales of unascertained or future goods (Brown, 1990: 561). In such instances, a description of the goods would have been a necessary requisite which sellers would have provided to purchasers before a sales contract was entered into (Sealey and Hooley, 2008: 401). Since the Harlingdon & Leinster case, however, it seems as though s.13 is now being applied to sales of specific goods. Reliance upon description is not an essential ingredient, which is unjustifiable in that contracts can be rescinded in circumstances which they would not otherwise have been. The parties will also be required to demonstrate that they intended for the description to be a term of the contract if they want to find a breach of contract; Drake v Thos Agnew & Sons Ltd [2002] EWHC 294 (QB). Consequently, s.13 is no longer relevant in the 21st century as protection can be sought against wrongly described goods through other provisions. Conclusion Overall, it seems as though s.13 is in fact irrelevant and unnecessary in the 21st Century. Whilst it was previously thought to be an important component is contract sales, it is no longer required as a result of superseding legislation and because of its narrow interpretation by the courts. It could be argued that s.13 therefore needs abandoning as it seems to prevent purchasers from rescinding a contract if they had a chance to inspect goods even if they were later found to be fraudulent. This is largely unfair as a fraudulent painting may not be easily identifiable at first and may require a more thorough inspection which could not be achieved without first making a purchase. Whilst goods must always match their description, goods which fail to do so will be protected through other legislative provisions. As such, s. 13 is no longer needed and does not seem as relevant as it once was. References Atiya, P. S. Adams, J. and Macqueen, L H. (2010) Atiya’s Sale of Goods, Pearson Education, 12th Edition. Brown, I. (1990) ‘Forgery, Fine Art and the Sale of Goods’ Law Quarterly Review, 561-564. Department for Business Innovation & Skills. (2010) ‘Consolidation and Simplification of UK Consumer Law’ BIS, accessed 08 December 2014. Sealey, L. S. and Hooley, R. J. A. (2008) Commercial Law: Text, Cases and Ma terials, OUP Oxford, 4th Edition. Case Law Arcos v Ranaason [1933] AC 470 Ashington Piggeries Ltd. v Christopher Hill Ltd. [1971] 1 All ER 847 Drake v Thos Agnew & Sons Ltd [2002] EWHC 294 (QB) Harlingdon & Leinster v Christopher Hull Fine Art [1991] 1 QB 564 Re Moore & Landauer [1921] 2 KB 519.

Individual Employment Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Individual Employment Law - Coursework Example Employees have a right to a time off when making provision of care for dependants who are ill. The application of the right for a time off demands that the employee notify his or her employer the requirement for his or her emergency time off, as quickly as it is reasonably practicable. Employees are supposed to cite the need for the leave and possibly the expected duration of the leave. Except on the employers’ absolute discretion, employees lack entitlement to pay in the event of a time off. The emergency is not applicable to events where employees are expectant of time off, as the events cannot be classified as emergencies. In such circumstances, the employee should take time off as an annual leave (Selwyn 2006, p. 451). Case Study In the case Royal Bank of Scotland V Harrison, Mrs. Harrison was abruptly informed by the child minder of termination of services. Mrs. Harrison was unsuccessful in finding an alternative arrangement; thus, she had to take leave to care for her ch ildren herself. However, she faced disciplinary action and issued with a verbal warning for her unauthorized absence. Mrs. Harrison made a complaint to the employment tribunal for being subjected to detriment as a consequence for taking a day off. The tribunal ruled in her favour and the Royal Bank of Scotland unsuccessfully appealed with claims that the leave was not unexpected; hence, it could not be protected by the legislation. The tribunal ruled that employees should be protected from any detriment, especially in circumstances where they take a time off in accordance with the statutory right (Collins 2010, p.94). Time off is not applicable to situations in which employees need extensive time off to look after the dependants themselves. Should Bruce be subjected to a disciplinary hearing? The Employment Rights Act 1996 [47C] stipulates that any employee should not suffer detriment by any act, or any intentional failure by the employer for prescribed reasons. It will also be unju st to dismiss an employee on the basis of taking a time off. The employment law avails guidance to emergency leave for dependants as well as grievance procedures (Kidner 2006, p. 313). Is Bruce Entitled to take Leave in an Emergency? Bruce satisfies the conditions set out in the Employment Rights Act [57A] and 57B and has an entitlement to take a time off to take his wife to the hospital, which is in essence a family emergency (Morris, McKay & Oates 2009, p.653). Bruce has a statutory right to take an emergency unpaid time off in order to care for his wife. The right is applicable out of necessity where there is an unforeseen disruption or termination of arrangements for care of a Dependant. As an employee, Bruce has every right to take a leave for such purposes as prescribe (illness of his wife). The time off that Bruce took is not inconsistent with the Act and thus should not be subjected to detriment. The time off cannot be described as unauthorized time because Mary is a dependa nt and relies on Bruce when ill. Secondly, Bruce had already made arrangements for the provision of care to his wife in the occasion that she fell ill; he did this by inviting his mother to take his wife to the outpatient centre. Thirdly, Bruce had informed the line manager in a reasonable time of the intended time off, besides the fact that he was responding to deal with a crisis. Bruce’

Biography person Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Biography person - Research Paper Example decades of creative work, and the proof of her success partly lies in the more than 50 honorary doctorates that have been heaped on her by academia, attesting to the broad influence that she casts on many different areas of creative work, as poet, as dramatist, as activist for civil rights, as actress and historian, as a maker of films, as a producer, and as a writer of memoirs. She is known too for her groundbreaking work ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’, an international bestseller that was released in 1970. This book was controversial when it came out, because of its explicit and stark depiction of her experience with sexual abuse in her early life, to the point of being initially banned from many school systems around the time that it was released. Apart from this, she is likewise known for penning more than thirty other works that topped the bestseller lists, from the 36 different works that she was able to publish. In 1972 she would write and compose the music for the movie Georgia, Georgia, for which she would be nominated for a Pulitzer. Her directorial debut was in 1996., for the movie ‘Down in the Delta’. Apart from all this, she was also a professor at Wake Forest University for two decades and a half, holding the Reynolds professorial chair for American Studies there (Caged Bird Legacy). One perspective on the life and work of Maya Angelou is factual, and is from the biography-focused channel Bio. Her work of poetry, entitled ‘Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die’, was nominated for a Pulitzer in 1971, even as the non-fiction work and memoir ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ was published to international recognition and praise two years prior. In 1993 she recited a poem that she had written on the inaugural of then President Bill Clinton, entitled ‘On the Pulse of the Morning’. She would go on, moreover, to establish friendships with various icons of American cultural wife in her later years, from the widow of Martin

The Chase Manhattan bank Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Chase Manhattan bank - Term Paper Example The CMB human resource has been carefully crafted to ensure that, the organization attracts and maintains the best talents in the banking arena. It also focuses on the development of the existing workforce through training, to ensure the staff is updated on the current banking practices and innovations in the industry. The CMB human resource strategy aims to ensure the bank’s business policy is correlated with the H.R policy. This is to ensure the bank has a sufficient, qualified workforce, to satisfy its requirements and meet its business objectives. The HR department ensures that it recruits raw talent and mould this talent for the future of the company. Through this policy, the bank cultivates a culture in the staff that complements its policies. Selection Process The selection process at the CMB is designed to identify the best banking talents among the applicants available, who will fit into the company, and add value to it to its human resource. This extensive procedure aims to determine whether the applicants are suitable for the vacancy offered. The job advertisements are sent out through different media, which include the print and electronic channels. The application process occurs in the following steps. The applicants, first fill an application for the vacancy through the internet, here, the applicant will receive an email confirmation that his or her application has been acknowledged.

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN A CHILD'S EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN A CHILD'S EDUCATION - Essay Example What are the best practices of parental involvement employed in schools? This section will highlight the characteristics of parental involvement and the strategies employed by parents and schools. It gives insight into how parental involvement can successfully enhance student achievement. The benefits of parental involvement in the child’s education will be discussed here. This section will highlight several research studies that provide support for the advantages of parental involvement. A critical discussion is provided based on the findings gathered from various research articles. Adolescent years is perhaps one of the, if not the most, trying years of parenthood. Studies have shown that parental involvement in the early years of education is related to the type of relationship that develops between parent and child during the adolescent years. This section of the paper will discuss the relationships of parental involvement in light the educational years of an adolescent child. Despite the recognition of parental involvement’s significance in the education of children, bringing the parent’s to a meaningful level of participation in schools remains challenging. The challenges and how they can be best addressed will be discussed in this section. Based on the previous discussions, through existing literature on parental involvement, recommendations on the programs and initiatives will be outlined in this section. This section will also summarize the findings and give conclusions on the role of parental involvement in children’s

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Research Paper

New Physics and Chemistry Discovered at the CERN's Large Hadron Collider - Research Paper Example If this occurs, it will produce a material known as quark-gluon plasma, which probably made up the universe in the time following the Big Bang. Physicists are interested in this material because the expansion and cooling of the material would likely show how the particles that exist today arose out of the conditions following the Big Bang (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ALICE†) 2. ATLAS: A Toroidal LHC Apparatus, records measurements for the results of particle collisions. It tracks what particles are created and destroyed in a given collision, and the path of travel and energy for those particles (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†). They are both considered general-purpose detectors. The experiments being performed using them focus on the search for the Higgs boson and the substance known as dark matter (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: ATLAS†; â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). ... 3. CMS: Compact Muon Solenoid, has the same research goals as ATLAS, but it has different technical specifications to achieve those goals, especially with regard to the design of the magnet system within the equipment (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: CMS†). The CMS has been designed to detect the presence of â€Å"missing† energy, which could indicate the presence of stable but weakly-interacting particles, such as energetic neutrinos. This missing energy occurs when the particle moves in the same direction as the beam pipe and so cannot be detected; the use of the CMS helps to cover this gap and provide a more complete picture of the collision event (Pi et al. 2011) 4. LHCb: Large Hadron Collider beauty is expected to help us understand why the universe appears to be composed almost entirely of matter, but no antimatter. It specializes in investigating the slight differences between matter and antimatter by studying a type of particle called the 'beauty quark', or 'b qua rk'.† (â€Å"CERN - The LHC Experiments: LHCb†) 5. TOTEM: TOTal Elastic and diffractive cross section Measurement device is included in the experimental set-up to study the physics of the elementary particles that is always hidden to the general-purpose experiments carried in such an accelerator. It is of immense importance to measure the size of the proton and also calculate accurately the LHC's luminosity, so that the results may be utilized for calibration of the whole set-up (â€Å"CERN - LHC Experiments: TOTEM†) 6. LHCf:  Large Hadron Collider forward tries to simulate Cosmic Rays, which are the naturally occurring charged particles in Earth’s upper atmosphere, colliding with our atmosphere and resulting in stream of

The Effects of Various Substances on the Rate of Sodium, Potassium and Lab Report

The Effects of Various Substances on the Rate of Sodium, Potassium and Urine Excretion in the Human - Lab Report Example The main reason behind this is that Furosemide is a very strong diuretic. In this experiment, volunteers from three various student groups participated in one of the sample groups. They provided the required urine sample that is needed for collection of data. The collected data was assembled, illustrated, and calculated to get the expected results. It is expected that the statistical results will indicate that there was an increase in urine out from the samples of alcohol and juice groups but not in potassium and sodium. The furosemide samples should record a definite increase in urine output in both samples of sodium and potassium groups and the other two samples groups of alcohol and juice. The reduction of potassium and sodium output in the experiment proved that most potassium and sodium was reabsorbed in the blood before the filtered fluid in the body became urine and ultimately eliminated from the body as urine. Diuretics are forms of drugs, which increase urine production in order to create the hypotensive effect. Furosemide operates in a manner that it blocks the absorption of potassium and sodium from the filtered fluid, causing an increase in urine output (dieresis). The main objective of this experiment was to determine the diuretic effects of furosemide against a control group and another group that was under the influence of alcohol. The effects were later observed through potassium and sodium excreted by the human volunteer. The action mechanism depletes sodium from the blood plasma leading to the hypotensive effect. A reduction in the amount of blood plasma leads to a reduction of peripheral workload and cardiac output. The experiment was carried out at the University of Brighton among the different pharmacy group students. The experiment required that no pregnant student or any student under contraceptive drugs would participate in this experiment.  Students that are diagnosed with any kidney disorder or taking medication that controls their blood pressure must also not participate in this experiment.

Marketing assignment Essay Example for Free

Marketing assignment Essay 1.1 Ryanair are pioneers of low cost airlines in Europe operating more than 1600 daily flights from 57 bases across 1600 low far routes connecting 180 destinations in 29 countries. They recently announced that they have ordered 175 new Boeing craft. 1.2 In order for Ryanair to keep the costs to a minimum, their airline uses small, regional airports only to reduce operational costs and operates as a point-t-point airline carrier, thus when other airlines avoiding the cost associated with a hub-and-spoke service. 1.3 Ryanair advertises it’s self as a â€Å"The low fare airline† and has a price promise under which it will pay double the difference if a customer finds the same flight cheaper elsewhere. 1.4 They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines want them. 1.5 They spend as little as possible on advertising. They do not employ advertising agencies; instead all of their advertising is done in-house. 1.6 They don’t use travel agencies, so they don’t pay commissions. Ryanair uses direct marketing to recruit and retain customers and to extend products and services to them and this reduce cost. You book online or on the internet. This saves 15% on agency fees. Question 2 Kulula and Mango are South Africa’s low cost airlines. These airlines have in some areas imitated the Ryanair business model. 2.1 Kulula uses Lanseria Airport as an alternative to OR Tambo airport which can be attributed to reduction operational costs. Ryanair makes use of smaller airports instead of the large busy airports to reduce costs and reduce the time between flights. 2.2 The low cost airlines in South Africa, such as Kulula and Mango also upsell products such as car hires, travel packs and hotel accommodation. This is similar to the business model of Ryanair. 2.3 The low cost airlines in South Africa also reduce their costs by not including food on the fare; you can buy your food if you want. 2.4 To make bookings simpler the customers of Kulula and Mango can also book and buy flight tickets at Shoprite/Checkers for there’s is no commission paid to travel agencies. The internet online process also exists for self-service of making bookings. Question 3 The marketing environment consists of Micro and Macro environment. According to Kotler and Armstrong (2012;90) Micro environment consists of the actors close to the company that affect its ability to serve its customers such as the company its self, its suppliers, its marketing partners, customers and the general public. The macro environment is said to consist of the larger societal forces that affect the macro environment such as political, economic, social, technological, natural environment, and legal framework (Kotler Armstrong, 2012) 3.1 The Micro environment 3.1.1 Company Ryanair’s mission is to keep their customers happy by offering a simple service and that involves maintaining low-cost fares, such as offering no meal options or extended service elements such as beverage consumption, thus keeping labour-related costs low and inviting the more humble or thrifty consumer to enjoy travel to regional destinations without the worry of excessive airline expense. 3.1.2 Suppliers Suppliers are very important to the company and they are the determining factor for Ryanair to keep customer value. In a running an airline Ryanair require a lot of fuel but they are unable to influence their suppliers since the price of fuel is controlled by external bodies such as OPEC(Ryanair Annual Report, 2004). 3.1.3 Competitors The increasing number of competition with carriers offering lower-cost fares is impacting the consumer mentality regarding which carrier to choose when travelling within European destinations. 3.1.4 Marketing Partners Ryanair does not use advertising agencies instead all their advertising is done in-house by doing so they are cutting cost and making sure that they maintain low cost strategy. They simple use adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. 3.2 Macro environment 3.2.1 Political The external political environment is one of significant advantage to Ryanair, as the majority of its operations are contained within Europe. It is relatively common knowledge that this region maintains political stability, thus Ryanair does not experience issues with governmental instability in Europe as a concern regarding passenger volumes or flight destinations. 3.2.2 Technological The technological environment does not appear to significantly impact the firm in a negative capacity as the firm. Additionally, supply chain software programs and other integrated software applications are available to assist Ryanair in streamlining labour functions and improve internal organisational efficiency. 3.2.3 Economical Economical factors in the Euro region such as the Greece debt issues, increased unemployment in Spain and other countries have a negative impact in the number of customers for air travel like Ryanair. Question 4 Low cost airline offer a no-frill service, they sell the cheapest tickets you can buy. Unlike branded airlines that argue that passengers are willing to more for a better level of service. These are the reason I would not use low cost airlines such as Ryanair. 4.1 Customer Service Ryanair offers poor customer service such as when your bag is broken into no compensation is provided. It is also reported that their staff is unfriendly and rude. Ryanair also do not make provisions for fragile items that you wish to carry on the aircraft with you. Musical instruments and sporting equipment can be taken but at a fee. 4.2 Value added services There is no complementary food and what is offered is expensive and unhealthy. 4.3 Misleading pricing The policy of 70% sets sold at lowest fares and 30% at higher fares can be misleading. This means that you may not always be paying the lowest price for the fares. 4.4 Convenience Ryanair does not offer convenience as you cannot chose seat. You also cannot change flights. Their plains are old and offer low comfort. They use secondary airports which tend to be smaller regional airports. Question 5 Ryanair’s objective is to firmly establish itself as Europe’s leading low-fares scheduled passenger airline through continued improvements and expanded offerings of its low-fares service. Ryanair aims to offer low fares that generate increased passenger traffic while maintaining a continuous focus on cost-containment and operating efficiencies 5.2 Understanding customer needs and wants 5.2 Design a customer driven marketing strategy 5.3 Construct an integrated marketing program that delivers superior value 5.4 Build profitable relationships and create customer delight Question 6 6.1 Product or Service Low cost, no frills air travel to Europian destinations. There is no free food or drink on-board. Food and drink are income streams. You buy on-board, or you do take your own food and drink if you like. 6.2 Price Ryanair has low fares. 70% of seats are sold at the lowest two fares. 24% of seats are charged at higher fares. The last 6% are sold at the highest fare. 6.3 Place Ryanair does not use travel agents so it does not pay agency commissions. It uses direct marketing techniques to recruit and retain customers, and to extend products and services to them (i.e. Customer Relationship Management). This reduces costs. You book online over the Internet. This saves them 15% on agency fees. They are based in Stansted in Essex which is known as a secondary airport. It is new and accessible. It is cheaper to fly from Stansted than either Heathrow or Gatwick, and since it is less busy Ryanair can turn aircraft around more quickly. 6.4 Promotion They spend as little as possible on advertising They do not employ an advertising agency. Instead all of the advertising is done in-house. In fact OLeary himself oversees much of the promotion of Ryanair. They use simple adverts that tell passengers that Ryanair has low fares. Ryanair employs controversy to promote its business. For example in 2009, the company reasoned that passengers would be charged  £1 to use the toilets on board. OLeary reasoned that passengers could use the terminals at either the destination or arrival airport. This would speed things up. It was reasoned that this is what passengers wanted since they did not want other passengers leaving their seats and walking the aisles to go to the toilet. OLeary also argued that larger passengers should be charged more since they took up more room again it was reasoned that this is what the majority of passengers wanted. 6.5 People Pilots are recruited when they are young as pilot cadets. They work hard and take early promotions and then move on after 10-years or so to further their careers. Cabin crew pay for their uniforms to be cleaned. They invest in their own training. They are mainly responsible for passenger safety as well as ancillary revenues onboard 6.6 Physical Evidence They pay as little as possible for their aircraft. Planes are the most expensive asset that an airline can make. They get big discounts on aircraft because they buy them when other airlines dont want them, for example after September 11th, or on the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. Aircraft manufacturers cannot simply stop a supply chain in minutes. If orders are being cancelled or delayed, this is when to buy. It was rumored within the industry that Ryanair was buying Boeing 737s list price around  £40,000,000 (forty million pounds) with up to a 50% discount. 6.7 Process There is no check in. You simply show your passport and supply your reference number. You cannot select a preferred seat. It is first come, first served. This aids speed. There are no air bridges (the tunnel that connects to the side of the aircraft when to board it). You walk or are bused to the aircraft. Baggage is deposited directly onto the terminal its quick. However if your bag is broken dont expect high levels of customer service. Question 7 7.1 Cultural factors Ryanair has addressed a global cultural need for leisure travel by making their prices extremely low and the easy availability of tickets operating between two points. One of the factors that influence consumer behavior is social class such as people’s income. Ryanair get most of their business from lower income group. 7.2. Social factors One the factors that influence consumer factors is the social factors such as consumers small groups family and social roles. According to the case study Ryanair make use of buzz marketing by their controversial promotions. This influences people opinions about their services as it gets people to discuss the controversial promotions. 7.3 Personal factors Personal factors are influenced by personal characteristics such as customer’s age and life cycle stage, occupation, economic situation, life style and personality and self-concept. The people that would be influenced into buying Ryanair’s would need to have an easy going personality and not be concerned much about the service of the airline since many of the luxuries are removed from the service. 7.4 Psychological factors A person’s buying choices are further influence by four psychological factors motivation, perception, learning and beliefs and attitudes. Customers that would be influences to use Ryanair are customers that believe that are getting value for money through the low cost pricing. Question 8 Consumer market consists of individuals and households that buy goods and services for their personal consumption. These would normally be consumer goods such as soft drinks, cosmetics, travel and household goods. Ryanair’s consumer market is the individuals in the European region that use air travel as a form of transportation. Question 9 Below is an example of Ansoff’s Matrix which shows growth strategies that organisations can use to expand their operation followed by the explanations for each growth strategy (Riley, 2012). Figure 1 Ansoff’s matrix. Sourced from Riley (2012) 9.1 Market penetration Market penetration is when the company expands in the same market using the same products. For Ryanair, market penetration would involve increasing the number of flights in the same routes. This way they are in the same markets and using the same service. 9.2 Market Development Market development requires the companies to enter new markets while using the same products. For Ryanair, this would require the company to go to new markets such as Africa, Asia or America using the same low cost air travel service. 9.3. Product Development Product development means that in order to expand the company must introduce new products or services in the existing market. For company like Ryanair, product development would mean that they introduce new service such as business class or first class into the existing market. 9.4 Diversification Diversification is when the company seeks to enter into new markets with new products. For Ryanair diversification could mean that the company introduces new services such as leisure sea cruising. This would also mean that the company moves into a new market since leisure sea cruising would require different destinations and customer base. References Riley, J. 2012. Ansoff Matrix. [online]. Available at: http://www.tutor2u.net/business/strategy/ansoff_matrix.htm [Accessed on 02 September 2013]. Kotler, P. and Armstong, G. 2012. Principles of marketing. 14th edition. Essex: Pearson.

Emotional Intelligence And Team Performance Psychology Essay

Emotional Intelligence And Team Performance Psychology Essay Claims about the positive influence of emotional intelligence (EI) on work team performance are very numerous, both in commercial and scientific literature. In this study, EI was assessed using the Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). Paper examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and performance of 15 teams selected from telecom organizations of Islamabad/ Rawalpindi. A single questionnaire was used to gather data from the teams, each consisting of 5-15 members. Simple and multiple regression was applied to investigate the relationships between emotional intelligence as a whole and team performance and then between EIs dimensions which includes Self Emotion Appraisal, Other Emotion Appraisal, Use of Emotion and Regulation of Emotion and teams performance. Results show a positive relationship among emotional intelligence and its dimensions and performance of teams. The limitations which holds for the study includes issue of one-shot study, limited sample size and non generalisability. The study will be beneficial for future researchers and organizations. Keywords: Emotional Intelligence; appraisal and expression of emotion; team performance INTRODUCTION In recent years, emotions in the workplace, and especially emotional intelligence, have become an amazingly hot topic in management. The topic of research is Impact of Emotional Intelligence on teams performance. Employees go through different emotions which are most likely to affect the way they behave at their workplaces. It is important for the team leaders as well as members to understand, act on and manage the emotions of other members to have a healthy environment at workplace and to increase the performance of the team as a whole. Background of the Study The concept of emotional intelligence (EI) was first proposed by Mayer and Salovey (1990) which was then popularized by Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Since then, this area has got much attention in the field of leadership, Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior. Researchers have defined EI as a distinct psychological skill that can be consistently gauged. Mayer and Saloveys ideas on EI came up from the work of Social Intelligence by Thorndike (1920) and Gardners (1983) concept of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence. In 1927, Thorndike classified Intelligence into three types: Abstract Intelligence which is related to verbal concepts, Concrete Intelligence which is related to shapes and matter and thirdly Social Intelligence now termed as Emotional Intelligence. It shows that it is not a new concept. Salovey and Mayer (1990) defined emotional intelligence as the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (p. 189). Their model includes features of intelligence, adjustability and encouragement. Mayer and Salovey (1997) stated four skills of EI which includes emotional awareness of own and others, emotional management of own and others, emotional understanding i.e. recognizes the emotional series and cycle, and emotional facilitation i.e. creating emotions. To measure EI, MSCEIT (Mayer, Salovey, and Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test, 2002) was developed on the basis of these four elements. Goleman (1998) stated that EI play a major role in improving performance at work as well as achievements in personal life. He claimed that approximately 90 % of the performance between high and average individuals at senior leader positions was due to EI features rather than cognitive ones (Cichy, Kim and Cha, 2009). Researchers define teams miscellaneously. Ayoko and Callan (2009) defined teams as groups composed of autonomous individuals who are wholly identified as team, having a shared liability and are together accountable for the accomplishment of tasks identified by the organization. Ayoko and Callan argue that the leaders who adopt emotional and transformational leadership behavior probably generate positive team results. As now, there are many instruments or ways to measure EI, it is time to move forward and increase our knowledge regarding the relationship between EI and performance (Jordan, Ashkanasy, Hartel, Hooper, 2002). The focus of this research is to investigate the relationship among the emotional intelligence of team members on their overall performance as a team. Significance of the Study This study will prove to be a source of understanding the benefits of using emotional intelligence in context of realizing team performance. This research will prove to be an important tool for managers and employees which will as a result awaken the need for emotional training of employees. Problem Statement What is the impact of emotional intelligence on team performance? Research Objectives To investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence that is the dependent variable and team performance, the independent variable. To identify the dimensions of emotional intelligence and their magnitude on the performance of teams. To measure the emotional intelligence level of the team members and its overall impact on their team performance. LITERATURE REVIEW Importance of teams With the passage of time focus of organizations is shifting from individual job to team based work units. Teams are said to be necessary for organizational effectiveness. To extract maximum performance from team it requires the selection of people with suitable and adequate skills and knowledge who can understand and cater to team needs These required skills must include the EI skill set because EI accounts for eighty percent of success of an individual (Goleman, 1995). For a large part of work done in the organizations, teams are responsible for carrying it out. Nowadays every employee or employer is a part of a team. Apart from teams being dominant in different kind of settings, they are of hypothetical importance to the scholars. Teams have been analyzed from many viewpoints i.e. analyzing the team members working in a team from a psychological view, the processes within the team, and the background in which the team is formed. With Anconas idea of boundary management activities, relations of teams with the outside parties have also been studied in which activities across the team boundary which include representing the team to outside parties, defending the team from outside pressures, and obtaining information and providing it to the team (Ancona, 1990). Importance of EI in workplaces Before the importance of EI was realized in organizations IQ was supposed to be sufficient for good human performance. Workers were indeed advised to put away their emotions at their homes before coming to work. But it is unrealistic to suppose that emotions can be left home or set aside when you arrive at work. Some people may assume, for a variety of reasons, that emotional neutrality is an ideal, but it is usually not good for an organization for it can hinder people to move into management roles. As, emotional intelligence is critical to high performance, a person who knows how to stay motivated under stress, motivate others, manage complex interpersonal relationships, inspire others and build teams who are recognized specialists on a product or service are likely to get will get better results (Goleman, 2005) The significance of emotions in work settings has been well-known. Emotional intelligence is a multi-dimensional concept that links emotion and cognition to improve human interactions. It has been linked to improved workplace behaviour and specifically team behaviour and team performance. (Jordan, Peter, Lawrence, Sandra, 2009). Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence comprises four abilities, Appraisal and Expression of Emotion (own and others), Use of Emotions and Emotional Management (own and others) (Wong and Law, 2002). Appraisal and expression of emotion The first factor of EI is the ability to properly determine and express ones own emotions as well as to be sympathetic, appraise and express emotions of others. Every individuals ability varies in precisely identifying, appraising and expressing his own emotions as well as the emotions experienced by others. Some people are attentive of their feelings they experience and can express their emotions whereas, some people cannot express their feelings and emotions or they are unaware of their emotions (Zhou, George, 2003). There is a positive relationship between job performance and team members having high EI because they are highly proficient at appraising and regulating their own emotions which results in a higher level of faith in themselves and have power over them which lead them to make realistic actions resulting in high performance and less supervisory interference. But where team members have low EI, they are less proficient at appraising and regulating their emotions, so they have to get assistance from their managers in helping them to better manage and control their emotions which lead to teamwork, coordination, creativity and adaptability (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006). Use of emotions The second factor includes the ability of the individual to use emotions to aid the cognitive processes. Emotions and cognitions are highly interconnected and EI allows people with the ability to use emotions to aid the effective cognitive processing of information. Emotions can be used to emphasize on important matters like selecting among competing and similar options, increase the flexibility of information processing, and engage in certain kinds of information processing (Mayer, 1986; Salovey Mayer, 1989-1990). Therefore, individuals vary not only in awareness, appraisal and expression of emotions but also in their ability to use emotions in collaboration with their cognitive processes to enhance effective functioning. For adjusting in changing situations, emotions play an important role in the effective development of information for the individuals who are high on EI. On the contrary, individuals with low EI cannot effectively use their emotions to aid cognitive processes and may find it difficult to coordinate among how they feel and what are they doing (Zhou, George, 2003). Regulation of emotions The fourth element of EI is about the regulation of emotions of the people. People not only understand the emotions of others but also make an effort to manage these emotions. Some individuals are much competent in managing emotional management process for themselves as well as for other, as compared to other people. For example, if there occurs any breach in quality, it may raise up a negative emotional reaction when the manager tries to determine the reason of the problem i.e. anger. Though the manager, instead of being obsessed with blaming others and seeking revenge, he should manage his anger to effectively solve the problem. It is significantly important for leaders to manage the emotions of others. Emotional reactions provide a useful insight of where interest should be focused, whereas unmanaged emotions can hinder the effective information processing. So to avoid this unduly hindrance, EI allows managers to not only use emotions but also to manage them effectively (Zhou, Geo rge, 2003). The management of emotion enables an individual to join or unjoin himself from an emotion in a given situation depending on its utility at that given time. This is apparent in the individuals ability to have control on his immediate reactions and postpone his judgment and then to communicate them in a measured and careful manner. The suggestion to think and then act, caution to count to 10 before replying and listening practice like pause, breathe and relax then respond are all efforts for managing emotions by conveying your feelings and emotions in a proper way when communicating. Even small children are often taught to count to 10 before getting mad or to smile for Grandpa. Delaying instantaneous responses clearly indicates it is as emotional management ability. Link of EI with team performance Various models of team development note that to resolve differences between team members, it is important for teams to develop and progress. Emotional intelligence, when linked with group performance, helps in constructing useful group interactions and aids individuals to deal with and resolve emotional issues to facilitate high performance. In recent research, it was found that team performance is positively and significantly influenced if team is able to recognize emotions of teammates. (Stough, Saklofske, Parker, 2009) Until now, research has paid attention to emotional intelligence as an individual difference, something similar to intellectual intelligence and associated with personal ability. The notion of emotional intelligence, however, is wider in scope and application than its intellectual intelligence. Studies show that trained teams consisting of members with high emotional intelligence perform as well on measures of team performance as the trained teams consisting of members with low levels of emotional intelligence. Many researchers have anticipated that proper training could be provided to develop the emotionally intelligent team to craft it beyond just a collection of emotionally intelligent individuals but which jointly demonstrate the positive characteristics of emotional intelligence (Daus and Ashkanasy, 1993). Though there are many claims regarding the positive impact of EI on job performance, but the studies examining the relationship between EI and individual level performance show that the perceived potential benefits of using EI in the workplace may be absent. A small number of studies have examined the relationships between EI and performance at group level. (Quoidbach, Hansenne, 2009). Jordan and Troth (2004) have found a link between EI and performance on a purely cognitive task at group level, although this relationship did not appear at individual level. A number of researchers have hypothesized that job performance is influence by employees ability to use emotions to facilitate performance, one of the four defining dimensions of EI. Employees could employ both positive as well as negative emotions to their benefit to improve performance. For example, positive emotions, such as excitement or enthusiasm, could motivate employees to provide better customer service, complete their work assignments, or contribute to the organization. Conversely, negative emotions, such as anxiety, could aid employees ability to focus on their work tasks. (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006) Relationship of high EI individuals with better performance The employees having high emotional intelligence are more skilled to regulate their own as well as manage others emotions to promote positive interactions which would lead to higher performance through organizational citizenship behavior. Latest research has revealed that managers having high EI exhibit produce optimistic work attitudes and unselfish behaviors which resultantly lead to employees higher satisfaction and performance at job (Sy, Tram, OHara, 2006) The high El individual, most centrally, can better perceive emotions, use them in thought, understand their meanings, and manage emotions better than others. Solving emotional problems likely requires less cognitive effort for this individual. The person also tends to be somewhat higher in verbal, social, and their intelligence particularly if the individual scored higher in the understanding emotions portion of El. The individual tends to be more open and agreeable than others. The high El person is drawn to occupations involving social interactions such as teaching and counseling more so than to occupations involving clerical or administrative tasks. The high El individual, relative to others, is less apt to engage in problem behaviors and avoids self-destructive, negative behaviors such as smoking, excessive drinking, drug abuse, or violent episodes with others. The high El person is more likely to have possessions of sentimental attachment around the home and to have more positiv e social interactions, particularly if the individual scored highly on emotional management. Such individuals may also be more adept at describing motivational goals, aims, and missions (Mayer, Salovey, Caruso, 2004). Weiss and Cropanzano (1996) claim that emotional elements have a lasting impact on team performance though are not instantly evident. Pate, Watson and Johnson (1998) have revealed that decisions made by the whole group are a better predictor of performance than the decisions made by the best decision-maker in the group. In majority of teams, the role of leadership is revolved so it is predicted that teams with EI will perform well. (Jordan, Ashkanasy, Hartel, Hooper, 2002) Due to an increased use of teams in organizations since past several years, it has resulted in a productive research literature on what makes teams effective. This question has recognized various important aspects. It has been found through studies that team performance is affected by several factors like communication, team climate, shared mental models, leadership and size. Yet other studies showed a relationship between team performance and individual factors which includes skills, knowledge and abilities of team members, age and tenure of team member, his openness to variety and equilibrium of his role preferences (Pirola-Merlo, Hartel, Mann, Hirst, 2002). Components of Team Performance Dependability among team members have an influence on how well teams can rely on one another as well as on the organization. It is determined greatly by the extent of how much information is being shared and level of openness among teams, and among organization and team. It also includes consistency of teams in terms of them doing what they say they will do, they remain stick to their commitments to each other and to the organization. Information Sharing The basis of trust among team members lies in effective sharing of important information. Teams cannot perform effectively unless they dont have proper information. When the organization keeps the information secret from the team members that may be useful for them, the members may lose confidence in the organization. Nor organizations can trust on teams that are secretive and are not open. Clear Direction A clear direction is needed to point teams to go in the direction in which the organization wants to go. It is important to become clear about the vision and then communicate the vision to the teams. The organization, by setting a clear direction, set the boundaries within which the teams work. Aimlessness Without having clear goals and an apparent direction, teams are likely to become unstable. Their actions are inefficient because they are not aimed. They keep on shifting to other thing after starting on one thing. Although they move in a same general direction but without any accuracy due to absence of clear goals. Alienation The teams which are not involved in decision making of the organization are more likely to deny it, they may consider the path on which they are moving as not of their own, and they may hold themselves less accountable for the results. Teams may engage in disruption to declare their opposition from the direction inn which they are moving. Operational Planning The organization has to create processes to accomplish work once their goals are set, and overall plan has to be set up to fit plans of individual units. In the planning process, they need to plan for teams giving them the clarity and structure and flexibility to gain benefit from unexpected opportunities and deal with unpredicted events. Communications Teams have to communicate with each other as well as to the organization to stay aligned. So, a medium and practices through which communications can flow freely must be built up. Team based organizations need to create effective modes of communication, to identify the information requirements of all parts of organization, and examine levels of communication and noise level. Innovation The benchmark of high performing organizations is that they outperform what is already known and down earlier. They are innovative, work with their own fashion, and generate new products and services. Innovative organizations believe in challenging the status quo and they have the structure that supports new projects. Teams in these organizations are less liable to remain on past success. Connecting Values Where teams have the freedom to act and the resources to be productive, they will tend to buy into the organizations enterprise when one other condition applies: that the organizations work taps a deeply held value or set of values. This connection to what is most important or meaningful to teams and their members creates a sense of mission and an esprit de corps that bonds teams together and to the organization as a whole. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK This research study has following variables: Emotional Intelligence: Independent variable Team Performance: Dependent variable Other Emotional Appraisal Use of Emotion Regulation of Emotion EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE TEAM PERFORMANCE Self-Emotional Appraisal Independent Variable Dependent Variable The study shows a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and team performance. Based on the researches of many researchers like (e.g. Qquoidbach Hansenne, 2009; Jordan, Ashkanasy, HÃ ¤rtel Hooper 2002), the research shows that team performance is dependent upon emotional intelligence. The employees having high levels of emotional intelligence will perform better in teams which will increase the overall performance of the teams. Hypotheses The aim of this study is to prove the relation between emotional intelligence and team performance. Therefore, hypothesis related with four dimensions of emotional intelligence are developed as follows: Hypothesis1: Emotional Intelligence has a significantly positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 2: Self emotion Appraisal (SOE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 3: Other Emotion Appraisal (OEA) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 4: Using of Emotion (UE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. Hypothesis 5: Regulation of Emotion (RE) has a significant positive relationship with team performance. CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study was relational for exploring relationship among Emotional Intelligence (EI), Self Emotion Appraisal (SEA), Other Emotion Appraisal (OEA), Using Emotions (UE) and Regulation of Emotions (RE). These variables are tested. Purpose of the Study Hypothesis testing was done in order to test the relationship between variables which were emotional intelligence, SEA, OEA, UE, RE and team performance. Type of Investigation A causal study was conducted to explore the association among EI, its dimensions and team performance. Extent of Researcher Interference The data was collected with minimum interference by the researcher from different organizations. Study Settings Data was collected in noncontrived settings. Unit of Analysis The unit of analysis for this study is teams as the research questions are focused on impact of emotional intelligence of teams on their performance. Time Horizon The data was gathered just once from different telecom companies therefore the study was one-shot study. Sampling Design The sample was chosen by using convenience sampling where the data was collected from the employees of telecom companies who were easily available to provide it. Sample The targeted population for this research is the telecom sector of Pakistan. The sample conducting this research was selected from the organizations located in Islamabad/Rawalpindi. Total number of teams among which questionnaires were distributed was 35 teams out of only 29 teams returned back the filled questionnaires. Those 15 work teams comprised of 5-15 members. The respondents working in a team currently were included. 72% of the participants in teams were male and 28% were female. Instrument Primary data was gathered through questionnaires. The questionnaire consisted of 32 items (see Appendix). All the items related to emotional intelligence as well as team performance were measured on a 7-point likert scale (7 = Strongly Agree to 1 = Strongly Disagree). The reliability test was applied to the questionnaire which showed 0.934 cron bach alpha. It consisted of two parts. First part consists of 16 items used to measure the emotional intelligence of the members of the team. Second part also consists of 16 items which were used to measure the performance of team. Measures Emotional Intelligence Emotional Intelligence was assessed using Wong and Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS) (2002). This scale consists of 16 items. The WLEIS was designed as a short measure of EI for use in organizational research. It comprises of 16 items, responded to on a 7-point Likert scale and measuring four dimensions: Self-Emotion Appraisal, Emotion Appraisal of Others, Use of Emotion, and Regulation of Emotion. Wong and Law (2002) report good internal consistency reliabilities for their measure. In terms of validity, they present data showing that scores on the WLEIS are related to job performance and job satisfaction. Team Performance The performance of team was measured by 16 items, adopted from Senior, B. (1996). This was measured on a 7-point likert scale. RESULTS AND FINDINGS Data was collected from 15 different teams of telecom organizations from Islamabad/Rawalpindi. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS Version 18. The linear regression was run on the data. By running reliability analysis to the data, Cronbachs Alpha value was found to be 0.934 which shows that our instrument is 93 % reliable. The reliability test was applied on this questionnaire and the results are as follows: Table 1: Data were collected from fifteen teams from telecom companies of Islamabad/Rawalpindi. First, the reliability of the questionnaire was checked through Cronbachs Alpha reliability test. Cronbachs Alpha measures how well a set of items measures a single undimensional latent construct. The calculated Cronbachs Alpha was 0.934 for 32 items which is presented in Table 1. This value shows that there was consistency among the items and the questionnaire was reliable. Table 2: Table 2 indicates that the mean score of emotional intelligence of the employees was 5.43 which mean that the teams had somewhat high level of correlation. A maximum of 7 shows that some of the respondents had very high levels of emotional intelligence and a minimum of 3 shows that some of the teams members did not possess high level of emotional intelligence. Table 3: Table 3 indicates that the overall teams were performing well. A maximum of 7 shows that some teams performance was very good and a minimum of 2 shows that some teams were performing not very well. Table 4: Correlation finds the connection between two variables and determines the extent to which values of two variables are proportional to each other. (Carver Nash, 2006). The above table shows that the self emotion appraisal and use of emotion are highly correlated with team performance, whereas other emotion appraisal and regulation of emotion were although positively correlated but having weak relationship with team performance. Table 5: As in the above table sig. value is less than .05 so we have a significant linear regression. (F (1) = 71.715, p Table 6: Regression equation can be formed as follows: TP=1.915+0.671EI With 1% change in independent variable, it will cause dependent variable to change by 67 %. From the above table and the formed equation we can conclude that Emotional Intelligence is the significantly influencing variable. It means that Emotional Intelligence plays a significant role in the performance of the team. Table 7: Model Summary reports a statistics that measures goodness of fit. R is measuring the simple relation between independent variables and dependent variable. R2 measures the variation of dependent variable by independent variables. It can range from 0 to 1 and indicates the extent to which the line fits the points. The R Square value shows that 65% of the variation in the team performance can be explained by the difference in the value of emotional intelligence. Regression Analysis of Relation between Sub-Dimensions of Emotional Intelligence Team Performance (Dependent Variable: Team Performance) Table 8: The model summary table 11 measures goodness of fit. This table includes the multiple correlation coefficients R, its square R2, and an adjusted version of this coefficient. The multiple correlation coefficient, R = .719, indicates that there was a moderate correlation between dimensions of emotional intelligence and team performance. In terms of variability, observed team performance accounted for the fitted model, this amounts to a proportion of R2 =0.518, or 51.8 %. It means that there was 51.8 % of the variation in team performance (dependent variable) was explained by the dimensions of EI (independent variable). This shows a strong relationship between the two variables (emotional intelligence and team performance). The value of durbin Watson value should range from 1.5-2.5. Our value of Durbin Watson is 1.684 which means there is no issue of multicollinearity. Table 9: From ANOVA table, it is evident that Sig (p value) = 0.000 which is less than 0.05 so the model fits the data properly. The F-test for the null hypothesis, that the four dimensions of Emotional Intelligence (EI) does not have positive relation with teams performance, or in other words, that R2 is zero. Here the null hypothesis is rejected (F (4) = 25.478, p Table 10: The above given coefficients table provides regression coefficients, standard errors of the estimates, t-tests and tolerance and VIF values. The estimated regression coefficients are given under the heading Standardized Coefficients B, these give, for each of the independent variables, the predicted change in the dependent variable when the independent variable is increased by one unit based on a condition that all the other variables in the model will remain constant. For example, here we estimate that teams performance increases by 17 % with a one unit change in team members self emotion appraisal assuming that there is no change in the rest of variables. One unit increase in others emotion appraisal brings a 3.8% change in the performance of teams. Similarly, one unit increase in the use of emotion of an employee brings a 41% variation in teams performance. At the end, a unit change in the team me

The Advantage Of Mobile Marketing

The Advantage Of Mobile Marketing Today, marketers are finding it increasingly more difficult to attract and retain their target audience. This is due in part to the impersonal one-way nature of traditional mass-media, and in part to the fragmentation of the media environment. What is more, consumers are no longer impressed with spectacular advertising campaigns and mind boggling special effects, instead they are now thirsty for information and are even willing to pay for it (Haig, 2002). Yet the picture is not all doom and gloom. The new global market of the 21st century has provided many new opportunities and cost effective alternatives for both marketers and consumers alike. For example, the emergence of the mobile smartphone has changed every aspect of our society and has become one of the fastest adopted consumer products of all time. As Chuck Martin points out, we are in the midst of a technological revolution that has far outweighed the television or the personal computer. This third screen, is revolutionizing the marketing landscape and the entire buying process. Mobile smartphones have liberated consumers from the confines of their homes, offices and traditional media environments and empowered them with information right at their fingertips. (Martin, 2011). Mobile marketing comprises many different applications ranging from SMS, MMS, short-codes and location-based services, to apps and direct mobile payment. With more and more people carrying smartphones in their pockets, marketers have the potential to catch them anywhere and anytime. Recent studies show that today there are more mobile devices in use than there are PCs and laptops together. Moreover, according to eMarketer, the amount of time people spend on their phones surfing the internet, listening to music, using apps and playing games has more than doubled in the past two years while the time spent online on computers has grown by just a mere 3.6 percent  [1]  . Nonetheless, that is not to say that traditional media is becoming less important or obsolete. However, due to its passive nature, marketing messages cannot be personalized for different target markets and often end up reaching the wrong audience at the wrong time. With multimedia-rich smartphones and other wireless devices marketers have the ability to send their consumers more personalized and relevant marketing messages wherever and whenever. Likewise, consumers are now able to search for the information they need whenever they need it. Thus, with a well-integrated marketing campaign that includes both traditional and new media businesses and brand owners can increase the customer loyalty, acquisition and most importantly their bottom-line. 1.2 Objective The objective of this thesis is to gain an understanding in the current state of mobile marketing and to identify the advantages of using a mobile smartphone as a direct marketing tool in comparison to traditional mass-media. Moreover, this thesis will examine the potential and future trends of mobile marketing and its implications for companies. 1.3 Methodology This review is based on a number of select books, journal articles, websites and other literature in the field of mobile marketing, digital media and m-commerce. The most popular and commonly cited literature was also selected. The search for relevant literature was based on many keywords including but not limited to: mobile marketing, mobile ads, m-commerce, traditional vs. new media, digital media, and direct marketing. Mobile Marketing 2.1 Definition of Mobile Marketing Before exploring the advantage of using a mobile smartphone as a direct marketing tool we must first define mobile marketing. In short, mobile marketing is a method of connecting people with advertisers via a mobile device. However, with the rising demand for information and communication technology as well as falling prices for broadband internet  [2]  , mobile marketing has become a powerful marketing tool that is shaping the way we do business.  [3]   As Eric Pfanner of New York Times describes, the power of mobile marketing comes mainly from the ability to acquire immense volumes of user-generated data by monitoring their clicks and tracing their whereabouts. Mobile marketing also makes it easier to focus the communication towards targeted audiences giving it a huge advantage over traditional mass-media which targets the public as a whole. But what exactly constitutes mobile marketing and how is it defined? According to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), mobile marketing is defined as a set of practices that enables organizations to communicate and engage with their audience in an interactive and relevant manner through any mobile device or network.  [4]  This definition is composed of two important components: a set of practices and engage with audiences. The first component relates to various marketing and e-commerce activities such as advertising, promotion, e-banking, online-purchase and CRM to name a few. Hence, mobile marketing is a set of practices intended at delivering a message, creating value and/or building a relationship with the customer. According to Philip Kotler, renowned professor and marketing theorist, marketing is defined as the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value to satisfy the needs of a target market at a profit (Kotler, Wong, Saunders, Armstrong, 2005). One might then say that mobile marketing is the science and art of communicating, engaging, and delivering value that is relevant to the target market at a profit via wireless telecommunication media. The second and more important component in MMAs definition of mobile marketing relates to the relationship between the customer and the marketer. With mobile devices this relationship has shifted from one-way to two- and even multi-way relationships where both the organization and the customer are responding to one another and exchanging information (Shankara Balasubramanian, 2009). Consequently, the purpose is to entice the customer to respond by either push tactics, initiated by the customer in the form of a click or a response, or pull tactics initiated by the marketer  [5]  . Additionally, Rob Stokes of eMarketer explains that there are two forms of mobile engagement. One uses the mobile phones communication features as part of an engagement strategy, and the other drives traffic to an organizations mobile website or application (Stokes, 2011). Either way, marketing messages must be relevant enough that consumers no longer passively consume, but instead actively participate in campaigns, especially in real-time, influencing the scope and the direction of the promotion or marketing message. Kim Dushinski, author of Mobile Marketing Handbook, delves deeper and defines mobile marketing as how businesses communicate with consumers on their mobile devices, with their explicit permission, at the right time, at the right place while providing relevant value (Dushinski, 2009). She calls this smart mobile marketing because not only does mobile marketing rely on the use of smart devices, but it is a uniquely tailored form of communication that it personal and of value to the individual user. More importantly, consumers voluntarily consent to receive advertising or promotional offers which in turn increases the efficiency of the marketing campaign and establishes a more effective and transparent relationship with the consumer  [6]  . To sum up, mobile marketing uses wireless and mobile communication channels for conducting various marketing and e-commerce activities with the aim of establishing deeper and more transparent relationships with individuals as well as target markets. More so, mobile-data can provide marketers and business with valuable information on customers and prospects, including their location, purchasing habits, and many other useful insights which can help them deliver value in a more relevant manner. This is specifically why it is crucial for marketers to consider engaging customers on their mobile devices. 2.2 The 6 Elements of Mobile Marketing Figure : The 6 key elements of mobile marketing Together with the internet the mobile phone has truly transformed the methods by which we communicate and share information. As mobile phones continue to evolve with better and newer features they are also helping to redefine the marketing landscape. As powerful as mobile marketing may be, many businesses are still hesitant or inept at developing strategies and allocating resources to effectively engage their customers on the mobile platform. As a consequence, many opportunities are overlooked or mismanaged. One reason may be the fragmented media environment and consequently shifting consumer habits (DAlleva Colapietro, 2012). Another reason for this incompetence may be the lack of understanding what mobile marketing is and the various forms it can take or the many different kinds of applications and tools that are involved. The model in figure 1 should ideally help marketers make sense of mobile marketing and recognize the potential of engaging customers on their mobile phones. The six elements were produced out of various ideas as well as after extensive review of the literature at hand. Mobile marketing differs from traditional marketing in many ways and the purpose of this chapter will be to discuss these differences based on six distinguishing key elements. Earlier, it was explained that mobile marketing relates to marketing activities conducted via wireless mobile devices and networks and according to Andreas Kaplan to which consumers are regularly connected  [7]  . Likewise, Alex Michael and Ben Salter note that mobile marketing uses the mobile medium for spontaneous, direct, interactive and targeted communications or entertainment between a business and its customers and may occur any time or place. (Michael Salter, 2006). Therefore, the first element of mobile marketing is direct. That is, it can generate an immediate response from the consumer. Philip Kotler et al., explain that direct-marketing is a direct form of communication where individuals and target customers are carefully selected in order to obtain an immediate response (Kotler, Wong, Saunders, Armstrong, 2005). The mobile phone allows both the marketer and the user to connect directly with each other without first having to go through intermediaries such as a pos tal service or broadcasting network (Becker Arnold, 2010). Consequently, with the mobile phone there is a high degree of synchronicity meaning that the sender and the receiver can respond to the message simultaneously (Hongcharu Eiamkanchanalai, 2009). If the consumer is interested in the marketing message they can respond straightaway by either replying to the text message, answering the call or any other form of communication available on their mobile phone. With mass media such as the TV or Magazines, interactivity is near impossible and synchronicity is therefore very low. The second element of mobile marketing is universal. This is because todays smartphones are multimedia-rich devices with a wide array of tools capable of sending and receiving content as text, image, audio and video in addition to making phone calls. Since the aim of advertising is to attract the attention of the consumer by stimulating their senses, mobile marketing is particularly effective in influencing a consumers perception. Moreover, mobile marketing campaigns can incorporate all the facets of effects  [8]   emotion, persuasion, behavior, association, cognition and perception and therefore have a more profound impact on the consumers behavior. Third, mobile marketing is in-context. Due to the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones information can be delivered in real-time depending on the whereabouts and the day-to-day behavior of the user. Therefore, being able to anticipate the location of customers when they receive the marketing messages is integral for the success of any marketing campaign. The mobile phone has become a mundane, everyday item (Michael Salter, 2006). It can be used at home, at work or while being on the move. By considering the customers location, the marketing message can eventually be tweaked to better serve the customers needs (Krum, 2010), and when it comes to local searches, mobile marketing can offer effective solutions. Thus, on the one hand, mobile marketing enables businesses to implement context-aware and targeted advertising, and on the other hand, mobile marketing allows for more personalized pull-type advertisements for consumers (Li Du, 2012). Forth, mobile marketing is personalized-marketing. Communication can be uniquely customized to meet the specific needs of individual customers or target audiences. As mentioned in the beginning of the chapter, advances in information technology and telecommunication have caused a shift from mass marketing to targeted or one-on-one marketing. This has led to a dramatic impact on marketing communication as whole (Kotler, Wong, Saunders, Armstrong, 2005). The fifth element is that mobile marketing is permission-based marketing. As previously mentioned, there are many tools and features built into mobile phones which allow the consumer to opt-in or -out of promotions and updates. The mobile phones also enables both the sender and the receiver to conceal their identity when making a call and therefore providing additional anonymity. However, this calls for stricter regulations in order to protect the privacy rights of individuals and to promote ethical behavior. As Seth Godin explains, permission-marketing is a privilege so when a customer pays attention to the message, business must treat them with respect  [9]  . Last but not least, mobile marketing is interactive. Consumers can interact with the company, the media and with each other through various applications and tools readily available on most mobile smartphones. Where traditional marketing is viewed as a one-way communication process in which the message moves from sender to the receiver, mobile marketing seeks to engage the consumer through interactive dialogue. The message is sent back and forth between the sender and the receiver throughout the entire communication process (Moriarty, Mitchell, Wells, 2012). To conclude, mobile phones have undoubtedly altered the communication process between organizations and their customers. Consequently, this poses vast challenges for businesses and marketers as traditional marketing methods are becoming ineffective and unable to keep up with shifting consumer habits. The one-size-fits-all approach of mass-media no longer applies to knowledgeable and empowered consumers backed with sophisticated technology and rich with information. Consequently, customers no longer want to be talked at, instead, they want firms to listen, engage, and respond (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy, Silvestre, 2011) as well as provide useful and relevant information. 2.3 The Rise of Mobile Marketing Mobile phones are widespread and of great importance to mankind. With the power of the internet they allow people from all around the world to connect almost instantly irrespective of time and place. But smartphones are not only communication devices. Nowadays they are being used while shopping, banking and even as technical utilities such as operating pumps from remote locations  [10]  . Mobile phones are also great for staying up-to-date on the news and for receiving alerts on personal monetary transactions  [11]  . The rising popularity of mobile phones provides many new opportunities for businesses as well as individuals. According to recent studies, they are the number one preferred communications medium (Li Du, 2012), and because they are personal and accessible at all times it is no wonder that more and more marketers are adopting mobile phones in their campaigns. With the introduction of broadband internet and innovative developments in communication technologies many industries are becoming increasingly more involved with digital media. News networks such as CNN, BBC and Reuters now offer mobile apps. Likewise, food and beverage companies like Coca-Cola, Starbucks and McDonalds deliver coupons to mobile handsets. Mobile phones have created a new breed of always connected consumers. For many people around the world the mobile phone has become a personal and everyday tool used for surfing and communicating online (Michael Salter, 2006). The mobile has also paved the path for new forms commerce that can be conducted wirelessly and on-the-go (m-commerce). As explained in chapter 2.1, Mobile Marketing refers to any method of engaging and developing a relationship with the customer in order to deliver value at a profit and which is conducted via a mobile network. Thus, users no longer depend on wired networks and personal computers, instead they now use mobile communication device such as their mobile phones or tablet PCs to conduct various e-commerce activities (Ngai Gunasekaran, 2007). Number of People with Access to a Mobile Phone Furthermore, the graph in figure 3 shows the percentage of page views coming from mobile devices globally and regionally. Several studies indicate that mobile internet will soon take over desktop internet usage. Hence, we can observe that 10.1% of all the pages viewed during May last year were from a mobile device. Likewise, mobile web penetration is strongest in Asia and Africa with 18% and 12.9% page views respectively. Throughout the world people have become interlinked with each other on their mobile phones and other devices. The near ubiquity that mobile phones have to offer is generating many new economic opportunities for the whole society. The scope of mobile devices has reached unprecedented proportions. Nearly everyone on the planet can be engaged with a mobile device. In developing countries, it may be the only way to engage someone digitally (Becker Arnold, 2010). In Kenya for instance, the mobile phone has become and vital part of cash-transfer schemes  [14]  allowing the poor in rural areas to purchase goods. In Peru, mobile phones and tablet computers have become a main source of knowledge among pupils. Likewise, various social networking sites and web apps such as Twitter or Facebook have in many ways influenced the Arab spring. Social media is no longer the domain of the liberal youth, empowering different agendas across the political map.  [15]   Mobile technologies have provided many economic and political opportunities which have helped people lead better lives and make their opinions heard within their communities. This is because mobile phones have, in many countries, become much cheaper than personal computers. As such, smartphones are often considered a persons first personal phone as well as first personal computer (Krum, 2010). Global Mobile Marketing Spending In the context of mobile marketing, eMarketer predicts that global spending is expected to rise 400% in the coming four years from $8.4 billion in 2012 to nearly $37 billion in 2016. This growth is mainly due to increasing smartphone and tablet sales  [17]  . The Number of Users/Minutes Spent on Apps per Month And with regards to smartphones, it is estimated that there are 1 billion active mobile app users worldwide spending a total of 101 billion minutes a month on apps. The facts and figures presented in this chapter aim to show the importance of the mobile medium in modern day marketing. It is clear that mobile phones have become an integral part of our daily lives. Since we spend a large portion of our time logged-in to our phones, it seems self-evident that mobile phones are the most convenient and direct channel for reaching and engaging customers at every stage of the life cycle. Whether it is to sell a product or service, deliver information, or to make life easier, the mobile phenomenon has rapidly disseminated making that which is on the opposite side of the globe seem very real and local. Businesses should not hesitate to tap into the realm of the mobile medium. 2.4 Push and Pull The main difference between push and pull marketing lies in the way a consumer is approached. While push tactics are usually initiated by the brand owner without necessarily obtaining permission from the user, pull tactics attempt to draw the consumer to the brand by offering something of value  [19]  and establishing loyalty. In traditional mass-media the same messages are pushed out to everyone including people who are not within the marketers target audience. With mobile marketing customers will, on their own terms, choose when and what they see. Melissa Rucker makes the following observation in regards to pull marketing: They choose to opt-in to your message regardless of the channel in which it is delivered, which means you have to make it has[sic!] easy to opt-in as possible. This trend toward opt-in pull marketing is partially why social and mobile marketing are a critical aspect for marketing success.  [20]   2.5 Opt-in and opt-out While mobile marketing has been around since the 90s it is still quite a young discipline and deeply rooted in traditional marketing strategies. As such, the methods used to push content through mobile networks resemble interruption marketing common in traditional mass-media. Similar to how commercials interrupt a television program or pop-up windows come into view on a computer screen, push techniques via mobiles are sometimes invasive and often happen without prior approval from the end-user  [21]  . According to Kim Dushinski, sending content via mobile devices and especially text messages to people who havent explicitly requested them is unethical and in many countries even illegal  [22]  . This calls for the need for extensive revision of traditional marketing and advertising practices with new rules and methods for engaging and interacting with consumers on their mobile phones. One method briefly discussed in chapter 2.2 is permission-based communication which allows users to opt-in or -out of marketing messages by obtaining legal authorization. For instance, signing-up online, filling out a registration form or responding to an SMS are all methods by which consumers can opt-in. Such guidelines are not only significant in protecting consumers from unsolicited messages, but promote ethical behavior and are very effective too. The real trick however, is to develop a marketing campaign that generate demand and encourages people to opt-in. Users today are bombarded with infinite spam messages, promotional offers and obtrusive pop-ups. Thus, it is important to recognize the specific needs and wants of the consumers and to create more appealing and user-friendly campaigns in order to build long-lasting and profitable relationships. 2.6 The Tools of Mobile Marketing Mobile marketing is only as powerful as the hardware permits. The advances and capabilities of mobile marketing are therefore directly linked to the mobile phone and its networks. Before launching a mobile marketing campaign it is imperative to understand what type of devices exist on the market and what tools and applications are available to best meet the needs of the customers. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a primer into the different tools commonly found on the mobile medium and to explain their application within a marketing context. But before going into much detail it would be useful to provide a short comparison between basic mobile phones and smartphones. Essentially, it all boils down to two main aspects: the Operating System (OS) and the hardware specifications. With basic mobile phones the user is often tied down to a closed operating system and without the ability to extend its features. This kind of phone connects to a so called 2G wireless radio network and provides limited functionality such as voice communication, Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). Newer mobile phones may feature a watered-down version of the Internet such as WAP which allows for text-based Web browsing, instant messaging and e-mailing. On the other hand, according to SmartphonesAppsPedia, a smartphone is defined as a mobile phone offering advanced capabilities, often with PC-like functionality or ability to download apps.  [23]  As such, a smartphone can not only connect to 2G networks, but also newer 3G as well as Wi-Fi networks. Consequently, the smartphone integrates the features of a basic mobile phone with the features of a computer to allow the user to store personal information, send and receive e-mails, surf the internet and install programs that extend the functionality of the onboard operating system. 2.6.1 Text Messaging (SMS and MMS) Text messaging is an effective and cost efficient way to market any product or service with the ability to reach out to customers via bulk SMS (or MMS). It is one of the oldest features available on almost any mobile phone. SMS are digital messages which hold up to 160 alphanumeric characters and can be sent to and from a mobile phone. Alternatively, MMS extends the capabilities of SMS and includes multimedia content such as graphic, audio and video in addition to text messages. SMS and MMS can be sent as a form of personal communication from one mobile phone directly to another and can also be sent commercially via text messages services that relay content to multiple phones simultaneously (Dushinski, 2009). It is estimated that roughly 7.8 trillion SMS messages were sent worldwide in 2011 and this number will continue to grow throughout 2013. Furthermore, it is expected that by 2013 worldwide SMS revenue will break the $150 billion mark for the first time  [25]  . The immense popularity of SMS and MMS comes from the fact that they are straightforward person-to-person messaging service that are simple to grasp and have widespread support (Michael Salter, 2006). In the context of mobile marketing, text messaging has become increasingly popular as it provides great ways for interacting with customers and provides cheap access to information. The usage of SMS and MMS among phone users is quite high and forecasts show it will remain that way for some time to come (Michael Salter, 2006). One of the main advantages of a text messaging campaign is that it is easy to implement and most affordable as it can be applied across various mobile platforms and carriers (Dushinski, 2009). SMS and MMS marketing are particularly effective in enticing customers or potential customers to participate in a marketing campaign and in stimulating consumer purchasing. For instance, reality shows such as ÃÆ'-sterreich sucht den Superstar or American Idol prompted viewers in participating in the final votes for their favorite musical act by sending special keywords to short codes (SC). Coca Cola, on the other hand, has repeatedly run a long-term sweepstake where secret numbers are hidden beneath the bottle caps and when sent via SMS to a short code, consumers could win prizes. By responding to these campaign users are opting-in or subscribing to receive marketers messages or updates as well as allowing them to expand their database. When integrated with traditional mass media, text messages can also generate large ROI. However, mobile marketing can be challenging and if done wrong may even deter customers or potential clients. Susan Gunelius of Creative Inc. recommends following five tips for better text messing campaigns  [26]  : Brief, clear and precise communication. Customers must recognize the purpose and be able to respond accordingly. Addressing the customer appropriately and avoiding the use abbreviations and slang terms (common in spam messages) otherwise they will be ignored. Text messages should ideally enhance the user experience as soon as it is read by offering important information or something else of value. For example, real-time information based on a customers geo-location. The sender and or brand should be clearly identifiable in order to be traceable, accountable and promote ethical behavior. Making the customer feel exceptional and avoiding clutter in order to entice them to opt-in or remain subscribed to the service. 2.6.2 QR Codes Originally invented in Japan for tracking products in factories  [28]  , today quick response codes (QR) have become indispensable marketing tools we can no longer do without. QR Codes like the one depicted above in figure 7 are 2D bar codes that can be captured via a mobile phones camera and converted into text, links and image or used as vouchers among other things. The rapid rise in popularity for QR codes lies in the fact that they enable traditional mass media to become interactive and measurable since each QR code is unique and traceable. In the context of mobile marketing, QR codes can be used in a variety of ways and can be integrated into any type of media including TV commercials, print advertising, digital displays or infoscreens, business cards, mailers an