The comparison between Renren and Facebook Literature review

The comparison between Renren and Facebook - Literature review Example The government of China has been long trying to keep tight control over traditional as well as new social media platforms so that the political authorities are not challenged in any way (Boyd and Ellison, 2008). The government uses strict monitoring systems, jailing of bloggers, journalists or social activists and shutting down of websites and publications (Gorman, 2005). There has been a growing dissatisfaction among the young and emerging social groups in China. Most of these groups want higher flexibility in search sites and liberal policies for publications and online social media sites. This has led to anti social activities such as people getting involved in media censorship in China and that has in turn created pressure on the government. The Chinese have been demanding information and this is a testing phase for the age-old control of Chinese authorities over media (Hansen, 2010). Media censorship has been playing an influential role in the political evolution in Chinese gove rnance. However, with the rise in globalization and China becoming an integral part of the global economy, the political as well as the policy making authorities are trying to balance their goal of maintaining power by controlling content and satisfying the need for more information (Kiesler et al., 2002). The government fears that the consistent need for freedom and information might have to force them to open gates which the policies were trying to lock for so long (Zizi and Alan, 2000). Another concern is that while providing more information to the people the government might lose control over that crucial information which has been holding the overall government’s control and avoiding downfall of the regime (Bennett, 2013). Even though Chinese government allows sharing of information and media access, the government has been keen on maintaining strict laws and rules. The major concern comes in guarding the secrets of the state. The Chinese government has recently announc ed modifications in its state secret law policies in order to gain tight control over information flow. No doubt, social media sites like Google, Facebook, Tumbler and Twitter have been banned as a result of mass flow of information and ideas (O'Rourke IV, Harris and Ogilvy, 2007). Many critics have argued that the definition of these vague secret laws is itself contradictory. Thus, the rules of punishment and illegal obligations are sometimes despised. Revenue Sources for Social Media Networks In general there are two major sources of income for the company. It includes: IVAS (Value Added Services from Internet):- The source of revenue of IVAS is mainly from online applications and games. Most of the revenues are gathered from the online purchase of games, applications and other virtual items. Other revenues are earned from the application developers and merchants who offer their services and products in different websites. Furthermore, exclusive and VIP membership are few other ar eas from where the online firm earns substantial amount of money. Online Advertising: - Online advertisements are also another segment from which the company earns a substantial amount of revenue. This is achieved by a number of different advertisements. The advertisements are positioned ain suitable place at the front page or the interface. The advertisements are mainly charged according to the time and place where they are positioned in the

The Salem Community Essay Example for Free

The Salem Community Essay Throughout The Crucible, conspiracy and lies lead to the corruption and downfall of the 17th century Salem community. From the title it is evident that this pious society is a crucible or a vessel filled with boiling, bubbling characters waiting to react at any moment. Arthur Millers own experiences of the 1950s McCarthy witch trials, where individuals were accused of being Communists, inspired him to write the play and he is able to provide a realistic insight into the pain and suffering certain characters faced as a result of the accusations. In the God-fearing community of Salem, hysteria runs out of control and the malicious lies of certain characters destroy lives. Characters become more suspicious of each other and anxiety is paramount for those characters that stand accused. Through the use of stage directions, Miller highlights the tension between the Proctors within their struggling marriage. The turmoil within the marriage may be viewed as a microcosm of the greater conflict that exists in Salem as a whole; they no longer feel comfortable with each other as they try in vain to rebuild their marriage. Physical distancing and formal language is used, to show the strain within their relationship. Miller introduces several court officials to escalate tension before the intense interrogations have even started. This clever use of symbolism reveals the importance of the poppet, as it may decide Elizabeths future at the hands of the malicious Abigail. Similarly, Mary Warrens vulnerability and isolation in the courtroom are enhanced as Miller positions her away from those who wish to see her suffer. Throughout the play, Miller escalates tension with the frequent references to Abigail Williams name both in the Proctors household and the courtroom, where court officials are fooled into taking the girls side, thereby encouraging an emotional reaction from the audience. Regular pauses and stilted dialogue builds the suspense to a crescendo as a very emotional within a setting the dramatic and tragic climax approaches. Elizabeth replies to John with one word answers as they struggle to communicate. Her short responses reveal an uneasy situation where both characters do not feel comfortable or relaxed with one another. The uncomfortable environment creates an image of depression which augments the relationships tension. Miller creates a depressing atmosphere in his description of the Proctors house being low, dark and rather long. It suggests that there is no warmth and this is echoed in the state of their marriage as there appears to be little affection between the two characters. Consequently the audience is encouraged to feel sympathetic towards the couple as the tension between them is obvious.

Methods of Studying the Brain

Methods of Studying the Brain History of brain treatments Trepanning is a surgical procedure where a hold is drilled into the skull using a surgical tool, in the 17th and 19th century. The process involved drilling into the skull and removing a piece of bone. In ancient times trepanning was done as a tribal ritual to let evil spirts escape out of the head. It was performed to cure, headaches, and many mental illness for instance; Huntingtons, Parkinson, schizophrenia and epilepsy. Lobotomy is a surgical procedure in which the nerve pathways in a lobes of the brain are severed from those in other areas. The procedure was used as a radical therapeutic measure distributed patients, who had mental illnesses. Moreover, lobotomy was used in mental institutions where the patients wouldnt understand and known it is been done. (ETHICS) Also, the patients would often could out of the procedure with black eyes from the surgery and they would be given darken glasses to cover up the bruising ( ETHICS) A few years later Thorine a chemical lobotomy was designed which was better as there wasnt a risk of surgery. 2,900 lobotomies were performed. The last one to be performed was in 1967 due to the patient dying of brain haemorrhage. EEG stands for electroencephalogram which is a recording of the brains activity. Small sensors are attached to the scalp to pick up the electrical signals produced when brain cells send message to each other. Helped to monitoring and diagnosing conditions affecting the brain. Invasive methods Invasive methods are a therapeutic technique that involves breaking the skin. It involves the injection or a placement of a device into the body. Invasive pain management therapies have been used to treat neck and back pain. Invasive methods are done by open surgery or laroscopy. Advantages Disadvantages Increase safety less trauma to the body and far less blood loss Can be time consuming for patient and surgeon Less scaring only takes about two stitches to close the womb Long recover, some patient might be lucky to start to feel recovered by 6 to 8 weeks but others longer. You dont have to stay in hospital very long most patients get discharged within 24 hours. At very high risk of infection More accurate As well as find other damaged areas you might damage that area more or even they might have done the damage. When doing the surgery you may find other damaged areas and be able to remove or treat it. Very expensive Non invasive Non-invasive is a therapeutic technique which doesnt involve invading or breaking the skin. Therefore, the produce does not involve tools that can beak the skin or physically enter the body. For example; x-rays, CT scans, MRI, and ECG. Until recent years, exploratory surgery was routinely performed when a patient was critically ill and the source of illness wasnt known. Advantages Disadvantages The patient undergo less stress as no time for healing or been under general anaesthetic. Some of the scanning can be harmful to the body ad involves radiation Less time consuming Might not see if it damages any other area or if there is any other disease or damage to the brain. Very quick recovery Might not always be an opinion, the surgeon might offer Invasive first Reduced risk of infection Some of the scans may stimulate other parts of the brain Cheaper MRI scanner X-RAY machine Deep Brain Stimulation Deep stimulation is a surgical procedure (invasive technique) which is performed under local anaesthetic. It is perform in this situation so that the patient can talk and have brain movement to say the procedure has worked. Deep stimulation is the main type of surgery used to treat Parkinsons disease. Parkinsons is not cure able however; it may help to control the movement of the symptoms. Deep brain stimulation involved very fine wires with electrodes at the tip of the brain, which send electrical impulse to the targeted part of the brain. These are connected to extensions that are tunneled under the skin behind the ear and down the neck. They are connected to a pulse generator, which is placed under the skin around the chest. With Deep Brain Stimulation treating disease of mental health, some people not understand what is mean done and therefore their careers give permission for it to be done and this isnt technical right the patient themselves hasnt full agreed to it. Furthermore, the patient isnt de-brief before the surgery to make sure they full understand what the procedure is and this is all unethical to society. Advantage Disadvantage Very accurate Increase risk of infection. The implantation of foreign objects entering then body. Good technique Additional surgery may be needed is any of the equipment stops working. Sometimes every 3 to 5 years. Minimal opening to brain Time consuming Effective techniquie Devices which are inserted into the body can sometimes interfere with other devices. No damage to the brain during the surgery Sometimes uncomfortable sensations during stimulation can occur. Lesion Production Brain Lesions can be caused by injury, infection, and problems with immune system. There cause is still unknown. There are several of types and some of the effects can cause great harm to you whereas, some are harmless. In lesions, nerve cells die, leaving behind damages areas of the brain. Then after time the brain function in those parts of the brain decrease. Disease such as; Parkinsons, huntingsons Alzheimers and some types of dementia are a group of brain lesions. Some drug additions can be linked to lesions. Symptoms of a brain lesion vary depending on the type, location and size of the lesion. Symptoms include; Headache Nauseas Change of vision Memory loss Seizures Fever There are different types of Brain lesions. For instance abscesses and Alzheimers and other dementias. Abscesses are areas of infection, including inflamed tissue. This isnt a common however, theyre life threating. Brain abscesses often occur after an infection. Moreover, it can also appear after an injury or surgery. Alzheimers disease and other dementias these are another group of brain lesions. In these lesion, the nerve cells die which leaves behind damaged areas to the brain. then Problems which can occur from brain Lesions are: Mood changes Personality changes Behaviour can change Mental ability can change A loss of memory Having pain in joints and having difficulty to move Producing lesion is purposely destroying an area on the brain to research and investigate specific areas of the brain. From this you can see exactly which parts do which function. There are three ways to make an lesion. Chemically to destroy the neurons Electrical current to also destroy the neurons Surgically This involves cutting a part of the brain Advantages Disadvantages The whole of the brain been analysed at once therefore a lot of information and research can be gathered. Involves surgery cutting into patients brain could be a lot of blood loss. The removal of lesion can decrease or even stop seizures Recovery could take away Can look at the size of the lesion and see the damage cause for instance Wernickes or Brocas The surgery could cause stress for the patient Increase risk of infection due to the recovery time and its surgery Removal of a lesion can cause damage in the brain e.g Wernecks or Brocas- language and speech centres. Carbon nanotubes Carbon nanotubes are tubes which have a very small diameter for example it can be as small as one nanometer. This is a very new invention and scientists are hoping to build tiny transistors for computer chips and other electronic devices. Each day carbon nanotubes have more research on and so they are very new. Carbon nanotubes are electrodes which are surrounded by carbon atoms in the shape of a coil. They are really thin! Thinner than a piece of hair. Nanotechnology is used often as it has a lot of uses. For example; sunscreens, self cleaning glass and clothes with UV protection. Uses for nanotubes are Brain tumour research Possibility of using the nanotubes to directly deliver cancer fighting drugs into the brain Medical uses for instance; bone scaffolding and cell therapy. This is achieved by drugs or silencing genes Carbon nanotubes recently used to control the damage caused by a stroke, dental implants or synthetic muscles. Ethnics on carbon nanotubes is it is still experimental and we dont know how it will effect individuals in the long term. Its still be researched and developed. Advantages Disadvantages Many sectors e.g medical, energy and manufacturing benefit from it Newer technology therefore, not much testing been done. New possible cancer therapy Can be difficult to work with Lots of information on neurones and their responses. Very small and can be very expensive to produce. Future treatments of neurological disorders such as Parkinsons and strokes So far it is only been used in experiments so no long term effects seen We as humans are carbon based. Nobody knows how it will react to the body, will it be compatible Surgery will still be required and therefore, surgical; risks attached. Stereotaxic surgery Stereotaxic surgery is also called stereotactic. It is brain surgery where a brain tumour is removed with using image if the brain to guild the surgeon to a target within the brain. Neuro-navigation is a technique which may have an external frame attached to the head or imaging markers attached to the scalp to orient the surgeon in his approach. The term stereotactic came from Greek and Latin roots which meant touch in space. Stereotaxic surgery is used for many reasons, which include: Brain tumors Deep Brain Stimulates Monitoring activity of brain for instance; scanning Monitoring and treating Parkinsons Side effects for stereotaxic is that is have very few immediate effects than the normal radiosurgery, as the area being treated is smaller. However, you are likely to have hair loss, feel sick, feel fatigue, dizzy, have headaches or have rashes appear on your skin. These are common side effects of regular external radiotherapy to the brain. Doctors normal give does of steroid before the treatment or straight after to help prevent side effects due to swelling in the brain. Advantages Disadvantages No cutting is involved in Could stimulate wrong area of brain therefore different behavior would be seen Lots of research taking place Could damage the brain Used in Parkinsons treatment Bleeding could be caused Function Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRI) FMRI is a technique for measuring the metabolic changes that occur in brain activity. It uses a powerful magnetic field and radio waves frequency pulses to produce detailed pictures of soft tissues, bone and other internal body structure. It works by detecting the change in blood oxygenation and flow that occur in response to neural activity. When an area is more active it consumes more oxygen and to meet this increased demand blood flow increase to the active area. It can be used to examine the brains anatomy, determines which part of the brain are handling critical functions, evaluate the effect of stroke or disease. FMRI is the only technique which can detect abnormalities within the brain. This is a picture of an FMRI scanner, which is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. You lie inside the tube straight and as still as possible during the scan. Advantages Disadvantages Does not use radiation Scanners usually expensive Has no visual risks Person needs to be completely still for it to capture a clear image Evaluate brain function safely and effectively Researchers still dont completely understand how it works. fMRI is easy to use People are in an enclosed space, so people who are claustrophobic are faced with problems with MRI to be done. MRI scan can provide information about the blood circulation throughout the body and blood vessels The scan involves really loud noises while processing because they involve a really high amount of electric current supple Magnetoencephalography (MEG) MEG measures ongoing brain activity with millisecond time resolution. It works by detecting magnetic fields which are created by the brains electrical signals. MEG is used for finding out about diseases such as; Parkinsons and Alzheimers. But also is used for research to measure the time course of brain activity and can detect epilepsy, as well as detect areas of the brain that are most important to avoid during surgery. MEG has to be carried out in a shielded room often in the night when there are no other electrical devices on. This is because the fields are a billion times smaller than the earths magnetic field. The patient will sit inside a helmet of special sensors that detect the tiny magnetic signals produced by the brain, as shown below; Advantages Disadvantages Makes no noise Time consuming takes 2 hours to be performed. No discomfort for patient Needs a special magnetically shield room Detects areas of normal and abnormal activity in the brain. Used to compliment other imaging techniques Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) TMS is a magnetic method used to stimulate small regions of the brain. During the procedure, a magnetic field generator, or coil, is placed near the head of the person receiving the treatment. The stimulation take approximately around 20 to 30 minutes. While receiving the stimulations, the patient is normally fully awake, no anaesthetic needed. There are minimal side effects. TSM is used to treat depression, pain relief, feeling of euphoria of fear and patient who do not response well to antidepressant medication. The procedure is associated with mild and minimal side effects, including: feelings of light headedness temporary hearing problems, due to the sometimes loud magnet noise mild headaches tingling in the face, jaw, or scalp Advantages Disadvantages Non- invasive Could damage normal brain function No anaesthetic needed Magnetic items must not be worm Widely available Ethics Informed Consent disclosure of all significant risks, both those known and those suspected possible. Potential Benefit must outweigh risk Equal distribution of risk Particularly vulnerable patient populations should be avoided. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) PET stands for positron emission tomography. PET scans are images which can clearly show the part of the body which being investigated which could consist of abnormal areas of the body or brain and can highlight how well certain areas of the body are functioning. A PET scan works by detecting radiation inside the body, and images are made my passing x-rays through the patients body. Radioactive substances are injected into the body. The level of radiation is very small and the radioactive substance has a short decay time and neither of these will damage your body. A PET scan is pain free, and you should are able to return home on the same day without any side effects or restriction function adequately. Scans usually take around 30-60 minutes. Advantages Disadvantages Detect and monitor cancerous growths Very expensive Makes sure functions in the body are working. Not widely available only certain hospitals have them in the UK, and you might have to travel a distance to get one. PET imaging is able to be used as an alternative to biopsy and other exploratory surgeries to determine how much a disease has spread. Not as clear as CT or fMRI scans Reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries performed due to incorrect diagnosis and staging data. Tumour growth and inflammation of brain areas are difficult to tell apart. Stem Cells Stem cells are a class of undistinguishable cells that are able to differentiate into specialised cell types. It is most like that stem cells come from two main sources, for example: Embryos (embryonic stem cells) adult stem cells Stem cells are unspecialised cells which are restarting themselves through cell division and have the potential to develop into many different cell types which plays a central role in generation and for the generation to come of the body. Stem cells act as an internal repair system, dividing to replace other cells which are lost through wear and tear. Each time a stem cell divides, each new cell may either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialised function for example; bone or muscle cells. Stem cells can give growth to any tissue in the body and, from this it can provide nearly limitless potential for medical applications. Current studies are researching how stem cells may be used to prevent or even cure disease e.g Parkinsons, diabetes, heart disease and even Alzheimers ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES Medical benefits for example; therapeutic cloning gets treat chronic illnesses. Embryos that are not a patients own and the patients body may reject them. Provide an insight to the growth and development of human cells as the understanding of everything about human cells, scientists and researchers would also have a better understanding of disease, and how it comes and what damages the cells which leads them to illness. Difficult to find and extract from tissue Can replace faulty cells with healthy cells, so the individual is well again Adult stem cells only produce a few types of cells No embryo is destroyed so not an ethical issue Ethical implications Embryonic stem cell research poses a moral dilemma. It forces us to choose between two moral principles: The duty to prevent suffering The duty to respect the value of human life In the case of embryonic stem cell research, it is impossible to respect both moral principles. To obtain embryonic stem cells, the early embryo has to be destroyed. This means destroying a potential human life. But embryonic stem cell research could lead to the discovery of new medical treatments that would stop the suffering of many people. Â   Â   There is two issues of stem cells, one that we highly value the duty to prevent suffering and the other the duty to respect the value of human life. A potential humans life is a risk of life or not. It is more ethical to take stem cells from a bone borrow of an individual to help saves someones life as to do so it needs constant from the individual for the bone borrow to be given. Whereas, a less ethical view is were a stem cell could be taken from a embolic cord where the mother of the child may have given constant and mean it can go ahead however, the baby might not have wanted that therefore this is morally wrong. Foetal Brain-tissue Grafting A method of treating diseases, such as; parkingsons and huntingtons by grafting brain cells from human foetuses onto the affected area of the human brain. Human adults cannot grow new brain cells however, developing unborn foetuses can, this is because, grafting foetal tissue stimulates the growth of new brain cells in affected adult brains. Use of foetal brain tissue is consequent from aborted embryos or foetuses. The ethical issues related to a therapeutic approach, which is relevantly modern and therefore not only concern the possible side effects for a graft-receiving patient, but also the relationship between the requirements for foetal tissue and the decision-making process for induced abortion. Although for human embryos and foetuses have been the subject of biomedical studies, and, in principle, their use has therefore not been seen as ethically objectionable, the above points made it necessary to reconsider the moral issues. Bibliography http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02700424 http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Fetal+tissue+transplantation History of brain treatments http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=sfrm=1source=webcd=1ved=0ahUKEwjN8NXE35bQAhUWz2MKHYl8BFcQFggpMAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.brain-surgery.com%2Fhistory-of-brain-surgery-1%2Fusg=AFQjCNGfniG_DTtMu0pnbq76NH6vFoSU4Qbvm=bv.137904068,d.d2s A good website to go on to first, as it gave an over view of the different methods but also different times e.g the Hippocrates and how life was like for treating the brain then. https://www.britannica.com/topic/lobotomy lobotomy surgery and how it is done and why it is done. http://www.ancient.eu/Trephination/ Brothwell, D, Diseases in Antiquity (Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd, 1967). http://www.imaginis.com/faq/what-does-non-invasive-mean Invasive and non-invasive http://www.frca.co.uk/article.aspx?articleid=252 Very good website to start on however no pros or cons one it. http://internationaljournalofcaringsciences.org/docs/Vol1_Issue3_02_Lavdaniti.pdf History on the technique http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/304235-overview Good over view and background information Deep Brain Stimulation https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/content/deep-brain-stimulation-surgery-parkinsons how deep stimulation is used to treat Parkinsons. http://www.neurosurgery.pitt.edu/centers-excellence/epilepsy-and-movement-disorders-program/deep-brain-stimulation-movement-disorders This website explains how deep stimulation can cure certain things and what disorders it helps to cure. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW-SWAnphFU video of the deep stimulation back ground information and how it was performed http://videos.howstuffworks.com/sciencentral/2937-deep-brain-stimulation-video.htm Another video of how it works and what its done. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25597042 good for information on ethics for DBS. Clearly layout and simple to understand http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12152-015-9240-9 very very complex site and not good for getting information. http://www.webmd.com/brain/brain-lesions-causes-symptoms-treatments Lesion Production http://www.webmd.com/brain/brain-lesions-causes-symptoms-treatments http://www.emedicinehealth.com/brain_lesions_lesions_on_the_brain/page10_em.htm

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder vs Generalized Anxiety Disorder Essay

It may be shocking to learn that 21% of American adults suffer from some sort of anxiety disorder(National Institute of Mental Health Statistics). Do you know the differences between the two major types of anxiety disorder? The two major types of anxiety are Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). While many may think PTSD and GAD are one in the same, you may be surprised that they vastly differ in cause and symptoms with their only similarity being their treatment. According to the PTSD Fact Sheet †PTSD was once considered a psychological condition of combat veterans who were â€Å"shocked† by and unable to face their experiences on the battle field† (Fact Sheet Page 1). Over the years with additional research and discoveries PTSD has now become a much more common diagnosis for many anxiety sufferers. According to the National Center for PTSD â€Å"Anyone who has gone through a life-threatening even can develop PTSD. These events can include: combat or military exposure, child sexual or physical abuse, terrorist attacks, sexual or physical assault, serious accidents such as a car wreck, or natural disasters.† (National Center for PTSD). Each individual is different and not everyone who lives through a traumatic event will developed PTSD. Some of the determination factors if an individual will develop PTSD vary based on how intense a trauma was, if the individual lost someone they were close with, how strong the individuals reaction was and how much support the individual received after the event. (National Center for PTSD) Unlike PTSD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is not necessarily associated with a particular event and therefore can appear to come from nowhere. Accordi... ...cess rate. Works Cited Greist John H MD, Jefferson James W. MD. â€Å"Generalized Anxiety Disorder.† Merck Manual Professional. Aug 2007. Haby Michelle, Donnelly Maria, Corry Justine, Vos Theo â€Å"Cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder: a meta-regression of factors that may predict outcome.† Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 2006. Print. Pages 9-19. National Center for PTSD. â€Å"What is PTSD?† United States Department of Veterans Affairs†. Web. 01 Jan 2007. Web. 26 June 2011. National Institute of Mental Health Statistics. Web. 26 June, 2011. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Fact Sheet. â€Å"National Institutes of Health†. Oct 2010. Web. 26 June 2011. Van der kolk Bessel A MD, van der Hart Onno PH.D, Burbridge, Jennifer M.A. â€Å"Approaches to the Treatment of PTSD†. Print. 1995.

Management Information System in Marketing Information System Essay

Market information system may be defined as factual knowledge about the action, antecedents or consequences of social actors outside or inside the firm and the environment in which they operate. Social actors are as consumers, completions, employee, institutions, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, govt. bodies and NGO’s. The environment actors are physical, technological, economic, legal and social taboos. Marketing decision support system (MKDSS) is an information system that helps with decision making in the formation of a marketing plan. The reason for using a MKDSS is because it helps to support the software vendors’ planning strategy for marketing products; it can help to identify advantageous level of pricing, advertising spending, and advertising copy for the firm’s products. This helps determines the firm marketing mix for product software. Various Constitute Are: Consumer behaviour, Aggregate demand, the competition, Political/ Legal/ Social environment, Product consideration, Distribution questions, Pricing consideration, Communication issues and Organizational behaviour. Marketing Information System Marketing Science System: this includes statistical models and analysis, data base, quantitative, analysis, mathematical models and analysis, and product analysis. All these lead to interpretation of analysis and findings to arrive at conclusion and recommendation. Normative System: this system narrates shapes of judgment of an organization what is good or bad, important or unimportant, what action should be or should not be taken in. It is connected to communication system and marketing science system. The normative system translated organizational goals into sub-goals, policies and standards. Output :- The overall output of MIS in the management decision system arrives at policies, rules, procedures and directives with regards to organizing, planning, staffing, executing and controlling. Feed Back :- Feed back on an environment and organization is through the output of marketing information system. However, one cannot specify what information is needed for decision making until an explanatory model of the decision process and the system involved in it are constructed and tested. The marketing information system enables in assessing the managerial information and their feedback effects on environment and organization. This is a continuous process to locate the very open system of marketing in terms of responses to the internal and external pressures.  Computer, electronics, communication and audio video technologies have converged closely to produce a new style of operating business. The tools, the technologies and the well designed solutions and system are available to support all needs of the business. What is needed is an integrated solution out of these technologies and the system offering an enterprise wide management support. Such an integrated solution is called as the En terprise Management System (EMS), which when implemented in an integrated manner for co-ordinated and co-operative function of the business give rise to the Enterprise Management System. Technology Evaluation Factors Client server architecture and its implementation- two tier or three tier. Object orientation in development and methodology. Handling of server and client based data and application logic. Application and use of standards in all the phases of development and in the product. Front end tools and backend data based management system tools or the data, process presentation management. Interface mechanisms: Data transfer, real time access, OLE/ODBC compliance. Use of case tool, screen generators, report writers, screen painter and batch processor. Support system technology like bar coding, EDI, imaging, communication, network. Down loading to PC based packages, MS-Office, Lotus note etc. Operation system and its level of usage in the system. Hardware- software configuration management. Marketing Information System is Information System used in Marketing and management that automate some sales and sales force management functions. They are frequently combined with a marketing information system, in which case they are often called customer relationship management system. Sales force management system are information system used in marketing and management that automate some sales and sales force management functions. They are frequently combined with a marketing information system, in which case they are often called customer relationship management. Enterprise Management System (EMS) is any of the strategies and technologies employed in the information technology industry for management the capture, strong, security, revision control, retrieval, distribution, preservation and destruction of documents and content. EMS especially  concerns content imported into or generated from within an organization in the course in the course of its operation, and includes the c ontrol of access to this content from outside of the organization’s processes. Marketing management is about finding ways of satisfying customer wants and needs, while achieving organizational objectives or requirements in terms of profit or some other measure of corporate performance. It brings together all customer-impinging resources, such as product design and specification, advertising and other forms of promotion, pricing policy, selling, channels of distribution and physical distribution to achieve this end. These customer-impinging resources are often summarized under four headings and referred to as the four Ps of the marketing mix (price, promotion, place and product). The art or science of marketing management is concerned with making decisions/policies with respect to the elements of the’ marketing mix such that the company’s interface with its markets is both profitable and customer satisfying. Marketing Information Systems The concept of marketing information systems has been around for many years. Early systems were paper-based systems but, with the emergence of computers with large storage capacities and later microcomputers with similar features, marketing information systems have become more â€Å"electronic† in nature. MIS (marketing information systems) can be classified under five headings: Planning systems – which provide information on sales, costs and competitive activity, together with any kind of information which is needed to formulate plans. Control systems – these provide continuous monitoring of marketing activities and enable marketing executives to identify problems and opportunities in the marketplace. At the same time, they permit a more detailed and comprehensive review of performance against plans. Marketing research systems – such systems allow executives to test decision rules and cause/effect hypotheses. This permits the assessment of the effects of marketing actions and encourages improved learning from experience. Monitoring systems – these systems provide management with information  concerning the external environment in which they are operating. One can define a marketing information system as one which scans and collects data from the environment, makes use of data from transactions and operations within the firm and then filters, organizes and selects data before presenting them as information to management. Using a Marketing Information System As we have seen above there are two basic. ingredients to a marketing information system. On the one hand, there is a database or a number of databases containing a variety of data about the firm, its competitors, its markets and the environment. On the other hand, there is the provision of a wide variety of analytical tools capable of exploring the data and turning it into meaningful information for management. When designing a marketing information system a number of important questions need to be answered in the first place. These are: (1) Exactly how much information will be entered in the database? (2) What information will be entered into the database? (3) How will it be entered into the database? (4) How will it be manipulated once it is in the database? (5) To whom will reports be sent? The question of how much information is extremely important. There is always a danger that too much information may be entered. This will only serve to overload management’s information processing abilities. In addition, any data or information which is not used by management is clearly redundant and will be taking up valuable storage space in the information system. From time to time it is necessary to review the information available in the information system and to remove any that is not being used. Creating a â€Å"real world† MIS for those that cannot afford to wait Rather than wait for the dream to materialize, marketers need to improvise. They need a system that enables them to (1) make better decisions and (2) support those decisions with verifiable data. The initial steps of this approach typically involve the following: 1. Look at what systems the company already has in place, 2. Determine what useful marketing information can be gleaned from those systems, 3. Identify the information marketers need that they are not getting from existing systems, 4. Create, or find, additional systems to provide the needed marketing information, 5. Integrate these systems with companywide enterprise systems (if possible and not too costly). 1. Start with the accounting system A good place to start is the business system that every business has – the Accounting system. What information do businesses get from their accounting system that is useful to marketers? 1. Sales 2. Costs/Expenses 3. Profits If the accounting software is well designed and flexible, this information can be sorted in a variety of ways including by (1) Sales person, (2) Product, (3) SKU (stock-keeping-unit), (4) Division or Region, (5) Distribution channel, (6) Reseller, and (7) Season. The information obtained from the accounting system is typically enterprise-wide and at a macro level. It usually does not give marketers, or their bosses, the information necessary to (1) determine the effectiveness of the organization’s marketing efforts; (2) enable it to react quickly to real-time crises and opportunities; or (3) respond rapidly to competitive threats. Some of the information that marketers need from an effective marketing information system includes the following: 1. Marketing strategy feedback (or how well marketing strategies are working) 2. Complaints 3. Compliments (testimonials) 4. New Product ideas 5. Competition information 6. Marketplace changes To capture and properly respond to this information, most marketers need to create a Marketing Information System that augments the macro information provided by their accounting systems. 2. Market Information Form To minimize paperwork, marketers can collect a lot of the information from the above list on a Market Information Form (or its electronic equivalent). The information collected and how this information is used is summarized below. 1. Complaints. Once collected, complaints are distributed to those that can solve the problem quickly. The objective is to turn the negative into a positive and build a stronger relationship with the offended party. The way companies handle complaints can mean the difference between success and failure in an increasingly competitive marketplace. 2. Compliments. After obtaining permission, marketers use compliments in their marketing communications. Nothing is more effective than bona fide testimonials from customers. Copies are also given to sales people so they can put them in their sales notebooks and use them to impress prospects and close business. 3. New Product ideas. These are fed into the company’s new product development system. 4. Competition Information. This is given to sales people to put in their sales notebooks so they can use the data to answer objections and close business (with the caveat of not disparaging competitors) and is fed into the company’s new product development system so that new products can be designed to beat competitors. 5. Strategy feedback. This information is organized by the marketing building blocks (1) corporate image, (2) positioning, (3) product, (4) pricing, (5) distribution, (6) promotion, and (6) marketing information system (yes we need to collect information as to how well our MIS strategies are working). Based on feedback, strategies are adjusted as necessary. A pad of these forms (or an electronic version) is provided to all the contact points including (1) Receptionists and secretaries that answer the phone, (2) Sales people, (3) Customer service people, (4) Repair people, (5) Personnel that respond to inquiries and complaints online and on social media, and (6) accounts receivable (since they often hear about complaints when they try to collect on late invoices). 3. Lead Card Leads are captured on a lead card or its electronic equivalent. Sales people use the lead card to follow up on a prospect’s interest with the objective of closing the sale. In addition to notes of all contacts, there are four main pieces of information that should be captured on the lead card. 1.  Identification of the prospect. If you are selling to a business, most of the information you need is on your contact’s business card. For additional information you need, your lead card should be designed so you can add it with minimal effort. 2. Product interest. The products you typically sell should be pre-listed on the lead card so sales people can quickly check them off. 3. Degree of interest. This is your sales person’s guestimate of how likely the prospect is to buy your product in the current period, which is usually this month. Because the degree of interest is also called â€Å"buying temperature† the metaphor for degree of interest that is often is used is Hot for the most interested leads, Warm for the next most interested leads, and Cool for the least interested. The â€Å"Hot† leads should automatically update another MIS report called the Hot List. 4. Lead source. All promotion that you do should have a unique code so that when the lead is captured, you know what marketing activity generated the lead. This lead source should automatically update another MIS report called the Promotion Effectiveness report. In addition to helping sales people follow up on leads and close business, smart marketers use lead card information for other Marketing Information System purposes, such as the Hot List and Promotion Effectiveness Report described below. 4. Hot List An MIS report called the Hot List contains the following information on â€Å"Hot† leads: 1. Prospect name. This could be a business or individual. 2. Decision makers. This is so the sales person does not waste time talking with the wrong person. 3. Product or project proposed. This is what the prospect wants. 4. Proposal date. This is the date the product proposal and estimate of the cost is given to the prospect. 5. Dollar-amount proposed. This is the price of the product proposed. 6. Percent chance of closing in the current period. To qualify for the Hot List, a Hot lead should have at least a 25% chance of closing in the current period (each company should decide their own minimum threshold for Hot). 7. Expected Value (5 multiplied by 6). If the dollar amount proposed is $10,000 and the % chance of closing is â€Å"guestimated† to be 50%, the expected value would be $5,000. 8. Objections. This lists the objections that are keeping the prospect from buying. Sales managers use the Hot List in two ways. 1. Help close sales. The sales manager helps sales people to close Hot leads by coaching them on how best to answer the Objections in column 8 of the Hot List. 2. Dynamic sales forecast. The sales manager helps to insure that the sum of Expected Values equals, or exceeds, each sales person’s quota for the month. If the expected values are lower than a sales person’s quota, the sales manager can encourage the sales person do whatever is necessary to get more Hot leads on the Hot List so that the sum of Expected Values equals or exceeds the quota. The sales quotas of all the sales people should sum to the â€Å"measurable goal† of the Marketing Plan. 5. Promotion Effectiveness Report As each sales person captures the promotion source for each lead on the Lead Card, the information automatically flows onto his or her Promotion Effectiveness Report. Every time a sales person gives a presentation or makes a sale from a lead, that information is recorded on the Promotion Effectiveness Report. The MIS system automatically adds up the total number of the leads, presentations, and sales company-wide for each promotion source. When compared to the costs of that promotion source, the marketing department can calculate the promotion effectiveness, or ROI, of each promotion. Since totals for leads, presentations, and sales are available in the MIS by sales person, the sales manager can automatically compute the batting average of each sales person and determine the number of leads and presentations each one needs to make his or her sales quota. In this way, the sales manager and the company marketers systematically work together to insure that (1) plan goals are met and (2) the money invested in promotion is not wasted (the ads and promotions that are effective will be repeated and the ones that don’t will be discontinued). 6. Market Research The systems above (Market Information Form, Lead Card, Hot List and Promotion Effectiveness Report) typically capture information in real time and provide a lot of great information that help the marketing function do a more effective job and prove it to the CEO. Even so, this is not enough. There are still holes in the information marketers need. In an effort to plug  these holes, there is one big missing piece – Market Research. There are two big categories of Market Research – Secondary and Primary. 7. Secondary Research Secondary research is simply research done by others. Perhaps the greatest invention for secondary research is the search engine. Marketers can simply type in search terms in a search window and browse the Internet for any data related to those search terms. Furthermore, marketers can set up â€Å"alerts.† That is, search terms can be entered into a search engine so that the search engine’s crawlers will continually search for anything that contains those search terms and send you an email when it finds them. There are so many other sites, which marketers frequent, that provide a wealth of information. Just a few examples include: Media Post, Marketing Sherpa, Brand Channel, Hoovers, the CIA World Factbook, and ClickZ. 8. Primary Research When some big holes remain that still need to be plugged, marketers will often do primary research, which is their own research. Common forms of primary research include surveys, focus groups, experiments, and various forms of crowd sourcing.

Marketing Plan 3D printing Essay

Objective of this marketing plan for 3D printing is to create awareness to new customers in education industry, increase market share, and provide customized value-added solution to current users. 3D printing is considered a new technology in Singapore, so to achieve the objectives, we proposes Stratasys to make use the lateral diversification strategy. The reason of adopting this strategy is to improve its profitability and sustainability of the organization. The objective may be achieved through 3 phases. In the short-term (1 year), the objective is to create awareness through newspapers, online advertising and live demonstration will be conducted at institutes’ open house events, and where the new students will be introduced to this new technology together. Stratasys can also select some institutes to trial on this printer for 6 months which will helps to augment its marketability and school’s perception of the product. In the mid to long term (2 to 4 year) the objective is to provide customization and value-added solution to institutes that have been consistently using our products and services. Customization will be offered to meet institutes’ requirement and we can offered includes product training and customer consultation on the printers that are offered to them. Stratasys can also provide maintenance, repair service and improving product safety as an additional value-added solution. This will aid in promoting more institutes to use 3D printing in product development through word-of-mouth recommendation. In the long term (4 years onwards) the technology will be well recognized in the minds of the most institution, and this will enable Stratasys to gain loyal customers. With an increase in market share, Stratasys will be able to fine-tune on the price offered to make it affordable to allow more users to explore the technology, and also created more applications for it. For example, smaller printers will be produced to cater to small companies, and sector specific types for dental, aerospace, and medical. Ultimate goal will be gaining competitive advantage in the marketplace. Marketing Mix Marketing mix was designed as a simple way to focus attention on the main elements of marketing for a business and to create a marketing strategy to  the business, products or services. The traditional of marketing mix consists of four main elements which is product, price, place and promotion. They are the combination of marketing efforts that to meet and satisfy the needs and wants of consumers. But in a modern world, marketers have developed to seven P’s of marketing mix, which comprises the former 4P’s and added people, physical evidence and process. (Valuebasedmanagement.net, 2013) Products Stratasys has three main series of printers which is cater for different purposes. Idea Series printers bring 3D printers to smaller teams and individual, which allows them to utilize 3D printer within their financial budget. For this series of printers, it will be suitable for institutes that offered jewellery designs course. As for design series printers, it helps to improve on communication, collaboration and problem solving. With the use of photopolymer materials, it helps to create flexibility and confidence in product presentation. It is definitely more suitable for institutes that have offered product design offered. This will helps the students in completing and exhibiting their final products. Lastly is production series, it provides speed, accuracy and efficiency at an affordable cost. As for this series, it will be catering for engineering students. Each series of 3D printers will benefit institutes in reducing time, cost and increase of accuracy and efficiency. Apart from individual printer purchase, we do offer customized bundle packages for customers who wish to purchase more than a printer. Price Pricing plays an important role as it determines the revenue generated, therefore, price has to be attractive and affordable. Price of 3D printers that Stratasys offered depends on the size and purpose of the printers. The price strategy used is differential pricing strategy. Stratasys can adjust pricing based on various situations and circumstances. Price for new consumers will always start high and gradually lower if bundle packages are purchased or bulk buying. Price that customers are paying is not only for printer, but also the after-service. Offering discounts or additional value-added service will make the business more attractive to the business. Stratasys can offer more affordable 3D printers and bundle package offering  to institutes that purchase more printers and materials. Processes This is the process element how the service is delivered to the customers. Stratasys can implement a customer service to help monitor on new customers’ progress on the products and offer provides servicing to all new customers before their warranty for the printers are expiring. This will make customers feel importance and this will help to build up their confidence in our products and services offered. Promotion A Online Marketing – Facebook and You tube The main objective of promotion is to create awareness of a product or service. Promotion is the communicating information about your product or  service to generate a positive response from your customer. Online marketing is critical to business in this current society. With reference to Chart B, currently approximately 90% of Singapore resident are users in Facebook. It is important that Stratasys will use this medium to create communication on 3D printing technology. Most students in Singapore have a Facebook account, thus they are able to view Facebook Chart B – Facebook Users in Singapore B Event Road Show This is a different marketing strategy, compared to digital marketing. This marketing strategy requires physical demonstration and explanation of 3D printers at an event. This will attract the curiosity of potential customer that is new and curious to this technology. For such events, well-trained staffs will be present to demonstrate the advantage of 3D printing technology and help to resolve on consumers’ questions. C Youtube Youtube is an online media streaming website which users are able to access internationally. It is considered an inexpensive advertisement media to market products and services as the resources require are only computers, video camera and internet connection. Stratasys can upload videos on 3D printing into Youtube which will create more awareness internationally. Users will then use mouth-of-words to share this video with their families and friends, thus it will broaden the publicity of 3D printers to new customers.