Business Decision Making Assiment Essay Example for Free

Business Decision Making Assiment Essay You should sign this sheet to show that you comply with these regulations. Student’s Signature Date Acknowledgement I take this chance to thank Miss. M. PriyanthimalaWho helped me to improve and developed this particular project. She explained well about the project and sacrificed her most of the time to explain and also made sure that all the students understood. She was ready to help out in any time and gave her full support for this particular project. I finally would like to thank my parents, friends and others for helping to do this project. Thank you TASKS| PAGE NO| Task 01| 04| Task 02| 09| Task 03| 14| Task 04| 16| Task 05| 24| Task 06| 27| Task 07| 31| Task 08| 32| Task 09| 34| Task 10| 35| Task 11| 38| Task 12| 43| Task 13| 44| Task 14| 47| Task 15| 49| Reference | 51| Task 1 T 1. 1 Difference between a sample and a population Population| Sample| * Population is the area in which you are trying to get information from. * This meaning of population is also used in survey research, but this is only one of many possible definitions of population. Examples: Cedar Crest students; trees in North America; automobiles with four wheels; people who consume olive oil. | * Sample is a section of your population that you are actually going to survey. It is important to have a sample that will represent your entire population in order to minimize biases. Survey research is based on sampling, which involves getting information from only some members of the population. * Samples can be drawn in several different ways, such as probability samples, quota samples, purposive samples, and volunteer samples. Examples assuming the populations stated above: 47 Cedar Crest students chosen randomly; 8463 trees randomly selected in North America; 20 sample autos from each make (e. g. , GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, etc. ); 1% of the oil consuming population per country| T 1. 2 Describe the advantages of sampling * Sampling  saves money  as it is much cheaper to  collect  the desired information from a small  sample  than from the whole population. * Sampling  saves a lot of time and energy as the needed data are collected and processed much faster than census information. And this is a very important consideration in all types of investigations or surveys. * Sampling  provides information that is almost as accurate as that obtained from a complete census; rather a properly designed and carefully executed  sample  survey will provide more accurate results. Moreover, owing to the reduced volume of work, persons of higher caliber and properly trained can be employed to analyze the data. * Sampling  makes it possible to obtain more detailed information from each unit of the  sample  as collecting data from a few units of the population (i. e. ample) can be more complete and thorough. * Sampling  is essential to obtaining the data when the measurement process  physically  damages or destroys the  sampling  unit under  investigation. For example, in order to measure the average lifetime of  light bulbs, the measurement process destroys the  sampling  units, i. e. the bulbs, as they are used until they burn out. A manufacturer will therefore use only a  sample  of  light bulbs  for this purpose and will not burn out all the bulbs produced. Similarly, the whole pot of soup cannot be tasted to determine if it has an acceptable flavor. Sampling  may be the only means available for obtaining the needed information when the population appears to be infinite or is inaccessible such as the population of mountainous or thickly forested areas. In such cases, taking $ complete census to  collect  data would neither be  physically  possible nor practically feasible. * Sampling  has much smaller â€Å"non-response†, following up of which is much easier. The term non-response means the no availability of information from some  sampling  units included in the  sample  for any reason such as failure to locate or measure some of the units, refusals, not-at-home, etc. Sampling  is extensively used to obtain some of the census information. * The most important advantage of   sampling  is that it provides a valid measure of reliability for the  sample  estimates  and this is one of the two basic purposes of  sampling. * Reliability: If we collect the information about all the units of population, the collected information may be true. But we are never sure about it. We do not know whether the information is true or is completely false. Thus we cannot say anything with confidence about the quality of information. We say that the reliability is not possible. This is a very important advantage of sampling. The inference about the population parameters is possible only when the sample data is collected from the selected sample. * Sometimes the experiments are done on sample basis. The fertilizers, the seeds and the medicines are initially tested on samples and if found useful, then they are applied on large scale. Most of the research work is done on the samples. * Sample data is also used to check the accuracy of the census data. T 1. 3 Difference between primary data and secondary data T1. 4 Difference between a statistic and a parameter Parameter is any characteristic of the population. Statistic on the other hand is a characteristic of the sample. Statistic is used to estimate the value of the parameter. Note that the value of statistic changes from one sample to the next which leads to a study of the sampling distribution of statistic. When we draw a sample from a population, it is just one of many samples that might have been drawn and, therefore, observations made on any one sample are likely to be different from the ‘true value’ in the population (although some will be the same). Imagine we were to draw an infinite (or very large) number of samples of individuals and calculate a statistic, say the arithmetic mean, on each one of these samples and that we then plotted the mean value obtained from each sample on a histogram (a chart using bars to represent the number of times a particular value occurred). This would represent the sampling distribution of the arithmetic mean. T1. 5 Define sampling errors with example? Sampling error is an error that occurs when using samples to make inferences about the populations from which they are drawn. There are two kinds of sampling error: random error and bias. Random error is a pattern of errors that tend to cancel one another out so that the overall result still accurately reflects the true value. Every sample design will generate a certain amount of random error. Bias, on the other hand, is more serious because the pattern of errors is loaded in one direction or another and therefore do not balance each other out, producing a true distortion. These are the errors which occur due to the nature of  sampling. The  sample  selected from the population is one of all possible samples. Any value calculated from the  sample  is based on the sample  data and is called  sample  statistic. Task 2 T2. 1 Advantages and disadvantages of arithmetic mean. Advantages * Fast and easy to calculate- As the most basic measure in statistics,  arithmetic average is very easy to calculate. For a small data set, you can calculate the arithmetic mean quickly in your head or on a piece of paper. In  computer programs  like Excel, the arithmetic average is always one of the most basic and best known functions. Here you can see the  basics of arithmetic average calculation. * Easy to work with and use in further analysis- Because its calculation is straightforward and its meaning known to everybody,  arithmetic average  is also more comfortable to  use as input to further analyses and calculations. When you work in a team of more people, the others will much more likely be familiar with  arithmetic average  than  geometric average  or  mode. Disadvantages * Sensitive to extreme values- Arithmetic average is extremely sensitive to extreme values. Therefore,  arithmetic average  is not the best measure to use with data sets containing a few extreme values  or with more  dispersed (volatile) data sets  in general. Median  can be a better alternative in such cases. * Not suitable for time series type of data- Arithmetic average  is perfect for measuring central tendency when you’re working with data sets of independent values taken at one point of time. There was an example of this in one of the previous articles, when we were  year. However, in finance you often work with percentage returns over a series of multiple time periods. For  calculating average percentage return over multiple periods of time,  arithmetic average is useless; as it fails to take the different basis in every year into consideration (100% equals a different price or portfolio value at the beginning of each year). The more volatile the returns are, the more significant this weakness of arithmetic average is. Here you can see the example and reason why  arithmetic average fails when measuring average percentage returns over time. * Works only when all values are equally important- Arithmetic average treats all the individual observations equally. In finance and investing, you often need to work with unequal weights. For example, you have a portfolio of stocks and it is highly unlikely that all stocks will have the same weight and therefore the same impact on the total performance of the portfolio. Calculating the average performance of the total portfolio or a basket of stocks is a typical case when  arithmetic average is not suitable  and it is better to use weighted average instead. You can find more details and an example here:  Why you need weighted average for calculating total portfolio return. T2. 2 Comparative picture of median, mode, mean The Median The Median is the middle value in your list. When the totals of the list are odd, the median is the middle entry in the list after sorting the list into increasing order. When the totals of the list are even, the median is equal to the sum of the two middle (after sorting the list into increasing order) numbers divided by two. Thus, remember to line up your values, the middle number is the median! Be sure to remember the odd and even rule. That is, if the data is in meters, the standard deviation is in meters as well. The variance is in meters2, which is more difficult to interpret. Neither the standard deviation nor the variance is robust to outliers. A data value that is separate from the body of the data can increase the value of the statistics by an arbitrarily large amount. The mean  absolute deviation (MAD) is also sensitive to outliers. But the MAD does not move quite as much as the standard deviation or variance in response to bad data. The  interquartile range (IQR) is the difference between the 75th and 25th percentile of the data. Since only the middle 50% of the data affects this measure, it is robust to outliers. T3. 2 What are the different characteristics of the following measures of dispersion. The  range  is the simplest measure of  dispersion. The range can be thought of in two ways. 1. As a quantity: the difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. 2. As an interval; the lowest and highest scores may be reported as the range. By far the most commonly used measures of dispersion in the social sciences are  variance  and  standard deviation. Variance  is the average squared difference of scores from the mean score of a distribution.

The Puritan And Deist Doctrines

The Puritan And Deist Doctrines Many Americans and historians abroad consider The United States founding and independence to be closely associated with religious reasons and purposes. This is true of course, but Protestant and Puritan ideologies were not the only things affecting the newborn countrys independence in 1776. While most of its Founding Fathers were of the Puritan faith and background, some of its key revolutionaries were in fact of a different, often overlooked, religion: Deism. These faiths did not often disagree while on the subject of founding a country, but they certainly did when the notions of God and human nature were concerned. One avid Deist, Benjamin Franklin, repented from Puritanism to Deism and wrote several pieces on his religion. Puritans such as John Winthrop and Michael Wigglesworth also wrote of their faith and how it affected their daily lives and thinking. Puritans and Deists had very different views on the nature of God, human nature and its origins, and the relationship between th e two. One major difference between the Puritan and Deist doctrines was that of the Character (or nature) of God. For the Deists, they believed that God was all-wise, all-good, all powerful (Franklin, 26). One major reason Deists believed and developed this fundamental doctrine was the use of critical thinking or reason. Benjamin Franklin, the major Deist this paper will discuss, had a clear logical thinking path from which he rarely deviated. This logical thinking led him while a teenager to renounce Puritan beliefs. As a boy who sought knowledge in books, he found some who led him to believe in a different God, one who was a Universal God, and not just a Christian God. He wrote A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, in which he laid out a step-by-step logical argument of why God was good and why evil did not exist: I. There is said to be a First Mover, who is called GOD, Maker of the Universe. II. He is said to be all-wise, all-good, all powerful. III. If He is all-go od, whatsoever He doth must be goodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. [V.] what He [God] consents to must be good, because He is good; therefore Evil doth not exist (Franklin, 26). Franklin goes on to say that everything God does can only be, and will only be good and that evil, which does not exist, cannot be permitted by God if it did exist: But this [God permitting evil for a wise end] Objection destroys itself; for whatever an infinitely good God hath wise Ends in suffering to be, must be good, is thereby made good, and cannot be otherwise (Franklin, 26-27). Franklin would later on slightly recant this idea, saying that his doctrine of no evil was not very useful (Franklin, 29). Franklins God was universal, the epitome and definition of good, and could not create or tolerate any kind of evil. While Franklin was convinced that the nature of his God was nothing but good, the Puritans believed something quite the contrary. The Puritan beliefs of God can be seen in writings and historical accounts: they wrote and viewed the nature of God as vengeful and wrathful- a Harbinger of justice and punishment. Michael Wigglesworth, who authored the then famous poem, The Day of Doom, wrote that the Son of God came to judge both Quick and Dead (Wigglesworth, 3) on the Day of Judgment. In his poem, Wigglesworth implies that only a few will escape (by grace) the wrath and be united with God, the rest being doomed to eternal judgment and torment in Hell. (This idea of predestination will be discussed in detail later.) John Dane, another Puritan, symbolically attributed Gods wrath to two separate occasions with a bee sting, which symbolized Danes sin and Christ on the cross. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it struck my finger, and water and blood [symbolizing the crucifixion of Christ] came out of ità ¢Ã¢â €š ¬Ã‚ ¦God would find me out (Dane, 9). However, the Puritans did not believe God was completely bad, since they wrote of his loving care and providence in times of need and spiritual weakness. In her memoirs, Mary Rowlandson recognized Gods blessings through her captivity. She considers the attack and captivity to be Gods punishment, but also sees his protection and help through her survival: the wonderful goodness of God to me, in preserving me soà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ that [I] did not use wicked and violent means to end my own miserable life (Rowlandson, 16). The Puritans view of the nature of God is almost like that of a bipolar father, providing for his children when they most need it, but having indignation for any small error. Similar to his view on God, Franklins view on human nature was that all humans were the incarnation of God created by God. According to Franklins doctrinal logic, since God is good, all of His creations must be basically good; basically we do not have a sin nature (or inheritance) at birth. If a Creature is made by God, it must depend upon God, and receive all its Power from Himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦because He is Good; therefore a Creature can do nothing but what is good (Franklin, 27). Franklin goes on to refute the idea of concentrating on an afterlife. He argues that because our bodies will experience Pleasure and Pain (complete opposites) in equal amounts in this life, there is no point to having an afterlife, or being able to recall a previous life. But since Pain naturally and infallibly produces a Pleasure in proportion to it, every individual Creature must, in any State of Life, have an equal Quantity of each, so that there is not, on that Account, any Occasion for a future Adjustme nt [afterlife] (Franklin, 28). (This belief is direct contrast with the Puritan thinking that this life is a time of punishment that will soon end with constant pleasure in union with God, if we should be so fortunate to receive Gods grace.) Deists and Puritans had very different views on human nature. For the Puritans, human nature was wretched and unredeemable through good works. For Franklin, humans are good and capable of improvement. He said that life is worthless without improvement. This improvement, or practice of virtues, was an integral part of Franklins daily routine. He concentrated on the practice and retrospect of virtues not only to try to achieve moral perfection, but also to better himself financially: I from thence considered industry [a Franklin virtue] as a means of obtaining wealth and distinction (Franklin, 32). But for the Puritans, human nature was a sin nature, inherited from Adam, and passed down unbroken from generation to generation we had no chance of starting with a clean slate, it was already tainted. The Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop made this very clear to his audience in 1645: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦our nature is now corrupt (because all people are sinners)à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[our nature] is common to man with beasts and other creatures (Winthrop, 1). The puritans believed strongly, as Wigglesworth explain in The Day of Doom, that all humans were deserving of Hell. They thought of Hell not as their punishment from God, but as their punishment for sin nature, and they thought Gods grace to save some as an unnecessary mercy. Opposite of this belief, Franklin believed that humans were able to achieve a better moral standard. Eventually Franklin even resorted to daily prayer, although Catholic in nature. He thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it [wisdom]; to this end I formed the following little prayer (Franklin, 34). Contradictory to the Deist view of human nature, the Puritans thought life could not get better, and the doctrine of predestination did not help their morale either. They strongly believed in predestination, the belief that God already knew and commanded that some souls would perish (even the infantile or mentally incapacitated) and some souls would be saved humans had no choice in the matter. There was no hope; God commanded sin and damnation. Salvation was not merit-based, but your bad works would damn you (Wigglesworth, 4). John Dane thought of his nature as being so bad that to end his life [he did not, fortunately] would be better than to continue living in sin: I ought of two evils to choose the least; and that it was a greater evil to live and to sin against God than to kill myself (Dane, 11). Franklin, however, invented many things throughout his life solely for the betterment of mankind, just as he thought a persons life could be improved. He reflected on his attempt at i ndividual perfection: I wasà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it (Franklin, 34). For Franklin, the human nature could use a tune up, but was not flawed from conception and things could only get better. The Puritans saw only a lose-lose situation, for all of their efforts of attaining merit were forfeit: living was sinning; and sin is our nature. The Puritans and Deists also had very different views on the relationship between God and human nature. For the Puritans, it was a cycle of wrath and punishment. God was wrathful because the creation he made, mankind, became tainted and sinful through inherited sinful nature. Thomas Shepard, an English minister, said that the human heart (nature) was full of atheism, sodomy, blasphemy, murder, whoredom, adultery, witchcraft, buggeryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Your best duties are tainted, poisoned, mingled with some sin, and therefore are most odious in the eyes of a holy God (Wigglesworth, 4). Since the Puritans believed in this type of sin nature, of course it made sense that their holy God would want to punish and rid them of such bad behavior God was wrathful because of their sin. Deists also believed in a cyclic sort of relationship between God and human nature, but their cycle ran the opposite route. They believed human nature was basically good because a good God created it. It was like a skilled watchmaker letting his work shine without his constant watchful eye and tiny tools; he (the watchmaker) was good, therefore his good work did not need constant assistance it could be released as a well-oiled machine. After viewing the evidence and doctrines of Deist and Puritan views, it is very perplexing to think that such differences could lead to a declaration of independence and constitution, both with a religious backdrop. The Puritans believed in a wrathful God who punished people for their flawed human nature that He created and encouraged (sin caused by God). On the contrary, the Deists believed in an all-good God who let his good creations with a good human nature be out from under His constant control. But we know that even through these differences the men on both sides remained mostly civil and friendly to each other. For instance, Benjamin Franklin was a good friend of George Whitfield. He gave to his ministries on several occasions and vouched for his character even though they had no religious connection (Franklin, 40). However civil they might have been to one another, we still can clearly see that Puritans and Deists had very different views on the nature of God, human nature, a nd their relationship.

Internet Piracy :: essays research papers fc

He doesn't wear a stocking mask over his face, and he doesn't break a window to get into your house. He doesn't hold a gun to your head, nor does he ransack your personal possessions. Just the same he's a thief. Although this thief is one you'll not only never see,but you may not even realize right away that he's robbed you. The thief is a computer hacker and he "enters" your home via your computer, accessing personal information -- such as credit card numbers which he could then use without your knowledge at least until you get that next credit card statement. RichardBernes, supervisor of the FBI's Hi-Tech squad in San Jose, California, calls the Internet "the unlocked window in cyberspace through which thieves crawl" (Erickson 1). There seems to be an unlimited potential for theft of credit card numbers, bank statements and other financial and personal information transmitted over the Internet. It's hard to imagine that anyone in today's technologically oriented world could function without computers. Personal computers are linked to business computers and financial networks, and all are linked together via the Internet or other networks. More than a hundred million electronic messages travel through cyberspace every day, and every piece of information stored in a computer is vulnerable to attack (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Yesterday's bank robbers have become today's computer hackers. They can walk away from a computer crime with millions of virtual dollars (in the form of information they can use or sell for an enormous profit). Walking away is precisely what they do. The National Computer Crimes Squad estimates that 85-97 % of the time, theft of information from computers is not even detected (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). Home computer users are vulnerable, not only for credit card information and login IDs, but also their files, disks, and other computer equipment and data, which are subject to attack. Even if this information is not confidential, having to reconstruct what has been destroyed by a hacker can take days (Icove-Seger-VonStorch 1). William Cheswick, a network-security specialist at AT&T Bell Labs, says the home computers that use the Internet are singularly vulnerable to attack. "The Internet is like a vault with a screen door on the back," says Cheswick. "I don't need jackhammers and atom bombs to get in when I can walk in through the door" (Quittner 44). The use of the Internet has become one of the most popular ways to communicate.

Business Proposal :: essays research papers

General company description â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† it’s a company that will provide dogs clothing and accessories using the Internet as a selling distribution. Mission statement: â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† aim to retail and distribute unique customize dog apparel at affordable prices. â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† always has that perfect gift for your own or someone else’s four legged friends. Don’t let your dog be wagged behind. Company goals and objectives: Our goals are to grow in this niche market thus aim to attain a high market share, doing so, will help the company achieve the main goal which is to be a market leader in this field. Our objective is to obtain our annual sales targets and to increase the company’s profit margins; this will help us achieve our goal. Another important objective is to meet customers specific needs in order to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty. Business philosophy: In this business what’s important is to stay positive and to liaise together as a team in order to solve any problems that may occur and to make important business decisions. Target market: The target market would be dog owners of all ages. The products will be set at affordable prices for customers that are seeking the lifestyle of the upper class person. (to be continued†¦ this time next week) Products and services Products & Services  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wholesale Cost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selling Price   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T-Shirts (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £8.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Vest Tops (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £8.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Polo Shirts (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £13.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £22.99 Hooded Tops (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £11.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £21.33   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Name Tags (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £1.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £5.99 Crystal Band Collars (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £15.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £25.99 Sparkling Collars (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £19.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £10.99 Leads (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £29.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Boots (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £30.00 Bags (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £17.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Necklace (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £24.99 Silver Necklace (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £54.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £75.00 Hair Accessories (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £0.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.00 Tiara  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £7.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Banadana (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £2.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £12.00   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All-In-One Bathrobe (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £15.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £24.99 Bathrobe (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £17.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £26.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shampoo & Conditioner  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £4.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99 Perfume  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £7.50 Dental Kit  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beds (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £20.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £55.00   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customisation (Various Design)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From  £5.99 Engraving  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £2 Per Letter Marketing plan Market Overview: Market size The UK market for pet accessories was  £296 million in 1999. An increase of 36% since 1995 but in 2003 the market size is over  £400 million. Business Proposal :: essays research papers General company description â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† it’s a company that will provide dogs clothing and accessories using the Internet as a selling distribution. Mission statement: â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† aim to retail and distribute unique customize dog apparel at affordable prices. â€Å"It’s a dog thing!† always has that perfect gift for your own or someone else’s four legged friends. Don’t let your dog be wagged behind. Company goals and objectives: Our goals are to grow in this niche market thus aim to attain a high market share, doing so, will help the company achieve the main goal which is to be a market leader in this field. Our objective is to obtain our annual sales targets and to increase the company’s profit margins; this will help us achieve our goal. Another important objective is to meet customers specific needs in order to maintain customer satisfaction and loyalty. Business philosophy: In this business what’s important is to stay positive and to liaise together as a team in order to solve any problems that may occur and to make important business decisions. Target market: The target market would be dog owners of all ages. The products will be set at affordable prices for customers that are seeking the lifestyle of the upper class person. (to be continued†¦ this time next week) Products and services Products & Services  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wholesale Cost  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Selling Price   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T-Shirts (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £8.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Vest Tops (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £8.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Polo Shirts (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £13.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £22.99 Hooded Tops (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £11.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £21.33   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Name Tags (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £1.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £5.99 Crystal Band Collars (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £15.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £25.99 Sparkling Collars (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £19.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £10.99 Leads (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £29.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Boots (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £30.00 Bags (Various Colours & Sizes)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £17.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Necklace (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £24.99 Silver Necklace (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £54.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £75.00 Hair Accessories (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £0.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.00 Tiara  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £7.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £14.99 Banadana (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £2.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £12.00   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All-In-One Bathrobe (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £15.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £24.99 Bathrobe (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £17.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £26.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shampoo & Conditioner  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £4.50  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99 Perfume  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £7.50 Dental Kit  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £3.99  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £9.99   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Beds (Various)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £20.00  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £55.00   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Customisation (Various Design)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  From  £5.99 Engraving  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚ £2 Per Letter Marketing plan Market Overview: Market size The UK market for pet accessories was  £296 million in 1999. An increase of 36% since 1995 but in 2003 the market size is over  £400 million.

Comparing A London fete and Composed Upon Westminster Bridge Essay

Comparing A London fete and Composed Upon Westminster Bridge A London fete and composed upon Westminster Bridge. I am going to be comparing two poems in this essay the first poem is London fete which was written by a man called Coventry Patmore this poem is about a hanging that took place and about the effect it had on other people who watched. The second poem is composed upon Westminster bridge by William words worth which is about a man who is standing on a bridge describing the view he sees and how he feels looking at this view. The theme to composed upon Westminster Bridge is firstly about nature and beauty and peace. It describes his view of London to be beautiful and how he feels so calm and relaxed from looking at the view. It’s not an angry poem it’s sensuous. A London fete is about violence and death. It has an unhappy theme as it is about a man getting hanged and how viewers are enjoying and getting adrenalin from watching this .the theme is really death and the poem is full of violence. It isn’t relaxing at all as it is a negative mood. The mood in this poem is negative and dull; it shows sad and violent images which puts the mood in this poem bad. For example the poem says â€Å"thousands of eyeballs, lit with hell† which creates a bad mood as it saying people are watching and waiting with evil eyes which isn’t a calm atmosphere. In Westminster Bridge the poem creates a happy positive mood as it contains relaxing words such as â€Å"all bright and glittering in the smoke less air† which creates calm and reflects his love for nature. The mood f these two poems contrast as a London fete is a negative mood and composed upon Westminster Bridge is a positive mood. The setting to these two poets ... ...gings. He objects to the event and the effect on those who watch. It seems to be that he’s trying to show the cruelty to hangings but not just to the person who was killed. For example â€Å"two children caught and hanged a cat† which shows that he’s watching someone being killed has made animals victims too. This is a good technique because it makes people emphasise the animal cruelty and disagree with hangings. In composed upon Westminster Bridge, by the way the poet uses calm and peaceful words it makes you feel relaxed and in a cheerful mood. The poet seems to want us to be more grateful to god as the poem says â€Å"dear god the very houses seem asleep† and it seems he’s being thankful and wants readers to be too. Both these poems are good poems because they involve feelings and thoughts and I think that the poets put a lot of thought into writing them.

Hals Woodworking

HAL’S WOODWORKING SWOT ANALYSIS Table of Contents SWOT Diagram†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 Strengths†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 Weaknesses†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 Opportunities†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 5 Threats†¦. †¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 Conclusions and Recommendations.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦6 References†¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 |   | Strengths|   | |   |   | Weaknesses|   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | †¢| Family owned business|   | | †¢| Local presence| |   | †¢| Local community presence|   | | †¢| Limited Internet website|   | †¢| Service oriented tradition.   | | †¢| Small online selection|   | †¢| Established tradition|   | | †¢| No internet business knowledge| †¢| Has established customer base. | | †¢| Limited staff | |   | †¢| Management is committed to company. | | †¢| Limited budget| |   | †¢| Qualified and knowledgeable staff| | †¢| Don't have a detailed plan yet. |   | | | |   | | †¢| We would be a small player. |   |   | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | SWOT SWOT |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |   | Opportunities|   | |   |   | Threats|   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | †¢| Increased internet exposure|   | | †¢| Increased competition from brick and| †¢| Increased sales| |   | |   | mortar stores like Home Depot. | †¢| Larger customer base|   | | †¢| Increased competition from online| †¢| Profit margins will be good. |   | |   | retailers such as Amazon. |   | †¢| Coul d seek better supplier deals. | | †¢| Competition can easily enter market. | †¢| Opportunity to expand|   | | †¢| Vulnerable to reactive attacks by major|   | | | |   | |   | competitors. | |   | | | | |   | | †¢| Price competition| |   | | | |   | | †¢| Risk of losing family owned reputation|   | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | | | | |   | |   | | | |   | |   |   |   |   | |   |   |   |   |   | Introduction This SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis evaluates the desirability of expanding Hal’s Woodworking website beyond its current state. The current website includes information about the company and some store information, such as locations and hours. Management is considering expanding the web site to include online shopping.Through the analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportu nities, and threats I have determined that expanding Hal’s Woodworking is good idea since it has many strengths that will overcome its weaknesses. Expanding will be necessary for the company to stay in business for the long term. But Hal’s Woodworking also needs to focus on their weaknesses and threats to avoid being run out of business by large chain retailers such as Home Depot and Amazon. Strengths Hal’s Woodworking has various strengths that could make the expansion of selling products on a website successful.Hal’s Woodworking has strong local community presence that through the expansion of the website will allow the company to reach customers who they can’t reach now by moving from local to worldwide. The company also has strong reputation of being providing high qualified service through knowledgeable staff. That strength could be translated to the website if the inventory that the company offers on the website is tailored by the staff that knows the product. In doing that the customer could either buy it from the online store or go to the store with the knowledge of what they want.That could lead to a no hassle experience for their valued customers and new customers. Weaknesses Hal’s Woodworking has various weaknesses that could hinder the success of expanding to shopping on their website. The store is local and will only showcase a limited selection of their products online. Being a local presence the price points for the products will not compete with the bigger websites like Amazon and Home Depot. But if the company wants to compete, lower prices will be needed which will cause a decline on profit margins for the products offered by the company.With no solid plan in place Hal’s Woodworking needs some expert advice before entering the ecommerce world. Opportunities Hal’s Woodworking will have various opportunities that could help the company succeed in expanding its website. Currently the compan y offers classes and workshops for the homeowner and hobbyist each month and regularly schedules seminars that are underwritten and taught by manufacturers. If the company could offer those videos on the website it could add even more value to high-end specialty tools currently being considered for the website.In expanding to selling online it will lead to increased exposure and the increased web presence which could lead to increased sales that could help the company to eventually expand. Threats Hal’s Woodworking will have various threats that could threaten the company expansion of its website. In order to reach their valued customers, it will be a threat for them to compete with big time companies like Amazon and Home Depot since these big companies already promote products at low prices. This will leave Hal’s woodworking susceptible to price changes and could leave the company with low profit margins if Hal’s decides to compete on price.Lastly, Hal’s Woodworking risks losing their family owned reputation if it strays from what has made them successful. Conclusion and Recommendations In order for Hal’s Woodworking to succeed the company could create and expand partnerships with other tool manufacturers. This could allow the company to be able to bid for lower prices of products and eventually sell those products to consumers at a lower cost. Another recommendation includes having promotions, free products, or loyalty discounts for regular costumers that visit the website.This will help retain current customers and help gain new customers. Lastly an online membership could help the company monitor customer trends. With a solid plan in place and expert advice, Hal’s Woodworking could successfully sell products on a website if the company uses its established reputation. Although the company can’t compete with the cheap prices from big companies it can offer superior service which the company is known for. Refe rences Schneider, Gary P. Electronic Commerce. Boston, MA: Course Technology Cengage Learning, 2013. Print.

The AXE Man

Advertisement, itself, is a creative genre in these post-modern days of ideas. If people in the future were to search for artifacts of our culture, in hopes of finding something that gives them insight into our culture and our life, they will be able to see what we leave behind in this consumer-driven world. Our ancestors left behind arrow heads and pottery, and we will leave behind a lot more that can easily communicate about who we are and what is important to us. Commercials and the products they advertise are some of the most important cultural artifacts in our society. They communicate what is important to or influences our culture, the good and the bad, because within any culture it is natural for the many different aspects of that culture to be portrayed on the screen or the page, from our stereotypes and biases, to what makes us proud and what makes us ashamed. One commercial that seems to represent an artifact of American culture is the recent AXE commercial, where a young man on a beach begins to spray AXE cologne, attracting literally hundreds of buxom beauties in bikinis, with the slogan being â€Å"Spray more, Get more†. The implications here about the way our culture stereotypes gender and what types of images we find to be suitable becomes part of the artifact and what it stands for in our culture. The first part of the advert shows a woman running in a wilderness. The first question that comes to mind is if this is a spoof of the new Mel Gibson movie â€Å"Apocalypto†? The theme of said movie is the hunter-hunted type of thriller where the protagonist is always on the run (from an AXE man perhaps? ). This is further implied by the choice of music – â€Å"Deus Irae† by Karl Jenkins which appears on his album â€Å"Requiem†. But then the video shows something else. There are many more than women running and therefore this is something else. The women are all focused with the task of reaching the goal first. They are single-minded indeed, to the point of being obsessed with whatever it is that made them run in the first place. All are jockeying for position and intense shoving and pushing is seen in the first few seconds. The second thing that hits the viewer is the fact that the women are not properly clad. If they are indeed going for a late afternoon jog then where is the sports wear needed to do the job? It is not usually normal to run with skimpy clothing! Then the next thing that hits the viewer is the fact that these are not only a group of young women running but it is actually a swarm. The multitude running together indicates mass hysteria. At this point the audience is becoming interested to know what this anarchy is all about; are they hunting for something? Again similarities can be drawn with â€Å"Apocalypto†. The next scene makes the video a bit confusing as a shot is taken from the other side of the terrain – a shot of the ocean where a similar number of horde of women are swimming frantically towards the shore. For a minute there one thinks that this may be something about the â€Å"Iron Woman† competition. But then it becomes clear as the video gives a top shot that shows where all the women are heading. The swarm is converging on the shore where a solitary male figure was spraying AXE cologne, specifically AXE Lynx. And the text flashed in the end saying, â€Å"Spray more. Get more. † If the AXE commercials are to be marked as anything of immediate interest, the popular tags that come to mind immediately are â€Å"pornographic advert† or â€Å"advert with sexual overtones. † Such terms are quite befitting as we find the women who are running from different topographical extremes have svelte, well-maintained physiques with sexual appeal, and the man on the beach stands armed with AXE cologne to attract more such women by spraying more of the heart-smashing fragrance. Commercials stand as an important artifact that can be used to understand a culture, and this commercial in particular says a lot about certain gender-related issues. Commercials such as this are not only for entertainment value, they are subconsciously sending messages to a population of people that view what they see on television as truth and fact. Someday, people will study such commercials in search of something historically or culturally important to our generation and will quickly realize that for all of our advances in our way of thinking and our technology, we were still submitting ourselves to the humiliation of gender-related stereotypes and sexually explicit material. If sexual excesses are not used deliberately, then why has such a slogan been floated in the air: Spray more, Get more? Is it not somewhat pornographic, tickling the fancy of men with the promise of winning an armful of femme fatales at one sprinkle of AXE? Why again a horde of belles are needed with immense sexual charms if no sexual implications are intended? When a condom, a bra or lingerie is advertised, the same types of images are blatantly paraded across the television screen, the sexual overtones not even subtle anymore. Even in odd places do we see such use of sexuality to sell a product, like the commercials that are for car insurance but are cartoons, using the cartoon character of a cute, busty girl to try and sell insurance for someone’s automobile. Even Pizza Hut commercials use Jessica Simpson’s sexuality to sell pizza, and Pepsi has been notorious for using stars such as Madonna to sell their product. The fact is that sex sells. Thus, if categorically the artifact is to be judged, then it is a piece of advertisement in the first place and then it is pornographic i. e. an advert with sexual overtones. In my view, whatever nomenclature may be piled on the term â€Å"advertisement†, it is a creative way of presenting an object or a commodity. So I would like to call it innovative advertisement. If we move a step further we will be able to see that innovative and sexually-exploitive adverts apply to all sorts of business tricks to catch the consumer youth. There is yet another genre that this advert falls into, and that is humorous. Despite its sexual overtones, the commercial is filmed in such a way that, at first glance, it appears to be harmless, comedic tone and all. The public seems to be very forgiving of any images or messages that are not politically correct when there is humor involved, as in this case. There is no complaining from the public even if a salacious picture or video clipping is used in order to make a commodity attractive to the target audience. It may appear denigrating in the eye of a few thoughtful, conservative people, but to hit the bull’s eye of consumerism, it is a weapon, a necessity, the need of the hour. In fact, this advert was shown only once on British television prior to a World Cup football game where it has reached near cult status. I never considered myself to be a conservative person, not even a little bit. I really thought the AXE commercial to be a great one with a sense of humor, but after I observed it many times closely, there were several things really bothering me. While it is common knowledge that marketers are using sex to sell their products, the issue that arises with this commercial is that it tried to hide the sexual content behind the product itself. The text did not imply anything sexual and therefore no one can accuse AXE of intentionally telling men of the benefits of using their cologne in terms of their becoming attractive sexually, but the imagery is enough to convince the viewer that it is selling the product through sex. In other words, AXE is using the fantasies of young men to bring them in as consumers of their product by promising them, visually, that there is something about their product that attracts women. If there is a law regulating sexual themes in advertising then it seems that the AXE advert is trying to beat the system. Those who do not agree with the blatant use of sex in advertising, be it implied or explicit, must heed the words of Tom Reichert when he wrote, â€Å"†¦other forms of sexual information is woven into ads [†¦] sexual content can vary in form and meaning, it is important to provide an overview of recurring representations of sex in advertising† (Reichert, 2003). The bone of contention here is how to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. J. Sivulka had warned that â€Å"when scholars have explained the changing nature of sex in advertising, they have often viewed this shift as an evolution from a relatively innocent representation of a sexually alluring woman to a new type of image, in which sex is explicit† (Sivulka, 2003). The world it seems is divided over what kind of judgment to give this sort of TV commercial, but fo r those who are looking for substance there is only one verdict. For those who are tired of being given information that is not based on truth but rather on assumptions and pop culture, the verdict is not positive. In the AXE commercial the first thing that does not escape the viewer is the stereotyping of the female. Geral Tellis observed that, â€Å"One of the most common criticisms of advertising is the gender stereotyping [†¦] endorsers are typically presented as young, beautiful, and sexually attractive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tellis, 2004). As a female watching this commercial I felt it not only was the dreaded stereotyping being used but also the fact that women were depicted as not having the intellect to comprehend what was going on and furthermore, that women were not valued for their intellect at all, but for their appearance. The women were portrayed like buffoons, parading themselves with no regard for their self-worth, with no obvious intelligence (in direct contrast with the ‘Iron Woman’ comparison). Instead of showing a commercial where the images show an intelligent, well-mannered male using AXE cologne and attracting an intellectual and strong woman, we are bombarded with yet more images of the stereotypical buxom bimbo and in my opinion, that is an insult to the feminists out there who are championing woman’s equal rights, access to power and control. The AXE commercial made them look like they have no ability whatsoever to control their destiny, much alone their lives and they are purely driven by instincts. Lorraine Code asserts that this kind of reaction is not new and she wrote that in fact, â€Å"In the 1970s feminists criticized advertisements for portraying stereotypical images of women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Code, 2000). Forget about the feminist stereotype, what is disturbing about the way women were depicted in the AXE ad is the fact that there is no truth to what was being communicated. Granting that commercials are not supposed to be whole truths, still the fact that something can be created wholly out of imagination is a bit of a stretch. Adding another aspect of then forcing people to accept it or maybe worse, manipulating people to behave in a certain way are actions not acceptable for a highly influential medium. A casual survey of the real world will immediately inform the observer that women do not behave like those in the said commercial. If the producer of the AXE commercial would come back and say that this is the whole point; that making fantastic claims and using pure creative imagination to sell something is the reality of advertising, then it is going to be hard to argue that line of reasoning. Even if this were the case, not everybody will agree with the producer. Many believe that advertising is no longer a neutral medium but that it is an artifact that has the capacity to transform society, especially how people think, and therefore it is a medium to be regulated. If one allows the producer of the AXE commercial the benefit of the doubt, that there was no intention to demean women and to insult their intelligence, then the problem keeps on compounding because the next group that would be insulted by this commercial is the male population, because while it is common to hear women being exploited, more and more men are being devalued by the media as well. There is a movement out there that forces the world to recognize the place of women in society. It is almost a normal experience to constantly hear of women being abused and misrepresented, but it may be taken for granted that men can also be stereotyped. That there is a whole assumption out there that men are savages and no smarter than wild beasts who are being controlled by their carnal instincts would be insulting to me if I was male, and I cannot believe that the media can stereotype both genders in such simple terms. To be honest, however, no man would stand up and say that his reputation is on the line because of such media exploitation. For them, it is somewhat absurd, but if truth can be told and truth be the standard of knowing what must be done in this society then someone has to point out the problem with the AXE commercial. What exactly is wrong about it in terms of the male image is that this time men are not depicted as buffoons in the same way that the ladies were depicted running around half-naked and half-crazed when a potent brew aroused their senses and they could not control themselves. This time men were assumed to be buffoons, period. This assumption is basically a belief that when men will see the commercial then they will not stop to think and evaluate what is being projected on screen. They will simply instinctively pick up their wallets, head for the store and buy a crate full of AXE cologne – and â€Å"spray more†. It is interesting to note that marketers are well aware of what they are doing to the male stereotype and the projection of an image that will make men want to buy the cologne. As suggested by Stephen Fox in his study of the history of American advertising, marketers in the past made the generalization that, â€Å"†¦all men are fools† (Fox, 1997). They have expanded this theory into something more useful, â€Å"†¦that while men may be fools and sinners, they are everlastingly on the search for that which is good† (Fox, 1997). Advertising is the guide that leads them to the path of bliss and truth; yet, there is one more weakness of the male psyche that is being exploited here, but it must first be understood that this commercial was not created with the general public in mind. It is quite probable that the target-segment are young men between puberty and their twenties. It is possible that the target-market are adolescent males who lack the confidence to take their place in the world and establish relationships with the opposite sex and therefore need a touch of courage, in this case in the form of AXE cologne. There is evidence pointing to the fact that the target market is indeed the teenager segment of the population. Buddenberg pointed out that, â€Å"†¦despite being more knowledgeable about advertising, teens are still very susceptible to it† (Buddenberg, 2004). Fox enumerated the common behaviors considered normal for teens: a) struggle with sense of identity; b) feeling awkward or strange about one’s self and one’s body; c) concerns regarding physical and sexual attractiveness to others; and, d) worries about being normal (Fox, 1997). If Fox’s theory proves right then what a powerful effect the AXE commercial must be having on the minds of the teenage males that watch it. The video suggests achieving power and control where there is none – by simply spraying more AXE. To be fair, however, I must say that the humorous nature of the commercial was, even to me, funny at the beginning and I did not take it serious on first glance. The women, making funny faces and rushing this geeky-looking young man whose eyes are huge as he watches the scene unfold before him was more of a comedic event than anything. In this way, the producer of this commercial was not, perhaps, trying to use stereotypes about men and women to influence our culture, but perhaps just trying to make an impression, something that is hard to do in a society filled with a flood of advertisements at every turn. Despite my misgivings about the commercial, I do not remember any other cologne commercials vividly, only AXE, and perhaps that was the point all along. The advertisement used in this study can make people react in many different ways. The more important issue to address is the potential offensive effect of the commercial to both men and women, at least to those who are sensitive enough to really analyze the content of the video. The problem with the video is that it depicts women as stupid and at the same time assumes that young men are stupid enough to believe what they are seeing and will not take the time to verify it. Moreover, the commercial is trying to hide its sexual content and that is not acceptable for those who are shielding children and the rest of the public from too much exposure to indecency. Still, at the core of the problem is the unceasing evolution of advertising. This time what is perceived to be improper will soon change in a few years time. This will continue until one day, parents and concerned citizens will one day wake up to see sex in advertising being shown explicitly without shame. At some point, American advertising will turn the corner and, just as now, we will simply sit back, watch, hence evolving as viewers too, and let the images convince us of something just as ridiculous as the assumptions made in the AXE cologne commercial. Having said that, however, the public is not as taken in by adverts as we once were and so advertisers may be responding accordingly by making adverts more humorous, shocking and ridiculous in order to capture our attention and remember the product in question which is being advertised. Then just as the advert may be mocking women and/or men it may just as easily be merely ‘tongue in cheek’ and using the satirical content to try and get the consumer to simply buy a product which makes you smell nice! So, whether it be gender stereotyped, intellectually backward or in direct contrast, intellectually superior in order to be able to appreciate the humor in the AXE advert and not take it too seriously, the artifacts our commercial culture is leaving behind are, sadly, not a representation of who we really are, but who were are told to be.