Detailed analysis of school safety

Safety is an important factor in any learning institution that is focussed to achieving its mission, vision and goals in the future. So the most important thing to be enforced in such institutions is thus safety. Although there are other factors that contribute to the success of students in learning, safety form the core foundations for all activities that are undertaken by any learning institutions. The need to provide better learning environment to students begins with the provision of physical safety that leading to the provisions of emotional well being to the students. Atkinson, 1996) However, in the recent past years, many schools within the country have been faced with a number of problems which led to the compromising of schools safety. During last year’s perilous event that took place in our school, many of us as part of the school community were affected. Follow such consequences, the school administration formed a committee to research on the safety conditions and control measures in our school. The following is the report that was hand over to the administrators:- Outline of the issues: The rising indiscipline behaviour among the students The misuse of drugs and the utilization of illegal drugs within the school compound The rampant violence act among students and teachers The movement of outsiders and non- students as well as students within the school compound (Trump, 1997) While the above four issues were tackled into detail, it was clear that in the first matter, students were becoming uncouth and rowdy. There were many cases that involved students fighting in classes and outside classes. Furthermore, some of the sources indicated that some students had even blackmailed the name of our school to the outside communities by misbehaving in public. Some students have been alleged not to respect the elders and those in authorities while they are in public places. The second issues of using drug and illegal drugs indicated that most students have been caught by watchmen either drinking or drunk of alcohol, beer, or they have been found smoking cigarettes, marijuana and others addict able materials that may stimulates and affects the normal functioning of body or nervous systems. I think the applications of these substances are the consequences of the first and the third issue of rampant violence among the students and to the teachers. The most important matter that perhaps has lead to all these scaring actions is the lack of school fence. This has paralysed the efforts of the guards to regulating and control the movement of all the people getting in and out of the school ground. In fact this has given a great opportunity to drug traffics to access the clients within the school without much struggle or impairment while the same applies to the addicted students who would like to sneak out to go and obtain their materials. (Huff, 1996) Control measures To alleviate to the crooked ways of the students’ behaviour, the administrators being the closes guardians to the students should be taught guidance and counselling courses. They will then help them to mould the students and even rescue those who are drug addicts from the scathing killer drugs. While this is being implemented, the school can invite sociologists and religious leaders to give words of advices to the students periodically. Moreover, to accomplish their mission, there is need for the administration to coordinate with the parents and the local communities as well as the public in general to act as role models and to give corrective measures and check the behaviour of students. Final the school requires to be provided with a physical fence to check the intruders and students movements. (Trump, 1993)

Racism in the Tuskegee Experiment Essay

The Tuskegee experiment, begun in 1932 by the United States Public Health Service in Macon County, Alabama, used 400 black men who suffered from advanced stages of syphilis.   This study was not a means of finding a cure; the patients offered no preventative measures to prolong or better life.   Although the history and nature of syphilis was well understood, certain scientists believed that more research could certainly be done. In terms of whom to study, the doctors developing the format discovered a â€Å"ready-made situation† (Jones 94). Macon County Alabama was impoverished, like much of the country in 1932.   The selection process began during the depression, a time of separation and intolerance.   In the rural South, where we find Tuskegee, the men chosen were not seen, at the time, as equal in any sense of the word. Jones refers to prominent doctors of the region who, in the late 1800s, scientifically defined diseases that were peculiar to the race.   One such disease, Cachexia Africana, caused the subject to eat dirt.   The public did not question such obviously ridiculous claims at the time.   In fact, the public heralded these doctors and requested a manual for treating blacks in order to save slave-owners and the like money in paying for doctors (17).   Given the distaste for the ethnicity of the subjects, could their ethnicity have been a factor in the selection process? At the time, the medical profession had already made some false assumptions about the African American race in general.   Jones reiterated the white-held theory that black men had larger penises and little constraints when it came to sexual intercourse (23).   It was also believed that they were harder to treat for syphilis because African Americans were stupid. In examining this mindset, it becomes clear why the government erringly felt it should go to the poorer black communities in rural Alabama conduct a syphilis study.   Believed to be an immoral sex-centered culture placed at the level of animals, the government would put them in league with mice and rats.   As disgusting as the premise is, the doctors needed lab animals and set out to find them. If this were true – how could the government get away with it?   Blatant disregard for humanity and life could not go unnoticed.   However, the geographical area in question had just been the last state of the union to discontinue chain gang use in its penitentiaries in 1928.   The South had not yet begun to consider African-Americans as people – not in the slightest meaning of the word. Jones reiterates the sentiment of the doctors at the time and place with, â€Å"short of a ‘quick-fix’ by science requiring no behavior changes by blacks, there was no hope for the race† (26). The Health service claimed they informed the subjects of their disease, although an internship at the time the experiments began, Dr. J.W. Williams, stated the men received no such information.   He also claims the internships registered the data collected without understanding the nature of the experiment either (Jones 5). The term ‘racist’ as defined in the Random House Webster’s College Dictionary reads, †a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior† (1072).   Given this definition, it is clear that the Tuskegee experiments were racist.   To withhold the nature of the experiments from the subjects, the name of the disease, the treatment of its symptoms and to feel no remorse in inflicting this sort of medical indictment on fellow human beings is not just racist, but also immoral and unjust. Jones points out the Health Services did investigate the treatment of these patients in an Ad Hoc committee.   The resulting medical treatments for the wives and children of the male subjects was offered with no cash restitution allowed (214).   In the end, the government did agree to $10 million dollars in payments to the â€Å"living syphiltics†, the next of kin for those already dead, â€Å"living controls† and the next of kin for the dead controls.   If you had been living with the disease and never treated, you would get a grand total of $37, 500; a paltry amount for the pain and suffering from neglect and racist bigotry (217). Works Cited Jones, James H. Bad Blood: The scandalous story of the Tuskegee experiment – when government doctors played God and science went mad. New York, NY: The Free Press, 1981. Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 2nd Ed.   New York, NY: Random House, 1997.

Nazis and Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nazis and Art - Essay Example Movies played a very important role in the spread of racial anti-Semitism as Jews were defined as the enemies of nation. The films created by Nazi depicted Nazi as inhuman beings, which penetrated German society. Classical music also was an important tool of propaganda during World War II. Now it is difficult to imagine that classical music played a key role during national crisis. Nevertheless, music was very noticeable background for different World War II events. According to Hitler’s order, overture from opera â€Å"Die Meistersinger von Nà ¼rnberg† should have accompanied every mass-meeting in Nà ¼rnberg. Nazi encouraged the performing the works of Wagner, because Hiller was his fan (Waite, 1977). The works of Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn were forbidden due to the Jewish origin of these composers. German orchestras were not allowed to perform the music by Paul Hindemith, the leading national composer, who was recognized all over the world (Heinsohn, 2000). Many chor uses and orchestras had to leave Germany. The culture of many countries was enriched as a result, because many outstanding Jewish Musicians were afraid to be killed and chose to leave Nazi

Database Apps SLP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Database Apps SLP - Essay Example Furthermore, the SQL Server database has many more features of storing, retrieving, and updating data as compared to the Microsoft Excel. Basically, the Microsoft Excel is utilized for storing less data comparatively in the form of columns and rows. The video moves on explaining the uses of the SQL Server database in the websites and the software applications. It is established in the video that the SQL Server database is used to store information received from the interface of the website. In actual, the forms of the website take information from the users over the internet and then the website sends all the information to the database. The SQL Server database is utilized for managing and maintaining data similarly in the software application. The video ends while illumination of the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition is a software tool / application allows creating and managing databases for the software applications to be developed. Overall, the video is one of the best techniques for the beginners learning SQL Server database and the database management systems. The title of the second video is â€Å"Understanding Database Tables and Records† pertains to the development of databases, tables and rows. The video contains information on how to develop a new database in the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. It is necessary to create tables right after the creation of the database. However, the video informs that before creating the tables, there are certain concepts required to be cleared include, but not limited to the data types, primary key, foreign key and candidate key. The video gives details that each and every table should have a primary key and demonstrates on how to create the primary key in the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition. Similarly, the video enlightens the diverse data types which can be applied to each column / attributes of the table so that the data which fulfil the data type can be stored in

Analysis of the Marketing Communications Campaign of GAP (Clothing Essay

Analysis of the Marketing Communications Campaign of GAP (Clothing Brand) - Essay Example But Gap Inc. had to start somewhere and by identifying the steps of an integrated marketing communications campaign we will begin to see some similarities. Developing a model for a consumer IMC campaign involves a number of steps. These include identifying target audiences, analysing the situation, setting marketing communications objectives, developing strategies and tactics, setting a budget and evaluating the effectiveness of the campaign. For this assignment, we will look these steps in relation to a mock product and a mock IMC model, and compare them with the successful Gap Inc. clothing brand. Our mock product, to help us make the developed IMC model clear is titled â€Å"non-uniforms†. It is clothing for schoolchildren in western European countries whose schools do not expect students to wear uniforms. If marketed properly, the clothing for schoolchildren will be bought and worn for the same reasons uniforms are worn in schools in the United Kingdom. Only it will not be compulsory and the stock will not be identical. It will be sturdy, basic and strong, cheap, readily available from school and, ideally, promoted by schools. The product is likely to succeed because it is recreating, rebranding and redefining something that is successful in other like countries. According to Articlebase (Sep 2005) school uniforms reduce distraction, promote discipline, reduce fighting and violence, are cheaper and highlight that individuality is not determined by designer clothing. However, the cons are that uniforms stifle self-expression and can be uncomfortable, (Pros and Cons of School Uniforms 2009). By analysing the situation, we find that male primary school students, aged six to 10 do not purchase or choose their own clothing. Therefore, the target group is the parent or carer who chooses and purchases the clothing. Our marketing communications objective is to identify or create a buyer’s problem and solve it. One of the target group’s problems is

Immigration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Immigration - Essay Example The repercussion is dealt with in turn with a strong-willed defense of immigration. As time goes by, the debate becomes more intense; immigration will perhaps be a foremost issue in the politics of the near future and the next generation. Some contestants in the debate dispute that immigration is an economic advantage to the nation but a catastrophe in cultural implications, that the latter dimension is more essential than the former; hence immigration should be trimmed down (Loveless, 1996). I have a different assessment. Persistent soaring immigration is likely to generate economic problems for the nation but as well provide key social opportunities, and because of this, immigration will contribute constructively to the nation. Some of the contestants in the debate believe that it is just a waste of time to argue about the implication of immigration to the United States and whether it should be supported or thwarted. Immigration is an enormous reality of human existence, they assume, and nothing can be done to prevent the surge of newcomers even if a cutback were intended. What must be disputed, they claim, is the treatment granted to the immigrants, specifically the human rights and political privileges bestowed upon them. The point of view taken in this essay is dissimilar. Even though the laws of the nation cannot absolutely regulate the population of immigrants into the United States, they still have a remarkable impact. The recent dramatic increase in immigration has occurred in reaction to a major transformation in immigration law in 1965, and that law might be amended once again, in so doing altering the pattern of immigration (Loveless, 1996). In this essay I will defend immigration. Even though I take critical consideration of the several reasons put forth for criticizing immigration, I conclude that these immigrants actually contribute encouragingly to the value of American life and that immigration corresponds to the

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 13

Project Management - Essay Example Despite a few known cases of successful project development and implementation, it is widely accepted in the industry that a number of unacceptable projects fail, especially in the IT/IS sector. According to Lyytinen and Hirschheim (1987), the estimated number of project failures is half of all the systems implemented. Galloway and Whyte (1989) concurred with the survey of project failures. Whyte and Bytheway (1996) further argued that more projects fail than succeed. Bozman (1994) claims that project failures are common in every parts of the world – it is an international phenomenon. Industries view project failures as either a pathological state to be avoided or a logical problem of goal definition (Lindahl & Rehn, 2007).This paper will focus on the different key factors that influence the failure of projects especially on the field of information technology (IT). It will discuss the different stages in the project lifecycle and the possible areas of failures in each stage. Furthermore, the paper will tackle the concept of risk management and its benefits in a successful project development as well as in preventing failures. A successful risk management system incorporated in a project will create a programme for handling probable causes of project failures.IT projects fail when it does not meet one or more of its criteria for success. The criteria for successful IT projects are delivery on time, completion on or under budget, and satisfaction of user requirements.

In times of crisis, such as the one currently experienced in Europe, Assignment

In times of crisis, such as the one currently experienced in Europe, new ideas of how to manage and organise are required for - Assignment Example In this situation, it becomes important to create new organizations and create new jobs in order to sustain. The report will discuss about the global economic crisis and its impact on the national economies of the nations. In this context it will specifically highlight the Euro crisis and its impact on the affected countries. It will also emphasize the importance of new company establishments and job creation in a country. The report will also shed light on how individuals influence the management practices of an organization. Finally the report will conclude stating the extent to which an individual impacts in company establishment and management practices. Introduction During the last 15 years, countries around the world have been able to make impressive advancement and historical transformations in their economical policies. With rapid globalization and based on the institutional establishments nations have been successful in building up effervescent private sector. It has also le d the countries to participate in international trade (Rutkowski and Scarpetta, 2005, p.xiii). The economic growth has in turn helped the nations to reduce the level of poverty as well as brought higher incomes. However the global economic downturn has disrupted the growth process and clearly indicated that no economic policy is stable enough to face economic crisis. Many scholars thus highlighted that it is important for the nations to focus on reforming the financials of a country. In this context a number of scholars have highlighted that financials of a country can be best reformed by creating new business ventures and thereby creating new jobs. According to Global Entrepreneur Monitor (GEM) around the world there are 200 million who are engaged in the creation of new jobs. There are another 200 million people who are the managers or owners of newly established firms. The study was carried out in 75 countries of the world and which covered nearly 80% of the total population of t he world (Reynolds and Curtin, 2010, p.1). The focus of the project will be therefore based upon the issue of how creation of new business and jobs will aid a nation to embrace economic growth. The intentions of the projects will be also to uncover how new business and jobs will be created and sustained during the crisis periods. The next half of the project will discuss all the relevant theories as well as the earlier literatures from the same field of study. Discussion In the recent past one of the major economic crisis occurred in Europe, which is also known as the Euro Crisis. It is an ongoing financial emergency that has caused difficulties for a number of countries in Europe to refinance the debt of their Government. This economic catastrophe has impacted the Euro economy to a large extant. Countries such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Ireland and Spain or collectively known as GIIPS were the major sufferers. It has actually destroyed the economies of European Union. A number of reasons have been highlighted regarding the cause of this economical turbulence. The Euro Crisis In Europe there

The Human Eye Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Human Eye - Essay Example The genes that govern many aspects of light detection, eye development, and neural development are the ones directing these processes in jawed vertebrates. These outstanding similarities to the eye of jawed vertebrates are far too many to have emerged separately. There are no living representatives of ancestry that split off from our line in the past 50 million years. Eyes of the hagfish differ intensely from the vertebrate standard even though they are vertebrates. This is because the eye of the hagfish lacks a cornea, iris, lens and all of the normal supporting muscles. Its retina consists of just two layers of the cell instead of three. Each eye is buried deep beneath a translucent patch of skin. The eye can undergo enormous degeneration and can be even lost altogether in as little as 10,000 years. The hagfish eye is not involved in vision but instead offers input to the part of the animal’s brain that controls crucial circadian rhythms, as well as seasonal events like breeding and feeding based in part on this parallel to the pineal gland. Mammalian eye also shows telltale clues to its evolutionary origin during embryological development. The circuit of the mammalian retina starts out in contrast to that of the hagfish, with the photoreceptors linking directly to the output neurons. Photoreceptor cells across the animal kingdom fall into two different classes- ciliary and rhabdomeric. Ciliary photoreceptors are accountable for sensing light for nonvisual functions in the vast majority of organisms.

Microsoft's Diversification Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Microsoft's Diversification Strategy - Essay Example It has looked to provide the best quality service to the customers at cheaper rates and also the service been provided is in the best condition. In 1980, IBM selected the company to build the operating system for its computers and in 1986 the company went public and in the same year, the company became the first billionaire company in the country. Â  In this report, the various strategies used by Microsoft to tackle the growing competition in the global market can be seen using various marketing theories. The way in which the company has looked to diversify from its core business to get a competitive advantage and also to explore new markets can also be seen by studying various articles and books to understand the importance of diversification for the current competitive global market. Â  As per this, the diversification strategy is the type of strategy used by the companies to have a growth in their business process. The companies look to launch new products while entering the new markets to capture the maximum market share and also for increasing their sales volume and also the profit margin by huge percentage compared to earlier times. Â  In 2001, the company entered in the market of video games and launched its video game Xbox console in the market. But by then the company found it lacking way behind as other companies like Nintendo, Sony has already entered this market and also had a good market share in the global competitive market zone (OaShaughnessy, 1995, pp. 56-63). The company is now present in mostly all the countries across the globe and has looked to provide the best facility service to the customers by developing most reliable and also high-quality software and operating system for the computers both for personal and official use. Microsoft had strong competition from the latest innovative video games that were launched by other companies and mainly by Sony and Nintendo.

History of Database Essay Example for Free

History of Database Essay Storing data and files is an important aspect of business for various industries of the world. The storage of data in computers or database system is proven to be cost effective. Large or small database needs a system which will control the processes in the databases. Such applications are called database management systems (DBMS). From the time it was designed, the need for a good DBMS has increased because of the escalating number of data stored in the database. There are many available DBMS that private corporations use today. Indeed, database management systems have evolved due to the demand for the services that these systems provide. Database Management System A database management system is a collection of programs which enables the user or a network of users to mange files and data inside the database. The management includes storing, deleting, modifying, and extracting information from the database. It manages the request of the user and other programs installed in the computer or in the network. The DBMS ensures the integrity and reliability of the data. Some DBMS also provide security to the database (Tatum, 2003). There are many different forms of database management systems available in the market today because of the different private and public organizations or corporations which require different kinds of DBMS. However, there are four important elements that every DBMS have. These are the modeling language, data structures, data query language and mechanism that allows transactions (Tatum, 2003). The modeling language is the element that pertains to the approach used by the DBMS to communicate with the database. There are several approaches available today including hierarchical, relational, network and object-oriented (Christiansen, 2005). The hierarchical model makes use of pointers to navigate between stored data which is stored hierarchically in a downward tree. The structure is very inflexible in changing data and access requirements. The data is accessed by navigating from the root data to the data on the lower part of the hierarchy. In addition, the user should know the structure of the system before he or she can make an inquiry (Hsior, n. d. ). The network model is like the hierarchical model. It uses pointers to navigate through the data but it does not use a downward tree structure. It has limited flexibility in changing data and accessing requirements. Access to the data is accomplished by navigating through the structure and issuing specific statements to find specific data types in relation to the starting point of the structure (Hsior, n. d. ). In relational model, the data is stored in the two-dimensional tables. The data in the relational method is manipulated based on the relational theory of mathematics. The data types in this model are assigned with a symbolic primary key or foreign key construction. The referential integrity of the model is supported by the relational theory of mathematics. This model is very flexible to the data changes and access requirements. And the access to data types is based on relational algebra and relational calculus statements (Hsior, n. d. ). And lastly, the object-oriented model stores data as objects. This model is more direct than its predecessors since the design is very close to the real world model. The object-oriented model allows an easier way to maintain the database. The identification of objects is assigned by the system which protects the consistency of the data; while in the relational systems, it is assigned by the user. The database does not only store data but a whole application as well. Moreover, it can be executed inside the database. The concept of inheritance in this model makes code easily reusable. Furthermore, the object-oriented model is more practical and more economical (Hsior, n. d. ). The data structures are the elements that a DBMS manages inside the database. Different databases require different data structures which different DBMS manage. Data structures include individual records, files, fields and objects such as media files. DBMS need to define data structures to ensure the integrity of the data while it is being accessed. The data query language is the element which takes care of the security of the database. It monitors login data, assigns access rights and privileges, and defines the criteria for the add data function in the data base (Tatum, 2003). History The origin of database can be traced back to libraries, governments and other institutions that require storage of data. The DBMS was designed to ensure the integrity, security and accessibility of data. The design of the DBMS constantly evolves through time. It aims to create a design of which has better reliability and performance (Mann, 2003). In the 1800, Jose Marie Jacquard had created a machine, Jacquard Loom, which produced fabric from stored design from a punch card. The data of the design is stored in punch cards where holes represent the details in the design. In this way, the Jacquard Loom automatically designs the loom depending on the punch card in use (Tatum, 2003). Similar technology was used in the 1890 as Herman Hollerith created a mechanism that recorded information in a punch card which was coded numerically. The idea is that the data can punch in specific locations in the card, and then it can be counted and sorted automatically. This design was used by the US government to perform the census. Hollerith’s company solely produces the machine that records the data in the punch card and another machine that tabulates and sorts the cards. This company is renamed to IBM. The company prospered as it was able to produce machines that can record data for business and government institutions during 1910 towards 1960. The systems have records of every household and other data needed for the analysis of the society (Tatum, 2003). By 1955, many business and government institutions have floors dedicated for the storage of punched cards and floors for the machines. The machines work with punch-board which control accumulator registers that could reproduce punched cards or put data on paper. Some very large companies accumulate tons of data everyday that costs millions on storage. Thus, the need for a new technology has become very imminent (Tatum, 2003). In the 1960s, private organizations and corporations needed computers that have better storage capabilities and computers are proven to be cost effective against ordinary punch cards. In line with this, database administrators needed database management systems to cope with the increasing data storage capacity of computers and the increasing number of data being stored. The hierarchical and network model are the two main data models developed which were used in database management systems during the earlier years. They made use of pointers which was used to navigate through records. In these models, there were difficulties in adding another field in the higher level since it will require rewriting the scheme for access in the lower level data. In this system, the emphasis of the model was placed on the type of data to be processed and not the over all structure of the system. In addition, the user who will need access to the data should know the structure of the database before he can make a query for information (Vaughn, 2003). In the early 1970s, the Edgar F. Codd proposed a relational approach in manipulating data in the database. He published an article entitled A relational model of data for large shared data banks which became the foundation in the development of the relational database. The article showed a theory of how to store data in a rectangular or in two-dimensional tables and then use the theory of mathematical sets to operate on it. The relational databases represent the first implementation of the real database management system. Since then, the relation model had been the most popular or standard approach for database management systems (Vaughn, 2003). In the mid-70s, the theory of Codd on relational databases was put into research projects by several competing camps. During this time, the term Relational Database Management System or the RDBMS was coined. During these times, there are two main prototypes based on the relational were developed. These are the System R developed by the IBM and Ingres developed by the University of California at Berkeley. These two prototypes led to different kinds of DBMS. The two lines of DBMS created by the two prototypes used different query languages. IBM’s System R uses the Structured Query Language (SQL) and the UCB’s Ingres uses QUEL short for query language. Also in mid-1970s, Peter P. Chen proposed the Entity-Relationship Model for the database design which gave a new insight in the conceptual models of a database management system. This model gives the designer of the database management system a way to concentrate more on the use of data instead of its logical structure like other method does (Vaughn, 2003). In the early 1980s, the commercialization of the Relational Database Management System began to intensify due to the increasing demand of databases in corporations around the world. The higher demand was caused by the emerging business in the United States and other countries around the world. Another reason is that organizations and corporations had increasing number of data needed to be stored. Businesses rely on computers for their data storage thus a better database management system is needed to manage large databases that these businesses have. At the same time, many companies made some products which give individual users to maintain a small database in their own computer (Vaughn, 2003). In the rest of the 1980s, SQL had become the standard query language for many databases which was caused by the emergence of the local area network. The Oracle Corporation made the first commercial relational database. Moreover, the network and hierarchical models faded to the background. However, there are still others that use the network and hierarchical models (Vaughn, 2003). It was during the early 1990s when the industry of databases had a shakeout and there are only a few companies that survived for offering better products. The most important development on the computer industry was on application builders and programming languages. During these times, the prototype of the object-oriented database management system was introduced. The object-oriented DBMS is conceptualized to handle big and complex data that relational database management systems had a hard time to handle (Vaughn, 2003). In the mid-1990s, the influx of internet use revived the need for database industry. This demand came from internet servers in order to manipulate the large amounts of data which must be made accessible to internet users. Better security and reliability is also needed to protect the client-users and the information itself from corruption and tamper. As such, only a good database management system can provide this. In addition, the database industry during these times has reached the desktop computers in the users’ own homes. This provides desktop computer users to manage their own small database or access the large databases on the internet (Vaughn, 2003). In the late 1990s, the industry prospered in terms of internet sales and database tools. The e-commerce industry boomed since business transactions have been done online. The Online Transaction Processing and the Online Analytical Processing emerged (Vaughn, 2003). However, in the early 21st century, there has been a decline in the internet industry. Nonetheless, the database industry is still growing because the demand for a larger database and better DBMS is steadily growing. There are other interactive applications that emerged during these times. Three companies have dominated the database industry including Microsoft, Oracle and IBM (Vaughn, 2003). Nowadays, huge systems require a good way to manage and analyze data. These databases’ storage capacity for the data now reaches the terrabyte level. Such databases are science databases which hold genome projects, national security, and space exploration data. Shopping online is also one of the common practices today. Millions of buyers participate on this application, thus requiring a larger database and good handling abilities. There are researches today that is said to surpass the capabilities of the SQL. This development will ensure another significant growth in the database industry (Vaughn, 2003). Future Trends Mobile database is now emerging in various ways. This technology will secure a more remote access to database. Additionally, more and more people will access a single database at a time. As such, proper management is needed to ensure the continuous service and to prevent a system crush (Vaughn, 2003). Object-oriented database management system is predicted to dominate the database market as well as other computer markets. The emergence of the use of this model threatens to wipe other database models (Vaughn, 2003). As time goes by, there are certain issues that have risen alongside the creation of larger databases. Ethical issue is one of them; the larger the database is, the harder that people can efficiently manage it. Consequently, it is easier for perpetrators to subtly penetrate a system without being known by the administrators. In addition, some databases use automatic analyzing application which is sometimes unethical to use (Vaughn, 2003). Evidently, the database evolved from simple punched cards to huge mainframes. The advances in database technology have propelled the growing need for large data storage and management tools to access and analyze it. The database management system evolved as billions of information are generated by large business and government institutions everyday. The demand still grows as the internet community is still continuously growing. The future of database industry is very clear – it will continue to prosper and advance as the world continuously develops. References Christiansen, S. (2005). Database Management System. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://searchsqlserver. techtarget. com/sDefinition/0,,sid87_gci213669,00. html Hsior, J. (n. d. ). Evolution of Database Systems. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://w3. ocit. edu. tw/ben/foxpro6/article/english/ch01/page04. htm Mann, M. (2006). History and Comparison of Relational Database Management Systems. TechnoCircle HVB Information Services. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from http://www. guug. de/lokal/muenchen/2007-05-14/rdbmsc. pdf Tatum, M. (2003). What is DBMS? Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-dbms. htm Vaughn, J. (2003). A short Database History. Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://math. hws. edu/vaughn/cpsc/343/2003/history. html

Advantages Of The Plasma Antenna Information Technology Essay

Advantages Of The Plasma Antenna Information Technology Essay An antenna is a device that sends or accepts electromagnetic waves. It changes electromagnetic waves into electric currents, and electric currents to electromagnetic waves. Antennas are used to send and receive waves from the radio frequency of the electromagnetic spectrum. Antennas are used in radio and television broadcasting, spacecraft communication, point-to-point radio communication like walkie-talkie system, hand phones, radar, and wireless LAN. An antenna is a setup of one or more electrical conductors, also called elements. In the transmission of an antenna, a voltage is applied at the antenna terminals to produce an alternating current (A.C) in the elements, thus causing the elements to produce an electromagnetic field as an effect. In reception, the reverse happens: an electromagnetic wave from an external source induces an alternating current in the elements and a matching voltage at the antennas terminals. Some receiving antennas use shaped reflective surfaces to collect the radio waves hitting them and direct or focus them onto the elements. Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894) built some of the first primitive antennas in 1888 in his experiments to prove that electromagnetic waves exist as inferred by the James Clerk Maxwells theory. One of the antennas he built was the dipole antenna, which will be explained in detail in the Supporting Theory section of this report. He published his work and installation design in Annalen der Physik und Chemie (vol. 36, 1889). In 1919, J Hettinger was granted a patent for the concept of a plasma antenna. A plasma antenna is a type of antenna that is currently in development in which plasma is used to replace the metal elements of a normal antenna. A plasma antenna can be used for transmission and reception, just like normal radio antennas. Plasma antennas have only become practical in recent years, where high speed internet connection is an important necessity to all. Currently, Plasma Antennas (a company) in Winchester of the United Kingdoms have developed a plasma antenna which they named Plasma Silicon Antenna or PSiAN. FINDINGS 2.1 SUPPORTING THEORY 2.1.1à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ANTENNA Here is an explanation of how a traditional antenna works. There are many types of antennas that have been designed by humans over the years but for simplicitys sake, the explanation here will describe how a dipole antenna works. A dipole antenna is an antenna that can be built using a simple wire with a driven element in the centre. It consists of two metal conductors of rod or wire, arranged parallel and in line with each other, with a small space between them. The radio frequency voltage is applied to the driven element at the center, between the two conductors. These antennas are the most primitive practical antennas. They are used mostly in traditional rabbit ears television antennas. 450_wide.jpg How the antenna transmits signals: First, a voltage is applied to the antenna terminal (in this case, the driven element in the centre) to produce a potential difference in between the opposite ends of the two conducting wires. When a potential difference exists, there will be a flow of electrons, which in turn produces a current. Say that the electrons from end A are moving towards end B at maximum speed. When they reach end B, they will stop instantaneously. End B is now negatively charged whereas end A is positively charged. The electrons are attracted to the positive charges at end A and move back towards A at maximum speed. Now, the charges at both ends are reversed. This back and forth movement of the electrons produces an alternating current in the conducting wires. When there is an alternating current in the metal conductors, electromagnetic waves are produced. These waves are the signals being transmitted by the antenna. How the antenna receives signals: On the other hand, the entire process is reversed for the antenna to receive signals. Electromagnetic waves from an external source reach the conducting wires. The electromagnetic field is cut by the conducting wires, causing an alternating current to flow in the conducting wires. Consequently, when there is a current flowing in the wires, a voltage will exist too. The antenna receives the alternating current as its signal. 2.1.2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ PLASMA Contrary to popular belief, there are actually four states of matter in existence: solid, liquid, gas and plasma. Plasma contains fields, charged particles like ions and electrons, and also neutral particles. Plasma is capable of conducting electricity and generating magnetic fields. 2.1.3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ PLASMA ANTENNA In the plasma antenna, the traditional metal conductor of the normal antenna is replaced with plasma. This technology employs the electrical conductivity of the substance, plasma, to conduct the electrical currents and so generate the electromagnetic waves necessary to transmit the signal. There are two types of plasma antennas, the gas antenna and the semi-conductor antenna. The gas antenna is an antenna with ionised gas enclosed in a tube as the conductor.A wide assortment of gases can be used to produce the plasma, such as Group 18 elements like neon, argon, xenon, krypton and other gases like mercury vapour and helium. When the gases are ionised, they will be a composition of positive ions and electrons, which provides us with plasma. plasma_antenna.jpg Another type of plasma antenna is known as the semi-conductor antenna. These plasma antennas rely on silicon chips through which electricity is passed though to release a cloud of electrons, which then serves as the plasma. twoantennaqu.jpg Silicon chips in the semiconductor antenna Similar to the way a normal antenna functions, the plasma antenna basically transmits and receives signals the same way. Both the transmission and reception processes involve the movement of electrons and the production of electromagnetic waves. The only difference between the normal antenna and the plasma antenna is the conducting element. That said, the plasma antenna entails more advantages and benefits as compared to the traditional antenna. 2.2 ANALYSIS 2.2.1 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ADVANTAGES OF THE PLASMA ANTENNA 1. Plasma antennas are invisible to radar. When the plasma antenna is not turned on, radar will find it difficult to detect the antenna. Even if the plasma antenna is turned on, it is invisible to signals above the plasma frequency. This makes it hard for the plasma antenna signals to be intercepted or detected by anyone other than the intended recipient. Clearly, this particular aspect of the plasma antenna makes it ideal for use by the military to transmit and receive secret instructions and information. 2. The plasma antenna allows for extremely short pulses, unlike a normal metal antenna. When electricity is passed through a metal conductor, an effect known as ringing occurs, that is an extra burst of electricity flow through the conductor for an extremely short while when there is a sudden change of input (like when the pulse is short). This wastes energy and causes unwanted electromagnetic waves to be produced. With the plasma antenna, ringing is totally eliminated. 3. Plasma antenna technology allows for the design of antennas that are efficient, light, and smaller than traditional antennas. With the metal conductors replaced with either silicon chips or gas, the plasma antenna is lighter and more portable than the metal antenna. 4. The plasma antenna is dynamically reconfigurable, which means that the handlers of the antenna can freely change the frequency, gain, polarization, power, directionality and beamwidth of the signal. The implications of this advantage is that instead of needing multiple normal antennas, we can just use a single plasma antenna, reducing cost and saving space. 5. The plasma antenna is capable of transmitting signals at an extremely fast speed. In the plasma semiconductor antenna, by selectively activating certain diodes, the handler is able to focus the electromagnetic waves produced into a beam, which travels faster than a wave. 2.2.2 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ DISADVANTAGES OF THE PLASMA ANTENNA AND SOLUTIONS 1. According to a scientist who is involved in the development of the plasma antenna, Ted Handerson, Haleakala RD, Brookfield, Massachusetts, the semi-conductor version of the plasma antenna is limited to high frequencies, which makes certain applications difficult. For example, Wi-Gig routers operating at 60Ghz cannot penetrate walls. Solution: The signals can be reflected off surfaces to reach their destination instead. For example, Wi-Gig routers will emit the signals, which will then reflect off the physical surfaces of the walls to reach the computer or device. 2. The ionizer increases power consumption. More energy is required to ionize the gases or to make the silicon chips release electrons. Therefore, plasma antennas actually use more power than normal antennas. Solution: Other technologies to reduce power consumption of plasma antennas can be considered or developed in the future. One current example is the Antenna Integrated Radio Solution developed by the partnership between Ericsson and Kathrein-Werke KG. In this design, the antenna is built into the radio unit to cut installation time and power consumption greatly. This design has the potential to be tailored so that it works for plasma antennas as well. 3. Plasma volumes must be stable and repeatable. When a gas is ionised, not all 100% of the gas will ionise to become plasma. With silicon chips, it is reasonable to say that the amount of electrons released by the silicon when heated or charged will vary from time to time. Thus it is imperative that the volume of plasma generated each time should be the same. The amount of plasma existing during a transmission or reception should also be the stable and not fluctuate. Only then will the electromagnetic waves transmitted be stable. Solution: Perhaps one way of controlling plasma emission by the ionised gases and silicon chips would be to keep the current flowing through it constant, thereby exciting only a certain amount of particles, and producing a fixed volume of plasma. 2.2.3 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ APPLICATIONS OF THE PLASMA ANTENNA The plasma antenna has high potential to be used in the military sector, as it is hard to be detected by radar. This is good for the military to send and receive top secret documents or instructions. As signals radiated by a plasma antenna is hard to intercept and therefore hard to be blocked, the plasma antenna is said to be resistant to electronic warfare, a strategy commonly employed by enemy countries. Not only that, but the plasma antenna can be used in radio and television broadcasting. The signals emitted by the plasma antenna tend to be stronger than the signals emitted by the normal metal antenna, thus causing the radio waves to last longer without damping and being extinguished. The consequence of this implication is that radio broadcasting companies no longer need to build so many relay stations and towers to relay the signal to further areas. As a result, the plot of land can be used for industrial or residential purposes, or preserved to save nature. 44thSignalTower.jpg A signal relay tower Another market application for the plasma antenna is to be installed on ships and submarines. Submarines require stealth to complete the mission of its crew, and so having a plasma antenna would be of great benefit. For fishing ships that require echolocation to locate the position of fish in deep sea, the plasma antenna will also be advantageous. The signals emitted by the plasma antenna can be adjusted to high frequency, thus able to penetrate miles and miles of seawater. One very relevant application of the plasma antenna is in wireless Internet, like Wi-Gig. Wi-Gig provides faster Internet connection to users than is provided by Wi-Fi. A faster Internet connection means that users will be more productive and save time. The economy of the country can be improved as more work can be done in a shorter time. Activities like downloading podcasts, movies and music at fast speeds can be done even using wireless Internet connection. This is clearly an advantage for mobile users. Another application of the plasma antenna is its role in improving public safety networks. Devices like CCTVs around a neighbourhood or city are usually connected in a video surveillance network. These devices are used to prevent crimes from happening, or as video evidence in court. Clearly, these devices are also important in tracking down criminals who are escaping. If any of the devices are malfunctioning or have suffered malevolent damage by terrorists, it is possible for a handler from the public safety department to reroute traffic through backhaul networks using plasma antennas. public.safety.networks.jpg It is also possible that plasma antennas can be used in space communication. Plasma antennas which prove to be lighter than normal antennas can serve as communication devices on jet planes, commercial planes, and even space shuttles. For example, scientists and researchers working at the NASA Glenn Research Centre have filed and received a patent for a slotted antenna waveguide plasma source. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS After doing all this research on the plasma antenna, this section will be about my recommendations on how the plasma antenna can benefit Malaysians in particular. As mentioned before this, the plasma antenna is crucial in the development of Wi-Gig, wireless Internet connection faster than the Wi-Fi. In Malaysia, Wi-Fi is actually considered very slow if compared to other countries like the US and Korea. If the Internet providers if our country can upgrade their antennas with plasma antennas, our wireless Internet connection will no doubt speed up by 10 times. Malaysians will be able to download their favourite songs and movies while on the move. The plasma antenna can also be used by the TV broadcasting companies of our nation. ASTRO, for example, would certainly improve its service by upgrading to plasma antennas. Currently, Malaysians complain that whenever it rains, their reception of ASTRO faces problems. Often, they cannot receive a connection when the weather is bad. According to ASTRO, the radio waves that their satellites emit cannot penetrate through the thick layer of clouds and rain to reach the consumers home. rain_fade.JPG In my opinion, if they switch to plasma antennas, they can use the electromagnetic wave focussing ability of the plasma antenna to send out beams instead of waves. Beams would certainly have higher penetration power and can penetrate through cloud and rain to reach the customers homes. 4.0 CONCLUSION In conclusion, the plasma antenna works according to the same principles and physics laws as the normal antenna, with plasma replacing the metal conductors of the normal antenna. But because the conducting material used is plasma, it affords some advantages over a normal antenna. The most notable advantage of the plasma antenna is the fact that it is practically invisible to radar and can release short pulses of signals. Therefore, the military of US is currently racing to implement the plasma antenna into their existing systems. Also, another advantage of the plasma antenna is that it can pave the way towards faster wireless Internet, which is certainly needed by most users nowadays, whether it be for entertainment or business purposes. Although the plasma antenna has some disadvantages, these can be overcome using the problems respective solutions. Who knows, in the future somebody may design and manufacture plasma antennas after solving all disadvantages of the plasma antenna. What is certain though is the fact that plasma antennas are commercially viable and are expected to enter the market in 2011 or 2012. Because the manufacturing price of plasma antenna is quite low compared to normal antennas, it would be best if Malaysia can manufacture plasma antennas as a way to widen the jobs available.

Manufacturing and Service Sector Hypercompetitive Rivalries

Manufacturing and Service Sector Hypercompetitive Rivalries Hypercompetition has long been recognized as a significant problem in almost all manufacturing related industries. Service sectors are also experiencing the same problems. It is essential for competing companies to understand and take advantage of the dynamic motion and flux of current trends in global markets and technological breakthroughs. This paper aims to describe the movement toward hypercompetition and its implications to manufacturing and service based companies among ASEAN countries. Actions taken by companies in these two sectors provide new insights into what manufacturing and service based companies might expect to occur and how they could respond to such threat. This research finds that technological change, globalization, and increased competition are the most important environmental challenges facing manufacturing and service sectors today. Technology, in particular, seems to be acting as one of the principal accelerator toward hypercompetitive rivalries in manufactur ing and service sectors. Keyword(s): Competitive strategy; Technology; Manufacturing; Product; Service; Globalization Introduction Since the financial and economic crises hit most regions around the globe in the late 1990s, policymakers worldwide have been talking about how to re-balance their national economies. Putting back the balance in their economies involves reassessing the mix between the services and the manufacturing sectors. The services sector represents about 70 percent of the American economy, while that of the manufacturing makes up just 11 percent (Foroohar, 2010). The same trend is happening among European countries especially in the U.K., France and Germany. It is totally in the opposite scenario, however, for most developing countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam (Hilman, 2006). The intensity of rivalries in the manufacturing sector started in the 1980s when many big companies from the United States, Europe, and Japan moved their business operations particularly their manufacturing plants to foreign countries. Among the most popular destination is the South East Asia region or ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). The Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows to ASEAN increased by 18% in 2007 from US$44billions to US$61 billions. Nearly all ASEAN countries received higher inflows and Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam, were the largest FDI recipients that comprised more than 90% of the flows (Karimi, Yusop and Law, 2010). Favourable regional economic growth, an improved investment environment, higher intraregional investments, and strengthened regional integration were key contributory factors and all these have turned ASEAN as a hypercompetitive market (World Investment Report, 2008). Understanding hypercompetitive markets Dà veni (1995) described hypercompetition as a market condition typified by rapidly escalating competitive activities such as increasing price-quality positioning, developing new know-how and the products utilizing that know-how, establishing first-mover advantage, protecting or invading established product or geographic markets, and creating deep-pocketed alliances. Harari (2007) depicted secrets, proprietary information, and closed-door management systems dont have the competitive edge they used to because new technologies have the capabilities to create total transparency. It is important for local companies, multinational corporations (MNCs) and multinational enterprises (MNEs) in ASEAN to always alert and react accordingly on changes or development occur in market or industry. Understanding hypercompetitiveness is primarily important for businesses since the undermining of such can greatly result in the decline of the financial performance for businesses. Hypercompetition is highly associated with disruptive, uncertainty, intense, and rapidly changing environment where companies can only expect intermittent, temporary, and unsustainable advantages (DAveni, 1995). Those who can focus equally important on what not to do and what to stop doing, use technology to accelerate a transformation but not perceive it as cause of transformation, paid scant attention to staff development, and seek for revolutionary result and not revolutionary process should have better chance to champion market or industry (Collins, 2001). Drivers of hypercompetition There are several theories on what drives hypercompetition and how such conditions develop. Sengupta (2002) on the one hand, proposed several forces: globalization, knowledge capital resulting from superior information technology, demand-side economies of scale, and new strategic assets. Collins (2001) on the second hand, described that good and competitive companies should have highly capable individuals, contributing team members, competent managers, effective leaders who build enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. Thomas (1996) on the third hand, suggests that the dynamic resourcefulness of innovating companies was the primary driver. Overall the literature reflects mix drivers that accelerate hypercompetition (Hanssen-Bauer and Snow, 1996). In the case of manufacturing based companies in the ASEAN block, globalization seems to be the dominant driver for them while technological innovation becomes secondary. This slightly differs from the service sector companies which are impacted primarily by technological innovation, specifically information technology and secondarily by globalization. Most ASEAN based companies use information technology more than merely utilize new methods to improve efficiencies and productivity but use the technologies to create a fundamental change in how the services are delivered. New information technologies are truly disruptive and result in significant changes by creating new markets and reshaping existing markets (Christensen, Roth and Anthony, 2004). Thus, there is no doubt that new technological innovations create both positive and negative implications. Information technology and new forms of communication allow organizations to reach underserved markets, while creating more direct competition. As a result, competitive battles that ensue necessitated leaders to make strategic choices (Christensen et al., 2004). Consequently, most companies based in ASEAN countries not only offer services in the home markets but markets around the globe. The development creates undeniable probability that traditional product or services might be challenged for its very existence virtual based products or services. Hypercompetition in the Manufacturing and Service Sectors While much of the research on hypercompetition has focused on manufacturing, the same logic can be applied to the service sector. In fact, it might have been predictable that the intensity of rivalries in the service sector would be as intense as that of the manufacturing sector in the coming decade. There had always been competition in the service sector, although it was segmented and somewhat dampened by many reasons due to variations in the context and scope of competing companies and market segments. In the case of the manufacturing sector based in ASEAN countries, the intensity of competition is based on size and market reach of competing companies. For example, multinational corporations (MNCs) were competing on the basis of prestige, reputations and industry champion; while regional based companies were competing for location-bound which was on the basis of convenience and timing. For nationally known companies, they were focusing on maintaining or increasing the market shares of products or services. Some of the companies can be further classified as competing for reputation and are largely limited to few market segments and companies only. For those few companies, market position served as something between an emblem and a brand. The mailings and web sites are proclaimed important or relatively play small role in their market positioning. For most of the other thousands of companies in the ASEAN region, market share was a non-issue because they were facing localize competitive pressure which were centred more on cost and accessibility than reputation. As a result, high-quality and highly localized products or services were developed in response to local market demands. Apart from those mentioned above, the intensity of the hypercompetitiveness of the environment in the region drove companies to hunt for more customers and better ways to reach existing customers than a decade ago. This situation required companies to assess their business environment carefully. Issues like customer focus, competitive intelligence, knowledge and competency base, innovativeness, technological advancements, and new products, services or market need are among important factors that needed to be addressed strategically to date. Information technology is well received by companies as an important tool to accelerate their products or services reach greater market coverage. The intensity of rivalries in the region is centred on price, marketing, and new product development which leads to major competitors moved into one anothers home markets. The intention was to improve ones own financial performance while weakening their competitors by making them defensive in their home markets. The findings show most of ASEAN based companies offered similar products or services to a fixed number of customers with substantial price decreased but little or no increase in unit sales volume. The competition can be summarized as cut throat which finally led to a few companies to go better, while the most to go worse. The following subtopics discuss strategy options which were widely used by those companies. Strategy Option 1: Differentiation Most of companies competing in ASEAN countries face problems like inability to meet sales and financial objectives. In lieu to that, most of them expanded their products or services offerings. Some of them made new offerings, while other made modifications of existing one. In either case, markets became flooded. This proliferation of more varieties of products or services was good for consumers, but further weakened business performance. Thus, the other movement toward hypercompetition can be described as the expansion of offerings from suppliers without any increase in customer demand. What was initially viewed dynamism of ASEAN market as the creation of differentiated lines was in reality product or service line fragmentation. Most companies in the region were not content to offer traditional products or services in new markets but now sought to create new products or services. These new products or services appeared to be successful until management realized that they were, in some cases, merely cannibalizing existing one. The finding shows these new products or services grew but the number or revenue in the regular products or services are declined. This means, existing services were now experiencing competition from inside their own company as well as outside. In ASEAN markets where there had previously been only two or three products or services, now some of the market segments have four times more. As was the case with business, both revenue and customer retention suffered. Another strategic issue needs to address carefully is about growing demand among customers for better accessibility and convenience which has changed the environment of manufacturing and service sectors. Support by advancement in digital communications, traditional companies responded by changing structures and products or services provided (Rosenoer, Armstrong and Gates, 1999). Most MNCs and MNEs in ASEAN countries use current products or services to produce new by offering them in radically different ways. Those products or services are touted as the same but delivered with a different technology. It is seen as a new product or service in the market and this certainly increase the intensity of rivalry among competing companies. Some of the companies in this study created new products or services besides forged alliances with other organizations. Such inclination was developed in response to the opportunities created by a growing global market. There are companies deliver traditional product or services, but in a different location or with a different methodology (extended traditional companies and technology-based companies). Both are organized and designed to serve non-residential participants. This approach enables them to deliver existing products or services to audiences in different locations. Rosenoer et al., (1999) described online based transactions are organized around a technology to minimize the consequences of the physical separation between client and companies. The field of online business has grown rapidly and many of ASEAN based companies offer products or services via the web. While some experience a boom, majority encountered slow growth in online business. Overall most virtually promoted products or services are doing well and become strong competitors of traditional products. Such possibility to access to products or services enables buyers to shop at any time and at any place at their convenience. This certainly creates opportunities for noncustomers (Christensen et al., 2004). Strategy Option 2: Low Cost Leadership When the market expansion and product development strategies does not favour companies overall performance, the corporate response was to reduce costs. Major producers hunted for ways to reduce costs as a means of increasing gross margins, net profits, and earnings per share. This was the era of downsizing the blue-collar workforce; cutting back in corporate staff and middle management; give backs of employee benefits; and hiring of part-time or temporary employees who receive no benefits or who may not even be employees of the firm (Hilman, 2006). Some of the companies in this study standardized and automated their manufacturing and production operations; reduce number of staff; and planning to locate production abroad or to a new area with even low labour costs. The desired results were to increase financial performance and the ability to price-compete for market share. Interestingly most of them aware such actions create negative impact to them in the long run. Service sector based companies in the region also experienced identical implications. Cost reduction initiative leads to reduction of employment levels on number of full-time employees, reduced fringe benefits, made staffing decisions similar to those of business by moving to greater levels of temporary and part-time employment, and eliminated services that were not revenue positive. The findings show most of the companies aware that such actions negatively affect the quality of the service provided because a service based company involves more than factual product as it includes the skill and attitudinal development that comes with company and client interaction. Like manufacturing based sector, service based companies competing within ASEAN countries also faces cost-based competition from both local and foreign companies. In one sense the competition stems from the changes in the way companies see themselves. This is particularly true for numbers of subsectors in service sector. The quality of the services has a direct impact on how business community perceive the entire company. However, most of the cost-based competition in the region comes from the many smaller companies that have unknown standard of quality on services offered. In other words, some of the companies in both sectors (manufacturing and service) were trying to gain competitive advantage through low cost leadership or focus on cost strategies. Strategy Option 3: Focus The final stage of hypercompetitive market development is the birth of technologically competent, niche competitors that target only specialized, high profit market-segments with single purpose product. Some of the companies in the region exercise focus differentiation strategy. Products for this strategy are produced by talented engineers who design high-performance products, high-profit margin products and no consideration to become full-line suppliers. However, most of the companies exercise focus strategy opted for focus on cost instead by offering full line products with low-margin. of focus on differentiation. The same type of niche competitors exists in service sector. Some of the sample companies were focusing on a particular segment of the market in the attempt to isolate themselves from other competitors and to appeal to a particular group of high-value customers. They are able to provide value or brand identification that makes them extremely attractive. These providers will offer a specialized service. Most of them who opted for this strategy have no desire to offer a full range of business like manufacturing based companies. The reason for them not to offer full range of services were mainly due to do not want to use their revenues from a high-demand service to subsidize the lower-demand ones therefore they must cut marginal services. Conclusions, implications and strategies for hypercompetitive markets To face hypercompetition, ASEAN based companies must develop and produce specialized products or services faster than the competition. New or differentiated products or services provide customers with new, improved, or additional features; unfortunately hypercompetition means that products or services have shorter life cycles, which is the unintended consequence of competing with ones own products or services. In fact, for many companies competing in the region, their competitive strategy is to replace their own product or services before the competition does. This is often called eating ones own babies. Their strong tendency to increased product or service differentiation caused greater customer expectations and increasingly diverse applications, which in turn results in an explosion of demand for increasingly specialized products or services. More product or service differentiation leads to increase competition and creates a broader consumer market. It also leads to the development of small, overlapping sub-markets and price points. This review of hypercompetition of businesses among ASEAN based companies gives significant inputs for managers in particular and competing companies in general about the most recent state-of-the art strategies in doing business in the region. There is no doubt that companies must always prepare to deal with hypercompetitive environment and give special attention to environmental challenges such as technological change, globalization, and increased competition. To ensure that the region remains competitive in bringing FDIs and local investors to invest, it is an imperative requirement for ASEAN countries to work collectively and closely. Failure to do so may dampen their chances to record significant growth on gross domestic products (GDP).

Educational Philosophy :: Education Teaching Teachers Essays

Educational Philosophy If you do not make a difference, then what have you made? This question has guided me in my pursuit of life, not simply my pursuit of a career. Simply put, the point is that being an educator is so much more than recording grades or getting a student through school. When a person begins to become educated, then that person’s life has begun. It starts as soon as we come into this world and continues throughout adulthood until we take our last breath. Education comes in all forms and from different forces. People can be influenced in several different ways, whether it was by friends on the streets or criminals made famous by the media, or a teacher who took the time to care. In each of those cases, an educational force of some sort got through to them. I want to teach. I want to guide. I want to be a role model. Most importantly, I want to make a difference. Looking back at my high school days, the period in my life when I had no clue of what path I wanted to follow, I can recognize the direction that began its pull on me. Before I understood that Socrates was more than a name, philosophy was slyly pulling me towards the path I am now on. I remember several times just standing and looking at my fellow students. I would stare and try to imagine 5, 10, 15 years down the road. What would become of them? Who would be a doctor, a lawyer, dentist, actor/actress? Then it hit me. Who would end up in jail? How many would grow up to become criminals and lead a life of crime? These thoughts seemingly came out of the blue and to this day I am not sure why I thought of such things at the time. Regardless of the reason, it was at that point that I began my journey towards becoming an educator, towards making a difference. I consider my philosophy to be an eclectic blend of several different theories and philosophies. But by far I like the Socratic method the best. Personally, I feel I am able to learn to my full potential by using it. Learning by asking questions makes sense to me and I think if I apply this method to my teaching goals that I will be successful.

HYPNOSIS :: essays research papers

INTRODUCTION : Albert Einstein reckoned that humans use only about 10% of their brains. According to some reports, while hypnotised, we could gain access to the other 90%. Every human being who is mentally sound can be hypnotised to some degree. You can use hypnosis for a lot of things, for instance to control weight, pain, sleep, and to raise confidence. You can also use it to quit smoking, develop concentration and memory. In fact, you can use it for anything that depends on your own efforts. I) ORIGINS OF HYPNOSIS: The art and science of hypnosis is both old and new. *Old because it was used in ancient time and has a pedigree that stretches back to the beginning of mankind’s conscious development *New because only over the past 100 years has it been subject to the full force of scientific scrutiny, after discovery that the unconscious mind, emotions and personal history directly affect a person's state of mental, emotional and physical health. A) Old origins _ Hypnosis has existed very early in religious rituals. However, the earliest known description of hypnosis date back 6000 years to rites performed in Egyptian sleep temples. _The Indus Vedas ,a knowledge sacred book written around 1500 BC, mentions the use of hypnotic techniques and procedures. _According to some specialists, accounts of what we would now call hypnosis can be found in the Bible and in the Talmud. _In the past, hypnosis is always associated with the occult: witchdoctors and shamans (medicine man)practised hypnosis :†ritual hypnosis and dance were integral elements of shaman’s communication with spirits†. B) New origins- modern use of hypnosis There are two leading men in the scientific study of hypnosis: _ 1734-1815: Franz Anton Mesmer, born in Vienna. Mesmer is considered the father of hypnosis. He is remembered for the term â€Å"Mesmerism† which means a person who is raptly attentive, or who is temporally deprived of his normal conscious qualities. He described a process of inducing trance through a series of passes he made with his hands . He succeed in treating a considerable variety of ailments. _ 1932-1974: Milton Erickson, a psychologist and psychiatrist pioneered the art of indirect suggestions in hypnosis. He is considered the father of modern hypnosis. His methods bypassed the conscious mind through the use of both verbal and non-verbal pacing techniques including metaphor , confusion, and many others. He has immensely influenced the practice of contemporary hypnotherapy. II) HYPNOSIS: A) Curent examples As long as there as been human beings, there has been hypnosis, we use this commonly occurring state of mind, unknowingly, all the time.

The Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson Essay -- Mrs. Ma

The Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson In â€Å"A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,† Mary Rowlandson, a Puritan mother from Lancaster, Massachusetts, recounts the invasion of her town by Indians in 1676 during â€Å"King Philip’s War,† when the Indians attempted to regain their tribal lands. She describes the period of time where she is held under captivity by the Indians, and the dire circumstances under which she lives. During these terrible weeks, Mary Rowlandson deals with the death of her youngest child, the absence of her Christian family and friends, the terrible conditions that she must survive, and her struggle to maintain her faith in God. She also learns how to cope with the Indians amongst whom she lives, which causes her attitude towards them to undergo several changes. At first, she is utterly appalled by their lifestyle and actions, but as time passes she grows dependent upon them, and by the end of her captivity, she almost admires their abil ity to survive the harshest times with a very minimal amount of possessions and resources. Despite her growing awe of the Indian lifestyle, her attitude towards them always maintains a view that they are the â€Å"enemy.† In the beginning of the narrative, Mary Rowlandson describes the manner in which the Indians invade her home, kill many of her friends, and drag her away from her husband and two children. She watches as the â€Å"murderous Wretches [burn] and [destroy]† her home before her eyes. It is the â€Å"dolefullest day that [her] eyes have ever [seen].† At this point in time, Mary has no knowledge of the Indian lifestyle, or even of their motive for ravaging the land of the colonists. She sees them merely as merciless heathens who come from Satan. Mary writes that before the incident, she said that if â€Å"the Indians should come, [she] should choose rather to be killed by them then [be] taken alive,†(124) but when that choice actually comes to her, she chooses to go with them, despite her unwillingness. At this point, she puts her life into the Indians’ hands. Once they leave the town, Mary and the Indians begin a series of â€Å"removes,† or moves to di fferent areas of the New England wilderness. Mary describes the celebration rituals of the Indians, where they dance and chant, and â€Å"[make] the place a lively resemblance of hell!† Their unchristian lifestyle... ...en she goes home to her family and friends, her attitude toward Indians in general changes greatly. At first, living with Indians is the most appalling thought that she could ever have. Over time, she realizes that she must somewhat befriend them in order to survive adequately. In the end, she even appreciates the Indians, and the experiences she has had with them. Her captivity also brings her closer to God, because during every hardship, she turns to her faith to help her through it. Her time with the Indians also gave her the affliction that she had always hoped for. Mary lived in prosperity before, and had too many comforts of the world around her. The journeys with the Indians give her a kind of reality check, because she sees that not everyone lives in prosperity as she did. The biggest lesson that she learns is to â€Å"look beyond present and smaller troubles, and be quieted under them, as Moses said, Exodus.xiv.13, Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord.† Work Cited Rowlandson, Mary. A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson.In Women’s Indian Captivity Narratives. Ed. Kathryn Zabelle Derounian-Stodola. New York: Penguin Books, 1998.

Psychology Supervision Essay

  Ã‚   Culture basically means the pattern formed by the thoughts, actions, customs & traditions of humans living in an inter-related community, be it racial, ethnic, religious or social. It is based on the beliefs, values & behavior of the people involved. No matter where you are situated, around the world, culture plays the vital role in an individual’s social & vocational life. It is significant in every institution to practice cultural competency, which may help it to operate efficiently. â€Å"Cultural competence is a developmental process and may be viewed as a goal toward which agencies can strive.† (T. Cross et. al. as cited in University of Minnesota Duluth) Cross- culture environment in offices, educational institutes & etc. are not uncommon these days especially in well developed countries like America where the demographic rate comprises more of ethnic & racial minority groups. This fact ultimately poses a great challenge for all professional & educational organizations. Since it is not very easy, to create a healthy & happy environment among diverse groups. The reason for that are different beliefs & traditions of each group may not mix well with the other, hence, sprouting problems among colleagues. CULTURAL DISPARITY:    Cultural competency maybe defined as a combination of multiple thoughts, behaviors & personality traits belonging to a number of cross cultural members, however following the same patterns thus increasing the proficiency of an organization or group. The main issues that are faced often in cross cultural groups causing cultural disparity are the diverse ethnic & religious beliefs of its members. In educational institutes this problem is significantly in attendance, causing psychological differences among the students & even the teachers. The course outline may or may not reflect each individual’s values & beliefs, hence disturbing the social harmony. It is vital to form a non judgmental & respectful attitude in the organization in order to achieve harmony.   Ã‚   Racial, ethnic & even gender bias is present in every society & institution. Many a times the female students face difficulties in accomplishing their goals & presenting their thoughts on various women related issues due to strong opposition from the male members of the group. It is a dilemma not just present in our society but around the globe that men are considered to be the highest decree of human race & women are believed as their contrary. This contemplation creates a rift among the male & female members of any group. The same goes with ethnic minorities who face criticism on their appearance & different accent making them feel isolated & disparaged from the society.    When dealing with multicultural clients, it often trigger discrepancies among the worker & the client as a result of contrasting opinions due to miscellany in areas like religion, culture, race, gender, family backgrounds & ethics. The reasons for these disagreements are usually the rejection of one’s expectations, therefore resulting in the failure of venture. Learning from one’s past mistakes is the best way to improve. Helping & respecting each other will result in a constructive outcome. The educational institutes should take care in designing a study course, so that it suits to every individual’s mind no matter which culture he or she belongs to. Cultural knowledge s should be a part of studies so that students may learn about different values & customs & learn to respect them.    Being multilingual, having different skin color or following a diverse religion does not make an individual different from others. Being a human being, it is the responsibility of every person to respect & support each other. This approach will surely create an amicable environment in work places, educational institutes etc. every organization should have some ethical code regarding minority groups, but not to make them feel segregated or disparate from their colleagues. Dealing with multi cultural clients involve tact & proper accord of their priorities & decisions. Culture plays an essential role in developing one’s mind & thought pattern. Revolutionizing the behaviors & policies of employees will help create cultural competence successfully.

Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher in the Lls, Module Epf 135

Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 Roles and Responsibilities of a Teacher in the Lifelong Learning sSector The Lifelong Learning UK (2007) standards, highlight the complexity of the role of the FE teacher as follows â€Å"teachers have a responsibility for ensuring high standards of teaching and learning, as well as contributing to curriculum development and to the development of their subject knowledge† http://dera. ioe. ac. uk 21/10/11 Identifying Needs A key role of the teacher is to identify the needs of all learners so effective learning can be developed. The teacher may conduct tutorials at the beginning the course, to review and record personal information, barriers to learning, academic and vocational achievements. The information can be used to develop a learner pro? le, ensuring lesson planning and learning materials are appropriate and increase the chance of successful teaching and learning. Learners may feel uncomfortable disclosing or discussing personal information, therefore it may be advantageous to issue an anonymous questionnaire to the class. All information must be handled in a professional manner and kept con? ential. Planning and Design Teachers could plan and design a learning schedule. Changes can be made to these plans throughout the teaching cycle using assessment and evaluation. Teachers need to ensure that learning outcomes, objectives and aims for the course are covered in an appropriate way e. g. order in which outcomes are planned, delivery strategies, length of time, resources and assessment methods. Courses may be planned with an aim to ensure learning outcomes are met in the time allocated, using appropriate resources and methods. Teachers’ need to be aware of the requirements issued by their awarding body and organisation. Delivery Delivery of a course should be appropriate for all learners using clear aims and objectives. Activities should be differentiated to accommodate different learning styles. Resources should be well prepared, with suf? cient copies that support the learning activities. Sessions should be divided using an introduction, main and a conclusion to help the lesson progress logically and consolidate learning. Teachers need to ensure they have the 1 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 knowledge and skills to deliver the course and be able to answer questions. Teachers should be smartly dressed and use a professional manner when teaching never using discriminatory, judgmental or offensive language. Teacher / student relationships should be based on mutual trust and respect with a responsibility to uphold safeguarding procedures, keeping learners safe, both physically and emotionally, within a safe learning environment. the process of safeguarding protects individuals who may be at risk from abuse or neglect, which could cause an impact on their education, health and development. safeguarding aims to ensure individuals are provided with a caring environment that is safe, promotes optimum life and learning chances†. (safeguardingchildren. org. uk (20/10/2011) Assess Methods of assessment should be planned, fair, reliable and linked to activity tasks. Learner achievement and progress can be mon itored throughout the learning process. Clear, concise and accurate feedback can be given to learners on their progress and achievement. Feedback should be given as quickly as possible, based on the quality of submission or performance, using positive and developmental comments. Information should be recorded in preparation for submission to the course awarding body. Teachers should avoid assessment tasks that do not link directly to the learning objectives, and ensure planned assessments are at the correct level for learners. Evaluate Evaluations should be conducted after each session, including strengths of the session, and areas for development and improvements. Learners could also be asked to re? ect on the sessions; this could be done verbally, through an evaluation form or by an evaluation activity. Conclusion The teaching/training cycle provides a cohesive structure within which roles, responsibilities and boundaries can be assessed and re? ected upon. The structure of the cycle is such that a successful teacher will multitask stages in a constantly evolving way. This ensures that teacher and students’ re? ctive growth of role, responsibilities and boundaries remains core to reaching a greater understanding of the aims and objectives relating to development with the course. 2 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 Bibliographic References lluk 2007. (2007). National Occupational Standards (NOS) for the role of learning support practitioner in the lifelong learning sector . Available: http://dera. ioe. ac. uk/2332/1/ lspnosdraft. pdf. Last accessed 21st Oct 2011. Ofstead. What is safeguarding. Available: http://safeguardingchildren. org. uk/. Last accessed 20th october 2011. Word Count: 650 3 Marie Appleby Module EPF 135 4

Visual Puffery in Fragrance Ads

Rollins College Rollins Scholarship Online Faculty Publications 1-1-2012 A study of visual puffery in fragrance advertising: Is the message sent stronger than the actual scent? Mark Toncar Youngstown State University Marc Fetscherin Rollins College, [email  protected] edu Published In Mark Toncar, Marc Fetscherin, (2012) â€Å"A study of visual puffery in fragrance advertising: Is the message sent stronger than the actual scent? â€Å", European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 46 Iss: 1/2, pp. 52 – 72This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Rollins Scholarship Online. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Rollins Scholarship Online. For more information, please contact [email  protected] edu. A Study of Visual Puffery in Fragrance Advertising Is the message sent stronger than the actual scent? Abstract Purpose – This paper investigates visual exaggerations of fragrance advertisements by comparing subjects’ expectations resulting from print ads to their subsequent product evaluations.It then considers whether the actual scents fall short, meet or exceed these expectations. Design/methodology/approach – By means of a semiotic analysis we capture the corresponding literary attributes of the ads to develop adjective pairs describing the meaning of the ads. Interviews are conducted to assess the meaning that consumers draw from the fragrance ads and we supplement these findings by performing a blind olfactory product evaluation of the fragrances. Paired sample t-tests are used to compare ubjects’ ad expectations to their subsequent product evaluation of the actual scent. Findings – Our results show that the visual cues and imagery in the fragrance ads appear, under certain conditions, to result in product expectations that exceed actual product evaluations, suggesting the existence of visual puffery. We also found that the more abstract descriptors of the ad resulted in significantly higher expectations, while the more concrete descriptors resulted in significantly lower expectations than the actual product evaluation.Research limitations/implications – A small sample size of homogenous consumers limits the generalizability of the results. No measures of attitude effectiveness were taken. Practical implications – Visual puffery may be effective and help marketers, even in countries where verbal puffery is illegal, to use another means to reach consumers. Originality/value – This paper investigates an under-researched area in advertising.A multimethod approach and primary data are used to assess subjects’ ad expectations of a fragrance and the actual product evaluation and demonstrates the existence of visual puffery. Keywords Puffery, Advertising, Fragrance, Perfume Paper type Research Paper 1. Introduction Consumer research in advertising has a long history of investigating how the structure of a pers uasive message can influence its effectiveness (Belch and Belch, 2009).One useful way to classify previous research is that which pertains to the verbal aspects of the message, the visual aspects, or research that considers both verbal and visual cues (Stern, 1996; McQuarrie and Mick, 2003a; Stathakopoulos, 2008). Illustrative of the research focusing on verbal cues includes studies focusing on order of presentation of product claims (Kamins and Marks, 1987; Krugman, 1962), whether to include or omit conclusions (Chance, 1975; Kardes, 1988) and the effectiveness of one-sided versus twosided messages (Eisend, 2006; Belch, 1983; Sawyer, 1973).More recently, researchers have begun to focus on the effects of the visual components of advertising such as visual hyperbole (Callister and Stern, 2007) and visual metaphor (McQuarrie and Phillips, 2005) recognizing that both the verbal and visual information presented in an ad can influence the way an advertising message is processed and perce ived (Oliver, 1979; Mitchell, 1986; Edell and Staelin, 1983; Hirschmann, 1986; Smith, 1991; Stern, 1996; Scott and Batra, 2003; McQuarrie and Mick, 2003a; Stathakopoulos et. al 2008).Research addressing deceptive advertising practices has generally focused on the verbal aspects of product claims, and has not often assessed the role that visuals can play in communicating deceptive, misleading or inaccurate information. This is especially true regarding investigations of puffery in advertising. The purpose of this paper is to introduce and discuss the concept of visual puffery, and to examine whether exaggerated and unsubstantiated product claims can be communicated to consumers using visual imagery.Specifically, the objectives of this research are twofold; first, to examine how advertisers are using visual appeals to generate sensory expectations by consumers. Second, we explore the relationship between the sensory expectations that are created in the minds of consumers by the advert isements and consumers’ subsequent product evaluation. In so doing, we seek to identify and measure the extent to which viewers’ expectations developed in response to an ad differ from their subsequent evaluation of the actual product in the ad and whether visual puffery exists. . Literature Review 2. 1. Visuals in Advertising Historically, advertising research has been dominated by investigations that focused on the verbal content of advertisements. With regard to magazine advertising, this has generally referred to investigations involving the headlines and body copy and investigating how specific linguistic elements affect the processing of advertising information.Illustrative of these studies are the works of Leigh (1994), who investigated the use of figures of speech in magazine headlines, McQuarrie and Mick (1996) who examined the use of figures of speech in advertising language, Djafarova (2008) who investigated the use of puns in advertising, and Mothersbaugh, Huhmann and Franke (2002) who explored the effects of rhetorical figures on consumers’ processing effort and focus.Visual elements of advertisements, such as pictures or symbols are also an important component of many advertisements, and the role of imagery in shaping consumer response and behavior has only recently begun to receive the same degree and sophistication of research attention as the verbal elements in advertising (McQuarrie and Mick, 1999; Fetscherin and Toncar, 2009). The importance of visual imagery in advertising has been ecognized since the 1970s when Rossiter and Percy (1978; 1980; 1981) proposed the visual and verbal loop theory which showed â€Å"that visual content in advertising is just as capable of increasing the consumer’s product attitude as is verbal content† (Rossiter and Percy, 1980, p. 15). Since then it has become clear that visual elements can be effective tactics to achieve a range of advertising objectives, including belief acce ptance and change (Miniard et al. , 1991; Mitchell and Olson 1981; Peracchio and Meyers-Levy 1994) and memory (Childers and Houston, 1984).Messaris (1997) discusses in his book that magazine ads, and other forms of advertising, often convey meanings that cannot be expressed as well, or at all, through words. As the book title suggests, â€Å"Visual persuasionâ€Å" is an exploration of these unique aspects of advertising. Using a range of methodologies, illustrative research on the topic includes investigating the effects of visual hyperbole (Callister and Stern, 2007) and visual metaphor (McQuarrie and Phillips, 2005), ethical issues that arise from visual representations in advertising (Borgerson and Schroeder, 2002), the visual imagery and epresentation of the male body in advertising (Schroeder and Zwick, 2004), and using interpretive methodologies from art and literary criticism to explore the meanings in advertising imagery (Stern and Schroeder, 1994) to mention only a few. A more recent trend is to build upon theories of verbal rhetoric to understand the effects of visuals in advertising (Scott, 1994; McQuarrie and Mick, 1999; van Enschot, Hoeken and van Mulken, 2008; Stathakopoulos, Theodorakis and Mastoridou, 2008; Phillips and McQuarrie, 2004).The growing consensus, regardless of the methodological tool used, is that visual imagery is a nearly ubiquitous and powerful influence in advertising. In sum, there are several theories which model the way visual elements in advertising affect consumer response including classical conditioning (Rossiter and Percy, 1978; Shimp et al. , 1991), the visual and verbal loop theory (Hansen, 1981; Rossiter and Percy, 1980), the attitude towards the ad or affect-transfer theory (Mitchell, 1986; Shimp 1981), information processing theory (MacInnis and Price, 1987), and the elaboration-likelihood model (ELM) (Petty et al. 1983) which demonstrated both central and peripheral routes to persuasion. Vaughn (1986) developed the FCB grid as a framework for developing creative advertising strategies and this has been extended further by Rossiter et al. (1991) who created the Rossiter-Percy grid (Mortimer, 2002). As Scott (1994, p. 256) noted, these theories â€Å"have been investigated in overlapping ways, which makes it difficult to stipulate distinct theoretical boundaries†. Moreover, Scott (1994, p. 258) suggests that â€Å"a second area of research can be characterized by a broad methodological orientation rather than by a unified theory†.In fact, there are different interpretative theories and approaches to analyze visual elements of advertising (McQuarrie and Mick, 1999). The four most common are the following. First, the archival tradition is perhaps the oldest one whereby large samples of advertisements are gathered and content analysis is used to examine the frequency with which various types of visual elements appear (Harris and Attour, 2003; Seitz, 1998; Scott, 1994). Second, th e experimental tradition systematically varies either the presence or absence of pictures per se (McQuarrie and Mick, 1999).The third is the readerresponse approach which seeks to uncover the meanings that consumers draw from the ads (Mick and Buhl, 1992; Scott, 1994). Extended interviews are used to understand the rich and complex interplay between elements of the ad and consumer perception. Finally, the text-interpretive approach draws on rhetorical and semiotic theories to provide a systematic and nuanced analysis of the individual elements that make up the ad (Scott, 1994; McQuarrie and Mick, 1999).A few studies (Corbett, 1990; McQuarrie and Mick, 1999; Morgan and Reichert, 1999; McQuarrie and Mick, 2003a; McQuarrie and Phillips, 2005) have used visual rhetoric analysis, an interpretative theory, in advertising research. Phillips and McQuarrie (2002) show that metaphors and hyperbole, which are figurative expressions that involve intentionally exaggerated statements (visual or v erbal), appear in 17. 3% of advertisement pictures and 44% of headlines and have increased steadily since the 1960s. More recently, Callister and Stern (2007) looked at the use of visual hyperbole as an intriguing form of exaggeration in advertising.To do so they focused on the description of the rhetorical figures present in ads. Like rhetoric analysis, semiotic analysis can also be used by the researcher to assess the effects of images and symbols. Both, rhetoric and semiotics are text-centered approaches (McQuarrie and Mick, 2002). As such, â€Å"they make relatively simple and straightforward assumptions about the human system, concentrating instead on the development of elaborated structures that can be used to differentiate types of visual content in advertisements† (McQuarrie and Mick, 2003b, p. 192).The current study assesses visuals in advertising using two approaches. First, we use a text-interpretive approach by means of semiotic analysis (ad system) to identify, c apture and to generate the corresponding literary attributes that describe the most prevalent signs within the visual message. Second, using a reader-response approach, we conduct personal interviews to learn the meanings that consumers draw from the ads and take the perspective of a human system. We supplement these findings by performing a blind olfactory evaluation of the fragrances. 2. 2.Puffery in Advertising The concept and use of verbal puffery in advertising has been extensively researched in the past few decades. It is widely understood to refer to exaggerated or unsubstantiated advertising claims. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) defines puffery as a â€Å"term frequently used to denote the exaggerations reasonably to be expected of a seller as to the degree of quality of his product, the truth or falsity of which cannot be precisely determined† (DeFrancis, 2004, p. 10). Illustrative of the extensive research on the topic are the early works of Preston (1967), Pre ston and Scharbach (1971), and Richards (1990) among others.For example Preston (1996) and Richards (1990) investigate the role of puffery as it relates to deception and consider whether puffery constitutes deceptive advertising. Puffed claims, while obviously untrue, are typically not considered deceptive because, by definition of the FTC, puffed claims are subjective claims that no reasonable person would take to be literally true. While the FTC has taken the position that puffery is not deceptive because it does not work, empirical research has not generally supported this (Kamins and Marks, 1987).Moreover, and as Haan and Berkey (2002) argue â€Å"if puffery does not work, salespeople and advertisers would not use it† (p. 245). Some researcher demonstrated that under certain conditions consumers believe exaggerated claims (Cunningham and Cunningham, 1977; Rotfeld and Rotzoll, 1980; Rotfeld and Preston, 1981; Olson and Dover, 1978; Kamins and Marks, 1987; Wyckham, 1987; Ha an and Berkey, 2002; Cowley, 2006) while others shows that while consumers are able to identify an exaggerated claim, the evaluation of the brand was still more positive when puffed claims were used (Cowley, 2006).Still other research suggests exaggerated claims can produce negative effects (Vanden Bergh and Reid, 1980b). Studies have looked at the effects of puffery on product attitude and purchase intentions (Kamins and Marks, 1987), or considered the use of puffery in ads for specific product categories such as ball point pens (Kamins and Marks, 1987, Vanden Bergh and Reid, 1980b) or automobiles (Vanden Bergh and Reid, 1980a; Vanden Bergh et al. , 1983) for example.In addition, there is ample evidence that verbal puffery influences pre-purchase (Oliver, 1979) as well as post-trial product evaluations (Olshavsky and Miller, 1972; Anderson, 1973; Kamins, 1985; Olson and Dover, 1978; Oliver, 1979). In sum, theses studies suggest that verbal puffery enhances pre and post-trial produc t ratings relative to trial alone and that, in certain conditions, this effect increases as the puffery becomes more exaggerated (Kamins and Marks, 1987). This last observation brings up an interesting issue regarding the effectiveness of different degrees of puffery.Preston (1996, 1998) introduced six categories of verbal puffery, based upon the strength of the assertion made in the puffed claim. He named the categories â€Å"best†, â€Å"best possible†, â€Å"better†, â€Å"specially good†, and â€Å"subjective qualities†. Haan and Berkey (2002) investigated the believability of each of the six forms of puffery and found that in all but one category, â€Å"consumers do not strongly believe or disbelieve puffed statements† (Haan and Berkey, 2002, p. 251). They concluded their findings were generally onsistent with Beltramini and Evans (1985) who suggested the consumers are â€Å"tired of overused techniques in advertising and, as a result, see little difference in the believability from one advertisement to the next† (Haan and Berkey, 2002, p. 251). A careful inspection of Haan and Berkey’s (2002) results yields an interesting observation. The only category of puffery that affected subjects’ beliefs was the subjective claim category, which, according to Preston (1996), represents the weakest form of puffery. While he other five types of puffery all involve the use of verbal superlatives and exaggeration, the subjective claim puff is one which makes a subjective assertion about the product with no implicit or explicit reference to the product. This suggests that advertisers of consumer products, who rely heavily on subjective claims, as is the case for fragrances, should be wary of delivering these claims using verbal puffery. Furthermore, and as stated by Haan and Berkey (2002), consumers’ beliefs about an advertisement are related to factors other than the verbal puffed claims made about t he product.This is important for our study as we argue that this could encourage advertisers to communicate claims about subjective product benefits by using visual rather than verbal puffery. 2. 3. Personal Fragrance Advertising Fragrance advertising represents a significant portion of ad pages and spending, estimated to be in the billions of dollars. Print advertising of fragrances poses additional challenges compared to many other products for the following three main reasons. First, fragrances have no significant functional benefit and are very intimate purchases where preferences are personal (Busch, 2003).Since odors stimulate the part of the brain responsible for emotional responses, olfaction represents a different path to the consumer than is afforded by other types of cues (Ellen and Bone, 1998). According to Kirk-Smith and Booth (1987), the emotional response generated by a scent depends on â€Å"the complex meaning of previous social experience with odors† (p. 159 ). The emotional aspect of odors may therefore influence a consumer’s attitude and motivation to purchase through the associations it evokes.Second, because perfume, like many other products and services, is not purchased based upon the functional benefits they provide, advertising a perfume represents a special challenge for marketers because they cannot sell their product based solely on its features. Instead, fragrance marketers speak to people’s fantasies, and attempt to create a sensual â€Å"mood† using a variety of visual and verbal tactics, including metaphors and other figures of speech as well as a broad range of visual symbols that can often best be understood using a semiotic analysis approach (Toncar and Munch, 2001). Third, it is difficult to ommunicate a taste, or in our case a scent in a print ad. This is compounded by the fact that the actual scent of a perfume is only one of a number of salient cues that affect product purchase, many of which a re introduced and communicated in the ads. The ad can depict a photograph of the bottle, might include a scent strip in magazine advertising, making a nebulous product a bit more substantive, or use a variety of rhetorical techniques to tap into the human capacity for multi-sensory perception and provoke the consumer to actually envision the scent based on coded images and signs embedded within the print advertisement.In this regard, much fragrance advertising can have transformational effects. Transformational advertising (Wells, 1980) is effective by â€Å"developing associations with the brand use experience that transforms that experience into something different than it would be in the absence of the advertising† †¦ â€Å"transformational advertising creates, alters, or intensifies feelings† (Aaker and Stayman, 1992, p. 239) and attempts to move the consumer emotionally to a point of greater product acceptance (Cutler et al. 2000). In that respect, transforma tional advertising enhance mostly hedonic and symbolic benefits but does not appear to affect evaluations of functional benefits (Naylor et al. , 2008). Drawing on biology, psychology, and rhetorical techniques, print advertisements for fragrances are generally quite artistic. For this reason, the text interpretative analysis of the semiotic relations among key elements of the ad is a suitable approach to gain insights about the messages being conveyed in the ads.Busch (2003) explains that the human senses do not work independently, but in tandem to influence desires, decisions, and emotional responses and this feature of human perception suggests that fragrance advertising using linguistic and visual cues actually has the power to affect consumer expectations and convey the scent of the advertised fragrance. Ellen and Bone (1998) showed that the addition of a more congruent scratch-and-sniff panel to a fragrance advertisement improves attitude toward the ad or the brand.Lambiase an d Reichert (2003) used rhetorical analysis to explore sexually oriented appeals in fragrance advertisements. Moriarty (2006) showed how semiotics can be used in advertising to create meaning that does not naturally exist and Clare (1998) demonstrated the usefulness of semiotic analysis for men’s fragrance advertising and showed that signs or cues in the ad provide a favorable image of the product. Studies from the Advertising Educational Foundation (2006) as well as Ellen and Bone (1998) discuss the growing emphasis on olfactory cues for differentiation in modern advertising. 3.Methodology The objectives of this paper are to investigate: (1) how fragrance advertisers are using visual appeals to generate sensory product expectations and (2) the relationship between the product expectations resulting from the ad and the corresponding product evaluations. This task is somewhat complicated by the subjective nature of the meanings generated by the visuals in the ad as well as the scent of a fragrance. To address this issue, we will use the same set of literary attributes when assessing and comparing viewers’ product expectations based on an ad with their subsequent product evaluation of the fragrance.The extent to which consumer expectations based on the ad exceed their subsequent product evaluations can be viewed as a form of visual exaggeration, or perhaps visual puffery. This basic rationale, that puffery may be conceptualized and even quantified as the extent to which expectations of a product arising from an ad exceed subsequent product evaluations seems reasonable. A similar approach has been used in other studies, including McQuarrie and Mick (1999). Visual claims that, if believed, result in expectations on the part of viewers that exceed the capabilities of the product fit the accepted definition of puffery.As mentioned previously, in this study we assess visual puffery in magazine advertising using a multi-method approach. First, we use a te xt-interpretative approach by means of a semiotic analysis to identify, capture and to generate the corresponding literary attributes that describe the most prevalent signs within the visual message (ad system). This gives us the descriptors of product attributes and therefore the literary attributes to be evaluated and on which visual puffery was assessed. Second, we use a reader-response approach by means of personal interviews to assess the meaning that consumers draw from the ads (human system).In addition, these findings are supplemented with an actual product test by means of a blind olfactory evaluation of the fragrance. This multi-method approach builds on previous studies to show the value of this approach for consumer research (McQuarrie and Mick, 1999). 3. 1 Semiotic Analysis The literary attributes were developed using a semiotic analysis of the three ads chosen. Semiotic analysis can be used to decode the meaning of advertisements. It is an approach that seeks to interp ret messages in terms of their signs and patterns of symbolism (Moriarty, 1995).Everything in an advertisement, such as the model’s hair and clothing, the ad’s color palate, the lighting and the objects featured in the advertisement, functions as a signifier of something else. All forms of semiotic analysis consider each aspect of the ad in question to be important for the generation of meaning. Semiotic analysis begins with the listing of all of the signs, structures, and codes embedded within the text (Lawes, 2002). Another important part of semiotic analysis involves looking at contrasts and implied contradictions.The structural methods employed by many semioticians involve the study of paradigms as binary or polar oppositions (Chandler, 2001), and there are many contrasting pairs that can be recognized in advertisements. Male/female appears to be the most central opposition, since male and female sexuality is connoted from their pairing in the advertisements. The o bjective of an advertisement, for example, could be to bring male and female together through the use of the product by the woman to attract the male. The subsequent â€Å"power† the woman has over the man, or vice-versa, leads us to the next noticeable opposition; dominant/subordinate.The woman can dominate the subordinate man, or the opposite may occur. Black/white and mind/body are also binary oppositions; the text or background is presented in black and white. And of course, the reverse may also be true. The researchers used a semiotic analysis of the three ads and the following attribute-adjectives pairs were generated that describe the range of meanings of the three selected ads. These are â€Å"adjective pairs† and not â€Å"polar opposites† in the literary sense and are meant to be, to some degree, synonyms rather than antonyms, describing similar, not opposite aspects of the ads.The selected pairs of adjectives were used to identify the elements of visu al imagery in the ads and subsequently also in the product evaluation. They are summarized in the following Table I. Table I. Adjective Pair Light/Understated Bold/Powerful Arousing/Sensual Romantic/Feminine Playful/Flirtatious Mysterious/Exotic Earthy/Musky Fruity/Tasty Medicinal/Bland Velvety/Creamy 4. Data Collection We gathered primary data by means of structured interviews (survey) of potential consumers. The first section of the questionnaire focused on purchasing habits and fragrance use.In the second section subjects were shown a copy of a fragrance ad and were asked to answer questions pertaining to that ad. The questions required subjects to describe how they envisioned the scent by identifying their expectations using the adjective pairs, resulted from the semiotic analysis, on a five point Likert scale anchored by â€Å"strongly disagree† and â€Å"strongly agree. † This process was then repeated with the remaining two ads. The third section tested subjects ’ actual olfactory perceptions of each of the three fragrances. The subjects were asked to perform a blind olfactory evaluation of the fragrances.They were asked to describe each scent using the same adjective pairs and scale so that their actual product evaluations could be compared to their expectations. This procedure was then repeated for the remaining two fragrances. Respondents were provided a small vial of coffee beans to smell between each fragrance sample, in order to clear the olfactory palate and minimize the likelihood of scents mixing or getting confused. The order of presentation of both the ads and the fragrances was randomly selected to prevent any ordering effect. Finally, socio-demographic information was collected.Three different full-page advertisements for women’s fragrances from Vogue magazine were selected for this study. Vogue was used for several reasons; it is one of the oldest fashion magazines in the market (since 1892), the target audience is females, it is widely accepted as the â€Å"Fashion Bible† or â€Å"Style Bible†, and it is one of the most influential fashion magazines in the world (Weber, 2006). Moreover, it is among the top 10 magazines in the US in terms of ad pages and is also the leading magazine in terms of advertising revenue and circulation.The three advertisements used in this study were: (1) Red Delicious by DKNY, (2) Hypnose by Lancome Paris, and (3) Euphoria by Calvin Klein. Fragrances were selected as a product category because of the intensely visual imagery that is often utilized to communicate intangible product benefits as mentioned above. The specific ads were selected primarily due to the relative absence of verbal cues which may explain why these ads appeared not only in the US edition of Vogue but in many international editions as well (Vogue UK, Vogue France, and Vogue Australia, and Vogue Italy). The actual ads used in this research are reproduced in Figure I.Take in Figur e I Three ads were chosen for several reasons. First, we believed that multiple ads would provide a more broad inspection of our research objectives than a single ad. However, we were concerned that too many ads and their associated fragrances would overwhelm the respondents’ senses of smell and impair their ability to accurately evaluate the fragrances, a key objective in our research. Finally, related studies used similar number of ads per respondent (Kamins and Marks, 1987; Vanden Bergh and Reid, 1980b; Rothfeld and Rotzoll, 1980; Wychkam, 1985; Ellen and Bone, 1998; Schmitt et al. 1995; McQuarrie and Mick, 1999; Cowley, 2006). The target audience of women’s fashion and beauty magazines such as Vogue is generally fashion-conscious women under the age of 45. Vogue, specifically, reports that the average age is 34 and that 63% of its readership is between the age of 18-49 (Conde Nast Digital, 2009). In addition, approximately 75% of perfume purchases in the United Sta tes are made by women under the age of 25 (Busch, 2003). This suggests that young women are a representative and suitable sample for this research. It should be noted that many studies used student samples (e. . , Vanden Bergh and Reid, 1980b; Kamins and Marks, 1987, McQuarrie and Mick, 1999; Cowley, 2006) compared to ours which is based on consumers. The survey instrument and procedures were pre-tested with a sample of sixteen women to identify problems prior to the actual interviews. Finally, 75 young women below the age of 25 were randomly interviewed outside a major upscale shopping mall near a metropolitan city located in the southeastern part of the United States. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the measurement items used.The overall alpha for all the scales was 0. 85. The alpha for the ad rating scales was 0. 72, and 0. 73 for the fragrance rating scales. This suggests the measurement scales exhibited acceptable reliability. 5. Results 5. 1. Desc riptive Statistics Table II presents basic descriptive statistics about the respondents that illustrate their similarity to the target market of these fragrances and advertisements. The age, household income, frequency of travel and enjoyment of cultural visits such as museums and the theatre are provided in the table.Table II. Descriptive Statistics Demographic Characteristic (n=75) Age 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Household Income $0- $25,000 $25,001 – $50,000 $50,001 – $75,000 $75,001 – $100,000 $100,001 and above Travel Never Percentage 1% 16% 36% 24% 12% 8% 3% 7% 20% 8% 15% 50% 4% Culture Visits Seldom Occasionally Often Frequently Never Seldom Occasionally Often Frequently 12% 39% 20% 25% 3% 12% 36% 31% 18% The self-reported annual household income was generally consistent with the average household income of the typical Vogue readership.The same applies to the travel habits as well as cultural activities, such as visits to museums, art galleries and theatrical pe rformances. Overall, our analysis indicates that our sample is similar to the readership of Vogue. Ninety-two percent of our sample reported buying a fragrance for themselves at least once each year and over 50% reported buying at least twice each year. Eightythree percent reported that they read a fashion/beauty magazine at least once each month and 55% reported reading one at least twice each month.This information suggests that the women in our sample appear to have substantial exposure to magazine fragrance advertising. 5. 2. Viewers Expectations and Evaluations Since prior knowledge of, or experience with the ads or fragrances used in the experiment could have an impact on subjects’ expectations and product evaluations, we first asked respondents whether they had seen each ad and whether they recalled smelling each fragrance. The responses of the women who reported either seeing one or ore of the ads or smelling one or more of the fragrances were compared to the response s of the women who reported no previous exposure to either the ads or the fragrances. There were no significant differences between the two groups. While this result allows us to consider our sample as one relatively homogeneous group, it is at the same time somewhat troubling as this seems to suggest that prior exposure to the ads and/or the fragrances in this study did not affect subjects’ perceptions of either the ads or the fragrances.One explanation is that there are hundreds of different fragrances and ads out in the market, while our study is limited to three fragrances and ads. Furthermore, those subjects who were exposed to the ads and/or fragrances prior to our study either did not recall or recognize it, especially this might be the fact in the case of the blind olfactory test, or respondents did not integrate the prior ad and fragrance information into their consciousness based on the parameters established by our dependent measures.Table III summarizes the averag e rating of the subjects’ expectations resulting from the advertisement (â€Å"Ad†) as well as the average rating of the subsequent product evaluations (â€Å"Fragrance†) for the three ads and their respective fragrances. Table III. Advertisement and Fragrance Evaluations Mean values Light/Understated Bold/Powerful Arousing/Sensual Romantic/Feminine Playful/ Flirtatious Mysterious/ Exotic Earthy/Musky Fruity/Tasty Medicinal/Bland Velvety/Creamy Red Delicious Ad Fragrance 2. 31 3. 41 3. 80 2. 81 4. 04 3. 31 3. 81 3. 51 4. 09 3. 61 3. 28 2. 65 2. 15 2. 43 3. 68 3. 41 1. 60 1. 97 1. 79 2. 28 Hypnose Ad Fragrance 3. 9 3. 04 2. 89 3. 13 3. 65 3. 11 4. 03 3. 55 3. 43 3. 12 3. 52 2. 95 2. 33 2. 65 2. 31 2. 47 1. 80 1. 93 2. 47 2. 61 Euphoria Ad Fragrance 2. 43 2. 60 3. 80 3. 60 4. 31 3. 28 3. 95 3. 49 3. 63 3. 17 3. 96 3. 15 2. 77 2. 72 2. 13 2. 53 1. 72 1. 89 2. 76 2. 40 Since subjects reported both their fragrance expectations and subsequent product evaluations using the same set of scale items, paired sample t-tests were used to consider whether the ads generated scent expectations that fell short, met, or exceeded subjects’ actual product evaluations. The tables that follow summarize the similarities and differences between the xpectations that were generated in response to the ads and the subsequent product evaluations in response to the blind olfactory tests. 5. 3. Red Delicious Results Subjects’ responses to the Red Delicious ad/scent pairing indicated significant differences between subjects’ expectations and product evaluations in eight of the 10 adjective pairs. In five of the pairs, Bold/Powerful, Arousing/Sensual, Romantic/Feminine, Playful/Flirtatious and Mysterious/Exotic, the expectations generated in response to the ad exceeded the subsequent olfactory evaluation of the fragrance.In three pairs, Light/Understated, Medicinal/Bland and Velvety/Creamy the olfactory evaluation exceeded expectations. It appears tha t based upon their exposure to the ad, respondents expected the fragrance to be more powerful, sensual, feminine, flirtatious and exotic than they ultimately evaluated the fragrance to be. Conversely, the actual fragrance appears to have been lighter, more velvety and understated than subjects expected it would be. These results are summarized in Table IV below and are addressed at greater length in our discussion section.In the table, the expectation/evaluation pairs that differed significantly (p Fragrance (Visual puffery) Ad = Fragrance (match) Ad < Fragrance Total Red Delicious 5 2 3 10 Hypnose Euphoria 4 5 5 4 1 1 10 10 Total 14 11 5 30 There is sparse evidence that the ads used in this research generated accurate expectations. Instead, there is more evidence that the ads generally resulted in higher expectations among subjects, expectations that were not met when subjects actually used the products. Almost half (14) of the paired comparisons resulted in significantly higher ex pectations than product evaluations.One interpretation of this observation is that the visual imagery in the ads communicated exaggerated claims about the product benefits. Across all three fragrances, the expectations generated by the ads that related to the adjective pairs of Arousing/Sensual, Romantic/Feminine, Playful/Flirtatious and Mysterious/Exotic were all significantly greater than subsequent product evaluations. Interestingly, all four adjective pairs seem to be unambiguously favorable characteristics of perfume. A careful inspection of our results yields one additional intriguing observation.Each of the ten adjectives pairs can be categorized as pertaining to either concrete or abstract descriptors. The first six (Light/Understated, Bold/Powerful, Arousing/Sensual, Romantic/Feminine, Playful/Flirtatious, Mysterious/Exotic) are more abstract and symbolic descriptors, while the remaining four (Earthy/Musky, Fruity/Tasty, Medicinal/Bland, Velvety/Creamy) are more concrete. A cross all three ad/fragrance pairs, we observed that in most cases, for the abstract descriptors the ads generated significantly higher expectations that exceeded the actual product evaluation.In contrast, for the concrete descriptors we observe that the expectations in response to the ads fell short of actual product evaluation. We discuss this result further in the next section. 6. Discussion Readers of magazine advertisements may not overtly recognize the visual themes and messages in an advertisement that emerge from a semiotic analysis. However, if the visual and symbolic message of the ad is successfully delivered and therefore understood, implicitly or explicitly by readers, the ad can convey expectations of the product that exceed, fall short of, or match consumers’ subsequent evaluation of the product.To convey a weaker message risks developing expectations that may be insufficient to prompt consumers to consider purchasing the product. However, to convey expectation s beyond the product’s ability to satisfy these expectations risks dissatisfied customers who try or purchase the product with certain expectations of its performance, but who ultimately learn that the product will not meet their expectations. Taken together, our results suggest that the visual imagery in magazine advertising for fragrances can be effectively used to make claims about product features and benefits that are not substantiated through actual trial of the product.This brings up the real and intriguing possibility that visual imagery can be used as a mechanism of puffery; making superlative, exaggerated claims that are not substantiated. To our knowledge, the existence and effectiveness of visual puffery has not been previously investigated despite a call made already by Richards and Zakia (1981) in the early 1980s, that pictures and symbols should be regulated as vigorously as words as well as the decision of the 2nd U. S. District Court of Appeals in Manhattan w hich ruled that puffery can include visual depictions.Moreover, this also poses interesting questions for policy makers because, in contrast to verbal puffery, which according to FTC is recognizable by reasonable consumers and cannot lead to deception (Kamins and Marks, 1987), visual puffery is not immediately recognizable. Typically, puffed claims have been expressed verbally, in the form of superlatives. Verbal puffed claims are, at least in the United States, legal and acceptable because they are considered by the FTC as the language of advertising and consumers understand as much and are not deceived by puffed claims.This doesn’t mean that there are any cultural, ethical or visual issues related to this (Borgerson and Schroeder, 2002; Schroeder and Zwick, 2004; Schroeder, 2005; Schroeder and Borgerson, 2005). As Schroeder and Borgerson (2003) noted, visual issues often are overlooked in advertising research despite their importance in meaning creation (p. 68). Our study i s therefore noteworthy as it contributes and extends existing literature by suggesting the existence of another important form of puffery, which we refer to as â€Å"visual puffery†.In many cases, the visual cues and imagery in the ads used in this research appeared to generate product expectations that were not met when the product was used. This is both intriguing and perplexing and suggests potential legal implications as well. In short, while verbal puffery is legal in the United States because it is presumed to not be effective by FTC, visual puffery may be quite effective and might help marketers, and specifically in countries where verbal puffery is illegal, to use another means to reach consumers.This study provides a first step toward understanding and assessing visual puffery and we encourage further research in that direction. Given the ubiquitous use of imageryladen ads in the promotion of personal fragrances, the larger question may be why and how visual puffery, in which type of ads, other type of products and consumer segments, is effective? One plausible explanation is that fragrances are somewhat of a fantasy product, intimately connected to the self-esteem or self-image and perceived desirability and attractiveness of the buyer.Consumers are not buying the fragrance alone, but the imagery that becomes intimately associated with the fragrance. While we offer some evidence in this paper related to fragrances, it is an idea that merits further consideration and research. It seems likely that the purpose of fragrance ads is to captivate attention, to stimulate interest and desire ultimately leading to purchase intention and behavior. It can also help to build brand awareness, to develop and reinforce brand image and brand personality.It is plausible that fragrance advertising leads to product trial, and product trial is then influenced by the imagery created in the advertising. In one sense, consistent with the concept of transformational advertising, we can argue that the visual imagery in the ad creates an intangible product benefit, the presence of which is either supported or refuted at the time of product trial. When consumers actually try the scent, they may associate the scent with the visual imagery that they have been previously exposed to.They may also associate the scent with the overall brand image, particularly if that image is well-established and understood, such as Calvin Klein. This suggests a somewhat symbiotic relationship between the visual imagery in the ad, the overall brand image and the actual fragrance of the product. A consumer who tries a fragrance in a store often does so with prior knowledge of the brand and after prior exposure to the ads or the fragrance. The scent of the fragrance might become closely associated with the brand image, the visual imagery in the ad, or both.The scent, therefore, becomes mysterious, or sexy, or exotic, because it is depicted that way in the ad and reinforc ed by the overall image of the brand. Future research should explore the existence of this symbiotic and interdependent relationship. 7. Conclusion This study contributes and extends existing literature by suggesting the existence of visual puffery. Our results show that the visual cues and imagery in the fragrance ads appear, under certain conditions, to result in product expectations that exceed actual product evaluations, suggesting the existence of visual puffery.The adjective pairs that represented abstract descriptors accounted for nearly all of the instances in which expectations of the ad exceeded product evaluations. For Red Delicious it was 83%, for Hypnose and Euphoria it was 100% of the adjectives pairs which were significantly different. In contrast, for adjective pairs that represent concrete descriptors, in most instances (Red Delicious 100%; Hypnose 100%, and Euphoria 50%) we observed that product evaluations exceeded the ad expectations.One interpretation of this re sult is that the evaluation of these attributes may be significantly more subjective and therefore more difficult than evaluating more concrete attributes. A second possible explanation has its origin in the work of Haan and Berkey (2002). Recall that in their research, only the weakest puffs, subjective claims, influenced claim believability. Respondents in their experiment found subjective claims to be more unbelievable than the other five types of puffery claims. In our research, respondents’ expectations regarding the abstract (subjective) descriptors were generally not met.We put forth this observation merely as an intriguing idea for future research investigating the relationship between the level of abstraction of a visual puffed claim and subsequent product evaluations. As with all research, there are certain limitations which must be noted. First, we used a carefully controlled setting, with one consumer product for one consumer segment, and based on three magazine a dvertisements. Our results cannot be generalized beyond the product category nor beyond the consumer segment used in this study in the context of magazine print advertisements.Future research should investigate other product groups (e. g. high versus low involvement products), consumer segments (e. g. , male vs. female), gender in ads, ads from different countries and in different cultural settings. Second, one unanswered question is whether the high expectations of viewers influence their purchasing intention and ultimately behavior and if so, to what extent. This research did not explicitly address this issue and future research should investigate that. Third, semiotics is a qualitative research method that is inherently subjective.By arguing for the presence of visual puffery, we are, in some sense, translating a legal term into behavioral variables that can then be identified and measured. We acknowledge that, given the subjective nature of the analysis, other adjective pairs ma y have been identified by other researchers. 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