Man vs. Fishing Boat Essay Example for Free

Man vs. Fishing Boat Essay It was a cloudy summer day, the first week in June following my high school graduation. I was meeting my boyfriend and his family out on Shasta Lake who were enjoying the week on a houseboat. This would be the first time meeting all his aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. I did not expect for the meeting to end up like this. Brandon, my boyfriend, and his younger cousin, Jake, picked me up at Packers Bay in the ski boat. It was a chilly morning and I was in shorts and tank top and had only my towel to keep me warm. The boys forgot where the houseboat was parked in the lake. We spent the next hour and half searching the entire area of Shasta Lake for their houseboat. â€Å"Brandon, just call your mom and ask where they’re at,† I mentioned as an idea. â€Å"Embarrassing as it is, I guess I will,† Brandon sighed. He called his mom, and the first thing she said, â€Å"Your lost aren’t you?† Mothers know everything. We finally found our way to the houseboat. We climbed out of the boat, and one after another, each family member said their hellos and each gave me a very welcoming hug. I felt like family already. We sat in the houseboat for about 30 minutes socializing and eating breakfast, when Brandon’s dad, Gary, decided to tell us we were moving the houseboat to a different spot for the day. Moving the houseboat is a lot more challenging than just one boat because the Connolly’s also had two jet skies, the ski boat and an old tin fishing boat (which wasn’t even registered). â€Å"Brandon, you and Ally take the ski boat. Jake, you hop in the fishing boat and the girls got the jet skies. Get out in front and lead the way to another cove,† Gary said with much authority. So Brandon and I jumped in the ski boat and drove out way past the houseboat waiting for everyone to get situated. Jake, 15 at the time took control of the tin fishing boat. We all figured that he had driven a boat like that before, but we may have been wrong. Enjoying the cloudy day, Brandon and I sat in the ski boat waiting for Jake to make his move. And we heard the motor start and Jake was moving. Phew. There were some waves coming from Brandon’s messing around in the boat that Jake was hitting, but we didn’t think anything of it. After talking for a little bit, we turn around to check on Jake’s progress and we see him flying through the air and the tin boat going very fast around and around and Jake was no where to be found. His head popped up out of the water and than his hand came up with his phone in hand and he screamed, â€Å"Help!† Brandon threw him and a life buoy and told him, â€Å"GET AWAY FROM THE BOAT!† The boat was still spinning out of control and one hit from the tin boat would kill Jake instantly. Since it was a cold morning, Jake was in two pairs of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and he had his Nike tennis shoes on. Swimming was a lot more difficult. He reached the life buoy and made it safely to our ski boat. But this wasn’t the tragic event. It took a while for the family on the houseboat to realize what was going on, than next thing we know we see Uncle Dan fly out on one of the jet skies. He seemed like superman or maybe even batman. He looked like he was going to be the hero of this crazy event. We never even thought he would be the victim. From the ski boat, Brandon, Jake, and I all thought that with the tin fishing boat spinning out of control, Uncle Dan was just going to take the front of the jet ski and stop the tin boat. Nope. Wrong. Next thing we know he is in the water. â€Å"What is he doing?† I asked Brandon in a very worrisome voice. â€Å"I’m not quite sure.† He replied. Dan swims towards the spinning boat and reaches to grab the front of it when it comes around and he misses. So he goes in one more time. Strike two. Misses again. Third times a charm? Not in this story. He swims in for the third time and as the boat makes its 360 rotation it seemed, as every noise around us was silent except for the sound of rocks in a motor. But it wasn’t rocks. It was Uncle Dan. I looked at Brandon and Jake in horror. What was going on? It seemed like he was in the water forever before he popped up. Finally he did. In a very settle and quite voice, he raises his hand covered in red thick blood and a face that looked like it was dipped in ketchup, says, â€Å"Help. Help. I’m hurt.† I scream at Brandon and Jake, both swimmers, â€Å"Help him! Get in the water. Help him!† Brandon and Jake start stripping off their clothes one at a time and Jake was in the water within seconds. Swimming like it was the last meet of his life, he swims over to Uncle Dan and, with his adrenaline, lifts the middle-aged man onto the jet ski. Blood was everywhere and the tin boat was still spinning. Jake speeds the jet ski along with Uncle Dan and his wounded body towards the shore where the houseboat was still vacated and the next thing I see is Jake’s mother, who is also Dan’s sister, strip completely naked and used her clothes to wrap up his arm and face. I’ve never been so shocked and scared in my life. Seeing a hand sliced up from the elbow down to the tips of the fingers and a face covered in blood coming from the eye and side of the face, which hid his pain. He was being so tough and he just kept saying in a mellow tone, â€Å"I just don’t want to loose my hand.† He repeated this many times. Next thing I know, Gary was the driver of the ski boat with Uncle Dan laid out in the boat with naked Aunt Janine at his side, they were off to the shore where the ambulance helicopter was meeting to take him to the emergency room. We all else went back on the houseboat and comforted Jake and everyone effected by this horrific accident. The cloudy day served it’s purpose. After the cops asked all their questions to all of us involved, and finally crashed into the tin fishing boat with their sheriff boat, we could all just relax on the houseboat and wait for the call from the hospital to hear the news of Uncle Dan.

Impact of Marketing Mix on Customer Buying Decision

Impact of Marketing Mix on Customer Buying Decision Impact of Marketing Mix on Customer Buying Decision of Luxury Housing Industry in UKChapter 01 01. Introduction (Research proposal) 01.1 Industry background of the study 01.1.1 Industrial review Property development industry can be classified into several sectors, the largest being middle income land and property market which is increasingly being dominated by property developers selling ready build houses and plot of land. This sector is largely depended on the domestic economy and the housing loans market, which is driven by prevailing rate of interest. The demand for houses, condominiums, commercial property and office space, leisure property segments is also a significant contributor to the property market luxury segment generates lucrative profits. 1.1.2 International overview International property development industry; especially luxury housing industry shows same industry conditions worldwide. The Luxury Home Council (Authority for world luxury houses based in USA) has presented lot of findings on this industry with their primary collected information. Their findings are very interesting and show some cross functional relationships towards the industry and customer behavior and trends. Professionals in the real estate industry says luxury homes are more optimistic industry and majority (around 55%) is willing to get growth in the industry. These predictions based on the trends will appear in next twelve months. Based on the Forbes magazine (USA) shown better world growth of 25% in the year 2006. This trend really affected to the luxury housing industry worldwide. But existing recession conditions shows pure hit to the luxury housing industry. People try to fulfill their basic requirements. As per the survey conducted by American Affluence research center shows richest 10% will invest in real estate industry. Survey realized that portion 49% for new constructions and 11% for pre own home market. Balance invests in land sales market. 1.1.3 Market trends in the UK Based on the UK government, housing and planning statistics there are many trends find around 22 million in year 2007 contributed for the dwellings. From this market in the England 82% are bungalows, but in the London around 43% dwellings are flats. There are some secondary information released in the year 2008 and showing many rational findings. 68% are living in their own houses. Around 18% people are social tenant and private renters are around 14%. (Source:http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/housingplanningstatistics2009) The global economic crisis has adversely affected the UK property market In the wake of the collapse of the sub-prime mortgage market in the United States, the global financial system has changed significantly. Long-established UK financial organizations have had to change their working practices with particular focus on management and containment of further lending and exposure to higher risk activities such as property investment. As a result the UK Construction industry has suffered The UK Construction industry has been hit particularly hard as the rate of investment into property-based activity slows significantly. The appetite for new private development has reduced dramatically as the economic crisis affects the financial performance of businesses. Equally the UK banks, which are already heavily exposed to property investment, are reluctant to fund new projects. There are also significant concerns that the UK Governments spending plans for large scale public projects will be cut to help balance the books. Falling workloads are changing market behavior UK Construction workloads are currently falling at a rate faster than any time since the late 1980s. As workloads fall customers are clearly taking advantage of increased competition amongst contractors and driving prices down accordingly. Contractors margins are reducing and businesses face a fight for survival. The competitive arena is changing as contractors seek new work As the market place changes and reliable opportunities in familiar sectors dwindle, contractors are widening their interest in projects previously outside of their regular scope and size. This is changing the nature of the competitive arena and is forcing firms to re-consider their approach to marketing strategies and their existing customers. Long-term strategies must be adopted by contractors Forward predictions indicate that the downturn in workload has years, not months, to run. As such, contractors have to develop new strategies to develop their markets and protect existing customer relationships or history tells us that they may not survive. 1.1.4 Segmentation according to UK context All Taxpayers Top 10% to 1% (adults) Top 1 % to 0.1% (adults) Top 0.1 % (or the very, very rich) Number 29.5 Million 4.21 Million 421,000 42,000 Entry level for group  £5,093  £35,345  £99,727  £351,137 Mean Value for group  £24,769  £49,960  £155,832  £780,043 Average Income tax paid  £4,415  £10,550  £49,477  £274,482 Percentage of personal income tax revenue 27.6% 8.6% 4.2% (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Income_in_the_United_Kingdom 08/12/2009) Worth of each segment can range as follows, (lower income earners not create value to the luxury housing industry.) Source: Introduced by the researcher 1.2 Research Problem Even though number of players trying to capture or maintain, UK Luxury Housing industry has very limited opportunity of the total market. Because of niche situation it is difficult to find potential customers to sell premium houses for GBP millions. Industry rivalry has doubled this limited prospect. Because of stagnant conditions, many companies cant sell their luxury hoses and making losses due to loan interests construction cost increases. Customers will take time, check other options and need total solution for their requirement with strong confident. To build customer confident should focus on customer decision making and buying behaviour. Thereafter developers can provide perfect solutions for customers requisitions. United Kingdom context based on the http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ there are lot of possibilities can arise. Developers brand positioning promises should be supported by the quality of houses, attributes, customer service, staff responsiveness, technical services, engineering, architecture, after sales, inter departmental relationships etc. All these divisions have to set the highest standards in order to deliver what they promise. The number of customer dissatisfaction is on the increase. Sometimes the customer- developer conflict has intensified with a large number of customers unhappy with many issues such as quality of the houses, legal issues, product faultiness, after sales service, etc. The number of competitors tying to position themselves at the level of existing market leaders. A large number of luxury housing projects are being launched in London suburbs which signifies the rising competition in the niche property market. There is no truthful information based on Accurate Market research is essential for decision making implementation of the correct management process. Dont have proper understanding about market trends, opportunities and further developments in the industry. Especially house features are expecting by customers, suitable and matching price, location and place, effective promotional methods. 1.3 Research Objectives Key Objective To identify that what extent Marketing Mix impact on Customer Buying Decision of Luxury housing industry in UK. Through the research want to identify that what are the forfeiting factors will affect to the consumer buying behaviour and how major marketing elements / marketing mix affect to the buying decision making process. Will discuss major 4 elements and extended mix to gain clear understanding about Therefore, through this research will identify the â€Å"impact of marketing mix on customer behavior of Luxury housing industry.† Specific Objectives * To measure the impact on product on consumer buying behavior of Luxury housing industry. * Ensure the impact on price. * Understand the impact on location. * Quantify the impact on promotional methods. * To measure the impact on extended marketing mix (People, Process, and Physical Evidence). 1.4 Research Questions What extent Marketing Mix impact on Customer Buying Decision of Luxury housing industry in the United Kingdom? How product features (luxury house) impact on buying decision? How house design, plinth area architectural design specifications influence? How fittings, using materials additional features engineering solutions on house will impact? How Brand image impact? To what extent impact additional services (total solution package)? How impact price factor to customer buying decision? How selling price, land value, construction cost persuade? How legal stamp fee, bank loans, special discounts for cash payments, interests on delay payments convince? How payment structure encourage? How other costs involve? How location influence to buying decision? How convenience, easy access, security force? How neighborhood, community number of houses change the decision? How area recognition, name of the district, provincial council or urban council concern? How view, higher elevation, nature beauty concern? How promotional methods communication influence to buying decision? How promotional method, media selection media schedule success? How selling and marketing strategies should use? How advertising, personnel selling, direct marketing, public relation, word of mouth, sales promotions effective? How use internet promotions, event organizing and foreign promotions effectively? How extended marketing mix (People, Process, and Physical Evidence) influence to buying decision? People How sales and marketing staff, architectures, engineers, supervisors, maintenance team members, labours involve? Process How time period to build the house, bank loan arrangement, payment arrangement, realize customer requirement, legal framework, after sales service cause? Physical Evidence How company image, dress code of officers, traveling method (vehicle), equipments (laptop, etc), office location and layout, stationeries, language affect to first impression? 1.5 Theoretical Background 1.5.1 Marketing Mix Jerome McCarthy has suggested the 4Ps via major tools as product, price, place and promotions as the marketing mix. But in recent practices has introduced another basic three parts as people, proceed and physical evidence. Through controlling major four variables can any organization to achieve their objectives. These variables are currently practicing with modern trends. After McCarthys introduction Bernard Booms and Mary Bitner built an extended theory model and modernized the marketing mix and named as 7Ps. (Booms,B. and Bitner, M. 1981). * Product Philip Kotler (1988) suggest that three distinct elements should be considered as the products attributes, its benefits, and the nature of the support service. * Price More important element for some industries is the price potentially the most controllable and flexible element of the marketing mix. Price is also in many cases one of the most important elements and, together with the product as a key component of an organizations marketing strategy. (Source: D. Mercer, ‘Marketing (Blackwell, 1996) * Place / Location Neil H.Bordens clarifying the Marketing Mix is named the distribution as Place. There are lot of definitions as channel, intermediary methods, distribution and etc to the same task. The majour task is delivering goods from the manufacturer to the final end user. * Promotion Marketing mix has its own identical ‘promotions mix. The basic elements of the promotion mix are advertising, sales promotion, direct marketing, public relations and personal selling. The final outcome is determined as how to handle these tools. * People According to the Kotler, People are the most important element of any service or experience. Services are produced and consumed at same time. Services are combined with individuals who deliver the services and according to the personality, experience and personal qualities of the service provider the quality of services are altered. * Process this is another important element of the extended marketing mix. The process is determining the efficiency. Emending automated systems can increase the efficiency of processes. There are a number of perceptions of pro buying process or luxury housing. * Physical evidence this is the tangible aspect of the service. As services are intangible, people rely on tangible items to build their perception on services. In the case of luxury houses, the tangible aspect and appearance of houses play a mojor role in building customer perception. 1.5.2 Consumer behavior According to the Belch and Belch consumer behavior is â€Å" The process and activities people engage in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to satisfy their needs and desires† To understand consumer behavior we need to examine how an individual interact with the marketing mix elements. According to Cohen (1991), the 4Ps should be adapted according to the psychology needs of each individual. The Psychological requirements are based on consumers own culture, attitude, learning and experience. Based on these values consumers decide whether or not to purchase. If the product or service match with their own values consumers decide to buy it. 1.6 Research Methodology Research has given priority to primary data to take impartial result through the study. Both of qualitative and quantitative techniques have being used to collect primary data from the target audience. Also has being used effective secondary sources to develop the research and to have a sophisticated output (Broadly discussed under the research methodology part). There are few methods has being applied by the researcher to get perfect solution. Survey method, interview method, internal data collections of property developers published secondary data has used as data collection method. 1.6.1 Survey Method Given the priority and research analysis based on the collected data through the survey. Questioner focused on customers who already bought luxury house. 1.6.2 Interview Method Researcher not given more priority to this method, but has added more findings through industry expert ideas. 1.6.3 Published Secondary data Internet, Industry Magazines, Government Institutions, News paper articles added more findings to the research. 1.6.4 Internal data of Property Developers Internal data collections as existing customer researches, competitor analysis, marketing and communication plans and other important and relevant data captured. 1.7 Limitations of the Study Sample size not enough For 100% accurate conclusion should cover 50% of the total market. Because of difficulties to find particular target market researcher have selected small sample size. (Limited number of people can afford for luxury house and they having busy scheduled life pattern). Limited secondary data there are no more information on luxury housing industry. Also cant find updated records through any government institute related to the housing industry and having only outdated records. Also researcher has concerned only the London and suburbs, but in some others cities other suburb areas should include to island wide result. For convenience has selected grater London and suburbs and it is difficult to based on these data to get overall picture. Didntt put more weight on other macro factors as governmental influences as regulations, legal issues economic changes. Political stability, foreign forces, employments and wages, etc. Not consider other luxury alternative can invest or spend. Through comprehensive research should pay attention on alternatives. Chapter 02 02. Literature Review 2.1 Theoretical background of Marketing Mix Meaning of the Marketing Mix The meaning of the Marketing Mix is a mixture of core factors which affecting to marketing strategies as well as consumer purchasing decision. Basic marketing mix comprises four elements as product, price, place promotion. When provide a service it should be an extended mix with people, process and physical evidence. According to McCarthy. J marketers should work with all marketing mix variables. Also he described that even change all variables it is difficult to change the product and distribution channel. Kotler, P. K. (2005). What is Marketing Mix. In P. K. Kotler, Marketing Management. Prentice Hall. Product Kotler (1988) suggest that three distinct elements need to be considered; the products attributes, its benefits, and the nature of the support service. * Product attributes are associated with the core product and include such elements as features, styling, quality, brand name, packaging, and size and color variants. * Product benefits are the elements that consumer perceive as meeting their needs. This is some time refers to as the â€Å"bundle of potential satisfactions† that the product represents. * The marketing support services comprise of all the elements that the organization provides in addition to the basic product. These typically include delivery, installation, guaranties, after sales service and reputation. (Source: Strategic Marketing Management by Richard M.S. Wilson Colin Gilligan) (Source: researcher developed based on www.wikipedia.org , 15/01/2010) Core Product this is the basic output of the product. Even you cannot touch it crates the vale to the entire product. The house example, the benefit is shelter, place to live with basic facilities. Actual product This is the tangible product of the output / physical product. As an example, it is the house with modern featured, quality construction, serenity appeal etc. Augmented Product This is the value additions can add to the particular product. Most of the time augmented value use to delight the customer. Structural warranty, customer support service from maintenance team, after sales service etc can show as examples. Price For many industries price is the potentially the most controllable and flexible element of the marketing mix. It is also in many cases one of the most important elements and, together with the product, a key component of an organizations marketing strategy. When buying a luxury house will consider selling price, easy payment structure, discount and other cost as legal stamp fee. Mercer, D. (1996). Pricing. In D. Mercer, ‘Marketing . Blackwell. Premium Price Premium pricing strategy is the best and normal payment method which is applicable to the luxury housing strategy. Location Channel of distribution comprises a set of organizations which perform all of the activities utilized to make difference in the process up to the consumption. (Bucklin Theory of Distribution method Structure, 1966). Neil H.Bordens has introduced location factor as more important variable in the Marketing Mix. Location is most crucial factor in luxury housing industry. Because of easy access, neighborhood, serenity, reputation of the area will consider according to the above facts. Promotion Another step of the 4Ps is promotion. This consists all of the tools available to the marketer for marketing communication. As with Neil H.Bordens marketing mix, effective marketing communications has its own promotions mix. Think of it like a cake mix, the fundamental ingredients are always the same. However if you vary the sum of one of the ingredients, the final outcome is different. It is the similar with promotions. The functions of the promotions mix are integrated to form a coherent campaign. * Advertising is a paid for effective communication. It is used to develop attitudes, add awareness, and transmit information in order to gain a response from the particular market. There are many advertising media as newspapers (local, national, free, trade), trade magazines and journals, television (local, national, terrestrial, satellite) cinema, outdoor advertising (such as posters, bus sides) * Personal Selling is an effective way to control personal customer relationships. The sales person acts on behalf of the organization. They tend to be well experienced in the approaches and techniques of personal selling. However sales people are too expensive and should only be used where there is a decent return on investment. For example salesmen are generally used to sell cars or home improvements where the margin is high * Sales promotion this tends to be thought of as being all promotions vary from advertising, personal selling, and public relations. As an example the BOGOF promotion, or Buy One Get One Free. Others include couponing, money-off promotions, competitions or free accessories (such as free blades for a new razor), introductory offers (such as when buy digital TV and get free installation), and so on. All sales promotion should be carefully cost and compared with the next best alternative * Public Relation This is defined as the deliberate, planned and sustained effort to be established and maintain mutual understanding between an organization as well as its publics (Institute of Public Relations). It is relatively cheaper, but certainly not cheap. Successful strategies tend to be long run and plan for all eventualities. * Direct mail Thi is very highly focused upon targeting consumers based upon a database. As with all marketing, the potential consumer is named based upon a series of attributes and similarities. Creative agencies are working with marketers to design a highly focused communication in the form of a mailing. The mail is sent out to the relevant consumers and responses are carefully monitored. For example, if you are marketing medical text books, you would be used a database of doctors surgeries as the basis of your mail shot. * Trade fair Exhibitions Such methods are very good for making new contacts and renewing old ones. Companies will individually sell much at such events. The purpose is to develop awareness and to encourage trial. They offer the opportunity for companies to meet with both the business and the consumer. Expo has recently finished in Germany with the next one planned for Japan, despite a recent decline in interest in such events. * Sponsorship this is where an organization pays to be associated with a relevant event, cause or image. Companies will sponsor to sports events such as the Olympics or Formula One. The attributes of the all event are then associated with the sponsoring organization. Gilligan, R. M. (1995). Strategic Marketing Management. In R. M. Gilligan, Strategic Marketing Management. Business Economics People People are the more important element of any service or experience. Services tend to be produced and consumed at the same time, and aspects of the customer experience are options to meet the individual needs of the person consuming it. Most of us can think of a condition where the personal service offered by individuals has made or tainted a tour, vacation or restaurant food. Remember, people buy from people that they more like, so the attitude, skills and appearance of all staff need to be first class. Here are some ways in ways of people add value to an experience, as part of the marketing mix training, personal selling and customer service. Eg: Marketing staff, architect, engineers and financial officers will participate to buying process of luxury housing. Process Process is another constituent of the extended marketing mix, or 7Ps.There are a of perceptions of the concept of process within the big business and marketing literature. Some see processes as a means to attain an outcome, for example to achieve 30% market share company equipment a marketing planning process. One more view is that marketing has a number of procedures that integrate together to create an in general marketing process Physical Evidence This is the material fraction of a service. Strictly speaking there are no corporeal attributes to a service, so a customer tends to rely on fabric cues. There are many examples of physical evidence, including Packaging, Internet/web pages, Paperwork (such as invoices, tickets and dispatch notes), Brochures, Furnishings, Signage (such as those on aircraft and vehicles), Uniforms, Business cards, The building itself (such as prestigious offices or scenic headquarters) and etc. www.marketingteacher.com. (2010, January 12). lesson_marketing_mix. Retrieved from www.marketingteacher.com: http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_marketing_mix.htm 2.2 Theoretical background of the Consumer behavior Consumer behavior is the findings of how people buy, what they buy, when they buy and why they buy. It blends factors from psychology, sociology, psychology, anthropology and economics. It attempts to realize the buyer decision making process, both individually and in groups. It examines characteristics of individual consumers such as demographics, psychographics, and behavioral variables in an effort to understand peoples wants. It also tries to assess affect on the consumer from groups such as family, friends, reference groups, and society in general. Belch and Belch defined consumer behavior as â€Å"The process and activities people work in when searching for, selecting, purchasing, using, evaluating, and disposing of products and services so as to make their needs and desires†. Consumer decision making process Consumer decision making process is the best as well as crucial factor to change and influence to the buying decision. Number of philosophers had been introduced their own idea about the buying decision process. But all of them accepted the normal buying decision process. Consumer decision making process can shows as following model. With few changes in this model can apply in to luxury house buying decision process. Wikipedia-encyclopedia explains consumer decision making process according to number of researches and consumer behavior books. This common process can identify in each buying decision (consumer). In organizational buying behavior will be change the process with few rational approaches). In luxury housing industry also can apply normal buying process. But customers will be more rational than other buying products as FMCG or low valued product or service. Standard buying process will explain that to what extent it will affecting to the buying decision making. Stage Brief description Problem Recognition The consumer perceives a need and normally motivated to solve the problem. Information Search The consumer searches for data required to make a purchase decision Perception Alternative Evaluation The consumer comparing various brands and products Attitude formation Purchase Decision The consumer decides which brand should purchase Integration Post-purchase Evaluation The consumer is evaluates their purchase decision Learning Howard, J. S. (1968). Theory of Buyer Behavior. In J. S. Source: Howard, Theory of Buyer Behavior. J. Wiley Sons, New York, NY. * Problem recognition Problem recognition shows when there is a difference between ones desired state and ones actual state. Consumers are form to address this discrepancy and therefore they commence the buying process. Sources of problem recognition exists: o An item is out of the stock o Dissatisfaction with a existing product or service o Consumer needs wants o Related products purchases o Marketer-induced o New products The relevant internal psychological activity that is associated with problem identification is motivation. A motive is a element that compels action. Belch and Belch (2007) give an explanation of motivation based on Maslows hierarchy of needs Freuds psychoanalytic theory. * Information Search Once the consumer has realized a problem, they search for information on products and services that can solve that problem. Belch and Belch (2007) introduced that consumers undertake both an internal (memory) and an external search. Sources of datainclude: o Personal sources o Commercial sources o Public sources o Personal experience The correct internal psychological process that is associated with information search is perception. Perception is recognized as the process by which an individual receives, selects, organizes, and interprets information to develop a meaningful picture of the world The selective perception process step Description Selective exposure consumers choose which promotional messages they will expose themselves to. Selective action consumers select which promotional messages they will put attention to Selective comprehension consumer communicate messages in line with their beliefs, attitudes, motives and experiences Selective retention clients remember messages that are more meaningful or important to them * Alternative Evaluation At this time the consumer compares the existing brands and products that are in their evoked set. How can the marketing organization develop the likelihood that their brand is part of the consumers evoked (consideration) set? Consumers find alternatives in terms of the functional and psychological benefits that they offer. The marketing organization should understand what benefits consumers are seeking and therefore which attributes are most significant in terms of making a decision. The relevant internal psychological process that is merged with the alternative evaluation step is attitude formation. Note that attitudes are learned predispositions in an object. Attitudes comprise both inner cognitive and affective elements that is both what you think and how you feel the something. The multi-attribute attitude model shows how consumers evaluate alternatives on a range of attributes. Belch and Belch (2007) identify a number of ways that can be used to influence the process (attitude change strategies). * Purchase Decision Once the alternatives have been analyzed, the consumer is ready to make a purchase decision. Sometimes purchase intention does not show in an actual purchase. The marketing organization must give the consumer to act on their purchase intention. The provision of credit or payment terms may motivate purchase, or a sales promotion such as the opportunity to get a premium or enter a competition may provide an incentive to buy now. The relevant internal psychological process that is goes with purchase decision is integration. * Post Purchase Evaluation Once the consumer has bought and used the product, they will eva

Smart Sensors And Controllers Information Technology Essay

Smart Sensors And Controllers Information Technology Essay Smart sensors are sensors with integrated electronics that can do one or move following functions:- Logic functions, two-way communication, make decisions. It consists of transduction element, signal conditioning electronic and controller or processor that supports some intelligence in a single package. This paper introduces concept of smart sensors and controllers systematically. The progress in the integrated circuits become possible because of the tremendous progress in semiconductor technology, resulted in the low cost microprocessor. By designing a low cost sensor which is silicon based the overall cost of the control system can be reduced. The usefulness of silicon technology as a smart sensor, physical phenomena of conversion to electrical output using silicon sensors, characteristics of smart sensors. The silicon sensor can produce output, as voltage, current, resistance or capacitances, output format can be analog or digital. Suitable signal conditioning circuits along with processor can easily designed using silicon technology. The presence of controller or processor in smart sensor has lead to corrections for different undesirable sensor characteristics which include input offset and span variations, non-linearity and cross sensitivity. As these are carried in software, no additional hardware is required and thus calibration becomes an electronic process. Reduced cost of bulk cables and connectors, cost improvement and remote diagnostics are the qualities of smart sensors. In this paper specifically laser based smart displaced sensor is explained, how smart sensors help anesthesiologist in Anaesthesia supervision is elaborated. An effort is made to demonstrate a prototype Sensor system. Smart dishwasher controller. Features of smart valve controller ends this paper. INDEX SR. NO. CONTENTS 1 Introduction (Smart Sensors) 2 Usefulness of silicon technology in smart sensor 3 General architecture of smart sensor 4 Importance and Adoption of smart sensor 5 Distributed smart sensor system 6 Application in Anaesthesia supervision 7 Smart Controller(Smart Dishwasher Controller) 8 Smart Valve Controller 9 Conclusion 10 References 1. INTRODUCTION: We can have integrated a sensor, which has electronics and the transduction element together on one silicon chip. This complete system can be called as system-on-chip .The main aim of integrating the electronics and the sensor is to make an intelligent sensor, which can be called as smart sensor. Smart sensors then have the ability to make some decision. Physically a smart sensor consists of transduction element, signal conditioning electronic and controller/processor that support some intelligence in a single package. Definition: -Smart sensors are sensors with integrated electronics that can perform one or more function, a) logic functions b) two-way communication c) make decisions. 2. USEFULNESS OF SILICON TECHNOLOGY IN SMART SENSOR: There are very convincing advantages of using silicon technology in the construction of smart sensor. All integrated circuits employ silicon technology. A smart sensor is made with the same technology as integrated circuits. A smart sensor utilizes the transduction properties of one class of materials and electronic properties of silicon (GaAs). A transduction element either includes thin metal films, zinc oxide and polymeric films. Integrating electronics circuits on the sensor chip makes it possible to have single chip solution. Integrated sensors provide significant advantages in terms of overall size and the ability to use small signals from the transduction element. Different silicon sensors can be obtained by employing above effects. The silicon sensor can produce output as voltage, current, resistance or capacitance. Output format can be analog or digital. Suitable signal conditioning circuits along with processor can easily be designed using silicon technology. The presence of controller or processor in smart sensor has lead to corrections for different undesirable sensor characteristics, which include input, offset and span variations, on linearity and cross sensitivity. As these are carried out in software, no additional hardware is required and thus calibration becomes an electronic process. Signal conversion effects: Signal Domain Examples (Measured) Examples(Physical Effects in silicon) Radiant Signals Light Intensity, polarization Photovoltaic-effect, photoelectric effect Mechanical Signals Force, pressure, flow, vaccum Piezo-resistivity Thermal Signals Temp, Temp. gradient Seebeck effect Chemical Signals Concentration, pH, toxicity Ion sensitive field effect Magnetic Signals Field intensity, flux density Hall effect 3. General Architecture of Smart Sensor: It is similar to a data acquisition system, the only difference being the presence of complete system on a single silicon chip. In addition to this it has on-chip offset and temperature compensation. BLOCK LEVEL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR SMART SENSOR: Design choice of smart sensor depends on the specific application for which the sensor is required and also related to specific industry. 4. Importance and Adoption of Smart Sensor: Following are qualities of smart sensor: a) Reduced cost of bulk cables and connectors, b) Remote Diagnostics 4.1 Enhancement of Application:- Smart sensor also enhances the following applications a) Self calibration b) Computation c) Communication d) Multisensing. 4.2 System Reliability: System reliability is significantly improved due to the utilization of smart sensors. One is due to the reduction in system wiring and second is the ability of the sensor to diagnose its own faults and their effect. 4.3 Improvement in Characteristics: There is improvement in following characteristics: Non-linearity, Cross-sensitivity, Offset, Parameter drift and component values. 4.4 Summary of Different Smart Sensors: Some of the smart sensors developed at different research institutes are as follow: Optical Sensor: Optical sensor is one of the examples of smart sensor, which are used for measuring exposure in cameras, optical angle encoders and optical arrays. Similar examples are load cells silicon based pressure sensors. Accelerometer: Accelerometer fabricated at the IBM Research laboratory at San Jose California, which consists of the sensing element and electronics on silicon. The accelerometer itself is a metal-coated SiO2 cantilever beam that is fabricated on silicon chip Integrated Multi-Sensor: Integrated multi-sensor chip developed at the electronics research Laboratory University of California. This chip contains MOS devices for signal conditioning with on chip sensor, a gas flow sensor, an infrared sensing array, a chemical reaction sensor, a cantilever beam, accelerometer, surface acoustic wave vapor sensor, a tactile sensor array and an infrared charge coupled device imager. 5. Distributed Smart Sensor System: A distributed smart sensor system consists of a network backbone, on which reside many nodes. Nodes may be loosely classified as either sensor nodes or controller nodes. Sensor nodes are those, which tend to send data to the network, and controller nodes are those, which tend to gather data from the network. A prototypical smart sensor node consists of three elements: a physical transducer, a network interface, and a processor/memory core. The transducer senses the physical quantity being measured and converts it into an electrical signal. Then the signal is fed to an A/D converter, and is now ready for use by the processor. The processor will perform some signal processing on the data, and depending on how it is programmed, may send the resulting information out to the network. Network transactions are handled by the network interface block. Note that these are only functional definitions and that MEMS technology potentially allows all three blocks to be implemented on a single die. A prototypical controller node consists of processor/memory, a network interface, and input/output devices for communicating with human users. It is used to collect information from the sensor nodes, to program the sensor nodes, and to provide feedback to the user. Placing all the sensors on a common network bus enables plug and play ease of installation. That is, no new wires have to be routed to accommodate new nodes. Fig.No.5 Smart Sensor System Fig.No.6Prototype Smart Sensor Node 6. Specific Application Of Smart Sensor In Medical Field : The Anaesthesia Supervision: Actually, the essential difficulty of anaesthesia supervision results of the fact that, each characteristic signal (adequate ventilation of lungs, adequate circulation, and intra cranial pressure) is assessed separately. Consequently, it is difficult for the anesthesiologist to evaluate the patients conditions. Moreover, he should able to distinguish equipments dysfunction of a real variation of the patient state. So propose a new architecture for anaesthesia supervision, based on concept of smart sensor. The Contribution of This System Are As Follows:- 1. The elaboration of a rate order from the trend curve of pressure measure and precedent rate.2. The supervision of the difference between the intracranial pressure and mean arterial pressure. Validation data processing Patient CARDIOCAP CAPNOMAC ANEMONE Validated data bare Rough Data Base Elaborated Information and newservices Anesthesiologist Patient Sensor N Central Supervision Unit Communication medium of field bus type Sensor 2 Sensor 1 Fig.No.7Central Data Processing Unit Fig.No.8.uture Architecture of Anaesthesia Supervision 7.Smart Controller: Smart controller is the latest inventory mode of controller. Smart Dishwasher Controller:Current dishwashers enable the user to choose cycle selection, heat selection, and a start delay. Our Smart Controller will remove the cycle options by utilizing a turbidity sensor. The Smart Controller will interface with two modules: the control panel and the dishwasher hardware. Based on user inputs of heat and delay, the controller will send control signals to the proper dishwasher components. The addition of new sensors allows a more accurate pre-wash cycle that can rinse the dishes as long as necessary to remove the loose grit before starting the main cycle. This saves time, energy, and waterafter all, even if the pre-wash cycle actually takes LONGER to run, the user will not have to rewash dishes!It will have inputs both from the user and from onboard sensors; the micro controller that will process the information and provide the appropriate instructions to operate the dishwasher; an amplification circuit to provide the correct signal voltage level to operate the various loads. With the use of a turbidity sensor and a microprocessor, we can take advantage of knowing that the dishes are clean. This will allow us to change the dishwasher operation from static cycles to dynamic cycles. This will undoubtedly result in more efficient wash cycles. 8. Smart Valve Controller: Fig. No. 9 Smart Valve Controller The Smart Valve Controller mounts to a valve solenoid quickly and easily- without screws, drills or additional wires. This rugged product is fully submersible and resists all moisture intrusion in water, mud and debris as deep as 12 feet. Operating off a single 9-volt battery thats guaranteed to provide power through a full season. Its also a breeze to program, with an easy to read and understand LCD display instead of cumbersome buttons and knobs. For isolated sites or power-restricted areas, and for the special needs of drip zones, the new Hunter Smart Valve Controller is your single-station solution. 9. CONCLUSION Smart sensors are becoming a considerable part of various fields such as industries, medical, defense. Silicon plays an important role in development of smart sensors. Still a lot of research is required to get benefits of smart sensors. We recognize that Home Automation is the wave of future. Smart Dishwasher controller gives future vision of Automatic Smart control system. Smooth advantage of smart controller can be sensed by practical example of smart valve controller.

Nettie Stevens :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nettie Stevens   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nettie Maria Stevens was born in 1861 in Cavendish,Vermont. She was an American biologist and geneticist, whose research proved that chromosomes determine the sex of an organism. She completed in only two years the four-year course at Westfield Normal School in Massachusetts. Nettie graduated with the highest academic scores in her class. She recieved her B.A. in 1899 and her M.A. in 1900 at Stanford.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nettie studied Tenebrio molitor beetles and found that unfertilized eggs in female beetles always contain an X chromosome. Sperm from male beetles contain either an X chromosome or a Y chromosome. She found that eggs fertilized by sperm carrying the X chromosome produce female beetles. The combination of egg and Y-chromosome sperm produce male beetles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edmund Beecher Wilson, a biologist from Columbia University in New York City, made this same discovery at about the same time as Nettie. Nettie also established that chromosomes exist as paired structures in body cells.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nettie Stevens was not credited very well for her discovery. Instead, someone else was given the credit even though Nettie had done all of the work.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nettie gained notoriety after her death in 1912, from Thomas Hunt Morgan. He stated:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Modern cytological work involves an intricacy of detail, the significance of which can be appreciated by the specialist alone; but Miss Stevens had a shre in a discovery of importance, and her name will be remembered for this, when the minutiae of detailed investigations that she carried out have become incorporated in the general body of the subject.

Book Review Of Star Wars: X-wing Rogue Squardron :: essays research papers

Book Review of Star Wars: X-Wing Rogue Squardron Dan Boughen 9A The title of the novel is Star Wars : X-Wing Rogue Squadron. The author's name is Michael A. Stackpole. The type of book is fantasy / adventure. Main Characters A) Corran Horn : Corran is a pilot in training for the Alliance or the Rebellion. He is the best rookie pilot on the Rogue Squadron. He is a silent person who does not like the social life but does like the spotlight once in a while. He was a CorSec security officer on the planet Correlia in his late teens'. B) Kirtan Loor : Kirtan is a cold, isolated man that lives on the planet of Churba. He is a high ranked officer for the Imperial Army. He later gets promoted to a commanding officer and sits on the right side of the head leader of intelligence for the Emperor. Setting : The setting first takes place in the Rebel's secret base. The setting then moves to a swamp planet by the name of Imdaar. The setting then moves to Imperial headquarters on the planet of Coruscant. Plot Summary : Corran and his new partners are given a limited amount of training time and are sent out on a mission in just weeks of forming the new Rogue Squadron X-wing fighter group. This book switches the first-person perspective between Corran and Kirtan Loor. While Corran and the Rogue Squadron are off fighting TIE fighters and Star Destroyers, Kirtan is hunting down information on the squadron and it's pilots. Personal Reaction : I found this book a little hard to read because of the long complicated sentences and the complex words Michael Stackpole chose for his book. I would say the reading level would probably be around grade 11 or 12 because of the intricate words and long sentences. I liked this book because it not only was exciting and kept me on the edge of my seat, but because of the easy to

Where Are The Americans?

In spite of the fact that the American Government Led NATO against Serbia and that the American military is here, and their largest military base outside the United States is in Kosova, Kosovars are still asking: â€Å"Where Are The Americans? † Of course, a more complete elaboration on the basic question is: â€Å"Where Are The Americans? Why aren't Americans supporting our full Independence? Why hasn't their government recognized the full Independence of Kosova? Why aren't the big American corporations coming to Kosova? Why do they let the EU run everything in Kosova? Why isn't an American the Special Representative to the Secretary-General of the UN in Kosova? They went against European opposition and convinced NATO to go to war against Serbia and liberate us from oppression, but where are the Americans now? † Certainly the Americans are here, but the answer to many of the questions rests with the Kosova people, and the politics of Europe. Kosova is in Europe, and it is only natural that the European Community has the central concern and input regarding the status of Kosova. Under the current circumstances, any proclamations by the United States would be viewed as interfering with the European Union, and this would be diplomatically improper. Currently, the official communications regarding the situation in Kosova, and the issue of â€Å"final status† is limited to UNMIK and the European Union, as these are the entities that have UN delegated responsibilities regarding Kosova. The Americans are stronger in their influence within KFOR, which is separate from UNMIK Administration. However, when Kosovars clearly declare their Independence from Serbia, and demand that the UN fulfill its obligations in accordance with 1244(1999) for Kosova to have: â€Å".. provisional democratic self-governing institutions to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants of Kosovo. † Then, and only then, can the United States and other nations respond to a direct request by Kosovars for support in the establishment of an independent democratic process within Kosova! The Americans and others would then be able to question the EU more directly, as to why the European Union is against the full Independence of Kosova, when the history of the Serbians has been one of repeated aggressions, and an absence of any remorse. It is a logical question to ask, why after so many conflicts and so many losses by the Serbs, does the European Union continue to appease Serbia, rather than imposing harsh consequences? We must learn the process of politics and diplomacy. We have been great leaders and warriors, but we must not forget that we have never had a leader in peace. We are physically and morally strong, we are intelligent but we are not experienced in politics and diplomacy. However, we cannot let this situation continue, and we must now use any and all means to become as effective in Politics and Diplomacy as we have been in war. Kosova's political leaders have been active, but we must accept the reality of Kosovar limitations and ensure that all leaders quickly become truly adept in politics and diplomacy. Another response to â€Å"Where Are The Americans† is that the American people are at home in the United States, working, playing, studying, watching Television, listening to the radio, reading newspapers; and all of these things are being done in English. It is true that there are a few thousand Americans who speak Albanian, but how many are in positions of authority and how many are actually doing anything effective to bring the â€Å"message† the â€Å"truth† about Kosova to the American people? How can the average American care about Kosova, if they know nothing about Kosova? Americans are paying close attention to world events, such as the terror threats and the issue with Iraq, and they are paying attention because they are being communicated to in English. Why should American journalists pay attention to Kosova when anything of importance has to be translated from Albanian to English by them? We speak out, and demonstrate, but nothing is said or written in English. If we want to get Americans interested in Kosova, we must speak and publish in the English language in addition to Albanian. Every key speech given; every key event; every meeting attended must be also presented in English. Our daily newspapers should have at least one page in English presenting all the headlines and a brief about the story, and our television news and key presentations must also be done in English. If we want people to listen to us, then we better speak their language! Our periodicals should contain English features, and every major press release by any organization of influence should be prepared in good English. This last statement is important, for if we present English copy that is poorly done, we will look uneducated in the eyes of those reading the material. In the few instances when our business and/or government organizations have provided English versions, they appear to the reader as having been done by a child just learning to speak and write in English. We must utilize the skills of professional translators in any and all areas that affect our future, especially if we wish to reach and involve the American people. We certainly do not provide a good image if we cannot express crucial issues in good English to the world. In business and politics, it is the English language that predominates, and we better catch up fast! Just about every adult Kosovar knows that the European Union is â€Å"concerned† about the unification of ethnic Albanians; the development of a Kosovar military; and the potential for a significant American business, monetary and political influence in the Balkans. But as long as We Kosovars remain silent in English, and the citizens of America remain ignorant of the truth, the EU has nothing to worry about. In the eyes and minds of Americans, it appears that â€Å"everything is OK† in Kosova, and they believe that if everything is going well, why should Americans continue to support the American Military being in Kosova? Americans believe: If â€Å"everything is OK,† let Europe bear the costs of taking care of Kosova and we can move our troops to where they are needed! American politicians respond to the will of the American people, and Kosova politicians and the Kosovar people need to recognize this fact and reach out to the Heart of the United States, the American people! We must have the courage to make strong and timely Diplomatic moves, such as the publicly restating our Independence, and request direct assistance from particular nations in order to counter the current negative intent and actions of the European Union and Serbia to keep us within and under Serbian Dominance. We Kosovars need to â€Å"wake up, and stand up† and speak out, in a loud, firm, clear and unified English Speaking voice, against the effective Serbian Propaganda, The Manipulation of The Hague, and the Appeasement efforts of the European Union. They are making their propaganda in English, and it must be countered in English!

Marketing, Customer Value, and the Lin Essay

INTRODUCTION In today’s economy, firms are no longer the center of business. In order to survive, companies need to acknowledge the fact that business now revolves around customers (Keith, 1960). As a result, marketing becomes one of the most prominent philosophies in business. Therefore, to get a better understanding of today’s business, this essay will be discussing about three important concepts. These concepts are marketing as a business philosophy, the understanding of customer value, followed by the link between marketing and customer value. In addition, this essay will be using the Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example of the concepts’ application. MARKETING Marketing as a business philosophy has grew astoundingly for the past few decades. It becomes one of the influential subjects that being thoroughly explored in the society. Many have tried to define marketing in different ways. Based on a marketing expert Philip Kotler (1983), marketing is defined as a â€Å"human activity directed at satisfying needs and wants through exchange processes† (p. 7). Marketing exists in order to know what the customers wants and what are their needs, and satisfy those wants and needs through transactions. According to Kotler (1983), there are various philosophies that can guide the business conducts exchange and achieves desired outcomes. Using Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as example, philosophies that will be discussed here are product philosophy and marketing philosophy. Product Philosophy According to Kotler (1983), product philosophy assumes that customers will choose to buy high quality products, and thus organizations should focus on the product design and its quality.  Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is an example of product philosophy application in business. In February 1997, Village Cinemas and Warner Bros partnered to open a new type of cinema in Melbourne’s Crown Casino—â€Å"Gold Class† cinema (Wikipedia, 2014). This new luxury cinema format was then expanded to other Village Cinemas 1 throughout Australia and around the world. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a premium venue, offering personalized service level with smaller and private cinemas. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema focuses highly on its products’ quality by improving the art projection and its sound systems as well as adding recliner to its seats (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). All these new high quality products were prove as how â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema highly values the quality of its products. However, product concept will not be enough for Village Cinema to become successful. The purpose of a cinema is to entertain customers. Yet, entertainment as human’s needs can actually be satisfied by something else such as sport events or music concerts. Thus, Village Cinema needs to apply marketing philosophy to complement the product philosophy. Marketing Philosophy To understand marketing philosophy, it is important to know the purpose of business in advance. Peter F. Drucker (1999) stated, â€Å"there is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer† (p. 35). Marketing concept focuses on identifying what the customer needs, what products can attract customers and how to promote them effectively (Kotler, 1983). By putting marketing philosophy in practice, business can serve what consumers want and will generate greater profit. Village Cinemas developed the â€Å"Gold Class† concept even further in order to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"widen the appeal of going to movies† and â€Å"attract broader demographic† (Village Roadshow Limited, n.d.). They put marketing philosophy into practice by analyzing what action should be undertaken in order to satisfy the customers’ need of being served. In addition to entertainment, human likes to be given personal service. Thus, Village Cinemas improve the â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas by providing entertainment with high quality products and giving a personalized service at the same time. â€Å"Gold Class† Cinemas â€Å"boast a full service bar, lounge and gourmet food with personal waiter service during each screening† (Village Cinemas, n.d.). As the pioneer of this concept, Village Cinema has successfully embraced the marketing philosophy where business should focus on the customer and to provide what they want. 2 CUSTOMER VALUE Zeithaml (1988, as cited in Smith & Colgate, 2007, p. 8) defined customer value as being â€Å"what customers get from the purchase and use of a product versus what they pay.† According to Drucker (1999), customer value determines what the business will produce and whether it will prosper or not. Clearly, customers will prefer to consume the product that offers them most benefits with least costs possible. Based on their researches, Smith and Colgate (2007) proposed four major values of customer that applicable to consumer and to customer value creation strategy. According to Smith and Colgate (2007), functional value is concerned about the purpose and usefulness of a product. Experiential value is concerned with the customers’ feelings created by the product whereas symbolic value is concerned about the psychological meaning of a product to customers. On the other hand, cost is related to the both direct and indirect costs of using the product. The following table shows customer value creation strategy with Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema as the example. Functional Correct /- Movies, sound systems, and seats has high quality accurate – attribute creativity) Product characteristic (quality, customization, – Given appropriate attributes when necessary (e.g.: 3D glasses when watching 3D movies) – All food and beverages menu should be available when ordered Appropriate – Movie delivered without any disturbance performance – Being served with high quality service – Seat recliner move accordingly – Ordered food and beverages come correctly and within appropriate time length. Appropriate – Everything function effectively and appropriately as it outcomes should be – Cinema should be able to entertain and serve the 3 customers – Foods and beverages should be able to satisfy customers Experiential Sensory – More specialised and high quality theatre design for â€Å"Gold Class† customers than other normal customers in order to improve aesthetic value – Food plating should be appealing – Foods and beverages should smell and taste good Emotional – The movie watched will bring pleasure and enjoyment, (fun, excitement, happy, adventurous, sad, humorous or any other emotional feeling) – Customers should feel satisfied after being entertained and served personally Social – The design of â€Å"Gold Class† theatre have fewer seats and intimate setting, which could lead to a love bonding between partners or loved ones – Friendship and love bonding with families and friends by watching movie in â€Å"Gold Class† cinema together Epistemic – Some high quality movies provided by the â€Å"Gold Class† cinemas might provide knowledge and educational movie, fantasy, or any other experiences depend on the movie genre Symbolic Self identity – Staff and system interaction can make customer feel / worth better about their own selves. – Personalised service can make customer feel exclusive Personal Watching with the meaning loved one and become unforgettable memories – Irreplaceable quality time with family or friends every week in the cinema Self – Customers can express their taste of movie and expression preference of way to spend their leisure time Social – Customers can gain prestige and status by watching 4 meaning movie in â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema in front of their friends – The term â€Å"Gold Class† itself can boost up the customer’s image and self esteem when they enter the special theatre in front of crowd – As the ticket is expensive, customers will be known as rich by other, which can make them feel exclusive Conditional meaning Cost – People will think only those with higher disposable income or rich background can watch in this cinema Economic – The price of the ticket, food and beverages – The transportation cost or any other indirect cost Psychologi- – Some psychological relationship cost such as cal attachment or addiction – Equity conflict for customers who think highly of how some people can’t afford to enjoy the privilege Personal – Energy, effort and time spent to queue or click the investment order button through internet Risk – Low personal and operational risk as Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema is a well-known brand – High financial risk as the price is higher than other theatre 5 LINK BETWEEN MARKETING AND CUSTOMER VALUE Whatever the market or the business operating at, marketing has one common theme— to ‘create perceived customer value that is superior to alternatives available while at the same time creating value for the business’ (Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans, & Armstrong. 2010, p. 4). When marketing philosophy is applied in a business, customer value will play a really important role. Creation of the customer value is critical for marketing, especially when the business is going to develop new products and services (Smith & Colgate, 2007). Customer value represents customer point of view, and marketing needs it in order to manage a profitable relationships between business and customers. With marketing philosophy, business needs to know what customers consider important in a product—what customers value in a product—and to develop those products according to customers’ preferences. Compared to marketing philosophy, customer value doesn’t really influence product philosophy. In this case, business assumes that customers will prefer to buy high quality product with reasonable price, thus marketing effort is not much needed (Kotler, 1983). However, Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema still considers customers value as critical to their business. Village Cinema didn’t only focus on the product quality, yet they deliver a personalized and high quality service as well in order to satisfy the customers. Village Cinema knows that customers want to be entertained and personally served in the same time. Thus, the importance of customer value was demonstrated by applying marketing philosophy in their business and develop â€Å"Gold Class† concept. CONCLUSION To conclude, marketing is highly linked with customer value. Despite having different philosophies, every business should not take customer value lightly if they want to survive in today’s competition. Even if some businesses like Village â€Å"Gold Class† Cinema embrace more than one philosophy, they still need to address customer value as a really important concept that can influence their business outcome. REFERENCE LIST Drucker, P. F. (1999). The Practice of Management. Oxford, London: Butterworth Heinemann. Keith, R. J. (1960). The Marketing Revolution. Journal of Marketing, 24(3), 35-38. Retrieved from http://www,jstor.org/stable/1248704 Kotler, P. (1983). Marketing and Human Needs. Marketing in Australia (pp. 3-27). Melbourne, VIC: Prentice-Hall of Australia. Kotler, P., Brown, L., Burton, S., Deans, K., & Armstrong, G. (2010). Marketing (8th ed.). Sydney, NSW: Pearson Australia. Smith, J. B. & Colgate, M. (2007). Customer Value Creation: A Practical Framework. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 15(1), 7-23. Doi: 10.2753/mtp10696679150101 Village Cinemas. (n. d.) Gold Class. Retrieved from http://villagecinemas.com.au/goldclass Village Roadshow Limited. (n.d.) Cinema Exhibition. Retrieved from http://www.villageroadshow.com.au/Company-Profile/Exhibition.htm Wikipedia. (2014). Village Cinemas. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_Cinemas