soul searching at CES 2019

soul searching at CES 2019 Last weekend was CES 2019, an annual convention in Las Vegas that I didnt even know about until a couple of my friends told me to register to go to it with them. It was described to me as a showroom-type thing where companies set up booths to display the latest gadgets they are marketing/will take to market soon. Neato. The convention isnt necessarily open to the public (I think you actually need business credentials or media affiliation), but I was able to get in on the last day for free (!) by registering as a student. I was there for hours and didnt see even a quarter of the displays. The Las Vegas Convention Center is huge, and every open space was packed with people. Some of the exhibitors even had their own specially designed buildings outside of the exhibition halls. Google pulled a very EC stunt in setting up a roller coaster inside their building, and they also built a gumball machine that dispensed products ranging from Google beanies to Google Homes (the device not an actual Google house) to anyone willing to wait two hours in the line (not me). I also saw multiple massage chair displays some skates  reminiscent of a hoverboard immersion cooling arcade games tons of people a speaker with a built-in screen (???) Waluigi (wah) a TV whose audio was transmitted through the screen as demonstrated by some metal balls a TV that rolls up a phone with ten-point discrimination even under water a bread machine the United States Postal Service a ceiling of screens 3D-printed dentures and dental molds spinning LEDs that made images look 3D and a tractor that made me reconsider a career in Big Farm-a. It felt like an adult science fair. Plenty of people have recapped the cool stuff thats coming out of this convention, so I really dont feel like discussing AI and 5G and autonomous devices here. I had a sort of spiritual reaction to being surrounded by shiny new consumer electronics. It struck me how so many of these products represented the hard labor of the people who made them, but that this human element was being suppressed in favor of talking up the product. (I know thats the whole point of a technology showcase but let me FEEL!) Im a junior in college, which means Im starting (hahahahaha) to worry about future employment. Ive often thought that grad school is the only possible next step for a bio major who wants to be able to live comfortably. Recently, Ive decided to take on a second major (in Comparative Media Studies) just because the classes Ive taken in that field have been so much more intriguing to me than my bio classes. I dont know if grad school is what I want anymore. I look at my resume, I look at myself, I look at the displays at CES and wonder what it means to be marketable. Am I marketable, or at the very least are my skills marketable? Do I have skills? Why am I worrying about this when Im only 21? Most people reading this are probably highschoolers. As much as I dont want you to relate to this, Ive got a feeling you might. Youve filled out application after application attempting to market yourself to these schools who have never met you. Its hard to feel good enough. Im at MIT, and I still dont feel good enough. Im working on it. Buuuuuut Im also working on making my display booth interesting to ensure other people see me. Good luck to all of us. Post Tagged #ces

Honda Civic EX vs Honda Civic Hybrid Fuel Mileage

Here at Hybrid Cars and Alt Fuels, we field a lot of questions about hybrids, and probably the most common of all is simply, Are they really worth it? Do hybrids really get that much better fuel mileage than regular cars--and is it enough to justify their price premium? Well, we always do a number crunch as part of our hybrid reviews, but weve never actually done a real side-by-side comparison, instead relying on EPA mileage estimates of the non-hybrid versus our observed hybrid model fuel mileage to draw conclusions. This works pretty well, but the more I (Scott) thought about it, the more I wanted to do a little street test of my own to see whats what in the real world. So, I needed a car that is offered in both conventional and hybrid drivetrains, and I needed to put them both through the same types of driving conditions--and carefully track all data--to get as close as possible to an apples-to-apples comparison. This testorama would give me a good solid no arguments here body of data to unequivocally say X car in hybrid dress performed this way against X car with a regular engine. Having recently completed a test drive of the 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid (in which I did extensive fuel mileage tracking), I decided that this car and its popular and efficient (and comparably equipped) brother, the Honda Civic EX, would be my guinea pigs. Honda agreed and sent over a beautiful Alabaster Silver 2008 Civic EX sedan, and I commenced to drive. I was pretty confident that Id be able to handily beat the EPA estimates in the EX by simply employing some of my favorite Thrifty-Drive techniques--the same I used when test driving the Civic Hybrid. Ive been steadily honing these skills over the years and its gotten to the point that I can best the EPAs numbers by 15 percent or more for any given vehicle. I just slow down and drive gently, which ironically enough, gets me there in just about the same amount of time as aggressive yellow-light-running driving does, but at a much better bang-for-the-buck-for-the-minute rate. The Drivetrains Honda Civic EX: My tester EX came outfitted with the standard 140 hp 1.8-liter iVTEC 4-cylinder engine and optional 5-speed automatic transmission. Its a nice package with plenty of power and great fuel economy numbers, thanks to Hondas thrifty variable valve timing scheme. The EPA gives the EX 25/36/29 city/highway/combined ratings. Honda Civic Hybrid: The hybrid version gets its very own purpose-built drivetrain package consisting of a 110 hp 1.3-liter 4-cylinder engine and electric motor combination that transfers power to the wheels through a CVT transmission. EPA ratings for this package come in at 40/45/42 city/highway/combined. For more info on how this unique drivetrain works, see our 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid test drive and review. The Tests Because of the nature of pure city driving, with its short distances between numerous starts and stops, its difficult to employ Thrifty-Drive techniques and improve on EPA ratings. For this reason, I limited my mileage compares to all-highway and then combined (an assortment of roadways and traffic conditions) situations, and I further divided them by eco-styles and normal styles. I suppose at this point, its important to define what I call normal driving. In short, its aggressive behavior that I observe during my daily travels out on the roads with thousands of other motorists: jack rabbit starts ... not slowing (or worse, accelerating) on highway exit ramps ... speeding to stop signs (and then jamming-on the brakes at the last moment) ... and of course, my favorite shake-my-head-maneuver, constantly jockeying and darting to get ahead of the next guy. The Four Tests and Results All mileage numbers are expressed in miles per gallon: Normal combined -- jaunts driving like normal motorists described above. EX--32.2, Hybrid--41.5 Normal highway -- long freeway runs using no cruise and changing lanes frequently to keep pace with the fastest traffic (usually between 75 and 80 mph). EX--36.6, Hybrid--49.1 Eco combined -- everyday trips using the eco-techniques described in Scotts Thrifty-Drive. EX--37.4, Hybrid--48.7 Eco highway -- long highway jaunts with cruise set at a steady 61 mph. EX--42.3, Hybrid--54.7 Interpreting the Results These test results leave little doubt that the Honda Civic (hybrid or no) gets excellent fuel economy. Even when driven hard, I still was able to pretty much beat EPA ratings across-the-board. My experience has usually been that the more fuel-efficient a vehicle is, the less adversely its fuel economy is affected by aggressive driving habits. Conversely, economy cars respond better to eco-driving techniques than their large, less efficient counterparts. While both cars responded well to eco-driving, the EX did a little better in the combined mileage tests, whereas the hybrid aced the highway improvements. What gives here? It seems to me that the engine-only EX is more readily influenced by easy driving/light throttle techniques in combined roadway conditions where the engine could/would be more taxed during frequent acceleration. On the highway, a steady throttle can only do so much. On the other hand, on combined roadways in the hybrid, the electric motor mitigates some of the drivers influence for easing load on the engine (the hybrid system does it automatically). But on the open highway, the combination of the engines cylinder deactivation and steady electric motor assist allows the engine to work with minimal fuel use. So, Is the Hybrid Civic Really Worth It? In most cases, I think so, and under the right conditions, absolutely. Just look at the fuel mileage numbers. The hybrid bested the EX in every category, some by a larger percentage than others. Depending on the types of driving conditions/styles the Civic Hybrid owner would most regularly encounter, pay back time will likely fall within a four to six and a half year period of ownership. (Based upon $3055 hybrid price premium, $525 hybrid tax credit *ends 12/08*, 15,000 miles/year travel and gasoline $3.95/gallon).

The Nuiances of Da Vinci Code Book Review Samples Essay

The Nuiances of Da Vinci Code Book Review Samples Essay There are in reality millions of them. Future work to complete the whole is also in danger of delivering less than optimal price, in the event the comprehension of value changes during an incremental build. An orderly work surface is not as distracting. A small door leads into a superb garden. The Word file provides unlimited customizing options so you can teach in the most effective manner possible. For each column we could use distinct arrays but it's a little tedious. It shuffles the total dataset uniformly. They nearly always require a considerable reaction. If something changes during the build, all your work to date is in danger. The group that's on right-hand side is distinguished by greater reserve. You're able to color code your activities if you desire, using different colored stickies for various lists. If you include instructions about how to locate them in your final will, perhaps you can alter the world even after you're no longer here. The end result is a novel simpler to read, entertaining but with plenty of cultural and historical info and sparks for more research on the reader's part. Be certain to take a look at the Bonus Game where you stand before disguised individuals to pick a secret prize. In the event the answer is Yes' then there must be certain rule and requires source and a few media to communicate. Students need to have a full comprehension of the unit material as a way to answer these questions. Alice finds them confusing since they ask riddles to which there is not any answer and pretend there is no room for her whereas there is. Although Brown claims that the book is full of truths, the individuals must bear in mind this claim is contained in the initial paragraphs of a fiction book. In an additional citation of Arthurian legend, a parenthetic reference was designed to the vessel that is there known as the Holy Grail. The Bible has all of the answers. Quite simply, it's fun in the way that you desire a detective novel to be. Among the themes in the movie is the person of Jesus that is a controversial issue in the Islamic faith. Author of many mathematics treaties, in addition, he wrote novels. The novel has many parallel plot lines involving the numerous characters. The Lost Secret of Da Vinci Code Book Review Samples Essay No additional comment on the grail is provided. You must work twice as difficult to compare two things because you've got to be well-informed about every one of them. The book proved to be a RIDDLE MYSTERY. In Disco's painting, it's observed there are a good deal of knives present on the table. On the other hand, the game would be worth the candle. An individual can watch a documentary within a couple hours. The very first is quite an excellent suspense thriller. The very first is the fact that it is really enjoyable to read. The True Meaning of Da Vinci Code Book Review Samples Essay Nonetheless, the artist was apparently vulnerable to the effect of the classic Romanesque art. It can exaggerate or misrepresent religion depending on how it is created. These art essay topics aren't that easy. In such a way, mild lines add to the domination of round form and the overall kind of the sculpture is comparatively easy but conveys the internal magnificence of the Virgin and her Child. On the flip side, the number four plays a vital role in the classical art (for instance, the four virtues of Plato). If your comprehension of value changes, it's still true that you retain your captured value, and you may also adjust your future activities to accommodate your new comprehension. The constant shift in atmosphere permits the reader to examine the situation from both perspectives but around exactly the same time. Whispered Da Vinci Code Book Review Samples Essay Secrets The burning of books, for example, has for ages been used to send a potent political message. Furthermore, the book is broken up into episodes and stories. It was one of the most intriguing books I have read thus far. As stated previously, there are a number of other fictional history books out there on the mark et today. Periodic homework assignments and quizzes are a terrific approach to encourage students to remain in addition to their assigned reading. You simply have to look closer to obtain some excellent art essay ideas. Reading example essays works precisely the same way! The exact same happens if we are looking for art essay ideas. Even though it's a work of fiction. The story is told from her viewpoint, her inner thoughts use up a great part of the book. These stories will someday develop into part of the working software. There's more to this story, obviously.

History of Cookies Free Essays

The first cookies were created by accident Cooks used a small amount of cake batter to test their oven temperature betore baking a large cake, The earliest cookie-style cakes are thought to date back to seventh-century Persia. Persia was one of the first countries to cultivate sugar. The word cookie originally came from the Dutch keok]e, meaning â€Å"little cake†. We will write a custom essay sample on History of Cookies or any similar topic only for you Order Now Dutch first popularized cookies in the United States. The British incorporated them in the 19th century in their daily tea service and calling them biscuits or sweet buns, as they do in Scotland. Sometime in the 1930s, a Massachusetts Innkeeper ran out ot nuts vvhlle making cookies. she substltuted a bar of baking chocolate, breaking It Into pieces and adding the chunks of chocolate to the flour, butter, and brown sugar dough. The Toll House Cookie was then Invented and became a big hit. Ruth Wakefield was credited with inventing the chocolate chip cookie, an American Classic. Cookies are made with sweet dough or batter, baked in single-sized servings and eaten out-of-hand. Perfect for snacking or as dessert, cookles are consumed In 95. ercent ot u. s. households. Americans alone consume over 2 billion cookies a year or 300 cookies for each person annually. cookies are most often classified by method of preparation – drop, molded, pressed, refrigerated, bar and rolled. Their dominant ingredient, such as nut cookies, fruit cookies or chocolate cookies, can also classify them. Whether gourmet, soft or bite-sized cookies, new categories are always cropping up as the Ameri can appetite for cookies contlnues to grow. A drop cookle Is made by dropplng spoontuls ot dough onto a baking sheet. Bar cookies are created when a batter or soft dough Is spooned Into a shallow pan, then baked, cooled and cut into bars. Hand-formed cookies are made by shaping dough by hand into small balls, logs, crescents and other shapes. Pressed cookies are formed by pressing dough through a cookie press to form fancy shapes and designs. Refrigerator cookies are made by shaping the dough into a log, which is retrigerated until firm, then sliced and baked. Rolled cookies begin by using a rolling pln to roll the dough out flat; then It Is cut Into decorative shapes with cookie cutters r d pointed knife. Other cookies, such as the German springerle, are formed by Imprinting designs on the dough, either by rolling a special decoratively carved rolling pin over it or by pressing the dough into a carved cookie mold. The Southern colonial housewife took great pride in her cookies, almost always called simply â€Å"tea cakes. † These were otten flavored with nothing more than the finest butter, sometimes with the addltlon of a few drops of rose water. In earlier American cookbooks, cookies were given no space of their own but were listed at the end of the cake chapter. How to cite History of Cookies, Papers

Sales Marketing Plan free essay sample

Marketing is one of the most important aspects of a business. According to Peter Drucker â€Å"There will always, one can assume, be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customers so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. All that should be needed then is to make the product or service available. † (Peter Drucker, Marketing Management, Philip Kotler). In this report, we have planned to market the service ‘Hair care’ by opening an Hair Salon in Silver spring, USA. We have analyzed different marketing strategies and designed a marketing plan for the same. SLP 01 1. NAME, LOCATION amp; NATURE NAME: â€Å"Looks† Location: Silver spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA Nature: ‘LOOKS’ will be one stop solution that will allow the entire family to have their hair needs satisfied in one convenient location. We will write a custom essay sample on Sales Marketing Plan or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It will serve men, women, and children and it will accept appointments as well as walk-ins. ‘LOOKS’ will also sell premium hair care products. It will focus on serving the entire family in one quick, convenient visit. It will excel due to its attention on their clients, so as to build a long term relationship. Through unheralded customer attention, ‘LOOKS’ will slowly but surely gain market share as it services the entire family, creating long-term relationships. Being on one of the best location of Silver Spring, it will attract a lot of traffic. 2. SELF-ANALYSIS The US salon market accounts for approximately 60 billion dollars. Looking stylish, trendy and beautiful is one of the major concerns of the people in US today and providing this, forms the strength of â€Å"Looks†. As the mission of â€Å"Looks† aligns with this need of the market and as it has comparatively higher competency in the world of fashion it is a strong player. 3. CUSTOMER ANALYSIS The population of Silver Spring is 78,488, with a growth of 2. 5%. The population of Silver Spring consists of 48% males and 52% females. The immediate geographic target of LOOKS is Silver Spring and its neighboring communities of total 250,000 of population. Approximately 12 miles geographic radius is in need of the offered services. The total targeted population 100,000. Baby boomers, Gen-Xers and baby boomlet and the young generation are the groups that are targeted by ‘LOOKS’. 4. ANALYSIS OF  PRIMARY COMPETITORS The location chosen offers very less competition or no competition. Though there are two major competitors which LOOKS has to compete with. Ebony Barbers Unisex amp; Fenton Barber Shop are the two major competitors of LOOKS. As Silver Spring is one of the biggest hub for business it may likely to be hurt by emerging competition. LOOKS will have to face Monopolistic competition, as its competitor is able to differentiate their offerings. 5. MARKET RESEARCH The demographic segregation of Silver Spring is displayed in the graph displayed below: Age Group| %| Under 18 yrs| 23%| 18 – 24 yrs| 9. 3%| 25 – 44 yrs| 37%| 45 – 64 yrs| 21. 2%| Above 65 yrs| 9. 6%| Silver Spring is a ‘Salad Bowl’ society with ethnic group maintaining their ethnic differences, neighborhoods and culture. The Silver Spring population comprises of different racial people which are 46. 61%  white, 28. 07%  African American, 0. 44% Native American, 8.22% Asian, 0. 06% Pacific Islander, 11. 55% from  other races and 5. 04% from two or more races 22. 22% people of the total population are of Hispanic or Latino race. ‘Looks’ will concentrate on the needs and wants of all races as each group has a specific want that need to be satisfied. The Household pattern in Silver Spring is ‘diverse’ as maximum people in Silver Spring are adult live together, single parent family and single live out. 6. MARKETING ENVIRONMENT a. Political and legal factors This environment comprises of laws, government agencies and pressure groups. Business Legislation protects companies from unfair competition, customers from unfair business practices, and interest of the society. Consumer Protection is one of the most important aspect that had to be followed by the business legislation in Silver Spring, maintaining the product quality and disclosing the facts about the product is very important. Anti-competitive agreements among competitors are restrained in Silver Spring. Agreements such as price fixing and customer and market allocation agreements are prohibited in Silver Spring. Economic factors Economic environment helps in determining the strength and size of the market. LOOKS need to analyze the economic environment as the available purchasing power in an economy depends on current income, prices, savings, debt and credit availability in the economy. So its important to analyze the major trends in income and consumer spending patterns. Income Distribution The total number of household in Silver Spring is 30,374. Average household income of the area is $51,653 and the average income of the family is $60,631. The per capita income of Silver Spring is $26,357. 9. 3%(7300 people) of the population are below poverty line. The cost of living in Silver Spring is 40. 12% higher than the US average and the unemployment rate is 5. 10%. The recent job growth trend is negative. c. Social factors Silver Spring people are looking for services and products that provide them ‘Self realization’. Customers have become more value driven in choosing their products or services. Silver Spring organizes several ethnic festivals, musical and entertainment events. One of the most famous film festival i.e. Silver docs Documentary film festival is held every year in the month of June. Silver Spring also organizes Silver Spring Jazz festival which is one of the biggest musical festival which attracts more than 20,000 people. This festival is held on the second Saturday in the month of September. It also hosts American Film Institute Silver Theatre and culture, which showcases American as well as different foreign movies. Silver Spring is one of the major area of Montgomery County, the revitalization of Silver Spring has beckoned diversity of people wide variety of ideas. Thus, Silver Spring had a wide variety of culture. SLP02 7. COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE ANALYSIS SWOT Analysis : Strengths : * Location, centrally located * Well-trained employees with excellent styling, hair care skills * Customer focused business practice * Wide range of services * Low cost * A powerful strategy supported by competitively valuable skills and experience in key areas * A strong financial condition; ample financial resources to grow the business * Product innovation skills * Wide geographic coverage Weakness : LOOKS will cater to a diverse variety of people of different culture and races i. e. whites, African American, Native Americans, Asians and people of other communities and culture. The Social class which LOOKS will target will be Middle class, upper middle class, Lower upper and upper uppers. Psychographic Segmentation: ‘Lifestyle’ and ‘Style statement’ are one of the priorities of people of Silver Spring. LOOKS will target the audience who are straights, swingers and long hairs having different personality traits. LOOKS will personify the personality of its target audience, by giving a style to their living. 9. SERVICE DESCRIPTION Silver Spring organises lots of cultural festivals, film festivals, and musical events. So LOOKS will cater the need of style needed by the target audience during these occasions. LOOKS will provide a quality service so as to keep the customers satisfied. With the trained and specialized staff it will also be able to speedy service to the client. As people look for quality, convenience and speed. LOOKS will focus in making hard core loyals, through its customer service, quality and style. 10. BUSINESS MISSION LOOKS is committed to provide the best services to its customers, it will provide its customers best professional services in the field of Hair care and styling. With the changing environment, the company will acquire new trends and will upgrade its services to provide best services to its customers. 11. GENERAL OBJECTIVES or GOALS Financial: 1. To reach the breakeven point within two years of the business operations 2. Growth of 10% profits from the base year. Nonfinancial: 1. Expand the operations of business by including new hair care programs within five years. 2. To become one of the best hair care salon in Silver Spring 3. Attracting the customers from the areas near silver Spring 4. Providing best services all round the year. 5. Provide professional services in affordable price. SLP03 12. DISTRIBUTION, LOCATION amp; TIMING The primary base of any beauty hair salon is to provide basic hair cut and other hair styling. LOOKS will be one stop solution for all the hair care needs. LOOKS provides hair styling for the entire family. The services of LOOKS will include Haircuts, Formal Styling of hairs, Casual hair styles, coloring, highlighting, perms, deep conditioning treatment, hair care treatment, hair spas, relaxers, massage, hair extension. Service is offered on a walk in basis or by appointment. LOOKS will emphasize a customer-centric service where the customers needs are always the priority. Highlighting is one of the essential services that is demanded by the customers in silver Spring. Coifed hair is one of the famous dress code that is followed by many women at their workplace. Customers not only just look for getting their hairs highlighted, but also prefer the services as cut with waving and smoothing. The main focus of customers in today’s time is quality of service that is provided at the hair salon, they aspire quality services as work place appearance code is one the important aspects of people in Silver Spring. Colouring and highlighting of hairs helps is transforming or changing the look and appearance of the person. Hair straightening and smoothening is also one of the major services that is demanded by the customers. LOOKS will also follow the new trends of hair styling just as blowout styling. LOOKS will also provide therapies and spa treatment which will help in recovering the damage hairs, hair loss and thinning hair treatments. 13. VARIATIONS IN TARGET MARKET LOOKS will tailor its services so that it caters the needs and wants of local customer group as well as immediate neighbours of Silver Spring. People in Silver Spring are of different races and culture so the customers will have diffused preferences, the consumer preferences will be diverse. LOOKS will operate in Silver Spring and its surroundings and will cater all the local variations. It is a suburban area. With the connectivity with two major cities, Washington D. C and Biltmore, it will also target the people residing near Silver Spring. SLP04 14. INFORMATION NEEDS Information on segmentation and competition are essential. Marketing Segmentation is an effort which helps in increasing company’s precision marketing. LOOKS will practice Segment Marketing as it will help in creating large potential market, as LOOKS will provide its services at low cost, it will be able to attract customers and the low costing can help gaining higher margins in future as LOOKS will cater a large market. The main aim of LOOKS will be to create and retain customers, keeping in mind the tastes and preferences of the customers. LOOKS can also create a few fine toned services and can price them accordingly for a high class segment. 15. PERSONAL SELLING LOOKS will adopt Full Market coverage strategy, it will serve all customer groups with all the products they might need. The services and marketing will be designed in such a way that it will appeal the broadest number of buyers. It will aim to endow its services with a superior image in people’s mind. It will try and win price sensitive market by keeping low cost to the services provided. 16. TRAINING * Gap between management perception and service quality specification: This gap occurs when management correctly perceives the requirement of the client but it is not able to provide that service because of the specified performance chart. There are several guideline that a company has to follow. LOOKS will use the products of latest technology so as to serve its clients with the services and style needed. Gap between service quality specification and service delivery: This gap occurs when the personnel is not trained properly and is incapable to meet the standards. LOOKS will focus on training its stylists from few of the top styling professionals, so that LOOKS is able to deliver the specified service required by the client. * Gap between perceived service and expected service: This gap occurs when the customers misperceives the services that is to be provided by the company. LOOKS will minimize the gap between the perceived service and the expected service. It will cater to the expected needs of the clients of LOOKS. LOOKS will give importance to reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy so as provide the determined service quality. 17. INCENTIVES * Gap between customer expectation and management perception: This gap occurs when the management is not able to perceive correctly the requirement and wants of the customer. LOOKS will consult the clients to know their expected needs and wants. The stylists will be trained in the way, that they work in accordance with the expectation of the clients so as to reduce the gap between customer satisfaction and management perception. Gap between service delivery and external communications: This gap occurs when customer satisfaction are affected by statements made by company personnel. LOOKS will focus on meeting the requirement of the clients, the clients who are decisive about the style or the service needed by them will be consulted by our consulting professional who will specially focus on understanding the requirement of the client. 18. EVALUATION OF SELLING PERFORMANCE LOOKS is a customer centred organization. LOOKS has to differentiate its services from its competitors to emerge as the best Beauty Hair Salon in Silver Spring. LOOKS will provide high Performance Quality to its customers. It will provide its customers the style and services as per their specifications. LOOKS will focus on customer satisfaction; the services that will be provided by LOOKS will enable the customer to feel good. LOOKS will provide the adequate and demanded quality to its customers by consulting the customers, the stylist will provide the services as needed by the customer. LOOKS will earn a strong competitive advantage through Personnel Differentiation. LOOKS will train the employees by the best stylists to cater to its customers. The physical space of LOOKS will be another powerful image generator. 19. COMMUNICATION OBJECTIVES LOOKS will help women in balancing their lifestyle, taking care of their hairs. It will be a treat for women who have time. It will be one of the places where men and women can get pampered by the hair treatment, spas and other hair styling and hair care services. LOOKS position itself as â€Å"one-size-that -fits-all†, and â€Å"A mirror to your Image† 20. COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY The main objective of LOOKS is to build trust in women, once LOOKS is able to gain the trust then they tend to be loyal. Objectives of LOOKS: * Visual excitement environment * Fashion authority * Above average quality and value for money * Customer dedication * Providing unrevealed value to our customers in the quality of services provided by LOOKS * A commitment to putting customer first at all times. LOOKS will focus on building awareness, attracting traffic or eyeballs, turning first-time buyers into loyal repeat customers as it is the Holy Grail of marketing strategies. It will provide new innovative colors as well as style to their clients. As the customers in this industry have diffused preferences, the preferences of the clients will be considered and worked accordingly. The salon will focus on satisfying both Employees as well as customers because if the employees are happy they will keep the customers happy. A Fun to work environment will be adopted to add a spark in the working environment. 21. MEDIA LOOKS will follow the cheapest mode of advertising . i. e word of mouth as it will focus on customer satisfaction. Other modes of promotion will also be followed like advertising through banners and hoardings. LOOKS will position itself as ‘Mirror to your image’. * Newspaper : One page advertisement will be displayed in the leading news papers of Silver spring as Silver spring Gazette, and Mondotimes. It will help in targeting a greater audience as it covers large geographic area. * Front store Display: As these displays are visible by the pass by, it will help in attracting customers. * Banners: these displays will also help it attracting huge customer base. * Radio :Radio is also one of the most effective mode of promotion, In Silver spring there are huge number of radio stations that operate. It will also help in attracting huge customers as radio also targets huge geographical area. AM station like WACA, (1540 AM), W7OP (1500 AM), FM stations like WWDC (101. 1 FM), WCSP (90. 1 FM) * Pamphlets: To increase more awareness, printed pamphlets can be distributed near schools, shopping places, amusement parks. * Specialty advertising: In this LOOKS will advertise by few useful, low cost items bearing the company’s name and address, on few of the items advertising message will also be displayed. This will include ball pens, calendars, memo pads. Maintaining ongoing contact is essential for building relationships. It is the extension of engaging and focuses on keeping a customer. The objective is to increase the customer base, and retaining customers and engaging them on an ongoing basis results in increased product service opportunities and provides the opportunity to learn more about the customer, and forge closer relationships. 23. SALES PROMOTIONS LOOKS has to build effective communication strategy so as to capture maximum market. LOOKS has to work to develop an insight in people. LOOKS will be positioned in the mind of people as â€Å"one stop solution for hair care and styling†, one-size-that -fits-all†, and â€Å"A mirror to your Image†. LOOKS has to follow â€Å"learn-feel-do† model for determining its communication objective as the target audience has high involvement with a service provided to have differentiation. 24. ADVERTISING AND PROMOTIONS EFFECTIVENESS Competition and Buying patterns of people of Silver Spring LOOKS competitors include: 1. Traditional Barbers: 2. Franchised Quick Salons 3. Independent Salons Ebony Barbers Unisex amp; Fenton Barber Shop are the main competitors of LOOKS. The buying patterns of men and women are quite different. Men are more sensitive towards pricing and convenience. Women are concerned and conscious with their styles and trends that are being followed. Monitoring needs to be carried out effectively, and that the feedback gained is useful and appropriate, it is also imperative that feedback is considered in any future decision-making SLP05 25. OVERALL COSTS The average price that we will charge for the styling of hairs will be approximately $100. The fixed cost will be approximately $100,000 per year including the equipments and the variable cost will be approximately $25 which will mainly include the electricity expenses, employee cost and other miscellaneous cost. Calculating the break even point: BEP = [FC ? (P – UVC)] BEPQuantity = [$100,000 ? ($100 – $25)] = 1333 customers BEPRevenue = 1333 customers ? $100 = $133300 The above figures are tentative and subject to change with the market conditions and demand. LOOKS will follow super value strategy, it will provide high quality of service in low price, so as to attract maximum customers. LOOKS initial focus is to attract maximum customers. It will follow Market penetration pricing, this will allow LOOKS to win the largest market share. New and quality product range of the hair care products will also be kept at the salon as many people prefer these for home use as well and it will turn out to be one of the channels for sale for high premium brand products. 27. TEMPORARY PRICE PROMOTIONS A new style of services will be provide to the client, all their requirements will be considered so as to provide them with the best result, the salon will give a total new look to the client keeping in mind the texture and the nature of his hair using best products and giving best services. The salon will follow distinctive strategy for positioning. The price will be on a lower end, as main motive of LOOKS is to give customers the value for the product and their satisfaction, as Customer value and customer satisfaction are very important for any company or a brand to sustain in the market and capture the market share. LOOKS will be focusing on price-quality effect . i. e. providing high degree of quality product. 28. PROFITS LOOKS will also keep premium  hair care products  for sale as they are one of the important revenue generator, they help in providing 5% to 40% of revenue. These professional quality supplies will include shampoos, conditioners, hair colors, reconstructions, brushes, combs, and other styling aids. 29. LEARNING Attract The critical first step of the customer experience is to attract customers to LOOKS. After attracting, it then need to engage customers to obtain their interest and participation. Engage The key factors at this stage are Convenience combined with interesting and innovative services. Learn Building up a knowledge database on each customer – is an important aspect that needs to be done at LOOKS as it can create value for the customer and help build the brand-customer relationship. Relate By leveraging the multidimensional data gathered from ongoing interactions with individual customers, LOOKS can create value by providing a personalized experience. Customization and good Customer Care help to erect switching barriers and encourages customers to return and repeat the cycle. LOOKS has to focus on generating high customer loyalty by delivering high customer value by designing superior value proposition backed by superior value delivery system. LOOKS success depends on the way it creates and deliver the value which is superior than its competitors, which is develops following capabilities : * Understanding customer value * Creating customer value * Delivering customer value * Capturing customer value * Sustaining customer value LOOKS will focus in making their customers their ‘True Friends’ i. e. it will bbuilding relationships with the right customers Conclusion: The marketing strategy will seek to first create customer awareness regarding the services offered, then develop the customer base, and finally work toward building customer loyalty and referrals. The message that LOOKS will seek to communicate is that the entire family can be served quickly, professionally, with superior customer service at reasonable rates. The message will be communicated through various methods. The first is in-store and storefront displays. This will be a convenient method to attract people that walk past LOOKSs store front. The other method of communication is advertisements in two local newspapers.

Cultural Variables Influencing Behavior Essay Example

Cultural Variables Influencing Behavior Essay Example Cultural Variables Influencing Behavior Essay Cultural Variables Influencing Behavior Essay CULTURAL VARIABLES INFLUENCING BEHAVIOR Many variables influence the behavior of individuals within a culture (Sanchez-Boyce, 1993). The manner in which services are provided may be influenced by general cultural practices in combination with variables unique to the individual (Anderson, 1994; Payne, 1995), Thus, professionals must understand not only general characteristics of various cultural groups, but also the variables that interact to make each student and family unique within that cultural group. The following variables are important to consider: Educational level Languages spoken Length of residence in an area Country of birth (immigrant vs. native born) Urban vs. rural background Individual choice within the intrapersonal realm (e. g. , idiosyncratic behavior) Socioeconomic status/upward class mobility Age and gender Religious beliefs and their impact on daily life activities Neighborhood of residence and peer group Degree of acculturation into mainstream American life Generational membership (first, second, third generation) If the family immigrated to the United States, reasons for this immigration should be considered. It is also important to find out about generational patterns of immigration. To what extent are other relatives living in close proximity? To what extent are members of a cultural group marrying those from different ethnic backgrounds? Anderson and Fenichel (1989, p. 89) stated that cultural sensitivity implies â€Å"knowledge that cultural differences as well as similarities exist† and that this awareness helps the professional determine an appropriate course of action. CONCLUSION When members of a cultural group hold stereotypes about members of other cultural groups, the potential for misunderstanding is great. Professionals must be culturally sensitive and realize that great variation exists within the general cultural framework of each group. Source: Rosberry-McKibbin, Celeste, Multicultural Students With Special Language Needs, Practical Strategies for Assessment and Intervention, 1995

An Introduction to Queuing Theory

An Introduction to Queuing Theory Queuing theory is the mathematical study of queuing, or waiting in lines. Queues contain customers (or â€Å"items†) such as people, objects, or information. Queues  form when there are limited resources for providing a service. For example, if there are 5 cash registers in a grocery store, queues will form if more than 5 customers wish to pay for their items at the same time. A basic queuing system consists of an arrival process (how customers arrive at the queue, how many customers are present in total), the queue itself, the service process for attending to those customers, and departures from the system. Mathematical queuing models are often used in software and business to determine the best way of using limited resources. Queueing models can answer questions such as: What is the probability that a customer will wait 10 minutes in line? What is the average waiting time per customer?   The following situations are examples of how queueing theory can be applied: Waiting in line at a bank or a storeWaiting for a customer service representative to answer a call after the call has been placed on holdWaiting for a train to comeWaiting for a computer to perform a task or respondWaiting for an automated car wash to clean a line of cars Characterizing a Queuing System Queuing models  analyze how customers (including people, objects, and information) receive a service. A queuing system contains: Arrival process. The arrival process is simply how customers arrive. They may come into a queue alone or in groups, and they may arrive at certain intervals or randomly.Behavior. How  do customers behave when they are in line? Some might be willing to wait for their place in the queue; others may become impatient and leave. Yet others might decide to rejoin the queue later, such as when they are put on hold with customer service and decide to call back in hopes of receiving faster service.  How customers are serviced. This includes the length of time a customer is serviced, the number of servers available to help the customers, whether customers are served one by one or in batches, and the order in which customers are serviced, also called service discipline.Service discipline refers to the rule by which the next customer is selected. Although many retail scenarios  employ the â€Å"first come, first served† rule, other situations may call for other types of service. For example, customers may be served in order of priority, or based on the number of items they need serviced (such as in an express lane in a grocery store). Sometimes, the  last customer to arrive will be served first (such s in the case in a stack of dirty dishes, where the one on top will be the first to be washed). Waiting room. The number of customers allowed to wait in the queue may be limited based on the space available. Mathematics of Queuing Theory Kendall’s notation is a shorthand notation that specifies the parameters of a basic queuing model. Kendall’s notation is written in the form A/S/c/B/N/D, where each of the letters stand for different parameters. The A term describes when customers arrive at the queue – in particular, the time between arrivals, or interarrival times. Mathematically, this parameter specifies the probability distribution that the interarrival times follow. One common probability distribution used for the A term is the Poisson distribution.The S term describes how long it takes for a customer to be serviced after it leaves the queue. Mathematically, this parameter specifies the probability distribution that these service times follow. The Poisson distribution is also commonly used for the S term.The c term specifies the number of servers in the queuing system. The model assumes that all servers in the system are identical, so they can all be described by the S term above.The B term specifies the total number of items that can be in the system, and includes items that are still in the queue and those that are being serviced. Though many systems in the real world have a limited capacity, the model is easier to analyze if this capacity is considered infinite. Consequently, if the capacity of a system is large enough, the system is commonly assumed to be infinite. The N term specifies the total number of potential customers – i.e., the number of customers that could ever enter the queueing system – which may be considered finite or infinite.The D term specifies the service discipline of the queuing system, such as first-come-first-served or last-in-first-out. Little’s law, which was first proven by mathematician John Little, states that the average number of items in a queue can be calculated by multiplying the average rate at which the items arrive in the system by the average amount of time they spend in it. In mathematical notation, the Littles law is: L ÃŽ »WL is the average number of items, ÃŽ » is the average arrival rate of the items in the queuing system, and W is the average amount of time the items spend in the queuing system.Little’s law assumes that the system is in a â€Å"steady state† – the mathematical variables characterizing the system do not change over time. Although Little’s law only needs three inputs, it is quite general and can be applied to many queuing systems, regardless of the types of items in the queue or the way items are processed in the queue. Little’s law can be useful in analyzing how a queue has performed over some time, or to quickly gauge how a queue is currently performing. For example: a shoebox company wants to figure out the average number of shoeboxes that are stored in a warehouse. The company knows that the average arrival rate of the boxes into the warehouse is 1,000 shoeboxes/year, and that the average time they spend in the warehouse is about 3 months, or  ¼ of a year. Thus, the average number of shoeboxes in the warehouse is given by (1000 shoeboxes/year) x ( ¼ year), or 250 shoeboxes. Key Takeaways Queuing theory is the mathematical study of queuing, or waiting in lines.Queues contain â€Å"customers† such as people, objects, or information. Queues form when there are limited resources for providing a service.Queuing theory can be applied to situations ranging from  waiting in line at the grocery store to waiting for a computer to perform a task. It is often used in software and business applications to determine the best way of using limited resources.Kendall’s notation can be used to specify the parameters of a queuing system.Little’s law is a simple but general expression that can provide a quick estimate of the average number of items in a queue. Sources Beasley, J. E. â€Å"Queuing theory.†Boxma, O. J. â€Å"Stochastic performance modelling.† 2008.Lilja, D. Measuring Computer Performance: A Practitioner’s Guide, 2005.Little, J., and Graves, S. â€Å"Chapter 5: Little’s law.† In Building Intuition: Insights from Basic Operations Management Models and Principles. Springer ScienceBusiness Media, 2008.Mulholland, B. â€Å"Little’s law: How to analyze your processes (with stealth bombers).† Process.st, 2017.