Comparison Between Behaviorism and Cognitive Theories in...

Name: Và µ Thá »â€¹ Minh PhÆ °Ã† ¡ng Class: DIP12A Due date: January 6th 2013 COMPARISON BETWEEN BEHAVIORISM AND COGNITIVE THEORIES IN TESOL After decades of development of learning theories, many approaches have been inspired and researched basing on the two most popular theories, behaviorism and cognitive theories. Because of their diverse significant devotion at a certain period in pedagogical history, these theories have been brought on debate over and over, to answer the fundamental question of what is learned (Navarick, 2002). â€Å"The primary difference between these two theories is the emphasis on overt behavior in behavioral theory and in cognitive theory, the focus is on cognition or individual thought processes† (Corey, 2009, as cited in Stone,†¦show more content†¦2). Unlike behaviorism, cognitive theories define motivation mostly as intrinsic factors so that learners have to motivate themselves and encounter limitations when adapting new knowledge. Wh en learning takes place, students link the new information to the old one, deciding to modify or abandon the existing knowledge to learn new things. For that reason, extrinsic reinforcements such as rewards and punishments are less appreciated (University of California, n.d., para. 4). The Graduate Student Instructors Center of University of California goes on to say that learning is a process of active knowledge input and the role of instructor is significantly emphasized. It means teachers are required to create suitable environments where only proper behaviors are encouraged. As a result, learners are able to assimilate previous knowledge and accommodate the new one (Peters, n.d., para. 1). For those reasons, what makes cognitive theories different from behaviorism is that cognitive theories put learner as center and forces them to be more active in learning process. Although being developed with opposite features, behaviorism as well as cognitive theories shares some similaritie s which support each other in some ways, like what Atkisson stated, â€Å"though the two movements are different, cognitive doesShow MoreRelatedError Analysis Efl2447 Words   |  10 PagesNormal University, Dalian Liaoning 116029, China) Abstract: This paper makes a study of error analysis and its implementation in the EFL (English as Foreign Language) classroom teaching. It starts by giving a systematic review of the concepts and theories concerning EA (Error Analysis), the various reasons causing errors are comprehensively explored. The author proposes that teachers should employ different and flexible error treatment strategies in accordance with the teaching objectives, students’

Trial Business Plan - 4029 Words

PathWay Business PlanKeval Shah | | * Executive Summary Business Overview PathWay is an innovative new start-up that has been formed with the intention of pioneering a new direction of pathology reporting which is faster and more accessible to healthcare professionals. The company has a great potential for growth and opportunity in the current evolving healthcare setting where digitalisation has become a key priority in the quest to improving healthcare outcomes for patients. Market Overview The importance of technology and information technology (IT) systems in meeting the challenges placed on the health care system is becoming increasingly apparent. The NHS is currently driving a technological revolution with the vision†¦show more content†¦He is currently studying the MSc. Technology Entrepreneurship course at UCL, has had large amounts of experiences in hospitals as a patient and as a visitor and has a keen interest and knowledge regarding the current processes entailed in the NHS. Keval is looking for a technical co-founder as well as a medical co-founder. The technical co-founder will have expertise in both the back-end and front-end of the solution. The technical co-founder should have a vast knowledge of Application Programming Interfaces and database engineering. He will be able to apply insights we gather to makes sure the user experience of the solution is the heart of the problem The medical co-founder will ensure that solution is targeted and addressed appropriately within the healthcare setting and at the same time will provide relevant connections to the NHS Trust board members of the respective hospitals we intend to target. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Business Overview 2 Market Overview 2 Product Overview 2 Competitor Analysis 2 Business Model 3 Team 3 2. Business Description 6 1.1 What is the PathWay concept? 6 1.2 What makes PathWay unique? 6 1.3 PathWay’s approach to Market 6 2 Problem Solution Fit 7 2.1 The Problem 7 2.2 The Solution 7 3 Market 9 3.1 Market analysis 9 3.2 Customer Research 9 3.3 Competitors 10 3.4 Competitive Advantage 12 3.5 Marketing and Advertisement 13 4 Strategy 14 4.1 Business Goals 14Show MoreRelatedStrategic Report On Strategic Information System Planning Essay1333 Words   |  6 Pagesalliance s Information System masterminding ought to be changed by general business thinking, and occasionally may even change into a making wellspring of high ground. While anybody can t avoid denying this, operations alliance examiners are for the most part beginning to concentrate how this system happens and what the quantifiable inspirations driving interest are. 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Absolutism in Europe free essay sample

Many countries in Europe experienced hardships in the year 1500s due to a lot of ideologies that led to reforms and freedom of the populace form peasantry. Such reformation also embodied the equality among common masses and the continuous spreading of protection of rights for every people in a particular country. As this philosophy continued to flourish in Europe, more conflict began to arise by the common people to be able to claim and fight for that rights they want. In addition to that, countries like France, England, and Germany also suffered from struggles due to the political breakdown in their lands. Because of that, many sought ways on how to improve the situation in their country and all of these efforts led to the decision of having a single ruler to govern over the land. This also meant the denial of such rights claimed by the common people like freedom from forced labor and land ownerships. We will write a custom essay sample on Absolutism in Europe or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Absolutism is defined as a type of government where the full power resides solely in the monarchial rule or the corresponding King of a country. This principle is based on the heavenly right of a ruler to govern a country and that this person should not be queried or challenged. According to this belief, the kingship was given to a person by God, therefore, no one should go against the will of God. With respect to the natural law, the end study still resulted to absolutism. Moreover, while absolutism provides great power on the monarch leader, they still have to maintain good relationship with the aristocrats and other nobles in the country. Members of the aristocracy played a major role in maintaining the rule of king in its good condition. These people supported the ruler by leading the armies of the land against rebels and insurgencies. On the contrary, these nobles can also dispute the authority of the single ruler, making its government shaky.   France is a good example of an absolute type of government. Under this government, the political power of France was centered on the kingship and all control over military, taxation and other state affairs is in the hand of the king. However, such control is still fragile because the king should maintain good standing with the other nobles and aristocrats and should maintain a standing army to preserve his rule. With France, King Henry IV laid policies that further strengthened the monarchial rule over the French territory which in turn, provided benefits on the public. In addition to that, King Henry also acquired the services of religious ministers to establish an improved management and as a result, many structures were built that further improved the lives of the people. Conversely, rebellions emerged when higher taxation was imposed by the French ministers, and this made the government weaker and its influence limited. The uprising was led by other aristocrats that defied the orders of the king to collect dues that were beyond the normal taxation. As a result, compromises were made between the two parties to restore peace in France.   In countries like Austria and Prussia, absolutism is said to be very effective and was less challenged by wars or rebellions by its citizens and nobles. When the Ottoman Empire attempted to conquer nations like Austria, the nobles joined together that eventually led to the defeat of the Turkish armies.   As a result, the authoritarian rule of the present leader on that country was further supported by the people of Austria. The same happened in Prussia when wars continued to plagued the nation and the leader of this country emerged to have saved the country over the possible hardships that â€Å"war defeat† might bring to them. The war also weakened     the power of the nobles who antagonize the Prussian government at that time. In Russia, absolutism was developed and can be traced back when Russia then was conquered by the Mongolian army. The Mongol leader made the people of Russia suffer and even imposed huge taxes against the people. The Mongol leader also appointed Russian nobles to do the tax collection job over the Russian cities which eventually turned against them. When the Russian nobles already gained much resources and support from the populace, they started to revolt against the Mongol rule over their country.   When they finally beat their enemies, the ruler of Russia justified the need of absolutism in their country to further strengthen the defense of Russia over its enemies. The tsar also improved the structures of the Russian country like the St.Petersburgh construction. The distinctiveness of absolutism that was in eastern part of Europe by the year 1600s was significantly unusual from that of nations like Spain and France in the western side of the continent. Eastern Europe was able to recover from the stage of scarcity and malady in the 1300s in a diverse way. On the other hand, when population levels in the countries in the western part of Europe were small and there was a lack of manual labor in the medieval era, the peasants were able to attain greater liberty from the said limits occurred in the feudalism epoch. Conversely, in Eastern Europe the landlords and the aristocrats were still clever to constrict the peasants on their lives and as a result, weaken their struggle for freedom. A valid hypothesis for that scenario is that this might happened because those rulers in places in the western part of Europe were much more prominent than in the Eastern towns for the reason that of extensive commercial revolution that happened in the West. These towns gave a substitute and usually a sanctuary for the masses that were not in their original land. Additionally, monarchies in the western part of the continent frequently seen by the populace to protect them from their enemies who would want to plunder their land. The policies made by these rulers were also for the ordinary public to be protected from mistreatment of those who are in the noble families. There are three known countries with powerful kingdoms and these are Prussia, Austria and Russia. All of these nations proved to their citizens the worth of having a single ruler to oversee the whole kingdom and toe welfare of the entire public. They also provided protections for the people who were vulnerable from their enemies like barbarians and other nomadic groups. On the other hand, landlords in the eastern part applied pressures to the peasants to produce goods for other nations rather than for their own spending. As such, the populace was not satisfied with the rule of their landlords in the east, thus, adding mistrust on the kingship of the rulers in the Eastern Europe. In addition to that, there was limited growth in the population in the Eastern Europe and as a result, nobles easily dominated these lands. The rulers perpetually received support from the aristocrats and letting them a liberated life in controlling their own populace. References Absolute Monarchy and Enlightened Absolutism. Retrieved on Feb 25, 2009. Retrieved fromwww.wsu.edu Absolutism. Retrieved on Feb 26, 2009. Retrieved from www.sunysuffolk.edu Reign of Louis XIV. Retrieved on February 26, 2009. Retrieved from www.stetson.edu

Yuban coffee free essay sample

I. Introduction/Executive Summary and Product Description Yuban coffee is a brand of coffee you can find in your local grocery store that you probably did not know existed. It was founded by John Arbuckle, a famous coffee roaster, who has invented the original Yuban coffee in 1986. Yuban coffee only uses the best Arabica beans. In addition, Yuban is certificated by the Rainforest Alliance, which declares that at least 30% of Yuban coffee is organic. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are not used on the organically grown beans and the rainforest alliance also works to sustain agriculture, forestry and tourism in the regions of the forest that the coffee beans are grown. More recently, Yuban coffee has been slowly grown, if grown at all, and has not been reaching its full potential. The main problem of Yuban is the lack of brand awareness and an unsuccessful marketing strategy. When the marketing strategy changes to solve these problems, it will make the Yuban brand more competitive and successful in the coffee market. We will write a custom essay sample on Yuban coffee or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Our marketing plan will be discussed in detail in the pages to come, but our general objective is to build brand awareness by defining and marketing towards a more specific target market. Also, with the implementation in of our recommendations, Yuban coffee will be able to reach this objective. Ultimately our marketing plan will consist of the following: 1. Increase Yuban’s brand image by: a. increasing brand awareness from business-to customers / Business-to-Business markets by penetrating the online and social media sectors b. creation and implementation of the vending machine/coffee brewing machine c. using recent acquisitions to push the Yuban name d. redesigning product packaging to reflect environmentally conscious brand II. Target Customer Analysis People in the United State love coffee, just like how people in China love tea. Research suggests that 50% of the population of United States drinks coffee and those coffee drinkers in the United State drinking more than 3 cups of coffee each day! Aside from the United States there are so many other people in the world who love coffee (E-imports, 2012). This makes coffee become the second valuable trading product after oil. For the people who love coffee, most of them have a favorite brand, even a specific taste. So for Yuban, they have a big market and great opportunity to develop. Yuban coffee is certified by the Rainforest Alliance Certification, which means Yuban coffee is healthier and environment friendly. â€Å"Made from 100% premium Arabica beans, YUBAN mountain-grown coffees offer uncompromising, robust flavor and seductive aroma† (Kraft. com). Also, because of this reason, Yuban coffee is more expensive than some other instant coffee, especially its caffeine-free organic coffee. Therefore, the target customer of Yuban coffee should be those people who are environmentally and health conscious, and willing to pay more money on coffee. In figure 2. 1 of the Appendix, the two charts show the difference purchasing power on different generations. We can see in the first chart that people in age 25-34, 35-44, and 45-54 have the strongest purchasing power. And people now in those ages fall into 3 generations different generations, the Baby boomer (1946-1965), Generation X (1966-1976) and the Millennial Generation (1977-1992). We feel the older generation being the baby boomers may not care too much about being health conscious, but if we had the time and money we would want to research this to find out if they are a part of our target market. The younger generation, being the millennial generation is anyone currently age 21-34. Then you finally have the last generation, which is Generation X, who includes anyone currently 37-47 years old. So, out of these 3 generations it will be in our best interest to go with the millennial generation. They have good economic condition, and they have good education background. It means they can afford higher price of coffee, and the Millennial generation will be the most environmentally conscious, which we will discuss in another part of the paper. III. Competitor Analysis Yuban competes in the premium coffee bean and ground coffee market. While there are numerous coffee brands competing in the North American marketplace, most of these compete on a cost leadership strategy. Only a few competitors such as Green Mountain Coffee, J. M. Smucker’s Folgers are brands which have small premium distributors such as Fair Winds Coffee and Organic Coffee Co. , and all compete in the premium coffee category within the environmentally friendly and fair trade category (Agas, 2006; Statistics, 2013). These brands specifically differentiate on quality rather than cost. Market Share of Main Competitors: The coffee bean and grind industry is highly fractured in terms of market share. While Yuban only has some 1. 93% of the marketplace, companies such as Folgers and Maxwell House have 21. 6% and 14. 62% respectively but with down market products (Statistics, 2013). Thus, it is quite clear that there is extensive room for further growth of the Yuban brand. Market Structure: The coffee industry is an extremely competitive one. However, the market structure of the coffee industry and specifically the coffee bean industry that provides the raw materials for Yuban could be described as an oligopoly. The specific characteristics of this oligopoly are, however, more reminiscent of a cartel because a relatively small number of suppliers control the supply and distribution of coffee beans globally (Igami, 2011). Consequently, Yuban, which is a brand within the Kraft Foods umbrella, has limited choice in selecting its supplies. The coffee bean industry was controlled officially through a cartel structure until 1989 under the International Coffee Agreement or ICA but thereafter market competition with new entrants such as Vietnam eroded the control of this official cartel organization (Igami, 2011). Yet, because coffee bean production is largely limited to certain geographic regions, these countries’ governments express a great deal of control over which entities control production and distribution. Competitive Barriers: There are a number of significant competitive barriers within the coffee bean and coffee grind industry. While virtually any firm can purchase the raw materials or even the finished product in the form of ground coffee, the packaging and distribution of the product is a much more sophisticated endeavor. The most significant competitive barrier is the establishment of a retail distribution channel which requires negotiated shelf space in retail outlets, distribution channels including warehousing and transportation services and product packaging and design facilities (Amato Amato, 2009). All of these factors require both material resources as well as managerial competencies that must be established prior to actually entering into the industry. Sources of Competitive Advantage: Yuban’s coffee retail coffee industry has several sources of competitive advantage. The primary source of competitive advantage for Yuban is its parent corporation’s size, scale and revenues. Kraft as a corporation that earned more than $18. 3 million during 2012 and its coffee products which include Yuban contributed an estimated 8% of these revenues to Kraft’s earnings for that period (Annual, 2012). Consequently, Yuban has access to Kraft’s considerable financial resources as well as its developed competencies in the selling and marketing competencies of major food product brands. IV. External environment analysis Economic environment: The main emerging markets in coffee consumption especially in Asia and South America market under the background of rising, global demand for coffee during fiscal year 2011 to 2012 rose 2%. During the fiscal year 2012 to 2013, global coffee production stabilized at about 146 million bales (60 kg per bag). Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages worldwide and in the United States. There are 183 million coffee drinkers in US and a 7% increase over 2011 in coffee consumption. Technological environment: Modern technology can improve the production process and achieve economies of scale. Ultimately sophisticated technology can help coffee production in many factors, the product brand, and the coffee beans. Ultimetly, the process of producing good quality coffee beans is relatively the same with some secrets of the drying process that differ. In our recommendations, we suggest the introduction of coffee vending machines, which will be an area that Yuban will differentiate itself from the rest of the coffee market. Political and legal environment: Low production of coffee beans, causing unstable climate could lead to a protectionist producers. So higher import prices to offset the damage caused by the low production. Yuban coffee is already rainforest certified, and thus the political environment is in its favor and will only cause it to grow more to become a more active leader in this political and legal area. Cultural and social environment: More than 50% of Americans drink coffee every day. This represents more than 150 million daily drinkers. 30 million U. S. adults have professional coffee drinks daily, which includes drinks such as mocha lattes, coffee, mocha coffees, cappuccino, and etc. 65% of coffee consumption in the breakfast time, between meals, with the remaining 5% and other foods. At the same time, 35% of coffee drinkers prefer black coffee. V. Company Analysis Yuban is an inexpensive brand of South American coffee. Comparing the same kind of coffee, Yuban provides lower price coffee than other brand in the market. Though Yuban coffee offers a lower price, it also emphasizes the quality of the product. Strength: Yuban provides 100% Arabica beans which are the finest coffee beans. To support the high quality coffee beans, the company gets the Arabica beans from some of the best coffee growing regions in the world, and the highest quality coffee beans are sourced from some of the finest beans grown in Central and South America. Thus, Yuban will continue to be made with 100 percent Arabica beans but not 100 percent from Colombia, and some of them from Brazil, Peru and Nicaragua and so on. In addition, to avoid ruining the coffees flavor, Yuban used a sugar and egg glaze on the beans in a roasting process, ensuring to keep the flavor of the beans a rich taste. Currently, Yuban is owned by Kraft Foods which is the worlds biggest buyer of Rainforest Alliance-certified coffee. And Yuban has been granted certification with the Rainforest Alliance in 2006. It means that there are at least 30% of its beans are organic. According to the certification, Yuban not only uses environmentally friendly farming methods, it is also required to provide a fair system to worker and efficient farm management. It is to keep the product quality in a high level while still supporting the team who is responsible for growing and protecting Yuban coffee beans. Weakness: Yuban does not have its own official website. If people want to buy Yuban coffee, they can only purchase it off of websites like Amazon and of course super markets. In a shopping website like Amazon, there are many different kinds of coffee brand, not just Yuban coffee. In fact, if people buy an instant coffee or coffee beans, most of them have a particular brand they buy and will not search another brand’s product. Consumers just focus on what they need and in this situation Yuban is not targeting its target customer because it is sharing the arena with many other coffee options available too. Yuban also does not have a renowned brand of coffee name or customer loyalty. An official website is useful to let customers focus on your brand’s product, and support more detail information about your company. It is an image that you are selling the customers. Thus, this is a weakness for Yuban coffee. Opportunity: People lifestyles are changing because more and more people enjoy drinking coffee, especially when humans reach a certain age in their life that is acceptable to drink coffee. Yuban can use the change of lifestyle trend to promote its coffee. After all, Yuban coffee is historic brand in coffee market, and it will give consumer confidence to taste its coffee. Thus, it is a good chance to increase the market share. Moreover, Yuban is owned by Kraft Foods which is one of the top 500 companies in the world. It can use Kraft Foods’ awareness and resources to attract more customers, because people may know what Kraft Foods is, but they may not know what Yuban is. Thus, Kraft Foods can support the confidence for the consumer, when the consumer consider whether to buy Yuban coffee or no. Yuban coffee also does not own different kind of coffee products. It keeps the style of traditional instant coffee, and launches several different types of coffee to suit customer preferences. So far, there are no other products other than instant coffee or whole coffee beans. Regardless of the season Yuban coffee products do not change where as some other coffee brands may offer different roasts or blends. There is an opportunity here because it can develop some new products which are based on 4 seasons a year. This can help attract more potential customers if we offer something different from time to time but still maintain our original product. Yuban coffee is also not packaged with much innovation to differentiate itself and sell. Yuban can increase market share through diversifying the products and also focusing on the packaging to offer a design that matches the purpose of it. Threat: Yuban coffee is certified through the Rainforest Alliance, but that only guarantees 30 percent of the beans in any package of Yuban coffee are organically grown. It means that there are 70 percent of Yuban coffee product that do not probably come from ecologically-sensitive farms. Customer may focus on the 70 percent of Yuban coffee product and worry about the quality of them. Yuban strives to support lower price and high quality product, but the organically grown coffee beans are more expensive than coffee beans that are not organically grown. If more and more customers pay more attention to this, Yuban coffee will lose some customers. Thus, this is one of the threats for Yuban coffee. What’s more, in the external environment, the economic recession will reduce customers’ demand of coffee, and there are many competitors in the coffee market, such as Folgers, Maxwell House, and Nescafe. However, Yuban coffee does not focus on the promotions or advertisements. It will affect the company’s business. It probably reduces its sales and profits, even market share. Thus, Yuban must confront these problems, and how to solve them. VI. Marketing Information Requirements In our research, we learned that Kraft Foods has a wide portfolio of recognized roast and ground coffee brands that is unique to every type of coffee customer. Their portfolio includes Maxwell House, Gevalia Kaffe, Yuban, and Cafe Collection. Yuban coffee is made from 100% premium Arabica beans, is mountain grown coffee which offers uncompromising, robust flavor and seductive aroma. According to the Kraft food website, Yuban coffee is made to appeal to those consumers who demand environmentally conscious products. Thus, Yuban coffee is perfect choice for customers who want to make a difference in the world. This strategy of marketing Yuban coffee to the environmentally conscious is part of our objective, however, Kraft foods has not differentiated who the environmentally conscious really are. We discussed earlier who our target market included, but let us take a closer look and understand them and their habits better. In a study conducted by Generate Insight (2009) â€Å"69% of millennial’s surveyed expressed genuine interest in the environment, but they also admitted to a lack of personal involvement in green-related activities. In short, this group understands the why but is unsure of the how† (Gaudelli, 1). Thus it will be our job to tap into how they can be a part of the green movement. If we had the time and money, which Kraft does have, we would recommend doing marketing research on the three generations which include gen x, baby boomers and the millenials to understand their buying habits especially when it comes to choosing an environmental conscious product over one that is not. VII. Marketing Mix Product: The package of Yuban coffee suggests that its drinkers can have great tasting cup of java and feel that they are participating in doing something great for coffee farmers as well as the environment. Yuban is grown according to Rain forest Alliance Certified standards and also applies organic coffee beans. Therefore, the product has two benefits, being better for the rain forest and world, and is also organic, which means you can feel really good when you drink Yuban. The package description also comprises information of there being a minimum of 30% Rain Forest Alliance Certified Coffee in each bag which is supposed to help in conservation of the environment as well as support coffee farmers (Cliath, 2007). Yuban coffee has a very distinctive smell than any other coffee. It has a fresh and pleasant smell, loaded with a fresh ground coffee bean fragrance. It is mild and has no bitter after taste (Cliath, 2007). The introduction stage is the first stage in the life cycle where the coffee was introduced to the market. At this stage there were low sales with high retail prices. Then there is the growth stage that is characterized by rapid increase in sales. This happened when the Yuban coffee was just introduced to the market. It is believed by some industries that Yuban coffee is still in the growth stage, signs indicate that it is in the maturity stage. In the maturity stage, there is high brand awareness, high distribution, and lower prices. Yuban coffee is believed to be in this stage (Cliath, 2007) however, we feel differently about this. We feel that Yuban can be reintroduced into the market with our recommendation and back track to the introduction and growth stage once more. The coffee is packaged in what seems to be a 12 ounce bags. Today it is packaged in the traditional preserved coffee containers, or in coffee cases. Coffee cases are individually sealed cups of premeasured grounds, designed for use in one cup coffee makers. They are packaged in reasonable pouches for convenience and freshness and the label also contains a K for Kosher on the outside. There is no indication through whether the bag is made of recyclable material or is (Cliath, 2007). Thus Yuban is not differentiating its packaging in relation to its purpose either. Customer service is required for the coffee brand so as to get the feedback from the customers on what they need improved. The product also does come with a warranty from the company. Customers are assured of the quality in the product. Place: Some products need much less market exposure than others. An ideal market exposure degree makes the coffee available widely enough to reach the target customer’s needs. This however, should not be exceeded. The ideal exposure degree involves intensive distribution, selective distribution, as well as exclusive distribution (Cliath, 2007). Yuban coffee is distributed both at the wholesale and the retail level. It distributed all across nations of the world. One is likely to get Yuban coffee at the supermarkets, retail shops, and coffee shops. It is also distributed directly by the company to the wholesalers. The product is aimed at individuals who feel that they are participating in the preservation of the environment and minimize or stop further destruction to the rain forest (Cliath, 2007). With our recommendation of introducing the Yuban vending machine, placing these machines in call centers across the nation, colleges and universities will be another way to introduce our environmentally conscious product to our target market. Promotion: The promotion objectives are to get customers to remain committed to buying environmentally conscious products and our customers will feel like they are doing their part in sustaining the world and environment through their purchase of Yuban coffee. Promotion Blend: The advertising plan will focus mainly launching a website for Yuban as well as its own Facebook, YouTube and other media site promotions. Though print advertising can be very beneficial we will try not to dive too deep in this area as we are promoting an environmentally conscious product and want to track our carbon footprint. Our copy thrust will be more psychological to ensure that customers are aware that they are doing the right thing by choosing to buy Yuban coffee. Personal selling can be used especially if we show customers who and where the original Yuban coffee beans are grown and cared for. This can be demonstrated through videos on YouTube and also shared on our Facebook page and website, similar to what Kashi does with their cereal products. Yuban can initiate a reward system that if their coffee packaging is recycled to certain grocery stores they can get a discount on the next Yuban coffee product they buy. Again here, customers can feel good about this buying process. Publicity will be used when we introduce Yuban coffee in the coffee shop recommendation through Tom n Toms and Urth Cafe. It will become recognized as the coffee used in these shops and slowly grow to the coffee used in customer homes and so on and so forth. Price: The demand for an entirely organic coffee is price sensitive because the cultivation of organic coffee is difficult. Thus, if we can figure out what the minimum requirements are to be certified as organic in FDA standards and such, then maybe 30% is good enough and we do not have to promote that our product is only 30% organic, and we can call it entirely organic if the requirements are not demanding. The pricing strategy for Yuban would be price slightly higher than competitors such as Folgers but only because of the environmental work that goes into sustaining what Yuban believes in. Also, by pricing our coffee slightly higher we can including something in our promotion that a part of the revenue from sales is pumped back into the environment to fix what matters most in the world environmentally. Yuban can offer discounts if their packaging is recyclable or reusable. We may be able to start an imitation to return Yuban coffee cans or jars to grocery stores to get a discount on their next Yuban purchase. This goes in line with what Yuban is all about and is also a discount to the customer which will get them to continually buy our brand of coffee. VIII. Recommendations and Implementation Brand recognition is very important and closely connected to the implementation of our recommendations. We recommend that Kraft first redesign and assign Yuban its own website so customers are aware of the different product offering and what this brand of coffee is all about. In the Internet age, people have always enjoyed looking on the different websites for the information they can find on each individual product, however, there is no independent or well put together website for Yuban coffee, which will make it difficult for investors to learn more. For example, Folgers which is another brand of coffee that everyone knows quite well due to the Folgers jingle actually has its own website despite the fact that it is a part of the Smuckers Company. Kraft food also has a portfolio of coffee that is targeted to different customers, however, Yuban has not been given that independence or leadership to stand alone or gain reputation. Maxwell House Coffee, the second of the 4 coffee brands/products of Kraft Foods has its own website, Facebook, and YouTube. Though Yuban is a product of Kraft Foods, Yuban has a poorly designed website with little information on it at all. Also, the Yuban page in Kraft Company official site is very simple. Yuban is a coffee made under the Kraft Food line, and it appears they are unwilling to pour in the proper funds needed to fund a separate Yuban Coffee Website. Customers are considered as the backbone of any businesses. Hence, Yuban need to be well aware of their customers’ satisfaction for their products or services, especially in their efforts to track the ‘environmentally conscious’ customer base. Also, Yuban should conclude problems reported by customers and try to fix the problems, which benefit the company’s further development. In addition, another recommendation for Yuban is that the brand can also develop vending machines that will provide hot coffee and specialty drinks with the touch of a button or two. Yuban is well known as a ground coffee product. However, making a coffee run to the nearest Starbucks or local coffee shop is not an option during the day. Hence, our recommendation of vending machines is also a very convenient to those customers. Especially if the machines are placed in locations such as college hallways and buildings where students are only allowed enough time to grab a quick beverage or snack during their short break. Placing the vending machines in call centers where hours of operations usually start early in the morning and are located in large multi-level buildings that grind and brew a cup of fresh coffee is would be a strategy which would allow Kraft foods to tap into the coffee machine business because not only would Kraft supply the coffee, which is Yuban in our case, but it would also sell the machine that brews the coffee to these business, or collect some sort of rent or lease for having it. Our third and final recommendation would be to become the coffee supplier of coffee shops such as Tom n Tom’s and Urth Cafe. Tom n Tom’s has an interesting location base in Los Angeles, Australia, Singapore and Thailand. They do not however carry or brew good quality coffee. Thus, by becoming the sole coffee provider for Tom n Tom’s will be a win-win situation. Urth Cafe is a cafe which offers exclusively organic coffee and tea, Yuban would fall into this category and could provide lower prices than other organically grown coffee. Though Urth Cafe currently only has location here in Los Angeles, it is only an example of the position that Yuban coffee can take in the market. Appendix Figure 2. 1 Figure 8. 1 Research and make improvement Time Event Cost Note One month Redesign a new website $30,000 Two months Shot video on You Tube $50,000 Three months Research and make improvement Included in customer service Long time Customer service department 200,000 per year

Zimmermann Telegram in World War I

Zimmermann Telegram in World War I The Zimmermann Telegram was a diplomatic note sent by the German Foreign Office to Mexico in January 1917 which proposed a military alliance between the two nations should the United States enter World War I (1914-1918) on the side of the Allies. In return for the alliance, Mexico would receive financial assistance from Germany as well as could reclaim territory lost during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) (1846-1848). The Zimmermann Telegram was intercepted and decoded by the British who in turn shared it with the United States. The release of the telegram in March further inflamed the American public and contributed to the American declaration of war the following month. Background In 1917, As World War I ground on, Germany began assessing options for striking a decisive blow. Unable to break the British blockade of the North Sea with its surface fleet, the German leadership elected to return to a policy of unrestricted submarine warfare. This approach, whereby German U-boats would attack merchant shipping without warning, had been briefly used in 1916 but was abandoned after strong protests by the United States. Believing that Britain could be quickly crippled if its supply lines to North America were severed, Germany prepared to re-implement this approach effective February 1, 1917. Concerned that the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare could bring the United States into the war on the side of the Allies, Germany began making contingency plans for this possibility. To this end, German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann was instructed to seek a military alliance with Mexico in the event of war with the United States. In return for attacking the United States, Mexico was promised the return of territory lost during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, as well as substantial financial assistance. German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann. Public Domain Transmission As Germany lacked a direct telegraph line to North America, the Zimmermann Telegram was transmitted over American and British lines. This was permitted as President Woodrow Wilson allowed the Germans to transmit under the cover of U.S. diplomatic traffic in hopes that he could remain in touch with Berlin and broker a lasting peace. Zimmermann sent the original coded message to Ambassador Johann von Bernstorff on January 16, 1917. Receiving the telegram, he forwarded it on to Ambassador Heinrich von Eckardt in Mexico City via commercial telegraph three days later. Mexican Response After reading the message, von Eckardt approached the government of President Venustiano Carranza with the terms. He also asked Carranza to aid in forming an alliance between Germany and Japan. Listening to the German proposal, Carranza instructed his military to determine the feasibility of the offer. In assessing a possible war with the United States, the military determined that it largely lacked the capability to re-take the lost territories and that German financial assistance would be useless as the United States was the only significant arms producer in the Western Hemisphere. President Venustiano Carranza of Mexico. Public Domain Furthermore, additional arms could not be imported as the British controlled the sea lanes from Europe. As Mexico was emerging from a recent civil war, Carranza sought to improve relations with the United States as well as other nations in the region such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. As a result, it was determined to decline the German offer. An official response was issued to Berlin on April 14, 1917, stating that Mexico had no interest in allying with the German cause. British Interception As the ciphertext of the telegram was transmitted through Britain, it was immediately intercepted by British code breakers who were monitoring traffic originating in Germany. Sent to the Admiraltys Room 40, code breakers found that it was encrypted in cipher 0075, which they had partially broken. Decoding parts of the message, they were able to develop an outline of its content. Realizing that they possessed a document that could compel the United State to join the Allies, the British set about developing a plan that would allow them to unveil the telegram without giving away that they were reading neutral diplomatic traffic or that they had broken German codes. To deal with the first issue, they were able to correctly guess that the telegram was sent over commercial wires from Washington to Mexico City. In Mexico, British agents were able to obtain a copy of the ciphertext from the telegraph office. This was encrypted in cipher 13040, which the British had captured a copy of in the Middle East. As a result, by mid-February, British authorities had the complete text of the telegram. To deal with the code breaking issue, the British publicly lied and claimed they had been able to steal a decoded copy of the telegram in Mexico. They ultimately alerted the Americans to their code breaking efforts and Washington elected to back the British cover story. On February 19, 1917, Admiral Sir William Hall, the head of Room 40, presented a copy of the telegram to the secretary of the U.S. Embassy, Edward Bell.​​ Stunned, Hall initially believed the telegram to be a forgery but passed it on to Ambassador Walter Hines Page the next day. On February 23, Page met with Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour and was shown the original ciphertext as well as the message in both German and English. The next day, the telegram and verifying details were presented to Wilson. Ambassador Walter Hines Page. Library of Congress American Response News of the Zimmermann Telegram was quickly released and stories about its contents appeared in the American press on March 1. While pro-German and anti-war groups claimed that it was a forgery, Zimmermann confirmed the telegrams contents on March 3 and March 29. Further inflaming the American public, which was angered over the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare (Wilson broke diplomatic relations with Germany on February 3 over this issue) and the sinking SS Houstonic (February 3) and SS California (February 7), the telegram further pushed the nation towards war. On April 2, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on Germany. This was granted four days later and the United States entered the conflict. Zimmermann Telegram in World War I The Zimmermann Telegram was a note sent in 1917 from the German Foreign Minister Zimmermann to his ambassador in Mexico, containing details of a proposed alliance against America; it was intercepted and published, strengthening US public support for war against Germany as part of World War One. The Background By 1917 the conflict we call The First World War had been raging for over two years, drawing in troops from Europe, Africa, Asia, North America, and Australasia, although the main battles were in Europe. The main belligerents were, on one side, the German and Austro-Hungarian Empires (the Central Powers) and, on the other, the British, French and Russian Empires (the Entente or Allies). The war had been expected to last just a few months in 1914, but the conflict had dragged on in a stalemate of trenches and massive death tolls, and all sides in the war were looking for any advantage they could gain. The Zimmermann Telegram Sent through a supposedly secure channel devoted to peace negotiations (a transatlantic cable belonging to Scandinavia) on January 19th, 1917, the Zimmermann Telegram – often called the Zimmermann Note - was a memo sent from the German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the German Ambassador to Mexico. It informed the ambassador that Germany would be resuming its policy of Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (USW) and, crucially, ordered him to propose an alliance. If Mexico would join in a war against the US, they would be rewarded with financial support and re-conquered land in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. The ambassador was also to ask the Mexican President to propose his own alliance to Japan, a member of the Allies. Why Did Germany Send the Zimmermann Telegram? Germany had already stopped and started USW - a program of sinking any shipping coming near their enemies in an attempt to starve them of food and materials - because of fierce US opposition. Americas official neutrality involved trading with all belligerents, but in practice, this meant the Allies and their Atlantic coastlines rather than Germany, who suffered from a British blockade. Consequently, US shipping was frequently a victim. In practice, the US was giving the UK aid which had prolonged the war. The German high command knew renewed USW would probably cause the US to declare war on them, but they gambled on shutting Britain down before an American army could arrive in force. The alliance with Mexico and Japan, as proposed in the Zimmermann Telegram, was intended to create a new Pacific and Central American Front, greatly distracting the US and aiding the German war effort. Indeed, after USW resumed the US severed diplomatic relations with Germany and began debating an entry into the war. The Leak However, the secure channel wasnt secure at all: British intelligence intercepted the telegram and, recognizing the effect it would have on US public opinion, released it to America on February 24th, 1917. Some accounts claim the US State Department was also illegally monitoring the channel; either way, US President Wilson saw the note on the 24th. It was released to the world press on March 1st. Reactions to the Zimmermann Telegram Mexico and Japan immediately denied having anything to do with the proposals (indeed, the Mexican President was content at a recent American withdrawal from his country and Germany could offer little beyond moral support), while Zimmermann admitted the Telegrams authenticity on March 3rd. It had often been asked why Zimmermann came right out and fully admitted things instead of pretending otherwise. Despite Germanys complaint that the Allies had been wiretapping secure peace networks, the US public - still concerned at Mexicos intentions following trouble between the two - was aghast. A vast majority reacted to both the Note, and weeks of growing anger at USW, by backing war against Germany. However, the note itself did not provoke the US into joining the war. Things might have stayed as they were, but then Germany made the mistake which cost them the war and restarted Unrestricted Submarine Warfare again. When the American Congress approved Wilsons decision to declare war on April 6th in reaction to this, there was just 1 vote against. Full Text of The Zimmermann Telegram On the first of February, we intend to begin submarine warfare unrestricted. In spite of this, it is our intention to endeavor to keep neutral the United States of America. If this attempt is not successful, we propose an alliance on the following basis with Mexico: That we shall make war together and together make peace. We shall give general financial support, and it is understood that Mexico is to reconquer the lost territory in New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. The details are left to you for settlement. You are instructed to inform the President of Mexico of the above in the greatest confidence as soon as it is certain that there will be an outbreak of war with the United States and suggest that the President of Mexico, on his own initiative, should communicate with Japan suggesting adherence at once to this plan; at the same time, offer to mediate between Germany and Japan. Please call to the attention of the President of Mexico that the employment of ruthless submarine warfare now promises to compel England to make peace in a few months. Zimmerman (Sent January 19, 1917)

Your Complete Crash Course to Romantic Poetry

Your Complete Crash Course to Romantic Poetry SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The Romantic Era is famous for its poetryin fact, Romanticism is one of the most influential periods in the history of English poetry. It’s a pretty safe bet that you’ll have to tackle Romantic poetry at some point, whether it’s in your English classes or on the AP Literature and Language exam. That’s why we’ve whipped up a crash course on the Romantic Era for you! We’ll explain the following in our crash course: Answer the question, â€Å"What is Romanticism?† by providing a Romanticism definition and describing the historical context of the era Explain Romanticism characteristics that are unique to the period’s philosophy and literature Give an overview of the key traits of Romanticism literature and poetry, including Romanticism examples List the six most important Romantic poets you need to know List five books for further reading if you want to learn more about the Romantic Era! There’s a lot to cover about Romanticism, so let’s get started!

Food science. Upon rehydrating dried apples slices, you found that the Essay

Food science. Upon rehydrating dried apples slices, you found that the slices did return to the original water content. What phenomenon was responsible - Essay Example Rehydration can be considered as a measure of the injury to the material caused by drying and treatments preceding dehydration (Okos et al., 1992; McMinn & Magee, 1997a). Rehydration of dried plant tissues is composed of three simultaneous processes: the imbibition of water into dried material, the swelling and the leaching of solubles (McMinn & Magee, 1997b; Lewicki, 1998). It has been shown that (Steffe & Singh, 1980) the volume changes (swelling) of biological materials are often proportional to the amount of absorbed water. Fan et al. (1962) found that the gain in volume caused by water sorption equalled the volume of imbibed water. On the other hand, the moisture-induced swelling of soybean and pigeon pea grains was always less than the volume of sorbed water (Singh & Kulshrestha, 1987). Studies of the volume increase of semolina (Bhattacharya, 1995) and soybean showed that rehydration temperature markedly affected volume increase. It is generally accepted that the degree of rehydration is dependent on the degree of cellular and structural disruption. During drying, Jayaraman et al. (1990) observed irreversible cellular rupture and dislocation, resulting in loss of integrity and hence, a dense structure of collapsed, greatly shrunken capillaries with reduced hydrophilic properties, as reflected by the inability to imbibe sufficient water to rehydrate fully. The objectives of this investigation were to test the hypothesis that a generalized model to describe the following structural properties during rehydration could be generated. The properties were true density, apparent density, porosity and specific volume of dehydrated apple, banana, potato and carrot during

Rights of Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Rights of Management - Essay Example own as The Labor Management Relation Act Of 1947 is law that marked a radical change in the federal regulation of industrial relations (Carper et al, 2008). This change was created after a vast number of large scale strikes were held to an extent of nearly disabling the steel, automobile and packing industries among others in the United States. These work mayhems severely affected the economy leading to panic from public. This act, which was an adjustment to the Wagner Act of 1935, was made to benefit all the parties that were involved in the labor agreement as the employees, employers and the labor union (Beik, 2005). Its passage of 1947 added new necessities to the former ‘which meant that its actual meaning would now depend upon the interpretation by the National Labor Relations Board, as well as, the courts’. Taft –Hartley Act placed restrictions on unions that were already imposed on the employer which dictated that it was unlawful to contain workers who wanted to exercise their rights for self organization. (Dubinsky, 1994). Moreover, secondary strikes, boycotts and sympathy strikes especially those that were intended to influence employers, as opposed to those that the Union had contract with. Its first amendment entailed right to free speech that had been severely limited by the former laws, giving chances to employers to air their ideas on unionization only if the ideas are not incisive with threats or promises to employees. It also restricted the liability of employers based on managers’ actions to those who would be considered as a section of supervisors’ official duty. Additionally, the Act allowed states to enact right to work laws which illegalized the setting of union membership as employment condition although some states chose it while others bargained f or changes to avoid conflict of interest. According to Carper, et al. 2008, the Act made recommendation for the contract of labor to on either sides to bargain in good faith on the

The impact of human activities on sharks in the northwest atlantic Essay Example for Free

The impact of human activities on sharks in the northwest atlantic Essay The earth is a finite space. Everyone and everything on it must share its vast yet limited resources, and the actions of one species effects many, if not all, others. Over time, we have come to realize that human activities are having disproportionately negative effects on the global environment. An excellent example of this within the marine biome can be seen in analyzing shark populations of the Northwest Atlantic. In their study, â€Å"Collapse and Conservation of Shark Populations in the Northwest Atlantic† (2003), Julia K. Baum, et al. traced the changes in the populations of eight shark species from 1986 to 2000 (two species were only recorded from 1992 onward). They looked at the areas comprised of the â€Å"Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida East Coast, South Atlantic Bight, Mid Atlantic Bight, Northeast Coastal, Northeast Distant, Sargasso/North Central Atlantic, Tuna North/Tuna South. † In this region, they noted an 89% decline in the hammerhead shark population over a period of 14 years. Similarly, white sharks declined 79%, tiger sharks 65%, and thresher shark populations declined by 80% between 1986 and 2000. In fact, each of the eight species saw a population decline over the course of the study. The study concludes that â€Å"The magnitude of the declines estimated†¦suggests that several sharks may also now be at risk of large-scale extirpation. † The study goes on analyse the causes of such drastic decline over such a short period of time. Citing overfishing as a significant culprit it claims, â€Å"In the past half century, as fishing fleets expanded rapidly in the open ocean, have large marine predators been subject to this intense exploitation. † Overfishing however is not a new phenomenon, and has indeed been a factor in depleting populations of marine species historically as well. In his 2001 colloquium paper, â€Å"What was natural in the coastal oceans? † Jeremy B. Jackson cites 19th century overfishing in cause â€Å"live coral abundance declined to 1-2% cover from values of 50% or more† in the 1908s. He claims that while this was noted in the 1980s it is the result of historical trends by determining, â€Å"Coral communities did not change noticeably until the epidemic mortality of Diadema antillarum in the 1980s because ecological redundancy of herbivores obscured the potential effects of the loss of large herbivorous fishes for well over a century. Macroalgae were not able to overgrow corals until the last major herbivore was lost from the system. † The ramifications for sharks and other carnivorous species as is significant because declining herbivore populations means there is a food scarcity and thus will result in a decline in predator populations as well. The Baum study notes that their finding of â€Å"large and rapid declines†¦are in addition to substantial historical reductions. Overexploitation of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) is known to have already nearly eliminated two skate species from much of their ranges. † They then engage in a discussion of appropriate measures that could be adopted to counteract the declines their study revealed. They particularly examine marine reserves an â€Å"increasingly popular tool for marine conservation and resource management worldwide† (2002). Using â€Å"simple models to analyze the implications of large-scale marine reserves for shark conservation. They ran each of these models with two likely scenarios â€Å"(i) after the closure, fishing effort is displaced and changes such that the same total swordfish quota is caught (constant-quota scenario); or (ii) fishing effort is displaced but remains constant overall (constant-effort scenario). † Surprisingly, the study found that â€Å"marine reserves can indirectly cause harm if fishing effort is merely displaced. † They found that while closing one region of the study area benefited some species of that region, it had the potential to harm other species both within the closed region and in other regions of the Northwest Atlantic. Their findings suggest that â€Å"if marine reserves are to be effective, their placement is of critical importance, and conservation initiatives must explicitly consider impacts on the whole community of species. † They concluded that â€Å"emphasis on single-species conservation, without controlling effort, simply shifts pressure from one threatened species to another and may actually jeopardize biodiversity. † This scenario would be much like that of 19th century overfishing in that its results would be indirect and thus their effects might immediately be masked but could show up to be catastrophic in the long-term. A more recent study further indicated that ensuring species survival would require a 40-80% reduction in fishing mortality, and that â€Å"rapid recovery of community bio-mass and diversity usually occurs when fishing mortality is reduced. † This recovery was noted to be â€Å"more variable for single species, often because of the influence of species interactions. † Thus, the study concluded that multi-species management must be targeted toward the needs of the most sensitive rather than the most robust species in the system. Finally, in order to most effectively aid in the recovery of predator species of the Northwest Atlantic, the effort must include â€Å"reductions in fishing effort, reduction in bycatch mortality and protection of key areas to initiate recovery of severely depleted communities† (Myers Worm, 2005). Analysis the potential outcomes of any activity is significant because all human activity, not just actions determined to have a negative effect such as fishing, affects the environment. Even activities whose goal is to benefit another species can have unforeseen ramifications, some of these could even result in further harm to the species or environment they are seeking to aid. Rather than merely rushing to the conclusion that marine regions should be designated as reserves, it is important to examine not only the effects on one species, but look to the larger biome and scrutinize the impact that one variable is likely to have on countless other factors with which it interacts directly and indirectly. Within the finite space of the earth, any one action regardless of its intent is likely to reverberate throughout the environment and especially be felt within a specific region or biome. Thus, humans must consider all of there actions when working with the marine biome so as to ensure the least possible harm to its species and the larger world in general. References Baum, J. K. , Myers, R. A. , Kehler, D. G. , Worm, B. , Harley, S. J. , Doherty P. A. (2003).Collapse and Conservation of Shark Populations in the Northwest Atlantic, Science, 299 (5605), 389-392. Halpern, B. S. and Warner R. S. (2002). Marine Reserves Have Rapid and Lasting Effects, Ecology Letters, 5, 361-366. Jackson, J. B. C. (2001). What Was Natural in the Coastal Oceans? , Procedures of the National Academy of Science U. S. A. 98, 5411-5418. Myers, R. A. , Worm, B. (2005). Extinction, Survival or Recovery of Large Predatory Fishes, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 360 (1453), 13-20.

Discipleship Essay -- essays research papers

Discipleship At the mention of the word "disciple", the image most people conjure up is that of a faithful pupil, a person more than willing to follow the teachings of their leader without question. However, the early disciples didn’t always conform to this stereotype. In fact, they sometimes showed a complete lack of faith, finding it extremely hard to accept Jesus’ word in their hearts. Jesus appointed twelve disciples to symbolize each of the twelve tribes of Israel. In doing so, it were as if he were replacing the Old Judaism with his new covenant. This symbolized a new, more personal relationship with God through his Son Jesus Christ. In choosing his apostles, Jesus showed us that the call is open to all of us, as his chosen twelve all had a different trade, and led varying ways of life. With such a mixed group, it is no wonder there were a few differences of opinion. A good example is the relationship between Simon the Zealot, and Matthew the tax collector. While Zealots were political freedom fighters, tax collectors were the hated collaborates of the Romans. Therefore you can imagine that tax collectors and zealots, if left to their own devices, were normally sworn enemies. However, Matthew and Simon still managed to live relatively peaceful lives together, putting into practice the commandment "love thy neighbor as thyself". They were called, and rose to the challenge of that call by their commitment to respond. It was not necessary to posses any special quality to be a disciple of Jesus, and they were all of them far from perfect. Take Peter for example. He wasn’t particularly quick-witted. In fact, he often had trouble grasping the message Jesus was trying to get across, as shown in the Parables, where in the Parable of the Sower, (Mk 4:1-9), he found it no easier then the rest of the disciples to understand God’s message. Neither did he have unquestionable faith. He demonstrates this (as did the other disciples) when they were all in a boat together with Jesus in the middle of Lake Galilee on a particularly stormy night. He and the other disciples became so frantic with worry that they decided to wake Jesus (who was sleeping peacefully with his head on a pillow) (Mk 4:35-41) . Surely, if you cannot feel safe when you have the Son of Go... ...as possible is enabled. It may also be said by some that far fewer people are as devoted to Christianity as they were in the past, as we no longer have prophets, or the Son of God Jesus to guide us. However, there are still many people who are choosing to enter the Holy Orders, and all these people can serve as an inspiration to us all. People such as these are still choosing to leave their loved ones in order to devote their lives to God. Also, when Jesus preached his Good News almost 2000 years ago, there were no fewer people then there are now who opposed to his teachings. However, the one thing that the Christians of the past had that none of us will probably have the opportunity to see in our life times are miracles performed first hand. While it is true that humans have a tendency to believe only what they see, the Bible has, and will continue to be a great source of inspiration for many. It is true that the Bible is the closest thing we will ever get to an understanding of Jesus’ way of life and Christianity, so the Christian faith will remain to be, for us, an unraveled mystery.

The Effects of Advertising Media on Sales of Insurance Products: a Developing-Country Case

The effects of advertising media on sales of insurance products: a developing-country case S. A. Aduloju Department of Insurance and Actuarial Science, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria A. O. Odugbesan Formerly of Department of Business Administration, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, and S. A. Oke Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria Abstract Purpose – Characterized by declining goodwill and exemplified sharp drop in gross premium, the Nigerian insurance industry, in recent times, has experienced turbulent economic challenges that necessitated re-engineering of its core activities.However, advertising and sales are core activities, which are important predictors of stability and growth in the insurance industry. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of advertising on sales of insurance products. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical investigation is carried out using a survey that utilizes quest ionnaires, interviews, and field observation as major research instruments. A total of 71 insurance companies in Nigeria, which represent the total operating insurance companies in Nigeria at the time of study, were surveyed.With 100 scientifically selected subjects sampled, descriptive analysis was employed to understand the relationship and the strength of such relationships. Findings – It was found that advertising had effects on sales volume and improved public image. However, the choice of advertising medium, the message, and the format are critical ingredients of a successful advertising program in the insurance industry. Research limitations/implications – The insurance industry in Nigeria was studied from a holistic viewpoint due to the need to present reliable and detailed information for decision makers.However, limitation in achieving this relates to the reluctance of respondents to release information for the study. Practical implications – The impli cation of this research is that proper control of advertisement budget vis-a` -vis the expected sales volume could be made. Thus, organizations could spend budgets more effectively on growth enhancing projects instead of excessive wastage of funds on advertisement. Originality/value – This paper seems to be the first original work that concerns the impact of advertising on sales in the Nigerian insurance industry.As such, it bridges a gap that is opened for investigations. It may be of great value to decision making seeking for control tools. Keywords Insurance, Nigeria, Advertising media, Sales management Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction Over the years, there has been tremendous decline in the goodwill of the Nigerian insurance industry as a result of poor performance in the payment of insurance claims. The sharp drop in gross premium exemplifies this problem. Randle (2003) estimated a decline of more than 89. 4 percent in the 1999/2000 comparative periods.This decl ine may have worsened as a result of the global economic crisis. There is therefore the need to advertise insurance products in order to increase sales. Unfortunately, no reliable records exist on the impact of advertising on sales of insurance products, thus suggesting its strong need. The need to examine the impacts of advertising on sales volume is further strengthened by the significant value of the total premiums generated in Africa, which originated in South Africa (84 percent) while only an insignificant value (16 percent) is partly contributed by Nigeria.Thus, with the enormous advertising expenditures, it becomes necessary to know if such expenditures justify sales volume obtainable from the advertisement efforts. Luo and Donthu (2005) identified advertising media and spending inefficiencies in generating sales, and concluded that top 100 marketers’ advertising spending in print, broadcast, and outdoor media are not efficient and could bring in 20 percent more sales. Sadly, the case relating to insurance products was not treated. Also, there is a strong need for understanding the impacts of advertising on sales volume.Furthermore, although empirical evidence in major markets of the world shares a significant relationship between advertisement and sales volume, there is no reliable data and information on the subject in developing countries such as Nigeria. The absence of this information provides a wide gap and poor understanding on the effectiveness of advertisement on sales. The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of advertising on the sales of insurance products. Advertising ranks among the major tools of promotion in general and awareness in particular.The study investigates if there are good advertising opportunities insurance industry can make use of, and examine the various advertising media commonly used by the insurers with particular reference to Nigeria. How would the customers know that a particular product will satisf y some needs unless such is communicated to them? As a pivot of economic development, insurance certainly has a major role to play. The issue now is that the sector performance is far below expectation. An important question is why?Is there any inherent difficulty in growing and promoting this business in developing world? Very many factors have been put forward for this performance, and it should be mentioned that it is not the intention of this study to discuss them. It is important, however, to find out the effectiveness of the choice of advertising media on the sales volume of insurance organizations. A study of this nature may prove to be of immense benefit to industry managers on how to make positive impression about their business and product given the dynamic nature of our socio economic environment.Past studies reveal a fairly strong relationship between advertising investments and sales. Twedt and Knitter (1964) observed some relationships between larger investments in pri nt media and profits. Sturgess and Young (1981) identified the direct relationship between sales and advertising expenditures as more relevant to a company’s performance variables than any other test of communication effectiveness of advertising. Perreault and McCarthy (2000) admit that one of the methods of measuring advertising effects is to evaluate sales.Schultz and Wittink (1976) revealed that although some studies have reported a positive influence of primary advertising on primary demand, no conclusive empirical evidence has been brought to bear on the major premise. It is therefore the goal of the current work to bridge this important gap. The effects of advertising media JRF 10,3 The paper is sectioned into the following: introduction, methodology, data analysis, and conclusion. The introduction provides an insight into the significance of the problem and the need to bridge the knowledge gap.Section 2 presents the methodology, which provides the framework for the pre sented study. In Section 3, data analysis is presented based on the results of the survey instruments. Section 4, the final section, provides concluding remarks. 2. Methodology The aim of this research is to carry out an empirical investigation of the extent to which advertising affects sales. This is a survey research whose objectives are to find answers to the following research questions, and test the relevant hypotheses. This section presents the methodological approach adopted to gather relevant data necessary for this study. . 1 Study population, sampling design, and research instrument The Nigerian Insurance Digest, 2006 indicates that there were 96 insurance companies operating in Nigeria as at December 31, 2006. No available records confirm that new companies have been formed since, except for the issues of mergers and acquisitions that characterized the recapitalization/consolidation exercise. A total of 71 companies have since emerged from this exercise. The study populat ion embraced all the staff engaging in marketing, public relations, and advertising in these 71 insurance companies.Most of these companies are direct insurers since they deal directly with the members of the public. Reinsurance companies, though, also engage in advertising activities, were excluded from this study because their impact or contact with the members of the public is indirect. Since it would not be feasible to contact all the staff that represents the population for the study, sampling method was used, and the study was limited to Lagos state, the commercial center of Nigeria. A sample of 100 subjects selected from some insurance companies in Lagos was used.The sampling method was used to avoid bias in the selection procedure, and to achieve maximum precision for a given outlay of resources. Essentially, two research instruments were used: questionnaire and interview. For the questionnaire, 100 copies were distributed to respondents selected from various insurance compa nies in Lagos, Nigeria. In order to ensure high response ratio, the questionnaires were administered personally. To achieve this a number of contacts have been made to the management of those companies soliciting for their cooperation.Also, diligent care was exercised to avoid ambiguity in drafting the questionnaire. Personal interview was conducted with selected executives in the insurance companies (Dillion et al. , 1994). The face-to-face contact with respondents assisted in obtaining high quality data since more information is communicated between human beings communicating directly with each other than using other means. 2. 2 Method of data analysis The research proposed to use such descriptive statistics as simple percentages to compute the data obtained.For hypothesis testing, coefficient of correlation would be employed. Lucey (2002) highlights the benefits of using correlation coefficient when trying to analyze independent and dependent variables in order to understand the relationship between them. The correlation coefficient reveals the strength of such The effects of relationships. advertising media 2. 3 Restatement of research questions The research questions are as follows: RQ1. Is a company’s failure to use advertising a result of lack of good advertising opportunities?RQ2. Do the results of other promotional tools affect the use of advertising? RQ3. Is the use of advertising dependent on the measurability of its results? RQ4. Is there any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure? 2. 4 Research hypotheses The hypotheses stated will be used to test the relationship between sales figures and advertising figures (Asika, 2006). The statistical procedure is to state the null hypothesis (H0), which is to be followed by the alternative hypothesis (H1).While a H0 is a statement that no change has occurred from the condition specified, the H1 is a reversal of a H0. Thus, if in hypothesis testing, a H0 is rejected, then, the H1 will be accepted: H0. There is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. H1. There is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. 2. 5 Research design The research uses explorative research design in order to gain insights into the subject studied. The research design is that of descriptive survey.It is meant to assess the importance attached to advertisement by insurance organizations. Specifically, the research design would reveal availability of good advertising opportunities for insurance firms, factors affecting a firm’s decision to use advertising, relationship between advertising and company’s performance in terms of sales volume, and justification of advertising expenditure, using profit as the bottom line. 3. Data analysis In Section 2, it was mentioned that empirical investigation would be carried out on the extent to which the choice of advertising medium affects sales.The summaries of the results of the survey q uestions, and how these answer the stated research questions are presented in this Section 3. In fact, we will like to find out whether a company’s failure to use advertising is a result of lack of advertising opportunities, whether the use of advertising is dependent on the measurability of its results, and whether there is any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. These results also attempt to seek support for the hypothesis stated. 3. 1 Response rate and respondents’ characteristicsA total of 100 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to respondents. The challenges of recapitalization in the insurance industry, and subsequent rearrangements including the necessary formalities made the task of getting JRF 10,3 audience difficult. A total of 84 questionnaires were collected out of which two were found unusable for the purpose of analysis. The response rate of 48 percent was thus achieved. The results were analyzed with the use of the fol lowing statistical procedures: (1) the frequency distribution of some parameters; (2) the percentages of the parameters studied; and 3) bar charts were also used for further illustration of some of the results obtained. The first five questions of the questionnaire deal with the characteristics of the respondents, specifically their bio data. These are presented in Table I. Out of the 82 respondents analyzed, 50 are males while 32 are females. The sample members were conveniently selected at random, rather than based on quota. Since 61 percent of the respondents are males and 39 percent are females, should one conclude that 61 percent of the workforce in the insurance industry is male and 39 percent female?This is an interesting possibility due to the fact that a good number of females prefer to be self-employed in order to care for their home responsibilities. From Table II, majority of the respondents are 40 years and below, an overwhelming 89 percent (i. e. 44 percent for below 3 0 years, and 45 percent for age bracket 31-40). About 11 percent of the respondents are above the age 41, while none of the respondents is over 60 years. This analysis suggests that productive and dynamic personnel marketing and public relations functions of these insurance companies.The analysis shows 43 single and 39 married persons indicating 52 and 48 percent respondents, respectively (Table III). This is a fair distribution. From Table IV, 46 of the 82 respondents possess higher national diploma and degrees, 14 respondents possess higher degrees in form of MSc/MBA, and 16 respondents possess professional qualifications. Sex Number Percentage Table I. Male 50 61 Sex distribution Female 32 39 of respondents Total 82 100 Age Number Percentage Table II. Age distribution of respondents Below 30 years 31-40 years 41-50 years 51-60 years Total 36 37 6 3 82 44 45 7 4 100Marital status Number Percentage Table III. Marital status of respondents Single Married Total 43 39 82 52 48 100 The fact that only six respondents (a mere 8 percent) possess national diploma and below shows that marketing and public relations job in the insurance industry is taken over by professionally and academically qualified personnel. From Table V, 71 respondents (which is 87 percent) have not more than ten years working experience, while those having more than 16 years working experience constitute only 4 percent. None of the respondents however, have worked more than 25 years. 3. Descriptive statistics of the sample responses In presenting the data obtained in response to section B of the questionnaire, we will use tables of percentages as well as bar charts. A cumulative of 91 percent agree that insurance is necessary for socio-economic development while a mere 4 percent disagree (Table VI). One may conclude that majority of the respondents believe that insurance has a vital role to play in an economy. Here, again, Table VII shows that 91 percent agree that the Nigerian public is apathe tic toward insurance purchase, while a mere 5 percent could not agree. A total of 69 respondents (20 ? 9) agree that the level of insurance sales in the country is not encouraging, which is 84 percent of the respondents (Table VIII). On the other hand, 10 percent of the respondents disagree. This naturally confirms the response presented in Table VII indicating that the Nigerian public is apathetic toward insurance purchase. Academic qualification Number Percentage WAEC/NECO/GCE National diploma HND/BSc MSc/MBA Professional qualification Total 3 3 46 14 16 82 4 4 56 17 19 100 Table IV. Academic qualifications of respondents The effects of advertising media Length of service Number Percentage Below 5 years -10 years 11-15 years 16-20 years 21-25 years Total 48 23 7 2 2 82 59 28 9 2 2 100 Table V. Length of service/working experience of respondents Response Number Percentage Strongly agree Agree Undecided Strongly disagree Total 37 38 4 3 82 45 46 5 4 100 Table VI. Insurance necessary for socio-economic development JRF 10,3 About 49 percent believe that insurance performance follows the fortunes of the other sectors while 27 percent disagree (Table IX). The interesting thing is that 24 percent could not state whether or not the insurance industry performance depends on the performance of the other sectors.Here, respondents were allowed to choose more than one factor they considered as responsible for the low sales of insurance products. In order of frequency, low level of awareness, poor industry image, high level of illiteracy, and low per capital income top the list with 73, 57, 45, and 45 percent, respectively (Table X). These factors are represented on the bar chart (Figure 1). About 67 percent of the respondents agree that the principles involved in marketing tangible products apply with equal force to marketing intangible products such as Response Number Percentage Table VII. Whether public is pathetic toward insurance Strongly agree Agree Undecided Strong ly disagree Total 12 63 3 1 82 14 77 4 1 100 Response Number Percentage Table VIII. Level of insurance sales in Nigeria not encouraging Strongly agree Agree Undecided Disagree Total 20 49 5 8 82 24 60 6 10 100 Reponses Number Percentage Table IX. Performance of insurance Strongly agree Agree Undecided 7 33 20 9 40 24 industry dependent on the performance of other sectors Disagree Strongly disagree Total 17 5 82 21 6 100 Factor Number Percentage Low per capital income Low level of awareness 37 60 45 73 Table X. Factors responsible for ow sales of insurance High level of illiteracy Religious beliefs Poor industry image Availability of substitute 37 23 47 4 45 28 57 5 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Poor image Substitute insurance while 33 percent disagree (Table XI). One may assert that while marketing principles are universal, their application to categories of products varies. All the respondents confirm that their companies have marketing or public relations department (Table XII). This shows that the issue of marketing or public relations is given adequate attention with staff assigned specific responsibilities.An overwhelming 93 percent of the respondents agree that their companies engage in one form of advertising or the other (Table XIII). It shows that companies could no longer be content with the provision of goods and services alone, they also see the need to inform the general public of their existence and the benefits they offer to the society. From Table XIII already discussed above, six respondents confirm that their companies do not engage in any form of advertising. In response question 9 on the questionnaire asking for the reasons, they pointed to the factors shown in Table XIV.Out of the six respondents, three chose â€Å"preference for other promotional tools,† four chose â€Å"high cost of advertising,† and two chose â€Å"difficulty in measuring advertising Low income Low awareness Illiteracy Religion Response Number Percentage Yes No Total 55 27 82 67 33 100 The effects of advertising media Figure 1. Chart showing factors responsible for low sales of insurance products Table XI. Can the principles involved in marketing tangible products be applied to insurance marketing? Response Number Percentage Table XII. Does your company have Yes 82 100 marketing or public Total 82 100 relations department? Response Number PercentageTable XIII. Yes 76 93 Whether respondents’ No 6 7 companies engage in Total 82 100 advertising activities JRF 10,3 effects on sales. † Interestingly, none chose â€Å"lack of good advertising opportunities† as a reason for not advertising. This means there may be good advertising opportunities, but measuring the effect of advertising on sales is a problem. In response to the question on advertising objectives, 72 percent of the respondents chose â€Å"inform the public about the company,† 55 percent chose â€Å"increase sales,† and 52 percent chose †Å"improve company’s image† among the major objectives of advertising (Table XV).From the above analysis, increase in sales is the leading advertising objective, apart from giving information about the company. Ranking in frequency, newspapers, radio, and magazines are the most favored advertising media with 79, 59, and 49 percent, respectively (Table XVI). These and other media used are presented on the bar chart (Figure 2). The analysis above indicates that 51 percent of the respondents reveal that developing advertising activities is a joint responsibility of the company’s staff and the advertising agencies (Table XVII).About 41 percent of the respondents show that it is entirely the work of advertising agencies while only 8 percent state that it is an internal responsibility. The report shows that insurance companies in developing their advertising program actively seek for the inputs of the advertising agencies. While only 5 percent of the respondents could n ot decide, a cumulative of 83 percent agree that the success of advertising activities depends on the integration of all marketing promotional tools. While no respondents strongly disagree, 12 percent disagree (Table XVIII).The 83 percent in agreement point to the fact that there is the need for integration of all marketing communications in order to achieve good result. Response Number Percentage Table XIV. Reasons why some Preference for other promotional tools 3 50 companies do no High cost of advertising 4 67 advertising Difficulty in measuring advertising effects 2 33 Response Number Percentage Table XV. Objectives of advertising Inform the public about the company Introduce new product Increase sales Improve profitability Improve company’s image 59 33 45 34 43 72 40 55 42 52 Response Number PercentageTable XVI. Advertising media used Radio Television Outdoor advertising Newspapers Magazines Journals 48 24 29 65 40 21 59 29 35 79 49 26 The effects of advertising media Fi gure 2. Bar chart showing the preferred advertising media Radio TV Outdoor Newspapers Magazine Journals 100 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 Response Number Percentage (a) Advertising staff (b) Advertising agencies (c) Both (a) and (b) above Total 7 34 41 82 8 41 51 100 Table XVII. Those responsible for developing advertising activities Response Strongly agree Agree Undecided Disagree Total Number 23 45 4 10 82 Percentage 8 55 5 12 100 Table XVIII. Whether advertising success is dependent on the integration of all marketing promotional tools From Table XIX, an overwhelming majority of the respondents agree that the choice of advertising medium is critical to the success of advertising activities. This is indicated by the sum of 20 percent for â€Å"strongly agree† and 70 percent for â€Å"agree† respondents making 90 percent. While 6 percent could not decide, a mere 4 percent disagree. Insurers therefore will have to pay attention to the medium selection if their advertising objectives are to be met.In Table XX, the respondents neither â€Å"disagree† nor â€Å"strongly disagree† with the notion that the choice of message can make a difference between success and failure of any advertising activity. While only 1 percent of the respondents could not decide, 99 percent agree with the notion that the choice of message is critical to any successful advertising program. Again, insurers need to pay attention to the message in endeavoring to reach the public. JRF 10,3 About 96 percent of the respondents support the notion that advertising has made positive impact on their company performance (Table XXI).This needs no further elaboration. Owing to the importance of this issue, question 16 in section B was reframed again as question 17 with the aim of testing the genuineness of the respondents’ answer. Interestingly, as in Table XXI (which analyzed responses to question 16), 96 percent of the respondents affirm that advertising has had posi tive effects on their company’s performance (Table XXII). Specifically, 73 percent of the respondents agree that advertising leads to increased sales, the figure which is marginally exceeded by 74 percent for â€Å"favorable public image† (Table XXIII).Also 61 percent of the respondents agree that advertising leads to increased number of prospects. This is presented in the bar chart shown in Figure 3. None of the respondents picked â€Å"no† for the answer, although it was included in the three options (Table XXIV). While 76 percent of the respondents believe that advertising expenditure is justified based on the results achieved, 24 percent could Response Number Percentage Table XIX. Strong agree Agree Undecided 16 57 5 20 70 6 The choice of advertising medium is critical to the success of advertising Disagree Strongly disagree Total 2 2 2 2 2 100 Response Number Percentage Table XX. The choice of message can make or mar advertising campaign Strongly agree Agre e Undecided Total 21 60 1 82 26 73 1 100 Table XXI. Whether advertising has impacted positively on company performance Response Yes No Total Number 79 3 82 Percentage 96 4 100 Response Number Percentage Table XXII. Description of advertising effects on company performance Positive effect No effect Negative effect Total 79 1 2 82 96 1 3 100 not decide. One may align with the fact that advertising expenditure, if properly done, is not a wasteful resource, after all.The fact that only 27 percent agree, and 37 percent could not decide in support of the notion shows that advertising agents have a long way to go in measuring up to international standard (Table XXV). About 36 percent (30 ? 6 percent) disagree that advertising professionals are performing at world standard. Response Number Percentage The effects of advertising media Increased number of calls received 10 Increased number of prospects visits 50 Increased number of orders received 21 Increased volume of sales 60 Increased quan tum of profits 31 Favorable public image 61 2 61 26 73 Table XXIII. 38 Specific effects of 74 advertising on companies Figure3. Bar chart showing effects of advertising 10 30 40 50 60 70 80 Calls Visits Orders Sales Profits Image Response Number Percentage Table XXIV. Yes 62 76 Going by the result, is Undecided 20 24 advertising expenditure Total 82 100 justified? Response Number Percentage Strongly agree 4 5 Agree 18 22 Table XXV. Undecided 30 37 Is performance of Disagree 25 30 advertising agencies in Strongly disagree 5 6 Nigeria is of international Total 82 100 standard? JRF 10,3 3. Analysis of research questions In Section 3, the research questions proposed in Section 1 were restated. These research questions, four in number, are analyzed as follows based on the information received from the respondents: RQ1. Is a company’s failure to use advertising a result of lack of good advertising opportunities? To answer this question, Table XIV (already analyzed somewhere above) is hereby represented in Table XXVI. In response to question 8 on the questionnaire, six out of the 82 respondents confirmed that their companies do no advertising at all.Question 9 asked for the reasons and four options were listed as follows: (1) company’s preference for other promotional tools; (2) high cost of advertising; (3) lack of good advertising opportunities; and (4) difficulty in measuring advertising effects. From Table XXVI, none of the respondents chose option (3), i. e. â€Å"lack of good advertising opportunities† as the reason for not advertising. One can therefore conclude that there are a number of advertising opportunities in the country for companies who care to advertise: RQ2. Do the results of other promotional tools affect the use of advertising?Again, this question would be answered using the response analysis presented in Table XIV. Out of the six respondents whose companies do no advertising, three stated that it was because their companies preferred the use of other promotional tools. When compared with the sample size, which is 82, the position of the three respondents is too insignificant to infer a generalization. One could thus conclude that the results of other promotional tools do not negatively affect the use of advertising: RQ3. Is the use of advertising dependent on the measurability of its result?Using Table XXVI, out of the six respondents who confirm that their companies do not advertise, two chose â€Å"difficulty in measuring advertising effects† as the reason. Again, this position of the two respondents is too insignificant when compared with that of the entire sample size of 82: RQ4. Is there any relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure? In answering this question, the response to question 17 in the questionnaire will be used. The response as analyzed using Table XXIII (already analyzed somewhere above) is hereby represented in Table XXVII.Response Number Percentage Table XX VI. (Repeated) Reasons why Preference for other promotional tools 3 50 some companies do not High cost of advertising 4 67 advertise? Difficulty in measuring advertising effect 2 33 From this table, advertising has a number of positive effects on the organization. Among others, 74 percent of the respondents believe it has improved public image, 73 percent believe it has increased sales volume and 61 percent believe it has increased the number of prospect visits. All these show a positive relationship between advertising and sales. 3. 4 Test of hypothesisThe hypothesis to be tested is termed the H0 – a statement that no change has occurred from the position specified for a hypothesis. If however we reject the H0, the H1 will be accepted. An H1 is a statement, which is a reversal of a H0. 3. 4. 1 Restatement of the hypothesis. H0. There is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. H1. There is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figu re. In order to test for this hypothesis, data obtained from some insurance companies in respect of their sales figures (gross premium incomes) and their advertising expenditures for a five-year period was used. . 4. 2 Five-year figures of premium and advertising. These are shown in Table XXVIII. Our main objective is to test whether or not there is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales volume. The statistical tool used here is Pearson’s product moment coefficient of correlation denoted by r. This coefficient gives an indication of the strength of the linear relationship between two variables. In our case, the two variables are: (1) Advertising expenditure, which is the independent variable represented by x. (2)Sales figures (gross premium income) which is the dependent variable denoted by y. Response Number Percentage The effects of advertising media Increased number of calls received 10 Increased number of prospects visits 50 Increased number of orders re ceived 21 Increased volume of sales 60 Increased quantum of profits 31 Favorable public image 61 12 61 26 Table XXVII. 73 (Repeated) Specific effects 38 of advertising on 74 companies Year Advert expenditure (N Premium income (N ?) ?) 2001 7,532,670 1,145,565,930 2002 8,980,422 1,456,227,292 2003 10,581,702 2,048,360,018 004 14,216,019 2,825,270,405 2005 16,186,851 3,485,046,944 Table XXVIII. JRF 10,3 For ease of computation, the figures for both advertising and sales (premium income) have been approximated as follows: XXXX X x ? 575; y ? 1; 096; x 2 ? 71; 369; y 2 ? 277; 194; and xy ? 139; 915: The formula for product moment correlation coefficient is: P PP n xy 2 x y r ? rffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi ? :99: P P2 * P P2 n x2 2 x ny2 2 y According to Lucey (2002), r can range from ? 1, i. e. perfect p ositive correlation where the variables change value in the same direction as each other, to 21, i. e. perfect negative correlation where y decreases linearly as x increases. Lucey states further that a strong correlation between two variables would produce an r value in excess of ? 0. 9 or 20. 9. If the value were less than, say 0. 5 there would only be a very weak relationship between the variables. The value of our computed coefficient of correlation (r) is 0. 99.This indicates a very strong positive correlation between the two variables, i. e. advertising expenditure and sales figure denoted by x and y, respectively. The decision is that we reject the H0, which states that there is no relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure, and accept the H1, which states that there is a relationship between advertising expenditure and sales figure. 4. Conclusions This study investigates how advertising could be used by the insurers to disseminate information on the vital role they play. The study concludes that: .The image problem and the poor sales of insurance products are not necessarily the result of the bad economy but the failure to engage in marketing communications. . Emphasizing other roles of insurance as financial intermediation and supplement to government’s efforts in providing social security will make it more attractive. . Greater benefits accrue when advertising is fully integrated into the whole mass of marketing communications. . There are good opportunities for the insurers to advertise their products, advertising practitioners have not measured up to international standards. .For good advertising output, the message and format are the joint responsibility of the insurance staff and advertising agencies. . The major advertising media used by the insurers are the newspapers and the radio. The use of the internet in Nigeria should be given due attention. . The choice of advertising medium is a critical success factor in any a dvertising activity. . The major effects of advertising on companies were found to include sales volume and improved public image. A number of obstacles militate against attainment of growth in the insurance subsector, notably, hostile economic environment.Relentless advertising campaign can take a company to the next level of growth. The research has also shown that advertising expenditure is justified going by the positive effects such expenditure has on a company’s performance. Furthermore, the message and the format have also been found to be critical ingredients of a successful advertising program. It is recommended that: . The insurance executives should realize that their activities do not end with producing good services. Passing information to the public about their services and benefits thereof must be vigorously pursued through advertising. For sustainable competitive advantage there is a need for integration of all marketing communications, as this will reduce con flicts in organizations. . A careful blend of print and electronic media is very essential in order to properly serve each market segment. . Sales persons are the ones on ground since they are always in the field. Their inputs must always be sought while designing advertising message and format. . The lack of records regarding advertising budget and actual expenses is a problem in many insurance organizations.There is a need to keep adequate records of advertising expenditure, as this is necessary for proper evaluation. . The practitioners must promote other important roles of insurance such as savings, financial intermediation and provision of social security. . In the area of image laundry there can still be mutually beneficial cooperation in the midst of competition among the insurers. . In this regard, the insurance industry as a whole should embark on an industry’s advertising in order to promote subjects of common interest.This will also reduce the overall cost of adver tising. In this work, a convenience sampling method is used. While the size of the sample is fairly large (100), a major limitation is that the sample is taken in Lagos: one state out of 36. The fact that some major towns in the country (i. e. Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano, and Ibadan) were left out could limit the degree of representativeness of the sample. However, the fact that Lagos is home to almost 90 percent of the headquarters of insurance companies in Nigeria makes the findings of this study representative of the population.Consequently, these findings would form a platform on which companies can base some of their marketing decisions. Future research could focus on the effects of publicity and public relations on sales, and on the better methods of separating advertising effects from the total marketing effects. References Asika, N. (2006), Glossary of Terms and Concepts in Research and Statistics, 1st ed. , Maxwell, Lagos, pp. 50-8. Dillion, W. R. , Madden, T. J. and Firtle, N. H. (1994), Marketing Research in a Marketing Environment, 3rd ed. , Irwin, Chicago, IL, pp. 124-5. Lucey, T. 2002), Quantitative Techniques, 6th ed. , MPG, Bodmin, p. 96. Luo, X. and Donthu, N. (2005), â€Å"Assessing advertising media spending inefficiencies in generating sales†, Journal of Business Research, Vol. 58 No. 1, pp. 28-36. The effects of advertising media JRF 10,3 Nigeria Insurers Digest (2005), Statistical Journal of the Nigerian Insurers Association, p. 47. Nigeria Insurance Digest (2006), Statistical Journal of the Nigerian Insurers Association, pp. 23-4, 43. Perreault, W. and McCarthy, J. Jr (2000), Basic Marketing: A Global Managerial Approach, 14th ed. , McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, pp. 51-6. Randle, J. (2003), â€Å"Mergers and acquisition: a survival strategy for the insurance industry†, The Nigerian Insurer, November, pp. 14-18. Schultz, R. L. and Wittink, D. R. (1976), â€Å"The measurement of industry advertising effects†, Journal of Ma rketing Research, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 71-5. Sturgess, B. and Young, R. (1981), â€Å"The sales response to advertising: a reconsideration†, Management and Decision Economics, No. 3, pp. 133-8. Twedt and Knitter (1964), â€Å"What about the relationships among sales, advertising, and earnings†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 28 No. 4, pp. 68-9.Further reading Achumba, I. C. (1985), Sales Management Concepts, Strategies and Cases, rev. ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos. Achumba, I. C. (1995), Sales and Management Concepts, Strategies and Cases, 1st ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos, p. 2. Asika, N. (2004), Research Methodology: A Process Approach, 1st ed. , Mukugamu and Brothers Enterprise, Lagos, pp. 20-3. Bickelhaupt, D. (1967), â€Å"Trends and innovations in the marketing of insurance†, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 17-22. Connor-Linton, J. (2003), Chi-square Tutorial, updated by C.Ball, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Coon ey, B. (1999), â€Å"Reuter XL capital announces web-based initiative to help manage organizational risk†, PR Newswire USA, April 12. Davidow, D. and Uttal, B. (1990), The Total Customer Service: The Ultimate Weapon, 1st ed. , Harper Collins, New York, NY. Dayton, D. (1999), Total Market Domination, 1st ed. , Adams Media Corporation, Halbrook, MA, pp. 37-41. Denny, R. (1988), Selling To Win, 1995 ed. , Kogan Page, London. Dibb, S. , Simkin, L. and Pride, W. (1991), Marketing, European ed. , Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA.Farmer, R. N. (1987), â€Å"Would you want your grand daughter to marry a Taiwanese marketing man? †, Journal of Marketing, Vol. 51, pp. 111-6. Keith, R. (1960), â€Å"The marketing revolution†, Journal of Marketing, January, pp. 35-8. Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2006), Principles of Marketing, 11th ed. , Prentice-Hall, New York, NY, pp. 428-44. Kotler, P. and Connor, R. A. 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Aduloju can be contacted at: [email  protected] com To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email  protected] com Or visit our web site for further details: www. emeraldinsight. com/reprints The effects of advertising media