Imaging Informatics ( Agfa- Impax 6 ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Imaging Informatics ( Agfa- Impax 6 ) - Essay Example PACS software allows for examination of more vivid details, which results in higher levels of diagnosis accuracy and patient treatment outcomes. In addition, the PACS technology can ensure that referring physicians are able to find complete history and study of the concerned medical case, using a web browser, from anywhere. This would permit the physicians working in rural and remote areas to read the images sent over the web, for examining the same, virtually, offline. With such vast advantages and uses of PACS, the technology has now become a part of electronic medical record, while expanding beyond the radiology department- based medical application. This has necessitated the integration of PACS with RIS solutions, while IT vendors offer interchangeability of data, seamlessly, to enable radiologists helping in provision of optimum medical care at faster speed with lesser costs. Accordingly, the integrated RIS/PACS solutions create a single data base to manage image and information workflow of any radiology department. While it is responsible for acquiring, storing and displaying radiology text-based and image information, the integrated technology maintains awareness of all digital and analog information, creating the work-lists and order status information. This way PACS helps in management of all clinical and business processes in an effective manner, while considerably reducing the related paper work.( PACS –Technology Report , 2009 ) As PACS is a technology that integrates the computers, communication networks, servers, work-stations and software to formulate and manage a system for radiological image formation and display as well as producing the relevant image information archive; there are several components that are integrated together by digital networks and communication protocols. The components include data acquisition gateway, which is

No topic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

No topic - Term Paper Example I can surely claim that this employee is one of the best employees, who worked in our organization. Mr. Sutherland worked for two years in our volunteer organization as a devoted human resource manager. His open mind and creative ideas helped us many times. It was very interesting for us to see the way he managed to deal with different problems of our employees. This young man deserves further promotion, because he always does his best. Bill Sutherland has an outstanding motivation and there is no need to take a closer look at him. He operates at a full pace. He is ready to learn quickly and effectively. He always does his work in time and no delays were ever noticed. A sense of maturity and professionalism are two permanent companions of Mr. Brown. Our Company enjoys working with this employee and colleagues have positive attitudes towards him. Professionalism of this employee is integrated with his outstanding personal features. I will be looking forward to tell you about Mr. Brown in details for you to know that he is the best candidate for this position in your Company. I am always ready to confirm my words and I have no doubts that you will be satisfied with performance of this employee. Please do not hesitate to call me at 708-900,

Dior Strategy Analysis

Dior Strategy Analysis After the show, Christian Dior began thinking about his design again, in his mind he thought he had the responsibility to bring fashion to women, and he wanted women looks like flowers. Because the subversive designing and perfect looking, the dresses were accepted by most society people through they were expensive in that time. (Marly, 1990) Christian Diors wonderful new look made fashion area crazy in that some, some people liked it very much, others against it. Because of the traditional understanding about the clothes, some governments thought this kind of clothes wasteful and awful, they even ordered some factories stop making the clothes. People who liked Diors styles very much, started thinking about against governments, they came to meet Christian Dior and discussed how they could do to protect the clothing line. For Christian Dior himself, he believed his new fashion would be popular by women, he did want return to the old fashion again, and so every 6 months he made a new line to continue his clothes until reached 22 lines. A big change was happened in 1957 when the Masters death stunned the whole fashion market, he was the creator who made Christian Dior be known. However, the company could not stop developing, and it became the domination in that time of fashion marketing. Diors new designs always shocked the fashion marketing after that time it made Christian Diors company became more and more famous. A lot of Diors stores appeared in Paris, Hollywood, New York it was well known as a luxury label from that time all over the world. For developing and expanding its market, Christian Dior began to add some other products not only clothes, but also fashion and leather goods, watches and jewelries, wines and spirits, perfumes and cosmetics The aims of this article is considering the developed of Dior industry in last few years from about 2003 to 2009, and trying to find out some strategies for future development for Dior. And also considered how Christian Dior keeps its predominant in fashion industries, especially in the similar luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Armani, Gucci, and Channel. It is obliviously that if any industry insists on one strategy or old-fashioned fossilized attitudes in the market, it would be gone out from the market quickly. The following article will discuss the strategies by four tools, which considered from the industry life cycle, PESTAL framework, five framework and strategic group to understand the development of Christian Dior. And through the five tools we also could understand the different strategies used in different time or under different economic environment. And at last, conducting a SWOT analysis of Christian Dior also becomes a necessary step. Industry Life Cycle: The products in any industry should have a process which is called industry life cycle in marketing. Normally, it would separate to four steps: introduction; growth; maturity and decline. The competition becomes white-hot in the luxury marketing, it is a almost total mature market. According to the industry life cycle, it should nearly reach or have already reached the decline step. So, how to change the poison and improve competitive in fashion marketing become an emergence for Manage groups of Christian Dior. Strategies of sustainable development are necessary considered by them in this period. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threat (SWOT) Analysis Internal and external strengths and weaknesses should be considered at first if the company needs to do any strategy. Moreover, the opportunities Dior will face and what threats it will meet in recently and future will be discussed in the following article. Internal and external strengths of Christian Dior: Though considering the internal strengths of Dior, as a top luxury brand, it has created a great fashion culture in its history. For example, the typical black dress is popular by women for many decades even until now, it is so classical. As top brand, Dior did the best to produce extremely great quality products. They focus on fashion trends and leading the trends. Dior signed the greatest designers in fashion areas, like John Galliano. As a fashion company, Dior made a myth for itself and for the whole industry. External strengths would be discussed from customers, for Dior, it has a huge groups of customers, they understand Diors products deeply beyond the foundation of the products themselves. They looking for something have more meanings. For these customers, Dior keeps improving its services, it is a basic but important strategy which is known by the strategy groups. Keeping good communicating with customers, and assuring its patron of its best effort and hospitality. Further unification services should be spread immediately in New York, Tokyo and all the cities which have Diors products. In 2009, Carla Bruni, the first lady of France wore two dresses to participate the celebration of Bastille Day which are all made by Dior, it is a big impact for fashion marketing even under the unfavorable business environment. Carla Bruni is one of Diors fans, she was happy to mention when she was 19 years old, she began her career with wearing her first Dior dress. Smoking jacket which designed in 19 90 is favorable by many famous women now. That is what Dior keeping on doing for its external market. Internal and external weaknesses: At first, Diors products related high costs, which mean its customers would be narrowed in small rich groups. Second, in order to expand the range of customers, Christian Dior increase export products. Comparing with local products, export products have some disadvantages, like longer delivery time, weak language capabilities, for many products need import raw materials, it costs time and money, as a export products, they always lack of new styles in peak seasons. Third, it is more difficult to keep its image-building in different country with different culture. For example, Sharon Stone (Stone) is a famous actor in Hollywood, and she was approached the face of Dior in 2005. In 2008, there was an earthquake happened in south of China, it left 68,000 people dead and many were homeless. Sharon Stone as a face of Dior said, it was karma, her words caused most of Chinese against her and Dior. Until Stone apologized in Public and Christian Dior decided to drop her, Chinese people still co uld not forgive her. This is a very serious effect to Diors image. (www.icmrindia.org, 2009) External opportunities: After China joined the WTO (World Trade Organization), it becomes a huge potential country in fashion marketing. There are 31 LVMH (a luxury company with 61 brands within its portfolio) officials available in China. For Dior, China is a big market. Dior had launched more than 20 stores in Beijing and Shanghai, the next step for them is to understand Chinese marketing by considering open more stores in China. (Christian Dior, 2009) External threats: The biggest threats to Christian Dior are coming from other luxury brand, like Louis Vuitton; Channel; Gucci; and Armani, which have the same products in fashion industry. Another reason comes from the fashion marketing, Berg (2002) argued that luxury brand only launch their stores in large cities, the rents or other costs might be maintained in a very high level, it narrows the development of company and it might lead financial problems in the next 10 years. PESTEL Framework (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal): Political: Since some new members joint into European Union, the tariff decline quite a lot, it is a big effect to Diors export and import business. Expanding new business line and opening new stores in different areas is one of Diors most important strategies. It brought a lot of benefits and challenges to Dior. Reduced price of some products to improve its competitive to other luxury brands, and expanding its overseas plan, especially plan in Asian market. Through this report, it seems under this politics, Diors export sales increased about 8% in one year. Economic conditions: In 2008, world financial crisis started from America, the economic condition impacted every industry quickly. In the first three months of 2009, Christian Dior (2009) stressed Dior Couture declined about 8% at current exchange rates and of 12% at constant exchange rates. The United States and Japan is impacted seriously by the financial crisis, the Diors goods sales decreased obviously in the period. However, the good news is that sales situation remains strong in China and some Middle East countries. Christian Dior invested strategies into these new areas to develop itself. Christian Dior (2009) stated that the manager groups changed their focus on these new economic powerful countries, and kept the balance between its strengths and weaknesses. This strategy brought a lot of advantages, and keeps Diors dominance position on the world luxury marketing in 2009. Social Christian Dior has a huge range of customers, because it consist its best design and quality, it created a fashion culture and history for itself. Dior as a label is respected by many people. Technological To improve competition, Christian Dior signed up a contract with John Galliano who is one of most influential designer in fashion areas. It is a big issue for Dior, and also for fashion industries. For example Dior watch designed by John Galliano and Victoire de Castellane in 2005, it impact the trend of Diors Fashion style. It is not difficult to image women would like taking a lot of money in a new style handbag, that means they also would expend a high price on a fashion watch if it is a new fashion trend in their minds. Furthermore to open up new avenues of business, Christian Dior began cracking other business areas. The first step is co-operating with other brands which is famous on other business industries. For example, On June 2008, Dior co-operated with Apple, created a dress for Apples iphone. It was named Dior Homme iPhone Holder, obviously, it was so expensive, compare with old iPhone, Dior Hommer iPhone Holder cost twice price. It is the not the first time Christian Dior enter into another total different industry. Then, Christian Dior collaborate Mode Labs and produced its handset. This handset is called My Dior, and it is extremely expensive, with a 2 Mega pixel camera, a tough screen, and multimedia goodies. One My Diors retail is start from 5000 dollars. And Diors company will come up with its own new mobile later soon. (Troaca, 2008) Environmental and Legal Obviously, Christian Dior is Legal company, it keeps abiding by every laws, including employees law; company environment condition; fair competitive law and others. Because obey these laws are the basic situations to run a company. Five Forces Framework: It will follow 5 parts: Competitive Rivalry, Buyer, Suppliers, Substitutes, and Potential Entrants. Competitive Rivalry Some researches show the price is not the most important factor customers would consider, they are more focus on the value of the products. Like Dior, many rich people are honest fans of its products through the price is very high. This is a big difference between normal products and luxury goods. They buy Dior for distinguishing others. According to the psychology of customers, Dior promoted a strategy from 2003, which is called limited edition. Dior Company produces some goods with specific design, and most important point is the company will control the numbers of the goods. It made a big success until now, every time when Dior creates new limited-good, they will be sold much quickly than others. Beside great quality goods, Dior pays a lot of attentions on its services for customers, DallOlmo Riley and Lacroix ( 2000) pointed out that all luxury brands not only focus on selling goods but also making a great relationship with their customers after sale. All of these strategies made Dior Compare with its biggest competitors like Gucci, Armani, and Hermes. Christian Dior got more benefits in sales within its talent manager groups. Buyer and Suppliers: Developing new customers and suppliers is a very important plan to Dior. For example Dior invested a lot into developing Chinese market. Especially after 2008 Beijing Olympics Game, most of countries think China is the world next economic superpower. Furthermore, Chinese could supply cheaper resources with the same qualities as European countries. That means built factory in China could reduce a lot of costs. Substitutes and Potential Entrants In order to meet more and more customers requirements, in 2004 Dior expanded internet sales as another kind of channels for selling. It is much more convenient with internet selling, people feel happy to choose their purchases online. Okonkwo (2005, P57) point out that brands like Dior or Chanel have built their empire not only by capitalizing on their products but also on the aura of the brand, which itself is perpetuated through marketing mix elements such as store atmosphere and communication. Suggestions and conclusion: Developing Dior company need to do more effective actions, it should be considered from the main driver of market. DallOlmo Riley, Lomax and Blunden (2004, P40) stated that fast moving consumer goods, growth, rather than defense, it is the main driver for extending luxury brands. Especially in nowadays, Dior gets a lot of stress under the global financial crisis. The Economist (2003) reported because of Euro against dollar, the expenditure of luxury goods from customers decreased dramatically. Basing on literatures, launching extension for Dior seems a feasibility strategy. However researching elements like desirability, high awareness and exclusive is not an easy thing. It is easy to find out that knowing the strategic drivers is a much important factor for managements of luxury brands when they considering to extend their brands. As DallOlmo Riley, Lomax and Blunden (2004, P45) indicated that decision and launch criteria are the same for fast moving and for luxury goods. And, managers always need consider the brands craftsmanship, heritage, culture and tradition before making the decision of whether it should be extended, although the main structure would not change at all. Chernatony and McDonald(2003, P25) typified: A successful brand is an identifiable product, service, person or place, augmented in such a way that the buyer or user perceives relevant, unique added values which match their needs most closely. Furthermore, its success results from being able to sustain these added values in the face of competition. Which means managers should follow two elements; one is not only concern the products themselves but also consider from the whole bus iness. The other is, keeping the tradition of original brands. For Dior Company, it has got a high success and respect in fashion areas, the only thing it need to do is considering how to keep its dominant position and keep walking in future.

Euphoria: Glengarry Glen Ross :: essays research papers fc

Euphoria   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Glengarry Glen Ross is a movie based on the award winning play by David Mamet dealing with the corrupt world of real estate salesmen in hot pursuit of closing their next big deal in hopes of obtaining the American Dream. The desire for the next big lead or prospect as it is called in the real estate world causes the salesman to act out in a foolish and oftentimes violent manner. The behavior the salesmen demonstrate when a lead is unavailable can be compared to a crack head experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Both will deviate from what is socially acceptable behavior and become violent with actions or words, harm others or their property and cause them and others stress related illnesses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salesmen are put under tremendous amounts of stress by their bosses on a daily basis. The 3M meetings or â€Å"morning motivational meetings,† are designed to keep the salespeople alert, on their toes and ready to control the mind of any hot leads they might obtain that day. An example of this in the movie is when Dave Moss states, ‘â€Å"I’ve got 48 hours to make a lot of money,’† (Glengarry Glen Ross). You can almost feel the tension oozing from the desperate man’s voice as he speaks these words. This type of ultimatum will in effect cause the person to become anxious and panicked as they attempt to meet the deadline their boss has placed on them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Psychological mind control is a way the bosses motivate their salespeople and this mind control has a trickle down effect. The salespeople then use the mind control technique they learn from their bosses on their clients as well. In the movie, Shelley Levine aka â€Å"The Machine,† illustrates the technique on a prospect: ‘â€Å"You gotta’ believe in yourself†¦If you see the opportunity then take it†¦ this is the now and this is that dream†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ (Glengarry Glen Ross). Shelley Levine then proceeds to tell his client â€Å"‘Now I want you to sign†¦I sat for five minutes then I sat for twenty two minutes watching the clock on the wall†¦ I locked in on them and they finally signed’† (Glengarry Glen Ross). This hypnotic effect of mind control is hard to master; however, once the defense barriers are broken one can close many deals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After many disappointing cold calls, meetings and drop bys one of the salesmen, Dave Moss, has an idea that he feels is sure to be the solution to all their troubles with the bad leads.

Customer Perception Essay

ABSTRACT Recent advancements in technology have facilitated commerce around the globe. The online medium of commerce has provided and will continue to provide great opportunities for consumers and businesses. However, there are a number of issues that need to be addressed before the advantages of online shopping can be fully realized. One significant aspect is consumer perception of online shopping. The purpose of this paper is to examine the online shopping perception of consumers who shop from traditional stores. A survey was conducted in shopping malls in the southeastern region of the United States. The results show a positive perception of offline consumers toward online shopping. In addition, the results coincide with national trends for online shopping which show many traditional shoppers gather information on products and services online, but still make the purchase onsite in a traditional setting by visiting a store. Keywords: Perception of shopping, Offline shopping consumers, Online increasing numbers of customers. Many traditional businesses are reacting by going online to remain competitive (Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Advancements in technology enable apparel stores, for instance, to improve their online services by using personalized virtual models allowing consumers to visualize the product on the model to determine correct sizing and fit (Kim and Kim 2004; for a trend forecast of the online apparel industry, see: Newbery 2004). In general, online businesses such as Dell are able to mass customize because of current technology and offer customers basically a build-to-order service. Retail based e-commerce sites also try to serve customers by providing a personal shopper. As the shopper searches for an item of interest online, similar or complementing products are suggested. This personal one-on-one customized assistance might require more knowledgeable staff in a traditional store and might require an increase in the costs of products to compensate for the increased staffing costs. The internet has influenced the life of everyone in the recent years and has impacted behavior of consumers (Garrett and Parrott 2005). In general, three types of consumers in regard to their shopping habits can be classified (Lepkowska-White 2004): Online shoppers, i.e. those who purchase regularly online Online browsers, who mainly use the internet as a source of information but prefer to conduct their transactions in traditional stores Hard core offline shoppers, comprised of the continuously diminishing group of individuals, who do not use the resources of the internet either for information gathering or for shopping purposes These different groups show different characteristics and will need to be addressed differently to optimize or initiate online shopping behavior. This study focuses on the traditional consumers who prefer shopping onsite. It is important to know their perception toward online shopping and their classifications of online browsers or hard core offline shoppers. In addition, the factors preventing them from shopping online are important to understand. INTRODUCTION The rise in internet access and online commerce possibilities in recent years has made online shopping a major opportunity for businesses and has changed the way that consumers go about acquiring goods and services (Garrett and Parrott 2005; Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). For consumers, online shopping provides more flexibility and opportunity (Stafford, Turan, and Raisinghani 2004). For example, consumers can shop with increased knowledge of products through online research and place less reliance on salespersons. If they wish to make a purchase, consumers are not restricted by time, distance, or location (Kim and Kim 2004; Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Furthermore, online stores do not incur costs such as store staffing, maintenance, and inventory and might be able to specialize in items and extreme sizes that would not be practical for traditional stores to carry. Amazon and eBay are examples of successful online retailers that use low-priced items and large stocks to attract and retain customers. Online commerce is expanding and is attracting Online Shopping Perceptions of Offline Shoppers The findings of this study should help motivating and encouraging more people to shop online. Reasons for not shopping online might include a lack of interest and knowledge about computers or the internet or going online for research purposes only. The foregoing discussion therefore suggests the following research questions (RQs): RQ1: Are offline shoppers computer and internet literate? RQ2: Do offline shoppers go online? RQ3: Do offline shoppers access the internet for purposes other than purchasing? RQ4: Are there certain distinguishing characteristics between online and traditional shoppers (defined as online browsers and offline shoppers) in regard to online shopping? In order to answer the above RQs the following two major hypotheses are tested. H01: Offline shoppers are computer and internet illiterate H02: Offline shoppers do not go online RELATED LITERATURE The number of internet users and online shoppers are increasing significantly every year. U.S. consumers are spending billions of dollars online each year (Preston-Hubbard, 2004). The internet retail sale is increasing rapidly to the extent that this increase is realized and measured by quarter and not year. (Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Currently, many Americans have internet access and the number of households to have access to internet will increase significantly in the years to come (Lepkowska-White 2004). An increasing percentage of those who are currently connected, shop online, i.e. use the internet to complete at least one purchase per month (Lepkowska-White 2004). Similar numbers are available for the European market, where, a significant number of internet users are shopping online (Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter 2004). For example, in Germany, retail sales of textiles, electronic products and durables via the internet has increased significantly in recent years (Reinhardt 2004). A significantly higher number of individuals, sometimes referred to as online browsers in the literature (e.g. Lepkowska-White 2004), avail themselves of the resources provided by the internet to check products or compare prices (Jaillet 2003). A study by Pew Internet and American Life Project suggests that most online browsers need about one to Volume X, No. 2, 2009 23 three years to become online shoppers (LepkowskaWhite 2004). Depending on how many of those individuals can be turned into online shoppers, predictions for online sales vary widely from $81 billion in 2005 (Bellman, Lohse, and Johnson 1999; Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter 2004) to as much as $269 billion in 2006 (Lepkowska-White 2004). Consequently, there is a huge market to be explored. However, businesses must be aware of perceptions and concerns regarding online shopping of traditional shoppers, and the online browsers. In order to capitalize on this potential in the best possible way, various models and frameworks for analysis have been presented in the recent literature on the topic (Chiang, Dholakia 2003; Zhou, Chiang, Zhang 2004). Monsuwe, Dellaert, and Ruyter (2004) have suggested a framework for consumers’ intentions to shop online which draws on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), popular in the field of Information Systems. According to this framework, utilitarian dimensions such as usefulness and ease of use of the site and hedonic dimensions such as enjoyment together with the consumer’s traits shape the consumer’s attitude towards online shopping. Situational factors trust in online shopping, product characteristics and previous online shopping experience affect the final decision to conclude the transaction online or not. Lepkowska-White (2004) divides variables for the analysis of online shopping behavior into supply and demand factors, with supply factors meaning web design and technical aspects and demand factors referring to consumer factors, such as social interaction, and product/service determinants, such as selection of products available online. Despite different naming conventions, the literature on the topic agrees that the 24/7 availability of products and information about products have changed the retail industry and consumer shopping. Most stores feel they cannot afford not to be online, even if for information purposes only (Schoenbachler and Gordon 2002). Generally, time and location constraints, convenience, availability of products, incentive programs and easy comparison of product information induce shoppers to shop online (Huang, Schrank, Dubinsky 2004; Kim and Kim 2004; Levin, Levin, and Heath 2003). Shoppers are looking for hassle free, accurate transactions, proper display of sufficient information and efficient download times for sites in their online experience (Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Regarding price, the literature cites both lower prices as incentives for shopping online (GfK 2004; Girard, Silverblatt, and Korgaonkar 2002; Kim and Kim 2004) as well as a lesser degree of price sensitivity of online shoppers Issues in Information Systems due to the added convenience. In addition, online browsers display a higher degree of price sensitivity compared to online shoppers but lesser degree of time sensitivity (Lepkowska-White 2004). The demographic information on online shoppers is inconsistent in the literature. For example, Kim & Kim (2004), report 43% of their respondents held graduate degrees while 12.41% of respondents in Tamini, Sebastianelli, and Rajan’s (2005) study held graduate degrees. It seems, however, that most online shoppers have a higher level of education and higher incomes, with the average household income of online shoppers expected to be $65,000 by 2006 (Kim and Kim 2004). While currently the majority of online shoppers is aged 44 or under (Kim & Kim 2004), shoppers aged 50 years and over are expected to become a more significant portion of the online shopping population, increasing to 30% by 2006 (Anonymous 2002). Regarding gender, research suggests that while men were early adopters of online shopping behavior, women have caught up and online shopping is starting to display the same gender proportion as offline shopping does (Kim and Kim 2004; Lepkowska-White 2004; Stafford, Turan and Raisinghani 2004; Tamini, Sebastianelli and Rajan 2005; Van Slyke, Comunale, and Belanger 2002). Previous positive experience with online shopping, trust in the company shopped from, and sufficient customer service enhance positive attitudes towards online shopping as well as conviction of one’s ability in one’s computer skills and access to computers and the internet (Levin, Levin, and Heath 2003). Generally, the greatest obstacles to getting individuals to shop online are hedonic dimensions of the shopping experience, security concerns and a lack of confidence in their computer skills (Swinyard and Smith 2003). The majority of those, who value the social components of the traditional shopping experience, such as interaction with sales people, window shopping, meeting up with peers and friends or the benefit of obtaining the product immediately, spend less time engaging in online shopping (Lepkowska-White 2004). Similarly, despite increased attempts at better security, credit card and personal information security are still a main concern for most shoppers: approximately 500 emails per day report online fraud to the Securities and Exchange Commission and average losses from online fraud have risen from $318 per person in 2000 to $638 in 2001 (Sager and Green 2002; Lepkowska-White 2004). Finally, individuals who do not complete transactions online indicated a lower level of confidence in their computer skills (LepkowskaWhite 2004). Volume X, No. 2, 2009 24 In order to retain current and attract new online customers, online stores should ensure sufficient product information, such as displaying price and the product details as well as a well operational, current, user friendly and easy to download web sites (Chiang and Dholakis 2003). Security and accurate and comprehensive cost information positively skew the customer perception of the online shopping experience as well as good customer service and hassle free return policies (Tamimi, Sebastianelli, and Rajan 2005). Providing free shipping might prove a powerful incentive to increase the number of persons who complete an online purchase: a 2002 study found that shipping costs were the deterrent for 53% of individuals in the US who decided against an online purchase in the last steps of the process (Kim and Kim 2004). METHODOLOGY A survey was randomly administered at shopping malls in the southeastern region of the United States. A survey instrument was developed to determine the perception of consumers who enjoy shopping from traditional stores about online shopping. The survey was not conducted online to better target the offline shoppers. 264 surveys were used for the purpose of data analysis. Fourteen surveys had to be discarded since they were incomplete or instructions had not been followed. The survey consisted of components such as demographics, computer and internet literacy, perception which included attitude and behavior. FINDINGS The largest group of respondents was aged 18-30 (35.7%), and the next largest group was individuals aged 61 and over (28.3%). Of the 264 respondents, 32.6% were male. The most common response, given by slightly less than 30% of the respondents, indicated they were shopping online one to five times per year which further confirms the respondents of this study to be primarily offline shoppers. Online shoppers are assumed to shop online more than once a month (Lepkowska-White 2004). The consumers of this study were overwhelmingly computer literate and had access to the internet (84.5%). However, they were shopping in shopping malls (RQ1). Therefore, H01 is rejected and there is evidence that the offline shoppers of this study are in fact computer and internet literate. Many of them indicated they were going online (RQ2) to collect information and do research on products to be better prepared shoppers before purchasing items in Issues in Information Systems Online Shopping Perceptions of Offline Shoppers traditional stores (72.4%) (RQ3). Only a small number of these consumers purchased the product online (1 to 5 times a year) after they found the searched product (32.3%) (RQ4). Therefore, H02 is also rejected and the contention offline shoppers of this study do in fact go online is supported. It is clear that the consumers of this study shop offline. However, a small number of them 32.3% while searching for information on different products online ended up purchasing the product online one to five times per year (29.7%). These individual cited the following reasons for completing the transaction online and purchasing the product they were researching for online: Familiarity with the online stores, No brick-and-mortar alternative (e-Bay, Amazon), Low-ticketed items. In addition, they considered ease of return the online-purchased item, and they thought the design of website was influential in their decision of finalizing the transaction and purchasing the product online. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Online shopping has already influenced shopping patterns and is expected to influence even more in the future with improvements in technology. Online shopping has made shoppers more knowledgeable than ever before. Consumers are becoming more efficient by shopping online and more effective because of ease of information accessibility online. Many shoppers go online for research purpose rather than purchase purpose. Prices and features of products can easily be compared to make an informed purchase decision. Information on products can be obtained from anywhere at anytime. The purchase is then made online or from a more tradition store. Especially for more expensive purchases, shoppers tend to take advantage of the availability of information online, replacing traditional methods of going from store to store in order to compare prices and look for the best buy. Consumers in this study as expected were mainly offline shoppers who were browsing the internet for information. They were computer literate and had access to the internet. This study reveals a positive attitude toward online shopping by those consumers who still like traditional stores. The consumers of this study are mostly in low and high age groups. It is possible that these consumer groups place a stronger emphasis on the social aspects of offline shopping and have more time to spend in traditional stores and malls and value the offline shopping experience for social reasons, such as meeting with friends. These consumers are technology oriented and take advantage of technology and the inter net to educate themselves about products of interest and then purchase them from traditional stores. CONCLUSION, LIMITATIONS, AND FUTURE WORKS Online shopping is a relatively new experience and has greatly impacted the lives of consumers in its short time of existence (Garrett & Parrott 2005). It is expected to grow constantly in years to come with more advancement in technology. Online shopping has made consumers more effective and efficient in their shopping behavior and has driven businesses to a new level, forcing many to make the necessary adjustments and changes to reach the new market of knowledgeable consumers (Lepkowska-White 2004; Schaupp and BÃ ©langer 2005). Tomorrow’s consumers include today’s elementary and secondary school students who grow up using browsers and search tools in order to retrieve information from global resources. The offline shoppers of this study indicated a positive perception of online shopping. These offline shoppers collected the necessary information online to facilitate their offline shopping, and it seems they are not too far away from completing the transaction and making the purchase online. It is important for businesses to find the online analogy of factors that make customers buy in a brick-and-mortar setting (Lepkowska-White 2004). Future studies should look into the factors preventing the current offline shoppers and online browsers from completing the transaction online after they have gained more knowledge about the product of interest. Factors encouraging individuals to complete a transaction online should be investigated. Future studies should also focus on what needs to be done in order to make the idea of online shopping in general more appealing to offline shoppers to turn more offline shoppers into online shoppers. In addition, perception of online shoppers toward traditional stores and onsite shopping should be considered. A perception comparison of online and offline shoppers on the internet and online shopping in general would facilitate understanding of restraining and motivational factors in online shopping. This survey was conducted in one region and future works should focus on different regions and classifications of consumers based on demographic make up such as age, income, and occupation. Cultural differences and online shopping would also be a good factor to examine (see for instance: Bin, Chen, and Sun 2003; Stafford, Turan and Raisinghani 2004). REFERENCES 1. Anonymous, 2002, Online Shoppers Grow Up Marketing Management, 11(3), 4. Bellman, S, G. L. Lohse, and E. J. Johnson, 1999, Predictors of Online Buying Behavior, Communications of the ACM, 42(12), 32-38. Bin, Q., C. Shu-Jen and S. Sun, 2003, Cultural Differences in E-Commerce: A Comparison Between the U.S. and China, Journal of Global Information Management, 11(2), 48-56. Chiang, K. and Ruby R. Dholakia, 2003, Factors Driving Consumer Intention to Shop Online: An Empirical Investigation, Journal of Consumer Psychology, 13(1, 2), 98-105. 4. Garrett, G. and G. Parrott, 2005, E-Business: Understanding Key Trends and Applying Best Practices, Contract Management, 45(7), 34-42. GfK Group, 2004, Market for Online Shopping Grows, Retrieved from: http://www.gfk.com/english/presse/pressemeldun g/contentdetail.php Girard, T., R. Silverblatt, and P. Korgaonkar, 2002, Influence of Product Class on Preference for Shopping on the Internet, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 8, 1-22. Huan g, W., H. Schrank and A.J. Dubinsky, 2004, Effect of Brand Name on Consumers’ Risk Perceptions of Online Shopping, Journal of Consumer Behavior, 4(1), 40-51. Jaillet, H.F., 2003, Web Metrics: Measuring Patterns in Online Shopping, Journal of Consumer Behavior, 2(4), 369-382. Kim E.Y. and Y. Kim., 2004, Predicting Online Purchase Intentions for Clothing Products, European Journal of Marketing, 38(7), 883-898. 12. Newbery, M., 2004, Trends in Apparel Online Retailing, Forecasts to 2010, Just in Style, 1-8. 13. Monsuwe, Perea y, T., B. Dellaert and K. de Ruyter, 2004, What Drives Consumers to Shop Online? A Literature Review, International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(1), 102-122. 14. Preston-Hubbard, H. April 17, 2004, Growth Drives Revival in Internet Shares, International Herald Tribune. 15. Reinhardt, A., 2004, Europe Hits the E-Mall, Business Newsweek, 51-52. 16. Sager, I. and H. Green, 2002, So Where Are All the Bargains?, Business Week, 162-164. 17. Schaupp, L. and F. BÃ ©langer, 2005, A Conjoint Analysis of Online Consumer Satisfaction, Journal of Electronic Consumer Research, 6(2), 95-111. 18. Schoenbachler, D. and G. Gordon, 2002, Multichannel Shopping: Understanding What Drives Channel Choice, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, 19(1), 42-54. 19. Stafford, T.H., A. Turan and M. Raisinghani, 2004, International and Cross-Cultural Influences on Online Shopping Behavior, Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 7(2), 70-88. 20. Swinyard, W. R. and S. M. Smith, 2003, Why People (Don’t) shop Online: A Lifestyle Study of the Internet Consumer, Psychology and Marketing, 20, 567-597. 21. Tamimi, N., Sebastianelli, R. & Rajan M., 2005, What Do Online Customers Value?, Quality Progress, 38(7), 35-40.

Beauty Contest: Do they serve any purpose in society? Essay

A. Beauty contest almost xxxx refers to contest for women xxxx is usually for both genders; however for men are are mainly body building contest. Most contest are designed for women. Beauty contest compels especially women to conform to certain type of fantasy or unrealistic form of beauty. B. This topic is important because beauty contest affect women of all ages around the world on so many levels. It affects how women perceive themselves against other women. Most of all it affects women self confident and self-esteem and how beauty is defined in general. C. Beauty contest or pageants have been in existence since 1857 but became popular in 1920’s. The first beauty pageant was in 1854 but was protested against so much that the contest had to be put on hold for a while. In 1888 , the first ever beauty queen was crowned in Spa-Belgium in 192. The 16 year old Margaret Gorman was crowned as the first Miss America. Since then many countries have followed; especially Germany and USA. D. Beauty contest is a competition which mainly focuses on physical beauty the participants usually women are judged on their attractiveness with a prize and often a title awarded to the winner. E. There has always been divided opinions when it comes to the topic of beauty contest and how important it is. There have been argument for and against the purposes of beauty contest in society especially today. In my opinion beauty contest does not serve any purpose in our society today. Beauty content were first introduced in the USA in 1854 and was put on hold due to the intense criticizes made by the general public. The very first beauty queen crowned ever was crowned in Spa in Belgium in 1888 followed by many countries especially Germany and USA. 16 years old Margaret Gorman was the first Miss America crowned in 1921. In 1922 and 1923 one person xxx after which the rules changed so no one person can win the title more than ones. Originally Miss America was called the National Beauty Tournament and  then the organizers decided to call it Miss America as presently known. When the Miss America pageant started as a way to improve tourism on the New Jersey coast in Atlanta City. At the first beauty pageant contestants were asked to send pictures from which 21 were selected to appear before a panel of judges. Currently there are four main big international pageants; Miss World founded in 1951, Miss Universe founded in 1952, Miss International in 1960 and Miss Earth in 2001. In 2004 Brazil won all four beauty pageants. The purpose of beauty pageant in society has always been a controversial topic because women from all over the world are judged by the same standard of beauty present by these pageants. There is the argument that beauty pageants promotes women empowerment because part of the goal of the organizers of Miss America was to empower young women to achieve their personal goals while providing a forum in which to express their opinion, talent and intelligence. This may be true to some extend ; afterall there is xxxx. Where contestants are required to enter with a platform a course to advocate during their one yearlong reign. Time to persue her own cause is limited at best-per Amanda Angelotti in confessions of a â€Å"beauty pageant drop out† published in campus progress. Secondly, how it’s looking good and attractive for men whether through beauty pageant or cosmetic surgery real empowerment. Moreover as observed by Prof. Stoeltyle â€Å"that is to say that women should continue to be seductive and to be governed by the powers. In view of all the above reasons, beauty pageants obviously does more harm than good to the women and the society as a whole. Women need to learn the true meaning of beauty that their unique personality and inner beauty is what makes a phenomenal woman. Women need to be educated and to understand that it is not acceptable to be judged by other people’s perspective; being beauty or otherwise. Courtney E. Martine author of â€Å"Perfect Girls† starring daughters describe how the quest of perfection is having young women. â€Å"Beauty pageants must die..!. I would rather live in a world where those same girls don’t have to learn hours to walk in high heels to afford college. Lately there has been a tremendous increase in child beauty pageant and the age keep dropping. Putting the same kind of pressure on being evaluated solely on the looks on children who don’t even understand the make of their bodies yet. If the harmful results of beauty pageants are not highlited enough and women are educated to accept themselves just as they are more and more women both young and old will continue to search for this unatainable ideal beauty which is only a fantasy resulting in more young women suffering from various dietry disorders and more. The buttom line is that, â€Å"beauty is an organic process not a contest. Women deserves better says Courtney E. Martin; in her article to New York Times â€Å"Beauty Pageant Should Die†.