Orange marketing

Executive Summary Orange is a leading mobile phone network service provider in UK. The company has succeeded in the market due to its strong brand image, ability to offer a variety of products and the use of innovative distribution channels. UK’s mobile phone industry is characterized with intense competition, high regulation, saturation and slow growth.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Orange marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More These threats have negatively affected mobile phone network operators. Orange for instance, has experienced a reduction in subscriptions and market share. Thus, Orange should implement an effective marketing strategy in order to improve its competitiveness. In particular, appropriate marketing objectives should be pursued, the marketing mix, as well as, segmentation, targeting and positioning should be improved. Marketing Strategy for a UK Branded Mobile Phone Network Pr ovider Introduction In this report, a marketing strategy will be developed for Orange Ltd. Orange is a leading mobile phone network provider in the United Kingdom (UK). The essence of the report is to enable the management of Orange to understand the dynamics of the UK mobile phone market. It will also help in developing products that will enable the company to remain competitive and profitable. The report begins with a situational analysis of the UK mobile phone market. Recommendations on how to adapt Orange’s marketing strategy to the current situation will then be highlighted. Terms of Reference Background The UK mobile phone market is characterized with intense competition and slow growth. Consequently, mobile phone network providers must develop effective marketing strategies in order to overcome the competition. Purpose In this report, a situational analysis will be conducted on the UK mobile phone market. Based on this analysis, recommendations will be made on how Oran ge can enhance its competitiveness through an effective marketing strategy. Scope The report will include a detailed analysis of the external environment, as well as, the internal environment of Orange. The recommendations will focus only on the marketing strategy. Methodology The external environment will be analyzed using the PESTEL framework, while the internal environment will be analyzed using the SWOT analysis. Recommendations will be made with the aid of marketing concepts such as 7 P’s, segmentation, targeting and positioning. Secondary data will be used for the analysis.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Limitations The main limitation is the difficulty in finding accurate and latest information about Orange and the UK mobile phone industry. Thus, the statistics used in the report are assumed to be accurate. Situational Analysis PESTEL Analysis PESTEL anal ysis is a tool used by marketers to study the macro-environmental factors that influence competition in a given industry. These factors include political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal factors. Political Factors Political factors are the government policies that affect the operation of businesses in a given country. The UK is one of the most politically stable countries in Europe (Jain 2007, pp. 471-492). The country is governed through a constitutional monarchy. The political stability enhances investments since it minimizes risks such as wars which can negatively affect businesses. In order to promote rapid economic growth, the government supports local businesses through subsidies, removal of tariff barriers to trade, bailouts and effective regulation. Currently, the government has implemented economic stimulus packages and austerity measures in order to promote economic growth. Economic Factors UK has the sixth largest economy in the world and the thir d largest in Europe, according to nominal GDP measures. In January 2010, UK left the recession it entered into in 2009, following the 2008/2009 global financial crisis (Michael 2011, pp. 420-431). UK recorded an increase in GDP by 0.8% in 2011 and is expected to record a GDP growth of 1.2% in 2012. Hence, the business cycle of UK is at its recovery stage. UK’s GDP per capita is $39,604, according to 2011 estimates (Dungey 2011, pp. 123-130). In January 2012, UK’s inflation rate was 3.6%, down from 4.2% in December 2011. The Bank of England lowered its interest rate to 0.5% in 2011 in order to enhance economic growth. Thus, unemployment rate has since reduced from 11.9% in 2009 to 8.1% in 2011. Nearly 60% of UK’s population is made up of median income earners, while 14% lives below the poverty line. The implication of these statistics is that UK has a large consumer market with a high purchasing power.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on O range marketing specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Social Factors According to the 2001 census, UK’s population is estimated to be 60 million people. Approximately two thirds of the population consists of individuals between the age of 15 and 60 years. This age group consists of the youth who spend their leisure time on entertainment through hand-held devices such as smart-phones. It also consists of the working class that highly depends on mobile phones for communication, organization of personal schedules and entertainment (Khuong 2011, pp. 357-372). Generally, consumerism remains very high in UK, despite the decline in economic growth. This has resulted into high consumption of luxurious and high quality goods and services. For instant, in 2011, the rate of mobile phone penetration in UK was 130%. Over 90% of the population has access to mobile phones, hence the high demand for mobile phone network services. Technological Fact ors UK invests approximately 3% of its total GDP on research and development (RD). The government promotes RD through incentives such as tax credits and direct investments (Antolin Manez 2011, pp. 641-659). UK has a high rate of technological transfer as illustrated by the sharp increase in the number of patents, copyrights and licenses issued in regard to new discoveries in the last decade. Emerging technologies such as 3G/ 4G network, cloud computing and broadband internet, have enabled mobile phone network operators to offer new services. The operators have also been able to use efficient distribution channels and offer excellent customer services through these technologies. Environmental Factors Environmental factors such as weather patterns impact provision of mobile phone network services. For example, floods and earthquakes can destroy network infrastructure or equipment. They can also interfere with the quality of network signal. Environmental risks are low in UK since the country is less susceptible to natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes (Fudge 2011, pp. 789-808). Legal UK has an effective legal framework that guides business activities. Business regulation focuses on consumer protection and promotion of fair trade. The mobile phone industry is highly regulated. The government regulates the content of data services provided by the mobile phone network companies.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The government also controls calling rates through price caps (Ward Woroch 2010, pp. 18-32). Licenses for operating on new technologies such as 4G are obtained at exorbitant fees from the industry regulator. The high regulation impacts negatively on the revenues of mobile phone companies. Orange’s Differential Advantage Differential advantage refers to â€Å"the benefit(s) of a product that customers value and believe they can not obtain anywhere else† (Peters Donnelly 2010, p. 67). Sustainable differential advantage can be achieved by emphasizing psychological, as well as, functional values of a product. A differential advantage enables a firm to increase its market share and profitability. Orange’s differential advantages include the following. Orange is the best provider of online entertainment services via mobile phones. The company offers over 50 entertainment channels which cover cinemas, sports and music. The services are of high quality since they are based on high definition (HD) and 3D technology (Orange 2012, 10-600). Orange is also one of the few UK companies that have applied for 4G network technology license. The new network will enable the company to provide the best signal quality and the fastest internet access. Finally, Orange has introduced new services that suit the lifestyles of its customers. For example, it introduced contactless payment services which enable customers to pay for their shopping using their mobile phones. In a nutshell, Orange’s unique selling point includes high quality products, as well as, a variety of tailor-made products. By differentiating its products on the basis of quality, Orange has been able to achieve a competitive edge in UK. Competitive edge refers to â€Å"the ability to gain advantage over the competition in terms of one or more elements of the marketing mix that is valued by the potential customers† (Dhar Winer 2010, p. 76). The competitive edge has enabled Orange to increase its customers, thereby becoming the third largest firm by market size in the industry. Additionally, the firm has been able to maintain an average growth of 10% on profits in the last three years. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is a tool used by marketers to analyze a firm’s internal and external environment. In particular, it enables the firm to identify its weaknesses and strengths, as well as, the threats and opportunities in the industry. Strengths Orange has the following strengths. First, Orange has a large customer base that consists of over 16.5 million mobile phone service subscribers (Orange 2012, 10-600). Second, Orange has formed a joint venture with T-mobile. The joint venture has enabled Orange to reduce its operating costs and to access additional capital for investments. Additionally, Orange has been able to access more customers, thereby increasing its profits. Third, Orange has a strong brand image that is recognized for high quality and a variety of services (Orange 2012, 10-600). Finally, the company has innovative distribution channels that improves customer satisfaction and lowers distribution costs. Weaknesses First, Orange has been experiencing a reduction in broadband subscriptions. Initially, Orange was operating on 2G and 3G networks which had a relatively slow internet connection. This led to high customer dissatisfaction. Second, Orange’s market share has reduced in the last three years due to high competition. Finally, the joint venture with T-Mobile will limit Orange’s control over its operations and services in UK (Orange 2012, pp. 10-600). Lack of full control over operations might deny Orange the opportunity to implement strategies that will enable it to overcome competition. Opportunities Orange has the following opportunities. First, the contactless payment segment of the market has not been fully exploited since only a few firms serve it. Thus, Orange has the opportunity to increase its revenue b y serving this segment. Second, the launch of 4G technology in UK is an opportunity for Orange to increase efficiency; to launch new products and to improve the quality of existing products (Giachetti Marchi 2010, pp. 1123-1150). Threats First, UK’s mobile phone industry is approaching its maturity or saturation stage. Consequently, there will be very little or no chance for growth in the future. Second, the economic crisis in Europe can negatively affect UK, thereby reducing expenditure on mobile phone services (Michael 2011, pp. 420-431). Third, high regulation, especially, on prices is likely to reduce Orange’s revenues. Finally, high competition is likely to reduce Orange’s market share and profits. Recommendations Orange can enhance its competitiveness by leveraging its strengths and exploiting the opportunities available in the industry. Additionally, it should minimize its weakness and the risks posed by the threats in the industry. This can be achieved by considering the following recommendations. Segmentation, Targeting and Positioning Segmentation refers to â€Å"the process of grouping people or organizations within a market according to similar needs, characteristics or behavior† (Bradley 2005, p. 54). It helps marketers to identify the kind of customers that exist in a market and their needs. Orange should embark on market segmentation because it is often difficult if not impossible to satisfy all tastes and preferences. Additionally, firms that focus on a particular market segment are often more profitable. Orange can segment its market based on the following variables. To begin with, the company can focus on demographic factors (Hassan Craft 2005, pp. 81-89). Different age groups have different needs in regard to phone usage. For example, the teenagers are more likely to use phones for entertainment than adults. The working class is likely to use mobile phones for business transactions. Additionally, expenditure on mobile phone services varies across income groups. Thus, it is necessary to offer products that are tailor-made for every segment. For instance, more TV channels can be provided to target the teenagers, while low cost call services can be introduced to target low income earners. Segmentation can also be based on the benefits sought by the customers (Simkin 2007, pp. 464-474). For example, fast internet and data services can be provided to the business community, while contactless payment services can be provided to shoppers. Orange can also segment its market based on behavior. In this case, the company should focus on building brand loyalty in order to retain its customers. Finally, usage rate and user status can be used to segment the market. For example, relatively cheap services can be offered to heavy users of the network to enhance their loyalty. Additionally, customers can be group as post-paid and pre-paid clients in order to provide flexible service payment options. Targeti ng is the process through which one or more segments are selected. Targeting should take into account the extent to which existing segments are being served (Bradley 2005, p. 77). It will be much easier for Orange to appeal to customers in the internet/ data and contactless payment services since these segments have not yet been fully exploited. The size of the segment should also be taken into account since it determines profitability. In this context, the middle class that forms 60% of the population should be targeted. Specific groups within this segment such as the working class and the business community should be targeted with tailor-made products. Finally, Orange must take into account its ability to serve the selected segments. Currently, Orange is financially stable and has a well established brand, especially, in data and call services. Hence, it is capable of offering tailor made services for new and existing segments. Positioning, involves using marketing techniques such as advertising to create a mental image of a product in the customer’s mind (Kalafatis, Tsogas Blankous 2000, pp. 416-437). Orange should position itself by emphasizing the service features that are valued by each segment. For example, Orange can position itself as the provider of the fastest and cheapest internet in the data segment. It can also position itself as the provider of a variety of high quality entertainment services. Marketing Objectives Marketing objectives help a firm to address its weaknesses and to take advantage of available opportunities. Marketing objectives should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Thus, Orange can consider the following marketing objectives: To improve customer satisfaction (broadband services) by 20% in the next 2 years To increase market share by 5% in the next 2 years To provide 99% 4G network coverage in the next 12 months To increase contactless payment service subscription by 15% in the next 18 months Marketing Mix: 7P’s The 7P’s refers to â€Å"product, price, promotion, place, packaging, positioning and people† (Bradley 2005, p. 91). The 7P’s are used as benchmarks for evaluating the effectiveness of the marketing strategy. Orange should assess its existing products to determine if they meet the needs of the customers. Products should be improved regularly in order to adapt them to the changing needs of the customers. Given the high competition in the market, Orange should focus on penetration pricing to increase its market share. Additionally, it can charge premium prices for high quality products that target high income earners. This will help in increasing profits. Promotion refers to the activities and techniques used to inform customers about a product. In this context, Orange’s adverts should emphasize the main features of its products. Additionally, a variety of advertising media such as print and electronic media should be used to rea ch many customers. Place refers to the actual location where the products are sold (Bradley 2005, p. 92). In order to increase sales, Orange should distribute its products through a wide range of channels such as online sales, retail shops and supermarkets. Packaging refers to the appearance of the product. In this case, the company should focus on including the features that are valued by the customers in its products. Given the high competition in the industry, Orange should position itself on the basis of service quality, variety, and excellent customer services. Finally, talented people should be hired and entrusted with the various marketing activities. This is because a marketing strategy can only be as good as the people who developed and implemented it. Conclusion The situational analysis reveals that UK’s mobile phone market is characterized with intense competition, high regulation and slow growth. These trends are the main threats in the industry. Orange’s m ain strengths include a strong brand image and financial stability (Orange 2012, pp. 10-600). Its main weakness is declining subscriptions, and market share. The introduction of 4G technology and new segments are the main opportunities in the industry. The current situation is likely to have a negative impact on Orange’s competitiveness if an effective marketing strategy is not put in place. The marketing strategy can be improved by enhancing the segmentation, targeting and positioning; setting appropriate marketing objectives and improving the 7P’s of marketing. References Antolin, M Manez, J 2011, ‘Multinationals, RD and Productivity: Evidence for UK Manufacturing Firms’, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol. 20 no. 2, pp. 641-659. Bradley, F 2005, International Marketing Strategy, Cengage learning, New York. Dhar, R Winer, R 2010, Marketing Management, John Wiley and Sons, New York. Dungey, M 2011, ‘A SVECM Model of the UK Economy and the Term P remium’, Journal of Economics and Management, vol. 34 no. 2, pp. 123-130. Fudge, S 2011, ‘Behavior Change in the UK Climate Debate: an Assesment of Responsibility, Agencies and Political Dimensions’, Sustainability, vol. 6 no. 3, pp. 789-808. Giachetti, C Marchi, G 2010, ‘Evolution of Firm’s Product Strategy over the Life-Cycle of Technology-Based Industries: a Case Study of Global Mobile Phone Industry’, Business History, vol. 52 no. 7, pp. 1123-1150. Hassan, S Craft, S 2005, ‘Linking Global Marketing Segmentation Decision with Strategic Positioning Options’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 22 no. 2, pp. 81-89. Jain, S 2007, ‘Global Competition’, Journal of Economics and Management, vol. 21 no. 3, pp. 471-492. Kalafatis, S, Tsogas, M Blankous, C 2000, ‘Positioning Strategies in Business Marketing’, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, vol. 15 no. 6, pp. 416-437. Khuong, V 2011, ‘ICT as a Source of Economic Growth in the Information Age: Emperical Evidence from 1996-2005 Period’, Telecommunications Policy, vol. 35 no. 4, pp. 357-372. Michael, J 2011, ‘From Plan B to Plan V: What the UK Economy Need to Reboot and Grow’, Journal of Economics and Management, vol. 4 no. 2, pp. 420-431. Orange 2011, Annual Financial report: 2011 FY, Orange, London. Peters, P Donnelly, J 2010, Marketing Management, McGraw-Hill, New York. Simkin, L 2007, ‘Achieving Market Segmentation from B2B Sectorisation’, Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 23 no. 7, pp. 464-474. Ward, M Woroch, G 2010, ‘The Effect of Prices on Fixed and Mobile Phone Penetration’, Information Economics and Policy, vol. 22 no. 1, pp. 18-32. This assessment on Orange marketing was written and submitted by user Lane Walton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Every IB Business and Management Past Paper Available FREE and Official

Every IB Business and Management Past Paper Available FREE and Official SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you want to do well on your IB exams (which you should since acing them will get you college credits), you need to prepare like you would for any standardized test such as the PSAT, SAT or ACT, with practice tests. Preparing for the IB exams doesn't simply mean reviewing your class notes. You should use IB Business and Management past papers as practice tests so that you feel prepared for the length, format, and types of questions asked. In this article, I'll provide you with links to IB Business and Management past papers, free and official. Additionally, I'll give advice on how to use them to ace your real IB test. Free IB Business and Management Past Papers Links The IB has cracked down on illegally uploaded real past papers in the last few years, so many previous sources are no longer available. Compounding this problem, IB so far has not provided any free sample IB Business and Management exam papers on its website. We'll be sure to update this article as soon as they do with links, though! While searching for "free IB Business and Management papers" online may still turn up some results, we do not recommend using them, as there's no guarantee those papers are real past IB papers. Instead, we recommend using the relatively inexpensive official paid IB past papers and markschemes for further practice. Paid IB Business and Management Past Papers Links To download safe and official IB Business and Management SL/HL past papers and markschemes, purchase them from the Follet IBO store directly. Currently, the IBO store has two sets of English-language IB Business and Management SL past papers and IB Business and Management HL past papers in the new, 2016-exam format: one set from May 2017 and one from November 2016. (There are a small number of past IB Business Management papers in French and Spanish available on the store as well.) Note: The IBO sells each paper and mark scheme individually (boo); an individual paper or mark scheme costs $3 (or about  £2.50). This means a full test (with all papers and mark schemes) will cost about $12. Buying everything on the site from 2015 to 2017 will be costly (not to mention in different languages), so we recommend you only buy the two most recent (November 2016 and May 2017) past papers. These past papers will be the most similar to your test, and two exams will provide plenty of practice. How to Use These Exams An IB Business and Management test will take you 3 hours for SL or 4.5 hours for HL. If you are going to invest that much time, you need to be maximizing your learning from these tests. To make sure you get the most out of each practice test, follow these rules: #1: Split the Test Over Two Days In May 2019, the IBO scheduled Paper 1 and Papers 2 on two separate days before and after a weekend. If possible, you should copy this schedule exactly so that your practice is realistic. At the very least, make sure you are taking the two papers on two different days. Having to hold on to the information over multiple days (with a weekend in-between!) makes it difficult to cram for this test. You need to have mastered the IB Business and Management concepts and be able to write intelligently about them. #2: Use Exact Timing. Make sure you time yourself so that you force yourself to practice your pacing. The time allowed per paper is: Business and Management SL Paper 1- 1 hour 15 minutes Paper 2- 1 hour 45 minutes Business and Management HL Paper 1- 2 hours 15 minutes Paper 2- 2 hours 15 minutes Do not stray from this timing, not even by a minute. You need to get used to the actual exam timing. Also, you’ll get an inflated practice exam score if you allow yourself extra time. Don’t do it! Stick to the real timing so that you have a realistic indicator of your IB score. #3 (and the most important): Review! After completing all papers, review your exam with the mark scheme. Why do you need to review? Reviewing helps you figure out what mistakes you are making or what information you do not know before you take the real IB Business and Management exam. If you don’t check your answers, you’ll make the same mistakes on the actual IB Business and Management test. Take some time (at minimum an hour) to review your answers. Taking one practice test with in-depth review is far superior to taking 8 tests without review. What’s Next? Learn more about IB Business and Management and related topics: IB Business and Management Study Guide Return on Assets: What It Is and How to Use It Check out where to find past papers for your other classes: Every IB Biology Past Paper Available: Free and Official Where to Find IB Chemistry Past Papers - Free and Official Every IB Economics Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB English Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB Geography Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB History Past Paper Available: Free and Official Every IB Math Past Paper Available: Free and Official Where to Find IB Physics Past Papers - Free and Official Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Post-occupancy evaluating of low income housing Essay

Post-occupancy evaluating of low income housing - Essay Example 22). The evaluation of functional aspects assures that the building is able to meet some of the most common and inevitable needs of the occupants, that could not be sidelined in any modern human accommodation, whatever the financial constraints (Bachman 2008, p. 15). The evaluation of technical aspects of an occupied low income housing supported by the user feedback helps understand how the technical maladjustments support or restrain the daily activities of the occupants (Brown 2001, p. 82). Very often minor technical fine tuning goes a long way in enhancing the eventual benefits to the occupants. Besides it also allows for improving the designs of the future low income accommodations. The same stands true in the context of evaluation with regards to social views. This suggests the minor improvements that could help better the design to suit the aspirations of the occupant as per one’s socio-economic needs and aspirations (Brown 2001, p. 82). Reference List Bachman, Leonard R 2008, ‘Architecture and the Four Encounters with Complexity’, Architectural Engineering and Design Management, Vo. 4, no. 1, pp. 15-19.

Are Cheaters and The 5th Wheel obscene television shows and should be Essay

Are Cheaters and The 5th Wheel obscene television shows and should be fined if not prohibited from airing - Essay Example With the sudden rise in popularity of reality television shows, many business moguls have ventured into this industry which has given American television channels a lot of shows to choose from; and many of these channels are showing shows which literally lack value either politically or scientifically. This paper aims to focus on television media, particularly looking into the reality television shows Cheaters and The 5th Wheel, and identify whether the shows are offensive, indecent, inappropriate, violent and meaningless. In so doing, this paper would also present a five-point plan on how to handle the violations that these shows have in the areas of language, script and over-all impact on the general viewing public. To be able to do this, a brief description of how the shows are done to have an idea what it is. The 5th Wheel is a reality television show about blind dating. Many viewers view it as an "augmented version" of the Blind Date. Only that in this show there will be four strangers, two of which are males and the other two are females, and they all would get together on a date to see who 'gels' well with whom. At the onset of the show, a guy and a girl will be partnered together to spend sometime to get to know each other. The same thing happens to the second couple. After which, the guys would exchange girls and try to spend sometime with the new girl. In the middle of this 'getting to know' each other stage, another girl (or guy) comes in to charm the guys away from the girls. Meaning, the guys now have three girls to choose from. This situation seems to be innocently normal, as all people experience blind dating and enjoy it. The only problem is that, the girls don't only wear super 'revealing clothes' (although some would dress up like a mummy) they would also end up kissing the guy 'intimately' on national television, plus the fact that the show has a 15-minute room where a guy and a girl comes in either to talk or get really intimate with each other. Kissing is a natural phenomenon and it is a beautiful thing; but kissing and petting on national television is another story. Cheaters is another reality television show about couples in which either the guy or the girl is cheating on the other. The set-up is like an investigation where in the cheating partner is tracked and videoed without his or her knowledge. Couples could either be seriously dating, divorced or married. We all know that this is a very private matter and doing your dirty laundry on national t.v. only sends one message - that nothing stays private and sacred anymore. After all the stalking and video recording, all information gathered are then shown to the 'crying victim of infidelity'; after which confrontation takes place, with all cast and crew: the couple, the third party, the host of the show and the camera men with the other crew members, not to mention the millions of viewers watching. During the confrontation, all obscenities are said as a result of anger and embarrassment. Just imagine how humiliating and embarrassing the situation is. The show is aired to encourage people to ren ew their temperance and virtue and it is also said that this show is dedicated to the faithful couples. Well, the goal is good but the effect is not. Marital or relationship problems such as this one happens everyday. Although it is not a good

Macroeconomic forecast paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Macroeconomic forecast paper - Essay Example The NCES distinguishes three possible scenarios and, moreover, provides different figures for men and women and different age groups. For 2005-2006 the NCES's forecast of unemployment rate for the middle alternative variant is as follows: for women 25 years or older - between 4,4% and 4,7%; for men from corresponding age group - between 4,4% and 5,2% (n.d., n.p.). The forecasts of the inflation rate calculated at national level vary even to a greater extent. The experts of the Economist Intelligence Unit estimate this indicator at 2,8% level in 2005 and at 2,7 % in 2006, predicting that it will "remain relatively contained" (2005, n.p.). At the same time their colleagues from the Federal Reserve also think that the inflation rate would go down in 2006 in comparison with 2005, but expect different figures - 2,6% and 2,5% correspondingly (2005, n.p.). Another figure provided by the Federal Reserve (n.d.,n.p.) is annual estimate of inflation rate for the next ten years, which equals to 2,5 %.

Types of CAPTCHA

Types of CAPTCHA Text-Based CAPTCHAs CAPTCHA was at first conceived by Andrei Broder and his associates in 1997 and around the same time Altavista site utilized this technique as a HIP around the same time. This strategy utilized a contorted English word that a client was made a request to sort. The bended word was less demanding for clients to see however troublesome for bots to perceive utilizing OCR procedures. Content based CAPTCHAs are as a picture containing a hard to perceive content string to be distinguished and written by the client in a content box gave close to the CAPTCHA picture on the Web page. The CAPTCHA picture is of low quality with various types of clamor and solid debasement connected to it. Blum and Von Ahn in Collaboration with Yahoo contrived EZ-Gimpy and Gimpy CAPTCHA to shield talk rooms from spammers. These CAPTCHAs challenges have been broken by lexicon assaults which contained a predetermined number of words in them. A more secure sort of content based HIP, called reCAPTCHA has been proposed by similar creators. Confuse Text CAPTCHA is the Xerox Pato Alto Research Center (PARC) form of Gimpy test. Unmistakable content based CAPTCHA methods incorporate Scatter Type, Handwritten Word based CAPTCHA and Human Visual System veiling Characteristic CAPTCHA. Different specialist organizations on the Internet like PayPal, Hotmail and YouTube utilize their own forms of content construct CAPTCHAs considering their sites and overhaul them with more current forms every now and again. With a point of enhancing ease of use of content based CAPTCHAs, Richard Chow et al have proposed a nonexclusive system for changing over a literary CAPTCHA into an interactive CAPTCHA. It propos es situation of various content CAPTCHA pictures in a matrix among which some are English words while others are not. The client must tap on all legitimate English words to breeze through this CAPTCHA test. Image-Based CAPTCHAs Blum and Von Ahn proposed at first picture based CAPTCHA called ESP-PIX CAPTCHA. It utilized a bigger database of photos and energized pictures of ordinary items. The CAPTCHA framework gave a client an arrangement of pictures all connected with a similar question or idea. The client was required to enter the question or idea to which every one of the pictures had a place with e.g. the program may show pictures of Globe, Volleyball, Planet and baseball anticipating that the client should effectively relate every one of these photos with the word ball. When all is said in done picture based CAPTCHAs show a visual example or idea that the client needs to distinguish and act as needs be. Diverse picture based CAPTCHA plot utilizes distinctive examples or ideas which are anything but difficult to be perceived by the clients and troublesome for the bot projects to mimic. Other than a few others, this class of CAPTCHA strategies include: Microsoft Asirra, Image Generation for Internet Authe ntication, Image Block Exchange and Face Recognition CAPTCHAs. Mosaic-based Human Interactive Proof called MosaHIP proposes a CAPTCHA conspire for securing the download of asset against Web-bots. It utilizes a solitary bigger picture called mosaic picture which is made from littler and halfway covering genuine and fake pictures. The client needs to drag an asset communicated in type of versatile content protest on the site page and drop it onto the zone of the mosaic picture containing the picture showed in the CAPTCHA picture. Google has proposed a CAPTCHA strategy in which a client must alter randomly pivoted pictures to their upright positioning. As of late, an Image Flip CAPTCHA technique proposes utilization of a composite CAPTCHA picture involving flipped and non-flipped pictures. The client needs to tap on all pictures that show up as ordinary and with no flip connected to them. Audio-Based CAPTCHAs The main sound based CAPTCHA was actualized by Nancy Chan to give another option to content based CAPTCHAs for outwardly impeded individuals. Sound CAPTCHAs take an arbitrary grouping drawn from recordings of straightforward words or numbers, consolidate them and add some unsettling influence and clamor to it. This recording is played when the client clicks a catch gave on the website page. The CAPTCHA framework then requests that the client enter the words or potentially numbers in the recording. Sound CAPTCHAs are more hard to tackle, hard to internationalize and more requesting as far as time and endeavors in contrast with content and picture CAPTCHAs. Notwithstanding, sound based CAPTCHA tests have turned into an option for outwardly impeded individuals. Most Web administrations incorporate it notwithstanding content and picture CAPTCHAs. Different CAPTCHAs Besides above sorts of CAPTCHA tests, Collaborative Filtering and Implicit CAPTCHA challenge have been proposed in writing. Joint separation CAPTCHAs approaches contrast from others in the scenes that CAPTCHA creators dont know at first the right solution for their planned CAPTCHA, however measure it from human conclusion. Understood CAPTCHA proposes single tick difficulties recognized as fundamental perusing joins which can be replied through involvement of the setting of the Website.

Grooms Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Spee

Groom's Wedding Speech - Damn Statistics Ladies and gentleman, I have to be honest with you all and admit that I am quite nervous about standing up here and speaking this evening. While I was writing my speech I came across some interesting statistics about what guests are thinking about during a wedding speech. Apparently, twenty percent of you are thinking about getting onto the dance floor and partying the night away. Thirty percent of you are thinking about the marital status of the best man. Ladies, you may be pleased to know that he is single. He's also not very fussy as he showed at the stag party (bachelors party). It turns out that twenty percent of you are thinking about what happened at the stag party (bachelors party). Moving swiftly on. Ten percent of you are thinking about the type of couple that we will make. A rather worrying statistic, from my point of view, is that fifteen percent of you are having romantic thoughts about the person sitting next to you. There are several people here tonight who I would like to thank. I'd like to start by thanking my ...

Chemistry Essay

An increasing interest and intensive research have been devoted towards understanding the chemistry of ionic liquids over the past decade. These liquids are not any new and have extensively been used in organic separation and synthesis. With renewed interest towards these liquids, researchers have started to realize novel uses of ionic liquids and now research efforts have been spread to other specialties within the umbrella of science and technology. While research into ionic liquids has been limited to the classification as esoteric compounds, other applications of ionic liquids continue to be realized such as performance additives, bioreactor applications and in the designing of pharmaceutical compounds has received increasing recognition. Ionic liquids have been thought to be green although noxious ionic liquids have been synthesized with ease. An example of these potentially life threatening liquids have cyanide as their sole anion and alkaloid as the anions[1]. Therefore, there seems to be a misunderstanding on the nature of ionic liquids which has in many times led to the poor definition of ionic liquids. A detailed understanding will generate new insights into sustainable exploitation of ionic liquids in industrial processes. Apart from ILs being praised for being excellent solvents, they are also good catalysts especially in biological systems although they take part in highly selective catalytic solvents[2]. Definition of Ionic Liquids Ionic liquids, abbreviated as IL comprise of a new class of solvents that is mainly composed of ions (cations and anions). They ILs are regarded to be green solvents because of their properties such as negligibility to vapor pressure, high thermostability and non-inflammability. Due to these properties, new biotechnological applications are continuously being discovered. Among the biotechnological applications of ILs which have been developed include whole cell and enzymatic catalysis. While ILs have been labeled ‘green’, the label has recently been questioned and challenged after ILs were shown to decompose as relatively low heat intensities. ILs have also been shown to express some toxicity levels towards microbial cells as well as higher organisms. At the same time, it is possible to modify the physicochemical properties of ILs and come up with designer solvents with unique chemical structures[3]. Perhaps interventions required to make ILs retain their ‘green’ label could be the fine tuning so that the toxicity drawbacks are addressed. Their applications need to be broadened in order to fully maximize their benefits to man. Important properties of ILs have been investigated in order to understand this important class of solvents. However, not every ionic liquid will show similar properties as other classes of solvents. The most common properties of ILs which can be presented by this class of solvents include the liquid range which is 3000C (-96-+2000C)[4]. ILs have also been shown to be excellent inorganic, organic and polymeric materials solvents. The acidic composition of ILs can generally be said to be superacids. Some ILs are highly water sensitive and therefore have to be used in dry boxes. In contrast, other ILs are highly hydrophobic (water haters) and have high air stability. ILs have also shown high thermal stability up to temperatures of 2000C. vapor pressure at room temperature has not yet been estimated and is assumed negligible. While ILs are noninflammable, it has been shown recently that some can be explosive and this raises eyebrows over the tag, ‘green’ solvents. At room temperature, ILs are basically salts with heavy phosphorous or nitrogenous organic rich organic cations with a linear skeleton or chain of alkyl groups. Extensive research has been invested mainly in the imidazolium ILs especially the cations of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium. The structures of these cations have also been studied extensively. ILs are known to be of dual functionality since they have both the cations and the anions. The most common anions of ILs include, the nitrates such as chlorides (Cl-) and bromides (Br-), chloroaluminates such as [Al2Cl4]- Â  and [Al2Cl7]-, nitrates such as [NO3]-, tetrafluorophosphates [BF6]- hexafluorophosphates, Â  [PF6]-Â   and alkyl sulfates [RSO4] such as ethyl sulfate [C2H5SO4]-.

Why You Should Say Thank You Instead of Sorry

Why You Should Say Thank You Instead of Sorry Most people say â€Å"sorry† or â€Å"I’m sorry† too often- women in particular. You’re probably aware of whether this is an issue for you. And yes, some situations do call for a true apology: if you bump into someone or you’re expressing sympathy, sorry away! Ditto if you’re expressing genuine regret for a mistake you made. But not all situations call for your apology! Over apologizing can lead others to doubt you or lose confidence in your abilities. Through her comics below, Yao Xiao suggests that you say ‘thank you’ instead. Check out the following comic and see how using â€Å"thank you† instead of â€Å"sorry† can have a much different effect. [Source: The Art of Yao Xiao]

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds

One Vote Can Make a Difference - What Are the Odds The odds that one vote can make a difference in an election are almost nil, worse than the odds of winning Powerball. But that doesnt mean its impossible that one vote can make a difference. Its actually happened. There have been cases in which one vote decided the election. Odds That One Vote Can Make a Difference Economists Casey B. Mulligan and Charles G. Hunter found in a 2001 study that only one of every 100,000 votes cast in federal elections, and one of every 15,000 votes cast in state legislative elections, â€Å"mattered in the sense that they were cast for a candidate that officially tied or won by one vote.† Their study of 16,577 national elections from 1898 through 1992 found that only one had been decided by a single vote. It was the 1910 election in New York’s 36th Congressional District, won by a Democrat who claimed 20,685 votes to the Republican candidate’s 20,684. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 22 percentage points and 18,021 actual votes. Mulligan and Hunter also analyzed 40,036 state legislative elections from 1968 through 1989 and found only seven that had been decided by a single vote. Of those elections, the median margin of victory was 25 percentage points and 3,257 actual votes. In other words, the chance that your vote will be the decisive or pivotal one in a national election is almost zilch. The same goes for state legislative elections. Chances That One Vote Can Make a Difference in a Presidential Race   Researchers Andrew Gelman, Gary King, and John Boscardin estimated the chances that a single vote would decide a U.S. presidential election to be 1 in 10 million at best and less than 1 in 100 million at worst. Their work, titled Estimating the Probability of Events That Have Never Occurred: When Is Your Vote Decisive? appeared in 1998 in the Journal of the American Statistical Association.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Given the size of the electorate, an election where one vote is decisive (equivalent to a tie in your state and in the electoral college) will almost certainly never occur,† Gelman, King and Boscardin wrote. Still, the odds of your one vote deciding a presidential election are still better than your odds of matching all six numbers of Powerball, which are smaller than 1 in 175 million. What Really Happens in Close Elections So what happens if an election really is decided by a single vote, or is at least pretty close? It’s taken out of the electorate’s hands. Stephen J. Dubner and Steven D. Levitt, who wrote Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, pointed out in a 2005 column in The New York Times that extremely close elections are often settled not at the ballot box but in courtrooms. Consider President George W. Bush’s narrow victory in 2000 over Democrat Al Gore, which ended up being decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. â€Å"It is true that the outcome of that election came down to a handful of voters; but their names were Kennedy, OConnor, Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas. And it was only the votes they cast while wearing their robes that mattered, not the ones they may have cast in their home precincts,† Dubner and Levitt wrote. When One Vote Really Did Make a Difference The races won by a single vote, in addition to the new 1910 Congressional election in New York, according to Mulligan and Hunter, were: A 1978 race for Rhode Island state Senate was tied at 4,110 votes, and decided by a second runoff election. So was a 1980 race for New Mexico state House, at 2,327 votes for each candidate.A 1982 state House election in Maine in which the victor won 1,387 votes to the loser’s 1,386 votes.A 1982 state Senate race in Massachusetts in which the victor won 5,352 votes to the loser’s 5,351; a subsequent recount late found wider margin.A 1980 state House race in Utah in which the victor won 1,931 votes to the loser’s 1,930 votes.A 1978 state Senate race in North Dakota in which the victor won 2,459 votes to the loser’s 2,458 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be six votes.A 1970 state House race in Rhode Island in which the victor won 1,760 votes to the loser’s 1,759.A 1970 state House race in Missouri in which the victor won 4,819 votes to the loser’s 4,818 votes.And a 1968 state House race in Wisconsin in which the victor won 6,522 v otes to the loser’s 6,521 votes; a subsequent recount found the margin to be two votes, not one.

Should public policy be directed exclusively at growth promotion for Essay

Should public policy be directed exclusively at growth promotion for the attainment of overall societal goals - Essay Example Social goal responsibility is the art putting goals of a certain co-corporate, institution knowledge or prosperity to be of collective concern within the community or society. This is generally speaking out the message of ‘we’ and ‘us’ rather than ‘I’ and ‘me’. Since the public policy is centered at the needs of the majority, then social goals becomes of great concern within an organization. Just like in a classroom, pupils or students usually have a collective goal of passing exams through discussions and consultations. While the only way of ensuring collective success in a society or a business organization is through the involved individuals having a collective goal at the expense of targeted and non-targeted society (Kimberly & Tamar, 2009). On the other hand individualistic goal is centered on one’s interest and desire that all opportunities that come on the way are utilized individually. This is directly linked with per sonal development and success. Therefore, public policy has more to do with promoting societal goal oriented programs rather than individualistic. Methodology This research study was conducted using qualitative data from library written materials like journals and electronic research like websites. However, some organizations hold their internal information private and hence full information is not available. Literature review According to John Long & Nerida Aitken, individual agreement is works well for employers as compared agreements of collective interests. Citing an employee pay in Australia, the employees covered by workplace agreement earns much better that those guarded by federal enterprise agreements. In addition the individualistic goals lowers the cost concerning company activities like documentation, transaction costs e.tc. Hence it is a more efficient way. It is also noted that individualism is equal to flexibility. The term flexibility can be used in wide range of iss ues including remuneration, operational requirements implementation of change by a company. However, individual practices do not necessarily warrant flexibility or individualized activities (Diener, 2009)). Practically, flexibility is dependent on the nature of the company enterprise, the proposed form of flexibility, the way in which the management and the employees are related as we as the number of employees and their benefits. This means that sometimes some employees of the company may decline to cooperate or to sign workplace policies offered by the state (Long & Aitken, 2001). The way individual agreements discussed and formed, are just done on individual basis. In addition, within an individualistic agreement their may still exist a collective ideology. However, concerning the individual agreements by the top management team, they will all have uniform individualistic idea concerning all the entire employees with some disagreements on the payroll, description of job as well a s the length of working hours (Long. J & Aitken. N, 2001). Individualistic goals are important in fostering increased commitment at work places. The is usually increased interaction between the individual employees and the employer hence individualism strengthens the psychological contract at the work place (Brown, W. 1999). This usually explains the role the employees in the company as well direction and stability of the business. On the issue of societal goal within a company, the employees can create a sense of mistrust to the employer if the perceived societal agreements are

It's time to prove what I have learned Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

It's time to prove what I have learned - Essay Example Besides passing, I have developed confidence in writing and I can handle all types of research. I vividly remember my first assignment in this class. The paper did not have a thesis statement, had numerous grammar errors, and it did not have a proper introduction. It saddened my heart that I did not have the very basics to this subject. Although this discouraged my young heart, I did not allow it to rule in me. Instead, I decided that I will make it in this class. Every time I submitted a paper, my teacher wrote some comments that I took very seriously, which helped improve my writing. First, I started with developing skills to a good thesis statement. I realized that a good thesis statement must incorporate the purpose of the writing and stipulate all the issues to be discussed in that paper. Secondly, I worked on the introduction of my papers. With the help of the teacher, I realized that introductions should be as captivating as possible to capture the audience attention. Previously, my introductions did not carry enough weight and background knowledge of the study. This meant that I could not earn good marks on the introduction part. Thorough research on the issues I intend to write about helped overcome this problem. Thirdly, In my out-of-class essays I learned other skills that add credibility to an essay. Proper organisation of the bodywork adds more weight to a paper, giving the reader an urge to read on. Using logos and ethos, I could now convince my audience on the issues I am writing about. In addition, I have to choose my words correctly to because I realized that I can convince the audience with my character. Use of diction and figures of speech are other things I learnt out-of-class that have added competency in my writing. One thing I came to accept as a writer is that I had to read a lot of books, journals, websites, and magazines to learn how others do it. No, wonder that my grammar and