The Diesel Hybrid Combustion Engine Essay -- Auto Cars Automobiles Mec

The Diesel Hybrid Combustion Engine Two main types of engines powering everyday machinery are diesel and gasoline internal combustion engines. Both vary on efficiency levels, but are still effective. Diesel engines have high efficiency levels, such as producing great amount of torque at very low rpms. They are also known for their fuel-efficient behavior and capability to produce low emissions. Their capability to produce power at an efficient rate with little wear on the engine, this makes these engines ideal for hybrid integration. Hybrid integration takes a typical engine and combines it with an electric generator and motor, with the application of other electrical systems applied. Allowing the machinery to generate energy, with lower fuel consumption and cleaner emissions. Toyota is one of the leaders in the automobile hybrid design. The design goes as follows, â€Å"a VVT-I gas engine with an advanced electric motor to not only power the Prius, but also recharge the vehicle's batteries thanks to an ingenious generator and regenerative braking system†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Toyota). This regenerative braking system allows absorption of the heat energy used to brake and uses that energy to recharge the cars batteries. This system makes the car self-reliant. Even though this engine uses gasoline, the development of diesel hybrids will be the next step in innovation. Comparison: One of the main areas is the on-board fuel combustion of these engines. In tests performed by MIT, the relative consumption of on-board fuel energy for a typical gasoline internal combustion engine measured about 88%, while the Diesel-Hybrid was at 52% (Weiss 27). These tests demonstrate how much more ene... .... Design News (19 August 2002): 1-5. Peckham, Jack. â€Å"Diesel Hybrids Come Out Best In Energy, Greenhouse Gases†. Diesel Fuel News (16 April 2001): 1-2. Peckham, Jack. â€Å"Diesel Hybrids Bus Beats CNG On Key Criteria†. Diesel Fuel News (29 October 2001): 1-2. Siuru, Bill. â€Å"Hybrid’s working on the railroad: Green Goat electric switching locomotive shows promise of hybrids for rail; can be powered by diesels or microturbines†. Diesel Progress North American Edition (December 2002): 1-3 Toyota Prius. Toyota Corporation (multiple locations). http://129.33.47.206/html/shop/vehicles/prius/technology/prius_technology.html Weiss, Malcolm A., Heywood, John B., Schafer, Andreas., Natarajan, Vinod K. â€Å"Comparative Assessment of Fuel Cell Cars†. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Laboratory for Energy and the Environment (February 2003): 1-29.

Beh 225 Appendix D

Associate Level Material Appendix D TV Character Evaluation Part I Write a summary of 350-700 words identifying the contributions of Freud, Jung, and Rogers. Sigmund Freud, is often described as the most famous figure in psychology. He's written books on Hysteria; commonly being referred to as the â€Å"father of psychoanalysis†. His most popular works being highly influential on others that study psychology. unconscious, – Psychosexual development (stages), Neurosis, transference and trauma are theories that Freud has developed over the years.One of Freud's theories was, that the personality is three structures. Another theory of Freud's was that our personality is rooted in the dynamics of the unconscious. He determined that the aggressive and sexual instincts were primarily unconscious drives which could determine our human behavior. Carl Jung is a psychologist that mostly studied the human psyche, dream analysis, and the collective unconscious. Cowgil (1997) refers, He proposed and developed the concepts of the extroverted and introverted personality, archetypes, and the collective unconscious.The issues that he dealt with arose from his personal experiences. For many years Jung felt as if he had two separate personalities. One introverted and other extroverted. This interplay resulted in his study of integration and wholeness. His work has been influential not only in psychology, but in religion and literature as well. She also believed that the unconscious mind had two separate components; the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Hall (1997) refers, Carl R.Rogers is known as the father of client-centered therapy. Throughout his career he dedicated himself to humanistic psychology and is well known for his theory of personality development. He began developing his humanistic concept while working with abused children. Rogers attempted to change the world of psychotherapy when he boldly claimed that psychoanalytic, experimental , and behavioral therapists were preventing their clients from ever reaching self-realization and self-growth due to their authoritive analysis.He argued that therapists should allow patients to discover the solution for themselves. Rogers received wide acclaim for his theory and was awarded various high honors . Through Rogers extensive efforts in expressing his theory of personality through the publishing of books and lectures he gained a lot of attention and followers as well as those who strongly disagree with his theory of personality development. Reference Cowgil, Charles. Carl Jung, 1997. Part II Choose three of your favorite television characters; past or present.Complete the following matrix describing the characters’ personalities from the point of view of the three theorists, Jung, Freud, and Rogers. |TV Character |Jung |Rogers |Freud | |1. | | | | |2. | | | | |3. | | | |

History of Art Forgery

University of Central Missouri The Art of Forgery History of Art Forgery 4/15/2012| Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the history of Art Forgery and the history of one of the greatest art forgers of our time, Tom Keating. The paper will go into the basic history of art forgery from the first recorded art forgery all the way up to the ways forgeries are made today. It will also go into the changes of how forgeries were detected and how forgers are prosecuted. The history of art forgery is not as sinister as some people may believe.In the past, and in some art schools today, students were/are made to copy the works of the master artists, such as Leonardo, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, and countless others, to hone their skills and practice. In years long past the masters would create their originals and then many copies would be made to make it visible to many people all over the world and to enhance the likelihood that the art would survive the ages. (Dutton, 1983) Thi s went on for years without any thought but as time went on more and more of the masters art started to surface the need for experts were needed to make sure the art in question was the real thing.In the past a person would have to spend years if not a lifetime researching and studying the way an artist would paint by looking at brush strokes, type of paint and canvas used, and other distinctive characteristics of the artist. As time progressed those same experts became some of the most accomplished art forgers. One such forger was French artist Jean-Pierre Schecroun. Before he was arrested and found guilty of forgery in 1962, Schecroun is said to had produced somewhere around eighty forgeries of artists’ works like Picasso and other modern masters. The pictures were said to have brought in ? 5,000 in two years (Dolice, 2003). Forgeries have become such a common practice that any work that surfaces that is allegedly a work done by a modern master such as Van Gogh, Picasso, Da li, Miro, and Chagall is put under great scrutiny. Along with art experts, art restores make good forgers. In 1970 at an auction house in Europe auctioneers noticed that of all the paintings they were getting ready to auction off that there were thirteen paintings of the famous British painter Samuel Palmer but all of them had the same theme, the town of Shoreham, England.After an article was released revealing their suspicions an art restorer named Thomas Patrick Keating claimed that all thirteen were of his making. Keating was born in 1918 Lewisham, a borough of London to poor un-noteworthy parents. From a young age Keating was a gifted painter and have of love art. After World War II he became an art restorer. (Keating, Norman, & Norman, 1977) After not being able to support himself and his family he became a house painter to make extra money to make ends meet. He did all he could to break into the art market by exhibiting his paintings at numerous galleries but he never got much recognition.In his own eyes Keating believed that the whole gallery system was â€Å"rotten. † He stated that the system was â€Å"dominated by American â€Å"avant-garde fashion, with critics and dealers often conniving to line their own pockets at the expense both of naive collectors and impoverished artists. † (Keating, Norman, & Norman, 1977) Keating had have enough and decided to get revenge on the broken system. He formed a plan to destabilize the gallery and auction system by flooding the market with forgeries. By the time he was caught he allegedly produced over 2,000 forgeries and copied over 100 different artists.In an article to the Guardian, a British news network a friend of Keating’s, John Brandler said that â€Å"He thought, ‘I'm as good as Rembrandt, Palmer, Renoir and all the rest of the classic painters, and I'm going to prove it',† and many think that he did. Known as a forger with a cause he would leave tell-tale markin gs that would one day reveal that the work was a fake. Known to sometimes write on the canvas with lead before he painted, Keating knew that an x-ray would reveal the message underneath. It was also not unknown of him to purposefully add miniscule flaws or to use materials not available in the time of the original painter.One of the more devious things that were done to ensure the fallacy of his works was done to a few of his oil painting forgeries. Keating knowing that one day all oil paintings will need to be cleaned put a layer of glycerol under his painting. When the restorer would go to clean the painting the chemical reaction would cause the glycerol to dissolve and then the layer of paint would disintegrate leaving the whole work a ruin and revealing that it was a forgery (Keating, Norman, & Norman, 1977). He also had specific techniques he would use on forgeries of certain artists.When it came to Rembrandt’s works he would boil nuts for hours to make the paint fad e in the future where true paints from the era of Rembrandt would not. In 1977 after an extensive investigation Tom Keating was finally arrested, not for forgery per-say but for conspiracy to defraud. That same year his autobiography, The Fake’s Progress: The Tom Keating Story was published. The years had not been kind to Keating. Years of smoking and inhaling the chemicals that are used in art restoration; turpentine, ammonia and methyl alcohol had taken a toll on his life. The case was dropped due to his poor health.The case was just what was needed to launch him to the fame that has eluded him when he first started to break into the art market. In 1982 through 1983 he had a television program where he talked about the old masters of painting and the techniques that they and he had used to become famous. The following year in 1984, Thomas Keating passed away from a heart attack. After his passing his works have become even more collectable and many find that his forgeries a re worth just as much, if no more, than his originals (Keating, Norman, & Norman, 1977). Tom Keating was in no fashion one of the first art forgers.As stated above forgery has been around as long as art has. People will always want to replicate something that they find pleasing or today that they can make some money. The concept of forgery has not really changed that much over the years. If you want to forge a famous painting or sculpture you study the original artist, try to copy the style that they use, and use materials as close to those used by the artist as possible. Unlike the process, the methods of detection have made great strides. In the beginning the only way to spot a fake was through examination.Some of the few things beside style that are looked at when determining the authenticity of a piece are frames, signatures on the art, stretch bars, and nail holes. (Fleming, 1975) All of these have possibilities of being originals because all of the following, minus the sig natures can be changed when an art restorer works on a painting but a true expert can tell. As technology advanced so did the ways of detecting forgeries. The development of the use of x-rays has brought about the use of x-ray diffraction and fluorescence. Both are used to determine the omposition of the materials used. In x-ray diffraction, used in the authentication of paintings, not only analyzes the components but also to detect pentimento, the alteration of a painting. Carbon and â€Å"White lead† dating are used to measure the age of a painting, Dendrochronology used to date wooden objects and Thermoluminescence is used to date pottery. (Fleming, 1975) One of the newest forms of authentication is digital authentication. Wavelet decomposition is when the picture is broken down into smaller pictures and then the texture is analyzed by the stroke of the paint.The United States has many laws against counterfeiting and fraud but when it comes to prosecuting forgers they have a hard time proving the burden of proof. Just like the forgers changing with the times, prosecutors have adapted. It has become standard practice for prosecutors to go after forgers under Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). This has worked because it is very seldom that a forger works alone. They usually have someone they trust that helps them find a buyer or get the forgeries into an auction.In going after all of the people prosecutors have been successful against art forgers such as the case United States v. Amiel. (Dolice, 2003) Forgers and the sellers of counterfeit art can also be held accountable through civil actions. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) protects against unfair trade practices in the art market. In 1993 the FTC brought a case against Magui Publishers, Inc. In FTC v. Magui Publishers, Inc. , the court found Magui guilty of and made them pay $1. 96 million in restitution. (Federal Trade Commision , 1993) Art Forgery has been around since a rt was first made.Though it started as nothing but a simple exercise to better ones skill, it has become a crime that is hard to fight. With the discovery that one can make money just by copying an artist’s style art forgers started selling their own paintings as the work of the masters and they haven’t stopped. This brought about such forgers as Thomas Keating, the forger with a cause. As the forgers themselves changed, the ways they were caught have changed to. The introduction of using x-rays was a great advance in the detection of pentimento, the alteration of the original painting.When going after the forgers prosecutors must rely on other means than just federal statutes against forgery. RICO has made it easier for federal prosecutions to go farther. As art continues to flourish, so will the ways that people try to copy that art. In the years to come, forgers will become more and more skilled at the art of copying. That being the case, all who work against forger s must be vigil and work as hard as the forgers themselves to stay one step ahead of them. If not, one day forgers may be making forgeries of the master forgers of today. Works Cited Dolice, J. 2003). Fabulous Fakes and a History of Art forgery. Dutton, D. (1983). The Forger's Art. Berkeley: University of California Press. Federal Trade Commision . (1993). 9 F. 3d 1551: Federal Trade Commission, Plaintiff-appellee, v. Magui Publishers, Inc. ; Pierre Marcand, Defendants-appellants. Retrieved April 2012, from FTC. gov. Fleming, S. J. (1975). Authenticity in Art: The scientific Detection of Forgery. New York: Crane, Russak ;amp; Co Inc. Keating, T. , Norman, G. , ;amp; Norman, F. (1977). The Fake's Progress: The Tom Keating Story. London: Hutchinson and Company.

Ocean Park Brand Equity Essay

I am genuinely tank to Mr. Nicholas Tam for supporting me all the time and spending many hours on my final year project. This was totally appreciated that he provided many professional and useful advices and recommendations to me. Otherwise, I would also like to thanks Mr. C. N. Lo as my second marker and give me suggestion to improve my project. ABSTRACT Ocean Park Hong Kong is a home-grown treasure. It is also one of the most popular amusement parks in the world, providing educational, conservation and entertainment. Ocean Park Hong Kong has brought joy to local and overseas visitors throughout her 30-year history. She lets everyone in Hong Kong has a special and memorable experiences. In these 30 years, it experienced many impacts that are occurred by outside and inside of the organization. They also recorded a deficit for a certain years. But it was carried out the revolutions continually. Afterwards, the business is still running. Recently, some information indicated that the ranking of the most popular amusement park of the world, which is the Ocean Park Hong Kong higher than Hong Kong Disneyland. Finally, through survey, focus group interview and brands performance measures, to conclude that the brand equity of Ocean Park was better. Better leadership, better quality, builds up customer loyalty. CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION Ocean Park is one of the theme parks in Hong Kong. â€Å"Marine† is the majority theme of the park. It is located at the Southern District of Hong Kong, and it was opened on 10 January 1977. It was constructed at a land granted by the government, and then the funding of construction is granted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), and it also operated by HKJC. In January 1979, Ocean Park introduced a Killer Whale for the visitors. It becomes a one of the selling points of the park. In the inception stage, there is not enough amusement rides for the public. But, there was expanded their scale of the park, and increased much more amusement rides into the park. The operating capital of Ocean Park was depends on the revenue from tickets and donation from HKJC in earlier stage. It also has a significant deficit for a long time because the price is set on the low side. In 1 July 1987, the â€Å"Ocean Park Ordinance† is constituted by the government. HKJC will granted that they are established the trust with $200M funding. In this time, Ocean Park becomes a non-profit making organization and needs to self-finance. The park changed their business to commercial-oriented, and increasing its ticket price. Thus, the park enhanced its financial conditions to be positive. In 1998, the park recorded deficit again caused by some factors, such as East Asian Financial Crisis. Although it received 2 pandas from China, it still could not increase the visitor’s attraction of the park. The park also closed the water attractions and the Middle Kingdom. And then, it introduced more amusement rises for visitors especially for the teenagers such as the Abyss Turbo Drop and the Mine Train. In Fiscal Year 2004/2005, there are more than 4 million visitors during a year. This is renewing the record since the park is opened. It is caused that PRC government implemented the â€Å"Individual Visit Scheme† under CEPA. Ocean Park revealed its redevelopment plan in 2005, which will upgrades the quality and availability of features at the park. This is response the impacts from the opening of Disneyland. Ocean Park is also held a groundbreaking ceremony for its redevelopment project in November of 2006. According to the Attraction Attendance 2008 releases by Economics Research Associates (ERA) and Themed Entertainment Association (TEA) on 16 April, Ocean Park is the world’s number 15 theme park, Asia’s 5th theme park (Judith Rubin, 2009). (Appendix 1b) 1. Industry Background The tourism industry is one of the four key industries in the Hong Kong economy. There were two types of tourism which were inbound tourism and outbound. For inbound tourism, there were 5 groups of sub-industries which included retail trade, hotels and boarding houses, Restaurants, Cross-boundary passenger transport services and others. The value added of tourism in 2006 and 2007 were HK$45,300 Million and HK$52,300 Million. There was increased around 14% from 2006 to 2007. And the employment in this industry in 2006 and 2007 was 176,300 and 193,800. There was increased around more than 8% from 2006 to 2007 (Census and Statistics Department, HKSAR, 2009). (Appendix 9) In order to support the poor economic condition, Hong Kong government was provided some supporting projects to the tourism industry such as â€Å"the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA)† and â€Å"Individual Visit Scheme†. These projects both were cooperated with PRC. Ocean Park is one of the participators in the amusement park market. Its major competitor is Hong Kong Disneyland. Before Disneyland involved its business in Hong Kong, Ocean Park was the only one participator in this market during the other amusement parks were closed their business such as Lai Chi Kok Amusement Park. On the other hand, the amusement park from neighbor country should also be the major competitors for Ocean Park such as Happy Valley from Shenzhen, PRC. As a famous landmark of Hong Kong, Ocean Park was a successful company in this industry. In accordance with the Attraction Attendance 2008, the 2008 attendance was equal to 5. 03 Million. It was a leading brand of the amusement park market (Judith Rubin, 2009) (Appendix 1b). In conclusion, Ocean Park should be capturing the opportunity derived from increasing attendance and the supporting from government, and focus its competence for facing the threat generated by intensive competition from the neighbor country. 2. Statement of issue In past certain years, Ocean Park faced impacts in different period of time, for example, East Asian Financial Crisis, SARS, and external environment. For the financial issue, Ocean Park was faced the financial distress on past certain years especially for the East Asian financial crisis. Besides, for the external environmental issue, Ocean Park should also be faced to the new entrants of Hong Kong amusement park market that was Disneyland. Ocean Park was a domestic famous brand in Hong Kong. On the other hand, Disneyland was an international famous brand. The overall size of organization of Ocean Park should be smaller than Disneyland. 3. Purpose of the study Propose of this study is to understand customer’s brand equity of Ocean Park. A result of questionnaire survey is to ascertain the sources (Brand Equity Ten) of brand equity of Ocean Park. Base on the findings of the survey, propose that the critical success factor of the theme park. CHAPTER II – LITERATURE REVIEW The Brand Equity Ten will be applying in this study, which is an effective method to evaluate brand equity. Ten sets of measures grouped into five categories, are shown in Table 1. The first four categories are to measure customer perceptions of the brand. The four categories of brand equity are including loyalty, perceived quality, associations, and awareness. The last category is to collect information from the market based information rather than directly from customers (D. Aaker, 1996). 1. Loyalty Measures Since it is now widely recognized that it is much less costly and much more profitable to keep existing customers than to win new ones, customer retention become an important goal for most organizations. In principle it’s simple: you just have to keep your existing customer (N. Hill, J. Alexander, 2006). The Hong Kong amusement park industry was created a monopoly loyalty during there was only two participators in the market, such as Ocean Park and Disneyland. The loyalty of these two amusement parks might be generated by devotion of its customers, for instance, the customer would be sought some adventure experiences at Ocean park during there was provided many thrill rides. Besides, if the customer would be found some story of fairy tales, they would go to Disneyland, it is because customer can be met many famous characters like Mickey Mouse. 1. Price Premium â€Å"A basic indicator of loyalty is the amount a customer will pay for the brand in comparison with another brand (or set of comparison brands) offering similar benefits†(D.Aaker, 1996). For the admission fees of both Ocean Park and Disneyland, there was a large difference between parks. For instance, in the adult’s general admission fees, Ocean Park was HK$208, and Disneyland was HK$350. Therefore, the price premium should be HK$142. 1. Perceived Quality/Leadership Measures â€Å"Perceived quality is often the key positioning dimension for corporate brands (such as Toshiba or Ford) and other brands that range over product classes (such as Weight Watchers, Kraft, and store brands such as Safeway Select). Because these brands span product classes, they are less likely to be driven by functional benefits, and perceived quality is likely to play a larger role. (D. Aaker, 2009) For Ocean Park, it provided different amusement facilities to visitors. Besides, Disneyland provided the story of fairy tales to visitors. Visitors could earn the different experiences during they are visiting these two parks. They would use the last experience to evaluate the perceived quality of the parks. â€Å"Leading brands are perceived to be relevant, unique and compelling. They inspire customer loyalty and enable organizations to charge price premiums. They increase bargaining power with business partners, make it easier to hire and retain talented employees and provide organizations with clear strategic direction and platforms for future growth. †(B. VanAuken, 2007) Both Ocean Park and Disneyland were performed their services at a unique and compelling ways. For example, Ocean Park provides a lot of amusement facilities for visitors; some facilities were very unique in Hong Kong such as Giant Panda Habitat. On the other hand, Disneyland arranges many owned international famous characters that visitors may take some photos with them. 2. Associations/ Differentiation Measures â€Å"The key associations/differentiation component of brand equity usually involves image dimensions that are unique to a product class or to a brand. The challenge, then, is to generate general measures that will work across product classes. † (D. Aaker, 1996) Since Ocean Park was opened, it was established a personal image for visitors that it was provided some messages like ocean protection and education, exciting experience. Visitors had no doubtful that the meaning of Ocean Park, and they was knew that it was not an amusement park only. Also, Disneyland was generated a dreaming place for visitors to enjoy a childlike and entertaining tour for their each visit. But it was not provided other functional characters to the public such as educational activities. 3. Awareness Measures â€Å"Brand awareness measures the accessibility of the brand in memory. Brand awareness can measured through brand recall or brand recognition. Brand recall reflects the ability of consumers to retrieve the brand from memory when given the product category. † (P. Chandon, 2003) Both Ocean Park and Disneyland were achieved to brand awareness. For Ocean Park, visitors may be bethought its owned characters when they were went to it such as Dolphin, Giant Panda, thrill rides and etc. On the other hand, also, Disneyland was gained the high level of international attention. Visitors were recall its owned characters like Winnie the Pooh, Stitch, and they can be got this memory outside it such as TV and other side-products of its owned characters. The dimension of differentiation in the association category is a summary of brand associations (D.Aaker, 1996). 4. Market Behavior Measures 1. Market Share â€Å"The performance of a brand as measured by market share (and/or sales) often provides a valid and sensitive reflection of the brand’s standing with customers. When the brand has a relative advantage in the minds of customers, its market share should increase or at least not decrease. † (D. Aaker, 1996) The performance of an amusement park can be measured by some elements such as its functions, service level, customer relationship management and etc. It can be grew its admission income during the higher service performance that it can be performed. 2. Price and Distribution Indices â€Å"Market share can be a particularly deceptive brand equity measure when it increases as a result of reduced prices or price promotions. Thus, it is important to measure the relative market price at which the brand is being sold. † (D. Aaker, 1996). â€Å"Market share or sales data are also extremely sensitive to distribution coverage. Sales may be dramatically affected when a brand gains or loses a major market or expands into another geographic region. A measure of distribution coverage is thus a second logical companion measure to market share. † (D. Aaker, 1996). As an amusement park, the market price data was equal to the admission income of a year, because this was majority source for capturing its operating resources. Besides, it indicated that the admission income might be affected by the change in attendance directly. On the other hand, the price and distribution indices should be reflected the market share that can be evaluated by admission attendance during a year. This may be found out the true picture of the growth of admission attendance rather than depends on admission income. CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY 1. Sample Design Data will be collected by using a questionnaire. It is use to measure customer perceptions of the brand along with the four categories (D. Aaker, 1996). The questionnaire is use to survey those people who are visited Hong Kong Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland before. It is to ensure that the data from respondents are effective and reliable. The questionnaire will be distributed to them through e-mail, and the respondents are classmates, teachers, familiars, friends, and colleagues. 100 samples were collected through this survey. 2. Questionnaire Design First, questionnaire is used to measure the four categories, which are Loyalty Measures (price premium and satisfaction/loyalty), Perceived Quality/Leadership Measures (perceived quality, and leadership), Associations/Differentiation Measures (perceived value, brand personality, organizational associations, and differentiation), and Awareness Measures (brand awareness). Second, setting demographic factors, respondents were required to answer their personal information, including gender, age, monthly income, occupation and education. It is in order to compare the general information with the 25 items, and find out the critical success factor of Ocean Park. Nine dimensions including 25 items, plus 5 items of general information, there are totally 30 questions. Third, this study will compare with Disneyland because it is the mainly competitor in Hong Kong. The questionnaire format is Part A is Ocean Park, Part B is Disneyland, and Part C is the general information. â€Å"5-point Likert Scale† is usually used in questionnaires, and is the most widely used scale in survey research. †. There were used 5 choices of answer question for respondents to answer their questionnaire except general information. It was included â€Å"Strongly Disagree†, â€Å"Disagree†, â€Å"Neutral†, â€Å"Agree† and â€Å"Strongly agree†. (Answers. com, 2009) Fourth, set â€Å"Missing Data†. It is to reduce or ignore the answer of unclear, ambiguous or answer more than one choice, etc. The questionnaire format could refer to Appendix 7. 3. Statistical Package for the Social Science(SPSS) SPSS was established in 1968 by Norman H. Nie, C. Hadlai (Tex) Hull and Dale H. Bent. They want developed a revolutionary software system in order to turn raw data into representative information in an easily way. According to the SPSS’s website, â€Å"This revolutionary statistical software system was called SPSS, which stood for the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Nie, Hull and Bent developed SPSS out of the need to quickly analyze volumes of social science data gathered through various methods of research. † (SPSS INC. , 2009). In addition to statistics analysis, the features of the base software, which are included Descriptive statistics (Cross tabulation, Frequencies, Descriptives, Explore, Descriptive Ratio Statistics), Bivariate statistics (Means, t-test, ANOVA, Correlation (bivariate, partial, distances), Nonparametric tests), Prediction for numerical outcomes (Linear regression), and Prediction for identifying groups (Factor analysis, cluster analysis (two-step, K-means, hierarchical), Discriminant) (Wikipedia, 2009). In this report, there was using SPSS to analyze the statistical information, there are included Cronbach Alpha Reliability Analysis, Mean and Standard Deviation, Crosstab Test. 1. Reverse Scoring In order to calculate some opposite data in one dimension, there should be rescored the negative data to turn into positive data. This can be increasing the reliability and correlation among data in one dimension. â€Å"Items that are negatively worded in a scale must be rescored in a positive direction in order to match the other items in a scale† (S. Stark, et. al. , 2001). In the questionnaire, Question 22 & 25 of Part A and B was used this function that in order to find out the reliable and correlated data, and these sets of data should be opposite to other data in same dimension. 2. Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Analysis â€Å"Cronbach’s alpha measures how well a set of items (or variables) measures a single unidimensional latent construct. When data have a multidimensional structure, Cronbach’s alpha will usually be low. Technically speaking, Cronbach’s alpha is not a statistical test – it is a coefficient of reliability (or consistency). † (UCLA Academic Technology Services) There were used the Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Analysis to find out the reliability. The output table will then be displayed the Cronbach’s Alpha of the dimension. 3. Mean and Standard Deviation â€Å"The mean, indicated by ? (a lower case Greek mu), is the statistician’s jargon for the average value of a signal. It is found just as you would expect: add all of the samples together, and divide by N. † (S. Smith, 2007) It is the use to find out the average in a group of population. There were calculated the means by all of the scoring of each question. Afterwards, added up the separate mean from all dimensions which were found out the total mean of each category. â€Å"The standard deviation is one of several indices of variability that statisticians use to characterize the dispersion among the measures in a given population. To calculate the standard deviation of a population it is first necessary to calculate that population’s variance. Numerically, the standard deviation is the square root of the variance. Unlike the variance, which is a somewhat abstract measure of variability, the standard deviation can be readily conceptualized as a distance along the scale of measurement. † (R. Hoffman, 2002) Besides, the standard deviation was displayed on the output table of SPSS in order to analyze the dispersion of the result of nine dimensions. 4. Crosstab Test â€Å"Cross-tabulations give us much more insight into the data than do simple profiles or frequency distributions. Cross-tabulations are an example of bivariate analysis (i. e. , examining the relationship between two variables). However, cross-tabulations are of limited value, too, because we are realistically restricted to examining the relationship between only two variables at a time (e. g. , customer status and age; customer status and income; etc.). If we try to examine a cross-tabulation of more than two variables at a time, the results are very difficult to visualize and interpret meaningfully. † (SmartDrill, 2008) There was used the crosstabulation to compare the variability of general information. This can be easily found out the difference between two set of data. 4. Focus Group â€Å"Focus groups are a powerful means to evaluate services or test new ideas. Basically, focus groups are interviews, but of 6-10 people at the same time in the same group. One can get a great deal of information during a focus group session. † (C. McNamara, 2006) 5. Data Analysis. 1. Calculated the mean and standard deviation for all of 9 dimensions in order to find out the overall performance of both Ocean Park and Disneyland. 2. Used SPSS reverse scoring function in order to make some conflict data that reversed into same way. This can make that the reliability must higher than origin data. Besides, Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Analysis can be found out the reliability of all of the dimensions, and ignored some irrelative items in the dimensions. This can improve the reliability for each dimensions that if deleted the items. 3. Calculate the mean with both Ocean Park and Disneyland. 4. Used crosstabulation to compare which the general information of both Ocean Park and Disneyland such as age, gender and income, 5. After used of SPSS, there were formed a focus group that was invited 7 interviewees in order to discuss the issues that occurred in the result from SPSS. 6. Besides, found some corporate information of Ocean Park and Disneyland which how to performed the market behavior. 7. Match the result of mean analysis and the result of crosstabutaion analysis, in order to find out the source of brand equity and the critical successful factor of the theme park. CHAPTER IV – RESULTS. 4 Sample and Descriptive Statistics This survey totally collected 100 samples, 57 respondents are male and 43 respondents are female. The majority respondents aged between 20 to 24 years olds (83%). In the monthly income group, nearly 50% of respondents their salaries were $5,001 to $10,000 per month. Monthly income was â€Å"less than $5,000† which had 41% of respondents. Many of respondents were students and workers (80%). Over a half of respondents had education level at diploma levels or associate degree, and 37% of respondents had education level at undergraduate or postgraduate. (Appendix 2) 2. Cronbach Alpha Reliability Analysis. This research has nine dimensions which are belong to the four categories. The dimensions are including 25 items. Use the Cronbach Alpha Reliability Analysis to find out the reliabilities between the 25 items and the nine dimensions. The reliability test in order to define questions whether it is fit/relative to the nine dimensions. This can find out which items can be more significant and which are the insignificant. The existence of the items was whether or not to affect the result of the dimensions such as completion, reliability and accuracy. (Appendix 3) 3. Mean and Standard Deviations Table 2: Comparison of Mean and S. D. of dimensions with Ocean Park and Disneyland |Categories |Dimensions |Ocean Park |Disneyland |Mean Differences |Ranking | | | |Mean |Std. Deviation |Mean |Std. Deviation | | | |Loyalty Measures | |Dimensions |Ocean Park |Disneyland | |Price Premium |Medium |High (Negative) | |Satisfaction/ Loyalty |High (Positive) |High (Negative) | |Perceived Quality |High (Positive) |High (Negative) | |Leadership |High (Positive) |High (Negative) | |Perceived Value |Medium |High (Negative) | |Brand Personality |High (Positive) |Medium | |Organizational Associations |Medium |Medium | |Brand Awareness |High (Positive) |High (Negative). | |Market Share |- |- | |Price and Distribution Indices |Medium |Medium | 1. Loyalty According to the result after crosstab the items, it found that in the loyalty category, the effect of price premium for Ocean Park was medium. The acceptability of the admission price for Ocean Park was relatively higher than the Disneyland. Its admission price was cheaper than Disneyland. Comparatively speaking, the effect of price premium for Disneyland was high. The acceptability of the admission price was low, that was relatively expensive. The influence of price premium on Disneyland is negative. Besides, the result reflected that price was not the determining factor for respondents to switch brand. On the other hands, the effect of satisfaction for Ocean Park was high. The park was better than Disneyland in satisfied customers needs and wants. Loyalty was built by a cumulative result, which were the customers’ past visit experiences with the brands. The result indicated that the opportunity of respondents’ revisit the parks was based on their last visit experiences. Ocean Park was better than Disneyland, respondents were willing to recommend Ocean Park to others rather than Disneyland. The influence of satisfaction on Ocean Park is positive. However, the effect of satisfaction for Disneyland was high. It brings a negative influence on the park. In satisfied customers needs and wants, Disneyland was worse than Ocean Park. Respondents were unsatisfied with their last visit experience. Only seldom of respondents would revisit the park on the next opportunity and recommend the park to others. During the result of satisfaction was negative, the management from Disneyland would improve the quality for satisfying customers’ needs and wants. 2. Perceived Quality/Leadership. The result reflected that there was a linkage between perceived quality and leadership, Compare with Disneyland, Ocean Park was popular and more innovative, it was the leading brand in Hong Kong, and overall Ocean Park was better in quality. It implied that better leadership, better quality. It helps Ocean Park to keep closer relationship with loyal customers and less of switchers. The effect of perceived quality/leadership for Ocean Park was medium. Oppositely, Disneyland was worse, it was not innovative enough and not much popular than Ocean Park, and therefore Disneyland was not the leading brand in Hong Kong. One of reasons might cause by the negative news about the park. The effect of perceives quality/leadership for Disneyland was high and negative. 3. Associations/Differentiation Ocean Park could provide good value for the money. The effect of perceived value for Ocean Park was medium. Disneyland could not provide good value for the money. The effect of perceived value for the park was high and negative. Ocean Park had its own personality and it was interesting. Respondents had a clear image of the type of person who would visit the park. The effect of personality for Ocean Park was high and positive. Disneyland also had its own personality. However, seldom of respondents were agreed the park was interesting. Normally, respondents had a clear image for what type of person would visit the park. The personality of Disneyland was medium. The personality of Disneyland was indistinct. It could reflect the respondents’ imagery, which was a key driver of brand personality. About the organization management of Ocean Park, the results reflected that respondents were answered â€Å"neutral† about the organization trust and admire the Ocean Park Company. But the respondents thought that the organization association with Ocean Park had credibility. The effect of organization for the park was medium. On the other hand, many respondents were answered â€Å"neutral† about the organization trust with Disneyland, and admire the Disneyland Company, and the credibility of organization association. The results implied that the respondents were lack of knowledge about the organization management beheld Disneyland. The effect of organization for the park was medium. Organization management back of the theme parks is usually ignored by the visitors. It is because its lack of attractive for the visitors associated with its services. Therefore, the effect of this dimension with both companies was medium. Overall, Ocean Park and Disneyland were different. 4. Awareness Recognition of Ocean Park and Disneyland were high. Respondents had heard of the two parks, it was important for the exist brands. Moreover, respondents were knew what the parks stand for, it reflected that customers had a level of brand knowledge. Besides, respondents were no opinion about Ocean Park, but respondents had opinion with Disneyland. The result of brand opinion implied that respondents were less confidence with Disneyland. The effect of awareness for Ocean Park was high and positive, and for Disneyland was high and negative. . 5. Market Behavior For the market share measure, there was lack of information to compare the sales performance between Ocean Park and Disneyland. Therefore, the effect of market for both Ocean and Disneyland would not be evaluated. As the result, the market price was not compared between Ocean Park and Disneyland, because Disneyland’s admission income was not being provided in the Annual Report individually. The financial information of Hong Kong Disneyland was combined with European Disneyland. In the distribution coverage, the result of Attraction Attendance 2007 and 2008 (Appendix 1a & b) indicated that Ocean Park had higher indicated that Ocean Park had recorded higher attendance rather than Disneyland. It is implied that Ocean Park should be more successful on the admission income, and gained a large number of visitors rather than Disneyland. On the other hand, Disneyland had higher distribution coverage on the world, because it involved that its operations were involved 5 countries in the world. Besides, Ocean Park had lower distribution coverage in the market, because it only had one amusement in the world. As a result, both of Ocean Park and Disneyland were medium in the effect of market price/ distribution indices. To conclude that after use high/low method to compare with the two parks, it found that the brand equity of Ocean Park was better. Table 3 shown each category has a key driver of influence. Loyalty, the key driver is satisfaction. Perceived quality and leadership measures, leadership variable in this category should be considered. The key component of associations and differentiation measures is including the personality. In the category of awareness measures, brand awareness is the important component. Attendance of distribution coverage in market behavior is the most important. Matching mean analysis with crosstab test analysis, it found out that the loyalty is the most influence category among the brand equity of Ocean Park. The dimension of satisfaction in the loyalty category is the critical success factor of Ocean Park. CHAPTER VI – DISCUSSION During the study, there were faced such problems. This part of discussion would point out the problems, in order to share the editor’s opinions with those people who would having study or survey in the future. 1. Questionnaire Setting 1. Sample of the survey is not many, only collected 100 samples, representation of the result is low. 2. The method of collecting the data is not good enough. It is because through e-mail, which is inconvenience, low efficiency, and usually will ignore by addressees. E-mail is a passive method, and the respondents their replies are also passive. 3. Questionnaire is distributed to visitors through e-mail. Some respondents had their feedback about the questionnaire, such as wrong words, the questionnaire format, etc. 4. Focus on the questionnaire design, it could be improved. For example, in the price premium, the questionnaire did not ask respondents some questions about the â€Å"dollar metric†, and market research approach (conjoint/ â€Å"trade-off† analysis). Therefore, the dimension of price premium can not be accurately and clearly to analysis whether it can build up customer loyalty and whether it is important part of loyalty measures. 2. Information Collection 1. In the category of Market Behavior, there were not found some accurate information about the â€Å"Market Share† and â€Å"Market Price†. That is the admission price of Disneyland. According to the Disneyland Annual Report 2008, the financial information about Hong Kong Disneyland was displayed that it was combined the financial information associated with European Disneyland. This is indicated that the financial information should not be compared with Ocean Park directly, because any changes of the financial information may be occurred by both Hong Kong and European one. Therefore, the related information should not be really reflected the true information especially for Hong Kong Disneyland. 3. SPSS – Data Entry and Output 1. When setting the questionnaires, sometimes, may need to set some reverse questions. For example, asking respondents that â€Å"Ocean Park is different from Disneyland† and â€Å"Ocean Park is basically the same as Disneyland†, that is reverse question.

Due Diligence

â€Å"Due  diligence† is a somewhat technical phrase used to describe a range of assignments, legal obligations, reports and investigations which take place in business, manufacturing and law. Its most frequently heard version is the one pertaining to business, where â€Å"duediligence† refers to the steps taken by venture capitalists before investing a round of capital in a startup, the ongoing investigation as to how the funds are being distributed, or the precautionary steps taken by a larger company in deciding to acquire a smaller company. Sometimes the phrase is referred to as a capitalized proper noun:  Due  Diligence. The precise definition of â€Å"due  diligence† varies between firms and organizations. In manufacturing for example, certain environmental requirements must be met, which are verified in an Environmental Site Assessment called a â€Å"due  diligence  report†. It consists of a checklist of specifications and sections for open commentary. Ads by Google |IT Due Diligence Experts |Information & Communications Technology Due Diligence. Munich | | |www. oach. de | |Due Diligence Checklist |Industry proven 600+ pt checklist available for immediate download | | |www. birds-eye. net | |Due Diligence |Worldwide offices Know-how, experience & resources | | |i-factanalysis. om/due_diligence | |M&A Cross-Border |Mergers & Acquisitions Business Sales, Invest in Europe | | |www. eleusis. eu | |Free Trading Webinar |Learn how to use technical analysis to make better security trades. | | |www . equis. com | In venture capitalism,  due  diligence  involves looking into the past and present of the people and structure of a company requesting  venture funding. For instance, venture capitalists are wary of investing in companies that lack people with credentials or a proven track record. Depending on the overall level of caution in the investment environment at the time, a  duediligence  investigation may be more or less stringent. Typically a  venture capital  firm will have a dozen or more investigators whose task is to research specific details of the personal history of people in the company. With the Internet, researching a person's past associations and experience has never been easier, much to the delight of investment communities. Of course,  due  diligence  is not a panacea against investment failures. Even a company made up of well-educated high achievers can falter  due  to unpredictable market conditions, unforeseen competition, or technical setbacks. Due  diligence  generally refers to the background checks conducted after a venture partner has already made a decision about the company. Typically, partners will prefer to invest in companies led by people they already know are very trustworthy, and probably have been given funds in the past. In law,  due  diligence  refers to precautions that are supposed to be taken by a person or company in some context. For example, did the company thoroughly check their product beforehand to ensure it was non-toxic or was not a strangulation hazard? If they do not, and bad results come of their  negligence, they can be held criminally liable. Due Diligence â€Å"Due  diligence† is a somewhat technical phrase used to describe a range of assignments, legal obligations, reports and investigations which take place in business, manufacturing and law. Its most frequently heard version is the one pertaining to business, where â€Å"duediligence† refers to the steps taken by venture capitalists before investing a round of capital in a startup, the ongoing investigation as to how the funds are being distributed, or the precautionary steps taken by a larger company in deciding to acquire a smaller company. Sometimes the phrase is referred to as a capitalized proper noun:  Due  Diligence. The precise definition of â€Å"due  diligence† varies between firms and organizations. In manufacturing for example, certain environmental requirements must be met, which are verified in an Environmental Site Assessment called a â€Å"due  diligence  report†. It consists of a checklist of specifications and sections for open commentary. Ads by Google |IT Due Diligence Experts |Information & Communications Technology Due Diligence. Munich | | |www. oach. de | |Due Diligence Checklist |Industry proven 600+ pt checklist available for immediate download | | |www. birds-eye. net | |Due Diligence |Worldwide offices Know-how, experience & resources | | |i-factanalysis. om/due_diligence | |M&A Cross-Border |Mergers & Acquisitions Business Sales, Invest in Europe | | |www. eleusis. eu | |Free Trading Webinar |Learn how to use technical analysis to make better security trades. | | |www . equis. com | In venture capitalism,  due  diligence  involves looking into the past and present of the people and structure of a company requesting  venture funding. For instance, venture capitalists are wary of investing in companies that lack people with credentials or a proven track record. Depending on the overall level of caution in the investment environment at the time, a  duediligence  investigation may be more or less stringent. Typically a  venture capital  firm will have a dozen or more investigators whose task is to research specific details of the personal history of people in the company. With the Internet, researching a person's past associations and experience has never been easier, much to the delight of investment communities. Of course,  due  diligence  is not a panacea against investment failures. Even a company made up of well-educated high achievers can falter  due  to unpredictable market conditions, unforeseen competition, or technical setbacks. Due  diligence  generally refers to the background checks conducted after a venture partner has already made a decision about the company. Typically, partners will prefer to invest in companies led by people they already know are very trustworthy, and probably have been given funds in the past. In law,  due  diligence  refers to precautions that are supposed to be taken by a person or company in some context. For example, did the company thoroughly check their product beforehand to ensure it was non-toxic or was not a strangulation hazard? If they do not, and bad results come of their  negligence, they can be held criminally liable.

Brutus A Noble Roman Essay Research Paper

Brutus, A Noble Roman Essay, Research Paper Brutus, a Baronial Roman In the drama, Julius Caesar, Antony admired many qualities about Brutus. Antonyhad referred to Brutus as the noblest Roman, but this did non intend Brutus was perfectbecause he was non. Brutus had illustrated that he is a honest, caring and a determinedman. Brutus had proved that he was an honorable adult male. During his funeral oration forCaesar, he was honest with his words, he spoke truthfully to the crowd about why he hadkilled Caesar and said it was for the good of Rome. Antony genuinely admired Brutus. Antonyand Octavius were traveling to give him proper entombment out of regard, this proves that if Brutus enemies were traveling to give him a entombment, so that would intend that Antony truly admiredBrutus for his good qualities. Many people respected and looked up to Brutus beforeAntony spoke at Caesar s funeral. For illustration, when Brutus spoke the citizens had been onBrutus side and were against Antony. A citizen had said, We ll conveying him to his housewith cries and clamors ( 3.2.55 ) . Even though Brutus might non hold done the best thingfor Rome by killing Caesar, he was still a baronial and a honorable Roman. Brutus was a baronial and caring individual and in Antony s words you could state, Thiswas a adult male ( 5.5.75 ) . Brutus had genuinely believed that it was in Rome s best involvement thatCaesar were to be killed. Brutus determination for fall ining the confederacy or non was non takenlightly. even though Brutus was tired, he was still doing up his head about fall ining theconspiracy after his eventides interview with Cassius and the other plotters. WhenBrutus had found the several anon. letters ( truly from Cassius ) he truly thought thatthey were from the citizens of Rome and Thursday at they did non desire Caesar to be crowned King. His logical thinking was that Caesar was non to be killed for what he had done but for what he maydo in the hereafter. Brutus had all four elements, and they were all every bit assorted up in him, ( 5.5.73 ) . Brutus did non hold excessively much pride or enviousness, he had merely the right sum of each. Brutus did non state his married woman Portia about the confederacy because he knew she would be hurtand would non understand. If Brutus enemies could state sort words about him it must havetruly meant that he was a great adult male. Brutus was a really determined adult male. He was like the Master Mind of the wholeconspiracy. All the other plotters looked up to Brutus and listened to him with greatrespect. Anything Brutus told the plotters to make they did it with out so much as aquestion asked. His great finding to kill Caesar came from the fact that he thought theidea of Caesar being King would finally destruct Rome wholly. Brutus was notafraid to decease if he lost the conflict t o Antony and his ground forces. Near the terminal of the drama withCassius dead, Brutus knew that there was no opportunity that his side could come out victoriousin the conflict for the control of Rome. He did non desire to give his enemies the satisfaction ofletting them parade him through the streets of Rome and acquire tortured so he killed himself. Brutus fought to the terminal and to him the whole ordeal was deserving it because he was fightingfor Rome and died contending for it. Therefore, in this drama, as proven it is obvious that Brutus was non perfect because ofhis actions in killinq Caesar. Brutus had proven that he was honest, baronial and determined.. What mattered to him is that he fought for what he believed in and that was for the honor ofRome.

IT601-0903B-07 Information Technology in Business Management - Phase 3 Essay

IT601-0903B-07 Information Technology in Business Management - Phase 3 Discussion Board - Essay Example For the wholesale customers, it would be most beneficial to use the extranet to help improve the relations. FYC can provide complete access of the extranet to the customers and allow for online account management and allow for updating the requirements online. The customers should also be provided with details of the inventory levels and the company requires implementing a system where if the level of inventory falls below the safety level, automatic orders are placed with FYC (Kennedy & Dysart, 2007). The company should also allow each store to log into the system and share their details of the existing stocks, the trend of sales, exchange documents and make comments. This can be referred to as a ‘Store Extranet’. Numerous companies usually utilise the intranet however they do not make complete utilisation of the intranet and this is mainly due to the reason that it does not work in sync with the objectives of the company (Kennedy & Dysart, 2007). The company can utilise the extranet and intranet for various purposes which include: b) Production Teams: The utilisation of high levels of Information technology will allow the production teams to be easily connected to the suppliers. This will help the company reduce the inventory carrying costs and the intranet will also permit the communication to be much quicker to the other teams like the sales, especially for the sales forecasts. c) Sourcing and Supply Chain Departments: The Extranet will permit higher volumes of data to be communicated regarding the raw materials requirements direct to the suppliers. This will help improving the procurement process. Also the extranet allows for better communication plans to the suppliers and also timely deliveries of all supplies. d) Human Resources Team / Finance Departments: The HR teams for each store need to be linked with Thomas. The intranet will allow for centralised recruitment and training and will act as a measure for the human resources teams. This