Monoatomic or Monatomic Elements

Monatomic or monoatomic elements are elements that are stable as single atoms. Mon- or Mono- means one. In order for an element to be stable by itself, it needs to have a stable octet of valence electrons. List of Monatomic Elements The noble gases exist as monatomic elements: helium (He)neon (Ne)argon (Ar)krypton (Kr)xenon (Xe)radon (Rn)oganesson (Og) The atomic number of a monatomic element is equal to the number of protons in the element. These elements may exist in various isotopes (varying number of neutrons), but the number of electrons matches the number of protons. One Atom Versus One Type of Atom Monatomic elements exist as stable single atoms. This type of element is commonly confused with pure elements, which may consist of multiple atoms bonded into diatomic elements (e.g., H2, O2) or other molecules consisting of a single type of atom (e.g., ozone or O3. These molecules are homonuclear, meaning they only consist of one type of atomic nucleus, but not monatomic. Metals are typically connected via metallic bonds, so a sample of pure silver, for example, might be considered to be homonuclear, but again, the silver would not be monatomic. ORMUS and Monatomic Gold There are products for sale, supposedly for medical and other purposes, which claim to contain monatomic gold, m-state materials, ORMEs (Orbitally Rearranged Monoatomic Elements), or ORMUS. Specific product names include Sola, Mountain Manna, C-Gro, and Cleopatras Milk. This is a hoax. The materials are variously claimed to be elemental white gold powder, the alchemists Philosophers Stone, or medicinal gold. The story goes, Arizona farmer David Hudson discovered an unknown material in his soil with unusual properties. In 1975, he sent out a sample of the soil to have it analyzed. Hudson claimed the soil contained gold, silver, aluminum, and iron. Other versions of the tale say Hudsons sample contained platinum, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and ruthenium. According to vendors who sell ORMUS, it has miraculous properties, including superconductivity, the ability to cure cancer, the ability to emit gamma radiation, capacity to act as flash powder, and able to levitate. Why, exactly, Hudson claimed his material was monoatomic gold is unclear, but there is no scientific evidence to support its existence. Some sources cite the different color of the gold from its usual yellow color as evidence of it being monatomic. Any chemist (or alchemist, for that matter) knows gold is a transition metal that forms colored complexes and also assumes different colors as a pure metal as a thin film. The reader is further cautioned against trying the online instructions for making homemade ORMUS. Chemicals that react with gold and other noble metals are notoriously dangerous. The protocols do not produce any monatomic element; they do present a considerable risk. Monoatomic Gold Versus Colloidal Gold Monoatomic metals are not to be confused with colloidal metals. Colloidal gold and silver are suspended particles or clumps of atoms. Colloids have been demonstrated to behave differently from the elements as metals.

The American Red Cross And Its Intervention - 3633 Words

Emmanuel Babadjide PAD 758 Professor Kempf The American Red Cross and its intervention in the hurricanes Isaac and Sandy Factual summary The American Red Cross is a major organization in the United States and around the world. Clara Barton founded the American chapter in 1881. She was a public servant who decided to get involved during the civil war by attending to wounded soldiers and feeding them on the battlefield. Her sense of humanitarian work was only strengthened by her trip to Europe during the Franco Prussian war, where she discovered the initiative of Henri Dunant (Reitman, 1996). After the battle of Solfinero, this Swiss banker was shocked by the carnage of war and decided to gather doctors and volunteers around the village to help tend to the wounded. This action motivated him to create a nonpartisan organization that can focus on caring for people wounded in wars and conflicts regardless of their origin. (Reitman, 1996). The organization was ratified in the 1864 Geneva Convention by twelve countries and later by many others. The United States Red Cross was founded due to the efforts of Barton in Washingto n (Reitman, 1996). The first chapter of the national American Red Cross was created in upstate New York. Later, the organization received funding to create its national headquarters in Washington. Since then, the Red Cross has benefited form a close relationship with Washington as it was created by congressional charter more than a century ago and plays aShow MoreRelatedThe American Red Cross1599 Words   |  7 PagesThe American Red Cross is a service organization that provides aid for disaster/crisis as well as other non-disaster related services to the communities of America. The American Red Cross the premier United States based aid organization providing for people in the times of need, whether it is a disaster or planning and partnering. 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Additionally, Syrian rebels possess great distrust towards the Syrian Red Crescent, the nation’s main humanitarian organization, due to its perceived pro-Assad slant. In a recent statement from the International Committee of the Red Cross, â€Å"Mounting cross-line operations is challenging, not least because, as in every conflict, neither side is keen to see us crossing into the area held by their enemy.† Most ofRead MoreEmergency And Disaster Preparedness Education For The Latino Community3065 Words   |  13 Pagespresented by an emergency state within the community. Intervention through educational sessions by trained health promoters is shown to improve community preparedness when measured in terms of participants’ report of stockpiling emergency supplies or building an emergency supply kit, report of discussing an emergency plan with family, and reported feelings of preparedness (Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, 2008). Such int erventions are especially valuable when they take into accountRead MoreCrisis Response Time for American Red Cross Essay1254 Words   |  6 Pages (1) Since the writing of this case, the American Red Cross (ARC) is on record as having conceptually addressed its infrastructure and operational hurdles. However, very few strides have been made to reverse stakeholder perception crisis response time, relief dispatch strategies, and the ethical dilemmas plaguing the organization. Governmental mandates that streamlined the board and that established accounting /reporting parameters have done little to modify the organizations operational culture

Chicken Sitting free essay sample

Chicken Sitting I don’t live in a city, but I can’t exactly say that I live in a farm town either. I don’t have to wake up before dawn everyday to milk a cow- but what I do have is a best friend who owns chickens. My best friend Maggie and her family started raising chickens when we were both about eleven. What started off as twelve eggs in an incubator eventually turned into thirty noisy birds. Every day when I used to walk over to Maggie’s house, we’d go out to the coops and hunt for eggs. It was like receiving a warm little treasure when we would lift up a hen and scoop out the eggs from underneath her. We became chicken experts together, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when her parents asked me to chicken sit when they went on vacation. We will write a custom essay sample on Chicken Sitting or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It was one of the coldest weeks of the year, and Maggies family had left me tending to the chickens in snow up to my shins. I would trudge down the street to her house twice a day to let the chickens into their enclosure, collect eggs, and then shoo the birds back into their coops at night. I didn’t mind the work most of the time, but on the last night of my chicken duties, the situation became ugly. Almost every day that week snow had flurried down, and the nights were frigid enough that the new layers of snow would freeze over. When I stepped on the untouched snow, it was like I was breaking shards of ice beneath me. Despite slightly frozen hands, things were going as well as they could- considering the conditions. I collected a few eggs, and scattered some cracked corn as a late night treat for the hens. The real trouble came when it was time to put the roosters to sleep. Maggies dad was a clever man who rigged up some contraptions that were meant to make chicken tending much easier. One of his innovations was a pulley system that made it possible to close the chicken coop doors without having to enter the enclosure. The exits and entrances were connected to a thick rope with wooden spikes at the end. I would pull the rope to open the door, and then wedge the spike between holes in the wire fencing to keep the door open. To close the door, I would just un-jam the wooden piece from the wire and let the rope become limp. Usually the hook and eye that served as the pulley didn’t cause a problem, but that night a piece of ice had formed on the rope that shut the roosters’ door. The door to the rooster’s coop would close partially, but the rope would become jammed every time the ice hit the metal eye. I tried everything to get the door to close. I tried letting the rope go quickly, thinking the cylindrical chunk of ice would break when it hit the metal, but it didn’t work. After fifteen minutes of futile attempts, I became frustrated and started the walk back to my house to ask my mom for help. On the journey home, I thought about what Maggies dad had told me about how it was okay to leave the door open if I couldn’t make it closed for some reason. I knew it was practically impossible for coyotes or other animals to enter the rooster pen, but I still felt horrible about leaving my job unfinished. I even felt guilty about le aving the roosters susceptible to the elements- even if it was only for one night. By the time I was back at my house, it was dark, so my mom grabbed some flashlights and drove us back down the street. She assessed the situation and tried the same thing I had, which yielded similar results. I was devastated, but my mom had an idea that I failed to think of myself. We rushed home again and rummaged through the drawers until we found a neglected BIC lighter. Her plan seemed flawless- we would simply melt away the ice which would allow me to close the door all the way. I was frustrated that I hadn’t thought of something that practical on my own, but was excited and relieved that I would finally be able to close the uncooperative door. I would soon be disappointed though, because we hadn’t accounted for the wind that would blow the flames away from the ice and onto our fingers. Again and again my mom and I took turns trying to get the flame to cooperate, but with no luck. Eventually we had to give up; staying at the coops would be a waste of time. Although my week of chicken sitting was over five years ago, I still have the same attitude when it comes to fulfilling a responsibility. I’m willing to make sacrifices and accept help from others, as long as job gets done.

Organisational Buying Process free essay sample

Loginova Olga Organizational buying behavior in Business tourism market Case Holiday Club Resorts Oy 50 pages, 1 appendix Saimaa University of Applied Sciences, Lappeenranta Business Administration, Degree Programme in International Business Bachelor’s Thesis 2011 Instructor: Ville Lehto The purpose of this Bachelor’s thesis is to provide understanding of the organizational buying behavior in Russian companies in context of business tourism market. This includes describing the general model of the process, identifying people, responsible for decision making and analyzing factors, that influence their decisions. Another objective is to give recommendations to the case company about how to reach right people in Russian organizations with their message. In the theoretical part of the study the main issues are related to the general principles of organizational buying behavior and main concepts of the topic. When conducting this research both Russian and English sources are used. The most related topics of the literature are  «Organizational Buying behavior »,  «Business-to-business marketing » and  «Industrial marketing », presented by Philip Kotler, Frederick E. We will write a custom essay sample on Organisational Buying Process or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Webster Jr. and Yoram Wind and Kovalev A. I Empirical part is based on a case study and describes the organizational buying process on example of 3 Russian companies, which were chosen according to the criteria of location, size and industry. The data for case study is gathered by conducting an interview with members of buying centers within these companies. Implementation of theory to the practice faced some difficulties such as misunderstanding of the topic and unwillingness of companies to provide full information. Business markets mostly concerns producer and reseller markets (Vitale et al, 2010, p. 131) Generally, business markets consist of fewer, but larger customers than consumer markets and are involved in purchases of significantly large value having complex economic, technical and financial considerations. Business markets also differ from consumer markets in such aspects as: sales volumes, marketing structure and demand, nature of products and most relevant for this thesis – types of decision and decision process (Ibid). Organization buying is the decision-making process by which formal organizations establish the need for purchased products and services and identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers (Webster Wind, 1996). The nature of the buyer decision process in a business-tobusiness environment differs from the consumer ones, that is why understanding of organizational buying behavior is essential– it helps to develop the right approach to corporate clients and establish strong bonds between  «sellers » and  «buyers ». 4 1. 1 Background of the research Organizational buying behavior is an extensive concept as it depends on many factors. However, understanding the organizational buying process is a key prerequisite for the development of business marketing strategy. With knowledge of the customer firm’s decision making process and buying behavior, market managers are in a far better position to develop marketing strategies, build win-win relationship with customers and influence purchasing decisions successfully. The case company Holiday Club Resorts Oy is one of Europe’s largest vacation enterprises. The company’s specialization is holiday centers, spa hotels and time share apartments. Holiday Club operates both on consumer and business markets as their customers are different companies and organizations as well as representatives of public sector. This research is done to support the new project of the company – Saimaa Gardens large tourist and leisure time resort in Finland that will be opened in Autumn 2011. New holiday center will provide large facilities for conferences, business meetings and corporate parties (Holiday Club Oy 2010). While Finland and Russia are neighboring countries with well-developed connections in tourism area, Holiday Club’s officials are willing to attract Russian corporate clients. This thesis is a part of a bigger project, that consists of two studies. The first one is devoted to Russian outbound tourism and gives understanding of  «What organizational clients want?  », the second one answers the question  «How organizations buy?  ». The whole project is carried out by two students. Alena Tsyvinskaja is responsible for the first part, called  «Russian outbound MICE tourism – demand and concept », while this study is accomplished by Olga Loginova. The purpose of this study is to find out reasons and factors which affect the buying decisions and choice of leisure service provider. The research is aimed to analyze buying behavior process in Russian organizations and provide 5 possibilities for Saimaa Gardens to fulfill corporate requirements and reach their target market successfully. 1. 2 Research problem and objectives The main objective of this thesis is to give understanding of organizational buying process in Russian companies and provide recommendations to Saimaa Garden, how to reach right people with their message. For this purpose few Russian companies will be targeted as potential customers. Each organization has buying center – a group of people, who are responsible for buying decisions. (Webster Wind,1996). The research will be based on direct communication with these people in order to understand their roles and identify factors that affect their decisions. Main research problem consists of 3 parts: -find members of the buying center -analyze their roles and decision making process -describe an organizational buying process in general In the final outcome, Holiday Club will benefit from thesis in several ways. Firstly, this project will give an understanding of organizational buying behavior in Russian companies. Secondly it will provide a framework that will help to affect decision making process in a most efficient way. And finally, as research involves communication with companies, it will give a good opportunity to find first corporate customers. In general, possession of such knowledge will facilitate entering a new market for Holiday Club. 1. 3 Theoretical framework The theoretical framework of this thesis includes theories about nature of organizational buying in general and decision making process particularly. Theories, concerning organizational buying and decision making process gives an overall understanding of how organizational purchasing is executed, how 6 decisions are made and which factors influence them. Organizational buyers decision process model gives a clear guidelines how decision is made step by step. And Buying center’s analyses provide ideas for the practical part about how to recognize people, responsible for decision taking and to define roles and motives of those people. When conducting this research both Russian and English sources were used. The most related topics of the literature are  «Organizational Buying behavior  »,  «Business-to-business marketing » and  «Industrial marketing ». In theoretical part of the study information from Philip Kotler’s  «Marketing management »,  «A general model for understanding organizational buying behavior », written by Frederick E. Webster Jr. nd Yoram Wind and book of Russian author Kovalev A. I.  «Industrial Marketing » was used. The full list of sources provided at the end of the study. 1. 4 Research context 1. 4. 1 Business tourism As this study is devoted to business tourism, it is appropriate to give a small overview of this topic. In recent times more and more organizations have gone global, business connections have become international and economic activities are spread all over the world. As it’s commonly known, successful business is impossible without contacts, technologies and information exchanging, gaining new partners and customers. Due to the rapid growth of business contacts with foreign partners, business tourism is seen as an important niche market, and is one of the fastest growing sectors of the tourism industry. This segment of the tourism industry has also been referred to as Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE). The concept of MICE stands for corporate outbound tourism, aiming to bring people together for a particular entertaining or business purpose. (Business Travel Worldwide 2011. ) 7 In general, MICE encompasses the following activities: ? ? ? ? ? Meetings and conferences Exhibitions and trade fares Incentive travel Corporate events Outdoor events Individual corporate travel (Ibid) According to the statistics, provided by RBTA (Russian Business Travel Association,2010), in share correlation the structure of MICE travelling has the following form: 71% for individual travelling, 16% for participation in conferences and congresses, 11% for visiting exhibitions and approximately 2-3% for incentive travel. Business travelling may peruse different aims and according to  «Business Travel Worldwide » (2011) some of them are: ? ? ? ? ? Establishing partner relations, negotiating the contracts, concluding deals Visiting and taking part in the exhibitions Participating in congresses, conferences and seminars Trainings, professional development trips Incentive trips (trips, usually granted as a reward for employee’s outstanding performance) According to Business Tourism Partnership (2010) principal characteristics of business tourism include the following: †¢ it is at the high quality, high yield end of the tourism spectrum †¢ business tourism is year-round, peaking in Spring and Autumn but still with high levels of activity in the Summer and Winter months †¢ it is resilient, being much less affected by economic downturns or by disasters than leisure tourism and other sectors of the national economy 8 †¢ business tourism stimulates future inward investment as business people see the attractions of a destination while travelling on business or to attend a conference, exhibition or incentive, and then return to establish business operations there. According to Swarbrooke and Horner (2001), the participants of business tourism market can be divided into 3 groups: Consumers: Individuals Companies Associations Intermediaries: Travel Agencies Exhibition companies Event management companies and others Suppliers: Transport operators Accommodation operators Incentive travel venues Specialist services Figure 1 Participants of business tourism market. The figure represents the simplified scheme of business tourism market. In the reality the process might look different, including several intermediaries or ,vice versa, the link of intermediaries might be excluded as consumers are willing to arrange their business trips on their own. 1. 4. 2 MICE in Russia Although the thesis topic doesn’t cover business tourism market analysis, several words should be said about MICE market in Russia. Russia is a country where business tourism in general is actively developing now. However, the concept of MICE is still rather new for Russian companies. The reasons for this might be the insufficient development of corporate culture in general and small amount of international business contacts. Anyway, Russian corporate travel has not the same level as  «ancestors » of business tourism USA and European countries. 9 In general, MICE tourism in Russia can be characterized by following features (RBTA 2010): ? ? ? ? Outbound tourism is prevailing (most Russian companies prefer travel abroad rather than within the country) Problem such as lack of qualified agencies still exist. The demand for MICE services is fluctuating and not stable Incentive tourism is significantly less popular comparing with other parts of MICE 1. 4. 3 Case company profile Holiday Club Resorts Oy is one of Europe’s largest vacation ownership enterprises. It was established in 1986 and in the beginning it focused primarily on the vacation ownership business, purchasing hotels on the territory of Finland (Holiday Club Oy 2010) The company has been buying hotels and resorts as well as building their own holiday homes and spa centers. The growth of Holiday Club vacation ownership system continued and by 2007 Holiday Club expanded to Sweden (Ibib. ) By 2009, after several successful acquisitions Holiday Club becomes the leading vacation ownership enterprise in Europe. At 2010 a building of new resort – Saimaa Gardens was started (Ibid. ) In overall Holiday Club Resorts Oy owns holiday homes in 26 destinations in Finland, a holiday destination in Calahonda, Spain, as well as Holiday Club Are and Ekerum Golf and Resorts (Oland) holiday destinations in Sweden. Holiday Club’s 6 spa hotels in Finland have belonged to the S-Group’s subsidiary, Sokotel, since April 2006, and they operate under the name Holiday Club Spa Hotels. The chain comprises Holiday Club Caribia in Turku, Katinkulta in Vuokatti, Tropiikki in Kuusamo, Eden in Oulu, Saariselka and Tampere Spa (Holiday Club official web-site 2011. ) 10 1. 4. 4 Saimaa Gardens In this study the analysis is carried out from the standpoint of Saimaa gardens spa resort, as it is the nearest hotel of Holiday Club chain to Russia. Saimaa Gardens is a wellness resort, comprising spa hotel, holiday houses, various top-class apartments, golf centre, a great variety of shops, restaurants and galleries. It’s located at the shore of Lake Saimaa, nearby Imatra and occupies approximately 300 hectares of total area. Saimaa Gardens is also the nearest large tourist attraction to St. Petersburg in Finland. Companies’ clients belong both to consumer and business markets. Holiday club’s resorts provide services for public consumers as well as for corporate clients because they have good amenities for family vacation and honey moons along with facilities for conferences, corporate parties and business travelling. Holiday Club sees a great potential particularly in Russian tourists and organizations, as it will be situated near Saint-Petersburg, a city, where travelling to Finland is popular and easy. 1. 5 Limitations This thesis does not handle deep analyses of business tourism market and just gives a small overview of this topic to provide basic understanding of this tourism sphere. Consumer needs and preferences as well as product specifications are not covered by the study as this is a topic of a parallel research, prepared by another student. The theoretical part of this thesis is limited to theories about composition of the buying center and it’s characteristics, decision making process and factors, influencing it. The theories also describe the difference between organizational and consumer buying. These theories were chosen, because they are closely related to the research problem and they support the empirical part of the thesis by providing guidelines how the organizational buying process looks in real life. This thesis does not cover theories about sales techniques and relations between buyers and sellers, because one of the main objectives of bachelors’ thesis is to make the topic narrow but analyze it deeper. 11 2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND IMPLEMENTATION The research was done according to a plan that consisted of 3 stages. The first stage involved analyzing of theoretical background and gave a comprehensive view on organizational buying behavior process, describing composition of buying center, identifying factors, influencing decision making process and exploring all stages of this process. After that the theory was ready to be implemented in life. On the second stage the search of companies that may be interviewees for the research and potential clients for Holiday Club was done. The search criteria was explained in empirical part. When organizations were identified, their portfolios should be created to obtain knowledge about potential customers. The final and most important stage of research was identifying the buying centers in chosen organizations and conducting an interview with it’s members. This was done to identify roles and motives of members, analyze the decision making process and finally develop an effective framework according to gained information. Figure 2 represents the plan research. Theory analyses Buying behavior -main concepts -influencing factors -buying center -decision making process Companies’ portfolio gathering What size? What industry? What location? Interview Figure 2. Research plan. 12 As it was stated above, the main research problems were: finding members of the buying center, analyzing their roles and decision making process and describing an organizational buying process in general. In order to understand, what the most effective methods for solving these problems are, a book of Tony Proctor (2005 p. 63)  «Essentials of Marketing research » was read. After examination of possible methodology, it was concluded that the most appropriate methods to solve thesis problems were qualitative research, case study and analyzing of primary and secondary data. 2. 1 Quantitative research Quantitative research produces numbers and figures, while qualitative research provides data on why people buy, what motivates them to buy, or their impressions of products, services or advertisements. It also produces information on behavior, attitudes and intentions. Simply put, qualitative research goes inside of people’s thinking, value system as well as decision making process, what fitted perfectly objectives of this study. This type of research involves different approaches such as focus groups, interviews, feedback analysis, surveys and others. It relies on primary data as well as on secondary. In this study the object of qualitative research was an organizational buying behavior (Proctor, 2005 p. 71. ) The research was carried out in a context of business tourism, which is very specific area of business market. That is why organization buying process in business tourism market is based on general model of organizational buying. So first of all, problem solutions required general knowledge about such concepts as buying center, organizational buying and others. That kind of information was necessary for good orientation in actual topic and for further planning of the research. To gain this information secondary data analysis was used. 13 2. 2 Secondary data analysis Secondary data analysis is the method of using preexisting data in a different way or to answer a different research question than that intended by those who collected the data (Schutt 1999). The sources of secondary data may be different: books, magazines, newspapers, internet, earlier conducted surveys, etc. The organizational buying behavior has been studied by many authors such as Philip Kotler, Frederick E. Webster Jr. , Yoram Wind, Ajay Kumar Kohli and others. Their books and articles were used as sources of theoretical information. Secondary analysis of different statistics was also conducted to help to choose the right kind of companies for the case study, which is described further. 2. 3 Primary data analysis and case study The study was accomplished for the particular organization, one of the needs of which was understanding of organizational buying process in Russian companies. Solving this problem required a primary data analyses. Primary data is data observed or collected directly from first-hand experience. There are many methods of collecting primary data: ? ? ? ? Questionnaire Interview Observation Case study, etc. (Proctor 2005, p74. ) This research is based on a case study. The purpose of case study is collecting information about organizational buying in Russian companies from the  «first hands ». The most appropriate method to collect it was interview. For that purpose 3 Russian companies were chosen. The amount of 3 went from the principle, that analyses of 1 company is definitely not enough, while 5 or more requires much more time. Moreover 3 companies represent 3 kinds of organizations: small, medium and large. In order to choose 3 respondents, it 14 was needed to find out what kind of companies normally buys the MICE trips and how they can be specified according to the industry, size, location, and etc. As Saimaa Gardens will be the nearest Finnish leisure attraction to the SaintPetersburg, it was quite obvious that case companies would be located in SaintPetersburg, Leningrad region and Vyborg. Another criteria, size of case companies, was based on assumption, that organizational buying process in small organizations differs from one in big corporation’s due to the amount of staff, availability of funds and corporate culture in general. The last aspect of the choice was the industry. There was no difference for Holiday Club Oy which kind of companies would use their services. So it was necessary to investigate what kind of companies buy MICE trips more often. According to the statistics for the year 2009-2010, provided by VIP-tour agency (contact person- Stanislav Lisovsky, sales manager), companies, represented 5 industries, used MICE services more frequently: ? ? ? ? ? Metal industry IT industry Oil and gas industry Estate industry Pharmaceutical and medicine industry According to this information a list of potential companies was created and proposals to take part in the interview were sent. Some companies didn’t respond at all, some provided unclear and poor information. However, it was possible to choose 3 companies, whose response was full and actual. That is how 3 case companies were chosen. Using the knowledge and information gathered for the theory, the research questionnaire was developed so that questions were straight, easy and aimed to minimize the uncertainties. Finally, despite of all difficulties, 3 interviews were carried out. Based on these interviews, it was possible to gain valuable and unique information, concerning compositions of buying centers and organizational buying processes in context of business tourism. 15 3 THE NATURE OF ORGANIZATIONAL BUYING 3. 1 Organizational vs. onsumer buying According to Webster and Wind (1995), organizational buying is the decisionmaking process by which organizations establish the need for purchased products and services and identify, evaluate, and choose among alternative brands and suppliers. It takes place i n the context of a formal organization influenced by a budget, cost and profit considerations. Consumer behavior has not much relevance for the industrial marketer. This is due to several important differences between the two purchase processes. Comparing complicity of buying processes, buying decisions are made relatively easily and quickly by individual customers, organizational buying involves thorough and deep analysis. This is because organizational buying usually involves many people in decision process with complex interactions among people and among individual and organizational goals. Furthermore, rganizational buyer’s decisions require more information, undergo longer evaluation and more uncertainty about product performance. Companies usually adopt certain methods for buying products and employ skilled professionals for purchasing departments. (Kotler 1997, p. 205. ) According to Sandhusen (2000 p. 248), when compared to demand patterns in consumer market, demand p atterns in industrial markets tend to be more concentrated, more direct, more dependent on other markets and purchases of related products and reciprocal agreements. Demand for goods in consumer markets is heavily affected by the changes in the prices so that it can be concluded that consumer market demand is price elastic. The organizational demand for products or services can be elastic only on early negotiation stage when many suppliers are actively competing on price for contracts. Once contracts are negotiated, however, demand becomes inelastic and is not influenced by short-run price changes. Frequently, demand for some b2b products is related to demand for other b2b products, what is called joint demand. For example, if Food Drink supplier for a hotel restaurant has delivery problems or poor service, it will probably cut back on its purchases of 16 foodstuffs. It’s also important to mention that demand for industrial products derives largely from demand for consumer goods. It’s quite typical or tourism market as purchasing travel package for the company’s purposes, organizational buyers sometimes follows consumer’s opinions and reputation on the consumer market. According to Kovalev (2003 p. 203), despite of ordinary consumers, industrial buyers are more likely to purc hase products directly from suppliers or manufacturers and in larger quantities, than consumers. Buying decisions of a consumer market is simple where it purely depends on the wish of consumer. But business buyers face complicated buying process where they have to adhere to purchasing standards, satisfy complex requirements and involve approval of many people. Consumer buying is generally short term focused where they conclude the relationship with seller upon the transaction is completed.

Free Essays on Dermotology

may form themselves, and these should be accepted. But, for the most part, doodling allows the unconscious to come to the surface without judgment or critical analysis from the conscious mind. To practice the art of doodling do the following: Focus on something that you are attempting to create or resolve. Hold the initial idea or desire in the mind and allow yourself to go into a blank stare or soft focus, preferably on a neutral background (the sky, a white wall, neutral carpet). As ideas and feelings come to the mind simply doodle them onto a piece of clean white paper. Allow yourself to focus exclusively on an idea and discuss it with a friend. While you are discussing it doodle on a piece of clean white paper. Continue to doodle as you talk and listen. Don’t interpret or inhibit what you are drawing. When doodling just allow your hands to fol... Free Essays on Dermotology Free Essays on Dermotology Doodling allows the unconscious to render in symbolic expression. Symbols have universal as well as personal meaning. When you are stuck for an answer to a problem or looking for creative innovation, the technique of doodling will unleash the hidden symbolic powers of the unconscious mind. Symbols are a universal means of expression. Regardless of culture or geographic location, certain symbols have similar if not exactly the same meaning across the human spectrum. Carl Jung pioneered the investigation of symbols as archetypal attributes of the collective unconscious. He realized that the universe projects itself to our unconscious minds symbolically, utilizing imagery to transmit ideas that language cannot. Symbols are the universal language. Doodling essentially allows our intuitive feelings to express themselves in pictorial symbolic form. Interpreting these symbols can help to unveil meanings that are not apparent to our linear mind. A symbol conveys an entire thought in one image. Language depends upon a linear procession of symbols to convey a thought. While doodling, words may form themselves, and these should be accepted. But, for the most part, doodling allows the unconscious to come to the surface without judgment or critical analysis from the conscious mind. To practice the art of doodling do the following: Focus on something that you are attempting to create or resolve. Hold the initial idea or desire in the mind and allow yourself to go into a blank stare or soft focus, preferably on a neutral background (the sky, a white wall, neutral carpet). As ideas and feelings come to the mind simply doodle them onto a piece of clean white paper. Allow yourself to focus exclusively on an idea and discuss it with a friend. While you are discussing it doodle on a piece of clean white paper. Continue to doodle as you talk and listen. Don’t interpret or inhibit what you are drawing. When doodling just allow your hands to fol...

Social Media & Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Social Media & Public Relations - Essay Example As the Internet has transformed into a sophisticated hub for ‘netizens’ so as to the nature of online communication and exchanges of propaganda, campaigns, and information drive (Duhe, 2007).These changes are obviously referring to the significant changes in the way Facebook, Twitter, and blogs provide means of communication outlets that are not available in the early 20th century. For this research, we will focus largely on the use of Facebook in revolutionizing the conduct of public relations in recent times. The Value of Social Media to Public Relations In the past, press releases were an integral component of public relations until online news releases agencies began to appear in the 1990s, creating a halt from too much reliance on fax machines and e-mails. As the years passed, press releases continued to exist but were also modified to fit the changes in the medium used. Press releases are now exchanged at a fast pace and in the most convenient way: using embedded m ultimedia. Green (2010) calls this as a creativity aspect of public relations that is driven by the swift breakthroughs in Internet programming and online software available as open source. Being creative is part of the trend in public relations, and according to Green (2010), this is an important component in being successful in public relations. According to Grunig (2009), the age of digitalization prompts a turnaround of events in the way public relations is conducted. However, with the greatest help that social media partake to the field of public relations, it is high time to shift the way things are conducted in this kind of specialization. Grunig (2009) mentioned that there is a need to â€Å"reinstitutionalize public relations as a behavioral, strategic† field rather than being an obsolete â€Å"symbolic, interpretive† field. Social media is regarded by many public relations professionals as an effective tool in â€Å"communicating with strategic publics† (Lewis, 2010, p. 1). Lewis (2010) further stated that the use of social media in public relations is also needed in teaching even college students to contribute to the growing success of the renewed public relations in the 21st century. With the latest applications and social media sites available for product branding and advertising, it is also a must to get acquainted with the wise use of social media, which is popularly known as â€Å"media literacy† (Lewis, 2010, p. 1). Even Facebook, for instance, has been widely suggested by PR instructors for their students to utilize in order to create an online community (Sutherland, 2011). Furthermore, the study conducted by Wright and Hinson (2008, p. 1) regarding the use of social media in public relations revealed that Facebook is considered the most important social media followed by â€Å"microblogging sites Twitter, search engine marketing, YouTube, electronic forums, and podcasts.† The study that started in 2005 was conducted to measure the impact of social media and other communication technologies in public relations. The results of the study show that social media â€Å"have brought dramatic changes† to the many aspects of public relations (Wright & Hinson, 2008, p. 2). The developments in terms of the

I. The CEO of the company believes that the company should incorporate Essay

I. The CEO of the company believes that the company should incorporate fair value accounting from next year while preparing and - Essay Example The other stakeholders such as employees, suppliers, and stockholders also find fair value accounting more realistic in predicting the trends in business. It is, therefore, easier to ascertain if the business is a going concern concept is on course or otherwise. According to the international accounting standards, fair value refers to the value of an asset or liability, which forms the basis of exchange between willing parties trough arm’s length production. In other words, in free market transactions the fair value is equal to the market prices, which is determined by the forces of demand and supply. The fair value accounting has several models, which include equity approach, mixed approach, income approach, and full fair value. The equity approach incorporates the realized and unrealized profit or losses in the revaluation reserve (Bazley & Hancock, 2013). When any transaction is realized, the changes in fair value will be reflected under equity. Under equity approach, not a ll the realized gains have any effect on the income statement. The mixed approach on its part, allows all changes in the unrealized fair value to be incorporated in the income statement while the changes in the realized profits or losses are reflected in the income statement as opposed to equity. On the other hand, income approach takes into consideration in the income statement, all the changes in the fair value because of holding losses or gains (Britton & Jorissen, 2007). Finally, under full fair value model, all the changes are incorporated in the income statement including the internally generated goodwill. Proponents of fair value asserts that historical approach has lost its meaning since it does not take into consideration the relationship between market capitalization and the firm’s reported financial performance. For instance, if the firm depreciation policy is based on historical cost accounting, then it becomes increasingly hard to determine the actual market valu e of equity net worth for the firm. Moreover, it is very hard to ascertain the true financial position of the firm if the firm values its assets based on historical cost accounting (Britton & Jorissen, 2007). On the other hand, the opponents of fair value accounting approach asserts that fair value accounting cannot bridge the gap between market value of all equity and market capitalization. The reason for this is that most accounting practices through the fair value approach do not report the internally generated good will. Due to this fact, it becomes increasingly hard to have a convergence between net assets of the business and the market value for the business. The debate on historical cost and fair value accounting takes into consideration the concept of reliability and relevance. The fact that fair value accounting approach incorporates existing market conditions; it has a better platform to predict the future patterns of the business as compared to the historical approach to accounting. It is therefore widely viewed that historical approach is the most relevant approach used to determine the net assets. However, when the assets are held to maturity, the historical cost approach becomes more relevant since fair value appro