***REQUEST writer/
***Branded Product: Ford Mustang

The following outline for your SLP serves two purposes:


As you find information on a product/brand for the aspects of your analysis of the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats faced by the product/brand listed as activities for SLPs 1 through 4, you will know how to categorize that information.
It guides the organization of what you reported as Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats faced by the product/brand you studied in SLPs 1 through 4 into your final SLP.

As indicated above, your goal for SLP5 is put the information you gathered and reported for SLPs 1 through 4 and what you gather for the remaining sections into a complete SWOT analysis for the product/brand you studied in SLPs 1 through 4. Your SWOT analysis should use the following topics as headings.

Product/Brand Analyzed: Ford Mustang

Financials:


Sales
Costs
Contribution to Overhead and Profit (Sales ? Costs)
Investment needed to generate Sales (Turnover Ratio = Sales / Investment)
Margin earned on Sales (Contribution to Overhead and Profit = Margin (or Overhead and Profit] / Sales
Return on Investment (Turnover x Margin)
Market Share

Summary:


Major Strengths of the Product/Brand
Major Weaknesses of the Product/Brand
Major Opportunities faced by the Product/Brand
Major Threats faced by the Product/Brand

Strategies:


Marketing
Market Segmentation
Target Marketing
Mass Marketing
Mass Customization
Product
Promotion
Distribution
Pricing

Marketing Environments:


Competition (Current)
Competition (Future) - Substitutes
Buyer Decision-Making and Behavior
Economy
Financing
Personnel
Politics ? Government ? Legislative ? Legal - Barriers to Market Entry
Socio-Cultural
Suppliers
Technology

Marketing Research:

Resources:
Marketingteacher.com (2008). Lesson store.
Available on October 19, 2009 at
http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessonstore.htm

Look at Financial Statements for Marketing
Available on October 19, 2009 at
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-marketing-and-finance.html

This web page links to the following financial statements used by and/or contributed to by marketing

The Balance Sheet
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-balance-sheet.html

The Profit and Loss Statement
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-profit-and-loss.html

The Cash Flow Statement
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-cashflow.html

And look at the following overview on conducting a Marketing Audit. (SWOT Marketing Analysis).
Available on October 19, 2009 at
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-marketing-audit.html

This web page explains that
(1) Internal to the firm forces that determined the financial health of a product or company
(2) Exernal to the firm forces that determine the financial health of a product or company with examples of Opportunities and Threats, and, at the very bottom of that web page,
(3) Contains links to examples of SWOT marketing analyses.


Expectations for Your SWOT Marketing Analysis


Product/Brand Analyzed : Ford Mustang

It is expected that you will state the name of product/brand you are analyzing and state the name of the company that owns that product/brand.



Financials:


Sales ($?s and % of the sales of all the products of the division of the company that owns the product/brand).
Costs ($?s)
Contribution to Overhead and Profit (Sales ? Costs in $?s and % of the contributon of all the products of the division of the company that owns the product/brand).
Investment needed to generate Sales (Turnover Ratio = Sales / Investment)
Margin earned on Sales (Contribution to Overhead and Profit = Margin (or Overhead and Profit] / Sales
Return on Investment (Turnover x Margin)
Market Share

It is expected that you will uncover and report information on the recent (e.g. over the last 5 to 10 year) financial performance of your product/brand. Since some of the financial information at the product/brand level is proprietary, it is expected that you will be able to report some, but not all, of the above financials.



Summary:


Major Strengths of the Product/Brand
Major Weaknesses of the Product/Brand
Major Opportunities faced by the Product/Brand
Major Threats faced by the Product/Brand

It is expected that you will present what you feel are the major strengths and weaknesses of the product/brand with your justification of why, out of all its strengths and weaknesses, you picked those strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, it is expected that you will present what you feel are the major opportunities and threats faced by the product/brand with your justification of why, out of all the opportunities and threats the product/brand faces, you picked those opportunities and threats.



Marketing Environments:


Competition (Current)
Competition (Future) - Substitutes
Buyer Decision-Making and Behavior
Economy
Financing
Personnel
Politics ? Government ? Legislative ? Legal - Barriers to Market Entry
Socio-Cultural
Suppliers
Technology

It is expected that you will present how each of the above environmental factors poses a threat to the financial future of the product/brand and/or is not a threat because of the strength of the product/brand. It is also expected that you will present how each of the above environmental factors poses an opportunity to strengthen the financial future of the product/brand.



Strategies:


Marketing
Market Segmentation
Target Marketing
Mass Marketing
Mass Customization
Product
Promotion
Distribution
Pricing

It is expected that you will present how each of the above strategic factors poses a threat to the financial future of the product/brand and/or is not a threat because of the strength of the product/brand. It is also expected that you will present how each of the above strategic factors poses an opportunity to strengthen the financial future of the product/brand.



Marketing Research:

It is expected that you will present the primary marketing research you conducted as part of your SWOT marketing analysis is this section.



Titles:

To make it easier for you instructor to grade your paper, it is expected that you will use the above directives and/or questions as titles placing your responses to those directives and/or questions below each.

Expectations with regard to your References and your Defense of Your Position on the Financial Future for your Branded Product.

It is expected that you will back up your positions or opinions with references to the required readings found in Background1-5 and Ongoing Useful Resources. In using those references, it is expected that you demonstrate your understanding of the concepts presented. Therefore, rather than grade on how much information you find about the product that is the subject of your SLP; the emphasis in grading your paper will be on your defense of the positions you take with regard to the issues in the above directives and questions. In effect, you are expected to write clearly, simply and logically. And, in terms of that logic, remember that:

the "why" is more important than the "what," and the defense of your positions on the issues is more important than the positions you take..

It is expected that you will NOT repeat or quote definitions. Your use of the required readings to support your opinions (that is, contentions or positions) should demonstrate that you understand the concepts presented in those required readings.

It is expected that you will paraphrase the facts you find into your own words and ideas. In other words, use quotes sparingly. And, as a rule of thumb, quotes, if absolutely necessary, should be not much longer than 5 words.

It is expected that when you write an academically-oriented paper of this type, much of the information you uncover will be facts about the product. Even if you paraphrase those facts, you should cite in your text the source for those facts and link those citations to references at the end of your paper.

1. Choose a pair of competing retailers from the list that you will visit.

2. Make a shopping list that includes 5 items you expect to find at the store. For example, at a specialty clothing store you might look for a women?s white blouse, size 10. At an auto parts store, you might have an air filter for a 2006 Jeep Cherokee. Be as specific as you can for each of the five items.

3. Prepare a table or matrix for comparing the two retailers. Include the number of choices for each item on your list, the price range (least expensive to most expensive) and average price per item.

4. List and describe other criteria for comparing the two retailers that you will describe after your visits:

a. Store locations (rate the convenience of distance, ease of entry, parking available, nearby retailers and other location criteria)

b. Customer service (availability of sales people, courtesy, product knowledge).

c. Store layout, atmosphere and displays (ease of navigation, cleanliness, attractiveness, dressing rooms, etc.)

d. Customer loyalty programs (if any)

5. Write a 2 page paper (typed, single spaced) comparing each retailer on the criteria mentioned above, and paste the table from requirement 3 at the end of the paper. A good paper will be specific. I want you to describe what you see and interpret what it means. Saying "it has a decent selection" or "the customer service was good" tells me very little. But saying, "the store carries a wide variety of categories including X, Y and Z, and had a deep assortment of widgets in sizes x through y" tells me a lot more. Or "the customers outnumbered the sales associates and the checkout lines were 6 deep, demonstrating a need for more employees" explains what the problem is and how you think they can solve it. An excellent paper will also incorporate terms and concepts from the textbook to demonstrate that you know what they mean. Be sure to include your references (correctly cited) at the end of the paper.

Competing retailers:

* 7 Eleven / Valero (convenience stores)

Babies R Us / Buy Buy Baby



? T-Mobile / Verizon

? Dillards / Macy?s

? Fredericks of Hollywood / Victoria?s Secret / Soma



? Hobby Lobby / Michael?s

? Pep Boys / O?Reilly?s / Auto Zone

? Mattress Giant/ Mattress Firm

Chapters

1. Do we need banks ?
Massive shake-up of the traditional way of banking
2. Rise and the fall of market leaders
Faster pace of innovation cycles demand for quick market adaption and repositioning

3. Upcoming challenges in the horizon
Market agility and flexible technology architecture are the key factors averting the ?perfect storm?

4.New, emerging battlefields in banking
Banking is commodity. Authentic customer centricity is the name of game.

5.New kids on the block
Banking outsiders are rolling up the market with innovative financial services and compelling user experience

6. Traditional Retail-Banks ? still a safe business model for domestic banks ?
Digital natives have no boundaries. The new customer generation will cross boarders for the financial services

7. Survival banking kit for traditional banks
Transformation to Bank 2.0 is key

8. Q & A

Retailers need to define their target markets and then decide how they will differentiate themselves from competitors who also want to serve those markets. For example, different retailers offer different products, have different customer service policies, and design their stores differently. The decisions a retailer makes must be consistent with this overall positioning strategy and provide clear value to customers.

Consider the retail positioning strategy of Nordstrom's. In an essay:

1. Explain some of the choices that Nordstrom's has made that distinguish it from other retailers, such as Target.

2. Explain the likely intention behind Nordstrom's retail positioning strategies. How does Nordstrom expect these positioning strategies to attract customers and create a distinct competitive advantage?

HRM/300 FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Sustaining Employee Performance Paper

The Co. Starbucks.

Identify two jobs within your assigned company.
Barista and Assistant Store Manager.

Compare and contrast possible compensation plans for the two positions.

Resources:
Starbucks.com
http://globalassets.starbucks.com/assets/13aefdbe8b2c4da8856116c1fd5fe54c.pdf

It has to be about Sears company / Kmart:
-what is this company for, what does this company do?
-what are the goals of this company? what are they planning for they future?
-Sears history(very important)
-----------It has to be an essay about Sears (strategic insight into the decline of a great american icon)
of what we have learned so far.
----------I will be sending you some files and the essay will be the summary of these pages(the ones that I sent in pdf format, 44 pages, Robin reports january 2003-april 2003) and also it will be the summary of this link:
http://www.portfolio.com/news-markets/national-news/portfolio/2008/01/14/Kmart-Sears-Merger/index.html
(1 to 9 pages in this link)
----------You may also add more about history of the sears, but please tell the references. But most of it must be about the pages that i have sent.
--------- Also add a part where you Visited the Kmart store in Astar place NYC, and what would you like to buy there and explain the store a little bit, at the end. Also, why is this store interesting.
-----------My English level is ESL 3, so please use easy words and easy sentences.
Thank you.
There are faxes for this order.

Ethnographic Explorations

Using the ethnographic techniques outlined in Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes write a one-page ethnographic description of an Apple store. The assignment consists of two parts: fieldwork observations and write-up.

Fieldwork observations:
Spend some time at your store and try to observe/jot notes on the interactions that take place, the organization of space, the services provided, the display of products etc. Pay attention to the mundane details, repetitions, out of the ordinary interactions etc.

Write-up:
Based on the notes taken on the field, write a one-page description of the store, highlighting what are some of the elements of its design that make it more or less successful.

Bus305 - Competitive Analysis and Business Cycles

Module 2 SLP

Using the firm WAL-MART STORES that you chose in Module 1, read more about Supply and Demand from the Background Material and address the following questions in a 2-3 page essay:

1) What good or service does your firm produce?

2) What are some factors that would cause a change in demand for this good/service?

3) Give some examples of changes in supply in the context of your good.

4) How has the market changed for the firm's particular good/service the past few years. For instance, what effect has technology had on the product? Does your firm now face more or less competition?



SLP Assignment Expectations:

Use concepts from the modular background readings as well as any good quality resources you can find from the cyberlibrary or other internet search engines. Please be sure to cite all sources within the text and a reference list at the end of the paper.

Length: 2-3 pages double spaced and typed

The following items will be assessed in particular:

Your ability to perform an economic analysis of a firm of your own choice.

Some in-text references to the modular background materials (APA formatting not required).

The essay should address each element of the assignment. Remember to support your answers with solid references.

Imagine that you own a small, local clothing store along the Jersey Shore boardwalk and decide that you want to engage in e-Commerce.
Write a 4-5 page paper on the following:
1. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of taking your small business online by performing a SWOT analysis. Include 2-4 items in each category.
2. Because the Internet connects computers all over the world, any business that engages in e-Commerce instantly becomes an international business. The key issues that any company faces when it conducts international commerce include trust, culture, language, government, and infrastructure. Explain how you would address each of these issues.
3. Businesses that operate on the Web must comply with the same laws and regulations that govern the operations of all businesses, but they face 2 additional complicating factors as they try to comply with the law. First, the Web extends a company?s reach beyond traditional boundaries. Second, the Web increases the speed and efficiency of business communications. Explain how you would overcome these complicating factors that come with e-Commerce in order to comply with the law.
4. Law enforcement agencies have difficulty combating many types of online crime. Describe 2 online crimes prevalent in e-Commerce and what you would do to prevent these crimes.
Your assignment must:
? Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
? Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student?s name, the professor?s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
? Identify the basic elements of the technology infrastructure used to conduct electronic business.
? Explain the basic communications and network concepts used in electronic commerce and the basic functioning of the Internet and the World Wide Web.
? Describe the critical legal and ethical issues related to electronic commerce.
? Use technology and information resources to research issues in fundamentals of e-business.
? Write clearly and concisely about fundamentals of e-business using proper writing mechanics.

Common costs refer to the cost of resources used by multiple divisions, departments, or another type of grouping. These types of overhead costs are not only incurred within a profit center, but in many other parts of the organization. One example is overhead or common fixed costs for distribution and client support. We're using the latter for some hands-on experience in allocating common costs and analyzing the implications for T&M. Information follows below.
Towels & More (T&M) is a small family company that produces and sells towels. T&M sells the towels to three types of stores: major retailers, specialty retailers and gift shops. The company is doing well and the CEO wants to expand the business. The contribution margin ratio is the highest for the small gift shops, so the CEO feels that those are the type of retail outlets to pursue.
Below find T&M?s income statement for last year.
Towels and More
For the year ended 12-31-20XX

Sales $600,000
Variable Production Cost 180,000
Contribution Margin $420.000
Fixed Cost:
Production Overhead $120,000
Selling and Distribution Cost 240,000 $360,000
Net Operating Cost 60,000
=========

Customer support & distribution costs are pretty high at T&M. The total amount was $240,000 last year. The marketing manager has recently been to a seminar and learned about applying ABC to analyze customer and distribution costs. He suggests that the company analyze overhead costs associated with supporting different types of customers before proceeding with an expansion. The marketing manager knows that the small shops require a lot of attention and is somewhat dubious about the CEO's proposed strategy. The CEO accepts the suggestion and you are brought in as a consultant to prepare the analysis. The table below provides some information that may be pertinent for the analysis.
Department Stores Specialty Shops Gift Shops
Description Customer Support & Distribution Costs Activity Level Activity Level Activity Level
Sales (units) 10,000 5,000 5,000
Revenues $200,000 $100,000 $300,000
Contribution margin ratio 50% 80% 80%
No. of customers 5 45 250
Total costs/No. of orders places $40,000 10 90 900
Total costs/No. of sales calls $80,000 5 195 800
Total costs/No. of shipments $120,000 20 480 1,000

Note that the contribution margin ratio varies due to different quality of towels sold to the stores.
Required:
? Calculate the customer support and distribution costs associated with the three types of customers.
o Use a simple strategy first and allocate the costs based on revenues.
o Recalculate the allocations using activity based costing (ABC) based on the information in the table above.
? Determine contribution margin less customer support and distribution costs for both approaches above.
? Which type of customer should the company support and why? Refer to your analysis in your response.
? What are the characteristics of companies that may benefit from an ABC allocation system?
It is important to answer the questions as posed. The discussion should be 5 pages and written in a clear and concise manner. Support your discussion with references in APA format. You are encouraged to use Excel or other compatible spreadsheets when computations are involved.

References:
Kaplan, R. S. (1992). In defense of activity-based cost management. Management Accounting, 74(5), 58-58.
Stratton, W. O., Desroches, D., Lawson, R. A., & Hatch, T. (2009). Activity-based costing: Is it still relevant? Management Accounting Quarterly, 10(3), 31-40.

Read one of the following:
Martin, J. R. (n.d.) Management Accounting: Concepts, Techniques, and Controversial Issues - Chapter 7: Activity Based Costing. Retrieved from http://maaw.info/Chapter7.htm
or
Walther, l. (2012). Chapter Twenty. Process Costing and Activity-Based Costing. Retrieved (including video lecture) from http://www.principlesofaccounting.com/ Concentrate on the topic of ABC.

Question 1
Term Project Description (Review: How to locate and use resources) - Outsourcing
Submit a 1-2 paragraph description of your term project.
This project is an opportunity for you to personalize the concepts you are learning in this course. The topics must be in the field of HR or some application of HR.
The term project may take several forms:
an application of course concepts to your work situation;
a research paper, using a survey/questionnaire to investigate a concept of interest and value;
a detailed review of the literature about a concept from the course.


Question 2 ??" Case study 6.1- 2pages -Job Analysis: Assistant Store Managers at Today's Fashion ??" See attached case study format.


There are faxes for this order.

Describe Nordstorms Product and General Business Strategy


o Since Nordstorms competes in the US, give an example of each of the marketing environment forces (Political, Legal & Regulatory, Technological, Social and Competitive & Economic Forces).

o Discuss the impact on marketing the department store (positive or negative).

o Recommend how the company should take advantage of/ respond to each example above.

o Assume the company is planning to open stores in a new foreign market area, Mexico. Recommend an overall promotional (integrated marketing communication) strategy to support the market entry (major actions, general sequence).

o Outline at least one marketing (distribution) channel that could be used to reach buyers in this foreign market. Provide supporting rationale.

Request book reference only.

compare the marketing approach of Apple USA and Apple in Brazil. What marketing elements (such as product design, branding, pricing, advertising approach, retail outlets, etc.) appear to be standardized? What marketing elements appear to be customized? Why do you think these particular elements were customized? Do the customized elements appear to be unique to the country you have selected or are they found in neighboring countries as well, thus taking advantage of a cultural affinity zone?

I need a ratio analysis of different companies within the same industry but serving different markets or with different business models.

Specifically the following needs to be covered:

Retail: Home Depot vs. Sears
Beer: Anheuser Busch vs. The Boston Beer Company
Computers: Compaq vs. Gateway
Healthcare: Johnson & Johnson vs. Eli Lilly
Books: Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon.com

The paper does not neccissarily need specfic ratios to show the differences but rather the differences in the bussinesses to explain the disparity in ratios amongst companies within the same industry. For example; Anhesuer Busch is a world reknowned brewery whereas The Boston Beer Company is focused on "microbrewing". Please email me @ [email protected] with any questions you may have. Thank you.

Greetings!
This is my 2nd try. Serious time constraints force me to seek you help.

Need:
Help with the final paper for a Focus Leadership course. The paper should incorporate the following stages: Problem Identification, Research, Solution, Implementation, an Evaluation.

I/we(you and me) are selecting a company (not a retailer). Identify three decisions that the company makes at difrerent levels of the organization. Describe the poliicies, procedures and decision-making tools that might be used to make each of thr three decisions. Ineach case, explain why the decision-making methodology would be appropriate to this specific compnay's strategy.
For example:
a). Where to locate new stores;
b). which additional business to include in its stores(travel agent, bank, optician, etc.);
c). Specific products to continue selling;
d). Who to hie(and fire);
e). How many cash registers to have open at any given time;
f). Accepting a specific item for customer return(for example, an article of clothing that appears to have been worn).

Who would make these decisions? What crieria would they use? How might the criteria have been established? Would they use any kind of quantitative analysis? If so, which specific quantitative methods might be appropriate? How much discretion would they have? Who would review or evaluate their decision?

Note: no need to analyze or workout the decision methods, just mention them.

April 22, 2011 is the deadline I am aiming for.

For Infoceo Only!
Module 5 ? SLP (Wal-Mart) Integration - Causal Chains and Strategy
You've put a lot of work into your analyses of the four perspectives considered in the Balanced Score Card process for Wal-Mart. Now it?s time to put it all together! In this module, you?ll be preparing a report drawing on the SLPs from modules 1-4. The task is not to simply combine these documents, but to show how the business functions relate to each other and lead to strategic action.
The special trick, which you?ve seen in action in the case, is to construct one or more causal chains that relate the objectives, starting with the most basic level (learning and growth) and leading to the most visible (financial/effect performance).
Assignment Expectations:
The first step is the construction of a consolidated table summarizing all your objectives, measures, targets, and action initiatives. This will then enable you to draw the arrows that make up the causal chains implicit in your objectives. You can find a dandy example to follow here:
BSI (2007) Balance Scorecard Example for the Regional Airline. Balanced Scorecard Institute. Retrieved May 17, 2010, from http://www.balancedscorecard.org/Portals/0/PDF/Regional_Airline.pdf
Here?s a form that you may wish to copy and paste into your report and fill in:
Objective Measure Target Action
Financial
Customer
Internal
Learning
Now you need to examine your causal chain(s) and consider them as statement(s) of organizational goals and the strategy necessary to reach those goals.
As the remainder of this assignment, supplement the table you just prepared with a 2 or 3 page report that addresses the following:
Considering causal chains, organizational goals, and strategies, choose either the "is" or "is not" position in the following statement as a thesis statement for constructing a well-reasoned 2 or 3 page argumentative essay:
The balanced score card approach is (or is not) a useful tool, applicable to most organizations for identifying strategic action plans. Use the organization you chose for your SLP as an example to support your position.
In this paper you will need to clearly present your thesis statement. That is, what is your position statement that you plan to support with your upcoming argument (Hint... provided above in blue)? The body of your essay should include well reasoned and well supported arguments. You should finish up with a concluding paragraph which ties your arguments into a convincing and cohesive whole.
Mod 1 objectives applied to chart (Wal-Mart)
Objective Measure Target Action

Increase inventory turns 25% in all Supercenter locations Expected level of performance: eight times a year Improve internal reporting and analysis and reduce slow-selling products from the mix of all items carried.
Increase store profitability 10% through more effective pricing Expected level of performance: 10% Gross Contribution Margin More effective price management with specials and coupons to drive up sales and increase customer purchases.
Reduce employee turnover 10% in Supercenters Expected level of performance: 10% less personnel turnover Increase the use of personnel management policies and programs to motivate employees to stay instead of leave; increase the use of compensation and performance raises, in addition to more recognition programs to drive up employee retention.



Mod 2 objectives applied to chart (Wal-Mart)
Objective Measure Target Action

To increase same store sales within the Value Shopper segment 25% over the next 90 days and sustain this performance level yearly Expected level of performance: four times a year Using analytics, determine the best possible mix of products to attract Price Value Shoppers back into stores so they will purchase more often
To increase more shoppers in the Price Value Shopper segment nationally Increase 2% more shoppers to the Price Value Shopper segment Expected level of financial [performance gain: 18% of total sales in most profitable, loyal customer segment Recruitment through referrals and participation coupons for existing Price Value Shoppers to recruit their friends and family
To reduce churn in all customer segments 10% by increasing bundling on electronics and apparel Expected level of performance 10% reduction in churn will lead to a 1% increase in Return on Sales Reduce churn by offering more discounts and bundles on the most popular product for the Price Value Shopper. Provide coupons for food and clothing for this segment to drive cross shopping in other stores who also offer food (traditional grocery).

This case analysis provides an opportunity for students to demonstrate their abilities to think critically and to employ their understanding of strategic management and leadership concepts, models, and best practices. ?. The length of the assignment will be no more that 2000 words plus appendixes. Refer to the Power's Case Analysis Handbook for further explanation on how to undertake a case analysis. Bullet format and succinctness is encouraged... it is about ?substance? rather than ?form?.


1. How strong are the competitive forces confronting Blue Nile and other online retail jewelers? Which one of the five competitive forces is the strongest? Do a five-forces analysis to support your answer.

2. What key factors will determine a company?s success in the online jewelry business in the next 3-5 years?

3. What is Blue Nile?s strategy? Which of the five generic competitive strategies discussed in Chapter 5 most closely fit the competitive approach that Blue Nile is taking? What type of competitive advantage is Blue Nile trying to achieve?

4. What do you like and dislike about Blue Nile?s business model?

5. What does a SWOT analysis of Blue Nile reveal about the overall attractiveness of its situation?

6. What is your appraisal of Blue Nile?s financial performance based on the data in case Exhibit 5? How well is the company doing financially? Is there evidence that Blue Nile?s strategy is working?what is the story of the numbers in case Exhibit 4? Use the financial ratios in Table 4.1 of Chapter 4 as a guide in doing the calculations needed to arrive at an analysis-based answer to your assessment of Blue Nile?s recent financial performance.

7. Does Blue Nile have adequate competitive strength to go head-to-head against its rivals? Do a weighted competitive strength assessment using the methodology presented in Table 4.4 on p. 123 of Chapter 4 to support your answer. Has Blue Nile built a sustainable competitive advantage in the online retail jewelry business? Why or why not?

8. What strategic issues and problems does Blue Nile management need to address?

9. What recommendations would you make to Blue Nile management to strengthen the company?s competitive position and future strategic and financial performance?

Please consider a marketing strategic alliance between Select Comfort Company (Sleep Number beds) and COSTCO big box store. Goal is to improve overall customer satisfaction. What are the implications of the alliance? The following tools should be used: S.W.O.T, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), and Porter's Five Forces.

COACH handbags......I need only parts I a-c.

Choose a brand from the list below to research and develop a marketing plan. You should be able to find information from business media, such as The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune, Advertising Age, or Forbes. Other information may be obtained from the company?s website, and from the business section of daily newspapers. You may also look for the product in stores, or visit the business for additional information. This is particularly helpful for understanding the competition, the pricing, and distribution strategies. Use multiple sources because some may be biased (for example, the company website probably avoids any negative information about the brand).
I expect a minimum of six current articles (2008 ? present), not including the company website, as background for your paper. If you are not sure about the meaning of the terms in the outline below, consult your textbook to make sure you understand what you are saying about the brand. Although many students start their searches with Wikipedia for background information, Wikipedia is NEVER appropriate as a citation in college level work.
The major part of the assignment will focus on what the company is or has been doing. Part four concludes with your recommendations to change something about the way the product should be marketed. The actual paper should be written in paragraphs (APA format) ie, not simply an outline with bullets. Go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ if you need writing help. The format should cover:

I. Situation Analysis
a. Internal Environment
i. What is the company?s mission and overall business objectives?
ii. What resources does the company have that make them unique?
iii. How is the marketing function organized (centralized? By brand or category? By market?)
b. External Environment
i. What is the overall domestic and global market for the product? What is the approximate market share?
ii. Who are the competitors? What are their marketing strategies?
iii. How does the economic environment affect demand for the product?
iv. What is happening in the social and cultural environment that affects the product?
v. What is happening in the legal and regulatory environment?
vi. How does the technological environment affect the business?
c. SWOT Analysis
i. Based on our understanding of the internal and external environments, what are the key opportunities and threats for the marketing of the brand?

Papers will be screened for plagiarism or other originality problems. Papers with more than 20% duplication may not be accepted.
All references must be cited, using the APA format.

Individual Term Project


Pearland Texas, Pearland High School is the school and community
Attached Files: Sample_Culture_study_table[1](1).doc (40 KB)

Overview
Students in this course will be responsible for completing a term project. The fourth goal of this course is to develop skills for teaching, learning and leading in a pluralistic society. The best way to accomplish this goal is to apply the concepts learned in this course to a practical and real life situation.
This project asks you to look at the characteristics of a community to develop an awareness of how community resources can support or impede the process of incorporating multicultural education in schools. Note, this project should reflect your mastery of all components of this course. Please begin early on this assignment as it requires detailed information about the community and its residents.
Objectives
By the end of this project the student will be able to
2. Collect demographic data on a community.
3. Critically evaluate how the community supports its schools.
4. Critically evaluate how community resources support or hinder multicultural education.
Part I ??" Compile your expectations
5. Briefly describe the location of the community and the school.
6. Critically evaluate the resources you found that would support multicultural education. Discuss at least 5, but no more than 10. Thoroughly explain why you have chosen these resources. Such resources can include but are not limited to: community centers, YMCA's, neighborhood libraries, local businesses.
7. Critically evaluate the resources you found that would impede the process of multicultural education. Discuss at least 5, but no more than 10.Thoroughly explain why you have chosen these resources. You may focus on facilities that are lacking in the community (e.g. no community centers for children or the elderly) and/or establishments that are unhealthy for students such as bars and nightclubs, etc.
You must complete and submit the following table below to profile your data on the community. The information in the School Community and Surrounding Community sections should be presented in percentage form. For example, if you have 230 people, what percentage of the population would this represent?
The information in the Community Resources section should be presented in numeric form. For example: There are 25 churches in XYZ community. Take care to use some thought identifying other categories that may not be listed in this table. Please view the sample table provided in a file for this assignment.
**Please see the TEA website (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/) for School Demographic information. If you go to this URL on the TEA website, it should give you all of the information you will need for any school campus:
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/perfreport/aeis/
The 2010 U.S. census data, which can be found online, can offer valuable demographic information about the community: www.Census.gov/

School Community

Demographic 8. School 9. District
10. Students 11. Faculty 12. Staff 13. Students Staff
14. Racial/ethnic groups
15. Language diversity 16. N/A N/A N/A
Socio-economic status N/A N/A N/A

Surrounding Community
Racial/ethnic groups
19. Language diversity
Socio-economic status

Community Resources
Types Churches Ethnic Restaurants Ethnic Food Stores Community Centers Other




Part II ??" Complete the observation
21. Begin by walking and surveying the area you are to analyze. Does the community consist of multiple family housing, single family housing, or a mixture of both?
22. Would you describe the businesses as mostly commercial, industrial, or a mixture of both?
23. Briefly visit and speak with a local store owner or manager. Compare the cultural diversity in the community versus their store's patrons and employees.
24. Discuss the city's or community's public transportation system. How does it support or hinder the development of multicultural education in the area?
Part III ??" Action
25. Please explain how the information you gathered might be helpful/useful to you in your counseling career.
26. How might the cultural experiences of living in this community influence the academic achievement of students in the classroom?
27. What do you think accounts for any differences/similarities you find between the businesses and the community?
28. After your examination of the community, identify the characteristics that promote or impede the development of a multicultural philosophy.
29. Briefly explain in two or more sentences what you have learned from conducting this culture study.
Assessment
Prepare a document (6-9 pages max) that satisfies the objectives and answers questions in Parts I, II, and III of this assignment. Please make sure that each question is address in paragraph form. Please do not use bullets, dashes, dots when addressing each question. This is a formal paper that must be type-written, doubled spaced, with indented paragraphs. Your grade will be based on how well your paper is organized, flows when read, and addresses the items listed above. You must include a reference page at the end of your paper. Please upload (attach) the completed paper as a Word document to the assignment tool by the due date and time. This should be your own original work, as it will give you a better understanding of how the community supports its schools.
Assignment Rubric
Part I Questions and/or evaluations addressed in detail 4
One question and/or evaluation addressed 2
Questions and/or evaluations addressed with very limited or minimal detail 1

Part II All 4 questions addressed with supporting table and details 4
All 4 questions addressed minimally with limited table information. 2
Very limited information given for questions and no table provided 1

Part III All 5 objectives/questions addressed with supporting details 4
Two to three objectives/questions addressed with limited supporting details 2
One objective/question addressed and no supporting details. 1

Assignment Submission Assignment double-spaced, with indented paragraphs, and each question or directive answered in order. Proper APA citations and referencing. 3-0
NOTE: Writing and APA style help is available at the UHCL Writing Center

Product Description
There are two ways to look at the product for Mochalicious. The first is the product, which is coffee-based beverages and snacks; the second is the service. Melbourne has a very strong coffee culture, so the coffee needs to be brewed to a very high standard in order to meet the needs of the local market. There are a number of different elements to quality coffee ??" good beans, good machines and well-trained staff. The beans will come from a local roaster to ensure maximum freshness. The machines will not be the highest-end machines because we are emphasizing flavoured drinks, but we still need to be able to make a serviceable flat white. The staff will receive extensive training both in pulling espresso but also in making the flavoured drinks as well.
The flavoured drinks will include the signature mocha, and perhaps different variations on the mocha theme. There will be cappuccinos, Irish coffees, iced coffees, frozen coffee drinks, Italian flavours, classic Australian drinks like the piccolo, long black and flat white, and more. The strong Australian coffee culture can be fussy, so it is important that we carry the basic drinks that everybody expects (Rose, 2010). There will also be offerings in pastries and snacks, as well. These will range from gourmet pies to sweets, cookies and things like that. These are to cure hunger in our customers and to give them a tasty treat to complement their coffee. In addition, food adds revenue without adding much to the fixed costs, since the food can be purchased from a third-party vendor.
The service element of Mochalicious is that the shop needs to be a comfortable place in which people can sit and relax. It will not be a pretentious hipster type of coffee shop, but one more relaxed for a mixed clientele, including Asians, students, moms and older people, too. The service has to be excellent, delivering great coffee-based beverages on time to every customer, with a smile, and make everybody feel welcome so that they want to come back.
The service component adds a lot to the product. The coffee experience is an integral part of Australian culture, and it has become this way because of the entire experience, not just the high quality of coffee. Australians are prolific consumers of coffee because they love everything about it. They love the drink, yes of course, but the experience of the local coffee shop is very important and there are cafes to suit every taste in atmosphere (Wheeler, 2010). Thus, the vibe of the shop is also important, and because Australia is a multicultural society in the big cities the shops need to cater to a wide range of clientele in order to draw in sufficient crowds.

Expansion of Product Line
One of the good things about coffee is that it lends itself to considerable expansion once the brand has been established. There are a number of different ways that this can occur. The first is within the shop, where new product offerings are not only interesting to the consumer but when they are unique can entice more people to come into the shop. There are other ways as well. The shop can offer things like tea or juices as a means of expanding, building on the captive audience that already exists and on the space that is already being paid for to maximize the revenue of the shop.
Another opportunity lies with distribution. The shop, if using other companies' beans, can be an agent to sell whole beans to customers. Alternately, if the shop decides to buy a roaster and roast its own, will be in a position to sell to supermarkets and other retail outlets. Such sales provide the opportunity for additional income. Mochalicious could even set up a website to sell beans. As Tuttle (2013) notes, not all brand extensions are good, but when they are they can be a great way to leverage the established brand to sell to new consumers, or to sell more to existing customers.
Or, Mochalicious could simply take its formula and open up more stores. One of the good things about being in a place like Melbourne with its massive coffee culture is that there is always room for another good coffee shop. Once Mochalicious is established as successful, the company is in a position to grow, and that means taking the name to other parts of town, other suburbs or even to other states. Such is the brand extension that is possible by expanding out the Mochalicious concept to other stores.
The key to being able to launch different extensions or expansions is that the brand must be known and have value. If nobody knows what Mochalicious is, or if people do not like Mochalicious, then there will be no possibility for brand extensions or expansions. Therefore, it is crucial that the company makes every effort to build positive vibes about the brand, and it can do this with great service, for example. If people respond well to the Mochalicious brand, then the company will be well positioned to make use of that brand in the future. A brand extension also needs to have good fit with the existing business, and that is why the brand is suggested to do other things that are related to coffee (Tauber, 2010). Nobody is interested in a Mochalicious car.

Changes in the Business Environment
There are a number of changes to the business environment that can cause problems for an established business. A good example of this would be if the demographics of the neighbourhood change. Now, we know that the coffee shop business is based on building a regular clientele and this is done by having an in-store atmosphere that fits with the character of the neighbourhood. So when the neighbourhood changes, the shop either needs to change with the neighbourhood or it needs to make a change in location, to a place more suited to the shop's style. This is a decision that would need to be made on the basis of what types of changes were being made and whether the new demographics are well-suited to the shop's offering.
Another sort of change in the business environment would be an increase in the rent or other cost factors. The results of this would be declining profits. It is important that the coffee shop essentially build into its plans the ability to withstand financial shocks. There should also be an exit plan, especially if we get within a few months of a lease renewal. There are a lot of businesses forced to go out of business because of cost increases like higher rents.
There are not expected to be any changes to things like the love of coffee. This is ingrained in Australian culture, so much that even newcomers to Australia make a point to learn about the culture. Thus, such a change is not expected. It would be devastating to the business if it happened, but it won't. Demand is expected to remain strong. This is the same with other changes in the external environment as well, like in the political environment. It is not expected that there will be any changes.
Overall, Mochalicious expects to be well-positioned to adapt to changes in the market, because the company will have lots of money and a great brand, which are two things needed to weather any storm.




FROM THAT PAPER YOU JUST READ;



Continuing to build your marketing plan, this assignment focuses on branding, pricing, and distribution of the same product and service.

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:
Create the domestic and global product branding strategy.
Determine and detail the optimum pricing strategy.
Examine how your pricing strategy supports your branding strategy.
Prepare a distribution channel analysis identifying the wholesaler, distributor, and retailer relationships (include any e-Commerce as well).
Discuss whether a push or pull strategy will be used, justify your rationale.
Discuss how the distribution strategy fits the product / service, target market, and overall marketing strategy for the company
Support your marketing plan with at least two (2) reference sources that discuss the nature of the assignment

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the students name, the professors name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
Develop branding strategies for existing and new products.
Develop pricing strategies and distribution channels for products.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in marketing management.
Write clearly and concisely about marketing management using proper writing mechanics.

You have graduated. You've chosen a career in fashion and you need a job. Research Barneys New York & treat this as a real attempt at getting the job.

1. What kind of job are you looking for and why?
- Barneys New York Department Store
- Retail and Merchandising / Buyer
2. How do you find out about opportunities?
3. Why should someone hire you?
4. Write a cover letter to a company you want to work for which is 'Barneys'.
5. Write a resume that would accompany your cover letter.

Each student will write a personal Business Owner paper. Students will decide on a business they would like to own. The paper needs to address all the steps to establishing and managing the business. The paper should also integrate the relevant retailing concepts studies during this term.

Address these issues:?

? What type of a business would you own?

? Why would you choose this type of business?

? What type of customer will you be catering to?

? Where is the location of the business and why did you choose this location?

? What retail strategy will you use?

? How would you manage your merchandise?

? What management style would you use and why?

? Who is your competition??

Students are to integrate what they have learned from the textbook, additional research material, articles and books. All references used must be cited in the text. I want details and examples.

Using the above description, students are to prepare a paper using a variety of journal articles, books, and magazine articles. Papers should be no less then 10 pages in length (excluding title page and bibliography), typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins, and in accordance with the format prescribed by the American Psychological Association (APA). Business Owner papers are due the end of Week Six and should be placed in the Digital Drop Box.

I am ordering a dissertation proposal (include questionnaire) now, if this dissertation proposal could pass with my dissertation committees smoothly, I certainly will order my whole dissertation with you very soon (maybe around 160 pages). It is very important to make sure you could have right direction and good thoughts to develop the proposal from the beginning (After you finish, I need to discuss with my committee to make sure this proposal is on the right track); otherwise we will need more time to revise it (I hope not because the limitation of the time). I also request hardcopies of all the sources you have used in the proposal because I need all the references to attend the proposal defense meeting in our school (you told me the hardcopies are free, right? If you have any concern, please contact me ASAP).
.
Thank You!


In my dissertation proposal, I have some RESQUEST as below:

1.My Dissertation Topic is:
The Impact of Web Site Design on Consumers?? Purchase Intentions and Loyalty in the Business-to- Consumer Internet Commerce: A Rhetorical Approach

Please check the article: Wendy Winn & Kati Beck. (2002). The persuasive power of design elements on an e-commerce Web site. Technical Communication, Vol.49, p 17-35. Feb 2002.

My dissertation idea mainly based on this article (Make sure you read and understand this article totally before you start to write the proposal). I would like use the independent variables that the authors mentioned in this article (Logos, Pathos, and Ethos) to measure the dependent variables (Consumers?? Purchase Intentions and Loyalty). This article used qualitative research method (do not follow the methodology of this article); however, I will use quantitative research method to develop my whole research structure. I hope use the online questionnaire survey to understand the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables, and how strong the persuasive power of design elements on an e-commerce Web site, how do design elements carry out the rhetorical function of persuasion, or how design elements appeal to the online shoppers. Please base on these thinking to develop a few research questions for objectives of my dissertation, and then design the research method to answer these research questions.

2.Please make sure you have a Ph.D. level writing

3.Do not plagiarize! (Very Importation!!!)

4.Please develop 30 pages (the references pages should not be included!) for my proposal (include survey questionnaire) in 13 days. Please on time?K

5.Use the APA style during whole writing, APA style will include 23 lines?? words in one page. Do not leave any space between paragraphs. (you do not need to follow the APA style in Survey Questionnaire)

6.My dissertation will use Quantitative Research Method to do the whole study. You must give each variable accurate definition in the proposal.

7.To write the proposal, please make sure you exactly follow every criteria in the GUIDELINE QUANTITATIVE DOCTORAL PROPOSAL below, and make sure that you will mention every parts when you are writing the proposal in order to fit our school??s rules.( It is very important, please make sure mention every details!)

8.The proposal outline would be( you can check more detail below):

I. INTRODUCTION (please write around 4 pages)

II. SCHOLARSHIP (please write around 10 pages)
A.Literature Review
B. Theory
C. Contribution, Originality

III. RESEARCH DESIGN (please write around 10 pages)
A.Research Question
B. Design
C. Instrumentation
D. Population & Sample
E. Data Collection
F. Data Analysis
G. Ethics

IV. Summary (please write around 1 page)

V. Reference

VI. Appendix(ces)
A. Questionnaire (please layout all the questions around 2-3 pages)

9.In this proposal, the most important thing is to develop a future dissertation outline and make sure the content will support the study totally. For example, the outline may like the table of content of the real dissertation. After that, you could follow the outline to write down some important paragraphs for every part in this dissertation proposal to let my professors understand what I am going to do.

10.Please cite at least 60 sources or above in this proposal. Do not cite the same article too many times.

11.After you finish the dissertation proposal, I need the hardcopies of all the references (books or articles) that you have used in this proposal. I need all the references to attend the proposal defense meeting in our school.

12.In this quantitative research proposal, the most important part could be the Charter III: Research Design (My committees will critically review the Chapter III: RESEARCH DESIGN in this proposal.). Please make sure to develop a good research design for future dissertation research. It is very important that you could explain such questions as: how to reduce biases (researcher bias) on data-collection method, source, analyst, or theory in the proposal to show you have good plan.

13.Please develop questionnaire! The questionnaire is a part of proposal; however, it will be included in the Appendix. I hope can use Internet online survey to collect all the data in the future. You must give each variable accurate definition in the proposal, and then develop appropriate survey questions to make sure they can accord with the definition of the variables. You also need to make sure the questionnaire can answer all the research questions in this study after the data is collected. You need to develop around 30-40 questions or more in the questionnaire to measure the different independent and dependent variables for this study. After you develop the questionnaire, you better do the pilot test to make sure this questionnaire can be clearly understand and work?K Do not layout the questionnaire for too many pages because participants may feel too tired to answer all the questions (you do not need to follow the APA style here, and you can use smaller size words, single-spacing to layout the questionnaire.) I hope the visual layout of questionnaire can look professional.

14.In order to develop the future Web survey instrument. There is something you need to have plan in the proposal such as; who will come to the site to do the questionnaire? How many people will come? For how long?

15.Please use an open ended Likert scale rated from one to one hundred to develop the questionnaire. Develop 1 to 100 Likert-scale types for every question in the questionnaire.
For example:
How would you rate your interest in online shopping on a scale of 1 to 100, where 1 means ??Not at all interest, and 100 means ??Very Strongly Interest??. You can use any number from 1 to 100 to indicate the extent of your interest.
________ Number chosen

(This is just an example for you to understand what kind of style I need for the questionnaire; I believe you can develop better than me.)

16.I have some rough idea about my proposal, please read it to understand what I really want (you will find it below). However, you can change some of the content, if you think it is not appropriate for the future development.

17.If you have any extra questions about the proposal, please contact with me as soon as possible. Thank you!




GUIDELINES FOR QUANTITATIVE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION PROPOSALS

I. INTRODUCTION (please write around 4 pages)

The Introduction section provides an overview of your study. It describes the problem area your study will focus on, the rationale or need for an investigation in this area, the need for answering your particular research questions, and a basic overview of the design of your study. You must clearly describe
-The Background of the study (describe the background, including human subject research and references that are relevant to the design and conduct of the study.); -Purpose and key research questions;
-Importance of study;
-Objectives of study (state the objectives of the study as research questions and/or hypotheses, research question is clearly delimited, bounded, specified; has conceptual integrity.);
-Limitations of study;
-Structure of dissertation.

a. Describe the Who, What Where, When, Why and How of the Problem. Be Specific! What is the problem? Why is it a Problem? Who is involved? What is the environmental context? What is the historical context of the problem? Why is it important? (Just a brief overview here but this is more fully done in a later section)? Are there policy implications? Are there practice implications?

b. Enumerate and briefly explain the research question(s) to be answered and identify the policy, practice, or theory issues to be addressed. List specifically the major research questions, and any sub-questions under each major question.

c. Describe the frame of reference & identify the theoretica1/conceptual (or other) frame of reference, which is the context of the study. Summarize the elements of the rationale for the study and its design briefly here.

d. Provide a brief overview of your date sources and data analysis plans (research design), including procedures for collecting, organizing, and analyzing the data. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria- list specific eligibility requirements for subjects, including those criteria which would exclude otherwise acceptable subjects.

e. State your expected results ?V provide a brief summary of what findings are expected.

f. Fully discuss the significance/importance of the study:
1. Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge. Note that such refinements, revisions, or extensions may have both substantive and methodological significance.
2. Almost all studies have two potential audiences: practitioners and professional peers (scholars). Include statements relating the research to both groups.
3. Indicate what the research means for your institution or organization, e.g., it fits in with an institutional research program; it will contribute to renewed interest in research on the part of colleagues, etc.
4. Indicate what significance the research has in your own development.

g. Describe the scope and delimitation of your study (What will it include and why? What will be left out & why?

h. Outline the contents of the rest of the proposal.


II. SCHOLARSHIP (please write around 10 pages)

A. LITERATURE REVIEW
1. Pertinent literature, conceptual & empirical, has been reviewed.
2. If there is little or limited literature on the topic, writer has reviewed material close to the problem.
3. Literature review demonstrates sound knowledge of, synthesis of, and critical thinking about the literature.
4. Diversity issues are documented and discussed as appropriate to the study topic.

B. THEORY
1. An epistemological position is stated and expanded upon.
2. A theoretical framework or perspective is articulated or developed and articulated.
3. Competing theories are identified and a rationale offered for the choice of the selected theory or why a new theory is being developed.
4. Strengths and weaknesses of the selected theory are identified (a critique using relevant literature).
5. The selected theory is appropriate to the research question.
6. Integration of theory and empirical data is evident in the discussion and development of the theoretical framework to be used.

C. CONTRIBUTION, ORIGINALITY
1.The researcher identifies ways the study, substantively or methodologically, will make an original contribution; how the proposed study provides, in the definition of the problem/question, the theoretical perspective, the methods to be employed some contribution that is different from previous work and distinctly reflects the researcher??s own thinking.



III. RESEARCH DESIGN (please write around 10 pages)

B.RESEARCH QUESTION
1. Questions are appropriate to quantitative methods and clearly flow from the literature.
2. Rationale and assumptions underlying the study are explicit.
3. Questions & sub questions clearly articulated.

B. DESIGN
1. Design of study is clearly identified (experiment, cross-sectional survey, longitudinal survey, content analysis, secondary analysis, multi-method, etc.)
2. Design of study is appropriate to research questions/hypotheses and epistemological position.
3. Operational definitions given for all important terms and concepts in hypotheses.
4. Variables used are clearly specified (definition each variable).
5. If independent variables (treatments, interventions, and exposure to programs) are/are to be manipulated, this is clearly described.
6. If a treatment/intervention is the independent variable, there is evidence that it will be/has been delivered in a uniform, standardized way.
7. Confounding variables are identified and methods of control well described.
8. In replication studies, special attention is given to maintaining equivalent conditions for all critical variables.
9. Strengths and limitations of the design are identified and discussed. How to reduce biases (researcher bias) on data-collection method, source, analyst, or theory in the proposal to show you have good plan.
10. Describe the involvement of human subjects including initial evaluation procedures and screening tests, phases, procedures and sequence of the study.
11. Address the experience of investigators if procedures are to be performed for which the investigators have not been specifically credentialed.
12. Describe any costs related to the research procedures that are over and above those incurred by standard treatment, and indicate who will be responsible for them.
13. Analysis of the Study
a.Delineate the precise outcomes (variables) to be measured.
b.Describe how data will be analyzed, including statistical analysis.
c.Describe methods used to estimate the required number of subjects.


C. INSTRUMENTATION

1. Instruments and other measurement devices and procedures are clearly linked to each defined variable.
2. Instruments/measurement protocols are justified as appropriate for the study population (in terms of age and other diversity parameters).
3. Rationale for selection of each instrument is presented, along with supporting literature on the psychometrics of instruments, including reliability and validity.
4. Reliability and validity of standardized instruments will be or is re-established for study sample/population.
5. If instruments are used for which psychometric properties are unknown, a clear rationale for their choice is presented.
6. If original instruments or procedures are used, their development is described and justified.
7. If original scales are to be developed, a plan to establish their psychometric properties (reliability, validity) is developed. (You must describe the reliability and validity about your study. How do you build the reliability and validity about your study?)
8. Monitoring Subjects and Criteria for Withdrawal of Subjects from the Study
a.Describe the types, frequency and duration of tests, admissions (inpatient) outpatient visits. Consider specifying a monitor if the study involves a blinded design.
b. Define stop points and criteria for withdrawing subjects from the study.

D. POPULATION & SAMPLE

1. If a population is used/is to be used, the rationale for its use and its parameters are clearly described.
2. If a sample is used/is to be used, the population (of people, case records, text, etc.), method of sampling and rationale for the sampling method are well described.

3. Rationale for the sample size is indicated, preferably based on a power analysis or other acceptable criterion (e.g., confidence level/confidence interval justification).
4. External validity/transferability/generalizability of the study is addressed.
5. The sampling plan is consistent with the design, method and statistical procedures to be used in the analysis.
6. Sources of and procedures for recruitment of participants are detailed.
7. Procedures to enhance response rates and participant retention in the study are specified.
8. Attrition rate is anticipated and a strategy to handle it is specified.
9. Strengths and limitations of the population/sampling strategy are identified and discussed.

E. DATA COLLECTION

1. Methods/protocols of data collection are clearly described: how data are to be collected, by whom, under what conditions are clear.
2. Methods/protocols of data collection are appropriate to the research questions and design.
3. Methods of data collection are appropriate to the participants on gender, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation and other diversity dimensions.
4. Pre-test/pilot test plan is adequately described and is appropriate.
5. If applicable/appropriate, pilot data results are presented.
6. Strengths and limitations of the data collection strategy are identified and discussed.

F. DATA ANALYSIS
1. The nature/approach of the data analysis is clearly described and justified.
2. Analysis is consistent with questions, hypotheses, level of variable measure, and design.
3. If assumptions of chosen statistical models are violated, protective measures are indicated.
4. Data analysis demonstrates sound knowledge of the techniques used and their alternatives.
5. Strengths and limitations of the data analysis strategy are identified and discussed.

G. ETHICS

1. Research goals are consistent with the principles of working toward improving the situation of individuals and/or groups in society.
2. If this study involves human participants, the benefits and risks are clearly identified and communicated to participants.
3. If this study involves human participants, threats to free & informed consent are addressed.
4. Confidentiality of the data is adequately ensured.
5. The researcher has made provisions to share findings with participants.
6. The research clearly can be expected to receive clearance from the IRB.
7. Ownership of the data is clear.
8. Where the data will be stored and for how long is clear.
Any factors related to participant coercion, even if unintentional, and the researcher-participant power differentials are addressed.

9.Human Subject Protections:
a.Rationale for Subject Selection:
(1). Strategies/procedures for recruitment

b.Evaluation of Benefits and Risks/Discomforts:
(1). Potential Benefits: Describe the potential benefits to subjects or to others (benefits to society) that may reasonably be expected from the research.
(2). Potential Risks: Describe any potential risks -- physical, psychological, social, legal, drug toxicity or other associated with the proposed procedures and assess their likelihood and seriousness.
(3). Risk/Benefit: Discuss why the risks to subjects are reasonable in relation to the anticipated benefits and in relation to the importance of the knowledge that may reasonably be expected to result. Consider the following in your discussion:
a. In research involving an intervention expected to provide direct benefit to the subject, a certain amount of risk is justifiable.

c. Adverse Event Reporting and Data Monitoring
(1).Provide a plan for reporting adverse events to the IRB.
(2).Describe the provisions for monitoring the data collected to ensure the safety of subjects.

d. Consent and Assent Processes and Documents
Consent Procedures: Describe the consent procedures to be followed, including the circumstances in which consent will be sought and obtained, who will seek it, the nature of the information to be provided to prospective subjects, and the method of documenting consent.


IV. Summary (Could also serve as the Abstract) (please write around 1pages)

The final section of your dissertation proposal should provide an overview and summary of your research proposal. You should provide a summary statement of virtually every section of the proposal. The reader should be able to read the summary section and have a good understanding of what you are going to do and why.

V. Reference:

VI.Appendix(ces)(please write around 2-3 pages)
Survey Questionnaire




MY ROUGH IDEA:

1.To successful launch an e-commerce Web site, the question is not just about ??if we build it, will they come??? but also ??if we build it, will they come to purchase and repeat purchase??? A scenario closer to the truth is that many online companies experience disappointment in converting consumers?? clicks into purchases. It means attracting a large number of shoppers to the site is not the only ultimate measure of success. The true measure of success should be included retaining customers and converting them into repeat buyers. Positive shopping experiences on the site can help online buyers make an effective decision. It means positive feeling is the optimal experience that consumers will desire to repeat buying online. Therefore, marketers need to create effective Web sites for winning consumer satisfaction. Since Web sites are often the main contact with consumer in the Internet market, a company??s Web site elements may include some persuasive components that has impact on consumers?? positive experience. To evaluate what visual design elements constitute the persuasive power for the customers to have positive experience on a Web site, it is expected that increased levels of the consumers?? positive experience would lead consumers to have more optimistic attitudes toward Web sites, stronger purchase intention, and loyalty. If consumers ??feel good??, marketers can have better chance to win the battle on an e-commerce Web site. We know shopping online is almost exclusively a visual experience; therefore, there may exist persuasive powers in the visual image of design elements in an e-commerce Web site. Little research, however, directly addresses the issue of visual design- the persuasive power on influencing online consumers?? experience of willing to purchase and loyalty.
Logo+Pathos+Ethos = Positive experience ?? Purchase intention and loyalty. (Positive experience comes from satisfy consumers?? Logo, Pathos, and Ethos. To satisfy these variables can lead to purchase intention and loyalty.

2.Independent Variable(11 independent variables):
-Logo (logic): price, variety, product information, and accessibility.
-Pathos (emotion):playfulness, tangibility, and empathy
-Ethos (credibility):recognizability, assurance, and reliability.

Dependent Variable (2 dependent variables):
-Purchase intention
-Loyalty (repeat purchase and word-of-mouth referrals)

Methodology:
-Use online survey instrument.
-Create a questionnaire to measure variables.
-Create a Website, put questionnaires on it. Sent email to people who I know to announce the information. Ask them send the information to their friends also. (I am not clear about this sample selected procedure, please help me develop a better way to select sample)
-Use one month to do the online survey and collect data.
-The researcher will try to recruit a group of 200 subjects from Internet Web site.
-Participates must have online shopping experiences to do the online survey.
-Use likert scales to evaluate all the factors
- Quantitative Research.

3.In charter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW, I hope you can mention some theoretical background such as: rhetorical theory: three means of persuasion; customer purchase behavior; user-center design?K You also can write some different paragraphs in related literature review such as: the difference between traditional commerce and Internet commerce; the importance of visual design to an e-commerce Web site; the importance of purchase and loyalty to an e-commerce Web site; the benefits and challenge to company and consumer in the B2C commerce?K (These are just my suggestions, you can add more or you can change it, if you think it is not appropriate for the future development!)

4.In charter 3: RESEARCH DESIGN, maybe you can develop a framework of persuasive Web site Design to explain and construct the whole study: (you can check the article: Pairin Katerattanakul (2002). Framework of effective web site design for business-to-consumer Internet commerce. INFOR vol.40, no.1 Feb.2002.)

My idea comes from this article and I changed it little bit. Based on the proposed definition of persuasive Web site in my proposal, my study maybe can propose three persuasive design concepts as a framework of persuasive Web site design for business-to-consumer Internet commerce: (1) Design to support consumer logos (logical) experience. (2) Design to support consumer pathos (emotional) experience. (3) Design to support consumer ethos (credibility) experience. So the outline may look like below:

III.Research Design

A.Research question

B.Design
1. Introduction
Previous research on visual design, customer value, and User-center design;
Characteristics of previous researches (strengths and weakness).

2.The framework of a persuasive Web site design
Persuasive Web site: the three design concept- logos, pathos, and ethos
2.1 Research taxonomy: Framework of a persuasive Web site design for business-to-consumer Internet commerce: (1) Design to support consumer logos (logical) experience. (2) Design to support consumer pathos (emotional) experience. (3) Design to support consumer ethos (credibility) experience

3. Design to support consumer logos (logical) experience
3.1 Prices (price presentation)
3.2 Variety (product structure and display)
3.3 Product information (product information display)
3.4 Effort (Intuitiveness of navigation)

4. Design to support consumer pathos (emotional) experience
4.1 Playfulness (entertainment potential of the site)
4.2 Tangibility (sensory appeal through visual, audio or other means) (visual design)
4.3 Empathy (personalization features)

5. Design to support consumer ethos (credibility-trustworthy) experience
5.1 Recogizability (corporate image and branding)
5.2 Compatibility (community building)
5.3 Assurance (privacy and security)
5.4 Reliability (channels to customer service)

C. Instrumentation
Use online survey instrument. Create a questionnaire to measure variables. Build a Website, put the questionnaire on it. Email the information to related organizations or friends.

D. Population & Sample
The population is the online shoppers.

E. Data Collection
The researcher will collect all the raw data from online survey, and then the researcher will develop a coding system to transfer all of the data to the SPSS.

F.Data Analysis
The techniques for data analysis will include: descriptive statistics, regression analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

Assignment Type: Discussion Board Deliverable Length: 2-3 paragraphs & 2 peer responses
Points Possible: 160 Due Date: 11/13/2010 11:59:59 PM CT

According to Stone, a killer/mega stores or category killers can be defined as companies that offer a deep assortment of goods in stores more than 8000 feetcan get not only rock-bottom prices, but also excellent terms and an assured supply of scarce goods (293). Choose a killer/mega store and discuss the following:
How do these businesses affect the social environment compared to shopping at smaller mom and pop stores and specialty boutiques?
What types of businesses are affected by the offering of lower prices?
Are they incorporating any ecological sustainability campaigns within their business?
In your opinion do you feel that consumers are more interested in lower prices verses going green? Thoroughly discuss why you feel this way.

When responding to a minimum of two of your peers further discuss other ways in which mom and pop or specialty stores are affected. You can also elaborate in regards to how lower priced products relate to ecological sustainability?

**Each peer response should be one paragraph in length and must be substantive in nature. Do not simply state that it is a good or bad idea, specify why and be detailed in your explanation. You will be graded on the quality of your postings.

Adhere to MLA formatting and reference guidelines when writing your responses. Additionally, your responses should be free of grammatical errors, use complete sentences, and give specific details to the assignments requirements.

MLA is a requirement in this educational institution. For direction on how to properly set up your report visit the following link: click here.You can also view this link to see how to properly reference outside resources within the text. Remember that MLA is not optional. Please ask your instructor if you have any questions about how to properly reference your outside materials WITHIN your text.

Peer responses can elaborate on the following topics:

What other ways might mom and pop stores or specialty boutiques be affected by killer/mega stores?
Look at an example of the ecological campaign by the company that the peer pointed out, and respond to the points that he or she made.
With regard to lower prices versus going green, do you think he or she did a good job of defending his or her position? Why or why not? Is there something he or she had not thought of?
Click here if you need to watch a tutorial on submitting discussion boards.

For assistance with your assignment, please use your text, Web resources, and refer to the following multimedia course material(s):

Unit 5: Store Classification
Unit 5: Fashion Marketing
Unit 5: Retailing
Unit 5: Store Class, Buyer Resp & Fashion Mktg
Work Cited

Stone, Elaine. InFashion: Fun! Fame! Fortune! New York: Fairchild, 2007.