Digital
Essays

Physical vs. Digital Products -- Physical products are those that can be touched, felt, have physical presence, must be produced, warehoused, packaged, shipped and purchased. However, physical products are most…

A condensed analysis of the marketing situation at Reader's Digest

Max Weber, the first to formulate the characteristics of bureaucracy in a systematic manner, once said: "Bureaucratic administration means fundamentally the exercise of control on the basis of knowledge. This is the feature of it which makes it specifically rational" (Weber 339). In its most basic form, bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a government or organization, which implements the rules, laws, and functions of their respective institution. In Weber's mind, bureaucracy was necessary for both democratization of a government or body, as well as for its rationalization, and this bureaucratic system would work to provide efficiency within a given group (Allan 174). In viewing this system's basic model, critics have long argued a lack of equality and representation under such systems, but supporters note that efficiency is the key to a prosperous work environment.

For a person like me who previously has only written anything of substance when it was absolutely required, and who frankly does not enjoy writing, perhaps thinking of this craft as a new adventure is the most practical…

The world of information technology is constantly being challenged to move into other segments of business functions. No longer can an IT manager simply control the company's internal data and information flow. One generalization that was identified is that information technology is becoming increasing intertwined with both marketing and advertising. Many consumers, especially the younger generations, consider information they acquire online by various means to serve as the foundation for purchasing decisions. Not only do such consumers scan the web to compare pricing information, but they also engage in product research through various means.

Technologcial Imperative (TI) in the age of Information Technology (IT) offers many questions and issues that did not always arise in the past about the meaning of work, purpose and meaning. Still, it is clear there remains a bias against anything that is readily accepted without good business or logical reasons. And yet some of the most impressive financial, medical and even technological changes (by companies like Apple) are intuitively developed. The question remains open about TI in the era of IT.

Many educational institutions are forced to find a way to adapt to a shift in stakeholder expectations, budget cuts, and a substantial evolution of the demographic make-up of the universe of students. These shifts resulted in a paradigm shift for educational providers, now increasingly needing to utilize online delivery in order to attract and retain students.

The amount of digital information available continues to grow. The abundance of computers and smart phones, the proliferation of communication, and the explosion of digital information has precipitated people's disclosure of very personal information online, thus creating concerns with three types of technology that invades the privacy of citizens: Google (Internet), Carnivore, and Surveillance. The existence of a new privacy conception will not answer the tough questions. A new approach, one that adequately values privacy interests at a practical and conceptual level is a great start.

There are several significant advantages of using qualitative measurements in marketing research. The most significant is the ability to capture the voice of customers that may have evaded the more structured, numerically-based approaches that force respondents to provide a specific set of answers. Qualitative research can also lead to entirely new insights into a new market or service that has not been seen in the past, given the open-ended questions inherent in this approach to research. Qualitative research techniques also can be used to capture the shared knowledge of experts as well, as the Delphi Technique is so well-known and used for. Capturing the tacit expertise and knowledge of a specific group of thought leaders can also be accomplished using qualitative techniques as well. Additional advantages of qualitative measurements include the ability to complete greater exploratory or primary research into a specific subject, often following a specific line of questions as they develop within an interview. An additional advantage of qualitative research techniques are the ability to understand how prospects and customers make trade-offs on substitute products and services. While price elasticity studies are often highly quantitative in scope, the use of interactive discussions of pricing trade-offs can be highly effective in determining just how much a prospect is willing to sacrifice price for a given feature or benefit. The total value of a brand can also be ascertained through the use of these types of qualitative techniques, providing respondents with the ability to define in their own terms the value of the experience a brand delivers. The many advantages of qualitative research are predicated on having more interactive sessions with respondents, including the ability to ascertain how they make trade-offs over time on value versus price. For the many advantages of qualitative measurements, there are several disadvantages as well. First, the results of any study predicated on this approach cannot be analyzed at the higher levels of statistical analysis. As the results of studies and research completed with qualitative measurements are by nature not nominal, ordinal or interval in terms of data orthogonality, they cannot be used to represent an entire customer or segment population. At best they can be used as a means to capture nominally-based data that can lead to only a rough approximation of an overall market size or series of market dynamics. Qualitative data can only be as useful as the means used to capture it as well; if a methodology is very informal and focused on a series of loosely-guided objectives, the overall data will of mediocre quality at best. When the goals and objectives of a research study, in addition to the sampling frame and methodology lack rigor or precise focus, the resulting research can also lack precision and meaning. It is more difficult to create greater levels of meaning and transferability of data when the methodologies are highly qualitative in scope; the data is only relevant for a specific series of objectives and often is defined by applicability to a given point in time as well. Qualitative data is often also open to interpretation, as the methodology can be debated in terms of its relative appropriateness, robustness and value over the long-term. Finally, qualitative data cannot be taken entirely on its own; it must be combined with a series of other research sources to ensure relevancy and accuracy of interpretation, especially over time. In conclusion, qualitative data needs to be taken in context and often balanced with quantitative data to ensure a 360-degree view of a given situation or strategy of interest has the greater level of insights gained from research efforts.

Recently installed Proctor & Gamble (P&G) CEO Bob McDonald spoke to shareholders recently and articulated the vision of the company, "to touch and improve lives" (Leader's Interviews.