Enviornmental Issue impacting the United States - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2486 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/10/10 Did you like this example? Introduction The environmental issue can be defined as the problems associated with the system of the planet as a result of human activities or involvement of mistreatment of the planet. In this essay I will be discussing the environmental issue that impacts the western United States, where I will be concerned with mining as an environmental matter, deeply I will be looking at the iron mountain mine Superfund site found in a county known as Shasta in northern California, its impacts on both earth and humankind, the steps being enforced to do away with this problem and lastly my points of view and the opinions that I have on this environmental issue. ( Wright, Richard 2016).. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Enviornmental Issue impacting the United States" essay for you Create order According to the history, the iron mountain is the biggest copper producing site in the whole world, also ranked as the first in California and the six copper production site in the United States. In the course of its operations, it was realized that it contained not only copper but also other minerals like silver, gold, zinc, and iron sulfide was also found. (Jamieson, Robinson, Alpers at al. 2005).   However, after a period of active mining at the iron, there emerged an environmental documented effect that led to the killing of fish in the river which was known as Sacramento, then this was subsequently followed by massive pollution of air which came from open air roasting heap and also the smelters which stripped on the vegetation. The pollution increased hand in hand with the increase in mining operations. Thus acidic water flowed down Sacramento River leading to killing of fish and also contaminating the water from the river which was used by the people for drinking purpose, th ereby leading to release of uncontrollable of iron mountain acid drainage which could threatened the quality of drinking water supply being ranked as the most hazardous mining site in the world. There are emergency activities and five longstanding remedies stages focusing on management of water, and the cleaning up of chief foundations in Boulder Creek, area source AMD releases and residues. The initial action is Emergency Actions which states that lime neutralization procedure was fixed at site in order to treat the acid mine explosion from the reservoir.( Nordstrom, 2009) This structure always worked out by EPA throughout the winter which had a rainy season till possibly answerable get-together, functioned under the same system throughout the rainy seasons. The second water management was doing cleaning ongoing, in the same case, EPA went ahead and carefully chosen its remedies elaborating some regions concerning the water Management zone. Its actions consisted of covering the designated fractured as well as it conceded ground choices, averting disinfected the Higher Slick rock Creek marine round the discarded rock and also the mining   tailing heaps, to divert Higher Sp ring Creek; diverting the fresh superficial water in Southern part of Fork Spring Creek goal, broadening the Spiral Creek fragments wall for water storing, and carrying out hydro geologic trainings and the field-scale test protests to well defining one’s possibility used for generating the acid mining drain development. The demos of Educations and piloting remained accomplished, then EPA winded up covering the broken plus yielded earth zones also open pit for mining on the mountain called Iron Mountain. In addition, EPA also finalized digression on the Slick Rock Creek. Then Rhone-Poulenc finished building of the Upper Spring Creek deviation. However, EPA did not construct any among the two action as it was state in the plan they had planned not fabricated in South fork of Spring Creek Change together with expansion of Spring Creek Debris reservoir. In addition, it anticipated an alternate tactic of treating that abolished the demands for these water managing actions. EPA als o strong-minded that a â€Å"barrier together with the treat† curative methodology which existed exactly realistic for the Slickrock Creek area basis and the AMD emancipations for an important drop especially where there was IMM area causes of AMD liberations highly desirable compared to the one wished-for South Fork of Spring Creek deviation or else expansion wall built.. According to   Richmond Mine and Lawson Tunnel on the issue of AMD Ejections, EPA winded up its training of the natural occurrence and range in main opinion cause of impure foundations as in the Boulder Creek Watershed. Then EPA designated temporary tonic to make acidic mines draining ejections, the Richmond Mine and Lawson Tunnel by building, gathering as well as transmission of structures, and a lime counterbalancing action plant. The cure plant was constructed and has been operating and it will carry on, till another remedying may perhaps be established to ensure recuperating of metallic or also regulate the releases, to promise conferencing every clear-out goalmouths.  Afterwards, EPA considered High Density Sludge (HDS) variations onto usage of plan as the costs aired modest mix course and made them to accomplished making of the needed reserve packing of accommodations. Moreover, Brick Flat Quarry dam was elevated towards establishment of thirty years period where storing vo lume curing mud. Amendment to the HDS progression has a compacted the amount of cure of sludge formed by an influence of above fifty percent. Ancient Mine AMD Releases, there have been awareness creation natural occurrence and pollution degree that expulsions from the excavation seep which starts from the ancient mine. The EPA chose the acting cleaning and preparation, this comprised of amassing and curing acid to protect aquatic life and also drainage exonerations from the bases involved. An assemblage as well as transmission in the structure, and a treating it stay put up and treating these AMD discharges since year 1994. In addition to that, the Slickrock Creek zone Basis of these AMD releases where, completion of the part of its learning about the fauna as well as the magnitude of the capacity font, causing AMD release from the Slickrock Creek drainage found at IMM. As far as EPA was concerned, it looked at the remedy that dependent much on collecting and treating the polluted Slickrock Creek movements to create a significant surplus control of both IMM as well as AMD expulsions. According to EPA body it finalized trea ting clean water interruption scheme, this was large sedimentation sink, exterior water reins, minor earth fill mound barrage, as well as conveying channel to guarantee both the collecting and treating of the dirty releases towards the prevailing management plant. Negligible reforms to the IMM cure plant were essential for implementation, also facilitated treating effort. In the Spring Creek Arm of Keswick Lake Residues, additionally to accomplishment, it’s the studying of the natural surroundings and point of pollution which was allied with deposits down gradient of IMM as they are situated in the Spiral Creek Support of Keswick Pool. Then EPA carefully chosen a tonic that offers ransacking both copper and zinc polluted residues from the Spiral Stream Support of Keswick Basin. In 2008, it started building of the first phase of the tidying act by making structures of admitting roadways and clearance of discarding booth zone. EPA anticipates to winding up the building the infrastructural schemes as well as accomplishing polluted residue scouring procedures which has been succeeding 3 towards 4 years. The remedying was applied in the commencement in fall and accomplished three years later. Initial level involved of right of entry to road building, together with doing away with borrowing a pit zone as well as curbed dumping of capacity footmark. The next point comprised of the removal of many patches of deposit as a result of hydraulic rummaging, handling of residue by way of emerald, coagulant together with the polymers together with posting. The last stage consisted CDF termination, elimination of residue from the Twisting Creek Debris Barrier channel together with subduing lake as well as the execution in long term. ( Nordstrom, Alpers, 1995) Furthermore, the rock Creek Zone Cause AMD Liberations, the EPA carries on to accumulate statistics in order to illustrate the countryside and range of Rock Stream zone origin of AMD releases. Thereby EPA is enduring and studying the potential helpful approaches better of area origin of AMD expulsion from the Boulder Creek drainage. EPA tidy the hypothetically accountable persons to apply the backup reply in right measures to do away with the metal contamination. In 1990, beneath Directorial Command, demanded the get-togethers for gadget in the Upper Spring Creek alteration clear-out deed. Later, it commanded for actually accountable revelries to accept obligation in operating together with maintaining accomplished cleaning activities. More so EPA demanded for the possibly accountable festivities in order for perception the cure system for the Boulder Creek Crisis. EPA gave an order for potentially in control get-togethers for contravening the assortment and conduct of organization for the acid mine drainage releases at places of Ancient Mine. According to my research, I found that there emerged some impacts from the mining of copper on the iron mountain in California that affected human beings and on the earth. Starting with its Impacts on mankind, we find that the mining activities released harmful chemicals from machines, these products were deposited in the main river that was normally used by many people for their basic purposes such as drinking, washing, and cooking. This led to contamination of the water causing it to be acid, this accelerated to the formation of acidic water which was harmful for human consumption and also killing of aquatic life. Also, the machines released a lot of smoke and dangerous gases to the atmosphere, these gases led to pollution of air thus leading to the outbreak of diseases associated with harmful gases. This water could also not make it possible for growing vegetables and crops by human beings, this left them in a situation of hopelessness since they couldn’t cultivate their fo od for own consumption. On the other hand the copper mining on Iron Mountain also had some effects on the earth, first led to reduction of underground water, this is because during excavation process all the nearby water wells had to be drained so that the process could be successful, this could result in the lack of water and eventually drought. It also led to the creation of a bad image of the land where the mining process was taking, this was a result of the holes which were dug in order to reach the minerals. Furthermore, it led to soil erosion, the mining areas were mostly left unfilled back to their original position, and this fueled the occurrence of some forms of soil erosion. Moreover, it led to collapsing of the sites were mining took place, when some disasters like earthquakes and heavy thunderstorms, this easily led to collapsing since the building rocks that strengthens the earth were being destroyed when the excavation was in the process aiming at getting the minerals.( Nordstrom, Alpers 1999 ). The above challenges had to be solved by using some strategies, then remediation struggles started with the winding up of Spring Creek Basin, it proposed avoidance of mine deposit from inflowing to Keswick Pool in addition to that, it focused on controlling the capacity of mine drainage getting in destined to the Sacramento River. This led to solitary slightly operational, as well as episodic occasions of harmfulness to the river persistent. Later RWQCB commenced with the application of actions in contradiction of the existing mine holders, Iron Mining Mountain developed the EPA Superfund Spot. Several years of spot valuation, more hearing, in addition, an alternate scheme plan shadowed. There was the construction of a lime counterbalancing cure plant which was used for bringing together and indulgence entire removal after excavation’s concealed mechanisms that are Richmond and Lawson Tunnel portals, excellently abolishing a biggest cause acid together with metal release. Othe r many schemes were also accomplished during that period, they included, averting clean water all over the place of the mine workings, close up the unwanted rock and tailings heaps, and fabricating an enormous basin on Slickrock Creek to accumulate drawn-out mineral waste then convey it to curing plant. Then a concluding corrective element being finished over the year two thousand and ten., that convoluted rummaging plus elimination of contaminated residue which had gathered in the Spring Creek arm of Keswick Reservoir. In addition to that, the air pollution which occurred as a result of combustion of the fuels in the mining machines could also be controlled, this was taken through by ensuring that the exhaust pipes of the machines in which combustion occurred, were fixed with some reagents which to ensure that the poisonous air released to the atmosphere was treated and be free from causing the dangers which it had being causing in the past. Also by recycling the waste from the mining sites had to be done where possible, this could avoid the dangers caused by the discharge of its waste into the river that supplied the people of Shasta County with water and also saving the aquatic life. The issue could also be solved by ensuring that the mining sites are filled with soil in order to avoid the risk of collapsing when strong earthquakes and storms occur, by taking this into consideration, the hazards which occur in such places are adequately solved and they won’t occur again. In addition to that the laws that protect the land should also be enforced and ensure the companies responsible for mining are aware of them, therefore they should do their work as they are abiding by those laws and in case they go against the laws they must bear the consequences. According to my view and conviction, this environmental issue has many hazards, like in mining we obtain valuable substance but also we create a room for disasters, therefore it is good to know how to prevent the risks which might occur after mining, subsequently, if a certain risk has occurred appropriate means should be used to eradicate them in the best way possible without causing another hazardous problem especially when it is something concerned to the health of human beings, the treatment like the one in of lime utilization of acidic water, it should not harm the human in terms of their health. Conclusion The efforts of EPA in ensuring that the issue of Impacts of mining follow a sequence for them to be achieved, it is put clear in the last part that, the results for the fitting and operating the complete scale counterbalancing system, the topping of areas of mining, and the building and the deed of the Slickrock Creek Retaining Reservoir for collection of impure overflow for cure have ominously abridged the acidic and metallic pollution in apparent water at Iron Mountain Mine site. These Onslaught deeds remain ongoing, the extra readings are on progress. Deviation of Upper Spring Creek devours critically improved capability of the Government department of Repossession and cope with the ongoing discharged pollutants on or after the place of diminishing destruction in Sacramento River system till the last cure could lead to chosen them instigated.

Criminal Motivation in Robert Agnews General Strain...

Criminal Motivation in Robert Agnews General Strain Theory Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) argues that strain or stress is the major source of criminal motivation. He expands upon Merton’s Anomie Theory of strain and stress to include several causes of strain or stress. Agnew categorizes 3 types of strain that produce deviance: the failure to achieve positively valued goals, the loss of positive stimuli, and the introduction of negative stimuli. There are several different actions that can be taken to correct the strain in order to curb deviance, including exercise, counseling, and advocacy programs. Furthermore, we will also look at how this relates to domestic violence. As first mentioned there are 3 categories to†¦show more content†¦The failure to achieve positively valued goals is a central part of GST. It leads one to believe that, in part, the strain caused by not achieving the goals set by communities (be it economic success or achieving status and respect, etc) causes stress on the individual to commit crimes in an attempt to achieve these goals. The second aspect of Agnew’s GST is the loss or potential loss of positive stimuli. This stressor involves the loss of the â€Å"opportunity to freely engage in a range of valued behaviors† (Broidy; Agnew, 1997), such as the loss of romantic partners or friends. In other words, the ability (or lack-there-of) of an individual to deal with stressful events in life can produce deviant feelings and behavior. Agnew’s last strain producer, the presentation of negative stimuli, refers to such things as child abuse, negative experiences at school, homelessness, and poor association with peers. Agnew suggests that crime isn’t the only approach people will use in their response to strain. According to Agnew, there are 3 types of strategies, apart from crime, that people can utilize to deal with stress and strain through legitimate means. He says that cognitive, emotional, and behavioral coping strategies can be used to reduce strain in a person’s life (Broidy; Agnew, 1997). Cognitive strategies allow the person to decipher stress in a different way. A person can reduce the significance of the strain, or maximize theShow MoreRelatedThe Cause Of Crime, Like Many Societal Phenomena, Is A1547 Words   |  7 Pagessocietal phenomena, is a source of global contention. Theorists throughout history have repeatedly attempted to deconstruct criminal minds to understand the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of crime. Not only can criminological theory explore the motivations of criminals living and dead; but it can also be a lens through which to examine fict ional crime. 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As the theories progressed into modern times, the theorist behind these criminological theories had only focused on one single cause behind criminality. Thanks to the work done by member of the Chicago School many of the new theories were able to furtherRead MoreA Blow-By-Blow of Deviance: Analyzing the Relationship Between General Strain Theory and the Protagonist in the Film Blow2255 Words   |  10 Pagesinfluenced by these fa ctors in his interpretation of and reaction to the strains that he encountered both as an adolescent and an adult, or rather a deviant and a non-deviant. In this essay I will use General Strain Theory of deviance to illustrate and attempt to explain an individual’s motive for engaging in criminal behavior such as drug dealing. 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Current Issues in Sales Promotion free essay sample

There are several reasons explaining this phenomena: Increased brand parity and price sensitivity of consumer with more brand choices available to the consumer and with the fact that product differences are becoming less and less apparent, consumers are becoming more and more reliant to the price and price incentives. This goes hand in hand with another reason of increasing sales promotions budget decreased brand loyalty. Consumers are getting used to the fact that almost always at least one brand category is on sale or on a sales promotional offer. Another reason is coming from the routs of corporate culture and the reward and promotion strategy within corporations in the conditions of severe competition there is increasing pressure on brand managers to show fast results in terms of increased sales and nothing is as effective in short run as sales promotions to achieve this goal. Another explanation has to do with the consumer responsiveness to money saving options for example the results of NCH Consumer Survey indicate that on average 80. 5 percent of consumers in US used coupons over the period of 1996-1999. Shimp 1993). One more reason for increasing sales promotion importance is that many product categories on the market are in the mature stage and according to the product life cycle theory, sales promotions are extremely effective in maturity stage of the product helping to boost sales. (Blattberg, Neslin 1990). Finally the reason that is very relevant to highly competitive markets, where companies find themselves constantly fighting for the smallest piece of market share prisoners dilemma spiral which is very similar to a price war situation. Manufacturers are locked into defensive reactive escalation of sale promotional expenditures. If one company cuts its sales promotions, it will suffer short-term loss, chances are that competitors will take advantage of that, if the company increases its sales promotional expenditures short term increase of sales might be very small because competitor reacts. (Blattberg, Neslin 1990) Because of highly practical importance of sales promotion the number of publications in trade press on sales promotion has increased dramatically over the past decade. However the same is not true for academic press. Though there is a certain increase of articles on the topic in the academic journals, there still are a lot of potential areas for research that didnt receive enough attention. The purpose of this paper is to reveal what is really known and proven about sales promotions, to systematize knowledge already available, discuss different models available in literature and to identify possible directions of future research. Please note that this paper is not intended to discuss the issues relevant to each particular element of sales promotion, rather it is focused on the general issues and characteristics shared by all (or most) of the components. Uncertain Definitions of Sales Promotions Systematization of knowledge on sales promotion I believe should start from systematizing the definitions of concept. There is lack of conformity in methodology and hence in the definition of what can be considered sales promotion. (Kotler 1983, Levy 1971, Shimp 1993). The word promotion comes from a Latin word meaning to move forward. So, in this case any tool(s), method(s), technique (s) that stimulates the growth of the sales can be considered a part of sales promotion. However this is not that simple. There are number of different definitions focusing on various characteristics of sales promotion. This diversification as it will be shown later plays very important role in identifying objectives and models for promotions. 1. Sales promotion consists of a diverse collection of incentive tools, mostly short-term designed to stimulate quicker and/or greater purchase of a particular product by consumers or the trade. (Kotler, 1988) 2. Sales promotion is the direct inducement or incentive to the sales force, the distributor or the consumer with the primary objective of creating and immediate sale (Shultz, Robinson 1982) 3. Sales promotion is the methods or techniques for creating public acceptance of or interest in a product, usually in addition to standard merchandising techniques, such as advertising, and personal selling; generally consisting of the offer of free samples, gifts made to purchaser etc. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary 1983) 4. Sales promotion represents those marke ting efforts that are supplementary in nature, are conducted for a limited period of time and seek to induce buying (Davis, 1981) b. Sales promotions are all marketing activities that attempt to stimulate to quick buyer action or attempt to promote immediate sales of product (Shimp, 1993) All those definitions are stressing different aspects of sales promotions and all of them are correct ones. There are several common characteristics that might be drown out of these definitions. (Blattberg, Neslin 1990) A) Sales promotions are action focused the emphasis is on consumer to make some action in a limited period of time. B) Sales promotions are marketing events they all happen within marketing strategy of the company/ organization. As early as in 1967 researchers were concerned that interaction of the promotions with other elements of marketing mix should not be ignored (Engel 1967). Because promotions include so many difference tools and mechanisms there is an ongoing threat of viewing sales promotional techniques in isolation from other marketing mix elements. C) Sales promotions are designed to have a direct impact on behavior. It is argued in the literature that while advertising goes through the process of cognition and then influences an action, promotion is believed to work directly on behavior. Also, sales promotion gives extrinsic reason to buy a product, whereas advertising focuses to internal qualities or brand equity of the product. A common assumption is that advertising, word-of-mouthor the salesperson has infromed the consumer about the product, while sales promotion gives them additional reasons to buy. Taking into account the points discussed above the summarized definition of sales promotion can be presented as follows: Sales promotion is an action-focused marketing event whose purpose is to have a direct impact on the behavior of the firms customers. Blattberg, Neslin 1990). One of the aspects that is not reflected in this operational definition is the short-term effect of promotion, this issue is still under discussion and will be addressed later in the paper. Forms and Objectives of sales promotion There are many sales promotional techniques (and the number is still growing with the development of new ways to reach consumers), but they can apparently be reduced to 12 classical and widely used. The rest of the techniques usually include some kind of combination of these 12 most used techniques of sales promotion. . Sampling the use of various distribution methods to deliver actual or trail size products to consumers with the purpose to initiate trial. 2. Coupons A promotional device that provides a price-off to consumer upon redeeming the coupon 3. Trade incentives incentives that are given to retail managers and sales people for performing tasks such as displaying merchandise or selling certain lines of merchandise. 4. Trade allowances deals that are offered to retailers for performing activities in support of manufacturer brand 5. Price-offs promotion which entails a reduction in the brands regular price. 6. In, on, and near-packs (and reusable containers) specially designed pieces that retailers give to consumers who purchase the promoted product. 7. Free-in the mail premiums a promotion in which consumers receive premium item from the sponsoring manufacturer in return for submitting a required number of proofs of purchase. 8. Self-liquidating premiums a method where the consumer mails in a stipulated number of proofs of a purchase along with the fee to cover manufacturers costs of shipping and handling of premium item. From manufacturers point of view this form of promotion is cost free, and therefore the name is self-litigating. 9. Contests and sweepstakes a form of consumer oriented promotion in which winners receive prizes, cash, or merchandise. 10. Refund offers A cash reimbursement to the consumer by the manufacturer whose product the consumer has purchased. 11. Bonus packs Extra-quantities of a product that company gives to consumers at a regular price. 12. Stamp plans and continuity premiums type of promotion where the consumer is getting rewarded for continuos use or repetitive purchase of a product/service, f. x frequent flyer programs. These techniques can be trade or consumer oriented. Because sales promotional tools are so varied in form, no single unified objective can be identified for them. There are three major contributions of sales promotions that have practical influence of the objectives of promotion: (Kotler 1988) 1. Communication promotions gain attention and usually prov ide information that may lead the consumer to the product 2. Incentive they incorporate some concession, inducement or contribution designed to represent value to the receiver 3. Invitation promotions include a distinct invitation to engage in the transaction now. Within these three major goals that sales promotion help to accomplish, specific objectives might be reach of new users, reinforcement loyalty of old users, increase product usage, introduction of new product, increase distribution channels, Obtain trade support and improve or built trade relationship. For quick reference please see Table 1. Table 1: Source: Shimp T, Promotional Management and Marketing Communications [pic] As it is mentioned in the beginning of the paper, the primary objective is to identify common traits of sales promotional techniques and not each of its elements separately. So, Ill proceed talking about the objectives of sales promotions and what sales promotion can do for the company and what it cant do. What sales promotion can do? Myth vs. Reality This part of the paper organized as following each point is presented and then analyzed in respect of the research done in that area. Most of the points are very logical assumptions that anyone in the marketing and advertising believes in, however I couldnt trace the research done to justify some of those points, that is the reason that several of the issues are just mentioned without overview of the research findings in the area. These are potential white spots of sales promotion and would the research be conducted some of the very interesting findings may come out. Some of this points have been proven practically by the industry, but that kind of research was beyond the scope of academic literature review. Consumer oriented deals 1. Sales promotion can obtain trial of the product. Innovate or Die nowadays may be the slogan for many companies, especially in food and health industry. This view is reflected in the number of new products introduced yearly; New Product News reports that in 1990s, there were 13,244 introductions with 10,301 introductions coming from food categories. In 1999, the comparable figure for the food category was 9,814, with the highest introductions in condiments, candy, bakery foods, dairy products, and beverages. The evidence is clear: retailers are confronted yearly with large numbers of introductions in a wide variety of categories. (Desiraju 2001) Obviously in these conditions one of the best ways to get your product noticeable to consumer and to make them switch from other brands is sales promotions techniques. 2. Sales promotion can encourage repeat usage of the product or increase product usage by loading consumers. The first part of this argument is supported by Neslin, Quelich, Henderson 1982 the results of their research show that acceleration of purchase quantity is stronger among heavy users that light users. . Invigorate the use of mature product 4. Sales promotion can affect purchase acceleration Here two aspects of purchase acceleration should be considered increased quantity and decreased interpurchase time. (Neslin, Quelich, Henderson 1982). However there is a very important question how these two aspects will influence (counteract) each other due to the stockpiling effect . As it was shown in the above mentioned research (see also Gupta 1988), purchase acceleration is predominantly exhibited in increased purchase quantities rather than shortened interpurchase times. 5. Sales promotion can introduce a new or improved product or different packaging 6. Sales promotion can be used to neutralized competitive advertising or sales promotion 7. In general sales promotions can built on brand sales more rapidly than advertising. At was discussed earlier in this paper sales promotion tend to produce sharp and fast increase in sales of the brand. This however was opposed by the issue of short term and long term impact of the promotion, discussed later on in the paper. In addition to that one issue that is worth discussing here is cost /sales ratio for advertising and promotion. Empirical study has shown that variation in the firm level ratio of advertising and promotion is the function of market share, market growth rate and the interaction between the two. And though replication of the study did not confirm the results of the original research, this is still considered as one of the possible explanations of the variations of the levels of advertising and promotional expenditures for different companies. (Balasubramanian, Kumar 1990, Ailawadi, Farris, Parry 1997; Balasubramanian, Kumar 1997) Trade oriented Deals . Sales promotion can obtain feature pricing, displays, and other dealer in-store support 10. Sales promotions can help to increase or reduce trade inventories 11. Sales promotion can help to expand distribution. What sales promotions cant do Consumer oriented deals 1. Sales promotion cannot built brand loyalty or enhance brand image. While the first part of the statement is now perceived as axiom, there are disputes over the fact whether sales prom otions have negative effect on brand equity and brand evaluation. The classic research done by Dobson, Tybout and Sternal (1978)argued that use of promotion decrease the brand evaluation. This was supported by self-perception theory psychological model of response to sales promotion suggested by Sawyer and Dickson (1984). However the further research on this issue (Neslin and Showmaker 1989; Scott Davis, J. Inman, L. McAllister 1992) shows the absence of the negative effect on the brand evaluations. It is actually suggested that with low involvement product category promotions might actually have positive influence on brand evaluation Scott Davis, J. Inman, L. McAllister 1992). 2. Sales promotion can not reverse a declining sales trend According to research done probability of repurchase after purchasing on deal will vary according to the type of sales promotion and the cues that these promotion sent. (Sawyer and Dickson 1984) 3. Sales promotion can not change basic consumer non-acceptance of the product 4. Sales promotion can not compensate for inadequate levels of consumer advertising 5. Sales promotion cannot overcome product problems in pricing, packaging, quality or performance. Trade 1. Sales promotion cannot compensate for a poorly trained sales force 2. Sales promotion cannot overcome poor product distribution 3. Sales promotion cannot compensate for a lack of consumer advertising http://www. ciadvertising. org/student_account/fall_01/adv392/anuta/promo/effectiveness. htm Effectiveness and success factors of sales promotion Sales promotions are most effective 1. On new brands enjoying and improving competitive trend 2. In conjunction with a sales drive to increase store distribution 3. When used only occasionally 4. In addition to rather than a replacement of brand advertising. These four conditions were taken from J. O. Peckhams list from Wheel of Marketing published in 1977. (Shuhltz 1982). The real challenge is now to see whether these conditions have changed resulting in sales promotions being effective in other situations and not effective in those described above over time. No research was found not confirm these conditions. Research (based on empirical study of most successful sales promotional campaigns) indicates that several variables are playing a very important role in determining the effectiveness of sales promotion. One of the main correlate of successful promotions is greater sales force support and trade support (Hardy 1986). Other factors that are considered somewhat less important relative to sales force and trade support is incentive level that that particular promotion gives (Hardy 1986). How to evaluate effectiveness One of the approaches to evaluate sales promotions recently discussed in the literature recently is based on the fact that sales promotion is merely an alternative element of a companys communication package, so the extrapolation of the concepts of communication into the sales promotion phere is very appropriate. As with advertising and other forms of media, promotions speak directly to the consumer and the major function then becomes the one of communication. (See objectives of sales promotions). Determining the effectiveness of a particular promotion can be a matter of how well the plan communicates with the intended consumer. In other words, companies can gain a better und erstanding of their customers and the effectiveness of their promotional plans by understanding the communication elements triggered by their plan. Gardener, Trivedi 1998) Models / Measurements of Sales Promotions As I mentioned in the beginning of my paper the effects of sales promotion are more measurable than for example effects of advertising, especially nowadays with all the scanned data available through retailers. The possibility of measuring to predict sales promotion was first mentioned by Lee Adler in as early as 1963. He presents one of the first methods/models of measuring effectiveness of sales promotion, where he correlates the objectives of each form of sales promotion with the specific method of measurement. Lee Adler, 1963). However, surprisingly enough quantitative analysis of sales promotion activities have not led to the same level of sophistications that found in advertising decision making models. The reason for that might be that for a long time sales promotio n was perceived as playing secondary role to advertising and personal selling; some early definitions of sales promotion presented in the beginning of this paper clearly indicate that. In spite of this there are several classical models of sales promotion that were developed decade or two ago but are still used analyzing sales promotions. The Kuehn-Rohlov model This is the learning brand-switching model that are designed to evaluate promotions in several ways first they show who is attracted by the promotions, and then separate the ones that have higher pre-purchase probability. The authors also demonstrate how to use the model to study the relationship among deal type, brand, and product-to-product repurchases for both new buyers and for existing customers. Rao-Linnen Model This model was developed on the base of the franchise-retail environment, and hough it is still not clear whether the model can be used outside franchise-retailing environment it has number of crucial characteristics. One of the most important characteristics of this model is that is able to deal with multiple simultaneous promotions and shows how joint effects of multiple simultaneous promotions can be handled. It is the first model that deals with the joint competitive effects and the joint effects of several promotions simultaneously. Littles Brandaid Promotional Model This is part of the Brandaid aggregate marketing model developed by Little. He actually looks at two contracts promotional time and promotional response function. The idea behind the model is that when consumers know that there is a promotion coming they might postpone the buying of the product. One of the aspects that receives increasing attention in the promotional modeling in promotional expenditures. How much to spend on sales promotion relative to advertising was the topic of several researches done for the last 20 years. Other important considerations in sales promotion One of the areas of sales promotion that are still under discussion and that deserve to be mentioned separately due to its high importance is long-term effects of sales promotion. Many years it was argued that promotional activities have only short-term effect on sales and brand preferences whereas advertising essentially builds on brand equity. However some modern research challenges this view. There is some published work that studies the long run effects of promotions and advertising. Another important aspect of sales promotion is customers attitude towards sales promotional activities. Again, one of the spread conceptions is that consumers really they dont remember promotional offers, dont understand the effect and benefits of all the promotional activities. Number of findings in research prove this case, for example Scott et all (1992), Dickson and Sawyer (1990) found that consumers in our study appear to remember information about promotions very poorly, they were not able to identify the depth of the price cuts. Dickson and Sawyer (1982) suggested number of psychological models of consumer response to promotional activities. The implications of this models give an insight into short-term versus long-term communication effect of sales promotions. In respect to the issue of consumer response a research done by Fox, Reddy and Rao 1997 should be mentioned. They studied repetitive promotional stimulus and consumer response to that. Market trends influence on sales promotion In 1987 Douglas Haley identified 10 trends of the market that have showed influence of promotional strategy of companies. Some of those trends are valid till now. 1. Promotion Proliferation there are many forms and combinations of sales promotions techniques that are being used nowadays. Their relative importance might change over time but the fact is that they are growing both in terms of the money spent on them and in variety, that includes uses of new media and new forms of communications. 2. Scanned data nowadays we possess incredible amount of very valuable information obtained via scanners in the retailing stores. The industry have the technology to track the purchases, however it hasnt really discovered the ways to use this data very efficient. This definitely presents a real challenge for future research. 3. Decreasing response time this works both for the consumers and for the companies. With the improving communication channels and the increase of the speed of communication process (here one might argue with the increase of pace of life in general) consumers are responding faster to the promotional offers, if they are interested. The same principle holds for the competitors response. companies tend to react faster to the promotional offers of their rival, decreasing therefore the amount of return on the initial promotional offer of competitor (see the prisoners dilemmas spiral). 4. On-line promotions New challenge While writing about the sales promotion nowadays, one cant ignore the issue of increasing sales promotional activities online. This is very important and valuable component of dot. com operations. As indicated in Table 2 [pic] Coupons and other type of promotions have very important role in driving traffic to the website and in overall companys operations. There are reasonable amount of research published in the area of online sales promotion, however most of them carry over the same problem as research on sales promotion in general research done in the area of sales promotion focus on particular element of promotional mix for example online coupons or frequent mile programs. Yet, there is a clear need for developing general theoretical base and models for online promotions. Potential areas of research 1. Combining attitude data with scanner data: Unfortunately now scanner data lack consumer attitudes data which is considered to be more stable and long run predictors of choice than are short run marketing activities. In this respect two important directions are being developed now. First, some companies already are beginning to collect attitudinal data from scanner panel members. Second, models for combining stated preferences with revealed preferences are being developed, this combination of psychometric and scanner data will provide invaluable insights into consumer choice behavior. (Gupta 1993) 2. Cross-category analyses: Most of the research studies to date, with a few notable exceptions, have estimated and validated their models using a single data set. According to Gupta extending such analyses to multiple categories will provide at least three benefits. First, it will establish better generalizability of results across different product categories. Second, it will allow to study consumers choice of a shopping basket. Thrid, such analyses will be useful to understand the store choice and traffic issues. 4. Optimal decisions: The empirically based models are primarily descriptive in nature and though what-if simulations can provide a sense of good or bad decision strategies, this is not always true and as efficient as we want that to be. So one of the possible directions of research to develop normative models that use the results of the descriptive models as the basis to generate optimal marketing mix decisions. Gupta 1993) Limitations of this review As it was mentioned in the beginning of this paper it was intended to be general overview of the academic literature on sales promotion; it was not focused on any of the particular techniques of sales promotion. That is the reason that many of the articles that are focused on some particular technique were not mentioned here. So as the follow up of this literature review there shoul d be more done to uncover what we really know about the effectiveness, application and models for each of the vehicles of sales promotion. Another limitation of this paper is that though in some parts of the paper trade promotions are mentioned, I was not particularly focused on the distinguishing between promotions targeted on consumers and on the trade. This is another possible direction of the literature review. Finally third limitation of the paper, as I see that comes from the overall problem spot on sales promotional research generalization issues. Many of the researches cited here done on particular products or product category. However in most of the cases the authors expressed the confidence of possible generalization of the results. Otherwise, if the results were very specific for the product category or research conditions, I didnt include that in this review. Ailawadi Kusum, Paul Farris and Mark Parry Explaining Variations in Advertising and Promotional Costs/Sales Ratio: A reanalysis Journal of Marketing, 61 (January) pp. 93-96 Balasumbamanian S. and Kumar V. (1990) Analyzing Variations in Advertising and Promotional Expenditures: Key Correlates in Consumer, Industrial and Service Marketing Journal of Marketing, 54 (April) pp. 57-68 Balasumbamanian S. and Kumar V. 1997) Explaining Variations in Advertising and Promotional Costs/Sales Ratio: A reanalysis Journal of Marketing, 61 (January) pp. 85-92 Desiraju Ramarao (2001) New Product Introductions, Slotting Allowances, and Retailer Discretion Journal of Retailing 71, Issue 3, (Fall) p. 335 Dickson, Peter and Alan Sawyer (1990), Point of Purchase Behavior and Price Perceptions of Supermarket Shoppers Journal of Marketing, 54 (July), 42-53 Dobson, Joe, Alice Tyb out, Brian Sternal (1978) Impact of Deals and Deals Retraction on Brand Switching: Journal of Marketing Research, 15 (February) 72-81 Engel J. F. , H. G. Wales, and Warshaw Promotional strategy Irwin 1967 Gardener, Elizabeth; Trivedi, Minakshi A communication framework to evaluate sales promotion strategies. Journal of Advertising Research, May/Jun98, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p67-72. Gupta, Sunil (1988) Impact of Sales Promotions on When, What, and How Much to Buy. Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (November), Issue 4, p. 342-355 Gupta, Sunil (1993) Reflections on `Impact of Sales Promotions on When, What, and How Much to Buy. Journal of Marketing Research, 30 (November), Issue 4, p522-24 Hardy G. Kenneth Key factors for Manufacturers Sales Promotions in Packaged Goods Journal of Marketing, 50 (July 1986), 13-23 Haley Douglas (1987), Trends that influence Sales Promotion Industry, 1987 Nielsen Researcher. Northbrook, Ill. , 1986/87 Kotler, Philip, Marketing Management: Analysis, Planning, Implementation and Control, 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs NJ: Prentice Hall 1988 Lee Adler Sales Promotion Effectiveness Can be measured Journal of Marketing, 29 (January 1963), 69-70 Neslin Scott, John Quelch, Caroline Henderson Consumer Promotions and the acceleration of product purchase. in Research on Sales Promotion: Collected Papers, ed. K. Jocz, Marketing Science Institute 1000 Cambridge MA 1984 pp. 22-46 Neslin Scott and Robert Shoemaker (1989) An alternative explanation for Lower Repeat Rates After Promotional Purchases Journal of Marketing Research, 26 (May) 205-213 Random House Unabridged Dictionary (1983), Random House NY, 1983 second edition Sawyer Alan, Peter Dickson Psychological pe rspectives on consumer response to sales promotion in Research on Sales Promotion: Collected Papers, Ed. K. Jocz, Marketing Science Institute 1000 Cambridge MA 1984 pp. 1-21 Scott Davis , J. Inman and Leigh McAllister (1992) Promotion Has a negative effect on Brand Evaluations Or does it? Additional Disconfirming Evidence Journal of Marketing Research, 29 (February) 143- 148 Shultz Don E. , William A. Robinson Sales Promotion Management Crain Books, Chicago IL, 1982

Theme in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Example For Students

Theme in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Theme in The Secret Life of Walter MittyThe Secret Life of Walter Mitty written by James Thurber is a short story that takes place during the trying times of World War II. Thurbers description of Walter Mitty is of a married older man who lives in a town called Waterbury and has an imagination of a three-year-old. In this excerpt of Walter Mittys life we are able to see into his mind and discover the many conflicts that disturb him. The theme, although it may seem hidden, is of Walter Mittys quest to be in control of something, perhaps his life. By day dreaming of situations in which he feels in charge, he is able to escape from being pushed around by the people in his town, the parking attendant, and especially his wife. We will write a custom essay on Theme in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Through the development of the plot and the use of imagery we are able to see Mittys conflicts and feelings of inferiority in his everyday life. As the story of the secret life of Walter Mitty begins, the reader finds himself wondering where the story takes place and for what reason is this seemingly ordinary old man dreaming or wishing he were in another place and time. Through the development of the plot, Thurber enables the reader to pick up subtle clues to the reasoning behind these odd outbursts of daydreams by Walter Mitty. Thurber does an excellent job of using Mrs. Mitty and other towns people, like the parking attendant for instance, to show us reasons why Walter wants to escape reality and dream of such elaborate places. The portrayal of Mrs. Mitty is very important to the development of the plot. Without her, the severity of the daydreams and the theme of this story would not be as easily understood. Thurber makes Mrs. Mitty out to be a strong older woman who has to have the control in the marriage and feels that Walter is incapable of thinking for himself. Every chance that Walter has to be his own man and make his own decisions is stomped by his wifes lack of confidence in him. Mrs. Mitty has to put in her two cents and over power Walters thoughts in every situation:Youre tensed up again, said Mrs. Mitty. Its one of your days. I wish youd let Dr. Renshaw look over you. Walter Mitty stopped the car in front of the building where his wife went to have her hair done. Remember to get those overshoes while Im having my hair done, she said. I dont need overshoes, said Mitty. . . . Weve been through that, she said, getting out of the car. Youre not a young man any longer. He raced the engine a little. (Thurber 1170)This excerpt alone shows how Mrs. Mitty does not even let her husband make his own decisions and how he starts to become agitated by this. Thurber develops the plot nicely in that every time Walter is not day dreaming, or every time his daydreams have been interrupted, he is being told what to do by someone else. This use of plot development makes it able for the reader to better understand the theme and the reasoning behind the unexpected situations of Walter Mitty. Not only is the development of the plot important, but also the imagery used throughout the story is important to the manifestation of the theme. Imagery is defined as the use of mental images or descriptions, as produced by memory or imagination. Thurbers use of imagery enables the reader to picture what is going on in the day dreams and to feel the control that Walter feels in every situation. By using imagery, Thurber also allows the reader to see what triggers these daydreams and to understand their origins:He picked up an old copy of Liberty and sank down into the chair. Can Germany Conquer the World Through the Air? Walter Mitty looked at the pictures of bombing planes and of ruined streets. . .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .postImageUrl , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:hover , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:visited , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:active { border:0!important; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:active , .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509 .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uce80081809810ffd1f100fdcc655a509:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Why Abortion Should Be Illegal Essay . . The cannonading has got the wind up in young Raleigh, sir, said the sergeant. Captain Mitty looked up at him through tousled hair. Get him to bed, he said wearily. With the others. Ill fly alone. (1172)The use of imagery by Thurber also provokes thought in the readers mind. He shows what is really going on in the characters heads and relates what is being said to the theme of the story. For instance, in the fourth daydream the scene is of a captain going into battle to save everyone. Here Mitty says, We only live once, Sergeant. . . . Or do we? (Thurber 1173). By using imagery it is obvious to see why Mitty says that in his daydream, but it also has to do with what Mitty is going through with his wife. He feels he is not living his own life, therefore, he is not living.In conclusion, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story based on plot development and the use of imagery in order to manifest a theme. The quest for Walter Mitty to be in control and to have his own thoughts is the reason for the sudden setting changes in this story. The way Mrs. Mitty and the people around Walter treat him provides the reader with an understanding to the imagination of Walter Mitty. As the story progresses feelings of sympathy and understanding are felt for Walter Mitty and his secret life. Bibliography: