Category: Essays

Assignment 2: LASA 1—The Buying Process

Every product or service has a buying process, even digital products and services. In this assignment, you will research and analyze the buying process for an online product or service, with which you (as a consumer) are familiar, from a business point of view.

Begin by researching an online consumer product or service (such as an e-Book from the Kindle store or a movie from the iTunes store). Choose an online product or service with which you are familiar and have purchased in the past.

Next, write a report to evaluate its buying process from the marketer’s point of view using the five stages of the buying decision process.

Remember, the five stages are as follows

A group of researchers conducted an experiment to determine which vaccine is more effective for preventing getting the flu. They tested two different types of vaccines: a shot and a nasal spray. To test the effectiveness, 1000 participants were randomly selected with 500 people getting the shot and 500 the nasal spray. Of the 500 people were treated with the shot, 80 developed the flu and 420 did not. Of the people who were treated with the nasal spray, 120 people developed the flu and 380 did not. The level of significance was set at .05. The proportion of people who were treated with the shot who developed the flu = .16, and the proportion of the people who were treated with the nasal spray was .24. The calculated p value = .0008.

For this essay, describe the statistical approaches (e.g., identify the hypotheses and research methods) used in this excerpt from a research study. Interpret the statistical results and examine the limitations of the statistical methods. Finally, evaluate the research study as a whole and apply what you have learned about hypothesis testing and inferential statistics by discussing how you might conduct a follow-up study.

Your essay must address the following points:

· Describe the research question for this experiment.

oWhat were the null and alternative hypotheses?

oWere the results of this test statistically significant?

oIf so, why were they significant?

· Would the researchers reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis?

· Do the results provide sufficient evidence to support the alternative hypothesis?

· Was the sample appropriate for this study? Explain your answer.

· What are some possible limitations to this study?

· Discuss how you would conduct a follow up study to this one. Explain your answer.

· Describe the difference between practical and statistical significance.

Essay 2

A researcher has investigated the relationship between IQ and grade point average (GPA) and found the correlation to be .75.

For this essay, critique the results and interpretation of a correlational study.

· Evaluate the correlational result and identify the strength of the correlation.

· Examine the assumptions and limitations of the possible connection between the researcher’s chosen variables.

· Identify and describe other statistical tests that could be used to study this relationship.

Your essay response must address the following questions:

· How strong is this correlation?

oIs this a positive or negative correlation?

oWhat does this correlation mean?

· Does this correlation imply that individuals with high Intelligence Quotients (IQ) have high Grade Point Averages (GPA)?

· Does this correlation provide evidence that high IQ causes GPA to go higher?

oWhat other variables might be influencing this relationship?

· What is the connection between correlation and causation?

· What are some of the factors that affect the size of this correlation?

· Is correlation a good test for predicting GPA?

oIf not, what statistical tests should a researcher use, and why?

Discuss the single most important or surprising lesson learned in this course. Explain what made it so important or surprising.
Write a speech that you would give to a friend in an elevator summing up the contents of this course. You have 30 to 90 seconds to inform your friend of the most important elements. Go!

“Leveraging What You’ve Learned”

Identify at least three (3) key concepts that you have learned in this course, and explain how those concepts will help you in your current or future positions.
Suggest how the lessons learned in the course could be applied by someone not going into the health care field. Provide specific examples to support your response.

The Olde English Tea Company makes two brands of tea, each of which is a blend of tea leaves from several sources. Sophisticated tea drinkers with sensitive noses respond more strongly than other consumers to a tea’s fragrance and taste, so that the firm’s premium brand commands a higher price than its standard brand. The table below lists information on the fragrance and taste ratings of tea leaves from the different sources, as well as the minimum quality standards for the firm’s two brands.

Fragrance Rating Taste Rating

Tea leaves from Source A 90 85

Tea leaves from Source B 85 90

Tea leaves from Source C 80 75

Tea leaves from Source D 75 80

Premium brand of Tea 85 84

Standard brand of Tea 77 81

Further, the costs and availability of the different sources of tea leaves is as follows:

Pounds Available $/pound

Tea leaves from Source A 1500 1.05

Tea leaves from Source B 2500 0.95

Tea leaves from Source C 4000 0.80

Tea leaves from Source D 5000 0.70

The total of the direct and indirect costs for preparing, packaging, and shipping each of the two brands of tea to distributors is $0.25 per pound. The wholesale selling price of the teas to the distributors is $2.05/pound for Premium and $1.50/pound for Standard. The tea company can sell as much of each tea as it can produce.

Answer the following questions regarding Olde English Tea. Modifications to the base model are to be considered individually, not cumulatively.

a. How much of each brand of tea should be produced? How much tea will be used from each source? How much will it cost to purchase tea from each source, and in total? What will be the total profit? Which supplies of tea are exhausted, limiting profit?

b. How would your answers to part a. change if only 2000 pounds were available from source B?

c. How would your answers to part a. change if up to 6000 pounds were available from source D?

d. How would your answers to part a. change if the leaves from source C only cost $.65/pound?

e. How would your answers to part a. change if the minimum taste rating for Standard tea was only 79

Discuss the single most important or surprising lesson learned in this course. Explain what made it so important or surprising.
Write a speech that you would give to a friend in an elevator summing up the contents of this course. You have 30 to 90 seconds to inform your friend of the most important elements. Go!

“Leveraging What You’ve Learned”

Identify at least three (3) key concepts that you have learned in this course, and explain how those concepts will help you in your current or future positions.
Suggest how the lessons learned in the course could be applied by someone not going into the health care field. Provide specific examples to support your response.

Review the six-step problem solving process outlined in the webtext, based on the article “The Problem Solving Process” located at http://www.gdrc.org/decision/problem-solve.html:

Step One: Define the problem
Step Two: Analyze the problem
Step Three: Generate options
Step Four: Evaluate options
Step Five: Make your decision
Step Six: Implement and reflect

Write a four to five (4-5) page paper in which you:

1. Define the problem in the scenario that you have chosen.

2. Analyze the problem in the scenario.

3. Generate options for solving the problem in the scenario.

4. Evaluate the options for solving the problem.

5. Decide on the best option for solving the problem.

6. Explain how you will implement the decision made and reflect on whether this option was the most effective.

The paper should follow guidelines for clear and organized writing:

Include an introductory paragraph and concluding paragraph.
Address main ideas in body paragraphs with a topic sentence and supporting sentences.
Adhere to standard rules of English grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and spelling.

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 Style 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

PROVISION Healthcare Technologies manufactures patient image wands (hardware with underlying software) used by healthcare providers (primarily hospitals and physician offices) as part of larger systems to test and monitor patients’ body functions. The wand has been on the market for ten months and a new release of the wand’s software isn’t expected for another eight months. The company is approximately 150 people total, and has been in existence for just over five years. They have several products on the market, but the newest is by far the most complex product they have created. They are privately-owned and are financially stable.

Project Background

New government regulations have just been issued regarding patient safety. PROVISION must modify the wand software to incorporate this new functionality within six months or face steep fines. PROVISION has decided to move up its next wand release to meet the government deadlines. It has also decided to incorporate some new functionality and make some software fixes as part of this release.

You are preparing for a scoping meeting with the project stakeholders and other key subject-matter experts. During this meeting, you will review the detailed requirements and identify any remaining open areas. You will also review the scope management system you will use and obtain their consensus. Continue work on the project plan by documenting the scope management system that will be used on the project (2 pages, include a decision tree/flow chart). Describe the request review turn-around time and define the approvals needed (3 – 4 paragraphs). Develop the form (1 page) that will be used to capture change requests and the log (1 page) that will be used by the project manager to record status of each request. Include a section that describes how the scope of the project will be confirmed when you are ready to close the project (1 page)

This assignment entails development of a comprehensive strategic marketing plan for a new product or service that is ready to “go to market”. A Project Template is provided that allows you to organize your work in increments and see how the sections come together to produce a comprehensive plan.

PRODUCT/SERVICE

This assignment requires application of concepts learned to build a strategic marketing plan for a new product or service that is ready to “go to market”. You will not be allowed to mimic plans or ideas from larger or already “in-place” campaigns. You must develop the business concept in its entirety.

Describe the new product or service.
Discuss the qualities that make this product/service new to the marketplace and the rationale for your decision to pursue the concept. Be sure to pick a product or service that is ready to market. If you are developing a new product, assume that the development phase is over and you are ready to launch the product into the marketplace.

OBJECTIVES/MISSION STATEMENT

Create a Mission Statement. State your short-term MARKETING objectives (one year). Assume that the product/service is ready to launch at the beginning of the year (planning and testing have been completed).

Marketing objectives include goals for sales, profits, market share (as examples)
Objectives need to be quantifiable. Use the SMART acronym—simple, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-specific—in formulating your objectives. An objective with a 100% goal is not acceptable

TARGET MARKET

Identify your target market. Provide a specific demographic profile and rationale for this decision. Another source that may help you: The US Census Bureau’s American Fact Finder. Consider the size of the market and its purchasing power. Research is required to back-up your selection and to provide statistics to show that it is a viable market.

COMPETITION

Analyze your competition. Who are they? Who are the biggest players? How large is the market? What are the trends/forecasts in the industry? How does your product/service fit in? Hoover’s Pro in the Library is a good tool for this section; it may be accessed under Find Web Resources.

PRODUCT/SERVICE FEATURES

Provide a brief overview of the product or service.

State the features of your product/service. Show how it’s innovative and different. It may be unique because of the area in which you plan to market it.
Discuss legal and ethical implications that could affect the marketing process. This will require research.

CORE STRATEGY

Discuss your Core Strategy and make sure to connect it to your Mission & Objectives. Include a discussion on Product/Service Positioning.

MARKETING MIX: COMMUNICATIONS & PROMOTION

The Marketing Mix is the set of decisions about communications and promotion, price, channels of distribution, and customer relationship management. An integrated marketing communications (IMC) approach delivers a clear and consistent message to your consumers and is connected to your Core Strategy.

Discuss the aspects of the IMC. (The elements of the communication mix include: advertising, direct marketing, sales promotion, publicity/public relations and personal selling.) Define each and discuss the pros and cons of the individual elements.
Provide a detailed description of your IMC approach. Explain your rationale for choosing or rejecting the specific elements (include applications to the earlier research section). What changes do you expect to make as the product/service matures?
Describe the message you wish to communicate based on your core strategy. Explain your rationale for the message. Formulate how you will communicate with your target market? Be specific. How will the internet be used in your IMC approach?
Select and explain the most suitable method for measuring advertising effectiveness. Your decision must include research to back up the selected method. Be sure to explain why this is the most effective method to measure the effectiveness of your marketing campaign.

MARKETING MIX: PRICE

Discuss what pricing objectives you would consider for your product/service. The Objectives should be based on the various theories presented in marketing literature and take in to account competitor pricing. Including background on value proposition, positioning, and target market is necessary. All of these components provide rationale for the chosen pricing scheme.

MARKETING MIX: CHANNELS OF DISTRIBUTION

Channels of Distribution: Specify the type of distribution channel you will use and include rationale.

MARKETING MIX; CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Customer Relationship Management -Detail how you will incorporate CRM into your plan. Be sure to include a discussion on the role of technology that will be used to support your CRM.

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

The assignment requires the use of ARTICLES from the library’s full-text databases. Articles are found in periodicals. These are not to be confused with eBooks or Reference Books. The most popular databases in marketing are: ABI Inform Global, Academic Search Premier, and Business Source Premier.

Your report MUST include a reference list. All research should be cited in the body of the paper. In-text citations and corresponding references should be included in your paper. For more information on APA, please visit the APA Lab. The paper should be written in third person; this means words like “I”, “we” and “you” are not appropriate. The use of direct quotes is discouraged, but may be used sparingly in appropriate situations.

Grading will be based on content, application, research, mechanics (APA format, spelling grammar, and punctuation), and style (organization, readability, and using your own words)

Metaphor:

simile:

personification:

onomatopoeia:

Imagery:

sensory language:

rhyme:

alliteration:

assonance:

consonance:

repetition:

2.cite examples from the texts you’ve read in units 4,5, and 6 to briefly explain the answers to the big question.

a. Unit 4:how does communication change us?

b unit 5:do our difference define us?

c unit 6: do heroes have responsibilities?

3. discuss the role of conflict in three of the texts you read in units 4,5, and 6.

4. discuss the role of allusion in three of the texts you read in units 4,5, and 6.

5. In satire an effective method of conveying a message? Explain your opinion using examples from the satirical texts you read during unit 5

Analysis and Application Paper Instructions

To successfully complete this assignment, you will:

· Analyze 3 scenarios (based on actual events) and identify developmental characteristics of a child aged 2–6 that are evident in the behavior of the children described.

· Apply knowledge from the field of developmental psychology to provide a basis for the legal system’s determination that children should not be held responsible for crimes committed.

· Present this information in a professional manner, implementing current APA guidelines for style and formatting.

Scenario One:

One day at school in a small town in Michigan, two children had a disagreement on the playground. This was not an unusual occurrence as anyone who has spent time with six-year olds can attest. However, the next day a terrible tragedy resulted. While the teacher led the class through the hall to the computer lab, one of the children pulled a loaded pistol from his backpack, pointed it at his classmate shouting, “I don’t like you,” and then shot her. She died soon after at the hospital.

Scenario Two:

Six-year-old Michael and Bill* lived in the hills of Kentucky. One day, Michael found some scrap metal that he hoped to sell for a few cents. When Bill (who was older) slapped Michael and took the metal for himself, Michael ran home, took his father’s shotgun down from the wall, then went outside and shot his playmate dead. *Not their real names.

Scenario Three:

In a hot, overcrowded apartment in Kansas City, a sixteen-year old girl fell asleep while baby-sitting several young children. She did not awaken when an 18-month old boy in her charge began to cry. When a six-year old girl grew tired of listening to him, she took the younger child to the bathtub, and held him under water until he died.

Each of these stories represents a tragic and senseless loss of life. While an adult in any of these circumstances would certainly have been charged with first-degree murder, none of the children described were punished because standards within our legal system indicate that young children cannot be held responsible for crimes such as these.

For this assignment, imagine that you are a developmental psychologist asked to defend this policy. Your arguments must describe developmental characteristics found in children at this age. You will apply concepts and theories used in developmental psychology to explain why our legal system is justified in ruling that young children are not responsible for criminal actions. Use only information provided in this document and in our textbook. Do not make assumptions about home life, parenting, environment, etc.

Content Requirements:

Your paper must include 3 main sections (in addition to your introduction and conclusion):

· First, describe a biological argument for this policy. What physical or biological characteristics do we find in a child under six years of age that would excuse them from responsibility for their actions? (Focus on development within the brain, not myelination or motor skills).

· Second, describe a cognitive argument for this policy. What is it about the way a child processes information during this stage of life that would lead us to believe that they are not capable of understanding the consequences of their actions (focus on the work of Piaget).

· Third, provide an argument for this policy based on the child’s emotional and/or social development. What characteristics do we find in a child of this age in terms of emotional and moral development?

· In your conclusion identify which of the 3 factors provides the most compelling argument for this legal standard.

Research and Formatting Requirements:

· Proper APA formatting is required for this assignment. Current APA resources have been made available for you and can be found in the Addition Information folder.

· Using only your textbook as a resource, include concepts to support your arguments. Identify any information used with in-text citations.

· Your paper must include 900–1,200 words.

· You are a professional in training. Remember to check spelling, punctuation, and grammar before submitting your paper. Click here for tips on writing at the college level.

DO NOT include the following in your paper:

· Legal definitions of criminal intent or culpability.

· Environmental factors related to parenting, neglect, socio-economic status, or role-models.

· Spiritual interventions that might have prevented these tragedies