Customer behaviour Essay Example for Free

Customer behaviour Essay What is Electronic Commerce? Commerce The exchange of commodities, buying and selling, of products and services requiring transportation, from location to location is known as commerce. E-Commerce From a communications perspective, e-commerce is the delivery of information, products/services or payments via telephone lines, Fax, computer networks or any other means. What is Electronic Commerce? From an online perspective, e-commerce provides the capability of buying and selling products and information on the internet and other online services. It refers to a wide range of online business activities for products and services. Any form of business transaction in which the parties interact electronically rather than by physical exchanges or direct physical contact. Difference between E-Commerce E-Business Electronic commerce or e-Commerce E-commerce covers online processes that touch customers, suppliers and external partners, including sales, marketing, order taking, delivery, customer service, purchasing of raw materials and supplies for production. More sophisticated system such as flight and hotel reservation system. e-Commerce breaks into two components: Online Shopping the scope of information and activities that provides the customer with the information they need to conduct business with you and make an informed buying decision. Online Purchasing the technology infrastructure for the exchange of data and the purchase of a product over the Internet. Online purchasing is a metaphor used in business-to-business e-Commerce for providing customers with an online method of placing an order, submitting a purchase order, or requesting a quotation. E-Business is a super-set of E-Commerce. E-business includes e-commerce but also covers internal processes such as production, inventory management, product development, risk management, finance, and human resources. E-business includes electronic mechanism to distribute information not directly related to buying and selling of goods. Examples: Product specifications, customer testimonials, and product reviews. Purchasing activities on your site, e.g., order forms, shopping carts, and credit card processing. Customers can’t interact directly with the firm. (territory barrier) History of EC The term e-commerce was originally conceived to describe the process of conducting business transactions electronically using technology from the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) and Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT). These technologies, which first appeared in the late 1970’s, allowed for the exchange of information and the execution of electronic transactions between businesses, typically in the form of electronic purchase orders and invoices. EDI and EFT were the enabling technologies that laid the groundwork for what we now know as e-commerce. The Boston Computer Exchange, a marketplace for used computer equipment started in 1982, was one of the first known examples of e-commerce. Throughout the 1980’s, the proliferation of credit cards, ATM machines and telephone banking was the next step in the evolution of electronic commerce. The birth of companies such as eBay and Amazon (launched in 1994) really began to lead the way in e-commerce. Both eBay and Amazon were among the first to establish prominent e-commerce brands. The most prominent e-commerce categories today are computers, books, office supplies, music, and a variety of electronics. Dell.com,1997 Types of Ecommerce B2B( Business to Business E-commerce) or Inter-Organizational E-commerce B2C(  Business to Consumer E-commerce) C2B( Consumer to Business E-commerce) C2C( Consumer to Consumer E-commerce) or Ecommerce Involving Intermediaries Intra-organizational E-commerce  m-commerce(Mobile E-commerce) Business to Government E-Commerce B2B (Business-to-Business) or inter-organizational Ecommerce Companies doing business with each other such as manufacturers selling to distributors and wholesalers selling to retailers. Pricing is based on quantity of order and is often negotiable. B2B is used to improve business relationship among orgz. (invoices, cheques, purchase orders, financial reports) are in electronic for. For Example: Logistic companies Benefits: Supplier Management (reduce no. of suppliers, processing coast, and cycle time) Inventory Management (list of items/product, eliminate out of stock items) Distribution Management (list of ship’s cargo, purchase orders etc) Channel Management (reduce labour, time saving) Payment Management (electronic payment reduce clerical errors, lower transaction fee and coast) B2C Business to Consumer In B2C seller is a business organization buyer is consumer. In this case costumer directly interacts with company, i.e. books and cd’s buy online and internet used as a medium for transaction. Newspapers reading and weather forecasting are used as a B2C E-commerce. This type of e-commerce improve the flow of information between firm and customers. Examples are ebay.com, and amazon.com. C2B Consumer to Business A consumer posts his project with a set budget online and within hours companies review the consumers requirements and bid on the project. The consumer reviews the bids and selects the company that will complete the  project. Elance empowers consumers around the world by providing the meeting ground and platform for such transactions. Freelancing C2C (Consumer-to-Consumer) or E-commerce Involving Intermediaries In this type both seller and buyers are consumers. There are many sites offering free classifieds, auctions and forums where individuals can buy and sell. PayPal where people can send and receive money online with ease. Olx.com auction service is a great example of where person-to-person transactions take place everyday. Intra-organizational E-C The purpose of Intra-organizational applications is to help a company maintain the relationships that are critical to delivering superior customer value by paying close attention to various functions in the organization. Benefits: Workgroup communications Electronic Publishing Sales force Productivity Business to Government E-C A platform for businesses to bid on government opportunities. It refers to the use of the Internet for public procurement, licensing procedures, and other government-related operations. It reduces the risk of irregularities. Income Tax Department, Excise and Taxation Department M-Commerce Mobile commerce is the buying and selling of goods and services through wireless technology – i.e., cellular telephones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Including mobile banking (when customers use their handheld devices to access their accounts and pay their bills). Bill payment and account reviews can all be conducted from the same handheld device. Delivery of entertainment, financial news, sports figures and traffic updates to a single mobile device. Advantages of e-commerce for businesses? Reduction of costs in the business E-commerce serves as an â€Å"equalizer†. It enables start-up and small- and medium-sized enterprises to reach the global market. E-commerce makes â€Å"mass customization† possible. E-commerce applications in this area include easy-to-use ordering systems that allow customers to choose and order products according to their personal and unique specifications. E-commerce allows â€Å"network production.† This refers to the parcelling out of the production process to contractors who are geographically dispersed but who are connected to each other via computer networks. What forces are fuelling e-commerce? There are at least three major forces fuelling e-commerce: Economic forces. One of the most evident benefits of e-commerce is economic efficiency resulting from the reduction in communications costs, low-cost technological infrastructure. speedier and more economic electronic transactions with suppliers. lower global information sharing and advertising costs. Market forces. Corporations are encouraged to use e-commerce in marketing and promotion to capture international markets, both big and small. The Internet is likewise used as a medium for enhanced customer service and support. Technology forces. The development of ICT is a key factor in the growth of ecommerce. What are the components of a successful e-commerce transaction loop? To maximize the benefits of e-commerce, a number of technical as well as enabling issues have to be considered. A typical e-commerce transaction loop involves the following major players and corresponding requisites: 1. The Seller should have the following components: A corporate Web site with e-commerce capabilities (e.g., a secure transaction server); A corporate intranet so that orders are processed in an efficient manner; and IT-literate employees to manage the information flows and maintain the e-commerce system. 2. Transaction partners include: Banking institutions that offer transaction clearing services (e.g., processing credit card payments and electronic fund transfers); National and international freight companies to enable the movement of physical goods within, around and out of the country. Authentication authority that serves as a trusted third party to ensure the integrity and security of transactions. 3. Consumers (in a business-to-consumer transaction) Form a critical mass of the population with access to the Internet and disposable income enabling widespread use of credit cards; and Possess a mindset for purchasing goods over the Internet rather than by physically inspecting items. 4. Firms/Businesses that together form a critical mass of companies (especially within supply chains) with Internet access and the capability to place and take orders over the Internet. 5. Government, to establish: A legal framework governing e-commerce transactions (including electronic documents, signatures, and the like); and Legal institutions that would enforce the legal framework (i.e., laws and regulations) and protect consumers and businesses from fraud, among others. 6. Internet, the successful use of which depends on the following: A robust and reliable Internet infrastructure; and A pricing structure that doesn’t penalize consumers for spending time on and buying goods over the Internet (e.g., a flat monthly charge for both ISP access and local phone calls).

Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children

Child Abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Help me!† This is the plea of many children in America. As you read this, one little girl is crying out in pain, one little boy is begging not to be touched anymore. Many children live through everyday being abused sexually, physically, and emotionally. â€Å"More than two million cases of neglect and physical abuse are reported annually. Studies have shown that most parents who abuse their children were once abused as a child† (Funk & Wagnall’s 121). According to the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, 185 children died from child abuse in 1996. There are a lot of ways to put an end to this; it just takes some work and time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all there are the children who are emotionally abused. The question is what is emotional abuse? Emotional abuse is when the child is hurt emotionally causing changes in behavior and low self-esteem. â€Å"For example, the parents may use extreme or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement of a child in a dark closet, and less severe acts, such as habitual scapegoating, belittling, or rejecting treatment† (NCCANCH). Children who suffer from this type of abuse grow up being called bad things and never really knowing what love is, take 10-year old Carla for example. She was both physically and emotionally abused. She was neglected; the only attention she got was bad attention. Her mother called her worthless and some of her mother’s boyfriends hit her. Childabuse.org was there for her and now Carla is doing much better (Bob Cooper). Emotional abuse, in my opinion, is a terrible type of abuse that a child could go through. Although it ma y not seem too harsh, it causes many social problems for the child. These social problems include, fear of meeting people, shyness, withdrawing from classmates, and an introverted personality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Secondly, there is physical abuse. Physical abuse is when the child has â€Å"physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, shaking or otherwise harming a child.

Philosophical concept Essay

The Coyote Ugly last 2000: Shy, aspiring songwriter Violet overcomes her stage fright, gets the man of her dreams and is offered a major recording contract after making drinks on top of a bar, clad basically in her skivvies. The movie Coyote Ugly inspire people about the striving of one person to fulfill her dream and overcoming all the hardship in life. The straggle of one person to overcome her fears with the help of people surrounding her in order to survive the big city. This movie symbolizes the growth of a person physically, emotionally, and socially. In this film the client will be immersed in a process of in-depth examination of the meaning and power of images. Images, in fact, are never neutral; their effect is that of conditioning the observer. It is vital, thus, to carry out an analysis of what an image actually is. Image based thinking will be considered both in relation to the creative process and to problem solving. The counseling will start with the philosophical concept of an idea as a mental representation. The symbolism of dreams should be evaluated in order to understand the close relationship between images and the unconscious. The psychoanalytical proposition that a film may be considered the film director’s dream will be closely scrutinized. The concept of Cinematherapy is rooted in the awareness that the film viewer is conditioned by his or her individual life experience, and this in turn makes the viewer’s perception highly unique. The viewer’s intimate interior world and life experiences condition perception of the film, and result in a highly subjective interpretation. This is due to the fact that the viewer assimilates only certain images and edits out others, all on the basis of unique individual experiences. The study of Cinematherapy will enable the viewer to understand the underlying causes of certain emotions experienced during a film, and will shed light on certain aspects of one’s own personality and on how others view the same situation. â€Å"Mining the gold† in movies means uncovering our hidden finest attributes by understanding how we project these virtues on film heroes and heroines. Identifying with a character can help us to develop inner strength as we recall forgotten inner resources and become aware of the right opportunity for those resources to be applied. Like dream work, cinema therapy allows us to gain awareness of our deeper layers of consciousness to help us move toward new perspectives or behavior as well as healing and integration of the total self. As observing helps us to â€Å"step back†, the bigger picture becomes more obvious. This way, watching screen movies helps us learn to understand ourselves and others more deeply in the â€Å"big movie† of our life. In identifying the presenting problems and goals for therapy the questions that are appropriate are by asking yourself, why would this client benefit from a cinematherapy intervention? What would this client get out of it? Can the intervention be tied back to the treatment plan? In assessing clients’ strengths such as interests, hobbies, activities, and type of employment the questions are What type of film would benefit this client: Standard movie, documentary, or instructional? What type of genre would they prefer: Comedy, drama, or science fiction? In determination of the clients’ ability to understand the content of the film and recognize similarities and differences between themselves and the characters the questions are Will the client understand how to use the film as metaphor for their own life? Do they have the mental capabilities to participate in processing the content? Do they recognize the difference between fantasy and reality? By taking into account issues of diversity when choosing a film the questions suitable is Will the film be offensive, or be distracting from the real purpose of the assignment? The therapist should always watch the movie before assigning it. This is so you can process the movie with the client, or know the significant parts to discuss later. Also, it saves time from apologizing for a scene that offended the client or his/her parents. Preparation is essential to cinematherapy. The therapist should provide clients with a rationale for assigning a film. REFERENCE Berg-Cross L. , Jennings, P. & Baruch, R . (1990). Cinematherapy: Theory and Application . In: Psychotherapy in Private Practice 8, no. 1, 135-157 Peske, Nancy and Beverly West (1999) Cinematherapy: The Girl’s Guide to Movies For Every Mood. New York: Dell Ulus, Fuat(2003) Movie Therapy, Moving Therapy! The Healing Power of Film Clips in Therapeutic Settings. New Bern: Trafford Publishing. Tyson, L. , Foster, L. , & Jones, C. (2000). The process of cinematherapy as a therapeutic intervention. Alabama Counseling Association Journal,26(1), 35-41

Molecular Geometry Introduction

Molecular geometry or molecular structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms within a molecule. It is important to be able to predict and understand the molecular structure of a molecule because many of the properties of a substance are determined by its geometry. Examples of these properties include polarity, magnetism, phase, color, and chemical reactivity. Molecular geometry may also be used to predict biological activity, to design drugs or decipher the function of a molecule. The Valence Shell, Bonding Pairs, and VSEPR Model The three-dimensional structure of a molecule is determined by its valence electrons, not its nucleus or the other electrons in the atoms. The outermost electrons of an atom are its valence electrons. The valence electrons are the electrons that are most often involved in forming bonds and making molecules. Pairs of electrons are shared between atoms in a molecule and hold the atoms together. These pairs are called bonding pairs. One way to predict the way electrons within atoms will repel each other is to apply the VSEPR (valence-shell electron-pair repulsion) model. VSEPR can be used to determine a molecules general geometry. Predicting Molecular Geometry Here is a chart that describes the usual geometry for molecules based on their bonding behavior. To use this key, first draw out the Lewis structure for a molecule. Count how many electron pairs are present, including both bonding pairs and lone pairs. Treat both double and triple bonds as if they were single electron pairs. A is used to represent the central atom. B indicates atoms surrounding A. E indicates the number of lone electron pairs. Bond angles are predicted in the following order: lone pair versus lone pair repulsion lone pair versus bonding pair repulsion bonding pair versus bonding pair repulsion Molecular Geometry  Example There are two electron pairs around the central atom in a molecule with linear molecular geometry, 2 bonding electron pairs and 0 lone pairs. The ideal bond angle is 180 °. Geometry Type # of Electron Pairs Ideal Bond Angle Examples linear AB2 2 180 BeCl2 trigonal planar AB3 3 120 BF3 tetrahedral AB4 4 109.5 CH4 trigonal bipyramidal AB5 5 90, 120 PCl5 octohedral AB6 6 90 SF6 bent AB2E 3 120 (119) SO2 trigonal pyramidal AB3E 4 109.5 (107.5) NH3 bent AB2E2 4 109.5 (104.5) H2O seesaw AB4E 5 180,120 (173.1,101.6) SF4 T-shape AB3E2 5 90,180 (87.5,180) ClF3 linear AB2E3 5 180 XeF2 square pyramidal AB5E 6 90 (84.8) BrF5 square planar AB4E2 6 90 XeF4 Isomers in Molecular Geometry Molecules with the same chemical formula may have atoms arranged differently. The molecules are called isomers. Isomers may have very different properties from each other. There are different types of isomers: Constitutional or structural isomers have the same formulas, but the atoms are not connected to each other the same water.Stereoisomers have the same formulas, with the atoms bonded in the same order, but groups of atoms rotate around a bond differently to yield chirality or handedness. Stereoisomers polarize light differently from each other. In biochemistry, they tend to display different biological activity. Experimental Determination of Molecular Geometry You can use Lewis structures to predict molecular geometry, but its best to verify these predictions experimentally. Several analytical methods can be used to image molecules and learn about their vibrational and rotational absorbance. Examples include x-ray crystallography, neutron diffraction, infrared (IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, electron diffraction, and microwave spectroscopy. The best determination of a structure is made at low temperature because increasing the temperature gives the molecules more energy, which can lead to conformation changes. The molecular geometry of a substance may be different depending on whether the sample is a solid, liquid, gas, or part of a solution. Molecular Geometry Key Takeaways Molecular geometry describes the three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in a molecule.Data that may be obtained from a molecules geometry includes the relative position of each atom, bond lengths, bond angles, and torsional angles.Predicting a molecules geometry makes it possible to predict its reactivity, color, phase of matter, polarity, biological activity, and magnetism.Molecular geometry may be predicted using VSEPR and Lewis structures and verified using spectroscopy and diffraction. References Cotton, F. Albert; Wilkinson, Geoffrey; Murillo, Carlos A.; Bochmann, Manfred (1999), Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (6th ed.), New York: Wiley-Interscience, ISBN 0-471-19957-5.McMurry, John E. (1992), Organic Chemistry (3rd ed.), Belmont: Wadsworth, ISBN 0-534-16218-5.Miessler G.L. and Tarr D.A.  Inorganic Chemistry  (2nd ed., Prentice-Hall 1999), pp. 57-58.