Team Synergy and Team Spirit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Team Synergy and Team Spirit - Essay Example We have worked with various corporate organizations in this filed with wonderful results. Out if our good job, we have been able to maintain a loyal client base over the years. We have experience in both outdoor and indoor team building activities ranging from one day to one week. Normally, such activities are tailor-made to meet the requirements of the client and ensure that clients get good value for their money. The experienced team at our organizations are also good in coming up with ingenious ways of helping organizations meet their goals with low budgets. Therefore, we try as much as we can to fit out programmes within the budget of a client so as to enable them to get goods results without compromising the quality of their services rendered. Therefore, you can be sure that your budget of $25,000 will be well utilized to give you value for your money. Over the last one year, we have been able to work with over 50 corporate of varying sizes, addressing various team building needs and all have recorded a huge success. On average, the teams we have worked with have experience an increased productivity are of up to 20 percent and staff turnover has dropped by an average of 5 percent. However, we have heard only three cases where productivity of employees still continued to fall or remain level even after our programmes. We believe that the reason for such could be more to do with the structures of the organization rather than the level of cohesion or team building skills of the employees in question. We have designed a number of activities to be undertaken during the team building exercise. The activities are geared towards helping your employees attain various competencies that will enable a cohesive team to b built. Given the chance, we hope that the following results will be attained by the team: One thing that helps teams to perform better is strategic thinking; a sense  of being forward-looking. It is only by being prepared for that future and the challenges that that future may bring about that individuals realize their own weaknesses which they need to work upon.  

The importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War Essay Example for Free

The importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War Essay Assess the importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War. The Second Indochina War, which was waged throughout 1964-75, was an undefined success for the Communist cause. Whilst this result was derived from a combination of both intrinsic and international factors, due credit must be given to the extremely vital role that the ‘Viet Cong’ successfully executed. Whilst the ‘Viet Cong’ may have resembled a dynamic and competent fighting force, the foundation of their infamous reputation was primarily based upon their use of guerilla warfare tactics. These tactics, unlike conventional warfare, involved a combination of unpredictable and even primitive military strategies which is reflected in the maxim â€Å"When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he defends, harass; when he withdraws, pursue.†[1] Such tactics enabled Communist forces of the NLF to become an elusive and deadly arch-rival. To further enhance their military capabilities, Communist forces excavated a vast network of underground tunnels which were reinforced with concrete, in an effort to survive artillery bombardment as well as air strikes sanctioned under operations ‘Barrel Roll’ as well as ‘Rolling Thunder.’ As seen in ‘Source 1’ the Viet Cong also implemented various booby trap systems using punji stakes, mines and deep pits in an effort to maim and potentially kill US and ARVN forces. These tactics were extremely successful for they not only accounted for â€Å"73% of total US casualties and 11% of combat deaths†[2] but they also denied the victims of such acts any targets to shoot at, for the VC usually deserted the area. What enhanced the success of such tactics was that when these maimed soldiers returned home, they took with them a demoralizing message of the atrocities occurring in Vietnam. The psychological victory of the TET offensive, January 1968, also highlighted the strategic importance of the Viet Cong. The battle, which lasted all of a few days, involved a major deployment of VC and other Communist forces against 36 major towns within South Vietnam. The offensive concluded with the VC symbolically siegeing the US embassy in Saigon in a deliberate ploy to both humiliate and expose the US’s inability to quell the spread of Communism. Despite the fact that the VC were crippled after the almost suicidal battle, the event represented a major turning point in the Vietnamese conflict. As a result, the following night international broadcasts were made which expressed the flawed nature of LBJ’s foreign policy. Consequently the guerrilla tactics implemented by the ‘Viet Nam Cong San’ were vital to the success of the Communist regime for they gradually wore US and ARVN forces down in a war of attrition and psychological victories. Another contributing factor to the Communist victory was their ability to engage in a ‘total war of attrition.’ This concept of ‘total war’, which was described by General Ludendorff in 1935, involves â€Å"the complete mobilization of all resources, including policy and social systems, to the winning of war.†[3] The Viet Cong fulfilled this concept for not only did they sacrifice their material possessions, but more importantly their lives. Whilst the VC were obviously devoted to the cause, unfortunately this was not a uniform policy throughout all Communist units, for many individuals had personal agendas to fulfill, often involving the black-market. The well known phrase â€Å"Soldiers by night, farmers by day†[4] epitomized the Communist people’s whole hearted commitment to the cause. This contrast in roles was a valuable tool for it ensured that the home front remained productive, whilst also enabling the Viet Cong to dissolve back into society after combat, so as to fight another day. What furthered the importance of the Viet Cong’s ‘total war’ strategy was that allied soldiers would often exterminate whole villages in retribution for fallen comrades, often killing unarmed civilians. Evidence of this can be seen in My Lai massacre of 1968, in which 450 women and children were executed for ‘harboring’ VC forces. Source 2, a quote by Robert McNamara, accurately summarizes the repercussions of such a successful Communist strategy stating, â€Å"The picture of the world’s greatest superpower killing 1,000 non-combatants a week, while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission†¦ is not a pretty one.†[5] In comparison to the committed nature of the Communist forces it appears that the United States fought a limited war which was justified by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 for Vietnam was only a â€Å"little piss-ant country.† [6] Unlike the VC who were quoted to â€Å"take on tanks, if necessary, with bows and arrows†[7] the US were always too concerned over the repercussions of their actions rather than having a committed aim to quell the ongoing conflict. Throughout the conflict it is obvious that US Foreign Policy was always â€Å"fighting with one hand behind its back†[8] due to LBJ’s attempts to maintain his ‘guns and butter’ approach which involved balancing civil works as well as ‘prolonging’ the Communist conflict. The United States incapacity to end the conflict was further highlighted by their fear of provoking Soviet or Chinese involvement. On many occasions, US forces had the ability to severely cripple the Communist campaign, but yet their incompetence always seemed to get the better of them which is why they never ‘got the bloody job done.’ The ‘Viet Nam Cong San’ ability to seduce the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Vietnamese home front was a vital stepping stone to the Communist victory. As a result of the intimate contact that NLF forces had with villagers throughout the conflict, an almost unbreakable bond was formed. Unlike the Allies who attempted to indoctrinate and relocate villagers through the use of ‘strategic hamlet programs’, as well as the NVA who were renowned for the use of shock tactics, the VC successfully offered support and protection in a passive manner. Consequently the VC’s relationship with villagers was extremely valuable for it often resulted in the donation of intelligence, concealment and in some cases converted soldiers. The importance of this relationship is highlighted in the quote â€Å"By 1967 US personnel couldn’t breathe without the NLF actively knowing.†[9] In comparison, the United States public was rife with division over the Vietnamese conflict. This division in America exposed the US politician’s inability to even win the hearts and minds of its own people let alone a competing nation. An extract of Source 3, â€Å"War is not simply a conflict between armies; more and more it is a struggle between competing social systems†[10] highlights the United States need for civil unity. However the anti-war movements, highlighted by the Kent State University killings as well as the ongoing debate between the ‘doves’ and the ‘hawks’, did not permit the stable and devout home front that was required to achieve victory. The final, and in a sense the most crucial, factor highlighting the importance of the Viet Cong was their strict observance to a program of logical and decisive aims. Unlike the Americans, who it seemed only aimed to â€Å"prolong the life of a corrupt and inefficient political system†[11] the NLF, of which the VC are a member, had a clear program of ambitions. Source 4 is a reliable document which illustrates such goals, the first and foremost being to â€Å"Overthrow the camouflaged colonial regime of the American imperialists and the dictatorial power of Ngo Dinh Diem.†[12] Consequently the Viet Cong’s progressive strategies were extremely important for they not only dictated the path the conflict would take, but also when and by what means they should engage in combat. In comparison to the VC’s established goals, an American author, William Broyles Jr, stated that â€Å"There was no single goal in Vietnam; there were 2.8 million goals, one for every A merican who served there†¦ the end one being to get out of Vietnam†[13] In hindsight, the dynamic role that the Viet Cong played throughout the Vietnamese conflict was vital to the Communist victory. Whilst the Viet Cong did match the large scale fighting of the NVA, its effective use of guerrilla warfare substantially crippled both the moral and fighting capabilities of the US and ARVN. Their selfless dedication to a state of ‘total war’ and their capacity to win the hearts and minds of the people essentially laid the foundations upon which Communist forces were able to launch a successful final campaign. Finally, their unwavering devotion to the Communist cause arguably provided the defining blow to the foreign imperialist’s occupation of South Vietnam. ________________ [1] ‘The Vietnam Experience; FIGHTING FOR TIME’ [2] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [3] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ [4] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’ [5] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’ [6] ‘CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA 1954-1979’ [7] ‘Contested Spaces; CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA’ [8] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [9] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [10] ‘THE AGE OF WAR; The United States Confronts the World’ [11] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [12] ‘Contested Spaces; CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA’ [13] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’

Exploration of the Brain in Emily Dickinsons Poem 670 :: Emily Dickinson Poem 670 Essays

Exploration of the Brain in Emily Dickinson's Poem 670 The brain is one of the most complex organs of the entire human body. How many people over the course of time have explored and tried to explain the brain? Even with millions of peoples' opinions of how the brain works, we still do not understand the most intrinsic parts of it. The tricky part is the subconscious. We are able to hide things, even from ourselves, for years. How is it that we can bury so much information that becomes so hard to find? Emily Dickinson understood this concept. She did not understand the way the brain works, perhaps, but without a doubt she did understand that it is able to conceal things from ourselves. "The brain has Corridors-surpassing Material place" (3-4). Surpassing all material things, the brain is past those things. Within the corridors are heaps of information that we sometimes even become unaware of. Something has to be a trigger, to set off a specific corridor in order to bring that information back to mind. Many times this is proven when a person whom has endured abuse as a child is counseled. Psychiatrists have to probe deep into those corridors to retrieve information that the child has willingly or subconsciously buried. So, why was Dickinson so interested in these corridors? Perhaps she was dealing with something of her past and during that time realized how hard it is to retrieve things sometimes. Perhaps she was counseling a close friend or family member and wrote this as a result of that. Perhaps she was studying the brain and became interested in doing research. Perhaps none of these things were the case with Dickinson. Whatever her reason, the poem shows much thought. We go on to read that any ghost meeting at midnight is safer than probing into that abyss called the mind. Why is it so unsafe? Well, what kind of things do we bury deep into our minds? Normally, they are things that we want to forget, painful memories, and embarrassing experiences. Those things can definitely be considered dangerous. If they were not dangerous, why would we bury them in the first place? To illustrate this point, I am going to tell you a story. I am the child of an alcoholic father. I have always lived under dangerous circumstances, and because of this, I have chosen to forget much of my childhood.

African American Contributions in Science Essay -- Science African Ame

African American Contributions in Science   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout American history many African Americans have been overlooked in the field of science. Some powerful minds and great inventors haven’t been re-introduced to new generations. African Americans have contributed a great deal to the advancements of our country and one of the major fields they have made contributions to is in the field of science. Many successful African Americans have been overshadowed by their Caucasian counterparts. More of our children should be aware of these great historians. African Americans that have made major contributions in the field of science that should be discussed, studied and taught to our society to educate new generations of the vast majority of these great scientists.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are a variety of areas in the science field that African Americans have participated. There were Chemists, Biochemists, Biologists, Physicists, and many others. There were people like Herman Branson who was an assistant professor of chemistry and physics at Howard University who help prepare many young students for the science field. Dr. Branson became a full professor of physics and was made chairman of the physics department of Howard University from 1941 to 1968. He had research interests in mathematical biology and protein structure.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dale Emeagwali was honored scientist of the year in 1996. She has made great contributions to field of science that has benefited mankind. Dr. Emeagwali came from a background where if you wanted to be a doctor while growing up, you would be slapped across the head and told to stop dreaming. Her dreams of being a scientist came true as she worked hard to achieve her degree and make startling discoveries. Among her accomplishments she made the discovery of isozymes of kynurenine formamidase in the basterium streptomyces parvulus which, prior to her findings, were known to only exist in higher organisms. Dr. Emeagwali also proved that cancer gene _expression could be inhibited by antisense methodology, which she says can lead to better treatment for cancer. She is a well accomplished scientist that many people have never heard of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All fields of science affects the lives of many people, but the inventors are left out. Inventors make many lives more comfortable and convenient. George Edward Alcorn, Jr. was a not so well-known inventor, but he... ...et (1977). Scientific Elite: Nobel Laureates in the United States. New York: Free Press Manning, Kenneth R. (1983). Black Apollo of Science: The Life of Ernest Everett Just. New York: Oxford University Press Massie, Samuel (1982). Cited in Barry Meier "Why There are So Few Black Chemists." Industrial Chemical News 3:1-6 Meier, Barry (1982). "Why are There So Few Black Chemists." Industrial Chemical News 3:1-6 Mozans, H.J. (1974). Women in Science. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press Pearson, Willie Jr. (1985). Black Scientists, White Society, and Colorless Science: A Study of Universalism in American Science. Milwood, NY: Associated Faculty Press Roscher, Nina M., and Cavanaugh, Margaret A. (1987). "Academic Women Chemists in the 20th Century: Past, Present, Projections." Journal of Chemical Education 64:823-827. Rossiter, Margaret W. (1982). Women Scientists in America: Struggles and Strategies to 1940. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press Young, Herman A., and Young, Barbara A. (1976). "Black Doctorates: Myth vs. Reality." Chemical Technology 6:296-299. Zuckerman, Harriet (1977). Scientific Elite: Nobel Laureates in the United States. New York: Free Press

Women in Islam

Article Summary This article examines the issue of women’s rights in Islam by introducing Islam and women’s rights in several different Muslim countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. -The women in Islam are often viewed as a poor one, having to do whatever her husband, brother or father commands her to do. -This view is usually based on things picked up from what westerners see in the papers or on TV. -Not all Islamic countries follow the Qur’an and Ahadith as they say they are. (ex.In some of Islamic countries, it is acceptable for women to not cover their faces, women can drive, etc. -While female circumcision is not condoned by the Qur’an, it is still practiced in some predominantly Muslim areas in Africa. Egypt -The Women’s Rights Union started to have an impact on the ruling class of Egypt. -The Egyptian government signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) bill in 1981. -Gave women equal access to education, employment and work opportunities, equal pay for equal work and social security. Egyptian civil law, in accordance with Islamic law, gives women the right to possess, control and inherit property. -Unfortunately, women’s rights are still not being fully implemented, due to the restrictions of tradition, the government’s lack of interest in enforcing the laws and women’s own lack of awareness of their rights. -This lack of education has led to women being refused ownership of property and the right to divorce, despite legally being allowed to own property and divorce their husbands.Saudi Arabia -Women in Saudi Arabia are the victims of discrimination and human rights violations because of the gender bias in law, social mores and traditions. -They have gained some ground in terms of economic rights, but their civil and political rights are systematically violated. -Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, leave the co untry without authorization from their husband or father, leave the house in unsuitable attire, hold high-ranking jobs or be involved in the government. It was not until 2000 that Saudi Arabian women were allowed their own ID cards; they had previously been registered on their husbands’ or fathers’ cards. -When investigations against women are carried out they are often conducted improperly and make use of unreliable evidence. Pakistan -Pakistan is a vast country with many laws in place to protect women’s rights. -Unfortunately, outside of the big cities, Pakistanis are generally ruled by tribal law rather than governmental law. -Most laws prohibiting the mistreatment of women are ignored. Not all girls are punished with death; some have acid splashed into their faces instead, scarring them for life and sometimes causing blindness. -Pakistani legislation defines both adultery and rape as ‘sexual intercourse without being validly married’ and does no t draw the distinction that one is forced while the other is not. -If a woman is raped and reports the crime or becomes pregnant, she has to prove that she was raped by either having the man’s admittance of the crime or four witnesses who saw the man force her into having sex. If not proven, she is charged with having an illicit sexual relationship with someone and is punished. -Pakistan does not have the personnel or equipment to do a proper forensic examination, so it comes down to witnesses and confession. -After one village or tribe has committed a perceived offence against another, the second village or tribe will try to gain ‘compensation’. This involves rape and mutilation of women or the murder of entire families. -Girls from one of the tribes can be forced under threat to marry men from the other tribe. The most common method of abusing a girl is making her feel that she is displeasing God by refusing to marry the man her parents wish her to. -Women in P akistan are generally only educated to a reasonable standard it from a wealthy family. -About 5% to 7% of women work, with low-paid jobs. Men and women are kept segregated in the workplace. Indonesia -Women in Indonesia are not as poorly treated as in other countries. -They have the right to own and sell property and livestock, to work, to choose to whom and when they get married and to divorce. -It is the women who propose marriage to a man, while men cannot propose at all. Women in Islam Article Summary This article examines the issue of women’s rights in Islam by introducing Islam and women’s rights in several different Muslim countries, such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia. -The women in Islam are often viewed as a poor one, having to do whatever her husband, brother or father commands her to do. -This view is usually based on things picked up from what westerners see in the papers or on TV. -Not all Islamic countries follow the Qur’an and Ahadith as they say they are. (ex.In some of Islamic countries, it is acceptable for women to not cover their faces, women can drive, etc. -While female circumcision is not condoned by the Qur’an, it is still practiced in some predominantly Muslim areas in Africa. Egypt -The Women’s Rights Union started to have an impact on the ruling class of Egypt. -The Egyptian government signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) bill in 1981. -Gave women equal access to education, employment and work opportunities, equal pay for equal work and social security. Egyptian civil law, in accordance with Islamic law, gives women the right to possess, control and inherit property. -Unfortunately, women’s rights are still not being fully implemented, due to the restrictions of tradition, the government’s lack of interest in enforcing the laws and women’s own lack of awareness of their rights. -This lack of education has led to women being refused ownership of property and the right to divorce, despite legally being allowed to own property and divorce their husbands.Saudi Arabia -Women in Saudi Arabia are the victims of discrimination and human rights violations because of the gender bias in law, social mores and traditions. -They have gained some ground in terms of economic rights, but their civil and political rights are systematically violated. -Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive, leave the co untry without authorization from their husband or father, leave the house in unsuitable attire, hold high-ranking jobs or be involved in the government. It was not until 2000 that Saudi Arabian women were allowed their own ID cards; they had previously been registered on their husbands’ or fathers’ cards. -When investigations against women are carried out they are often conducted improperly and make use of unreliable evidence. Pakistan -Pakistan is a vast country with many laws in place to protect women’s rights. -Unfortunately, outside of the big cities, Pakistanis are generally ruled by tribal law rather than governmental law. -Most laws prohibiting the mistreatment of women are ignored. Not all girls are punished with death; some have acid splashed into their faces instead, scarring them for life and sometimes causing blindness. -Pakistani legislation defines both adultery and rape as ‘sexual intercourse without being validly married’ and does no t draw the distinction that one is forced while the other is not. -If a woman is raped and reports the crime or becomes pregnant, she has to prove that she was raped by either having the man’s admittance of the crime or four witnesses who saw the man force her into having sex. If not proven, she is charged with having an illicit sexual relationship with someone and is punished. -Pakistan does not have the personnel or equipment to do a proper forensic examination, so it comes down to witnesses and confession. -After one village or tribe has committed a perceived offence against another, the second village or tribe will try to gain ‘compensation’. This involves rape and mutilation of women or the murder of entire families. -Girls from one of the tribes can be forced under threat to marry men from the other tribe. The most common method of abusing a girl is making her feel that she is displeasing God by refusing to marry the man her parents wish her to. -Women in P akistan are generally only educated to a reasonable standard it from a wealthy family. -About 5% to 7% of women work, with low-paid jobs. Men and women are kept segregated in the workplace. Indonesia -Women in Indonesia are not as poorly treated as in other countries. -They have the right to own and sell property and livestock, to work, to choose to whom and when they get married and to divorce. -It is the women who propose marriage to a man, while men cannot propose at all.

Georgia State University Employee Benefits

Georgia State University Employee Benefits Introduction Benefits are compensations offered to employees by their employers in addition to their wages and salaries. To qualify for a benefit, the employee must have worked in a regular position for at least half of time for a permanent period of six months.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Georgia State University Employee Benefits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If an employee registers for a benefit while he/she is not qualified for it, he/she must refund the money to the university. The employee decides on when to begin enjoying his benefits and the level of coverage he needs (Georgia state university, para. 1). Findings The benefits consist of health and welfare, retirement plans, family medical bills, paid time leave, education, flexible spending accounts, Americans with disability act, cobra, and other benefits such as social security, medicare, unemployment, and workers compensation (Honey 348) D iscussion The health and welfare involves programs such as wellness Wednesday that help the staff practice health and wellness. There are sponsorship of yoga and meditation classes, first Thursday health screening, weight watchers, GSU book club and Georgia state university on the move programs. Others include the great American wellness check, wellness e-library, and smoking cessations (Georgia state university 2). Employees using tobacco are added extra fifty dollars to their monthly medical payment once in the tobacco sensation. There will be monthly insurance premium deductions to cover the dental, vision, and flexible spending accounts on the payroll on a pre-tax basis. The payments will be done according to the month spend on and the effective date. The insurance company gives out medical ID cards for each family member that is unique from the other social security members. If an employee uses his money after registering for the card while still in process is supposed to be re funded his money (Georgia state university 2).Advertising Looking for research paper on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Each employee gets pre-tax benefits. Incase of any changes to this benefit the employee is required to report within 30 days otherwise the IRS has strict rules of retaining its records effective for the entire year. These changes include marital status, birth or adoption of a child, death of a covered depended, loss of eligibility status, loosing or gaining healthcare coverage under the Medicaid. In addition, change in location to the outside of the healthcare plans service area should be added (Georgia state university 2). He benefits from receiving a service from a non-network provider that qualifies him as a patient under the HMO or PPO and plan compensation as payment in full. If an employee travels abroad or outside the service area, board of regents PPO and HSA PPO offers him a blue card world wide that is processed by the university to offer service at the time the employee needs. During payments, one will receive benefit coverage (Georgia state university 3). HMO offers compensation incases of life threatening injuries or illness offers the benefit of blue choice compensation. The employee pays his medical bills but later claims for refunding. The Kaiser Permanente HMO benefit offers 24-hour worldwide emergency coverage like illness and injury needing emergency cares. The benefit of academic faculty is ten months contract and saving money for higher education expenses for his children and grand children or other beneficiaries. Members enjoy tax- free accounts, withdrawals, and tax deductions on education purposes. HIPAA compliance provides the employee with privacy and security of personal information regarding his health and whereabouts. The family medical Act (FMLA), requires that qualified employees take up to twelve weeks unpaid but job protected leave e ach year (Georgia state university 4).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Georgia State University Employee Benefits specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The employee must complete one year or one thousand two hundred and fifty hours. The conditions for change include birth or approval of a child and severe health circumstances of the employee, the employee’s child, spouse, or parent. Other conditions are incapability of treatment attached with hospital care, hospital or housing medical care facility and any period of uncontrollable irregular absences from work, school, or other regular every day actions that also involves ongoing treatment by a health care provider. An enduring treatment by a health care provider for a persistent or long-term health condition must be curable or so serious that if not treated, would probably effect in a period of inability and prenatal care (Georgia state university 2). Sev ere health state of an employee relying on service membership benefits in the line of duty is permitted up to twenty six weeks of leave in a single twelve-month period to care for the service member. Incase of inconveniences from the employee’s reliance service member, notifications of awaiting call to active duty status are issued in support of an emergency action (Georgia state university 4). Conclusion GSU has emphasized most of their benefits on the health and well-being of their employees. Their benefits are vey organized and attractive. It is important that the employee goes through the benefits to understand the rules and regulations set for the qualifications of the benefits. Otherwise, he/she might find refunding the expenses to the employer difficult. This benefit program is very efficient in today’s working conditions and therefore should have its full impact on the employees. Recommendation It is important for employees to understand the benefits their empl oyees provide for them. The benefits help the employer to create a competitive advantage in the hiring and firing of employees. Benefits are designed to motivate and reward employees.Advertising Looking for research paper on labor law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Georgia state university. Human health care. Georgia City: Georgia state university. 2011. Web. https://hr.gsu.edu/ Honey, Michael. Southern labor and back civil rights: organizing Memphis workers. King of the queen city: University of Illinois Press, 1993. Print.

How to Craft Marketing Copy That Wins Over Your Dream Audience

How to Craft Marketing Copy That Wins Over Your Dream Audience It’s every business owner’s dream to work with their ideal customers. But most of the time, we’re stuck working with clients who are either a wrong fit or difficult to work with. Being able to attract your dream audience can make an amazing difference in how you work. It not only makes you more motivated but it’s also a healthy way to run your business. With that said, part of attracting the kind of people you want to work with lies in your marketing copy. When people go to your site, the first thing they’ll read about you is your message. When you convey the wrong things, you might receive interest from people who often don’t end up as customers or just aren’t a good fit for you. That’s why it’s important to be conscious in what you communicate so you get targeted business prospects that love what you do and whom you’d enjoy working with! Improve your copywriting with these free templates!Get Your Free Copywriting Templates Getting to Know Your Ideal Customers A crucial part of establishing the right message lies in who your ideal customers are. Never just assume who your likely audience is. You need to do some sort of market and competitor research  so you don’t have to go through numerous trial and errors. Don’t waste your time doing guesswork when it comes to your message. Follow the steps outlined below to make sure your message resonates with your dream clients! Discover and Understand Who Your Dream Audience Is One of the secrets of winning over your ideal customers is all about getting clear on the type of people best suited to you. That’s why finding who your best and true customers  starts with what you like. The best person to work with is someone who won’t just pay you handsomely (although that would be awesome as well), he or she should be a joy to work with as well. Once you know who exactly to look for, everything else just falls into place. But first, you have to start by being clear on who your dream audience is. This could either be a company or person you’ve worked with in the past, or even a fictitious persona you’ve just drawn up. Start by asking yourself: what kind of people do you (or would) enjoy working with? List out a number of traits or look back at past clients who you liked. Let me give you an example of one of my dream client profiles: My first deal client is a small to medium-size company looking to grow their sales. My person of contact wields a significant amount of decision-making weight. He (or she) can decide on copy matters without having to consult with a reviewing panel. He’s not afraid to try new things and knows what he’s looking for, which he makes sure to communicate clearly to me. Moreover, he values me as a crucial member of the team so my rates aren’t an issue. He knows the value of my work and frequently contacts me for any project he might need help in. Once he sees the results of the past projects, he continues to send work my way. The more detailed your customer profile is, the better. More than just adding a significant amount of details, you can also create more than one ideal customer profile. You can develop an ideal client profile similar to the above with just three steps. Here’s how: 1. Define yourself first to establish the attributes that make them ideal. If you know who you are as a person, you’ll most likely know the type of person you’d love to work with. Start with the usual key traits that show up whenever you’re working with a client or interacting with customers and base off from that. For instance, if you’re the independent type when working, you might prefer someone who lets you do your thing and won’t micromanage you. If you’re the kind of person who likes being heard, include in your customer profile that they need to be open to feedback and suggestions. If you have a non-negotiable stance on your rates, you can include that he or she is the type who won’t lowball your rates. 2. Define your customers’ basic details. Now that you’ve established the part about what makes them your dream customers, it’s time to determine the other details. You can start with the following details: Company size Industry Location (local or anywhere) Work role Online hangout places above are just some factors you can consider to start with. Feel free to add more if you think a detail is relevant enough to be included. 3. Don’t be afraid to delve deeper. The last step is the most crucial of all. You need to get to know them deeply to have an effective message they’d want to read. Get familiar with their needs and wants to make sure your message speaks to their innermost desires, needs, and problems. 6 questions to ask customers to improve your sales.You can ask the following  questions to start with: What do they like? What does he or she value the most when it comes to choosing someone to work with? What are their struggles? What are their most prominent beliefs and opinions? What do they aspire in their life and business? What keeps them interested? These are just a few questions to help you imagine who your likely ideal audience is. Once you have a distinct image of the kind of customer you want to attract, writing a message that speaks to them becomes much more manageable. You can also add other psychographic details such as education level, personality type, fave blogs, and political affiliation, among others. Including most of the above will definitely allow you to build a complete picture of who your ideal customer is. Once you have that, crafting a message that speaks to your target market will be a much easier task! Determine What Their Pain Points Are Now that you have a complete overview of your ideal customer, it’s time to zero in on their pain points. This is a particularly important part because crafting the kind of marketing copy that attracts is your dream audience is all about knowing their problems and needs. However, it’s important that you don’t make any assumptions about your audience during this process or your message won’t likely resonate with them. That’s why you should start by asking the right questions. Use focused and open-ended questions that will allow you to learn more about your prospects and their struggles. For example, if your target is small business owners looking to expand, you may ask them questions like: What has stopped you from growing your business so far? Why? What aspect of your business has taken the most time and money? Why? What’s your number one complaint about running your business? Why do you think it’s happening? If you noticed, the above questions sought to pinpoint a particular issue first and then the reasoning why that problem occurred or keeps on happening. This line of questioning allows you to get to the root of the problem and gain much deeper insights on how you can help them solve that particular issue. Another method you can do is to analyze how they interact online. Should you have limited or no chance to survey your ideal customers, you can look at the places they hang out on online such as social media  and forums. Some things you may want to look at are: What do they frequently ask about or discuss with others? What kind of information are they consuming? Are they frequent readers of marketing blogs or news sites? What can you glean from their online behavior? Do they spend more time on social media than any other platform? Why could this be so? The key here is to keep asking and asking until you get to the crux of their behavior. Maybe they’re on social media so much because they’re invested in the personal lives of others or are managing their business pages. You can then note the info down and see later on if it’s something you can use in your message. Whether you choose to engage with your ideal customers directly or analyze them from a distance- the important thing is to listen. Listening well will allow you to peel back the layers of their persona and what they’re struggling with. If you’re able to do that, you’ll be able to glean valuable customer insight that will allow you to speak to their inner desires and concerns. But don’t just resort to using your knowledge of your customers’ pain points to twist the knife and aggravate their pain. A more sustainable and non-icky route is to use it so you’ll know how to position yourself as the solution. Once you know what makes them tick, you’ll know the exact things they’re experiencing and would want to avoid. You can then use the information so you can figure out which pain points you can then help solve. From there, you can also figure out which desires you need to fulfill or fears of theirs you can help overcome which can be the basis of your business offer. Position Your Offer as the Answer to Their Pain Points This takes us to the next step which is to position your offer as the solution to their problems. You have to be able to convey how you can provide value in their lives and how you can help solve any of their particular pain points. You can include any of the following to position your offer: Name your target audience. It’s important that it’s clear to your ideal customers that your business is geared toward them. You can do this by naming them directly or characterizing them in your message. Here’s a great example by Lever: In their message, they make it clear that their target audience mainly consists of recruiters and hiring managers. Show them that you understand them. This is where your research comes in. Mention a specific issue they’re likely still struggling with and include that in your message. This conveys that you know them and are intimately familiar with what they’re facing. Toggl (image below) does this by including the line â€Å"Where did the time go?† For many of us, it’s easy to lose track of time and wonder how you spent it all along. The brand aptly addresses the said concern with the headline they used in their homepage. State your key benefit. For this part, make sure you include the most compelling reason why they should do business with you. Buffer does this below by stating that they can help you save time when it comes to managing your social media. Provide a context on how you can help them. To make your message more powerful, it’s not enough to mention a specific benefit. Take it a step further and provide an instance when your product or service can be valuable. This makes it easier for them to understand how your offer  fits in with their needs or problems. Shopify does this by stating that you can use their platform â€Å"whether you sell online, on social media, in store, or out of the truck of your car...† It makes it easier for Shopify’s visitors to self-select whether the platform is suitable for them or not. Add your most compelling differentiator. It’s not enough to offer them the solutions they need, you also have to let them know what makes you different from your competitors. You can do this by mentioning a USP that fulfills a specific problem your core audience.Dreamland does this perfectly by stating that they’re â€Å"The only brand with the rights to use the patented Miracoilâ„ ¢ springs - the world's most advanced spring system to date.† Once most or all of the above are in place, you’ve now made a solid positioning that will grab the attention of your ideal customers! Here's how to craft copy that your audience will connect withCrafting Copy That Your Audience Can Connect With Now that you’ve got their attention, it’s time to craft your marketing copy in a way that your audience can resonate with. No matter how well you’ve positioned yourself, it won’t mean a thing if you can’t properly translate that into your message. That’s something you can accomplish through the below tips. Create the Perfect Hook Through Social Listening Leading with the right hook allows you to build on the interest of your prospects and encourage them to read more about your message. To craft the kind of hook that will win over your audience, it has to first speak to what they’re going through- specifically their wants and fears. You’ll know what those are by doing social listening research  that involves: Tracking mentions of your brand or business on social media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) Checking out review sites on what customers are saying about your products or services (e.g. Amazon, Yelp) Analyzing your online metrics to see if there are any patterns or trends you should take advantage or steer clear of (e.g. increased traffic from Instagram, backlinks from bad sites) Doing the above can clue you in on the conversation that’s going in on their heads and what kind of words they’re using. The key here is to use the same words in your message so they can resonate with what you’re trying to convey. For example, if the primary concern of your ideal customers is self-improvement, use words that would tie in with that concept. Using words like success, purpose, transform, achievement,  and their variations to hook your target prospects is an effective way to cater to their deepest desires and needs. You might craft your hook like this: Transform your life and finally achieve the business success you’ve always wanted! Let me help you become more confident and proactive in building a business that aligns with your life’s purpose. Craft Boredom-Free Messages That Stick to Mind If you haven’t noticed, today’s web readers get bored fast. And bored people hop on to the next thing that will catch their attention. So once you catch your ideal customers’ attention, you need to be able to keep it with a boredom-free marketing copy that will stick to their mind even after they’ve finished checking you out. One of the ways you can do that is by writing conversationally. Why? Because people won’t be able to connect with your brand or business if you’re always talking jargon or doing a lot of â€Å"business speak.† That’s why it’s important to craft your marketing copy like how you talk. Use â€Å"you† a lot and don’t make the mistake of only talking about yourself or your business. Just like in real life, no one likes people or businesses that are always full of themselves. Your message should be about them and what they could get from you. Another way to keep your readers from being bored is to avoid marketing buzzwords. Using marketing drivel doesn’t add any value to your message and will only serve to make you sound hollow. Moreover, it makes you sound like everybody else which is the surest way to be thrown into the â€Å"businesses no one really remembers† category. The key thing to remember here is to just make sure your brand sounds real. If your brand is a reflection of yourself, incorporate parts of yourself that you want to show. Maybe you have a straightforward, no-BS approach way of communication, then make sure it’s evident in your copy. One particular example of a business that does this well is Firebox. It’s a fun, humorous brand that likes incorporating amusing takes on gift-giving. Check out their latest homepage copy: They tweaked their site’s headline in light of the Christmas season to let people know (cheekily) that the holidays is really all about the gifts. You don’t always have to use humor to make your message interesting. Just do most, if not all, of the above tips and you can make your brand appear more accessible and easier to connect to! Sell Without Using Hype Hype-based selling is all about using exaggerated tactics to fire up readers so they would be more compelled to buy. Although it’s common to see this type of tactic used on today’s marketing copy, it can easily backfire since you’re trading your credibility for short-term returns. It’s much better to go for a method that’s much more viable to use for the long run because it’ll help build loyalty toward your brand. A good example of a hyped up claim is, â€Å"If You Know How to Write, You Can Be a Published Book Author in 2 Weeks – Guaranteed!† As a writer myself, I know that it takes more than just knowing how to write to be a published book author. You have to have specific knowledge of what you’re writing about and be able to self-publish and market it or get a publishing outfit to help you distribute your book. More than just that, it would take more than two weeks to publish a book. The only way that kind of claim would be valid is if they’re churning out ready-made books for people to publish. This type of implausible claims can only appeal to those who are impatient for results and such people would likely drop you the second you fail to live up to your claims. If you’re looking for long-term customers who will stick with you, that isn’t just the way to go. Even without hype, you can write powerfully persuasive marketing copy  by tailoring your message to resonate with your ideal customers’ needs and wants. Because at the end of the day, conveying your value is still what seals the deal. Write With Specificity Including specific details in your message is another remarkable way to increase your credibility. It’s not only more believable but it also positions you as a knowledgeable source when it comes to that topic. Sharing specific data means you did your due diligence in advance so you can provide your prospects the right information to aid in their buying decision. Rev does this by sharing a statistic on their ad that they can tie in with their services. While in their caption, they provide a specific turnaround time (24 hours), their accuracy rate (99%), and their price per minute ($1). This goes beyond your standard spiels like â€Å"quick service† and â€Å"accurate work.† After all, people will have different definitions of what fast or accurate is so it’s better to be specific on the exact meanings of your claims. You can also apply the concept of specificity when it comes to your benefits. Just choose one specific benefit that has the most advantage for your target market. This helps your message to immediately resonate with them. TransferWise uses this method to  make  their home page’s web copy more compelling. They start out by stating how much exactly do banks typically charge when sending money (up to 5% in hidden costs) and that they’re actually â€Å"8x cheaper,† which means more savings for its users. By using the above tactics, your target prospects will be going, â€Å"This is for me!† in their heads long before they’re finished reading what you have to say! Converting Your Best Prospects to Lifelong Customers Now that you’ve managed to grab their attention and attract them to your brand, it’s time to convert them as lifelong customers. Once you’ve got good people looking at you, it only makes sense to have them on your team- for good (or as long as possible). Overcome Barriers to Purchase Most people don’t just buy on a whim. If it’s an especially big purchase, you can bet that your customers will likely take their sweet time thinking about whether to buy it or not. Converting your target prospects  into actual paying customers means you have to be able to pre-empt any concerns they may have about buying from you. A good way to do this is to reframe the cost of your offering especially if the product or service you’re offering is expensive. Cast your pricing in a different light by positioning the cost as an investment for them. Let them know that they’d only need to pay a high fee once and that they’ll be able to reap the returns repeatedly in the future. Or you can also break down the total cost to a much more digestible amount. For instance, if you’re offering a $30 monthly membership course, let them know that they’ll get to learn from your expertise for just $1 a day or for less than the cost of one Starbucks coffee. Whatever paints a better picture for your audience. Another way to make the buying process easier is to offer different price tiers  such as the one below: This is because not all costs can be reframed. That’s why in such cases, it’s better to just have a variety of pricing points that your audience can choose from. Lastly, take away the risks of buying from you. Offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee for a specific period of time. Using the above tips will definitely ensure a much smoother buying process to help your prospects become your lifelong customers. Get People to Act on Your Message with a Strong Call-to-Action  Copy What’s a superbly crafted message if it doesn’t compel your target audience to act? Now that all the other elements are in place, the next logical step is to move them toward a specific action. For that, you’ll need a call-to-action or CTA to end your message. Compelling calls-to-action prompts your prospects into engaging with your brand or website in some way. And for that you’ll need two things: a compelling button copy and a striking visual presentation.  Here’s an amazing example by HubSpot: In the above example, they ditched the standard â€Å"Sign Up† and â€Å"Free Trial† CTA copy for a more benefit-oriented one: †Convert More Visitors.† Moreover, they made sure the CTA button popped out by using the color green to contrast with the orange background.

How to Enjoy Your Job Search

How to Enjoy Your Job Search One important aspect of searching for a new job is maintaining a positive attitude- believe it or not, your attitude can reflect on your ability to get a job. Taking the time to care for yourself and keep your spirits up, even with the situation may seem desperate, can lead you to job positions that you may not have thought of and a lifetime career doing something you really enjoy. Keep Having Fun While Job SearchingMaybe money is a little tight, but you don’t have to let it cramp your style. Take a walk, go jogging, or do some volunteer work that makes you feel fulfilled. Do you like animals? Volunteer at an animal shelter, and spend some time with other animal lovers. If you’re into sports, you can join a league, or coach a children’s team at school. When your normal idea of a night out is to go to a movie, rent a movie and invite friends over for an evening of camaraderie. Fun doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.Get a Part-time JobWhile you’re wa iting for that perfect job opportunity to come along, you can look for part-time jobs doing something else. It gives you a reason to leave the house every day, keeps you on a schedule, and you will meet new people. It also helps you focus energy in a positive way and gives you spending cash while you wait that you can use to pay bills and have a little fun.Focus on the PositiveLooking at the jobs you had in the past can bring negativity into your life. Now is the time you can reinvent yourself and head in a new direction. Make a list of your skills, and choose a new career path that you find interesting and would enjoy doing. Just because you have worked in one area doesn’t limit you from branching out. While it’s great to have a job, it is even better when you are doing something you really enjoy.Target Your Job SearchThese days you might not hear back from potential employers when you submit a resume, but that represents modern times and is not a reflection on you or your abilities. Keep focused on the type of job you want and apply for a certain number of jobs per week. Look at it as a game that you can win.Interviews Where You Didn’t Get the JobWhen this happens, it is far from a negative experience. Being called for an interview, even if you don’t get the job, means you have the qualifications the employer is seeking for the position.That means you are on the right track to finding the job you want. Make a game of practicing your interview skills. You can prepare a statement that you can practice in front of the mirror, so you will appear confident and relaxed during your next interview. Have a friend conduct a practice interview and ask for feedback or record it, so you know how you sound and where your interview skills could use improvement.Keep on Top of Job Listings with Job Search SitesSeeing an advertisement for a job you want and not responding quickly may mean the position has already been filled. While looking online f or a new job can be helpful and might result in possible employment, you might want to take the easier route and have a company do the job search for you.TheJobNetwork is a free website that does your job search for you and sends you appropriate listings by email when those jobs become available. In this way, you don’t miss any job opportunities and can be happy knowing you won’t miss getting that great job.

Andy Warhol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Andy Warhol - Research Paper Example Brief Biographical Profile Andy Warhol has been regarded as a pop artist and cultural icon of the 20th century (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts). Born on the 6th of August, 1928 in Oakland, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Andy’s full name was actually Andrew Warhola. He was the youngest of three children and was diagnosed of being afflicted with a rare neurological disorder (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts par. 3). The disorder provided the impetus for Andy’s orientation to DC comic books and the celebrity magazines that proliferate during his time. He pursued a degree in Pictorial Design from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and graduated in 1949 (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts par. 3). His official website revealed that â€Å"building on the emerging movement of Pop Art, wherein artists used everyday consumer objects as subjects, Warhol started painting readily found, mass-produced objects, drawing on his extensive advertising background† (The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts par. 5). In Open Culture, it was disclosed that Warhol decided to abruptly quit painting and delve into both music and film making. In this regard, the essay aims to describe contents and aesthetics of the Andy Warhol's work, particularly focusing on the controversial â€Å"anti-films†: Sleep, Eat and Kiss, with the ultimate objective of responding to the question :"why it is art?". Sleep As the title depicts, Warhol’s first film, Sleep, shot a man in deep slumber with the shot taken from different views, initially from the foot as the person taking the film with only the face in clear perspective.

Causes of the Civil War Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Causes of the Civil War - Essay Example Civil wars are common among early nations seeking growth and expansion. Almost all countries in the world has went through civil wars at one some point in their history, where some have experienced it earlier than the others. There was the Irish civil war from 1922-1923, the Lebanese civil war which lasted more than two decades from1975 to 1990, the Russian civil war which began in 1918, the Spanish civil war which happened between 1936-1939, and other countries as well. The American Civil War was a war fought between two organized groups - 23 northern (Union) and 11 southern (Confederate) – seeking power within the same country - America. The Confederacy would have been content with gaining control over part of America; the Union insisted upon maintaining authority over all of it. It was also a time when the Confederacy sought to establish itself as a separate nation. The Civil War was the culmination of forty years of intense sectional conflict and reflected deep-seated economic, social, and political differences. Historians have coined a number of titles for the war such as â€Å"War of Southern Independence,† â€Å"Brother’s War,† â€Å"American Iliad† and â€Å"Second American Revolution.† Although each of these titles merit the attention to some aspect of the struggle, still, the term Civil War remains to be most appropriate in both sense and usage; and besides, this was the term generally used by both North and South during the war. The American Civil War grew out of deep differences between the north and the south, notably over slavery – opposed by President Lincoln, but an important part of the economy of the south. Underscoring sectional differences, the labor force in the South included nearly 4 million enslaved blacks (Reader’s Digest, 1995). An important element in the war’s background was sectionalism, which may be defined as the tendency of one area within the nation to conceive of itself as being significantly different

Urinary Disorders I Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Urinary Disorders I - Essay Example with people of his age with hypertension, this condition is associated with hardening of walls of the arteries and arterioles in the kidney and failure in kidney functions, this is evident by the frequent headaches, swelling of the legs and feet, increase in weight due to edema, feeling tired, loss of blood through urine and many more other symptoms of nephrosclerosis (Izzo, 2008). Due to this condition, there is obstruction and destruction of arteries and arterioles in the kidney. The nephrone which filters the blood in the kidney is destroyed leading to nephritic syndrome, this result in a reduction of proteins such as albumin in the blood which in turn causes the accumulation of fluid in the legs and feet, this is the major cause of swelling legs and weight gain (Izzo, 2008). Since there has been destruction of the nephrone, a lot of nutrients and proteins are excreted in urine together with traces of blood, this requires a lot of water for excretion which in turn results in dilute urine. Blood is also lost in urine in people with this conditions thus they tend to develop anemia in the long run due to deficiency of blood, even albumin constituent in blood goes down. Metabolic acidosis is as a result of retention of the week acids which were to be excreted by the destroyed kidneys thus once they are retained they cause this condition. Treatment for this condition is by administration of antihypertensive drugs in an effort to reduce the pressure of blood reaching the kidneys; the other treatment is by undertaking a kidney transplant although it will not be as effective as the original (Izzo,

Health Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Psychology - Essay Example In its true sense health psychology encompasses clinical health psychology, public health psychology, community health psychology and critical health psychology (Marks, 2005). In the present scenario psychology finds its way in medical and physiological aspects, contributing to innovation in thoughts in terms of health and care facilities. The thought further gained strength from the acknowledgment of genetic predisposition along with behavior of the individuals encompassing ability to combat stress, beliefs of the individual about staying healthy, the positive attitude towards life and the kind of lifestyle an individual is leading. All these paradigms are essential in deciphering the nature of individual and the ability to combat disease of any critical condition. Along with these characteristics, social conditions like the attitude of family members, relationships in family, financial conditions, cultural and traditional values an individual possesses, the kind of co-operation an individual seeks from the social set up, the grooming of individual and the perception of the individual for life. All these are essential for the comprehensive understanding about the health psychology which is concerned with behavior of the individual and the kind of medication an individual is taking. Two major issues that emerged in understanding health psychology are- the extent to which the healing is explicit (the placebo problem) and the echelon to which they are executed (the adherence to regimen) (Blackwell, 1976). It is evident that most of the reimbursement of medications could not be procured as they are not performed to their completion. It is essential that the patient adhere to the treatment regimen. Since 1973 research is being carried out to establish the factors serving as stumbling blocks in the path of adherence to treatment regimen. Theories have been formulated to overcome these hurdles and

Quality of service for VoIP Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Quality of service for VoIP - Dissertation Example Converged networks also allow a latest generation of incorporated voice/data applications. For instance, users of web-based e-commerce applications can sight product information as talking with customer service agents in a call center. by join networks this can be done throughout a single network link. The focal point of the majority converged network strategies is voice over IP (VoIP). VoIP refers to the transmission of telephone discussion over a packet-switched IP network. This IP network might be as small as a single subnet private LAN, or as huge as the public Internet. As VoIP technology matures, new exchange technique may appear while offered ones become outdated. In spite of the process that is used to adapt VoIP traffic for LANs, one basic process will linger the same: VoIP traffic will forever negotiate the LAN as a stream of IP packets (W.C. Hardy, 2001). Voice over IP the broadcast of voice over packet-switched IP networks is one of the mainly significant up-and-coming tr ends in telecommunications. As with lots of new technologies, VOIP introduces together security risks and opportunities. VOIP has a extremely dissimilar architecture than established circuit-based telephony, and these differences effect in important security issues. Lower cost and better elasticity are between the promises of VOIP for the venture, but VOIP should not be installed devoid of cautious deliberation of the security troubles introduced (W.C. Hardy, 2003). Many administrators may incorrectly presume that since digitized voice travels in packets, they can just plug VOIP components into their already protected networks and stay secure.

Health Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Psychology - Essay Example In its true sense health psychology encompasses clinical health psychology, public health psychology, community health psychology and critical health psychology (Marks, 2005). In the present scenario psychology finds its way in medical and physiological aspects, contributing to innovation in thoughts in terms of health and care facilities. The thought further gained strength from the acknowledgment of genetic predisposition along with behavior of the individuals encompassing ability to combat stress, beliefs of the individual about staying healthy, the positive attitude towards life and the kind of lifestyle an individual is leading. All these paradigms are essential in deciphering the nature of individual and the ability to combat disease of any critical condition. Along with these characteristics, social conditions like the attitude of family members, relationships in family, financial conditions, cultural and traditional values an individual possesses, the kind of co-operation an individual seeks from the social set up, the grooming of individual and the perception of the individual for life. All these are essential for the comprehensive understanding about the health psychology which is concerned with behavior of the individual and the kind of medication an individual is taking. Two major issues that emerged in understanding health psychology are- the extent to which the healing is explicit (the placebo problem) and the echelon to which they are executed (the adherence to regimen) (Blackwell, 1976). It is evident that most of the reimbursement of medications could not be procured as they are not performed to their completion. It is essential that the patient adhere to the treatment regimen. Since 1973 research is being carried out to establish the factors serving as stumbling blocks in the path of adherence to treatment regimen. Theories have been formulated to overcome these hurdles and

Business communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Business communications - Essay Example The balance of trade becomes affected in such cases, thereby adversely affected the economy as whole. The Canadian dollar is positively correlated to the strength of the world commodity prices. This situation will boost imports as most traders will find it highly profitable to export to Canada at a comparatively lower exchange rate compared to the U.S. dollar. However, the exports will be affected negatively since it will be comparatively expensive to export Canadian products compared to the U.S. products. In conclusion, the fact that the recent report on the Purchasing Power Parity estimates a bundle of goods that cost a consumer $1 CAD in Canada would cost in the range of 80-85 US cents in the United States is a strong indication that some economic improvement should be done. As the Canadian dollar trends along these ranges, the Canadian consumers are, and will be paying a significant value on their goods compared to their counterparts in the United

Stakeholder Influences on Programs Essay Example for Free

Stakeholder Influences on Programs Essay Peace Domestic Violence Agency’s mission is to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. PDVA is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societal norms and beliefs that condone the perpetuate violence in the community. Stakeholders and the influence they have in a program plan, along with staff and administration personnel, is usually inadequately misunderstood and has room for alterations. Stakeholders are defined as a corporate party that can affect or be affected by actions of the business. A major stakeholder can make or break a program’s success depending on the positive support or negative reactions it conducts. We have to remember that some stakeholders may have strong connections to the community and hold great influence on others who may be investors or potential investors. This kind of hidden influence with authority (mainly political) is very capable of causing major disruption to the development and concerns that impact citizens within the community and how a program progresses. A good example is the recent scandals with a funding collection charity organization, known as Quadriga Arts and the many agencies associated with them, charging outrageous fees for service and never delivering any charity funding collected. They have many agencies’ who state they help veterans and support homeless food banks, animal shelters, to name a few, when in fact they are not providing funding collected from nationwide donations to these charities and non-profit organizations. Too much fraud is going on and this is another factor making respectable organizations to have a difficult time acquiring funding. A few bad apples are destroying great respectable organizations, because of their own greed and recklessness. We have this kind of fraud also within our own government establishments especially in defense contractors, banking institutions, and veteran life insurance companies, just to name a few more. Finding stakeholders is unfortunately getting fewer and fewer and more difficult and this is why large corporations are joining together and getting involved more so, than private individuals who might become liable and become possibly involved with a larger, fraudulent agency. Protection comes in groups more than the average individual might have. The needs and expectations of the stakeholder must always be considered when planning a program within the community where it resides. Stakeholders need to be given a good sense of security as well as the agency, and that positive outcome will promote positive change. Some stakeholders of course have different out looks on what success is, causing conflicts and concerns and the agency should be aware of this as well when excepting a stakeholder. This is when the agency has to be strong in its goals and mission and show positive plans for positive outcomes with the target population and what is required and prioritized for success within their communities. The give and take is; always conduct a thorough vetting process of stakeholders as stakeholders should do the same when funding any agency. The bottom-line is when final partnership is achieved then everyone is liable for any misfortunes or crimes committed within the agency. PDVA administration and staff have the same interests as their stakeholders especially when it comes to financing and possible audits that may accrue from government agencies. This is especially true when addressing private foundations/ non-profit 501(c) 3 organizations like PDVA. Since PDVA is working with human services, and also receiving grants, the agency and the stakeholders are responsible for any inside conflicts of interest or other inappropriate interests that may be present or transpire. The agency and stakeholders have to be aware of the strict regulations concerning any grants, donations, and funding they acquire, and comply with any Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assessment or audit if requested. The agency has to ensure that all parts of their programs are for non-profit, and no one person or stakeholder benefits from the agency’s assists in case of agency closure. Peace Domestic Violence Agency has two funding grant programs at this time for nonprofit agencies. The Small Grants Program† which offers a one-time grant of up to $5,000. 00 to registered charities with an annual budget under $500,000. 00. The second is â€Å"The Investor Program† which is an innovative funding program designed to support six organizations under each of the objectives of the â€Å"Supporting Families program†. This is up to $150,000. 00 a year for three years. This of course is not including private donations, charities and other fund raising activities that are available in the Portland Metropolitan Area and work together. Example is; Catholic Charities Oregon, Gateway Center for Domestic Violence, Women of Wonder Day and Oregon Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence (OCADSV). Along with these funding charities Portland also has in operation, mentor programs in local schools, sports programs and religious entities that contribute to the prevention of domestic violence among youth’s, through fundraising events and donations. The city of Portland also has the court system now applying mandatory youth camps or home parent programs instead of incarceration. But probably, most and foremost, is the education, prevention and awareness of drug and alcohol abuse and the consequences involved. For example; we have to ask ourselves who has these problems, the children or their parents, and how we protect children whose parents don’t protect them and promote or influence drinking and drug activities, or even worse violent gang activities for profit. I believe education is the answer along with empowerment and enforcement. We have so many parents that have no idea how to play the role of a parent or they don’t have or want to make the time. With this being said we also have to look at the nation, the economy, and availability of employment within our target population and how it directly affects the community and involvements for family survival. When parents have to work two to three jobs to support their families, it is hard to be in control of your children when your never home. Children cannot babysit children and relatives or friends who have substance abuse addictions cannot be responsible or creditable for mentoring these children. Example; latch key children and unemployed adults should have a safe place like community recreation centers, job and preparation training, along with professional staff for mentoring, counseling, interaction, and developing safe alternatives for these parents and children who find themselves in abusive or neglected situations and need to have a safe place to go. When we have stakeholders contributing to PDVA they both have one common goal, this is to develop a program(s) that benefit and enriches the lives of children and parents through education, protection, and awareness within the community. If the agency’s administration and staff can ensure that the agency will follow their objectives, the program will be successful and continue to receive the frequent assistance needed from stakeholders, then and only then can the agency achieve its goals and have the trust of the community it serves. Team work and involvement makes all the difference especially when the agency speaks out against violence and abuse to the community. The final conclusion is to have the agency’s administration, staff, stakeholders, and the community on the same page and be accountable for their program(s) and mostly be involved. This is to protect, educate and make everyone aware of domestic violence, prevention, rape, abuse (physical and verbal), bullying, gang activities, child trafficking, and alcohol/ substance abuse. Everyone within the agency and the community needs to identify, speak out and report these activities and to do it in a safe protective method, for this is what saves lives. To have law enforcement, probation officers, professional trained advocates, hospitals, schools, churches, local businesses, neighborhood watch programs, and community centers becoming one in corporation, to eliminate domestic violence and abuse of any form, before it transpires and becomes a life threating situation. Having a place to go, any time, day or night is a must. To learn new trades and keep everyone active, growing and progressing towards recovery and success. Children and parents need to stay active and constantly progressing towards success, not falling into idle time to get in trouble or make trouble. My grandmother use to say â€Å"Idle time is the work of the devil†

News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters

News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC Changing trends in news consumption and strategic implications for broadcasters The Indian Media environment has undergone changes in terms of news consumption trends as well as news production techniques. This has lead to contours of On demand culture for News which has been furthered by the digital revolution in the news arena. News consumption is shifting from a passive act to a proactive, interactive and participatory act. 2008 has seen some tremendous changes in the way we gather, share and interact with news.nes today is becoming less linear, less controlled, chaotic however increasingly participatory. The relationship between producers and consumers is changing. Examples of participatory news consumptions: Twitter showed its potential network to distribute raw information in almost instantly in the case of Mumbai attacks and arrest of American student in Egypt. Many media broadcasters took to using this medium as a strategy to cover the news. In early 2008 the channel CNN has built a platform called Ireport .com which permits anyone to submit and upload content from anywhere in the world and a team of journalist scours the content to look for stories. It could also sell this contributor generated created material on news wire for high margins. Another example would be Network 18 anchor Rick Sanchez used twitter to gather his story on twitter for Hurricane Gustav, showing conversations about the storm on screen. CNN even launched a daily show around it which was positioned as audience driven hour of days news and smart conversation Today in the news sector what is changing is how people interact with news , when they acquire it and thus old news deliverers must definitely adapt to it. The 24 hour television news channel in India today has become a meme. The random house unabridged dictionary defines a meme as a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. Today there is nothing new or different in the way news channels telecast news stories. Activism, excitement, concern, empathy all are packaged in the same way. Most channels look alive, behave alike, talk alike. There is scarcity as regards to channel loyalty in television news. Additionally with media proliferation, audiences are getting and more fragmented and thus news broadcasters are in a fight to gain new audiences. Garnering eye balls, retaining loyal customer, and targeting new segments to gain new audiences becomes extremely important in today times. But with changing consumption habits the same old strategies like breaking news, anchors, tickers may be becoming ineffective today. Thus broadcasters need to revisit these strategies to create differentiation and competitive advantage. The research plans to undertake a study on news consumption trends today the way forward and thereby look at strategies that broadcasters are using currently to tap the existing and potential news customer. The research attempts will be to predict current future news consumption trends and strategic tools used by the broadcaster. LITERATURE REVIEW The Indian news industry was for long governed uncontested by print media. Till 2008, the country consumed 100 million newspaper copies making it the second largest market in the world for newspapers. In 1976 regular broadcasting started in India and Doordarshan had monopoly. It was in 1991 that the concept of multichannel came into India with the advent of BBC, CNN, Prime sports, MTV and Star Plus. Since then with the increasing technological changes taking place there has been extreme competition in this segment as differentiators like breaking news, program choices, expertise, live coverage are slowly diminishing. Almost all news channels in India today are on the same platform / level today as far as capacity and resources available for production of news. Internet slowly entered with new technological framework and changed the rules of the game. 2/3 rds of the internet users today visit the internet atleast 2-3 times a week. Thus consumption of internet is increasing not only in terms of reach but also in terms of impressions. News broadcasters have started teaming up with digital platforms to provide news on the internet as well as mobile mediums. Social media is emerging as another platform for interactivity to take place in the news sector. More and more news is breaking first on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Flickr today even before being livecasted on news channels. Also today, news is no longer the dull, uninteractive genre as it is associated to be. Increasing numbers of news channels are cashing in on interactivity by using citizen journalism / participatory journalism. This new competitive media landscape has lead proliferation of channels, fragmentation of audiences and lack of diversity among show formats and content. This has lead to a fight among news channels to retain and grow audience numbers. In this scenario first look at the displacement theory : Kayany Yelsma, 2000 used the displacement theory to suggests that with the advent of a new media the overall consumption remains constant and as consumption of one medium increases the consumption go another medium reduces. This would imply that as digital media grows, audiences would move away from broadcast and a change in news consumption habits would occur. However there are convergence theorists who argue that one need to look at the relationship between traditional and new media to understand how simultaneous consumption will change the way news has been consumed till now. Users and gratification theory Infante, Rancer andWomack, 1997 have used the U G theory to explain how individuals use mass media to satisfy their needs.The U G theory argues that peoples needs and interests influence their use of a particular medium and how they respond to it. The idea is that the audience is self motivated to seek the kind of gratification that they want. With the advent of internet gratifying the need of immediacy it is important to relook at the motivations of the audience to turn to broadcast news and their gratification opportunities to construct effective strategies to retain and garner new audiences. Thus although the theory suggest different needs / motivations of consumer there is no research done on the strategies undertaken by Indian news broadcasters to segment different audiences accordingly to different gratification opportunities and provide differentiated offerings to them and how this helps them gain a competitive edge with advertisers and viewers. Let us look at a few theories which seek to explain convergent media behavior and look at MEDIA CONVERGENCE as a strategy: Selective media theory Stempel Hargrove, 1996; Stempel, et al., 2000; Vincent Basil, 1997 have endorsed the selective media theory which suggest that individual direct their attention to respond to specific stimuli in their environment. This implies that exposure to different media content is an active choice and individuals will seek information regarding contents that interest them across all media platforms. That is the consumption of sports news on one platform will lead them to consume the content in the sports space on mobile, online , broadcast and other platforms if the individual is interested in that particular section. Niche theory Dimmick, et al., 2000 in the Niche theory suggest that individual derive different gratifications from using different media. These gratifications would in turn depend on the modality of the medium and as the overlap in these gratification offerings is low in the news industry, the mediums would be more complementary than displacement. Involvement theory Petty Cacioppo, 1986 in the involvement theory suggest that individuals involved in obtaining information on an area are more likely to consumer news from all mediums to optimize their resources to gain maximum knowledge. Thus highly motivated consumers will seek information across various media outlets. It is important to understand whether broadcasters today are using their multi platforms to generate interest in broadcasting medium and pull audiences from online to broadcast or they first break the news on broadcast giving out more information on other platforms. There are various opportunities for gaining audiences by using these theories and news channels today need to jump at them to create competitive edges for themselves. Convergence today has become the strategic option for many media companies although he levels of response from consumers still it make it possible to differentiate between Leaders, laggards and learner ( Denis et al , 2006 ). Thus at business growth levels convergence is linked to growth strategies in 3 ways : 1) Operational convergence 2) cross platform marketing where companies leverage their platforms and repurpose their old content for new viewers 3) developing on demand content thereby addressing viewer needs Thus there have been clearly been changes in news consumption behavior especially in metros like Mumbai where technological acceptance, lifestyles and media environment are fast changing. 2008 witnessed a phenomenal change in the way we consumer news. Participatory media formats have lead us to not only gather news but enabled us to share it and produce it. As demonstrated above, besides using convergent media to gain audiences, broadcast channels need to revisit their competitive and differentiation strategies. For decades breaking news has been used as an age old strategy to establish exclusivity and garner eyeballs. With the introduction of similar technology, real time streaming and social media all news channels are breaking news at the same. Hence there is a need to explore the relevance of breaking news as a strategy and its effectiveness. Program choice selection: Webster and Wakshlag have identified the main factor in program selection as availability. They say if viewer choices are dictated by what is available to them. Many programming strategies are designed to stop the viewer from searching for a more gratifying program based on the assumption that if their program does not annoy them they will not change them. Thus the aim of many programs is to avoid displeasure. Jeffres (1978) called such programs least objectionable programs (LOP). However digital factors make this factor irrelevant in the future. Apart from that they identified audience they watch a program with as an influencer and selection habits as another. They say if a program search is generally restricted to a particular number of channels which Heeter calls Channel Repertoire. Thus viewers may avoid certain programs because the channel or network is not in their repertoire. However there is no research done on the branding and programming Indian news channels undertake to be included in the set of acceptable channels of a viewer. Rosenstein and Grant (1997 have pointed out that habit is a factor for selecting certain mediums and offerings. However how broadcasters are tapping into this habit to develop channel loyalty is yet to be studied. Weimann, Brosius, and Wober have shown that there is little variation in consumption of news content. When two people watch the same news program, one may watch it because of the programs specific appeal, whereas the other one is simply waiting for another program to come on. This explains their finding that overall time spent with the news media is roughly the same, regardless of reported medium reliance .Beaudoin and Thorson,2004 who remarked that exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of attention to news. Given the possibility of involuntary avoidance, one should remark that the reverse also applies: Lack of exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of lack of interest in the news. Thus programming choices designed to meet needs of such audiences who express an interest can be used as a niche strategy to gain hold in such audiences. A few programming segments that broadcasters need to look at are Late night viewers and Sunday morning program choices as strategic programming decisions. The PEW research center , 2004 has undertaken studies have been conducted in the US , research needs to be done on what news channels are doing to tap gain TRPs with these audiences. Anchors as differentiators: To look at anchors as brands for the news channels we need to view them as ingredient brands. The reason why companies for adopting ingredient branding as a strategy is that it helps the host brand to improve distribution accessibility, differentiate itself from other competitors and enhance the long term equity of the host brand (Desai and Keller, 2002; Norris 1992). The ingredient brand can also build end users brand preference, stabilize consumers demand, and establish long-term relations with manufacturers (Norris 1992). Anchors / Tv show hosts can be looked in the same respect for news channels. Today Barkha Dutt ,Rajdeep Sardesai have become ingredient brands of the networks they represent. Different segments news gratifications to study strategies for gaining their attention: For youth audiences, the news consumption patterns become extremely critical as they get formed into habits for a lifetime around they time they leave for college.(e.g., Al-Obaidi, Lamb-Williams, Mordas, 2004; Barnhurst Wartella, 1998; Schlagheck, 1998). Thus many media selectively target college students as a long term strategy to gain first advantage into new generation of consumers (Barnhurst Wartella, 1998). Motivations for media usage vary by age, with motivations to escape or pass time usually highest among younger viewers (Greenberg, 1974; Rubin, 1979). College students are susceptible to depression (Rich Scovel, 1987), making them especially vulnerable to the formation of media habits that relieve dysphoria through attendance to escapist media content. Edward Huang, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA, 2007 has undertaken a study Studies on how do what uses do youth make of news and what gratifications they derive from it have been undertaken in the US . The following questions have been answered through this study. Have news media failed to address the youths news consumptions objectives? What role does participatory news media play in satisfying youths consumption needs What are the best strategies in serving young new consumers? To explore the question of emergent news consumption trends it becomes essential to explore the future users news consumption patterns. With myriad options of news outlets, including the Internet, college students are emerging more as news grazers, which means they check news periodically but do not have a particular time for news competitors (Pew Research Center, 2002). A new grazer are audiences which take advantage of the new media environment to check the news from time to time with no set patterns and with a passivity towards event and information. Thus they tend to follow the news on television with the remote control flipping the channel from time to time when they are disinterested. (Pew research 2004) Thus the battle among television news providers to capture the grazing audience has been heated up. Commercial success in such an environment requires the news product to cater to the interests of the news grazer. Thus news producers today cover topics that are less likely to prompt grazers to switch to another channel.( Bellamy and walker 1996) News providers have started downplaying political news to make it soft entertainment oriented news.( Patterson 2000) The strategies that present broadcasters are using to tap this audience will determine the future leaders. Senior citizens are the ones that have maximum time currency and thus strategies used to gain those eyeballs also become increasing important. Thus it is important to study this in the competitive landscape. Thus changing news consumption behavior has lead to news broadcasters to relook at their differentiators, strategies and also identity and target new audiences while retaining old ones so as to avoid becoming irrelevant or obsolete in future. NEED Gap: With the above mentioned technological and lifestyle changes there has been no study undertaken on consumption trends in 2008 2010 and thus predicting the future. Such studies have been undertaken for different segments in the US but not in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE/ SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH The scope of the research extends to both consumer trends in news consumption as well as broadcasters response and action to the same thereby drafting in conclusion the strategies which are used for differentiation in todays news scenario. The research objectives can be listed as below: To identify the patterns and trends in new consumption for various audiences To study the case Mumbai Terrorist blast to understand recent news consumption habits and delivery tactics. To list and rank the competitive strategies used by news channels to differentiate their offerings and gain new audiences To study the integration of print, broadcast, radio , citizen, digital , social mobile media and their working with each other to carry news in todays scenario Rationale: As literature and current news cases such as Mumbai terror blasts, 9/11, Economic Times launching a channel reveal consumption of news has changed today. Thus delivery tactics must be relooked and strategies revisited as differentiation is almost nil in the news broadcast industry today. There is a constant struggle to garner new audiences and thus it becomes important to follow the new trends. There has been no study conducted on the trends in news consumption today and in future times in the Indian scenario. Hypothesis: With the changing news consumption trends there is a need for broadcasters to align their delivery tactics and revisit their competitive strategies Research questions Are news channels truly differentiated in todays scenario? Is there any kind of channel loyalty? What are the strategies news channels are using for differentiation? What are the patterns and trends in news consumption for various audiences? How have broadcasters aligned their delivery methods to meet these news trends? How are various media integrated while provided news today? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study is primarily exploratory in nature. I shall be primarily using qualitative tools to identify trends from current data viable and accounting for the broadcasters perspective. Extensive Tam analysis study of viewership data already available Areas of information: Demographic and basic lifestyle information Source of news consumption Response to news Participation in news production and delivery Channel loyalty Perceptions about different brands Consumption behavior for different genre of news Impact of :Anchors, tickers, breaking news, programming choices Programming choices preferences for each segment Industry perspective In this phase after identifying the trends in consumption patterns I shall be undertaking a qualitative research for a few broadcasters to understand the tactics and strategies used by them. The different treatment given by them to these segments shall be understood. Also the need for differentiation and their action plans regarding the same shall be understood. Areas of information: Segmentation by broadcasters and different treatments of the same Tactics used by broadcasters to retain and develop channel loyalty Tactics used by broadcasters to gain new audiences Integration of traditional and new media by broadcasters Importance given to differentiation and strategies used to achieve the same Tool used: In depth interview I shall be meeting with experts in the broadcast company: Marketing, Programming Editorial. Media consultants were interviewed to understand the working of the business. The following panel of experts was used in the discussion of various aspects. Sampling: Purposeful Sampling This method allowed me to select experts based on relevant work experience and knowledge of the industry. Thus the information collected was highly credible and reliable. The method also was convenient as I was the only one involved in the selection process. This allowed me to make analysis and thereby compare different perspectives. Further snowballing was used as a method of referral sampling wherein through networks of professionals experts were reached. These experts made valuable contributions to the field. Case study method of analysis: Detailed study of 2 TV news channels- NDTV 24 x7 and CNN -IBN have been undertaken. A brief programming review, convergence strategies, differentiators, marketing branding strategies of the channels have been studied. Each case covers interesting new emerging strategies used by that particular broadcaster during the period of 2008 -2010. A single event based case study of how twitter was used during Mumbai blasts is also studied. This is used to study the effect of new media on consumption and the extent of the impact and implications it holds on the broadcasters. This case method allows me to study changes that have happened in the last two years in Channel strategies and also news consumption. Thus it allows me to map the different strategies used by broadcasters and identify emerging trends. Advantages of case study method: The case study method is most valuable when the researcher wants to obtain a wealth of information about the research topic. Case studies provide tremendous detail. Many times researchers want such detail when they dont know exactly what they are looking for. The case study is particularly advantageous to the researcher who is trying to find clues and ideas for further research. This is not to suggest, however, that case studies be used only at the exploratory stage of research. The method can also be used to gather descriptive and explanatory data. The case study technique can suggest why something has occurred. For example, in many cities in the mid-1980s, cable companies asked to be released from certain promises made when negotiating for a franchise. To learn why this occurred, a multiple case study approach examining several cities 16 could have been used. Other research techniques, such as the survey, might not be able to get at all the possible reasons behind this phenomenon . Ideally, case studies should be used in combination with theory to achieve maximum understanding (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156). The case study method also affords the researcher the ability to deal with a wide spectrum of evidence.Documents, historical artifacts, systematic interviews, direct observations, and even traditional surveys can all be incorporated into a case study. In fact, the more data sources that can be brought to bear in a case, the more likely it is that the study will be valid (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156,157). Disadvantages of case study method : There are three main criticisms. The first has to do with a general lack of scientific rigor in many case studies. Yin points out that too many times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or biased views to influence the findings and conclusions. It is easy to do a sloppy case study; rigorous case studies require a good deal of time and effort (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). The second criticism is that the case study is not easily open to generalization. If the main goal of the researcher is to make statistically based normative statements about the frequency of occurrence of a phenomenon in a defined population, some other method may be more appropriate. This is not to say that the results of all case studies are idiosyncratic and unique. In fact, if generalizing theoretic propositions is the main goal, the case study method is perfectly suited to the task (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Finally, like participant observation, case studies are likely to be timeconsuming and may occasionally produce massive quantities of data that are hard to summarize. Consequently, fellow researchers are forced to wait years for the results of the research, which too often are poorly presented. Some authors, however, are experimenting with nontraditional methods of reporting to overcome this last criticism (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Even with these limitations, the methods provide a lot of possibilities as it is very flexible. It allows deep study of a specific subject. Thus having specified the method, the unfolding chapters refer to the case in point. Expected contribution: Theoretically, through the findings of the research, the user gratifications theory, nice theory, selective theory and involvement theory will be tested. I shall use these theories in the news genre and test the application of the same in this genre. On the practical front, the testing the hypothesis shall have practical significance for the broadcasters. Additionally the trends indentified and predicted for the coming year shall have strategic implications for news broadcasters. The trends shall enable the broadcasters target their prospective audiences better and use tactics to compete, differentiate garner new audiences. NDTV 24 X 7 Founded in the year 1988, the channel was Indias first and largest private producer of current affairs, news stories and entertainment .The brand NDTV 24 * 7 is the market leader and holds an unrivalled reputation for excellence. The following strategic initiatives for growth were undertaken by NDTV . Reliance Infocomm (2004): s In 2004, the channel tied up with reliance Infocomm, Indias largest mobile service provider to provide on the hour news updates of actual newscast with streaming of videos of NDTV news. This enabled Rim customers to watch streaming videos of election updates as well as other news coverage on their handsets. Southern Edition (2006): In 2006, the channel announced the launch of a southern edition - a daily news show using opt -out telecast technology for its viewers in Tamil Nadu, Kerela Karnataka. This show is on air on weekdays at 7 30 and on weekends there is an extravaganza of region specific programming. FTA (2007) : In 2007, it was converted to a FTA channel in the CAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta.The channel is still a pay channel in Chennai. Durand Cup (2007): In 2007 NDTV decided to get into telecasting the live broadcast of Durand Cup 2007.No other news channel in India had beamed live sports before this. The reason behind this was that football viewership has been growing in India. The target audience is mostly 15 +, in SEC A+, A, B+ and B segments. PROGRAMMING Apart from news the channel also airs other programs like We the people and The big fight which are hugely popular. The channel continues to produce original content such as documentaries and special reports featuring political news, entertainment reports and cricket. The channel also has an afternoon weekday segment of the business and market news thereby encompassing all programs offering for their core viewer. The channel has an innovative approach to programming there taking the first step in news shows. Very recently it launched Newsnet2.0 which involves consumer engagement in the production of news as well as syndication of online content. It covers he hot topics which are currently exciting netizens across the world. It provides a 360 vision of all the mediums that people use to discuss their views on contemporary issues. Weekend programming: The weekend programming comprises an array of non news shows like Documentary 24 x 7, cell guru, picture this and others. There are also shows recapping and discussing the weeks news events. Weekday programming: A one stop solution for all interests of the target audience , on weekdays the channel provides news offering in sport, politics, business, national and current news. The Key shows We The People- This powerful opinion-based show, hosted by Barkha Dutt, puts eminent panelists at the mercy of an enquiring public, throwing the floor open for discussions on the issues affecting the country and its people and ensuring that the average citizen has his or her say. The Big Fight- Hosted by Vikram Chandra, the show pits those on opposite sides of an issue against each other in a lively and often heated debate. What emerges from the sometimes controversial opinions is a thorough 360Â ° view of the key national or global issue at hand. India 60: Verdict- NDTVs flagship news programme, India 60 Minutes, is complemented by this special debate segment on the major controversy of the day. Designed to be interactive, it lets viewers have the final word on the big issue in that days news, be it from politics, sports, entertainment or business Bombay Talkies- Sreenivasan Jain takes a walk with Mumbais renowned personalities, through an area that is especially significant to him or her. The freewheeling chat format of the show touches upon a range of issues, showcasing new facets of their persona. The show has featured people from all walks of life, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Thackeray, Nusli Wadia, Shatrughan Sinha and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Walk the Talk- One of the flagship programmes of NDTV 24X7, it is a technical first in the Indian television industry, being the only programme in the country to be shot in one take. For four years and with over two hundred episodes, Indian Express Editor-in-Chief, Shekhar Gupta, has travelled and questioned every eminent national personality at a place of special relevance to the guest. Amongst the stellar guests the show has had, were all three of Indias recent Nobel Prize winners Dr. Amartya Sen, VS Naipul and the Dalai Lama. www.ndtv.com CONVERGENCE NDTV Convergence the new media arm of NDTV encompasses an array of digital media and mobile media services to provide a complete solution to advertisers and tap into the mobile/net savvy audience of todays times. NDTV ACTIVE : NDTV active is packaged with various mobile sites consisting of text based content like news, movies, astrology, music, lifestyle and stocks powered by NDTVs online content. The portal is monetized through ads, sponsorships, plus offering some sections of the portal on a subscription basis. He channel is looking at content syndication and they want to tie up with mobile operators to provide content for their mobile portals. NDTV convergence launched a free SMS service with July systems in partnership. The service called MISMS will enable mobile users to access multimedia content via sms. Users of this service can get the latest news, videos, stocks, and cricket scores by sending the short code to NDTV. The content is hosted on NDTV active which is NDTVs existing mobile portal. NDTV active receives about 15000 visitors a month. From its mobile services NDTV is targeting to achieve Rs. 4. 3 crore in revenue which comprises 15 % of their total revenue. OTHER PORTALS: NDTV website looks more like a general interest website than a serious ne News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters News Consumption Strategic Implications Broadcasters INTRODUCTION OF TOPIC Changing trends in news consumption and strategic implications for broadcasters The Indian Media environment has undergone changes in terms of news consumption trends as well as news production techniques. This has lead to contours of On demand culture for News which has been furthered by the digital revolution in the news arena. News consumption is shifting from a passive act to a proactive, interactive and participatory act. 2008 has seen some tremendous changes in the way we gather, share and interact with news.nes today is becoming less linear, less controlled, chaotic however increasingly participatory. The relationship between producers and consumers is changing. Examples of participatory news consumptions: Twitter showed its potential network to distribute raw information in almost instantly in the case of Mumbai attacks and arrest of American student in Egypt. Many media broadcasters took to using this medium as a strategy to cover the news. In early 2008 the channel CNN has built a platform called Ireport .com which permits anyone to submit and upload content from anywhere in the world and a team of journalist scours the content to look for stories. It could also sell this contributor generated created material on news wire for high margins. Another example would be Network 18 anchor Rick Sanchez used twitter to gather his story on twitter for Hurricane Gustav, showing conversations about the storm on screen. CNN even launched a daily show around it which was positioned as audience driven hour of days news and smart conversation Today in the news sector what is changing is how people interact with news , when they acquire it and thus old news deliverers must definitely adapt to it. The 24 hour television news channel in India today has become a meme. The random house unabridged dictionary defines a meme as a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes. Today there is nothing new or different in the way news channels telecast news stories. Activism, excitement, concern, empathy all are packaged in the same way. Most channels look alive, behave alike, talk alike. There is scarcity as regards to channel loyalty in television news. Additionally with media proliferation, audiences are getting and more fragmented and thus news broadcasters are in a fight to gain new audiences. Garnering eye balls, retaining loyal customer, and targeting new segments to gain new audiences becomes extremely important in today times. But with changing consumption habits the same old strategies like breaking news, anchors, tickers may be becoming ineffective today. Thus broadcasters need to revisit these strategies to create differentiation and competitive advantage. The research plans to undertake a study on news consumption trends today the way forward and thereby look at strategies that broadcasters are using currently to tap the existing and potential news customer. The research attempts will be to predict current future news consumption trends and strategic tools used by the broadcaster. LITERATURE REVIEW The Indian news industry was for long governed uncontested by print media. Till 2008, the country consumed 100 million newspaper copies making it the second largest market in the world for newspapers. In 1976 regular broadcasting started in India and Doordarshan had monopoly. It was in 1991 that the concept of multichannel came into India with the advent of BBC, CNN, Prime sports, MTV and Star Plus. Since then with the increasing technological changes taking place there has been extreme competition in this segment as differentiators like breaking news, program choices, expertise, live coverage are slowly diminishing. Almost all news channels in India today are on the same platform / level today as far as capacity and resources available for production of news. Internet slowly entered with new technological framework and changed the rules of the game. 2/3 rds of the internet users today visit the internet atleast 2-3 times a week. Thus consumption of internet is increasing not only in terms of reach but also in terms of impressions. News broadcasters have started teaming up with digital platforms to provide news on the internet as well as mobile mediums. Social media is emerging as another platform for interactivity to take place in the news sector. More and more news is breaking first on Twitter, Facebook, blogs and Flickr today even before being livecasted on news channels. Also today, news is no longer the dull, uninteractive genre as it is associated to be. Increasing numbers of news channels are cashing in on interactivity by using citizen journalism / participatory journalism. This new competitive media landscape has lead proliferation of channels, fragmentation of audiences and lack of diversity among show formats and content. This has lead to a fight among news channels to retain and grow audience numbers. In this scenario first look at the displacement theory : Kayany Yelsma, 2000 used the displacement theory to suggests that with the advent of a new media the overall consumption remains constant and as consumption of one medium increases the consumption go another medium reduces. This would imply that as digital media grows, audiences would move away from broadcast and a change in news consumption habits would occur. However there are convergence theorists who argue that one need to look at the relationship between traditional and new media to understand how simultaneous consumption will change the way news has been consumed till now. Users and gratification theory Infante, Rancer andWomack, 1997 have used the U G theory to explain how individuals use mass media to satisfy their needs.The U G theory argues that peoples needs and interests influence their use of a particular medium and how they respond to it. The idea is that the audience is self motivated to seek the kind of gratification that they want. With the advent of internet gratifying the need of immediacy it is important to relook at the motivations of the audience to turn to broadcast news and their gratification opportunities to construct effective strategies to retain and garner new audiences. Thus although the theory suggest different needs / motivations of consumer there is no research done on the strategies undertaken by Indian news broadcasters to segment different audiences accordingly to different gratification opportunities and provide differentiated offerings to them and how this helps them gain a competitive edge with advertisers and viewers. Let us look at a few theories which seek to explain convergent media behavior and look at MEDIA CONVERGENCE as a strategy: Selective media theory Stempel Hargrove, 1996; Stempel, et al., 2000; Vincent Basil, 1997 have endorsed the selective media theory which suggest that individual direct their attention to respond to specific stimuli in their environment. This implies that exposure to different media content is an active choice and individuals will seek information regarding contents that interest them across all media platforms. That is the consumption of sports news on one platform will lead them to consume the content in the sports space on mobile, online , broadcast and other platforms if the individual is interested in that particular section. Niche theory Dimmick, et al., 2000 in the Niche theory suggest that individual derive different gratifications from using different media. These gratifications would in turn depend on the modality of the medium and as the overlap in these gratification offerings is low in the news industry, the mediums would be more complementary than displacement. Involvement theory Petty Cacioppo, 1986 in the involvement theory suggest that individuals involved in obtaining information on an area are more likely to consumer news from all mediums to optimize their resources to gain maximum knowledge. Thus highly motivated consumers will seek information across various media outlets. It is important to understand whether broadcasters today are using their multi platforms to generate interest in broadcasting medium and pull audiences from online to broadcast or they first break the news on broadcast giving out more information on other platforms. There are various opportunities for gaining audiences by using these theories and news channels today need to jump at them to create competitive edges for themselves. Convergence today has become the strategic option for many media companies although he levels of response from consumers still it make it possible to differentiate between Leaders, laggards and learner ( Denis et al , 2006 ). Thus at business growth levels convergence is linked to growth strategies in 3 ways : 1) Operational convergence 2) cross platform marketing where companies leverage their platforms and repurpose their old content for new viewers 3) developing on demand content thereby addressing viewer needs Thus there have been clearly been changes in news consumption behavior especially in metros like Mumbai where technological acceptance, lifestyles and media environment are fast changing. 2008 witnessed a phenomenal change in the way we consumer news. Participatory media formats have lead us to not only gather news but enabled us to share it and produce it. As demonstrated above, besides using convergent media to gain audiences, broadcast channels need to revisit their competitive and differentiation strategies. For decades breaking news has been used as an age old strategy to establish exclusivity and garner eyeballs. With the introduction of similar technology, real time streaming and social media all news channels are breaking news at the same. Hence there is a need to explore the relevance of breaking news as a strategy and its effectiveness. Program choice selection: Webster and Wakshlag have identified the main factor in program selection as availability. They say if viewer choices are dictated by what is available to them. Many programming strategies are designed to stop the viewer from searching for a more gratifying program based on the assumption that if their program does not annoy them they will not change them. Thus the aim of many programs is to avoid displeasure. Jeffres (1978) called such programs least objectionable programs (LOP). However digital factors make this factor irrelevant in the future. Apart from that they identified audience they watch a program with as an influencer and selection habits as another. They say if a program search is generally restricted to a particular number of channels which Heeter calls Channel Repertoire. Thus viewers may avoid certain programs because the channel or network is not in their repertoire. However there is no research done on the branding and programming Indian news channels undertake to be included in the set of acceptable channels of a viewer. Rosenstein and Grant (1997 have pointed out that habit is a factor for selecting certain mediums and offerings. However how broadcasters are tapping into this habit to develop channel loyalty is yet to be studied. Weimann, Brosius, and Wober have shown that there is little variation in consumption of news content. When two people watch the same news program, one may watch it because of the programs specific appeal, whereas the other one is simply waiting for another program to come on. This explains their finding that overall time spent with the news media is roughly the same, regardless of reported medium reliance .Beaudoin and Thorson,2004 who remarked that exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of attention to news. Given the possibility of involuntary avoidance, one should remark that the reverse also applies: Lack of exposure to news is not necessarily an expression of lack of interest in the news. Thus programming choices designed to meet needs of such audiences who express an interest can be used as a niche strategy to gain hold in such audiences. A few programming segments that broadcasters need to look at are Late night viewers and Sunday morning program choices as strategic programming decisions. The PEW research center , 2004 has undertaken studies have been conducted in the US , research needs to be done on what news channels are doing to tap gain TRPs with these audiences. Anchors as differentiators: To look at anchors as brands for the news channels we need to view them as ingredient brands. The reason why companies for adopting ingredient branding as a strategy is that it helps the host brand to improve distribution accessibility, differentiate itself from other competitors and enhance the long term equity of the host brand (Desai and Keller, 2002; Norris 1992). The ingredient brand can also build end users brand preference, stabilize consumers demand, and establish long-term relations with manufacturers (Norris 1992). Anchors / Tv show hosts can be looked in the same respect for news channels. Today Barkha Dutt ,Rajdeep Sardesai have become ingredient brands of the networks they represent. Different segments news gratifications to study strategies for gaining their attention: For youth audiences, the news consumption patterns become extremely critical as they get formed into habits for a lifetime around they time they leave for college.(e.g., Al-Obaidi, Lamb-Williams, Mordas, 2004; Barnhurst Wartella, 1998; Schlagheck, 1998). Thus many media selectively target college students as a long term strategy to gain first advantage into new generation of consumers (Barnhurst Wartella, 1998). Motivations for media usage vary by age, with motivations to escape or pass time usually highest among younger viewers (Greenberg, 1974; Rubin, 1979). College students are susceptible to depression (Rich Scovel, 1987), making them especially vulnerable to the formation of media habits that relieve dysphoria through attendance to escapist media content. Edward Huang, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA, 2007 has undertaken a study Studies on how do what uses do youth make of news and what gratifications they derive from it have been undertaken in the US . The following questions have been answered through this study. Have news media failed to address the youths news consumptions objectives? What role does participatory news media play in satisfying youths consumption needs What are the best strategies in serving young new consumers? To explore the question of emergent news consumption trends it becomes essential to explore the future users news consumption patterns. With myriad options of news outlets, including the Internet, college students are emerging more as news grazers, which means they check news periodically but do not have a particular time for news competitors (Pew Research Center, 2002). A new grazer are audiences which take advantage of the new media environment to check the news from time to time with no set patterns and with a passivity towards event and information. Thus they tend to follow the news on television with the remote control flipping the channel from time to time when they are disinterested. (Pew research 2004) Thus the battle among television news providers to capture the grazing audience has been heated up. Commercial success in such an environment requires the news product to cater to the interests of the news grazer. Thus news producers today cover topics that are less likely to prompt grazers to switch to another channel.( Bellamy and walker 1996) News providers have started downplaying political news to make it soft entertainment oriented news.( Patterson 2000) The strategies that present broadcasters are using to tap this audience will determine the future leaders. Senior citizens are the ones that have maximum time currency and thus strategies used to gain those eyeballs also become increasing important. Thus it is important to study this in the competitive landscape. Thus changing news consumption behavior has lead to news broadcasters to relook at their differentiators, strategies and also identity and target new audiences while retaining old ones so as to avoid becoming irrelevant or obsolete in future. NEED Gap: With the above mentioned technological and lifestyle changes there has been no study undertaken on consumption trends in 2008 2010 and thus predicting the future. Such studies have been undertaken for different segments in the US but not in the Indian context. RESEARCH OBJECTIVE/ SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH The scope of the research extends to both consumer trends in news consumption as well as broadcasters response and action to the same thereby drafting in conclusion the strategies which are used for differentiation in todays news scenario. The research objectives can be listed as below: To identify the patterns and trends in new consumption for various audiences To study the case Mumbai Terrorist blast to understand recent news consumption habits and delivery tactics. To list and rank the competitive strategies used by news channels to differentiate their offerings and gain new audiences To study the integration of print, broadcast, radio , citizen, digital , social mobile media and their working with each other to carry news in todays scenario Rationale: As literature and current news cases such as Mumbai terror blasts, 9/11, Economic Times launching a channel reveal consumption of news has changed today. Thus delivery tactics must be relooked and strategies revisited as differentiation is almost nil in the news broadcast industry today. There is a constant struggle to garner new audiences and thus it becomes important to follow the new trends. There has been no study conducted on the trends in news consumption today and in future times in the Indian scenario. Hypothesis: With the changing news consumption trends there is a need for broadcasters to align their delivery tactics and revisit their competitive strategies Research questions Are news channels truly differentiated in todays scenario? Is there any kind of channel loyalty? What are the strategies news channels are using for differentiation? What are the patterns and trends in news consumption for various audiences? How have broadcasters aligned their delivery methods to meet these news trends? How are various media integrated while provided news today? RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study is primarily exploratory in nature. I shall be primarily using qualitative tools to identify trends from current data viable and accounting for the broadcasters perspective. Extensive Tam analysis study of viewership data already available Areas of information: Demographic and basic lifestyle information Source of news consumption Response to news Participation in news production and delivery Channel loyalty Perceptions about different brands Consumption behavior for different genre of news Impact of :Anchors, tickers, breaking news, programming choices Programming choices preferences for each segment Industry perspective In this phase after identifying the trends in consumption patterns I shall be undertaking a qualitative research for a few broadcasters to understand the tactics and strategies used by them. The different treatment given by them to these segments shall be understood. Also the need for differentiation and their action plans regarding the same shall be understood. Areas of information: Segmentation by broadcasters and different treatments of the same Tactics used by broadcasters to retain and develop channel loyalty Tactics used by broadcasters to gain new audiences Integration of traditional and new media by broadcasters Importance given to differentiation and strategies used to achieve the same Tool used: In depth interview I shall be meeting with experts in the broadcast company: Marketing, Programming Editorial. Media consultants were interviewed to understand the working of the business. The following panel of experts was used in the discussion of various aspects. Sampling: Purposeful Sampling This method allowed me to select experts based on relevant work experience and knowledge of the industry. Thus the information collected was highly credible and reliable. The method also was convenient as I was the only one involved in the selection process. This allowed me to make analysis and thereby compare different perspectives. Further snowballing was used as a method of referral sampling wherein through networks of professionals experts were reached. These experts made valuable contributions to the field. Case study method of analysis: Detailed study of 2 TV news channels- NDTV 24 x7 and CNN -IBN have been undertaken. A brief programming review, convergence strategies, differentiators, marketing branding strategies of the channels have been studied. Each case covers interesting new emerging strategies used by that particular broadcaster during the period of 2008 -2010. A single event based case study of how twitter was used during Mumbai blasts is also studied. This is used to study the effect of new media on consumption and the extent of the impact and implications it holds on the broadcasters. This case method allows me to study changes that have happened in the last two years in Channel strategies and also news consumption. Thus it allows me to map the different strategies used by broadcasters and identify emerging trends. Advantages of case study method: The case study method is most valuable when the researcher wants to obtain a wealth of information about the research topic. Case studies provide tremendous detail. Many times researchers want such detail when they dont know exactly what they are looking for. The case study is particularly advantageous to the researcher who is trying to find clues and ideas for further research. This is not to suggest, however, that case studies be used only at the exploratory stage of research. The method can also be used to gather descriptive and explanatory data. The case study technique can suggest why something has occurred. For example, in many cities in the mid-1980s, cable companies asked to be released from certain promises made when negotiating for a franchise. To learn why this occurred, a multiple case study approach examining several cities 16 could have been used. Other research techniques, such as the survey, might not be able to get at all the possible reasons behind this phenomenon . Ideally, case studies should be used in combination with theory to achieve maximum understanding (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156). The case study method also affords the researcher the ability to deal with a wide spectrum of evidence.Documents, historical artifacts, systematic interviews, direct observations, and even traditional surveys can all be incorporated into a case study. In fact, the more data sources that can be brought to bear in a case, the more likely it is that the study will be valid (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:156,157). Disadvantages of case study method : There are three main criticisms. The first has to do with a general lack of scientific rigor in many case studies. Yin points out that too many times, the case study investigator has been sloppy, and has allowed equivocal evidence or biased views to influence the findings and conclusions. It is easy to do a sloppy case study; rigorous case studies require a good deal of time and effort (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). The second criticism is that the case study is not easily open to generalization. If the main goal of the researcher is to make statistically based normative statements about the frequency of occurrence of a phenomenon in a defined population, some other method may be more appropriate. This is not to say that the results of all case studies are idiosyncratic and unique. In fact, if generalizing theoretic propositions is the main goal, the case study method is perfectly suited to the task (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Finally, like participant observation, case studies are likely to be timeconsuming and may occasionally produce massive quantities of data that are hard to summarize. Consequently, fellow researchers are forced to wait years for the results of the research, which too often are poorly presented. Some authors, however, are experimenting with nontraditional methods of reporting to overcome this last criticism (Wimmer Dominick, 1983:157). Even with these limitations, the methods provide a lot of possibilities as it is very flexible. It allows deep study of a specific subject. Thus having specified the method, the unfolding chapters refer to the case in point. Expected contribution: Theoretically, through the findings of the research, the user gratifications theory, nice theory, selective theory and involvement theory will be tested. I shall use these theories in the news genre and test the application of the same in this genre. On the practical front, the testing the hypothesis shall have practical significance for the broadcasters. Additionally the trends indentified and predicted for the coming year shall have strategic implications for news broadcasters. The trends shall enable the broadcasters target their prospective audiences better and use tactics to compete, differentiate garner new audiences. NDTV 24 X 7 Founded in the year 1988, the channel was Indias first and largest private producer of current affairs, news stories and entertainment .The brand NDTV 24 * 7 is the market leader and holds an unrivalled reputation for excellence. The following strategic initiatives for growth were undertaken by NDTV . Reliance Infocomm (2004): s In 2004, the channel tied up with reliance Infocomm, Indias largest mobile service provider to provide on the hour news updates of actual newscast with streaming of videos of NDTV news. This enabled Rim customers to watch streaming videos of election updates as well as other news coverage on their handsets. Southern Edition (2006): In 2006, the channel announced the launch of a southern edition - a daily news show using opt -out telecast technology for its viewers in Tamil Nadu, Kerela Karnataka. This show is on air on weekdays at 7 30 and on weekends there is an extravaganza of region specific programming. FTA (2007) : In 2007, it was converted to a FTA channel in the CAS notified areas of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkatta.The channel is still a pay channel in Chennai. Durand Cup (2007): In 2007 NDTV decided to get into telecasting the live broadcast of Durand Cup 2007.No other news channel in India had beamed live sports before this. The reason behind this was that football viewership has been growing in India. The target audience is mostly 15 +, in SEC A+, A, B+ and B segments. PROGRAMMING Apart from news the channel also airs other programs like We the people and The big fight which are hugely popular. The channel continues to produce original content such as documentaries and special reports featuring political news, entertainment reports and cricket. The channel also has an afternoon weekday segment of the business and market news thereby encompassing all programs offering for their core viewer. The channel has an innovative approach to programming there taking the first step in news shows. Very recently it launched Newsnet2.0 which involves consumer engagement in the production of news as well as syndication of online content. It covers he hot topics which are currently exciting netizens across the world. It provides a 360 vision of all the mediums that people use to discuss their views on contemporary issues. Weekend programming: The weekend programming comprises an array of non news shows like Documentary 24 x 7, cell guru, picture this and others. There are also shows recapping and discussing the weeks news events. Weekday programming: A one stop solution for all interests of the target audience , on weekdays the channel provides news offering in sport, politics, business, national and current news. The Key shows We The People- This powerful opinion-based show, hosted by Barkha Dutt, puts eminent panelists at the mercy of an enquiring public, throwing the floor open for discussions on the issues affecting the country and its people and ensuring that the average citizen has his or her say. The Big Fight- Hosted by Vikram Chandra, the show pits those on opposite sides of an issue against each other in a lively and often heated debate. What emerges from the sometimes controversial opinions is a thorough 360Â ° view of the key national or global issue at hand. India 60: Verdict- NDTVs flagship news programme, India 60 Minutes, is complemented by this special debate segment on the major controversy of the day. Designed to be interactive, it lets viewers have the final word on the big issue in that days news, be it from politics, sports, entertainment or business Bombay Talkies- Sreenivasan Jain takes a walk with Mumbais renowned personalities, through an area that is especially significant to him or her. The freewheeling chat format of the show touches upon a range of issues, showcasing new facets of their persona. The show has featured people from all walks of life, including the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Raj Thackeray, Nusli Wadia, Shatrughan Sinha and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Walk the Talk- One of the flagship programmes of NDTV 24X7, it is a technical first in the Indian television industry, being the only programme in the country to be shot in one take. For four years and with over two hundred episodes, Indian Express Editor-in-Chief, Shekhar Gupta, has travelled and questioned every eminent national personality at a place of special relevance to the guest. Amongst the stellar guests the show has had, were all three of Indias recent Nobel Prize winners Dr. Amartya Sen, VS Naipul and the Dalai Lama. www.ndtv.com CONVERGENCE NDTV Convergence the new media arm of NDTV encompasses an array of digital media and mobile media services to provide a complete solution to advertisers and tap into the mobile/net savvy audience of todays times. NDTV ACTIVE : NDTV active is packaged with various mobile sites consisting of text based content like news, movies, astrology, music, lifestyle and stocks powered by NDTVs online content. The portal is monetized through ads, sponsorships, plus offering some sections of the portal on a subscription basis. He channel is looking at content syndication and they want to tie up with mobile operators to provide content for their mobile portals. NDTV convergence launched a free SMS service with July systems in partnership. The service called MISMS will enable mobile users to access multimedia content via sms. Users of this service can get the latest news, videos, stocks, and cricket scores by sending the short code to NDTV. The content is hosted on NDTV active which is NDTVs existing mobile portal. NDTV active receives about 15000 visitors a month. From its mobile services NDTV is targeting to achieve Rs. 4. 3 crore in revenue which comprises 15 % of their total revenue. OTHER PORTALS: NDTV website looks more like a general interest website than a serious ne