I Like to Eat Pizza Essay Example for Free

I Like to Eat Pizza Essay Hose who eat their slices with two hands, and those who (dare I say) like to cut their pizza with a fork and knife. Some people soak up the olive oil with a napkin, while others don’t mind a greasy slice. Some people like the crust, while others live for that first bite. Some people decorate their slices with spices, while others like it plain. Nearly any ingredient can be put on pizza. From pepperoni and anchovies to barbecue chicken and pineapple, every pizza pie is like a unique work of art. Every pie is a different shape and size. There are thin crust pies, deep dish pies, and everything in between. There are pies with different cheeses and tomato sauce, or even pies with a completely different base altogether. Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, DC there weren’t so many great options for pizza. Ordering in from Domino’s and Pizza Hut was a weekly occurrence. But when I arrived in New York in 2002, I was thrust into an entirely new pizza universe. Living at an NYU dorm by Washington Square Park, I developed a quick allegiance with my local pizzerias. I could barely walk a block without passing by a shop — many of them claiming to serve up the best slice in the city. There was Joe’s on the corner of Bleecker Street and Carmine Street (which closed it’s doors in 2004) where tipsy students, homeless people, and even celebrities made their way to the counter through the wee hours of the morning. I remember eating a slice of pizza with Dave Chappelle one evening after he’d finished up a set at the nearby Comedy Cellar. Joe’s served up a good slice, but it was about more than the food. Going there was an adventure. It was where old friends would run into each other and new friends were made. You couldn’t help but notice the non-stop hustle and bustle around you — but at the same time there was sense satisfaction once you took your first bite of their delicious slices. Within a five minute walk from my dorm, there were dozens of pizza places and I intended to try them all. I fell in love with many including Pizza Booth on Bleecker Street and The Pizzeria on MacDougal Street. I remember the night I ran into Adam Sandler at Ben’s Pizza on the corner of MacDougal and 3rd Street and the first time I went to Pasty’s Pizzeria on University Place — the final meal I ate in 2002. Patsy’s opened my eyes to a whole other world of pizza — the upscale pie. I had always thought that a New York slice was served on a paper plate — intended for a quick late night bite on your way between watering holes. But I soon came to learn that many of city’s best pizza places didn’t serve slices and that eating their pizza involved a great deal of patience while your custom pie was prepared. The fall of 2003 took me to what is still one of my favorite pizza places in the New York: Grimaldi’s. Although there is a subway stop a few blocks from this Brooklyn pizzeria, the only true way to get there is by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge, arguably the most picturesque ways to take in New York’s sprawling skyline. To me, a walk over the bridge and Grimaldi’s have become synonymous with one another. I can’t walk across the bridge without stopping at Grimaldi’s and I can’t stop at Grimaldi’s without walking across the bridge. This is the first thing I do with any out-of-town guest. It’s just off the beaten path enough to make a tourist feel like a New Yorker, yet not so touristy that a New Yorker feels out of place. It is the quintessential New York experience. There have been days when I’ve been seated at Grimaldi’s right away and other times where I’ve waited behind hundreds of people outside in the cold. When you’re inside, the best view of the action is in the bathroom line, adjacent to the brick ovens where pies are constantly being removed, put on a platter, and placed on a nearby table as the steam still rises off the top. The pizza is thin enough that two people can split a large pie. In fact, ordering the small pie for $2 less is not even economical. There is no better place to digest Grimaldi’s than on the Brooklyn Heights Promenade overlooking lower Manhattan. It’s the only place in the city that I can be assured to find at least one bride and groom snapping photos every time I’m there. On weekend afternoons it’s common to see five or six couples taking wedding photos. Walking back on the bridge, one feels content, satisfied, accomplished, and [insert positive feeling here]. There are few experiences that rival this. The spring of 2004 took me to Italy where I spent a semester studying in Florence. At the time, I was not a big foodie, so I rarely kept track of where I ate. Today, however, if I was to return, my entire trip would be dictated by food. Although Florence is a very Americanized city, my apartment was a 20 minute walk from the center of town. One evening, while exploring the area around our apartment, my roommates and I discovered a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant on a hidden side street. There wasn’t a single English speaking person in the entire place and there was no English version of the menu. Although I have no idea what this place was named, I know how to get back there and one day plan to return. Their pizza pies were large, but so thin that everyone needed their own. Their pies were more closely resembled the shape of a puddle in the street than a geometric figure. Of the dozen times I dined there, my pizza never looked the same. I think about this place a lot — whether it still exists, what it was actually called, whether any other tourists every discovered it. But most of all, I’m upset that I can’t tell people traveling to Florence how to find it. I need to get back there for the sake of this pizza place.

Education in the United States Essay Example for Free

Education in the United States Essay Education in the United States of America is governed by the Department of Education. There are three different levels of control and funding for public education: federal, state, and local. In the United States school is mandatory from Kindergarten through High School, consisting of thirteen different grade levels. Students can obtain an education by attending a public school, a private school, or a home school. In order to ensure that all students obtain the academic knowledge needed to progress through the grade levels, standardized tests are given regardless of where a student obtains an education (United States Department of Education, 2005). Education in the United States is governed and funded mainly by local jurisdictions, with the state and federal governments supervising educational activities and ensuring that all local jurisdictions are administering standardized tests and obtaining the funding needed to operate adequate educational facilities. The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that all powers that are not assigned to the federal government by the United States Constitution are reserved to the people or the individual states. As per the Tenth Amendment, the individual states control public education. Most states are divided into local jurisdictions that have elected school boards that oversee the individual school districts within its jurisdiction. The local school districts own and operate the public schools within its boundaries and are responsible for obtaining funding for each of the public schools they control (United States Constitution, Tenth Amendment, 1787). The majority of the funding for public education in the United States is obtained from local taxes and state governments. The federal government only provides 8. 5% of the funds for public education (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008). There has been some controversy over the No Child Left Behind Act passed in 2001 which allows the federal government to withhold funding if a state or local school district is not complying with the standards set forth in the No Child Left Behind Act. However, the funding withheld for non-compliance is not a significant amount (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001). There is a larger controversy over the local school districts obtaining funding primarily from local taxes. Local jurisdictions can impose many different types of taxes on its citizens. In the commonwealth of Massachusetts there has been controversy over the imposition of excise taxes and corporate taxes. Excise taxes are taxes that are not property taxes or taxes that are imposed based on statutory law. Corporate taxes are imposed on corporations within a certain jurisdiction that are paid to the local government. These taxes are in addition to any federal or state taxes that the corporation is responsible for. Businesses in the commonwealth of Massachusetts are required to pay quarterly excise taxes on an accelerated basis due 15 days prior to the end of each quarter. The first quarter payment is 40% of the required annual excise tax, the second and third payments are 25% each, and the fourth payment is 10% of the excise tax. The minimum amount of corporate excise tax required of all corporations operating within the commonwealth of Massachusetts is $456 per year regardless of whether or not the corporation made a profit that year (The National Federation of Independent Business, 2007). Chapter 70 Part 1, Title XII, Chapter 70 of the General Laws of Massachusetts regulates the financial disbursements awarded to each public school district throughout the commonwealth. The legislative intent of Chapter 70 is to assure fair and adequate minimum per student funding for public schools in the commonwealth by defining a foundation budget and a standard of local funding effort applicable to every city and town in the commonwealth (Chapter 70). Chapter 70 sets up rules on how to allocate the money. These rules set standards on how the money will be distributed if it is below a base amount or higher than a base amount. For example, in Section 13, Part B, the law states that â€Å"if the amount appropriated is more than the base amount, funds shall first be allocated to ensure that the state school aid for each municipality equals the base amount† (Chapter 70). This part tries to ensure that an equal distribution is set to each school. Although this is only occurs when more money is available, it still sets the standard that each school will at least get its base amount before other funds are distributed. In the event that there are not enough funds to cover the base, a formula has been established to attempt to make the distribution fair. The amount is reduced by a constant amount per student. The rate is found by the difference between the base amount and the actual amount divided by the total enrollment of the state (Chapter 70). Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge, Massachusetts is a city right outside Boston, Massachusetts. Cambridge is famous for its two prominent universities: Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The public school system in Cambridge is controlled by the Cambridge Public School District which consists of twelve elementary schools, of which eleven extend through eighth grade. There is only one high school in the Cambridge Public School District, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. The Cambridge Public School District educates over 5,500 students every year with a project enrollment of 5,790 students for the 2008-2009 school year. The Cambridge Public School District has a proposed budget of $130,704,170. 00 for the 2008-2009 school year. This proposed budget has increased 2. 36% from the previous year. 75% of this proposed budget will be allocated to the individual schools within the district. The remaining 25% of this budget will be spent on administrative costs such as maintenance and security. The Cambridge Public School District is funded through a variety of sources in addition to local taxes. The Cambridge Public School District receives funds from thirteen federal grants awarded by the commonwealth of Massachusetts, eleven private grants, eleven revolving funds, ten state grants, two district federal grants, and one state-circuit breaker reimbursement. These grants account for $13,714,499 of the total funds needed to operate the schools within the Cambridge Public School District. The Cambridge Public School District also receives an average of $1,076 per student from Chapter 70 financial aid each year (Action Public Schools, 2006). Newton, Massachusetts Newton, Massachusetts is a suburb of Boston that consists of thirteen small villages. The Newton Public School District controls the fifteen elementary schools, four middle schools, and two high schools that are located in Newton, Massachusetts. The Newton Public School District educates an average of over 11,000 students each year throughout its twenty two public schools (Newton Public School District, 2008). The Newton Public School District has a proposed budget of $171,377,580 for the 2008-2009 school year. This proposed budget has increased 10. 5% from the previous year. According to this budget, the Newton Public School District spends $14,743 per student every year (Newton Public School District, 2008). The Newton Public School District is funded through a variety of sources in addition to local taxes. The Newton Public School District receives 55% of the revenue generated by the City of Newton. The Newton Public School District also receives over $8. 6 million dollars from federal, state, and private grants. Over $3 million dollars of the Newton Public School District budget is received from a program called Circuit Breaker which allocates special funds to school districts for additional special education courses. Federal, state, and private grants and the Circuit Breaker program account for almost $12 million dollars of the annual budget (Newton Public School District, 2006). The Newton Public School District also receives an average of $846 per student from Chapter 70 financial aid each year (Action Public Schools, 2006). Conclusions Allocating funds for public education in the United States is a complex process. Wealth and more funds do not necessarily lead to greater achievement by the students enrolled in the school district. Federal, state, and local jurisdictions must determine the most beneficial methods for allocating the educational funds available. These allocations are not equal and usually result in the more industrious neighborhoods receiving less funding from these sources, and incurring higher corporate taxes. The Newton Public School District receives less funding from external sources, and its businesses pay more corporate taxes. The allocated budget in the Newton Public School District is higher than the budget in Cambridge due to the fact that although the populations are similar, Newton operates twice as many educational facilities. . The Newton Public School District does not need the extra funds from external sources in order to reach its budget. Although the dollar amounts indicate an unfair advantage for the residents of Cambridge, both school districts are able to meet their budgets and educate their students adequately. Although the corporate tax system and excise tax system in Massachusetts may seem unfair to its businesses and residents, the public school districts within Massachusetts (including Newton and Cambridge) are able to meet the budget requirements due to the Chapter 70 allocations. The purpose of Chapter 70 is to create equality amongst the school districts and ensure that the cities that receive less corporate and excise tax are still able to operate successful public school districts so that every child within the commonwealth of Massachusetts has the opportunity to receive a quality education. REFERENCES The United States Census Bureau (2006). American FactFinder. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://factfinder. census. gov/ Action Public Schools (2006). Chapter 70 Aid Per Student High to Low. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://ab. mec. edu/about/Chapter70Aid/CH70PerStudentFY06. pdf Newton, Massachusetts (2008). 2008 Property Tax Rates. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www. ci. newton. ma. us/Assessor/taxrate. htm Cambridge Massachusetts (2008). 2008 Property tax Rates. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www. cambridgema. gov/CityOfCambridge_Content/documents/FY2008_Property_Tax_Update_Newsletter. pdf Newton Public School District (2008). General Information. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www. newton. k12. ma. us Cambridge Public School District (2008). General Information. Retrieved April 1, 2008 from http://www. cpsd. us/index. cfm

Case Study on Dave Barry :: History

Case Study on Dave Barry Much can be learned about Dave Barry's personal life by reading his books, which are compilations of the articles that he has written. His articles can be seen every Sunday in the Daily Break section of The Virginian-Pilot. He is a comedy writer who often points out annoying aspects of everyday life and makes fun of them. All of the following excerpts have been taken from the book entitled, "Dave Barry is not making this up" (unless otherwise noted). He uses a lot of parentheses to add asides, which further explain what he has written. Another technique in his writing that I have noticed is personification, sometimes in the form of quotes. All of these techniques are used in the following excerpts from an article entitled, "Food For Thought." Another problem is that our ant is starting to sag, both in the front (or, in entomological terms, the "prognosis") and in the rear (or "butt"). It doesn't look like one of those alert, businesslike, "can-do" ants that you see striding briskly around. It looks depressed, like an ant that has just been informed that all 86,932 members of its immediate family were crushed while attempting to lift a Tootsie Roll. But the ants that showed up at our experiment were total morons. You'd watch one, and it would sprint up to a Cocoa Krispie, and then stop suddenly, as if saying: "Yikes! Compared with me, this Cocoa Krispie is the size of a Buick!" then it would sprint off in a random direction. Sometimes it would sprint back; sometimes it would sprint to another Cocoa Krispie and act surprised again. but it never seemed to do anything. There were thousands of ants behaving this way, and every single time two of them met, they'd both stop and exchange "high-fives" with their antennas, along with, I assume, some kind of ant pleasantries ("Hi Bob! "No, I'm Bill!" "Sorry! You look just like Bob!"). This was repeated millions of times. I watched these ants for two days, and they accomplished nothing. It was exactly like highway construction. It wouldn't have surprised me if some ants started waving orange flags to direct other insects around the area. A technique found often in Barry's articles are graphic indicators, especially italics. The above excerpt shows how he uses them to indicate exaggeration ("This was repeated millions of times") and also to emphasize words ("†¦accomplished nothing).

Personal Narrative- Daydreaming in Class Essay -- Personal Narrative W

Personal Narrative- Daydreaming There I sat, trying desperately not to drool in the middle of my daydream. Dare I say class was less than interesting and all I could think of was my bed? Instead of daydreaming of a hunky man, or even a bright future paved with a golden road of success, I was dreaming of my bed. It was an ordinary college dorm room bed: you never know how many people actually slept in it, or did something else in it, yet I still find comfort in its lumps and bumps. In the brilliance of my afternoon laziness I decided that daydreaming about my bed wasn’t silly at all. In fact I should commemorate my bed with a poem and a little cartoon drawing of it. Unfortunately I had forgotten my notebook so I began to doodle on the prehistoric thing called a desk. Knowing that writing an ode to my wonderful bed on another piece of furniture was loaded with irony, I hesitated commemorating my bed on this horrible, and unworthy desk. Since I was out of paper and out of options I shrugged my shoulders at my h esitations and began my ode to my bed. Oh endearing friend of mine Soft, sweet and truly divine. Only I understand your charm Stay with me always and I’ll keep you from harm. Okay, so this wasn’t a Shakespearian sonnet, but I found it worthy at the time of this creaky and uncommonly hard, desk. This poem was followed by several crude drawings of my bed. Then I found myself enthralled with the words etched into the wooden canvas before me. Being a college desk, there were the token swear words and brilliantly crafted phrases such as â€Å"Bobby Joe was here.† The etchings I found of interest weren’t even etched in; they were merely drawn with pencil. What a daring move for the author to make. Someone could easily ... ... forget to divert your eyes from the professor. Once you make eye contact the spell is broken and he will call on you... What on earth could that mean? I glanced quickly up at my professor only to catch his eye. â€Å"Ah, I see one of you is still alive!† he said maliciously, â€Å"Can you tell those of us who are still awake what Byron meant when he said ‘She walks in beauty, like the night. Of Cloudless climes and starry nights...?† Oh no I had broken the spell! Now I understood what the prophet of the desk had meant. I mumbled some nonsense about an unrequited love, which seemed to satisfy my professor. He seemed to think he had reached his quota of in-class discussion with my comment, so he went on talking to himself, completely self absorbed. In my desperation to find the safety of a daydream yet again I began to scrawl in deep, dark marks on the desk, â€Å"LLH was here.†

Adapting adult language and interactions Essay

Explain how adapting adult language and interactions can support a child’s behaviour, emotional, social skills, as well as support their communication development The amount and style of adult talk can greatly influence the environment and how accessible it is to children with speech, language or communication needs. Giving children time to process and understand information, and to respond is crucial. By adapting their use of talk in the setting and in particular their level of language, adults can really enhance their learning development as well as supporting their communication skills. Adults can support this through a number of ways. These include: – Focus on what the child is looking at or doing – Follow their lead/ topic of conversation. Encourage children to talk about their own interests at appropriate times. By acknowledging all efforts at communication it shows that the child is valued. This will help build a positive relationship and support the child’s independence and self-confidence. – Get down to the child’s level – It’s easier to talk if you are face to face. Taking it in turns to communicate so that the adult and the child both get a turn talking, giving choices to increase vocabulary, e.g. apple or orange? Build up your child’s sentences by repeating what they say and adding words. If the child says a word inaccurately, acknowledge what they have said and repeat it back ‘once’ correctly. – Use of rhetorical/ open questions and expanding statements – Making sure you use lots of statements and fewer questions. Scaffolding techniques (whereby keywords and phrases are repeated) – Giving children and young people the time needed to respond and process information – Provide opportunities to communicate. – Work one-to-one or in small groups – Give opportunities that facilitate communication with their peers (since social skills and language are inherently deeply rooted). – Letting children work in pairs to encourage listening to each other. – Circle time can help develop listening skills and  better attention. – Use of shorter sentences. – Support what you say with visual cues, gestures, diagrams etc. – Listen and show interest with eye contact, body language etc. – Give positive feedback.

Mba 653

MTV ARABIA – Case study MBA -653 Table of Contents Abstract†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 Challenges†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Strategies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦.. 9 References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 ABSTRACT MTV Networks (MTVN) had over the years developed a reputation for its ability to provide localized content without diluting what MTV stood for.However, the company faced the most challenging test in late 2007 with its launch of MTV Arabic in the Middle East, which some experts considered as the biggest launch in the channel’s history. While the market in the Middle East offered MTVN with huge opportunities due to its huge youth populace, MTV’s controversial content that was known for angering religious, political, and conservative communities could easily backfire in the conservative environment prevalent in the region. On the other han d, too much localization to suit the tastes of the region could dilute MTV’s global brand.The case discusses in detail the strategy adopted by MTVN to enter and expand in the Middle East and also the challenges faced by the channel. 1 SWOT Analysis 2 1. Experts felt that one of the biggest challenges faced by MTV while launching MTV Arabia was the prevalent culture in the Arab world. Discuss the Arab culture. How is it expected to pose a challenge to MTV? The Arab world stretches from Morocco across Northern Africa to the Persian Gulf. The Arab world is more or less equal to the area known as the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).It can also be defined as those countries where Arabic is the dominant language. Arab countries are religiously and ethnically diverse with Islam being the dominant religion in most countries. 22 Arab countries/areas: Algeria, Bahrain, the Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The Arab Culture is divided into three main parts, the Urban Culture (Al-Hadar), the Rural Culture (Al-Reef), and the Nomad Culture (Al-Badow).Typically, countries like Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and Morocco are considered Rural Cultures, while Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Libya, Mauritania and Jordan are considered Badow (Bedouins), while finally the Lebanon, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria are considered Urban, yet most of the Arab Major Cities are recognized with Urban Cultures, like Cairo, Rabat, Baghdad, Alexandria, Damascus, Marrakech. The Arab countries are religiously and ethnically diverse. The Arab world is a location of several world religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and a multitude of ethnic and linguistic groups.However, the predominant religion is Islam and Arabic the dominate language. To be an Arab, like an American, is a cultural trait rather than racial. An Arab worldview is based upon the below concepts: 1. Atomism: Arabs tend to see the world and events as isolated incidents, snapshots, and particular moments in time. Westerners tend to look for unifying concepts whereas Arabs focus on parts, rather than on the whole. 2. Faith: Arabs usually believe that many, if not all; things in life are controlled by the will of God (fate) rather than by human beings. . Wish Versus Reality: Arabs, much more than Westerners, express emotion in a forceful and animated fashion. Their desire for modernity is contradicted by a desire for tradition (especially Islamic tradition). 4. Importance of Justice and Equality: Arabs value justice and equality among Muslims, and to a lesser degree to others. All actions taken by non-Arabs will be weighed in comparison to tradition and religious standards. 3 5. Family versus self: Arabic communities are tight-knit groups made up of even tighter family groups.Family pride and honor is more important than individual hon or. 6. Paranoia: Arabs may seem paranoid by Western standards. Many are suspicious of any Western interest or intent in their land. 7. Shame and Honor: Admitting, â€Å"I don’t know† is distasteful to an Arab. Constructive criticism can be taken as an insult. Be careful not to insult. And women wear headscarves as a show of respect, even if wearing Western clothing. 8. Family: Family is the center of honor, loyalty, and reputation for Arabs. And males are always the head of the Arab family. 9.Personal Space: Most Arabs DO NOT share the American concept of â€Å"Personal space† in public situations, and in private meetings or conversations. It is considered offensive to step or lean away! Women are an exception to this rule. DO NOT stand close to, stare at, or touch a woman. 10. Socialization and Trust: When conducting business, it is customary to first shake the hand of all males present, taking care not to grip too firmly. Allocate plenty of time for refreshmen t before attempting to engage in business. It is important to first establish respect and trust.Arab Perspective vs. Western Perspective Arab Western Family Considered the foremost, where the father is patriarchal Important, but not as central to the life of the individual Friends Part of life, but considered more periphery Core to a few, but mostly important in life Honor very important amongst Arabs. Honor will be protected and defended all costs. Typically not as important ShameAvoided as much as possible, especially in relation to family, where gossip, insults and criticism taken to heart typically not as important time less rigid.Approach to time is much more relaxed and showed than that in Western cultures. Very structured, deadlines must be met. Religion is central to all things varies with individuals, very personal, not discussed in polite conversation. SocietyFamily tribe is most important individual rights. Government Most governments are secular, but still emphasize reli gion. Purpose is to protect rights and improve standard of living. Age and wisdom honored. Youth and beauty praised. Wealth respected. 4 Some of the key differences identified are given here: Western youth were found to be generally pessimistic about the future, while Middle Eastern youth were generally optimistic. * Religion was seen to be â€Å"enormously important† to Middle Eastern youth when compared to their Western peers. * National identify and traditional values were extremely important to Arab youth, but not to their peers in the West. For Arab youth, â€Å"loss of traditional values and culture† was identified as one of the top three biggest challenges facing the world today, along with rising cost of living and corruption in government. Arab youth generally admired political, religious, and business leaders, while Western youth do not. * Arab youth wanted to â€Å"make a difference†, while Western youth mostly wanted to â€Å"get ahead†. * Mid dle East and Western male youths had very different opinions about gender equality in the workplace, with less than y in 10 Middle East males favoring it. MTV and the challenges posted by the prevalent culture As a result the Arab culture is known for reacting, and some think over reacting negatively to controversial content. The Middle East offered a huge population of youth with a rich and diverse culture.In an effort to adopt the strategy of â€Å"Think Globally, Act Locally† MTVN (Music Television Networks) executives made it a point to learn the cultures and make shows that relate to the cultures as oppose to exporting the American culture. In order to achieve this goal the channel adopted a decentralized structure and gave commercial and creative autonomy to the local staff. This venture was considered to be one of the biggest launches in MTV’s history because of the potential audience. MTV hoped to provide a culturally unifying agent within a region that has bee n known for its political tensions.Also, this channel may correct some misconceptions of the region and reduce tensions. The target audience for the channel would be the Middle East youth; providing them with access to music via mobile, broadband, and television. The challenges MTV expected to encounter included: the reputation of MTV airing sexually explicit programs and images in direct contrast of the socially conservative culture of the Middle East. Adjusting content to be suitable for each region may prove to be very challenging. For example, what is acceptable in Dubai may not be acceptable in other parts of Saudi Arabia.MTV also had to be careful not to lose the vision of their brand in its attempts to conform to localization. 5 In addition, issues such as the US invasion of Iraq complicated relation among the Americans and Arabs. There were also competitors that had already created a niche for them in the region. So, it’s not particularly difficult to see why MTV had a major challenge on its hands. Its content (music, videos and reality shows) could offend the cultural sensibilities of people in the Arab world especially in terms of * Too much skin show * Intermingling of genders * Use of disparaging or swear words References to alcohol * Discussion on religion or politics * Unaccepted gestures such as finger pointing, showing the soles of feet, etc. Another challenge before MTV was that the Arabs were generally considered paranoid by Western standards and they tended to be suspicious of any Western interest. MTV, in a way, stood for what the Arab world most reviled about Western / American culture. While MTV might argue that the values that it stood for were relevant to youth throughout the world, it may still be perceived as something contrary to Islamic ideals and the Arab culture.The launch of MTV in the Arab world could easily be perceived as an imposition of Western culture. Fanatics, or those who pretend to be guardians of Islam, could ea sily rake up the issue and create a lot of trouble for MTV. To complicate matters, the anti-American sentiments prevalent in a section of the Arab world too could pose step challenges to MTV. One may argue that with globalization and the advancements in information and communication technology, youth across the globe share similar aspirations and consumption behavior. And that a section of the youth population in the Middle East did want MTV.However, ignoring the cultural differences is fraught with danger, as the Arab youth consider religion â€Å"enormously important â€Å"and â€Å"loss of traditional values and culture â€Å"as a key challenge. 6 2. MTV’s Strategy in the Middle East . Do you think MTV will be able to succeed in this market? Our team was required to analyze MTV’s strategies in the Middle East and anticipate its success in this market. We believe that the company will do well due to its scientific approach to overcome the major challenges faced i n the region and efficient managerial decision making.Firstly, it was a good start to establish profitable relationship between AMG and MTV, where each of the sides will benefit from its correlation in terms of earnings, great name and people that provide MTV Arabia with a lot of resources. Secondly, Arabs have different tastes and preferences compared to US audience. These differences in taste transfer to all areas including music networks. However, MTV had taken the decision before launching new products to population of the Middle East to adapt the product to fit local taste.Thirdly, the extensive market research was conducted by the company in order to minimize the risk of failure by the determining the needs of the population and developing the product that will satisfy their needs. Same research revealed that Islamic biases toward Americanization will not affect development of the company within the region since majority of the participants’ associated MTV brand with ot her countries rather than US. In addition, the study helped to find vacant niche that could be served to attract larger part of the population and generate more profit. Strategies used by MTV: 1) Segmentation strategy: (a) Geographic segmentation: Targeted region: Middle East Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Palestine and Syria. (b)Demographic segmentation: Targeted Population: About 65 percent of the Arab population consisted of youth under the age of 25. (2) Targeting strategy: Before launching the channel, the extensive survey of the region was conducted to understand what people wanted. The survey team targeted people in the 18-24 age groups and travelled around the region to schools and universities canvassing opinions. (3) Positioning strategy: During MTV’s 25th anniversary, the company said that it would provide the audience in the region content that would be different from that offered by popular Arab music chann els. Though, the Arab market was crowded with more than 50 channels, none of them provided a global platform to export the musical talent of the local youth. (5) Niche strategy: To overcome competition, the channel proposed to establish itself as a platform wherefrom the Arab youth could voice their local concerns as well as advertise their music talent.For instance, MTV Arabia’s flagship show â€Å"Hip Hop Na†, where the winner from each city would get a chance to record a track for a compilation CD produced by Fred Wrecks. (6) Product strategy: Product provided: The channel’s programming was to have a mix of music videos, music-based programming, general life-style and animated programs, reality shows, comedy and dramatic series, news specials, interviews and documentaries where the key is obviously the language. About 45 percentage of MTV Arabia’s content was too produced locally, with the rest translated.New products were developed: MTV Arabia designe d new shows in Arabic to cater to pan-Arab youth audience. There would be a localized version of popular shows such as â€Å"Made†( Al-Helm) and â€Å" Boiling Point† (Akher Takka). (7) Promotion strategy: Celebrity attraction marked the launch of MTV in the Middle East. The launch featured performances by eminent stars as Akon, Ludacris and Karl Wolf along with local hip hop group Desert heart. (8) Distribution channels strategy: The Middle East had the potential to offer MTV numerous media like mobiles and the Internet to reach its end consumers.MTV Arabia wants to provide Middle East youth with the opportunity to watch MTV on mobile, on broadband, and on television. 8 (9) Technical innovative strategy: Products such as MTV Overdrive in which the user could download the video at broadband speed, and MTV Flux in which the online users could create their own TV channel were expected to help in luring the various Internet service providers in the region. (10) Marketâ₠¬â„¢s Entry strategy: MTV entered Middle East by tying up with a local partner; the Arab media group (AMG) (11) Investment and control strategy:The channel MTV Arabia was formed as a result of a licensing arrangement between MTV and AMG. MTV would earn an estimated US $10 million annually in licensing fees from AMG for 10 years. (12) Hybrid approach Refers to company’s ability to fit in local environment with its culture, traditions values, and perception of the reality. MTV Arabia was there to entertain people within the limits of Arab traditions and had no intention of showing disrespect to the local culture. It would be a channel for the Arabs and made by Arabs, where the launch team comprised a mix of Saudis, Palestinians, Emiratis, Iraqis and Lebanese.Conclusion This case gave us an understanding of the issues and challenges in entering and expanding operations in new markets which were culturally different from the organizations home/traditional/existing markets, Unders tanding the pros and cons of entering a new market with a standardized/adapted product to suit local preferences and made us go further in analyzing MTVN’s strategy in the Middle East, identify challenges and explore strategies that the channel could adopt in the future.This case was very useful it made us realize how MTV and other channels experience in global markets. And how localize strategies in various markets. The challenges MTV faced while launching in the Middle East also were disclosed we analyzed those challenges it faced in expanding its operations in the region and the strategy adopted by MTV in the Middle East. 9 References: http://www. arabianbusiness. com/the-revolution-will-be-televised-197356. html http://news. bbc. co. uk/2/hi/middle_east/7100252. stm ttp://www. businessweek. com/stories/2007-10-21/online-extra-mtv-presses-play-in-the-middle-east https://www. inkling. com/read/international-management-helen-deresky-7th/chapter-5/part-ii-comprehensive-case-4 http://www. businessweek. com/stories/2007-10-21/online-extra-mtv-presses-play-in-the-middle-east www. mtv. com WWW. mtvme. com http://www. arabianbusiness. com/ WWW. hrbusinees. com www. cnn. com www. bbc. com www. businessweek. com www. icmrindia. org/casestudies/catalogue/ www. hollywoodreporter. com

SmartBackpacker Crowdsourcing App - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 10 Words: 3038 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Case study Level High school Did you like this example? SmartBackpacker App 1. Executive Summary SmartBackpacker is a paid crowdsourcing app that will provide travelers with up to date reviews, recommendations and tips from other travellers. From the best places to get your laundry done in Timbuktu to the best stall to buy a taco in Mexico City, SmartBackpacker will hopefully become the must have app for all smart travelers. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "SmartBackpacker Crowdsourcing App" essay for you Create order The success of this app will rest on providing the end-user trustworthy and useful information. The success of this app is also highly dependent on user participation as it is the user who will be posting reviews and sharing their travel knowledge. One of the innovative features of this app is that it will allow users to upload video reviews of places they have stayed, places they have eaten or fun, quirky things that might be off the beaten trail. It is hoped that this feature, along with the clean and easy to use user interface will propel SmartBackpacker to the head of the growing travel app market. SmartBackpacker is both the name of the company and the first product that this company will be launching. All future products will be launched under this company but with different names to reflect the target market. Future products could include SmartWeekends for weekend travelers, SmartStaycations for those looking for travel information in the UK and SmartBusinesstravele r for business travelers. This report will focus on the fir 2. Mission, Vision and Culture SmartBackpacker aims to harness the power of the crowd like no other travel app has managed to do before. Printed travel guides such as The Lonely Planet and The Rough Guide have long been essential purchases for tourists. However, these publications are usually updated every two years and dont provide travelers with up to date information. They are written usually by one person and dont really cater to everyones tastes. Usually they only cover one region or country, meaning that if the traveler is embarking on a multi-country tour they have to purchase more than one of these heavy and expensive guides. As smart phones become more prevalent and WiFi and mobile coverage now standard even in places far off the beaten track, it makes sense for travelers to leave their cumbersome, outdated travel books at home and travel with their phones loaded with an app that is constantly updating them with useful and relevant information. If one user had a killer Mojito in a bar in Sydney they can share that information instantly on SmartBackpacker. King (2002) argues that, â€Å"it is the customer who can decide how and when they access their travel and tourism information and how and through what process they access and purchase their travel and tourism arrangements† (p. 106). SmartBackpacker aims to be at the heart of this customer-focused movement by getting tourists to share information directly with each other, bypassing all the traditional channels. This business has to be built on a culture of trust. Users have to be able to trust the information that they are being given. It is this trust that will engender positive feelings towards the product and prompt people to post their own reviews. Surowiecki (2004) argues that, â€Å"under the right circumstances, groups are remarkably intelligent† (p. xiii). This app will use this group intelligent to improve the travel experience for everyone using this product. SmartBackpacker will be the f irst in a long line of travel related apps from this company. 3. Company Objectives The objectives of this product are as follows: 1. To become the most trusted source of travel information in the growing travel app market. 2. To identify the target market and build up strong brand awareness here. 3. To use the knowledge learned and the success of SmartBackpacker as a springboard to launch other paid travel related apps 4. Opportunity Analysis and Research Tourism is an extremely diverse activity ranging from a weekend shopping trip in New York to a month long trek in the jungles of Borneo. However, one thing that unites all tourism activity is that it usually implies that people are traveling to somewhere new. Information about their surroundings is therefore key to the enjoyment of their experience. However, because tourism is such a diverse activity, it is important that SmartBackpacker is able to identify a core market within which to operate. Since this app relies on user generated content and crowdsourcing, it is important that, for the most part, the users all share the same broad area of interest. For this reason, SmartBackpacker will be aimed squarely at young, tech savvy travelers who probably already use social networking sites in their daily lives and are used to the concept of crowdsourcing. These are travelers who are either taking a gap year or are taking an early career break. Perhaps the best definition of t his market comes from Riley (1988) who states, â€Å"in general they are future pillars of society, on temporary leave from affluence, but with clear and unwavering intentions to return to a normal life† (p. 314). This app would also be useful for younger people taking short trips such as weekend city breaks. 4.1. Industry Analysis 4.1.1 Tourism Market In 2009, visits abroad by UK residents fell by almost 15% on the 2008 figures (ONS, 2010). However, in the second half of 2010 there appears to be signs that international travel is slowly bouncing back. Jarvis (2009) observes that the backpacker market seems to be bucking the decline that has been witnessed in other parts of the travel industry. Australia, a particularly popular backpacker destination for young British travelers has witnessed an increase in international arrivals. This report would argue that in the recession, young people are probably delaying entering the job market for as long as possible. The backpacker market could also be growing due to the fact that so many people have lost their jobs in the past few years. Instead of rushing back into the job market, these young people are choosing to use the time to travel. 4.1.2 Smartphone Market The launch of the iPhone in 2007 signalled the start of all out war in the smartphone market. Phones running the Symbian operating system are the current global leaders with Googles Android system in second place, closely followed by Apple and Research In Motion (Gartner as cited in The Guardian, 2010). Android seems to be the clear winner at the moment, experiencing 22% growth from Q3 2009 to Q3 2010. Symbian lost 8% of its global market share in the same period while Apple also fell by 0.4% (Gartner as cited in The Guardian, 2010). The UK smartphone market seemingly mirrors these global market trends. However, ownership of smartphones is extremely high, accounting for almost 75% of the total mobile phone market. Apples launch of the iPad in early 2010 has also seen a surge in small, portable tablet devices. Although SmartBackpacker will be available on the iPad, the launch of this product will mainly focus on functionality in the smartphone market. 4.1.3 App Market The growth in the smartphone market has also given rise to the app market. Apps are small applications that users can download, either for free or for a small fee that take advantage of the phones advanced processing capabilities to allow users to get the most out of their phones. Thanks to apps, smartphones are now portable gaming devices, gps devices or ereaders. Apple have seemingly been the most successful at realizing the potential of this market. Apps are developed by third parties and then put of Apples online App store. The developers of these apps receive two thirds of the revenue generated from the sale of their apps. Developers can also incorporate Apples iAd system into their apps and earn extra revenue throug h advertising. The success of the app store has been staggering. Since launching in 2008, the app store has had over 3 billion downloads (apple.com, 2010). Developers who have been able to develop easy to use, useful apps have been quick to see huge rewards. One good example is the company Pusenjak, whose 59p app Doodle Jump has been downloaded well over 3.5 million times. This has made the two developers millionaires (mediamemo.com, 2010). The App store for Googles Android is not as well defined in that Apps are not available from a central source, like they are in Apple. Developers have been slow to adopt the Android operating system. However, the surge in the popularity of this system should soon see the popularity of apps on this platform surge as well. Smartbackpacker initially wants to launch on the Anroid and Apple iOS platforms. It is felt that the centralized market that Apple provides should ensure maximum visibility so the focus of the launch will be on the Ap ple version of the app. The travel app market is fairly crowded and already well-established brands such as Lonely Planet and Rough Guide have a presence here. However, none of the existing apps make it particularly easy for other travelers to share information with each other. The flow of information is distinctly one-way. As already stated, this app will allow users to post video reviews. This innovative feature, along with the easy to use interface should help to propel SmartBackpacker to the top of the travel app market. 5 PEST Analysis The purpose of this analysis is to focus on the external factors that could impact on the success of this venture. 5.2.1 Political Factors Tourism is a highly unpredictable product and one that is sensitive to external shocks. Tarlow (2006) notes that, â€Å"tourism sells a highly volatile and capricious product† (p. 84). Terrorism attacks or changes in the global economic situation can change the supply and demand nature of tourism meaning that there is less of a market for this particular product. However, this report would argue that the need to travel and explore is hardwired within us. As one market dwindles, another one opens up. This report would argue that the target market for this product is a fairly adaptable one. If civil unrest threatens stability in Central America, backpackers will simply plan to travel elsewhere. 5.2.2 Economic Factors As this report has stated, the global economic crisis has severely affected international travel from the UK. However, there are signs that this is bouncing back. This report has also found that the backpacker market seems to be fairly recession proof. In fact, this report would argue that this particular market could actually witness growth in coming years as young people delay their entry to the job market until the labour market picks up again. The target market for this app would probably prefer to be traveling rather than looking for a job. 5.2.3 Sociocultural Factors The UK has a strong culture of encouraging gap years. These young people taking a break before starting university are at the core of this products core market. The government is encouraging more people to go to university so it is possible that the gap year market could grow even more in the coming years. The growth of budget airlines such as EasyJet and Ryan Air has also led to more people being able to take short weekend breaks to European cities. Another target market for this app is these weekend tr avelers looking for a bit of adventure off the beaten track. Shani et al (2010) observe that travelers are now more trusting of autonomous sources of information. We trust these autonomous sources such as customer reviews more than we do more formal types of information such as guidebooks. They state that, â€Å"the boundaries between the induced and autonomous factors seem to have blurred in recent years† (p. 117). It is the belief of this report that SmartBackpacker can become one of these trusted autonomous sources. Tourists are now also increasingly motivated by a desire for real experiences in their tourism. MacCannell (1989) states that, â€Å"touristic consciousness is motivated by its desire for authentic experiences, and the tourist may believe that he is moving in this direction, but often it is very difficult to know for sure if the experience is in fact authentic† (p. 101). SmartBackpacker will allow tourists to share these ‘authentic expe riences with each other. Although there is a danger that as more tourists have these ‘authentic experiences, the less authentic they actually become. However, the type of tourist that this app is aimed at is inquisitive by nature and will be constantly searching for and sharing new experiences. Fyall and Garrod (2005) argue that tourists are growing increasingly bored of being passive spectators. They want to experience and explore. This report would argue that tourists are the best marketers for destinations so why not harness this power? 5.2.4 Technological Factors The smartphone market is a fairly new one and this report would argue that it will only continue to grow and become more accessible to more and more people. As it grows, the infrastructure that is needed to support it will also continue to improve. This app relies on people being able to post their experiences pretty much while they are having them. In some parts of the world, this is still hard to do. However, as the technology spreads, this will get easier and easier. 6. Marketing Strategies The following marketing strategies have to work towards meeting the objectives as set out in Section 3. 6.1 Target Market This report has already defined the target market for this particular product. 6.2 Product Strategies McGrath (2001) states that a product strategy is, â€Å"like a roadmap, and like a roadmap its only useful when you know where you are and where you want to go† (p. 3). It is important that this first product from SmartBackpacker is able to set the benchmark for possible future products. Crowdsourcing is an important way of democratizing the information that is available to us. However, this information has to be trustworthy, otherwise people will simply turn to other products. By clearly defining the target market for each product launched, this company should be able to give people exactly the information they need. A business traveler is unlikely to want the same information as a backpacker so each product has to be specifically tailor ed to meet the specific demands of each target market. The knowledge learnt from the development of SmartBackpacker can be utilized in the development of future apps for other sectors of the travel and tourism industry. 6.3 Pricing Strategies Tellis (1986) argues that pricing strategy is defined as, â€Å"a reasoned choice from a set of alternative prices (or price schedules) that aim at profit maximization within a planning period in response to a given scenario† (p. 147). He then observes that, â€Å"in a shared economy, one consumer segment or product bears more of the average cost than another, but the average price still reflects cost plus acceptable profit† (p. 147). The main source of income for this company will be from users paying to download the app either from the Apple app store or from the various Android app markets. As Tellis points out, the pricing strategy should reflect the prices of other apps in this category. Based on this, this repor t would recommend initially pricing the app at  £1.99. It might be possible to look at integrating some sort of advertising feature into later versions of this app, but initially it is important for the user interface to be as clean as possible. This will enhance the user experience and encourage people to use the app to share their tips and recommendations with others. This report would argue that usual models of consumer decision-making dont really apply to this particular market. Because apps are usually so cheap, or even free, people can rely on more than one app in that category. For example, someone using SmartBackpacker could also have Lonely Planet loaded up on their iPhone or HTC phone. 6.4 Promotion Strategy The launch of this product will be supported by a well designed website, a twitter site and also a facebook site. The rise of Web 2.0 has made advertising to a specific target market far easier and far cheaper than it used to be through more traditiona l channels. The use of these new channels should ensure that the target market is reached and that the product receives maximum exposure. Combined with a low price point, this app should quickly be adopted by those already traveling or those planning trips. This app relies on user experiences so it is important that it is quickly adopted and users start to share experiences with each other. 6.5 Distribution Strategies As already stated, this product will be distributed through Apples App Store and also through the various Android marketplaces. The launch of the first product will be specific to these two platforms but could expand to other platforms at a later date. Bibliography and References Arthur, C. (2010). Visualising the smartphone market change: Android leaps, Nokia wobbles. The Guardian, 10 November. Brabham, D.C. (2008). Crowdsourcing as a model for problem solving. International Journal of Research into new Media Technologies. 14(1), pp. 75-90. Fyall , A. and Garrod, B. (2005). Tourism marketing: a collaborative approach. London: Channel View Publications. Jarvis, J. (2009). Billion dollar backpackers: Recession resilient [online] Available from: https://www.south-pacific.travel/news/whats_new/backpack_jjarvis.pdf [Date accessed: 23 November 2010] MacCannell, D. (1989). The tourist: a new theory of the leisure class. California: University of California Press. McGrath, M.E. (2001). Product strategy for high technology companies: accelerating you business to web speed. New York: Mc-Graw-Hill Professional. Mediamemo.com (2010). Meet the App Store millionaires: The brothers behind Doodle Jump [online] Available from: https://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20100405/meet-the-app-store-millionaires-the-brothers-behind-doodle-jump/ [Date accessed: 23 November 2010] ONS (2010). International Travel [online] Available from: https://www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=178 [Date accessed: 23 November 2010] Reily, P. (1988). Road culture of International long-term budget travelers. Annals of Tourism Research, 15, pp. 313-328. Shani, A., Chen, P., Wang, Y. and Hua, N. (2010). Testing the impact of a promotional video destination image change: application of China as a tourism destination. International Journal of Tourism Research, 12(2), 116-133. Surowiecki, J. (2004). The wisdom of crowds: Why the many are smarter that the few and how collective wisdom shapes business, economies, societies, and nations. New York: Doubleday. Tarlow, P.E. (2006). Terrorism and Tourism, in J. Wilks, D. Pendergast and P. Leggat (eds) Tourism in turbulent times: towards safe experiences for visitors. London: Elsevier, pp. 79-92. Tellis, G.J. (1986). Beyond the many faces of price: an integration of pricing strategies. The Journal of Marketing, 50(4), pp. 146-160. 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How to Conjugate the French Verb Répondre (to Answer)

The French verb  rà ©pondre  means to answer. Its a very useful addition to your French vocabulary and one that you probably hear often from your teacher. In order to use it correctly in sentences, though, youll want to know how to conjugate it. This helps you say things like I am answering and we answered. This French lesson will help you learn the basic conjugations youll need. The Basic Conjugations of  Rà ©pondre French verb conjugations are very similar to English. Where we add endings like -ing and -ed to indicate the present or past tense, French adds a variety of endings that match the subject pronoun as well. This does make it a bit more complicated, but it gets easier with each new verb you study. Rà ©pondre  is a  regular -re verb, meaning it follows the same conjugation patterns as other verbs that end in -re. To begin, you must identify the verb stem (or radical), which is  rà ©pond-. Since it is similar to  respond and that means the same thing as answer in English, this one can be a little easier to remember. Using the chart, you can study the various endings that are added to the stem to form the most basic and useful forms of rà ©pondre. Simply match up the subject pronoun with the tense that is appropriate for your sentence. For example, I am answering is  je rà ©ponds  and we will answer is  nous rà ©pondrons. Present Future Imperfect je rponds rpondrai rpondais tu rponds rpondras rpondais il rpond rpondra rpondait nous rpondons rpondrons rpondions vous rpondez rpondrez rpondiez ils rpondent rpondront rpondaient The Present Participle of  Rà ©pondre The  present participle  for regular French verbs is formed by adding -ant  to the verb stem. For  rà ©pondre,  that results in  rà ©pondant. Rà ©pondre  in the Compound Past Tense The only compound past tense well study in this lesson is the passà © composà © as it is used most often. Its an alternative to the imperfect and requires the use of the auxiliary verb avoir and the past participle rà ©pondu. This one is relatively easy because the only conjugations you have to remember are the present tenses of  avoir. Conjugate that to match the subject, then attach the past participle, which indicates that the action already took place. For example, I answered is  jai rà ©pondu  and we answered is  nous avons rà ©pondu. More Simple Conjugations of  Rà ©pondre Its a good idea to commit the conjugations of  rà ©pondre  above  to memory first. Once you learn those, consider adding a few more simple forms to your vocabulary because they can be quite useful. For instance, when the action of answering may or may not happen, you can use the subjunctive. The conditional implies that someone will answer only if something else happens. In formal French, you may encounter either the passà © simple  or  the imperfect subjunctive, though these are rare and arent necessarily a priority. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je rponde rpondrais rpondis rpondisse tu rpondes rpondrais rpondis rpondisses il rponde rpondrait rpondit rpondt nous rpondions rpondrions rpondmes rpondissions vous rpondiez rpondriez rpondtes rpondissiez ils rpondent rpondraient rpondirent rpondissent Very useful for  rà ©pondre,  the imperative  form  allows you to be assertive for demands such as Answer! When using it, skip the formalities and leave out the subject pronoun, simplifying it to, Rà ©ponds ! Imperative (tu) rponds (nous) rpondons (vous) rpondez