Housing Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Housing Policy - Essay Example This ccontact count housing policy redresses nearly all facets of homelessness (Davis, 2010) For example, Aylesbury Vale District Council (AVDC) in Buckinghamshire County is surrounded by hundred smaller villages like Buckingham, Haddenham, Winslow, Wendover and more, covering approximately 900 square kilometers. The Vale has approximately 69 258 households and a population of 174 100 people according to the 2011 Census (AVDC 2011). AVDC’s population and houses continue to increase in number. For instance, in the last ten years up to 8600 new houses have been built with 50% of the new builds from urban extensions According to the South Midlands Sub-Region study (2002) and the Milton Keynes Sub-Regional Strategy (2005). In addition, The Vale’s population is expected to go up to 213 000 by 2026 (AVDC Housing and Homelessness Strategy, 2008-2013). The contact housing policy was grounded on specific areas such as Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, and West midlands, Oxford, Devon and Newcastle. The specificity of the policy program was to help provide information on the level of homelessness in the mentioned areas and Identify the additional housing options and the help need to cater for the needs. Moreover, the contact housing policy also /had key areas such as, Housing Options prevention service, social justice strategy, social Impact Bond and Localism Act (Ambrose, 2008) There have been impediments to the sound execution of the cont housing policy from different quarters namely, The government, Mayor of London Local housing, Authorities, Chartered Institute of Housing, Health and wellbeing Boards, Hospitals such as St Mungo’s as well as the Ministerial Working Group which initiated the No Second Night Out model. (Wilcox, 2011) The above essay is an elaborate explanation on the housing problem in the United Kingdom and the subsequent

Ecuador Essay Example for Free

Ecuador Essay Ecuador is a very fascinating country. Scientists can use the past information about the geography to figure out the future. For instance, learning how the land has transformed over time in Ecuador may lead to a continuous pattern. Other things that scientists use are tools and techniques. Identifying various rocks and minerals, discovering how the land has been changed, and observing mountain formations and fossils also help to figure out patterns. All of these things allow scientists predict, accurately, what the Earth’s crust will do in the future. Many things about Ecuador’s future landscape can be told through what has happened in the past. When volcanoes are active they erupt and produce lava (called magma when inside the volcano). The lava eventually cools off and leaves a thick layer of igneous rock on the surface. The numerous volcanoes in Ecuador means the soil is very fertile, because the ashes from eruptions act like fertilizer. Therefore it has produced the Amazon Rainforest. Also, volcano lava can create islands. Islands made of lava can be found in Ecuador. Another way Ecuador’s terrain has been transformed through earthquakes. This is because earthquakes cause the Earth’s tectonic plates to crack. Cracks can either create valleys or mountains. These patterns can lead to different kinds of terrain in Ecuador (in the future). Different types of minerals can be used to tell what will happen to the Earth’s crust in the future. By investigating different minerals in your area, you can understand how they were formed. Knowing when and how they, for instance volcanic minerals, were formed, like by a volcano, scientists can tell when the next â€Å"event† will occur. The Moh’s Hardness Scale can help you tell what types of minerals there exist, based on how hard it is to break them. This scale goes from one to ten (one being the softest, ten the hardest). Minerals can also be differentiated by their shape. Some of the shapes are cubic, tetragonal, hexagonal, orthorhombic, monoclinic, and triclinic. Another type of identification is called lustre (shininess). Lustre has two categories. They are metallic lustre (shiny) and non- metallic lustre (dull). The first identification people think of is color. However, this method can be hard to use because there are so many minerals. Streak tests can also be used. This method is when you test the color of the mineral’s powder on unglazed porcelain tiles. Last but not least is figuring out cleavage and fracture. Cleavage and fracture lets you test how something breaks. If it’s cleavage, the break is smooth. If it’s fracture the break has jagged edges. All of these identifications help the scientists figure out what the Earth’s crust will do next. Types of rocks can also help to discover the future land in Ecuador. One type of rock is an igneous rock. Igneous rocks are extrusive rocks. They are made of lava (called magma inside a volcano-magma is intrusive) once it cools down on top of the Earth’s crust. Mountains are most likely to be sedimentary rock because of all of the things that help to build it up. The last type of rock is metamorphic rock. Metamorphic rocks are made when one rock’s form is changed by immense heat and pressure. Evidence of these things is the rock’s appearance, combinations of minerals, and how it looks under a microscope. When figuring out the types of rocks, a pattern may immerge in and on the Earth’s crust. Observations on how Ecuador looked, in the past, and where it was can help scientists to know where it will be and what it will look like in the future. One thousand years ago this region would have been beside Africa. If you look closely you can see where South America of the past was. Like puzzle pieces, many of the continents can be fit together with another continent. Ecuador would also have no islands. There would be very few mountains or volcanoes, a lot bigger plants and more forests, and the temperature would be a little bit warmer than Alberta’s. Then, one hundred years ago, Ecuador was in the same place as it is today. Most likely, there would be a little bit less mountains and volcanoes then there are today. The islands would be about half there size, the temperature would be about the same as now, but there would still be a little bit more forestry. Since the continent moved then, it is hypothesized that it will almost absolutely move more in the future. Ecuador has some very interesting mountain formation patterns and some fossils have been found that are in other continents. When you look at a terrain map, you can see that almost all mountains are near the shoreline. Also most of the mountains are formed in a line or in small groups. Some of the mountain formations in different places even fit together! Scientists are able to figure out, that more mountain formations will be created on other shorelines. Eventually mountains may fill up some regions. The fossils there can also be found in Africa. For instance, if they were filming a Jurassic Park 14 in Ecuador, they could use the dinosaurs’ Kannemeyerid, Lystrosaurus, and Mesosaurus. They could also add the plant glossopteris. All of these plants and dinosaurs are also found in Africa (none of these dinosaurs could swim!!! ). These things let scientists predict even more about the future. The previous information helps scientists with their research. Without these things, people would have a really  Ã‚  hard time trying to figuring out what will happen in the future. All of these methods let professionals predict what the Earth’s crust will do next.

Raisin in the Sun Essay: A Dream Deferred -- Raisin Sun essays

Dream Deferred in A Raisin in the Sun  Ã‚     Ã‚   "What happens to a dream deferred?" (l. 1) Langston Hughes asks in his 1959 poem "Dream Deferred." He suggests that it might "dry up like a raisin in the sun" (ll. 2-3) or "stink like rotten meat" (l. 6); however, at the end of the poem, Hughes offers another alternative by asking, "Or does it explode?" (l. 11). This is the view Lorraine Hansberry supports in her 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun. The drama opens with Walter reading, "Set off another bomb yesterday" (1831), from the front page of the morning newspaper; however, he is unaware that bombs will soon detonate inside his own house. These bombs are explosions of emotion caused by frustration among members of Walter's family who are unable to realize their dreams. Although they all have a common dream of having a better life, they must compete with each other for the insurance money from the untimely death of Walter's father. Walter wants to get rich quickly by investing the money in a liquor store, but his sister, Bene atha, would rather use it to finish medical school. Mama and Walter's wife, Ruth, both want to leave their worn house in the ghetto for a nicer one where Walter's son, Travis, can have his own bedroom and a yard in which to play. The dreams of these characters, however, are deferred for so long that frustration grows inside them and eventually bursts out. Each day Walter has to continue working as a servant, his internal frustration and anger build, and he eventually releases his anger against Beneatha, Ruth, and Mama. "Who the hell told you you had to be a doctor?" (1838) he demands of Beneatha. "If you so crazy 'bout messing 'round with sick people&emdash;then go be a nurse like other women&emdash;or just ... ... all-white neighborhood. The opposition of Mr. Lindner (who offers a substantial amount of money to buy the house from them) unites the family in their mutual goal, and Walter finally comes "into his manhood" (1896): he declines Lindner's money and declares, "we have decided to move into our house because my father&emdash;my father&emdash;he earned it for us brick by brick" (1894). When cooperation replaces competition, the family can finally realize its dreams. Works Cited Hansberry, Lorraine. A Raisin in the Sun. Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 1829-96. Hughes, Langston. "Dream Deferred." Literature and Its Writers: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. Ann Charters and Samuel Charters. Boston: Bedford Books, 1997. 1138.      

Call of the Wild :: Free Essay Writer

Call of the Wild I recently read a really good book. It is called Call of the Wild, by Jack London. It has 104 pages and is a fiction book. The Call of the Wild has a very interesting plot. It is centered around a St. Bernard and Scotch Shepard mix, named Buck. At home, which was a large house called Judge Millers Place, in the sun kissed Sanata Clara Valley, he ruled over all dogs. Buck was Judge Miller's inseperable companion, until a man named Manuel, who was the one of the gardener's helpers, commited a treacherous act. Manuel, to cover his Chinese lottery gambling debts, stole Buck from his sound sleep and brought him to a flag station called College Park. There, the exchanging of money took place. It was simple. Manuel needed money to pay off his gambling debts, and Buck was a prime candidate. Buck was loaded onto an express car to Seattle. When he got there, he was bought by two men named Perrault and Francois. He was loaded onto a ship called the Narwhal and tooken to the Yukon, where he was to be trained as a sled dog. There were other sled dogs that Buck came to know well, each with their own unique personality. After only a short time of training, Buck was a sled dog, traveling with the team of huskys and mix breeds from Dyea Beach, to the town of Dawson. After several trips with Perrault and Francois, Buck was traded to a know nothing, gold seeking family. they knew nothing, or hardly nothing, about managing a sled team. There trip began with a very bad start. The family had loaded up their wagon with too much unneded baggage, and it was top heavy. as the dogs began to pull away and pull around a curve, the baggage tipped over along with the sled and thus the unnecessary baggage was discarded, and the trip was barely completed because of harsh weather, inadequate supplies, and poor management skills of the dog handlers. All except a man that went by the name of John Thornton, perhaps the only sane one in the group. After on e of the men repeatedly beat on a dog, Thornton became enraged. He threatened to kill the man, and shortly after, he unhooked the beaten Buck from the sled, the rest of the family left John Thornton.

A Visit of Charity

Hope Biggs Character Analysis Paper Dr. Brookter January 22, 2013 No Charity, No Change Charity is defined as a voluntary giving of help and generosity especially towards the needy or suffering. This small simple word conveys a much bigger meaning, one of compassion and selflessness. In the story, â€Å"A Visit of Charity† the true act of charity seems to be missing. It is as if the main pieces of the puzzle are missing. The story has framework but lacks the compassion and selflessness needed to bring it to life. The reality is, charity never came to visit.The story is about a young teenage girl, Marion, who in order to gain points for her Campfire Girl Club must visit the Old Ladies Home. By simply buying a potted plant and taking it to one of the residents, she gained three points but she can earn extra points for bringing her bible and reading it to the residents. Marion brings only a plant. (Welty 111) â€Å"A Visit of Charity† begins by describing the cold winter d ay and a description of the nursing home, â€Å"a whitewashed brick and reflected the winter sunlight like a block of ice† (Welty 111).This description alone not only describes the buildings appearance but also is descriptive of the coldness and the lack of feeling for the elderly. Marion is no different. No thought was put into what might be helpful and useful for the residents, like toiletries, socks, or even food. Instead her only preparation for the visit was buying the potted plant. It is a clear indication of her selfishness and a reflection of a society that does not value its elderly. Her main concern is in getting points because she brings a potted plant.No real thought is put into who to give it to or who might actually enjoy it. She receives more than she gives and this reveals a true character flaw in Marion. Repeatedly in this story she reveals a selfishness and lack of connectivity to anything or anyone that does not benefit her. This is evident when Marion tell s the nurse, â€Å"I have to pay a visit to some old ladies† (Welty 111). And when she is asked if she knows any of them, Marion states, â€Å"no but that is, any of them will do† (Welty 111). The use of â€Å"some† and â€Å"any† are evidenced that she has no interest in where she is or whom she will meet.There has been no preparation or thought of who could benefit from her visit other herself. In addition, either out of fear or self-preservation, Marion’s views the two old women not as people but as animals and birds. She refers as to one as having a â€Å"bleating† sound of a sheep and the other as having a â€Å"birds claw†. Her descriptions of the women are reflective of disrespect for older people. In a sense she dehumanizes them as to not see their real needs or pains. Sensory deprivation is often seen in older adults that lack stimulation and human contact.Older adults who are confined to a nursing home often lose track of ti me, place, and person. Joseph Casciani, a geropsychologist, stated in an article about sensory loss, â€Å"Added restrictions, such as confinement to bed or Geri-chair, increases the risk (of sensory deprivation). † But the old ladies are not the only ones experiencing sensory deprivation. Marion has difficulty answering the old women’s questions and to her surprise â€Å"Marion cannot remember her name† (Welty 111). It would be nice to believe that Marion’s lack of response was evidence of a tiny bit of empathy towards these old ladies but it is doubtful.Marion is oblivious to the older lady’s needs; her thoughts are only of herself and her desire to escape. Time stands still and the tiny room closes in on her. She realizes that the doors are closed and at one point she contemplates if she were to get sick, would they let her leave? Her only sign of compassion comes when she is told of Addie’s birthday and she asks her how old she is. Addie ’s response is to cry, possibly from the realization that she is spending her birthday alone with her roommate, a stranger, and isolated from anyone else. Or maybe she cried because she actually thought Marion cared.Regardless, Marion’s compassion was short lived. It is a mirror image of our present day society and our seemingly short attention span to the needs and hurts of our elderly. Brief encounters, brief awareness, but little intervention, and no real change. Clearly, all that Marion has encountered is a bit too much for her. Her lack of forethought and preparation of what to bring is also carried over in lack of planning on what she would do or say while she was there. Her thoughts quickly move to how she can escape without physical contact from either of the two old women.The harsh realities of life close in and she quickly escapes into the hallway with one of the old women following her begging for a penny, â€Å"Oh, little girl, have you a penny to spare fo r a poor old women that’s not got anything of her own? We don’t have a thing in the world-not a penny for candy-not a thing! Little girl, just a nickel-a penny? †(Welty 111). Her mind was only on escape, her ears may have heard what the old woman was saying but her heart did not respond to the need. Marion was out of her comfort zone and her one desire was to get back in it as quickly as possible.The same can be said for our generation that ignores the cry of our elderly. To truly see and respond to their needs, readers must get out of their comfort zones. We have become a generation that has found value in the selfishness of our own desires instead of the needs of the greatest generation that gave sacrificially for the freedoms we now enjoy. Marion may have escaped the discomfort of the Old Ladies Home but the could not escape the knowledge of the harsh realities that she witnessed there. At the end of the story a red apple appears.It is uncertain what the apple symbolizes and how it pertains to the story. One can merely speculate to its importance. In biblical times the apple was symbolic of the knowledge of good and evil. This shows the evidence, â€Å"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable  for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,  who was with her, and he ate it. † (New International Version, Genesis 3:6). An apple was given to Adam to eat and when he did his whole life changed.It is quite possible the apple represents that once we have the knowledge of another’s needs but we fail to act on it, then we are no different than any other evil generation. With knowledge comes responsibility. â€Å"A Visit of Charity† is a story that sends a message to our society. What will we do with the knowledge once we discover it? We are clearly a generation that has unlimited access to all kinds of information and knowl edge. But with knowledge must come responsibility and that requires that we get out of our comfort zones and meet the needs of the less fortunate and the hurting.Otherwise we are a generation of Marion’s who think only of themselves and lack the character to change not only their own destiny, but anyone else, as well. Work Cited Welty, Eudora. â€Å"A Visit of Charity. † Making Literature Matter. Ed. John Schilb, John Clifford. New York: 2012. 55-56. Print. Casciani, Joseph. â€Å"Sensory Touch in Older Adults- Taste, Smell & Touch – Behavioral Approaches for Caregivers†. Ezine Articles. com. April 9, 2008. Web. January 16, 2013. Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Ed. Kenneth L. Barker. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. Print.

Marketing analysis of Dior Essays

Marketing analysis of Dior Essays Marketing analysis of Dior Paper Marketing analysis of Dior Paper Essay Topic: Marketing Push Precious 1.0 Introduction The benchmark of human appeal always increases for both man and woman. From the era of shabby clothes to noble fashion, from de-emphases to emphasis skin care and toilette. Those of the changes label human civilization. Nowadays, the standard of toilette and fashion are very demanding. It is difficult for substantial fashion enterprises to maintain its market. However, Dior can achieve it. What is the market position of Dior? How Dior makes the business and keeps its stable. 2.0 Background Christian Dior was born in Normandy, France in 1905, and channeled his love for art by opening an art gallery. In 1938, he entered the fashion world as a designer for Robert Piquet. After serving in World War II, Dior returned to Paris and had a very successful collaboration with Pierre Balmain at Lucien Lelong. With the help of Marcel Boussac, Dior was able to open his own fashion house in 1946. His opulent designs made him successful in the post-war era, and his brand quickly expanded into furs, perfumes and accessories. In 1957, Dior suddenly died and Yves Saint Laurent became the head designer. Since Saint Laurent, other well-known designers at this fashion house include Marc Bohan, Gianfranco and. John Galliano. 3.0 Marketing Environment 3.1 Marco Environment * Political Factor Dior is a French brand, which is very elegant. French possess one complete legal and tax system. Actually, French government carries out free market policy, so it provides a free and substantial development space for Dior. Moreover, French has a trading agreement with EU that helps Dior successfully sell products and promotion to other Europe countries. Cite as (Louis E. Boone David L. Kurtz 2006) * Economic Factor In French economy, it cant fully prosperous. For example, GDP is not growing significantly and there is remarkable unemployment rate. It will seriously affect Dior policy implementation. For instance when employment level is down, Dior cant employ enough staff for developing. On the other hand, after American second grade mortgage problem, it leads Europe Central Bank to fix interest rate. It definitely helps Dior to reduce loan interest burden, then, exchange rate between EU and US have difference. It also helps Dior invest efficiently and effectively. Cite as (Louis E. Boone David L. Kurtz 2006) * Social Factor In view of social factor, Dior face keen challenges. Nowadays, there is unbalance distribution of wealth in the world. It affects Dior to expand its market, as consumer cant afford price. Income recourse just comes from some people. It makes Dior development style narrow. Luckily, Dior can take advantage of society since Education level increases. That makes living condition and lifestyle is noble. It generates a lot of tasteful buyers for buying Diors products. * Technological Factor Nowadays, information technology changes day by day. Dior catches these characteristics, so it establishes official website which can communicate and realize the customers need. 3.2 Micro Environment * Competitive In the global market, Dior face many competitions. Locally, there are L.V, agnes b etc. In Europe, there are Burberry Gucci etc. They are also substantial fashion enterprises producing similar product, which can replace of Dior. 3.3 Internal Environment * Function Department Dior is successful tin the market. It not only possesses excellent design, it also relies on top management team who decide the direction of company. Moreover, Dior is cosmopolitan brand. There are many adherents, investors and bank supporting Dior financial and development. It brings comparative advantage to Dior which use for generating own manufacturing team in China. Because of own manufacturing team absolutely maintains product quality as well as reduces production cost. In addition, Dior can use this financial advantage dividing market segmentation, as they input more recourse for research and analysis. It makes the market segmentation be more efficient and effective. 4.0 SWOT analysis 4.1 Strength * Strong brand name Dior is a cosmopolitan brand. To consumers point of view, Diors products are elegant noble and tasteful why a majority of consumers have this perspective? It is because Dior creates an unique style of its fashion. Those fashions are in quality since they put more effort and attention to every step. From design to production. Dior doesnt discharge its duties carelessly, but it establishes its brand to be known widely. The strong brand name can help Dior increase market status. Main competitors of Dior * Good Designer and management Dior employs a lot of famous designers, such as John Galliano. He is a creative and initiative designer. John Galliano holds all of the fashion shows, which are dumfounded and praised by audiences. Undoubtedly, designers are important assets of Dior. In addition, Dior also possesses an excellent management team. They create a ambitions direction for Dior. The successful position of Dior depends on those designers and management. Dior Designer: John Galliano Dior Director: Bernard Arnauult * Financial Support Dior is the famous brand, so a majority of investors and bankers trust Dior. They are willing to provide capital for Dior to expand its business since Dior not only is a cosmopolitan brand, but also potential and profitable enterprises. It attracts investor, potential investor and bankers to support Dior financially. 4.2 Weaknesses * Employment Problem Dior is the substantial listed company. It must possess staff in a great quantity. It is not easy to control too much staff effectively. Dior may face some employment problem, such as human recourse mismatch, staff discipline and salaries distribution. Those problems will directly affect Dior competitors. * Unsatisfied with some type of consumer Although Dior products are good. It only serves particular buyers. Dior neglects some markets such as obese buyers and old buyers. According to research, obese guys quickly increases, if Dior gives up this market, it will make loss. 4.3 Opportunity * Takeover Armani Armani is also international brand. The director of Armani decides to retire few years later. Dior can takeover Armani, so that it can create synergy and increase reputation. Dior can press down product and advertisement cost by synergy and develop various styles, since the style of Dior and Armani have divergence. It makes a different product line to maximize profit. Armani Director: Giogio Armani * Cooperation with other company Dior can cooperate with other companies to expand the market, such as crossover with mobile or furniture producer. Some fashion enterprises have tried before. For example PARDA mix up with Korea mobile producer LG to develop a smart phone. It makes PARDA reputation and market shares grow. Dior can select mobile producer, such as NOKIA helping develop one dignitary and functional mobile. It must increase Dior reputation and market shares. PARDA x LG smart phone * Establish new product line for other style The fashion style of Dior only fits some particular targets. The market shares will be narrow, since some of the fashion brands will snatch a part of market shares. Then, Dior should create another style and build specific product line. For example, leisure wearing and formal dressing. In order to ensure market position, Dior must seriously consider. 4.4 Threat * Competitors Although Dior is one of the cosmopolitan brands, there are semiprecious level competitors to challenge Dior current position, such as L.V, Gucci, and Burberry. They also possess reputation and profitability. Those brands products can directly affect Dior turnover sales, so Dior must draw attention with those brands. * Global economic trend In 2006, strong consumption pushed up American economy. It indirectly pushes up global economy. Dior turnover sales obviously increase. However, since March 2007, the risk of American second mortgage has started up until now. The global economy burden a risk consumers purchasing power decrease remarkably. It seriously affects Dior because it is a luxury products producer. In attempt to obviate economic crisis, Dior must adjust the selling strategy and cost control. * Designer stay or resign Designers are the important assets of Fashion Company. It is not easy to find or train potential designer because top designer stay behind another brand, even though there is a contract to restrict them. Dior must put more resources to protect designer team in order to keep the image and remain attraction. 5.0 Market Segmentation It relates to segmentation base and profile. There are three major market segmentation including Demographic, Psychographic and Behavioral. 5.1 Segmentation Base * Demographic Base Sex-Christian Dior is designed for Lady. It includes fashion, accessories, skin care and cosmetics. -Dior Homme is Man product line. Income-Dior is luxury product producer, so the price of product set on high price. Dior expects the consumer to earn ranking form $20,000 to $45,000 per month. Occupation- Dior expects consumer who are profession or management level. It is because this occupation species can earn relatively high salaries, so the price of Dior products can be accepted. Social class-Dior expects consumer to be upper middle or above classes, as Dior run noble direction. It can match Dior image The above variables provide an objective factual and descriptive base for categorizing consumer, so that Dior can find consumer direction. Cite as (David. W. Cravens Nigel. F. Piercy 2003) * Psychographic base Lifestyle-Tasteful consumers are the targets of Dior, since the product design is mainly suitable for this type of consumer. This type of variable provides a subjective, interpretative and explanatory base for categorizing consumer. Although this base cant offer too much variable for Dior, it let Dior know unique style is their main weapon. * Behavioral base Benefit sought- Dior knows customer focusing on product quality and sale service. Loyalty status- The consumers may have medium faith of Dior product. The above variables make Dior know who will use product, so that Dior can mainly focus on this type of consumers. Cite as (Joshua Grossnickle Oliver Raskin 2001) 5.2 Market Targeting * General Criteria The market segments of Dior are tasteful people who are professional, manager or rich people. In fact, the size of this market is quite large. Then, a potential growth is concealed in this market, since the social unceasing evolution. People receive higher level and living standard also inevitable. They need to identify their position. Luxuries are their first choice. There are many competitors existing nearby Dior, such as L.V, Gucci. They have the same market was approached by those competitors of Dior. However, this market structure is complex. They have the same market and those products can be substitutes. For example Dior cosmetic, Gucci cosmetic, However, this market structure has one advantage. It is difficult for other new competitors to enter the field as Dior and other competitors win the fame for long time, financial background is also reliable. * Specific Criteria In fact, Dior customer base isnt sufficient. Although Dior utilizes much resource to constitute the customer base, there are too much competitors to struggle for the same market. It is difficult for Dior to break through the siege. It is not easy to provide meaningful marketing mix strategy that can satisfy with consumers, Nevertheless, Dior can achieve by its strong brand and successful segmentation. Dior segments can be measured in term of monitoring the effect of market mix strategy. * Target Strategy of Dior Dior carries out Differentiated target and Niche, as Dior serves not only one segment. Different segment will have different marketing mix strategy to fit the consumer need. Moreover, Dior also focuses some specialized sub-segment. Special product is produced by Dior to satisfy this small group. 5.3 Market Positioning Dior marketing mix strategy distinguishes consumers point of view. * Product Attributes Dior product is elegant. It is a luxury for people. * Usage Occasion Consumers not always purchase Dior product. It is not necessary for them to buy every day or week. They may purchase Dior product once or twice a year. * Against from competitors Dior market segment is steadily increasing and the competitors sales also dont fluctuate. Dior stays at a safe place. * Product Categories 1. Dior Homme- man fashion 2. Christian Dior- Lady fashion 3. Dior Lady accessories, skin care and cosmetics 2.Christian Dior 3. Dior Lady Wearing Cosmetics Dior marketing mix strategy owns competitive advantage for below areas: * Product Differentiation Although Gucci, L.V are very famous brands, their products are already commonplace which nothing special, Nonetheless, Dior product can bring fresh and unique excitement to consumers. * Image Differentiation C.D is the logo of Dior. It is well-know brand for every one. It is like people see M as they will think of McDonald. 6.0 Analysis of 4ps * Product Dior product divides into few types. As for man causal wear is Dior Homme. For Lady wear is Christian Dior, for cosmetics and skin care is Dior, which has stricted quality control. There is no excuse for Dior to produce flawed product. Dior has strong brand supported by long in time history. A lot of customers hold favorable attitude towards a brands, so Dior product can attract faithful adherent. * Price Dior products are luxuries .the price is also costly. Although the price of Dior product is expensive, it doesnt affect the demand of this luxury. The price setting relates to s few aspects. First, it is a must to consider competitor price such as L.V Gucci. Second, products quality, warranty, image are crucial. Then reputation value, Dior can consider to decrease price, which can probably increase market shares. * Promotion In fact, Dior does not have too much promotion. It just promotes the product through newspapers, website and some specific magazines, since a vast of people already know Dior. If Dior can remain more budgets for promotion. The reputation of Dior must rise. Dior can consider which type of advertising is the most effective for them. It is acceptable to adopt T.V, Huge advertising board. * Place In HK, Dior shops are located in famous shopping mall and popular place such as Habour City. It is not only conformable, but also convenient for consumers. In order to take the advantage of concentration, Dior should establish more shops in famous area. 7.0 Recommendation From my point of view, I suggest Dior keep noble image and put more resources into promotion such as sponsor famous football team, green campaigns, so Dior can establish a health and active image. On the other hand, Dior should search another source of consumers in order to increase market share. Because of luxury clients source are too narrow. It is necessary for Dior finding another segment.

Rudyard Kipling - The Jungle Book Questions

Rudyard Kipling - 'The Jungle Book' Questions The Jungle Book is a collection of short stories by  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Rudyard Kipling  that has animals as main characters who teach life lessons. One of the famous characters in the fable is Mowgli, a human child who grows up with a pack ​of wolves.   Here are a few questions for study and discussion. Study and Discussion Questions What is important about the title of the collection?What are the conflicts in The Jungle Book? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) did you notice in this collection?How does Rudyard Kipling reveal character in the stories of The Jungle Book?What are some themes? How do they relate to the plots and characters?What are some symbols in the stories of The Jungle Book? How do they relate to the plots and characters?Are the characters consistent in their actions? Which of the characters are fully developed? How? Why?Do you find the characters likable? Would you want to meet any of the characters? Which one(s)? Why?How does Mowglis upbringing affect how his character develops as a human being?Do the stories in this collection meet (or exceed) your expectations? How? Why?What is the central/primary purpose of this collection of stories? Is the purpose important or meaningful?How essential is the setting to the stories? Could the story have taken place anywher e else? How important is friendship and/or camaraderie to The Jungle Book?Compare/contrast The Jungle Book with other works by Rudyard Kipling? How does ​The Jungle Book fit into Kiplings body of works?Would you recommend The Jungle Book to a friend?

Effective, Efficient, Effectual, and Efficacious

Effective, Efficient, Effectual, and Efficacious Effective, Efficient, Effectual, and Efficacious Effective, Efficient, Effectual, and Efficacious By Maeve Maddox My recent post on cost-effective and cost-efficient garnered a couple of emails from readers who suggested that I might not be aware that effective and efficient have different meanings. Despite the difference between the words effective and efficient when used alone, once the word cost is added to them to produce cost-effective and cost-efficient, the meaning of both compounds appears to be economical or cost-saving. I’d welcome the input of an economist who could provide contexts to show a difference in meaning between the compounds, if one in fact exists. Effective and efficient, on the other hand, belong to a group of adjectives relating to the idea of getting results. Their similarity in meaning is clear in these OED definitions: effective: Powerful in effect; producing a notable effect; effectual. efficient: Productive of effects; effective; adequately operative. effectual: That produces its intended effect, or adequately answers its purpose. efficacious: That produces, or is certain to produce, the intended or appropriate effect; effective. Like the readers who wrote to me, I see a significant difference between effective and efficient. I understand efficient to mean, â€Å"marked by ability to choose and use the most effective and least wasteful means of doing a task or accomplishing a purpose.† For example, burning the house down to get rid of termites would be effective, but not efficient. Here are some examples of suggested usage based on a note in the Oxford American Writer’s Thesaurus: Use effective to describe something that produces a definite effect or result. Antony proved that he was an effective speaker by rousing the rabble against the men who killed Caesar. Use efficient when the intention is to imply skill and economy of energy in producing the desired result. In less than a year, the new treasurer’s efficient management resulted in the elimination of the organization’s enormous debt. Use effectual to describe something that produces the desired result in a decisive manner. Destroying the bridge proved to be an effectual strategy for stopping the invaders. Use efficacious to describe something that produces the desired effect. Ginger is an efficacious remedy for an upset stomach. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:12 Types of Language7 Patterns of Sentence StructureShore It Up

Histroy 101 Western Civ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Histroy 101 Western Civ - Essay Example Athens as a democratic state was much emphasized during the 4th century BC although many historical documents have shown that democracy as a way of life was very much practiced as early as 5 B.C. The word Demos connotes two important things for Athenians- â€Å"village† and â€Å"people†. Village was the smallest unit of government at that time. People belonged to a certain village; in fact, men who are at least 18 years of age could participate in the Assembly. The Assembly was attended by anyone from the village that wants to have their voice heard. This included Demosthenes who tirelessly rebukes citizens to recall certain events since the people were always present in such Assembly (Blackwell, 2003, p6). It was of grave importance to always attend to the concerns being discussed during the said meeting. The characteristics of such a meeting showed the democratic ideals of Athens. First, anyone can speak regardless of trade or position in society, especially if the i ssue at hand is about governance. For other concerns that needed specialized knowledge, a craftsman is called forth to shed opinion on such matters (Blackwell, p7). These rules during an assembly imply that democracy was highly-valued and actively practiced. Democracy is not just a lofty ideal since it was practiced by the citizens. The assembly just shows how wealth is considered inferior to the democratic rights of its citizens (Lewis and Lewis,p.219). The practice of democracy was further heightened by Pericles during 460 B.C. Previously, public officials were appointed based on wealth or birth status. Such criteria for public office were promulgated by Solon or Cleisthenes. Pericles made the selection more democratic by allowing patrons to represent slaves and resident aliens, which is referred to as equality of opportunity. Although such practice earned criticism of historians since they believed it promoted â€Å"aristocracy†, the important to consider was the fact that representatives were chosen based on merit. Merit does not include wealth nor birth status which allowed men from all walks of life to have a say in matters of the state. This philosophy of Pericles is again an example of how democratic ideals permeated the political structure and governance of Athens. Interestingly, art became a willing medium of democratic ideals for this civilization. The assembly provided enough fodder for playwrights to create plays that can be considered political satire. In the same manner, the epic Iliad which is a gory depiction of battles is also said to have an underlying tone of political satire. According to Stewart, The Battle Between Frogs and The Mice is actually a satire with a pacifist theme. Again, the relevance of political satire when it comes to democratic ideals is that such art forms express how vigilant Athenians are over issues that concern their homeland. Pacifism is a philosophy adhered to by Athenians for they were not men of war like S partans. Although critics may disagree with such stand, this emphasizes to students of history that this society respected the opinion of its citizens. Lastly, the choir setting in Greek plays also demonstrates the ideals of democracy in Athens. Studies relating performing arts assert that â€Å"Performance reflects, encodes cultural models† (Goldhill and Osborne, 27). Democracy is expressed by the choir’

Management of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding Research Paper

Management of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding - Research Paper Example The management aspects appear to be directed at healthcare workers rather than patients. For instance, the article elaborately explains how scoring systems for AUGIB work. It also presents initial resuscitation processes and drugs used before enodoscopy. This information is largely useful for healthcare workers rather than AUGIB patients themselves. The article is crisp in terms of language and detailed in terms of information. Overall, the article is very informative for healthcare workers involved in the management of AUGIB. The article vaguely relates to clients with a GI bleed and cannot be used as a patient hand out. The language and medical terminology employed in the article is too complex for a lay person to understand. As already stated, the information provided by the article is helpful for healthcare workers and not for patients themselves. The article talks less about how an ordinary person can manage the illness and more about the medical interventions and management processes applied. The only section that could benefit patients is that of risk factors for AUGIB. These however are not helpful in management of the illness. The article discusses medical procedures for management of variceal and non-variceal bleeding, which are difficult for patients to understand. For instance – For oesophageal varices, variceal band ligation using elastic rubber bands (Figure 1) has been shown to be superior to sclerotherapy (i.e. the injection of sclerosing agent—similar to treatment of haemorrhoids) (Laine and Cook, 1995; Lo et al, 1997). If banding is sub-optimal or cannot be achieved, then sclerotherapy may be considered (Jalan and Hayes, 2000) (Mitra, Marrow and Nayar, 2012, p. 39). A lay person would find it hard to understand procedures such as â€Å"sclerotherapy† and terminologies such as â€Å"comorbidities†, â€Å"resuscitation†, â€Å"proton pump inhibitors (PPI)†, â€Å"aetiology†, etc. Patients would have been able to

Education. Business degree Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Education. Business degree - Research Paper Example Furthermore, the primary goal of education is to enable one make wise decisions through facilitating and boosting the reasoning of an individual. Moreover, in the current dynamic world education has been used as a tool of earning a living. On a similar theme, education has enabled individuals to specialise in the various diverse fields available in the market for example individuals who specialise in medicine are able to treat people and in turn have been able to earn revenue that serves to improve the living standards. On the other hand, another essential goal that education is purposed to serve is to improve the lives of individuals. Apparently, education has been able to facilitate further research in various fields for instance agriculture which has consequently, led to increase in food production while simultaneously observing quality standards of the yields. On that note, in the field of business education has served to improve the quality of service delivery through the innova tion of machines which improve the efficiency of the work. Furthermore, through education we are able to acknowledge the various business strategies and evaluate on the most appropriate one to employ in the various diverse businesses having different requirements. Moreover, education has also provided a means in which business structures can be comprehensively studied in a bid to expand the various business activities that exist in this dynamic world that is characterised with rapidly changing environment. However, in this paper we focus mainly on the higher education in the field of business. In addition to that, we are going to highlight some of the ways one can acquire a business degree, its advantages and its application to the current business endeavours. First and foremost, a business degree can acquire in a number of ways depending on the specific user needs. On a similar theme, the choice of the manner of study may vary with a number of factors, for instance the issue of geo graphical location of the individual with respect to the institution of learning. On that note, individuals who live far from the educational institution may consider studying online as way of acquiring a business degree. In addition to that, individuals who use this form of studying employ the use of computers; internet to acquire the required educational material for example books and other relevant literature and study online. On the contrary, another important factor that influences the manner in which one can acquire a business degree is the occupation of an individual. Apparently, individuals who have hectic schedules during the day may consider part time schooling as opposed full time since it may not interfere with the daily activities of an individual. In addition to that, this mode of studying entails evening classes and may take a longer period to acquire a business degree as compared to the full time mode of studying since in full time studying, an individual is subjecte d to longer studying hours as compared to the part time mode who may at time study during the weekends only. On the contrary, the duration of acquiring a business degree may vary depending on a number of factors for instance the mode of study of an individual. On the same note, individuals who use the full time mode of study may take a minimum of three years to attain a business degree. In addition to that, individuals who use the part time mode of studying may require a minimum of four to five years in order to achieve this important business degree. However, individuals using this form of studying may in other cases take longer to acquire this degree since some may decide to defer their studies in a bid to

Cultural Issues in International Organizations Essay

Cultural Issues in International Organizations - Essay Example The paper tells that globalization is taken to mean internationalization. It has led to instantaneity, where things happening in a given location, in the world, can be experienced all over at the same time. This has been made possible through breakthrough in technology and the removal of restrictions that bar associations between different countries. Globalization led to easy exchange of ideas, knowledge, goods and services. It has made investments, exchange of money and merchandise possible across borders. This process has led into an open world economy. According to Ray, globalization is that which increase the extent of economic activity, international firm cooperation and easy and quick information flow. The current business organization have certain characteristics in common, to start with, there is diversity in international organizations. This diversity is both inside and outside the organizations. Internally managers must respond to diversity in the HR pool, much difference i n management system, diversity in means and ends including financial objectives to, advanced broad view, and adoption of a variety of models for a variety of business units. Externally the organization, there are diverse customer needs; myriads cultural values; an excess of stakeholders; different political, economic and legal provisions; and different competitors schemes. Another nature of the current global organization is interdependence. There is a web of interdependence in finance, governance, management, supply of goods and services, security, communication and transportation. Interdependence accelerates globalization, but it has many challenges associated with it, a break in the chain of flow can be devastating (Amann et al. 2007, p.5). There is the element of ambiguity in the business world today. There is a large amount of information with little clarification, making digestion and execution of appropriate action a challenge. For example, there is a range of accounting stan dards making monetary figure vague. Research is becoming unreliable due to the uprising of uncertainty. In addition, there is the issue of flux. The global companies are faced with unexpected changes. The more international the organization is the more prone it is to change. Managers should take precautions in order to avoid negative effects of change. Some cultural practices have an impact on communication; this has made international collaboration difficult. Exchange of knowledge, skills, goods and services between organizations across borders is possible if, they are simple, to the point, independent and involve similar cultural contexts. In contrast, it is difficult to share such knowledge

Difficult problem in your life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Difficult problem in your life - Essay Example Upon my return, when I started the automobile, I realized that the horrid sound had not gone away, but since I arrived to my destiny with this horrid sound, I thought I could return without any problems. I was truly wrong. The engine was gone due to lack of oil. Not only did I not have an automobile, but I lost my means of transportation to and from school, while also seeking employment. Health issues have also arisen. I have high blood pressure and I am expected to visit the hospital every week for laboratory testing. So here I am, without an automobile for transportation, having health problems, and lacking money. Since that was the scenario, I had to do something very quickly. I appealed to my brother’s kind heart and asked him for economical assistance. He is not better off than I am but knowing about my situation, knowing that I have never asked him for money in the past, and he is in a position to also work on the automobile with a friend of his, he agreed to help me out. This has been a successful solution, in that, my brother partook in helping me out, even taking me to his friend who is a mechanic and he is able to work on the car himself, and obtaining lower costing parts (an engine, to start with). That has been my problem and

Cultural Issues in International Organizations Essay

Cultural Issues in International Organizations - Essay Example The paper tells that globalization is taken to mean internationalization. It has led to instantaneity, where things happening in a given location, in the world, can be experienced all over at the same time. This has been made possible through breakthrough in technology and the removal of restrictions that bar associations between different countries. Globalization led to easy exchange of ideas, knowledge, goods and services. It has made investments, exchange of money and merchandise possible across borders. This process has led into an open world economy. According to Ray, globalization is that which increase the extent of economic activity, international firm cooperation and easy and quick information flow. The current business organization have certain characteristics in common, to start with, there is diversity in international organizations. This diversity is both inside and outside the organizations. Internally managers must respond to diversity in the HR pool, much difference i n management system, diversity in means and ends including financial objectives to, advanced broad view, and adoption of a variety of models for a variety of business units. Externally the organization, there are diverse customer needs; myriads cultural values; an excess of stakeholders; different political, economic and legal provisions; and different competitors schemes. Another nature of the current global organization is interdependence. There is a web of interdependence in finance, governance, management, supply of goods and services, security, communication and transportation. Interdependence accelerates globalization, but it has many challenges associated with it, a break in the chain of flow can be devastating (Amann et al. 2007, p.5). There is the element of ambiguity in the business world today. There is a large amount of information with little clarification, making digestion and execution of appropriate action a challenge. For example, there is a range of accounting stan dards making monetary figure vague. Research is becoming unreliable due to the uprising of uncertainty. In addition, there is the issue of flux. The global companies are faced with unexpected changes. The more international the organization is the more prone it is to change. Managers should take precautions in order to avoid negative effects of change. Some cultural practices have an impact on communication; this has made international collaboration difficult. Exchange of knowledge, skills, goods and services between organizations across borders is possible if, they are simple, to the point, independent and involve similar cultural contexts. In contrast, it is difficult to share such knowledge

Protecting Trade Secrets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Protecting Trade Secrets - Essay Example There is reference to ‘reasonable’ in terms of the enforcement of the restraint, with direct bearing upon the protection of the company’s interests, being the clients and trade secrets of that business. The concept of restrictive covenants placed upon an individual has a long history, with legal case references being made as far back as the 17th century where a judgment was passed by Chief Justice Coke that an individual cannot bide himself not to use his trade generally. In 1711, a legal case; Mitchel v. Reynolds, mention was made in favor of the law, but against free discretion. Thus the law stipulated from these early times, that if a clause of restraint is unreasonable, it can be seen as void. Specifically pertinent to individuals; is a term known as the ‘blue pencil test’ which was defined in a 19th century English case namely, Nordenfelt v Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Co. Ltd [1894] AC 535, here elements of a contractual agreement can be enforced legally were reasonable, and the portions that had elements of illegality would be stricken from the agreement (via the scratching out of wording with a blue pencil), this would include individual words that make the clause excessively wide. Having dealt with the a general overview of legal descriptions and definitions of restraints of trade affecting the individual, one has to move on to the subjective viewpoint of the individual that is presented with such a restraint of trade within their offer of employment via their employment contract. Ultimately the individual has to make the decision of accepting or declining the contract, this decision must be made knowing that the restraint can be void if the clauses are worded in a fashion that causes the restraint to be too wide. However if directly relating to the business or company’s clients or trade secrets and the

Concrete Lab Report Essay Example for Free

Concrete Lab Report Essay Engineering B45 Concrete Lab Report Introduction: Concrete is a mixture of sand and rock or similar inert material (aggregates) held together by a cementing material. Usually the cementing material is Portland cement, but sometimes binders such as asphalt or gypsum are used, in which case the concrete may be called asphaltic concrete or gypsum concrete. Properties of concrete are governed not only by the properties of its ingredients (cement, water, sand, and coarse aggregate) but also, to a great extent, by the relative proportions of these ingredients. The proportions must be so selected as to produce a concrete mixture of desired workability, strength, durability, and economy. The most common aggregates are gravel and crushed stone, although cinders, blast-furnace slag, burned shale, crushed brick, or other materials may be used because of availability, or to alter such characteristics of the concrete such as workability, density, appearance, or conductivity of heat or sound. Usually aggregate which passes a sieve with 0. 187-inch openings (No. 4 sieve) is called fine aggregate, but that retained by a No. sieve is coarse aggregate, although the division is purely arbitrary. If all the particles of aggregate are of the same size, or if too many fine particles are present, an excessive amount of cement paste will be required to produce a workable mixture; a range of sizes aids in the production of an economical mixture. The best concrete for a given use is usually the one which will provide the necessary strength and the desired wor kability at the lowest cost. Unless otherwise indicated, strength, as applied to concrete, refers to the ultimate compressive strength of the moist-cured concrete at the age of 28 days. Most concretes are batched to provide an ultimate compressive strength of 2500 to 4000 psi after 28 days. The figure below shows a typical strength curve of concrete with the passage of time. The modulus of elasticity of concrete is about 1000 times the ultimate compressive strength. The strength of concrete depends chiefly on the water-cement ratio, with a low ratio producing a strong concrete. While only a small amount of water is required to complete the chemical reactions of setting concrete, more than this is used to make the concrete more workable. The workability of concrete is usually measured by its slump. The standard method of measuring slump consists of placing the freshly-mixed concrete in a mold in the form of a truncated cone, 12 inches high, 8 inches in diameter at the bottom, and 4 inches in diameter at the top. The concrete is placed in the slump cone in three layers, each layer rodded thoroughly to compact it. When filled, the mold is immediately withdrawn by lifting it gently, and the slump of the concrete is measured at the vertical distance from the top of the mass to its original 12 inch height. An increase in the amount of mixing water will increase the slump, but it will also decrease the strength and increase the tendency of the ingredients of the concrete to segregate unless more cement is added. Increasing the amount of cement paste increases the cost, so all three factors- strength, workability, and cost-are interrelated in a complex way. Procedure: 1. Concrete mixtures are commonly given as volume ratios as cement: sand: gravel. You will make two concrete mixtures at ratios given to you by the instructor.

Ecommerce in Tourism Industry

Ecommerce in Tourism Industry 2.1. Introduction to e-Commerce ‘Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) is such a service offering people the opportunity to do their shopping via modern information and communication technologies at home’ (Schultz, 2007). It enables everyone to conduct business via the Internet. The only precondition is a computer and a connection to the Internet. The term e-Commerce is becoming increasingly important in the dictionary of today’s tourism managers all around the world. This is reflected in the development of the overall online travel market turnover in Europe reaching a total of EUR 70 billion in the year 2008 (V-I-R, Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2009). The introduction of the internet represented both, major opportunities as well as threats, for the tourism industry. The internet erased physical borders and enables everyone to participate in a global marketplace. The only requisite is a computer and an internet access. This section explores the current dynamics within the broader area of e-Commerce and provides definitions for the incorporating aspects of business transactions via the Internet. The worldwide proliferation of the internet led to the birth of electronic transfer of transactional information. ‘E-Commerce flourished because of the openness, speed, anonymity, digitization, and global accessibility characteristics of the internet, which facilitated real-time business’ (Yu et al., 2002). One can of course argue, whether the anonymity of the Internet is still valid today. Maya Gadzheva (2008) for example, suggests that the ‘achievement of unobservability and anonymity in the Internet is going to be much more difficult in the future, due to the possibility of unlimited collection of data’. Through the aide of the internet tourism companies are able to market and sell their products to a far greater mass which represents substantial growth opportunities for them. According to Porter (2001), the ‘Internet technology provides better opportunities for companies to establish distinctive, strategic positioning than did previous generations of information technology’. However, those opportunities can also represent burdens for companies participating in transactions via the Internet. Those companies are now more than ever forced to keep their web sites up-to-date and to provide reliable information. Since the Internet is a very fast changing medium, it requires their participants, in this case the e-merchants, to keep up with this pace. In case the companies cannot fulfil these requirements, they will probably face a shift of customers to the competition. Especially the area of tourism, being labelled as largely information driven (Morgan et al., 2001) requires constantly updated and reliable information. Customers need to find every information they require on the web. They need to know where to search and they need to be convinced of the trustworthiness and reliability of this information. The ability to inform clients and to sell and market products in the virtual marketplace is a critical success factor for economic triumph of tourism companies nowadays and in the future. The website is thus a digital business card of tourism companies and one of their most effective sales persons at the same time. ‘Internet technology provides buyers with easier access to information about products and suppliers, thus bolstering buyer bargaining power’ (Porter, 2001). This will also decrease the costs of switching suppliers (or tourism companies). That is the downturn of the Internet. Competitors are only a few mouse clicks away (Porter, 2001) and the whole industry becomes more transparent. Just about every company participating in e-Commerce is obviously forced to list prices of their holiday components. This facilitates the comparability of tourism services. Customers do now have access to all kinds of information that facilitate as well as influence their holiday choice. Since tourism companies can no longer differentiate themselves from the competition by pricing means, the corporate website, and the online booking process of a holiday becomes progressively more important. This involves the appearance of the website, including usability and content related features, but also everything concerning the actual booking process and transaction handling. The tourism company (the seller) and the customer (the buyer) conducting business over the internet have usually never seen each other face-to-face, nor do they exchange currency or hard copies of documents hand-to-hand. When payments are to be made over a telecommunications network such as the internet, accuracy and security become critical (Yu et al., 2002). In other words this would mean that customers need to transfer extremely private information like credit card details to a complete stranger. Summarizing this section it can be said that Internet and e-Commerce present various advantages for tourism customers, since companies and offers are more transparent and easier to compare. Furthermore, improvements in IT technology will enhance the search for relevant information and facilitate the navigation in the World Wide Web. However, there are also threatening factors for tourism companies. Competition will become stronger, since competitors are only a few mouse clicks away, switching costs for customers are much longer and due to their access to nearly unlimited information the customers’ bargaining power will increase. Nonetheless, tourism companies who can keep up with the fast pace of the Internet and who are able to convince customers of the reliability, trustworthiness and timeliness of their displayed offers and information will benefit from the Internet. 2.2. Online Trust or eTrust What is (online) trust? A first step towards the answer of this question can be made by looking at various definitions of the term trust. Trust is defined as ‘the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). According to this definition, buyers conducting transactions via the Internet will have to rely on a person or institution they may have never seen or even heard of. This would certainly be not sufficient as an assurance for most of us. Another definition defines trust as ‘to hope or wish’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). Summarizing this would mean that we need to rely on the goodwill of the other party and hope or wish that it will act as it was promised. Those definitions might be a good starting point in explaining the meaning of trust, but they certainly do not seem to be convenient for most of us. Bà ¶hle et al. (2000) argue that trust is a precondition for flourishing e-Commerce. Shankar et al. (2002) advance a different view, although they classify ‘(online) trust as being important in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-business’. Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa (2004) pursue a similar way of argumentation. They suggest that ‘lack of trust in online companies is a primary reason why many users do not shop online’. Another author, Peter Landrock (2002), founder and managing director of Cryptomathic UK Ltd., one of the world’s leading providers of security solutions to businesses, points out that ‘without such trust, neither businesses nor consumers will conduct transactions or sensitive communications across this medium (the Internet)’. This argument is being supported by a recently conducted study by Ernst Young and the Information Technology Association of America who concluded ‘that trust represents one of the most fundamental issues impacting the growth of e-Commerce’ (Talwatte, 2000). Strader and Shaw (Chadwick, 2001) point out that ‘consumers are more likely to buy from an online company they trust, when price differences are small’. Thos would in turn imply that whenever price differences are significant, customers are willing to accept a higher level of uncertainty and perceived risk in transactions with companies they do not know or trust. According to those argumentations one can say that trust is the major precondition for both, businesses as well as consumers to conduct transactions via the Internet. ‘Trust is a key challenge to the customer acceptance of e-Commerce: the lack of trust is an important reason for the hesitant growth in e-Commerce and for the reluctance of consumers to engage in online buying transactions’ (Schultz, 2007). A Forrester Survey from 2000 stated that ‘51% of companies would not do business with parties they do not trust over the web’ (Shankar et al., 2002). However, this would also mean that 49% of companies would do business with companies they do not trust. Trust needs to be strongly combined with uncertainty and ambiguity. The more information a buyer has about the seller, the better can he or she estimates whether the seller will act as it was promised. Thus, the better the information about a seller the better can he or she be trusted. Good examples for this assumption are online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. Those two providers offer nearly everyone the possibility to participate in e-Business. Since they recognized the increased need from customers for information about sellers, they introduced up-to-date ratings. Every seller can be rated after transactions whether buyers have been satisfied with the transaction process or not. The higher and better the rating, the more trustworthy is the seller (in a simplified way). These ratings are good indications for (unexperienced) buyers, since they equip them with information about the seller’s past performance in transactions. Other ways in creating trustworthiness are so-called trust seals. ‘Those seals are issued by third parties to verify the commitment of an e-vendor’ (Cook and Luo, 2003; Hu et al., 2003; Kaplan and Nieschwitz, 2003; Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Loebbecke, 2003; Patton and Jà ¸sang, 2004; Urban et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2006; in Schultz, 2007). Trust seals are generally indicated via symbols on the web site of the seller. Those seals are a sign that the seller conducts business according to the standards of the third party, the trust seal provider, and/or that the seller conducts business as promised by the statements and policies on the web site (Schultz, 2007). ‘Further measures to increase trust are security features, the availability of alternative payment methods, privacy, security and return policies and feedback mechanisms and consumer communities’ (Schultz, 2007). ‘Security is the main concern of consumers before engaging in e-business with a seller’ (Schultz, 2007; Hinde 1998). ‘Sellers need to incorporate certain security features into the design of their web sites in order to ensure the safety of the whole transaction process’ (see Credit Card) (Schultz, 2007). Offering alternative methods of payment is another approach of the seller to signal the willingness to adapt to the customers’ needs. Being able to choose a method of payment equips the customer with the perceived power over a part of the transaction process. It is essential to display the ‘rules of the game’. Privacy, security and return policies need to present on every seller’s web site in order to inform the customer properly. This will not only increase trust but will also facilitate processes in case of complaints or other problems. The provision of customer feedback mechanism (ratings, reply forms, forums, etc.) is another way for customers to increase knowledge and gather information about a seller. The advantage is that customers can exchange with previous customers of the seller. This way they can obtain an objective evaluation of the seller. However, sellers can also manipulate those forums by uploading faked ratings or deleting negative ratings or feedbacks. Again, the customer needs to develop trust in these kinds of information. Furthermore, customers do also need to develop trust in the IT infrastructure they are using, since this will be the mean of communicating the transactional data between the seller and the buyer. In other words, consumers not trusting the technology they are using for an intended transaction via the Internet will not participate in any e-Business transaction unless they feel confident with the security. When considering security issues, a public key infrastructure (PKI) that can provide secure authentication on the Internet is an important step towards secure Internet transactions. It can help to build trust, reduce the potential for fraud, ensure privacy and provide merchants with non-repudiation (Bà ¶hle et al., 2000). It is essential for the merchant that the customer can trust him, his connection and Website and the payment system used. Otherwise there will not be any transactions between the two parties. Summarizing this section it can be said that information is the key to (nearly) everything. A higher level of information about the other transactional party will increase the level of trust, since uncertainty and ambiguity can be erased at least to a certain extent. Furthermore, it is essential to create awareness for technologies and tools needed for security improvements and the development of trust. These tools and technologies can involve ‘soft’ components like trust seals and customer feedback forums. The ‘harder’ components are embedded in the aspect of IT infrastructure. This includes improvements in the encryption and network and database security. 2.3. Electronic Payment Systems Monetary transactions via the Internet do always involve risks and uncertainty. In most of the cases, there is no personal interaction involved. That means that the customer has to put a considerable amount of trust in the seller’s promise to fulfil everything that has been agreed upon during the confirmation of the purchase (e.g. the delivery of the ordered products or services on time, in the right quality and that the agreed amount of money is charged) (Schultz, 2007; Chadwick, 2001). According to Lammer (2006) ‘Electronic Payment Systems or e-Payment Systems may be defined as all payments that are initiated, processed and received electronically’. The main concern with electronic payment systems is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction. If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce (Yu et al., 2002). The customer is concerned right from the point he is connected to the website of the seller. The risk of losing private information like contact details, credit card or bank account information is a primary concern of the customer. Therefore, it is necessary that both, the seller as well as the customer take care for the security of their own network as well as with the data exchanged during the transaction. In Germany, there are currently up to ten different electronic payment methods used with varying frequency and success. The author will only refer to those payment systems which are applicable for intangible goods, such as holidays. The definitions below are based on the work of Stroborn et al. (2004), who were arguing that one way to ‘classify different payment instruments is by the point of time when the liquidity effect sets in from the payer’s point of view that means the exact point in time when the customer’s account is charged with the payment’. ‘Following this premise, one can distinguish between â€Å"prepaid†, â€Å"pay-now† and â€Å"pay-later† systems’ (Stroborn et.al, 2004). Other authors (Yu et al., 2002, Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004) categorized payment systems with regard to the following variables. ‘The first variable is the ‘size or the amount of the payment’ (e.g. micro-payments). The second variable depends on the ‘type of transaction’, e.g. credit card, paying via e-mail (PayPal)’, etc. It can be argued which of these two different approaches in classifying e-payment systems is the most appropriate. However, the author decides to use the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) for the reason that this type of classification can be best applied to the underlying topic of this work, due to the following facts. The ability to differentiate e-Payment systems by the time, the liquidity effect sets in is important within the industry of tourism. Holiday components, especially cruises are oftentimes financed using prepayments of customers. Therefore, it is particularly important for cruise lines to know which of the offered payment systems allow them to use prepayments as financing means. On the other hand, customers do always want a certain level of security, especially when they purchase a holiday, which is certainly not an everyday expense with regard to the amount charged. Therefore, equipping customers with the perceived power of determining the point of time when the actual payment will be processed will result in a beneficial feeling on the side of the customer. This equipment of perceived power is another way of demonstrating willingness to adapt to customer needs. Customers seem to have all under control, since they receive the product before they have to pay for it. So the seller has already delivered the agreed upon product or service. 2.3.1 Pre-Paid-payment systems The different Pre-Paid-payment systems currently in use in Germany will not be further explained. Systems like GeldKarte, MicroMoney or WEB.Cent are being used to settle small-or micro-payments up to usually â‚ ¬ 100. In this respect an application within the tourism industry is of no relevance. According to the DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband, 2008), the majority of holidays booked via the Internet was between â‚ ¬ 500 -â‚ ¬ 1.500 (55, 1% of all holidays). 2.3.2 Pay-Now-payment systems ‘So called pay-now systems debit the account of the customer at the exact time the customer purchases something. Cash-on-Delivery (COD) and debit entry are well established examples today’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Online Transfer: According to Monika E. Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) online transfer can be defined as follows: These services are embedded in the online shopping process, e.g. via an automatic popup window connecting to the service provider and already containing all necessary transaction details. The customer is invited to choose a payment option and provide his account details. The completed transaction data set will be routed to the relevant payment service provider for authorization. After successful payment authorization the bank (or the payment service provider) confirms the payment to the merchant so that the purchase transaction can be completed (Lammer, 2006). COD (Cash-on-Delivery) COD is usually used for the settlement of amounts for physical goods. Customers order their desired articles over the website of an online merchant. The goods are then delivered by a mail service. In addition to the price of the delivered goods, the customer pays also COD charges to the delivery service. The mail delivery service then mails a money order to the internet merchant. Due to the simultaneous exchange of physical goods and money, COD is said to protect consumer and merchant at the same time. Nevertheless, it is considered not to be cost-effective and awkward for the consumer, who needs to be present for the delivery. Additionally, this payment method cannot be used for goods delivered electronically (Stroborn et al., 2004). M-Payments (Mobile Payments) M-Payment is such a service, where the mobile phone of the customer in combination with a PIN number deals as authentication device. Whenever the customer wants to purchase goods or transfer money, he or she is called by a third party, e.g. Paybox (www.paybox.net), on his or her mobile phone. He needs to confirm the transaction with a PIN. The sum of the transaction is then debited from the customer’s bank account (Stroborn et al., 2004). According to a recent study conducted by the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, v-i-r (2007), only two percent of all holiday purchases have been settled using mpayments. However, this payment method is expected to grow tremendously in the future. This is already indicated by the awareness level of m-payments. Although only two percent had used m-payments to settle their online purchases, more than 23% of all respondents are aware of the possibility of using mobile payments. Debit Entry ‘The process of a debit entry requires the receiver of the payment, the seller, to inform his banking institution to charge the account of the buyer with a certain amount. This amount is in turn booked on the account of the seller’ (www.wikipedia.org). PayPal With over 150 million registered accounts worldwide (PayPal, 2009), PayPal is one of the most successful internet-based payment schemes. Authentication is done via the personal e-mail address of the customer in addition to the entry of a password. The amount is then debited from the customer’s PayPal account. Customers using PayPal will benefit since they will no longer have to reveal their debit or credit card number. Furthermore, the whole transaction process is speeded up due to the fact that customers no longer need to enter their address details. PayPal also promotes its product as being more secure in comparison with other e-payment schemes. 2.3.3 Pay-Later-payment systems ‘In terms of pay-later-systems (e.g. credit cards), the customer actually receives the goods before being debited’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). However, this depends upon the point in time when the customers’ bank account is being debited. It is also possible, particularly within the area of tourism that the bank account is debited before the holiday is ‘consumed’. Within the tourism industry it is a common practice to book and purchase holidays long time in advance. Especially in terms of family holidays, customers like to book in advance, since they do only have a small time frame (namely the school holidays) where they can go on holiday. So, holidays in these periods are strongly demanded. Thus there is an incentive for customers to book as early in advance as possible. In this case, the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) is not valid anymore. The holiday is purchased long before it is consumed and thus the bank account will also be debited before the consumption. Credit Card ‘Settling payments via the use of the credit card is the most commonly used payment method worldwide. Nearly 90 % of all items and goods purchased via the Internet are paid by credit card’ (Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004). Stroborn et al. differentiate between three basic ways of credit card payments via the Internet: An unsecured transaction ‘A transaction via Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is a sort of digital envelope. SSL is the de facto standard for secure online transactions, preventing eavesdroppers from learning customers’ account details’ (Ashrafi Ng, 2009). The SSL technology establishes a secure communication channel between the participants of an online transaction. ‘a transaction employing Secure Electronic Transaction Protocol (SET), which is currently considered as the safest credit-card-based payment systems on the Internet’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Recapitulating this section again highlights the importance of awareness. According to Monika Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) ‘many payment solutions did not succeed in reaching a critical mass of users’. This can be seen in within the example of Mpayments. Payment methods may be very useful, however if they do not manage to reach a critical mass of users, they will not succeed in the market. So customers need to be enlightened about the different payment methods available and the advantages and disadvantages involved. In addition the aspect of trust reappears in this section. Customers need to trust the security of their Internet connection in the first place before they are conducting any business transactions. 3.1 Factors favouring the growth of e-Commerce in tourism The introduction of the internet as well as the ability to pay for goods and services via electronic payment systems created potential advantages for customers as well as for tourism companies. ‘The marketing of an intangible product such as tourism largely depends upon visual presentation’ (Morgan et al., 2001). With the Internet, marketers finally found the perfect tool. The capability of combining the presentation of facts and figures, emotional pictures and the whole booking process is a huge asset for tourism companies. Buhalis (Morgan et al., 2001) stated that ‘organizations and destinations which need to compete will be forced to compute’. Thereby, he assigns companies participating in e-Commerce a significant competitive advantage. According to a recent study of the VIR (Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2007) customers value the easy and fast way of booking trips via the internet. Furthermore, they appreciate the possibility to customize their trips, to see if their desired holiday is still available and the extensive range of offerings. The possibility to pay per credit card and the savings in terms of time they need to invest are also big advantages for German customers booking their trips and holidays via the Internet. Cheyne et al. (2006) suggested that ‘the Internet is providing the means for suppliers and consumers to bypass the travel agent and interact directly’. Furthermore, many writers propose that ‘the Internet furnishes travel consumers with more information, quicker responses and often lower prices than they can achieve when making travel arrangements through a traditional travel agent’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). Tania Lang, a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst Young, stated in her work in 2000 that ‘there are a variety of factors providing advantages and benefits for the users of the Internet’. Amongst those factors is the access for availability enquiries and bookings when consumers want to research and purchase travel. Customers are no longer restricted to the opening times of their local travel agency. According to Buhalis (Lang, 2000), ‘the ability to access information which is detailed and up to date assists the travel consumer by making the product more tangible in their mind’. Another important advantage of e-Commerce in tourism is the bypass of travel agent fees and the access to online discounts. Lang (2000) stated that there is a ‘cost advantage in purchasing travel online as a result of the market becoming more competitive. These cost advantages can also be explained by decreasing distribution costs’. Concluding this section it can be suggested that customers will benefit tremendously from e-Commerce in the tourism industry. They will be faced with lower prices, since no intermediaries are involved any more so that potential cost savings can be achieved. In addition to this, the authors cited above implied that the visual representation of holidays will improve due the recent and upcoming developments in technology. According to this, there should not be any disadvantages for customers and conducting bookings via the Internet are the best solution for the future. However customers will also have to sacrifice in certain aspects as well as they will have to experience that bookings holidays via the Internet might not be that advantageous as the following section will point out. 3.2 Factors for the hesitant growth of e-Commerce in tourism In 2009, Prashant Palvia argues that ‘the Internet is far from achieving its potential due to the reluctance of consumers to engage in its use’. Palvia (2009) stresses this assumption by a recent study, indicating that sales of online retailers were only 2, 2% of total goods sold in the U.S. in 2005. Moreover, analysts have predicted that even by 2011, e-Commerce sales would only account for only 7%. According to Tania Lang (2000), there are certain barriers or disadvantages of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) for consumers. Amongst those factors, the ‘lacks of a human interface and of confidence in the technology as well as security issues have a high relevance’. There are a lot of situations, where a customer has built a strong relationship to his travel agent. For some travellers, the actual booking process (whether via a travel agency or the Internet) is already part of the holiday itself. The booking process might even be some kind of ritual which is carried out in exactly the same manner every time the customer goes on holiday. Those loyalty or relational factors are hard to be erased or replaced by the Internet which is in fact a major threat to electronic commerce in the tourism industry. A number of authors maintain that ‘travel agents provide better services, especially when more complex products are to be purchased’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). ‘Those complex travel arrangements are more information intensive and therefore needs consultation of travel agents compared to less complex holiday components such as flights or rail tickets’. Other authors, including Inkpen, Lyle and Paulson (Cheyne et al., 2006) argue that ‘travel agents can offer a more personalized service and provide unbiased advices that add value for the customer’. Concerning the latter assumption one can argue that this is true for inexperienced or first-time users. Customers, who are familiar with the Internet and know where to find the information they are looking for, will not need the advice of the travel agent no more. First of all, the travel agent might provide them with information they already know or find by themselves. Secondly, travel agents are biased too, regarding the amount of commissions they receive for the sale of products. Another case where customers do not need the advice of the travel agent are repeated holidays, meaning customers who always travel to the same hotel. Those customers will not benefit from a travel agent’s consultancy. Summarizing this, one can say that ‘the service offered by travel agents is value adding for customers, who are inexperienced with the process of online booking and for customers who want to travel to a variety of different destinations’ (comparing Cheyne et al., 2006). The lack of confidence in the technology as well as the mistrust in security are the two other major disadvantages of the Internet that Tania Lang has determined. She points out that the ‘main barrier stopping consumers from booking travel via the Internet is the perceived lack of a secure payment method’ (Lang, 2000). ‘The main concern with electronic payment is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction’ (Yu et al., 2002). ‘If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce’ (Yu et al., 2002). Putting this in other words, tourism companies may have the perfect product in terms of price quality ratio. However, the company will not be able to sell its products to a greater mass if their payment system is lacking security. This will not only erode trust in the payment system itself, but may also affect the customers’ acceptance of the company, thus affecting the company’s reputation, image and profits. In 1998, Haas surveyed that even though ‘many Internet users go online to find product information, most users prefer to log off and buy their goods through traditional sales channels’. Of course, this trend has increasingly changed over the last years; however, still today customers inform themselves over the Internet without performing t Ecommerce in Tourism Industry Ecommerce in Tourism Industry 2.1. Introduction to e-Commerce ‘Electronic commerce (e-Commerce) is such a service offering people the opportunity to do their shopping via modern information and communication technologies at home’ (Schultz, 2007). It enables everyone to conduct business via the Internet. The only precondition is a computer and a connection to the Internet. The term e-Commerce is becoming increasingly important in the dictionary of today’s tourism managers all around the world. This is reflected in the development of the overall online travel market turnover in Europe reaching a total of EUR 70 billion in the year 2008 (V-I-R, Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2009). The introduction of the internet represented both, major opportunities as well as threats, for the tourism industry. The internet erased physical borders and enables everyone to participate in a global marketplace. The only requisite is a computer and an internet access. This section explores the current dynamics within the broader area of e-Commerce and provides definitions for the incorporating aspects of business transactions via the Internet. The worldwide proliferation of the internet led to the birth of electronic transfer of transactional information. ‘E-Commerce flourished because of the openness, speed, anonymity, digitization, and global accessibility characteristics of the internet, which facilitated real-time business’ (Yu et al., 2002). One can of course argue, whether the anonymity of the Internet is still valid today. Maya Gadzheva (2008) for example, suggests that the ‘achievement of unobservability and anonymity in the Internet is going to be much more difficult in the future, due to the possibility of unlimited collection of data’. Through the aide of the internet tourism companies are able to market and sell their products to a far greater mass which represents substantial growth opportunities for them. According to Porter (2001), the ‘Internet technology provides better opportunities for companies to establish distinctive, strategic positioning than did previous generations of information technology’. However, those opportunities can also represent burdens for companies participating in transactions via the Internet. Those companies are now more than ever forced to keep their web sites up-to-date and to provide reliable information. Since the Internet is a very fast changing medium, it requires their participants, in this case the e-merchants, to keep up with this pace. In case the companies cannot fulfil these requirements, they will probably face a shift of customers to the competition. Especially the area of tourism, being labelled as largely information driven (Morgan et al., 2001) requires constantly updated and reliable information. Customers need to find every information they require on the web. They need to know where to search and they need to be convinced of the trustworthiness and reliability of this information. The ability to inform clients and to sell and market products in the virtual marketplace is a critical success factor for economic triumph of tourism companies nowadays and in the future. The website is thus a digital business card of tourism companies and one of their most effective sales persons at the same time. ‘Internet technology provides buyers with easier access to information about products and suppliers, thus bolstering buyer bargaining power’ (Porter, 2001). This will also decrease the costs of switching suppliers (or tourism companies). That is the downturn of the Internet. Competitors are only a few mouse clicks away (Porter, 2001) and the whole industry becomes more transparent. Just about every company participating in e-Commerce is obviously forced to list prices of their holiday components. This facilitates the comparability of tourism services. Customers do now have access to all kinds of information that facilitate as well as influence their holiday choice. Since tourism companies can no longer differentiate themselves from the competition by pricing means, the corporate website, and the online booking process of a holiday becomes progressively more important. This involves the appearance of the website, including usability and content related features, but also everything concerning the actual booking process and transaction handling. The tourism company (the seller) and the customer (the buyer) conducting business over the internet have usually never seen each other face-to-face, nor do they exchange currency or hard copies of documents hand-to-hand. When payments are to be made over a telecommunications network such as the internet, accuracy and security become critical (Yu et al., 2002). In other words this would mean that customers need to transfer extremely private information like credit card details to a complete stranger. Summarizing this section it can be said that Internet and e-Commerce present various advantages for tourism customers, since companies and offers are more transparent and easier to compare. Furthermore, improvements in IT technology will enhance the search for relevant information and facilitate the navigation in the World Wide Web. However, there are also threatening factors for tourism companies. Competition will become stronger, since competitors are only a few mouse clicks away, switching costs for customers are much longer and due to their access to nearly unlimited information the customers’ bargaining power will increase. Nonetheless, tourism companies who can keep up with the fast pace of the Internet and who are able to convince customers of the reliability, trustworthiness and timeliness of their displayed offers and information will benefit from the Internet. 2.2. Online Trust or eTrust What is (online) trust? A first step towards the answer of this question can be made by looking at various definitions of the term trust. Trust is defined as ‘the trait of believing in the honesty and reliability of others’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). According to this definition, buyers conducting transactions via the Internet will have to rely on a person or institution they may have never seen or even heard of. This would certainly be not sufficient as an assurance for most of us. Another definition defines trust as ‘to hope or wish’ (Wordnet, Princeton University, 2006). Summarizing this would mean that we need to rely on the goodwill of the other party and hope or wish that it will act as it was promised. Those definitions might be a good starting point in explaining the meaning of trust, but they certainly do not seem to be convenient for most of us. Bà ¶hle et al. (2000) argue that trust is a precondition for flourishing e-Commerce. Shankar et al. (2002) advance a different view, although they classify ‘(online) trust as being important in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-business’. Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa (2004) pursue a similar way of argumentation. They suggest that ‘lack of trust in online companies is a primary reason why many users do not shop online’. Another author, Peter Landrock (2002), founder and managing director of Cryptomathic UK Ltd., one of the world’s leading providers of security solutions to businesses, points out that ‘without such trust, neither businesses nor consumers will conduct transactions or sensitive communications across this medium (the Internet)’. This argument is being supported by a recently conducted study by Ernst Young and the Information Technology Association of America who concluded ‘that trust represents one of the most fundamental issues impacting the growth of e-Commerce’ (Talwatte, 2000). Strader and Shaw (Chadwick, 2001) point out that ‘consumers are more likely to buy from an online company they trust, when price differences are small’. Thos would in turn imply that whenever price differences are significant, customers are willing to accept a higher level of uncertainty and perceived risk in transactions with companies they do not know or trust. According to those argumentations one can say that trust is the major precondition for both, businesses as well as consumers to conduct transactions via the Internet. ‘Trust is a key challenge to the customer acceptance of e-Commerce: the lack of trust is an important reason for the hesitant growth in e-Commerce and for the reluctance of consumers to engage in online buying transactions’ (Schultz, 2007). A Forrester Survey from 2000 stated that ‘51% of companies would not do business with parties they do not trust over the web’ (Shankar et al., 2002). However, this would also mean that 49% of companies would do business with companies they do not trust. Trust needs to be strongly combined with uncertainty and ambiguity. The more information a buyer has about the seller, the better can he or she estimates whether the seller will act as it was promised. Thus, the better the information about a seller the better can he or she be trusted. Good examples for this assumption are online marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. Those two providers offer nearly everyone the possibility to participate in e-Business. Since they recognized the increased need from customers for information about sellers, they introduced up-to-date ratings. Every seller can be rated after transactions whether buyers have been satisfied with the transaction process or not. The higher and better the rating, the more trustworthy is the seller (in a simplified way). These ratings are good indications for (unexperienced) buyers, since they equip them with information about the seller’s past performance in transactions. Other ways in creating trustworthiness are so-called trust seals. ‘Those seals are issued by third parties to verify the commitment of an e-vendor’ (Cook and Luo, 2003; Hu et al., 2003; Kaplan and Nieschwitz, 2003; Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Loebbecke, 2003; Patton and Jà ¸sang, 2004; Urban et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2006; in Schultz, 2007). Trust seals are generally indicated via symbols on the web site of the seller. Those seals are a sign that the seller conducts business according to the standards of the third party, the trust seal provider, and/or that the seller conducts business as promised by the statements and policies on the web site (Schultz, 2007). ‘Further measures to increase trust are security features, the availability of alternative payment methods, privacy, security and return policies and feedback mechanisms and consumer communities’ (Schultz, 2007). ‘Security is the main concern of consumers before engaging in e-business with a seller’ (Schultz, 2007; Hinde 1998). ‘Sellers need to incorporate certain security features into the design of their web sites in order to ensure the safety of the whole transaction process’ (see Credit Card) (Schultz, 2007). Offering alternative methods of payment is another approach of the seller to signal the willingness to adapt to the customers’ needs. Being able to choose a method of payment equips the customer with the perceived power over a part of the transaction process. It is essential to display the ‘rules of the game’. Privacy, security and return policies need to present on every seller’s web site in order to inform the customer properly. This will not only increase trust but will also facilitate processes in case of complaints or other problems. The provision of customer feedback mechanism (ratings, reply forms, forums, etc.) is another way for customers to increase knowledge and gather information about a seller. The advantage is that customers can exchange with previous customers of the seller. This way they can obtain an objective evaluation of the seller. However, sellers can also manipulate those forums by uploading faked ratings or deleting negative ratings or feedbacks. Again, the customer needs to develop trust in these kinds of information. Furthermore, customers do also need to develop trust in the IT infrastructure they are using, since this will be the mean of communicating the transactional data between the seller and the buyer. In other words, consumers not trusting the technology they are using for an intended transaction via the Internet will not participate in any e-Business transaction unless they feel confident with the security. When considering security issues, a public key infrastructure (PKI) that can provide secure authentication on the Internet is an important step towards secure Internet transactions. It can help to build trust, reduce the potential for fraud, ensure privacy and provide merchants with non-repudiation (Bà ¶hle et al., 2000). It is essential for the merchant that the customer can trust him, his connection and Website and the payment system used. Otherwise there will not be any transactions between the two parties. Summarizing this section it can be said that information is the key to (nearly) everything. A higher level of information about the other transactional party will increase the level of trust, since uncertainty and ambiguity can be erased at least to a certain extent. Furthermore, it is essential to create awareness for technologies and tools needed for security improvements and the development of trust. These tools and technologies can involve ‘soft’ components like trust seals and customer feedback forums. The ‘harder’ components are embedded in the aspect of IT infrastructure. This includes improvements in the encryption and network and database security. 2.3. Electronic Payment Systems Monetary transactions via the Internet do always involve risks and uncertainty. In most of the cases, there is no personal interaction involved. That means that the customer has to put a considerable amount of trust in the seller’s promise to fulfil everything that has been agreed upon during the confirmation of the purchase (e.g. the delivery of the ordered products or services on time, in the right quality and that the agreed amount of money is charged) (Schultz, 2007; Chadwick, 2001). According to Lammer (2006) ‘Electronic Payment Systems or e-Payment Systems may be defined as all payments that are initiated, processed and received electronically’. The main concern with electronic payment systems is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction. If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce (Yu et al., 2002). The customer is concerned right from the point he is connected to the website of the seller. The risk of losing private information like contact details, credit card or bank account information is a primary concern of the customer. Therefore, it is necessary that both, the seller as well as the customer take care for the security of their own network as well as with the data exchanged during the transaction. In Germany, there are currently up to ten different electronic payment methods used with varying frequency and success. The author will only refer to those payment systems which are applicable for intangible goods, such as holidays. The definitions below are based on the work of Stroborn et al. (2004), who were arguing that one way to ‘classify different payment instruments is by the point of time when the liquidity effect sets in from the payer’s point of view that means the exact point in time when the customer’s account is charged with the payment’. ‘Following this premise, one can distinguish between â€Å"prepaid†, â€Å"pay-now† and â€Å"pay-later† systems’ (Stroborn et.al, 2004). Other authors (Yu et al., 2002, Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004) categorized payment systems with regard to the following variables. ‘The first variable is the ‘size or the amount of the payment’ (e.g. micro-payments). The second variable depends on the ‘type of transaction’, e.g. credit card, paying via e-mail (PayPal)’, etc. It can be argued which of these two different approaches in classifying e-payment systems is the most appropriate. However, the author decides to use the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) for the reason that this type of classification can be best applied to the underlying topic of this work, due to the following facts. The ability to differentiate e-Payment systems by the time, the liquidity effect sets in is important within the industry of tourism. Holiday components, especially cruises are oftentimes financed using prepayments of customers. Therefore, it is particularly important for cruise lines to know which of the offered payment systems allow them to use prepayments as financing means. On the other hand, customers do always want a certain level of security, especially when they purchase a holiday, which is certainly not an everyday expense with regard to the amount charged. Therefore, equipping customers with the perceived power of determining the point of time when the actual payment will be processed will result in a beneficial feeling on the side of the customer. This equipment of perceived power is another way of demonstrating willingness to adapt to customer needs. Customers seem to have all under control, since they receive the product before they have to pay for it. So the seller has already delivered the agreed upon product or service. 2.3.1 Pre-Paid-payment systems The different Pre-Paid-payment systems currently in use in Germany will not be further explained. Systems like GeldKarte, MicroMoney or WEB.Cent are being used to settle small-or micro-payments up to usually â‚ ¬ 100. In this respect an application within the tourism industry is of no relevance. According to the DRV (Deutscher Reiseverband, 2008), the majority of holidays booked via the Internet was between â‚ ¬ 500 -â‚ ¬ 1.500 (55, 1% of all holidays). 2.3.2 Pay-Now-payment systems ‘So called pay-now systems debit the account of the customer at the exact time the customer purchases something. Cash-on-Delivery (COD) and debit entry are well established examples today’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Online Transfer: According to Monika E. Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) online transfer can be defined as follows: These services are embedded in the online shopping process, e.g. via an automatic popup window connecting to the service provider and already containing all necessary transaction details. The customer is invited to choose a payment option and provide his account details. The completed transaction data set will be routed to the relevant payment service provider for authorization. After successful payment authorization the bank (or the payment service provider) confirms the payment to the merchant so that the purchase transaction can be completed (Lammer, 2006). COD (Cash-on-Delivery) COD is usually used for the settlement of amounts for physical goods. Customers order their desired articles over the website of an online merchant. The goods are then delivered by a mail service. In addition to the price of the delivered goods, the customer pays also COD charges to the delivery service. The mail delivery service then mails a money order to the internet merchant. Due to the simultaneous exchange of physical goods and money, COD is said to protect consumer and merchant at the same time. Nevertheless, it is considered not to be cost-effective and awkward for the consumer, who needs to be present for the delivery. Additionally, this payment method cannot be used for goods delivered electronically (Stroborn et al., 2004). M-Payments (Mobile Payments) M-Payment is such a service, where the mobile phone of the customer in combination with a PIN number deals as authentication device. Whenever the customer wants to purchase goods or transfer money, he or she is called by a third party, e.g. Paybox (www.paybox.net), on his or her mobile phone. He needs to confirm the transaction with a PIN. The sum of the transaction is then debited from the customer’s bank account (Stroborn et al., 2004). According to a recent study conducted by the Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, v-i-r (2007), only two percent of all holiday purchases have been settled using mpayments. However, this payment method is expected to grow tremendously in the future. This is already indicated by the awareness level of m-payments. Although only two percent had used m-payments to settle their online purchases, more than 23% of all respondents are aware of the possibility of using mobile payments. Debit Entry ‘The process of a debit entry requires the receiver of the payment, the seller, to inform his banking institution to charge the account of the buyer with a certain amount. This amount is in turn booked on the account of the seller’ (www.wikipedia.org). PayPal With over 150 million registered accounts worldwide (PayPal, 2009), PayPal is one of the most successful internet-based payment schemes. Authentication is done via the personal e-mail address of the customer in addition to the entry of a password. The amount is then debited from the customer’s PayPal account. Customers using PayPal will benefit since they will no longer have to reveal their debit or credit card number. Furthermore, the whole transaction process is speeded up due to the fact that customers no longer need to enter their address details. PayPal also promotes its product as being more secure in comparison with other e-payment schemes. 2.3.3 Pay-Later-payment systems ‘In terms of pay-later-systems (e.g. credit cards), the customer actually receives the goods before being debited’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). However, this depends upon the point in time when the customers’ bank account is being debited. It is also possible, particularly within the area of tourism that the bank account is debited before the holiday is ‘consumed’. Within the tourism industry it is a common practice to book and purchase holidays long time in advance. Especially in terms of family holidays, customers like to book in advance, since they do only have a small time frame (namely the school holidays) where they can go on holiday. So, holidays in these periods are strongly demanded. Thus there is an incentive for customers to book as early in advance as possible. In this case, the classification of Stroborn et al. (2004) is not valid anymore. The holiday is purchased long before it is consumed and thus the bank account will also be debited before the consumption. Credit Card ‘Settling payments via the use of the credit card is the most commonly used payment method worldwide. Nearly 90 % of all items and goods purchased via the Internet are paid by credit card’ (Dannenberg Ulrich, 2004). Stroborn et al. differentiate between three basic ways of credit card payments via the Internet: An unsecured transaction ‘A transaction via Secure Socket Layer (SSL), which is a sort of digital envelope. SSL is the de facto standard for secure online transactions, preventing eavesdroppers from learning customers’ account details’ (Ashrafi Ng, 2009). The SSL technology establishes a secure communication channel between the participants of an online transaction. ‘a transaction employing Secure Electronic Transaction Protocol (SET), which is currently considered as the safest credit-card-based payment systems on the Internet’ (Stroborn et al., 2004). Recapitulating this section again highlights the importance of awareness. According to Monika Hartmann (Lammer, 2006) ‘many payment solutions did not succeed in reaching a critical mass of users’. This can be seen in within the example of Mpayments. Payment methods may be very useful, however if they do not manage to reach a critical mass of users, they will not succeed in the market. So customers need to be enlightened about the different payment methods available and the advantages and disadvantages involved. In addition the aspect of trust reappears in this section. Customers need to trust the security of their Internet connection in the first place before they are conducting any business transactions. 3.1 Factors favouring the growth of e-Commerce in tourism The introduction of the internet as well as the ability to pay for goods and services via electronic payment systems created potential advantages for customers as well as for tourism companies. ‘The marketing of an intangible product such as tourism largely depends upon visual presentation’ (Morgan et al., 2001). With the Internet, marketers finally found the perfect tool. The capability of combining the presentation of facts and figures, emotional pictures and the whole booking process is a huge asset for tourism companies. Buhalis (Morgan et al., 2001) stated that ‘organizations and destinations which need to compete will be forced to compute’. Thereby, he assigns companies participating in e-Commerce a significant competitive advantage. According to a recent study of the VIR (Verband Internet Reisevertrieb, 2007) customers value the easy and fast way of booking trips via the internet. Furthermore, they appreciate the possibility to customize their trips, to see if their desired holiday is still available and the extensive range of offerings. The possibility to pay per credit card and the savings in terms of time they need to invest are also big advantages for German customers booking their trips and holidays via the Internet. Cheyne et al. (2006) suggested that ‘the Internet is providing the means for suppliers and consumers to bypass the travel agent and interact directly’. Furthermore, many writers propose that ‘the Internet furnishes travel consumers with more information, quicker responses and often lower prices than they can achieve when making travel arrangements through a traditional travel agent’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). Tania Lang, a senior consultant at Cap Gemini Ernst Young, stated in her work in 2000 that ‘there are a variety of factors providing advantages and benefits for the users of the Internet’. Amongst those factors is the access for availability enquiries and bookings when consumers want to research and purchase travel. Customers are no longer restricted to the opening times of their local travel agency. According to Buhalis (Lang, 2000), ‘the ability to access information which is detailed and up to date assists the travel consumer by making the product more tangible in their mind’. Another important advantage of e-Commerce in tourism is the bypass of travel agent fees and the access to online discounts. Lang (2000) stated that there is a ‘cost advantage in purchasing travel online as a result of the market becoming more competitive. These cost advantages can also be explained by decreasing distribution costs’. Concluding this section it can be suggested that customers will benefit tremendously from e-Commerce in the tourism industry. They will be faced with lower prices, since no intermediaries are involved any more so that potential cost savings can be achieved. In addition to this, the authors cited above implied that the visual representation of holidays will improve due the recent and upcoming developments in technology. According to this, there should not be any disadvantages for customers and conducting bookings via the Internet are the best solution for the future. However customers will also have to sacrifice in certain aspects as well as they will have to experience that bookings holidays via the Internet might not be that advantageous as the following section will point out. 3.2 Factors for the hesitant growth of e-Commerce in tourism In 2009, Prashant Palvia argues that ‘the Internet is far from achieving its potential due to the reluctance of consumers to engage in its use’. Palvia (2009) stresses this assumption by a recent study, indicating that sales of online retailers were only 2, 2% of total goods sold in the U.S. in 2005. Moreover, analysts have predicted that even by 2011, e-Commerce sales would only account for only 7%. According to Tania Lang (2000), there are certain barriers or disadvantages of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) for consumers. Amongst those factors, the ‘lacks of a human interface and of confidence in the technology as well as security issues have a high relevance’. There are a lot of situations, where a customer has built a strong relationship to his travel agent. For some travellers, the actual booking process (whether via a travel agency or the Internet) is already part of the holiday itself. The booking process might even be some kind of ritual which is carried out in exactly the same manner every time the customer goes on holiday. Those loyalty or relational factors are hard to be erased or replaced by the Internet which is in fact a major threat to electronic commerce in the tourism industry. A number of authors maintain that ‘travel agents provide better services, especially when more complex products are to be purchased’ (Cheyne et al., 2006). ‘Those complex travel arrangements are more information intensive and therefore needs consultation of travel agents compared to less complex holiday components such as flights or rail tickets’. Other authors, including Inkpen, Lyle and Paulson (Cheyne et al., 2006) argue that ‘travel agents can offer a more personalized service and provide unbiased advices that add value for the customer’. Concerning the latter assumption one can argue that this is true for inexperienced or first-time users. Customers, who are familiar with the Internet and know where to find the information they are looking for, will not need the advice of the travel agent no more. First of all, the travel agent might provide them with information they already know or find by themselves. Secondly, travel agents are biased too, regarding the amount of commissions they receive for the sale of products. Another case where customers do not need the advice of the travel agent are repeated holidays, meaning customers who always travel to the same hotel. Those customers will not benefit from a travel agent’s consultancy. Summarizing this, one can say that ‘the service offered by travel agents is value adding for customers, who are inexperienced with the process of online booking and for customers who want to travel to a variety of different destinations’ (comparing Cheyne et al., 2006). The lack of confidence in the technology as well as the mistrust in security are the two other major disadvantages of the Internet that Tania Lang has determined. She points out that the ‘main barrier stopping consumers from booking travel via the Internet is the perceived lack of a secure payment method’ (Lang, 2000). ‘The main concern with electronic payment is the level of security in each step of the transaction, because money and merchandise are transferred while there is no direct contact between the two sides involved in the transaction’ (Yu et al., 2002). ‘If there is even the slightest possibility that the payment system may not be secure, trust and confidence in this system will begin to erode, destroying the infrastructure needed for electronic commerce’ (Yu et al., 2002). Putting this in other words, tourism companies may have the perfect product in terms of price quality ratio. However, the company will not be able to sell its products to a greater mass if their payment system is lacking security. This will not only erode trust in the payment system itself, but may also affect the customers’ acceptance of the company, thus affecting the company’s reputation, image and profits. In 1998, Haas surveyed that even though ‘many Internet users go online to find product information, most users prefer to log off and buy their goods through traditional sales channels’. Of course, this trend has increasingly changed over the last years; however, still today customers inform themselves over the Internet without performing t