Digital Bangladesh: Concepts of Development

Digital Bangladesh: Concepts of Development Background The phrase Digital Bangladesh, although is composed of the catching word Digital, stands for a concept which benefits the country as a whole by using Information and Communication Technology for management, administration and governance in order to ensure transparency, accountability and answerability at all levels of society and state. Digital Bangladesh will provide us an ICT driven knowledge-based society where information will be readily available on line and where all possible tasks of the government, semi-government and also private spheres will be processed using the state of the art technology. So, in order to build a digital Bangladesh, we should emphasis on efficient and effective use of modern ICT in all spheres of the society with a view to establish technology driven e-governance, e-commerce, e-production, e-agriculture, e-health etc. for emphasizing the overall development of the common people, the major stakeholders of the country. Backbone of Digital Bangladesh ICT is the backbone of any digital initiative. It covers the vast area of information ensuring connectivity through the information technology, communication technology and of course the telecommunication technology. Without the development of the ICT sector, the dream of a Digital Bangladesh would not be possible. The main factors of ICT are the physical backbone and the intellect. Computer Systems, Network Machineries, Software, Wire and Wireless Connectivity Systems, Broadcast Hardware and many other Hardware and Accessories are the physical backbone. The trained human behind the backbone are the intellect. To materialize the idea of digital Bangladesh, development of countrywide backbone and expected number of human recourses are the basic needs. On the other hand, while mass people are concern, availability, accessibility and affordability must be ensured; otherwise the objective of building a digital Bangladesh could not be achieved properly. Due to globalization, more specific ally due to booming of ICT like most of the country of the globe, Bangladesh has already been connected with the outside world through the information super highway. Relationship between development and digitization Information technology reduces costs, saves time, improves efficiency, raises comfort levels and increases the confidence of citizens. Hence, developing countries such as Bangladesh should leverage the power of IT to leapfrog poverty barriers, and promote economic and social development. But we have to keep in mind that technology (ICT) alone can not alleviate economy, nor guarantee dynamic service delivery to citizens. It is important to understand that ICT facilities Good Governance but ICT itself do not guarantee Good Governance. Status of our country Telecommunication and Internet: backbone of communication Until recently, International Telecommunication System of Bangladesh has been dependent on satellite which was slow and had narrow band width. According to Telecommunication Policy of the government, International Telecommunication Network system is being regulated now by BTCL. Bangladesh has presently been connected with Information Super Highway through Submarine Cable since May, 2006. International Voice Circuits have been increased by more than 200 percent. IPLC (International Private Leased Circuit) has been opened with different companies. BTCL is connected with Singapore and France and Italy for Internet through 12 X STM-1. The Router capacity of BTCL has been enhanced through up-gradation of digital Data Network. Installation of NGN TAX (Next Generation Trunk Auto Exchange) is going on. It will enhance the inter district Telecommunication facilities. Access Network through Copper Cable, Optical Fiber, x-DSL, Wi-MAX is under process with a view to bring broadband connectivity and other facilities of the Submarine Cable System to the door-step of the subscribers. Mobile phone: media of communication Over last few years, a great revolution has taken place in the cellular phone usage in Bangladesh. It is evident from the table that the number of cell phone subscribers is growing rapidly compared with the fixed phone subscribers in Bangladesh. The growth rate of fixed phone subscriber was 15.26 percent in 2008. Against this, the growth rate of cell phone subscribers stood at 117.57 percent in 2004 and 35 percent in June 2008. Computer: tool of digitization Human Resources: work force for digitization World Scenario This digital revolution has created a brand new economic sector that simply did not exist before. Computers, modern telecommunication and the Internet all reduce communication costs and break down geographical borders. In addition, ICT can be an important driver in poverty reduction and assure sustained economic growth, better public welfare, and strong social solidity and democratic forms of government. In the developed nations government policies are being established which attempts to ensure that all citizens will get opportunity to access the effective use of ICT in order to enable them to participate in the educational, social and economic activities and democratic process. Developed countries are getting much benefit from the advancement of ICT. People living in developed countries have the best access to the fastest computers, best telephone services, competitive Internet Service Providers, and a wealth of content and training relevant to their lives. For example (Legard, 2001 ): The total Internet bandwidth in Africa is equal to that in the Brazilian city of Sao Paolo. The total Internet bandwidth in all of Latin America is equal to that in Seoul, South Korea. As a proportion of monthly income, Internet access in the United States is 250 times cheaper than in Nepal and 50 times cheaper than in Sri Lanka. In the United States, gn 1e6 54.3 percent of citizens use the Internet, compared to a global average of 6.7 percent. In the Indian subcontinent, the proportion is 0.4 percent. The digital divide around the world is usually measured through statistical indices such as the number of telephone lines, personal computers, websites and Internet users and their ratio to the total population. Table:1 shows a picture of such type of statistics of some world including Bangladesh. Although, there is an overall increment that has been enjoyed throughout the years in various areas of information and communication technologies, the improvement is very minimal in terms of global progression and not as good to be mentioned as an upcoming information society of the world. In fact, despite all these improvements, according to the ICT Development Index, Bangladesh moved down 6 places, from rank 132 in 2002 to rank 138 in 2007. This clearly indicates that there were countries that were ranked below Bangladesh in the 2002 index and they achieved significant improvements to exceed our rank in 2007. The examples include some developing and least developed countries like Pakistan, Gambia, Cote dIvoire, Senegal, Madagascar, Mauritania and Benin. The country that expanded most worldwide in ranking is Pakistan, moving up to 19 places, from the rank 146 in 2002 to rank 127 in 2007. Though the rank is still low, the progress has been significant in the past five years because i n 2002 there was almost no ICT access and usage in the country, whereas in 2007, 8% households had computers and internet penetration reached 10.7%. This proves that the country has improved in two areas of ICT while Bangladesh improved significantly in one area, which ranked us below Pakistan. So, an overall consistent increment in penetration levels starting from mobile telephones to fix telephone lines and from internet to personal computers is highly needed for making Bangladesh the digital one. India has led the use of remote sensing satellite information for locating irrigation projects. The Internet has been effectively used in some of the villages to ensure effective dissemination of agricultural commodity price information. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in India has used IT effectively, to enhance competitiveness of the dairy industry and to provide benefits to the rural masses. Towards digital Bangladesh we can use the Indian experience of using ICT in different sectors of the agriculture. Since more than half of our population is employed in agriculture, our planner should put ICT to good use in agriculture. The Simputer was developed by scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, and a software company called Encore. One can get computing facilities at a drastically lower cost as simputer only cost US$150 per piece compared to US$ 400 for a PC. Further, it has a local language interface. This is an instance of how the scientist, academia and industry can collaborate to develop technology to suit a particular economy. We can learn this lesson also from our neighboring country. In Bangladesh, 51% of the population does not have access to essential drugs. Further, there are only 26 physicians per 100,000 population compared to 279 for US and 162 for China. ICT can help bring medical expertise to Upazilla and District headquarters. Tele-medicine, for instance may link healthcare centers in remote locations, through satellites, with super specialty hospitals at major towns / cities. Thus it can bring connectivity between patients at remote end, with specialist doctors, for medical consultations and treatment. Our shortcomings Access to the Technology Inadequate technical and policy capacity is a fundamental barrier to digital Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, the lack of technical capacity and public managers perceptions of ICT is problematic in regard to issues such as migration to IP-based networks, implementation of mobile communication systems, and e-commerce applications, though capacity building measures do exist. One of the chief obstacles to effective e-governance is a lack of awareness about the usefulness of the Internet in policy making, coordination of policy implementation, creating portals in engaging important actors in the policy process, and in building an open and transparent public platform for wider participation. The reason for Digital Divide in Bangladesh is that the telecommunications infrastructure is deficient. In Bangladesh, the telephone density is only about 0.5%, which is the main reason for insignificant internet connection in the country. ICT infrastructure support is inadequate as compared to other countr ies in this region there is lack of any centralized policy to progress of ICT in the country. There is also some lack of holistic approach to infrastructure creation. The Internet facilities in sub-urban and district level are lag behind. No suitable network among the research institutes is established. Economic Barriers The economic condition of the people is one of the vital issues for computer use and internet connectivity. Generally, on average wealthy and educated as well as young, urban and male have the internet access, which appears that economic solvency education are the major factor during internet diffusion. Most of which are not favorable in Bangladesh. The budget provision for establishment, maintenance and expansion of computer networks in the country is inadequate. Reliable power supply is a major hindrance to develop telecom infrastructure in the rural areas. Literacy Barrier The Bangladesh is facing acute crisis of skilled computer user due to literacy problem. Lack of skilled manpower in public and private sectors is created. Information in the net is designed in the advanced technology which requires adequate knowledge for the user. Moreover, overall less educated community who are not very computer friendly. There is also some lack of proper motivational activities to promote e-commerce and e-government Language Barrier Language problem is another vital issue for the local user of the internet/web. There are very few web sites available in local language i.e. in Bengali. Local people are not very much frequent / efficient in English as language. Content Barrier Lack of Local Social Issues in the Net Contents in the web is not sufficiently enriched with information and services required by the local user. Still, local webs are concentrated with their product service promotion. Information based web services have not yet available in the net with local information. Social Cultural Environment As male group of the society can avail the web access facility from commercial centers or outside the home but the local women community of Bangladesh has limited access due to some social and cultural environment. Unfortunately, due to family obligation service, they can not spare sufficient time for using the net. Use of ICT within the government is still limited as only a small number of civil servants have Internet access. The high cost of IT equipment The high cost of IT equipment accessories which acts a barrier towards proliferation of IT accessneeds to be lowered. Due to high tariff levels, the cost of hardware and software in Bangladesh is significantly higher as compared to the rest of the world. For instance, A PC in Bangladesh costs around 12-15 months of average per-capita income as compared to Chinas 4 months and USAs 12 days. Hence, we need to reduce the tariff levels of ICT equipment and accessories to bring even a bigger population under Internet coverage. So the Inadequacy has been created in the man machine ratio. Steps to be taken Development of mobile applications As mass people in the urban as well as in the rural area use the cellular phone, we have to establish different kinds of mobile application. So they can easily enter into the information world. Most of our people live in with a lower economic condition, so the house hold computer is a dream for them. As the literacy rate is very poor and a person must has a minimum level of knowledge to operate a computer, so it is not feasible for our country that most of the people have access of computer in his house and also use the internet. But a mobile could easily be operated by all level of people. Those applications must be developed locally with relevant content and languages that promote advanced technology uptake. It is a knowledge driven technology; so, we need the people who have skill, knowledge, information and a level of education. For a future Bangladesh a tech shabby generation is significantly important. This generation would be the driving force for a digitized, prosperous and humane nation. To develop this kind of generation it needs to an education policy and national human resource policy. It is another hard truth that this objective could not be achieved over night, but a good beginning is essential, which will create the expected human resource that will manage, administer and govern future Bangladesh. Ensure a wide range of value added services (VAS). People could be instructed about product feature and cost clearly by avoiding elusive ideas or language. The services that are made available through the use of ICT should be freely available to all who might wi sh to make use of them. Awareness building program could be launched for everyone in phase by phase or categorically or geographically to aware them how they could be benefited from the use of the ICT. ICT Education and Human Resources Different types of IT education program could be launched for different people of the different level of education. It may be the IT discipline, Diploma courses, Training programs, only the introductory courses etc. Technology is important but not works without a person behind. Building of an IT educated work force is the most important segment of digital Bangladesh initiative. It needs strong commitment and strategic planning for sustainable Digital Bangladesh. The beginning must concentrate on the development of infrastructure in terms of hardware, software and manpower. Merely buying several lakhs of computers and distributing them among several thousand workstations located in colleges, schools, hospitals and clinics will not digitise Bangladesh. Locally produced qualified manpower must be available to keep the system running without depending on foreign experts. The project presupposes that Bangladesh will be able to build its technical and managerial capacity to design the necessary digital network system, procure and install all the equipment properly, and to educate, train and deploy necessary personnel to operate and maintain the nationwide ICT network. To produce such human resources, the government must assign highest priority to the promotion of science, technology and management education. We must prepare a separate plan to produce adequate num ber of scientists, computer and communication engineers, software engineers, technology management experts, etc. Distance education has tremendous potential to spread learning in any country. E-learning is a cost-effective way of providing education at a distance. This is especially important considering that around 80% of our illiterate population is from the rural areas. In this context, it is essential that the government, the industry, NGOs and academia forms partnership to accelerate the Digitalization process. Together, they need to create an enabling environment for the proliferation of ICT in Bangladesh. There are some basic steps that Bangladesh needs to foster online education to be offered by Open University and our National University.Private companies and NGOs can partner, in order to enhance awareness and utilization of ICT at the grass-roots level. For instance, NGOs can work to bring elementary computer literacy to the people of rural Bangladesh. They can make arrangements so that IT professionals and educators visit rural schools and help students get familiar with technology. Conclusion Digitization helps increase operational efficiency and productivity provided the supporting infrastructures work properly. This is a tool that will help accelerate economic development and increase competitive edges of Bangladesh in the world market. Wide-scale digitisation is likely to help Bangladesh become a mid-income country sooner than otherwise possible. However, for proper management the government needs to define its vision, mission and goals and formulate strategies and prepare action plans supported by necessary financial and human resources so that the plans can be implemented. The forces of globalization and technology are continuously reshaping our economy. The impact of information and communication technology (ICT) is giving rise to a new type of economy the knowledge based economy. It is necessary to mention that in the short run Digital Bangladesh aims at E-Governance and service delivery through utilizing ICT. But the vision Digital Bangladesh encompasses the whole arena of a knowledge based Digital Economy. Bangladesh cant afford to achieve that goal in the short and medium run. The thinkers, technocrats and IT experts have to focus on the short run issues and measures the present Government should undertake to digitalize Bangladesh. It is important to start digitalizing service delivery organs like Police, City corporation, Land Department, Tax Department, PDB, Water supply, Gas and other authorities also including sectors like Banking, Insurance, Customs, Tax Collection. Urgent steps should be taken to digitalize institutions like Bangladesh Bank, NBR, PSC, UGC, EC, ACC and other vital institution to go a step ahead towards Good Governance. Our government must take proactive steps to take technology to rural citizens. However our dream towards digital Bangladesh has a long way to go. Digitalization of Bangladesh will depend how best the Government can leverage the power of ICT to increase the access to information of its population.

The Destruction of our Environment :: essays research papers

One of the greatest arguments of philosophy and the scholastic disciplines of the sort has been the debate on the degree of influence that nature has on the growth and development of human beings and the civilizations that define them. By examining the interactions of the environment and the living creations that reside within, one is able to examine and define the type of relationship in place between nature and the creatures of the world. Upon first glance, one will notice that the fundamental roles of the environment and the creatures within respectively are that of a cyclical reciprocity wherein the environment serves as a primary provider in a great cycle of life and death, a cycle that all of the living creatures, especially humans, are a part of on a daily basis. The first premise is that the environment’s role in the cycle of life is that of a provider, wherein all possible forms of energy and sustenance derive. All of the environment’s facets, the air, the water, the verdancy, serve as the primary commodity with which the basic order of life on this planet employ for their means of sustenance. Most animals in nature directly receive their means of sustenance directly from consuming articles of the earth, namely plankton, field grass, and the lowest forms of animals and receive their obligatory elements from the water and the air. All animals are entangled in the reciprocation of water and air, for all animals consume water and then replete the water supply via digestive process wherein water is returned to the Earth, and all mammalian animals transfer air amongst their environment wherein the plants are able to internalize this discharge and return back into the environment viable source of breathable air. These basic roles help to foster the more complex roles that are found in the environment between the different forms of life, the different types of animals and plants. The more complex roles that one will see in play in nature include the hierarchy of the predacious wherein animals comport their existence to the animals and plants that they rely on for food, energy, and maintenance. It is by this process of comporting to the environment that becomes the predication on which a species’ evolutionary track progresses, towards prosperity and towards stagnancy. It has been refuted by many, but accepted by most that it is due to a harmonious and contemporaneous existence between the environment and those who depend on the environment that results in the prolonged existence and evolution of a species. The Destruction of our Environment :: essays research papers One of the greatest arguments of philosophy and the scholastic disciplines of the sort has been the debate on the degree of influence that nature has on the growth and development of human beings and the civilizations that define them. By examining the interactions of the environment and the living creations that reside within, one is able to examine and define the type of relationship in place between nature and the creatures of the world. Upon first glance, one will notice that the fundamental roles of the environment and the creatures within respectively are that of a cyclical reciprocity wherein the environment serves as a primary provider in a great cycle of life and death, a cycle that all of the living creatures, especially humans, are a part of on a daily basis. The first premise is that the environment’s role in the cycle of life is that of a provider, wherein all possible forms of energy and sustenance derive. All of the environment’s facets, the air, the water, the verdancy, serve as the primary commodity with which the basic order of life on this planet employ for their means of sustenance. Most animals in nature directly receive their means of sustenance directly from consuming articles of the earth, namely plankton, field grass, and the lowest forms of animals and receive their obligatory elements from the water and the air. All animals are entangled in the reciprocation of water and air, for all animals consume water and then replete the water supply via digestive process wherein water is returned to the Earth, and all mammalian animals transfer air amongst their environment wherein the plants are able to internalize this discharge and return back into the environment viable source of breathable air. These basic roles help to foster the more complex roles that are found in the environment between the different forms of life, the different types of animals and plants. The more complex roles that one will see in play in nature include the hierarchy of the predacious wherein animals comport their existence to the animals and plants that they rely on for food, energy, and maintenance. It is by this process of comporting to the environment that becomes the predication on which a species’ evolutionary track progresses, towards prosperity and towards stagnancy. It has been refuted by many, but accepted by most that it is due to a harmonious and contemporaneous existence between the environment and those who depend on the environment that results in the prolonged existence and evolution of a species.

Papa Johns Term Paper

Subject: Term Paper: Papa John’s Papa John’s International HISTORY OF COMPANY: Papa Johns was founded by John Schnatter. John worked at a local pizza pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana when he was in High School. While he was working there, he realized that there was something missing from the national pizza chains which was a superior-quality traditional pizza delivered right to the customer’s door. His dream was to one day open a pizza restaurant that would fill that void.In 1983, John Schnatter delivered his last campus pizza, picked up his business degree from Ball State University, and went back to Jeffersonville, Indiana. There, at age 22, he knocked down the broom closet in his father's tavern (Mick's Lounge); sold his prized 1971 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of used restaurant equipment, and began delivering pizzas out of the back of the bar. Papa John's opened its first pizza restaurant in 1984. (2) CORPORATE INFORMATION: Papa John’s Pizza Corpo rate Office is located at 2002 Papa John’s Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40299.Their phone number is (502)261-7272. The CEO is Nigel Travis, the COO is Jude Thompson, and the CFO is David Flanery. (1) STOCK MARKET INFORMATION: Papa John’s is under NASDAQ stock market and their symbol is PZZA. As of April 12, 2010, their Stock market price was $27. 88. Their stock prices are down -. 84. (6) COMPANY’S REPUTATION: Papa John's is the recognized quality leader of the pizza category and is the world's third largest pizza company. For nine of the last ten years, consumers have rated Papa John's No. in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John's also was honored by Restaurants ; Institutions Magazine (R;I) with the 2009 Gold Award for Consumers' Choice in Chains in the pizza segment. In 2006, for the third consecutive year consumers have honored Papa John's (NASDAQ: PZZA) with the top rating among nat ional pizza delivery and take-out chains in the prestigious Restaurants ; Institutions' Consumers' Choice in Chains Survey.Papa John's, which earned its best overall score ever, outdistanced the next closest national take-out and delivery chain by a record margin of almost six points. Restaurants and Institutions' 2006 Consumers' Choice in Chains Survey National Pizza Delivery and Take-Out Chains ———————————————————————- Overall Score Atmosphere Cleanliness Convenience ——————— ————- ———- ———– ———– Papa John's 52. 31% 44% 52% ——————— ————- ———- ———– à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Pizza Hut 46. 8 34 40 49 ——————— ————- ———- ———– ———– Little Caesars 44. 9 24 34 53 ——————— ————- ———- ———– ———– Domino's Pizza 43. 3 24 36 51 ———————————————————————-Food Quality Good Reputation Menu Variety Service Value ————– ———— ————— ———— ——- —– Papa John's 66% 64% 48% 50% 49% ————– ——à ¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€ ————— ———— ——- —– Pizza Hut 58 58 46 43 40 ————– ———— ————— ———— ——- —– Little Caesars 44 42 30 37 69 ————– ———— ————— ———— ——- —– Domino's Pizza 47 50 37 43 46 ———————————————————————- †¢For nine consecutive years (1999 – 2008), Papa John's has been rated number one n customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released by the National Quality R esearch Center at the University of Michigan Business School. †¢Top rated national pizza delivery and take-out chain in Restaurants & Institutions' Consumers Choice in Chains Survey seven out of the last nine years (1998 – 2000, 2002 and 2004 – 2006). †¢Pizzamarketplace. com 2006 Pizza Chain of the Year †¢Voted ‘Best Pizza' in more than 50 U. S. markets over the last several years, including in Los Angeles, Washington D. C. , Atlanta, Dallas, Indianapolis, Orlando, Knoxville and Phoenix. †¢Highest rated national pizza delivery and take-out chain in RealPeopleRatings. com, an online quarterly rating site. Tied for first as the highest rated national pizza chain in the 2007 Zagat/Today Show Fast Food Survey. †¢Silver winner of the 2006 Brandweek Customer Loyalty Award in the pizza category. †¢Named Delivery Operator of the Year among pizza chains in the United Kingdom by the Pizza and Pasta Association (2005 – 2006). CHIEF COMPE TITORS: Papa John’s top chief competitors are Domino’s, Little Caesar’s, and Pizza Hut. FINANCIAL POSITION OF COMPANY (PAST AND PRESENT): †¢Fourth quarter earnings per diluted share of $0. 49 in 2009 vs. $0. 46 in 2008 and full-year earnings per diluted share of $2. 06 in 2009 vs. $1. 30 in 2008 †¢Fourth quarter earnings per diluted share, excluding noted items, were $0. 41 in 2009 vs. $0. 8 in 2008 and full-year earnings per diluted share, excluding noted items, were $1. 50 in 2009 vs. $1. 68 in 2008 †¢Domestic system-wide comparable sales decreased 0. 5% for the quarter and were even for the year †¢International franchise system sales increased 18% for the quarter (13% excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates) and 14% for the year (24% excluding the impact of foreign currency exchange rates) †¢11 net Papa John's worldwide unit openings during the quarter and 89 net openings during the year †¢Earnings guidance for 20 10 reaffirmed at a range of $1. 70 to $1. 90 per diluted share, excluding the impact of consolidating BIBPPapa John's International, Inc. (NASDAQ: PZZA) today announced revenues of $280. 5 million for the fourth quarter of 2009, compared to revenues of $279. 6 million in 2008. Net income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $13. 7 million, or $0. 49 per diluted share (including after-tax income of $1. 3 million, or $0. 05 per diluted share, from the consolidation of the results of the franchisee-owned cheese purchasing company, BIBP Commodities, Inc. (â€Å"BIBP†), a variable interest entity, and a gain of $1. 0 million, or $0. 03 per diluted share, from the finalization of certain income tax issues), compared to 2008 fourth quarter net income of $12. 8 million, or $0. 6 per diluted share (including after-tax income of $600,000, or $0. 02 per diluted share, from the consolidation of BIBP, a gain of $1. 2 million, or $0. 04 per diluted share, from the finalization of certain inc ome tax issues and an after-tax charge of $2. 2 million, or $0. 08 per diluted share, related to restaurant impairment and disposition losses). Consolidated revenues for 2009 were $1. 11 billion, representing a decrease of 2. 3% from revenues of $1. 13 billion for 2008. Net income for 2009 was $57. 5 million, or $2. 06 per diluted share (including after-tax income of $14. 6 million, or $0. 52 per diluted share, from the consolidation of BIBP and a gain of $1. 0 million, or $0. 4 per diluted share, from the finalization of certain income tax issues), compared to net income of $36. 8 million, or $1. 30 per diluted share, for 2008 (including a net loss of $6. 9 million, or $0. 24 per diluted share, from the consolidation of BIBP, a gain of $1. 7 million or $0. 06 per diluted share from the finalization of certain income tax issues and an after-tax charge of $5. 5 million, or $0. 20 per diluted share, related to restaurant impairment and disposition losses). FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES: Cur rently Papa John’s has a 2010 U. S. Development Incentive Program for franchise opportunities. This program currently offers: †¢NO FRANCHISE FEE; A REDUCED ROYALTY RATE FOR THE FIRST 12 MONTHS FOR ON-TIME RESTAURANT OPENINGS, INCLUDING A 0% ROYALTY RATE FOR RESTAURANTS OPENED BY JUNE 2010; †¢A FREE â€Å"WOW OVEN† SET (UP TO $32,000 VALUE); AND †¢A CREDIT ON FOOD PURCHASES OF UP TO $3,000. If you do not qualify for the 2010 U. S. Development Incentive Program then these are the regular franchise requirements and fees: †¢Minimum of $50,000 in cash or liquid assets; †¢Minimum net worth of $150,000; and †¢Ability to obtain financing up to $200,000. Additional franchisee qualifications and requirements include: †¢The prospective franchisee should have at least one partner with a successful business management background and one partner who qualifies as the Principal Operator. For single-unit development, an individual can apply to be both owner and Principal Operator. The Principal Operator must have prior general management experience relative to the number of units to be developed and must own or have the right to acquire at least 5% equity in the business within 12 months of hire date. †¢A fully completed Request for Consideration Form and current resume must be submitted for each member of the proposed franchise group or the owner operator, including the proposed Principal Operator. Also, Papa John's will request supporting documentation from each proposed owner. Franchise Fees †¢The initial franchise fee is $25,000 per restaurant. ** Waived for 2010 †¢An ongoing royalty fee of 5% of net sales is due on a monthly basis. * Reduced for 2010 †¢Papa John's requires that a minimum of 7% of net monthly sales be spent by each franchisee for marketing purposes*, as follows: 2. 94% on national fund; and 4. 06% on co-op and/or local marketing initiatives. Also, $9,000 must be spent on grand opening adv ertising for each of the first two restaurants. Papa John's Franchise Offering Circular includes more detailed information regarding marketing and advertising fees. FUTURE PLANS: In an effort to further enhance its pan-India presence, the US-based delivery pizza restaurant chain, Papa John's is planning to open 10 more Papa John's outlets by the end of current quarter (April-June 2010). BIBLIOGRAPHY (1)Chris Sternberg: Papa John's International, Inc. (April 29, 2010).Papa John's Names Jude Thompson Co-CEO along with Founder and Chairman John Schnatter. http://ir. papajohns. com/releasedetail. cfm? ReleaseID=464972 (2)Papa John’s International. (2010). Retrieved April 18, 2010, from http://company. papajohns. com/about/pj_story. shtm (3)Franchise opportunities. (2010). Retrieved April 13, 2010, from, http://company. papajohns. com/franchise_opps/index. shtm (4)Financial overview. (2010). Retrieved on April 18, 2010, from, http://ir. papajohns. com/ (5)Financial information. (2 010). Retrieved on April 21, 2010, from, http://ir. papajohns. com/financials. cfm (6)Stock information. (2010). Retrieved on April 12, 2010, from, http://ir. papajohns. com/stockquote. cfm

Causes, Effects, Risks, and the Future of Global Warming

Scientists have determined that a number of human activities are contributing to global warming by adding excessive amounts of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide accumulate in the atmosphere and trap heat that normally would exit into outer space. Greenhouse Gases and Global Climate Change While many greenhouse gases occur naturally and are needed to create the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support life, human use of fossil fuels is the main source of excess greenhouse gases. By driving cars, using electricity from coal-fired power plants, or heating our homes with oil or natural gas, we release carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere. Deforestation is another significant source of greenhouse gases, as exposed soils release carbon dioxide, and fewer trees mean  less carbon dioxide conversion to oxygen. The production of cement involves a chemical reaction responsible for a surprisingly large amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere every year. During the 150 years of the industrial age, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide has increased by 31 percent. Over the same period, the level of atmospheric methane, another important greenhouse gas, has risen by 151 percent, mostly from agricultural activities such as raising cattle and growing rice. Methane leaks at natural gas wells are another major contributor to climate change. There are steps we can take to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our life, encourage carbon emission reduction programs, methane emission reduction laws, and we can support global climate change mitigation projects. Can Natural Sun Cycles Explain Global Climate Change? In short, no. There are variations in the amount of energy we receive from the sun due to factors like orbital patterns and sunspots, but none which can explain the current warming, according to the IPCC. Direct Effects of Global Climate Change Many of the effects of climate change can be tied directly to some very important changes in our atmosphereBecause of important gas and heat transfers between the atmosphere and sea water, a suite of: changes in the oceans ave been observedThe frozen parts of the Earth are especially vulnerable to climate change. The latest IPCC report explained the impacts on the worlds polar ice caps, glaciers, and permafrost The Consequences of Global Warming The increase in trapped heat changes the climate and alters weather patterns, which may change the timing of seasonal natural events, and the  frequency of extreme weather events. Polar ice is vanishing, and  sea levels are rising, causing coastal flooding. Climate change leads to  food security, and even national security, concerns. Agricultural practices have been affected, including the production of maple syrup. There are also health consequences to climate change. Warmer winters allow for range expansions of white-tailed deer and deer ticks, increasing the incidence of Lyme disease. Edited by Frederic Beaudry

The Death Of Meriwether Lewis - 1039 Words

The Death of Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis was one of the travelers that were given the mission of traveling from the colonies to the Pacific Ocean, The Mission of Discovery. After Lewis got back from the expedition, he was assigned the role of Governor of The upper half of the Louisiana Purchase. When he was appointed to this position, he didn’t instantly go to do the job though. Actually he spent about half a year trying to publish the notes he wrote down during the Mission of Discovery. That didn t work out though because of financial funds. So Lewis came back to Washington D.C. and got ready to go to his part of the Louisiana territory. But on the way there he stopped at an inn called†¦show more content†¦In the position that Lewis supposedly shot himself at wound. Lets say he shot himself in the in the abdomen. This shot would also have been fatal because it would rupture something in his abdomen which would also would have been fatal. Therefor it doesn t matter if Lewis shot himself in the head first or the abdomen. They both would have been fatal. The amount of power that the horse pistols can generate shows that Lewis would not have been able to shoot himself twice. One shot would have immobilized him. If it was someone else shooting him that would make sense that there were two wounds, because someone else could have shot him. But Lewis shooting himself twice just isn t reasonable due to the amount of damage and the amount of power the guns would give. That is why Meriwether Lewis was the victim to a murder conspiracy. Also there is the information from Major James Neelly. Major Neelly was sending a letter to President Thomas Jefferson about the death of Meriwether Lewis. Major James Neelly was charged with treason and is a very sketchy person. There has been people who suspect Neelly to be part of the the murder conspiracy. Neelly was one of the companions that went with Lewis when he was traveling to his part of the Louisiana Purchase. It says that before they got to the inn the horses ran away and Neelly went to go catch them. At the time of the death of Lewis, Neelly was supposedly in court in a city about 60 miles away. At the time 2 days by horse.Show MoreRelatedEssay Meriwether Lewis the Leader670 Words   |  3 PagesLewis the Leader Meriwether Lewis is the main reason that the United States’ territory extends from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific Ocean (â€Å"Meriwether Lewis† 2). He has done many great things, but he is best known for exploring the American West (1). He was a great man full of bravery. Meriwether faced tons of dangers in his life but he overcame all of them. Lewis â€Å"helped change the face of the United States by exploring uncharted territory- the American West (â€Å"Meriwether Lewis† 2)Read MoreAnalysis Of The Journey Of Meriwether Lewis And William Clark1011 Words   |  5 Pagesof Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as they explore the American West. Ambrose uses the thoughts of Lewis himself as a guide to the book; he even uses extensive journal entries which not only help the readers visualize what is going on during this expedition, but it helps the readers have a better understanding for what is happening in 19th century America. Ambrose uses a bi t of his own logic and opinion in the book as well, he makes it apparent that he has nothing but admiration for Lewis andRead MoreAdvocating For Meriwether Lewis As The Face Of The $ 10 Bill1239 Words   |  5 PagesAdvocating for Meriwether Lewis as the Face of the $10 Bill Introduction I believe that the Meriwether Lewis is one of the most qualified candidates for being on the $10 bill. Meriwether Lewis is most widely known for his part in leading the Corps of Discovery on their expedition across the land of the recently acquisitioned Louisiana Purchase. The expedition took place between May of 1804 to September of 1806 and spanned from St. Louis, Missouri to Fort Clatsop in present day Oregon. During thisRead MoreThe Mysterious Death of America ´s Greatest Explorer Mariwether Lewis587 Words   |  2 Pages The death of America’s greatest explorer, Meriwether Lewis is a mystery. Some say it was suicide and others say it was murder. It was unlikely that Meriwether Lewis committed suicide. This shows that there is more evidence that he was murdered instead of him committing suicide. Also, there were investigations that he was murdered instead of him committing suicide. These include the investigation of the dead body and the investigation of the letters tha t were written about Meriwether Lewis. It isRead More Undaunted Courage Essay732 Words   |  3 Pages A Brief Look at Stephen E. Ambrose’s Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Undaunted Courage is a very detailed account of what Ambrose considers the most important expedition in American history, Lewis and Clark’s exploration of the west. Ambrose attempts to project Thomas Jefferson’s vision of a country that stretches from sea to shining sea, of an open road to the west, of an â€Å"Empire of Liberty†. Ambrose repeatedlyRead MoreThe United States Of The Mississippi River1515 Words   |  7 Pagesmatter arranged, we left the banks of St. Charles with cheers from the crowd†¦into unknown civilization.† (Lewis and Clark) The United States of America was considered to be all of the land east of the Mississippi river. All the land west of the river was, as they thought, a remote and uncivilized part of the world. Sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find the fabled Northwest Passage, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led a very important, but dangerous expedition to explore this land and find a passage Read MoreThe Louisiana Of The United States1650 Words   |  7 PagesEven before holding national office Thomas Jefferson tried to organize several expeditions in the Louisiana territory. Meriwether Lewis was born August 18, 1774, in Charlottesville, Virginia, and was a boyhood neighbor of Thomas Jefferson. In 1794, Lewis joined the military and was commanded by Lieutenant William Clark. Lewis and Clark became good friends. In 1801 Jefferson, Lewis was asked by President Thomas Jefferson to act as his private secretary and he sent him the following letter, Your knowledgeRead MoreThe Great Rock Mountains By Thomas Jefferson1092 Words   |  5 PagesAt the time when Thomas Jefferson was president, the U. S. had bought new land in France. He had Meriwether Lewis to lead an expedition to the New Lands who turned to Wiliam Clark to be the Co-commanding captain which turned into the Lewis and Clark expedition. It was 1803. Thomas Jefferson was the president and he guided a piece of foreign diplomacy through the U.S. senate. After the Louisiana treaty was made, Jefferson took power of an exploration on a new purchased land beyond the â€Å"Great RockRead MoreLewis And Clark s Impact On The United States1480 Words   |  6 PagesLewis And Clark Expedition The exploration of Lewis and Clark into the Louisiana Purchase had a great impact on the United States. During the exploration, they encountered Native American tribes, who exchanged items with them, and new species of plants and animals. The expedition of Lewis and Clark began on May 21,1804. Meriwether Lewis was born on August 18, 1774 in Albemarle County, Virginia. Lewis met Clark in 1795 in the army. Lewis was asked to be Thomas Jefferson’s private secretary in 1801Read MoreThe Second President Of The United States1311 Words   |  6 Pagesdiffered from those in the East. President Jefferson s choice to lead an expedition was Meriwether Lewis, his former secretary and a fellow native of Albemarle County, Virginia. Having reached the rank of captain in the U.S. Army, Lewis possessed military discipline and experience that would prove invaluable. While in the Army, Lewis had served in a rifle company commanded by William Clark. It was Clark whom Lewis chose to assist him in leading this U.S. Army expedition, commonly known today as the

Sinking Cost Effect On Life - 1260 Words

1. Please EXPLAIN the concept of sunk cost effect and give a personal example from your experiences. The sunk cost effect is when you feel like you have to get your money’s worth no matter the circumstance or negative outcomes is. The decision is based on future costs and benefits alone. It is an investment that has already been made and cannot be recovered. Therefore, it is the hard money we made and paid for to risk the chances of enjoying it or not. I paid $350 to go on a family reunion in Norfolk, Virginia. When we got on the bus early that morning, and fell all sleep quickly as we began to ride. Our first stop at the convenient store turned into a disaster. We found out that the AC on the bus was not working, and was forced to stay†¦show more content†¦A great example would be books. We read website and blog’s and they advertise book’s stating that it gives detail’s about how to make fast money and even retire in your 30’s. Therefore, convincing us to buy the books just to purchase them and tells us thing’s we already know. When we go to the book store we notice a new book saying 100 ways to make a fortune within a month. Since we already paid for the other book, we are easily convinced that may this could be the right book that actually gives us real ways to become rich. So then we buy it and still feel like the information is not enough. We go back to the bookstore and look again. Since we already lost a lot of money in the other book’s we are hoping that eventually we will find that right book with authentic information to finally know how to make a fortune. 3. Watch a ‘news entertainment’ show on cable or via the internet for 30 minutes. Pay attention to the guest experts that appear. Classify/identify one of the guests as either a fox or a hedgehog, giving details from their interview that support your classification. There was a short clip of Trump supporter Vicki Sciolaro and CNN news anchor Brooke Baldwin speaking about Trump’s â€Å"locker room talk.† In the interview, news anchor Baldwin asked Sciolaro about how she felt about what Trump said in the video. Sciolaro felt as if it was offensive, but irrelevant since itShow MoreRelatedThe Environmental Problem Of Oil Spill1393 Words   |  6 Pagesarouses in a marine environment or in the water bodies, has grown into an alarming scale with the increase in oil production and transportation. Causes are either accidental or due to operational failure. Henceforth, it is almost impossible for marine life not to be a victim of this vulnerable zone. Our planet has the largest oil reserves, occasionally it cracks and rarely causes a major accident. However, human interference causes a devastating damage to marine and ecosystem. Introduction Oil isRead MoreGlobal Warming and the Ocean1261 Words   |  5 Pagesgreenhouse effect. Ice Caps Are Melting The global warming had great impact on Artic ice. From 1979, more than 20% of Arctic ice has melted away due to increased surface air and ocean temperatures. Also, the accumulated area loss is approximately a third of continental US. Although, melting of sea ice does not directly contribute to sea level rise because this ice is already floating on the ocean, it contributes to sea level rise in another indirect way. First, the ice’s albedo effect has a majorRead MoreThe Conservation And Recycling Of Water1378 Words   |  6 Pagesto water their farms, clean livestock, and other uses needed for survival. Now although this method of getting water is possible the cost to be done is expensive, takes time to construct, and makes use of California underground aquifers that is the largest source of ground water. Also with the over pumping of water from the underground aquifers the land is sinking says Bettina Boxall in the article, â€Å"Overpumping(sic) of Central Valley groundwat er creating a crisis, experts say,† which Boxall reportsRead MoreThe Golden State Of Mind Is Dried And Cracked1687 Words   |  7 PagesThe Golden State of Mind is Dried And Cracked It’s hard to imagine what life would be like without easily accessible and plentiful water. Humans use water in many different ways for a number of important reasons, so the current drought that’s taking place in California is a big deal. Last year, during an outdoor speech, California governor Jerry Brown made this statement: Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented actionRead MoreCalifornia Drought And Its Effects On The Drought1653 Words   |  7 Pagessurface or may get worse. There are a few ideas underway to try and end the drought in California such as, desalination, wastewater recycling, ground water digging, and the main focus water conservation. All of the solutions to ending the drought will cost a good amount of money, so the fact of the matter is which idea would be most efficient and less costly. Desalination is one of the more popular options being considered to attempt to terminate the drought. Desalination is a process through which saltRead MoreTaking a Look at the Palm Jumeirah1081 Words   |  4 Pagesis located in a major earthquake zone and if an earthquake were to occur, it may lead to a process called liquefaction in which the sand will fill the gaps available and will eventually lead to the sinking of the island. Other concerns includes the impact of the construction process on the marine life in that area as the process of land reclamation will bury the coral reefs, oyster beds and sea grass. The eco system will be affected as these organisms play a vital role in providing food and shelterRead MoreThe Tragedy Of The Rms Titanic Essay2077 Words   |  9 Pagesof the population. Because technology was limited due to the time period, events that struck most parts of the world were few and far between. Although, there was one historical tragedy that did impact the w orld during this period in history. The sinking of the RMS Titanic reached from culture to culture. The launching of the boat was something that millions from around the world came to see. On April 10th, 1912, the boat with the greatest reputation took off heading toward New York City (TitanicRead MoreThe Leaning Tower Of Pisa1668 Words   |  7 Pageshas a beautiful collection of both paintings and sculptures which are dated back to the 12th and 18th centuries. Some of the artists featured here include Guido Reni, Benozzo Gozzoli and Roso Fiorentino (National Museum of St. Matthew). 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Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Buying Behavior †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Impact of Brand Image on Consumer Buying Behavior. Answer: Introduction All thriving businesses in the entire world do have a bigger role that is common to them all; to strengthen their brand image. Several companies are facing brand war in the world. Consumers are influenced by the brand image when making their decisions on which product to buy. For instance, the electronics industry has a stiff competition since there are several manufacturers of similar products. The only different in the products is packaging, brand name ( the company producing) and sometimes the size. This is exactly what is happening in the phones industry. Apple brand is competing with other companies like Samsung and LG which have all adopted the Android platform. What should the manufacturers of the iPhone do to sale in the market? Having the knowledge that consumers buying decisions are affected by the brand image, it will be of great help to invest much in improving the image of the Apple Brand. Through creating the brand image, companies try to build different ways from which the consumer will perceive the product. The customers perception of the brand is referred to as Brand Image. The perception can either create a positive or negative image on the product. People will decide to buy a firm's product due to the reputation it has or avoid buying them. The brand can either demolish a companys sales or boost them. This has a direct effect on the organizations mission and vision statements. From different studies, consumers have the tendency of attributing certain products with certain characteristics thereby generating an image connection which will be associated with the product. This symbolic identification is what makes people buy goods or services from particular manufacturers. For instance, in the phones industry, some individuals will prefer to buy an iPhone just because they have attributed it to certain qualities like security, long lasting and the best quality. It is hard to change the minds of such individuals even if one comes with a product that might be of superior quality than the one they value. The question remaining is, how well do they trust your products? Brand image is all about trust with the potential clients. When companies make their sales, it is good to ensure that on their first approach to the market, it i mpresses the consumers. The consumer first impression is crucial; it is what will make the consumer to stick with the companys products for a long time. Problem statement Brand image is the process of making an impression of the products or services held by an individual company with the aim of drawing the attention of the consumers. The brand image can be generated by the techniques which the company will employ in making sure that the potential clients are well aware of their existence and the existence of their products. Brand image has several effects on the company and consumer decisions. The effects in the company come as a result of the consumer decisions. It is evident that firms produce because of the existence of a market. Without a ready market, why would an individual decide to engage in production? Some of the effects include an increase in the companys sales if the image is well maintained, a drop in the companys sales if poorly done, expansion of the organization, fall of the company among several others. Both big and small companies are affected by the brand image. More especially with current competition in the market where there are several similar manufacturers, companies sell because of their brands. When an individual goes into a shop to purchase a car for instance, what comes to his mind? Several questions will influence his buying decision. They include: Which brand has the best quality? Which brand sales at lower prices? For instance, most clients might opt to go for the Toyota brand they have had a tremendous buying experience over time. Nevertheless, Toyota specializes in differentiation, a process which pleases many because of the several products made available. How do the other car manufacturing companies like Ford react to this? In this scenario, the Ford Company should come up to identify what the major problem is. Once they realize that the consumers prefer Toyota because of the brand, they should also employ the necessary measures to create a good reputation of their brand to withstand the market competition. If action is not taken in time, Ford is likely to suffer an economic downturn. The marke ting strategies that a company employs have a lot to do with image. Marketing will either boost image or lower it if wrongly done with people who do not have adequate skills. Large companies, like for instance multinational corporations are likely to suffer huge losses if the consumers degrade their brand image (Liu, 2015). Take for example a company like Coca-Cola which is a soft drink company that supplies over two hundred (200) nations in the world, what will happen if in one of the occasions its brand image is degraded by some people who might be their competitor? What will happen if the returns inwards are not sufficient to sustain the companys activities? It is such painful to have a bad brand image. Creating, developing and maintaining a brand image is vital for the existence of a firm which aims to endure the prevailing market conditions, more especially with technology round. Research objectives/ questions The primary aim of this project is to find out how the brand image affects the consumers behavior in the buying decision-making process. Nevertheless, to discover the impacts of these decisions to the firms. In the course of finding this out, the research will also seek to answer the research questions below: How does the brand image affect the consumers decisions on the product to purchase? What are the effects suffered by the consumers as a result of the brand image? How do companies respond to the issue of brand image to attract more potential clients? What are the factors that contribute to the creation of a good brand image to an organization? These research questions will help in finding answers as to how the brand image influences the consumer buying behavior. The consumer buying behavior is crucial to understand since it is what determines what a company sells. Justification of the project The brand image is something that is a reality currently. Most companies are competing in selling products or providing services that are almost similar. Some of those goods are very close substitutes. This gives the consumers a wide range of products and services to choose from. The remaining question is, from whom will they buy this goods or services? Why? Brand image is a serious issue which should be put into consideration. From statistics, consumers in different parts of the world behave differently. For instance, in the US, you will find a given section of the population love using the Apple brand in their daily activities. This explains why you will find a given part of the community using the iPhone while another section using the Android phones. It is just a matter of brand image. In the process of conducting the research, feedback from various consumers will provide the specific things they put into consideration when deciding what brand to buy. Nevertheless, by getting fee dback from the companies experts, the research will provide answers as for how the companies are affected by the brand image they have. There are several benefits of conducting this research. They include the following: This research will help individuals who wish to start and manage businesses the significance of building a good brand image. Understanding how to manage the brand image is vital to the managers. It will help them to come up with the best strategies available to ensure that the brand makes the largest sales possible in the market. Managers can take advantage of this research to strengthen the image of their product. Strengthening image will help them to gain trust from the potential clients and consumers in the market. The results of this research can be used by different managers currently and in the future in the decision-making process. For instance, through this research, the human resource management will have a better understanding as to why hiring employees with skills in the marketing department is relevant. It is vital to remember that the decisions of the human resource management in any organization matter a lot. Hiring unskilled/less skilled employees or less competent employees will lead to underperformance in the organization. For new ventures into the market, the research will serve a great purpose. It will help them to know the significance of the producer-client relationship. Knowing that the market is competitive, they will formulate ways of improving their brand image to shine in the competition. Expected research outcome The research outcomes will be of great use to most companies which aim to increase their sales. Due to the prevailing market completion, most firms look for ways of making massive sales. One of the major ways being brand image reputation, there is very high possibility to have companies relying on the outcome of this research. Though the brand reputation varies from firm to firm, the final result of this research can be relied on by any company, be it small or big, multinational or local and so on. From the competitions in the market, there have been several strategies which companies try to adopt in order to strive. In the past decade, the use of technology in business was not as wide as it is currently (Safko, 2013). Most businesses have moved into using different media platforms to inform the customers of their existence. Some of the expected outcomes include: The influence the social media on the brand image. Most organizations use the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to carry on their advertising policies. This is proving to gain many audiences since most people are on the social media (Wynne, 2013). What organizations are doing in the human resource sector to improve the brand image. Workforce is of major importance to an organization. Every process relies on the initiative process on labor. The kind of employees a firm will have will determine the reputation of the firm. For firms with good brand image, the advertisers or people in charge of marketing are well-skilled to handle all the tasks allocated to them (Halligan et al, 2015) Another expected result is the downfall or development of organizations due to brand image. The brand image proves to be the determining factor for most operations in the company. Conceptual framework and research hypothesis The creation and maintenance of brand image are important for all organizations. From the past years, companies have been striving to find out ways of how to increase their sales. The brand image began long ago. During the industrial revolution, several companies came into existence thereby leading to an increase in competition in the market. It has been the trend even to the present. With the improvements in technology in the 21st century, several firms have emerged up. These firms deal with lines of products which are almost similar. How will they exist in the environment with the stiff competition? Regardless of these factors, firms like the Apple Company which was started in the year 1976 by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak still perform well despite their high-end products as compared to their competitors like the Android Company. The reason behind this from several types of research is the brand image. Apple products like the iPhone smartphone, Macintosh computers, and the iPads ha ve had a good user experience for the consumers (Solomon, 2017). Most people prefer them over others due to their durability, ability to process information faster and store data safely. Nevertheless, the company has provided clients with different products each year, like currently, the iPhone 7 is trending in the market. Despite the high prices, so many people have purchased the iPhone 7. Unlike other phone manufacturers, it is difficult to find counterfeits of the iPhone. This is probably one of the reasons why most people love the brand thereby promoting the companys brand image. Several crises have occurred as a result of brand image in the world. For instance, in the year 2012, the Dominos crisis affected the supply of Pizza by the company (Lukusa, 2014). In the event, two individuals posted on YouTube video clips which lead to the destruction of the companys brand image. This affected the way people started perceiving the company. As a result, the sales of Pizza and other products from the same company went down in the year 2012. It took the company a very long time to recover from this crisis. Reestablishing the brand image has proved to be the most difficult thing over time. Once you destroy the image of your company, you break the trust of the potential clients. It becomes a big challenge to win them back as compared to starting a new company (Wheeler, 2017). For the Dominos crisis of 2012, the CEO came up with a good strategy to recover, after three days the video had been posted, the CEO posted another video to apologize for the inconvenience provided to them by the two guys who were just trying to have fun on the premises not knowing what they were doing. The use of YouTube and Twitter helped to solve the Dominos Crisis. The brand image has strong relationship with strategic planning, resource allocation, marketing and other parts of the entire organization. Without the image of the brand, all other sectors of a firm will come to a standstill. The diagram below illustrates this relationship. Areas of the organization affected by the brand image.. Methodology In this research, the main objective is to find out the effect of brand image on the consumer behavior (Woodside, 2016). To get a better understanding of the issue, useful information, the best methods include conducting interviews with the customers who have had experience with a variety of products in the market. Interviewing Carrying out interviews with the managers of some companies will help to obtain reliable data which will help the audience to know much how the brand image affects the decisions (Vogt, 2010)., making process in the firm (Hirsch, 2013) For instance, when we go to the footwear industry, it is good to obtain individuals who have had to make decisions in coming up with different footwear collections in their stores. In this case, retailers can serve as the best subjects for our interviews. Retailers usually analyze the brand that sells a lot in their shops. We can use these statistics for the research (Glynn Woodside, 2017). Observation Another method we can employ in the research is observation (Dane, 2014). From observing the way clients make their purchases in different areas like for instance in the supermarket, we will be able to tell which brands are moving at a very first rate. After that, we will analyze different reasons as to why people will, for instance, prefer to use Nivea products rather than using what the Nivea competitors offer through interviews and discussions (Deege, et al, 2014). The interview and observation methods will be used simultaneously in the research. Discussions can be held later. These two methods are cheap since they do not require a lot of funds to be applied like other methods like surveys (Mullings, University of Sheffield University of Sheffield, 2014). Nevertheless, the data obtained is firsthand. Tabulation and graphical presentations To analyze the obtained data, methods such as tabulation and graphical presentations will work out best. It is easy to read graphs and tables thereby drawing out conclusions easily. Graphical presentations provide one an opportunity to compare and contrast different statistical data (Fisher, 2016). The height of the graphs can tell the extent to which a given set of data goes to. The interviewing and questionnaires will both be informative and normative. There is need to make the audience have a better understanding of the whole branding image issue. Literature Review The literature review will also serve best in our research. From analyzing the numerous information collected by several individuals, we will be able to tell the untold and under-told stories in the brand image concerns. This will be helpful to avoid repeating similar mistakes that the previous researchers did. Reducing errors in this research will be of significant by reading the various sources from our library. Nevertheless, literature review gives people an idea of what they will be looking for in the research. The method is cheap, provides wide access to information, and it is time-saving. One does not need to move around looking for information more especially with the introduction of e-learning. Organization of the study This research study will have five chapters and is to be organized as follows: In chapter one, the research proposal will be relevant. Chapter two will provide an in-depth analysis of the brand image and how it affects the consumer buying behavior (Lessig, 2016). In the third chapter, the research will cover the statistical methods employed. That will entail both data collection and data analysis methods. The data collection methods include the observation, interviewing, literature review and questionnaires. The data analysis will include tabulation and graphical presentations. The report analysis and findings will be on chapter four of the research. The significant findings will be summarized in chapter five. Which will be the last chapter of this research. Gantt chart The timeline needed for the whole project to be completed will be as follows. Name of task Start day End day Duration (Days) Proposal of the project 3/6/2017 10/6/2017 7 Literature review 12/6/2017 20/6/2017 8 Data collection 22/6/2017 30/62/2017 8 Data analysis 1/7/2017 12/7/2017 11 Final report submission 14/7/2017 28/7/2017 14 Project Budget and Budget Justification The budget for this proposed research is approximately $3000 for it to be completed by 28th July 2017 as indicated by the Gantt chart. This budget is to be distributed as follows: The literature review will take approximately $900 for the online and print media. Data collection will take approximately $15000 due to the transport costs, analysis materials, conducting interviews and printing the questionnaires for our respondents. Accessing the government statistics regarding the performance of various companies will cost us approximately $600. This information can be summarized as follows: Purpose Estimated amount to be spent in US dollars. Literature review 900 Data collection and analysis 1500 Accessing government reports 600 Total budget estimate 3000 References Dane, F. C. (2014). Research methods. Pacific Grove, California: Brooks-Cole Deege, R., Swanson, D., Canant, A., Mishal, R., Gould, P., Standard Deviants (Performing group), Cerebellum Corporation. (2014). Interviewing: Program 1. Haymarket, VA: Cerebellum Corp. Fisher, R. A. (2016). Statistical methods for research workers. New Delhi: Published by Cosmo Publications for Genesis Pub Glynn, M. S., Woodside, A. G. (2017). Business-to-business brand management: Theory, research and executive case study exercises. Bingley: JAI Press. Halligan, B., Shah, D., Synnestvedt, E., Recorded Books, Inc. (2015). Inbound marketing: Get found using google, social media, and blogs. Prince Frederick, Md: Recorded Books. Hirsch, A. S. (2013). Interviewing. New York: Wiley. In Singh, A., In Duhan, P. (2016). Managing public relations and brand image through social media. Kim, C. 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