Spiders Essays (1290 words) - Spider Anatomy, Spider,

Spiders Spiders This report deals with testing the toxicity of certain chemicals on spiders, and determining the toxicity by how it affects it's ability to weave it's web. This report contains research on the four chemicals (benzedrine, chloral hydrate, caffeine, and alcohol) as wellas the spiders and their webs. Spiders are of course found in the class Arachnidia, which also contain mites, scorpions, and other arthropods. The order which spiders are classified under is called Araneae, a word of Latin origin. Most spiders are land dwelling, but some can be aquatic. Those that are aquatic spend most of their lives in or around water. Spiders can live in a vast amount of different places around the world. Jumping spiders have been collected on Mt. Everest at a height of 22,000 feet, the highest elevation at which any animal has been collected (Orkin, Insect Zoo 1). Adult species vary greatly in size, which is a contributing factor in the prey they choose, and also the way they catch this prey. Spiders range from less than three hundredths of an inch to more than 10 inches. All spiders are carnivorous in their eating habits, insects being first on their menu. Spiders usually catch live animals because the movement of the prey attracts its attention. Some spiders have poor vision, and rather depend on the movement of it's web to locate an insect. (Orkin, Insect Zoo 2). The prey is usually wrapped in silk before the spider injects the venom to kill it. Yet the larger the spiders, the larger its prey. Some spiders have been known to kill vertebrate animals, such as fishing spiders, who thrive on small fish, or bird spiders, feeding on small birds from South America, as well as a variety of lizards. Some species have even been known to attack snakes. When food is scarce, mainly during winter months, spiders have no trouble have no trouble with food, most can go months without eating. A spider's structure is irregular when compared to other animals, yet similar to those of other arachnids. An arachnid is of course classified on the number of it's legs, which happens to be eight. Spiders have two main body regions: the cephalothorax and the abdomen . The cephalothorax consists of the head and the thorax, which are fused together. Insects have three main body regions, a head, thorax, and abdomen. Other arachnids have those two regions connected through a broad waist. All spiders also have simple eyes, lacking compound eyes only found in insects. Spiders can have many pairs of eyes however, this number often reaches four. Spiders do not have an antenna either. (Orkin, Insect Zoo 6) Many spiders secrete a fluid in their posterior abdomens which is later extruded as a silk. This fibrous protein is used to weave webs, snares, shelters, and/or egg sacs. A spider uses fingerlike spinnerets to disperse this silk. Most spin more than one kind of silk to customize its web, or to just fit its purpose. For example, the spider makes some parts of its web not sticky so that it can run across it and not get caught. Another source says that spiders first lay down a type of silk known as ?dry thread?, with which they weave a ?dry spiral. Once this is completed, the spider lays down a sticky spiral of thread and goes on to eat the dry one. The sticky spiral must be replaced every couple days because it loses its ?stickiness.? Some scientists suggest that the pattern of an orb web (most common type of web used by spiders) is designed to attracted insects. These webs are thought to produce patterns that resemble those reflected by numerous flowers in UV light. Since insects only see in UV light, they might as well fly into a trap (Lyons, Spider Silk 1). Spider silk has been recognized for centuries as a high quality fiber. A few pairs of stockings and gloves have been made from the silk as early as the 16th century. Various attempts have been made to produce it commercially, yet have failed. New efforts are currently under construction as more people are finding new ways to use a strong, elastic fiber. A few of these

Hacer Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, Examples

Hacer Conjugation in Spanish, Translation, Examples One of the most common verbs in Spanish, hacer, which means to make or to do, is highly irregular. This article demonstrates hacer conjugations in the present, past and future indicative, the present and past subjunctive, the imperative, and other verb forms. When conjugating hacer, the a in the stem sometimes changes to e or i, and the c sometimes changes to z or g. The only other verbs that follow the same conjugation pattern are those derived from it, such as contrahacer (to copy or to counterfeit), deshacer (to unmake or undo), and rehacer (to remake or redo). Using the Verb Hacer The verb hacer generally means to do or to make, but it can also be part of other useful expressions. For example, it can mean ago, as in duration of time. Hence, the phrase hace 10 aà ±os means ten years ago, and hace cinco minutos means five minutes ago. The verb hacer is also used to talk about the weather. For example, hace frà ­o means it is cold. You can make the same construction with hace calor, hace viento, hace fresco, etc. (it is hot, windy, cool, etc.). Hacer Present Indicative In the present indicative tense, the only irregular conjugation of hacer is the first person singular (yo). Yo hago I make Yo hago la tarea todos los dà ­as. Tà º haces You make Tà º haces la comida para la familia. Usted/à ©l/ella hace You/he/she makes Ella hace artesanà ­as hermosas. Nosotros hacemos We make Nosotros hacemos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Vosotros hacà ©is You make Vosotros hacà ©is las compras en la tienda. Ustedes/ellos/ellas hacen You/they make Ellos hacen la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Preterite Indicative Notice that in the preterite tense, the a in the stem of hacer changes to an i. These are all irregular forms. Yo hice I made Yo hice la tarea todos los dà ­as. Tà º hiciste You made Tà º hiciste la comida para la familia. Usted/à ©l/ella hizo You/he/she made Ella hizo artesanà ­as hermosas. Nosotros hicimos We made Nosotros hicimos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Vosotros hicisteis You made Vosotros hicisteis las compras en la tienda. Ustedes/ellos/ellas hicieron You/they made Ellos hicieron la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Imperfect Indicative The imperfect tense is conjugated regularly, using the stem hac plus the imperfect ending for -er verbs (à ­a, à ­as, à ­a, à ­amos, à ­ais, à ­an). Remember that the imperfect can be translated as was making or used to make. Yo hacà ­a I used to make Yo hacà ­a la tarea todos los dà ­as. Tà º hacà ­as You used to make Tà º hacà ­as la comida para la familia. Usted/à ©l/ella hacà ­a You/he/she used to make Ella hacà ­a artesanà ­as hermosas. Nosotros hacà ­amos We used to make Nosotros hacà ­amos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Vosotros hacà ­ais You used to make Vosotros hacà ­ais las compras en la tienda. Ustedes/ellos/ellas hacà ­an You/they used to make Ellos hacà ­an la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Future Indicative The verb hacer is irregular in the future tense. Its conjugation starts with the form har-. Yo harà © I will make Yo harà © la tarea todos los dà ­as. Tà º hars Youwill make Tà º harsla comida para la familia. Usted/à ©l/ella har You/he/shewill make Ella har artesanà ­as hermosas. Nosotros haremos Wewill make Nosotros haremos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Vosotros harà ©is Youwill make Vosotros harà ©is las compras en la tienda. Ustedes/ellos/ellas harn You/theywill make Ellos harn la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer PeriphrasticFuture Indicative The periphrastic future is formed using the present indicative conjugation of the verb ir (to go), the preposition a, and the infinitive hacer. Yo voy a hacer I am going to make Yo voy a hacer la tarea todos los dà ­as. Tà º vasa hacer You aregoing to make Tà º vasa hacer la comida para la familia. Usted/à ©l/ella vaa hacer You/he/shegoing to make Ella vaa hacer artesanà ­as hermosas. Nosotros vamosa hacer We aregoing to make Nosotros vamos a hacer ejercicio en el gimnasio. Vosotros vaisa hacer You aregoing to make Vosotros vaisa hacer las compras en la tienda. Ustedes/ellos/ellas vana hacer You/they aregoing to make Ellos vana hacer la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Present Progressive/Gerund Form The equivalent of the English -ing form, gerund or present participle, is the -ando or -iendo form in Spanish. The gerund for hacer is formed regularly, using the ending -iendo. Present Progressive of Hacer est haciendo She is making Ella est haciendo artesanà ­as hermosas. Hacer Past Participle The past participle for hacer is irregular: hecho. One of the main uses of the past participle is to form compound tenses such as the present perfect. Present Perfect of Hacer ha hecho She has made Ella ha hecho artesanà ­as hermosas. Hacer Conditional Indicative The conditional tense is used to talk about possibilities, and is translated to English as would verb. For example,  ¿Quà © harà ­as por tus hijos? (What would you do for your children?). In the conditional indicative, the verb hacer is irregular and uses the stem har-. Yo harà ­a I would make Yo harà ­a la tarea todos los dà ­as si tuviera tiempo. Tà º harà ­as Youwould make Tà º harà ­as la comida para la familia si supieras cocinar. Usted/à ©l/ella harà ­a You/he/shewould make Ella harà ­a artesanà ­as hermosas si pudiera. Nosotros harà ­amos Wewould make Nosotros harà ­amos ejercicio en el gimnasio, pero es muy caro. Vosotros harà ­ais Youwould make Vosotros harà ­ais las compras en la tienda, pero es ms fcil por Internet. Ustedes/ellos/ellas harà ­an You/theywould make Ellos harà ­an la cama todos los dà ­as, pero se les olvida. Hacer Present Subjunctive The present subjunctive is used to talk about doubts, desires, emotions, recommendations, or other subjective situations. Que yo haga That I make La maestra pide que yo haga la tarea todos los dà ­as. Que tà º hagas That you make Tu hijo quiere que tà º hagas la comida para la familia. Que usted/à ©l/ella haga That you/he/she make El vendedor requiere que ella haga artesanà ­as hermosas. Que nosotros hagamos That we make El mà ©dico sugiere que nosotros hagamos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Que vosotros hagis That you make El cocinero sugiere que vosotros hagis las compras en la tienda. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hagan That you/they make La abuela espera que ellos hagan la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Imperfect Subjunctive The imperfect subjunctive is used in similar situations as the present subjunctive, but in the past. There are two options for conjugating the imperfect subjunctive. Option 1 Que yo hiciera That I made La maestra pedà ­a que yo hiciera la tarea todos los dà ­as. Que tà º hicieras That you made Tu hijo querà ­a que tà º hicieras la comida para la familia. Que usted/à ©l/ella hiciera That you/he/she made El vendedor requerà ­a que ella hiciera artesanà ­as hermosas. Que nosotros hicià ©ramos That we made El mà ©dico sugirià ³ que nosotros hicià ©ramos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Que vosotros hicierais That you made El cocinero sugirià ³ que vosotros hicierais las compras en la tienda. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hicieran That you/they made La abuela esperaba que ellos hicieran la cama todos los dà ­as. Option 2 Que yo hiciese That I made La maestra pedà ­a que yo hiciese la tarea todos los dà ­as. Que tà º hicieses That you made Tu hijo querà ­a que tà º hicieses la comida para la familia. Que usted/à ©l/ella hiciese That you/he/she made El vendedor requerà ­a que ella hiciese artesanà ­as hermosas. Que nosotros hicià ©semos That we made El mà ©dico sugirià ³ que nosotros hicià ©semos ejercicio en el gimnasio. Que vosotros hicieseis That you made El cocinero sugirià ³ que vosotros hicieseis las compras en la tienda. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas hiciesen That you/they made La abuela esperaba que ellos hiciesen la cama todos los dà ­as. Hacer Imperative The imperative mood is used to give direct commands. There are both positive and negative commands. Notice that the second person singular command haz is irregular. Positive Commands Tà º haz Make!  ¡Haz la comida para la familia! Usted haga Make!  ¡Haga artesanà ­as hermosas! Nosotros hagamos Let's make!  ¡Hagamos ejercicio en el gimnasio! Vosotros haced Make!  ¡Haced las compras en la tienda! Ustedes hagan Make!  ¡Hagan la cama todos los dà ­as! Negative Commands Tà º no hagas Don't make!  ¡No hagas la comida para la familia! Usted no haga Don't make!  ¡No haga artesanà ­as hermosas! Nosotros no hagamos Let's not make!  ¡No hagamos ejercicio en el gimnasio! Vosotros no hagis Don't make!  ¡No hagis las compras en la tienda! Ustedes no hagan Don't make!  ¡No hagan la cama todos los dà ­as!

Legal problem question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Legal problem question - Essay Example The aforementioned details should be fulfilled during the first 6 weeks of the contract, as stipulated in it. It is noteworthy that prior to the execution of the contract, Amy advised the Blundell sisters that she had entered into a lot of contracts in the music industry and that she has the capacity to â€Å"really make them known in Queensland, Australia and the world†. However, the contract is already on its seventh (7th) week but none of the provisions in the contract has been accomplished. Worse, Amy has a falling out with the head of Australia’s biggest country record label rendering it unlikely for the sisters to secure an album as scheduled in their contract. It is therefore the Blundell sisters’ problem what to do with the contract they have with Amy knowing that she failed to fulfill its provision and is seemingly impossible to ever accomplish all the other salient portions of it. The termination of the contract is the most likely solution to this probl em. ... Under a contract, the parties involve would be consist of a promisor, who makes a promise, and a promisee, who is the recipient of the promise.1 Case at hand is a type of formal contract. The main elements in any binding contract would the intention to go into a binding legal relation by the parties involved, the agreement or the offer and its acceptance, the contract’s consideration, which is a promise or an act by a party in exchange for the other party’s act or promise, and finally, a genuine consent by the parties involved. When these elements are proven to exist, it can therefore be declared that the contract is binding. There are many ways to void a contract, e.g., mistakes, duress, unconscionability, undue influence, etc. This paper will however focus only on the pertinent legal actions possible for the aggrieved party to terminate and void the contract from the promisor. The Contract Law provides for the voiding of a contract by reason of misrepresentation. A mi srepresentation is made if there are statements made before the execution of the contract that led to its formation. The representation made by one party is done to induce the other party to agree to enter into contract, thus making it a false representation. Misrepresentations can become cause for action leading to breach of contract or misleading conduct among others. There are three categories of misrepresentation two of the applicable ones are the fraudulent and the negligent misrepresentation. The former refers to the maker of the statement who purposefully or recklessly made an untrue statement that resulted into the execution of the contract. The latter is based on the

Visit to the Museum of Modern Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Visit to the Museum of Modern Art - Essay Example The essay "Visit to the Museum of Modern Art" analyzes visit to Museum of Modern Art. The museum’s archive has a restaurant and relevant materials of explaining modern art. â€Å"The Museum of Modern Art† was an idea developed by â€Å"Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Lillie Bliss and Mary Quinn† in 1928. At first, the museum was on the twelfth floor of Heckscher structure in Manhattan in a six-roomed gallery, and within a period of ten years, it had moved to three dissimilar locations. At first, Abby’s husband was against the idea of opening up MoMA hence refusing to offer funds to support the artwork, thus forcing the initiators to seek funds from other sources. By 1935, the museum had various artworks from different artists such as Vincent Van Gogh, which promoted it, turning it to be a success. During 1940, the museum become famous internationally after Picasso held a concert with the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1939, Nelson Rockefeller was the museumâ€℠¢s president who highly participated in the investigation and foundation of publicity, acquisition and its expansion. In 1948, David Rockefeller became the new leader of the museum. In 1997, an architect called Yoshio Taniguchi executed and designed the current museum, which re-opened in 2004. Up to date, the museum is very famous around the globe enticing many visitorsevery year hence boosting the country’s economy. It has both countrywide and global programs that oblige the public by offering them with loans, video libraries and circulating films. among others (Umland 42). Globally, many people value The Museum of Modern Art because it has rich and many assortments of modern art works representing a comprehensive and panoramic modern museum. People consider it to entail the most current Western masterpieces Worldwide. It contains over 150,000 individual art performances for various artists Worldwide. It also contains 22, 000 films together with 4 million film stills. In par ticular, the museum contains very important and famous works; for example, â€Å"the Starry Night performed by Vincent Van Gogh, The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali, The Dance by Henri Matisse and Love Song by Giorgio De Chirico† (Umland 47). In addition, the museum is prominent of European and American performers such as Georges Braque, Edward Hopper, David Smith and Jackson Pollock among others. The museum is famous for having the best art photography Worldwide, which were designed by Edward Steichen and John Szarkowski. They also have a good collection of movies such as the Citizen Kane and Vertigo designed under the name of â€Å"Museum of Modern Art Department of Film† (Umland 47). The museum has the architecture and design department formed in 1932 as the World’s first department of architecture and design. It contains over 28,000 architectural and design works, which includes the drawings together with a photograph. It contains the following perman ent collections, 150, 000 paintings, monuments, sketches, designs, photographs, architectural models and other design objects. It has more than 22, 000 films, videos, film stills, scripts, historical documents and scripts among others. It has a library that contains artist books and periodicals, its archives have over 2, 500 historical documents and photographs (Umland 51). I have visited different museums, but I found MoMA to be a very high-class museum because it has modern art exhibits worth paying a visit. The museum

Introduction Of Swot Analysis Marketing Essay

Introduction Of Swot Analysis Marketing Essay SWOT analysis is approach for auditing a business organization and its environment where it operates. Generally SWOT analysis is the initial stage of planning that helps policy makers and marketers to identify and focus on key issues. The acronym for SWOT is strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal SWOT factors (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013). Opportunities and threats are external SWOT factors. A strength is considered as positive internal factor. A weakness is considered as a negative internal factor. Similarly, an opportunity is considered as a positive external factor and finally a threat is known as a negative external factor (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). Apart from understanding the business environment, another function of SWOT analysis is to turn companys weaknesses into strengths and threats into opportunities. Moreover it allows management to integrate internal strengths with external opportunities. Theoretically SWOT analys is is that simple. It is expected from SWOT analysis that the outcome should create value for customers and help to get competitive advantage (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013). C:UsersKhayyamDesktopSWOT_MAS_NaifSWOT intro.jpg Figure: SWOT analysis framework, Data Source: (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013) 3.1 Strengths: Strengths refer to those characteristics of a particular business which are unique and give the company advantage over competitors (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). For example, a company might have specialist marketing expertise or the company produces new and innovation product and services e.g. Apple I phone, the company might be strategically located, the company may produce best quality and top value for money products or services e.g. Rolls Royce cars, or any other aspect of business which is unique and hard to imitate for competitors would be considered as an strength of the company. If the company has special capabilities, powerful human resource e.g. Google employees, Unique Selling Point e.g. Google Nexus 7- best hardware releases on a tablet PC, powerful financial position e.g. Wal-Mart financial capabilities, economy of scale and global reach e.g. McDonalds and KFC etc. above mentioned qualities can be termed as strengths of a company. Each of these strengths creates pri ce inelasticity and generate loyal customer base (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013) (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). 3.2 Weaknesses: Weaknesses refer to those characteristics that creates completive disadvantage situation for the business (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). For example a company may produce good quality products but due to lack of marketing expertise the company may suffer e.g. in February 2011, HOME DEPOT had to close operation in China (Bhasin, 2012), the company may offer undifferentiated products or services e.g. PC hardware market, the company may be located in inappropriate location, the company may produce poor quality goods or services e.g. Chinese brand-less electronics companies which produces inferior goods, damaged reputation e.g. Dominos you tube scandal 2009 (Clifford, 2009). These negative internal factors can be termed as weaknesses of a company. These factors often play a negative role in companys performance and achievements. A company should continuously try to convert its weaknesses to strengths. Sometimes big successful businesses suffer due to inappropriate market strategies a nd damaged reputations (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013) (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). 3.3 Opportunities: Opportunities are positive external factors which a company can capitalize to gain competitive advantages (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). For example a company can explore a developing market such as internet e.g. UK retailer predicted that online shopping would be a popular choice in near future so they respond to this change of need (CIPS 2010). Mergers, joint ventures or strategic alliances help a company to generate bigger financial resources and allow the companies to explore more markets e.g. the merger of GlaxoSmithKline plc (GSK), the company can find out new market segments that offer greater profits e.g. McDonalds targeted children to market its product which was unique marketing strategy at that time. The company can explore a new international market for further expansion. These external factors are known as opportunities which allow a company to integrate its internal strengths with external opportunities for greater profitability (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013) (Ireland , Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). 3.4 Threats: Threats are considered those external elements which may generate trouble for the business. A company should apply its strengths or try to build new strengths to minimize the risks of external threats. For example a new competitor in the existing market e.g. entrant of Google in electronics gadget manufacturing market possesses threats for existing market leaders like Samsung, Apple or HTC. Price war is a common practice in extreme competitive businesses where switching cost is very low e.g. fast food industry. When a competitor launches new and innovative products that possesses threats for others e.g. innovation of Windows by Microsoft. Additionally competitors access to superior supply channels, financial distress situation new tax and legislative changes are considered as threats (MarketingTeacher.Com, 2013) (Ireland, Hoskisson, Hitt, 2008). Bibiliography: Bhasin, K. (2012). Home Depot Gives Up And Closes The Last Of Its Big Box Stores In China. Retrieved 3 14, 2013, from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/home-depot-gives-up-and-closes-the-last-of-its-big-box-stores-in-china-2012-9 CIPS. (2010). Case Study Analysis Marks Spencer (MS). Retrieved 3 14, 2013, from CIPS: http://profex.co.uk/secureassets/files/MS Analysis.pdf Clifford, S. (2009). Video Prank at Dominos Taints Brand. Retrieved 3 14, 2013, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/business/media/16dominos.html?_r=0 Ireland, R. D., Hoskisson, R. E., Hitt, M. A. (2008). The Management of Strategy Concepts and Cases. Canada: Cengage- Learning. MarketingTeacher.Com. (2013). SWOT Analysis. Retrieved 3 14, 2013, from MarketingTeacher.Com: http://www.marketingteacher.com/wordpress/swot-analysis/

A Passage Taken From the Film ‘Trainspotting’ Essay

The passage is taken from a film ‘Trainspotting’, and is therefore a scripted piece. In a situation like this situation in ‘real life’, there would undoubtedly have been interruptions on numerous occasions; however, being a scripted piece, there were no overlaps; the entire passage is in the form of turn taking. In ‘real life’, we all know that we should turn take, but we often break this rule. People break this rule when they are angry, when they are enthusiastic about the issue, or if they want to add to what the other person is saying. Another feature of the passage illustrating that this is a scripted piece, is the fact that there are no self-clarifications. The dialogue is more carefully and logically structured than if it was spontaneous speech. To understand the nature of this passage, one must first understand the context of the piece. Spud is an unemployed ‘bloke’ going to an interview, unbeknown to the interviewers that he does not in fact want the job. Previous to the interview, Spud had taken ‘speed’, which meant that in the interview he is behaving completely inappropriately. An interview should be held formally, and while the two men and the woman interviewing Spud try to keep this business formal, Spud makes three crucial mistakes. Firstly, he is acting as if they were ‘mates’, by using very chatty language; secondly, he says approximately 100 words, explaining that he had lied in his original application, but how he thinks that it was alright because it apparently was not important; and thirdly, because he has taken ‘speed’, he is talking extremely fast, with few pauses for breath, which suggests to an interviewer that he is nervous, and creates the effects that t he ‘speed’ would have had on him. An example of all three of these things, is when Spud says â€Å"No, actually I went to Craignewton but I was worried that you wouldn’t have heard of it so I put the Royal Edinburgh College instead, because they’re both schools, right, and we’re all in this together, and I wanted to put across the general idea rather than the details, yeah?† (Spud) Throughout the passage, Spud sets the agenda, and even when the interviewers ask questions, |Spud’s answers change the direction of the speech. An example of this, is when Spud says that he loves all people, including beggars, and then the conversation continues: â€Å"Homeless people?† (Woman) â€Å"No, not homeless people. Beggars, Francis Begbire – one of my mates. I wouldn’t say my best mate, I mean, sometimes the boy goes over the score, like one time when we – me and him – were having a laugh and all of a sudden he’s fucking gubbed me in the face, right.† (Spud) This shows how Spud is the one who sets the discussion topic. The original question from Man 2 was about what attracted Spud to the leisure industry, and from that, the conversation moved onto one of Spud’s ‘mates’. Spud setting the agenda, shows that Spud has the power, which is not in keeping with the stereotypical interview. Normally, the interviewer would have the power, not the interviewee. Spud begins the dialogue, aswell as ending it. He has the most words, and he speaks most frequently. Although having the most words and speaking most frequently does not alone guarantee the power to that character, along with setting the agenda, it is clear that Spud has it. He uses many declaratives, and many rhetorical questions, especially in his first speech, which is also evidence that he has the power. Examples of declaratives are â€Å"No problem. Whatever you say, man. You’re the man, the governor, the dude in the chair, like.† (Spud) Apart from just being a declarative, this is also a classic example of the informal language used throughout the passage by Spud. Words such as â€Å"man† and â€Å"dude† are informal and chatty, and not in the correct context to what an interview should be. An example of rhetorical questions used by him, are â€Å"People get all hung up on details, but what’s the point?† â€Å"Does it matter?† â€Å"What’s important is that I am, right?† (Spud) After his first ‘outburst’, Man 1, the interviewer, tries to obtain the power, by addressing Spud as Mr Murphy, which is very formal, and by using an interrogative. â€Å"Mr Murphy, do you mean that you lied on your application?† (Man 1) In reply to his question, Spud replies, â€Å"Only to get my foot in the door.† (Spud) This is not what Man 1 would have been expecting his answer to be. Most likely, he would have expected him to try and ‘wriggle out of’ having to say that he lied on his application. However, Spud does not do this. He out rightly admits that he lied. He is brutally honest, and because of this, Spud retains the power. This recurs periodically throughout the passage, and each time Man 1 tries to gain the power, he fails. At the end of this passage, Man 1 uses a declarative statement to end the interview, â€Å"Thank you Mr Murphy. We’ll let you know† (Man 1) If the interview had ended here, then it would have ended with Man 1 having the power. However, after this, Spud goes on to say, â€Å"The pleasure was mine. Best interview I’ve ever been to. Thanks.† (Spud) Because of this, Spud makes it seem as if the interview was ended on his terms, so he once again has the power, meaning that he had it throughout the entire interview. In summary, Spud has the power throughout the interview, all the while, the interviews are trying to gain it, which is what an interview typically entails. Using many techniques, the writer has made it so that Spud keeps the power right the way through the passage. Spud sets the agenda, and makes it impossible for the interviewers to be impressed by his antics; which is overall, exactly what he wants.

Meeting Customer Needs

Content 1. 0 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 1 2. 0 Identification and Analysis of the Problems†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2 2. 1 The Problem of NBAstore-eu†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2 2. 2 Marketing analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 2. 2. 1 Products Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 2. 2. 2 Price & Promotion Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢ € ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 2. 3 SWOT Analysis†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 9 3. 0 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 10 4. 0 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 10 Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 14 Appendix†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 15 1. 0 Introduction Today’s connected consumers have become far more dif? ult to please. A study by Gartner (2010), Inc, a technology research company, found that a majority of consumers rely to some extent on social networks to guide them in their purchase decisions. This ability to compare competing services and products and interact rapidly with other customers has intensi? ed competition in virtually every market. According to Peters (1987), marketing is about making sure that a business is providing the goods and services that customers want. It involves identifying and anticipating what consumers want today and will want in the future.The marketing department then plays an important role in taking these goods and services to market through all the channels the business sells through. Customer expectations are beliefs about service delivery that serve as standards or reference points against which performance is judge d. Because customers compare their perceptions of performance with these reference points when evaluating service quality, thorough knowledge about customer expectations is critical to services marketers. Knowing what the customer expects is the first and possibly most critical step in delivering good quality service.Being wrong about what customers want can mean losing a customer’s business when another company hits the target exactly. Being wrong can also mean expending money, time and other resources on things that do not count to the customer. Being wrong can even mean not surviving in a ? ercely competitive market (Woodruff, 1987). With the popularity of sports increasing rapidly among the youth of today, the businessmen have devised several different means of boosting their business with the help of the sports.One such way is the manufacturing and sale of sports merchandise, that includes articles like shoes, socks, bags and jerseys that are worn by the popular sportsme n. The game of basketball has also not remained untouched of such aspects. After years of having to search high and low for basketball gear, or pay extortionate shipping fees to get goods sent over from the US, the NBA has announced a new online store will be launched for international customers. NBAstore-eu has been launched in September, 2012, featuring a wide range of NBA-branded goods (NBAstore-eu, 2012).The site is available in English, French, Italian and Spanish with further languages to be developed. Fans will be able to make purchases in local currency and will benefit from a centralized European distribution point saving on transit time and shipping costs. Local language customer service will further enhance the e-commerce retail experience (NBAstore-eu, 2012). This report is to find out a discrepancy is there between what the customer would like and what the NBAstore-eu is providing. This report is from operations and marketing aspects to identify and analyse the problems which might cause the discrepancy.In the end, the report is going to give some recommendations to improve the match between expectation and delivery. 2. 0 Identification and Analysis of the Problems 2. 1 The Problems of NBAstore-eu NBAstore. eu is aiming to put an end to the days that fans only can buy official jerseys or team products from NBAstore in the USA and pay a lot of delivery fees (NBAstore-eu, 2012). On the other side, the fans of NBA in Europe are the target customers of NBAstore-eu, what the expectation of customers is to get the varieties of products from NBAstore-eu and pay less delivery fees to support their favourite team.Therefore, the current market/customer expectations of the NBAstore-eu and the purpose of catering service are coincident. However, the researcher discovers that there is a mismatch between what marketing has identified and operational activity actually delivers. Some fans state that (Appendix) the products that NBAstore-eu provide are much less t han NBAstore in USA and the price of products is even expensive than other NBAstore all over the world. Obviously, there is discrepancy between customers’ expectation and what NBAstore-eu has brought to them. 2. 2 Marketing AnalysisThere is no doubt that the National Basketball Association (NBA) is considered by many sports analysts as a top marketed professional sport (Salzberg, 1998). Nowadays, the fan base in Europe is growing rapidly because of superior performance of the European players in NBA. Such as Dirk Nowitzki, the best european player in NBA who is a German has carried his team Dallas Mavericks to win the 2011 NBA championship. Andrea Bargnani, who is Italian and plays for Toronto Raptors, was selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. Luol Deng is Bristish who plays for Chicago Bulls, and selected for his NBA All-star game during the 2011-2012 season.Tony Parker is a french who plays for San Antonio Spurs, he has helped the team won three championships, selec ted as 2007 NBA Finals’ MVP and 4-time All-star. At last, Spain, provide a lot of greater players to NBA, and the spain national team nearly beat the USA dream team in 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. According to Ian Whittell’s (2007) report, Today, millions of basketball fans across Europe have a wide range of ways in which they can watch their heroes and favorite teams competing live at the business end of the season – even if there is always the curse of time difference to overcome.The nature of the league means overseas interest is also an ever-evolving and changing entity. Great Britain has never been considered a hoops hotbed, but generations of basketball fans who were attracted to the sport by Michael Jordan and his glory years with the Chicago Bulls have this week been able to watch two players who could star for the British team at the 2012 London Olympics – Luol Deng and Ben Gordon – dismantle the defending champion Miami Heat (Daisy, 2007) . Fans in Europe are watching a lot more basketball now and so they are better educated,† says Rich Sheubrooks (2007), who combines his duties as Nike global basketball consultant with those of global scouting director for the Memphis Grizzlies from his base in Barcelona. As there is millions of fans in Europe and the amount is growing, set up a NBAstore-eu is a wise move for NBA to expand the Europe marketing. But NBAstore-eu now haven’t reached the customers’ expectation due to the products and prices issues. 2. 2. 1 Products AnalysisNBA jerseys were once only for people who religiously followed a particular team whereas nowadays people may just be wearing a jerseys because they like the design. Basketball jerseys have also become a fashion statement and people who don’t even watch NBA can be seen wearing them, it has have the name and reputation of nike with michael jordan backing it up as well as the classic styling that will keep in fashion for a very long time too. To the fans, wearing nba jerseys also helps fans to feel like they belong to a group.It is one of the best ways to distinguish who supports which team and helps fellow fans gather together, NBA jerseys can provide good quality as well as dealing with a reputable. As the major items for sale on NBA stores, the number of jerseys in NBAstore-eu is far less than NBAstore. For some famous team, the number of jerseys on sale in NBAstore-eu is only one-seventh as the number of NBAstore. Figure1 shows the huge mismatch of five famous teams’ jerseys on sale between NBAstore-eu and NBAstore. | |NBAstore. eu |NBAstore. om | |Teams | | | |Stores | | | |Boston Celtics |13 |108 | |Miami Heat |12 |113 | |Los Angeles Lakers |21 |101 | |New Yorks Knicks |5 |85 | |Chicago Bulls |17 |84 | |Total |68 |491 | Figure 1: Comparison the numbers of five famous NBA teams’ jerseys on sale. (Sources from www. nbastore. eu and store. nba. com) There are two main types of NBA je rseys, one is called swingman jersey, and the other is called replica jersey. Replica jersey is cheaper and the numbers and names are ironed on, the swingman jerseys are the ones that the numbers and names are stitched on and they are a little more expensive, most people prefer swingman jerseys because the look a lot better. Jerseys in NBAstore-eu are major make up by replica jerseys, on the other hand, the jerseys in NBAstore are most make up by swingman jerseys.According to a basketball fan who live in England and he said that (Appendix), â€Å"I prefer swingman jerseys, because replica jerseys are for those people who don’t care about basketball and just like to wear it when they go to sleep, and a true baller or people that care about their swagger would never even wear a replica jersey. Also, even though the swingman is a little bit expensive than replica jersey, but the quality is much more better. † The varieties style of jerseys can be seen in NBA games. Normal ly the players are wearing home jerseys or away jerseys. Sometimes, the away team needs to wear secondary away jerseys owing to long time journey.Moreover, some special designed jerseys for holidays are awesome and attractive. For examples, NBA has present special jerseys every year for St. Patrick’s Day and Latin Nights, and for the 2012 Chrismas Day, several new style jerseys called big color jersey have been presented. Also NBAstore provide some fashion jersey, which can’t be seen in the games, but they all have unique nice-looking appearance. Customers can purchase all kinds of jersey on NBAstore, but in NBAstore-eu, there are just a few styles of jersey on sale, even through the advertisement of the big color jerseys for the Chrismas can be seen in each commercial channel of NBA, but there is still no stock of the jerseys in NBAstore-eu.Customize jerseys are the special offer for customers in NBA official stores, customers can buy each team’s jersey or t-sh irt what ever replica or swingman with their own name or number on it. It is an attractive deal for customers, but NBAstore-eu only provide customize jerseys of two teams, and no swingman option. As the target market of NBAstore-eu is the European market, the jerseys of European players must be an important part. Research has found that there is no Jersey of Luol Deng in NBAstore-eu (Appendix), Deng is the best British player in NBA and definitely became an all-star player last season. It is not prudent for NBAstore-eu to miss his jersey on sale.Compare the products on sale in the outlet of NBAstore-eu and NBAstore, the number of products on sale is 503 to 448. NBAstore-eu have more products in the outlet, it seems like NBAstore-eu have beaten the flagship store at this point, but the numbers occasionally can not state the truth. The products in the outlet of NBAstore-eu are most make up by headwears and souvenirs, there are 371 products in these two parts, these products are hard t o stimulate the customers’ desire to buy, and there are only 19 jerseys on sale. On the other hand, the products in the outlet of NBAstore are most make up by jerseys, t-shirts and shorts, there are 140 jerseys on sale, so that the quality of the outlet is easy to identify. 2. 2. Price & Promotion Analysis There is also a discrepancy between customers’ expectation and the price of products in NBAstore-eu. As the NBA is a league in USA, so the price in NBAstore can be the standard price. In NBAstore, the price of standard replica jersey is $59. 99, the price of standard swingman jersey is $89. 99, and the price of customize replica jersey is $54. 99. In NBAstore-eu, the price of standard replica jersey is ? 45. 00, the price of standard swingman jersey is ? 65. 00, and the price of customize replica jersey is ? 55. 00. Research has found that the price of NBA official store in China is also a valuable data to analysis.In China, the price of replica and swingman jersey i s ? 390 and ? 580 respectively. Figure2 shows the price comparison of three NBA official stores. |Type of Jersey |NBAstore. com |NBAstore. eu |NBAstore. cn | |Stores | | | | |Replica Jersey |$59. 99 37. 3 |? 45 |? 390 39 | |Swingman Jersey |$89. 99 56 |? 65 |? 580 8 | |Customize Jersey |$54. 99 34. 2 |? 55 |- | Figure 2: Price comparison of three NBA main official stores. (Sources from www. nbastore. eu, store. nba. com and www. nbastore. cn) As the figure2 shows that NBAstore-eu is the most expensive store, the price of jersey in NBAstore-eu in far more expensive than the other two. Considering the tax fee for overseas products, but NBAstore-eu is still expensive than NBAstore-cn. One of the core ideas to launch NBAstore-eu is aiming to put an end to the days of giving money to friends who are visiting USA to bring back a ton of stuff.Nevertheless, the fact is that with NBAstore-eu has set up for more than three months, ask friends who are going to USA to bring some NBA stuffs back may still save money. Moreover, research has found that sometimes purchase a swingman jersey from NBAstore even cheaper than NBAstore-eu for people living in England. Normally, if customers are living in the UK, to buy a swingman jersey from NBAstore-eu cost ? 65 and ? 4. 95 for shipping fee, total ? 69. 95. Buy a swingman jersey from NBAstore cost total $134. 33 (including international shipping fee and tax), the price is approaching to ? 82. 6, so normally purchase from NBAstore-eu when customers are in Europe is cheaper. Nevertheless, sometimes, like for some holidays, sellers always make discount for promotion.Just like the Black Friday in 2012, NBAstore-eu provided 15% discount of every single product, so the charge of a swingman jersey is simply total ? 60. 2. Meanwhile, NBAstore presented 20% discount promotion code, and the big difference is that the discount is for entire order, so that means the charge of a swingman jersey is barely ? 66 for orders in the UK. Although pur chase a swingman jersey from NBAstore is still more expensive, but the variety of products there is much more than NBAstore-eu. Six pounds differential but considerably more options, and chances to get products that NBAstore-eu do not have. Obviously many customers will prefer to NBAstore, the promotion make NBAstore-eu in an embarrassing positon. [pic] Figure 3: Comparison of the intensity of promotion. Source from www. nbastore. eu and store. nba. com) 2. 3 SWOT Analysis NBAstore-eu have some strengths that the shipping time is shorter than buy goods from other official stores, and the products have guaranteed quality. Additionally, there is more accessories products than retailers. The weaknesses of NBAstore-eu as mentioned before are the products, prices and promotion. NBAstore-eu also have great opportunities to gain more profits because europe is a huge market, and it is merely explored a small part. Moreover, the fan base is growing rapidly. The retailers or similar online st ores in Europe are few, so that there are little competitors.The main threats of NBAstore-eu are the sellers on ebay. co. uk. Because some similar products on ebay are cheaper than the official website. Moreover, basketball is not the most famous sports in most European countries, so other sports will lead to customer segmentation, then the amount of customer will decrease. |Strengths |Weaknesses | |? Faster delivery for European fans |? Far more less products than flagship store | |? Guaranteed product quality |?Higher price than other official stores | |? More accessories than retailers |? Intensity of promotion is low | |Opportunities |Threats | |? Huge explorable market |? Sellers on ebay. co. uk | |? Few of competitors |? Better products from other official stores | |?Fan base growing rapidly |? Other sports led to customer segmentation | Figure 4: SWOT analysis for NBAstore-eu 3. 0 Conclusion The report has analysis the current problems for NBAstore-eu. The principal proble ms are products, prices and promotion. The intent and purpose of set up a NBAstore for European are great, but those problems make NBAstore-eu have a colossal mismatch to the expectation of customers. The types of products there are much fewer than expectation, many customers can’t get what they want from the NBAstore-eu. The prices there are not fair to the customers in Europe.The prices there are more expensive than other NBA stores. That means if the customers are going to buy something in NBAstore-eu, they need to pay more money and get fewer options. Moreover, the promotion intensity of NBAstore-eu is not as good as others. In general, these three big problems led a huge discrepancy to the expectation of customers. If those problems can’t be solved, there will be a giant mess for NBAstore-eu. The report has also used SWOT analysis, the results show that the NBAstore-eu not only have some drawbacks, but also have some strengths, opportunities and threats. The short er shipping time is the core strengths for NBAstore-eu for sure, and the products have guaranteed quality.As the Europe is a huge explorable market with an increasing number of fans, it is a big opportunity for NBAstore-eu to occupy the market. Besides, NBAstore-eu have some threats from the retails in europe, such as sellers on ebay, and other sports will segment the market, that’s also a threat. 4. 0 Recommendations As the intent and purpose of set up NBAstore-eu is providing excellent services and products for customers in Europe. In order to give European customers chance to buy products with minor time and the shipping fee. The expectation of customers is the same as the aiming of NBAstore-eu. As a matter of fact, the NBAstore-eu provide few products and more expensive prices than purpose. In order to solve the problem of products, NBAstore-eu need to import more products.As jerseys are the major commodities for NBA stores, first of all, NBAstore-eu should import more je rseys, specially the jerseys for European players, such as the missing one of Loul Deng. NBAstore-eu as a branch of NBAstore, the amount of products there are no need as much as the flagship, but the jerseys of famous players is still needed, just don’t miss the products for those all-star players though, that can reach the expectation of customers. Second, NBAstore-eu need to import products which are selling well in the NBAstore. Such as new style jerseys, and those hot swingman jerseys. The styles of jerseys in NBAstore-eu are fewer, so NBAstore-eu need some more styles of jerseys in order to create additional profit.NBAstore-eu need to import more swingman jerseys than replica jerseys, because swingman jerseys are more admired than replica jerseys. Third, NBAstore-eu need to offer more options for customers to customize their jerseys or t-shirts. For personal, some customers may want their own name and number on their favourite jerseys, customize products also can be a wi se choice as a special gift. Meanwhile, some sport teams may need the fashion jersey of NBA teams as their team jersey, so customize jersey may become their choice. Furthermore, some fans may like to have a NBA team t-shirt with their own name on it, that’s also opportunities for NBAstore-eu to gain more profits.The price issue is also a barrier for NBAstore-eu to reach the expectation of customers. As Figure2 shows, the prices in NBAstore-eu are extremely expensive than NBAstore. There is approximately ? 8 differential for a replica jersey, ? 9 differential for a swingman jersey and ? 21 differential for a customize replica jersey. Considering the international tax fee, for customers in the UK to buy one swingman jersey from NBAstore, the international handling fee is about $20 (See figure5), it is about 22% as the price of the products for retail. Despite the fact that the international handling fee is existing, but the price there is just 122% or more as the price of produ cts in NBAstore.It’s no doubt the international shipping fee is expensive, but one of the aiming of NBAstore-eu is to provide short shipping time and products with cheaper shipping fee. For customers in the UK to purchase some something from NBAstore-eu, they still need to pay ? 4. 95 for standard delivery or ? 6. 95 for express delivery. The conclusion is the price in NBAstore-eu is higher than customers’ expectation, the NBAstore-eu need to reduce the price. The international tax and shipping fee are two factors that can’t be ignored, but in China, the prices in NBAstore-cn are still cheaper than NBAstore-eu. The price in NBAstore-cn can be a worthwhile indicative price for NBAstore-eu to reach the expectation of customers. [pic]Figure 5: Price details for purchasing a swingman jersey from NBAstore for customers in UK. (Sources from: store. nba. com) NBAstore-eu has just set up for more than three months, it’s a quite new branch in Europe. Promotion is an essential element in the marketing mix. It's a tool used by businesses, both large and small, to inform, persuade and remind customers about the products and services they have to offer. Without business promotion, companies would be stagnant and lack substantial growth because their brands would have low visibility in the market (Miranda, 2012). Promotion can help an organization: ? Increases Awareness ? Increases Product Knowledge and Preference Increases Retailers ? Increases Sales As a new branch, NBAstore-eu need those benefits. Basing on the current situation, the promotion intensity of NBAstore-eu is low, so NBAstore-eu need make reinforce the intensity of promotion. For example, NBAstore-eu can deliver more advertisements through more media in order to increase awareness. Then, NBAstore-eu can provide discounts on festival days to attract more customers, make sure the intensity of discount is not lower than NBAstore. Good promotion also can help NBAstore-eu to get the opp ortunities, mentioned on SWOT analysis, occupy the European market. Reference List: Daisy Caton-Jones. (2007).NBA fans in a London sports bar watch the Bulls beat the Heat on Sunday. [Online]http://sports. espn. go. com/nba/playoffs2007/news/story? id=2854150 [Accessed 3rd Jan, 2013] Gartner, Inc. (2010). â€Å"Gartner Research†. [Online]http://www. gartner. com/technology/research. jsp [Accessed 5th Dec, 2010]. Ian Whittell. (2007). Fans in Europe tune in for NBA action [Online]http://sports. espn. go. com/nba/playoffs2007/news/story? id=2854150 [Accessed 3rd Jan, 2013] Miranda Brookins. (2012). Why Is Promotion Important for a Business? [online]http://www. ehow. com/about_7221403_promotion-important-business_. html [Accessed 3rd Jan, 2013] Peters, T. (1987).Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution. London: Pan, p. 43. R. B. Woodruff, E. R. Cadotte and R. L. Jenkins. (1987). ‘Expectations and norms in models of consumer satisfaction’, Journal of M arketing Research 24, pp. 305–14. Salzberg, Charles. (1998). From Set Shot to Slam Dunk. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 203. ISBN 978-0-8032-9250-5. Appendix: (Interview of a basketball fan who always wearing NBA jerseys and plays basketball in Gloucester) Researcher: Do you know there is a new NBA store launched for European customers recently? Fan: Yes, but I haven’t bought anything from there yet. All the jerseys I got are brought from ebay or NBAstore.Researcher: Why don’t you try NBAstore-eu? That store are aiming to provide products for European customers. Fan: I have viewed the website several times, but I didn’t find something I’d like to buy. I’d like to buy a Luol Deng jersey recently, but I can’t find it on NBAstore-eu. I think the products there are scarce, and the styles of products there are out of fashion. There are not many options, maybe that store didn’t import new products very often. Researcher: If you buy jersey s from NBAstore, that will charge you a lot of shipping fee and tax fee, right? Fan: Yes, absolutely. Regardless of the fact that, I prefer to pay a little more to get what I really want.Researcher: Do you ever think about to buy something from NBAstore-eu? You can pay a little delivery fee and get the products in shorter time. Fan: No, the prices there are expensive. I don’t know why, much expensive than the standard price in US. I rather to buy something from ebay, that also will charge me a little delivery fee and shorter time. Researcher: But the products from sellers on ebay are having no assured quality, how about if you buy something that is fake? Fan: I don’t worry about that, the major items I’d like to buy are jerseys, and I have the experience, I know how to identify whether the jersey is authentic or not. Researcher: What kind of jersey do you prefer? Swingman or replica?Fan: I prefer swingman jerseys, because replica jerseys are for those people who don’t care about basketball and just like to wear it when they go to sleep, and a true baller or people that care about their swagger would never even wear a replica jersey. Also, even though the swingman is a little bit expensive than replica jersey, but the quality is much more better. Researcher: How do you think the promotion of NBAstore-eu? Fan: I don’t know. Probably it is a poor effort, I haven’t seen much advertisement of it. The way why I know NBAstore-eu is because I’m a member of NBAstore, and I received a e-mail from NBAstore to notice me that. Researcher: If NBAstore-eu can provide more refined products with smart