Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Research Paper on Globalization

Sample Research Paper on Globalization

Introduction
Many opinions have been expressed recently about the term of globalization, although one cannot consider it exactly a contemporary phenomenon. First of all, globalization is described as the trend of global exchange in all aspects and spheres of human life and referred to the ideology of interdependence between nations, countries, and continents (Brown 2008: 44). The concept unifies the dependence of domestic markets and currencies on foreign trade, and the improving role of the global corporations (Landefeld, Kozlow 2003: 111).

The profile of the firm affected by the globalization is the following: a company uses global sourcing to produce some type of goods or services, overcome political and legal barriers in each country for the reason of opening an office or a store and employ local population, maintain worldwide distribution, and adapt packaging, advertising, and point-of-sales materials for each geographical region. In addition, it may also face scandals and conflicts on a local level, which can later affect the global image of the company.

Here one may see that in order to analyze the impact of governments and supranational organizations on a business, macro environment should be taken into consideration. Macro environment includes the list of factors, which can categorize the perspectives of cooperation between the official bodies and the global corporations. Oxford University Press (2007) identifies the LoNGPESTEL analyzing tool, the derivative from the PESTEL framework, as the one that helps firms to make decisions in the global environment. This model can be useful in analyzing six main categories of factors which matter on local, national, and global levels and propose suggestions about the ways how governments and other supranationals can help the firms that are affected by globalization. These factors include political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal. 

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Categorization of assistance for the firms
Political Sphere
Membership in international organizations
As an example of political support for the firms, one can mention the creation of international unions and organization of different profiles such as World Trade Organization (WTO), European Union (EU), United Nations Organization (UN) and many others. These supranational organizations are supposed to serve firms by investing in their research and development activity, broadening of their distribution networks, simplifying and reducing taxes and tariffs in the issues of international trade. The role of the government is ensuring the acceptance to certain international organizations, which comprise the highest political and economic interest for the country and namely the global firms within its borders. It is an important step toward the development of already operating global businesses in the country and, in most cases, the guaranteed access for the emerging firms to the international markets. 

Image and ideology
According to Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 9-10), ideology of the nation plays a significant role in shaping an attitude towards other nations, their principles of life and work. Political issues between the countries may become the obstacles in trade relationships. One of the functions of the government is creation of a positive image of the country in the international arena, which helps to attract foreign investors, promote tourism, and, what is more important for the domestic companies going international, - conduct exporting activity. The image that the country possesses may be easily projected on each firm established in that country and will either help or block successful trade with other countries.    

Economic Sphere
Trade barriers versus free trade
The openness of the markets, outsourcing and global sourcing are the determining factors of the contemporary globalization for that economic growth tends to the countries with rapidly emerging economies. Brutto (2010: 513) points out that nowadays the economic growth in different countries is not fairly distributed, that’s why the developed countries design the policies that are aimed at establishing trade barriers and filtering the imported goods. The reasons for this are usually the slow internal growth, high rate of unemployment within those countries, and the abundance of cheaper alternatives of products manufactured in the less developed countries. Such isolation policies do not benefit the development of free trade making globalization efforts less effective. Besides, it leads to the trend of economic nationalism, which can be considered as negative for the global economics.
Under the firms affected by globalization one can understand the companies, which conduct exporting and importing activity. Based on the aforementioned, governments can help companies affected by globalization by encouraging import and export. With the well-established trade activity, the exchange of goods can be easier allowing for quicker turnover, better utilization of manufacturing facilities, shorter production terms, wider distribution, and larger demand for the products. As a result, it will stimulate the creation of new jobs, lower the prices, and make the competition in the industry more challenging. Besides, free trade is the basis for global sourcing, a strategy of searching for partners and contractors around the world gaining a possibility to offer the best products and services for the most affordable prices.
  
Governments in different countries specify customs rules and norms for the imported goods. They include establishing tariffs and duties based on the specifications and characteristics of products, as well as other types of requirements necessary for certain categories of products. That’s why one the most effective solutions in benefiting global corporations lies in adjusting and reducing taxes and tariffs on import. This is mostly possible within the trade organizations like WTO and and under GATT, which were established with the primary idea to alleviate the duties on export and import.
  
Countertrade
Another solution that may help the firms to benefit is countertrade – a form of agreement helping to develop commercial cooperation between two nations on the basis of import activity. Such type of agreements are usually maintained on a governmental level for that they usually takes into consideration the currency conversion rates, foreign trade policies and other type of regulations promoted by governments. An offset, the most popular form of a countertrade, allows importing to a foreign country with a condition that the components will be fractionally taken from or even produced in the importing country. On the one hand, such type of agreements may reduce the involvement of the manufacturing company because less materials, components and work force is required from the producer, but on the other hand, it helps to expand globally, enter new large markets, and increase distribution and revenues associated with it.

However, countertrade can be based on another concept – barter, for example. In this type of agreement, two nations are involved in the exchange of goods produced domestically avoiding money as the means of exchange. The government can help its domestic producer by distributing the goods to another country obtaining other type of commodity for the equal amount of money in return. Being far-from-ideal method of bargaining, barter is usually applied in the period of unstable economic situations and helps both the government and the producer to benefit.

Export guarantees
Export guarantees can also be considered a means of helping firms working on a global basis. By issuing the long terms loans for the businesses, the government can support the national companies involved in international activities and overseas projects. The principle of such agreement between the company and the government is in transferring political and economic risks from the manufacturing company to the corresponding governmental body.
  
Acting as a customer or a partner
Finally, governmental bodies and supranationals can act as customers purchasing products and solutions from the firms for own purposes. These legislative bodies also have physical headquarters and offices, employ people, and accomplish different types of projects. Therefore, governments can support the national manufacturers making a win-win deal. They can also function as intermediaries by searching for foreign partners and customers or promoting the business of the firms abroad. In addition, many firms going international would find it useful to obtain some sort of trainings and workshops, the main purpose of which is learning the principles of working with other countries, international business ethics or any other type of knowledge applicable on a global basis. The Chamber of Commerce may be the most appropriate body within the state administration dealing with such type of issues.    

As it turns out, a direct investment in foreign business in the country usually results in higher return on investment compared to an investment in a domestic business (Landefeld & Kozlow 2003: 117). Following this suggestion, the governments can help international businesses to prosper by investing in them, although it would not be always the best solution, especially for the countries, which intend to support national manufacturers.

Social Sphere

Medicine and healthcare
The most obvious examples of globalization are certainly found in solving universal problems of health care and medicine, which are usually the concern of governments and supranational authorities as those primarily responsible for the living conditions of population. For example, such diseases as AIDS or cancer are the international concern so global efforts have to be dedicated to fighting them (Brown 2008: 42-43). But how can we tie this together with the concern for the firms? Obviously, the statistics for global economic processes will show that the changes in demographics and work force supply take place as these problems are being settled. Firms act as employers and certainly depend on people, who work for them. To ensure the health of the employees and the potential of customers means to ensure the prosperity of business and other types of activities in the country and outside it, which is of high concern for the state governments and public organizations.

Work force security
In addition, not only health of the nation determines the quality of the labour force. Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 4) point out that the rates of production and trade in each country depend on the skillfulness of workers, so it is quite reasonable to mention that labour market of each country affects globalization. After observing the international trends, one can mention that high-skill labour tends more to the countries with higher welfare rates, which discloses the unfair distribution of the work force between the countries. Consequently, Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot (2007: 6) conclude that ‘opposition to economic integration – analyzed as the dependent variable – is negatively affected by welfare policies’. Research shows that the more the government of the country rejects the possibilities of free international trade, the less opportunity exists in the labor market of the country and the less security the work force gains. As a result, the rates of skillful work force emigration increase and the GDP, which incorporates national spending for labor market, decreases. Based on this, globalized companies may not be satisfied with the quality of the labor force, which will negatively reflect on the operations in the given countries making business there unreasonable. That’s why the governmental policy aimed at labor protection will benefit both employers and employees on a national and international scale, providing competitive environment for maintaining international business relationships and reducing risk associated with uncertainty about the globalization processes on a domestic scale (Mayda, O’Rourke, Sinnot 2007: 20). 

Specialized education
According to Becker (2006: 271), globalization and global competition nowadays require employees to possess special knowledge and education. However, the system of education that exists in many countries does not allow reacting sufficiently to such changes and should be reshaped in accordance to the contemporary business environment. Education falls under the range of governmental responsibility, that’s why namely the government can restructure the system in order to accurately correspond to the up-to-date demands in the globalized society. 

Public events sponsorship
Sport, charity, art and other aspects of life worldwide are managed by international organizations and supranationals, which are usually non-profit and resort to the help of sponsors and patrons when searching for financial resources and investments. UNESCO, FIFA, International Olympic Committee are among such worldwide known independent organizations. Investment in the aforementioned spheres guarantees acknowledgement of the sponsoring company due to the PR activity and advertising associated with it. The company gets promotion on an international scale, has a possibility to create a positive image for the customers, and sometimes even to present its products or services to the global public. Such type of cooperation between non-profit organizations and businesses are mutually profitable and always noticeable.

Technological Sphere
Research & Development
One of the crucial manifestations in the process of globalization is the increase in sharing of knowledge and advancements in technology. This is the primary role of governments and supranationals acting in the interests of firms. Corporate policy of global corporations usually insists on uniformity in operations and equipment, which makes the necessity in the compliance of processes within the organization obvious. Because of the inequality in the countries’ rates of overall development, the distribution of know-how and technological novelties usually appears to be essential for a certain type of business. This primarily concerns the joint venture companies, which are usually established with the support from the governments and aimed at a common goal in research and development. The role of the government for such types of firms is well-defined – the government should act as an investor and ensure the growth and improvement for the firm, the result of which can later become the national or even global property. Supranationals can provide even greater contribution to the advancement of technologies by financing the projects of the manufacturing companies. As the European Union expands and unifies new countries, it invests in new prospective businesses in those countries. This allows the firms to handle projects, which were not previously affordable to them in financial terms and broaden the distribution network by obtaining partners within the member states of EU. 
   
As Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 115) point out, research and development is a delicate issue for the global corporations. The primary concern is that the technological advancement can be easily transferred to partners and contractors in other countries, which leads to losing the global competitive advantage to certain extent. Governments cannot be fully in charge of protecting the technology developed domestically. However, the governments of the importing countries can help in the technology transfer and implementation of know-how through the franchisees and other types of partnership by establishing loyal regulations and encouraging investments in the country by the foreign companies and organizations.
  
Statistical data and international standards
When entering new markets, a company must be certainly interested in market statistics and looks forward to conducting a marketing research or buying statistical data, which satisfy the necessary parameters. For such reasons, governments should be able to present the requested data. In order to understand the data correctly, international standards should be applied to all types of information. Standardization of information and introduction of standards comprise the duties of supranational organizations on a universal scale and appear to be another point in helping the firms affected by globalization. Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 119-120) specify the requirements for the statistical data insisting on their accuracy, consistency, and quality by saying that ‘the obligation of statistical organizations is to keep pace with changes in the world economy’.   

Environmental Sphere
Environmental concern
The problem of resources has always been a major concern for different companies, especially those involved in production. That’s why much attention nowadays is paid to the environmental concern and the natural resources, which people consume. According to the summary of Brown (2008: 49), ‘the major problems with globalization are in relation to concerns about energy renewal, sustainability of the world’s ecosystem, the inequalities associated with the global market’. In other words, the scarcity of resources available is predetermined by the rates and frequency of usage. For those resources that cannot be replenished quickly, certain policies should be established. They may even affect the activity of the firm on a global basis leading to diversification of business and other drastic changes. Oil industry can serve an example for this because petroleum has to be substituted with another type of fuel in future.

Some global companies try to assure the availability of resources for themselves. For example, IKEA, the world’s largest furniture retailer, plants trees on a regular basis to support the ecosystem (American Forests 2009). However, the role of environmental protection organizations is inevitable in such type of issues for that they are supposed to implement control over the utilization of natural resources, identification of endangered species, and regulating the distribution of amounts of natural supplies.

Omitting environmental concern
According to Landefeld and Kozlow (2003: 117), when pursuing the development of international business in the country, the governments can sometimes ignore the environmental impact, which global corporation produce in the country. This appears to be the case in the third world countries where norms and regulations are still not so strict and the corruption in the legislative bodies still takes place. This is supposed to benefit the firm because the firm enters the market in shorter terms and with less paperwork but is originally a question of business ethics, which casts doubt upon the positive image of the firm.

Legal Sphere
As mentioned above, sometimes governments make concessions in order to attract foreign businesses in the country. Technically, the government helps the firm to establish presence in the given country aimed at mutual benefit but it is sometimes made neglecting environmental issues, rights of the citizens or contradicting with fair competition. In such cases, supranationals are supposed to act as independent spectators and resolve the disputable issue.

In whole, governments and supranational organizations can assist the global corporations in regulating the issues of brand identity, employment of the personnel, managing insurance of the risks, establishing taxation norms and laws, etc. In terms of globalization, the law is also globalized to certain extent, so international practices become more applicable each day.  

Conclusion
Nowadays globalization is strongly associated with risk for the firms and individuals. Firms tend to see the advantages of globalization, although they cannot handle them without any external help. This help is found in the support of the governments and independent international organizations, which identify own interests in providing assistance for the companies. As a result of such interaction and cooperation, new units appear in a global business network, broadening the supply and the opportunities for customers, contractors, suppliers and even competitors. All principles and technologies that a company uses become a universal property that is shared on an international basis, leading to either prosperity or decline of the business. I suppose that the main fair of globalization is exactly in the uncertainty, which appears after the company turns from a domestic producer into a multinational corporation, namely the firm affected by globalization.
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Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Research Paper on Solution Selling

Solution Selling to Gain Competitive Advantage Research Paper

Summary
Solution Selling is an approach to the workings of salespersons and organization, which stresses the importance of mutually finding buyers’ most critical problems (known as pain) and trying to resolve them with the seller’s capabilities. It therefore poses an alternative to traditional approaches to marketing and sales that usually focus on buyers’ needs and wants and sellers’ offerings. More importantly, the literature on Solution Selling prescribes a step-by-step process to communicating, developing mutual vision and sustaining relationships between companies and their clients, using the salesperson as an intermediary that supports buyers, provide consultation and aims directly to buyers’ most important considerations.  

1. The Nature of Solution Selling
One of the fundamental concepts in the field of marketing stipulates that marketers’ main task is to satisfy consumers’ wants and needs. Kotler and Keller define needs as “the basic human requirements,” running the gamut from food and air to education and entertainment. These basic needs underlie consumers’ wants, which are essentially “specific objects that might satisfy the need” (26). Essential as it is for marketers, this basic approach may often be less straightforward when consumers cannot define certain needs and/or when they are not aware of products and services that may satisfy them (and hence cannot consider whether they want them or not). This holds especially true for highly innovative products or services and for needs that may be well defined by the seller but are latent to the buyer (Bosworth, 34).

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The conventional scheme of needs and wants may be described as too generic because of the competitive nature of the sales process. Sellers compete not only with products and services that pose an alternative to their own, but also with sellers who aim to satisfy other needs and wants. Given the fact that buyers’ purchasing power and attention are limited, sellers have to work in two parallel directions: First they must create and/or enhance the priority given to the need by the buyer. Second, they should stress the advantages of their product over the competition to ensure that the buyer perceives their offer as the most beneficial solution to an acute problem or ‘pain.’

Solution selling can be described as a means to solve such discrepancies by reframing the relationship between buyers and sellers. Simply put, the method subscribes to the idea that instead of identifying needs and wants that can be satisfied with their products, marketers need to pay attention to what disturbs customers, thus positioning their products as a resolution to the problem. The solution selling literature converts this notion into selling techniques by using two leading constructs, namely customers’ problems (known as pains) and marketers’ solutions.

The next two chapters discuss these two domains and elaborate on the major techniques to implement them into substantial competitive advantages for marketers. They do so by bringing insights from the four components of the solution selling process, namely the philosophy, the map, the methodology and the sales management system that underlie successful salespersons’ (known as eagles) work (Eades, 5).

2. Pains and the Three Levels of Needs
As briefly argued above, the first major obstacle to sale is the prospective buyer’s subjective perception of the needs and wants that may underlie the decision to buy a specific product or service. The latter may be means to achieve a goal, to ease work, etc. However, both the seller’s offerings and the buyer’s prospective benefits from there may be utterly covert for the buyer. Bosworth defines three levels of needs, which help not only to understand the buyer’s preliminary attitude towards the offer, but also allow for a structural development of arousal. The three levels are (1)latent needs, (2)pain and (3) vision of a solution.

2.1. Latent Needs
Also known as ‘latent pain,’ this level represents absence of interest in the means in which a product or service can benefit the buyer. This mainly occurs due to a buyer’s ignorance of the prospective solution, or after a process of rationalization, in which the buyer examines the alternatives and concludes that none of them may be beneficial to solve a problem (e.g. due to poor perceived cost effectiveness). As a result, the need is suppressed and remains “in the mind of the seller, not the buyer” (Bosworth, 35-6). Alternatively, latent needs may result from low perceived urgency or due to inability to ‘put the finger’ on the problem (Eades and Kear, 127).

2.2. Pain or Undeveloped Needs
The second level in the scale is known as ‘pain’ or ‘undeveloped needs.’ Unlike the preceding level, customers in this stage are aware of a problem and are actively seeking a solution. The awareness to the problem creates a sense of discomfort (pain), which appears to motivate the customer to resolve the problem. If a plausible solution is not to be found, the need is likely to become latent (Bosworth, 37).

This level is also called the ‘undeveloped needs’ stage because although potential buyers may feel the need, they have yet to process it along with corresponding market offerings, thus do not have a vision of a solution. Thus, as argued by Graham, although they have already developed a preliminary intention to buy, buyers tend to pass the responsibility for finding a solution to the salesperson. If the latter is competent, she will go ahead to evoke the pain, seek for the customer’s direct request to solve the problem and position her product of service as the optimal solution. 

2.3. Vision of a Solution
This level is obviously the last step before a sell, but also a rather tricky one. By its essence, buyers that reach a clear vision are not really aware of a problem and the product or service as a plausible solution, but are also prone to collaborate with the salesperson during their decision-making process. In other words, they take back the responsibility that was previously delegated to the salesperson and reflect on the offer, its benefits, its costs and the ways to implement the purchase (Bosworth, 38).

There are, however, several things that salespersons must keep in mind when sensing that the buyer has entered this level. Because the buyer is again ‘in control’ at this level, it is vital to allow the customer to develop his or her own vision, not the seller’s: “Sharing a seller’s opinion or trying to impose that opinion on a buyer won’t work in most cases” (Bosworth and Holland, 152). In a competitive business environment, buyers who adopt the seller’s vision prematurely are highly likely to fail to implement the solution, switch to the competition or losing loyalty after the first purchase (Bosworth, 39). 

2.4. Diagnosing Pain
Assessing an individual buyer’s level of pain, the nature of pain and changes in it throughout the selling process requires a diagnostic process. Based on structural, discussion-like questioning, the diagnostic process underlies the seller’s strategy for this specific buyer. In addition, the exchange of ideas is by itself an important element of building and sharing a vision. Stressing the importance of diagnosis, Bosworth argues that

Diagnosis is key in gaining buyer loyalty when creating, participating, or reengineering the buyer's vision of a solution… Even if the vision is unaltered, by taking the buyer through the diagnosis process, you now "own" that buyer, whereas before you did not. Therefore, the diagnosis process is key for the buyer to buy into you personally, your sincerity, your expertise, and your experience. People want to buy from people who validate them, who understand their business, who see the world through their eyes, who share their vision, and who empower them to see themselves in control of their problem. Sellers must go through diagnosis and vision processing with their buyers.(38)

It follows that diagnosis contributes to the selling process in four major ways: First, it allows the salesperson to understand the reasons, the specific attributes and the level of the buyer’s pain. Second, it breaks it ice between the buyer and the salesperson, as the former invites the latter to participate in his or her thinking processes, priorities and the effects of the current situation on the buyer’s emotional state. Third, it is an opportunity for the salesperson to introduce him or herself as a professional, caring and empathic person, thereby warranting future claims regarding the product and service under question. Finally, it can be used as a means to create awareness to pains, create anxiety towards problems and arise a sense of urgency (Eades and Kear 157). 

Just as diagnostic processes vary among and within medical professions, different products and/or target groups require different approaches to diagnosis. Nevertheless, when planning and executing the structure of their diagnoses salespersons usually determine one or more domains they need to explore (i.e. kinds of diagnostic exploration), by asking questions from three types. These six components of diagnosis are, as suggested by Sullivan:

Kinds of diagnostic exploration:
  1. Identify reasons for pain: Listing and elaborating the specific factor(s) that underlie the buyer’s pain. After identifying the main forces it is also worthwhile to assess the relative weight of each factor to the total pain. Ideally, the product or service will be able to target the most important reasons and/or indirectly affect them to a significant extent.
  2. Determine impact of the pain: The pain and its components usually influence the organization, its work and the people in it in more than a few ways. This domain may require not only mapping of the effects, but also identification and prioritization of the main loci of impact needed to be eased. Moreover, it is also possible to quantify (although rather roughly) the monetary value of these loci in terms of e.g. decrease in efficiency/effectiveness, employee turnover, waste of time/resources and rate of innovation.
  3. Visualize capabilities needed: This final phase is comparable with physicians’ attempt to set treatment guidelines after deciding upon the most probable pathology. It is based on prescribing/recommending the means in which the salesperson and the product/service can solve one or more of the reasons for pain. Despite the consultative nature of this domain, it is necessary to ensure the compliance of the suggested solutions to the buyer and the relevant reasons for pain. 

Types of questions:
  1. Open-ended Questions: Questions such as “Why do you think this (=the problem/pain) is happening?” and “what do you usually do when…” allow the buyer to reflect and inform the salesperson about specific problematic phenomena. These questions characterize the early stages of the sales meeting and facilitate an open, deep and friendly discussion. The also help to indicate the buyer’s sense of priority concerning specific problems and introduce the salesperson to the narrative of the buyer’s organization and work.
  2. Control Questions: Question that narrow the scope of the conversation but still allow the buyer to speak and reflect rather freely. For example, if the salesperson wants to know if the buyer is satisfied with her current server, he might want to ask specific question such as “how often does the server crashes?” or “is your server reliable?” (control questions) instead of “how do you find your current server?” (an open-ended question). Ideally, control questions direct the discussion towards the major capacities of the product or service under question.  
  3. Confirming Questions: By using phrases such as “am I right?” and “do you agree that…” salespersons create a sense of agreement between them and the buyer. The aim of this rhetoric is to bring the buyer into agreeing with the salesperson’s suggestions without coercion. These questions, which typically appear in later stages of the meeting, also build a common narrative that facilitates a mutual vision of a solution. They can be also used to state the price in a rather mutual fashion, by asking questions such as "I think a good budget for this dinner would be about $45 a head. Is that anywhere near what you had in mind?" (Spence 18).

Combined together, the three domains of exploration and the three types of questions construct a matrix, known as the Nine Block model, which creates a diagnostic process that is rather easy to follow (see fig. 1). A typical sales meeting or call will include all the blocks of the model, usually moving from number one to nine.

3. Solutions
Together with pain, solution is the second major construct on which Solution Selling is based. The theory and practice of Solution Selling has obviously developed alternative definitions of solutions, just as it does in regard to pain. These definitions and their implications to organizations may vary among authors, but three elements are always at the heart of the concept of solution: “a mutually shared answer to a recognized problem, and the answer provides measurable improvement” (Eades 3).

As suggested by the latter definition, Solution Selling is not an innovative method to reposition traditional strategies, but rather a conceptual shift. This is to say that it does not simply changes the wording of concepts, but rather breaks down supply-side and demand-side considerations into their underlying components. Then, it reassembles them into the three dimensions suggested by Eades above, namely (1)recognized problem (2)mutual answer, and (3)measureable improvement. As a whole, the premise of Solution Selling entails not only the actual sell but also, and to a very wide extent, a process of mutual responsibility for the buyer’s successes through the seller’s capabilities. 

3.1. Recognizing and Emphasizing the Problem
A good diagnosis ends should lead to a definition of the main problems and pains. Sometimes it may occur that the salesperson will recognize problems that are vague to the buyer and/or try to reconsider the priorities of some of the pains, problems and reasons mentioned by the buyer. In order to do so while maintaining the mutual atmosphere of the diagnosis, the salesperson must develop a sense of pain in respect to the (previously ignored and/or unseen) problem. A handful of ways to develop latent and/or inexistent problems into pains have been previously suggested. They can be generally divided into two major groups, namely anxiety creation and provocative selling.

Anxiety creation is defined by Bosworth as a “’mini’ need development technique, in which

We want to see if we can take a specific latent pain from a buyer's "background" and bring it around to the “foreground." We want our buyer to go "ouch!" The specific latent need we are pursuing, naturally, is a perfect match for something we are selling! Instead of setting up a row of bowling pins, we are setting up a "spare," a single pin. (65)

The technique is based on confirming questions, which aim to specific pains that the product or service can resolve. This process of controlling is very likely to hit a weak spot, cause pain and prepare the grounds for a solution. The latter should be offered immediately, thereby giving immediate hope to the most recent pain the buyer can recall.

Anxiety creation is essential to develop latent pain. However, when the buyer is not aware of the problem, the salesperson should take an alternative approach. Sometimes regarded as a sales technique by its own right, provocative selling “focuses on finding a problem in the customer's blind spot that is in critical need of attention,” and is therefore appropriate when the buyer “isn't aware of the problem, but once informed, is eager to address it” (Dandridge 48).

Lay, Hewlin and Moore prescribe three steps to provoke hidden problems:
  1. Identify a critical problem facing your customers: ‘Critical’ means that the targeted problem should be material and significant to the business operations. Hence, critical problems cannot be ignored once brought to the buyer’s attention.   
  2. Formulate a proactive point of view: The presentation of the problem must enhance the buyer’s perception of it. It should therefore be interesting, provide the buyer new perspective and call for immediate action.
  3. Lodge your provocation: The problem and its solution should be forwarded directly to the relevant decision-makers. It is also very important to create a sense of urgency.   

3.2 Establishing Mutual Answer to the Problem
By this stage both sides have agreed upon the problem(s) they intend to address, i.e. the pain(s) they intend to resolve. It is now that the buyer decides whether or not to cooperate with the salesperson towards the latter’s goals, namely to make a sell and to establish long-term relationship with the buyer. Such as relationship capitalizes on two main grounds, namely a good match between the solution and the problem it solve, and a high level of trust between the buyer and the seller. 
It is not uncommon for a product or service to evolve as a solution to an array of different problems. This proposition stems directly from the essence of Solution Selling – the withdrawal from product-focused selling to using the product or service as a means to assist the buyer. A good salesperson, who by now have led the buyer into interest in the pains that be resolved through the seller’s capacities, can determine an abundance of ways in which his or her solution delivers value. Just as a medical specialist, the salesperson can and should provide high-end consultancy concerning how the product or service in question (for example, an innovative online payment system) might help to solve problems from diverse sources, such as:
Enhancing customer revenues: e.g. shortening the time span between delivery and payment;  
Decrease customer risks: e.g. eliminating the option of defaulting receivables; and  
Reducing Customer Costs: e.g. halving credit card companies’ fees  

In addition to their prospective benefits, it is possible to indentify solution by their nature. Choos and Surdel distinguish three categories of solutions:
  1. Prefabricated solutions: Changing the messaging and positioning of an offering without changing the basic offering.   
  2. Bundled solutions: Offering a menu of existing services and/or products to address a customer’s specific need.
  3. Customized solutions: Developing a completely new, customized (and usually more complicated) offering from scratch for a customer’s individual needs. (29) 

Nonetheless, offering a plausible and affordable solution is not sufficient nowadays, particularly in a competitive environment. The responsibility of building sustainable and long-term relationships with clients, a central task in the salesperson’s work, calls for a different kind of ability, namely to establish high level of trust.

During the diagnosis phase, when the salesperson tries to engage the buyer to cooperate and share his pains, the buyer also starts to ask questions, most often in her head. These questions aim to inquire the nature of the salesperson and through which the nature of the organization and its solutions. Solution Selling stipulates that these questions usually revolve around issues of trust and general (i.e. not sector-specific) professionalism, especially in the initial phases of the sales meeting or call.

Typical questions that the buyer might ask herself include:
  • Does this salesperson understand my business issue and the reasons contributing to it? 
  • Has this person thoroughly diagnosed my situation?
  • Should I discuss the impact my issue has on other areas of my business?
  • Do I agree with the capabilities suggested and the value presented?     (Keogh 62)  
A proactive approach is needed to provide answer to such question before they arise or at least before the buyer has any reason to doubt the salesperson. An established salesperson will try, as argued by Spence, to engage in proactive measurements such as:
Asking questions about the buyer as a person in order to establish mutual understanding and respect;
Earning trust by expressing interest in the buyer’s business, as well as by working to understand the challenges the buyer and the organization face.
Asking the buyer’s permission to tell him or her a story. When granted, a story about “how people much like your prospect have benefited by using your product” helps to give a personal dimension to the solution.
Price should be revealed as fast as possible, preferably by sharing the salesperson’s thoughts about it. This tactic helps to prevent building tension towards disclosing the price, hence clearing the issue from the table.
Risk reduction measures such as free trials and refunds are essential to convey the seller’s confidence in the solution. Or, as elegantly argued by Spence: “When prospects realize that selling a lemon will affect you more than it will hurt them, they'll be set to sign” (18).

3.3. Measuring Improvement
It is rather easy to understand that a solution is intangible and thus very weak and quite worthless if cannot be measured. The buyer is obviously interested much more in the ways in which the solution will make a positive change in the problematic areas than in the offer itself (e.g. the technical specifications of the product). By the same token, the salesperson would be like to know if and to what extent the solution was effective. This kind of information contributes to an array of post-sales activities, to building long-term relationship and to assist the salesperson with future buyers.

Furthermore, the ability to measure the effect of the purchase implies that the buyer has an opportunity to get feedback on her decisions, as well as to communicate to others the means in which the decision has actually helped to improve the organization. This feature is therefore an important feature of the solution and a consideration in the buyer’s decision-making process. The measurement technique, however, might be sometimes hard to design and implement. Therefore, the salesperson (and not the buyer) must integrate his or her professional skills with the findings of the diagnostic stage to offer a feasible measurement that sheds the best possible light on the offer.

4. Some Examples of Successful Implementation
Solution Selling is considered by many as the most popular and certainly indispensible current approach to sales (Dandridge 48). Its techniques, philosophy and teachings have been developed and improved over the years, and have brought about new fields of research and practice such as optimization methods for salespersons who pursue Solution Selling (see e.g. Choos and Surdel). It should therefore come with no surprise that evidences for this approach’s success (as well as some sporadic examples of failure) are abundant and cross industries, continents and firm sizes. Here are three representative examples:

In a recent review of healthcare technology marketing, O’Mara describes a shift of manufacturers from a focus on products and/or customers to a focus on comprehensive solutions. The typical nature of such solutions is an offer that include all the physician’s and/or the provider’s need to optimize their performance in regard to predefined clinical cases. Patients with high risk for heart attack, for example, can be monitored by an integrated system that combines mobile, home-based and clinical measurement tools, all of which ‘seat’ on the same IT platform. This elimination of steps towards monitoring patients’ status is considered by many as a new frontier in cardiology.

Microsoft is also very active in the promotion of Solution Selling. The software giant trains sales staff and intermediaries to listen to the customer’s needs and problems and offer corresponding solutions instead of its traditional top-down approach. Microsoft's UK managing director Alistair Baker confirmed this shift in a 2005 interview to MicroScope, saying that the company seeks to “work more closely with a particular type of reseller - those that are able to sell a solution, not just a product” (19). 

Even more comprehensive is IBM’s interpretation to Solution Selling. The company is actively involved in establishing, organizing and participating in so-called ‘solution networks,’ i.e. collaborations among sellers to offer clients with complete and customized solution packages. Networks such as the IBM-centered Support Net are considered by hardware sales professionals as one of the most promising development in the field (Zarley 37).      

5. Criticism on Solution Selling
Despite (or perhaps because) of its success, Solution Selling and the techniques derived from it received quite a lot of criticism throughout the years. Most of the criticism, as it seems, focuses on the overexploitation of the concept of ‘solution’ instead of traditional terms such as offers, products, etc., often with very little (if any) relevance to the original meaning of the term in the Solution Selling literature. Stating that the term Solution Selling simply “offends his ears,” author Robert Herjavec argues that

"Solutions" is such a vague and commonplace term, now that cars are personal transportation solutions and the iPad just another mobility solution. And "selling" takes us right back to the boxing ring; it's you trying to separate clients from their cash.     (Spence 18)

In areas such as financial services and insurance, which typically require the buyer to be rather sophisticated in order to understand the nature of the service, Solution Selling may arguably hinder sales. Koco agrees that this approach had helped to keep salespersons away from their traditional role as ‘product pushers.’ She indicated, however, that when companies pursue Solution Selling instead of offering clear-cut services, it is “difficult to determine just what the advisor, firm or company actually does or sells,” since

For the increasing number of consumers who research financial products before they but, the solutions hype is gibberish. Many of them wouldn’t know an insurance or financial solution from a fishing rod. (12)

Such dangers can and should be avoided, however. It is current and future marketers’ responsibility to use the powerful premise of Solution Selling in a comprehensive manner and to think about ways to keep clear from its pitfalls. Collaboration with customers, as it seems, will continue to dominate salespersons’ narrative in the future to some.  
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This is a free research paper on Solution Selling topic. Keep in mind that all free research project samples and research paper examples are taken from open sources – they are plagiarized and cannot be used as your own research project. If you need a qualitative custom research project on Solution Selling for college, university, Master's or PhD degree – you are welcome to contact professional research writing company to have your paper written online by academic research writers.
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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Steps Writing a Persuasive Research Paper

Steps: Writing a Persuasive Research Paper

Writing a persuasive research paper is one of the most important tasks for every student. Students have to master the skills of persuasive writing to develop their professional skills and skills to present information properly. When a student can carry out the aim of his research, explain the purpose of writing, he will not have any problems with studying, because the major aim of education is to teach young people communicate, think clearly and judge soberly. It is obvious, that the majority of students has problems with persuasive writing, because of the lack of experience and appropriate knowledge. Here you can find professional persuasive research paper writing tips, which will be at hand for every student.

Persuasive Research Paper Writing Guidelines:
  1. Choose the Right Topic. It is an advantage when you manage to choose the best topic which is closely connected with your life and interests. It does not worth mentioning that a good topic, which is interesting for you will be prepared more scrupulously and successfully than a boring, unfamiliar one. When the topic is connected with your life, you have better chances to explain its value and fill it with the elements of your life experience.
  2. Choose the Key Points of the Topic. When you plan to persuade the reader in the value of your research, try to narrow your topic as much as possible. If the topic is broad, there is no sense to research it, because it will require too much time and efforts. Moreover, you will have problems with the arrangement and structuring of the data and you will surely mix things. In order to avoid such unpleasant moments, make your topic narrower.
  3. Brainstorm a Good Thesis Statement. Writing a persuasive research paper you should remember about the most important thing - a proper thesis statement. The paper is called persuasive, because you have to persuade the reader in the importance of your research with the help of a catchy thesis statement. If you manage to create a good thesis statement which will reflect the purpose and the importance of the research, it will be a success. The reader should see these brief but persuasive words and realize the importance of your work.
  4. Research the Topic and Draw Wise Conclusions. If you want to persuade the reader in the value of the research paper, conduct quality investigation. Collect reliable data and evidence which totally support your point of view and present the information logically to make the whole paper look well-structured and nice. Good organization and trustworthy evidence will make your persuasive research paper look high-quality and valuable.
If you find this information useless, you can get a non-plagiarized custom research paper prepared by professional academic experts.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Scientific Method Research Paper

Scientific Method Research Paper

Long time ago scientists started arguing about the way to better investigate the world. At first it was considered that the world should be investigated through only talking, without having to bring any scientific proof. However, this method was unreliable and could not determine whether the statements that were put forward were correct or not. After some time passed this method was not applied anymore because the humanity started to be looking for proofs and nobody would just rely on the proofless words of even a great scientist. That was the way the scientific method of research came to be developed. Today most of the science is based on this procedure and this method is simply a “tool” that scientists use to find the answers to questions.

 

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Scientific method is the process of thinking through the possible solutions to a problem and testing each possibility to find the best solution. The scientific method involves the following stages that I would like to describe below. To begin with a person puts in front if him/herself a question he wants to learn about. Then one should conduct a research and gather all the needed information. Having worked on the information and gotten the full picture of the question one should put forward a hypothesis, an educated guess about the answer to the question. After that one should design an experiment to prove or disprove the suggested hypothesis and then collect the data that was obtained during the experiment. To bring the experiment to an end the description of what was noticed during the experiment should be written down and the conclusion was the hypothesis correct or incorrect should be made.

An experiment that can be obtained using the scientific method can be as follows: we may wonder whether the rate at which grass grows does not depend on the amount if life received. We should conduct a research and for example state a hypothesis that the rate at which grass grows is not dependent on the amount of light it receives. It order to make an experiment we may have the grass exposed to no light and grass with light and observe the growth rate. After having collected the data and written down observations related to our experiment we would be able to conclude the experiment and prove or disprove the hypothesis.

As you can see for the above, the scientific method can be considered to be the best way for winnowing the truth from delusion.

It was never easy for humans to distinguish the living from nonliving. For example in 15 century people believed that nonliving things could spontaneously turn into living things or vise versa. Now we know, however, that such cases do not exist. To make the determining whether something is living or nonliving the scientists came up with characteristics that are shared by living things. I would like to describe these characteristics below.

To begin with living things exhibit a high level of organization, they are multicellular organisms and maintain a dynamic, internal environment. Next, living things are suited to their mode of existence that allow them to survive in their environment. Other characteristics of all living are the ability for reproduction and heredity and growth and development, which is true even for single-celled organisms. Another characteristic is that the living things acquire and release energy, and the last but not least one is that all the living things have a tendency to interact with their environment as well as each other. (Farabee)

It must be noted that if something follows one or just a few of the characteristics listed above, it does not automatically mean that it is living. To be considered alive, an object must exhibit all of the characteristics of living things. A good example of this is the fire. The fire is suggested by many to be alive. And the arguments for that are clear: it breathes oxygen, and eats wood. However in fact the fire is not alive, it has many characteristics of living organisms, but one should not consider it living because it does not have a cellular structure that is one of the characteristics of living things.

To sum up I would like to say that the knowledge I have obtained having learned about the questions mentioned in the paper was useful. For example I can use the scientific method to solve the problem I face in my life. It would be much easier for me now to solve the problem using the mature research, putting forward a possible solution-hypothesis and then come up with a solution. It is also important to be able to determine whether a thing if alive or nonliving because it helps to form the clear view of the world and know how to responds to the behavior of all its parts.
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This is a free research paper on Scientific Method topic. Keep in mind that all free research project samples and research paper examples are taken from open sources – they are plagiarized and cannot be used as your own research project. If you need a qualitative custom research project on Scientific Method for college, university, Master's or PhD degree – you are welcome to contact professional research writing company to have your paper written online by academic research writers.
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Monday, September 10, 2012

Jan Van Eyck Research Paper

The works of Jan Van Eyck – Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Lucca Madonna, Arnolfini Portrait

Jan van Eyck, one of the most famous painters of the Middle Ages, lived in the fifteenth century in the Netherlands. As a court painter, he was very famous and extremely well-paid if compared with other painters in Netherlands. He was at the court of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy where he was very respected and appreciated. It is known that the Duke was a godfather of one of the painter’s children and supported his family after Jan van Eyck’s death. All these facts prove van Eyck’s exceptional status at court, which was gained by his extraordinary gift for painting. Moreover, the Duke often sent the painter on different missions, which might have included not only painting, but also some other affairs. However, except two portraits painted at that time, we know nothing particular about these missions.

Jan van Eyck was a learned person – he knew Latin and was experienced in the classics of painting. The masterpieces that he created made him a prominent person not only in his time but also throughout the centuries. Except painting at court, van Eyck also worked for private clients.

 

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Among the most famous van Eyck’s paintings there are Ghent Altarpiece, Madonna with the Child Reading, Madonna in the Church, Arnolfini Portrait, Lucca Madonna, Madonna of Chancellor Rolin etc. These masterpieces became classical in the art history and brought fame to the Netherlandian School of painters, being at the center of attention throughout six centuries. The talent and unsurpassed skill of Jan van Eyck is proved by the numerous disputes around his paintings. Again and again, scientists focus their attention on van Eyck’s works, discussing the play of colors, the perspective and the three-dimensional character of the masterpieces. For a long time Jan van Eyck was considered the inventor of oil paining. In fact, it was not he, but this delusion indicates the painter’s contribution to the art. He created such amazing oil paintings that everybody thought he invented something new. However, he just managed to use them so skillfully that opened a new era in painting. Likewise, analyzing his painting The Arnofilini Portrait, modern researchers argue whether this picture was painted with the help of a convex mirror, so that the painter gained such a perfect perspective; others tried to find out whether it was a kind of a document attesting a marriage; not mentioning a large number of symbols, which are found and tried to be interpreted in the work.

To begin with, it is necessary to describe the picture The Arnofilini Portrait. Being the oldest picture, painted in oils, this canvas is thought the most complex work in the whole history of the Western art. It abounds in various symbols and astonishes with its accuracy. The painting depicts a couple standing in a room, perhaps in their house in Bruges, a Flemish city. There are different opinions concerning the depicted people. For a long time it was thought that it was a portrait of Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini and his wife. However, having found out that, in fact, they were married several years after van Eyck’s death, scholars have come to a conclusion that the portrait depicts Giovanni di Arrigo’s cousin Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife. Moreover, he might have been the artist’ friend as he was also depicted in later van Eyck’s works.

With the help of different details, Jan van Eyck shows the family’s prosperity: rich clothes made of expensive cloth and embellished with fur; the jewelries, which seem rather plain, but would have been valued as very expensive by contemporary people; a large brass chandelier and extremely expensive at that time oranges, which lay casually on a table. All these details make the impression of a very wealthy family.

As it has already been mentioned, the portrait abounds in symbols, very often disguised, yet very significant. The way van Eyck places the figures in the picture is not accidental. The man stands near the window, which symbolizes his connection with the outer world, while his wife is near the bed, which shows her responsibility for the family. While the man looks directly in front of him and is the head of the family, the woman’s status is easily guessed by her dutiful look at her husband. The colors used in the painting are also symbolistic. The green color of the woman’s clothes might symbolize the hope to be a mother and the white color of her headgear means her purity. The dog by their side symbolizes fidelity in the marriage. However, a more significant place in the composition of the picture is occupied by more hidden symbols, which are mostly connected with the combination of divine and mortal worlds.

The frame of a convex mirror on the opposite wall is decorated with small medallions that represent scenes from the Passion of Christ, which increases the symbolism of the mirror as of God’s eye watching the sacrament of matrimony. The mirror is surrounded by beads from the one side and by a brush, meaning the care about the house, from the other. Scholars attribute presence of these objects to the painter’ wish to mention the Christian dispensation “ora et labora”. The oranges symbolize the immaculacy and chastity that were in the Eden before the Fall from grace. Thus we see that all symbols show the essential unity of the worldly act of marriage and its blessing by Heavens.

Basing on the theory, claiming that when the painting was painted the wife had already died, we can interpret another detail, which seems rather symbolic. There is one burning candle in the chandelier that is situated on the side of the man, while on the side of the woman there is a candle snuff. It shows that man is alive and his wife is dead. On the other hand, one may see the candle, lit in daytime as a symbol of the presence of the light of God.

Besides such profusion of symbols that can be interpreted in different ways and that show the method of disguised symbolism used by Jan van Eyck, there are other stumbling blocks that caused many disputes. For example, the chandelier painted with perfect perspective led researchers to the idea that it was painted with the help of a convex mirror. Numerous experiments were made in order to find out whether it was possible for a painter to depict it so perfectly. As it turned out, it was.

Therefore, it proves that Jan van Eyck was a true talented painter. The convex mirror, which he painted on the back wall, also plays an important role in the perspective of the picture. There we can see Jan van Eyck and his companion reflected. It adds some air of mystery and seems to lead us to another world, besides it expands the space.

To continue the topic of divine world depiction in Jan van Eyck’s paintings, it is worth mentioning such his works as Madonna of Chancellor Rolin and Lucca Madonna. They are considered icons as there van Eyck used many Christian motifs and depicted saints.

The painting Madonna of Chancellor Rolin depicts the Blessed Virgin showing the child Jesus to the Chancellor Rolin. The scene takes place in a large decorated with columns balcony, which affords a fine view on a city and a river. As in The Arnofilini Portrait, all the textures and details are perfectly executed and claim special attention. The crown held by the angel, the upper parts of columns, the Virgin’s mantle are depicted in details. The range of colors occupies a particular place in van Eyck’s icons. Color is to a certain degree the outward sign of individual objects of the real and the imag­inary world, which catches your eye first of all. It is a mark of identification of the objects depicted. Though, the representational, figurative, identifying role of color is the first, it is not the main thing, by any means. The second importance of color is the moral or spiritual signifi­cance. Here the theological basis of icon painting reveals itself. Colors in icons express not so much the emotions of man: joy or sorrow, peace or excite­ment— above all they express man’s spiritual uplift.

In the painting, van Eyck again depicts the meeting of two worlds – mortal and divine. Rolin is surrounded by the objects from the world where he lives. We can see different symbols around him, which we cannot find near the Virgin. For example, the reliefs that depict Seven deadly sins and the tiny figures of rabbits at the base of a column that symbolize lust. You won’t find these elements on the side of the Virgin and Christ. On their side, there is an angel and flowers in blossom. Again, as in the above-mentioned picture the Virgin and Rolin are not alone. At the back of the painting, there are two people. Some scholars attribute their presence to the portraying of people reflected in the mirror in The Arnofilini Portrait and suggest that one of them can be van Eyck. In this painting, van Eyck also used the perspective by depicting the view onto the city and thus, expands the space.

A traditional motif so characteristic of icons and used in many van Eyck’s works is so called the Throne of Wisdom. It is the depiction of sitting Saint Mary who holds the Child on her knees. This image is further elaborated in Lucca Madonna where it is painted with even more attention to the details.

The picture Lucca Madonna is one of the latest painter’s works. It also depicts the Virgin, holding the Infant Jesus on her knees and breastfeeding him. It is necessary to mention that the prototype for the Virgin is believed to be the painter’s wife, Margaretha. As it has been already mentioned, the Virgin is compared to an altar. Jan van Eyck intensifies the comparison by the white cloth, on which the Child is sitting and the piscine that is situated near the throne where the Virgin sits. The throne has also a symbolic meaning. Due to four statues of lions, it can be associated with Solomon’s throne that had twelve lions. Moreover, we can draw an analogy with The Arnofilini Portrait, as both there and in this picture we can see oranges as a symbol of purity. Lucca Madonna differs from already analyzed paintings as it presents a rather small chapel, where even the throne seems to be too big.

The problems that have worried scholars for a long time concern the perspective that Jan van Eyck used in his works. There are a lot of arguments about the accuracy of his paintings and a new type of perspective. Thus, Karl Doehlemann considered “Jan was an experimenter whose “errors” led from medieval parallel perspective to a kind of empirical vanishing-area perspective”, while another scholar James Elkins thought that “an attentive observer can discern something more than a single “vanishing area” even without drawing lines on reproductions” (Elkins, 1991).

To conclude, it is necessary to state that the unsurpassed talent of Jan van Eyck is out of discussion. Being the greatest artist in his time, he made a considerable contribution into Western art history. Despite being created in the fifteenth century, all his works are in the center of attention throughout centuries and astonish scholars with their accuracy and style. The perspective of this works, despite all disputes that it caused, the magnificent depiction of mortal and divine words, the three-dimensional nature of all objects, and of course great symbolism and attention to the details, which is so characteristic of Jan van Eyck, make his works incomparable. The interplay of colors occupies a particular place in van Eyck’s paintings and, especially in his icons. Independent of subjects, independent of the feelings they are able to express or awaken, they comprise a singu­lar entity in every icon, an entity which, while having no direct connection with man or his impres­sions, is of enormous value to him, attracted him, captivated him and revealed to him the innermost meaning of life.
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This is a free research paper on Jan Van Eyck topic. Keep in mind that all free research project samples and research paper examples are taken from open sources – they are plagiarized and cannot be used as your own research project. If you need a qualitative custom research project on Jan Van Eyck for college, university, Master's or PhD degree – you are welcome to contact professional research writing company to have your paper written online by academic research writers.
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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Common Mistakes in Writing Research Papers

Common Mistakes in Writing Research Papers

The height of the mark always depends on the quality of the research paper, but even the best research paper with reliable content can not be graded with the highest mark, if it is full of stylistic and grammar mistakes or some small obscure errors. That is why every student who wants to complete a perfect research paper has to pay much attention to every point of the paper, every section and citation. Here you can find the list of the most common mistakes in writing research papers and do your best to avoid them in your own papers.

1. The most typical mistake at the very beginning is the disability of students to create a good thesis statement which reflects the purpose and the problem of the research. If you miss this important point, it will be difficult to understand what you are going to research, why you want to research this topic and what you are going to achieve, that is why spend some time to brainstorm a captive urgent thesis statement which can briefly describe the purpose of your investigation.

2. The next mistake is the omission of a detailed outline of the research paper. A good outline will make your paper look well-organized and logically structured. When the thoughts are presented in a good order, smoothly but not chaotically, it is easier to catch the idea and the progress of the investigation.

3. Another mistake is the failure in the presentation of the evidence. Students often forget to support their thoughts with the results of the research of the famous scholars who have investigated this topic before. Try to add at least several quotations with support your ideas but do not overload your paper with them. It is perfect to choose short but captive quotations, facts which are close to the topic under research and never paraphrase the text of the original, or you can be accused of plagiarism.

4. The most common mistake is the usage of the improper format and omission of citations. When you write a research paper, ask your supervisor about the required format, unless you want your paper to be accepted. Then, looking for reliable data and evidence, do no forget to cite the quotations which you use in your paper, because you will be caught on plagiarism. A teacher will recognize the work of the professional scholar at once and you will not be able to prove that you did not have any intention to steal his ideas.

5. Finally, many students are so happy to have completed their research paper, that they forget to proofread it carefully. Check spelling and punctuation with the help of your PC and reread it several times to make sure the grammar is right and whether the paper sounds well. 

You have a great opportunity to get research paper help at EffectivePapers.com from top-rated academic writers. Your research paper will be of the finest quality.

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Research Paper on Media Influence

How the media treats the issue of the threat of disease outbreaks and epidemics?

Media coverage of disease epidemics and deadly viruses that endanger humanity at large has always been regulated and controlled by the government, at least to some extent. The reason for such situation is that when a deadly virus threats the well being of the whole country, the government is usually blamed for its inability to handle the situation. In order to control the flow of events and reaction, as well as to prevent large-scale panic among the population, the government influences significantly media coverage, in many cases trying to find a scapegoat in order to avoid being blamed by the country’s citizens. The most vivid example that illustrates this process is situation with the AIDS.

 

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The development of government policy on AIDS has been the subject of a number of studies which identify several distinctive stages through which policy has evolved (William, 1998). The initial phase of the disease in the early 1980s is characterized as one of official neglect. AIDS was seen as an illness confined to marginal groups in society, drug users, haemophiliacs and, above all, gay men. After a period of indifference and resistance to what was happening to people with AIDS, a growing climate of panic culminated in calls for urgent action to counter what was seen as a growing threat to all of society. The government had to do something in order to avoid for its lack of preventive actions, and the best way they thought suitable was blaming marginal groups of people for disseminating the virus.

In 1986 official reaction to AIDS entered into what has been described as a ‘period of wartime emergency’ (Lorraine, 1991). “We are, to put it bluntly, locked in permanent evolutionary war with the earth’s bacteria and viruses.” (NEWSTATESMAN, 2007) This was the idea that the government realized but did not know how to handle the situation that has arisen. The fight against AIDS became a political priority for the government as a consequence of the growing public fears about contagion. This period witnessed the government take the lead in efforts to educate the public about the disease and prevent the spread of the virus. However, at the same time, the government officials manipulated the media in such a way that allowed them to show that only marginal groups of people were affected by AIDS, and that they were to be blamed for this, rather than the government.

How exactly the government influenced media coverage? Disease has always been a large part of the output of the mass media on health and medical matters. According to content analyses made of the American press, disease constitutes one in four stories on health-related matters (Lorraine, 1991). This reflects the importance attached to the news value of sex and death which have long been staple features of good copy. When AIDS appeared it fitted the bill. But reporting AIDS was also a challenge to the professional competence of health and medical correspondents. Journalists faced the task of covering the new disease under constant pressure from the government authorities that desired to see only certain aspects of it covered.

There is a tendency in discussing the response to AIDS to assume that policy makers acted on or reacted to a particular line from the ‘media’. This view of the conformity in the media’s approach to the disease is reinforced by analysis which utilizes an ideological approach to explain the limitations of media coverage. The media’s coverage of AIDS was substantively structured by institutional homophobia.

The media was being ‘locked into an agenda which blocks out any approach to the subject which does not conform in advance to the values and language of a profoundly homophobic culture’ (Lorraine, 1991).

The focus in the media reporting of AIDS was as a ‘gay plague’ with gay men represented as guilty victims. (William, 1998) It cannot be denied that American deeply homophobic culture provided the context in which all media had to report AIDS. There were many examples of prejudicial and anti-gay stories in the press and on television, particularly in the early phase of the disease. But such an analysis neglects other factors which shaped how the media reported AIDS. It fails to account for the variations which were apparent in the reporting of AIDS between and within different media.

The extent to which divergences in accounts exist within newspapers reflects the nature of editorial control. AIDS was covered by general reporters and freelance writers as well as regular medical or health correspondents. Much of the material on health pages is contributed by freelance writers with varying degrees of experience and knowledge. News stories, however, are the realm of the specialist correspondents. (Lorraine, 1991)

Most newspapers employ specialist medical and health reporters, with the exception of some of the tabloid papers and much of the reporting of AIDS was undertaken by them. Tension developed between these correspondents and general news reporters who began to report more and more about AIDS as the illness became a big, front-page story. Health and medical correspondents were appalled at some of the antics of general reporters or national press stringers (William, 1998). They believed that the general reporters, particularly those on tabloid papers, were responsible for much of the ‘shoddy journalism’, that is, the gay bashing, victim blaming sensational copy. (William, 1998)

“Being skeptical about official statements, although often justified, is not enough.” (WHO Outbreak Communication, 2007) AIDS appealed to sense of social responsibility which was reinforced in 1987 when the government defined the AIDS crisis as similar to a wartime emergency. Prior to this campaign, when AIDS was seen as a disease affecting deviant and marginal groups, reporting was often initiated by specialist correspondents who saw it as ‘our duty and our responsibility’ to cover the disease. (Lorraine, 1991) This often was in the face of the indifference and hostility of news editors.

Many specialist correspondents believed their role was to convince their news organizations of the need to report the disease. In some cases this led some correspondents to play a more active part in the issue of AIDS than the professional ideology of neutrality would anticipate. One tabloid correspondent said that her strategy was to ‘try and get as many experts on the phone to rubbish it. You can’t just sit there rubbishing it yourself, you’re a reporter of other people, but you’re selective about who you’re picking up the phone to get’ (William, 1998).

The issue of government influence on the media coverage in America is especially important, because it may also affect other countries. “The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is currently financing health system strengthening in the developing world, in addition to the already robust support from the Fund for health care infrastructure and human resources.” (Global Aids Alliance, 2007) However, with this financing also comes the official propaganda of the vision of the epidemic imposed by the American authorities.
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This is a free research paper on Media Influence topic. Keep in mind that all free research project samples and research paper examples are taken from open sources – they are plagiarized and cannot be used as your own research project. If you need a qualitative custom research project on Media Influence for college, university, Master's or PhD degree – you are welcome to contact professional research writing company to have your paper written online by academic research writers.
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