The Issues Posed by Blaming Victims of Rape Essay

In contemporary North America, if one were to ask almost any member of society what were the most heinous crimes a human being could commit, almost assuredly rape would be listed amongst every top five. Maybe it would even be competing for the number one spot. It is highly unlikely, absurd even, to think that any reasonable being would not find rape (or the broader term of sexual assault used in Canada) to be an abhorrent act becoming of no real human being. However, knowing this: that is, that the vast majority of citizens in North American society are in agreement on the nature of such a crime, it is all the more puzzling that many continue to harbour a mindset that gives them the tendency to blame the victim to an extent†¦show more content†¦The woman, who had no memory of the events, only learned about the rapes on social media the day after. Ideally, a case such as this would be rather cut and dry: these two men exploited an intoxicated woman and had sex with her withou t her consent, which constitutes rape, which is a crime. However, when the case went to trial the next year, the defense attempted to of course spin it in a totally different direction: that she had led the men on and regretted it later, leading to her crying rape – and her being drunk did not excuse this behaviour (Steinhauer II, 2013). In fact, the attorneys were given the freedom to ask intrusive and uncomfortable questions because of the trial being a military court martial rather than a civilian court case. Many of the questions themselves were outright condemning of the victim (Steinhauer I, 2013) In situations such as that, it’s easy to simply look at the defense attorneys as bad people who are trying to blame the victim in an attempt to exonerate their clients. The latter half of that is, in fact, true: they are attempting to displace the responsibility onto the victim so that they can beat the charges against the defendants. However, it is important to remembe r that while they are using this as a defensive tactic, they are not necessary bad people who subscribe o victim blaming, they are just doing their job. The usage of victim blaming as a defensive tactic is not the problem, as theShow MoreRelatedRape Culture And Its Validity1769 Words   |  8 PagesSouthern Connecticut State University defines rape culture on there collegiate website as, â€Å"an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture ... perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.† Many women know the fear of leaving their homes hoping that their outfitRead MoreThe Social World1413 Words   |  6 PagesSexualisation of the social world has become a very prominent social issue since the early 90’s. It has aff ected many influential individuals in devastating ways such as that of eating disorders, body image issues and mental illnesses. 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International Accounting Harmonization

Question: Discuss about theInternational Accountingfor Harmonization. Answer: Introduction Objective of the Report The objective of the current report on discussion and analytical evaluation of the organization is to assess the reasons for harmonization, understand diverse issues in harmonization with reference to operations of the corporation Wesfarmers Limited. Country Selected Brief Accounting Standard In the current case, the country Australia has been selected for assessment of reasons of harmonization and issues in harmonization. The adoption of IFRS in Australia can help in informing IASB or else IFRIC of different interpretation issues, maintenance of close association with New Zealand, vigorously contribute in IPSASB actions (Wang, 2014). Accounting Standard Process of adoption of IFRS can be facilitated by the regulations stipulated under the accounting standard AASB. This also includes declaration of AASB 1047 that is related to Disclosing the Impacts of Adopting Australian Equivalents to IFRS during the period 2004 (Haas, 2013). This accounting standard calls for the need to disclose pertinent influence in the financial declarations. Furthermore, the process of IFRS adoption also retained features of Australian insurance as well as extractive activities as IFRS 4 Insurance Contracts as well as IFRS 6 Exploration for and Evaluation of Mineral Resources. Business entities also need to declare under the regulation Australian Corporations Act 2001 and need to implement AASB regulations (Ahmed Ali, 2015). Therefore, while preparing financial declarations, corporations need to follow different standards; A GAAP and IFRS (Strouhal, 2015). IFRS adoption in Australia involves the following factors: Institutional arrangement, Decisions for adoption of IFRS, Preparation for adoption of IFRS, Adoption procedure of IFRS, Important policy decisions, Outcomes as well as continuing challenges (De George, 2013). Financial Reporting Council (FRC) as well as AASB are essentially government units that administer harmonization and FRC provides strategic direction to the AASB. AASB contributes towards design as well as development of an individual set of accounting standards for worldwide usage. Business concerns call for the need of reporting under the Australian Corporations Act 2001 and need to implement AASB policies, conformation with standards administered by Australian Securities as well as Investment Commission (Otrusinov Hblov, 2013). The decisions to assume IFRS help to attract capital to Australia and lower cost of capital, lower costs for preparers, assessors and users of financial declarations of multinational business concerns and fill certain gaps in Australian GAAP. Company Background Wesfarmers Limited can be considered one of the largest conglomerate of Australia that has predominant interest in the retail sector of Australia and New Zealand and other business segments such as chemical and coal mining among many others. The company is essentially a for-profit organization that prepares and presents financial declarations in conformation with the requirements stated under the Corporations Act 2001, regulations stipulated under the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) as well as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) declared by the International Accounting Standards Board (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). Definition of Harmonization of Accounting Standards The board essentially outlines standards that needs to be followed whilst reporting different financial declarations. Therefore, while preparing financial declarations, all business concerns need to follow certain standards (Beke, 2013). Application of IFRS and Globalisation Ramanna (2013) suggests that globalization has directed diverse large corporation to expand their business beyond their domestic market in a bid to increase their sales as well as growth potentials. Thus, in order to draw equity in addition to debt financing for attainment of the stated goals, several companies get listed on diverse stock exchanges. Furthermore, financiers also expand their entire portfolios beyond home borders since global market places have generated greater prospects for investment. Accordingly, the variances in the practices of reporting of these global companies is of huge significance as this lead to complications in preparation, consolidation, audit as well as interpretation of financial declarations (Lakmal, 2014). The adoption procedure of IFRS can be facilitated by issuance of AASB 1047 Disclosing the Impacts of Adopting Australian Equivalents to IFRS during the period 2004 and AASB 1047 that calls for the need of disclosing pertinent influence in the finan cial reports (Christensen et al., 2015). Reasons for Harmonisation Harmonization is particularly aimed at lessening the variances in financial reporting procedures across the world. Particularly, the primary intention as well as purpose of harmonization is to attain certain degree of comparability in the manner financial pronouncements are arranged and prepared. At the time when harmonization takes place, the complications for corporations as well as individuals substantially decrease in the process of presenting different financial reports along with their assessments (Ramanna, 2013). Worldwide harmonization can help many nations in drawing advantages from the same and enhance the entire access to the global financial markets and augments the confidence as well as knowledge of financiers that might trigger a rise in upcoming investments. As rightly indicated by Lakmal (2014), harmonization of accounting standards can lead to increased efficiency of the process of auditing in addition to money saving since corporations have the need to utilize only one particular set of accounting standard. With the attainment of worldwide harmonization, the degree of global comparability increases that assists the companies to prepare as well as present financial declaration. This in turn serves the needs different financiers along with creditors of the firm. Together, it also serves the needs of the transnational corporations that carry out overseas operations. In addition to this, the harmonization of accounting processes also meets the needs of different intergovernmental transnational units and worldwide accountancy firms. Furthermore, this too aids comparative evaluation of diverse different accounting information, lessen challenge of analysing financial standards, augments the knowledge as well as confidence of financiers and decreases the Cost of capital and lessen risk to financier (De George, 2013). Thus, it can be hereby inferred that the harmonization of accounting standards can help transnational corporation in strengthening the overall management and make the process of co nsolidation easier and provide admittance to different foreign investor. Issues in Harmonisation Analysis of harmonization reflects the fact that there are several integration issues associated to the process of harmonization. Altering the existing accounting model also requires several changes such as changes in the tax accounting procedure. Furthermore, there are different international sovereignty problems (Wang, 2014). Particularly, adoption of international accounting procedures conflicts with the Australian statute regulations as well as constitutional regulations related to states authority. As rightly put forward by Wang (2014), accounting standards are designed in diverse nations under dissimilar licit, economic, societal in addition to cultural surroundings. Hence there occurs such variety in accounting principles among different nations through the world. However, it is obligatory to reach a contract as to the main intention of financial broadcasting if convergence or else harmonization is to be attained. The AASB principles are concerned with serving the requirements of financiers as well as capital markets. However, nations that have a diverse financial broadcasting philosophy might possibly find it very challenging to harmonize domestic standards with specifically the IFRS (Ramanna, 2013). However, the overall superiority of financial declarations relies on the entire excellence of accounting principles along with the usefulness of the procedure by which specific principles are executed. However, suitable regulatory in addition to additional supports are essential to make certain appropriate execution of accounting standards. In addition to this, application of accounting principles is a challenging activity (Lakmal, 2014). Despite convergence, assurance cannot be provided regarding the implementation with the similar amount of vigour in all authority. Again, conjunction of accounting principles with world-wide approach can inescapably increase the questions of regulations as against notions and principles. However, AASB standards are mainly based on principles (De George, 2013). Therefore the nations that contain directive-based principles are anticipated to experience substantial challenge in harmonization of standards with specifically the IFRS. Case Study to Illustrate the Success of Failure of Harmonisation The AASB seeks to harmonise and congregate standards with that of the IASB. This also aims to aid the overall Public Sector Committee (PSC) of the particular International Federation of Accountants in designing principles for public sectors. During the period 2002, the Financial Reporting Council provided a wide-ranging strategic direction to particularly AASB that requires implementation of declarations delivered by the International Financial Reporting Standards. In view of that, Australian parallels to IFRSs implement to annual reporting periods from 1st January, 2005. However, the AASB has engaged certain national standards as well as elucidations. The corporation Wesfarmers has successfully implemented the IFRS for preparation of the financial statements of the company. The company Wesfarmers prepares the financial declarations as per the directives stipulated under Corporations Act 2001, Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) as well as the International Financial Reporti ng Standards (IFRS) declared by the International Accounting Standards Board (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). In addition to this, the annual report of the firm also states clearly different new as well as amended standards that the company has adopted. The company has successfully adopted the AASB 2014-1 that is the Part A that states Annual Improvements to essentially IFRS 2010-2012 on from 1st July 2014. Furthermore, the company has also adopted the standard AASB 2014-1 Part A: Annual Improvements to IFRS 2011-2013 (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). This regulation essentially refers to the amendment made to the directives of IFRS that includes clarification of specific portfolio with certain exceptions mentioned under the paragraph 52 of particularly AASB 13 Fair Value Measurements in addition to clarification of different items stated under AASB 140 Investment Property (Wesfarmers.com.au, 2017). Financial Statements In case of preparation of financial statements such as cash flow statements, the IFRS regulations essentially complies with the AASB regulations, while supplementary disclosures are necessary at the time of comparison with the IFRS. The financial standard establishes modifications to several IFRSs counting illumination of specific definitions in AASB 2 Share-based Payment as well as AASB 124 Related Party Disclosures. This also removes references to different regulations namely, AASB 137 Provisions, rules for contingent Liabilities as well as Contingent Assets as mentioned in AASB 3 Business Combinations. This also requires supplementary revelations as declared in AASB 8 for Operating Segments. Conclusion The above study helps in gaining deep understanding regarding the objective of the harmonization particularly in Australia. Firstly, the study helps in understanding the objective of harmonization along with the needs and limitations of the same with special reference to the operations of Wesfarmers. Moving further, the current study also draws reference to the successful adoption of IFRS by Wesfarmers and elucidates in detail IFRS regulations that are adopted by the corporation successfully. References Ahmed, K., Ali, M. J. (2015). Has the harmonisation of accounting practices improved? Evidence from South Asia. International Journal of Accounting Information Management, 23(4), 327-348. Beke, J. (2013). Problems Caused by Accounting Diversity. In International Accounting Harmonization (pp. 79-83). Palgrave Macmillan US. Christensen, H. B., Lee, E., Walker, M., Zeng, C. (2015). Incentives or standards: What determines accounting quality changes around IFRS adoption?. European Accounting Review, 24(1), 31-61. De George, E. T. (2013). Consequences of Accounting Harmonization: IFRS adoption and Cross-Border Contagion (Doctoral dissertation, University of Michigan). Haas, J. (2013). Towards a comprehensive appraisal of global accounting harmonization: About the desirability of IFRSA comment on Ramannas The international politics of IFRS harmonization. Accounting, Economics and Law, 3(2), 53-68. Lakmal, D. (2014). Impact of International Accounting Harmonization. Browser Download This Paper. Otrusinov, M., Hblov, E. (2013). International harmonization of accounting demands a new approach to accounting education. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis. Ramanna, K. (2013). The international politics of IFRS harmonization. Accounting, Economics and Law, 3(2), 1-46. Strouhal, J. (2015). Historical Costs or Fair Value in Accounting: Impact on Selected Financial Ratios. Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 3(5), 560-564. Wang, C. (2014). Accounting standards harmonization and financial statement comparability: Evidence from transnational information transfer. Journal of Accounting Research, 52(4), 955-992. Wesfarmers.com.au. (2017). Wesfarmers.com.au. Retrieved 8 February 2017, from https://www.wesfarmers.com.au

The One Thing to Do for Topics for Argument Essay

The One Thing to Do for Topics for Argument Essay The Good, the Bad and Topics for Argument Essay As an example, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing viewpoint. With the aid of our tips for writing and our interesting collection of topics, you're guaranteed to have a high grade! Look through the list of topics cautiously and get started making a mental collection of the evidence it is possible to use on topics you prefer. If you select boring, bland or irrelevant topics, you aren't going to have an extremely prosperous paper. Your facts ought to be truthful. The reader needs to be impressed by the manner in which you defend your ideas. You're going to need to select a topic first, but your topic needs to be something that has two conflicting points or unique conclusions. You should back up your viewpoint with well-researched facts and data too. Whether you need to make a paper of one-of-a-kind flawlessness, just purchase an essay here an d our writers will provide help. Following are a few of the suggested sociology essay topic for those students that are unable to choose a great topic for their assignment. Once you get your completed essay, make certain that you tell all your friends what an excellent service it is and what's the perfect place to acquire cheap essays. When it is argumentative or informative essays, one must develop a topic that may grab the interest of the reader right away and this isn't such an easy job. If you must compose your whole essay in 1 day, do your very best to give yourself breaks so you don't burn out. Your grammar should be corrected and journalism reviewed. The Tried and True Method for Topics for Argument Essay in Step by Step Detail Quite frequently, the very best topic is one which you truly care about, but you also will need to get ready to research it. Discover which of the topics, you presently have a fairly good background on which will make it possible for you to have a relative edge. When you are requested to pick a great topic for your argument, start with something you're familiarized with. There are a few great topics to look at when selecting topic for your argumentative essay. Deciding on your topic isn't that easy. Choosing topics is a distinct skill that you need to learn and practice at school, so quit procrastinating and stick to the simple tips below to be able to produce fresh ideas and make a great topic to work on. Otherwise, you've got to consider about choosing another topic. Deciding upon an emotional topic is also a great idea. What You Must Know About Topics for Argument Essay There are many steps which you should take so as to write a fantastic essay. At the conclusion of these list, you will discover links to a variety of argumentative paragraphs and essays. In any case, direct and indirect quotes are essential to support your understanding of academic writing style. Before you commence writing your essay, you should study the sources related to the possible subject, and make certain you have enough evidence to strengthen your thesis statement. You must have excellent command over your language and have excellent prose abilities and it'll be excellent. Composing an academic document demands an extensive study of the designated matter. Your introductory paragraph needs to be clear and concise just enjoy the example. Arguments always occur in a particular context. In many professional contexts, respectful argumentation is the thing that leads to the growth of new thoughts and perspectives. Sarcasm is employed in various circumstances, for instance, some can use it in order to clearly show their anger or dissatisfaction about something.

Essay Writing Tips That Will Help You Write the Best College Essay

Essay Writing Tips That Will Help You Write the Best College EssayReading through some tips on writing college essays can be a tough task because all you are looking for is the best way to write that particular topic. Sure, some topics are more difficult than others but it is your job to find the ones that will help you come up with the best essay of your life. So what are some topics that you should avoid when it comes to writing a college essay?* Current Subject: As mentioned earlier, don't do this. This topic is usually considered the easiest one and sometimes it is not even worth doing. For example, if you are doing an essay on current events in the world, avoid talking about current political issues. The key here is to make sure that you stay within the scope of your topic and that you don't step out of it.* Favorite Color: If you love a certain color then stick to it. However, if you are writing about something else or if you are only interested in hearing about that certain to pic, do not just go ahead and give it up. This is something you should definitely avoid. You can talk about a favorite color or anything else about the color but don't give it up to talk about your favorite sport or the color of the sky.* Current Topics: As mentioned earlier, this is the easiest topic that is out there. You don't need to give it up as long as you have an idea of how to do it. For example, if you want to talk about recent events, just choose a topic that is happening today. However, if you want to write an essay about the last events of the year, then keep that in mind.* Writing Challenges: Most college students face these challenges during their time at school. Therefore, don't go for it when it comes to writing college essays. It may sound a bit harsh but keep in mind that these are your future career prospects. So don't give it up and keep your thoughts to yourself.* Topic Tips: This can actually apply to most topics. You can still give it up but you should also c onsider these tips. These tips will give you ideas about writing as well as formatting a topic that is worth writing. These tips are important because they can save you a lot of time and effort in the future.These are some of the best tips on writing a college essay. You can always ask for help from the people around you or by reading some online tutorials.

Essay Topics For Your High School Or College Degree

Essay Topics For Your High School Or College DegreeThe task of choosing the best possible essay topics for your high school diploma or college degree can be difficult. There are so many choices to make. In fact, when it comes to writing your essays, you have to make sure that you find out whether it is more important to choose an interesting topic or to make sure that you have taken care of all your basic requirements. This will help you know whether you should opt for a topic that suits you or not.Remember that the best essay topics for an essay are the ones that deal with important aspects of life. These include your past experiences and the current situations that you are in right now. You have to write about the problems you face on a daily basis, the events that have happened and the changes that have been made in your life to make it more interesting.When it comes to choosing the best possible topics, you have to make sure that you are able to cover various different subjects s o that you will be able to offer the readers a wider variety of essays. You have to include different themes so that you will be able to make the essay a bit longer and also give them enough time to read it over.The best writers use various methods to choose the best essay topics. They use articles and guide books in order to help them in doing this. When you look for tips and tricks, you will be able to come up with your own unique writing style.You can ask your friends and relatives about the best essay topics. You can also look for helpful writing resources. If you have to, you can also look for free advice online.All these are things that will help you pick the best essay topics for you. The next step that you have to do is to check your topic to see whether you can come up with more and better essays.If you find that the essay topics you are using do not meet your requirements, you have to find another one. It is just the same as choosing a better professor and that is why you should be willing to try many topics before you settle on the one that you think will work for you. When you do this, you will find that the essay topics you choose are the ones that will speak to your personality and fit the type of personality that you already have.

Sample Definition Essay Using Nouns

Sample Definition Essay Using NounsWhen writing a sample definition essay using nouns, the focus will be on forming a list of facts and evaluating the information provided. The information to be presented will be summarized using a short paragraph. Other more lengthy descriptions of the facts you are providing should be found in a chapter on the subject.You should include the words 'in'of' when writing your list of nouns. This means that you have identified a noun and listed its common components, including those parts which you believe are used often. These should be the parts that will make up the largest part of the essay. Some examples include: an adjective, a noun, an adverb, a verb, a preposition, and so on. Each of these parts will be used in the composition of the definition.You must avoid using the words 'there', 'an', and 'the' when writing your list of nouns. These words can be awkward and they lead to a long list of names. These would be too numerous to be listed. Rather than using 'there', use 'a', 'an', or 'the'. They are more convenient and would better represent your thoughts.Usage examples would be 'car travel cars'hybrid vehicles'. You can use 'transit vehicles' to distinguish this from car transport vehicles. This would be more accurate.Another way to keep your composition concise is to write each paragraph of your composition using only one word; that is, one complete sentence. Writing a sentence using 'a'an' is easier than doing it using a combination of these two words.In order to avoid any confusion, keep your list of nouns in alphabetical order. If you want to use more than one word, prefix the first and last letters of each noun with the first and last letters of the next noun. For example, 'motor vehicle' becomes 'motor vehicle.' 'Source of or help originator of', becomes 'Source of or assistance originator of'. Always use 'and', not 'or'and.'If you are uncertain about a particular noun, then it may be best to substitute it with anothe r noun to prevent confusion. However, this practice should only be employed if the person you are writing for is unfamiliar with the subject matter of the sample definition essay using nouns.

Apple Stp free essay sample

Introduction Companies today are adopting target marketing in promoting their products, which can efficiently find market opportunities for the product (Kotlet, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong, 2010). By using micromarketing, consumers’ needs and wants could be satisfied through varying marketing elements and performances (Hapoienu, 1990). The three main steps in target marketing, namely segmenting, targeting and positioning are important for companies to deliver the value of a product to customers (Kotler et al. 2010). In the following discussion, the focus will be on market positioning. Various concepts on positioning will be explored and applied to the Apple Inc. , to show how Apple has positioned the iPad in the market. The STP Process Figure 1: Steps in market segmentation, targeting and positioning Source: Adapted from Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong, Marketing 8th ed, 2010 Market Segmenting Figure 1 above shows the three main steps in target marketing an d the key procedures in each of the steps. We will write a custom essay sample on Apple Stp or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the first step, which is market segmenting, it involves dividing the market into several distinct groups of buyers according to their needs, characteristics and behaviour (Kotlet et al. , 2010). Kotler et al. (2010) divided the bases for segmentation into four categories (as shown in Figure 2). A profile of the resulting segments will need to be developed. In addition, Dibb and Simkin (1991) claimed that effective segments will have to be identifiable, viable, marketable and stable (refer to Figure 3 in appendix). In the context of Apple, the users of iPad can be categorized into 5 groups (as shown in Figure 4 in appendix). Each of the consumers groups will have different profiles of the segmenting bases because of the unique wants of each group of buyers (as shown in Figure 5). Figure 2: Bases for market segmentation Bases| Definition| Examples| Advantages/Disadvantages| Geographic| Dividing market into different geographical units| Nations, egions, states, cities, neighbourhood| Simplest to understand| Demographic| Dividing market into groups based on demographical variables| Age, sex, education level, income level, race, nationality| Most prevalent form of market segmentGood description of segments if segments clearly exist| Psychographic| Dividing market into groups based on psychological traits| Lifestyle, social status, personality| More difficult to explain as further investigation on buyer’s psychological characteristics need to be done| Behavioural| Dividing market into groups based on consumers’ knowledge amp; attitude towards a product| Purchase occasion, benefits sought, user status amp; rate, loyalty status| Best starting point for building market segments| Sources: Adapted from Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong (2010) amp; Beane amp; Ennis (1987) Figure 5: The iPad segmentation profile GroupsBases| Students| Non-working adults| White collar workers| Gamers| Multimedia Users| Description| -Use iPad mainly for school homework or assignments purposes-Sometimes seek entertainment, chatting, and socializing online| -Use iPad to socialize online, search for information and news, watch movies| -Use iPad mainly for work purposes, eg. Searching information online, preparing reports, communicating with clients| -Use iPad for playing downloaded or online games-Sometimes socializing online| -Use iPad for various purposes in a balanced manner, eg. Work purposes, playing games, watching movie, searching information, online socializing| Age(Demographical)| 13-25 years| 26-50 years| 30-55 years| 18-30 years| 18-40 years| Gender (Demographical)| Males/females| Females| Males| Males| Males/females| Education level (Demographical)| Educated| Educated| Well educated| Lower educated| Better Educated| Income per month (Demographical)| $0-500| $0| $8000-15000| $1000-5000| $3000-7000| Psychographical| Sociable, young amp; dynamic| Stay-at home wives, less sociable| Busy amp; exclusive lifestyle, outgoing| Introvert, aggressive| Healthy amp; balanced lifestyle| Benefits sought (Behavioural)| Light weight amp; can be carried conveniently, simple design| WiFi connection, easy to be used amp; functioned| Designed professionally, long battery life, excellent build-in software| High speed, good screen resolution, stylish design| High capacity, able to multitask without affecting quality| Usage rate (Behavioural)| Average| Light| Heavy| Heavy| Heavy| Market Targeting After identifying the market segments, marketers will decide the segment(s) they would like to target (Dibb amp; Simkin, 1991). Before selecting the segment(s) to enter, the sales potential, attractiveness and stability of each market segments needs to be evaluated (Sarabia, 1996). Companies must take into consideration factors such as segment size and growth, structural attractiveness and company objective and resources when evaluating (Kotler et al. , 2010). Figure 6: Evaluation of market segments Factors| Description| Application to Apple| Segment size amp; growth| Collect amp; analyze current sales, estimated growth rate amp; profits| Apple could assign researchers amp; accountants to do market research on the potential unit sales of iPads from each segment and project the estimated sales, growth rate amp; profits| Segment structural attractiveness| Examine structural factors that influence long-run segment attractiveness, eg. Competitors, substitutions, power of buyers and suppliers| Apple could create a competitors profile with their substitution products | Company objectives amp; resources| Targeted segment(s) should be in line with the company’s long-run objectives and could be achieved by the skills amp; resources possessed by the company| Apple could possibly go for more than one target segment as the manpower and resources available in Apple is huge and could handle them| Source: Adapted from Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong (2010) After evaluation, decision on which and how many segments to enter will be made. This is known as target market selection, which can be divided into three market-coverage strategies (as shown in Figure 7) ( Kotler et al. , 2010). Apple will be adopting the differentiated marketing strategy for the reasons discussed in Figure 7. Figure 7: Market coverage strategies Market coverage strategy| Description| Advantages| Challenges| | Undifferentiated marketing| ignore market segment differences- treat the whole market with one market offer-focus on common needs of customers| lower costs| aimed at largest segment in the market – leads to heavy competitions| | Differentiated marketing| target at several market segments – create different offers for each segment| creates more sales| higher costs for Ramp;D, advertising, production| *Chosen by Apple*Reasons:- Apple has great amount of resources (capital, human, technological, manufacture)- iPad has varied memory size iPad is currently in its growth / maturity stage- buyers in the market do not have the same taste – different marketing strategies needed| Concentrated marketing| large share of one or few submarkets| achieve stronger market position in the segment(s)- could earn high rate of return| risky| | Source: Adapted from Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong (20 10) Market Positioning After selecting target segments, companies then decide the positions to occupy in the segments (Kotler et al. , 2010). Various concepts of positioning will be illustrated in Figure 8. In addition, Vukasovic (2009) pictures the scenario where consumers are overloaded with products information and a complex set of perception, sensation and impression will arise when consumers compare among brands. Hence, product positioning is important in developing favourable perception of the brand in consumers’ minds, which is also a starting point for brand communication (Upshaw, 1995, as cited in Vukasovic, 2009). The process of positioning can be seen in Figure 9 (refer to appendix). Figure 8: The concept of positioning * Positioning is how customers think about a proposed brand in the market * Critically important when competitors appear to be similar Sources: Adapted from Kotler, Brown, Burton, Deans amp; Armstrong (2010); Dibb amp; Simkin (1991); Trout (1989); Perreault, Cannon amp; McCarthy (2008) Value Demanded by Target Segment The discussion on positioning will be focused on only one target segment, which is the multimedia users segment, whilst differentiated marketing has been chosen. The value demanded of a tablet computer by a while collar worker can be evaluated based on two main factors, namely the performances and brand image, which are detailed in Figure 10. It was suggested that it is important to understand what customers value the most when making purchase decisions and focus on targets and positions to achieve the market’s needs (Dibb amp; Simkin, 1991; Woodruft, 1997, as cited in Sweeney amp; Soutar, 2001). Figure 10: Value demanded of a tablet computer by the white collar workers Factors| Value demanded by white collar workers| Performances| | -Weight| Must be light so that it will be convenient to carry around places| -Speed| Fast and smooth| Battery life| Must be long to be able to use for various purposes| -Storage capacity| Must be large to store great number of files| -Connectivity| WiFi is needed to be able to connect to the Internet most of the time for information search, online gaming and online social activities| Brand image| The brand image of the table computer must be of high value | The perceptual map After understanding the value demanded of a tablet computer by the white collar workers, Apple will need to identity the position of iPad in consumers’ minds. By creating a perceptual map, Apple could clearly visual the position of iPad against its competitors and identify the determinants that influence customers purchase decision (Kohli amp; Leuthesser, 2003). In developing the perceptual map for iPad, a brief profile of its competitors needs to be done (as shown in Figure 11). After that, a perceptual map for iPad is developed with product performance and brand image as the dimensions (as shown in Figure 12). From the perceptual map drawn, it is clear that Apple’s iPad is reflected in the dimensions of high performances and popular brand name. This may also reflect perceptions of high price and exclusivity. Therefore, Apple would need to target on improving the iPad on its quality and performance wise so that consumers are willing to pay a high price on iPad for the excellent performance and quality. Figure 11: Apple’s iPad competitors’ brief profile Sources: Adapted from Apple, Blackberry, Asus and Tablets. com websites Figure 12: Perceptual map for Apple’s iPad Popular brand name/image Apple iPad Blackberry Blackpad gap HP slate Acer tablet High performance Low performance Asus Eee tablet Quanta tablet Compal tablet Unpopular brand name/image Competitive advantages Ma (1999) claimed that competitive advantage is the basis for excellent firm’s performance. Firms are able to create and gain advantages compared to other competitors if the causes of the competitive advantages are studied and analyzed. Ma (2000) has also suggested that competitive advantage helps firms to create better value for customers. Kotler et al. (2010) had proposed for ways a company can differentiate their offers from the competitors, namely product, services, personnel and image differentiation (detailed in Figure 13). Apple would need to select the best competitive advantage over its competitors to differentiate the iPad from other tablet PCs. Several criteria on selecting the right competitive advantage must be fulfilled (refer Figure 14 in Appendix). After evaluating the competitive advantages (refer Figure 19 in Appendix), Apple would choose to deliver a product with good quality and performances along with its well known and â€Å"emotional† brand name (further explained in Figure 15 in appendix). Locating offer in the market space Once the company has built its competitive advantages, it will choose and implement a positioning strategy to locate its offer, which is the product, in the market space (Kotler et al. , 2010).