Branding, Pricing, and Distribution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Branding, Pricing, and Distribution - Essay Example As discussed in the previous paper, the company has retail stores in the United States and Australia. Considering the current position of the Trendy Fashionista, it is better for the company to develop a unique product branding strategy to market its new light weight traveler bags. According to the unique branding strategy, only one product manufactured by the company is marketed under a particular brand. When several products are marketed under a brand (corporate branding strategy), the brand image would be affected if any of those products fails to meet quality standards or performs poorly. The unique branding strategy would prevent this situation and assist the Trendy Fashionista to promote its new product lines effectively. However the company may adopt a range branding strategy, which is a mixture of unique branding strategy and corporate branding strategy while operating in a global market context. Pricing Strategy It is a great challenge for the Trendy Fashionista to design a pricing strategy for its newly planned light weight bags because this business concept is new and therefore market uncertainty is high. In this context, it is advisable for the company to practice the price skimming strategy to deal with brand positioning effectively. Under the price skimming strategy, the marketer sets relatively higher prices for his products initially and lowers the price over time. At the initial stages of the product launching, this pricing strategy would assist the Trendy Fashionista to justify its superior product quality. In addition, this optimal pricing strategy can benefit the organization to recover its sunk costs quickly before the market competition becomes intense. As Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel (2008) point out, the major objective of price skimming strategy is to capture the consumer surplus. If this pricing strategy is executed properly, then no customer will pay less than what they are actually willing to pay (p. 600). Connection between Pricing Stra tegy and Branding Strategy The Trendy Fashionista’s price skimming strategy really supports its branding strategy. It is clear that only one product item is marketed under a brand under the unique branding strategy. While the firm adopts this branding strategy to promote its newly planned light weight bags, the customer would obtain a feeling that the company gives specific focus to this product and therefore the product will be of superior quality. In other words, this policy can assist the organization to achieve a reputed brand image and thereby make the brand easily recognizable in the market. Customer between the age of 20 and 35 are fashion-minded and hence they would be willing to pay higher prices for top quality products. In short, the price skimming strategy can benefit the organization to take greater advantages of the unique branding and hence to promote its business interests. Distribution Channel Analysis The Trendy Fashionista’s distribution channels inc lude wholesalers, distributors, retailers, catalogue sales, personal sales, and over the phone sales. Currently, the company has limited manufacturing capabilities and therefore the firm has to largely depend on offshore manufacturers. In order to address the issue, the organization plans to extend its manufacturing facilities through developing its own production plants. Undoubtedly, this practice would

Descent of a parachute Essay Example for Free

Descent of a parachute Essay How the surface area affects the rate of descent. Surface area of parachute (cmi ) Mass of parachute. (g) Time taken to descend (s) Height dropped from (m) Average speed (m/s) 10 5. 5 1. 11 2 1. 80 How the mass of the parachutist affects the rate of descent Mass of parachute. (g) Surface area of parachute (cm) Time taken to descend. (s) Height dropped from (m) Average speed (m/s) 10. 2 20 1. 66 2 1. 20 The preliminary experiment provided some useful results, which will help me to use better measurements in the main experiment. The measurements of area in the first worked well. The material used in the preliminary experiment was too rigid and did not travel smoothly through the air. For my main experiment I have decided to use bin bags which flow through the air more easily. The mass was appropriate for the size of the parachute. All other factors seemed to work well within the experiment. The main experiment will consist of 6 examples rather than three to produce a better range of results. The range of values are very important when doing an experiment i. e. they should not be too big or too small. I feel that range of numbers I have chosen work very well after having done the preliminary experiment and seeing them in action. Safety Safety is always an important feature when it comes to executing an experiment even more so when objects are being dropped from a high height. To ensure the highest level of the safety the following issues need to be taken into account;   No one should be underneath where the object is being dropped   Care must be taken when standing on chairs   Running can cause serious accidents.   Do not leave scissors around as they are sharp and can hurt people. No rubbish should be left on the floor to prevent people tripping up. RESULTS Tables of results How the surface area affects the rate of descent Surface area of Parachute (cmi ) Mass of parachute (g) Time (s) Height (m) Average Speed ( m/si ) 10   How the mass affects the rate of descent Mass of parachute(g) Surface area of Parachute (cmi ) Time (s) Height (m) Average Speed ( m/si ). ANALYSIS Experiment 1 The first experiment looked at how the surface area of a parachute affected its rate of descent. I found out that the larger the surface area, the slower the average rate of descent. The theory behind these results which was discussed in the hypothesis is that when any object falls, it almost always encounters some degree of air resistance. Air resistance is the collisions of air particles with the surface area (facing the floor) whilst falling through the air. The larger the surface area the more collisions there will be. Air resistance slows falling objects downwards as I found out, when doing the experiment. The larger the surface area of the parachute was, the lower the average rate of decent. Below is a diagram, which shows how air resistance affects the fall of an object (a parachute in this case). Graph The results that I obtained supported my prediction. I predicted the larger the surface area, the slower the rate of descent and by looking at the graph and table these results are shown. I thought that there would have been a bigger difference between the speeds but the differences between the sizes of parachutes were obviously too small. The bigger the surface area, the more air resistance so therefore it takes a shorter time to reach terminal velocity (the downward and upward force balance each other meaning there is no acceleration). The object does not have to increase to such large speeds as to balance out the forces so it stops accelerating in a shorter amount of time meaning it takes longer to fall. The results produce quite a smooth curve, which did not require a line of best fit. This shows us that the measurements were applied accurately and the experiment was performed efficiently with equitable results. Experiment 2 This experiment was looking at how the mass of a parachutist and its parachute affects the rate of descent. From my results I found out that the bigger the mass of the parachute, the faster the average rate of descent. The amount of air resistance depends on the speed of the falling object. Objects will continue to accelerate to higher speeds until they encounter an amount of air resistance, which is equal to their weight. A parachutist with a bigger mass experience a greater force of gravity due to their larger mass (f = 10m) than a parachutist with a smaller mass. A parachute will therefore accelerate to a higher speed before reaching a terminal velocity. The more massive the object the higher its speed will be until it encounters terminal velocity. Therefore, more massive objects fall faster than less massive objects because they are acted upon by a larger force of gravity. For this reason they accelerate to higher speeds until the air resistance equals the force of gravity This experiment has demonstrated the theory that the more massive an object, the faster it will fall when encountering air resistance. My prediction supported the results as each time I increased the mass of the parachute, the faster the average speed was. Below is a diagram which demonstrates this theory. Graph This graph shows the results of the experiment. This graph did require a line of best fit which shows that the results were not so regular and perhaps were not so accurate. They did show though that the bigger the mass, the faster the rate of descent. The gradient was quite gentle which shows that the speed increased gently. EVALUATION The procedure seemed to be accurate and to have gone well and produced some results, which backed up the hypothesis. To try and make the experiment as accurate as possible, I measured the time taken to descend three times and then found an average. To show the calculations for the average speed, I should have written down the different results for the time taken to descend. This would support the figure for the average speed, as it would show that I performed the experiment three times for each different weight or surface area depending on the experiment. I got various different people to time the descent as each person has a different reaction time which in investigations where the measurements are so small it is important that I use different people as a split second can make a big difference. There were no results, which were peculiar or stood out in either experiment. The procedure was suitable for the aim, which I had to complete. I felt that the scientific evidence that I collected at the beginning created a strong basis on which to stand. My conclusion was firm as I was very sure of the theory behind this investigation after having read up about it and seeing it happen in every day life situations. The evidence which I accumulated was reliable as I had made sure that I could attempt to make everything as accurate as possible. I used a variety of seven measurements, which I felt was enough and as I have seen by the results seemed to work well. As there were no strange results, which seemed out of place I can see that the results were reliable. They were also constant, which backs up, the fact that the results were reliable. Although the experiment went well there are various changes, which I can make to get even more accurate results.   Use even more measurements, as this will provide more results.   Do each measurement five times instead of three to get a more accurate measurement.   Make the structure of the parachute better and not so messy. Drop the parachutes from a higher height to get a bigger measurement as this will mean that the reaction time of the person dropping the parachute will make a smaller difference. Use a bigger difference of measurements. Take more care to find a material, which flows through the air well.   Use the stopwatch as accurately as possible.   Do more examples in the preliminary experiment. Whilst doing the experiment I tried to do as many things to ensure an accurate result but the problem was time. I felt it was rushed so I did not have as much time as I would have liked. The results did seem to be accurate and were constant which shows that the investigation was not too inaccurate and worked well.

Pest Analysis Of The United Arab Emirates Economics Essay

Pest Analysis Of The United Arab Emirates Economics Essay The increasing economic development in UAE and Saudi Arabia has made these developing states an excellent nation for those people who choose to expand overseas or are interested in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Globalization aids to strengthen their distribution channel and their economies. Saudi Arabia is rapidly gaining importance as a manufacturer and economic leader in the world. These countries have eliminated many of their trade barriers now and have a free trade economic system that attracts many business men from around the globe who seek new consumers and target market for their products (Bloomberg, 2010). UNITED ABRAB EMIRATES PEST ANALYSIS: POLITICAL: The stable political situation of UAE enough to attract almost any major financial institution that needs to invest. These financial institutions can assist in accessing capital markets emerging within the UAE economy. the banking system developed my emirates is a relationship based system of banking with the monetary policy and system capable enough to fulfill funding supplies of a later stage that may be equity leasing or loans (John, 2010). ECONOMIC: Out of three million population of UAE 60% of them are in the workforce. In the UAE economy the level of FDI is very high. Globalization has helped improve the UAE economy greatly by bringing in thousands of workers, services and products from throughout the world. UAE has been a member of World Bank, WTO and IMF for seven years. The country has huge wealth and has experienced trade surplus of approximately over 100 billion dirham in the past year (Tomlinson, 2010). SOCIAL: All of UAE citizens have high living standard, a western lifestyle and continues rising financial positions. The society remains free and open to all types of restaurants, tourism, sport and recreational activities. The multicultural nature of society and economy existing in UAE allows fir many of the foreigners to work there in well paid positions (Cateora and Graham, 2007). TECHNOLOGICAL: The UAE population comprise of young and extremely technologically knowledgeable professionals. The IT industry aids tourism, hotel and IT service sector. The IT software industries and internet usage in the gulf region is double the rate of Europe. The UAE population has the largest users of internet, satellite and mobile phone within the Middle East (Cateora and Graham, 2007). SAUDI ARABIA PEST ANALYSIS: POLITICAL: The politically stable government of Saudi Arab attracts many of the foreign investors and business men. The government also provides various incentives that attract many investors and tourism from around the globe (Morgan, 2010) ECONOMIC: Saudi Arab accounts for the worlds major oil producer and exporters. This allows Saudi economy to earn a high GDP. It also helps its current account to balance against the value of imports when the demand for oil is high (Griffin and Pustay, 2009). SOCIAL: The religious history of Saudi Arabia for the Muslim also holds great significance. In the religious seasons people from all over the world come to pay visit to the holy places. This accounts for much of the revenue for Saudi economy. Hotels, restaurants and residential places earn high revenue in these seasons (McGinley, 2010). TECHNOLOGICAL: Saudi Arab is a country that keeps itself technologically updated as it needs to cater a massive population of tourists and visitors from around the world. Saudi Arab imports technological machinery from Japan and other countries which enables it to be established as well-technologically equipped country (Morgan, 2010) MACRO ECONNOMIC ANALYSIS OF BOTH ECONOMIES: BALANCE OF TRADE: It refers to the difference in the VALUE of imports and the VALUE of exports when a country trades (Stanlake and Grant, 1995). SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabian economy reported a trade deficit of about US$ 32638.2 MILLIONS in the year 2009 in spite of being the worlds largest producer and exporter of oil with more than 90% of exports being based on it. Major imports of Saudi Arabia include equipment, machinery, food stuff and chemicals with its main trading partners being European Union, China and Japan (Source: trading economics.com, indicators, international monetary fund) Analyzing the trend we see a stable balanced of trade from the year 2000 to 2006. It then gradually increases till 2009 and falls very rapidly in 2010.we also see rapid rise from the year 2005 to 2006 and from 2008 till 2010 (McGinley, 2010). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The exports of natural gas and petroleum play an important role in the UAE export economy. It mainly imports chemical, machinery and equipment from its major trading partners: India, Japan, China and European Union (Menafn, 2009) (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Ministry Of Economy) Unlike Saudi Arabia, the BOT of UAE shows a positive upward trend. It grows steadily from the year 2001 to 2005 and rapidly reaches 211.3 billion 2007. It then falls to 170.85 billion in 2008 which is not too sharp a decrease as it has swiftly gone up in the year 2009-2010. GDP GROWTH RATE: It refers to the gross domestic product that is gained by calculating the difference between the imports and the exports (Hobday, 1988). SAUDI ARABIA The economy of Saudi Arabia expanded over 0.6% last year. The worth of Saudi Arabia GDP is 0.6% of the economic world or 369million dollars (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Saudi Arabian Central Department) The trend shown for the GDP rate of Saudi Arabia is not stable. We see a sharp rise and a sharp fall from 2001 to 2002 and from 2003 to 2004 reaching up to 7.66% from 2004 we see a fluctuating GDP rate that falls to 0.6% in the year 2010. This downward trend is not favorable for Saudi Arabia. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Unlike the, Saudi which expanded over the last year, UAE Economy experienced contraction of 2.10% last year. The UAE GPD is worth $ 261 billion and accounts for 0.42% of the total of the world economies. (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Ministry Of Economy) The UAE analysis of GDP growth shows a high GDP of about 8% from the start of 2001.UAE and Saudi Arabia has a similar trend till 2004. But UAE shows a 12% rise in GDP rate from 2001, unlike Saudi Arabia which shows just 8% from 2001. Saudi Arabia GDP falls to 0.6% by the end of the year 2010 while UAE experienced negative rate of -2.1% (Time out Dubai, 2009) INFLATION: Inflation refers to the general increase in the price levels over the period of time (Stanlake and Grant, 1995). SAUDI ARABIA The inflation rate through the year 2010 was reported at 5.51%. It touched historical heights in 2008 with inflation of 11.08 % (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Saudi Arabian Central Department) The inflation rate of Saudi Arabia shows an upward trend. It is 0.31% in 2001 and continues to rise till 2009. The economy then faces a gradual decrease in the inflation rate and it falls to 3.5% near 2010, from 11.08% same year. By the end of 2010 and the starting of 2011 we see inflation again expected to rise to 5.51% (Tomlinson, 2010). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The average inflation rate of UAE is 6.27%. The historical highest inflation recorded for UAE had been 11.10 % (Source: tradingeconomics.com, Ministry of Economy) The inflation rate of UAE has grown steadily over the years. The trend shows no downward trend but it continues to grow from 2003 till 2008. Unlike Saudi Arabia high shows fluctuation and steady growth of inflation, UAE economy has faced an upward trend for inflation for the past years. UMEMPLOYEMENT: The unemployment rate is defined as the number of people of the total labor force who are unemployed or/and seeking for work (Turnovsky, 1977). SAUDI ARABIA According to the last report the unemployment rate in Saudi Arabia was 10.5% in Saudi Arabia. From 1999 till 2009 Saudi Arabias unemployment rate reached to the average of 10.5%. The historical height of Saudi Arabias unemployment rate was recorded at 12%. (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Saudi Arabian Central Department) The unemployment rate illustrated above shows an upward trend of rising unemployment in the Saudi economy which is definitely not a favorable indicator for the overall economy. We see the percentage of the labor force unemployed falling from the year 2007 to 2009 sharply but it fails to keep it lower and rises again to 10.5% by the end of 2010. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The unemployment rate of UAE far exceeds of that of Saudi Arabia. It was calculated as 20.60 in 2004 which was the historical height achieved for the UAE economy according to arabian news (Tomlinson, 2010) (Source: tradingeconomics.com, Ministry of Economy) For UAE economy the unemployment rate shows an upward trend but not as rapidly and sharp as for the Saudi Arabia. But the total percentage of the rate of unemployment in UAE is higher than of Saudi Arabia which has a fluctuating trend for unemployment. INTEREST RATE: It refers to the price of borrowing and lending (Hobday, 1988) SAUDI ARABIA The decisions making authority regarding the interest rates lies with the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) (Cateora and Graham, 2007). (Source: tradingeconomies.com, Saudi Arabian Central Department) The interest rate trend shown above illustrates a downward initial trend and then a slight increasing graph followed by a sharper fall with a stable and constant rate from 2009 till 2010. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The UAE interest rate decision making authority lies with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (Ahmed, 2004) (Source: tradingeconomics.com, Ministry of Economy) The interest rate trend for the UAE economy and Saudi Arabian economy is very different. Un like Saudi Arabia UAE faces many fluctuation through the years from 20007 till 2009.it starts at a higher rate, remain stable, falls and then rises quite sharply. It then experiences little fluctuations and rests at 1.80 with the starting of 2011. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT: SAUDI ARAB ECONOMY The over analysis of past trends suggest that the inflationary pressures might stay manageable and stable over the period of 2010-12 (John, 2010). This inflation will reflect the weakened interest rate .A weakened interest rate will compel people to spend more. Demand for money will rise as indicated by the monetarist view (Cateora and Graham, 2007). The increased supply of money will eventually increase the price levels as the quantity theory of money explains. There may be a fear of inflation which may exist then. Population growth will be generating some local price pressures. The economy is expected to grow by an average 3.7% in the upcoming year 2010-14. Resources reveal that the Saudi economy is expected to be greatly supported by extensive spending by the government thus absorbing a large proportion of the job market. A strong increase in investment projects by the government is also expected. There will be good domestic consumption of oil but weaker oil export due to higher o il prices (Bloomberg, 2010). Due to stronger investment projects from the government the economy will face greater injections into it which will result in falling unemployment rate and rising income levels. This will leave a favorable and positive impact on the Saudi economy in the upcoming years. But looking at the Saudi economy from the Keynes view/Classical theory of income and employment we see as the employment and income levels will rise due to injections in the economy, there will come a certain level, that aggregate demand will no longer bring any changes in the income and employment levels but prices will begin to rise which will indicate inflation in the long run (Shihab, 1996). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES The growth forecast for UAE is lowered by the IMF to less than 1% (Tomlinson, 2010). UAE economy is expected to grow 2.9% following year. The investment activity is expected to be weak as the emirate is trying to redefine its economic objectives (Bloomberg, 2010). As the UAE economy will try to reduce its rate of inflation unemployment is expected to rise as defined by the Phillips curve and his short theory of two devils that exist in the society. For the longer run, the monetarist view can also be taken into account when we will see UAE economy will try to reduce its rate of unemployment. The offered higher wages will ultimately be raising the cost of production in the long run and instantly growing inflation continuing the trend the economy showed for the pat years. This will result in falling income levels and higher rate of unemployment as the withdrawal and injection approach suggests (Menafn, 2009). Experts suggest that the above economies should try to reduce their rate if inflation especially in case of UAE. This may reduce the unemployment level and the levels of income will eventually raise giving people higher living standards. As for Saudi Arabia expert suggests the government to precede with its investment projects and attract other investors from throughout the world. As the current account of Saudi Arabia has been greatly affected by the rising oil prices, Saudi government should concentrate on developing trade and other export product that may cover the current account deficit (John, 2010).

Sample Article Opinions :: essays research papers

Fillion, P. (2002) Postmodern Planning. pg. 265-285 Quote: â€Å"Planning discourse is becoming increasingly disconnected from implementation.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This quote is from the first paragraph of the article by Pierre Fillion. As a matter of fact, it is the first sentence he uses. It is a very strong sentence that sets up his article beautifully. While after reading his article, I do not agree with all of his statements or points, but this one, his main one, I do agree with strongly. Pierre lays out why he believes that planning discourse is becoming increasingly disconnected from implementation. He states that the public is becoming more involved in the planning aspect, many different ways, including advocacy groups, community based groups, and public general meetings. He also states that it is becoming harder to implement the plans that they do come up with. I believe that this is happening for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, the main reason that the implementation aspect is lacking is because almost all areas of the western world have become obsessed with financial stability as well as have become qu ite fiscally conscious. Therefore getting the financing for these plans has become increasingly difficult over the past so many years. Cities, individuals, businesses, provinces, states and governments cannot freely spend on items just because someone or a group wants something planned. People are becoming more conservative, and therefore less is being accomplished now, than once was. Another reason, that I believe that things are not always accomplished is because of the planning that goes into them. I feel that people have become more conscientious of the advocacy groups and public groups that want things planning and accomplished a certain way. With the rise in public input, it is possible that the planned projects lose some credibility, and therefore when it gets to the implementation stage, those involved are less open to proceeding with the project. These two things, the publics’ opinion and the financial timidness, have led to a gap to be created between the two, and w ith each passing year, that gap seems to be widening. Qadeer, M.A. (1997) Pluralistic planning for multicultural cities. Pg. 481-494 Quote: â€Å"The cultural and racial diversity of citizens bears on the planning process in three ways.† Following this quote the article goes on to explain in three ways how these three things affect the planning process. Without reading those three paragraphs, I am going to give my opinion on how I believe that in three ways the topic affects the planning process.

Edhec Family Business

Family business How to apply your MBA learning in your family business? There are a few EDHEC Global MBA participants who decided to study in this program to search for better understanding of business disciplines in order to improve their quality as managers with the main goal of returning to their countries and continue their family business. Family business can be very large, a big example is Walmart that even after 43 years and being the third largest company in the world, the Walton family still owns 48% of the stake. However, most cases of family business still relate to medium or smaller sizes.The good thing about a family business is that it has a strong sense of commitment and honor from the members. Family businesses are more likely to last because there will always be an effort on the part of the family members not to let it die or fade related to their inner values. Brazilian candidate, Andressa Lass Santos provides us with her testimony on her family business case: †Å"The EDHEC MBA program has been helping me gain a broader perspective in relation to several business facets such as leadership, accounting, management, studying the local economy and the industry and how to combine them all in a strategic manner.Every class has been helping me come up with ideas and is making me notice flaws that I had never perceived before, as well as areas where there are room for improvements in my family business. My father started a construction company and asphalt plant 25 years ago in Curitiba, Brazil. He is an engineer and agrees with me that if I gain more management skills it would be very useful for the company, since he has little time to invest in that, and in fact he is beginning to think to step out of the picture and work more as a counselor.As each single class goes by, I learn something new and try to think how to implement in our family business. My ideas arise from the hiring process, motivations of the employees until thinking globally of mac roeconomics and strategically trying to apply how we could possibly expand our business or even find new ideas related to it, such as maybe starting another business or company that could support the construction company. For that reason I will choose the Entrepreneurship track in the MBA program, I believe it is the track that I will most benefit from when thinking about my family business and how we want to expand it. †

Emerging Trends Essay

Communications technology is progressing at light-speed, seemingly shrinking our world, as we can now communicate and conduct business in real time around the globe. Through innovations such as high-speed modem technology, businesses and people can share new ideas with friends and colleagues from the farthest lands. As more people and businesses strive to globalize, existing communication technologies are overloading, as they have approached the limitations of today’s available hardware. To gain higher speed access to the available information over the Internet, there are many factors one must research, as they ultimately work together. These factors include hardware, choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP), as well as a modem, which will be used to send and receive the data via the Internet. The intent of this document is to review the latest high-speed technologies for improving information access using the Internet. By understanding these new technologies, one can make a more informed decision when choosing their hardware and ISP. Choosing Hardware for Individual Needs: Computer Choices To gain faster Internet access requires choosing a faster computer that best suits one’s needs. In determining the type of computer to purchase, one should first determine the application in which it will be used most. Applications such as word processing, computer games, and Internet access, all require various hardware and operating systems. Today, there are three main choices for computers, which include laptops, PCs, and hand-held devices. â€Å"Until recently, we only needed to decide on the type and speed of the processor that we wanted in our new computer, since most of the Intel Pentium based computers had a data bus with a maximum speed of 66 MHz† (PC World, 2000, July, p. 33). â€Å"With the release of the new Intel 100 MHz bus architecture, this has changed, as the new line of Pentium II and Pentium III processors use this new bus instead of the older 66 MHz bus† (PC World, 2000, July, p. 33). Needless to say, a PC equipped with this much power will su rely increase the communication speed between the processor and components in the computer. The main advantage of a notebook computer, versus a desktop, is the size and portability. Due to their smaller size, notebooks are the computer of choice for people that have limited space in their office or home. â€Å"A typical notebook computer will contain either an Intel Celeron, Pentium III, or AMD K6 processor, which all range in speed, while the more common speeds vary from 600 MHz to 850 MHz† (PC World, 2000, July, p. 37). The price of a standard notebook computer typically ranges between $1200 to $1900. Introduced in 1996, handheld computers, also known as Palm Pilots and Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), have been gaining in popularity. These devices are portable and are no larger than a palm-size calculator. One of the most popular models on the market today is the Visor, offered in three models, ranging from $149 to $249 (Businessweek Online website, November 15, 1999, p. 192). While the speed of a handheld computer may vary, according to one source, the Palm Vx model runs slightly faster than other handhelds. â€Å"It runs with a 20mhz processor versus the 16mhz found in other models† (Palmgear website, 2000). Most palms come with standard applications like an address book, calculator, and a date book. Newer palms will also allow the user e-mail capabilities, using a memo pad similar to the Windows notepad. Since Internet access is now available as an option for handheld computers, they are a viable choice for consumers. Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) Next, one needs to decide on an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and whether it is for personal or business use. Today, many companies offer free Internet Service to consumers and businesses. Broadband Digital Group (BDD) offers free dial up service at no additional cost, and is available nationwide. Another free ISP is Bluelight.com, which allows customers to shop online and receive various discounts on items purchased with Kmart. Free ISPs are economical and provide many of the services of fee based ISPs, such as sending and receiving email, web surfing, and online shopping.   Although some people find free ISPs to be economical, there are some disadvantages. Free ISPs represent less than 13 percent of the market, and are used as an alternate means to connect online (Fusco, 1999, pars. 4-6). With this, the customer is provided with Internet access, but not the quality service that is provided by most fee-based ISPs. In some cases, free ISPs do not provide consumers with high-spee d delivery, which results in slower connection speeds. According to a recent report by Patricia Fusco, fee-based Internet access service providers are among the elite and provide high quality, high speed, and wireless services. The top rated ISPs are, AT&T WorldNet, EarthLink, Inc., MSN, America Online, CompuServe, and Prodigy. All of these services can provide consumers with high-speed service, good customer service, and technical support (Fusco, 2000a, pars. 2-10). There are, however, some disadvantages with fee-based ISPs, as the monthly billing fees can range from $7.00-$40.00 per month. In addition, providers such as AOL, Prodigy, MSN, and CompuServe have monthly billing plans that must be applied to a customer’s major credit card or telephone bill. Payment by check is also an option, however, your ISP provider applies a surcharge. Fee based ISPs benefit people and companies who have a need for high capacity, high-speed, and a broad range of features. Providers like AT &T and MSN offer wireless service plans, so consumers have the option of accessing the Internet through their laptops or personal PDAs (Fusco, 2000b, pars. 4-6). In determining which ISP is best, one should consider cost, speed, availability, and technical support. The content of the ISP’s website, personal services, and customer satisfaction should also be considered. Choosing a High-Speed Modem Technology: Cable vs. DSL Of course, there is much more to achieving high-performance Internet access than just choosing a fast computer and an Internet Service Provider, as one will also need a connection capable of handling all of this bandwidth. Recently, there are new emerging technologies that will allow you to access information over the Internet at blinding speeds. Today, one can choose between new high-speed subscriber lines, such as Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or Cable Modem, which enables one to access information over 10 times faster than the 56K modem. To utilize DSL will require a DSL-capable modem, which connects to the phone lines already present in the home. Installing DSL is a bit tricky. Although there are installation kits available, it is easier to have the phone company install the service, since installation requires a few components needed for avoiding interference while using the modem and telephone at the same time. The cost of installing DSL runs between $50-$100, while the monthly service fee averages about $80 per month, and includes an ISP (PC World, 2000, May, p. 106). DSL is not yet offered in all areas, however, a recent survey from The Yankee Group estimates that 21% of US households will have access to DSL shortly (PC World, 2000, May, p. 104). Cable Modem is another high-speed solution for accessing the Internet. Cable Modem technology offers similar performance as DSL, yet the technology is a bit different, as it utilizes the existing television cable in the home. Like DSL, Cable Modem access will require a special modem and can be installed by the consumer, or by a local cable company. Expect to pay approximately $100 for the installation, while the monthly service fee averages about $50 per month (PC World, 2000, May, p. 106). The Yankee Group estimates that 41% of US households will have access to Cable Modem technology, which is limited to those households already equipped with cable television services (PC World, 2000, May, p. 104). 87% of Cable Modem users and 86% of DSL users are satisfied with the performance, according to a PC World survey (PC World, 2000, May, p. 116). While the monthly service fees are more for DSL, as compared to Cable Modem, the fees are expected to normalize as the technology becomes more widespread. In reviewing these high-speed technologies, the choice begins to shift from choosing between DSL and Cable Modem, to choosing between either of these two, along with any of the new computers. Summary This study reveals that to gain high speed connectivity, any of the new computer hardware choices are adequate. The key to high speed information access is now governed by your connection, where this situation was revered just a few short years ago. DSL and Cable Modem both offer substantial performance improvements over conventional 56K Internet access. Either choice enables high-speed Internet access, which will be a vital component as more and more on-line information begins to congest the information pipeline. To truly gain high speed Internet access, one must incorporate either of these new modem technologies, along with their choice of hardware, which should be based on one’s individual needs. References Businessweek Online website. (November 15, 2000) The Palm is Mightier†¦, [Available] Retrieved March 31, 2001, from the World Wide Web: www.businessweek.com Fusco, P. (1999, December). Jupiter: Free ISPs won’t replace dial-up access (16 paragraphs). InternetNews – ISP News Archives, [Available] Retrieved March 31, 2001, from the World Wide Web: www.internetnews.com Fusco, P. (2000a, May). AT &T Wireless Debuts Free Wireless Internet (15 paragraphs) InternetNews – ISP News Archives, [Available] Retrieved March 31, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.internet.news.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_356751,00.html Fusco, P. (2000b, September). J.D. Powers Ranks Big Six ISPs (19 paragraphs). InternetNews – ISP News Archives, [Available] Retrieved March 31, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.internetnews.com/isp-news/article/0,,8_460761,00.html Overton, R & Goavec, P. (May 2000). PC World – Broadband or Bust, Volume 18, Number 5. 102-108, 112, 116 Palmgear website. (Copyright 2000, internet.com Corp), [Available] Retrieved March 31, 2001, from the World Wide Web: www.palmblvd.com