...these conditions have affected two monopolistically competitive firms, McDonald’s and Verizon. This paper will explore how the two companies responded to the macroeconomic conditions in terms of their stock performance, current and future sales revenue, current and future products, labor costs and hiring decisions. 1.1 The Current Economic Conditions The current macroeconomic situation is fragile. The US economy is clearly in terrible shape, but what is unclear is how we got there. Many experts trace the origins of the current economic situation to the housing bubble that came about earlier this decade (Tanneeru, M). According to the estimate, the real GDP of the US increased .25 of 1 percent over its level in the 1st quarter of 2011. The growth rate of the economy is still volatile and while any increases in real GDP are welcome, they are not sufficient to reduce the unemployment pool (Watkins, T, 2011). 1.2 McDonald’s and Verizon McDonald’s Corporation franchises and operates McDonald’s restaurants in the global restaurant industry. They serve a varied, limited, value-priced menu in more than 1,000 countries worldwide. By adding Dollar Menu items and introducing high-margin beverages such as coffee and fruit smoothies, McDonald’s has broadened its appeal beyond the young men who account for the biggest share of sales at mother other fast food chains (Reuters, 2011). Verizon...
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...thus will not buy the company’s product as a result, a loss in the company’s profits. Apple's Vision Statement Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings. Given the increased changes in today’s world (taste, needs, wants,…),Apple has to encounter those needs and better satisfy them( exactly through an easy-use innovation) Objectives of iphone 5: The objectives of launching iphone 5 were to to maintain Apple’s market-leading position and diversify products through research and development. Step two in the implementing phase: SWOT analysis We are going to discover through SWOT analysis...
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...Outsourcing: A problem within itself August 26, 2012 AT&T is a communications and now entertainment company whose corporate headquarters are located in Richardson, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. AT&T is responsible for most of the ways of communication in America today. With landlines and voice over IP, consumers will be able to construct business or speak with loved ones over the phone. AT&T went through a huge change in the 2000s with the merge of Southwestern Bell, Bellsouth, and Pacific Bell. With the merge and buyout of these companies, AT&T is now in almost virtually every home if you have a landline. A little known fact that people do not know is that, even though you may have another provider, AT&T owns almost 95% of the lines that are ran into your homes, which means, AT&T has become very profitable off of its competitors who have to buy these lines from AT&T in order to still be in business. AT&T has a corporate perks site for employees to purchase goods and discounted rates. Also, AT&T offers a 6% match of your 401K, which is a great reason to seek employment with the company. Due to the merge, a lot of employees lost their jobs due to a non-need of these employees with the AT&T organization. A lot of these employees that came from Bellsouth, etc. were asked to take pay cuts or relocate in order to keep their jobs. This was a huge cost-cutting move which has now led to an increase in jobs and the development of new products....
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...This text was adapted by The Saylor Foundation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work’s original creator or licensee. Saylor URL: http://www.saylor.org/books Saylor.org 1 Preface Competing books are focused on the academic part of HRM, which is necessary in a university or college setting. However, the goal with this book is not only to provide the necessary academic background information but also to present the material with a practitioner’s focus on both large and small businesses. While the writing style is clear and focused, we don’t feel jargon and ten-dollar words are necessary to making a good textbook. Clear and concise language makes the book interesting and understandable (not to mention more fun to read) to the future HRM professional and manager alike. It is highly likely that anyone in business will have to take on an HRM role at some point in their careers. For example, should you decide to start your own business, many of the topics discussed will apply to your business. This is the goal of this book; it is useful enough for the HRM professional, but the information presented is also applicable to managers, supervisors, and entrepreneurs. Besides these differences, other key differences include the following: This book utilizes a technology focus and shows how HRM activities can be leveraged using technology. We have also included a chapter on communication and information...
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...Russian Patriotic Hacking During Operation Allied Force Introduction. With the increasing number of cyberattacks, many security professionals are greatly troubled by the real threat to the information technology infrastructure in the United States. While safeguarding information has been a major issue for the private and public sectors since the beginning of the computer era, the increased level of concern over the most recent attacks has resulted in devoting more resources to combat this threat. This paper analyzes numerous cyberattacks by Russian computer enthusiast group Chaos Hackers Crew and other hacktivists during Operation Allied Force in 1999, that included taking down and defacing various NATO and US Government websites, several successful virus propagation attempts on military servers and countless spamming storms. This particular case raises curious questions about the legal definition of term cyberconflict itself, magnitude of the damage from a potential cyberattack on U.S. Government by terrorists and the level of preparedness of key military and intelligence units for the cyberwar. The cyberterrorism threat is real, however it’s essential to recognize that preserving the state of continuous distress over computer vulnerabilities can be profitable. Based on this research, cultural differences play a huge role in the world of computer hackers who decide what entity to attack and how, also the scale of a cyberattack doesn’t matter as economic damage can be devastating...
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...COINSTAR INC (CSTR) 10-K Annual report pursuant to section 13 and 15(d) Filed on 02/09/2012 Filed Period 12/31/2011 Table of Contents UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549 FORM 10-K x ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 For the Fiscal Year Ended: December 31, 2011 OR ¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Commission File Number: 000-22555 COINSTAR, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware 1800 114 Avenue SE, Bellevue, Washington (Address of principal executive offices) (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) th 94-3156448 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 98004 (Zip Code) Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 425-943-8000 Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Common Stock, $0.001 par value Name of each exchange on which registered: The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨ Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.: Yes ¨ No x Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities...
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...Mergers and Acquisitions Basics Mergers and Acquisitions Basics All You Need To Know Donald DePamphilis Amsterdam • Boston • Heidelberg • London New York • Oxford • Paris • San Diego San Francisco • Singapore • Sydney • Tokyo Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier Academic Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Elsevier, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website: www.elsevier.com/permissions. This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein). Notices Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge...
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...rain_c03_070-121hr.qxd 28-09-2009 11:25 Page 70 CHAPTER 3 1. Describe the major ethical issues related to information technology and identify situations in which they occur. 2. Identify the many threats to information security. 3. Understand the various defense mechanisms used to protect information systems. 4. Explain IT auditing and planning for disaster recovery. Ethics, Privacy, and Information Security LEARNING OBJECTIVES rain_c03_070-121hr.qxd 28-09-2009 11:25 Page 71 WEB RESOURCES Student Web site www.wiley.com/college/rainer • Web quizzes • Lecture slides in PowerPoint • Author podcasts • Interactive Case: Ruby’s Club assignments WileyPLUS • All of the above and... • E-book • Manager Videos • Vocabulary flash cards • Pre- and post-lecture quizzes • Microsoft Office 2007 lab manual and projects • How-to animations for Microsoft Office • Additional cases CHAPTER OUTLINE 3.1 Ethical Issues 3.2 Threats to Information Security 3.3 Protecting Information Resources What’s in IT for me? ACC FIN MKT OM HRM MIS rain_c03_070-121hr.qxd 28-09-2009 11:25 Page 72 72 Chapter 3 Ethics, Privacy, and Information Security Opening Case NASA Loses Secret Information for Years The Business Problem Over the past decade, U.S. government agencies have been the victims of an unprecedented number of cyber-attacks. One government official noted, “It is espionage on a massive scale.” Government agencies reported almost 13,000 security...
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...Chapter 3 Building permits Page 113 One purpose for requiring the issuance of building permits authorizing construction is to ensure that the issuing authority may ensure that the issuing authority may enforce the FBC and the Fire prevention code and thus provide for the safe construction, erection, alteration, repair and demolition of the building. Certain property such as schools federal, and state government faciliteies are not subject to permitting from local authorities State construction falls under the state uniform building code for public educational facilities The contractor will not be required to obtain a local building permit for the construction of the school on school property. However there may be local building permit requirements for utilities outside the school. There is a statutory formal building permit application. The law authorizes the building permit applications to be submitted in electronic form. The building department that accepts service permits in electronic form must provide access to the permit application through internet access in searchable way. A permit may not be issued for any building construction, erection, alteration modification, repair or addition unless the applicant for such permit complies with the requirements for the plan review status within the for the building code However the code shall set standards and criteria to authorize preliminary construction before completion of all building plans review, including but...
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...Xantham gum Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheologymodifier,[2] commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) and a stabilizer (in cosmetic products, for example, to prevent ingredients from separating). It is produced by the fermentation of glucose, sucrose, or lactose by the Xanthomonas campestrisbacterium. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Later, it is added to a liquid medium to form the gum.[3] It was discovered by an extensive research effort by Allene Rosalind Jeanes and her research team at the United States Department of Agriculture anthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris One of the most remarkable properties of xanthan gum is its ability to produce a large increase in the viscosity of a liquid by adding a very small quantity of gum, on the order of one percent. In most foods, it is used at 0.5%, and can be used in lower concentrations. The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases with higher shear rates; this is called shear thinning or pseudoplasticity. This means that a product subjected to shear, whether from mixing, shaking or even chewing, will thin out, but once the shear forces are removed, the food will thicken back up. A practical use would be in salad...
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...3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page i International Human Resource Management 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page ii 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page iii second edition International Human Resource Management edited by A n n e - Wi l H a r z i n g J o r i s Va n R u y s s e v e l d t SAGE Publications London l Thousand Oaks l New Delhi 3122-prelims.qxd 10/29/03 2:20 PM Page iv © Anne-Wil Harzing and Joris van Ruysseveldt, 2004 First published 2004 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, only with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Olivers Yard London EC1Y 1SP SAGE Publications Inc 2455 Teller Road Thousand Oaks, California 91320 SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd B-42, Panchsheel Enclave Post Box 4109 New Delhi 100 017 British Library Cataloguing in Publication data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 0 7619 4039 1 ISBN 0 7619 4040 5 (pbk) Library of Congress Control Number...
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...CAREERS IN MARKETING ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ INDUSTRY TRENDS AND RANKINGS POSITIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES WORKPLACE CULTURE AND COMPENSATION THE RECRUITING PROCESS ★ INSIdER SCoop: FRoNT-LINE REpoRTS ★ GuIde Careers in Marketing 2008 EDITION InsIder Careers in Marketing WETFEET, INc. The Folger Building 101 Howard Street Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: (415) 284-7900 or 1-800-926-4JOB Fax: (415) 284-7910 Website: www.wetfeet.com carEErs IN markETINg 2008 Edition ISBN: 978-1-58207-759-8 PhOTOcOPyINg Is PrOhIbITED Copyright 2008 WetFeet, Inc. All rights reserved. This publication is protected by the copyright laws of the United States of America. No copying in any form is permitted. It may not be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, in part or in whole, without the express written permission of WetFeet, Inc. The publisher, author, and any other party involved in creation, production, delivery, or sale of this WetFeet Insider Guide make no warranty, express or implied, about the accuracy or reliability of the information found herein. To the degree you use this guide or other materials referenced herein, you do so at your own risk. The materials contained herein are general in nature and may not apply to particular factual or legal circumstances. Under no circumstances shall the publisher, author, or any other party involved in creation, production or delivery of this guide be liable to...
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...‘ THE BUSINESS OF MASS MEDIA Advertising and Commercial Culture 345 Early Developments in American Advertising 351 The Shape of U.S. Advertising Today 359 Persuasive Techniques in Contemporary Advertising 366 Commercial Speech and Regulating Advertising 374 Advertising, Politics, and Democracy Back in 1993, the trade magazine Adweek wrote about “The Ultimate Network”— something called the Internet: “Advertisers and agencies take note: It has the potential to become the next great mass/personal medium.”1 The prediction was correct, if not understated. The Internet has become a huge medium for advertisers, targeting audiences more precisely than any medium before it. Yet, none of the venerable ad agencies at that time could have guessed that an Internet start-up—Google— would become bigger than the leading multinational advertising holding companies like Omnicom, WPP, Interpublic, and Publicis. Nearly 99 percent of Google’s $16.6 billion revenue in 2007 came from advertising. THE BUSINESS OF MASS MEDIA B 343 ‘ ADVERTISING However, Google is different from the Madison Avenue agencies. It doesn’t design witty, slick ad campaigns. Instead, it facilitates the dull but effective text-based sponsored links that appear in Google searches or on affiliated sites. “We are in the really boring part of the business…the boring big business,” Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt says.2 What Google’s ads lack in creativity, they make up in precision. Google’s AdWords advertising...
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...Belch: Advertising and Promotion, Sixth Edition Front Matter Preface © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2003 Preface The Changing World of Advertising and Promotion Nearly everyone in the modern world is influenced to some degree by advertising and other forms of promotion. Organizations in both the private and public sectors have learned that the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with their target audiences is critical to their success. Advertising and other types of promotional messages are used to sell products and services as well as to promote causes, market political candidates, and deal with societal problems such as alcohol and drug abuse. Consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to avoid the efforts of marketers, who are constantly searching for new ways to communicate with them. Most of the people involved in advertising and promotion will tell you that there is no more dynamic and fascinating a field to either practice or study. However, they will also tell you that the field is undergoing dramatic changes that are changing advertising and promotion forever. The changes are coming from all sides—clients demanding better results from their advertising and promotional dollars; lean but highly creative smaller ad agencies; sales promotion and direct-marketing firms, as well as interactive agencies, which want a larger share of the billions of dollars companies spend each year promoting their products and services; consumers...
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...Belch: Advertising and Promotion, Sixth Edition Front Matter Preface © The McGraw−Hill Companies, 2003 Preface The Changing World of Advertising and Promotion Nearly everyone in the modern world is influenced to some degree by advertising and other forms of promotion. Organizations in both the private and public sectors have learned that the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently with their target audiences is critical to their success. Advertising and other types of promotional messages are used to sell products and services as well as to promote causes, market political candidates, and deal with societal problems such as alcohol and drug abuse. Consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to avoid the efforts of marketers, who are constantly searching for new ways to communicate with them. Most of the people involved in advertising and promotion will tell you that there is no more dynamic and fascinating a field to either practice or study. However, they will also tell you that the field is undergoing dramatic changes that are changing advertising and promotion forever. The changes are coming from all sides—clients demanding better results from their advertising and promotional dollars; lean but highly creative smaller ad agencies; sales promotion and direct-marketing firms, as well as interactive agencies, which want a larger share of the billions of dollars companies spend each year promoting their products and services; consumers who no longer...
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