Media in Jamaica Analysis

Media in Jamaica Analysis The Media in the Country of Jamaica Cory Marshall Jamaica is the fifth largest island country in the Caribbean and is home to 2.8 million citizens. It was once known as Santiago when it was under Spanish control until 1655 when England began to rule the country and changed the name to Jamaica. Today, Jamaica is still under the rule of Great Britain with a representative known as the Governor-General of Jamaica and a head of government and Prime Minister. Throughout history, Jamaica has had strong influences on media across the globe and this research paper will look into the many areas in media which Jamaica has had a part in. The idea of broadcasting to the Jamaican people first came in the form of radio in 1939 when the Jamaican government retrieved ham radio equipment from John Grinan, a Jamaican amateur radio operator, at the beginning of World War II (Pressreference.com, retrieved 12/3/2014). Grinan followed the war closely and convinced the Jamaican government to purchase his equipment and create a public broadcasting system. The first official Jamaican public radio broadcast began on November 17, 1939 and consisted of one broadcast per week coming from Grinans home. This would continue until the middle of 1940 when the station hired a staff and began to broadcast daily. The station became very popular and as this happened it became very expensive to operate. That’s when the decision was made to license a private company to take over the station. In 1950, Radio Jamaica was born and was a privately owned subsidiary of Re-diffusion Group of London. (Watson, 2011) Because it was owned by a London group, it was required to broadcast at least 10 hours per week of BBC content. Therefore, the majority of the content of the station was British. This would continue for ten years until the government owned Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation radio was created in 1959 and began broadcasting that same year. (Dunn, 2000) JBC wanted to help further develop in Jamaica and began so by using the motto, â€Å"the listening component of nation-building†. JBC did very well and received a lot of government funding. However, the station would only survive until 1997 when it was decided that a new organization, the Public Broadcasting Corporation of Jamaica would take over as the official public broadcasting radio station of Jamaica. The PBCJ began broadcasting in 2006 and can still be heard on Jamaican airwaves today. Like radio, television became an extremely popular medium in Jamaica. In 1962, Jamaica attained independence from England. One year later, the first television broadcasting station was formed. The station was trusted to the Jamaican Broadcasting Company who already had a strong presence in Jamaica with their radio station. The television station would be known as JBCTV. Like the radio sides â€Å"listening component† motto, JBCTV would use the motto â€Å"the visual component in nation building†. One big difference between JBCTV and JBC radio was the way it was funded. Even though the parent company, JBC, received government funding, JBCTV would be financed primarily through advertisement. This was due to the idea that JBCTV would be very expensive to run, therefore the government did not want to finance such a heavy expense. The satellite boom in the 1980s expanded the broadcasting industry. Prior to this point, JBCTV was the dominate television station in Jamaica. So when satellites expanded the broadcasting industry it created competition to JBCTV by allowing those who could afford it, access to foreign television stations as well. This was due to Jamaica’s close proximity to the United States which allowed satellites to pick up US signals. To compete with this, cable companies were born. (Gordon, 2008) In 1997, JBCTV would become TVJ. TVJ became a privately owned commercial station run by JBCs old rival, the Radio Jamaica Communications Group where it still operates today as TVJ. Well before radio and television was introduced to Jamaica, another form of media had been alive for over two centuries; the newspaper. Way back in the year 1718, the first printing press arrived in Jamaica by printer Robert Baldwin, and soon began printing a newspaper, the Weekly Jamaica Courant. (Fraas, 2012) This newspaper is known as being the second regular newspaper in the Americas. It is so old that scholars have only located 10 issues of the theWeekly Jamaica Courantprinted before 1730. This newspaper would run until 1755 and contained information common to many English colonial newspapers. This information included the prices of goods, slave auctions, shipping news, as well as advertisements (Tortello, 2003). Occasionally, local news was posted, such as when the hurricane hit Jamaica in 1722 and 400 people died. Only a few copies of the Courant have survived and are now found in Londons Public Records Office. In the 1830s Jamaican newspaper history would be made when the deCordova brothers launched The Daily Gleaner. The newspaper started out as a way for the deCordova brothers to publicize goods for sale. Three months after the first published Daily Gleaner, the papers name changed to The Gleaner: A Weekly Family Newspaper devoted to Literature, Morality, the Arts and Sciences and Amusements. Today, The Gleaner is the largest newspaper on the island of Jamaica. The Gleaner employes close to 500 people in Jamaica, with offices in Kingston, Montego Bay, America, Canada and the United Kingdom (Tortello, 2003). Filmmakers have been coming to Jamaica since the early 1900s. However, Jamaicas own film scene is not really well known but it is growing. The first movie made in Jamaica by Jamaicans was the 1972 film titled The Harder They Come (Jamaicans.com, 2009). The film represented a breakout for the island’s music scene of the 1960s and early 1970s. Jamaica has been a popular place for filmmakers to shoot due to the jungle environment. However, Jamaicas own film industry is very small. One of the most obvious reasons for this is most likely cost. Films are expensive to make. However, there is new hope that Jamaicas film industry will grow. The Film Commission of Jamaica was established in 1984. The commission works hard to bring filmmakers to the island, but there is also growing interest in developing Jamaica’s own cinematic creations. Jamaica has recently seen their film industry grow due to a film festival. The Jamaica International Reggae Film Festival is an event that takes place in Kingston, Jamaica and is held annually every February. The festival was created in 2008 by filmmaker Barbara Blake Hannah. Hannah is currently the Executive Director of the Jamaica Film Academy, Managing Director of Jamaica Media Productions Ltd, and the director of the Jamaica International Reggae Film Festival. Since the film festival was created, the film industry in Jamaica has grown tremendously. This, as well as a recent European film treaty which enables Jamaican film makers to ask for funding in Europe, has given much more opportunities for Jamaican film. Prior to 1999, the Jamaican telecommunications sector was dominated by Cable and Wireless Jamaica. This company is a British company that has been the major telecommunications provider to Jamaica since the mid nineteenth century. The company operated in the British Colonial government since as early as 1868. In the 1960s, during the first decade of political independence in the region, the Jamaican government wanted to take control of all telecommunications resources in the country. To do this, the government took over the majority of equity of Cable and Wireless Jamaica. They would gain 51 percent of shareholding in the company, therefore giving the government majority control. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, the technology and ability to control the company and all of telecommunications in Jamaica became very difficult. So in 1987 Cable and Wireless Jamaica was able to take control back and was no longer government operated. This has allowed the company to grow tremendously and has since become a monopoly in telecommunications and now controls the telecommunic ations industry in 15 Caribbean territories (Dunn, Gooden, retrieved 12/3/2014). Though they are the largest telecommunications company in Jamaica, they are not the only. The other two companies that specialize in telecommunications in Jamaica are Digicel and Oceanic Digital. Both companies were granted licenses in 2001 to operate mobile services in a country whose telecommunications market was dominated by Cable and Wireless. Today, all three companies share the market in Jamaica with Cable and Wireless Communications being the leading operator in most of the Caribbean and Latin America. Internet is used in Jamaica, however, it is still behind other Caribbean nations in terms of usage. As of 2010, internet was being used by 55% of all Jamaicans. One can only assume that internet usage today has increased in Jamaica. Internet statistics show that from 2006 to 2010 there was a 16% increase of Jamaicans using internet (InternetWorldStats.com, 2010). There was no statistics on internet use beyond 2010 but with this rate of increase, it is projected that about 70% of Jamaicans are online. That is a tremendous number in terms of Caribbean nations. A 2009 e-commerce report by Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology, Phillip Paulwell, emphasized the importance of Jamaica to continue to grow in the internet market and to be e-ready. the Minister informed that Jamaica has made tremendous progress and was now behind the United States, Canada, Brazil and Chile in terms of our E-readiness for this region, and was looking forward to overtaking them as the first developing country to do so in the region. (InternetWorldStats.com, 2009). Paulwell discussed the importance of Jamaica to move past telephone technology by saying, the mission is to move away from the focus on voice and instead to try in greater earnest to ensure that we have the infrastructure for supporting a knowledge-based society. This mission is currently underway and has improved the internet in Jamaica. Over the last nine years, The Universal Service Fund has invested billions of dollars to provide internet access to Jamaicans. As of September of 2014, the fund has completed a total of 188 Internet community access points throughout the country with the final goal being 236 (Observer, 2014). This will allow internet to flow all throughout the entire country of Jamaica. The culture of Jamaica is one that is rich and seen worldwide. It is a combination of cultures from the first descendants to the island. The original Taino Settlers, and then the Spanish conquerors all made major contributions. However, the most dominant culture in Jamaica is the blacks and slaves who suffered the harsh conditions of forced labor. One of the most well known culture aspects of Jamaica is Rastafari. It is a religion that was made famous by musician Bob Marley. Rastafari itself is a religious belief system that is based on teachings found in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Rasta cultural traditions include keeping their hair uncut and in dreadlocks, as well as eating unprocessed foods which are known as Ital. Though Rastafari is very well known worldwide, it is a very small culture on the island and is often frowned upon by christian Jamaicans. Jamaica is also home to a very strong music scene. Reggae music is extremely powerful in Jamaica and has revolutionized dance in Jamaica. Jamaica is also home to a popular theatre scene. Jamaicas first theatre was built in 1682. Other theatres opened up in the 1700s and 1800s and allowed professional touring to perform in the country. Todays most popular theatrical form in Jamaica is known as pantomime and began in the 1940s as a combination of English pantomime with Jamaican folklore (Banham, 2005). Sports are also very popular with Jamaican culture. By far the most dominant sport in the country is cricket. The Jamaica national cricket team has won ten Regional Four Day Competitions and seven WICB Championship Cups. What we call soccer is also a popular sport in Jamaica. The Jamaica national football team has won the Caribbean Cup five times and advanced to the 1998 FIFA World Cup. Jamaica is also a leader in sprinting. The current world record holder for 100m and 200m, Usain Bolt and the former 100m world record holder, Asafa Powell, are both from Jamaica. Jamaica is home to several very popular festivals. In 1962, The Jamaica Independence Festival was created. It is a festival that celebrates the countrys freedom and is in place to showcase literary, fine, and performing artists, and to celebrate things Jamaican (Gleanor, retrieved 2014). The festival is a way to give Jamaicans a sense of what their culture is all about. One of the highlights of the festival is the Popular Song Competition. Every year since 1966, a competition is held at the festival to crown an artist the winner. The winner receives one million dollars and a new car. In addition to this competition, the festival now includes the Miss Jamaica Festival Queen Contest, a national Mento band competition, and a Gospel song competition. As this paper has shown, Jamaica is a small country with a big media presence. The country has a rich history in all of its media. Today, Jamaica is home to 14 television stations and 27 radio stations (Dunn, 2000). The newspaper industry is still strong after survived for nearly 300 years. Today, youll also find cellphones in almost every Jamaicans hand and the internet is still continuing to grow and reaches more and more Jamaicans everyday. The Jamaican culture is a fascinating one and having the opportunity to research the history in so many different areas is one I’ll continue to look into. Ill conclude this paper with the official motto of Jamaica; Jamaica, Out of Many, One People. Bibliography Jamaica. PressReference.com. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.pressreference.com/GuKu/Jamaica.html. Watson, Roxanne. (2011). â€Å"Daggering† and the regulation of questionable broadcast media content in Jamaica. Communication Law Policy . Vol. 16 Issue 3, p255-315. 61p. Dunn, Hopeton S. (2000). Jamaican media: Ringing the changes 50 years and beyond. Buzz. Vol. 6 Issue 31, p92-96. 5p. Gordon, Nickesia S. Media an:d the Politics of Culture: The Case of Television Privatization and Media Globalization in Jamaica. Boca Raton, Florida: Universal Publishers. (2008). Print Fraas, Mitch. (2012). The Calve’s Head and Early Printing in Jamaica. Retrieved from https://uniqueatpenn.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/the-calves-head-and-early-printing-in-jamaica/ Tortello, Rebecca. (2003). Printing in Jamaica. Pieces of the Past. Retrieved from http://jamaicagleaner.com/pages/history/story0066.html Jamaicans.com. (2009). Jamaica and Film. Retrieved from http://www.jamaicans.com/culture/articles_culture/jamaica-and-film.shtml Dunn, Hopeton S. Gooden, Winston S. Telecommunications in Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.vii.org/papers/jama.htm Internet World Stats. (2010). Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/car/jm.htm Internet World Stats. (2009). Broadband and Consumer E-Commerce in Jamaica. Retrieved from http://www.internetworldstats.com/car/jm.htm JIS. â€Å"Govt invests billions to provide Jamaicans with Internet access.† Jamaica Observer. 22 Sep. 2014. Banham, Martin. Hill, Errol. Woodyard, George. The Cambridge Guide to African and Caribbean Theatre. Cambridgeshire, England. Cambridge University Press. (2005). Print Bibliography Jamaica Gleaner. (2003). The History of Jamaica Festival. Pieces of the Past. Retrieved from http://jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0031.html

Analysis of MST - A Small Bio-defense Company :: Business and Management Studies:

Analysis of MST - A Small Bio-defense Company EXECUTIVE SUMMARY MST is a small bio-defense company with an exceptional product that is patented in the U.S. They are looking for second round financing, a source of cash, in order to fulfill their goal of going public. At this time there is an unsolicited sales call from Japan, which would mean a great amount of money. This sale would mean hundreds, maybe even thousands of units. MST knows that their product is one of a kind now, but their competitors are working hardly to come up with a similar item. They need to make the deal quickly, before the Japanese buyer has other choices. There are several risks that must be considered while considering this deal. The most important one is that they might lose the technology due to either licensing or to reverse engineering, which will probably also mean the end of the company, knowing that it is not strong enough. It is also known that American patents can’t be protected when exported to Japan, that is a big risk. There are a number of alternatives available to solve this problem. The first is for MST to export the product by itself, and sell it to the Japanese. The second alternative might be to contract with a Japanese trading company, and finally, the third alternative is to license the technology to a Japanese manufacturer. All of these alternatives will be evaluated according to the intellectual property risk, reverse engineering risk, costs and implications on profit, MST’s competitive and market leading position, time-to-market, and the concerns and implications of export licensing. Given an analysis of the alternatives, it is recommended to take the second one I have analyzed this alternative as the best because it takes a short period of time, helping MST to keep their position as market leader, as well as protecting its intellectual property due to the fact that trading companies have a reputation to maintain. Situation Analysis MST is a small bio-defense company with an exceptional product that is patented in the U.S. They are looking for second round financing, a source of cash, in order to fulfill their goal of going public. At this time there is an unsolicited sales call from Japan, which would mean a great deal of money, but they do not know how to address it. This sale would mean probably hundreds, maybe even thousands of units, plus training. It is in MST’s knowledge that their product is one of a kind right now, but their competitors are working fiercely to come up with a similar item. Therefore, they need to make the deal quickly,

Social inequality in Birmingham 1

The city of Birmingham was founded in 1871, and lies within Jefferson County and Shelby County. It is known by various names, â€Å"The Magic city,† â€Å"Pittsburg of the South† and the â€Å"Tragic City† being few of them. Birmingham had witnessed brisk industrialization and also witnessed periods of social, political, and economic inequality. In the 1960s, the local government strategies to sustain racial segregation had disastrous effects. The church bombing attack on September 15, 1963, brought about world criticism.The death of the four African girls was enough proof of the racial discrimination that Birmingham was facing. The unleash of terror and violence in Birmingham added yet another name to the list, â€Å"Bombingham†. This brutal attack was condemned by people throughout the world and led to many developments which in fact played a major role in its prosperity. That was the time when Birmingham was reeling under social and racial discriminatio n. Though late by almost four decades, the guilty verdict in 2002 brought hope. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 which followed gave equal access to civil participation in Birmingham.The electing of Richard Arrington, an African American educator, as the Mayor of Birmingham in 1979 ushered in an epoch of racial harmony and prosperity. When he retired in 1999, Birmingham was deeply pitched on the road to success. Thus Birmingham did suffer great social and racial inequalities but it distanced itself from the past and stepped into a bright future under the leadership of many a capable hands, thus crossing the barriers of social inequalities. Today Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama and an international center for health care.Though Birmingham has done extremely well in various spheres, the efforts to set right a history of pervasive radical inequality persist even today throughout Birmingham. But the social conditions have greatly changed, and definitely, for the better. To quote Martin Luther King Jr. ,†I like to believe the negative extremes of Birmingham's past will resolve into the positive and utopian extremes of her future; that the sins of a dark yesterday will be redeemed in the achievements of a bright tomorrow. † REFERENCE www. africanaonline. com

Theater and Improv Games for the Classroom and Beyond

Theater and Improv Games for the Classroom and Beyond Improv games are a great way to loosen up during drama practice or to break the ice at a party. Improvisational acting teaches you to think quickly and to read other people as you perform. Youll also sharpen your wit as you learn how to react to your audience. Best of all, you dont need any special props or equipment, just your imagination and the courage to step outside yourself.   Captains Coming Improv games like this one are terrific warmups that promote  teamwork and good humor. In this game, which is similar to Simon Says, one person plays the role of a ships captain. The rest of the group are sailors who must quickly follow the captains orders or be dismissed from the game. Orders can be simple or elaborate: Captains coming: Sailors line up in a row and salute the captain.Starboard: Everyone runs to the right side of the stage or room.Port:  Everyone runs to the left side of the stage or room.Man overboard: Sailors team up and pose as though theyre searching for the lost man.Mermaid: Stand on one foot, wave one hand, and say, Hi, sailor!Seasick: Run to port or starboard and pretend to be ill.  Swab the deck: Sailors pretend to mop and clean the floor.Walk the plank: Sailors stand single-file, their right arms extended and hands resting on the shoulder of the person in front. The great thing about Captains Coming is that theres no limit to the orders a captain can give. For added challenges, think of poses that require two or more people or divide the sailors into two groups and have them compete against one another. Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo! is another effective game for learning how to take cues and focus movement. It works best with groups that have room to move around. As with Captains Coming, this game requires a leader to call the cues and a group to follow whatever command the leader dreams up. As an added challenge, the group must repeat the action word six times in a whisper as they perform. After the sixth time, everyone calls out freeze! and holds still. Leader:  Yoo-hoo!  Group:  Yoo-hoo who?Leader:  You who  jump with ropes.Group:  Ropes, ropes, ropes, ropes, ropes, ropes, freeze! The leader then cues the next movement and the process repeats itself. If a person loses composure or breaks the freeze before the leader calls Yoo-Hoo again, that person is out. The last person remaining is the winner. Location, Location, Location The Location game can be done with as few or as many people as you like. Use it as a way to exercise your imagination as a solo performer and for learning how to act with others. Begin by having one or more actors develop a scene in a place that anyone can relate to, such as a bus stop, the mall, or Disneyland- without mentioning the name of the location. Have other players try to guess the place. Then move on to less familiar situations. Here are some to get you started: An atticA Ferris wheelA karaoke barAn orchestra pitUndergroundA high school yearbook clubA zeppelin The true challenge of this game is to think past clichà ©s and to avoid using language that gives away the action being performed. This improv exercise can also be played like charades, where teams must guess the activity. More Improv Games Once youve tried simple theater games, your troupe will be ready for more challenges. Here are a few more improv exercises: Tongue twisters:  It doesnt do students any good to be creatively warmed up if the audience has no idea what they are saying. Enunciation exercises  like tongue twisters provide a fun way to alleviate the dreaded mumbling, mush-mouth syndrome.Guess whos coming to dinner: This team exercise gives everyone a role to play. One person plays host, and the others are dinner guests. The only catch? The host doesnt know he or she is having company!The Harold: Developed  by theater director/teacher Del Close, this long-form improvisational activity allows more time to develop believable characters and organic storylines. Students riff off a suggested word, phrase, or idea through a mix of exercises. One improv piece can last from 10 to 45 minutes or more.Be an animal:  One of the best ways to develop out-of-the-box thinking is to have actors imagine themselves not just as other people but as an animal or even as an inanimate object. These drama activities offer proven ways to help participants get to know one another in a friendly, low-key fashion. They can also be used regularly as warm-ups  for your actors before you have them delve into more difficult improvisation exercises. Break a leg!

Create a Countdown Timer for Websites With PHP Mktime

Create a Countdown Timer for Websites With PHP Mktime Because the ist_dst parameter used in this example was deprecated in PHP 5.1 and removed in PHP 7, it is not safe to rely on this  code to deliver accurate results in current versions of PHP. Instead, use the date.timezone setting or the date_default_timezone_set() function. If your webpage focuses on a specific event in the future such as Christmas or your wedding, you may want to have a countdown timer to let users know how long it is until the event occurs. You can do this in PHP using timestamps and the mktime function. The  mktime() function is used to artificially generate the timestamp for a selected date and time. It works the same as the time() function, except it is for a specified date and not necessarily todays date. How to Code the Countdown Timer Set a target date. For  example, use February 10th, 2017. Do that with this line, which follows the syntax :  mktime(hour,minute,second,month,day,year: ist _dst). $target mktime(0, 0, 0, 2, 10, 2017) ;Establish the current date with this line: $today time () ;To find the difference between the two dates, simply subtract: $difference ($target-$today) ;Since the timestamp is measured in seconds, convert the results into whatever units you want. For hours, divide by 3600. This  example uses days so divide by 86,400- the number of seconds in a day. To make sure the number is an integer, use the tag int. $days (int) ($difference/86400) ;Put it all together for the final code: ?php $target mktime(0, 0, 0, 2, 10, 2017) ; $today time () ; $difference ($target-$today) ; $days (int) ($difference/86400) ; print Our event will occur in $days days; ?

Contemporary Masculinity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Contemporary Masculinity - Essay Example It is, thus, that images of masculinity and the implications of the concept are a topic of debate and academic research, questioning and exploration. Despite the stated, however, there remains a persistent tendency towards the maintenance of earlier images of hegemonic masculinity. Indeed, a review of Connell's notion of hegemonic masculinity will reveal the extent to which contemporary images of masculinity are being overtly countered and contested by the concept of hegemonic masculinity. Following a review of Connell's concept of hegemonic masculinity, this essay will argue that Connell's concept serves to shed invaluable light on the extent to which contemporary masculinity is experiencing crisis. This crisis, as briefly touched upon in the preceding, is a direct outcome of the dominant culture's refusal to accept changing notions of masculinity and its determination to maintain the gender status quo. Hegemonic masculinity is predicated on the longstanding notion that distinct gender differences exist between men and women.1 Hegemonic norms are accepted because "mass culture generally assumes there is a fixed, true masculinity beneath the ebb and flow of daily life,"2 where men are expected to be strong, independent, competitive, risk-taking, aggressive, powerful, display sexual prowess, be emotionally distant, and be dominant over women in both the private and public spheres.3 Gender differences underpin an unequal system of power relations where "men, as a group, enjoy [access to certain] institutional privileges"4 not afforded to women. Although this is not a recently constituted ideology, Connell holds that the dominance of hegemonic masculinity represents an endeavour to maintain this system of inequality through efforts to quell challenges to its institution. He states, "Hegemonic masculinity can be defined as the configuration of gender practice which embodies the currentl y accepted answer to the problem of the legitimacy of patriarchy."5 The social prescription for western hegemonic masculinity, aimed at preserving the legitimacy of patriarchy, thus includes elements of heterosexism, homophobia, and male-dominant gender roles. Connell stresses that hegemonic masculinity is a "historically mobile relation" noting that when "conditions for the defence of patriarchy change," such as with economic or political pressures like the global movement for women's emancipation, "the bases for the dominance of a particular masculinity are eroded."6 In fact, the institutional and cultural features that give rise to any one form of masculinity also create alternate versions of masculinity that support or conflict with core assumptions. For example, dominant conceptualizations of masculinity portray adult males as family breadwinners. This conceptualization, alongside dominant discourse and practices perpetuate this belief, irrespective of evidence to the contrary and, in so doing, affirm a gender based division of labour. As may be inferred from the aforementioned, despite the fact that the concept of hegemonic masculinity is increasingly being questioned by contemporary economic realities, not to mention socio-political ones, the tenacious hold that this concept has on mass culture is such that alternative realities are labeled exceptions to the rule. Connell does not only acknowledge the veracity of the above-stated but emphasizes the extent to which the

Marketing Planning and Strategy (Organizations or Individuals) 1 Assignment

Marketing Planning and Strategy (Organizations or Individuals) 1 - Assignment Example A consumer is more important to the marketer since the marketer takes into account the disliking and liking of the consumer to produce goods and services in that regard. Studying consumer behavior is important in reference to research conducted by Gilligan (2012) on factors that influence purchase decisions made by consumers such as social influences, cultural influences, psychological factors and personal factors. Furthermore, Pride and Ferrell (2006) noted that these factors are especially vital when applied as marketing strategies. Some of the cultural influences that concerns marketers in marketing are religion, nationalities and lifestyle of the targeted consumers. Psychological considerations include how consumers feel, reason, think and select different alternatives. Also, Sorger (2011) stated that customer service considerations after marketing products, builds strong relationships between the organization and the consumers and enables companies to gain valuable information that helps in designing future marketing efforts that are more effective. Sorger (2011) further noted that social influences are values and norms that are held by the community that is marketed and they vary by ethnicity, way of life and race. If a marketer has the capability of analyzing these features of their potential customers, then they can tailor their marketing strategies. The understanding of utilizing information obtained from consumers is the key to a successive organization. Marketers can then utilize this information to focus on producing services and/or products that the targeted markets are specifically interested in and also figure out ways of developing effective