Academic literature on the topic 'Direct e-mailing'

In this paper, we consider a cross-border supply chain system that has an import e-commerce company and an overseas supplier. We first considered a pure bonded warehouse mode in which the e-commerce company makes bulk purchase from an overseas supplier to a bonded warehouse and will deliver goods to customers from the bonded warehouse when customers order online. We constructed a Stackelberg model to obtain the equilibrium solution by using backward induction, and then properties of equilibrium strategy and equilibrium profit is discussed. We then studied the combined bonded warehouse and direct mailing mode in which the e-commerce company will purchase a single piece and mail to the customer directly if the bonded warehouse is out of stock. Analytical results demonstrate that the combined bonded warehouse and direct mailing mode may increase the profit of suppliers and decrease the profit of e-commerce companies.

The aim is to assess the possibilities of future developments of Direct Marketing in the Visegrad group. Particular attention is paid to the fact that even when there is a single political grouping of states, which between them reported psychological closeness, there are differences between them, to be taken into account. Significant differences are primarily in consumer attitudes and preferences, their purchasing decisions as well as acceptance of the various tools of communication mix.Direct Marketing is form of marketing communication aimed on exact selection of target group and its effective addressing. Contrary to the Mass Marketing, each customer is addressed individually and directly, and databases of potential or regular customers are used. One form of Direct Marketing is Direct Mail. It is the oldest and most advanced tool of Direct Marketing. Also called mailing, it is the most important tool of Direct Marketing.The country with the highest amount of delivered mailings is Czech Republic. Up to 82% of respondents indicated that Direct Mail receives often or very often. In Slovak Republic, Poland and the Czech Republic, more than half of respondents read the received mailings only occasionally. Significantly overwhelming majority of Slovaks, Czechs and Poles responds to the delivered mailings by checking out the sender’s web site firstly, or establishing the contact via e-mail. Hungarian respondents prefer answer sheet the most.

A Review of: Ackerman, E., Hunter, J. & Wilkinson, Z. T. (2018). The availability and effectiveness of research supports for early career academic librarians. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 44(5), 553-568. https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-09-2016-0068 Abstract Objective – To identify the type and efficacy of research supports currently available to early career academic librarians. Design – Survey. Setting – The United States. Subjects – 213 academic librarians who were not yet promoted or have received tenure, or those up to three years post-tenure or promotion. Methods – The researchers created a survey containing 39 closed and open-ended questions using the software Qualtrics. The question types included multiple choice, Likert scale, and free text. The survey was distributed through direct emails and various professional electronic mailing lists. Main Results – The majority of respondents listed finding time as the most significant barrier to conducting research. Respondents listed informal mentoring as the most commonly used and most widely available form of research support. Statistical analyses revealed that for every type of research support a librarian engaged in, on average confidence increased by 0.10. Conclusion – Engagement in formal and informal research supports may influence early career academic librarians’ confidence levels in regards to conducting research projects. Academic institutions as well as professional organizations should ensure that ample opportunities are available.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the temporal effects of perceptions of information obtained from social networks (SNS) on online shopping behavior using trust as a mediator. The model adopts the two dimensional view of trust: cognitive and affective trust. The direct effects and indirect effects of information perceptions on behavioral intentions are empirically explored using a longitudinal approach. Specifically, we investigate the comparative roles of cognitive and affective trust on the influence of perceptions of information from SNS on online shopping behavior. Design/methodology/approach – The study was fielded at two points in time (T and T+1) that were approximately 14 months apart. The survey (T) was distributed via e-mail to 1,484 prospects. From this mailing, 297 prospects who had not replied and another 145 with missing data were removed, leaving 1,042 respondents. In all, 14 months later, the survey (T+1) was e-mailed to these 1,042 respondents who took part in the survey at time point T. At time point T+1, only 341 respondents from the original sample responded. After excluding those with missing values, the final sample included 313 respondents. Findings – The results show significant carryover effects from time T to time T+1 in perceptions of information obtained from a social network, in behavioral intentions and in both dimensions of trust. Furthermore, the study revealed that over time, the influence of affective trust is greater than that of cognitive trust, both in its effect on behavioral intentions as well as in its mediating role between information perceptions and behavioral intentions. Originality/value – The study contributes to the literature on the mediating roles of cognitive and affective trust in the development of behavioral intentions on over time in the social network environment.

Problem/Issue: Product costs are a portion of the annually increasing costs of medical care. With diligent analysis of product costs, including the cost of time to use the product, the surgeon can reduce these spiraling costs. The purpose of this study was to provide the surgeon with the necessary information to make informed decisions about time- and cost-efficient products. Materials and Methods: This study involved phoning, faxing, or e-mailing hospitals and anesthesia groups across the United States to obtain time-dependent costs in the hospital operating room. Operating room fees charged by the hospital and anesthesiologist professional fees are included. Various products were then relatively compared with the time needed to prepare, use, or apply the product. Time and cost factors were then compared in order to ascertain the most time- and cost-effective products. Findings: The findings revealed an average of $62 per minute (rounded to the closest dollar) for the hospital operating room fee (range $21.80–$133.12) and $4 per minute for the anesthesiologist professional fee (range $2.20–$6.10), with a total of $66 per minute. This figure represents a marked increase from the 1991 rate of $20 per minute. Generalizations from this study indicate that time-cost efficiency is seen more so in kits (trays) than in nonkits and more so in disposables than in durables. Products that require fewer people are more time-cost efficient than those that require more people, and products that require fewer steps are more time-cost efficient than those that require more steps. Specific findings included time and cost dominance for the following products: staples over sutures, direct-current cautery over alternating-current cautery, syringes over Dermajet or Madajet, MagneSplint over suturing the nasal septum, aluminum-Velcro or aluminumfoam Denver Splint and Xomed Bridgemaster over any of the polypropylene heat-sensitive splints, Rhino Rocket and Merocel over Vaseline gauze, Brennan RhinoCath over manual blood removal, 1-piece Biplane liposuction cannulas over any 2-piece type, Doyle ear-dressing kit over component parts, Dale nasal dressing over component parts, preformed implants over manual forming, and Denver Splint kits over component parts. Conclusions: Each hospital or private suite will have different charges, and the range of product choices for each surgeon will be different. However, the principle is the same: If you save time, you will save money. In addition to the monetary benefit, the patient will be safer and receive less anesthesia, and the surgeon will have more time for his or her own social or professional life. Each surgeon should analyze the product choices and choose those products that will deliver quality care in less time. To save more than $100 000, the surgeon has to save only approximately 7 minutes per case on 250 cases.

Background: The Internet has the potential to become a powerful tool for the delivery of health education programs. However, it also presents challenges with recruitment and data collection. This paper reports on the failed recruiting efforts for a back pain Internet patient education study. Methods: Six hundred injured workers with back pain were needed for the study. To be eligible one must have been on disability and missed more than 10 days of work. Recruitment efforts included use of electronic medical records to identify potential subjects, web site links, direct mailings, phone calls, talks with clinic staff, as well as brochures and pamphlets in the clinic. Results: Over a fourteen-month period, only 20 subjects were recruited. A study of the barriers to recruitment revealed system related problems including: missing data in electronic medical records and inability to integrate recruiting into the medical visit. Individual problems such as computer access and language also posed barrier to recruitment. Conclusions: Developing a screening tool to identify patients who are most at risk for developing chronic back pain or re-injury may be necessary for successful recruitment. In addition, creative recruitment efforts as well as collaboration with on-line organizations such as disease specific advocacy groups, health plans, e-health publications and newsletters, employee wellness websites, as well as collaborating with other state workers compensation and insurers web sites may prove to be more effective means of recruiting on-line for injured workers.

ObjectiveThis session will explore the role of the Houston Health Department(HHD) in the City of Houston’s response to the threat of Zika. Thepanelists will provide perspective from the roles of Bureau Chief,informatician, and epidemiologist and provide insight into lessonslearned and strategic successes.IntroductionZika virus spread quickly through South and Central America in2015. The City of Houston saw its first travel-related Zika cases inDecember of 2015. On January 29th, the City held the first planningmeeting with regional partners from healthcare, blood banks,petrochemical companies, mosquito control, and others. Additionallythe City activated Incident Command Structure (ICS) and designatedthe Public Health Authority as the Incident Commander.Initial steps taken by HHD included expanding the capabilityand capacity of the public health laboratory to test for Zika virus;expand surveillance efforts; created an educational campaign aroundthe “3Ds” of Zika defense (Drain, Dress, DEET) which were thendisseminated through several means, including a mass mailing withwater bills; and provided DEET to mothers through the WIC program.The Houston Health Department took the lead in authoringthe City’s Zika Action Plan. In this 3 goals and 6 strategies wereidentified. Goals included 1) Keep Houstonians and visitors aware ofthe threat of Zika; 2) minimize the spread of the virus; and 3) protectpregnant women from the virus. The 6 strategies employed were toA) develop preparedness plans; B) implement ICS within the City;C) ensure situational awareness through surveillance; D) Increasecommunity awareness; E) reduce opportunities for Zika mosquitobreeding grounds; and F) provide direct intervention to reduce thethreat of Zika.HHD was responsible for many of the action items within theplan. We conducted several community outreach events, where wedisseminated educational materials, t-shirts, DEET, and other give-aways. These events allowed frequent engagement with the public forbidrectional communication on how to approach the threat.

ObjectiveImprove disease reporting and outbreak mangement.IntroductionSpecific communicable diseases have to be reported by law withina specific time period. In Ohio, prior to 2001, most of these diseasereports were on paper reports that were reported from providers tolocal health departments. In turn the Communicable Disease Nursemailed the hardcopies to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).In 2001 the Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS) was rolled out toall local public health agencies in Ohio.1ODRS is Ohio’s portion ofthe National Electronic Disease Surveillance System. ODRS shouldnot be confused with syndromic surveillance systems that are fordetecting a disease outbreak before the disease itself is detected.2Chronic disease surveillance system data has been evaluated forlong term trends and potential enhancements.3However, the use ofcommunicable disease reports vary greatly.4 However, the exportdata has not routinely been used for quality improvement purposesof the disease reporting process itself. In December 2014, GreeneCounty Public Health (GCPH) begain a project to improve reportingof communicable diseases and the response to disease outbreaks.MethodsInitial efforts were to understand the current disease reportingprocess: Quantitative management techniques including creating alogic model and process map of the existing process, brainstormingand ranking of issues. The diseases selected to study included:Campylobacteriosis, Cryptosporidiosis, E. coli O157:H7 &shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Giardiasis, Influenza-associatedhospitalization, Legionnaires’ disease, Pertussis, Salmonellosis,and Shigellosis. The next steps included creating a data collectionand analysis plan. An updated process map was created and thepre- and post-process maps were compared to identify areas toimprove. The median number of days were compared before andafter improvements were implemented. Modeling of the impact ofthe process improvements on the median number of days reportedwas conducted. Estimation of the impact in healthy number of daysderived from the reduction in days to report (if any) were calculated.ResultsProcess improvements identified: Ensure all disease reportersuse digital reporting methods preferably starting with electroniclaboratory reporting directly to the online disease reporting system,with other methods such as direct web data entry into system, faxinglab reports, orsecure emailing reports, with no or little hard copy mailing;Centralize incoming email and fax reports (eliminating process steps);Standardize backup staffing procedures for disease reporting staff;Formalize incident command procedures under the authorized personin charge for every incident rather than distribute command betweenenvironmental and clinical services; and place communicable diseasereporting under that single authority rather than clinical services. Thedays to report diseases were reduced from a median of 2 to .5 days(p<.001). All the diseases were improved except for crytosporodiumdue to an outlier report two months late. The estimated societalhealthy days saved were valued at $52,779 in the first eight monthsafter implementation of the improvements.ConclusionsImprovements in disease reporting decreased the reporting timefrom over 2 days to less than 1 day on average. Estimated societalhealthy days saved by this project during the first 9 months was$52,779. Management of early command and control for outbreakresponse was improved.

Western images of Japan tell a seemingly incongruous story of love, sex and marriage – one full of contradictions and conflicting moral codes. We sometimes hear intriguing stories about the unique sexual culture of Japan – from vending machines that dispense soiled schoolgirl panties (Gerster 143), erotic manga (Ito 70; Newitz 2) to automated love hotels (Kersten 387) available for the discreet quickie. These Western portrayals seem to focus primarily on the unusual and quirky side of Japan’s culture constructing this modern Asian culture as simultaneously traditional and seemingly liberated. But what happens, when Japanese love goes global – when exotic others (Westerners) enter the picture? This article is shaped by an understanding of a new world space where cultural products and national images are becoming increasingly globalised, while at the same time more localised and “fragmented into contestatory enclaves of difference, coalition and resistance” (Wilson, 1). It examines ‘the local’, briefly exploring the racial and gender ideologies that pattern relationships between Western and Japanese adults living in Japan focussing on the unique perspective of Western women living and working in provincial Japan. Our research is based on four month’s ethnographic field work carried out within a small provincial Japanese city (which was home to 130 native English speakers, most of whom are employed as English language teachers) and interviews with 12 key participants. Japanese colloquialisms like sebun-irebun (seven eleven), burasagarizoku (arm hangers) and yellow cabs (women as easy to hail as taxis – by foreigners) are used to denote the sexual availability of some Japanese women (Kelskey, Flirting with the Foreign 178). Western women in this study have also invented a colloquialism to allude to sexual availability, with the term ‘zero to hero’ used to describe many Western men who, upon arrival in Japan, find themselves highly sought after by some Japanese women as prospective partners. Western women’s social appeal in the local heterosexual community, on the other hand, is in direct contrast to their male equivalents. A greater social distance exists between Japanese males and Western females, who report finding little genuine opportunity to date local males. Letting the c(h)at out of the bag While living and socialising with English language teachers we became privy to women’s conversation about interracial gender issues within Japan. Western women’s reflections about gender issues within Japan have, so far, been given little or no public voice. This is due, in part, to these women’s cultural and gender isolation while living in Japan, and a general reluctance to publicly voice their opinions, combined with issues about how much it is ‘politically correct’ to say. This reticence can be attributed to a genuine fear of being misconstrued as envious, either of their male colleagues’ newfound social status or Japanese women’s attractiveness. It may also be that, by voicing these observations about interracial gender relationships in Japan, these women will publicly position themselves as powerless and thus lose any voice they do have. Western women who arrive in Japan with expectations of living active (heterosexual) sex lives often find themselves left out in the cold (My Nippon), and while many of their male colleagues are busy pursuing and being pursued by Japanese women their own social interaction with Japanese males is often restricted to awkward conversations with seemingly wary, shy or aloof Japanese men or crude suggestive conversations at the hands of drunken Japanese males. Some women experience their sense of self-esteem, which relies partly on sexual identity and a sense of attractiveness, plummets in these circumstances. Clarissa, a 24-year-old Australian who spent a few months waiting for her partner to join her in Japan, noticed this happening to her. She was interviewed a week after her partner arrived in Japan. I noticed that a while ago I was feeling unattractive because nobody does anything to indicate desire or attractiveness but as soon as they get drunk they can’t get enough of you…. Sober they wouldn’t do anything but when they are drunk … they crack onto you like any Western guy. Participants in the study have proffered thoughtful explanations for this lack of Japanese male/Western female connection, other than in the comparatively uninhibited space of being ‘alcohol affected’. The reasons given include the independent personalities of those Western women who choose to move to Japan, patriarchal attitudes towards women in Japan and a general lack of communication due to cultural or language difficulties. A lot of the women who come over here are very strong and independent and they are feared [by Japanese men] the moment they get off the plane….We didn’t come over here because we are timid and shy and looking for men. Toni (above) also makes clear that her own Western expectations for romantic relationships may exclude her from having relationships with many Japanese males of less than fluent English speaking skills. I’m a talker and I like to talk about ideas and books and I would find it very difficult to have…. a more intense relationship with a person that I couldn’t communicate with on that level. Western notions of romance and marriage, particularly Western women’s expectations concerning sex and romance, involve demonstration of warmth and affection, as well as a meeting of minds or in-depth conversation. Lack of a shared language and different expectations of romantic liaisons and love are some of the factors that can combine to create cross-cultural distance and misunderstanding between Western women and Japanese men. Zero to heroes Japanese women often seek Western men living in this transnational borderland as an alternative to Japanese boyfriends and husbands (Kelskey, Japanese Women's Diaspora). Western women in this study used the term ‘zero to hero’ to depict sought-after Western men, specifically those Western males who misuse this rise in status and behave badly in Japan. These men, as reported, are greatly over-represented in Japan when compared to their respective home communities. Above average-looking European guy, with above average intelligence seeks above average-looking Japanese lady who can cook a little. (Tokyo classifieds) Open discussion about the appeal of Western men to Japanese women seems to elicit critical reactions on either side of the racial and gender divide. For instance online chat discussions about interracial gender issues in Japan evidences the fiercely defensive position many Western men take when confronted with this notion. (see Aldwinckle a, Aldwinkle b, Aldwinkle c). It is clear, therefore, that this phenomenon is not limited to our research location. Women participants in this particular study detailed many examples of ‘zero to heroes’ behaving badly including: overrated opinion of themselves; insulting and degrading behaviour towards women in public – particularly Japanese women; inability to work cooperatively with women superiors in the workplace; sexual liaisons outside of monogamous relationships and in some cases complicated webs of infidelity. You know one guy’s left his wife, his Japanese wife. I didn’t even realize he was married because he had a Japanese girlfriend. I thought he was playing up on his Japanese girlfriend when I saw him with someone else, but he was actually playing up on both his wife and his girlfriend…. I mean the guys are behaving in ways that they wouldn’t get away with in their own countries. So the women from those countries are, of course, appalled (Marie). Japanese women’s desire for the company of Western males seems based on essentialised notions of the Western male as being more gentle, romantic and egalitarian than Japanese males. Analysis by Creighton, along with our own observations, indicates that there is ‘prevalent use of foreigners, particularly white foreigners, or gaijin, in Japanese advertising (135)’, constructing a discourse of the ‘desirable other’. Western images and ideals are also communicated through media texts (particularly Japanese women’s magazines) and promote ideals like individuality, leisure, international sophistication and sexual expression. It is clear from this research and other studies (Kelskey, Japanese Women's Diaspora) that Japanese women (living in Japan) perceive Western men as being more affectionate, kind and egalitarian than Japanese males. However, the notion of a caring and romantic Western male does not seem to be based in the reality of the situation as described by in situ Western females. Here the zero to hero construction of Western masculinity holds sway. Western females in this transnational borderland portray many of their male counterparts as general losers. One participant explained the phenomenon thus: I think that consciously or subconsciously the reason a lot of these men come over here is because they can’t really find a relationship at home. [She explains further] somebody [Western male] told me that I remind them of everything that they are not back in their own country. Gerster describes the attraction Japanese women have for the West (America in particular) as a ‘fatal attraction’ because most of these women will not realize their desire to marry their Western boyfriends or lovers (146-148). These women’s desire for the West (which is accomplishable and articulated through a Western partner) seems doomed from the start and it is questionable as to whether these relationships fulfil the aspirations of many of these women. Nevertheless, some Japanese women and Western men are more aware of this and are relatively explicit about their own desires. Japanese cute girl seeking native speakers [native English speakers] who don’t lie, never betray, are funny and handsome. If you are a man like that, try me. (Tokyo classifieds) American, 33, from California looking for Japanese girl, 20s, for having fun together. No marriage-minded girls please. Japanese ok. (Tokyo classifieds) Conclusion The Japanese national desire to be viewed as progressive and modern is, as with most societies, closely aligned with material commodities, particularly Western commodities. This means that within Japan “Western images probably have more advantage over indigenous ones” (Gerster 165) particularly for Japanese women. The local assumptions and generalisations about the Western men and women living and teaching in this transnational borderland are seemingly constructed by essentialised understandings of Western masculinity and femininity and differentiating these with Japanese notions of masculinity and femininity. However, as Kelsky (Japanese Women's Diaspora) and the participants in this study suggest, those Japanese women (who desire the West) may find their expectations do not match the realities of dating Western males in Japan since many Western men do not seem to live up to this essentialized view of the Western male as a romantic and egalitarian male partner who is ready to commit to marriage. Works Cited Aldwinckle, Dave. ‘Gender Issues in Japan, Part one: The loneliness of the long-distance runner (Publication of Exerts from Postings on Issho Mailing List)’ Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle's Activists’ Page (meaning information for people concerned with social issues who want to help make life better for everyone in Japan). 1998. http://www.debito.org/genderissues.html 21.02 2001. ----. ‘Gender Issues in Japan, Part two: greatest hits and apologia (Publication of Exerts from Postings on Issho Mailing List)’ Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle's Activists’ Page (meaning information for people concerned with social issues who want to help make life better for everyone in Japan). 1998. http://www.debito.org/genderissuestwo.html 21.02 2001. ----. ‘Gender Issues in Japan Part three: my comeuppance (Publication of Exerts from Postings on Issho Mailing List)’ Arudou Debito/Dave Aldwinckle's Activists’ Page (meaning information for people concerned with social issues who want to help make life better for everyone in Japan). 1998. http://www.debito.org/genderissuesthree.... 21.02 2001. Creighton, Millie R. ‘Imaging the Other in Japanese Advertising Campaigns’. Occidentalism: Images of the West. Ed. James G. Carrier. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Gerster, Robin. Legless in Ginza: Orientating Japan. Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1999. Ito., Kinko. ‘The World of Japanese Ladies' Comics: From Romantic Fantasy to Lustful Perversion’. Journal of Popular Culture 36.1 (2002): 68--86. ‘Japan Lovers Sex Life in Japan? Really!’. My Nippon E-zine . 2001. http://www.mynippon.com/index.htm. 28.04 2001. Kelsky, Karen. ‘Intimate Ideologies: Transnational Theory and Japan's "Yellow Cabs"’. Public Culture 6 (1994): 465-78. ----. ‘Flirting with the Foreign: Interracial Sex in Japan's "International" Age’. Global/Local: Cultural Production and the Transnational Imagery. Eds. Rob Wilson and Winmal Dissanayake. Durham: Duke University Press, 1996. 173 - 92. ----. ‘Japanese Women's Diaspora: An Interview’. Intersections 4 (2000): http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersecti... . 26.02 2002 Kersten., Joachim. ‘Culture, Masculinities and Violence against Women. (Masculinities, Social Relations and Crime)’. British Journal of Criminology, Summer 36.3 (1996): 381-96. ‘Men looking for women’. Tokyo Metropolis (2002) http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/curren... 11.10.2002 Newitz, Annalee. "Magicial Girls and Atomic Bomb Sperm: Japanese Animation in America." Film quarterly 49.1 (1995): 2-15. Wilson, Rob, and Wimal Dissanayake. ‘Introduction: Tracking the Global/Local’. Global/Local: Cultural Production and the Transnational Imagery. Eds. Rob Wilson and Wimal Dissanayake. Durham: Duke University Press, 1996. 1-18. ‘Women looking for men’. Metropolis. (2002) http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/curren... 11.10.2002 Links http://www.debito.org/genderissues.html http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/current/classifieds/13.03_personals.asp http://www.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/current/classifieds/13.02_personals.asp http://www.elle.co.jp/home/index2.php3 http://wwwsshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/ http://www3.tky.3web.ne.jp/~edjacob/hotels.html http://www.dnp.co.jp/museum/nmp/nmp_i/articles/manga/manga2-1.html http://www.debito.org/genderissuesthree.html http://www.sshe.murdoch.edu.au/intersections/ http://www.mynippon.com/index.htm http://www.debito.org/genderissuestwo.html Citation reference for this article Substitute your date of access for Dn Month Year etc... MLA Style Holloway, Donell and Holloway, David. "Zero to hero" M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture 5.6 (2002). Dn Month Year < http://www.media-culture.org.au/0211/zerotohero.php>. APA Style Holloway, D. & Holloway, D., (2002, Nov 20). Zero to hero. M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture, 5,(6). Retrieved Month Dn, Year, from http://www.media-culture.org.au/0211/zerotohero.html

The objective of the study was to analyse selected e-mail (newsletter) campaigns to show what kind of information companies share in their campaigns, what is the optimal frequency of mailings and how is this form of marketing communication perceived by the recipients. This objective was achieved using two methods: Firstly, newsletters from selected companies were collected and analysed as to their content, frequency and other specific features. Secondly, a questionnaire was administered to mailing recipients. The results obtained using the above methodology show that campaign recipients currently tend to perceive newsletters negatively and there are specific negative elements that deter recipients.

It has been considered that spam is one of the worst advertising tools in the Internet because of wide range of porno, Viagra, luxury brands’ replicas and other unwanted mailings all over the world; nevertheless, a lot of companies continue to use this tool for products’ or services’ introduction to their potential clients and partners. According to the author’s personal four-year-experience in marketing field, the mostly asked question by companies is how to advertise the product or service to new potential partners or clients using spam without losing the reputation of the company. The author wishes to investigate whether it is possible by carefully thought-out and aimed at the right market spam advertisement to draw people’s attention. This study employs partly quantitative and partly qualitative research approach. Empirical data collection is organized through questionnaires and personal mailing experiment. Random people who filled in the first questionnaire were from the author’s personal network all over the world. Regarding the second questionnaire the author has chosen to research Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as the area of medium-sized companies’ location. The author used 2 million American e-mail addresses in her personal mailing experiment. In order to analyze the findings through a set of graphical techniques exploratory data analysis was used. Both questionnaires consisted from dichotomous (Yes-no) questions, alternative questions, wh-questions and descriptive questions, analysis of which incorporated through the literature review. In addition to this, personal mailing experiment is present in the study where the author tests the attitude towards spam and the perception of advertisement based on the literature review as well. It became clear that it is possible by carefully thought-out and aimed at the right market spam advertisement to draw people’s attention. The author’s experiment has proved that there are some people or the e-mail users who actually buy products advertised in spam e-mails. One of the factors that influence attitude towards e-mails might be because of the particular spam usefulness or low time consumption but the success of the online advertisement depends on people’s perception. In the particular case the attitude towards advertisement was determined by advertisement’s execution and feelings transferred by it. It is important to remember that advertisers have to take main nuances into account when introducing products or services to new clients or partners, such as clear understanding of spam mailing goals, topics of interest, perception of visual information, time of advertisement, and trust.

In the framework of public auctions the auction-companies work, which on the one hand face the problem of realizing the public auction from the point of view of marketing, on the other hand, at the same time, they try to be visible in the relationship the auctioneer and the auction proposer. It is a closed cycle whose task is to strengthen the marketing potential and, at the same time to increase the financial profit of the firm. The aim of this diplom thesis is focused on the advertising acivities of a smalll auction company, which at present is not very effective. This auction company has been lately rather successful and has proved its vitality, on the contrary, its profits in the form af the auctioneer´s rewards have started to stagnate. One of the reasons may be its lack of financial means which might have been released for the purpose of advertising. That is why, the aim of this diploma thesis is to avaluate the present advertising activities of an auction company. The positive and negative working of a concrete auctioneer in the public auctions market is going to be specified by help of single cases. The aim is also the identifying of the elementary mistakes giving evidences of bad advertising activities of the company. In the conclusion some recommendations concerning advertising activities are defined; their task is to enable small auction companies to make themselves more visible in the public auctions market.

With the aid of a "case study" research design, this thesis analyses the typology of informational services, whose prudent application can influence relations of institutions existing within the drama industry with the broader public. The theoretical part sheds light on the problematic definition of "information services", which is placed in the context of online marketing, and introduces ways, in which this term possesses an added value in the form of affecting the applied processes of public relations within particular institutions. Secondly, it includes basic methodological perspectives on quantitative research, the rules of performing case study research as the selected research design, and last but not least, it describes utilised methods of data collection. The last and most key part of the thesis is based on resulting application of the typology of information services, discussed in the previous parts, and concerns itself with the aforementioned question of their influence on public relation processes of individual institutions. These include the information portal divadlo.cz, which serves caters for the domestic sphere of theatre, and an official web presentation of the Divadlo na Zabradli theatre. The analysis is of inductive nature and is not directed by a previously determined...

With the advent of the electronic mail system in the 1970s, a new opportunity for direct marketing using unsolicited electronic mail became apparent. In 1978, Gary Thuerk compiled a list of those on the Arpanet and then sent out a huge mailing publicising Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC—now Compaq) systems. The reaction from the Defense Communications Agency (DCA), who ran Arpanet, was very negative, and it was this negative reaction that ensured that it was a long time before unsolicited e-mail was used again (Templeton, 2003). As long as the U.S. government controlled a major part of the backbone, most forms of commercial activity were forbidden (Hayes, 2003). However, in 1993, the Internet Network Information Center was privatized, and with no central government controls, spam, as it is now called, came into wider use. The term spam was taken from the Monty Python Flying Circus (a UK comedy group) and their comedy skit that featured the ironic spam song sung in praise of spam (luncheon meat)—“spam, spam, spam, lovely spam”—and it came to mean mail that was unsolicited. Conversely, the term ham came to mean e-mail that was wanted. Brad Templeton, a UseNet pioneer and chair of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, has traced the first usage of the term spam back to MUDs (Multi User Dungeons), or real-time multi-person shared environment, and the MUD community. These groups introduced the term spam to the early chat rooms (Internet Relay Chats). The first major UseNet (the world’s largest online conferencing system) spam sent in January 1994 and was a religious posting: “Global alert for all: Jesus is coming soon.” The term spam was more broadly popularised in April 1994, when two lawyers, Canter and Siegel from Arizona, posted a message that advertized their information and legal services for immigrants applying for the U.S. Green Card scheme. The message was posted to every newsgroup on UseNet, and after this incident, the term spam became synonymous with junk or unsolicited e-mail. Spam spread quickly among the UseNet groups who were easy targets for spammers simply because the e-mail addresses of members were widely available (Templeton, 2003).

This article studies social networks on the Internet created by popular applications such as e-mails, Web, chat, file sharing via peer-to-peer interaction, and online gaming. The Internet has its roots in military and academia. Connections are available around the world at academic institutions, military installations, government agencies, commercial enterprises, commercial information providers (AOL, CompuServe, and MSN), and Internet service providers. The Internet offers the following services: sending and receiving e-mail (electronic mail), transferring files between computers, participating in discussion groups through newsgroups and mailing lists, searching and retrieving information, chat, Internet relay chat, instant messaging, Internet telephony (voice chat), and on-line shopping. Newsgroups contain databases of messages on topics. They are similar to mailing lists, except that e-mail messages are posted to newsgroup sites. Bulletin boards and discussion groups offer similar services. People “surf the net” to find information and download files and connect directly to other computers. Web pages are used to communicate with customers and suppliers, describe organizations and products, tender documents, and provide services (banking, stocks, and software).

Although scientific research has always been a social activity, in recent years the adoption of Internet- based communication tools by researchers (e.g., e-mail, electronic discussion boards, electronic mailing lists, videoconferencing, weblogs) has led to profound changes in social interaction and collaboration among them. Research suggests that Internet technologies can improve and increase communication among noncollocated researchers, increase the size of work groups, increase equality of access to information by helping to integrate disadvantaged and less established researchers, help to coordinate work more efficiently, help to exchange documents and information quickly (Carley &Wendt, 1991; Nentwich, 2003). There is abundant research on new forms of group work originated from the use of computer technologies. Carley and Wendt (1991) use the term extended research group to refer to very large, cohesive, and highly cooperative research groups that, even being geographically dispersed, are coordinated under the supervision of a single director. The term collaboratory is also used to refer to similar groups (Finholt, 2002). Although there is much research on how Internet technologies are used by unified and cohesive work groups to collaborate (e.g., Moon & Sproull, 2002; Walsh & Maloney, 2002), less attention has been paid to how the Internet facilitates collaboration among researchers outside these highly cohesive groups. Weblogs (blogs) can become a useful tool for this type of collaboration and for the creation of virtual groups. Weblogs are frequently updated Web pages, consisting of many relatively short postings, organized in reverse chronological order, which tend to include the date, and a comment button so that readers can answer (Herring, Scheidt, Bonus, & Wright, 2004). They enable users to communicate with a worldwide nonrestricted community of people in similar fields, which leads to several forms of collaboration. The purpose of this article is to present a brief overview of the uses of weblogs as tools for research e-collaboration. Defining the concept of “research e-collaboration” precisely is extremely difficult. Here we assume that members of a virtual community engage in research e-collaboration when they use e-collaborating technologies in order to share information and discuss issues which contribute to advancing knowledge in a specific area.

Although scientific research has always been a social activity, in recent years the adoption of Internet-based communication tools by researchers (e.g., e-mail, electronic discussion boards, electronic mailing lists, videoconferencing, weblogs) has led to profound changes in social interaction and collaboration among them. Research suggests that Internet technologies can improve and increase communication among noncollocated researchers, increase the size of work groups, increase equality of access to information by helping to integrate disadvantaged and less established researchers, help to coordinate work more efficiently, help to exchange documents and information quickly (Carley & Wendt, 1991; Nentwich, 2003). There is abundant research on new forms of group work originated from the use of computer technologies. Carley and Wendt (1991) use the term extended research group to refer to very large, cohesive, and highly cooperative research groups that, even being geographically dispersed, are coordinated under the supervision of a single director. The term collaboratory is also used to refer to similar groups (Finholt, 2002). Although there is much research on how Internet technologies are used by unified and cohesive work groups to collaborate (e.g., Moon & Sproull, 2002; Walsh & Maloney, 2002), less attention has been paid to how the Internet facilitates collaboration among researchers outside these highly cohesive groups. Weblogs (blogs) can become a useful tool for this type of collaboration and for the creation of virtual groups. Weblogs are frequently updated Web pages, consisting of many relatively short postings, organized in reverse chronological order, which tend to include the date, and a comment button so that readers can answer (Herring, Scheidt, Bonus, & Wright, 2004). They enable users to communicate with a worldwide nonrestricted community of people in similar fields, which leads to several forms of collaboration. The purpose of this article is to present a brief overview of the uses of weblogs as tools for research e-collaboration.