Using Buyer Personas to Better Understand the Barbadian Consumer

This paper constructs three (3) basic Barbadian buyer personas and provides thirteen (13) suggestions for local businesses. Using a survey approach, the paper found that local businesses should: (1) mix traditional and digital advertising methods whenever possible; (2) include image advertisements with information about products or services in marketing campaigns; (3) keep social media websites and company websites up-to-date; (4) use Instagram, Facebook, email and WhatsApp to engage with Barbadians; (5) build brand advocates instead of loyal customers; (6) make information about products and services readily available to Barbadians; and (7) commit to answering social media and email messages timely. These results will help companies to better understand the Barbadian consumer hence improving their digital marketing efforts and return on investment (ROI). Keywords: buyer persona, Barbadian consumer, digital marketing, traditional marketing, consumer behavior, social media, Barbados. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/79-04 Publication date:May 31st 202

ISCER Marketing Mix: The New Holy Grail of Marketing Strategies

This paper proposes a modern, customer-centric and generic marketing mix to address the limitations of the numerous marketing mixes proposed over the past (almost) six decades – The I.S.C.E.R. (or ISCER and pronounced IS-SIR) Marketing Mix. ISCER represents Information, Solutions, Costs, Experiences and Relationships.The ISCER model asserts that to satisfy consumers’ wants/needs and gain a competitive advantage, the marketing executive should utilize relevant and reliable Information, to provide/create effective and efficient Solutions for consumers, at Costs the consumers are willing to incur, while creating exceptional Experiences and developing meaningful long-term Relationships with all stakeholders. Keywords: ISCER marketing mix, 4Ps Marketing Mix, marketing mix, marketing strategy, marketing, modern marketing mix, generic marketing mix. DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/88-04 Publication date: January 31st 202

Population Growth and Economic Growth/Development: An Empirical Investigation for Barbados

This paper examines the nature of the relationship between population growth and economic growth/development in a small developing country, Barbados, in the period 1980-2010. Using the  autoregressive distributed lag approach to cointegration, the paper yields the following main results: (i) population growth and population density positively and significantly affect economic growth; (ii) economic growth negatively and significantly affects population growth; (iii) natural increase rate positively and significantly affects population growth; (iv) net international migration negatively and significantly impacts population growth. These results have policy implications. Keywords:population growth,economic growth, economic development, ARDL, cointegration, Barbados

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure

Density of Upper Respiratory Colonization With Streptococcus pneumoniae and Its Role in the Diagnosis of Pneumococcal Pneumonia Among Children Aged <5 Years in the PERCH Study.

BACKGROUND.: Previous studies suggested an association between upper airway pneumococcal colonization density and pneumococcal pneumonia, but data in children are limited. Using data from the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) study, we assessed this potential association. METHODS.: PERCH is a case-control study in 7 countries: Bangladesh, The Gambia, Kenya, Mali, South Africa, Thailand, and Zambia. Cases were children aged 1-59 months hospitalized with World Health Organization-defined severe or very severe pneumonia. Controls were randomly selected from the community. Microbiologically confirmed pneumococcal pneumonia (MCPP) was confirmed by detection of pneumococcus in a relevant normally sterile body fluid. Colonization density was calculated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis of nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal specimens. RESULTS.: Median colonization density among 56 cases with MCPP (MCPP cases; 17.28 × 106 copies/mL) exceeded that of cases without MCPP (non-MCPP cases; 0.75 × 106) and controls (0.60 × 106) (each P 6.9 log10 copies/mL; overall, the sensitivity was 64% and the specificity 92%, with variable performance by site. The threshold was lower (≥4.4 log10 copies/mL) when MCPP cases were distinguished from controls who received antibiotics before specimen collection. Among the 4035 non-MCPP cases, 500 (12%) had pneumococcal colonization density >6.9 log10 copies/mL; above this cutoff was associated with alveolar consolidation at chest radiography, very severe pneumonia, oxygen saturation 6.9 log10 copies/mL was strongly associated with MCPP and could be used to improve estimates of pneumococcal pneumonia prevalence in childhood pneumonia studies. Our findings do not support its use for individual diagnosis in a clinical setting