The Arizona Stock Exchange (AZX), an electronically enabled stock exchange for carrying out eTrading after usual stock market hours, was founded by Steve Wunsch, a former Kidder Peabody Vice President. Founded in 1990 as Wunsch Auction Systems, the headquarters of the company was based in New York. The technology trading center was originally based in Minnesota and built and run by a group of former Cray Research Supercomputer technologists that included Christopher Moran, Gray Lorig, Kerry Yndestad and Paul Sustman.
In early 1992 the company was recast as AZX or the Arizona Stock Exchange and both the headquarters and technology trading center were moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
Restricted to use by large institutional users only, participants could conduct screen based trades of equity and other products through either direct dial-up or internet access. The Arizona Stock Exchange was structured as a proprietary "Single Price" electronic call market. Unique to the Arizona Stock Exchange was the ability to discover the best or "single" price for a stock during the auction based upon supply and demand utilizing both an open book and reserve book of equity orders. Operating under a de minimis exemption, it was not required to be registered or regulated as a stock exchange with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The general philosophy behind the Arizona Stock Exchange was to let natural buyers and sellers of equities trade directly with one another without intermediation by a broker or dealer. The AZX sought to reduce transaction costs for its participants, remove volatility from the market and determine more robust and fair pricing for equities traded.

aglev is an elevated magnetic levitation train that can travel at speeds over 250 m.p.h. There are several demonstration projects planned across the U. S., including one in Orlando. Approval and completion of the Orlando project would produce the first commercially operated train of this type in the world. Maglev Transit, Inc. (MTI), Orlando, received the certificate for Florida's demonstration project using German maglev technology.

The proposed maglev would run between the Orlando International Airport and International Drive, a central point for tourists gathering outside Walt Disney World. From International Drive, tourists are within three to 15 minutes driving time from hotels along International Drive, at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, and along U.S. 192 in Kissimmee, Fla.

By rental car or taxi, it typically takes 30 to 45 minutes to cover the 13.5 miles from the airport to International Drive. Via maglev, the trip would be cut to six-and-a-half to seven minutes.

Maglev Transit, Inc. engaged the author to design a study that would measure consumer and travel agent opinion toward the proposed mode of high speed transportation. Armed with this information, ridership estimates could be determined based on various fare scenarios and an optimum fare provided to the financial plan being developed for the FDOT, the Florida Department of Transportation and MTI's investor group. In addition to MTI, the research steering committee included representatives from FDOT, Transrapid (the German maglev train design and engineering team), C-Itoh USA (a Japanese consortium), and Amtrak.

This article is the consolidation of a two-part study that integrates qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The first section of the article presents the design and results of the qualitative phase; the latter section highlights the results of the quantitative phase.

Measure appeal
The study sought to understand consumer reaction to the maglev concept, its appeal as an alternate mode of ground transportation, its allure as an attraction, and the level of fare sensitivity of potential riders. From travel agents, the study sought attitudes toward incorporating maglev as a transportation portion of tour packages.

The study objectives of the qualitative phase included:

* Measuring the level of expectations of the system, including wait time between trains and the viability of having an "attraction center" promoting the maglev at the airport.

* Insight into the sensitivity of automatic baggage transfer from the inbound airline to the hotel and its impact on maglev ridership decisions.

* An indication of fare boundaries for the trade-off analysis in the quantitative phase and discussion of question design.

* From travel agents, input regarding maglev's "salability" and how it might be incorporated into travel packages.

* Appropriate strategies for product introduction.

PHASE ONE
Qualitative research traditionally precedes more detailed analytical methods for a variety of reasons. Some researchers use a focus group setting for brainstorming; many use its relaxed environment to obtain consumer opinion on particular products and services. Today, researchers are beginning to integrate quantitative methods into the qualitative arena, testing future survey designs and ultimately helping to formulate studies that provide more informed decision making.

Focus groups for the maglev project involved both automobile and air travelers who frequented central Florida for vacation purposes. There also were sessions with travel agents who book a lot of trips to the area.

Participant selection criteria included travel to the Orlando area with quotas involving travel patterns, family type (with and without children), household income and gender. Sessions were held with three types of consumers: those who travel to Orlando by plane, those who travel by car, and "snow birds," those who live elsewhere but maintain a home in Florida, spending four to six months of the year there.

All eight focus group sessions (Figure 1) integrated surveys to supplement the basic qualitative effort. After viewing a short concept video, participants responded to an initial reaction survey. Another survey, with subsequent discussion, at the end of each session obtained more in-depth data on usability and several trade-off question designs, one of which would be used in phase two of the project.

Businesses are continuously developing. Multinational companies recognized the similarities between international markets and most of them tried it to integrate into the overall global strategy. Such changes actually affect the overall performance of a certain business. With this regard, this paper will be discussing the impact of global integration to a mobile phone service company. Global integration simply corresponds to the identification of similarities between international markets and integrates it to overall global strategy. Meaning to say, different variables in global perspective should carefully assessed by businesses who wanted to adopt global integration.

The primary drive of companies and firms to integrate globally is their intention or desire to expand and widen their target markets. The expansion and widening of the target markets of international firms indicates that the firm has enough resources to sustain and maintain its operations and production. Expansion of the company also indicates that the company has acquired enough knowledge in maintaining the operation of the company, thus, more learned and experienced in its own industry. This is a major factor to recognize, for with the desire to expand, the company aims for more profit and sales, which would enable to company to become more established in its industry. Second major factor to recognize and emphasize is the role of diversification, which is related to the presence of different cultures and races in the company. Several positive effects are attributed to diversification, and includes efficient resource allocation through internal capital markets, the increase in the ability of firms to internalize market failures, and increase in productivity (as cited in Li & Jin, 2006). In addition, diversification can also increase the generation of ideas, for more individuals become involved in the processes of the firm. Employees are also exposed to more cultures, practices and knowledge, thus, developing its organizational culture. Third major influence is the open opportunities for firms to engage in new business ventures, which would provide them with chances for more profit and prestige. New business ventures involve the production of new products or the innovation of a specific product or service. Fourth major influence or drive is the fact that firms may achieve fame or prestige if it globalize. The establishment of name, product/service, and reputation in specific countries and continents gives the business organization a chance to be regarded as one of the most successful business organizations in the whole world, thus, becoming more established in its own industry. Last major influence is the possibility of attracting new and more talents and skills in the company, which would give the organization the edge of performing well over other companies.
 
The Arizona Stock Exchange (AZX), an electronically enabled stock exchange for carrying out eTrading after usual stock market hours, was founded by Steve Wunsch, a former Kidder Peabody Vice President. Founded in 1990 as Wunsch Auction Systems, the headquarters of the company was based in New York. The technology trading center was originally based in Minnesota and built and run by a group of former Cray Research Supercomputer technologists that included Christopher Moran, Gray Lorig, Kerry Yndestad and Paul Sustman.
In early 1992 the company was recast as AZX or the Arizona Stock Exchange and both the headquarters and technology trading center were moved to Phoenix, Arizona.
Restricted to use by large institutional users only, participants could conduct screen based trades of equity and other products through either direct dial-up or internet access. The Arizona Stock Exchange was structured as a proprietary "Single Price" electronic call market. Unique to the Arizona Stock Exchange was the ability to discover the best or "single" price for a stock during the auction based upon supply and demand utilizing both an open book and reserve book of equity orders. Operating under a de minimis exemption, it was not required to be registered or regulated as a stock exchange with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The general philosophy behind the Arizona Stock Exchange was to let natural buyers and sellers of equities trade directly with one another without intermediation by a broker or dealer. The AZX sought to reduce transaction costs for its participants, remove volatility from the market and determine more robust and fair pricing for equities traded.

aglev is an elevated magnetic levitation train that can travel at speeds over 250 m.p.h. There are several demonstration projects planned across the U. S., including one in Orlando. Approval and completion of the Orlando project would produce the first commercially operated train of this type in the world. Maglev Transit, Inc. (MTI), Orlando, received the certificate for Florida's demonstration project using German maglev technology.

The proposed maglev would run between the Orlando International Airport and International Drive, a central point for tourists gathering outside Walt Disney World. From International Drive, tourists are within three to 15 minutes driving time from hotels along International Drive, at Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista, and along U.S. 192 in Kissimmee, Fla.

By rental car or taxi, it typically takes 30 to 45 minutes to cover the 13.5 miles from the airport to International Drive. Via maglev, the trip would be cut to six-and-a-half to seven minutes.

Maglev Transit, Inc. engaged the author to design a study that would measure consumer and travel agent opinion toward the proposed mode of high speed transportation. Armed with this information, ridership estimates could be determined based on various fare scenarios and an optimum fare provided to the financial plan being developed for the FDOT, the Florida Department of Transportation and MTI's investor group. In addition to MTI, the research steering committee included representatives from FDOT, Transrapid (the German maglev train design and engineering team), C-Itoh USA (a Japanese consortium), and Amtrak.

This article is the consolidation of a two-part study that integrates qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The first section of the article presents the design and results of the qualitative phase; the latter section highlights the results of the quantitative phase.

Measure appeal
The study sought to understand consumer reaction to the maglev concept, its appeal as an alternate mode of ground transportation, its allure as an attraction, and the level of fare sensitivity of potential riders. From travel agents, the study sought attitudes toward incorporating maglev as a transportation portion of tour packages.

The study objectives of the qualitative phase included:

* Measuring the level of expectations of the system, including wait time between trains and the viability of having an "attraction center" promoting the maglev at the airport.

* Insight into the sensitivity of automatic baggage transfer from the inbound airline to the hotel and its impact on maglev ridership decisions.

* An indication of fare boundaries for the trade-off analysis in the quantitative phase and discussion of question design.

* From travel agents, input regarding maglev's "salability" and how it might be incorporated into travel packages.

* Appropriate strategies for product introduction.

PHASE ONE
Qualitative research traditionally precedes more detailed analytical methods for a variety of reasons. Some researchers use a focus group setting for brainstorming; many use its relaxed environment to obtain consumer opinion on particular products and services. Today, researchers are beginning to integrate quantitative methods into the qualitative arena, testing future survey designs and ultimately helping to formulate studies that provide more informed decision making.

Focus groups for the maglev project involved both automobile and air travelers who frequented central Florida for vacation purposes. There also were sessions with travel agents who book a lot of trips to the area.

Participant selection criteria included travel to the Orlando area with quotas involving travel patterns, family type (with and without children), household income and gender. Sessions were held with three types of consumers: those who travel to Orlando by plane, those who travel by car, and "snow birds," those who live elsewhere but maintain a home in Florida, spending four to six months of the year there.

All eight focus group sessions (Figure 1) integrated surveys to supplement the basic qualitative effort. After viewing a short concept video, participants responded to an initial reaction survey. Another survey, with subsequent discussion, at the end of each session obtained more in-depth data on usability and several trade-off question designs, one of which would be used in phase two of the project.

Businesses are continuously developing. Multinational companies recognized the similarities between international markets and most of them tried it to integrate into the overall global strategy. Such changes actually affect the overall performance of a certain business. With this regard, this paper will be discussing the impact of global integration to a mobile phone service company. Global integration simply corresponds to the identification of similarities between international markets and integrates it to overall global strategy. Meaning to say, different variables in global perspective should carefully assessed by businesses who wanted to adopt global integration.

The primary drive of companies and firms to integrate globally is their intention or desire to expand and widen their target markets. The expansion and widening of the target markets of international firms indicates that the firm has enough resources to sustain and maintain its operations and production. Expansion of the company also indicates that the company has acquired enough knowledge in maintaining the operation of the company, thus, more learned and experienced in its own industry. This is a major factor to recognize, for with the desire to expand, the company aims for more profit and sales, which would enable to company to become more established in its industry. Second major factor to recognize and emphasize is the role of diversification, which is related to the presence of different cultures and races in the company. Several positive effects are attributed to diversification, and includes efficient resource allocation through internal capital markets, the increase in the ability of firms to internalize market failures, and increase in productivity (as cited in Li & Jin, 2006). In addition, diversification can also increase the generation of ideas, for more individuals become involved in the processes of the firm. Employees are also exposed to more cultures, practices and knowledge, thus, developing its organizational culture. Third major influence is the open opportunities for firms to engage in new business ventures, which would provide them with chances for more profit and prestige. New business ventures involve the production of new products or the innovation of a specific product or service. Fourth major influence or drive is the fact that firms may achieve fame or prestige if it globalize. The establishment of name, product/service, and reputation in specific countries and continents gives the business organization a chance to be regarded as one of the most successful business organizations in the whole world, thus, becoming more established in its own industry. Last major influence is the possibility of attracting new and more talents and skills in the company, which would give the organization the edge of performing well over other companies.

Hey netra, it is really nice to see that people like you are sharing such an important information and helping others. Well, i am also going to share some useful information on Arizona Stock Exchange which would be useful for many people and help them in their research or project.
 

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