I’m currently a Fisheries Management major and my dream is to one day be a boat captain and pursue a career in guided fishing. I thought about all the different gear and products used in my field and the one piece of equipment that plays a significant role is a Marine GPS. I chose the Cobra Professional Navigation System for this exercise. https://www.cobra.com/products/professional-navigation
After thumbing through the website I noticed several different uses of organizing information which are highighted in bold.
1.) The first example I noticed was using chronological organization. In the “About Us” tab under “History” the website includes their timeline sectioned by decade from the time it was founded until present day. Unfortunately, there were no graphics included to complement the text, which is recommended by Markel (p.152). Here is the timeline from the website:
1940s
In 1948, Carl Korn founded Central Television Service Company to provide repair service for the fledgling television industry. The industry expanded so quickly that service equipment soon became outdated. Thus, Carl and his associates began designing, producing and marketing their own test equipment. Soon, B&K Electronics was born.
1950s and 1960s
Throughout the 50s and early 60s, B&K Electronics, along with many other small electronics companies, joined forces to form Dynascan Corporation. In 1963, Dynascan engineers developed the world’s first citizens band (CB) radio, the Sidewinder, which was shortly followed by the Cobra. With widespread acceptance of CBs in the marketplace, the Cobra name caught on with consumers and eventually evolved into the symbol and brand name for this signature product.
1980s
The early 80s were boom years, with the introduction of cordless telephones and radar detectors. The Cobra name soon came to stand for technical innovation. By 1987, the company was propelled exclusively into the consumer electronics market.
1990s
In 1993, the corporate name was formally changed from Dynascan to Cobra Electronics Corporation with the NASDAQ stock trading symbol of COBR. Cobra Electronics identified the need for unique products and renewed its focus on product innovation and high-impact merchandising. This new strategy began paying impressive dividends in 1997, when the company registered double-digit revenue growth and a five-fold increase in earnings.
In January 1998, James (Jim) R. Bazet was named president and chief executive officer of Cobra Electronics Corporation. Under Jim’s leadership, the company continued to improve revenue and earnings.
2000s
Proving that providing quality products and service does not go unrecognized by customers, Cobra Electronics was the top performer in the CB radio, radar detection and two-way radio categories by the year 2000. Moving into the 21st century, Jim Bazet and the executive team focused on Cobra’s global presence. In 2003, in addition to maintaining a leadership role in its core categories, Cobra Electronics entered two new growth categories–marine electronics and mobile navigation.
2010s
Cobra Electronics Corporation has grown and prospered over the past 50 years to become a leading designer and marketer of consumer electronics products. Once a small television repair business located in founder Carl Korn’s garage, Cobra Electronics products can now be found in more than 75 countries and 55,000 storefronts globally and continues to grow throughout the world.
Today’s product offerings include a large array of devices for anyone from professional drivers and driving enthusiasts to outdoor recreational and boating enthusiasts. Explore Cobra Electronics products.
Cobra Electronics is headquartered in Chicago and has international offices in Dublin, Ireland and Hong Kong.
2.) The second example I noticed was on the “Discover” tab which uses classification of assigning items to categories (Markel, p. 158). Cobra.com divided into four categories: Driver Enthusiast, Outdoor Recreationist, Professional Driver, and Boater. When I clicked the “Boater tab” it led me to a page that was perfect for my interest and included this heading: CobraMarine includes a complete line of handheld and fixed mount radios to help ensure safety while boating. Our handhelds have a floating design and orange core making it easier to retrieve if ever dropped. And with Bluetooth and our Rewind-Say-Again ® technology it’s easier to stay in communication. Our fixed mount radios include Class D digital selective calling in the event a distress signal is ever needed and weather alerts if threatening weather is nearby. See the products below ideal for boaters.
3.) I wanted to choose a Marine VHF Radio for my boat and when I went into that page, it gave me various options of different radios. I selected the first one and reviewed the page with the different features and specs which is known as partition in the textbook. Markel writes, partition is the process of breaking a unit into its components (p.159). In the example of a Marine VHF Radio, there are features, specs, reviews, and Q&A section for each radio. This organization methods allows me to easily select the radio that best suits my needs. Here is the radio I selected: https://www.cobra.com/products/fixed-mount/mr-f77w-gps#pr_qa