The Search for Self in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and...

Search for self in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye Everyone wants to know who they are, and why they were put here. People often wonder about their futures and what kind of person they really are. In the novels Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Catcher in the Rye, both of the protagonists, despite the different settings, the other characters, their restrictions and the different people that they are, are searching for the same thing - themselves. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless tale of a young boy who escapes his society that keeps trying to sivilise him and retreats down the Mississippi river with a runaway slave. On his journey he meets many different kinds of people on the banks of the river,†¦show more content†¦He is most at ease on his raft. (Hoffman 155). Tired of people telling him what to do , he escapes to the river and in doing so, is able to prevent people from molding him into what they want him to be. Instead, he allows hims elf the opportunity to mold himself. Holden is tired of all the phony people around him and wants to escape them. He talks of retreating to the woods, away from the rest of the world. He wants to build [himself] a little cabin somewhere...and live there for the rest of [his] life.( Salinger p.258) He is searching for a way out of the society that he is confined to. He wants to get out, but has no way of actually doing so. He is trapped in the midst of society (Wells 56) Huck Finn, who lives in pre-civil war America speaks in the vernacular of the region where he lives. He uses words like warnt mustnt and reckon in his speech. This colloquial diction provides information as to where Huck lives and his social status. There are many different dialects used in the novel including the dialect of the slaves and a few versions of other southern dialects. The way Huck speaks shows his naivete, innocence, curiosity and mischievous charm that almost makes the reader laugh I says to myself, if a body can get anything they pray for, why dont Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why cant the widow get back her silver snuffbox that was stole? Why cant Miss Watson fat up?Show MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pages Bildungsroman From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search In literary criticism, a Bildungsroman (German pronunciation: [ˈbÉ ªldÊŠÅ‹s.Ê oËÅ'maË n]; German: novel of formation, education, culture),[a] novel of formation, novel of education,[2] or coming-of-age story (though it may also be known as a subset of the coming-of-age story) is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood (coming of age),[3]

How to Solve Poverty Free Essays

A’Leigha Jackson Period: 5/6 March 20, 2013 Social Inequalities on Gender Roles/Gender Inequalities Rural women suffer systematic discrimination in the access to resources needed for agricultural production and socio-economic development. Credit, extension, input and seed supply services usually address the needs of male household heads. Rural women are rarely consulted in development projects that may increase men’s production and income, but add to their own workloads. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Solve Poverty or any similar topic only for you Order Now When work burdens increase, girls are removed from school more often than boys, to help with farming and household tasks. Gender equality makes good economic and social sense. A gender role is the place you hold in a family, relationship or society as a whole because you are male or female. Typically, your gender role is action-oriented and focused on whether you work outside the home or play a nurturing role within the family Gender inequality is like for example people say that boys are better in sports than girls. I believe that is not true, girls are as good in sports as boys are. The audience in sports is more focused on the male species than the women. There is a high rate of people watching man sports than girl sports. In Basketball there is a NBA and there also is a WNBA but, many people watch the NBA instead of the WNBA because they are more appealed to the man basketball team. In Marriage the Gender role is a big part in marriage. In gay couples many people wonder who is playing the man and who is playing the guy. Gender inequalities spring from the soil of male dominated societies in which women, to a greater or lesser extent, are seen as second class. Gender inequalities are also interwoven with class, race and religious structures. Gender inequalities range from reactionary notions of women’s abilities and their sexual availability to cultural and traditional views of femininity and women’s proper roles. From wolf whistles to rape, lack of education to unequal pay, women are paying the price. HIV positive women, including HIV positive young women, are paying the price many times over. Gender inequality goes hand in hand with HIV–related stigma and violence so HIV positive women face a double dose of discrimination. Another on is equal pay for equal work is one of the areas where gender equality is rarely seen. All too often women are paid less than men for doing the same thing. In Conclusion, in Gender Roles and Gender inequalities there are many things that people face in these areas today. How to cite How to Solve Poverty, Essay examples

Death Cab For Cutie †“Narrow Stairs” free essay sample

Death Cab For Cuties new album, â€Å"Narrow Stairs,† is a masterpiece. This incredibly relatable album grabs listeners for the whole 45 minutes, dragging them through stories of heartbreak, loss, jealousy, and deception. Whether its a tragic break-up or a drastic change in your life, you cant help but feel as if songwriter Ben Gibbard is literally reading your mind. In comparison to previous Death Cab albums, â€Å"Narrow Stairs† has a different tone. With their breakthrough album â€Å"Plans† (2005), there really was no telling what this small indie college band from Seattle would come up with next. Death Cab undoubtedly exceeded the expectations of their faithful fans, and most importantly, they did it while keeping the artsy edge we all love. The intimate and heart-wrenching irony of Gibbards lyrics sets a melancholy mood for the album. With lyrics like â€Å"With idealistic timing the optimist died inside of me,† its hard to feel hopeful. We will write a custom essay sample on Death Cab For Cutie – â€Å"Narrow Stairs† or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Along with melancholy, this album has irony written all over it. In almost every song youll find the irony of loving someone who doesnt love you back, holding onto a relationship that has nothing left, or staying with someone you care absolutely nothing for. â€Å"Narrow Stairs† tends to lack optimism and hope, but that seems to be the brilliance of it. Gibbards despondent perceptions on failed relationships and love are apparent in songs like â€Å"You Can Do Better Than Me† and â€Å"The Ice Is Getting Thinner.† This  ­album gives the listener a sense of comfort in its dreadfully depressing lyrics. Its comforting to know youre not the only one feeling such loss. Death Cab requires an  ­objective audience; songs like â€Å"Talking Bird† or â€Å"Cath †¦,† might not seem all that imposing for some, but it takes a true fan of music to appreciate the poetic flow of Gibbards lyrics. It is easy to overlook the depressing message Death Cab seems to be conveying in this album. With their catchy electric sound, youll find yourself dancing and singing along,  ­only to realize youre singing about lack of sunlight and optimism. The irony is priceless. I definitely recommend â€Å"Narrow Stairs† if youre feeling blue and need something to  ­relate to. Death Cab For Cutie will be there with a shoulder to cry on.

Pregnancy and Juno free essay sample

The protagonist of the film is 16-year-old, Juno MacGuff. Juno has to face the dilemmas of an unexpected pregnancy. She finds what seems to be the perfect adoption couple, but when her adoption plans take a turn for disaster, Juno must dig herself out of her sticky situation and do what’s best for her baby. At the start of the film, Juno decides to have unprotected sex with her close friend, Paulie Bleeker. Her choice to have un-protected sex is a choice she hasn’t taken into a whole lot of consideration, consequently leading Juno to becoming pregnant. The mise-en-scene at the start of the film shows us how Juno now feels about her pregnancy. Juno stands across from the armchair Bleeker and she had sex on, while a voice over says, ‘It started with a chair. ’ The armchair seems much larger than Juno even though they are about the same size. We will write a custom essay sample on Pregnancy and Juno or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The chair represents Juno’s sudden pregnancy, something dominant, something overwhelming her. Juno looks small in comparison to the chair, showing us that she feels small, insignificant and weak. New Zealand has a shocking teen pregnancy rate, with 3,800 babies born to teens throughout the country every year. Teenagers who have sex without using protection may not expect to end up with a pregnancy, because they naively believe that the chances of a pregnancy are too slim for it to happen to them. When a teen becomes pregnant they can be left in a position of helplessness because they were never prepared to deal with a baby. This is the consequence of not being careful enough and not protecting yourself when aving sex, something that Juno has to deal with. Juno plans to quickly get rid of the baby by arranging an abortion. Juno goes to the clinic where she meets a Soo-Chin, fellow classmate, who is holding an anti abortion sign in the clinic car park. Soo-Chin tells Juno that her baby is well alive inside of her, and has even grown fingernails. Juno finds this interesting, but continues into the clinic. She waits for her appointment inside, but as she is waiting, the reality t hat her baby is in-fact alive inside her scares Juno into canceling her abortion. This is shown by the added foley sound effect of people’s fingernails inside the clinic. As Juno waits she hears the sounds of people’s fingernails drumming, filing and scratching reminding her that her own baby already has fingernails. The sound of the fingernails starts to resemble a pulse, making Juno feel uncomfortable and nervous, causing her to run out of the clinic. Juno later arranges a closed adoption instead of an abortion. Many pregnant teens who choose not to abort do so because they do not want to cause pain to the baby living inside of them. This choice means that they have to carry on with the pregnancy at their tender age. They later keep the baby or adopt out likewise to Juno. Juno chooses a couple, Mark and Vanessa, who seem like the perfect parents for Juno’s child, and so Juno arranges a closed adoption. But nearing the end of Juno’s pregnancy, she discovers that Mark plans on leaving Vanessa, throwing all of Juno’s adoption plans away. Juno becomes distraught; but even without Mark in the picture, Juno realizes that Vanessa is dedicated enough to love and care for the baby. This is shown to us by the technique of the bird’s-eye view, when Juno and her friend are at the mall, and spot Vanessa. Juno looks down at her from above, almost as if she was assessing her, and sees that Vanessa naturally has a way with children. Juno writes a note to Vanessa saying that she is still up for the adoption if Vanessa is too. We see that the carefully thought out choice that Juno makes turns out positively, as Vanessa gets the child that she’s always wanted, and Juno’s life settles again. The use of set shows us that the dilemma has concluded, as we see a rocking chair, with a voiceover that says ‘It ended with a chair. ’ Vanessa’s room is cluttered and her clothing is very casual, showing that she has finally let go of her proper, uptight self. The mise-en-scene of the very final scene also shows us that Juno’s choice resulted well, as Juno and Bleeker are seated opposite each other. They are in complete symmetry and are of equal size, showing us that they are both in harmony and all is well. Adoption is a process growing in popularity in today’s society. It can be very convenient for both sides of the adoption. People who desperately want their own children and cannot have any can adopt someone else’s child, giving the child a nurturing home that the child probably wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. The biological parent of the adopted child is probably unable to provide a nurturing home for the child, or not at an age where parenting is an option. So the choice of adoption becomes convenient for them, knowing that their child will go to someone else who will love them and will be able to take very good care of them. Many techniques help build up the important idea that all of our actions will have consequences. We see that sometimes, spontaneous choices can lead to unexpected, negative results, such as Juno’s pregnancy. We see that sometimes, our gut feeling or instinct can change our choices, like when Juno decides not to abort her baby. Juno also shows us that choices that are thought out will usually turn out for the better, an example we see from the ending of the film. Because the teen pregnancy rate in New Zealand is one of the highest in the world, Juno is an easily relatable film for teenagers in our country, who may even learn a thing or two from watching Juno’s situation play out before us. This is why the film Juno is such a successful and charming watch. Great – apart from a couple of inaccuracies and a suggestion or two that I have made in-text, this is definitely working towards Excellence level.

George Braque essays

George Braque essays Although George Braque (May 13, 1882 - Aug. 31, 1963) was one of the most influential painters of the twentieth century his name is all but forgotten. He has received little credit for his efforts towards the creation of analytic cubism. Many art historians believe that his prestigious role as father of analytic cubism was cut short because of Picassos fame. Many arguments have arisen asking the question: Who is the father of cubism? There is no doubt that Picasso started the spark which ignited modern art movements with the creation of Les Demoiselles dAvignon.. But, soon after Picasso created this work Braque created Houses at LEstaque. This painting started the analytic phase of cubism. With this in mind, it can be stated that Picasso is the father of modern twentieth century art and Braque is the father of analytic cubism. George Braque is one of the most influential painters of the twentieth century. He co-worked with Picasso to create cubism and helped spark all the future art movements of the twentieth century. As well as this, he was the influence that made Picasso the fame that he was to become. Braque has never received the recognition he should have because of Picassos fame, but his personal position in the art community was high and his involvement with World War One was a major culprits that aided in his downfall in artistic popularity. Who the father of cubism?, has always been a question that has pondered the minds of art historians and scholars. It is clear though that both Braque and Picasso played their prominent role in the creation of cubism. Picasso provided, with his proto-Cubist Demoiselles, the initial liberating shock. But it was Braque, largely because of his admiration for Cezanne, who provided much of the early tendency toward geometrical forms. Braques early tendency towards geometric form and cubes was the spark which ignited the...

Goddesses and Sexual Assault in Greek Myth

Goddesses and Sexual Assault in Greek Myth Everyone knows the stories of Greek gods sexual encounters with mortal women, such as when Zeus stole Europa in the shape of a bull and ravished her. Then, there was the time he mated with Leda as a swan, and when he turned poor Io into a cow after having his way with her. But not only human women suffered violent sexual attention from the opposite sex. Even the most powerful females of them all - the goddesses of ancient Greece - fell victim to sexual assault and harassment in Greek myth. Athena and the Snake Baby Patroness of Athens and all-around brilliant divinity, Athena was rightly proud of her chastity. Unfortunately, she ended up enduring harassment from fellow gods - there was one, in particular, her half-brother, Hephaestus. As Hyginus recounts in his Fabulae, Hephaestus approached Athena - whom he says agreed to marry her brother, although that’s doubtful. The bride-to-be resisted. Hephaestus was too excited to keep control, and, â€Å"as they struggled, some of his seed fell to earth, and from it, a boy was born, the lower part of whose body was snake-formed.† Another account has Athena coming to her blacksmith brother for some armor, and, after he attempted to rape her, he â€Å"dropped his seed on the leg of the goddess.†Ã‚  Appalled, Athena wiped his sperm off with a piece of wool and dropped it on the ground, inadvertently fertilizing the earth. Who was the mother, then, if not Athena? Why, Hephaestus’s own ancestress, Gaia, a.k.a. Earth. The child resulting from Hephaestus’s attempted rape of Athena was dubbed Erichthonius - although he may have been one and the same with his descendant, the similarly-named Erechtheus. Summarizes Pausanias, â€Å"Men say that Erichthonius had no human father, but that his parents were Hephaestus and Earth.† Dubbed â€Å"earth-born,† as in Euripides’ Ion, Athena took an interest in her new nephew. Perhaps that was because Erichthonius was an interesting fellow - after all, he was to be king over her city of Athens. Athena stuck Erichthonius in a box and wrapped a snake around him, then entrusted the child to the daughters of Athens’ king. These girls were â€Å"Aglaurus, Pandrosus, and Herse, daughters of Cecrops,† as Hyginus says. As Ovid recounts in his Metamorphoses, Athena â€Å"ordered them not to pry into its secret,† but they did anyway†¦and were either repelled by the snake and baby snuggling - or the fact he mightve been half-snake - or were even driven insane by Athena. Either way, they ended up committing suicide by jumping off the Acropolis. Erichthonius wound up becoming king of Athens. He established both his foster mother’s worship on the Acropolis and the festival of the Panathenaia.   Heras Hardly on Cloud Nine Not even the Queen of Olympus, Hera, was immune to disgusting advances. For one, Zeus, her husband, and the king of the gods may have raped her to shame her into marrying him. Even after her wedding, Hera was still subjected to such horrible incidences. During the war between the gods and the Giants, the latter stormed their rivals’ home on Mt. Olympus. For some reason, Zeus decided to make one giant in particular, Porphyrion, lust after Hera, whom he was already attacking. Then, when Porphyrion tried to rape Hera, â€Å"she called for help, and Zeus smote him with a thunderbolt, and Hercules shot him dead with an arrow.† Why Zeus felt the need to jeopardize his wife in order to justify his murder of a giant - when the gods were already slaying the monsters left and right - boggles the mind. This wasn’t the only time Hera was nearly raped. At one point, she had an ardent mortal admirer named Ixion. In order to satisfy this guy’s lust, Zeus created a cloud that looked exactly like Hera for Ixion to sleep with. Not knowing the difference, Ixion had sex with the cloud, which produced the half-human, half-horse Centaurs. For presuming to sleep with Hera, Zeus sentenced this man to be strapped to a wheel in the Underworld that never stopped turning. This cloud-Hera had a long career of her own. Named Nephele, she ended up marrying Athamas, a king of Boeotia; when Athamas’s second wife wanted to harm Nephele’s children, the cloud lady popped her kids onto a ram - who just happened to have a Golden Fleece - and they flew off. In a similar episode to Hera and Porphyrion, the giant Tityus lusted after Leto, the divine mother of Apollo and Artemis. Writes Pseudo-Apollodorus, â€Å"When Latona [Leto in Latin] came to Pytho [Delphi], Tityus beheld her, and overpowered by lust drew her to him. But she called her children to her aid, and they shot him down with their arrows.†Ã‚  Also, like Ixion, Tityus suffered for his misdeeds in the afterlife, â€Å"for vultures eat his heart in Hades.† Holding Helen and Pursuing Persephone Apparently, sexual assault on the divine ran in Ixion’s family. His son by a prior marriage, Pirithous, became best friends with Theseus. Both guys made vows to abduct and seduce (read: rape) daughters of Zeus, as Diodorus Siculus notes. Theseus kidnapped a pre-teen Helen and may have fathered a daughter with her. That child was Iphigenia, who, in this version of the story, was raised as Agamemnon and Clytemnestra’s kid and was, of course, sacrificed at Aulis in order for the Greek ships to get good winds to sail to Troy. Pirithous dreamed even bigger, lusting after Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter and wife of Hades. Persephone’s own husband kidnapped and raped her, ending up forcing her to stay in the Underworld a good part of the year. Theseus was reluctant to try to abduct a goddess, but he had sworn to help his friend. The two went into the Underworld, but Hades figured out their plan and chained them down. When Heracles trotted down to Hades once, he freed his old pal Theseus,  but Pirithous remained in the Underworld for eternity. Ancient Greece as a Rape Culture? Can we actually identify consent or rape in Greek myth? In some colleges, students have requested trigger warnings before discussing particularly violent Greek texts. The incredibly violent circumstances that appear in Greek myths and tragic plays have led some scholars to deem ancient Greek tragedy a â€Å"rape culture.†Ã‚  It’s an interesting notion; a few classicists have argued that misogyny and rape are modern constructs and such ideas can’t be used effectively when evaluating the past. For example, from one perspective arguing  for terms like â€Å"seduction† and â€Å"kidnapping† over â€Å"rape,† negates the character’s anguish, while other scholars see rape as an initiation rite or identify victims as the aggressors. The above hypotheses can be neither confirmed nor denied but can present different arguments for the reader to consider both sides and to add a few more stories to the repertoire of seduction or sexual violence in Greek myth. This time, there are stories of the highest ladies in the land - goddesses - suffering as their female counterparts did.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Goes on the Road Essay

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Goes on the Road - Essay Example Pervious attempts at a portable design have met with limited success due to the sensitivity of the technology that is required. NMR technology works on the principle of identifying an atom's structure by measuring its resonance. As spinning nuclei in the atom are subjected to an intense magnetic field, they will line up with the lines of magnetism either opposing them or matching them. As another oscillating magnet is induced into the field, the nuclei begin to reverse the direction of their spin. When the spin reverses, energy is released as the nuclei go from a higher state to a lower state or vice versa. A coil can pick up this energy as electricity in the same way a magnet can induce an electric current through an electrical wire in a generator. The researcher is not looking only for electric current. The key to NMR is finding the frequency of the externally oscillating field where the nuclei give off the most energy. This is known as the frequency of resonance. By monitoring the electrical output over a range of frequencies, scientists look for the frequency where the output spikes. This is unique for every different element and by measuring this frequency, the element can be identified. By evaluating the mix of elements and their relative quantities, complex molecules can be identified. The article notes that while previous portabl

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations , consequences of nurses Essay

Research Summary and Ethical Considerations , consequences of nurses working long hours. needs to bequalitative or quantitative study - Essay Example Patients go to the hospital expecting the best of care from the nurses. When this is not the case due to nurses working for long hours, there emerges a cause for concern and immediate remedy. The consequences of nurse working for long hours are prioritized because of the intensity of human suffering that is associated with poor medical attention /care. The purpose of this study is to identify the consequences of long working houses for nurses and how they affect their ability to provide appropriate medical care to patients. Consequently, the goals of this study lead to formation of recommendations that can be adopted to handle the problem at hand. The purpose and the research question are directly related to the problem. Exploring ways to answer the research questions will give relevant information on the nature of the problem and provide insights on ways to deal with it. Qualitative methods such as case study analysis are appropriate in answering these research questions. Basically, the key consideration is how the nurses who work over long hours have behaved over time. The cases will provide information for analysis. There are qualitative and quantitative studies that have concentrated on highlighting the major consequences of long working hour’s for nurses. The school of nursing from the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study in 2012 where 22, 275 nurses were interviewed to give their experiences of working for more than 10 hours. The same study also interviewed patients who had been attended to by the nurses after the elapsing of the recommended working hours. Close to 80% of the nurses reported burnout due to fatigue and said they felt sleepy after working for 12-13 hour shifts. 70% of the patients interviewed reported dissatisfaction with the attention and medical care given to them by the nurses working for long hours. It has also been noted in the research conclusions that not much is done to improve the situation the nurses face. Other

Discovering Your Authentic Leadership Essay Example for Free

Discovering Your Authentic Leadership Essay The article discussed authentic, original, leadership. It explained the importance of discovering one’s own leadership. To do that, the article points that you should be yourself! Do not impersonate another leader. By doing so, people around you will know that you are trying to behave like someone else, which may lead to mistrust. Authentic leaders are usually passionate about their goals. They make sure to always practice their values, lead with both their emotions and their minds and they aim for long and meaningful relationships. Original leaders give meaning to their lives by overcoming difficult experiences. By giving meaning to their lives, leaders become more effective. Authentic leaders make it a point to develop themselves on their own. They dislike having a plan handed to them that limits them and forces them to follow a certain pattern or procedure set by someone else. They see that as a kind of copying someone else’s style. When making their own plan for development, they install their own values and morals into it. Thus making it easier for them to practice those values and developing them further. It is also essential for authentic leaders to balance their motivation sources. They should balance judgment, criticism and reprisal. Original leaders see their organization as a very important aspect of their lives. This enables them to clarify their beliefs, values and their understanding of important issues. They also give honest feedback to people around them when it is needed. The practical steps of being an authentic leader are to stay grounded , Empower people around to lead, learn from their life, knowing themselves, practicing their values, balancing intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and finally build a support team.

Existentialism in Kafkas Metamorphosis :: Metamorphosis essays

Existentialism in Kafka's Metamorphosis      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The book Metamorphosis, written by Franz Kafka, is based on the views of existentialism.   One of these main views is alienation or estrangement which is demonstrated by Gregor's relationship with his family, his social life, and the way he lives his life after the metamorphosis.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although Gregor doesn't realize it, the relationship between him and his family is not good. Gregor is taking over his father's responsibilities leaving nothing for Gregor's father to be responsible for. At the same time, Gregor is making plans to send his sister to a good school, but he fails to discuss this idea with her.   To make things worse, Gregor even goes as far as to lock his own bedroom doors at night. He thinks that his family is content with what he is doing, but the only thing that Gregor accomplishes is to alienate himself from his family.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Not only is Gregor alienating himself from his family, but he is also alienating himself from society.   Gregor goes on many trips for his job, and instead of going out to meet people, he stays at the motel and does nothing. For this reason Gregor doesn't have a friend or a girlfriend that he can find support in.   He follows the same routine everyday of his life and fails to look ahead into the future.   By secluding himself like this, Gregor's life becomes like the life of a cockroach.   It is for this reason that he transforms into this creature.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gregor's life as a cockroach is no different than his life as a human. Whenever Gregor tries to communicate with someone, the only thing that comes out of his mouth are cockroach noises that scare his family, and his appearance causes his family to not want be around him. His sister tries to take care of him, but eventually she becomes weary of this never ending task and forgets about him. Gregor is once again alienated from his

Determinants of Germany’s Economic Robustness Essay

Exports account for more than one-third of national output and the Germany’s strong export performance in goods or merchandise is also denoted by the term Exportweltmeister (world champion exporter). However, analysis of German’s economic history demonstrates that the country did not face constant growth throughout the years. It also had to face moments of recession just like other countries and its own past (reunification) appeared to have been a cause of German’s slow growth at times. Following are figures of German’s GDP throughout the last 3 decades which will help us to emphasise our statement. While the decrease in the year 1990s can be associated with the unification and the costs involved, that of 2010-2011, can be associated to the global recession that the world experienced then. Yet, even in the recession marred years, the German economy managed to stay stable as the world sixth largest country in terms of GDP (2009. ) Now, against the background of fragile global recovery and the intensification of the eurozone crisis, Germany has recorded strong GDP growth and a declining trend in unemployment. What’s the secret of such a robust economy? Referring to Germany, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher said in December 1989 at a Strasbourg summit â€Å"We defeated the Germans twice! And now they’re back†. Although this statement was related to politics, it appears to be relevant in the economic context as well. As such, our study will consist of analysing more in details the secret behind this particular success or consistency and will also involve comparison of countries which also have more or less the same pattern of Germany but still cannot reach their level of development to underline what are those parameters which make Germany so unique. Current Situation Germany’s economy is holding up better than expected amid the Eurozone’s debt crisis, as robust demand from outside of Europe has helped offset weak activity on the continent. Several other factors contribute to Germany’s solid macroeconomic position. Germany is the only major advanced economy which had lower unemployment rate in 2012 than it had in 2007. The level of German GDP has increased by a cumulative 5. 8% since the beginning of 2010, compared to 2. 3% for the eurozone. The monetary conditions set for the entire eurozone by the ECB are accommodative for Germany given the strong cyclical position of its economy. As a consequence of safe-haven capital inflows, yields are also at extremely low levels. Furthermore, Germany has a strong net external creditor position and a large, albeit gradually declining, current account surplus. The German financial sector has stabilised since 2009 and liquidity is abundant in the current environment. However, meeting Basel III requirements will remain a challenge for German banks in light of modest profitability and still a high leverage. Since mid-2008, German banks have cut their total eurozone exposure by â‚ ¬332bn, a 30% fall, of which â‚ ¬187bn was withdrawn from Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, a fall of 44%. Despite this fast pace of deleveraging, the quality of the remaining assets may well deteriorate further as the recession deepens in the periphery. In its semi-annual economic outlook, the German central bank raised its forecast for domestic GDP growth this year to 1. 0% from 0. 6% in the December outlook due to better-than-expected first quarter growth that was largely the result of strong exports to emerging markets. The upward revision brings economic activity near its potential growth rate of 1. 25. Growth in 2013 is seen at 1. 6%, down 0. point from December’s forecast due to a statistical correction resulting from the revisions for this year. The Eurozone crisis â€Å"may have left its mark, but the good structural condition of Germany’s economy and the robust global economy have maintained the upper hand,† Still, the outlook remains â€Å"highly uncertain,† with risks stemming â€Å"overwhelmingly† from external factors. While weak Eurozone g rowth in the debt crisis has already been factored in to the forecasts, Germany’s export-driven economy would be vulnerable to a â€Å"noticeable weakening† of conditions outside of Europe. Germany remains exposed to the systemic component of the crisis. A significantly deeper recession of its large eurozone trading partners could also push Germany into recession with negative repercussions for the fiscal stance as well. Furthermore, additional sizeable contribution to eurozone bail-out funds, on top of the EFSF guarantees, could push German debt level above 90% of GDP, close to the upper limit Fitch generally considers consistent with a ‘AAA’ rating. Materialisation of these risks would put downward pressure on the rating. Germany has all the ingredients of a declining public debt path. The economy is growing, budget deficit is moderate and nominal interest rates reached record low levels. Nevertheless the longer track record serves as a warning sign. Despite the fiscal rules of the eurozone, the debt/GDP ratio had increased to 83% by 2010 from 55% in 1995. During the 13 years of monetary union, the German debt ratio declined in only five years and has been above the 60% reference value since 2003. PROBLEM STATEMENT The problem that leads us to undertake this research is simple. Observing the amazing performance of Germany in the international market even in the period of recession, one wonder how this can be achieved by them while the others are still struggling. It becomes apparent that there must be some particular reasons behind this success. Research Question/Hypothesis H1: There is something unique that make Germany successful in the international market. H2: There is a relationship between the implementation of new economic policies with the economic performance of Germany H0: There is nothing unique about Germany’s success. They work on the same policies as other countries. OBJECTIVES AND AIMS OVERALL OBJECTIVE By this study, we hope to underline the policies that led Germany to success and from this knowledge, have a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of a business environment. Overall, we aim to have clear knowledge about impact of business environment on performance of business undertakings. In the long term, we can use the technique used in this research to analyse any business environment before setting up of any business firm. Also, we can advice other developing countries about implementing those policies which could benefit them considering their own business environment and also be on their path of development just like Germany. This research can be considered as a tool to determine business opportunities as well. SPECIFIC AIMS Understand the parameters that made the economy very strong in the market How is that amidst the gloom Germany continues to be the engine that drives the Eurozone economies, and also helping to bail out a few? How does the robust, high-tech manufacturing sector continue to be the export champion? What role do the academic system and â€Å"Deutsche Tugenden† play in the success? What is the special Trade School training system that creates highly skilled technical workforce? Take into considerations other macroeconomic indicators particular to Germany Understand how one can take advantage of the strengths and weakness prevailing in its environment * Have valuable and actual knowledge of economic concepts BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE 1. (Raymond J. Ahearn and Paul Belkin; the German Economy and U. S. -German Economic Relations 2010) By most standards, post-war West Germany registered impressive economic performance in the first decades of its existence. But beginning in the mid-1990s, the German economy has been on a much lower growth path, averaging about 1. 5% of GDP per year. Unemployment has also risen steadily. These trends, which have been exacerbated by a steep 5% decline in German GDP growth in 2009, raise questions about the long-term vitality and strength of the German economy. A number of factors help explain Germany’s declining growth rate. One factor has been the high cost associated with integrating the formerly communist East German economy into the Federal Republic since reunification in 1990. A second has been the growing cost of Germany’s generous social security and welfare programs and associated regulations which some believe may undercut incentives for work and entrepreneurship. A third is an economy that is more geared towards exporting than domestic investment and consumption. With declining economic growth and rising expenditures on social protections, Germany faces significant budgetary and resource constraints. A prosperous German state remains critical to both the U. S. and European economies. Difficulties Germany may have in regaining a stronger economic position are important concerns, affecting the U. S. -German partnership’s ability to mutually address and manage a range of bilateral, regional, and global challenges. The report therefore elaborates on these themes in three parts: the first section examines Germany’s economic performance in historical perspective and assesses some of the domestic factors that may be contributing to Germany’s less than optimal performance; the second discusses the reform challenges facing Germany’s political leaders; and the third section evaluates a few salient U. S. -German economic policy differences and strains that seem to be influenced by Germany’s weakened economic situation. 2. Financial System Stability Assessment, report prepared by the Monetary and Capital Markets and European Departments and approved by Jose Vinals and Antonio Borges, June 20, 2011; results in the following main findings: The main findings of the FSAP are: * The German financial system is recovering from the global crisis, yet low profitability hampers many banks’ ability to build stronger buffers against the shocks that could hit the global economy and especially Europe; * Structural reforms are overdue. The Landesbanken require thorough restructuring and probably downsizing, but the imperative to loosen constraints and strengthen banks’ commercial orientation is more general; * The standard of financial sector regulation and supervision is high. The crisis showed that more timely information, additional on-site supervision, and follow up through forward-looking supervisory action are needed; and * The framework to manage financial crises has been enhanced significantly, particularly with the introduction of a new bank resolution regime. Deposit protection schemes need to be rationalized, and Germany should actively help efforts to develop mechanisms to deal with cross-border crises. Very interesting report, but emphasises on the financial sector of the country and its current scenario only. 3. Talking about articles with reference to the German’s secret for economic robustness, there are various available were the authors aim to point out these parameters which made Germany so powerful in today’s market. As such, an article from www. guardian. co. k goes on saying: â€Å"Germany invested heavily in its Bavarian science and technology base, identifying future growth sectors and building clusters of excellence to attract investment†¦ it’s still â€Å"making stuff†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ While the British focused on becoming lawyers and money men, Germany continued to respect engineering and making things (not just money)†. Mr James Dyson, Author of Ingenious Britain, did not agree that this par ameter was the cause behind the German success and responded to this statement by saying â€Å"In your coverage of the German success story, not a word has been printed on the German â€Å"housing market†. It is as if this were detached from the overall economic and cultural formula. Is it not a fact that Germany has a large, affordable rented sector with secure tenancies that deters a quick- housing-buck mentality? Does this housing culture not sustain investment in proper wealth creation (ie manufacturing) and thereby reduce the cycles of property boom and bust? † Well, Mr Olaf Plotner the dean of executive education at the European School of Management and Technology (ESMT) in Berlin and author of Counter Strategies in Global Markets in his post in Forbes magazine also shares his views about the reasons to justify the German’s success. He goes on saying: â€Å"cooperation between unions and employers plays a major role in the success of German industry. But that’s just one part of a much bigger picture†¦ German businesses have been able to avoid the focus on the short-term shareholder that dogs so many large companies elsewhere because of an ownership structure that seems unique to Germany†¦ the companies give importance to uniting ownership and management. † As of now, we have already different views from different people as they all try to explain the German success. Well, these views are not the only one. According to Mr Richard Anderson Business reporter for BBC News, â€Å"Germany is a country whose inhabitants work fewer hours than almost any others, whose workforce is not particularly productive and whose children spend less time at school than most of its neighbours. But still, the German economy is so powerful†¦why? † Mr Anderson structured is study under three main headings. Euro bliss †¦. Germany has benefited greatly from the euro; Germany adopted a much weaker currency than would otherwise have been the case†¦ This has provided a terrific boost to German exports, which are cheaper to overseas consumers as a result†¦. Just as important are the relatively low levels of private debt†¦ German companies and individuals refused to spend beyond their means†¦ Germans are uncomfortable with the concept of borrowing money and prefer to live within their own means. â€Å"In German, borrowing is ‘schulden’, [the same word for guilt. ] There is an attitude that if you have to borrow, there is something wrong with you,† Labour reforms †¦the Social Democratic government was able to use its close ties with labour unions to push for moderation in wage inflation. The reforms laid the foundation for a stable and flexible labour market. While unemployment across Europe and the US soared during the global downturn, remarkably the jobless number in Germany barely flickered. German workers were simply willing to work fewer hours, knowing that they would keep their jobs because of it. Job skills And in Germany, there is fewer stigmas attached to vocational training and technical colleges than in many countries. Research Gap The read reports do not seem to treat with the actual factors behind the success, hence we believe into scope for our research. Since in these articles, the German economic history I study but then related to other topics just like in the case of US-German relationship or the study of the German financial markets. True that these reports will help us in our study and can be used as a basis, they surely permit us to look at the German’s economy from a different point of view. Most of reports seem to elaborate a lot on the negative features of the economy, not that we intend to ignore the negative features but what we are trying to do here is to explain how despite these features, Germany is able to hold such a position in the global market. Specifically we want to pinpoint the special policies which allow this achievement and propose economic models to other developing countries in order to permit them to also achieve such a miracle. Thus, reading the articles, we can see there are already numerous parameters that each of authors believed to be the one behind the success of Germany. Our study will therefore constitute in analysing these factors and comparing the performance of Germany with that of other countries which also have this factor. We will also try to analyse the impact that the implementation the each factor had on the economy of the country. To emphasize on the relevance of this research, we can another article by in the New York Times which states: â€Å"Germany had the formula right all along. † Hence, our study will be directed towards analysing all the various aspects that made the formula right and try to make it right in our business environment as well! In fact, a diagnosis research is one which is directed towards discovering what is happening, why it is happening and what can and is to be done about it. It aims at identifying the causes and helping to arrive at possible solutions. Diagnostic research probes into the reasons `why? and goes beyond the problems. Our research is directed towards giving us in-depth knowledge about the reasons which made Germany successful today and we are interested in knowing which of these can be used by other nations as well. Our study will be divided into the following chapters: Chapter 1: here we will deal with the introduction to the study and the aim and purpose of the same. The subject background will also be studied in this step. We intend to trace the economic history of Germany in this section from World War II till today; macro and micro economic variables will be explained and we can propose an elaboration on the economy theory that is followed by the country. Chapter 2: will be dealing with review of books, articles, research papers and journals published with respect to the topic and identification of the research gap. Chapter 3: will elaborate on the research design. Here the parameters that we aim to use in our research will also be defined. As such, the parameters that we wish to study are as follows: 1. GDP, 2. Debt to GDP ratio, 3. Unemployment, 4. Household debt, 5. Inflation, 6. Commodity price swings 7. Foreign trade – imports/exports, net surplus, 8. Social spending, 9. Education, 10. Healthcare, 11. Pension funds, 12. Manufacturing vs. agrosectors, 13. Private ;amp; Public undertakings, 14. Patents 15. Innovation, 16. Mittelstand 17. Housing prices, 18. Real estate, 19. New firms reg. 20. Firms winding up, 21. New investments, 22. Banking, 23. M ;amp; As abroad, 24. Fuel prices Chapter 4: the data collected will be analysed and interpreted I this chapter Chapter 5: appropriate findings can be drawn from the data processed and conlusion will follow Population and Study Sample Our study will require interaction with economic experts and other industry-related experts who will give us insight and information about the various policies that are prevailing in Germany and their impact on the economy. Sample Size and Selection of Sample Here, we can select purposive sample and we will require snowballing as a technique as well since our study is very particular and one expert might put us into contact with another of his colleagues. Sources of Data The main sources of data will be secondary but experts’ insights in terms of interviews will constitute our primary data also. Collection of Data The secondary data will collected by visiting websites, reading books, analysing research papers, articles and other thesis. The primary data is collected by mean of interview. Data Analysis Strategies They will be use of regression analyse the percentage change that the implementation that each parameters did on the economy They will also be use of correlation to analyse the data from other countries which implemented each particular parameter. First, we will have to analyse each of these parameters in the German environment and then compare the German performance with other countries’ which have the same potentiality.

Rhetorical Analysis “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr

Ever imagined a world without Google? Have you ever asked yourself how our grandparents managed studies without Google? How did they go about reading the long the long texts letter by letter without the option of skimming through them? Were there other reading techniques that were almost equivalent to Google in efficiency and speed that have since become extinct and that we might run to should we wake up one day and realize that Google was just but a dream in our long sleep that was too good to be true? Will we manage to pin down the two- sentenced killer point in a journal with a thousand pages. How I wish I could shout ‘YES' but am afraid those brains are almost extinct in the world we live in. Nicholas Carr narrates his disappointment in Google in his article,† Is Google Making Us Stupid?† According to him, our minds have evolved to quick and easy skimming in search of information. He talks of how students used to read long texts without skimming. He mentions how one would concentrate and keep focus for long hours with their minds totally lost in the reading, unlike today. Carr recalls how he used to easily immerse himself in books and lengthy articles and would spend hours going through them with his mind caught up in the long prose and would or narratives. He compares this to his current state of mind where his concentration drifts away after just the first few pages of the prose before he starts considering to switch to other duties most of which would come second in his priority list back in the old days.His love for long reading hours has turned into torture to him. He compares the two reading habits and concludes that his way of thinking has changed over the years with reading especially through long stretches of prose moving down his priority list. To show that he is not the only one undergoing the reading evolution, he brings out other writers and bloggers including Scott Karp who share in his ordeal and from all of them its evident that the human mind and the use of the internet are correlated in that the functionality of the human mind can be transformed thus losing some features and gaining new ones when exposed to different environments, e.g. the internet for longer hours. The internet has made them all prefer to go for the easier option of skimming through the reading materials topics and parts of the body instead of trying to focus and concentrate on the whole content to get the information in details as it used to be. Most readers thus end up reading less. Carr explains the findings of research and experiments done on the human brain and the use of the Internet. He describes how the connections in the neurone system of the brain can be manipulated from its initial form to a completely new form. The conclusions are that when an individual uses the Internet for long, his/her neurocircuits can be manipulated and reconnected thus reducing their capacity to read like before, i.e. by contemplating and concentrating for long hours, which practically makes us stupid. In one of the research, the findings by the British Library, a team of UK educational consortium and university college London Scholars, the evidence as experienced by Nicholas Carr, writers and bloggers Scott Karp included, it proven that persons' capacity to read for long hours, contemplating and concentrating has been by far by the use of internet. They opt to skim through texts and headlines, which are unlike their traditional reading style where they would focus, concentrate and read for long hours deeply glued on the long proses going through word after word. In the article, he describes how the brain can switch forms from the old connections to a completely new form that's losing its original form. Nicholas says that he has had a feeling of someone or something reconfiguring his brain and transforming it into something else that he cant literally describe. He feels that due to long exposure to a different environment, his brain has been disconnected from its older connections and that through the Internet his brain is being corrupted in that he is now seeing things very differently. The Internet works in such a manner that it generates more profits form the user. As we surf, we tend to visit different sites that mostly create Internet traffic. In some instances, advertisement links normally pop-up while surfing. These sites are normally intended to market some businesses, and they act as distractors that encourage slow reading. When the mind is programmed to slow destructions, we end up not surfing for the intended issues. For instance, when a person uses the Internet to perform given research, he or she may end up with poor findings due to the distraction of the mind. Therefore, Internet users must learn how to evade the advertisement sites in a bid to maximize on the limited time. Nicholas Carr asserts that a majority of the advertisements have a financial obligation of collecting our data as we visit the business links. In this light, they normally reap heavily the more we click on the unwanted sites. Human beings have become highly dependent on the Internet to the extent that they browse even the obvious things. For instance, a person may even decide to surf for the reasons as to why children must obey their parents. This is a subject that is common to every person and should come naturally instead of browsing to get more information. The Internet indeed makes up stupid since most of the people spend much time thus reducing the concentration of the mind. The mind is then triggered in such a way that it will solely depend on the Intern even when serving for the obvious issues. In summary, I think that people need to use Google when it is only necessary and start doing traditional research. This aspect will indeed result in the development of sharp minds that can also become innovative.

Market continuum analysis Essays

Market continuum analysis Essays Market continuum analysis Paper Market continuum analysis Paper Health and human development form integral component of overall socio-economic development of any nation. The organizations and financing of healthcare in different countries are different. In each country, the design of health services and the means by which these services are financed depend on the country’s political culture, history, and wealth. Several frameworks and models have been developed by analysts to explain these systems and to help compare healthcare systems in a meaningful manner. The work of Odin Anderson and Milton Roemer is most notable among them. Anderson developed the concept of the â€Å"uneasy equilibrium† between the private and public healthcare sectors, and he organized health systems on a continuum based on the level of government involvement in the financing and organization of health services. In his market-minimized/market-maximized continuum Anderson explains that the degree to which a state centralizes financing and planning and the relative size of its public sector determine its position in the continuum, and as well the extent to which it influences the procedures of the economy itself. (Berkowitz, 2004) The market-maximized end of the continuum focuses on the concept of change through the private market with limited government involvement. According to Anderson, Such transformation may be speedy or sluggish, but it is natural to the system and its speed is also normal. It is incremental, not revolutionary. Anderson has positioned the United States at the far end of the market-maximized end of the spectrum. The market- minimized end of the spectrum, on the other hand, focuses on the socialistic strategy of planned economies and government programs for distributive justice and aims to modify with deliberate speed and at a scheduled pace. The United States health care system has moved its position on Anderson’s market-minimized/market maximized continuum. This oscillation has affected Socio-economic, Demographic, Health status, Political areas in United States. (King, 2005) Effect of the oscillation on Health status of United States Health systems in each and every country in the world, regardless of their wealth or level of economic development, are struggling to deal with multiple demands and pressures. With modernization and industrialization the developed countries like United States are experiencing epidemiologic Transition. This term refers to a change in the type of diseases and sickness experienced within a society. Changes in mortality structure are the principle result indicator by which the epidemiological transition is evaluated. People in industrial area have to live with industrial waste and polluted water and air. Slums arose in industrial cities and became central points for poverty and the spread of disease. Epidemics of smallpox, typhus, diphtheria, measles, and yellow fever were well-documented. Tuberculosis and respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis were even more serious problems, and they were exacerbated by harsh working situations and crowded living conditions. The United States health care system has taken several steps to educate people about health issues, provide uncontaminated food and water, safer and better living conditions. As a result, now in United States, major sources of morbidity and mortality result from chronic and non communicable diseases. Many of these diseases are related to lifestyle, such as increased lung cancer due to smoking or high rates of cardiovascular disease that result from obesity and lack of exercise. Common diseases among wealthy, developed nations include arthritis, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension. These diseases do not result from malnutrition or lack of access to health services. Instead these are results of excesses in personal lifestyle or simply be due to increased longevity, which causes the body to become more susceptible to such conditions. Consequently, in United States populations generally suffer with considerable chronic diseases and, thus, continual healthcare is needed. (Lamb, 2004) Effect of the oscillation on Socio-economic structure of United States Economic development seems to be the primary factor involved. However, economic development also brings modern determinants of health, which arise mainly from changes in lifestyle and from the hazards of contemporary and imperfectly understood technology. In United States people have become more civilized, living in a very high life style. But this development has also introduced both positive and negative influences such as use of tobacco, use of alcohol, etc which are injurious to health. Several psychological factors have an impact on suicidal tendencies, including social isolation, crises, depression, and alcoholism. Due to steady Industrialization and accelerating competition in market gives rise to an environment of tough competition. Competition along with more complex production and distribution environments requires identifying and reducing necessary costs, such as costs associated with development, manufacturing, distribution and service. (Anand, 2006)

The Complete Guide to Ebook Publishing Platforms

The Complete Guide to Ebook Publishing Platforms The Complete Guide to Ebook Distribution At Reedsy, our goal has always been to help authors through every stage of the publishing process, from the actual writing down to the marketing and promotion. However, if there's one thing our marketplace can't do, it's the actual publishing of the book. By that, I mean pressing the button that puts your book up for sale on Amazon - and other retailers.Ebook distribution is a complex, ever-evolving topic. Every year, new retailers open their gates, while existing ones close. To make authors’ lives easier, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about ebook distribution in this guide - which we religiously update every year to make sure that all the information in it is up to date. Everything you need to know about ebook distribution (but never considered asking) Now, there are two ways to read this post. If you want to know everything, go from top to bottom and absorb all the information. If you’re just looking for simple, clear-cut instructions on how to get your books onto the major ebook stores in the best way possible, then head straight to our optimized distribution setup infographic.What you need before you publish: formats, ISBNs moreBefore you can get your book up on different ebook stores, you'll need a couple of things: your properly formatted ebook files and a professional cover design.ISBN for Self-Publishers: The Complete Guide Read post Most e-retailers (e.g. Amazon) don’t require your ebook to have an existing ISBN, and most ebook publishing platforms (e.g. Draft2Digital) will provide one for free anyway. Some platforms like PublishDrive don’t offer a free ISBN, but will instead assign to your book another kind of unique identification number which will be accepted by the different stores they publish to.So, all in all, you don’t need an ISBN for ebook publication. Are there benefits to getting one? Yes: if you purchase your own ISBN and register it to your publishing company, your book will show up on retailers as being published by you (rather than by the publishing platform you used). Top #selfpub tip: If you purchase your own ISBNs, each format of your book needs its own. If you do purchase your own ISBNs, here’s the one rule you need to know: each format of your book needs to have its own ISBN. This means, in theory, that your .mobi on Amazon should have a different ISBN from your EPUB on the other stores. If you publish a print book as well (check out our list of print  book distributors right here), then your paperback and hardback will need different ISBNs as well.In the US, you can purchase ISBNs at Bowker. In the UK, you can purchase them at Nielsen. In Canada, you’re lucky, they’re free, and available through the Canadian ISBN Service System (CISS)! 🠍 A professional cover designOn top of your EPUB or .mobi, the other file you’ll need to upload is your book cover file. It’s important to check each retailer/distributor to see exactly what dimensions they require for covers. For example, Draft2Digital recommends a JPEG with dimensions of 1600 Ãâ€" 2400 pixels (a 1.5 ratio), whereas Amazon currently recom mends dimensions of 2,560 Ãâ€" 1,600 pixels (a 1.6 ratio). Knowing your dimensions ahead of time can save you and your cover designer time and ensure that your entire design appears as you intended.We have written extensively on this blog about the importance of hiring a professional cover artist to design your cover. If you want to find out to work with a world-class designer without breaking the bank, read this.Now that you have all the files you need to publish your ebook, it’s time to make one of the biggest decisions in your author career: are you going to publish exclusively on Amazon, or â€Å"go wide†?Amazon exclusivity vs â€Å"going wide†Surely, if I want to maximize my sales, I should make my ebook available to as many retailers as possible, right? That’s true, but here’s the trick: Amazon will offer you a lot of promotional advantages to entice you to publish your book exclusively on their stores. And depending on your book, genre, and marketing strategy, these benefits can far outweigh the drawbacks of not selling on Apple Books or Kobo. When is KDP Select not your best option for ebook distribution? #selfpub tips The case for Amazon exclusivityWhether you choose to be exclusive or not, your first ebook distribution step will be to upload your book to Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing. This is when you’ll be presented with an option: enrolling in KDP Select.KDP Select is the name of Amazon’s exclusivity program. In exchange for not listing your book anywhere else (that includes direct sales or giveaways through your website, by the way) for a minimum period of 90 days, you’ll get access to:Kindle Countdown Deals: for a period of 7 days every 90 days, you can discount your book. This â€Å"countdown deal† will be promoted to Amazon customers, and you’ll earn the 70% royalty - even on sales below $2.99.Kindle Free Promotions: for a period of 5 days every 90 days, you can set your book as free on the Kindle store. This free promotion will grant your book quite a bit of visibility on the free store.Kindle Unlimited and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library : KDP Select books are automatically enrolled in Kindle Unlimited (KU) and Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL), two subscription services that are extremely popular among Amazon customers. KU/KOLL authors are paid a percentage of the KDP Select Global Fund based on the number of pages of their books read by KU/KOLL subscribers every month.On top of these benefits, a KDP Select ebook will also earn you 70% royalty for sales to customers in Japan, India, Brazil and Mexico (35% otherwise).The case for â€Å"going wide†Amazon controls around 80% of the ebook market in the US and UK, but their market share is much lower in other countries. In Canada, for example, Kobo alone controls over 25% of the ebook market. In Germany, Tolino has the same market share as Amazon.Not being exclusive to Amazon - what we call â€Å"going wide† - gives you a chance to reach these other readers. Also, building a meaningful presence on smaller retailers can sometimes be easier than competing on Amazon (even with KDP Select’s perks).For a closer look at the pros and cons of Amazon exclusivity, take a look at this in-depth article. The ebook publishing landscape is an ever-changing one, and can be hard to navigate even for the most seasoned indie authors. We hope this post helped shed some light on the numerous distribution channels and opportunities available to authors, and how to make the most of them. We promise we'll do our best to update both our recommendations and the huge spreadsheet of aggregators and retailers on a regular basis.Acknowledgements: we'd like to give our thanks to Dan Wood at Draft2Digital, Monica Dubà © at PublishDrive and Giacomo D'Angelo at Streetlib for their help on our research. Special thanks as well to indie author Rohan Quine  whose distribution setup inspired us to write this post in the first place, and to Janell Robisch for her feedback.If you have any questions or comments about our recommended setup, or if you just want to have a virtual fireside chat with us about ebook distribution (who doesn't love that topic?!), please drop us a line in the comments below!

Opinion Editorial Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Opinion Editorial Paper - Essay Example Whereas college education is also needed in the work industry, the same faces danger of extinction with the increasing number of university graduates who become potential candidates for college based professions. Therefore, this paper seeks to discuss the claim that college education has been sidelined in the work industry Whereas a sizeable part of the population has already obtained at least a degree academic level, jobs available for graduates are becoming rare and more competitive. One of the viable alternatives is to empower academically and technically, lower academic persons to equip them with profound skills necessary to handle job opportunities in this category. Our broad economy needs to have a diverse system of incorporating all sorts of skills in the market since not all professionals need a college education. This can be done by increasing the salaries involved of the workers in this category. Mostly, these jobs needs people with less educational skills but have an abili ty to perform in the labor market. It is upon the government to evaluate and come up with a better education schemes and policy that will incorporate this system of education (Mishel, 2012). The question whether college education is for everyone has remained as a controversial question in most societies. Arguments constructed from intellectual point of view are biased towards acquisition of college education. People working in real working environment will argue that their college education has little or no significance to the work they do in their workplace. In such cases, people argue that they had to learn new skills in order to fit into their current work environment despite having gone through relevant education. Although college education is important in the work place, it is not sufficient. This is because the success of college graduate is measured by their success in the job market. In most cases, the relevance of a course will be measured with reference to the number of em ployed graduate and the amount of their earnings. Various measurements also include the duration within which college graduate stays without acquiring employment. According to most of such measurements, college education plays a less significant role in determining the success of a college graduate in the job market. It is important to appreciate that college students represent an important part of the society. Indeed, their role in the work industry cannot be underestimated. there are many jobs particularly demanding college level qualifications. However, employers are certainly tempted to employ highly qualified university students for the same jobs because of the competition. This implies that college education may become useless with time. A time will come when college education will just be a formality and not a lifetime investment. Ideally, college education focuses on how things ought to be with little or no emphasis on how thing work out in the real job environment. The emph asis on the theoretical aspect of college education is the sources of disconnection between college education and the real work environment. The disconnection can however, be minimized by creating a more practical-based education than a theoretical based education. In such case, colleges will train their students on how to apply knowledge acquired through their studies more than how to acquire the knowledge (Juhl 3). Due to the

Bilingualism and How Communication Develops Dissertation

Bilingualism and How Communication Develops - Dissertation Example The ability to learn a language involves many areas of the brain. The association areas located in the parietal lobe with connections to the temporal and occipital areas are involved in language experiences by functionally facilitating a variety of language-related behaviours such as vision, body awareness, touch, spatial orientation, verbal comprehension, localisation of objects in space, abstract and complex cognitive functions of mathematical reasoning and formulation of logical thoughts stemming from visual experiences (Lezak, 1997). This area of the brain was termed this association area in the parietal lobe as the â€Å"association area of association areas† while others named this association area the â€Å"  cortex† (Lezak, 1997). The right hemisphere is also involved when organizing a narrative, an expression and during recognition of emotion in the tone of voice as well as regulation of rhythm and intonation of speech.  The specialization of the left hemis phere in language processing, neuronal systems used for grammatical, semantic and lexical processing have been found to be affected by early language experiences (Carlson, 2001). Studies also indicate that right hemisphere involvement is present since much of the language processing requires spatial location, motion; and specialization and differentiation of these neuronal circuits are related to the proficiency of the language. It is known that verbal behavior is lateralized and the functions of the left hemisphere are more specialized for the analysis of sequential stimuli such as speech. Speech consists of sounds arranged into sequences of words. Cortical language areas primarily associated with localization of language-related functions are on the left hemisphere around the Sylvian fissure, inferior frontal lobe which harbors Broca’s area, and Wernicke’s area, located in the posterior temporal lobe (Carlson, 2001).

Middle East Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Middle East Politics - Essay Example The main goal of this Anglo-American influence is to gain power and control on Middle East which is mainly due to their interest in the vast oil reserves in the region as well as western economic dependence. However, before the discovery of oil reserves in the region; Middle East was targeted by the western powers on the basis of religion (due to the presence different religions such as Judaism, Islam and Christianity in Middle East) and their interest in natural arable land. In the past, western powers had different motives behind this control but in modern times their main interest lies in those vast reserves of oil that has made this region attractive for the western super powers. As a result, these western forces are actively supporting the state of Israel due to their interest in oil reserves and to make Israel as their â€Å"closest ally† in the region. Due to their interest in gaining control upon Middle East; these western powers have played an important role in trigge ring this conflict by funding Israel though military aid and by supporting Israel in various international platforms. This conflict between Israel and Palestine revolve around different key issues between the two states such as control of Jerusalem, borders, water rights, security, violence against each other and Israel’s settlement in the West Bank. More than a dispute between two states; this issue is considered as a war between Arabs and Zionism by the Middle East. These Zionists represented the small Jewish population which was in search of settling down in a Jewish state. The increased immigration of Jews in Palestine triggered the conflict to grow more severe. This raised the tension between the Jews and the Arab population. In 1947, UN intervention gave an opportunity to Zionists to maintain their hold on 55% of the Palestine to the Jews. It was an irony to see that this group is consisted of 30% of the population with a 7% land control. It is also worth mentioning

Marketing Mix Definition And Concept

Marketing Mix Definition And Concept According to Laura Lake the marketing mix is a mixture of marketing tools that are used to please customers and company objectives. Customers frequently call the marketing mix the offering. Basically offer is controlled by the following variables often referred as the four Ps in marketing: Product Price Place (Distribution) Promotion By exercising the variations of these four components you have the capability to reach multiple consumers within your target market. According to Jed C. Jones the term marketing mix is defined as the marketing Mix refers to the main elements that ought to be attended to in order to correctly market a product. They are also well-known as The 4 Ps of Marketing, the marketing mix is very helpful, and is a guideline for understanding the fundamentals of what makes a good marketing campaign. 3.1.2 Variables of Marketing Mix: Product: The marketing mix concept has its heredity from the 1950s U.S. corporate marketing planet, and the practice of marketing has obviously developed tremendously since this expression was invented. One of the alterations is that, there are a lot more services accessible nowadays, such as those obtainable through online and the difference between product and service has become more fuzzy (e.g., is a Web based software application a product or a service ). Moreover Product here refers to as products or services. The product you propose needs to be able to meet a definite, vacant market demand. Or else you need to be able to create a market niche via building a muscular brand. Price: The price you set for your market offering plays a big role in its marketability. Pricing for offerings that are further commonly available in the market is more flexible (Elastic), and its implication says that unit sales will move up or down further responsively in replication to the price modification. In contrast, those products that have usually more limited availability in the market (but with strong demand) are more inelastic, meaning that price changes will not affect unit sales to a large extent The price elasticity of the offering can be found through various market testing methods. Place: It usually refers to any way that the customer can attain a product. Provision of a product can come about via any number of distribution channels, for instance in a retail store, via mail, via downloadable files, on a cruise ship, in a hair salon, etc. The easiness and options through which one can make your product available to your customers will have an effect on your sales volume. Promotion: It is basically concerned with any vehicle you use for getting people be familiar with more about your offering. Advertising, Public relations, Point-of-sale displays, and word-of-mouth promotion are all conventional ways for promotion. Promotion is basically a way of concluding the information gap between would-be sellers and would-be buyers. Ones choice of a promotional strategy will be dependent upon the budget, the type of offering you are promoting, and availability of the said promotional vehicle. The marketing mix serves as an outstanding criterion for continually examining that you are covering all of the bases in your marketing campaign. Mass Media: It refers jointly to all the media technologies, including the Internet, television, newspapers, and radio, which are used for mass communications, and to the organizations which control these technologies. Mass media play an important role in determining public perceptions on a variety of important issues, both through the information that is distributed through them, and through the interpretations they place upon this information. The also play a large role in shaping recent culture, by selecting and representing a particular set of beliefs, values, and traditions (an entire way of life), as a reality. That is, by portraying a certain interpretation of reality, they shape reality to be more in line with that interpretation. Contemporary research demonstrates a growing level of concentration of media ownership, with many media industries already highly concentrated and dominated by a very small number of firms. Direct Marketing: It is a type of advertising that reaches its target audience without using conventional formal channels of advertising, such as TV, newspapers or radio. Businesses stay in touch straight to the consumer with advertising techniques such as fliers, catalogue distribution, promotional letters, and street advertising. Direct Advertising is a sub-discipline and a kind of marketing. There are two main definitional types which differentiate it from other types of marketing. The first is that it sends its point directly to the clients, without the use of intervening commercial communication media. The second characteristic is the core theory of successful Advertising driving a precise call to action. This aspect of direct marketing involves a stress on measurable, trackable positive responses from consumers (known simply as response in the industry) apart from of medium. 3.1.3 Marketing Mix Management by Peter Grant: According to Peter Grant Marketing Mix Management is the successful business enterprise which will flourish through the aggressive and pre-planned execution of a complete Marketing Mix strategy in approaching revenues. Identify Audience or Vertical Market to Penetrate Assign Marketing Mix Resources that Accommodate Audience in Communications Process Implement Plan The objective is to use both active and passive mechanisms to emphasize the impression rate, (or number of times that your audience perceives that it remembers), your corporate communications message to your target audience, leading to bigger revenues. To be really successful, all areas of the Marketing Mix need to be pre-planned and then executed in a timely and disciplined fashion. The World Wide Web, correctly handled, can identify and address both in a passive and active mode, both current and future clients. Marketing Mix Definitions and Action Steps Pro-activity Discipline Actions / Results Active / Passive Web Site Crosses all boundaries in passive / active communications. Great freedom by potential clients in accessing your information. Active Direct Sales Face-to-Face contact. Builds rapport, leads to proposals. Active Telesales Phone solicitation to identified customers; leads to rapport building and eventual appointment for a Direct Sales call. Active Telemarketing Identifying potential customers through qualifying needs to have a problem solved that could be addressed through your particular product or solution. Passive Direct Mail Lists by maintaining an internal client database (from inquiries generated from advertising or from telemarketing/telesales calls. Lists from purchased list service. Mass mailing service (ValPak, SuperCoups). E-Mail nickname lists from inquiries. We do not recommend spamming. Fax blast to internally generated lists. Postcard mailing for cost-effective contact frequency. Passive Advertising / Promotions Target vertical market associations that purchase your product or service. Ensure that your core corporate communications look (logo, slogan, and graphical look) is repeated in any advertisement. Vertical Market trade show participation Complimentary Introductory Program exists within your communications goals. Consistent Corporate Communications look to all of your marketing efforts (Logo, stationary, brochures, advertisements, etc.). This acts to reinforce your impressions rate. Passive Public Relations Monthly Press Release and Backgrounder to all vertical market associations. Monthly release to horizontal / territory markets to build perception and retention of your core products, services and corporate identity. The execution of the above Marketing Mix objectives in a timely and well-focused manner should ensure the relative success of any enterprise that has done appropriate market research to determine the viability of its concept. 3.1.4 How to select the finest marketing mix: pros, cons, and tips for telling people about your business includes connected article on how people get business tutorial: How to Select the Best Marketing Mix: Your marketing campaign is that set of actions that you use to get the word out get the right people or group to know what you do, who you are, and where to find you. (Then your sales campaign takes over and change prospects into customers.) You can try to wing it. But going through the same planning procedure as larger companies before launching the marketing campaign will pay off perhaps by reducing the costs, and almost surely in getting better results for the similar investment of time and money. During the past some years advice is there for the software developers, physical therapists, dance instructors, dog trainers, and other small, usually service-oriented businesses on setting up their personal marketing campaigns. Here what campaigns are all about, and how you can create your marketing work for you. WHOS YOUR CUSTOMER? One cant hit a target if he/she doesnt know what youre aiming at or where the target is. So before one define the marketing campaign, do the homework: * Clearly recognize your products and services. For Instance: neon art and signage; pre-school day care by ex-teachers. * Describe your business goals, and then set the prices or rates. How much totality of business do you want? What mix of products and services do you would like to sell? * Recognize the prospect base by income, geography, age, type of organization or individual, and line of business (for instance, nonprofit organizations with yearly revenues of $100,000 to $750,000). Cons: Can be costly; needs a lot of time and effort. Not right for a number of people or businesses. Tips: Learn to qualify prospects rapidly. Follow up promptly with mailings, letterings, samples, chiefly in response to specific requests. Keep good accounts; consider using a contact-management program. Events. Attending, participating in, or reveal. Examples: trade shows, conferences, and seminars. Pros: Very good for exposure. If you dont show, often highly affordable. Cons: Very volatile results; can be time-consuming and draining, with expensive travel expenses. Tips: Prepare. Pick a small number of shows in your field to attend on a regular basis. Meet as many people as probable to grow contacts. Collateral. Materials that you print up and hand out. For Example: brochures, newsletters, pamphlets, reprints, coupons, fliers, and business cards. Pros: Can be cheap, especially if the pieces can provide many purposes and you make them using desktop publishing. Cons: Can be costly putting together a desktop-publishing system. Can take a lot of time, until you get the hang of it. Needs episodic updating; inventory needs to be managed cautiously. Tips: Think cautiously before over committing to a costly item that will go out of date. Look for pieces that can be their personal mailer. Other diverse advertising specialties. Instances: bumper stickers, coffee mugs, key rings, calendars, and other gewgaws; skywriting and blimps; contests, surveys, and joint marketing efforts. Pros: Can help drawing the attention; gives you a simple way to depart your name and address with prospects. * Expect to spend an average of an hour a day, each day, in marketing. * Always be ready. Answer the phone with a smiling, positive voice; always carry business cards. * Do follow-up promptly. * Remember that marketing rarely has immediate results. It can take months, or even years, to set up yourself. * Dont spend the money you dont have. * Use outside services sensibly mostly where you desire to save time or where special-purpose gear is needed. No two campaigns will be similar. Even though your business may be alike as somebody elses, you may have a different philosophy, budget, or capacity to take on advertising, public speaking or phone calls. Only experience will educate you whom marketing approaches works best for you, in terms of your aptitude to do them and in delivering consequences. 3.1.5 Marketing mix customization and customizability by Marc Logman: According to Marc Logman businesses looking for customized methods of designing, pricing, selling, and delivering their wares can do it themselves or leave it up to the customer. We are sailing out of the century and into the next with our marketing techniques in full-scale transformation. Top-down marketing is changing into bottom-up. Transaction marketing is changing into relationship marketing. One-way or broadcast marketing is changing to an interactive style to support a dialogue with the client and mass marketing is changing to a customized, one-on-one way of reaching individual customers. Because of fierce rivalry, long-standing competitive advantages often are no longer sustainable. The policy is to be followed, says dAveni (1994), is one of nonstop market annoyance in order to generate impermanent competitive advantages. Hamel and Prahalad (1994) propose that firms should look almost endlessly for new openings. In the middle of such dizzying change, companies must be able to create real-time decisions, so their planning and tactics horizons frequently become shorter. To be flexible and highly receptive to market moves, a top-down approach in which business plan decisions precede tactical and planning decisions often no longer supports. Companies should be able to become accustomed to their tactics immediately. In the same background, a firms communication approach becomes more and more bottom-up. Rather than determining target group (who?) and communication aim (what?) before deciding on the instrument (how?), specific methods of communicating, such as by means of the Internet, are leading to the recognition of who and what. Moreover, many writers assert that a paradigm shift is happening from transaction marketing to relationship marketing. Firms are beginning to understand that keeping current customers may be more significant than trying to attract new ones. In the computer business, different hardware specifications may be developed by the customer. Menu options offer choices of hard disk capacity, processing speed, software drivers, and so on. Capacity can be extended; new cards can further be added. Software firms are also developing innovative tools that allow the user to perform several operations more efficiently. Power quest recently introduced the package Partition magic, which allows users to divide their hard disks more effectively. Business-to-business markets, in which suppliers sell products to the manufacturer, are using both customization options. Some manufacturers, such as the auto makers, hold suppliers accountable for integrating their products into the final version. Others tend to favor buoying customizable products from the supplier and become accustomed on their own. In the second case, manufacturers often rely on competent integration-engineering division. The Laboratory of Production Technologies of Siemens in Belgium transform the basic technology into integrated solutions that fit completely into the production lines of different Siemens divisions. Purchase Price Offering the price discounts is one of the most popular ways to customize prices. Criteria for discounting often includes a customers sales volume, its sales history (such as being loyal or not), and the time of purchase. High-volume customers might get special discounts, users of old product versions might get discounts on new product versions, and so on. Another way to customize prices is through customizing the product, with additional product option leading to higher prices. Communication According to Logman (1996) points out that, especially in todays rapidly changing business environment, customers may have different information needs. Some might want to be informed about new product versions, whereas the others are interested in information about possible upgrades of old product description. The Price-sensitive customers may be interested to some extent in promotional information, whereas the quality-sensitive customers may be interested in product information. To meet the individual information needs, a firm can either communicate directly to the customers or adjust its information (such as through direct mail) or else it can offer a customizable information system that allows customers to find the preferred information easily. The World Wide Web is the most salient instance of the latter framework, with clientele selecting from corporate Web sites. Distribution and Logistics Customers now have much more freedom in choosing the logistics and methods of distribution to fit their detailed requirements. They can determine when, where, and how they want goods to be delivered; they can even state the manner in which they want goods to be handled before and after the delivery. Gilmore and Pine (1997) refer to this as the representation requirements. After-Sales Support and Costs Like many products, services can also be bundled into a customized service parcel. In numerous industries, customized augmented solution that includes both product and service are offered. In b to-b markets, such as in the mainframe computer business, sales contracts frequently cover agreements on product maintenance, substitution, and so on. By using a remote control system that permits diagnosis and possible remedy of product defects from a distance, customers after-sales costs may be condensed. Nashuatec does make use of such a system in the fax business. The Web provides another chance in this direction. By transferring video images of a product performance, product failures can be detected. After-sales costs, to some extent, can be customized by end users. Someone who buys a fresh car may decide to opt for lower energy costs by driving at a reasonably price rate of speed. A company may manufacture a copy machine that is simple for customers to maintain and repair themselves. Service costs are thereby condensed and the customers after sales cost perceptions may be positively influenced. CUSTOMIZED OR CUSTOMIZABLE: A TRADE-OFF? Businesses clearly have two alternatives when it comes to producing and marketing a product or a service: either going for the customize marketing mix instruments or let the customers themselves do it. The choice depends on numerous considerations. Finally, a firm must think about the independencies and interdependencies of its marketing mix decision. Can it present customized final product while offering a customizable information network for after-sales communication? Does price customizability results from product customizability? Can experienced computer users design their personal PCs from a list of options of standard components at a price that seems suitable to them? Will customizing methods of distribution affects price? With marketing practices in such a flux, companies are ever looking for innovative solutions to customize their ways of offering products and services. Using the framework provided here allows marketing practitioners to assess different customization options for their marketing mix instruments. But some warnings are in order. When a firm chooses to customize the marketing mix at its own, it should take care to make sure that its marketing policy is transparent and clear-cut to customers. Offering inconsistent solutions to diverse people may be seen as giving special treatment to some while discriminating against others and offering inexpert customers a do-it-yourself customizable product or service might be able to result in confusion, dissatisfaction, or even in a disaster. Along with the advances in technology that facilitate both customization and customizability comes with a new array of challenges. But careful decisions based on a proper framework for assessing the options can result in a marketing mix that draws closer to providing everything to every customer. 3.2 Brand Equity: 3.2.1 Brand Equity Definition Concept: According to Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong, Brand Equity is defined as how much is a brand worth of? Brand equity refers towards the value of the brand. Brand equity does not develop immediately. A brand needs to be cautiously nurtured and marketed so customers feel real value and trust regarding that brand. Nike, Adidas, Harrods, all have high brand equity. These brands command high awareness and consumer loyalty. But how much are these brands really worth? It is hard to put a value on these brands. But how much is a pair of Nike trainers worth without the logo on it? According to Scott D. White, Brand equity can be defined in many diverse ways. He has developed an easy, yet dominant definition of brand equity. For a brand to be strong it must achieves two things over time: i.e. retain current customers and attract new ones. To the amount, a brand does these things well, it grows stronger versus opposition, and delivers more earnings to its owners. Flouting down the definition of brand equity into its two components, one can more easily determine a dependable way to measure the brand equity, and to track changes in brand equity over time. The components of retention, brand equity, and attraction of customers, stem from people experiences with and perceptions of a brand. The ability to keep customers is largely experiential. A high equity brand displays stronger levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. History has shown that customers will continue to buy a brand that can offer them their moneys worth. The ability to create a center of attention for new customers is largely perceptual. Because consumers do not have actual brand experience and they must go by what they hear, see and judge about a brand. The two primary ways through market receives this information is by messages controlled by marketing, such as the advertising and PR efforts and as well as uncontrolled messages such as the press stories and word of mouth. 3.2.2 Brand Equity Variables: 3.2.2.1 Brand Awareness: Brand awareness is a marketing concept that measures customers knowledge of a brands existence. At the aggregate level, it refers to the amount of consumers who know of the brand. Measurement driven conceptualization: Brand awareness is the degree to which a brand is associated with a particular product and is documented by potential and existing consumers either positively or negatively. Formation of brand awareness is the main goal of advertising at the beginning of any products life cycle in the target markets. In fact, brand awareness has influence on the buying behavior of a buyer. All of these calculations are at best approximations. A better complete understanding of the brand can occur if numerous measures are used. Brand equity is the positive effect of the brand on the differentiation between the prices that the consumer accepts to pay when the brand known compared to the value of the benefit received. 3.2.2.2 Brand Association: Brand Associations are not the benefits, but they are the images and symbols associated with a brand or a brand benefit. For instance- The Nike Swoosh, Nokia sound, the Film Stars as with Lux, signature tune the Ting-ting-ta-ding with Britannia, Blue color with the Pepsi, etc. Associations are not the reasons-to-buy but provide contacts and differentiation that is not replicable. It is relating perceived qualities of a brand to a known unit. For example- Hyatt Hotel is linked with the luxury and comfort; BMW is linked with sophistication, and superior engineering. The most popular brand associations are with the possessors of a brand, such as Mr. Bill Gates and Microsoft, Reliance and Dhirubhai Ambani. Brand associations are formed on the following basis: Customers contact with the organization and its employees; Advertisements; Word of mouth publicity; Price at which the brand is sold; Celebrity/big entity association; Quality of the product; Products and schemes offered by competitors; Product class/category to which the brand belongs; POP ( Point of purchase) displays; etc Positive brand associations can be developed if the product which the brand depicts is durable, and desirable. The consumers must be persuaded that the brand owns the features and attributes that can satisfy their needs. This can lead to consumers having a positive impression about the product. Positive brand association helps a business to gain goodwill, and hinders the competitors entry into the market. Brand association is anything which is deeply seated in consumers mind about the brand. Brand should be linked with something positive that can help customers to relate your brand being positive. Brand associations are the qualities of brand which come into customers mind when the brand is talked about. It is associated with the implicit and explicit meanings which a customer relates or associates with a specific brand name. Brand association can also be defined as the extent to which a specific product/service is familiar within its product/service or category. While selecting a brand name, it is necessary that the name chosen should emphasize a significant attribute or benefit that forms its product positioning. For example Power book. 3.2.2.3 Brand Impression/ Perception: Brand perception is actually how the public (the ones you are relating to) sights the product. Its the desired team shirt a football fan wears on Sundays. Bands poster hung in a teenagers room. An opinion voiced to a buddy. Brand experiences and perceptions are developed over time through a mixture of sources, including: Previous experience with the brand Interactions with sales, customer service, and other employees Recommendations from friends and colleagues Reviews by reputable sources Advertising Brand managers need to know that how consumers perceive and select the brands in specific product categories and market segments. One also need to know that what is important to consumers when making a brand decision, where consumers get the information about products and services, and what consumers think about your brand. 3.2.2.4 Brand Attachment: Brand attachment is what you vie for. It is critical not only to get your target customers make a purchase from you, but also to make them empathize with your brand. People are often inclined to award things with human characteristics and emotions. That is precisely what you want them to do. Making your brand more personal and you will get a chance to win your consumers lifelong loyalty and passion. Brands are shaped to distinct products from their competitors and join their consumers to them by building up their loyalty. Product promotion cannot be a easy and dull process of making profit. In order to have success, it has to affect both the rational and emotional aspects of human nature. A product selling, based only on their normal benefits and qualities, is not probable any more. As a high competition level makes it to be so. Therefore, brands need somewhat more to attract customers to their products. 3.2.3 Brands and brand equity: definition and management by Lisa Wood: According to Lisa Wood, an attempt to define the relationship between consumers and brands produced the term brand equity in the marketing literature. The idea behind brand equity has been debated both in the accounting and marketing literatures, and has also highlighted the importance of having a long-term focus within the brand management. Although there have been major moves by companies to be strategic in the way that the brands are managed, a lack of common terminology and philosophy within n between disciplines persists and may deter communication. Brand equity, like the concepts of brand and the added value has been discussed in the section headed the brand construct has proliferated into numerous meanings. Accountants tend to describe brand equity differently from marketers, with the idea being defined both in terms of the relationship between consumer and brand or as something that accrues to the brand owner (the company-oriented definitions). According to Feldwick (1996) simplifies the diversity of approaches, by providing a classification of different meanings of brand equity as the total value of a brand as a separable asset ; Â ± when it is sold, or included on a balance sheet; A measure of the strength of consumers attachment to a brand A description of the associations and beliefs the consumer has about the brand. The first of these is often known as brand valuation or brand value, and is the meaning generally accepted by financial accountants. The concept of measuring the customers level of attachment to a brand is known as brand strength (synonymous of brand loyalty). The third could be called the brand image, though Feldwick (1996) did use the term brand description. When the marketers use the term brand equity they tend to mean the brand description or the brand strength. Brand strength and brand description at times referred to as the customer brand equity to distinguish them from asset valuation meaning. Brand description is different because it would not be expected to be quantified, whereas the brand strength and brand value are considered quantifiable (though the methods of quantification are not covered by this article). Brand value may be thought to be separate as it refers to the actual or notional business transaction, while the other two focuses on the customer. There is an unspecified relationship between interpretations of the brand equity. This connection implies the causal chain. 3.2.4 Managing Brand Equity in Rapidly Changing Markets by Carol Holding: Several years ago, brand equity received the ultimate accolade in a capitalist society: a dollar value- sometimes listed with other intangible assets in the annual report. The highest valued brand today is Coca Cola. Its value according to Financial World is $39 billion. Thats the extra margin people will pay to get the real thing over a generic brand. On the other hand, IBMs brand, though third in value this year, was by one estimate actually negative last year. In other words, if you put the IBM logo on the product, it actually reduced the value of that product versus an unknown brand. Both of these companies, Coca Cola and IBM, have gone through enormous change, yet one managed to build its equity and one lost it. Though each companys management decisions and style had something to do with the outcomes, they also faced different types of rapid change, one far