Plato And Aristotle Essays - Ancient Greek Philosophers,

Plato And Aristotle What is real? What gives life meaning? What happens when we die? These three questions are very common in today's society. Everyone has different beliefs and their answers to these world view questions are different. Greek Philosopher's, Aristotle and Plato had very different views and answers to these questions. What is real? Aristotle believed that for something to be real it had to have a substance and a form or a body and a soul. Our senses are also reality. Now Plato on the other hand believed that reality is permanent and our senses can't be trusted. He also believed immortal things are more real than the mortal. For example, Greek gods, immortal souls, and universals are more real than humans, animals, and plants that are considered mortal. What gives life meaning? According to Aristotle achieving the highest possible potential with our talents, to reason with our emotions and the "golden mean" which is everything in moderation gives life meaning. Now Plato believed that education through a forty-four year program gives life meaning. Plato thought that everybody's goal in life is, "We learned but forgot." What happens when we die? Aristotle believed nothing happens when we die because to even exist you have to have a body and a soul. So if you die and your body leaves then you don't exist because you don't have both a body and a soul. Plato believed that when we die we are recycled. It is kind of like reincarnation but not quite. When you die you're reborn but have lost all of your previous knowledge due to the trauma birth causes. This is where Plato's goal in life ties in. We learned but our soul forgot when we are reborn. Plato and Aristotle had completely different answers to the questions, What is real? What gives life meaning? and What happens when we die? Some of their answers to these world view questions may seem bizarre but we all have our own answers and views about many different things.

Metre, Meter, and Mete

Metre, Meter, and Mete Metre, Meter, and Mete Metre, Meter, and Mete By Maeve Maddox Numerous readers wrote to correct me regarding the following entry in my post about commonly confused words that begin with M: 5. meter / metre Both words are nouns. A  meter  is a measuring device, like a gas meter.  Metre  is a metric unit or a type of rhythm in verse. American speakers wrote to point out that the standard US spelling for the metric unit is meter, never metre. Speakers from the UK and Canada wrote to tell me that they never have occasion to write meter, only metre. So, how inaccurate is my meter/metre entry? Regarding standard British usage, it is completely accurate. Regarding standard American usage, it fails on two counts: 1. It fails to mention that meter is the standard US spelling for the metric unit. 2. It does not mention the fact that meter has also become acceptable US spelling for the word that refers to the rhythmic structure of a verse. Apologies to my American readers are therefore in order. Meter, it is, for all three meanings. As for devices that measure such things as gas and electricity, the spelling meter is standard in British usage. Both words, metre and meter, have their remote origins in an Indo-European word for measure. The English word metre in the sense of poetic rhythm was already in use during the Old English period. The original Latin word, metrum, could mean â€Å"poetic measure† or â€Å"a vessel or other object used for measuring.† The word metre in the sense of â€Å"a metric unit† entered English from French mà ¨tre in 1797, two years after the metric system was formally defined in French law.    The noun meter in the sense of â€Å"a mechanical measuring device† was introduced in the nineteenth century by the inventor of a gas meter. His use of the word had nothing to do with metre in either the sense of poetic rhythm or the metric system. The meter in â€Å"gas meter† derives from the English verb to mete (â€Å"to measure†), a verb that has existed in English since Old English times. Before the inventor used meter in the context of his mechanism, the occupational term meter existed for a person whose job was to measure things. The verb mete survives in current usage with the meanings â€Å"to apportion† or â€Å"to deal out.† It is usually used with the particle out. Here are examples of recent usage: Pfeffer says powerful people do certain things to advance their own agendas. One of these is to mete out resources. The criticism  meted out  by the press is always the first thing that people hear.    The Government is planning to bolster her impact by granting her the ability to mete out financial penalties. A new way to mete out discipline in schools? Kurds Likely to Mete Out Severe Justice The following use of mete in the King James translation of the Bible may be the reason that the verb is often associated with justice and punishment: For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.- Matthew 7:2. Bottom line American usage recognizes the spelling meter for the metric unit, the rhythmic structure, and the measuring apparatus. British usage recognizes two spellings: metre for verse and metric units; meter for an apparatus that automatically measures the quantity of something passing through it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 Idioms with Heart7 Patterns of Sentence StructureHow to Style Legislative Terms

Seven pounds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Seven pounds - Essay Example Tim Thomas, the main character of the film performed by Will Smith, suffers from a crash accident and kills seven people. Tim wants to save the lives of seven people. He donates his organs to other people. This is unusual type of films challenges the contemporaries with an interesting way of plot’s interpretation. The essence of the film In the last episode Tim wants to help Connie Tepos (Elpidia Carrillo) and saves her life and the lives of her two children. The last two people, saved by Tim, are Ezra Turner (Woody Harrelson) and a blind meat salesman playing the piano. The last donation is made for Emily Posa (Rosario Dawson), when Tim wants to donate a heart for her. Finally, he starts falling in love with this girl. A story of their feelings is impressive and the audience has a perfect opportunity to think about the essential and basic feelings of every individual–love and intimacy. There is no doubt that these guys would have perfect relations, but Tim’s sins do not let him go and his conscience and mind gain power over his emotions and feelings. Therefore, this film is not only about physical pain, but also about emotional and psychological sufferings. There is much darkness and depression in this film, but there is no doubt that there are much spiritual issues in this film. ... Moral values are substituted by monetary and financial concerns. The main character of Will Smith is described in the following way: â€Å"His breeziness becomes a shallow act, and his smile becomes downright eerie, a strained mask that hides pain, wards off hostility and expresses aggression all at the same time. It's a smile with dead  eyes† (LaSalle, 2008). Nevertheless, a feeling of love reincarnate his dead eyes and he is able to be inspired by one of the greatest feelings of the world. There is much romanticism in this film, as well as there is much drama. This film is for different tastes and the audience thankfully follows the development of the events in the film. Will Smith persuades the viewers that the most precious thing in the world is life. He made people lose their lives, but in the result of this horrible accident he did not suffer from having lost his own life. He compensated his debt in the face of God and he is strong enough and a rather responsible perso n to show that he is emotionally stable and spiritually strong person. The actions of Tim are reviewed in the following way: â€Å"But all the narrative trickery and emotional manipulation only serves to put Ben further out of the audience's reach, as he moves through the plot like a single-minded Terminator without motivations we can grasp† (Critical Analysis of Seven Pounds). On the one hand, the main character of the film is self-concentrated and a reserved person, but on the other hand, he is a connecting link between different aspects of the film’s world. Sentimental performance of Will Smith is both dramatic and philosophic. The audience is puzzled by the ability to wonder about the real essence and the central plot of the film (Film review – Seven Pounds 2008). A perfect

Working Capital Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Working Capital - Research Paper Example If the current asset of the firm was less than the current liabilities, this will mean that the firm has a deficit working capital and the firm will not be in a position to convert its asset into cash even if the company is making profits. (Livingstone 2002) It is defined as the company’s ability to meet its short term obligations. These means that the higher the ratio the more liquid is the firm. The current ratio of a firm is calculated as a current asset divided by the current liabilities, the interpretation on these is that if the current asset of a firm is twice the current liabilities, then the firm is considered to have a significant good short term financial strength. But if the firm’s current asset are less than the current liabilities of the firm, then the result will be a firm having a problem in meeting its short term financial problem. Therefore, looking at the balance sheet of superior company the current ratio is as follows 1.97 in 2001, 1.95 in 2002, 1.83 in 2003 these shows that the company is in a position of meeting its short term financial obligation for the ratio is a positive figure and the current asset are approximately twice the current liabilities. These are short term loan and have a short maturity usually one year or less, in the balance sheet these amounts are indicated along the current liabilities section. They are mainly due within a year, if a company has more short term debt than the cash or investment to cover the bed payment then the firm will be forced to apply for more debt and this will be disadvantageous for the firm financially. (Droms 1990) Based on the presented balance sheet of superior company its short term debts are 1,200 in 2001, 1,300 2002 and 1,450 in 2003. Meaning therefore, the firms short term debt are less than the cash of the company and hence, the company has no intention of acquiring more debt for it is able to finance for the debt it has. These are

First Generation Ethnic Minority Students with Multiple Higher Research Paper

First Generation Ethnic Minority Students with Multiple Higher Education Degrees - Research Paper Example The study also identified that having a familial support network, pride in becoming a sort of educational role model for others, the desire to gain a better household income through degree attainment, and substantially positive psychological coping and attitude contributed to constructive navigation of the education process. Through in-depth discussion with a first generation ethnic minority student, a variety of theoretical opportunities for family members of this group and institutional leaders to better engage and support first generation ethnic minority students was determined. Understanding the challenges and opportunities for first generation students has been a subject of interest to many researchers historically. The terminology of â€Å"first generation† is referring to any student that actively pursues a college/university education as the first individual within a family dynamic whose parents have not graduated from colleges or university institutions. As of 2012, approximately half of Alaska Natives, American Indians, African Americans, Hispanics and Latino doctorate holders belonged within family units where neither parent had been awarded a college degree (NSF, 2012). However, it is common that First Generation Ethnic Minority Students lack the knowledge that is required to make wise choices while completing their Masters and PhD Programs, which can pose serious consequences on their academic achievements. Ethnic minorities obtaining graduate degrees has been inadequately covered in research, and their challenges have lacked the necessary attention that is crucial in ensuring that they make wise choices during their academic profession. Research has pointed out that First Generation Ethnic Minority Students are inclined to face more challenges unless there is an intervention to streamline their decision making process. As the population of First Generation Ethnic Minority Students continues to increase, it is

Importance of Brands and Branding

Importance of Brands and Branding Abstract Repetitive failures cost companies millions of dollars in redesign costs, liabilities, and transaction costs. However, by far the most serious cost of these failures is the lost business that results from customer defection. For service companies, the task of providing error-free services is even more challenging because their intangible nature renders subjective perceptions of quality. Equally troublesome is the uncontrollable element of customer participation in the service process because production and consumption occur as a simultaneous process. Despite these challenges however, service quality and customer satisfaction are closely related constructs. When service providers continuously strive to develop error-free processes, customer satisfaction is sure to follow. Chapter 1: Introduction Many marketers are rethinking their branding because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than aspirational positioning, and that three steps can help ensure success: 1. Ensure relevance to a customers frame of reference. Be fully aware of the brands â€Å"frame of reference† so that a repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. Look at a combination of customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used to obtain the most powerful customer insights. 2. Secure the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning. Recognize that permission amounts to a reasonable and logical extension of the brand in the customers eyes. Leverage a brands unique emotional benefits to carry customers from their current brand perception to the intended one. 3. Deliver on the brands new promise. Identify the pathway of performance â€Å"signals† that will convince customers of the new brand positioning. Develop product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals. Track and assess performance against customer signals prior to launching the new positioning. Adopt an â€Å"interim positioning† to establish brand credibility and performance. An array of factors is requiring marketers today to rethink their brand positioning. Changing customer needs are often eroding the brands established position. At the same time, increasing competitive pressures created by new entrants and product innovations, and the proliferation of new channels and promotional campaigns, are driving marketers back to the drawing board. Many CEOs and CMOs, however, find themselves displeased with the results of their repositioning efforts. Increased marketing expenditures devoted to repositioning brands in the minds of consumers often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Why do these well-intentioned efforts turn into marketing failures? While there are many causes, companies often fail to focus on achievable brand positioning rather than branding in service sector. Too often, their efforts target an ambitious goal that outstrips the actual ability of the brand to deliver on what it has promised to customers. Or the goal is too far from customers current brand perception to be a realistic brand objective. For example: In the late 1 980s Oldsmobile wanted to revitalize its brand and gear it to a younger audience. Thus marketers at General Motors launched a creative campaign around the tagline, â€Å"Not your fathers Oldsmobile,† highlighting the cars improved styling and new features. But for many younger consumers, this was too much of a stretch for the brand. The product modifications did not go far enough to meet the needs and expectations of the new customer set they were targeting. As a result, Oldsmobile recognized the need to shift its campaign. Eventually, GM closed its Oldsmobile division. More recently, United Airlines Rising campaign attempted to position the brand as the most passenger-centric airline, with a clear understanding of customer problems and the solutions needed to fix them. The campaign had the effect of raising expectations, which were quickly deflated, however, by the brands inability to deliver against the promises made as part of its bold new positioning platform. Consequently, United was forced to change its central brand message — no longer emphasizing Rising. Many high-tech businesses have recently repositioned themselves as e-business brands. However little effort was made by these brands to clearly differentiate themselves from one another despite the millions of dollars spent on elaborate marketing programs. The net effect, according to their research, has been to sow confusion in the minds of customers, rather than to forge strong brand identities. These examples — and most marketers can cite many others — underscore the imperative to pursue a brand positioning that is eminently achievable, not just attractive. Based on our experience, three steps can help ensure that they make this distinction: 1) ensuring relevance to a customers frame of reference; 2) securing the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning; and 3) making sure that the brand delivers on its promise. Be Relevant to the Customers Frame of Reference: When repositioning a brand, its essential for marketers to capture not just the emotional and physical needs of the customer but the dynamics of the situation in which those needs occur. We refer to this as the customers â€Å"frame of reference.† For example, while isotonic beverages like Gatorade and Powerade are thirst-quenching drinks, consumers tend to think of them in the broader context of sports, exercise, and physical activity. Importantly, the frame of reference sets the parameters for customers consideration set — the brands they will choose from. Indeed, most customers have a very specific definition of what the brand is and what it can be relative to their frame of reference. Repositioning a brand too far from this frame of reference creates customer confusion that makes a positioning unsuccessful. Attempting to brand Gatorade, for example, within a social, lighthearted context would probably be stretching the brand too far from the current sports/physical activity frame of reference. Similarly, a communications company known for data services for business customers would likely be positioning the brand too far outside of the customers frame of reference if it suddenly tried to launch a â€Å"friends-and-family† calling plan. Being fully aware of the frame of reference for a brand can help ensure that its repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. But the frame of reference is usually a combination of both customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used. As a result, we typically find the most powerful customer insights and segmentation come from looking at a combination of these factors In some categories, customers broader attitudes are the dominant factor. How customers think about pet-related brands, for example, can be seen in the context of how they treat their own pets — whether they view them as family members, best friends/companions, or in a less personal way. If customers view pets as family members, the optimal message for the brand will appeal to such human qualities as nurturing and pampering. This â€Å"family member† orientation or frame of reference may help support a brand extension to a full range of pet services, such as grooming and accessories. Other customer needs are not as consistent, but better understood within the context of specific situations or sub-categories. In the field of airline travel, for example, the customers frame of reference may be a function of the type of trip they are taking. The customer who is used to traveling within the U.S. in cramped coach-class conditions, for example, will have a much different set of needs and expectations than the traveler who is used to flying to international destinations with all the comforts of first-class service. As a result, in most instances the frame of reference is built upon a combination of both of the above attitudinal and situational forces. For example, while consumers may generally have a health-conscious attitude about the foods they eat, on certain â€Å"special† occasions they may allow themselves to become more indulgent, creating what we call a â€Å"need state.† A strong brand identity can also help marketers secure the desired permission from consumers. Because Victorias Secret owns or is associated with the notion of intimate moments, for example, it would be easier for that brand to get permission to introduce a new line of lingerie or perfume with a sensual connotation than it would be to launch a line of jeans or handbags. In repositioning, marketers must embrace the idea that they are brand â€Å"stewards,† while customers define their relationship with the brand and determine the basis for the relationship. A steward must spend more time deeply understanding what customers really think about the brand and where potential â€Å"bridges† to growth and new branding exist. For example, Smuckers could leverage the â€Å"wholesome goodness† their loyal customers attribute to them instead of solely focusing on themselves as fruit processors. Marketers should not attempt to cover the waterfront here, but instead focus on the relevant interrelated â€Å"hot buttons† that will clearly convey the message. For example, in the case of a technology brand positioning itself as â€Å"humanizing technology for everyday people,† the strongest set of pathways to the positioning came from product signals such as customized hardware and specific application platforms (e.g., games, household management) rather than from equipment with the latest features and innovative design. The pathway modeling also indicated the strong signal value of the brands customer service representatives having an understanding of an individual customers needs. This important service signal led to the broader customer perception of the brand as caring — an important personality signal for the brand to deliver on its positioning. Additionally, the marketer learned that having technicians follow through with customers to issue resolution w as a critical service signal that led to the broader personality signal of the brand being professional — another key for the brand to live up to its positioning. With these insights, the marketer could allocate resources accordingly, ensuring that the more important signals were being appropriately supported. Develop necessary product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals to the customer. For example, if the brand positioning is built around superior customer satisfaction, but frontline sales people are measured on revenue rather than satisfaction, it is unlikely that consistent performance will be achieved. So, if airline gate agents are the first and most important contact point for customers, they should be empowered to solve customers issues instead of redirecting them to customer service personnel. In the technology brand example, given the importance of the customer service representatives and service technicians, there should be a greater emphasis on the quality of the service delivered rather than on the number of customers that can be serviced over a given time period. Make sure approaches are in place to track and assess your performance against these customer signals prior to the formal launching of the new positioning. Applying rigorous quality assurance procedures to key elements of the new brand experience will often ensure that customers are not disappointed, or fail to have their expectations met. Current data-collection methods allow for rapid response and can be leveraged to determine whether the launch programs are having their desired effect on brand perceptions. Due to the complexities of brand positioning, many marketers are correctly choosing to move to an â€Å"interim positioning.† This interim positioning is designed to establish brand credibility and performance on the road to fully achieving the longer-term aspirational positioning. Such a positioning focuses on those aspects of the brand on which the organization is currently able to deliver. Interim positioning is often essential when a brand stakes out new territory considered â€Å"up market,† addresses an important or longstanding deficiency, or is attempting to redefine its competitive set. As the brand evolves (based on customers changing perceptions), additional components of the new platform can be put into place and confidently communicated to consumers. Target Stores successfully employed an interim positioning as it evolved the brand up market from a position as a discount retailer of national brands to a contemporary â€Å"urban chic† retail brand pro viding good value. The interim positioning emphasized value without sacrificing style and involved specific merchandising efforts such as stylized color blocking and associations with name designers (e.g., Frank Gehry). As the brand evolved to its current positioning, it further emphasized the â€Å"designer† theme in its advertising, often having models wearing various house wares as high fashion. By focusing on achievable instead of aspirational brand positioning, companies can help ensure meaningful market share results while enhancing their brand image. This requires, however that the new brand position fits comfortably within the customers frame of reference, and that it not attempt to overreach. Marketers must also secure the customers permission to extend the brand by building a bridge of relevant benefits to carry customers from the current to the intended brand position. Implementing the performance delivery systems to ensure the brand is able to live up to its new promise is the final critical step in building and executing a successful brand positioning program. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Branding: Definition and benefits Literature gives several definitions of the term brand. The common themes are that a brand is more than just a combination of a name, a design, a symbol or other features that differentiate a good or a service from others. It is a unique set of tangible and intangible added values that are perceived and valued by the customer. In addition a brand is said to have personality, an emotional bond to the customer that grows out of the perceived characteristics. These certain features of a brand grow out of a complex set of added values that can comprise of history and tradition, additional services, marketing messages, quality, popularity of the product amongst a certain group of users (status) and others. These basiss of a brand perception prove that a strong brand can not be established over night The development of a brand takes time, strong financial marketing muscle and good marketing skills such as Insight into customer needs, Ability to offer products or services that meet those needs, Creativity to produce exiting and compelling advertising, Ability to communicate differentiation in a way that customers understand and that motivates them. Without this process they do not have a brand but only a name and a sign for a product. Brands have benefits for both, the brand owners as sellers and the customers: Benefits of a brand for Sellers Customers Identifies the companies products, makes repeat purchases easier Facilitates promotion efforts Fosters brand loyalty stabilises market share Allows to charge premium prices and thus to get better margins Allows to extend the brand to new products, new markets and to new geographic areas Can communicate directly with the customer, reach over the shoulder of the retailer More leverage with middlemen Is more resistant to price competition Can have a long life Is more forgiving of mistakes Helps identify products Helps evaluate the quality of a product Helps to reduce perceived risk in buying, provides assurance of quality, reliability etc. Is dependable (consistent in quality) May offer psychological reward (status symbol) â€Å"rout map† through a range of alternatives Saves customer time Is easier to process mentally With this potential a brand can offer an important competitive advantage for a seller who has decided for a differentiation strategy. Even in markets with many similar products or services a brand can provide some sort of uniqueness to a certain product. Depending from the strength of a brand the branded product thus can be positioned towards a more monopolistic situation. With all these characteristics a brand is important in an organisations marketing mix. Although it is basically a certain feature of the category â€Å"product†, it influences every component of the marketing mix: The product gets a higher value in the perception of the customers. This influences the pricing policy in the way that often a premium can be charged. The promotional strategy and mix will be different because it is more focused on the brand than on the individual product. For instance the introduction of a new product under a well established umbrella brand requires a very different promotion campaign than the introduction of a new brand or an unbranded product. The decision for the place and the marketing channel is influenced because a branded product with a higher perceived value might be placed in an environment that is well related to the brands personality, e.g. gourmet shop vs. food department in a supermarket. 2.2 Branding strategies: Besides the more general decision for the use of brands the decision for the branding strategies is important. There are several aspects to be considered: Ownership of brands Structure of brand systems Regarding the ownership, Dibb (1997) and Kotler (1999) differentiate between five categories: These decisions need to be taken carefully. They offer not only large opportunities but also various risks: A company which has strong manufacturer brands may decide to sell the same or similar products to retailers for use as their own label brands. If consumers become aware of this they might change their perception of the manufacturer brand: â€Å"They get the same product for a lower price under my retailers brand.† or â€Å"They sell the same thing under another name very cheap. This product is not exclusive anymore. I go for another brand then.† Extensive permissions for the licensed use of a strong brand for other products can destroy the value of the brand. Pierre Cardin has lost lots of its luxury appeal since various goods with this name can be found in every department store. The structure of brand systems describes how an organisations products and brands are related. Dibb (1997) distinguishes between: 2.3 Branding for service industries: 2.3.1 Reason for branding services: Although the principles for branding of goods and services are generally the same there occur some differences. These arise from the different natures of both categories. The main differences that influence branding policies are that services Have a changing level of quality, The consumer has to become involved in the consumption of a service actively, They are intangible and not storable. When a brand in general gives the consumer more confidence in his choice this is even more important for services. Their quality and other features are more difficult to asses. Because of their intangibility and complexity it is harder for the customer to distinguish between the offers from the wide range of service companies are working in the market place. This especially applies to the market of accounting, auditing and consulting where consolidation and globalisation increase competition. In an FT-article about branding accounting services (Kelly 1998) a branding expert states that â€Å"more than 70 % of the Fortune 500 companies said branding is increasingly important in helping them to choose where to get a service. They want to be able to tell who is good at what.† 2.3.2 Drivers for the use of branding in the accounting/consulting industry with a focus on the Big Five (former Big Six) firms: The Big Five accounting firms have a long history up to 75 to 100 years. These firms have developed from smaller entities through co-operations and mergers. Often new products and new markets have been developed by â€Å"buying in†, by buying the expertise and the access in the form of other firms. For many small and medium accounting and auditing firms it is attractive to join the association (in most cases) of one of the large players for the following reasons: The form of an association with independent member firms allows to retain a level of individuality although in some cases this is not long-lasting. The membership in an large powerful firm gives a competitive advantage (reputation, access to knowledge, access to new markets, higher market share, cost savings through sharing resources, e.g. for training and recruitment etc.). Partners of these smaller firms are often offered to become partners in the large firm. For a long time the industry did not put much effort in the development of brands. The tradition and long lasting reputation of the Big Five itself gave their names a considerable brand value. For quite a long time this was fairly enough for their purposes. In Kellys (1998) article a professional firms branding expert states that for many years the accountancy firms hid behind the â€Å"convenient parapet† of the Big Six brand label. In the audit market most shareholders were happy to have any audit firm as long as it was from the Big Six.Other factors were legal limitations for advertising. Accounting firms were first allowed to advertise in 1984. That means that marketing and communications focused mainly on activities like excellent work and the power of word of mouth, job advertisements (as the only allowed advertisements they were used as a means to present the company), speaking at conferences, publishing articles in professional journals, co-operating with universities and business schools and so on. Accounting firms saw themselves as a conservative i ndustry with discretion as one of their services. In their minds this didnt go together with an aggressive marketing campaign.In the last years the industry has seen some developments that required new strategies: Globalisation: A global client needs a global auditor because companies are legally required to prepare consolidated financial statements including all subsidies around the world. This is much easier if you have all subsidies audited by the same firm. In addition global clients have a high need for specialised consulting. They often prefer a consultant that is as global as they are to get more expertise and consistency. Stagnation in the core business: The traditional auditing business does not show high growth rates. An individual firms growth can mainly be achieved at the expense of competitors. Growth in consulting services: On the contrary to the auditing business there is an enormous growth for consulting services. The accounting firms have traditionally done some consulting and now they developed these activities aggressively. This had two results: A growing variety of services offered these new products had to be communicated to existing and potential clients Accounting firms came into direct competition with the traditional consulting firms which had their own brands and reputation Need for qualified people: With the development of new products/services all firms needed much more highly qualified people. Recruitment became an important issue. (For example: The German member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers took on about 1000 new employees in 1998, the first year after the merger.) This led to a competition to attract the best university students. All these factors together increased competition amongst the Big Five. For this industry excellent quality is not a means to get a competitive advantage, it is an important requirement for any success at all. A large variety of services is important; but the customer will perceive it only in the moment he needs a certain service. In this situation the Big Five did not manage to differentiate themselves successfully from competition. A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers during the merger process revealed that â€Å"the business community and the general public did not and do not perceive any compelling differences between and among either the Big Six or the Big Five. Not only did all firms appear to have similar defining qualities, they were also not sending any consistent messages about their organisations to external audiences.†Here a strong brand with a personality and a clear message can be a valuable means for differentiation and thus for gaining a competitive advantage. By now we can say that the Big Five have become aware of this. Now they invest heavily to reposition themselves and to develop their good names to real power brands. 2.4 Benefits of branding: Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Heres why the effort to brand their company or their self pays off.  · Memorability: A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will. Its hard for customers to go back to that whats its name store or to refer business to the plumber from the Yellow Pages. In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies they will want to do repeat business with: refrigerator magnets, tote bags, date books, coasters, key rings, first aid kits, etc. Memorability can come from using and sticking with an unusual color combination (FedExs purple and orange), distinctive behavior (the gas station whose attendants literally run to clean your windshield), or with an individual, even a style of clothing (Author Tom Wolfes white suits). Develop their own identifiers and nail them to their company name in the minds of their public.  · Loyalty: When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, theyre more likely to buy that product or service again than competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitors price cut. The brand identity helps to create and to anchor such loyalty. Consider the legions of car owners who travel up to 2,000 miles at their own expense to attend a Saturn celebration at the companys plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Thats loyalty. And supposedly, more people have the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson tattooed on their body than any other brand name. Thats out-of-this-world loyalty.  · Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered their company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend them even when they have no personal knowledge of their products or services. Seeing their ads on local buses, having their pen on their desk, reading about them in the Hometown News, they spread the word for them when a friend or colleague asks if they know a ____ and thats what they do.  · Premium image, premium price: Branding can lift what they sell out of the realm of a commodity, so that instead of dealing with price-shoppers they have buyers eager to pay more for their goods than for those of competitors. Think of some peoples willingness to buy the currently in brand of bottled water, versus toting along an unlabeled bottle of the same stuff filled from the office water cooler.The distinctive value inherent in a brand can even lead people to dismiss evidence they would normally use to make buying decisions. I once saw one middle-aged Cambridge, Massachusetts, intellectual argue to several colleagues that Dunkin Donuts coffee tastes better than Starbucks. So contradictory was this claim to the two companies reputations for this demographic group that the colleagues refused to put the matter to a taste test.  · Extensions: With a well-established brand, they can spread the respect they will earn to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer. For instance, when a winery with a good reputation starts up regional winery tours, and then adds foreign ones, each business introduction benefits from the positive perceptions already in place.  · Greater company equity: Making their company into a brand usually means that they can get more money for the company when they decide to sell it. A Coca-Cola executive once said that if all the companys facilities and inventory vanished all around the world, he could walk into any bank and take out a loan based only on the right to the Coca-Cola name and formula.  · Lower marketing expenses: Although they must invest money to create a brand, once its created they can maintain it without having to tell the whole story about the brand every time they market it. For instance, a jingle people in their area have heard a zillion times continues to promote the company when its played without any words.  · For consumers, less risk: When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, Theyll never be fired for buying IBM. By building a brand, they fatten their bottom line. 2.5 Brand structures for services industries: As for services, literature suggests to use the companies name a so called corporate brand as the overall family brand for all the services offered. Murphy (1990) calls this the â€Å"monolithic approach†. He argues that especially for companies which offer an enormous array of services (e.g. consultants, banks) corporate names must be used to deliver more generalised benefits of quality, value and integrity. de Chernatony (1996) comes to the conclusion that corporate brands are a crucial means to help make the service offering more tangible in consumers minds and can enhance consumers perceptions and trust in the range of services provided by the company. One disadvantage of corporate brands little opportunity for developing second or sub-brands for differentiated product lines- applies more to branded products. However Murphy (1990) states that many companies have chosen an approach of â€Å"local autonomy but group-wide coherence† as a system whereby individual divisions and products are largely free-standing but mention is made in all literature and on all stationery and products that â€Å"company A is member of the XYZ group†. This approach is very common amongst the Big Five accounting and auditing firms. It allows their national member firms, to exploit the groups brand name and their own (brand) name at the same time. Many member firms that had joined the global firms have lon Importance of Brands and Branding Importance of Brands and Branding Abstract Repetitive failures cost companies millions of dollars in redesign costs, liabilities, and transaction costs. However, by far the most serious cost of these failures is the lost business that results from customer defection. For service companies, the task of providing error-free services is even more challenging because their intangible nature renders subjective perceptions of quality. Equally troublesome is the uncontrollable element of customer participation in the service process because production and consumption occur as a simultaneous process. Despite these challenges however, service quality and customer satisfaction are closely related constructs. When service providers continuously strive to develop error-free processes, customer satisfaction is sure to follow. Chapter 1: Introduction Many marketers are rethinking their branding because competitive pressures, new channels, and changing customer needs have eroded their brands positions of strength. However, increased marketing expenditures to reposition brands often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Experience has shown that companies should focus on achievable rather than aspirational positioning, and that three steps can help ensure success: 1. Ensure relevance to a customers frame of reference. Be fully aware of the brands â€Å"frame of reference† so that a repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. Look at a combination of customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used to obtain the most powerful customer insights. 2. Secure the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning. Recognize that permission amounts to a reasonable and logical extension of the brand in the customers eyes. Leverage a brands unique emotional benefits to carry customers from their current brand perception to the intended one. 3. Deliver on the brands new promise. Identify the pathway of performance â€Å"signals† that will convince customers of the new brand positioning. Develop product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals. Track and assess performance against customer signals prior to launching the new positioning. Adopt an â€Å"interim positioning† to establish brand credibility and performance. An array of factors is requiring marketers today to rethink their brand positioning. Changing customer needs are often eroding the brands established position. At the same time, increasing competitive pressures created by new entrants and product innovations, and the proliferation of new channels and promotional campaigns, are driving marketers back to the drawing board. Many CEOs and CMOs, however, find themselves displeased with the results of their repositioning efforts. Increased marketing expenditures devoted to repositioning brands in the minds of consumers often fail to produce any improvements in either overall image or market share. Why do these well-intentioned efforts turn into marketing failures? While there are many causes, companies often fail to focus on achievable brand positioning rather than branding in service sector. Too often, their efforts target an ambitious goal that outstrips the actual ability of the brand to deliver on what it has promised to customers. Or the goal is too far from customers current brand perception to be a realistic brand objective. For example: In the late 1 980s Oldsmobile wanted to revitalize its brand and gear it to a younger audience. Thus marketers at General Motors launched a creative campaign around the tagline, â€Å"Not your fathers Oldsmobile,† highlighting the cars improved styling and new features. But for many younger consumers, this was too much of a stretch for the brand. The product modifications did not go far enough to meet the needs and expectations of the new customer set they were targeting. As a result, Oldsmobile recognized the need to shift its campaign. Eventually, GM closed its Oldsmobile division. More recently, United Airlines Rising campaign attempted to position the brand as the most passenger-centric airline, with a clear understanding of customer problems and the solutions needed to fix them. The campaign had the effect of raising expectations, which were quickly deflated, however, by the brands inability to deliver against the promises made as part of its bold new positioning platform. Consequently, United was forced to change its central brand message — no longer emphasizing Rising. Many high-tech businesses have recently repositioned themselves as e-business brands. However little effort was made by these brands to clearly differentiate themselves from one another despite the millions of dollars spent on elaborate marketing programs. The net effect, according to their research, has been to sow confusion in the minds of customers, rather than to forge strong brand identities. These examples — and most marketers can cite many others — underscore the imperative to pursue a brand positioning that is eminently achievable, not just attractive. Based on our experience, three steps can help ensure that they make this distinction: 1) ensuring relevance to a customers frame of reference; 2) securing the customers â€Å"permission† for the positioning; and 3) making sure that the brand delivers on its promise. Be Relevant to the Customers Frame of Reference: When repositioning a brand, its essential for marketers to capture not just the emotional and physical needs of the customer but the dynamics of the situation in which those needs occur. We refer to this as the customers â€Å"frame of reference.† For example, while isotonic beverages like Gatorade and Powerade are thirst-quenching drinks, consumers tend to think of them in the broader context of sports, exercise, and physical activity. Importantly, the frame of reference sets the parameters for customers consideration set — the brands they will choose from. Indeed, most customers have a very specific definition of what the brand is and what it can be relative to their frame of reference. Repositioning a brand too far from this frame of reference creates customer confusion that makes a positioning unsuccessful. Attempting to brand Gatorade, for example, within a social, lighthearted context would probably be stretching the brand too far from the current sports/physical activity frame of reference. Similarly, a communications company known for data services for business customers would likely be positioning the brand too far outside of the customers frame of reference if it suddenly tried to launch a â€Å"friends-and-family† calling plan. Being fully aware of the frame of reference for a brand can help ensure that its repositioning strategy will resonate with customers. But the frame of reference is usually a combination of both customers attitudes and the situations in which the brand is used. As a result, we typically find the most powerful customer insights and segmentation come from looking at a combination of these factors In some categories, customers broader attitudes are the dominant factor. How customers think about pet-related brands, for example, can be seen in the context of how they treat their own pets — whether they view them as family members, best friends/companions, or in a less personal way. If customers view pets as family members, the optimal message for the brand will appeal to such human qualities as nurturing and pampering. This â€Å"family member† orientation or frame of reference may help support a brand extension to a full range of pet services, such as grooming and accessories. Other customer needs are not as consistent, but better understood within the context of specific situations or sub-categories. In the field of airline travel, for example, the customers frame of reference may be a function of the type of trip they are taking. The customer who is used to traveling within the U.S. in cramped coach-class conditions, for example, will have a much different set of needs and expectations than the traveler who is used to flying to international destinations with all the comforts of first-class service. As a result, in most instances the frame of reference is built upon a combination of both of the above attitudinal and situational forces. For example, while consumers may generally have a health-conscious attitude about the foods they eat, on certain â€Å"special† occasions they may allow themselves to become more indulgent, creating what we call a â€Å"need state.† A strong brand identity can also help marketers secure the desired permission from consumers. Because Victorias Secret owns or is associated with the notion of intimate moments, for example, it would be easier for that brand to get permission to introduce a new line of lingerie or perfume with a sensual connotation than it would be to launch a line of jeans or handbags. In repositioning, marketers must embrace the idea that they are brand â€Å"stewards,† while customers define their relationship with the brand and determine the basis for the relationship. A steward must spend more time deeply understanding what customers really think about the brand and where potential â€Å"bridges† to growth and new branding exist. For example, Smuckers could leverage the â€Å"wholesome goodness† their loyal customers attribute to them instead of solely focusing on themselves as fruit processors. Marketers should not attempt to cover the waterfront here, but instead focus on the relevant interrelated â€Å"hot buttons† that will clearly convey the message. For example, in the case of a technology brand positioning itself as â€Å"humanizing technology for everyday people,† the strongest set of pathways to the positioning came from product signals such as customized hardware and specific application platforms (e.g., games, household management) rather than from equipment with the latest features and innovative design. The pathway modeling also indicated the strong signal value of the brands customer service representatives having an understanding of an individual customers needs. This important service signal led to the broader customer perception of the brand as caring — an important personality signal for the brand to deliver on its positioning. Additionally, the marketer learned that having technicians follow through with customers to issue resolution w as a critical service signal that led to the broader personality signal of the brand being professional — another key for the brand to live up to its positioning. With these insights, the marketer could allocate resources accordingly, ensuring that the more important signals were being appropriately supported. Develop necessary product/service programs to ensure consistent performance on these signals to the customer. For example, if the brand positioning is built around superior customer satisfaction, but frontline sales people are measured on revenue rather than satisfaction, it is unlikely that consistent performance will be achieved. So, if airline gate agents are the first and most important contact point for customers, they should be empowered to solve customers issues instead of redirecting them to customer service personnel. In the technology brand example, given the importance of the customer service representatives and service technicians, there should be a greater emphasis on the quality of the service delivered rather than on the number of customers that can be serviced over a given time period. Make sure approaches are in place to track and assess your performance against these customer signals prior to the formal launching of the new positioning. Applying rigorous quality assurance procedures to key elements of the new brand experience will often ensure that customers are not disappointed, or fail to have their expectations met. Current data-collection methods allow for rapid response and can be leveraged to determine whether the launch programs are having their desired effect on brand perceptions. Due to the complexities of brand positioning, many marketers are correctly choosing to move to an â€Å"interim positioning.† This interim positioning is designed to establish brand credibility and performance on the road to fully achieving the longer-term aspirational positioning. Such a positioning focuses on those aspects of the brand on which the organization is currently able to deliver. Interim positioning is often essential when a brand stakes out new territory considered â€Å"up market,† addresses an important or longstanding deficiency, or is attempting to redefine its competitive set. As the brand evolves (based on customers changing perceptions), additional components of the new platform can be put into place and confidently communicated to consumers. Target Stores successfully employed an interim positioning as it evolved the brand up market from a position as a discount retailer of national brands to a contemporary â€Å"urban chic† retail brand pro viding good value. The interim positioning emphasized value without sacrificing style and involved specific merchandising efforts such as stylized color blocking and associations with name designers (e.g., Frank Gehry). As the brand evolved to its current positioning, it further emphasized the â€Å"designer† theme in its advertising, often having models wearing various house wares as high fashion. By focusing on achievable instead of aspirational brand positioning, companies can help ensure meaningful market share results while enhancing their brand image. This requires, however that the new brand position fits comfortably within the customers frame of reference, and that it not attempt to overreach. Marketers must also secure the customers permission to extend the brand by building a bridge of relevant benefits to carry customers from the current to the intended brand position. Implementing the performance delivery systems to ensure the brand is able to live up to its new promise is the final critical step in building and executing a successful brand positioning program. Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Branding: Definition and benefits Literature gives several definitions of the term brand. The common themes are that a brand is more than just a combination of a name, a design, a symbol or other features that differentiate a good or a service from others. It is a unique set of tangible and intangible added values that are perceived and valued by the customer. In addition a brand is said to have personality, an emotional bond to the customer that grows out of the perceived characteristics. These certain features of a brand grow out of a complex set of added values that can comprise of history and tradition, additional services, marketing messages, quality, popularity of the product amongst a certain group of users (status) and others. These basiss of a brand perception prove that a strong brand can not be established over night The development of a brand takes time, strong financial marketing muscle and good marketing skills such as Insight into customer needs, Ability to offer products or services that meet those needs, Creativity to produce exiting and compelling advertising, Ability to communicate differentiation in a way that customers understand and that motivates them. Without this process they do not have a brand but only a name and a sign for a product. Brands have benefits for both, the brand owners as sellers and the customers: Benefits of a brand for Sellers Customers Identifies the companies products, makes repeat purchases easier Facilitates promotion efforts Fosters brand loyalty stabilises market share Allows to charge premium prices and thus to get better margins Allows to extend the brand to new products, new markets and to new geographic areas Can communicate directly with the customer, reach over the shoulder of the retailer More leverage with middlemen Is more resistant to price competition Can have a long life Is more forgiving of mistakes Helps identify products Helps evaluate the quality of a product Helps to reduce perceived risk in buying, provides assurance of quality, reliability etc. Is dependable (consistent in quality) May offer psychological reward (status symbol) â€Å"rout map† through a range of alternatives Saves customer time Is easier to process mentally With this potential a brand can offer an important competitive advantage for a seller who has decided for a differentiation strategy. Even in markets with many similar products or services a brand can provide some sort of uniqueness to a certain product. Depending from the strength of a brand the branded product thus can be positioned towards a more monopolistic situation. With all these characteristics a brand is important in an organisations marketing mix. Although it is basically a certain feature of the category â€Å"product†, it influences every component of the marketing mix: The product gets a higher value in the perception of the customers. This influences the pricing policy in the way that often a premium can be charged. The promotional strategy and mix will be different because it is more focused on the brand than on the individual product. For instance the introduction of a new product under a well established umbrella brand requires a very different promotion campaign than the introduction of a new brand or an unbranded product. The decision for the place and the marketing channel is influenced because a branded product with a higher perceived value might be placed in an environment that is well related to the brands personality, e.g. gourmet shop vs. food department in a supermarket. 2.2 Branding strategies: Besides the more general decision for the use of brands the decision for the branding strategies is important. There are several aspects to be considered: Ownership of brands Structure of brand systems Regarding the ownership, Dibb (1997) and Kotler (1999) differentiate between five categories: These decisions need to be taken carefully. They offer not only large opportunities but also various risks: A company which has strong manufacturer brands may decide to sell the same or similar products to retailers for use as their own label brands. If consumers become aware of this they might change their perception of the manufacturer brand: â€Å"They get the same product for a lower price under my retailers brand.† or â€Å"They sell the same thing under another name very cheap. This product is not exclusive anymore. I go for another brand then.† Extensive permissions for the licensed use of a strong brand for other products can destroy the value of the brand. Pierre Cardin has lost lots of its luxury appeal since various goods with this name can be found in every department store. The structure of brand systems describes how an organisations products and brands are related. Dibb (1997) distinguishes between: 2.3 Branding for service industries: 2.3.1 Reason for branding services: Although the principles for branding of goods and services are generally the same there occur some differences. These arise from the different natures of both categories. The main differences that influence branding policies are that services Have a changing level of quality, The consumer has to become involved in the consumption of a service actively, They are intangible and not storable. When a brand in general gives the consumer more confidence in his choice this is even more important for services. Their quality and other features are more difficult to asses. Because of their intangibility and complexity it is harder for the customer to distinguish between the offers from the wide range of service companies are working in the market place. This especially applies to the market of accounting, auditing and consulting where consolidation and globalisation increase competition. In an FT-article about branding accounting services (Kelly 1998) a branding expert states that â€Å"more than 70 % of the Fortune 500 companies said branding is increasingly important in helping them to choose where to get a service. They want to be able to tell who is good at what.† 2.3.2 Drivers for the use of branding in the accounting/consulting industry with a focus on the Big Five (former Big Six) firms: The Big Five accounting firms have a long history up to 75 to 100 years. These firms have developed from smaller entities through co-operations and mergers. Often new products and new markets have been developed by â€Å"buying in†, by buying the expertise and the access in the form of other firms. For many small and medium accounting and auditing firms it is attractive to join the association (in most cases) of one of the large players for the following reasons: The form of an association with independent member firms allows to retain a level of individuality although in some cases this is not long-lasting. The membership in an large powerful firm gives a competitive advantage (reputation, access to knowledge, access to new markets, higher market share, cost savings through sharing resources, e.g. for training and recruitment etc.). Partners of these smaller firms are often offered to become partners in the large firm. For a long time the industry did not put much effort in the development of brands. The tradition and long lasting reputation of the Big Five itself gave their names a considerable brand value. For quite a long time this was fairly enough for their purposes. In Kellys (1998) article a professional firms branding expert states that for many years the accountancy firms hid behind the â€Å"convenient parapet† of the Big Six brand label. In the audit market most shareholders were happy to have any audit firm as long as it was from the Big Six.Other factors were legal limitations for advertising. Accounting firms were first allowed to advertise in 1984. That means that marketing and communications focused mainly on activities like excellent work and the power of word of mouth, job advertisements (as the only allowed advertisements they were used as a means to present the company), speaking at conferences, publishing articles in professional journals, co-operating with universities and business schools and so on. Accounting firms saw themselves as a conservative i ndustry with discretion as one of their services. In their minds this didnt go together with an aggressive marketing campaign.In the last years the industry has seen some developments that required new strategies: Globalisation: A global client needs a global auditor because companies are legally required to prepare consolidated financial statements including all subsidies around the world. This is much easier if you have all subsidies audited by the same firm. In addition global clients have a high need for specialised consulting. They often prefer a consultant that is as global as they are to get more expertise and consistency. Stagnation in the core business: The traditional auditing business does not show high growth rates. An individual firms growth can mainly be achieved at the expense of competitors. Growth in consulting services: On the contrary to the auditing business there is an enormous growth for consulting services. The accounting firms have traditionally done some consulting and now they developed these activities aggressively. This had two results: A growing variety of services offered these new products had to be communicated to existing and potential clients Accounting firms came into direct competition with the traditional consulting firms which had their own brands and reputation Need for qualified people: With the development of new products/services all firms needed much more highly qualified people. Recruitment became an important issue. (For example: The German member firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers took on about 1000 new employees in 1998, the first year after the merger.) This led to a competition to attract the best university students. All these factors together increased competition amongst the Big Five. For this industry excellent quality is not a means to get a competitive advantage, it is an important requirement for any success at all. A large variety of services is important; but the customer will perceive it only in the moment he needs a certain service. In this situation the Big Five did not manage to differentiate themselves successfully from competition. A survey conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers during the merger process revealed that â€Å"the business community and the general public did not and do not perceive any compelling differences between and among either the Big Six or the Big Five. Not only did all firms appear to have similar defining qualities, they were also not sending any consistent messages about their organisations to external audiences.†Here a strong brand with a personality and a clear message can be a valuable means for differentiation and thus for gaining a competitive advantage. By now we can say that the Big Five have become aware of this. Now they invest heavily to reposition themselves and to develop their good names to real power brands. 2.4 Benefits of branding: Branding is the process of creating distinctive and durable perceptions in the minds of consumers. A brand is a persistent, unique business identity intertwined with associations of personality, quality, origin, liking and more. Heres why the effort to brand their company or their self pays off.  · Memorability: A brand serves as a convenient container for a reputation and good will. Its hard for customers to go back to that whats its name store or to refer business to the plumber from the Yellow Pages. In addition to an effective company name, it helps when people have material reminders reinforcing the identity of companies they will want to do repeat business with: refrigerator magnets, tote bags, date books, coasters, key rings, first aid kits, etc. Memorability can come from using and sticking with an unusual color combination (FedExs purple and orange), distinctive behavior (the gas station whose attendants literally run to clean your windshield), or with an individual, even a style of clothing (Author Tom Wolfes white suits). Develop their own identifiers and nail them to their company name in the minds of their public.  · Loyalty: When people have a positive experience with a memorable brand, theyre more likely to buy that product or service again than competing brands. People who closely bond with a brand identity are not only more likely to repurchase what they bought, but also to buy related items of the same brand, to recommend the brand to others and to resist the lure of a competitors price cut. The brand identity helps to create and to anchor such loyalty. Consider the legions of car owners who travel up to 2,000 miles at their own expense to attend a Saturn celebration at the companys plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Thats loyalty. And supposedly, more people have the motorcycle brand Harley-Davidson tattooed on their body than any other brand name. Thats out-of-this-world loyalty.  · Familiarity. Branding has a big effect on non-customers too. Psychologists have shown that familiarity induces liking. Consequently, people who have never done business with you but have encountered their company identity sufficient times may become willing to recommend them even when they have no personal knowledge of their products or services. Seeing their ads on local buses, having their pen on their desk, reading about them in the Hometown News, they spread the word for them when a friend or colleague asks if they know a ____ and thats what they do.  · Premium image, premium price: Branding can lift what they sell out of the realm of a commodity, so that instead of dealing with price-shoppers they have buyers eager to pay more for their goods than for those of competitors. Think of some peoples willingness to buy the currently in brand of bottled water, versus toting along an unlabeled bottle of the same stuff filled from the office water cooler.The distinctive value inherent in a brand can even lead people to dismiss evidence they would normally use to make buying decisions. I once saw one middle-aged Cambridge, Massachusetts, intellectual argue to several colleagues that Dunkin Donuts coffee tastes better than Starbucks. So contradictory was this claim to the two companies reputations for this demographic group that the colleagues refused to put the matter to a taste test.  · Extensions: With a well-established brand, they can spread the respect they will earn to a related new product, service or location and more easily win acceptance of the newcomer. For instance, when a winery with a good reputation starts up regional winery tours, and then adds foreign ones, each business introduction benefits from the positive perceptions already in place.  · Greater company equity: Making their company into a brand usually means that they can get more money for the company when they decide to sell it. A Coca-Cola executive once said that if all the companys facilities and inventory vanished all around the world, he could walk into any bank and take out a loan based only on the right to the Coca-Cola name and formula.  · Lower marketing expenses: Although they must invest money to create a brand, once its created they can maintain it without having to tell the whole story about the brand every time they market it. For instance, a jingle people in their area have heard a zillion times continues to promote the company when its played without any words.  · For consumers, less risk: When someone feels under pressure to make a wise decision, he or she tends to choose the brand-name supplier over the no-name one. As the saying goes, Theyll never be fired for buying IBM. By building a brand, they fatten their bottom line. 2.5 Brand structures for services industries: As for services, literature suggests to use the companies name a so called corporate brand as the overall family brand for all the services offered. Murphy (1990) calls this the â€Å"monolithic approach†. He argues that especially for companies which offer an enormous array of services (e.g. consultants, banks) corporate names must be used to deliver more generalised benefits of quality, value and integrity. de Chernatony (1996) comes to the conclusion that corporate brands are a crucial means to help make the service offering more tangible in consumers minds and can enhance consumers perceptions and trust in the range of services provided by the company. One disadvantage of corporate brands little opportunity for developing second or sub-brands for differentiated product lines- applies more to branded products. However Murphy (1990) states that many companies have chosen an approach of â€Å"local autonomy but group-wide coherence† as a system whereby individual divisions and products are largely free-standing but mention is made in all literature and on all stationery and products that â€Å"company A is member of the XYZ group†. This approach is very common amongst the Big Five accounting and auditing firms. It allows their national member firms, to exploit the groups brand name and their own (brand) name at the same time. Many member firms that had joined the global firms have lon

Michael Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy Essay

Michael Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy Michael Henchard is a character with traits that have both a positive and negative traits effect on his life. I believe the characteristics that allowed Henchard to rise to social respectability and fall into destitution where the same. "Character is fate"(Plato) For example Henchard stubbornness and pride allowed him to keep his 21-year vow not to drink. This shows his stubbornness brought an aspect forbearance. However the same character traits also made him rely on a prediction from a fortuneteller becoming his financial downfall. This is same aspect of Henchard that made him so forbearing and committed to his wedding vows with Susan. This characteristic allowed him to be reliable, something that greatly assisted him to being respected in the town. However, if he would have not been so honourable and turned Susan away, it may have all worked out better. I can speculate, he could have married Lucetta and her money would have been a great asset to hi...

Freedom of Expression in India

Freedom of expression in India Our motherland is everything for us and no matter how far we are from our motherland, we feel connected to our country emotionally as well as spiritually. We enjoy and celebrate the achievements and developments of our country with pride. Whenever we notice any positive development or urbanization, we feel proud to be the part of our country. When we have the right to celebrate the achievements of our country, we also have the right to criticize the negative development and unethical activities.As the citizen of our country we have the right to vote and elect the person who we trust for the welfare of common public and the country. Any country is represented by its people and every citizen is crucial and important as we all unite together and establish a wonderful nation. When we notice that our politicians are doing something really great for our country , we reward them by reelecting them in coming elections , we make them our favorite leader and we o ften spread there songs of victory to our friends and society . The political leaders are answerable to us, there accountability and there behavior depends on there actions.We people are also bound by rules and regulations, law and order should be applicable for everyone. Law and order is impartial and genuine, the culprit gets punishment and the innocent gets rewards. Well things should be under control of law and we all have to work positively for the progress of our nation. But things become artificial when the law and order favors the influential and powerful people, besides committing thousands of mistakes the powerful culprits are not punished and on the other hand the common man is punished every single second for his one mistake.Thousands of cases of powerful businessmen and politicians are pending and files are closed with the token of money but still the common man has no right to raise his voice against corruption. The media groups and big media houses are also powerful a nd influential and they have the power to expose and disclose the corruption and the corrupt people but are they really doing justice to the common people? Well common man can be easily punished for a single remark or comment as the common man is powerless and the right of freedom of speech is snatched from his hands by the corrupt leaders who want to hear what there ears like.On the other hand the media cannot be punished easily as the politicians and the powerful business man are also dependent on media for fame and popularity. Most of the secret affairs and corruption scams are hidden from public, they should be disclosed but again it all depends on media and its working as media is greatly dominated and influenced by the powerful corrupt entities. The common man will remain a common man, he might get thousands of rights in the books but in reality he is born to suffer.

Lion of the Desert

Lion of the Desert Reflection Rebellion spearhead as well as a teacher, Omar Mukhtar was a clear leader. During the brief peace talk in â€Å"Lion of the Desert,† the first demand Mukhtar wanted for his people were Muslim schools. Other requirements for peace that were requested were national protection, national parliament, and return of the lands taken from the people of Libya. Mukhtar was first a teacher, when reading, reflecting or teaching he wore his glasses. Mukhtar balanced them gently on his finger, when speaking to a class of young boys, illustrating importance of balance within the Koran.A young boy whose father was killed while fighting, clumsily puts on Omar’s glasses, it is consoling for the boy as Omar seeks a role model and new hope for him. After the father dies, the guidance of Omar shows the importance of a male influence in the boy’s life and within Islam. At the moment Muhktar picked up a gun, he transformed into the leader of the rebellion. In acts of insurgence Omar was guided by his religion and teaching. After a small victory, the men took the flag from the caravan and presented it to Omar as a trophy.Mukhtar simply responded, â€Å"They are not our teachers, he is a boy, tell your general†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and he returns the flag to the surviving Italian soldier and sends him back, as opposed to killing him. In contrast, on the scene of General Graziani’s victory, he has sand goggles on as well as wearing a flag as a cape. He is then presented with a flag raising ceremony to declare their dominance of the area. When ambushed by a gas attack Mukhtar loses his glasses, just as his comrades have fallen dying or injured. Shortly after, Graziani constructs a massive barbed wire fence to block the rebels from supplies and refuge.Muhktar then says, â€Å"What is wire to the will of God? † guiding his forces on principle and the teachings of the Koran. The nationalist rebellion also adheres to their religion whe n tying their legs to remain in the face of an attack. Islamist teaching includes the concept of jihad or self-sacrifice for the sake of the cause. Their tied leg prevented the men from retreating or running away. In the end, when Graziani offers to release Muhktar if he were to relinquish his rebellion and beliefs, Muhktar refuses.He lays down his life in order to protect his convictions. His glasses were returned to him by Graziani and Muhltar puts them on to read a passage from the Koran, moments before his hanging. As Omar drops from the gallow, his glasses drop from his clenched hand. They are retrieved by the young boy that had earlier put them. Illustrating the assertion made by Muhktar to Graziani, that the rebellion against the Italian’s would continue and as each man is killed the younger generation will rise to fill their place.

Mental Illness essays

Mental Illness essays Mental Illness Mental illness is a disorder that is characterized by disturbances in a persons thought, emotions, or behavior. Mental illness refers to a wide variety of disorders, ranging from those that cause mild distress to those that impair a persons ability to function in daily life. Many have tried to figure out the reasons for mental illnesses. All of these reasons have been looked at and thought of for thousands of years. The biological perspective views mental illness as a bodily process. Where as the psychological perspectives think the role of a persons upbringing and environment are causes for mental illnesses. Researchers estimate that about 24 percent of people over eighteen in the United States suffer from some sort of common mental illness, such as depression and phobias. Studies have also shown that 2.6 percent of adults in the United States suffer from some sort of severe form of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, panic disorders, or bipolar disorders. Younger people also suffer from mental illnesses the same way that adults do. 14 to 20 percent of individuals under the age of eighteen suffer from a case of mental illness. Studies show that 9 to 13 percent of children between the ages of nine and seventeen suffer from a serious emotional disturbances, that disrupts the childs daily life. Major depression is a severe disorder. Symptoms include withdraw from family and/or friends, weight loss, sleeping problems, frequent crying, fleeing helpless, delusions, and hallucinations. This disease is usually diagnosed during adolescence; parents may notice grades dropping, poor self-image, troubled social relations, and suicidal acts. This disease may be fatal if the person becomes suicidal. Phobia is a disease where a person has an irrational fear of an object or situation. Some examples of phobias are fear of flight, cats, heights, enclosed spaces, reptiles, and the most severe is agoraphobia the ...

Analytic Commentary- The analytic commentary will be a succinct Essay

Analytic Commentary- The analytic commentary will be a succinct evaluative piece of writing which identifies the main features o - Essay Example Such alarms have been associated with problems such as the wearing away of suitable play areas (Rivkin, 1998); the growth in ‘stranger dangers’ (Valentine & McKendrick, 1997); the shift towards more home-centered leisure activities founded on television and video games (Clements, 2004); and the growth in childhood obesity (Ebbeling et al., 2002). At the same time, concerns have been communicated about the perceived over-formalization of children’s early educational experiences. Unsurprisingly, then, early years teachers are now being asked to initiate a more experiential, play-based approach to learning which integrates a greater use of the outdoor environment (DfES, 2007). One way in which schools are supporting children’s play and learning in the outdoor environment is through participation in ‘Forest School’. Forest School has been defined by the Forest School England network as: An inspirational process that offers children, young people an d adults regular opportunities to achieve, and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a woodland environment. (Murray, & O’Brien, 2005) The university that was visited for the Forest School is known for its open space that comprised of places where children could freely move and participate in various physical activities. It included areas where children with the help of their imagination could create stories that would help in the development of cognitive abilities, spaces that would protect from rain and sunlight, provide opportunities for challenges and contact with nature. Numerous researches have supported the advantages of learning in the natural environment and maintained that children need to play, to experience space, movement and sensory stimulation for healthy development (Knight, 2009; Maynard, 2007). The Forest School experience endorses sensory child-led outdoor play, supporting and stimulating curiosity and absorption. Wilso n (2008) indicates that the natural world along with its amazing rich sources of sensory stimulation, offers countless opportunities to experience beauty. It can therefore serve as a perfect source for aesthetic development of children. The present environment provided children with a range of opportunities for natural sensory experiences which is also illustrated in form of photographs in Appendix A. The components of nature were discovered through dynamic activities focusing on the wonders of nature felt through the senses (Forest School Norfolk, 2009). The sense of smell was experienced through flowers, soil and wood that were discovered in Forest School. The sense of seeing was fulfilled by the colors of nature, variety of insects and plant life. The colourful insects at the site greatly attracted the children as one of them even asked if he could touch the centipede to have a close look. Similarly, various textures such as smooth grass, barks and gravel path offered stimulus fo r their sense of touch. In addition, chirping of the birds, quacking of the ducks, snapping twigs and moving water provided stimulus for their auditory senses. On the other hand, the sense of taste was fulfilled by providing children with hot chocolate and biscuits for snacks. The environment provided inspiration for all senses including visual, auditory and

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK Essay

Why plagiarism increases in schools and universities around the UK - Essay Example Some of the reasons why plagiarism is rising in that manner are explained in this essay. One of the reasons for the increase of plagiarism in universities and schools around UK is the easy access of the internet (Watkins, 2008). There are various tools such as Google that students use to conduct their research and get access to information and ideas that can be used to complete assignments and research projects. However, such research tools have contributed to plagiarism increase across the UK because it enables learners to copy information from the internet. It is difficult to spot this form of plagiarism and cannot be identified manually. Indeed, there is a â€Å"significant, negative influence on the rate of plagiarism due to the internet† (Ison, 2014). The internet is therefore a significant cause of increasing plagiarism in most universities and schools around UK. Online education is also a significant contributor of plagiarism on the internet platform. Ison (2014) argues that online coursework or online education which is common in various institutions in UK causes a great temptation for students to plagiarize than the brick-and-mortar form of education. Online education allows students to stay on the internet for a long time, tempting them to search through various websites for information that can enable them to complete their online assignments easily. Furthermore, there is limited supervision in online studies because the student and the lecturer operate from different places and the lecturer cannot supervise the student directly.