MBA BUSINESS ANALYSIS, portfolio 1 sub Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

MBA BUSINESS ANALYSIS, portfolio 1 sub - Essay Example Business analytics is the key for the company to run its business activities. As Vijayan (2011, p. 1) states, â€Å"predictive analytics approaches are focused on helping companies glean actionable intelligence based on historical data†. For working on the data provided by the clients and checking its operational feasibility through predictive models, the use of business analytics seems essential. Moreover, the company also uses management information system to manage information in a logical manner. The management information system helps the company in storing and processing of information into useful data which can be used for decision making purposes. Let us take a real life example of the use of business analytics in Front Guide investment Solutions. A client goes to the company to know whether he/she should make investment in the telecom sector of any particular country or not. Now, the company will gather data related to the telecom sector of that country which may incl ude annual revenue, growth potential, GDP deflator, and other important data and will perform statistical analysis of the data to know whether investment in that sector will be a feasible option for the client or not. Looking at this example, it is obvious that the company is a data driven organization and has adopted the use of business analytics to a great extent. How is it benefiting from doing so? The company is getting a number of considerable benefits from the use of business analytics. For example, the company is able to provide accurate details about the feasibility of investment to the clients. Clients come to the company to know what the investment will yield for them in future. The company provides the clients with information based on statistical analysis of data which in not only accurate but also very close to reality as the analysis is done using predictive models. As Stubbs (2011, p. 1) states, â€Å"the value of analytics lies in its ability to deliver better outco mes†. The more the employees will be skilled in using business analytics, more accurate and consistent will be the results of analysis. The well organized business analytics system also provides many other benefits for the company. For example, one of the main benefits of using business analytics appears when the company applies re-apply existing competencies to get real life data regarding investment scenarios. The company also applies modeling skills to increase the revenue, improve customer retention, and maintain the business image. Along with improving the business efficiency, business analytics helps the company in avoiding the risk of miscommunication by communicating the value of business analytics clients in such a way that become able to build support and gain traction. Business analytics does not just relate to statistics, it also plays a key role in organizational change processes (Stubbs 2011). Do analytics contribute to business performance and profitability? The business analytics definitely contribute to improved business performance and profitability. It helps the company maintain its competitive advantage that comes from the firm’s ability to capitalize on uniqueness. Front Guide investment Solutions has the potential to make use of that exact uniqueness in a unique and matchless way. The company takes advantage critical data, which is the biggest

The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Republic Essay Example for Free

The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Republic Essay Throughout the Roman republic and most of the empire, the Roman religion was polytheistic. The religion was based on the Greek religion and included multiple gods and goddesses who were anthropomorphic and cruel. However, during the first century of the Common Era, Judaism and â€Å"mystery religions† such as Mithraism, Eleusis, and Christianity were becoming increasing popular. Roman rule tried to control the spread of these religions but eventually Christianity became the chief religion of Rome and its empire. In the early stages of these new religions, Rome was surprisingly tolerant. Many rulers allowed citizens to practice these religions and asked only for simple patriotism and to recognize the holidays of Roman gods. Most Jews and Christians were uncooperative with this notion. In fact, many radical Jews and Christians emerged. A notable radical Jesus, who was an orthodox Jew, led and taught â€Å"the good news† to his followers. This stubborn disobedience enraged rulers such as Nero and Diocletian, who ordered for many Christian persecutions. Diocletian ordered that churches and sacred books be destroyed throughout the Empire. Nero is best known for a devastating fire which was rumored to have been started by Nero himself. He tried to end these rumors by punishing many Christians as a distraction. Persecutions were common and often resulted in death. Women were persecuted the same as men. Christians accepted Jesus as their messiah after he had been put to a gruesome death under the orders of Pilate. At this time, the Roman Empire was in economic turmoil and Christian persecutions were its last attempt at control. A major turning point in the history of Christianity occurred in 312 of the current era. The story is told that Constantine, Roman emperor during this time, had a dream telling him to decorate his shield with the Greek letters for Christ. When he did so and was victorious during battle, Constantine decided that he would convert to Christianity. Constantine also ended all persecutions and allowed all Christians to worship freely. Theodosius the Great took the work of Constantine a step further. He forbade any religion to be practiced except Christianity. This movement gave many more privileges to the church. Churches could now own property and were exempt from certain taxes. Christians were finally free to live and worship. The phenomenon of Christianity was not a battle won easily. There were many cruel and devastating punishments to those who practiced against Roman religion. Men and women were put to death or forced into hiding in the first century. However, as the population of Christians grew rapidly, Roman law found it necessary to revise laws and allow Christianity within the Empire. Christians had won the victory of faith and progressed onward through history.

Complex process of human development

Complex process of human development Introduction Human Development varies from a person to person and is a highly complex process'[1]. It develops as a result of the effect of various factors influencing the growth at different stages in a lifetime of an individual. The following essay is divided into two parts. In part one, we will be analysing the work of a professional practitioner and for this I have interviewed the Youth Worker of St Andrews church in Charminster. In part two, we will be examining a real life case study which centres on the problem of rebellion and we shall analyse it in detail looking at the various issues surrounding it and the possible solutions. Youth Worker Charminster is one of the places in Bournemouth which is constantly monitored by the police due to the presence of drug dealers and high crime rates within teenagers. Therefore, especially here the youth worker is an important role in the development of the community. Youth workers promote the personal, educational and social development of young people. Roger Baker, who is the current youth worker of St Andrews, says that working in Charminster is a challenging and an interesting place to work. Roger has 10 years of rich Christian youth work experience and prior to that he worked with the council as a youth worker and also as a probationer officer. Job Description His overall objective is to increase the churchs community involvement with the young people, to strengthen the relationships with the local schools, to work in partnership with other organisations to engage with the young people for their welfare and development. Mainly his role on a yearly basis includes: Assessing the needs of young people, running various youth clubs on Friday nights for the youth of the community. Multi agency working in line with the informal youth project. Agencies like Bournemouth Youth Services, Youth Offending Team, Connexions and Bournemouth Council. Alsoacting as an advocate for young peoples interests and presenting them to the required agency. Taking the Bible studies during the week for different age groups and discipling the young people into a Christ like character. Managing developing the youth and community projects and resources Serving the needs of the young people in the community including the delivery of sports programmes, supporting recreational activities, providing advice and counselling. Drawing up business plans, writing reports and making formal presentations to funding bodies. Over and beyond the job description the youth worker does many more informal activities for the church and the community. Advantages of the role Since previously Roger worked with the council as a secular youth worker, now he compares his former role to his present role as a Christian youth worker and says that the latter has more advantages and more opportunities. As a secular youth worker in case of emergency he couldnt drive in a car alone with a young person. Besides, he said that they worked only during their working hours in a day after which they didnt think about youth work at all and they worked just because its their job and spent less time with the youth. Now, he says that Christian youth work role is more relaxed and comfortable with no set timings to work and therefore he can focus on a particular issue or work giving it the time required in order to resolve or to work on it. According to Bruce Britton, what young people want from their youth workers is not their organisational ability, but willingness to focus and to listen to their views and spend time with them as per their availability.[2] Though this is Rogers perspective, however I think this is how youth workers actually need be irrespective of whether they are secular or religious feeling comfortable with time and spending meaningful time with the youth. He said that he had less opportunities for detached youth work whilst working with the council. If a young person had a problem they had to come to the centre, only then they could help them. But now they can operate without the use of a centre and can go to the place where young people are, both geographically and developmentally. He gave an example where one young guy (19 yrs) called him and said that he had an interview and was little nervous and asked him to accompany him to the interview. So Roger did accompany that young person which made the young person feel confident. He said that this wouldnt have been possible if he had been with the council. According to Erik Eriksons 8 stages of development youth who are 19-25 yrs wrestle with the Isolation versus Intimacy.[3] This is the stage where they need someone to guide, comfort and build a relationship with them. Stresses and Strains In his work there are few stresses and strains which they are trying to work out. He says the main issue is the ever changing staff team with in the youth team. People who come to help as volunteers or those who come on placement stick with the youth club for 6-12 months and then they move to a different place. He says that this is where the whole problem lies with maintaining continued relationships with the youth. Suddenly that person moves out and a new staff member who works with a different approach or method takes more time to build that same relationship with the youth and because of that there is no consistency. They currently get close to 40-60 kids during a Friday youth club and low staff resourcing is a problem in supervising these kids. Another issue he raised was that of finances. They have enough projects and plans for the local youth, but they lack funds to run these projects. Also he says that since its a church setting, for effective discipleship of youngsters the church needs to come and help the youth groups on a random basis supporting the youth worker. Skills for Practice Roger is a trained professional in the area of youth work. He did few former roles like youth worker and probationer office with the local council. His role as a youth worker with the church is twofold. The first task according to his priority is working with the unchurched youth of the community contributing to their growth and development and the second aspect being discipling and nurturing the youth of the church. He often keeps himself updated with some of the books written by youth and community workers. He said that the book Joined Up: An Introduction to Youth Work and Ministry'[4] with itsfour core values of youth work: voluntary participation, empowerment, equality of opportunity and informal education were very helpful and gave a great insight in understanding the youth work within the church and outside the church. He used to draw his skill for his youth work from the national occupational standards of the National Youth Agency when he started working with the youth. However now he draws his expertise from various available sources. He subscribes to the major youth work magazines and draws the latest news and developments from them. Sometimes he does take the Sunday Bible studies for the youth from the Youth Work magazine and basically he goes by the current trend of the youth compared to the prescribed theory within the youth work. Theory to Practice The challenging part of the youth work is executing the theory into practice. When I asked him for a live example he shared with me the story of a young person whose name is Allan and he was aged 13.[5] Allan was attending behavioural school and was in trouble with the police for couple of times. His mother is in recovery from drugs and his father lives somewhere else. There were complaints from his neighbours and went through isolation in the school. The whole idea in working with this young person was to gain his trust and to give him responsibility and contact with other young people to develop social skills with his peers. Josh McDowell, says that teens that are vulnerable to rejection and peer persecution come from homes of broken families and its is not important to minimize their pain but to give them a chance to express themselves without reproach in a loving relationship.[6] Since they need a chance to express themselves in a loving relationship, Allan was asked to help in t uck shop and rewarded him with a voucher to spend. He also helped as a leader during juniors youth club. Roger did school visits with Allan and his mum to look around the school and to meet the staff and pupils. With a bit of regular counselling there is a change in Allan today.[7] In his practice he says that reflection plays a vital role and he often reflects on this practise and develops his youth work as the situation demands. He also made an important comment saying that theory doesnt work always. We need to go out of the box especially when working with the teenagers. In his words Theory is nothing but suggested practice, but suggested practice is not always the right one. So always go according to the situation and create the theory. Case Study Rebellion In my youth group I have this guy whose name Ill keep it anonymous and for the purpose of this essay we shall call him Joe. Joe comes to the youth Bible study that I lead every Thursday. He comes to that group not because he likes it, but only because his best mate comes to this group and partly also because he gets a tuck of crisps and a drink. The main issue as I categorize it with Joe was Rebellion. Especially with teenagers the word rebellion sounds synonymous with them. We will be looking at this in more depth with the PARC steps of Theory-Practice model. Practice Joe, who is 14 years old lives with his both parents and has an elder sister who is four years older than him. Both his parents are Christian and are actively involved in the church activities. His sister sometimes comes to the various youth groups and often helps the staff team in supervising the groups. Joe is an average student at school and is brilliant at sports, especially football and cricket. He plays for his school and also in some different leagues. If I organise any cricket match within the church, he is my key player of my team. Joes mum loves him very much and wants him to be a good Christian but Joe thinks that his mom is asking something impossible from him. I have heard Joe couple of times saying, Im not a Christian, just because of my mum I come to church, I dont believe in God, He doesnt talk anyways, My dad never keeps his promises, last night he said that he would watch a football match with me and he didnt turn up, My sister is in her own world. There is a lot of confusion and agitation going inside of Joe, which is ultimately resulting in his rebellion against his family. Key point to be noted here is that his rebellion is mainly seen on his spiritual side though it has its effects on his physical and social aspects. Analysis From his background we can clearly see that his problem is mainly coming through his own family. Joe is in his key transitioning period of moving from dependency to independence. He is going through a lot of changes like biological, cognitive, psychological and spiritual and all of these changes in one way or the other are contributing to his discomfort and rebellion. Childhood experiences, environmental stresses and hazards can also influence his problem during this stage, but in my view these dont explicitly affect him.[8] In his situation we can the main causes of rebellion are due to: Poor relationship with his family: I agree with Josh McDowell where he says when parents try to lay down rules without first establishing a real relationship with their kids, they sow seeds of rebellion.[9] In Joes situation that was the exact problem. Though he doesnt show an outward rebellion directly he is growing an inward rebellion which is very unhealthy for his personal development. His poor relationship with his sister adds to his predicament. Discipline method: On the Sunday morning Joes mum asks him if he is coming to the Church and his usual reply is NO and then carries on sleeping. I think Joes parents are too lenient on their methods of discipline with Joe. Proverbs 22:6 says that parents should train a child in the way he should go. I am not saying that they have to be threatening or smacking him and make him come to church but the lack of strict discipline from his childhood and being lenient on him is one of the causes. Anger and Frustration: Olson tells that rebellious behaviour is caused by aggressive impulses that are turned inward.[10] In Joe we see that he is frustrated with God and at times is angry with his mum and dad. This Anger is being suppressed and hence leading to a rebellious nature in Joe. When we look at this rebellious nature in Joe, the main person who is being affected is his mother. Every time I ask her about Joe, she looks very concerned and worried. Whenever she talks about him, her eyes are filled with tears and sometimes have sleepless nights. I dont know about Joe, but his mother looks like she is going through depression and there is this anxiety and fear in her about her child. Comparatively his mother is getting affected by his rebellion than himself. Relating Theory Olson cautions that counselling rebellious and delinquent youth is a very difficult, slow and often frustrating task and success might be marginal at best.[11] From a biblical perspective Bible is very straight forward to kids who are rebellious. Deuteronomy 27:16 says that cursed is the man who dishonours his father or mother. God gives a lot of importance in honouring ones parents. The fifth commandment is to honour ones parents. Proverbs 10:1 says a wise son brings joy to his father,but a foolish son grief to his mother. There is a very harsh Old Testament law which talks about a rebellious son. Deuteronomy 21:18-21 says, If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him,then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. Joes situation is not as bad as the above passage therefore a clear biblical and psychological counselling is sufficient to solve his problem. I am currently working on Joes case. I lead the Junior Pathfinders group on Thursday evenings. I asked the group to come up with all kinds of questions that they face regularly at school or in the community so that I can prepare Bible studies exclusively addressing those questions. Joe came up with few questions like, Why should I be a Christian in the first place?, Can I really feel God?, These are tough and genuine questions for a young person and I thought it was right to address these first and we looked at one question each week, looking at its consequences and how to deal with them both biblically and in practice. On a psychological level, Josh McDowell gives a good pattern to deal with this problem and that is in the form of an acrostic LEADER.[12] It goes in this order: Listen: Rebellious teenagers often expect criticisms or Bible verses. Listen with the eyes as well as with the ears and understand where they are coming from. Empathize: Reflecting and trying to see the things through the eyes of the young person. Affirm: Affirming the honesty to come and talk with you and the goodness within that teen. Direct: Here we outline a structure of direction working towards a negotiated agreement and long term plans in dealing with their rebellious nature. Enlist: The teenager must be convinced that rebellion is not the best way to respond by which he slowly eliminates that character. This is cognitive strategy. Refer: In extreme cases where it cannot be handled, then he has to be referred to the respective more qualified counsellor with their parents consent. Overall his parents also need counselling. The two essential dimensions of parenting are relationship (support) and empowerment (guidance).[13] Their relationship with Joe needs to be first set right before going on to the empowerment. They need to start fulfilling their promises and need to make a full effort not to disappoint him in the future with their promises. Change There are many things that could have been done. In this case Joes sister can come into picture and can be a lot of emotional help and someone with whom he can identify with in his family. Since his mates at the youth group are his main interest in coming to the group, his friends can help him to overcome this rebellion with encouragement and support. Once happened can always potentially take place again, so in case of a future similar rebellious behaviour we need to quickly assess the root of the rebellion and start working from there till the problem is resolved. Conclusion Developmental psychology is an endless fascinating topic especially because teens of similar ages develop at different rates according to their cognitive capabilities and social status. Anyone who decides to work on any developmental issues one has to clearly understand the underlying cause and effects according to the age of the person. Methodology and techniques are consonant with the work of the Spirit and therefore its very imperative that as Christians we need to depend on the Spirit as much as we depend on our methods in counselling. Appendix 1 Robbie-20 Years Background: Low attendance at school. Biological father with drink problems. Step dad smoking cannabis. Mum holding down three part time jobs. Robbie in bottom sets in all of his classes. Bullied by others living on the same housing estate. Once having to go to A and E because of injuries sustained. Grandparents supportive and positive influence. Spending long periods of time at home in fear of going out alone. Priorities: To build up Robbies confidence and self esteem. No exams being taken in year 11. Need to find alternative qualifications. Get him involved in a hobby or sport. Support mum with time management with multiple jobs and siblings. Obtain and pass information to step dad with regards to the effects of smoking cannabis and the legal implications. Action: Get Robbie involved in setting up and helping at youth club. Sign him for local football team and to attend training one night a week. Offer to the school an extended work experience placement. Complete an Asdan award scheme. Attend a youth world cup competition in Sweden, 1500 teams from all over the world. Raise money for trip by sponsored walk and car washing. Secure some private coaching from ex professional goal keeper to increase Robbies ability and confidence. Support application for training courses later to support application to join the Army. Currently after sustaining an injury waiting to re- apply in June 2010. Elliot-19 Years Background: Mum and dad living together but for previous 15 years lots of arguments and living apart for periods of time. Police involved and accusations made by mum towards Elliot and dad but never proven. Mum using two names at different times with different people. At least twice Elliot coming home from school and finding her after she had taken overdoses of tablets and being submitted to hospital. Moved home several times sometimes with dad and sometimes with mum. Elliot was kicked out of home several times whilst living with mum. Attending school outside of the area travelling daily to attend a distance of about thirty miles. Priorities: To stabilize some of Elliots circumstances giving some consistency. Speak with mum and dad to rationalize long term issues. Get him involved with youth club. Help with anger management. Find group to support mums behavior. Build father son relationship. Action: Encourage mum to attend overcomers outreach a twelve step recovery group meeting. Get father and son to attend and help at youth club. Work alongside Elliot to discuss how he feels in certain situations that then turns to anger and methods to deal with that anger. Support Elliot during the times when mum and dad are not together more recently to support an application for Elliot to obtain a place in the YMCA having been kicked out of home December 2009 after an argument with dad and his new girlfriend. Currently no contact with mum. April 2010 help Elliot to move from the YMCA to Fortuna house supported lodgings for around twelve young residents. Support Elliot to secure a place on a full time training course prior to finding a job. Bibliography: Balswick, Judy., and Balswick, Jack., Piper, Boni., Piper, Don, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003. Boyd, Denise., Bee, Helen, Lifespan Development, 5th (ed.), Pearson, 2009. Britton, Bruce., Youth Workers as Social Workers, in Jeffs, Tony and Smith, Mark, (ed.), Youth Work, London: Macmillan Press, 1987. Brierley, Danny, Joined Up: Introduction to Youth work and ministry, Authentic Media, 2003. Brierley, Peter, Reaching and Keeping Tweenagers, London: Christian Research, 2002. Flannagan, Andy, Distinctive Worship: How a new generation connects with God, Authentic Media, 2004. Geldard, Kathryn., and Geldard, David, Counselling Adolescents, 2nd (ed.), London: SAGE Publications, 2004. Greene, Roberta., and Kropf, Nancy, Human Behavior Theory: A Diversity Framework, 2nd (ed.), AldineTransaction, 2009. McDowell, Josh., and Hostetler, Bob, Josh McDowells Handbook on Counselling Youth, Word Publishing, 1996. Olson, Keith, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984. Denise Boyd Helen Bee, Lifespan Development, 5th (ed.), Pearson, 2009, 3. Bruce Britton, Youth Workers as Social Workers, in Tony Jeffs and Mark Smith, (ed.), Youth Work, London: Macmillan Press, 1987, 25. Roberta Greene, Nancy Kropf, Human Behavior Theory: A Diversity Framework, 2nd (ed.), AldineTransaction, 2009, 84. Danny Brierley, Joined Up: An Introduction to Youth Work and Ministry, Authentic Media, 2002. The name of the young person is changed due to disclosure and privacy reasons. Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, Josh McDowells Handbook on Counselling Youth, Word Publishing, 1996, 162-163. During my interview Roger shared couple of more examples. Listing those examples are not under the scope of this essay. Please see appendix 1 for a detailed description. Kathryn and David Geldard, Counselling Adolescents, 2nd (ed.), London: SAGE Publications, 2004, 16. McDowell and Hostetler, Youth, 235. Keith Olson, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984, 476. Keith Olson, Counselling Teenagers, Loveland: Group Books, 1984, 480. McDowell and Hostetler, Youth, 239-241. Judy Jack Balswick and Boni Don Piper, Relationship-Empowerment Parenting, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003, 18.

Being A Sponsor Of The Olympic Games Marketing Essay

Being A Sponsor Of The Olympic Games Marketing Essay Global marketing is defined by the Oxford University Press as marketing on a worldwide scale reconciling or taking commercial advantage of global operational differences, similarities and opportunities in order to meet global objectives. With globalization and advanced technology, global marketing becomes more important, and some activities are used as new global marketing tool such as worldwide sports events. The modern Olympic Game is held every four years since 1896 except in 1916, 1940 and 1944 because of the world wars. For now, the Olympic Games are considered to be the worlds most popular sports competition, with more than 200 nations participating, and so many companies use it as a global marketing tool. But does this tool work well? This essay will discuss the benefits and the drawbacks of using the Olympic Games as a global marketing communication tool and evaluate its effectiveness. Becoming a sponsor of the Olympic Games is one of the most common ways to use the Olympic as a global marketing tool. Being a sponsor is a big business, it always costs a company millions of dollars to acquire the marketing rights to use the events including its image and logo. The sponsor fee does not include the advertisement expense, meaning that companies need to spend more money to promote their brand or products. Indeed, visa alone was estimated to have spent $886 million on its official sponsorship of the 2008 Olympic Game (CNBC, 2008). With such a large amount of money, being a sponsor of the Olympic Games seems really risky. There are four main disadvantages that a company may face when they use the Olympic Games to promote their brands. Firstly, using the Olympic Game- a worldwide sports event can let more people know the brands or companies and find some potential customers, it also ignores the inconsistency in consumer needs. A customer in America will be different from a customer in South African. So a good global marketing activity should not just depend on the fame of the Olympic Game and use the same means of propaganda all over the world. It also needs different marketing strategy for different countries to address different consumer needs. Furthermore, the inconsistency in consumer needs is not the only factors different from one area to another and people in one country may also react differently as compared to a consumer in another country. To a company, customers are one of the most important elements, so the reactions from consumers influence a companies next move. The Olympic Games usually lasts about two weeks, and during this time, companies marketing activities are received by people all over the world. It is difficult to collect different reactions from different people and improve the next marketing method in time. In the end, marketing activities may be not attractive for some potential consumers which could lead to fall of the whole global marketing plan. Moreover, consumers loyalty is also one of the factors influencing global marketing achievement. When people get used to buying goods of one brand, it will be very difficult to change their choice. Using the Olympic Game let people know a brand is effective, but Japanese might like a product to have a traditional touch, whereas an American might like to add a retro modern look to it. In this case, the Olympic Game global marketing strategy is difficult to devise. In the end, the laws of the land have to be considered. Usually, original company policies may be devised according to the laws of home countries. But when it comes to the global scale, the overseas laws perhaps are conflicting in these policies. The sponsors spend tons of money to purchasers the right to use the Olympic Game logo and image, but if their advertisement could not published in some countries just because laws conflict, then all the effort will be in vain. So it is necessary for a company to know laws and rules abroad before they make the global marketing strategy. On the other hand, global marketing also brings benefits to companies. First and foremost, using the Olympic Games as global marketing tool can increase brand awareness. As the Olympic Game is a worldwide sports event involved more than 200 nations, almost every nation will purchase broadcast rights. So advertising at this moment can reach potential customers all over the world effectively, especially with the Olympic image and logo. Moreover, in an extreme case, the sponsor may get a chance for free advertising. In the 2008 Beijing Olympic Game, the last torchbearer- the athlete who lights the stadium flame was Li Ning who is a former gymnast who won six medals. In the last few minutes of the ceremony, Li Ning run into the stadium and lighted the flame as billions of people watched. For that 2 or 3 minutes millions of people who did not know this Li Ning brand before learned it (Pitt, 2010, p.282). Secondly, using the Olympic Game as a marketing tool to promote products and brands could also increase brand recognition. An example of this is the study carried out by John and Martin (2009, pp.126-127) in which compared brand recognition level between Nike (sponsor) and Adidas (non-sponsor) by collecting respondents of Australian adults from nine months before the 2000 Olympics to three months after it. The results show that at the beginning of the survey, 77% of Australian individuals recognized Nike, while only 47% of them knew Adidas. During the Games, the recognition level of Adidas suffered a drop from 67% to 56%, but Nikes recognition level as official Olympic sponsor was still over 70%. Thirdly, using the Olympic Game as a marketing tool becomes a unique experience. Global marketing is a multi-million dollar business but it is never only about money. Being a successful sponsor of the Olympic Game and gaining expected benefits is not easy. It includes setting appropriate marketing goal, making accurate marketing niche and using various marketing strategies. All the factors can be practiced during the marketing process. When the Olympic Games are over, sponsors can get feedback and try to improve their marketing policy to get more achievement in the next global marketing activity. For example, the Coca-Cola joined the Olympic Torch Relay. Since 1996 Coca-Cola has been a member of the Olympic Torch Relay and started to use it as on of the significant sponsor able constituents. In the next 5 Olympic Games, summer and winter, Coca-Cola learned from the successful previous Olympic Torch Relay programmes and improved its marketing strategies. As a result, Coca-Cola launche d its new marketing strategy. The company did not just use the offline platform to promote but by using both online and offline platform at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to allow more customers in China to know the Olympic spirit and to be more loyal towards the Coca-Cola brand (Choi, 2008, pp.248-249). Finally, global marketing could lead to lower marketing costs and increase revenues. Worldwide sponsorship generated $866million for the 2006-2008 Torino/Beijing Olympic cycles. Eleven multinational sponsors paid an average of $72 million each. More remarkably, these numbers represent only the fees for sponsorship rights; sponsors still had to pay for the advertising itself (CNBC, 2008). According to this figure, the cost of using the Olympic Games to promote brand or product is really high, but is even higher if the company has to market a product differently in every country that it is selling. In addition with same input, the effect of Olympic marketing tends to be 2-4 times more than conventional marketing. GE illustrates this point clearly. GE is one of the Olympics Game sponsors. During the Games its company-wide sales revenues exceeded US$1.7 billion, includes NBC Universal, GEs subsidiary media company, more than US$1 billion in advertising revenue was made which generate a r ecord and make Beijing the most successful Games in GEs history (Hanssen, 2009, pp.126-127 ). This essay has discussed the benefits and drawbacks that using the Olympic Games as a global marketing tool can bring to a company. Indeed, there are some disadvantages about the inconsistency in consumer needs and reactions, but all the problems could be solved by tracing outcomes and improving marketing strategy after the marketing activity. However, the advantage of global marketing is widely agreed, otherwise companies would not spent large amounts of money on it. Overall, the benefits of the global marketing outweigh the drawbacks and it would be interesting to find what is the most important factor could influence the effects of global marketing. World count: 1,416

Unprogessive Advances :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The MP3 â€Å"We are born savage and self-centered, and then, unless we move to Hollywood, we get over it. We become civilized. We enter a state in which we understand that sharing is good.† – John Perry Barlow   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the past few years record sales have plummeted to an all time low, the record industry has since been frantically searching for the crack in the dyke; a reason for all this. The most obvious target that has been chosen by these corporations is the act of internet file sharing, more specifically the programs that run these services like the previously shut down â€Å"Napster† and the currently battling â€Å"Kazaa.† There is no doubt that file sharing is a factor in declining record sales but does it really deserve all the blame? Maybe today’s mainstream music lacks a certain quality that would normally motivate a consumer to purchase the CD. There are many factors that could cause declining sales, one of them being file sharing but does the record industry really have the power to classify our right to share as illegal?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The number of users for file swapping programs is in the millions. In its height Napster held 36 million people in the palm of its hand, and since the program has shut down more and more like it have been sprouting too fast for the recording industry to shut them down (Gaither,2). The companies that are filing suit apparently expect us to be sympathetic towards them because they aren’t rolling in the dough like they used to. A CD costs me about $20 after taxes, as a college student and normal person that money is better spent doing time in my bank account, it is almost the same lifestyle as subsistence farming. If I can receive the same music for free over the internet than why bother giving more money to excessive rock stars or silicone divas. The richest of the rich seem to be the only ones complaining as well, small time acts such as â€Å"Battery Park† practically rely on the free trade of music over the internet, mainly because they cannot affor d airplay on major radio or television stations. It is the only way for bands like these to be heard. Lead singer J. Brown of â€Å"Battery Park† however admits that â€Å"Downloads don’t necessarily equate to sales, we hope they like what they hear and want to hear more so they’ll purchase the CD.

Cold Mountain : The Civil War Essay -- essays research papers

Cold Mountain: The Civil War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil War was a four year armed conflict between northern and southern sections of the United States. The Civil War cost more American lives than any other war in history. There were bout 3 million people who fought in the beginning of the Civil War and about 600,000 people’s lives were lost at the end of the war. What began for many as a romantic adventure soon became a heartbreaking bitter struggle between the two parts of a divided country. This, however, was more than the industrial North fighting against the agricultural South. There were divided families with brother fighting brother. Some Northerners joined the Southern ranks and some Southerners were in the Union army, each fighting for what he thought was right.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most obvious causes of the Civil War were the issues of states’ rights and slavery.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hundreds of books, movies, and documentaries have been published on the Civil War. One of them was writ ten by Charles Frazier called Cold Mountain. The novel focuses on the life during the Civil War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cold Mountain captures some of the spirit and reality of the Civil War. Many people contributed their time, effort and lives in the Civil War. The main character, Inman, walks away from a hospital for Confederate wounded at the start of the book and is constantly on the move, meeting odd and dangerous characters, even a Circe. Beginning with Inman’s decision to leave the hospital where he has been recovering from a near fatal neck wound which turns him into a deserter, or an â€Å"outlier†. As a fugitive, Inman must take back roads and obscure footpaths, always hiding from the murderous Home Guards. Inman is sickened by the wanton waste of young lives on the battle field and torn between the traditional conflict of valor and cowardice. In the field hospital, the injured Confederate private witnesses the brutality of both sides in the most bloody of American armed struggles, the War Between the States. Emotionally shaken, Inman realizes that he will r eturn to the front and possible death as soon as he is well. He watches men on both sides ordered to charge into lethal barrages of gunfire and cannon shot, only to fall after a few precious steps. On more than one occasion, he is forced to kill. Inman is haunted by ni... ...m. Everything that she wanted, he gave her. He was a trader who lost his money because of the war, (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ at arm’s length the war, the embargo, the various other expressions of hard times, and their effect on Ada’s income†¦(61),† which left Ada nothing when he died.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goat woman is an old lady that takes care of goats, and had been far away from the human world. She meets Inman while she is doing something to a bird trap. The goat woman takes care of Inman for a few days and helped heal his neck wound from the battle and from the wandering Home Guard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Frazier had a very different way of narrating a story about the Civil War. Usually when people think of the word war, they think of it as people killing people or something more brutal. But instead, Charles Frazier focused his novel on how the war affected the lives of the people during the war. It was a very realistic novel because his characters were not all heroes, they were ordinary people with struggles and problems that they have to deal with and adapt to. Frazier did an excellent job by recapturing the war and how it affected those people who lived in Cold Mountain. Cold Mountain : The Civil War Essay -- essays research papers Cold Mountain: The Civil War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Civil War was a four year armed conflict between northern and southern sections of the United States. The Civil War cost more American lives than any other war in history. There were bout 3 million people who fought in the beginning of the Civil War and about 600,000 people’s lives were lost at the end of the war. What began for many as a romantic adventure soon became a heartbreaking bitter struggle between the two parts of a divided country. This, however, was more than the industrial North fighting against the agricultural South. There were divided families with brother fighting brother. Some Northerners joined the Southern ranks and some Southerners were in the Union army, each fighting for what he thought was right.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most obvious causes of the Civil War were the issues of states’ rights and slavery.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hundreds of books, movies, and documentaries have been published on the Civil War. One of them was writ ten by Charles Frazier called Cold Mountain. The novel focuses on the life during the Civil War.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Cold Mountain captures some of the spirit and reality of the Civil War. Many people contributed their time, effort and lives in the Civil War. The main character, Inman, walks away from a hospital for Confederate wounded at the start of the book and is constantly on the move, meeting odd and dangerous characters, even a Circe. Beginning with Inman’s decision to leave the hospital where he has been recovering from a near fatal neck wound which turns him into a deserter, or an â€Å"outlier†. As a fugitive, Inman must take back roads and obscure footpaths, always hiding from the murderous Home Guards. Inman is sickened by the wanton waste of young lives on the battle field and torn between the traditional conflict of valor and cowardice. In the field hospital, the injured Confederate private witnesses the brutality of both sides in the most bloody of American armed struggles, the War Between the States. Emotionally shaken, Inman realizes that he will r eturn to the front and possible death as soon as he is well. He watches men on both sides ordered to charge into lethal barrages of gunfire and cannon shot, only to fall after a few precious steps. On more than one occasion, he is forced to kill. Inman is haunted by ni... ...m. Everything that she wanted, he gave her. He was a trader who lost his money because of the war, (†¦Ã¢â‚¬ at arm’s length the war, the embargo, the various other expressions of hard times, and their effect on Ada’s income†¦(61),† which left Ada nothing when he died.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goat woman is an old lady that takes care of goats, and had been far away from the human world. She meets Inman while she is doing something to a bird trap. The goat woman takes care of Inman for a few days and helped heal his neck wound from the battle and from the wandering Home Guard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Charles Frazier had a very different way of narrating a story about the Civil War. Usually when people think of the word war, they think of it as people killing people or something more brutal. But instead, Charles Frazier focused his novel on how the war affected the lives of the people during the war. It was a very realistic novel because his characters were not all heroes, they were ordinary people with struggles and problems that they have to deal with and adapt to. Frazier did an excellent job by recapturing the war and how it affected those people who lived in Cold Mountain.

Important People of History Essay

Ancient Greece was known for many things, including great thinkers and philosophers. Many names come to mind from this period, including that of Socrates. Certainly, none are so colorful. He wrote nothing, but his impact was unmatched by others. His ideas were revolutionary, and caused enough controversy that he was finally put on trial in Athens, guaranteeing that his mark on history would be indelible. Socrates was born in 469 B. C. E. to Sophroniscus and Phaenarete. Little is known about him beyond what others wrote, since he resisted any urges to put words on paper. What is known about him comes from Aristophanes, Xenophon, and Plato, all of whom wrote about him. However, their narratives differ in some crucial ways, and so there are some things that will never be known about the enigmatic philosopher. Socrates was a firm believer in the power of the intellect. He insisted that â€Å"a man must order his life by the guidance of his own intellect,† believing that it was this above all that must be cultivated. He never hesitated in saying what he believed, and this tendency made him unpopular in many circles. However, he did not allow this to deter him from expressing these beliefs. Knowledge and truth were paramount to him, and he would not sacrifice these virtues for anything. When he was eighteen, Socrates was required to do the duty of every citizen, and this included training in the Athenian militia. He served the years that were expected of him, engaging in battle in 432 as a foot soldier to help put down a revolt. On the way home from the siege that followed, Socrates saved the life of Alcibiades during a subsequent battle near Spartolus, losing the battle. They returned to Athens in 429, where he was accused of helping the playwright Euripides to write his tragedies. Important People of History Page 2 of 5 Socrates next saw battle at Delium in 424. The Athenians saw defeat yet again, although Socrates distinguished himself once more. In another year, he was yet again immersed in battle, this time at Amphipolis. This ended in another defeat, and was also the last battle that Socrates fought. Peace was made between Athens and Sparta, and this is when Socrates could begin to concentrate in earnest on debates and discussions to pass on his ideas and beliefs. Education, democracy, and Mystery religion were key themes in this. During this time, Socrates married Xanthippe, and they would have two sons. Socrates perhaps became best known for the Socratic Method. This method was meant to help intellectuals come to correct conclusions, and it made definition the most essential point of this. In a desire to find the truth, Socrates believed that one must â€Å"require a standard of truth and an explanation of the causes of error. † The comparison of two ideas is necessary in making a judgment, and those ideas must be clear and not vague. This method lasted throughout the centuries, and is still practiced today. Socrates is also known as the founder of utilitarianism. Ethics and the process of applying his methods to them was a key interest of his, and this study led to utilitarian ideas. With this, he came to the conclusion that good is useful and â€Å"virtue is happiness. † This formed the core of his paradox, which is that men do not willingly commit wrongs, and that this is done only through ignorance. While Socrates wrote nothing, he spent a great deal of his life conversing with others. This was a major part of his Socratic method. He never attempted to teach, for he believed that he had no knowledge. He professed that he was only exceptional in the fact Important People of History Page 3 of 5 that he knew that he knew nothing. It was a goal of his to prove that popular ideas were inconsistent, and he wished to convince all to whom he spoke that their convictions could not stand up under examination. Socrates was well known for frequenting places such as marketplaces, where he would engage people in conversation. He enjoyed doing this with people of all ranks and stations, often putting off important people and gaining their animosity. His manner and lack of deference gained him many enemies; many resenting what they felt were his ridicule. There was nothing that Socrates felt was too sacred to question and criticize, and this included both religion and government. He was perhaps more agnostic than anything, and he had no compunctions about questioning and criticizing the gods. This added to feelings of animosity against him, as did the fact that he was also quite vocal against the ruling powers. It was this that was to lead to his arrest and subsequent trial, which is perhaps the pinnacle of his career. Socrates was arrested when he was seventy on charges that â€Å"he does not believe in the gods recognized by the city, but introduces strange supernatural beings; he is also guilty, because he corrupts the youth. † The political reasons were kept quiet, instead focusing on impiety, and the sentence proposed was that of death, although those who accused him had no real desire to put him to death, only to force him to leave and no longer be a thorn in their sides. However, Socrates refused to leave, instead remaining behind to face the charges against him. A life away from his interactions with the Athenians would not have suited him, and so he remained. Important People of History Page 4 of 5 Socrates faced a jury of 501 men. This jury, as all Athenian juries, would vote twice. Their first vote was on guilt or innocence, and their second vote was for the sentence. While Socrates expected that he would be convicted, he expressed surprise at â€Å"how closely the jury was split on the first and basic question. † It was a difference of six percent that would have turned the tide, acquitting him. Socrates had the chance to avoid a sentence of death once the verdict came in. It was a practice of the Athenian law system to allow the defendant to put forth another punishment, and the jury would choose between the two. However, the punishment that Socrates suggested was merely a small fine, which was so minuscule a punishment that the jury had little choice but to condemn him to death. It was not for thirty days after his trial that Socrates would meet his end. During that time, his friend Crito appealed to him to escape, but Socrates believed that the harm that would come from that would be a greater harm to the city than to allow himself to follow through with the sentence, and that it would have â€Å"brought shame on his family and friends. † Socrates did not seem to fear his death. In fact, on the day upon which he was scheduled to die, he seemed quite happy and pleasant. Death was perhaps another opportunity for him to learn and experience. He was also not alone when the end came, as his wife and younger son, as well as friends, were present. He spent his last day doing what he loved best, discussing philosophy and once more passing on his wisdom. Xanthippe was taken home before his actual death took place, leaving him with his Important People of History Page 5 of 5 friends and advising them to agree if they believed what he said was truth, and to oppose it if they did not, refusing to restrain themselves. To the end, he was determined to hold onto his ideals and beliefs, and insisted on others doing so as well. After bathing and then meeting with his family once more, he met with his executioners. He was given a glass of hemlock after having its effects explained to him. After this formality, he â€Å"cheerfully took the cup and drank. † Thus ended the life of one of the most profound leaders of philosophy. Socrates, through all of his life, lived up to the ideals and beliefs that he taught. He never compromised these, even up to the day that he died. To him, the importance of remaining true to himself and his teachings was paramount, and to do otherwise would be an injustice. He did not simply talk and hope that others learned from him; he lived by example and died by the same. His legacy proved to be quite enduring, and is still a cornerstone of philosophy to this day. His students, such as Plato, helped to preserve this and pass it on. Without Plato and others, little would be known today of Socrates. The impression he made was a lasting one, and a good example even today, encouraging people not to be afraid to question and discuss, because without these things, learning cannot be successful. Works Cited Bury, J. B. and Russell Meiggs. A History of Greece. London: Macmillan Education LTD, 1975. Nails, Debra. â€Å"Socrates. † Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 16 Sept. 2005. . Stone, I. F. The Trial of Socrates. New York: Doubleday, 1989.