The Tibetan Independence Movement essays

The Tibetan Independence Movement essays The Independence of Tibet is one of the hottest topics in the world today, undoubtedly due in part to the massive media exposure and attention given to the Dalai Lama and his movement in America. Recent Movies such as Kundun, The Wind Horse, and the extremely popular Seven Years in Tibet have had an astounding impact on the arousal of international awareness of Tibets situation with China. This impact and the establishment of the Tibetan Independence Movement as a major issue on the international platform has lead to the argument by supporters of Chinese rule of Tibet that interventionists have based their arguments on history according to Hollywood . Have these films swayed public opinion and perhaps even influenced Americas foreign policy regarding China? My answer would be yes. But to argue that it is the basis and the only knowledge of the relationship between Tibet and China is a vain attempt by the Chinese to portray the stance of most of the free world as the work of capitalist propaganda. As an American, I find it insulting that Many of the Chinese-over-Tibet supporters look upon Americans as being so easily influenced by the media that we would use a Hollywood production as the basis for promotion of Tibetan Independence described by one Chinese advocate: Humanitarian Interventionists and Benevolent Global Hegemonists, most of whom lack even a rudimentary understanding of Chinas long and complex history, share a particularly nasty trait. Many of these Globocops imagine because they have downloaded a few pages of seperatist propaganda from Tibet.org, and shed a tear or two while watching Seven Years in Tibet, that qualifies them as China experts. They believe this qualifies them to pass judgment about whether China deserves to remain intact or be forcibly Balkanized by the worlds only remaining superpower. Their attitude rivals that of the most contemptible 19th century imp...

Slope Formula to Find Rise over Run

Slope Formula to Find Rise over Run The slope formula is sometimes called rise over run. The simple way to think of the formula is: Mrise/run. M stands for slope. Your goal is to find the change in the height of the line over the horizontal distance of the line. First, look at a graph of a line and find two points, 1 and 2. You can use any two points on a line. The slope will be the same between any two points on a straight line.Note the X and Y value for each of the points.Now well designate the X and Y value for points 1 and 2. Well use subscripts to identify them in the slope formula. The formula for the slope of the straight line going through the points (X1, Y1) and (X2, Y2) is given by M (Y2 - Y1) / (X2 - X1) The answer, M is the slope of the line. It can be a positive or negative value. The subscripts are only used to identify the two points. They are not values or exponents. If you find this confusing, you could give the points names instead. How about Bert and Ernie? Point 1 is now Bert and Point 2 is now ErnieLook at the graph and note their X and Y values:(XBert, YBert) and (XErnie, YErnie)The slope formula is now: M (YErnie - YBert) / (XErnie - XBert) Slope Formula Tips and Tricks The slope formula can give a positive or a negative number as a result. In the case of vertical and horizontal lines, it can also give no answer or the number zero. If the slope is a positive value, the line is rising. The technical term is increasing.If the slope is a negative value, the line is descending. The technical term is decreasing.You can check your math by eyeballing the graph. If you got a negative slope but the line is clearly rising, you made an error. If the line is clearly going down and you got a positive slope, you made an error. It could be you mixed up X and Y and points 1 and 2.Vertical lines have no slope. In the equation, you are dividing by zero, which does not produce a number. If a quiz asks the slope of a vertical line, dont say zero. Say it has no slope.Horizontal lines have a zero slope. Zero is a number. In the equation, you are dividing zero by a number and the result is zero. If a quiz asks the slope of a horizontal line, say zero.Parallel lines have equal slopes. If you find the slope of one line, you dont have to run the formula for the other line. They will be the same. This can save you some time and effort.Pe rpendicular lines have negative reciprocal slopes. If two lines cross at a right angle, you can find the slope of one and then change the value for the other to negative or positive.

Frankenstein (1818 Book) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Frankenstein (1818 Book) - Research Paper Example Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein effectively renders the audience horrified at the chief thought that humans themselves can create life from the dead. Through science, the epistemological capacity of Shelley’s work reflects the possibility to explore the yet unknown so that by fiction, it is able to promote varied concepts whose substance may impress upon a range of perceptions from being a magical wonder to an object of fright. The ensuing madness in Victor as a science student who has severely detached himself from the norms of the living to defy human limits potentially makes a horrifying attribute to the story where one could well associate mental derangement with crime or a series of morbid acts to follow scheming beyond sanity. Frankenstein, hence, is psychologically addressed in the light of this context. As a tool of suspense, similarly, the laboratory settings where Frankenstein conducts crude experimentation all the more appear to intensify the creepy effect of sce narios in which one is led to anticipate the horrible triumph of reconstructing life from the patches of grave-buried fleshes. Shelly manages to stir anxiety into audience sensation by directing the theme to be understood in the nature of ancient alchemy blended with some futuristic science as portrayed via the notion that high volts of electricity would ignite reflexes to the initially lifeless man-made creature. The monstrous appearance of Victor’s creation as well as the serial killings that follow upon the creature’s escape from his workplace further constitutes the elements to gothic mystery and horror. The author gradually relieves the story from this stage in pursuit of demonstrating the capacity of the creature to separate beastly instincts from its recognition of moral values. In the novel, the creature is said to have attained self-realization by guiding himself to obtain knowledge through literature, as by reading Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’ . On the contrary, while he remains speechless with only grunting or growling to express, the 1931 film agrees to indicate development of rational qualities as the creature observes the cottagers to figure how humans communicate to share sensible concerns through emotions and use of intellect or reasoning. From these circumstances, he weaves and even struggles to acquire concept of himself in relation to humanity and the affinity of human beings to values based on spiritual beliefs. Shelley alludes in her story that although the brutish entity possesses a culprit’s brain, a portion of his nature still tends to innocent quest for self-identity and yearning to earn society’s approval. If one asks who the actual monster is in Frankenstein, by meditation of each principal character, the question may adequately draw response from the story’s ontological approach when the monster finds himself wandering with delight as he randomly explores with knowledge of human expe rience and spiritual faith or conviction. The burden of guilt may not be readily designated upon a brute who is amoral prior to self-awareness of which Shelley’s justification adequately provides evidence. Apparently, it is Victor Frankenstein who should receive the blame for following his instincts of mechanically forming life without paying regard to sound logic and the appalling consequences of his irrational endeavor. He deliberately neglects moral thought and this is the primary ground for the loss of his loved ones, so in effect,

Term Paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Assignment - Term Paper Example To ensure this, medical professionals have to understand the role and importance of informed consent, and apply it in their treatment and research processes. Informed consent is important as it helps patients to make their independent decisions about their treatment, and helps research participants to decide independently whether to participate in a research, without being coerced (Carmen and Joffe WEB). This paper discusses the importance of informed consent in medical treatment and research, as well as the different ethical issues arising in the course of informed consent in medical treatment and research. The concept of informed consent can be traced to different disciplines, including law, medicine, and philosophy. Consent to treatment is traced to law, while consent to research can be traced to ethical codes and administrative regulations. Informed consent has important moral and practical influence on the practice of medical treatment. This draws on the principle of autonomy, a nd the fact that a patient must be availed the opportunity to make their own independent decisions about the treatment offered to them. Similarly, in medical research, the participants are not coerced to participate. Medical treatment is therapeutic, unlike medical research, which is non-therapeutic, therefore, research participants are expected to participate voluntarily, since the research findings might not benefit them directly, but the patients in future. This is different from medical treatment, where the treatment benefits the patients directly. Nonetheless, in both cases, it is important to employ informed consent as a sign of respect for the individuals involved (Carmen and Joffe WEB). According to the Evans (WEB), the physician must avail all necessary information concerning the treatment procedure in order for this to be regarded as informed consent. This information will help the patient to make their judgement and settle for a right decision. In medical treatment, the i nformation must include the risks the patient is exposed to by the specific medical procedure, as well as the outcome of the medical procedure and the other alternatives, which might be useful to the patient. In medical research, the participants must be informed about the purpose of the research and its usefulness to the discipline. This information leads to an informed decision by the patients and research participants. In addition, before pronouncing the informed consent, a physician must ensure that he or she understands the concerns of their patient, before starting to act on the patient’s decision. Physicians should not assume and make decisions for these patients, instead, a physician should take the necessary steps to ensure that those patients, who are poor communicators or those with speaking inabilities get to understand the consent information in order to participate wholly in decision-making concerning their treatment (Caroline 417). This applies to medical resea rch too, where coercion is considered unethical. On the other hand, informed consent in medical research and experimentation is equally important for both the medical researcher and the subject, who might be the patients or other healthy individuals. In some cases, a patient might require an innovative kind of treatment, which goes beyond the normal diagnosis and prescription. Such innovative or experimental treatment

How Are Human Beings Similar to and Different from the Gods Essay Example for Free

How Are Human Beings Similar to and Different from the Gods Essay In Greek mythology, specifically in Homer’s eminent epics; (the Iliad and the Odyssey), the gods are depicted according to anthropological means. They basically resemble human beings in form as well as in behavior. One must understand first that the Greeks had very much appreciated the human form. Contrary to the Egyptians, for example, who had portrayed their gods with human features incorporating some animalistic bodily features as well. Many other civilizations’ gods also had a certain idiosyncratic factor; they were above human beings, on an entirely superior level, to a point where there was a palpable barrier between gods and humans. A Pharaoh, for instance, would be like a god but there would still be a division between him and the people. The Greeks also had no bible, or holy sacrament. All they had were myths with no precise moral or lesson, other than the mere fact that â€Å"life’s a bitch†. Throughout Homer’s epics, the gods display human emotions such as anger and love. They were petty, having numerous sexual affairs with humans. And like humans, they even shared a diverse personality range. Each god acted very differently from the other. Zeus, for example, was a womanizer and could even be viewed as a knave. Whereas Neptune loved humankind; always helping humans in need. Or Poseidon, as seen in the Odyssey, liked to hold a grudge on Odysseus for blinding his son. The gods were all over the place with emotions and personalities. They would even love you one day and then stab you in the back the next. However, there is one very crucial difference between the two: gods, unlike the humans, were immortal, and being immortal was one of the attributes which rendered them as gods aside from having certain powers. It was also nearly impossible to become a god, and if one had become a god there was always a catch. Achilles, for instance, had become immortal except for one place on his body which was vulnerable – his heel (since it didn’t touch the â€Å"holy water† his goddess mother, Thetis, immersed him in). And of all the places that one could attack him; Paris, according to myth, had ended up killing him with an arrow aimed at his heel, thus infecting him and ultimately ending his â€Å"immortal† life. In conclusion, there is very little that can differentiate the Greek gods with humans, because essentially the gods were humans, sharing many similarities, since the Greeks were true humanists.

The Oceans - A Storehouse of Undiscovered Drugs and Medicines Essay

The Oceans - A Storehouse of Undiscovered Drugs and Medicines The health of human populations requires a wide variety of chemical and physical supports from both local ecosystems and from the global ecosystem. The subject of this paper is the indirect relationship between biodiversity and human health, particularly with regard to coral reef ecosystems. Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems in the sea. â€Å"High diversity density gives rise to intense species competition and the subsequent organism capability to construct exotic defensive and offensive chemicals, many with pharmacological value† (Adey 2000). It is estimated that less than ten percent of reef biodiversity is currently known, and only a small fraction of that percentage has been tested for active compounds. However, coral reefs face numerous hazards and threats, both natural and anthropogenic. â€Å"Current estimates note that ten percent of all coral reefs are degraded beyond recovery. Thirty percent are in critical condition and may die within ten to twent y years. Experts predict that if current pressures are allowed to continue unabated, sixty percent of the world’s coral reefs may die completely by 2050† (Hazards to Coral Reefs). Many species that exist only in coral reef ecosystems will likely become extinct in the coming decades, and the pharmacological potential that these species hold will be lost forever. Most of the drugs in use today have come from nature. Three common examples include aspirin, morphine, and penicillin. â€Å"‘In the old days you could wander around a corn field or up in a forest, take little dirt samples, bring them back to the lab—and what do you know? You’d found microorganisms that produce streptomycin, or actinomycin, or... ...icles/june_03/marine_pharmacology.pdf> Hazards to Coral Reefs. 18 Jan. 2004. NOAA. . Kerr, Russell, Drugs from the Sea: Will the Next Penicillin Come from a Sponge?. . Marine Pharmaceuticals. . Mestel, Rosie. â€Å"Drugs from the Sea.† Discover March 1999. Rayl, A.J.S. â€Å"Oceans: Medicine Chests of the Future?† The Scientist 27 Sept. 1999. . ---. â€Å"Reaping Pharmacological Benefits from the Oceans.† The Scientist 11 Oct. 1999. . Small, A., Adey, W., and Spoon, D., 1998, Are Current Estimates of Coral Reef Biodiversity Too Low? The View Through the Window of a Microcosm. Atoll. Research Bulletin, 458, 1-20.

Donnie Darko †English assignment Essay

Donnie Darko is a film by Richard Kelly from 2001, with Jake Gyllenhaal in the main lead. The film is supposed to look like it’s from 1988. The film is about a schizophrenic teen that lives in the American suburb of Middlesex. When an unidentified giant plane engine crashes into his room, a chain of mysterious events is triggered. Donnie is plagued by visions of an evil-looking rabbit named Frank. Who makes Donnie commit acts of violence, and tells him the world will end in 28 days. Frank is the boyfriend of Donnie’s sister Elizabeth. The Frank who speaks to Donnie is a kind of ghost Frank – a remnant of Frank, because Donnie shoots him in the eye within the Tangent Universe’s 28 days and can move freely in time throughout the Tangent Universe. Compare Donnie to one or two of the characters in the short stories we have read about the topic – In all the readings we have done in the other texts from Context, the subject have been â€Å"growing up†. All the other readings have been about different children growing up in different environments, though any of them haven’t got any psychological problems. I don’t think that any of the characters from all the other readings we have done, that there are any personalities like Donnie’s. Donnie is suffering from schizophrenic. People with schizophrenia often suffer terrifying symptoms such as hearing internal voices not heard by others, or seen things not seen by others. That is why Donnie often is seeing a therapist and why he is on medication. Though there is â€Å"The Sin Bin or Lucy’s Heart† reading where Lucy is been told to do mean things to a girl named Penny by Bethan. Which she regrets such as Donnie also does. Just like Donnie is been told to overflow the school. But I don’t think any of our readings can be compared to this movie. All the readings we have read takes subject in bulling, a hard way to grow up and so on. There is no greater meaning in texts. In Donnie Darko there is a meaning with everything he does and with every thing there take place in the film. Frank makes Donnie flood the school, giving the lucky students a break from classes. And then he walks Gretchen home and convince her to â€Å"go with him†, and says he is happy the school flood, or else he hadn’t had that conversation with her. So I believe Frank made Donnie do it, so he could meet Gretchen. How can the plot of the film be explained? Can it be explained in more ways? – The plot can definitely be interpreted in many ways. I also think many people doesn’t get it, in the way it’s supposed to be interpreted. Or maybe it’s actually supposed to be in a way, which can be discussed over a longer time and interpreted in many ways. I’ve myself used a lot of time discussing this movie. I would rather do some short but very interesting sites of some of the main characters, and what I think is the deeper meaning of some of the characters. I see Donnie as Jesus; he died to save mankind – just as Donnie did. Frank I see as Satan, deceived Donnie for his own benefit. Roberta Sparrow as God. I feel like she is the facilitator of all this. She once was a nun, she wrote the book on time travel and she knows Donnie’s letter is coming. Then there is the Chinese girl Cherita, whom you don’t see of follow that much, but I can’t stop thinking that she is Donnie’s â€Å"Guardian Angel?† She always seems to be behind Donnie watching over him, and she has a notebook about him. I don’t know if that is a right observation, but I can’t stop thinking that way – and I am not even religious. Comment on the ending of the film – how can it be interpreted? – Donnie is having a Halloween party, where Gretchen is with him. Donnie goes to the fridge where a note is saying, â€Å"Frank left to go get beer†. Then Donnie takes Gretchen to go see Roberta Sparrow, Grandma Dead, because times almost op. Two thugs then attack Donnie and Gretchen, which are two guys from their school. One throws Gretchen onto the ground; the other holds a knife to Donnie’s neck. Roberta is standing in the middle of the road and a car tries to avoid her but then hits Gretchen and kills her. The driver is Frank; this is the real Frank – Donnie’s sister’s boyfriend. Donnie gets scared and frightened and shoots him in the eye. With Gretchen’s body at his side, Donnie watches a storm begin. Donnie then remembers what Gretchen said about taking back all the bad things and replacing them with something good. Donnie then goes back in time trough the wormhole and changes the future with him staying in bed. With him staying in bed and the crashing hits their house Donnie gets killed. Gretchen lives on, without ever knowing Donnie. I think Gretchen feels some kind of dà ©jà   vu when she sees Rose. Gretchen actually doesn’t know Rose yet, but she did before Donnie went back in time. You get the feeling that Rose and Gretchen seem to recognise each other by _way they look at each other.

Apple’s marketing relationship building with the target customers Essay

1. Introduction With the intensified competition and the rapid development of information technology, firms are facing unprecedented both opportunities and challenges in marketing. Marketing is a social platform to provide chances for individuals and groups to obtain what they need and want through exchanging various products with others (Kotler, 1974).In the contemporary society, people can not live without marketing with others which is much more important to firms. This report tends to evaluate how Apple-one of the most innovative and creative companies builds marketing relationships with its target customers through brand building. What is more, this report attaches much importance to customer profile which reveals some basic information about customers. This report is organized as follows. The first section is the introduction. The second part shows how Apple’s customer profile affects its brand building to have a closer marketing relationship with customers. The third one illustrates how Apple builds its brand and gradually builds the marketing relationship with customers through branding and customer profiles. From this part, it will be clearly clarified how Apple’s brand has amazing magic to attract so many fans. The last section is the conclusion. 2. Evaluation about customer profile of Apple According to Barron’s Marketing Dictionary, customer profile is the description of a customer group based on various demographic and psychographic characteristic. Apple collects customer profile through customers’ downloads in the app store. And these downloads are limited to Apple-buyers who have credentials. From these credentials, Apple can trace customers’ information thus finishing its profiles collecting. From Apple’s customer profile, it can be found that: ï  ¬Most Apple-users are young with professions and students take great part in the using of Apple products. A recent survey in 2008 based on the profile of iPhone users showed that most of the iPhone users are young and about 75% of iPhone users have used products of Apple before. (The Apple iPhone: successes and challenges for the mobile industry, 2008). It can be found from the picture below which shows the age distribution of iPhone users that most iPhone-users are beyond 40 years old and half of iPhone users are under the age of thirty. Figure2-1: The age distribution of iPhone-user Besides Apple’s customer profiles show that most of (79%) Apple-users are employed and 16% of Apple-users are students. In general, iPhone users tend to adopt progress of new technology. The research found that most iPhone-users are in the position of professional and scientific services, arts and the information and technology industry (The Apple iPhone: successes and challenges for the mobile industry, 2008). In addition, about 66% of households with Apple devices earn $60,000 or more in their income, compared with just over half of non-Apple users can earn that much (Apple profile report, 2008). In addition, from these two pictures below, it can be found that Apple users have obtained a higher educational level. From the Apple profile report 2008, it can be found that 68% have completed a 4-year university degree and even higher educational level like post-graduate degree or doctor degree. By comparison, only 45% of non-Apple households have reached this high educational level. It seems that Apple-users usually have higher educational level and higher incomes which help to afford them a higher disposable income, so that Apple’s high price not a barrier to them. (Apple profile report, 2008). In all, it can be concluded that Apple is favored by the economically elite. Figure 2-2: The working conditions of Apple-users Figure 2-3: The Educational level of Apple users Figure 2-4: The educational level of non-Apple users (Sources: The data comes from Apple profile report 2008) ï  ¬Apple-users take good advantage of internet. From the picture below, it can be found from the Apple profile report 2008 that 63% of Apple users spend more time using their computers to search the internet than watching TV. But only 57% of non-Apple users spend more time on computers than watching TV. While when comes to enjoying the fun on the internet, the difference between Apple users to non-Apple users is only slight. It has been found that there are almost 60% of Apple users keep discovering more ways to use the internet for fun and about 58% of the non-Apple users try to do that (The Apple iPhone: successes and challenges for the mobile industry, 2008). Since Apple-users are usually with higher level of education and most of them are employed, it is not strange that they take good advantage of internet and they also know better to use their devices for a better life. But Apple users still do not have better ideas to enjoy the fun of internet with their innovative devices. It could be a challenge for Apple to come up with new ways of enjoying the fun of internet with Apple devices. Figure 2-6: Comparison of Apple-users to non-Apple users on time-spending with computer and TV (Sources: The data comes from Apple profile report 2008 ) ï  ¬Apple-users are loyal to Apple’s products. What is more, it has been found that about Apple-users are loyal to products of Apple. From a survey on whether customers who use iPhone now have any other Apple devices, it has found that 49% of iPhone-users have used iPod previously. 20% of iPhone-users have used Mac and iPod and only 5% iPhone-users have once used Mac but no iPod. Only 26% of iPhone users do not use iPod or Mac before. So from the survey, it can be found that about 3 quarters who use iPhone today once have used Apple devices previously. These findings show that Apple-users are loyal to Apple’s various kinds of products and customers are quite satisfied with products of Apple. Figure 2-5: Did you own an iPod before you got your iPhone? To conclude, Apple with its various kinds of fantastic and innovative products such as iTunes, iPod, iPad, iPhone attract young people and turn them to be loyal customers of Apple. These customers who have high income or high educational level help to make the brand of Apple to have high status in the markets. And these customers’ love of Apple not only maintains brand loyalty of Apple but also attracts more and more customers get in love with Apple. 3. Analysis of how Apple builds marketing relationship with customers 3.1 Apple’s brand building with branding Brand has many advantages which companies can take to get closer to customers for more sales including improved perceptions of product performance, greater customer loyalty and increased marketing communication effectiveness (Keller, 2009).It is well acknowledged that brand has vital importance to a company even to a product or one kind of service. Especially in this fast-changing world, products are getting to be more similar because of the fierce competition which makes brand to be the difference between various products. Brands help to build sustained relationship with the customers. Strong brands lend endurance and performance to an organization and protect it from the market turbulence and uncertainties (Kapoor & Kulshrestha, 2011). In addition, brand gives customers a sense of reliance even makes them feel a better quality of life. Brands make meanings that become conventionally understood and shared across interpretive communities. (Holt, 2010, McCracken, 1996, and Kats, 2006 etc). The brand concept of Apple is â€Å"think different† which has last for over 30 years. From the creative and innovative products like iPod, iPad and iPhone, Apple always brings customers surprise and defines how to â€Å"think different†. In addition, Apple pursues to build a humanistic corporate culture with a strong corporate atmosphere to inspire employees to work voluntarily which can leave good impression on customers (Kahney, 2012). The famous global brand consultancy Interbrand which aims at creating and managing brand value released â€Å"2012 Best Global Brands† list, Apple jumps into the ranking 2 in the world, and the brand value growth is 129%. The brand of Apple has been a miracle in the global world. How dose the brand of Apple grow so quickly in the contemporary society? The following part will investigate this problem. The first step of is to get the customers’ attention. The advertisement of Apple has always maintained surprise which arouse the attention of customers. Since Steve Jobs returned Apple, the first release of iMac, either the video or the outdoor propaganda is featured with characteristic of Apple which makes the brand of Apple unique. Al Ries and Jack Trout pointed out in the book of 《The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing》in 1994 that if an enterprise can not be the â€Å"first† in the consumers’ choices in the industry, then the best way is to create a new category to attract consumers. And the â€Å"opposite Law† pointed that to occupy the minds of consumers as the â€Å"second† best choices; the brand communication strategy is not to try to go beyond the â€Å"first†, but to be different. In the early eighties, Apple is trying to compete with the industry leader-IBM and then rapidly gain the attention of consumers. Through the long advertising campaign, such as â€Å"1984†³and â€Å"Think different†, Apple has built the spirit of innovation and fearless which brings the concept of the brand. Later with the promotion of iPhone and iPad, the advertisement of Apple started to focus on elite people. The people who use Apple’s products in the advertisement are usually well educated and pursue a higher quality of life. Through these advertisements, the brand of Apple has been positioned as elite and high quality of life. With customers’ attention, they are interested in the product of Apple and have the desire to buy the product. The productions of Apple’s products are tools for those who are ambitious and passionate to change the world. To conclude, through segmenting the targeting markets, Apple finds its own position and its target or potential customers. Products like iPhone, iPad, iMac are innovative and fashion which are favored by those who have high income with professions or those who are pursuing fashions. To them, Apple’s products are unique and innovative. By meeting customers’ demands and satisfying their psychological needs, Apple has built its branding and gradually makes the brand meaningful and attractive, thus making the brand o f Apple world-famous. 3.2 Building marketing relationship with branding and customer profile Marketing relationship is a process including identifying target or potential customers, establishing relationship with them, maintaining these customers and finally enhancing relationships with them (Gronroos, 1997). And in order to build marketing relationship with customers, it is of great importance to know better about customer relationship management. Customer relationship marketing is to maintain brand loyalty and stimulate repeat and even more purchases of customers (Murdy & Pike, 2012). Kumar (2010) pointed out that customer relationship management is the strategic process of targeting the important customers and provide them with well-considered services to shape the relationship between a company and these customers. The goal of the marketing relationship of customers is to optimize the interest of the customers and satisfy their needs. What is more, Taleghani, Vhirani and Mirrashed have mentioned in 2011 that the strategy of relationship marketing is based on creating, developing and maintaining relationships with customers. Through the brand building, Apple gradually establishes marketing relationship with customers. Customers start to pay attention to products of Apple and they are quite satisfied with these products. And with the brand being more meaningful and inspiring, customers are impressed with positive brand images of Apple. Gradually the brand of Apple has been identical for customers which help Apple to build the first step of marketing relationship with customers. And the second step for marketing relationship building is achieved by collecting customer profiles. Apple takes advantage of its customer profile to find their target customers, and to maintain brand loyalty. Through the information of customer profile, Apple knows exactly who bought their products, when did they buy the product and how many times did they buy the products. Depending on customer profiles it collects from these downloads of customers, Apple get a better understanding of its customers and can use these information to satisfy customers’ needs, thus maintaining brand loyalty and providing warm services according to customers’ needs. In all, the customer profile of Apple provides the knowledge needed to posit its target and potential customers and enable Apple to focus on marketing and branding efforts more effectively which finally help Apple to build marketing relationship with its customers. Thirdly, despite the innovative and amazing products of Apple, it also provides customers with the delicate services which help to enhance marketing relationship with customers. It has been said that Apple has five stages of service including approach, probe, present, listen and end. â€Å"Do not be manipulated by the machine but to manipulate machine yourself† is Apple’s customer-oriented concept to produce new products. In 2007, one month before the iPhone is officially on sale, Jobs asked developers to switch the phone’s plastic screen to tempered glass screen. This has solved the problem of the screen be scratched by keys. In addition, the Voiceover helps the blind to read texts and ever enter information. Apple always stands on the side of customers and think for them. These warm services and Apple’s caring about customers help Apple maintains brand loyalty of customers. By the three steps of establishing the brand of Apple, maintaining the loyalty of customers and enhancing connection between customers, Apple builds the marketing relationship with customers. Although Apple’s marketing strategies has been quite effective which make the brand of Apple known all around the world. While there still exists some problems in Apple’s marketing. First of all, Apple’s marketing is too dependent on the leadership of Jobs Steve. He gives the brand of Apple the name of fashion, innovation and esthetics. Depending on his public influence, many of his followers choose to buy the products of Apple. With the left of Jobs, the brand of Apple may face some challenges. Secondly, the price of Apple is too high among its competitors. Although most Apple’s customers are of high income or well educated, the high price of Apple also make Apple lose some customers since some other products can satisfy their needs with fair prices. Last but not least, Apple has a big competitor-Samsung. As a latecomer to the mobile phone industry, Samsung has defeated Motorolaï ¼Å'Nokia and other competitors to become the world’s second largest mobile phone maker. The competition between Apple and Samsung will challenge the brand value of Apple. 4. Conclusion To conclude, brand is of vital importance to a firm or an organization. A strong brand offers reliance for customers and thus becomes a link to maintain customers’ loyalty. Branding helps to make products different and can choose the target customers. Through branding, Apple builds the brand which establishes the first step of marketing relationship with customers. By collecting customer profiles, Apple knows better about its customers which help Apple to maintain brand loyalty of target customers. In addition, through the delicate services and innovative products, Apple enhances the marketing relationship with customers. In all, Apple builds the marketing relationship by three steps including establishing the brand of Apple, maintaining the loyalty of customers and enhancing connection between customers. Although Apple has successfully built its brand and has good relationship with customers, Apple still faces many challenges including the left of its famous leader, the high price of its products and the strong competitors. Reference Gronroos, Christian. (1997) ‘From marketing mix to relationship marketing-towards a paradigm shift in marketing’, Management Decision, 35/4, 322-339. Holt, D.B. & Cameron, D. (2010) Cultural Strategy: Using Innovative Ideologies to Build Breakthrough Brands, Oxford University Press. Kahney, Leander. (2012) ‘Apple: It’s All About the Brand’. [Online] Available at: http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/commentary/cultofmac/2002/12/56677 (Accessed: July 29, 2013) Kapoor, Avinash. & Kulshrestha, Chinmaya. (2011) Branding and sustainable competitive advantage: Building virtual presence. The United States of American: Business Science Reference. Kelle, K., L. (2009) ‘Building strong brands in a modern marketing communications environment’, Journal of Marketing Communications, 15:2-3, 139-155. Kotler, P. (1974) ‘Marketing during periods of shortage’, Journal of Marketing, 38(3), 20-29. Kumar,V.(2010).Customer Relationship Management. Published in Wiley International Encyclopedia of Marketing. Murdy, S. & Pike, S. (2012) ‘Perceptions of visitor relationship marketing opportunities by destination marketers: An importance-performance analyses, Tourism management, Volume 33, Issue 5. Reed, Brad. (2013) Apple is still the world’s most valuable brand. [Online] Available at: http://bgr.com/2013/05/21/apple-brand-value-analysis/ (Accessed: July 29, 2013) Ries, Al. & Trout, Jack. (1994) The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Harper Business press. Taleghan, M., Chirani, Ebrahim. & Mirrashed, A. S. (2011) ‘A conceptuality approach to relationship marketing and customers loyalty to banks’, Journal of Applied Scientific Research, 1(11), pp2022-2025. Apple annual report 2008: Just how â€Å"different† and elite are Apple customers – socioeconomically, behaviorally, and attitudinally? (2008) Available at: http://technologyuser.com/2009/04/05/just-how-different-and-elite-are-apple-customers-socioeconomically-behaviorally-and-attitudinally/ (Accessed: July 29, 2013) The Apple iPhone: successes and challenges for the mobile industry (2008) Available at: http://www.nilofermerchant.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/iPhone-survey-whitepaper-v2.pdf (Accessed: July 29, 2013)

buy custom Buy essay on Computer Games and Their Effects on Children

buy custom Buy essay on Computer Games and Their Effects on Children Computer Games and Their Effects on Children For the last several decades, computer technology has developed from the items needed for work and science into the whole entertaining area. Currently, computer technology became an integral component of an average persons daily life. With the Internet spreading into masses, a huge part of peoples life is dedicated to it. Daily usage of computers and the Internet sources can be both intentional and unintentional. Due to the technological progress, some aspects of daily lives are completely computer-aided. Such a condition is dictated by the desire of computer development engineers and corporations to make a huge profit from every possible average person, who does not want to be a black sheep in the modern society. Taking into account the abovementioned, one can see that the computer items, designed for the entertainment are developing very fast to provide consumers with new interactive computer games. Presently, the most computer games are oriented on children of all ages, since they became the main consumers of such technology products. Every computer game has both positive and negative effects on children that can develop into serious issues in the future and have a great impact on both physical and mental health.

How Teachers Can Achieve Happiness

How Teachers Can Achieve Happiness The stereotype around elementary school teachers is that they are always peppy and happy and full of life. While this may hold true for some elementary school teachers, it sure does not for all teachers. As you know, having a job in the teaching profession can be quite challenging. Teachers have a lot of pressure on them. Not only do they have to learn and teach the common core standards to students, but they also have the challenging job of making sure that their students are ready to be productive citizens once they get out of school. With all of this pressure, along with the responsibilities of  lesson planning, grading, and discipline, the job can sometimes take a toll on any teacher, no matter how peppy their nature. To help relieve some of these pressures, use these tips on a daily basis to help you deal and, hopefully, bring some joy to your life.   1. Take Time for Yourself One of the best ways that you can achieve happiness is to take time for yourself. Teaching is a very selfless profession and sometimes you just need to take a moment and do something for yourself. Teachers spend so much of their free time scouring the internet looking for effective lesson plans or grading papers, that they sometimes end up neglecting their personal needs. Set aside one day of the week for lesson planning or grading, and set aside another day for yourself. Take an art class, go shopping with a friend, or try that yoga class that your friends are always trying to get you to go to.   2. Make Your Choices Wisely According to Harry K. Wong in the book â€Å"How to Be an Effective Teacher† the way a person chooses to behave (as well as their reactions) will dictate what their life will be like. He says that their are three categories of behavior that people can exhibit, they are protective behaviors, maintenance behaviors, and enhancement behaviors. Here are examples of each behavior. Protective Behavior –These are people who are full of excuses, who complain a lot, and are good at justifying their behavior. You probably always see them in the teachers’ lounge complaining about everything and anything that is happening in their classroom as well as at the school. Maintenance Behavior – These are the people who are very hardworking and who spend a lot of time wishing (I wish I won the lottery, I wish I had a bigger classroom). They tend to get along well with others, and don’t complain or put people down in the teachers’ lounge. They are concerned with their own individual survival, health, and safety. Enhancement Behavior –These individuals enjoy active learning and participating in groups. They go to every teacher conference and meeting, and are known around the school as a leader. Now that you know the three types of behavior, which category do you fall into? Which type of teacher do you want to be? The way that you decide to act can greatly increase or decrease your overall happiness and well-being. 3. Lower Your Expectations Let go of the expectation that every lesson has to go exactly as planned. As a teacher, you will always have misses along with the hits. If your lesson was a flop, try to think of it as a learning experience.  Just as you teach your students that they can learn from their mistakes, so can you. Lower your expectations and you will find that you will be much happier. 4. Do Not Compare Yourself to Anyone One of the many problems with social media is the ease with which people can present their lives in any way they wish. As a result, people tend to only portray the version of themselves and their life that they want others  to see. If you are scrolling down your Facebook news feed you may see many teachers that look like they have it all together, which can be quite intimidating and result in feelings of inadequacy. Compare yourself to no one. It’s hard not to compare yourself to others when we have Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in our lives. But just remember that it probably takes some of these teachers hours to create the perfect-looking lesson. Do your best and try to be satisfied with the results.   5. Dress for Success Never underestimate the power of a nice outfit.   While dressing up to teach a bunch of elementary students may seem like a bad idea, research shows that it can actually make you feel happier. So the next morning that you want an instant pick-me-up, try wearing your favorite outfit to school. 6. Fake it Weve all heard the expression, Fake it til you make it. Turns out, it might actually work. Some studies that show if you smile when you are unhappy, you can trick your brain into feeling like you are happy. The next time your students are driving you crazy, try smiling- it might just turn your mood around. 7. Socialize with Friends and Colleagues Do you find that you tend to be alone a lot when you are feeling unhappy? Studies found that the more time unhappy people spent socializing with others, the better that they felt. If you’re spending a lot of time by yourself, try getting out and socializing with your friends or colleagues. Go eat lunch in the faculty lounge instead of your classroom, or go for that drink after school with your friends.   8. Pay it Forward There have been so many studies conducted that show that the more that you do for others, the better you feel about yourself. The sheer act of doing a good deed can make a huge impact on your self-esteem, as well as your happiness. The next time that you are feeling down, try doing something nice for someone else. Even if its just holding the door open for a stranger or making extra photocopies for your colleague, paying it forward can really improve your mood. 9. Listen to Music   Studies find that focused listening to music that is upbeat, or even just reading lyrics that are positive, can improve your mood.   Classical music is also said to have a mood-boosting effect on people. So the next time you’re sitting in your classroom and are in need of a pick-me-up, turn on some upbeat or classical music. Not only will it help to boost your mood, it will help your students moods as well.   Ã‚   10. Express Gratitude A lot of us spend a lot of our time focusing on what we dont have, rather than focusing our time on what we do have. When we do this, it can make you feel sad and unhappy. Try expressing gratitude and focusing all of your attention on the positive things that you have in your life. Think about what is going right in your life, and all of things that you are grateful for. Each morning before your toes even hit the ground, say three things that you are grateful for. Here are a few examples of what you can do each morning to express gratitude. Today I am grateful for: My health and the health of my familyThat I have food, clothes and a roof over my headThat I have a wonderful job that helps me provide for my family You have the ability to control how you feel. If you wake up feeling unhappy then you have the ability to change that. Use these ten tips and practice them daily. With practice, you can form lifelong habits that can increase your overall happiness.

Gnosticism and Christianity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gnosticism and Christianity - Essay Example Gnosticism and Christianity In spite of the fact that this might be a rather sound philosophy, early Christianity opposed it much. To begin with, Gnosticism rejected the supremacy of the Creator which was one of the major postulates of Christianity. In addition to that, it claimed the world to be evil, but Christianity could not agree that God had created something evil for the people. That is why the latter often rejected the former, suggesting that it is incompatible with the genuine Christian beliefs. There are numerous dogmas in Christology that are of great important. One of them is the teaching about the nature of Christ. According to it, Jesus is simultaneously a full human and a full God. This is a rather important reservation since it shows that the perfect balance in maintained. This doctrine was developed in response to various heresies which claimed that Jesus is either more human or more God. Another important dogma focuses on the significance of Resurrection. Indeed, this is one of the major event in the world history, as it seen by Christians, since after the Resurrection all the people in the world was provided with a chance to save their soul through genuine faith in Jesus. The significance of it can hardly be exaggerated as it shows that God loves people so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own Son for the good of the people. Monasticism is an essential tradition without Christianity. Of course in the fest centuries it could not develop much because this religion was outlaw; however, when it was legalized monasticism was able to flourish.

Open Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Open - Term Paper Example Investors are always looking for strategies through which they can generate higher return on their investment whether that particular strategy falls within the domain of any particular theory or not. Through this paper a unique method of increasing the investor’s return is analyzed, i.e. by following the transaction pattern of a director of the corporation. The directors in corporations all around the globe are actively involved in insider trading of their shares, and being on a strategic position they are well aware of the future outlook of their company. It is a general notion that the directors of the company are able to generate profits by selling the shares of the company and this paper tries to provide empirical evidence for it. The paper has two primary objectives: (1) Whether directors are able to generate abnormal gain through insider trading of the shares, as suggested by various economists and financial analyst (based on American Stock Market) (2) Can individual and corporate shareholder can also earn good return by following in the footsteps of the directors. In the world of economics and finance, when it comes to financial malpractices, insider trading tops the list. Insider trading is one of the most notorious financial crimes being practiced by managers, directors and other employees all around the globe. Insider trading can be defined as the buying and selling of a security by an individual who has direct and reliable access to the non-public information about the security. Insider trading is not always considered as a malpractice or illegal and is subjective to the underlying intention to the transaction. The statement can be further elaborated by considering the fact that if the trader is reaping profits on the basis of such information which is not being public yet, then the insider trading transaction is illegal. In addition, insider trading does not always mean that buying and selling of security is taking place. Providing confidenti al information to a third party, in exchange of monetary or any other form of consideration, is also illegal. The practice of insider trading is not confined to Directors of any corporation but the practice also prevails among brokers and even the family members of the directors. Although, once the information is public, the inside transaction is not illegal as the parties involved does not derive any unfair advantage over the general public. Media has made the masses at general knowledgeable with the passage of time and they have also equipped themselves with the technicalities of insider trading especially after the cases of Enron and Martha Stewart. The Securities and Exchange Commission of USA has adopted the practice of enforcing strict and practical guidelines which distinguishes legal and illegal trading of the shares by the inside people. Insider trading is not a recent or a latest money making gimmick which has been exploited by the directors and managers to earn higher ret urn. The history of insider trading dates back to the great depression as well. The securities and exchange commission of the United State has made it compulsory for the key management personnel and other officers of the company. Insider trading creates impact on the share price of the corporation to which the transaction