Monday, September 30, 2019

Arthur Miller’s Essay

The first point I noted was when Alfieri said: â€Å"A lawyer means the law, and in Sicily, from where their fathers came, the law has not been a friendly idea since the Greeks were beaten† This suggests that before Christ and Christianity, the law was quite sloppy, and people could get away with crimes, but since the spread of Catholicism and ‘An eye for an eye†¦ ‘, people have been scared to cross the law since people have the right to exact revenge, without scorn from the community, and it worked because people knew that felonies could result in death, they stop committing them. A very important point is where Alfieri is talking about men in the Mafia who were shot by thugs from other ‘families’, and refers to those men as ‘justly shot by unjust men’ which means that those men deserved to die, yet they shouldn’t, in the eyes of the American Judicial System, be killed without trial, that being one of the Amendments of The Constitution. Perhaps the most important occurrence when dealing with this category is the prefiguration about Vinnie Bolzano (which has been previously mentioned), because it serves as a prefiguration about what happens when someone breaks the Code of Conduct, with regards to immigrants. The next type of tension is about Eddie as a sympathetic character. Miller wanted the audience to feel sympathetic for Eddie and does this by creating a sense of emotional involvement with Eddie, which forms a certain sense of empathy with Eddie, and a sorrow which implants a sorrow due to Eddie’s fate. This type of tension is similar to climatic tension except it creates an apprehensive mood in the audience’s mind. Because this is in place early on, it is easier for the reader to justify Eddie’s actions and then empathise with him. In Arthur Miller’s view, Eddie â€Å"posses or exemplifies the wondrous and human fact that he too can be driven to what in the last analysis is a sacrifice of himself for his conception, however misguided or right, dignity and justice. † This to me provokes real empathy because it is very difficult to sacrifice for your beliefs, and for what behaviour he displays, he deserves so much more respect that he is given. Alfieri, upon meeting Eddie, described Eddie as having ‘eyes like tunnels’ which suggests that he is in a trance like state, and he has probably given way to his emotions, which is not necessarily his fault, it may be that he is emotionally unstable, and insecure, it may be that he is suffering from stress, which makes him less mentally adept, but whatever he is, he should not, in this situation, be held accountable for his actions. Early on in the play, with Eddie’s conversation between Catherine & Beatrice, a lot of Eddie’s gentle and more compassionate side is exposed when Catherine wants to work, Eddie wants her to stay in school, but she protests: Eddie: You wanna go to work, heh, Madonna? Catherine: Yeah Eddie: Alright, go to work. This shows Eddie’s compassionate side, because he gives in to Catherine’s demands, even though it is against his will, he does it because it is in Catherine’s interest. Another moment where Miller shows Eddie’s consideration for Catherine is the moment where she lights the cigar, and almost burns herself: Catherine: Here! I’ll light it for you! Don’t worry about me Eddie, heh? Eddie: Don’t burn yourself. (Just in time she blows out match) This shows Catherine’s naivety, and perhaps her inability to function independently without Eddie, and how much he cares for her. She soon forgets this when she encounters Rodolfo, and Eddie feels displaced by him, like he is no longer needed, and for this reason, I think his goal becomes to have Rodolfo deported. But only because Catherine completely ignores him, and feels she is independent, when clearly, she is not. The last kind of tension is emotional tension. This is the disarray that begins due to the introduction of a stranger into this family, and continues due to Rodolfo’s unusual behaviour, Eddie’s emotional insecurities, Catherine’s naivety and Beatrice’s selfishness plunge them into. Due to analysis, I have come to realise that there is a vicious emotional cycle in place that erodes the already fragile relationship these characters share. Here is a diagram and an explanation: Catherine and Rodolfo take Beatrice’s advice. They become closer, get more intimate. They start to ignore Eddie’s opinion more. Catherine starts to become less nai ve, more aware, much to Eddie’s disapproval. Next Catherine and Rodolfo’s actions make Eddie more irate. He becomes more hypnotised by rage. He is more desperate to separate Catherine and Rodolfo. He feels displaced, like Catherine is bestowing all her affection on Rodolfo. He starts to ignore Beatrice and begins to focus solely on Rodolfo’s expulsion. Then Beatrice is annoyed by Eddie. She feels he is not attentive enough. She feels displace by Catherine and becomes even more jealous of the attention she receives. She encourages Catherine to become more independent and intimate with Rodolfo in the hope that she, with Rodolfo, moves out leaving Eddie to pay Beatrice more attention. This continues to occur, and destabilises this very dysfunctional family, with each party becoming more bitter and resentful to the others. It changes slightly so that Beatrice almost sides with Catherine and Rodolfo, I think purely for selfish reasons, as she has the most to gain from Catherine’s absence. In the end, I think is no one person’s fault. I think it is the fault of all three parties. Catherine, because she is to nai ve to know what she is doing, and cannot see through Beatrice’s advice, Eddie for being too overprotective and getting too involved, and Beatrice, for wanting Catherine gone for all the wrong reasons. With all this, I think it is all the deceit and selfish motivation that accompanies a dysfunctional family that sees the Carbone family on their knees. In conclusion, Arthur Miller uses many types of tension in his play ‘A View From The Bridge’: climatic tension, dedicated to keeping the middle unknown; tension of discovery, to keep the play fresh with plenty of plot twists, and to keep the character’s personas mysterious, the Sicilian Code of Conduct to keep the play within the same era, and to put his knowledge to good use, Eddie as a sympathetic character to keep the audience engrossed and to exploit one of the most fascinating human traits, and the triangular relationship between Eddie, Catherine and Rodolfo and Beatrice to show how easily a nuclear family can be dissolved by the introduction of a stranger who is welcomed with mixed opinions, much like a specie from a different ecosystem being introduced to a new one. Interestingly, with regard to the opinions, each member of the family represents a different opinion; Eddie represents the negative extremity (by wanting Rodolfo gone), Catherine the positive extremity (wanting to marry Rodolfo), and Beatrice who is neutral (doesn’t mind, just wants Catherine gone). All these kinds of tension help to portray what happens when strangers enter a close-knit family which has mixed opinions, and that when pushed hard enough, people will forgo almost anything to protect their loved ones; their beliefs, their life, even if it really is all for the sake of self justified pride and dignity. To summarise it in one sentence, it basically says, â€Å"Welcome to the human condition. † Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Peace Building in West Pokot

Abstract Peace and stability are significant components of development in all spheres across the globe. These necessitated the emergence and growth of peace building and conflict management efforts world over. However, conflict related challenges continue to threaten the survival and continued existence of many groups, communities, states and regions in the world.In Kenya, an analysis of West Post Sub-county reveals the existence of multiple intervention efforts by the Government and several stakeholders In peace building and conflict management. However, little has been achieved so far as a result of these efforts. This study therefore examined peace building and conflict management programs In West Post Sub-county wealth the Republic of Kenya, and the residents' perceptions on the effectiveness of these programs In the Sub-county.Its Justification was based on an argument that West Post conflicts have had far reaching consequences to the residents of this study area and country at large. This study further focused on the Post-Turban conflicts and the subsequent peace building and conflict management initiatives in the area. Based on the outcome of this study, there were several peace building and conflict management programs in West Post Sub-county, many of which were carried out concurrently.Disarmament program was found to be unpopular with majority of respondents expressing disapproval due to its involvement of force and brutality, while the peace committee model was highly rated with most of the respondents approving it as largely inclusive. In conclusion, the Government should adopt a holistic approach that incorporates all approaches and stakeholders, especially the local communities. In addition, the Government should also address social issues that escalate conflicts.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Masters level program in leadership for non-profit organizations in Essay

Masters level program in leadership for non-profit organizations in Juniata College - Essay Example Leadership is a key issue and this creates a good prospect for the new course on leadership for non profit organizations to be launched by the university. In the present case the university would segment the target population on the basis of organization type and the hierarchical position of an individual within the organization. A demographic market segmentation strategy would be used to segment the entire market. Traits like job experience and position within an organization would be the chosen yardsticks for segmenting the total market population. Juniata University would target non profit organizations and specifically those individuals who are in a managerial position in the organization. Leadership training for individuals in decision making capacity in these organizations can help them to be better acquainted with business aspects that can help them propel their organizations to the next orbit. It would also help in infusing greater professionalism in the company that would he lp them generate greater operational abilities. Leadership traits can also generate a good vision and long term planning that would help in generating competitive advantage. The choice of the segment also assumes importance as the managerial level individuals would also have a good monetary compensation that would allow them to afford the training cost. Moreover the training for managerial level individuals would also add greater value proposition in their careers that can help them in developing a good career path in the sector by improving their learning curve helping them achieve milestones in their professional careers. The University would also target proprietors of family owned non profit business houses so as to provide them the professional edge in running an organization. Targeting involves creating strategies that can help in capturing the members of the market segment. Targeting involves crafting strategies that form the

Friday, September 27, 2019

New Aesthetic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Aesthetic - Assignment Example Sounds, creepy imagination of the characters and the cultural critique and personification are twisted within lunatic characters in each episode (Hardy &Thomas, P. 56). The lines of the movie are connected two distinctive points expressing the textures, shapes and the divisions of the movies. The entire lines have clear direction, width and length expressing the highest quality of artistic standard representation. The color of the episodes combination and choices is well designed organizing and emphasizing information, differentiated items and depth creation. The color represented by the episode is well balanced giving unity and contrast of characteristics represented. The episodes of the Tom goes to the Mayor applies a three-dimensional object fixed with quality mass and volume. The alignment of the episode representation of the 2d and 3d shaping of the episodes create different sizes, alignment and shaping visualizing the typography of the movie episodes. However, the incorporation of the 3d spacing of the episodes create illusions, reduced noise as well as increased readability of the letters represented by the carton chats. The white spaces also provide a strategic layout of the movie (Hardy &Thomas, P. 23). The patterns and textures have repetitive elements, texture and patterns designed in the episodes strategically to attract as well as deter the viewers’ attentions and perceived feelings. In addition, the objects represented by the episodes are composed of multivariate shapes, area and graphics differencing color and values (Hardy &Thomas, P. 36). The episodes motion occupies a clear dominance through contrasting and scaling as the elements of the episodes illustrates subordinate and focal points representations. As the motion similarity of the episodes is created, real and exaggerated motions is throughout the episodes. Real motion is used to provide the significance or hierarchy of the episode items. For example, exaggerated sounds,

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Creativity and Innovation in the Development of a Product Assignment

Creativity and Innovation in the Development of a Product - Assignment Example The movement of consumers from chips consumption, to other products with minor fat content, saw a decrease in sales of McCain oven chips. People started associating chips and other non-fresh foods with cancer. This posed a formidable challenge to McCain’s company. They had to devise ways to increase their product front to consumers. At this instance, they needed creativity and innovations of the highest order, to facilitate improved their products. With the phenomenal pressure on the fast food industry, where the media keenly focused on obesity and other health scares that faced the world population, McCain oven chips had to come up with new ways of preparing their chips. Through innovation, McCain oven chips producers came up with a strategy to carry out an extensive campaign. The company linked up with design consultancy Elmwood and advertising agency Beattie, to access methods that it could choose to strengthen its brand value. As a result of this collaboration, the company was able to come up with unique designs for its products. They were successfully able to repackage their products, in a way that indicated their products had less fat content. They used more muted colors that clearly shown that their products were made of unprocessed organic potatoes (Barron, 2009, P.332). By doing this, they successfully eliminated the idea that their products contained high-fat content’s a result; consumers gained the trust on their products. This led to increased sales and product penetration in the UK. Through creativity and innovation, B and Q have been able to gain market dominance in the home improvement sector. It has successfully been able to provide value for money. Immediately B, Q Company identified that the older people were not getting adequate services. They engaged in a fruitful research with Hamlyn Research Centre. Together, they were able to come up with ways  of creating more comprehensive products (I, 2009, P.412).

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

US Gulf Oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

US Gulf Oil - Essay Example The two articles bring out a sharp contrast between those who are for the oil drilling process and those against it. Kent Gaber in his article argues that there is the need for oil therefore; offshore drilling of the oil is the solution to the escalating oil prices.The politicians are also in support of the expansion of the drilling area to increase production of oil in order to curb the energy crisis in the country whereas Bob Keefe is more concerned of the effects to humanity and the aquatic life that would come about as a result of conducting this exercise. Gaber is for the opinion that majority of the Americans are in favor of the oil drilling process for the hope of the reduction of oil prices but kefee argues that the drilling would bring devastating effects to the aquatic life, the water movement and contribute dangerously to global warming. Gaber further argues that the oil price crisis is more complex than it is assumed by the American people. Furthermore, the unavailability of the complex drilling equipment as Gaber argues is the impediment to the drilling process leading to low production and not being able to meet the demands of oil for the American people whereas Kefee argues that lack of this equipments both for drilling and for monitoring the whole process in order to avoid the risk of spillages as lead to oil leakages and spillages and thus causing unwanted effects to the environment. The Government is in full support of the oil drilling process with the congress arguing that oil drilling is the way to go in its quest to fight the energy crisis saying that the past oil spillages are unlikely to occur due to the use of new technologies in the drilling process but at the same time there is no human endeavor without faults and hence exposing humanity to risk. (Gaber, 7&Kefee, 40) The drilling as the American people think is expected to result in immediate reduction of the global oil prices but Kefee argues that this is not the case as drilling does not directly result to decreased oil prices as it is a complex process which could take years or decades for the situation to change. The oil drilling companies are pushing further to the deeper waters where the oil is more and thus resulting to more and more exploitation of the environment. The government is in support of this as it aims to lift a ban on the drilling sites and allow more drilling to take place .Gaber argues that although the whole process is aimed at benefiting the American people, it is incredibly dirty and it could damage the precious coastal beaches. (Gaber, 8&Kefee, 15) Gaber also argues that company leases have taken place as a result of the inadequacy of oil and this therefore supports his general believe that the companies should be allowed to drill oil in order to keep them in operation but Kefee is states categorically that the more the oil the companies are allowed to exploit the more it is detrimental to the environment and the people in it. This is con strained by the fact that only a limited number of individual companies have got the technology to exploit the oil and on top of that it normally takes a long period of time before the oil starts flowing. (Gaber, 7&Kefee, 40) Kefee further says that even the long serving personalities in the oil industry such as Bullock are against the idea of allowing more exploitation of oil arguing that offshore drilling and management are not the sole solutions to the oil crisis as it involves more that just that. He further says that the risk of a tanker causing spillage is higher than the benefits that could be obtained by merely drilling more wells of oil but Gaber says that the available oil fields are limited for the increasing number of oil exploiting and drilling companies and therefore it requires expansion of these fields to cater for the increased number. Some Americans such as Jacqueline M. Lloyd believe that their status quo has changed as a result of the oil drilling and transportat ion process. The oil spillage he says has

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

A case of executive hypertension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

A case of executive hypertension - Essay Example Blood pressure illustrates arterial pressure on the systemic circulation (Samia 2010). A sphygmomanometer is the device that is applied in measuring arterial pressure. d) Systolic pressure is generated by the contraction of the left ventricle. The pressure is normally between 100 and 140 mmHg. Blood that flows to the aorta through the left ventricle increases aortic pressure to the same level as the left ventricle (Neubauer 2007). f) Heart valves prevent blood from flowing backwards. The valves involve flaps which are based at the end of the ventricles (Newburger 2009). The valves are one way blood inlets on one ventricle side, and one way outlet on the other ventricle side. The four heart valves are; tricuspid valve, aortic valve, pulmonary valve and mitral valve. g) Stenosis occurs when the blood flow from the heart is reduced through the failure of the valve to completely open. If the valves do not close completely, it results to pulmonary regurgitation that enables blood to leak back to the ventricles (Davis 2008). Regurgitation enables the right ventricle to relatively harder in comparison to the left part of the heart. h) Low systolic pressure illustrates abnormally low blood pressure in the arteries. Very low blood pressure restricts the volume of blood that flows through vital organs, and thus causes dizziness and fainting. High systolic pressure occurs if the reading is more than 140mmHg. It is caused by conditions like artery stiffness and the heart valve problems (Ross 2011). i) Denises initial reading 150/95mmHg blood pressure. The reading illustrates high pressure because it is more than 140/90mmHg (Talley 2013). The hypertension is due to the high blood pressure, and can cause stroke and heart attack. j) Denises has high blood pressure because of diet and lifestyle. Hypertension may also be due to genetics and family history (Samia 2010). Stress levels at the workplace, can also lead to

Monday, September 23, 2019

Randy Pausch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Randy Pausch - Essay Example Another point that he focused on was that one individual can help other individuals in attaining their dreams. One of the most important points that Pausch talked about was head fakes. The term head fakes refer to learning that takes place in an indirect manner (Pausch 1). He stated that parents send their children to learn football, but the real purpose of this that they want their children to learn how they can become better team mates. Another essential point that Pausch talked about was the to-do-list he developed as a child and these to-do-list comprised of various things he wanted to achieve in his life. Another significant point that he talks about is that he had spent his life helping others in attaining their aims and objectives and for this reason he gives an example of the virtual world that he and his students developed. Another important point he focused on was humility which refers to being humble to others. There are various lessons in the lecture provided by Pausch and these lessons can help managers in several ways in managing their subordinates. One of the most important concepts that Pausch talked about head fakes in connection with football. Managers in organizations can use the example provided by Pausch to help develop better teams in his/her organization. A manager can arrange football matches for his/her subordinates. Playing football will help a manager’s subordinates in different ways. Football is a game that requires teams to play in a united manner and every member of the team is dependent on each other. This will help subordinates in learning the importance of team members and team members will develop trust for each other and better relationships with each other through these games. Secondly, Pausch stated that one needs to help others in attaining their aims and objectives of life. Managers can make their subordinates develop to-do-list that comprises of all the things that subordinates want to achieve. This will help

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Us War Against Iraq Essay Example for Free

Us War Against Iraq Essay The Bush Administration in June of 2003 first attacked but than later withdrew its troops from Syria. There was no significant explanation for this act by the United States. This was a pure and simple aggression. Than later in August of 2003 George Bush told his people that he is going to launch a more destructive attack on his arch rivals around the world. Than George Bush was approving Israel’s leader Ariel Sharon act of aggression against the Lebanon’s, Palestine’s and Syrians. The World War 3 was not far away at this point. In the beginning of 2004, in the presidential campaign George Bush clearly pointed out the clear picture of the prospect on more aggression on different countries. Was this extra aggression a way for George Bush to win his first Election? Or he wanted to steal the Presidency of United States from the people of America like he did in 2000? When the Bush Jr. administrations aggression against Iraq was over, the United States and the United Kingdom became the â€Å"belligerent occupants† of Iraq in accordance with, and subject to the requirements of, the laws of war. Bush Jr. s May 1, 2003 â€Å"end of major combat operations† speech on the deck of a U. S. aircraft carrier was nothing more than a cheap campaign and legally deceptive propaganda stunt. Succinctly put, these legal rules of war can be found in the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, its Additional Protocol One of 1977, the Hague Regulations of 1907, and U. S. Army Field Manual 27–10 (1956), which require, inter alia, the preservation of Iraqs constitutional and domestic legal order. Nevertheless, the Bush Jr. administration made it crystal clear that they were going to remake Iraq in their own image and thus not pay the least bit of attention to the laws of war. This has entailed a range of policies which would further U. S. /U. K. interests while seeking to drastically curtail future Iraqi options, e. g. , â€Å"privatization† of the Iraqi economy, including and especially its oil industry; drafting a new constitution for Iraq to determine the nature and extent of its democracy; re-writing Iraqs laws; establishing ad hoc war crimes tribunals along the lines of the Bush Jr. kangaroo courts in Guantanamo; de-Baathification; indoctrinating Iraqi schoolchildren with American propaganda through extensive â€Å"reform† of its education system; etc. All of this serves to put the future of Iraq up for sale to the lowest American (and then British and Israeli) bidders. Such violations of the laws of war are war crimes, establishing the legal predicate for a legitimate Iraqi government in the future to repudiate them all. Oil and Gas as the Key to Global Dominance There is no denying that oil was at the top of the Bush Jr. / Sr. hit-list and the fact that Iraq possesses about 11% of the worlds oil reserves. Indeed, prior thereto it was the thirst and lust for oil and natural gas by the American power elite that really propelled the Bush Jr. administrations aggression against Afghanistan: the need to gain direct access to the rich oil and natural gas fields of Central Asia, which marked the first exploitation of the terrible tragedy of September 11 as public justification for a pre-planned war of aggression under the pretext of â€Å"combating international terrorism. Though according to the Bush Jr. administrations version of events, 15 of the 19 hijackers on September 11 were from Saudi Arabia, for some mysterious reason America had to attack, invade, and occupy Afghanistan. Bush administration functionaries continue to lie, cover up, and obstruct investigations into who was ultimately responsible for the terrible tragedy of September 11, and why no one in the Bush Jr. administration acted to prevent it despite numerous, repeated, and widespread warnings beforehand from American as well as European diplomats and agencies. We are witnessing a Pearl Harbor cover-up all over again. The Bush Jr. Wars of aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq must be understood as part of a major grab by the United States government for global energy resources and the attendant power to be derived from controlling about two-thirds of the worlds oil and natural gas supplies located around this Eurasian heartland. Such an assault had been contemplated and planned by the U. S. power elite for quite some time, dating back to the Kissinger threat and plan to steal the Arab oil fields in reaction to the 1973 Arab oil embargo of the West for assisting Israel in its war to hold on to the Arab lands Israel had illegally stolen in its 1967 aggressions against the surrounding Arab states and peoples. The collapse of the Warsaw Pact and the disintegration of the Soviet Union provided the U. S. power elite with the opportunity to put their Machiavellian scheme for world economic hegemony into operation. But the Bush Jr. Wars of aggression against Afghanistan and Iraq must be seen as more than the seizure of oil for domestic consumption. Rather, they are components of a longstanding American plan to control and dominate the oil and natural gas supplies for Europe, Japan, and Asia, and thus the future of the worlds economy—a project my teacher, mentor, and later friend, the late and great Professor Hans Morgenthau once denominated as â€Å"unlimited imperialism† in his classic work Politics Among Nations. Tied into this was the subsidiary objective of making sure that oil continues to be paid for in dollars instead of Euros on the open market. The Bush Sr. 1991 war against Iraq for oil was the first battle in the U. S. quest for world economic hegemony. These subsequent events must be viewed in the same light: the Bush Sr. invasion of Somalia; the Clinton/ Bush Jr. military intervention into Colombia; Bush Jr. s support for the anti Chavez failed coup in oil-rich Venezuela; the post-9/11 U. S. military intervention into and occupation of Djibouti in order to control the Suez Canal/ Persian Gulf oil route to Europe, and also to obtain direct military access to the oil and natural gas resources around the Horn of Africa; the August 2003 U. S. military intervention into Liberia, once again to grab direct military access to the oil and natural gas resources located off and on the West Coast of Africa; etc. Whatever the public rhetoric or justification might be, the fact of the matter is that if the reader looks at a map of the world, the United States government has its military, paramilitary, and covert forces converging upon and/or threatening almost every country in the world that possesses significant quantities of oil or natural gas, as well as their transportation supply-lines and the latters choke-points. Many of these energy-resource-rich countries just happen to be Muslim. That reveals what Huntingtons infamous â€Å"Clash of Civilizations† was really all about. Our clash is their civilization. After September 11, Bush Jr. himself proudly boasted that he was going on a Crusade. Certainly that is the way the Muslim world sees it: an American fundamentalist mission to remake â€Å"world order† in Americas imperialist image—not as democracies, but as client or even failed states—while fomenting world disorder in the process. In this relentless quest and insatiable lust for oil and gas around the world, the United States power elite is now in the process of destroying the entirety of the international legal order that had been established by a predecessor elitist generation running the United States government in the aftermath of and in reaction to the genocidal horrors of the Second World War. Most particularly and especially, this includes, inter alia, the United Nations Charter, as well as the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles, all of which had heretofore been the bedrock upon which the entirety of the post-World War II international legal order rested. Preventive Warfare: The Nazi Precedent Iraq had been continuously and illegally bombed by the United States and the United Kingdom since the end of the Bush Sr. Gulf War in 1991 under the pretext of enforcing unauthorized and clearly illegal no-fly zones. But in order to accomplish their objective of seizing Iraq outright, the Bush Jr. warmongers had to articulate another operational rationale for a war of aggression that they could then sell to the American people and Congress that was separate and apart from their fatuous â€Å"war against international terrorism. † So they resurrected the long-ago discredited Nazi doctrine of â€Å"preventive warfare,† once again using the terrible tragedy of 11 September 2001 as a pretext for doing so. The first overt step in their plan was the Bush Jr. aggressive threat to Iraq uttered during the course of his State of the Union Address to the United States Congress on 29 January 2002, in which he branded Iraq as part of a so-called â€Å"axis of evil† along with Iran and North Korea. By means of employing this provocative language harkening back to the World War II â€Å"axis† of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan, the Bush Jr. administration was deliberately preparing the ground for bogus claims to launch preventive wars against all three of these U. N. member states. Iraq was at the top of the Bush Jr. hit list. Having been materially and psychologically debilitated by over a decade of genocidal economic sanctions imposed upon its people by the United Nations Security Council acting at the behest of the United States and the United Kingdom, Iraq and its oil fields were finally ripe for the imperial picking by Bush Jr. and his right-hand henchman, Tony Blair. By contrast, North Korea and Iran could be expected to defend themselves by inflicting enormous casualties against an aggressor. As on the Southside of Chicago, bullies prefer to pick upon hapless victims. The Nazi doctrine of preventive warfare was publicly articulated by President Bush Jr. in his 1 June 2002 commencement address at the West Point Military Academy. Then in late August of 2002, Vice President Cheney signaled the formal commencement of the Bush Jr. war of aggression against Iraq by giving two public speeches before the Veterans of Foreign Wars (Aug. 26) and the Korean War Veterans (Aug. 29) in which he too publicly touted the Nazi doctrine of preventive warfare against Iraq. The U. S. news media were too obeisant to observe that though warmongering for a war against Iraq before these former soldiers who had actually gone to war, Cheney had ducked out of the Vietnam War, as had Bush, Jr. Wolfowitz and the rest of the Bush Jr. administrations Straussian Neo-Con cabal were too busy studying Machiavelli and Nietzsche with Strauss, Bloom, and their acolytes from the University of Chicago. Unlike the WWII American power elite, many of whose sons actually fought in combat (e. g. , Bush Sr. ), the contemporary American power elite prefers to send the children of poor blacks, Latinos, and whites off to kill and be killed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere, as did their elitist predecessors a generation ago in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Indeed a Class war. Finally, in September 2002 the Bush Jr. Administration officially approved and adopted the â€Å"National Security Strategy of the United States,† fully embracing this reprehensible, criminal, and Nazi doctrine of preventive warfare, and transmitted it to the U. S. Congress as a declaration of official policy by the United States of America.. Certainly its most odious language is: â€Å"†¦ we recognize that our best defense is a good offense†¦Ã¢â‚¬  In other words, the United States government has publicly admitted in an official government document that it is now prepared to wage offensive warfare against adversaries of its choosing around the world irrespective of the requirements of, inter alia, the United Nations Charter, the Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact, as well as the Nuremberg Charter, Judgment, and Principles. This official U. S. government document could be filed with the International Court of Justice in The Hague as proof-positive that it is now the official policy of the United States government to wage criminal wars of aggression against other U. N. member states in violation of the most elementary principles of the contemporary international legal order that would be too numerous to list here. The document is nothing less than what lawyers call an â€Å"Admission against Interest. † In brief, the Bush Jr. administration has officially incriminated the United States of America under international law and practice. Such is the arrogance of Power—which usually spells its downfall! Even more disturbingly, while it was publicly campaigning for a war of aggression against Iraq, in December 2002 the Bush Jr. administration released its so-called â€Å"National Strategy to Combat Weapons of Mass Destruction,† which was published on the web-page for the White House itself. This supplementary Nazi war plan calls for the first use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD)–-chemical, biological, and nuclear—by the United States government under the justification of waging a preventive or preemptive war. Of course this Nazi Doctrine of Preventive Warfare is nothing more than a pretext for waging a war of aggression in the first place. So the Bush Jr. administration officially signaled that it is fully prepared to be the first to use WMD. It would do so against its chosen adversaries around the world as part of an offensive military operation, or even to launch a full-scale war itself, thereby evoking shades of Hiroshima and Nagasaki! North Korea took notice and responded accordingly to defend itself. Reference Page †¢ James Moore (2004) Book Title: Bushs War for Reelection: Iraq, the White House, and the People. Publisher: Wiley. Place of Publication: Hoboken, NJ.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay Example for Free

I hold my duty as i hold my soul both to my God Essay Polonius statement, found in Act Two, Scene Two, reflects the symmetry and order of the society he lives in. He inhabits a world of certainty and medieval convention. The play can be seen to challenge the statement, both in the action and in the characters, particularly in the character of Hamlet himself. It is Hamlet, the renaissance man of the play, whose controversial attitude is constantly seen to challenge the medieval certainties that could still be seen in Jacobean society. Value was placed on duty to the monarch and to God; the institution of marriage was sacred and scientific reasoning was absolute and definite. All these things are challenged in Shakespeares Hamlet. The social and cultural climate of Jacobean society was such that certainties and conventions were held in high esteem- Shakespeares Hamlet is written in the context of, for example, the social hierarchy of the time, the medieval court, and religion. All of these are challenged in the play by both the characters and the plot. Even the very form of the statement challenges these certainties, for the couplet is a chiasmus- the symmetrical structure reflects the very nature of the society in which Polonius lives. In Shakespeares time society was beginning to ask some of the questions which Shakespeare addresses through the character of Hamlet. Most people embraced a rational, scientific line of thinking Elizabethans were not always heavily superstitious. For example, in Act one, Scene one, Horatio expresses doubt at the existence of the ghost: Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes. They also began to question the old hierarchy and the natural order of things- such as God and gracious king upon the dawn of the Renaissance. The idea of society as a fixed structure and everything being ordained in the world was indeed a strong certainty. Hamlet has a clear vision of things as they are he is a realist, a Renaissance man, unlike characters such as Claudius and Polonius who Shakespeare portrays to be lacking in vision. Shakespeare shows the court to be full of people who think that all these things are absolute simply because they have always been a certain way. Hamlet is also the main vehicle through which Shakespeare conveys his views. Hamlet has indeed been brought up with medieval and religious certainties too. Or that the everlasting had not fixd His canon gainst self- slaughter. A modern audience may very well see Hamlet as being rather tame- a twenty-first century rebel would not acknowledge proprieties such as the divine ban on suicide- but Hamlet seeks more than revenge. He is a melancholy individual, who searches for the answers to some of these questions; through the title statement, Shakespeare challenges his contemporary audience and the modern audience to question these certainties too. Hamlets clear vision is in direct contrast to the other characters, in the sense that he is the only character who is prepared to question these certainties and to try and define, in a sense, what the true meaning of life is, what it is all about. Shakespeare challenges the statement of duty to God and king by implying, through the character of Hamlet that life is underpinned by something other than the monarch and the church. Hamlet is totally aware of the beauty of the world yet at the same time has a pessimistic outlook on the gifts of man as we are all destined to die anyway: What piece of work is a man, How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god: and yet to me what is this quintessence of dust? The character of Polonius is underpinned by values such as duty to God and king- this is illustrated not only in Act Two Scene Two but also in Act One Scene Three: This above all : to thine own self be true, As it must follow the night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man. This quotation illustrates a simplistic outlook on life. The main way in which Shakespeare challenges this outlook is, ironically, in Polonius death. In Act Three, scene four, Polonius is casually and ignominiously killed by Hamlet : O, I am slain. Polonius expresses surprise as much as anything, while Hamlet s words reinforce the irony of Polonius self- importance: I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune: Thou findst to be too busy in some danger. Polonius is clearly at home in this ordered society and shows a passive acceptance of the status quo. He has a simple medieval outlook on life and clearly values his duty to his God and king; however, he dies by ridiculous accident. Although throughout his life he has clearly endeavoured to serve these two entities to the best of his ability, he still dies an unnatural, brutal death. Shakespeare is therefore illustrating the irrelevance that these values have to life, both in Shakespeares era and now. The statement which Polonius makes in Act Two Scene Two about duty to God and King allows the reader to infer a lot about the character of Polonius and the world in which he lives- he does not seek new experience. These medieval certainties are also challenged in the character of Claudius. He is obviously not on the side of God- indeed, he seems to contradict the very reasoning of the church by the brutal manner in which he murders the king. It is ironic therefore that he seems to declare himself king by divine right as he actually dies with a guilty conscience: Theres such divinity doth hedge a king That treason can but peep to what it would, Acts little of his will. Here it appears that Claudius has conveniently forgotten exactly how he became king. Shakespeare is challenging the idea of kingship. He is showing the court to be full of people who think things are the way they are because they have always been done that way, such as Polonius, Gertrude, Claudius, and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The character of Claudius highlights the corruption of the medieval court. The intrigue and machiavellian machinations of the court are self justifying to all these people; for example, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern deceive Hamlet and go behind his back simply because they are serving their king. In Shakespeares time deception and violence were commonplace if they would benefit the king. Although Claudius seems to take the moral high-ground throughout the play he has no good intentions toward Hamlet at all. Shakespeares Hamlet also challenges the institution of marriage- it is shown in the conduct of Gertrude and Claudius not be a sacred union but a justification for excessive promiscuity. Hamlet is distraught by his mothers rapid re- marriage to his uncle after his fathers death: To post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets. Shakespeare invites us then to question the notion of a stable royal marriage, and the values that society had then and the values we have now. Hamlet is disgusted by their sexual excesses and, moreover feels he has been tainted by them: O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw and resolve itself into a dew. Shakespeare is challenging the morality of the royal marriage- the fact that Gertrude marries the kings own brother shortly after his death seems to suggest the absence of love. In Hamlet, the degree of emotion and true respect in marriage is shown to be weak- it is easily overruled by lust, as the ghost of the previous king states: Let not the royal bed of Denmark be. A couch for luxury and damned incest. Hamlet is an unconventional revenge tragedy- Shakespeare subverts the genre. Hamlet is reluctant to take revenge whereas Laertes is hot- headed, impulsive and ready to avenge the murder of Polonius: It warms the very sickness in my heart That I shall live and tell him to his teeth, Thus diest thou. Shakespeare undermines the concept further by showing that Hamlet is not in fact a coward- his ideas are slightly more subtle. He is indeed hesitant about avenging his fathers murder- he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius in Act Three, scene four, as he does not want to kill him in an act of redemption. This goes against the traditional idea of medieval and Jacobean revenge: A villain kills my father, and for that To heaven. Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge. This is a challenge to the genre because Hamlet is prepared to bide his time in order to achieve the perfect murder- he wont be spontaneous and impulsive. This is shown by the fact that he passes up an opportunity to kill Claudius. Shakespeares Hamlet has a good degree of relevance to life in the twenty- first century. Although some of the major themes, such as the court and incest, are no longer applicable to modern life, we can relate to some of the underlying themes such as love, sorrow and resentment; we can relate to the emotional distress. Reasoning in Medieval Denmark where the play is set nor indeed in Jacobean society is not so different to our reasoning today- the majority of people today may not believe in ghosts but characters in the play, such as Horatio, and some people in Jacobean society do not believe in ghosts either. In Act one, scene five, Hamlet makes this very thought- provoking comment to Horatio: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. We have our certainties today- in the form of scientific reasoning; but our certainties are equally open and capable of being challenged. One of the main themes in Hamlet is death- we are still uncertain about what happens after we die. The character of Hamlet himself has a romantic, post modernist way of thinking; everything is relative and there are no certainties- only thoughts: Nothing is good or bad. Thinking makes it so. In a sense here Hamlet can be compared to the Romantics. Keats wrote in the context of Shakespeare: Twixt damnation and impassiond clay. (On Sitting Down To Read King Lear) This in a sense is what underpins Shakespeares Hamlet- the idea that whatever certainties are held in any given era will always be questionable, and open to discussion. Our certainties will always be challenged because nothing is definite, or absolute. This romantic concept is based on the idea that this is what life is about- challenging certainties in order to try and discover the ineffable truth about this world and the next.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Competition and Market Analysis for Red Bull

Competition and Market Analysis for Red Bull This paper investigates the competition analysis of Red Bull energy drink in the market and deciding about its competitive advantage if there is any. Some information about the energy drink market in general is presented. This is followed by product, company background and history is presented. Then we analyzed Red Bulls brand positioning and direct competitors. Afterward, analyze and classify the features of Red Bull through macro and micro factors to determine the strength of competition. This followed by looking at Red Bulls marketing mix. We will identify the problems and opportunities of Red Bull. For that part we are going to search for data about market segments and market share of Red Bull and its competitors. To support all this we are going to make a local market quantitative survey in the city of Abu Dhabi using a questionnaire targeting youth aged 18-34. The Market When looking into Energy drinks market, we can notice a doubling increase since they were first introduced into the United States and Europe. The current U.S. domestic market may be around $4 billion and is expected to reach an estimated US $15 billion by 2011. The reasons for the increasing demand for energy drinks are attributed to consumers concerns about time stress to keep balance between work-life and private life. Consequently the market is bombarded with many new energy drinks, with strange names and claims of a higher energy increase compared to the prior brands to find their way in the market. There are, however, a few major energy drinks that control most of the market and do not have too much amounts of caffeine. In addition to caffeine, a range of other energetic ingredients as taurin, Guarana, and B vitamins are added into energy drinks to make them more effective. New probable developments are geared toward increasing the health functionality of energy drinks which will increase market approval due to a growing society obsessed by health. The Energy drink market is not only limited to products or brands competing with each other but it also includes the whole non alcoholic drink market. Many outside factors have influenced the demand for this market such as the increasing attractiveness of health lifestyles and sports club membership. -Company and Product Review Red Bull is classified as a soft drink. It is a non alcoholic stimulus drink with an absolutely exclusive formulation consisting of  two natural substances and important metabolic transmitters such as, amino acid, taurin and glucuronolacton in addition to stimulating caffeine, vitamins and carbohydrates. It gives stimulation and revitalizes the body after effort and activates the human performance both mentally and physically. The industry is capital-intensive: average annual profits per production worker are about $700,000. History of Red Bull market expansion In 1982, Dietrich Mateschitz, originator of Red Bull and Chalerm Yoovidhya, decided to enter the market of energy drink which was controlled by Japan and Thailand at that time. In 1987, the product was first introduced to Austria which was a difficult market for Red Bull to carry on. Shortly Mateschitz developed a marketing strategy and as a result the product became well known in Austria and extended into Hungry and the rest of Germany. After that Red Bull has been successfully recognized world-wide and has reached a market leader position in 20 countries- in Europe, Asia and the USA. By 1997, Red Bulls buzz marketing strategy proved successful in the U.S. The following timeline shows the expansion of Red Bull in the market.  [1]   Date Market Expansion 1987 Austria 3.5. (not mature market) 1994 UK, Germany and Eastern Europe 3.6. 1997 US and South Africa 3.5. 3.6. 2006 Japan 3.7. (very mature market) When Mateschitz realized that a great sporting event could be useful, Red Bull started sponsoring about 500 extreme sports athletes and hosting stylish parties. Events are now hosted by Red Bull throughout the world such as the Xgames and the Red Bull Air Races and thus their tagline, gives you wings is known worldwide. Product Review The following table sums up the product review  [2]   Cost $2.00 Cost Per Ounce $0.25 Active Red Bull Ingredients Caffeine, Taurine, B-Vitamins, Sugar Taste Rating 7.5 Kick Rating: 8.0 Final Judgment Rating: 9 Its the original energy drink! Red Bulls mission is to stretch their wings over the world. It is a short phrase that communicates vivid information about the brand. This slogan which is used in all Red Bull campaigns worldwide is creating strong brand awareness of the product and is connecting between the brand and the product type. They are expanding rapidly into global market. They are keen on keeping Red Bull values, while maintaining the control position in the energy drinks category by delivering better-quality customer service in a highly experienced and commercial manner. Direct Competitors Although Red Bull still maintains a dominant position in many significant markets, it is no longer the only player. The major challenge to Red Bulls leading position has come from US-based imitators: Monster, Rockstar and Full Throttle which have introduced price competition to the segment and this is possible to have become more and more important during the depression periods. Monster energy drink does its best to be like Red Bull. The taste is similar, the ingredients are identical, and they target the male/18-25 demographic. Though, they do have one different advantage over Red Bullquantity. The Monster energy drink comes in a 16 oz. can, whereas Red Bull only offers 8.3 oz cans. So, youre essentially getting twice the product at the same price ($2 per can) Rockstar competitive energy drink whose motto is party like a Rockstar, targeted at the younger consumers who want to be wild and crazy and spend all night dancing. There are a number of flavors of Rockstar cola, energy drink, and juiced. The energy drink is similar in taste to all the others, whereas the cola product has the best taste. The juiced version is said to be 70% real fruit juice and 100% energy. They were the first to use the 16oz larger size, and this has fixed and become the standard. Only Red Bull continues to market the smaller cans, which is part of their image. Full Throttle is manufactured and owned by Coca Cola, just like their Coke Blak mixture of coffee/cola drink. Full Throttle energy drink is marketed as a rebellious drink, with erupting flames on the can. An 8 oz. serving has 110 calories (comes in a 16 oz can) and 29g of sugar. It also includes things like ginseng extract and plenty of caffeine. Full Throttle comes with a citrus taste and a red can. Full Throttle was first introduced to the market in 2005. It is targeted at 20-30 year old men, and contains Taurine like Red Bull. From the above stated information we can find that: 1-Monster is similar to Red bull in taste, but only targets males. It has two advantages over RB in price and quantity which is double size of RB. 2- Rockstar is double the size and Price as it is 1.99$ so it is cheaper than RB. 3-Full Throttle has the same taste and ingredients as RB, but it has advantage of quantity and price There are also other industries where Red Bull GmbH  competes such as sports, leisure and recreation. The Brand Positioning In spite of the competition, Red Bull resembles a new type of drinks called the energy drinks. In this new market sector Red Bull has a branding as a top border brand product. The brand positioning of Red Bull comes from the benefits of the product and the brand image. The positioning message of Red Bull is Red Bull vitalizes Body and Mind. This positioning idea has become the unique brand personality of Red Bull, which can be explained below. Sarcastic Self confident Intelligent Innovative Humorous, charming Individualist Impulsive It can be assumed that the positioning idea of Red Bull has created the best energy drink status among the target market. It is also clear that customers appear to be attracted to the general appearance and brand of Red Bull. The positioning strategy of Red Bull aims at best product, top price and top profitability. As for the price, Red Bull has a position in which it can command a best price because there is nothing to compare it with. It is an exclusive useful drink, promising and offering benefits that cannot be offered by any other drink. Threats of new entrants The most significant development in the market of energy drinks and the main direct competitor to Red Bull is the new product from Coca Cola, Relentless. It is also cheaper because it is sold in can double the size of Red Bull but the same price. -First-mover advantage has disappeared as the market has matured. Red Bull is the giant of the stimulant drink industry, in comparison to Coca Cola and Pepsi in the cola market. Red bull has achieved economic level which would allow them to be the most competitive price in the market. Although there is a price gap between Red Bull and other cheaper energy drinks, it seems that Red Bull has surmounted the position segment of the market due to its marketing strategy which is considered a huge barrier to entry. Red bull has a strong brand power that impresses loyal customers and consequently they can charge high prices even when competition comes from Coca Cola. Analysis of Macro and Micro factors affecting the attractiveness of Red Bull in the market Macro factors Political and Legal Forces When Red Bull was first introduced into the market as a new non-alcoholic drink labeled with a new idea as an energy drink, the Health Organisation was doubtful that Red Bull could be an appetizer medicine. Rumors saying that Red Bull contains ingredients like bulls galls, added to their doubts. But confidence in the product increased due to the fact that Red Bull has been used in the Australian market for 9 years and in the Asian market for 30 years without any registered complaints. Moreover a study conducted by an independent institute (ISME) in 1998 proved that although Red Bull has stimulating effects like caffeine, it does not lead to addiction. On the other hand Red Bull still needs approval from each country to be sold. This procedure is time consuming and consequently costly. Some countries still have suspicions about Red Bull. According to msnbc.com in May, 2009, Six German states have asked retailers to stop selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after a test found a trace amount of cocaine. However authorities say the drug level was too low to cause a health risk. Countries such as Denmark, Norway, and France have banned the sale of Red Bull. This means that legal factors have a high negative effect on RB Economical Factors Red Bull is hardly affected by economic periods of expansion and contraction because it is a particular drink, serving a niche market. Red Bull target market includes sportsmen/women as well as hard working people. The main consumers of the product are Athletes, night clubbers, shift workers, executives and long-distance drivers. Despite the availability of few substitutes, the sales of Red Bull are increasing through their well positioned advertisements. This factor has low influence on RB. Socio-Cultural Factors When the product was first introduced people had doubts about the product and nobody wanted to try it. But now due to change of peoples lifestyle, people are now much more open for new experiences. In addition they are confident to try it, because any health concerns were cleared by organisations like the ISME. The consumers are male and females regardless of age who are very sporty or work very hard. Longer working hours as well as increased road traffic led to more need for energy boost. Nowadays Red Bull has a very stylish image and is sold in a lot of supermarkets and clubs (See the graph which illustrates the categories of males and females consumers)  [3]   Technological factors Red Bull is totally manufactured in Austria where it is exported to 28 countries. There are two reasons why it is not manufactured in any other country; first, to guarantee taste reliability and to make sure that Red Bull tastes the same all over the world. Secondly in that way the formula will be kept securely in one place. Red Bull is normally produced in 250ml cans, but glass bottles are an alternative jus in case they do not have enough cans as it once happened. Energy drink Red Bull, uses electronic points of sale (EPOS) data. This system allows customers research team to check the distribution of Red Bull. This system points out the gaps that can be returned to the retailers. Environmental factors Red bulls cans are environmentally friendly because they are made of recyclable aluminum. Glass bottles can also be recycled and therefore do not damage the environment either. This might give the product a competitive advantage when rules become stricter and more equal throughout Europe as well as in the rest of the world. http://researchwikis.com/Energy_Drinks_Market Micro Factors 6.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers: Top 4 Energy Drinks by 2010 Market Share Rank Energy Drink Parent Company Market Share 1 Red Bull Privately Held 42.6% 2 Monster Hansen Natural 14.4% 3 Rockstar Privately Held 11.4% 4 Full Throttle Coca-Cola Company(KO) 6.9% By working out the concentration ratio of the 4 top energy drinks brands as seen in the above table it will be possible to come to the relative size of the products in relation to the industry as a whole and to determine the market form of the industry. By using the four-firm concentration ratio we find that it is 75.3% which is high, and is bordering between oligopoly and monopoly, In this concentrated market the customers dont have high bargaining power which enables Red Bull to position high prices. Moreover, other products may find it difficult to compete with the brand loyalty due to the huge advertising spending of Red Bull. Consumers in energy drink market are not actually aware of price because they are Consumer with high income and buy it when it is required to regenerate their energy after a long day of hard work. The relationship between the manufacturer and retailer has developed along the market lifecycle resulting in swing of power. The fame of energy drinks has created a market pull where retailers have no real bargaining place. The extent of bargaining power differs according to the distribution channel. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Red Bull production process is to some extent simple therefore the power of the suppliers is apparently rather low. The added value at each stage leads to large profits. Suppliers can only enter energy drink market through the brand-owner, thus the balance of power is in the favour of the brand owner. -Threats of substitute products Red Bull is a fast moving consumer product and, consequently, it mainly depends on desire purchasing. Although price sensitivity is a low factor inside the target segments, handiness is the average purchase criteria. Red Bull has successfully created a position where product substitution threats are low due to the brand power and customer loyalty. On the other hand, there are other products substituting the need for caffeinated drinks with less sugar and a better blend of carbohydrates and protein that give a greater energy enhancement. Also drinking plenty of fluids, such as water and herbal tea are useful. The market is full of better alternatives than relying on expensive energy drinks that only give you a momentary feeling of energy. The Marketing Mix Strategy Red Bull has its own marketing which is different from the Marketing Mix Theory based on the 4 P ´s. Red Bulls own  Marketing Mix Strategy is consisting of [ 1] the mediaadvertising category, [2] sports-and event sponsoring and [3] sampling. In 2008, Red Bull spent on marketing approximately more than 1 million$ which equals 30% of its revenue. Media Advertising Red Bull uses all the available media channels such as cinema, TV, radio, press and the internet in order to reach its main target market-young people. Thus they successfully advertise in TV shows like T.F.I. Friday and in magazines like Time Out and mens health. By doing so, they let the consumers understand the product and decide about the moments they can use it themselves. Red Bull realizes this by an amusing and humorous cartoon campaign, through which they easily send the message that this energy drink helps you to escape by giving you wings. The idea of communicating with the consumer in the form of a simple cartoon makes the people enjoy the campaigns and at the same time remember the brands name and the message it delivers. Sports-and Event-Sponsoring The company also uses sponsoring in their marketing mix strategy. Red Bull does event sponsoring either by creating its own events (i.e. Red Bull Music Academy .) or by promoting other events (i.e. Speed Ski World Championship). This strategy means that Red Bull brand appears in the form of logos and stickers and that the product  ´s target market is accurately defined. The image, the reliability and the visibility of the product are supported by sponsoring specific events where the peoples attention is drawn to the product. Red Bull sponsors the athlete target market where Red Bull is always needed in extreme sports such as free climbing and motorsports and fun sports as well. Sampling Sampling is another very important part of their three component -marketing system. The methods used are well tested and proven in other markets. The main purpose of Red Bull is to boost the company samples at the right place and at the right time by finding its precise target market such as driving, studying, working night shifts and sports. Sampling is conducted in a charming way by extremely motivated and cultured employees of Red Bull. All their equipment is the product, a free range of clothes and a small, but very attractive sampling car. Red Bull is following the basic sampling rules consisting of: never force the product always explain the benefits of the product drink always a full can ( 250 ml) It must always be cooled being cautious about whom are sampling the product Surveying the local market To have some information about Red Bulls brand image and how the people see it, we made a questionnaire of 3 sections including 13questions. The survey targeted males and females whose age is between 18-34 living in or near Abu Dhabi. 22 % of the respondents are females, whereas 78 % are males. We used Emails to send and collect back the questionnaires. Significant findings The energy drinks market proposes the following drinks: Red Bull, on top then come power Horse, and Monster, The best known beverage is in the city of Abu Dhabi and avenues, is Red Bull as 88 % of the respondents have tasted it and the majority of these people find it good (41 %). The other data have no significance. The most common consumption rate for energy drinks is occasional: 80 % drink occasionally drink and 20 % frequently. With relation to Red Bull, which of the following is important to your purchase?     For 58 % of the people, find the physical boost is important. 36.4 % of the total respondents are influenced to buy Red Bull because it is sponsored by athletes and some related it to formula 1.the taste of the beverage is an extremely important criterion. The smell and the energizing properties are very important (with respectively 45 % and 42 %). The design of the can does not influence so many consumers: 9.1%  buy the drink because of the design. Where do you buy Red Bull? 80% present of the respondents buy it from supermarkets whereas 20% buy it from fending machines at petrol stations. What is the first word that springs to mind when you hear the words Red Bull? 60% said superman, 30% wrote formula1, and 10% said flying in the air Which tag line, if any, do you most associate with Red Bull? 70% chose Brain and body energy, whereas 30%chose Gives you wings Which sports do you most associate with Red Bull? 55% Formula1 and 25 % said motorbikes, 10%responded Golf and 10% chose Athletic 90% described Red Bull as the best energy drink in the market and 10% finds it suitable for their lifestyle Result People dont buy Energy drinks because they really need it but because this need is created by the manufacturer. It is the big advertising campaign which has convinced people to accept this product. Red Bull has been the first energy drink in the market. Red Bulls target is people who need energy and concentration such as sportsmen and students. For that reason, the company sponsors numerous sports events: Formula 1, Xtreme competition. Red bull gives you wings. It is the famous slogan that makes consumers think that Red Bull gives more energy than usual. The result is that the Red Bull has quickly got success by young people. Red Bull keeps on marketing by this young generation. more Conclusion When Red Bull was first introduced, it was easily imitated because the ingredients were printed on the can and the product was not patented. Although the taste of Red Bull did not do well in taste tests, it succeeded due to the marketing strategy. It can be said that Red Bull was not only the first energy drink to be in competition with soft drinks but also created the new energy drink type in the majority of markets. After Red Bull hit the market in the late 90s till the present, many other companies entered the energy drink market but unable to compete with it. Red Bulls has approximately 100 major competitors and the main competitors are Monster, Rock Star and Full Throttle. Many substitute products have been introduced and categorized as energy drinks such as Iceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ T creating an energy drink called Liquid Ice, Nellys Pimp Juice and Lil Johns, Crunk Juice. Although these competitors are present in the market no other energy drink could maintain Red Bulls 70à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  90% of the market share it has in over 100 countries all over the world. Problems and Opportunities: Problems: Red Bull is not a patented drink product, therefore anyone is able to choose a can, read the ingredients on the label and start their own business. That is why the market is flooded by competition. In addition, Red Bull as well as all other energy drinks and supplements, have received negative reports from a medical point of view. Elevated amounts of caffeine and sugar can lead to adverse effects on heart and blood pressure. Opportunities: Red Bull is one of the most popular energy drinks in the world. They earned this position by intelligent, consistent marketing strategy. Red Bull has the opportunity to maintain their position and develop a continuing pace to aim their niche target consumers by seriously using untraditional and traditional marketing strategies. Red Bull has a competitive advantage over its competitors As we have seen Red Bull is an international energy drink that is sold by Red Bull GmbH. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in more than 130 countries. -Red Bull has a continual international marketing strategy by sponsoring a variety of great sports to promote a cool public image and enhance brand power. -The product has remained the top energy drink throughout its growth due its effective marketing strategy. The product speaks for itself and its consumers do not report any complaints despite of negative publicity Red Bull has developed a sugar free option. -Red bull has this competitive advantage not only because other drinks that follow it are not as appealing in packaging, marketing, but also because Red Bull is aware of their marketing challenges and they are continually changing and developing their marketing philosophy to overcome and avoid possible competitors. Red Bull Consumer Questionnaire This questionnaire is all about Red Bulls consumers and targets males and females between 18 and 34 years old and based in the Abu Dhabi. Section 1(background) Please specify your age group by putting an x in the box that applies to you. 18-21 22-25 26-29 30-34 2) Where do you live? Please specify closest town/city. Abu Dhabi   Shahama Shamkha   Bani Yass Samha 3) What is your gender? M/F Please specify. Section 2( Loyalty) 1) Are you familiar with the Red Bull brand? Yes/No Please enter in the box. If your answer is no then please do not go past question 3 of this section and I thank you for your time. 2) Which of these drinks are you most aware of? Please rank your top three 1 being youre most aware and put an x beside any others you are aware of. Monster Rockstar Red Bull Power Horse Full Throttle Others please state 3) Which of these drinks would you buy, if applicable? Please rank your top three 1 being your first choice Rockstar Red Bull Power horse Full Throttle Others please state 4- With relation to Red Bull, which of the following is important to your purchase? Please rank each option by putting a circle around the appropriate number. Important Un-important Taste 1 A Hydration 1 B Physical Boost 1 C Mental Stimulant 1 D Sponsored Athletes 1 E Price 1 F Availability 1 G Image 1 H Can shape, colours and size 1 I Association with Extreme Sports 1 J Others please stateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and rank 1 5) Where do you buy Red Bull? Please underline all that apply. Wholesaler Supermarket Independent Retailer Vending Machine Restaurant Hotel Other please state : Section 3 Brand Image 1) What is the first word that springs to mind when you hear the words Red Bull? Please specify your word in the box. 2) Which tag line, if any, do you most associate with Red Bull? Please choose a tag line by underlining it Stimulation for body and mind Brain and body energy   Gives you wings   Your sport, our science 3) Which sports do you most associate with Red Bull? Please rank the sports 1-5 with which you most associate Red Bull. 1 being the highest Please also put an x beside any other sports you associate with Red Bull. Golf Formula 1 Skiing/Snowboarding Mountain biking Athletics Cricket Surfing Motorbikes Skateboarding Obscure Extreme Sports 4) Which sports do you partake in regularly? Please list in the box provided. 5) Does any Red Bull advert stand out in your mind? If so please describe the advert in the box provided. 6) Please try to describe Red Bulls packaging. Please describe any colours and/or emblems in the box provided. 7) How would you rate Red Bulls image? Please rank your option by circling the appropriate number. Cool Un-cool 1 2 3 4 5 8) Which of the following statements if applicable best describes why you buy Red Bull? Please make your selection by underlining the appropriate statement. a) Red Bull fits my lifestyle choice. b) Red Bull has an image Id like to be associated with. It provides me with a welcome energy boost. c) It gets my mind in gear. d) It provides good value against the competition. e) Its the best energy drink on the market. f) It tastes good on its own or as a mixer.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Krispy Kreme Case Study :: Business Analysis Strategy

Krispy Kreme Case Study Question 1. The chief element of Krispy Kreme's strategy is to deliver a better doughnut and to appeal to customers in new ways. They have taken great steps to insure customer satisfaction from the use of their proprietary flour recipe to their automated doughnut making machines. They have chosen to target mainly markets with 100,000 households. They also were exploring smaller-sized stores for secondary markets. Krispy Kremes's strong brand name, highly differentiated products, high-volume production capability and multi-channel market penetration strategy has worked well. With each new store opening there are lines waiting at the door all night to experience the Krispy Kreme quality. In Denver, more than 3000 people stood in a line extending for more than three city blocks on opening day. They have production areas in full view and a neon light that lights up when "Hot Donuts" are actually coming off the line. Krispy Kreme makes customers feel good about indulging. Even Krispy Kreme's name brings a smile to people's faces. Question 2. I think Krispy Kreme's financial performance has been good. Since its initial public offering in April 2000 it has grown from 140 stores to one with 218 locations in 33 states and Canada. Preliminary results for fiscal year 2002 showed sales topping $621 million, up 39% from the previous year. Revenues climbed 30% to $392 million. Krispy Kreme is a product company and the most profitable part of the business is doughnut sales due to the high volume of loyal customers. Many Wall Street analysts considered Krispy Kreme to be overvalued. Analysts said in April 2000 the stock was destined for the $15 to $20 share range at best, which is where most known food related stocks are located. Instead it had been hovering at a value of $40 a share for most of the year. The stock rose to a high of $54 and many analysts doubted Krispy Kreme's strategy and potential growth merited a stock price nearly 70 times projected 2002 earnings per share. I agree with the statement "the numbers just don't work." Question 3. SWOT ANALYSIS

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Impact of Performance Enhancing Drugs on Sports Essay -- Steroids

The Impact of Performance Enhancing Drugs on Sports One of the major issues in the news recently has been the use of performance enhancing substances in sports. This topic has been the subject of many front-page headlines in many publications, from sports magazines to newspapers. A recent scandal involving a San Francisco Bay Area laboratory, BALCO Laboratories, has brought this issue to the forefront, and it's really gotten a lot of attention because this case has led to a 42 count federal indictment by the U.S. Attorney General.[1] Another question can be asked as well: Should these performance-enhancing substances be allowed in sports? First of all, what exactly are performance-enhancing substances? They are just what they are called: substances that are used for enhancing performance. The use of these substances is of particular concern to agencies that govern sports, especially amateur sports. Some examples of performance enhancers that are used are anabolic steroids, stimulants, diuretics, and other alternatives. Steroids are chemicals that are typically produced by the human body as a way to regulate various bodily functions. Anabolic versions are used to increase muscle mass and endurance.[2] Unfortunately, steroid and drug use in sports is nothing new. Until 2003, the most famous case of steroid use probably occurred at the 1988 Olympic Games. Some of you may remember the 100-meter race between U.S. athlete Carl Lewis and Canadian athlete Ben Johnson. After the race had been run, with Johnson emerging as the winner, a drug test was taken by Johnson and it came out positive for steroids, meaning that he would have to forfeit his gold medal.[3] Another famous, and more recent, example occurred in 1... ...Chemist, 2003, ESPN 29 Feb 2004, http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1112/1659917.html [11] Ashley 22. [12] ?U.S.: Drug Ring Aided Top Jocks,? San Francisco Chronicle 13 Feb 2004:A1 [13] ?Drugs Involved In BALCO Case,? San Francisco Chronicle 13 Feb 2004:A23. Both drugs named here are covered by this endnote. [14] ?Drugs Involved In BALCO Case,? San Francisco Chronicle 13 Feb 2004:A23. [15] United States Anti-Doping Agency. Guide to Prohibited Substances and Prohibited Methods of Doping. 2004. http://www.usantidoping.org/files/USADA_Guide.pdf [16] Rachels, John. ?The Elements of Moral Philosophy.? p. 92 [17] Rachels 108. [18] Kowalski 13. [19] Rachels 202. [20] Rachels 121. Also see Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals by Immanuel Kant, 1875. [21] Rachels 173-4. [22] Rachels 174. [23] Schnirring 16. [24] Schnirring 16.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Ethical aspects of Social Media Marketing

This essay will focus on the topic ‘Critically evaluating the ethical aspects of social media marketing in the United States’ and the principal question assessed throughout this writing will be ‘Have social media marketing acted ethical or not? ’ According to Nielson Report (2013, p. 3), ‘Social media marketing typically refers to two practices involving social media- the use free tools and paid media’.According to Gaski (1999 cited Smith 2000, p8), marketing ethics is defined as â€Å"standards of conduct and moral judgements applied to marketing†. In relation to social media, these ethics guide the operations of marketing on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Youtube (Eagle, 2009). With the rapid growth and adoption of social media, the ethical concerns on social media has also significantly increased. (Mutula, 2012).The author further examines the following categories: 1. 1Social Media Research According to Smith, (200 1), -â€Å"be truthful, protect privacy, don't model inappropriate behaviour, don't be offensive, be fair and balanced, avoid stereotyping and protect children’’ are the seven basic ethical standards for marketing, which are applicable to the present social media marketing. However, all businesses has a legal responsibility to comply with the legislation of their country.In the United States it is the Federal Trade Commission which regulates advertising and marketing laws in the country. (Smith, 2001: Federal Trade Commission, 2013) Social media research is the initial stage of marketing; a technique or an approach used by the marketers to conduct market research on social media platforms. The foremost issue that has commenced is the ethical aspect of using social media for market research purposes; the gathering of data and conducting research on consumers and competitors. (Patino et. al).In addition, it is the fundamental responsibility of marketers to protect consu mer personal data by ensuring that the data is only used for research purposes and makes sure that they adhere to the social network guidelines and regulations of the company. (Mareck M, 2011) However, companies violate these rules and steal customer information without their consent for research and marketing activities, which is unethical and against the FTC Act.Evidently, it was reported by the FTC, in May 2011, 32 legal actions were taken against  organisations that have failed to maintain protection for consumer sensitive data thus breached consumers’ privacy rights. For example, in February 2013, a social networking app generated by Path. Inc. , acquired consumer personal information without their consent and settled FTC charges for infringing Consumer Privacy Act also in the meantime the same company was charged for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, from approximately 3000 children personal information was collected without getting parent s’ consent which was claimed to be highly unethical.  (Federal Trade Commission 2013).Moreover, social media has assisted companies to monitor their employees on social networks. Many reports and cases have been lodged against those companies for unethical practices, by involuntarily retrieving personal information of employees. Such cases involve companies use specialised softwares or access employees’ user name and password of Facebook and Twitter accounts, to trace tweets and posts of what employees post on social networks.As a result, in regard to the newly imposed social media privacy legislation, companies were seized to make settlements on the charges of violating Employee Privacy Protection Act. (Eaglesham, J. and Rothfeld, M. , 2013) Furthermore, social media marketing has become a major threat to the competitors since the birth of social media, and with the aid of market research it has become a trend for brands to practice unethical and unlawful activities such as creating fake accounts, fake endorsements, fake blogs, fake community groups and tarnishing competitors’ brand reputation on social platforms.  (Ray, 2011)1. 2 Viral Marketing and Advertising Viral marketing is the spreading of information between users on social media and it has become the defining marketing trend; techniques used to promote company product/ service and brand name on social media. For example, viral campaigns are marketing techniques widely used to spread the Word-Of-Mouth (WOM) and it can be in the form of viral videos via Youtube, Facebook statuses/posts, or blogs on social media.Thus, viral campaigns build awareness and promotes the company product and image on social media. (Fergusan. R, 2008) For example, ASDA has effectively used this strategy for their promotional campaigns, like the Christmas doesn’t just happen by magic Video 2012 which went viral on Youtube. However, viral marketing can be an adverse impact to the company and unet hical too.For example, Celeb Boutique thought of implementing the viral marketing technique of trending hash tag on Twitter, instead of a positive brand recognition it caused a negative impact to the company brand image and was humiliated virally. (Smeets, 2013) In terms of ethics, such cases include: companies that attack other companies indirectly, being dis honest unprofessional and dis respectful on their campaigns.For example: As reported by The Economic Times, in April 2012, Nokia launched an aggressive viral campaign against Samsung, comparing it’s Lumia smart phone with Samsung’s intentionally emphasizing that Nokia phones are invincible and can blow away other smart phones, this campaign was highly unethical and against the FTC Advertising and Marketing Act of being dishonest and deceptive to stakeholders such as competitors (Mukherjee, W, 2012) According to FTC (2013), â€Å"All businesses have a legal responsibility to ensure that advertising is truthful an d not deceptive’’.Advertising shouldn’t target on vulnerable audiences such as children and should comply with the FTC standards regarding children privacy issues.For example: Kelloggs company made false claims on social networks that it’s Frosted Mini-Wheats cereal benefits children and improves their immunity, this was done by giving false evidence that the attentiveness of children can be improved by 20percent clinically, this advertisement was unethical as it infringed the standards of FTC† (Federal Trade Commission, 2013) Furthermore, it was alleged that companies pay celebrities millions of dollars to advertise and promote their brand on Social networks.Recently, Snickers was suspected in promoting their brand on Twitter in the form of tweets through prominent celebrities such as Rio Ferdinand and Katie Price in 2012. As a result, the Fair Trade officers advised celebrities that advertisements that doesn’t reveal as a promotion or an en dorsement is a ‘deceptive advertising’ and warned Snickers, it is against the FTC standards. However, the complaints accusing Snickers for deceptive advertising were forwarded to the Advertising Standards Authority to take further investigations on this unethical behavior.  (Barnett, 2012: Federal Trade Commission, 2013)1. 3 Engagement Process Social media enables companies to interact with customers more directly than any other forms. Engagement process is one of the major ethical challenge for companies as it involves the process of directly engaging with customers on social networks and has become a common practice for companies. Social media is used by employees on behalf of the company and it can endanger the company reputation via social media by using it unethically.Even though, engagement process is an important component for marketing and public relations it can still be treacherous if used unethically. (Institute of Business Ethics, 2011) In a survey carried out by the Ethics Resource Centre, 45percent of U. S employees witnessed misconduct at work in which 65percent from those reported to be immoral behaviour, in consequence was alleged for violating the workplace ethics law. The study reveals that social media appears to be a major contributor to this issue.  (Ethics Resource Centre, 2011)In March 2010, Nestle Facebook fan page was hovered with negative remarks from its fans after the palm oil campaign, in response, the employee who controls the fan page posted offensive comments which violated the company policies hence, led to bad publicity and boycott activities from the public. (The Guardian, 2011) In 2012, many big brands faced serious catastrophes on social networks. Such circumstances follows; when McDonald tried to promote its brand via Twitter using hashtags, unfortunately the customers on Twitter posted unfavourable comments of consuming McDonald’s food.Other examples such as the American Apparel and The Gap faced a colossal destructive responses from its customers for posting disapproving ads at the time of Hurricane Sandy. (Anon, 2012) 1. 4 Ethical Social Media Marketing Vs. Unethical Social Media Marketing Conversely, a survey carried out by the IBE reveals, businesses that operate ethically on social media is significantly greater than the proportion of businesses that operate unethically.The above pie chart illustrates that 48 percent of the respondents say that businesses operate very/fairly ethically. (Institute of Business Ethics, 2012) Nevertheless, IBE survey found that it was a decline from 58 percent to 48 percent of views that assumes businesses operate very/fairly ethical on social media. Therefore, the change in the percentage from 2011 to 2012 ascertains that the negative impressions on ethical business behavior have increased radically. (Institute of Business Ethics, 2012) ConclusionSocial media marketing has positive and negative effects: the importance for social media has increased tremendously due to the immense benefits such as the increase in awareness, promotion, engagement and research; if social media is used unethically, may lead to lead to bad publicity and tarnish the company reputation. The varied arguments evidences of statistics and cases from different organisations strongly condemns that social media marketing is unethical; the unethical use of social media practiced by businesses outweighs the ethical use of social media marketing.All in all, the author finds social media marketing unethical hence, may create a huge impact on the company and brand image negatively. However, if social media is properly used, it will result positive outcomes for the brand; if misused, the consequence will be a social abuse. Therefore, the author suggests to use social media vigilantly and consider the business ethics standards of their country before taking further steps

Monday, September 16, 2019

Difficulties in an Internet Music Promotion Company

JEJA Entertainment is a great way to offer live music entertainment to music lovers and fans in Australia and to the rest of the world. JEJA is based in Australia but since the Internet cannot be confined to a certain geographical area, the products and services of JEJA Entertainment will have to be offered to music fans all over the world. Although the Internet is a fascinating and emerging means of distributing media content, there are still startup costs that must be considered. Most of the time, internet entrepreneurs explore their business model while pursuing another line of work.This enables them to have a fallback should the Internet business fail. On the other hand, this could also be inimical to the continuous growth of the business. Internet entrepreneurs face a number of challenges in establishing their business. For one, the issue of capital is an important one. The Internet may be seen as a low-cost option for distribution, yet there are a number of operating costs that must be taken into account—the domain name and web servers, the IT personnel who will create and maintain the webpages of the site, the marketing personnel and the production team among others.This will involve thousands of dollars if it were to become truly successful. While internet marketing via email can be a good starting point, there should also be offline promotion so that more people can be made aware of the company and the kinds of products and services that it offers (Perrini, 2006). Startup Capital and Funding Creative and novel ideas that have been largely untested do have a big potential for success in the world, especially so if the medium chosen such as the Internet has so much room for growth. Yet, because of this very same thing, a number of internet media business startups fail!Internet entrepreneurs need startup capital and money that could help them sustain the operations of their internet business up to such time that they can stand on their own and star t earning profits. Insufficient funding would mean that the business will not grow as quickly as it is perceived to be and it will not also become as profitable as the business plan states. One of the biggest problems that internet entrepreneurs face is where to get startup money that will help them setup equipment and other needed materials and network for the business.No matter how good an idea may be, without startup capital, it will remain as a good idea and will never be launched to the whole world. Sources of Startup Capital For JEJA Entertainment, there are a number of sources of startup capital that they can draw from. Before identifying the sources of startup capital, however, the entrepreneurs should lay down ¬ the projected expenses in starting up the business. This should include all expenses such as equipment, the establishment of web pages and the maintenance costs, the servers, the domain name, the initial promotional expenses among others.This could lead them to a realistic view of the expenses that they will face. When these expenses shall have been laid out, then the actual amount of funding needed for several months (or years) can then be projected up to such time that the business can become profitable. Personal funds and Loan from Family and Friends The easiest source of startup capital, perhaps, could be the personal funds of the entrepreneurs who will engage in the business. Most of the time, entrepreneurs use their own savings they have gained from years of working as employees.There are also entrepreneurs who inherited a sizable sum of money that they then divert the money for the business that they have conceptualized by themselves or with other friends that they have. In cases where the personal funds of the entrepreneurs are not enough to cover the startup expenses, they ask the help of their family and friends in funding their business. Internet business may be less costly than an offline business that offers â€Å"physical† products and services.The problem with the funding from friends and family money, however, is that this might give the family and friends some expectation that they also have important stakes in the business more than just the money that they lent in starting the business. This can lead to strained relationships and problems in the business due to the unclear expectations from friends and family members. If JEJA Entertainment will rely on this kind of startup funding, then the expectations from both parties should be clear so as to avoid any conflict in the areas of operations of the business.Funding from Banks and Lending Organizations Another riskier source of startup capital is funding from banks and lending organizations. To get loans from banks and other lending organizations, there is a need for collateral in the form of land, car or other valuable collateral. Depending on the soundness of the business plan, banks may fund the startup so that it can take off and become prof itable in the long term. Convincing banks to release funds, however, is a big challenge as they want to minimize the risks they face in lending so they can maximize their profits. Venture CapitalOne of the important sources of funds that have come to light in recent years is venture capital from what has been fondly called as â€Å"angel investors. † These angel investors provide much needed capital for entrepreneurs in the twenty-first century. Venture capital, actually, can contribute to the long-term success of an internet business startup. Angel investors can help budding internet businesses to survive the first few years of competition and difficulties in the market. Most startup companies usually tap venture capital investors not during startup but during the next few years of their operations.If an internet business does not attract venture capital, it is bound to fail within three years according to a study made by Gompers and Lerner (2002). Long-term Profitability, B randing and Reputation Building Even if startup capital were found for JEJA company, there are still a number of factors that it should surmount if it were to be profitable and sustainable in the long run. Long term profitability can be ensured through a variety of strategies and a careful management of resources. Fresh capital is also needed if JEJA were to be truly successful.Brand building is another important matter that JEJA will have to engage in. A successful branding strategy could also build the reputation of the company. Over the long run, this can help the company package itself as a good option for venture capitalists and to its clients all over the world. JEJA needs to be aggressive in its branding strategies because it faces an uphill climb with various competitions online. Even if the online concert option is a good selling point, the company has to create its audience and make it irresistible.The company will have to invest on marketing investments online and offline so as to make people aware of what the business offers. Carefully placed ads on high traffic websites and offline advertisements can yield returns. In addition to this, media exposure and reputation borrowing through sponsorship of concerts by major artists, singers and actors and actresses that visit Australia. Even major events in Australia can be covered by the company so as to gain greater reach, credibility and the preferences of consumers.The longevity of these branding strategies cannot be ensured in the long run (Kotha, Rajgopal & Rindova, 2001). Because of this, JEJA Company has to stay abreast with emerging trends in the entertainment industry and in the Internet. These things make the branding strategies more difficult as the marketing personnel of the company will have to keep track of two divergent although related fields—the entertainment industry as well as the reception of fans and media content consumers as well as the behavior of internet surfers and consum ers.Long-Term Growth and Strategic Management Securing startup capital is but one of the first steps that JEJA Company will have to secure. As the operations of the company continue and it gains brand recognition in Australia and all over the world, it will have to establish a long term plan that deals with the need of fresh capital, effective management of resources and the establishment of a reliable and recognizable Australian brand. The entertainment industry is highly volatile and continuously changing.If the branding strategies of JEJA were effective, it can readily engage venture capitalists for the provision of fresh capital to finance expansion of operations, offering additional services and products, engaging more geographical areas, and establishing partnerships with a larger number of production companies and studios. The presence of venture capital is a great means of ensuring the long-term growth and profitability of internet businesses (Davila, Foster 7 Gupta, 2003).A s such, it has to proactively seek out venture capitalists who believe in the business model of JEJA. This can be done through networking, effective publicity and brand building and making sure that the business delivers the projected income and growth. Conclusion Internet businesses such as Amazon. com, Yahoo, Barnes and Nobles and IVillage among others have, at one point, started out with limited experience and financing. Yet, with effective raising of startup capital, effective branding and strategic management, they managed to grow their businesses (Carpenter, 2000).Although financing is different from the realm of management and branding strategies, it is still a very crucial part of the operations of the business of JEJA. Surely, there will be new trends and challenges that will arise in the area of internet media business. Yet, with the influx of capital from â€Å"angel investors† and other sources, effective branding and strategic management, JEJA management can rise up to become a significant internet business in Australia and all over the world.