The Occupy Wall Street Movement - 1625 Words

Started on September 17, 2011, the Occupy Wall Street Movement began in the Financial District of New York City and has received resonance in other American cities as well as to 82 other countries. Concentrating on how the current economic system has affected peoples’ lives, the movement raised issues about the lack in democracy of the financial system, social and economic inequality, and the connection between financial and political power. The income inequality between the rich and the poor was reaching a concerning proportion, and the unequal wealth distribution is emitted in the movement’s slogan, â€Å"We are the 99%.† Protestors believed that the movement would send the message that the united, the people would succeed against the corporate power of Wall Street (Bashir, 69) and create a revolution in the global financial structure (Brahm). Occupy Wall Street is considered part of a larger protest movement against unequal financial systems, which includes the Arab Spring, the 15M Spanish Movement, and other European social movements. In May 2011, marches were initiated in a few Spanish cities to protest the Spanish democratic system. The protest movement quickly spread to other European countries and eventually reached North America, where Adbusters’ Micah White and Kalle Lasn called for a peaceful gathering on Wall Street. Consequently, a group of 200 people gathered in downtown Manhattan and stayed overnight at Zucotti Park. They held signs such as â€Å"Tax Wall StreetShow MoreRelatedOccupy Wall Street Movement1039 Words   |  5 PagesOccupy Wall Street Movement Moral and Ethical Implications Occupy Wall Street Movement Moral and Ethical Implications The Occupy Wall Street Movement that started in September 2011 in Liberty Square in the Finical District was movement organized by people to expose corruptions in cooperate America. The Occupy Wall Street Movement was known, as the peaceful protest due to it’s non-violent, non-aggressive nature and spread to over a one hundred and fifty cities crossRead MoreOccupy Wall Street Movement1612 Words   |  7 PagesOccupy Wall Street Movement Business Ethics 309 Discuss the moral and economic implications involved in the movement. September 17, 2011 is the day the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City. The main issues include social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government according to The New York Times. The mix of moral foundations based on ideas from the anthropologist Richard Shweder, outline sixRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement1982 Words   |  8 PagesThe Occupy Movement is an international activist movement that fosters social and economic change and originated from the actions of the Occupy Wall Street movement (source #7). The focus is on the Occupy Wall Street movement that was launched on September 17th 2011 and was catalysed by Adbusters activist Micah White. White created a web page about the corruption that was happening surrounding the financial crisis in the United States leading to the most recent recession. Large corporations basedRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement Essay1049 Wor ds   |  5 Pages Occupy Wall Street has been called many things including: unfocused, ungrounded, and silly. Others coin it as â€Å"America’s first internet-era movement† (Rushkoff). In quintessence, Occupy Wall Street is a series of protests and demonstrations that oppose the influence that corporate greed has on American Democracy. The protestors manipulate marches and nonviolent demonstrations to express their dissatisfaction with the state of American Politics and economy. This relates to the political scienceRead MoreEssay on Occupy Wall Street Movement928 Words   |  4 PagesThe Occupy Wall Street Movement that began in New York Sept. 17 and has since spread like wildfire across the world has made an undeniable impact on the social and political climate of the Upper Midwest. | With various Occupy protest committees continuing to spring up across Minnesota and North Dakota, many working people in the region who, previously, might not have come together on other political issues say they have found common ground in the Occupy Movement. Union, non-union, white collarRead More Occupy Wall Street Movement Essay1449 Words   |  6 PagesOccupy Wall Street Movement If heavy student loan debt , soaring tuition fee, climbing taxes, plummeting financial aid, nose-diving employment opportunities, exacerbating inequality between common people and wealthy class, are some of the issues that infuriate you and lead you to blame government’s generous bailing out failed banks and other financial institutions then you cannot not know about Occupy Wall Street(OWS) movement. List all information you know about your subject Occupy Wall StreetRead MoreEssay about Occupy Wall Street Movement1817 Words   |  8 Pageshead: OCCUPY WALL STREET Assignment #1 Occupy Wall Street Movement Brenda Bryant Dr. Obi. Iwuanyanwu BUS309 Business Ethics October 5, 2012 Discuss the moral and economic implications involved in the movement. The Occupy movement was a protest that gathered local organizers, students, and activists in response to the economic disparity of countries around the world. The protest gained momentum after a continuous series of protests took place in Zuccotti Park in New York Citys Wall StreetRead MoreThe Occupy Wall Street Movement and Ensuing Controversy Essay2019 Words   |  9 Pagesin Zuccotti Park, New York which is Wall Street’s financial district under the banner â€Å"Occupy Wall Street†: these three simple words are causing an uproar in America (Engler). Additionally, these three words happen to be protesting the current status of America’s financial condition. With the economy in America being as terrible as it is, and the unemployment rate skyrocketing, it is absolutely necessary for some sort of change to occur. The Occupy Wall Street protesting is most positively a progressiveRead More How the Media Portrays the Occupy Wall Street Movement1000 Words   |  4 Pagesof laws, to grass roots campaigns such as Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Wall Street campaign has been portrayed negatively by the mainstream media outlets. Newspapers, radio, television, and the internet have painted the movement with offensive undertones, reporting the lows of the movement rather than the revolutionary aspects of the movement. A possible reason that the media has consistently framed this movement in a negative manner is that the movement is operating against the forces of societyRead MoreOccupy Wall Street: Positive Impact of the Protest Movement in USA1235 Words   |  5 PagesOccupy Wall Street Occupy wall Street is a protest movement in the United States of America which began on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York Citys wall street financial district. This group was initiated by a Canadian activist and it has led to occupy protests and movements around the world. The Occupy Wall Street movement began as a collective expression due to the current economic conditions in the United States of America. Occupy Wall Street has a slogan which is We

The Life Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - 1151 Words

Dillan Braziel Mrs.Loomis 8th The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Arthur Conan Doyle was a highly successful author from Scotland. Over 125 years after his creation of Sherlock Holmes the series still remains the most popular fictional detective in history today. Doyle is best known for the 60 stories he wrote about Sherlock Holmes! His bodies of work include 200 novels, short stories, poems, and historical books! His stories were influenced by people who felt like they were in that position at that time of life and had experiences with people with major addictions. Arthur Conan Doyle was brought to this world on may 22, 1859. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland by rich parents, Charles Altamont, Doyle father, and Mary Foley his mother, were a strict catholic family. He was inspired by his mother who was very creative. He even said once that he heard strong meaningful stories from her at such a young age that he had a hard time separating his stories from reality. His father was an alcoholic his whole life and that s where he received mos t of his experience with addiction to certain things. Doyle was sent to a boarding school when he was nine years of age. Boarding school was a horrible time for him because he was extremely bullied and punished by authority, often for no reason. Doyle’s only moments of happiness was when he wrote to his mother, a regular habit that lasted the rest of her life, andShow MoreRelatedThe Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 1090 Words   |  5 Pagesignorance was as remarkable as his knowledge† (British†¦). When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle said this, he was not talking about himself, but the statement applied to him. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, and even though it was not known to his parents, on that day one of the greatest writers of his time was born. Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, to Mary and Charles Doyle. Arthur Conan Doyle had an interesting and eventful life, though he was born into a financially unstable family. TheRead MoreThe Life Of Sir Ar thur Conan Doyle1536 Words   |  7 Pagesextensive biography The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. With a combination of the biography and Adler’s Individual Psychology one can paint a picture of who this famous man really was. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22nd of 1859 to Charles Doyle and Mary Foley in Edwardian England, he was the third child but first boy born to the young couple. Eventually they had 9 children in all, 7 of which made it into adulthood and 2 of those were male. Mary adored young Arthur and filled his head withRead MoreThe Exciting Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle461 Words   |  2 PagesAccording to Alison M. Lewis who wrote â€Å"Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters,† he married a woman named Louisa Hawkins in 1885. Twelve years later he fell in love with another lady named Jean Elizabeth Leckie, but out of respect for his wife he kept their relationship friendly and nothing more. Bittersweetly for Doyle, Loiusa died of tuberculosis in 19 06. The next year he was wed to Jean and they stayed together until her death in 1940 (Lewis 114). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle also had five children in his lifetimeRead MoreThe Life and Success of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 560 Words   |  2 PagesSir Arthur Conan Doyle was born on May 22, 1859, and passed on July 7,1930 of a heart attack. He was born into a prosperous Irish family in which he was the eldest son of ten children of Mary Foley Doyle and Charles Doyle. His father, Charles Doyle was not an artist by profession but was responsible for some of the earlier illustrations in his sons series of Sherlock Holmes. His father was also a chronic alcoholic. Mary Foley Doyle was master storyteller with a passion for books which shows in ArthurRead MoreArthur Conan Doyle1369 Words   |  6 Pageswhether you agree with them or not† (The Chronicles). Doyle may be known as the author of Sherlock Holmes, but there are other facets to his life. On account of some strange events that occurred, Doyle was persuaded into thinking that spiritual beings existed. As Doyle’s career adv anced he drew the attention of many to himself. He succeeded both by gaining supporters and detractors. He built on his fame by giving lectures. These aspects of his life are connected; his painful childhood led him to a successfulRead MoreSir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan1253 Words   |  6 Pagesliterature, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle ranks highly amongst the most famous authors of all time. Mention his name, and most people will immediately think of one thing; Sir Arthur Conan Doyle equates to Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was certainly much more than his most famous creation, and away from his most famous creation, his life was full of interesting and strange facts and events. NAME It is common to see Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s name shortened to just Conan Doyle, Conan though, wasRead MoreAnalysis Of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Essay1684 Words   |  7 PagesIt took many tries for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to get the story right. In fact, Sherlock Holmes wasn t even in the first draft! In a later draft with Sherlock Holmes first appearance, John Reeves, an experienced policeman was the main character while Sherlock Holmes came in as a man by the name of Sheringford Holmes, where he makes a brief cameo in the beginning (Cawthorne 14). John Reeves also had a roommate named â€Å"Ormond Sacker† who would later become John Watson (Cawthorne 14)! How did thisRead MoreThe Role Of Justice And The Pursuit Of Righteousness971 Words   |  4 PagesSir Arthur Conan Doyle was and still is one of the most prominent figures in world literature, especially in the mystery genre. While many works of literature belong in the mystery genre, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series stands out the most. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous literary works, A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and A Scandal in Bohemia share a common theme: the importance of justice and the pursuit of righteousness. Sir Conan Arthur Doyle was born on MayRead MoreThe Man at 221B Baker Street Essay1518 Words   |  7 Pages221B Baker Street: Rough Draft Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born, May 22, 1859 (wikipedia.com). He â€Å"was, in fact, one of the most fascinating and complex people of his age. He was an adventurer, a scientist and physician, a crusader for an eclectic and often unpopular set of causes, a deeply spiritual lapsed Catholic, a loyal and faithful husband who waited until after his wife’s death to marry the woman he really loved, and an incredibly versatile writer not only of detective fiction but also ofRead MoreConan Doyle : A Middle Child1709 Words   |  7 PagesConan Doyle was a middle child; the middle child’s characteristics are described as a mixture of the first and second born. Conan Doyle can fit into this definition perfectly. As a young adult, he was intent on taking care of his family, namely his mother and siblings. He housed them and supported them financially, even before he was rich. He spent a great majority of his life chasing achievement; at first it was the achievements others (fam ily, teachers, influential people in his life) wanted for

Coca Cola Manages It’s Operations

Question: How Coca Cola Manages Its Operations? Answer: Introduction Bearing in mind that it is the global trendsetter in the beverage arena, it accompanies a variety of brands under its name for example, sodas, juices, practical game beverages and a ton of different items, out of all these products coke which is its legendary brand still tops and yet contributing altogether to the organization road and benefit era. Also the association has used a mass displaying framework together with excellent warehouse structures. Product 1.The portfolio of the products that the company manufactures are diet coke, sprite, Fanta, coke, caffeine free coke and sprite mix. Others include Dasani water, minute maid and lemon twist. (Hartogh, 2013). 2.What contributed to the growth of the business of coca cola was due to the fact that there were no beverage companies for many years, until when Pepsi Company emerged. (Hartogh, 2013) Therefore by the time Pepsi came, Coca-Cola Company had surpassed the growth stage of product life cycle. 3.For the Coca-Cola Company, they mainly manufacture their products worldwide through the affiliated companies that they acquired their franchise. 4.The Company has been in maturity stage since 2014 and there were times when sales dropped such that I almost fell to decline stage but due to the hard work of the marketing team, they boosted sales to a positive level. Process 1.The diagram above is the process model of production of coca cola soft drinks. As shown, the ingredients are subjected to washing and rinsing. This is to enable the combination of water, sugar, the famous secret formula, syrup, and carbon dioxide to be blended and mixed. From that point, the final drink is filled into bottles, capped, labeled, coded and then inspected. The final product is then packaged and kept in the warehouse for delivery. 2.The above process is continuous as it made to ensure that market demand is met. In order to ensure that this process is continuous, the company has employed people who work in shifts i.e. night shift and day time. The companys safety program They give noteworthy prosperity preparing to their business associates using the arrangement essentials portrayed in KORE as an overall benchmark. Planning covers new-contract selection and discontinuous refresher get ready for all business associates and diverse masters coordinating work for their advantage. Improving course to-market security remains a key need for the Company. Course to-market, or RTM, is characterized as the development of items and individuals between their packaging plants and their clients. In 2015 they likewise started pilots to investigate diverse methods for utilizing innovation to viably convey security substance, preparing, and evaluation devices. Cases incorporate more extensive utilization of smartphone apps for enhanced collaboration in the field The use of visual aids by Coca-Cola is very minimal. They only use in marketing their products through TV commercials like the share a coke campaign. I will recommend that they use it even in the employees workplace so that they can also enhance the safety of employees Location Since Coca-Cola is a worldwide brand, most of their businesses are located in cities and towns. The reason behind this is because partners who bought their franchise usually do have strategic locations for instance in Riyadh, it is in the most prestigious business location of Kharis road. Supply chain management There are various strategies used by Coca-Cola in supply chain management. They include; Value addition strategy. As this is very crucial for a business to grow, it helps in expanding the product value and lessening the wastage in an organization's production network. The essential idea of this term is to how to make the inventory network that powerful that it brings about the productivity of the organization. What's more, one can make their inventory network handle more significant by keeping up solid associations with providers or by utilizing innovation. In this manner, thusly, one can increase the value of its inventory network handle and change it into esteem chain. An item or administration must be esteemed when it satisfies the need and desire of the clients (Simchi-Levi, Kaminsky and Simchi-Levi, 2015). Efficiency and sustainability strategy This is another key strategy for a good supply chain for the company. Therefore they have introduced combined heat and power systems to their production plants. This equipment is used to minimize the consumption of CO2. Operational strategy I t is quite amazing to find that coca cola products reach the supermarket shelves within twenty-four hours after manufacture. This is because the company continuously procure new state of the art production lines and sites. Every branch across the globe sources local workforce to ensure that the customer demands are met on time. How vendor selection/purchasing is handled At coca cola, all the printed material is overseen on the ERP frameworks which mean to be considerably more secure than printed material. Fundamentally the procedure of procurement begins with the selection of the supplier and winds up with the order placement with the preferred supplier (Tallant, 2013). How supply chain is managed The international supply chain of the company is a boundlessly complex arrangement of plants, bottling sites, stockrooms, and customers, close by various item offerings taking after various supply chains with the varying target (Tallant, 2013). In order to manage this, it implemented several guidelines for a successful management. These include;Develop a solid system for specifying pecking orders that change when the business changes. Focus on estimations to drive profit consistency and metric consistency over the stock system. Focusing on estimations requiring no manual intervention Focusing on industry rules that are not main for Coke Materials management/distribution TCC is the sole provider of the materials that coke uses in their manufacturing process. They include concentrates and syrups. They also partner with other licensors that have some of their raw materials. The company also get other raw materials apart from the mentioned before from different providers for instance bottles, cans, CO2 and water. More so every single approved compartment, terminations, cases, containers and different bundles, and marks for the results of TCCC must be obtained from producers affirmed by TCCC (Tallant, 2013). The use of e-commerce by Coca-Cola Company B2C or business to consumers is an e-commerce model used by coke. They made a web-based store known as cocacolastore.com that intended to extend cokes conveyance of requested stock. It highlights coke branded items like apparel and merchandise. The business partner behind this is Innotrac Inc. The assention calls for Innotrac to plan and build up the site and additionally deal with all parts of request preparing, satisfaction, and client mind. Recommendation and suggestion For the Coca-Cola Company that to contend in the market, they ought to keep a general mind their inventory network process and continue enhancing it with the evolving period (AGUS, 2011). To catch an upper hand they should continue improving new items and attempt their hands in different parts of .beverages and food Bibliography BUSINESS PERFORMANCE. Journal of Global Strategic Management, 1(5), pp.134- 134. Collider Coca-Cola. (2016). Physics World, 29(2), pp.3-3. Hartogh, M. (2013). It's Still the Real Thing: A Profile of the Coca Cola Company. SSRN Electronic Journal. Senker, C. and Foy, D. (2012). Coca Cola. 1st ed. London: Wayland. Simchi-Levi, D., Kaminsky, P. and Simchi-Levi, E. (2015). Designing and managing the supply chain. 1st ed. Boston [u.a.]: McGraw-Hill/Irwin, pp.10-20. Special Issue of Production and Operations Management: Retail Operations. (2009). Production and Operations Management, 18(1), pp.127-127. Tallant, J. (2013). Coca cola - the evolution of supply chain management. 1st ed. [Place of publication not identified]: Grin Verlag, pp.5-20. Yuvaraju, D., Subramanyam, D. and Rao, P. (2014). Advertising Strategy of Coca-Cola at Coca- Cola Beverages Pvt.Ltd. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 16(6), pp.122-

William Julian Pryor Essays (771 words) - Climatology,

William Julian Pryor Assignment Write a Speech You will turn in your speech. Before you turn in your speech, make sure you have Written a speech that will be 2-3 minutes long. Used at least three rhetorical devices, one of which must be parallel sentences. Used an appropriate voice and tone. Included a works cited page. Review the rubric to make sure you are meeting all assignment requirements. Global warming is one of the most challenging environmental problems in existence today. It threatens the health of the earth's inhabitants and the world's economies every day. With global warming comes longer and more intense heat waves , as well as more ferocious storms. Along with the se climate changes, it brings more pests , which in turn can carry devastating diseases. Forestry and farming are feeling the negative impact of global warming as well , and we a re also seeing traces of a devastated ecosystem. To prevent further damage , and begin repairing the dama ging effects of global warming, po licies must be implemented and enforced. Energy conservation is the only policy that I would put into effect. This policy would be very broad; encompassing as many aspects of energy use as possible. The first item on the table would be to force automobile manufacturers to only produce vehicles with high MPG ratings and eventually to develop new models that are not run on gasoline alone. Suc h vehicles are known as hybrids, and are run on a combination of electricity and gasoline. Currently, the technology is available to manufacture cars with 40+ mpg ratings, however, the concern lies with the increasing number of trucks and SUVs that are known worldwide as "gas-guzzlers". These larger vehicles are becoming more and more popular and currently do not meet any efficiency standards. Requiring that all new SUVs and trucks from this point forward be as fuel efficient as their smaller counterparts, this would be a large step in the way of vehicle efficiency , and pave the way for less gasoline reliance. This in turn will allow for fewer emissions of carbon dioxide from vehicles. The next policy to implement would be that technology be developed to make all appliances run efficiently; from refrigerators and stoves on down to video game equipment and lamps. Every piece of machinery or device that we own uses energy in some way, shape, or form. Large pieces of industrial equipment and even residential equipment require a lot of energy to run thereby contributing to the world's air pollution. If we would require that manufacturers of such items follow strict guidelines of energy efficiency, not only would users save money, but energy use would be at a minimum, so less air pollution would be created. Some headway is being made in this area, but not enough , and not nearly fast enough. We see most progress being made in the residential areas: examples are Energy Star appliances , and compact, fluorescent light bulbs. Just as these items are good for your sake, they are good for the Earth. However, everything coming onto the market needs to be required to be energy efficient according to pre-determined standards , and we can't continue to bypass the industrial aspect of this. The last policy that I would implement revolves around recycling. I would require that all packaging be recyclable and that it be made from recycled materials. Recycling helps the environment by conserving our natural resources, saving energy, reducing air and water pollution, and reducing the need for landfill space. Currently, many recycling programs are in place worldwide, but there are no policies that enforce its use, yet this is one of the easiest ways of protecting our environment. In order for my policy to be successful, all businesses and consumers need to actively par ticipate. This method will help to reduce the amount of energy that is used during the elimination of waste products , and help defeat global warming. If these guidelines are followed, then we will have a chance to stop global warming. It will take a lot of work, but if we all do our part, then we will be able to stop global warming and make our world a better place. 1. http://www.conserve-energy-future.com/various-global-warming-facts.php Web

Growth Mindset Professor Ramos Blog

Growth Mindset Introduction Have you ever met someone who said something like, Im simply bad at math? Did you know that this is a preconceived limitation that is simply not true? Its called a fixed mindset. While its common for people to get discouraged when they fail at something too often human beings are quick to wage war on themselves. Someone who would say theyre bad at something is actually just bad at having this thing called a growth mindset. Often individuals accept these preconceived limitations, but the reality is human beings are really just terrible at estimating their abilities. Its true that every individual has their initial talents, aptitudes, interests, and temperaments, (24) but these natural inherent qualities are not fixed and subject to change. We like to put ourselves and others into boxes saying things like, smart or dumb, hes good at this but not at that. Theyre good or bad. Degenerate or prodigy. Labels are important and necessary but they should not be used to define an individual. We humans are not one-dimensional. Judgments are inevitable but they prevent us from learning and ultimately from growing. To summarize psychologist Carol Dweck, author of the book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success and creator of this concept, when our minds are fixed we spend our time documenting our intelligence or talent instead of developing them (42). In my report I will first Define what a growth mindset is and who came up with it, explain the difference between a fixed and growth mindset, simplify how to obtain it, show its effectiveness through a personal story and explain why its important. What is a Growth Mindset? Simply put a growth mindset is the belief that abilities can be developed. Its a belief that construes intelligence as malleable and improvable (Ng). Its opposite counterpart, a fixed mindset, is the belief that abilities are fixed. Whether we are aware or not we all have beliefs, or non-beliefs, that strongly affect what we want and whether we succeed in getting it. Carol Dweck focuses on beliefs you have about yourself and how it has profound effects. She says these beliefs guide a large part of your life. In fact, it permeates every part (Dweck). The Difference Between a Fixed and Growth Mindset A fixed mindset is the belief that your qualities are carved in stone. Dweck says this creates an urgency to prove yourself over and over. If you have only a certain amount of intelligence, a certain personality, and a certain moral character, well then youd better prove that you have a healthy dose of them. It simply wouldnt do to look or feel deficient in these most basic characteristics (11). Its a defense mechanism against feeling inadequate. Dweck says shes seen so many people with this one consuming goal of proving themselves in a learning setting, their careers, and in their relationships. Every situation calls for a confirmation of their intelligence, personality, or character. Every situation is elevated: will I succeed or fail? Will I look smart or dumb? Will I be accepted or rejected? Will I feel like a winner or a loser (16)? On the other hand is the growth mindset, based on the belief that your basic qualities are thing s you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies and help from others. Although people may differ in every which way with their initial talents, aptitudes, interests, or temperaments, everyone can change and grow through application and experience (7). The difference between the two is in the following expressions. Someone with a growth mindset might say nothing ventured, nothing gained and if at first you dont succeed, try, try again or Rome wasnt built in a day. To summarize Dweck she says, what is truly amazing is that people with a fixed mindset would not agree. For them, its nothing ventured, nothing lost. if at first you dont succeed, you probably dont have the ability. If Rome wasnt built in a day, maybe it wasnt meant to be. In other words, risk and effort are two things that might Reveal your inadequacies and show that you are not up to the task. Those with a fixed mindset do not believe in putting in effort or getting help. They can do it on their own. Humans are the only species that believe they can do everything on their own. Every other species socializes and depends upon each other but human beings are self-made individuals that can and have relied solely on them self. It sounds nice, independent and confident but this way of thinking can actually be insecure and limiting. How to Obtain a Growth Mindset We need each other to learn and to grow. This is one thing the growth mindset teaches. Dont be afraid to raise your hand and ask someone if dont know something. That fear makes you a nonlearner. Not knowing something makes you human. Dweck quotes Benjamin Barber, an eminent political theorists saying I dont divide the world into the weak and the strong, or the successes and the failures I divide the world into the Learners and nonlearners. If youd like to cultivate a growth mindset and be a learner you can. Saga Briggs breaks down 25 ways to develop a growth mindset, Ill list the ones that resonate with me: Use the word yet. Whenever you see a student struggling with a task, just tell them they havent mastered it yet. Not yet. Acknowledge and embrace imperfections. Hiding from your weaknesses means youll never overcome them. Follow the research on brain plasticity. The brain isnt fixed; the Mind shouldnt be either. Replace the word failing with the word learning. When you make a mistake or fall short of a goal, you havent failed; youve learned. Now what did you learn? Cultivate a sense of purpose. Dwecks research also showed that students with a growth mindset had a greater sense of purpose. Keep the big picture in mind. Value the process over the end result. Intelligent people enjoy the learning process, and dont mind when it continues beyond an expected time frame. Personal Story: Mengyuan Wu Mengyuan Wu came from a traditional Chinese culture where she was taught some people are naturally talented and that this was the only way she could be truly good at something. When she was young her mother strived to discover her talents and so she was sent to a variety of classes. None of the classes pique her interest and so she was labeled as being without flexibility, artistic sense or any talent. With the belief that the goal of Education was to achieve excellent academic performance Mengyuan consequently felt a lot of pressure. Later she was introduced to the growth mindset concept and remembered a quote that goes like this: What matters is what you learn and get out of it, not how high your score is. With this in mind pressure slid off her shoulders and she started learning for the sake of learning instead of validation. She felt less stressed and thus could perform better. She applied the growth mindset beyond academics and took up a passion in fencing. Her parents never let her fence when she was younger because they didnt think she had the talent. As an adult her parents still had their doubts about their daughters passion but the growth mindset gave her a renewed confidence. She pushed her physical limits and persevered winning a bronze medal. When deciding on a college and whether to take up fencing the growth mindset altered her perspective on the fear of not being good enough and being rejected. She remembered what mattered; what you learn and get out of it and not how high your score is. Mengyuan’s choice in college didnt come from a place of proving herself. She came to understand that the best university for her was not the university on the top of the list but rather one that best matched her. She enrolled herself in a school and a sport that she enjoyed and when she failed she persevered and learned from it because it was what she wanted to do. Why is a Growth Mindset Important? This mindset is important because its natural consequence is success. Empirical Studies have revealed that growth mindset has positive effects on student motivation and academic performance of all ages (Ng). According to Dweck, teaching growth mindset to Junior High School students resulted in increased motivation and better academic achievement, especially in particular subjects such as science and mathematics. Furthermore mindsets play a significant role in student success. The development of growth mindsets allows children to exercise autonomy over their learning thus producing higher success (Boylan et al). In order to understand why this mindset is important you need to know that this mindset feeds intrinsic motivation. When people experience an inherent satisfaction of an activity itself they are intrinsically motivated. If a person is doing the activity in order to attain some reward, such as a grade or social recognition they are extrinsically motivated. Intrinsic motivation is much more powerful. When you have a growth mindset you are acting out of intrinsic motivation and when your actions are motivated by your individual interests and choices you foster a sense of purpose and meaning. In other words youre not just doing or learning something because you have to but because you want to.So if you have no purpose in life but you cultivate a growth mindset and act out of autonomy you will feed intrinsic motivation and therefore foster a sense of purpose. A growth mindset is important because it could potentially be the cure for depression and because of the positive impact it has on students. Theres a reason teachers dont call you stupid when you ask a stupid question because theyve cultivated this mindset. This concept is in our school systems because its more than important, its effective. Conclusion To summarize Carol Dweck, the passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when its not going well, is the Hallmark of the growth mindset. This is a mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives. By this concept nobody and nothing can hold us back. No matter who you are, where you come from or what youve been through your capabilities are limitless with infinite possibilities to choose from. In other words, no matter what life throws at us we can do anything we set our minds to, man.

The Wind in the Willows Questions for Discussions

'The Wind in the Willows' Questions for Discussions The Wind in the Willows is a famous book about animals, by Kenneth Grahame. Here are a few questions for study and discussion. What is significant about the title?What are the conflicts in The Wind in the Willows? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do you see?How does Kenneth Grahame reveal character in The Wind in the Willows?What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?What are some symbols in The Wind in the Willows? How do they relate to the plot and characters?Is Badger (Mr. Badger) consistent in his actions? Is he a fully developed character? How? Why?Does Badger change and/or develop as a character?How does Badger relate to other characters in the book?Do you find the characters likable? Are the characters creatures you would want to meet?Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?How does the past figure into the novel?How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?Would you recommend this book to a friend?​

The Marketing Concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Marketing Concept - Essay Example The paper tells that the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) has defined the concept of marketing in a different way. It suggests that marketing is a type of management process where the customer requirements are identified, anticipated and finally supplied in an efficient and profitable manner. Hence marketing can be considered to be consisting of a wide range of activities starting from market research to the development of a new product. Marketing is supposed to have evolved through five different phases over the past many years. They are the: a) era of trading, b) era of production, c) era of sales, d) era of the marketing department, and e) era of a marketing company. The marketing company era, which is the most recent and current phase of marketing evolved as a result of the realisation of the need of different business organisations to be focused on their customers to achieve their goals and objectives. Hence, in this modern era, customer is given the highest priority in an y of the marketing activities followed by the organisations. The concept related to marketing orientation is believed to have been developed at the Harvard University and in a few of the proactive and forward looking organisations during the period of the end of 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s. It has actually replaced the concept of sales orientation that was prevalent prior to this period. There is a substantial difference between the sales and market orientation. According to Lamb, Hair, and McDaniel these two types of orientations have been compared with each other based on five different characteristics. They are the focus of the organisations, the business activities followed by the firms, people to whom the products are being directed, primary goals of the firms, and various tools that are utilised to achieve those objectives and goals. Personnel of organisations that are sales oriented have their focus on selling the products to the customers that are already manufacture d by the firms. However, in recent times most of the organisations are observed to gain competitive advantage by focussing on the external market environment. Various organisations like Dell, Inc., Southwest Airlines, and the Royal Bank of Canada have succeeded in outperforming their competitors through the market orientation approach. A marketing oriented company can be considered as a business organisation which has its focus on the customers and their needs and wants. Companies try to identify various solutions to meet the satisfaction levels of the customers and in order to achieve this objective the organisations get involved in activities related to gaining an insight about the customers’ needs and wants through various means that includes both secondary and primary research. Most often people are found to misunderstand the concept of marketing and they associate it with advertising. However, marketing consists of various other aspects which the organisations need to be concerned with in order to have its sustainable growth and development in future. The thinking process of customers is volatile in nature and their needs and wants change in a short period of time. Hence organisations are required to be aware of those changing needs and wants of the customers and this fact makes marketing a useful concept for the companies.

Corporate governance and ownership reforms in Japan Essay

Corporate governance and ownership reforms in Japan - Essay Example The paper will review recent shareholder activism, board structure, the latest corporate scandal, and reforms in the regulative environment of Japanese corporate governance as well as judicial system reformation conducted in the past few years. The paper will also present an analysis of data collected from previous research on the effects of foreign investment in Japanese firms and the introduction and assimilation of U.S. boardroom structures to Japanese corporations. The paper will further examine the attitudes of Japanese managers, legal practitioners, and acceptance and resistance to traditional governance methods vis-a-vis the new U.S.-style forms of governance and ownership structures. Also, the paper will delve into the conflicts and tensions created by the adoption of U.S.-style shareholder activism or board structures in the corporate world among the Japanese business legal practices, and provide analysis of some of the factors involved in such frictions. Introduction The li nkage between corporate ownership and governance has been studied for many decades from various angles. While this area of scholarship had largely emphasized the widely-held type of ownership2 and agency problems that arose out of it,3 corporate ownership and governance issues continue to differ worldwide even after economies or business practices have largely converged.4 As corporate activity spread across the world, scholarship has gradually started to focus on institutional and functional differences.5 Broadly speaking, the analysis of this divergence has been conducted through how corporate governance converted and persisted. While convergence optimists claim dominance toward the U.S.-type shareholder-centered model,6 the ownership structure and unique characteristics of corporate ownership and governance still remain significant. The persistence of this divergence is analyzed through the theory of complementarity in each corporate governance system.7 It is true that the global corporate governance system certainly seems to be unified both functionally and formally, despite persisting differences.8 However, as seen in the example of Japan in this paper, corporate ownership and governance are shaped by historical path-dependence, and the social norms of each country still plays an important role in corporate governance. The reformation of corporate ownership and governance in Japan after the collapse of so-called bubble economy in 1990 is a prime example of corporate governance convergence and persistence. Corporate ownership in Japan had been characterized by reciprocal cross-shareholdings among corporation and banks. Also, corporate governance in Japan has a unique character where the main bank and employee interests play a central role with insider-oriented boards. As we will see in the following chapter, this structure experienced significant change after the 1990s through dissolving cross-ownership and adopting some shareholder-oriented, Anglo-American rules of governance. While these reformations can be considered as a corporate conversion caused by globalization, many Japanese corporations still retain unique governance characteristics and adopt U.S-style rules and practices, causing conflict and tension among Japanese businesses and legal practitioners. This paper attempts to address the issue derived from corporate conversion and persistence that occurred very recently in Japan. I: Dissolution of Cross

Explain How Each Sector of Industry Essay Example for Free

Explain How Each Sector of Industry Essay Explain how each sector of industry is linked together within a supply chain? In todays world, supply chain management (SCM) is a key strategic factor for increasing organizational effectiveness and for better realization of organizational goals such as enhanced competitiveness, better customer care and increased profitability. Today, most of the enterprises of a supply chain operate independently. For example, marketing, distribution, production planning, manufacturing, and the purchasing organizations have their own objectives and these objectives are often conflicting. This way of functioning prevents the enterprises from providing the right products to the right customers at the right time. All these organizations are individually efficient enterprises, but they lack coordination to produce required end results. A supply chain can be described as a network of retailers, distributors, transporters, storage facilities, and suppliers that participate in the production, delivery, and sale of a product to the consumer. The supply chain is typically made up of multiple companies who coordinate activities to set themselves apart from the competition. Supply chains are all about linkages. A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Whenever a chain breaks, it usually does at the weakest link. In a supply chain there are many interfaces (links), and problems develop at these interfaces. The best way to overcome these problems is to, manage the supply chain efficiently. This helps the organizations to act and not react to the unexpected changes in the market situations. In the case of IKEA, the supply chain involves a flow of production and processes through each of the three industrial sectors: primary, secondary and tertiary. Specifically, the various stages of the process are raw materials in the primary stage, manufacturing in the secondary stage, distribution and retailing services in the tertiary stage. In the primary stage, IKEA works closely with its primary sector suppliers to ensure that it is receiving sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials. IKEA designs its own products and throughout this process makes sure that the impact on the environment is minimised. The firm uses a tool called the â€Å"e-wheel† to measure the environmental impact of products. This looks at resources, production, use and recycling for each product. Around half of IKEA? s products are made of wood. This is a good source of material as it is recyclable and renewable. Other production processes which help support sustainability include tables made from recycled plastic, rugs made from off-cuts, products made to stack for more efficient transportation. IKEA works with suppliers to reduce waste or use waste products in further manufacture. To help it has a Code of Conduct called the IKEA Way (IWAY). In the secondary stage, IKEA creates its products from raw materials. During this stage, IKEA also created added value for its products with the utilization of the smallest amount of resources. The IWAY Code also helps manufacturers by making sure that they apply sustainable principles. It also insists that they follow laws, health and safety requirements and do not employ child labour. It states that materials from non-sustainable sources should not be used. The Code raises standards for all concerned. IKEA also works with other organisations to support the Code. These include children’s charity UNICEF and the World Wildlife Fund. In the tertiary stage, IKEA does not use raw materials nor create its products. IKEA’s retail stores add value to manufactured goods by providing a form of shopping different to the usual high-street experience. IKEA has more than 260 shops in 36 countries set up to provide a retail experience that meets consumer needs. Stores are large and customers can pick their own purchases. Further services are provided through the IKEA catalogue and home delivery. IKEA also has set up initiatives to support sustainability within the company by aiming to recycle up to 90% of its waste, removing carrier bags from its stores, subsidising public transport and encouraging cycling (with a new bike given to each employee), giving low-energy light bulbs for employees, using only hybrid vehicles as company cars. Within a supply chain, every sector must be well connected. It means that the upstream and the downstream can not be separated in order to meet the market demand in any situation. The three sectors mentioned earlier within IKEA supply chain are well connected. IKEA uses excellent supply chain concepts, reducing and eliminating wastes at every stage and hence can offer good value to customers. The IKEA’s supply chain is a complete process that can match together the suppliers, the manufacturer and the customers. With the support of the primary sector, IKEA can sustainably produce high quality products and sufficient quantities to meet the market demand at the lowest cost. The tertiary sector helps IKEA go further to create added value for customers, bringing about a close and sustainable relationship with the customers. IKEA’s supply chain strategy to connect the three sectors closely proves that it aims to act out and become a global giant in the industry.

Evacuation Of Children in WW2 :: World War II History

Evacuation Of Children in WW2 During World War 2, many children were moved from areas that were at risk from bombing. The children had to leave their families and go to live with strangers in less dangerous parts of the country. This was called "evacuation". Foster parents usually took their children. However, many discovered that life away from home was no picnic. Some thought it would be fun and exciting, like an adventure. All the younger boys thought it was a holiday, but not sure why the women and girls were crying. The first school children were evacuated on the 1st September, 1939 - the day Germany invaded Poland. In the first three days of September 1939, nearly 3,000,000 people were transported to the countryside, these were mostly children. They thought that they would be home before Christmas. It was usually the poorer children were not used to travelling. The wealthier family children were not upset on a average compared to the others. This was because they were used to travelling and being long distances away. Some parents even visited their children at weekends! Within a week, a quarter of the population of Britain would have a new addresses. At the start of the war schools were moved together. The children wore identity labels, gasmasks hanging from their necks and a small suitcase full of clothes and food for the day. They left in the early hours of the morning when it was dark. The majority were schoolchildren, who had been sent away were labelled like pieces of luggage, separated from their parents and accompanied by new people and teachers. They were just numbers in older peoples view! Most parents tried not to cry, some parents couldn't let go. Parents gave instructions to their children these were to not complain, Grin and smile however you feel, look after your brother or sister...... and not forgetting to write home. The teachers or supervisors kept the children happy and told them not to worry. Kids were in good moods....... That was before they left. Children were transported by trains. These trains were more often than not dirty. The children were all packed together. Most of the kids weren't used to long distances and by the time they got out they were hot, bothered, tired and dirty. After they had arrived they were promptly sent to village or church hall. The village or town, officers lined the children up against a wall or on a stage in the village hall, and invited people in to take their pick.

Why Tobacco Advertising Should Be Made Illigal

Tobacco advertising should be made illegal. First of all it is correspondent with growing death rate. In average, over 400  000 people die from tobacco usage every year. We should not support tobacco advertising when it is harmful to everyone. The only kind of advertising that has to deal with tobacco should be associated with stop smoking.Such advertising should help people to bring up smoking or should inform people about risks of smoking and about consequences that are involved. Comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising and promoting can result in a considerable reduction of tobacco consumption on a national level. Tobacco advertising should be banned from television, billboards, magazines, the internet and other places where one might find the advertising.Tobacco advertising is one of the worst kinds of advertising because it is pretty much telling everyone that it is okay to smoke because others are doing it also. Furthermore, tobacco advertising must be forbidden because it w ould be the most effective among teenagers, the easiest to be influenced by bad examples, fashions and emulation because of their psychological immaturity that lead them to adopt smoking as a mask to appear and feel themselves more adult.Tobacco advertising must be banned forever only thinking to how much the cures against cancer, too frequently useless, are expensive for the sanitary systems of all the world; these very high costs have surely never been paid by tobacco multinationals, except for the damages paid, after recent long trials, to a minimum part of the victims of this â€Å"trendy† and â€Å"safe† vice.

High School Cliques Essay

The school environment causes natural polarization of peoples with similar backgrounds, attitudes, or any other factors that would form certain peer groups, or ‘cliques’. This is particularly observable in the High School setting, as the predominant social groups are composed of adolescents who are beginning their socialization process. This socialization forms various groupings or factions that are highly noticeable in High School. The modern media, who continually builds on and establish the perceived cliques and groups in movies, shows, and other media venues, is repeatedly echoing the reality. This has created stereotypes of High School cliques, such as: (1) the popular group, (2) athletes, (3) nerds, (4) racial segregation, (5) pop-culture groups like rockers and hip-hop, (6) outcasts, and (7) other groups. The converging elements of a particular faction can be varied and numerous. These cliques can be students who eat together, or hang out with each other after class. Racial profile can also be a strong factor, as with the social class and background. Even personal preference and culture can bring together different kinds of peoples. High school youth converge because of the reason that they find something in common with the group that they are with. The first clique in High School is the popular student. Usually they are the student leaders or even cheerleaders and well-known members of the student body. They can be socially advantaged as they are driving newer cars or organizing fancier parties. They can be part of the group on the merit that they are simply popular in the batch. These students are usually the first ones remembered and recalled in reunions or gatherings. They are seen as role models, or at the other extreme, a source of jealousy and hatred. The second group, the athletes, can overlap with this first group, because basketball and football players can be highly popular in High School. Another High School clique are the nerds, who are the most participative in class or gets the highest grades in any subject. They would congregate in the canteen and converse about math or politics or any other academic topic. They are stereotyped as being shy and wearing big glasses, and are very grade conscious and studious. Apart from this group, other cliques can be divided according to culture lines, like rockers or hip-hops. They are usually secluded and non-conventionalists, and would gather on their own parties and gatherings. Another notable group are outcasts, who are usually the but of jokes, and would have severe emotional and psychological problems. Some would also note that racial background would be a strong determinant in formation of cliques. Asians or African Americans or Caucasians would most likely hang-out with each other, which does not imply discrimination, but merely cultural identification. They also form different and very distinguishable cliques in High School. High School is the stage of life wherein social interaction is at its most dynamic, as young adolescents are placed in a social environment outside their homes, and forced to polarize into different groups. Although these High School cliques can be regarded as mere stereotypes that may not always necessary be apparent in a social context, there is a ring of truth in the observations. Since the school is a hodgepodge of different backgrounds and cultures, it is natural for the youth to find people they are familiar and comfortable with. This reality, coupled with media hype, reinforces the perception that different High School cliques do exist.

Which Era or Society Would I have Liked to llve In essays

Which Era or Society Would I have Liked to llve In essays At long last, the wars were over. Arthur, the great king Camelot, had devoted his life to building a land of peace and justice. Now he wished to marry. But the peace was not to last. The most powerful of Authors knights, Prince Malagant, had long been jealous of the kings glory. Now he found cause to quarrel with Author and left Camelot with hatred in his heart. And so the land was divided again, between those who rallied to Prince Malagant, seeking the spoils of war, and those who stayed loyal to the king. And then there was Lancelot, a wanderer who had never dreamed of peace or justice or knighthood. Times were hard. A man made his living and way he could. And Lancelot had always been good with a sword...(The First Knight) This is the dialogue from my favorite movie. This is the era, period in which I have always dreamed of living in. To gallop on a white horse with my extra long hair flowing in the wind, as my knight and shining armor leads the way. It seems very romantic, but I have always been fascinated by the era. In history class all I can remember learning is about the kings and there selfish ways of ruling and the kingdoms they ruled. King Alexander and king Charles the eighth. I dont remember all the king just that many of them were pail from no sun light, and they rules there countries to the best of their abilities. Well, some did others kings just ruled to the best of their evilness. In most history books and paintings, the Queens wore extravagant clothing. I have always liked their clothing, along with how they did their hair. Every queen and princess had many servants and their servants did everything for them, even helped them go to the bathroom. If I were living during this time the toilet thing would have to be changed. All the kings and queens lived in beautiful castles, some with big walls surrounding the whole city, to protect the people. The castles had tons of rooms and ...

The Marketing Campaign Planning Checklist That Will Get You Proactive

The Marketing Campaign Planning Checklist That Will Get You Proactive Plan your work. Then work your plan. ^ Thats one of my favorite quips of all time. Why, you ask? Because its simple + practical + super helpful. Proactively planning your marketing campaigns helps you: Eliminate jumping into execution without clearly defined goals (or not knowing how youll measure success). Planning provides intense focus on  growth instead of being distracted by the trivial minutia. Avoid the overwhelming nature of marketing. There is so much to do, so solid  planning helps you avoid the stress because youll become super organized. Collaborate more effectively + efficiently. Planning eliminates last-minute fire drills  and miscommunication. So how can you reap all of those benefits? Im glad you asked.  Ã°Å¸Ëœâ€° This Is The Ultimate Marketing Campaign Planning Checklist That Will Get You ProactiveGet Your FREE Marketing Campaign Planning Template (And Plan More Effectively Than Ever) Download your free marketing campaign template kit to plan  anything. Youll get: A planning template spreadsheet you can easily customize  with Excel (or upload it into Google Sheets if thats more your thing). A  content calendar PDF template to help you visually map out your publish dates. This is  especially handy for rough, high-level planning- just print, write your ideas on sticky notes, and add those to the dates so you can move things around as you map out your campaign timeline. A campaign checklist to help you remember all of the main points from this blog post. This will help you focus + make sure you dont miss anything. I recommend downloading this kit now and implementing the actionable advice youll learn throughout this post immediately. After all... amazing  ideas without solid execution  never  boost your results. Amazing ideas without solid execution  never boost your results.What Is A Marketing Campaign? (For The Sake Of Understanding Everything In This Post) Here's your marketing campaign definition: A marketing campaign  is a project consisting of multiple pieces of content or events, connected together by a unified theme, with clear start and end dates. Marketing campaign planning, then,  is the process of organizing everything behind the scenes to ensure a smooth, efficient process. Planning helps you nail every deadline  for every piece/event you publish/host within your campaign. A Few Marketing Campaign Examples Some marketing campaign examples may help illustrate this concept a little better. 1. Product Launches Has your business launched a new product or service? It's likely you didn't just publish one blog post and called it good. Product launches are great opportunities for a multi-faceted marketing campaign. The last thing you'll want to do is share the news once and  assume everyone in your audience now understands you offer something new. For product launch campaigns, you may consider: A product announcement blog post A complementary content marketing style, educational, blog post A landing page all about the new product, feature, or service Social media messages directing traffic to both blog posts + your landing page Facebook ads directing traffic to the landing page AdWords and other paid search advertising to  capitalize on purchase search intent Emails to your current customers Emails to your prospects list you've built via content marketing best practices Press releases for specific  niche publications Press release for local news media Native advertising in niche publications Product demo webinars Another blog post with the demo webinar video embedded Retargeting ads for those who've seen the news anywhere on your blog posts, landing pages, and beyond Kathryn, our Head of Product Marketing, manages product launch marketing campaigns like this all the time. Here's a screenshot of what this actually looks like mapped out on a calendar: Not all of this  content needs to ship at the same time. You can plan when each piece will publish, outline the tasks you need to complete for each,  map out the dates when each task needs to be completed, and delegate accordingly. ^ This is what you'll learn throughout this blog post. 2. Content Launches Imagine publishing a brand new course, e-book, video series, podcast, microsite, or tool. Just like a product launch, these large-scale content projects deserve more than one-and-done communication. You'll likely want to schedule: A landing page that contains the content and is optimized to convert traffic (Example: Headline Analyzer) A blog post  that shares the content (Example:  How To Write Headlines That Drive Traffic, Shares, And Search Results) A social media campaign to promote the blog post or direct traffic directly back to the landing page (or both, because... why not?) Emails to your customers to give the content away for free Emails to your prospects Emails to your friends in the industry asking them to share your content Facebook ads, paid search ads, and retargeting ads to broaden your audience well beyond  the folks who already know your business Internal links from your most popular blog posts with calls to action directing your visitors' attention to the new content Links from your new blog posts to direct traffic to the big content ^ You get the picture... You invest a lot of time + effort into large-scale content. Make the most of it by scheduling a campaign to share it long after the initial launch. For example, when recently released the Marketing Strategy Certification Course, this is what the campaign looked like: 3. Events Events often require promotion beforehand (to get attendees), during (to communicate  where  attendees need to go + what attendees need to know or do), and after (to reiterate the value of the event + convert prospects as necessary). Examples here include conferences, virtual summits, webinars, and Meetups. Your event campaign may include: Before A landing where prospects can sign up to attend Emails to customers to  influence more attendees Emails to  the email list you've built using content marketing methodology Press releases to niche publications that share  upcoming events Press releases to local media to attract local prospects Social media messages to share  the event landing page with your existing following Itinerary emails for  those who sign up to help them 1) know they made the list, and 2) select the  sessions they'd like to attend most During A mobile app with daily itineraries A print itinerary Swag bags + name cards and lanyards Wayfinding signage Presentation decks + speaking points Printed handouts to help attendees implement the advice you're providing Landing pages to give away free product + content you talk about during the event Booth materials and signage An event hashtag + a way to showcase the social messages during the event After Emails thanking attendees for coming + reminding them of the value they received from your event Emails providing additional information attendees may have requested during the event, like presentation decks and  video recordings of the event (which may also require landing pages, SlideShare decks, or YouTube videos) Emails optimized to convert attendees into paying customers An old school, physically mailed letter with a certification + swag Again, you get the idea here. Here is an example of a webinar campaign Kathryn organized when we collaborated with Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income: An event is definitely a marketing campaign with a clearly defined start and end date for each phase of the project, with all communication centered around a topic (the event itself). Use These Marketing Campaign Examples To Plan Your Own Content + Promotion Checklists You're going to learn a lot more about this throughout the campaign planning checklist. But essentially, with each of the examples above, I simply brainstormed all of the content pieces that would make sense for each campaign. You will do the same for your own marketing campaigns. It's not rocket science. But rather, identifying the content ideas that you can realistically execute to make your campaign more successful than publishing one-and-done content. If you'd like more content ideas to kick start your campaign brainstorming, read this comprehensive blog post: Recommended Reading:  113 Content Types To Organize With Your Marketing Calendar Your Marketing Campaign Planning Checklist Our CEO and Co-Founder, Garrett Moon, says... The simplest approach is often the best place to start. It's easy to let the amount of things you could do overwhelm you. And overwhelm makes it hard to start, especially because humans are naturally adverse to change. That's why the following checklist  is kinda... minimalist. I recommend NOT overcomplicating the process here simply because it doesn't have to be complicated. Based on my experience managing marketing campaigns for years, this is what I highly recommend you do (consider this a marketing campaign planning checklist): [ ] Draft The Campaign Launch Brief Your launch brief is the version of truth for the high-level communication behind the campaign. It includes: The marketing campaign idea The resources + budget The goal + how you'll measure it The speaking points A link to your content + promotion checklist A link to your high-level marketing campaign sprints A link to your marketing calendar campaign timeline + ship dates ^^^ You can simply  copy + paste that list into a Word Doc, Google Doc, or Evernote Note, then flesh  out the details. There is also a free Word Doc template in the bonus content within this blog post- you can simply download that and get started immediately. Think about these seven points as an outline that will help you easily communicate the purpose of your campaign and how you will execute it. So let's take a look into each of these points. I've found it helpful to  answer questions as a framework for clarifying your plan: [ ] Clarify The Marketing Campaign Idea Answer this: Who will this campaign benefit the most? As you  think through your audience: Try to target only one  prospective customer. If your idea is broad or you know it will benefit multiple audiences, consider planning multiple campaigns.  This will prevent you from spreading your message too thin (or sharing information one audience type just wouldn't care about). Target a  specific sub-set within your audience.  For example, if you are targeting lawyers for your campaign, which kind of lawyers will you target (e.g. corporate lawyers, estate planning lawyers, personal injury lawyers, etc.)? Write a story about why your campaign will help this audience. Fill in the blanks of the following  framework, putting yourself into your audience's shoes: As an {audience type}, I want to {do something} so that {I get a desired value}. At this point, you will also describe the project in a couple sentences or paragraph, essentially coming up with the campaign definition. Think of this as the elevator pitch for your campaign. For example, when we recently released the Marketing Strategy Certification Course, this is what the project description looked like: Staying organized is a never-ending struggle. As marketers, we live in a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants world, and if we aren’t organized, it can feel like one fire drill after another. Well, not anymore. This course is all about getting you insanely organized and giving you the tools for real 10x growth. We’ll teach you how to prioritize the RIGHT kind of content, how to optimize it for 237% more engagement, and how to take control of your marketing strategy (not the other way around). Ready to get started? Cool. Keep scrolling. As in the example, your campaign description connects the dots between what you will provide  (e.g. the content within the campaign) and the value the audience gets (e.g. what's in it for them). You'll learn more about understanding  what your audience values in the following Speaking Points check. [ ] Know Your Resources + Budget Answer this: What kind of resources might you need to complete the campaign? As you consider this question, you will: Brainstorm the talent + people the campaign will require to be successful. For example, if you decide to build a free online tool, you may need help from a developer who is typically not on your marketing team. Now is the time to think through this roadblock and work with the right folks internally (or look for an external partner) to help you make the  campaign a reality. Make sure your marketing team has the tools it needs before you start executing. The last thing you need is to take on a  campaign only to have it come to a halt because tools weren't part of your budget. Consider the  time it may take your team to complete the project. How much can they take on given the campaigns they are currently working on? What might your  launch date be given this knowledge? Have a clear budget. You may need to work with those partners, buy tools for your team, or account for overtime your staff will take on. ^^ At this point, you are thinking high-level. These are estimations (all aside from budget, which you can clearly know for actual money you will need to buy tools or services from external vendors). The rest is  a very educated guess based on your experience. In the Content + Promotion check, you will literally map out every piece of content within a campaign, then determine who will do specific parts + how much time it will take to complete. That will help you understand  and define exactly what to expect from your resource. Right now, knowing your resources and budget at a high-level can help you get sign-off from the big wigs so they know what to expect as you take on this campaign. [ ] Define Goal  + How You'll Measure It Answer this: What results will this campaign produce? If you have  data from similar campaigns, you may be able to get to a specific figure here. This extremely detailed blog post will help you understand  what to expect from future content performance based on your historical data. If you don't have historical data on similar  campaign of this kind, it's still helpful for your team to know why you are taking on this campaign (and not something else). You can write this simply in your launch brief: The goal of our campaign is to influence {specific metric}. Now, before you launch, you will need to know how you will track the results the campaign produces. A tool  like Kissmetrics  will help you track nearly anything. Or you may opt to use Google Analytics with its Goals and Custom Reports functionality. Let's look at an example of setting up Google Analytics Goal tracking + Custom Reports to view the information. Since a majority of you likely have larger marketing goals to influence email subscriber signups from your campaigns, let's use this as an example for your goal metric for your campaign. Open Google Analytics  and click  Admin. Select Goals. Click + New Goal. Name the goal, select Destination, and hit Continue. Select Begins With for your destination, then write in the slug of the page your users see after they convert into your email list. Oftentimes, that is a specific thank you page on your website, so that's the example you're learning here. Then hit Save. It takes up to two days for Google Analytics to know you want the tool to track that metric, so give it some time. But in the meantime, let's set up a Custom Report so you can view those results when they start rolling in. Select Customization and click Custom Reports. Hit + New Custom Report. Title your custom report (I like to use the same Name from my goal). In Metric Groups, search for your goal name and select that goal's Goal Completions option from the dropdown. In Dimension Drilldowns,  search for and select Goal Previous Step - 1. Hit Save. Now once Google Analytics starts tracking your goal, you will use the Custom Report to view the pages your audience saw immediately before converting into your email list. This will help you understand which pieces of content within your campaign have been most successful (along with viewing how all of your other content is performing for this goal, too). ^^^ Essentially, now you know how you will measure your marketing campaign's success.

Promotional Practice Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Promotional Practice Report - Essay Example Nike holds the leading position in this industry with the total sale of USD 37 billion which is USD 9 billion ahead of its primary competitor, Adidas Group (Nike Inc., 2014, p.1). The brand equity and the innovative promotional activities and campaigns have acted as the major drivers of the growth and continued popularity of the company since its inception till the current days of operation (Porter, Harris and Yeung, 2002, p.200). Nike Inc. is considered to be one of the most valuable brands across the globe and is renowned for its innovative communication techniques. The company holds the 26th position in the list of the top 100 global brands as published in the year 2012 by Inter brand. The brand value of Nike in 2013 was USD 13, 179 million. Brand image is a significant factor required for any company to ensure continued success and create competitive advantage in a dynamic global business environment. As such, Nike Inc. has been continuously working on developing strong promotional practices as a part of its integrated marketing communication strategies. In this report, an analysis of the very successful recent campaign of the company â€Å"Risk everything† would be discussed and analyzed. This advertising campaign was released in April 2014 and went on to become one of the most impactful and successful advertising campaigns in the history of the company thereby taking the brand image, perception and awareness of the company to new heights. The main objective of the â€Å"Risk Everything† Campaign launched by Nike was to inspire the consumer groups of the company to take risks and succeed. This campaign used celebrity endorsements by various famous athletes to promote the brand and create high levels of inspiration and euphoria among the fans of these famous athletes. The celebrity endorsements were also used as a strategy to establish the acclaimed quality of the products by

Business plan for a start-up ( Financial data) Literature review

Business plan for a start-up ( Financial data) - Literature review Example With god business plan, the future of the business is certain and all future occurrences will be met with certainty. For a stat-up business, plan is used by business to determine its future survival and viability. Businesses cannot run effectively without a plan. Most plan make assumptions about the future. Any assumption made should be made with great caution as failure for the assumption to hold, the whole plan might be jeopardized. A successful business plan should be prepared based on past experiences fact and empirical data. It requires lo of expertise to prepare a concrete plan for a start-up business that has no past records experience. This paper will focus on the financial side of a business plan by reviewing overall financial records for all industries that are components of a plan. The financial plan of a start-up business will be based on the size of the proposed business. This means that it will rely mainly on assumptions. Analysis will be done o the future cash flows, i ncomes and expenses, balance sheet, capital, profitability and financial ratio analysis. The major assumption that will be used in the plan will be: The prevailing market and economic conditions prevail. Methodology The plan will be prepared based on projection of financial statements. ... According to Lemieux (2013), The various parameters that have taken into consideration for evaluation of the net income of the firms are the general, selling and administrative expenses, depreciation, regulatory expense, insurance costs of the company, rental charges to be paid for the establishment of the business, cost of advertising, utility bills, etc (Lemieux, 2013, p.39). These expenses are adjusted to the gross earnings to form the net earnings of the company. The net earnings of the company are important for the calculation of the net operating cash flows. The net operating cash flow has been forecasted to be 35500 pounds which is expected to increase gradually in the next two years. There are investment cash flows for firms which would involve cash outflows for purchase of fixed assets of the company and other capital expenditures. The cash out flows on account of investment activity of the business is valued at 16250 pounds. The investment activities are expected to increas e in the first three years as the business would focus on increasing their market share. The cash outflows due to financing activities would be due to the interest payment for the debt incurred from the bank and the interest paid to the creditors. The cash outflow for financing activities of the business would be 15650 pounds that is anticipated to increase in the next two years. The net cash flows for the business have been forecasted to be 3600 pounds which is expected to increase by 10% in the next two years as shown in Table 4 in the Appendix. Uses of the data The profit and loss statement and the balance sheet have been forecasted as a part of the business plan and have been presented in Table 2 and Table 3 respectively in the

Critically discuss 'SWOT analysis is deeply flawed and should not be Essay

Critically discuss 'SWOT analysis is deeply flawed and should not be applied as a modern marketing tool.' - Essay Example The paper also analyses the relevance of SWOT analysis for the purpose of marketing analysis and concludes in dismissing the use of SWOT for strategic decision making process and establishes it as a mere information guideline for managers. The SWOT analysis method is not, by any means, a process that can carry forth any strategic analysis, competitive analysis or an opportunity analysis. The tool is used to represent a structure that calls for extensive brainstorming while making any strategic decisions. As a result of such structure of the SWOT tool, it is possible that the problem being analysed or identified is broken down into life stages and phases. Such brainstorming and breaking down of a problem into phases allows for gaining a huge collection of possible ideas that might have cause the problem or offer solutions to the issue at hand. Such SWOT tool can also be used multiple times (Symes, n.d.). The paper identifies that the SWOT tool is merely a step in the process of business plan or marketing initiative. For issues that need a deeper understanding an evaluation, the SWOT tool appears largely incapable and this is why it is considered to be a broad overview of all the possible factors that might affect a marketing decision. The paper begins with a discussion on the drawbacks of the SWOT analysis tool as a base for modern marketing decisions and discusses its applicability flaws in relation with the marketing objectives. It concludes in stating that the SWOT is a presentation of facts and not a decision making tool. For the purpose of deeper understanding of issues, the SWOT lacks largely and needs to be assisted by other marketing tools (Queensland Government, 2013). It has been argued that the theoretical base for SWOT analysis is very weak. The analysis has been accused of being very superficial and not running deep into the analysis of the context. For example, the SWOT analysis states the facts just like a

Organizations Workforce Diversity And Its Competitive Advantage Commerce Essay

Organizations Workforce Diversity And Its Competitive Advantage Commerce Essay The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of leadership style over the relationship between organizations workforce diversity and its competitive advantage with mission and vision statements as intervening variable. Most organizations are adopting diversity into their policies and procedures to embrace its benefits and there is a growing recognition that it makes business sense to take diversity seriously. The demographics of working population has changed in last two decades with more mature workforce remaining in the workplace, now more female employees are seen in higher positions and there is also a variation in cultural backgrounds. Therefore, it seems beneficial for organizations to hire diverse workforce to meet the demands of customer expectations. Organizations that are flexible and responsive to a demanding marketplace require the service of multi-skilled, adaptable workforce. One clear competitive advantage for organizations having diverse workforce is that it pro vides an environment that values differences among employees and encourages them for different ways of thinking and behaving during work to fully contribute to organizational aims and objectives. Employers providing such an environment get the support of their employees and develop a positive public image. It must be understood that each member of diverse workforce holds his differences and similarities; hence, valuing and managing diversity is about recognizing the unique contribution each employee can make to the organization. It is about creating an environment in which everyone feels valued, welcomed, and able to make an important contribution toward the attainment of corporate objectives. Additionally, companies facing challenges in competing global marketplace for market share can use diversity as competitive advantage in a multicultural environment with a diverse pool of talented and experienced individuals who can bring innovation and creativity to the organization. Literature Review Diversity is not only associated to limited attributes that can be observed but also to those invisible characteristics such as differences in educational background, creativity, understanding, learning style, and problem-solving ability (Nafukho et al., 2011). So, organizational performances and processes can be influenced by an individual or a group representing different categories of diversity within a workplace. (van Knippenberg and Schippers, 2007). Diversity is defined as any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another (Giovannini, 2004, p. 22). Hence, diversity affects the organizations effectiveness and performance in terms of competitive advantage. (Joshi and Roh, 2009; Klein et al., 2011). This presumes that performance has a relation with organizations ability to achieve goals with respect to its mission or vision (Devine and Philips, 2001). In other words, performance is deemed as an outcome which is a result of some purposeful activity to achieve competitive advantage as mentioned in mission or vision statements of an organization. (Swanson and Holton, 2009). As the organization strives to achieve its goals or objectives, conflict may arise within the diverse groups to cope up the challenges of differences among them which keep them from achieving organizational performance. (Østergaard et al., 2011). Since, Human Resource Department (HRD) deals primarily with performance of individuals, groups and organization at large to achieve competitive advantage, so diverse workforce demands the attention of HRD scholars and practitioners on the issues that arise in organization. It can be observed in modern trends for companies to use diverse workforce for completing special tasks which help achieve competitive advantage (Garrison et al., 2010) and there is always potential for the occurrence of conflict among such diverse groups which can derail the organization from achieving effectiveness. Hence, it becomes the resp onsibility of HRD to address such conflicts in advance and use the knowledge of how to build the high performing and productive teams of diverse workforce who can to the overall competitive advantage of organization (Klein et al., 2011). Evidently, most companies find diversity as a way to increase business competency, to improve net income, to gain competitive advantage, to build the effectiveness to compete in global markets, to improve business performance, to achieve higher employee satisfaction, to enhance corporate governance, to attract diverse talents and skills and to retain the workforce that maintains the customer base (McCuiston et al., 2004). Moreover, culturally diverse workforce brings benefits to business economy (Ferley et al., 2003) and leads to better performance of the business (Richard, 2000). According to Adler (1997), a company with a diverse workforce has greater chances for building an innovative working environment. This statement is beautifully expressed in the words of White (1999), who states that creativity thrives on diversity. These benefits can be derived from the proper implementation of diversity-promoting policies (Jamrog, 2002). Many firms today seem to be increasingly embracing r acial, ethnic and gender workforce balance, not for legal or ethical obligations, but as a matter of taking a progressive perspective on economic self-interest (Coil and Rice, 1993). It has been recognized recently that increasing diverse workforce has presented both opportunities and challenges for organizations which are striving for efficiency, innovativeness and global competitive advantage (Barak, 1999). As the global markets are getting more complex, utilization of organizations knowledge, skills and abilities is getting even more crucial in this rapidly increasing competition where organizations want to be more creative and innovative (Ng and Tung, 1998). In order to manage the growing diversity of the work force, organizations need to implement such systems and practices so that the potential advantages of diversity are maximized and the potential disadvantages are minimized (Cox, 1994). In the past two decades several academic researches have been conducted on various issues relating diversity. Richard (2000) examined the impact of diversity on organization and its productivity while Jackson (1993) found the positive relationship between diversity and cr eativity. Diversity research has also addressed the factors involved in assimilating new employees into an organizations culture (Berry and Sam, 1997). However, some argue that by its fundamental nature, assimilating new employees to obtain greater fit between the person and organization is achieved at the expense of diversity (Powell, 1998). In other research, Tsui et al. (1992) showed that race and gender has negative relationship with diversity as compared to age. Other studies have also consistently found that observable attributes have negative effects on outcomes such as identification with the group and job satisfaction at both the individual and group level of analysis (Milliken and Martins, 1996). Further, Milliken and Martins (1996) supported the argument of Tsui et al. (1992) that racial and gender diversity can have negative influence on individual and team outcomes in some cases regardless of age. As an example, they referred to those groups members who differ from the larger group tend to show less commitment, more turnover and absenteeism while at the same time this results in additional costs, such as, group coordination cost, communication cost and training and development cost. So, according to them, diversity results in increase in coordination and control costs. Dadfar and Gustavsson (1992) found that the majority of site managers believed that managers/supervisors are less effective when managing a work group composed of several nationalities. This is because language was regarded as a major obstacle to effective communication among workers of different nationalities. However, Watson et al. (1993) argue that these negative effects may diminish with time and may be offset by better quality and more creative decisions. Having said that, it is important to understand that even for those who decide to embrace diversity as a concept, the road to diversity is not without challenges. Many businesses fail to the see the full picture of diversity or understand all of its impacts on their operations (Farrer, 2004), as leading a diverse workforce requires considerable time, energy and skill. A diverse workforce represents many challenges to management in areas such as workplace authority, trust and commitment, different work ethics, firm structure and work-life balance (McCuiston et al., 2004). Diversity challenges also include training costs, discrimination and conflicts. The increase in training cost results from the needed diversity-promoting programs which need to be administered to all employees (White, 1999). The problem of perceived discrimination arises when a certain group feels that they have been unfairly discriminated against, which leads to a sense of rejection towards the group that was perceived as having unjustifiable benefits, which could lead to an increase in conflicts. According to Jehn (1995), the increase in conflicts possibly leading to tension and animosity occurs when employees do not have similar views on a particular issue and in turn such conflicts could have detrimental effects on performance. These effects include directing the attention of employees to each other instead of the job, increasing stress and anxiety, and it can result in hostile interaction among members (Chuang et al., 2004). Leadership Leadership remained the single most important issue in annual surveys for identifying top management issues during all times (HRI, 2002a). To manage a diverse workforce, organizations need visionary leaders but availability of them is scarce. According to the study by Diversity Inc. (2002), it is forecasted that many top management of many leading companies will lose one in five top managers due to retirement. Let alone, US companies will lose 40 percent or more of their top executives till 2015 (Wellins and Byham, 2001). One solution offered to this scarcity is to develop leaders at every level and in every function in an organization (Hesselbein, 2002). For this solution, Kappa Omicron Nu Honor Society (2002) advised the most effective leadership components to manage diversity, which are: Sensitivity and awareness about diverse workforce. Resources to strengthen and improve the quality of diverse individuals Inter-communication skills to solve mutual differences Strategies to maximize the effectiveness of diverse workforce. The goal should be to develop cross-cultural leaders and generate a new crop of multicultural professionals (Yukl, 2002). These leaders are provided with the required resources and authorities to manage workforce. The focus should be to enhance their listening, learning, networking, communication, and experimenting skills to manage a diverse workforce (Melymuka, 2001). Finally an effective strategy must be developed to include diversity at all levels of management, and there must be commitment to diversity at senior levels where it is strategically more important (Conklin, 2001). This strategy must be evident in organizations mission and vision statement and should involve a systemic, results-oriented, business-based approach (Fitzpatrick, 1997). Yet companies do not seek diversity unless this business competency results in increased profit and metrics that substantiate the necessity to expand the emphasis on diversity (Diversity Inc., 2002). Irrefutable measurable benefits can be de rived from properly implemented policies to promote diversity (Jamrog, 2002). The most evident measurable benefits are improved bottom line, competitive advantage, superior business performance, employee satisfaction and loyalty, strengthened relationship with multicultural communities, and attracting the best and the brightest candidates. Competitive advantage defined in diversity as, Recruiting and retaining people of diverse backgrounds who can share a common set of values. . .and approach to business is a priority for todays competitive organization (McCormack, 2002, p. 1). Jamrog (2002) suggested three-point approach to enhance effectiveness of leadership to manage diverse workforce: premise, guidelines and actions. There are three premises that leaders need to value diversity: (1) One size doesnt fit all leaders need to use different approaches for solving problems and developing workers as all situations and individuals are not the same, (2) Not everyone can be a leader organizational should focus only on individuals who have the ingredients of becoming a good leader, and (3) Leaders can be at any level or function anyone who can inspire, influence and guide others in the organization is a leader regardless of position. The five guidelines that leaders need to value diversity are: (1) Communicate, communicate, and communicate share freely your ideas, suggestions, opinions; listen to ideas of others with interest, (2) Build contact into your daily actions and duties Plan your actions, meetings, and duties so as to maximize contact with multiple p eople in the organization. (3) Manage and lead by walking around Be outside the office frequently and interact informally with others of different levels, functions, backgrounds and experience, (4) Champion diversity Bring in the contribution of everyone to increase commitment, innovation and creativity, and (5) Sponsor diversity Defend the decisions, actions and interactions while supporting everyone in the organization. Lastly, the five actions that leaders need to value diversity are: (1) Assessment of leadership potential within the organizations, (2) Provision of training and tools, (3) Inclusion of diversity at all levels, (4) measuring and rewarding efforts, and (5) encouraging the organization to be patient. Conceptual Framework: Research Methodology:

Book Review of Goosebumps Stay Out of the Basement :: essays research papers

I have read a book called Goosebumps Stay Out Of the Basement. It was an intresting book and it was a little confusing because the characters jumped around in the story. Also, when you were reading the story you feel like you missed out on a part and you just have to go along with the story and find things that happen in the past. The author of this book is R. L.Stine. He has written many books in the Goosebumps series and they all hold there scariness in many ways.They are a series of scary and supernatural made up stories.These are some books that he has written:The Abdominal Snowman of Pasadena,Attack of the Mutant,Bad Hare Day,The Barking Ghost,The Cuckcoo clock of Doom,The Curse of the Mummy's tomb,Deep Trouble,Egg Monsters From Mars and many more.The genre of this book is fiction because it has ficticious characters that are not real and are not true including monsters. I chose this book because it looked very intresting and I was very drawn to this book when I saw it. By just looking at the picture on the front cover was very intresting and creepy and I like those things. In the beginning of the story, Margaret and Casey are talking about how there dad a scientist is acting very weird. They notice that he has been down there in the basement with his plants and weird machines for a long time. He had hardly ever come up from the basement to get fresh air. When he did come up he would'nt even want to catch a frisbee. He also did not spend two minutes with either of them when he did come up. They also notice his skin getting a pale green and speaks in very bad manners that the kids have never heard before. Then in the middle of the book they find out some very uncomfortable things about there dad and they feel as if he is not there dads anymore. When the two kids had gone down into the the basement [which there dad had yelled at them and told them not to go down there] they found a whole bunch of weird plants and the air was all mooshy and thick. They kinda noticed that one of the plants were breathing and it was true because when they went near the pla nt you could actually hear it breathing.