Critical Analysis †Night of the Living Dead Essay

1968’s â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† is one of the most influential zombie movies of all time. Despite its extremely low budget the movie was a great success. I actually believe that the limited budget is what made the movie successful. Due to the fact that it was shot in black-and-white, it gave the film an unique look contributing to its style. In various instances during the movie it the movie looks like a documentary, which adds to the realism of the movie. But what makes the movies scary? The zombies are the main element of horror in Night of the Living Dead. The viewer is afraid of the threat the zombies represent. They carry the horror, hold our attention, instill dread and act as the prime motivator. During the 1960s, this movie really shocked its audiences with its gory violent scenes and twisted plot lines. The brutal scenes in the movie produce a type of â€Å"pain† on the viewer – the images of the vicious deaths allows the audience to envision what it would be like to be in that situation. So, when we view a scene like the eating of the flesh from the victims of the car explosion, we are reacting bodily to the actions of the zombies. Scenes such as that one feel and look real to the viewer contributing to the horror and truthfulness of the movie. 1. After decades of cinematic re-releases, the film was a financial success, grossing $12 million domestically and $18 million internationally. This fact shows how successful this movie really was. 2. The initial budget was $6,000 with the ten members of the production company investing $600 each for a share of the profits. When it was found that another $6,000 was required another ten investors were found but this was also soon found to be inadequate. Image Ten eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget. 3. â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† has been remade twice. The first remake was made in 1990 and it included more gore and a revised plot. The other remake was made in 2005. All of these facts contribute to the fact that â€Å"Night of the Living† dead is  one of the most influential zombie movies of all time. The director, Geroge A. Romero, completely revolutionized the horror film genre with this movie. â€Å"Night of the Living Dead† also redefined the word â€Å"zombie†. While the word â€Å"zombie† itself is never used, Romero’s film introduced the theme of zombies as reanimated, flesh-eating cannibals. [1] â€Å"Night of the Living Dead.† Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Jan. 2012. . [1]

Chapter6: Advertising Design

Chapter6: Advertising Design 1. How can the hierarchy of effects model and a means-ends analysis help an advertising creative design better commercials? 6steps of hierarchy of effects: Awareness-Knowledge-Liking-Preference-Conviction-purchase The six steps are sequential, although some experts question if they are really sequential. But, the basic model says they are sequential and that consumers spend some time at each step. For instance, before a consumer can like a brand, they first must be aware of it and develop some knowledge of it. To develop brand loyalty, consumers must go through all six steps.It is similar to attitude formation and the cognitive-affective-conative sequence. Cognitive component of attitude is the awareness and knowledge. Affective component of attitude is the liking, preference, and conviction. Conative component of attitude is the purchase. The second theory that it is important to consider is means-end theory. The basic concept is that a means, the messag e, leads to an end-state, or personal value. The model suggests six elements that are critical to ad design. Product attributes lead to consumer benefits. The leverage point connects that benefit to the personal value.Taglines are used to make an important and memorable point about the product. 2. How can leverage points and taglines increase advertising effectiveness? Leverage points are important. They move consumers from the benefits to the personal values. It links attributes to benefits to personal values. The leverage point should be associated with some component of attitude change. To be effective, ads need powerful leverage points. The leverage point can be a visual, part of a visual, a headline, a tagline or even copy in the ad. Most creatives spend considerable time thinking about and creating a good leverage point.Taglines are key phrases in an advertisement. They are designed to be memorable, unique, and offer a special meaning about the brand. Taglines can provide cons istency across ads and across advertising campaigns. Taglines become identified with a specific brand and transcend any specific ad or ad campaign. Developing good taglines is important because it lives with that brand and is around a long time, such as Nike’s tagline â€Å"Just Do It. † While taglines can be changed, companies have to be careful not to confuse customers and convey conflicting messages about the brand. 3.What roles do visual and verbal images play in advertisements? The last theory of design to be considered is the relationship between the verbal and visual elements of an advertisement. Most ads seek to have a balance between visual and verbal, but usually one will be more dominant than the other. One reason for the change is that visual processing is easier for consumers to recall. Visuals are stored in the brain both as pictures and as words. Concrete images tend to be remembered better than abstract visuals. If consumers can create a mental image or picture, it actually is superior to seeing the visual, in terms of recall.So radio ads that can make listeners use their imagination and picture the product work very well. Visual esperanto is the ability of a visual to transcend cultures and languages conveying the same meaning. It is especially beneficial in international ads where advertisers want to convey the same message to every market in the world. Business-to-business ads in the past emphasized verbal content, but in recent years have moved to more visuals. 4. What are the seven main types of advertising appeals? * Fear * Humor * Sex * Music * Rationality * Emotions * Scarcity 5. How can fear be used to create an effective ad?Fear appeals are common and are used for products ranging from insurance, to home security systems, to deodorant. Fear appeals increase interest and are remembered by individuals. Severity is the level of consequence that will occur and vulnerability is the probability of the event happening. Response efficacy is the likelihood that a change in behavior or actions will result in a desirable positive consequence. Intrinsic reward is the internal satisfaction and extrinsic reward is the value of the event or reward received. Response cost is the cost or sacrifice the person will need to make to obtain the reward.Self-efficacy is the confidence a person has in his/her own ability to engage in the action, or to stop an undesirable behavior. All of these factors influence the effectiveness of an ad using a fear appeal. The behavioral response model explains how fear appeals work. For a product, such as a home security system ad can focus on severity, what happens when a home is broken into, or the vulnerability, which would be the probability of it actually occurring. The ad can show the negative consequence of such an event. An ad can show the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards from installing a security system.Response efficacy can be illustrated by the alarm going off when a burglar tries to enter and the police are called. Peace of mind and security are then shown as the positive consequence. 6. How can humor be used to create an effective ad? Humor is an excellent appeal for getting and keeping someone’s attention. Humor is used in about 30% of television and radio ads. Humor causes individuals to stop what they are doing, watch, laugh at, and then remember the ad. In recall tests, consumers most often remembered humorous ads over ads with other types of appeals. The best results occur when the humor is connected naturally with the product.Advantages: Humor piques consumer interest. Humor increases recall and comprehension of ads. Humor elevates people’s moods, and if people feel good about an ad, they will tend to think positively about the brand being advertised. Problems occur when the humor is offensive or overpowers the message. To prevent the humor from overpowering the message, the humor should focus on the product and not stand alone. Hu mor is rooted in culture and so what is funny in one country is not likely to be funny in another. Good humor that is remembered and that is connected with the brand is difficult to achieve. . Why does sex play such a prominent role in advertising? Sex appeals are often used to break advertising clutter. The use of sex appeals has increased in the United States and in many other countries. The problem is that sex appeals may not carry the impact they used to because children are growing up exposed to sexual themes all around them. As a result, many advertisers are moving to more subtle sexual clues and a softer sexual approach. 8. How can music, rationality, and scarcity be used to increase advertising effectiveness? Music is an important part of advertising.It connects with emotions and generates memories. It has intrusive value and gets attention. Music increases the retention of visual information. It produces higher recall scores and can increase persuasiveness. Music tends to b e stored in long-term memory and consumers often tie a particular music or song with a particular brand of product. Music appeals offer a number of advantages. Consumers have an affinity with existing songs so when an existing song is used, consumers have already heard it and most have developed emotions with it. Brand awareness, brand equity, and brand loyalty become easier with music appeals.One reason mcgarrybowen sent a creative brief to musicians and asked them to write a song is that to purchase the rights to current popular songs can be extremely expensive. Musicians have become more open to writing and performing songs for ads. It is a way to be heard. Songs are often posted on YouTube and other sites. Occasionally, the full song version of a tune written for an ad will become popular and move to radio stations and other popular outlets for music. Rational appeals are based on the hierarchy of effects model and the sequence of steps outlined in the model. It implies active p rocessing of information.Rational appeals work best for print ads where longer copy can be inserted and online where there is very little limit to what copy can be inserted. Rational appeals are common in business-to-business ads, again in print media, especially trade publications. When members of the buying center are searching for information, ads using rationale appeals can be effective. Rationale appeals work well for complex and high involvement products. If a person processes the information in a rationale ad, it is excellent at changing attitudes. Scarcity appeals recommend consumers to make a purchase now because of some type of limitation.Often that limitation is limited supply so the product must be purchased before they are all gone. It can be based on limited time. You only have 5 days or one week, or just one hour. Scarcity appeals are often tied to other promotions such as contests, sweepstakes, and coupons. The concept is to encourage customers to take action, now, a nd not wait, or it will be too late. 9. What are the primary areas of concern in international advertising? Chapter7: 1. How are the three main types of message strategies used to increase advertising effectiveness? Cognitive message strategy: presents rational arguments or pieces of information to consumers. ) Generic cognitive message strategy promotes a product’s attributes or benefits in a straight forward manner without any claims of superiority. This ad for Koestler Granite and Marble uses a generic strategy. Generic message strategies can stimulate brand awareness. It can also strive to make the brand synonymous with the brand category. b) Preemptive cognitive message strategy makes a claim of superiority based on a product’s specific attribute or benefit with the intent of preventing the competition from making the same claim. This advertisement for Waterfront Grill uses a preemptive message strategy.An effective preemptive message strategy can occur when a com pany is the first to state an advantage or benefit. c) Unique selling proposition message strategy focuses on a testable claim of uniqueness or superiority. d) Comparative cognitive message strategy focuses on a direct or indirect comparison to a competing brand. The brand can be real, mentioned, or fictitious. The advantage of comparative ads is that they tend to capture attention. Brand awareness and message awareness tend to be higher. The negative is that they can be less believable and can create a negative attitude.This is most likely to occur when a negative comparison approach is used in the ad, downgrading the competing brand. If the consumer does not believe the ad, then spontaneous trait transference can occur, which is placing the negative trait on the advertised brand instead of the competitor. It is important to choose competitors wisely in making comparisons. Advertisements that invoke feelings or emotions are affective message strategies. These messages attempt to en hance the likeability of a product, recall of the message, and comprehension of the message. ) Resonance advertising connects a product with a consumer’s experiences from the past in order to develop a bond with the brand. Often, advertisers will use music from that generation to create that emotional bond. b) Emotional messages attempt to elicit emotions that will lead to product recall and choice. Many different emotions can be connected with a product. Emotional messages are used in both consumer and business-to-business advertising. Affective message strategies help develop brand equity through creating an emotional bond with the brand.Conative message strategies are designed to lead directly to some type of action or response. a) Action-inducing conative ads encourage consumers (or businesses) to act in some way, to do something. It can be to make an inquiry or access a Web site for more information. b) Promotional support conative messages are tied with some type of pro motion. It may be a coupon, a contest, or a sweepstake. 2. How do the main types of executional frameworks help to deliver quality advertising messages? 3. What types of sources or spokespersons can be used in advertisements or commercials? Advertisers have four choices –Celebrities: The most common type of spokesperson is the celebrity. They are featured in about 6% of all ads. A celebrity can enhance brand equity and create emotional bonds with the brand. Celebrities are more effective with younger consumers than with older individuals. Athletes are a popular category of spokespersons. Celebrity spokespersons can be used to establish a brand’s personality. Categories of celebrity: Unpaid celebrity endorsements will sometimes occur with a charity or cause. When celebrities endorse a cause and are not being paid for the endorsement, they carry a high level of credibility.Celebrity voice-overs are used because of the quality of their voice. Sometimes it is because the v oice can be recognized and will influence consumers. At other times the voice-over is a distraction because consumers pay too much attention to the voice and don’t hear the brand message. The last category, dead celebrities is somewhat controversial. It is becoming more common because they can’t bring negative publicity to themselves or the brand. CEO: CEOs can be used as spokespersons. They work well if they are highly visible and personable. They can be a major asset to a company.They work especially well for local companies where consumers in that area know them personally, or at least have met them. Expert spokespersons: should be experts in their fields. They then serve as an authoritative figure and can provide expert opinions. Typical persons: It can be either paid actors who portray a typical person, or it can be everyday, ordinary people. 4. What process is used to create advertisements? While a creative may not draw a means-end chain out as was illustrated in this text, the creative will consider the product’s attribute, benefits, and the values it can fulfill.Decisions then must be made about the leverage point, the appeal, the message strategy and the execution. Finally, if a spokesperson is going to be used, the agency and client will need to decide who it will be. Visual consistency across ads and across campaigns allows consumers to quickly identify an advertisement and a brand. Campaign duration is always an issue. From a cost perspective, clients want a campaign to last a long time. But, wear-out occurs and then ads are ignored. Timing for new campaigns is difficult to determine. Taglines repeated in ads helps tie campaigns together and identify a brand.It is important to use consistent positioning to avoid ambiguity and confusion. If at all possible, keep it simple. Use only one identifiable selling point. Don’t overwhelm consumers with too much information or too many benefits. Lastly, create ads that flow and are visually appealing. 5. What are the principles of advertising effectiveness? Producing effective ads requires the joint efforts of the client and agency personnel. This slide lists some important principles to follow. Visual consistency across ads and across campaigns allows consumers to quickly identify an advertisement and a brand. Campaign duration is always an issue.From a cost perspective, clients want a campaign to last a long time. But, wear-out occurs and then ads are ignored. Timing for new campaigns is difficult to determine. Taglines repeated in ads helps tie campaigns together and identify a brand. It is important to use consistent positioning to avoid ambiguity and confusion. If at all possible, keep it simple. Use only one identifiable selling point. Don’t overwhelm consumers with too much information or too many benefits. Lastly, create ads that flow and are visually appealing. 6. How are advertising programs adjusted to fit international circumstances?Chapter 8: Traditional Media Channels 1. What is a media strategy? Media strategy involves analyzing and choosing media for an advertising and promotions campaign. Choosing the best media to speak to potential customers is a challenge. It involves matching a target audience to the media audience of specific programs. 2. What elements and individuals are involved in media planning? Media planning begins with a careful analysis of the target market. It involves understanding the process they use in making purchases, the consumer behavior events that guide those choices.It involves studying the media choices the target market makes and understanding their listening and viewing habits. To match the media to the target market requires understanding the target market. Components of media plan: marketing analysis provides a comprehensive review of the marketing program and where advertising fits into the plan. An advertising analysis states the primary advertising strategy and budget to be used, a s well as the advertising objectives. The media strategy spells out the media to be used and the creative considerations. The media schedule notes when ads will appear in individual media vehicles.The media planning concludes with a justification and summary of the media plan. Individual involved: Media planners work closely with the creative staff, the account executive, account planners, and media buyers. Media buyers actually purchase the space and negotiate rates for ads. Placement is important and is part of the media buyer’s responsibility to ensure a good location for ads. Research has shown there is little connection between the size of the agency and the price negotiated. Being a large agency does not guarantee lower prices. A spot ad is a one-time placement of an advertisement.The rates are negotiated individually with television stations and as a result prices vary considerably. The effectiveness of media buyers is determined by the quality of the media choice, the creativity of the media buyer in negotiating and placing ads, financial stewardship of the buyer, the agency’s culture and track record in buying media, and in the relationships the media buyer develops with the media reps. 3. How do the terms used to describe advertising help the marketing team design effective campaigns? * Reach: Number in target audience exposed, typically 4-week period * Frequency: Average number of exposures Opportunities to see (OTS): Cumulative exposures, Placements x frequency * Gross rating points (GRPs): Measures impact of intensity of media plan, Vehicle rating x OTS (number of insertions) * Costs: Cost per thousand (CPM), CPM allows for cost comparisons * Ratings and Cost per Rating Point (CPRP): Ratings measure percent of target market exposed by medium, CPRP allows for comparison across media, Cost of media buy / vehicle’s rating, Weighted CPM * Continuity: Continuous campaign, Pulsating campaign, Flighting (or discontinuous) campaign * Impressions: Gross impressions – total audience exposed to ad 4.What are some of the primary advertising objectives? The three-exposure hypothesis was introduced by Herbert Krugman. The hypothesis states that it takes at least 3 exposures to an ad for it to have an effect. It also is based on the idea that advertising has intrusion value, which is viewers will pay attention to an ad even if they don’t want to. Most advertisers feel three exposures are not enough and that advertising today does not always display intrusion value.Consumers have selective attention and focus. They pay attention to only certain ads. According to recency theory, one ad exposure may be enough if the person has an interest in that product or for some other reason pays attention to the ad and suggests advertising needs to be continuous since most of the time ads are ignored and increasing exposure through adding reach is more important than adding frequency.Effective reach is the percent of th e audience that must be exposed to an advertisement to achieve a specific objective. Effective frequency is the number of times and audience must be exposed to an advertisement to achieve a specific objective. If there are too few ads or reach is too low, then the campaign is not effective. If the ads are seen too many times then resources are being wasted. The size and placement of ads impact exposure and impact effective reach and effective frequency.Advertisers today have computer models that will help them optimize media schedules. 5. What are the advantages and disadvantages associated with each of the traditional advertising media? TV: Advantages: High reach, High frequency potential, Low cost per contact, Quality creative opportunities, High intrusion value, Segmentation possibilities through cable outlets Disadvantages: Greater clutter, Channel surfing during commercials, Short mount of copy, High cost per ad, Low recall due to clutter Radio: Advantages: Lower cost per spot than television, Low production cost, Music can match station’s programming, High segmentation potential, Flexibility in making new ads, Able to modify ads to fit local conditions, Intimacy (with DJs and radio personalities), Creative opportunities with music and other sounds, Mobile: people carry radios everywhere Disadvantages: Short exposure time, Low attention, few chances to reach national audience, Target duplication when several stations use same format Outdoor: Advantages: Large, spectacular ads possible, Able to select geographic areas, Accessible for local ads, Low cost per impression, Broad reach, High frequency on major commute routes Disadvantages: Legal limitations, Short exposure time, Brief messages, Little segmentation possible, Cluttered travel routes Magazine: Advantages: High market segmentation, Targeted audience interest by magazine, High color quality, Long life, Direct response techniques, Read during leisure time, Longer attention to ads Disadvantages : Long lead time for ads, little flexibility, High cost, High level of clutter, Declining readership Newspaper: Advantages: Priority for local ads, Coupons and special-response features, High credibility, Strong audience interest, longer copy/message possible, High flexibility, Cumulative volume discounts Disadvantages: Major clutter, Short life span, Poor quality reproduction, Limited audience, Poor buying procedures 6. How can the marketing team use the media mix to increase advertising effectiveness? * Selecting the proper blend of media outlets for advertisements is crucial. The work of media planners is especially important. It is their task to match target markets with media audiences, to know what media a specific target market uses. The media multiplier effect suggests that combining two or more media increases the impact of an advertising campaign more than any one medium by itself. This is true in both the consumer market and the B-to-B market. 7.What are the key issues as sociated with media selection for business-to-business markets? * B-to-B ads looking more like consumer ads * Reasons for shift * Decision makers also consumers * Decision makers difficult to reach * Clutter in B-to-B traditional media * Increase in advertising through consumer media * Trade publications still important * Same with Business magazines 8. What issues are associated with media selection in international markets? * Media importance varies. * Media viewing habits vary across countries. * Media buying is different. * Cultural mores vary. Chapter9: E-active Marketing 1. What is e-active marketing? It combines the two major components of e-commerce and interactive marketing.E-commerce consists of click-only operations that sell exclusively online and bricks-and-clicks that operate both a retail store and are online. E-commerce is being conducted in both the consumer sector and the B-to-B sector. Interactive marketing is the development of marketing programs that create two- way communications and enhance engagement of consumers with the brand. The Internet is the ideal medium for interactive marketing. It can track activity, where a person goes and what they do. It can personalize messages. The emphasis of interactive marketing is two-fold – to target individuals and to engage consumers. 2. How had Web 2. 0 affected the field of marketing communications? * Companies shifting dollars to online communication Changes consumer communications and interactions with companies * Pushing to â€Å"real-time† communications * Instant communications and instant service * Instant response to negative events 3. How can e-commerce programs and incentives build a stronger customer base and overcome customer concerns at the same time? E-commerce component: Catalogs * Easy to use * Photos, streaming videos, information * Match store and printed catalog * Sears â€Å"Shop Your Way† * Products not in store or printed catalog * Choose where to purchase Shopping carts * Allows consumers to select products * â€Å"Save† or â€Å"Wish† button * Shoppers abandoning shopping cart Payment systems * Easy, quick, and convenient * Multiple methods * B-to-B voucher or charge systemStore locators * Customers who want to pick up an item at the store. Customization * Customers prefer * Promotions from Web site * Access via mobile phone Customer reviews and feedback * Emerging trend * Provides opportunity for interaction * Provides level of confidence Financial incentives can persuade an individual or business to make that first purchase. The most effective financial incentives are reduced prices, free shipping, and e-coupons. Of the three incentives, 80% of shoppers say they prefer free shipping. Financial incentives must be meaningful and to generate return traffic to the site the incentive needs to be changed periodically.Online operations can offer financial incentives because of cheaper operational costs. The company has low er shipping costs since customers most of the time pay shipping. There are lower labor and personnel costs since there is no retail operation. Orders can be shipped directly from the warehouse to customers. Convenience incentives make the online shopping experience easier and encourage return visits. E-commerce is available 24/7. People can place orders at anytime from anywhere. It is important to have product information online so consumers can conduct research anytime. Online peer reviews are helpful and in the Web 2. 0 are expected. If consumers can compare brands online, that makes it easier for them.Value-added incentives encourage customers to come back to an e-commerce site, and change purchasing habits long-term. Value-added incentives are things that customers value. 4. What makes e-commerce a crucial part of business-to-business commerce? E-commerce is critical in the business-to-business sector. Many business transactions are conducted over the Web. The number of hits at a business site is directly related to expenditures in offline advertising and sales promotion offers. The incentives to gain business customers are the same as for consumer customers – financial, convenience, and value-added incentives. A major component of B-to-B e-commerce is online exchanges and auctions.These sites allow for bidding for materials and supplies, and can connect buyers and sellers. 5. How can interactive marketing and online advertising increase brand awareness, sales, and customer loyalty? Interactive marketing is the development of marketing programs that create two-way communications and enhance engagement of consumers with the brand. The Internet is the ideal medium for interactive marketing. It can track activity, where a person goes and what they do. It can personalize messages. The emphasis of interactive marketing is two-fold – to target individuals and to engage consumers. Steps in developing interactive marketing: a) Cultivate an attitude o f giving b) Gain trust ) Identify your one word brand d) Define your ultimate vision e) Choose your communication channels f) Evaluate and adjust Online advertising is effective if ads are placed on the right Websites and the messages resonate with individuals. Budgets for online advertising have increased in recent years and will continue to increase. One reason for the shift to online advertising is the metrics available to measure results. Online metrics provide for almost instant measurements of results. A company can see how many hits an ad produces and even what percent make a purchase. Types of online advertising: * Display or banner ad * Classified ads * Search advertising Media/video ads 6. How can brand spiraling and blogs generate positive outcomes for the marketing department? Brand spiraling is the use of traditional media to promote and attract people to a Web site. With direct mail and e-mail, companies can use PURLs, which are personalized URLs that are preloaded wit h personal and customized information for that consumer. Best results are obtained when online advertising is integrated with offline advertising. Blogs are online musings, written content put on the Web for others to read. Blogs provide a venue for people to talk online and can generate considerable online buzz, especially for hot topics.A survey of online users found that about 47% go to social networks to download coupons and search for information about products. About 45% access social networks to learn about upcoming sales and to obtain discounts on products. About 22% read or write a product review on a blog. 7. Why have online social networks, consumer-generated advertising and reviews, e-mail, and viral marketing become key components of marketing communications programs? a) Important component of interactive strategy * Integrate with other channels * Resemble information on Web site b) Using Web analytics to direct e-mail campaign * Individuals who visit Web site * Individ uals who abandon shopping cart * Targeted e-mails have higher conversion rates ) E-mail newsletters * Build brand awareness * Drive Web traffic * Customers sign up for newsletters * Provide value * Free subscription * Tie-in with Web site Viral marketing is the passing along of a marketing message to others in some way. It can be through an e-mail or on a blog. It is form of word-of-mouth endorsement. Viral messages can be advertisements, hyperlinks to promotions, online newsletters, streaming videos, or games. 8. How can e-active marketing be conducted successfully in international markets? A major advantage of E-active marketing is that it can be global. It doesn’t matter where the customer is or where the company is located.But, a number of e-commerce businesses do not take advantage of global customers. Shipping can be an issue. It may be difficult and expensive to ship a product to Japan or India. Payment methods also vary widely, but can be handled through companies suc h as PayPal. Communication can be an issue, although many people can read English. Technology is important to consider. Videos that play well with broadband connections may not work well in other countries with slower speeds. Chapter10: alternative marketing 1. How can buzz marketing, guerilla marketing, lifestyle marketing, and experiential marketing enhance a marketing communications program?Buzz Marketing: Buzz marketing emphasizes consumers passing along information about a product and since it is word-of-mouth from an individual, it has a higher level of credibility. Methods of generating buzz are through consumers who use and truly like a brand: uses it is the ideal brand ambassador. They can spread buzz through personal conversations with people and also online through chat rooms, blogs, and e-mails, consumers who are sponsored to talk about a brand: It works best when the person likes the brand and uses it. Companies normally offer some type of incentive in exchange for the positive advocacy. It can be cash, but most of the time is merchandise.Selection of brand ambassadors is based on a person’s devotion to a brand and the size of their social circle. Since the idea is to talk to their friends and other people, the size of the social influence is important. They are expected to design their own grassroots effort on how they will promote the brand. Many will use low-cost marketing events and even online social networks. Although the individual is being sponsored, the key for success is that they are genuine and do believe in the product being pitched, and a company or agency generating buzz: high risk strategy, especially if the person doesn’t identify himself as an employee and the public finds out.The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) suggests three principles to follow for any type of buzz marketing campaign. 1) Be honest about the relationship you have with the company and what you get for being a sponsor. 2) Be honest with your opinion. Don’t say just what the sponsor company wants you to day. 3) Be honest about your identity. Guerilla marketing: developed by Jay Conrad Levinson. It is designed to bring instant results with low-cost, unique marketing methods. Guerilla marketing focuses on a region or area and involves interacting with consumers in a unique and different way. The goal is to create excitement and to generate buzz.It is often connected with grassroots efforts to launch a brand or to market a product. Often alternative media are used. Reasons for using guerilla marketing: * To find new ways to communicate with customers * To interact with customers * To make advertising accessible to consumers * To impact a spot market * To create buzz * To build relationships with consumers Lifestyle marketing involves identifying marketing methods associated with the hobbies, entertainment, and lives of the target audience. It involves making contact with consumers were they go for relaxations, e xcitement, socialization, and enjoyment. The idea is to intersect with consumers during their daily lives.For instance, A/X Armani Exchange reaches young consumers through sponsoring and setting up booths at music festivals and fashion shows. Experiential marketing is the intersection of direct marketing, field marketing, and sales promotions. Its basic premise is increasing the experience of direct marketing through an interactive connection. Rather than just pass out samples, make it an experience the consumer will remember. Nickelodeon used experiential marketing with their Slime Across American Tour. Steps to take positive experience: * Clear, concise target segment * Identify right time, right place * Engage emotionally * Engage logically * Clearly reveal brand’s promise . What methods can be used to effectively employ product placements and branded entertainment? Product placement is a planned insertion in a movie, television show, book or other forms of entertainment. It has been used since the 1890s, but only recently has grown in popularity. The biggest surge in product placement came in 1982 with E. T. and Reese’s Pieces. The placement of the Reese’s Pieces in the movie spurred a 65% increase in sales following the movie’s release. Research has found that product placement increases awareness of the brand, creates a more positive attitude towards the brand, but does not have any immediate impact on sales.From a cost standpoint, product placement has a low cost per viewer of impressions. A primary advantage is that the impressions do not stop with the movie. After the movie has played in theaters it goes to DVD movie rentals, to pay-per-view television, then to the movie channels on television. Branded entertainment is the integration of the entertainment and advertising by embedding the brand into the storyline of the movie, TV show, or other entertainment medium. The use of branded entertainment increased sharply with the rise of TV reality shows. It is also now found in novels, plays, songs and movies. For successful product placement and branded entertainment, choosing the right media is important.It helps when other promotional materials are produced that reinforce or remind individuals of the brand and even the placement. Product placement and branded entertainment work because there is no call to action, so consumers tend to have a positive attitude towards the brand. Some consumers are more receptive than others. People ages 15 to 34 are more likely to notice product placements and be more receptive to them. Sometimes product placements allow companies to bypass regulations and get their products in front of their intended audience. Reasons for increased spending: * Appeal stronger in non-advertising context * Perception of what others think is important * Provides post-purchase reassurance * Reach individuals who place little value on brands . How have in store marketing and point-of-purchase displays evolved into even more effective communications and sales tools? Store marketing point: The in-store shopping experience has a major impact on purchase decisions. It is the â€Å"make or break† time in terms of a decision to purchase a particular brand. In-store advertising seeks to engage customers. The most engaging forms of advertising are end-aisle displays and merchandise displays. The least engaging are ceiling banners and overhead mobiles. Using color, light, sound, taste, and smell increases engagement. Effective point-of-purchase: * Integrate the brand’s image into the display. Integrate the display with current advertising and promotions. * Make the display dramatic to get attention. * Keep the color of the display down so the product and signage stand out. * Make the display versatile so it can be easily adapted by retailers. * Make the display re-usable and easy to assemble. * Make the display easy to stock. * Customize the display to fit the reta iler’s store. 4. How can brand communities enhance brand loyalty and devotion? Brand communities are the ultimate in brand loyalty and brand devotion. It offers symbolic meaning and provides for interaction between the brand, consumers, and companies that participate. People join because they have shared values and experiences.Brand communities cannot be created by brands or companies. It has to be customer driven. But, brands can enhance the community and provide a richer brand community experience. Reasons: People join a brand community as an affirmation of their buying decision. It provides social identity and bond with fellow brand owners. They can swap stores, swap advice and provide help to each other and to new members. It provides a venue for feedback and new ideas. Ways to enhance a brand community: * Create benefits to encourage new customers to join. * Provide materials not available anywhere else. * Involve firm representatives in the groups. * Sponsor special eve nts and regular meetings. Promote communications among members. * Build a strong brand reputation. 5. What methods are used to adapt alternative marketing programs to international marketing efforts? Companies can enhance a brand community. Companies can create benefits for individuals to encourage them to participate and join in the brand community. Materials and items not available to the public can be provided to members. Representatives from the firm can become involved and sponsor events and meetings. They can encourage and provide an avenue for members to communicate with each other. It is also important for the company to continue its strong brand name and maintain its reputation.

Protein Energy Malnutrition Essay

* Kwashiorkor (protein malnutrition predominant) * Marasmus (deficiency in both calorie and protein nutrition) * Marasmic Kwashiorkor (marked protein deficiency and marked calorie insufficiency signs present, sometimes referred to as the most severe form of malnutrition) Note that this may also be secondary to other conditions such as chronic renal disease[3] or cancer cachexia[4] in which protein energy wasting may occur. Protein-energy malnutrition affects children the most because they have less protein intake. The few rare cases found in the developed world are almost entirely found in small children as a result offad diets, or ignorance of the nutritional needs of children, particularly in cases of milk allergy.[5] Kwashiorkor (pronounced /kwÉ‘Ë ÃŠÆ'iˈɔrkÉ™r/) is an acute form of childhood protein-energy malnutrition characterized by edema, irritability, anorexia, ulcerating dermatoses, and an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates. The presence of edema caused by poor nutrition defines kwashiorkor.[1] Kwashiorkor was thought to be caused by insufficient protein consumption but with sufficient calorie intake, distinguishing it from marasmus. More recently, micronutrient and antioxidant deficiencies have come to be recognized as contributory. Cases in the developed world are rare.[2] Jamaican pediatrician Dr. Cicely D. Williams introduced the name into the medical community in her 1935 Lancet article.[3] The name is derived from the Ga language of coastal Ghana, translated as â€Å"the sickness the baby gets when the new baby comes†,[4][citation needed] and reflecting the development of the condition in an older child who has been weaned from the breast when a younger sibling comes.[5] Breast milk contains proteins and amino acids vital to a child’s growth. In at-risk populations, kwashiorkor may develop after a mother weans her child from breast milk, replacing it with a diet high in carbohydrates, especially starches, but deficient in protein. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS The defining sign of kwashiorkor in a malnourished child is pedal edema (swelling of the feet). Other signs include a distended abdomen, an enlarged liver with fatty infiltrates, thinning hair, loss of teeth, skin depigmentation and dermatitis. Children with kwashiorkor often develop irritability and anorexia.[1] Victims of kwashiorkor fail to produce antibodies following vaccination against diseases, including diphtheria and typhoid.[6] Generally, the disease can be treated by adding food energy and protein to the diet; however, it can have a long-term impact on a child’s physical and mental development, and in severe cases may lead to death. In dry climates, marasmus is the more frequent disease associated with malnutrition. Another malnutrition syndrome includes cachexia, although it is often caused by underlying illnesses. These are important considerations in the treatment of the patients. POSSIBLE CAUSES There are various explanations for the development of kwashiorkor and the topic remains controversial.[8] It is now accepted that protein deficiency, in combination with energy and micronutrient deficiency, is necessary but not sufficient to cause kwashiorkor.[citation needed] The condition is likely due to deficiency of one of several types of nutrients (e.g., iron, folic acid, iodine, selenium, vitamin C), particularly those involved with anti-oxidant protection. Important anti-oxidants in the body that are reduced in children with kwashiorkor include glutathione, albumin, vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, if a child with reduced type one nutrients or anti-oxidants is exposed to stress (e.g. an infection or toxin) he/she is more liable to develop kwashiorkor. Ignorance of nutrition can be a cause. Dr. Latham, director of the Program in International Nutrition at Cornell University cited a case where parents who fed their child cassava failed to recognize malnutrition because of the edema caused by the syndrome and insisted the child was well-nourished despite the lack of dietary protein.[citation needed] One important factor in the development of kwashiorkor is aflatoxin poisoning. Aflatoxins are produced by molds and ingested with moldy foods. They are toxified by the cytochrome P450 system in the liver, the resulting epoxides damage liver DNA. Since many serum proteins, in particular albumin, are produced in the liver, the symptoms of kwashiorkor are easily explained. It is noteworthy that kwashiorkor occurs mostly in warm, humid climates that encourage mold growth. Protein should be supplied only for anabolic purposes. The catabolic needs should be satisfied with carbohydrate and fat. Protein catabolism involves the ureacycle, which is located in the liver and can easily overwhelm the capacity of an already damaged organ. The resulting liver failure can be fatal. In a study of twins from Malawi, presented March 9 at the International Human Microbiome congress in Vancouver, kwashiorkor affected one twin in 50% of a study group, but both twins only 7% of the time. When gut bacteria from the twins were transplanted into germ-free mice, the mice receiving bacteria from affected twins lost more weight on a typical Malawian diet consisting largely of corn flour and water with some vegetables. It was speculated that transplantation of fecal bacteria may help affected children MARASMUS Marasmus is a form of severe protein-energy malnutrition characterized by energy deficiency. A child with marasmus looks emaciated. Body weight may be reduced to less than 80% of the average weight that corresponds to the height .[citation needed] Marasmus occurrence increases prior to age 1, whereas kwashiorkor occurrence increases after 18 months. It can be distinguished from kwashiorkor in that kwashiorkor is protein wasting with the presence of edema. The prognosis is better than it is for kwashiorkor.[1] The word â€Å"marasmus† comes from the Greek ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ±Ã ÃŽ ±ÃÆ'ÃŽ ¼ÃÅ'Ï‚ marasmos â€Å"consumption† from ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ±Ã ÃŽ ±ÃŽ ¯ÃŽ ½ÃŽ µÃŽ ¹ÃŽ ½ marainein â€Å"to consume, exhaust.† ————————————————- Signs and symptoms The malnutrition associated with marasmus leads to extensive tissue and muscle wasting, as well as variable edema. Other common characteristics include dry skin, loose skin folds hanging over the buttocks (glutei) and armpit (axillae), etc. There is also drastic loss of adipose tissue (body fat) from normal areas of fat deposits like buttocks and thighs. The afflicted are often fretful, irritable, and voraciously hungry. Marasmus is generally known as the gradual wasting away of the body due to severe malnutrition or inadequate absorption of food. Marasmus is a form of severe protein deficiency and is one of the forms of protein-energy malfunction (PEM). It is a severe form of malnutrition caused by inadequate intake of proteins and calories

Expanding an MNC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expanding an MNC - Assignment Example Finally this study will focus on future business strategy for ford to expand their business in China. Table of Contents The Ford Motor Company 4 Organizational Culture of Ford Motor 4 Environmental Scanning 5 Political 5 Economical 5 Social 5 Technological 6 Environmental 6 Legal 6 Entry Strategy 6 Political Risk 7 Implementation Strategy 7 References 9 The Ford Motor Company Ford motor company (FMC) is an iconic automobile manufacturer in the world. The company is headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. It was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford, Horace E. Dodge and John F. Dodge. FMC was the most sold automobile brand across the world before World War II. Large scale car manufacturing concept was introduced by Ford motors in the year of 1914. Organizational Culture of Ford Motor Proper understanding of leadership skill and management is required to build a successful organization. Top management of the company believes in creating a sustainable environment for all. Ford has set a targe t to reduce 30 % CO2 emission from car within next eight years. The company tries to operate with a small but efficient workforce. They discontinued more than seven thousand underperforming employees in 2008. This is an example of strong leadership quality in terms of ability to take hard decisions. FMC has always tried to design product in a unique way. They use state of art technology to manufacture automobiles. Organizational culture of Ford can be described in three words- practical, innovative and one that believes in sustainable development (Seligman, n.d.) Environmental Scanning FMC is trying to enter Chinese automobile market. They need to analyze macro environment (considering political, economical, social, technological, legal, environmental condition of a particular country) before planning an entry strategy. Political Communist party is the ruling party in the country. Government has strong control over print media and electronic media. Political condition of the country is stable due to absence of any major opposition party. China has joined world trade organization (WTO) in 2001. The country has become more open in terms foreign investment after Joining WTO. It takes only thirty seven days to start a new business in china. This type of political condition will help FMC to grow their business in the country. Economical Chinese government has direct control over the financial institutes of the country. Government regulates Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) policy. Chinese government has cut down corporate tax rate last year. Ford has the opportunity to save huge amount of money due to low corporate tax policy of Chinese government (Viswanadham, & Balaji, n.d.). Social Literacy rate in china is more than 90% and most of the educated people are aware of international brands. Many international organizations have entered China in recent years. They have created employment opportunities for Chinese people. Disposable income of a customer has increased du e to rapid industrialization. Technological China is global leader in terms of technological development. Major achievements in the field of science and technology are, building the first atomic reactor, and hydrogen bombs, discovery of the Daqing Oilfield, synthesis of crystalline insulin, electronic collider, nuclear power stations etc. Government is trying to develop automobile industry with the help of foreign companies. This condition also supports the market entry

Accouting Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Accouting - Speech or Presentation Example The formula to calculate dividend yield ratio is dividends per share divided by market price per share. Dividend yield ratio = $1.50 / $60 = 2.5%. d) The price-earnings ratio is an index that shows whether a stock is relatively cheap or expensive in relation to its earnings. The formula to calculate the price-earnings ratio is market price per share / EPS. Price-earnings ratio = 60 / 7.8 = 7.69. The book value per share is lower than the market value per share by $20. This figure does not necessarily reflect that the stocks of the company are selling at a bargain price. The book value per share reflects the amount that would be distributed to investors if all assets were sold at their balance sheet values after paying off the creditors. a) The current ratio is calculated dividing current assets by current debt. Current ratio = 1,120,000 / 600,000 = 1.87. The current ratio shows the ability of a company to pay off its current debt. A general rule for the current ratio is that if the ratio is above 1.0 it is good. The company is in a good position to pay off its current debt. The current ratio of the firm is below the industry average of 2.1. b) The quick acid ratio is another solvency metric. It is calculated similarly to current ratio with the exception that inventory is deducted from the numerator. Quick acid ratio = (1,120,000 – 610,000) / 600000 = 0.85. The quick acid ratio of the company is below the industry average of 1.2. e) The debt to equity ratio is a measure of the amount of assets being provided by creditors for each dollar of assets being provided by the stockholders (Garrison, et. al.). The ratio is calculated by the following formula: total liabilities / total equity. The purpose of the ratio analysis performed was to determine whether Stephens Company qualifies for a $500,000 loan. The broad profitability of the company is a little lower than the

IT strategy-memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT strategy-memo - Essay Example The current functioning of the firm delays the access to vital information for efficient decision making vis-Ã  -vis various managerial decision making. There is lack of effective communication amongst the various branches and departments which increases the overhead costs considerably and delays in the various production processes like new designs for furniture, cutting etc. that can be expedited through new technology. The diverse units of FYC need to be linked through effective system that would facilitate sharing of information within the departments and within the branches. Information provides wide ranging knowledge about the existing and emerging models of the business world which may have considerable impact on the organizational performance outcomes. An effective information system development is essential so as to manipulate strategic business information for improving the overall business prospects. The information technology and information system development help to exploit information and has been evolved to encompass various spheres of the business including administration, management, productions, accounts and other areas which are intrinsically linked to produce the desired outcome of efficiency, quality and profits. Use of technology vis-Ã  -vis production would facilitate higher level of efficiency and organizational growth which would offset a competitive advantage over their rivals. Production department is one of the most vital units of FYC and technology would greatly boost its various processes like creative design, cutting and mass production of furniture. Computer added designing or CAD software packages are important technology based tools that facilitate innovative designing of furniture and accessories and promote customization to gain leverage against competition. Thus, collation of information, using integrated approach to the IT and ISD has become intrinsic part of competitive

Using case law critically assess the concept of characteristic Essay

Using case law critically assess the concept of characteristic performance in Article 4(2) of the Rome Convention (Rome 1) - Essay Example ution of the terms of the contract which is the main feature of the contract , has , at the juncture of signing the contract , characteristic performance will be decided with his routine domicile, or ,in the case of a company or any incorporated body , its head administration office. Nonetheless, if the contract is carried mainly in the ordinary course of their profession or trade, then the country shall be the country where the chief place of business is located or as per the terms of the contract, the execution of the contract is to be carried out from a place of business instead of chief place of business, the country in which the other kind of business is located.† Article 4(5) of the Rome Convention provides an exception to the rule 4(2). It provides that Article 4(2) will not be applicable if the distinguishing feature cannot be evaluated, and the assumption in the paragraph 2 shall be overlooked if it seems from the background in its entirety that the contract is more intimately linked with another nation. It is to be observed that Rome 1 varies from the Rome Convention as regards to the contract of carriage. In general parlance, the complicated and supple system under the Convention has been replaced by a system with a stern choice of law regulation and with a thin escape clause in Rome I. Where the parties have not consented on the place of delivery, the applicable law under Rome 1 will be, it is advocated, to be concluded under Article 4(2), where the nearest connection litmus test would be extended under the convention. Rome 1 which offers a selection of the law system for contracts of carriages with certainty at the cost of flexibility offered under the Convention. (Ferrari & Ferrari 2009:108). Article 4(2) of the Rome I Regulation uses the stipulation of â€Å"characteristic performance, â€Å"stating that: â€Å"Where the features of the contract would be covered by more than one of the points detailed in (a) to (h) of paragraph or the contract is not

Channels for Specific Audinece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Channels for Specific Audinece - Essay Example In addition, 33.1% of all households were composed of individuals living alone, of which 6.2% was someone 65 years of age or older. The average household size in Raleigh was 2.30 persons, and the average family size was 2.97 persons. Raleighs population in 2000 was evenly distributed with 20.9% below the age of 18, 15.9% aged 18 to 24, 36.6% from 25 to 44, and 18.4% from 45 to 64. An estimated 8.3% of the population was 65 years of age or older, and the median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.0 males; for every 100 females aged 18 or older, there were 96.6 males aged 18 or older.† (http://www.wikipedia.com). 1. Renters. There are no specific data about the population profile of renters. According to statistics renters have less annual income than home owners. The media chosen for renters are newspapers and more specifically the â€Å" News & Observer† which is the largest daily newspaper of Raleigh, â€Å"Carolina† which is a monthly newspaper distributed for free so it can reach a large audience and â€Å"Triangle Tribune† in order to reach the Afro-American community. The internet will also be used as media channel for renters and more specifically it will be the New Raleigh which focuses on night life, restaurants etc. TV will be also included and more specifically the WUNC-TV because it shows the popular EastEnders comedy on Sunday nights – a day that most people stay at home because Monday is a working day. 2. Women who are owners of small business. The restaurant will use newspapers for reaching this target group and more specifically all the free newspapers like Independent Weekly, Carolina Journal and The Slammer. Free newspapers have the advantage that they are distributed to areas where lots of people gather i.e. subways etc. The Slammer has the advantage that is available at local

Case Study Analysis - Tiffanies Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Analysis - Tiffanies - Case Study Example The sale of â€Å"fine† jewelry accounts for only a small percentage of the overall sales and profitability for the firm; however, it continues to represent a lion’s share of the overall investment, research and development, and product space that such items receive within the Tiffany branded stores. Tiffany’s is seen by consumer markets as representing on extremely expensive pieces of fine jewelry; this somewhat reduces the degree and extent to which it can hope to engage consumers within other markets. Solution a: Activate an aggressive marketing campaign that alerts consumers that Tiffany’s provides for the needs of a diverse group of consumers; not only those that are within the highest socio-economic category. Solution b: Begin slowly phasing less expensive products into the product mix and hope that the consumer base will respond positively by means of gradual osmosis; continuing to utilize the 18 month product cycle previously defined. Solution a: Promote a strategy that engages consumer awareness that Tiffany’s physical location only represents a portion of what the firm has to offer and that online shopping as a manner by which everyone else that does not live in close proximity can enjoy their products. Solution b: Begin to alter the brand marketing approach so that Tiffany’s will not only be marketed within certain select forums. This will encourage a re-integration of understanding in terms of what the firm represents and how. Solution b: Discontinue existing and outdated marketing approaches that have placed a disproportional focus on word of mouth and status advertising; as these are outdated and insufficient to reach emerging markets. Solution a: Whereas almost all other luxury brands have engaged with the Chinese market thoroughly, Tiffany’s only represents 10 stores in this nation of over 1 billion people – indicating a situation in which potential for profitability and market space within China

When Science and Christianity Meet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

When Science and Christianity Meet - Essay Example According to the paper the Bible introduces the main characters in the story of creation. These are God and a man. God is introduced as the Almighty Creator with the power to speak things into existence. The creation story teaches us that man was created from soil before God breathed into him. Therefore, God is the author of creation and the source of life. While the truth has been contested through science, the story of creation appeals to reality given its explanation of the regeneration of mankind. The Bible tells us that God was pleased with creation. The modern education system has not been able authoritatively refute that. The story explains the fall of man and the beginning of suffering. Morality is first introduced in through the fall of man when the serpent deceived Adam.  From this study it is clear that the story shows that God keeps His word and promises. The life and occurrences after the fall of man set the stage for suffering. They also show why God had to redeem man kind. God introduced the Law of Moses to familiarize His nature to the children of Israel. The law revealed His preferences. However, the law never solved the problem of enmity between God and man. God had to send Jesus to come and be a sacrifice for the sin. Most of the ancient prophets left records which have been authenticated scientifically to be true. A telling example is the Dead Sea scrolls. This gives the Bible credibility and authority in the determination of the place of God in life.

Q5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Q5 - Essay Example ate and likely to be useful in a less developed country such as Chad where access to electrical grids may not be feasible due to geographical problems and in remote locations where establishing electric connections may be expensive.(www.electricityforum.com). It is also expensive to develop such grids and Chad is a poor country where substantial expenses on these developments may not be possible. But sunlight is a commodity available in plenty in this country, and this can be harnessed to generate solar power to operate cell phones and enhance communications. Such relay stations are already in use in the U.K., where grids connect PV systems are integrated into office buildings and connected to the local solar electricity network. They are used in monitoring stations, radio repeater stations, telephone kiosks and for street lighting. Solar powered relay stations were installed by the Israeli Government in 2005, all along Israeli highway no: 2 to provide electrical power for cellular phones using the energy harnessed from the sun and assimilated into the microwave relay stations. 2. Voice over Internet protocol helps in enabling voice communications through the use of IP networks such as the Internet. It offers the facility of telephony services, i.e, the facility of making and receiving calls from regular telephone lines using a computer (Wallingford, 2005). The only requirement is the availability of a broadband connection which facilitates good sound transmission quality and in the case of telephony services such as Skype, even allows chatting and calling applications in computers with firewalls that normally break such applications. As a result, it brings about a substantial reduction in the cost of making telephone calls. VoIP systems also allow for a converge of voice and data networks. The VoIP facility is useful to a knowledge worker because it enables fast and easy communication lines to be established to and from any part of the world. A knowledge

Three Symbols in the Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

Three Symbols in the Great Gatsby Essay â€Å"The Great Gatsby† to criticise America from straying from the â€Å"American Dream†. Typically the American society tries to follow the American Dream, which is a dream of a society that allows everyone, no matter what economic class they were born into, to be able to accomplish whatever they want with hard work. With this principle no matter their social class Americans should be able to accomplish anything. Fitzgerald thought that the American society wasn’t following the American dream; he successfully used symbols to criticize different aspects of American society, showing the weakness of each deviation from the American Dream. Many symbols were used, but the three most significant symbols were: the â€Å"green light†, the godliness of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg and the sadness of the â€Å"Valley of Ashes†. Each symbol played a key role in Fitzgerald’s criticism. How did these symbols play a key role in Fitzgerald’s criticism of the American society that doesn’t follow the American Dream? The first of the three symbols, the green light, was a powerful tool in which Fitzgerald used to criticise the loss of the American Dream from the American society. The green light was important because it represented the endless â€Å"hope† of which the American Dream promises. The hope for a desire should never be lost if the American Dream is followed correctly; Fitzgerald showed that this isn’t always true in the American society by showing that Gatsby’s hope fades away when he realizes because of class distinction he will never be able to marry Daisy. Fitzgerald emphasizes this though Nick Caraway, his narrator, who observes: -â€Å"Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. † (The Great Gatsby, pg. 125) Fitzgerald used Nick to show as Gatsby begins to realize that Daisy will never leave Tom and go with him, that the green light slowly begins to fade and symbolically so does his hope, his hope was what kept him going and now it was gone he had nothing to live for. When Gatsby’s hope dies does his will to live dies also. Gatsby realizes that because he wasn’t born in the upper class he wouldn’t be able to accomplish his dream. A green light means go, but in this case Gatsby has had to stop, thus stoping his hope and his American Dream. Fitzgerald is then able to symbolise how the American Dream has â€Å"stoped† in the American society. How did this play a key role in the criticism of the American society? It allowed the reader to see that even though some Americans work their hardest for something they were still not able to accomplish their dream because of the class they were born into, this completely goes against the American dream thus allowing Fitzgerald to criticise the American society on this aspect of the American society. The eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg symbolizing God’s eyes watching over the people played a key role in the criticism of the American society because the reader was able to view the actions of various characters as being contrary to what God would agree with. Fitzgerald could then use the reader’s dislikes of the behaviour of the characters to inturn dislike the society. The readers disliking the society allowed Fitzgerald to criticise the American society more effectively. In order for a successful criticism the reader needs to agree with the criticism. If a reader sides with the group that is being criticised they probably won’t agree with the criticism, but with Fitzgerald using the eyes of Dr. T. J Eckleburg he was able to make the reader dislike the society, and in turn the reader wouldn’t want to side with them. The symbolism of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg was made clearer to the reader when Michales looked to the billboard in the following quote: -â€Å"Standing behind him, Michales saw with a shock that he was looking into the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg. †( The Great Gatsby, pg. 152 ) Michales realizing the symbolism of the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg allowed the reader to realize this symbolism too. The reader than could decide that some actions of some characters were immoral. Fitzgerald went on to write that the sign was faded. This symbolized that god was leaving the hearts of the people allowing the reader to find more fault in the American society. Why were the eyes of Dr. T. J Eckleburg one of the most important symbols in the criticism of the American dream? For Fitzgerald to show that the society was doing things against God’s will, depicts that what they are doing is very immoral. A religious reader will probably want to side with what God judges so they would also think that some characters in the American society were immoral. The reader would then be more against the American society allowing Fitzgerald to better criticise it because the reader won’t be trying to defend it if they were against it. The American Dream allows all Americans the same opportunities for self improvement. The Valley of Ashes was a key force in the criticism of the American Dream because it was used in two literary devices of setting and symbolism. Fitzgerald by establishing the setting in the Valley of Ashes allowed the reader to better relate to the working class because they could see a very detailed picture of the daily life of the working class. The Valley of Ashes depicts the working class as not getting the same opportunities as the upper class for self improve. The working class will probably stay in the working class forever and so will their children. Fitzgerald tells this with the use of his narrator Nick Caraway’s description of the Valley of Ashes -â€Å"But above the gray land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (The Great Gatsby pg. 26) The bleak dust that â€Å"endlessly covers† the land symbolizes how the working class lives are static, non-changing. Fitzgerald by showing the poor conditions of the working class makes the reader feel pity for the working class, causing the reader to be against that aspect of American society that puts the lower class into poverty. The idea of someone not being able to accomplish something just because of the circumstances of which they were born shows the corruption of the American society. How was the Valley of Ashes one of the most important symbols for Fitzgerald to use in the criticism of the American society that follows the American dream? The Valley of Ashes showing the poor qualities of the working class makes readers realize that some Americans aren’t able to accomplish their dreams because of circumstances from when they were born goes against the principles of the American Dream. Fitzgerald was better able to criticize the American dream with the use of three symbols. His symbols allowed the reader to, better relate to his writing, use prior knowledge to help in the understanding of his criticism, have a visual picture of the working class, and realize the flaws of some characters in a religious sense. The green light played one of the most important roles because without out it the reader wouldn’t have realized that people in the American society that do try to follow the American dream and work their hardest sometimes aren’t able to accomplish their dream thus showing that America isn’t following the American Dream. The seconded of the most important symbols was the Valley of Ashes, without the valley of ashes the reader wouldn’t have realized that sometime a person isn’t able to accomplish something because of the status of which they were born. The last most important symbol used was the eyes of Dr. T. J. Eckleburg with this symbol Fitzgerald was able to move the reader against the actions of the American society because he showed that god was against the actions, if the reader was against the actions than Fitzgerald could criticise the actions of the American society more effectively because the reader would agree more with what he was saying. Without the above three symbols playing their key role in the criticism of the American society, Fitzgerald’s criticism of the American society not following the American dream wouldn’t have been as greatly done.

A kpi based performance assessment system

A kpi based performance assessment system 1.0 INTRODUCTION Job performance is usually defined as â€Å"actions and behaviors that are under the control of the individual that contribute to the goals of the organization† [9]. Performance measurement-based management systems help an organization to line up its business activities to its strategy, and to supervise performance in the direction of strategic goals over time. In other words, performance management is used to keep track of the organizational progress against its strategic plan and particular performance goals. According to Campbell [7], the procedure of assigning a ranking to an individuals job performance is as follows: observation, sampling, encoding, storage, retrieval, evaluation, differential weighting, and composite scoring. Measuring the performance of a lecturer is very vital because the indication produced is used for major decisions about their future in academic career. Decisions can be of two types: formative that is used as the support to develop and form the teaching quality, and summative, that is used as the proof for summing up his/her overall performance or position to come to a decision about annual increment, award, merit pay, promotion, sponsorship and tenure [10]. The first one deals with decisions to progress the way of teaching; the second on deals with human resources decisions. Summative decisions are ultimate and they are provided by the administrators at different occasion to settle on their prospect. There is an impact of these decisions on the quality of professional career. The different resources of facts for teaching efficiency can be engaged for either of formative and summative decisions or both. To measure the performance, there should be some pre-identified and logical criteria that can be used through out the assessment process. These criteria are collectively called key performance indicator (KPI). It helps organizations to attain organizational goals by measuring and evaluating their achievement. The indicators vary depending on the organization. For a business company the percentage of net profit can be one of its KPI. For an educational institute the percentage of passed student can be one of its KPI. To establish a stable performance measurement system, the key performance indicators selection is very important. They must be selected carefully and rationally. a. BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM STATEMENT UUM is a gigantic university with three colleges CAS, COB, COLGIS. UUM have 25139 students and 1489 administrative staffs, 1216 academic staffs (as of 12th Aug. 08) and it offers 44 undergraduate programs (as of 2nd May ‘09), 59 post graduate programs (as of 16th Feb. ‘09). With the course of time the number of course and students are increasing. Consequently the number of academic staffs is also increasing. UUM has currently many automated systems such as Personnel Information System â€Å"PERSIS†, Research and Consultation Information System â€Å"ReCIS†, Graduate Academic Information System â€Å"GAIS†, Academic and Student Information System â€Å"ASIS† etc. But there is no such automated system for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the lecturer. Currently the manipulating and measuring the performance is manual the lecturers have to fill up the evaluation form, then print the form and attach the relevant documents and then submit to the evaluation committee. The criteria used for the system is teaching, research, consultation, publication and personality. This evaluation outcome is used for the promotion, scholarship for further study, and other consideration in for advance in career. However, this kind of manual evaluating system some time is biased and subject to human errors. Also it is very slow process and takes much valuable time of both the lecturers and the evaluating authority. Because of the absence of any automated system the evaluation process is not accurate and well-accepted. So it has been felt the need of a web based evaluation system that can be integrated with existing UUM systems and the data that will be used for the criteria can be extracted automatically from the Personnel Information System of UUM (PERSIS) and other related UUM systems. It is therefore necessary to develop a web based system in which the whole process will be done automatically. b. OBJECTIVE The main objective of this study is to develop a performance evaluation system for the academic staff of UUM. This system will be a web-based and can be integrated with the existing management systems in UUM. Specific objectives are: To gather the user requirements for the system. To design and develop the system. To evaluate the system c. RESEARCH QUESTION What are the requirements for the automated performance measuring system for the lecturer? What are the user requirements towards to use this system? d. SCOPE AND LIMITATION It will be developed for UUM academic staff and hereby will follow the policy and strategy that have been set by the UUM authority, so it can not be used by other universities and also not for other category of staff. It will be developed in .NET platform, so it can be used only in windows platform and it will be integrated with existing system. 2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Performance Modeling Employee evaluations are used to estimate the performance level of an employee. Performance measurement is the method by which an organization fixes the parameters within which programs, investments, and acquisitions are reaching the desired results. The type of performance evaluation should be determined based on the responsibility of the employee within a company. Employee performance models used in organizations today can be categorized into four types: 1) Top Down, 2) Peer-to-Peer, 3) 360-Degree and 4) Self-Assessment [6]. 2.1.1 Top Down The most common and most effective approach is Top-down employee performance evaluation, because they engage the judgment of an employee by a direct supervisor. Top-down employee performance evaluations are most functional when it is done by the immediate supervisor someone who works with that employee everyday and knows his or her strengths and weaknesses [12]. 2.1.2 Peer to peer Peer-to-peer employee performance evaluations require employees at the same level to review each other. The idea behind peer-to-peer employee performance evaluations is that none knows an employees ability better than his/her colleagues. In this type of evaluation considering the maturity level of the employees involved and the long-term effects that could result from the source of negative assessments getting back to the team members is important [8]. 2.1.3 360 degree In 360-degree performance reviews, many different types of people are consulted about an employees performance. This includes customers, suppliers, peers and direct reports. In the case of a manager, staffs are often asked to give upward feedback on how well they are being managed. The benefits of many points of view are apparent; but there are also some challenges to these types of performance reviews. While 360-degree performance reviews are being performed, a responsible administration manager should organize the procedure; so that subordinate reviewers are assured that their performance reviews are kept secret [11]. 2.1.4 Self-Assessment Self-Assessment performance reviews are successful when it is combined with any of the other three types of performance reviews. With this type of review, employees are asked to rate themselves, often using the same form that a supervisor will use to evaluate them. Self-assessment performance reviews help give the employees an opportunity for them to reflect their opinion on their own performance prior to the formal review [6]. 2.2 Role of Lecturer According to Dr. Zabokia [5], the primary role of a lecturer is to educate his/her students. However, a lecturer can appear in many aspects. Lecturers also play the roles as tutors, teachers, administrators and counselors. The normal tasks of a lecturer are: First and principal lecture Organize the teaching resources i.e. lecture slides and handouts Set up the questions for examination papers and conduct the evolution A lecturer can also provide extra care to their students as their counselor. Some students may be under severe pressure such as family problems, peer pressure, financial problem etc.When a student seems uninterested and his/her presence starts to fall off, its desirable to counsel the student. During a counseling session, a lecturer could also get feedback from the students on the course or subject matter. This may be supportive to the lecturer to progress in his/her teaching style.Documenting the counseling sessions with the students is a good habit.This will facilitate the authority to monitor the improvement of the students, and supply advice to their guardian if needed. According the â€Å"Generic Role Profile† of university lecturer published by University of Cambridge [2] the list of other tasks: Active Research Publications Research Administration Mentoring post graduate students Participating in conferences or workshops Other extra curricular activities like clubs or societies. 2.3 Key Performance Indicator Key Performance Indicator is the subject measurement in order to verify tangible and intangible result of the organizational performance [4]. It notices current business performance and also definitely identifies the future directions as accomplishing the future values. As an index reflecting business strategy and performance, KPI is derived through current strategies and goals that companies should accomplish. According to Berk [10] there are some potential sources of evidence of teaching effectiveness: (a) student ratings, (b) peer ratings, (c) self-evaluation, (d) alumni ratings, (e) employer ratings, (f) administrator ratings, (g) teaching scholarship, (h) teaching awards, (i) learning outcome measures, and (j) teaching portfolio. So these facts can be used as the KPI for this project. Some more indicators can be added which are not mentioned by Berk [10]. Those are number of publications, number of research, and number of projects, year of experience, future planning, undertaken trainings etc. 2.4 System Development methodology- Prototyping Prototyping is the process where a system can be developed based on the outputs of the previous stage. This may be done by engaging the iterative analysis, design and implementation of an evolving prototype. Learning occurs through the evolutionary system building process where insight is gained about the problem and the complexity of the system. The evolutionary prototyping development process includes regular expert/user evaluation feeding back into the systems development process [3]. Prototyping approach addresses the inability of many users to specify their information needs and the difficulty of system analysis to understand the users environment by providing the user with a tentative system for experimental purposes at the earliest possible time [1]. 3.0 METHODOLOGY The methodology that will be used in this project is the prototyping approach. That means we will build a working replica of the proposed system by performing analysis, design and implementation phases concurrently repeatedly until the system is completed. It will be useful to better understand and extract user requirements and also to limit cost by understanding the problem before committing more resources. The prototyping approach is applicable for this project because it can demonstrate technical feasibility and it can also be used to better understand and extract user requirements and also helps to more quickly refine real requirements rather than attempting to understand a system specification on paper. 4.0 SIGNIFICANCE The significance of the study finding the indicators and developing a web based system that will be used to monitor the performance of UUM lecturer based on Key performance indicators (KPI). It will make a long and uncertain process very easy and quick. This will add a new milestone for the UUM management for their future planning about the lecturer performance evaluation criteria. It will be also very cost effective and it will help to increase the education quality level of UUM. 5.0 CONCLUSION In the conclusion, we can say that this system will be very useful for the UUM authority to award the right lecturer with the right qualification and hereby maintain the education quality and prove that UUM is the â€Å"first choice university†. Project Schedule (Gantt chart) TASKS WEEK 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Planning Requirement Analysis Design the Prototype Coding Process Test the Prototype and debugging Analyze results Documentation REFERENCES: [1] E. Koskivaara. Design Science Approaches to Information Systems Research, in S. Gregor and D. Hart,Information Systems Foundations: Building the Theoretical Basis, ANU Canberra, 205-216.2002 [2] â€Å"Generic Role Profile: University Lecturer†. University of Cambridge. Version 1: December 2005 [3] H. Hasan. Information systems development as a research method. Australasian Journal of Information Systems Special Issue 2003/2004 [4] H.J. Moon, S.H. Lee, S.J. Yoo, E.J. Yu, C.S. Leem. A KPI based Performance Assessment framework for Korean e-Government. In Second International Conference on Future Generation Communication and Networking Symposia, 2008 [5] http://drzabokia.wordpress.com/2007/08/23/responsibilities-of-a-lecturer/ accessed on 14th July, 2009 [6] J. H. McConnell. How to develop essential HR policies and procedures. AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn, 2004 [7] J. P. Campbell. Modeling the performance prediction problem in industrial and organizational psychology. In Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (pp. 687-732). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.,1990. [8] K. Wolter. Formal Methods and Stochastic Models for Performance Evaluation: Fourth European Performance Engineering Workshop, EPEW 2007, Berlin, Germany, September, 2007 [9] M. Rotundo P. R. Sackett. The relative importance of task, citizenship, and counterproductive performance to global ratings of job performance: A policy-capturing approach. Journal of Applied Psychology, 66-80, 2002 [10] R. A. Berk. Survey of 12 Strategies to Measure Teaching Effectiveness. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education , Volume 17, Number 1, 48-62, 2005 [11] T. Maylett. 360-Degree Feedback Revisited: The Transition From Development to Appraisal. May 27, 2009 [12] Woodrow Kroll. Facing Your Final Job Review: The Judgment Seat of Christ, Salvation, and Eternal Rewards. Crossway Books, 2008

High Contact Service

High Contact Service Summary of the Reviewed Article High-contact service industries are those in which service employees and customers have close and direct interactions for a prolonged period of time (Chase, 1981). A high-contact environment of services has the characteristics of longer communication time, understanding of communication, and richness of the information exchanged (Kellogg and Chase,1995). In this article, the impact of employee satisfaction on, quality and operational performance in high-contact service industries is investigated. The hypothesized relationships among employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability are examined. Employee satisfaction plays a significant role in enhancing the operational performance of organizations in the high-contact service sector. Firm profitability has also a moderate effect on employee satisfaction, which lead to a satisfaction-quality-profit cycle. The reason of conducting this research is that the research in operational management to invest igate the relationships between quality, customer satisfaction and business performance has been conducted (e.g., Heim and Sinha, 2001; Balasubramanian et al., 2003; Nagar and Rajan, 2005), but research on the impact of employee satisfaction on operational performance is relatively scarce. In order to represent the whole service firm, service employees are often the first party and therefore are essential to shaping customers perception of service quality (e.g., Parasuraman et al., 1985; Hartline and Ferrell, 1996). Service employees job is considered as a three-cornered fight, in which the organization and customer are at the two ends, while service employees are caught-in-the-middle among them, Bateson (1985). It is important for service employees to meet the target of productivity performance in the organization and to fulfill customers needs and external quality goals. Hypotheses There are four hypotheses made by the writers of this article with empirical support and theoretical backing of the previous studies that employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability have relationships with one another. Hypothesis-1. Employee satisfaction has a positive influence on service quality. Hypothesis-2. Service quality has a positive influence on customer satisfaction. Hypothesis-3. Employee satisfaction has a positive influence on customer satisfaction. Hypothesis-4. Customer satisfaction has a positive influence on firm profitability. Data Collection This study was conducted in Hong Kong. They identify 12 main shopping areas in Hong Kong (e.g., Tsimshatsui and Causeway Bay) and they selected five major shopping centers randomly from each area. They choose small service organizations with only two to five service employees, because employee satisfaction level tends to be more consistent and easier to capture. in small organizations (George and Bettenhausen, 1990). To collect the data, they prepared survey packets, in which one shop-in-charge questionnaire and two service employee questionnaires are included and they choose eight different types of service shops. Results In their results they show that All the four hypothetical relationships were supported at the significance level of p = 0.01. The linkage between employee satisfaction and service quality (Hypothesis 1) is highly significant (P = 0.423, t = 4.778). Supporting hypothesis-2 service quality has a positive influence on customer satisfaction (P = 0.287, t = 3.33). Employee satisfaction has a significant and direct impact on customer satisfaction, H-3, ( P = 0.234, t = 2.77). The relationship between customer satisfaction and firm profitability (Hypothesis 4) is also highly significant (P = 0.270, t = 3.64). Hypothesized model Alternative Models In this study, the writers have also made some alternative models which shows the different relationships among employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and firm profitability. They did this work keeping in view the point of Bentler and Chou (1987), who said that to shed light on the key features of the hypothesized model, the researcher should build a few alternative models in an ideal situation. Critical Review In this article, it is asserted that employee satisfaction is an important determinant of operational performance and is crucial in achieving quality and profitability in the service industry. While in another research paper it is suggested that customer satisfaction has a significant impact on financial performance, findings also suggest that employee satisfaction has no direct impact on financial performance because the relationship between employee satisfaction and financial performance is an indirect one, which is mediated by customer satisfaction(Christina G. Chi *, Dogan Gursoy, 2009). In another study of the relationship between employee loyalty, service quality and firm performance in the service industry, it is argued that employee satisfaction has no direct relationship with customer satisfaction. When there is an employee satisfaction, then employee loyalty is created which has the direct effect on customer satisfaction and employee loyalty is an important determinant of f irm profitability. In the same study it is concluded that a loyal employee has more opportunities to understand and fulfill the specific needs of the customers, leading to a greater impact of employee loyalty on service quality and if there is low contact time between employee and customer, then the relationship between employee loyally and service quality would diminish. Employee loyalty plays a significant role in enhancing the performance of organizations in high-contact service sectors and is used to boost service quality, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Workers who are strongly committed to the organization or highly satisfied with their jobs show up at work more often than those with weak commitment and low satisfaction. Employees who are highly satisfied with their jobs and are strongly committed to the organization will avoid withdrawal behaviors, (like absenteeism, lateness), and maintain continued attachment to work (Blau Boal, 1989). An employee who is absent from work intentionally or unintentionally is expressing negative attachment to the organization. In the reviewed article a lot of material is written on the relationships between employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction and financial performance and it is highly asserted that employee satisfaction is very important and cannot be neglected in any case. But how an employee satisfaction can be gained, it is not emphasized. In another research, some factors are mentioned as antecedents of employee satisfaction. These antecedents are the employee empowerment, Employee training, teamwork, appraisal systems, and employee compensation. When an organization focus on these factors, then employee compensation is automatically created. All employees will become satisfied, when they are given empowerment, training, teamwork, compensation and their efforts are appraised. Formal and informal training could focus on instilling the employees with the thought that service quality involves also transferring positive emotions to customers. The writers of study have found that top management commitment has a positive impact on all the antecedents. And as a result, all these factors have a positive impact on employee satisfaction (Minjoon Jun , Shaohan Cai , Hojung Shin, 2005). Relevant to the Organizational Policies This topic is highly related to our subject that is organizational policies, because while making policies, employee satisfaction cannot be neglected. Oliva and Sterman (2001) unambiguously showed that maximizing throughput that drives employees to working overtime traps service organizations in a vicious cycle of declining service quality, causing severe and permanent financial losses. There is a concept of balanced scorecard, where employee morale and growth, internal business process, customer satisfaction and financial measures are regarded as four balanced quadrants that drive the strategic initiatives of an organization (Kaplan and Norton, 1996). In case of a lack of focus on any of these four perspectives, the entire organization will be thrown out of balance, causing strategic efforts in operations to collapse. As it is concluded that organizational profitability emanates from satisfied employees, so it is suggested that organizations in high-contact service industries should thus focus their efforts on improving employee satisfaction, and only satisfied employees can maintain the service quality and ensure customer satisfaction.

Perception is Reality in Virginia Woolfs Mrs. Dalloway Essay -- Woolf

Although the entire novel tells of only one day, Virginia Woolf covers a lifetime in her enlightening novel of the mystery of the human personality. The delicate Clarissa Dalloway, a disciplined English lady, provides the perfect contrast to Septimus Warren Smith, an insane ex-soldier living in chaos. Even though the two never meet, these two correspond in that they strive to maintain possession of themselves, of their souls. On this Wednesday in June of 1923, as Clarissa prepares for her party that night, events during the day trigger memories and recollections of her past, and Woolf offers these bits to the reader, who must then form the psychological and emotional make-up of Mrs. Dalloway in his/her own mind. The reader also learns of Clarissa Dalloway through the thoughts of other characters, such as her old passion Peter Walsh, her husband Richard, and her daughter Elizabeth. Septimus Warren Smith, driven insane by witnessing the death of his friend in the war, acts as Clarissa' s societal antithesis; however, the reader learns that they often are more similar than different. Thus, Virginia Woolf examines the human personality in two distinct methods: she observes that different aspects of one's personality emerge in front of different people; also, she analyzes how the appearance of a person and the reality of that person diverge. By offering the personality in all its varying forms, Woolf demonstrates the compound nature of humans. As an extremely unconventional novel, Mrs. Dalloway poses a challenge for many avid readers; Woolf doesn't separate her novel into chapters, almost all the "action" occurs in the thoughts of characters, and, the reader must piece together the story from random bits and pieces of information... ... more. All of these contrasts affirm Woolf's contention: no one can or should ever be denoted as someone with only dominant characteristic, because no one remains unvarying. Yet this novel isn't just about Mrs. Dalloway or her complex nature, but rather of Woolf's realization that as Mrs. Dalloway is multi-dimensional, every human is a mixture of his/her concepts, memories, emotions; still, that same human being leaves behind as many different impressions as there are people who associate with that person. Furthermore, Woolf evokes the following question: If everyone's impression of another is just a fragment of the whole, what is the "real world" like, where everyone's consummate nature is in view? Only then does one realize that such a thing, a consummate nature, doesn't exist, and with the human personality, what you see at this very instant is what you get. Â