Effectiveness Of Online Marketing Tools Marketing Essay

Effectiveness Of Online Marketing Tools Marketing Essay The present research paper is looking into effectiveness of online marketing tools on B2C websites. In this section a background in e-commerce, online marketing and online customers is provided in order to give the reader an introduction. Background nnnnnnnnnnn 1.1.1. E-commerce The development of the information communication technologies has brought changes to the way of doing business and lead to the birth of electronic commerce. Chaffey (2006) defined E-commerce as both financial and informational electronically mediated transactions between an organization and any third party it deals with. By the nature of business transactions, e-commerce can be classified into business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-consumer (C2C), consumer-to-business (C2B), and intra-organizational e-commerce (Dou Chou 2002). Business to consumer (B2C), the focus of our research, is defined by Chaffey (2006) as, commercial transactions between an organization and consumers. E-commerce transactions have grown significantly during the past years (Grover Teng, 2001) and are expected to continue growing with double-digit annual growth rates (Daniels, Sehgal, Vogel, 2008). According to Mulpura (2008) Business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce and online retail sales reached $175 billion in 2007 and are predicted to reach $204 billion in 2008, $235.4 billion in 2009, $267.8 billion in 2010, $301 billion in 2011, and $334.7 billion in 2012. One of the main reasons for the growth of B2C e-commerce is increasing number of internet users (Oppenheim, 2006). 1.1.2. Online Marketing Internet created new ways of doing business for the companies but Internet is not only a place for buyers and sellers to discover product information; it also plays a role of intermediary (Bailey Bakos, 1997). Ab Hamid (2008) states that; The emergence of Internet technology, particularly the World Wide Web, as an electronic medium of commerce offers new opportunities to industries to adopt the Internet as their alternative marketing tools (or as the only marketing channel). There is still no widespread agreement regarding the nomenclature used to describe marketing through internet and terms such as hypermedia marketing, digital marketing, online marketing and e-marketing, have all been used at one time or another (Dholakia, 2005). Online marketing term will be used in our research. Elley and Tilley (2009) described online marketing as promotional activity on the internet, including email that can take many forms, including search engine marketing, email marketing, online advertising, social media, and affiliate marketing. These online marketing tools became one of the important communication tools for the companies to promote services and products in todays economy. Shankar Batra (2009) states, Marketing communications through the online medium are growing rapidly and The role of online marketing communications in the marketing mix is constantly evolving Shankar and (Hollinger, 2007). These views are also motivated by Reedy (2000) and he says online c ommunications tools are started become an important ingredient in the promotional mix and its 1.1.3. Online customers The Internet is no longer a novelty in the minds of todays population as it is the access to it. In fact, the Internet and digital information have taken over many aspects of our lives from communication to information consumption to new ways of doing business. It has reinvented our vocabulary and gave new meanings to words in cyberspace, for example surfing, visitors, hits or navigate (Dobrowolski 2000). These changes in meaning can be discovered as well in the word user; it can mean a surfer or a visitor. Now, in the 21th century, borders represented by gender, occupation and education in using or navigating the Internet and other digital mediums have been sponged away by habit, supported by changes in system technologies. So surfing the Internet, texting a mobile message or reading an online magazine is opened and, in fact, used by elderly, children or unemployed and technologies have become more mobile, real-time and interactive to support those behaviors. (Nicholas and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 2003) By now, it is a common knowledge that consumers of all ages shop online, but as Silverman (2000) and Seock (2008) point out, college students with ages between 18 and 22 are the hottest market and can be the main customers to generate revenue and growth for online sales. The common trait argued in Seocks (2008) research is that although college students are avid information seekers though the internet, the conversion rate to online buyers is very low, only 4,9 % from general online visitors buy also the products online (Kerner 2005). InternetWorldStats shows that, in 2010, 92,5% of Swedens population was using the Internet, making it one of the most developed Internet and broadband markets in the EU, a so called online nation  [1]  . All members of the age group 15 to 24 year old is using the Internet on a daily basis with an average of 155 minutes online per day  [2]  , but it is only the 3rd biggest age group that is actually shopping online, 72% of Swedish males aged 16 to 24 have purchased online in 2010, whereas 82% of the 25-34 female users have purchased in the last year  [3]  . The trends in connectivity and being online also differ with age group. According to Internetstatistik.se, 15 to 24 year olds are more avid consumer of social media (66%) than e-mail (44%)  [4]  , which just emphasizes even more the need of new insight into what Shop.org names as social commerce. The problem arises into how to blend new social media and other new technologies into an effective online marketing strategy in order to obtain the wanted conversion from online visitors to online customers. What comes after building a Facebook company account, twittering about the new promotion and optimizing your website? 1.1.4. Effectiveness New technologies have changed the ways customers and companies relate to one another and has challenged the traditional process of transactions and the way communications between consumers and companies are managed (Ozuem, Howell and Lancaster, 2008). When evaluating this new technologies, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of traditional and new channels as well as, from a managers point of view, translate them into effectiveness (Danaher and Rossiter, 2011). Companies are not using the whole potential of online marketing tools although they perceive them as effective (Teo 2005). However, measuring marketing effectiveness poses numerous challenges due to the multitude of possible metrics for assessing effectiveness (Gray, 2006). Chaffey (2009) translates effectiveness as doing the right thing and from a practical point of view producing the required outputs and outcomes. Kierzkowski, McQuade, Waitman and Zeissler (1996) expresses 5 wanted outcomes from a marketers point of view attract customers, engage customers, retain customers, learn about customers and relate to customers. It is critical for companies to know; how do they attract customers to their website, engage them to turn into paying customers and also retain them to keep returning to your website. Chaffey 2009 states Online communications techniques used to achieve goals of brand awareness, familiarity and favorability and to influence purchase intent by encouraging users of digital media to visit a web site to engage with the brand or product and ultimately to purchase online or offline through traditional media channels such as by phone or in-store. As Teo (2005) has established in his research, effectiveness does not have to translate necessarily only into revenue, but it can be measured in building customer relationships, traffic on the companys website or another outcome that satisfies management. Our research will use the same 5 points outcome from Kierzkowski, McQuade, Waitman and Zeissler (1996) and will explore the different ways customers reach companies via internet. 1.2. Problem Discussion What is the problem? (Borrowed or created) Today, companies realized the potential of e-commerce and most of them already started to make use of this technology. Ã…Â  Ãƒâ€žÃ‚ eulovs and Gaile-Sarkane (2010) state that, E-commerce has now become a key component of many companies in the daily running of their businesses. Thus, the e-marketing component of a companys marketing strategy has grown in importance; Baker (2007) states that, In a short period of time, e-marketing has become a facet of marketing that cannot be ignored. New developments on internet technologies enables new ways of marketing, communication, gathering customer opinions and experiences about products, services and firms, and also allows personalized one-to-one marketing (Li and Bernoff, 2008). Marketers are faced now with two important questions that they have to answer regarding: Which online marketing tools to use for the wanted outcome? Andrews, et al. (2007 cited in Ab. Hamid, 2008) point out that for firms the increased importance of Internet channels can be seen in its contribution to disseminating information, enhancing consumer value, improving consumer satisfaction, loyalty and retention as well as consumer perception which in turn leads to better profitability and expanded market share. How to integrate them in the overall company strategy? Baker (2007) noted that, marketers need to carefully assess the significance of e-marketing and assimilate it, as appropriate, into all aspects of marketing from strategy and planning to marketing research, objectives setting, buyer behavior, marketing communications and the marketing mix. Given that the Internet has not only changed the way companies do business, but as well consumers behavior to shop or to look for information, the matter of effectiveness of online tools arises. Online marketing tools need to be identified well by the companies and marketers should validate the economics of their promotional activities against their effectiveness ( McQuade, S. (1996). In addition, the specific characteristics of the world wide web (traditional barriers of communication are broken, information and competition just at a click away) often result in a question that we will try to answer in this research: Research question: What tools are effective in attracting, retaining and engaging customers? 1.3. Research Problem Questions that are developed from problem Which online tools are customers responding to? How effective is the online marketing tools to attract online customers? How effective is the online marketing tools to engage online customers? How effective is the online marketing tools to retain online customers? Starting from an existing study on digital marketing, we have chosen to apply a similar model into a quantitative research that is questioning students in Sweden about the effectiveness of digital marketing tools. In this paper, we investigate the effectiveness of online marketing tools of B2C websites in Sweden. 2. Literature Overview This section will present review of relevant literature relating to our research. We will identify the theoretical base on which our study will be built. What to base the study on? 2.1. E-commerce and B2C Digital technology, particularly the internet, has been described as an enabler of a global marketplace, characterised by equal access to information about products, prices, and distribution (Strauss et al., 2006). According to Chaffey (2009) e-commerce is all electronically mediated transactions between an organization and any third party it deals with. According to this definition non-financial transactions can be considered to be part of e-commerce. Chaffey (2009) Business-to-consumer (B2C) markets have made a significant contribution to the commercial development of the Internet encouraging wide-scale use of computer networks by a diverse and increasingly global range of consumers 2.2. Online Marketing Elley and Tilley (2009) defined online marketing as promotional activity on the internet, including email that can take many forms, including search engine marketing, email marketing, online advertising, social media, and affiliate marketing. McQuade, S. (1996) states that there are several success factors for companies to be able to successful in the online market, these five factors are Attract users. Engage users interest and participation. Retain users and ensure they return to an application. Learn about their preferences. Relate back to them to provide the sort of customized interactions that represent the true value bubble of digital marketing. e-marketing is the strategy that the agency or organization uses the modern communication technical methods to exchange the potential market into reality market. The e-marketing is that we can use internet making continuously services in the every step of products pre-selling, products selling and products after-selling. It runs in the whole process of business operating and includes searching for new customers, services for old customers. 2.2.1. Attracting McQuade (1996) states that the current clutter on the Internet virtually ensures that the build it and they will come model is insufficient to draw consumers, marketers need to actively attract users in the first place. Chaffey (2009+) Before an organization can acquire customers through the content on its site, it must, of course, develop marketing communication strategies to attract visitors to the web site. Reed (2010) states online marketing drives traffic to your site and he also mentions this is probably the single biggest reason for using online marketing. Baker (2009) states that; to bring in the customers, companies must ensure their website is visible to customers thats why companies first priority is to be ensure their website is Search Engine Optimized. Banner and display advertisement is another important marketing tool that generate traffic and increase the views of your website. Social media tools generate traffic to your website and its also very important tool to engage current customers. Baker (2009) states Social media can deliver new customers, but primarily is a terrific tool to communicate and engage current customers. Engagement is driven by good design and good content. The biggest explosion in this area has been the growth of online video to drive the message of business and products across in a dynamic way. A recent survey by Yahoo Pew has shown video can increase e-commerce purchases by up to 40 percent. According to Chaffey (2009) online marketing focus on three main activities; customer acquisition (attracting site visitor), conversion (generating leads and sales), and retention (encouraging the continued use of digital channels). Reed (2010) states online marketing is an important tool and lists why it works for companies: Online marketing drives traffic to your site: This is probably the single biggest reason for using online marketing. Creates new ways to connect with your market: companies will become visible to a new set of prospects. Builds trust: your clients and customers can get to know you through your online presence. Starts a conversation: A two way of dialogue with your customers and prospects is much more effective than a one-way broadcast of your marketing message. Creates value: If you can create a useful resource or interesting content targeted at your niche, they will keep coming back for more. Builds communities and relationships. Online marketing communications defined by Chaffey 2009 as Online communications techniques used to achieve goals of brand awareness, familiarity and favourability and to influence purchase intent by encouraging users of digital media to visit a web site to engage with the brand or product and ultimately to purchase online or offline through traditional media channels such as by phone or in-store. 2.2.2. Engaging 2.2.3. Retaining 2.3. Online Marketing Communications There are several online marketing tools to attract customers and each tool must be chosen and applied carefully by the companies. online marketing tools available for b2c companies Developing the capability to create and maintain an effective online presence through a web site is a key part of Internet marketing. Effective means that the web site and related communications must deliver relevance to its audience, whether this be through news content for a portal, product and service information for a business-to-business site or relevant products and offers for an e-commerce site. At the same time, effective means the web site must deliver results for the company. 2.3.1. Social Media Social media is defined as a group of Internet-based applications such as blogs, social networking sites, content communities, collaborative projects, virtual game worlds and social worlds that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user generated content (Kaplan Haenlein, 2010). The social media marketing connects service providers, companies and corporations with a broad audience of influencers and consumers (Weinberg 2009, 2-3.). Frick (2010) states that, When you share content on social profiles and your network of friends in turn share it as well, the potential for reaching huge numbers of people with little effort and in a small amount of time could be construed as a tangible business transaction, at least in terms of its marketing potential. Increasing usage of social media and networks created new ways of marketing of products and services. According to Black, Harrison et. Al. (2010) the uptake in use of social media tools is currently rising extremely quickly, Facebook now has over 400 million users and Twitter over 50 million. With these high potentials companies realized the importance of social media and social media started to become a new way to reach potential customers. Kaplan (2010) states that each Social Media application usually attracts a certain group of people and firms should be active wherever their customers are present. A research done by Digital Brand Expressions indicates that 78 percent of client companies actively utilizing social media (sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) and only 41 percent of the respondents strategic social media communications plan  [5]  . 2.3.2. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) 2.3.3. Search Engine Optimization Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of identifying and fine-tuning elements and keywords of a Website to improve the traffic in order to reach the highest possible visibility from search engines. Hernà ¡ndez et al (2009) states that, SEO tool tries to capture users who are actively looking for information about a product related to the firm, which converts them into potential clients openly expressing their needs. So SEO is the first thing to tick on your list and its worth remembering that 50 percent of all online purchases start with a search. SEO is a great tool to create brand awareness and increase the website visits. Highest ranking in search engines can attract more visitors to the website. According to Evans (2007) more than half of all visitors come from a search engine rather than from a direct link on another web page. 2.3.4. Mobile Marketing Shankar and Balasubramanian (2009) define Mobile marketing as a two- or multi-way communication and promotion of an offer between a firm and its customers using a mobile medium, device, or technology. Marketing through mobile devices can be used to attract new customers or to retain them. Lubbe and Louw (2010) states that, Mobile devices create an opportunity to deliver new services to existing customers and to attract new ones. Shankar et al. (2010) states that is improving the acquisition and enhancing the retention of customers is an important challenge in the mobile marketing context and the retailers need to better understand social networking to attract and retain customers. Mobile marketing is taking off as more consumers are increasingly becoming dependent on their mobile device for their day-to-day needs, including music, voice and data communication, and photography (Shankar and Balasubramanian 2009). 2.3.5. Affiliate Marketing Chaffey (2009) defines affiliate marketing as a commission based arrangement where referring sites (publishers) receive a commission on sales or leads by merchants (retailers or other transactional sites). He also states that Web site traffic can be developed through online partnerships such as affiliate marketing which involves partners being paid commission for each sale or lead. Affiliate marketing programs help firms to increase their reach and acquire other firms customers when the firms agree to refer their customers to the third parties (Akà §ura, 2010). 2.3.6. Display (Banner) Advertising Display ads are paid ad placements using graphical or rich media ad units within a web page to achieve goals of delivering brand awareness, familiarity, favourability and purchase intent. Many ads encourage interactioÄ ±n through prompting the viewer to interact or rollover to play videos, complete an online form or to view more details by clicking through to a site. Chaffey 2009 2.3.7. Permission E-mail marketing A wide variety of e-commerce marketers are using permission-based e-mail communications to notify prospects of promotions and services, acquire new customers, increase sales, and, most importantly, develop and nurture an ongoing dialogue and relationship with their customers. LOrà ©als brand Lancà ´me uses email newsletters to keep in touch with customers and hence strengthen their brand loyalty (Merisavo and Raulas 2004). The consumers exposed to e-mail marketing recommended the brand to their friends. E-mail also activated consumers to visit retail stores, buy the brands products, and visit the brands site on the internet via links. Brand attitudes were also positive among consumers who had received e-mail. The data show that consumers with higher brand loyalty appreciate regular communication from the brand more than the less loyal. From this we conclude that e-mail offers marketers an opportunity to further strengthen the brand loyalty of already loyal customers by keeping in frequent contact with them. 2.3.8. Online PR Subscription and Feed tools. RSS etc. Social Media Membership Dynamic content 2.3.9. Viral Marketing Viral marketing for the real world. Chaffey and Smith (2008) states that Viral marketing harnesses the network effect of the Internet and can be effective in reaching a large number of people rapidly in the same way as a computer virus can affect many machines around the world. With viral techniques, traffic is built either through using e-mail (virtual word-of-mouth) or real-world word-of-mouth to spread the message from one person to the next (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). BLENDTEC CASE STUDY 2.3.10. Permission E- mail Marketing E-mail is most widely used as a prospect conversion and customer retention tool using an opt-in house-list of prospects and customers who have given permission to a company to contact them (Chaffey and Smith, 2008). For example, Lastminute.com has built a house list of over ten million prospects and customers across Europe. 2.3.11. Online PR Maximising favourable mentions of your company, brands, products or web sites on third-party web sites which are likely to be visited by your target audience. (Chaffey, 2006). According to Chaffey (2006) online PR include: Communicating with media (journalists) online: setting up a press-release area on the web site; creating e-mail alerts about news that journalists and other third parties can sign up to; submitting your news stories or releases to online news feeds. Link building: A structured activity to include good quality hyperlinks to your site from relevant sites with a good page rank. Blogs, podcasting and RSS: Web logs or blogs give an easy method of regularly publishing web pages which are best described as online journals, diaries or news or events listings, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is an extension of blogging where blog, news or any type of content is received by subscribers using the systems mentioned above. Podcasts are related to blogs since they can potentially be generated by individuals or organisations to voice an opinion either as audio (typically MP3) or less commonly currently as video. Managing how your brand is presented on third-party sites As part of online PR it is useful to set up monitoring services. It is also necessary to have the resources to deal with negative PR as part of online reputation management. Creating a buzz online viral marketing. member get member 2.4. Online customer This section will present a short story of developments in digital interactive environment with regards to digital user definition and behavior in this environment and will present the new digital player characteristics that is said to be transformed into the Google generation Starting with the term of end-user which was pushed by scholars in the late 1970s to define the persons that would finally benefit from the usage of information, the growing number of users (we refer to tens of millions) in the coming 20 years after that have given birth to the term consumers, as recognition to their new found (economic) powers  [6]  . Nicholas D. and Dobrowolsky T. (2000) argue the over-usage of the term user in reference to the Internet and name it a tired, over-used, cheap and misused word, which provides the information profession with a debased currency. It does not reflect the close and complex engagement that takes place between a person and todays interactive information systems  [7]  . Instead they introduce the term player as a new name for the information consumer and characterize information seeking behavior as interactive, recreational, social and competitive with nuances depending on individual online engagement. According to their following research in 2003, the digital players characteristics are  [8]  : Enormous and unprecedented numbers; we have gotten used to see and speak of website traffic in millions. All powerfull; power given by numbers, by huge choice possibilities and backed-up by governments. Personal characteristics; they cover all age groups, education groups and gender. More then that, the research has revealed that the Internet, initially a male dominated domain, now reflects the gender balance of the general population  [9]  that needs a new demographic profiling in consumer behavior. Huge choice is premonitory (not sure if it is the right word) of the next 2 characteristics: Promiscuous users short attention spans and short visits; Nicholas and Dobrowolski refer to users as bouncers. Online consumers bounce from website to another due to short attention spans, running against homepages they do not like, huge choice of websites, etc. Promiscuous; consumers visit a lot of sites online, but purchase from just a few. (more explanation needed?) Untrusting; all electronic media is two-dimensional and the information provider can be everyone. cited in Seock 2008 Consumers across the age spectrum shop online, but college students aged 18 to 22 have been identified as the Internets hottest market and a prime source of future growth in online sales (Silverman, 2000). College students yearly expenditures reach near $200 billion (as cited in PROMO Xtra, 2003). They are heavy users of the Internet and have more access to this medium than most other population segments (Jasper Lan, 1992; Kim LaRose, 2004; U.S. Department of State, 2002). According to Harris Interactive (2002), 92% of college students own a computer and 93% access the Internet. Their online spending exceeds that of any other demographic group in the U.S. (ODonnell Associates, LLC, 2004). Roemer (2003) noted that U.S. college students online purchases came to $1.4 billion in 2002 following a 17% increase over the previous three years. In this vein, it is important for retailers and consumer educators to better understand college students online shopping behavior. Chaffey (2009), Age can affect levels of access to technology, computer literacy, and eventually, the extent to which individuals use the Internet as part of their shopping routines. Chaffey (2009), At the higher end of the educational spectrum (university and college graduate) the internet is considered as essential if not indispensible. However , the digital divide is persistent and internet access is lower in areas with poorer educational achievement and lower-income schools.d Share of persons who use the Internet at least once a week By age groups 16-74 years of age, shares in percent. Year 2010 Share of persons who ordered goods or services via the Internet during the last twelve months By age groups 16-74 years of age, shares in percent. Year 2010. Orders made for private purposes 2.5. Effectivenes online However, measuring marketing effectiveness poses numerous challenges due to the multitude of possible metrics for assessing effectiveness (Gray, 2006 ). The analysis of advertising channel effectiveness and consumer behavior has emerged as a key concept in the marketing discipline for researchers and practitioners because it bridges consumer behavior and marketing strategy (Woodruff, 1997; Overby et al., 2004). The operational and management processes of e-marketing Online and offline communications techniques for e-commerce There are different marketing communicati

Raider’s of the Lost Ark and Film Violence Essay

Raider Buttons In his book, More Than a Movie: Ethics in Entertainment, F. Miguel Valenti examines nine â€Å"hot buttons† of violence – â€Å"creative elements that filmmakers use to manipulate viewers’ reactions to onscreen violence.† (99) These elements, posited by researchers conducting The National Television Violence Study (Valenti, 99) are â€Å"choice of perpetrator, choice of victim, presence of consequences, rewards and punishments, the reason for the violence, weapons, realism, use of humor, and prolonged exposure† (Valenti, 100) . Raiders of the Lost Ark is a violent, yet well loved film which would be interesting to examine in this light. In Raiders, the choice of perpetrator is our hero, Indiana Jones. We do not think of him as â€Å"a perpetrator†, he is â€Å"the good guy†, yet he is shown bringing about the demise of many people. Victims of violence can be portrayed as likeable, in which case the effect on the audience is to â€Å"increase fear and anxiety. If violence can happen to someone *like* me, it can also happen *to* me, they reason† (Valenti, 101), however, if â€Å"the victim is dissimilar to the viewer and NOT likable, the viewer can more easily either rationalize the violence or dismiss it because in some way the victim ‘got what he deserved’† (Valenti, 102). The victims in Raiders are Nazis, not â€Å"everyday Joes†, their characters are not individualized, or if they are, they are over-the-top evil, like Arnold Ernst Toht the sadistic and ruthless Nazi Gestapo agent (Raiders). Raiders is chockfull of weapons – knives, machetes, submachine guns, and firearms of all sorts. â€Å"Weapons – in most cases fi rearms of one sort or another – can trigger aggressive feelings in viewers and cause them to interpret a seemingly neutral situation as potentially threatening† (Valenti, 104). This is knowledge Steven Spielberg puts to good use in the scene in Raiders where a Nazi approaches the bound Marion ominously with a vile looking weapon in hand, viciously flicks it open †¦ and hangs his coat on the wooden hanger (Raiders). This leads us to the subject of humor in violent situations. â€Å"†¦humor strips violence of the moral outrage the viewer might otherwise feel. And if our hero can joke about the destruction he is causing, surely we can as well† (Valenti, 107). Indiana Jones is confronted by a large, sword wielding man and after watching his elaborate swordsmanship, Indiana tiredly pulls out his gun and drops him with one bullet – to the rousing cheers of the audience (Raiders). â€Å"Social scientists state that when violence is shown in context, complete with depictions of the pain and suffering caused by the violent acts, aggressive behavior in the viewer is inhibited†(Valenti, 102). â€Å"If a violent act is rewarded – through the perpetrator’s attaining his goal or ‘getting the girl,’ the likelihood of learning aggressive behavior is increased† (Valenti, 103). After Indiana Jones battles his way onto a ship, he’s so bruised he can’t move, so Marion, a beautiful woman, kisses the pain away. This is the only physical consequence we see Indie â€Å"suffer† (Raiders). In Raiders of The Lost Ark, the violence is abundant from beginning to end, – a death tally of 63 (allouttabubblegum) — but we accept it because it is always the â€Å"bad guy† getting hurt — a greedy guide is skewered by a bed of nails, a relentless thug is chopped by a plane propeller, and numerous Nazi s meet their comeuppance by having their faces melt off (Raiders). The violence is often gory and realistic. According to the study, the reason for the violence tends to affect the viewers’ response to the violence. â€Å"When a violent act is seen as unjustified, aggressive tendencies are reduced in the viewer† (Valenti, 103) – the â€Å"body count† of Raiders consists entirely of Nazis, baddies, and thugs, which would make the audience tend to feel less anxious, and thus according to Valenti, actually increase the viewers’ aggressive tendencies (103). If the existence of audience created websites such as The Incredible Melting Nazi (YouTube) posted in the â€Å"Comedy† section, can be used as evidence, there may be something to that. Works Cited ASHPD24. â€Å"(Indiana Jones And The) Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981): Body Count Breakdown.† AllOuttaBubbleGum.com. WordPress, 31 January 2010. Web. 15 January 2013. Raiders of the Lost Ark. Dir. Spielberg, Steven. Paramount, 1982. Film. TheScarredLovers. â€Å"The Incredible Melting Nazi.† YouTube.com.You Tube, L.L.C., 23 May 2008. Web. 15 February 2013 Valenti, F. M. (2000). More Than a Movie. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Print.

Transparency And Transparency Of Government - 1880 Words

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Devry Eng 112 All Week Discussions - 2386 Words

DEVRY ENG 112 All Week Discussions IF You Want To Purchase A+ Work then Click The Link Below For Instant Down Load http://www.hwspeed.com/DEVRY-ENG-112-All-Week-Discussions-1113258025.htm?categoryId=-1 IF You Face Any Problem Then E Mail Us At JOHNMATE1122@GMAIL.COM Question week 1 discussion The Brand of You (graded) As discussed in this week’s lecture, the Brand of You is created from the perception you give others through your writing. In creating the brand of you, how do you decide what to tell, how to tell it, and what to leave out? If given the task of introducing your personal brand through writing, what specific characteristics or attributes of yourself would you share? What stories would serve to provide the†¦show more content†¦What topics are you finding in the news today? What new angles are being presented? What current events or social changes have prompted these new angles? (Please be sure to include a URL with your post. If you use exact phrases or sentences from your chosen article, be sure to place that information in quotation marks.) This section lists options that can be used to view responses. week 2 discussion The Profile Genre (graded) Please read Carl Wilkinson’s profile, Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, on pages 622–626 of your text. What writing techniques does Wilkinson use to meet the profile genre? How do these strategies help establish meaning, and what impression do they leave about Grohl? (Be sure to be specific in your response, pointing to areas of the text and noting both page and paragraph numbers.) Getting Started Writing (graded) Drawing on one of the strategies for writing introductions outlined in your text or the lecture, post a draft of your introductory paragraph(s) as your first post. Then, throughout the week, reply to your classmates with feedback on their introductory paragraphs. Note how or why week 3 discussion ive Messages (graded) What makes an ad succeed or flop? Think about specific print or television advertisements that have either stuck with you or made you turn your eyes, and explain what works or what doesn’t. In your response, be sure to consider the impact the rhetoricalShow MoreRelatedProject Managment Case Studies214937 Words   |  860 PagesSTUDIES, SECOND EDITION HAROLD KERZNER, Ph.D. Division of Business Administration Baldwin-Wallace College Berea, Ohio John Wiley Sons, Inc. This book is printed on acid-free paper. @ Copyright O 2006 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanicalRead MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 PagesState University PROJECT MANAGEMENT: THE MANAGERIAL PROCESS Published by McGraw-Hill/Irwin, a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY, 10020. Copyright  © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written consent of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited

Wonderful Wizard of Oz and the Populist Movement - 3033 Words

For many generations, adults and children alike have relished L. Frank Baum’s cleverly written bedtime story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. On the surface, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz seems like an innocent fairy-tale that was written â€Å"solely to pleasure children today† ; however a deeper look into the main characters and symbolism inherent in the story, suggest an outlook into the Gilded Age. Many historians, beginning with Henry Littlefield, have interpreted The Wizard of Oz as being an allegory to the Populist Movement and the issue of money that surrounded the Gilded Age. Although Baum mentions that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written as a bedtime fairy-tale to be read and enjoyed by people of all ages, the hidden symbols and deeper†¦show more content†¦Therefore the Democrats pushed for a more conservative presidential candidate -William Jennings Bryan with the Populist support. On the other hand, the Republicans comprising mostly of bankers and indus trialists rallied for the gold standard because they wanted to keep the value of the dollar high to retain their monopolistic power. The gold standard would also be beneficial to the creditors because the amount of money they received from the debtors would be valued a lot more than that which they initially lent out. Thus the stage was set for the â€Å"battle of the standards† in the elections 1896 between the Populist and Democrat nominee William Jennings Bryan and the Republican candidate William McKinley. Baum writes The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with the battle between the Republicans and the Populists as the main basis for its plot structure. L. Frank Baum’s background is instrumental in understanding the parallels between The Wizard of Oz and the Gilded Age in which Baum lived. Baum lived in South Dakota during the period when Populism was gaining popularity. Western farmers had naturally rallied for the Populist cause of better crop prices (inflation) because of droughts which destroyed their crops. Baum was witness to the misery of the Western farmer and therefore sympathetic towards them. There is however some confusion regarding Baum’s political beliefs. Henry M. Littlefield believed that Baum was a â€Å"reform-minded Democrat† who supported Bryan and his cause forShow MoreRelatedThe Wizard Of Oz : Parable On Populism1628 Words   |  7 PagesThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a classic tale about Dorothy’s adventurous trip along the Yellow Brick Road, finding her way back to her Aunt Em in Kansas City. However, many critics thoroughly analyzed the true meaning behind this classic tale to have a more profound message than simply a friendly children’s story. The theories developed from the interpretations of populist, feminist, and religious critics create a fascinating perspective of the story of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. 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Succubus Shadows Chapter 7 Free Essays

â€Å"You’re right,† said Roman the next morning, ruminating over what had happened with Gavin. â€Å"I didn’t like that.† I was standing in the bathroom, going over my hair with a flat iron. We will write a custom essay sample on Succubus Shadows Chapter 7 or any similar topic only for you Order Now It was a pain in the ass compared to shape-shifting, but I liked the challenge. Plus, I could always fine-tune the frizziness away afterward. â€Å"Not like it’s the first time it’s happened,† I pointed out, my eyes on the mirror rather than where he leaned in the doorway. â€Å"You used to never mind.† â€Å"Didn’t I?† he asked dryly. â€Å"Well, being with him distracted me from wallowing in self-pity. Not that it made me feel that great either,† I admitted. â€Å"But it kept my†¦whatever†¦away. And hey, it couldn’t have been as nasty as what you saw Simone do.† â€Å"True, but now that guy’s just going to come trolling around all the time. He’ll be showing up to borrow cups of sugar in the hopes he can score some more action.† â€Å"I’ll deal with him. I’ve got a little practice in pushing guys away.† â€Å"Don’t I know it.† I paused to shoot him a glare. â€Å"Will you lay off the attitude this morning? You’re starting to sound like you’re jealous or something.† Roman snorted. â€Å"Hardly. Why in God’s name would I be jealous over the woman who got my sister killed and tried to unleash the forces of Heaven and Hell to destroy me?† Fair point. â€Å"It’s a little more complicated than that.† â€Å"Oh, yes, I’m sure.† He crossed his arms and stared down at the floor. â€Å"But maybe the next time you’re looking for distraction, we could rent a movie and microwave some popcorn instead of fucking the neighbors.† â€Å"You have horrible taste in movies,† I mumbled. But that closed the conversation, and Roman wandered off. A few moments later, I heard the TV turn on. I had to work today, but it was an afternoon shift. I was up and ready to go early because I wanted to visit Erik. I should have felt secure in Jerome’s ability to figure out what was going on, as well as Roman’s protection. But I’d had too much shit happen to me in the past to ever fully trust anyone. Erik had always proven a valuable resource. Roman went with me, covertly, but it took a while for me to actually get some quality time with Erik. He had customers in the store – which was great for him, but I could hardly discuss immortal affairs with others around. When the people finally thinned out, Erik turned his attention to me, ready with his typical friendly smile. His color looked better, and his movements weren’t as jerky. He was still weak, just not as weak. â€Å"Your cold’s cleared up,† I said. His smile grew. â€Å"Yes, I told you it was nothing. A mere cold isn’t going to kill me off.† His voice was light, but I couldn’t help a small frown. There had been something in his words – something I couldn’t quite put my finger on – that made it sound like he did know what was going to kill him. A chill ran down my spine. I didn’t like to think of those sorts of things. I sat down at his little table with him but declined tea. â€Å"I just wanted to see if you’d learned anything else.† It was a nervous impulse on my part. I knew he would have contacted me if he had discovered something. â€Å"No, but as I said, the information we have is vague enough for it to be any number of things.† â€Å"That’s what Jerome said.† Erik looked pleased. â€Å"I’m glad he knows. I’ve always said that your own people are more likely to know better than me.† I couldn’t help a small laugh. â€Å"Debatable. I might have something to make it a little less vague.† Briefly, I explained my recent encounter and how it had occurred to me that this force only visited when I was troubled and depressed. â€Å"It’s like†¦it’s like it’s preying on my weakness. Trying to lure me in with promises of comfort.† â€Å"Then you must be careful not to give in.† If Roman had said that, I would have snapped at him for stating the obvious. â€Å"It’s easy to say that now, in the cold light of logic, but when it happens†¦I don’t know. I lose my grip on the world. Reason’s gone. Hell, half the time I don’t even know what’s happening until afterward. It’s like†¦sleeping. Sleepwalking. Whatever.† â€Å"And it always appears as a type of doorway?† I pondered this for several seconds. â€Å"I don’t know†¦kind of. I don’t know how to describe it – and I know I keep saying that. And how useless it sounds. I’m not sure if it’s a door, exactly, but it’s definitely trying to pull me into something.† Erik had made himself tea and sat for almost a minute sipping it, his brow knit in thought. â€Å"I’ll think about all of this. In the meantime, I’d just advise†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He hesitated. â€Å"Well, let me put it this way. You are a delight, Miss Kincaid, and I always enjoy my time with you. However, you are also – how can I say this – someone frequently given to darker moods.† â€Å"Is that your polite way of saying I’m always down?† I teased. â€Å"No†¦not exactly. But if this thing is seeking out those in emotionally depressed states, then I’d say you are particularly susceptible. If it’s at all possible, you should try to stay away from those moods.† I thought about it. One of my best friends was marrying my ex – an ex whom I was starting to fall for all over again. An ex whose soul I had inadvertently damned to Hell and who was now being stalked by another succubus. My own soul had long since been Hell-bound, and I was committed to an eternity of sleeping with men whom I often didn’t like. Oh, yeah. Let’s not forget that my roommate was given to sociopathic tendencies and had me on his hit list. â€Å"That might be easier said than done,† I told Erik. â€Å"I can imagine,† he said ruefully. â€Å"But it may be the only way to protect yourself. That and your own willpower – the strength of which I firmly believe in.† Erik’s faith in me warmed up a piece of my heart, even though the rest of today’s insight hadn’t been all that insightful. I thanked him for his time and headed off to work, grateful Roman offered no â€Å"witty† commentary during our drive. At the bookstore, Seth worked alone in the caf? ¦. Simone was nowhere in sight, which was one bonus. The fact that it was Maddie’s day off also improved my mood. Maybe staying away from my usual glum state wouldn’t be as hard as I thought. â€Å"Yo, Kincaid.† Doug found me putting stickers on our rack of clearance books. They mostly consisted of out-of-print coffee-table books, things like Stone Arches of Tuscany and The Complete Book of Bridal Cross-stitch. I wasn’t entirely sure what that last one was, but maybe it’d make a good wedding present for Seth and Maddie. The price was certainly a bargain. We’d reduced it three times now, and still no one wanted to buy it. â€Å"What’s up?† I asked. â€Å"I’ve got news that’s going to rock your world. And make you think I’m even awesomer than you already do.† â€Å"That’s a bold statement.† He paused, apparently trying to decide if he’d been complimented or insulted. â€Å"I just found out that Gabrielle’s a fan of Blue Satin Bra.† â€Å"She never struck me as that type. I figured all of her lingerie would be black.† Doug gave me a withering look. â€Å"No, Kincaid. I don’t mean that she wears one. I mean that she likes the group. Haven’t you heard of them?† â€Å"There’s a group called Blue Satin Bra?† I shook my head. â€Å"Sorry. I can’t keep up with every new garage band in Seattle.† â€Å"They aren’t a garage band! They’re the hottest thing to hit the metal scene. They’re going to make it big.† I tried to hide my skepticism. Doug himself was in a band called Nocturnal Admission, and whenever he spoke about local bands, it seemed like everyone was on the verge of making it big. â€Å"What’s this got to do with Gabrielle again?† Doug was clearly growing frustrated with me. â€Å"She’s a huge fan – and they’ve got a concert tomorrow night. Unfortunately, it’s all sold out. She was pretty bummed about it.† Despite his annoyance with me, I could sense the smugness within him. â€Å"Here it comes†¦.† Pride lit his features. â€Å"I’m friends with the bass player and managed to score some tickets. If your pal Cody approaches her with them†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I paused in my stickering. â€Å"You’re right. You did just get awesomer.† â€Å"You’ve got to go too, you know.† â€Å"I – what?† Me trailing along didn’t sound romantic in the least. Doug shrugged. â€Å"He can’t just ask her out for an actual date. Not yet. He’ll spook her.† â€Å"Then what exactly is he supposed to ask her out for?† â€Å"I do the asking. I’ll just be all like, ‘Hey, Gabby, I got some extra tickets to the show. You want to go along with me and my friends?’ Then she’s off guard. She comes along, Cody’s there, magic happens†¦.† â€Å"Wow,† I said. â€Å"Looks like you’ve got it all figured out. And I don’t think she likes to be called Gabby.† â€Å"This is a good plan.† He was clearly very pleased with himself. â€Å"I’ve been around, Kincaid. When you get mad romantic skills like me, you’ll understand.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"We can only hope. So how many friends are going along exactly?† â€Å"I scored four tickets. So: you, me, Cody, and Gabrielle.† â€Å"Sounds suspiciously like a double date. You trying your mad romantic skills on me?† It wouldn’t be the first time. â€Å"Hell no. Do I look suicidal? You’re already claimed.† For a minute, Seth came to mind, then Doug added: â€Å"I’m not getting on the bad side of that guy you’re shacked up with. I mean, I can hold my own in a fight, but he looks like he could seriously fuck someone up.† â€Å"You have no idea,† I muttered. No doubt Roman – lingering nearby invisibly – was loving this. â€Å"But we aren’t involved. He’s just my roommate.† â€Å"For now,† said Doug ominously. He began a retreat. â€Å"I’ll go invite Gabs. You tell Cody the deal and that you’re going to be his wing-woman.† I shook my head after Doug left, wondering what I’d gotten myself into. His absurd comments about mad skills and wing-women aside, the whole casual group thing might be a gateway outing to get Gabrielle closer to Cody. I just hoped word of his Goth getup the other day hadn’t gotten around to her. I also wondered what kind of experience I was getting myself into with Blue Satin Bra. Doug’s bizarre industrial alternative music had grown on me over the years, but I had a feeling this concert would be a very different experience. About an hour later, I was in my office when some unexpected guests popped their heads in. Well, one wasn’t entirely unexpected. I’d found that even when Maddie wasn’t working, there was never any real security. You couldn’t count on her absence, not when her boyfriend and brother were often in the store. I could feel some safety when we didn’t have the same shift, but I’d long accepted that Maddie could really show up at any moment. No, the real surprise was that Maddie was in my office with Brandy Mortensen, Seth’s niece. He had five of them, and she was the oldest. When Seth and I had dated, I’d grown pretty attached to that brood. My longing for children and the girls’ total adorableness made it easy for me to love them. They’d grown close to me too. Of course, at fourteen, I suspected Brandy wouldn’t appreciate being called â€Å"adorable.† She stood with Maddie, who was holding a garment bag on a hanger. Brandy wore a surprisingly sullen teen expression. She seemed taller to me than when I’d last seen her. Just like with Erik, time was passing quickly for these humans. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said, setting my paperwork aside. â€Å"What’s up?† â€Å"More wedding errands,† said Maddie cheerfully. â€Å"We just came by to pick up Seth. We went back to that shop and got a dress for Brandy. She’s a bridesmaid too.† Maddie lifted the edge of the bag, revealing the same dress Maddie had bought me the other day. â€Å"How embarrassing,† I told Brandy. â€Å"We’re going to show up in the same outfit.† She gave me the ghost of a smile but stayed silent. â€Å"We also went and talked to some florists but didn’t really come up with any ideas on what to get. If I get something purple, will it be too monochromatic? And if I get a different color, will it look weird?† â€Å"Hard questions,† I said solemnly. Ones I didn’t want to answer. â€Å"Maybe you can come back with me and take a look at some of their books?† Maddie was giving me that hopeful, cheery smile that was so good at inspiring guilt in me. â€Å"I don’t know,† I said vaguely. â€Å"Depends on my schedule.† â€Å"Well, let me know. Let me go grab Seth – maybe he has some ideas.† Good luck with that, I thought. Seth was notoriously awful at offering opinions, and he’d seemed particularly non-committal about this wedding stuff, no pun intended. Maddie left Brandy with me, and I gave her a genuine smile. â€Å"So how’s it been going?† I asked. â€Å"Did you have fun shopping?† Brandy crossed her arms over her chest and tossed her blond hair over one shoulder. She was wearing a formfitting Rocky Horror Picture Show T-shirt. Really, I thought. She was one step away from turning into her uncle. â€Å"No,† she said bluntly. I arched an eyebrow in surprise. Last I’d known, shopping and having people buy you clothes was pretty sweet when you were a teenage girl. Maybe I was out of touch. â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"Because,† she said dramatically. â€Å"This wedding is a joke.† I cast an uneasy glance at the doorway. â€Å"Better not let them hear you say that.† Brandy looked unconcerned. She wasn’t exactly scowling, but it was pretty close. â€Å"Uncle Seth isn’t supposed to be marrying her.† â€Å"Why not? They’ve been dating for†¦well, a while.† That was kind of true, guilt-induced engagement or no. â€Å"He proposed. She accepted. Easy as that.† â€Å"She’s not the one,† said Brandy stoutly. â€Å"He’s supposed to be marrying you.† Yeah, I really wished the door was closed. â€Å"Brandy,† I said, pitching my voice as low as I could. â€Å"Your uncle and I broke up. That’s how it is. People move on.† â€Å"You two weren’t supposed to. You guys were in love.† â€Å"He loves her too.† â€Å"It’s not the same.† This was not a discussion I’d ever expected to have. I’d known Seth’s nieces still liked me, but I’d hardly thought I’d left this sort of impression. â€Å"Do you not like Maddie or something?† Brandy gave a half-hearted shrug and averted her eyes. â€Å"She’s okay. But she’s not you.† I didn’t say anything for several moments. I wondered if Brandy’s resentment toward the wedding was because she had greater devotion to me than Maddie – or if it was part of some romantic ideal girls her age often had about love and soul mates. â€Å"I’m sorry,† I said. â€Å"Love in the real world doesn’t usually work out the way stories make us think it should. We don’t always get fairy-tale endings. People split up and move on. Just because you love someone doesn’t mean you can’t love someone else.† I shivered. This was remarkably similar to a conversation Carter and I had once had, shortly after the (first) break-up with Seth. â€Å"It’s still not right,† said Brandy obstinately. Seth and Maddie retrieved her shortly thereafter, for which I was grateful. I really didn’t want to have to play devil’s advocate and defend a marriage that I was hardly thrilled about myself. I felt that sorrow that always seemed to plague me when I thought about them surface†¦and then remembered Erik’s comments. Don’t give in to it. Stay away from it – that was what kept leading me into trouble. Easier said than done, just as I’d told him. Distraction seemed to be the key to it all, and I just didn’t feel up to another liaison tonight. I certainly didn’t need the energy. â€Å"Distract me,† I murmured when I was seated in my car. â€Å"Annoy me with your ‘wit,’ or just make me outright mad.† No physical evidence of Roman appeared – no signature, no physical appearance – but his voice answered me back just as softly. â€Å"Go see your friends. Aren’t they going to that bar tonight? You need to tell Cody he’s going on a double date.† â€Å"It’s not a double date,† I growled back. But Roman had a point. I probably should let the young vampire know what was in store tomorrow. I was also kind of curious how Roman even knew about the bar outing. I’d received a voice mail message earlier today that one would think would have been out of Roman’s hearing range. He’d either been standing really close, or nephilim just had superhuman hearing. And, well, seeing as they were superhuman, I supposed that wasn’t too far off. Another idea suddenly came to mind about tonight’s social gathering, one that would most definitely provide a distraction – and possibly take care of a nuisance. â€Å"The bar it is,† I declared. I drove down to Pioneer Square, Seattle’s historic district, and sought out the Cellar, a dive of a bar located in a basement akin to its name. It was a favorite place for immortals – well, hellish immortals. Since most angels didn’t drink – Carter being the exception – you didn’t usually find them hanging out in bars. They were more likely to be found at upscale coffee shops. For inexplicable reasons, a number of them also liked to hang out at the restaurant on top of the Space Needle. Maybe they thought it was bringing them closer to Heaven. And, indeed, as I walked down the stairs into the Cellar, I felt Carter’s signature, along with those of my usual clique. Best of all, there was an additional signature I’d been hoping to find. â€Å"Hot damn,† I said, striding toward the table where Simone sat with my friends. She burned with the glow of energy that succubi stole from their victims. I hated to admit it, but hers was brighter than the one I still sported. I assured myself that it was just because she’d probably bagged someone today, rather than last night. Hugh scooted to make room for me, and I pulled up a chair from a neighboring table. â€Å"Didn’t think you’d show tonight.† I waved a waiter over and ordered a vodka gimlet. â€Å"You know I can’t stay away from you guys.† â€Å"You’re just in time,† said Carter. His face was neutral, but I caught a mischievous glint in his eyes as he sipped his bourbon. â€Å"Simone was just regaling us with tales of the Underground Tour. Did you hear that Seattle burned to the ground and was rebuilt a century ago?† â€Å"Only every time I take the tour,† I replied. Which had been about a dozen times. It was a tourist hotbed, and I’d taken friends and out-of-town victims on it often. I gave Simone a curious look. â€Å"Did you do that today?† She nodded. â€Å"Figured I should take in the city while I’m here.† She was still using that librarian voice, but I had to admit she looked more like a succubus than the last time I’d seen her. Her neckline was cut so low, it was a wonder her nipples didn’t show. Her lips were fuck-me red, and unless I was mistaken, her hair was longer and more voluminous than before. I couldn’t decide if she looked like an angel or a beach bunny. And speaking of angels†¦Simone had her chair pushed right next to Carter’s, so close that she couldn’t help but brush her arm against his each time she reached for her drink. I suspected her leg was pressed up to his as well. He glanced over, giving her a look that wasn’t exactly romantic but filled with deep interest I felt certain was feigned. â€Å"I find Seattle’s history fascinating. I haven’t been here that long, so it’s great to keep learning new things.† Simone beamed. Across the table, Hugh choked a little on his drink. Carter had been in Seattle for a couple hundred years. True – not that long for an immortal like him, but he’d most certainly been here for the Seattle fire. Hell, considering how he’d once accidentally burned down my Christmas tree, he might have been the one who set the city ablaze, for all I knew. My gimlet appeared, and I took a long drink of liquid courage. â€Å"From what I hear, you’ve been checking out some of our local celebrities too,† I said sweetly. Simone dragged her adoring gaze from Carter and fixed me with a frown. â€Å"I don’t think I’ve run into many celebrities.† â€Å"Well,† I said, still smiling like a fool. â€Å"I guess it depends on how you define ‘celebrity.’ I certainly consider best-selling authors celebrities. You’ve been chatting up one quite a bit.† Immediately, Cody, Hugh, and Peter eagerly snapped to attention. They could sniff female conflict a mile away and were undoubtedly bracing themselves for a cat fight. â€Å"Oh, that,† she said dismissively. â€Å"I thought you meant like an actor or something. Yeah, he’s just someone on my radar. One of many. Pretty cute. Nice enough.† â€Å"And a friend of mine,† I said. My voice was still cheerful, but I could see in her eyes that she was well aware of the escalating tension. â€Å"Still, fair game,† she replied with a shrug. â€Å"And what do you care? His soul’s already tainted. He’s not that good a catch. Not like I can do much more damage.† That wasn’t true. Seth might currently be Hell-bound, but he wasn’t beyond redemption – even though the odds of that were allegedly slim. If by some crazy chance Simone got him to cheat on Maddie again, his soul would grow darker and kill any lingering chances to save him. Plus, sin aside, Simone would shorten his life – which was something I was definitely against. â€Å"So, he’s just a random guy you scoped out?† I asked. The politeness was fading from me. It was disappearing from her too. So. Bland Simone wasn’t quite as oblivious as she played. â€Å"The fact that he’s a friend of mine and someone I used to date makes no difference?† â€Å"You make it sound like I’m trying to get you back for something. I don’t even know you. I’m just here on vacation. Getting guys is part of our life – and you don’t have any territorial control like them.† She nodded toward the vampires, who had very well-defined hunting grounds. â€Å"Unless,† she added smugly, â€Å"you’ve got some kind of arrangement with Jerome.† I certainly didn’t. In fact, my boss had made it extremely clear that he didn’t care about what happened to Seth. â€Å"No, but I’d think you’d do it as a courtesy when you’re visiting someone else’s city. It’s the nice thing to do.† My smile returned, filled with ice this time. â€Å"And it ensures that your visit stays nice too.† Maybe using her favorite adjective would drive home my message. Simone stiffened, attention totally on me now. â€Å"What is this, some kind of warning that you’ll come after me if I don’t back off?† I shrugged and finished my drink. â€Å"Just friendly advice.† She stood up and slung her purse over her shoulder with such force that it nearly hit Carter in the head. Apparently, he wasn’t on the radar anymore. Well, at least for now. â€Å"I’m not going to stay and listen to thinly veiled threats. Especially ones over inconsequential men. If I want him, I’ll get him.† â€Å"You’ll be missed,† I muttered as she stalked away. â€Å"Oh,† said Hugh brightly. â€Å"There is nothing I like better than when succubi fight. Puts Dynasty to shame. You could have cleaned the floor with Tawny, but Simone might give you a match.† â€Å"Hardly,† I said. â€Å"And she’ll have about as much luck with Seth as Carter.† Carter raised an eyebrow, apparently not agreeing with my statement. â€Å"She’s really hitting on Seth?† asked Cody. â€Å"Yup. In a shy, starry-eyed fan girl kind of way.† â€Å"Isn’t that how you won him over way back when?† asked Peter. I shot him a glare. â€Å"It’s irrelevant. It won’t work.† â€Å"Then why worry?† asked Hugh slyly. â€Å"Because an ounce of prevention – oh, never mind,† I groaned. â€Å"I need another drink.† Hugh and the vampires were clearly amused by all this and weren’t particularly concerned. I think they too believed Seth would prove immovable; they just liked the idea of me making another succubus irate. The sad part was that I’d probably just encouraged Simone to try even harder. Two drinks later, I decided to head home. I was sufficiently angry that I didn’t fear the siren song’s comfort. Before leaving, I informed Cody about his impending date. Unsurprisingly, he freaked out. â€Å"What? I†¦I can’t. What will I say? What will I do?† â€Å"Frankly, my dear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  began Hugh in an undertone. â€Å"You’ll be fine,† I said. â€Å"Just stop stressing and be yourself.† â€Å"Sounds like a double date,† said Peter. â€Å"I can get more black hair dye.† â€Å"No,† I warned. â€Å"Do not even think about it.† I could still see faint streaks that hadn’t entirely washed out from Cody’s blond mane. â€Å"Just dress like you are now. I’ll meet you at the club.† I started to turn, and then a thought came to me. â€Å"Carter, can I talk to you?† His lips twitched slightly. If that was his sign of surprise, I couldn’t say. â€Å"Anything for you, Daughter of Lilith.† He followed me outside the bar, where we stood amid all the Pioneer Square partygoers. Once clear of the building’s non-smoking interior, he promptly lit a cigarette. â€Å"If you’re jealous of my relationship with Simone,† he said, â€Å"I can assure you, we’re just friends.† â€Å"Oh, be quiet. You know that’s not what this is about. Look, she was lying, right? About Seth being a coincidence?† Carter took a long drag before answering. Angels could tell when others were lying. â€Å"Yep. But she seemed pretty sincere in the last comment about going after him regardless.† I grimaced. â€Å"Why? Why would she target Seth? Is it some kind of way to assert dominance over the local succubus?† â€Å"Not sure. The ways of succubi – and all women – are a mystery to me.† â€Å"Jerome originally thought she’d come to spy. He had Roman follow her, but nothing came of it. She never reported in or anything. He pulled Roman from her – † I paused, suddenly turning over the events and analyzing them in a way I hadn’t considered before. â€Å"But it wasn’t until I told him Simone was hitting on Seth. It seemed like that was the moment Jerome pulled Roman. He seemed pretty adamant about leaving her alone.† â€Å"Did he now?† Carter inhaled on the cigarette again, but I could see thoughts churning behind his eyes. â€Å"What?† I asked. â€Å"Just a musing,† he said. A half-truth, typical of angels. â€Å"Did Jerome do anything else after that?† â€Å"Yeah, he put Roman on me.† This elicited surprise. â€Å"Why?† Apparently, Jerome and Carter hadn’t been hanging out recently. I gave Carter the rundown on my latest bizarre situation. â€Å"That is weird,† he admitted. â€Å"Do you know what it could be?† â€Å"Any number of things.† He spoke flippantly, but I knew I’d piqued his curiosity – maybe even his concern. I sighed. â€Å"I wish people would stop saying that. No one’s really helping.† â€Å"I’ll help you,† he said, dropping the cigarette and stamping it out. â€Å"I’ll follow Simone.† That was not at all what I had expected. â€Å"Why would you do that? Are you going to stop her from making the moves on Seth?† This earned his amusement. â€Å"You know I can’t interfere with that kind of thing. But I am curious about Simone’s activities.† An uneasy feeling bubbled within me, one that had troubled me since I’d first met Seth, and Carter had begun taking an active role in my life. â€Å"Why? Why do you care so much about Seth? You’ve always been curious about what he does – and how we interact.† â€Å"I’m interested in the creative process of a great artist. It’s fun to watch.† â€Å"Another half-truth.† Like always, he answered the question without really answering it. I was astonished at the desperation in my voice when I spoke next. â€Å"I’m serious. Why, Carter? How does Seth – and me being with Seth – concern you?† He chucked me on the chin. â€Å"You’ve got better things to do than worry about the goings-on of a curious angel. Besides, wouldn’t you feel better if someone was reporting back to you on Simone?† â€Å"Well, yeah,† I admitted. â€Å"But – â€Å" â€Å"Then it’s settled. You’re welcome.† He turned quickly away and disappeared into a crowd of partiers. I knew better than to go after him because he’d probably literally disappear once no one was paying attention. I sighed yet again. Fucking angels. How to cite Succubus Shadows Chapter 7, Essay examples

Coca Cola Strategy

Question: Explain theEvaluation of the strategy of Coca Cola for structuring and organizing the international operations. Answer: Background of the company Coca Cola: The Coca Cola Company is an American multinational company that manufactures and retails the product. The company has its headquarter in Atlanta, Georgia. A famous pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented the product in the year 1886. The brand name and the formula of Coca Cola brought in by Asa Griggs Candler (coca-colacompany.com 2016). The main operation of the company was based in North America. The company over the years has made some major acquisitions, which has made the company to strengthen the base of the company. Evaluation of the strategy of Coca Cola for structuring and organizing the international operations: The company Coca Cola in the year 1886 was the seller of cocaine infused elixir but sugary drink has come out in the year 1929. Coca Cola reports suggest there are more than 200 countries with 1.9 billion people consuming the product. The strategy that the company considered was unique and was market as tested formula (Cateora, Gilly and Graham 2013). The logo is unique and the font is unique which is recognised all over the world. The strategies applied is distribution in proprietary bottle, the retailers responsibility includes maintain higher level of standards (Marketing91.com 2015). The company Coca Cola advertised through the word of mouth and developed a voice. The prices were moreover fixed over the years, which was a very important strategy as this helped the company to gather a large market share around the world (Business Insider 2016). Implementation of the strategy by Coca Cola: The unique formula that was adopted by the company Coca Cola was market tested. John Pemberton wanted to develop coca wines. The law was passed in Atlanta then the forced manufacturers of the beverage to produce non-alcoholic type of drinks. Pemberton had unique and tailored taste of the customers. The New Coke disaster has made the brand unique 1985 and the recipe remained unchanged. The company gained advantage without tailoring the taste to regional market. The logo is unique and this has a deep history, which has already imprinted in the mind of the world. The Coca Cola has commissioned the design of the bottle as defensive type of marketing but the promotion will be just like the logo and the product. The Coke bottle is a type of icon. The adjustment of the prices of Coke over the years is 5 cents. Reason for the company Coca Cola to attain success and become a global brand: The company Coca Cola despite having a massive industry globally with a huge number of products did not move away from the basic and the timeless ideals. Throughout the decade with the number of campaigns, they were able to propagate effective message to the customers. The Company Coca Cola holds a global status and thus finds a way through which they speak to the customers at the local level. It was initially introduced in Australia and has successfully expanded in 50 countries. The offering in each country is customized as per the local language and culture and thus it has become a local name as well. Results: The company Coca Cola by following few easy marketing strategies can compete in the international market. Strategies that are applied were brilliant which made the company a recognizable brand. The company has gathered a huge market share around the world and this is likely increase with the increase in the base of the customers. A number of strategies Coca Cola considered before it ventured in the international market. With the strategies, the company was able to get large sales from around the world. The sale from US is 43%, 37% from India, Pakistan, Mexico, China and 20% from the rest of the world. References: Business Insider. (2016).7 brilliant strategies Coca-Cola used to become one of the world's most recognizable brands. [online] Available at: https://www.businessinsider.in/7-brilliant-strategies-Coca-Cola-used-to-become-one-of-the-worlds-most-recognizable-brands/articleshow/47649874.cms [Accessed 24 Jun. 2016]. Cateora, P., Gilly, M. and Graham, J. (2013).International marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. coca-colacompany.com. (2016).coca-colacompany.com. [online] Available at: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/about-coca-cola-journey [Accessed 24 Jun. 2016]. Marketing91.com. (2015).Marketing strategy of Coca cola - Coca cola strategy. [online] Available at: https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-strategy-of-coca-cola/ [Accessed 24 Jun. 2016].