Heart Failure Case Study Essay

Your client, Mr. Black, is a 72-year-old man who called his TeleNurse Line from home and, based on the symptoms he described, was advised to go directly to the Emergency Department at his local hospital. His admitting diagnosis is exacerbation of heart failure (HF). His Ht is: 5’9†, Wt. 235 lbs. He states that his usual weight is about 220. Upon admission, his symptoms are: extreme shortness of breath; unable to tolerate lying flat; heavy, aching feeling in his chest; respirations labored @ 32/min.; radial pulse 108 and regular; BP 150/78; color dusky and O2 Sat is 82% on room air; slight diaphoresis; peripheral edema is 3+ pitting, ankle to knee bilaterally and sacral edema is also present. Bilateral BS present with coarse crackles in both lower lobes. He appears frightened and anxious; he states, â€Å"This is the worst it has ever been – please don’t leave me alone.† Past Medical/Social History: Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), hypertension, cor pulmonale, emphysema-moderate stage. He smoked 2 packs per day for 35 years, and quit 5 years ago. Hospitalized 3 times previously for HF; the most recent hospitalization was 6 months ago. He is a retired insurance salesperson; married and lives with his wife in a condominium. Sedentary life-style; plays golf occasionally. He skipped his diuretics over the weekend because he was golfing. 1. Which stage of the NYHA classification system and the ACC/AHA staging system would Mr. B’s symptoms best fit within? Why? I think his NYHA classification would be Class II. He has Coronary Artery disease and ordinary activity causes fatigue for him Mr. B’s ACC/AHA stage is Stage D. He has been hospitalized 3 times previously for HF. 2.Discuss the differences between right and left heart failure, consider the   pathophysiology, physiological progression, and signs and symptoms. Left Sided: -The most common -Results from left ventricular dysfunction. This prevents normal forward blood flow causing blood to back up into the left atrium and pulmonary veins. Increased pulmonary pressure causes fluid leakage from pulmonary capillary bed into the interstitial and then the alveoli -Manifests as pulmonary congestion and edema Right Sided: -occurs when right ventricle fails to contract effectively. -Causes a backup of blood into the right atrium and venous circulation. -Venous congestion in the systemic circulation results in jugular venous distention, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, vascular congestion of the GI tract, and peripheral edema -May also result from an acute condition such as right ventricular infarction or pulmonary embolism -Core Pulmonale can also cause right sided HF -Its primary cause is Left sided HF. Left sided HF results in pulmonary congestion and increased pressure in the blood vessels of the lungs. Eventually chronic pulmonary hypertension results in right sided hypertrophy and HF 3. Mr. Black’s orders include: a bedside chest x-ray, ECG, echocardiogram, and the following labs: Troponin I, CK-MB, CBC with differential, BNP, Digoxin level, Electrolytes, Mg++, ABG’s, BUN and creatinine. What is the rationale for performing each of these diagnostics tests? How will the findings/information obtained from the tests be useful in managing Mr. Black’s care? Bedside chest x-ray: ECG Troponin I: present in MIs CK-MB: CBC: BNP: High in patients with HF Digoxin: Electrolytes Mg ABG BUN Creatinine: Mr. Black is stabilized and transferred to the Cardiac Telemetry unit with the following orders: Oxygen at 2-4 liters per nasal cannula to keep O2 Sat > 90% Complete bed rest with HOB elevated 60-90 degrees, legs dependent Saline Lock IVFurosemide (Lasix) 80 mg I.V. push Stat I&OFurosemide (Lasix) 80 mg I.V. push every 8 hr. Daily weight Albuterol Inhaler 2 puffs twice per day Pulse oximetry – continuousK-Dur 10 mg. p.o. daily Foley catheterASA 81 mg p.o. daily TelemetryMetoprolol 100 mg p.o. twice daily Diet: 2 Gm Na Lisinopril 10 mg p.o. daily Fluid restriction of 1000 mL/dayHCTZ 50 mg p.o. daily Code status: Full codeDigoxin 0.25 mg p.o. daily; Hold for HR < 60 bpm Lovenox 60mg SQ every 12 hrsDucosate sodium 100 mg p.o. daily 4. Discuss the rationale for each of the orders above Patients with HF typically have oxygenation problems Furosemide is a loop diuretic Daily Weight- water retention Pulse ox- monitor O2 Foley Catheter: monitor output and on bed rest K Dur: ASA Metoprolol: beta blocker that treats high BP Lisinopril: ACE inhibitor for HTN Lovenox: Prevents and treats clots Fluid Restriction: Excess fluid strains the heart Digoxin: Treats rhythmic problems Ducosate: Stool Softener 5. Identify 3 priority nursing diagnoses to include in the nursing care plan for Mr. Black. Excess fluid volume Decreased cardiac output Impaired gas exchange 6. What changes/assessment findings would alert the nurse that Mr. Black’s condition is worsening? Fatigue and dyspnea continue to worsen, weight continues to increase, edema and chest pain worsens, pleural effusion and dysrhythmias begin to develop, hepatomegaly, and renal failure begins to occur Mr. Black responds well to the treatment plan and his acute symptoms resolve within 3 days. His weight returns to 220 lbs. and he is able to perform his ADL’s with minimal SOB and able to sleep comfortably with 2 pillows. Discharge plans are finalized. 7. Which state of the NYHA Classification system and the ACC/AHA staging system Would Mr. Black’s symptoms now fit? NYHA- Class II ACCF/AHA- Stage C 8. Select 2 discharge topics (your choice) to focus on. Discuss what should be included in the discharge teaching plan for Mr. B. (and his wife) for each topic. Activity and rest: exercise training can improve symptoms of HF, however Mr. B needs to understand that he will need lots of rest during and after exercise and that he shouldn’t overexert himself. Teach Mr. B’s wife to monitor his exercise and encourage him to take breaks when needed Drug therapy: Teach Mr. B and his wife the expected action of all his medication and how to recognize drug toxicity. Also teach him and his wife how to take a pulse rate and what range the pulse rate should be in. Teach them the symptoms of hypokalemia and hyperkalemia if diuretics are order. Self BP monitoring may also be appropriate in Mr. B’s situation. Heart Failure New York Heart Association Classification American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines Treatment Recommendations Stage A. People at high risk of developing heart failure (HF) but without structural heart disease or symptoms of HF -Treat hypertension, lipid disorders, diabetes. -Encourage patient to stop smoking and to exercise regularly. -Discourage use of alcohol, illicit drugs. -ACE inhibitor if indicated Class I. Patients with cardiac disease without limitations of physical activity. Ordinary physical activity doesn’t cause undue fatigue, palpitations, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Stage B. People who have structural heart disease but no symptoms of HF. -All stage A therapies -ACE inhibitor unless contraindicated -Beta-blocker unless contraindicated Class II. Patients with cardiac disease who have slight limitations of physical activity. They’re comfortable at rest. Ordinary physical activity results in fatigue, palpitations, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Class III. Patients with cardiac disease who have marked limitation of physical activity. They’re comfortable at rest. Less than ordinary physical activity causes fatigue, palpitations, dyspnea, or anginal pain. Stage C. People who have structural heart disease with current or prior  symptoms of heart failure. -All stage A & B therapies -Sodium-restricted diet -Diuretics -Digoxin -Avoid or withdraw antiarrhythmic agents, most calcium channel blockers, and nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs. -Consider aldosterone antagonists, angiotensin receptor blockers, hydralazine, and nitrates. Class IV. Patients with cardiac disease who can’t carry out any physical activity without discomfort. Symptoms of cardiac insufficiency or of the anginal syndrome may be present even at rest. Any physical activity increases discomfort. Stage D. People with refractory heart failure that requires specialized interventions. -All therapies for A, B, and C -Mechanical assist device, such as biventricular pacemaker or left ventricular assist device -Continuous inotropic therapy -Hospice care Caboral, M. & Mitchell J. (2003). New guidelines for heart failure focus on prevention. The Nurse   Practitioner, 28, 22. Evaluation of Edema Four-point scale 1+ to 4+: 1+ – pitting barely detectable 4+ – pitting persistent and deep (1† or 2.54 cm.)

The Day She Left Me Home Alone

The day she left me home alone. Realizing when ones childhood is beginning to fade is not an event that can be targeted at an exact time in an individual’s life. Childhood begins to vanish differently for people based on culture, age, and life experiences. My childhood started to end when I was 7 years old; the day she left me home alone. My mother had just become a single mother running from an abusive relationship with my father and had to begin life anew.My strong dependency on my mother and the illusion of being an only child, due to me being the youngest of several older brothers and sisters, made the thought of â€Å"growing up† a nightmare. Realization of my soon approaching adulthood became evident, as I had to face the difficulties of being distant from my mother, learning to connect socially with peers, taking on more self-responsibility, and the building of self-confidence. These trials and tribulations would help to lead me to a higher level of maturity and a true realization of life.Although what I endured forcefully was difficult, the most challenging would be my distancing from my mother the security that linked me to my youth. Severing the bond between a mother and child is a tough task at any given stage of life. This was especially difficult for my mother as I was her only girl and youngest child. Being a single mother and working two jobs created excessive hardship for my mother. Her constant struggle with taking me to her place of work left her with no other choice than to leave me at home.This was the first time that I had to truly cope with being away from her and it was an immense strain on my emotional state. My next challenge ensued when I had to begin spending time with my father. Several years after my parent’s separation my father later remarried became a new man, giving the judicial system the opinion that I should see my father more often. My pursuit into the new world known as my father’s house, otherwi se known to me as â€Å"hell†, forced me to spend countless weekends and summers with my new family, my step siblings and step mother.This unfamiliar change was the cause of my strong desire to remain sheltered beneath my mother’s wing but instead nature would drive me towards a more self-reliant road. Be that as it may, I would not change overnight. I still struggled to be away from my mother when it came time for school. Most children struggle with the concept of going to school. Leaving ones comfort zone and journeying into a strange new territory is of great significance in an individual’s life. Most children learn to adapt with in the first year or so. I however, was the exception to the rule.Attending public education was an adjustment of epic proportions in my young life. I struggled with the issue for several years. Every year school started I wished to be expunged from existence. My problem was not with the other children; I worked well with others. Rat her my issue was with the thought of being away from my mother. Although I got along smashingly with the other children, I did not converse very much. My close relationship with my mother led me to believe she and only she was someone I could truly convey my ideas with.I also did not speak with others because their tales of their lives at home seemed somewhat abnormal to me. Tales of brothers and sisters, close families and a home consisting of a mother and a father seemed unusual. Although I had brothers and sisters, we were distant. I knew of my father, but he and my mother did not live under the same roof. Another issue I had to face was my abnormal mother. What made her abnormal was the fact that she was a single, hard working mother. This indifference from my peers and societies opinions gave me the impression that I was an outcast.Eventually I would come to realize that I was not the only person in the world under such circumstances. Learning to open up to others caused me to realize that I wasn’t alone. Interacting with other children like myself helped me to be more social and gain greater connections with my peers. I then had the ability to deal with others, but still lacked in dealing with myself. Responsibility is an inherited trait. It is not cast upon an individual in one particular place or time. At certain stages of life, responsibility starts to become more important and has a greater affect on a person’s growth and development.From the time I could talk, my mom began teaching me the importance of responsibility. Nevertheless, my first true test came when I was left alone at home. While my mother was away, she entrusted me with the task of preparing my own food. Learning to cook for myself gave me more confidence and helped me to be less dependent on my mother. As my mother became aware of my newly responsible personality, she decided to entrust me with greater responsibilities. After moving, my mother did not want to switch me fr om the school I was attending so I remained there until the end of that school year.In the beginning, she rode the public bus and walked down the neighborhood to get me. After noticing that I could reside at home alone and care for myself my mother decided that I could handle walking down the neighborhood to meet her at the bus. Being with my peers was hard, dealing with my stepsiblings was an ordeal, and being at home alone was unimaginable. Nonetheless, the most unbearable of them all was walking alone; surrounded by strangers and an unfamiliar environment made me uneasy.Eventually, I came to realize that it was a part of life, part of being responsible and that I was growing up. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I was finally learning to deal with my several issues. The responsibilities laid upon me helped me to be more understanding of life and the ways of the world. My self-dependence began to grow as well as my self-confidence. Growing out of childhood and into adulthood does no t instantly occur; many people experience several events that transpire before they reach adulthood.In spite of that, there are always significant moments that have to pin point the beginning of one’s journey. For me this consisted of being left to fend for myself at home, learning to adapt socially with individuals amongst me and beginning to deal with real life responsibilities. These several adversities strengthened my confidence, stability, and self-reliance, as well as my outlook on the world and others. My childhood and my attachment to my mother where far from severed relatively the experience had opened to door to a new path of life, helping me to grow further from my old mind frame.

Autonomous Tennis Ball Picker Robot

Autonomous Tennis Ball Picker Robot The basic purpose of this project is to provide opportunity and benefit to the sports players. They can do more practice in less time with the help of this robot. Various different electronic devices were used to pick the tennis ball or any other ball. It is not so easy for any tennis player to pick a ball lot of times during practice. It affects his practice and time.Autonmous tennis ball picker robot will save the time of a player. He can do more practice in less time. This robot is not only for a tennis player .it is easy to use and cost effective. Our design is not only for tennis, it can also be used in other sports involving balls of similar size. Chapter 1: Introduction: In the tennis and sports equipment market, there are very few advanced electronic devices assisting in the feeding and picking of tennis balls or any other kind of balls. Tennis players do not prefer picking up over five hundred balls after a long day’s worth of drilling, or a baseball player would not enjoy picking up over five hundred baseballs on the ground from batting practice. As a result, our solution is an autonomous ball-picker device that is easy-to-use and cost-effective. Our design can be used for a variety of sports besides tennis, involving balls of similar size and weight. Chapter 2: Literature Review This Chapter is a review of the background material. This includes comparison of previous devices used for same purpose. it also includes the way how this robot is more effective then previous.? Chapter 3: Modeling and Design This Chapter describes the modeling of different parts of our robot. And all the various other Design decisions and selections made throughout the course of the project. Chapter 4: Experimental setup This Chapter describes in detail the techniques used in our robot. It contains the detection of the ball, design of user interface and all other aspects of the project. Chapter 5: Results and Discussion This chapter provides a result of the project i n which the key points of the project are Discussed and any specific conclusions are drawn Chapter 6: Recommendation This chapter is an analysis of the project in terms of overall performance and working. It also contains overview and recommendation of experts Chapter 1 Introduction Professional tennis matches can last upward of 3 hours, often with little more than 10 minute of rest in- Between sets .The need to train for such endurance matches becomes difficult without a partner of Adequate skill. For decades, tennis players have been using automatic tennis ball launching machines to train without the need of a partner. Therefore, it is determined that using current technology, a player will spend ~35%of the total time collecting tennis ball, and not training. This is a large proportion of the time, and needs to be reduced to truly emulate a tennis match. There are certain method of automatically collecting tennis ball ,as will be investigated in section 3 – Proposed Solutio n ,but the e are not portable, and require extensive modification to the tennis court.

NPD exam notes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

NPD exam notes - Essay Example Woolworths registered a profit of 7.5 million pounds, equity of 287.4 million pounds, total assets of 442.9 million pounds and net assets of 287.4 million pounds based on the Annual Report of 2008. Second, the company has a strong corporate social responsibility program. Woolworths was a finalist in Retail Bulletin’s People in Retail Award 2007 for its Potential Group programme.The company gave training for emloyees in Woolworths Group Asia on personal development, and communication. Third, consumer spending in the UK has increased consistently thereby increasing Woolworths’ market share. Fourth, the worlwide recession makes British consumers price-sensitive favors Woolworths store operations. Weaknesses –The called up share capital is only 182.4 million pounds. There is a need for foreign investors to come in and pump fresh capital. The company faces heavy debt servicing at 126.8 million pounds. The company needs to retire a huge portion of its debt so as not to affect operations. First, Woolworths need to link up with more British food producers in regional areas in order to assure a 100% British food supply for the consumers. Second, Woolworths need to refurbish its stores in order to have a stronger local presence. Third, Woolworths need to link with international suppliers to offer a wider variety of food and grocery items. Opportunities Woolworths has a strong cash flow at 40.1 million pounds for February 2008. This high figure means that the company will meet its obligations. First, the technology solutions offered by many companies will allow Woolworths to be sensitive in meeting their customers daily shopping needs. Woolworth can create merchandise plans that optimize the range and inventory at the store level and fit it to the exact space available. Second, Woolworths has more store outlets which translates to higher revenues. Third, Woolworth has close relations with

Civil rights era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Civil rights era - Essay Example ies were reluctant to reacting at first; evidently, had the boycotters given up the suffering would have increased and probably more segregation laws set. The Montgomery Improvement Association also played a significant role in an era where African Americans fought for their civil rights. Under the leadership of Martin Luther King, the MIA was able to get its demands through the final verdict by the state’s court of law. The Little Rock incident and the Student’s Nonviolent Coordinating Committee all followed the footsteps of the boycott and were concerned about the treatment of African Americans by the society (Wallace, 1). The SNCC focused on depicting a better picture of the African Americans in the society through the campaign on observing voting rights for them too; moreover, the stress on feminism led to multiple protests and other campaigns that fought for sexual equality (HTI, 1). The segregation in schools affected the African American rights putting them in the lowest social class due to the lack of right education but the Little Rock 9 helped in the desegregation giving the African American youth an equal chance. Decisively, the Montgomery Bus Boycott is one of the major inspirations of the series of changes that are there in the African American history of civil rights; essentially, because the government of the United States and the white people experienced the heights that the black people were willing to go to for respect (History, 1). The boycott led to the formation of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that influenced other events such as the March on Washington where Martin Luther King made his most popular speech; nonetheless, the SNNC also played a core role in the march. Under the Brown v. Board, many of the cases are the foundation of the education that the African American youth is getting today; remarkably, today there are no schools with segregation initiatives restricting them to attend schools. At first when the Little

Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Morality - Essay Example f Catholic moral thinking. Reason informed faith The Catholic Church worked to cease the dichotomy of rational morality and faith morality, otherwise understood as pure humanism and sectarianism (Gula, 1989, p. 1). For the believer, faith and reason can be integrated in its moral tradition to make Christian teachings more understandable for non-believers as well. This is also explicated in Humanae Vitae published in 1968 which pointed that natural law is further made significant by divine revelations as well as in the scriptural writings (Gula, 1989, p. 1). The latter upholds that the moral principles can be taught, using logical inferences of reason, from the perspective of faith (Gula, 1989, p. 32) The bishops have likewise applied this moral framework to resolve the issues on homosexuality which articulated the rational capacity of human beings to understand gender and sexuality; illumined by faith (Gula, 1989, p. 25). This theological position of the issues of morality is also ap plicable to the problems and issues of bioethics, scientific innovation, and other development which put the Christian teachings under social and moral dilemma. Notwithstanding the pressures, the church consistently stood for the dignity of creation and the need to respect human rights. As such, the Catholic Church maintained that such human dignity cannot only be understood separately by reason but by unquestioning faith with conviction that dignity is a gift of God given to any person, even if the same be interpreted using the laws of nature. As such, every person needs to possess an informed faith, illumined by reason, to understand the strategic goal of moral life and on how to behave well as a moral agent. Every Catholic believer must be imbued with wisdom about the role of being as a moral agent. And, as a faithful, must have a reference which served as the criteria for moral judgment (Gula, 1989, p. 9; Blair, 2010, p 1). Common issues with humanity Like other institutions on earth, the Catholic Church is also mocked and rocked with variegated issues (Hamilton, 2013, p. 1). There were instances when the church is being subject of corruption, sexuality, questionable financial relations with state agents, and other social issues such as their involvement in extractive industries, in corporate leveraging, and in amassing real estate properties at the expense of those property-less and those that are bereft of economic capacity to meet even the most fundamental need—food (Hamilton, 2013, p. 1). The resignation of previous Pope was even controversially tagged with varied issues on corruption and political machinations due to some alleged transactions done. There were many priests that were allegedly responsible on sexual relations, which violated the dignity of women;

Kidnapping tourists in mexico Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Kidnapping tourists in mexico - Essay Example The article also has an overview of some of the most dangerous countries for tourists to visit, such as North America/ Mexico, South America, Africa and Asia. Analysis – The article was quite useful and could be used for supplying a lot of information on the subject. Reflection – I found the article interesting and understood that the author has taken a lot of trouble gathering important information. 2. Iuri Tarabanov (2008) World’s Most Dangerous Countries for Tourists. Travel Web Directory. Summary This is a web article that reports on Travel news. The author Iuri Tarabanov sheds light on the world’s top 10 most dangerous countries for tourists. The data collected is from â€Å"iJet Intelligent Risk Systems† and the renowned magazine â€Å"Forbes† has contributed by composing the level or rating of the most dangerous countries for tourists. The agency took into account factors such as security services, terrorism, kidnapping, civil disorder s and other criminal and geopolitical stability factors while doing the rating. Some of the most dangerous countries in the world as noted by the author were Somali, Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Pakistan, Sudan, The democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Zimbabwe and Palestine. Analysis The article specifies the different types of dangers significant to each of the above countries and sheds light on the type of danger that is prevalent in these countries thereby creating an awareness on the dangers that tourists are exposed to if they visit them. Reflection The data that was given by the â€Å"iJet Intelligent Risk Systems and â€Å"Control Risks† agencies was not only enlightening but it also served to kindle awareness among the people of the different kinds of risks involved while visiting different countries. This type of article would surely be very useful in my study on dangerous countries for tourists. 3. The Washington Post Newspaper, Athens Travel Forecast. Good Deals f or Tourists who don’t mind occasional risks. Summary The Washington post news article sheds light on the tourism in Athens, Greece. It talks about the beautiful archipelago, beaches and buildings which is a welcome escape for tourists to relax and enjoy themselves. At same time, it warns tourists of impending dangers in the form of strikes and violent protests that suddenly erupt and causes major problems for tourists. The article in the Washington Post also discusses the best restaurants for food, but at the same time it creates awareness on the rising crime in the city and the drug trafficking that takes place there. Analysis The article in the Washington Post gives more details on the beauty spots, food and restaurants found in Athens Greece, but however shed some light on the dangers that the tourists may be exposed to. Though one cannot say that Greece is a highly dangerous country, yet the paper creates an awareness about what to expect if one visits the place. Reflecti on Though the Washington Post is a reliable newspaper, this particular article is not very relevant to my research study because it more describes the beauty and hotspots of Greece but has little on the dangers tourists might be exposed to. However, the article would be partially useful to include in my study. 4. John Keay (2010) The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places,

Review and critically analyze 2 related articles Essay

Review and critically analyze 2 related articles - Essay Example Interviews were conducted and relevant documents were gathered by the researcher on finding out the school leaders’ role on recognizing, promoting, and utilizing the school immigrants’ diverse cultural backgrounds. The result of the study shows that majority of the school leaders recognize the diversity but does not do well in the promotion and utilization of such. With that, the researcher recommended several action steps on how to increase the promotion and utilization of the foreign immigrants’ diversity and how they can be incorporated into their school programs, both in the academe and in the extra-curricular activities. The second study was entitled â€Å"The Impact of a Multicultural Training Program on Adolescents’ Understanding of Cultural Awareness† (Wynn, Hart, Wilburn, Weaver, Wilburn, n.d.). Its objective was to determine if a particular pro-diversity program had significant impact to its participants. The study used a quantitative approach where it invited a particular group of teen students who will be participants of the program and another group who will not be part of the pro-diversity program. The study aims to find out if the program will have positive impact on the awareness and respect of adolescent teens to people of different backgrounds. Similar survey sheets were filled out by both groups before and after the program. The results were gathered and analyzed. It showed significant increase of diversity awareness to the group who attended the program as compared to the group who were not part of the program. Statistical methods were used to support the significance of the results. Both studies were oriented towards the road to promotion of cultural diversity but the impact of their results differs. The first study, which utilized the qualitative approach, enabled the researcher to conclude that there is a significant need to address the lack of diversity promotion in schools and was able to

What is meant by Project Planning and why we need a detailed project Essay

What is meant by Project Planning and why we need a detailed project plan for every project - Essay Example The present study would focus on project planning as an essential part of project management. It refers to the use of specialised tools such as Gantt Charts in order to plan and monitor the progress of a project. The use of project planning ensures that the project environment is stewarded continuously so that any known and unknown risks are monitored and dealt with in order to optimise the project cost and schedule. Typically, project planning begins with the definition of project scope. This ensures that fitting methods are determined in order to take the project to completion. Once project scope is well defined, the next step is to define activity structure. The various tasks required to execute the project are listed down as activities and the estimated time for these activities is listed down. These activities are grouped together and the resulting structure is known as the work breakdown structure (WBS). The WBS provides a fitting insight to how various tasks and activities are fitted together in terms of their dependencies on each other. Generally, the WBS tasks and activities are defined through the use of an activity network diagram. This tool allows the determination of the critical path which in turn provides information regarding: - all activities and tasks needed to complete the project that are arranged within a WBS; - the duration of time required to complete these activities and tasks; - the various kinds of dependencies between various tasks and activities. ... This optimisation is carried out in order to comply with the overall project goals and objectives. This process is known as resource levelling and it is carried out to ensure that all activities and tasks are carried out with the optimal use of resources and time. When resource levelling is carried out, the formed plan is known as the baseline. As the project proceeds, the baseline is used to compare the status of physical activities on ground with the agreed objectives. Generally, the baseline is used throughout the entire project life to both monitor and steward progress. The process used to compare actual progress to the baseline is better known as earned value management (Fleming, 2005). The major inputs required for the project-planning phase include the concept proposal as well as the project charter while the outputs are the project requirements, the project management plan and the project schedule. These inputs and outputs are used in tandem and may be revised as the project proceeds. Most projects that are executed are unique in nature and so entail unique requirements. This requires that projects are planned individually and executed accordingly including any changes that may be required as the project proceeds. 2. Need for Project Planning Planning is required for all sorts of processes that have economic value in order to ensure that these processes are competitive. The lack of planning lends credence to the fact that execution would be inefficient and would cost more than usual. In addition, projects are generally unique by their intrinsic design so that the tasks and activities are differentiated from one project to the other. When projects are being

Lord of Flies (Evil Nature) Essay Example for Free

Lord of Flies (Evil Nature) Essay In life, there are a lot of things that hold people back from doing what they want to do. One of the major things is the laws of society. William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies, illustrates what would happen without society. The boys behaviors change significantly throughout the novel. The boys carry their civilized behaviors with them to the island but, as time goes by without society, those behaviors are lost. When the boys are first dropped off on the island, they still have their civilized behaviors with them. Shortly after Jack is given the responsibility of leading the hunters, he is given the opportunity to kill a pig. However, Jack hesitates as he begins to â€Å"understand what an enormity the downward stroke would be† (etext) and misses his chance. Jack is still too civilized to kill the pig. The boys are also unable to come to terms with death in general at the beginning of the novel. When the boy with the mulberry birthmark dies, the boys never really talk about it and Ralph doesn’t do a count of the boys because he doesn’t want his death to become real. This illustrates how the boys still feel how normal, young boys feel and that their societal ways are still very much present on the island. As the novel progresses, the boys’ evil nature begins to become more and more present. It starts off with their hunting. Jack goes from not being able to kill a pig because he is hesitant to killing them very violently. The hunters chant, â€Å"Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood† (etext). Although killing an animal doesn’t seem bad, especially because they need to in order to survive, it allows the boys to think that killing is acceptable in general. Which leads to the hunters murdering Piggy and the near death of Ralph. The author of the novel, William Golding, states that the theme of the novel involves the evil nature humans naturally have that is held inside of them because of society. This is true to a certain extent because some of the boys evil nature may be coming from the circumstance they are in. However, this is true because Golding shows as society and civilization deteriorate, so does the boys good human nature. As the boys start to realize there are no laws or other people on the island to hold them back, they start to show their true colors which is the evil nature they possess. The way humans behave is very much controlled by the type of society they are in. In the novel, Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the normal society is not present causing the natural evil behaviors humans have to be presented. Eventually, as the boys begin to realize their are no laws holding them back from doing wrong, the boys start to display this evil nature.

The Virgin Group Brand

The Virgin Group Brand ABSTRACT The Research has been undertaken in order to reveal the unique strategies that the Virgin Group employed in its extensions, and to examine whether it is really successful through strategies and how far it can go in the future. To better answer this question six study objectives are derived. The three most important ones are : to show the whole extension history of the Virgin brand, its success and failures ;to demonstrate the unique strategies Virgin employed in its brand extensions; to discover the consumers attitude towards Virgins extensions and how far Virgin can go. In order to answer these questions, this research contains a literature review, the field research, as well as analysis and conclusion. The literature review explains the concept and main issues of brands, brand equity, and brand extension. Then the methodology is started and justified, and the investigated company and its brand extension strategies are introduced. After that the results of the survey are presented. And the conclusion is drawn according to academic literature, primary data , and secondary data. INTRODUCTION Research Context For decades the value of a company was measured in terms of its buildings and land, and then its tangible assets (plant and equipment). The 1980s marked a turning point in the conception of brands. Management came to realize that the principal asset of a company was in fact its brand name ( Kapferer , 1997 ) The brand is not the product but it gives the product meaning and defines its identity in both time and space. Brand equity is regarded as a very important concept in business practice as well as in academic research because marketers can gain competitive advantage through successful brands. The competitive advantage of firms that have brands with high equity includes the opportunity for successful extensions, resilience against competitors promotional pressures, and creation of barriers to competitive entry( Farquhar, 1989 ) . However, the cost of introducing a brand in to a consumer market can be considerable ranging from about $ 100 million ( ourusoff , 1992) , with a 50% probability of failure ( Crawford, 1993 ). Thus, it not a surprise that companies seeking growth opportunities may prefer to extend existing brands. Brand extension has been hailed as the way to achieve in a cost controlled environment. By capitalizing on the reputation of an established brand, companies save the high cost of creating new brands. New products which piggyback on favorable brands drive an immediate advantage by entering from a position of strength, thus reducing the risk in failure; while the parent brand gains some synergy through the heightened awareness that is generated in successful new product launches ( Pitta and Katsanis, 1995 ). While successful brand extensions can reap benefits, management should not forget the risk of extension failure. History shows the potential of brand extension problems, which range from out right failure to partial failures. Instead of success, the failed extension might tarnish the image and reduce the market share of the parent product. Since the brand extension decision in fact a strategic one, it is important to think strategically beyond the first extension to future growth areas. Further more, it is also important to manage those extensions strategically. Virgin group was chosen as the subject of this study because it offers great potential for studying the issue of brand extension, perhaps the best known example of successful unrelated diversification. Virgin started out as a publisher and retailer of popular music. Its brand was built up on the qualities expressed by its products. The virgin brand is now so powerful that it can be applied to diverse fields including airline, cola, financial services and even commercial space shuttles in the future. The Virgin group has a unique strategy in extending and managing its brand. They have remarkable success and some failure as well . However , to date , its successes have outweighed its failures . Research Aims and Objectives Research Aims This study is an attempt to investigate a company , Virgin group, to gain an insight in to the brand management and brand extension theory.. The researcher seeks to understand brand extension management both in general and in a particular organization. The researcher does not seek to gather statistical data for generalizations, but intends to make an in-depth study in order to highlight issues within this single organization. The research has been undertaken in order to reveal the unique strategies that the Virgin Group employed in its extensions, and to examine whether it is really successful through its strategies and how far it can go in the future . In detail , the research investigates the recognition of the virgin brand name , the recognition of the products / services under this brand name , the impact of extensions on brand name , and the perception of the brand by the customers. .Research Objectives The research aims to generate the following detailed research objectives. 1 To define brand image and brand extension 2 To demonstrate the consequences of brand extension. 3 To clarify the brand extension strategies. 4 To show the whole extension history of virgin brand including its successes and failures.. 5 To demonstrate the unique strategies Virgin employed in its brand extensions.. 6 To discover the consumers , attitude towards Virgins extensions and how far Virgin can go. All these objectives will be addressed through academic literature review, analysis of existing organisation data, analysis of the organisation survey and interview, and combination of the results. Research Structure The following research content can be divided into four sections: literature review, research methodology, primary and secondary research, and conclusion. The first section is concerned with the literature review. Before expounding the concept of brand extension, the researcher initially demonstrates the definitions of brand extension as one of the strategies in brand management emerged when brands were regarded as intangible assets gaining more attention. Brand extensions are closely linked with brand equity. Successful brand extensions result from good understanding of brand equity. Successful brand extensions result from good understanding of brand equity. After that the researcher clarifies the definition of brand extension, the consequences of brand extension, criteria in brand extension decisions, and evaluations of brand extensions. In the second section the researcher illustrates the research methodology from three dimensions: research philosophy, research approach, and research strategy. Then the collection methods of primary data and secondary data and the limitation of the methodology will be addressed. The third section is about the primary and secondary research. Secondary data will be collected and illustrated as the basis of primary research. Primary data will be collected from a standardized questionnaire survey and the data would be analyzed. Contribution to Research The prior literatures on brand extensions at Virgin Group clearly illustrated the unique strategies Virgin group employed to extend their brand and weighed its success and failures. This topic has been researched and represented on the basis of biographies and case studies in brand extension theories. Most of the literature has expressed doubts regarding how far the Virgin group can go with its brand. The purpose of this research is to explore those doubts mentioned above and determine how justified they are. The researcher will conduct a survey from consumers point of view to obtain the answer. The findings will show the awareness of the virgin brand and its products/services, and the attitudes of consumers towards those extensions in Virgin. Of course, all these aspects are just starting points for further research. It was impractical for the present research to obtain a comprehensive overview of Virgins extensions in general, nor was it practical to consider all existing documents, initiatives and other related information. Chapter 1 Literature Review 1.1 Introduction In this chapter, various perspectives of brand extension theories have been reviewed as the basis of the further research. Firstly, the researcher clarifies the general concepts of brand equity. Then brand extension, one of the brand management strategies, is explained in details. The chapter ends with a summery of the literature review. 1.2 What is a Brand? 1.2.1 Definitions of Brand Keller (1998) explained the origin of the word â€Å"brand† by using the research of Interbrand group. The word â€Å"brand† is derived from the Old Norse word â€Å"brandr, which means â€Å"to burn† as brands were and still are the means by which owners of livestock mark their animals to identify them. The different approaches to defining brand partly stem from differing philosophies and stakeholder perspectives, i.e. a brand may be defined from the consumers ‘ perspective and / or from the brand owners perspective .In addition , brands are sometimes defined in terms of their purpose, and sometimes described by their characteristics(Wood,2000). The American Marketing Association (1960) proposed the following company orientated definition of a brand as: â€Å"A name , term , sign, symbol, or design , or a combination of them , intended to identify the goods or services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of competitors.† The definition has been criticized for being too product -oriented, with emphasis on visual features as differentiating mechanisms (Arnold, 1992; Crainers, 1995). Despite the criticisms, the definition has endured to contemporary literature, albeit in modified from .Aaker (1991) adopt this definition. â€Å"A brand is a distinguishing name and / or symbol (Such as a logo, trade mark, or package design) intended to identify the goods or services of with one seller or a group of sellers, and to differentiate those goods or services from those of competitors.† Ambler (1992) takes a consumer oriented approach in defining a brand as: â€Å"The promise of the bundles of attributes that someone buys and provide satisfaction†¦.The attributes that make up a brand may be real or illusory, rational or emotional, tangible or invisible.† These attributes emanate from all elements of the marketing mix, and are subject to interpretation by the consumer. They are highly subjective. Brand attributes are essentially what are created through brand description (one interpretation of brand equity) mentioned previously. Many other brand definitions and descriptions focus on the methods used to achieve differentiation and/or emphasize the benefits the consumer derives from purchasing brands. These include definitions and descriptions that emphasize brands as an image in the consumers minds, brand personality, brands as value systems, and brands as added value (Wood, 2000) It is possible to draw together many of the approaches to brand definition, An integrated definition can be achieved that highlights a brands purpose to its owner, and considers how this is achieved through consumer benefits. Added value is implicit to this definition (wood, 2000) that is: â€Å"A brand is a mechanism for achieving competitive advantage for firms, through different (purpose). The attributes that differentiate a brand provide the customer with satisfaction and benefits for which they are willing to pay (Mechanism).† According to Philip Kotler ( 1984) , A product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention , acquisition , use , or consumption that might satisfy a need or want. Thus a product may be a physical good, service, retail store, person, organization, place or idea. A Brand is a product , then , but one that adds other dimensions to differentiate it in some way from other products designed to satisfy the same need, These differences may be rational and tangible related to product performance of the brand of more symbolic, emotional, and intangible related to what the brand represents ( Keller,1998) 1.2.2 Functions of Brands Brands play different roles to consumers and firms (Keller, 1998). To consumers, brands identify the source of maker of a product and allow consumers to assign responsibility as to which particular manufacturer or distributor should be held accountable. Most importantly, brands take on special meaning to consumers. Because of past experiences with the product and its marketing program over the years, consumers learn about brands. They find out which brands satisfy their needs (Keller, 1998). Thus, Brands Provide a short hand device or means of simplification for their product decisions (Jacoby et al., 1971). From an economic perspective , Brands allow consumers to lower search costs for products both internally (in terms of how much they have to think ) and externally ( in terms of how much they have to look around) brands can serve as symbolic devices, allowing consumers to project their own self images. Certain brands are associated with being used by certain types of people and t hus reflect different values or traits (Keller, 1998). Brands also provide a number of valuable functions to firms (Chernatony and William, 1998). Fundamentally, they serve an identification purpose to simplify product handling or tracing for the firm. Operationally, brands help to organize inventory, accounting, and other records. A brand also offers the firm legal protection for unique features or aspects of the product. A brand can retain intellectual property rights, giving legal title to the brand owner (Bageley, 1995). The brand name can be protected through registered trade marks, manufacturing processes can be protected through patents, and packing can be protected through copy rights and designs. Brands can signal a certain level of quality so that satisfied buyers can easily choose the product again ( Erdem ). This brand loyalty provides predictability and security of demand for the firm and creates barriers of entry that make it difficult for other firms to enter the market. Thus, to firms, brands represent enormously valuable pieces of legal property, capable of influencing consumer behavior, being bought and sold , and providing the security of sustained future revenues to their owners ( Bymer , 1991). 1.2.3 Brand Architecture A company that wants to get behind its corporate brand and use it more proactively must decide on the most appropriate brand architecture for its business or businesses (Mottram, 1998). There are three alternatives: * A monolithic structure * An endorsed brand architecture * A hybrid structure (Mottram, 1998). A monolithic structure has the corporate brand right at the center. All products and services are branded with the same name, identity and set of brand values. The advantage of this sort of structure include a seamless transfer of goodwill to the center, cheaper brand building and instant credibility when launching new products or extending into new markets. The difficulty with the monolithic approach is that the corporate brands personality has to be flexible enough to cover different products and markets while being precise enough to compete with specialist brands in each segment. When a company uses an endorsed brand architecture, it aims to add the higher values of the corporate brand to the specific values of product and service brands in its portfolio in the interest of competitive advantage. Thus the corporate brand can add security, trust and credibility to the positioning of the product or service brand. Brand owners have adopted a number of ‘hybrid approaches. For ins tance, Nestle has pulled all of its products under ten global ‘banner brands. Each banner brand is targeted at a specific market or closely linked markets but, crucially all will continue to benefit from the Nestle corporate endorsement as well. Other companies have adopted the name of one of their brands as the corporate brand, in the hope of leveraging specific product brand attributes across the group and increasing the intangible value of the entire business in the process (Mottram, 1998). 1.3Brand Equity 1.3.1 From Brand Image to Brand Equity Brands have been a major aspect of marketing reality for over a hundred years. The theory of branding came sometime later (Feldwick, 1996). David Ogilvy was discussing the importance of brand image as early as 1951 (Biel, 1993). It was first fully articulated by Burleigh Gardner and Sidney Levy in their classic Harvard Business Review paper of 1955. But despite such distinguished origins the concept of ‘brand image remained until recently peripheral to the mainstream of advertising theory and evaluation (Feldwick, 1996). Although it was endorsed from the 1960s onward by the British Account Planning movement (e.g. King, 1970; Cowley, 1989), it was also seen by many advertisers and researchers as a rather woolly theory the sort of thing advertising agency people talk airily about when they failed to ‘get a hard product message across or to ‘convert prospects or to ‘make sales, as they were supposed to be doing (Feldwick, 1996). ‘Brand image was associat ed with expressions like the ‘soft sell (Reeves, 1961) and the ‘weak theory of advertising (Jones, 1991), which gave it, for many, the air of a whimsical luxury that a businesslike advertiser could hardly afford (Feldwick, 1996). In the nineteen -eighties, the hardnosed business people began to notice that brands appeared to be changing hands for huge sums of money. As take-over fever spread, the difference between balance sheet valuations and the prices paid by predators was substantially attributed to ‘the value of brands. Suddenly, the brand stopped being an obscure metaphysical concept of dubious relevance. It was something that was worth money (Feldwick, 1996). This shift of perception was reflected in the way that the traditional expression ‘brand image was increasingly displaced by its solid financial equivalent, ‘brand equity. It is not clear who invented the expression, but few uses of it have been traced before the mid- eighties (Ambler and Styles, 1995). It achieved respectability when it was taken up by the prestigious Marketing Science Institute, which held a major seminar on the subject in 1988 and has been going strong ever since (Feldwick, 1996). 1.3.2 Definitions of Brand Equity Since the term â€Å"brand equity† emerged in the 1980s (Cobb- Walgren et al, 1995), it is regarded as a very important concept in business practice as well as in academic research because marketers can gain competitive advantage through successful brands (Lassar et al, 1995). However, there are a number of alternative methods have been suggested for defining the concept of brand equity, which results in some confusion and even frustration with the term(Keller, 1998). Generally brand equity has been viewed from two major perspectives. The first perspective has used the concept of brand equity in the context of marketing decision-making. The second perspective has focused on the financial aspects of brand equity, more pertinent to determining a brands valuation for accounting, merger, or acquisition purposes (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). Financial perspective The financial-market-value-based technique presented by Simon and Sullivan (1993) has been quoted in Motameni and Shahrokhi (1998) for estimating a firms brand equity. The stock price is used as a basis to evaluate the value of the brand equities. Brand equity is defined as â€Å"the incremental cash flows, which accrue to branded products over unbranded products (Simon and Sullivan, 1993).† The estimation technique extracts the value of brand equity from the value of the firms other assets. First, the macro approach assigns an objective value to a firms brands and relates this value to the determinants of brand equity. Second, the micro approach isolates changes in brand equity at the individual brand level by measuring the response of brand equity to major marketing decisions (Motameni and Shahrokhi, 1998). Simon and Sullivan (1993) believe that financial markets do no ignore marketing factors and stock prices reflect marketing decisions. Financial World uses one of the most publicised financial approaches in its annual listing of worldwide brand valuation (Cobb-Walgren et al,!995).They used a brand-earnings multiplier or weights to calculate brand equity, The brand weights are based on both historical data and individuals judgments of other factors. The brand equity is the product of the multiplier and average of the past three years profits (Motameni and Shahrokhi, 1998). Marketing perspective Within the marketing literature, operationalisations of brand equity usually fall into two groups: those involving consumer perceptions and those involving consumer behaviour .Keller (1998) offered a perceptual definition of customer-based brand equity: â€Å"the differential effect that brand knowledge has on consumer response to the marketing of that brand†. A brand with positive customer-based brand equity might result in consumers being more accepting of a new brand extension, less sensitive to price increases and withdrawal of advertising support, or more willing to seek the brand in a new distribution channel. Customer-based brand equity occurs when the consumer has a high level of awareness and familiarity with the brand and holds some strong, favourable, and unique brand associations in memory (Keller, 1998). The latter consideration is critical. For branding strategies to be successful and brand equity to be created, consumers must be convinced that there are meaningful differences among brands in the product or service category. Brand awareness is created by increasing the familiarity of the brand through repeated exposure and strong asso ciations with the appropriate product category or other relevant purchase or consumption cues (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987). Marketing programs that link strong, favourable, and unique association to the brand in memory create a positive brand image. The definition of customer-based brand equity does not distinguish between the source of brand associations and the manner in which they are formed; all that matters is the resulting favourability strength, and uniqueness of brand associations (Keller, 1998). Cobb-Walgren, Ruble and Donthu (1995) introduced Kamakura and Russells approach relying more on consumer behaviour in their article. They used scanner data to come up with three measurements of brand equity. First is perceived value-was defined as the value of the brand that cannot be explained by price and promotion. Second is brand dominance-provided and objective value of the brands ability to compete on price. Third is intangible value-was operationalised as the utility perceived for the brand minus objective utility measurements (Kumakura and Russell, 1993). Aaker (1991) is one of the few authors to incorporate both attitudinal and behavioral dimensions in his definition (Cobb-Walgren et al, 1995). He has provided the most comprehensive definition of brand equity to date: â€Å"A set of assets (and liabilities) linked to a brands name and symbol that adds to firms customers.† The major asset categories are (figure 1.1): brand name awareness, brand loyalty, perceived quality, brand associations (Aaker, 1996). Competitive Advantage Paul Feldwick (1996) has suggested that brand equity seems to be used in three quite distinct senses, and each of these three has several further nuances of meaning. These are: a = the total value of a brand as a separable asset-when it is sold, or included on a balance sheet. b = a measure of the strength of consumers attachment to a brand. c = a description of the associations and beliefs the consumer has about the brand. In his point of view, looking for an operational definition of brand equity just likes asking the wrong question. Brand equity is necessarily a vague concept. It is depending on the brands individual circumstances- and depending, importantly, on the use to which the findings will be put (Feldwick, 1996). Although a number of different views of brand equity have been expressed, they all are generally consistent with the basic notion that brand equity represents the â€Å"added value† endowed to a product as a result of past investments in the marketing for the brand. They all acknowledge that there exist many different ways that value can be created for a brand; that equity provides a common denominator for interpreting marketing strategies and assessing the value of a brand; and that there exist many different ways that the value of a brand can be manifested or exploited to benefit the firm(Keller, 1998). 1.4 Brand Extension 1.4.1 New Products and Brand Extension Developing brand extensions is one type of New Product Development (NPD) (Amber and Styles, 1996). Keller (1998) introduced Ansoffs growth share matrix as background of brand extension strategy. As shown in figure 1.2, growth strategies can be categorised as to whether they involve existing or new products and whether they target existing or new customers or markets. When a company introduces a new product, it has three main choices as to how to brand it: * Develop a new brand, individually chosen for the new product * Apply one of its existing brands in some way * Use a combination of a new brand with an existing brand. A brand extension is when a company uses an established brand name to enter a new product category (Aaker and Keller, 1990). 1.4.2 Brand Equity and Brand Extension One stream of brand equity research has focused on brand extensions (Barwise, 1993). Ambler and Styles (1996) have stated the reciprocal relationship between brand equity and brand extensions by combining the finding of other researchers. Part of this work has explored the effect of a brands equity on its extendibility, with the general conclusion being that the firm can leverage a brands existing equity in new categories (Shocker and Weitz, 1988). Research within this stream has found that brands with higher brand equity extend more successfully (Rangaswamy et al, 1993). Other research has looked at the reverse relationship: the impact of brand extensions on brand equity. The findings are that successful brand extensions can have a positive effect on the core brand, i.e. build brand equity (Dacin and Smith, 1994; Keller and Aaker, 1992). There seems therefore to be a reciprocal relationship between brand equity and brand extensions (Ambler and Styles, 1996). 1.4.3 Brand Extension Dimensions Brand extensions can be accomplished in a variety of ways. One of the most obvious differences is whether the extensions is in the same or different products name to a new product in the same product class or to a product category. Thus they can be classified as either vertical or horizontal extensions (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). Horizontal brand extensions either apply or extend an existing products name to a new product in the same product class or to a product category new to the company. There are two varieties of horizontal brand extensions, which differ in terms of their focus: line extensions and franchise extensions (Aaker and Keller, 1990).Line extensions involve a current brand name, which is used to enter a new market segment in its product class. In contrast, franchise extensions use a current brand name to enter a product category new to the company (Tauber, 1981). Horizontal extensions lend themselves to natural distancing. Distancing is the purposive increase in the perceptual distance of the extension from the core product. Unsuccessful horizontal extensions are less likely to damage the core brand than vertical extensions since horizontal extensions are often in different-and more distant-product categories. Typically consumers will recognise that such horizontal extensions are not closely re lated. The downside to distancing is that distancing reduces the amount or strength of the brand associations and reduces the halo effect of the extension (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). Horizontal extensions may suffer if the core and extension are perceived to be too distant from each other. Brand associations cannot stretch over too large a gulf. Research indicates that if the core product is perceived to be of high quality, and the â€Å"fit† between the core and extension is high, then brand attitudes toward the extension will be more favorable (Aaker and Keller, 1990). Without the perceived similarity between the parent and extension, consumers find it more difficult to attribute original brand associations to the extension (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). In contrast, vertical extensions involve introducing a related brand in the same product category but with a different price and quality balance. Vertical extensions offer management the quickest way to leverage a core products equity,. However, since the new product is in the same category, distancing is difficult and the risk of negative information is higher than with a horizontal extension. As a strategy, vertical brand extension is widely practiced in many industries. Vertical new product introductions can extend in two directions, upscale, involving a new product with higher price and quality characteristics than the original; or downscale, involving new product with lower quality and price points. Downscale vertical extensions may offer the equivalent of sampling to a new market segment, and bring some market share enhancement. Functional products seem to allow downscale but not upscale extension. Conversely, prestige products allow upscale but not downscale extensions (Pitta and Katsanis, 1995). 1.5.1Advantages of Brand Extension Well-planned and implemented extensions offer a number of advantages to marketers. These advantages can be categorised as those that facilitate new product acceptance and those that provide feedback benefits to the parent brand or company as whole (Keller, 1998). * Facilitate new product acceptance With a brand extension, the cost of developing a new brand, introductory and follow-up marketing programs can be reduced (Keller, 1998). To conduct the necessary consumer research and employ skilled personnel to design high quality brand names, logos, symbols, packages, characters, and slogans can be quite expensive, and there is no assurance of success. Similar or virtually identical packages and labels for extensions can result in lower production costs and, if coordinated properly, more prominence in the retail store by creating a â€Å"billboard† effect. With a brand extension, consumers can make inferences and form expectations as to the likely composition and performance of a new product based on what they feel this information is relevant to the new product (Kim and Sullivan, 1995). Because of the potentially increased consumer demand resulting from introducing a new product as an extension, it may be easier to convince retailers to stock and promote a brand extension. It should be easier to add a link from a brand already existing in memory to a new product than it is to have to first establish the brand in memory and then also link the new product to it (Aaker and Carmon, 1992). By offering consumers a portfolio of brand va

Animals Save Lives :: Essays Papers

Animals Save Lives Suppose a family member was suffering from a disease and the doctor announced that thanks to animal research they are coming close to finding a cure. Would it then be acceptable to experiment new drugs and treatments on animals, even if it meant death for the animal? This is a controversial issue, which has many divided as to whether animal testing is a good or bad thing. The vast majority of animal research is; however, devoted to finding curse for human disease. Obviously, in animal research the animals are subjected to many tests, which may cause pain and even have long lasting negative effects. Moreover, animal research is vital to the medical field. Through animal research many cures for humans have been discovered. Animal research became widespread in the late 1800’s and has continued up into today (RDS). Because of this research dozens of vaccines and antibiotics have been discovered and new advancements such as open-heart surgery have been perfected. Animals are used in research and testing when it is necessary to see what happens in the whole living body, where the use of human subjects would not be ethically acceptable (Biomedical Models). Most often animal research is very important in discovering new treatments for diseases and cannot be replaced by computer generated models. One of the best-known medical discoveries is that of insulin, which saves almost 500,000 American, lives each year (Chang). Many more discoveries have been made thanks to animal research and testing. There have also been many breakthroughs and advancements within the psychology field, because of animal research. Psychologists do research on animals in this field to study the animal’s behavior and central nervous system. Through understanding how the nervous system works doctors can then begin to understand more about the complex behaviors humans may exhibit (APA). According the American Psychological Association, â€Å"Animal research has been the major contributor to the knowledge of the basic learning processes and motivational systems, such as hunger, thirst, and reproduction. Also animal research has provided critical information about the sensory processes of vision, taste, hearing, and pain perception.

Malcolm X Richard Rodriguez essay --

Richard Rodriguez in â€Å"The Achievement of Desire† by Richard Rodriguez, displayed his early thoughts on education, how he learned from them as he grew older and how he ultimately alienated his parents do-to the way he went about getting his education. Malcolm X’s path toward education is explained in â€Å"Learning to Read† by Malcolm X. His influences, his beliefs and the actual process of what it actually took for X to become educated is explained in great detail. Malcolm X’s reasoning for wanting to be educated was to be able to reach out to Elijah Muhammad, -leader of The Nation of Islam and present himself as an educated person so Muhammad would be able to take notice. Moreover, Richard Rodrà ­guez wanted to become more educated was due to his parent’s lack of education. In addition, education was Rodriguez’s way of distancing himself from his parents and isolating himself into the world of books. There are some similarities between Malcolm X and Richard Rodriguez, like the fact that they both wanted to overcome their past and make something better of their respective situations through education. For example Rodriguez clearly states that when he was younger and would need help with his homework his parent’s absence of an education limited their abilities to help him and he had to find a way to do it himself. Moreover Rodriguez’s parent’s inability to help him was something that he learned from and later indicated that he changed his process of dealing with his schoolwork and his parents. X similarly to Rodriguez had an experience in his past that he worked to change. The work of X reveals that when X attempted to write a letter to Elijah Muhammad, he could not find the words to write that would accurately express his thoughts witho... ... educated so he decided to bury himself into his studies and leave his family life as an afterthought. Rodrà ­guezes parents were always supportive of him and his academic success but he did not embrace them as he should have. Next, Rodriguez rightly points out that at his graduation ceremonies throughout life his parents would attend and someone would always say that â€Å"your parents must be proud.† and those words always registered with him. Rodriguez’s influences were his teachers during his school years. Rodriguez wanted to obtain the same knowledge that his teachers possessed so he would be able to concentrate on the benefits his education could bring him. Later he realized that he alienated himself from his parents. Rodriguez indicates the time he was in the closet reading a book and his Mother finding him was something he looked back on as one of his regrets.

Women Nominized and Winners of the Nobel Prize :: essays research papers fc

CONTENT: 1.ALFRED BERNHARDT NOBEL 2.HISTORY OF THE NOBEL PRIZES 3.CRITERIA FOR AWARDING THE PRIZE 4.WOMEN NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS 5.WOMEN NOMINAZED AT THE NOBEL PRIZES 6.CONCLUSIONS-HALL OF FAME OF THE NOBEL PRIZES AND THEIR ROLE 7.BIBLIOGRAPHY MOTTO: With most sincere appreciation and respect, I thank Mrs.Chira Carmen for the valuable advises she gave me in the process of this project’s elaboration. I also express my gratitude for the attention and support she has given me throughout the time. CHAPTER I ALFRED BERNHARD NOBEL Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and other more powerful explosives and who also founded the Nobel Prize, Alfred Bernhard Nobel was the fourth son of Immanuel and Caroline Nobel. Immanuel was an inventor and engineer who had married Caroline Andrietta Ahlsell in 1827. The couple had eight children, of whom only Alfred and three brothers reached adulthood. Alfred was prone to illness as a child, but he enjoyed a close relationship with his mother and displayed a lively intellectual curiosity from an early age. He was interested in explosives, and he learned the fundamentals of engineering from his father. Immanuel, meanwhile, had failed at various business ventures until moving in 1837 to St. Petersburg in Russia, where he prospered as a manufacturer of explosive mines and machine tools. The Nobel family left Stockholm in 1842 to join the father in St. Petersburg. Alfred's newly prosperous parents were now able to send him to private tutors, and he proved to be an eager pupil. He was a competent chemist by age 16 and was fluent in English, French, German, and Russian, as well as Swedish. Alfred Nobel left Russia in 1850 to spend a year in Paris studying chemistry and then spent four years in the United States working under the direction of John Ericsson, the builder of the ironclad warship Monitor. Upon his return to St. Petersburg, Nobel worked in his father's factory, which made military equipment during the Crimean War. After the war ended in 1856, the company had difficulty switching to the peacetime production of steamboat machinery, and it went bankrupt in 1859.Alfred and his parents returned to Sweden, while his brothers Robert and Ludvig stayed behind in Russia to salvage what was left of the family business. Alfred soon began experimenting with explosives in a small laboratory on his father's estate. At the time, the only dependable explosive for use in mines was black powder, a form of gunpowder. A recently discovered liquid compound, nitroglycerin, was a much more powerful explosive, but it was so volatile that it could not be handled with any degree of safety.

Phineas Gage

Phineas Gage Paper The brain plays a significant role in cognitive functioning. The human brain is made up of various structures, and each of these structures is responsible for specific cognitive functions. Scientists and psychologists have conducted many studies and experiments in an effort to pinpoint which brain structures are responsible for certain cognitive functions. In the past, technology was quite limited which left few options for studying the human brain. The only way to study the brain at this point in time was to perform studies on subjects that were already deceased. While this did help shed some light on cognitive functioning there were still many unanswered questions and misunderstandings about the brain and its functions. One particular case that has been linked to the brains role in cognition is that of Phineas Gage. Gage suffered a traumatic brain injury which altered his original cognitive functioning abilities. The case of Phineas Gage has left a lasting mark on the world of cognitive psychology and has been used as a prime example of how the brain affects cognitive functioning. Cognitive Functioning The cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes as well as into left and right hemispheres. Martinez (2010, pp. 237) states that, â€Å"The cerebral cortex is the anatomical origin of the mind’s higher-order functions—reasoning, intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving—as well as the coordination of sensory input and motor control that helps us relate skillfully to our environments. † By segregating each structure of the cerebral cortex a greater understanding is achieved as to which section is responsible for certain cognitive functions. One important discovery was that the left and right hemisphere of the brain actually process information differently. Phineas Gage’s Life Changing Accident Phineas Gage’s life changing accident took place in the year of 1848. Gage worked on a railroad construction crew. When the accident occurred, Gage was using a tamping iron to fill holes in the ground with gunpowder. Doing so would allow space for the new railroad to be laid. Unfortunately for Phineas Gage, an unexpected explosion occurred which sent the tamping iron straight through his skull. The tamping iron entered through Gage’s left heek bone and exited through the top of his skull. Amazingly enough, Gage was conscious and able to walk just a few minutes after the accident took place. Due to the massive wounds, Phineas Gage was not expected to survive when he arrived to a local physician named John Martin Harlow. Harlow had to remove small bone fragments from the wound and then closed the primary wound o n the top of Gage’s head using adhesive straps and a wet compress. This allowed the wound to drain. Gage was never surgically treated for his wounds. Gage suffered three major injuries as a result of his accident. Despite the extremely traumatic injuries that Gage sustained from his accident, he was able to recover and by 1849 Gage was leading a seemingly normal life. However, shortly after Gage’s recovery those closest to him began noticing dramatic changes in his overall demeanor. His wife and family members noted a significant change in his personality. Harlow also noticed changes within Gage’s personality. Harlow was allowed to examine Gage’s body a few years after his death. By examining Gage’s brain and skull Harlow was able to determine what structures of the brain were harmed by the accident. This allowed Harlow to make connections between Gage’s change in behavior prior to and after the accident. He was able to â€Å"estimate from the skull that damage had occurred mainly to the left anterior part of the frontal lobes, including the orbitofrontal cortex† (Wickens, 2005, p. 160). This type of damage seemed to lead to inappropriate behaviors and a loss of social inhibitions, which were not apparent prior to the accident (Deakin University, 2010). Harlow’s observations allowed him to write several publications which became very significant within the field of psychology. His publications were aimed towards uncovering that damage to certain areas of the brain can result in dysfunctions within the cognitive system. Gage sustained the most damage to the orbitofrontal cortex. This part of the brain is believed to play a role in emotional behavior and decision making processes, which is likely why Gage experienced such a significant change in behavior after the accident. Gage’s accident is significant because it enabled psychologists and scientists â€Å"to associate that the frontal lobes are essential to cognitive and emotional self-regulation† (Martinez, 2010, p. 46). Conclusion Cognitive functioning is attributed primarily to the inner workings of the human brain. The major structures that make up the brain each play an exclusive role in certain cognitive functions. The discoveries made by studying Gage’s brain injuries and the effect that they had on his behavior and personality has made a lasting impression on the field of psych ology. Gage’s accident led to many new theories and studies to uncover how brain injuries and illnesses could affect cognitive functioning. Without a proper understanding of the brain and its crucial role in behavior and mental processes it would be impossible to comprehend the various cognitive functions that exist. References Deakin University. (2010). Phineas Gage’s Story. Psychology: Phineas Gage Information. Retrieved June 18, 2011 from http://www. deakin. edu. au/hmnbs/psychology/gagepage/Pgstory. php Martinez, M. , E. (2010). Learning and cognition: The design of the mind. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc. Wickens, A. , P. (2005). Foundation of biopsychology. (2nd ed. ). New York, NY: Pearson & Prentice Hall Inc.

Lost Horizon

Lost Horizon is a utopian fantasy novel, and so the reader must use his/her imagination to help make this unusual world (Shangri-La) believable. It is more cerebral than that According to Steven Silver Reviews on the novel, the monks at Shangri-La believe in a philosophy which is a mix of Christianity and is brought to the valley by the 18th French priest Perrault which is also the name of the French fabulist and the Buddhism which existed before Perrault's arrival. The motto of these monks could best be summed up as â€Å"Everything in moderation, even moderation†, same as what Aristotle believed in his idealism. The novel opens in a gentleman's club in Berlin where four Englishmen have met for the evening. Talk turns to a plane hi-jacking which had occurred in Baskul, India the previous year. When the men realize they all knew one of the kidnap victims, Hugh Conway, the conversation briefly touches on his probable fate. After the group breaks up, one of their number, the author Rutherford, confides to another that he has seen Conway since the kidnapping and goes on to provide a manuscript accounting for Conway's experiences. Conway is among four kidnap victims, the others being Mallinson, his young assistant who is anxious to get back to civilization, Barnard, a brash American, and Miss Brinklow, an evangelist. Conway himself rounds out the group as an established diplomat and stoic. When the plane crashes in the Kuen-Lun Mountains, the quartet is rescued and taken to the hidden lamasery of Shangri-La. Conway is the most adaptable and open-minded character in the book and takes what people say at face value as truth. Conway, Malinson, Barnard, and Ms. Brinklow are four passengers catching a flight out of Baskul as the political and military situation there deteriorates. The plane is being flown by a pilot who appears to be in a trance and taking them drastically off course. A forced landing on a Himilayan mountain top kills the pilot and ruins the plane. The four survivors are rescued and brought to a strange, almost magical, mountain monastery and village. The setting is lush and green despite the altitude. The people placid and friendly, but mysteriously quiet about the prospects for returning to civilization, so remote is the village. Despite his knowledge Conway leaves with Malinson in an attempt to reach India on foot. They are deceived and the journey is a tragic one. Conway managed to reach civilization and then is desperate to leave to make his return back to Shangri-La, to accept his position as successor to the deceased High Lama. Basically, the story is a spiritual journey for those who see what it is they have stumbled upon, Shangri-La: paradise on Earth. Conway is given an audience with the High Lama but remains quiet as to what is going on. People age years instead of decades, there is no crime or war or hunger. The novel teaches us that desire itself corrupts mankind. Buddhism teaches that nirvana is the end of desire for anything at all, even life itself. Hilton takes this idea and uses it to create his utopia. In Shangri-La, no one wants anything because everyone has everything they need. Children are indoctrinated in courtesy and etiquette even when they are still very young. They are taught to share and love. If two men desire the same woman, one is willing to let go. Passion and ambition are not good. The basis of all human emotion is desire, and when all desire is eliminated, you achieve a utopia. People in Shangri-La do not â€Å"do† anything because they do not want anything. They read, listen to music, have discussions and share nature walks, but they do not compete with each other or perform work. Hilton’s utopians live abnormally long lives because they do not experience any tension or yearnings. Reference: Hilton, James (1988). Lost Horizon. Mass Market Paperback. ISBN: 0671664271      

Story About Myself

It was a struck twelve at midnight on 20th April 1994, one loving couple of husband and wife had been taken to the hospital by the ambulance, because the they will have their second son from their marriage. It was rainig cat and dog. When they arrived at the emergency section case, a gorgeous 9 month pregnant woman were taken out from the ambulance and was rushed to the labour room by the nurse. When the clock 4. 08 in the morning, one cute and adorable baby boy with 3. 45kg weight was born to the world. After one week get home from the hospital, my parents took 6 days to find a suitable name for me and at last they found a suitable and interesting name to me, the name that they gives to me is Muhamad Afifuddin bin Mat Husin. On year 2011, at 3rd January I registeread as a form 5 student after 1 at one of the school in Kompleks Sekolah-sekolah Wakaf Mek Zainab, Kota Bharu, Kelantan it was SMK Putera and also known as Kelantan Sport School. It was my first day at school as a senior student. On these year I will face a national examination known as Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia ( SPM ) examination that will decide my life in the future after I finished my study at school. First and foremost, I would like to tell about my family background . In my family I have 3 siblings 2 boys and 1 girl, include me. The first one is my brother, his name is Muhamad Akmal he was born on 15th July 1991 at Sungai Petani Hospital, Kedah. He know studied at Tun Hussein Onn University of Malaysia ( UTHM ), Johor on 4th January 2011 he registered at the university and start his second semester. The second one is me Muhamad Afifuddin I was born 20th April 1994 at Baling Hospital, Kedah. On 20th April also the date of birth of our prophet Muhammad s. a. w. The last one is my sister Nur Nadiah she was born on 16th March 1998. She was studied at Maahad Muhammadi Perempuan, Kota Bharu, Kelantan. On 3rd January 2011 she registered as Form 1 student at there. I also have 2 loving parents that take care all of my siblings, my fathers name is Mat Husin bin Lebai Mat he was born on 19th December 1957. he works as health care assistant at Klinik Kesihatan Badang. My mothers name is Zainon binti Mamat, she was born on 10th June 1960 and she work as a community nurse at Klinik Desa Kijang. The next things that I want tell is about my characteristics. First one is I’m was a friendly person, I like to make new friend at every place that I visit. I’m also not choosing when I make new friend, now I have a lot of friend and some of them are from different races like Thai,Indian, Christian and Chinese people. Some of my friend I met at school, taekwondo training centre and taekwondo tournament, all of them also a friendly person. The second one is, I’m also a helpful person I like to help all people especially people in trouble. When I’m at school I always help my friend that have problem in study and problem in other thing, I also like to help the teachers when they need a help from me. If we help other people that have problem and in trouble they will help us when we need their help. The last one about my characteristics is I’m also an active person. At school I join Fire Cadet I participate all the event that have been held by the Fire Cadet and school. Join the Fire Cadet was the one of the co-curiculum at school. I also active in taekwondo, I partipate in all the tournament that have been held. In tournament win and lost was the custom in a tournament, if we lost we must redouble our efforts to win in the other tournament and if we win we must maintain winning in every tournament and always increase our performance. In addition, I’m also have many hobbies that gave many benefits to me. My first hobby is playing football, I’ll play football at 5. 0pm everyday at my village near Kelantan’s River. I’ll play football with my friend, we play football for our health sometimes we held a tournament among us and the winner will get present. When we held a tournament like that we can increase our stamina, sporting spirit and join our friendship. My other hobbies is playing cyber games, I’ll play cyber games once a week on Saturday because when school season I’ll focus on my study. When the school holidays coming I’ll play cyber games every day but I also spend my time on my study. Sometimes I play the cyber games at the cyber games and sometimes I’ll play the cyber games at my house, normally I always play at my house. I play those cyber games with my cyber friends that comes from the entire world, I’ll also get many friend when I play those cyber games. I like visit interesting and historic place like Melaka, Pulau Langkawi, Terengganu and other place, that’s also one of my hobbies, when I visits those place I’ll know information about it like history of those place. On the other hands, I have many favourites things likes favourites food, drinks, colour and sport. First is about my favourite food, I like to eat maggie tom yam because I like spicy food, I also like nasi lemak because some state in Malaysia have their own nasi lemak. In state of kedah their nasi lemak is spicy because all people that lives at the north likes spicy food. My last favourite food is char kuey teow original made from Penang their char kuey teow was so delicious. Next, my favourite drinks is orange juice because orange juice has many vitamin C that’s helps in absorb iron. I also like â€Å" teh tarik † because it can prevent iron in the body. My favourite colour is blue, black, orange and white and I always ensure that things that I bought have at least one of those colour. The last of my favourite is sport, my favourite sports is rugby and football in those sports they play as one team and the must have collaboration among the team members if they want to win in every tournament they played. The team also should have a head of an efficient and caring of his team mate. I also like taekwondo because in this game we must have agility of the body and quickly make the right decisions when we sparring in the ring. Last but not least, my ambition or career when I finished my studied at university. I want to be a professional photographer because I likes to takes picture people, scenery and animal, I hope I can have my own photo studio world-class that have all equipment for photoshoot session . I likes these profession when I saw a programs in television that show a professional photographer snap a picture of people, animal and others, their artwork were respected by everyone in the world and some of them celebrities comes up for grabs because of their beautiful artwork. All of them become success person in his life and his profession. Their life full of wealth and luxury but that not the points I like these profession, I like these profession because I want to show my artwork to the whole world and I want they respected and revered it. I also want to be the first Malaysian professional photographer that show to the world that Malaysian people also can be a famous people the world and success in their profession and life.

Difm or Diy

I would have preferred a third option in the discussion board question, a DIFM and DIY option together and I would have definitely selected this option. I believe Auto-Mart would have benefited the most if it had the enough resources and finances to adopt that third option. The auto repair market has a lot of competition, so Auto-Mart could target both consumers. Having a hassle free auto repair shop and a fully packed parts store will enable Auto-Mart to offer a wide range of customers for repairs and parts.Moreover, customers will have the ability to choose the best parts and have them installed at Auto-Mart; thus Auto-Mart â€Å"will kill two birds in one stone†. But since we are asked to choose only option, I would suggest that Auto-Mart should emphasis its business on the DIFM. According to Ags company, the NPD report concluded that â€Å"68% OF U. S. CONSUMERS PREFER DIFM TO DIY† in the auto service industry (2012). It is mainly because people need to maintain the ir car in its best order to prolong its life span, this makes absolute sense.We use our car daily for the longest possible time, and we have spent a descent amount of cash , so why risk doing a repair service ourselves when we are able to get a trustworthy professional technician to the job. Additionally, most people might not have the free time to do a project themselves, and even if they did it might end up costing them the same if they don’t have right equipment for the job. Therefore Auto-Mart best business emphasis should be a DIFM type of business.A â€Å"do-it-yourself† business will cater for customers who shop for parts and accessories, and tend to install the products themselves. It is basically for the customers who have the time and skills to complete many projects. Some stores like Home Depot have an â€Å"our hands-on workshops† and â€Å"1-2-3 books† to provide the â€Å"do it yourself† customers with the skills and expectations need ed to complete many projects around their homes (Home Depot, 2011).Furthermore, many televisions shows like Martha Stewarts have portrayed the some DIY project as a fun and entertaining; thus this new trend is evolving. The advantages of this type of business I believe will enable the business to do its job without having to pay extra fees. No workers to provide a service, a small shop to display the parts, and having the ability to allocate some of the profits to open several new locations.Usually a business grows when it translates its customers’ needs and add these opportunities to its company, a â€Å"do- it –yourself† business can’t expand its service other than expanding its products and to new locations. It is kind of limited which I believe is a disadvantage. But to the willing customers it will give them the knowledge and education to do things with their hands, and this education goes a long way; in the future that customer will be able to fix a nd repair what is needed in a shorter and cost effective way.As well as the feeling of accomplishment, saving money, and feeling in control. The â€Å"do-it-for-me† business will cater for customers who don’t have the time, energy, skill, or even the temperament to do the job. This business will actually do the job for the customer but for an extra fee, that some customers are willing to pay in return for a job well done, time saved, less frustration, and the guarantee that some businesses tend to give for the service provided.The advantages of the â€Å"do-it-for-me† business will allow the business to attract and maintain a loyal customer base which is vital for any growing business. The business will be able to profit more due to the extra fees for labor , and will probably be able to convince its customers into doing new repairs that will add up to their profit. A â€Å"do-it-for-me† business should gain the trust of its customers, or else they will l ose their customer to a different business or to the DIY method.Thus a huge disadvantage for a new established business that needs to build its reputation, through marketing and advertising. The other disadvantage or challenge a DIFM business will face is the huge costs it will incur; having labor costs that will only increase for a quicker service, costs of equipment to get the job done, a fairly large working space area, and after sales problem to deal with. But once established and running, the DIFM will generate more money than a DIY business for the auto service industry.Therefore, a DIFM business might be the right emphasis to implement. Do it yourself examples: †¢Super markets where you buy your groceries and cook your own meal. †¢Canadian Tire/ Home Depot/ Ikea †¢DIY Drones †¢Zellers †¢Wal-Mart Do it for me examples: is more profitable due to the wide range opportunity of these types of stores or businesses can benefit from a customer. †¢Restaur ants where you order, eat, and enjoy! †¢Canadian Tire / Home Depot/ Ikea( for an extra fee you get the service) †¢Canada Wide Plumbing & Mechanical Services Inc. Paradise Pools Canada †¢Car wash Reference: AGS Company. (2012). 68% of U. S. consumers prefer DIFM to DIY, according to NDP. Retrieved from AGS Company website: http://www. agscompany. com/news/369-68-of-us-consumers-prefer-difm-to-diy-according-to-npd Hal Dean, D. (2010). UNDERSTANDING THE DO-IT-YOURSELF CONSUMER. Journal Of International Business Disciplines, 5(1), 42-54. Miller, R. K. , & Washington, K. D. (2007). CHAPTER 13: DO-IT-YOURSELF PROJECTS. In, Leisure Market Research Handbook (pp. 83-85). Richard K. Miller & Associates. )

Academic Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Academic Success - Essay Example 1). To be successful, extreme effort needs to be applied to reach one’s goals. Purpose, responsibility, hard work all lead to success. Students who apply these principles have a greater chance of achieving success. Students need to have a purpose to be successful. Personal and professional goals need to be accurately identified to ensure educational success. At the onset, students should have a deep and genuine desire for growth and development. The identified goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and within an identified time frame. Then, strategies must be appropriately designed towards attaining these goals. Being truly dedicated, motivated, and focused are the characteristics that students need to fulfill the educational endeavor that they desire. Organization and personal responsibility should be taken seriously. Students need to undergo personal assessments to be true to themselves regarding assuming the needed personal responsibility. Challenges must be anticipated and addressed by working hard and accepting the outcome; especially for situations that are beyond one’s control. Students should be prepared to accept the results of academic efforts; or be able to immediately address imminent weaknesses through improvements and application of academic strategies that would assist in enhancing performance. Practicing the principles of observing personal responsibility require personal discipline. The principles necessitate exhibiting dedication to achieve defined goals; organizing and prioritizing academic endeavors; earmarking continuous educational growth; applying time management skills; as well as sustaining a focused and well-motivated perspective without being frustrated in tough times. As assuming personal responsibility requires the implementation of a carefully designed plan of action, students need to acquaint themselves on the development of planning strategies and incorporate factors that would assist