Saturday, August 31, 2019

When Harry Met Sally

When Harry met Sally Based on the communication styles listed in your text (Closed, Open, Hidden & Blind), please match a character to each of these styles. List the character, and then support your answer with a specific example. Closed Communication Style- Marie shows signs of representing a â€Å"closed communication style† because she spends most of her time in the film overly obsessed with a married man. She has a hard time recognizing the fact that he is married and stays in the â€Å"relationship† with him even though it has no clear destination.Hidden Communication Style- I witnessed two examples of hidden communication thru out the movie. One example, when Harry is persistent about questioning Sally’s life and never really shares his own life experiences. Jess is another example of a hidden communicator. Jess was concerned about Harry not being happy when they were batting. He also showed that he was concerned about the progress of Harrys relationship an d his emotional feelings while his marriage was disintegrating. Blind Communication Style-From my understanding, blind communicators voice their opinions about how things should be done and have no problem with telling people what they have done wrong. The character that I think represented blind communication mostly throughout the film was Harry. Harry had the tendency to think his knowledge superseded everyone else when it came to relationships. For example, Harry criticized Sally on the way to the restaurant when they first met outside the college. He talked about her choice of career, and basically said that she will not know what to do when â€Å"her world comes crashing down† so to speak.Open Communication Style- Based on my knowledge from the book, people that express all their feelings, emotions, life experiences and more are considered â€Å"open communicators†. Based on the conversations between Harry and Sally, I would have no choice but to say that Sally is classified as an open communicator. When Harry asked Sally at the restaurant who she had great sex with, at first she refused to tell him and only seconds later she rambled on and on about her sexual experience. Match a character to each of these conflict strategies? Give a specific example to support your answer.Compromising- (Jess) In the movie Jess and Marie were having an argument over Jess’s table (whether or not to have it in their home). Marie did not want the table, Jess asked Harry what he thought and after Harry gave him his opinion Jess got rid of the table. Collaborating/Problem-Solving- (Harry) Harry spent a lot of time attempting to fix his relationship with Sally after their huge fight. He kept calling her and eventually sang to her over the answering machine when she did not pickup. Accommodating/smoothing-(Marie) In the movie Marie held a relationship with a married man.She discarded her own feelings to make this guy happy, and he never once considered her f eelings. She had this fantasy that he was going to leave his wife to be with her, but it reality he never intended to. Marie put her feelings last to make the so called relationship work. Avoiding/Withdrawal-(Sally) When Harry and Sally first met and were at the restaurant, Harry complimented Sally on her attractiveness. Sally, be loyal to her friend, immediately gets up and is ready to leave, because she knows that Harry is in a relationship with her friend.In this example she is withdrawing herself from a situation, by avoiding the compliment. Competing/Forcing-(Harry) Harry is constantly debating his relationship knowledge with Sally in the movie. He is a very competitive individual and seems to always have the need to be â€Å"right†. Provide 3 signs of poor listening seem throughout the film. Provide ways that their listening could be improved. One sign of poor listening that I remember, was each time Marie talked about her boyfriend and Sally tried to tell her that the he would never leave his wife; Marie appeared to listen but refused to take the advice to leave him.She could of maybe did some compare and contrast to her relationship and others to realize that Sally was right. If she would have listened to her, she would have saved herself the emotional rollercoaster and maybe could have found a man sooner. The second sign of poor listening was when the two couples were exiting the restaurant from their double date. Harry and Sally both expressed, separately, to Jess and Marie that it would be better for them to wait to call each other to protect the feelings of Harry and Sally.Jess and Marie obviously couldn’t wait to be together, so they got in the first cab they saw and drove away together. This illustration of poor listening could have been improved if Jess and Marie took Harry and Sally’s advice and waited a little bit to see each other again. The third sign of poor listening I witnessed was during one of Harry and Sallyâ€℠¢s many conversations. He told her that it was merely impossible for a woman and a man to be friends. He stated that sexual relations would basically occur no matter what.Sally eventually forgot about, (and Harry as well â€Å"having no recollection†). Physical Barriers to effective listening Throughout the movie I saw quite a few examples that could be defined as physical barriers. One of them was when Harry and Jess were discussing Harry’s marriage issues during the football game. Also when the two of them were batting cages at the same time as they were discussing Harry and Sally’s relationship issues. Both of these scenarios could have prevented effective listening by distraction of physical barriers. Personal Barriers to effective listeningHarry was unable to concentrate after seeing his ex with her new partner. Harry was completely distracted and wasn’t even able to hear Jess, Marie, or Sally talking to him about the table. Gender Barriers to effect ive listening When Harry and Sally were driving to New York and they had discussed Casa Blanca and the end of the film when the lady was boarding the plane, Harry expressed that the woman should stay for sex. Semantic Barriers to effective listening Harry told the waitress that Sally was with him. In my opinion he was just telling her that they would be sitting together.However, sally took it the wrong way and expressed her thoughts aloud and said that they she was not with him. What is your own conflict management style? Give an example that supports your style. Have you been guilty of any of the signs of poor listening? What will you do in the future to improve your listening? I would have to say that my conflict management style is the Competing style. To my understanding, people who hold this style tend to be extremely assertive to achieve their goals. I have the tendency to be what some would call â€Å"sneaky†.I tend to elevate my own argument and conceal my goals to le t the opposing side think they are ahead. For example, I currently hold a sales position. As we all know the sales industry is very competitive. My employer often has rewards and bonuses for the top sales performers of the month. I like to â€Å"fake† people out and make them think that I am not doing so hot on my sales so they will think I am behind them on the ranking. This way, once they think they have beaten me, their effort will slowly decline and there I am still banking on my sales.Being in the sales field I do need to have attentive listening skills so I can read between the lines and let the customer know exactly what they need. I’m positive that at one point we have all been guilty of poor listening skills. Maybe for example in the drive-thru when they read back your order and you just automatically say that is correct because you have been sitting there for 10 minutes already, and then when you get your food and it’s not what you ordered but it is ex actly what is on the receipt. In the future I will continue to build my listening skills buy getting clarity from individuals and clients.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Political Disputes In Early Nineteenth Century Essay

The North and South in the nineteenth century were different in lifestyle and morale as well as economy. The north had a booming industrial economy while in the South, cotton was king. Because of this, congress was continuously addressing controversial matters and providing answers that did not satisfy either one side or both. The early 1800s were full of the North and the South making many attempts at reconciliation that just fell short. Among those were the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and the Great Compromise of 1850. Other tempestuous attempts led to the Tariff/Nullification Controversy, anti slavery debates in congress, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Whether it was one side or the other, there was always someone to oppose – and in some cases, defy – the laws put in place, which eventually led to the succession of the southern states and the Civil War. The issue of slavery became an even greater concern when the Louisiana Purchase territories were to enter the Union a s states. The question was, would new territories enter the Union as slave or free states? The South wanted a balance of power. They knew that if the North were to have more free states, then slavery in the south could be facing extinction through congress. In an attempt to conciliate with the South, the North agreed upon the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Through this, slavery was banned above the 36 degrees 30 minute line and Missouri entered as a slave state, Maine a free state. For a while, it retained the balance of power. However, tempers in the south rose again later in the 1820s over high tariffs. The tariffs benefitted the north but threatened southern cotton exports. In 1828, the tariff was around 50%. President Jackson modified it to around 33% in 1832 only to have South Carolina nullify it in the state. It raised the question of whether or not the federal government could legally impose protective tariffs and whether it was constitutional for a state to nullify a federal law. â€Å"South Carolina†¦by a course of legislation†¦can defeat the execution of certain laws of the United States†¦.it is utterly impracticable†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [Document A] Henry Clay believed it impractical for South Carolina to oppose the federal law and also believed that South Carolina had no intention of leaving the Union, which depicts just how blind people were to just how great the rift really was. In 1833, the Compromise Tariff was put into place and would reduce rates to 20% by 1842. At this time, most people considered compromise to still be possible. As time goes on, slavery becomes as much of a moral  issue as a political one. The American Anti-Slavery Society believed that the practice of slavery was against God’s teaching and that those who kept slaves were man stealers. [Document B] Slaves should be set free and slaveholders shouldn’t be compensated a dime. â€Å"†¦we concede the Congress†¦has no right to interfere with any of th e slave states†¦But we maintain that Congress has a right†¦to suppress the domestic slave trade†¦Ã¢â‚¬  [Document B] As abolitionists started to make an even greater fuss over slavery, congress was backed into a corner. To release the slaves and prevent slavery in the new territories would incite the wrath of the South, however to allow more slave states to enter the Union would anger the abolitionists. Eventually, the gag rule was put into place. â€Å"All petitions, memorials, [etc.]†¦to the subject of slavery or the abolition of slavery, shall†¦be laid on the table and that no further action whatever shall be had thereon.† [Document C] However, each time a territory wanted to become a state, whether slavery would be permitted or not was a forefront issue – starting with the lands gained from the Mexican War. The Compromise of 1850 was put into place here. California was admitted as a free state and New Mexico and Utah entered under popular sovereignty (the citizens would decide whether they wanted slavery or not.) From this compromise also came a stronger Fugitive Slave L aw (all escaped slaves were to be turned in and returned.) Northerners blatantly ignored this federal law which angered the Southerners, for when they had tried not to comply to a federal law, they had been punished. [Document D] The Southerners felt wronged, and rightly so. Compromise seemed less and less possible. In 1854, there were questions on whether there should be slavery in the Kansas-Nebraska territories, even though it was prohibited by the Missouri Compromise. The South was unhappy about this however because the shaky balance of power would then decisively shift to the North. The South needed more slave states. Because of this, the Missouri Compromise was then repealed. Popular sovereignty was then ruled in the territories. At the sound of that, abolitionists and pro-slavery citizens began to rush Kansas in spades. Fighting broke out so horrifically it was given the name Bleeding Kansas. During this, a new political party arose: the Free-Soilers. They were against slavery and fought state constitutions such as the Lecompton Constitution. After this, slavery issues began to spin out of control. Things like the Dred Scott Decision and John  Brown’s Raid and other slave revolts kept slavery at the forefront of everyone’s minds. The Free-Soilers then turned into the Republicans who firmly believed in the end slavery. Compromise was now nearly impossible. The possibility of compromise was then nailed shut when a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, won the election of 1860. North Carolina then seceded from the Union and other southern states soon followed suit. It’s possible that if the South had only picked one candidate, they could have won the election. [Document H] But because they hadn’t, the South then felt threatened. And because they felt threatened, they seceded. The reasons and events stated led to the eventual conclusion of the impossibility of compromise by 1860.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Literary Physics

Syllabus dot point| Notes| * process information from secondary sources to describe an example of hybridisation within a species and explain the purpose of this hybridisation| Hybridisation – two genetically different strains of an organism are crossed to produce offspring with desirable characteristics. i. e. cross breeding cattle to produce better meat, which will benefit for human consumption Selective breeding of sheep to produce merino sheep which are hybrids produced by interbreeding other sheep varieties.Interbreeding other varieties of corn to produce the resultant hybrid corn that was hardy and produced large fruit. | * describe the process of DNA replication and explain its significance| * DNA double helix unwinds * DNA unzips * Nucleotides are added to each single strandDNA replication ensures that the genetic information is maintained. | * explain the relationship between proteins and polypeptides| A protein is made up of one or more polypeptides.A polypeptide is m ade up of a chain of many amino acids. | * analyse information from secondary sources to outline the evidence that led to Beadle and Tatum’s ‘one gene – one protein’ hypothesis and to explain why this was altered to the ‘one gene – one polypeptide’ hypothesis| Beadle and Tatum concluded that for each defective enzyme there was one gene on one specific area of a chromosome that had been mutated by irradiation. This led to their ‘one gene-one enzyme’ theory.The ‘one gene – one enzyme’ hypothesis changed to the ‘one gene – one protein’ hypothesis, once it was demonstrated that there are other proteins besides enzymes that are encoded by genes. Thomas Morgan's work led to a greater understanding of how genes are arranged on chromosomes and how genetic material can be exchanged (during crossing over) in meiosis. Morgan’s experiments showed without any doubt that: * the gene for eye colour in fruit flies is located on the X chromosome, and * hereditary factors can be exchanged between the X chromosomes of an individual.Morgan experimented with fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) and determined that genes are carried on chromosomes. He used crossing over to determine locations of genes. He discovered that sex chromosomes look different to each other, and that eye colour gene in Drosophilia was located on the X chromosome, leading to the discovery of sex linkage. Boveri experimented with sea urchins and showed that a complete set of chromosomes was needed for normal development and that the NUCLEUS of a cell was concerned with inheritance.He postulated that each chromosome was different, chromosomes were transferred from one generation to the next during cell division, and that chromosomes must carry the many hereditary factors. Sutton – he observed during meiosis that chromosomes behaved randomly and gametes receive only one chromosome from each pair. | Distinguish between the terms gene and allele| A gene is a section of DNA that codes for proteins that expresses itself as the phenotype for example, two genes for eye colour. An allele is the alternative forms of a gene, i. e. for eye colour, B would code for blue while b for brown. |

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Issues in Global Business and Strategic Concepts Essay - 3

Issues in Global Business and Strategic Concepts - Essay Example 132). Nonetheless, Australia has been a leading producer of mineral globally. It has sense been known to producing nearly 19 minerals that are associated to nearly 400 operating mines. Australia must take mining serious since it is the country’s economic backbone (Wild, and HAN, 2003; Pg. 17). Nearly all the states in the Australia have minerals. Despite the availability of several minerals, this essay aims at addressing the economic effects of coal as one of the Australia’s mineral (Cavusgil, Knight, and Riesenberger, 2008; Pg. 102). Such effects are to be analyzed domestically and internationally. It is worth noting that minerals form nearly 7 percent of the Australia’s GDP. Notably, according to the Australia’s bureau of statistics, the mining industries have directly employed over 263 thousand people. Other than the domestic advantages, Australia’s minerals are also exported (Beattie, 2002). Some of the mineral exported from Australia include oi l and gas that were exported in the year 2011 and 2012 at a tune of $164 billion (Daniels, Radebaugh, and Sullivan, 2009). These figures accounted for nearly 52 percent of the Australia’s total exports. The same translated to nearly 62 percent of the merchandise exports (Villas-Bo?AS, and Beinhoff, 2002). It worth noting that Australian market specifically it mining industries usually enjoys free global economies including free global markets where they export their products in large scale (Haldar, 2013). Some of the major international markets for the Australia’s mineral products include Japan, India, South Korea, and China. According to the international ranking, Australia is usually considered as the top global mineral producer and it has the largest inventory resources that form the fundamental mineral commodities (Mintzberg and Lampel, 2009; Pg. 92). However, it does not lead in the production of all mineral commodities; therefore, there are opportunities in miner al that it produces in small scale particularly when it raises it scale of production on the same. Coal is among lowly exploited mineral by Australia; hence, it is vital to determine whether how Australia can raise its game in the production of coal towards boosting its domestic and international markets on the same product. In the Australia’s list of major export categories, Coal among other minerals including aluminum and copper fall fifth (Mintzberg and Lampel, 2005). Coal is used for different purposes; therefore, to boost its sales, Australia needs to intensify its marketing research on coal and its demand with different global economies towards increasing its sales in these countries. Introduction Mineral coal is a natural resource that only needs proper and effective equipment and labor to exploit effectively. Notably, Australia has an intense comparative advantage in the mineral commodities production. This emanates from its rich and diverse endowment of minerals as w ell as high quality and scaled regional information geoscience (Mintzberg and Lampel, 2009; Pg. 281). The intense understanding of geoscience reduces risks of exploitation of mineral in Australia. Additionally, Australian mineral exploiting industries are also enjoying advance exploration techniques that ensure that maximum exploitation. They also have advance mining and processing technologies with highly skilled labor that has intensive experience (De Wit and Meyer, 2010; Pg. 133). Additionally, the mineral exploration physical conditions are

Police Discretion Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police Discretion Position Paper - Essay Example Several myths, such as an inevitable abuse of power, are unsupported by the research. The main causes of police discretion are offender variables, situational variables, and systemic variables. The exercise of police discretion arises in many situations, such as domestic violence and juvenile delinquency, and can often lead to positive resolutions. Discretion is a valuable part of police work. The issue of police discretion, while a seemingly natural aspect of the duties of a law enforcement officer, is a topic which generates much debate. Historically, the concept of police discretion was thought to be associated with police corruption and with an "extralegal" use of police power (O'Connor, 2005: np). Indeed, the recognition of police discretion as a legitimate aspect of police duties was not formally recognized until 1956 when it was formally identified and discussed by an American Bar Association study. This revelation, that the police did in fact use discretion in the course of their duties, generated a substantial amount of controversy: "When it was finally exposed, people like the American Friends Service Committee (1971) called for its abolishment, and police administrators sought a clampdown on discretion (administrative rulemaking)" (O'Connor, 2005: np). In the beginning, though police discretion was an integral part of daily police work, it was viewed with suspi cion. A more modern view posits that police discretion is a valuable and necessary part of police work. To this end, calls for the elimination of police discretion have been replaced by proposals to more carefully define when and how police officers should use discretion. This modern view operates on the assumption that police work is often complex, that situations are rarely neat and simple, and that discretion results in better police work than a mechanistic application of the law. As noted by a National Institute of Justice Research Report, "Each tactical choice by the police, each citizen's response, counter responses by each, and changes in other variables in the context (for instance, intervention of strangers) create a fluid, ever-changing encounter" (1997: pg.35). This essay will define what is meant by "police discretion", a number of common myths associated with the concept, and the real-life sources of the need for police discretion. The essay will then present ten practical illustrations of police discretion in operation in order to compare situations in which discretion is used appropriately and situations in which discretion very well might be abused. Police Discretion: Definitions, Myths, and Sources Discretion means many things and encompasses a tremendous variety of different situations. From a theoretical point of view, it has been referred to as the making of decisions where the law is not clear, where the police officer has alternative courses of action, and where a cost-benefit analysis cautions against the rigid application of the law. Some scholars have defined police discretion as judgments made within the realm of a "regulated autonomy" (De Lint, 1998: pg. 2) and others have characterized discretion as a police officer's role as a public servant whom is sworn to balance the intent of the law against the interests of

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Self Actualization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Self Actualization - Essay Example Self-actualization is a psychological concept accredited to Kurt Goldstein, defined as an instinctive human need to make the most of their abilities and to strive for fulfillment of their potential. In Maslow's expansion of Goldstein's concept, an individual reaches self-actualization when they feel assured of their physiological security, affiliations and affections, and their respect. In Maslow's terms, "What a man can be, he must be (Maslow, 1943)." Self-actualization can be described in layspeech as self-fulfillment. Though the term carries various implications and nuances depending upon the academic, its essence is of happiness and fulfillment. Paxton and Turner paraphrase Shostrom: Overall, Shostrom's theory of self-actualization is one that emphasizes positive mental health and psychological adjustmentActualizing persons are viewed by Shostrom as individuals who are willing to take the risk of being themselves and to respond according to how they feel in the present, rather than adhering to rigid patterns of the past or to inflexible goals of the future. Two concepts that are central to Shostrom's theory of actualizing are inner-direction and time competence. Shostrom describes actualizing persons as being inner-directed, meaning that the motivation for their behavior comes from within, not from external influences. The importance of the concept of inner-direction to Shostrom's theory is illustrated by the fact that he describes inner-direction as a goal of self-actualizing and a central tenet Time competence, another characteristic of actualizing individuals, refers to the ability to live in the here-and-now rather than predominantly living in the past and/o r in the future (66). Self-actualization is intimately related to identity-the concept of fulfillment grows from one's perception of self. "The reflected self is composed of three elements: The self-concept (SC)-a person's perception of himself or herself; the Perceived Self-Concept (PSC)-a person's perception of others' evaluations of him or her; and the Social Self-Concept (SSC)-others' actual evaluations of a person (Schafer et al, 168)." The well-known Chilean sociologist Max-Neef has inextricably nine components of fulfillment and actualization in his matrix of needs-satisfactions. According to Max-Neef, people and communities reach fulfillment when they have access to the following: Basic subsistence (food, shelter, work), Protection (rights, family, security), Affect (friends, family, partners or spouses), Understanding (education, policy, and communications which orient one in their social context), Participation (rights, responsibilities, and obligations), Recreation (games, shows, parties, leisure), Creation (abilities, talents, methods, and skills), Identity (symbols, language, customs, sexuality, values, and roles), and Freedom (civil rights and equality) (Max-Neef, 1986). Fundamental Human Needs Being (qualities) Having (things) Doing (actions) Interacting (settings) subsistence physical and mental health food, shelter work feed, clothe, rest, work living environment, social setting protection care, adaptability autonomy social security, health systems, work co-operate, plan, take care of, help social

Monday, August 26, 2019

Keynesianism as Crisis Management Strategy Essay

Keynesianism as Crisis Management Strategy - Essay Example He went to India for work, after completing his graduation. He earned fellowship of King's college due to his work on dissertation. In the year 1908 he returned back to Cambridge from India by quiting his civil service job. After leaving the job Keynes joined the Treasury (Davidson, 2007). His first published book was "The Economic Consequences of the Peace" in which he abundantly criticized the wars and forecasted about the German revenge. That particular book became the best selling book of its time and made Keynes world famous (Davidson, 2007). Keynes known work was "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money" which was published in the year 1936, in which he elaborated about the employment and the causes of underestimated or overestimated the interest rates and its impact on the economy, which eventually became the yardstick for the future economic thoughts. Due to his great work he was awarded as the 'Most Influential Economist' of Britain which motivated him to join the country's treasury again in 1942. He played a decisive role during the world war which always secures his name as a great economist (Samuelson, 2002). Keynes put forward the main causes of depression in order to tackle with the hazards and symptoms of the depression. Keynes introduced the theory of liquidity preference framework, which is known as "Keynesian Liquidity Preference Framework", which defines the people's intentions and desire to hold the money in cash or in redeemable assets. According to Keynes, income can be categorized into three broad terms which are defined in his liquidity preference framework. Cash to Cash Precautionary Speculative Keynes defines the concept of high money supply and high savings, and related his topic with the unemployment rate and increasing economy of the country. As per him, money must not be hoarded and it must be rolled over which eventually induces the investment graph of the country to rise (Begg, 1998). He intimated that no doubt that the high supply of money condenses the unemployment rate but on the contrary it will hike the inflation rate up to an optimal level, let say if every American becomes a millionaire after a number of printing of treasury in Federal Reserve Bank (FED), then there will be no servant or worker left to do biddings which urges the nation to hire people from outside the country on high salaries and wages which ultimately influences the inflation rate to rise. So, persistently sending the money can be the remedy to overcome these circumstances, which is known as the best cure of recession. Keynes said that if a "Liquidity Gap" occurs in the economy of the country then the country badly plunges. A liquidity gap occurs when the people of the country are reluctant to invest and willing to hoard the money rather than spending, which is mainly due to the consumers loss of confidence on the economy probably due to the stock market crash or the prevailing situation in the country. Hurricane and other natural disasters can be a cause which hampered between the consumer spending and savings. The concept of

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Project Initiation Document (PID), Project Management, Heritage 59 Essay

Project Initiation Document (PID), Project Management, Heritage 59 Residence in Thailand - Essay Example Financial viability is always an important variable for commercial projects of this nature (Knight 2006) and already, financial feasibility has showed a net profit of THB 380 million over 36 months. The scope of the project clearly defines the boundaries of the project as in what will be involved in the project and what will not be involved in it. The Heritage 59 Residence project will comprise of a two building edifice that is located Sukhumvit Road. The first building will be a maintained 12-storey building at the front side of the site. The second building will be a reconstruction of the existing 3 story-building into a 27-storey at the back side of the site. The proposed financial scope given to the project is THB 85,000 per Sqm with the total land size of project being 806 sq.m to be completed in 36 calendar months. The scope described is graphically represented below Achievable It is important not to set an objective that will be excessively difficult to achieve. The project objective has therefore been defined to be moderate and made up fulfilling all legal provisions that were given in the course of seeking permit for the site plan. Relevant At the end of the project, there should be specific benefits that can be pointed to as the outcome of the project and this is to make a commercial gain of THB 380 million out of the project. Of the tasks, the procedure of construction team and materials will be the most highlighted. Generally, a bid will be opened for interested suppliers to tender. An executive from the Tender Board will be consulted to oversee this process. The project manager will then put in the procedures for procurement to begin by following the steps laid down by the National Procurement Board. The procurement, which is to centre stage will be undertaken through

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Challenge of Intercultural Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Challenge of Intercultural Communication - Essay Example Intercultural perspective helps to deepen our knowledge and broaden horizons. During my studies I was involved in the common project with my Iranian friend, we provided each other with useful insights about our countries. Comparative analysis made our essays better and, as a result, we both got excellent marks. Even though now I understand how beneficial intercultural experiences might be, earlier I had some prejudice regarding meeting representatives of other cultures. I was especially suspicious about meeting Iranian men, whom I imagined as very closed-minded and even dangerous people. Probably, such prejudice was formed in my mind by popular mass media, talking a lot about Muslim terrorists and difficulties in negotiations with Iran. When I first met Ahmad, first representative of his race, ethnicity, nationality and religion, I was confused and hesitated to start conversation. However, our common task made me do so, and when we started talking, I realized that I met very interesting open-minded person with broad and yet deep knowledge in different spheres of social sciences. Ice was broken, we made a great common project and even became friends afterwards. Later on, I told him about my initial prejudice and we laughed together on it. This intercultural encounter has taught me to be mor e open to representatives of other cultures. I made more international friends which made my life more exciting. I believe that it is important to be able to overcome all stereotypes and prejudices as this is essential basis for our own well-being, the way to enrich our life and make it more interesting. Most importantly, this is the only possible way to peaceful coexistence in our world, which is so diverse and intercultural, though globalized and highly interconnected. Advertisement campaigns usually appeal to societal values, which are important for consumers. Companies try to understand the identity of the person who would buy the

Friday, August 23, 2019

Monopoly and Microsoft Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Monopoly and Microsoft - Essay Example As will be demonstrated in this brief analytical response, it is the belief of this author that an monopoly, regardless of its shape, size, or form, is ultimately destructive to the market and harmful to the end consumer (Kapoor, 2009). As such, the case of Microsoft and a discussion of economic theory, as well as the behavior that Microsoft has indicated over the past several decades, will be engaged as a means of understanding this particular approach. Furthermore, it is the hope of this author that the reader will come to a more profound level of understanding with respect to the fact that monopolies are ultimately harmful and do not represent a net benefit to the society as a whole (figures 1 and 2 within the appendix of this brief work demonstrate the harm that a monopoly can have with regards to increased prices paid by the end consumer). Monopoly and Microsoft: In understanding the monopoly that Windows has on the user experience of operating a PC, one should not only look to the way in which the firm dominates the operating system itself. Instead, a quick consideration of recent history reveals that Microsoft has long cultivated the monopoly that it now holds (Ohlhausen, 2004). For instance, Microsoft purposefully packaged Internet Explorer within Windows 95 and after as a means of decreasing the market presence and overall level of profitability that Netscape could have in the market (Gisser, 2011). As this was an effective tool towards decreasing competition, and Microsoft soon learned the benefit of packaged software’s ability to further define the market that it had already captured, much the same technique was employed with regards to the audio/video player of Windows Media Player (Vogelstein, 2004). Realizing the a litany of different startups were threatening to take market share from Microsoft, the same strategy of packaging Windows Media Player into the operating system as a means of integrating the product with what can only be describe d as a captive market (Greene et al. ,2004). As can be firmly noted, the monopolistic model of competition is ultimately harmful to the market and to the consumer. The only entity that benefits from such a model is obviously the producer. As figure 1 and figure 2 both denote, a certain level of deadweight loss is portended by the monopoly. As a graphical representation helps the reader to understand, this deadweight loss is actually stolen from the equilibrium price and demand; thereby making the good under monopolistic competition greatly higher priced than it would be in normal competition. As previously denoted, this in and of itself is engaged by the monopoly seller as a means of incurring further profits. Figure 1: Figure 2: Microsoft’s Approach to Profitability and the Engagement of the Monopoly as a Function of Capitalist Drive Likewise, in seeking to understand the approach that Microsoft has engaged, it can only be defined as one that is bounded by rational self inte rest in the sense of continuing to accrue further levels of profitability and continue to integrate into further markets (Cohen et al., 1999). Even a cursory review into the current time does not reveal a Microsoft that allows its fate to be pinned upon the success or failure of an operating system; rather, when one looks at the face of Microsoft, one can see a firm that has recently expanded to purchase a controlling

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Dophus Raymond Essay Example for Free

Dophus Raymond Essay In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the people of Maycomb are prejudice. According to them, the only way a white man would be able to like a black man more than a white man is if he was an alcoholic or had some type of dysfunction. This applies to the majority of the people in Maycomb. Dolphus Raymond, however, is not part of this stereotype. He doesn’t have a dysfunction and only pretends to be an alcoholic. Mr. Raymond is both caring and sly. When Dolphus Raymond sees Dill come out of the courthouse crying, he tries to comfort him and help him feel better. This shows that Dolphus Raymond is caring. Dolphus Raymond then calls Dill to come to him and says, â€Å"Here, offering Dill his paper sack with straws in it. Take a good sip, it’ll quieten you. †(Lee, 200) This shows he is caring because he gives Dill some of his Coca-Cola to help him. Mr. Raymond reaches out to Dill when he is crying to help him feel better. Then, after Scout asks why he pretends to be an alcoholic he says,† Wh-oh yes, you mean why do I pretend? †¦. Some folks don’t-like the way I live. Now I could just say to hell with ‘em, I don’t care if they don’t like it. I do say I don’t care if they don’t like it, right enough-but I don’t say the hell with ‘em see? †(Lee, 200) This shows that even though people don’t like the way he lives, he still pretends to be an alcoholic for people to latch on a reason why he lives the way he does. Also, even though it’s fake, he gives them a reason to understand why he lives a certain way.. Dolphus Raymond is sly as well. When Scout finds out whiskey isn’t in the sack she says,† You mean all you drink in that sack’s Coca-Cola? Just plain Coca-Cola? † â€Å"Yes ma’am, Mr. Raymond nodded. (Lee, 200) He pretends to drink whiskey to help people latch on a reason why he likes blacks more than whites. Dolphus Raymond pretends to drink whiskey, but everyone else is the town thinks it is whiskey. People don’t understand his ways, so they just blame it on his drinking because they don’t understand how he could like a black man more than a white one. He walks around pretending he is drunk. † When I came into town, which is seldom, if I weave a little and drink out of this sack, folks can says Dolphus Raymond’s in the clutch of whiskey-that’s why he wont change his ways. (Lee, 200) People think he has poor judgment because he pretends to be drunk, so they believe he won’t be able to change his ways. He is also acting like an alcoholic and like a drunk, so people can have a reason to understand why he lives his life the way he does. Dolphus Raymond isn’t an alcoholic or a drunk. He shows how caring and sly he is when he talks to the kids outside the courthouse. The people of Maycomb just can’t understand his reasoning concerning blacks and whites. They expect him to live prejudice like them. He has to pretend to be disorderly, so people can have a reason for his actions and preferences.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Material Resource Planning Essay Example for Free

Material Resource Planning Essay A. what is Material Requirement Planning (MRP)? Material Requirements Planning is actually a tool for planning; mainly aimed at assembling all operations in a production system, in order to enable the supplier know the materials required by every unit of production and the associated time limits (Waldner, 2011). After knowing the product units required, it becomes possible to use Material Requirements Planning, to determine the materials that will be needed in the production of such products. The calculations of the material requirements and subsequent planning are enabled by computer software in most working and business organizations (Waldner, 2011). B. How Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) might be applied to: 1. The surgery suite of a hospital In a surgery suite of a hospital, Material Requirements Planning may be helpful in determining the type, amount, quality and quality of the materials required, for a specific number of a given type of surgery. Material requirements planning may be applied through grouping of various types of surgeries that are offered or required over specified duration or period of time (Waldner, 2011). After dividing the surgery suite into different surgery units, where specific types of surgeries are done, the number of every type of surgery required is then calculated. In each unit, Material Requirements Planning can be used to calculate the specifications of the materials that will be required to carry out a single surgery. Therefore, MRP is a vital aspect in this field, and it enhances planning for efficiency, effectiveness, and timeliness of surgery operations being carried out (Waldner, 2011). 2. Scheduling university classes University classes have to be scheduled in order to avoid appearance of different classes at the same time. Material Requirements Planning will be helpful in scheduling university classes, by making arrangements to ensure that every class is allocated its own time, and that, no other class appears within that particular time set for a specific class (Waldner, 2011). When scheduling classes, there is need for estimation of the materials required especially when making the budget (stationeries, equipments and other learning materials). For instance, after knowing what the class intends to do, MRP can be applied to determine the material requirements for each class (Waldner, 2011). 3. A chain of restaurants In a chain of restaurants, Material Requirements Planning will be important in separating the restaurants into single units, and to determine the materials, or any other necessities required for each restaurant. The only thing that is needed is to know the type of activity, or the product intended to be offered in each restaurant, and the associated specifications. This information will enable calculation of all the raw requirements for every restaurant to achieve the intended purpose, or come up with the intended products and services. Examples of the requirements that will be calculated include construction materials, food materials, and furnishing materials (Waldner, 2011). 4. Hotel renovations When renovating a hotel, there is need for planning of the materials required to carry out an effective and efficient renovation practice. Over-estimation or under-estimation of the materials required, will lead to either wastage of funds, or shortage of materials. Material Requirements Planning will actually help in coming up with planning process, which will see the whole project consume exact materials needed without wastage or shortage (Waldner, 2011). After knowing the kind of renovation required and the outcomes expected, Material Requirements Planning program can be used to calculated the exact quantity, quality, and price of the materials, and other  requirements, that may be necessary to accomplish the whole renovation process. Material Requirements Planning, in this case, can be used to plan for labor and other physical materials necessary (Waldner, 2011).

Sports Psychology Techniques, Research Design and Methods

Sports Psychology Techniques, Research Design and Methods Show a Critical Awareness of the Theoretical Basis to Applied Sport Psychology Techniques; Research Design, Methods and Procedures Used in This Domain, and Practical and Ethical Issues in the Delivery of Sport Psychology. In the research article relating to sports psychology, in particular the achieving of excellence, we can see that an attempt has been made by the researchers to asses the role of certain psychological phenomena related to positive performance to see if they could determine whether or not these factors played a significant part in the success of highly acclaimed professional sportspersons, in particular tour golfers. The research involved key concepts such as imagery, goal setting, focus, distraction control and evaluation techniques that all pertained to fundamental concepts outlined in findings from sports psychology theory and research. The study itself used a questionnaire from which an interview was conducted in the hope of extracting some of the mental processes and preparations of top golfers that were believed to have become evident in their responses. These interviews were tape recorded and transcribed according to qualitative research method processes and conventions. The in terviews were conducted at the convenience of the sportsperson as it was believed that this would make the process more free flowing as the interviewee would be more focused and inclined to cooperate with the questions. The findings of the research suggested in conjunction with former findings related to the field of sporting excellence that their was clear evidence of the usage of imagery, goal setting, focus distraction control and evaluation techniques in the interview answers put forward by the sportspersons. It was concluded that an integral part to the psychological phenomena detailed was the role of commitment and suggestion was made for subsequent research to be conducted into this area. Some of the areas that were drawn out and critiqued within the interview pertained to goal setting. Goal setting techniques can be understood as being set by psychologists to put in place the achieving of high levels of endurance in sport (Orlick Partington, 1988). Goals are generally set to focus the individual on desirable target behaviours or performance actions. The focusing on goals or targets is believed to take away extraneous and undesirable distractions from the sportspersons conscious perception and produce a well defined path towards achievement. This can be seen being evident in some of the interview responses as being a ‘clearly defined’ target. In Bandura’s model he suggests that there are three major factors at work in the acquisition of a behaviour or performance. Three key factors are believed to inform the intention towards a desired target in this model. It was suggested that manipulation of these factors could change the intention of a person and consequently change, or shape, their behaviour to a more desirable one (Bandura, 1997). In accordance with other factors a positive attitude towards a desired behaviour would essentially increase the intention towards any goal. To function successfully, the intended goals would have to be clearly defined. This notion of clearly defined goals is included and incorporated throughout the methodology of the research article and forms an essential part of the findings according to the model of excellence proposed by Orlick Partington (1988). Another factor indicated in research on goal setting is that of unrealistic goal setting and the effects of negative mental attitudes when the goals do not relate to the desired outcome. For instance, unrealistically high goal settings from pressures such as media and peer pressure may lead to a high percentage of failure. This can have a very negative effect on the individual’s mental state. For example, in the model proposed by Baumeister (1990) the destructive effects of unrealistic goal setting can be understood in three steps. The first step is a mismatch between circumstance and expectation, leading to unrealistic goal setting. The second stage highlights the negative outcomes of this phenomenon. The third and final step indicates the importance and fragility of the mind if it is not focused. Essentially, to avoid disturbing ideas of failure, the individual negates responsibility for the outcomes of their actions altering their logic in a very negative and destructive ma nner (Baumeister, 1990). That is to say, that if the perception of realistic goals is not adjusted then the mind of the individual will begin to apply severely disturbing logic patterns to the process of goal achieving. This is not regarded in the condition of club professionals. Rather than them being simply uncommitted as is concluded, it could be that the negative effects of unrealistic goal setting has disturbed their focus or commitment. For instance, the individuals may begin to apply the successful achievement of goals to external factors such as luck, and take responsibility for only failed goals (Abramson et al, 1978). Another key concept in achievement is learning. Essentially, objectives are considered to manage goals and goal setting. Fontana (1993) suggests that these objectives can be split into five mental processes. He defines these categories as ’identifying clearly what needs to be done, plan how we are going to do it, monitor our progress while we are doing it, assess the extent of our success when we have done it, learn more effectively from the experiences it has offered us’ (Fontana, 1993). This learning model shows of how goal setting and achieving goals can be utilised through the introspection of the experience gained. We can see from the research article that this idea of learning rather than focusing upon error is incorporated in the findings. The effects of learning can be seen in the formulation and use of educational objectives (Pearson and Tweddle, 1984). This research indicates the benefits of evaluation, reflection and consideration within the domain of sportin g achievement. The notion of learning can also be seen in the role of imagery and the imagination, highlighted within the findings of the interviews. This notion is concerned not only with the role of understanding and the learning of psychological processes after the event, but also the role of psychological processes before the event. Imagery is considered as being directly associated with the pathways of the imagination. This field of research has highlighted the importance of pre-conceived and pre-empted eventualities within the thought processes of the individual. Essentially, it focuses upon the actualisation of possibilities and outcomes within the mind. This would indicate the need for the individual to think in a certain way to achieve the best results. The imagination of sporting techniques is considered a cognitive pathway that can be honed and lead to more confidence and a more successful outcome. For instance, if the individual can visualise success then it is presumed that he/she can gain confidence in the achieving of a successful goal without the actual physical experience usually required in confidence acquisition (Kohler, 1925). We can see that this core idea has been implemented into the methodology of the research. For instance, there is an indication of imagining the ideal put before practising it. Imagery is also believed to help in the preparation for events that can not be prepared for with physical training alone. For instance, improvisation and the applying of insight into extreme circumstances can be utilised in ways that cannot be accounted for in normal physical training. In this sense the imagination and imagery is a key component in the conceptualising of an ideal action involved in a sporting technique. We can see from the methodology of our study that this notion has been incorporated. For instance, the ideal technique of a swing can be seen in the account that indicates that once the ideal stroke has been accomplished there is no longer a need to practise physically. This imagery can be seen as being indicated by the pro in the success of his action that is then carried out against the imagined goal in the learning manner put forward by Fontana. Imagery and the imagination seem to be manipulated by the golfers to hone their focus techniques as the methodology of the research article suggests. Focus is understood as being not something that is physically learned, but that is important to success. As we have seen, extraneous variables from the environment can have negative effects on the performance of actions. However, it would seem from the accounts of the tour pro’s that these extraneous factors have been removed from as they have attained focus. It would seem that this research has backed up the findings of former research. Although, some problems may arise from its use of a confined and pre-determined model of closed questions, it can be said to be valuable. Although this may arouse critical questions of validity, it can be said this research has brought to our attention some of the psychological dynamics associated with achievement, excellence and success within the sporting domain. Bibliography Abramson, L, Y., Seligman, M, E, P., Teasdale, J., (1978) Learned Helplessness in Humans: Critique and Reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74. Bandura, A. (1997) Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Self Control. New York: WH Freeman. Baumeister, R, F., (1990) Suicide as Escape From Self. Psychology Review, 97. 90-113 Fontana, D., (1993) Managing Time: Personal and Professional Development. Leicester: BPS Books (British Psychology Society). Kohler, W., (1925) The mentality of Apes. New York: Harcourt Brace (Reprint ed., 1976. New York: Liveright.) Orlick, T., Partington, J. (1988). Mental Links to Excellence. The Sport Psychologist, 2, 105-130. Pearson , L. and Tweddle, D., (1984) The Formulation and Use of Educational Objectives. In Fontana, D. (ed.) Behaviourism and Learning Theory in Education. Edinburgh: Scottish Academic Press.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Existential Hero: Hamlet Essay -- truth, understanding, downfall, d

To be without value or meaning permits the violation of norm behavioral standards. Existentialism is championed in the responsibility and free will of man. The world is utterly â€Å"worthless, meaningless, empty, and hopeless, †¦ to use a favorite Existentialism, absurd†(Ross 1). A man must become unconventional by supplying an authentic meaning to life. Shakespeare’s character Hamlet in the play Hamlet, explores these existential principles as he seeks truth and understanding after his father’s murder. He attempts to establish order in a chaotic world full of betrayal, spying, and death. This leads to Hamlet’s inevitable downfall and the death of those close to him. Hamlet rises as the existential hero in Shakespeare’s Hamlet through his confrontation with moral responsibilities and the purpose of life. The existential ideal gives structure and meaning to the action of Hamlet. Hamlet is a conflicted character. He is maddened by his father’s, the King of Denmark, murder and his mother’s, Queen Gertrude, untimely marriage to his uncle, King Claudius, who is also his father’s murderer. It is a tangled web of lies, death, and duplicity that Hamlet lives in. â€Å"Denmark [certainly] is a prison† for him (II.2.262). Hamlet becomes withdrawn in the play, no longer having an enthusiastic and playful demeanor. His relationship with his mother is destroyed, he denounces Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Ophelia, and he becomes estranged with society as he feigns insanity. He is the quintessential character for Jean Paul Sartre’s existential principle that â€Å"Hell is other people.† Ultimately, Hamlet’s nature completely changes. He states to Guildenstern that as â€Å"of late, but wherefore I know not, lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of exercises, an... ...in England 23 (2010): 34+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Meron, Theodor. â€Å"Crimes and Accountability in Shakespeare.† The American Journal of International Law. 92.1 (Jan.,1998): 1-40. JSTOR. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. . Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012. Print. Snider, D. J. "HAMLET." The Journal of Speculative Philosophy. 7.1 (Jan.,1873): 71- 87. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. . Williamson, Claude C. H. â€Å"Hamlet.† International Journal of Ethics. 33.1 (Oct., 1922): 85-100. JSTOR. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. . Ross, Kelly L. "Existentialism." The Proceedings of the Friesian School, Fourth Series. Kelly L. Ross, Ph.D., 2013. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Understanding Themewriting and Someones Pain :: Communication Language Essays

Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain Trying to break free from the hold that themewriting has on me is getting to be hard. I never knew that it had such a grip. What is especially difficult is that I need to break free from its grip for this class but yet it is pretty much demanded for the psychology research articles that I am writing. I find that it's difficult to juggle both trying to break free and trying to hold on because of another class. Where does a person incorporate both themewriting and non-themewriting or can a person even think of such a thing? But then to say that I cannot, or possibly have to, incorporate both gives me a rule that I have to follow and wouldn't that constitute themewriting once again? And aren't we supposed to be breaking free of the rules that we have to follow for writing? Themewriting has become so complex to me that I have yet to come up with a definition of what themewriting is. It seems to me that for a person to say "we need to break free of themewriting" or "we need to learn to not write like that" would give me rules to follow in my writing which would constitute themewriting. It's almost like the professor who, on the first day of class, wrote "the is no absolute truth" on the blackboard. The statement itself becomes an absolute truth. I understand how it feels to not be able to write down the feelings that I have. To not be able to express the feeling that I have in words. That may be a result of themewriting, I don't know. When I was in high school I used to write poems, not very good ones I must admit, but none the less, I was able to put my feelings down on paper. But after high school, I lost it or it got replaced by what has come to be called themewriting. All I know is that writing the poems that I once did is difficult to do and I seldom do it. Can I blame that on my high school teachers? When they told me how to write and what to write? Or must the blame fall on me? Or is there no one to blame? I've been reading much about voice. I've read that we shouldn't stereotype, or look for the gender of, the author. Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain :: Communication Language Essays Understanding Themewriting and Someone's Pain Trying to break free from the hold that themewriting has on me is getting to be hard. I never knew that it had such a grip. What is especially difficult is that I need to break free from its grip for this class but yet it is pretty much demanded for the psychology research articles that I am writing. I find that it's difficult to juggle both trying to break free and trying to hold on because of another class. Where does a person incorporate both themewriting and non-themewriting or can a person even think of such a thing? But then to say that I cannot, or possibly have to, incorporate both gives me a rule that I have to follow and wouldn't that constitute themewriting once again? And aren't we supposed to be breaking free of the rules that we have to follow for writing? Themewriting has become so complex to me that I have yet to come up with a definition of what themewriting is. It seems to me that for a person to say "we need to break free of themewriting" or "we need to learn to not write like that" would give me rules to follow in my writing which would constitute themewriting. It's almost like the professor who, on the first day of class, wrote "the is no absolute truth" on the blackboard. The statement itself becomes an absolute truth. I understand how it feels to not be able to write down the feelings that I have. To not be able to express the feeling that I have in words. That may be a result of themewriting, I don't know. When I was in high school I used to write poems, not very good ones I must admit, but none the less, I was able to put my feelings down on paper. But after high school, I lost it or it got replaced by what has come to be called themewriting. All I know is that writing the poems that I once did is difficult to do and I seldom do it. Can I blame that on my high school teachers? When they told me how to write and what to write? Or must the blame fall on me? Or is there no one to blame? I've been reading much about voice. I've read that we shouldn't stereotype, or look for the gender of, the author.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay on Kinship in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

Search for Kinship in Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the heart of James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man lies Stephen Dedalus, a sensitive young man concerned with discovering his purpose in life. Convinced that his lack of kinship or community with others is a shortcoming that he must correct, Stephen, who is modeled after Joyce, endeavors to fully realize himself by attempting to create a forced kinship with others. He tries many methods in hopes of achieving this sense of belonging, including the visiting of prostitutes and nearly joining the clergy. However, it is not until Stephen realizes, as Joyce did, that his true calling is that of the artist that he becomes free of his unrelenting, self-imposed pressure to force connections with others and embraces the fact that he, as an artist, is fully realized only when he is alone. Stephen is painfully aware of his difficulty relating to others early on— the other boys at his first school mock him about his name and his family; his body feels "small and weak" amongst the other boys’ on the football field; he is pushed into a ditch. (Joyce, 246) Frequently, Stephen appears to mentally separate from himself and observe himself from outside Earth’s confines; he writes a progression of "himself and where he was" that reads "Stephen Dedalus†¦Class of Elements†¦Clongowes Wood College†¦Sallins†¦County Kildare†¦Ireland†¦Europe†¦The World†¦The Universe". (Joyce, 255) Though Stephen demonstrates by this list that he is all too aware of his own self and his technical place in the universe, his need to solidify this awareness to himself reveals his uncertainties about how he relates to his surroundings. "With a sudden movement she bowed his head... ...dom and power of his soul, as the great artificer whose name he bore, a living thing, new and soaring and beautiful, impalpable, imperishable". (Joyce, 433) Stephen is now fully able to create from within himself, without being dependent on others to feel whole. This is accentuated by Joyce’s description of the beach scene— "He was alone. He was unheeded, happy and near to the wild heart of life". (Joyce, 433) Stephen the artist is alone and needs to be alone, not to search in vein for companionship that, even if attained, could only drag him from his newfound freedom. This realization of self-fulfillment and self-control is the single defining point in Stephen’s education; it is the brushstroke that completes the "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man." Works Cited: Joyce, James. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. New York: New American Library, 1991.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Essay

Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Standing at the front of a PepsiCo conference room, Bill Bruce gestured enthusiastically, pointing to the sketches at his side. Bruce, a copywriter and Executive Creative Director, headed up the creative team on the Mountain Dew account for PepsiCo’s advertising agency, BBDO New York. In fact, it was Bruce who devised the famous â€Å"Do the Dew† campaign that had catapulted Mountain Dew to the number three position in its category. With his partner, art director Doris Cassar, Bruce had developed ten new creative concepts for Mountain Dew’s 2000 advertising to present to PepsiCo management. Gathered in the room to support Bruce and Cassar were BBDO senior executives Jeff Mordos (Chief Operating Officer), Cathy Israelevitz (Senior Account Director), and Ted Sann (Chief Creative Officer). Each of the three executives had over a decade of experience working on Mountain Dew. Representing PepsiCo were Scott Moffitt (Marketing Director, Mountain Dew), Dawn Hudson (Chief Marketing Officer, and a former senior ad agency executive), and Gary Rodkin (Chief Executive Officer, Pepsi Cola North America). Scott Moffitt scribbled notes as he listened to Bruce speak. Moffitt and the brand managers under him were charged with day-to-day oversight of Mountain Dew marketing. These responsibilities included brand strategy, consumer and sales promotions, packaging, line extensions, product changes, and sponsorships. But for Moffitt and the senior managers above him, the most important decisions of the year were made in conference rooms with BBDO creatives. Each of the ads would cost over a million dollars to produce. But the production costs were minor compared to the $55 million media budget that would be committed to air these spots. Historically, PepsiCo management had learned that selecting the right creative was one of the most critical decisions they made in terms of impact on sales and profits. Mountain Dew had carried PepsiCo’s soft drink revenues during the 1990s as cola brands struggled. But now the Do the Dew campaign was entering its eighth year, a long stretch by any consumer goods baseline. Many other brands were now sponsoring the same alternative sports that Mountain Dew had relied upon to boost its image. And teens were gravitating to new activities and new music that Dew’s competitors had successfully exploited in their branding activities. Figuring out how to keep the campaign working hard to maintain the brand’s relevance with its target consumers had become a chief preoccupation of senior management at both PepsiCo and BBDO. At the same time, key competitors were raising their ad budgets as competition in both the Carbonated Soft Drink (CSD) and non-carbonated drinks categories was heating up, sending Dew sales below targets. Choosing the right ads to maximize the impact of Mountain Dew’s relatively small media budget was a make-or- break decision. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Professor Douglas B. Holt prepared this case. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2001 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to http://www.hbsp.harvard.edu. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of Harvard Business School. 502-040 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative PepsiCo and BBDO PepsiCo was widely considered to be one of the most sophisticated and aggressive marketing companies in the world. In North America, the company  had three divisions, each with categoryleading brands. Pepsi and Mountain Dew were the number two and three soft drinks. Frito-Lay dominated the salty-snack category with Ruffles, Lay’s, Doritos, and Cheetos. And the company had recently acquired Tropicana, the leading juice brand. In 2000, PepsiCo had acquired the SoBe line of teas and â€Å"functional† drinks from South Beach Beverages, which it operated as a stand-alone subsidiary. BBDO was one of the ten largest ad agencies in the world, with worldwide billings of about $15 Billion. Of the largest full-service agencies, BBDO was particularly renowned for the quality of their creative work. The roster of the New York office, BBDO New York, included many high-powered clients such as General Electric, Visa, M&M/Mars, Charles Schwab, and FedEx. Their top 10 accounts had been BBDO clients for an average of 32 years. BBDO’s relationship with PepsiCo dated to breakthrough campaigns for Pepsi in the 1960s. BBDO took over Mountain Dew from Ogilvy & Mather in 1974 and had held the account ever since. In 1998, PepsiCo hired Uniworld, the largest African-American owned ad agency in the United States, to develop a separate Mountain Dew campaign targeted to African-Americans. The Carbonated Soft Drinks Category Similar to most other countries, in the United States soft drink consumption was ubiquitous. And, until recently, soft drinks had meant cola. The retail carbonated soft drinks (CSD) category had long been dominated by the two cola giants, Coke and Pepsi. In the so-called cola wars of the 1960s and 70s, Pepsi directly attacked Coke with taste tests and with advertising designed to make Pepsi the hipper and more stylish â€Å"choice of the new generation†, implying that Coke was a drink for older and less â€Å"with it† people. The soft drink category, and colas in particular, boomed throughout the 1970s and 1980s as people substituted away from coffee to soft drinks as a source of caffeine. The industry also consolidated as once-important brands (RC Cola, Orange Crush, A&W Root Beer) faded into the background. By the 1990s, three companies controlled all of the major national brands: The Coca-Cola Company (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite), PepsiCo (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain De w), and Cadbury-Schweppes (Dr. Pepper and 7-UP). CSDs were a promotion intensive category. In most grocery stores, Coke and Pepsi controlled a great deal of shelf space and displays. They had so much clout that their bottlers were able to choose how to stock the shelves and what to display. Impulse purchase displays had become an important source of incremental volume. A substantial and increasing share of volume came from convenience stores, where most purchases were of single servings purchased for immediate consumption. The major brands ran seasonal promotions, such as â€Å"under the cap† games in which every tenth bottle had a free bottle give-away written under the cap. More junior brand managers spent considerable time developing and implementing these promotions. Product, promotion, packaging, and pricing innovations were constant though usually incremental, quickly diffusing throughout the category. In the last decade, one of the major innovations in the category had been the 20-ounce single serve bottle, usually priced at $.99 and sold as an impulse purchase. The margins on this bottle were higher than the twelve-packs or 2-liter bottles. Also, all of the large brands introduced 24-pack cases sold to heavy users. Brand managers worked to keep package design contemporary. For example, at PepsiCo, both Pepsi and Mountain Dew had substantial make-overs in the 1990s resulting in richer and more vibrant colors and 2 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative 502-040 simplified graphics. Other brands, including 7-UP and Sprite also executed similar packaging redesigns. For most of the twentieth century, PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company competed fiercely, each responding in tit-for-tat fashion to the other’s successes. Pepsi rolled out lemon-lime Slice in the 1980s to compete against Sprite, but soon withdrew support for that brand. Recently it was rumored that the company was plotting yet another new lemon-lime introduction. In the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced Mr. Pibb to attack Dr. Pepper and Mello-Yello as a me-too competitor against Mountain Dew. With Mountain Dew’s national success in the 1990s, Coca-Cola launched a second frontal assault, introducing another copy-cat brand called Surge. In  addition, both companies had launched other new products without much success: Coke had flopped with OK Cola (the cynical retro cola), and Fruitopia (the neo-hippie fruit beverage). PepsiCo had similar problems with the introduction of Crystal Pepsi (the clear crisp cola), though was able to establish Pepsi One as a niche brand. In the 1990s, cola growth slowed and the â€Å"flavor† CSDs did very well. Sprite, Mountain Dew, and Dr. Pepper all enjoyed great success, although 7-UP continued to struggle (See Exhibit 1). In 1999, however, all CSD sales suffered as a result of customers’ sticker shock to a category-wide 5% retail price increase, and also a trend toward experimentation with noncarbonated drinks and bottled water as substitutes for soft drinks. Sports drinks were led by Gatorade, tea and juice blends by Snapple, Arizona, and SoBe, and the highly caffeinated â€Å"energy† drinks by Red Bull. These drinks, sometimes termed â€Å"functional† or â€Å"alternative,† often included a stimulant (caffeine or similar substance) and plant extracts reputed to have medicinal value (ginko, guarana, St. Johns Wort, ginseng). Many of these drinks were launched by small companies with grass-roots marketing efforts focused on music and sports sponsorships, on-site promotions, and non-traditional distribution (e.g., sandwich shops for Snapple, record stores for Red Bull). Industry rumors were circulating that CocaCola, Anheuser-Busch, PepsiCo, and Cadbury-Schweppes were working aggressively to develop functional drinks to tap into this growing segment. Advertising and Branding Over many decades, Coca-Cola had become â€Å"America’s drink† (and later the preferred drink in many countries around the world) through advertising that conveyed that Coke served as a social elixir. Coke promoted the idea that the drink brought people together in friendship around ideas that people in the nation cared about. From 1995 onward, Coke had struggled as it experimented with a variety of new branding ideas. Pepsi rose to the rank of Coke’s loyal opposition in the 1960s with the successful â€Å"The Pepsi Generation† ad campaign, in which the brand harnessed the ideas and passions of the 1960s counterculture. More recently, Pepsi used celebrities—particularly musicians such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, Faith Hill, Ricky Martin, and Mary J. Blige—to convey the idea that Pepsi was an expression of youth attitudes. Nonetheless, the Pepsi brand also had struggled to maintain sales in the 1990s. 7-UP was successful in the 1970s branding against the colas as the â€Å"uncola† in ads that used a charismatic Jamaican actor to describe the purity and naturalness of 7-UP in a tropical setting. Similarly, the sweet cherry-cola concoction Dr Pepper challenged the audience to â€Å"be a Pepper† with well-received dance numbers that encouraged consumers to do their own thing rather than follow the masses in drinking cola. From the late 1980s onward, 7-UP faded as the brand was used as a cash cow with ever-shrinking media investments. Meanwhile, Mountain Dew rose from its regional status to become a major â€Å"flavor† brand. The three major flavor brands dominated different geographic areas: Dr Pepper dominated Texas and the rest of the deep South, Mountain Dew dominated rural areas, particularly in the Midwest and Southeast, and Sprite dominated urban-ethnic areas. 3 502-040 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Category advertising spending exceeded $650 Million (See Exhibit 2). PepsiCo spent substantially less as a percentage of sales than its competitors. Instead, the company relied on exceptional creative to make the advertising work harder for less cost. PepsiCo viewed the creative development process as a key organizational competency, a strategic weapon that was central to their financial success. Mountain Dew Brand History Mountain Dew was invented by the Hartman Beverage Company in Knoxville, Tennessee in the late 1940s. The bright yellow-green drink in the green bottle packed a powerful citrus flavor, more sugar and more caffeine than other soft drinks, and less carbonation so that it could be drunk quickly. The drink became a favorite on the Eastern seaboard, through Kentucky, Tennessee, and eventually spread up through the Great Lakes states (skirting the big cities) and into the Northern Plains of Minnesota and the Dakotas. PepsiCo, amazed by Dew’s success in what brand managers would come to call  the â€Å"NASCAR belt† (the stock car racing circuit that drew rural men as its primary audience), and in need of a â€Å"flavor† soft-drink to round out its line-up, purchased Mountain Dew in 1964. PepsiCo originally assigned Mountain Dew to the Ogilvy & Mather ad agency. The strategy for the new brand extrapolated from Dew’s origins and existing packaging. The beverage’s heartpumping caffeine and sugar rush were linked to its backwoods heritage to produce the idea of a comic â€Å"hillbilly† character named Willie who drank Mountain Dew to â€Å"get high† on the soft drink equivalent of moonshine liquor. The tagline, â€Å"Yahoo! Mountain Dew!† was accompanied by â€Å"Thar’s a bang in ever’ bottle.† In 1973 PepsiCo assigned the brand to BBDO, its agency of record for Pepsi. For two decades client and agency worked to expand the brand’s reach from America’s hinterlands into the suburbs and cities of the major metropolitan areas. The major campaign of the 1970s—â€Å"Hello Sunshine†Ã¢â‚¬â€ sought to tie Mountain Dew’s distinctive product characteristics to a set of backcountry recreational images. The yellow-green product and strong citrus flavor are represented over and over by the gleaming sun sparkling in beautiful natural settings. The product name is represented in virtually every ad by mountains, dew drops reflecting in the sun, and condensed drops on cans to represent dew. The energizing effects of the caffeine and sugar are toned down and now are a refreshing part of an active outdoor lifestyle. Often the ads featured casual coed athletic activities that always ended in a plunge into a rural pond or creek. This campaign pulled the Mountain Dew brand into more contemporary terrain, but it was still too rural to get much traction in the suburbs. So in the 1980s, PepsiCo directly targeted suburban teenagers with a new campaign called â€Å"Country Cool.† The creative idea was to marry the popular athletic endeavors of suburban kids (cool) with Mountain Dew’s active rural lifestyle (country), all punctuated by the refreshing Dew plunge. Ads featured male teens performing on skateboards, mountain bikes, and BMX bikes. A new tune was crafted for the occasion: â€Å"Being cool you’ll find is a state of mind. Your refreshing attitude. Things get hot. Cool is all you got. Dewin’ it  country cool. So chill on out; when the heat comes on. With a cool, smooth Mountain Dew. Dewin’ it Country Cool. Mountain Dew. Dewin’ it Country Cool.† BBDO jettisoned the â€Å"country† component of the campaign in 1991 to build an entire campaign around athletic stunts. This advertising departed dramatically from anything that BBDO had produced in the previous sixteen years. The spots featured daredevil maneuvers of sports like windsurfing, rollerblading, motocross cycling, and paragliding. The closely-framed shots, which put 4 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative 502-040 the viewer in the middle of the action, also suggested excitement and energy. The spots were set to aggressive rock music rather than studio jingles. In 1992, a new song called â€Å"Get Vertical† is introduced with the lyrics â€Å"Ain’t no doubt about the power of dew, got the airborne thrust of rocket fuel.† Cultural Trends PepsiCo and BBDO managers paid close attention to cultural trends. They were particularly focused on track music and sports trends since these activities were so central to youth culture. Music. Three musical trends dominated the airwaves in the 1990s. Rap music exploded to become the most popular genre in the country. At first, gangsta rap, which flaunted misogynistic and violent lyrics, was said to represent the reality of life in the â€Å"hood† (the American ghetto). From 1992 onward, gangsta rap broke out with a lighter sound and slightly less aggressive lyrics, sometimes called gangsta-lite, that made the music much more accessible while maintaining the forbidding connotations. By 1993, media coverage of the travails of celebrity rappers like Snoop Doggy Dog and Tupac Shakur ruled not only the music magazines but People and Newsweek. Rap music, and the hip-hop lifestyle of which it was a part, permeated teen life. MTV’s program Yo! MTV Raps and specialty  magazi nes like The Source and Vibe became mainstream cultural venues. By 1999, rap remained very popular amongst male teens, especially in urban areas, though its Top 40 appeal had subsided somewhat. At roughly the same time, the alternative rock music scene, which throughout the 1980s existed as a small subcultural scene found mostly on college campuses, also exploded. Two Seattle bands—Nirvana and Pearl Jam—put CDs at the top of the charts with aggressive and emotive music that combined equal parts punk and heavy metal. The media tagged this music â€Å"grunge† and anointed Seattle as grunge headquarters. Grunge was marketed heavily by the culture industries— music labels put out dozens of grunge bands, films that displayed the grunge attitude appeared, and fashion runways and J.C. Penny’s stores were clogged with flannel shirts and clothes that had the look of the vintage Salvation Army gear that was the uniform of the grunge scene. Grunge faded in its influence in part due to the death of its most talented lead actor when Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1995. Later in 1990s, techno music began making significant inroads into American youth culture. Invented in the 1980s as â€Å"house music† in low-budget studios of Chicago and Detroit, this beatdriven dance music became the lifeblood of dance parties called â€Å"raves† in places like London and the Spanish island of Ibiza. Raves quickly spread throughout continental Europe and beyond. Raves were all-night dancing marathons often set up in warehouses, exotic outdoor locales, and other improvised spaces. Raves attracted young people, mostly teens, who danced for hours at a time, not in pairs, but in free-form groups. The highly rhythmic music and long-winded dancing combined to produce for some fans an ecstatic trance-like state. The music was produced almost entirely by disk jockeys sampling records with tape loops and other electronic tricks. Many sub-genres have since emerged that mix-and-match musical styles from around the world. Part of the scene was a drug called ecst asy, a drug that induces promiscuous affection, sensory overload, and euphoria. And, to keep the energy flowing all night, the dancers demanded energizing drinks. In particular, an enterprising Austrian company marketed Red Bull, a drink that was once an Asian hangover cure, as a rave stimulant. Either straight or mixed with vodka, Red Bull became the rave drink of  choice. Raves diffused rather late to the United States, but proved to be most popular in the major metropolitan areas. 5 502-040 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Sports. The so-called â€Å"alternative sports† took off in the early 1990s. Teen enthusiasts transformed casual hobby activities—mountain biking, skateboarding, paragliding, BMX biking, and in-line skating—into highly technical, creative, and often dangerous sports. Snowboarding became an overnight hit with teens. Bungee jumping was a fad that disappeared quickly. As these sports became increasingly risky and creative, they began to attract spectators. So-called extreme sports— skiing down extremely steep terrain or jumping off tall buildings with a parachute—were covered by ESPN. ESPN also aggressively promoted circuits and tournaments to professionalize these new sports, which culminated in the Extreme Games in 1994, a non-traditional Olympics of sorts. Mountain Dew was one of the founding lead sponsors of the Extreme Games, which later became the X Games. Later, NBC followed with the Gravity Games, and MTV also began to cover these sports. Grung e music, more aggressive styles of rap, and various hybrids were prominent aural expressions of these sports. GenX Ethos. During the 1990s, teens and young adults evinced a growing cynicism toward the dominant work-oriented values of the previous generation and toward corporations more generally. They found that working hard to get ahead in terms of salary and occupational prestige was harder to swallow in an era of corporate reengineering. Their cynicism also extended to corporations themselves and their marketing efforts. As this cohort became increasingly knowledgeable about how marketing worked and increasingly jaded about why brands were popular, they were not interested in listening to â€Å"sales messages† that tried to persuade them into believing a particular brand of soft drink or beer was cool. Instead, these youth adopted a campy  interest in non-trendy products, television programs, and music of previous eras. As these odd new tastes became commercialized in programming like Nickelodeon cable channel’s â€Å"Nick at Nite† series—which featured less- than-notable programming from the 1950s-1970s– â€Å"retro† was born. The Do the Dew Campaign In 1992, senior management at PepsiCo sensed an opportunity to increase business on Diet Mountain Dew. Diet Mountain Dew’s distribution was limited mostly to the rural regions where the brand was strongest, even though regular Dew was now a national brand. Diet Mountain Dew performed very well on product tests versus other diet drinks in the category because the heavy citrus flavor did a better job of masking the undesirable taste of the artificial sweetener. So PepsiCo allocated money for incremental advertising to support an effort to expand Diet Mountain Dew distribution. Bill Bruce, then a junior copywriter working on several brands, was assigned to the project. The strategy statements that guided the initial creative idea and subsequent spots in the campaign are reported in Exhibit 3. Bruce came up with the â€Å"Do Diet Dew† tag line (which soon evolved into â€Å"Do the Dew† to support the entire brand) and several new ideas to embellish what BBDO had begu n with the Get Vertical campaign. The first breakthrough ad of the new campaign, Done That, features a hair-raising shot of a guy jumping off the edge of a cliff to take a free-fall toward the narrow canyon’s river bottom, set to throbbing grunge music. This was the first ad to feature the â€Å"Dew Dudes†Ã¢â‚¬â€four young guys who are witnessing the daredevil stunts presented in the ad and commenting on them. Done That became a huge hit, capturing the country’s imagination. The ad was widely parodied and the phrase â€Å"been there, done that† entered the vernacular. For 1994 and 1995, BBDO produced three carbon-copy â€Å"pool-outs†1 of Done That. By 1995, after two years of these ads, consumer interest in the creative was 1 The noun pool-out is derived from a verb that is particular to the advertising business– â€Å"to pool out.† The idea is to develop a pool of ads that are all closely related derivations from the same creative idea. Some advertisers feel that pools deliver a 6 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative 502-040 fading fast. According to Jeff Mordos, if the creative hadn’t moved to another idea that year, consumer’s flagging interest and the potential of a revolt by PepsiCo bottlers likely would have forced PepsiCo to develop an entirely new campaign. For 1995, three of four spots produced relied upon different creative ideas. One of these spots, Mel Torme, became the second hit of the campaign. The spot was a parody featuring the aging Vegas lounge singer Mel Torme, tuxedo-clad atop a Vegas hotel crooning â€Å"I Get a Kick out of You,† with lyrics altered to incorporate Mountain Dew references. He impresses the Dew Dudes with a base jump of his own. Similar ads followed. In 007, a teenage James Bond engages in a frenetic pursuit scene with typical Bond stunts, accompanied by the familiar Bond theme music. The Dew Dudes are not impressed until Bond comes upon a Mountain Dew vending machine. In Training, brash tennis star Andre Agassi performs extreme stunts as training exercises, and then plays an extreme game of tennis with the Dew Dudes as his coaches. In 1997, BBDO came up with two breakthrough spots. The director of Nirvana’s classic music video â€Å"Smells Like Teen Spirit† was hired to direct Thank Heaven, which mimics a music video. The spot stars the lead singer of an alternative rock band called Ruby. She sings a punked-up version of the classic song â€Å"Thank Heaven for Little Girls,† in which the grunge style suggests the â€Å"little girls† of old have been replaced by the feminine brand of aggressiveness presented in the ad. Jackie Chan deploys the Hong Kong movie star’s patented martial arts with humorous stunts into the campaign’s  jaded, â€Å"seen it already† motif. The ad begins in the midst of what seems like a classic chase scene from a Chan film with lots of harrowing action. When Chan faces down his enemy, the Dew Dudes magically appear as Confucian wisemen who assist Chan with cans of Mountain Dew. Other ads produced were significantly less effective. Scream , a high-speed amalgam of extreme sports shots that are organized to answer the lead-in question—â€Å"What is a Mountain Dew?†Ã¢â‚¬â€did not fare well. And Michael Johnson, a spot developed to broaden Dew’s appeal in the African-American community, did not meet the company’s expectations. By 1998, PepsiCo managers worried that the advertising was becoming too predictable. In particular, they were concerned that the use of alternative sports was becoming less impactful due to oversaturation. Many other brands, including companies like Bagel Bites, AT&T, Gillette Extreme Deodorant, and Slim Jims beef jerky snacks, were now major sponsors of alternative sports. To keep the campaign fresh, they needed to find alternative ways to express Mountain Dew’s distinctive features. Parking Attendant, produced in 1999, was a solid effort at advancing toward an alternative expression. The spot features a parking attendant who takes liberties when parking a BMW handed off by a stuffy businessman. The kid drives as if in a police chase, flying from one building to another, accompanied by a frenetic surf instrumental that had been featured in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction a few years prior. Mountain Dew Market Research Mountain Dew’s distinctive demographic profile reflected the brand’s historic popularity in the NASCAR belt (see the Brand Development Index Map in Exhibit 4 and lifestyle analysis in Exhibit 5a). And Mountain Dew had much lower penetration of the total population than its major competitors. But its consumers were the most loyal in the category. Mountain Dew had the highest â€Å"gatekeeping† rating of all CSDs—it was the drink that mothers tried the hardest to keep out of the  more consistent campaign while others feel that the ads become too formulaic when they are so similar. Regardless, there is a great temptation when an ad breaks through and becomes a hit to develop pool-outs to extend the popularity. 7 502-040 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative stomachs of their children. Periodically, the PepsiCo research department fielded a major study to assess the â€Å"health† of the brand, and to direct any fine-tuning. A 1997 â€Å"brand fitness† study profiled the status of the Dew brand versus its major competitors (Exhibits 6a-d). PepsiCo monitored both the effectiveness of individual ads, as well as the cumulative impact of advertising on the overall health of the Mountain Dew brand. The contribution made by a single ad toward building brand equity was notoriously challenging to measure. Both quantitative and qualitative research provided data from which managers make useful inferences. But Pepsi managers had yet to find a research method that was accurate enough to rely upon to provide definitive judgments on ad effectiveness. PepsiCo routinely gathered a wide variety of data that hinted at an ad’s impact. In addition to formal research, managers monitored â€Å"talk value† or â€Å"buzz†Ã¢â‚¬â€the extent to which the ad has been picked up by the mass media. In particular, The Tonight Show and David Letterman were useful barometers. Feedback from the Mountain Dew website, unofficial websites, and the brand’s 800 number were important gauges as well. In addition, PepsiCo carefully monitored how the salesforce and bottlers responded to the ads, since they were getting direct feedback from their customers. PepsiCo managers used all these data as filters. But, ultimately, the evaluation of advertising rested on managerial judgement. Based on their past experience with the brand and with advertising across many brands, managers made a reasoned evaluation. However, PepsiCo managers did rely on market research to assess the cumulative impact of advertising on the brand. Because many other factors—especially pricing and retail display activity—had an immediate short-term impact on sales, it was often difficult to draw causal relationships between advertising and sales. But advertising campaigns do  directly impact how the brand is perceived. And these perceptions, in turn, drive sales. So PepsiCo had assembled a set of what they termed key performance indicators (KPIs), intermediate measures that were directly impacted by advertising and that had been proven to significantly impact sales. Managers tracked KPIs, also referred to as brand health measures, both for teens and for 20-39 year olds. But managers were particularly concerned with brand health amongst teens because at this age soft drink consumers often moved from experimenting with a variety of drinks to becoming loyal lifetime drinkers of a single soda. The latest study, conducted in the spring of 1999, reported Mountain Dew’s teen KPIs. Dew improved 6 points on â€Å"Dew Tastes Better† (to 48% versus a year ago). Unaided brand awareness had dropped 5 points (to 39%). â€Å"For someone like me† had increased 5 points (to 53%). And â€Å"Dew Drinkers are Cool† increased 5 points (to 64%). 2000 Planning In 1999, Mountain Dew became the third largest carbonated soft drink at retail, overtaking Diet Coke. However, part of this success in gaining share had to do with the sustained weakness of Pepsi and Coke. In 1999, the problems that the colas were facing seemed to be spreading to Mountain Dew, Sprite, and Dr. Pepper. All of the leading CSDs began to show real weakness as alternative non-carbonated drinks began to attract a great deal of trial, especially amongst teens. While Mountain Dew sales began to lag, all of the â€Å"brand health† indicators remained strong. And the advertising continued to significantly outperform competition. In planning for 2000, Moffitt and his senior management were particularly concerned with two dilemmas: –  How to keep the â€Å"Do the Dew† campaign working hard to build the brand given that extreme sports were becoming overexposed –  How to respond to the growing threat of non-CSDs, especially Gatorade and the new highlycaffeinated and sugary energy drinks like Red Bull Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative 502-040 A detailed strategy statement was developed by Moffitt’s team at Pepsi-Cola North America, in conjunction with the account team at BBDO New York led by Cathy Israelevitz. This strategy was boiled down to a single sentence to focus the development of new creative: Symbolize that drinking Mountain Dew is an exhilarating experience. This document was used to brief Bruce and his creative team (Exhibit 7). Exhibit 7 Mountain Dew FY 2000 Brand Communications Strategy Objective: Expand appeal of Mountain Dew to new users while reinforcing it among current users Positioning: To 18 year old males, who embrace excitement, adventure and fun, Mountain Dew is the great tasting carbonated soft drink that exhilarates like no other because it is energizing, thirstquenching, and has a one-of-a-kind citrus flavor. Communication Strategy: Symbolize that drinking Mountain Dew is an exhilarating experience. Target: Male Teens—18 year-old epicenter –  Ensure appeal amongst 20-39 year olds (current users) –  Drive universal appeal (white, African-American, Hispanic, and other ethnic) Product Benefits Energizing Emotional Benefits Exhilaration Personality Irreverent Quenching Excitement Daring Great Taste Fun Source: PepsiCo Super Bowl In addition to these strategic issues, Moffitt had to consider carefully where these ads would be broadcast. Mountain Dew’s national media plan focused on a younger audience. Typical buys would include MTV, The Simpsons, and ESPN during alternative sports broadcasts. However, with its long run of sales increases in the 1990s, Mountain Dew was becoming less of a niche brand. Partly in recognition of this expanding customer base and partly to celebrate within the company Dew’s arrival as the third most popular CSD, top management decided to feature Mountain Dew rather than Pepsi during the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl had for decades been a hugely influential event for advertisers. The game drew the biggest audience of the year and the ads received an amazing amount of attention. In recent years, the frenzy around the advertising had grown disproportionately to the game itself. The media paid almost as much attention to the ads shown as to the teams and players. The networks interviewed the advertisers and the stars of the ads, and even replayed the ads on their programs. So a Super Bowl ad now had a huge ripple effect in free public relations. In addition, the Super Bowl was an extremely important contest for advertisers and especially for ad agencies. To â€Å"win† the 9 502-040 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Super Bowl (to be voted the top ad in the USA Today Ad Meter poll reported in the newspaper the following day) was a prestigious honor within the industry. Finally, Super Bowl ads provided a powerful sales tool to motivate retailers and distributors. PepsiCo and other grocery products advertisers used their annual Super Bowl advertising to sell in retail displays. Super Bowl advertising, as a result, had become a distinctive genre within advertising. The demographically diverse audience demanded advertising with hooks that were easily understood. Insider humor did not work. While MTV ads could talk in a colloquial language to teens, Super Bowl ads could not afford this luxury. Second, the heated competition to win the affection of the audience had led to â€Å"big† productions that would stand out against an ever-more impressive set of competitors. The New Creative Bruce and Cassar had just finished presenting ten new ad concepts for PepsiCo to evaluate. For each concept, PepsiCo managers were given a â€Å"storyboard†Ã¢â‚¬â€a script and a set of rough pencil sketches that depicted the most important scenes. Bruce and Cassar talked through each storyboard to help the client imagine how the ad would look if it were produced. The storyboard served as the skeletal outline of the ad. The creatives put flesh on these bones by describing in detail the characters, the action, how the scene is depicted, and the music. Of the ten new concepts, Moffitt and his senior managers hoped to select three ads to produce. The two best ads would run on the  Super Bowl and then all three ads would be broadcast throughout 2000. It was already October, so there was barely enough time to produce the ads presented to get them on the Super Bowl. Asking Bruce to try again was not an option. The ten initial concepts were quickly whittled down to five finalists. 1) Labor of Love. A humorous spot about the birth of a Dew drinker. The doctor in the delivery room calls out â€Å"code green† and retreats to catch with a baseball mitt the baby as it shoots out of its mother like a cannon. 2) Cheetah. One of the Dew Dudes chases down a cheetah on a mountain bike. The cheetah, running on the African plain, has stolen his Dew and he wants it back. He tackles the cat, pulls the can out of the cat’s stomach, but finds that it’s empty and full of holes. 3) Dew or Die. The Dew Dudes are called in to foil the plot of an evil villain who is threatening to blow up the planet. Performing daredevil maneuvers down a mountain, they get sidetracked in a ski lodge with some girls, but accidentally save the world anyway, powered by a spilt can of Dew. 4) Mock Opera. A parody of the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody sung by the Dew Dudes who mock the cover of the original Queen album. The ad portrays the story of the altered lyrics: alternative sports action in which the athletes just miss cans of Dew as they shoot by. 5) Showstopper. A take-off on an extravagantly choreographed production number that mimics a Buzby Berkeley musical/dance film from the 1930s. The dancers are silver-clad BMX riders and skateboarders who perform for the Dew Dudes posing as directors. PepsiCo viewed the evaluation of new creative as the most challenging aspect of brand management. Unlike decisions on new product ideas, consumer promotions, or product improvements, there was no market research or marketplace data to guide the decision. Junior managers typically did not sit in the agency presentations as they were not yet seasoned enough to judge creative work. PepsiCo believed that managers first had to gain knowledge of how advertising 10 Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative 502-040 worked to build brands through years of seasoning and tutorials on several of the company’s brands. So Scott Moffitt was the most junior person in the room. The skills and judgment that he demonstrated would be key to moving up the ladder at PepsiCo. Bill Bruce finished presenting his last storyboard and scanned the room to lock eyes with the PepsiCo executives who would be deciding the fate of his ideas. Scott Moffitt didn’t return the gaze. Instead he looked anxiously at his superiors, knowing that the spotlight would next focus on him. This was his chance to prove himself not only to PepsiCo senior management, but also to BBDO. BBDO’s senior managers had become influential advisors, whom PepsiCo’s top marketing executives routinely relied upon to help guide branding decisions. With six years of experience under his belt, this was Moffitt’s chance to earn their respect as a contributing member to these critical discussions. Moffitt was eager to make a strong impression with nuanced and well-reasoned evaluations. Following long-standing protocol in packaged goods companies, the junior manager at the table gets the first crack at evaluating the creative. Moffitt cleared his throat, complimented Bruce on the high quality of the new work he had presented, and began his evaluation. 11 502-040 Exhibit 1 -12- CSD Sales/Share (Million Cases/Percent Market) 1990 Coke Pepsi Diet Coke Diet Pepsi Sprite Dr. Pepper Mountain Dew 7-UP Surge Mello Yello 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 (Est.) Sales Share 1,565.5 20.1 1,370.0 17.6 726.9 9.3 490.0 6.3 295.0 3.8 364.8 4.7 300.0 3.9 Sales Share 1,597.9 20.1 1,338.0 16.9 741.2 9.3 500.0 6.3 313.1 3.9 385.3 4.9 327.5 4.1 Sales Share 1,613.9 20.1 1,327.3 16.5 732.6 9.1 509.5 6.4 328.1 4.1 414.0 5.2 351.1 4.4 Sales Share 1,680.4 20.2 1,305.9 15.7 740.6 8.9 491.5 5.9 357.6 4.3 445.6 5.4 387.6 4.7 Sales Share 1,776.7 20.4 1,310.0 15.0 767.6 8.8 511.2 5.9 396.3 4.5 485.1 5.6 455.0 5.2 Sales Share 1,868.6 20.8 1,344.3 15.0 793.0 8.8 521.4 5.8 460.3 5.1 515.0 5.7 509.6 5.7 Sales Share 1,929.2 20.8 1,384.6 14.9 811.4 8.7 541.5 5.8 529.8 5.7 536.8 5.8 535.6 5.8 Sales Share 1,978.2 20.6 1,391.5 14.5 819.0 8.5 523.5 5.5 598.0 6.2 566.8 5.9 605.2 6.3 Sales Share 2,037.5 20.6 1,399.8 14.2 851.8 8.6 529.7 5.4 651.8 6.6 599.4 6.1 665.1 6.7 Sales Share 2,018.0 20.3 1,371.8 13.8 843.0 8.5 503.0 5.1 671.5 6.8 630.0 6.3 705.0 7.1 211.5 2.7 207.7 42.9 2.6 211.3 49.5 2.6 209.9 59.5 2.5 64.0 221.5 2.5 64.6 219.9 2.5 61.6 217.7 2.3 59.0 216.7 69.0 46.6 2.3 210.9 51.8 42.4 2.1 204.9 26.7 41.6 2.1 Source: Maxwell Report Exhibit 2 Advertising Spending: Television Media Major CSDs ($MM) Coke Pepsi Mountain Dew Sprite Dr. Pepper 7-Up Surge 1990 $157.4 $129.8 $ 12.9 1991 $139.9 $141.3 $ 20.0 1992 $168.1 $137.8 $ 25.9 1993 $131.1 $144.0 $ 29.1 1994 $161.5 $120.6 $ 30.3 1995 $124.7 $133.1 $ 38.3 1996 $199.8 $ 98.1 $ 40.4 1997 $156.8 $133.1 $ 43.1 1998 $140.4 $140.5 $ 50.3 1999 $167.7 $165.9 $ 45.0 2000 (Est.) $208.3 $159.6 $ 55.9 $ 32.0 $ 32.2 $ 38.8 $ 0.0 $ 36.1 $ 49.3 $ 37.4 $ 0.0 $ 27.5 $ 50.1 $ 23.7 $ 0.0 $ 26.9 $ 52.8 $ 29.4 $ 0.0 $ 36.0 $ 61.5 $ 27.3 $ 0.0 $ 54.6 $ 65.4 $ 23.2 $ 0.0 $ 57.9 $ 67.9 $ 33.1 $ 0.0 $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ 69.9 $102.4 $ 38.7 $ 19.6 $ 87.7 $106.8 $ 45.1 $ 0.2 Source: Competitive Media Reports 60.6 81.0 38.7 15.5 56.2 86.8 27.0 21.0 502-040 Exhibit 3 Mountain Dew Brand Communications Strategies (1993-1999) Objective 1993-94 1995 -13- Increase awareness and trial of Mountain Dew Distinguish Mt. Dew within the competitive environment through contemporary communication of the trademark’s distinct, historical positioning Strategy Target You can have the most thrilling, exciting, daring experience but it will never compete with the experience of a Mt. Dew Male teens/young adults You can have the most thrilling, exciting, daring experience but it will never compete with the experience of a Mt. Dew Bull’s eye: 18 yr. old leading edge male Executional Direction -Distinct campaign with Dew equity consistency -Leverage â€Å"full tilt taste† and â€Å"rush† as point of difference Broad: 12-29 year olds -Shift to a unified trademark focus modeled after â€Å"Do Diet Dew† -Explore outdoor settings -Predominant male, mid-20’s casting -Preserve balance between â€Å"outlandish† and â€Å"realistic† actions/sports 1996 1997 Optimize Dew’s positioning equity among the target in a highly relevant and contemporary manner (You can have the most thrilling, exciting, daring experience but†¦) there’s nothing more intense than slamming a Mt. Dew Bull’s eye: 18 yr. old leading edge male Optimize Dew’s positioning equity among the target in a highly relevant and contemporary manner (You can have the most thrilling, exciting, daring experience but†¦) there’s nothing more intense than slamming a Mt. Dew Bull’s eye: 18 yr. old leading edge male Associate Mt. Dew with thrilling and exhilarating adventures in a light-hearted manner Bull’s eye: 18 yr. old leading edge male -Strengthen brand perceptions among AA Broad: 12-29 year olds Broad: 12-29 year olds -Bring â€Å"Do the Dew† trademark campaign to the next level -Continue â€Å"Do the Dew† trademark campaign and encompass the Mt. Dew experience -Encourage product trial where familiarity is low 1998 Build badge value and authentic, true Icon status for Mt. Dew in the world of youth-targeted consumer goods Broad: 12-29 male/female -Evolve the â€Å"Do the Dew† campaign against core target with fresh and relevant copy -Develop ethnically-targeted â€Å"crossappeal† spot -Enhance product perception 1999 Optimize relevance of Dew’s positioning among the target Associate Mt. Dew with the exhilarating intensity of life’s most exciting, fun adventures Male Teens (16 yr. old epicenter) Develop pool of â€Å"Do the Dew† executions -Invite teen girls while continuing as male CSD -Explore other metaphors beyond alternative sports to express â€Å"exhilarating intensity† -Maintain cross-over appeal among 2039 year olds -One execution should have AA/urban relevance -Communicate quenching -Inclusion of water-greenery elements not mandatory Source: PepsiCo 502-040 Exhibit 4 Mountain Dew Brand Development Index Map Source: BBDO New York -14- 502-040 Exhibit 5a Spectra Lifestyle Analysis MOUNTAIN DEW CONSUMPTION INDEX LIFESTAGE SPECTRA LIFESTYLE 18-34 W/Kids 18-34 W/O Kids 35-54 W/Kids 35-54 W/O Kids 55-64 65+ Total Lifestyle Upscale Suburbs 82 77 101 56 45 13 64 Traditional Families 118 121 160 79 42 35 96 Mid Upscale Suburbs 101 111 108 71 64 18 66 Metro Elite 139 85 141 47 47 21 72 Working Class Towns 237 139 242 121 67 42 139 Rural Towns & Farms 225 153 212 141 91 39 140 Mid Urban Melting Pot 148 104 97 52 49 31 74 Downscale Rural 309 142 291 127 87 43 158 Downscale Urban 99 98 107 73 55 32 76 Total Lifestage 171 112 165 83 61 31 100 Source: AC Nielsen Product Library 11/97 to 11/99 -15- 502-040 Exhibit 5b Mountain Dew: Selecting New Creative Lifestyle Glossary Lifestyle Glossary Upscale Suburbs â€Å"The American Dream†, a nice house in a nice suburban neighborhood. College-educated executives and professionals who index high on travel, eating out, playing golf, going to health clubs, buying imported cars, watching/reading business and news. Low African-American and Hispanic. High income. Traditional Families Like Upscale Suburbs, but lower socio-economic level. Mix of lower level administrators and professionals with well-paid blue-collar. Index high on: gardening, DIY home improvement, driving SUVs, camping, classic rock, sports radio. Low African-American and Hispanic. Mid-high income. Mid/Upscale Suburbs Live in first-generation suburbs that are now part of the urban fringe. Lower income than Traditional Families, but more college-educated and white collar. Index high on: baseball fans, casino gambling, using internet, attending live theatre, reading science and technology, listening/watching news. Low African-American and Hispanic. Mid-high income. Metro Elite Younger and more urban, college-educated, ethnically diverse. Very attuned to new fashions. Geographically mobile. Index high on: health clubs, bars and night clubs, fashion magazines, VH-1, music, film, computers. Middle income. Working Class Towns Well paid blue collar families living in suburbs of smaller cities. Index high on: auto racing, fishing, hunting, country music, camping, televised sports. Own trucks or minivans. Low African-American and Hispanic. Middle income. Rural Towns & Farms Small towns mostly in the middle of the country, dominated by blue-collar and agricultural work. Index high on: rodeos, fishing, woodworking, chewing tobacco, wrestling, camping, country music, TV movies, USA and TNN channels. Don’t read magazines and newspapers. Low African-American. Lower income. Mid Urban Melting Pot Urban multi-ethnic neighborhoods. Old European ethnic enclaves and new Asian immigrants, mixed with African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. Index high on: menthol cigarettes, dance music, boxing, pro basketball, lottery, Home Shopping Network, heavy TV viewing, urban contemporary radio. Lower income, low college, service industries. Downscale Rural Poor rural areas in Appalachia, throughout the South, and the Plains States. This socially conservative and religious area is sometimes called â€Å"the bible belt:† While indexing high African-American, these are very segregated neighborhoods with little racial mixing. Lowest on education, occupation, income, housing. Index high on: trucks, chewing tobacco, belonging to veteran’s club, target shooting, tractor pulls, country music, fishing and hunting., daytime drama TV programs. Downscale Urban Same socioeconomic profile as Downscale Rural but very different cultural profile, more similar to Mid-Urban Melting Pot. Mostly African-American and Hispanic urban neighborhoods. Source: AC Nielsen Product Library 11/97 to 11/99 16 502-040 Exhibit 6a Brand Imagery – Mountain Dew Product Imagery *Too sweet Most entertaining ads Fun to drink Intense experience Lots of flavor When need energy boost In mood for something different *At a sporting event User Imagery (54%) Psychographic Imagery Adventurous Wild Active Daring *Courageous Exciting Free-spirited Rebellious Spontaneous Athletic Youthful Cool Hip *Out-going (Someone you’d spend time with) Source: BBDO New York -17- 502-040 Exhibit 6b Brand Imagery – Surge Product Imagery *Can’t relate to ads *Low quality product *Not always available Unique Intense experience *Tastes artificial When need energy boost In mood for something different Source: BBDO New York User Imagery (49%) Psychographic Imagery Wild Rebellious Daring Adventurous Active Up-to-date Athletic *Trendy Youthful *Leading-edge Exciting Spontaneous Individualistic *Powerful Hip In style -18- 502-040 Exhibit 6c Brand Imagery – 7 Up Product Imagery *Least fattening Lowest calories Low in sodium *Too little flavor *Not sweet enough *Not filling *Healthy/good for you Most refreshing Source: BBDO New York User Imagery (48%) Psychographic Imagery Sensitive Relaxed Peaceful *Healthy Feminine Kind *Nurturing (Nice) (Loyal) (Cooperative) -19- 502-040 Exhibit 6d Brand Imagery – Sprite Product Imagery Lowest calories Most refreshing *Thirst quenching *Goes down easy Low in sodium In a nice restaurant *After exercise/sports (In the evening) (In the morning) Imagery (56%) Psychographic Imagery Feminine Sensitive Peaceful *Nice Relaxed Free-spirited *Cooperative *Friendly *Happy Kind (Innovative)