Conventions of academic writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Conventions of academic writing - Essay Example Formatting paper in APA style means paying attention to mechanical details such as typeface, line spacing, margins, and page numbers. On the other hand, it has rather been conducive to accomplish my English papers using the MLA style. As an academic writing convention that provides guidelines for writing and documentation of research in the  humanities, especially in  English studies, I acquire a sense of flexibility every time I review and edit my critical writing with MLA format. This style is widely used as well in the study of other  modern languages  and literatures, including  comparative literature,   literary criticism,  media and  cultural studies, and some other related disciplines. Writing a paper on history subject is another area for which I find MLA style useful. This convention had undergone certain changes including the use of italics instead of underlining title and URL listing of online sources is optional. Plagiarism is nowhere far from the crime of inflicting damage or plunder of intellectual property, making it a serious academic offense. If I were a writer whose original quote/line is used or rephrased by someone else, for whatever purpose without due acknowledgment, then that person commits plagiarism against my right to personal property. In this case, I am equivalently deprived of a ‘right to identity’ by way of rational design or one that essentially sets an individual’s uniqueness apart from the rest. To avoid plagiarism, it is always essential to cite references especially the primary ones properly. For instance, whenever one finds it necessary to use more than three words in a row that occurred exactly in the same order in the source material, these words must be put into quotation marks with in-text citation within parentheses having footnote or endnote added to give appropriate credit to the source. Hypothesis is one important research

The strategic options that are appropriate to Apple Coursework

The strategic options that are appropriate to Apple - Coursework Example According to the research findings there are various forces characterising the company’s operations. Though Apple boasted of an increase in the sales of the iPad tablet computer, the situation obtaining in the market has been a cause for concern from 2011 since this was likely to have an effect on the smartphone market. It can be seen that though Apple’s larger percentage of revenue came from other non computer products such as iPod and iPhone, there have been some changes in the Smartphone and Tablet industry given that it has been characterised by stiff competition as going to be explained below. However, Google’s development of the Android operating system resulted in the development of smartphones that matched a lot of iPhone’s best features. Google remained the greatest threat to Apple given that different smartphone makers were developing products similar to iPod and would run on the Android operating system. For instance, Acer entered the market for smartphone with the launch of its liquid line of stylish and high end smartphones which used Google’s Android operating system in 2009 and was later developed through the years until 2012. According to The New York Times, the aspect of competition in the Smartphone and Tablet industry cannot be ignored. For instance, Foxconn technology assembles nearly 40 % of all consumer electronics and counts and counts among its clients which include: Nintendo, Nokia, Samsung, Dell, Hewlett-Packard with its palm, Motorola and Sony. Though China presented a lucrative market for the Smartphones in 2010 to 2011, the main problem encountered was related to the emergence of counterfeit products. However, as noted above, with the market for Smartphones growing rapidly, competition was also becoming apparent particularly Google’s entry into the market with its android operating system. However, RIM grabbed the market share with its Blackberry service in 2011 which was specially designed to meet the needs of the business people

CONTEMPORARY BRAND MANAGEMENT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

CONTEMPORARY BRAND MANAGEMENT - Assignment Example The company’s brand portfolio comprises three major brands including: Adidas, Reebok and TaylorMade. Adidas market area includes sporting goods as well as the equipment industry. The chief segments of this industry include footwear for athletes, sports apparel, and also goods and equipment used for sporting. Other segments include equipment for: hunting, golf tennis, fishing, hiking, baseball, football, rollerblading, biking, snowboarding, surfing, skateboarding, skiing, and hockey, along with play scape and playground equipment. The company’s key competitors include Nike and PUMA. Others are Red tape, New Balance Bata, and Liberty. Athletes together with sports enthusiasts comprise the Adidas customers (Keller 2007, pp. 33). According to Kotler and Dubois (1991, pp. 23) a brand refers to a collection of mental links, held by a given consumer, and which add to the perceived worth of a service/product. These links should be strong, unique, and positive. Alternately, a pr oduct refers to anything which can be presented to a market for acquisition, attention, or consumption and which might fulfil a need or a want. The difference between a brand and a product is such that a brand is acknowledged with intangible values plus imagery, while a product is recognized with characteristics that are visible and very differentiating. Brand architecture strategy refers to the structure employed in organizing a company’s portfolio. It identifies the number and functions of brand names which the company utilises for its product range and also the target markets or target groups. Brand architectures are of various types including: product branding; house of brands; range branding; branded house; source branding; line branding; umbrella branding; endorsed branding and sub-brands. Adidas has adopted the branded house strategy. This is whereby, the brand shifts from being a leading driver to a more dominant one (John & Larry 1997, pp. 48). Brand positioning and its relevance to branding According to Aaker (1992, pp.22), brand positioning involves locating the brand in the intellect or minds of customers in order to exploit the potential profits to the business. Brand positioning is comprised of the following components: Product class or market. This refers to a collection of products/services and brands that are perceived as alternatives to fulfil some precise consumer need. Consumer segmentation. It describes consumer profiles that the brand will serve and what their needs are. Consumer segmentation can be accomplished in terms of geographical/physical location (i.e. region, urban/sub-urban, county size, seasons, climate, etc); demographic factors (i.e. age, education, sex, income, family size, religion, occupation, nationality and race); behavioural factors (i.e. loyalty status, benefits sought, purchase occasion, usage rate, user status, actual purchase and attitude to product) (Aaker 1992, pp.24). Perceptual mapping. This refers to a g raphic approach employed by marketers which tries to visually customer perceptions. It entails methods applied in the analysis and comprehension of how consumers perceive products. It includes the identification of product weaknesses; development and assessment of concepts; consumer perceptions’ tracking; and finally, unearthing group differences (Aaker 1992, pp.26). Brand benefits and attributes. The physical presence of a brand does not guarantee its position in mind of the target consumer. For the product to gain entry into that

Employment Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Employment Law - Essay Example Conformity may demand changing the equipment, circumstances, or workplace, such as hiring a sign language interpreter for deaf and mute workers, balanced with cost, feasibility, and whether modifications can be initiated to eliminate the burden to the disabled employee (Barnes et al. 1998). However, the theoretical outcome of legislation against discrimination is unclear. By providing them supplementary privileges, disabled individuals are more apt to work or provide labour. Yet greater expected expenditures may discourage employers from employing disabled workers (Oliver 1995). Without successful implementation strategies, employers will attempt to evade such additional costs. Such implementation can either be informal, such as ‘name and shame’, or formal, such as through ‘tribunals and courts’ (Massie 1994, 92). The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 created guidelines to deter discrimination against disabled individuals. It characterises a disabled individuals as an individual with mental or physical impairment which has a considerable and permanent damaging impact on his/her capacity to perform normal daily life activities (Great Britain 1995). Part II of the Act which was enforced in 1996 is grounded on the philosophy that disabled individuals should not be discriminated against in the workplace or employment or when looking for employment (Barnes et al. 1998). DDA 1995 stipulates that, as abovementioned, employers may have to undergo practical changes if their employment guidelines or workplaces situate disabled individuals at a considerable disadvantage in relation to physically able individuals (Great Britain 1995). This comprises the provision of supporting services or assistances. Nonetheless, there has been no preventative obligation to instigate these changes under the legislation. DDA 1995 initially enveloped employers with at least 15 workers (Barnes et al. 1998). Since 2004 this immunity has been

What is Art (ar arts) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is Art (ar arts) - Essay Example The paper also discusses intended purposes of these forms of art and the current trend. Literature is termed as an art in that it is a way by which individuals are able to express their ideas and feeling regarding various, there are many forms of written art which include novels, academic book, journals and magazines. These forms of art service various purposes and that they are aimed at informing, persuading and entertaining, for example newspapers and other forms of written art are used to inform the general public, and novels on the other hand are for entertainment purposes. These is another form of art that is used for the purpose of communication, it is also used for entertainment purposes. Today the film and video industry has been commercialized and large firms have invested in this firm of art industry example Hollywood, therefore this form of art provides employment opportunities. Music is also another form of art that involve the presentation of audio form of art, it is one of the oldest form of art which can be traced back to ancient times, the music industry provide employment opportunities and its main purpose is to entertain, persuade and inform individuals in the society, music has been used to express certain feeling and also to persuade. Paintings: Paintings, drawing s and pictures are forms of art that involve the use of signs in communication, this is one of the oldest form of art given that in the past when man lived in caves he painted cave walls. Its original purpose was a form of expression but this has changed with time whereby today art is a form of communication. b. Purpose: The intended purpose of art varies from the original creator of art, some form of art are created in order to entertain, commercial purposes, inform and as a form of expression. The following is a discussion of some of the purposes of art: Commercial: Most forms of art today are created for commercial purposes, this means that there are many individuals in the world today who depend on art as a source of income, for example all literature work is sold in the market at a price, all music, films and videos are sold in the market . Forms of art are also used by production firms to advertise their products, advertisements are accompanied by music and performances which help in the sale of products and this can therefore be termed as another commercial purpose of art, art is therefore an important economic activity in the world today. Entertain: Some forms of art are for entertainment purposes, although they are sold in the market example films and music their main purpose is to entertainment and in order for individuals to be entertained they pay for these forms of art. A good example is music and films whose main purpose is to entertain the audience. Communicate: The above mentioned forms of art are forms of communication, however art only provides a one way communication channel whereby the audience is not in a position to respond to expressions of art. Some of the common forms of art that serve the communication purpose include newspapers and videos and films. Expression: Forms of art are used to express certain feeling, these is most common with paintings and visual form of art, these forms of art can express happiness, violence, loneliness, joy and anger. For example an artist can create a form of art that shows individuals fighting and therefore this

In the name of the father Essay Example for Free

In the name of the father Essay Often a film conveys a message about a character through various film techniques. This is true in the film â€Å"In The Name of the Father†. This story is mainly about a young man who is arrested for a crime he did not commit and how a relationship between father and son deepens throughout the tragedy. The main character, Gerry Conlon, is first portrayed to the viewer as an unruly rebel but is later developed into a more docile and compliant character. The director, Jim Sheridon, uses film techniques such as costume design, dialogue and extended metaphors to convey the development of Gerry as a character. 1st paragraph: -1st time we see gerry, scruffy, uncut -costume design baggy jeans, long hair, dirty appearance -gives idea that gerry doesn’t care about his appearance or what people think of him -as film progresses he sharpens up appearance -combed pulled back hair 2nd: -change also shown through dialogue -lawyer asks him if he is scared of the court: -he replies â€Å"i just don’t want to be humiliated again† -this brief piece of dialogue shows that he has now changed and does care what others think of him -helps viewer understand how desperate an innocent man can be in the fight for justice 3rd: -use of extended metaphor -viewer sees lawyer gareth pierce driving through a long tunnel while listening to gerrys story -this could be viewed as an extended metaphor for the long dark road gerry has gone down while fighting the legal system -as the story draws to a conclusion she reaches the end of the tunnel, or the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ -could refer to the point in the story where gerry and the others are finally set free

Impact of Wall Street Crash on Nazi Support

Impact of Wall Street Crash on Nazi Support How far did the Versailles Treaty and the Wall Street Crash help to bring Hitler to power? The year of 1939 undoubtedly marks the commencement of an era of bloodshed, devastation and the catastrophic war. Central to entire cause of the World War II is understanding the role of Adolf Hitler, and the process in which he obtained plenary powers over Germany. This essay seeks to examine the extent that the Versailles Treaty and Wall Street crash assisted Hitler’s rise to power until 1933, when the Enabling act was passed and Hitler effectively attained the powers to pass laws without the approval of the Reichstag. Despite many setbacks in his ascendency to chancellorship, Adolf Hitler was able to utilise the Nazi propaganda, detestation of the Weimar Government, and deficient psychological state of Germany due to the effects of the Versailles Treaty and Wall Street crash to aid his conquest for power. The essay will also highlight that although it can be argued that the vulnerability and desperation of the German population was susceptible to exploitation, the effective organisation, sheer persistence and impeccable character of Hitler served as the fundamental catalyst in his rise to power. A key aspect of Hitler’s rise to power lies in understanding the implications of the Versailles Treaty. The Versailles Treaty that was enacted after the Great War introduced a wide range of negative repercussions on the German population. The strong bitterness at the harsh conditions imposed by the Treaty left the German population in a vindictive state, and they sought a leader to end the humiliation, regardless even if he was dangerous or aggressive. It is believed that Germany surrendered under the hope and belief that the conditions of treaty would be formed in accordance to President Wilson’s fourteen points, which was rooted in ideas of diplomacy and multilateral cooperation, seeking not to place any blame on any country for the war. However, the treaty that was finally created not only removed Germany from the League of Nations, but in contrast was fundamentally a treaty placing the blame of the war on Germany. The Treaty enforced immense reparations liabilities, diminished Germany’s essential economic trades, seized territories, and imposed demilitarisation clauses. George Clemenceau, the French prime minister, demanded that Germany had to be responsible for the damages caused and repercussions of the war, and claimed the most in reparations. They also demanded for full disarmament of Germany, determined to exact revenge for both the Great War in 1939 and the 1870 Franco-Prussian War by extorting as much as possible in financial reparations, and to render Germany helpless and vulnerable in the future (Smith, 1965)[4 in dakin sloss]. The war guilt clause placed shame onto the Germans by forcing Germany to accept the responsibility for creating the suffering and destruction incurred by the Allied Nations. Furthermore, the exclusion of Germany from the League of Nations resulted in a feeling of seclusion, adding to the idea that Europe was exacting its vengeance on Germany for the war. The financial liability of Germany to the Allied N ations required the dedication of its entire economy to repay the debt, and slumped the nation into a state of massive inflation, widespread poverty and impoverishment. The financial burden placed on Germany was made neither in consideration to the fact that Germany was still recovering from the war, nor whether or not Germany had the ability and capability to compensate (Keynes, 1922)[15 in dakin sloss]. Degradation from a militaristic Prussian state to an army closer to the size of a police force increased German sentiments of hatred and anger for the Allied Nations. Extensive control of German territories were seized, including the Rhineland, the Polish Corridor, Alsace-Lorraine, and the Saar Valley. The German economy depended heavily on the iron and coal ore-fields in Alsace-Lorraine and this was seen as a confiscation of limited economic and human resources. However, it has been argued that there has been no strong evidence to prove that the Versailles Treaty was indeed the ca use of the poor economic and social state of Germany. A.J.Nicholls provides evidence to state that the German industry, was recovering its productive capacity despite the costs incurred from the treaty (Nicholls, 2000). Hitler capitalized on the situation, playing to popular sentiments to garner support for the Nazi party. His political agenda as written in the Nazi Party Program stated one of the aims as the abrogation of the Versailles Treaty (Shirer, 1990). The humiliation from the Versailles Treaty affected a huge majority of Germans, and the sentiments of oppression and the need for liberation from the treaty was successfully manipulated by Adolf Hitler in his rise to power. The Wall Street played a fundamental role in assisting Germany in its economic difficulty as a cause of the Versailles Treaty, and therefore, it is difficult to ignore the serious repercussions that Germany suffered as a result of the 1929 Wall Street Crash. Similarly, Hitler exploited the vulnerable state of Germany during the Great Depression, which was caused by the Wall Street Crash, just as he did with the Versailles Treaty. Germany was in a dire economic state after the massive financial output from Great War and perhaps due to the harsh conditions imposed by the Versailles Treaty. International Bankers, primarily from the capitalist United States, provided huge amounts of profitable loans for German industries and cartels, such as I.G. Farben and Vereinigte Stahlwerke. This provided a source of relief for Germany, and to a certain extent some stability and a vast improvement in its economic welfare. In 1924 and 1928, the Dawes Plan and the Young Plan were implemented, which co uld be argued as a means for the Wall Street investors to influence Germany with American Capitalism (Sutton, 1976). In essence, the burden of German reparations to the Allied Nations was remunerated mainly by global subscribers of German bonds issued by the Wall Street stockbrokers (Sutton, 1976). In 1929 the Wall Street crashed, and the significant influence that the American economy had on Germany caused immediate and devastating consequences. As a result, there was a steep increase in unemployment, destitution amongst the working class became widespread, and many industries were forced to declare bankrupt. The Wall Street crash eventually led to the Great Depression. The crucial point to note was that the psychological effects of the Wall Street crash was the main factor which Hitler abused to obtain support for his political agenda. The severe and dire situation that the German population was suffering from caused a psychological faà §ade that allowed the Nazi Party to prosper and succeed. ‘As Germany plunged deeper into the Depression, growing numbers of middle class citizens began to see in the youthful dynamism of the Nazi Party a possible way out of the situation’ (Evans, 2003). Hitler was adept and seized the opportunity to gather the support of the unemployed masses of working and middle class citizens, once again using popular sentiments to his advantage, and this largely accounted for the stark increase in Nazi support in the 1930 elections. ‘Like most great revolutionaries he could thrive only in evil times†¦ when the masses were unemployed, hungry and desperate†¦ (The people’s suffering he would) transform cold-bloodedly and immediately, into political support for his own ambitions (Shirer, 2009). Friedrich Meinecke, the eminent German historian, once referred to Hitler as one of the greatest examples of a singular and incalculable power of personality in historical life. It can arguably be stated that Hitler was the key cause of the rise of Nazism within Germany, and without his dictatorial rule, resilient persistence, and shrewd political ability, there would not have been a Nazi Germany. His ideals of an Aryan Germany ruled by the Fuehrer-prinzip (Leadership Principle) was essentially a dictatorship adopting the authoritarianism of the Prussian army. A political campaign that was presumed by many as a lunacy and impossible to succeed eventually thrived under the dire circumstances that Germany was in. An extremely eloquent speaker, Adolf Hitler had an aptitude in capturing the minds of the masses with his speeches. Shirer asserts that after the failure of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, Hitler or the Nazis were hardly heard of and was ‘the butt of jokes’. However, h e also adds that this was a significant event that contributed to the Nazi propaganda. Hitler used the publicity of the trial as a platform to announce the Nazi ideals on a nationwide scale. By the end of the trial, Hitler had transformed his defeat into a victory, and managed to impress the masses of the German population with his eloquence and strong desire for nationalism, and made himself well known around the entire nation. (Shirer, 1990) It is difficult to distinguish whether it was his oratory proficiency or his crafty leadership that contributed to a greater extent to the success of the Nazi party. Although he was incarcerated and barred from speaking in public by the Bavarian Government, Hitler continued to consolidate and influence the masses in the determined pursuit to rebuild the National Socialist German Workers’ Party. Whilst the Nazi party was an organisation comprising of murderers, alcoholics, homosexuals and pimps, Hitler was indifferent to this and solely used them to his benefit. Similarly, in the unstable period of 1930 to 1933, due to the death of Gustav Stresemann and the Wall Street crash, Hitler capitalized on the susceptibility of the masses to achieve political power. Hitler envisaged the catastrophe, and premeditated to use it to his advantage (Shirer, 1990). He appealed to a wide range of audiences, with rational anti-communist beliefs for the upper and middle classes, nationalistic attitudes for the working classes, to radical anti-Semitism opinions for the extremist. Hitler once told more than a million cheering Berliners in 1937, â€Å"I did not issue from some palace, I came from the worksite. Neither was I a general; I was a soldier like millions of others. It is a miraculous thing that an unknown man was able to step forth from the army of millions of German people, German workers and soldiers to stand at the fore of the Reich and the nation.† (Evans, 2005) Historians have long attested to Hitler’s rheto rical excellence. Klaus Fisher asserts, â€Å"Without his remarkable gift of persuasion Hitler would never have reached such heights of power.† It was added by historian Frederic Spotts that Hitler’s eloquence was his key to attaining political power. Hitler was able to communicate in a sympathetic way many of the uncertainties and prejudices already felt by the masses, and this was a key aspect that contributed to his success. The origins of Nazi propaganda can be traced to the Nazi Party’s 25 point program and Adolf Hitler’s autobiography titled Mein Kampf, in which he emphasises on the importance of propaganda and indoctrination of the German population. This was carried out through many avenues such as public marches, speeches, newspapers (Voelkischer Beobachter) and repression of all those who opposed. The common goal was to portray Hitler as the answer to Germany’s deplorable situation. Anti-Communist ideologies were promoted to gain support and funds from the middle and upper class voters, whereas the promotion of socialism was used to garner the votes of the working class. Hitler managed to arouse German sentiments of patriotism and nationalism, and promised to lead Germany away from communism, socialism, trade unionism and the futilities of democracy (Shirer, 1990). It must be noted that in order to appeal to all the social classes in Germany, Hitler kept his promises during hi s mass speeches vague, which was unsurprising as many were often contradictory. Events such as the Putsch in 1923 were used to make Hitler a national figure, a patriot and a hero. As one of Adolf Hitler’s closest associate, Paul Joseph Goebbels had a substantial influence on Nazi propaganda even before he was appointed as propaganda minister for the Nazi Party in 1933. He successfully promulgated Hitler’s image as a fanatical nationalist who promised to restore the German Army’s former glory. The Nazi propaganda created the cult of personality around Hitler, leading them to believe that he could re-establish the glory of Germany by uniting the social classes, restoring militarism, and to absolve the nation from the misery of the Versailles treaty. Therefore, although the Nazi propaganda sought to fulfil various goals such as the humiliation of Germany by the Treaty of Versailles, the weakness of the Weimar Republic and Anti-Semitism ideologies, the most dominant aspect was the deification of Adolf Hitler, as the Fuhrer of the Nazi Party. After the adjudication of Kaiser Wilhelm II, a new democratic republic was formed that lasted from 1919 to 1933. Many historians have argued that the Weimar republic was condemned to its defeat ever since the beginning due to the political, social and economic instability of Germany, which it assumed governance over. The Social Democratic Party, faced a number of objective obstacles in their term of parliamentary control. The odium for defeat of the Great War, the implications of the Versailles Treaty, the constant blame of the diktat and labelling of its leaders as ‘November Criminals, and the poor policies that caused an economic crisis due to the Wall Street crash’ (Hamburger and Pulzer, 1985). The defeat in Great War and the signing of the armistice came as a particular disbelief to most of the German population who were under the impression that Germany was close to achieving victory in 1918. Consequently, many of them turned to popular sentiments that the war was l ost from within, blaming treachery and the democratic government for the failure. Furthermore, the responsibility of the acceptance of the Versailles treaty was imposed wholly on the Weimar Government, causing further political demoralisation within the Parliament. During the period of the Great Depression, the German Chancellor, Heinrich Bruning, pursued an ineffective policy of rigid deflation, which increased unemployment and ultimately contributed to the loss of support for the Weimar Government. The acute economic issues that arose hastened the dissolution of traditional form of governance (Rosenhaft, 1983). A.J.Nicholls mentions that ‘perhaps the most consistent opponent of the Republic was Adolf Hitler. He argued that Germany could never be strong while the Weimar system was allowed to continue’ (Nicholls, 2000). In an unstable period plagued with revolutions, uncertainty and frustration, it was suitable conditions for radical left and right wing political partie s to thrive. The Weimar Republic was ruling at an inopportune time, and Adolf Hitler merely capitalised on these factors in the benefit for his conquest of power. The real damage the treaty did to Germany was to disillusion more moderate men who might otherwise have supported their new Republic. Hitler had the patience to wait and the shrewdness to realise that the climate of material prosperity and of a feeling of relaxation which settled over Germany in those years was not propitious for his purposes (Shirer, 1990) References Richard Evans, The Third Reich in Power (New York: The Penguin Press, 2005), 498.