Comparison of strategy of Nike and Adidas Essay Example for Free

Comparison of strategy of Nike and Adidas Essay 1.0 Introduction: Johnson, Scholes and Whittington (2005, p.9) defines strategy as the way in which an organisation plans to use its resources effectively in order to gain a competitive advantage over the long term. In other words the carefully planned guidelines that organisation’s follow, which differentiates them from other organisations. Mirow (2005,p.10) suggests that strategy of Amazon.com,Inc., a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, focused on providing customers with low price, convenience and a wide selection of merchandise. They focused on this strategy and started their website in 1995 as an online book retailer. They slowly expanded their products and are currently an online shopping website with the largest product supplies online earning revenues in billions. Hence we can see how important strategy is for the success of an organisation. There are three levels of strategy, which are corporate level, business  level and functional level strategy. Strickland and Thompson (2003, pp.50, 55 and 56) suggests that the corporate level strategy is the strategy which is determines the overall purpose and prospect of an organisation and reflects on how to add value to different parts of the organisation. The business level strategy provides guidelines on how to excel competitors or survive in a particular market and the functional strategy is the contribution made by the resources, people and processes to the business and corporate level strategies. Companies strive with their strategies in order to become the leader in their specific industry or market. Nike and Adidas are the top two competitors in the footwear, apparel and accessories segment of the textile industry. The focus of the latter part of this report is on how these competitors compete with each other using their strategies. 2.0 Literature review: In order to fully understand about strategy, it is mandatory to know about the five generic competitive strategies. The five generic strategies according to Strickland and Thompson (2003, p.150) are low-cost provider strategy, in which the organisation provides goods or service at a low cost, broad differentiation strategy, in which the organisation differentiates its products or services making it appeal to a vast range of customers, best-cost provider strategy, in which the organisation provides goods or services of high quality making it worth the amount they are charging which is lower than their competitors, a focused strategy based on lower cost, in which the organisations focus on a narrower buyer segment and provides them their goods or services at a lower cost than its competitors and focused strategy based on differentiation, in which the organisation focuses on a narrower buyer segment and produces product customized according to their needs. 3.0 Backgrounds of Nike and Adidas: [IMAGE URL: http://digestingdesign.wordpress.com/tag/nike/] 3.1 Company overview of Nike According to (www.nikebiz.com) NIKE,Inc. was founded in 1972 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. It designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear,  apparel, equipment and accessories for a vast range of sports and fitness activities and are currently the world’s leading company in the athletic footwear, apparel and accessories segment in the textile industry. It is based in Beaverton,Oregon and has subsidiaries such as Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury items such as shoes, handbags and coats. Their subsidiaries also include Converse,Inc. and Hurley International LLC and Umbro,Ltd. The revenue of Nike,Inc. as at May 2010 is around US$ 19014 million according to (www.biz.yahoo.com). [IMAGE URL: http://www.soccercleats101.com/2009/10/07/adidas-predator-x-get-ready/] 3.2 Company overview of Adidas Group: According to (www.adidas-group.com) Adidas, founded in 1949 by Adofl Dassler, is a sports apparel manufacturing company. Starting with athletic footwear such as running shoes and soccer shoes, they currently manufacture a wide range of products such as bags, watches, shirts and accessories. They are the second largest sportswear manufacturer, behind Nike,Inc. Adidas Group is made up of three companies, Reebok, TaylorMade Adidas Golf company and Rockport. The revenue of Adidas as at May 2010 is 14878 US$ Million according to (www.biz.yahoo.com). 4.0 Critical Incidents that occurred in the past: 4.1 Critical incidents that affected Nike: Nike, Inc. had gone through various incidents which had an impact on their success. According to Dermesropian, Drage, Grigaite and Lopez (2004,p.3) in 1972, Nike persuaded marathon runners at Olympic Tracks to wear their shoes which was an innovative strategy as it resulted in strong advertising when some of the runners were the top finishers and popularity of Nike continued to grow throughout the 70s. In 1979 Nike had 50% of the US running shoe market. In 1988 Nike introduced their famous slogan ‘Just do it’ and acquired a company called Cole Haan. They sponsored many famous athletes such as Michael Jordan, a famous basketball player and Tiger Woods, an excellent young golf player. During 1992 Nike acquired Canstar sports which included the hockey equipment maker Bauer and opened its first Niketown store. In early 1995 Nike acquired a license to put its logo on NFL uniforms  which resulted in strong marketing. Air Jordan [IMAGE URL: http://www.myairshoes.com/air-jordans/air-jordan-xx3-officially-unveiled.html] They launched a new brand called Jordan, in 1997, which was influenced by the famous basketball player Michael Jordan and one of the most famous shoes of that brand were called Air Jordan. Some incidents harmed Nike during 1998 as they had to cut 1,200 jobs due to the fall of sales in Asia and the demand of athletic shoes fell in 1999. Nike wanted to diversify and in the year 2000 they shifted a little towards the technological and electronic sector and introduced athletic electronics, which included MP3 players, heart monitors, and two-way radios. Products of Nike in the BCG matrix [IMAGE URL: http://www.robmillard.com/archives/BCG%20Matrix%20Big1.html] They opened their first Nikegoddess store in California in 2001. They acquired Hurley International, a distributor of action sports apparels and lost their license to put their logos on NFL uniforms to Reebok in 2002. In 2003 they acquired one of their competitors called Converse but it continued to operate independently in order to sustain the brands popular name. 4.2 Critical incidents that affected Adidas: Adidas also faced various occurrences in order to attain the title of the second largest athletic footwear sportswear and accessories manufacturer.   Adidas Samba [IMAGE URL:http://www.bestshoesmen.com/adidas.Men.Samba.Classic.Soccer.Shoe/detail.html] According to (www.adidas-group.com) Adidas registered as a company in 1949 with the three stripes logo as their trademark. (www.footballshirtculture.com) explains that in the year 1950 they produced the â€Å"Samba† all-round soccer shoes which are even now considered to be the best classic training shoe today. One of the biggest successes of Adidas was in 1952 when it was the most common shoe brand worn at the Olympic Games  held in Helsinki. They made the first track shoes with removable spikes. Emil Zatopek, in Adidas shoes, won three gold medals in one week creating a huge impact on the image of the brand. German National Team wearing Adidas in the 1954 football world cup [IMAGE URL: http://soccernet.espn.go.com/world-cup/feature?id=696762cc=4716ver=global] In 1954 Adidas became famous all over the world as the German national team was victorious in the football world cup for the first time, wearing Adidas shoes with screw-in spikes. In 1955 Adidas came up a shoe with exchangeable spikes which became very popular among the high jumpers. In 1964 Billy Mills won the men’s 10,000 meters wearing the new Adidas shoe which was considered the lightest shoe weighing 135 grams. In 1969 Adidas produced the world’s first injection molded multi stud soles of polyurethane, which gave a one year guarantee on the soles. Adidas began production of balls in 1961 and in 1970 their football was the official ball of the football world cup. In 1971 the famous ‘Fight of the century’ where Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought with each other, both of them wore special boxing shoes d esigned by Adidas. Products of Adidas in the BCG Matrix [IMAGE URL: http://www.robmillard.com/archives/BCG%20Matrix%20Big1.html] Adidas Copa Mundial [IMAGE URL: http://www.footballbootroom.com/Adidas-Copa-Mundial] In 1979, Adidas produced ‘Copa Mundial’, which even today is still the world’s best selling soccer shoe. In 1986 Adidas introduced Azteca, the first synthetic world cup matchball in the world. However, in 1993 Adidas took over Sports Inc., a US based sports marketing company and Adidas was loosing US$100 million a year. Robert Louis Dreyfus had become the new president of Adidas and he downsized the German staff and went subcontracting to China. Adidas once had 70% market share in the US and it fell to 2% in 1993. In 1994 Adidas made a comeback by producing the revolutionary soccer shoe called the Predator during the soccer world cup in the USA. They went public in 1995 and acquired the Salmon Group which consisted of the brands TaylorMade, Mavic  and Bonfire in 1997. The new company is named Adidas-Salmon AG. They were the first sporting goods company to chosen as the official sponsor of a soccer world cup in 1998 when they sponsored the 1998 FIFA World cup in France. Adidas Predator Mania [IMAGE URL: http://www.produktenews.ch/newsflashartikel.cfm?key=179710] In March 2002 Adidas launched ClimaCool a footwear with a ventilation system and introduced the new Predator Mania boots and jerseys with the dynamic layering concept in the 2002 FIFA world cup with their own official ball called the Fevernova. They sold over 6 million footballs and more than 1.5 million jerseys and half a million of the Predator Mania that year. In 2006 Adidas became the official partner, supplier and licensee for the FIFA world cup to be held in 2006, 2010 and 2014. They acquired Reebok International in the same year. 5.0 Comparison of the strategies of the companies: 5.1 Strategies of Nike: In order to become the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories, Nike followed many strategies. Their corporate level strategy, according to Dermesropian, Drage, Grigaite and Lopez (2004,p.15) is their focus on innovation and emphasis on their research and development department in order to be profitable in the long run and they do their best to produce footwear, apparel and athletic equipment that reduce or eliminate injury, help in athletic performance and maximize comfort. They continue to expand their operation in the USA, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and the American regions trying to reach as many customers as possible. Their business level strategy is a combination of the best cost provider and broad differentiation strategy, but more emphasis is put on the best cost provider strategy. They rely heavily on strategic outsourcing and most of their products are manufactured outside the United States. One of the main reasons behind their success following the cost leadership strategy is their extensive network structure that allows them to cancel their alliance with any company that fails to maintain their standards. They work very closely with their suppliers which allow them to produce their goods at a very low price and of superior  quality with the newest technology which makes them the market leader and the rest have to try producing similar goods close to their standard in order to survive in the market. They work very hard in their marketing strategies and which one of the primary reasons behind its success. Fig.1Fig.2Fig.3 Players who wear Nike – Fig.1) Cristiano Ronaldo [IMAGE URL: http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww24/bleedingblue97/?action=view ¤t=Cristiano_Ronaldo_Manchester_United.jpgnewest=1 Fig.2) Michael Jordan [IMAGE URL: http://www.ionlinephilippines.com/2009/12/michael-jordan-look-alike-michael-jordan-imposter-video/] Fig.3) Tiger Woods [IMAGE URL: http://www.dailyworldbuzz.com/tiger-woods-still-has-support-of-nike-gatorade-and-gillette/4970/] Nike hired famous basketball player Michael Jordan, tennis player Serena Williams and Tiger Woods who signed a seven year contract in order to be the spokesperson of Nike. In 2003 they spent around US$ 32.4 million on Net TV commercials and another US$ 39.8 for magazine ads. In order to become the market leader one has to follow a rigid and innovative strategy but to remain as the market leader the strategy has to be sustainable. According to (www.bizjournals.com) on a report published by Nike, suggest that they have planned five major programs in order to keep their corporate level strategy sustainable. In order to sustain in the long run Nike is now emphasizing more on the concerns about global warming. They have decided to focus more on their product design process, eliminating toxics and wastes wherever possible, start a GreenXchange web marketplace to share intellectual property which have been designed to act as a catalyst in green development, establish a lean manufacturing and human resource management in order to acquire a more equitable supply chain, establish a social program which combines education and sports programs for the third world countries and establish a new group call the Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy. 5.2 Strategies of Adidas: The strategies of both these sports giants are very similar but Adidas  focuses more the broad differentiation strategy. According to (www.adidas-group.com) the corporate level strategy of Adidas also focuses on innovation, trying to produce new products, services and processes in order to cope up with the competition. In 2009 the Adidas Group strategically decided to move from a vertically integrated brand structure into a functional multi-rand structure for the Reebok and Adidas brands. This created a global sales function which were responsible for commercial activities and a global brands function which were responsible for the marketing of both brands. The global sales function was also split into two departments, wholesale and retail, which catered to the various needs of both these business models. This was done in order to sustain their corporate level strategy for the long run so that these divisions could emphasize and work hard in their respective departments in order to make the most of their efforts. This led to the elimination of regional headquarters and moved towards more direct communication between the local markets and the global functions. They implemented a multi-brand strategy by having a diverse brand portfolio which allowed them to cater all segments of the market from players to almost everyone. This helped them to keep a unique identity and concentrate on their core competencies. Adidas focused their investments in the best marketing and distribution channels in different countries by critically evaluating the consumer buying behaviors and their constant struggle to secure prime shelf space. They have also embraced e-commerce in order to become more efficient and appeal to more customers and make purchasing much more easily accessible for them. Their supply chain is closely communicated and hence it helps them to customize their products which appeal to a wide range of customers. The organizational culture of Adidas group obligates employees to be innovative. This culture forces them to produce goods which are highly innovative and with the use of the latest technology their products have a very good quality. According to (ar2001.adidas-salomon.com) using latest technologies they produce products which enhances performances of players and they focus on sports such as football, tennis, basketball and even training shoes which are used by anyone with the ability to run. Their new technologies have lead to the production of Climacool, a shoe with a ventilation system and a ­3 a shoe with an energy management system that guides and drives an athlete’s foot  through each stride. Fig.4Fig.5Fig.6 Famous players who wear Adidas – Fig.4) Zinedine Zidane [IMAGE URL: http://s670.photobucket.com/albums/vv70/tomdavies99/?action=view ¤t=09_zinedine_zidane_dpa_300.jpgnewest=1] Fig.5) Kaka [IMAGE URL: http://soccerpitch.co.za/tag/real-madrid/] Fig.6) Kobe Bryant [IMAGE URL: http://family-fitness.mattters.com/2010/7/2/couldnt-wait] Adidas Trefoil logo [IMAGE URL: http://free-extras.com/images/adidas_logo-658.htm] Adidas has world class players who wear their products such as Zinedine Zidane of France, Alessandro Del Piero of Italy and Kobe Bryant an NBA champion who is a style icon for basketball lovers. They also concentrate on their classic items, reintroduce and redesign them under their Trefoil logo. 5.3 Comparison of the strategies of Nike and Adidas: According to (http://comparisonz.com) Nike and Adidas have almost similar strategies but different implementation methods. Both the companies concentrate heavily on technology and strive to produce new and innovative products. Nike focuses on the American markets whereas Adidas focuses on the European market. Nike does not have any production plants as they only design, distribute and market their products and hence they outsource to various countries in Asia, mainly Taiwan and Korea, which outsource their production to China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Adidas on the other hand, carry out all their production in Germany and recently has adopted Nike’s outsourcing policy by outsourcing to Asian countries. Nike and Adidas both follow a premium pricing strategy which according to Kotler (2003, p.272) is a strategy where companies charge a premium price for their products. Their competition is always intense and according to Anderson (2010) during the world cup 2010 Nike launched the popular â€Å"write the future†, three minute advertisement featuring world cup stars which was a major hit on Youtube and Adidas replied with their two minute video with celebrities like Snoop Dogg  and Daft Punk into a famous scene from the movie Star Wars. Nike sponsored nine teams whereas Adidas sponsored 12 teams. World’s Largest LED by Nike [IMAGE URL: http://johannesburgbc.ning.com/profiles/blogs/nikefootball-delivers-the] Even though Adidas was the official sponsor of the World cup 2010, Nike attached an LED display to a 30 story skyscraper in Johannesburg where soccer fans could write short messages using popular social networking websites such as Twitter and Facebook and Nike put up 100 messages on the side of the walls every night. Adidas adiPURE III Nike Tiempo Elite [IMAGE URL: http://soccerlens.com/shirts/nike-vs-adidas-buying-football-shoes-in-2010/6410/] Umair (2010) compares the constant rivalry between Nike and Adidas using their products. During the world cup Nike launched an Elite series for the 2010 world cup called Nike Tiempo Legend Elite which had customized shoes worn by famous football players such as Christiano Ronaldo and Cesc Fabregas. Adidas on the other hand, launched a new collection called Adidas Adipure for the world cup 2010 which also had customized shoes worn by famous players such as Kaka and Lionel Messi. In soccer Adidas shoes are worn by famous players such as Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Lionel Messi, whereas Nike shoes are worn by Christiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and the original Ronaldo. In basketball Nike shoes have been used by Michael Jordan and Adidas shoes have been worn by Kobe Bryant. 6.0 Future Plans of Nike and Adidas: It is easy to become the market leader or the market challenger for organisations but sustainability is the primary concern and hence organisations focus of the sustainability by coming up with strategies that will make their position sustainable in the long run. According to (www.environmentalleader.com) Nike’s future plans are to focus on the environment and production of eco friendly products. They mentioned in their 2005 and 2006 Corporate Responsibility Report that they will become carbon neutral by 2011 by reducing their Caron Dioxide emissions. They have decided  to design all Nike brand footwear in ways through which they can reduce waste production during product design and packaging. They will eliminate the use of volatile organic compounds and use more environmental friendly material in their products and be carbon neutral by 2011. Adidas on the other hand became the official sportswear partner of the London 2012 Olympic Games. The London Organising committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOGOC) has few regulations which all of its partners are obligated to follow. These obligations are focused towards the environment. Adidas, being a partner of LOGOC has to follow all these regulations as their future plans are to be the official sponsor of almost all major events in the world, and in order to achieve this goal their strategy is to produce environment friendly goods as well. They have to ensure that all their products are produced with environment friendly materials, which would protect the human health and the environment and their packaging should also be produced with materials that can be recycled. Hence we can see that both the future plans of Nike and Adidas are quite similar. 7.0 Conclusion: The main element that determines an organisation’s success or failure is the strategy it follows. Any industry is vast and the competition is also fierce and in order to survive in the competition organisations must devise innovative strategies. Nike and Adidas have started their journey decades ago and they have struggled but sustained their positions; Nike as the market leader and Adidas as the market challenger. Various incidents have occurred in the past to both the companies which were both good and bad, but it was the strategies that helped them survive and sustain their positions. The strategies of both these companies are quite similar and Adidas is not far behind from Nike, but any small mistake by Nike, might make them the market challenger and Adidas the market leader. Nike has to be very careful while implementing their strategies because Adidas is very close to becoming the market leader. Nike’s initial strategy of being just the product designer, distributor and marketer gave them the competitive edge against Adidas, because their investments were low compared to Adidas as they have production plants, but Nike should be very careful to sustain their market position. 8.0 List of references: Books: Johnson,G., Scholes,K. and Whittington,R.(2005) Exploring Corporate Strategy: Text and Cases. Seventh Edition. Prentice Hall. Thompson,A.A., and Strickland,A,J.(2003) Strategic Management Concept and cases. 13th edition. McGraw Hills. Kotler,P. ( 2003)Marketing Management, Eleventh Edition, Pearson Education. Websites: (2010) NIKE, Inc. Company Profile, [URL:http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/14/14254.html] (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2009) Adidas Group History, [URL:http://www.adidas-group.com/en/ourgroup/history/history.aspx] (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2010) Nikebiz: Company Overview, [URL:http://www.nikebiz.com/company_overview]/ (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2010) Adidas AG Company Profile, [URL:http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/92/92632.html] (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2010) The history of Adidas, [URL:http://www.footballshirtculture.com/2006102796/history/adidas-football-shirt-history.html] (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2010) Strategy, [URL:http://www.adidas-group.com/en/ourgroup/strategy] (accessed: 29 August 2010)/ Strategy: Adidas, [URL:http://ar2001.adidas-salomon.com/adidassalomon2001/strat_adidas/] (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2010) Nike vs. Adidas – Compare Side by Side, [URL:http://comparisonz.com/comparisons/100305/nike-vs-adidas]/ (accessed: 29 August 2010) (2009) Adidas: 2009 Sustainability review, [URL:http://ser2009.adidas-group.com/suppliers/3_4.html] (accessed: 29 August 2010) Articles: (2010) Nike plans to be Carbon neutral by 2011, [URL:http://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/05/31/nike-plans-to-be-carbon-neutral-by-2011] (accessed: 29 August 2010) Umair,A.(2010) Nike vs Adidas – Buying football shoes in 2010,

Why Use Social Media?

Why Use Social Media? There is no longer a question on the power of social media in driving all types of businesses forward. No matter what type of industry you operate in, you will find that there are far too important benefits to be ignored. With the full understanding of the abilities of each social media and complete guidelines on how to best use them to your advantage, it is now up to you on how you can fully maximize its benefits for your business. Today, social media platforms have invaded and taken over public consciousness. It has become a big part of day to day routines and an indispensable communication tool for people to connect and stay in touch. Consumers have used social media presence as one of the integral basis of a companys legitimacy, reliability and viability. Businesses today are judged based on their Facebook or LinkedIn profiles, and consumers expect companies to respond to the concerns and queries they have tweeted within the day or within the hour. Suffice it to say, social media has managed to steal the thunder away from traditional marketing methods. Modern marketing strategies today have a mix of social media tactics as its integral component for reaching business goals. What is Social Media These days, social media is the buzz word in marketing and a global trend that has gotten everyone of every age engrossed in one, two and possibly even several social media sites. Everyone is on it, in one form or another. But what is it exactly? Social Media Explained in Plain English The term social media has been carelessly tossed around and used too often in online marketing. But what is it really about? In essence, social media incorporates the use of online technologies and methods that allow people to share personal opinions, content as well as swap insights and perspectives with the rest of the world. Social media content can take different shapes and forms: Text often used to write or put across personal opinions or posts Images photos are used to display anything of interest Why Use Social Media Social media has paved the way to a more powerful communication channel for companies to publish their marketing messages all without the exorbitant cost. While we all know social networks is generally used by businesses to engage their target market and study consumer preferences and behaviors, the truth is, it has other equally powerful features that you can incorporate into your marketing strategy, with highly rewarding payoff at that. Here are other areas in your business that you can apply social media to drive success: Customer Service -The ability to respond and react quickly is very critical in todays market, especially in influencing and changing perceptions. Even if a concern has not been resolved immediately, customers will feel their issues were acknowledged and given attention in a timely manner. This is yet another effect of the actualization of an account. This is actually what humanizes the social media. It gives reality to the virtual account; relationships can only be established if a workmate accepts a connection from another worker employed by the same company. Real time conversations happen another benefit of the social media that comes in different forms. As more and more companies and brands readily include their product offers in the social media experience, a growing number of consumers have grown increasingly comfortable with the idea of social commerce. When to use Social Media To effectively use social media to your full advantage, it is important to take time and learn how the ecosystem works and the emerging habits of the social consumers. Recruitment and Retention A lot of employees today decide on whether they want to be a part of an organization or not based on information derived from social networks. It can also present a powerful tool in sourcing social channels that exists through professional networks. Recruitment and Retention A lot of employees today decide on whether they want to be a part of an organization or not based on information derived from social networks. It can also present a powerful tool in sourcing social channels that exists through professional networks. Internal Communications and Collaboration Small and large organizations can largely benefit from social media, in terms of file sharing, collaborative editing and knowledge sharing. Who Uses Social Media According to the Social Media Marketing Report for 2010, an estimated 67% of marketers have actively increased and strengthened their social media channels. As more and more companies work on integrating social media into their corporate marketing and communication plans, there is a growing emphasis for creating a winning social media strategy. Without any semblance of a plan or strategy, your presence might as well be nonexistent or muted. Twitter According to Edison Research, 40% of the total time people are on Twitter are spent on learning about certain products and services or reading/getting feedback from what others have to say about them as well as share personal opinions and experiences. Facebook According to ExactTarget, the primary reason why people LIKE a Facebook page is to establish a sales relationship with a specific brand, through the following: to receive promotions and coupons (40%), derive instant updates on upcoming sales (30%), and to show support for certain brands or companies (30%) Growth of Social Media Social media is very complex and a constantly evolving medium. Its no wonder why many businesses struggle to figure it out and keep up. While a number have enjoyed quantifiable success, there are also many who failed, and the rest have still yet to figure out their social media strategy. When to use Facebook Great Exposure. With millions of users, Facebook offers unrivalled potential for exposure. When used strategically and consistently, Facebook can contribute to the significant increase in your companys online presence and visibility. Post comments, provide insights, advice and tips to earn respect and credibility in your network, and ultimately gain leverage. Provide Regular Updates. Facebook offers you a convenient way to update your network on new products, promotions, and general information about your company to stay fresh and relevant in the minds of your market. Enhance Customer Service. Consumers these days prefer real-time response to queries and concerns. The Facebook page for your business offers a convenient and accessible option for your market to reach you. When to use LinkedIn for your Organization Increase visibility. By establishing connections, you also increase your exposure and visibility. Whether you offer a product or service or both, you profile may be made available to people interested to doing business with, forge partnerships or hire services. Improve network. Connect with people from past acquaintances, people from your school, past companies, affiliations, and those who share your passions and interests. Improve Google PageRank. LinkedIn allows its users to publish and make their profile information available for search engines to index. LinkedIn profiles rank high in Google, so its a great and effective way to influence other peoples perception when they search for you. Enhance search engine results. Aside from your personal profile, you can promote your company website and blog to search engines through your LinkedIn account through the pre-selected categories such as My Website and My Company. Scope out the competition, partners and customers. LinkedIn is one perfect way to keep tabs on your competition as well as partners and customers. Highlight recommendations and reviews. LinkedIn is more like a living, breathing resume of professionals that comes complete with recommendation from people you have worked with and worked for in the past. This presents a wonderful opportunity to secure business reviews as well as the specific products and services you offer. When to use Twitter for your Organization Connect with your customers. This is the primary reason why you should make use of twitter for your business. Twitter has become so much a part of everyones daily routine, its the perfect venue to connect, interact, and study your target marker. Branding. In Twitter, you dont have to be in the league of Nike, Dell or Starbucks to brand and generate interest. In fact, it presents the best platform for small businesses and startups to reach their target niche. Customer feedback. If any customer is dissatisfied with a certain product or service, he/she will no doubt tweet about it. In this sense, Twitter is a reliable resource to derive feedbacks and opinions, as well as study consumer behaviors and preferences. Marketing. With its wide reach, you can use Twitter to market products and/or services to a wider market and the best part is, its free. News. Twitter is the best and fastest way to publish latest updates about your company without the need to compose long, elaborate content. Marketing schemes and promotions. If you have existing promos and exclusive deals, let your network know about it. Everyone loves a good deal. In fact, a lot of companies have conducted contests and promos exclusively for their Twitter followers to engage their market. When to use Google + for your Organization Free SEO Boost. Businesses can use search referrals for conversions. Google+ is built to influence search for people who have included a certain business in their Circle. This offers a great opportunity to get free promotion from people who like and use the product to people who share similar interests. Host Hangouts. The powerful chat function presents a great opportunity for businesses in engaging their customers and thought leaders in a more personal way. In addition, companies that operate from multiple locations can conveniently collaborate and share information and files such as spreadsheets and documents. Expand Distribution of Content. Google+ is a great platform to expand the publication of content distribution. It can be a great way tool to hosts contest and giveaways along with other promotions. Connect with Tech-Savvy Audience. People who are in Google+ are the early adopters of new technologies, a criterion which presents an ideal target market for many businesses. Segment Your Audience. One great advantage of Google+ is the option to share content with specific audiences through Circles. This makes it easier for businesses to segment their market and share content to certain followers. Expand Your Network. Be able to gather data and research on relevant contacts like potential clients and influential personalities in the industry. When to use Pinterest for your Organization Pinterest users rely on images to create a connection. The concept is more like a YouTube only that photographs are pinned, repined and utilized to establish a connection. The beauty of Pinterest is that people can get to develop relationships based on captured images rather than common school or location or unique status updates. If an individual pins a picture, which is liked by another, then a connection can easily be established. More than answering the need to be socially relevant, Pinterest is becoming relevant in marketing as well. It is becoming a reliable source for links that can actually create a consumer base for different brands. It offers an attractive front page, engaging enough for an individual to follow links that will actually convert into sales. Any individual who wants to learn about a business, a thing or simply an interest can easily find individual sites that teach, shares and allows one to share it too.

Knights of the Middle Ages Essay examples -- Middle Ages Medieval

Knights became important in the Middle Ages as warriors recruited by their lords for military service. They were equipped with defensive garment, armor and weapons, and they were trained to fight on horseback since they were children. They also took part in jousts and tournaments in order to exercise their fighting skills and to show their battle skills. Knights were part of the nobility of the Middle Ages. Nobles lived much more comfortably than peasants, but their lives were not glamorous. Some knights inherited or were given castles which had been built for security but not for comfort. It is supposed that some medieval stories are based on the lives of the courageous warriors who lived in those times no matter whether they died during a battle or whether they won. Authors took them as an ideal exemplar and they added several elements to make the knight superior. However, the perfect knight is just a character of medieval stories, a product of the author?s imagination or inspiration, perhaps taking a real knight of those times as a model. This work aims to describe the most important characteristics of the life of the medieval knight and his role in the society of the Middle Ages. Afterwards, a comparison between these characteristics and the description of the figure of the knight found in medieval literature as an ideal and model man will be established, highlighting their beliefs and values. The word Knight is the modern form of several old terms. Among these, the primary equivalent comes from Old English cniht, which means boy or youth, secondly, from German, two terms are closely related, the first one being knecht, translated as servant, and the second one, ritter, which means rider. Lastly,... ...yday life, the knight was supposed to follow the code of chivalry and exalt his moral virtues, humility was one of them, for example. However, he was engaged in battles and tournaments seeking for honour, prestige and power. There was no other alternative, he ?had to? win, and in this way, he would have the respect and admiration of others. A well-known surname, an expensive armour, good weapons and a trained horse were not enough. In knighthood, it was extremely important that a knight would become popular and have a high social standing. It might seem that a knight?s life was full of adventures and excitement, though it was not really like this. The way towards knighthood was not so simple as it involved a permanent dedication and commitment since early stages and knighthood itself meant facing sacrifices, dangerous situations, defeats and even death.

Financial Liberalization of Pakistan Essay example -- Economics Financ

In 1974 all banks of the country were nationalized, with the objective of providing the capital for top priority projects or investments, and to ensure the depositor's capital safety. Although this step was taken for the socio-economic benefits, however, the required results could not be obtained. And under the public sector's ownership and supervision the banking sector proved inefficient (Haque 1997), which leads the lower saving and investment, so as a result economic growth decreased (khan and khan 2007). Besides other problems, the lower range of financial products and unavailability of consumer and mortgage financing also included in nationalization system (Haque 1997, Limmi 2002). So, to prevent from financial crises and for efficient working of financial markets, a strong and effective supervisory system was necessary (Caprio and Klingebial 1997). So, after a decade of nationalization the need for some change in the financial system was felt. It was fore step for new reforms, and at the end of 1980s the reform program was initiated. However, the major reforms came in 1990s. In 1990 seven domestic and seventeen foreign banks were working in Pakistan, these seven banks have public sector ownership with a broad network of branches, and more than 90 percent assets of banking sector (as shown in Table: ). In that period there is not a single private bank, while seventeen foreign banks had only forty-five branches and less than 8 percent of total banking assets, their major concern was to deal international trade. (SBP) In 1990 there were three regulatory bodies i) State Bank of Pakistan; the major tasks performed by SBP are conducting the monetary policy, issue directives to commercial banks regarding reserve requirement an... ...ing Companies Ordinance (1997) were repealed through promulgation of Banking Companies (Recovery of Loans and Advances, Credit and Finance) Ordinance (1997). To increase the role of SBP as regulator government divides it into three organizations, i- SBP as central bank ii- SBP-banking services corporation (SBP- BSC) iii- National Institute of Banking and Finance (NIBAF). Works Cited Caprio, G, and Daniela K, (1999), Episodes of systematic and borderline financial distress, Manuscript, The World Bank. SBP (2004) â€Å"Financial Sector Assessment†, Research Department, State Bank of Pakistan. Karachi Haque, Ul N. (1997) â€Å"Financial Market Reforms in Pakistan,† The Pakistan Development Review Part-II, pp: 839-854. Limi, A. (2002), â€Å"Efficiency in the Pakistani Banking Industry: Empirical Evidence after the Structural Reforms in the Late 1990s† Unpublished

Learned Skills in Written Communication Class

1) One of my favorite parts of this class was the confusing words. I loved to be able to look them up and discover which words meant what. This skill will help me along the way of my career because I learned that when I am unsure about something I can look it up and not feel bad that I do not know the meaning because our English language is very confusing. 2) I also learned how to properly write letters and emails in business settings. I will keep a copy of the samples so I know how much white space goes where. I also learned that I need to use black or blue ink and it has to be professional blue or black. 3) I am also really interested in learning more about business etiquette in different regions. I was very impressed with the different ways that different countries used the hand shake. I was also intrigued with the fact that women are allowed in business but in some countries they have to still be ‘under’ men. 4) The ‘you’ view was an interesting section to me as well because I never would have realized the difference in the views. The ‘you’ view is so much nicer to explain something to someone it makes them feel important and like they mean something to the person writing to them. 5) The other skill I learned and am continuing to learn is editing. I like the bookmark that shows me how to correctly mark what is incorrect. I am getting better at finding what words are placed wrong and the misspelled words but and still struggling with how the prepositional phrases work. 6) I think the most difficult part of written communication for me was the editing which is why I am stating that I am still learning it. I am trying to figure out what words belong where and where to place commas or other marks. 7) I believe the easiest part for me was the confusing words. I felt this was the easiest because I really like to look up what I do not know. I am always in the mood to learn new words and always love to teach my children new and bigger words. I get a kick out of the fact my ten year old walks around telling people she loves to read the Amelia Bedilia books because there are so many idioms in them. 8) Two future uses I believe I will use are the confusing words. That I will use so I can remember to look up what I do not know and not feel bad that I have to look anything up. The second thing I believe I will use is the lists I was very interested on learning these; I believe I will use them in school and in work. I will be making proposals and writing letters to people that will need to explain things with lists.

Abigail Williams in Act I of the Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay

We are first introduced to the ‘strikingly beautiful’ Abigail Williams in Act I of one of Arthur Miller’s most acclaimed works The Crucible. She is a dominant figure in the play who is both malicious and manipulative. She is astute and knows how to use power to her own advantage by all means possible. She is a marvellous antagonist with vengeful desires and vehicle for the mass hysteria which becomes a key theme later in the play. Abigail’s dominance as a character is apparent from the opening scene when poor Betty Parris lies in bed overcome by a mysterious trance with both Tituba and Reverend Parris also present in the somewhat dull, ‘unmellowed’ room. The setting set by Miller is typical of the furnishings of Puritans; simple and functional with only ‘a chest, a chair and a small table’. As Abigail Williams enters the room Miller describes her as being ‘strikingly beautiful’. This is a particularly strong image as the room she has entered has nothing particular of interest yet Abigail is striking. This suggests that Abigail has a strong presence and foregrounds her role in the play. Throughout the first act, we learn more about Abigail’s dominance and authority over other characters within the play. We see the power that Abigail has over Betty Parris where she commands for Betty to ‘sit up now!’ and ‘stop!’, whilst shaking her. These short, snappy commands make Abigail appear to have authority. The way in which she orders Betty to ‘stop’ is almost like she is more of a surrogate mother angrily shouting her child, which in this case is Betty. Although we know that she is Betty’s cousin, some audiences may see Abigail as this mother figure involuntarily and subconsciously – giving Abigail a more dominant role and higher status. Progressing through the opening act, we learn that Abigail possesses a shrewd insight, as she is presented with a sharp awareness, as being astute and quick minded. We also see that Abigail has the capacity for strategy, this can be seen when Abigail quickly points the finger to â€Å"watch her own back† at Tituba – something she easily got away with as in such times being a black slave was probably one of the lowest status’ to stand at. In possessing these strengths, Abigail can be seen to be beyond other characters, and really does set her apart giving her an advantage over many other characters in the play. As a result of Abigail’s dominance in the play, she holds great power over other characters- however she abuses this power and can be seen as a typical bully. She can be seen as fearful, intimidating and persuasive. She presents images of fear such as when she talks about seeing her own parents heads ‘smash’ on the pillow next to her – possibly scare the younger, more vulnerable characters. She presents malicious and domineering behaviour throughout the act and as a result of this behaviour she can be seen as the vehicle behind the mass hysteria as she knows that her fellow characters will do as she says; creating a snowball effect of hysteria. Her selfishness is another aspect to consider, this is a quality something many bullies posses. We can see this clearly when Abigail is threatening Betty after she screams out ‘Mama, Mama!’ – she says ‘I’ again and again, which really emphasizes her self- centred personality. Throughout the act she then takes the opportunities to look after herself and uses situations to her advantage also , which can be seen in the case where she blames Tituba despite Abigail being the one encouraging the chanting in the first place – to save her own neck. She then uses her allegations against Tituba to her advantage obtaining somewhat recognition from those of a much higher status in the courts. Abigail’s bullying behaviour can be seen most clearly when she threatens Betty Parris after her hysterical outburst. She is harsh with her words and seems to be both commanding and imperative in the way that she speaks. When she is threatening Betty, she uses dark and oppressive imagery such as her parent’s heads being smashed against a pillow, ‘reddish work’ which could also mean murders and something ‘terrible’ that could just happen to the girls’ in the black of some terrible night’. Her bullying behaviour can also be seen when she says ‘I can make you wish’ – a term often associated with bullies in other books and films alike. Minor sentences are used almost in a staccato which makes her dark oppressing words seem even more threatening, going also in line with Millers stage directions for Abigail to shake Betty roughly. Another quality bullies seem to have is to be manipulative. When Miller introduces Abigail he makes a point in saying that she has an ‘endless capacity for dissembling’. This means that Abigail is able to act, she is able to transform into various characters yet still be Abigail Williams. It is important to note that Miller uses the word ‘endlessly’ when he says this; this means that Abigail wasn’t at all limited by the number of times or the different acts that she could perform. By having this ability, Abigail’s character within the play can be seen as almost metamorphic – able to change form as and when necessary. Being able to change form and act, Abigail is able to be manipulative and throughout the act an eerie sense of manipulating by Abigail can be seen. She quickly identifies peoples flaws, weaknesses and prejudices to gain control over them. With this knowledge, she then becomes mercilessly manipulating and uses this to her advantage. Abigail’s talent for manipulating and changing forms can clearly be seen upon her encounter with John Proctor. In a short space of time Abigail is presented to be ‘softening’ and gentle to then be bitterly ‘angry’ to then be ‘in tears’. Here we see Abigail playing the part, something she seems very comfortable in doing. An important thing to remember about the way in which Abigail acts is the fact that Abigail seems quite dauntless in what she is doing, she appears to be fearless of the consequences some of her actions might have, nor does she seem to be very intimidated by other characters so much that she backs down. An example of this is Abigail’s fantasy of Proctor’s love and her vengeful desire to eliminate Elizabeth so that she may have Proctor to herself. She even ‘drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor, this would’ve been completely against Puritan beliefs. Her willingness to discard Puritans social restrictions sets her apart from other characters and suggests that nothing is impossible for Abigail, nothing is beyond her grasp, not even God’s word. Due to the context of the play; a time of deeply religious Puritan surroundings in New England Massachusetts, Miller includes lots of religious connotations and often uses Biblical language. With such strong Biblical links, Abigail Williams’ character can be seen to be similar to that of Jezebel in the Bible. In Christian lore, a comparison to Jezebel suggested that a person was a pagan or an apostate masquerading as a servant of God. By manipulation and/or seduction she misled the saints of God into sins of idolatry and sexual immorality. In particular Jezebel has come to be associated with promiscuity and in modern usage; the name of Jezebel is sometimes used as a synonym for sexually promiscuous and sometimes controlling women. The idea of Abigail being similar to Jezebel, links in as she is in fact manipulative and within the first act, we are told of Abigail’s affair with the married John Proctor, years her senior. As manipulative and malicious Abigail is, one must ask whether she is completely bad? As we are told when we are introduced to Abigail’s character, she is an ‘orphan’ she is also unmarried, which at the time would mean that she was low rung on the Puritan Salem social ladder, with only social outcasts and slaves like Tituba below her. This leaves Abigail in a vulnerable position. We must question whether declaring witchcraft was really a malicious act or whether it was a cry for attention and some power? Declaring witchcraft in such times would result in instant status and recognition which later could lead to power. Another cry attention that should be considered is the idea of Abigail’s fantasy for Proctor’s love. Being a young girl, perhaps this reflects on her age? As well as considering if Abigail is completely bad, one must try to understand why Abigail behaves like this. The idea of Abigail being vulnerable is possibly a reason for why she is so manipulative and dauntless. As we are introduced to Abigail we are made award that she is an ‘orphan’, Abigail later goes on to talk about seeing ‘Indians smash’ her ‘dear parent’s heads on the pillow’. As she has seen the worst, it may mean that Abigail feels the need to be self sufficient and strong as she has grown up with little or no love and lonely; typical of Puritan’s nature -and being a hard faced independent is in fact Abigail’s only option. As a conclusion, we learn in the opening scene of The Crucible that Abigail holds an authority as a character within the play who is presented by Arthur Miller to be a typical bully; who presents threatening, selfish, intimidating and manipulative behaviour. We learn that Abigail has a capacity for strategy and an ‘endless capacity for dissembling’ making Abigail quite an intriguing character, a character to certainly watch throughout the later acts, as we are left to ponder, what exactly will Abigail do next?

Internet’s Adverse Effects on Teenagers Essay

Adverse Effects of Internet on Teenagers: Introduction: The use of internet has grown tremendously among the teenagers over the last few decades. This has largely been caused by a variety of reasons such as education and the need for entertainment. The internet provides a variety of free information and resources that can either build or destroy the life of a teenager. As a result, many teenagers have ended destroyed morally and psychologically due to excessive use of the internet for the wrong reasons. As a matter of fact, research shows that many teenagers get excessively addicted to the internet from the first time they gain access information in the web (Kraut ; Kiesler, 49-74). The growing and excessive use of the internet among the teenagers has also largely been influenced by the affordability and availability of internet both at school and home. This continued use of internet by the teenagers has tremendously affected the teenagers adversely with time. To be precise, most teenagers who have excessively use internet have continued to have problems academically, socially and even morally. Background Information: Research indicates that in every ten teenagers, nine are regular internet users. According to statistics, 87% of the teenagers in the Western World aged between 12 and 17 are regular users of the internet. 51% of these teenagers visit the internet on regular basis. This actually represents about 21 million teenagers who visit the internet. It has also been found that 81% of the teenage internet users basically use the internet for playing video games. This percentage represents about 17 million teenagers (McKenna ; Green, 9-31). The figures above are a direct indication that there is an overwhelming increase in the number of teenagers accessing the internet over the last few years. This information implies that most teenagers are therefore openly vulnerable to some of the evil practices that go on over the internet. As a result, the society has continued to bring up teenagers who are morally corrupt. Refutation: It is important to note at this point that most teenagers are quickly getting addicted to internet use. Most teenagers get addicted to the internet because of the following reasons: First, most teenagers believe that the internet is the best source of entertainment. There are many internet sites that provide free games of that the teenagers can play. Most teenagers therefore visit these sites and spend quite a lot of time playing those games. The teenagers find fulfillment in these games and therefore dedicate much time to play such games. The addiction to internet games by the teenagers has largely been encouraged by lack of enough co-curriculum activities in the schools in the current society. With the current globalization, most schools tend to focus more on impartation of academic knowledge to the teenagers paying less attention to other extra-curriculum activities that are important for the mental development of the teenagers. This has therefore left the teenagers seeking for alternate sources of entertainment which they easily find over the internet. These teenagers have therefore grown to believe that the internet is the best source of entertainment. This is absolutely wrong since the internet games ideally promote the culture of selfishness because it gives the teenager a chance to find solace and fulfillment in the machine. This makes the teenagers to become selfish even as they grow up. Secondly, most teenagers believe that the internet is the best source of informant for academic research. Whenever the teenagers are given class assignments to do, the first research source they run to is the internet. This is because they believe that the internet provides accurate and ready information that can help them to quickly complete their assignments. As a result, many teenagers have been become so addicted to the internet for academic purposes. However, the teenagers need to understand that taking academic materials and reproducing information from the internet can often to academic frauds like plagiarism. The teenagers therefore need to be careful in conducting their research over the internet due to the crime risks they expose themselves to. As a matter of fact, the teenagers need to seek alternate sources of information such as books, journal articles and newspaper articles in conducting their research. This will help them to get information that they fully trust because it is easy to verify the sources of information from books and journal articles. Lastly, most teenagers believe that the internet is the best form of communication. This is because of the various technologies for communication that are actually provided over the internet. Most teenagers tend to lack cellular phones for communication. This gives them the option of communication technologies such as email and chat sessions in different applications over the internet. Through such technologies the teenagers get a chance to effectively communicate with their friends. This has made them believe that the internet is the best source of information since they can easily share their issues with friends over the internet. This is however wrong and should be discouraged. Proper socialization can only be healthy through physically contacting someone. Electronic communication through the internet reduces the relational skills of the teenagers and therefore makes them vulnerable to becoming irresponsible and selfish adults when they grow up. It is important to have good social skills which can only be enhanced through physical relationship (Lee ; Kuo, 7) Supporting Arguments: Internet use has adverse effects on the teenagers because of the following reasons: Internet expose the teenagers to Internet Crimes against Children. The internet is one of the platforms through which predators tend to find teenagers and grooming them for criminal activities such as the production and distribution of children pornography, stalking and contacting the teenagers for sexual acts engagement and even exploitation through sexual tourism. Most of the criminals tend to look at teenagers as perfect targets for achieving their criminal motives. This is mainly because most teenagers tend to be naive, trusting, adventurers, curious and seeking attention as well as affection. This, therefore, makes the teenager so vulnerable to being victims of such kind of criminal acts over the internet. In addition, the criminal acts could turn the teenagers into criminals too especially when there are monetary benefits attached to it. Secondly, the internet has the ability to corrupt the good morals of the teenagers. The internet provides quite a lot of free information and services that have the capacity of corrupting the good morals of teenagers. Illicit and immoral information such as pornography can easily become objects of admiration of teenagers over the internet. It is important to note that most teenagers tend to be at the peek of adolescence whereby they enjoy all manner of new things and are very curious to adventure into things. Due to peer pressure and pressure from their physical bodies, the teenagers are most likely to get addicted internet pornography. Accessing such illicit and immoral information can therefore corrupt their innocent minds. This information is dangerous because it can easily transform them into criminals such as rapists. Anytime the teenagers access the illicit information over the internet, they tend to develop the desire to practice what they read and watch over the internet. As a result, such kinds of teenagers end up not concentrating in their academic work and so scoring poor grades in school. Some also drop out school as they turn out to be frequent law offenders (Handbook of child psychology, 1-101).