Christianity And Confucianism Confucianism - 2203 Words

Christianity and Confucianism Christianity and Confucianism are important religions today at least according to the Chinese. As a result, the rising influence brought about by Confucianism in China tends to trigger conflicts between the two religions. The Chinese society is greatly influenced by Confucianism, which has a considerable impact on Christianity as a religion in China. The modes of thinking associated with Confucianism are evident in the Chinese Christianity, but Confucianism ideas are deeply rooted in the lives of the Chinese. There is an increased rivalry and tension between these major belief systems as a result of the religion revival and the growth associated with Confucianism and Christianity in China (Lee Ruhe, 1999). Confucianism has been manipulated in China by the Communist Party to its own benefits. This is evident through the perception of Christianity as a Western scheme and a threat to take over the cultural identity of China. As a result, the interactions between Christians and Confucianism are characterized by hostility and distrust. The challenge facing China at the moment is their ability to witness effectively in the emerging pluralistic society. Confucianism marks a major presence in China today as a result of the signs that demonstrate its growth. This ranges from prominent symbols to Confucian schools. Despite Confucianism comprising religious elements, it has little articulation regarding supernatural beings and life beyond death. ItShow MoreRelatedChristianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, And Confucianism1472 Words   |  6 Pagesmeanings, ranging from â€Å"kind of similar if you look at it in the right fashion†, to â€Å"exactly alike†. In any case, there are many examples, and counterexamples of universal ideas between the â€Å"main† seven religions: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism, which will be explored in the remainder of this essay. Arguments could be made on how all religions share a similarity. For example, all religions were persecuted by outsiders at some point. Perhaps the most dramaticRead MoreChristianity, Buddhism, And Confucianism872 Words   |  4 Pagestruth and what is good. Though there are many different thoughts and explanations about how to live, there is some common ground between them. Throughout the year 600 B.C.E. to the year 600 C.E. the ideas of religion such as Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism and philosophy like those of Plato, Laozi, and Socrates. From 600 B.C.E. to 600 B.C. religions began to impact the traditions and attitudes in Europe and Asia resulting in multiple different, but yet similar approaches to the sameRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucianism And Christianity1849 Words   |  8 PagesA Contrast of Confucianism and Christianity Thesis: Chinese Confucianism and Roman Christianity are similar in both set key principles adopted by governments and both were created by leaders who taught by lesson yet different in that Confucianism was promoted by the government whereas political leaders in Rome strongly opposed Christianity. Topic Sentence: Confucianism and Christianity are similar in that both set lasting principles that influenced their governments, Confucianism with central principlesRead More Comparing Confucianism and Christianity Essay1140 Words   |  5 PagesComparing Confucianism and Christianity The premise of Confucian teachings are centered around the idea of Jen or the  ³virtue of humanity (Ching 68). ² To accomplish this divinity, five relationships must be honored: ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger brother, and friend and friend (Hopfe). These relationships led a push for a revolution of the political system to adopt the methods of Jen. Confucius sought to revive the ancient Chinese culture by Read MoreSimilarities And Differences Between Confucianism And Christianity1425 Words   |  6 Pageseither conforming to two ideologies or forgoing one and upholding the other. Being able to be both a Confucian and a Christian depends on how one weighs the similarities and differences of either part. It is well-acknowledged that both Confucianism and Christianity are significant. Their teachings have aided to form the value systems of Eastern and Western and cultures, which have navigated millions of people in behavior, spirit, mind, behavior, and relationships. Going through their doctrines, weRead MoreChristianity, Confucianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, And Islam2580 Words   |  11 Pages 1. Describe, compare and contrast the concept of â€Å"self† in Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Please state the views of each tradition fully and clearly. In life, one will undertake a spiritual journey in which you will uncover the meaning of the self. Many religions, including Hinduism, Confucianism and monotheistic religions, have developed philosophies placing importance of the â€Å"self.† Emphasis on morality, virtues, honest contribute to the developmentRead MoreConfucianism : The Way Of Propriety1265 Words   |  6 PagesConfucianism stands hand in hand with Daoism, as one of the two great philosophical religions of China, but is considered one of the Three Teachings; Daoism and Buddhism are the other two. Derived from the Chinese teachings of the philosopher Confucius, Confucianism focuses more on ethical living and moral conduct; emphasizing earthly and not heavenly. Even though it is referred to as a religion, Confucianism is often considered to be an ethical system. There are four common aspects when comparedRead MoreConfucianism And Its Impact On Religion1208 Words   |  5 Pagesreligions that I am going to emp hasis: Confucianism and Christianity. There are many factor to cover; the aspects about each religion, the similarities, and the differences between both. Each religion has a different way to develop and beliefs. First of all, there are many important aspects about Confucianism. In china, Confucianism is most emphases in moralism and ruling with people together with their education system. In a brief definition, Confucianism is the universe in whole under the heavenRead MoreSocial Philosophy Of Confucianism1398 Words   |  6 PagesConfucianism was founded by the philosopher Confucius who was born in 551 in the Lu state of China (Biography.com Editors 2017). Confucius’s teachings focused on creating ethical models of family and public interactions and setting educational standards (Biography.com Editors 2017). Confucius died in 479 B.C., but Confucianism became the official imperial philosophy of China and its influence was significant during the Han, Tang and Song Dynasties (Biography.com Editors 2017). Confucius’s philosophyRead MoreWork of the Christian Missionaries: Converting China to Christianity1392 Words   |  6 PagesThe Christian missionaries knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Going to China at the time was a one way trip to an unknown land. The task of converting China to Christianity was rife with challenges due to continued resistance to any sort of outside influence that was a tradition of China for many years. Never-the-less the missionaries still went to China and by leveraging what advantages they could find, they were able to find some measure of success over the years. One of the men who made so much

Technology Based Learning, Assessment, And Teaching

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Technology is at the core of virtually every aspect of our daily lives and work. While it provides engaging and powerful learning experiences, technology also provides access to content, resources and assessments that measure student achievement in a more complete and meaningful ways. Studies show that there is a direct correlation between the use of technology and improvements in student achievement. Research demonstrates extraordinary success with trying to reengage students who have been struggling with learning. It shows that 98% percent of the learners improve in their learning when exposed to technology-based content. Technology-based learning is pivotal in improving student learning and the collection of data†¦show more content†¦The power of technology provides different approaches to learning and enables lifelong learning in students. Many students have access to internet information and other resources on a daily basis. This enables them to share information and ideas with people from all over the world. It promotes collaboration and allows students to learn new things. The challenge is for our education system to leverage modern technology to create meaningful connections between students’ lives to real world problems. The world we live is highly technological that young American students will have more jobs and opportunities in their lifetime than their parents. â€Å"Learning can no longer be confined to the years we spend in school or the hours we spend in the classroom: It must be lifelong, life-wide, and available on demand† (Bransford et al. 2006). Technology must be incorporated into learning to prepare students to learn throughout their lives and in settings far beyond classrooms. The way students learn and how teachers teach must be changed to meet all students’ needs. According to Bransford, there must be 21st. Century technology integrated into learning in meaningful ways to keep students engaged, motivated and inspired to achieve their highest potential. Technology makes it possible for instructors to design effective lessons; therefore attracting students’

Management And Business Contexts Fashion †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Management And Business Contexts Fashion? Answer: Introduction: Fashion and Trend is a new apparel store that would provide Australian community western wear accessories and apparel and will be positioning itself as the top retail boutique providing service in particular market. The objective of opening boutique is to create a shopping environment that caters to apparel needs of urban Australian women and girls in Brisbane, Queensland. The mission of organization is to offer name brand and quality western wear in an assortment of styles and sizes for accommodating varying shapes and styles of body. Conducting market research has lead to come up with facts that would lead to success of store if few points are taken into consideration. The target base of Brisbane should be provided with an assortment of sizes for fitting ample base. Store is required to attract target customer base by advertising and promoting its products (Chatzoudes et al, 2015). Organizational structure for Boutique clothing store: Since Boutique store is a start up business, it has a simple organizational structure. Decisions are taken in line with the objectives of stores. Level of strength, weakness, expertise and objectives forms the basis of delegation of tasks to employees. Miller Jackson will be acting as general manger of store. He is the general manager and co owner who would be responsible for all the purchasing, inventories, administrative and promotion function. The management team of organization involves only co owner and its owner. General manner will acting as part time representative for sales. Jackson has an extensive experience marketing, purchasing and inventory control. He has also experience in operations and accounts department for over eight years. The personnel plan of boutique store would comprise of two full time employees and tow part time employees working 20 to 25 hours per week. All the employees within the store are encouraged to be at their physical, creative and intellectual be st. The essential source of success of business is providing customers with high degree of service by equipping employees with skills and creative personality (Dumas et al., 2014). In every six months, the performance of employees will be evaluated and assessed based on their level of productivity. External and internal environmental forces impacting the boutique store: Some of the external factors impacting the store can be listed down as below: Economic factors- The Boutique clothing store is highly impacted by the economic factors. Sales of products of clothing store are impacted by economic factors and they would be required to sell their product at reduced price during the recession period (Wheelen et al., 2017). There would be impact on profits generated by store due to economic factors. Political and legal factors- various legal and political factors impacts the clothing industry such as labour laws and workers right. Production of store is impacted by workers picketing their clothing employers. Profit and sales of small retail clothing store is also affected if organization pick pocket retailer and they are known violating child labour laws (Sadgrove, 2016). Technological factors- Demand, resources and production are the factors concerning technology affecting the clothing stores. Small clothing stores are required to keep themselves updated with new fashion trends for acquiring market share. Competitors- Fashion and Trend boutique will be facing competition from Xenia and Calexico, Samantha Ogilvie boutique store. There are many small run family retail boutique stores selling majority of Western wear apparel and as per the market research and statistics, 75% of western apparel is derived from these locations (Harmon, 2015). The brand identity of fashion and trend store would be build by various factors that will help in building loyal customer base and adding value to merchandise. A sense of bonding and culture will be created by offering products and showcasing luxury women wear. Customer factors- Demographic, lifestyles, norms, culture and change in population are some of the macro environmental factors impacting the success of stores. Internal environment impacting boutique stores: Strength- The growing base of customers, understanding clothing industry and intending to provide customers with unique shopping experience are some of fashion and trends strengths. Weakness- Fashion and Trend is a niche market despite the market is large. Opportunity- Growing retail business of clothing stores and there can be repeat business by providing outstanding shopping experience. Threats- New boutique stores that can be opened in future and threats from existing stores are threats. Effectiveness and cost of marketing for women is another threat. Risks confronting the boutique store: The targeted customers are exposed with wide array of cutting edge accessories and products by staring the clothing boutique stores. There are industry wide risks associated with staring a clothing store. Some of the risks confronting the clothing store are as follows: Trend analysis- Assessment of trend is the major risks associated with opening clothing boutique store. Some of the trends in fashion and clothing industry are ever changing, fickle and vague. There can be confused brand entity and undetermined credibility if any misstep is taken by start up (Fadun, 2013). Marketing- Marketing strategies incur high amount of risks for the clothing stores. In addition o this, it is essential for the brand to adopt itself to the changing market conditions. It is essential for business to target the audience by matching to the demographic. Management of inventory- It is required by owner of clothing store to have adequate supply of clothes available in different colour and sizes. On other hand, steep losses might be incurred by business by acquiring excessive inventories and selling them at discount prices. It would also result in excessive storage costs (Ebert et al., 2014). Furthermore, there are risks associated with buying at full price by such boutiques. Landscape of business- Considerable amount of risks posed to the owner of clothing business due to its very nature. It is required by the personnel and staffs of clothing business to perform host of side tasks and working late hours in weekend. Business practices enhancing the organizational performance: A narrow target market is generally served by clothing boutique stores. It is important for boutiques to recognize the importance of marketing strategy and incorporate the same into their business practice. The promotion of retail business is done by adopting the target market campaign, local media coverage and direct marketing campaign. The business practice is also involving combination with downtown merchants and chamber of commerce. Another business practice is following general fashion trends regarding the preferences of customers and meeting the needs of clients by tailoring their inventories. The speciality of the store would be to focus on colour, styles that are fit to flatter baby boomer of females. The main staple of store will be apparel such as formal wear, business wear, clothing wear along with accessories and this will help in segmenting the market and thereby gaining the particular segments and acquiring market share. The performance of organization would be enhanced by expanding and enhancing the product lines that will help in building the business. It will enable in providing customer friendly shopping experience as more and more customers are looking for change (Jeston Nelis, 2014). This would enhance the performance of organization by grapping the leading customers and market acquisition. The core business practice is to have the combination of knowledgeable and exceptional customer service having merchandise style with quality. There would be figure flattering for women by offering customers with wide fashionable clothes. It will assist store in building a brand name that will be similar with the revolution of fashion industry. Important functions of boutique store and relating to its performance: Fashion and trend boutique will work closely with the manufacturers for utilizing line sheets and product catalogs. The products will be placed while weekly and monthly reorders and by reviewing new products. Store intends to provide feminine and classic styles at its best The shipment and deliveries of store will be handled by some intermediaries that would ensure smooth supply of the products offered. There will be a maintenance of detailed records of the all the customer, their size and purchase records, in house promotional purchase and brand for customer follow up The shipment and deliveries of store will be handled by some intermediaries that would ensure smooth supply of the products offered (Fleischmann et al., 2014). It is essential for store to enhance the creative as well as business side. Development of forward and creative style is the most important function of business. Another function is to educate the target customers about big ticket items available in the market and sold by the store. The value provided has to be self evident that would be experienced by customers by feeling it and wearing it. This would enhance the sale made by business and thereby lifting its profit. Conclusion: From the above analysis of external and internal business environment, it can be said that Fashion and Trends has ample business opportunities if they are able to align their business objectives with marketing strategy. The target market should be accessed by following proper marketing strategies. Various functions of store are designed for achieving the performance of organization. Reference: Chatzoudes, D., Chatzoglou, P., Vraimaki, E. (2015). The central role of knowledge management in business operations: Developing a new conceptual framework. Business Process Management Journal, 21(5), 1117-1139. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., Reijers, H. A. (2013). Fundamentals of business process management (Vol. 1, p. 2). Heidelberg: Springer. Ebert, R. J., Griffin, R. W., Starke, F. A., Dracopoulos, G. (2014). Business essentials. Pearson Education Canada. Fadun, O. S. (2013). Risk management and risk management failure: Lessons for business enterprises. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 3(2), 225. Fleischmann, A., Schmidt, W., Stary, C., Obermeier, S., Brger, E. (2014). Subject-oriented business process management. Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated. Hammer, M. (2015). What is business process management?. In Handbook on Business Process Management 1 (pp. 3-16). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Harmon, P. (2015). The scope and evolution of business process management. In Handbook on business process management 1 (pp. 37-80). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Jenkins, W., Williamson, D. (2015). Strategic management and business analysis. Routledge. Jeston, J., Nelis, J. (2014). Business process management. Routledge. Rosemann, M., vom Brocke, J. (2015). The six core elements of business process management. In Handbook on business process management 1 (pp. 105-122). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Sadgrove, K. (2016). The complete guide to business risk management. Routledge. Schaper, M. T., Volery, T., Weber, P. C., Gibson, B. (2014). Entrepreneurship and small business. Wheelen, T. L., Hunger, J. D. (2017). Strategic management and business policy. pearson.

Zara vs Gap Essay Example

Zara vs Gap Paper A Zara store in China. The chains owner, Inditex, surpassed Gap Inc. as the worlds biggest specialty retailer in the second quarter. But the lead may already have vanished. Image: epa/Corbis Based on first-quarter results, Zara International of Spain has closed the gap on Gap Inc., becoming the worlds largest fashion retailer by revenue, the Daily Telegraph points out today. Inditex, Zaras parent company, said first-quarter revenue rose 9 percent to 2.2 billion euros, or $3.46 billion at the time, while Gaps sales drooped 10 percent to $3.38 billion in the same period. Gap is certainly one of the mall-based retailers that has taken the hardest beating over the past year, posting double-digit declines in same-stores sales during many months as cash-strapped Americans cut back on discretionary purchasing. Zara, on the other hand, has continued to make good. Consumers are responding to the retailers fast fashion approach of translating runway looks into retail items at lightning speed, which has meant an ever-changing assortment of cheap, fashionable items in stores. The ability to offer inexpensive and à ¼aut;ber-trendy looks to consumers is still relatively new, and is changing the game for anyone looking to get a share of a young womans wallet. Gap hasnt adapted to the sea change all too well, having stubbornly stuck to its once-popular practical basics approach for too long. When times are tough, those are exactly the apparel items for which people are likely to start trading down to Walmart. Maybe its just Olympics fever talking, but were feeling particularly patriotic today, so here are a few reasons why Gap should keep its chin up: We will write a custom essay sample on Zara vs Gap specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Zara vs Gap specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Zara vs Gap specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 1. The bulk of Zaras 3,900 stores are outside the U.S., where the consumer-spending environment has been significantly stronger during the first half of the year. Gap is unfortunate enough to do more than two-thirds of its business in North America. 2. An $80 million victory over Gap in sales can easily be explained away by the weakness of the dollar against the euro. Gap reports its results (not to mention, sells most of its inventory) in dollars, while Zara has the benefit of dealing in euros. (Indeed, the recent bounce in the buck would have Gap back on top if the figures were converted at todays rate.) 3. While Zara might have perfected the formula for attracting fashion-forward young women, its mens offerings are still nothing to write home about. New research shows that menswear is beginning to be the locus of retail growth, as a shift in mainstream mens fashion has made it essential to buy new basics. Meanwhile, women are tending to put off buying trendy items until the economy improves. So Zara, dont be so quick to dance on Gaps grave, okay?

Consumer Behavior Research Paper

Consumer Behavior Research Paper Part 1: Executive Summary This research paper explains the decision making process , the internal and external factors that have influences a high involvement purchase of Steve Wang that was made recently. At the beginning of this research paper, introducing the demographic detail about Steve Wang and his lifestyle information. Then the product information like price, distribution and competitive position. In the part of analysis of the decision process, mainly give the theories of the process, using some tables and diagrams to make clear and understandable, in this part, the every stages of the process are discussed, include the internal and external factors that impact. Part five gives the explanation of process and factors, the facts of the actual situations compare with the theories. An interview transcript is given in appendix of this report, the biggest limitation is the lack of the experiences of analysis although everyone is a consumer. Part 2: Overview of the person interviewed and the product purchased. 2.1 Demographic and life style information Demographic characteristic such as age, income, family size, and employment status are objective descriptors of individual consumers and householders. The markets for most products are influenced by consumer demographic characteristics. A demographic characteristic such as age is relevant for both coffee and detergents. When marketers ask who their customers are, they frequency refer to the age, income, and regional make up of customer buying their product. Nevertheless, demographics are important as consumer descriptors because they want to buy (age, education, marital status, household composition) Steve Wang as a full-time college student, he has no income right now. All kinds of payment from his parents. Therefore, he has limited budget and sometimes has to shorten on the other parts to satisfy a particular purchasing like to purchase a pair Timberland shoes that is priced at RM599. this definitely is a high involvement purchase to him as well as almost all college students. Age is a powerful determinant of consumer behavior. A personÐ ±Ã ¿s age affects his/her interests, tastes, purchasing ability, political preferences, and investment behavior. At 21 years old, people usually put more attention on whether himself/herself appearance looks good or not other than to care about him-/herself whether lack of Vitamin C or B. And they will shift to more qualitative than quantitative on choosing things. Like other guys, Steve does care about how people feel about his looks especially the girls, the well-known brands and mid-to high priced products become the most popular alternati ves from his point of view even though there is not enough money budget. He is a second-year college student, it is the different level in ones life, therefore he wants to be identified from the teens like high school graduates or first year college students and be a mature man is the reason why does he choose brands like Timberland. His family has a very simple composition-father, mother and son, his father is a busy business man and mother just because a part time housewife due to fathers business is getting better than before. And his budget is getting better too. There is more budget for him to use to purchase things that he likes, but he mentioned that a pair of Timberland still a big purchasing item for him. Life style variables as factors that more closely reflect the consumerÐ ±Ã ¿s day to day interests and therefore are more likely to explain consumer purchases. Life-style is measured by the attitudes, interests and opinions of consumers. Steve has a positive attitude about life, although he worries about some common problems and situations that people worry at the same age. He always tells people do not buy things depend on the price cheap or not, but to concern whether that product has the extent value for future and long term. Products that he wants to buy all depends on such a belief. He is some in principle oriented type, these individuals are guided in their choice by their beliefs and principles rather than by feeling, events or a desire for approval. He loves the outdoor activities, whether new products about outdoor activities, hell try at the first time. So he is some in the action oriented (experience ) type. 2.2 Price, distribution and competitive position about the product purchased The shoes ( Timberland ) is priced at RM599, that is a high priced product but acceptable. If the company has selected its target market and position carefully, then its marketing mix strategy, including price, will be fairly straight forward. The objective of timberland is product quality leadership. They decide the products have to achieve product quality leadership. This normally calls for charging a high price to over higher performance quality and the high cost of RD. Timberland focus on the high quality, high price end of the leather athlete series, they set the price almost 35% higher than the competitors but there are still lot of Timberland lover all over the world. Timberland targets their athlete series mainly on the people aged 20-35 years. Due to this group of peoples attitude, lifestyle and they want the high quality shoes for their activities. And the most important thing is this group of people they are easy to learn about the new information or to accept the new feat ures about the product, that means, easy to change to the new product that the company introduce, they are also willing to pay such a high price compares with other brands. Usually, when people mentions about Timberland, the good quality comes first and then the high price. Therefore, the information about the timberland that people ready kept in mind a certain point. If I want high quality shoes. I pay for it because it worth. Steve bought the shoes in a franchised store of a big shopping center and he mentioned that the previous purchasing was in KLIA franchised store. The reason why Timberland put the stores in big shopping center and airports still because of its targeting and product positioning. They identify and analysis the segment of the market, the targeting customers are those who are in the higher standard level of living class the places they normally go for shopping things are also in the higher standard place. They use the exclusive distribution, giving a limited number of dealers the exclusive right to distribute the companyÐ ±Ã ¿s products in their territories. There are a few of competitors in the marketer, but Timberland stands on several competitive advantages. At the first, it has the much higher quality than its competitors compare under the pricing, then they give the very good and comfortable environment to their customer in every store, this is a important inference; they also give the excellent services after the buying like you can bring your Timberland shoes to any of the Timberland store to clean them for free and if something wrong with the shoes they will repair it for free, in some situation the customer may get a new pair of shoes for replacement. After all this through a longtime period, people will remember timberland as a trusted brand. Part 3 Consumer decision process As usual, the customer decision process begins with the problem recognition. A difference between an existing state and a desired one become a consumer problem, a consumer begins with a particular state of mind that represents his or her perceptions of and attitudes forward known brands. For example, consider a business school student who is thinking of purchasing a personal computer. Once the problem has been recognized, an information search is undertaken to isolate an effective solution. After the information has been gathered, allowing the consumer to determine and compare the relevant and feasible alternatives, the decision can be made. The attributes that influence store choice are examined, and related to the needs of particular consumer groups. The actual acquisition of the product is analysis, with particular attention given to retailers efforts attract and satisfy consumers in the exchange process. Post purchase processes are examined by marketing managers and she/he has to make necessary decisions on that both external and internal influences affects the consumer decision making. 3.1 Situational influences A situation ( Neal 1998) is a set of factors outside of and removed from the individual consumer or the stimulus object to which the consumer is reacting. The consumption process occurs within 3 categories: the communication situation, the purchase situation and the usage situation. ( Refer to table 1) The first class of situational influence provides a system that managers can use in determine whether a situation has an effect can a consumers purchase behavior. ( Refer to table 2) 3.2 Problem recognition As the consumer mores from a very low level of involvement with the purchase situation to a high level of involvement , decision making becomes increasingly complex. Purchase involvement is a continuum, and it is also useful to consider habitual, limited and extended decision making as general decryptions of the types of process that occur along various points on the continuum. A consumer is committed to a certain brand (Timberland) because he/she believes it best meets overall wells, and because an emotional attachment has been fit, formed. Therefore, he/she is brand loyal. It will be very difficult for a competitor to gain his/her patronage. Extended decision making is the response to a very high level of purchase involvement (shopping product). The recognition of a problem is the result of a discrepancy between a desired state and an actual state, without if there is no need for a consumer decision. Both active and inactive problem occurs in the consumer problems. There are several factors influence the consumers actual state meet past decisions, normal depletion, product brand performance, individual development, emotions, the efforts of consumer groups and government departments the availability of products, and the current situation. 3.3 Information search Consumers are continually recognizing problems an opportunities, so internal and external searches for information to solve these problems are on going processes. Information search involves mental as well as physical activity on the part of consumers. The use of information from memory is referred to as internal search. And, the search process is focused on external stimuli relevant to soloing problem is called external search. A consumer decision requires the appropriate evaluative criteria for the solution of a problem. The existence of various alternative solutions the performance level or characteristic of each alternative solution on each evaluative criteria. As consumers move into more extended decision making, the relative importance of external information search tends to increase. External information can include: the opinions, attitudes , behaviors and feelings of friends, neighbors and relatives; professional information; direct experiences and marketer generated informat ion. The information sources are from memory; personal sources, independent sources marketing sources and experiential sources. Usually different measures of external information search have been used: number of stores visited; number of alternatives considered; number of personal. Sources used, overall or combination measures. Market characteristics include the number of alternatives, price, and age. Store distribution and information availability. It is the consumers perception of, or belief about, the market characteristics influence shopping behavior. Product characteristics like price level and differentiation tend to influence external search. The consumer and situational characteristics also influence the external search. 3.4 Evaluating and Selecting alternative While consumers are gathering information about various alternative solutions to a recognized problem, and after they have done so, they evaluate the alternatives and select the course of action that seems most likely to solve the problem. Evaluative criteria are the various features a consumer looks for in response to a particular problem. They are the performance levels or characteristics consumers use to compare different brands in light of their particular consumption problem. The number type and importance of evaluative criteria used differ from consumer to consumer and across product categories. When consumers judge alternative brands or several evaluative criteria, they must have some methods for selecting one brand from the various choices. Decision rules are used by them. A decision rule specifies how a consumer compares two or more brands. Five commonly used decision rule are the disjunctive, conjunctive, lexicographic, elimination-by-aspects, and compensatory rules. 3.5 Outlet Selection product purchase The decision used by, consumers to select a retail outlet is the same as the selecting a brand. The store is image and the type and amount of retail advertising often exert important influences as evaluative criteria. The major dimensions of store image include merchandise, service, clientele, and physical facilities, convenience. Promotion and store atmosphere. Outlet location is an important attribute for many consumers. Larger outlets are general preferred over small outlets. Shopping orientation refers to the general approach a consumer takes to acquiring both brands and non-purchase satisfaction from various types of retail outlets. While in a store, consumers may often purchase a brand or product that differs from their plans made before entering the store. Such purchase is referred to as impulse or unplanned purchase, and the decisions can be the result of additional information processing induced by in store stimuli. Once the outlet and brand have been selected, the consumer must acquire the rights to the item. 3.6 Post Purchase Processes Following some purchases, consumers experience doubts or anxiety about the wisdom of the purchase. Whether or not the consumer experiences dissonance, most purchases are followed by product use. That consumers use a product to fulfil certain needs. If the product does not fulfil these needs, a negative evaluation may result. Monitoring product usage can indicate new uses for existing products, needed product modifications, appropriate advertising themes, and opportunities for new products. Disposal of the product or its packaging may occur before, during or after product use. socially-conscious consumers, are an important market segment not only because of their purchases but because of their social and political influence. Postpurchase dissonance, product usage disposal are potential influences on the purchase evaluation process. Basically, consumers develop certain expectations about the ability of the product to fulfil instrumental and symbolic needs. Taking no action, switching b rands, products, or stores, and warning friends are all common reactions to a negative purchase evaluation. After the evaluation process and, where applicable, the complaint process, consumers have some degree of repurchase motivation. There may be a strong motive to avoid the brand, a willingness to repurchase it some of the time, or some level of brand loyalty, which is a willingness to repurchase coupled with a psychological commitment to the brand. 3.7 Influences 3.7.1 Internal influences In this report , focusing just on several relevant area about internal influences. Perception consists of those activities by which an individual acquires and assign meaning to stimuli, begins with exposure, usually the result of self-selection. Attention occurs when the stimulus activities one or more of the sensory receptors, and the resulting sensations go into the brain for processing. Interpretation is the assignment of meaning to stimuli that have been attended to consumers must learn almost everything related to being a consumer: product existence, performance, availability, values, preference so on. Learning is defined as any change in the content or organization of long-term memory. Conditioning cognition learning are used by consumers reinforcement plays a much larger role in operant conditioning than it does in classical conditioning. The strength of learning depends on: importance, reinforcement, repetition and imagery. Consumer motivations are the energizing forces tha t activate behavior provide purpose for and direction to that behavior. Maslows needs hierarchy states that basic motives must be minimally satisfied before more advanced motives are activated. It proposes five levels of motivation: physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization. Consumers are often aware of and will admit t the motives causing their behavior. Because of the large number of motives and the many different situations that consumers face. Motivational conflict can occur, in approach-approach conflict, approach-avoidance conflict and avoidance-avoidance conflict. The personality of a consumer guides and directs the behavior chosen for accomplishing goals in different situations. The relatively long-lasting personal quality that allows individuals to respond to the world around them. Emotions are strong, relatively uncontrollable feelings that affect behavior, occur when environmental events or mental processes trigger physiological changes. Attitud e-change strategies can focus on affect, behavior, cognition or some combination of these. 3.7.2 External influences There are a lot of external influences on consumer decision making process, but here the relative influences will be discussed. The reference group is a group whose presumed perspectives or values are being used by an individual as the basis for his or her current behavior. Marketers have found three classification criteria-membership, degree of contact and attraction to be particular useful. Groups that have frequent personal contact are primary groups, while those with limited interpersonal contact are called secondary groups. Group influence varies across situations. Informational influence occurs when individual conforms to group expectations to gain approval or avoid disapproval. Identification conformity is still stronger since an individual uses the group norms identifies with them as apart of his/her self-concept and identity. Part 4: Explanations in actual case Steve first walked in the Timberland store in One Utama shopping center, he immediately felt that very comfortable, the layout display made him easily choosing a pair pretty good shoes, that he bought as the first pair of Timberland shoes. The physical surrounding there is absolutely good as well as every its franchise stores. As people walk in the store the first display table is displaying the newest clothing and shoes, very comfortable seats for people to try the shoes just opposite the shoes displaying shelf and the every corner for a certain kind of product like classical shoes, jackets, shirts and pants, and athlete series, mountain clamber series. They have very high quality staff work in every store that makes consumers feel really good. Social surroundings are also involves in here, Steve said that he would rather buy if the stores are in the big shopping center. A pair of Timberland shoes is considering as the shopping product in the problem recognition also a extended decision making. There is several factors influence SteveÐ ±Ã ¿s actual state; at first, the most important one is the very good performance of the shoes, comfortable and durable, and a pretty high class design. That attracts peopleÐ ±Ã ¿s attention; then, the shoes gives him a good feeling of wearing it, he said that the emotion is the important component when he makes a purchase; and last is individual development, he is now a 21 years old guy and a second year college student, not only the knowledge but also the mental have developed, he wants to make himself more mature that is the reason he chooses the brand like Timberland. He did some compares ion works before he actually bought that RM599 shoes. Actually, he wanted to choose from 4 brands at the first time: Nike, Adidas, Converse all stars and Timberland. But after he tried the Timberland he decided to buy it immediately, and several friends of him are wearing Timberland boots as well. He likes all kinds of timberland ads, he even feels those are the rest ads make him feel good. The disjunctive decision rule is used by him in the evaluation and selection of alternatives. He would first consider the design and quality of the salesmans introduction. Steve always follow the brand first, outlet second in store influences that alter brand choices, Steve said he will never buy things that his eyes can not contact, therefore the timberlandÐ ±Ã ¿s layout just satisfies him. The timberland shoes completely meet his expectation and performance quite well, he is very satisfied with it. As a result, he said if his budget permits he will buy an other pair of sam e brand shoes, and he has the big interest in Timberland shoes that are newly introduced. Therefore, until here he has no dissatisfy with the shoes, and he has a kind of loyalty to the Timberland brand. And another thing has to mention here is the group influences also play an important part in his decision making, both from friends and family. Steve belongs to a group of people they have the similar life quality lifestyle, habits, even the quite similar budget, and the same or higher education level. He wants himself to be a mature man, in other words, he wants to be the same with others. there is an identification influence occurring.

Censorship in High Schools essays

Censorship in High Schools essays Censorship is the biggest controversial topic in high schools all across America. Although some principles and parents dont think their kids are mature enough to learn about sex, drugs, abortion, divorce, etc., students need to learn how to approach situations in the real world. Censorship should be banned in high school because the students have the right to know what occurs around them and the consequences that they could face. The First Amendment and the Education Code both give you the right to express yourself. The First Amendment states that, Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press. ala.org/ala/oif/ firstamendment/faresources/resources.htm This amendment supports all the citizens of United States of America. Everyone in this country is given the right to express themselves. For example, people can speak the way they choose to, write the way the way they want to, and even dress in clothes that they desire. Even though the First Amendment supports all citizens, the Education Code is specifically for all students. Section 48907 of the Education Code states that, Students of the public schools shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and of the press. This gives the students the right to express themselves in the newspaper. It gives them the right to express their thoughts and feelings with their peers. The schools shouldnt be able to limit the students abou t how they express themselves. Everyone is unique in their own way and they shouldnt be judged for expressing themselves. Giving students the right to express themselves is very important. in the 1988 Supreme Court ruling, Justices William Brennan, Thurgood Marshall, and Harry Blackmun stated that censorship, In no way furthers the curricular purpose of a student newspaper, unless one believes that the purpose of the school newspaper is to teach students that the pres...

How Instagram as a Social Media has Influence on Fashion Industry Essay

How Instagram as a Social Media has Influence on Fashion Industry - Essay Example The essay "How Istagram as a Social Media has Influence on Fashion Industry" investigates the impact of Instagram on Fashion Industry. Previously, the fashion industry’s had a standard means of communication referred to as tell style. It was a one-way and was so limiting. Public relations professionals dictated and control their organizational methods; conversely, social media have actively enforced monitoring and discussing of contents with consumers without any interference in between. Today, the power discussion in the fashion industry is directly related to the influence one has on critics and consumers, as opposed to just advertising or selling merchandise. An effective influence is one that results to recognition of the industry’s brand; generate discussion, and approval of the consumer via several comments. Instagramis an application contained on mobilephones and can be used for sharing of photosand serves the same social goals as Tumblr, but in a prettier, scale d-down way. Many use this Instagram as a channel of self-expression. Like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram’s appeal lies in its number of provided utilities both for individuals that love fashion and for owners of fashion brands. Many use Instagram to do several things like display their personal lines, makeup tips, cooking recipes and many other skills they have, but fashion is the most seen on these networks. Instagram app allows many to express their sense of fashion and is highly used today to influence how one views and captures fashion.

Business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Business ethics - Essay Example Application of ethics into businesses has expanded the role of businesses in the economy. According to the classical economic theory however, the firms are driven by the primary objective to maximize profits while consumers are driven by the primary objective to maximize the self satisfaction which is known as utility. Hence the producers and consumers in the economy are motivated by profits and losses as measured in terms of dollars and cents rather than any moral value. Moreover, such profit maximizing production procedures may not be the ethical approach when the social and environmental concerns are addressed. Therefore, a theoretical ambiguity appears in what is the ethical conduct in business. When a company rigidly adheres to a marketing policy which focuses only on short run benefits it can suffer severe economic losses in the long run (Ferrell et al., 2012). Example, marginal declining of value of housing assets in the USA market ended up resulting in bankruptcy of Lehman Br others in the USA and BNP Paribas in France. Laiki Bank in Cyprus also ended up in bankruptcy as a result of unethical business strategies. In other words attempting profit out of thin year caused the recent financial market failure. Moreover, negligence of duty can result in lives lost to the society as well as losses to the companies (Guerra, 2013). An ethical dilemma is created when an individual company, a community or consumers are not in control of all the factors that influence their choices example, when the government interventions in open market operations lead certain companies into bankruptcy. Government interventions in the markets are identified in terms of price subsidizing, taxing, and imposing trade barriers which are aimed at achieving specific developmental goals, national food security and self sufficiency, reducing poverty, reducing market power and protecting the public goods. However, there are noneconomic, political motivations for interfering in the markets by the government example, for financing a war. Moral Issues in Financial Market Failures Banking failure is defined as a situation in which banks are closed from operation because of the financial difficulties (Gunsel, 2007). There can be a number of bad monetary policies which may cause banking failure. A number of moral issues also arise relevant to bank failures. For example, banks operate according to the policies which are set by the government i.e. policies are defined in the bank’s external environment. Even though an individual firm may foresee its bankruptcy it can have little to no control over the tragic destiny lying ahead. Government intervening in markets is identified as a market failure in neo-classical economics theory because it can disrupt the optimal resource allocation and create deadweight loss to the social welfare. Free market structure is identified as the most efficient economy. The three case studies described in the following chapter bare evidence s as to how bad fiscal and monetary policies can result in bankruptcy of the firms. Not only the external policy environment but unethical firm level policies can also lead companies into bankruptcy. The recent Subprime Mortgage Crisis Friedman, 2009, describes the cause of global financial crisis which occurred during the past decade in terms of following government interv

Adolf Hitler- Long Live Germany Essay Example for Free

Adolf Hitler- Long Live Germany Essay The ruler, commander, leader, â€Å"God like† image to all of German in between his rising years, 1928-1935, had great power over all living being in Germany at the time. German flags would be raised wherever you may travel in German; Nazi’s over-ruled the people in many streets Here is a poster of Adolf Hitler, during 1935, showing us how mighty and powerful he is. Showing us how he can change German individuals’ lives into a better life, and how he and his party, can make a change into German. Es lebe Deutfchland! † A phrase that has been used in front of the poster, meaning â€Å"Long live Germany! † We all know that Hitler’s rise to power between 1928-1933 made him a strong and well-known man. Everyone in Germany would look up to Hitler, and here shows how Hitler would die for his country, how he would do what so ever to protect his country. He is telling us in this poster that he himself would fight for Germany, he would be able to lead his country, and the people in it, and keep them from harm. Having an eagle hover against the light of heaven over Hitler in this poster connects back to Christ when a dove descended upon Him when He was being baptised by John the Baptist. This would give us a clue that Yes! Hitler was an idealized God to the Germans’, knowing that he has done a lot for them. Overcoming the great depression, helping the citizens of Germany get employed and many other offers. People would praise in Adolf Hitler’s name. They would die for Hitler. As you can see at the back of Hitler are his followers, much likely to be the Nazi’s and German people holding the German flag and hailing Hitler. Thousands, let’s say billions had gathered to support Hitler, and trying to persuade us that Hitler is a trustworthy man, and how he can help German citizens overcome anything when they are in deep crisis. We all know that in Hitler’s time, everyone idolized him, but for what reason? Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding speaker who attracted a wide following of Germans who were desperate for change in Germany. This poster tells us more of how Hitler won over, changed Germany and became successful in many things. To conclude this Visual essay, Hitler was successful in his days, knowing by the looks of this poster. He did have everybody fooled by his beauty and the way he structures himself, to make people think he is on their side, but in reality he’s just another beast getting revenge for his mother country, Germany. â€Å"Heil Hitler† they say, and have German flags flowing for him†¦ â€Å"Heil Hitler! †

The Conflict Between Conformity and Individuality in Willa Cathers Pau

The Conflict Between Conformity and Individuality in Willa Cather's Paul's Case Willa Cather’s â€Å"Paul’s Case,† displays the conflict between conformity and individuality through the main character, Paul. On a number of occasions, Paul is forced to lie and steal to escape the conformists who wish to control him and stifle his unique imagination. However, his lying, stealing, and attempts to escape the conformists, only force Paul into isolation, depression, and feeling a sense of shame for his individuality. Throughout the story one might see Cather’s constant contrast of individuality versus conformity, as well as Paul’s lying and stealing. Cather seems to draw the conclusion that extreme individuals, much like Paul are simply misunderstood, and not offered the acceptance they desire from conformist society. One way Cather contrasts individuality and conformity is through detailed descriptions of Paul’s character: Paul’s appearance, Paul’s unusual mannerisms, and Paul’s open criticisms of conformity. Collectively, these three characteristics assert Paul’s individuality. Paul’s appearance is described in detail at the beginning of the story and provides the foundation of his individuality: â€Å"Paul was tall for his age and very thin, with high, cramped shoulders and a narrow chest†(Pg. 1). One only needs to reach the second paragraph of the story and realize Paul does not fit in, which can be accredited to Cather’s careful word choice â€Å"for his age.† Most young individuals, specifically in Paul’s teenage age bracket, will struggle for acceptance from their peers; however it appears that Paul makes little effort in this regard. Paul’s unusual mannerisms are also worthy of analysis, and aid in creating a mental picture of this unusual young man. Cather uses Paul’s meeting with the faculty of his educational facility to convey the irritating and intimidating qualities of his mannerisms. She writes, â€Å"His teachers felt this afternoon that his whole attitude was symbolized by his shrug and his flippantly red carnation flower, and they fell upon him without mercy†¦. He stood through it smiling, his pale lips parted over his white teeth. (His lips were continually twitching, and he had a habit of raising his eyebrows that was contemptuous and irritating to the last degree)†(Pg.2). Combined with the description of Paul’s physical appearance, his mannerisms now... ...nearly always wore the guise of ugliness, that a certain element of artificiality seemed to him necessary in beauty†(Pg. 7). With this in mind, Paul’s actions seem deliberate, as if he knew what he was doing all along, again supporting the theory that he was simply wallowing in misery, crying for help. In conclusion, Willa Carther’s â€Å"Paul’s Case† is an interesting glimpse into the world of a young boy, who’s individuality is constantly in conflict with the conformist society that surrounds him. In attempts to escape this reality, Paul loses himself in a fantasy world of art, lies, and thievery. In this attempt to escape, Paul slips into isolation and depression. Carther in this regard is very careful on how she portrays Paul, to brink about some sympathy from the reader as he is simply a troubled young man. In the end, Paul’s individuality and societies refusal of him leads to Paul’s demise. The sympathy Cather creates for Paul leaves one questioning if society simply should have supported Paul’s individuality, instead of letting him slip away. Paul’s death seems to support this theory, as not a single reader would have wished such a cruel ending to the life of a dreamer.

Fear and Anxiety

Phobia comes from the Greek word ‘phobos’ meaning morbid fear (wikipedia). But what exactly is a phobia? The direct denotation of a phobia is â€Å"a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it† (dictionary). A phobia falls under the category of an anxiety disorder. An anxiety disorder is often â€Å"a harmful chronic condition, which can be present from an early age or begin suddenly after a triggering event.They are prone to flare up at times of high stress and are frequently accompanied by physiological symptoms such as headache, sweating, muscle spasms, palpitations, and hypertension, which in some cases lead to fatigue or even exhaustion† (wikipedia). According to healthline. com, if there is any exposure to the object that is feared, the stimulus may provoke extreme anxiety or a panic attack. † Phobias are mainly and tend to be caused by a traumatic event or experience th at happened prior in a person’s life.Other factors that may increase the likelihood of a phobia developing include cultural factors and possibly even genetics. â€Å"Phobias are actually quite common, affecting more than ten percent of the U. S. population. Phobias are the most common mental disorder in the United States, but far more women than men are affected by phobias† (about. com). Approximately six point three million American adults ages eighteen to fifty four, or about four point four percent of people in this age group in a given year, have some type of specific phobia (Heering).This anxiety disorder affects more than one in ten people in the word and they are usually present as a panic attack or a severe episode of anxiety and start during adolescence or adulthood (Frapwell). The percent of people that are diagnosed of having a phobia tend to be constant year to year; there has not been a dramatic increase or decrease over the years. Phobias can be divided i nto three main categories: social phobias, agoraphobia, and specific phobias. Social phobias deal with fear of social situations. People who have or had social phobia tend to stay in a solitary environment or just stay home alone where they are most comfortable.This does affect a person’s life because it prevents them from functioning in daily life. People do need to interact with others, especially in need of help. These people do not go to social events or outings because then they would feel like they are in danger and it is more likely that they will have a panic attack. A previous negative social experience can be the trigger to having a social phobia perhaps particularly for individuals who have an intrapersonality. Someone with an intrapersonality tend to stay away from groups and would rather stay and work alone.The cultural factors that have been related to social anxiety disorder include a society's attitude towards shyness and avoidance, affecting someone’s ability to form relationships and access employment or education. One study found that the effects of parenting are different depending on the culture – American children appear more likely to develop social anxiety disorder if their parents emphasize the importance of other's opinions and use shame as a disciplinary strategy, but this association was not found for Chinese American children.In China, research has indicated that shy-inhibited children are more accepted than their peers and more likely to be considered for leadership and considered competent, in contrast to the findings in Western countries. There is an increased amount or a decreased amount that social phobia affects depending on where the country is located, showing that cultur does make a difference (wikipedia). Agoraphobia is defined as an abnormal fear of being in crowds, public places, or open areas, sometimes accompanied by anxiety attacks (dictionary).The severity of agoraphobia varies, they can live ab solutely normal lives avoiding potential anxiety-provoking situations or they can stay at home practically all day and be homebound trying to stay away from anything that will cause them to be anxious. People with a less severe version of agoraphobia are more likely to buy a luxuorious automobile because they do not walk to their destination or take public transportation. This does make sense because the person with agoraphobia would be more comfortable in a luxuorious automobile where they can be alone.The causes of agoraphobia are currrently unknown, but the cultural factors that could be related to agoraphobia include the population of where a person lived while growing up. If the person was raised on a farm isolated from the world around them is more likely to develop the fear of public places than someone who lives in the city who is used to that type of environment. A scary experience or event in a person’s life can also be a major tribute to having this phobia. Agoraph obia occurs twice as commonly in women as it does in men.This is not very accurate considering that most men would not report that they have agoraphobia due to there stereotypical image of being strong and having no fear (Heering). Specific phobias deal with fear of a specific objects such as snakes or spiders. There are four major types of specific phobias. The four major types of specific phobias include the fear of natural environment, the fear of animals, medical related fear, and situational fear. The most common specific phobia of the natural environment include the fear of lightning, storms, and water. Fear of spiders, snakes, and mice are the most common specific fear with animals.People with a medical related phobia tend to have a fear of going to the doctor or hospital, fear of getting injured, and an irrational fear of seeing any amount of blood. Situational fear tend to involve a fear of specific situations, such as flying, driving, going over bridges or driving through tunnels, and even being in enclosed places like an elevator. There is a higher percentage of people with a specific type of phobia than agoraphobia and social phobia (nih, National Institute of Mental Health). The first diagnosis of any type of phobia was in the year of nineteen seventy.The diagnosis was related to social phobia and it was discussed as a clinical syndrome distinct from other anxiety disorders. Social phobia was not offically recognized until the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (webMD). Symptoms for acknowledging that someone has a phobia vary depending on the type of phobia, but some symptoms apply to just having some type of phobia. Symptoms regarding all phobias include excessive or irrational fear of a specific object or situation and the avoidance of the object or situation, or enduring it with great distress.Physical symptoms of anxiety or a panic attack, such as a pounding heart, nausea or diarrhea, sweating, trembling or shaking, numbness or tingling, problems with breathing, shortness of breath, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and feeling like you are choking. Anticipatory anxiety is another symptom regarding all phobias. Anticipatory anxiety involves becoming nervous ahead of time about being in certain situations or coming into contact with the object of your phobia. An example of this would be smilar to a person with a fear of dogs and how that person may become anxious about going for a walk because he or she may see a dog along the way.Children react differently with recognition of there phobias, which makes their symptoms of having a phobia different to the adult symptoms. Children with a specific phobia may express their anxiety by crying, clinging to a parent, or throwing a tantrum (webMD). Diagnosis of a phobia is an evaluation of the patient and the symptoms or anxiety they have. There is not really a diagnostic laboratory test for phobias. Diagnosis is based on the patient's account of their experiences. If symptoms of a specific phobia are present, the doctor will begin an evaluation by performing a complete medical history and physical exam.Although there are no laboratory tests to specifically diagnose specific phobias, the doctor may use various tests to make sure that a physical illness isn't the cause of the symptoms. If no physical illness is found, a person may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist, mental health professionals who are specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Psychiatrists and psychologists use specially designed interview and assessment tools to evaluate a person for a specific phobia. The doctor bases his or her diagnosis of specific phobias on reported symptoms, including any problems with functioning caused by the symptoms.A specific phobia is diagnosed if the person's fear and anxiety are particularly distressing or if they interfere with his or her daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships (webMD). Diagnostic criteria differs between the three main types of phobias. According to the 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, â€Å"the most difficult aspect of diagnosing phobias is sorting them out from other psychiatric disorders such as paranoia, schizophrenia, or obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which fear is associated with situations or specific objects. The diagnostic criteria for a specific phobia â€Å"is if the patient experiences excessive or irrational fear of a specific object or situation, has exposure to the object or situation and it causes an immediate anxiety response or a panic attack, the person knows that the fear is excessive and irrational, the object or situation is endured with distress or avoided, and avoidance, anticipatory anxiety, or distress during exposure to the feared object or situation interferes with the person's ability to function in normal daily activities. The person may have distress a bout having the phobia† (American Psychiatric Association).Social phobia has the most criteria for diagnosis compared to agoraphobia and a specific phobia. According to the 4th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the criteria for a social phobia is as follow: â€Å"the person fears or is anxious about experiencing public embarrassment or humiliation in social or performance situations, being in such situations creates intense anxiety and possibly a panic attack, the patient knows that the fear is excessive and irrational, and social or performance situations are avoided or endured with great distress.This condition disrupts the patient’s ability to function at work or school and causes them to withdraw from social activities and/or relationships, or the fact that they have the phobia causes them distress. This condition has been led on for at least 6 months in people over the age of 18 and fear and avoidance are not caused by other mental disorders, a medical condition, or the effects of a drug. † Agoraphobia and its criteria is very basic. If the patient can not stand being trapped in a place or is stuck in a difficult situation which leads to a panic attack is a hint of having agoraphobia.If the patient tries to avoid a difficult situation at all costs and nearly has a panic attack thinking about being in a difficult situation or trapped in a place. Lastly, the avoidance is not caused by any type of drug or other psychotic illness or disorder. (American Psychiatric Association). There are a couple different methods on how to treat and cure phobias. There are different methods of treatment for each main category of phobias: agoraphobia, social phobia, and specific phobia.Any phobia that interferes with daily living and creates extreme disability should be treated. With proper treatment, the vast majority of phobia patients can completely overcome their fears and be symptom-free for years, if not for life. Effe ctive relief can usually be gained through either cognitive behavior therapy, medication, or a combination of both. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy regards to all phobias within all the main categories. â€Å"Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, CBT, is highly effective in treating phobias.Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy techniques help people recognize the events or items that trigger the patient’s reactions. The recognition of the events or items that triggers the patient’s reactions is the cognitive piece of the puzzle. The behavioral piece is the teaching of ways of coping with anxious feelings and physical symptoms through exposure and desensitization† (discovery health). Some therapists use virtual reality or imagery exercise to desensitize patients to the feared entity. These are parts of systematic desensitization therapy.Hypnotherapy is another type of treatment for phobias. Hypnotherapy cooperating with neuro-linguistic programming can also be used to help remove t he associations that trigger a phobic reaction. However, lack of research and scientific testing compromises its status as an effective treatment. A different type of treatment is the Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has been demonstrated in peer-reviewed clinical trials to be effective in treating some phobias.Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing has been demonstrated as effective in easing phobia symptoms following a specific trauma, such as a fear of dogs following a dog bite. Emotional Freedom Technique, a psychotherapeutic alternative medicine tool, also considered to be pseudoscience by the mainstream medicine, is somewhat useful for patients, also. Medications are used to control the panic experienced during a phobic situation, as well as the anxiety caused by anticipation of that situation and are often used to treat social phobia and agoraphobia.According to wikipedia, â€Å"antidepressant medicatio ns such as SSRIs and MAOIs may be helpful in some cases of phobia. Benzodiazepines may be useful in acute treatment of severe symptoms but the risk benefit ratio is against their long-term use in phobic disorders. † Through treatment, you gain more control over an anxiety disorder. By developing good coping skills, you have a better chance of preventing future anxiety attacks. But, treatment always varies from person to person because others may benefit from one type of treatment more than another person. Living with a phobia can be difficult.Even if the feared object or situation does not regularly appear in the patient’s daily life, the patient may find that a lot of their time is spent worrying that it may appear or figuring out how to avoid it. Although you will find primary support from your therapist and closest friends or relatives, you may discover that additional support makes coping easier. Many people find it helpful to read first-person accounts of peopleâ⠂¬â„¢s personal struggles with phobias. Others search for the latest treatment information. Many find that simply speaking with someone who has been there makes things a bit easier to handle.Although many phobia sufferers experience similar concerns despite the type of phobia they have, each type of phobia also brings with it specific concerns (Heering). Telling someone that you have been diagnosed with a phobia could be very emotional for you because you do not want to be made fun of or be judged. It could also be hard because after you tell them what you have been diagnosed with you might be treated differently. You could be treated as a sick patient, which would probably make it worse for you making you think of the phobia more.Phobias do have psychological and emotional effects on you. You could wonder if what you are thinking is normal or not, which can mess with your thoughts (Heering). A phobia affects your life, but does it affect the people around you? This depends on what type of phobia you are diagnosed with. If you are diagnosed with a social phobia, you have most likely lost most or even all of your close relationships. If you are diagnosed with a specific phobia, then you are likely to still have relationships with the people close to you.Yes, there may some limits, such as if a person is afraid of flying and their friend wants them to go on a vacation with them, the person with the phobia is not going to go. Sometimes the question of phobias be prevented comes up and the answer is no a phobia can not be prevented. â€Å"Although many specific phobias cannot be prevented, early intervention and treatment following a traumatic experience, such as an animal attack, may prevent the person from developing severe anxiety† (webMD). There are many types of phobias including some strange and ironic types f phobias. The most common types of phobias mostly fall under the specific phobias category. Some common phobias are â€Å"arachnophobia, ophidi ophobia, acrophobia, agoraphobia, cynophobia, astraphobia, trypanophobia, social phobias, pteromerhanophobia, mysophobia, belonephobia, claustrophobia, odontiatophobia, phasmophobia, phobophobia, trypanophobia, zoophobia† (about). There are many interesting facts of these phobias. Arachnophobia is the fear of spiders and is twice as more likely to occur with women having this phobia than men.Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes and it is often attributed by a traumatic experience or by cultural factors. Acrophobia is the fear of heights and usually leads to panic attacks and avoidance on anything in relation to height. Cynophobia is the fear of dogs and is usually caused by a not so good specific experience with a dog. Astraphobia is the fear of thunder and lightening, which also has three other names: brontophobia, tonitrophobia, and ceraunophobia. Trypanophobia is the fear of injections and this fear goes untreated because people avoid the triggering object and situation.Pter omerhanophobia is the fear of flying and is often treated using exposure therapy, in which the patient is gradually and progressively introduced to flying. Mysophobia is the fear of germs or dirt and could possibly be related to obsessive compulsive disorder. Belonephobia is the fear of pins and needles, claustrophobia is the fear of an enclosed space, odontiatophobia is the fear of dentists, phasmophobia is the fear of seeing a ghost or a phantom, phobophobia is the fear of having a phobia, and zoophobia is the fear of going to a zoo. The latest type of phobia now is a food phobia.There are a few amounts of people that are scared of mayonnaise or ketchup (about). Yes, there are many phobias out there that are strange and scientists are starting to wonder if it really is a phobia or just an excuse. You would never think that celebrities have phobias because we all think that they are just glitz and glam and perfect, but in reality some celebrities do have phobias. Did you know that Nicole Kidman has a fear of butterflies? Jennifer Aniston, Cher, Michael Jackson, and Whoopi Goldberg have a fear of flying. Orlando Bloom has a fear of pigs.Daniel Radcliffe, Johnny Depp, and Sean â€Å"Diddy† Combs have a fear of clowns (about). It is so weird that the people other people look up to and think they are scared of nothing are normal people and fear thing regular people fear. There are three main categories of a phobia: social phobia, which is the fear of any type of a social situation, agoraphobia, which is the fear of being in crowds or public places, and specific phobia which is the fear of a specific object. What it all comes down to be is that fear runs the life of a person with phobia.It affects the person emotionally and psychologically and depending on the severity and what type of phobia the person has, it could affect the people around you and your relationships with them. Not all phobias have a treatment unless if the person is willing to go through with the treatment. A phobia can be a serious anxiety disorder.Works Cited About. com. Web. Craske, Michelle, Martin M. Antony, and David H. Barlow. Mastering Your Fears and Phobias. Madison Avenue, New York, New York: Oxford UP, 2006. Print. Emery, Gary, Ruth Greenberg, and Aaron T. Beck. Anxiety Disorders and Phobias: A Cognitive Perspective. Basic, 1990. Print. Frapwell, Mark, and Grace Tsai, Ph. D. Discoveryhealth. com. Web. Heering, Jan. Phobia-fear-release. com. 23 Nov. 2009. Web. Moore, D. P. â€Å"Phoba- Simple/Specific. † Healthline. com. Web. Nimh. nih. gov. National Institute of Mental Health. Web. â€Å"Phobia†, â€Å"Anxiety Disorder. † Dictionary. com. Web. â€Å"Phobias. † Webmd. com. Healthwise, Incorporated, 1995. Web. Todd, Jr. , Dr. D. B. Mmc. edu. Meharry Medical College. Web. Wikipedia. com. Web. .

Huck Finn and Social Justice

Huc   Chenxing Ouyang 3/20/2013 American Lit-Social Justice & Huck Finn â€Å"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. † This notice at the beginning is controversial; some people say that it is a warning that was written for readers at the time when slavery was a sensitive issue to talk about, while others interpret it as a satirical comment about the way literature is scrutinized to find means and morals in a book.But I believe what Mark Twain is trying to say is: â€Å"Don’t try to analyze the book, just read it for fun, no pressure! â€Å" In the book   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn   by Mark Twain, the lifestyle   of the Southerners in the mid-1800s are depicted through the eyes of a 13 years old boy Huck Finn living along the Mississippi River. It is a book about the search for freedom. Main characters in the movie seek freedom from social and moral constraints. Throughout novel, Huck learns to follow his own morals and values over what society deemed to be acceptable in the 1800 s.He eventually achieved what he desires the most-freedom. In Twain’s opinion, it is the â€Å"closed mindsets about slavery of the society prohibited the development of personal morality and social justice. †   Ã‚   One of the most important issues presented in this book is slavery. The superiority of whites was one of the causes of slavery. At the time when Mark twain was grown up, White men were born with privilege and superiority whereas blacks were doomed to be slaves. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Papa says to Huck: â€Å"You're educated; too, they say; can read and write.You think you're better’n your father, now, don’t you, because he can’t? I’ll take it out of you†. When Papa finds out that Huck is being sent to school by Ms. Watson and edu cated, he is intimidated by the fact that his son, is being civilized and going to be a better person than he is. A sense of insecurity is developed and Papa immediately sees Huck as a threat to his inherited privileges. This insecurity symbolized the whites’ fear of losing dominance over black people.In Papa’s mind, Huck is his property; it is a bit strange for us to think that someone is actually â€Å"owned† by someone else, but at a time when slavery is tolerated publicly and has been practiced for hundreds of year, it is quite normal for people to dismiss the idea of individuality and personal freedom. The act of taking money away from Huck to buy drinks just because Huck is his â€Å"property† implicates the southern tradition of whites forcing slaves to work on cotton fields in order to make money.Also, Papa saves his pride by kidnapping Huck from Ms. Watson without considering Huck’s willingness of doing so symbolized the privilege of white s dominating blacks in the old times. Hypocrisy plays another major role in the book. Mark Twain presents the hypocrisy of Southern society through the feuds between the Shepredsons and Grangerford. Huck observes that â€Å"He hadn't seen no house out in the country before that had so much style† when he first comes to the family.The fancy house where the Grangerfolds live shows the notations of aristocracy, in this house â€Å"there are beautiful curtains on the windows, white with pictures painted of castles. † The curtains painted with castles give the family a sense of superiority over other villagers. These minor details make them think that they are above everyone else. Along with the false aristocracy the Grangerfords also possess a false knowledge of academics. When Buck is asked to spell Huck’s name, the boy spells â€Å"GeorgeJaxon† instead of â€Å"Jackson†, he misspells it.Buck mentions earlier that he went to school but he is not as ed ucated as he though he is. It is pretentious for the family to consider themselves as highly educated upper classmen when their son can’t spell correctly. Besides being pretentious and falsely aristocratic, the Grangerfords also are very religious. On Sunday both families attend church. When Huck goes in with the family he notices that in both the feuding families, â€Å"the men take their guns along† to church and talk about how the sermon was â€Å"all about brotherly love† after church.They slaughter each other brutally for the rest of the day yet they think they are good and God loving. Morality is another important theme in the book, Twain wrote Huck’s character to illustrate the changing values of morality and ethics in society. Huck is a round character, he starts out an innocent child who expects nothing from life but freedom, then gradually grows up and learns to follow his own morals and values over what societies deemed to be acceptable. For ex ample, in Charpter 31, Huck says: â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell! He decides to save Jim out of slavery against all odds. Although Huck was tempted to write a letter to Ms. Watson, informing her of Jim’s location, he follows his own moral value and decides to save Jim. This act shows that Huck has developed the maturity to accept consequences such as going to hell for his willingness to save Jim in order to follow his own value and satisfy his own moral standard. Early in the novel, Huck feels guilty of aiding a runaway slave escape from the good Christian women, but his racial discrimination against Jim lessens as the novel progresses.Their relationship reflects the conflict between the racist environment that Huck grows up in and their needs for each other. Eventually the conflict resolves itself when Huck realized that â€Å"Just because you’re taught that something’s right and everyone believes it’s right, it don’t make it right †. This quote shows that racism has been infused into Huck’s life and Jim’s words show that even though he is uneducated like other slaves, he has the ability to overlook Huck’s racism. Twain brings out these ideas and thoughts with the force of a child’s moral compass elegantly.President Barack Obama said in his inaugural speech: â€Å"we have always understood that when times change, so must we; that fidelity to our founding principles requires new responses to new challenges; that preserving our individual freedoms ultimately requires collective action. † He points out the importance of finding our own moral and ethic principles so that we are capable of facing new challenges the society presents to us. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Berry Finn, Mark Twain points out the the same thing.Huck is in moral conflict with the values and moralities of the society in which he lives. He is deeply confused by what the society needs him to do and w hat he wants to do as an individual. Huck eventually makes a moral choice based on his own valuation of Jim's friendship with him, a moral choice leads that leads an direct opposition to the thins he used to be taught. What President Obama and Mark Twain are both proposing is that it is our unsatisfaction of own conditions drives us to question the received values of society, in which way, we get on the road of seeking our own values.We experience emotions that we never experienced before by fitting on other people's shoes, thus we learn how to sympathize. A new ways of rationalizing and moralizing is developed. Mark Twain used â€Å"n-word† in his book to satirize that South for it long history of slavery and to make people realize how harsh African Americans were treated back in the days. By providing an accurate glimpse in to our horrible past, it makes us retrospect and think about the meaning of fairness and equality. Mark Twain proposes in his Lecture Notes that â€Å" a sound heart is a surer guide than an ill-trained conscience†.He wants us to know how important it is for us to keep seeking and improving their understanding of fairness and justice. Like the way he describes the novel â€Å" a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat† which is consistent with Obama's speech on freedom. â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Speaking in general, Mark Twain identifies the problem of society, and makes us think deeply about things such as individual freedom, personal value and moral principles. President Obama reinforces them, he advocates the importance of certain notation of fairness and equalities so that minorities won't be oppressed because of majority’s decisions. Throughout the no vel, society’s voice is heard through the voice of 13 years old boy Huck. The racist and hateful contempt that existed at the time is at many times present.It is vital for us to recognize that Twain disputes these ideas throughout the novel. Twain brings out into the open of the unfairness of the society and makes the readers to challenge the belief of social norms. By using satire, irony and sarcasm, Twain points out the stupidity of slavery and illustrates society’s viewpoints of morality in contracts with Huck’s own way of identify morality through his adventures with Jim. These social justice issues about slavery, poverty, hypocrisy and morality are real and as a matter of fact, we are experiencing it every day in different degrees.Use the war in Iraq as an example of a religious hypocrisy, while President Bush is trying to convince the Arab world that his war is about liberation, most Arabs see it for what is really is; it is a grab of economic and natural resources, an attempt to avenge Bush’s father’s honor by executing Saddam and a declaration of US’s world dominating power. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn presents the issues on social justices in a humors way, it is exciting to read as well as engaging people into deep thinking.

The Benetton group

The Benetton group Founded in 1965, the Benetton Group started with limited resources that necessitated the strategy that ultimately resulted in rapid international growth. Since the beginning, Benetton concentrated on devoting its skills to the design and manufacture of quality clothing instead of providing direct consumer retailing. Benetton established a competitive advantage by establishing its brand as the best-known Italian apparel manufacturer, concentrating mainly on fashion-conscious young consumers from their mid teens through mid thirties.Since almost 85% of its production is subcontracted to approximately 500 contractors both in Italy and abroad, and most retail stores are independently owned, Benetton does not have direct managerial control over production and sales operations. Additionally, Benetton's in-house operations and manufacturing partners are largely centralized in Italy (as much as 82% of core manufactured products were produced in Italy), making them susceptible to exchange rat e fluctuations.On the retail side, Benetton utilizes contracted agents working on commission to establish and support retail outlets.BenettonThe entrepreneurial agency system helped Benetton to rapidly expand their retail network, and thus, push more Benetton products. However, the agency system does not provide the operational support to retail stores found in centrally controlled retail competitors, like The Gap, and cannot enforce any commonality in layout, stocking, or dÂÆ'Â ©cor from store to store. Additionally, the compensation structure for agents only encourages sales. There is little direct incentive to share best practices with other agents in different territories, to share business intelligence with Benetton, or to devote resources to helping build the Benetton brands. In other words, the agency system encourages the 'free-rider' effect.It is recommended that Benetton alter its strategy in four steps to defend its core markets, and to prepare itself for future global expansion into new markets. In other words, Benetton needs to achieve globalization for its long-term growth, and...

Your Guide to Creating a Personal Brand That Will Make You Stand Out

Your Guide to Creating a Personal Brand That Will Make You Stand Out When you’re on the job hunt, you have one fantastic thing working for you. Not your lucky interview shoes. Not even your resume (though a great one is a necessary part of any job search). It’s you. Your personal brand is a tool in your arsenal that can really help you stand out from a crowd of similar resumes, and get to the next steps. If you’re not sure what your brand is or what it should be, let’s walk through what it means to have a brand, and how to build it. Why Do You Need a Brand?Think about what branding is, and does. It tells a story about a product, usually about its quality and reliability. Every commercial, every ad, every website- they’re all trying to tell a story. You need this car because it’s reliable and energy efficient. You need this soda because it means you’ll create happy memories with friends and family while sipping cold drinks. You need to get your news at this site because it is fast and accurate. Whatever that company wants you to think about their product, they try to convey via branding.You can apply that same thinking to your own life and career. What do you want people to think of when they think of you? It should be a clear, to-the-point message. Claire is an innovative problem-solver. Manny is a results-focused manager who leads his team to exceed sales goals. Terry prioritizes efficient service and top-notch customer experience. Having that kind of elevator pitch about yourself ready to go not only gives you a punchy line to use with recruiters and interviewers, but also gives you a center point around which you can build your resume, cover letter, interview prep, etc. It takes the pressure off of the hiring manager to figure out just who you are, and lets them concentrate on how you would fit in, and what experience and skills you bring to the table.How to Identify Your BrandIt’s okay if you don’t know yet what you want your brand/narrative to be. If you havenâ €™t really thought about it before, it’s not likely you’ll instantly hit an â€Å"a-ha† moment that sums up your professional essence into a catchy one-liner. Start by asking yourself some key questions:What is the best quality you offer, or service you provide, when it comes to your career? Do you have a stellar customer service record? Do you have an eagle eye for detail? Are you great at bringing different kinds of people together to get a project or task done? Could you sell anything to just about anyone? Think about your most â€Å"sellable† quality as a professional and as a potential employee.What do you value most in a job/company? Personal values are important (you wouldn’t want to take a job that violates your personal beliefs), but here we should be focusing on what you value in your career. For example, if helping others is important to you, then that’s a core value, and you may want to focus on teamwork or customer service i n your personal branding. Other examples of core values might be innovation, creativity, strong reputation, global focus, environmental responsibility, or work-life balance.What are you passionate about? What drives you? Why did you choose this field in the first place? Why do you want to continue and grow in it? Figuring out what motivates you and pushes you forward can help you really zero in on what your personal brand can be.What are your talents? What have you been recognized for, in the past? What do you think are your natural strengths? What can you do better than other people? Again, for this exercise focus on work-related talents, or general life talents that could be applied to your job. If you’re a stellar trombonist, that’s great, but how does that apply to your career in retail sales? If at all possible, connect your talents to specific outcomes or accomplishments at work.What are your goals? This can help you start to focus your brand, aligning your curre nt story with where you want to be. Be as specific as possible in naming your goals- ones like, â€Å"I want to be making double my salary in ten years† or â€Å"I want to be CEO† are not helpful. A more effective approach here would be thinking about the next five years or so, and the milestones you’ll need to hit.Once you have all that information gathered (just notes, nothing too complicated), you can start identifying the most important parts, and distilling them down to just a sentence or two. I am a highly organized people person. I am a creative thinker with a passion for helping others. I am a whiz at finding new ways of doing things to make my job more efficient. I am good at team-building, and want to take my leadership skills to the next level.Finding your personal brand story isn’t the end result here, though- now you have to put it into action.5 Steps to Build Your BrandHere comes the â€Å"hard work† part- or at least the more time-co nsuming part. These are the things you should be doing to bolster your brand, and make sure you’re getting the message out there.1. Build your social media profile.If all of your current social media accounts are personal ones, where you post pictures of your most recent vacation, talk about what you’re watching on TV, or posted stuff throughout your, uh, younger and more carefree days, it’s time for an upgrade. Switch personal Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts to private settings, to be enjoyed only by you and your personal friends and family. Companies and hiring managers don’t hesitate to do online searches these days, and the last thing you want them turning up at the top of the search page is that unfortunate photo of you from your old Cancun spring break. Sure, it may have been years ago now, but a margarita funnel doesn’t exactly say â€Å"professionalism.† Shutting those away from public consumption definitely helps in projec ting only the best (and least controversial) image of yourself. Make sure you do basic searches for your name on a few different search engines to see what comes up- and what kind of damage control you’ll need to do.If you’re starting new accounts for your brand, keep it simple- use a variation on your name. Search for people in your field, professional associations, or blogs and sites in your field, and add them so that your new feeds are chock full of useful information. When you post content, make sure you’re posting things that are engaging, on topic, and focused. You don’t need to post every day just for the sake of posting, but try to get in the habit of posting at least a few days a week. The point is to engage and raise your profile, not lurk.2. Create a personal website.Existing social networks are great, because they’re easy to use and have built-in pools of people and content so that you can get up and running right away. But you should also take the step of building your own personal website, which you can use as a kind of living resume/business card/snapshot. You don’t need to be a graphic design expert- and if the late 90s/early 00s taught us anything, it’s that people left to their own devices will end up using weird gifs and blinding color combinations. Lucky for us now, there are lots of great tools that let you build a custom site from a series of options.On your site, you have total freedom. You can host your resume (with even greater detail), write a blog, post-how-to videos, post a portfolio of your work, link to your social media profiles- whatever you want to include. Make sure you emphasize the top points you came up with during your â€Å"what is my brand?† exploratory phase. If you include the link to this site on your resume or in your cover letter, it’s a chance to let the reader get to know you better.And don’t forget to keep things consistent: the messaging from your social media profiles should be the same high points you hit in your website. The clearer and more cohesive your message is, the more memorable it’ll be.3. Get a business card.Seems like a throwback, doesn’t it? But sometimes there’s no replacement for the good old-fashioned act of handing someone a card with all of your contact info on it- especially in situations where you don’t have time to spell out your personal URL. Plus, you’ll have extras to put in those fishbowls at restaurants and potentially win a free lunch (bonus!).4. Build your network.What good is a brand if no one knows about it? Start making connections (or at least more of them). Find people in your field you find interesting, and follow them. Engage in conversations online about your field. Post interesting articles you find, or talk about ideas you have for your field. Look up old colleagues who are still in your field, and re-open that connection.5. Keep engaging.Thereâ⠂¬â„¢s no point where you’ll be able to say, â€Å"There’s my brand, it’s done. I’m just gonna sit here and wait for opportunities to roll in.† Maintaining your brand is going to be a crucial part of the process. For one thing, you don’t want your brand to start looking outdated. For another, it’s your own reputation you’re holding here, so you want to at least keep an eye on your social media profiles to make sure you’re not missing anything, or ignoring attempts by others to engage you.Finding and building your brand is one of the best investments you can make in your career. It helps you figure out what your best qualities are as a job applicant, and can help you make the best decisions for your career overall. If you make these maintenance tasks part of your daily and weekly routines, you’ll be living your brand without even realizing it, and will be your own best brand advocate.