Social Network Marketing & Its Effectiveness

Introduction The objective of this review is to explore what the research says about social network marketing and its effectiveness. The first wave of internet revolution (web 1. 0) brought consumers e-commerce. The second wave, Web 2. 0 evolved into a much robust and interactive experience, allowing consumers to participate and share information effectively, Social network media such as Facebook, Tweeters, etc. have grown rapidly. Users are not only teens but also adults. The popularity of smartphones, hand-held tablet computers, computer notebooks also help the increase in popularity of using these sites.For instance, social net work media have replaced e-mails to become the most popular communication tools. To marketing practitioners, this wave of digital revolution cannot be ignored. More than that Web 2. 0 enable consumers to generate content and share. This change is totally different from conventional marketing, in which firms generate content or messages to bombard users and potential users (such as advertising). It is now not a question of whether a company should use digital media, but how they can maximize the benefit from the rise of these new media network.It may not mean that conventional marketing tools such as advertising will be replaced overnight, but social network media should be able to synergize conventional promotional tools. Thus, naturally the question of tracking and measuring social network media and its ROI will be asked, which will be addressed in this paper. The use of social network media in consumer marketing is well established. Its application in education, healthcare, and also in pharmaceutical promotion are also explored. Word of Mouth Marketing To begin with, the concept of word of mouth marketing is explored.Marketers recognized that the conversations among customers are powerful influence of product adoptions (Ryan and Gross 1943; Rogers 1962). Traditionally, marketers develop message to influence selective consumers (who may be early users) and these consumers help propagate the product message to other consumers. More sophisticated marketers will identify influencers in the group of potential consumers (or opinion leaders) and influence them. Thereafter, these opinion leaders can help propagate marketers' message to other consumers.In web 2. 0 err, consumers will participate in the whole marketing communication process. They will coproduce content to be shared in their chosen network. Hence, Word of Mouth model has evolved from a consumer-to-consumer process in the past to a opinion leader to consumer model, and most recently, a network coproduction model (Figure 1. ) Marketers do not only influence the selective consumers (opinion leaders) in the launch phase, but also have to monitor the process of consumer to consumer messaging.The coproduction model of word of mouth marketing is further depicted by Adrian Palmer and Nicole Koenig-Lewis. In their article â€Å"An experiential, social network-ba sed approach to direct marketing†, the authors proposed a framework of 3 elements of the social network environment – the seller, the customer and the community (Figure 2). In this model, the traditional interface for direct marketings has been between the seller and the customers, represented by the hatched area. With the introduction of the community element, the customer interacts with self-selected communities.Sellers need to interact with selected communities to achieve a variety of benefits, including spreading of positive word of mouth and gathering information about buyers' needs and preferences. The challenge is how to balance the interest of the sellers, the customers and the community, and this is represented in the overlapping area of the 3 circles. Figure 2. Direct marketing in a social network Success Factors for Social Network Sites Shu-Chuan Chu and Yoojung Kim studied the determinants of consumer engagement in social networking sites (Chu & Kim 2011).Ba sed on literature review, the authors identifies 5 determinants – tie strength, homophily, trust, normative and informational interpersonal influence as important antecedent to eWOM behavior in SNSs. Tie Strength Tie strength refers to â€Å"the potency of the bond between members of a network† (Mittal et al. 2008, p. 196). Example of strong tie strength is family members, whereas weak tie strength is colleagues. Strong tie were more likely to be activated for the flow of referral behavior. The hypothesis is that SNS users' perceived tie strength with their contacts is positively related to their engagement n eWOM behaviors in SNSs.Homophily Homophily refers to the degree to which individuals who interact with one another are congruent or similar in certain attributes (Rogers & Bhowmik 1970). The assumption is that people with simailar characteristics, such as age & character may come together to form community. Hence, the hypothesis is that SNS users' perceived homoph ily with their contacts is positively related to their engagement in eWOM behaviours in SNSs. Trust Trust is defined as ‘a willingness to rely on an exchange partner in whom one has confidence' (Moorman et al. 1993, p. 82).In todays popular SNS, users share information with their own real network and thus, significantly increase the level of trust. Therefore, the hypothesis is SNS users' perceived trust in their contacts is positively related to their engagement in eWOM behaviors in SNSs. Normative influence Normative influence refers to the tendency to conform to the expectations of others. It affects attitudes, norms and values (Burnkrant & Cousineau 1975). The hypothesis is that SNS users' susceptibility to normative influences is positively related to their engagement in eWOM behaviors in SNSs. Informational influenceInformational influences, on the other and, denote the tendency to accept information from knowledgeable others and be guided in product, brand and store sear ch (Bearden et al. 1989; Deutsch & Gerard 1955). The hypothesis is that SNS users' susceptibility to informational influences is positively related to their engagement in eWOM behaviors in SNSs. These factors were tested in an on-line survey of the college students on their 3 operationalized engagement: opinion seeking, opinion giving and opinion passing. The findings of the study are: Tie strength is positively associated with eWOM behavior.On the other hand, a negative relationship was found between homophily and eWOM in SNSs. Trust is found to be positively impact engagement with eWOM. Normative and informational influences are important for the engagement, but informational influence in opinion giving is not determined. Implications: The results from this study suggest that advertisers must take social relationship factors into account and develop personalized marketing communications strategies to fulfil SNS users' needs. Insight into Network Co-production of Product Messaging That marketers may not have full control in the product messaging in social etwork marketing, Kozinets, de Valck, Woinicki & Wilner studied a mobile phone launch campaign using social network media (blogs) (Kozinets, de Valck, Woinicki & Wilner 2010). 83 bloggers were seeded with a new mobile phone and their blogs were monitored for 6 months. The bloggers were selected based on their traffic on their blogs. There is no obligation for the bloggers to write or not write. This study gave detailed analysis of the posts and provide good insight and lessons learnt from a commercial program used in social network media. The study found that bloggers can be categorized based on their character style.For instance, in the study at least 4 types are identified, 1. citizen journalist, 2. loving mother, 3. satirical exhibitionist, and 4. the making-ends-meet professional blogger. Four narrative strategies are identified (Figure 3) – evaluation, embracing, endorsement and explanation. Whic h strategy to be adopted depends on the blogger's character, the governing norm in the community and the commercial element in the WOMM. The study found that the motivation for consumers to participate in the co-production of WOM are more complex and culturally embeded, shaped by communal interests and communicative orientations and charged with moral hazard.WOM communicators demonstrate their need to balance inherent commercial-communal tensions while being consistent with the character elements of their ongoing narratives. It is also found that WOMM message and their attendant meanings will be altered by communicators in ways taht are attuned to a range of different individual and communal factors. The managerial implications from the study are the followings. Firstly, managers should pay attention to not only the quantity (so-called amplification by advertising professional), but also quality of the consumer-generated messages.Secondly, consumers that play the role of communicato rs should be further explored, classified and devloped. Thirdly, managers should proactively explore the norms assococaited with the communication network. Marketer also need to rethink whether some degree of control must be imposed in a WOM campaign. For instance, in the current study, that bloggers are free to write and even disclose their relationship with the firm can generate negative WOM and distrust in the community. More important this study also suggests that managers have an opportunity to encoruage particular narrative stategies that may be ideal for their product.Figure 3 Social Network Marketing vs Traditional Marketing? Studies shown that social network marketing (word of mouth marketing) and traditional marketing work synergistically (Onishi & Manchanda 2012; Trusov, Bucklin & Pauwels 2008). In a Japanese study, how blogs and advertising interact during product launch in movie and cell phone categories were studied. The study found that advertising will stimulate blog ging activities during product pre-launch, and effect is less apparent post launch (Onishi & Manchanda 2012).In another study (Trusov, Bucklin & Pauwels 2008), electronic word of mouth (eWOM) programs of a social network site were compared with PR programs (media appearance and Events) in terms of the effectiveness in generating new sign-ups. The founding is that eWOM is more effective than media appearance and events. However, it is also observed that eWOM and PR work synergistically. The studies also showed that blogging and eWOM effects are more long-lasting. The effectiveness of Social Media MarketingIn the article by Hoffman and Fodor (Hoffman & Fodor 2010), the authors attempted to address the ROI metric of social network marketing. As social network sites are now easily measured by search of your brand's blogs or data mining, quantative measurement seems to be ppssible. Some people may want a simple direct short term sales against direct costs. The authors caution whether thi s is a suitabke measurement of social network effectiveness. Nevertheless, we know that Social network marketing can substituted traditional marketing.As traditional marketing such as TV advertising is expensive, by allocating a certain amount of promotional budget to digital marketing can definitely reduce cost and achieve more or less same results. Another benefit of social network marketing is the improvement of market research by direct communicating with users and thus, significantly saving the amount of market research costs. To meaningfully measure ROI of social media marketing, the authors suggest to begin with identifying the objectives of a particular social marketing campaign in order to take into consideration of different nature of social network media (figure 4).In short, brand awareness, brand engagement and word of mouth effect can be measured. Figure 4 References: Donna L. Hoffman, Marek Fodor 2010. Can You Measure the ROI of Your Social Media Marketing? MIT Sloan M anagement Review 52,1(Fall): 41-49. Fue Zeng, Li Huang, Wenyu Dou 2009. Journal of Interactive Advertising 10,1: 1-13. Hirishi Onishi, Puneet Manchanda 2012. Marketing activity, blogging and sales. Intern. J. of Research in Marketing 29: 221-234.Shu-Chuan Chu, Yoojung Kim 2011, Determinants of consumer engagement in electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) in social networking sites, International Journal of Advertising 30,1: 47-75. Robert V Kozinets, Kristine de Valck, Andrea C Wojnick and Sarah JS Wilner 2010, Networked Narratives: Understanding Word-of-Mouth Marketing in Online Communities, Journal of Marketing, 74 (March): 71-89. Louise Kelly, Garyle and Judy Drennan 2010, Avoidance of Advertising in Social Networking sites: the Teenage Perspective, Journal of Interactive Advertising, 10, 25(Spring): pp. 16-27.

StockTrak

If we compare our Bear and Bull spreads to short and long stock positions respectively we can actually show how options are highly levered financial instruments, increasing profits, but also losses tremendously. If we had shorted a Cataracts stock our profit from the price decline would have been 6. 50% per share, while with our Bear Spread we made a profit of ten times the cost of building the spread. On the other hand, If we had held a Nikkei stock we would have had a loss of 6. 27% per share from the price cline, whereas our loss with the bull spread was 74. 8% if we compare it to the cost of building the spread. This figures show how option trading is cheaper relative to stock trading, but profits or losses are much higher in percentage terms. For our Butterfly, Strangle and Straddle strategies we chose Pfizer, which based on our analysis, presented Itself as a very stable stock, with a 6-months average price of $30. 66 and a current price of $31. 12 (March 13th). We wanted to be t on very low volatility and make a profit from very low fluctuations from Pfizer stock.Our Butterfly parade consisted on shorting two 32-strike calls and taking a long position on 31- strike and 33-strike calls. The center strike price of our butterfly was the exercise price of the Straddle and also lied exactly in the middle of the $31. 5-strike put and $32. 5-strike call for our Strangle. In the end, our Butterfly spread turned out to be for our spread (see Graph 3). 2. ) The article posted referrers to â€Å"covered call writing† as taking a long position on stock and writing a call that is significantly out-of-the money.With his strategy, if the call option is exercised and the investor has to sell his hares, he is covered by holding the underlying. If we compared the covered call strategy to a short naked call we can clearly see that the risk for the naked position is unlimited if the price of the stock increases. With the covered call, by going long on the underlying, we cap our profit but we also limit our loss, whereas with the naked short call we are completely exposed. The analog position using puts, I. E â€Å"covered put writing† would mean writing a put and shorting the underlying.To execute such a strategy is possible, but the risk embedded in it is very high, because the potential asses from a price increase in the stock are unlimited. The premium gained from the put writing might not be large enough to cover the losses from the short position if the price increase is high. 3. ) For our collar strategy we selected Apple stock. To execute such a trade we bought 1,000 shares at $527. 49, went long one thousand 535-strike puts and shorted the same number of 540-strike calls; both option contracts expired on April 25.Our collar was as close to zero as possible, where the put options had a price of $16. 5 and the call options were priced at $17. 25. If the rice of Apple had stayed between the two designated strikes, our profit would ha ve been the value of the stock plus the $0. 75-differential between the option prices. At maturity Apple closed at $571. 94, meaning that the call option was exercised and we lost $41. 94, but we also gained $44. 45 on the price appreciation of the shares, leaving us with a net profit of (44. 45 – 41. 94 + 0. 75) $3. 26 per share. 4. To execute the stop- loss and delta-hedge strategies we wrote 100 at-the-money call option contracts on Backbone and Google. Our initial position to hedge both strategies was long the hares of both companies. For Backbone we used the stop-loss strategy and set arbitrary times to check our positions and hedge it. The initial cash inflow of shorting these options was $35,500 and the cost of hedging this position went up to $174,312. 51. On the other hand, with the Google options we used the delta-hedge strategy and checked the stock price 3 times a day.The initial cash inflow from shorting the calls was $54,000 and the costs related to hedging reac hed a total of $1 The amount spent for hedging the FEB.. Shares was 5 times larger than he value of the options we sold, while for Google the ratio was 20 to 1 . After seeing these figures we can observe that hedging strategies are extremely costly, but are essential to protect short positions against risk and prevent higher losses. 5. ) To create the â€Å"synthetic† rep we bought Gold at spot price of $1,296 on March 27 and shorted Gold futures expiring in April; the average of the ask and bid prices for this contract was $1 ,302.Executing this transaction, we locked in our prices for a return of 0. 463%. The I-month treasury bills from the U. S. Federal Reserve website is quoted at 0. 0167%, which is essentially 0%. Comparing the return rate from our futures contract with the I-month T-bill rate, there is an arbitrage opportunity. To exploit this opportunity we would borrow money at the T-bill rate of and use it to buy gold at the spot price, in addition to these transacti ons, we would short Gold futures to make a final profit of 0. 613%. 6. ) current pence of BIBB: $ 290. 54 price of put @ 290: 10. 30 price of call @ 290: 13. 00 Deep in the money calls: price of call 0280: 9. 40 pence of put 0280: 5. 42 Deep in the money puts: price of call @300: 7. 72 pence of put 0300: 16. 8 If we look at at-the-money options and, considering that the risk free rate is essentially zero, the stock price and the present value of the strike price are practically equal, so in order for UT Call Parity to obey, the put and call price should be identical.As we can see in the quoted prices above, parity doesn't hold; the call price is higher than the put. We could exploit this opportunity by going long on the put and the share, shorting the call and borrowing the present value of K. When it comes to deep in-the-money calls the share price is higher than the present value of K, so the call price should be higher than the put price by the same amount as the price differenti al between S and IV (K). We can see from the prices above that the call is undervalued in relation to the put.To exploit this arbitrage opportunity we would buy a call, invest IV (K) and short the put and the share. Finally, for deep in-the- money puts, the share price is lower than the present value of K, so the put price should be higher than the call price by the same amount as the price differential between S and IV (K). We can see that the put is undervalued in relation to the call. To exploit this arbitrage opportunity we would buy the put and the share, borrow IV (K) and short the call. 7. When looking at the overall performance of our portfolio and its relative risk we can conclude that it was much riskier relative to the S and also had a lower return. If we look at the summary figures of our portfolio we can see that it had an overall return of 0. 63%, whereas the SPY IETF had a percentage return of 1 . 19% (see Graph 4). We believe that the reason for the lower return and higher risk of our portfolio comes from several trades involving silver and platinum futures entrants that we performed to experiment with the platform and observe how these contracts behaved.In general we think that such a project is a very useful and enjoyable way to get to know the trading world. Performing actual trades allowed us to â€Å"get our hands dirty' and truly understand how to build spreads and implement investment strategies. This project gave us the opportunity to go beyond the theory and realize that trading can sometimes be more complicated that it seems on paper, but can also become much clearer once the theory is implemented in a â€Å"real world† setting. We very much enjoyed working on this project.

King oedipus analysis Essay

Destiny and Freewill   This is one of the most important themes in the play and leaves the reader with the engrossing question of whether or not freewill is an illusion. The play doesn’t actually answer this question, but it shows the complex interplay of fate and freewill that culminates in Oedipus’ tragic plight. Jocasta, Laius and Oedipus all try to escape the prophecy but they are unwittingly led into their seemingly unavoidable fate. This element of the play is intended to show the reader the power of prophecy and the supreme authority of the gods in contrast with the futility of human beings. The play also shows how human nature plays a vital role in the fulfilment of the prophecy. Compassion and pity on the shepherd’s behalf prevents Oedipus from dying as a baby. Oedipus’ own impetuous temper results in the murder of his own father, Laius. His momentary display of intelligence in solving the riddle is his ultimate triumph as well as his seed of destruction as it results in marriage to his mother, Jocasta. In resolving to find out the truth about his birth, he brings the suffering on himself. His arrogant, taunting attitude towards Teirisias further exposes the terrible truth. In this way, the play shows how freewill also contributes to Oedipus’ downfall. Pride and humility   Pride is Oedipus’ fatal flaw; his arrogance towards both the gods and human beings leads to his destruction. Sophocles probably intended to teach people the importance of humility and recognising the superiority of the gods that they believed in. Oedipus’ arrogance is displayed in his long, speeches and in the hot-headed way he unknowingly killed his father. His initial refusal to accept any blame or wrongdoing on his part shows that he has a high opinion of himself. One of the main sources of his pride is his defeat of the Sphinx, which saved Thebes and put him on the throne, and yet the reader knows that this was also the cause of one of his foulest crimes, marriage to his mother. In this way, the playwright communicates a message about the folly of taking human achievement too seriously. Because of this, the play is not very humanistic but belittles human beings as futile and flawed. Wisdom and ignorance The conflict between Teirisias and Oedipus represents the conflict between wisdom and ignorance, Teirisias being wisdom and Oedipus being ignorance. Teirisias’ comment â€Å"To be wise is to suffer† is ironic because it comes true for Oedipus. When he learns the truth about himself and becomes wise, he is in utmost agony. The play shows that perhaps having knowledge is not necessarily a good thing, as Teirisias warns, and that there are limitations to our knowledge that we should accept. Sight and blindness   Teirisia is a blind seer, which sounds like a contradiction in terms. However, even though he is physically blind, he has the insight and knowledge, which Oedipus lacks. When Oedipus finally gains this insight at the end of the play, he blinds himself physically. Throughout the play, Oedipus is blinded by his own arrogance, shown in his refusal to accept that he is the cause of Thebes’ misery. â€Å"Living in perpetual night, you cannot harm me, or any man else that sees the light. †   His deliberate disbelief enables him to issue the curse, never considering that it might affect himself in the end. Oedipus is also blind to his true position in relation to the gods. He believes he can thwart prophecy and outsmart the gods. The attitude he displays shows that he has almost made himself a god, who has the power to curse and demand whatever knowledge he seeks. Humility   Sophocles certainly agrees with this contention in his play, King Oedipus. The character of Creon who is more cautious is intended to contrast with Oedipus’ impetuous arrogance. It is Oedipus’ lack of humility that causes much of his own suffering. On the other hand, Creon’s more careful approach to life evades a potentially disastrous situation when Oedipus accuses him of conspiracy. Characters Oedipus   Oedipus is willing to help the people of Thebes. â€Å"I would gladly do anything to help you. † He is actively involved with his city. â€Å"I have not thought it fit to rely on my messengers, but am here to learn for myself†¦ †   Arrogant – proud of his own abilities such as solving the riddle of the sphinx. â€Å"Until I came – I, ignorant Oedipus, came – and stopped the riddler’s mouth, guessing the truth by mother-wit, not bird-lore. † Sympathetic towards the city of Thebes – â€Å"I grieve for you my children. Believe me, I know all that you desire of me, all that you suffer; and while you suffer none suffers more than I. †   Jumps to conclusions about the ones closest to him. He accuses Creon of conspiring to take over the throne. â€Å"Must Creon, so long my friend, my most trusted friend, stalk me by stealth and study to dispossess me of the power that this city has given to me†¦ † He assumes that Jocasta fears that he was an illegitimate child. â€Å"The woman, with more than woman’s pride, is shamed by my low origin. †   Easily angered, irascible especially by Teiresias – â€Å"Insolent scoundrel†¦ Shameless and brainless, sightless, senseless sot! †   Steadfast and staunch in his quest to expose the truth. â€Å"Nonsense: I must pursue this trail to the end, till I have unravelled the mystery of my birth. † Not a fatalist; expresses the belief that ‘chance rules our lives’.   Acts as the mediator between Oedipus and Creon, typical of her role as a mother and wife. â€Å"What is the meaning of this loud argument, you quarrelsome men?†¦ You are making much of some unimportant grievance. †   Abandons Oedipus on the hillside to perish because of prophecy yet dismisses prophecy later in the play. â€Å"For I can tell you, no man possesses the secret of divination. And I have proof†¦ Why should you then, heed them for a moment? † and â€Å"A fig for divination! †   Cannot face the horror of the truth and dies at her own hands Creon   A contrast to Oedipus in terms of character. He is calmer and more reasonable. â€Å"Reason with yourself, as I; and ask, would any man exchange a quiet life, with royal rank assured, for an uneasy throne? † He is more humble and cautious- â€Å"I do not presume to say more than I know†, and acknowledges the gods – â€Å"God will decide, not I. † He is deeply hurt by Oedipus’ accusations – â€Å"If he thinks that I have done him any harm, by word or act, in this calamitous hour, I will not live†¦ † Teiresias   Physically blind, yet gifted with second sight (prophecy). â€Å"All heavenly and earthly knowledge are in your grasp. In your heart, if not with eye, you see our city’s condition. † Reluctant to share his knowledge with Oedipus because he knows the damage it will cause. â€Å"When wisdom brings no profit, to be wise is to suffer. † Laius   He is only mentioned through other people in the play. Shepherd   Like Teiresias to impart his knowledge until threatened. Oedipus terrorizes, â€Å"Answer! If I must speak again, you die! † He also serves to confirm Oedipus’ greatest fears. Chorus Represents the voice of the elders as well as the general public. It comments on the action in the play, sometimes siding with Oedipus, other times questioning his actions and words. They are the voice of religious belief, more than once urging the need to heed the words of the gods. â€Å"I only ask to live, with pure faith keeping in word and deed that Law which leaps the sky, made of no mortal mould†¦ whose living godhead does not age or die. † It is at times philosophical, commenting on the nature of existence and the frailty of human attainment and success. â€Å"All the generations of mortal man add up to nothing! Show me the man whose happiness was anything more than an illusion followed by disillusion. Here is the instance, here is Oedipus, here is the reason why I will call no mortal creature happy†¦ Then learn that mortal man must always look to his ending. And none can be called happy until that day when he carries his happiness down to the grave in peace. † Symbols Sight and blindness – this is used as a metaphor for knowledge and ignorance. Context   The play was written during the Classical period in Ancient Greece in the 5th century BC, a time of optimistic humanism. Sophocles tends to celebrate humanity but also plea for adherence to justice, moderation and the gods.

Organizational Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Energy policy and technology (Energy in developing countries, Research Proposal

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Mid Term Exam Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Strategic Management - Essay Example In order to earn profits on the part of a company, it is deemed very necessary for a company or a business firm to do something different than the rest of the lot so that it is considered as an entity that provides value and meaning to its customers different from the rest of the remaining lot. This value can be in the form of provision of a totally different and novel service that the company might give at a particular period of time or bring in certain activities that mesh along well with the company’s varied products which are actually being sold under the umbrella of the company’s name. Hence the changing market structure might call for changing strategies and lines of action that would all target the people for whom the product is actually designed as well as the competitors with whom the clutter is being broken in the environs of the marketplace. Thus competition brings in more and more quality at the end of the company with regards to its products as well as more sales in the form of its varied and changed stance on focusing towards the customers rather than the product itself. Apart from that, emphasis on need must be the order of the day rather than bringing out more and more varied stock key units just for the sake of it. The different products should satisfy each and every user rather than satisfy the people sitting in the innovation labs and those who invent just to take the company one step further. This trap should thus be avoided under all circumstances.

Allan's Repair Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Allan's Repair Services - Essay Example Mitre 10: Metcash sells hardware under this brand name. It also involves home improvement solutions for the end consumers. Metcash Ltd operates in the areas of distribution, fresh food, liquor, fast moving consumer goods and hardware. 2: a) Sale of goods accounting for $11517.4 million was the main source of revenue for the Metcash group. b) Cost of sales was the largest expense for Metcash group. It was $10435.3 million in the year 2010. c) The total comprehensive income for the Metcash group was $229.6 million in the year 2010. d) Return on assets= Net income /Total Assets Return on assets for 2009= 203.2/3286.5 =6.18% Return on assets for 2010= 230.3/3639 =6.33% e) Gross profit margin= Gross profit /Revenue Gross profit margin for 2009=1116.6/11067.5 =10.09% Gross profit margin for 2010= 1172.8/11608.1 =10.10% f) There has been a very slight improvement in the profitability of Metcash Ltd. The return on assets increased from 6.18% in 2009 to 6.33% in 2010. This can be attributed t o the higher sales revenue that Metcash earned in the year 2010 compared to the revenue in the year 2009. Although Metcash purchased more assets to generate the higher revenue, the increase in revenue was more than the proportionate increase in total assets. The gross profit margin of Metcash remained relatively stable at 10.1%. This indicates that costs of Metcash remained relatively stable. Even if there was an increase in the costs, it was matched by a similar increase in the selling price to retain the gross profit margin that was earned by Metcash in 2009. 3. a) The total current assets for the Metcash group were $1974.7 million in the year 2010. b) The total current liabilities for the Metcash group were $1448.4 million in the year 2010. c) Current Ratio= Current Assets /Current Liabilities Current Ratio for 2009=1802.4/1309.8 =1.38 times Current Ratio for 2010= 1947.7/1448.4 =1.34 times d) Quick Ratio= Current Assets-Inventory /Current Liabilities Current Ratio for 2009= (180 2.4-680.5)/1309.8 =0.86 times Quick Ratio for 2010= (1947.7-747.2)/1448.4 =0.83 times e) Liquidity ratios measure the ability of a company to pay off its short term debts. The current ratio of Metcash fell from 1.38 times to 1.34 times. This is due to the increase in the trade payables of Metcash Ltd. The reasons of this increase should be investigated since making timely payments to the creditors is essential to obtain trade discounts. Quick ratio includes only the most liquid of the current assets to assess if a company can cover its current liabilities. Metcash Ltd’s quick ratio also fell slightly from 0.86 times in 2009 to 0.83 times in 2010. A quick ratio of less than 1 indicates that Metcash does not have ample liquid assets to cover its short term obligations. Metcash Ltd’s most of the cash is tied up in inventory and Metcash Ltd should take measures to improve its liquidity position. f) Days inventory= (inventory/cost of sales)*365 Days inventory for 2009= (680 .5/9950.9)*365 =24.96 days Days inventory for 2010= (747.2/10435.3)*365 =26.14 days g) Days Debtors= (Account receivables/Revenue)*365 Days Debtors for 2009= (967.7/11067.5)*365 =31.91 days Days Debtors for 2010= (1008/11608.1)*365 =31.70 days h) The days inventory ratio indicate the number of days it takes to sell the inventory. In the case of Metcash Ltd, the inventory days increased from 24.96 days to

Is the Law Relating to the Offence of Dissemination of Terrorist Essay

Is the Law Relating to the Offence of Dissemination of Terrorist Publications in Need of Reform - Essay Example Recently, the UK government had problems in complying with provisions of the European Convention of Human rights in respect to its terrorism laws1. One measure in UK’s terrorism law is the pre-charge detention of terrorist suspects for up to twenty eight days without taking appearing in court. The British government intention to amend this law in 2008 and extend it to 42 days was unsuccessful. The government met resistance from civil right groups and parliamentarians who were against such measures since they saw it as an abuse of fundamental rights of individuals. The committee on human rights gave a conclusion that such measures were a breach of the right of liberty as in article five of the European Courts of Human Rights and derogation was necessary for the measure to be lawful2. Legal experts’ opinion was that the pre-charge detention for 42 days is disproportionate and European human rights laws do not provide legal framework for arbitrary arrests and detentions. R eaction from the British government was an explanation that the forty two day period was compatible with the ECHR. The European laws do not set a specific time period for which a person can be detained without appearing in court. ... However, this made the Blaire’s government to be in conflict with parliament resulting in the defeat of the 90 day period proposed by Tony Blaire to a 28 day period3. The premier criticized parliament and the labour MPs who came against him. Defeat of Tony Blaire’s government concerning this anti-terrorism bill brought a debate on whether Mr Blaire was an independent premier or a lame duck that was unable to mobilize his party to support such a crucial bill. Basing on this, likely changes in the bill will have a political effect in the sense that parliament might opt to refuse the changes or support the changes. The media is likely play a role in discussing such issues, with either providing a critique of the said legislation or supporting the legislation on condition that they do not breach the individual rights of people. Changes in the terrorism act of 2006 are likely to affect fundamental human rights and freedom which include4, right to freedom of movement, right t o privacy, right to non-discriminative policies, right to a remedy for breach of human rights, right to fair trial and freedom of expression. These rights are under protection of European Courts of Human Rights5 and the government of UK has committed itself to uphold them. Concerning these fundamental human rights, changes in terrorism act of 2006 will create new detention and questioning powers for security agencies in the UK, they will give the Attorney General new powers to proscribe terrorist organisations and will create new criminal offences and means of controlling people’s movements and activities. For instance, changes in terrorism law regarding attendance at a place formerly in use of terrorism activity, the

Leadership management assignment 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership management assignment 1 - Essay Example This is in line with the company’s recruitment policy to help them get the most qualified at affordable remuneration (Luecke 2003). This is therefore done to ensure that the selected individual to fill the position of the manager is the best across the region. They received several applications for the position of the managing director; the group underwent a rigorous recruitment process and finally was left with an individual to negotiate with their starting salary on the job. The remaining individual was from Mexico. In the negotiation process different negotiation skills were outlined that resulted into a successful with a few instances of messing up. Its Human resource manager represented the company on the salary negotiation table while the other side was the individual whose starting salary was to be negotiated (Jacks 2011). Person Position Character A Human resource Manager He is a highly Sociable, Extrovert and democratic B Newly recruited employee Also quite extroverte d, friendly, polite, and highly conscious For new employees of any given firm it is normally safe to negotiate for higher starting salaries before accepting the job offer because after this the new employee will be subjected to the normal salary increase payment plans of the company, which depends on extraordinary performance (Young 1975). The new recruit therefore needed to negotiate for a higher pay than what they used to earn in their former position hence the need for the negotiation skills. The HR manager of company X also needs to be a good negotiator to make sure that they provide the company with manageable expenses and it is willing to negotiate the starting salary of the employee as a whole. The employee is though considering the option of first negotiating the basic pay because given their character they are likely to be confused if they combined the negotiations together with those for the other benefits. This would be to the disadvantage of the employee if the pre-deter mined salary were already advertised (Zartman 1978). A â€Å"Hello Mr. F, this is X company as we talked over the phone, I gaze you are here to talk about the remuneration package of the job offer that we just shortlisted you for the other day. According to the company policy, we would be glad to offer you a salary package of $60,000 yearly plus the benefits, which would vary depending on several variables. Would you be ok with that?† B :I am interested in the job yes but I would not mind if you offered me a salary package of $68,000 per year plus the packages as we would negotiate if it is at the best interests of the company,† A â€Å"$68,000 is not even the average industry rate leave alone what we normally start offering our employees. However, because of your skills and presumed competence, we would not mind offering you a $65,000 package yearly and the benefits as it would be negotiated. How about that?† B "Thank you for your offer and I am certainly intere sted in the position and Company. Can I get back to you later this afternoon or first thing in the morning" A â€Å"You are most welcome and highly appreciate the time that you took to present yourself for interviews. Please make a point of communicating tomorrow given that we need to fill the position immediately. Anyway, your positive response will be highly appreciated. Nice time.†

Correctional System Essay Example for Free

Correctional System Essay The goal of any prison is not to punish the offender by removing all hope of a better future from the person but instead focuses on reforming the offender and giving the offender a chance to enter society once again as a reformed individual. This is the reason why jails are often part of the Bureau of Corrections. The prison sentence served is but a part of the whole corrections or reformation process that an offender under goes once he has been found guilty and charged. The next step lies in making sure that the individual remains reformed and is able to ease back into society or even into the life that he or she once had prior to entering the corrections facility. This is the ultimate goal of all correctional institutions all over the world but that is not necessarily the reality. One of the recent issues surrounding the Correctional System involves the institution of fitness programs by Prison Officials. In recognition of the fact there is a need to reduce idleness, promote health and fitness, allow inmates to `burn off steam` through exercise, prison officials have ordered the conduct of a wide range of physical activities. While most of these recreational activities are relatively controversy-free, weightlifting remains to be one such controversial activity that many argue should no longer be allowed. Before arguing that weightlifting should not be allowed in prison, it is important to first lay out the advantages of allowing weightlifting. As a form of exercise, it can be validly argued that weightlifting is important because it not only contributes more to the development of the body but it also helps a person maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. Another advantage is the fact that the strenuous nature of weightlifting often provides the prisoners with the non-violent release that they need. It can even be argued that weightlifting reduces the incidence of inmate violence. Be that as it may, given the situation and the purpose of corrections, there are more negative effects of allowing weightlifting than positive ones. The first reason is that it is shown that this activity increases testosterone levels and in doing so it increases the aggression levels of inmates. As studies have shown, violent cases occur more often near the weightlifting yard than any where else in the penitentiary. The sad truth of the matter is that instead of these offenders becoming reformed and turning into productive members of society once again, they invariably resort to committing more crime as has been shown in many studies conducted on the violence rates of offenders. As such, weightlifting should not be allowed. Instead, however, there should be other recreational activities that are not solo activities. This is in an effort to increase socialization among members of the correctional facility. The socialization or in this case the re-socialization of the offender is an important step in the corrections process and one that cannot be simply ignored. It must be remembered that the purpose of socialization is to enable the offender to learn society’s ways, in this case to re-learn, and thereby control any antisocial behavior in an effort to come to a better decision with regard to what is right and what is wrong. By ensuring that this important aspect is addressed through an efficient and effective parole program, the corrections institutions may stand a better chance at helping an individual willingly follow society’s norms and become a productive member of that society. This is supported by the Strain Theory of Robert K. Merton which concerns the tendency of an individual member of society to commit and act that is not synchronous with the goals of society thereby creating a â€Å"strain. † In order to address the problem, there must be a better parole method that addresses the psychological needs of the offender and encourages the offender to take steps in order to be able to function as a productive member of society. It simply is not enough to have the prisoners engage in any sort of physical activity that they want. Corrections is not about punishment, it is about reformation and giving hope to those who have none.

Cmn 277 Essay Example for Free

Cmn 277 Essay Frequency of cause: how many times you have been exposed into message a. Cumulative (more than one time) multiple b. Non-cumulative (base on taking one) 6. Nature of outcome a. Cognitive (do with fighting against what we believe) b. Affective (do with emotion or feeling) c. Behavioral (perform) EX. The table is soft, but I think it is hard (cognitive); â€Å"I don’t like tables any more† (affective); I will not buy it. (Behavioral) 3) Phases of effects research: research topics, theories, and typical research in the direct effects era, limited effects era, and conditional effects era 1. Direct effects era Research topics and theories a. Looking at political propaganda b. Media perceived to be influential c. EX. â€Å"Hypodermic needle† and â€Å"magic bullet† theories (media are powerful) Research: research focus on content of media; little research on media effects 2. Limited effects era Research topics and theories a. Why are media not powerful? b. Ex. Selective exposure and selective retention theories Typical research: survey and content analysis 3. Conditional effects era Research topics and theories a. Looking for more subtle effects b. Looking for conditions when effects may occur Typical research: broadened range of methods B) Research Methods Overview 1) Basic problems in media effects research 1. Problems of exposure: when someone consume the message, different level of exposure. 2. Problems of measurement 3. Problems of causality (you like to try everything) 2) Causal models: basic one-way model, supplemental models, and alternative causal models 1. Basic one-way model X- cause, independent (nature) Y- effect, dependent (depend on X) X Y 2. Supplement causal models The basic is right, but maybe two or more ways . Multiple causes model X X Y X b. Mutual causation model X Y c. Intervening model (not directly) X Z Y 3. Alternative causal models One-way model here is false a. Reverse causation model X Y b. Third-factor model X Y Z 3) Data collection methods: description, advantages, and disadvantages of content analysis, surveys, and experiments 1. Content analysis Numerical description of media a. Advantages Ident ifies what is in the media message that starts in message b. Disadvantages By itself, cannot demonstrate cause and effect . Surveys Asking representative sample, external validity a. Advantages 1) Representative sample of people 2) Measures naturally occurring events b. Disadvantages 1) Limited to questions 2) Cannot measure time order 3. Experiments Expose people to something: measure effects, internal, validity a. Advantages 1) Can observe/manipulate events 2) Can observe time order b. Disadvantages 1) Often uses limited sample of people 2) Artificial setting and situations C) Uses and Gratifications Theories 1) Uses and Gratifications defined and the uses and gratifications model 1. Defined What happens before and during media exposure helps determine the effects of exposure 2. Model Psychological forces: individual, what you believe Social forces: outside influence, from others or†¦ (Both happen at the same time) Reasons for exposure conditions of exposure: what do you feel media effects Example: Desire to vote correctly Professor urges you to engage in political process 2) Some reasons for media exposure (list of common media gratifications) 1. Surveillance Try to learn something, figure something out 2. Entertainment Look for to prove your mood 3. Interpersonal activity 1) You want to watch famous people, so you watch the TV show (2) You watch TV show, you want to talk to others about it. 4. Para social interaction We keep the relationship (you watch Opera, you believe her because she tells you what to do) 5. Personal Identity You watch TV show to improve yourself and expand your knowledge in the fields you are interested in. The similarity is between you and c haracters. D) Cultivation Theory 1) Constructed nature of social reality 1. The mind begins as a blank slate 2. Our reality is constructed for us by social interactions and institutions 3. Part of the reality we construct is based on television reality 4. Television reality is wrong 2) Television reality: what is wrong with it; the consistency of the patterns Entertainment television presents a distorted view of America and the world. 62% characters are male People under 18 are only 1/3 of actual People over 65 are only 1/5 of actual Crime is 10 times as common as actual Medical and criminal justice workers many times as common as actual 3% of TV characters are responsible for an older adult 3) The Cultivation process: parts of the process 1. Where attitudes come from Belief 1 Belief 2 attitude judgment Belief 3 EX. Beliefs and attitude toward police officers Police use brutality Police protect people Police abuse power 2. The cultivation model Viewer’s exposure to TV demographics 1) Exposure to TV demographics a. Who is on Television b. What they do and what happens to them 2) Viewers’ beliefs about people, places, and other social phenomena a. Who is out there in the world b. What they do and what happens to them 3) Views’ attitudes a. Based on beliefs about people, places, and other social phenomena b. We infer importance status, and relative social place; we make judgments c. Mainstreaming process 4) Further specifications 1. When does Cultivation not occur? a. When direct experience differs from TV b. When people view critically c. When the TV message is not uniform 2. When is cultivation most likely to occur? a. When the message resonate with direct experience b. When 5) Cultivation research: Content analyses and surveys 1. Content analysis of television 2. Survey research a. Exposure to TV b. Beliefs c. Attitudes 6) Criticisms of the theory 1. Difficult to establish causality 2. Too broad E) General Media Effects Theories 1) Social Learning 1. Overview We can learn behavior by watching other’s behavior 2. How it works a. Basic model: Attention to performance of behavior b. Important conditions 1) Identification with model 2) Model rewards/consequences 3) Situational motivations The situation should be the same c. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative (only need to see performance once) 5) Behavioral focus 2) Excitation Transfer 1. Overview The excitement we get from media content can exaggerate our feelings 2. How it works 1) Physiological arousal (transfer) Media content can be arousal Expose to arousing content 2) Exaggeration comes from misunderstanding the cause of arousal. 3) Categorizing the theory 1. Causes change 2. Individual level 3. Short-term 4. Non-cumulative 5. Affective focus 3) Exemplification A lot of times we see examples of people in news, we think about the represent issue, use the examples to judge issues. 1. How it works 1) People understand issues in terms of effect on other people 2) News stories supply examples of people and situations (exemplars); often extreme causes. ) People treat exemplars as typical cases 4) Exemplars are often easy to recall when a. No firm impression of actual situation b. Example created emotional reaction 5) Process Exposure to examples in News 6) Net effect: extreme, incorrect beliefs and judgments about social issues 2. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Cognitive focus 4) Dese nsitization a. The more you see bother the content, the less it bother you (content that used to bother you). b. How it works 1) Applies to affect-producing content 2) Basic model Repeated exposure 3) Outcome can be affected or behavior change c. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Cumulative 5) Affective focus (first) 5) Catharsis Not very supported, but very interesting media provide opportunity for us to add up emotions. (Media content lets us imagine away negative feelings) 1. How it works 1) We have negative experience 2) Media provide venue for fantasizing 3) Basic model Negative feelings 2. Categorizing the theory 1) Causes change 2) Individual-level 3) Short-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Affective focus ) Reinforcement Some media content encourage us to stay as we are (media reinforces what we already think, feel and do) 1. How it works 1) Builds from 2 basic observations a. Not everyone reacts to media content b. Many people already behave as suggested by content 2) Basic model Exposure to content 2. Categorizing the theory (does not cause change) 1) Reinforces 2) Individual-level 3) Long-term 4) Non-cumulative 5) Cognitive/affective/behavioral focus F) Media Violence and Aggression 1) Basic models of violence effects 1. Exposure to violence in media Exposure Exposure Exposure 2. Exposure to violence in media 2) The research: content analysis, experiments, and survey studies 1. Content analysis (1) Count of violent acts Six percent of all TV shows have violence and have six hours (2) Perpetrators Good guys commit violence 3) Consequences (terrible) 70% of violent acts down, half of them show no harm or no pain. 4% content 2. Survey studies (1) One-time How much violence can you observe? Generally conducted on Children Ask teacher to measure the aggression in Children Ask children how much TV they watch Lots of TV= lots of aggression (2) Over-time 1961: increased exposure=increased aggression 1971: increased exposure=increased aggression Being exposed to violence= aggressive behavior (causal nature) 3. Experiment Field experiments: outcomes based on previous experience Look at previous behavior, control predict Violent is related to aggressive Trying to find out what people are doing naturally Less control 3) Criticisms of the research Causal model cannot show relationship with certainty Why is there so much violence? Easily produced Easily understood G) Sexually Explicit Content ) Issues in sexually explicit content research: the basic categorization scheme, kinds of dependent variables, ethical concerns 1. The basic categorization scheme (1) Sexually violent a. Sex involves in movies (2) Nonviolent degrading More or less can teach bad things for male and female relationship (3) Nonviolent non-degrading Love, equal power between (4) Nudity It is not real about sex (5) Child por nography 2. Kinds of dependent variables (1) Arousal What people will be like when show something? (2) Beliefs What people think about the sexual content? (3) Attitudes (4) Behavior What’s your sexual activity? Take safe or not? 3. Ethical concerns People do the content worries about 2) Effects of non-violent sexually explicit content: degrading and non-degrading content 3) Effects of sexual violence: what makes sexual violence different than other violence, typical sexual violence content types and exposure effects We only see it in media Typical sexual violence content types: the outcome 4) Criticisms of the research Hard to do this experiment H) Race in Crime News 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Race and crime news: how various racial groups are depicted 3) Explaining differences in news coverage I) Mass Media and Gender 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Remember audience differences 3) Entertainment media and advertising: content patterns, the role of media producers, research on effects of exposure to body images J) Media Media and Health 1) Theoretical approaches to possible effects 2) Representations of mental disorders 3) Representations of physicians: current and past 4) Entertainment-Education 5) Media Obesity: characteristics of common portrayals (of food and people), nutritional knowledge K) Public Opinion 1) Public opinion defined 2) Spiral of Silence ) Criticisms of Spiral of Silence We need more research, dont work very well in the USA. L) Agenda Setting, Priming, ; Framing 1) The agenda setting effect: the public agenda, the media agenda, how the media communicate the importance of issues, the basic model 2) Agenda setting research: survey research at one time, survey research over time, and experiments 3) Conditions that affect when agenda settin g happens: individual differences and issue obtrusiveness 4) Issue priming: the priming effect and research Use the issue to judge the leaders 5) Framing: the news framing effect Does take in account what it said. M) Mass Media and Presidential Elections 1) Relationship between candidates and journalists 2) Patterson’s Game Schema Theory a) Hypothesis: general thesis and model b) Opposing approaches to elections: how journalists and voters approach elections c) Effects of this disparity d) Why this has occurred e) Strengths and weaknesses (criticisms) of the theory N) Effects of Internet Use 1) Internet use affects quality of interactions 2) Internet use replaces interpersonal communication 3) Internet use replaces traditional mass media People dont have recourses to do multiple things. You dont know when someone watching you. Internet people can get really diversity information III. Discussion section content since examination #1 A) Sex Roles on Television and Stereotype Threat B) Video game and music video findings C) Voter turnout trends and campaigns Important thing to know who tends to vote. Education level, race graphics Why? Old people are home, and others. VEP is better than the VAP Learn about the candidates and decide how you to vote Watch the news and look for issue information about the conditdates Want to decide how to vote I don’t want to become a police officer Viewer’s attitudes Viewer’s beliefs Performance of behavior Learning of behavior Exaggeration of feelings Arousal Examples used in beliefs and judgment about issues Recall of examples Acceptance of depicted behavior Reduced emotional response Perform Reduction of original feelings Various releases of feelings Exposure to others acting out feelings Predisposition reinforcement Aggressiveness Aggressiveness Social learning Aggressiveness Excitation transfer Aggressiveness Desensitization Fear

The Competitive Environment Of Astra Zeneca Business Essay

The Competitive Environment Of Astra Zeneca Business Essay As stated briefly in critical success factors (1.4) AstraZeneca has done quite well historically and analysis reveals that they are looking to position themselves strategically for the future. But in the pharmaceutical industry there is currently increased patent risks and low marginal product returns, pharmaceutical firms like AstraZeneca must reduce structural inefficiencies, cut costs which is required to enable them compete better in the changing global environment. Due to its enormous RD push, AstraZeneca suffers a relatively high rate of discontinuation in pre-approval products; there is also a required to reduce resource wastage. AstraZenecas balance geographical presence (the US accounts for over 60% of Pfizers market area) may be an advantage potential compare to other competitors geographic limitations and can help a good revenue growth should other competitors lag behind in expanding their territories. 1.2: Life Cycle Analysis In this section, an analysis of AstraZeneca position in the life cycle has led the company to adopt some decisions which we made mainly in the last 5 years. I have defined the terms, explaining where AstraZeneca stands in the life cycle management and also the strategic implications for its possible in the stage where it is in. Supported by the evidence mentioned in the sections about Fig 1: Industry Life Cycle At the stage where AstraZeneca is the market is very competitive, and this trend continues into the early period of the maturity stage. Besides many more competitors offering their products, other companies continue the product-differentiation process which begun in the growth stage. In the past 5 years there have been many competitors such as GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and Merck Co. who were doing what AstraZeneca is doing, and this is one of the characteristics of the maturity stage. With the large number of firms producing products, the competition for customers becomes quite intense; the strategy for firms during the maturity stage becomes one of survival, as many competitors will eventually withdraw from the market. In this climate AstraZeneca has continued differentiating their models so that the market is aware of the differences in the companys products and the competitors products. 1.3: Porters Five Forces Analysis Five Forces Analysis a technique which I have used to for identifying the forces which affect the level of competition in pharmaceutical industry Fig. 2 Five Forces Diagrams Overall, AstraZeneca shows a very strong position in the market. The company remains highly valued; there are favourable market positions with strong financial growth. So far, its demand has been positive and despite increased competition and some of the patent expiry the industry still shows a continuing upward sustainable growth. Below is the analysis on what makes AstraZeneca success and survive in the internal competition with its rivals. 1.4: Critical Success Factors and Competitive Advantage This section identifies key areas in which AstraZeneca must outperform other competitors in order to succeed. In the year 1990 The Core Competence of the Corporation, Prahalad and Gary Hamel painted to the potential for capabilities to be the competitiveness, source of new products, and foundation for strategy. 1.4.1: Research and Development: AstraZeneca makes a major contribution to total UK research and development (RD) expenditure and is amongst the most RD-intensive companies in the UK. As discussed above in life cycle analysis, it invested an average of  £749 million on RD since 2004, which represents around 18% of turnover in 2007 alone and  £1 in every  £20 of all UK business RD. Looking at AstraZenecas global business as a whole, it is now standing as the 13th largest investor in ranks in RD in the world and ranked the second largest investor amongst businesses which are headquartered in the UK (Investing in UK PLC Article, 2004) Research Development is central to AstraZenecas business. It is vital to the identification and development of new therapies to advance human healthcare and of course a strong RD base is also vital to the long term success of the Company. In 2004 AstraZenecas global investment was  £1.9bn, making it the 24th largest investor in RD in the world and ranked the second largest investor amongst businesses which are headquartered in the UK. 1.4.2: Knowledge Workers: AstraZeneca employs a large number of scientists and researchers from a wide range of disciplines, as well as supporting the employment of others through its supply chain. At least 1,200 of AstraZenecas staff (or one in every 10 employees) have a PhD, whilst at least 600 have Masters Degrees. Therefore, at least 16% of AstraZenecas workforce is qualified to postgraduate level (this compares to 6% of all employees in employment in the UK with a post-graduate qualification). Given AstraZenecas need for highly qualified scientific and technology graduates, it is an active sponsor of graduate and post-graduate studies. It funded approximately 110 graduate studentships in 2004 with an estimated value of  £750,000, as well as funding significant levels of PhD students at a number of higher education institutions, either individually or through strategic agreements with Research Councils. 1.4.3: Science Base: AstraZeneca also plays an important role in supporting the wider development of science in the UK through links with institutions at all levels. AstraZeneca is also an active partner in the development of UK science and education policy. AstraZeneca also supports development of the teaching of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) skills in primary and secondary schools. The AstraZeneca Education Liaison Programme and sponsorship of the Creativity in Science and Technology (CREST) Awards (through the British Association for the Advancement of Science) for project work among 11-19 year olds. AstraZeneca is a key in growing economy in the UK this is characterised by the recognition of knowledge as a source of competitiveness, the importance of science, research, technology and innovation in knowledge creation, and the use of ICT to generate, share and apply knowledge. 2. Key business strategies of the company over past five years. Fig. 3: Bowmans Clock AstraZeneca has differentiates its products, it is often able to charge a premium price for its products or services in the market. Some general examples of differentiation include better service levels to customers, better product performance etc. in comparison with the existing competitors. Porter (1980) has argued that for a company employing a differentiation strategy, there is an extra cost that the company would have to earn. Such extra costs may include high marketing spending to promote a differentiated brand image for the product, which in fact can be considered as a cost and an investment. Differentiation has many advantages for AstraZeneca because it makes use strategy. Some problematic areas include the difficulty on part of the firm to estimate if the extra costs entailed in differentiation can actually be recovered from the customer through premium pricing. Moreover, successful differentiation strategy of a firm may attract competitors to enter the companys market segment and copy the differentiated product (Lynch, 2003). 2.1: Strategic Groups Analysis This section of Strategic Group Analysis (SGA) aims to identify organizations with similar strategic characteristics, following similar strategies or competing on similar bases. As put by Porter, A strategic group is the group of firms in an industry following the same or a similar strategy along the strategic dimensions (Porter, 1980, p.129) For more details, See Appendix 1 3. resources, capabilities and business strategies in the past 10 years. 3.1: Resource Based View of the AstraZeneca Below is the analysis of AstraZenecas unique resources and dynamic capabilities and how the company has managed to align its resources and capabilities to fit its business strategy. This analysis has supporting evidences that dates back 10 years. Firstly, Physical resources: these types of resources can be assessed in the form of buildings, equipment. At AstraZeneca they have development facilities in several countries, there are 30 sites for manufacturing in 20 countries and among those SEVERAL are in the UK. Secondly, there is human capital that is embodied in the skills and knowledge of employees of the firm, there is a large number of scientists who are employed by AstraZeneca. Financial capital these can be assessed through access to funds that can include the firms own revenue and borrowing power, AstraZeneca has generated  £11.8 billion and produces an operating profit of  £2.6 billion. Fourth, there is intellectual capital, which carries the reputation, goodwill, corporate image as whole, through the world and UK in particular medicine made by AstraZeneca are recognized as world class or world leading treatments. Last but not least, Social capital also accounts in the way the companys relations with buyer and suppliers and other stakeholders social capital, its two main sites act as significant link in the companys global supply chain -north west of the UK 3.2. Dynamic Capabilities of AstraZeneca Below is the analysis of AstraZenecas dynamic capabilities, this analysis has supporting evidences that dates back 10 years ago. Capabilities can be thought of as routines that firms perform to conduct their business (Nelson and Winter 1982). These are firm specific (non tradable), Capabilities can be both explicit and implicit (Conner and Prahalad 1996) Firstly, AstraZeneca develops manufacturer and sells a range of innovative drugs and therapy to combat different medical conditions. Secondly, research and development carried out at 11 research and development facilities located in seven countries among them there are 6 in the UK. Also, manufacturer takes place at 30 sites based in 20 countries, and 9 are in the UK. Dynamic capability its location in the UK example companys European business service office located in North West Chorlton-cum-hardy which is near the close to the centre of Manchester On the other hand, AstraZeneca spends development stage of each medicine of cost over 500 million pounds, in additional to that AZ continue research and development treatments in the serious diseases. In additional to that, HR, marketing, sales are located at the same facility near satellite sites, Tytherington and Macclesfield, On the hand, the Brixham laboratory lab medicines and manufacturing process to ensure that they meet stringent environment safety and regulations requirement 3.3: Strategic Fit Strategic fit expresses the degree to which an organization matches its resources and capabilities with the opportunities in the external environment or its existing business strategy. For AstraZeneca the benefits of good strategic fit include cost reduction, due to economies of scale, and the transfer of knowledge and skills. In AstraZeneca position, the business fit between resources and capabilities creates a demand for opportunities that address specific strategic needsopportunities that strengthen competitive advantage, that explore the use of new technologies, or create new markets and revitalize existing markets. Based on the analysis of resources (3.1) and capabilities (in 3.2) on previous sub-chapters,  I can compose a list of existing capabilities that support new objectives. On the other hand, Development of differentiated product and technology alternatives, this recognises that AstraZeneca have used technology advancement to enhance their RD in conjunction with differentiated product. Development of differentiated product profiles and business plans, this has been generated as a result of enormous amount of money which is spent on research and development as describes in previous topics. AstraZeneca is a key in growing economy in the UK this is characterised by the recognition of knowledge as a source of competitiveness, the importance of science, research, technology and innovation in knowledge creation, and the use of ICT to generate, share and apply knowledge. This advantage is couple with sponsorship of different education programmes in school to produce knowledge based company. AstraZeneca is the as UKs third pharmaceutical company and a lead in RD of medicine; this capability has successfully carried it to a wide range of medicines and drugs. Finally, AstraZenecas actions a resource/competence based analysis of its instinctive capabilities, those characteristics that give AstraZeneca distinct competitive advantage over its industry rivals. 3.4: AstraZeneca SWOT Analysis AstraZeneca since its merger in 1999 (Astra and Zeneca) has grown a global enterprise with over 64,000 employees on six continents. AstraZeneca has increasingly focused its efforts on RD and this remains its core business strategy. AstraZenecas strengths lie in its strong as a knowledge based organisation and strong marketing capabilities. AstraZenecas performance is characterized not only by size, but also by growth. In 2007, AstraZeneca achieved 18% revenue growth. AstraZeneca has also set records in each of the past seven years to 2007 with the biggest investment in RD. AstraZeneca strength in RD, marketing, and sales has made them a partner of choice for many companies in the pharmaceutical industry and they are involved in a wide range of research collaborations and a large number of licensing agreements with universities, institutes and organizations. Strength: RD advance with a broad therapeutic exposure Wide geographical coverage and therapeutic areas Existing Patent protection for a number of years on key products Weakness: Discontinuation of products in the latter stages of development Increased size and operational complexity makes AstraZenecaa less responsive company Opportunity: reducing development time through complimentary RD collaborations globalisation for new products/drugs/medicine Marketing agreements with companieswishing to capitalize on AstraZenecas marketing Strengths,providing AstraZenecarevenue growth in the process Threats: Patent expiry in 2009 and other due this year 2010 Competition from products similar to AstraZenecas in RD that reach the market close to or before AstraZenecas products The new economic emergency in China, India and competition in diverse regional markets. 4. References: 4.1: Websites http://www.csuchico.edu/mgmt/strategy/module8/index.htm http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/retrieve/2190/etd1838.pdf http://www.astrazeneca.com/investors/strategy/ http://college.hmco.com/hjinstruct/powerpt/ch03/sld020.htm http://university-essays.tripod.com/porters_generic_strategies.html http://www.marketingteacher.com/Lessons/lesson_bowman.htm http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/strategy_clock/ 4.2.: Journal Article http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newSTR_93.htm http://lexicon.ft.com/term.asp?t=strategic-fit Nair, A. and Filler, L. (2003) Strategic Management Journal, 24, 145-159. Puerta, J. (2004) British Journal of Management, 15, 219-245. 4.3: Books Porter, M. E. (1976) Interbrand Choice, Strategy, and Bilateral Market Power, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusets. Porter, M. E. (1980) Competitive Strategy. Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, Free Press, New York. Warren, K. (2002) Competitive Strategy Dynamics, John Wiley Sons, Chichester. Zuniga-Vicente, J. A., Fuente-Sabate, J. M. d. l. and Rodriguez- 5. Bibliography Oster, S. M. (1994) Modern Competitive Analysis, Oxford University Press, New York. Porac, J. F., Thomas, H. and Baden-Fuller, C. W. F. (1989) Journal of Management Studies, 26, 397-416. Porac, J. F., Thomas., H. and Baden-Fuller, C. W. F. (1994) In Strategic Groups, Strategic Moves and Performance (Eds, Daems, H. and Thomas., H.) Elsevier Science Ltd, Oxford, pp. 117-137. Redwood, H. (1988) The Pharmaceutical Industry: Trends, Problems and Achievements, Oldwicks, Felixstowe. Taggart, J. (1993) The World Pharmaceutical Industry, Routledge, New York. 6: Appendices:

Societal Views on Sports and Gender Essays -- Health Fitness

Societal Views on Sports and Gender Sports have become a major part of American culture and society. It is ingrained in us as a small child that playing a sport is almost necessary. In elementary school we take physical education where we are exposed to competitive sport. But even at this level it is our genders that control which types of sports are deemed "appropriate." Since women started to become involved in sports, there have always been those who have opposed them being there. We saw an example of this in the movie Girl Fight. By allowing a woman to partake in a sport, in this case boxing, that is typically viewed as male oriented in caused society to alter its views. This created many problems though. People do not want to see woman is a fighting role. It is thought to be unladylike and too rough. Because fighting is masculine, seeing a woman in that role changes gender roles in her community. Though it is clear that the Diana can handle herself in this movie. Her culture and society does not want to see her in a strong way. She faces many obstacles in order to show that she does belong where she is. In this movie she is victorious because it is her skills and determination that win out in the end, not her gender. Both in Girl Fight and in Pumping Iron 2 the question of what is feminine and what should a woman look and act like is brought up. In Girl Fight, the idea of a female boxer is deemed not feminine. Diana is told that she is wrong for being interested in male sports. Also, her sexuality is questioned. People call her a dyke and other derogatory terms because they do not believe that she could possibly be a "normal girl". By questioning her sexuality they are saying too her that she is not allowed to be ... ...g to their sexuality. Even though the football team is horrible and the cheerleaders are national champions. It is the fact that these male cheerleaders are involved in a feminine sport that makes them subject to ridicule. There are positive things that can happen as a result of people playing sports not traditionally thought to be okay for their gender though. By having people in these roles it breaks down barriers between men and women in society. There are always going to be those that resist this, but in general people become more excepting of one another. At least that is the hope. Diana, Bev, and the others were either portraying or being, in Bev's case, pioneers in their sports field. But the fact that they got to compete at all shows us that our society has come a long way. Yet, the obstacles that they faced, shows us that we still have a long way to go. Societal Views on Sports and Gender Essays -- Health Fitness Societal Views on Sports and Gender Sports have become a major part of American culture and society. It is ingrained in us as a small child that playing a sport is almost necessary. In elementary school we take physical education where we are exposed to competitive sport. But even at this level it is our genders that control which types of sports are deemed "appropriate." Since women started to become involved in sports, there have always been those who have opposed them being there. We saw an example of this in the movie Girl Fight. By allowing a woman to partake in a sport, in this case boxing, that is typically viewed as male oriented in caused society to alter its views. This created many problems though. People do not want to see woman is a fighting role. It is thought to be unladylike and too rough. Because fighting is masculine, seeing a woman in that role changes gender roles in her community. Though it is clear that the Diana can handle herself in this movie. Her culture and society does not want to see her in a strong way. She faces many obstacles in order to show that she does belong where she is. In this movie she is victorious because it is her skills and determination that win out in the end, not her gender. Both in Girl Fight and in Pumping Iron 2 the question of what is feminine and what should a woman look and act like is brought up. In Girl Fight, the idea of a female boxer is deemed not feminine. Diana is told that she is wrong for being interested in male sports. Also, her sexuality is questioned. People call her a dyke and other derogatory terms because they do not believe that she could possibly be a "normal girl". By questioning her sexuality they are saying too her that she is not allowed to be ... ...g to their sexuality. Even though the football team is horrible and the cheerleaders are national champions. It is the fact that these male cheerleaders are involved in a feminine sport that makes them subject to ridicule. There are positive things that can happen as a result of people playing sports not traditionally thought to be okay for their gender though. By having people in these roles it breaks down barriers between men and women in society. There are always going to be those that resist this, but in general people become more excepting of one another. At least that is the hope. Diana, Bev, and the others were either portraying or being, in Bev's case, pioneers in their sports field. But the fact that they got to compete at all shows us that our society has come a long way. Yet, the obstacles that they faced, shows us that we still have a long way to go.

Only Parents Can Stop the Violence Essay -- Media Television TV Essays

Only Parents Can Stop the Violence In today’s society there is a debate going on about whether or not violence has an effect on young children and teenagers. On one hand there are people saying that violence on television has no effect on children. On the other hand it is very easy to prove that television violence has a direct effect on children. There are many studies that show how obvious the impact of television is on the way children act. Children and teens watch a lot of television from their young years until they graduate high school. One study shows that kids will watch 18,000 hours of television by the time they graduate high school(Kalin). This is 5,000 more hours than they spend at school. So the impact that television has is very great, considering how much time kids spend watching it. It is easy to see how kids are influenced by violent television shows because even at an early age they are mimicking violence. Carla Kalin observed her kindergartners acting out violence on each other in her first year of teaching. One kid from another class shot his younger brother in the stomach three times. The next year a first grader was suspended for bringing a knife to school and using it to threaten children on the playground(Kalin). After researching what was causing these youngsters to act so violently, Ms. Kalin came to the conclusion that television programs served as a springboard for violent and aggres sive behavior(Kalin). This is very understandable considering how many violent television shows are airing during the times that children watch TV. â€Å"Approximately ninety percent of the time, children watch programs which are not specifically designed for them at all†(Kalin). Ms. Kalin decided... ... and more intense, but it is up to the parent to monitor what their child is watching. I do agree that violent television shows promote violence in kids, but I also think that parents are responsible for their children’s actions. Parents can take advantage of things like the V-chip to control what their kids are watching. If parents would step up and simply take responsibility for their kids, then I believe that the violence that is happening today would decrease dramatically. Works Cited Children and TV Violence. 23, February 2000. Kalin, Carla. Television, Violence, and Children. 15, February 2000. Banta, Mary Ann. The V-Chip Story. 17, February 2000.

Admiral Jarok as Noble Traitor :: Star Trek Traitor Essays Papers

Admiral Jarok was a traitor, especially in the eyes of his countrymen. The very principles that define the Romulans are honor and loyalty and in no way can his actions be seen as loyal. Although some could argue his actions were those of a defector, his actions as Romulan official in this particular situation make him a traitor. A traitor is defined as a "person who betrays his or her country, cause, friends, etc. " (Webster) The true meaning of traitor is not found in this definition, but rather in the definition of the word betray. There are several meanings, but the most important ones are "2. to break faith with, fail to meet the hopes of" and " 6. to disclose ( secret information, confidential plans etc.)" The Romulans are seen as "moral people with very clear ideas of right and wrong" (Cornelius.) For them, right means honoring and serving the Romulan people. Federation space is seen as an ominous enemy and giving helpful strategic information to them, would be considered treason. Obviously Tomalak, the Romulan leader, feels this way when he demands, with contempt in his voice, for Picard and crew to release "traitor Jarok" For Tomalak, who represents all Romulans, Jarok broke faith to his people. "You see, Picard, after we dissect your Enterprise for every precious bit of information, I intend to display its broken hull in the center of the Romulan capitol as a symbol of our victory. It will inspire our armies for generations to come. And serve as a warning to any other traitor who would create ripples of disloyalty." (Tong) Jarok's actions perfectly correspond with sixth dictionary entry of betray. Even though it is assumed that the documents were a trap to catch the faltering loyalty of Jarok, a faithful Romulan would have kept them secret, even if it jeopardized their own family. Jarok did not know the documents were false or else he would not have risked all that he did in going over to Federation Space. To the Romulans, support for all the people came first. Jarok's actions might have seemed noble to those aboard Federation Space, but to the Romulans the most noble actions were those that were loyal to the Romulan cause. Tomalak would not have cared that Jarok did not want to go into any wars for the sake of his daughter. Tomalak wanted all members of his family to be safe, as well, but Tomalek stayed true to the Romulans, which he saw as the most important thing.

A Critique of the Research Article Essay

A Critique of the Research Article: Methadone/Buprenorphine and Better Maternal/ Perinatal Outcomes: A Meta-analysis Abstract The purpose of this research article is to discuss lower risk drugs such as Methadone and Buprenorphine given to Heroin addicted pregnant patients to create better neonatal and maternal outcomes. This research articles discusses the gold standard of treatment for better neonatal and maternal outcomes. Keywords: heroin, neonatal, maternal, outcomes, methadone, buprenorphine, gold standard treatment A Critique of the Research Article: Methadone/Buprenorphine and Better Maternal/ Perinatal Outcomes: A Meta-analysis Methadone is a synthetic opioid. It is used medically as an analgesic and a maintenance anti-addictive and reductive preparation for use by patients with opioid dependency. It was developed in Germany in 1937. Methadone was introduced into the United States in 1947 by Eli Lilly and Company. The principal effects of methadone maintenance are to relieve narcotic craving, suppress the abstinence syndrome, and block the euphoric effects associated with opiates. When used correctly, Methadone maintenance has been found to be medically safe and non-sedating. It is also indicated for pregnant women addicted to opiates. (doi:http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/methadone) The theoretical study was not discussed in the articles but Roy’s Model identifies the elements considered essential to adaptation and describes how the elements interact to produce adaptation and thus health. Methadone helps the pregnant opioid dependent individual adapt to a lower risk drug and produces an overall healthier maternal and prenatal outcome. Middle Range Theory is less abstract and narrowed in the scope than conceptual models. These types of theories focus on answering particular practice questions and often specify such factors: patient’s health conditions, family situations and nursing actions. While researching this topic there were areas that were discussed, about patients being afraid to seek Methadone treatment and prenatal care because they were ashamed of how health care professionals would view them. It was also stated that patients in better overall health and less family related stress situations would more than likely be the ones to receive proper prenatal care and seek Methadone treatment. Opioid dependent pregnant patients and their fetus have more physical, mental and psychological issues. (Kaltenbach, Berghella, & Finnegan, 1998). Opioid dependent pregnant patients are at an increased risk for preterm delivery and low birth weight. (Fajemiroku-Odudeyi et al. , 2005). To lower the health risks, pregnant women who are opiate dependent have been treated with methadone maintenance, the standard of care for several decades. (Jones et al. , 2005). Another treatment option became available when the U. S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of buprenorphine maintenance therapy in 2002, which is another substitute for methadone. The research article â€Å"Opioid Dependency in Pregnancy and Length of Stay for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome† examines 152 opioid-dependent pregnant women on methadone maintenance therapy (n=136 the participants that are using methadone) or buprenorphine maintenance therapy (n=16 the participants that are using buprenorphine) during pregnancy and their neonates. The neonates were born between January 1, 2005 and December 2007. The use of methadone in opioid dependent pregnant women lowers maternal morbidity and mortality rates and promotes fetal stability and growth compared to the use of heroin (Ludlow, Evans, & Hulse, 2004). Continuous methadone treatment during pregnancy is associated with improved earlier antenatal care (Burns, Mattick, Lim & Wallace, 2007), compliance with prenatal care and better preparation for infant care and parenting responsibilities (Dawe, Harnett, Rendalls, & Staiger, 2003). Stabilization on methadone avoids the dangers of repeated intoxication and withdrawal cycles. Methadone has to be picked up by the patient at the treatment facilities. Attendance at these facilities allow pregnant patients opportunities to receive essential antenatal care and advice for a healthy pregnancy, which some of the patients otherwise may not receive. While conducting this research it was not clearly evident what was being researched until the conclusion of the results was determined. Based on the number of participants depended on the outcome of the better treatment. Therefore the results are not as accurate as could be if there were a larger amount of participants. There were no violations of patient rights with the methods used. The research article â€Å"Methadone in pregnancy: treatment retention and neonatal outcomes† examines three different groups of women: a group who entered continuous treatment at least one year prior to birth, a group who entered continuous treatment in the 6 months prior to birth, and a group whose last treatment program prior to birth ended at least one year prior to birth. Births that occurred after 1994 were selected for this analysis. Overall, 2 993 women were on the methadone program at delivery. The number of births rose steadily from 62 in 1992 to 459 in 2002. A particular strength of the large sample size was the ability to examine the effect of treatment retention on key neonatal outcomes. Among mothers on methadone at delivery, early commencement on methadone was associated with increased antenatal care and reduced prematurity. This is consistent with previous research that has shown that methadone in conjunction with adequate prenatal care promotes fetal stability and growth. Ethics approval for the project was granted by the NSW Department of Health Ethics Committee. All data was provided to the researchers’ only once full identification of records had taken place with password protected computers and firewall protection. This method was used to protect patient’s rights. Based on a large sample size, researchers were able to examine the effects of treatment retention on key neonatal outcomes. Although researchers had a large sample size based on certain ethical restrictions, limited the amount of information given to researchers, which waived the outcomes of individual’s results not being totally accurate. The research article â€Å"Methadone and perinatal outcomes: a prospective cohort study† examines A total of 117 pregnant women on methadone maintenance treatment recruited between July 2009 and July 2010. Measurements information on concomitant drug use was recorded with the Addiction Severity Index. Perinatal outcomes included pre-term birth (

An Analysis of Dylan Thomas “ Do not Go gently into that Good night” Essay

Dylan Thomas wrote this poem for his dying father, it   was published on December 16, 1952, along with six other poems in â€Å" In Country Sleep â€Å". The Poem is a villanelle. It is made up of five tercets, a unit of three lines of verse, followed by a quatrain, a unit of four lines of verse. It is a lyric poem. It makes of rhymes on every other line of the poem. Dylan also makes use of the repetition of a particular line to put his point across.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Do not go gently into that good night† is a passionate poem about fighting death. Dylan Thomas uses metaphors in describing the agony of death and how one must fight against it. He compares death to darkness, as a line recurring   points to this †Rage, rage against the dying of the light†. In this poem, Dylan Thomas talks about life, and reminds the reader why life is worth fighting for. He suggests images that call to mind, days in a life of   a man, when there was laughter and merriment,   as seen in such lines as these â€Å"Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem’s main theme is fighting for life. It is an impassioned plea to his father to cling on to existence and not be carried into the darkness. Dylan Thomas words reverberates in one’s head as he seems to plead desperately that life not be given up so easily.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The poem can also be applied in the lives of people who are not in danger of dying. It seems to call out to the living to live their lives to the fullest and not succumb to the darkness of ignorance and fear. This lyrical poem appears to be something a young person may write, for it is full of bravery and invincibility- much like what teenagers or young ones would feel. Dylan then uses the elements of age. A young person, full of life asks someone to hold on a little longer in the same way that he probably held vigil beside his beloved father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dylan’s seemingly simple poem is actually very inspiring because it holds a message of hope. It draws the audience in and then encourages them to examine their existence and ask if one is happy or contented. If not, then Dylan’s battle cry is more than enough to kindle a light in a reader’s heart. It is his proclamation of existence, his fervor to â€Å" Rage against the Dying of the Light† that is contagious and that enables him to engage readers and hold their attention and truly fight the darkness within and with out , much like how Dylan continuously did for his father, to whom this poem was written for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night: Critical Overview. REFERENCES † Poetry for Students. 1998. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, eNotes.com. January 2006. 1 May 2008. .   Thomas, Dylan. â€Å"Do not go gently into that Good Night† 2007. Poets.org, from the Academy of American   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poets. Retrieved 29 April 2005 from http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15377