How to Write a Dissertation in Literature

How to Write a Dissertation in Literature The dissertation is an independent academic written work. If the question is about an undergraduate dissertation, it’s important to mention that the piece shouldn’t be 100% unique contribution to a particular niche. However, the project must be original in terms of being independent research, based on solid arguments, as well as an in-depth analysis of the subject. You, as the dissertation author, are expected to demonstrate ample ability to do research, comprehend the collected materials, engage analytically and critically with literary criticism and primary texts. While the topic of your dissertation may vary greatly, the paper must have a clear focus with clearly definable boundaries. Therefore, you have to decide on a research question, collect relevant materials and plan a schedule. The extensive nature of a dissertation in literature gives you a chance to examine a specific text and tell your target audience why exactly the piece is significant, and in what way it related to the key literary movements. The Structure Typically, the dissertation comprises the following segments: Cover Page and Title Page. Make sure to provide each with the title of the project, the name of the degree, the number of examination, the name of your supervisor, the word count (excluding appendix, bibliography, and abstract). Abstract. This part is a summary statement that includes not more than two hundred words. State the issue or the problem being debated, as well as the key questions that you’ve examined in your project together with the key findings. Acknowledgments. Do you need to thank someone for the contribution to your research? This is what the part called â€Å"Acknowledgments† is for. Table of Contents. Here you’re going to list all chapters of your paper together with their page numbers and titles. Abbreviations. If required, make sure to list all the abbreviations you have used in references throughout your text. The Main Body. This is the largest part of the project, where you collect and arrange evidence that will help you inform your target readers on your argument. Bibliography/. Make a list of all the links, books, and magazines you read and used in your academic work. Choosing Refining the Topic In terms of structure, content, and form, the closest topics for your consideration might be found in essays or journal articles. For instance, students who are studying English literature should write on three Brontà «s sisters or English poetry in the World War I. Students who are enrolled for a Joint Degree in Classics of Japanese and Chinese Literature may choose to concentrate on either subject (or, as an alternative, a combination of both). The world of literature has no limits, which means you’re not going to have troubles when it’s time to select the topic for your dissertation. As a rule, students approach dissertation supervisors who are always there to help you decide on the topic of your dissertation and advise you about the process of writing. At the same time, keep in mind that the dissertation is your project. Your supervisor is there to help, guide, and advise not to tell you exactly what to do! To write a thought-provoking and memorable literature dissertation, ensure to consider the following topics we’ve prepared for you: George Eliot Work on the Religious Doubt in the Nineteenth Century; Elizabeth Barret about Communication and Love Through the Use of Her Poems; The Image of Death in World Literature; Why Is Tolkiens â€Å"The Lord of the Rings† So Loved by All Ages Equally? The Role of Witches within the Play Macbeth and Impact on the Play Itself; Visions of Nature: Wordsworth and Poetical Imagination of the 18th Century; Is Literature an Instrument of Propaganda? The Relationship Between Literature and Church in the Middle Ages; Ancestral Voices or the Basics of the Earliest English Literature; Homosexuality in World Literature from Its Beginnings to Nowadays; Impact of Digital Media on World English Literature; Russian Postmodernism: New Standpoints on Post-Soviet Culture; Where Does the Origin of Novels Begin? Ancient Indian Literature: Its Evolution Towards Contemporary Times; Poetical Imagination of William Wordsworth through an Analysis of His Perception of Nature; The Changing Meaning of the Victorian Family in the Gaskell’s Works; The World without William Shakespeare: How Would It Look Like? The Basics of Travel Writing in Modern Literature; Paradise Lost and the Fall from Grace: Redemption Poetry in the Seventeenth Century; Controversy Writing in the Works by Rodolfo Walsh; A History of Womens Writing in Russia; The influence of Virginia Woolf’s Works on Modern Society; Childrens Literature Trends in the 21st Century. If you think you need more ideas than these, make sure to check what they have to offer at your campus library in order to find out what your peers have worked on over the past years. Besides, you can also surf the web to discover a bunch of literature topics. Indeed, there are dozens of sites on the internet that offer fresh ideas. So make certain you do in-depth research first before you pick your dissertation title. Write and Structure a Winning Dissertation Proposal The term dissertation proposal refers to the final dissertation project proposal that should persuade the representatives of the committee board that you’ve conducted an interesting, complex, and valuable research. The proposal is shorter than the final dissertation; however, it’s equally important. Why? This is the point when the author is going to ponder over an important question and set up a detailed plan for collecting materials and writing the project. Even if the proposal is optional in your college, make sure to write it and talk about it with your project supervisor. Write as You Go The dissertation has a clear and concise structure, which means you won’t get lost as you write the project step by step. The Introduction Generally, the intro of the dissertation does the following: Gives preliminary background info that lets your research harmonically communicate with context; Specifies the focus of your project; Highlights the value of your research; Clarifies the objectives and aims of your specific research. While you place the ‘background info’ first in the introductory section of the dissertation, it’s up to you to decide how exactly you’d like to structure the remaining points. Feel free to combine these sections or add in new features, if needed. You may add in your research questions in the dissertation introduction to ensure your readers are not only familiar with your objectives and aims, but also have a certain framework for where you’re going to head your research. As for the length of the introduction, there’s no particular rule about how long it should be since it depends on the length of the total project. However, in general, make sure to write the intro that takes 5-7% of the total amount of text. Literature Review In this chapter of the dissertation, you are expected to review your research process and the crucial acknowledgments that you have managed to come down to. In this section, make sure to: Place your original work in the context of the literature that exists today; Interpret the key issues that surround your topic; Show the relationship of every work to others that are under consideration; Specify the brand-new ways to interpret, and explain all gaps in prior research; Resolve the existing conflicts among the previous studies that contradict each other; Highlight the literature that contributes significantly to the understanding of your dissertation topic; Show up the way to further research on the given topic. Methodology Include this section into the project to discuss how you located the resources together with the methods of the results’ implementation. If you’re working on a qualitative dissertation, you will mention the research participants, questions, settings, data analysis, and data collection processes. If it’s a quantitative dissertation, the Methodology section will be focused on the research hypotheses and questions, collection and analysis of data, information about the population, and instrumentation. Findings The section of Findings is the most important part of the whole process of writing. The point is that in a dissertation, this section proves your intellectual capacity. At this stage, you will be required to restate the research questions, as well as discuss your results, explaining where they successfully led you to. To cut the long story, you are going to answer those questions. For instance, if you write a dissertation on ‘Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Story of Success,’ you may state that through your research you have found out that publishers rejected the first novel of the author, while her next work ‘Jane Eyre’ was published in 1847, although it was not initially well-received. The Conclusion The concluding part of your dissertation will let you have a huge sigh of relief because once you work on it, you’re almost done with your project. It’s your task here to finish a well-organized and cohesive final chapter. If your conclusion is poorly structured, the reader might be left with the impression that the author lacked the required skills or that s/he lost interest in the process of writing. To avoid this kind of pitfalls, make sure you know what is required from you and the issues that you have to include in your conclusion. Generally, there are three key parts (at a minimum) that you have to put in the concluding section of your dissertation. Check them here: Research objectives that are the summarization of your findings and the resulting conclusions. For instance, in a dissertation on â€Å"Womens Role in Shakespeare Plays,† make sure to state briefly that women in power are treated with distrust by the author and that they have questionable morals. Mention Gertrude, who marries the murdering brother of her husband and Lady Macbeth who pushes her husband into murder. Recommendations for further research (this part is strongly recommended). In the case of the topic mentioned above, ensure to state that women in Shakespeare’s works are judged by their sexuality even when they do love their husbands or fiancà ©s. This is where the potential for further feminism-based research should be revealed. Mention that some feminists believe that the way the author treats women in his works demonstrates male insecurity about the sexuality of females. Why your research is important (this part is important to the practitioners and researchers). The length of the concluding part of the dissertation depends on the length of the paper, but just like the intro, it takes somewhere near 5-7% of the total word count. Bibliography. It is important to include all sources that you’ve used in your research and the process of writing, as well as use the citation style required by your academic institution. Terms and Phrases to Avoid in a Dissertation Writing in plain English is a must when it comes to a dissertation, which is why there are certain words you must avoid in your text: Jokes and puns (They are a taboo in formal documents). ‘Good,’ ‘bad,’ ‘stupid,’ ‘terrible’ (Never use your dissertation to make any sort of moral judgments!) ‘Perfect’ (Perfect is nothing). ‘Soon’ (When exactly? Today? In a hundred years?) ‘I was surprised to get to know that†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Even if you really were, who cares?) ‘This would seem to show’ (Your readers are waiting for the facts only!) ‘Type of’ and ‘kind of’ (This sounds colloquial and too vague). ‘Clearly’ and ‘obviously’ (Is it clear and obvious to everyone?) ‘You are going to read about†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Never mention the second person in a formal document). ‘I am going to describe†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Never write the first person in a formal document). Undoubtedly, writing a literature dissertation is challenging, but at the same time, it’s highly rewarding, and definitely deserving both effort and time.

11 Rose Color Meanings to Help You Pick the Perfect Bouquet

Rose Color Meanings to Help You Pick the Perfect Bouquet SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips A red rose is a pretty universal symbol of love and passion. So universal, in fact, that the price of red roses can increase by 200% around Valentine’s Day in some regions!However, all colors of roses have their own unique symbolic meanings- not just red roses. The symbolic meanings of other rose colors just aren’t quite as well-known. In this article, we’ll briefly go over the concept of rose color symbolism. Then we’ll break down the meaning of different rose colors(including favorites like yellow, pink, and white roses) and provide appropriate occasions for each color. We’ll also discuss the symbolism of different numbers of roses and provide some insight into rose cost. All this will help you to choose the most appropriate roses for any given occasion! Rose Color Meanings: A Brief Overview While the concept of assigning symbolic meaning to flowers has existed since ancient times, the popularity of communicating through the â€Å"language of flowers† peaked in the Western world during the Victorian era. Both men and women consulted â€Å"flower dictionaries† to choose and interpret the appropriate flowers to send, wear, and display. Flowers were given meaning based on both their species and their color. So while the rose in general is a symbol of love, different rose colors provided different shades of meaning (or even, in some cases, a completely different meaning) to this base meaning of rose = love. The mania for flower dictionaries may have passed, but a fascination with flower symbolism- particularly with roses, one of the most popular flowers- has persisted. If you’d like to give a bouquet of roses that’s especially thoughtful and meaningful, consider the symbolism of the colors you select. Read on for a comprehensive guide to what different colored roses mean and what occasions they are most appropriate for. The Meaning of Rose Colors: 4Most Popular Colors While we will discuss all rose color meaningsin this article, we’ll start with the symbolism of the most popular rose colors: red, white, yellow, and pink. Red Rose Meaning Red is one of the most common and popular rose colors. The red rose is a symbol of beauty, passion, desire, and romantic love. The red rose was originally associated with Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. Myth holds that when her lover, Adonis, was wounded, she pricked her foot on the thorns of a white rose in her haste to run to him. Her blood stained the roses red, turning the red rose into a symbol of incredible passion and romantic devotion. Legend also has it that Cleopatra seduced Mark Antony in a room fully covered in red rose petals. A dozen red roses boldly declares, â€Å"I love you,† while a single red rose communicates devotion and loyalty. Beyond their more passionate connotation, red roses are often used outside of romantic contexts to convey congratulations or gratitude. Red Roses Occasions Red roses are very popular flowers for Valentine’s day. However, because of the increased demand, rose prices go up dramatically around this time, and you may be getting lower-quality roses.Additionally, they are somewhat of a Valentine’s day cliche, which may come across as fairly unoriginal. So unless you know the recipient has their heart set on red roses, consider another flower for this holiday and save red roses for another (romantic) time. For example, anniversaries or birthdays with a significant other. Red roses also often appear in bridal bouquets because of their connotation of a love that is both everlasting and passionate. Finally, you might give red roses for non-romantic reasons. They are popular flowers for giving to someone after a performance; you often see bouquets of red roses or single flowers thrown onstage after ballet or opera performances. So you might give red roses to someone who has just done a stage performance of some kind or completed a big accomplishment like a graduation or major work project. Red roses can also be deployed to thank someone who has done something meaningful for you. Context is everything- think about how your gesture of red roses will be interpreted under the circumstances! White Rose Meaning White roses have a variety of symbolic associations. In Greek myth, Aphrodite was born from the foam of the sea. Greek poet Anacreon wrote that the sea foam that dripped from her body after she emerged from the ocean turned into white roses.In the Christian tradition, the white rose is associated with the Virgin Mary. Perhaps because of its association with these two fairly different figures, white rose symbolism is somewhat broad.Possibly because of its connection to the Virgin Mary, it bears a meaning of innocence, chastity, and purity. It’s also associated with spirituality, reverence, and new beginnings. In Victorian tradition, the deeper the rose color, the deeper the passion- so a white rose was most appropriate for a young girl or woman who has not yet felt a deep and passionate love. Somewhat contradictorily, the white rose also symbolizes a soul-deep love and canrepresent marriage. White Roses Occasions Because of its associations with purity, spirituality, and new beginnings, the white rose is an appropriate funeral flower. However, it’s also a common wedding flower due to its association with marriage and deep love. Cream roses are considered particularly bridal. White roses are also appropriate for religious occasions like baptisms and confirmations. Yellow Rose Meaning The yellow rose has experienced a significant shift in meaning over time. In the Victorian era, the yellow rose signified jealousy and accused the recipient of infidelity. Not exactly a very happy message! However, in the present day,the yellow rose most commonly means friendship- and specifically platonic friendship. Sending yellow roses to someone you may have romantic interest in, then, may not be the best move as it could signal that you are only interested in friendship with that person. For someone you are friends with, the yellow rose sends a message of cheer, joy, caring, and platonic affection. Yellow Roses Occasions The yellow rose is an excellent congratulatory rose for a happy occasion. A new baby or an engagement are great reasons to send someone yellow roses. You might also send them to thank a friend for their support or help. Lastly, yellow roses are a good choice for someone who needs a pick-me-up- perhaps in a â€Å"Get Well Soon† bouquet. Pink Rose Meaning Pink roses have a pretty broad range of symbolic associations. In general, pink roses symbolize admiration, gentleness, dignity, elegance, innocence, and happiness. Different shades of pink can convey different shades of meaning.Paler pink roses signify grace and sweetness. Deeper pink roses convey gratitude. Pink Roses Occasions Pink roses are very versatile. They can convey either a romantic or platonic message. Pale pink roses are a good choice for the beginning of a romance, when red roses may come off somewhat strongly. You can also send pink roses to a friend to congratulate or cheer them. Deeper pink roses are especially well-suited as a thank you gift. Pink roses are also appropriate for a girl or young woman, especially to convey congratulations or to commemorate a milestone. Rose Color Meaning: 7 More Unusual Colors In this next section, we’ll go over the rose color meanings of some of the more unusual rose colors. Orange Rose Meaning Fiery orange roses send a strong message of fascination, passion, enthusiasm, attraction, and desire. Coral roses in particular signify desire. Orange Roses Occasions Orange roses convey a meaning that is primarily romantic in nature. Thus, they are best for romantic occasions. They can be a slightly unusual but appropriate choice for Valentine’s Day and anniversaries. They might also make a striking wedding flower in the right color scheme! Peach Rose Meaning Peach roses communicate sincerity and gratitude. They can also mark the closing of a deal or agreement. They have an alternative meaning of sympathy. Pale peach roses mean modesty. Peach Roses Occasions Peach roses are a very appropriate thank-you gift. Additionally, they are a good choice for a sympathy bouquet to someone who has just lost a loved one. With their meaning of modesty, pale peach roses can also make a very pretty component of a bouquet that communicates admiration- perhaps a bouquet of peach and pink roses together. This would also make a very pretty wedding flower combination and color palette. Burgundy Rose Meaning Burgundy roses have a very specific connotation of unconscious beauty. In the Victorian era, deeper rose colors signified deeper passion. Per this schema, burgundy roses signify a very deep passion, even beyond that of red roses. Burgundy Roses Occasions Burgundy roses are very romantic. They can make a striking choice for Valentine’s day or other romantic occasions and add depth to a bouquet with red and/or pink roses. They would also make a lush and beautiful wedding flower. Purple Rose Meaning Purple roses are very special and intriguing and have deep symbolic meaning. Purple roses symbolize enchantment and the mystical. Pale purple or lavender-colored roses send a message of â€Å"love at first sight.† Deeper purple roses convey majesty and royalty, adoration, and fascination. Purple Roses Occasions Purple roses are also very romantic and best for romantic occasions. Purple roses are an especially good choice for someone with a spiritual or mystical side. They also look beautiful in combination with red, pink, or burgundy roses. Green Rose Meaning Green roses symbolize peace, spiritual rejuvenation, calm, and fertility. It’s a soothing color that connotes close ties to the natural world. The pale green rose does occur in nature, although green roses that you buy from a florist may be dyed (especially if they are a bright St. Patrick’s-day green!) Green Roses Occasions Green roses are appropriate for any spiritual occasion, like a baptism or confirmation. As a symbol of peace, they also make an appropriate funeral flower. Because they are symbol of fertility, they would also be a good choice for new parents. Pale green and white roses together would make an especially striking and appropriate combination for such an event. Blue Rose Meaning True blue roses are not found in nature. Natural roses that are considered â€Å"blue† are actually a blue-toned purple. However, blue roses can also be obtained by dying white roses. Because they can’t be obtained naturally, blue roses symbolize the unattainable and the mysterious. Blue Roses Occasions Blue roses are not associated with many occasions, likely because they aren’t found in nature and must be artificially colors. However, with their enigmatic message,they could be used to send a message from a secret admirer. Black Rose Meaning Black roses are another color that is not found in nature. Natural roses that are called â€Å"black† are actually a very dark red or purple color. True black roses can only be obtained through dyeing. Black roses symbolize death, rebirth, and goodbye. Black Roses Meaning Black roses may be an appropriate funeral flower. However, they can come across as very gothic and morbid, so they may be somewhat of a risky choice unless you were close to the deceased and are confident they (and their surviving family members) would appreciate black roses. The Number of Roses - Meaning The number of roses gifted can also have symbolic meaning. However, the message is almost always some variant of â€Å"I love you.† Here’s a chart with the breakdown: Number of Roses Meaning One Devotion, love at first sight Two Mutual love Three â€Å"I love you† Six â€Å"I want to be yours,† infatuation Nine Eternal love Ten You are perfect Twelve (one dozen) Be mine Thirteen A secret admirer, or forever friendship Fifteen â€Å"I’m sorry,† â€Å"Please forgive me† Twenty Sincerity Twenty-one I’m committed to you Twenty-four (two dozen) â€Å"I’m yours,† â€Å"I’m thinking of you every hour of the day† Twenty-five Congratulations Thirty-six (three dozen) Remembering romantic moments Forty Genuine love Fifty Unconditional love 100 Complete devotion 108 Will you marry me? 365 I love you every day (of the year) 999 Eternal and infinite love (and an infinite bank account, probably!) Thus, almost all numbers of roses mean some version of â€Å"I love you,† â€Å"I’m devoted to you,† etc. Number, then, is overall less significant than color. Rose Color and Cost While color can (and does) play into the price of roses, it’s far from the most important factor. Rose cost is also affected by quality of the rose, time of year, and the labor involved in crafting the bouquet. Only after all this has been accounted for does color really come into play. Rose Quality It goes without saying that the higher the rose is in quality, the more expensive it will be per stem. Long-stemmed roses with hearty, full blooms cost more than their shorter-stemmed, less lush counterparts. The type of rose is another factor here. For example, garden roses, which are quite popular for weddings, tend to be far more expensive than the more typical rose varieties you would find in the grocery store. Time of Year Time of year plays into the level of demand for roses, which plays into price. Roses are most expensive around Valentine’s day, Mother’s day, and June due to increased demand. June is a high-demand time because many weddings take place in June, and roses are a popular wedding flower. Graduations could also contribute to increased demand at this time. Labor The amount of labor that goes into maintaining and arranging your roses is also reflected in the price. Bulk retailers who can’t give you much personalization and may not take as much care with the transport and storage of their blooms won’t charge as much for a dozen roses! By contrast, a specialty florist that does careful custom arrangements will charge you more. Rose Color Color comes into play primarily because it’s harder to find cheap roses in unusual colors. Red, white, and pink roses will almost always be easy to find at from bulk retailers like Costco or even at grocery stores for a fairly cheap price. But because there’s less demand for purple or peach roses, you are more likely to have to go through a florist, which will mean you’ll almost certainly need to pay more. Any artificially colored roses (so, a bright blue or green) will also cost more, because of the labor associated with coloring the roses. Rose Symbolism: Final Takeaways Here are some key takeaways for each of the rose colors: Red: Passion, love, desire. For romantic occasions. White: Innocence, purity, spirituality, new beginnings. Best for spiritual events, weddings, and funerals. Yellow: Platonic friendship. To cheer or congratulate a close friend. Pink: Pink roses primarily mean admiration, elegance, innocence, and gratitude. Very versatile; can be used for almost any occasion where flowers are appropriate. Orange: Desire, fascination, passion. For romantic occasions. Peach: Sincerity, gratitude, sympathy. Send as a thank-you or to someone in mourning. Burgundy: Unconscious beauty. For romantic occasions. Purple: enchantment, love at first sight (lilac), royalty and admiration (deeper purple). For romantic occasions. Blue (not found in nature): The unattainable and mysterious. Perhaps for a secret admirer. Black (not found in nature): Death and rebirth. Perhaps for a funeral. Almost every rose number sends some message of love and devotion, so there is a lot more variation and significance in rose colorsymbolism. Rose cost is primarily driven by the quality of the roses, the time of year, and the labor involved in the arrangement. However, you will have a harder time finding cheaper arrangements for less common rose colors like purple, orange, and green. Additionally, any artificially colored roses will cost you more.

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 21

Journal - Essay Example Kennedy has several points he wants to drive home in his inaugural speech. First, he seeks to pass a message of accomplishment to his fans and a new era to Americans and beyond. His speech starts with diction to show his presidential accomplishment and to pass a message to Americans that he believes in the freedom gained through his election. Secondly, his speech seeks to get support from Americans to back his presidency. He achieves this through awakening Americans pre-existing sense of pride by reminding them of their heroic independent day. Kennedy seems to have a deeper understanding of his audience most of which happened to be Americans. He knows that independent day means so much to Americans and so his reference to it and to forbearers creates some support for Kennedy through association. His reference to history also helps him achieve the aspect of credibility needed by his audience. In addition, Kennedy portrays an understanding of the audience by constructing a message desi gned for the media. His message is rhetoric and full of imagery, which makes it appealing to the public in America and beyond and memorable. Kennedy is a man of good character. After being sworn in and acknowledging the purpose of the celebrations, Kennedy goes ahead to declare the solemnity of this act. Kennedy states, â€Å"For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago† (Kennedy web). Kennedy acknowledges the supreme power above him, which is God. In addition, he does not take the entire glory of the success but recognises that his forebears had prescribed it. In addition, Kennedy uses a polite tone it trying to get support for his presidency. For instance, Kennedy says, â€Å"Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts,

Managing Eastman Kodaks New Environment Case Study

Managing Eastman Kodaks New Environment - Case Study Example The appointment of CEO Antonio Perez, in 2003, with his commitment to the "worldwide transformation of Kodak from a business based on film to one based primarily on digital technologies" (Marcial 2007) may well be the answer to Kodak's woes. Will Eastman Kodak under the leadership of CEO Perez succeed to manage its new environment According to Michael Porter's five forces model of industry analysis, the points to consider are (1) Rivalry, (2) Threat of Substitutes, (3) Buyer Power, (4) Supplier Power, and (5) Barriers to Entry. (QuickMBA 2007) Under Perez, Kodak realized that the company needed to reinvent and reposition itself. It was no longer the technological giant of the photography, film and film processing industry, because that industry was in danger of extinction with the changes in the technological environment and consumers' appreciation of those changes. Perez steered Kodak into entering the digital photography market and faced fierce competition from Sony and Canon. (Marcial 2007) Kodak launched EasyShare, its family of digital cameras, which was widely praised. But it failed to anticipate how "fast these digital cameras would become commodities, with low profit margins, as every competitor raced into the market. Perez had counted on rising demand for traditional photography in China to slow the fall. But China went digital as fast as everybody else While blazing growth of camera sales has helped blunt the effects of Kodak's fast-fading film revenues, it hasn't replaced the rich profits of the film business P erez realized that he had championed a dramatic change only to find it wasn't the right model for turning the company around." (Hamm, Symonds 2007) Perez had succeeded in addressing its rivals in the digital camera market and even surpassed targets in camera sales but this was not the answer to Kodak's problems. According to Porter, the next force to contend with is the threat of substitutes. (QuickMBA 2007). In Kodak's case, even with its digital camera rivals, it did not have to contend with threats of substitutes but rather, current industry players had to contend with Kodak, as did Sony and Canon in the milieu of digital cameras. And since digital cameras did not prove to be the answer that Kodak was looking for, CEO Perez, with his expertise gleaned from Hewlett-Packard, sought to threaten yet another in Kodak's quest for answers to its problems. According to Symonds in a Business Week article, printing could be Kodak's brightest hope for the future with its $2.1 billion investment in the commercial printing market. "And its technology could prove nearly as important an evolution in printmaking as movable type -- allowing for mass customization on unprecedented scales." (Symonds 2006) In this arena, again Kodak had to face tough competition from leaders Xerox and Hewlett-Packard, but "Kodak has pulled together a broader portfolio than rivals by picking up everything from the software and plates printers need to get a job started to the presses needed to complete it." (Symonds 2006) So, it wasn't so much that Kodak had to deal with the threats of substitutes but rather it had to work on becoming a potent threat itself to dislodge

Executive Summary

Executive Summary Executive Summary For Wingate systems to work, a relationship marketing model can be used via e-commerce to increase success. To most, it would seem late in the game to begin assessing whether continuous relationship marketing (CRM) can work in e-commerce. In the decade or so since the issue first arose, several things have become apparent, not least of which is that simply segmenting a market to serve different populations of customers, especially online customers, is inadequate. In fact, relationship marketing has been defined, since the 1980s, as â€Å"attracting, maintaining, andin multi-service organizationsenhancing customer relationships,† (Stern, 1997) In addition, â€Å"the reality of customers forming relationships with people rather than [with] goods† is what drove it, and made it a key source of benefits to the firm. (Stern, 1997) For traditional relationship marketing to work as it should in any organization, all other business parameters also need to be in place. Recently, this has been identified in a forward-looking model as a â€Å"holistic, dynamic and dialectical† model. (Chang, 2004) Not surprisingly, this model was developed in an Asian developing economy context. The author noted that local firms in developing countries need to be creative in developing e-business strategies because they are operating in under-developed e-business environments. It that is true for relationship marketing success in developing countries, it should, therefore, be even more valuable to mature organizations operating in mature business environments. E-business is sometimes identified as the â€Å"convergence of digital technology, intellectual property and customer supremacy† (Chang, 2004) and it emphasizes the interconnectedness of both the hardware and human capital functions within any company that wants to be successful in using CRM in an e-business environment. Done right, it will transcend â€Å"the traditional boundaries of space, time, individuals and organizations.† (Chang, 2004) Introduction Despite the dot-com failures of the recent past, few would doubt that e-business is a main driver of the new and future economy globally. It is also safe to assume that relationship marketing began its development when bricks-and-mortar businesses were able to operate without substantial Internet presence. Then, it was ‘relationship marketing, and depended on such things as ‘personal bankers, and ‘personal shoppers, and arguably, within each organization that had added the relationship marketing function, it was viewed as a ‘must have but with little relative impact on the bottom line. However, three things entered the business arena that made it paramount for relationship marketing to become both continuous (CRM) and integrated into the business structures. Those three things were the development of digital technologies, the importance of intellectual property, and â€Å"customer supremacy,† defined as customization of product/service and reduced cycle time. (Chang, 2004) E-business has altered prior relationships so that the complex of digital technology, intellectual property and customer supremacy when integrated with business activities makes conventional rules of business obsolete. â€Å"E-business seems to have the capability to change the competitive landscapes in the traditional industries, create new industries, and affect the configuration and coordination of firm-level business activities, especially such external activities as customer relationship management†¦..† (Chang, 2004) Companies that use e-commerce successfully within the holistic CRM paradigm will necessarily have integrated all these elements rather than treating each as a separate profit center or line item, with convergence merely found on the balance sheet and not in the conduct of the business itself. Background Organizational form, business model and strategy have been considered the framework of commerce. In the holistic viewpoint, there are only two factors, business configuration and business coordination. In this context, business configuration is used to mean the scope of business coverage by a company, what was once known as strategy. Business coordination refers to the style of business relationships both within a company and with its customers and suppliers. (Chang, 2004) If these two components of business are used in a truly holistic manner, the result will be virtually zero distance between customers and suppliers, zero inventory and (near) zero working capital. In short, the relationship marketing function will have made the company—whether a product- or service-based business—into a simply go-between. The profit comes from performing the service of obtaining supplies that become product or service, ‘warehousing that product or service only minimally, and transmitting it to the customer. Obviously, the trick to it all is knowing the suppliers and customers well enough that there is no additional negotiation needed and order and payment change hands almost simultaneously. For this, e-commerce would seem ideally suited. Strategies Intimacy model A second new thrust identified in relationship marketing is the intimacy model of relationship marketing. Personal sales, the traditional basis for relationship marketing, occur in real time. In some respects, so do e-commerce sales, with the difference that they are not happening in a ‘real place but rather a virtual storefront. That advertising—communication through a nonpersonal medium—is essential to e-commerce relationships brings into the equation the theory of intimacy. Some researchers regard evaluation of customer intimacy as a business concept as important as the holistic model. (Stern, 1997) Intimacy theory â€Å"accounts for the influence of emotion in relationships as well as that of cognition (feelings as well as thoughts).† It also allows insight into the deterioration of relationships, and finally, it â€Å"emphasizes the association between relationship stages and persuasive communication that enhances the services firms ability to apply relationship management to advertising as well as to personal sales.† (Stern, 1997) Because e-commerce is a blending of all of these elements, but not in the presence of a ‘live intermediary, it may be useful to consider whether these factors are included in ecommerce relationship marketing today, or only in ‘bricks and mortar settings (Theodosiou, M. and Leonidou, L.C., 2003). Five bases of intimacy in relationship marketing Just as Chang identified two elements to the setting in which relationship marketing can occur and be holistic, Stern identifies five components of intimacy in relationship marketing (Vorhies, D.W. and Morgan, N.A., 2003). Communication and sympathetic listening This includes self-disclosure, a willingness to share personal or attitudinal information. In the relationship-selling arena, the communication will generally be one way, from customer to company. The listener, in this case the company, must provide the sympathetic, that is, non-judgmental, listening. In that way, the customer reveals needs and desires and the company builds trust. So, â€Å"relationships in which a consumer tells all to a non-disclosing partner are perceived as intimate as long as the partner communicates a sympathetic attitude to what is being told.† (Stern, 1997) â€Å"Advertisements aimed at conveying sympathetic listening transform one-way media communication (that is, non-interactive messages) into a representation of responsiveness,† Stern adds. (1997) An example she gives is direct mail and online marketer Lands Ends headline, â€Å"Well knock ourselves out for you.† The copy reads, â€Å"Ever since we started doing business back in 1963 . . . weve done our level best to satisfy our customers. So you can be sure that whenever you call, well do whatever it takes to satisfy you, in our friendly Wisconsin way.† (Quoted by Stern , 1997) Commitment: Bonding with Consumers. A sense of â€Å"weness† is the belief that each member of a relationship is committed to the welfare of the other. (Stern, 1997) As a customer grows accustomed to positive responses in a business relationship, that feeling develops and they begin to say â€Å"my credit card company† or â€Å"my car dealership.† Stern notes that bonding techniques are an increasingly popular marketing strategy for services marketers attempting to establish long-term bonds with consumers so they can be retained. By 1997, it had been ascertained that retention beat prospecting in terms of profitability. (Stern, 1997) This goes so far as to allow a firm to lose money, be design, on a particular transaction in order to retain the customer. In a credit-card relationship, this might include waiving a fee for a late payment when it was clearly an oddity in the customers usual behavior. Caring and Giving Altruism is the watchword here, and not demands for reciprocity, even though it is a ‘relationship. Companies carrying out relationship marketing can activate perception of this by basing decisions and reactions on a â€Å"needs rule rather than an equity rule† to establish a closer mental association. (Stern, 1007) This has been successfully used in financial services POS advertising. Chase Manhattan Bank used a message at the bottom of its ATM receipts that said, â€Å"Chase give you 6 other ways to connect.† (Stern, 1997) So, even though it was an impersonal, practically an online, setting, and the ‘reach out factor was present. But the appearance was that the bank cared enough about all users of its ATMs to offer the information, at least. Comfort (Compatibility) A consumers sense of security in a relationship is central to retention. In dealing with service firms, consumers have been found to â€Å"evaluate their level of comfort†¦. on the dimension of mutual engagement in a joint venture.† (Stern, 1997) The vocabulary of intimacy is used in advertising to create this image. For example, New England Life positioned itself as â€Å"Your Financial Partner,† and showed images of three-generations meeting, conveying an image of long-term relationships. (Stern, 1997) Conflict Resolution and Trust This is a sort of last-ditch tactic in any relationship-marketing program. Although at times conflict may be inevitable, even in a well-maintained relationship, conflict resolution and problem-solving abilities including skill in listening, negotiation, and conciliation are essential to maintaining relationship marketing. (Stern, 1997) How possible this is in an e-commerce setting, especially in a service such as credit, might be problematical. There must, then, be a mechanism to resolve conflicts satisfactorily (Doty, D.H., Glick, W.H. and Huber, 1993). Campaigns: Advertising and Subscription How does a not-so-well known company show what they have, or how does a known company attack new segments seeking more consumer attention? Since the rolls on the net became voiceovers, the consumer retrieves what it wants, and the producer has to be hunted. The advertising model is based on using creative advertising banners and links in very frequented web-pages. Some companies have successfully advertised their new products and services through this system making sure their ads are more creative and attractive for the roaming eyes of the consumer (Gupta, A.K. and Govindarajan, 1991). The biggest winner here though, is the page that offers that space. Search engines like Amazon or Yahoo have made big use of this model. All the services they offer (e.g. chats, games, e-mail, search engine etc.) are for free, charging companies for the use of space for ads on their Web-pages. The more frequented a page is the more it costs to display an ad. Companies starting to use this model are def initely at an advantage for their present position and the its cost. Wingate proposes to use this model to advertise its latest concepts and designs (DiMaggio, P.J. and Powell, W.W., 1993). Wingate therefore plans to use the intimacy model and combine it with both the subscription model and the advertising model in order to market its product. The Subscription Model has become a very popular model with a high range of success. By subscribing in any service or company on the net, all your given information is stored on a special data base that is used to classify users. With this data-base that has all the records of visited products and purchases, the providers are able to target the visitors on a more personal basis. An example of this is Hotmail. Hotmail is not only one of the most popular, free e-mail services, but it also belongs to Microsoft. The new way to link the customer to the wanted page can also be manipulated by the new Passport system of Hotmail (Gresov, C. and Drazin, 1997). All the information given in subscription to Hotmail is automatically transferred to other services Microsoft offers. Say you entered, your hobby is to travel, therefore you will get e-mails about travel with new offers on where to fly, it also facilitates one with the advantage of not having to re-enter all their personal details all over again when subscribing in a new company run by Microsoft. This model is very powerful and it does not end there, consumers are followed through their life cycle becoming aware of what the company has to offer to the specific consumers. It is more likely that a father will consider the idea of a family insurance rather than a child. For the child, the company will target for example new bikes. This model divides the segments even further, making sure that the consumer feels special, with not costing much extra. Therefore, it will be important to start a database of existing customers and retain their information in order to provide them with updates of Wingates latest offers and ideas. Furthermore, a website could be setup and advertised to allow individuals to know about this subscription service if they would like to sign up for information. More information about how this concept can be advertised overall is discussed below in the basic advertising model. Controls Wingate plans to budget $3000-$5000 for monthly advertising. The idea will be to run banner ads on various websites for a fee, and to also advertise on pay per click websites such as Google adwords. Other Internet marketing companies can also be hired to keep keywords high on the search engine lists. Below is a chart demonstrating this. References Bielski, Lauren. (2001). â€Å"Making the customer relationship work.† ABA Banking Journal, 93(3). Chang, Steven Tung-lung. (2004). â€Å"A holistic framework of e-business strategy: the case of Haier in China.† Journal of Global Information Management, 1 April. DiMaggio, P.J. and Powell, W.W. (1993) The iron cage revisited: institutional isomorphism and collective rationality in organizational fields, American Sociological Review 48(2): 147-160. Doty, D.H., Glick, W.H. and Huber, G.P. (1993) Fit, equifinality, and organizational effectiveness: a test of two configurational theories, Academy of Management Journal 36(6): 1196-1250. Gresov, C. and Drazin, R. (1997) Equifinality: functional equivalence in organization design, Academy of Management Review 22(2): 403-428. Gupta, A.K. and Govindarajan, V. (1991) Knowledge flows and the structure of control within multinational corporations, Academy of Management Review 16(4): 768-792. Ohung, Sungmi and Mike Sherman. (2002). â€Å"Emerging Marketing: Companies dont need state-of-the-art tools, huge volumes of customer information, and armies of experts to use continuous relationship marketing effectively.† The McKinsey Quarterly, 62+. Stern, Barbara B. (1997). â€Å"Advertising Intimacy: Relationship marketing and the services consumer.† Journal of Advertising, 26 (4), 7+. Theodosiou, M. and Leonidou, L.C. (2003) Standardization versus adaptation of international marketing strategy: an integrative assessment of the empirical research, International Business Review 12(2): 141-1 71.

Psychology Coursework Essay

We have studied various aspects of organization, its structure, strategy, effectiveness, changes and other aspects. Study of organizations by psychologists has attained much importance in recent times. The broad study includes perception, attitudes, motivation, and interpersonal relationships among members. Every organization is a group of members working towards a common goal. Every organisation has a structure and purpose. It may be a social, political, or a commercial organisation or one for any other purpose. Psychologists ‘research in this field assumes much importance so that suggestions can be ade and implemented for obtaining the optimum results . Several theories are proposed with regard to organizations. M L Blum states that group theory views that associations and human affiliations are primary work motivators in a group. He states that the degree of cooperation in a primary group is critical for its success. So we find that all the members’ contribution go to achieve the goal. So it is essential that each member is properly motivated. Regarding the question put forth about the factors inhibiting or supporting performance,  It can be said that a person could have achieved one part of his target but might have not achieved in another of the same task. The major reason for achieving could be motivation. Among the various factors which go to contribute to achievement , motivation has the great role. The very formation of a group brings in motivation in its members. Clifford T Morgan puts in that motivations are inferences from behaviour. We can never observe motivation but can infer their existence. Motivation ,according to him is a powerful tool for explaining behaviour. Incentive motivation like wages, bonus play a major role in the group work. A member has to be motivated according to his needs. It makes common sense to say that When a person’s needs are taken care of, his performance would increase. Various studies have shown that a person may have upto thirty seven needs. Anyway they can be classified into biological and socio psychological needs. The first one is about his body’s necessities like food, nutrition, rest and so on. The next one is about security, freedom, care, recognition, approval , self respect and so on. It can be safely deducted that any achievement or non achievement can be attributed to the above causes. As an Industrial psychologist, his role would be to ensure that all or atleast most of the motivations are taken care of. This would bring in the best results. Having studied the lesson , we have gained in depth knowledge about the various dimensions about groups. The author goes in detail about the need for changes in groups that is, introduction of new ideas or behaviour due to current technological; changes, global competition and so on. It is suggested in many experiments that resistance would occur for adopting any changes. This can be measured by survey feed backs. The most mportant factor making implementation difficult would be insecure feeling among members particularly if the group is one of working group. It may be a fear of losing jobs or fear of inability to cope with the new methods of work. Let us now take the example of failure to perceive benefits stated in the Lesson. as a reason for resistance for changes. This failure is due to lack of information about the changes. The member is unaware of the reasons or the mode of changes. So communication is essential from the highest level to the lowest level and vice versa. The changes proposed have to be iscussed and analysed with all the members . Their views heard and clarified and convinced. . This gives them the feeling of importance. This again goes on to motivate the member. David G Myers emphasizes the need for group discussions where ideas are pooled and discussed jointly. Just hearing to a person’s arguments is of no use. Active participation brings in better attitude change than merely listening passively. Again ,this may bring in more resistance arguments but a thorough debate with proper information will ultimately result in the members understanding the benefits of the change and being convinced . The industrial psychologist has to see that the members are given assurance of their benefits and all apprehensions removed. Let us now imagine what a person would talk to the CEO if just a few minutes are at his disposal. An Assistant Regional Sales Manager would probably assure the CEO on the lines that his department would welcome changes . He would be keen on impressing the CEO in the short time. He would even go to suggest ignoring resistance and going ahead with changes. He would not miss to suggest a salary hike to all along with changes , which would be beneficial to the organization.

Personal Statement My Personal Experience - 2253 Words

The purpose behind this paper will cover my individual experiences getting into the ranks of a Non Commissioned Officer in the midst of my road to transform into a Command Sergeant Major. This paper will serve as a noteworthy report giving positive records of my journey in the mission of boosting my dream and gold to attain the top. This paper will address the positives and the learning experiences I take away as I climb the ladder as a Non Commissioned Officer in the military. It will in like manner depict my part in the midst of this enterprise. To spare the paramount estimation of my experiences, an organized understanding in the midst of this period will contain do’s, don ts and lessons learned. My personal experience as a Non Commissioned Officer in the military and my growth as a Non Commission Officer, my career started on 25 March 1988, it all started with my lifelong dream of being a Soldier. My next-door neighbor was a Sergeant in the Army, every day when he got home, I would sit and chat with him, I was no older than eight years old, I remembered him, saying, â€Å"Curtis, I can tell you will join the service in ten years from now, because every day you produce different questions regarding the military.† Trust me this was every single day would be a series of questions prepared for him when he gets home. I must say that he was the most patient man I had ever met in my life because not once has he ever get tired of me asking him questions, as far as I canShow MoreRelatedPersonal Statement : My Personal Experience866 Words   |  4 PagesMy passion is to help others who have been in abusive relationships and because of my personal and professional exper iences, I believe I possess the abilities to make a difference in someone’s life. The combination of my experiences had provided me important skills necessary to have a career in the helping field. 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