Digital Marketing in India

* MARKETING ASSIGNMENT * â€Å"DIGITAL MARKETING INDIAN SCENARIO† SUBMITTED BY:- MAHENDRA KUMAR SEC. :- C ENROLL:- 12BSP0623 DIGITAL MARKETING Digital marketing is an addressable marketing method where relevant marketing communications are delivered to individuals through the e-mail, Web, and mobile channels using an e-mail address, a Web browser cookie, and a mobile phone number. Live scenario of digital marketing in India Digital marketing is still at its initial phase in India. Most of the companies are still thinking to adopt the medium while many top brands have already rolled their digital marketing campaign.Seeing the large number of youth population in India  (More than 40% of total population of India, around 460 millions youth is there, in which 333 millions are literate)  and the rising technology savvy young generation, corporate will be more than happy to engage the target audience and spread their products & services among them via digital media. Thus there w ill be a Big Change in coming future. Indian digital marketing scenario has changed tremendously after the it boom, India with 60,000,000 internet users provides a very good platform for online marketing.Also with a growth rate of over 1000% the potential looks good too. The penetration is a mere 5. 2% – but which is actually good. The cream of the society – the people most likely to have pockets deep enough to trade or make purchases online are among the 5. 2% of the population. This makes targeting these high-end profiles easier & your leads are more likely to be converted. However, one area of concern is the support operations that help convert the leads into sales. These are mainly call centres & back offices that are responsible for following up on the leads that are provided to them.But the staffs at these organizations in India is many a times not that well trained for digital marketing & usually the high potential leads are lost due to inability of the staff to convince the lead. The lead is mostly very expensive. They get one lead after incurring a huge cost through a lot of clicks. Hence, more than educating internet users it would be vital to train the support teams so as to consolidate the current amount of leads that you are getting. Otherwise, we many end up in a situation where we have high demand, high potential but inadequately trained staff to service the lead While in many countries Digital Media course has emerged as one of the mainstream degree but here in India it is still under the control of digital media agencies who took the initiative to teach people on Digital Marketing with live projects. †¢ Many of the premier business schools are in a positing (of course seeing the demand) to run the digital marketing program. But most of them are running short of the quality faculties. Further insights have revealed that an average Indian spends 45 minutes on Facebook   in a day.The huge number of smart phone users with apps adds up further to the consumer base for brands to interact and take opportunities. The recent hit of the â€Å"Kolaveri Di† song, reaching more than 50 million users globally is a measure of the impact and spread of internet. Conclusion The digital media playing field in quite huge providing accommodation to a list of brands, but yet to be utilized to its fullest potential. This year the marketers need to take the online test for their brands and get rewarded with the vast target market to be acquired.Digital marketing –Reality Byte Obviously, social media is important/highly efficient and holds the potential for building better relationships with communities of consumers/customers. Traditional marketing (i. e. advertising/promotion/PR) historically placed a premium on awareness building and transactions, but has declined in importance due to a combination of message clutter, time pressed consumers, fragmentation of media and the growth of people using the internet t o research what others are saying about products/companies.Nevertheless, what really concerns me is how â€Å"tactical† social media has become in recent years and less â€Å"strategic†. It appears almost everyone on the social media provider side keeps looking for the latest tool/technique * Most companies do recognize the need to adopt new ways to reach consumers and build better relationships (i. e. websites, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, mobile marketing, etc. ). Very efficient, free/cheap, and can easily measure traffic/activity Even the mighty Proctor & Gamble is redeploying marketing spend away from traditional media to digital since it’s more efficient and less costly. They announced recently they will lay off 1,600 people and are banking on digital ROI for long term savings. However, I bet P&G is also developing the internal infrastructure to capture the data and share it with relevant internal business groups to help change their business models. *  Th e companies like HUL, P&G, NOKIA etc are usually spend >20% of their budgets on social media and in digital marketing Example for digital marketing:-PepsiCo adopts innovative ways for digital marketing in India GURGAON: food and beverage major PepsiCo is adopting innovative methods in India to tap the potential of  social media  for building  brand equity  and increase sales PepsiCo is not look at digital medium strictly from the lens of advertising spends, but approach it in an innovative manner. † Citing the example of how the firm used Facebook during the cricket World Cup last year, â€Å"Pepsi's Facebook campaign was the most recognised brands during the event. they also got an award from FB on that.So we are using social media in a big way here for building brand equity. † It is extremely important for brands to have a direct relationship with their consumers and not simply outsource it to an agency alone, PepsiCo â€Å"Digital media should be used for re al time marketing and we use this medium both for brand building and generating sales, PepsiCo uses multiple agencies to handle digital media account for different brands and products in India. Conclusion :- Finally, using social media/digital marketing tactics exclusively is probably not a good idea.A good business strategy will probably require a blend of BOTH traditional marketing and social media/digital marketing. We must remember digital marketing is a â€Å"slow burn† approach and in some cases won’t help building critical mass quickly. In some cases traditional advertising or promotions will help jump start a strategy while social/digital marketing will help build the brand in the long run. Using both to some degree is the best way to â€Å"EFFECTIVELY† grow your business, but again it needs to be driven by strategy and not the latest tool/technique.

Cross-Cultural Understanding

The headline of the article is â€Å"Cross Cultural Understanding as a Basis for Lasting Business Relationship†. It is the article published in June 2009 by the author Anna Shevchenko, who is the senior consultant at Farham Castle International Briefing Center. The article originally appeared in the printed version of the RBCC Bulletin (Russo-British Chamber of Commerce-the monthly magazine for Chamber members) . It is addressed to the readership of this periodical publication, primary for businessmen. It is based on the needs of businessmen to connect each other even if they are from different cultural environments.The author focuses on differences between British people and Russians. The article begins with a major issue of the loss business due to misunderstandings between people and the importance of discovering other cultural to do successful business. The article includes a large amount of examples of cultural differences between involved citizens. The author gives a de tail description of cultural peculiarities of Russians and characterizes them as superstitious and truly people, but at the same time they are lazy, unpunctual and need to be controlled.Compare this to the British preference for statements â€Å"maybe† or â€Å"perhaps†, prefer to be punctual and to examine business in details. Further, the author admits that it will never be possible to fully comprehend another culture, as those values, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions are usually a set of unwritten rules formed for centuries. But also, the author states that understanding the culture will make work more enjoyable and less frustrating. In conclusion she suggests solution for the problem, offering services of Farham Castle International Briefing Center, which specializes in cross cultural management.I suppose this article is richly informative, but the author doesn’t mention the price of such services. Also, I doubt about a necessity of using it. I mean, under standing other culture, to my mind, scarcely ever comes in handy. I consider, prosperous businessmen are alike. Businessman should be punctual, as he values his time. He tries to study a work in details. He is assertive and hardworking. He likes controlling everything and doesn’t give a hoot about any signs (superstitious beliefs) in spite of his nationality.

Human Rights and Economic Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Human Rights and Economic Development - Essay Example The present time and age has witnessed human rights falling to its lowest ebb, which has essentially meant that it is indeed one of the most talked about subjects within the domains of the people and the society takes the brunt for the same anomalies (Gosine 2011). Human rights are universal and do not come about just because they are accepted by a culture or a society or completely shunned by it. They remain equal to all men and women present on the face of this world. This is the reason why it is seen in a similar perspective within the first world (developed) nations as it is perceived within the third world (underdeveloped) countries. The need is to understand how human rights, as a composite factor is able to sustain itself and be deemed as the savior for all human beings. However, it is an entirely different matter altogether that human rights are given more significance in the developed nations than the underdeveloped ones. These distinctions essentially outline the shortfall on the part of the human rights undertakings and actions happening on a global basis (Gavrielides 2011). The universal basis of human rights ensures that it is a problem for the entire world and not selected to a certain area or population. Thus the need is to find out how these anomalies can be taken care of and what more could be done to thwart such instances in the coming times. As far as understanding particular issues with human rights in the world, the need is to comprehend where human rights come about or pose as a problem. They are more often witnessed within the underdeveloped countries where people do not have access to proper clothing, quality food and shelter above their heads. This is the aspect that draws attention towards the point that human rights in all its forms and manifestations, remains a much quintessential factor. Men and women are being slaughtered in the name of cultural issues which is apparently a human rights

Brainstorming Sources Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Brainstorming Sources - Research Paper Example The opposing side of this debate has indicated that in a past research carried out by the University of Michigan proved that if the government wanted to reduce the consumption of alcohol, they should increase the age limit. This reduced the consumption of alcohol amongst the seniors by 13.3% (Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman and Schulenberg, 2011). They also noted that there was a drop of 58% of alcohol related to motor accidents, this information is from secondary data from books, and handwritten manuscripts. It is to their argument that reducing the age will increase the consumption of alcohol and make the youth addicts at a very young age. The proposers argue that reducing the legal drinking age will allow the youths to learn to drink responsibly. On the other hand, the opposing side claims that reducing the age will lead to the youths suffering from alcohol related diseases. The argument is based on the youth’s irresponsible behaviors. This report will mainly affect the government, parents, and the youths at hand. Johnston LD, O’Malley PM, Bachman JG and Schulenberg JE. Monitoring the Future national results on adolescent drug use: Overview of key findings. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research, The University of Michigan,

Describe the ideas and influence of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim as Essay

Describe the ideas and influence of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim as these may relate to an understanding of management in society - Essay Example he thesis and antithesis in this he meant that in a society there were those who have control of property or goods that is bourgeoisie and those who work that is proletariat. He said that in these two groups there is conflict of interest as they have to define how a society has to be constructed. (Karl, 1989, pp, 78) This will mean that in such society there will be no owners of property and workers as this will be have dealt with. But the problem with revolution stage is that all individuals are supposed to be workers so that there are rulers and workers but it could not work because he later learnt that not all workers could be valued equally in society, this is because those who owned knowledge were seen to be in power in advanced societies. Therefore, indication of having equality could not work. But he said that with violent conflict then these two groups would completely do away with classes in society. He had a theory on capitalism, the means of production would result in violent of revolutions and the results in this would be an ideal society that is a communistic society. He came up with measures that could be used for reformation and they include: abolition of real estate rights, the progressive income taxation, abolition of inheritance rights, state ownership of the media, nationaliza tion of bank, confiscation of all properties belonging to enemies of communism, state production planning, equal obligation of all individuals to work, abolition of the distinction between town and free education. He said that with these changes then it will be possible to have a classless society. He believed also that human morality was determined by social structure of the state because the social structure was based on control of material goods and economics and therefore he claimed that morality is determined by means of production and distribution. (Hughes, shamrock and martin, 2003, pp, 35).He said that industry is the highest form of human

Informational Interview Assignement Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Informational Interview Assignement - Assignment Example I went ahead and gave him a called and asked him for a one on one interview where he delightedly invited me to his home office for the interview. During the interview, I learnt many things regarding how a studio runs, its clients, its services and even the challenges the studios face. He also enlightened me on how to deal with challenges the studio faces. With such important and useful knowledge, I can easily solve problems in a studio and even come up with very important projects, which can improve service delivery and the image of a studio. This experience also gave me a chance to know how to go about with my area of specialization which is 3d modeling and to make it a huge success. I also got to learn the importance of teamwork in this field of work and the importance of working with other people as you get to share ideas and solve problems easily and efficiently. Summary of the interview Upon graduation, he became an Art Director for a political consulting company, designing grap hical looks for various senatorial, gubernatorial, and presidential campaigns. This is the first job which he landed on after completing his university education. In the university he trained as a photographer at Arizona State University and in fact, he wheeled free office space out school administrators and at a point used his student union digs to design a design firm before his graduation in1975. This is one of his great achievement while was still in the university. This required a lot of determination and sacrifice in order to accomplish it. His determination, hard work, and passion for design are the ones that really his dreams come true. Without these qualities Mr.Jon Ridgway could not be where he is today. The idea of applying print graphic design to broadcast environment, from promotional spots to the studio’s surroundings also helped him a lot. At that time, he was a graphic designer at a television station where he worked with journalists and other people in the st udio. It is at this time that he contributed to the launch of the successful show, Entertainment Tonight. This show became a huge success and it attracted many viewers in the nation. When it comes to skills, Mr.Ridgway has good communication skills, which has really helped him in relating with his colleagues, clients of Novocom and the general public. He also has extensive creative talent in photography and high interest in graphic design. He is also very skillful in doing graphic design work which is his area of specialization and interest. He keeps his skills current by engaging himself not only in office work but also in fieldwork to explore and use his skills. He also works with his juniors in many projects and he gives them his ideas. This makes his skills updated and he also gains from them in one way or another and his skills are in use. By doing this he also passes his skills to his juniors whom he works with and this enables them to learn from him and also emulate him. He a lso argues that creativity, self-reliance, and consistency are the most crucial values in this line of work. Without this values then it is very difficult for one to become successful in this field of work. When it comes to attitude, then one should have positive mind and believe in what he or she is working on. What he likes most is his work, his family and he dislikes the things that

Nursing Ethics Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Nursing Ethics - Term Paper Example The nature of the nursing profession makes social connections practically unavoidable. These social connections also make moral and ethical choices which may affect other people inevitable (Butts and Rich, 2005). The various meaning describes to ethics provided the impetus for the different professions to document and enforce the acceptable norms of practice in their respective spheres. Diversity and geography eventually further necessitated different countries or states to delimit the standard professional practice in more vivid detail. Additionally, the scope of professional practice, like in nursing, is delineated into a legal scope of practice and a scope based on education, training in experience (Small, 2009). In the United States, for example, as cited in Small (2009), the scope of nursing practice may differ from one state to another. This paper will compare nursing ethics as practiced in the states of Florida and California. Nursing Practice in Florida and California and the Nursing Code of Ethics The practice of nursing in the US is defined under the Model Nursing Practice Act of 2004: â€Å"Practice as a registered nurse means the full scope of nursing with or without compensation or personal profit, that incorporates caring for all clients in all settings; is guided by the scope of practice †¦ through nursing standards established or recognized by the board† (as cited in Small 2009, p 21).... The nursing standards include, but is not limited to the following: (1) provision of complete nursing evaluation of the health condition of patients; (2) collaboration with a health care team in the development of coordinated health care plan which is client-focused; (3) strategy development for nursing care coordinated within a client-focused plan of health care which consists of: [a] nursing diagnoses, [b] setting goals within the context of identified health care requirements of patients / clients, [c] identification of applicable nursing interventions; (4) provision of nursing care through the employment of self-directed strategies and nutrition which are requested, ordered or prescribed by authorized health care professionals; (5) execution of health care plans through the designation and assignment of nursing interventions; (6) direct or indirect provision and maintenance of safe and effective nursing care; (7) fostering of a safe and healing environment; (8) providing quality support for patients by recommending / advising practices towards the best interest of the patients / clients; (9) examination of intervention outcomes and efficacy of the health care plan; (10) communication and collaboration with other health care professionals towards health care management and execution of the total health care regimen within and across various health care settings; (11) development and application of significant new information and technologies in nursing care practice; (12) managing, directing and assessing nursing practice; (13) teaching the theory and practice of healthcare; (14) taking part in the formulation of policies, methodology and systems which will support the

Treasury and risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Treasury and risk management - Essay Example 60 165 28 -$28.00 Do Not Exercise $32.00 Long Share Profit or Loss = Current Stock Price – Spot Share Price For instance, when current stock price is $121 and the Purchase price is $171, the Long Share Profit or Loss = $(121-171) = -$50. Option Value = Strike Price – Current Stock Price For Instance, when the strike price is $165 and the current stock price is $121, the Option Value = $(165-121) = $44 (In-the-Money) Long Put Profit & Loss = Max [(Option Value – Premium paid), Premium paid] For Instance, when the premium paid is $28, Long Put Profit & Loss = Max [(44-28), -28] = $16 The option will be exercised only when there is a Long Put Profit otherwise the option will not be exercised and the loss will be limited to the initial premium paid. Hence, this strategy is also known as the ‘Protective put’ strategy. For instance, when current stock price is $121 and premium paid is $28, the option should be exercised. Similarly, for different current st ock prices, the protective put strategy can be computed. ... e), Premium paid] = Max [(165-121), -28] = $34 So, from the above it can be said that if the put is at $121, only loss of $34 and if put is not exercised, loss will be $50. Hence, the breakeven share price is $199. It implies that the hedger will start to make profit after crossing the breakeven point of $199 when all premiums are paid and initial purchasing cost of shares are taken into consideration. Section (c) The protective put strategy diagram along with the breakeven point is shown below, Answer 2. Section (a) Introduction Many analysts believe that the European economy is likely to face more turmoil before it finally gets better. Greece owes a total debt of â‚ ¬490 billion to various banks in Euro zone. Analysts believe that if Greece fails to repay its debt then the impact of default will be directly felt by the small as well as the large businesses in UK. With such a huge amount of debt, if Greece really fails to repay and leave Euro, then the consequence of that will be mostly felt by the various banks in UK and Euro to whom Greece owes. Argument Defaulting of Greece or separating Greece from the Euro zone may not be suitable options to revive the European economy since the implication of both outcomes will paralyze the European economy as well as the global markets. This is mainly because of the fact that the banks do not work in isolation. They are connected to each other through debt guarantees or collaterals and insurance products (Mylonas, 2011, pp.81-84). Assuming that the Greece will default and then the most probable impact will be that about eighty percent of British banks will have less money to lend out to individuals and businesses. Consequently, if the bank’s lending slows down then the consumer consumption will decline leading to deflation in

James Joyce Essay Example for Free

James Joyce Essay In James Joyces Ulysses readers encounter Stephen Dedaluss search for identity a search which will be present through the entire narrative. At the heart of Ulysses is Stephens relationship with his mother. Stephen describes both the real mother who reared him and is now dead and an imagined mother serving as a symbol who is a product of Stephens consciousness having fear and anxiety (Hill 329). Mother love is idealized by Stephen in Ulysses: â€Å"Amor matris,† says Stephen, â€Å"subjective and objective genitive, may be the only true thing in life† (207). The concept of â€Å"amor matris,† or mother love, shows the magic power of the mothers fertility. Motherhood is the only fact of life about which Stephen is confident. A mother’s love, the dyadic relationship in which the mother and child are inseparable, however, Stephen experiences only nostalgically. He attempts to articulate it, when it is over. Thus Stephen’s fantasy of a selfless love is marked by a sense of loss. Main Body Although Stephen has buried his mother, she subsequently appears as a ghost. With his own mother dead, it is normal for Stephen to direct his attention sooner or later to Molly Bloom, the Magna Mater presiding over Ulysses. But Molly is something more than a mere person which serves in place of real mother. She symbolizes the sinful flesh, the claims of nature, and human love. Stephens attraction toward her is symptomatic of his disillusionment with all forms of patriarchal pressure (political authority and the Old Testament). She is like a moral goal towards which he is drawn as a result of his opposition to the church. As Murray explains: â€Å"If a man, who believes somehow in the reality and ultimate worth of some religion of gentleness and unselfishness, looks through the waste of nature to find support for his faith, it is probably in the phenomena of motherhood that he will find it first and most strikingly†(Goldberg 36). For Stephen the pain is very strong by the fact that his mother is dead. She has left him alone. She has taken with her his assurance of being related to the world and to himself. She has left the terrible anxiety about his loss. Moreover, she became the â€Å"ghostwoman† who appears to Stephen in the dream of death that lives in his memory throughout the day, together with memories and reflections about the mother in life. Added to his uneasiness about the psychic separation that is necessary for his growth into manhood is the hopeless realization that there is no physical woman to take the mothers place: â€Å"She, she, she,† he says repeatedly in â€Å"Proteus,† â€Å"What she? † (426). As Stephen comes intermittently into focus through the text, so does as much again in strength the problem of the loss of his mother and his necessity for a woman to take her place. The Stephens persistent idea with his dead mother is lightened at times by tenderness, but gradually is darkened by feeling of distress, anger, and offence over the relationship. Stephens memories of his mother start in â€Å"Telemachus† with the recall of his periodic dream of her in her â€Å"loose brown graveclothes† (103-4), which draws from him his initial plea for release – â€Å"let me live. † Stephens reflection to the memories of his mother in life and in death vibrates at the beginning between the desire for separation and the desire for continuous dependence, and his plea for release in â€Å"Telemachus† – â€Å"No, mother! Let me be and let me live† (279). In order to become capable of giving immortality to his life, in art, Stephen must first become a man. This requires a rebirth, not through the spirit, as it is in religion, but like the birth from the mother, occurring through the flesh of the loved woman: â€Å"in womans womb. † Stephen considers this rebirth seriously. At the end, Stephen is reborn in the text. This rebirth is textually completed at the middle of â€Å"Ithaca,† when Bloom opens the garden gate for Stephen, and a birth image includes meanings of the pun on â€Å"in womans womb. † Bloom inserts a â€Å"male key† into â€Å"an unstable female lock,† to reveal â€Å"an aperture for free egress and free ingress† (215-19). This is the â€Å"rebirth into a new dimension† and is also Stephens participation in the incarnation of the artist (Goldberg 96). Stephens image in â€Å"Telemachus† of his mothers â€Å"glazing eyes, staring out of death, to shake and bend my soul. . . . to strike me down† (273-76), brings from him the most dramatic raising of the terrible mother. â€Å"Ghoul! Chewer of corpses! † (278) is a manifestation of rejection which is definitely confirmed in ‘Circe† at the appearance of The Mother. Stephens mother shelters and nurtures her son with her body, her blood, her â€Å"wheysour milk,† who saves him from â€Å"being trampled underfoot† by the outside world (141-47). This motif of interchange between the loving and horrible aspects of the mother, presented in the first two episodes of Ulysses, is repeated in moments of memory any time Stephens mother becomes present in the text, until in â€Å"Oxen of the Sun,† the birth chapter, Stephen describes his release from the mothers threat through his proposed appropriation, as an artist, of her sophisticated power: â€Å"In womans womb word is made flesh, but in the spirit of the maker all flesh that passes becomes the word that shall not pass away. This is the postcreation† (292-94). Haunted through the whole of the day by the memories of his mother in death and in life, Stephen has moved from his loneliness in the morning, coupled with his inner plea to his mother to free him – â€Å"Let me be and let me live† to this statement of purpose at the maternity hospital. And this statement leads to his claim to a creative power that is greater than that of the mother (Hill 329). In â€Å"Circe,† then, The Mother meets with Stephen directly as the terrible mother, in her â€Å"leper grey,† with her â€Å"bluecircled hollow eyesockets† in her â€Å"noseless† face, â€Å"green with gravemould† (156-60). And here in the brothel, Stephen releases from the mother. This release is necessary for Stephen to become the divine creator of his proclamation. The release is accomplished in the unconscious, which is the ruling principle of â€Å"Circe. † The conversation between mother and son in a fundamental manner repeats Stephens encounters with her memory in the daytime, more or less changed, but still with the same odd balance between the loving and the horrible that is associated with the conscious memories. For although The Mother brings with her a message of death – â€Å"All must go through it, Stephen. You too† (182-83) she contains powerful features of the loving mother. As Stephen frightfully denies responsibility for her death – â€Å"Cancer did it, not I† (U 15:4187) The Mother claims, â€Å"You sang that song to me. Loves bitter mystery† ( U 15:4189-90). This line from Yeatss ‘Who Goes with Fergus? † can be found in â€Å"Telemachus,† as Mulligan leaves the parapet, humming: And no more turn aside and brood Upon loves bitter mystery For Fergus rules the brazen cars. (239-41). The paradox found in â€Å"loves bitter mystery† colours The Mothers answer to Stephens plea, â€Å"Tell me the word, mother, if you know now. The word known to all men† (U 15:4192-93). Twice before Stephen has asked the same question in his thoughts about â€Å"the word known to all men†: in Proteus (435) and in â€Å"Scylla and Charybdis† (429-30). In all the episodes in which the question is asked, in only one is a clear answer given. The answer, actually, had never been in the published text of Ulysses until Hans Walter Gablers 1984 Critical and Synoptic Edition interpreted five lines in â€Å"Scylla and Charybdis (U 9:427-31) forty-three words, eleven of them in Latin (Deming 129). This text, restored to one of the most scrutinized carefully segments in Ulysses, the source of most liked quotations about art and life, about fathers and sons, about mothers and sons, described love as the â€Å"word known to all men† (Deming 129). Richard Ellmann, in his 1984 presentation address to the Ninth International James Joyce Symposium in Frankfurt, presented the audience with his own identification of the word known to all men as love, claiming that the word was â€Å"perhaps† death (Deming 129). Kenners position that it might be death is much more than clear in his 1956 Dublins Joyce, where he describes Dublin as ‘the Kingdom of the Dead† and characterizes Mollys final â€Å"yes† as â€Å"the Yes of authority: authority over this animal kingdom of the dead. † The mother thus becomes the image of the â€Å"bitter mystery. † The complete answer to the question Stephen asks about the â€Å"word known to all men† is not ‘love† or â€Å"death† but â€Å"love† and â€Å"death† for whatever is born of the flesh through love will die at the end (Goldberg 156). In â€Å"Circe,† The Mother answers to Stephens plea with a conflicting blending of the loving and the terrible mother. The Mother in â€Å"Circe† is not gentle. True, she gives evidences of her love for her sun amor matris in terms that echo Stephens own thoughts that his mother â€Å"had saved him from being; trampled underfoot† (146): â€Å"Who saved you? Who had pity for you? † (196). But when she asks for Stephens penitence, she becomes for him ‘The ghoul! Hyena! † (198-200). And as the Mother continues to present assurances of her love and concern – â€Å"I pray for you Get Dilly to make you that boiled rice. Years and years I loved you† (202-3) her simultaneous threat of â€Å"the fire of hell† brings from Stephen the words of appeal, â€Å"The corpsechewer! Raw head and bloody bones† (212-14), together with the echo in â€Å"Circe† of his rejection in ‘Telemachus†: â€Å"Ghoul! Chewer of corpses! (278). Up to this point in the meeting with The Mother, although mother and son communicate, they do not touch each other. But with Stephens frantic denial of The Mothers final demand for remorse, a crab unexpectedly appears, and mother and son touch through the crab. This â€Å"green crab with malignant red eyes,† although evidently autonomous, is nevertheless mysteriously, ambiguously connected with The Mother, who â€Å"raises her blackened withered right arm slowly towards Stephens breast with outstretched finger,† uttering, â€Å"Beware Gods hand! † as the crab â€Å"sticks deep its grinning claws in Stephens heart† (217-21). This crab is real, and at the same time â€Å"Cancer did it, not I† (187) has all features of a primary creature from the dark depths of Stephens unconscious. Stephens crab is not visible to others, and his inner creature is not certainly visible even to him. But the terrible ghost with whom both crab and dragon are connected remains for the reader and for Stephen himself Stephens mother (Hill 329). Even Stephen’s references to Mother Ireland, Cathleen ni Houlihan, are tinged with gender bias. Stephen betrayed his mother as well as Mother Ireland. In the early morning at the Martello tower, he connects the old milk woman with the Shan van Vocht, â€Å"silk of the kine and poor old woman† (403), but doubtfully recognizes that the â€Å"wandering crone’ serves the â€Å"conqueror and her gay betrayer [Mulligan]† (403-5). Unlike the patriots who glorify Mother Ireland, Stephen thinks of â€Å"Gaptoothed Kathleen, her four beautiful green fields, the stranger in her house† (184). Mulligan and Stephen at the Martello connect woman with nature: the â€Å"great sweet mother† (78) of the sea. â€Å"Our mighty mother† (85) is, as in case with the Romantic poets, nature (Rickard 215). Conclusion In Ulysses, there is Stephen’s misogyny. He realizes the significance of â€Å"womans place† in a mans life and in his sense of himself. Ulysses is, without doubt, typically a mans book. It begins and ends with the mother figures who complete the male artists self. The mother, who is the â€Å"first incarnation of the anima archetype† (330), enters Ulysses with young Stephen and stays with him throughout most of Bloomsday. Thus, in Ulysses, though there are not many women, Joyce has presented to readers in symbolic terms the important interdependence and complementarity of the man and the mother. Works Cited Deming, Robert H. James Joyce: The Critical Heritage. Vol. : 2. Routledge: London, 1997. Goldberg, S. L. The Classical Temper: A Study of James Joyces Ulysses. Chatto Windus: London, 1961. Hill, Marylu. â€Å"Amor Matris: Mother and Self in the Telemachiad Episode of Ulysses†. Twentieth Century Literature. Vol. 39, no. 3, 1993. Joyce, James. Ulysses. New York: Vintage, 1986. Rickard, John S. Joyces Book of Memory: The Mnemotechnics of Ulysses. Duke University Press: Durham, NC, 1999.

The Role of in-Film Advertising in Promoting the Sales of a Brand Essay Example for Free

The Role of in-Film Advertising in Promoting the Sales of a Brand Essay ABSTRACT Introduction: Cinema gives a powerful environment in which to advertise. The film being shown virtually identifies the target audience and makes it very easy to schedule and buy advertising spots to match brand message to potential consumers. Better still, the audience is completely captive and in a receptive frame of mind as they wait to be entertained. A well organized media plan based closely around the films being shown can be a highly effective way of communicating brand messages to a willing audience. In-film advertising is very much alive and kicking. Hence we have formulated the following hypothesis: ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’ Methods: The first method used was a Quantitative Research Survey. The sample size was 100 people aged between 16-45 years. The locations selected for the survey were Andheri, Malad, Bandra, Dadar, Matunga The second method used was a Qualitative Research Method, wherein, we segregated the people if their responses indicated that In-film advertising didn’t affect their choices of buying brands. The questions asked were in order to determine the reason behind this attitude. Findings: Our findings clearly indicate a very high percentage of the success of In-film Advertising. But also, a number of people also responded by saying that In-film advertising was a gimmick and they weren’t affected by it. Conclusion: On the basis of these findings, we can safely conclude that our Hypothesis has been proved right, i.e. ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’ INTRODUCTION Product placements in films help a lot, as long as they are woven into the story intricately and are not just a random appearance in a song sequence. In-film advertising is akin to gambling. If the film becomes a superhit, the brand is saved. But, if the film flops, the brand takes a heavy dent. One bad placement can do more damage than 10 good placements. Artistic integrity is crucial for successful brand placements and the utility of the product has to be woven properly into the script. The placement should be a natural fit and shouldnt be unnatural. The best way to deliver the message is to catch the customer off-guard, when their rational defenses are down. The best way to do so is to use the emotional gate rather than the rational gate. The rational gate scrutinises the advantages, benefits, features and seeks value for money; the emotional gate is all about trust, love, identification and belief and in India, the films operate at the emotional level of an individual. In-film advertising heavily depends on the popularity of particular films, the actors starring in them and their credibility. The strategy of placing some selected brands in films, gives them an additional marketing push, even though the stars featuring them may not be directly endorsing these brands. The respondents of the survey that we conducted, mentioned that the brand has to have a certain character in the film, combined with certain attributes and should not just be a stagnant prop. In the movie Corporate, by Madhur Bhandarkar, the costumes were visibly sponsored by Allen Solly, thus giving the brand certain leverage and creates positive brand awareness among the audience. In-film branding may be one more paying alternative of marketing.  Once the brand gets noticed through the films it gets a status quo by itself. In-film advertising is a rather economical medium of advertising, compared to other costlier mediums. Brands have realised that movies are a great way to reach out to an audience which is captive for a few hours. Brand managers today realise that a movie finds traction across different platforms apart from cinema theatres, such as DTH, entertainment channels on TV and home video. So the brand continues to gain exposure even after a movie is released in the thea tres. Thus, the high cost of conventional media, accompanied by the growing clutter, has made advertising an exciting and viable opportunity for advertiser. LITERATURE RESEARCH DESIGN The research design technique used is the hyposthesis-testing research studies.As we wanted to study the relationship between the two variables used in the hypothesis, one being (influence) of in-film advertising and second (its effect) on promotion of sales of the brand. TITLE Role of In-film advertising in promoting the sales of the brands. RESEARCH QUESTIONS RESEARCH PROBLEM The past four to five years has seen an tremendous increase, in the use of in-film advertising. Movies such as delhi 6, dhoom 1, Don, Aisha , Tees Maar khan etc have visibly made the use of in-film advertising. No matter if the movie belongs to a big banner or a small banner, whether it is a thumbs up or a super flop, companies have vigorously used this technique, to advertise  their brands and thus increase their visibility. The question arises as to what makes them invest crores of their funds into this field, is it actually helping them to promote sales? Has it in fact helping to build up a brand image? And also, if ever it is not converting the prospective customers into customers, what is the reason behind it’s failure? RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of conducting the research are as follows 1. To find out whether people known what in film advertising is? 2. To find out whether the viewers are able to recall the brands being showcased in the movie? 3. To find out whether it is increasing the visibility of the brand? 4. To find out whether it is creating brand awareness? 5. To find out whether it is influencing their buying pattern? 6. To find out whether it is actually helping in promoting the sales of the brand? SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH In – film advertising is not much talked about as when compared to other genres of advertising. This itself gives worth to research to be conducted in this area. Indian companies and marketers are now recognizing the importance, power and relevance of new media like internet and movies. Bollywood has been a part of popular culture and therefore, Hindi film trends, popular dialogues, characters, celebrities have always found place in advertisements. With increase in competition and media clutter, now brands are thinking of in-film placements and marketers are trying to place their brands in films In film advertising is not a very old phenomenon, it started with the movie TAAL, wherein coca cola was sublimely advertised. It is from then that the trend of showcasing brands in films was born. Research in this sector will help us to have a better understanding ,of , as to how, this technique works well for the brand, why it encourages the companies to advertise their brands with big banners, whether it gives the brands, much needed visibility and lastly if its helping in promoting sales of the brands. Research conducted on this particular notion, will help in forming a concrete belief and also will be an answer to all our research objectives. METHODOLOGY We have made use of both qualitative as well as quantitative method to conduct the survey. QUALITATIVE METHOD In this method, after conducting the survey we segregated the people wherein in-film advertising didn’t affect their buying pattern. We verbally asked them few questions to find out the reason behind them not getting influenced. Following are the questions asked to them- Q1. What according to you is the reason behind in-film advertising not being effective? Q2. Why do you personally don’t believe in it? Q3. What stops you from buying the products showcased in the movies? QUANTITATIVE METHOD Quantitative Research quantifies the data and generalizes the results from the sample to the population. Since, we wanted to know to what extent  in-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brand, to what extent it influences the customers to buy the featured products in the movie. We conducted a face-to-face interview. Sample Size- We interviewed 100 people. Demographic Profile: Age between 16 to 45 Both the sexes SEC A, SEC B,SEC C Educated residents of Metropolitan Cities Residential urban areas Location –Andheri, Malad, Bandra, Dadar, Matunga Psychographic Profile: Open minded and receptive to new ideas Attentive and observant Mainly movie-buffs Fashionable and trendy, out-going and social in nature. METHOD (TYPES) Primarily, we have made use of questionnaire method wherein other methods used are as follows 1. Structured data collection- We have made use of structured data collection, wherein we have made use of structured disguised. The reason behind making use of this method is that we did not want to disclose the objective of the survey been conducted because then there was a risk of getting biased opinions. 2. Method of Summated Ratings: The Likert Scale An extremely popular means for measuring attitudes. Respondents indicate their own attitudes by checking how strongly they agree or disagree with statements. We have made use of this rating method in our questionnaire where- in, we placed a statement, i.e. ‘In-film advertising influences you to buy the brand promoted in the movie.’ Response alternatives were: â€Å"strongly agree†, â€Å"agree†, â€Å"uncertain†, â€Å"disagree†, and â€Å"strongly disagree†. To analyze this scale, each response category was assigned a numerical value. The values that we assigned were, Strongly Agree=1, through Strongly Disagree=5 SAMPLING DESIGN Non-probability techniques: A non-probability sampling technique that attempts to obtain a sample of convenient elements. The selection of sampling units is left primarily to the interviewer. Under this, we have made use of convenience sampling. Convenience Sampling: Under this, we have targeted- Students, mall and movie goers, people on the street, Fashionable and trendy, out-going and social in nature. The reason behind using this method is that it is least expensive and least time consuming of all sampling techniques. †¢ The sampling units are accessible, easy to measure and co-operative. HYPOTHESIS- ALTERNATIVE STATEMENT- In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands. NULL STATEMENT- In-film advertising does not help in promoting the sales of the brands. FINDINGS GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATIONS FINDINGS OBSERVATION (ANALYSIS) The questionnaires that we gave to the sample audience included the above-mentioned questions. After analyzing their responses to all these questions, we have been able to get a gist of their attitudes toward In-film advertising. Firstly, it was very important for us, as researchers, to gauge only those people who watch movies regularly in order to conduct our research further. According to our findings, 87% of the respondents watch movies regularly and are movie-buffs and only 13% of the respondents watch movies occasionally. Secondly, since our hypothesis is based on In-film advertising, it was important for us to know whether the respondents were aware of this phenomenon. Therefore, 66% of the respondents were aware of what In-film advertising is and 34% of the respondents were unaware of this ‘term’. Further, it was noticed that even though, they were unaware of this term they knew the meaning of it, but were not familiar with the ‘term’ which can be analyzed further in the survey. In order to know whether the respondents were able to recall any movies using this phenomenon, we asked the following question: Q. Out of the following movies, which of them do you remember using In-film advertising? ↠ Koi Mil Gaya ↠ Fashion ↠ Don ↠ Dhoom 1 ↠ Aisha ↠ Golmaal 3 ↠ Wake Up Sid ↠ Delhi 6 ↠ Chak De ↠ Baghban In this question, we used aided-recall method. We gave the respondents a list of movies where in, In-film advertising is been used. Dhoom 1 was the highest recalled movie with 90%, followed by Koi Mil Gaya with 82% of the respondents recalling the movie. 74% of the respondents could recall In-film advertising being used in Chak De followed by 56% of the respondents for Baghban, 46% of the respondents for Delhi 6, 45 % respondents for Wake Up Sid, 40% respondents for Fashion, 23% of the respondents for Don and 15% of the respondents for Golmaal 3. Further, we wanted to know, whether the respondents could recollect the brand being promoted in the movie. Hence, with the help of aided recall method we asked the following question. Wherein, they had to match the brand that was being promoted in the movie. Q4. Do you remember the brand promoted in the following movies?( Match them accordingly) ↠ Koi Mil Gaya Reebok ↠ Fashion Motorola Phone ↠ Don Facebook ↠ Dhoom Lo’real ↠ Aisha Sunsilk ↠ Golmaal 3 Bournvita ↠ Wake Up Sid TATA Tea ↠ Delhi 6 Suzuki Hayabuza ↠ Chak De Nikon ↠ Baghban TAG Heur It was observed that, even the people who couldn’t recollect a particular brand being placed and promoted in a movie, could recollect it with the aided recall method. Therefore, 97% of the respondents could successfully recollect Suzuki Hayabuza being promoted in the movie. 88% of the respondents could recollect bournvita being promoted in Koi Mil gaya. Similarly, 79% of the respondents could recollect the same for Baghban followed by 78% of the respondents for the movie Aisha. 75% of the respondents for Fashion, 72% of the respondents for Chak De,69% of the respondents for Delhi 6, 60% of the respondents for Wake Up Sid, 40% of the respondents for Golmaal 3, and lastly 28% of the respondents for Don. Further, we discovered that 34% of the respondents agree that in-film advertising influences them to buy the brand promoted in the movie. On the other hand, 30% of the respondents have a neutral response on the same. 16% of the respondents agree that the brand promoted in the movies influences them to buy it. 12 % of the respondents strongly disagree with it and 8% of the respondents plainly disagree with it. Even though, respondents were able to recall the brands being promoted in the movie, did they actually buy the product? Has the brand recall helped in converting it to action i.e. buying? Our next objective was to find this. To this we found out, 64% of the respondents have actually bought a particular brand after it being promoted in a movie. On the other hand, 36% of the respondents haven’t bought it. Our next objective was to gauge the perception about the respondents on in-film advertising. To this, 27% of the respondents felt that promotion of the brand is the sole reason behind it being showcased in the movie. 13% of the respondents said, visibility is the criteria behind it and 60% of the respondents felt both promotion and visibility go hand-in-hand and that is the joint reason behind the brands being showcased in the movies. 76% of the respondents agreed that their perception has changed about a brand after it being placed in a particular movie. But, 24% of the respondents said it didn’t affect them. If an actor uses a particular brand in a movie; it definitely makes an impact on 63% of the respondents and to an extent influences them to buy that brand. But, it definitely doesn’t affect the rest 37% of the respondents. Q.10 According to you, since when has in-film advertising come into vogue? We asked few questions to 36% of the respondents who didn’t get influenced to buy the product placed in the movie in order to find out the reason behind it. The response and the analysis for the same is as follows:- Q1. What according to you is the reason behind In-film advertising not being effective? Products already have an identity created and communicated to the masses. Endorsing might ensure a few more sachets/packets/bottles moving out of the stacked racks but it isn’t like a beeline or an exodus for the product in question. Inculcating a brand in the backdrop and using it in the script  does not necessarily ensure cash registers ringing, it only makes a presence felt and then a surrogate mental association of the brand with the film/scene is involved. It might help, but it is very marginal, and in movies it particularly looks odd. If it is a cell phone or some a similar product then it is still alright. The movies showing products such as washing powder, bikes which doesnt make sense. By highlighting such brands or promoting the brands for the audience, surely confuses them as to what it is really meant for? It is done very well in Hollywood movies, where people will not be able to find out that they have deliberately put up a particular product. But in Indian movies, it deliberately promotes it and it does not augment well, and it is bad for movies also. A product placement in the movie should be in such a way that it has its own value or importance. Most of the times, the brand does not gain much from it’s promotion or any hike in its revenue generation. And what finally matters to the company is its revenue. So, in-film advertising in this way for few respondents has been ineffective. Q2. Why do you personally don’t believe in it? Q3. What stops you from buying the products showcased in the movies? Most of the respondents personally don’t believe in it mainly because they are brand-loyalists. It does not matter to them who is endorsing which brand or which brand is being showcased in the movies. Some of them are not satisfied the way the product is been placed in the movie. Also they feel, 30-60 seconds of brand placement in the movie is not sufficient for them to decide whether they want to buy it or not. Apart from that, this section of the respondents, do not watch movies that  often so it automatically fails in influencing them which in return, doesn’t compel them to believe in it. Thus, we had a mixed finding. Even though majority of the respondents agree with our hypothesis, they are few section of the respondents who have a different opinion and thus, they don’t agree with our hypothesis. CONCLUSION After a detailed study of the responses received from the research survey, our hypothesis proved to be true. A thumping majority of the respondents supported our hypothesis. Hence, In-film advertising does play a major role in promoting the sales of the brand. With this we can also conclude that in-film advertising is an effective tool to promote brands because it converts into sales and increases the visibility of the brand. In-film advertising is also a major advertising tool because it helps to endorse the brand with a celebrity, which otherwise is a very expensive option to consider. There are other advantages of in-film advertising. One gets stars to represent their brands, at a fraction of the costs. Moreover, films transcend geography, class and culture barriers, giving an opportunity for national and even international level branding. It also facilitates a clutter-free environment. Most importantly, films cannot be surfed, zipped or muted, unlike TV and internet. The advertisement catches people in a receptive mood and can be target specific. In-film advertising also helps in creating a favorable image about the brand from the consumer’s point of view, as the brand is being showcased in a healthy and entertaining environment. After carefully analyzing the responses received from the respondents, we also conclude that In-film advertising results in greater recall value as well as higher visibility, which helps the consumer to connect with the brand even more. The future of film branding is clearly on innovation. In this research we also analyzed that advertisements placed in films work well as the ads are placed according to the nature and background of the scene in the film which generate a very healthy background for the advertisement which in turn results into higher acceptability of that brand. while brand communication can be brought in to a film, it should be used in a selective and judicious manner and there should not be an overdose of the brand and its communication; otherwise, it would become boring, moving to a point of ridicule and seem forced. It should be used like a pinch of salt. For example, the bike- Suzuki Hayabusa used in Dhoom has given the highest visibility for the brand as the brand was actually being used in the film by a well known celebrity like John Abraham thus in a way, promoted. Such advertisements help the audience to connect with the brand along with reality. Brands get colored by the character using them and the context in which they are shown in a movie. For example, if a villain were shown wearing a Swatch watch, the brand would get visibility but perhaps not a positive mindshare. We also learnt that advertising in films helps the marketers to target their audiences, demographically as well as psychographically. Visibility of the brand in the films becomes like a long TV commercial for the audiences. Depending on the content of the film and its story line, a sketch of the profile of expected viewers of the film can be prepared and then those brands could be approached that could appeal to the targeted viewers. Most advertising professionals vouch for the fact that films, by virtue of being quite engaging, are one of the cost effective and effective mediums for advertising. Apart from monetary benefit to the production of the film from the brand owners, the commercial ads of these products promote the film throughout. One of the best examples is that of the recent film â€Å"Fashion† which had six prestigious brand placements clothing brands Kimaya and Reebok, Lenovo laptop, Sunsilk shampoo, Cellucom and LG Electronics. The production team earned Rs 8.5 crores from in-film advertisement alone, out of its total investment of 22 crores. Another example is the way Van Huesen advertisements promoted Ghajini, not only benefited the brand but, the personal image of Aamir Khan enhanced the trust for the brand. In the film,  Aamirs character was of a business tycoon, which added to the value of the brand Van Huesen, depicting success. The strategy of placing some selected brands in films, gives them an additional marketing push, even though the stars featuring them may not be directly endorsing these brands. Movies can enable brands to engage with different audiences and let consumers shake hands with the product. Given that cinema holds its audience captive, it is possible to make a product’s relatability quotient even more relevant and meaningful to the audience. Such a proposition when embedded in a storyline delivers unrivalled relatability. Further, an audience can be almost forced to sit up and take notice of a particular product attribute and see it in a new light. The recently-released, Aisha had a tie-up with Dior — the need being the lead heroine was portrayed as an elite damsel. It was a clever and convincing depiction to etch out the heroine’s character. In-film branding in fact helps to reduce publicity budgets of films by a minimum of 15 per cent. The low shelf life of movies has cut down theatrical collections; it has opened another window of revenue in the form of brand associations or in-film placements. Brands expect high visibility not only from theatres, but also when the film is shown on TV. A large majority of the respondents managed to have a high sense of recall to brands being advertised in particular films. In fact, many of the respondents enlightened us about many more examples of In-film Advertising. This shows the high success rate of In-film Advertising. All the objectives of our research, mentioned in the earlier section, have been achieved and thus, it can be called a successful research. All the findings just indicate that our Hypothesis has been proved right and hence, is valid. Therefore, ‘In-film advertising helps in promoting the sales of the brands.’

Reducing Corruption in the Nigerian Police Force

Reducing Corruption in the Nigerian Police Force Overview: This paper intends to examine the ramifications of corruption in the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), with respect to public safety and human rights, and provide four policy strategies that can be adopted by the Nigerian government to reduce police corruption. The paper will investigate police corruption within the purview of three theories: structural-functional theory, deviant behaviour theory and soft state theory. Drawing on these theories the paper will establish how their application to police corruption can help in understanding the tragedies of police corruption and reducing corruption in the NPF. In examining the ramifications of police corruption in Nigeria, the paper will explore concepts such as corruption of authority, kickbacks, opportunity theft, shakedowns, internal payoffs, padding, and the fix to show varying dimensions of police corruption. Background:   Ã‚   In recent years, the level of corruption in Nigeria, particularly in the NPF, has become alarming. Police corruption in Nigeria takes different forms, ranging from officers collecting money from the citizens at checkpoints, to officers extorting money from alleged law offenders at police stations, to officers tampering evidence to influence court cases, to officers using forceful and eccentric means to obtain information, to officers working as accomplices to electoral malpractices, illegal activities and human rights abuses, and to officers mismanaging funds allocated to the Police Force for personal aggrandizement. The most recent Global Corruption Barometer shows that 75% of Nigerians believe that the level of corruption has increased over the years and 72% perceive the NPF to be the most corrupt institution in the country (Pring 2015, 36 37). Also, 78% of Nigerians believe that the government has not handled the fight against corruption well (Ibid, 42); hence the anti-corruption performance of government is ranked poor. For over a decade, corruption in the NPF has come under increasing public scrutiny, as domestic and international civil society organizations involved in anti-corruption activism, have intensified efforts in uncovering corrupt practices in the NPF and demanding actions against police corruption. The activities of the anti-corruption activists have revealed series of public scandals involving senior officers of the NPF. Police corruption in Nigeria has raised serious concern about the standard of ethics and integrity in the NPF. Since 1994, there had been four Presidential Committees on Police Reform established by different political administrations to examine issues facing the NPF and make recommendations to the government. But the recommendations of these committees have never been implemented. Thus efforts to reform the NPF have faced difficulties across many fronts. Underfunding and arbitrary disbursement of allocations to the NPF are common challenges facing the NPF. Despite these committees, government has not been able to deal with police corruption, as government continues to embark on circuit of establishing more committees, with huge wage bills. This, therefore, is an indication of deep lack of political will to reform the NPF. Issue statement/Policy questions: The paper intends to establish that police corruption has become overwhelming and persistent such that it undermines good governance in Nigeria and causes systemic gangrene of the institutional fabrics of the NPF. As a result, the need for coherent strategies to reduce police corruption has become imperative. In light of this problem, the paper intends to answer the following policy questions: What is the fundamental problem with Nigerias efforts to reduce police corruption? Why have the previous strategies designed to fight police corruption failed? What are best methods to reduce police corruption in Nigeria? Methodology: The paper is a non-empirical investigation. Thus it intends to carry out a historical study of the NPF and factors responsible for police corruption in Nigeria. This task is relevant because it will provide insights into the various forms of police corruption in Nigeria and their impacts. Based on the non-empirical nature of the paper, its key considerations will be based on theoretical and empirical review of the relevant literature. Research will involve library research and materials will be sourced from wider sources, including academic journals, books, periodicals, reports, conference/seminar papers, newspapers articles, and other electronic sources. Motivation: The motivation for this paper is based on the authors concern about the tragedy of police corruption in his country. This concern springs from the authors personal experiences with the Nigerian police officers. The need to address the decay in the NPF, particularly from the Nigerian perspective, thus underlies this paper. Theoretical frameworks: Structural-functional theory: This theory posits that the social structure of a society has an impact on the way people conduct themselves. Thus how the network of social interactions is structured in society can explain the extent of police corruption. The guiding principle is that in a moral-guided society tolerance for police corruption is likely to be zero, thereby making it possible for social institutions to function with moral awareness. Deviant behaviour theory: This theory can be used to explain the organizational nature of police corruption. Police corruption can thus be explained from the perspective of group behaviour, which is guided by sets of societal norms that are linked to the organization to which the police officers belong to, as opposed to the behaviour of individual police officers. The guiding principle is that police corruption can be well-understood from the organizational context of the NPF where the corrupt behaviours occur. Soft state theory: This theory can be used to explain police corruption from the context that the extent to which the government is incapable of implementing reforms and instituting social disciplines speaks volumes about the level of corruption in the state. The guiding principle is that police corruption is rife in a state where the government lacks the ability to implement reforms; hence government institutions are disinclined to demand social disciplines from the people. Structure: Below is the brief synopsis of the paper. Introduction Background Issue statement Policy questions Motivation Key considerations: Theoretical framework and Empirical evidence Corruption and the Nigerian Police Force: Brief historical background of the NPF Overview of Concepts: Corruption and Police corruption Typologies of police corruption Nature of police corruption in Nigeria Factors responsible for police corruption in Nigeria Policy strategies to reduce corruption in the NPF: Assessment of previous anti-corruption strategies Proposed strategies to reduce police corruption Tipping point leadership style Alliance building with public sector institutions, private sector (including media and civil society), and broader political structure Amending legal frameworks (Constitution and Police Act) Introducing Anti-Corruption Code aka The Police Code in the Police Act Recommendations/Conclusion

Physical Value in Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn Essay -- Ode on a Grecia

Physical Value in Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn The poetry of John Keats contains many references to physical things, from nightingales to gold and silver-garnished things, and a casual reader might be tempted to accept these at face value, as simple physical objects meant to evoke a response either sensual or emotional; however, this is not the case. Keats, in the poem Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, turns the traditional understanding of physical objects on its head, and uses them not solid tangible articles, but instead as metaphors for and connections to abstract concepts, such as truth and eternity. In the poem, Keats dismisses the value of physical things as only corporeal for what he feels is more substantial and lasting, the indefinite and abstruse concepts behind them. It would be beneficial to gain a historical perspective on the poem. Ode Upon a Grecian Urn was written at the height of Keats' creative output, in May of 1819; in this same month he wrote the Ode Upon a Nightingale and the Ode Upon Melancholy. It is worth noting that two of the subjects of these odes are physical things, because Keats is chiefly remembered for his writing about physical, sensual things. Yet he betrays this attempt at classification; the Grecian urn is more than just an ancient piece of pottery which Keats values because it has in some ways defeated time ("when old age shall this generation waste / thou shalt remain. . . ", lines 46-47) and because it will never cease depicting youth and gaiety (". . .that cannot shed / Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu", lines 21-22). Keats values this urn because of the message it conveys (directly or indirectly, a topic which will reviewed later), ... ...- C - E. There is alliteration also in the poem; "silence and slow", "leaf-fringed legend", "Ah, happy, happy boughs" and "Of marble men and maidens overwrought" are examples of such. In conclusion, in the poem Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, the poet John Keats uses language and the object of his poem, a urn from Ancient Greece, to link abstract actions and concepts to physical, real, concrete things, in many different ways. Using iambic pentameter, and a unique rhyme scheme, and some devices of figurative language, Keats' sets up a melodic, beautifully flowing poem which well serves the purpose he gives it. Truly, abstract images and notions are seamlessly, subtly connected to the physical world around them. Works Cited Hunter, J. Paul 1999. The Norton Introduction to Poetry. New York, New York. Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, pages 323-324. Physical Value in Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn Essay -- Ode on a Grecia Physical Value in Keats' Ode on a Grecian Urn The poetry of John Keats contains many references to physical things, from nightingales to gold and silver-garnished things, and a casual reader might be tempted to accept these at face value, as simple physical objects meant to evoke a response either sensual or emotional; however, this is not the case. Keats, in the poem Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, turns the traditional understanding of physical objects on its head, and uses them not solid tangible articles, but instead as metaphors for and connections to abstract concepts, such as truth and eternity. In the poem, Keats dismisses the value of physical things as only corporeal for what he feels is more substantial and lasting, the indefinite and abstruse concepts behind them. It would be beneficial to gain a historical perspective on the poem. Ode Upon a Grecian Urn was written at the height of Keats' creative output, in May of 1819; in this same month he wrote the Ode Upon a Nightingale and the Ode Upon Melancholy. It is worth noting that two of the subjects of these odes are physical things, because Keats is chiefly remembered for his writing about physical, sensual things. Yet he betrays this attempt at classification; the Grecian urn is more than just an ancient piece of pottery which Keats values because it has in some ways defeated time ("when old age shall this generation waste / thou shalt remain. . . ", lines 46-47) and because it will never cease depicting youth and gaiety (". . .that cannot shed / Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu", lines 21-22). Keats values this urn because of the message it conveys (directly or indirectly, a topic which will reviewed later), ... ...- C - E. There is alliteration also in the poem; "silence and slow", "leaf-fringed legend", "Ah, happy, happy boughs" and "Of marble men and maidens overwrought" are examples of such. In conclusion, in the poem Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, the poet John Keats uses language and the object of his poem, a urn from Ancient Greece, to link abstract actions and concepts to physical, real, concrete things, in many different ways. Using iambic pentameter, and a unique rhyme scheme, and some devices of figurative language, Keats' sets up a melodic, beautifully flowing poem which well serves the purpose he gives it. Truly, abstract images and notions are seamlessly, subtly connected to the physical world around them. Works Cited Hunter, J. Paul 1999. The Norton Introduction to Poetry. New York, New York. Ode Upon a Grecian Urn, pages 323-324.

The Death Penalty :: essays papers

The Death Penalty "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth." This is another way for someone to say they are supportive of the death penalty. The death penalty, to me, is revenge. It kills innocent people every year. Many of the families of victims do not want the criminals to be put to death. The death penalty costs more than a life sentence in jail. It is also racists. "Since 1976, there have been five hundred twenty-three executions in the United States, twenty-three in 1999 alone. There was only eleven before 1984. Then the number rose to twenty-one that year. The number of execution stayed around twenty then dropped to eleven in 1988. Then it steadily rose from there to seventy-four executions in 1997. That was the highest since 1976."(Death Penalty Information Center, P.1) There are many different methods of execution used by the government. The most common is lethal injection used by thirty-four states. Electrocution is another method, which is used by ten states. The gas chamber is used in five states. There are still two states today that use hanging as a method of execution. And two other states use a firing squad. The death penalty is also extremely racist. There have been significantly more executions of minorities than white Americans. Capital punishment also goes against the Constitution of the United States. Amendments eight and fourteen state that no cruel and unusual punishment can be inflicted, and no state can deprive any person of life liberty or property. The death penalty clearly takes these privileges away from American citizens. "More than 2000 people are on death row today. Virtually all are poor, a significant number are mentally retarded or other wise mentally disabled. More than forty percent are African American and disproportionate numbers are Native American, Latino, and Asian." (American Civil Liberties Union) It does not seem fair that only these people are dying. The Constitution states that everyone should be given a fair trial. These statistics do not prove to me that these people had a fair trial. Everybody makes mistakes. If a jury makes a mistake and a person is falsely accused of murder when they find out they messed up they want to take the

Canada: The Best Place to Live In

Constantly rated by the United Nations (UN) as the best country to live in, Canada is said to be the second biggest country in the world and is very rich in natural resources and about quarter of a million chooses to enter Canada as new Permanent Residents (â€Å"Why Canada? †). Canada is also considered to be the best placed to move to if one wants to be a survivor of climate change in the decades ahead. This was the result of a study made by Maplecroft, a British consultancy which specializes in mapping risks.Among the 168 countries mapped in the Climate Change Risk Report of Maplecroft, Canada topped the list with a vulnerability score of 8.81, with 10 being the highest and 1, the lowest (McCarthy). Since Canada is my place of residence, it would be interesting to study why it is constantly rated by UN and other ranking authorities as the best country to live in. Introduction Since the Maple Leaf flag was adopted in 1965, Canada grew rapidly as a natural resource-based econ omy. However, in the 1970s there was major upheaval in Quebec when the separatist movement took on a violent nature, but in 1980 a referendum showed the majority of Quebecois were against indepen ¬dence.The eighties were characterised by constitutional issues. Canada's constitution (the BNA Act) was an act of the British Parliament and, as an independent country; Canada wanted to ‘bring home' the constitution. In 1982, parts of the BNA Act were changed and it became a Canadian act: The Constitution Act. Included in it is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Quebec is the only province that did not sign the new constitution and two subsequent attempts to bring it in, the Meech Lake Accord and the Charlottetown Accord, failed.In 1995 another Quebec refer ¬endum on independence took place and the ‘no' side (against independence) won by a very narrow margin. (â€Å"Historical Framework of Canada†) Canada became increasingly linked to the political economy of the U. S through various treaty agreements and trade arrangements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Most of Canada’s trades were with the U. S. While American businesses expanded their investments in the Canadian economy, foreign corporations (mostly U. S. companies) owned most of the nation's petroleum and discouraged Canadian-controlled research and development projects.This resulted in Canada's exclusion from the microchip computer revolution that transformed American technology and industries in those periods. Although some Canadian policy makers soon complained of the growing dependence of the Canadian economy on foreign companies, the pattern persisted and placed Canada in an increasingly precarious position in the world market. When the Middle Eastern oil crisis struck Western countries in the 1970s and 1980s, the Canadian economy was particularly hard hit. Despite heavy dependence on the U. S. for economic development and defense, Canada experie nced unprecedented economic growth and prosperity.Production and consumption rose, as the nation's population not only increased but continued to urbanize, and then suburbanize, in growing numbers. A variety of forces fueled the development of Canadian cities, suburbs, and consumer culture: the baby boom, relatively low rates of unemployment, and an overall rise in the standard of living. Yet, as in earlier eras, the country's prosperity was unequally distributed. By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Canada was also attracting increasing numbers of new immigrants from Europe (especially Italy), Africa, Asia, and the Americas (Stearns).Canada, like most other major economies, faces a challenging economic environment over the next couple of years. A Senior Economist from the State Street Global Advisors wrote that: †The multiple and cascading shocks associated with skyrocketing commodity prices, alarmingly stressed and volatile financial markets (associated in part with a still gr owing â€Å"subprime† credit crisis), and persisting global imbalances are creating a disconcertingly murky outlook that seems to offer few good policy options to central bankers and other economic policymakers.However, the Canadian economy has demonstrated an impressive resilience to economic shocks such as the dramatic appreciation of the Loonie over the last half-decade. This proven resilience keeps us optimistic that although the economy has stumbled, it won't be down for long and indeed may well end up outperforming the other major advanced economies over the medium term. † Developmental IndicatorsThe Human Development Index (HDI) provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income). It basically provides â€Å"a broadened prism for viewing human progress and the complex relationship between income and well-being. † Under the 2007/2008 Human Development Report, the HDI for Canada was 0.961, which gave the country a rank of 4th out of 177 countries. (â€Å"Canada: The Human Development Index – going beyond income†) The State of World Liberty Index is a ranking of countries according to the degree of economic and personal freedoms which their citizens enjoy; each country is given a score between 0 and 100. The Index defines freedom as â€Å"the ability for the individual to live their lives as they choose, as long as they do not infringe on the rights of others to do the same. † In the 2006 State of World Liberty Index, Canada ranked 3rd out of 159 countries (â€Å"The 2006 State of World Liberty Index†).The annual Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), first released in 1995, is the best known of TI’s tool s. It has been widely credited for putting TI and the issue of corruption on the international policy agenda. The CPI ranks more than 150 countries in terms of perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys. Under the 2008, Corruption Perceptions Index, Canada ranked 9th out of 180 countries (â€Å"Corruption Perceptions Index 2008†)The Index of Economic Freedom is a series of 10 economic measurements created by the Wall Steet Journal and the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. Its stated objective is to measure the degree of economic freedom in the world's nations. In the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, Canada ranked 7th out 157 countries (â€Å"The Index of Economic Freedom†) The Press Freedom Index (PFI) is an annual ranking of countries conducted by the Reporters Without Borders Worlwide (RWB), which provides an assessment of press freedom in countries. Out of 169 countries, Canada ranked 18th in terms of Press F reedom Index.Discussion Based on the development indices that were taken into consideration, it would appear that the assessment of Canada’s development has been quite consistent with its image of being one of the highest ranked developed countries in the world today. Although there may be some slight variations in the degrees of Canadian â€Å"freedom† as shown by the State of World Liberty Index and Index of Economic Freedom, it would still be safe to say that the two (2) â€Å"freedom† indices are a fairly accurate assessment of Canada’s degrees of freedom in terms of civil liberties and economic freedom.The Press Freedom Index though shows quite a different story that is worth reconsidering. Why would a highly civilized and democratic country like Canada rank 18th among the countries assessed? Does this mean that the Canadian government may have been curtailing press freedom despite its significantly high performance in terms of providing human develo pment services to its citizens? One would just wonder how a highly evolving human development society like Canada would only rank 18th in terms of the Press Freedom Index.Canada has been consistently ranking one of the highest if not the highest in the Human Development Index and among the development indices earlier cited; it is the HDI that accurately measures human welfare and development in Canada and it goes beyond income as a measure of economic welfare. Furthermore, among the composite indices, the HDI is the most widely recognized in the world as it is being administered by no less than the United Nations itself. ConclusionAfter carefully examining the recent historical trends and development indices outlined above, it is still safe to conclude that Canada is indeed the â€Å"best place to live in. † and that the Human Development Index strongly demonstrates this observation. On top of this, Canada shows a relatively outstanding governance environment as shown by its high score in Corruption Perceptions Index. Furthermore, Canada has a free and unencumbered economy where its citizens can enjoy the fruits of their labor without any fear of political repression.Despite the challenges being posed by the impending global economic crisis, the development fundamentals of Canada are indeed looking healthier and could sustain the economic pressures from a highly globalized environment. Canada is a nation that is very rich in natural resources and with its continued demonstration of world-class human development standards; it can certainly look forward to an enviable development in the future. However, Canada, as a nation must not rest on its development â€Å"laurels† so to speak. It must strive some more for a more equitable distribution of weath.

Huckleberry Finn Paper: Why the Ending Was a Let Down Essay

Throughout the novel, Huck and Jim are faced with problems and adventures. Jim teaches Huck the ‘right’ way to go about things and how to treat people. Most of the novel Huck grows as a person and matures. One might argue that it was because he was around other adults. But towards the latter part of the book, his old friend, Tom Sawyer arrives and Huck is up to his old tricks again. In the earlier parts of the book, Huck was very independent and thought of his own plans to get out of bad situations, but right after Tom wandered back into the story Huck just agrees with everything and anything that his friend suggests. He asks questions and tells Tom that it would be easier to perform the plan his own way, but Tom always puts his ideas down and disagrees with it. Clearly, throughout the first two-thirds of the novel, Huck’s character grows and Huck becomes more self-dependent, but every part of the story that Tom is involved in, he causes Huck to go back to his sam e old way. In chapter 16, there are two men that talk to Huck and ask if he’s seen any runaway slaves. At first Huck hesitates to answer because he’s had a southern upbringing which taught him to think that slaves are people’s property and if you see one trying to escape, you turn them in. But in another thought, Huck doesn’t really want to turn him in because he’s been having such a good time with Jim and they’ve become really good friends at this point. In the end, Huck makes up a story that his Pap is in the wigwam and that he has smallpox. The men in the canoe are put off by this information and feel sorry for Huck and his father, so they put forty dollars on a piece of drift wood and tell Huck to take it. â€Å"Then I thought a minute, snd says to myself, hold on: s’pose you’d ‘a’ done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad—I’d feel just the same way I do now Well, then, says I, what’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong†¦?† (Pg. 91) This attitude towards Jim is very different from his earlier one, in a previous chapter Tom helps Huck sneak out of the Widow’s house and Jim hears them making noise in the bushes. The two boys wait in the brush until Jim falls asleep and before they leave Tom has an idea that Huck doesn’t really want to do because he thinks that they might get caught. Tom ends up doing it anyway though; he takes Jim’s hat and puts it in the branches and ties Jim to the tree that he fell asleep under. None of this was Huck’s ideas, which makes Tom the less mature of the two. This is the starting level of Huck’s character where Tom is able to tell Huck what to do and his friend does never protests for long because he believes that Tom is so amazing and he really looks up to him. Huck thinks that if he does what Tom says, then he will be just as cool as his best friend. Later on in the novel this changes and he starts to form a mind of his own. He even starts to stray from what he knows as ‘what is right’. In chapter 26, the duke and the dauphin try to con $6,000 out of the Wilk’s family. One of the daughters, Joanna, can feel that something is up and starts to question Huck to see whether they’re lying or not. At first Huck tries to lie to her, but as Joanna’s interrogation goes on, her sisters tell her to be courteous towards their guests. Huck felt bad about the situation because he knew that his trickster companions were going to take this family’s money. â€Å"I felt so ornery and low down and mean that I says to myself, my mind’s made up; I’ll hive that money for them or bust †(175). So he thinks of a plan to take back the money that the duke and the dauphin took from them. I believe that if he had not grown up from his previous adventures with Jim, he would not have cared that these men were taking all this money from these people, in fact he’d probably want some of it for helping out. But Huck was very sympathetic for the family and tried to his best extent to fix what the conmen had done. This is a situation that proves how far Huck has come from being told what to do and looking up to Tom. Huck is now able to form his own opinions about things and starts to think â€Å"Hey, I am able to do things on my own. I don’t need Tom, or conmen, or anybody else to tell me what to do any more.† In chapter 31, Huck discovers that Jim is sold to a family by the dauphin. After he learns this, he starts to write a note to Tom so that he can tell the Widow were Jim is so she can go get him, but then he decides that he doesn’t want to turn Jim in. He’s had so many experiences with him on the river; he’s practically his family now. He even cried earlier when he found out that Jim had been captured. If he had been the same kid that he was before the adventures with Jim, he would have thought that it was the right thing for him to do by turning his friend in. But throughout the novel he learned that Jim is a human too, he’s not a piece of property. Jim has feelings, thoughts, and even a family. Huck was brought up to think that helping slaves was a bad thing, but from now on he knew that he would follow his heart and decided â€Å"All right then, I’ll go to hell!† (214). Here is another example that proves that Huck’s character has been growing throughout the novel. It shows this because of everything that this boy has gone through he has learned that it’s not always best to do what society says is right, sometimes it’s even extremely wrong and should never be done. In chapter 35, the two boys think of plans to get Jim out. Huck thinks of a short and easy plan, while Tom thinks of something more complicated. Tom also complains about how his Uncle Silas should have a watchman, watch dogs, a moat, and a handful of other obstacles that make their task harder to perform. By this time, Huck is so mesmerized by Tom because he thinks that everything that his friend does is so great that nothing can go wrong if Tom’s doing it. Tom gets his way, as usual, and they start stealing things that they need from Aunt Sally. They spend weeks on getting Jim out, when Huck’s idea would have only taken a few days at the most; Tom probably would not have gotten shot either. At one point Jim even lifted his chain from underneath the bed and went outside to help the boys. They could have just left then and there, but Tom had to make Jim’s escape as difficult as possible. If it was just Huck and Jim, they would have just left! This part of the novel was extremely hard to read, there was no point to prolong Jim’s escape, at this time in the plotline everything that had been made before was just being erased and there was just no point to the rest of this particular adventure with Tom; it was certainly not helping Huck’s character out. This last section of the book took strides backwards from Huck’s development of maturity throughout the novel. It was like taking a few steps forward only to take twenty more backwards. And overall makes the ending of the book a bit disappointing, Huck is right back where he started, he’s now living in a house with another family that will try to strip him of his freedom and make him more civilized. In my opinion, the last adventure of the story ruined what the others had built up for Huck’s character. At the end of the story Huck had reverted back to idolizing Tom and falling for all of his manipulative lies just as before.

Comparison and Contrast of The Hobbit Novel and The Hobbit Films Essay

The Hobbit: An unexpected journey and The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug had a great director; Peter Jackson to keep every original concept that J. R. R. Tolkien would have in mind if he was the one to direct these movies. They kept that it’s not only about getting Dwarves their homeland back, but the development of a quiet, stay at home and stay safe Hobbit. Most of the characters were well interpreted into the movie like Thorin’s greed for the Arkenstone, how that is his childhood and the kingdom was balanced on the Arkenstone’s power. The films kept the same feeling that one would get from reading the novel. A Hobbit on his adventure, there and back again. Though they kept the same feeling, scenes and characters occurred even though they were never included in the novel. Tauriel was a she-elf that created a love triangle between Kili and Legolas. In the book, Kili goes with the other dwarves, entering Smaug’s lair. In the film, he gets a injured in the leg by an arrow that becomes infected and he’s forced to stay in Laketown with Bard and the others, and Tauriel and Fili his brother. Their deaths will become different from the original story. Also the size of Smaug became enormous compared to the book and J. R. R. Tolkien had his own artwork of the rough size of this dragon and the amount of gold he settled in. The treasure and how much dragon remained under the mountain was blown off the scale. These differences hardly impact the plot, but those are some differences between The Hobbit novel and The Hobbit movies.

Business Model Canvas of United States Postal Service Essay

USPS caters the mail and package delivery services to a mass of different customers. It has different variety of services depending on what the customer wants. So customer segments are divided according to the type of services the USPS provides. 1. Individual citizens: The USPS has the first class mail and standard mail that the citizens can use to use to send personal cards, letters, bill payments, etc. Basically anything that is less than 13 ounces can be sent through first class, and is delivered within 2 to 3 days in the contiguous states. First class mail is sealed and protected, while standard mailed is not (standard mail may also receive deferred handling but it is more cost effective for customers). Also package services are provided to send packages more than 70 lbs. 2. Businesses: The USPS also caters to all the mailing needs of businesses. Banks use first class mail for delivery of debit or credit cards, and other confidential information as it is protected and handled properly. Also the standard mail, which is a cost-effective bulk mail class, is used by businesses for mailing advertisements, product samples, etc. and is delivered within 9 to 10 days. Businesses even use package services for delivery of delivery of customer orders. a. These customers include business to consumer delivery (e-commerce) such as Amazon and EBay. 3. Publishers: The USPS has Periodicals, which is a mail class for authorized publishers to send magazines, newspapers, journals, etc. 4. Other mail providers: The USPS has partnered with FedEx and UPS for their â€Å"last mile† mail delivery. Since the cost of delivery in rural areas is high for both FedEx and UPS, they have partnered with the USPS to deliver their mail and packages in areas where the cost for delivery would be higher for them; the USPS delivers about 30. 4% of the ground shipments of FedEx. Besides this, the USPS also offers services as Post Office Box, tracking of the mail etc. It also provides insurance on items shipped to domestic or international areas, if they have a value of above 200 dollars. Value Proposition The mission of the postal service is to provide the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service. By law, its basic function is â€Å"†¦ to bind the Nation together through the personal, educational, literary, and business correspondence of the people. It [the Postal Service] shall provide prompt, reliable, and efficient services to patrons in all areas and shall render postal services to all communities. † Affordable Prices: The price of sending a package or mail by USPS is much lower than its competitors. Ubiquitous presence: The Postal Services has large number of offices in the United States making it accessible to almost every customer of the USPS. They have 31,272 retail offices. Reliable service: The Postal Service delivers to 151 million addresses six days a week, and collects outgoing mail and packages at the time of delivery. It provides mailing and shipping services through tens of thousands of postal and non-postal retail outlets as well as usps. com. The USPS provides many different services; First-Class Mail, Standard Mail, Packages and Shipping, International Mail and Periodicals each catering to different needs of their customers. Channels The USPS provides direct delivery to the customer. They have all US addresses and their delivery system is direct, from the sender to the receiver. They are spread out in the entire United States and have huge amount of deliveries every week. The USPS operates over 30,000 Post Offices all over the United States where customers can come to send their packages and mail. Customers can also drop their mail in post boxes located at multiple locations in every town and city. Stamps and postage can be bought at numerous locations such as supermarkets, drug stores and post offices. The USPS also operates a service where the postman can come to pickup a shipment from your house free of charge. USPS also uses traditional advertisements and promotions to reach their customers on a daily basis. Figure 1: USPS’ services (source: USPS Annual Report 2012) Customer Relationships USPS’s customers demand reliable, fast and affordable service and they serve each customer segment in a different way. For individuals, customer service is mainly through sending and receiving letters and packages. For businesses the USPS offers various business solutions such as advertising campaigns, e-commerce solutions and special mass mail business prices. For other mail providers such as FedEx and UPS the USPS provides delivery of their packages both in rural areas and of small packages. For all customers the USPS also offers customer service by phone, online and in Post Offices. The USPS has good brand recognition, most US citizens are aware of the USPS’ services and the â€Å"postman† that comes to every house every day. Therefore the customers expect good service and the USPS uses customer outreach programs, both for individuals and businesses, to get feedback and information about how they can improve their services. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) from June 2013, both FedEx and UPS score higher than the USPS in the Express/Priority Service Mail Sector. Overall the regular mail services of USPS are at a new ACSI high of 77 points.