Steroid`s Prohibition Essays - Exercise Physiology,

Steroid`s Prohibition It's amazing what athletes will do to achieve higher levels of performance and to get an edge on the rivaled competition. Often people do not realize the long-term effects that result from the decisions they make early in life. This resembles the obvious phenomenon with steroids. Steroids became a spreading exposure to athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the 1950's. This use of steroids among athletes became apparent when Canadian sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the 100-meter dash during the 1988 Olympics. Today, a thin fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local gym and find sellers to obtain the drug that will make him the idol of all his classmates. Being such an attractive drug, as shown in the analogy above, and seeming harmless to the unaware user, steroids can have a potentially jeopardous effect. Consistently, users, new and experienced, have no knowledge as to the dangerous consequences that steroids can have on their minds and bodies. Although steroids have low death tolls in our society, banning it is purely justified because of the extremely perilous side effects it inflicts on the unsuspecting user. Though steroids are known as a somewhat dangerous substance, they are legal to possess and consume. There has not yet been a true clinical study that proves such possible side effects are linked to the use of steroids. Sure, there has been several cases in which someone has died and an autopsy has shown that the person was using steroids, but this does not mean they are a lethal drug as some medical professionals have stated. Some advocates believe that because steroids are legal, and since it's the decision of the user to take the drug, steroids are not causing a problem in society. Millions, causing deteriorating effects on their bodies, consume alcohol and cigarettes every day, but there has never been a protest to put a ban on these items because of their harmful nature. So how are steroids any different? Some people may state that the wide spread use of steroids among professional athletes is forcing young upcoming athletes to use steroids, even though it's against their morals. This is because they know they can not compete adequately against their opponents who are using steroids to achieve higher levels of performance. One might say this is how competition works though. Race car drivers and gymnasts are out there every day, pushing themselves harder and harder, going just a little faster, or doing a new, more difficult trick. Many believe they are forced by their own desire to win, and the hazardous risks they take, be it taking a corner a little faster or pulling an extra flip in a routine, are no different than the risks a football player, wrestler, or weight lifter takes when they choose to use steroids to increase their skills. Many believe these reasons make steroid abuse morally justified, and say their use in sports and other activities are just an added element in boosting performance. It is true that there has not yet been any defined medical research to prove steroid abuse is linked to severe medical implications. But many chronic users dealing with massive medical difficulties believe they were a result of steroid abuse. Alcohol and cigarettes are major contributors to the deaths of thousands each year. Frequently we see a family member, or friend, suffering from diseases and health conditions caused by smoking and drinking. These conditions can often lead to an early, horrible death for the individual. Many find these experiences an obstantial reason to not drink and smoke. In a similar situation, young athletes see their former athletic idols suffering from medical problems caused by steroids. These professionals will even admit to their former steroid abuse in hopes to persuade the thousands of young athletes participating in steroid abuse each day to make the right choice in not using steroids. I find it hard to believe how young athletes can simply ignore the warnings of these suffering abusers. This can partly be blamed on the lack of education about steroids that young athletes will receive. Nevertheless, when they see the effects steroids have in the long run on such professional athletes as Lyle Alzado, they should realize the need to give up their abuse, even if they must sacrifice the chance to win that gold medal, or give up that buff body they always dreamed of. If a user was to listen to what a former addict

Se Habla Espanol Essays

Se Habla Espanol Essays Se Habla Espanol Essay Se Habla Espanol Essay The author Tanya Maria Baritones decided to give her article a Spanish title prepared me for the subject by showing me that it will be about Spanish in some way or form. It led me to also believe that in the use of Se Habit Espanola Baritones was trying to hence that it is used in a variety of places with the same three words. Connecting it to the stereotypical Latino that they are all the same did support my impression as the title conveyed that Baritones saw that the Latino were people who wait[deed] tables and clean[deed] hotel rooms. It meant to Baritones that speaking Spanish meant to be poor. To be all the same. Just a poor Latino with a job that is typical. Such as the words of Se Habit Espanola. 2. The anecdote at the beginning of the text has the effect of showing the point of view of the conflict that Baritones has in learning her native language; which caught my attention in wanting to know why she would degrade her own native language. 3. The significance of learning Spanish to Baritones is that she tried hard for two decades to isolate herself from stereotype but then suddenly a shift in society changed it all. It is important to Baritones because speaking Spanish is what kept the Latino community together and without knowing Spanish she could not call herself a Latin and have pride in herself. 4. The reason Baritones added Spanish words to the writing is for the reader to see Baritones perspective of knowing Spanish. Without knowing the language, the feeling of being left out is present. If the words were translated the stance would then change. If the translations are just handed out to the readers then her point would not be proven. 5. Being from Austin and born as the first Mexican American generation my accent is very selective. When I speak English, speak in a normal non- differentiating accent. My English words are fine and clear, but at times I have a monotone accent and I dont notice it. Although, when I speak Spanish I have an accent that is immediately distinguishable.

CONCERT REPORT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CONCERT REPORT - Essay Example However, the music during this period was a combination of sacred and secular forms. Most of the songs sung during this time were mostly monotonic which were used for hymns and praise songs but later developed to polyphonic forms after the inclusions of instruments and the advent of musical notation system and musical theories. There was an immense alteration on the repertory during this period because of the incrementing efforts of incorporating manifold compositions of melodies and different tones. Eventually, despite the alleged defiance of the early fathers on the inclusion of musical instruments on church chants, there was an acceptance on the use of a musical instrument in church setting, initially, to support choristers in singing. The first instrument accepted to be used in church services was the organ. Secular music proliferated through the help of the French people and because of the aid of the music genius Guillaume de Machaut. Subsequently, songwriting also became famous . 2 Some other forms of arts were also observed to have close relation to music and were found to be in conformity to the development of musical art. Several primitive artworks were recovered in some parts of the world especially in Egypt where olden drawings on caves showing musical instruments, hieroglyphs and some passages coming from the Bible were discovered. These forms of arts are proofs or cues that predicate the existence of musical art prior to the Middle Ages, in fact, some claims that this could be traced back to the time of Pythagoras who, through Mathematics, helped in the establishment of music: â€Å"the first study of music as an art form dates from around 500 B.C., when Pythagoras experimented with acoustics and the mathematical relationships of tones.† 2 Many great composers came out during the middle ages. Some of the most famous and talented composers have lived during this time. Guillaume Dufay was a medieval composer whose musical artworks were made fro m the latter part of the medieval period up to the early Renaissance Period. His music was mostly serene and with perspicuous uniqueness. He also started to invent the four voice texture which is a very popular, important theme for polyphonic music today. Philippe De Vitry (1291-1361), was considered to be one of the most important composers during this era. He was the proponent of the famous musical theory Ars Nova  ­and was one of the premier figures who developed motet. Further, he also discovered isorhythm: â€Å"a single rhythmic figure continually repeated by a voice.†1 Guillaume de Machaut who lived between 1300 and 1377 was the composer who made the famous Mass of Notre Dame. He was direly romantic and most of his compositions and poems were seen to have romantic impressions. In addition, he was also recurrently involved in royalty and political gatherings. References: 1. â€Å"The Medieval Era†. Library.thinkquest.org. library.thinkquest, n.d. Web. 7 Decembe r 2011 2. â€Å"Music History 102: The Middle Ages†. Ipl.org. ipl2, n.d. Web 7 December 2011 3. â€Å"Medieval Music†

American Revolution Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Revolution - Term Paper Example The American Revolution, which took place from 1775 to 1783, can be considered as a remarkable event in the United States history (Fiske 2009, p. 26). The revolution played a significant role as it brought the United States into existence. As a result of the revolution, the United States gained independence from the oppressive British rule. During the political upheaval that accompanied the American Revolution in the second half of the 18th century, thirteen colonies from the North of America joined together. These colonies broke from the British Empire and combined to become the United States of America. First, the colonies turned down the authority of the Great Britain Parliament, which aimed at governing them overseas and denied them representation. This lack of representation made the states condemn the oppressive British rule, and they worked extremely hard to get rid of it (Wood 2002, p. 34). The introduction of new taxes can be regarded as a significant cause of the revolution. Since the British government wanted to come up with ways of generating income, it made a decision to levy new taxes on the colonies. These taxes could be used to offset the high costs of defense incurred by the Great Britain. For example, the Sugar Act of 1764 introduced a three pence tax for every gallon of molasses. The act also included a list of the goods that could be exported to the Great Britain. Contrary to other previous acts, this act had to be strictly enforced; this placed a heavy burden on the colonies and led to enormous economic downturns (McNeese 2003, p. 42). The â€Å"taxation without representation† triggered the onset of the revolution as colonial leaders complained of lacking members of Parliament to represent the interest of Americans. Further, the implementation of the currency act worsened the situation 2in the United States; the act prohibited the printing of paper money by the colonies. A number of

Criminal justice Tends Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Criminal justice Tends Paper - Essay Example Law enforcement has revolutionized a great deal from its early practices. Intelligence in law enforcement basically depended on the dossier system which involved a collection of files of people suspected of being criminals and their accomplices, referred to as red files (McElreath et al., 2013). But there was soon increased evidence of law enforcement officers keeping files of people who had no records of criminality, hence the subsequent separation of law enforcement and national enforcement intelligence that saw the development of a more reliable intelligence-led policing. The period between 1881 and 1945, as documented by (Grant & Terry, 2005) saw the mobility of law enforcement agents increased by introduction of motor vehicle patrols and improvement of communication through use of radio and telephones. It was during the same period that identification of criminals was made effective with forensic laboratory being set, pioneering the use of polygraph, handwriting and fingerprint systems of classification. Subsequent years up to 1959 saw traffic law enforcers introduce speed violation and blood-alcohol detection instruments to detect crime. This was further boosted by computerization in the period between 1960 and 1979 and the introduction of the 911 emergency code systems. The technological advancement saw easy retrieval of data in the period after 1980. The current trend in law enforcement borrows so much from the capabilities of technology to ensure public safety in the modern highly technological environment facing transnational threats. According to Schultz (2013), crime prevention relies heavily on surveillance which has greatly improved with the use of the Geographic Information System, GIS technology for purposes of mapping the location of aliens and drug traffickers, away from the ancient push pins approach. Used together with this has been the Global Positioning Systems, GPS. The use of closed-circuit television, CCTV for public surveillance has fo und application in various public areas including airports and public buildings. Nonetheless, despite the capabilities brought by the use of such a technology, a legal debate has been raging on particularly with regard to respect to citizens’ privacy (Grant & Terry, 2005). To identify criminals, biometrics technology provides real-time automatic identification of individuals based on such persons’ behavior or physiology. These include fingerprint scanning, facial recognition, retinal scanning and DNA profiling among others. The current law enforcement system has seen greater efforts made towards developing efficient technologies to overcome barriers in information sharing across various jurisdictions. Such has seen the employment of Automated Regional Information System, ARJIS, use of cross-jurisdictional radio communications and encryption for information security. The Internet has been used by various law enforcement agencies for community policing which makes it mor e intensive than traditional policing methods. In the future, one thing is certain according to Schultz (2013); technology will continue to advance in nearly all the facets of law enforcement. Technology will be used to prevent, solve and also facilitate crimes. Following the past criminal incidences including the September 11 2001 terror attacks, law enforcement a

How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision?

How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision? Abstract: Consumer behavior is dependent on few factors that need to be considered in any industry. In the garment industry, there are several intertwining factors known that influence consumer behavior. The Internet as one knows well has its importance in nearly every form of trade, but brand recognition is driven by a set of factors that have their own principles. Trade is directly dependent on communication, and these days the Internet it is considered to be one of the most important and reliable means of communications for trade. It is for this reason that brand promotion is significantly related to the use of the Internet. However, it needs to be asserted that the Internet is a tool for promoting a brand as is other means of brand promotion. In view of the Internet being an important medium through which customers may be communicated with, consumer behaviors, and more importantly, consumer-purchase decisions, become an important subject. Observing consumer-purchase decisions in the recent past, it can be asserted that there is immense scope for expanding industries that receive positive responses from consumers. An example of this is observed with some organizations in the garment industry. A company such as Levis is a good example to view the effectiveness of branding on consumer-purchase decisions. In addition purchases made at outlets, online purchases have been significant as purchases of are easily made and are believed to be considerably reliable. This reflects the manner in which consumers rely on brands like Levis. For purchasing garments and placing orders, advertising through the Internet is the first step towards pulling in customers. Indeed, this step is believed to be effective as there are a number of indiv iduals who first see ads online, and then decide to physically check a promotion out. However, this is not the only way that people want to explore promotions of garments or any other industry. Shoppers are keen to check out things for themselves. There are many consumers that also do not rely on the Internet for purchasing what they want. They would rather shop, and there are indeed many consumers who spend several hours per week in shopping centers searching for what they want. Among these shoppers there are different kinds of consumers, and each of these has different characteristics. Some look for stuff that is cheaper and reliable while others want quality. Those who search for quality know what brands they want generally. Deciding what to purchase from a consumers perspective depends on what satisfies him or her. From a manufacturers perspective, it is important to understand what interests a consumer most, and based on these interests, manufacturers work to develop their brands. Manufacturers have to develop a brand identity in order to seek brand loyalty of consumers. Once manufacturers learn how to read their consumers, they can influence their purchasing decisions, and this is precisely aimed at by promoting a brand and working towards its selling power. 1. Introduction: 1.1 Background In order to sell products, organizations resort to various strategies. Each company has its strategy structured in accordance with market factors as well as product strengths. This may mean that an organization has to consider various angles in order to make sure its products enter a market and sell successfully. In considering several factors that play their parts in the success of a product in the market, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"branding is one major component for organizations to work on. Branding is considered to be a major component in the success of a product in the market because it can control consumer decisions. This of course depends on the reputation of the brand, which refers to how it has appealed to consumers in the past and how it has served them. 1.2 Importance of the Study: Understanding what branding is enables one to understand the way that consumers behave when newer products are introduced. This is interesting to understand because it helps to understand why different company products of the same nature have different responses from consumers. 1.3 Research Question: The main Research Question that will be dealt with in this study is as follows: How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision? Other research questions that will be part of this study include the following: * What is branding? * How is branding used? * How do consumers respond to branding? * Is branding really significant in order to sell products? 1.4 Limitations of study: This study makes use of relevant literature to the research question as well as a survey of 50 participants. Though the literature review encompasses a wide variety of views regarding the research question, the survey only encompasses participants within the researchers physical location. This means that the views from the participants are fewer than what is needed for a comprehensive view of primary data. 1.5 Organisation of study: The basic organization of this study consists of dealing with the main research question mentioned above, for which there will be a literature review. In accordance with a methodology, this literature will be analyzed, and a conclusion will be arrived at. In addition to data analyzed from the literature review, answers from a survey conducted will also be analyzed and paired with the results of the analyzed literature review. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Chapter introduction: This chapter includes the views of other studies and reviews related to the main research question. In this chapter, there will be pertinent data on what branding is, how it impacts consumers, and how consumer-purchasing decisions are impacted through branding. 2.2. Framework for review: In this section, there will be a flow as the review gradually progresses. This means that each relevant portion of the subject will be exposed gradually as the review progresses. However, at various points there will be inclusions of points exposed earlier, where needed. 2.3. A brand allows organizations to differentiate their business from their competitors. But more importantly, brands help to motivate customer loyalty. By having a brand, companies gain manifold levels by creating effective business strategies that help to promote the company. Building a brand is also about creating an identity that differentiates one from the rest this may be in the form of a logo, a name or business model. This is what helps to receive a positive consumer response; consumers look for characteristics in a brand that cater to their needs and wants. If a brand does this with one product, in future, consumers would choose other products wit the same brand. More recently, branding concepts have become more about how people perceive business. For this reason, there has been a lot of attention on how brands can alleviate the position of business, sales and consumer base. The perceived knowledge about the brand comes from three major criteria according to Business Central by Microsoft (2004): These are: 1. Confidence in a business, product or service doing exactly what the customer already believes it will do. For example, a 24-hour convenience store brand can be based on customers confidence that it will be open, whatever the time of day or night. 2. The emotional response of the customer to purchasing a product or service. For example, a clothing retailer can create a brand based around making its customers feel good about what they wear, how they look, how good they feel about buying clothes from that shop and what it says about them to their peers. A brand builds a unique personality for a business, and therefore attracts a defined type of customer. 3. Most importantly, branding is based on consistently rewarding the confidence and delivering the expected emotional response. For example, a domestic cleaning company can build its brand successfully if customers homes are always thoroughly cleaned. The owners believe that they are using the best cleaning company and feel good about returning to their newly cleaned homes. Given the highly developed set criteria, one can understand that brands are not created overnight; in fact brand identity is created by assessing the business, how it operates and the kind of message that the business wants to send out to the customers, and able to deliver the promise to the customer time and again. This kind of assessment has to be realistic and be based on the following key areas: 1. Work out your business, product or services core competencies. These are what you achieve for your customer, not necessarily what you do. For example, a good wine shops core competence is selling wine that its customers enjoy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" not just selling wine. 2. Assess whom your existing and potential customers are and find out what they like and what they dont. For example, if competitive pricing drives them, there is little point in you presenting yourself as a premium-price supplier of the same products offered by your competitors. 3. Find out how your customers and your employees feel about your business. Reliable? Caring? Cheap? Expensive? Luxurious? No-frills? Later in the process, these emotional responses (brand values) will form the basis of your brand message. 4. Define how favorably customers and potential customers view your business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this is your perceived quality. Do they trust your business, product or service? Do they know exactly what it does for them? What do they think of when your brand is mentioned to them? Low perceived quality would restrict or damage your business. High-perceived quality gives you a platform to grow. 5. Consider how far you can develop your business with its current customer perception without moving away from your core competencies. The amount you can change your offer is your brand stretch. For example, a shop known for selling fresh sandwiches could also consider selling homemade cakes and biscuits without going outside its core competencies. But selling frozen ready meals too may stretch its brand too far (Microsoft BCentral 2004). So much has the concept of brand identity become a part of the business process that companies are claiming their rights to certain qualities, product category, design, innovations and creations. One of the reasons for this is that companies are realizing amidst a homogenous market, credit cannot be given to any one in particular unless the company excels in certain areas. For example Tesco, Wal-Mart and K-Mart may all provide the same kinds of services and products, but there has to be something that makes the customers experience unique in each of the above cases. Companies are realizing that the quest for uniqueness should be taken a step further by enhancing on certain or particular business area and developing it a step ahead of competitors. It is only through the differentiation technique that they would be able to effectively and successfully compete against rival. For example Wal-Mart may claim to have the cheapest price while Tesco would also do the same for certain products only. To resolve this problem, techniques like the kind of message, bundle services as well as customer satisfaction guarantees are used to attract customers. But how do customers differentiate and recognize one service from the others? For most companies the first step is to identify the potential customer and perceive his/her consumer behaviour. Next is to align brand values that reflect customers needs. From the identity aspect, the company furthers this by redesigning logo, stationary and other visual contact to send out harmonious and unified theme to the consumer. For example, if the brand suggest value added services then all aspects of the business process has to incorporate value added services so that the customers becomes aware of this unique quality of that particular business; advertisements pertaining to the same should be launched and campaigns for external/internal customers to make sure everyone is aligned with the business objectives. In view of this, illustration 1 in the list of figures shows that aside from branding, there are other aspects that a company needs to focus on. Given these aspects of brand and brand identity it can be defined as: A brand, in its broadest sense, is the expression of an organisation or product. A brand is communicated in a number of different ways and not only represents the visual aspects that a customer may come across (logo or imagery), but can also be reflected in the behaviour of people within that organisation, the quality of products that the organisation offers, and the manner in which customers are treated. (Investor in People 2004) Retailers in the UK realized the importance of this concept during the Post World War Era. During the war years the UK chain stores expanded nationally to serve the local consumers with standardized products. The restraint on trade with the US did not allow the local producers to cultivate their services abroad. Similarly, the restraint also applied to US products and retail stores that had not been allowed to operate in the UK as the producers anticipated US influence on local UK consumers. However, as the Wars passed, new chain stores expanded and so did the international chain in Britain. As new factories reflect growth in industries, traditional method of promoting products and goods also changed to cater to the new classification of products. American products were cheaper and easy to access at the convenience stores as compared to British products and chain stores. Further, due to the high unemployment level, resulting in less purchasing power, British stores did not feel motiv ate to expand or succeed. The only measure they were interested in includes the commoditys exchange value and how it serves as the source for covering operating income (Lowe et al 2000). However, with the emergence of US producers and retailers, local stores had cause for concern. Since the departmental stores from the US provide the same commodities and yet provide the aesthetic experience as well, the consumers learned to appreciate the uniqueness of the experience they had with the foreign stores. For this reason, British retail stores under went a wave of change where the stores had to make the decision of effectively competing with their American counterparts. According to Lowe et al (2000) By 1939 in Britain the chain stores had carved out a market alongside, and in competition with, the department and co-operative stores, and were particularly noted for their own-brand goods. Their standardised fascias jostled for prime place in the redeveloped high streets and their mass-marketing strategies increasingly squeezed out the small, but still significant, independent trader. Their particular development was the consequence not only of Britains compact geography an d early industrialisation, but also of the political and cultural support for trade restraints, which were furthered by the retention of family influence in companies and by an ethos of business leadership as public service. The British stores had gained significant development due to two reasons. Firstly the family based society and class dynamics within Britain had supported the centralization and spread of these stores across the country. Secondly, the trade restrained allowed these stores significant time frame for achieving the desired standards and quality for competing with rivals across the Atlantic. The intensity of the competition of stores in the US and UK resulted in inflating dynamic chain store culture and competition. As a result the retailing market changed its form with the support of the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the distribution process. The outcome of this contest between the two nations not only established platforms for large retailers but it also added to their knowledge of the development and progressive tracks that they need to follow in order to effectively compete nationally and internationally. The basis for the fast growing retailing industry was inherent in the working class ability to predict opportunity advantage and capitalize on it. For example in 1848 W.H. Smith gained railway contracts and bookstalls spread across England. Similarly, Thomas Liptons shops in Glasgow in 1872 were built on the back of new steamships importing cheap Empire butter, cheese, ham etc. The common factor prevailing in this spreading trend had been the producers and the owners being able to foresee consumers special needs and satisfying them. Although these were family businesses that later on turned into empires nevertheless the concept of meeting demands as they come by providing customized services had been inherent during the 20th century even (Lowe et al 2000). J.B. Priestly surveyed the English landscape during this era and found that with the emergence of mobility, transportation and mass production, there has also been a mass set of chain cinemas, stores, teashops, etc., which has chan ged the way people eat, drink and entertain during the 1930s. The new infrastructure of migration and investment went hand in hand with the migration of people from the north to the south, from inner city to suburbs and the like etc. For this reason most of the significant development in establishing names of quality products and services emerged during this era (Lowe et al 2000). However, recently the trend has changed. Established names and quality brands have been facing difficulties in competition. As the UK become global in its trade practices, the risks of losing to foreign counterparts for local brands have increased. One example is Marks and Spencer. MS has been an established brand that UK consumers had immense trust in and have been using as a platform for measuring offering value for money quality products. The promotional theme at MS is based on quality but not a cheap product category that suits the average and affluent consumer. However, this strategy is not suitable for the needs of current globalization scenario. With the spread of retail stores and chain around the world such as Wal-Mart and ASDA, MS has gradually lost its position to these competitors. Wal-Mart is in stark contrast of the values established by MS. The Wal-Mart business philosophy is based on low price and cheap products that meets the average to low consumer group. Even more critical in this transition of retail store brands is that people are coming to accept them as alternatives to the established quality stores prevalent in the UK (Lowe et al 2000). The alternatives no doubt easily had taken over the local brand and chain stores but it had not been able to capture the essence of the concept of brand. For the average price conscious consumers have not realized the implication of switching over to a foreign brand. Not only have they been compromising quality for price but they have also greatly contributed to declining the established standards for the industry. Businesses that are known globally for their quality, reputation, product specifications, and standardizations have been replaced by the Americanization of products and services. No gap analysis has been identified for the switch and as a result brands that exist in the UK are innovating and revisiting their standards to win over the customers. The process is tedious but corporations and retailers are realizing the importance of exercising this process. Today when one refer to brands and brand identity, it means the creation of a brand identity system which involve focusing on brand communication, developing needs analysis, contemplating target audience, relegation of market profile and establishing a brand identity with these inputs[1]. Successful brands may shape the business sphere as well as navigate the breadth and depth of the corporate identity. The message, the identity, the visual design language such as symbols, colours, flagship etc. all reflect and remind the consumers who they are; what is the nature of the business; how are they producing; social participation and responsibility; and to communicate with them to be part of the brand identity system. For example in 1994 Coca-Cola business in the UK had been the largest bottlers and providers of cola drinks. However, at the same time other cola companies had come up with the same idea using the same corporate identity and brand message as Coca-Cola. Yet, despite this fact the local colas did not win the consumers due to the fact that consumers, in whose mind Coca-Cola association had already been lodged, mistook the new cola brands for the original one. For this reason the new cola brands lost to Coca-Cola in the competition. From this example and many that followed after, the British producers realized that brand identity is a systematic process that must ensure that the development of the design is protected; ownership or long term partnership of retail channels is essential and ownership of other product advantage cannot be replicated. Apart from those other organizational issues in the process of brand identity system development is that the interface between the strategic dec ision-making on the branding process must discuss how the brands would facilitate the company and how the brands can be linked to the companys goodwill. Thus by tying monetary value to brands, companies have established the value to brand identity and its influence on corporate performance. Once corporations realized the importance of brand identity, the struggle for materializing and capitalizing on brand identity increased. Marketers for one exhaustively increased their efforts to market their brands and logos more than they did the products; they laboured at serving the lifestyles that consumers lead rather than the products they need; and companies also included brand awareness strategies to ensure that the consumers understand the organizational products and services. More formal companies have established procedures for making this system work. Brands identity is now based on: 1. Recall rate at the top of the consumers mind 2. Specific recall for occasions, events or holidays 3. Visualization of the brand identity 4. Personalization of the brand to an image 5. Brand extension 6. Not becoming stereotype for cosmopolitan appeal 7. Think global, buy local concept 8. Linking brands to sub-brands 9. Symbolic ownership of brand essence 10. Souvenir brand essence 11. Connecting the values of flagship brands to other brands 12. Word of mouth 13. Brand transition through the identity system 14. Express the corporate tone of voice and cultural style These identifiers help companies to establish the concept of product design and its positioning in line with brand identity. In essence the whole exercise is to identify and take advantage of new and global practices and alleviate existing products and services without having to compromise old values and phenomena. With the amount of focus on brand, brand identity and brand loyalty, it can be observed that these are immense tools for influencing consumer purchase decisions (Knowledge Board 2004). 2.4. Key findings from literature review According to the above reviewed literature that encompasses key points on what a brand is and how it can impact consumer-purchase decisions, it can be asserted that branding is an important tool for a company to survive in any industry. It is through a brand identity that consumers recognize a particular companys products and services within a large industry. If a company associates standard and acceptable services and products that are according to a consumers expectations, the brand will be remembered and receive responses each time it advertises newer products and services. 3. Research Methodology: 3.1. Chapter introduction: This section includes the method of handling the data and arriving at a conclusion. Given that there are two types of data being used for this study, it is important to draw up how exactly the researcher will go about it. In order to conduct a study and answer the above research questions on how branding affect consumers purchasing decision, there is need to review relevant literature. The literature reviewed will be authentic and relevant to the research questions. This study will be both, qualitative and quantitative. A qualitative and quantitative study is necessary to answer the above research questions because both, facts and figures are an important part of the research area. There are also managerial aspects that need to be considered. These managerial aspects are represented in the form of facts and figures. Also, there will be statistical and numerical presentations considered that are necessary for answering the research questions. Aside from the study being a quantitative and qualitative, it will adopt a random approach. This refers to considering a wide variety of sources. However, the study will be limited to particular areas from where the researcher can obtain relevant data for this study. Sources for the literature review are ones that are authentic and relevant to the area being researched. The sources are from books and journals, as well as official websites, newspapers and magazines. In addition to the use of the sources mentioned above, important factors belonging to the field being studied here are obtained from other studies and presentations. Opinions and facts from presentations are considered to help in answering the research questions. Facts and figures about McDonalds and KFC brands from different points of view will be considered. The manner in which the brands have operated globally and the focus they have had in various places will also be considered for a greater understanding of their bran d communication with their consumers. This will help to bring together a wider range of opinions and facts to be analyzed. The literature review will be analyzed thoroughly so as to expose the answers to the research questions. Secondary data analysis is the process of re-evaluating collected researched data. The data can be collected from previously researched publications including official researched documents. Data collection usually involves research material that is relevant to the research problem issue but does not necessarily answer the research objectives or questions. For this research, the purpose of having secondary data analysis is to aid the researcher in collecting the data required to delineate the research objectives and provide a basis for analyzing primary data. Based on the conclusions of the secondary data analysis, the researcher will analyze and validate primary data collected through a survey questionnaire (Hair, Bush and Ortinau 2000). The questions in the questionnaire are mostly close ended. These close-ended questions will help to will to reduce result errors and biasness, as well as simplify accumulation of answers. 3.2. Research approach The rationale behind the literature has been to investigate the impact of branding on the consumers purchase decision. In terms of how what evaluate attributes influence their purchase decision. The underlying discussion has tried to come to an understanding of the consumers perception and attitudes towards how their actual purchase choices or decisions are generated, keeping in mind the brand name associations that influence the consumer, leading to his consistent behavior and loyalty. There are two main issues within the study: whether there is a difference in the effect that branding has on the different categories of consumer buying behavior groups, and the relationship between branding variables and consumer buying behavior. Branding is about certain consumers, not all consumers as they have different attitudes and behaviors toward brands. Further, Crimp and Wright (1995) define consumer attitudes as a composite of a consumers beliefs about, feelings for, and behavioral intentions towards some object-within the context of brand. In the research, the independent variable is the consumer buying behavior that is primary interest for marketer. The main objective of the research is to understand and describe the purchasing behavior in terms of brand and to explain its variability within the purchasing process and attempt to predict it. The dependent variable is the branding element that is considered by the consumer. Different consumers may hold different attitudes for these branding elements, or in other words, these branding components are viewed together since they are highly interdependent and together represent forces that influence how the consumer react to the object. 3.3. Data Collection Method As Ghauri and Gronhaug (2002) suggest the research design is the overall plan for relating the conceptual research problem to relevant empirical research. In the same regards, Kress (1988) indicated that designing a research method calls for decisions on data sources, research approaches, research instruments and sampling plans. Firstly, the study will attempt to discuss various sources of data and the ways in which data has been gathered for the purpose of analysis, testing hypothesis, and answering the research questions. Data can be obtained from primary and secondary sourses. However, in some cases the research would be restrained due to some information not being publicly available. Of the several techniques used for data collection a survey was deployed, as the most appropriate technique to gather data. The survey enabled a large amount of data to be collected from a sizeable population in a quick and economic way. A questionnaire can be described as the technique whereby each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions that are in a predetermined order (Webb, 1999). Miller (1991) also supports this idea, claiming that closed-ended questionnaire is an easy was to interpret answers where the respondent is asked to select answers from a brief list. This facilitates the standardization and easy comparison of data. It must be noted that both, data in the literature review as well as data obtained from the survey questionnaire will be analysed to arrive at a conclusion that satisfies the research questions. The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the respondent is led from questions of a general nature to those that are more specific, and form questions that are relatively easy to answer to those that are progressively more difficult (Malhotra, 1996). The studys survey has aimed to incorporate the following features to meet the specific requirements of the projects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Specific objectives, these may be in terms of points that the survey should achieve and should be kept relatively simple; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Questionnaire that entails straightforward questions that extract consistency and accurate information; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A research design that includes survey sampling, sampling methods, sample size and the sound choice of population and sample meaning a relatively large unbiased group; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The appropriate quantitative as well as qualitative analysis and reporting of survey results. 3.4 Validity: Answers achieved in this study are considered to be valid as they are achieved through previously accepted data relevant to this field. In addition to this, the answers from the participants in the survey questionnaire are original and represent the opinions on the subject that stand at the moment. Content validity ensures that the measure includes an adequate and representative set of items to tap the concept. The more the scale items represent the domain or universe of the concept being measured, the greater content validity. To put it diff

Paintball Essay -- essays research papers

Paintball is a fast and furious sport. It is played on both a social and serious level by over 16 million people around the world (Cooke,11). It is one of the fastest growing sports on the planet. Paintball's history, games, guns, and safety are all part of the fun. In 1970, James Hale, an engineer, invented and patented the first commercially successful paintball gun. Paintball guns were first used by the National Forest Association to mark trees that would be cut down. Then, it was used to mark cattle by cowboys. One night while sitting around a campfire, one cowboy shot another and that is how the game of paintball got started. This "splotchmaker" can rightfully claim to be the grandfather of modern paintball guns (Peters, 73). Over the next two decades, Daisy Manufacturing Co. Inc. of Airgun Frames manufactured these guns under contract for the Nelson Paint Co. During this twenty year span, paintball evolved from a "survivalist" game into the wholesome, exciting, family game it is today. In paintball, there are two teams equipped with paintball markers. These are basically low-powered airguns that fire small capsules of paint. It is not a dangerous sport. The only real danger is getting hit in the eye with a paintball. Wearing specific goggles made for paintball easily stops this danger. This rule is strictly enforced at all reputable playing fields worldwide. Obviously if a player is out of sight of the referee and takes off his mask, then he is looking for trouble. American Insurance statistics show that it is safer to play paintball than to play golf or go fishing (Pierce, 17). Getting hit by a paintball generally does not hurt. You may get an occasional bruise, but on the whole the game is not painful. The excitement certainly outweighs any momentary discomfort a player may feel. To lesson the chance of being bruised, long sleeved shirts and pants are highly recommended. To be on the safe side, more than one layer should be worn. Bright colors should be avoided, purely because the more visible you are, the more likely you are to be shot. Most people like to wear camouflage clothing. This helps them to blend into the environment and not be easily shot. Also, good quality hiking or trail boots with ankle support is a good idea to protect both feet and ankles. There are many different leagues and tournaments you can participate ... ...If the surrounding team captures the item and returns it to their station, they win. Also, surrounding players alive at the end of the game can be assigned a point value to make their rescue even more important. The last game is a continuous play game. The only extra items you need are a paper punch and a player card. This is a great game to play when you have a continuous stream of experienced players arriving on the field at different times. Each player is given a card to keep track of how many times he or she is eliminated. When eliminated, the player comes off the field, punches the card and returns to the game. The team loses points every time a team member is eliminated. The team gains points every time they bring back the opposing side’s flag. Paintball is a fun and serious game. It does not glorify war. It is an old paintball adage that the sport actually proves how easy it is to be shot. The supporters of paintball like to prefer the sport as a tactical game of skill. (Cooke, 93) You need to wear protection and play fair so everyone stays safe. Also, you can play the regular, basic games or make up your own. The most important thing is to have fun and play responsibly.